Getting Out of the House

I've noticed some people have this need to get out of the house.  They talk about this thing called 'Cabin Fever' that seems to affect them negatively if they don't get out and do something on a regular basis.  Me, I don't understand that.  Getting out of the house doesn't really hold any attraction for me.  In fact, I'll pretty much avoid going anywhere unless I absolutely have to go.

It's not like I can't get out, and once I do, it's really not so bad, and I even enjoy myself.  I'm not going to throw the deadbolt lock and shut myself away from the world forever.  It's usually just the thought of going out and the effort it seems to actually get ready and go.  It just seems so much easier to stay home.  My husband likes to go out and do things, so I'm trying to be better about going out.  It helps if I have some warning, because springing it on me at the last minute, like 'let's go out to dinner' just doesn't work.  It's still easier to stay home and cook - and the food is usually better and definitely cheaper.  But if he gives me time to think about it, I can adjust.  Sometimes.  We have been going out and seeing movies the last several weeks with out Spotlight Movie Club $5 coupons - and since those are on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I can plan ahead.

When I need to go out for something like grocery shopping, I like to accomplish as much as possible, like go to every store possible and get everything we could possibly need so that I don't have to do it again for a while.  The idea of going out for just one or two things just doesn't seem worth it.  If I couldn't have Jeffrey stop by the store to pick things up on his way home, we'd just do without  - because we don't need it badly enough for me to make a special trip.  Of course, now they're saying that combining your trips is a good way to save money, so I guess that's not all bad.

Tonight - I'm just staying home.

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The Trend in Cell Phones

Cory has been looking at new cell phones, hoping he can upgrade his phone next month before he goes to college.  His phone has been having some random issues like not holding a charge as long as he thinks it should and shutting itself off sometimes.  The problem with so many of the available cell phones these days are that they're all Smart Phones or phones with internet access.

It does sound convenient to have all that on your phone - email, facebook, google, whatever.  If you want to look something up, you don't have to wait until you get home to your computer.  The only problem is, these internet phone plans cost $20-$30 or more per month - on each phone.  And that's in addition to the regular calling plan.  I'm not convinced it's that important to have internet access on a phone.  Now, if it was an additional $20/month for all the phones on the plan, that might be worth it.

What I'm afraid of is that pretty soon they won't even have phones available that don't require the internet plans, and then if you want to have a cell phone, you have to pay for the plan.  Or, if they do have phones that aren't internet-capable, they'll be ugly or cheap-looking, and no one will want them.

Do you have internet on your phone?  How much do you use it?  Is it worth the additional cost?

If We Didn't Have to Eat...

At 3:00 I realized I forgot to have lunch today.  I guess that's not horrible, considering I usually don't eat until 12:30 or 1:00, but still.  I just got busy and didn't think about it until my stomach started grumbling.  I have a nice Chocolate Zucchini Cake and some Chocolate Pudding sitting on the counter and some Cinnamon Rolls baking in the oven to show for all my efforts, though.  Of course, none of those are available as lunch because they're all for something else - and I'd be needing the best fat burners I could find if that's the kind of things I ate for lunch.

So I ate a nectarine and some cheese & crackers.  That ought to hold me for a bit.  And now I need to go wash all the dishes I made with all that cooking.  I'm not one of those people who washes the dishes as I go along.  No, I wait until a whole bunch of dishes piles up, and then I wash them.  Hopefully they'll have time to dry before it's time to wash the dinner dishes, because while I don't mind washing dishes, I really, really hate to dry them.

Take the Mission Menus Challenge

Image by audioeric via Flickr

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mission Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever noticed that wrapping something in a Mission tortilla makes it seem a little special?  At least it seems that way to me.  It makes it fun to eat, because you can pick up your food and eat it with your hands.  Using tortillas is also a good way to make leftovers something new.  I like to take leftover steak (grill an extra one or two when you're grilling), and cook it with some onions, garlic, and peppers, cumin and lime juice.  Then just wrap it in some tortillas with salsa, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tomatoes, whatever you like or have on hand, and you have fajitas!  A leftover rice casserole tastes great wrapped up in a tortilla with a little salsa and some lettuce, too - with maybe some cheese or sour cream.

