Friday, February 27, 2009

The Friday Memes



1. I'm good, I'm important, I funny.

2. Why do I have a father and not a parent?

3. How does this life work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put contacts on my eyeball.

5. I consider myself lucky because I love.

6. One day we’ll see more clearly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having nothing to do, tomorrow my plans include going to the library and Sunday, I want to start reading Corline.
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  1. How often do you get paid? I get paid daily in hugs.
  2. Do you tend to splurge a little on (or shortly after) pay day? I never was a splurger!
  3. What are the few days leading up to pay day like for you? Since I don't work, ummm they are like any other day.
  4. If you had the option, would you like to be paid daily for each day’s work? I would love a check for 555.00 Every day.
  5. When did you get your first paycheck and what was it for? It was in 1984 but I do not recall the amount.
=================================================================
Breakfast
Who was your childhood hero? I loved Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt when I was a child.

Lunch
In your opinion what is the world's greatest invention so far? So far, it is the digital camera. I love not having to wait for film to be developed before we see the picture.

Dinner
What time do you typically get up in the morning and what time do you usually go to bed? I get up before the crack of dawn. My kids wake me all night long and they wake about 5:25 a.m. these days. It sucks. I go to be between 11:00 and 12:30 a.m.

Midnight Snack
What was your last thought? That we are all in charge of our own destiny.

Recipe for the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Life's what you make it. We are all stars of our own reality.

Breaking Dawn has Come To An End

Last night I finally closed Breaking Dawn. I am sad to see it end and have been reading it for over 3 months. Not because it was hard to read, boring and any other reason you can come up with. The sole reason was because I knew after I finished it, the saga would be over! Saying goodbye to Bella, Edward, Jacob and the rest of the clan didn't sit well with me.

I pray that Stephanie Meyer will eventually finish Midnight Sun. Edward's voice needs to be heard and I know millions who are dying to read it.

To everyone who hasn't read it yet; I am so jealous. Read it! You won't be disappointed.

Photo of My Baby Girl

Awesome gift idea.

Phokki has established a way for you to create a one of a kind gift for you or someone else.

With Phokki, you can turn into photo into graphic art. The site is especially user friendly. The hardest part was choosing which of my photos to use in the review and the graphic style, there are tons to choose from.

Sounds great right? It is...check out this image of my baby girl.


I used Mix and Blend. Here is the original next to the Mix and Blend version. So pretty.

Goddess loved her picture and is mad that all her pictures don't have "stars" all over them.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mommy Friends Discuss It All

Friends and Best Friends MySpace Comments and Graphics
What do 3 moms talk about when they get together for coffee... it would be easier to say what don't they say.

Religion, movies, Parenting, blogging, music, product reviews, sex toys ( Which ones are the best? 1 out of 3 of us never used them), celebrities, and more.

The best part about this small group of women is that no one takes anything too seriously. It is a really comfortable dynamic and I totally can be 100% myself.

Friends Rock!

Product Review and Giveaway - EYEBUYDIRECT

Today I received a pair of glasses I ordered from EyeBuyDirect.Com. When I saw the little blue box in my mailman's hand I knew they had arrived.

I got inside and quickly opened the box after obviously snapping a shot or two. I loved clear case inside and my kids were jumping up and down waiting for the picture so they could finally see what all the fuss was about.
Wah la..my new glasses. I haven't had a new pair in over 15 years. Not that mine are terrible because they are just a classic frame an all but, they are a bit scratched up and these are called SAKE in rose color.
I put took my contacts out (I wear them 70% of the time) and put on my new glasses. My kids didn't like them. Oh well...they are new and they will have to get used to them.

In A Nutshell: EyeBuyDirect has a huge variety of styles for low prices (about 70% lower than than most others). It is easy to order. Just have your prescription handy and the online order form is totally idiot proof (good thing for me). You can pick your frame, upload a photo of yourself and try on as many frames as possible to find the right style for your face and taste. They email you when your order ships and the glasses are delivered right to your door. They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, no questions asked. Who has that these days? AND, one of my favorites...they take PAYPAL. I love my PayPal.

