Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Cookies!

Feb 25th- peanut butter cookiesImage by crunchcandy via FlickrAre you the kind of mom who bakes cookies all the time so the kids can have milk and cookies when they get home from school? Or are you the kind of mom who only bakes Christmas cookies and cookies the rest of the year come from a package?

It just always strikes me as weird interesting that some baking supplies seem to be seasonal items - on sale from before Thanksgiving until after Christmas and then harder to find or definitely not on sale. Maybe it's just some of the things I like to get at Aldi's?

Speaking of cookies - I have some peanut butter cookie dough in the fridge that I need to bake. It's not a pie, but since Fred is coming to visit, and he likes peanut butter everything, I thought he might appreciate them.
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I Need a New Tip

I'm just a little frustrated now. I ordered this very cool looking car charger from Buy.com. It came with 5 different tips you can change to charge different things like mobile phones and MP3 players. Reading through the list I thought it would charge my phone and Cory's phone, so I ordered it.

It came today, and there is no tip for my phone. So I went back and read the product page on Buy.com. Sure enough, it says it works for the Motorola ROKR - and then on the next line is the number E2. I didn't even think about the number. I just saw ROKR and thought it would work with my phone. No such luck - mine is a ROKR Z6m - totally different tip.

So, now I'm looking to see how much it will cost me to get a tip that will work. So far my best deal is $7.49 which includes shipping, and it looks like just getting a charger that will work with my phone and nothing else would cost more than the charger I already got plus the new tip. I do like the idea of this charger, because you can have just one charger and then get different tips depending on the devices you want to charge. They're sold out at Buy.com right now, but hopefully they'll get more, if anyone's interested. Just be sure to read the list carefully to be sure you're getting a tip that will work with your device, or visit the manufacture's website to see which tip you'd need.


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Harvest Fest Sunday

Apple pie with lattice upper crustImage via WikipediaI'm trying to remember where I left off. I feel like I haven't been here in ages, though it was only a couple days.

Cory had to work at Harvest Fest at State Fair Park all day Sunday, so Jeffrey and I took him, and then ran around all day. Actually, after we got Cory to work at 9am, we waited around for the woman who was supposed to be working with him. She didn't show up until 10am, when the Harvest Fest was supposed to open. In the meantime, Cory and Jeffrey had found the Golden Guernsey van and stocked the booth with milk, though they couldn't get to the cash box because Jeffrey didn't have a key. So, we were going through our pockets and purses to see what small bills and change we had so Cory would at least have something to start the day with. Then she showed up and got the cash box, so they were good to go, and we left.

We went to breakfast at Denny's and then did some shopping at Sam's. No, we didn't buy any air tools but we did buy practically everything else. We hadn't been there in a while, so it was time to stock up. Then we went back to the Harvest Fest and walked around. It was interesting - a flea market, farmer's market, food booths, fun stuff for kids like pony rides, camel rides, pumpkin bowling, and a little train. We spent a bit of time there. Jeffrey bought some sundae glasses and thought about getting a wallet, but didn't. I had a slice of apple pie from the Elegant Farmer, we got some beef jerky for Cory, and I bought some apples, green peppers, and butternut squash. I wish I had been thinking and not bought apples at Sam's, but I know Cory will eat them because they're his favorite, Granny Smith. We just have a lot of apples now.

We left a couple hours before Cory was supposed to get off work and went and got something to eat - instead of spending more than we had to by buying something there - and we felt we'd seen enough. About the time we finished eating and left Wendy's, Cory called and said he was finished with work, so we ran by and picked him up and came on home.

Whew!

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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Homework Help Links and a Game

I just got my Earthlink newsletter in my email. I usually skim through them because there are usually some interesting things in there - websites to visit, software to download, games to play. This newsletter had a great looking list of homework help sites I thought might be very helpful. Most of them look like they're for younger kids than mine, but I still think they're worth checking out. If you've ever struggled with helping your kids with their homework these may be just what you need.
Back to School...HELP!
Homework help, educational games & more.


I haven't checked any of these sites out, because I was distracted by a link to a game that was also in the newsletter. I don't play very many games online, but this one looked interesting. So, instead of checking out homework help links, I went and played the game. It's really a lot of fun.


Games at Miniclip.com - Bloxorz
Bloxorz

Get the block to fall into the square hole.

Play this free game now!!

Camera Critters (#25)

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We got a new pair of shoes:

They're really fuzzy!

Tillie likes climbing into any empty box she can find, even if she doesn't fit very well.

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in.

