Friday, October 31, 2008

I've Been Boo'd

Boo to You!!!!!!!
I saw this over at Tammy's. Go check out her blog. She always has something interesting going on.



Here are the deets:

Go to as many of your blog buddies as you want and tell them they have been boo-ed . Have them pick up this picture and add it to their blog and say with the link who boo-ed them . Put the picture in your sidebar if you want so then others know that you have already been boo-ed , if you post lots and it's not on the main page where everyone will see your boo-ed post!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I've Received An Award!!

She's so sweet. B Boys Mom has given me this coveted award.


The requirements for this award are to list six things that make me happy, then tag six more bloggers.

Six things that make me happy:

1. Walking into the house after work and smelling dinner already cooking.
2. Chasing Peanut around and around the stairs til we're both exhausted.
3. There's nothing better than falling into bed on a nice freshly made bed.
4. Sleeping in
5. Having my morning workout over.
6. Working in the garden in the early morning hours.

The final requirement for this award is to tag 6 more bloggers that are Kreativ.

Jaden
Danica's Dream
Motherhood for Dummies
On the Verge
Qtpie 7
Two Lines on a Stick

Counting our joys and happiness is very good for the soul.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

I Just Love Me Some Bling

For Christmas this year I was hoping for a new watch, but I'd really love a Rolex from Perpetual Diamonds . The watches on this site are at a substantial discount compared to retail stores and I know hubby would appreciate that. The Rolex watches are 100% genuine and authentic with serial numbers; they sell brand new and pre-owned watches with brand new genuine boxes and GIA appraisal papers.

I was leaning towards this one

I like that it has both gold and silver and the ruby stones are my birthstone - is that called a tri-fecta?

Do you have any impossible dreams on your Christmas list?

Meme Down Memory Lane

I've been tagged by Harmony and Mommy on the Fly with this fun meme to come up with seven facts about me when I was a teenager. That's was a LONG time ago, but here goes:

1. I received a "Homemaker Award" in High School.
2. My first car was a Ford Falcon - my Dad got it because it had a working radio, but not for long.
3. I didn't get a "job" job til after graduation, just babysitting
4. Being the 7th child of 9 I was very protected and naive.
5. My friend, Sherry and I used to walk around town late at night and sing (her parents must have liked music from the 40's and 50's because that's what we sang).
6. I played Tripole at my friend Marie's house on Friday nights.
7. One of my favorite songs was "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler.

Now I need to tag more people...If you're listed, you need to post seven things about yourself as a teenager
Crazy Mom
Jaden
Vixen

Thursday Thirteen 13th Edition

My TT this week is 13 projects I finished within the last year. We did a lot of traveling so I'm not even sure how I did it, I guess my secret is out, I can't sit with idle hands.
1. purple baby blanket

2. pink baby blanket

3. green baby blanket

4. stuffed puppy

5. toy elephant

6. while traveling I made a lot of these dishcloths and gave them away to family

7. dark rose baby blanket

8. blue baby blanket

9. My friend, Tammy, and I made this for her son. She did the cutting & I did the sewing. She also wanted me to say that we actually made 2 (and we did one for each of her 2 younger sons).

10. The pillow shams for the quilt I made for me.











11. Up North theme quilt.

12. chair pads for the front porch - made with fabrics acquired on our travels - reversable.


13. I made a lot of these shopping bags as Christmas gifts.

So there you have it. Have you ever looked back to see what you've accomplished in a year? I always find it amazing! We do a lot more than we give ourselves credit for.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

How Pure Are You?

What a fun quiz. I had to take it to see if I was more pure than Crazy Mom --- yup, I am, but just.



You Are 79% Pure



You're pretty pure, and you have no plans on changing that.

You do have a devilish side though... and it will probably get the better of you.

I Simply Must Know

This looks long, but it's relatively quick. Give it a try. I filled mine out over at Vixens Den (click on her name if you want to see my answers)

So I really want to know more about all of you. Answer the questions in the comments and if you want, try this over at your place.

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?

02) What was your dream growing up?

03) What talent do you wish you had?

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?

