Monday, March 31, 2008

Heads or Tails - Fool


Today it's HEADS - FOOL

 

In my email yesterday I received this Chilling Picture of a man with only seconds to live: 

 

abouttodie

If this doesn't say FOOL, then nothing does.

Now, the question is:  Why are so many men portrayed in the media and entertainment as such fools?   Any thoughts?

 

Don't forget to visit the home of Heads or Tails to see more participants.

This is Going to Look Nice

We bought one ceramic floor tile yesterday. We went to several places looking to see what we like. Who knew there were so many different colors and styles and finishes? I did decide right away that I do not want anything shiny and slick. Of course, I've never liked shiny in much of anything. Back when I was using film cameras and having to get all my pictures printed, I always got the matte finish instead of glossy. For a floor that I plan to walk on, I definitely don't want shiny and especially not slick. Imagine walking on that in socks.

I found a couple different ones I liked, and a good friend of ours who knows about this kind of stuff suggested that we buy one tile, bring it home, step on it, put some water down, etc. - to see how it feels. Is this something I'm going to be comfortable standing and walking on? That sounds obvious, but we didn't think of it on our own. It's going to go in the kitchen, dining room, and front entry - so there's going to be a lot of standing and walking on it. We bought the one tile, and Jeffrey is going to go back and get the other one we kind of liked today. That way we can compare them and decide which one we like better. I'm starting to be able to picture it, and this is really going to look nice.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

What Was I Going to Say?

Sometimes I sit down to post something in my blog, I start typing, and I just can't stop. Other times I sit here and wonder what in the world I have to talk about. Tonight is one of those nights. I'm sure there is plenty to say, but I can't think of it. Instead I'm reading other people's blogs - I see Misty is thinking of starting a photography meme that involves animals. Why am I not surprised by that? It does sound fun, doesn't it?

Along with reading blogs, I'm dropping Entrecards. I've found that dropping those cards can get extremely addictive. Not quite drug rehab addictive, but addictive nonetheless. I keep thinking, "I'll just drop one more." And then that one more turns into 5 or 6, 7 or 8. It's really hard to stop. Anyone else having that problem?

Friday, March 28, 2008

Mr. Sticky

Every year when we go to the State Fair, we walk through lots and lots of exhibits with lots and lots of people trying to sell us something. We have bought several different things in the past - from magic color markers for the kids to Oxy Ball laundry detergent balls to some great smelling shoe cleaner. Sometimes we're really pleased with our purchases, and other times we wonder how we got suckered into it. Usually everything costs $19.99 or something like that, and they throw in an extra this, that or the other thing to the first 5 people who buy. I'm sure you know what I mean.

This last summer, since we had just gotten the cat, when we saw the demonstration for Mr. Sticky, we decided this was the product to buy this year. I just want to say that I love Mr. Sticky! We have white cat hair everywhere - on people's clothes (Cory wears a lot of black), on the furniture, everywhere. Mr. Sticky picks it up so nicely. Then, simply run it under warm water, and the cat hair slides right off. Dry Mr. Sticky, and it is ready to pick up more cat hair.

Definitely worth the $24.99 for the regular size Mr. Sticky, the travel size Mr. Sticky, and the extra large jumbo size Mr. Sticky. Just saying - because I just finished cleaning the cat hair off the couch cushion next to me - the one Tillie claims as her own when just the two of us are home so she can be right next to me.

What to Do in Chicago and Elsewhere

In the past several years, we have spent most of our vacations in the Wisconsin Dells. Yes, I know, real far away, but there is plenty to do there, and we're familiar with the area, so we know what to go and do. Plus, we don't have to do everything while we're there because we know we'll be back before long. It's even close enough that we could drive over there for fun, even without being on vacation, for a weekend perhaps.

Chicago isn't very far from here either, and I know there are plenty of things to do in Chicago, but we rarely go that way. I do remember one time Jeffrey and I spent the weekend in Chicago. We met some friends for dinner, and we got there a little before they did, so we decided to get a drink in the bar while we waited. When Jeffrey went to pay for the drinks, he realized he didn't have his wallet! He had left it on the dashboard of the car after having to pay a toll. Then we got to the restaurant, and left the car with the valet for parking. Oops! So, Jeffrey left me in the bar with the drinks while he hitched a ride with one of the valet parking crew to wherever they had parked our car, and back. Luckily, the wallet was still there on the dashboard. He came back. Our friends arrived, and dinner was really good. Afterwards we walked around the streets of Chicago for a while just enjoying the sights.

Our friend lived and worked in the area, so he knew where to eat and what to do, but without someone to help you out with that, it's nice to have help from something like Trusted Tours & Attractions. You get family vacation ideas and discounts on attractions, like these tickets for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, should we ever make it to New York. I hear there are museums in Chicago, too, which I haven't visited. I missed my 8th grade trip to Chicago, and I haven't made it a point to go since.

Sign up for the Trusted Tours & Attractions newsletter for plenty of great vacation ideas.

Sky Watch Friday (#16)

It's Friday again, and that means Sky Watch Friday! I love Fridays.

This was taken one morning recently. The sun was coming up on the other side of the house, but looking out back, I noticed the light was really pretty. I really liked the colors of the clouds and that blue sky. The morning light even makes the neighbors' houses look pretty.

Morning Light

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday. It's hosted again this week at Wiggers World, so run over there to join in or just to see lots of wonderful sky pictures.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Work, Break and Friends - When Do We Sleep?

Beth just called. She's on her way home from work. She's been working a lot this week, since it's Spring Break and she doesn't have school. She was scheduled to go in at 2pm Monday and Tuesday and then her normal time of 5pm Wednesday and Thursday, but Tuesday they asked her to go ahead and come in at 2:00 on Wednesday and Thursday. So she picked up some extra hours there. Since it takes the same amount of gas no matter how many hours she works, it's good to get as many hours as possible when she does go in.

Anyway, since she's on her way home, I should shut things down and go wash my face and brush my teeth and get to bed at a decent time. It seems we don't get to bed very early any more since someone is usually waiting for Beth to get home. This working until 10:00 or later and then having to drive home means she's not usually here until 10:30 at the earliest and 10:45 or later most nights this week. Jeffrey's been going off to bed anyway the last several nights. You know he's 4 years older than I am - so he needs more sleep. :P

Cory has his friends from the library over tonight, too, so someone has to stay up until they leave - which will probably be when Beth gets here or soon thereafter. They're all downstairs playing games on the Wii and GameCube. It's nice that he can have them over because he doesn't see them very often. He knows them from the library and TLC, but none of them go to his school. We live right on the edge of the school district, so that, even though they live close, they all go to a different school. At least they have the library.

OK - getting ready for bed. That was the point. Until tomorrow then.

I Hate to See Anything Go to Waste

I noticed a couple visitors from cnn.com today. Curious as I am, I just had to know how they found me, so I clicked and found this page. The title is Extreme recycling: food, furniture, diapers. At first glance, I couldn't figure out what that had to do with me, and how anyone could get from that page to my blog, but I scrolled down and noticed this little 'From the Blogs' thing, so I clicked on it, and there's my blog:


As I read through the article, I saw that it does have a thing or two to do with me. No, I have never recycled diapers, but I did use cloth diapers for both my kids. Come to think of it, that is recycling diapers, isn't it? We still have some of those same diapers around that get used as glasses cleaning cloths, paint rags, and various other things.

I don't believe in pulling food out of the trash, though I do believe that people throw away way too much in this country. Even my own daughter can be extremely wasteful when it comes to food, which bugs me so much. I have gotten all kinds of useful things on trash day - from the glider rocker in my living room to the coffee table in the basement. The first couch Jeffrey and I had when we got married came out of the dumpster. No sense in good furniture going to waste if we can use it, right? The same goes when we need to get rid of something. I'd rather not throw it away if someone else can get some use out of it. I may not classify myself as an extreme recycler, but I really hate to see anything go to waste.

There were several websites listed in this article that are supposed to help people give and find free stuff. I already knew about Craigslist and Freecycle, but there were a couple other ones I'd like to check out.

All that because my blog was on cnn.com today! I'm really not sure how it works, but I still think it's cool.

Most Expensive Hotel Room in the Country

On GMA they're showing us the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City. Get this - $30,000 a night! It's the most expensive hotel room in the country. It does look pretty nice, but that's ridiculous. If I ever want to stay someplace like that, I better get a term life insurance quote or two. You know, so if anything ever happens to Jeffrey I'll have plenty of money. (Just so you know, I'd much rather have him around than any amount of money, but it does make me feel better to know I will have something if anything does happen.)

Really, I think no matter how much money I had, I'd never be able to spend that kind of money on a hotel room, or anything else. Think how many people could be helped with that money. It bothers me to see celebrities go out shopping and spend more money in one day than some people make in an entire year. Yes, if you earn the money, you have the right to do what you want with it, but still, it just seems so irresponsible and selfish. Even a small portion of what they throw away on non-essentials could make a huge difference in someone's life - or a lot of someone's lives.

I'm Reduced to Sniffing the Bag

A couple weeks ago, I received a sample of Joffrey's Jamaican Me Crazy coffee in the mail. Caramel, vanilla and coffee liqueur flavoring. ... Do I even need to say that I drank it all myself, and I didn't share? This stuff is good. Normally I'm really obsessive about throwing the trash away, and when my darling daughter leaves wrappers or other things on the counter, it makes me crazy. But the bag from the coffee is still there on my counter, and sometimes I pick it up and sniff it. Is that weird?

Today I went online to see if I could order some more, and I got a page saying this product couldn't be found. What? Where'd it go? Then I did find it, along with a whole list of coffee choices. They have some coffee flavors I've never heard of, and they all sound so good. Decisions, decisions - there's a chocolate and coconut one, chocolate macadamia nut, cinnamon graham cracker, French silk pie, and more. They also have blends, dark roasts, teas, and organic coffees.