Buy yourself a pair here: EyeBuyDirect.Com

Now for the Giveaway Details:

Prize Description: One lucky reader will win a pair of glasses of their choice (not including sunglasses or designer frames) from EyeBuyDirect.com (open to US and Canada - Free shipping in US).

How to Enter:Visit EyeBuyDirect.Com and browse their huge selection of frames, then come back here and tell me which ones you like best. (If this rule is not followed you will be disqualified).

Deadline: March 12, 2008 by Midnight

Do You Want More Entries? (PLEASE NOTE: YOU DO NOT NEED TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH SEPARATE ENTRY. LEAVE ALL YOUR ENTRIES IN ONE COMMENT. I GO THROUGH EACH COMMENT AND I WILL ADD THE ADDITIONAL ONES TO MY SPREADSHEET).

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* Blog about this contest and link back to me (provide the link in the comment).

A winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified within 2 days. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck to all who enter.

Photobucket


Amazing Blogger Giveaways

I found out this week that I was a winner on the Nana Star giveaway hosted by 5 Minutes for Giveaways. I am so excited, my daughter is going to freak.

There are so many giveaways going on right now.

Simply Stacie has a ton of giveaways going on. I loved and applied for this one from Shē Essential Beauty.

Win a Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Fry Pan or Yummy English Toffee at Funky Monkey. I could use this.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Thematic Photographic 38 - Winter


Carmi, at Written Inc, is asking for Winter this week. For our family, winter means sliding down hills, eating loads of snow and warm nights around the fire place.

ABC Wednesday - Family




"F" is for family. I love how close my children are. They are family but they are also friends. They love each other very much and I hope to continue helping that friendship blossom.

See my other submission, the flower here.

Winner of Glade Sense & Spray Announced

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

135

Timestamp: 2009-02-25 21:50:14 UTC

Plowlady said... you're in my blog roll but before that she said, "ooooo the Country Garden scent. Which by the way is one of my all time favorites. It reminds me of a good time in my life.

Check out her blog called Be The Heart of Your Home for some great Internet finds.

(Just a reminder to my readers, please follow the directions of the giveaway.If you don't follow the HOW TO ENTER details, you will be disqualified. The rules are set, sometimes by me and sometimes by the sponsor but always in a way to be fair to everyone.)

Monday, February 23, 2009

The Simple Woman's Daybook~February 23rd Edition


For Today...

Outside my window... bright sunshine, glorious day but brutally cold.

I am thinking... life is what you make it but damn things are stressed right now.

From the learning rooms... I need to put more trust in my faith

I am thankful for... the unconditional love of and for my children.

From the kitchen... I really need to go shopping but man things are tight these days.

I am wearing... comfy yoga pants and a tight graphic t-shirt that makes me feel thin.

I am reading... 100 Cupboards


I am hoping... to reconnect with someone this weekend.

I am creating...a couple of draft posts for my much deprived Memories Through Photography

I am hearing... my son complain and repeat himself over and over again.

Around the house... I need to take care of some tidying.

One of my favorite things... is bedtime.

A few plans for the rest of the week... draft up some reviews and catch up on my blog friends.

Here is a picture I thought I would share with you...

This is a daisy from my daughter's Valentine bouquet. I was so happy to give her her first flowers. She loved them and she is still taking care of them.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sunday Stealing: The Stolen Sex Meme



1. Is there anyone of your friends that you would ever consider having sex with? Oh hell all of them. I consider most things and never say never!

2. Sex in the morning, afternoon or night? Whenever, it's all good.

3. What side of the bed do you sleep on? The side nearest the door. The kids are looking for me when they come in so it just makes more sense.

4. Have you ever taken your clothes off for money? Nope! But it would take a hell of a lot of money.

5. Have you ever had sex in the shower or the bath? Is there someone who hasn't done this? This question seems like one that would be on a cosmo quiz.

