Daria, My Favorite Teen Drama - A Guest Blogger Post

Guest written by our friend Trent Horton

Daria Morgendorffer is a typical teenager attending the fictional Lawndale High School. The series follows Daria and her best friend Jane Lane as they make their way through four years of high school. During the four years, they befriend many of the average American high school students, the jock, the cheerleader, the musician, the rich spoiled girls, and many other characters. Both Jane and Daria become fast friends when they realize that they share the same dry sense of humor, as well as their less than positive view of the world.

Daria and Jane have a friendship that many people envy, and faces the ultimate test during the fourth and final season. When Jane begins dating Tom Sloane, Daria feels left out of the fun that the new couple is experiencing. Daria does not hide her resentment towards Tom, often resulting in snide remarks made towards the two. The series ends with a twist, and Daria and Tom ultimately end up dating.

What is interesting about the show is that I felt a strong relation to the main character Daria, despite being male. The strength of the show comes from being able to relate to Daria and what she faces while attending high school. Although there has not been a new episode of Daria since 2002, reruns can be found on DVD or on direct tv corpus christi late at night.

Wordless Wednesday

What Next?

I've considered what I may want to do to advance my business on many occasions. I had thought about whether I wanted the growth an Advertising Agency could help generate. They are the experts in getting more exposure to the right consumers for a product or service, or both. In my case, I'd be interested in creating more interest in selling my product, of course, but there are realistically only so many customers I can adequately service at a time. My desire would be to reach more people interested in a part-time job or a career representing the company I work with. I feel the number of customers and parties I currently have matches the amount of time I want to put into that aspect of my business, but growing a team could help me make more income exponentially while helping others get the income (and personal satisfaction) that I get from having my own business.

I mention the opportunity to own your own business to lots of people, from the hostesses and guests I see at parties, to other people on the internet, and people I know casually on social networking sites. An Advertising Agency, however, would know other ways of doing this that would never occur to me. It makes me glad I am open to explore other options when I see companies like That! AdAgency, who offer a free one-hour consultation! Who knows if they may have the secret to really expand the possibilities with my business, by doing something I wouldn't consider independently?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

My lazy afternoon just snuck away from me...hubby got home early after Maggie went down for her nap late. Oh well. I suppose he kept me on track instead.

My neck is killing me. I've still been sleeping in funny positions when Maggie comes in and wants to cuddle. I was going to try and go to the chiropractor today since I was near his office, but they're closed on Tuesdays. Dirty dogs.

I agreed last night to have a PartyLite candle catalog show. If you want to order, please let me know. You can order right from the show online by giving me your email address. Some of the new holiday scents are yummy! I got a big jar of 'Leaves of Fun.' I had a hard time choosing between that one and 'Hocus Pocus' (which I've loved for years!).

I had my first mid-day chocolate party today. It went better than I expected. We did a candy making party, where I showed how to make our adorable penguins and everyone got to make one of their own. I also made some delicious chocolates filled with our Raspberry Cabernet sauce - yum!!

On Friday, I painted my nails an excellent purple color to celebrate Hallow-weekends at Cedar Point, but the color started chipping off on our way to the park. I hate when nail polish does that! I finally took it off this morning so I'd look professional for work, but I definitely want to take an afternoon/evening to re-paint them soon!

Mad Men

Do you do stock trading? The closest I ever came was in a middle school math class where we chose a stock and then checked the paper each day to see if we would have made or lost money on our chosen stock pick. Way back then I figured stocks were some really complicated things for rich people. Now there's online trading and it all sounds a lot more down-to-earth.

With an online broker, you can trade stocks and a variety of other financial tasks at competitive costs. Whether you're interested in IRA accounts or mobile trading, it's all gotten a lot easier now, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home or office. We can all be like the rich people I used to only speculate about!

10 Random Things for Friday

1. I'm still feeling pretty blah overall. Starting to think I should do something about it. Maybe if I didn't feel so drained....
2. Maggie and I were going to go walking through the garage sales at the subdivision next to us, but it looked too much like rain earlier, and now that it's clearing up, I don't want her to miss her nap since we'll have a long day tomorrow!
3. My new desk is looking (and working) awesome! This morning Maggie pulled her stool up to a little side table that was moved out of the clutter and into the middle of the room and said it's her 'new desk.' She grabbed something that vaguely looks like a keyboard, and an extra mouse and proceeded to show me stuff on her computer :D I sure do love my girl!!
4. I'm really bummed to be missing the Type-A Mom Conference this weekend. I'm registered, but we just can't swing the vacation expense right now. If you know anyone who wants a transferred registration, let me know. :(
5. Just found out there are a couple people coming to our house tonight, so we'll probably go out for dinner since I don't have enough for that many. I wish I could think of somewhere I want to go and get excited, but it just isn't happening.
6. And #5 means I should probably go put some make-up on too.
7. I just can't sleep enough lately. I get a full night, still dread getting up in the morning, and am ready to go back to sleep again now. Ugh.
8. It actually is starting to look like a breezy but beautiful day outside.
9. I love asking if Maggie is sleeping during her nap. Because she always answers quite clearly that she is.
10. I can see two little orange flags in the ditch outside my house. Doesn't that imply they're about to do some construction or something - at least digging, to be marking underground lines...
    

Clean as a Whistle!

I think our kitchen is about ready for a good cupboard cleaning again. The last time we did it was probably more than a year ago, getting ready for a garage sale. We got rid of lots of old dishes and storage stuff that was duplicated when hubby and I combined houses years ago. And I got to throw out some mystery cans. I found protein powder when my caloric intake needed to be so much higher during pregnancy and nursing, the best creatine powder, and a yellow powder that hubby used to have for something. When he couldn't remember what it was for, I figured it was time for it to go!

I don't think we've accumulated anything like that again, but there are at least three bags of Doritos in the bottom cupboard, and every time I've gone to get Maggie's cereal lately I've found an old bag of off-brand Cheerios with like six pieces of cereal left. Hope our trash bag is hungry!

Chocolate Tempering 101

To make chocolates with a glossy finish and snap when you bite into them or break them, the chocolate needs to be tempered. Of course we all want our homemade creations to look as beautiful and delicious as possible, but I'm assuming most of us don't have the scientific knowledge (or interest!) to follow the old-school methods of tempering. It would involve melting chocolate in a double boiler until it reaches a specific temperature, which varies based on the type of chocolate (milk or dark). Then you'd need to cool the chocolate carefully on a marble slab to another specific temperature.

Ugh!! Sounds complicated, and I probably would never even attempt it.

But wait! There's hope for those of us who want to make gorgeous chocolates in a nearly foolproof manner. Always available through Dove Chocolate Discoveries - and on special through September for more than 60% off - is the chocolate tempering unit manufactured by Revolation. You put the chocolate in, and the machine beeps when it's melted to the high temperature. You add more chocolate according to the instructions, push a button, and it begins cooling the chocolate. The machine again beeps when the chocolate is fully tempered - how easy is that?!?