05) Favorite vegetable?

06) What was the last book you read?

07) What zodiac sign are you?

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.

09) Worst Habit?

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?

11) What is your favorite sport?

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.

16) Do you have any pets?

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?

18) What was your first impression of me?

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

22) What color eyes do you have?

23) Ever been arrested?

24) Bottle or can soda?

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

26) What’s your favorite place to hang out at?

27) Do you believe in ghosts?

28) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

29) Do you swear a lot?

30) Biggest pet peeve?

31) In one word, how would you describe yourself?

32) Do you believe/appreciate romance?

33) Favourite and least favourite food?

34) Do you believe in God?

35) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

T Shirt Givaway

I was just over at It's A Woman's World and she's giving away a cool t-shirt in honor of the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Giveaway Carnival.



I heard about this give-a-way from My Crazy Life With a Toddler. Glad my blogger friends keep me in the loop of such fun contests.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Weekend update

We wanted to get our last camping weekend in in order to winterize our camper. The weatherman was predicting rain all weekend - Not Again!! Leaving work on Friday - you guessed it - already drizzling. We were only going to a local park about an hours away so at least the travel time wasn't extensive. There was one backup of a spun out car that lasted about 20 minutes and then we were on our way again. Once there things were pretty quick since we didn't tow the car. MM comes in and starts to take off his jacket and I start to fix dinner - what no electricity? Back out he goes. He was ready to throw in the towel and head home because this power surger box that we have had a short in it and we couldn't keep the power on. Just one more try and 'yes' it's on - don't anybody breathe. Oh yeah, the park had already turned off the water - good thing we had a full tank.

It was nice sleeping Friday night because it kept sprinkling on and off and I love to hear it on the roof. Saturday morning things were sunny and bright. Okay, it was still a bit on the cool side. We built a fire and kept it going all day. There was a kid across the road from us that was in shorts and shortsleeve shirt wearing flip flops and I kept thinking 'is it just me?'. Checking the thermometer it was around 47 -48 all day. Not shorts weather, but boy was it beautiful. Seeing and listening to the leaves blowing around and watching the trees try to hang onto their remaining leaves. A perfect fall day.

Sunday we woke to - you guessed it - rain again. We kind of took our time getting going and it paid off. MM was able to rinse out and empty all of our holding tanks and the winterizing had begun. We were able to get home before the strong winds started (thank God, cause that is not fun). Anyway, what started out as a weekend that I was not looking forward to turned out quite nicely.

Do you plan your weekends exclusively around what the weatherman predicts?

Advice for School Leavers

While cruising through the internet I found this interesting website about school leaver career building advice. My first thought was 'what's a school leaver?'. The answer is - one who leaves school usually after completing a course of study. This was very intriguing to me since most of us haven't a clue what we want to do once we get out of school. This site has opportunities for contruction, engineering, commercial law, hospitality and leisure just to name a few.

I wish there was something like that around here. When my kids finished school we relied a lot on word of mouth for openings and that worked out pretty good, but can you imagine how many more opportunities there are when you open up the whole world. Interestingly enough, my husband spread the word about our son graduating to all of his friends and clients and before you know it he had a few interviews that panned out quite nicely. It happened to be a member of the church that we used to belong to, that had a neighbor that was working for a company that was looking for an engineer, that put him on to his first job (did you follow that?). Our daughter usually made her own connections through previous jobs. One of her most interesting finds was, while she was in school, another student was the president of a company and he was impressed with her and offered her a job when she graduated. But how many more opportunities are there using a career guide?

I also read an interesting fact on this site about education and Alzheimer's. There is a theory that education and demanding jobs create a buffer against the effects of dementia on the brain. The brain could be made stronger through higher education and job challenges. Sign me up for higher education if it helps combat Alzeheimer's, especially after seeing the ravages of this disease on some of the older folks that I know. A friend of mine has also changed her diet a lot after reading about the effects of a Mediterranean diet on the brain. Guess there's a lot we can do to help stay healthy and stay in the job market for as long as possible.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Hello Quizzy

I got this fun quiz from The Life and Times of Bendy Ruggles.