6. Do you watch/read pornography? I love my porn collection. It helps keep this mom of 2 smiling and sane.

7. Do you want someone aggressive or passive in bed? There is a place for both types.

8. Do you love someone on your blogroll? I love everyone. I am a happy, loving person. Even Oinker has a place in heaven.

9. Would you choose love or money? Love is amazing but these days...money sounds good too.

10. Your top three favorite kinks in bed? Oh Lord, I so won't go there. What I think is kinky someone may find normal and what I find normal someone may find kinky.

11. Has anyone ever gone beyond your personal line of respect sexually? Yes!

12. Where is the most romantic place you have had sex? Is there a such thing as romantic sex? Wow, never had it.

13. Where is the weirdest place you have had sex? What's weird to you?

14. Have you ever been caught having sex? Yes.

15. Ever been to a bar just to get sex? No. I go to a bar to drink and hang with friends. What, no, never mind.

16. Ever been picked up in a bar? Yes, see there was this time that my car got a flat and my friend/now husband had to pick me up.

17. Have you ever kissed or had sex with someone of the same sex? Never!

18. Had sex in a movie theater? Uh, no.. I go to the movies to watch the movie. Why spend a small fortune on movie tickets and waste them on sex when I can just have that in the alley later? Duh.

20. Had sex in a bathroom? I prefer not to but sometimes, a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

21. Have you ever had sex at work? Ummm..., what are we calling sex these days?

22. Bought something from an adult store? And it came in a plain brown package too.

23. Do you own any sex toys? I have a small arsenal of friends who might or might not require batteries.

24. Does anyone have naughty pics of you or are you on film? My husband might have a photo or two or one hundred.

25. Have you ever had sex with someone and called them the wrong name? Never. But I did have a guy call me another name during an argument.

26. Do you think oral sex constitutes as a form of intercourse? Ummm...no but I do consider it sex.

27. What's your favorite sexual position? Any that matches up the necessary parts.

28. What's your favorite sex act? Any old act will do.

29. Have you ever had sex with more than one person at a time? Never! Damn it.

30. How many Sunday Stealing players do you think will not post this meme this week?

Saturday 9: Letting the Sparks Fly

1. Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity? I would surf the Internet. There are so many creative people out there. Bloggers and Etsy folks are an interesting and talented group with a wealth of ideas for creativity.

2. What would be one thing that would embarrass you a great deal? There is really nothing that embarrasses me. But, there was a time that I came out of the bathroom at work, walked past a room full of patients with my ankle long skirt stuffed into the back of my pantyhose. After that, I really wanted to go home for the day.

3. What values did your parents instill in you? That if you have nothing nice to say, you say nothing at all. They also taught me to give to others even if you have nothing for yourself.

4. What’s a fad of your teen years that you remember well? Wearing a big, fat colorful comb in my carpenter jean pocket.

5. What is your favorite breakfast? I love breakfast. My favorite is a "Clarissa special."

6. What is the best birthday gift that you have received? My laptop and my engagement ring.

7. What gadget could you not live without? My laptop, and my camera. I love them both.

8. Do you collect anything? I used to be a big collector. I collected horses, then snow globes, angels and now Willow Tree Figurines.

9. What website (non-blog) do you regularly visit? There is nothing I visit regularly. I visit Twitter and Facebook but not very regularly.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

You Want To Be A What When You Grow Up???

Thursday night as we were heading to my son's martial arts class he told me what he wants to be when he grows up.

Here is what I heard...

Handsome: "I want to be a policeman when I grow up Mom"

Me: "You do? That's so nice Baby"

Just as I was taking the moment to beam at the fact that my son is telling me where his thoughts are on his career at 5 years old there is another voice in the back seat.

Goddess: "Mommy, I want to be Jesse's police car when I grow up"


Me: You do? Hahahahah...why are you always a scene stealer?!

Friday Fill In

#112

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And...here we go!

1. Give me respect and I'll give it right back.

2. Whenever Wherever

3. I wish I felt closer to a particular person right now.

4. Clarissa's breakfast sandwich was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world is a blessing

6. Other than this one, 5 Minutes for giveaways is the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging out, tomorrow my plans include catching up with my email and Sunday, I want to watch a movie with the kids.

