Bumps In The Road

I'm blogging again!

2011-01-29T04:49:00.002-06:00

I'm personal blogging again! You can find me at my new home over at Sheepless in the City. I've imported all the blog posts from here as well as my other attempt at personal blogging...plus there is some new content as well. I hope that you will drop by and check out my new place.

Jamie

The New Blog address

2009-05-07T02:31:00.003-05:00

Bumps in the Road has now become Confessions of a Country Girl and can be found at http://confessionsofacountrygirl.wordpress.com for now. I haven't made it completely self-hosted yet due to budget constrants so for now I am at the mercy of wordpress. I've got my domain name purchased now all I have to do is find myself affordable web hosting. Hope to see you there!

P.S. You can still follow me in your blogger account you just need to change the url for my blog.

Jamie

I got good mail!

2009-05-07T01:41:00.001-05:00

I got some good mail in the mailbox on Monday! I participated in Kati's blog swap. My partner was Tammy from the blog Home in Virginia....I had a great time! Here's the goodies I got in my box! M

Self Hosted Blogging

2009-05-05T17:05:00.006-05:00

The other day I mentioned in a post that I was considering moving my blog to a self hosted site. Which I have decided that I will for sure be doing...Complete with name change too. A self-hosted blog is a webpage in which I will have complete control over in pretty much every aspect (right now I'm just borrowing space on blogger's server...When I move I won't have to worry about that anymore)....I won't be at the mercy of Wordpress.com or Blogger anymore. I won't have to worry about blogger deleting my blog for grins and giggle's again...I won't be at the mercy of anyone really design wise anymore. I will have my own little space of the internet to do my thing on. To be honest, I can hardly wait to get started. I've already decided what my new name is going to be and I'm in the process of trying to find a web designer and get the process rolling. I hope my little explanation was helpful.

I've been thinking about making this change for months now. I've been weighing the pro's and con's to making this big of a move and I think that it's time for me to take a leap of faith. As much as I've enjoyed everyone here that I've met on blogger I realize that when I make my big move that not everyone will make the move with me. For those who don't....It's been a pleasure. I hope to see you around the bloggy world.

Jamie

Here is an example of a self-hosted blog - The Pioneer Woman

A very interesting Tasty Tuesday

2009-05-05T15:35:00.004-05:00

As promised...here is a very "special" Tasty Tuesday. Don't you just want to eat her up?! Her name is Onyx and she's an 8 month old Shiz Tu/Poodle mix and she's absolutely "massive" at 7 pounds. We're hoping that she'll be coming to live with us soon. Laci and I went to meet her this afternoon and she's soooooo adorable and all she want to do is be held and loved on....Two things she'll get a LOT of here at our house.

A very interesting Tasty Tuesday post coming soon

2009-05-05T15:23:00.001-05:00

You don't want to miss it that's for sure....Plus I'll also go into self hosted blogs also.

Somethings I've been thinking about doing....

2009-05-04T08:01:00.004-05:00

For a little while now I've been thinking about doing my own swap. I'm going to do a little more studying on the subject and see what I can come up with. I'll keep everyone posted as to when/if the swap will be happening.

Another thing that I've been thinking about doing is maybe making my blog a self hosted blog. I've done a little bit of studying on the subject and some of the other self hosted blogs that I've visited are great. The only thing that really worries me is not having really anything to say on some days.

Tomorrow Tasty Tuesday will probably be a little bit late being posted....Getting my crown put on and determining if I'll actually need a root canal or not. I'm hoping not but right now I'll be honest....It's not looking good.

Jamie

Just because I feel like it

2009-05-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

It's sooo GREEN!

2009-05-02T07:21:00.003-05:00

Look! It's actually spring around our area! Finally!

The Best Damn "feel good" giveaway EVER!

2009-05-01T07:07:00.000-05:00

My bloggy pal Pooba is hosting a giveaway to raise a little money for a family member's cancer treatments. The prizes? There are two....One is an apron from Boojiboo aprons....The other....Well it's a mystery suprise.

Here are a couple of examples of Boojiboo aprons....The upside to this giveaway is that you get to pick your apron if you win and there are over a 100 to choose from.

If you would like to participate....Please click on "POOBA" to go directly to the giveaway post.

Pretty Flower

2009-05-01T03:03:00.003-05:00

Not much has been going on around here in my little corner of the world this week. I've had 4 days off of work...Which I'm super excited about....but not super excited to see my next paycheck is all. In those 4 days I've done a whole lot of nothing...which I'm very good at for the record. The weather's been pretty iffy around here too so Laci and I haven't been able to get out for as many walks as I'd like but beggars can't be chosers right?

I'm in the process of thinking up another giveaway...I had so much fun with the first one I figured what the heck. I don't know what's all going to be included yet, so please keep checking back for updates.

I've been trying a whole bunch of new recipes recently...Most of which are up in printable format on my other blog The Country Girl Cooks and Talks Money. Of the recipes that I've tried so far no duds yet. Which makes me really happy. I'll have some more of the photo "how to's" up shortly.

Did you know that Bed Head makes a pet care line the Bath and Body Works carries exclusively online? Here's the link if you want to check it out.

Also, I'm looking for any and all titles/authors to reading material. I'm going to be spending a lot of time at my local libary while I'm saving up to get brakes put on my car and extra "fun" stuff like that.

Adding New Recipes over at The Country Girl Cooks and Talks Money

2009-04-30T12:57:00.004-05:00

I'm in the process of adding new recipes over at my other blog The Country Girl Cooks and Talks Money. Hope to see you there. Putting up some really good stuff today - the printable version and the photo "how to" version (most of the "how to's" will be up later after my nap).

Batman....We have a problem!

2009-04-29T14:08:00.002-05:00

Robin's down! According to my father, our patio door is a bird killer. The other day he was sitting in our living room watching tv when he heard a "THUD THUD" against our patio door and this is what he found.

Does it make me a "bad" person that I'm posting about the untimely death of Robin? I can't really decide.

Award Number 2

2009-04-29T10:30:00.002-05:00

I recieved this award from Cowgirls Like Me. Thank you very much for the award! This award had another set of rules to go with it but I've decided that I'm going to be a rebel today and not follow the rules. I am giving this award to everyone also. Enjoy!

I recieved a couple of awards recently...Here's number 1

2009-04-29T10:08:00.003-05:00

I recieved this award from my good blogging pal City Girl Turned Country Girl over at A&MD Ranch. Right now they are having a name that foal "contest" for the new baby that arrived at the ranch on Monday. Thanks for the award!

Now here are the rules that goes along with this award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an Attitude of Gratitude.
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award.
5. Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for this award. Tell us how you've come to have an Attitude of Gratitude.

Now here are my nominee's for this award:

I am going to be difficult and nominate everybody. Enjoy this award ladies and gents!

Just Because

2009-04-29T07:07:00.000-05:00

Movie Numero 7 ~ Mr. Holland's Opus

2009-04-29T00:29:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a movie post in a little while so I thought that I would introduce my readers to another movie that I think you should see before you die. The movie I've chosen this time around is Mr. Holland's Opus. AWESOME movie!

Richard Dreyfuss plays Glenn Holland who is a professional musician who would like to spend more time working on the piece that he is composing, so in 1965 he takes up teaching music at a local high school. Little does he know that there won't be very much "free time" as a teacher.

In the beginning, Mr. Holland is frustrated that he is unable to connect with his students, but over time he becomes very successful at his profession. At home though, he is struggling with with a major "issue" surrounding his son and struggles through the years to develop any kind of relationship with him. When the music program is cut after 30 years, Mr. Holland wonders what, if anything, he really has accomplished in his life.

Just some randomness from my little ADD mind

2009-04-28T08:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I posted that I felt a little bit out of place here in the bloggyland....Lot's of mommy bloggers out there. Some of the blogs that I visit are written by mom's and I love them....I'm just a little bit out of my "element" I guess with really little kids....It's been a while since I was a little little kid and my youngest cousin is 11. Thanks for all the encouraging comments on my True to Life post yesterday.

I'm going to try to start posting more than one post a day...so keep scrolling or check out the archives if your coming here via a specific post. This post itself will be my third post of the day...I've done Tasty Tuesday, and a tag so far. Later, probably after my nap, I will be handing out an award and posting about another movie on my list....I haven't done one of those posts in a little while.

I lost a follower sometime between yesterday and today. That makes me sad...I'll get over it though....I'll find out who my friends are right?!

Going to sign off for now.

Jamie

My Crazy 8's

2009-04-28T08:18:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by my new bloggy pal Aunt of 14 the other day to do my "Crazy" 8's. So here we go.....

Here's the rules--mention the person that tagged you.
Complete the lists of 8's.
Tag 8 of your wonderful blogger friends.
Go tell them you tagged them!

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. Having 4 days off this week.
2. Getting paid on Friday
3. My raise that is coming with my annual review
4. The first sunshine that we've had here in Wisconsin for the past few days...That would be today...right now.
5. Getting some more shorts in size MEDIUM....I haven't been able to wear a medium in forever.
6. Seeing Jeff Dunham live in Madison
7. trying out new recipes
8. My hair being long and louscious

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Worked
2. Tried not to let my temper get the better of me.
3. Started a new book
4. Blogged
5. Slept
6. Got up to go to work
7. Got ready for work
8. Actually went to work

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Not ever have to worry about money
2. Get my credit cards paid off lickety split
3. Go on a much needed vacation ASAP
4. Have better discipline with my eating habits
5. Take better photo's
6. Make some extra money from my crafty projects
7. Write an unbelievable best-seller
8. Wear size 8 jeans

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Dancing with the stars
2. Big Bang Theory
3. Deadliest Catch
4. Dirty Jobs
5. PBR
6. Two and a Half Men
7. History Channel
8. CMT/GAC

Now who am I tagging?

City Girl Turned Country Girl

Heatherlyn

Trainwreck

The Wife

Keeperoftheskieswife

AmyB

Pooba

Yaya

Tasty Tuesday

2009-04-28T08:10:00.003-05:00

This week on Tasty Tuesday we're making Sticky Chicken. This is an AWESOME recipe! I am sooooo glad that I found it. Click here to go to the printable recipe or click here to go to the photographed steps. Keeping today's Tasty Tuesday a little bit on the brief side. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did!

Jamie

True to Life part 3

2009-04-27T08:19:00.002-05:00

I feel sort of out of place here in the blogging world. A lot of the blogs that I visit or have visited via my comment support group SITS seem to be more "mommy" blogs. Sometimes I feel that when I comment on a "mommy" blog that when they come to visit my blog and find out that my blog isn't a "mommy" blog they don't leave comments. I'm not knocking "mommy" bloggers....Hey that's totally AWESOME to blog about your kiddo's....I just feel left out, cause I'm not a mommy.

Have I mentioned that I hate feeling like it's me against the world? If I haven't I do....A LOT. Right now....It seems that the world is winning instead of me...I hate that even more.

Have I mentioned that I'm jealous of my mom's new DSLR camera? I want one too...Just can't afford it.

Have I mentioned that I love blogging about my "problems?" It's definately cheaper than therapy.

to be continued.....

True to Life part 2

2009-04-26T01:58:00.000-05:00

I pretty much feel like I'm a prisoner to Ms. Laci. When we adopted her she pretty much decided that I was her person and she's bonded with me pretty tightly (if she could go everywhere...and I mean EVERYWHERE...with me she would) to the point that if I leave to go anywhere there are days that she will sit at the front door and howl until I return.

I've been trying to lose some weight on and off for a long time now. Since my Dr. appointment on April 1 where my dr. gave me some really great advice on things I can do to aid in my weight loss I'm down 5.8 pounds. I've decided that my goal weight is 140....I started at 161.3 pounds so I'm well on my way.

I took Ms. Laci to the vet to get her shots updated and our vet has officially put her on a diet. In the almost 2 months since her last visit to the vet she's gained almost another 2 pounds....putting her close to 28 pounds. Our vet says she could stand to lose at least 4 pounds. So Ms. Laci and I are both dieting right now.

As kind of a stress reliever I've been doing a lot of reading, walking and I just recently took up knitting again. I had kind of taken a little bit of a breather from knitting to work on some other projects to but the opportunity arose to try a new knitting challenge....A baby Afghan. One of my co-workers found out that she's having a baby in November and I thought I'd knit her and her husband an afghan.

to be continued....

Guest Blog: Gettin' Crazee Up in Here

2009-04-25T00:32:00.006-05:00

Happy weekend to everyone out there....

I'm Juls from "Every Day is a Crazee Day" and I'm ecstatic to be guest blogging here at Bumps in the Road. So, I'd like to say thankyouverymuch to Jamie for letting me come & share some crazee stuff with you...

Today, I'd like to chat with you about nothing in particular.

Wait, wait ....come back. Don't clickety click off to another blog just yet.... I promise to be somewhat interesting.... Okay, maybe worth reading? Who knows?

So, people often ask me,

"Juls, why is every day such a crazee day?"

And the answer is simple really.... life in general is crazee...don't ya think? It all depends on what we like to concentrate on, and as for me.... I tend to lean toward focusing on those things in life that make each day unusual....

So, without further ado, (and because I have a mad crush on none other than David Letterman) here are the:

TOP TEN REASONS EVERY DAY IS A CRAZEE DAY

10. Everyone I know, needs an intervention of some sort. Probably means I need an intervention too... So I'm always half expecting for some documentary crew to show up, and ask: "Do you agree to be in a documentary about...fill in crazee behavior of your choice here.."

9. My kids are so busy, that most days we meet ourselves coming in the door as we're going out the door.

8. There is hardly ever a day that I don't either a) wet my pants from laughing so hard, or b) nearly wet my pants from laughing so hard. Yes, I know there's medication for this. Yes, I am considering seeking medical advice to obtain said medication.