It's pretty right on for most of the things.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!


You are a Doris -- "I must help others."


Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.




How to Get Along with Me

  • * Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.

  • * Share fun times with me.

  • * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.

  • * Let me know that I am important and special to you.

  • * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.




In Intimate Relationships

  • * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.

  • * Reassure me often that you love me.

  • * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.




What I Like About Being a Doris

  • * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends

  • * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better

  • * being generous, caring, and warm

  • * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings

  • * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor




What's Hard About Being a Doris

  • * not being able to say no

  • * having low self-esteem

  • * feeling drained from overdoing for others

  • * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish

  • * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should

  • * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tune in to them

  • * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings




Dorises as Children Often

  • * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism

  • * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding

  • * are outwardly compliant

  • * are popular or try to be popular with other children

  • * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention

  • * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)




Dorises as Parents

  • * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)

  • * are often playful with their children

  • * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"

  • * can become fiercely protective



Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Political commentary of the day

I was just wondering...

When will this political stuff be over?

I'm am so sick of the ads on tv and the phone calls that I could puke. No one will convince me that I'm wrong so just stop already. I have lots of reasons for my opinions, but I'll just stop with one. How could anyone sit in regular church services for 20!! years listening to what Obama listened to and not get up and walk out. Talk about propaganda, wouldn't all of that anti American talk have to sink in after awhile? But that's just my opinion and I'm entitled to it as everyone is entitled to one.

Whatever your stance, it is important for all of us to get out and vote!! That's what this country is founded on and a lot of people have died to give you that right.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Thursday Thirteen 12th Edition

Got a little reading done this summer while travelling. Following is a list of 13 of the books I read (I read a few more than that) and I couldn't leave off the last one (14th).

1. Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich - An early work of Evanovich reprinted by Harper this light read holds up today even with magenta jackets. Some mystery, fun and supporting charactors make this a fun and fast read. Enjoy it for what it is an early Evanovich. It is not Plum but a forshadowing of her.

2. 3rd Degree by James Patterson - Running with her dog on a quiet Sunday morning, Homicide Detective Lindsey Boxer witnesses the explosion that starts a week of terrorism in San Francisco. Carolyn McCormick's performance strikes the right balance of professionalism and horror in Boxer's first-person account. McCormick portrays the detective as both detached investigator and sensitive woman, those qualities fighting for dominance in each area of her life. Other characters also receive careful attention, with a light touch of regional accent here and there to polish their personalities.

3. Separation of Power Vince Flynn - A changing of the guard at the CIA attracts some corrupt politicos with eyes on the White House at the start of this sharply plotted thriller. Unfortunately for the bad guys, upright CIA agent Dr. Irene Kennedy is tapped to replace her dead boss, foiling their illicit fund-raising plans. Corrupt politico number one, Sen. Hank Clark, enlists Irene's envious second to discredit her and the president. Clark and his cronies are also eager to deal with CIA special ops assassin Mitch Rapp, who's stuck on desk duty after nearly losing his life on a previous assignment and seems ripe to be taken out. Mitch accompanies his girlfriend, White House reporter Anna Rielly, to Italy, where he meets up with his former lover, freelance assassin Donatella Rahn. When Rahn is shot, Mitch uncovers a plot linked to the men behind the threats to Irene and the CIA. Meanwhile, reports surface that Saddam Hussein has acquired nuclear weapon components from North Koreans, who are assembling them in a factory buried beneath a Baghdad hospital. This calls for a gutsy mission, one that entails stopping Saddam while avoiding the PR nightmare that bombing a hospital would cause. Irene pulls Mitch into the plans to deal with Baghdad while she grapples with Congress. Flynn knows his politicians and pits his characters against impossible odds with nonstop action and suspense.

4. Lunch at Toad River Moving to Alaska by Sally Lesh - With grace and humor, Sally Lesh deftly describes the true tale of an east coast family who gives it all up to pursue authentic, frontier living in the wilds of Alaska. The author reflects with sharp wit on the joys and tribulations of traveling across country with 8 children in a school bus -- never giving up her 5:00 cocktail -- in pursuit of their dream of starting a new life in Alaska.

5. Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs - Olivia Bellamy decides to spend her summer renovating Camp Kioga, the resort camp that has been in the family for over 3 generations. Her grandparents plan to celebrate their 50th anniversary by "renewing their vows" at the camp where they had first met, but since the camp has been closed for the last nine years it needs an "extreme makeover" before it can host such a huge family event.

6. Close Enough to Kill by Beverly Barton - When the body of a young, raven-haired beauty is found brutalized in Adams County, Ala., levelheaded sheriff Bernie Granger and her new chief deputy, divorced former Memphis detective Jim Norton, work overtime to prevent the killer from striking again. When a nearly identical crime is committed, the peaceful county goes into a tailspin. As Jim and Bernie work longer hours together, their feelings for each other deepen, especially as Bernie becomes involved in the life of Jim's son, Kevin. When a third local woman is killed, Bernie and Jim pull out all the stops to find the killer--before he gets bold enough to target them. The sleepy Adams County setting makes for a pleasant contrast to the unspeakable crimes committed there, and Barton captures the bucolic feel of smalltown life--complete with its shallow pool of eligible romantic partners. Barton succeeds in keeping the killer's identity a guessing game.

7. Act of Treason by Vince Flynn - When an al-Qaeda–style bomb attack on the motorcade of the Democratic presidential candidate, Georgia governor Josh Alexander, in Washington, D.C., a month before the November election kills the candidate's wife and several Secret Service agents, Rapp uses all the tools at his disposal to investigate the claim of the now discredited head of the protective detail that a mysterious figure in a red baseball cap set off the fatal bomb. Rapp soon finds that the motive for the outrage may be personal rather than political.

8. The MacGregor Grooms by Nora Roberts - The family patriarch Daniel MacGregor has his sights set on his three grandsons, cousins D.C., Duncan, and Ian, each of whom is very aware of Daniel's matchmaking machinations, and each equally determined to avoid the tender trap known as matrimony. The MacGregor Grooms comprises three extraordinary stories about the inexplicable attraction of opposites: D.C., the passionate, temperamental artist, and Layna, the coolly beautiful businesswoman; Duncan, the riverboat gambler with the impeccable pedigree, and Cat, the tempting torch singer from the mean streets of Chicago's South Side; and Ian, the worldly, self-confident lawyer, and Naomi, the bookish butterfly just emerging from her chrysalis.

9. Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs - Two childhood friends negotiate the rough waters of love in this contemporary romance, which starts out as a typical love-between-the-classes tale, but evolves into something richer. Successful Rhode Island restaurateur Rosa Capoletti seems to have her life in order. Her restaurant, Celesta's-by-the-Sea, has been lauded by the New York Times, she's surrounded by friends, and she has finally achieved financial stability. But when her old flame Alexander Montgomery, whose family name is synonymous with wealth, walks into Celesta's, Rosa realizes that she hasn't moved forward emotionally since he abruptly ended their relationship 12 years earlier. As the two cautiously renew their love, they must come to terms with the tensions between their families and the long-held secret that led to their initial breakup. Although their romance is compelling, sweeter still are the flashbacks of their burgeoning friendship.

10. Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben - Bolitar, a college basketball star turned sports' agent,... has just landed his best prospect, rookie quarterback, Christian Steele. While negotiating his contract, Christian gets a phone call from his assumed-to-be-dead fiance... Throw in a mob contract on Myron's head, and you have one entertaining read. Myron is incredibly witty, and he clearly rubs off on all the other characters in the book.

11. The Woods by Harlan Coben - Paul "Cope" Copeland, acting county prosecutor for Essex County, N.J., and Lucy Gold, his long-lost summer camp love, are still haunted by a fateful night, decades earlier, when their nighttime tryst allowed some younger campers, including Cope's sister, to venture into the nearby forest, where they apparently fell victim to the Summer Slasher, a serial killer. Cope's intense focus on a high-profile rape prosecution of some wealthy college students shifts after one of the Slasher's victims, whose body was never found, turns up as a recent corpse in Manhattan, casting doubt on the official theory of the old case. Cope's own actions on that night again come under scrutiny, even as the highly placed fathers of the men he's prosecuting work to unearth as many skeletons as possible to pressure him into dropping the rape case.

