my life.....in run on sentences

Winners! Winners! (and link for discount tickets to Sportsmen's Expo)

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Dolphyngyrl and Ally for winning passes to this weekend's Sportsmen's Expo!!

Remember, if you didn't win, you can still use this link to get yourself $2 off adult tickets! Kids 15 and under are free!

Susan’s Super Sportsmen’s Expo Saver Link

Youth Outdoor Sports Fair - family fun! free for kids!

2012-01-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

I am sure you have heard of the International Sportsmen’s Expo. It comes every year for 4 days of outdoorsy fun at Cal Expo. But did you know that they fill up 20,000 SF of it with a Youth Outdoor Sports Fair? I didn’t! Heck, 2 years ago, Ryan spent a morning showing off the Boy Scout Adventure Base 100 (he was even on TV with a very uncoordinated newscaster who tried the obstacle course). Afterwards Ryan walked around and checked out the Expo and even he didn’t know they had a youth section!

What is my point here? Well, KIDS 15 AND UNDER ARE FREE!!
That means that they can learn archery, fishing things (there is even a catch & release activity), turkey calling (VERY important if you live near me! Seriously!), and safe gun handling in the NRA airgun range. Something I like, and very Boy Scout feeling, is “Tread Lightly!” They are a national non-profit group that encourages responsible use of public lands and waterways. The kids’ Sports Fair area will have games for the kids, giveaways and raffles, ATV photo opportunities, falconry displays, “Lucy’s Pond” with a waterfall and river, and a whole lot more. Oh yes, and Radio Disney will be there!

Show times for the Youth Outdoor Sports Fair are

Friday 3pm to 8pm (the Sportsmen’s Expo opens at 11am, but those kids have to go to school!)
Saturday 10am to 7pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm

I think we could easily spend an entire day just in the kids’ area. Which is good because I want to learn how to talk to those turkeys that block my path when I go to the library!

Anyway, kids are free, grown-ups are $15, and parking is $10.

BUT, I am giving away 2 pairs of tickets! All you need to do it post a comment with what you think your kids will be most excited about at the Youth Outdoor Sports Fair by ~~6pm~~ 9pm January 18th -that is Wednesday night! Can you say short notice?!?!? (Sorry! I have been having technical difficulties.) I’ll do a random drawing of all entrants and let you know ASAP.

If you aren’t patient, don’t want to enter, or don’t win you can use this link to save $2 on adult tickets now! Have fun and I'll see you there!

Susan’s Super Sportsmen’s Expo Saver Link

Disclosure: I was given a set of passes to the Expo along with the ability to share the discount ticket link in exchange for posting about the Expo. But, once the boys heard about the kids’ area it didn’t matter, we were going free tickets or not!

Buy some books - help an animal!

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

THIS WEEKEND!!!! is the SPCA Winter Book Sale!!!

January 12th through 15th (oh, wait, I guess that starts TODAY) at the Citrus Town Center at Greenback and Sunrise. (it used to be called Sunrise Festival......and you probably remember it better as the place that used to have a Krispy Kreme on the corner, which is now a Panera Bread....and an Old Navy, which is soon to be a Sprouts Market). ANYWAY, that is where it is.....next door to Marshalls (so either where Linen Outlet used to be or maybe where Filco used to be......maybe I'll drive by and get a more definitive answer for you....and buy a couple books myself!)

okay, so about the books: gently used books of ALL kinds! there are also games and puzzles.

hours are from 10am to 7pm Thursday through Saturday and then 11am to 6pm on Sunday.

if I confused you too much.......check the SPCA website for more info!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - oh finally!! (a movie review.....kinda)

2011-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

Do you know me? Probably don't need to know me much to know how much I have been obsessing over The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movie. Yes, I was one of those hold outs who didn't read the books when all the buzz started. Why would I want to read some book about an inked chick?? But I did and the rest is kinda history.

So that you know where I am coming from, I have read the entire series once.....pretty much didn't leave the couch from the beginning of the first book through the end of the third. I have watched the foreign films once. Then a couple weeks ago I read the first book again and rewatched the foreign version of the first movie. I stopped short of piercings and tearing my clothes (I would be tempted if I could find a shirt that said "fuck you, you fucking fuck" like was worn in the movie.......though I would probably be too chicken to wear it in public.......or in front of my kids........maybe under a sweatshirt?!?!? I don't think H&M will be offering it in their Dragon Tattoo collection!)

Last night was the sneak preview. Couldn't believe I hadn't tracked down passes until Sunday morning......thankyouverymuch SandwichJohnFilms!! After talking with the studio rep, I was a bit worried about the amount of violence in the movie: rape, rape, torture, etc. All the heavies. Despite the continual laughing of the dude across the aisle from me, this was not a comedy!

Anyway, the worst part of the movie was the Trent Reznor "video" at the beginning. My friend MsChick said it was to get us in that "weird dark Swedish vibe". You can see the video on his site......sans movie credits. This movie was a long one.......why saddle us with a ridiculous waste of time on top of that? (Otherwise, he and Atticus Ross did an amazing soundtrack!!)

After that, everything was much better! I don't know how to really say it (which is why I won't be quitting my day job to become a movie critic anytime soon), but this version of the movie took a slightly different view of the storyline than the original version and I liked it better. It did a better job of explaining things than the foreign film and will go over better with those few in the audience who haven't devoured the books. The movie was faithful to the story, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It still took liberties with some of the details of the story and I would love to ask the screenwriter, director, producer, whomever "why???? why bother changing something like that?" But I can't.

End result: this movie lives up to the hype. They did not ruin a good story as I had feared they would. Other than 2 obvious and annoying product placements (McDonalds and Coke, I am looking at you!), it was not what I call "Hollywoodized." (Apple and Epson got their fair share of screentime too, but somehow that wasn't as annoying.) I can't imagine how many shots it took to get some of the subtle emotions and nuances from the actors. I was uncomfortable where I knew I would be (this is not a kids's movie people......and the 2 people I saw there with their young children: bad! bad bad parents!!!). The movie (with the help of the soundtrack) was fast paced and I didn't notice that I was sitting for so long. They did an excellent job of providing some relief so you didn't leave the theater needing a chiropractor from being stressed up and clenched for almost 3 hours. I will go see it again.

One thing that feels off is that what you remember being the main story ends, but there are still several minutes left to the movie. The viewer (even me) forgets that the story begins with Mikael Blomkvist being convicted of slander. Then we quickly get swept up into the "meat" of the movie. But that part of the story is only there because of the fall-out of the court case and after the mystery is solved, the slander storyline needs to be concluded. Seems a bit anti-climactic. It does in the book too. But it is necessary for the continuation of the Trilogy. Maybe instead of seeing it as the end of this story, see it as a prelude to the next?

Anyone know when The Girl Who Played With Fire will be out?

And the winner......

2011-12-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

of an all expenses paid trip to......oh wait, wrong blog! lol!!

okay, seriously, according to Random.org, the winner of all those nifty neat-o-keen things in my November 27th post is..........

DONNA HENDON!!!!!

Please make sure I have your address so I can mail you your goodies ASAP!!!!

Thank you everyone for entering!

Meatless Mondays - Comedy or Tragedy?

2011-11-29T07:32:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago we (ie: me) decided to start doing meatless mondays. Hadn't really thought too much about it or done any research. I know that we eat too much meat. Even enforcing portion control is difficult. I also wanted to expand the family's diet. The boys aren't vegetable fans, so I promised no straight out salads. (That is fine....I don't really like lettuce and we rarely have it in the house. A salad with dinner is usually more a bowl of chopped veggies.....which are then drowned in dressing! Oh well!)

The first Monday was easy. I was donating blood the next day so a simple marinara in a cast iron frying pan was perfect! That went over well and showed that no meat wasn't going to kill them. (And I aced the blood iron test!)

We skipped last week.

Last night we were back on track. Had planned on bean and cheese burritos but it was cold and foggy and was wanting some comfort type food. So I hit the internet for some inspiration. There is a site for Meatless Monday. (Who knew?) Thankfully it has loads of recipes! Found this one for Enchiladas. It looked easy enough and I was pretty sure I had everything at home so I was good to go!

Did you read the recipe? I didn't. I looked at the ingredients and the photo, assumed the veggie chili was filing, and went on my merry way. When I got home to make the dish, I noticed that you are supposed to make 12 enchiladas with 8 oz of cheese (and have leftover cheese to put on top) and the chili is put on top of these itty bitty enchiladas! And after all that, you make enchilada sauce??

Needless to say, I didn't follow the recipe. We ended up with what we jokingly called "Deconstructed Mexican Vegetarian Lasagna." You know, because we are quite the foodies! Layers of chili, cheese, and corn tortillas. Ended up using fewer tortillas and more chili and cheese than in the original recipe. It tasted okay, better than I think the recipe would have ended up.

In the meantime, I am working on my list of meatless meals that I know will past muster. Figure I can start with these and sneak in new ones as I find them. Any tried and true family loved meatless dishes you can add to my list?

Cheese/veggie pizza
Mac & Cheese (except Ryan will only eat the blue boxed stuff)
Pasta w/marinara sauce
Madras lentils & bulgar (an old WW fav)
Soup & grilled cheese

Also, please remember to enter the Some Stuff You Might Win Giveway!!

Some stuff you might win! (Giveaway)

2011-11-27T13:29:00.001-08:00

I didn't know what to call this. It isn't like I have some humongous crazy prize I am giving away.....but I DO have an accumulation of miscellaneous fun things (I think) that I have been given/won/collected/whatever throughout the past year that I thought it would be nice to share with someone else.

Here is what you can win:

Bath & Body Works Coconut Mango 2 oz body lotion
Webkinz Very Merry Christmas Seal Ornament
CODE ONLY Webkinz Reindeer (December Pet of the Month)
Fiskars Peacock Decorative Corner Lever Punch
Rizzoli & Isles Complete First Season DVD
2 Chick-Fil-A "treat" cards - each good for a sandwich, nuggets, or my favorite: milkshake (these are only good for the Arden Fair location.....please see caveat #2 below)
Coupon for 2 lbs of Tillamook Cheese (good through 12-31-11) and bonus Tillamook toy car (please see caveat #2 below)
Light the Town Pink light bulb from Panera in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

....and, I have the right to add more stuff to the box! I promise no kids or pets.

How can you win?
post a comment below. that is it! well, post it before December 4th. (and obey caveat #1 below) if you win, be prepared to give me your address when I announce the winner December 5th so I can get the package out to you asap. yes, I will only have 1 winner. some of the prizes seemed silly to pass along individually.

I have 2 small caveats:

you have to give something in this merry mix-up of stuff to someone else. please tell me in your comment which item you would give away, to who, and why you would give them that particular item. (I don't need specific name, addy, etc....."little ol lady next door because she still talks about her honeymoon to Hawaii" is perfectly acceptable)
if you do NOT live in the greater Sacramento area OR will not be visiting prior to December 31, 2011, I will exclude the Chick-Fil-A coupons from the package and figure out another way to pass those on. if you don't live locally but have a suggestion for what I do with the coupons, I'd love to hear it! ditto for the Tillamook cheese. while I think their cheese SHOULD be available everywhere, it just might not be. I can still send you the car if you want! lol!

you can enter once......and so can everyone else. I'd love to give everyone presents, but Santa would get jealous!

Giving Thanks......

2011-11-21T09:24:00.001-08:00

So Thanksgiving is Thursday. Perfect time to let you know how thankful I am for you readers. You may not be many, but I love you all just the same! I'll take quality over quantity any day!!

As a thank you, I have a few sumthin sumthins to give away. I am going to do it shortly after the holiday. I haven't decided if I am going to do it in one fellow swoop or piece meal it so many can win. The only drawback to the one fellow swoop is that at least one item is local and I would hate to leave out my non-local pals.

and with that rambling completed......have a GREAT Thanksgiving! send warm thoughts to those of us working or running the Sacramento Foodbank's Run to Feed the Hungry.

Let's talk turkey....turkey DAY that is!

2011-11-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

So.....what are your plans for Thanksgiving? Sleeping in and then heading out to enjoy some turkey and stuffing with family members? Maybe some crazy pre-Black Friday shopping?

Back to dinner, let me guess......you start with grace and end with 1 pie per person? Along the way you cruise through 2 kinds of cranberry sauce and enough mashed potatoes to pull a Richard Dreyfus.

For many families in our area, this isn't the case. For many families, Thanksgiving is a Thursday like any other Thursday: one when they go to bed hungry. But I know you know that. And if you are the way I know you are, you do what you can to help. You donate money to your favorite charities, and extras around the holidays. How the heck can I dare harass you about this?

I'm not........I want to tell you how to feel GOOD! How to make your Thanksgiving THAT MUCH BETTER! How to START your day of giving thanks REALLY feeling thankful!

