Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Heads or Tails - Tool

The theme/prompt for this week is:
HEADS - "Tool"

This is a pretty easy one – and it’s about time because I haven’t done a Heads or Tails post the last couple of weeks. I need something easy to get me back into it. Sometimes I just think too hard…

Anyway, there are plenty of tools being used around our house these days, because Jeffrey and Cory are building a deck.

We’ve been in this house for 11 years, and we’re finally getting a deck! Our original plan was to put in a paver patio and a pergola, but because of some changes at work, we may have to move in a year or so. The deck is going to go in quicker and cheaper than the patio, so we decided to go with a deck, and the pergola.

It’s been a nice Father/Son project, and I know we’re all going to enjoy having a deck! Cory seems to be enjoying it a lot. He wasn’t quite old enough to get into it when Jeffrey built the shed several years ago. (Shed Construction) But this time he’s really getting into it. Jeffrey bought him his own hammer and everything – so now he’s got at least one tool of his own. It’s got a lifetime warranty, too.

I can claim I helped on the deck, too, because I put a couple screws in, and I went with Jeffrey Sunday to get the posts and handrails – and the patio furniture. Cory was at another graduation party, so when I got home from the parade, the two of us went to Home Depot. I think we got the best buy we could on the deck supplies. We had a 10% off coupon and got no interest and no payments for a year – so we can build the deck, get to enjoy it, and not have to pay anything until next year. We also got the wood he already bought transferred to the no payments no interest plan.

Jeffrey and I had to go to two different stores to get the stuff we needed because the posts at the first store were not very nice at all. They all had big cracks in them, and they didn’t have many to choose from. So, we went to a bigger store, and they were much nicer! It would have been nice to get them at the closer store and get it over with, but we wouldn’t have been happy with them at all, so it was worth the extra trip. We also got them to match the competitor’s ad, even though we forgot to take it with us, so we got the posts cheaper. It wasn’t until we got back home that I looked it up and realized the handrails and balusters were on sale, too – so Jeffrey took the receipt and ad back to the store yesterday and got an adjustment, saving us $40 – and every little bit counts!

It’s coming along! This is really going to be nice.

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme created and hosted by Barb (aka Skittles) – feel free to join in!

of Fireworks and Floats

IMG_0637 - fireworksImage by wesbolton via Flickr

We had a pretty busy weekend. It was the weekend for the annual Kettle Moraine Days festival held in our town. The carnival comes to town, there's plenty of food, live entertainment, and of course drinking. This is Wisconsin - there's no such thing as a festival without beer. Jeffrey and I went to the park Saturday night so he could get some pie. The Methodist Church always has a pie booth, and Jeffrey always wants pie. He got peach, which wasn't really that great - store bought pie crust and canned peach filling. I expect better than that - if you're going to sell homemade pies, then actually make the pies. But, he had his pie. Then we were going to wait around for the fireworks, but it was raining a little, and then Cory called and needed a ride to a graduation party he was invited to. So, we walked home, and Jeffrey took Cory to the party. The fireworks started while he was gone, so I went out on the driveway and watched them, and then Jeffrey came home and watched the rest of them. We're only a couple blocks from the park, so we had a great view - no need to actually be at the park! For a small town, it was a really good show, too.

Sunday morning I had to be at the library at 10am so we could get the library float ready to go. I think the term float is used loosely because it was just a truck pulling a snowmobile trailer. We decorated it with signs, streamers, flowers, and copies of book covers. Then we went and lined up for the parade, which started at noon. There was a lot of standing around and waiting, but the parade eventually got going. Some people rode on the trailer and waved, and some of us walked along the sides of the street and handed out candy to the kids. It was fun!

Once the parade was over and we had removed all the decorations and carried everything into the library, I came home - just in time to go to Home Depot with Jeffrey, but I think I'll save that for the next post...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Camera Critters (#64)

cameracritterspost

Tillie and Cory:

Tillie isn’t particularly happy, but she puts up with just about everything.  She’s such a mellow cat. 

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in. There are all kinds of great critter pics to see.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 19

Photobucket

For more info on this fun meme, click the image.

