People Buy the Strangest Crap

Next time you are in line at Target or Wally World, check out what the dude/dudette is buying. You’ll learn a lot about them. Or at least you can come up with a pretty good story in your head.

At Target the other night, Hubs and I were in line (kidless – SWEET!) and the guy in the next aisle was buying two white hand towels. Nothing else – just these towels. I wanted to march over to him and say, “What the hell? This entire store at your finger tips and the only thing you need are these towels?” It was much more interesting to come up with my own theories.

Theory 1
Guy in Target, it’s around 9:30 on a Saturday night, we’re in a college town, the students are just getting back from Christmas break, guy missed girl, girl prolly waiting out in the car or maybe a nearby apartment, towels can be extremely helpful in cleaning up fluids. White towels.

Theory 2
Guy in Target, it’s around 9:30 on a Saturday night, we’re in a college town, the students are just getting back from Christmas break, guy missed girl so he invited her over to his place. She walks in the door and yells, “Get your ass to Target and get some dish towels. You are SO cleaning up these dishes that have been sitting here before Christmas! I will NOT be back until you clean up this hell hole!”

Theory 3
Guy in Target, it’s around 9:30 on a Saturday night, we’re in a college town, guy doesn’t have a girl. Yeah, good choice on the color.

And Theory 4
He just needed some towels.

I'm Bugged

I want a gmail account but the dudes at the gmail company are ignoring me. I applied for an account so many times I’m sure they have me blocked somehow by now. People who read my blog have been wanting to, like, email me and stuff.

My house is eternally cluttered. I can keep the kitchen, dining room and living room picked up and cleaned. But the rest of the house doesn’t have a prayer.

Ever since I became Green 3 Budget Queen, the payment we’re making on my husband’s truck has bugged the hell out of me. It’s $455 per month. Now I’m almost obsessed with getting that thing paid off.

I can’t get into an exercise routine. The other night I even opened the door and headed in there, but then decided the room was too messy to work out in. So I closed the door and went and plopped myself on the couch.

IE7 won’t load on my laptop at home. It gets all horked up. So I’ve reverted back to IE6, but I keep Mozilla on the side because the new Blogger won’t work with IE6.

Our family loves a good vacation. We were just in Vegas a few months ago. And we’re known to take off on weekend jaunts fairly often. (I think that’s the first time I’ve ever typed the word”jaunt”.) But now that I’m in budget mode, how do I justify a spring trip? We could drive, but we’re flyers. We don’t drive very far. We’re suffering from Colorado withdrawal so I’ll have to figure out something. There’s nothin better than Summit County in the winter. Ok, maybe there are tons of things better but I thought that line would sound cool.

And for those of you who are bugged about my sidebars not being updated since my blog remodel, tough. I'll get to it when I'm good and ready.

Woo-Hoo! I'm Fancy Now!

I needed to post quickly and let you know that the current masthead was NOT done by me. Are you kidding? I don't have that kind of talent. This design was the genius work of Jules. Isn't it nice?

New (and Improved?)

Here's what we have so far, as far as my blog goes. See that header? Yeah, designed it myself. And yeah, I'm sure that's obvious. Now if I could just get it to be the right size I'd be in good shape. Or maybe I should leave it that way as sort of an artsy statement?

In case you one of those who links off my blog roll, you'll notice that I've updated it with the blogs I read regularly. Hopefully I can find time to add more to my list soon.

My Blawgggggg

I'm testing out my Blog design skills, so bear with me over the next few days.

It's Budget Time!

I’ve decided, much to my husband’s chagrin probably, that this “living-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” deal is not working. When it comes to buying crap, we’ve always lived with this motto:

Have Money, Don’t Know How Much, But We Have Enough to Buy It So Let’s Just Buy It.

So I’ve changed my name to “Green 3 Budgeting Queen” and hereby announce the following:

1. There now exists a Green3 Family Balance Sheet. This will be reviewed monthly, if not more often. And that Net Worth line better increase month by month.

2. Another new item is the Green3 Monthly Budget Worksheet. And this will be followed. But since we really have never kept track of how much we spend, January will be a fact-gathering month. I know our standard bills, but all those debit card withdrawals have been unaccounted for…up ‘til now.

3. After January is done, a detailed list of our expenses will be reviewed. It’s my goal to knock $250 off that amount for February. That in itself would be an awesome birthday present for me!

Here are the things I know I will not be doing in 2007:
1. Switching my blog to Typepad. Sorry Typepad fans, but my freebie blog is working out just fine.

2. Getting a new car. It seems like I change cars with the seasons. I downgraded my vehicle last year and I’m sticking with this lower-dollar unit for quite some time – no matter how much I love those ginormous SUVs. LOVE EM!

3. Eating out for my lunches as often. That alone should save me almost $100.00 per month.

4. I will no longer buy my precious bottles of Diet Mt. Dew by the bottle. Did you know that those babies cost $1.60 each these days? So now my kitchen is full of 6-packs of my Dew and DH’s Diet Pepsi.

In case you are wondering, I haven’t had this revelation because we’re on the verge of bankruptcy or anything. I just have been doing a lot of research and thinking lately and there are so many better ways to spend our money than on $1.60 bottles of Diet Dew or $30.00 meals by eating out at night rather than staying home and making a meal. And I also want to be able to put my Excel knowledge to good use.

I know this post has totally bored you and you will probably unsubscribe from my blog just because of it. But darn it, I had to write it down to make myself accountable!

2007 is Going to Rock

Every year I swear that I am going to finally get in shape. I mean REALLY in shape. Not skinny, just so when people look at me they think, “Wow, she is so healthy looking!” And it never happens. In fact, last year I went in the exact opposite direction. Anyhoo, while it’s definitely on my list again this year, here are some other things I’d like to accomplish in 2007

I am going to each yogurt every day. I’ve heard it’s healthy and I’m not quite sure what it does for a body, but I’m going to do it.

I’m going to be a better dog owner. This dude here...


...doesn’t get any exercise and it’s starting to show…just like on me.

I’m going to wish more people a happy birthday. I almost never recognize people’s birthdays just out of pure laziness.

Read more. Year 2006 was a real slacker for me as far as reading goes. I’ve got a big ‘ole stack of investments books I’ve purchased. I started one yesterday that is awesome. I’m such a nerd.

Play more with the kids. I tend to say “Not now” and “In Awhile” much too often. Either that or they just ask me too often, because I really am a playful parent. In fact, I spent an hour this morning playing football on PS2. And I almost had 3 beat until he got a touchdown at the last minute.

I’m going to work hard to get this baby paid off.




Cause once I do, I’ve a whole different project to do – except this project will increase my net worth rather than keep my busy washing swimsuits and towels.

May each of you have a wonderful 2007!

What I DID NOT Get for Christmas

So everyone else in blog world is saying what a nice Christmas they had, it was so nice to see family, they ate too much, their house is a mess now, blah blah blah. But I'm going to tell you something that I DID NOT get for Christmas.

I did not get a gift certificate for a face lift. No, I didn't ask for one. And I probably don't need one quite yet. AND let's hope I never decide to have one. Because facelifts, my friends, turn perfectly normal looking people...




Into ghastly looking beings with eyes that turn up on the ends. Not normal.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, my blogging buddies.

Have a great time with your family and friends!

green3

Did You Know?

Here are your answers?

1. Ok, there's no way I'm going to put the "M" word on my blog. Do you know creeps you would hang out here? Anyhoo, this activity may make you go blind.