I can't imagine why I want some coffee right now...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Pinching My Pennies

I was talking with someone the other day, and the conversation moved to the cost of living and how the cost of practically everything has gone up recently. She looked at me and said, "You're feeding a family. I can't imagine." The conversation moved on, and we never really had a chance to discuss it, but it got me to thinking. I know food prices have been going up, but am I really spending a lot more than I used to? I don't really think that I am.
Coupon Pile Stock Photo
Like I've said before, I put a lot of effort into cutting Grocery Coupons and reading the ads so that I can get the best deal possible on everything I buy. When something is on sale and I have coupons, that's when I buy it. That's when I stock up so that I don't run out and have to buy it when it's not on sale. My freezer is full. My pantry is full. Also, a really big thing is that I don't buy a lot of pre-made convenience foods, and I know that saves money. I'm home. I have time to cook, so I don't have to rely on those convenience food, though I know they are life savers for many working moms.

Today I found the Penny Pinching Gazette, and it looks like my kind of site. Here you can print out Free Grocery Coupons, look at online grocery circulars - to combine those coupons savings with the sales, get recipes, and read some helpful articles. With the cost of everything increasing, it's great to have new resources to help save every penny possible.

Win a Modern Steel Necklace

I've entered to win a modern steel necklace from Timothy Adams Designs, and I thought some of you might be interested in this giveaway. Each month for the rest of 2008, there will be 5 winners. All you have to do is enter your name and email, then leave a comment about the necklace you like and want to win. The winner gets to choose one of 10 different styles of necklaces. I really like the organic steel (with the flower) and there are some cute vintage camera necklaces that would be perfect for the photographer we all know and love. (*cough, cough* Misty)

They're all really neat, and it's hard to pick a favorite. I really hope I win. The next drawing is April 25th so you have plenty of time to enter.

In Home Tutoring Service

Here's another option for students who are struggling in school. Club Z provides Tutoring in the comfort of the student's own home. Club Z tutors are certified professionals with a passion for teaching. The combination of individualized one-on-one attention and a secure learning environment works together to help struggling students get back on track. It's also more convenient for the parents because they don't have to drive students to tutoring sessions, and the schedule is very flexible, with sessions available mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends, during the summer, whenever is convenient for the family. Tutoring is available for students in PreK through 12th grade and adults too.

Studying

What a Mess!

...or... a watched mug never boils, but turn your back, and it goes everywhere!

I have this habit of making hot cocoa out of my coffee. If I drink part of my coffee but it gets cold, I do not like the way it tastes when I warm it up - unless I add some hot cocoa to it. Yum, mocha! Well, usually I warm the coffee up, add the cocoa mix, stir it up, and then warm it up some more, and then add the marshmallows. I usually keep an eye on it, but there's never any problem. It just warms up nicely and gets kind of foamy.

Today, while I was warming it up, I came over to the computer to check on something. While I wasn't watching, the cocoa boiled over and spilled all over the microwave. Luckily I have the turntable that is easy to take out and rinse off. The mug is a mess, and ended up only half full. It tastes pretty good, though - more like dark chocolate than the usual milk chocolate flavor.

Oh, and I blame Cory for getting me hooked on this hot cocoa thing. We buy the big cans of it at Sam's, and he goes through it like crazy.

No More Waiting in Line at the Post Office

I'm on our local library board, and one of the things we do every month is go through the expenses, approve the financial report, and accept the checks. There for a while it seemed that every month several small checks for postage came through. It's not that we don't know or agree that the library always has something that needs mailed, but it seemed like a waste of our Library Director's valuable time to have to run to the Post Office just to purchase the stamps needed for that day.
Postage Stamps
Now I think she buys a good supply of stamps at once and keeps them on hand for when they are needed. If the library got a Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo, she could save even more time. It comes with the DYMO Stamps® software, which makes it simple to print the new "shape-based" USPS®-approved postage in about a second – for envelopes, small packages, Flat-Rate Priority Mail®, Express Mail® and International Mail. There's no monthly fee, just the cost of the postage used.

Not only can the Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo print the online stamps, or postage labels, it can also print the mailing labels, so no one will ever have to hand address an envelope. I, for one, end up throwing away too many envelopes because I mess up when I'm addressing them. (I think they have to be perfect, of course) Maybe the people who work at the library have better handwriting than I do, but still, simply printing a label to stick on the envelope could save envelopes and time. The labels can also be ordered pre-printed with a logo, so it could be great advertising every time anything is mailed.

By itself or in conjunction with the Dymo postage scale, this label writer would be ideal for not just our library, but any small business. If you send mail through the USPS, visit Dymo's site to see what they can offer you.

Wordless Wednesday #5 - Addiction


Check out more Wordless Wednesday here

< /wordless >

This was Cory's latest entry into a contest on his Bionicle forum. He didn't win, but he did come in 6th out of 99 entries, so that's not too bad. If you're interested, you can see the rest of the pictures - various angles and detail of the desk and room. The figure is supposed to be a skeleton who sat at his computer (blogging?) for so long that he wasted away to nothing but bones.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Take Me to the Rodeo

Jeffrey wants to go to Las Vegas someday. I haven't been real encouraging because it just doesn't excite me, probably because I think of Vegas, and I think of casinos. Yes, I know people get into gambling, and there's the excitement of winning, right? I guess I'm just too practical or pessimistic or something, because I know the House is always going to win. So, if all there is to Vegas is gambling and casinos, then I'm not at all interested.

I have been doing a little Vegas research, and I realize my perceptions of Las Vegas aren't really true. There are so many other things to do. I bet you could even go to Vegas, never even set foot in a casino, and still have a good time. Of course, Jeffrey would have to try his hand at Texas Hold 'Em, so he'd want to visit a casino or two, at least once.

Something I'd be interested in seeing is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, held this year December 4-13. Now there's something that actually has winners. Back in 1984 Las Vegas Events (LVE) guaranteed the rodeo a prize fund of $1.8 million to the cowboys and $700,000 to the contractors to get them to move the rodeo finals from Oklahoma to Las Vegas. I'm sure that prize fund has increased over the two decades the rodeo has been held in Las Vegas.

When I was much much younger and my family still lived in California, we went to a rodeo and had a great time. I don't remember much about it except for the excitement and the horses. I was always crazy about horses. We knew a couple girls who had quarter horses and participated in barrel racing, though I don't know that they rode in that particular rodeo. Still, it made it more interesting. Since then I've only watched some rodeo on TV. I'm thinking that, if some small little rodeo was exciting enough that I remember being there all these years later, imagine how much better the National Finals would be. If Jeffrey said we'd get WNFR Tickets, I just might be talked into going to Vegas. December is a good time to get away from Wisconsin.

Starting Over

I get used to having all kinds of information in my browser. When I start to type in a url that I visit frequently, my browser knows what I want or at least suggests a list of several that start with that letter, narrowing it down the more letters I type in. I never have to type the whole url in. I just use the arrow key to move down to the one I like, hit enter, and away I go.

Recently I installed Norton Systemworks on my computer. Not only does it include the antivirus program, which is very important, it has all kinds of other stuff utilities to make my computer work better. One of those very helpful things deletes all my temporary internet files and means I have to start over with my browser - training it to help me visit all the places I regularly visit. By the time I have it all trained again, Norton wants to help me out all over again.

Here's one of those sites I've been using regularly but haven't bookmarked: a script @ OBLife.com that lists the latest bloggers who have dropped their Entrecard on you. I had to go find the post where I first mentioned it in order to find it again. I'm really liking this script. It gives me a list of the last 50 bloggers who have dropped on me. The links all go directly to the blog (one click) and they open in a new window or tab, so ideally you can click, drop, close the tab, and move on to the next one. Except that I click, drop, read, scroll... and sometimes even comment. So much for saving time... LOL!

Custom Wedding Invitations

When Jeffrey and I got married I really had no clue how to plan a wedding or even what I was supposed to want. I know lots of young girls grow up planning their weddings and have all kinds of dreams and plans. Not me. I didn't even know where to start. On the plus side, that meant there were things I didn't know I was supposed to want or have, so I didn't have them and, therefore, did not have to pay for them. On the negative side, every decision was stressful because I didn't know what I should want or have. But then again, I've heard the whole wedding planning thing can be seriously stressful anyway.

We did have the usual wedding basics like invitations, flowers, cake, punch and napkins. I remember we had to have the napkins reprinted because they were wrong. The wedding invitations turned out nicely, though back then we had to go to a shop of some kind, look through books of invitations, choose one, choose what it would say, etc. We chose "This day I will marry my friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, Love."
Now brides can simply go online and choose from many 1st Class Wedding Invitations like this one I really like - though there's one with a motorcycle I bet Jeffrey would like. It's really easy to choose one you like and then fully customize it by adding personal wedding info, choosing a verse and then being able to fully customize that, choosing the font and font color, and other options. I don't see the same verse we used for our invitations, but it is really easy to insert whatever you want. The whole process is quick and easy, and invitations ordered today can be shipped by Friday. I haven't priced invitations in years, but these prices look pretty reasonable.

One of these days Beth is going to decide she wants to get married. A big dream wedding isn't something she's talked about, so I guess we'll see what she decides. At least she'll be able to choose from some Contemporary Wedding Invitations and get that part of the planning taken care of easily.

They Don't Believe Me

Since Beth brought this cat home, it seems like she's never home.  Whether it's work, school, or the fact that she thinks staying home will kill her or something, she's always gone.  Then, when she does get home, she expects to grab Tillie and head off to bed.  Now that she's leaving the door cracked at night so the cat can get out to the litter box, she often ends up sleeping elsewhere.  I don't think Tillie knows she's supposed to be Beth's cat.

kitty 159I think Tillie thinks she's my cat.  Yes, I know, I'm the one who didn't want a cat.  However, I'm the one who is home with her all day, and she thinks it's her right to be on my lap or to have me pet her any time she wants.  When I tell Jeffrey and Cory how she acts, how she climbs into my lap or spends the day on the couch right next to me when I'm there, or waiting for me to come back when I'm not, I don't think they believe me.  She certainly doesn't act like that when anyone else is home, so I guess I can understand why they wouldn't believe me.