I'm pretty sure those 'recipes' won't be good enough for the Mission Menus Challenge, but I'm really going to have to see if I can come up with something good.  From now until August 9, everyone is encouraged to submit their own budget-friendly recipes for a chance to win a $10,000 kitchen makeover as well as a host of weekly prizes.  All recipes must:

• include Mission Flour Tortillas
• Be original
• Feed a family of five for $10 or less 

It's the original part that kills me.  As I've already said, I love cooking with Mission tortillas - because they're versatile, kid-friendly, convenient,Trans fat and cholesterol free, and they just plain taste good.  I'm pretty sure I can feed a family of 5 for $10 or less any day of the week, but coming up with my own original recipe is going to take a bit of thought and inspiration.  Thankfully, there's quite a bit of inspiration available at www.missionmenus.com - and I'm ready to try all of these recipes.  You should have heard me Ooohing and Aaahing over all the pictures and recipes when I first visited the page!  Is that weird?  Don't answer that!

Instead just take your great budget-friendly recipe that uses Mission tortillas, and enter the Mission Menus Challenge.   It'll be fun, and you could be the one who wins the dream kitchen makeover.

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Don't Lock Your Keys in the Car

Image by Tattooed JJ via Flickr

Sounds simple enough, right?  Just don't lock your keys in the car.

Unfortunately, it seems we all do it once in a while.  Earlier this week I got a call from Beth.  She was on lunch break at work and discovered she'd left her keys lying on the front seat of her car.  She wanted to know if Cory wanted to take a little drive and come unlock her car with my keys.  Instead, I told her to call AAA - because that's what we pay them for.  And since she works 20 minutes or so from here, it made more sense.

So she she called AAA, they sent out a locksmith, and she got her car unlocked in time to go back to work.  Unfortunately she didn't get anything to eat, but at least she had her car keys back so she could leave work when she got off.

I told her that, in the future, the best way to keep from locking your keys in the car is to always lock the car door with the remote.  That way you have to have the keys in your hand in order to lock the car, and there's no way to lock them in.

We'll see how that works for her.

Plan a Trip to Memphis

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Memphis Travel. All opinions are 100% mine.

Memphis - Home of the Blues, Birthplace of Rock 'n Roll, home to Graceland, Beale Street, and world-famous BBQ.  I've never been there.  Have you?  I'm sure anyone who's been there will have all kinds of advice about where to go and what to see and what to do, but what if you don't have anyone to ask?  Easy - just use this Memphis-savvy travel guide to help you plan your perfect visit.

Just choose the type of trip you're interested in, like family, couples, outdoor activities, or nightlife.  Then choose an arrival date, and you'll get all kinds of suggestions for things to do and events for the time you'll be there.  We're not planning a trip right now, but it's still fun to play around with.  I chose the couples trip, and came up with a few interesting suggestions.  How does a carriage ride through the streets of downtown Memphis, a visit to the Memphis Botanic Garden, a drive-in theater, and a guided tour of Sun Studio (the birthplace of Rock 'n Roll) sound?  Sounds pretty good, but then I chose 'Music & Memphis History' and I'm pretty sure that's the trip I'd want.  It includes the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, the Gibson Beale Street Showcase, the Beale Street Entertainment District, and a visit to Graceland.

I'm thinking I'm going to try all of the options - just to see all the great things to do in Memphis.  I didn't realize there was so much to do and so much to see!  I'm definitely going to enter to win a trip package to Memphis and hope we get a chance to visit soon.  You can enter to win a Family Package, Couple Package, Single, or Single & Friends Package.  All of them include some great things to do, but I'm hoping to win the Couple Package. It includes that carriage ride, tour of Sun Studios, and a stay at the Peabody Hotel.  Be sure to enter for your own chance to win.  You can enter once per day until August 15th.

Stylin' Glasses!

I finally ordered some glasses from Zenni Optical.  What do you think?

Just kidding!  These glasses are from a few 20-some years ago.  I recently scanned a bunch of negatives from my old pictures, and every time this one comes up on my screensaver slideshow, I have to wonder what I was thinking when I picked those out.

I really did order glasses from Zenni Optical - after talking about it for ages.  My friend Peggy, owner of the negative scanner I used,  was going to order some, so I decided to pick some out so we could order together - and save on shipping.  Jeffrey and Cory each picked a pair out, too.