2. Chess. Isn't that exciting?

3. Chili was right. Paul McCartney wrote it for Julian Lennon when his parents were divorcing.

4. This is about a promiscuous cheerleader who leads a schoolboy through his first se*ual experience.

5. Lead singer Rob Thomas wrote this about the time he spent caring for his mother when she was sick with cancer. Thomas was 12 years old when she got the disease, and she was given 6 months to live. She beat it, and by the time Rob was 17, she was healthy and he left home to set out on his own.

6. As the album title suggests, many of the songs on it are about Jane, who is lead singer Adam Levine's ex-girlfriend. This song, however, is not about Jane. It's about their record label, and how they put pressure on the band to make certain songs and put a record out. Levine thought the label was smothering them.

If you found these two posts interesting, which I highly doubt, you can see more song facts here. http://www.songfacts.com/

You May Think You Know...

Do you know what these songs are REALLY about? You may think you do, my guess is that you don’t. Post your guesses in my comments! Answers will be here tomorrow (or maybe later tonight).

1. She Bop by Cyndi Lauper
2. One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head
3. Hey Jude by The Beatles
4. Walk This Way by Aerosmith
5. 3AM by Matchbox Twenty
6. Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5

Now it's REALLY Back to Reality

Monday I go back out into the real world. This body has been used to staying home, covered in sweatpants and sweatshirts, and wrapped up in fleece blanket. There is definate tuning that needs to be done this weekend: fingernails filed and painted, eyebrows plucked, make sure my jeans still fit me (this is the one that worries me the most!), etc.

I'll miss you sweatpants. See you next weekend.

Fun Friday

Today is Fun Friday, according to first-grader Green. So I’m going to make a point of trying to find the fun in some things that are not so fun.

Christmas Cards
I submitted a professionally-taken portrait of family to Kodak so I could get some quality cards. Came back crappy. It’s due to their “Kodak Quality Automatic Processing” or whatever and I should have noticed that when I ordered them, if I would have done the online test. Ok, let’s see about the fun part. I think it’s FUN to wait 24 hours to get an initial response from Kodak, only to be told that I should have called rather than emailed, even though right on the order it tells me to email my question. And then I think it’s FUN to sit on the phone going through 10 minutes of options before being told that I’m SOL. Now I think it will be FUN to send out crappy Christmas pics. At least it will say Kodak on the back of them. Evil laughing…

Laundry
I think it’s FUN that a bunch of clean laundry has been sitting in my library for two weeks now waiting to be put away. And now it’s been walked on, haired up from the animals and so on. This is the kind of sheet that happens when mom is laid up for two weeks. I think it will be FUN to wash it all again today and then fold it and put it away tonight. By myself.

Being at Home
I think it’s FUN to be stuck at home recovering from this while everyone else is out enjoying the Christmas holiday.

Kitchen
I think it’s FUN to have white linoleum on my kitchen floor. It’s constantly dirty, and obviously purchased pre-children and animals.

I've been wanting to participate in BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes. I'll try to get some pics taken over my lunch hour today to share with y'all. (You have to say y'all when talking with all those people that Chili hangs with.)

Introducing ME

My cousin recently introduced me to one of her friends, via email. Here’s how it went down:

Green3 is smart and likes NASCAR. I understand that those two things don't usually go together, but I think you'll find she's not your average woman.

Sooooo, that about sums me up, right? I’m smart and I like NASCAR. I’m sure Chili’s friend is picturing something like this…

Or this…

Yep, that’s me. Green 3. Thinkin' big thoughts, lovin’ NASCAR and dressing slutty.

WFMW: Online Discounts

We're all looking to save a few bucks, right? Here are two websites were you can locate hundreds of online discounts.

FABU

Naughty Codes

Head over to Rocks in my Dryer for more helpful tips. Also check out the banner on her website. Isn't that awesome??

You, Too, Can Dream It

Some of us have to work, you know, so I don't have time to post a real entry until later tonight. So here's a quote for you to ponder in the meantime.

When I was a child, I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.

--Clarence Darrow

Christmas Ornament Exchange

Mignon is hosting a Christmas ornament exchange. I'm in, and if any of you other bloggers want to get in on the action you better email her asap. Today's the last day you can sign up for it.


Never get into fights with ugly people because they have nothing to lose. --Unknown

Noted.

I'm a Winner!!!

I know that may surprise some of you...

Thank you, Jennifer!!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

So tomorrow I head back to work. Well, kind of. I'll be working from my home office, aka kitchen table. But it will be a full day. And can I tell you something? Excellent, thanks. Being off your feet for a weeks TRASHES your body. Have you any idea how fast your body loses its energy? I wrapped 10 presents today and was so exhausted I spent the rest of the night on the couch. Thank goodness it was "family movie night". So now I've got things to recover: my foot and the rest of my body.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who called, stopped by to visit, or stopped by just to "look at me" (now THAT takes a great friend, Kajer), came in my house and witnessed my crawling across the floor (man, you were there a lot last week Kajer), offered to bring food, called, emailed, hauled my boys to their activities, and all that jazz. When you're down, you really find out who your friends are and I definately know who my friends are. That includes family, too. Mom and Dad were awesome. You're all treasures and I love every one of you!

And a special note to DH and the boys. All three of you have been amazing over the past week and I feel very special to have had you with me. You babied me, called the doctor to tell him I was barfing my guts out, took my throw up bowl to the bathroom to empty it, crawled under the couch for my boot when it got stuck under the legs, fetched me Diet Mt. Dew, held my hand as I walked down the stairs, helped get my leg propped up when I couldn't reach the pillow, and whatnot. I love you three, and I couldn't have done it without you.

JB Update: much to my disappointment, the experts are sending him home tomorrow to "deal" with his brain blood clots. He's been given a full license to drive, the works. And hopefully he's also been given a healthy dose of painkillers to go along with his intense pain. And a bunch of moola as an advance on his malpractice suit. But hey...what do I know?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

We just arrived back home from Grandma I-I's funeral. It was an awesome weekend full of family memories, laughs, and a few tears here and there. Everyone one of her grandchildren were there, and all but two great-grandchildren were present. As I looked around the room, I got a chuckle out of the new generation of names in families these days. Boy have names changed. Here are some of Burdette and Evelyn's grandchildren's names: Arden, Aiden, Elise, Tucker, Brecken, Kailyn, Elias, Jakin, Trey, Lysha, Jade, Jake, just to name a few. VERY different from Burdette and Evelyn.

THE GOOD

• Family, of course. We had a great time visiting with everyone.
• Awesome hotel accommodations, with a slide even in the pool. Kids were in HEAVEN!
• My kids were excellent, and were not at all scared about being in the same room with a casket with their Grandma I-I in view. They seemed somewhat interested in the whole thing.
  
• Lots of good food. YUM!
  

THE BAD

• I couldn't find any lip balm last night before we went to bed last night at the hotel room, so DH ran to Target for me. Awwwwwww, ain't that sweet.
  
• My post-surgery foot took a beating today. But I hung in there and took one for the team.
  
• The boys hated all the food that was provided this weekend. But that's ok, but I certainly don't exect people to cater to their picky needs. Thank heavens that there was always a McDonalds within a few miles of where we were.
  
• Something that must remain between me and my husband. We ranted about it all the way home, but alas, it must remain between us. Ya know, just in case this blogs gets into the wrong hands...

THE UGLY

Inpatience

When it comes to the Internets, I'm severely impatient.

Click, click, click, DAMMIT. Jump over to FireFox, does it work there? YES, then back to IE. Still not working there. But FireFox tells me it will be NaN minutes for my download to complete. Nan? Is this download coming from Texas, or worse yet, Oklahoma? If I was on IE it wouldn't have to download it.

Click, click, click, click. STOP. REFRESH. Click. SOB! Damn Internet. DH, go reboot the router. I'll reboot the laptop. Waiting, waiting, waiting, clicking to early, waiting. Let's just shut the whole house down and start everything up again. DAMN. Throw laptop out the window. Stand there like I'm lost. Run out and get it, thinking surely it's online by now. Crap.