I think she does it on purpose.  The kids are on break, so Beth was home until 1:30 and Cory was home all day yesterday.  Tillie spent her day in 'her' chair, in between being picked up and held by Cory and sitting by the back door watching whatever was going on outside.  Today she spent the same way - until Beth left for work and I got back from taking Cory to the library.  As soon as I got back, Tillie got up off 'her' chair and came over to lay on the couch.  She's sleeping right next to me now.  (The picture is from another day.  Today she's stretched out on her side sleeping right there.)

Silly cat.  She really does crack me up.

Choosing a Digital Photo Frame

A while back I mentioned that I was thinking about getting a digital photo frame because all my pictures are digital now and I rarely print any out to put in frames, photo albums, or anything. I got a couple comments saying that while these frames look nice, they cost quite a bit. True, and as cheap as I am, I will definitely be doing my research before I finally break down and buy one.

I found some video reviews of digital photo frames at digital frames direct that might be quite helpful in helping me choose. I already learned that there are 5 important things to consider: the look, screen quality, display options, storage capacity, and whether or not you can send photos to the frame remotely. Did you know that some of these frames have timers so you can set what time they turn on or turn off, or light sensors so that they turn off when the lights go off? While price is a big consideration for me, I know it's also about what you get for the price, so I've still got some looking to do.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Heads or Tails - Surprise


Paden's First Ice Cream Cone
Originally uploaded by krissypants.


Today it's HEADS - Surprise!

Here are a few quotes about surprise I liked:

Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”
- Boris Pasternak

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't”
- Henry Ford

“Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.”

“When science finally locates the center of the universe, some people will be surprised to learn they're not it.”
- Bernard Bailey

“I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream”
- Heywood C. Broun

Quotes from Thinkexist.com

Don't forget to visit the home of Heads or Tails to see more participants.

ETA: The center of the universe one is my favorite, too. It reminds me of someone I know.

I'm Sorry They Made Some Bad Decisions, But...

We were just talking this weekend about some of the improvements we'd like to make on our house. Unless there's a really good reason, like moving for a job, we see no reason to move. Instead, we'll just stay here and make some improvements here and there, like adding a patio and pergola out back, replacing the carpeting with ceramic tile and/or hardwood, and maybe even eventually adding a fireplace. We like our house.

Sometimes I wonder if we're the exception to the norm because, even around here, houses are constantly on the market. Sometimes people really are moving away and have to sell. Sometimes they just want to move to a bigger and better house. I think that's part of the problem with the mortgage industry now. People were taking out loans they really couldn't afford, except that the interest rate was so low at the time that, if they really stretched, they could afford the payments. When the interest rates went up and the payments on their adjustable rate mortgages went up, suddenly they couldn't afford that bigger, better house any more. It may be simple to get quotes for mortgages, but buyers still need to make smart decisions.

Now we keep hearing people wanting someone to help, wanting the government to bail them out. If the government does decide to help these people out, I can't help but think that some of that is my money going to help these people out. Not that I'm against giving. I just don't think it's right to penalize the people who have been responsible and not gotten themselves into trouble by making them help pay to bail out those who have.

Cory's New Addiction

http://www.orville.com/products_natural_all.jsp#productsA while back I entered Elizabeth's contest to win a year's supply of Orville Redenbacher Natural popcorn. I didn't win, but I've been wanting to try that popcorn, and I finally bought some last week. I went with the salt and cracked pepper flavor. It comes in a perfect snack-sized bag, and Cory decided to try it yesterday. He fell in love with it and popped another bag later on in the day. He did share with me, and I have to say that I really like this popcorn, too. It has a really good flavor, and the pepper just adds to it.

Cory had to pop another bag today - this time he didn't share! I am going to have to pop my own so he doesn't end up eating all of it.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Cooking Barbecue Ribs in a Blizzard

I made barbecued ribs for dinner Friday. It had been a while since I made them, so I was online looking to see how I was supposed to cook them without having to take the grill cover off the grill, and I found a page titled, "Cooking barbecue ribs in a blizzard." I thought that was pretty appropriate since it was snowing rather heavily all day, though I didn't follow that recipe. I think we got 9 or 10 inches of snow throughout the day. What a great way to welcome Spring, huh? A blizzard and some barbecue. I ended up baking the ribs until done with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some onion, and then smothering them with barbecue sauce and baking them again. They were fall apart yummy and messy!

I thought about warming up the leftovers - it was a big package - today, but instead we're having hot dogs. Jeffrey looked at the package and decided I was trying to mess his diet up - because the hot dogs have too many calories and too much fat. I agree, they do probably have too many calories, but it's not like we have them all the time. They're really easy for a Sunday. Those ribs probably had more calories and fat, because they were really greasy, but there was no package to tell him that.

I did remember to cook the dogs on the George Foreman grill this time. I used to cook hot dogs in the microwave, and they're OK, but since we got the George Foreman grill, no one wants them cooked in the microwave any more. They never used to complain, but Cory for one complains loudly now. I know because last time we had hot dogs, I forgot I had the George Foreman, and I cooked the dogs in the microwave.

Speaking of complaining, I should probably complain because Cory got hold of the remote and turned on some disturbing TV show. What is that show called? Family Guy - disturbing, but Cory thinks it's funny.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Hi, Philadelphia

How about that? If you Google "beth in leather pants" my blog comes up #1. I wonder if the searcher noticed that it wasn't Beth in those leather pants. It was me, Beth's mom. Just interesting. I love that Feedjit widget!

Also, if you Google "beth and cory's mom" or "beth and corys mom" my blog and all kinds of other stuff about me comes up. That I would expect. Not saying there isn't some other mom out there who just happens to be Beth & Cory's mom - some other Beth and Cory, of course - but I'm the only one I know. So, really, it doesn't surprise me that someone searching for "beth and cory's mom" would find me. What does surprise me is that I regularly see that I have a visitor from Philadelphia who finds me through Google, using that very search. After several visits I started wondering why my Philadelphia visitor didn't simply bookmark my blog or subscribe instead of having to search every time. Then I started noticing that, while "beth and cory's mom" is the top keyword listed in Google Analytics, and "beth and corys mom" is the 2nd, the visitors who find me using those terms do not stay for any length of time. For a while there, the time spent on the site was 0, and my bounce rate was 100% - meaning that Philadelphia is searching for me, finding me, and then bouncing right out of there. Perhaps there's another Beth and Cory's mom in Philadelphia, and I don't have just one visitor from Philadelphia, but multiple visitors?

It does puzzle me, but maybe I'm growing on Philadelphia, because tonight I noticed that the time spent on the site has increased, and visitors looking for "beth and cory's mom" are staying for over a minute. So, if you're out there - Hi, Philadelphia! Nice to have you here.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Cory Needs New Boots

Cory was complaining this afternoon when he came in from shoveling the driveway. His boots gave him a blister, and it's all my fault because I've known all winter that his boots were too small, and I haven't gotten him a new pair yet. Never mind that I'm not responsible for buying his clothes any more. That's why we give him money every month. Never mind that I'm not actually in a store much more than he is, so he should have looked for and bought his own boots. Besides, with those growing feet of his, how in the world would I have known what size to buy him?

I did look at boots when I went to Walmart yesterday. They had 3 pair I thought might work, but I didn't know which size to go for. I guess we'll have to make a trip to look for boots - together - and hope there will be some left. It's kind of frustrating that all the summer clothes are in the stores, and winter hasn't left us, yet.

Pasta Giveaway

We love pasta in our house. When I make spaghetti for dinner, my son tells me he loves me. Of course, he tells me he loves me all the time, but spaghetti really makes him happy.

What's even better than a teenage son who loves his mom? Well, not much actually, but coming in close would be being able to feed him pasta that is healthier for him. After all, he is a growing boy - and his father is trying to de-grow (grow smaller?) so I'd like to feed him healthier, too. Ronzoni now makes pasta that is healthier, and they sent Elizabeth @ MomCooks some to try and some to give away. Four lucky winners are going to win 3 boxes of Ronzoni SmartTaste and 3 boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest to try for themselves.

I'd love to win, and if this sounds like something you'd like to try for your family, head on over to MomCooks to read the rules and see how you can enter. You Canadians are eligible, too.

A Cure for the Common Crud

I think we've all been a part of the viral film revolution. You know what I mean, videos spreading from web user to web user, being forwarded in emails and posted in blogs, spreading through the web like a virus. If people like it, it's everywhere, and if they don't, it dies a painful death fades away.


Vanksen | Culture-buzz and BEFILM The Underground Film Festival, in association with Dailymotion.com, will hold a special "Viral Screening and Party" on April 28, 2008. Space is limited for this Viral Film Festival, so register now if you'd like to attend.  (Note: this link may or may not have anything to do with the original post, but it's cool, so check it out anyway.  The video definitely didn't, but it's my blog so I can embed it if I want to)

They are also calling for video submissions, so if you think you have the best and most creative video the web has to offer, your video could be included. All videos must be less than 30 minutes in length, and the deadline is March 29.

Quick Thinker

I got this email from my mom yesterday. I just can't help myself. It's too funny, I have to share:
I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes. We decided to grab a bite at the food court and I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue.
My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring every time. When the teenager had enough, he sarcastically asked, "What's the matter
old man, never done anything wild in your life?"
Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response; knowing he would have a good one. And in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response.
"Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son."
*grin* - I was so obviously tickled by this, that both Jeffrey and Cory had to know what was so funny. So Cory read it, burst out laughing, and then volunteered to read it to his dad. He liked it, too.