I only placed the order on Sunday evening, so we haven't gotten our glasses yet, but when we do, I'll be sure to let you know how we like them.

New Windows?

While we're getting our roof shingled and new siding on our house, we're thinking we ought to go ahead and put new windows in.  It's really the best time to do it, since the siding will all have to come off, making installation easier, and if we get the right energy efficient windows we can get the 30% tax credit, too.   It's hard to imagine not doing it.  There just won't be a better time.

The insurance will pay for Cory's window because it got broken and the back patio door that got scratched up, but we'll have to pay for the rest ourselves.  It would be a no-brainer if we knew we were going to be staying in this house for quite a while.  The energy savings are definitely worth it, but it takes quite a few years for the windows to pay for themselves in energy savings.  But, we don't know how long we'll be here.  I'm not saying we're ready to start looking at Wilmington NC real estate or anything.  More likely we'll be looking at Dallas if Jeffrey moves up with Dean Foods.  He's interviewed for a couple jobs there, but they haven't made any decisions yet.  We're just kind of waiting to see what happens.

The question is will the windows pay for themselves if we have to sell the house sometime soon?  Probably not, but still - it's the perfect time to replace them.  It's also probably a good selling point to have all new windows, and siding, and roof, whether here, in the Wilmington NC real estate market, or anywhere else.

Also, I'd hate to not get the new windows and then find out that we won't be looking at any Wilmington NC real estate listings (Though some of those North Carolina houses look really nice! Yes, I did a search, just because - they make it so easy.), or Dallas listings or real estate anywhere else, and that we get to stay here.  Then we'd want to/have to do it before too long anyway, and the installation would cost more, and the tax credits probably won't be available anymore, and it will end up costing us more.

A Plea

Dear Neighbors,

If you absolutely must spray chemicals on your lawns, could you please do it when the weather is hot, when my windows are all closed and the air conditioning is on?  Because waiting until a nice day when all my windows are open and the nice breeze wafts your chemicals right into them is just plain rude.

Thank you.

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Keeping the Little Ones Safe

Who knew that when we bought a baby gate all those years ago when Beth was born, that we'd still have it.  We've gotten rid of practically every other baby item we ever had, but that gate has come in handy over the years.

I can't even remember what we used it for when the kids were little.  We didn't have stairs in our house, so we didn't need it for that.  We do have stairs in this house, so stairway gates would have been really important if the kids had been babies here.  But Cory was already 5 when we moved here.  We have used it over the years when little people have come to visit, and we used it as a pet gate when Tillie was really little.  It didn't take her long to learn to get over it, though - first climbing it and then just jumping right over.  So we gave up on that.

I'm sure they make better child safety gates nowadays, but the one we've had all these years has done a good job for us.  Will I trust it when it comes time for the grandkids to visit (years from now)?  That might be the time to check out KidSafe to learn more about what's available and see if I need something safer - or just something that opens easily so I don't have to step over it like I do now.  Because, when I'm old enough to be a grandma, I might not be able to so easily.

All the Pretty Colors

Since we had the tornado go through our neighborhood, a lot of the houses are getting new shingles and siding.  Several of the houses have already been done, and we're noticing that colors are changing.  We had our house built, so we chose all our colors to begin with, but a lot of people didn't have that option.  They bought their houses from the original owners and just had to take the colors that were already on the houses.  Now they're getting to choose the colors they want. 

There's a house behind us.  It's a big, two-story house that used to be blue.  Now some people like blue.  Actually, I like blue, too.  I just don't think it should be on the outside of a house, at least not a light sky-blue color.  There are some houses in the neighborhood that are a dusky gray-blue color that isn't too bad, but this house was the light blue.  It was not pretty.  Why do they even make siding in that color?  If it wasn't available, people couldn't choose it, and they'd never even know the difference.

Anyway, thankfully the owners chose to go with a very nice green color, and the house is looking so much better now. Several of the other neighbors around us are planning to change colors, too.  We're planning to stay pretty close to our current colors, because we still like them.  Unless the contractor we choose brings out a sample that I just can't resist...

iNetVideo - Entertainment for Less

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of iNetVideo. All opinions are 100% mine.

Everyone who knows me knows how I love a good deal.  I can't believe I've never heard of iNetVideo before.  They've been offering a wide range of movies on DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray, Video Games and Music CDs for Less, since 1999.  I know there are other sites that sell movies and music online, but why pay full price when you don't have to, right?  At iNetVideo, they have all kinds of entertainment, for better prices than I've seen elsewhere.