Get it back online. Now I'm waiting NaN minutes.

Christmas Meme

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
I love hot chocolate when those machines in restaurants make it. I also like egg nog, but can only drink like ½ cup at a time. And I can’t think about it, cause then I get grossed out.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He does both, mostly because his “elves” can’t agree on what do to. The mommy elf prefers that they be left unwrapped, while the daddy elf prefers that they all be wrapped. So we do some of each.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I prefer white, but I also have all red lights. I don’t use the mult-colored lights. I like them on other people’s homes, just not for me.

Do you hang mistletoe? No

When do you put your decorations up?
At the first hint of Christmas, the day after Thanksgiving. I LOVE Christmas.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Mashed potatoes and gravy with turkey

Favorite Holiday memory as a child
The ornaments and how special mom and dad made Christmas. Each year we would get an ornament that had something to do with something we did that year. And I also remember the “angel” we had on top of our tree. We always made fun of it, but it’s very special to me now. I kind of wish I had it on my tree, but I don’t think DH and green3 would “get” it.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I wish I could remember this, but I don’t. I suspect 3 knows. He’s a rational kid, and he knows the whole Santa deal just doesn’t make sense.

Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve?
We do somewhere. We’ve got so many Christmasas going on, it’s crazy. Our Christmas Craze begins on Xmas Eve and then we go hard until the 26th. Lots of Christmases, lots of families. We do our own on Christmas morning, though.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Which tree? I have 6 of them! Our main tree is red lights, with red and silver balls. Our second main tree is a frosted one with blue and silver balls. The boys each have their own with their own decorations. And our other ones are just plain right now, but they usually have white lights on them.

Snow: Love it or Dread it?
I love it for Christmas. I hate it the rest of the time.

Can you ice skate?
Why yes I can!

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Atari or my big purple bike. And I know my family probably could not afford these things back then, which makes them even more special to me now.

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Being with family, the holiday baking, get togethers with friends

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Frosted sugar cookies

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Decorating our house, baking Christmas food, and spending time with friends and family.

What tops your tree?
Ummm…the top of the tree.

Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving is so much more fun that receiving. And I’m not just saying that because I’m supposed to say that! I could not get anything for Christmas and be ok with it, as long as I was able to give fun gifts to everyone else.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Holly, Jolly Christmas

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
YUCK!! But I’ll still eat one every year because it’s kind of like the law.

And my own questions: What do you want for Christmas?
My new blog design. I ordered it a few months ago and still don't have it.

I tag Jennifer, Iowa Mom, Mom of 4 and Nek&EaksMom.

One of these days I'm going to come up with a meme for the blogging spouses to do. Wouldn't that be awesome to find out what THEY think???? Help me come up with some questions!!

TGIF

It's been a heck of a week. First I had THIS done. Then I spent the rest of the week suffering from the effects of THIS, until I threw up so much that I just couldn't throw up any more. Then I switched to THIS, which made me so jittery and jumpy and sleepy that I had a hard time telling if I was recovering from surgery or recovering from the pain medication. So thanks to my good friend, Dr. KP (well, ok, she's a receptionist at a dentist office but that's close enough for me) she said 4 ibuprofen are prescription strength, without the dillusional side effects. So I'm sticking with that for now. Today is the best day so far this week. I'm up and walking, I'm not freaking out from the effects of meds, and the pain is somewhat gone.

Tonight we're headed to Iowa City to say hello to JB, who is hospitalized down there. The latest on him - he still has double vision and they said if they can relieve the pressure in the next day or so, they will save his eyesight. If they can't relieve it soon, well, then it's bad news. Two days ago they put a tube in his ear - WITHOUT PAIN MEDICATION!! Seriously, my little foot problem doesn't seem so bad. Today they will attempt to withdraw brain fluid out via the ear tube. Good Times.

We are also going to IC to say goodbye to DH's grandmother. Yes, the funeral has not been held yet. There were grandchildren spread all over the globe, out doing good deeds like missionary work. Takes awhile to get all those schedules arranged.

"My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income." --Errol Flynn

Have a great weekend!

The Wilson Six: Wanna win some Toile Notecards??

The Wilson Six: Wanna win some Toile Notecards??

Another Card Contest!

Jennifer is having another contest for a set of cards! Take a moment to view her products. They are awesome.

Click here to participate in her contest

Click here to view her J Designs blog

Me and My New Book

Things are looking up.

• I washed my hair this morning, a feat that has not been done since Sunday night.
  
• I took my second bath post-surgery.
• I'm able to get through the day on mere Tylenol. I still take the power meds at night, but mostly just so I know I'll get a good night's sleep. I may try only Tyl tonight, though.
  
• I think I'll be able to manage the trip to Iowa City tomorrow.
  

And I bought a new book: The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said. So I'll regularly be posting awesome quotes, whether I know what they mean or not. Like this one:

"Show me a poet and I'll show you a shit." -- A.J. Liebling

See, I have no idea what that means.

Day 3

I was really expecting my week of post-surgery to be a bit cushy. Watch a few movies, get a few books read, catch up on my blog reading, buy some last minute gifts online, and what not.

But cushy it ain’t.

The pain is more than I thought it would be. The Vicodin made me so sick yesterday I had to call DH and beg him to come home from work. The new painkiller knocks me out like no other. (So mom, yes I know you called this morning but I was nowhere near coherent enough to answer the phone.)

And in only 2 days I have to make a trip across the state to attend a funeral.

Oh no, cushy it ain’t.

eh

Pain

Vomiting

Headache

Missing Remote Control

Throbbing

Good Times

Post-Operative Report

I'm home. Loopy and in quite a bit of pain, but home.

It's been a very long day, starting at 4:45 this morning.

A JB update: He was transferred to Iowa City this morning. No news other than that. We'll touch base with him tonight to see if there are any new developments.

100 Things!

1. I love Washington D.C. I think it has a “magical” feel to it.
2. I’m interested in White House/Presidential history. I’ve always been interested in JFK and the facts surrounding his assassination.
3. It was always a goal of mine to write a book about JFK’s assassination. But I’m not so interested any more. I’ve got more important things to do now.
4. I’m horrible at writing thank you notes and sending birthday cards. Every year I tell myself that I will do a better job.
5. I love the Internet.
6. I used to be extremely shy as a child. Or at least that how I remember it.
7. I’m not shy anymore. In fact, not many people intimidate me anymore.
8. I wasn’t a fan of my 20s. I think I was just too busy with a new marriage, new career and babies, so it went by in a blur.
9. I love being in my 30s.
10. My son, Green, has freckles on his nose that make me melt. He calls them his “rainbow of freckles”. He hates them.
11. I also hate my freckles. But freckles are better than pimples.
12. My son, 3, has a huge heart. He’s so gentle and kind. He especially loves to play with toddlers and babies.
13. I have a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, with an emphasis in Advertising.
14. My passion is real estate investing, even though I’m not too involved in it right now.
15. I’m pretty sure the good friends that I have right now are the ones I’ll grow old with. Or at least I hope so. I love them all!
16. I’m addicted to caffeine. Esp Diet Mt. Dew.
17. I hate coffee.
18. I’m a meat and potatoes girl.
19. I have two younger brothers and I think they are both awesome. The older we get, the better friends we become.
20. I had an awesome childhood.
21. Christmas is my favorite holiday. SANTA RULES at our house!
22. I’ve never read the Bible, but it’s on my to-do list.
23. I have my own library in my house, thanks to my mom and grandparents. They surprised me one day with a “While You Were Out” deal!
24. I read mostly non-fiction. I’m trying to learn to enjoy fiction.
25. My fingernails grow amazingly fast. I can cut them off one week and have long fingernails the next.
26. I can turn my eyelids inside out.
27. My husband and I were high school sweethearts.
28. I hate sitting around doing nothing. I always have to be doing something.
29. If I’m interested in something, I research it to death. And that drives me crazy.
30. I don’t always answer the telephone when it rings. If I don’t recognize the number, or if I know that person is not calling for me, I don’t answer it.
31. I am on the school board. My husband is on the city council.
32. I think Longeberger baskets are a waste of money.
    