Education and Experience

Because we've got two kids in high school, we are constantly getting letters and information from various colleges and universities. There are so many! How do students even begin to choose? I guess that's why they send so much information.

105/365 Colleges

Today I read about a very interesting and unique opportunity offered by Kettering University. Students not only receive a quality classroom education at Kettering, they also get hands-on education and experience through Kettering's engineering co-op programs. Students are placed with companies in their freshman year, and work and study year around, in alternating 3-month periods. No waiting until graduation to put what they are learning in the classroom to practical use. I also like the idea that the students are getting work experience while in college, instead of waiting for graduation, looking for a job, and being told they have 'no experience'. Kettering students gain up to two and a half years of 'real world' experience by graduation.

U.S. News & World Report publishes their America's Best Colleges Guide every year, and Kettering has ranked #1 in industrial engineering ( Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering to be exact) for 8 years in a row. That speaks very highly of their program. They also came in at #11 overall in the Best Program category.

I'm going to have Cory take a look at Kettering to see what he thinks. Michigan isn't so far away, is it?

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Sky Watch Friday (#15)

It's Friday again, and that means Sky Watch Friday!

I didn't really get out and take any pictures this week.  Shhh, don't tell anyone!  I started going through pictures on my computer, in the folder labeled 'clouds' and I found this one.  I like it, so I thought I'd share this one with you this week.

 

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday. It's hosted again this week at Wiggers World, so run over there to join in or just to see lots of wonderful sky pictures.

Ready for the Snow

Shopping today. It always takes me a while to get out of the house because I have to go through the ads and make sure I have all the coupons. I thought I was doing pretty good when my friend Mary called, and when we get on the phone, we don't get off quickly. We work together every year on the school district wall calendar, and this will be our last year. Actually we were thinking last year would be our last, but we've agreed to do it one more time. After that, the district will either go without or have to find someone else to do it. I can't remember if this is the 5th or 6th year. I know Mary did it one year before I got involved, but she's moving away from the area, and I know the project would never get done without everything she does. So, I said I'm not doing it without her. Besides, it's a lot of work.

Anyway, I got out of the house, finally, and went over to Walmart, where I had to get new tires put on the van while I was shopping. Once I got that done, I still had to go to Walgreens and Pick 'n Save, so Cory was definitely already home by the time I got here. Actually, he was already home by the time I left Walmart, because I called him then to see how he was getting along. Beth was home, too, but she had to leave for work way before I got there. Jeffrey was home, too - so both Jeffrey and Cory helped me carry everything in. That's always nice. I mean, I picked it up, paid for it, and loaded it into the van - the least they can do is help me carry it in, right? Then, of course, I had to get everything put away - and after all that, I'm not going shopping again for a very long time!

It's supposed to snow tonight. They keep changing the forecasted amount, so who knows how much we'll actually get. I've heard up to a foot. We already know there's no school tomorrow since they're already out for Spring Break, and we're all stocked up and could be snowed in for a month or so! Of course, it's already Spring, so no matter how much snow actually falls, it's bound to melt rather quickly so we can get on with our lives. Still, with the work I should start doing on the calendar, I might as well be snowed in, since I won't actually have time to go anywhere for a while.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

About theFiremen

I found it. It was one of my friends on LiveJournal who mentioned one of the signs of Spring being the firemen starting to jog in their shorts again. Of course, she lives a bit further south, so she's going to be seeing Spring a little sooner than we are here. I'm not quite desperate enough to start looking for Branson hotels in the hopes that Missouri is far enough south for Spring to be arriving. It might happen, though. You never know.

And speaking of my dear LiveJournal friend - I hope this Spring's weather is much kinder to her and to her family than last Spring's.

Spring Has Sprung

To celebrate the first day of Spring, I removed the adorable snowmen from my blog and put them away until next winter. Of course, since I live in Wisconsin, I'm probably being overly optimistic. They're calling for snow Friday night I think. Oh well, I refuse to dwell on that. I want to start looking for signs of Spring, so I replaced the snowmen with some flowers.

I read on someone's blog today (Sorry, I forget where I was) that one of the signs of Spring is that the firemen are jogging in shorts again. Sounds good to me! I did see someone running down the street in shorts yesterday. I don't think he was a fireman, but I'll take it as a sign anyway.

Since I'll be waiting a while on the real flowers, I think this Flower Garden is fun. Just click anywhere on the screen and see what happens.

5th Annual Dark Sky Festival

Light PollutionWhenever we're out driving on a clear night, I can't help but look out at the stars. Luckily, we don't live near a big city, so we can actually see the stars, especially on a dark road between towns. Unfortunately, there are a lot of places where people never get to see the stars because of all the light pollution. I never actually thought of it that way, as pollution, but that's exactly what it is. Not only does all that light hinder the ability for people to see and enjoy the night sky, it can disrupt the surrounding natural environment, cause health problems, and it definitely wastes energy.

To call awareness to the light pollution problem, Harmony, Florida is hosting the 5th Annual Dark Sky Festival on Saturday, April 5 from 7-11pm. The festival is free to the public and includes telescope viewings of the night sky, live music featuring Motown sensation RARE EARTH, children's activities, information about environmentally intelligent lighting and lifestyle practices, and much more. The Festival kicks off the start of National Dark Sky Week, a week set aside to deter light pollution by encouraging better overall outdoor lighting practices.

The Dark Sky Festival, held in Harmony's town square, is kind of a cross between a community picnic and a science fair. It's not only lots of fun, but extremely educational. For more information, do visit the Dark Sky Festival website. There are pictures from previous festivals, some festival history, directions, and more.

I'm a Great Mom

I just received a call from an unfamiliar cell phone. It was Cory. He borrowed someone's phone to tell me that his meeting had been canceled and he's on the bus on his way home. The thing is - I forgot he was supposed to have a meeting, so I wouldn't have been on my way to pick him up if he had stayed. Oops.

Good thing the meeting was canceled or Cory might have been hanging out at school for a while, or at least until he could find a phone to call me, and then I would still have had to drive over there.

None of the rest of you have ever forgotten you needed to pick your kid up, have you?

Information About Acne at Acne.com

I had to laugh out loud when I noticed one day that someone had found my blog when they searched for, "Does Jack Daniels cause acne?" Unfortunately, I had no information here to help them. I really don't know what causes acne, though I do believe the best course of action is not to let your teenagers drink Jack, whether or not it causes acne.

The best place to find information about what does and does not cause acne, as well as acne treatments such as Proactiv Solution, is acne.com, a comprehensive acne resource. They tell you the truth about the relationship between what you eat and acne, as well as listing various acne treatments and how they work, common myths about acne, and preventative measures.

Luckily, neither one of my teenagers suffers from acne at this time, but I like knowing where to look for answers and get some information to help prevent it happening to them at all.

Break? What Break?

Spring Break starts Friday, and the kids get a week off school. Cory was saying this morning he wished it was 2 weeks. I asked him what he thought he would do for 2 weeks, and he said, "Sleep." I guess he'll just have to make do with 1 week of extra sleep. Normally, when the kids don't have school, I get a little extra sleep, too because I don't get up until Jeffrey does, and then I walk after he leaves for work. Since he's walking with me now, I'll still have to get up at normal time so we can walk before he leaves for work. So much for break.

Cory has some art classes at the library during break - two of them in the afternoon, and one starts at 11am, so he'll have to get up before noon at least that one day. I figure, at least one of those days, he should go ahead and volunteer a couple hours, while he's already at the library. Once he gets involved in play practice after Break, he'll have less time for volunteering, so he better do it while he has time.

Beth works every day during Break. Normally she thinks breaks from school are all about sleeping, too - and hanging out with her friends. She should be able to get that extra sleep, since the earliest she has to be at work is 2pm, but that doesn't leave any time for her friends. Extra money is good, though. That's what I keep trying to tell her.

It doesn't sound like much of a break for anybody, does it?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Sometimes I Just Need a Maid

You all saw the pictures of my daughter's room today. If you didn't, scroll on down, I'll wait. Now, the rest of my house looks much better than that, though I can easily look around and see so many things that need done. Since I'm the one home all day, that makes all the cleaning my job. I wonder what I would have to do to justify hiring a House Cleaning Service and letting someone else clean my house?

At MaidPro they have a vision of bathrooms and kitchens sparkling all across the nation, of beds made, and furniture polished, of shining hardwood floors, and freshly vacuumed carpeting. I have that same vision, well, not necessarily across the nation, just in my house. Unfortunately they don't service my area, so I will have to do my own cleaning, but feel free to check to see if they're available where you are. They offer high quality cleaning services and great customer service.

Everything All at Once

Cory had a Jazz Band trip this afternoon. They left school shortly after lunch, went to Stonefire Pizza Co. to eat and have fun, and then went and performed. They were supposed to get back to school at 5:30, and Cory had signed up to try out for the play at 6:10. I had a library board meeting at 6:30 tonight, so I was thinking Jeffrey would have to pick Cory up - except for the fact that Jeffrey was over at the elementary school getting ready for the drama club performance of Grease. Cory had a TLC (Teen Library Council) meeting tonight, too, so he needed to be at the library at 6:30. So, I planned to pick Cory up at school, and then head back to the library for our meetings, figuring we would just be a little late. I even got to drive Jeffrey's car for maybe the 4th time, since he took the van for all the sound stuff.

As I was driving over to school trying to figure out how to turn the lights on - they're not automatic, and I've never driven the car at night - I was thinking how convenient it would have been if Cory had his meeting last week like originally planned. Then, when he got done with his audition, he could just walk over to the elementary school and watch the play and then help his dad pack everything up when it was over. When I actually got there to pick Cory up, he told me that it had actually been a group audition that was supposed to last from 6-8, but he couldn't get a phone to call me, because he would have skipped his meeting and stayed for the audition. Then he could have walked over to the elementary school and helped his dad pack up. That would have saved me a trip and let me get to my meeting on time, but, since I was already over there, and he's still going to get to be in the play, he jumped in the car, I figured out how to turn the lights on, and we headed to the library for our meetings. We were just a little late.