7. I never go looking for drama, but it always seems to find me. For example: I once was driving down the street...and nearly ran over a 2 year old little boy...who was totally alone. No joke--- no parents for miles...(it wasn't a residential street)....so of course I pull over and have to hold some random baby, wait for the police, and then when the police arrive--- they won't let me leave, because they thought I *might* have been some crazee lady who was a remorseful kidnapper. (It all turned out fairly uneventfully and little baby boy was returned home safely)

6. I have two tween girls, need I say more?!?

5. Every day, as I drive to pick my kids up from school, I pass the same pasture that is home to a "herd" of cattle...and I always wonder what those cows are thinking... Who does that?

4. Two of my brothers-in-law have had the same wife. WHAT! Yes--it's true. But luckily, not at the same time. So some of my nieces and nephews are cousins/step-siblings.

3. If I haven't pulled off a good prank--I somehow feel inadequate.

2. My days begin at 6 a.m. and most of the time, I don't go to bed before 2 a.m. So I ~~run around like a crazee zombie~~ function on 4 hours of sleep.

and the Number 1 Reason why "Every Day is a Crazee Day..."

1. Most of my good buddies are not buddies I have ever met, but people who like to get Crazee and read my blog and/or I read theirs. Hey, I'm not discounting these friendships, but I do have a real issue with most of my IRL (in real life) friends--because remember......???? THEY ALL NEED INTERVENTIONS.

_________

So tell me, friends of Jamie, and hopefully friends of me too-- what is it that makes your days crazee? Is it crazee in-laws, kids, a strange boss, your weird addiction to the Home Shopping Network? We all have a little crazee in us, are you willing to embrace your inner crazee?

Oh, and by the way- if you wanted to know what crazee looks like ....

(L-R) Hannah Grace, Big Daddy, Me, & Miss Mae --The Crazee Scotts

Blessings...giveaway winner...and other randomness...Oh My!

2009-04-24T04:11:00.005-05:00

It's friday again....so it's time for me to do my blessings for the week. This week I started posting here on Bumps In The Road my True to Life "journal"....It's just a little way for me to vent my frustrations and I really appreciate all the feedback that I've gotten so far from just the first post alone. On Sunday morning part 2 is scheduled to make it's appearance.

I had a pretty ok week at work this past rotation...It was the ETL that everyone likes weekend to work so things always run pretty smoothly. Nothing all that exciting really happened....just had my nose to the grindstone to get my work done and get the heck out of there. This weekend....well it probably won't be as smooth as this past weekend was....the other ETL gives off the vibe that she just doesn't care enough.

My days off were pretty uneventful....In my world that's a pretty ok thing. Tuesday I got my temporary crown put on....Right now I'm hoping that I have no sensitivity issues or I may need to have a root canal done....Got my fingers crossed on that one. Tuesday afternoon....Took the dog to the vet.....She's officially on a diet. Our vet says she could stand to lose at least 4 pounds....She's not likeing dieting at all though.

Wednesday....I started knitting a baby afghan for a co-worker who is having a baby in November. I also taught myself to crochet! Wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be that's for sure. My mom told me that she's getting a brand new Nikon D60 digital camera....We're hoping that it'll come this weekend.

Thursday....I did some cooking and posted one of the recipes that I did on my cooking blog over on wordpress. Then I did a whole bunch of nothing. Nothing is a GREAT thing in my book.

Here's a pretty cool webpage that was featured on SITS today....Great Girl Trips. If your planning a trip with your girlfriends check this webpage out....It's got some pretty awesome ideas and great tips too.

Tomorrow I have another AWESOME guest blogger. Juls from Every Day Is A Crazee Day. I can hardly wait to see what Juls has to say....I was a guest blogger over on her blog not all that long ago and I had a great time...even though my post was kind of a downer.

Now for the winner of my first ever blog giveaway.....After tabulating all the enteries for everyone who participated in my giveaway.....Our winner is Tamara B. Congrats to the winner! I'll be in contact with you shortly.

Coming up in the next week or so....My first ever Follower exclusive giveaway. I haven't decided what I'm going to giveaway yet but I'll definately be sure to post about it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jamie

Tasty Tuesday....Thursday edition

2009-04-23T03:56:00.004-05:00

Don't forget that my giveaway ends tonight at 11:59!

Today on Tasty Tuesday....Well Thursday edition we have a bread machine recipe that my family LOVES. Unfortunately, there are no photo's this week. If you don't have a bread machine, I'll post a link (there is a printable copy of the recipe included in the post also) to another cinnamon roll recipe from another blog that is just as AWESOME. I've also started a cooking blog over at wordpress called The Country Girl Cooks. I hope you'll drop by and visit me there too.

Cinnabons

Ingredients:

4 T. melted butter
4 T. water
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 T. sugar
4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Directions:

Place ingredients into bread machine in order listed. Set for dough cycle. After cycle is complete, roll into 17 X 10 inch rectangle. Butter the dough rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with a mixture of 1 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Roll tightly, pinch edges closed and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Place into greased 13X9″ pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. While still warm spread with frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp milk

True to Life part 1

2009-04-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a week since the liquor cabinet was calling me. I wish the liquor cabinet wouldn't call to me....Alcohol is so NOT the answer to my problems. Alcohol just seems to cover up the problem's for a little while and make's you feel a little less like the "machine" that you and your life currently has become. I don't need to cover up my problem's...I need to figure out exactly what they are and deal with them. So far I've been pretty bad at figuring out what my problem's are and dealing with them.

You ever just have "one of THOSE" days? Recently, it seems that I've been having them on a pretty regular basis when it comes to my place of employment. I'm basically sitting around waiting for my supervisors to come up with something new and exciting to get on my case about. After basically being told that I'm the problem, I have developed a little bit of an attitude towards my supervisors. I pretty much show up do my job, go home and only talk to my supervisors when they talk to me. Now I'm not in a position where I can leave my job.....The job market where I'm at is pretty dismal.....So I'm pretty much sucking it up and being a gluton for punishment.

On top of all of my work related issues, I've had a pretty crappy beginning to 2009 also. Well, pretty much from the end of November until now (so far anyway) has been pretty dismal on good things happening to me. Which if you want the highlights you can find them in this post.

Currently, I feel like I'm nothing more than a machine. There really aren't enough changes to my daily routine right now to NOT consider myself a machine. 4 days a week I go to bed between 9 and 10 in the morning, get up between 6:30 and 7 that night, get ready for work, leave between 8:20 and 8:30, show up at work around 9, work for 10 hours and go home and do it all over again. On my days off, it get's mixed up a little bit more but not much. The last couple of days it's been raining so Ms. Laci and I haven't been going out for walks, because she doesn't "do" rain or inclimate weather real well.

to be continued.....

Tasty Tuesday

2009-04-21T06:59:00.002-05:00

This week Tasty Tuesday has been temporarily postponed. I'm having some dental work done today and will be numb and cranky most of the day. Hoping to post Tasty Tuesday on either Wednesday or Thursday.

True to Life

2009-04-20T08:09:00.002-05:00

Right now I'm taking some advice that I gave another blogger who is also dealing with some work related issues and journaling about it. I'm currently working on a post that I will be sharing with you all. I hope it isn't too scatterbrained for ya'll....My little ADD brain works like that A LOT. Not sure when it will be up but just wanted to put out a heads up.

Birth Plan Goes Wild..

2009-04-17T20:30:00.012-05:00

Thank you Jamie for inviting me to guest blog today. What a wonderful chance to reach out and meet some new friends in the blog world. For those who do not know me..I am Amy and I have a blog called Our Daily Blessing..Life. Not only am I new to the blog world but I have never been a guest blogger. I hope I do not disappoint Jamie..or end up deleting her blog by accident...ha. Shoot that is not even funny..scares me to even joke about it.

So when Jamie and I talked about what I should blog about she said it was up to me...hummm...she is a brave lady. After doing some thinking about my crazy life I decided I think everyone would enjoy knowing what a crazy, wonderful, blessed, movie like delivery I had with my sweet 4 year old Cole.

Being the mom to 4 children you would think my DH and I would think that there is not much that could get us "stressed" when having baby number four. WRONG..

Living in Florida it is a given that we have hurricane. In fact living so close to the beach..11 houses we have gotten use to half watching the news and saying we will believe it when it comes down the street. Well Sept 2004..made a believer out of us.

Florida made history in Sept 2004 with FOUR hurricanes to hit in one month....and I had a baby in the middle of one and got to spend a week in lock down at the hospital. Yep...and that is only the half of it...lol

So here I am big...really big and PG . Like very soon to be mommy out there I had it planned how it would be when I had the baby...Let me share the plans..
I would gain only 15 pounds and have a birth plan typed and include a fast birth with no drugs.... My fridge would be well stocked. My baby shower done and the baby clothes washed and put away in my perfect nursery. My house clean...and well you know everything done.

Now let me share with you my reality having Cole. When I was 32 weeks pg and well ..ummm..well past the 15 pounds gained weight...the weather man said there is a hurricane coming. Emily says ...mommy do you think it will hit us. I say..oh Emily no way..BITE MY TONGUE AND SLAP ME...yep...here comes the storm. So I have to decide what to do fast..but obviously not fast enough because by the time I figured out what to do..there was no place to go. Every other person in Florida decided to stay in the hotels ...so here we go..three children..me and DH and a cat and two greyhounds in a van...with all my photos and my baby bedding. Yep..you know I had to take my baby bedding cause it was perfect and I needed it. LOL. So we drive and we drive and we drive. We finally go and stay with my mom for a few days and make a nice visit out of it.
As we are driving home I notice I am not feeling so well. In fact I have a stomach ache. Well maybe it is a little more then a stomach ache. I will just rest. I happen to mention to Jim that I might be having braxton hick contractions but I was sure it was okay. Being the sweet and loving man he is ..he says as serious as can be..If you do not stop having the contractions I am going to pull off and leave you at the first hospital I find. Notice he did not say he would stay..LOL. So I rested and drank some water and all was good. Thank goodness or I would of been left at some hospital off I-95.
We come home to a house that is dark..hot..smells awful..no hot water..all food is gone bad...and Jim had to kick the front door in for us to even get in our house. But I have my baby bedding so all is okay.
The next day was a dose or reality. We went and stood in line to get ice from the Red Cross. It was amazing to watch our small beach town pull together . Police are everywhere. Fema is driving up and down the streets handing out food. The MRE's dried food packs. Reed was thrilled.
Off and on I notice I am having braxton hicks contractions again. I end up calling my DR and they have me come in and see the DR. My awesome Dr has me do a Non stress test and sure enough I am having contractions. So off to labor and delivery we go. After some IV medication and some fluids I was good to go ...which was good I still had 8 weeks to go in my PG.
Off and on for the next week I had pre term labor. The DR put me on meds to try to hold off labor. With rest this seemed to do the trick. Little by little I was thinking my plan of the perfect delivery would happen.
Then we watched the weather again...storms and storms and more storms. Emily says..Mom are they coming this way. I said..no honey. She looks at me and says mommy you said that last time. So I go into great detail telling her the odds of another storm hitting us. I tell her that the last one was a fluke. yep..I should of never of said that.
The next day I end up in labor and delivery with contractions. I am thinking that the DR will change around my meds and all will be okay for a few weeks. The nurse gave me a shot and the contractions stopped. Then she says The DR wants to see your first thing in the morning. Jim and I go home and plan to see the DR the next morning. I notice all night I am having contractions off and on..but not the magical number per hour to get me back at the hospital.
The next morning Jim and I go to the DR and he says..lets do a NST and have a talk...the NST showed contractions once again. The DR gave us a pep talk about mother nature being stronger then the meds..and he felt it was safer to go ahead and deliver then keep stopping it and chance a infection. So he wanted us to go to the hospital get ready for our baby to be born. I was a bundle of nerve and excited...
So off we go and get ready. After hours of laboring..it was decided I needed a repeat csection. Due to Cole being 6 weeks early the room was filled with people and there was a lot going on. But at least Jim was there to be with me..well he was for a few seconds..
Here I am...Jim tells me he feels odd...I look at him as they are cutting me open to get my precious premature baby boy out and say to him in the most stern voice I can..JIMMY you better not...yep that was all I got out..The man passes out. See he never listens to me..never. The DR was so funny. He says as serious as can be.one two three he is out..let's keep going. About this time they get Jim to his feet again and he says I am fine..then he says..oh I hear buzzing..and down he goes again. Dang him..So poor Jim has to go lay down..Amy is alone..No pictures of her sweet baby boy being born..No one to hold her hand..NO ONE to say..Are you okay Amy..NO NO NO. Just everyone saying..is the dad okay. As they wheel me to recovery I see him laying down in a room with a fan on him..If I could of gotten up and yelled at him I would of. Did I not tell him to NOT pass out? This just goes to show he never listens to me.
Okay so no baby pictures. That was NOT in my plans but it will be okay. Then Cole had to go to the NICU. Even though he was a big baby he was a young big boy. Okay..that was okay too. Because after talking to the NICU DR it was best he was out. Not part of the plan but it was okay...Cole was born.
So they send Jim home because he is worn out from passing out...lol..and they want me to get some rest. I decide I really need to see Cole. So I talk the nurse into taking me to the NICU ...what a sweet beautiful baby he was. As we are coming back in the wheel chair..I threw up all the way down the hallway. Maybe the nurse was right..I should of rested ...that was not part of the plan.
The next day my mom calls and I say when are you coming. She says..well I can not come till I see what the storm does. Now..let me just add that being that this was my 4th csection..I was hurting and on a lot of meds. I say Momma..the storm is over...it is time to come. She explains to me there is a new storm ...on it's way..yep the same storm I told Emily that would never come. Guess what. yep.
The next day..the evacuation order comes in for the beach so my inlaws take the kids and leave. Here I am..in the hospital with a preemie baby and a hurricane on it's way again.
The hospital starts getting ready and all heck breaks lose. People are flooding into the hospital to cover shifts. They are putting the shudders on the windows..except on my floor because..oh they got damaged 2 weeks prior in the last storm. People were sleeping on the floor of the hospital..they allowed family of the staff to stay there. The power went out and we were on generator. No TV..No Internet..Do I need to tell you that this was not a part of my birth plan?
As the storm passes..I start to get anxious about the house. Was it okay. Did it make it. Was there work that needed to be done. And I also knew that I would need to be discharged without taking Cole home with us.
So with a lot of tears and sadness Jim and I pack up my room and try to leave the hospital. After having to climb over people sleeping on the lobby floor..we finally find a guard to let us out of lock down. I hated to leave ...but I was discharged .
As we go across the causeway to the beach side we have to dig through our bags to find our licences to show we really live beach side. Because of the storm they have closed it off. Reality is seeing the national guard with guns directing who can go where.
As we get home..I walk in..no baby...no power..no food...no water.. a week of rotten food from no power....nothing like this was in my birth plan. We find candles and we cooked some defrosted TV dinners on the gas grill. I figure that it will all be okay. How bad can it get? Oh it can get bad...
I wake up and my boobs are about to burst open. Yep my milk is in. And since I nursed 3 babies already..my body knew what to do. So I have this wonderful electric breast pump..and NO POWER. Panic sets in..I am sweating like a pig..sticking to the sheets...Boobs are pounding and hormones are raging.
Jim goes to our neighbors house who are having a party and says I hear your generator..can my wife come and use her breast pump? HUH? LOL. So they say yes and off I go to the garage..and I am high on pain meds..they are drunk on wine and I am pumping both breast in a strange garage of someones house with people peeking in saying ..wow what is that. Someone even asked if it was some type of dialysis. Did I mention there was drinking ?
Is now a good time to mention that this was NOT part of my birth plan?
That minute I decide we are going to the hospital...Oh ..no..there is a curfew..bridge is closed. So I decide I am buying a generator..No there is not one to be bought...So I decide that my mom is going to buy one and bring it with her from SC..but she calls everywhere and there are NONE to be bought...they have all been sent to Florida..Well...atleast my mom can come now and make me some food. That was part of my birth plan..my mom would cook for me. What ? Oh just something. So my mom comes and goes to every store in town ..no meat. There is no meat in the store. There is no cold foods..just boxed food. Hummm....
Okay about this time I figure out that my birth plan is not going to work..LOL. None of it...
The day the power was back on and my mom showed up..the DR called and said..your baby boy is ready to come home...
But after all of that...wanna know what was important ..and the best ..and in the end made up for everything?