33. I love the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. But I don’t have HBO so that stinks.
34. I have a dog and a cat. And they match in color. And I planned it that way.
35. Cause I’m a stickler about matching. You’ll never see me or my kids in outfits that don’t match. When my husband doesn’t match, I don’t claim him.
36. I’m starting to become a good cook. I used to be horrible.
37. I rarely buy clothes at full price. I head straight for the sale signs.
    
38. I love to stay up late. My husband loves to go to bed early.
39. I’ve only left the country twice. Once on my honeymoon to the Bahamas and the once to Niagara Falls.
40. I thought Niagara Falls and the Bahamas were both trashy places and probably will not go back to either of them.
41. I can snow ski and water ski. I used to be able to slalom water ski in my pre-kid days.
42. I consider myself a hard worker. And it really pisses me off when I see people not working hard and then whining about how they don’t have enough money, enough friends, enough of this, enough of that, blah blah blah.
43. My sons’ baby books are pretty much empty.
44. I hate laundry.
45. I prefer silver to gold.
46. I plan to be really rich someday.
47. I thought I would be sad not having a daughter, but I’m not.
48. My husband and I have considered adoption in the past. But it’s not going to happen now.
49. I think everyone should volunteer their time to a local organization. Money is good, but actually getting your hands dirty is important as well. And it makes you feel good!
50. Did I mention how much I hate laundry.
51. I love my animals. But I hate their hair all over my house.
52. My “to be read” pile of books is getting pretty tall and is starting to lean to the left. Which is much better than leaning to the right…
53. I hope you "got" that item above.
    
54. I wish I had more patience with my boys.
55. My kids had great childcare while growing up and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
56. I wish I could have been a stay-at-home mom, but it was financially not meant to be. And that’s ok.
57. My first son’s talent is in the classroom.
58. My second son’s talent is on the field/court.
59. And I love that they are so different.
60. I love my “alone” time, just being in my house, by myself. It re-energizes me.
61. My parents are awesome.
62. My grandparents are awesome.
63. I’m very lucky to have all 4 grandparents still living and still active. My husband has no living grandparents.
64. I’m a stickler for the rules. And 3 is exactly the same way. Green is very much that way too, as long as the rules are not Mom and Dad's.
    
65. I remember not having much money when I was a child. And I’m glad. I think it helps me work harder.
66. I try to make my kids understand how fortunate they are. We regularly donate to the food pantry and donate items to help the needy. And they both know how that helps people.
67. I consider myself just of average intelligence. But my brothers are both very smart, so maybe I’m smarter than I think I am.
68. I had to work my ass off my last year of high school in order to get the gold cords at graduation. Throughout high school I did not, as they say, “apply myself.”
69. I didn’t “apply myself” in college either, and I do regret that.
70. I love Desperate Housewives. It’s the only show I can’t miss each week.
71. I have an in-ground pool at my house.
72. My husband and I used to own an inflatable company. We now own a pool and spa maintenance/cleaning company.
73. We also both work at full-time jobs.
74. I hate exercising. But I really need to.
75. I need to be drinking something at all times. I usually have Propel, Life Water, or Smart Water with me at all times.
76. I look really bad without makeup.
77. I have a lot of freckles. But people tell me they don’t notice them anymore.
78. My favorite movies are The Office, Grease, Napoleon Dynamite, and Rain Man. I’m sure there are other favorites but I can’t think of them right now.
79. I think Hillary Clinton would make an awesome President.
80. I think Bill Clinton (minus his personal problems) was a good President.
81. I have a hard time keeping my house clean.
82. I’m not very good at making my boys do chores.
83. I think it’s damn hard to come up with 100 things about myself.
84. I’ve never done illegal drugs. I’ve only tried smoking once.
85. I’ve never had a cavity.
86. I’ve never had a speeding ticket, but I rarely drive the speed limit.
87. I love it when it blizzards outside and we’re stuck at home.
88. I wish I had a real fireplace.
89. I’m going to have house paid off in about 11 years, and that rocks.
90. I’ve worn braces twice – once as a teenager and again just last year. This last time was only on the bottom teeth.
91. I’ve been in a car accident where someone was killed.
92. I wear contacts/glasses. I don’t qualify for laser surgery. That sucks.
93. I love NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson ROCKS.
94. We have season tickets to the Kansas Speedway.
95. I don’t have any tattoos. And I never will.
96. I’m trying to enjoy sports more since my boys are so into it.
97. I wonder what impression people have of me.
98. The walls in my house are mostly rustic colors.
99. This took me a month to come up with this list of 100 things.
100. Since I’ve put all this time into it, the least you can do is tell me which things on this list surprised you!

Whatever

I've been around blog world, you just haven't seen my. I've been reading my blogs, but to be honest, I just don't have time to post comments or post my own blog entries. Mostly I haven't been posting comments due to a technicality between blogger, blogger beta, and IE. But I digress.

Here are a few tidbits I'll pass along.

1. JB is not doing much better. They may be transferring him to Iowa City or Rochester early next week. His brain has started to swell and he started seeing double vision late yesterday. His doctors are at a loss, so it really is time for him to move on. Problem is, that will cause us to start making roadtrips. Which of course is minor compared to what he's dealing with.

2. If you have a bunch of time to waste, you need to get over to Atomic Humor. His young wife got very ill in November and passed away. This post will make you appreciate your health and your family. Start reading his blog here: http://www.atomictumor.com/2006/11/01/

3. I've switched to Blogger Beta, and it sucks. Like above, I couldn't hyperlink that thing. Sorry 'bout that. Hey, I can't post any pics either. Where the heck are all my buttons?

4. I'm having bunion surgery on Monday. I'm looking forward to the Vicodin.

5. I'm close to having my "100 Things About Me" done. I'll try to get that posted before I'm under the influence of Vicodin.

6. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new blog design. This one sucks.

7. It's boardgame time. Gotta run.

100th Post, Interrupted

I meant to make my 100th post a presentation of my new blog, as well as my "100 Things About Me" list. But something more important has come up, so those things will have to wait.

Our good friend, JB, got terribly sick this weekend. He went to the local hospital, where he was admitted. After running some tests, a blood clot was discovered in his brain and he was rushed to a larger hospital. Now apparently they have found that there are actually clusters of blood clots on his brain. It's very serious, and one wrong move by a clot could have deadly results.

If all things go well, the blood thinner will shrink the blood clot and it will go on its merry way. Even with those results, he would be in the hospital at least two weeks.

DH and I have both spent time at the hospital the past two nights, but we have been unable to see him due to the amount of pain he's in right now.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He's had a rough few years, with major negative changes to his personal life. He NEEDS to recover. His young children NEED him to recover.

I-I

DH's grandmother passed away last night peacefully. We will miss her, but we know she's in a better place! She was in her mid-90s was ready to go. Thanks for everyone's comments and emails. They are much appreciated.

Grandma I-I

We are close to losing the matriarch of DH's family. Grandma I-I, as she is affectionately known as, is in her last days. She has not been eating or drinking for 2+ days. Please pray that it goes quickly and painless for her.

School Board Update!

