Gone to a Concert

at the Wisconsin State Fair

Google's at it Again

Image via WikipediaI just noticed that my PageRank dropped back to ZERO. I guess I should have known it couldn't last...

One of my other blogs, Just Gotta Share This, which I wanted to use more than I actually do, and that has a whole Technorati Authority of 7, now has a PageRank of 1. This makes so much sense, doesn't it?

Yes, I know - no point in complaining.

Missed Walks

Jeffrey has missed walking with me 3 times this week. He had to get up early Monday and leave for Baraboo, spent the night in Baraboo Monday so wasn't here on Tuesday morning, and then had to go early to Baraboo again today. This is not good for his exercise program.

When I asked him if he at least used the exercise equipment in the hotel's exercise room on Monday night, he said no. He did go walk around Walmart for a while, so I guess that's better than nothing.

Morning Traffic

Cory started work at the State Fair today. He'll be working today, tomorrow, and Sunday, then take most of next week off because of band camp, and then work again next Friday and Sunday. He's scheduled to work 8:30-3:30 every day, so Jeffrey can take him to the fair and then go to work and then swing over and pick him up after work. Except for today. Today he had a meeting in Baraboo and left the house at 6am - so I had to take Cory to work. Not my idea of fun. Yes, I've been to the fair, but I don't actually pay attention to where I'm going, so I took the wrong exit and headed the wrong direction. I figured that out pretty quickly so I got off the interstate and got back on again, going in the right direction this time. And then we hit the traffic. Honestly, I don't know how people deal with this on a regular basis. We were barely moving.

We did finally manage to get to our exit and head toward State Fair Park, got to our turn and realized that we couldn't turn there. They had it blocked off. So I had to go up a ways, turn around and come back so I could turn on that street and get Cory to the front gate. I was thinking he worked at 8 instead of 8:30, so I was worried he was going to be late - even after he got in the gate, he still had to walk to the building and get ready to work. So it was a good thing he didn't start until 8:30.

I finally managed to get him there, drop him off, and head back home. Coming home was pretty much a breeze, since now I knew where I was going, and all the traffic was heading the other way. All together an hour and 40 minutes out of my day and a headache to go with it.

Free Blog Community

I signed up for a new blog tonight. I can't help myself, when I see Free Blogs, or free anything else, I sign up. That's why I started blogging in the first place - not because I really had anything to say, but because the blogs were free. And signing up was the best way to see how they work and what you get with each one.

So, tonight I signed up at thoughts.com. It looks like you can do about everything at thoughts.com - blog, upload and organize photos, share videos and podcasts, and get feedback from the rest of the thoughts.com community. Instead of using multiple sites for these things, thoughts.com members can do it all in one place.

When you publish a blog post, it gets listed on the Recent Posts page, and other members can easily see what's new and read your content. I just published a quick 'first post I just signed up for this' post, and I already got two comments welcoming me to the site. How about that? You can decide with each post whether to make it viewable to everyone, viewable to just you and your friends, or completely private. I like having that kind of control.

Right now it doesn't look like you can do much customizing of your blog, aside from picking from several color schemes. Another reason I sign up for all the free blogs - so I can play with the design - so that was one of the first things I checked on. They're trying to make it easy, no html skills required, but it sounds like they are working to add more features and customization in the future. It will be interesting to see where they go with it.

Gone All Day

Image via WikipediaThe kids and I went to see Kung Fu Panda this morning. The movie theaters have kids movies at 10am on Wednesdays and Thursdays - $2.50 to see the movie, and a free popcorn. We haven't gone to any of the other ones, so we weren't sure how early we should get there. 9:30 was too late. By the time we turned our tickets in - at least we had already purchased tickets - and got into the theater, the only seats we could find were way up front. Why do they put seats that close to the screen, anyway? There were so many people there that they eventually opened up the reserved seating in the back. Cory got up there and saved us some seats, so we moved. Yay!

We all really enjoyed the movie - very cute! Cory said he liked it better than Wall-E. I don't know. I liked them both.

Then we went down the street a ways to the Blood Center, because Beth had an appointment to donate blood. Since I was there, I decided to donate blood, too. so I did but Beth didn't because her iron was too low. Then we did some shopping at Kohl's, went to Arby's for lunch, across the street to Starbuck's because we had a card to get any cold Grande for $2. I got one of these:

Java Chip Frappuccino® Blended Coffee via kwout

Yum! Makes me want to go back to Starbucks. Well, except for all those calories and all that fat...

Then, after that, Goodwill where Beth got some clothes and I got some jeans and some capris, Aldi where we stocked up on Freezer Squeezers for Cory, and some other stuff, and Walgreens for some school supplies, rebate items, and milk. And then home, finally. I'm tired.

eBillme!

I was shopping online at TigerDirect last night. I bought a notebook cooler because sometimes this computer gets a little warm on my legs, especially in the summertime. In the winter I appreciate the way it keeps me warm. I also ordered a surge protector to carry with my laptop and a microphone for Cory to use with his computer.