Friday's Blessings

2009-04-17T02:08:00.006-05:00

It's Friday again and I'm back on track. I'll be honest this was NOT a good week for me at all really. There were very few good things that happened to me to be honest. Work has been well....NOT so good. I guess the only good part about work right now is that I have a job. So let's just say I have a new attitude towards most of my job duties and my supervisors...Unfortuanately, it's not all good attitude....Not gonna lie.

We are hopefully going to be adopting a second dog into our family. I did a little post about 3 of our 4 candidates....The 4th one just got added to the list, I'll post a little bit about her at the bottom of this post. So we're super excited here at my house. I can hardly wait to see who we come home with! I deleted the original poll that I had up with our first 3 candidates on it so that I could add our 4th candidate to the poll, so feel free to re-vote.

The weather has been phenominal! I was actually running around in SHORTS yesterday! I think that spring may have finally arrived in Wisconsin....Even if just temporarily. It's supposed to be 70 degree's here today!

I put out a request for guest bloggers yesterday for Saturdays and possibly Sundays as well...Tomorrow we will have AmyB from Our Daily Blessing....Life. Amy's blog is AWESOME....Her son Phillip has been through a LOT in his life and Amy herself has been dealing with NON Hodgkin's stage 2 cancer. I hope that you will go and check out her blog. Amy and Phillip are real inspirations. If you would like to be a guest blogger please drop me an e-mail at jamiehanna84@gmail.com and I'll add you to my schedule.

Now let's move on to our 4th candidate that could potentially be a new member of our family....This is Ari.

Ari is a almost 6 year old Mountain Cur/Hound mix. Here is what the shelter has to say about Ms. Ari:

ARI has a sweet disposition and loves attention. She loves going for walks, but does pull some, especially if she sees a rabbit because of her breed. She loves to ride in cars and will ride up front like a queen. She will make a great couch potato if allowed. Ari gets along with most calmer or smaller dogs, is ok with cats but may chase them and is excellent with children.

Now don't forget to cast your vote in the poll in my sidebar.

It's official!

2009-04-17T01:55:00.005-05:00

Hi my name is Jamie and I'm a swap addict. Mamarazzi is having another one of her AWESOME Favorite Things Swaps. I am soooo game! I hope to see some of you there! I had an AWESOME time the last time I participated in this bloggers swap.....Had an AWESOME swap partner too.

NOTE: Click on "Favorite Things Swaps" to go to the current swap post.

Looking for Guest Bloggers

2009-04-16T02:30:00.002-05:00

I found and participated in this idea over at Juls blog. I am looking for guest bloggers for Saturdays and possibly Sundays here on my blog. We're going into one of our busiest "seasons" at work besides Christmas and all the sleep I can get is a good thing. Topic is up to you just as long as it's appropriate. If you would like to be a guest blogger either leave me a comment here or email me (I would just like to add, that if I can't respond directly to your comment I would totally love it if you would e-mail me or leave an e-mail address in your comment please...Makes setting up day soooo much easier.) at jamiehanna84@gmail.com and I'll add you to my schedule.

Thanks!

Jamie

Reasons to consider adopting a Adult/Senior dog

2009-04-15T02:12:00.005-05:00

In my last post I blogged about how we were considering adopting another dog into our family. Well in this post I've blogged about reasons why you (if your considering adding a pet to your family) should consider adopting a adult/senior dog. Now I'm not knocking puppies and puppy ownership, but there are some families out there in the world who just don't have the time, money or even the energy for a puppy and all that comes with puppy ownership.

The first dog that we ever owned was a 2 year old Black Lab/Cocker Spaniel mix named Shawna. My Grandfather adopted Shawna from the local animal shelter for my brother and I about 17 years ago. To this day Shawna has been the best dog that we've ever owned, more than likely because she was the first dog that we ever owned, but does that really matter? A little over 13 months ago we adopted Laci a then 5 year old Cocker Spaniel from the same shelter that we got Shawna from and couldn't be happier. So below are a few reasons that we've come up with for adopting a Adult/Senior dog plus a few that I found on the internet.

1. You’re not starting from scratch. When you buy/adopt a puppy, you're basically bringing an "infant" into your home. An "infant" who is completely untrained, possibly undersocialized who thinks that the crate you bought for him/her is a jail cell. And like a human baby will wake up during the night to get out. That newspaper you wanted to read before heading off to work, well with a puppy, that's just another thing that needs to be shredded, your shoes...well they are sooooo much tastier than the rawhides you bought for your puppy to chew on. Your brand new carpet....well that's just an excellent subsitute for grass when nature calls. Because rescue dogs spend time in foster homes before they are adopted, they come to you with at least some social skills and some degree of housebreaking!

2. Training is easier. Whatever additional training needs to be done with a rescue dog will be much easier than training a puppy. It’s like the difference between training a one-year-old child and an eight-year-old. Dogs who have been around for a while just “get it” faster than puppies-especially housebreaking!

3. The bond is strong. Dogs who have not gotten off to the best possible start in life-who have been neglected or even abused-tend to be very loyal and affectionate. Remember that dogs are pack animals, and they take their treatment by the “pack”-their owners and families-very much to heart. A dog that has been neglected or abandoned once is usually eager to become part of a loving pack, where she feels safe and secure, and is likely to act accordingly. We find that rescue dogs are generally eager to please their new owners. Puppy mill rescues often want to be in your lap at all times and will follow you from room to room, just to be near you.

4. Fewer vet fees. Rescue dogs have had physical examinations, have been spayed or neutered, have been tested for heartworm, and are up to date on shots. When you buy a puppy, you pay for the dog AND for puppy shots, spaying or neutering, and any other basic medical expenses.
What you see is what you get. When you buy a puppy, you can never really be sure what type of dog you’re going to get. All puppies are cute and playful, but their adult personalities aren’t visible until they’re about two years old. So you don’t know whether you’re getting a dog who wants to play all the time (ALL the time!) or a couch potato. When you rescue a dog, you know what the dog’s personality is like and whether it fits with what you want in a dog companion. You also know, in advance, about any problem areas the new owner will have to address.

5. It teaches your children good values. Face it-we live in an extremely materialistic society, in which TV teaches kids that everything can be bought, that they should get their parents to buy them everything, and that anything worth having costs a lot of money. Adopting a rescue dog for your family presents a wonderful opportunity to teach your children basic values of compassion and caring, and also about the value of second chances.

6. If your looking for a purebred....They can be found in shelters, plus there are breed specific rescue groups all over the internet....A good place to find to find rescue groups or animals that are looking to be rehomed in your area is petfinder.

7. What you see is what you get....When you adopt a adult/senior what you see is what your going to get. With a puppy, especially if the pup happens to be a mixed breed, your never quite sure what your going to get size or personality wise.

8. The "frosting" on the muzzle?.....well that's just icing on the cake. Don't let the "frosted" faces fool you. Technically, most dogs are considered to be "seniors" when they are between 5 and 7 years of age (depending upon size). A little "frosting" doesn't mean "old" and "run down"....to be honest some dogs just have "frosting"....Our dog Shawna had a frosted muzzle from the time we adopted her at the age of 2. Our Shawna moved around and acted 1/2 her age (she almost saw 20 years old) almost right up until the very end, even more so after we added Laci to the brood.

9. Not ALL dogs in shelters have "issues".....A lot of people have misconceptions about dogs that are in shelters. One of the bigger misconceptions is that the dog has "issues"....While yes there are some in shelters that have "issues" animals end up in shelters for any reason....Our Shawna was surrendered because her family was moving and she couldn't go along. Laci was surrendered due to a death in the family and financial struggles.

Now let's open this up for discussion. I seriously want to hear your thoughts or stories about this post. Do you prefer the puppies or are you like my family and love the adults too? Have you ever adopted? If so, I would soooo love to hear your adoption tale(s). If your someone who is considering getting a dog, was this post helpful to you in considering an adult/senior dog?

We may be adopting again

2009-04-15T01:12:00.010-05:00

Recently, we've started thinking about adopting another dog to add to our family. Over the past 17+ years we've had 2 dogs that were both rescues from our local animal shelter. In our family, we're big on animal adoption, there are plenty of animals out there in shelters who are ready to shower you with love.

The black fella above is Spooky. He's one of the dogs that we're considering. He's a young (almost 3 year old) Black Lab mix. Poor Spooky, he suffers from "Black Dog Syndrome."

This is Flick. He's another young (almost 2 years old) Lab mix that we are considering. Poor fella, he's been adopted once already, but because he had 3 mini seizures he was brought back to the shelter. He's a bigger fella too...about 65 pounds of lover from what the shelter said....No "Black Dog Syndrome" here.

This is Missy...She's another dog that we are considering adopting. While the other two dogs that we are considering are younger animals (2 to 3 years old), Missy is a very young 7 years old. While technically considered a "senior" dog she's still got a lot of years left in her especially if she's been well taken care of in her "past life."

In my sidebar I've put up a poll where you can help us pick our new family companion should we proceed with the adoption process. The poll closes on April 22.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Potato Sticks

2009-04-14T07:07:00.002-05:00

This week on Tasty Tuesday we are making Potato Sticks. This is a really simple recipe and doesn't really take all that much time to put together either. For some reason Blogger is not allowing me to move my pictures around like I would like them so I am in the process of putting together another blog for all the photographic "How To's"....I'll let you all know when it's up and running.

Potato Sticks

4 Medium Potatoes (peeled)
2 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup butter

In a 9" glass dish make 2 layers of potatoes, seasoning, cheese and butter. Sprinkle with paprika, microwave covered for about 16-18 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes....Then enjoy.

Movie Numero 6 ~ Facing The Giants

2009-04-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

My blog giveaway is right HERE....Not to late to get in on the action!

Here is movie number 6 on my list of "Top 100 Movie's I Think You Should See Before You Die" Facing The Giants. This movie was made by the same production team as Fireproof and is another movie that has religion as a major "focal point."

For this review I'm actually going to borrow a review that I found on Amazon about the movie. I hope after reading these reasons to see this movie.....You will want to see it too.

There are basically 10 reasons "Facing the Giants" is a movie that every family in America should watch together:

#1. This is a movie about overcoming great obstacles, something every family faces.

#2. This is a movie that does not rely on sex, violence, or profanity to carry a weak or boring plot.

#3. This is a movie that examines the relationships between family members, and offers sound Biblical advice on how to make those relationships more successful.

#4. This is a movie void of famous actors with large egos to build upon, which means cast was able to focus on the overall production and not worry about the performance of one actor or actress.

#5. This is a film that stirs all kinds of emotions and can definitely clean out clogged up tearducts.

#6. This is a movie with some great football action scenes that rival any larger, Hollywood, big-budget film.

#7. This is a movie written and produced by Christians dedicated to their work of reaching out to a lost world with the message of hope and love.

#8. This is a movie that celebrates the power of the human spirit to rise above what we think is possible.

#9. This is a movie that just seems to have the Lord's blessing on it throughout the post-production, production, and distribution.

#10. The DVD has many extras that give the viewers a taste of the amazing character and the pure hearts of the people who helped make this film a success!

I've just listed 10 very good reasons to purchase "Facing the Giants". It is not my goal to write a review of this movie that spoils the plot, declares one actor better than an other actor, or compares the storyline to another movie. My review is to let anyone who reads it know that this is a movie worth owning and sitting down to view with the family. See ya next review!

My favorite scene in the movie

Happy Keester!