Friday, September 26, 2008

A Good Way to Spend the Football Game

Jeffrey, Cory and I spent the evening helping to run the concession stand for the football game tonight. Usually the band plays, though this year they are only performing at halftime during the Homecoming game. A big portion of the band wasn't going to be there tonight, because of a Cross Country meet, so the band didn't play. That turned out to be a good thing, because our Band Boosters president signed us up to run the concession stand.

We offered any band students who wanted to the opportunity to help and get trip credit. We had 4 students sign up to help - so with the 4 students and some parents, we ran the concessions for the whole game. We originally thought there would be 2 shifts - open to half-time and after half-time to close - but it was an all night thing. That's OK. We had fun.

Now I have a cash box full of money to count to see what kind of profit we made. We were busy the whole night, so I hope it's good. Cory said he had more fun than he would have just watching the game. Me too. I'm not a big sports person. Have I told you that before? And our team lost big time. But we sold lots of hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, soda, Gator-ade, and candy. (How do you spell Gator-ade?) and I might or might not be good at giving change for "2 hot dogs, a water, and 3 Airheads."


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Blogging While I'm Working

I mentioned on Facebook yesterday that I should be cleaning. My cousin left me a message saying that as much as I clean I shouldn't have anything else left to clean, so I should come help her clean her house. Obviously I wasn't cleaning my house, since I was online, and that is pretty much my problem. There are so many things that always need done around here, but I'd rather be online, blogging about the things that need done. I have a friend on LiveJournal who seems to get more done in one day than most people get done in a month, and she has time to blog about it and create videos. Me? I usually have to choose - between doing something or blogging about it.

I just finished watching a video showing how Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred works. Or was it Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard? Either way, I can see how this software could help busy bloggers, and busy moms like me who want to have time to be good bloggers. This software lets you type just by using your voice. So, I could be doing other things and blogging at the same time, especially if I can get my Bluetooth headset to work with my computer. The software comes with a headset, but I'd need a really long cord.

I'm always composing posts in my head while I'm washing dishes or folding laundry or vacuuming the floor. With the Dragon Naturally Speaking software, instead of putting together a great post in my head, only to forget everything I wanted to say when I finally sit down at the computer, I could be putting together a great post on my computer. When no-one's around, I'm usually talking out loud anyway. (Shhh, don't tell)

When I have take time to sit down at my computer to put together a blog post, the Dragon Naturally Speaking software could help with that, too. Even though I type pretty fast, I can talk a lot faster, and that means it would take less time to write a post, not counting the editing and perfecting and all that stuff I always have to do, but no software can help me with that! I would probably have to go back to typing when other people are in the room, either that or let Jeffrey think I'm just telling him about my day, when I'm really blogging it.

Check out a couple videos and the NY Times Review of DNS10 to find out more about this software.

Video 1:


Dogs, kids, construction, vacuum cleaners?

Video 2:


If I had this software, I'm thinking I might finally be able to get my house cleaned, and be able to tell you about it too. Now if I could just find some software that will do the cleaning for me...



Note: this post in no way implies that having this software would make me a great blogger, or that I would actually get my housework done. However, if you think I would love to try this software to see what I can do with it, you're right.

The Law of Teen Food Needs Wants

This photograph shows two pink grapefruits (Ci...Image via WikipediaIf you have plenty of whatever they like in the house, they will suddenly stop eating it. If you are running low, they will eat it like crazy, and if you have none, they will complain.

Beth likes English muffins for breakfast. We have plenty. She doesn't eat them anymore.

Beth likes grapefruit, but when I get a good deal and buy lots - she stops eating them.

When we're low on milk, both kids decide they need huge glasses of milk with dinner. I can't argue with that. They're growing kids (at least Cory is) and they need their milk. But, if we have lots of milk, they stop drinking it and I find myself looking for ways to use it so it doesn't go bad and go to waste.


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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sky Watch Friday (#40)

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

Sunset Wednesday evening:

The sun gradually rather quickly dropped behind the trees.

Until it was just a ball of fire in the trees.

and then, it was gone, rushing to provide a beautiful sunrise on the other side of the horizon.

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday. You can enjoy skies from around the world!

Maybe Labels Would Help

Now that school has started and Beth is working all the time, we never see her. The way her schedule works, she could come home after work, and we'd get to see her for a little while before bed, but she'd rather go see Tim. Then, every time we remind her that she needs to get her room cleaned up, she complains that she has no time. Well, yes, she does have time, it's just that she chooses to use it for other things. I honestly don't know how she lives in that room, or how she finds anything to wear, ever.

I am sometimes tempted to go in there while she is gone and clean and organize everything. I could use one of these DYMO Labelmakers to label all her drawers and bins and tubs so that she knows exactly what goes where. It would make me feel good, for a few hours, until she came home, got mad at me for messing with her stuff, and messed it all up again. If she'd only do it herself...