My Visit to Basket-Land!

Mom and I had a great time at the Longaberger Homestead yesterday! Even after how fabulous all the shops and displays and activities were inside, every time we went outside between buildings I'd have to say again, "It feel SO GOOD out here!!" We had our surprise Indian summer, I suppose. It was definitely a surprise to me, as I left my daughter with my dad for the day with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to wear in 90 degree weather - sorry, Maggie!

My Wordless Wednesday post earlier today was of the 19-foot basket of apples statue on the Homestead. Of course it was a beautiful day anyway, but each of the apples had a perfect little shiny spot making them look perfect! We walked past the apple basket several times: on our way from the Welcome Center to the restaurant, then back to the Welcome Center, then to J.W.'s workshop and back, and finally watched it recede in the distance as we made one last trek to the barn. By the time we got back in the car for another four-hour-plus car ride, not only were we glad to take a seat, we were able to enjoy a few snacks without wondering does nutrisystem work - we'd had enough exercise to feel good the old-fashioned way!

Schadenfreude

Yes. I was her schadenfreude. My first learning of the word was when we saw Avenue Q:

In the 2004 Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q the song "Schadenfreude" parodies the language instruction songs of Sesame Street. The song sung by characters Gary Coleman and Nicky, describes schadenfreude as "German for 'happiness at the misfortune of others'". In the song, schadenfreude is also described as "making me feel glad that I'm not you" and "people taking pleasure in your pain". The characters use examples like "D'ja ever clap when a waitress falls and drops a tray of glasses?" and "Don'tcha feel all warm and cozy, watching people out in the rain?" as being schadenfreude.

So basically, it got me thinking (months after I saw the show) about a 'friend' of mine who essentially disappeared once I was happily married. She was already married for a few years (although the reason she gave for getting married was to 'beat you and [fill in current boyfriend's name] to it') and had a couple kids by this time. The last voicemail message she left at my house was turning down an invitation to something at my house, while not even acknowledging that the invitation had said my new name, and so did my answering machine.

I talked to her on the phone once after that - a couple years later, actually. She acted all excited to talk to me, but after catching up, she resisted any attempt to make plans. She has another child now, and I'd suggested getting together for lunch with both of our kids, or having a playdate, or whatever. She was totally vague about it and nothing happened. No loss from my side.

I wonder how much more she helped me to wallow in misery and whining about being single back in the day. She only wanted to live vicariously through my exploits and feel better about her being at a different stage in life, while only joining me for single people stuff, and never inviting me around her family or stuff with her other no-longer-single friends.
I used to think she was being considerate and not pointing out our differences, but now I'm pretty sure she just didn't want me to see her in any less-than-ideal light. Every household can be perfect, if you only hear the perfect stuff.

Big Business

Unless this is your first visit to my blog, you probably know that I really enjoy my direct sales business with chocolate. When I was in between direct sales businesses (yes, I actually worked with a different company for about ten years), I considered a lot of stuff, including franchise options. It sounds great - you get an established name company with an already-researched product that you probably already believe in. In much the same manner as direct sales, you get to dive in and run the business, but a lot of the development stuff is taken care of beforehand.

I usually just randomly searched different companies and information (maybe that's why it never captured my interest more?), but now there's a whole website of information about many businesses with a franchise for sale and the terms easily disclosed.

For right now, I like my small home business, but for an awfully similar concept on a larger scale, it sounds to me like a franchise may be where it's at!

Wordless Wednesday

Delicious and Simple Cake

While we were camping over the weekend I tried a new recipe and it turned out great! At a Pampered Chef party a couple months ago, the consultant had made a cake in one of their baking stones, made in the microwave. Of course I didn't write down the recipe at the time, but once I got my deep dish covered baker (which only hostesses can currently purchase) I definitely wanted to try it! After minimal internet searching, I found several similar recipes using the deep dish covered baker or their fluted stone. Here's what we actually did/used:

• One boxed cake mix and whatever it calls for to make it (we used a red velvet cake)
• One small container of frosting (we went with cream cheese to complement the red velvet)

We mixed the cake mix (along with the oil, eggs and water its directions called for) right in the stone. Since we were camping, we didn't have an electric mixer, so we just stirred it really well.
After mixing the cake mix, we dropped the frosting by spoonfuls right on top of the cake mix.
The stone containing the cake mix and frosting was put in the microwave for 14 minutes on high.
When it was done, we used hot pads to remove the stone from the microwave and set it on the stove to cool for about 10 - 15 minutes.
Voila! I scooped the cake right out of the deep dish baker to serve, making sure to spoon the melted frosting from the bottom (it sank while cooking!) for everyone. Yum!

I'm thinking it would make a really nice treat at home when we have company as well, and would probably look really cool if dumped onto a serving platter with the gooey frosting running down the sides. Or for any occasion (maybe with a side of best diet pills?) ;)

Enjoy!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I'm exhausted and can't believe I'm trying to write this after a 16-hour-long, away-from-home, fun-filled day!

After spending more than eight hours in the car with my iPad, I think my mom is officially addicted to Bejeweled. Well, to playing it and achieving high scores, but then resetting them for some reason ;) Silly mommy!

I'm beat now, but hopefully tomorrow I will take a picture of the basket I made at the Longaberger Homestead (with a little help from a professional, of course). I want to go do it again already! I'm inspired to actually list out my baskets, as well as what protectors and liners I have to go with them, so I can more effectively add to my collection on our next visit. :D

Tomorrow: Maggie's music class, deposit checks from show on Monday, catch up on phone calls, catch up on paperwork...

Workin It!

Hubby and I have sort of a standing joke that I'm not supposed to come home after a chocolate show til I have $1000 in sales (or sometimes some other goal number...). Tonight's goal was $560 to get me to my next level. I came close with $439.

Sometimes I spend my drive home trying to think of other ways (besides parties) to make up the difference toward my missed goal. Would magnets, magnet printing, custom magnet help? I've seen those on cars, or seen recommendations to give them to people so eventually your name will be on every fridge in town. I already invest in lots of stickers, sticker printing, label printing. I make sure my information including my name, phone number and email address are on just about every piece of paper that leaves my house for my business. I stick them on all guests' invite cards, my catalogs and order forms, my sale flyers, flyer printing, print flyers and even my sample chocolate bars and treats. I don't want someone to like something they see and not know how to contact me!

While I can't necessarily tell where each and every one of my customers has come from, I know business is going well. Whatever I'm doing is helping me get to my goals, so I'll keep it up!

Oh, Yes!