Anyway, what I ordered isn't the point, though TigerDirect does have some nice stuff. What I was going to say is that I tried a new way to pay that I'm really excited about. It's called eBillme, and what's really neat about it is that you don't have to give your credit card information out when you're doing your online shopping, and you can pay cash instead of having to use a credit card. You just choose eBillme as your payment option, and they will send you an eBill. Then, you log in to your bank's website, go to the bill pay section and follow the instructions to add eBillme as a payee. It's really easy, and they give you step by step instructions if you need them. If you're already paying bills online, then you've probably done this before anyway. I pay all our bills online. Even the ones that don't accept electronic payments can be paid through my bank's website using the BillPay service. I love it. I never have to write a check, address an envelope, or pay for a stamp.

Back to eBillme, once you've got all the information entered, simply pay your eBillme invoice the way you would any other bill. Next time, it will be even simpler, because it will already be set up. With eBillme there are no accounts or signup required, and you never exchange your financial information with eBillme or the merchant. All purchases are covered by the eBillme Buyer Protection Plan, which includes Fraud Protection, Price Protection, a Return Guarantee, and In-Transit Protection, and it's a payment option at online merchants all over the web.

If you're one of those people who has avoided online shopping because you're afraid your credit card information might not be secure, if you'd rather pay cash for your purchases, or if you just hate filling in the same information every time you shop at a new site, then you'll want to look for the eBillme payment option from now on.

ABC of Me

Tammy tagged me for the ABC of Me Meme, a long time ago. It takes me way too long to do these!

**Make sure you pay attention to the letter “T” cause I may be tagging you!**

A. Attached or Single? Attached
B. Best Friend? Jeffrey
C. Cake or pie? Pie
D. Day of choice? Saturday!
E. Essential item? Computer
F. Favorite color? Black
G. Gummy bears or worms? Neither
H. Home town? Hometown - is that where you grew up? where you live? I'm never sure, so I'll go with Eagle.
F. Favorite indulgence? Chocolate
J. January or July? July
K. Kids? 2
L. Life isn’t complete without? Sex
M. Marriage date? June 21, 1986
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 3 brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? Both, with bananas and yogurt and granola
P. Phobias? Snakes, spiders
Q. Quotes? "May we meet again on the path before we all meet in the clearing"
R. Reasons to smile? My family, sunny days, friends
S. Season of choice? Whichever one we're in now
T. Tag 5 people: Sassy and anyone who wants to do it. Just let me know
U. Unknown fact about me? Now, it wouldn't be unknown if I told you, would it?
V. Vegetable? zucchini, carrots, green beans, peas
W. Worst habit? Obsessing over things before they happen
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? One starts with X and the other with U
Y. Your favorite food? Homemade bread
Z. Zodiac sign? Taurus
Z. Which zoo animal is your favorite? Tiger

Well, that wasn't so hard. Why do I put these things off so long? If you want to do this, let me know, and I 'll add you to the tag line.

It Just Keeps Coming

I've been trying to clean up around here. I cannot believe all the junk mail that comes into this house. I do try to go through the mail as it comes and toss it as quickly as I can. But something always seems to slip through. I keep it because I might be interested, but I just don't have time to deal with it now. Not a good idea because things just seem to pile up, and I never get back to it. So, tip #1 - deal with it right away. Don't wait for later, because later never comes.

Also, I can't believe the number of promotional products I keep receiving. Mostly all these different organizations send out address labels. There aren't very many things I mail any more, so I have enough address labels to last me into the next century. Lately, the big thing to send seems to be calendars. I have 4 or 5 of them around here now. They send something, thinking that I'll feel so appreciative, or guilty about getting something for nothing, that I'll donate to their cause. Every once in a while I do go ahead and donate, if I like what they're doing. What I've learned though is that they don't go away after you donate. No, now they know I have money, so I continually get stuff asking for more. So, tip #2 - don't donate unless you want more mail.

I Survived

Image via WikipediaI'm still lamenting the loss of Scrabulous on Facebook - mostly because of all those unfinished games. It just doesn't seem right to walk away from a game in progress. Then, with the combination of no Scrabulous and the official Scrabble app being down for maintenance, I was really lost. Sad, isn't it?

I did manage to get into Scrabble once and play one turn. However, it was being really slow and telling me that invalid words were valid, and then turning around and changing its mind. I had big hopes for a bingo there, but it wasn't to be. I also decided to give Wordscraper a try, a game I added to my Facebook a while back but hadn't tried yet. It's kind of like Scrabulous on steroids. There are all kinds of bonus squares and some of the scores are ridiculously high.

I guess I should have given Bubble Town a try, but I'm afraid that is extremely addictive, too. Yes, I added it, but no, I haven't tried it yet. Instead I just started an email game of Scrabulous with Tammy. Anyone else wanna play?