Jeffrey and I stopped at Home Depot the other night to look at deck furniture.  The ‘boys’ are building a deck, we need deck furniture - the same that that if we were going to start a cattle ranch we’d need cattle supplies.  I had to take a picture (or 2) of the sky before we went in.

and we did find some furniture that we like.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Take 2

Cory and I went to Waukesha again today, in a second attempt to get his driving permit renewed.  This time we had all the papers necessary, and $35 later Cory had a new permit.  Luckily there wasn’t much of a line so we were in and out of there pretty quickly.  Then we did some shopping and stopped at McDonald’s again for an Iced Mocha (for me), large fries (to share), and a Sweet Tea (for Cory) – just like last week.  Cory says it’s tradition because he and his dad went to that same McDonald’s last year when he first got his permit – and then we went when we tried to renew it, and again when we actually got it.  Yes, he will eventually get his actual drivers license, but for now it’s not a big deal, and it certainly saves us money since we don’t have to pay any car insurance on him until he actually gets the license.

Here he is – Cory with his ranch dressing and fries.  Notice his spiffy Star Trek shirt.  We stopped to check the mail when we left the house, and the shirt he has been waiting for came today.  He had to put it on immediately, of course.  This is the free shirt from Kellogg’s – and I think we’ve managed to collect another 9 tokens since we sent for this one, so we can order another free shirt.  This time he wants blue.  I guess this means he won’t be so jealous when I get the Spock  t-shirt I’m getting from Laurie!  I am threatening to use those tokens to order my own shirt, though.  After all, I’m the one that found the coupons and the sales and bought all the cereal and cookies and token-bearing things.  What do you think?  Red or blue?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Send a Gift with a Text

It seems like everyone has a cell phone these days, and people are using them for more and more things. Our phones all work as phones, digital cameras, and MP3 music players. Some phones have complete internet access and full keyboards - small keyboards, yes, but they're still keyboards. One of our friends has the cutest little fold up keyboard that attaches to his phone!

Anyway, with all the things cell phones can do nowadays and especially since most people are never far from their phones, I'm not surprised that there's a way to Send And Receive Real Gifts on teh cell phone . (sponsored link - cool idea - misspelling not my fault) A text message that's a gift - it was only a matter of time before someone came up with that. This might even be another one of those ideas that leaves me wondering, "Why didn't I think of that?"

I'm Wearin' My Socks

Toe socks with flip-flopsImage via Wikipedia

It's Summer. It actually feels like Summer. You know what that means - the people who were just last week complaining about how cool the weather has been are now complaining about how hot and humid it is. You just can't please some people!

Me, I like the warm weather, but I wasn't complaining about the cool, either. I like being able to open my windows and let the breeze blow through. Even on the hottest days it's usually quite pleasant here in the house - until evening comes and the breeze dies down. Then everyone starts complaining about how hot it is and how we should turn the air on. I put it off as long as possible, but they finally turned it on last night because it was supposed to be so hot and humid today and tomorrow. And now my feet are cold!

Jeffrey said he hasn't been sleeping well the last couple nights because he couldn't get cool. I thought it was very comfortable in the bedroom with the window open and the ceiling fan going. Last night, I had trouble sleeping. I kept waking up cold and pulling the covers up. I should have just given in and pulled the comforter up, too instead of just the sheet and blanket, but it's Summer! I shouldn't have to snuggle under the comforter in summer.

Now today I'm working in the basement, which would be plenty cool any time, I realize - but I have to wear socks just to keep my toes warm. I've turned the temperature up on the thermostat and gone outside into the sunshine a couple times just to warm up, but I'm thinking I'm going to need to turn it up again. What's a good temperature to set the air conditioning?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Oh Happy Day



Happy first day of Summer!

Happy Fathers Day!

and Happy Anniversary to me and my Honey! 23 years today.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Camera Critters (#63)

cameracritterspost

Tillie likes to get outside and check things out.  She’ll sit at the front door and meow until someone finally gives in and takes her out.  She doesn’t meow about anything else – just going outside.  Silly cat!  Cory took her out the other night took these pictures.

Basically, she just follows this wall around the house, stops to smell the flowers and check things out, and does her best to jump over the bushes that hang over her path.  For some reason she doesn’t want to touch the grass.