So when hubby says we're looking to buy something in particular, I'm usually pretty half-hearted about my helping look, because I feel he usually ignores my input anyway. But the other day I sent him a Craigslist ad for a desk for my office, and he said we're picking it up on Wednesday! Woo-hoo!! I'm not sure how it'll work in my office, but he said we'll make it fit. I hope so!
We really wanted to find something with a little more 'built-in' storage, since my current desk was really just intended as a computer stand, and has no where to keep my stuff. Which means the surface is COVERED with my stuff, to the point of making it barely usable for me, and unusable for him :( The new one looks like it'll solve that issue, and give me a little extra work space instead of always carrying stuff to the kitchen table to finish up!


I'm really excited to be going to the Longaberger Homestead in Ohio tomorrow. My mom's been before and liked it, and I've just always wanted to go! It's about a four hour drive each way, so it'll be a day trip. But this means I should try to get to sleep a little earlier than usual tonight, since I want an early start in the morning! So why am I posting? Ahhh....good question, grasshopper...

Entering the Race for Chase - A Guest Blogger Post

Posted by Gaylord Campbell

It's that time of year again. The Nascar Sprint Cup series is coming down to its final races. The Race for the Chase is about to begin. This year I am very excited about the finish of the season. I will be watching closely with directtv Ohio. My hope is that Kasey Kahne will win although he has fallen off in the past few races. After his win at Michigan, he has struggled only making the top ten once. This shouldn't be a problem for him though.

Kasey is a competitor all around. Just because he has been falling further in the pack does not mean that he has given up. He will fight to the end and do everything he can to make up this deficit. Michigan is coming up and we all know that he can win there. Once he does that, his momentum will be back on track. We'll see him in the Race for the Chase. I can almost guarantee it.

Other drivers who I think will be in the hunt with Kasey include Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin. Jeff Gordon shouldn't have a problem either as he always runs great at both Bristol and Watkins Glen. I think Kurt Busch will be missing from the Race for the Chase though. He just can't seem to get any consistency or gain any momentum. He'll be missed.

Sunday Stealing: The Threesome Meme

Sunday Stealing: The Threesome Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. At what time of your life were you happiest and why? Hmm....I'd probably say now because my daughter is an absolute joy to me.

2. Where and when did you meet the love of your life? I first met my husband back in the fall of 1996 when he was at Michigan Technological University with my brother. We fell out of touch, and he married someone else. We re-met in 2004 and have been together ever since :)

3. Favorite item of clothing ever or most treasured possession? I love my 'Maggie's Mommy' hoodies.

4. Must-have makeup or beauty item? Hahahaha...I'm not much of a make-up girl. I always use my Body Shop nylon cloth to wash my face in the shower, and I usually wear black eyeliner and mascara.

5. What do you think is your worst vice or fault .. honestly? I have a lot of clutter.

6. Would you tell your friend, if you knew her husband/wife was cheating on her/him? Probably not. People tend to shoot the messenger in those cases. I also don't have a lot of close friends, so the odds of me knowing something like that aren't very high.

7. What ambitions, wishes or desires, for your life, do you still hold close to your heart? For my daughter to grow up happy.

8. Where do you see yourself five years from now? The mother of a school-aged child! If I don't have any other children, I'll also plan on working outside the home part-time. If I have another baby, I'll be at about the same point I'm at now ;)

9. If you had the choice of any talent with the penalty that you would lose a talent in exchange, what would you want to gain, and what would you be willing to lose? Ew. I'd be afraid of giving up anything (especially I can't think of a good talent I have...).

10. Name three things that you do want completed in your life before retiring? What if I'm already retired?

11. Of all of the people out there, who would have been your fantasy date? Date, not romance... Dates are so fleeting. I can't really think of one night I'd want that I didn't have.

12. Google put another spell on you, you have just changed genders for 48 hours... what are you going to do with your 2 days? Heavy lifting and reaching things on tall shelves?

13. If you owned your own island, and got to make it your own country, what would you call it? And why? Beckalicious, of course.

14. If you rubbed the lamp and got three wishes, what would they be? Disappearing debt (everything would be paid for, forever), a magic kitchen to product healthy and delicious meals for my family forever, and good health for my loved ones and myself.

15. What is your earliest memory of puberty? When I think of puberty, the first thing I think of is my first period. And my first memory of that was calling my mom to tell her (since I was babysitting) and then going home and making cheesecake.

16. If you got banished to your Island alone and could only bring five things, what would they be? A working airplane, a healthy pilot, and my iPad.

Looking for Miracles?

Ugh. Why do I always do this to myself? I know realistically that I had plenty of time to get done what I need to get done today, but now I'm feeling cranky and rushed. At least once a week it feels like I need a miracle to get my 'necessary' list done in time. A real miracle - none of this rumored 'water into wine' stuff. I want to see a self-cleaning office (duh!), a dryer that folds the clothes and puts them away, or Diet pills that work without exercise.

What's on your wish list to make life easier?

10 Random Things for Friday

1. I'm worrying about my attitude lately.
2. Still on today's agenda: baking cookies, packing chocolate samples, bathe the baby, shower and dress myself.
3. Yes, I do believe in setting reachable goals (hey - I didn't make it to the shower yesterday!).
4. I hate when you see just part of someone's name on Facebook (just skimming instead of reading) and mentally attribute a really weird status update to the wrong person. Although it is kind of amusing...
5. I'm afraid I've inherited my mother's curse of 'seeing the other side.' There are people I can't even have conversations with because not everything is black and white. I'm going to just walk away from that whole statement now.
6. Maggie snuggled in and slept with me last night. I really liked it :)
7. Absolutely all of the stuffed animals my daughter owns are scattered all over her room right now. She says it's a swimming pool. Ooookay.
8. I wish my nails were done, but there's no way I have time to get them painted and dried and still accomplish everything else I need to today.
9. I'm rather rushing through this list today. See #2.
10. I'm quite disappointed in myself over the office this week. I tried really hard, but when it got to the point of moving things, I'm just not strong enough. So there are now piles (neater piles than before, but still piles) of my junk all over the room, and a picture of a new office only in my mind.
    

Fishing Jewel Lake - A Guest Blogger Post

Written by my friend Rico Cunningham

Jewel Lake is a lovely place located in the southern part of Anchorage, Alaska. This lake has been a popular place to boat, swim, fish, and do all types of sports in for a great time. One of the best things about this lake is the fact that it has a dock and a pier in which people can go to fish without worrying about intruding on people who happen to be boating or swimming.

Fishing has been a hobby of mine for as long back as I can possibly remember. I used to go out with my parents each weekend to a different place and learn to fish from them, and it carried on to be one of the best things that I do. I have actually managed to set many personal records and then break them with ease, as there are many places to fish in Alaska.

King salmon fishing is what I do best, although it is only available at certain times of the year. The best feeling in the world is to be able to simply set my ADT safewatch and set off for a day or more in hopes to catch a good batch of fish. I also enjoy smoking fish and baking them in different ways to make them more pleasing to the people that I give them to.