I know some of you were following my school board election this fall, so I’ll give you a little update on how things are going so far.

I placed my first “nay” vote at the last meeting. I stood my ground and argued my point for 30 minutes, to no avail. The item passed 3-2 which was a total bummer, but at least my “nay” vote is on record for if – I mean WHEN – this decision backfires and people are screamin at the board.

I never thought I would say this but I LOVE LOVE LOVE being on the board. No, neighbor Tom, not because I love the power it gives me. Well, ok that kinda rocks, but I really feel like I’m going to make a difference to the district. I have a ton of ideas that I’m sure the board will be “on board” with. Most of my ideas involve saving money while increasing our services. How can they disagree with that?

My husband is on the city council. My god, who the hell do we think we are? Anyhoo, the one thing we’ve noticed is that people expect you to be available to them at all hours of the day. Got an issue? Oh, by all means interrupt our football game in the yard with our two sons FOR AN HOUR to tell me all about your problems. And calling me at 7:00AM – totally ok. Same for calling me at 10:30PM – that’s sweet.

Our board members really do have a good relationship with each other. And also with the school administration. I’ve heard horror stories, so I’m very thankful to be in the position I’m in.

Technology is a major thorn in my side. OUCH, there it goes again! And our school is a Mac school. What the hell can you do with one mouse button? And is anyone aware that only 5% of the population uses those things in the real world? If you are a Mac fan, fine – just don’t bother me with the details. I make a pretty good wage thank to Bill Gates.

A school board convention may sound totally boring, but I thought it was awesome. I guess that means I’m holding the right public office?

I move to end this blog entry.
Green3? YES
Blog adjourned.

Family N Vegas

We made it back! And my left ear finally popped yesterday, so I'm good to go. I won't bore all of you with our exciting Vegas trip, but I will offer a few "golden nuggets" on doing Vegas with the kids.

1. Take LOTS of money, or at least be willing to pay the $5.00 ATM fee each time you withdraw money. It takes a lot of dollar signs to keep kids happy in Vegas.

2. If you have never been there before, it's good to have someone with you who knows Vegas like the back of their hands. Without my parents along, we would have wasted many hours just looking for stuff. Kids are happy when you can go directly to the place you want to go.

3. Skip Circus Circus. No matter what. Even if you have kids, this place totally sucks. It's filthy, half the rides don't work, there really aren't that many rides, and it's expensive. We spent $40.00 for the kids to ride 2-3 rides. Even they were bored with it. NEVER GO THERE and for the love of God, I can't image that you'd ever want to STAY there! Yuck.

4. Find a broken basketball game at ESPN Zone and go nuts with it. It will save you tons of dollars and will waste a good 30 minutes.5. If you prefer to shelter your children from all things bad, you'd be better off staying far, far away from Vegas. Examples: Green kicking a piece of paper down the sidewalk, only to realize that it was one of those "hooker" cards. 3 tried to take a picture of the Bellagio, when a truck passed in front of him while he snapped the photo. When the picture came back, it was a lovely picture of the Bellagio with the words HOT BABES in the center of the picture.

6. It's just plain stressful to have kids in Vegas. You have to keep your eye on them at ALL TIMES or they will disappear into the crowd. And I hate that. Kids + Crowds + 3 Days = STRESS.

Overall, we had a great time. We'll be going back, if we can talk friends into going along. And if we can talk the grandparents into staying here in Iowa with the kids!


Celebrity Sighting: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff. They were leaving ESPN Zone as we were going in.

We're Home

We're back from our Vegas trip. I'd love to tell you all about it, but my ears are still plugged from the trip home so I'm a miserable mess. Check back tomorrow - I'll post a recap of our trip!

She's All That

One of my dear friends has joined the blogging community. I'd love to tell you a little bit about her, but I'd rather do it...dramatic pause...with song:

Oh wait. I can't sing worth a crap.

Maybe these artists could help me describe my friend by singing a few of their favorite hits.

Hips Don’t Lie..................Shakira
Promiscuous....................Nelly Furtado
Crazy Bitch......................Buckcherry
American Idiot................Green Day
Over My Head................The Fray
Crazy................................Gnarls Barkley
Looks That Kill...............Motley Crue

So go. Visit her. I'm sure you'll love her as much as I do.

luvthebearcats

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Does anyone really care? Apparently not. Here are pictures of some clocks in my home, all taken at approximately 12:40.

The saddest part is, I took these pictures about a month ago and they are still like this. So no, nobody cares.

WFMW: Christmas Idea #2 - Christmas Organization

I have this tip thanks to a friend at work. Sears has a Christmas planner that you can download from their website. It has everything you could need to keep the chaos of Christmas under control.

This planner is in xls format, which means it's a spreadsheet. It helps you keep track of:

• gift lists
• christmas card lists
• budget
• November and December calendars

It will even walk you through printing out labels for your Christmas cards.

Click here to go to Sears website to download this today!

See my other Christmas Works For Me Wednesday tip here.

For more Christmas tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW: Christmas Idea #1 - Perfect Gift for Your Sports Fan

Note: Yeah, I know this formatting is all horked up. But I'm tired of trying to fix it!

If you have a child who is a sports nut like my Green, then I have found the perfect Christmas present for you!

Click Here ==>>>That's Me Sports

Ok, here's the deal. You can purchase a CD with 10 minutes of play-by-play action of your favorite sports and they use your child's name as the star of the game! I encourage you to listen to the examples on their website. They sound AWESOME. My son throws a ball around every free moment he has. He's always doing his own play-by-play commentary. He is seriously going to go nuts when he hears this and he can play it while he's throwing the ball around. I know they have done some CDs for college teams, so if you don't find the team you are looking for on their website, I encourage you to ask if they have it.

Iowa State Cyclones and Iowa Hawks (football) can be found at Sport About for Kids at Valley West Mall. They have pre-made ones with just a first name. They are around $15.00. So if first name is ok, then go for it. If full name would totally ROCK, then get the custom one from their website.

So GO HERE NOW and order yours today so it gets here in time for Christmas!

See my other Works For Me Wednesday Tip here.

Check out other Christmas tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Nine Weird Things About Me

Cousin Chilihead tagged me for this crazy meme. It took me awhile to come up with a list because, really, if I thought something was weird then I wouldn't do it. But alas, I was able to think of some things that I think are totally normal but that you people may think are weird. So here goes...

I get wads of infection in my tonsils and dig them out with a toothpick. Not something I like doing, but it gets rid of my sore throat in a second.

I regularly check the website www.findagrave.com. Yeah, I think it’s interesting looking at graves. I love cemeteries. So dammit, when I’m dead you all better be visiting me.

Speaking of cemeteries, I’m terrified to be buried underground. I’m going to make my boys take out a second mortgage on their homes to pay for an above ground vault to stick me in.

My favorite books, and what fills up my bookshelves, are in one of the following categories: personal development, real estate, true crime, and politics. I wonder why people don’t ever want to swap books with me.

My wardrobe consists almost entirely of black and brown.

Thanks to my husband, hotel room comforters gross me out. The minute I walk into a room, I whip off the comforter and stuff it into a corner of a room. I also can’t go barefoot in a hotel room. Sick.

Sock seams drive me nuts. The seams have to be in exactly the right place when I put my shoes on. I sometimes have to take my shoes off and put them back on a few times in order to get them just right. Side Note: This is not as bad as it used to be. I'm a recovering sock seam-aholic.

When I shop, I touch all the clothes. Even ones I’m not interested in looking at. I don’t think this is weird, but it drives my husband insane.

I’m not always very good about responding to emails. But I H.A.T.E. it when people don’t reply to mine.