So, if you have kids who are still young and teachable, get one of these labelmakers and get everything organized now. Label the bins and label the boxes and label the shelves - label everything. Let the kids make their own labels so it's fun to get organized. Whatever it takes to avoid the mess. Get them organized now, and hopefully their rooms won't look like a hurricane went through later.

The DYMO website has all kinds of ideas and tips for getting organized and using their labelmaker to make it fun. There's a whole section on how to keep kids organized and some great ideas for back to school, too. Reading through this reminds me that we really need to put labels on all the kids' stuff, like their new cameras, iPod, Zune, anything they take back and forth to school.

What would you use the DYMO Labelmaker for?

Parking Lot, Elementary School, 5:30

The thing with having a high school musical (don't tell Cory I used that exact phrase, OK? He hates HSM) star in the family is that there's going to be a whole lot of driving back and forth. Now, instead of riding the bus home from school, he stays after for practice, and then someone's gotta pick him up. That would be me. Jeffrey offered to swing by and pick him up after work, on the motorcycle, but Cory wasn't at all interested in that. Not that that would have really been an option because Jeffrey does not have an extra helmet (mine) with him, and there is no riding the motorcycle without a helmet. Ever. Period.

So, Cory just called to let me know they are at the elementary school practicing with the little kids who are in this musical, and not at the high school. Good thing he called, because I would have been expecting to find him at the high school. Still, parking lot, elementary school, 5:30 - and I still don't know what we're having for dinner.

Don't Miss the Good Stuff

Several years ago Jeffrey took a business trip to the San Francisco area, and all I got was a lousy t-shirt. Isn't that what you're supposed to say when someone goes on a trip without you? Actually, I got a sweatshirt, and the kids got t-shirts.

He went out there with a couple other guys from work, and they all stayed in the same hotel and attended meetings all day. At night they went out to see the sights in Jeffrey's rental car. The other guys rode with him, and they were just amazed that he would drive all over an area he had never visited before. I just think it's funny.

Actually, those guys were lucky to have him, because they hadn't checked into any San Francisco tours or made any plans to see the area. They probably would have gone back to the hotel after their meetings, eaten dinner in the hotel restaurant, and maybe hit the pool or the exercise room if they hadn't had Jeffrey to drive them around. That really would have been a shame. I know they went for work, but still, you can see the inside of a hotel anywhere.

If you're planning a trip or vacation, don't let yourself miss all the good stuff. No, you can't have Jeffrey come along and drive you around. You'll have to check out these online travel guides from Trusted Tours and Attractions. You can get ideas for things to do and purchase discounted tickets to the best sightseeing tours in 23 cities across America. I like this idea so much better than what I usually do, which is pick up all the brochures, information, and coupons when we arrive at our vacation destination and then get so busy 'vacationing' that I don't have time to read them all. I end up reading them after we get home and regretting all the great things we could have done. Imagine traveling to New York and missing the Metropolitan museum of art.

You can sign up for the Trusted Tours and Attractions newsletter and not only get travel tips, ideas, articles, and money saving deals delivered to your inbox, but you'll also be eligible to win a $150 Magellan’s Gift Certificate. And you won't miss the good stuff.

My Son the (High School) Musical Star

Oliver!Image via WikipediaCory will be performing in the school musical in November. They're doing Oliver!, which I've never seen. I don't even know the story. Is that bad? All I know is that Cory is playing Bill Sikes, he gets to kill someone, and in the end (*Spoiler Alert!*) he dies.

He also gets to sing. He wasn't completely sure about going out for the musical because of the singing, but he did because he loves the acting. Besides, he's always going around here singing songs from musicals - currently it's The Producers, and before that it was Sweeney Todd. So, he tried out, and the choir teacher told him he can sing. She ought to know, right?

I'm going to have to read this just to find out what the musical is about, and maybe I'll request the movie from the library, too so we can watch it ahead of time. Of course, since Jeffrey is planning to run the sound, and Cory is in the musical, I will get to see it at least four times by the time we're finished.
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

I Just Can't Stop

I decided to create a new header for Tammy's blog A Little Girl Talk this morning - not because she asked me to, just because. Her header was just too boring for a blog by Tammy, know what I mean?

So, I started looking for pictures and putting together a header, finally got one finished and sent it to Tammy. She asked me to change just one little thing, so I did and she put it on her blog. That's when I realized that it still needed changed - Tammy loved it, but once I saw it in place, I just had to fix it.