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Can Resveratrol Cure Cancer?

A group of members on the resveratrol forum are attempting to raise money for one of their members. He has cancer and has only been given a few months to live. One of the forum members treated her dog who had cancer with resveratrol, and he has been successfully cured. It has not been proven in humans, but the man and his forum friends are willing to try. Any donations or help would be greatly appreciated.

What Do I Do Now?

Image via WikipediaWhile I eat breakfast, I like to play Scrabble and Scrabulous on Facebook. It doesn't take two hands, like writing a blog post or commenting. This morning I went to start Scrabble, and nothing happened. I tried again and got a message saying that Scrabble is down for maintenance. So I tried Scrabulous, and got a message that Scrabulous has been disabled for users in the US and Canada. What? No warning. What about those 16 games I'm playing?

I'm guessing that, now that the official Scrabble game is available on Facebook, they want people playing that. I'm OK with that, except that I would really like to finish the games I was playing on Scrabulous - and then switch over to Scrabble. The only thing I don't really like about the way Scrabble works is that I can't just type my words in, and the moves list shows the word played, but not necessarily which letters were played. Other than that I really like the way it works, and I especially appreciate being able to rearrange the letters in my tray - like I would if I was playing Scrabble at my kitchen table.

Still, what about all those unfinished games? And what do I do while Scrabble is down for maintenance? Blog?

I guess I should have been reading more:

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Heads or Tails - Doctor

Today's theme is:

HEADS - Doctor

I should have been paying more attention when I posted about that show Cory and I were watching earlier, Doctor Who. That would have been perfect for this week's theme. But, I wasn't thinking about Heads or Tails when I posted that, so I had to come up with something else.

It got me to thinking about the way Cory doctors up his Ramen noodles. Seriously, that boy could live on those noodles, but he doesn't just boil them up, add the seasoning packet and leave it at that. No, he has to add all kinds of spices - Italian seasoning, garlic, chili powder, you name it, if it's in my spice cabinet, he's probably tried it in the Ramen noodles.

I guess he's not the only one, because I found a couple sites full of Ramen recipes.

• Ramenlicious
• The official Ramen homepage
  

Who knew you could do so much with a little packet of noodles. I like them in my Turkey Lo Mein recipe, but I don't usually eat them otherwise, doctored up or not.

Visit the home of Heads or Tails to join in and to see more participants.

Piles of Laundry

Jaye is right. Why do I do their laundry? Aren't these kids old enough to do their own laundry? At least I don't fold it any more - just sort it, throw it in the washer and in the dryer, and then pile their clothes all in a big pile on their beds so they can take care of them. Still, when I'm piling these huge piles of clothes up, I begin to wonder. Why are there more clothes than there were days in the week? Could they possibly have worn all these clothes?

But, I have this big, front-loading washer that can hold a lot of clothes. While it only uses enough water for the amount of clothes in the load, I hate to wash less than a pretty much full load. It still uses the same amount of electricity, regardless of the size of the load. Wash a full load, it runs for 53 minutes. Wash 2 shirts, it runs for 53 minutes. That's why I still wash their laundry.

And when they're gone? I'll have to figure that out when I get to it.

Save on Car Magnets

Cory's last day of driving for Driver's Ed is tomorrow. Then it's just a matter of letting him drive as much as possible to get as much experience as he can. I just wish I had some Car Magnets to put on the van, something that says "Student Driver" like they have on the Driver's Ed car. That way people will know to be patient, right?

VistaPrint has small and large-size car door magnets. You can choose from over 100 designs or design your own. You can either design using their design templates, choosing designs and customizing your text, or you can design your magnet with your photo editing or other program and upload the finished design. There is a one time fee for orders using an uploaded image, but after that you can use that same image on additional products at no extra charge. Either way you get full color printed magnets at a good price.

Because of their technology, VistaPrint can print small quantities and still offer the best value. Printing custom magnetic signs used to be a laborious, hands-on process, and therefore expensive. Now that VistaPrint has automated the process of ordering, printing and manufacturing custom magnets, the cost has dropped considerable, and VistaPrint passes that savings on to their customers. Even better, enter code CarDoor25 and save 25% off VistaPrint's already low prices on Car Door Magnets, and be sure to sign up for their email notifications for additional savings.

Doctor Who

Image via WikipediaBeth's working 'till 10 tonight, and Jeffrey is spending the night in Baraboo, so it's just me and Cory tonight. He's recently started watching Doctor Who and really likes it, but I've never watched it. He got The Complete First Series (2005 re-launch) from the library - 13 episodes - so we're watching that. So far we're on the 3rd episode. I'm not sure I'm going to end up watching all of them, but I'm sure Cory will. He's been watching episodes all the time on his computer on some website.

I'm enjoying the show, so I may have to start watching with him - not online, I mean, on TV. Then I'll have a clue what he's talking about all the time!