So there you are, folks. Judge away, my friends, judge away. Now I tag Momof4GreatKids and An Iowa Mom. Actually I tag Momof4 to just post something. Anything. Throw us a morsel here, girlfriend.

Blawg Updated

In case you haven't noticed, I have updated my blogroll to be blogs that I actually read. Imagine that concept, wouldya? As you can see, I really don't read all that many compared to some of the bloggers out there. Not because I wouldn't like to - I simply don't have the time. No Pasa Nada is worth your visit - she's a great writer and hilarious! She's the newest addition to my blogroll.

I'm also going to post the book(s) I'm reading. I would post the books on my "to be read" list, but they are home and I'm not, so I have no idea what's on there. But you can be sure that they are all non-fiction and about either politics or financial investing. I'm such a dork. Aren't you glad I don't blog about politics or financial investing? And if I did, would you read it? Yeah, that's what I thought. That's why I don't blog about that crap.

And I'm sure you are anxiously awaiting my blog redesign, as I am! Susie is a tad behind, but I'm sure my wait will be well worth it! SO tired of the lighthouse...

WFMW: Useful Websites

Here are some websites that I use all the time:

Bloglines - bloggers are well aware of this site. I have my account up all the time. For those of you who don't know, you can setup an account and it will check all of your blogs and websites for you, alerting you to when one has been updated. Then you don't have to check them all individually. It rocks.

Club Mom - If you are a mom (or dad, I suppose), this site has loads of information.

Hungry Girl - Nutritional facts about all kinds of foods. Don't use this site as much as I should.

Low Carb Friends - Helps me figure out what I can eat and what I can't.

Online Conversions - Convert anything!

Site Meter - I have several different websites, so I use this free service to track my web traffic. It's totally free, so if you are currently paying for your web stats, dump it NOW!

Froogle - A division of Google, this search engine does all the price comparison legwork for you. You can sort in price range and it has quick and easy links to the stores.

All Recipes - Tons of great recipes, but the best part is that all recipes are rated by the website visitors! So something may look awesome, but you can read through the comments and find that it's actually a horrible recipe. Keeps me from wasting my time.

People - I'm too cheap to buy the magazine, so this website gives me my People fix!

Check out other useful tips at Shannon's website!

Brit and K-Fed Divorcing?

Say it ain't so! I never saw this coming. Oh, the horrors!

Vote

Because you can.

Goals and Dreams

Quote of the Day:

I can accept failure. I cannot accept not trying.

I’ve got pretty big goals and dreams for my family. My husband is aware of all the things I’ve got drummed up. He’s ok with them. Ok, so maybe I’m dragging him kicking and screaming along for the ride. My goals are ambitious. My goals will take money and resources. And we’ll have to work our rear ends off to get the amount of money and resources we will need. But you can’t have ambitious goals and dreams and sit on the couch at the same time. That math doesn’t work.

Rewind a few years ago. We used to just fumble along, day by day, going through the normal routine of family life. I really didn’t know what our future held, and didn’t really much care. I just knew that we were happy and had enough resources to live comfortably. Things were good. But when I hit 30, I realized that I want much more out of life. So I started to make a mental list of the things I felt we, as a family, needed to do. In general, the things on my list were to make a difference in the world – even if only in my small town – and to be financially secure. Not unique goals, you say? Maybe not, but they are ours. And we are actively doing something about them.

Hubby and I work hard. We have multiple things on our plates at all times. But are reaching our goals. We are excited about our future because we have fun and exciting goals and plans. Some of our goals can make us a bit nervous and we sometimes wonder if we have what it takes to reach them. But I can accept failure. I cannot accept not trying.

Green3 and Adriana...Practically Twins

Hey Chilihead, apparently your cousin is pretty hot as well.

My Recipes!

This has been on my to-do list for quite some time, so I just wasted a lunch hour getting it going. It my very own online recipe archive! So check out my recipe blog and I sure hope you'll post a comment if you try one of them!

By the way, I'm a pretty picky eater so you won't find anything containing "soy" or "salmon" over there. I'm a meat and potatoes girl, and my recipes will definately show that.

There is also a link on the left side of my page called My Recipes.

Come On Over!!

Contest!!

Jennifer at The Wilson Six is having a contest to win some free notcards...custom made by HER! Just go HERE and leave a comment and she'll sign you up. And if you post a link to her site on your own blog, she'll enter your name and extra 5 times.

Check out her other posts as well. She's on my blogroll. I love reading about all her creative ideas.

Our Halloween!

My cousin, Chilihead, is hosting a Halloween Open House. I may not be following her rules exactly, since we really don't decorate for Halloween around here. We're one of those families who scrounge around at the last minute for a costume to wear. But we do carve pumpkins, so here are some pictures of that.

Green Getting Started

3 and his Pumpkin Guts

The Final Product

Happy Halloween!!

Sunday Morning

This morning we skipped church. And it always easy to feel guilty about that because when we sit at our dining room table, we can see the church. Ehhhhhhh...

This morning 3 wanted to play a "family game" since we were all still hanging out in our jammies. So he pulled out the poker chips and cards and we had a good 'ole time playing poker. During church time. While sitting at the table looking at the church.

Poker instead of church.

Good one.

BUT -
We were still folding our hands. Some of us more than others.
We were bowing our heads.
We were raising our hands in praise to the King, esp if we had 2 or 3 of them.
We all putting money into the pot.
We sang songs. "I am the Champion" and "You Don't Have Any Chips Left"

It's all good.

Anatomy of a Bumper Sticker

There is a new family in town. The only reason I know of them is because I see their minivan dropping kids off at school each morning, and there used to be an out-of-state license plate on it. They have a bumper sticker on their car which has baffled me since the first day of school. It reads:

It’s Mean to Wean

Ok, let’s break this down a bit. It’s mean to wean. I can think of several things this could mean, but going by the other bumper stickers on the car, I’m going with the obvious meaning – breastfeeding.

So if it’s mean to wean a child off breastfeeding, let’s review what options are available:

Never Wean Your Kids From Breastfeeding
I’ve actually done some research on the web about this particular bumper sticker saying. Apparently the idea behind it is to let the child decide when they are ready to be done rather than the mother deciding. Heck, no wonder it takes you so long to drop off your kids. Apparently you’re letting your 4th grader finish up “breakfast” right there in the van. YUCK. And is your husband still stopping over at your mother-in-laws for his mid-day snack? DOUBLE YUCK

Never Start Your Kids Breastfeeding
Ok, but you’d have to give them a bottle then, and wouldn’t you have to wean them from that? I mean, it would look silly for a middle school kid to be pulling out a bottle of formula out of his lunch box. Or does this really mean that you just start out with a Happy Meal the day your child is born? “Oh, isn’t our new baby sweet, honey? Now run your ass down to McDonalds before he gets hungry.”

I found a website where you can buy these bumper stickers along with several other sayings that I find quite humorous:

“Keep Breastfeeding. Don’t be a weaner.”

“If they are young enough to ask for it, they are too young to wean” Wait – don’t all men ask for it?

“Breastfeeding for all. Circumcision for none.” That’s just plain wrong.

“Silly Man. Tits are for kids!” I am SO using this line.


The website I found this information on is part of the Gentle Parenting webring. That cracks me up that the word “tits” is on a gentle parenting site.

NOTE: I did not breastfeed either of my boys. Didn’t try it, didn’t want to. I truly admire those mothers who do, though, and this is by no means an insult to them. I just wanted to talk about that dang bumper sticker! So don’t post nasty comments to me.

WFMW: Free Sirius Trial!

If you are not a Sirius customer, today is your day to give it a try...FOR FREE! (Actually, tomorrow is your day too, since it's a 2 day deal.)