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in. There are all kinds of great critter pics to see.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Win One of 5 Blu Prizes

Here's a contest with some great prizes! It comes to you from the BluFrog Healthy Energy drink people, and you can win one of 5 Blu prizes. Choose from a gaming package, a music festival in Chicago, New Years in New York, a stock car driving experience in Orlando, or the winter X Games in Aspen. Wow! Just reading about all the prizes is pretty energizing, and I haven't even tried the drink. Note: if the people from BluFrog are inclined to send me some to try, I'd be happy to. :)

To enter, you just need to leave a comment letting them know which prize you would like to win and why. I am having a problem deciding between the New York package, the Orlando one, or the trip to Aspen. I'd love to get that helicopter ride over New York City, so I'm leaning toward that one. Cory and I just went to New York at the end of March, and it really would be fun to go back. You just can't see everything in 3 days. Then again, I love watching the X Games (I bet some of those athletes drink BluFrog because they have crazy energy!) and I've never been to Aspen, so that one would be great. I'm not so sure about the whole Richard Petty Driving Experience that the Orlando prize is about, but I know someone who lives in Orlando! And I bet Jeffrey would have a great time driving those cars.

It's a tough choice, isn't it? I guess I better decide because, in addition to choosing and commenting, there are two additional ways to enter - Twitter Tweet and Blog Post - for a total of 3 entries per person. I'm hoping that, even though this is a sponsored post, that it'll count. So, eenie, meenie, miney, moe... I choose Xtreme Blu in Aspen.

How about you? What's your choice? Comment, Tweet, and blog to win by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 17, 2009.

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At Least I Had the Social Security Number

Cory and I went to the DMV yesterday to get his driving permit renewed. It expires today. We got there, got in line, but weren't sure which form to fill out. He went ahead and started filling one out with all his info, but he didn't have his Social Security number, and he doesn't have it memorized. Being the good mom I am, I had that in my purse. So, we got up to the counter only to find out that we needed the paper that shows he completed the driving portion of drivers ed. That I didn't have in my purse. So, we drove all the way there and couldn't do what we came to do. I hate when that happens.

Still, we made the best of it, going to Walgreens for milk and free body wash, wandering around Kmart where we found a patio furniture set we both love, getting some groceries (Johnsonville Bold Beef Hot Links!, and lunch meat and lettuce and bananas) and stopping at McDonald's for an Iced Mocha (♥!), large fries, and a Sweet Tea.

We had fun, and I found the paper we need when we got home, so we'll just have to go back and try again next week. Cory just won't be able to drive until then, after today, that is.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Receipt Surveys

Do you fill out those surveys you get when you check out at the store? It seems everywhere you go, they're asking for feedback, and if you fill out their survey withing 48 hours you'll be entered into a drawing for a gift card or something. Usually I ignore them, or just plain forget about them until my time is up, but we got one last week that I thought was worth the time. Jeffrey and I went to the mall and had dinner at the food court. I got this Szechuan chicken that was actually hot and spicy (Yay!) - so I needed some milk. Jeffrey went to Arby's and got me a milk - 70¢ for a little carton of milk is pretty ridiculous, but it was good. On the back of the receipt was an invitation to fill out a survey, not for a chance to get something, but for an actual code to get a FREE Beef & Cheddar sandwich. So, Jeffrey tried to go online and fill out the survey, and was told that that location was no longer accepting surveys. Then he tried calling the number to actually talk to someone, and they hung up on him! Talk about rude - they ask for feedback, he wants to give it to them and get the free sandwich they offered, only to find out they aren't taking feedback. Why did they even ask/offer in the first place? Very frustrating!

I did just complete a survey for Sears, even after the frustration with Arby's. Jeffrey and I were at the mall in the first place to see if we could find him some dress pants, because he needed them, and because Sears has that promotion going on - if you buy $50 or more of mens pants, jeans, breeches, you get a $50 Sears card to spend on other mens apparel. So we found him 2 pairs of pants on clearance for $24.99, which of course only added up to $49.98 and didn't quite hit that $50 mark, so we had to find something else too. Luckily they had some light black jeans on clearance for $10, exactly what Cory has been looking for - so we grabbed those. Yes, over $50 in clearance pants and jeans, and they qualified for the promotion! I mailed my rebate yesterday. And today I filled out their survey, because they actually gave me 7 days to get to it, and we could win a $4000 Sears gift card. I could buy a lot at Sears for $4000.