Walk for Alzheimer's

I recently added that Alzheimer's ribbon to my sidebar, which was a really easy way to donate $10 to the Alzheimer's Association. I was also reminded that it's time to start preparing for the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. The Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. Since 1989, the Memory Walk has raised more than $230 million. Volunteers of all ages can participate and help in the fight against Alzheimer's.

Walks are held in more than 600 cities across the country, and it's easy to find one near you. Simply type in your zip code to find cities and dates. Become a team captain and create your own team or find a team to join, and then get started raising funds. The web site has all the tools to help. It sounds easy - sign up as a team with your friends and family, set up a website, set a fundraising goal and start emailing everyone asking for help and support, and then walk to make a difference.

Better GReader

Image via WikipediaI spent some time looking for Firefox add-ons the other day. I was really looking for a word count tool, which I didn't find. I had one before I upgraded to Firefox 3, but it doesn't work now. But, even though I didn't find the word count thing, I did find some interesting add-ons. One of them works with Google Reader and opens the actual blog post right in my reader - so I can drop my Entrecard and comment without ever leaving the Reader page.

That part I like. What I don't like is that I'm used to being able to click on the post title to go to the actual post, and now I can't seem to do it. There must be a way. I just have to find it.

I was right, there is a way. I just had to go to Tools - Add-ons - choose Better GReader, and select Options. There you can choose either Preview Item (Automatically) or Preview Item (Click Button). It was set to preview on click, so it would preview in my reader when I clicked and hide the preview when I clicked again. I changed to preview automatically, so the preview is always there, and when I click, it takes me to the post.

Better GReader also has skins to change the look of your reader, if you want. I like the OS X Style.

Need Boots for Work?

My 'job' doesn't require shoes. I'm usually barefoot in the summer and only wear socks in the winter. So, I probably don't need any of these steel toe shoes, but there are plenty of jobs that require them. Work Boots USA has the highest quality work boots for working class America. They do their best to offer the best product for the lowest price, and include free ground shipping on U.S. orders over $50. You can shop by style or shop by brand. They have brands like Converse, Danner, Caterpillar, and Wolverine. Work Boots USA is a factory authorized dealer for all the brands you see on their website.

If you need work boots, check them out. They take great joy in helping people find the work boots they want and need, at the best prices.

Camera Critters (#16)

I went out to get the mail the other day and saw this little critter in my flower bed. He graciously sat there and allowed me to shoot him.

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

Pile Be Gone

I have to mention this before I forget, and because I may never get a chance again.

Beth cleaned her room yesterday!

Without being told - well, at least that day. She's been told plenty of other times that she needed to get things straightened up in there, but she just kept putting it off. How that girl ever finds anything to wear is beyond me. As far as I could see, all her clothes were piled in a huge pile on the floor.

Anyway, yesterday she got busy and organized her clothes, put them away, straightened up the closet, and even vacuumed the floor (remind me to check the vacuum cleaner before I use it because I know there will be a ton of hair wrapped around the beater).

The first question that comes to mind is - What got into her? I think it's because Jeffrey and I brought home a 'new' dresser on Wednesday. Someone was throwing it out so we grabbed it. It's a tall one with just one row of drawers - 8 of them, made of real wood. Jeffrey just had to tack the back a little because it was coming loose in some spots, but other than that, it's in great shape. Beth decided it would work for her room - she got rid of her big dresser a while back because it 'took up too much room' in her room, and we got her some tubs to go in the closet. She didn't do a very good job of using the tubs, and went for the piled-on-the-floor look. Now she's got things in both the dresser and the tubs. Dare I hope she'll keep it that way? Image via Wikipedia

(Why was Zemanta suggesting album covers for this post?)

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Year of the Cat

Last year about this time:

In other news:
Beth brought home a kitten tonight. She begged and begged and promised that she would pay for everything and take care of it and everything. I hope she does because, against my better judgment, I said she could keep it. We haven't had an animal around here since fall, and it has been really nice. Hopefully she will do her part and take care of it and clean up after it and all that stuff. Otherwise, we get to get rid of it. Tim said it could go live at Jesse's house and be an outside barn cat. If we could have an outside barn cat, that would be good - no cat hair in the house, no cat litter, no mess. Well, Beth promised to clean up after it, so I'm not going to do any of that - and she better not wait until it is driving me crazy before she does it!

Tillie has been living here for a year, as of last night. All Beth's promises... well, she does take care of the cat, but only after being told several times. The rest of us have enjoyed having Tillie around - because she's a sweetheart, and we don't have to take care of the litter box. I do get a little tired of the white cat hair on everything, and I wasn't too happy the times Tillie decided to pee where she wasn't supposed to, but overall I like the silly little thing.

It's fun looking at this first picture of her. She's grown a lot since then, even gotten a little chubby - not chubby enough to need fat burners but the vet said not to feed her so much. Explain that to a cat who thinks she's starving. If she did something besides sleep all the time...