2009-04-12T00:27:00.001-05:00

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket

Walk softly and carry a big carrot

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears

There's no such thing as too much candy - AMEN TO THAT

All work and no play can make you a basket case

A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits

Some body parts should be floppy

Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans

Good things come in small sugarcoated packages

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket

An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare

To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey

My blog giveaway is HERE.

Movie Numero 5 ~ Fireproof

2009-04-11T02:00:00.001-05:00

Don't forget about my giveaway! Not too late to get in on the action!

Here is movie number 5 on my list of Top 100 Movie's I Think You Should See Before You Die" Fireproof. I'd already seen one of the other movie's that was made by this group of people, which will also be making this list too. I was kinda luke warm at first about this movie....It deals alot with religion and I realize that there are some out there that don't really care for that sort of thing when they go to see a movie. But after watching it I was really happy that I took the time to watch it.

Lt. Caleb Holt (played by Kirk Cameron) is a firefighter who lives by the old adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings it's just one of his natural instincts. In his marriage, not so much. After being married for a decade, Caleb and his wife Catherine (played by Erin Bethea) have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on with their lives....Without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings and a certain Dr. tries to make a move on Catherine, Caleb's father asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare. While seriously hoping that The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parent's newfound faith, Caleb commits to the 40 day challenge. But how can Caleb even attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will Caleb be able to demonstrate his love over and over again to a person who is no longer receptive of his love? Is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?

I'm Guest Posting Today!

2009-04-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today is the day! I'm guest posting over at Every Day Is A Crazee day! Hope to see you there! Don't forget about my blog giveaway! Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

My FIRST EVER blog giveaway!

2009-04-09T10:12:00.006-05:00

I've been saying it what seems like FOREVER and now I've finally gone ahead and done it. I'm FINALLY having my FIRST EVER blog giveaway! I'm psyched.....How about you?! So let's check out the loot shall we!? From the above photo of all the goodies I'll be giving away, minus one, because it hasn't been made yet, we have the following:

1. A fashion scarf

2. A bandana

3. A packet of Sweet Pea seeds

4. One of Two Twilight keychains

5. Colgate Wisp in Cinnamint

6. Two different shades of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polish (Purple Potion and Ice Coffee)

7. Cover Girl Eyeshadow trio in one of two trio's (Sea Glass or Cafe' au lait)

8. Nivea's Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care

9. Vaseline Total Moisture Conditioning Lotion

10. Sam Brocato Peppermint Scrub Purifying Shampoo (use once or twice a week only)

11. Sam Brocato Peppermint Scrub Restorative Hair & Scalp Masque

12. A copy of Radio
13. A copy of The American President
14. A copy of Twilight
15. A folder full of my favorite recipes
16. A Handmade Cloudberry Creations Apron (which hasn't actually been made yet so there isn't a photo, sorry)

Now here are the details on how you can win all these goodies:

1. For 1 entry, blog about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a comment or a link here to let me know so that I can visit you back.

2. For another entry, follow my blog/join my Country Club. Leave me a comment here letting me know that you've joined the Country Club please, if you already follow me please leave me a comment letting me know. If at the end of the giveaway you want to unfollow me that's ok...I can't stop you, but if you decided to stay a member of the Country Club that would TOTALLY ROCK MY SOCKS OFF! I

3. For a 3rd entry, follow me on Twitter....Please leave me a comment here letting me know that you are following me please.Again if at the end of the giveaway you want to unfollow me that's ok....But if you decide to stay again it would TOTALLY ROCK MY SOCKS OFF!

4. For addition entries, each additional comment on my blog (ANY POST) counts toward your entries.

The giveaway begins as soon as I post this post and will go until THURSDAY APRIL 23 at 11:59 pm. Package will be mailed on MONDAY APRIL 27th. Happy commenting!

Jamie

Geese Photo

2009-04-09T10:02:00.002-05:00

Tree Photo

2009-04-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

April is "Tell 'em you're a fan" Month

2009-04-08T01:53:00.003-05:00

I found this over at Betty's blog and I thought that I would pass it along. The month of April has been dubbed "Tell 'em you're a fan" month. So, let your favorite bloggers know that you are a fan.

Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment or an email for your favorite blogger telling them that you are a fan of the site.

2. Feel free to copy and paste the award, or you can get the code at Sited and Blogged to present to your blog friend or post on your site when it is awarded to you.

3. When you receive more than one fan, put the number of fans you have received under the image.

4. The more fans you receive the better! So, what are you waiting for...tell someone you're a fan of all their blog...HAVE FUN!

Tasty Tuesday at Bumps In The Road

2009-04-07T00:33:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the first edition of Tasty Tuesday at Bumps In The Road! Here's my tastyness for this week: Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 4 hours

Ready In: 4 hours 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 (12 oz) bottle barbeque sauce (to add variety to the flavor try different types of BBQ sauce)

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worchestershire sauce. Pour over chicken.

2. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on HIGH or 6 to 8 hours on LOW.

Operation Petticoat

2009-04-06T08:21:00.004-05:00

The next movie on my list is Operation Petticoat. A comedic war-time movie starring Carey Grant and Tony Curtis. If you love a good laugh you will definately enjoy this movie.

Cary Grant is the Commander of the Sea Tiger, a submarine with more problems than crew members.
His troubles begin when the sub sinks before even leaving the harbor during a Japanese raid. Commander Sherman (Grant) and his men begin working to repair and bring up their beloved sub despite the fact that their requisition orders rarely are filled.
Due to the fact that some of his men were reassigned to other duties after the raid, Sherman is granted some "replacement's"--enter Lt. Nicholas Holden (Tony Curtis).

Holden is in the Navy not for the purpose of country but for the uniform so he can impress his rich girlfriend back home. Since he is no longer winning the rumba championships with the Admiral's wife he must settle into a role on the Sea Tiger--scavenging for items to repair the sub.

With new and inventive ways of obtaining supplies the Sea Tiger once again becomes sea worthy-- just barely.

But none of Holden's scavenging compares to the unexpected "guests" that are brought aboard the Sea Tiger....I'm not going to give it away....See this movie!

Cary Grant is charming as ever and deals with the many, many problems and situations thrown at him in such funny ways. Tony Curtis is equally charming and lends very much to this film.

Highlights of the movie: "Sea Men Hornsby," the unusal color of the sub

Best line of the movie: "Get that THING out of my engine room!"

A scene from the movie

Holy crap I totally missed Friday!

2009-04-05T03:12:00.000-05:00

I usually post my blessings for the week on Friday's but I was having a "moment" and totally forgot to do them until right now. So here we go:

We won't even touch the work front because there is absolutely NOTHING good that happened at work last week....I could hardly wait for it to be Tuesday morning so I could clock out and not be owned by anyone for 3 whole days. I guess that was the only good thing that happend work related wise...Tuesday finally arrived.

Wednesday I tried a new bread recipe....Which I really like and will definately be making again. If you want to check out the post that I followed to make this recipe click HERE. I made 5 loaves of bread for the cost of a bag of flour....You can't even go out and buy 5 loaves of bread for the cost of a bag of flour right now in our economy.

I'm in the process of working on my list of 100 movie's I Think You Should See Before You Die....I've already got three posted already, Secondhand Lions, The Searchers, and Friendly Persuasion. I've even come up with a SUPER HUGE Giveaway for when my list is complete....You could win a copy of every single movie on my list plus a few extra little added bonuses too.

I don't think spring will ever show up here in Wisconsin. It's been colder than hell around here for the past few days and it's apparently not supposed to get warm again at all the rest of this week. Mother Nature is about to get some "not so fan mail" from a very dis-satisfied customer!

That's about all I know for this week. Maybe next week I'll remember to do my blessings on time. :)

Jamie

Depression Era Homemade Bread

2009-04-04T00:20:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe for Depression Era Homemade bread on fellow SITSah Tiffany's blog Eat At Home. At first I was a little skeptical because the recipe called for a WHOLE 5 pound bag of flour. I don't know about you but that's a LOT of flour to put in a bowl. At our house we actually don't have a bowl big enough to put all that flour in so I actually had to 1/2 the recipe and use two bowls. I will warn you if you do try to make this recipe be prepared to get dirty! As skeptical as I was in the beginning after the bread came out of the oven I was very easily won over....It tastes AWESOME! For the price of a bag of flour (we already had the rest of the ingredients at the house) I was able to make 5 loaves of bread. Right now you can't even buy 5 loaves of bread for the price of a bag of flour!

Here is what I did (again I used two bowls because we just don't have a bowl big enough for 5 lbs of flour):

2.5 pounds of flour (in each bowl)

3 Tbs yeast (in each bowl)

3 tps salt (in each bowl)

3 cups warm water (in each bowl)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (mine needed more than 30 minutes though).

Click on Depression Era Homemade Bread to go to the recipe/directions.

A New Feature at Bumps In The Road

2009-04-02T12:12:00.003-05:00

I've got a new feature that I randomly thought of while I was putting dinner for tonight in the crockpot. My new feature is going to be called "Tasty Tuesday's at Bumps In The Road." I'm even hoping to get a button made for it so that you can install it on your blog too....Oh and I'm even having a button for my blog done up too.

Next Friday, April 10th, I am a guest blogger over at Every Day Is a Crazee Day. I can hardly wait! Now I just have to come up with something to post about! Shouldn't be too hard. I hope you'll drop by and say hi.

Jamie

Ty Murray on Dancing with the Stars

2009-04-02T00:46:00.000-05:00

This is the video from this week's dance. I think that Ty's Lindy Hop was really good. He got to use his athleticism from his bullriding days and I really think it payed off in this dance! This next week Ty and Chelsie have the Pasedoble....I can hardly wait to see it! If you want to read about Ty's journey with Dancing With The Stars he does a pretty much daily blog about it on the PBR blog which can be found HERE.

Movie Numero 3 ~ Friendly Persuasion

2009-04-01T00:06:00.004-05:00

Here is movie number 3 on my list of movie's that I think you need to see before you die. Friendly Persuasion is another one of my favorite movies also....It's actually my grandma's ALL TIME favorite movie that doesn't star Shirley McClaine.

Gary Cooper and Dorthy McGuire play Quaker farmer's and devoted parent's Jess and Eliza Birdwell, who happen to be living in Indiana during the height of the Civil War. The Birdwell's religion opposes all forms of violence and war, but as the Confederate forces move closer to home -- looting and burning homes as they go -- the community around them prepares to defend themselves.

To make things a little more difficult for Jess and Eliza, their daughter Maddie (who wants to remain a Quaker) has fallen in love with a dashing Calvary officer, a love that doesn't exactly make Maddie's mom happy at all. Then their oldest son, Josh, announces that he wants to go and fight for the North, putting the families nonviolent stance to the ultimate test. The Birdwell's youngest son, Little Jess, is constantly at war with Eliza's pet goose named Samantha. Eliza thinks Little Jess is just teasing her but if you see the movie, well, just see the movie to see who win's this battle, I don't want to give it away.

Highlights for me: Samantha the Goose, When the Confederate's show up at the Birdwell's farm

Favorite Line: "A man's life ain't worth a hill of beans except he lives up to his own conscience."

Movie Numero 2 ~ The Searchers

2009-03-30T08:21:00.003-05:00

Here is my second movie on my list. It also made Yahoo's list but this is my list and I can have what ever movie I want on it right? Well I've already done a post on this particular movie already which you can read if you click HERE. So I will leave you with the highlights of the movie for me.

Highlights of the Movie: The scene's between Ward Bond, John Wayne and John's son Patrick Wayne. Monument Valley.

Best Line of the movie for me: "Let's go home, Debbie."

Movie Numero Uno ~ Second Hand Lions

2009-03-28T05:46:00.005-05:00

I posted yesterday that I was going to post my own list of movies that I think you should see before you die. Well here is movie numero uno....Second Hand Lions. If you liked the movie The Princess Bride you'll like this movie too.

Second Hand Lions stars, Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, Haley Joel Osment, and Kyra Sedgwick.

The last place Walter (Haley Joel Osment) wants to be is on his great uncles' farm in rural Texas, where he is dumped off by his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the middle of nowhere living with two crazy old men, a pack of dogs and a pick with only the promise that she'll come back for him. Walter has been lied to enough times that he's not quiet sure what to believe in.

Walter's eccentric and gruff great uncles, Hub and Garth McCaan (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) who had been missing for 40 YEARS are rumored to have been bank robbers, mafia hit men and/or war criminals in their wild and wooly younger days. No one seems to know the truth, although the brothers do seem to have an endless supply of cash. During Walter's stay begins to see a "new" side to his great uncles when he stumbles upon an old photography of a very beautiful woman hidden away in a trunk in the attic (known as the "Tower" in the movie) and asks his uncle Garth who she is.

Through the stories spun against the backdrop of the dusty Texas night, an amazing story comes to life through Walter's vivid and very colorful imaginings - a tale set in a very long ago exotic, very mysterious place where the men rode on powerful stallions and fought with HUGE swords. Complete with beautiful princesses mixed up with evil sheiks and where to very unlikely heros lived an adventure that only most people can dream of.

Whether to story is true or not, the uncle's tales become a "doorway" of sorts for Walter, to "experience" their many adventures. Little by little they also give Walter something true to believe in - a "world" where honor and valor mean more than money and power. A place, real or not, belongs only to him. While telling their stories to Walter, Hub and Garth begin to see their lives with a whole new set of eyes.

Over one unpredictable Central Texas summer in the early 1960’s, everything in the lives of this new family of strangers is about to change forever.

Highlights for me: The lion, and the "flashback" scenes to the uncle's younger days.

My absolute favorite "line" in the movie: "Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good. That honour, courage and virtue mean everything ; that power and money ... money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this.... that love....true love never dies ! Remember that boy ... remember that. Doesn't matter if it is true or not, a man should believe in those things , because those are the things worth believing in...... got that ?"