Friday, February 20, 2009

I'm Gonna Break That Wood!!


Tonight Handsome will graduate from white belt to high white in his Tao class. I am so excited for him to see what he has been working for all this time.

Last night his Master was telling the class what to expect on graduation night. She had their attention as she quietly explained everything they would be expected to do. Pulling out a piece of wood she explained what it was, and how they would break the board tomorrow night at graduation. The Dragons all looked excited as she presented a piece of practice Styrofoam for them to try out. They each hit it and it broke in the center. After each had a turn she held the board they would be expected to break tonight. Her hand was holding it in the middle and my son decided to hit the board. I missed the actual breaking but I heard her saying "that was great. You shouldn't have been able to break that because I was holding it in the middle and in order to break it we have to hold it on the edges". He apologized, and said "it was an accident." She told him it was OK and that now he knew what to do for tonight.

After class, she brought the wood over and told me how he shouldn't have been able to break the board.

I also found out that as they are breaking the board they will turn to the crowd and shout, "I'm going break that wood."

I can't wait to see how he does tonight. His father, Teach is coming with us tonight. It is supposed to be a zoo and extremely over crowded. I am sure he will be very proud of what our Handsome is doing.

I am proud of him for breaking his first board. We brought it home and will date it and hang it in his room.

Even if he doesn't continue Tao, I am proud of the work he has accomplished so far. Tao has helped his coordination so much and I highly recommend it. Besides his coordination and discipline he can now Korean. He has learned a lot of Korean actually but I don't know how to spell any of it. Damn it!

Pictures of graduation coming soon.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Winner Announced

And it's me......

Woot!

I was notified this morning that I won the Honestech Claymation giveaway that Jennifer of Dirty Shirt hosted.


Thank you so much Jennifer, this is beyond terrific.

Claymation by Maria coming soon.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farms Goes Park Avenue

Software Review and Giveaway - Scanalog

Scanalog Banner Ad
Scanalog Home Decoration Photo

Do you have stacks of magazines to get through?

Do you have a file of ripped out pages that you hope to read through one day?

Do you save articles of crafts you want to do or recipes you want to try, parenting tips you can't live with out?

Well, if you are like me, you need SCANALOG. I know my reviews always sound like an infomercial but roll with me here.

From their Site - SCANALOG is a CD-ROM software system to store, catalog and retrieve your favorite articles from magazines and catalogs. The articles can be scanned from the magazine or saved from the magazine website.

SCANALOG was designed to help you organize your clippings. SCANALOG comes with Scantabs that you can keep with you as you read your magazines. See something you like, just flag it with one of the conveniently labeled tabs. Each tab is labeled with a category listed in scanalog so you know exactly where you want to store it.

There are 11 categories and 102 subcategories included in SCANALOG.

The 11 Categories Are:

Home Decoration/Gardening/Home Maintenance/Food & Wine/Travel/Antiques & Collectibles/Parenting/Crafts/Health & Beauty/Career/My Spirit

Don't remember where you put an article? Simple search it out by the tags you inserted when you entered it.

How to Scan an article:
  • Place the article on your scanner (oh yeah, BTW...you need a scanner)
  • Click scan
  • Icon box appears and you select the part of the article you want to use as your thumbnail
  • Name your article and put in your keywords
  • Save
Not a reader of magazines? How about books?

You can keep a running list of information about books you are interested in reading in the future.
  • Click on books
  • Add
  • Enter book information (author, title, price, etc)
  • Save
Who needs SCANALOG? Everyone. You can save articles for everyone in your family.

Love fashion? Turn your clippings into a digital look book.

Brides can store pictures of dresses, table settings, vacation ideas, flower arrangements, favors and more.

Homeschoolers, teachers and hands on parents will be able to catalog all their educational articles into one place.

DIY'ers can save all the projects they are interested in.

The possibilities are endless.

Sounds easy right? It is.