Sky Watch Friday (#32)

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

Once again I was captivated by the sky out my back door. We have some gorgeous sunsets around here, and I never get tired of looking at clouds. I took these last night.

Reflected in a window across the street:

(probably not the same tree)

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday at its new home.

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Looking for a Web Host?

I'm still not sure about changing to the 'New' Blogger. It's supposedly easier, but it means I have to learn new stuff and figure out how it works. It just seems easier to stick with what I understand, but I know there are advantages to changing, the same way I'm sure there are advantages to finding a web host and moving everything, changing blogging platforms, etc.

I'm not ready to make the jump (leap?) but I am trying to keep track of all the various options. Luckily, when looking for cheap hosting, there are quite a few resources out there. The web hosting reviews at Web Hosting Geeks look really helpful. They rank web hosts by the best value and price, and give users the opportunity to review the hosts. You can compare web hosts to get an idea of what features they offer and see what they charge, and then you can read reviews and comments by people who actually use those hosts.

In addition to the hosting reviews, Web Hosting Geeks has plenty of webmaster resources and articles on choosing a web host, what to look for in a web host, and deciding which web host is best for you. If you're looking into web hosts, be sure to visit the Web Hosting Geeks, because I think this site will be very helpful.

Salsa!

We go through tons of salsa in this house. Chips and salsa is one of Cory's favorite snacks, and mine, too. So we buy the big jars of Pace salsa at Sam's Club, and the big boxes of tortilla chips. Pace is the best salsa! I usually don't care too much about brand names, but when it comes to salsa, this is the only brand I buy.

This is why I'm hoping to win this salsa giveaway at My Wooden Spoon. Check out those great sounding salsa flavors. Yes, I love the plain salsa, usually the hotter the better, but I would really love to try all those flavors. And then I'll probably want them to start packaging them in the big bottles.

I'd say run over and enter the giveaway too, but really, won't that hurt my odds of winning? All right - if you like salsa, go on and enter. Good luck to you - better luck to me!

Entrecard: finally a way to get more comments

I mentioned earlier about the Entrecard - SezWho partnership. It sounds like a great idea to get increased comments on your blog, so I signed up with SezWho, and found out that some of the blogs I already comment on have been using it for a while. At least it looks that way, because SezWho already had a record of those comments. Interesting...

I installed the SezWho code on my blog, changed things so that the comments show up on the post pages, and... Well, I'm not so sure it's working properly. I get the whole SezWho popup that enables me, or anyone, to see where else my commenters have been commenting. I think that's really neat, and I've already clicked some of those to visit the posts they commented on. The thing I don't see are the ratings stars, which do seem to be important because that's how people earn more Entrecard credits, by leaving relevant comments that get high ratings. If people can't rate or be rated on my blog, will they want to take the time to comment? I mean, I'd like them to comment because they want to comment and not just because they can get something out of it, but if it takes a little incentive, then I'm OK with that.

I'm thinking I may have to change to the 'New' Blogger to get this to work properly. Maybe. I'm playing with a new template or layout of whatever they call it on my test blog, but I'm still not sure how much trouble that will be. Also, I have another blog that uses the New Blogger layouts, and no matter how many times I've tried, I can't get it to show that I've installed the ITK (IZEA Tool Kit) so I can get my RealRank. I must have that on this blog. Help me somebody - do you have ITK on your New Blogger blog? Does it work OK? How did you get it to work?

I can't guarantee high ratings and Entrecard credits if you comment here, but I could really use some help.

Dark Knight, Here We Come. Again

... or ... why I bought 20 boxes of cereal.

Yep, you read that right. I bought 20 boxes of cereal today. Pick 'n Save had General Mills cereals and granola bars on sale, 10/$20, or $2/box. If you bought 10 boxes in one shopping trip, you got a certificate for 2 free tickets to see The Dark Knight. So I went twice, since Pick 'n Save is right on the corner when I get into town, and I pass it on my way in and on my way out.

Wednesdays are also double coupon days - if you spend $25 - but they'll only double your first 5 coupons. Actually, they double the 5 coupons with the highest value, which is very nice of them. But the rest of your coupons? Face value. So, I went first, grabbed my cereal and enough other things to get over the $25, and checked out. I had enough coupons to cover all 10 boxes of cereal and granola bars, so I saved a minimum of 50¢ on each box, and some of them $1.50. I should really figure out exactly how much I spent on the cereal, shouldn't I?

Hold on - looking at the receipt and doing the math. Cereal cost, $20 minus $10 in coupons equals $10. That's $10 for 10 boxes of cereal, which is a good deal in itself - then add two free movie tickets (maximum value $25.50) and you have an awesome deal.

The second trip is slightly better because I saved $10.10 with my cereal coupons so I got the 10 boxes of cereal and coupon for two free tickets to see The Dark Knight for $9.90. So, for less than $20, I got 20 boxes of cereal and 4 movie passes.

What kind of good deals have you found lately?