Looking around the site, some of the deals that caught my eye are the DVD boxsets for $13.88, music CDs for $5, and blu-ray movies for $13.99.  I thought it was good to get DVDs for $13.99, unless they're the older not-so-popular movies you can get at Wal-mart for $5.  It looks like iNetVideo has some of those, too - though I found quite a few movies I wouldn't mind having just on the first page!  They're also a lot easier to look through than those messy bins in Wal-mart.

Check it out and see if you can find some deals on your entertainment needs wants.  If you're like me and don't have a Blu-ray player yet, you'll want to enter the monthly Blu-ray player giveaway, too.  Also be sure to visit the iNetVideo blog for movie giveaways, fun entertainment articles, and more.

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 64

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

We’re sitting in the basement right now, while thunderstorms keep rolling by.  We’ve been down here all evening.  Luckily they’ve passed us by, but several tornadoes have been sighted in the area tonight.  This Wisconsin weather has been strange this summer with all the tornadoes.  You don’t normally think of tornadoes when you think of Wisconsin.  And it’s not just tornadoes tonight, it’s flooding too, and a sinkhole that swallowed a car.  I bet the owner of that vehicle is going to look in the Robern Medicine cabinet to find something for that headache as soon as he gets home.  It just doesn’t stop!

Beth was upset because Tim was over at his boss’s house after work, and they saw two funnel clouds drop out of the clouds in the field next to the house.  Beth has always wanted to see a tornado, maybe be a storm chaser.  I wonder what she’d do if she really saw one.

Me, I’d rather see blue sky and white puffy clouds like this:

Maybe tomorrow, because you know what they say about Wisconsin weather – if you don’t like it, just wait and it’ll change.  (or something like that)

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

Word Association

 What's the first thing that comes to mind when I say MAIL?

LAUNDRY?

No?  Not for me either, usually.  But sometimes I find myself thinking that I need to do something - in this case go check the mail - and I catch myself saying* that I need to check the laundry.

Where did that come from?  Is that normal, or do I need to start doing brain exercises religiously and look into hgh releasers or something to help slow down the aging process?  I'm not old enough to be losing my mind memory yet, am I?

*Yes, I talk to myself.  What of it?

Care Packages Made Easy

Remember care packages?  Those boxes full of goodies from home when you were away at summer camp or college?  It was always so exciting to get one and fun for everyone in the dorm because, of course, care packages are to be shared.

Now that my son is getting ready to go off to college, I guess that makes me the mom, the one who gets to put together care packages full of special things from home.  Or I could just pay the Residence Hall Association to do it for me.  That's right, for a fee, they will send care packages to my student 'at the most important times during the school year' - so I don't have to do it.  All I have to do is select the packages I want to send him, write a personal message for each package on the back of the enclosed cards, and pay for my order.  Instant care packages!

The packages are full of all kinds of snacks and munchies - candy, cookies, popcorn, chips, etc. - but the only personal touch is the little enclosed card.  None of the student's favorite things from home.  No homemade cookies.  Nothing different from what the room-mate gets - so no need to share, I guess.  I suppose a care package like this is better than no care package at all, but I think I'd rather put together my own.  They're aiming for 100% parent participation, but I don't think they're gonna get it.

Of course, since Cory is going to school only about 15 miles away and will probably be home on the weekends at least every once in a while, I doubt I'll be mailing him anything either.  I'll just put together stuff he'll enjoy and send it back to school with him when he goes.  I think he'll still know I care.

What do you think?

Almost 50

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday.  He's 49 - and since he's a guy I'm sure he won't mind my telling the whole Internet how old he is.  Also, he'll always be older than I am!

I have a hard time believing I'm married to a man who's almost 50.  I remember telling him that I had to marry him before he got 'old' - before he turned 25.  Then when he turned 30 I sent black balloons to his office, because he really was 'old' then.  40 I don't think I made a big deal out of, because he threatened to do the same thing to me a few years later.

25 and 30 don't seem so old now, or 40 either.  But almost 50, now that's old - at least for the next few of years, or until it applies to me.  Then, of course, 50 won't be old at all!  Neither one of us will be needing social security disability insurance or collecting retirement any time soon. Unless someone knows something I don't - I just got an email with the subject line: 'See if you qualify for Social Security disability benefits.'