12. The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner - Professional event planner Melanie Stokes does not suspect that the death of a serial killer in a Texas electric chair 20 years before could have any relevance to her neatly ordered existence. But as it becomes clear that the life she's known (as the adopted daughter of Boston cardiologist Harper Stokes and his trophy wife, Patricia) is based on ugly secrets and bloody lies, her world unravels. With the help of FBI Agent David Riggs, who makes up for his lack of physical agility, the result of ankylosing spondylitis (bad back problems)with finely honed reflexes, street smarts and pure sex appeal, Melanie unearths what an intricately planned 25-year-old cover-up can't hide: the gruesome truth about her parentage.

13. The Husband by Dean Koontz - One morning, Southern California gardener Mitchell Rafferty gets a call on his cellphone from a stranger saying that Mitch's beloved wife, Holly, has been kidnapped and that he has less than three days to come up with $2 million in cash. Of course, he's warned not to involve the police. While Mitch is still on the phone, the kidnapper proves his seriousness by directing Mitch's attention to a man walking a dog across the street. A moment later the man is shot dead. Mitch must walk a fine line—cooperating with the police inquiry into this murder without revealing Holly's plight.

Justice Denied by J.A. Jance - The Seattle special homicide investigator is working three cases simultaneously. The first involves the murder of a wrongly imprisoned ex-con, the second the disappearance of a whistle-blowing electronics engineer who vanished the day Mount Saint Helen's erupted in 1980, the third the deaths of several former felons. Meanwhile, Mel Soames, Beau's female colleague and lover, looks into the unexplained deaths of recently released sex crimes perpetrators as well as the disappearance of a childhood friend's abusive father. Unbelievably, all Beaumont's and Mel's assignments meld into one, except for the case of the missing engineer.

I haven't gotten too much reading done since I got home - time is so precious. I even skimped on this post by borrowing some of the review from Amazon. Like I said - time is so precious.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Death by Chocolate Bundt Cake

I brought this wonderful bundt cake into the office last week and everyone raved about it. I got it from cdkitchen I don't have any pictures, but trust me it is a crowd pleaser and what could be easier than an bundt cake?

Death By Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package chocolate instant pudding
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Beat eggs, sour cream, water, and oil together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into Bundt or tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. When cool, sift powdered sugar on top of cake.

Variation: replace 1/4 cup water with Grand Marnier. Replace 1/4 cup water with Kahlua

MY NOTES:
I made it just as directed without any alcohol, but instead of sifting powdered sugar I bought a can of Betty Crocker ready to use chocolate frosting. I zapped that in the mic for about 10-20 seconds to make it a little easier to frost and it was yummy. The other note I have is that I usually test with a toothpick and when doing that you have to test more than once if you hit a chocolate chip that is all gooey. The cake really is done....just check again.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Cropping Weekend

I joined my daughter in a Scrapbooking Retreat this weekend and we had a ball. We made a lot of new friends, had some fun and even managed to get a few pages finished. It was funny that we both got about 3 months cropped. Mine was, of course, the Alaskan vacation this summer; hers was the first three months of Maggie. I had such big plans and took all the pictures that I have to crop – yeah, that didn’t happen, but I’m thrilled to have gotten at least one whole event done.

The days were filled with cropping, classes, happy hour, contests, manicures, pedicures, massages and of course lots of eating and snacking. Don’t know about the other ladies, but I didn’t participate in the manicures, pedicures or massages, just didn’t want to take the time. On Friday night we were given a pack of seasonal papers to crop and submit the next day for a contest. Being ‘Fall’ I had the perfect pictures of Peanut the previous year that I hadn’t cropped yet. On Saturday they were judged by judges and then by our peers. The judges had a lot of categories and my page won “Proudest Moment”. Before that was announced we judged each other’s pages for the “Peoples Choice Award”. There was a tie and we had to vote a second time on the two that tied. Yeah me!! My page won the “Peoples Choice Award”!! Personally I don’t think it was even a contest lol. Peanut is just so precious.