Check Out MyLifetime

I don't actually have time for online games, but I still like to check them out. MyLifetime has some that look like fun, if only I can figure them out. There's one called 'Be My Bra' that's supposed to help support women with breast cancer. I haven't yet figured out how it works, just listened to the theme song a couple times, but it sounds positive.

Along with the games, MyLifetime has a free beauty makeover where you can upload your own photo and try on various hairstyles, makeup, and accessories. There are relationship quizzes to take, craft ideas, entertainment articles to read, and so much more. It looks like a site I could spend some time on, if I actually had some time...

Still, I think I'll bookmark it so I can go back and take some of those relationship quizzes (see previous post).

Happy Birthday, Honey

My honey is 47 today. We're spending his birthday in a really exciting way. Well, of course he had to work all day, but then this evening we're alone, with no kids. And what do we do? We're both sitting with our computers on our laps, playing games, blogging, checking email - and watching a movie, Rendition. Aren't we exciting?

Buy Furniture Online

Our bedroom outfit is one we 'inherited' from Jeffrey's dad years ago. Dad was moving in with his dad, and he didn't need it any more.  It was a step up from our mismatched water bed and dressers, so we were happy to have it.  We did replace the mattress a few years ago, and I'm still happy with the whole bedroom outfit.  Jeffrey is too, but he still likes to go into the furniture stores and look at furniture once in a while - just in case we fall in love with something and have to have it, I suppose.  I'd rather not visit furniture stores, mainly because I really hate the sales people who pounce on you the minute you walk into the store.  I'd like to look in peace, thank you.

That's why I love the idea of discount bedroom furniture you can browse and purchase online.  At The Bedroom Space, I can look to my heart's content without some pesky salesperson bugging me.  I can search by price range, style, or brand.  They've got entire bedroom outfits, bedroom accessories, memory foam mattresses, children's furniture, and a sale right now of 40% off Borkholder Amish furniture.  Hand made Amish furniture - this stuff is beautiful.  Not necessarily in my price range, but gorgeous.

More keeping with my price range, I searched by price and looked to see what they had in the $0-$999 range, and I found a very nice bedroom outfit.  The page has pictures, dimensions, features, manufacturer information, and even a section for customer rating.  They even offer free shipping and a free 5 year protection plan.  And, there's no tax unless you live in Florida.  They even offer no payment, no interest finance options.

If I find something I like, I can purchase it online, or if I have additional questions, I can call and talk to one of their sales representatives.  These sales representatives do not work on commission, so their job is not to pressure anyone into buying anything.  Their job is to help you find the product that best suits your needs, tastes and price range.

I don't think it could get much easier, so if you're looking for bedroom furniture or a mattress, check out The Bedroom Space.

I Won a Pizza!

Image via WikipediaThe Summer Reading Program at the library isn't just for kids. Sure, there are lots of fun activities for the kids, and they get all kinds of cute prizes, but there are also activities and prizes for the adults. So far I haven't attended any activities, but I have been turning in my reading minutes, and I'm trying to fill up my Bingo card. I have a hard time actually keeping track of my reading minutes because I really don't pay attention. I just read. So, I've been guessing and turning a sheet in when I figure I must have read 300 minutes. Probably I've read more, but...

The Bingo card is fun, but I don't think I'll get that filled up. It has squares for reading different kinds of books and for attending library programs. It's a good idea because it gets people reading different things than they would ordinarily read, but I just think I'm going to run out of time before I get all my squares filled.

Still, I won a gift certificate for a free Large pizza from Dominos, because they drew out one of my reading slips. Cory already won one of them and one for a free order of Cinna Stix, but this is the first time I've won anything. Go, me!

Hot Enough For You?

I turned off the air conditioning this morning. Finally, after a long stretch of heat and humidity, it cooled down enough to open the windows. I'm really appreciating it, too.

I'll probably still need the air conditioning in the van when I go shopping tomorrow. It doesn't take a lot of heat to warm your vehicle up enough that you really appreciate a good, working air conditioning compressor. They say that driving with your windows down hurts your gas mileage, so car air conditioning isn't just about comfort. It's about economy.

So, if your Honda ac compressor isn't working properly, and you need a new one or some other A/C parts, check out discountacparts.com. They have a wide selection of auto ac parts, good prices, free shipping, and a full warranty on every part they sell. Just enter your vehicle's year, make and model to find your part, and if you need more help, they have customer service representatives available to take your call, Monday through Friday from 6am-5pm PST.

Heads or Tails - Sit

Today's theme is:

HEADS *OR* TAILS - Sit *OR* Stand

We went to see The Dark Knight yesterday.  Yes, we helped contribute to the $155 million or so the movie made in its first weekend.  We used to pay the extra $1 or so to sit in the reserved seats at the theater, until they changed things, charging more and including so-called free popcorn.  After that, we went back to sitting in general admission seats.  Most seats in the theater are good seats.  It's just that, when a big movie opens, if you want to sit together or not get stuck in the first row, you have to get to the theater about an hour early and wait in line.  Now some might say that is part of the experience, but it's also nice to know that, no matter how late you get to the theater, there is a seat waiting for you.  It's worth a little extra.

