Wordless Wednesday~'The Hills are Alive'

This is my beautiful daughter Alyssa, 19, in Germany a few weeks ago where they filmed the famous 'The Hills are Alive' scene in The Sound of Music!

Please Help!

My daughter Alyssa will be travelling to Serbia in one week with her dance group, Clog America.  While there, they will be bringing desperately needed items to a home for disabled and abandoned  children.  They only have a week to go, and aren't even halfway to their goal to be able to purchase the items once they are over there.  They'd appreciate anything you can give.  Here is a link to their Gofundme page:

http://www.gofundme.com/7aih94

Thank you!

Wordless Wednesday~Easter Egg Dyeing!

It's That Time of Year~Prom Dress Shopping!

It's that time of year...when girls in High School are dreaming of and getting ready for their prom.  For many girls, it can be their first (and possibly only, except for their wedding) time wearing a formal dress.  What an exciting time in life, but also a time that could be very expensive!  As a Mom, when I go shopping with my daughter for a special occasion dress, of course I want her to get what she wants, but I also have to be realistic to our family's budget.   

JenJenHouse can help you to not break the bank on prom.  They have beautiful, quality, custom tailored gowns at amazingly affordable prices.  I must say, I was blown away when I saw all of the beautiful prom dresses available.   JenJenHouse carries every style, fabric, and length you can  imagine.  It is very easy to navigate their website and find just what you are looking for. 

My daughter Alyssa is 19 and in college.  It hasn't been that long since Prom time for her, and I asked her to pick her favorite dress at JenJenHouse.  The gorgeous dress you see above is her pick-it is so classy and feminine. I think she would look beautiful in it.  Next it was my turn-it took me forever to choose a favorite, I had so many.  My pick is below, it's so unique!

JenJenHouse not only sells custom tailored prom dresses, they sell accessories, shoes, wedding dresses, and other special occasion dresses.  With Alyssa being my only girl, our Prom dress days are over, but wedding dress shopping is in the future.  After looking at the Prom dresses, we couldn't help but look through the wedding dresses-I've never seen such awesome prices!  When the time comes (hopefully not for a while), we will be coming back to JenJenHouse!  

Wordless Wednesday~Ice Castles

 

 

Wordless Wednesday~Winter at the Lake

Review by Jeff~Beaver Creek Lodge Snowmobile Rentals

 

 

 

I normally would not be writing a review on my wife's blog but since she wasn't able to experience this snowmobiling experience first-hand due to her multiple spine surgeries, she asked me to give it a try. Here it goes.

Recently, our family (and our daughter's boyfriend, Dean) took a short trip to Bear Lake, Utah. While there, we visited the Beaver Creek Lodge in Logan Canyon and rented a couple of snowmobiles. It was such a positive experience we thought it would be nice to tell the world (or at least the followers of “the Loose Screw”) about it.

 

 

 

Now it's been over 25 years since I've been on a snowmobile so I wanted to make sure that we had a safe time. The professionals at Beaver Creek Lodge took the time to thoroughly explain all of the features of the machines and ensured we had properly fitting helmets.

 

 

 

With over 300 miles of scenic, groomed trails to choose from the crew at the lodge provided us with our options and a map of the area. Once we felt equipped to go, we jumped on our Ski-Doo Summit 600 REVs and away we went. 

The snowmobiles were well maintained, and looked brand new. These things could move! I was actually surprised on how much power they had. At one point, my 11 year old, Chad, had to say, “Maybe not SO fast, Dad”.

 

 

 

Beaver Creek Lodge offers full and half day rentals for either their Summit 600 REV and Summit 800 XP REV machines. They also offer lodging and horse back riding packages. The staff was very friendly and accommodating.  For more information visit www.beavercreeklodge.com.  We had such a blast, we will definitely be returning!

 

Wordless Wednesday~Tree Trimming!

Chad, Alyssa, and Alyssa's boyfriend Dean trimmed the tree this year.  Here are some pics:

Wordless Wednesday~Halloween Costume Pics

 

 

Wordless Wednesday~New Addition

My daughter Alyssa got a new puppy.  He is half Schnauzer, half Maltese.

His name is Java :)

Wordless Wednesday~My Loves

Left to Right: Daniel (2), Nick (22), Chad (10), Tulip (2), and Alyssa (18)

Wordless Wednesday~First Day of School

Besides our oldest who is not in school, this year we have a 5th grader and a College Freshman!

Wordless Wednesday~Mermaid Alyssa

~Wordless Wednesday~

Isn't this a cool photo?  Daughter Alyssa is in the Dominican Republic on a dance tour.

Wordless Wednesday~Me and My Girl

Linking up this week with Only Passionate Curiousity!

~Wordless Wednesday~

~Wordless Wednesday~

~Wordless Wednesday~

Now, that's talent and flexibility!!

Wordless Wednesday~My Beautiful Girl

This picture was taken by ShiAnne Dansie, a talented classmate of Alyssa's who owns Sunnie Photography. 

Schoolhouse Crew Review~College Common Sense

Over the past month, I've been reviewing a product called Going to College and Paying for It by College Common Sense. This program was created by Denise Ames, who has been a Financial Aid Consultant for over ten years. It can be used with elementary through high school ages, because-guess what???- even kids as young as six can get scholarships!!! Wish I had known that about twelve years ago!

 Alyssa, eighteen years old, is a senior in high school.  She plans to go to the local community college for the first few years.  Because of that, we haven't done much in the way of applying for colleges and scholarships. I knew there was financial aid and that we'd apply for it. I knew there were scholarships but hadn't looked into them yet. I had no idea what a big mistake I have been making by not doing anything!  College Common Sense opened my eyes!

Going to College and Paying for It is available as a DVD and workbook for $50 plus $5 shipping and handling, or for $25 you can get one-year access to the same program online, with a downloadable workbook.  I was given the online access.  Here's whats included in the program:

There are six videos (about 15-20 minutes each) and corresponding workbook sections.  The topics are:
*The Big Picture
*How Financial Aid Works
*All About the Free Money
*The System that Works
*You in the Process
*Pull it all Together

There are also weekly lessons plans and a monthly newsletter available at the College Common Sense Website that are very helpful.

How did we use the program?  I watched the videos first and read the workbook section, making notes and highlighting things I wanted to point out to Alyssa. Then I would watch them with her.  I feel this was the best way to get through the material.  Alyssa is responsible for her binder (explained in the lessons), of course with some supervision from Mom.

What did we think of the program?  It was a huge help for both of us.  I must admit, some of the information can be overwhelming, but it is necessary.  Alyssa thought the videos were a bit dry and old-fashioned, but they got the necessary points across.  The most helpful lessons for us were How Financial Aid Works and All About the Free Money.  I'm discouraged that we didn't know about this program last year, or years before, but better late than never.  We are in HIGH gear now!  Going to College and Paying for It was a big eye-opener that we desperately needed!  Thanks Denise Ames and College Common Sense!