Zits!

Aren't teenagers the ones who are supposed to worry about acne treatment? Not the moms of those teenagers.  Seriously, if I'm old enough to have teenagers, I should have outgrown zits a long time ago.  Right?

I keep telling myself that, but my body doesn't seem to agree.  The zits always seem to pop out at the weirdest times and in the weirdest places - face, back, legs, arms.  When I entered Jenn's Oxy Clinical Giveaway, I said I wanted to win for Cory, but when I win I might just keep it for me.  Cory's an adult now.  He can buy his own acne treatment.

Or enter giveaways for his own self.  (You might want to enter, too)

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Where'd He Get That Beard?

The boys put together a music video while Travis was here, too.  The song is by a group that was called Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, but now they go by Brite Futures because Natalie Portman wanted her head back - or something like that.  Anyway, it's fun!





They were pretty happy with the results. What do you think?

Time Flies When Friends Get Together

Cory's bestfriend Travis spent the past week here.  He lives in Georgia, so the boys don't get to see each other more than once or twice a year.  Imagine, a whole week together.  In person.

source: Cory's DailyBooth, taken when we got home from the airport last Tuesday.

I think the boys had a great time together.  They hung out in the basement, watched movies, ate a lot of junk food, stayed up very late, organized and attended a Murder Mystery party at the library, went to visit some girls - at a bookstore and in Illinois, went to see Inception on the UltraScreen, went to Menard's, and I don't know what all.

It sounds way better than a Branson vacation, doesn't it? At least if you're a teenage guy.  We had to take Travis to the airport today so he could go back home to his family.  I think both boys were a bit sad that the week wasn't a lot longer.  The good news is that they might be able to catch up on their sleep now.

Starting a New Week

I didn't do much on the computer over the weekend - edited some web pages that I need to get back to and helped Beth set up her wireless network, but no blogging.  And now that it's Monday (night) I'm sitting here trying to get started again.  It's not like I don't have things to blog about.  I just can't think of anything right now.

Or maybe it's because I'm supposed to mention something about the best weight loss pill, and I just can't get inspired about that.  Jeffrey and I were talking about losing weight while we were walking this morning.  We were talking about exercise and making better choices about what to eat and how much to eat.  I really don't think there's any magic pill for losing weight and, more importantly, being healthy.  It takes some work, which is a 4-letter word and most likely why people keep looking for that magic pill!

I wonder if there's some magic pill I can take to help me get back into blogging after the weekend.  Or do I just have to start typing and hope something comes out?

Camera Critters (#119)

 
Weasley:

He’s such a handsome boy.  It must be all that beauty sleep he gets.

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

Snack Attack!

Look what was delivered to my doorstep this week:

A Deluxe Snack Attack gift basket from ProFlowers.  You want snacks, this basket has them.  It includes:

• 6 oz. Colossal Pistachios
• 6 oz. Corn Nuts
• 6 oz. Honey Sesame Sticks
• 6 oz. California Trail Mix
• 6 oz. Honey Toffee Peanuts
• 6 oz. Rice Cracker Mix
• 6 oz. Smokehouse Almonds
• 6 oz. Roasted Salted Cashews
• 6 oz. Honey Roasted Peanuts
• 6 oz. Cinnamon Toffee Almonds

Cory had to dig right in and pull  all the bags of snacks out of the basket.  It wasn't really for his birthday, but I let him open it up anyway.  As he pulled off the top layer, he said, "the rest if filled with Easter grass."  (not really Easter grass, but a shredded paper filler)  And then, he dug some more and found another layer of snacks!

There are two bags of each item, so you can open one at a time while the other half stays nice and fresh until you're ready to eat it.  The bags are not re-seal-able, which would be nice, but not having to open all of the toffee peanuts or all of the rice snack mix at once pretty much makes up for that.  The basket also came with an information card that has all the nutritional information for each item.  I'm sure it's something that has to be included with any food items, but ProFlowers packaged it nicely in a pretty envelope, which is nice.

I've never before received a basket like this or sent one either.  I honestly always thought that they probably looked better in the pictures than they actually were.  ProFlowers has me re-thinking that!  I think this was just as good if not better than it looked in the picture. 