Autumn Leaf Test

You Are Peaceful and Passive

You are an accommodating, diplomatic person. You know there is good and evil in everyone. You try to live with things as they are. You know there's a lot in this world that you can't change, and you're fine with that. You are a supportive and honest person. You expect people to accept you just as you accept them. You are willing to take time and let things unfold. You are never in a rush.

The Autumn Leaf Test

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Blah Day

I'm usually all up for rainy fall-ish days, but today it's sort of bumming me out. I'd promised Maggie another picnic lunch in the park, but it isn't going to happen. We're still in our pjs, even though Grandpa has already been here and left. I would say it's a beautiful day to be a duck, but someone recently told me that even ducks don't like the rain. So that lil cliche is ruined for me too. Hruummphh.
So we have no plans until maybe a friend's open house this evening. But do we want to do that in the rain? Looks like a very good day to hide out under the electric blanket.

Thursday Thunks

Do Elephants Come With a GPS Installed?

Welcome to the September 16th edition of Thursday Thunks!

Thursday Thunks: Do Elephants Come With a GPS Installed?

The TT questions are brought to you by Berleen, the color of my kitchen table and the number 45.

10. What number blog post is this for you? I dunno. Should I know?

9. You are driving down a road and your GPS says turn right, but the road has a Dead End sign. You check your GPS and according to its map, there is a road at the end of the Dead End road that you need to turn onto. Do you follow the GPS? Probably. I can always turn around and Lois (my GPS) can recalculate (even though that really makes her mad...).

8. If you had a $2 bill, would you spend it? Yup.

7. When there is nobody else around and you sneeze or cough, do you cover your mouth? Usually. But when I think about it, there's very seldom 'nobody else around.'

6. You are a DJ at a radio station and your first guest is Bud... what is the first question you are going to ask him? I have no idea.

5. Have you ever stopped to help a stranger with a flat tire? Nope.

4. You get on an airplane and you find that your seat neighbor is Kimber... what do you talk about or do you ignore her completely? I usually make small talk and see where it goes from there.

3. Have you ever rode an elephant? Yup! (The pictures in this post are of me and my dad riding an elephant at Boblo Island, I think around 1976 or 1977?)

2. Time to bitch & moan! What is your biggest complaint about your current friends on Facebook? Please use words, not text language. Ugh. And don't be an idiot (even if you're using big words...). Oh! And don't air your dirty laundry. I hate finding out TMI and personal stuff via Facebook.

1. School is back in session for all little girls and boys now. What, in your life, changes when kids go back to school? We get to see the bus pick up and drop off the kids on the corner. Yippee?

I Know...Eventually...

I know we're not going to live out our golden years in this house. I know. I don't even particularly want to. But now I have to weigh if I'd rather die here, or pack all my stuff to move. And it's a tough call most days.

When I moved into our house, it was already my husband's house. His stuff had all its special places, and he cleared out one room completely for me, along with a dresser and some closet space and such. So my room? Became a giant catch-all for the stuff I had that duplicated his or just didn't fit in a place that made sense somewhere else in the house. It honestly took me years to unpack (okay, I may not be completely done yet).

Once we move again (and I know we will...), I'd rather look at home removal quotes to have someone else do at least the heavy lifting. I know a lot of people who buy their friends off with beer and pizza, but then it seems like something always gets broken, and there's no one to yell at about it. I think professional movers would pay more attention to what they're doing and focus primarily on taking good care of your stuff.

I suppose the first step (as usual) is trying to find a sense of organization in my poor room that probably was never properly unpacked. It's been looking a bit better, but it's got to be finished before it can be wrecked all over again.

Wordless Wednesday

from Oddly Specific:

Calendar Control

Calendar control is vital to running your own business. But I'm sort of twisted. I love having a calendar that tells me where to be and when. In that way, I love having my own business because it gives me an excuse for being obsessed with my calendar! Having things written down makes them more of a reality, seeing them in black and white and knowing they're my responsibility. If it says to call or visit XYZ, or buy 108R00725, I'll do it. If I'm just counting on myself remembering to accomplish important tasks, whooo doggie. Life has a way of intruding, as I'm sure you know!

What's your best calendar control secret? I had tried rolling my to-do list into my calendar, but it just got too messy. Now I have a calendar for my shows scheduled (where I just cross off days with other obligations), a calendar on the fridge so hubby can see what to expect, and my own little desk calendar where I write the details I need for appointments and clip necessary paperwork or business cards in. I think it's working pretty well for me, but I'd love to know any brilliant secrets I'm missing.

Disney on Ice - Princess Classics

I am so excited! It's time for Disney on Ice at the Palace again, and the theme is one I'm sure Maggie will be super excited for - Princess Classics! I think I'll pretty much have to let her wear her Cinderella dress to this, right (not like she doesn't wear it half the days of any week anyway!)?

Performances are at the Palace of Auburn Hills from October 13 - 17.

If you'd like to join us there, here's discount information:
Four tickets for $44 (good Wed 7:30PM, Thurs 7:30PM and Fri 11AM)

OR

$4 off tickets (good Fri 7:30PM, Sat 11:30AM, 3:30PM or 7:30PM, and Sun 1PM, 5PM)

Use the code “MOM” when purchasing tickets online, by phone or at the Palace box office. (Not valid on rinkside or VIP. When purchasing on the Ticketmaster site, enter the code in the ‘MC Promotion’ area.)

Best Laid Plans

I really wanted to work on the outside of the house to surprise hubby, but the very best time to do that would have been yesterday (so the yuckies could have gone out with this morning's trash pick-up). Oh well. I've still got a really easy plan I've been holding back.

A couple months ago, the address plaque that was by our front door got broken and fell down. I didn't think it was a big deal, but luckily I think I just set it on a shelf in the garage instead of throwing it away. It turned out hubby really liked it. I think it may have been a house-warming gift when he moved in, so he'd have an address sign by the door of his new house.

Anyway, I think it's still out in the garage, and it would be a great surprise to fix it up and hang it by the door again. We may not be agreeing on what home address plaques should look like, but we do both think there should be one there!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I just love Maggie's fall wardrobe. She looks so cute in her little dresses and tights :) But I know I say, "You're so cute!!" a lot, because I overhear her saying it to our cat and her stuffed animals. Which is really cute too ;)

I've got another new team member today!! But she's two levels from me, which means while I'm excited for her to have joined, I need to promote myself up a level before I get paid for anything she does. Translation: Get back to work, Becki!

Maggie (as expected) climbed into bed with me last night. It's usually fine, but I think I slept with my head funny and now my neck hurts :( I keep meaning to take drugs, but I've forgotten the last few times I've walked past the pills.