26 Years and other randomness

2009-03-27T02:55:00.004-05:00

'Tis be Friday again! For most people Friday is the end of their work week....For me it's just the beginning. I'm hoping that this week is a little bit better at work than the last two weeks have been. It's been a little bit rough for me....We're waxing the floors at work and the smell from the wax and floor stripper gives me migraines. Toss in being treated poorly by a supervisor and a fellow team member two times in two weeks and you have me being pretty miserable. This two shall pass and I can hardly WAIT!

Yesterday was my parents 26th wedding anniversary. It was a pretty nice day too. Weather was decent....minus the wind. But we were still in the low 50's which is better than the last couple of days around here, where it's been pretty dreary.

I joined another Favorite Things Swap....Seriously, these bloggy swaps are a TON of fun. Now that I've done one I have a little bit better idea of what to expect. Flying by the seat of your pants isn't always the most fun. If you want to participate, please click on the words "Favorite Things Swap" to go to the post with all the instructions in it.

I'm still waiting on Spring to actually show up and stick around. I'm pretty tired of this one or two days here and there. That sucks pond sludge.

Yesterday, I posted the "100 Movies You Must See Before You Die" according to Yahoo. I'm in the process of coming up with my OWN list of movies that I think you should see before you die. You might be pretty surprised to see how ecclectic my taste in movies really is.

I've been doing some "studying" on some of my money saving blogs that I've added to my blogroll recently and will of course continue to study until I find/figure out a system that works for me to help me save money on my everyday needs in this rather "shaky" economy. Of course I'll be sure to share with all of you so that you can test these idea's out for yourself if you'd like.

I'm coming up on my FIRST ever blog giveaway. I can hardly wait!

Ms. Laci went to the groomer yesterday to get her Spring 'do done. Is it sad that my dog has her own stylist? She said that Laci was a good girl until she tried to trim around her face...then not so much. I thought that Laci would give her grief when it came time to brush her teeth but according to the groomer she actually enjoyed having her teeth brushed.

Well there it is....My week in a nutshell....Complete with a few blessings thrown in too. Have a great weekend for me!

Jamie

100 Movies to see before you die

2009-03-26T01:32:00.003-05:00

I got this off of Yahoo....I'll admit that I've only seen a handful of these movies...Guess I'd better get a move on!

Movie's I've Seen

The Yahoo! Movies editorial staff has created this handy checklist to track the 100 movies you must see before you die.
0-9
12 Angry Men (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
400 Blows (1959)
8 1/2 (1963)
A
The African Queen (1952)
Alien (1979)
All About Eve (1950)
Annie Hall (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
B
The Battle of Algiers (1967)
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blow Up (1966)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Breathless (1960)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid (1969)
C
Casablanca (1942)
Chinatown (1974)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon (2000)
D
Die Hard (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Duck Soup (1933)
E
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
F
Fast Times At Ridgemont
High (1982)
The French Connection (1971)
G
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly (1968)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Graduate (1967)
Grand Illusion (1938)
Groundhog Day (1993)
H
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
I
In the Mood For Love (2001)
It Happened One Night (1934)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
J
Jaws (1975)
K
King Kong (1933)
L
The Lady Eve (1941)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Lord of the Rings (2001)
M
M (1931)
M*A*S*H (1970)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Matrix (1999)
Modern Times (1936)
Monty Python and the Holy
Grail (1975)
N
National Lampoon’s Animal
House (1978)
Network (1976)
Nosferatu (1922)
O
On the Waterfront (1954)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest (1975)
P
Paths of Glory (1958)
Princess Mononoke (1999)
Psycho (1960)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
R
Raging Bull (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
Rashomon (1951)
Rear Window (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rocky (1976)
Roman Holiday (1953)
S
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler’s List (1993)
The Searchers (1956) - One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIES!
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs (1937)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Star Wars (1977)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
T
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Third Man (1949)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Titanic (1997)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Toy Story (1995)
U
The Usual Suspects (1995)
V
Vertigo (1958)
W
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Wings of Desire (1988)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Women On the Verge of Nervous Breakdown (1988)
The World of Apu (1959)

Another Favorite Things Swap!

2009-03-25T10:08:00.004-05:00

Kati over at Country Girl, City Living is having a Favorite Things Swap! I just did one with Mamarazzi over at Dandelion Wishes and had a GREAT time. I'm looking forward to doing another swap so I can hardly wait to get started! Stop by Kati's blog if you want to participate in the swap!

What I've learned so far.....

2009-03-25T02:21:00.006-05:00

I posted a little while ago that I was trying to learn how to live a more frugal lifestyle and try to put some more of my money away into savings instead of blowing it all on unneccessary items. I guess my main downfall is determining "need" from "want" right now. I think that "little" issue is going to to take some time to "overcome."

Here is a little sampling of what I've learned/saved so far -

~ Making lists is a good thing....I've started making lists of things that I need to purchase and have been doing alright at sticking to the list....I'm still working on it....I've got a LOT of bad habits to break.

~ My dog is another one of my downfalls....She's currently on a pretty expensive brand of dog food (Royal Canin....her tummy didn't like the Solid Gold brand we tried her on). I put her on this brand because it makes a kibble specifically designed for Cocker Spaniel's dietary needs. Well yesterday when I went into buy her some food I was comparing the Cocker Spaniel kibble to the regular Medium Adult kibble and there really wasn't vary much of a difference and in the long run it would be cheaper for me to feed her the Medium Adult because the store only sells the Cocker Spaniel kibble in 6 pound bags. A 6 pound bag lasts us maybe 2 weeks if we're lucky. So I picked up the Medium Adult 30 pound bag which will last us a LOT longer. Here's the upside to this "story"....I actually saved money buying the bigger bag....For some reason the larger bags have the "instant instore coupons" on them and I saved a whole $4.00.

~ I don't always purchase name brands....Most of the products that I currently use, the name brands are more expensive than the store brands (even with a coupon).

~ I'm in the process of learning to do all of my errands in one trip (if possible).

~ Clearance/bargin racks are a good thing.

I've also added some "frugal" blogs to my blogroll if you are looking for more ideas. Here are the links:

Bare Budget Beauty

BeCentsAble

Frugal and Fabulous

Frugal Fabulous

The New Frugal Mom

Thrifty and Chic Mom

Cheapskate Mom

My dog is a "slut" for pig ears!

2009-03-24T10:39:00.002-05:00

See photographic evidence!

Twilight!

2009-03-23T08:15:00.003-05:00

So Twilight was released on Saturday....That was pretty exciting. When I got off of work Saturday morning and ran over to Walmart to pick up a couple of essentials....There weren't very many copies of the movie left in ANY format. When I got to work Saturday night we had exactly 1 copy of the movie in Blue-ray disc format. I can hardly wait to watch this movie! I've been re-reading Twilight the past few days and everybody at work has been giving me crap about "sparkly vampires."

Happy First Day of Spring!

2009-03-20T07:08:00.003-05:00

I bought my first pair of shorts for the summer yesterday.....Last summer I was in a size 14 pair of pants/shorts.....This summer I'm in a size 10! I can hardly believe it. The wonders getting out and walking the dog does for your body. As I'm typing this post I'm actually doing a little shopping on Old Navy.com getting ready for spring/summer. I've got A LOT of dressier shirts and stuff in my closet right now so I'm looking to invest in some tanks and nice t-shirts so I don't have to be all dressed up all the time.

How to Save Money, Even When You Don’t Have Any

2009-03-20T01:51:00.001-05:00

Even if you have a decent job and don’t waste a lot of money, it’s possible you’re in a situation where, like millions of other people, you are living from paycheck to paycheck. You think that you’d like to save money, but it just doesn’t seem practical when every penny you earn goes toward the costs of daily living. However, even in seemingly dire situations there’s almost always a way to put aside cash in small amounts, and the benefits of having a growing accumulation of savings will end up rewarding you in many ways, both practically and psychologically.

First of all, it might be worth it to define exactly what you mean when you say you “have no money,” and then redefine it in a way that’s more amenable to adaptation. Quite often I’m amused when a female acquaintance tells me she can never afford to put any money aside because she’s always completely broke, and then I look at her and notice freshly filled acrylic nails, new Manolos, or this season’s latest Prada bag. No wonder she has no money to put aside! Let’s be clear: if you can afford to pay all your bills and have enough left over to buy designer goods and spa treatments, you’re not broke, even if you consistently have no money left at the end of each month and are gritting your teeth until your paycheck comes.

It’s amazing the lengths we will go to try to convince ourselves that certain items we buy are necessities rather than extras. Often I hear the excuse, “But I have to have these designer clothes and expensive shoes because one of the requirements of my job is to look my best all the time.” That’s understandable, but it doesn’t mean you have to spend all your extra money, every paycheck. Let’s be honest, if you’re supplementing your wardrobe every single month, you’re doing it because you enjoy it, not because it’s strictly required. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up shopping altogether — even if you just cut your fashion spending down to every other month instead of every month, think of all the extra money you’d have. I promise you, no one is going to notice if you buy new clothes every eight weeks instead of every four weeks.

Even at lower levels of income there are always extras that we quietly slip into our budgets. Of course you want to treat yourself, and that’s an important part of keeping your sanity, especially if you’re constantly stressed about money. But even something as simple as a weekly night out with your friends can end up running away with your wallet if you’re not careful. It’s not uncommon to spend fifty or even a hundred dollars or more in one evening at a club or bar, especially if parking or cover charges are involved. Think about what would happen if you passed on the invitation even one week a month, and put that money in a savings account instead — it wouldn’t seem like much incrementally, and probably you wouldn’t even really miss it, but at the end of the year you’d have enough put aside to do something really nice for yourself, perhaps take a vacation somewhere exotic. If you really want to be forward-thinking, maybe you could even use that money to start on some small investments, which in return will pay for many more vacations in the long run.

One of the keys to making this work is setting up a system where the money you set aside is no longer money you consider “available” for any reason whatsoever. This can mean a simple psychological shift, or perhaps a more physical one. Some people have enough willpower that just telling themselves the money they put away no longer exists is enough to keep them from accessing it. Other people need a little more help to forget about a pile of money as if it weren’t there. Ask your bank (or shop around at different banks), to find out what sort of savings or incremental investment options are available, and choose the one that has the most excruciating penalties for withdrawals. Preferably, you want something where withdrawing your money would end up costing you almost as much as the withdrawal is worth. It also helps if getting your money is more complicated than just logging on to the internet branch and entering your PIN number. In this case, the more of a hassle withdrawals are, the better it is for your money situation. You’ll probably think twice about your perceived need of some luxury item if getting the money for it will incur significant service charges, take three weeks, and require lots of paperwork for which you actually have to go to the bank and stand in line.

Believe it or not, saving at least some money is possible in almost every circumstance. Even if you start out with very small amounts — say, five dollars a week — by the time a year has passed you’ll have put aside well over two hundred dollars, which isn’t earth-shattering, but it’s nothing to scoff at, either. Don’t avoid saving money on the grounds that you think miniscule weekly contributions will never amount to anything. If you can gradually raise your weekly savings to ten or twenty dollars a week, even if it’s not every week, you will soon find you have a respectable cushion of cash that can be used for small investments, as well as doubling as an emergency fund. Over a period of months or years, these things can really add up. It may require some small sacrifices on your part, but the if the end result is that you end up in a better financial position overall, no doubt you’ll feel that any minor adjustments you made to your lifestyle were worth it.

Borrowed from Totally Her

The Importance of Splurging

2009-03-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

Whether you have a lot of money or a little money, you still have to decide how to use it, and you still have to have a budget to allow for both necessities and extras. Often when things look bleak, we can get very down on ourselves because it seems like all the money is going to bills, and none of it is spent on the things that we’d like to do or have.

If you are in a situation where money is something to keep you alive rather than something you enjoy, you probably think it doesn’t make any sense to go out and spend a pile of cash that you don’t really have. And that’s true, you do have to be prudent when times are tough… but you also need to learn to splurge a little sometimes, even when you think you can’t.

You don’t have to spend a lot to indulge yourself, and sometimes you don’t have to spend anything at all. Something as simple as a take-out meal or a going to the zoo can really brighten your day, and won’t break the bank. Likewise, you can rent a couple of movies and invite your friends over, and have everyone bring something to help spread the cost.

The psychological benefits of allowing yourself to enjoy some of your money can not only have immediate results, but can help to improve your overall situation over time. It is difficult to stay motivated about making money when all of it goes to necessities. This in turn can affect your attitude about work, and the quality of the work you do. Over time, people will notice these changes in your productivity and demeanor, and if you’re not careful you could find yourself out of a job, which is hardly going to help matters. Of course, you can always fake your enthusiasm at work until the rough patch passes, but people tend to see through that, and in any case it wouldn’t be necessary if you really did have something to be enthusiastic about, which is something you can change right now if you choose to.

If you allow yourself just a small amount of income to spend on wonderful, enjoyable things, the difference it can make in your mental well-being is astonishing. You’ll be out a tiny amount of money, but in return you might have some nice new trinkets for your home, a fun night out with your friends, or maybe a DVD or CD you will be able to enjoy again and again. Chances are, you really won’t miss that amount of money, and the amount of enjoyment it can bring you is well worth fitting it into your budget. Feeling like we can have fun with some of our money sometimes is a key factor in how we feel about having to go out and work so hard to earn it.

It may seem counterintuitive, especially during these times when many of us are struggling within the waning economy, to start going out and spending money when it’s so difficult to make ends meet. But if you force yourself to do a few small things to splurge on, not only can you improve the quality of your life and start having good times again, but you are contributing to the economy, also, which helps everyone in the long run. Learning to splurge can be difficult, but it can also be difficult to put the brakes on once you start, so use caution and common sense, and go out and have a little fun.

Borrowed from Totally Her

Budgeting Tips from the Trenches

2009-03-20T01:40:00.000-05:00

It used to be called “pinching pennies”. Now it’s known as “stretching a dollar,” maybe because inflation made pennies so valueless it didn’t seem worth the effort to pinch them. But no matter what phrase you use, it all comes down to making the money you get from paycheck to paycheck last longer and go further.