I think I'm done now - only 10 headers later! That's right. I said 10. Every time I'd finish one, I'd notice something not quite right... I just need to close Photoshop and make myself stop. Anyway, go visit Tammy's blog and check out her new header. If you go quick, you can see one of the in-between ones, before she has a chance to grab the new and improved one. Then come back and tell me what you think.

Web Hosting Should Give You the Features You Need

Are you tired of me talking about web hosting and finding a web hosting provider yet? That was a rhetorical question, you really don't have to answer.

I was just thinking about how important it is to find the right web hosting company, because I got a call yesterday. I put together a website for a choral group, and now they want to be able to sell their CD online through the website. The problem is, I am going to need to figure out how to make that work, because I've never set something like that up before. They want to know how much it's going to cost to set it up, and I'm wondering if I can even do it. That means lots of research - so if any of you are already selling things online, please let me know what you do, how much it costs, how much work it is, whatever I need to know.

If we had some kind of ecommerce web hosting with the host they chose, I would think it would be easier, but they didn't ask me. Not that I know a lot about web hosting services, but I have been doing research on that. I really would have appreciated a little more than ftp access and FrontPage extensions. Really. For starters, it would be nice to be able to have a blog on the site, so the director or secretary or board president could post updates, without having to go to a different site or send their members to a different site. Nope, we don't have that either.

So, if you're looking for a web host, and you want all kinds of features and benefits, check out Network Solutions. They have online marketing tools, great customer service, website building tools, plenty of disk space, and more. With a host like this, you won't have to go looking elsewhere for the tools you need to make your website work. And, with their 99.99% UNIX uptime reliability, the site will work.

Why Didn't I Think of This Before?

Beth and Cory both have checking accounts and savings accounts. I thought it would be a good way to teach them how to handle their own money, and it makes it easy for me to transfer money to them, since I don't usually have cash. Looking back, I probably should have stuck with cash. It's easier to see how much money you have, and it's impossible to spend money that you don't have. But I didn't, and they do need to learn to handle the idea of money, too.

Neither one of them has done a very good job of keeping track, though. They sort of understand the concept of balancing a checkbook, writing all transactions in the check register, but that doesn't mean they do it. Cory at least wants to know what his balance is when we get a statement in the mail. Beth mostly doesn't care. When asked if she needs help figuring out a system to keep track of it all, she says NO. That's just the way she is - she thinks she can figure everything out on her own, she doesn't want help, and then when things don't go right, somehow it's our fault. OK, so probably it is for listening to her when she said NO.

This week I signed both kids up for online access to their accounts. Hopefully this will help them keep better track of things because now they can log in anytime and see what payments have cleared and what their balance is. They can also transfer money between accounts, so if Beth happens to spend more money than she has in her checking account, again, she can transfer some money out of savings to cover it and avoid the overdraft fee. We'll see how much attention she pays to it.

I don't know why I didn't think of it before. We already had two separate online accounts at Chase - one in Jeffrey's name and one in mine. You can log in and see all the accounts associated with your SS# - which is why I can see the kids' accounts when I log in with my ID, but can't see them when I log in with Jeffrey's. I was the one who signed the kids up for accounts, so my SS# is associated with them, along with theirs. Then this week I realized that I could sign them up online with their SS# and account number and get them access to their own accounts, without having to give them my username and password, because there was no way I was going to do that. Now they can both log in with their own username and password, and they only see their own accounts and nothing more.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Transform Your Body with XFLOWSION

Jeffrey started exercising and watching what he eats last year right after Thanksgiving. He has lost quite a bit of weight and gone down several pants sizes. Recently, however, he has pretty much stalled and hasn't been losing like he was. Thankfully, he hasn't gained any back, but hitting that plateau can be frustrating.

He may have to change his exercise routine, and the XFLOWSION DVD exercise program looks very promising. This program combines cardio, resistance training, and flexibility - all the elements that top trainers say you need to get in the best shape of your life. If the pictures of people who use this program are any indication, it works, and I certainly wouldn't mind if Jeffrey got in that kind of shape!

With its revolutionary TRIPLE TRAINING™, XFLOWSION combines the best moves from martial arts, power yoga, and dance to give you a great workout in 1/3 the time. No one but a professional athlete or perhaps a celebrity who needs to look good in order to work has time to spend all day in the gym, so I love the idea of a good exercise program that can fit into a real person's schedule. Jeffrey is telling me that when Cory gets out of high school and we're helping to pay for college, that I'm going to have to find a 'real' job that makes 'real' money. I'm already worrying about how I'm going to keep in shape. I think something like this would really help. Besides, if Jeffrey's going to get in this kind of shape, I'm going to have to do it just to keep up!