I need to find some photo mats to make 2.5 X 3 pictures fit in 4 x 6 frames. I always order a bunch of Maggie's pics (and even choose the pictures of my nieces) that are 2.5 x 3, but they make very few frames in that size. A bunch of times I've picked up 4 x 6 frames thinking they were the right ones, but they're not. So I need mats to use all these frames and display our pictures.

Anyone else enjoying this fall weather as much as we are?? I love it! Maggie and I got a Taco Bell picnic and took it to the park today for lunch. We both had a ball :)

Small Town Movie Critic - A Guest Blogger Post

Thanks to Darwin Barton

I'm the movie critic for my town's local paper. Keep in mind that I live in a town of about 15,000 people, so that's no big accomplishment or anything, but it's still kind of cool I guess. It doesn't pay much, but the newspaper does pay for my tickets, and even throws in a little extra for popcorn!

Since I do it twice a week, I've got the whole movie-going thing down to a ritual. There's my little checklist before leaving the house - turn off the lights, set my highland park Adt security system, make sure I have my keys, wallet and cellphone, etc. Then I have my route I always go that saves gas. Like I said, I have it down to an art.

Since I'm writing for a newspaper, I make sure that I see a wide variety of movies. I usually pick the most popular ones to go see, because those are the ones that most people will want to read about. That sometimes means I have to sit through some I don't particularly care for, but I try to stay objective and watch them as if I were someone who would want to go see them. Sometimes I'll break my "most popular movies" rule if there's something I just really want to see. Hey, there's nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure!

Weekend in Review

How sad is it that I'm doing this post to see if I even can remember what I did all weekend?? Yikes!

Friday night took me a minute to remember, until I realized I didn't personally do much of anything. Hubby called in the afternoon to see if we had plans and say he wanted to go do another sea-trial with the boat. Luckily he caught us at the grocery store, so I didn't bother getting anything for dinner. Maggie and I shared a pizza and then spent our regular evening chilling.

Saturday we let hubby sleep in, but I took the initiative to make some rather random plans for the day. I told him I wanted us all to go to Hooters for lunch (what? I like the wings!), then we headed over to do not-much-of-anything at the mall. I finally dropped off my hair stylist's tip from my appointment in July (since they could charge my appointment, but not the tip), Maggie got to play in the play area for a while, and I had a coupon for a free pair of Victoria's Secret skivies. Go, me!
Saturday night hubby and I watched Grindhouse: Death Proof, which I liked way better than I expected (except the scene with Zoe on the hood - I HATED that part). And it's one of those weird movies where I like it better the longer I think about it afterward. Odd.

Sunday we had a whole lot of nothing planned again. Hubby's dad and his wife came by to trade vehicles with us for the week (they needed the truck that's stored in our backyard). After they left, hubby laid down with a headache :( He got himself back up again to join Maggie and I on our walk to the Dairy Queen (where he 'tested' the gas scooter he's fixing for a friend) and then his mom came over for a bit after we got home. I ended my day with lots of laundry so he could start packing for his next warm-weather business trip. Lucky boy!

A New Savings Plan?

I've had a few friends mention over the years that they'd prefer to keep their money in bullion anymore after all the drama with the banks. While I haven't been sold on the idea, it seems like my friend was not alone. There are whole websites about gold bullion as collectible and a liquid investment. Interesting concept!

Have you ever tried to buy bullion or another investment with your money instead of saving it the traditional way (in an account of some sort)? I'd have to say that more than a few people do just that, since there's information available about how and where to buy gold bullion and even talk about a gold IRA. Maybe I'm the odd one out?

Sunday Stealing

Today Sunday Stealing ripped this meme not from a blogger but from some regular Sunday Stealing meme players. They asked for original questions last week and the players delivered! We believe we’ve got everyone in the credits. If we missed you, let us know! The star players who submitted questions were: Hooting Anni, Niko, Wendy, Melanie, Ace, Bambie, Zoan, Dixie Chick, Lynette from A Blog in the Rough, The Gal, Katie, Hazel, Me, Mark from An Erie Tapestry, Mamo Ko, Cat., Noelle, Kwizgiver, Shakaku, Catch Her in the Wry, Brandt, Debster, Zh3en22, Americanising Desi and Kathy. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Sunday Stealing: The Sunday Stealing Player's Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. :::sniff, sniff::: Is the dog in the house? We don't have a dog!

2. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? It's all okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end!

3. What's the worst experience you've ever had involving alcohol? I'm pleading the fifth.

4. What's the worst thing you've ever done to another person? Gosh, I really don't know.

5. Who do you think started the concept of memes? Love em. Sometimes I feel like I'm sort of slacking to be putting so many on my blog, but they address a lot of things I wouldn't think to write about.

6. Give a song title or line that describes how you are feeling right now. I'm imagining that darn jingle from the end of Angry Birds as I finish each question.

7. What's your favorite search engine? Yahoo!, Google, Ask, Bing? or something else? Swagbucks!

8. If Paul is the Cute One and John is the Smart One and George is the Quiet One and Ringo is the Funny One, which Beatle are you? Either Ringo or John...

9. The democratic government decides that, not only do we have to share our money with people who choose not to work, we also have to share our children with those who do not want to ruin their bodies with being pregnant. Which child do you give up? They'd have to kill me first.

10. When should you procrastinate - now or later? Definitely later.

11. What is your favorite fast food? Hmm....Nothing really stands out. I suppose it depends what I'm in the mood for.

12. What was your favourite game as a child? Does reading count as a game?

13. Why terrible twos have to be terrible? Twos were wonderful around our house :)

14. Describe your favorite family member. Both of them for different reasons.

15. What does your favorite breakfast consist of? I'm not a breakfast fan. Cold pizza is always good. If we're out I get either eggs over medium or an omelet.

16. What food is better the day after it was made? Chili, definitely.

17. What was your last big purchase? My camera in June.

18. When was the last time you kissed someone and really enjoyed it? I'm married. It isn't that I don't 'really enjoy' it, but there's a lot more to it ;)

19. Why are there memes? To keep me out of trouble on Saturday night!

20. Described yourself using two words that rhyme. (i.e. fuddy-duddy) Lazy Daisy.

21. If you were given the option of a "do-over" in life .. would you take it? Nah.

22. What movie makes (or has made) you cry? What touched you about it? Today? There have been a bunch of 9/11 tributes, of course.

23. What is one big mistake that you did in your life? And what did you do to make it right? Getting married the first time. So I got un-married.

24. When Life Gives You Lemons, What Do You Do With Them? Make lemon drop shots! Yum :D

25. How different are you in real life as compared to the online identity you have created for yourself? I don't think I'm much different.

26. Do you know what your parents would have named you if you had been born the opposite sex? Matthew. But my younger brother's name isn't Matthew either, so I guess the moment passed.