The Rat Brothers bright and early Thanksgiving morning

Consider starting your morning with a cool 10K or 5K. Might I suggest the Sacramento Food Bank's 18th Annual Run to Feed the Hungry? A wonderful CRAZY event starting at 8:30 or 9am (depending on your race length). Let me tell you, no run ANYWHERE gives you a better feeling! You can some fun exercise in the cool morning air and leave knowing your entry fee will go to feed local families through the Sacramento Food Bank!

And hey, before you say "oh, but I need to go get ready to feed my family" or "how the heck can you expect me to get up that early?" Let me tell you.....you get to sleep in later than you will for Black Friday......and you'll be done and home by 11. That is plenty of time! I guarantee it! How can I? Well, because this will be me and my family's 4th year at the run! And we don't run....oh, NO!! We show up BEFORE the runners, help set up, and register same day runners! And, yes, there are plenty of runners who are done and gone before us.

But.......it is SO worth it! Never has a turkey tasted so good as one eaten after knowing you helped other families have a good meal the same day. So, consider this your invitation! Come join us for the start of the best Thanksgiving you will ever have!

BSA Eternal Flame Weekend - Public Invited!

2011-10-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have meant to post this for the past several evenings. The problem is that you can't get ready for something AND post about it online at the same time! (Don't tell me about that whole scheduling thing......that didn't work so well for me last time) And while I have not been as involved and as busy as Jeff, I was tasked with an important job and it took up quite a bit of time.

So....better little notice than no notice, right? I have no clue what else is going on in the Sacramento area. All I know is that the Pioneer District's Eternal Flame is happening at Camp Pollock. The event begins tonight, October 7th, with opening flags at 8:30pm and runs non-stop through 10am Sunday morning. Over 200 Boy Scouts will properly retire close to 2,000 flags!

The public IS encouraged to visit and assist with the retirement. One of the event's goals is the education of proper flag etiquette. This is not a Boy Scouts recruitment. This is a way the Scouts give back to their country and community.

Two highlights are Opening Flag at 8:30 tonight and the retiring of the cemetery flags on Sunday at 9am. Either event will make you cry. Heck, talking to people and watching the Scouts retire our country's flag is enough to make you choke up.

In addition to the flag retirement, there are other activities going on. A Naturalization Ceremony on Saturday, a monkey bridge and Scout made merry-go-round, and a movie Saturday night are just a few of them.

Camp Pollock is located at 467 Del Paso Blvd, near the conflux of Del Paso, Northgate, and 160. Look for the BSA Camp Pollock sign. Please drive carefully as the road is narrow and there are a lot of people running around!

It's World Cardmaking Day! Check out the Bloghop!

2011-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is your friendly reminder to come check out my scrapbook blog to see the card I made for Operation Write Home....and to continue on their Christmas card bloghop! I think you'll enjoy it!

btw, if you click on card #124 (the really cute snowmen), it will take you to the OWH blog and there are additional cards linked at the bottom! some amazing works of art to check out.....

If you somehow didn't know......

2011-09-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am a scrapbooker!! I even have a blog dedicated to my layouts! I have been a more diligent scrapper but without an internet scrap-home, I will admit I have lagged. So that blog is aptly titled: Sometimes Susan Scraps.

I bring this up now because on Saturday I get to participate in a really cool event: Operation Write Home's World Cardmaking Day Bloghop! The organization collects cards for the troops to use to send home messages. I went to a crop this past weekend and made a card after each layout. It was quick and easy and a great way to use my layout scraps!

The Bloghop on Saturday has over 100 blogs signed up! That means 100+ great Christmas cards to check out! If you are a cardmaker or scrapbooker with a blog, I encourage you to join the event. Sign ups are welcome through Wednesday night. If you aren't, I encourage you to check out the hop, see some beautiful works of art!

And, have no fear, I'll be sure to remind you about the hop again later in the week. Right now I need to work on my card!

Things to do......you know, pretending its Fall and all!

2011-09-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

And here is where you expect me to tell you "go to Apple Hill....see the leaves turn.....blah, blah, blah." Assuming you live anywhere near here, you already know about Apple Hill (go early, leave early). I want to tell you about the other things happening! Let's call them the "B-side" of the things to do list! lol!!

This Thursday, September 22nd is West Wind Theaters annual Customer Appreciation Night! What is better than the drive-ins? How about FREE drive-ins!! You get your choice of Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Transformers 3. Long rumored to be their "last year" every year, West Wind has done a great job of remaking themselves as more of a family destination. Let's hope the weather is a bit cooler than those meteorologists are saying so we can all hang out watching movies and eating $1 nachos......oops! I forgot to mention that! Yeppers, $1 nachos!

If that puts you in the mood for some more family together time, check out Citrus Heights' Sunday Fun Day on Sunday, September 25th at Rusch Park. This is the 15th year for this free bounce house, pony rides, rock climbing wall, live entertainment, and give-away event. There will be lots of food, music, and fun for everyone in the family! I have some great photos of a cute little Ryan on the amusement rides, and the boys a bit older "steering" the fire truck, and now spinning give-away wheels. The worst part of this event.......parking! Be patient and be willing to walk. It will make life a lot easier.

So if anyone has any pull in the weather department, order up some cooler fall weather!

Winner Winner Cheesy Dinner!! Tillamook Cheese winners!

2011-09-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had the awesome pleasure of inviting another family over for a wonderful fondue dinner with the cheese supplied by Tillamook. Oh, it was SO darn tasty and we had a blast!! I posted about the evening here and then gave readers a chance to win themselves some free Tillamook Cheese! They could win one of two ways: tell me how they would Share the Loaf with family or friends OR tell me a cheesy joke! (come on now......you know me, you know I couldn't resist!)

So here are our winners and their entries:

Tamaralyn Kiesosaid...: For my next college friend get-together, I would take my Tillamook cheese blocks and slice them. I would have several varieties. Then, I will blindfold my friends so they can guess what kind each cheese is. Because I'm from the cheese state (Wisconsin) we know a lot about cheese. I will also have my friends guess about how old we think the cheese is and what kind of milk it is made from. What a great way to educate ourselves from this game all while enjoying our favorite cheese

Nancy Nilessaid...: What type of cheese isn't your cheese? NACHO CHEESE!
What do you call cheeses made in Israel? Cheeses of Nazareth!
Knock Knock
Whos there?
Gorilla
Gorilla who?
Gorrilla me a cheese sandwich, I'm hungry.

Try&TryAgainsaid...I would use the cheese when I babysit my friend's two young children. I would get out some fun cookie cutters and let the kids "cut the cheese". I would also make grilled cheese sandwiches that can be cut into shapes. Fun kid friendly activities with the best cheese ever!

MommyRandomnesssaid...: My daughter is 6 and a very tender heart and loves grill cheese and we pass the local Salvation Army and when we go to the bank she sees all the people waiting on the sidewalks for lunch and she always says we should make them grill cheese so they won't be hungry while they wait...I would make grill cheeses with her to give to the people so she feels like she shared her desire to be a chef and love for grilled cheese!!! GO Tillamook!!

Oh!! doesn't that last one just pull at your heart? Thank you Tillamook for giving me the opportunity to share the fun with my friends and hear these great ideas!

And if you need a laugh, there were a few more hysterical cheesy jokes in the original post. Congrats to everyone! I'll be contacting you to get addresses to send out your cheesy rewards.

Oh, and while I know that "real" bloggers never mix topics in the same post, I don't have the patience for that! So, to update my list of giving things away:
got those bags of clothes to Goodwill and have filled up another one
2 sketch books!
I am hoping they will help inspire my friend to scrapbook more......and in turn bug me to do more! And if you are interested in what I am scrapping these days (when I DO scrapbook)......check out my scrap blog: SometimesSusanScraps

A girl and 3 movies....

2011-09-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

I probably could write 3 different posts talking about each of the movies separately, however I don't know that I have that much to say. But, I did want to put my $0.02 in on them!

Contagion came out Thursday. This movie demonstrates how quickly a virus can spread throughout the world. I still had a bit of a cough and I could feel the entire theater cringe every time I coughed. I even cringed when I had to cough! The movie was done in such an understated almost factual manner that it could easily double as a documentary for a high school health class. While I am sure you can guess the eventual outcome of the storyline, I was not the only one who left the theater feeling despair and helplessness at the possibility of the movie becoming reality. Overall, it was a good quality piece of film work with quality acting, but falls on my "wait and see it at home" scale of movie rating. Bonus: at home you don't sit there wondering who last touched your arm rest!

Lion King 3D is roaring back into theaters for a limited 2 week engagement starting September 16th. (Can you hear the commercial: "Disney is opening the vault for a limited time"?) Same story, same taglines. Heck, depending on your kids' ages, you might be able to mouth the entire movie along with the characters! So, why should you consider going to see it? And why am I going to suggest that you go so far as to plunk out the big bucks for the biggest screen you can find? Well, because if any animated movie was meant to be pulled out and redone in 3D, it was Lion King. You know that the minute the bird flies over your shoulder and into the screen. I am not a fan of 3D, but this movie did it right! In fact, I am disappointed to see that it won't be showing at our local IMAX theater.

50/50 is going to be called one of the best movies of the year. I put it up there with The Help. And you know how much I loved that movie! The storyline is about a young man finding out he has cancer and how he and his circle of family/friends all deal with it. I am not going to go more into it than to tell you that not everyone reacts the way you think they will......and that is kinda the point of the movie. I was fortunate enough to see a really early sneak preview 50/50. Took the boys with me even though I thought the subject matter might be a bit too grown-up for them. They laughed, they cried, and they want to see it again! The movie did an excellent job of balancing the seriousness of the situation (hey! the guy has a 50/50 chance of survival! can't get more serious than that!) and providing enough humor to make it feel "real".

So, if I had to pick just one of these movies to see, it would be 50/50. Sad, because Contagion had such possibilities along with my favorite quote: "Blogging is just graffiti with punctuation." Let me know what you think about these movies.....and how do you feel about the whole idea of remaking movies in 3D? Is it an easy way to make a quick buck or are they really that much better?

PS: Today is your last chance to try and win some Tillamook Cheese!

Give it away, give it away, give it away now!

2011-09-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posted last month about challenging herself to give away 100 things in 100 days! You can click through her blog post to see the original inspiration which is to par down your belongings to 100 things (oh, frightening, isn't it?) Her last update was August 14th and she had gotten rid of 18 things!

I love her version and definitely have more than 100 things that I would never notice gone. So for my own challenge, I am not giving myself a time limit.....but I am also not limiting myself to only 100 things! To date I have happily found new homes for:

Sanrio chopstick, rice bowl, cup set
3 Copic markers
2 sketch books
yards of ribbon
Blackberry cell phone, case, charger

Not bad! I still have several books that need to get to the library and 5+ bags of clothes to head to Goodwill. (Per Arlyn's directive, they don't count until they are OUT of the house....and I do not count the trunk! lol!!) I am glad to know that these items will be appreciated and used by their new owners. Sadly, their absence has yet to make a dent in the clutter that is my house. (Wonder where she is at now......oh, Arlyn!!)

The same friend has a GREAT idea about clothing: only buying a new piece when getting rid of an old piece! For me, I think it should be "buy one new to replace two old"......but that is for another challenge!

And as a reminder, you have until September 10th to win some Tillamook Cheese! Yes, I am giving it away, but no, it doesn't count for my challenge since Tillamook gave it to me for the purpose of giving it away......just a nifty little tie in! lol!!

Chicken and Donuts!!! (now with MORE chicken! lol!)

2011-08-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Let's talk chicken........if you follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, or ever talk to me, you probably know a little bit about my Chick Fil A peach milkshake addiction. Oh it is bad! Really good for me it is a seasonal shake or I would need to sell the car to buy bigger pants (and walk everywhere to work back into my original size). But enough about that.......back to the chicken.

Chick Fil A is opening a new location down in Fairfield on September 8th. (see link for address.....) Like they do for every opening, the first 100 people in line get a free Chick Fil A meal for a year! Dang that would be fun! But if you don't want to spend 24 hours hanging out, I have heard a rumor that they are practicing starting tomorrow and plan to pass out 10,000 free sandwiches! I wonder how long it takes to pass out 10,000 sandwiches? I wonder if you have to buy the rest of the meal or can't buy anything else at all? I don't know the answer to these questions. If you do, let me know and I'll update the post. Take a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory and make it a road trip!

Wow there is a whole lotta chicken going on! All Chick Fil As are giving away breakfast sandwiches starting next Tuesday! You pick the date, you pick the store, you pick the time! CLICK HERE for more information and to RSVP! If you go in any morning other than Thursday, you can even enjoy a peach milkshake with that free breakfast entree! (Hey, now! It is perfect for breakfast.........fruit and dairy! mmmmm! Tasty!!)

(and before we move on from chicken, let me remind you that Chick Fil A near Arden Fair has family night every Tuesday night where kids eat free. with the boys older now, we don't get to take advantage of these fun things.....but you might be able to!)