Buy It! Visit SCANALOG to purchase the CD-ROM Software. It is only $49.95 and comes with technical support Monday through Friday from 9-6

Now for the Giveaway Details:

Prize Description:
SCANALOG, A Magazine Cataloging System Includes:
CD-ROM Software Program
Printed SCANALOG User Guide
SCANALOG Mousepad

How to Enter: Visit SCANALOG and look around. Then come back here and tell me what you love most about SCANALOG. For an extra entry tell me how you see yourself using the site. (Make sure you list that entry in another comment). If this question is not answered none of the other entries will count.

Deadline: March 4, 2008 by Midnight

Do You Want More Entries? (please leave a comment for each one):

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* Blog about this contest and link back to me (provide the link in the comment).

A winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified within 2 days. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck to everyone who enters.

Family Review Network

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Taking on the Bible


Over the past 5 or 6 months I have slowly welcomed two Jehovah Witness's into my home. The reason is, they are nice.

They started out by handing me a Watchtower magazine until last week when they gave me a bible. I always thought there was a bible in my house. My mother had a bible (or so I thought) which is now mine. Turns out it is a prayer book of some sort.

Over the past couple of weeks, it has been too cold to stand in the doorway with the door open to listen to them or to ask questions so I let them into the hallway. Last week they were welcomed to my dining room table. I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to stand in the doorway.

I was raised Catholic but have attended Catholic and Lutheran over the last 30 years but I do not know the bible and it wasn't until last week that I learned how to read the bible.

My JH friends have a lot of patience and answer all my questions with scripture.

What have I asked?

Who is Jehovah and what are you witnessing?

How do we know the bible wasn't written by some Stephen King dude sitting in a dark room wasting his time away?

What is your goal? Why do you come to my home every week?

Are you looking for money?

Why are all these numbers in the bible? It makes it hard to read.

Are you volunteers or does your church pay you?

Not to get into a long post about religion, so I will only answer if you ask me what they said but I find them interesting. Religion is religion when you think about it. We all fall under the same umbrella.

I am sure there are some fanatics out there who are appealed at my questions (my husband was too). This is certainly not to poke fun at Jehovah Witness's or any other religion nor am I making light of religion.

If you know me, you know I fall under the "whatever" umbrella. Whatever works for you and makes you happy is what is right. It might not be right for me, but it is right for you so that's cool dude.

Seriously, when a friend asked me last week why I am reading the bible with the Jehovah Witness's and not at my church I said, "they come to my door, gave me a bible and only stay on my terms." My church isn't doing that.

A few weeks ago when they came I was watching General Hospital. I ran out when my husband opened the door just long enough to tell them that it was sweeps week and I didn't want to miss General Hospital. They said, "see you next week" and thanked me for my honesty.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Jehovah Witness's and I am learning a lot. They are just like you and I but they dedicate themselves to the bible.

You have to respect people who can pull scripture and apply it to anything I ask. They make me think and look forward to their visits.

I am not looking to become a Jehovah Witness but I believe that everything happens for a reason. They came here, I opened the door and we connected. I have longed to read the bible and understand it. With them I don't feel silly asking the questions that might embarrass me if I were asking a preacher or priest. It just works.

Trying Not To Judge But.....

Yesterday my family and I headed out to Chuck E. Cheeses for something close to a nightmare experience. Honestly, I hate being in crowds, especially when my kids are involved. Crowds and noise make me feel less than nice. Not sure if it is normal but for me I start feeling claustrophobic and confused. The noise and everything else makes it hard for me to concentrate.

Now that I am a mom, I feel less confused and more angry. Not being able to hear yourself or see your kid in the crowd contributes to that.

Chuck E. Cheese gets crowded enough but on a day when school is closed man 0 man, it is a down right jungle.

We got there at 1:30 p.m. and it took 30 minutes to get in the door. I wasn't feeling good so my cousin's kids chased after mine. Honestly, there wasn't much chasing that had to be done. There was more pulling. It appears that my children are more like me and were a bit overwhelmed. They had a fab time and my cousin's girls were awesome.