We couldn't decide what to try first.  I wanted to keep all the Cinnamon Toffee Almonds for myself, and Jeffrey wanted to try the Butter Toffee Peanuts - so we started with those.  Both were really good, and I did share.  Then Cory chose the Rice Cracker Mix, and I think I like that best of all.  So good!  There are a lot of snacks here, and we're enjoying them all. 

Once the snacks are gone, I'm sure I'll have fun finding a use for the basket, too.

ProFlowers has all kinds of birthday gift baskets to choose from. This is just one of them.  There are baskets like this one with the nuts and snacks, baskets full of sweets, cookies or fruit, baskets and boxes with wine and cheese and sausage, and more.  If you're looking for a gift for a birthday or other special occasion, check out ProFlowers.  It looks like they have something for everyone. 

Note: I received this gift basket free of charge from ProFlowers for review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 63

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info. (as this meme no longer exists, the link has been removed)
Once again I was out on my deck taking pictures of gorgeous end-of-day clouds.

While I was out there, one of the neighbors started shooting off fireworks – either that or this tree just discovered a new shampoo for hair growth and things are popping out all over.

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

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A Proper Haircut

We took Cory Sunday to get a quicktrim of his hair.  When he was little, we just buzzed his hair at home with the clippers.  It was easy and cheap, and I loved his little 'rub-a-head' - but then he grew out of that stage.  Or at least he decided he didn't want to have his hair buzzed any more.

He went through a stage where he liked it long and shaggy, but now he pretty much likes to keep it short.  It costs more to have to take him to get his hair cut, but he looks so much better when it's short like this.  I think boys should look like boys.  What do you think?

I never have been able to figure out guys who keep their hair so long that you can't tell from behind whether they're a girl or a guy.  Why would anyone want to do that?  (Note:  Cory never let his hair get that long.  Ever.)

First Day of Work after Retirement

I got this in my email the other day:

So after landing my new job as a Wal-Mart   greeter, a good find for many retirees, I lasted less than a day... 

About two hours into my first day on the job a very loud,  unattractive, mean-acting woman walked into the store with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance. 
I said pleasantly, 'Good morning  and welcome to Wal Mart. Nice children you have there. Are they twins?' 
The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say, 'Hell no, they ain't twins. The oldest one's 9, and the other one's 7.  Why the hell would you think they're twins? Are you blind, or stupid?'
So I replied,  'I'm neither blind nor stupid, Ma'am, I just couldn't believe someone slept with you twice. Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart..' 

My supervisor said I probably wasn't cut out for this line of work .

Re-Imagine Wool

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.

Would you wear wool underwear? Well, would you?  You're probably thinking, 'No way!  Wool is way too scratchy to wear as underwear.'  At least that's what I'd be thinking if someone asked me.  When I think of wool, I think of sweaters that are hot and itchy.  They're great for keeping you warm in winter, but you better have something on underneath.  I had a pair of wool pants once, but I rarely wore them because they made my legs itch so bad.  I tried wearing pantyhose underneath them, but that didn't seem to help much.  I'd certainly never want underwear made from that wool!

Why am I even asking about wool underwear?  Because the folks at Ramblers Way have completely re-imagined wool and made it possible to wear wool right next to your skin, comfortably.  Imagine - soft, comfortable wool that you'll want to wear every day.

Ramblers Way garments undergo their "WINDspun" technology which offers the smoothest, most luxurious wool yarn in the marketplace.  Here's an explanation of what makes Ramblers Way yarn superfine, free of those pesky, itchy loose ends and also much lighter than traditional wool.  Ramblers Way garments are not itchy, not heavy, not hot.  They're soft and comfortable, warm and equally cool because they breathe naturally (did you know wool was a year-round fabric?), completely natural and chemical-free, durable, moisture and odor resistant, machine washable and dryable, and completely American made.  This is not the same wool I've always known.

I may not be ready for wool underwear, but I'm thinking a nice wool shirt would be nice.  Short or long-sleeved?

Happy Birthday, Cory!

My favorite son is 18 today.  It's so hard to believe that I've known and loved him for 18 years.  It seems like just yesterday (OK, not just yesterday, but certainly not 18 years) that we welcomed our brand new baby boy into the world.