His was finished before mine, so he got a ride home instead of waiting for me. Now I'm home, and we're still waiting on Jeffrey. No telling how long he'll be.

Swimsuits that Might Actually Fit

SwimsuitsRemember that video I made last week  about wanting to get outside in the sun?  Well, it's cloudy and rainy right now, so I'm not really itching to get out there, but it's almost Spring so I know it's only a matter of time.  I obviously didn't actually put the swimsuit on in that video - 1) because I'm way too white to be seen after a whole winter of being inside, and 2) because I can't actually be seen in public in that suit.  It's just for tanning, and I can't actually move around without falling out of it.  OK for the backyard, but not for the beach.

There was a time I thought I would never be able to find a swimsuit to fit me properly.  You know, buy it big enough to fit on the top, and the bottoms are way too big.  Or get the bottoms to fit, and there's not a chance I'll fit into the top.  That's why I'm glad you can buy swimsuits separately now.  I can find a top that fits, and a bottom.  I like the idea of buying tops by bra size, so I know they will fit.  After all, what does L or XL really mean?  Usually just not the right fit.

BiggerBras.com not only has some really nice looking swimwear separates, in sizes up to a G cup in some of them, but they also sell full busted lingerie. And, NO, I won't be wearing the lingerie in public, but I have high hopes for the swimsuits for both Beth and me.

Heads or Tails - A Place in the House


Today it's HEADS - Any part of (or place in) a house.

I just have to share with you a place in my house that I don't like to see. Is this a typical teenage girl's room? I don't know if it's typical, but my teenage daughter assures me that she likes it this way. I'm more inclined to believe that she's too lazy to clean it up.

room 001 room 002 room 003

Heads or Tails is hosted this week by Jen at Tidbits of the Tippets.

Does it Never End?

Cory had a band concert last night, so he had to be there by 6:00. The concert didn't start until 7:00, but they need time to warm up and all that. So we had a quick dinner and headed out of the house a little before 6:00. Jeffrey set up microphones and the sound system so he could record the concert for the band director and so that the kids could be heard. You can hear the band just fine, but before every song, one of the kids gets up and tells a little about the song they are playing, so those kids need to be heard. Getting there early is good because it gives Jeffrey time to get set up.

The concert started at 7:00 with the Middle School band playing first, and then they switched and the High School band played. The concert was really good, then it was time to pack up and come home - except first Jeffrey had to go over to the elementary school to drop off some equipment. The middle school drama club is doing Grease tonight, and Jeffrey is helping them with the sound. He went over and helped them Saturday morning and set up most of the equipment, so there wasn't a whole lot to do, but still, we didn't get home until after 9:00. And I still had to put the sheets back on the bed and fold clothes, and there were dishes that needed washed, and there just wasn't enough time.

I did the best I could - made the bed, folded the clothes, left the dishes, made Jeffrey a sandwich, - while he watched TV and Cory messed around on his computer. That's the way it seems to work, even when we don't have a concert or something to attend. I'm still trying to get things done - cleaning up the kitchen or something - past the time when I'd like to be sitting down, too, visiting blogs or something. I guess that's why I shouldn't feel guilty for the time I spend online during the day, because, even if I worked non-stop the whole day, there would still be stuff that needed done in the evening, and I would still have to do it. I've got to take my time when I can find it.

I am going to have to get those dishes done today.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Experian vs. LifeLock

Since I heard of LifeLock a few weeks ago, I've been seeing their ads all over the place - on television, on the Internet. I'm sure the ads were there before, I just didn't notice them. Either that or someone is trying to tell me that I really better protect my identity.

Now, if you recall, life lock places fraud alerts on their customers' files with the credit bureaus, meaning that if someone, even the customer, is trying to get a new credit card, buy a car, get a cell phone, or anything else that requires a credit check, the company issuing credit is supposed to be extra careful and make sure that the person applying for credit really is who he says he is. Now one of the big credit bureaus, Experian, is suing LifeLock. They say what LifeLock does is fraud, and the company should not be allowed to place these fraud alerts on their customers' credit files. It seems to me that if these credit bureaus were really on the side of the consumer, they would already be making it very very difficult for identity thieves to use someone else's credit. Should you really have to already be a victim before you can be assured that employees of the credit reporting bureaus will take all steps necessary to verify a creditor's credentials, before divulging information contained in the records?

What LifeLock is trying to do is protect the consumer, and Experian is none too happy about it, because it is costing them money, not just the extra cost of placing all those fraud alerts, but the extra money Experian itself would be happy to charge in order to offer a similar kind of protection people are getting with LifeLock. Instead of crying, "Foul!" maybe Experian should just start doing a better job?

Somebody Has to Iron the Shirts

I'm doing laundry today. I always do laundry on Monday. I know some people do laundry every day, but I figure, while I'm digging through the clothes hampers and sorting clothes, I might as well do it all. We all definitely have enough clothes to make it through a whole week. The kids usually have their clothes all over the floors in their rooms until Monday morning when I tell them I need their laundry. Then they pick things up and cram them into the laundry hamper in their bathroom. Why they can't just put the clothes in there throughout the week is beyond me. How they know which clothes are actually dirty and need to go into the laundry is beyond me. I keep thinking I should get each of them their own laundry basket or hamper for their rooms. Then maybe they will throw the dirty clothes in there instead of leaving them all over the floor. Then again, probably not.

As I was sorting clothes this morning, I realized that I am going to have to iron this week. Jeffrey is going to be reminding me that he needs shirts before too long. There are about 3 of them hung down in the laundry room from last week's laundry, and there were 2 or 3 more in this week's laundry. So, on my list - iron sometime this week. Then I got to the kids' laundry and found Cory's white dress shirt in there - another thing that needs ironed, and this needs ironed today. He's got a band concert tonight, and he has to wear it. It took me a while to remember why the shirt is in the laundry anyway. They had a band trip to UWM last week, and he wore it then.

I guess I don't get to put off the ironing until later in the week...

Friday, March 14, 2008

Selling Insurance Just Got Easier

My dad tried selling insurance once. He didn't do very well at it, and that job didn't last long. I'm not sure what the reason was. Maybe it was just the difficulty of finding customers. Back then most Insurance Leads probably came from going door to door or calling people from the phone book. Nowadays there are a whole lot more tools salesmen can use to make their business successful.

ZipSearch is one of those. It's a professional lead generation service that helps to bring together actively interested customers with the businesses who want to serve them. In other words, they can put that insurance salesman in contact with people who want insurance. They promise the highest quality leads at the most affordable prices.

Duct Tape to the Rescue


New Pants
Originally uploaded by bcmom.
About a year ago I bought myself some leather pants. Now, if you've never bought leather pants, you don't know that they come extra long so you can get them cut off to the right length. I was thinking I could just cut them off, but then realized that there are four seams down each leg. What's going to keep those seams from unraveling once I cut through them? A friend of mine suggested super glue, which might work. I asked when I went into Wilson's last time I was at the mall. I always walk in there just to breathe the leather smell, so we were in there anyway. The employee I talked to suggested taking it somewhere and having a professional do it. Whatever I really need to do about the pants, I haven't done it yet.

But remember I told you we are going to the REO concert? It's tomorrow night. Now, if there's ever a time to wear leather pants, it's to a concert, right? So today I put the pants on, figured about how much shorter they should be, turned them up, and used Duct tape to hold them up - a piece on each seam.

See, Duct tape is good for everything!

A Parent's Right to Choose

My kids go to our local public school. Even though I know things aren't perfect there, I know that I don't have the patience to homeschool the kids. I have known several people who do homeschool their children, and I have nothing but admiration for them. Sometimes I look back and wonder if I shouldn't have at least given it a try, but that was my own choice. I just heard today that a judge in California has ruled that parents “do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children.” If his ruling is allowed to stand, parents in California may be forced to send their kids to public schools or face charges. He is basically trying to take the choice about how their kids are educated out of the parents' hands. That sounds like infringement of a very basic freedom to me. I think there should be standards in place to be sure the kids are getting an adequate education through some kind of testing, but I don't think the government should be able to tell the parents where their children will get that education.

In an effort to get this judge's ruling overturned Reverse The Ruling - Homeschoolers Unite has been launched to make sure people know the facts and give them a chance to speak up. Their goal is to get people involved, to sign the petition, write to their congressman, and spread the word. This isn't just about California, because if it's allowed to happen in California, how long until it spreads throughout the rest of the country? And it isn't just about HomeSchooling. This is about freedom for parents to choose the best possible education for their children. Don't you think we should all have that right?

No Tax Credit

Jeffrey started working on the taxes last night. We always get a refund, so you'd think he'd do them as soon as possible every year, but he doesn't. That's beside the point - the point is, he came upstairs and said he doesn't like the way things are looking this year. My first thought was that since I started making money blogging, and we have to pay taxes on those earnings, that that was the problem. Hopefully we aren't going to have to pay.

No, it wasn't that. Beth turned 17 in 2007. As soon as a child turns 17, you no longer get to claim the child credit - that's a $1000 credit. I can see how that would make a difference. The thing is, it doesn't matter when in the year your child turns 17, even if it's December 31. You still lose the credit. That probably means we won't get the $300 per child the government is going to give us for her, either. Seriously, teenagers are expensive!

Social Networking for Food Lovers and Cooks

I like to cook, and I like to browse through cookbooks just for fun. Seriously, when I was in college, before I had a kitchen of my own, I bought a cookbook just for the pictures. While I love looking at the pictures, one of my favorite cookbooks ever has no pictures at all. I love the cookbook because it is full of recipes submitted by real people, using real ingredients that I usually have in my pantry or cabinets. And these recipes are good.