If Fairfield is a little too far away (because you are busy doing all those awesome things I mentioned happening this weekend) how about some donuts? vegan donuts? seriously awesome donuts?? Doughbots Donuts opens Saturday morning at 5am!! (I'll be sleeping in, but you are welcome to bring me a few by......otherwise, I'll be enjoying them a bit later and might even do a donut review!) Are you going to check them out? IF you do, let me know what you think! I am not a big donut fan, but am really intrigued by the idea of designed donuts.

hope that all makes you hungry!

Labor Day Weekend: enough time for FUN & a little relaxation!

2011-08-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

School has started and I can't believe how much I am already looking forward to the first holiday, Labor Day! A three day weekend somewhat guarantees me I'll get to sleep in at least ONE morning....and even offers that whispered promise of a possible date with hubby!

But just when I start thinking wonderful thoughts of kicking back, that old adage comes crashing through: "the universe hates an empty calendar." This must be why there are SO many things to do this weekend! And believe me when I tell you, there is something for everyone: young at heart, old fashioned at heart, and gay at heart! (sorry! just couldn't pass that one up!)

Here are my top picks for this coming Labor Day weekend:

Sacramento Gold Rush Days: Did you know I was a history major in college? They called it "social science" but it really was history! Anyway, I used to participate in events like this on the side. The folks from the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (and others) are going to truck in a bunch of dirt to Old Sacramento, have loads of people in period costumes (like I used to do), and pretend Proposition 13 and Governor Terminator didn't exist! The sites says the year is 1850, but if you want to attend the preview night on Friday, it will only be 1849......as in $18.49! If you can hold on until the clock strikes 1850, the event is free and runs from 10am to 5pm. No planning ahead necessary! If you are good at planning ahead (to go back in time) check out the Old Sacramento Underground Tours while you are there! The site also has a great schedule of performances and events.....you know, in case you are good at that planning ahead thing.

If you want a more colorful weekend, how about checking out Sacramento's own Rainbow Festival! This event runs Friday through Sunday (you will need Monday to rest). The Rainbow Festival is held to raise awareness and raise money for charities that provide support and services to the Lesbian and Gay Community......and to have a blast!!! The main event is the festival street fair Sunday from 10am to 6pm. There will be entertainment, vendors, etc. J and L Streets between 19th & 21st will be blocked until about 8pm Sunday night for the Festival.

Should the Rainbow Festival prove a bit TOO colorful for you, how about Sacramento's 20th Annual Chalk it Up! Held at Fremont Park Saturday through Monday, this will feature artists creating works of chalk art, kids activities, and even your own opportunity to create your own personal square!! If nothing else, you might want to check out the festival just to get a chance to track down your favorite elusive food truck! AND, Blackbird Kitchen & Bar is going to be there! These are the awesome people who fed us some AMAZING oysters at the last Sacramento TweetUp! I am SO looking forward to these guys opening for business! Anyway, come get your hands dirty (or chalky), listen to some music, and be a kid again!!

However, should your weekend plans include a belated spring cleaning.....or early fall cleaning, maybe you are looking for something a bit more practical? How about an e-waste event? You are in luck! One is being held this Saturday from 9am to 1pm in the parking lot by the softball field at Mira Loma High School!
They can accept: monitors, tvs, PCs, VCRs, stereo equipment, speakers, keyboards, mouse(s), PDAs, digital cameras, zip drives, telephones, cell phones, printers, copiers, toasters (huh, didn't know about that one), blenders, microwaves, laser and multifunction scanners and fax machines. They'll even destroy your hardrive!!
They cannot take: household appliances like fridges or washers/dryers, furniture (seriously people? when is furniture considered e-waste??), hazardous household waste like: flourescent light bulbs, paint, pesticides, used oil, cleaning supplies, and tires......again, not e-waste!
While you are there, consider making a donation. That IS what it is all about, right?

So, a big beautiful weekend ahead of you! Lots of fun things to do......and still get that lazy morning to sleep in! If you decide to check out any of the events listed above, please let me know! Also, remember to take a moment and tell me how you would have some fun sharing Tillamook Cheese! I have some great ideas (and terrific jokes) already!

Sharing Loaf Love! And you can too!

2011-08-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the fun I had with them at the Sacramento Zoo last month, I was fortunate to receive a very special care package from Tillamook Cheese. They call it a "Baby Loaf Box". The wonderful people at Tillamook asked that I use the contents to Share the "Loaf" Love to bring friends and family together for some cheesy fun. (and promote Tillamook's awesome cheese of course!) Honestly, the possibilities for sharing the cheese were endless and a bit overwhelming. A favorite idea that didn't make the cut was a "build your own nacho bar." I don't think it will be too long before you hear me blog about that happening....maybe a football game party?

Anyway, as you may remember, our family tries to have a game night each Sunday where we end the weekend and start the week playing games and reconnecting. Recently, these have gone the wayside to last minute errands, Scout meetings, etc. Tillamook Loaf Love was just the incentive we needed to get back to this favorite habit.

We invited the Powers family over for a Sunday night fondue. The Monterey Jack and Medium Cheddar Baby Loafs were perfect for this! (yes, shredded cheese would be easier, but I have 2 kids that want to help and shredding cheese is a great way to let them help!) I wanted a nice balance between the more classic fondue dipping items and more "kid" fun kind of bits. By the time the Powers arrived, we had lots of goodies ready to dip: sausage, meatballs, tortellini, lots of veggies, apples, soft pretzels, and tator tots. Ready for dipping were a white wine Monterey Jack cheese with some garlic and nutmeg (surprising but tasty!) and a beer bacon Cheddar cheese fondue with bacon pieces, mustard, horseradish, and Worcheshire sauce.

Eight people around the table, dipping and talking made for a fun, loud meal! Lots of laughter, reaching arms and tasty cheese fondue! It was fun seeing how the same items tasted different in the two different cheese pots.

The kids decided their favorite dipping items were meatballs that had been baked and halved and the chunked sourdough bread. (don't tell the kids, but I think they ate more veggies tonight than they normally do!)

After dinner, the kids played Wii and the grown-ups sat around and chatted. The evening was definitely a success!

So, wanna know how "you can too" share in the Tillamook Loaf Love? Well, in the Baby Loaf Box were some coupons (and what I call "party favors".........see the photos with the two Baby Loafs) for me to share with my blog readers! The coupons are good for 2lbs of Tillamook Cheese!! (did you know the cheddar is aged and someone actually tastes it to make sure it is aging nicely? I want THAT job!!)

Here is the deal:
Tillamook asked that I have my blog readers post their ideas for how to Share the Loaf with their family and/or friends. The most creative ideas will win free cheese!
And since you know how I love puns, I am going to give the best cheesy joke or pun free cheese too!!
You have until September 10th to post your ideas and jokes!!

And when you win, be sure to check out Tillamook's blog or website for some great recipes using that tasty cheese!

Disclosure: In case you hadn't figured it out, in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR Part 255, Tillamook Cheese has generously supplied me with complimentary tasty cheese for promotional purposes.

Yeah, what Andrew said!

2011-08-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

MrAndrewBradley: Food Trucks!

those cream puffs were amazing! but even more so were the great fish tacos from Mama Kims! can't wait until I can catch Wicked Wich near work.....their sandwiches looked awesome!

oh the things you could do!

2011-08-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

well.....if you have the time or could be in 2 (or 3) places at one time! all very cool things! I am so thankfully that Sacramento has so many great options to spend your free time doing.

in case you have fallen prey to the propaganda put forth by that dastardly Wizard, you can spend Saturday afternoon at the Crest Theater enjoying the Wizard of Oz sing-along! Karaoke starts at 1pm.
tonight is an outdoor viewing of the Wizard of Oz at the Crocker Art Museum. (sorry for the last minute notice...I WAS going to give you 3 hours notice but Blogger decided maintenance was more important than informing you about this!) not billed as a sing-along, though I have been promised that no singers will be punished. the event starts at 8pm. I would suggest a quick check at the weather since there is a huge fire burning at 7th and Richards and all of downtown has that "fresh smoked" feeling.

I wanna know when they are going to make a Wicked movie and then have sing alongs for the faithful! Elphaba Lives!

tomorrow night, Thursday, plenty of notice, don't complain if you didn't know about it already...... is Wonderbread 5 at Outdoors at UC Davis.....as you might assume AT the UCD Med Center. that nifty link will give you a link to directions in case you are Med Center area challenged like I am! be a good sport, take some soda tabs or laundry detergent or microwave popcorn by the Ronald McDonald House while you are in the area! it will start your night off with GROOVY karma!!

finally, if that ol' "sing the praises of Oz" thing isn't for you.....but yellow squishy fruits are more your style (somehow that didn't look as good written out as it sounded in my head)....the head over to the Second Annual Banana Fest! really, you could do both since this event is August 13th & 14th! the event is at William Land Park (handy dandy close to the Sacramento Zoo) and features all those wonderful foods that make the smell of ripening bananas worth it along with some pretty nifty entertainment for the entire family! where do I sign up for the banana split eating contest? AND, if the $7 price tag makes you skittish, have I got a deal for you!!* follow @BananaFestival on Twitter, mention them in a tweet today, and you will get a code for $5 tickets! that gives you $2/person towards the purchase of your favorite banana delicacy! I have heard that you can only use the code once per order but can use it on multiple orders.....just think how much money you and your bunch (of bananas) can save!

finally, if you are in the mood for a darn good movie (and some popcorn whether it is good, bad, or indifferent) remember that my favorite movie of the year, The Help, comes out tonight! remember me talking about it?

I think I am missing something (even though I DID make a list!). so how about if I just state that these amazing events are in addition to all the already great things you can enjoy before the summer disappears and I start singing the praises of Halloween, pumpkin patches, and how bad I look in the color orange!

*not really a I-have-personally-scored-for-you kinda deal......just something I saw and of course had to share.

#TheHelpMovie - a review and comparison

2011-08-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Under the theory of sharing the things I see, I wanted to try and do a more formal review of the movie The Help. I have read the book and seen the movie twice now. I tried to think and be objective the second time around instead of just basking in the beauty of the story. (there is a hint about how I feel about the movie.)

The Help is the story of an independent young white woman, fresh from college and itching to write the story of her career, and the supposedly "free" colored women who are paid below minimum wage, treated like slaves, and considered disposable as they run households, raise white children, and put up with the indignities of living in the South in the 1960s. (wow that was a mouthful!) The story Skeeter decides on is how these maids/housekeepers feel and their relationships with the ladies they work for. This isn't easy for her to accomplish and that underscores the worries of the time. Two very strong willed maids, Abileen and Minny, help her. These three women are the focus of the book and film.

For me, the most important part of any movie adaptation of a book is that the movie retains the spirit of the story. I realize that characters need to be combined sometimes and parts left out. but the resulting movie still needs to make me feel the way the book did. (think about the avid fans raging against Harry Potter for the parts of the movie that don't live up to the books.)

The Help did an excellent job of keeping the overall feel of the story. Yes, parts were left out and events skimmed in some cases, but the viewer still left the movie feeling the same way a reader feels when done reading the book: totally peeved about how maids/housekeepers were treated by the white women they worked for and vindicated by their victories, small and large. I loved that at certain parts of the movie (which I shall not spoil for those who have not read the book) you could tell who in the audience had read the book. But knowing what twists and turns were coming didn't take away from the joy of watching the film. In fact, I think it made it just that much better. And while many movies might fade after the second watching, I was only more captivated the second time.

The actresses picked to play each of the main roles, Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer shine! in this role, Emma Stone has proven herself an actress to be reckoned. Equally impressive are newcomers (to me) Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard's daughter), and Jessica Chastain. I know it is cliche, but these women truly brought their characters to life.

Is it a good indication of an excellent adaptation when you leave the movie wanting to read the book again? if that is the case, then The Help is truly an excellent movie. even if you have not read the book, you will enjoy this story of friendship and courage.

but why??

2011-07-29T07:03:00.001-07:00

so, one of the reasons I haven't posted very often is because I was debating my blog's focus. at first I think it started as an online diary of sorts, but I did as good a job with that as I did with my pencil & paper diaries as a teen!

a while ago I changed the tag line of the blog to represent the focus I intended for myself. pretty much a cool way of saying "who, what, where" thinking I would talk about the things I do (like read books), the places I go (like movie reviews), and people......a catch-all for everything else.

I started by doing my famous amateur restaurant review and then thought I would do a full scale "The Help" review. that last part hasn't happened (yet!). the most recent post was about an event happening this weekend that is just quirky and fun! hopefully if you live locally you have already visited the Sacramento Zoo, and who can complain about a cute van and cheese? overall, I would love to let people know about things they might like but might miss if I someone doesn't tell them about it!

anyway, these are some of the things I would like to include in this blog......along with my overall general randomness that is always a favorite of mine! lol!!