I never thought it would be so exhausting. We stayed up late each night (til about 1:30ish) and got up early (didn’t want to waste any time) so we only got about 5 hours of sleep each night. After checking out we went back to see Peanut and play for a while. Driving home I had a hard time staying awake. Today it’s back to work and all I can think about is going home and sleeping, like that’s going to happen. When I left the Embassy Suites I was all hyped up to go home and keep working, but we all know about the best plans. Life is just so busy and I enjoy every minute of it, but I have a lot of interests and it’s hard to fit everything in. Hopefully over the next few days I’ll be able to put some order to all my scrapbooking supplies (that I just quickly packed up) and maybe continue on a regular basis.

Does anybody have any solutions on how to stay up to date on scrapbooking? I could use all the suggestions I can get.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Fun Picture Meme

I've been tagged by Harmony for a fun picture meme. And believe me this is a fun one.

The instructions are:

* Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture.

* Pray that you remember the details.

* Tag 5 others.


Okay. The sixth picture in my sixth folder is:


Peanut in a pumpkin October 2007! What are the chances of that?! Unbelievable!

And now I tag:
1. Tammy
2. Michelle
3. Jade
4. Danica
5. My Alaskan friend

Haiku Friday Fifth Edition

Scrapbooking has me overwhelmed.

Cropping this weekend
Photos, stickers and die cuts
Lots of catching up

Holidays, birthdays
Behind on two reunions
Vacations galore

How did this happen?
Pictures started piling up
An avalanche aahhhh

Stop taking pictures
Make the camera disappear
I'd still not catch up.


That's my niece's solution...just stop taking pictures haha then you don't have to crop them. Just started having grandbabies you know I can't stop.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Thursday Thirteen 11th Edition

Last week I saw The Name Game at My Little Spot Out Here - cute idea so I adopted it.

1. Your rock star name (first pet, current car)
Chrissy Malibu

2. Your gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe)
Pecan Sandals

3. Your Native American name (favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Dog

4. Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born)
Gail Trenton

5. Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name)
Smiju

6. Superhero name (2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
Blue Water

7. NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers)
Leslie William

8. Dancer name (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy)
Lily of the Valley Snicker

9. TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Loch Lansing

10. Spy name (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Christmas Rose

11. Cartoon name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now)
Strawberry Jeans

12. Hippie name (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Toast Maple

13. Movie star name (first pet, first street where you lived)
Chrissy Porter

Happy TT

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

First Name Meme

My friend Tammy tagged me with this meme. Looks like a fun, quick meme.

J ~ People Adore You
U ~ You Really Like to Chill
D ~ You Are Really Lovable
I ~ People Love You


A: Best Gf/Bf any one could have
B: You love a certain someone
C: People cant help but check u out
D: You are really lovable
E: You Are Great
F: Easy to fall in love with
G: You never let people tell you what to do
H: You have a very good personality and good looks
I: People love you
J: People Adore you
K: You’re wild and crazy
L: AWESOME KISSER
M: Handsome/Beautiful
N: Easy to fall in love with
O: Best kisser ever
P: You are popular with all types of people
Q: You are a hypocrite
R: You love to kiss
S: You are freakin crazy
T: You are loyal to the ones you love
U: You really like to chill
V: your not judgmental
W: You are popular
X: You never let people tell you
Y: Sexiest bitch alive
Z: Never good enough…

Okay, so this says that I'm a lovable, adorable, relaxed person. I think that sums it up pretty well.
So, what does your name say?
Can't think of anyone to tag, so if you want to play along go ahead.