So, when I found www.foodconnect.com and started looking around, my first thought was, "This place is for me." It's a website full of recipes and cooking tips, submitted and shared by real people. You can search for a particular recipe, browse through all the recipes, and even submit a request for a recipe you want buy can't find. It looks like a great site to connect with other cooks and food lovers, to get help with cooking questions and even help a few people myself - since I think I know what I'm doing in the kitchen, as long as you don't expect fancy gourmet food. I can share my own recipes, find and save recipes to my Favorite Recipes Book, rate and review recipes, create shopping lists for the recipes I want to use, and probably so much more. I can definitely have fun on this site. Did I mention that it's FREE?

Press Release:

www.foodconnect.com is the ultimate tool for every foodie.

What makes foodconnect.com so great? These and many other features:

- Free nutritional analysis, for all recipes on the site and every recipe you submit.
- Share your recipes with your friends and other foodies.
- Discuss recipe ideas and techniques.
- Plan your meal and easily print off your shopping list.
- Create the perfect dinner party

All of this and much more and best of all its all free. Get to foodconnecct.com to get started today.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Sky Watch Friday (#14)

It's Friday again, and that means Sky Watch Friday!

Once again, I find myself taking pictures of the sunrise. This is from yesterday morning. It was really fun to watch this one. It amazes me how fast the sun comes completely over the horizon once it starts. Of course, this week it seems to be coming up an hour late! That's good for me because I'm already back from my walk and can run outside with my camera to grab some pictures.


Just Coming Up
see more sunrise pictures on my Flickr page.

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday. It's hosted again this week at Wiggers World, so run over there to join in or just to see lots of wonderful sky pictures.

Is It Tanning Weather Yet?

When I read about Ocean Potion's Spring Break contest I thought it would be fun to enter. After all, Ocean Potion is all about tanning and sun care products, and I love tanning. Still, I never got very far in planning my very own Ocean Potion commercial because, face it, I live in Wisconsin, and we're not going to have tanning weather for a while. It did get up to 53° today, so we're getting close. If it's 60° and I can get out of the wind, I'm out there!

Jeffrey called today while I was in the shower and left a message wondering whether I was outside in the sun. I wish! And that's how I got my Ocean Potion commercial:



You want to go buy some now, right? The Ocean Potion website (Opotion.com) has lots of sun care products. You can choose from the XTREME tanning products like I want, sun block, and after care products. I like that all formulas are PABA-free, cruelty free and many are fragrance free and hypo allergenic. The products are designed to nourish and keep your skin looking its best, longer. That's what I need, since I refuse to stay out of the sun.

If you'd like to make your own Ocean Potion XTREME Spring Break commercial and enter the contest, you could win $5000 or an XTREME Dream Vacation!

Cat vs. Laptop

I just almost dropped my computer on the floor. That would not be a good thing - not at all. It's probably because it's not on my lap properly. Somebody's cat came and climbed into my lap, in between me and my computer. Instead of moving her off, I moved the laptop further away from me, leaving room for the cat. Do you know how hard it is to type over the top of a cat?

I told you she was spoiled.

He Never Called

Occasionally our new TV just randomly turns itself off. Then it cycles through and turns itself back on. What's up with that? The other night it did it about 4 times in rapid succession so Jeffrey called the number from the user's manual. They said they'd send someone out to look at it. The next day someone called from the TV repair shop and said he would come look at it but first he wanted to get ahold of another customer in Eagle so he could combine his service trips. Makes sense to me, so I told him that would be fine, and he said he'd call back to let me know when he was coming.

He asked me what we had done to correct the issue, like did we unplug it and plug it back in. I told him I had no idea exactly what Jeffrey did, but he was back there behind the TV messing with something. There are so many cables and cords back there, I would have no idea what he was doing even if I happened to be watching to see exactly what he was doing. I don't know the difference between a CAT6 and a power cord, so I'd have things all messed up back there. We might end up with the TV connected to the internet and have no sound, or more likely it just wouldn't work at all.

Anyway, the guy never called back the entire day, and then he didn't call yesterday either. The TV didn't do its turn off thing, either. Who knows - maybe someone in the neighborhood has the same TV, and they just pointed their remote in our direction to mess with us?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

I'm On a Roll!

I got an email yesterday from Entrecard saying 135 credits had been sent to my account. Then, today I got another email. This time 128 credits were sent to me. How did this happen? I've been visiting and dropping my card at drop yours and win. I dropped. I won. Two days in a row!

So, if you're dropping Entrecards anyway, why not run over there and drop yours? Then leave a comment, and you could win some extra Entrecard credits, too. The more drops, the higher the prize.

Want to Make Money in Real Estate?

We watch those shows on TV, where people buy a house or property, fix it up or do something to make it more attractive, and sell it for a profit. You know how the shows are. They make it look easy. Unfortunately, there is more to it, or everyone would be buying and selling real estate, right?

Now there's a powerful online investment property calculator that helps make it easier. You plug in all the information about the property you're interested in and Real Estate Genius builds an entire financial model within minutes. You can look at it and see whether that property will earn you money or lose you money. It doesn't take hours, and you don't have to figure out on your own what is important and what isn't. You get the same information the experienced real estate investors get and know. You can run best case scenarios and worst case scenarios and get a clear picture of the deal before you get involved. I'm sure that would help in deciding whether the risk is worth it.

Yeah, I Can Read

Really, I can. Sometimes I wonder, though. Today I was putting together a deposit for the Band Boosters. Cory's got a band thing today at UWM, and they're not getting back until 4:30. So, since I've got to head over there anyway, I figured I should stop at the bank. I've got money for Spiritwear, money from concessions, money for candy bars, all kinds of money, and most of it is cash. I listed all the checks on the back of the deposit slip then noticed a little table for currency - how may 50s, 20s, 10s, etc. I was planning to recount the cash anyway, because I'm obsessive like that. I really hate going in to deposit money, having them count it, and finding out I counted wrong. Anyway, since I'm counting anyway, I fill in the table - 20s, 10s, 5s, a whole bunch of 1s. The whole time I'm thinking, I don't remember doing this last time. Did I do this last time?

About the time I get it all done and added up, I actually read past the part that says "Currency Count" - the part where it says "For Financial Institution Use Only" So that explains it. I didn't do that last time. I wasn't supposed to do that. So, I pulled a new deposit slip out of the checkbook and started over. I better grab some more deposit slips while I'm at the bank.

Wordless Wednesday #4 - Spoiled

Spoiled Cat

Check out more Wordless Wednesday here

Cory to the Guidance Office

Cory was called to the guidance counselor's office on Monday. When he got home he asked his sister if she wanted to know why. She, of course, didn't care, but I did. I have to make sure he's not getting into any trouble, you know. Seriously, if Beth was the one called to the guidance office, I'd be worrying, but not Cory. He was nominated for National Honor Society, so he had to go get the paperwork to fill out. I told him he better get it filled out because one of his friends didn't get in last year because he never filled out his paperwork, and his mom wasn't sure they'd give him another chance. Cory said, "Yes, I know. He got one too." So it does look like he got another chance, but I told Cory not to put it off. Get that paperwork turned in.

I should ask him if he's done it. Somebody remind me to ask him when he gets home from school, OK?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Finding Cheap Auto Insurance

I need to pay the car insurance today. Every 6 months I get to pay a big chunk of money. Having a teenage driver, and an extra car because of that teenage driver, means our insurance costs have more than doubled. This time, since Beth got her B average, she doesn't even have to pay her share. It's all on us.

Cory will be taking Drivers Ed this summer, and you know what that means - time to search for Cheap Auto Insurance and at least make sure we have the best rates possible. He has the grades, but he's a boy, so I know it's going to cost us. Autoinsurance-4u.com lets you put in your zip code and get cheap auto insurance quotes for your area. I think it's worth a look to see if we can save some money.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Heads or Tails - Green


Today it's HEADS - Anything GREEN

I like green. I have these cute GREEN froggy slippers. Do you like them? Of course they match the GREEN froggies on my pajama pants.

Fuzzy Froggies

For more Heads or Tails participants, visit Skittles' Place

Give Me 5 Monday - Relax



The topic of today's list is - Give Me Five ways you like to de-stress, relax, wind down or kick back.

Here's my list in no particular order:

  1. Curl up and read a good book
  2. Hang out on the Internet, talking to my friends, reading blogs, reading whatever catches my eye. Oh, and play Scrabulous.
  3. Look through cookbooks. I love looking at the pictures and reading the recipes.
  4. Bake something yummy. For de-stressing, there is nothing like kneading bread!
  5. And, of course, S-E-X - can't really beat that for relieving a little stress.

Check out BeccA's Buzz and other Give Me Five lists.

Big Bang World Record

Mel of Attitute, The Ultimate Power is asking all the participants of the Big Bang meme to repost. I have seen this everywhere, even been tagged at least once, but I had not participated until now. When I saw it again today over at Mama Pajama, I decided I should stop putting it off and participate! Part of the reason I was putting it off was that I'm such a perfectionist, and the list I had to work with needed fixed (in my opinion) before I could post it. I started, but didn't have the time to 'fix' it. This list is fine the way it is, making it easy for me to just post it.

Here are the rules:Bigbang *Start Copy Here*

You do not have to be tagged to play along. This game is simple and so are the rules.

1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*

2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.

3. Tag or don’t tag, your choice, however, the more tags you create the bigger the list will grow.

4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list. (If you would like a scroll box code, leave me your email address and I will email it to you.) Scroll Box Example. (I decided not to use the box for the Big Bang for ease of copying.)

5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in. Once you are on the master list people who have participated earlier will update their bookmarks and help everyone lower than them out on the list.