Some cheesy love!!!

2011-07-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

my love of cheese must be rather public as I received an email promoting this weekend's Tillamook Loaf Love Tour event!

TILLAMOOK® CHEESE SHARES THE “LOAF LOVE” WITH FREE ADMISSION TO THE SACRAMENTO ZOO

In Celebration of Tillamook Cheese’s Loaf Love Tour Returning to Sacramento, YOU can Gain Free Entry to the Sacramento Zoo on Saturday, July 30^th

Tillamook Cheese’s “Loaf Love Tour,” the second annual cross-country event dedicated to “bringing tasty cheese to the people,” is returning to Sacramento from July 25^th to August 14^th.

As a fun way to share the “Loaf Love” with Sacramento-area residents, The Loaf Love Tour will be offering free admission to the Sacramento Zoo on Saturday, July 30^th for the first 100 fans who sport their brightest & wildest Tillamook Cheese orange.* (Orange-clad fans arriving after the first 100 tickets will receive $1 off admission.)

Seriously! How cool is that?? And, btw, the weather for Saturday looks to be perfect for zoo visiting!

New to the Loaf Love Tour in 2011 is the “Loafster,” the new convertible VW bus refurbished to represent a Baby Loaf of Tillamook Cheese.

The Loafster will join a pair of 1966 Standard VW Microbuses, also modified to represent Baby Loafs, and loved by millions......including this blogger! Did you know their all-natural cheddars are made in the Pacific Northwest using only the highest-quality milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones? (and they also make ICE CREAM!!)

*Free entry for the first 100 eligible participants only. Free entry starting at 9:00 a.m. until limit reached. Participating fans may check-in at the Tillamook Baby Loaf bus adjacent to the Sacramento ticketing booth. To win, attendees must be wearing orange. Limit one free entry per person, no monetary value.

To see the tour’s detailed schedule of stops in Sacramento, please visit:http://www.loaflovetour.com/ . You can learn more about Tillamook by visiting their website: http://www.tillamook.com/ but don't go if you are hungry!

Disclosure: They sent me an email. They asked me to post about the event. They will be giving me free samples of cheese and I'll get into the Zoo for free. But hey, that's cool because I was going anyway!

The Help

2011-06-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

short blog post, short and to the point:

you need to see this movie when it comes out.

if you haven't read the book then you need to read the book before the movie comes out.

trust me on this.

period. end of statement.

ps: I could say the same thing about the Millenium Trilogy (you know....Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc) but you have a few more months for that.

if you are named Arlyn and are reading this....

2011-01-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

you should probably go check out my scrapbook blog.

if you aren't named Arlyn, you are very welcome to look but I can guarantee that Arlyn hasn't seen it recently. I would have heard about it! of course, I think she said she has over 200 posts in her reader to get caught up on. she might not read this until sometime this summer!

why think of a blog post on your own......

2011-01-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

when you can just borrow (steal) one from a friend!!

Courtesy of Kenz over at All the Weigh, via Cheree at The Verbosery, here's this week's Friend Making Monday post: One Word

Answer each question using only one word...

1. Where is your cell phone? here

2. Your most significant other? Jeffe

3. Your hair? pathetic

4. Your mother? dead (sorry.....that sounds crass)

5. Your father? tan

6. Your favorite? yes!

7. Your dream last night? drugged

8. Your favorite drink? COKE!!!!

9. Your dream/goal? peace

10. What room you are in? living

11. Your hobby? scrapbooking?

12. Your fear? lots

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy

14. Where were you last night? family

15. Something that you aren't? patient

16. Muffins? please!

17. Wish list item? vacation

18. Where you grew up? Sacramento-ish

19. Last thing you did? chatted

20. What are you wearing? glasses

21. Your TV? Alton

22. Your pets? missed

23. Friends? love'em (that makes it one word, right?)

24. Your life? exhausting

25. Your mood? tired

26. Missing someone? yes

27. One place that I go to over and over? library

28. Something you want: maid

29. Your favorite store? Barnes & Noble

30. Your favorite color? green

go for it! feel free to steal what I have stolen......we'll call is "sharing." and yes, I know that I still have some seriously questions to answer. I am working on it.....I am!

Being a restaurant reviewer isn't as easy as it looks!

2011-01-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

I know being a restaurant reviewer sounds like a dream job. And honestly, it still does. But it is a lot harder than you would think! I am not talking Mike Rowe Dirty Jobs hard....but it isn't a cake walk!

Tonight I had the unique pleasure of being a restaurant reviewer......at least well kinda. A friend of mine, Kristy (aka cakegrrl) was doing a preview review for the upcoming Dine Downtown Restaurant week (ending on MY birthday, btw!) and asked me to join her (thank you, Kristy, SO very much.....what a welcome respite in an overly crazy day/week). Okay, so how fun does that sound?? We went to Capitol Garage and got to order off the special $30 prix fixe menu that will be available starting on January 7th. Our meals included a salad, entree, dessert, and a glass of wine. I don't drink but if I did, I would tell you that they had some very nice wines to compliment their offerings. Kristy gets to do the "real" review so you can check out pictures of my lovely dinner along with her professional review over on her blog! I had to "pay my way" by giving her feedback about everything. So here goes!

I started with the Chipotle Caesar salad. You probably know I usually go for the spinach salad, but tonight was a night for trying something new! I am so glad I did! The dressing was spicy, maybe too spicy for me but Jeff would have loved it and probably asked for a soup bowl of it! lol! But the dressing was easily balanced by the avocado and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again....and again....and again. The crispy tortilla strips were a terrific topping and I will take them any day over croutons (or popcorn, potato chips, or just about any savory snack).

For my entree, I had the Crab Cake Linguini. This was tasty, tasty, tasty and they gave me so much food! I had expected one measly crab cake along with pasta and bread but there were two HUGE crab cakes covering a major portion of my plate. In fact, the crab cakes were so big I could have skipped the pasta completely and been a happy camper! Regarding the pasta, it was just good. Even though the menu forewarns you that there is prosciutto, it still comes as a shock. I found the pasta a little salty but expect that most others would be fine with it. As for the main feature, I was surprised by two things: how moist the crab cakes were and that they had potato chunks in them. We decided they were moist because they had so much crab meat in them and the potatoes provided a great texture balance for the flaky crab meat. Another positive, the flavor of the potato gave my taste buds a break so that the next taste of crab was as wonderful as the first taste. I had intended to eat one of the crab cakes but was enjoying them so much that I had almost finished the second before I caught myself. (I hope Kristy posted a picture of my plate. It was so pretty looking!)

Dessert was cheesecake. In this case it was Black Bottom Cheesecake and Butterfinger Cheesecake. They were personal cupcake sized desserts and almost too pretty to eat! The Butterfinger came home as a loving surprise for the boys. According to them, it had a strong butterscotch flavor. I couldn't understand what Ryan said because his mouth was full.....of a second bite! The Black Bottom started with a chocolate cookie crust (yum!), followed by a berry puree cake with a delicate taste. The top layer, the cheesecake, was so light that it felt almost like a whipped cream. This was topped with a sprinkling of cocoa and some juicy blackberries! As a dense cheesecake lover, I was surprised how much I liked this dessert! Looking at the cheesecake you would have expected a heavy chocolate and fruit and a heavy cheesecake to stand up against the rest. Instead, it was a delightful end to the meal. Perfect to linger over along with a cup of coffee and good conversation!

End result: I would go again. I would go again and eat the same thing again.

So about it being so darn difficult and oh poor poor Susan having to eat this awesome food.....seriously, this isn't for most people!
First off, you have to STOP AND TASTE YOUR FOOD! No more shoveling it down so you can get it all plus dessert down before your stomach tries to tell you its full! You have to take small bites and let them sit on your tongue and pay attention to the texture and how the flavors mingle.
Second, you have to realize that YOU ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!! What does this mean? When you taste something you have to think whether you like something but also how other people might like it. Some of the food I ate tonight wasn't seasoned exactly how I would have if I were the chef. Having said that, I know that the other 9 out of 10 people that will be eating the same thing would have loved it the way it was.
And third....I can't remember the third thing but it was really important. Oh yes, I had to TALK ABOUT WHAT I ATE! Who does that? I am not some critic on the FoodNetwork so what gives me the right to tell anyone if food is good or bad and whether they should or should not try it? And if we talk about the food during dinner, when oh when can we get caught up on all the fun things? (Rhetorical question.....you sit around enjoying the restaurant and the company after you eat. No rushing off to the next thing! What a welcome joy!)

So, while I will not be quitting my day job, please know I will suffer through tasting excellent meals, considering others, and talking about my food again, just for you! Aren't I a peach?

Sending you a Christmas card.....

2010-12-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

so while writing our Christmas letter and printing the labels, I realized that many of the people I have the most interaction with are not those I am sending cards to. Many of the people I really should be wishing the best of the holiday season are those on Twitter or Facebook....or even Foursquare. I spend time with them every day....but don't have addresses or even phone numbers in most cases!

in 2010, I made countless new wonderful friends, learned so many things, and have had a blast thanks to people I may never met! so if you are one of those people.....and you KNOW who you are.....please accept this as my Christmas card to you.....and imagine that everyone in the family hand signed it....cuz we did!

oh....and if you are thinking "but I AM one of those people that Susan sends a Christmas card to every year" then have no fear.....it is on its way! I mailed them on the 22nd. so you might want to print out the one above and put in with your other cards until the real one arrives!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cecilie

2010-11-13T08:28:00.001-08:00

I lost a lot when LM closed it's virtual doors and message board! one of the biggest losses was regular daily ongoing contact with people such as Cecilie. she lived in Denmark at the time and we had actually gotten to meet IRL twice when she came to the States.

I follow her blog. as it is mostly in Danish (and I have yet to totally master the language) I have done a crummy job of keeping in contact. In fact, I was thinking just that last night. I miss chatting with her. she has such a grounded view of life.

what a coincidence that I should wake up to find a post on my Google Reader (which I don't think is very conducive to POSTING on people's blogs, but does make it a lot easier to READ them) a new post from Cecilie! this one is written in Danish and then English!! (cuz she really does care about us!) oh, and it is a contest for participation......

so I would recommend taking a moment to head over to visit Cecilie's Blog and check out her contest, especially if you are a scrapbooker. even if you are not, she offers a great peek into the wonderful world outside of the United States and is a FANTASTIC photographer! her nature shots are amazing!

Truth: Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for

2010-11-11T17:11:00.001-08:00

I should have looked to see what others said (not the point, I know) before answering this because all I can think of would be my kids. And even having said that I need to qualify it. I am not, I repeat NOT one of those women who drops everything for her children! I work really hard to still have my own life. I still spend oodles of time driving them around in circles, helping with class projects, etc, and I still put their needs before my own. I said needs there, not wants! Sometimes my needs eclipse their wants. My job as a parent is to help them understand the difference!

Somehow I think the title should have been "Someone who has made your life worth living" because the only person you should live FOR is yourself!

The end.......
Sent from my Blackberry!

Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do

2010-11-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

I thought this one was really easy.....but it was made quite a bit more difficult when a friend reminded me that you just shouldn't mention certain things. 'nuff said about that!

another friend stated that she never wanted to involuntarily lose her house. 2 years ago I think I would have agreed with her. but through my own unemployment (thankfully short and sweet) and J's waytoolong unemployment, I had to face the thought that this might come to pass. and since (gosh, you might just know this about me already) I am a total control freak, I started planning for the worst. yes, we had Plan A and Plan B. heck, I even had Plan C.....but that might make the Top 10 list of things I hope never to have to do! Plan B involved losing the house. and while at one point in time this would have resulted in a serious acting up of my IBS and many sleepless nights and trips to the chiropractor, I have determined two things: it would not be the end of the world, and home ownership is overrated! lol!

so back to the question.....how about eating some nasty disgusting food like they have on the Amazing Race because that is all you have to eat?

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life

2010-11-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

this is an easy one! I really shouldn't be freaked out trying to answer it or have procrastinated so long. but, hey, this is ME we are talking about, right?? yeah well....

somehow along the way, I got it into my mind that this was some deep question about what I wanted to do WITH my life! MUCH harder question to deal with..... the way it was originally written, not so much!

with that......my long awaited answer! lol!!

it really is no secret that I would really love to own/rent/borrow/steal an RV and spend a summer driving around the United States with all my boys! I would love to take them back east to see all the historical buildings, etc, and really understand US history in person instead of from a school book. I would love to stop by and see/meet many of the friends I have made from scrapbooking and/or the internet. I want to take them to the world's largest ball of twine (apparently being disputed between Cawker City Kansas and Darwin Minnesota), etc. we would attempt to see a baseball game in every major league park (and several minor league parks). I wouldn't even mind doing some Boy Scout historical walks! we would have a blast!!