Crop Preparation

The mess in the basement, yeah, I'm still working on that. Put in an hour this morning putting pages that are already done into protective sleeves. The way I started my scrapbooking back in the early 90's was to do the pages on seperate pages so that I could then move them around. This was a good and bad idea. The good part is that I can crop whatever I have on hand. I go from Christmas 2003 to building the barn in 2005. This way I can then put the pages in the protective sleeves in some kind of order at a later date. As I pick this project up again I can see that I've done a lot of cropping and very little arranging books. The bad part of doing scrapbooking this way is that you end up with additional weight having two extra sheets of paper on every sheet within the protective sleeve. I still think this was the best format for me. I was amazed though that I had so many pages done! Some of them I look at and think "Nice page", others I think "yeah, I slapped a bunch of pictures on a page". Sometimes it's just getting them done - if you know what I mean? Hopefully this weekend I'll be real inspired and come home with everything done and done artfully. I'm going to try to get a few more hours into it before I have to pack it all up for the weekend.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Weekend

What a great weekend. Got a lot done and had lots of time for fun too. Went to a Chocolate Party on Saturday morning at my sisters. Can't go wrong there, lots of relaxing and 'chocolate'. Nice meeting my sisters neighbors too.

My daughter came back to the house with me and we set up the sewing machine. She's making a bag for one of her blog friends. Her hubby came around with Peanut and we had a great time playing. Sis came over for dinner later and we all shared a big pot of chili then went out back for a campfire. Beautiful night.

Sunday was another beautiful day. Got up early for church and then dove right in on the housework I wanted to get done. It took all day, but the whole upper level is now out of chaos. You know I feel good! Got the laundry done simultaneously, and even took a few breaks to sit outside. Kind of like scoring a home run.

The bonus part of the weekend was having Monday off too, and all three days were beautiful. Monday was filled with trying to organize my photos for a three day crop this coming weekend. I made such a big mess and it's gonna take a lot of organizing. Good thing I can leave it out and keep working on it (it's not really in our 'living' space). Sometimes I wonder why I started scrapbooking. It puts so much pressure on me. Now that I've had a blog for the Alaskan vacation I think that is definitely the way to go. You blog whenever you get time and add pictures as often as you want and when you get home the vacation is all blogged. What can be better than that?! Anyway, it'll be a great weekend away and we'll have a blast. Hope I get some cropping done. Wish all my weekends could be as productive and fun.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Haiku Friday Forth Edition

Close to five o'clock
Beautiful weekend ahead
Lots to accomplish

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Thursday Thirteen 10th Edition


Thirteen things on my to do list (okay this could be 113!! I feel so overwhelmed):

1. Laundry (this is never ending just like everyone elses)
2. Clean the house (can't remember when it's been this bad)
3. Finish aprons I'm sewing
4. Clean home office (lots of filing)
5. Restore closet in guest room (put craft stuff back in there)
6. Go through my closets and get rid of old stuff or stuff I'm just not wearing.
7. Paint stones as plant markers for the garden
8. Make identifying labels for cool rocks we brought back from Black Hills
9. Get scrapbooking stuff ready for weekend crop next weekend.
10. Start quilt for new grandbaby coming in March
11. Knit sweater set for same baby :)
12. Scan pictures from old slides
13. Frame new pictures from last weekend.

Pretty sure I'm not going to finish most of this any time soon. I think the weather has a lot to do with my overwhelming feelings. Just want to sleep lol. I hear a lot of that is going around, so I'm not alone.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Want a Free Apron?

Vixon is having an apron give away to promote her apron sales. Head on over and have a look Vixen's Den

I think it is absolutely adorable and will probably end up buying one if I don't win.


An apron has become a part of my life ever since I went back to work and often start dinner before changing out of my work cloths. It has saved many a cleaning bill.

Monday, October 6, 2008

My Witch Name for Halloween





Your Witch Name is


Gwendolyn
the
Broom Stick Model Witch




Get your Witch Name at Quizopolis.com


Who Said The Economy Was Bad?

You’d never believe it if you were traveling in the state of Michigan this weekend. The roads were thick with traffic. Between the hunting traffic (it’s small game and bow season) and people looking for some Michigan ‘color’ there were lots of cars.

We went to Mackinaw Island this weekend with our daughter, sil and peanut. It is so much more fun with a little one around. We got an early start on Friday and it took us about 5 hours of driving to get to a campground. We pulled into Mill Creek Campground around 10:00 p.m. and the kids got there around 12:30. Exhausting! Saturday we got a slow start since we were up late (at least late for us) the night before.