XFLOWSION has great music, is filmed in HD and Surround Sound and, if the online video clips are any indication, looks like a lot of fun. They say you'll sweat, sculpt and stretch your body to total transformation, from head to toe, inside and out. Xflowsion is the most fun you'll ever have working out! That really is the key, isn't it? If working out is fun, and it works, you're more likely to stick to it.

The XFLOWSION system comes with 4 workouts on DVD, 2 guidebooks, and 2 audio CDs for one low price, with a 30 day money-back guarantee. Try it, and let celebrity trainer ERIC PASKEL get you in the best shape of your life. Oh yeah, I want those abs.

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Let It All Out


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I got an email the other day announcing Fabulously40's first official bitch day. It sounds interesting. They want to bring women of all ages and backgrounds together to just let it all out. There will be prizes, too. Click the graphic to visit the site and find out more and register to participate. You know you have something you've been dying to bitch about.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Bingo, Anyone?

I recently received a Disney Bingo DVD game in the mail. At first I thought, "My kids are too old for this." But Cory and I decided to play it anyway, and it was fun. Each player gets a Bingo card filled with all the familiar Disney characters, and then you play the DVD to see where to place your chips. The game is for ages 4 and up, so the DVD gives you the color of the square and the character's name and plenty of time to find it on your own card. There are different options, like regular Bingo, and a version where you just have to fill up the entire card. My favorite part was getting to watch clips from Disney movies before getting to put a chip on any yellow square of my choice, or red, or blue, whatever color they said. I think Cory's favorite part was making fun of me when I kept confusing Flounder with Nemo.

We laughed and had a good time, and Jeffrey didn't play, but he was in the room watching us, and he seemed to enjoy that. It made me realize how much fun we can have when we do things together, and it doesn't have to be any big thing. Just having a game we can pull out and play is a good way to spend time together as a family and a good way to build memories. It was even more fun, because I won! This Disney DVD Bingo game would be a good one to play with a whole family group, and even the youngest kids would have a chance to win.



You can buy the Disney DVD Bingo game at Amazon.com or Drugstore.com. Go get your very own. You know you want to! Honestly, I don't think anyone is ever too old for Disney. After playing the game, I'm ready to watch all the Disney movies over again. It's been a while.

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Heads or Tails - Changing Where You Live

This week's theme/prompt is:

TAILS - How would you change where you live?

We've been discussing going to Kentucky to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. Since Beth works in retail, we didn't think this would be possible, but she's been working on getting that time off.  It's not like Kentucky is in our back yard, so we can't just show up for Thanksgiving dinner and then come home again.  We need the whole weekend - heading down there on Wednesday and coming back Sunday.  It makes for a long, tiring weekend.

So, if I could change something about where I live, I'd somehow make it closer to Kentucky, and Arizona, and Oregon - just plain closer to family all around.  Or else we need some kind of high speed road or tunnel or something that can get us there in a fraction of the time it really takes.  Other than that, I wouldn't really change much about where I live.  I really like it here - even in the winter.

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme hosted by Skittles.

Golf in Las Vegas

Jeffrey has wanted to go to Las Vegas for a long time. I've never been completely sure why, but now I think it just might be Las Vegas Golf . I think he'd like to check out some casinos, but I'm pretty sure he'd be even happier checking out some of these golf courses. Walters Golf has the guaranteed best prices and some package deals, so he can play on all their courses, Bali Hai Golf Club, Desert Pines Golf Club and, Royal Links Golf Club for one low price. If you're planning a trip to Vegas, and you'd like to include some golf in your trip, do check out the Walters Golf site.

Not being the golfer in the family, I can't pick my favorite one of these courses, except to say that I really like the English style of the Royal Links Golf Club. Jeffrey will probably want to try them all. The question is, what am I going to do while he's busy playing golf? I hear there's lots to do in Vegas.

Why Do They Do That?

Beth wasn't real happy the other night when she got her new jeans. She was happy with the jeans, she just wasn't happy with the size. She usually buys 3 Longs, but when she tried them on, they didn't fit. So she had to go with the 5's. I have a pair of jeans from that store, same brand - 5 Regular, because the Longs were too long for me. So, I was giving her a hard time - not really, I just said, "I can borrow you jeans now, except they'll be too long." And she said "Shut up."

This morning I decided to try a pair of her new jeans on. They didn't fit. Beth didn't need a bigger jeans size. They just made the sizes smaller. Why would they do that?

It just proves that, no matter how long you've been buying and wearing the same size in the same brand of anything, you should always try it on before you buy a new one.