J would end up doing most of the driving (he always does) but if we don't win the lottery soon, R will be old enough to help him. as for me? well, we have already talked about creating a magnetic table top so that I can scrapbook our trip album while we are on our trip! just bring along our Espon PictureMate and/or PhotoPrinter to print the previous days' pictures and away I go!

so this isn't some crazy dream without thought. just things have gotten in the way (so far). bummer!

yeah, I know!

2010-11-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

not doing such a good job on those 30 Truths! hey, I warned you it wouldn't be 30 days in a row. I started the blog post (well, wrote the title) I am just having content issues. I think I am taking the title a bit too esoteric and need to just chill and answer it.

anyway, still alive and still thinking about it!

UPDATE: Truth Day 03

2010-10-30T19:26:00.001-07:00

In the midst of writing Day 4 I realized my Day 3 Truth!!

It really isn't something I am excited about except that it seemed wrong to be so carefree as to not have something I needed to forgive myself for.

Anyway, I need to stop beating myself up for breaking up with my first fiance. Looking back I don't think we would have ever gotten married and lived happily ever after, but he did something bad and I kicked him to the curb. Had I been more mature I might have been a bit more understanding and we might have worked through it. Taking it way too extreme in a whole "Sliding Doors" fashion.....maybe if I hadn't thrown his ring at him and slammed the door, maybe he wouldn't have been in the place he was when he was killed. (No gang war or drugs or anything sinister......just wrong place wrong time)

I am not losing sleep over this. I realize the events leading to his demise had NOTHING to do with our break up. It comes down to this: The world was a better place with him in it. If some little change in any event could have resulted in him still being here, I wish it had.

But like I have been saying, this isn't some dark shadow across my psyche.....just a "what if"....
Sent from my Blackberry!

Yet Another Test

2010-10-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

I just signed up for Twitterfeed (thank you Cheree) and want to make sure it is working.

Back to your regularly scheduled whatevering!
Sent from my Blackberry!

Truth Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for

2010-10-29T18:57:00.001-07:00

Today I can make up for yesterday's lack of an answer. (You know, maybe yesterday should have been "Something someone else needs to forgive you for"? I might have had more of an answer for that. (Don't I sound like a cold beyotch??)

1- my brother. I need to forgive him for lying, for taking advantage of his family and friends, and for believing through it all that he was doing nothing wrong. Still angry, can you tell?

1.5 - I should comment here how thankful I am that I had that last discussion/disagreement with my mother just before she passed. Otherwise she would be #2. Granted I said nothing I hadn't already said but it felt good because she sounded like she actually finally understood!

(And here while thinking about the other person I need to forgive I remember what I need to forgive myself for. I'll be back in a minute!)

2. I once had a friend who was a bad, bad person. She did something evil. She did it purely because she could and because she knew it would hurt someone. The fact that it hurt a friend had no impact on her decision to do it. I have already forgiven her. She isn't worth my mental energy. I only mention her here because I would still trip her into a muddy puddle if I had the chance! So maube I haven't COMPLETELY forgiven her? Lol!!

Golly.....isn't this fun?
Sent from my Blackberry!

Truth Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.

2010-10-28T19:22:00.001-07:00

Alrighty......maybe I do not have enough depth of life experience or maybe it is that I no conscience....but I can't really think of anything I need to forgive myself for. I have thought really hard about it too! I started this post this morning so I could really think about the question.

Sure I should have kept on that exercise/weight loss program. Sure I should call my Dad more often. Sure I should get up early and make my kids lunch every day. Whatever! But something so heinous that I need to FORGIVE myself for it? No.
Sent from my Blackberry!

Truth Day 2: Something You Love About Yourself

2010-10-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to be critical of yourself than to be complimentary?

What do I love about myself? People say I am creative. That is something worth loving. People say I am generous and friendly. Those are both good qualities, right? But I don't think I am abnormally creative and I am no more friendly or generous than anyone else. So what do I love about myself? I love my love of reading!

Why would this be something worthy of being THE thing I choose for this honor? Well, because it has given me knowledge and understanding. I have learned about people and cultures I may never meet. Because reading has made me think and become more thoughtful. Reading has broadened my horizons and exposed me to ideas I might otherwise be ignorant of. Because reading has made me independent. I feel no shame in going somewhere alone. I am not lonely because I always have a book full of entertaining companions with me. But most of all because I have been able to pass this love on to my children. How awesome is it that one of their favorite presents/prizes is a trip to the book store? I love being able to chat with the boys about the books they are reading for school or we have both read. I love those afternoons/evenings where we are all hanging around a quiet house reading our various books!
So......I love being a reader and raising my kids to be readers! A family that reads together succeeds together! Lol!!

What do YOU love about yourself (Miranda)????
Sent from my Blackberry!

Let's see here...

2010-10-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

New phone. Does it still work with blogger? Of it does I could probably answer that second truth while waiting in line at Starbucks!
Sent from my Blackberry!

Truth Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.

2010-10-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

in case you joined us late (ha!)......I am trying out 30 Posts of Truth! and NO, I will not place bets on how long I follow through! thanks for even THINKING that!

Something you hate about yourself
I would love to say how much I hate my thin hair or my total QE1 hairline, but that would be rather superficial. (I still do hate them.) what I really hate is my lack of style. I have NO fashion sense! whether it is due to my lack of heighth or my overly curvy figure (ha!) or whatever, I can not seem to find clothing that is "me." the classic tailored look makes me look like a dumpy old lady. boho makes me look like a homeless person who scored a shower. etc....you get the point. the closest I can come to feeling like "me" is shorts, Keds, and a sweatshirt. somehow that doesn't work for an office environment and really isn't the most attractive look for me in any environment. when it comes down to it, I blame my shortness. I think I could pull off clothes a lot easier with a couple extra inches on me. even when I have lost weight I have still suffered from fashion stupidity. I don't want to be some perfect model. I just want to look like I knew what I was doing that morning! (and, for the record....yes I realize worrying about my lacking fashionista skills is superficial too.....)

30 POSTS of Truth!

2010-10-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

so this was originally called "30 DAYS of Truth," but seriously people....you've seen my track record with regular blog postings! For the record, I am stealing this idea from The Verbosery who stole the idea from The Croxford Files. (the later of which is now a private blog but both are awesome women who I am thankful to have "met" through Twitter!).

Here are the rules:
every day for 30 days, you post a truth about yourself. I'm warning you, some of these are NASTY SCARY things to think about! and, I am telling you now, there are a few I am just going to post vague comments about. I will not post anything that would hurt anyone if they read my blog. that isn't the point of this exercise!
If you decide to try this yourself (cough, cough.....PEGGY) let me know so I can see what you say!

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

so............... here we go! (yippee!)

Sunday's something I like (a review)

2010-07-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have been using the Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock for a few days. I was surprised by how light it is! It feels like my regular facial lotion. And with only the initial application in the morning, my face didn't get burned with an afternoon in the sun. Sadly, I can't say the same thing for my arms and legs! I'm sold! If you want to try it, you can grab a $2 off coupon here: http://www.neutrogena.com/suncoupon

Would you like to review UltraSheer®, too? Then go to http://www.giantwavepool.com/ultrasheer!

Or get $2 off your UltraSheer® purchase at http://www.neutrogena.com/suncoupon.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tidal Labs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Pace's Picante Chicken Enchiladas

2010-06-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

I posted about this on Facebook in May but needed the recipe while grocery shopping today. I can access my blog on my phone much easier than wading through everything on FB, so I figured I would move this over here (with my comments) for myself! If it helps you, then BONUS! lol!!

This recipe is GREAT for any kind of leftover chicken! So if you find whole chickens on sale but don't like certain parts, save them for this recipe!

As in the past, my comments will be italics and following the recipe! And again, sorry about the funky font thing. It is probably because I did a bunch of cutting and pasting!

Picante Chicken Enchiladas

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Picante Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (leftover chicken & I shredded it)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used whatever shredded cheese I had on hand!)
6 flour tortillas (8-inch), warmed (why warm them? I didn't!)
1 green onion, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons) (I skipped)

Stir 3/4 cup picante sauce, sour cream and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir the picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side up in a lightly greased 11 x 8-inch shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining picante sauce over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 350°F. for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the onion.

My comments:

I made about 1.5 times the recipe so that there were 2 enchiladas per person.
I didn't HAVE any Pace, so I used up leftovers of 3 different salsas we had. a couple of them were spicier so I skipped the chili powder.
a couple of the salsas had corn in them and that was nice. SO, if you use the Pace, maybe add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cooked corn?
I also think adding sliced black olives would be tasty. but really, aren't olives always tasty?
I don't like cleaning dishes so I mixed everything in the same bowl, just added the chicken and cheese after mixing the other stuff.
I used toothpicks to hold the enchiladas together while they cooked.
when the time was up, I took off the tin foil and sprinkled about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top and then placed it back in the oven while I made the salad. maybe if you want to make it fancier looking, add a sliced black olive to the top of each one?

Slow-Cook Sausage Corn Chowder for lazy people like me!

2010-06-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

I do really enjoy cooking...when I have plenty of time and plenty of money and can have the windows open for those lovely Delta Breezes to keep me and the house cool! That is why I tend to do a lot of cooking in the late Fall. Soups and sauces to stock up the freezer with. I really love it!

But with it almost hitting 100F yesterday, why oh why I was craving a thick soup instead of a fruit salad is beyond me! But I was! And thankfully the recipe I really wanted to make cooks in a crockpot! Silly me, I decided if I was going to make this, I might as well make a double batch and have some to put in the freezer. I know it is a little early to get started on that Fall stockpile, but this was my mood and I went with it!

The recipe came from a murder mystery by Susan Wittig Albert titled Holly Blues. I love murder mysteries and all the books in the China Bayles series have herb influenced names and make me want to grow an herb garden. (I have tried several times and it never works...but doesn't mean I don't think about having all those lovely fresh herbs at the ready.) Like I said earlier, I doubled the recipe. Below is the recipe as it was originally written with my personalized comments in italics. Doubling it changed a few of the proportions and also meant that I ended up using BOTH my crockpots because I couldn't fit it all in my largest one! So here's a hint: don't make a double batch until you see how much it makes!

1 lb ready to eat smoked sausage, cut in half lengthwise and into 1/2 “ slices
3 cups cubed potatoes
½ medium onion
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper
1 bay leaf(I used 3 for my double batch)
1 15-16 oz can cream-style corn(I could only find 14 oz cans so I used 3 for my double batch - like my math?)
1 can mushroom soup(cream of mushroom)
2 cups chicken broth(I always prefer the low salt broth if I don't have homemade.)
2 cups milk
1 tsp dried thyme(I used 3 tsp for my double batch)
1 tsp dried savory (I used 3 tsp for my double batch - J put this in and used the leaves instead of ground. they worked out fine!)
sour cream
snipped fresh chives or parsley

Place sausage, potatoes, onion, carrots, bell pepper, and bay leaf in slow cooker. Combine corn, soup, and broth, and add to the cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove bay leaf, stir chowder, and add milk and herbs. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with dollops of sour cream and sprinkles of snipped chives or parsley.

My additional comments:

Because I was starting late in the day, I combined the canned items in the crockpot and got them started while I did all my chopping.
I also chopped my veggies smaller than I would normally. I suggest 3/4" ish. 1" always seems too big!
I added some ground pepper - 3 or 4 grinds for the entire double batch. I debated garlic. It is hard for me to cook without garlic, but it doesn't need it.
Since I doubled the recipe, I used 2 different smoked sausages. One was a beef sausage and the other was polska kielbasa. While I normally prefer the kielbasa, I think the beef sausage is better in this dish.
At the end, I felt the chowder was too soupy. I decided this was probably due to the extra can of creamed corn. Next time I will go with my first thought and just add more corn! Leftover (ha! we never have leftovers) grilled corn would be terrific in this!
I didn't help matters by using fat free milk instead of whole milk. We use fat free and unless a recipe specifically calls for whole milk, I use what I have. In the future I will probably go for the whole milk.
To try and combat the soupy-ness, I kept the lids off the crockpots for those last 15 minutes of cooking (which I stretched out to about 30 minutes) to try and cook some liquid off. It helped.
What really helped was the sour cream. After bowling up the soup, I added a dollop of sour cream and some more black pepper. It was delicious!

Did I miss anything in my commentary?? Oh yes! The results of that double batch: about 3 meals for the family as long as you serve biscuits or something else with it. Maybe 2 with a lunch for someone depending on whether the boys are "growing" or not! lol!!

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you make the soup and what you think....or if you read a China Bayles book. I really enjoy them!

(and I am sorry....I can NOT figure out how or why the font size and type changes throughout this post. It has been awhile and my blogging skills are rusty!)

okay so it hasn't been FIVE months....

