Can you believe school is starting again? Where did summer go? I barely remember what I did. LOL Oh yeah, I went back to Manila to attend my 25th high school reunion. Amber went to summer camp for the 2nd year in a row. We spent some time with the in-laws. Did some day trips here and there.

Although there was one thing I missed this year. My friends and I did not have our annual picnic this year. Mira was in Manila, I was there too although on a different time, Lanie was somewhere. I guess everyone was just busy.

We definitely need to do it next year.

The loveseat is scheduled to be delivered this Friday,while the sofa is on back-order. "How do we get ridof the old sectional couch?", hubby asked me. "Simple,I'll post an offer on Freecycle", I answered.

Freecycling, what a grand concept.

What is it? The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator. Membership is free.

How was it started?The Freecycle Network was started in May 2003 to promote waste reduction in Tucson's downtown and help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. The Network provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to "recycle" unwanted items. One person's trash can truly be another's treasure!

How does it work? When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.

Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.

One main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

FREECYCLE.ORG

Has it ever happened to you when you go shopping for one thing and you end up with more than that item? I'm sure it happened to everyone a couple (or more!) times.

Well, yesterday was Columbus Day so my daughter was home. We wanted to bring her to the zoo but the weather isn't up to that so what better to do when it's rainingthan to shop.

First stop, Lowes. Not really a problem here since my hubby already has some things he wanted. Picked up two wall scones for the bedroom, foam mats for the basement, faucet for the bathroom and some baby-proof stuff. Damage to the checkbook is about $200.

My husband is a huge football fan, he's a New England Patriots follower all his life. He subscribes to DirecTV's NFL package every year so he has access to ALL the games being played. Then he has his recliner, very comfortable. But the problem is, the kids like to sit with him (and sometimes me too)so it gets very tight. We always say that we should get a loveseat recliner so everyone can fit in but we never got around to it.

Then comes the deal breaker, he broke the recliner lever last week. So the recliner is now just a regular comfortable chair. We searched online for adouble recliner and we only found it in the Lazy Boy website. Great, we have astore nearby.

So off we went to the Lazy Boy gallery. We looked around and zeroed in on theloveseat recliner we saw online. Beige leather, looks very good. So we sat on itand of course it's very comfortable. Both seats reclines which is what we want.We talked to the salesman who of course starts his pitch, what he didn't know isthat we already made up our mind to buy it. Then comes my question, how long willyou have this model in stock. Of course no one knows when it will be discontinued.Bad news. Hubby and I talked, maybe we should also get the recliner sofa. Kaching! goesthe eyes of the salesman, I swear I saw some dollar signs there. LOL Oh well,we decided to buy the loveseat AND the sofa. We didn't get the beige set because of my 15 month old son, we know what happens with kids and any kind of pen! LOL We opted for the dark blue color. Oh well, maybe when we replace the sofa and loveseat in the livingroom, I can get my beige leather.