Coulda Saved a Couple Bucks

So, I'm kicking myself today, because I was online yesterday ordering some compact flash memory cards for the kids' new cameras, and it didn't even occur to me to check to see how much Brisingr cost.

Then today I check and see that I could have added it to my cart for $13.62 at buy.com, gotten free shipping because I was already ordering the other stuff, and saved $2 - not to mention the tax.

Yes, I know it's only a couple of dollars, but that's how I am.


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Give Me 5 Monday - Birthday Memories

The topic of today's list is - Give Me Five birthday memories from your life or of someone else.


Birthdays were never a big deal in my house, so I really don't have any birthday memories. I still don't think much about my birthday and sometimes don't even remember that it is my birthday until the day is about over.

Since Beth's birthday was just last week, I'll use this as an excuse to tell you what we did for her birthday. We don't really make a big deal of the kids' birthdays either, even though they think we should, but it was her 18th birthday, and that's supposed to mean something, I guess.
For Beth's birthday:
  1. Beth and new earringsWe took her (and Tim, always Tim) out to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, because she wanted a Bloomin' Onion.
  2. We should have had the people at Outback sing 'Happy Birthday' to her, but we didn't.
  3. After dinner we went to the mall, and her dad bought her two new pairs of jeans.
  4. And he paid to get her ears pierced.
  5. That was only 4 - because we asked if she wanted to stop at Dairy Queen on the way home, but she and Tim were having some drama and she just wanted to go home.
Exciting birthday stuff, huh? For more birthday memories, visit BeccA's Buzz.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Juggling

A Picture of a Picture TakerImage by bcmom via FlickrWe stopped at a Kmart on the way home last night, because Cory wanted to check the book price there and just look around. We don't get Kmart ads in our Sunday paper any more, so we rarely go there. I figure, if they don't want to tell me what their specials are, then they really don't want me to shop in their store very badly, do they?

The book price wasn't any better there, but while we were there, we happened to see a digital camera on clearance for $50, so had to check it out. Reading the specs, it looked like it would work for what Cory wants - a smaller camera he can carry around with him for shooting his videos. Since he's a 'rising YouTube star' we've got to make sure he has the proper tools, right? Then, since Beth had mentioned she would like a little camera, too, we decided to get her one. Being that she's the one who just had a birthday, we figured we'd hear it if we got Cory a camera and didn't get her one.

So, we grabbed two, and then they rang up at $25, instead of $50 - so we decided to grab another one. Then, when we got home, Cory tested it out, and the video is good, but the audio was not good at all. We never really thought about the audio, just checked to be sure it would shoot good video. So, Cory decided that camera wouldn't work for him, since he mainly wanted it for videos. For what Beth wants, though, it will be OK. It's this camera, here. Not the best camera in the world, but for $25 pretty great.

Cory and Jeffrey went to Walmart today - after Cory had called and asked them if they had Brisingr, and they told him NO, in no uncertain terms. It was in the Target ad for $15-something, so he took the ad, just in case. They did have the book, and they matched to Target price, so the Kmart book will be going back - actually the unread Walmart book with the Kmart dust jacket will be going back. They also came home with a new camera for Cory - not quite as cheap as the other one, but this one should work, at least judging by the tests that he did.

So Jeffrey will be going back to Kmart to return a camera, actually 2 cameras because he decided he didn't really need one, and a book this week.


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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Brisingr - Ours Today

Cory had to get a book today - Brisingr by Christopher Paolini - so we stopped at Walmart, and no one could find it. They had a nice display of the previous books, all saying that Brisingr would be available September 20. Today. But no book. So we went to Kmart, and he got it there.

On the way home, we stopped at Walmart again, just in case, since the Walmart.com website listed a significantly lower price than the Kmart price. Still no book, and the acne-faced employee had no clue, told him that just because a book is supposed to come out on a certain date doesn't mean it actually does. Yeah, right. And they couldn't look it up without the actual item, so they couldn't check - like that would be really helpful. If you have the item, you don't need to look it up to see if you have it.

On the way out, Cory went to the customer service desk to see if someone there would know something, and they had 3 boxes of the book there. Why? And why the people back by the books didn't know about it is beyond me. The in-store price ended up being more than the online price and more than the Kmart price, so I guess it turned out for the best. Still, what a pain.

Now, if Cory will just hurry and read the book so I can.

16 Questions

Tammy tagged me with the 16 Question Meme.