Getting more bang for the buck is a subject that always fascinates consumers, but never so much as it does during a recession. Of course, being in the middle of what is turning out to be the biggest “economic slowdown” since the Great Depression, the subject keeps popping up every time you pick up a newspaper or turn on the television.

Many of these media outlets are asking financial experts to give their views on how America should be keeping expenses down as the cost of living rises and the pink slips start mounting. But in spite of all of their expertise, conventional wisdom tells you that the real know-how comes from the people on the front lines. The average consumer, with the unemployment check instead of a paycheck, or with a paycheck that was slashed, who has to make a mortgage payment and put meals on the table, understands what it takes to keep body and soul together.

That’s why the following working people have been asked to contribute their best ways to save a little here and there, because, as your mother always said, “Watch your pennies, and your dollars will take care of themselves.”

This first list of suggestions comes from Chrissy Scivicque, Content Manager for OfficeArrow, a network of executive and administrative assistants, office managers, and small business owners. Chrissy is also a former Executive Assistant:

“1. Brown bag it. Stop wasting precious dollars dining out. Save money (and calories) by packing lunch and taking it to the office. To avoid missing out on valuable team bonding time, establish one day a week to indulge in a meal out with the group.

“2. Borrow it. Libraries are often forgotten, but it is easy to save by borrowing instead of buying. These days, many public libraries house a huge collection of movies and CDs in addition to books.

“3. Grow it. Consider starting a fresh herb and vegetable garden. Not only do these foods taste better when picked fresh, but a garden like this also saves a ton of money. Plus, it provides a convenient supply of fresh goodies, so no gas is wasted hitting the grocery store throughout the week.

“4. Change it. Switching to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) can significantly lower energy bills. They use 75% less energy than standard light bulbs, and they last about 10 times longer! They also produce less heat, so they are safer. These bulbs are a win for both the wallet and the planet.

“5. Care for it. Whatever ‘it’ is, take care of it. That could mean one’s health (prevention is less expensive than treatment) or just a pair of nice shoes (polish can make an old shoe new again). Show a little love to personal items, and they will last a lot longer.

“6. Skype it. Take a look at that phone bill and see how much it is per minute. Why pay for domestic or even international long distance calls? Skype allows consumers to make free calls to other Skype users all over the world through their computers. It also offers very cheap calls to land lines and cell phones domestically and internationally.

“7. Trade it. When they have an abundance of something (tomatoes in the backyard, for instance) or a special skill (auto or computer repair), consumers should use the barter system to obtain products and services from friends and neighbors. Trading is good for one’s wallet and community.”

Sarah M. Place, MBA, President and CEO of Place Trade Financial, Inc. provided this roster of her favorite money saving tips:

“1. Always compare price per ounce when shopping for groceries. It is incredible how often I find that the products that are sold ‘in bulk’ or in larger packages are significantly more expensive than smaller packages. Years ago we were taught that buying in bulk offered big savings and many people just pick up that larger item and move on not realizing that they may be much better off if they took a few seconds to compare.

“2. Always travel with a bottle of water. So often we get thirsty (or hungry) when we are out and it is so easy to pull up to a drive through or convenience store to buy something and spend a few extra dollars when we could have a brought something from home. Invest in a nice bottle to carry with you. Even if you only spend a buck each time on a drink — that can really add up over time!

“3. Invest in a crock pot — it is such a great tool. It takes just a few minutes to throw ingredients into a crock pot in the morning and let it simmer all day. When you come home from work that house smells great and dinner is ready. Saves time and money. Never throw away a chicken without either turning [it] into soup, chicken and dumplings, or at least throwing it in your crock pot to cook down for stock. Toss that stock in the freezer and who knows what you will create with it later — it is just great to have homemade stock on hand when you need it versus the store (expensive) brands.

“4. Save on your utility bills. Often times there are services that you do not need or fees that can be waived or deleted with one phone call. Last month I finally decided that I could live without my home phone because I was tired of paying so much, but was torn because I still need it to support my alarm system. I called my service provider, explained my situation, and within minutes she wiped about 30% off of my total bill without reducing my service. I was in shock, but quickly thanked her, and am now enjoying the savings. It is worth asking — the worst thing they can do is say no.

“5. Enjoy events for free. Check your local paper or community calendar for free or close to free events. Larger communities often have festivals and events that you can attend for free. In Raleigh, NC, we have a summer concert series with nationally known musicians/bands that play for free to the public, free movies on the lawn, and every ‘First Friday’ of the month the city’s artists open up their shops and studios for the community to come and enjoy their wares while mingling with fellow art lovers.”

These are hard times, so no matter what your economic status, it pays to save where you can. That extra money may come in handy when you least expect it.

Borrowed from Totally Her

Cost Cutters

2009-03-20T01:20:00.002-05:00

Most of us are feeling the financial pinch right now and are trying to cut corners. Here are some possible cost cutters for you and your family to try out in this coming year:

~ Get acquainted with your local library. Most libraries now have inter-library loans and a wealth of books and videos available for borrowing. Borrowing videos from the library can save on rental fees from video stores and the power of reading together as a family is amazing! Focus on reading more than watching TV or movies and save the watching for special occasions instead. You’ll not only save on your electric bill, you’ll instill memories of reading times together into your children, to carry throughout their life.

~ Use half the amount of toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc., that you normally use. A little goes a long way and you can extend the life of your products quite a bit if you cut back on the amount you use each time. (Of course, getting hubby and kids to do this is another story!)

~ Add water to your dish soap and laundry detergent bottles after they are empty. You can usually get one more sink-full or load out of them.

~ Consider exchanging paper towels with rags and tissues and baby wipes with flannel wipes. Though a small investment up front, no longer buying paper towels, baby wipes, and tissues can add a few extra dollars to your grocery budget every month.

~ Also consider switching to cloth diapers. This is a more costly first-time investment, but it more than pays for itself within 1/2 a year!

~ Join sites like AFullCup.com and become acquainted with money saving blogs. Browse them frequently. They often give heads up on freebie days at places like Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery. They also give links for samples from Walmart and Proctor & Gamble. Just recently I received the Ziplock Freezer System for free because I was given a heads up about it on one of these sites.

~ Speaking of Starbucks, eliminating that Starbucks coffee several times a week will put extra money back into your wallet. If you must have coffee, consider Dunkin’ Donuts instead or even the new McDonald’s lattes, which I have not tried but have heard they are quite tasty — at a fraction of a Starbucks coffee. Go small, too, instead of venti. Just switching sizes can save money. It all adds up!

~ Instead of traveling far away for vacation, look up places of interest near where you live and take a vacation closer to home.

~ Share a meal with your husband when you go out to eat. This not only saves money, it also cuts your calories in half! If you must have that entire meal to yourself, definitely go half and half with dessert. I can’t remember the last time my husband and I had our own dessert. I probably couldn’t eat one all by myself if I had to, and I like the fact that we save close to $5 everytime we go out by doing this (even more if we split a meal).

~ Look into making your own household cleaning products, including laundry detergent. Making these things in bulk are great cost cutters!

~ Learn how to freeze and can fruits and vegetables. Even if you are not able to garden, check out the local farmers market in the summer and fall months and buy large quantities and then go home and preserve them. In the end, it will be much cheaper this way than buying frozen and canned foods from the store.

~ Make your own goodies rather than buying pre-packaged.

~ Get rid of the cable TV. Not only can this save a couple hundred dollars a year, it can also prove to be a move that boosts family relationships!

~ If you have a cell phone, call and see if you’re using the minutes you’re signed up for. If not, choose a lower package plan. Sometimes we are so used to paying the same amount every month we aren’t aware that the plan we have doesn’t even fit our needs anymore.

~ Switch to energy saving light bulbs. This will help save on your overall electricity bill as the year goes on.

~ Have your electric company come out and go through your house, showing you possible places that you could made some adjustments to, to cut your bill down each month.

~ Determine that you will learn how to use coupons and store sales to your advantage. I have made a commitment to not buy makeup and things like shampoo and toothpaste until I can get it for half cost or almost free, combining sales with coupons. Again, money saving blogs will help you learn how to do this. I’ve only been doing this five months and have already shaved over $200 from my shopping budget.

~ Join rewards programs. If you fly, stay at hotels, eat at a favorite restaurant, or buy a favorite brand, check and see whether or not they have a rewards or points program. These programs allow you to save up points and then redeem them for free flights, free nights, or gift cards.

~ Check into doing surveys for reputable companies, such as National Family Opinion. Doing surveys takes 10-20 minutes of your time each day, but it gives you points, which you can then redeem as cash or prizes like Amazon gift certificates.

Borrowed from Totally Her

Official New Moon and Transformer's 2 Trailers

2009-03-19T02:55:00.001-05:00

What I'm Currently Fascinated with

2009-03-18T02:12:00.007-05:00

It's that time of the week where Mama Kat posts her writing prompts....The one that I chose for this week is: What are you currently fascinated with?

These are the Brazilian Bullriders on tour this year

Well I've always been fascinated with it but right now I'm big into my PBR (Professional Bullriding). There's just something about this:
2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi

Trying to dominate this:

2007 PBR Bucking Bull of the Year Chicken on a Chain

Right now I'm a little bit upset with the PBR because they axed the one event that I really wanted to go to this fall in Minneapolis....It's only 5 HOURS from my house. I guess there just might not be any live events for me this year.....No 2009 Dear Diary's. But the upside to that is that it gives me time to set aside money for trips next season or just a random trip.....It'll be really hard on me not going to any live events this year but life is rough all over right?

I'm going to be missing out on lots of this, I don't even get to watch it on TV because I work weekends and right now that makes me sad:

Oh and a LOT of THIS too:

I LOVE Butt Cam....It makes me happy. There's always next season right?! Hey maybe I'll even get a trip to Vegas in for the PBR World Finals who nows!?

Some pretty neat "frugal" living links

2009-03-17T12:16:00.002-05:00

I found a new "frugal" living blog today called Wisebread and I thought that I would share a few of the articles with you that really stood out to me. Here we go:

Beware of Pretty Things: 4 reasons why I'm keeping my ugly old stuff ~ New isn't always better.

Top 6 Reasons Why Using Cash-only Rocks ~ I'm actually going to give this a try....My debit card isn't always my best friend.

Tips and Tricks to Eating Healthy on a Budget

6 Ways that Dieting and Budgeting are exactly the same

The Piggy Bank: A Secret to simple Saving

A closer look at one of my favorite sports

2009-03-17T09:29:00.002-05:00

Dear Dr. Phil

2009-03-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

Dear Dr. Phil,

When I retired, I could hardly wait to spend time enjoying my favorite pastime -- bass fishing. I got my own little fishing boat and tried to get my wife to join me, but she just never liked fishing.

Finally, one day at the Bait & Tackle Shop, I got to talking to Sam, the shop owner, who it turned out loves bass fishing as much as I do. We quickly became fishing buddies. As I said, the wife doesn't care about fishing. She not only refuses to join us, but she always complains that I spend too much time fishing.

A few weeks ago, Sam and I had the best fishing trip ever. Not only did I catch the most beautiful bass you've ever seen, only a few minutes later Sam must have caught his twin brother!

So I took a picture of Sam holding up the two nice bass that we caught and showed the picture to the wife hoping that maybe she'd get interested. Instead she says she doesn't want me to go fishing at all anymore! And she wants me to sell the boat! I think she just doesn't like to see me enjoying myself. What would you do? Tell the wife to forget it and continue my hobby or quit fishing and sell the boat as she insists?

Thanks, Fishing Fool

P.S. Attached is a picture of Sam with the two bass we caught.

Dear Fishing Fool,

Get rid of that narrow-minded wife.

That's a couple of really nice bass!

Dr. Phil

Coming Soon and Too funny not to share

2009-03-14T03:08:00.000-05:00

Coming soon....Follower Exclusive giveaways. I've seen this done on several of the blogs that I visit on a regular basis and some that I just happened to stumble upon and I thought I'd give it a try myself. I haven't quite decided yet what I'm going to be giving away or the interval in which they will happen but I'm really excited to give this a try.

Now check out this video:

I became a Partner In Hope

2009-03-13T00:01:00.002-05:00

Coming Soon: Follower Exclusive Giveaways!
Welcome to my major blessing for the week.....This week one of our local radio stations had their 14th annual St. Judeathon, I've been listening to the St. Judeathon for the last few years, a couple of years ago the radio stations morning show hosts vowed that if a certain amount of money was raised for St. Jude during the radioathon that at the end they would shave their heads.....Needless to say we radio listeners rose to the challenge and the radio hosts shaved their heads on the air. Now they are doing things differently, but I finally took the plunge. I became a Partner In Hope, for $20 a month I am helping children with cancer from all over the globe who come to St. Jude to receive treatment.

I became a Partner In Hope because their are parent's out there who just can't afford the treatments that their child needs to get rid of this terrible illness...At St. Jude the hospital covers ALL costs of treatment from donations from people like me and you as well as fundraising. I became a Partner In Hope because it can/could happen to you or me, because cancer knows no age. I became a Partner In Hope because we need to find a cure for this horrible illness. I became a Partner In Hope because if it were me in the shoes of some of these parents, I would like to know that their are people out there "behind the scenes" helping to keep St. Jude up and running....Did you now that the daily operating cost for St. Jude is nearly $1.4 million which is primarily covered by public donations?

As a Partner In Hope I will be receiving a monthly newsletter from St. Jude, which will feature a patient of the month (the cutie in the picture is this month's patient of the month, click on her picture to read her story) and all sorts of information about the research that is being done at the hospital. I will also be receiving the peace of mind that my donation is helping to find a cure for Childhood Cancer. Knowing that the research done at St. Jude (which is shared with hospitals all over the globe) could mean for a family that in the future there will be kindergarten, Middle School, prom, High School graduation, broken curfew's, college and a long happy life for their child. That feeling right there is the best feeling in the world for me, knowing I'm helping a whole bunch of someone's I've probably never met before and giving kids from all over the place a fighting chance, well that beats Chocolate right there. For the record I am a Chocolate FREAK!