So head on over to their website HERE and listen to your heart's content. I recommend the following channels:

Channel 8 - The Big 80's
Channel 23 - Hair Nation (big hair bands)
Channel 105 - Laugh Break
and of course...
Channel 115 - Radio Disney

Green's Day

Obviously I could never list all of the things I love about Green. But here are a few tidbits I want to share about my baby boy.

You put on a “tough” outer shell, but when it’s just you and me I see the sweet, cuddly Green.

You have a huge heart, and hate to see others hurting.

Your “rainbow of freckles” over your nose makes me melt.

Everyone needs a passion, and I’m so excited to watch you have fun with your passion - even if it is sports/ESPN/FOX Sports.

You are successful in school and you are aware of how important it is to do your schoolwork and do it well.


Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea. I love you,

Mom

While I Was Out

So here are some good things that have happened to me since you last heard from me:

I have gotten totally addicted to www.paperbackswap.com. I mean, what could be better than getting books basically for FREE? I’ve gotten 4 books so far. I have to wait until people request my books before I can get books from other people. If you are a reader and have extra books on your shelf, you MUST join!!

My mom is recovering from her gaping head wound. So here’s the rundown…she passed out/had a seizure (still not sure what) while shopping at Menards. Who would have thunk that place could be so dangerous? We caught up with her at the ER. They shaved a bit of her hair, stapled up her head, ran some test, kept her overnight, ran some more tests, then sent her home. Still not sure what the hell happened there, but we’re keeping a close eye on her…and keeping her out of Menards.

Both of my brothers ventured back from Colorado to visit those of us stuck back here in the homeland. I love it when we get to spend time together, even if it is for a very short visit. I love those guys.

I bought a new sweatsuit at J.C.Penneys. Huh, you ask? OH YEAH. IT IS AWESOME. And it’s especially awesome that I bought it the day they had their “Buy 1 get one for 88 cents” special. It’s soft, cuddly, and I put it on every night when I get home from work. Some day I might take it off long enough to wash it.

I bought new, high quality flannel sheets. It’s a little bit of heaven.

I found where I can listen to Bruce Williams online. I used to travel a lot for my job and was always on the road between 5 - 7 PM. I've missed him since those days, but now I've found him! If you are as nerdy as I am, here is your link.

More posts coming soon - I will try not to go MIA anytime soon.

Don't Worry - I'm Still Around

Thanks to those of you who continue to check my blog each day, hoping for some AMAZING post. I am still here -- just haven't had any extra time to devote to the ole BLAWG.

Hopefully I will find the time to get an awesome post up today. Ok, maybe not be awesome, but it will be a post.

And on a sad note, you are probably aware that Canon - the boy mentioned in my previous post - passed away. Please send your prayers to his family. I do not know the family and I certainly can't say that I know how they are feeling now, because I don't. I truly cannot imaging anything worse than losing your child.

Canon

Please take a moment to click on the image above to send a prayer Canon's way. He is very critical tonight.

"The Call"

Never before have I gotten “the call”. I’ve always been terrified to get “the call” because I wasn’t quite sure how I would react. Today it came.

“Green3, I just got a call from the Clive police. Your mom had a seizure while shopping and has been taken by ambulance to the hospital.”

Ummm….ok.

Now my mom is not someone who you would expect to have a seizure while deciding what shopping for a new light bulb for her makeup mirror. In fact, when I called DH to let him know, his reply was, “YOUR mom?” See, she works out every single day, watches what she eats, doesn’t smoke, and only drinks wine a couple times a week. My mother just doesn’t have seizures in Menards. But apparently I was wrong.

So I grabbed my dad - I work with him - and we hauled ass to Des Moines. (Darn near beat the ambulance there, thank you very much.) Besides an awesome gash to the head and some very low blood pressure, she’s fine.

On my way home, I realized I was more shaken that I probably appeared to be at the hospital. I stopped at Target, made a few phone calls from the parking lot, and then realized I just wasn’t in the mood to shop. Sorry, Mom, I know you are disappointed. So I headed for home.

On my way home, I realized how very lucky we were today. Once we get her home tomorrow, things will be pretty much back to normal. But what about the families who haul ass down to the hospital only to be told they were too late? The thought makes me shudder.

There was some humor today. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll feel like laughing about it a little bit more and can share some of that with you.

I love you mom. I am so glad that you are ok.

ch ch ch ch changes

Ohhhh...am I excited. I'm on Susie's list to have my blog redesigned. I'm down for early November, so you can expect to see my "new do" soon!

Weekend Math

= good








= good

( x 8) + = bad, very bad

A Peek into My Weirdness

I have a favorite website...one I really have never shared with others. I can't explain why it's a favorite. And I also can't explain why I'm sharing it with you now.

It started with searching for homes of famous people. Not because I'm a stalker or anything. I just think it's interesting. And then I ran across this website...and I'm hooked.

Yes, gravesites interest me. Especially gravesites of famous people. I'm interested in what their headstone looks like, where they are buried, and all that strange stuff. So take a look and see if you can be hooked just like I am.

Find A Grave

Dad Gone Mad

If you are not a regular reader of his blog, take a look at his current posting. He totally cracks me up!

His link is on my left sidebar.

Sugar Woes

Green – Did you know that (friend's name here)had to quit JAM? (JAM is an after school program one day a week, and stands for Jesus and Me.)

Me – Why?

Green – Because she’s allergic to sugar.

Me – What does that have to do with it?

Green – She can’t eat sugar anymore because she’s allergic. And that’s all we do at JAM is eat sugar.

Me – What?

Green – DUDE, the minute we walk in the door, we just start eating sugar until our parents come to get us!

Tattling

3 - Mom, Green's throwing water all over the bathroom!

Me - But nobody's bleeding?

3 - Rolling his eyes and walking away.

Now I'm hearing a cheerful chant in the bathub by Green. "Tattle taler. Tattle taler" And then some arguing. 3 marches back into the kitchen.

3 - Mom?

Me - What?

3 - Green said he's going to tattle on me for tattling on him.

Me - So let me get this straight. You are tattling on him, because he wants to tattle on you, because you tattled on him?

And End of an Era

Our racing era is a mere 4 hours from coming to an end...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120039266781&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D120039266781%26fvi%3D1

I will miss it, but I understand, 3. If it's not your thing, it's not your thing.

WFMW: Vacations

Next time you go on vacation, consider staying at a private home instead of a hotel. These homes are owned by regular people, who are just renting them out to help pay the mortgage. They are oftentimes true “vacation homes”, which means they are awesome!

The homes rent out for similar rates than you’d find at a hotel. Sometimes the cost is a bit higher, but it is SO worth it. My family rents a home or condo each time we go to Colorado and we have so much room. It is so much better than staying in a hotel.

A majority of homes in the Disney area are brand new and have their own private swimming pool. And the rates are SO reasonable!

To find the homes, you can use this popular website listed below. Some areas have their own websites, so you could search on “vacation rental” to find those.

http://www.vrbo.com/

And here is an example of a home I've actually rented. It was a little bit of Heaven right there in Colorado... http://www.vrbo.com/18725

Happy Vacationing!

Check out more helpful tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

I Need an Intermission

Ok, Life. Can you just STOP for a moment so I can catch my breath? This week has totally sucked, and it’s only Tuesday.

I know ya’ll stopped by for some chipper blog posting, but I’ll warn you right now – this ain’t it. Once I get out of my frump, I promise I’ll post something more, umm, happy. Until then…

Yesterday started off ok. I forgot to send something with Green to school, but it was nothing critical. It could go the next day, so no real problem there.