1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Juliana's Site 3-Rusin Roundup 4-Grow Rich Along With Me 5-Comedy Plus 6-lynda's loft 7-Amel's Realm 8-MAX 9-Speedcat Hollydale 10-Mariuca 11-Complain Complain Complain 12-Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 13-Life Is A Roller Coaster 14-Sugar Queen's Dream 15-First Time Dad 16-Life 17-My Life 18-The Painted Veil 19-My Thoughts 20-DatCurious.com 21-Little Aussie Cynic 22-A Nice Place in the Sun 23-DatMoney.com 24-The Down Side OF Up 25-Ladyjava's Lounge 26-Cat Tales 27-moms.....check nyo 28-Colorado Baby 29-It's a Woman's World 30-ENLIGHTENED BITS 31-My View of "It" 32-My Reviews and Finds Along the Way 33-Our Hep Chat 34-Rantings of a Woman 35-The Callalily Space 36-Mom Knows Everything 37-Hazel 38-Chronicles and Tales Unlimited (RED) 39-From the Mouth of Jabber Jaws 40-Sunny Side Up Foodie & Lifestyle 41-Carmel Corn 42-Daily Stock Picks 43-The Whole New World 44-Wifespeak 45-Slavery Bliss 46-Rooms of My Heart 47-Unpredictable Life 48-My Life, My World 49-At Your Service 50-All About Ebay 51-Everything Amazon 52-Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out 53-My So-Called Site 54-New Wife Blog 55-Tendre Poison 323 56-Nick's Bytes 57-My Scratch Pad 58-Choc Mint Girl 59-Life Is Just Around the Corner... 60-Amori, poseia, art... virtuali by Hanna 61-Maryannaville 62-monaco - monaco's 63-Nyumix's Blog 64-read my mind - my keyboard monologues 65-Shower You Children With Love - The Right Way 66-Secret Agent Mama 67-Pinaymama's Diary 68-Answers to the Questions 69-Work of the Poet 70-A Total Blog 71-My life, my hope, my future 72-NORTE 73-A Window to Our World 74-Life as a Mom 75-FIELD OF DREAMS 76-lisgold 77-See Me for What You 78-Caught in The Stream 79-Pinay Mommy Online - My Home 80-foster me up 81-CRUEL VIRGIN 82-Garden of Moments in Blog 83-So Cute 84-Love Everlasting 85-WeLcOmE To My CriB 86-WELCOM TO PINAYSMILE'S JOURNEY 87-Ice's Icelog 88-Jenny's Wandering Thoughts 89-Hobbies and Such 90-Sweet Paradise 91-Mommy's Gibble Gabbles 92-Rusin Review's 93-My Small World 94-Little Peanut 95-Online Ramblings 96-My Mood My Feeling 97-BLOG it with ALLEN 98-Entertainment World 99-Let's Go Singapore 100-Firelynx 101-Catsy Carpe Diem 102-Every Beat Of My Heart 103-Always Da Fresh Princess 104-Listening.. Learning..Living 105-All About Mars 106-Syii From Afar 107-Some Thoughts I Have 108-From Here and Beyond 109-My Paid To Blog 110-Scholarship Corner 111-Cell Phone Review 112-"Apples of the Eyes" 113-It's All About Play 114-The Luttrull Journey 115-RennyBA's Terella 116-Unchained Melody 117-Out of the Blue 118-The Lure Of the Unknown 119-Maricel's 120-my blog 121-Spiff, the Spaceman 122-Living Well 123-The Dog Log 124-Catnip Corner 125-A Piece of Idea 126-Observations From the Back 40 127-Poetry by The Redneck Gypsy 128-Odd Facts 129-Juliana's Lair 130-My life is murphy's law 131-lisgoldsmemoirs 132-My memories, as time goes by 133-Somewhere over the rainbow 134-Blogging by Sandee 135-Our Journey to this so called life 136-Idaho Daily Photo 137-Memories that Never Fades.. 138-Anything goes 139-Your Caring Angels 140-Little Paces 141-Laketrees 142-PoeARTica 143-fracas 144-Just FraCas 145-Archies Archive 146-Growing Up Together 147-A Woman's Diary 148-Mother's Got A Dot Com 149-Close To You 150-Hot Shit Form Here 151-Astro Galaxy 152-Detector 153-Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 154-My Life is Peachy 155-The Down Side of Up 156-Magical Milestones 157-In Search of Life 158-RebelationsdotNet 159-Jen Jen's Place 160-Mimi Writes... 161-Strange but true 162-Depois de minha viagem 163-Your Perfect Wedding: 164-Make Money Online 165-Primitive Ornies and Bowl Fillers 166-Vegetarian Diet Lifestyle 167-Looking Out For You 168-BENOLSATUEM 169-OtherSide 170-Hacko's Site 171-where was I 172-Making Money Resources 173-text's Site 174-Movie Corner 175-Rahasia Bisnis Internet 176-Online Dating Tips 177-Beauty Kissing Tips 178-Forex Trading Tips 179-Singapore Tour Guide 180-PPC vs PTR 181-Indonesian Film 182-Adsense Success Stories 2008 183-Bali Tour 184-Paypal Indonesia 185-Review Bisnis Internet 186-Blog Daniel Scardua 187-Much of a muchness 188-Gagiers Amazing World 189-Clumsy Mommy 190-Leaotheblogger 191-PBDesigns Reading and Crochet Blog 192-Gagiers Striking Zone 193-DrowseyMonkey 194-Yesterday Today n Tomorrow 195-Auntie Dar's Life 196-Sky Windows... 197-Filippino Life Abroad 198-Leao the Blogger 199-Zoop's Rantings on Life 200-My Journey 201-A Sweet Taste of Life 202-This is a Miracle 203-Lavanderia Virtual 204-Nancies's Web - Family Life 205-Dating Profile of the Day 206-my wooden robot 207-My World 208-urban : trendy : lifestyle 209-Lucel Juliana's Library 210-Cooking Momster - My Life Journal 211-Anggie & Jeremy boy Online Journal 212-'Doc Doc Doc' 213-Transforming My Life 214-Gratitude Journal 215-Simplydunn.net 216-emila's illustrated blog 217-AZZY'S BLOG-A-ROONIE! 218-MAMABLISS' TREASURED MOMENTS 219-The Sky's the Limit 220-PROJECT HEAVY TRAFFIC 221-just another ordinary story.. 222-Samuel Rolo 223-The end mission! 224-R S S Submissions 225-Laice's Pics 226-Health and Fitness 227-Brainybimbo 228-Journey with WaterLearner 229-Zoop's Rantings on Life (at Blogspot) 230-Dear Me (Ivan) 231-Tour the Tabon Caves 232-Book Calendar 233-Love me. Hate me 234-Everyday health and beauty 235-BLOGANDO & ANDANDO 236-Memoirs.:*CRoSs mY hEARt*:. 237-The Chic Shopaholic 238-CK Go Places 239-Red Empress: Hell Flavored, Taste like Valentine 240-QUEENBEE 241-Le bric a brac de Cherie 242-jaqqq in the blogs 243-Bijoux & Banter 244-When Silence Speaks 245-MadTomatoe's Blogging Tools and Widgets 246-Conceptis addict 247-Madamoiselle 248-My Wooden Robot Blog 249-A Simple Life 250-It's a dog's life 251-A Technocrat's Blog 252-Misty's Words 253-My Dogs Keep Me Sane 254-New England Lighthouse Treasures 255-NoDirectOn (not: NoDirection) 256-Additional BlogLOve 257-I am DZOI 258-Caroland's Breathtaking Adventure 259-Blur Ting 260-Rojoy's Daily Update 261-Down River Drivel 262-Momhood Moments 263-Real World Mom 264-REALWORLDMOMUNPLUGGED'S WEBLOG 265-Lucca D Jiwa 266-AngrianiWorld 267-Marketing•Review 268-sejuk sesangat 269-Everything and then Some..... 270-Gbex...reachingOut 271-Heart of Rachel 272-The working mom / Finding balance... 273-Madamoiselle ver.2 274-Latest Keyword 275-Tanny's Blog 276-Pay to Review 277-Happy Life 278-Pet Haven 279-Teratak Nurani 280-A Melhor Novela de Todos os Tempos do Último Verão 281-TYNIE World 282-Wanmus's Blog-get cheapest web hosting 283-mokkikunta 284-BLOGHIT, POLIBLOG, TOP TOPICS 285-none of your business 286-Expat Travels 287-The Poor Mouth 288-GIRLIEGEEK.ORG 289-Tau Tau 290-Points of View 291-kimf3's Blog 292-Bing-My Treasures 293-Everything Green 294-The Pipeline Fixation 295-~Menempuh Arus Masa-Life-Photography~ 296-Pea in a Pod 297-{Me and Mine} 298-Beblan Anak Tukang Jahit 299-How Bourgeois 300-Julie's Blog 301-Emphbone 302-Simply the Best 303-Euroangel Graffiti 304-My Daily Nourishment 305-the worldwideweb addict 306-(¯`•._.• PalavraS ArticuladaS •._.