I guess we weren't the only people who complained about the theater's experiment of including the cost of a medium popcorn in the price of a reserved VIP ticket, because they've changed things now.  Now, instead of giving you a voucher that is good for a medium popcorn, they just give you a voucher worth $5.  You can spend it at the concession stand, the pizza place, the ice cream place, or the coffee shop - they've got all kinds of things at The Majestic.  We got our usual combo - large popcorn, two large drinks and an extra drink.  There were four of us since Cory took a friend, so we had $20 to spend, and that pretty much took it all.

So, they still require you to buy concessions, if you want to sit in the reserved seats, but at least now you have a choice about what you buy.  Since I have a really hard time going to a movie and not wanting popcorn, I can live with that.  Also, since I complained about the 'free popcorn' I thought I should mention that things have improved.  I'm not sure when they changed things, but this is the first time we've gotten reserved seats since back in December.  We have seen a few movies since then, but we just got there early and waited in line.

If you have time to sit for a while, visit the home of Heads or Tails to join in and to see more participants.

Camera Critters (#15)

I took these when we went to Old World Wisconsin on July 4th. This was during the parade.

Aren't those horses gorgeous?

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

Proofed

Mary and I went to the printers to proof the calendar this morning. We weren't terribly picky about anything, and just found a couple of things that needed checked or fixed. I'm really glad I fixed the alignment issues before we sent it in, because I would have been so frustrated to see them on the print-out and know I couldn't do anything about them. Yes, they would have been fixed, but someone else, at the printers, would have had to do it, and it would have cost us.

Now we just wait for the calendars to be printed and delivered, and then we have to get them ready and mailed. Why is that our job? Yeah, good question - we already do everything else. We used to have someone in charge of mailing, but somehow the calendars started coming back at the same time she and her family were on vacation, and we 'inherited' that job too.

Oh well, there's an end to the whole thing. This is the last year. We're not doing it again - definitely not as a volunteer project, and we have no plans to start a small business franchise and do it for pay either, though Mary says the work we put in could easily cost the district $10,000, not that they would or could pay that. Really? I never have any idea how much to charge for things, and I'm really bad at keeping track of my hours. At least now I know that my hours are my own, mostly.

Cory Tells a Story

Cory posted this video to YouTube yesterday, and it's just hilarious. It's funny all on its own, but you might want to watch this video first to see why he's telling the story.



I think this boy has a future doing something other than selling discount furniture or used cars, don't you? Then again, he'd probably be able to sell anything.

Sky Watch Friday (#31)

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

Around sunset Saturday night, I glanced out the back door and saw this:

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday at Wiggers World. (Update: SkyWatch has a new home! Check it out, and if you haven't joined in yet, now would be the perfect time.)

Join in or just enjoy all the wonderful sky pictures from around the world.

I Forgot

While I was working around the house today, I was trying to think of a good way to work generic Phentermine into a post. And I did it. I came up with the perfect post that would just naturally work, and say something important at the same time. So I sat down at the computer and got distracted doing something else, which turned out kind of cool, but I'm not ready to show you yet.

Anyway, once I finished what I was doing, I remembered why I sat down at the computer in the first place - my post - and I couldn't for the life of me remember what I was going to say. I hate that! I am going to have to figure out how to use the voice recording function on my phone, or do something about my memory.

In the meantime, I added a ribbon to my blog - look over there to the left. Just because I added it, Caring.com contributed $10 to the Alzheimer's Association. Add your own ribbon to your website or blog, and they'll contribute $10 for yours, too.

Entrecard Teams with SezWho

I'm not seeing any difference yet here on my blog, so I'm not sure how this is going to work, but Entrecard announced yesterday that they have teamed with SezWho. I signed up and added the code to my blog, and I'm waiting for it to start working.

Basically, what this partnership means is that, in addition to earning credits for dropping Entrecards, you can start earning credits for leaving good comments, too. This should work well for me because, while I like Entrecard, I've never gotten into serious dropping. I'm more likely to read the blogs I find, not leaving extra time for dropping on lots of them. Now I won't have to worry about that because I should start getting credits for the comments I leave. Also, this should encourage more people to spend some time on the blogs they visit and leave more comments.

Overall a win-win situation for all bloggers - more credits, more comments, more traffic.

Coffee to Go

Today, tomorrow and Friday Cory and his friend Pam have to drive for driver's ed. I have to get them to the school by 8am and pick them up at 10am.

This morning the coffee was ready about the time we had to leave the house, so I put it in a to-go cup and took it along. I might manage to grab a cup of coffee before we have to leave the house tomorrow, but not today. Today I had to make Jeffrey a sandwich, say good-bye to him, get Cory up, do my crunches, weights and stretches, and then make the coffee. By then it was 20 til 8 and we had to leave, and I didn't want to wait until I got back home to have my coffee.