Home Sweet Home

Hubby's getting ready for another business trip, which usually leaves me some late night hours for organizing and decorating! I just realized this afternoon that this trip falls at the perfect time for me to get out all the Halloween Home Decor. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I'm excited to add to my collection and have everything up for at least all of October this year!

Hopefully my motivation will make another pass through after halloween to clean it all up, and browse some Thanksgiving Tablecloths for our new dining room table. We inherited some old tablecloths along with the table and chairs, but they're...shall we say, well loved? I bet you get my drift. They've probably been around as long as the table, and hubby isn't quite sure how long that is! Actually number two on my list while hubby is gone is to stitch up the corners so the tablecloths will fit a little more snugly on the table. We both hate when you sit down and your clothes snag on the tablecloth, effectively pulling dinner into your lap (actually I don't know anyone who would like that!).

The third major task I'd like to attempt is washing or replacing our bedding. Poor Maggie was playing hide and seek on our bed the other day and when she pulled the comforter over her head, she promptly changed her mind about hiding there and said, "Ew! Stinky blanket!" I need to either get that to a laundromat with the large washers and dryers (which I worry about because there's beading on the comforter right now) or more likely browse a Down Comforter Sale or two. We haven't gotten new stuff since we got married almost six years ago, so it's time anyway.

In reality, I'll probably complete one, maybe even two of these tasks, but the odds of all three aren't real high. I'm almost disappointed in myself already!

10 Random Things for Friday

1. I'm really excited this morning because I found out last night I'm #7 in Dove Chocolate Discoveries for my personal sales AND number of parties held for this sales year (which started July 1).
   
2. Add to the excited - I'm MOTIVATED to book lots more shows so I can hold a spot in the top 10! If I don't have your contact info and you may want to have a chocolate tasting in your home, or do a catalog show for me, please let me know! You can also sign up for my free email newsletter here.
3. Maggie and I get to go visit a friend for lunch in his NEW office building today.
   
4. Maggie is loving the new Cat in the Hat tv show on PBS. Is anyone else watching?
5. I got a new (to me) sewing machine last night! A friend was selling it at her garage sale for $25 and my mom stopped by. It would have scared me as 'too good to be true' if I didn't know the people selling it. I'm excited to finish straightening my office and get it set up in here!
6. This morning Maggie came into our bedroom and asked if she could eat the chocolate penguin we made last night. I told her she could, but not until after lunch. She had a minor meltdown, but I stood my ground. A few minutes later she came in with a chocolate smudge from right side corner of her mouth up toward her cheek. Chuckling, I had hubby look at her. He started chuckling too. I found the penguin on the dining room table still, but with his face bit off! Three-year olds can't keep secrets very well! She started crying, but I explained that I wanted her to enjoy it, so we'd save the rest til after lunch so it won't give her a tummy ache. Hubby and I asked her if it was yummy...if she was eating it anyway, I want it to be enjoyed!
7. I'm trying to think of something else not related to chocolate...
8. Only a week and a half until my mom and I take our trip to Dresden, Ohio to the Longaberger home office! It's actually shaped like a basket :)
9. I hope Maggie sleeps in a bit later as the days get shorter.
10. When we were at the store the other day, I was excited to see the big box of 'Spooky' Nerds. They're orange and white (fruit punch). The orange flavored Nerds are my very favorite!!
    

Scandel-less?

I know I tend to be kind of oblivious to a lot of pop-culture stuff, but it occurred to me today that I haven't heard of anyone going into drug rehab lately. Does that mean the stars are behaving (unlikely!), not getting caught (still kind of weird) or it's just not being publicized as much?

Hopefully they're saving a few up for that show with Dr. Drew with (usually washed up) celebrities in drug treatment. I can't even think of the name of it right now, but I think it was on the same night or channel as Intervention. I only (honestly!) saw a few episodes, but it always sucked me in long enough to watch the whole hour. If I recall correctly, they mixed alcohol rehab and drug people together. No wonder they filmed it all - I can't see that crowd having a lot of fun anymore, but at least they could still make money by having a name a few people still knew!

Interesting fact I heard once: A counselor said alcohol treatment was the hardest to complete successfully. Her point was that it could all seem to be going well in an alcohol treatment center, but once someone is out in the 'real world' again, there are ads and stuff for alcohol everywhere. What is an addictive substance to ruin one person's life is just social entertainment for someone else.

What the Hell Wednesday

Why will people not return phone calls and/or emails? How rude! I can think of several emails that I sent asking for more help or information - one of which I sent at the recipient's request - and then heard nothing back. Don't pretend you're there to help me if you're not even going to answer me. WTH?!?

Is it all me, or is everything more annoying lately? And maybe it is just all me, in which case, WTH??

I'm not much of an eater. I think I've mentioned that before. Let's leave aside how much of a freak you think that makes me. We're focusing on my issues here. Yesterday I made a 'practice run' of a chocolate filled with chardonnay caramel sauce. Just three little candies. I asked hubby to taste one for me, and he couldn't do it. Said he'd already had ice cream. I don't trust my own judgment on something being good or not. So I ate one, and it was fine. But will everyone else think it's terrible? WTH?!?

And since I'm blaming everything on everyone else today, I may as well go all the way. I have no motivation, because I feel ignored. What's the point of doing more phone calls or emails that (it feels like) will probably be ignored anyway? WTH?!?

Paperwork...

I was just looking through emails I'm waiting on a response from, and I'm sort of chagrined to realize that although everyone is supposedly doing more stuff 'paperless,' I can't imagine my life holding any MORE paper!

Sure, you expect a lot of paperwork - the old-fashioned way - for something like an ssdi claim. But that's not anywhere close to what I'm trying to do! I suppose I actually am saving on paper if you consider I'm requesting documents from different people to sort of reassess and see how it compares to what I'm already using. So from that perspective, the computer is saving me a ton of paper (assuming I don't print all of this stuff out to read it!).

I think I'm just too old to imagine things functioning without paper. What generates the most paperwork in your life? Would you rather it didn't?

Wordless Wednesday - Cousins

Joys of Technology

Hubby finally convinced me to jump on the 'Angry Birds' bandwagon yesterday, so I attempted to add the app to my new iPad. Easier said than done! It was taking way too long to sync or update or whatever it's called, so when the screen showed the app on my iPad, I ejected it and went off to play. But it wasn't there yet! When I plugged it back in, it took at least two more hours to sync or update. It was longer than that (I had to go to bed, so I'm not sure when it finally finished), but I don't know by how much.

Will the new knock-off iPad from Samsung be any better? I knew before I got my iPad that I hated iTunes, but since I won it for free, I couldn't make any other choice, you know? It is mostly fun, but I think it would be more fun and faster to acclimate to if I didn't have to use iTunes :(

Random Tuesday (even though it feels like Monday) Thoughts

Yeah. I'm officially completely confused today. I started looking for a Monday meme since my brain feels all beat up, but when I checked in with my regular blogs, they all had Tuesday stuff up. At first I was really impressed with them for being on the ball and a day early. Until I realized they're right on time and I'm still just barely wrapping up the weekend. Hope I catch up soon!