I guess it's all about the incentive.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Romano's Macaroni Grill Giveaway

Romano's Macaroni GrillImage via Wikipedia

We ate at a Romano's Macaroni Grill restaurant once - and we loved it! Unfortunately there isn't one around here, so we haven't been back. I wish there was. We loved the atmosphere, the people, the food, and especially the people we were there with.

We may not be able to go out to eat at a Macaroni Grill any time in the near future, but now we can at least enjoy the food, because now you can buy the Romano's Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites to make at home. What could be better than that? Oh yeah, getting to try them for FREE!

Elizabeth is running a giveaway on her blog Mom Reviews, and three winners will each get a colander, a cheese grater, a serving spoon, and four boxes of Romano’s Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites. Yep, I'm definitely entering this one. I love pasta!

Enter the Mom Reviews Romano's Macaroni Grill Giveaway by Tuesday, June 23rd at 11:59 PM EST for your chance. Open to U.S. only.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Catch the NFL on Direct TV

Nfl_logo I have a suggestion for all you football fans. Get Direct TV. Now I know Direct TV offers great packages starting at $29.99/month, free premium movie channels for 3 months, and even a free HD DVR receiver upgrade, and don't forget the free installation, but that's not what I'm talking about. I say get Direct TV because Direct TV is the only place you can get the NFL Sunday Ticket. It's a football fan's dream - up to 14 games every Sunday (vs. the 4 you can find on cable), the Player Tracker which allows you to choose up to 18 players and receive 'Big Play' alerts, pregame coverage, and more. With your interactive DirectTV remote, you can get player and team stats, scores and updates from other games, all without missing any of the game you're actually watching. Plus you get access to the NFL Network which gives you all things football 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Wow, if I was a real NFL fan, I'd be gushing right now.

But I'm not. I'm really just telling you this because the sooner all you football fans sign up for the Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket, the sooner all those games can be moved off the channels I want to watch and over to those channels. You'll be happy because you can watch every single game, and I'll be happy because I can watch something I want.

Yes, I know - it probably won't work that way, but I can hope. At least with direct tv you can watch different programs on different televisions, and with all those channels to choose from, the football fans can be happy, and everyone else will be able to find something to watch, too.

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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Why Exactly Were We Waiting on Facebook?

Facebook, Inc.Image via Wikipedia

If you've got a facebook account, chances are you heard that you could start choosing your own username Friday night. That means that instead of a randomly assigned number to identify your profile, you can have your username as part of the facebook url. I didn't stay up Friday night to grab mine, but Saturday morning I went ahead and registered one for myself - http://www.facebook.com/anna.hagen. It's my name, it makes it easier to link to my facebook profile, and now no-one else can use my name for her facebook profile.

However, the whole rush to get a username on facebook got me to thinking - why exactly were we waiting for Facebook on this? Those of us with registered domains could have been linking to our facebook profiles all along, like this: http://facebook.alwaysbcmom.com/ - but for some reason I didn't even think of it. Actually, I don't share my facebook profile with everybody, so that's why I didn't think of it. I basically use facebook to connect with people I actually know, in some way or other - old school friends, family, church friends, blogging friends, and I've never actually linked anyone to my profile until now.

Image representing GoDaddy as depicted in Crun...Image via CrunchBase

But, if I had thought of it, I could have gone in and set it up any time I wanted to. I simply went to my Domain Manager at GoDaddy and in the Subdomains box clicked 'add' and filled in all the info. I called the subdomain 'facebook' and told it to forward to my facebook profile. I also enabled Masking and gave it a title, description, and keywords. In a few minutes it was active and forwarding right to my facebook profile.

Does it really make a difference now that facebook offers usernames? I'm not sure quite yet, but it's one of those things - once I think of it, I just have to try it. Let me know what you think.


Saturday, June 13, 2009

Camera Critters (#62)

cameracritterspost

This is what Tillie’s face looked like last weekend when that dog came to visit.

She does not look happy, does she?  Beth liked it because Tillie was much more snuggly than usual – actually, she just stayed put when Beth held her because she didn’t want to get down and have to worry about that dog.  She wasn’t being snuggly by choice.