2010-06-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

since I last blogged! still pretty pathetic! does it count that I have THOUGHT about blogging? I have even thought about specific things to blog ABOUT....but I just haven't quite made it far enough to post. I think I might be back a bit more because I miss the longer thinking process that I used to put into posts over at LifetimeMoments. afterall, there is only so much you can put into a Tweet or Facebook update!

so if anyone is actually still seeing if I am alive around here.....there might be something worth reading once in awhile!

of mice and men.....and boys and books.....

2010-02-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

so as a "good mom" I try to keep up with what is happening in school so I can help the boys out with their homework. J is a great dad and very helpful, but R passed him in math skills in 5th grade or so. I will even admit to having R call Auntie Misty earlier this year. we can still handle D's math, thank goodness! science is completely beyond me. I won't tell you what I did to pass science in high school.

but when it comes to english and history, I am spot on! and as R has started reading what I would consider "classics" I have read along with, or ahead of, him so that we can discuss the points of the stories. I have read most, if not all, of them before, but it has been a couple of years (ha!) and some of the more minor details have escaped me. I am sure I will have to read them again in 2 years to go through the same thing with D. I like talking about books with the boys, especially books like "Of Mice and Men" and this year's earlier assignment "To Kill A Mockingbird."

so my purpose for blogging about this: I am glad that the schools haven't been so beaten by political correctness that they don't teach our kids the mistakes of the past so that they can grow up to not repeat them. I realize these books are fiction, but within them are the kernels of society. I want the boys to know that things weren't always fair and that people don't all live and feel like we do. I hope it will make them grow up to be open minded, thoughtful, and appreciative. all the things we want from an education!

I am a reader not a writer.........

2010-01-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

Yeah, been awhile...

In fact, I think that is how I started the last post I made!

Anyway, I realized that I would much prefer to read what other people write than write myself. I like seeing people's updates on FB, receiving their Tweets, and checking their blogs instead of doing my own. I do a decent job of updating FB but that is quick and easy through Twitter and my phone. Heck, if I remember correctly, this will post to FB for me.

I guess I have always been like this. But, if only for myself, I think I might try to do a better job at those! Afterall, what a better resource for if/when I get back to scrapbooking?

here is a story....

2009-05-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so it has been over 3 months since my last post. I try to think about posting. I have even taken my 12 of 12 pics (except for 1 month) with the thought of getting those posted. Oh well! In fact I probably wouldn't be posting now if my phone had Word on it so I could do some journaling . Instead I will do it here...

The year we moved down from Alaska we lived across the street from the Race family. The oldest son, Doug, had his birthday a few days before my mom. That year they played a trick on him and decorated a styrofoam cake and hid a present inside the hollowed out "cake." Well my mom's favorite dessert was peach pie. And since we were now in California and could get GOOD peach pie, dad decided to play a trick on mom. He borrowed the fake cake and put the pie under it. I am pretty sure that T and I didn't know what was going on. Anyway, mom cut into the cake......and kept cutting!! Instead of the cake just lifting off the pie like it had for Doug, the cake stuck and mom had almost cut out her entire piece before figuring out it wasn't real! Lol!!

Now don't you think it was worth the wait? I am hoping I can find a photo somewhere of that birthday. We were only in that house one year so hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to find.....I hope!

and here I thought it was too SMALL!!

2009-01-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

I have this coat. beautiful black wool trench coat. I bought it before R was born. in fact, I must have just been newly pregnant with R because I remember the lady I took it to for alterations saying that it would hang a bit different after I had the baby. well..... since I wasn't THAT pg yet and was still wearing my normal clothes, I wasn't worried about it. she hemmed the sleeves and the bottom and that was it.

I wore it that winter and then not much again. off and on. but around here you really don't NEED a thick winter coat and when you do it isn't like you need one that dressy. but with my current position, I need a coat that works with my business attire so it is getting quite a bit of use. well I noticed that the sleeves are too short. it was actually rather confusing. when my arms are down at my side they are the correct length, but when I bring them up to do something or hold something all of a sudden they are way too short. shirts and sweaters stick out the end and it looks really weird. I couldn't figure out that my arms had grown so I thought I must be wider around the chest and back and am pulling the arms up.

yesterday, I figured it out. the coat is actually too BIG and when I bring my arms up, I am cinching the sleeves back to put the arm holes where they belong which makes the sleeves too short. so instead of needing someone to lengthen the sleeves I actually need someone to take in the body of the coat.

I think I might just buy a new one. that can't be cheap.

is it a bad sign.....

2009-01-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

when you wake up on your birthday with "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" streaming through your head?!?!?

if you can get past that L-O-V-E-L-Y family portrait to the right.....

2009-01-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

please scroll down a bit and check out the Pound for Pound Challenge!! they will donate a pound of groceries for every pound I lose between January 1st and May 15th! how much more awesome can you get than that? so for every donut, cookie, or horribly unhealthy food choice I pass on, someone else will get some well needed food! AND the donations will be made to local food banks!

so.....check it out! if you have a resolution to lose weight, why not gain good karma at the same time?

obligations........

2009-01-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

I don't want to get too specific........ ah, heck I do!

in the past 2 weeks, 2 different chaperones have had to drop out of R's school field trip. I don't know why the second person dropped out. and as much as I don't want to wish something bad to happen to someone, I sure hope something bad happened for them to flake on 115 kids!

the first person, however, is the one I would truly like to smack upside the head. everyone was told back in August that they would need to get fingerprinted. State law, District law, whatever! it used to be you only needed to get fingerprinted for overnight trips but a couple years ago it changed to do ANYTHING with the students you had to get fingerprinted. the process takes about 20 minutes at one of about a dozen police stations in the greater Sacto area. then they do the background check stuff. they tell you it takes about 90 days. don't have a clue WHY..... but it does!

anyway, back to the first flake. guess what they never "found time" to do?!??! oh you got it! so with less than a month until the trip they are short a chaperone...... one who had an econo van that they were going to transport 9 kids.......and a trailer for lots of gear. so, yeah, what a pickle!

so what I want to know is: how do you look your kid in the face and explain to them that you can't do something you committed to because you couldn't get your act together and get fingerprinted? and if kids can't go because there aren't enough chaperones how can you show your face at any school function ever? and really, what kind of parent or role model can you be if you, as a grown-up, can't meet your commitments? how can you hold your own child accountable if you can't do something as simple as find the time sometime in 6 months to go get fingerprinted?

(aaaah....... now who did I borrow this soap box from?)

remember the days?

2009-01-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

remember the days when I used to scrapbook? they seem like they are very far in the past...... but at the beginning of the year a friend of mine decided we needed some motivation to get scrapping. with that our weekly sketch challenge was born. since then I have completed FOUR FOUR FOUR FOUR layouts!! (that is just FOUR Sharon......I wrote it out FOUR times FOR emphasis!) the best part is that I am only responsible for tracking down a sketch to use once a month. I am also loving that since they aren't for the design team over at LM, I can use whatever I want without worrying that it is new, in stock, still being made, etc! lol!! on one of my layouts I have paper that is 3 years old! I didn't even know I HAD paper that old!! and don't get me wrong.... I LOVE being on the DT and using new stuff! but I am glad to get the chance to use these papers. I obviously liked them enough to buy them, right?

anyway, if you are interested......

Farm Camp

Fall Fest

Just Ducky

Tis the Season for Penguins

no habla espanol!

2009-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

(yeah.... not even sure I spelled that right)

but on with the story....... several months ago we started getting 2 phone calls every time the boys' school district sent out a broadcast message. I figured they just had a real basic phone calling system and couldn't figure out that we had 2 kids in the same district even if they were at two different grade groupings (elementary and middle) and at two different schools. so we get the same phone calls twice.

then a few months ago we started getting only one phone call from the school district....... in english......... and our second phone call........... in spanish!

and starting just a few weeks ago we have started getting solicitation calls from one of our credit card companies...... in spanish! WTH?!?!?!?

so, now, why is this happening?!?!? we have joked that since R has started taking spanish in school that the district wants him to practice! lol! and when D moved in with us, we had him tested as possibly bilingual because his prior foster care family spoke primarily spanish (welcome to California! lol!). anyway, he failed and they determined he had no problems with english and didn't know much spanish. but that really can't be it because D has been with us for 5 years and these spanish calls have only started in the past few months.

the question remains........... is there something about our family that makes people think we speak spanish or have they decided that everyone in our lovely state speaks spanish?

no se! (lol!!)

This is a test....

2009-01-08T14:55:00.001-08:00

of the emergency blogger system. In the event of actual blogging you will be notified............if this works correctly!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Wii bii fit

2009-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

seriously! is there an actual Wii diet plan out there? can I actually lose weight if I use this regularly?

I ask because I did 16 minutes this morning (beginner step for a warm up, some yoga, then advanced step, and then a yoga breathing). then tonight after grocery shopping I didn't feel like hitting the treadmill (shouldn't the walking around in circles at the grocery store count for anything?!?!?) I decided to do my morning routine again.

there is no way that I am saying I got as much of a workout from my 32 minutes of Wii fun as I would have from my treadmill routine, but it wasn't like I was a complete bum, right??

anyway, for those keeping track at home, my Mii says I have lost 1.34 lbs since Sunday. fat chance! lol!

Momma needs a new pair of shoes!

2009-01-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

(Not that I would ever let the boys call me "Momma") but the shoes I am wearing today have obviously decided they want a divorce:

Late November I realize that the heels are all scraped up.......probably due to the fact that my legs are a tad on the short side and I frequently bump them into my rolling chair legs. So I took them into a cobbler near work. No problem, they will be done in a week!! I pay and go away. A week later I go back to find out they replaced the pads on the bottom of my heels but didn't actually FIX the heels!! After dealing with employees who don't speak english and an absent owner who won't return my calls, I take back my shoes and vow to never do business with them again.

Next, this morning after I am at work (of course) I notice that the leather has a slight tear along the seam on the top of my right shoe. Can't be fixed! Why couldn't this have happened BEFORE my ordeal with the cobbler?!?!

Needless to say, I am not dumb! Before these blasted things decide to break an ankle to get their point across, I am getting a new pair!

Too bad because these are comfy! And my other pair of black shoes are pumps and too low to wear my black pants with.

Guess I need to go shopping this weekend! Sure hope those end of year sales are still going!

perhaps a new resolution?

2009-01-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

maybe in 2009 I will do a better job at posting? I would like to think so! I would like to think I am going to get my entire life back on track..... meaning more scrapbooking, more exercising, and more posting on my blog!

so far, as of the 3rd day of the new year I can report that I have done more of the first two items! I have completed a layout, Farm Camp 2006, and exercised all 3 days! we are trying to do Weight Watchers to get serious about some weight loss in this house and I considered using this blog, or starting another to keep track of points and stuff but have found that I can do the same thing on my Blackberry. I might have an issue with not being able to go back and see how I calculated points on a tuna fish sandwich or something, but other than that, why waste my time duplicating my work? I could be exercising, scrapbooking, or blogging with that time, right?

do you have an unusual resolution this year? I would love to hear them! my most out of the box one this year is to complete two 5Ks by the end of the year. not too exciting I know...... maybe the cutting back to 1 Coke or 1 Starbucks a week is more unusual?

on a date with Ryan.... and an excuse

2008-12-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

So......on a whim R and I decided to go see Twilight. He finally finished reading the book last night and I got a movie gift card today at work. Seemed like fate, right? Well.......tobad the gift card isn't to the only theater we could make the showtime for! Lol!! But it will be fun to have a nice night out together.

And now for my excuse for not getting my 12 of 12 posted. It os that typical "mommie syndrome" where you start off doing one thing and kept finding other things that needed to be done and never got the pictures posted! I DID manage to spend an evening downloading over 500 photos from 2 different cameras and burn 2 dvds with the photos that I couldn't get my dvd reader to recognize. Uuugh! Boy THAT was fun! NOT!!

don't faint!

2008-12-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

But today is the 12th and I have been taking pictures. I might even get them posted! Lol!!

I am a snob....

2008-12-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

atleast when it comes to water. We get bottled water delivered to our office. I don't know why but the company doesn't pay for it. We all chip in 3 or 4 bucks a month for water service.

Well......we have been waterless since Monday. The water dude gave Thanksgiving as an excuse but that was 2 weeks ago at this point. I noticed last night that I was getting ddehydrated so today I broke down and filled my water bottle from the tap. UUUUUGGGHHH!!!!! It tstes like DIRT!!!

So now I am drinking extremely overpriced water from the soda vending machine! At this rate I am going to be a POOR water snob!

nothing but pathetic!!!