  1. Are you pregnant? NOPE!
  2. When do you want to get married? Already did - June 21, 1986
  3. Do you curse a lot? No
  4. What are your favorite books? Practically anything with pages. J.D. Robb's In Death series, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, Stephen King books, Lord of the Rings, Diana Gabaldon, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles... and the list goes on.
  5. Do you wish you were with someone right now? No, I'm good.
  6. Who were the last three people that sent you a text message? I've never sent a text message. Ever. and no one texts me either - except for those couple of times Beth's boyfriend Tim accidentally sent a text message to our home phone, but I guess that doesn't really count, since it was audio, and he didn't really mean to text me.
  7. Are you happier single or in a relationship? I am very happily married!
  8. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Yes.
  9. Do you wish someone would call you? No
  10. What is bugging you right now? Every time PPP starts releasing opps, the site gets so darn slow. Oh, and they release them when I'm distracted and doing other things, and then there's the whole Google PR thing.
  11. What's something you wish you could understand better? People
  12. If someone doesn't like you, it's usually because...? They aren't very smart. :P
  13. Do you have a wild side? No, I don't think so. Jeffrey says I'm boring...
  14. Kissed someone in the last twenty four hours? Jeffrey and Cory
  15. Have you lost friends in the past year? No, I've gained many wonderful friends.
  16. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping
I'm not tagging anyone, but if you wanna do it, feel free, and let me know so I can read yours.

Camera Critters (#24)

cameracritterspost

It's about time I included that silly critter who lives in my house again - Tillie!  She loves to spend time in Cory's room, either on the end of his bed where she can look out the window, or on his pillow.  Both the kids have one of those contoured memory foam pillows, and Tillie seems to think that they are cat beds.  I suppose they are a nice shape for her little cat body to settle into.  The other day when I went into Cory's room, Tillie wasn't on the pillow.  Maybe because Cory had it up against his headboard so he could lean on it?  It didn't matter to Tillie.  She still managed to make herself comfortable and stay awhile.

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sky Watch Friday (#39)

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


I caught the moon the other morning (Tuesday 9/16/08), right before it went down behind the tree.

The next morning (Wednesday, 9/17/08), the sky was quite a bit lighter before the moon again went behind the tree.

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday. You can enjoy skies from around the world!

For a Good Night's Sleep

A few years ago Jeffrey and I bought a new mattress. We went to various mattress stores around town and tried out the mattresses. Do you know how many different kinds of mattresses there are out there? There are pillow top mattresses and memory foam mattresses and just plain basic mattresses. How in the world do you figure out what kind of mattress you actually want?

We laid on them, to see how they felt. Still, it's not the same as actually sleeping on the mattress night after night. I think it's really important when buying a new mattress that you get some kind of guarantee that lets you sleep on it for so many nights and return it if it doesn't work for you. After all, you are going to be sleeping on that mattress for many years, and you want it to be comfortable. We ended up with a pillow top mattress with at least one layer of memory foam, and it's really comfortable - much more so than our last mattress.

The idea of buying a mattress online never occurred to me. Did you know you can buy a mattress online? At Overnight Mattress you can. They have memory foam mattresses, free shipping the next day, and a 120 night sleep guarantee. They manufacture and sell their own mattresses, so they can offer the best prices, and if you don't like the mattress, you can send it back. They will even pay return shipping. The reason they're able to offer this unmatched return policy is because their mattresses are both absurdly comfortable and ridiculously low priced. In turn, they get very few mattress returns. All mattresses also come with a 20 year Limited Warranty.

If you have any questions, you can call their toll free number or chat live on the website.

Just One More

TOKYO - JUNE 19:  A employee of Bandai Co. dis...Image by Getty Images
via Daylife
Do you ever feel like you can't get anything done until you pop all the bubble wrap?

I'm trying to clean up around here. (How do so many things pile up, anyway?) I'm moving things, reading things, tossing things in the recycling, and there's this box - with bubble wrap. I start popping bubble wrap, and I just can't stop. I just need to pop one more, and two more, and seven more, and, maybe if I just pop the whole sheet I can throw it away so I can actually get something done.

Oh, and that pink stuff in the image suggested by Zemanta? "a bubblewrap simulator which simulates the experience of popping bubble wrap" - obviously I need some of that. I'd never get anything done.


Enhanced by Zemanta

Cory, the Video Master

Cory has been really active on YouTube recently. He's made some silly videos, and he's made lots of new friends. What we do is blogging. On YouTube, they call it vlogging, and Cory says he likes that better because he doesn't have to type. Also, he has a lot of fun with the video editing - so if I ever need video editing help, I know where to go!

Cory and 6 of his YouTube friends, who also happen to be girls, (all of them) started a channel on YouTube called 7awesomebookworms. Each of them is assigned a day of the week on which he or she makes a video. Cory's day is Tuesday, so if you want to see his videos, check on Tuesday nights or Wednesdays for the latest one. They're a lot of fun, at least I think so.