Here are a few links for you to check out if you would like:

Quick Facts About St. Jude

The Corporate Sponsors of St. Jude

About the Founder of St. Jude

Danny's Promise

I want to encourage you to become a Partner In Hope because together we can find a cure for Childhood Cancer. Please click on the St. Jude logo to become a Partner In Hope.

Here is a video with the song Where Angel's Hang Around that Country artist James Otto put on his recent album Sunset Man....The song is entirely about St. Jude....The video itself was done in memory of a St. Jude patient who passed away May 9, 2005.

Mama Kat's Writers Workshop

2009-03-12T00:10:00.001-05:00

This is something new that I'm trying out...I've seen it done on a couple of the blogs that I frequent so I thought that I would give it a try. If you want to join in the fun click on the "Mama's Losin' It!!" button to go to Mama Kat's blog. Here are this weeks prompts:

1.) Discuss an intense game of Pictionary that you spent most of Saturday night arguing with your family about, only to log in to your email account two days later to find 35 emails between said family regarding aformentioned game and rules.

2.) Tell about a time you hurt somebody that still bothers you to this day.

3.) The one that got away....spill it.Thank you Kristen from All In A Mom's Life for those last two suggestions.

4.) What inspired you? Write about a time when you were impassioned to write.(writingfix.com)

5.) What happened in the last year? Write about something you can do now that you couldn't do a year ago. (writingfix.com)

6.) Write about the event that was the end of your childhood(writingfix.com)

I'm choosing number 5 this go around. What happened in the last year? Well in the last year or so it's been a bit tipsy turvy. Alot has gone on in my life so I thought that I would try to do this prompt as more of a "photo essay" type post. I hope you enjoy it.

I got my first digital camera and printing station last Christmas. Love my camera, haven't figured it all out yet but I still love it.

I started growing my hair out....I started out with hair slightly longer than Alyssa Millano's short style.

We said "hello" to Laci when we adopted her last March.

Spring actually showed up and decided to stick around....unlike this year.

I went on a trip to Omaha, Nebraska where I got to go to the birthplace of John Wayne, saw my first covered bridge, was in my first Cabela's and got to see one of my favorite sports....Professional Bullriding.

My great-grandma turned 93...She's an AWESOME lady!

I saw Craig Morgan live in concert....AWESOME show!

Twilight happened...Need I say more? You can NEVER have toooo much Edward.

We said "Goodbye" to our dog Shawna....She was almost 20 years old and her quality of life was deteriating. We still miss her alot...Needless to say Thanksgiving is now a dark holiday at our house.

We had new floors put in in December....Laci doesn't like the floors....she slides a lot and spends alot of time lying on the rugs we've got put down.

I had a benign cyst removed from my right leg in February and acquired 3 stitches...For the record stitches SUCK!

This is me and my hair a little over a year after I started growing it out. How cool is that!?

That is my ugly ass scar from my stitches....I really HATE it! Sorry about the fuzziness of the photo.

My mom and I decided to start Cloudberry Creations where you can get your own Tote bags, aprons, oven mitts, etc. We even have our own blog for Cloudberry....http://cloudberrycreations.blogspot.com if you want to drop by and check it out.

Well, that's my year or so in a nutshell....Now for the second half of the question....Write about something you can do now that you couldn't do a year ago. I learned to knit in one 30 minute lunch break....My brother's fiancee had taught herself how to knit and I wanted to learn so she taught one of our co-worker's and I how to knit on our lunch break. I also got back on the sewing wagon in the last few weeks. I hadn't touched a sewing machine since middle school...I just turned 25 on the 21st of February.

Cuteness

2009-03-11T04:16:00.000-05:00

Randomness

2009-03-10T07:57:00.005-05:00

I just downloaded a song off of Itune's called "Take My Drunk Ass Home" pretty funny. It's by Luke Bryan.

Don't really have much planned for today, but tomorrow the plan is to go to the fabric store and get more stuff to make more aprons, mitts, etc. I can hardly wait!

Well I couldn't wait until tomorrow, so while I was out getting dog food I stopped at the fabric store (which is across the street from the pet shop that carries the food we feed our dog) and picked up a couple different prints. Stop by cloudberrycreations.blogspot.com to check out what I got.

My cute froggies

2009-03-08T00:30:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of photo's of the apron that I mentioned in my blessing's post for this week. I'm usually not into a lot of pink but I really liked this print and color.

To see more of our creations visit Cloudberry Creations (Today we have our Oven Mitt proto-type and another cute apron) blog at http://cloudberrycreations.blogspot.com

Usually a Friday tradition but for this week only....

2009-03-07T00:00:00.001-06:00

NOTE: Tomorrow we have photo's of my pretty pink froggy apron.

We have Saturday blessings! Let's see what's gone on this weeks? Well, I only worked 2 (saturday and sunday) of my 4-day rotation because I was only scheduled for 2 days. We get into big time trouble if we don't adhere to the posted schedule, so I just played along. I'm hoping we're just about done cutting hours and can go about our business as usual. On the upside I got to go to our offsite warehouse both days, which is a rare treat for me.

On Monday I didn't really do much other than send my box for Mamarazzi's favorite things swap in the mail. Pretty uneventful day...the first day of my days off is usually uneventful cause I'm gearing down from all the stuff that may or may not have happened at work...thankfully this week no real drama, just tired.

Tuesday I went out and bought the movie Australia, which I didn't actually watch until Wednesday. GREAT movie! I even did a post about it, which you can read here.

Wednesday I finished my first apron....My pink froggy apron is sooooo cute! The sewing machine gave me fits for awhile but I got it all figured out in the end. Watched the movie Australia. SEE IT!

Thursday I got my box from my swap partner in Mamarazzi's Favorite Things swap. If you want to see what I got in my box go here. I also rearranged and added to my favorite posts, if you want to check those out go here.

Friday I posted about my new follower buddy Ms. Cupcake's giveaway for Barbie's 50th birthday, if you want to check out the post I did or find out more information about the giveaway click here (Mine) or here (Ms. Cupcakes).

Barbie Turns 50!

2009-03-06T00:30:00.002-06:00

One of my follower friends, Zen Cupcake, is having a giveaway to honor Barbie's 50th birthday. Ms. Cupcake is giving away some pretty AWESOME things too. Here's a little rundown of what's being given away:

1. 4 Stila makeup kits from Sephora(value $40 each)

"In this collection, created to celebrate Barbie's 50th birthday, each paint can features the look of an iconic Barbie doll from the past five decades. Inside each can is everything you need to get that beautiful Barbie doll's signature look. The Barbie Loves Stila paint can also includes a "Barbie Look Book" that includes a history of each top-selling Barbie doll over the last five decades."

2. 1 Juicy Couture Cupcake Eau de Parfum from Sephora. (Value $50.00)

3. Two (2) $25.00 gift baskets worth of Sephora's Vanilla Cupcake bath and body products.

4. Barbie cupcake candles, cupcake wrappers and cupcake toppers.

5. Random prizes like Cupcake Mints, Cupcake Bandages, Cupcake Dental Floss and Cupcake Key Covers too!

NOTE: My blessings for the week will be posted tomorrow...I don't usually post on the weekends (or I'm going to try to only post during the week) but I'm making an exception just this once.

I love good mail.....

2009-03-05T11:53:00.019-06:00

NOTE: To go to my review of the movie Australia click here.

I received my swap box from Mamarazzi's Favorite Things swap today! I can hardly wait to share the contents of my box! So lets get started shall we?! Oh when your done reading this post go visit Mamarazzi and see who else participated in the swap.

My swap partner was MaryRC. Mary is a professional makeup artist! How cool is that?! Here is what I found in my box of goodies from Mary:

How cool is that wrapping paper?! This was soo much fun, being my first swap and all .

Oh, here's the box....Time for the big reveal!

Look at all those fun things! Let's take a closer look at them shall we?!

How cute is that little frame!? Now I'm on a mission to find a picture to put in it!

Isn't this scarf sooooo pretty! Has my favorite color (blue) in it!

I've never seen Pretty in Pink, so I can hardly wait to watch it!

My candy is rebeling....I couldn't get my photos to turn the way I wanted them too.

I LOVE earrings! My policy is you can never have toooooo many pairs! LOVE these!

How cool is that candle holder!? Can hardly wait to light the candle inside!

I have a confession to make....I'm new to the makeup scene. I'm one of only 3 girls on both sides of my family and I had graduated High School before I really decided to release my inner "girly" girl.

Can NEVER have too much Edward and Bella!

I see a new hobby in my future.....

I want thank Mamarazzi and MaryRC for making my first swap experience a great one! I can hardly wait to do another one!

Australia Review

2009-03-04T15:17:00.008-06:00

NOTE: I updated and rearranged my "Favorite Posts" so please check them out.

Yesterday I viewed the movie Australia with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. I loved it...At first I was a little leery of seeing it because I hadn't heard much about the movie other than what my friend from work had told me about it. She's a big Hugh Jackman fan and could even his worst movie sound like the best thing since sliced bread....Does Hugh have a bad movie? I really don't think he does.

Usually, I'm not a real big fan of Nicole Kidman but she was really good in this movie. She was a very believeable as an English aristocrate, Lady Sarah Ashley, who's husband owns a cattle station, Far Away Downs, in the Northern territory of Australia, near Darwin. Well Lady Ashley come's to Australia assuming her husband is up to no good, only meet up with Drover (Hugh Jackman) and learn some shocking things about what has been going on at Far Away Downs. While at Far Away Down's she meets up with an Aboriginal child named Nullah and they all embark on a cattle drive across some of the harshest country in Australia, because the contract to supply the Australian Army with beef is on the line (this movie takes place when the world is on the brink of WWII). Not only do they have to contend with the elements but there are certain people who don't want this team to succeed and will do anything to see that they don't.

Because I don't want to give away too much of the movie I'll stop there.....But I will say that as great as the movie was, there are a few obvious CGI moments, but I didn't let that detract from the rest of the movie. Then there is the fact that Hugh Jackman looks pretty dang good on a horse....almost makes you wish you were the horse.

Here's the movie trailer:

Wordless Wednesday and a little note

2009-03-04T00:01:00.003-06:00

Learning some new habits...

2009-03-03T02:20:00.005-06:00

I am in the ongoing process of trying to teach myself to be better with my money....I've been pretty wishy washy in this department for a while now and with our economy the way it is right now I really think it's time to make it more of a priority. I've been reading a few new blogs on the "frugal" lifestyle and from what I've been reading I can totally do this.....I just need to be a little more aware of my spending habits. If anyone has and tips/"tricks" please feel free to share...I'm game for trying "new" things.

Keep checking back....I plan on sharing my finds/"tricks" with my bloggy pals.

On a different note.....Upon further review of my finance's, my bloggy giveaway has to be put on hold for a little while. There will be a giveaway, just need a little more "give" in my budget than what I have right now.

Yeah an Award!

2009-03-02T11:28:00.003-06:00

Heatherlyn over at Colt Family Blog bestowed this nifty cool award on me...Now it's time to pass it along. Here are the rules for this one:

List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world you are KReATIV!

1. I'm a big time John Wayne fan.....If your looking for some good "Duke" flicks here are just a few, there are just too many really good one's to mention here:

- She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

- Fort Apache

- Rio Grande

- The Searchers....I also did a post on this movie too.

- The Undefeated

2. I love a good laugh.

3. My favorite vice right now is Hershey Hugs

4. I love me some Pittsburgh Steeler football.

5. Traveling

6. My bloggy friends

7. My family

Now who am I going to pass this along too?

1. Pooba over at Grand Pooba

2. Yaya over at Yaya Stuff

3. The Blonde Duck over at A Duck In Her Pond

4. R. Susanna over at Sticky Stuff on the Floor

5. Tara over at Too Much Information

6. Kati over at Backwoods Homemaker Barbie

7. The Texas Woman over at The Texas Woman

For the Pet Owners out there...That means me too!

2009-03-02T11:19:00.001-06:00

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don't. (2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture. (3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people. (4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they (1) eat less, (2) don't ask for money all the time, (3) are easier to train, (4) normally come when called, (5) never ask to drive the car, (6) don't hang out with drug-using people; (7) don't smoke or drink, (8) don't want to wear your clothes, (9) don't have to buy the latest fashions, (10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and (11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ..

Redneck Sex

2009-02-28T08:23:00.001-06:00

A week after their marriage, the redneck newlyweds, Ed and Arlene, paid a visit to their doctor.

"You ain't gonna believe this, Doc," said the husband. "My thingy's turnin' blue."

"That's pretty unusual," said the doctor. "Let me examine you." The doctor takes a look. Sure enough, the redneck's "thingy" really was blue.

The doctor turns to the wife, "Are you using the diaphragm that I prescribed for you?"

"Yep, shore am," she replied brightly.

"And what kind of jelly are you using with it?"

"Grape", she said.

New Blog!

2009-02-27T10:58:00.002-06:00

My mom and I have started a new blog for our business venture. I hope that you will check it out and leave us some feedback. The address is: http://cloudberrycreations.blogspot.com . Hope to see you there!

Friday's Blessings

2009-02-27T02:38:00.002-06:00

It's Friday again so it's time for my blessings for the week. This week has been a pretty "blah" week for me...Nothing all that interesting has happened around here. Let's see if I can find some blessings in all the "blahness" that has been my week.

I got last Saturday off for my birthday....It pretty much snowed all day so we stayed home, had some t-bone steaks for dinner, ate some birthday cake and watched some Gone with the Wind. Pretty relaxing birthday....Loved it.

Sunday and Monday were pretty "blah"....the only upside to Monday was I ended up going to our offsite warehouse at work....which I actually like doing....Some people HATE going to our warehouse....I on the other hand LOVE going to our warehouse.

Tuesday.....Didn't do much....Had a miserable headache so I went to bed early and got close to 13 hours of sleep. Yeah me!