•´¯) 307-The Big Life 308-Wild Borneo 309-Failure is the Key to Success 310-The muxic box's memories 311-What Goes Under the Sun 312-Cronaca di Gatteo 313-Angelika's other blog 314-So Real 315-Jaque 18 316-Overtime 317-When Life Becomes a Book 318-On the Bricks 319-Central Perk New York 320-The Simple Life of a Baghag 321-BlogBlast For Peace: The Official Site 322-Miss Cellania 323-Miss C Recommends 324-homeschooling.teacherjulie.com 325-belolats.com 326-The Original Blue Ribbon Bloggers 327-No nonsense Internet Tips 328-Its Not a Weekend; Its a Lifestyle 329-myfavehangout.com (Rich Valla) 330-Blog District 331-Official Travel Guide 332-EMJEI SAYS 333-www dot project rasso dot org 334-Work At Home Opportunities 335-VirusHead 336-Gracie de Guzman 337-Jollyjo 338-Jollyjo.tv 339-Ev Nucci's THE CAREER STRATEGIST 340-Ev Nucci's Resource Economics..Grease your brain 341-MARKETING MYSELF 342-NORTE 343-ACROSS THIS BRIDGE 344-STRUGGLING PARENTS 345-Read Between the Lines 346-Internet Lifestyle 347-THE SLEEPING TURTLE ART GALLERY 348-HIDUP BIAR SEDAP 349-BLOG ABOUT RICH 350-7101 Islands 351-Binding Ink III by Ndp the Poetress 352-mutiara hati 353-GreenBucks 354-Istilo Pinoy 355-Sweet and Complex Living 356-Angelika 357-my thoughts in writing 358-sharingplatform 359-Just the way it is... 360-LUCID CREATIVITY (Nelle-MyVirtualWorld) 361-TEACHERJULIE.COM 362-Bits and Pieces 363-Confessions Of A Breathing Tote Bag 364-My Joys 365-Fiction Earth 366-... My Precious ... 367-MY VIEWS ON MY SO CALLED LIFE 368-A Reality Bite 369-Cobb Community 370-Angelea's Blog 371-Janeth Vicy's Life Journey 372-NinaRepublic 373-Peaceful Mind 374-ME, MYSELF + 2 375-Mommy Jane and Little Sophia's Fasion misADVENTURES 376-ONKNEES - ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK..... 377-SHEENISM 378-SAILIN' THRU LIFE (ASecretPlace) 379-Project Management Tutorial 380-Labindalawang Piraso ng Kokomban 381-Gorgeous Traveller 382-Sharing Gifts and Ideas 383-MUMBLINGS 384-Because Life Is Fun 385-PsychPatient MD 386-Everything Is Free 387-BRAINY MOMMY 388-Simply Unique 389-precious moments 390-Pearly Scripts 391-LIGHTNING AND THUNDER 392-Rayani Friends 393-WORK CULTURE 394-Psychology 395-Gold News 396-Applied Psychology 397-Scientific Psychology 398-Backwoods Drifter 399-New Beginning 400-Life in General 401-Life Is Like That (That's Life) 402-Life With Roxxymetal 403-SEXY MOMMA 404-The Z Files 405-I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book! 406-DOODLE PAGE 407-Escape Hatch 408-The Official Afterslaughter Weblog 409-Mommy's Little Corner 410-MALTED MONKEY 411-MOM AND THE CITY 412-Life with the Two Crazy Dogs 413-the joys (and pains) of being a woman (My Untamed World) 414-Making Cents-Sense of Technology 415-USER GAME REVIEWS 416-Write Shy 417-DOMANTYS.net 418-ZWANG 419-ANYTHING GOES! (my world, my place, my views...!) 420-Matt's blog (World of Insanity) 421-Lifestyle chronicles 422-The Alien Next Door 423-CMAQUEST 424-The Mascot 425-NARUTO ADDICT MANIA 426-Friendster Layouts 427-borneo tatoo...the original body ink 428-DOMANTIX 429-CULTURED SHOCK 430-EuWorx 431-HUBPRIME 432-STAR SURFACE 433-MY KALEIDOSCOPE WORLD 434-luckycharms 435-John's Blog - Maybe I Am Joking? 436-NEW WORDPRESS THEMES 437-WEB VIDEO HITS 438-TOP MUSIC VIDEOS 439-TEXT MESSAGES 440-Homemade Haven 441-TAGMEMEAWARD CAT 442-Coriander Dreams 443-BrainLoops 444-Soul Meets World 445-Speak The Speech 446-The Tall Poppy 447-My Day Off 448-Internet Business Promotions and Opportunities 449-Gage's World 450-PIXY ROSE 451-John's Cynical Blog 452-Poliblog 453-Techcheck 454-RoseateMarketingTips.com 455-RUSTYGANGSTER 456-Napaboaniya's Music Videos 457-EZINE PRIME 458-Prime Scrolls 459-FactMundo: World of Facts 460-CHAE 461-GOLDFINGER 462-OnlineBiz and Resources 463-ASTRO GALAXY TRAVEL 464-The Singapore Housewife 465-Climate of Our Future 466-Anorexic Queen 467-Eleanoreblog 468-Turnip of Power 469-Old Life 470-Shiphire Dustbin 471-POSTCARD HEADLINES 472-crazyblog 473-V.Col 474-Simple Life, Simply Me 475-Rasso Photoblog 476-Bagwine Ruminations 477-The Travel Bug 478-Short Stories 479-OPENGIGA TECH 480-Yogatta Dot Com 481-Net Diary of Rasal 482-WORDPRESS MEME 483-divaness 484-Thinking Tunnel 485-My decisions, my mistakes, my feelings, my LIFE 486-E-News (Gossip, Scandals, Movies, Music, etc) 487-FRAPPUCINO JOWN 488-MAYBELLE DOODLES 489-And the Legend Lives 490-In His Time - Endless Frontier 491-Travels in Time 492-Money Making Reports 493-MY HAPPY PLACE 494-The M&M Online BloG 495-Carol's Corner 496-http://individualathome.blogspot.com/ 497-Confessions of a Social Climber 498-Moderately-Confused Pinay In Deutschland 499-BLOGSILOG 500-DigiScrapz: Captured Memories 501-Cherry’s Comfort Zone 502-Thinking Out Loud 503-Wishing and Hoping 504-Jobs for Davao 505-Jobs for Abroad 506-PRC Exam Results 507-Wish Washy 508-Captains bridge 509 Colourrain 510 Modus Vivendi 511-Our Hep Chat 512-I forgot where I was going with this... 513-MRS FANCYPANTS LIVE 514-Real Estate News and Tips 515-MY.........STORIES 516-Garaphernalia 5.0 517-Everything Everywhere Travel Blog 518-lane of memories 519-Avee's Adeventures 520-Celebrating Life 521-Me and the World 522-Paul, Toni and Lance ----- Bridging The Distance 523-Paul and Toni 524-This is My New Chapter of Life 525-Online Competitions 526-posh lifestyle 527-Creative In Me 528-Life's Lessons 529-KERSLYN'S COMFORT ZONE 530-Piece of Mine 531-One World One Dream 532-HUMBLE HOME OF OURS 533-Life Is Beautiful; Life Is Love 534-Journey of Two 535-Tutiger's Blog 536-JORDAN CREEK 537-NEURO PATCH 538-Tour and Travel 539-Musings of a Daydreamer 540-DELICIOUS YOUNG BOI 541-SugarMagnolias 542-Heart and Style Woman 543-SURREAL-GEORGIA 544-Girls Do It All 545-OgenDicht/EyesClosed 546-Christy DeKoning; Travels in Watercolor 547-living life to the fullest 548-Holy Cuteness 549-FILIPINOLIFEABROA 550-Filipina Love stories 551-Interracial Marriages 552-SWEETHEART ALLEN 553-Living laughing and loving 554-A Day to Savor and Relish 555-Catsy's Pet Blog 556-SimplyCatsy's BLogs 557-Catsy's Out of the Blue 558-Mohanitguy 559-ItBuddy 560-alanzain 561-3 Sides of Crazy 562-Life abroad wifey 563-My Life's Rollercoaster Ride 564-ONLINE ENTREPRENEUR 565-Verb 566-Laptop Tip 567-US GIRLS 568-Our Journey as a Family 569-Let's talk....everything... in one space 570-http://oscar-vg.blogspot.com/ 571-BENOLSATUEM 572-blockbuster movie trailers 573-Bodybuilding & Fitness 574-Lemon Iced Tea and Me 575-GoboGeek's bmx blog 576-butterfly chewables 577-The SuperStar John Blog 578-CultCase 579-Allen's-collections 580-lyrics 581-fil-amstories 582-allen-library 583-Ad Hoc Doctor 584-In The Life Of...Mne 585-The Social Network Blog 586-T-CRIB 587-The iSurfer 588-Review dan informasi bisnis internet 589-A Place of Being 590-Medicinet 591-Make Money Blogging 592-LONG TERM STOCK PICKS 593-Pet Monologues 594-fingers dot crossed 595-Simple Life 596-Small Business Guru 597-Life's a journey, not a destination 598-Blog Portfolio 599-Nurse's Dose 600-ONE STOP GAMES 601-DianeCA's Metamorphoses 602-Sultana's Blog 603-Joze's Crap 604-landscaping 605-Geng's Journal - Wonderful Thoughts On line 606-ananda 607-Moneyonlinemasterz 608-Pamp's Blog Corner 609-Photography & Morphology of SheenaEdillie 610-Almanac Queen 611-G0c3nG Dot Com 612-World News Dotcom 613-Berbagi Tips Hidup dan Kehidupan 614-Windows App Warez 615-Most Keyword 616-Music Download 617-eBooks & Tutorials 618-Web Developments 619-Non-Windows Warez 620-Hackers Lounge 621-Movie Download 622-Day Tippers 623-Alamak Oi Oi 624-PEACE GLOBE GALLERY 625-Dona Nobis Pacem: The Peace Globe Posts 626-Fertility Challenged 627-A new kid in town...Japanese fastfood 628-Mama Pajama 629-Beth & Cory's Mom

*End Copy Here*

Note: In order to be included on this master list you need to first post the "Big Bang" on the site(s) that you want included. Add your site at the end of the list. Then leave Mel a comment that you have done so.

Also, I would double check the link and make sure it correctly points back to your site. If there are any issues please let Mel know and he will immediately make the correction.

Hint: when you copy this list, make sure that you paste into the "Compose" mode of your post, so that you maintain all the links.

This is truly a unique opportunity to watch your Technorati score explode with a "Big Bang"...so you should definitely take advantage of it!