The whole visit wasn’t particularly traumatic for Tillie, though.  Within about 15 minutes of the time Mom, Dad, Tana, and Toby left for home, Tillie was back to her usual self – rolling onto her back to have her tummy rubbed and running around playing.  She is definitely happy to have her house back!

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in. There are all kinds of great critter pics to see.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Chocolate is Calling

There seems to be a theme to facebook status updates from some of my friends:

" I could give up chocolate but I'm not a quitter..."
"Chocolate: luscious, lumpy. load of love...... Man cannot live on chocolate alone; but woman sure can.... ;-)"
" bad sweet tooth, bad bad bad! MMMM peanut butter on spoon, dipped in chocolate chips..."

OK, admittedly those are only from a couple people, but those are the updates I noticed. Now I have this urge to go find something chocolate...

Luckily, that urge doesn't strike me all that often or I might need diet pills. See what a bad influence you ladies are on me?

Speaking of chocolate, don't forget to claim yours through the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act. (it's a Friday thing)

Name the Firefly and Win a Scholarship

Both my babies were breast-fed, almost exclusively. I bought some formula once or twice, just to have for those occasions when I might have to be away from the baby or something, but mostly we didn't use it. For us, breast feeding was the right thing to do. Breast milk is best and contains everything a baby needs, all the nutrients, etc. Besides, it's a lot simpler - no washing and preparing bottles, mixing formula, and making sure it is the right temperature for your baby. I'm just guessing at that, since I never actually did it, but it does look like a lot of trouble - not that my babies wouldn't have been worth it if I'd had to do that. I did have to express breast milk while I was at work so Beth would have it during the day while she was at the babysitter's, so I suppose I went to a little trouble. Breast feeding is also a lot cheaper than buying formula. I haven't checked prices recently, but it seemed pretty expensive even 18 years ago.

I know breastfeeding doesn't work for everyone, for various reasons, and moms who need to supplement breast milk with formula, or replace it altogether, care just as much for their babies as moms who breastfeed. I'm sure they look for a formula that is as close to breast milk as they can get, that contains all the nutrients baby needs. The Comforts for Baby store brand found at Kroger owned stores has the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy baby as well as lipids associated with mental and visual development, lactose and choline and more. It contains all the essential ingredients that must be in infant formula as dictated by the FDA and required by the Infant Formula Act. I never had to think about any of that because I was giving my babies breast milk. Also, because Comforts for Baby is a store brand, it's more affordable than the name brands, but you're not giving up quality just to save a little money.

Right now Comforts for Baby is running a contest to name their mascot, a cute little firefly. The winner gets a $10,000 scholarship. I'm horrible at coming up with names, so the best I could think of was Sparky, or Ferdinand - but those aren't very cute and definitely not original. Hopefully you can do better and win that scholarship for your little one. You have until July 31 to enter, so start thinking.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 18

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For more info on this fun meme, click the image.

A storm went through on Monday. When the rain hit, it was sudden and it was hard. Cory and his friend Pam had just pulled into the driveway when they looked down the street and saw it coming. Cory jumped out of the car as quickly as possible to run into the garage, and the sky opened up and dumped rain on him. It came down in buckets and sheets! Apparently they had driven through it most of the way from school and gotten out of it just as they got to town, but it caught up with them!

After the rain moved through, the clouds were pretty amazing.

I think this is about when the tornado sirens were going off, when we were supposed to take shelter in the basement or something and not be looking out the back door taking pictures, but I needed some shots for Looking at the Sky on Friday! There was apparently a tornado that touched down in the next town over, but nothing here.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Sears Has a Deal for You

My dad just sent me this link in an email (Thanks, Dad!) - Spend $50, Get $50.

Through 6/21, when you buy $50 or more on any combination of men's pants or jeans, Sears will give you $50 to spend on men's apparel. That's $100 worth of men's apparel for $50!

You have to submit a rebate (postmarked by 6/30), but you'll get $50 in Sears Rewards Cash by mail - so this could be the Father's Day gift that keeps on giving. Give Dad some pants or jeans for Father's Day, and when the Rewards Cash comes, give him another $50 to spend.