2008-12-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

thank GOODNESS I didn't do any challenges like "post every day for a year" because I obviously would have lost!

the new job.....and yes, I still call it the "new" job to differentiate it from the "old" job! lol! well.... it is about killing me! on top of that I am trying really hard to get to the gym on a more regular basis. oh, and remember how I said I could mobile blog? the last time I tried it bounced back to me. maybe if I can get THAT working again I COULD blog from the gym...... treadmilling and typing away! I could be skinny AND current all at the same time! lol!

speaking of the gym....I found a great treadmill motivator = JEOPARDY!! I was just about at my distance goal last night when I noticed Jeopardy was on. so I plugged in my headphones to the little tv on my treadmill and stayed moving until the game was over!

so.....despite my blogging drought I actually DID take my photos on the 12th of October AND the 12th of November. I doubt I will post them but know that Oct 12th was busy doing things like waiting for SMUD to give us electricity and Nov 12th was so unmemorable that I can't remember anything to tell you about it. the highlight of that day was getting on the wrong train and luckily figuring it out at the next stop so I could get off and get over to the correct stop to get picked up! and before you think "what a ding dong you are, Susan" let me tell you that I was not the only one! for some reason there were about 5 or 6 of us who did the exact same thing that night!

anyway.................. PEGGY!!! your turn!

a private joke to share.....

2008-09-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

I sold my WaMu stock when I left the company. I kept my JPMorgan stock. tee hee hee!

And for those of you who may have seen the post I made and deleted earlier this week..... my grandmother seems to be recuperating nicely. She is in a convalescent home but should be home in about 2 weeks.thanks for your prayers!

Dear Sharon

2008-09-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

Takes one to know one!

Wondering....

2008-09-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Since I tend to be kinda technologically slow..... I *think* I just send an e-mail and it gets posted to my blog. If you can read this then I was right! lol!!

Test

2008-09-14T17:14:00.001-07:00

okay, seriously. this is a test. I am trying to set up mobile blogger so I can e-mail in posts. maybe you will hear from me a little more often this way. isn't that nice of me?

pants.....

2008-09-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Because it is warm so late into the school year, long pants are never on our back to school shopping list. So today R and I are going ice skating and I made him wear pants. Thankfully he has a pair that fit him around the waist. I guess that means he hasn't gotten WIDER in the past year.
But it does crack me up that the wear mark from his pants being too long last year is showing because his pants are now the right length instead of 4 inches too long!

12 of 12 .....the I can't count edition

2008-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

yeah, so I THOUGHT I had 12 pictures! uuugh! and uploading I even numbered one of my pictures #12. I just skipped #11! lol!! I even looked for a picture from another day that would have fit in today perfectly (which is cheating) but couldn't find it. that makes me worried. needless to say.....here is my 11 of 12......a cheap imitation of the original! (and if you are clueless at this point about what I am talking about......check out Chad Darnell's blog over there on the right)

the handy dandy odometer on the Santa Fe. YIKES!!! thankfully this is J's Santa Fe and not mine otherwise you would have thought that we spent the month driving around in circles. in fact, MY Santa Fe is gone. traded in. we got a Sonata. we had to keep his Santa Fe though because it has the AWD, 3rd row seating, and tow hitch for Scout expeditions. I miss my sun roof! now I drive J's Santa Fe to the train station and he drives the Sonata round trip to work and R's school and racks up the miles. (you'll see when we get to that shot). my intentions are to still take odometer shots and combine them into the same photo but since I didn't even get 12 this month, I didn't bother!

here is me waiting in traffic metering to get on the freeway. being a Friday it wasn't really that bad. and if you look at the freeway you wonder why they even bothered turning on the metering! but........about 1 mile up everyone is almost at a standstill so don't let this photo fool you! lol!!

we had a big meeting this morning and they said they were feeding us breakfast. that meant I just needed a cup of caffeine (I mean coffee). this is one of two Starbucks by my office, both about the same distance, but this one is a train stop. for the record I had a grande non-fat decaf mocha. I should have kept the caffeine but was so tired I forgot to change my regular order!

Starbucks was packed so by the time I got back out I only had a 2 minute wait for the next train. normally I just walk to the office when I get coffee, but I was feeling lazy. the next stop is across the street from my office. perfect for me to be lazy!

they are putting in a restaurant on the bottom floor of our building. it makes a LOT of noise! but I have loved seeing the open building and ceiling with everything exposed. makes it fun to walk by (more when I am leaving than when I am coming! lol!!)

after work, waiting for the train, I took a picture of my recently pedicured toes. aren't they pretty? and can't you tell that I like to trim them down? I really need to let them grow a bit if I am going to have polish on them.

the train home making the turn. the minute this happens, people start popping up from everywhere to get ready to board. until the train starts to make the turn there are usually about 10 people visible waiting for the train. by the time it gets to us there are usually 30 or so! crazy!!!

had to drive out of my way to get a gas sign this month. everyone was saying earlier in the day that gas prices were zooming up courtesy of Ike. I wish I had noticed the price yesterday and in the morning to compare, but I didn't. we got gas back on the 5th and it was $3.64 at Costco so I don't think prices increased out here. probably went down as AMPM is usually a couple cents higher than Costco. it will probably hit us over the weekend!

J was a sweety and went and picked up my books at the library on his way home. I am going to start reading two new series so I requested all the books in them both from the library. this is what has shown up so far. I am missing the 1st book in one series and the 2nd book in the other so I can't start either one. but it looks like I might be covered for reading material for a few weeks now! lol! I just finished reading Denise Swanson's Scrumble River series and really enjoyed it!

here is the Sonata's odometer. check out all those miles!!! we got her/him the Friday before Labor Day weekend so we have had her/him exactly 2 weeks!

dinner.......was leftover chili and some yummy bread! this is actually me going for seconds! lol!! I should have taken a wider shot so you could see the cool bowls we use. there is a little compartment on the left side that is perfect for holding things like a dip or a piece of bread while the main compartment could hold chips or chili! we get a lot of use out of these!!

so that was it.......after dinner I cruised to Mervyns to try and find some workout stuff. I wasn't about to take photos in the dressing room. then I came home and went through some photos hoping to scrapbook today. which I am going to do now! lol!!

thanks for stopping by......I will try to make October's more exciting!

chivalry in the age of mass transportation....

2008-09-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

So tonight I almost missed the train. I probably left the office a tad late and walked a bit slower because these shoes hurt my feet and I was chicken to bring flip flops to wear with my nice business skirt.

Anyway, I wasn't quick enough to get my pass validated and get on the train. It wasn't for lack of trying. I yelled out asking someone to hold the door. A man actually put his bike in the doorway so it couldn't close!! But I fumbled too much trying to get out my ticket and ended up boarding the train unvalidated. The man told me I could hope out at the next stop to get it validated and he would hold the door with his bike again!

And here people think there aren't anymore gentlemen out ther!

just a little courtesy.....

2008-08-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

If you go to a baseball game do NOT put your hair into a Pebbles type ponytail!

12 of 12......the man about town edition

2008-08-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

or really it should be the WOMAN about town......but whatever!

sorry I haven't been blogging recently. it isn't as though nothing has been happening.......just no time. I really need to get mobile blogging set up! really I do!

and with that........ on with the show!

a little different order to my photos and you will see why at the end! but in general this is a tour of the art pieces and odd/interesting things I see in my day to day life as a downtown worker! this first one is the clock/sign from an old nolongerinbusiness bank. if I get off the train a stop early I get to see it after getting my Starbucks. I didn't think it worked and am still not sure. it was only off by about 10 minutes when I took this photo, but that might have been a coincidence! lol!
because the 2 blocks between that sign and Starbucks can be a little dicey, I instead walk through the downtown mall. it has security, business traffic, and a Jamba for those mornings where I don't want Starbucks but still want something. while waiting to cross the street, I can watch the Hard Rock guitar spin around and around.

supposedly they are going to get rid of this and update this end of the mall. I have heard they are going to replace it with a Time Square kinda rolling marque. I say forget it and keep the guitar! anyway........just past the guitar are the granite guards to the mall.

rather odd looking. this is the female of the pair. I actually like the tiles cascading down the column but have no clue why she is holding a ball, wearing that mask, or even there for that matter! pre-caffeine this is even more confusing.

not to be outdone by the cool statues and such located in our classy downtown area, our building has its own piece of art.

I actually tried to get a photo with a person IN it so you could see how tall and skinny this thing is. it has to be 20 feet tall. blech!

for lunch, I met a scrapping friend, Deb. she only works a couple blocks away so I walked over to meet her. on the way I passed the world's ugliest building. I believe once they actually finish it Guiness will be out to authenticate the title.

yes, that blue stuff is permanent! at first I thought it must be some plastic coating that was protecting something while construction was going on.......but no! and the tan stuff is a mottled fake marble kinda stuff. the darn thing looks like a hospital. a really ugly outdated hospital where people never seem to get better because it is depressing just being there!

but lunch was nice! we met at Il Forniao. not a regular haunt of mine, but it was really nice to have an enjoyable grown-up meal with a friend. (and get a rare photo of us together at the same time)

on the way back to the office, I snapped a photo of a statue that still catches me off guard when I see it.

perfect for a real estate broker's building, don't you think?!?!? it is actually a really neat statue and the detailing is wonderful. I don't know why I am still startled when I see it.

after that I snapped a nice photo of our building. not a super exciting building......but not a contender for world's ugliest either! lol!!

after finishing my day of work, I trot on over to catch Light Rail home. I took a photo of the Capitol, but you have already seen one in a previous 12of12. it looks the same! lol! though maybe I should do monthly shots of it like I used to my office window so we can see the changing seasons?!?! we shall see!

anyway, at the spot where I get off Light Rail (if I don't make a Starbucks or Jamba run) there is this sign. depending on how the lights are running I also pass it on my way to catch Light Rail in the other direction.

that is it! just this marker on the side of the light pole. ta-da! no synagogue, just a sign.

when I got to my Light Rail pick up spot about a week or so after starting to work downtown, I first noticed this building. it is the Stanford Home. I KNEW I wanted to get a picture of it! this is where famed Leland Stanford of the Big Four, former governor, etc used to live. I love the irony of his old house being dwarfed by the huge building behind him. I am sorry about all the street lights and such in the photo but atleast I waited for the vanpool bus to pull away. I was told that there is a state agency that uses the house for their offices!

then I catch the train and start the first leg of my trip home (or would it be the second leg after walking to the train being my first leg?!?!?) anyway, I take the train and on the way home we pass the Sacramento Cathedral. I don't have time to get off the train to take a picture, but can see it through my window twice a day.

sorry for the glare from the strip lighting in the train. guess it gives it all that *real* feeling?!?! anyway, I finish my ride home, walk to my car, and then die of heat stroke.......

yep! it was 70 when I got in the car this morning. and it got up to 109 while driving home. l-o-v-e-l-y!! and while usually one can brush it off with a quip about it being a dry heat........it has been MUGGY here recently! an energy sucking horrible heat! (which is why this didn't get posted last night)

that is my 12of12 for August! thanks for checking me out!

the building that cried "FIRE!"

2008-07-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

admittedly it is a new building. and admittedly there is a LOT of construction still going on. but the whole false fire alarm is getting out of hand. to top it off they have decided that it isn't safe for us to wait around and see if they tell us it is a false alarm and have to evacuate just in case. SWELL!!! so today we were halfway down the stairs (from our 8th floor office) when they announced it was a false alarm. does that count as my exercise for the day?!?!?

and in an update from yesterday.......my nose and throat have become a full blown cold. but, I was able to get the lost memory card images back. whew! but sadly, LM is still down. one out of two isn't bad I suppose! lol!

i know things could be worse.....

2008-07-30T09:25:00.001-07:00

But honestly that doesn't make it much better!

No LM
I woke up with a runny nose and sore throat.
No LM
I lent a memory card to a lady at Fire Camp. I got it back last night. This morning I went to look at the photos and the card was empty!!! Most of the photos on that card weren't Fire Camp. I am hoping the images are on her computer but she is having computer problems.
No LM
I found out today that one of the baseball games I bought tickets to is at 11:35am on Weds! Who can go to a mid-day game on a Weds?!?!?

But I must remember......things could be worse!

R wants to be a fire fighter......

2008-07-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

and this week he has been getting to practice at it:

Fire Camp

check out image 79!!

doing my civic duty today......

2008-07-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

I have/had jury duty this week. my county has a 1 day or 1 trial service so most people end up being there a day. today was mine. I was called for the 3rd jury group and was then drawn for the first group of those interviewed for actual service. I ended up at one point being "juror #4." I truly thought I was finally going to get the experience of serving on a jury. I even started to get a tad anxious realizing that I would ultimately have to help decide someone's guilt or innocence. THEN they called up another set of potential jurors and I was excused by the defense. still not sure why but I somehow think it was because I was female. J said it was because I was obviously too smart and no defense wants a smart female. not quite sure but I think that was a compliment! lol! needless to say, I got a long long lunch and hen spent a couple hours back in the jury pool not getting called before I was sent home.......done with service for atleast the next year. (though prior to today I thought it was once every 2 years)

the cool thing was that since I took public transportation, they gave me a replacement pass for the one I used in the morning and one to use to come home. and I ended up catching my regular train home!