But....about an hour and half into our time there, my sister finds a baby girl alone. The baby was only about 13 months old. She was walking but not yet talking. My sister looked for her mom for a 1/2 hour before handing the baby over to the management. They walked around for a while too. I asked the manager if they could turn the music off and announce over the PA they had a lost girl. She informed me that the PA was broken and I asked if they had called the police yet and she said no. I was surprised when I saw her still walking around with the baby as we were leaving.

Leading my kids through the crowd, I noticed a women looking around. She was holding her necklace and searching the crowd. My cousin's kids are 5'9 and I couldn't find them in the crowd so I don't know what this women was thinking. If my baby was missing I would have demanded the music be shut off and there would have been no PA system necessary. Everyone would have heard me.

I walked over and touched her arm asking if she was looking for someone. She turned and breathed, "yes". I asked if she was looking for a baby girl and she said "yes". As I told her the manager had the baby her friend said, "that lady has her over there." They ran over and I watched the women hug the manager.

What is wrong with people? I can't even imagine what was going through this women's head. I can't imagine why she hadn't gone to the manager in the first place. The baby was so young she didn't even know to be afraid of strangers. She just hung onto whoever was holding her.

Sweet baby girl, I will think of your beautiful little, trusting face for a long time.

Everyone Has To Save The Planet Says 3 Year Old



My soon to be 4 year old wants to save the planet. I love that she is showing interest in our planet and all living things.

Today we were walking from school to the library and she took a sticker off her jacket.

Goddess: "I don't want this sticker anymore" she said as she rolled it up.

Me: "Ok, honey. Don't throw it on the ground. Give it to me and we will throw it in the garbage can."

Goddess: "We can't throw it on the ground because we would be like other people. We have to protect our planet. It is our Earth, we need to take care of it."

Me: Bending down to hug her, "Yes sweetie. You are right!"

Then we walked on, as my smile beamed.

It is the little lessons. Everything can be a teaching experience and they don't even know they are being taught. Sometimes, we don't even know we are teaching.

These are the moments that make it all worth it.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Sunday Stealing: The Q & A Meme



1. Where is your significant other? Downstairs banging out sheetmetal for a job on Tuesday. He has been banging since Saturday. At least someone is getting some.


2. Your favorite thing? This is impossible to choose. I love my laptop, my cellphone, my Sirius MP3 Player, my new and my old camera, my kids, ummm..now that I am writing this, I see that everything that is a favorite was a gift from my oh so unromantic husband. Maybe he is more romantic than I realize.

3. Your dream last night? Unfortunately, because I never get to sleep, I never actually enter REM which you need in order to dream. Yes, this is dangerous because we all need REM, but I haven't slept more than 3 hours of unbroken sleep for the past 6 years.

4. Your goal? To raise, well adjusted, polite, smart, happy, self confident, adults.

5. Your hobby? I love blogging, reading, scrapbooking, journaling, photography.

6. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Where I am but hopefully doing the things we never seem to have time for now.

7. Where were you last night? On the couch suffering through some excruitating stomach pains.

8. What you're not? I am not pretty, confident, happy, satisfied, encouraged, supported, or loved. Obviously, I am having a bad day.

9. One of your wish list items? Time with my husband where we go out as a family and create a memory with the kids.

10. Your pet? Currently, our only pets are the squirrels and birds that we feed outside our sliders.

11. Missing someone? Always. I would love to spend some time with my family.

12. Your car? My car is amazing and gets me from point A to point B.

13. Something you're not wearing? An ascot.

14. Love someone? Yes...quite a few people.

15. When is the last time you laughed? Today, my daughter cracks me up.

16. Last time you cried? About 4 days ago. Sometimes I need a good sob to make it all better.


17. Favorite past time? Doing nothing.

18. Are you a hater or a lover? I am a lover but you would never know it from these answers. I shouldn't have played today.

19. Any vices? Yes, the phone. I need my friends. They are my life line.

20. Favorite meme other than Sunday Stealing? I have so many. Check my sidebar.