With lots of Love and sadness we say Good-bye!

A grandmother is a little bit parent,

a little bit teacher,

and a little bit best friend.

-- Author Unknown

Davone's Great Grandmother passed away yesterday and she will be greatly missed!

Becoming Self Reliant

Okay so maybe this is not what our Prophet was talking about when he teaches about this topic, Anyone who KNOWS me knows I tend to read stuff into what people say. 

Well so I was thinking... We need to be able to rely on our government LESS and on Oil LESS and on Stores LESS. Yeah umm... I gotta go to the store... I am not yet at the point of making butter and gathering eggs ( even though I would love to be at that point some day! ). 

There are lots of ways to use less oil so that will be the one we focus on first. We haven't had a car for a while now, but we have been blessed to have the chance to use my mother's van whenever we need!

While Davone and I have talked we have decided our goal is to become self reliant. We want to get to the point where we are able to do for our selves and not be concerned when there is no one to catch us when we fall!!

So with all the running around usually done by one to two people we figured this year we would invest in a scooter. NO not one of the little ones you see around town that goes 25 to 30 Mph this one goes 60 or 65 Mph. 80 miles per gallon. So when gas gets back up to $4 a gallon it will cost us $16 a month for gas as opposed to $240 and up. So we figured after about 5 months... the scooter will pay for itself. The extra money we save will be used to help pay off debt and invest in camping supplies  ( you know just in case we all have to live in the woods )! Camping supplies are another chapter in the "Valentin Family guide to being self sufficient" but that will be a story for later! :)

This is not the color but this is the style of the scooter Davone got!

Tagged again?!

I was reading a blog of a friend and she announced at the end that if you were reading it and had a blog then you were tagged!
This one is a little different!! You take the 4th picture from the 4th album and the 6th picture from the 6th album!
The first one is when Davone went out with the Missionaries to teach an investigator. Elder Jurgensmeier and Elder Davis were the Missionaries at the time! Elder Jurgensmeier has since left. I took this picture so that I could email their families and let them know their sons are okay!! I know that when my son leaves to serve his mission that I would LOVE for someone to take the time and update me and honestly let me know how he is doing! So I try to return the favor!! I know their mothers and fathers worry about if they are getting fed and on holidays and on their birthdays if someone cared enough to do something for them!

The next one is of my lovely husband AGAIN.....
This one was from the 6th album of when we went to Kansas City Missouri with my brother and his girlfriend. On Day 2 of the trip we stopped to look at the fountain at a park! Davone being the lovely and entertaining person he is posed for this picture!! You have to know him to fully appreciate it!

So if and when anyone reads this you are offically tagged as well!!

Begging for Candy!!

This year for Halloween started off the same as every other year!!
Davone had to work... So mom and dad invited us over for dinner since they also invited the missionaries over.

While in West Virginia Kiannah dressed up as a cowgirl... I thought she was real cute! We used the costume for our trunk-or-treat at church and it just was not the same without Ryan's red shirt we borrowed from Charity! Thanks again Charity!! Also I figured if we were doing a lot of walking the boots were not going to have enough traction and they are not comfortable enough!! So we changed it up a bit for trick-or-treating!!



This year we put together costumes at the last minute again!!! Imanni was an Orange and Black witch....

She liked it so really that is ALL that matters!!

Johnathan wanted to be a vampire!! Once again... He was happy!! So after talking with the missionaries for a while we were off to beg for candy!



We go to the same area EVERY year!! We have pretty good luck with it too!!
Davone got to meet up with Sarah Palin ( Not perfect but we knew who she was going for! ).

Halloween is so much fun!! It is after all the unofficial start of the Holiday season!!!

Imanni enters the workforce!

Imanni and Johanthan have been out of school ALL week, So today Imanni went to work with Davone! She worked in the design department with Lacey and Carol. She stayed at work with Davone the whole day. She even took lunch break with Davone. She help sweep the back room and she helped the design ladies with a couple of things. She was able to pick out the items needed to make an arrangement and then the ladies helped her make an "Imanni Original". She was so excited and it turned out beautiful!!

A lie is.....?

I just wanted to tell my husband that I am sorry! :( I lied to him today multiple times....but in my defense it wasn't my fault!
Davone had the day off from work. The big kids stayed at my mom's house last night so we didn't have to get them up for school and Kiannah stayed here. Kiannah did not wake up til around 9:30 am.
I got up with her and then we got dressed and walked to Asbell Elementary to take the big kids their fundraiser stuff. When we got back Davone was awake so we had breakfast , which consisted of Cold Pizza!!! Yummy!!!!
I was tired so I went to the room and laid down on the bed. Davone came in as I was starting to doze off and asked if I was going to sleep but I lied and said " Nope I am just thinking! ". Hahaha I tend to lie and make stuff up when I am half asleep. It is a real bad habit but I don't know how to fix it!
I had originally went into the room around 11:00 am and I know that Davone came in a couple more times and a couple more times I had a lie to tell. I ended up sleeping until 3:15pm while he watched after Kiannah. What a great husband I have!!!!
So in this case.... A lie is a lie.... should be changed to A lie is not my fault!!!

Davone's Unusual Talent

So we all love to watch Davone do one thing in particular. We tend to say that it is his " Unusual Talent ".

Yep..... Davone can do the Carlton dance. It is way fun to watch and he does a great job!!!

Our part to stimulate the Economy!

Davone hasn't been "home" ( back in New York ) since 2003, So when the government sent us our economic stimulus check we figured what better way to stimulate the economy then for Davone to go to New York!!!!

No you aren't seeing things! Yes Davone is wearing a sweatshirt in the middle of August ( with the airlines charging for all the extra baggage now we had to be a little creative in the packing and in case he got cold on the plane ) and Yes he did carry his basketball with him on the plane ( so that he can try to squeeze a game in with Lamar )!

The kids and the wife stayed in Arkansas while Davone went to New York. The government only sent enough for him to go :) and the kids had school!

So.... this is just the beginning of Davone's vacation story. It all started with a horrible economy, a mother's day present, and XNA! The rest of the story will follow shortly!