Wednesday....My mom and I got started on our Business venture....Got a bunch of fabric and have about 7 apron's cut out....Will get pictures of the prototype posted just as soon as I find it again....Dang thing grew legs and walked away when I wanted to take it's picture.

Thursday....I got my stitches taken out....Literally took less than 3 minutes. Got some pretty serious uglyness going on where the stitches were though...Not real happy about that but I guess it could be worse right? Photo's coming soon. Got a lot of rain, which was supposed to freeze and make things really interesting around here, I'm hoping I can actually get things done tomorrow.

Friday....Bidding on some vintage apron patterns on ebay....I hope I win at least one of the 2 that I'm bidding on. That would be AWESOME! Don't really have much planned for today...Going to do some laundry, hopefully win at least one pattern, maybe do some sewing, and whatever else may trip my fancy today. I don't work tonight so I've got alot of time on my hands today to pretty much anything I want. That makes me happy!

The stitches come out!

2009-02-26T07:02:00.002-06:00

My EVIL stitches in my leg come out today! I can hardly wait! I bet it will be one funky looking scar!

My mom and I are starting a new little "business" venture. We're sewing up a bunch of Apron's (Adult and Child size), pot holders, hot mitts, tote bags and possibly some more fun stuff like that to sell at not only Little Norway (in the gift shop and on the webpage) and maybe even here in bloggy/internet land. We've got the prototype apron almost done...Just have to put the ties on it. I'll post a picture of it later this afternoon.

Less than 2 weeks!

2009-02-25T02:53:00.002-06:00

We're less than 2 weeks away from my first ever blog giveaway! I can hardly wait! I've seen them done all over bloggy land but I've never done one myself. So it'll be a learning experience for me.

Now I'm going to ask for some advice from all my bloggy friends. I've been having a boat load of problems at work. One of our ETL's (Executive Team Lead, AKA My boss) has been causing a lot of problems. Basically, if your some one who has an opinion and you voice it and it's not something she wants to hear/like she retaliates against you (we have a no retaliation policy). Those of us how have suffered because of this have had our hours drastically cut (I'm working only 2 days this next schedule) or have had other things come up as well. Basically, I'm considering transfering to another store, I don't want to leave the company all together because I have a lot of time put into it. There is a new store opening up soon in our area that I've seriously considered transfering too, so here are some pro's and con's and you tell me what you think I should do.

Pro's:

1. It's a new store with a Brand New team who have more than likely never done stocking before (I'm sure that there are some who have but I'll bet the majority haven't) and I have almost 3 years experience.
2. It'll be during the day (4 am unload) so I'll actually get to see the sun again...I haven't seen much sun in almost 3 years.
3. I more than likely will get the hours I need to actually be able to pay my bills and have a little money left over.
4. I might actually get to go to family functions again (I've been to 3 events in the last 3 years that I've worked overnights).

Con's:

1. It'll be further for me to drive to work.
2. I'll be the low man on the totem pole again.
3. I may have to give up my 4 day work week (I work 4 10 hour shifts right now).
4. I'd have to learn a new store's routine.
5. What if there aren't any stores who want me?

What would you do if you were me?

Twilight!

2009-02-23T02:33:00.000-06:00

Guess what?!?!?!?! Twilight is being released on DVD on March 21, 2009! I can hardly wait! I never did see it in the theater....being without a reliable mode of transportation most of the winter and all. I read the whole series in a little over 2 weeks (unfortuante things like work, eating, sleeping, etc. took away from my reading time.) and I LOVED it! Guess who's going to be investing in her own personal copy?!

P.S. Click on either of the pictures to go to Amazon to pre-order your 2-disc Special edition.

Bathing Ms. Laci

2009-02-22T00:20:00.013-06:00

Last Tuesday morning when I got home I decided that it was bath day for Ms. Laci. Ms. Laci had been needing a bath for a little while now and I just went ahead and gave her one. Needless to say, she wasn't my biggest fan for awhile.

This turns into this......

Angry and pissed....Can't even look at me...Oh but then you add this.....

And you get some more of this.....

Angry and pissed off and not looking at me...."But you'll smell sooo good Laci"....

"See....It's Pomegranate Passion...AND as an added bonus it'll help with your shedding"......

Nope...Still angry and pissed off...."But Laci, we're rinsing it all out now, we're just about done!"

"Did you say RINSE?! This Chinese Water Torture is almost over?!"

"Yup, it's almost over...Now hold still so I can lift you out of the tub!"

Angry and pissed off Cocker Spaniel with her own towel turns into....Extremely happy and fluffy/wavy Cocker Spaniel when the towel doesn't completely do the job and you have to bring out the "big guns".......

WOOOT!

"Oh, that feels good!"

Check out those wave's y'all!....Oh what's this?!

NEW BLING!!!!

It's my Birthday so I'll bitch if I want too.

2009-02-21T07:54:00.005-06:00

NOTE: This has been an ongoing struggle for me and I'm not out to upset anyone, just getting some "stuff" off my chest.

I have this little thing about blogging that irks me big time. When I go to someone's blog and leave a nice comment on a post or multiple posts and I don't even hear a "hey thanks for dropping by." from them. I visited a whole bunch of new blogs yesterday and of the one's that I visited only 1 person commented back, who has been added to my blogroll and I hope they come back to visit. I'm hoping that I do hear something back from the others also because I realize that people are busy, etc. but it's just a little bit disheartening to go and leave comments on blogs and not hear anything back. It almost feels like I've been blown off in a way. Does this bother anyone else or is it just me? I'm done bitching for now.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Later tonight....Bathing Ms. Laci....Complete with pictures.

Blessings, bloggy business and randomness oh my!

2009-02-20T01:04:00.005-06:00

Ok, this post is going to be one long post of blessings, random acts of kindness, bloggy business and whatever else I think of as I'm writing this. So lets begin....Blessing wise, it hasn't been that great of a week for me. It's inventory week at work (actually it's going down as I'm typing this) and everyone has been a bit snippy the last couple days. Needless to say I was super happy when Monday night came around....I don't work on Tuesday's, Wednesday's or Thursday's. Less stress for me. I got the test results back from my biopsy last week....BENIGN CYST! Nothing to worry about anymore! Tomorrow is my 25th birthday....That and I have the night off!

Bloggy business....On the bottom of my blog (I couldn't get it to fit in the sidebar or on the top of the page) is a ticker to let everyone know how many days until my first blog giveaway. It actually is in conjunction with SITS Spring Fling but anyone can win. Also, on the bloggy front....I will once again be trimming down my link list, so if you would like to remain or be added to my list either drop me an e-mail at jamiehanna84@gmail.com or leave me a comment please.

In April, cause that's when my next doctor's appointment is, I will hopefully be on the road to weight loss. I've been trying and have tried numerous times to shed some unwanted weight and I've crashed and burned everytime. Hopefully, with the help of my doctor I will be successful this time.

Oh, pictures of Ms. Laci's bath coming probably tomorrow night....I'll have a little more time and I won't have any contention for the computer.

On to random acts of kindness....I found this on Yahoo and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did....It's good to know that there is still some good out there in the world amidst all the bad stuff going on.

Amid the grieving, a rare act of sportsmanship

The coach never considered any other option.

It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.

Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.

Only this time it was different.

"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.

Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.

The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."

Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.

Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.

The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.

"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.

"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."

There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.

Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.

Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.

"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."

That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.

He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.
His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.

It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.

They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."

Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.

Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him.

"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."

Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.

"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."
Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton.

It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.

"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."
None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.

Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.

"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

Window Shopping ~ Cowgirl Style

2009-02-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've done a window shopping post so on a random search of the internet I found some more items to share with y'all. I hope that you enjoy them. I found pretty much all of these sites on 2 Friends Funky Cowgirl Jewlery Clothing and Primitive Folk Art Shopping. (Oh, please click on the photo of the item if by chance you do find something that you too need to take you directly to the page where you can order it.)

This t-shirt is from Rieger Ranch Boutique. $32

Here's another one from Rieger Ranch Boutique. $35

This is from Back at the Ranch. $23

This tank is from Ranch Glam. And yes it does really say....I feel a sin comin' on. $28.00

This one is also from Ranch Glam. This shirt says.....Mess With Me, Mess With The Whole Trailer Park. $34

Yet another one from Ranch Glam. $28.00 (Also comes in Turqouise)

This pendant is from Wild Hearted Cowgirls.

Another one from Wild Hearted Cowgirls. $32.00

This one is from The Tiara Fits. The shirt says this: Here's To Good Women, May We Know Them, May We Raise Them, May We Be Them! $36.00

Check this out!

2009-02-18T11:30:00.004-06:00

I have been in the process of growing my hair out for a little over a year now. When I started it was REALLY short...I unfortuantely could not find a picture of myself with my super short hair....so without further adue I give you Alyssa Milano with super short hair.I took some pictures this morning of my progress so far....Check these out!

It's about jaw length now but it's still driving me crazy because it's in that stage where you can only do so much with it.

This is how my hair is usually "done" a little pony tail near the top of my head or in a headband.

Check out how long thos bangs are! Lip level y'all!

These are my Stitches - Caution: Naughty word

2009-02-17T09:53:00.005-06:00

This is the original bandage.

These are the actual stitches themselves. There are 3 of them. This photo was taken before the bandages that I used to cover them up irritated the FUCK out of my skin.

Oh and here is the band aid before the skin irritating started.

Ms. Laci gets a bath!

2009-02-17T08:48:00.001-06:00

Today is the day that our dog is going to hate me FOREVER! She's getting a bath and then she's going to get her pretty pink spiked collar put on....Pictures to come later.

How PBR bucking bull Chicken on a Chain got his name

2009-02-16T08:38:00.003-06:00

Jeff Robinson tells the story best:

"Well, he was raised in North Georgia, where, at that point in time, seven to eight years ago, there were lots of people who had fighting roosters… anyway, there's all kinds of people that raise these fighting roosters, and they'll have them in their backyard or whatever, and they'll have them staked out. They'll have a little chain around their leg and stake those chickens out in a little pen. And he got out and got one of those roosters caught on his leg, so he drug this chicken around the yard for three or four days before they caught him."

And on that day, the legend was born: Chicken on a Chain.

NOTE: "Chicken" had jumped the fence and was trying to fly the coop.

It snowed!

2009-02-14T08:41:00.004-06:00

It snowed here again...I don't know about anyone else but I'm ready for winter to be over. Even my dog hates it and she hates very few things. For the record -50 degree weather is NOT my cup of tea. It's supposed to be a scorching 29 degrees today but it will only feel like about 18 degrees according to the weather man.

Stitches SUCK! And my leg still hurts! I can only imagine what it's going to feel like in 2 weeks when they come out! Thanks for all the kind words about my mass....Here's hoping there is nothing to worry about....Got everything you can cross crossed.

It's Valentine's day! Happy Valentine's day everybody!

Blessings!

2009-02-13T09:08:00.003-06:00

We're on a role....Two weeks in a row I've had a blessings post! Yeah me! Go me! 8 days until my 25th birthday! It's been a pretty stress free week this week around the homefront. I was actually blessed with a 4 day "weekend" instead of my usual 3 day "weekend" so I got a whole lot of nothing accomplished and it felt great actually.

I finally got my car fixed. It feels really good being able to actually go places instead of sitting at home all the time. I guess sitting at home isn't exactly the worst thing in the whole wide world...It's saving me money but still it's nice to be able to go if I need to go. The only downside to getting my car fixed really is that I spent my whole tax return on it....I had other plans for some of that money but I guess having reliable transportation is a good thing too.

The weather has been pretty decent around here this week so Ms. Laci and I have been out for at least 1 walk a day all week. When we had a really miserable cold stretch the poor thing actually developed Cabin Fever. I didn't now that dogs could get cabin fever but apparently they can. So now the weather has been decent and we've been out walking and Ms. Laci is a super happy dog right now.

I got a small mass that I thought was a bug bite removed from my leg yesterday. The doctor is pretty sure that it's nothing to worry about but I should hear something back in a week or so. With the removal of that mass I acquired 3 stitches. Lets just say that I've been had on that little adventure....I was told that they wouldn't hurt or bother me once the leg un-numbed. Won't hurt or bother me my ass. We're going on almost 24 hours of hurt and bothering me. The nurse was less than helpful in the care of my stitches also...Basically all I gleaned from her talking at 6000 miles an hour was: keep them clean, keep them dry, keep them covered and use vaseline on them. To be honest I'm not really sure where the blessing is in this paragraph but I'm just relieved that whatever it is that was in my leg is now out of my leg.

Rubber Gloves

2009-02-13T03:38:00.001-06:00

Note: My blessings will be up later this morning. What do you think of the new look?

Next time you use a pair of rubber gloves, you're going to smile when you think of this:

A dentist noticed that his next patient, a little old lady, was nervous so he decided to tell her a little joke as he put on his gloves.
'Do you know how they make these gloves?' he asked.
'No, I don't,' she replied.
'Well,' he spoofed, 'there's a building in Canada with a big tank of latex and workers of all hand sizes walk up to the tank, dip in their hands, let them dry, then peel off the gloves and throw them into boxes of the right size.'
She didn't crack a smile.
'Oh, well. I tried,' he thought.
But five minutes later, during a delicate portion of the procedure, she burst out laughing.
'What's so funny?' he asked
'I was just envisioning how condoms are made!'

My random question for the day

2009-02-12T12:43:00.003-06:00

Do any of the dog owners out there feed there dog(s) Solid Gold brand dog food or know anyone who has? We just switched Laci to it and are looking for some feedback from others on the brand.

P.S. Does anyone out there know how to take care of medical stitches?....I had a small "mass" removed from my right leg this morning and now I have 3 stitches that I need to take care of for two weeks and I have no idea what I'm doing. They did tell me how to take care of them but I do much better with written information, that and they told me at about 6000 miles an hour and about all I caught was "come back in two weeks to get them taken out."