Since he's been shooting videos on a regular basis, he's been wanting a smaller camera that he can carry around with him. Right now he uses the Canon camera (S2 IS) and it is a little bulky to carry around everywhere. However, since we have both that camera and my S3, we really don't want to spend a lot of money on another camera. Any ideas on a good, not too expensive, small digital video camera that records good quality video?

18 Today

My brown eyed girl is 18 today.
Glitter Photos
It really doesn't seem possible. 18 years ago, we had a brand-new baby girl. We must've blinked, because now we've got this young lady who thinks she's all grown up. Doesn't she know she'll always be our baby girl? Happy Birthday, Beth - we love you!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Nurture the Mother-to-Be in Your Life

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting times in a woman's life. It can also be very stressful and uncomfortable, with all the added weight, changing hormones and various physical and emotional changes. Massage is a good way to help de-stress the expectant mom, as well as alleviating many of the uncomfortable aspects of pregnancy.

Aesthetic VideoSource’s new Nurturing Pregnancy Massage Techniques instructional DVD series can help anyone learn to properly perform a prenatal massage. In the Prenatal Massage Video, instructor Meade Steadman demonstrates step-by-step how to provide therapeutic massage techniques that focus on the special needs of the mother-to-be as she goes through the different trimesters. “The massage should be very nurturing, very supportive,— says Steadman, “Keep in mind that what you do affects the mother and the baby.

Here's an excerpt from part 1:

Pregnancy Massage Video

Massage Videos | Pregnancy Massage


You can order Nurturing Pregnancy Massage Techniques I (2 Hrs. 17 Mins.) for $54.95, and Nurturing Pregnancy Massage Techniques II (1 Hr. 7 Mins.) for 49.95, plus shipping. Or you can order both videos for $84.00, a savings of 20%. Order by calling 1-800-414-2434 or visiting www.VideoShelf.com.

Why wasn't this around when I was pregnant?

More Senior Picture Options

There's nothing I can do about it now, but last week I found a postcard from a photographer, shutterbug shell, advertising her Senior Picture package. For $200 she'll take as many photos as you want with as many clothing changes as you want, in whatever location you want. You don't get any printed photos. What you do get is a CD with all your pictures on it. She does some photo editing on them, and then you can take the images on the CD and print as many as you want, or do whatever you want with them.

That doesn't sound too bad. It just bugs me that the postcard got set aside, and I didn't find it again until after we got the other pictures - far fewer pictures for more money (see: Senior Pictures). Like I said, nothing I can do about it now, but if Cory decides I can't take his pictures, we're calling this girl.

If you happen to be in the Salem, OR area and need Senior Pictures, or any other pictures, taken, call Pifer's Professional Photography (ppphoto). His prices look really reasonable, and the photos are really good. Why does he have to be so far away?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

He Wants Another Toy

Jeffrey called me from work today. He said he went online and found a $250 GPS on sale for $100. Then, silence, as he waited for me to tell him what a great deal that was and that he should buy it. For some reason, he's gotten it into his head that he wants one. There's that saying about boys and their toys. It's just another neat toy, I think.

It's not like he needs one. I don't know if he's ever gotten lost in his life. If anyone in this family needs a GPS, it would be me - but with Google Maps and Yahoo Maps and Mapquest, with a little planning, I can print a map ahead of time. You know, if I really want to go somewhere.

So, no GPS for Jeffrey. He'll just have to continue to find his way around the old-fashioned way - following his nose.

Never Mind

Image representing Picnik as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase,
source unknown
When I posted about the DrPic online photo editor yesterday, both Tammy and Jenn asked if it was better than Picnik. So, of course, I had to test it to see. Honestly, most of the time I use Photoshop to edit my photos, so I had forgotten about Picnik. I want to thank you ladies for reminding me, because Picnik is definitely better than DrPic. You can do more things with it, and what I particularly like is that you can open images from, and save your finished images to, your existing photo storage accounts, like Facebook, Photobucket, and Flickr. I've had nothing but trouble uploading photos to Facebook, but editing a photo on Picnik and then saving it to Facebook worked like a charm. Just for fun, I saved it to Photobucket, too.

So, if you're already using Picnik, then just stick with it. I'm pretty sure I'll be using it more often. It makes adding images to my posts extra easy. For instance, all those images in my last post (of jeans and the denim skirt) were grabbed off the website, edited (they needed cropped) on Picnik, saved to Photobucket, and added to my post - without opening any added software or ever saving the images to my computer. I'm wondering why I haven't been using it already.