I watched him grow from the adorable little boy he was into the amazing and handsome young man he is today, and I'm so glad I have the privilege of being his mom.

Cory, I love you!  You're the best son ever!  Talented, affectionate, handsome, crazy, sweet, friendly, smart, fun to be with, and just an overall great guy.  Oh yes, and you're 'pretty good at hugs' too!  I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the next 18 years.

Aerial Pictures of Tornado Damage

A friend sent me an email with these aerial pictures of the tornado damage in Eagle.  I've seen most of this from ground level, but these shots from the air give a whole different perspective.

This first is Old World Wisconsin, which I've mentioned in previous posts.  All those trees are just, down.  From what I understand, none of the restored buildings were seriously damaged.  The trees here were along the entry drive and through the parking area.

Then the tornado moved on and knocked down trees, scattered debris, and ripped the roof off this house.  Most of it had been torn down when Jeffrey and I walked by this morning.  I expect it will all be down in the morning.

More damage.  I haven't actually seen this, but just WOW.  Check out all those trees just laid over, pulled up by the roots.

This big pole barn was completely destroyed.  The houses in the upper right are part of our subdivision.

This was our fire chief's house.  I've walked by there.  I knew it was completely destroyed, but I didn't get the full impact of what that meant until I saw this picture.  There's the basement, and then there's the whole house just smashed and scattered.

The street in this next picture?  The one in middle running left to right?  That's our street.

Thankfully, the street curves before it gets to our house, and the tornado didn't exactly follow the curve.  Our house is in this next pic - in the upper right corner where you see 3 driveways to the left of the street, our house is the middle one.

The cul-de-sac on the bottom there is the one in the picture w/ the destroyed pole barn.

Our house is in this next one, too - on the far right.  You can just see our driveway and a couple windows.

I'm not sure who took these pictures, but I just had to share.

Care Instructions

Spot Clean Only

90% Cotton, 10% Textile by-products of undetermined fiber content.

Due to the nature of this fabric and possibility of dye transfer, avoid placing on light colored surfaces.  If this product becomes wet or damp, dry immediately.

Exert caution when using on wooden, vinyl or tiled surfaces.

KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE

Any idea what kind of product I'm talking about here, and why these care instructions are ridiculous?

Camera Critters (#118)

 
Beth got a new kitten.  I guess technically he’s Tim’s kitten, but it doesn’t really matter.  He lives with them.  His name is Turbo.

She walked over and brought him with her a couple weeks ago:

Then another day, she brought him over for Cory to babysit while she was at work.  Mostly he just explored, and then curled up on the back of the couch to sleep.

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

How Do You Keep Up with the Email?

One of these days, when I have nothing else to do, I really need to clean out my email inbox.  The problem with having Yahoo! mail and its unlimited storage is that I don't delete nearly as much as I should.  Oh, I delete the emails offering to enlarge certain parts of my anatomy that I don't have, the ones telling me of the singles who want to meet me, and the ones listing the side effects of diet pills and what to do if I or a loved one has suffered any of these effects.  What I don't delete are the emails that sound kind of interesting, the ones offering free stuff or discounts on travel, or the ones containing health tips or recipes.

I save those for later, but then - I never get back to actually read them.  I might have a better chance if I organized them when they came in, putting them into their proper folders, and creating additional folders as needed.  But I don't, and then everything just gets lost in my inbox.  I'd probably be ahead to just delete everything and start over.  What do you think?

Is there any way to keep email organized and to keep up with it?  Without just taking days and days to wade through it.  Give me some tips.

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Dead Flies

After I posted about all the flies in the house yesterday, Cory and I killed at least 20 more of them!  I found a whole bunch on the kitchen window, hidden behind the mini-blind.   Then today we've killed 15 or 20 more.  I still have no idea where they're coming from.  What I do know is that it has nothing to do with extenze side effects, though some of those flies are pretty big, making me wonder what they've been taking.

And now, as I'm typing up this post, Cory is killing more of them.  He just counted at least 7 flies on the window.

Just for fun, or because we're too lazy to pick them up, we've got a whole pile of dead flies on the floor by the sliding door.  At least I hope they're dead and aren't re-animating and becoming some kind of vampire flies... that we keep 'killing' over and over again.

Cory said all the dead flies would make a good picture to take for Camera Critters, but I'm thinking NOT.

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