I Could Use These Baggler Bags

I've really been trying to get away from all those plastic bags when I go shopping - because they really do take over. I've been trying to use the reusable bags whenever I go shopping, and I really do like them better. They hold more stuff, they're easier to carry, and they don't break or get holes in them when something pokes through. The biggest problem I have is actually remembering to take them into the store with me. Last week I actually went back out to the van to grab my bags, after seeing someone else checking out with theirs. Last night we went to Walmart to pick out some new glasses for Jeffrey, and we ended up buying a few things. Guess what - the reusable bags were still in the car.

So that's why I'm hoping to win this Baggler shopping bag system from Pink Lemonade of Life. The bags roll up really small and fit in their own pouch - making them more convenient to carry into the store because the Baggler Bag Bag (I just think it's fun to say that) can even fit in my purse. Anyway, this giveaway is TODAY ONLY so run over and enter right away if this is something you could use, too.

Monday, June 08, 2009

A Question of Terms

Speaking of graduation (see last post), we all took our cameras to try and get some good pictures of the momentous occasion. My dad took his new little camcorder to get video of the whole thing. I was telling someone today that he video taped it, but that can't be right anymore - there's no tape! These new digital camcorders record right onto a memory card.

So, the question is - what's the correct term for it nowadays if video taping isn't right?

Heads or Tails - Tune

The theme/prompt for this week is:
HEADS - "Tune"

This weekend, Beth marched to a little tune called “Pomp and Circumstance” – she graduated from high school!

Here she is right after she received her diploma:

and smiling for the camera after graduation was over:

Even though she’s actually been out of school since the end of first semester, this was the actual, official end to her high school career.  *Sniff*  (Isn’t she gorgeous?)

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme created and hosted by Barb (aka Skittles) – feel free to join in!

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Camera Critters (#61)

cameracritterspost

My parents are here this weekend, and they brought their little dog Toby.  I think my mom must take lots of pictures of Toby, because he poses really well for the camera.  He knows the sound the camera makes when you focus in preparation to shoot, and when he hears that sound, he poses.  He sits there and waits to have his picture taken.  It cracks me up!

Tillie isn’t too excited about having a dog in her house, but she’s gradually getting sort of used to having him around.  She’s not her usual flop-around-on-the-floor self, but at least she’s not hiding all the time.  About the time Toby has to go home on Monday, Tillie will probably figure out he’s not so bad after all.  Or not…

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in. There are all kinds of great critter pics to see.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Beth Graduates this Weekend

Beth is graduating from high school on Sunday. Yes, she's actually been out of school for a whole semester, but this weekend is the actual graduation ceremony, and she's graduating with her class. We didn't send out any party invitations but we are having a few people over tomorrow, grilling some chicken, etc. to celebrate. Her grandparents are even here from Kentucky.

I am having a hard time believing that one of my kids can possibly be old enough to graduate from high school. Where does the time go?

Beth just got home from graduation practice and brought home an envelope from her 4th grade teacher. There were some pictures from 4th grade, something Beth had written about what she liked, who her friends were, what she wanted to do in the future, etc. It was interesting to read and see how things had changed. It was really a neat thing to get - and she was so little back then!

I wonder what the next 8 years will bring...

(Why am I ready to cry as I post this?)

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 17

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For more info on this fun meme, click the image.

I got a book in the mail yesterday. It’s called Measuring the Earth: Eratosthenes and His Celestial Geometry by Mary Gow. Mary writes middle school science biographies -- books intended to be curriculum compatible that give students introductions to the lives, times, and achievements of men and women who played significant roles in the history of science. The books are published by Enslow Publishers in the Great Minds of Science series.

The book looks quite interesting. I’m not a middle school science student, but I’m planning to read it, and I’m sure I’ll learn a few things. For now my favorite page is Page 51. Why, you ask? Because my photo is on Page 51!

There it is – my photo on Page 51 and also on my computer screen.

Mary Gow contacted me about a year ago and asked if she could use my photo because she was looking for “a clear photograph that shows Earth's curved shadow on the face of the moon, as described by Aristotle in the fourth century BC.” Of course, that’s exactly what I was thinking of when I took the photo of the lunar eclipse. OK, you got me, I wasn’t thinking of any such thing. I was just trying to get a good picture of the eclipse, but of course I agreed to let Mary use my photo.