Actually, we didn't quite get out of the house then, but we should have. Cory wanted to drive, and he's rather cautious (slow) when he drives. I tell him that's OK. I'd rather he be cautious than try to drive too fast or pull out if he's not sure he has time. We just need to schedule a little extra time if he's going to drive. Funny - when Beth was learning to drive, we always had to tell her to slow down.

Call Empire Today

You've all heard the jingle and seen the commercials, right? "800-588-2300 Empire Today." That phone number is probably as memorable as Jenny's number (you know the one). You're also probably familiar with the Empire Man. According to Wikipedia:

The Empire Man was introduced in 1977 as a live action character and later adapted into a popular animated persona that has grown to become a cultural icon. The Empire Man has been seen internationally in commercials and other media, has spawned a line of collectible bobblehead dolls, is featured each year in the annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and inspired the Chicago Cubs to declare an official "Empire Day" at Wrigley Field in 2007.

The Empire Man was originally portrayed on television by Lynn Hauldren, who continues to provide the voice of the animated character.

I particularly like this Empire Today commercial featuring the Empire Man:

Well, I've seen the commercials - that one where the people are walking on their brand-new carpet with their shoes on, still kind of bothers me - and I've heard the jingle, but until today I hadn't really paid much attention. Now that we're thinking of changing some of the Flooring in our house, changing the vinyl in the kitchen and carpet in the dining room to ceramic tile and eventually removing the carpeting in the living room and replacing it with hardwood flooring, I thought it was time to check out Empire and see what they offer. I wonder if I get one of those bobbleheads if I order Carpet or ceramic flooring?

Empire Today has been a leading provider of installed Home Furnishings and Home Improvements for more than 45 years. The company was founded in 1959 by Seymour Cohen and was a family-run business under its original name, Empire Carpet. The company later changed its name to Empire Today. I must admit this was something I always wondered - was the company called Empire Today, or were they called Empire and telling you to call today? I guess a little of both.

Empire Today offers many products, like carpeting, hardwood flooring, ceramic flooring, window treatments, Laminate Flooring, and bath & shower liners, not just carpet. They offer these quality products at low warehouse-direct prices, and can even install the next day. Empire doesn't have retail locations, and no overhead means they can pass the savings on to their customers.

What's special about Empire is you don't go to them, they come to you. Call or go online to schedule a free no-obligation quote. A friendly, professional representative from Empire will arrive at your home, bringing lots of samples. That makes it easy to choose the right colors to complement your decor, and you will see exactly what it is going to look like in your house. The Empire professional also does all the measuring so you know exactly how much you need, and will give you a fully installed price. It sounds a lot easier than buying a tile here and a tile there and bringing them home to see what looks good, and then trying to figure out exactly how many we'll need to buy. Here's how it works:

It looks easy and convenient, doesn't it? They have a nice chart showing the advantages and convenience of the Empire Shop-at-Home Service where they compare what you get with Empire and what you might find in a retail store.

Empire Today also has no payment, no interest payment options, currently no payments until January 2010, and great customer service. They want completely satisfied, lifetime customers, and have won several customer service awards.

Call Empire Today, have your carpet tomorrow.

16!? How'd That Happen?

It's Cory's birthday today - he's 16. I could spend all day asking myself how in the world that happened. Just yesterday he was a cute little guy, and now he's this tall person who shaves and has hairy legs. Of course this is where he asks, "Don't you still think I'm cute?" Yes, he's still cute. He's also smart and talented and silly and sweet and still needs lots of hugs. I do think I'll keep him.

He wants to go see a movie, since it's his birthday, so I need to get busy. I've got a library board meeting tonight, and I still need to type the minutes up. Why do I always wait until the last minute? Good question.

Heads or Tails - Joke

Today's theme is:

HEADS - Joke

I recently received this joke in my email:

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders.
The man says, 'A hamburger, fries and a coke,' and turns to the ostrich, 'What's yours?'
'I'll have the same,' says the ostrich.
A short time later the waitress returns with the order 'That will be $9.40 please,' and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.
The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, 'A hamburger, fries and a coke.'
The ostrich says, 'I'll have the same.'
Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.
This becomes routine until the two enter again. 'The usual?' asks the waitress.
'No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad,' says the man.
'Same,' says the ostrich.
Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, 'That will be $32.62.'
Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.
The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. 'Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?'
'Well,' says the man, 'several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.'
'That's brilliant!' says the waitress. 'Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!'
'That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there,' says the man.
The waitress asks, 'What's with the ostrich?'
The man sighs, pauses and answers,

'My second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say.'

If you're like me, you get jokes in your email all the time, but I hadn't heard this one before, and it made me laugh.

Visit the home of Heads or Tails to join in and to see more participants.