I get to work and think, “This would be a great day to load the software update that’s been sitting on my desk.” Bad idea. By noon I wanted to chuck the $500 software out the freakin window. By 3:00 I was starting to panic that I was totally screwed. At 4:55, after major searching on the web for my error message, I finally got my old software restored and back to where I started at 9:00 that morning. You can just write that whole day off.

I had to go to the doctor yesterday for an appointment that totally sucked. But I found out that I couldn't be healthier, so I guess that is some good news. Ok, actually I could be healthier but that point has nothing to do with that doctor appointment. :)

My car is without brakes. I’m having to work from home today so they can have my car, but they just called and said the part for my car would not be in until tomorrow morning sometime so they’ll need to keep my car another day. Ok, see, in order for me to pay you to fix my car, I’m really going to have to go to work. So I kinda need my car back. (ok, ok, we all know that this problem is under warranty and I can work from home in a pinch, BUT STILL! I don’t like being stuck at home.)

There were other things going on as well, but I’ll quit boring you with the details.

I’ll be back later when things are going swell.

3 and His Friend Gerald

3 is in fourth grade, and they now have “manor buddies.” They visit the manor a few times a month to visit their buddies. They can just sit and talk or they can play games…whatever. 3 was “lucky” enough to have gotten hooked up with a cheery fellow named Gerald. Below is 3’s account of their first 30 minute visit.

3 - My name is 3. What is your name?

Gerald – Gerald

3 – Do you like to play games? We could play a game. They have checkers or cards.

Gerald – I don’t much care for games.

3 – Ok. Do you like sports?”

Gerald – I don’t like sports

3 – Do you like to watch television?

Gerald – No.

3 – I love to read. Do you read? What are your favorite books?

Gerald – I don’t read much.

3 – What is your favorite food?

Gerald – I don’t know.

3 - Do you have kids?

Gerald - Yes.

3 – Do you have anything you want to ask me about?

Gerald – No.

3 – ooooooookaaaaaay

silence for the next 28 minutes

My make believe confrontation with Friend Gerald:
Listen here, you old fart. My first born son walked his ass all the way down here to the manor to help break up your monotonous day. If you don't want to participate, then stay in your f**king room. He has made an effort to be your friend not once - BUT TWICE. He feels bad that you don't want to talk with him. He wishes he could have gotten "the guy who likes to play games" but instead he ended up with some chump who won't even carry on a conversation. I've told him to just put in his time and these visits will soon be over. I've also told him that MOST old people would love to have a child ask them questions about their past or want to spend a few minutes with them.

This is Better Than Sliced Bread

Book addicts, LISTEN UP!

You MUST visit www.paperbackswap.com. This website lets to trade books with readers all over the country. To participate you have to list 9 or more books. You receive 3 credits right off the bat, which can be used to get books from other people. All you have to do is pay for the shipping. There are no other costs!!

As soon as I signed up, I ran downstairs and tore through my bookshelves. I plan to do it again when I have more time. What an awesome way to get rid of all the books I don't want anymore -- and get some in return!

Many thanks to The Wilson Six for this tip.

CHECK IT OUT!!! CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS? AND IT'S 11:33PM AND I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS! I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE TYPE IN ALL CAPS! better get to bed....

WFMW: Cheesy Potatoes

I'm stealing this top from Momof4. At a recent party, I commented on how awesome her cheesy potatoes were and she shared her secret with me.

Next time you make your cheesy potato recipe, replace part of the sour cream with a container of chip dip. I use Anderson Erickson Party Dip, but I think that's only available in the midwest -- and maybe only in Iowa.

**Updated Note** This dip is more ranch flavored than onion flavored.

Adding this really adds some extra flavor to your normal cheesy potatoes. I'll never make them without it again. It works for me!

Check out more tips at Rocks in my Dryer!

For The Love of Technology

Let me provide some background information:

1. We are NASCAR fans. More specifically, I am a Jimmie Johnson fan.
2. My husband is an elementary computer teacher.
   

So I had been looking around for some Jimmie Johnson earrings to wear to the NASCAR race last year. I could not find any locally so I casually mentioned to DH that I was going to check out ebay.

The next day, I was at work but was checking my home email – which is our email address we use for our ebay account. I see that DH has been bidding on something so I open the email to see what it is. “Holy Crap!” I said to myself. “He’s bidding on Jimmie Johnson nipple rings? Exactly who does he think he’s married to?”

I immediately jump on instant messenger, because that’s how nerds communicate. Now remember, on the other side of that instant message is an elementary computer teacher who is innocently unaware of what is about to happen. He’s got his computer screen displayed on the screen, demonstrating something to his class. He’s going along with his class, his pupils listening and watching intently. When out of the blue pops up this instant message…ON THE SCREEN IN FRONT OF YOUNG INNOCENT CHILDREN.

Why the hell are you buying me NIPPLE RINGS? My nipples aren’t pierced!

Technology. Gotta love it.


Note: DH was simply thinking that I could use the nipple rings as earrings. Poor guy.

Please Welcome Again...

Ok, friends, please stop over again and welcome Momof4GreatKids. She's changed some settings on her blog, so anyone can now leave a comment on her blog. So give it another try!

Success!

I have my own library in my home. In my library, I have shelf dedicated to “success” books. Some may call these books “self help” but I prefer to call them “success” books. I don’t need help. I just like to be energized and hear enthusiastic people remind me to keep aiming for my goals. If you are like me and love to be encouraged – or if you happen to be in a rut in your life and need some words of advice, please keep reading.

I subscribe to a personal growth email that I receive on a regular basis. I read every single issue that is sent to me. It’s fabulous. A recent email mentioned that I could get a free CD from Mike Litman, who is a world-famous success speaker and author. All I had to pay was the shipping and handling. So I went for it.

I listened to it on the way to work this morning. In one section he said, “If you are driving right now, pull over because you are going to want to write this down.” Yeah, right, I thought. But as he continued, I found myself scrounging for a pen and scratch paper and writing down the things he was saying. Here are a few of the lines I was writing down this morning on my way to work:

• People form habits, and habits form people
• Successful people make a habit of doing things they don’t like to do.
• Don’t focus on the process. Focus on the reward.

And he offered this 3 step approach to success:

1. Ask yourself, “What is one thing I don’t want to do today, but if I did it it would move my life forward?”
2. “How would I benefit from doing it?”
3. “Do it now!”

These lines may not mean much when reading them in my blog, but when you hear the CD he explains each of these lines and how you can use them in your personal and business life.

So here is a link to Mike Litman’s website where you can request your own CD. Also read through his articles. I highly recommend it. Please note that I do not know Mike Litman, have not been asked to promote him, nor will I benefit at all if you go to his website. I simply want to share what I have found.

(If you are a "success" book reader, let me know. Maybe we can share titles!)

Reasons I Don't Have a Post Tonight

1. I tried to download Internet Explorer 7 - and now my IE is all horked up. I'm stuck using Firefox for now. I guess I don't know why this is keeping me from posting. I'm just pissed about it, so it's number 1 on my list. So there.
   
2. I've been trying to come up with a different look for my blog. I've spent a little bit of time looking around, but have come to the conclusion that I just don't have the time. But I definately want to get rid of this harbor look. What the hell is that about? I'm in Iowa for cryin' out loud.
3. I'm working on my 100 Things list. It's mostly in my head right now, but I may have it done by the end of the week. I'm mostly nervous that I can't settle on 100 things. I mean, what if I post it and then I think something needs to change. Do you have any idea the stress I'm under here??
   
4. I'm recovering from our weekend at the races, which was awesome.
   
5. I'm gearing up for the upcoming weekend at the Iowa State-Nebraska football game. I don't have a ticket, so I'll probably end up holding up the fort at the tailgate. The crew will come out at halftime and find their coolers empty and me passed out in the ditch.