Maggie has become obsessed with getting a microphone. She saw one on the shelf in the toy section at Meijer. I didn't even take a close look. It was a Barbie something-or-other with a microphone (kid-sized) and a couple other accessories, probably toward being a rock star or something. Now Maggie has spent four days (so far) telling me she wants to go to Meijer and get a microphone.

I'm supposed to be making chocolates to practice for a demonstration I'm doing on Thursday, but I'm too busy being discombobulated about what day it is. And I'm also supposed to be making my five phone calls for the day. Ugh. I hate when I'm such a slacker.

The load of laundry that's going right now has several new fall outfits for Maggie - yay!! Her clothes are much more fun than mine nowadays! Hahahaha.... I felt bad over the weekend. All of her clothes that I'd packed were shorts and summer shirts, and it ended up being like 50 degrees. Poor dear :( I had plenty of warmer clothes for me, because I've worn the same size for years. She had some warmer stuff from birthday presents, but I hadn't cut the tags off and washed it yet. Sorry, Maggie!

Hard to Go Wrong With Matlock - A Guest Post

This guest post from Lewis Beck

There are some shows that just don't get stale with age. For me, one of those is "Matlock," the series in which Andy Griffith stars as a congenial lawyer who has a knack for ferreting out the truth about perplexing cases. When I tune into my satellite TV, I keep an eye out for this southern gentleman, who often turns up in syndication, even though I got it from http://www.direct.tv/direct-tv-sports-packages.html for the sports.

Benjamin Matlock specializes in defending suspects who have the deck heavily stacked against them. He has the help of several trusty allies - including a character played by Don Knotts, his former partner on "New York Law School" - but does most of the investigative work by himself. Some of his cases take him into very unusual territory.

In one of my favorite episodes, he defends a distraught widow named Erin who is accused of murdering her husband. The evidence strongly points to her, but Matlock uncovers a startling secret that makes the case much more complicated. In the end, we learn that she has a split personality, and it was her abrasive alternate personality who did the deed. Hence, she is released to the care of mental health professionals.

Not all episodes are this unusual, but Ben's charming personality and cleverness make him a joy to watch in each situation. If only all lawyers could be as lovable as Matlock is!

I'm So IT!

Thanks for the tag, Lady Sinstral! I can't remember the last time I was tagged - glad to feel back in the loop ;)

1. Why did you start blogging? Wow, really? Way back in...March 2002 I started blogging because I had been spending a ton of my internet time on WrittenByMe.com (or maybe .org? Whatever) and it went away. So I decided to try out one of these here new-fangled bloggy thingys.

2. If you could travel any where in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why? Somewhere warm and tropical, with a really slow pace. Cuz that's just how I'd like to roll.

3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influ­ence on your life? If so, what? Hmm....The first one who always comes to mind is Mr. Johnson. After he was my teacher, I was his teacher's aid for two terms. One of them was during a really tough time and he sort of let me coast through that term. I needed the mental break and I'll always appreciate him.

4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do? I don't know. Maybe like that cute guy who picks up people at the grocery store and takes them home to make dinner for them and their family? (shut up - it's a real show!) Or a designer/organizer person. I'm not after a 'famous' person, but some mad skillz that I'm lacking...

5. Toilet paper — over or under? Over. Because the other way is wrong.

6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible. I'm not sure. I'm afraid to say anything because I wouldn't want to lose most of what I have in my life right now. Who knows what one little change could cause...

7. Tell about your pets — if any. We have one fluffy calico cat named Audrey. Audrey takes way more abuse from Maggie and in much better spirits than I ever expected.

8. Do you live in a small town or a large town. (You don’t have to name the town.) I live in a suburb outside Detroit.


Hey - I remember this part! Now I get to tag more people :)

Stacey at All Stace, All the Time
Carolyn at carolyn's lost sanity
Marty at Don't Take the Repeats
Wendy at Rambling Unsettled Vagabond
Judi at Where the Road Takes Us
Jodi at My Life as Mama Jodi

Have fun!

Beatles Mania - A Guest Post

Guest post written by Peggy Vargas

My 11-year-old grandson is just now discovering rock ‘n’ roll. Until now he listened to a lot of music on the Disney channel and Top 40 radio, but he said that he started listening to the band after one of his teachers made a reference to them during a lesson.

I couldn’t be more thrilled because I remember when the they first came out and I was a huge fan. The British Invasion was one of the best things that happened to my generation. I’m sure all that screaming though didn’t do my hearing any good because I recently had to get some hearing aides.

But with the hearing devices I can listen and hear music a little more than I had been in the past few years. My grandson telling me that made me make a Pandora Beatles station and I sent him the link to it through e-mail.

He’s even telling me that he wants Beatles Rock Band as a Christmas present now so we can play it together. Lucky for me, it’s a little cheaper now that it’s been out a while.

Friday Fill Ins

Happy Labor Day weekend to all who celebrate it. And...here we go!

1. Family Matters is a great show!

2. We pass the iPad back and forth.

3. I love a a rainy night - ooh! ooh!

4. Hamburger Helper helps your Hamburger -- Helper makes a good meal. (Wait, isn't that supposed to be a GREAT meal?)

5. I've got the Power of Greyskull! (Sorry - just saw a He-Man action figure over on Frogs in my Forumla.)

6. Whiskey Tango uh-oh..I'm used to using Foxtrot :D : wth!!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner at Red Knapps, tomorrow my plans include taking a nap and Sunday, I want to grill out at my parents' house before leaving Maggie there and spending an evening alone with my husband!

10 Random Things for Friday

1. Holiday weekend? Really? I hope it gets prettier out in a hurry. It's overcast, damp and dreary looking here :(
2. I forgot to look through cookbooks last night while watching the movie (RV). Now I need to go do grocery shopping and I still don't have any new ideas for what to make. I'm sick of everything I usually make and would rather starve than cook.
3. The movie, on the other hand, was better than expected.
4. Maggie is running around in a t-shirt and her underwear. The shorts that match the shirt were involved in an...incident...earlier this week. They were washed last night and are on their way to the dryer. I told her we'll be able to put them on before we go to the store. Because we have to wear shorts in the store.
5. This morning at almost 7AM (I'm assuming she was woke up by the alarm clock), Maggie stood by our bed and said, "I need something." I automatically responded, "What do you need?" She told me, as she climbed in our bed, "I need more room." Ya think?
6. I actually like the leftover sloppy joes mix and Ruffles potato chips we already have for lunch. This leaves me even less inspired to go grocery shopping.
7. I should really mail my student personal loan check when we go out today. I'm afraid it will take too long to set up in our credit union's system, and the payment is due next week.
8. Now that my conference call is over and I've heard the washer stop, I should really go move the clothes to the dryer and get in the shower. But instead I'm trying to think of two more random things. Random things shouldn't be this hard to think of.
9. And I shouldn't have ended that sentence with 'of'.
10. Or started that one with 'And'.
    