It looks nice there, doesn’t it? Here’s the original photo:

Just look at that curve!

ETA (in response to Jim): Mary Gow first found my photo on Wikimedia, and it was there because it was first posted on Flickr - this photo has been around, I guess. Mary does occasionally read my blog now.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

The Case of the Missing Backgrounds

Twitter stole my background again! I'm not sure why I keep having problems with this. A while back I didn't have a background at all - Twitter ate it and wouldn't let me upload a new one. After a few days of messing around, I finally got one uploaded, and it worked for quite a while. But that one's gone now, and the original one that Twitter ate is back again. Again. The same thing happened last week, except that time I tried to use a background from twitterbackgrounds.com. The only problem with that was that Twitter wouldn't cooperate. My colors changed, but the background didn't show up. After a little messing around, my other background showed up again. But now it's gone again. Did you follow that?
  1. Twitter ate background 1
  2. After much messing around, I finally managed to upload background 2
  3. Last week background 2 disappeared and background 1 magically showed up again
  4. I tried to use a new background (background 3) which never showed up, but suddenly background 2 came back - again magically
  5. Today, background 1 is back again
Is Twitter trying to tell me something? This makes just as much sense to me as Outer Banks foreclosures.

Oh, the Smell!

ash-trayImage by Napoléon et la bêtise via Flickr

I think Tim's mom must live in an ash tray. Seriously, Beth volunteered to do her own laundry this week because she knew the smell would really bother me. As soon as she unpacked, she shut everything in her room. Then today she ran all her clothes through the washer and the dryer, but she had to leave for work before everything was dry. So, I pulled some of her clothes out of the dryer, and they still kinda have that nasty stale smoke smell. UGH! Does anyone actually like that smell? Do smokers even realize that they, their clothes and everything around them seriously reeks?

Monday, June 01, 2009

Backup!

Just a friendly reminder: Back up your blog!

Blogger has been extremely reliable, and I've never had a problem, but I would certainly hate losing all my posts and the associated comments if something ever did happen. Now that Blogger has the Export feature, it's so easy to do a quick backup. Just go to your Dashboard, then click Settings, and at the top you have the option to Import blog, Export blog, or Delete your blog. DO NOT delete your blog, that would be a bad thing! Do click the Export blog link, and then click the button to Download Blog. When your browser asks what you want to do with the file, Save it.

I'm trying to remember to back my blogs up every month, and I save the file with my blog name and the date - for instance, alwaysbcmom-06-01-2009. Since I was backing mine up, and the hardest part of this whole process is actually remembering to do it, I thought I'd remind you, too.

How Was Your Weekend?

I finally got the chance to sit down and catch up a little bit. I haven't gotten to any blogs yet, but I did go through everybody's status updates on Facebook, and checked in on Twitter to see what was going on. It's Monday, and I'm doing laundry, washing dishes, changing sheets, trying to get caught up from the weekend - that doesn't leave a lot of time for hanging out on the computer. Anyone want to come do all that other stuff for me so I can catch up on my blog reading, actually post a tweet of my own or two, and find some Shop NBC Promo Codes? Oh, and I need to get my house straightened up and cleaned because my parents are coming to visit starting Wednesday evening. I wouldn't want my mom to think I don't keep my house clean.

We had a good weekend - church on the Sabbath and then again Sunday for Pentecost. We had some good discussions and good food. I wouldn't want to do it every weekend, but it's nice to have that extra time every once in a while. It was really nice of God to give us Holy Days throughout the year. Sad that so many people don't know about them, though.

Beth and Tim got back safely from Florida Sunday evening. Part of the reason I have this blog is to try and keep track of the things that are going on in life, and I think I forgot to even mention that they left. Thankfully, their trip was very uneventful - especially comparing it to last year's flight when they spent over 4 hours sitting in the plane on the runway. They managed to stay dry, too - a great feat since they went to Daytona while Daytona was getting all that rain, over 20 inches in a few days. Anyway, it's nice to have Beth back - I think she even missed us a little.

Next Sunday, we're going to her high school graduation.

-- one of the links in this post was sponsored. Can you guess which one? :P