SIL is used to taking the Shepler Ferry across so that’s what we did. I always end up taking a photo on the boat when everyone is still fresh.


Once on the island we rented bikes and a ‘burley carrier’ for peanut. The rental place said she didn’t need a helmet, but the kids had already bought one for her so we thought we’d give it a try.

She kept it on for about 2 seconds. She was ready for a nap anyway and that’s how she spent most of our trip around the island. Personally, I love the bike ride around the island. It is an easy ride and this late in the season it wasn’t too crowded. We were just getting back into town when it started sprinkling. We almost made it, but we didn’t get too wet. The kids were behind us and they had a little bike mishap with the chain coming off so they got a little wetter fixing that.

Once we returned in the bikes we went to the old time photo place and the kids got a family photo. Peanut looked so cute, but they wouldn’t let me take any pictures since it is a studio. After that we had lunch and did the usual touristy stuff including buying lots of their famous fudge. At the Lilac Tree store they had this little cutout for a photo op.

On the boat ride back we were all a little tired. The rest of the evening was filled with dinner and a campfire. Nice evening.

Peanut was happy and playing outside the next day. Don’t you love her ‘surprised’ face? She gives you that look often. I just love it!

Thought I’d add a picture of the Fall Color. I don’t think it’s peaked yet, maybe next weekend. It was beautiful, and we just wanted to keep traveling, but home again it was for us. Color should be even better for our trip next weekend. I’ll let you know.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

THURSDAY THIRTEEN 9TH EDITION

I'm still not in the swing of things since vacation (you would think a month would be plenty of time, but alas). I do want to do a Thursday Thirteen though so today is 'Thirteen things on my desk'.

1. computer (yeah, where would we be without that?)
2. phone (I would love to do without that)
3. pictures of peanut (lots of pictures for when I want to daze)
4. calculator (have to have that - I work with numbers)
5. pens and pencils...nuf said
6. tea cup (and water glass)
7. stapler
8. tape
9. calendar
10. paper clips
11. rubber bands
12. lots of folders
13. lots and lots and lots of filing (who said we were a paperless society?)

So there you have it, I'll try do work on something better for next week.

Landscape Design

As you probably know, we put a front porch on our house this year and now the whole front needs to be relandscaped. While on vacation I kept a watchful eye out, but we were in such a different region of the country that I didn't get any concrete ideas.

Well, last night I went to the local nursery armed with photos of the whole front of the house looking for help. I was hoping they had a computer program that they could put my house and dimensions in and then plug in different plants. No such luck. The young man was helpful and suggested several different plants. Problem is I just can't picture them. A few of his suggestions were: Sweet Shrub; Clethra; Kerria; Currant and Endless Summer Hydrangia. Here are a couple of the pictures that I took in for reference.


We plan on taking out the old bushes in the front there.

I need some help here. Any suggestions? I guess I have to see it.

What Tarot Card Are You?

I saw this over at Hailey's Mom. I don't believe in this stuff, but thought it would be fun.


You are The Wheel of Fortune


Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success


The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.


What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.



Gotta go now and by a Lottery ticket.

The Book Meme

I was tagged by B Boys Mom. Here's the rules: Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal/blog along with these instructions.
Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST. Tag five other people to do the same.

The book I finished most recently was The Husband by Dean Koontz.

"Whatever strained toward the breaking point, it would break within Mitch. And though anxiety soured his stomach and clenched his teeth, he sensed that this coming change would not be a bad thing.

At the garage, the dark windows and the sun-fired windows mocked him."

btw it was a great book.

I tag: oops, Tammy already tagged everyone I would have. Gotta get more friends lol

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

How Long Could You Survive?

Truthfully, I'd rather not encounter a velociraptor.
I could survive for 1 minute, 16 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

I got this little tid bit from Harmony in Motion

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so… love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

The Country Register of Michigan

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 30 March 2008.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact judinroger71@gmail.com.

I accept cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

I am sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may receive compensation for my posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content that might present a conflict of interest.