Whiny Me :(

I'm still in a funk. I'm getting ready to sort of blame it on the weather, but that would definitely just make me whiny. I hate the cold - I've made no secret of that. But the super-hot humidity lately is keeping me in too! Where does that leave me? Checking out rv loans so I can travel to whatever sounds good at the moment. Ugh. I wish I didn't have to be around me when I'm so icky.

Trying to cheer me up is usually not successful. I know how good I've got it - thinking of that just really makes me feel even worse. I've got the world by the tail and I'm still surly.

The office is actually getting a little bit better. I'd like to eventually have craft surfaces for Maggie and I so we can work on projects, and then just close the door without having to put every bit away and get it out again to recommence working the next day. We'll see.

Thursday Thunks

Congratulations to
KIMBER & BERLEEN!
at once a week...a great milestone

Welcome to the September 2nd edition of
Thursday Thunks!

Thursday Thunks: At the Zoo

The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of my neighbor's wife's eyes and the number 33,333.

1. Would you rather have a pet hippo or a pet elephant? Hippo, definitely. Sure they're mean, but I could put a fence up in the yard and keep all the slackers from cutting across. At least stop them from doing it more than once. It's all about the holiday song.

2. Why do you think bananas are shaped the way they are? Gravity. (That wasn't intended to make much sense.)

3. In one word (OK, you can go three to four MAX) , what do most people describe you as? Brilliant, gorgeous and imaginative :D

4. Choice (stupid but a choice…): Loss of vision, ability to speak or hearing - which do you choose? (you have to choose one....) It's like a law. But we can't make you. Ability to speak. At least I'm pretty sure that's what my husband would choose for me.

5. Do you like lemons? Do you use them to clean with or just as a food source? Or are you saving them up for 2012? I don't dislike them, but I don't have any around.

6. When you are feeling icky with that sickness feeling, what is your first choice for feel-better medicine? Sleep.

7. You are starving. You have not had anything to eat for days. In front of you is poison ivy, a live hissing cockroach, and a rotten stinky piece of some sort of mystery meat to eat. Which would you pick and why? None of the above. I don't eat leftovers that don't appeal to me the next day. I definitely wouldn't eat any of that stuff.

8. Who was the last person you bought a present for? What was it? Will you buy Berleen one? Do treats count as presents? Then probably Maggie. If not, then most likely baby Alexis and Olivia. And I got them clothes and toys. I don't know Berleen. I'm not rich enough to be buying presents for strangers, sorry.

9. Name 3 things you want your kids to learn before they grow up. (If you don't have kids, feel free to explain to the other players why you chose the “no kids“ choice. Yea. I know. (Those who have children will NEVER get it. And no, don‘t explain it…) Wow. I'd like her to learn my version of the golden rule (Treat others as they want to be treated), as well as how to stick up for her own happiness. And I'd like her to learn to read. There's still plenty of time. She's only three.

10. What was your favorite toy as a child? What happened to it? I don't really remember. Maybe my Barbies that Maggie still plays with at my parents' house?

11. If you could paint your house ANY color you wanted and your friends, family & neighbors would love the color from the moment they saw it, what would it be? Yellow. Like butter. I've always wanted a yellow house.

12. If the Pillsbury Dough Boy got into a fight with Mrs. Butterworth who would win? And would anybody get hurt? And do we seem desperate even asking? Totally Mrs. Butterworth. She can really crack the whip. I don't think dough gets hurt, or can hurt, so we're clear there. And there are no desperate questions.

13. What was the last thing you would guess that Kimber took a picture of? Oh. And consider the meme listed below. Click on it. It rocks. I have no idea. At all.

Tomorrow, please join us!

This is a GREAT meme...

This week features the lyrics of ELVIS!

Another Guest Post - Favorite News Program

Favorite News Program

Thanks for the post, Kathy Shelton

My favorite news program is a local news channel here in Campbellsport Wisconsin, not far from the city of Milwaukee. Fox six wake up news is based in Milwaukee, WI. I love all the anchors on the show. There is Kim Murphy she has been with fox news wake up for over nine years now, I feel like I know her personally. Her co anchors are Nicole Koglin, Shawn Patrick, Gus Gnorski, and Rob Haswell weather.

I just love all these people. They tell the news like it is. Straignt from the heart. They laugh, they cry, and they just are plain good, fun down to earth people. They joke together and well they are just one big happy family. I watch the fox six wakeup news every morning it starts at four-thirty am, yes that's right four-thirty am! It goes until nine am.

When severe weather is in the area I am confident that they will bring me the best weather coverage. I never worry when Rob Haswell is on telling me what is going on with the weather. If you ever get a chance to get to Milwaukee, I highly suggest you get some of the direct tv deals I got and watch this show, you won't be disappointed.

My New iPad :)

The whole family is loving my new iPad that I won from Dove just for doing my job last month. But if I tell the whole truth, hubby and I actually have to wait our turns, as Maggie is usually using it! For this reason I usually leave the WiFi shut off - I don't need her help returning emails, thankyouverymuch!

While I initially said I'd stick with free apps, I've given in and bought a couple. First of all, Maggie received an iTunes gift card for her birthday, so when she started asking for a Princess and the Frog book for the iPad, I figured, "What the heck?" and got it for her for $8.99 - yikes! And the same night I got her the book, I figured I was worth the $2.99 to get my Bejeweled Blitz on the iPad :)

What are some of your favorite iPad apps? In particular the ones useful when not using the WiFi ;)

Skipping the Rush

I'm yet another person who looks at September and fall as the beginning of the 'new year' instead of January. The start of school has always signaled a change in your grade status, and even a whole new school every few years. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the bus at the corner again next week. Yes, Michigan doesn't go back to school until after Labor Day!

As I read a lot of folk's shopping success stories, I considered heading out to get Maggie something other than flip-flops. She already has a couple of fall outfits, but no coat or snow boots yet. I'm sure there's some adorable stuff out, and from the sounds of it there are a few good deals, but I hate the idea of spending the money almost as much as I don't want to acknowledge that we'll be seeing snow again before too long!

We considered putting Maggie in preschool this year, since she potty-trained herself a few weeks ago, but I think I'll keep her with me (and a few miscellaneous classes) again this year. While I've got plenty I could do with an extra couple hours a week to myself, I'd miss my shadow too much. I'm listening to friends with older kids talk about how much the miss the little rascals and worry about them at school - they've talked me right out of dropping Maggie off anywhere regularly and made me appreciate her constant presence in my daily life a little more ;)

Wordless Wednesday

Because sometimes there are no words....