12 of 12 July summertime break weekend edition

2008-07-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

hello and welcome to this month's edition of 12 of 12! with inspiration from Chad, the idea is to take 12 photos of your day on the 12th of each month.

this past week was a rough one. unhealthy air, long hours at work and taking a horribly torturous notary class and exam, and the fact that J and R were gone to Scout camp left me not sleeping well. so this morning I was thankfully able to sleep in this morning......until.........

Tessa decided to bark at something and woke me up......... but hey! it WAS 3 1/2 more hours of sleep than I had been getting! and a week of exhaustion had resulted in me actually sleeping quite well finally! lol!!

but.....since R was gone I had to feed Stubbs........Princess Stubbs. I couldn't resist trying to snag a few photos. sadly I couldn't get a shot that wasn't ruined by some stuff on the side of the cage. I think it is the vitamin stuff we dust the crickets with before sacrificing them to the Gecko Goddess! lol!! (be thankful I missed the shot of her snagging her prey. has taken me almost an entire year to be able to watch her)

D fed Tessa. too bad this isn't a video so you could see her nosing out the *inferior* nuggets so she could eat her favorites......... those little golden squares. in a few minutes there are pieces strewn around the her food area and all the golden squares are gone.

I did my daily Webkinz and even helped a friend a bit. course, got myself a cheesy price for my own spin...... but she'll be happy to know I got her a Wish Token.

then I took some time to clean the fridge. oh boy oh boy what fun! lol!! it actually looks pretty organized now......and hey, I needed a food shot since I didn't show you my breakfast (that I forgot to eat! lol!) after cleaning the fridge I decided we have WAY too many pickles and mustards! there is half a shelf of pickles and a door shelf full of mustard. insane! totally insane!

after my cleaning I finished up work on a recipe swap I am doing. these were a whole lot more work than I expected them to be......but I think they came out cute!

yeah! finally J and R got home from camp. be darn thankful that this is not Smell-O-Vision because they STUNK!!! they were freakin' STINKY!!!!

so after they were showered, we headed out to Weiner Works for dinner. here D is posing at our table while we wait for our food. as you can see, the walls are covered with photos and writing, etc. you can see some of it on the side.

FOOD!!!!! these guys make the BESTEST french fries!! this is a large order.....just ONE large order! lol!! we rarely finish them....though this particular order seems a bit larger than the normal large! and you can't believe how wonderful those hot dogs are!

since I had taken the two photos here with my cell phone, R wanted to try and take one......so I got a good smoochie phone of me and dh! much better kissing him now than before his shower! lol!

the traditional odometer shot. my mileage is going back down now that I am not doing carpool in the morning. even better than before I think since I don't have my car at lunch I don't use up gas running errands. and hey, Light Rail is $4 a day......less than 1 tank of gas!

as for the temperature........ the high was only 91 degrees today. earlier this week it was over 110! so much for drama. not that I LIKE blazing hot weather, but it would have been a lot more exciting to post a photo of it being that hot instead of a boring 91! lol!!

ah shoot! I didn't even think about changing the orientation of this next photo. another one I took from my phone. and maybe now is where I should mention that our desktop is having a Zone Alarm problem and I can't get on the internet with it. so I am doing all this on the laptop.....with no photo program.

anyway........don't be too fooled by this photo. prices have been dropping the past week or so. this is the lowest I have seen....probably the lowest in all of Sacramento. I was excited to pay $4.25 a gallon earlier this week courtesy of my 10 cents off at Safeway.

Dairy Queen has Thin Mint blizzards. we had them tonight for dessert. we deserved them, right? another sideways one...... sorry!

anyway......that was my day. I think I actually had 13 photos.....but between using the camera phone and e-mailing them to myself and rigging up the camera to the laptop to try and use, I was thankful to have any!

don't drink the water and don't breathe the air.....

2008-07-09T20:41:00.001-07:00

that was a song that I remember from my childhood. yeah, my parents were odd. we listened to a radio show called Dr. Demento that played a bunch of funny songs. Weird Al got his start there too I am willing to bet.

anyway........Northern California is basically getting smoked out! seriously.....I am beginning to feel like a smoked sausage......or a 76 year old chain smoker. about 2 1/2 minutes after walking out the door my throat is insanely sore. and I have spent the past 3 days with an intense migraine. I am sure the 110+ heat hasn't helped either!

but what brought this up really was seeing a few people wearing masks recently. they are just wearing the more basic masks like painters wear.....or dh wears while mowing the lawn. they tell us that we are ruining the air and water......but the smoke has been SOOO much worse than the pollution has been. does that mean we are getting better about emissions or that Mother Nature wants to beat us to the punch?!?!?

guess that was really all I had to say......

blogging from the baseball game

2008-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Right now the River Cats are winning 4 - 1. 7th inning for those following along at home. Honestly not a very exciting game and it is SOOOOO darn hot out here. We are used to evening games where everyone has some shade. The first inning hadn't even ended when I noticed that my thighs were getting pink. Needless to say I made a note to bring sunscreen for the other day games. And to think, I had considered bringing a light jacket! lol!
This weekend has been nice. I am still not used to working so much. Amazing how quickly I got used to not working. But yesterday I got 3 layouts done. They are for LM.....well, 2 are. the third turned out horrible and I don't plan on sharing it. Too bad because there is some cute ribbon on it.
In addition to that, I made it to the gym 3 time (4 days in a row thankyouverymuch), we finally got J's tow hitch installed (kinda), and lmost bought a new car. Yep.......we have been talking about trading in my beloved Santa Fe for something more fuel efficient. Our salesman at Hyundai offered us a sweet deal on an Elantra. So sounds like it might happen.
Back to the game......Robnett just hit a double and sent in 2 runners......and while I typed the next guy brought in 2 more. The score is 8 - 1 3ivercats over the Tuscon Sidewinders.

saving the world......one post-it note at a time!

2008-06-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

so I got a Blackberry last week. I was tired of carrying around a cell phone, planner, and iPod and decided I needed to get something that was more portable for my daily commute on the train and getting internet access and e-mail was just the icing on the cake......until now.

tonight I found THE reason justifying my purchase: lists.

no post-it notes gave their lives in the creation of a shopping list today. usually I would have made one at home on a post-it note, put it inside my wallet and gone to work. mid-day I would start thinking of things to add and grab another post-it to continue my list. by the time I actually GET to the store I have usually used up 3 post-its. but not today. this time I was able to get my entire list in the notes section of my calendar. (I couldn't do that with my old cell phone....the notes section was rather limited for character spacing)

and even if I don't make a calendar entry I can still make a list of things....whatever things.....lists of lists if I want......and no post-it notes will give their lives!

p.s. congrats to Fresno State for some seriously awesome baseball! it was a total pleasure watching you beat Georgia! Steve Detwiler.......you are my hero (and darn cute too! lol!)

12 of 12 - the HELP edition!

2008-06-13T05:18:00.001-07:00

so I guess I kinda failed this month. I didn't get 12 pictures. but really I failed because the 12th wasn't anything close to a regular day so the whole "random photos on a random day" thing went out the window......or down the elevator shaft........so to speak. that and as a scrapbooker, I didn't want to minimize the event that brought about the one photo I did take. somehow afterwards picture taking wasn't really important.....

this is a photo of the call button on elevator #4 at my office. this is me really trying to remain calm and get a decent photo.......while I was stuck in the elevator for 15 minutes. it wasn't that long of a period of time.....but I was alone......and a little claustrophobic. I started off thinking it was a little funny when I was just stuck there thinking I was at the 8th floor but couldn't get the elevator to open. but when the guy at the other end of that help button said "I'll send someone out" and "push the alarm button every once in awhile so the building knows you are in the elevator" I got a little worried. then when the elevator went to the 25th floor and started bouncing around a bit I got more worried. then when the elevator dropped down to the 22nd and then 21st floor I was as close to freaking out as I could be. funny how something like not-waterproof mascara can keep a person from crying.

luckily........at the 21st floor when I laid on the alarm button, some guy walked by and opened the elevator door. he was so casual about it and I can't figure out how I managed to stand up and walk out of the elevator.

needless to say.....I walked 13 floors down the stairs to get back to my office.

I promise to do better next month.

bookend birthdays.....

2008-06-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

things have been crazy around here. trying to get in the swing of the new job has taken quite a toll on my free time. dh is working on taking over making dinners and R is helping out a bit more around the house. thankfully summer is almost upon us and that means that atleast I won't have to do the morning carpool before catching Light Rail to work.

today, being June 2nd is the calm in the eye of the storm. R's birthday was yesterday and D's birthday is tomorrow. we celebrated this year with a miserable day at Great America. it was cold and windy and the boys lasted about 5 hours before wanting to head home. on top of that lunch almost killed us all it was so gross. if anything might push me to becoming a vegetarian......it was that hamburger! all in all we spent more time driving back and forth than we did at the park.

yesterday we went to Melting Pot for the next part of the ongoing party train. we joined a grown up couple for a lovely dinner. thankfully no hamburger there and the food is always superb!!

today was our day to rest from stuffing ourselves and tomorrow we will be off to Red Robin for the last of our great birthday parties. seems silly but Red Robin is our traditional place of celebration. we go every year on Gotcha Day and for birthdays.

D turns 10 this year. it isn't as shocking as when R turned 10. I wonder if that has anything to do with being the second child or because he hasn't actually been with us for all those years? not really sure other than it is still strange to think that he is 10.......

so anyway........hopefully I will be back up to speed and blogging AND scrapping more. I sure hope so!

12 of 12....... the EMPLOYED edition! lol!!

2008-05-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

so today was my 4th day at my NEW JOB!!!! I am really enjoying it though I feel a bit scattered right now. it is weird knowing so much and yet so little all at the same time. but......more about that as we go along...... and for those of you who haven't been following along at home.......Chad Darnell started all this craziness!
as is tradition, there is my odometer shot. 1,400 miles in the past month. probably has a little to do with that trip to Reno to see the Gin Blossoms?!?! and maybe that trip to the Jelly Belly factory with Stanley?!?! and maybe all those trips to Periwinkles in Folsom for Webkinz Extravaganza?!?!?! and the several trips downtown for interviews?!?! and well.....you get the point! I will be interested to see what it looks like next month after I am taking Light Rail everyday.......and the boys being out of school.
here is my train stop. exciting, isn't it?!?! today I had time to take this picture because I missed the train. why did I miss the train? well......because I missed one light on my morning carpool taking the boys to school and......
because I have to buy a train ticket every morning. I can actually buy a monthly pass but it is more expensive then buying a ticket every day. crazy, isn't it? I might still buy one just for the convenience. I am SOOOOO not good at walking around with a bunch of $1 in my purse to pay for train fare. luckily, though, I can get transportation expenses withheld from my pay pre-tax! so unlike filling up my tank, I CAN get a little break on my train costs!
me.......on the train......in my business suit........we normally don't get this dressed up but we were having out of town company visitors. the jacket actually came off when I got to the office and never went back on. nice fish-eye kinda picture......but atleast I only have one chin! lol!
staples of my train trips.......my iPod and a book. this is the second in the Dexter series. I think I like the books better than the tv show.....no surprise there I suppose. this morning's music was shuffle.....I believe I got some Yaz, Collective Soul, and Bonnie Raitt. our building.........our nice big ol' new building. course, they are still doing lots of construction on it. in fact, several people opted for an early lunch when what sounded like a jackhammer started going off. though considering how high up we are I am pretty darn sure it wasn't a jackhammer! on my way in to the building this morning, a fellow train rider stopped to take a picture (that I might take in a coming month) and I ended up talking to him as we crossed the street. couldn't help but ask him if he was doing 12 of 12! lol!! (he wasn't .......bummer!)this job feels like a seriously official job. why? because I have TWO badges! not just 1 but TWO!!! one is for the company and one is for the building. sheesh! at my last job we had a code for the building but never ever actually used it. in fact, I think I still have it somewhere! lol!
this is my cubicle. envious, aren't you?? actually.......as cubbies go it isn't too bad. the walls are high enough to offer privacy yet you are close enough to people to be able to get answers without spending all day walking around in circles. good thing when you are the new girl! I am slowly bringing stuff in to personalize my space more. the whole train thing is limiting in that way! oh....and you might be able to see my lunch of a pannini sandwich and some triscuits. tres exciting! lol!
this is the view out my window. technically not MY window......but the window of the cubby next to mine.......or at the end of my walkway. I am close enough to the window that I can get the sun coming in without the glare. and.....with a quick couple steps I can see outside. today I watched a plastic bag get blown up the side of the building from the crazy winds we were having. but......they kept it nice and cool. I hear we are breaking 100 by the end of the week! YIKES!
Light Rail drops me off literally across the street from my office (sweet!) but to catch the train back home I have to walk a whole humonguous block! and this is what I walk towards (though more even keel than this photo might suggest). crazy that I work so close to the capital! that is something I never ever imagined I would be doing.
on the way home I exited the freeway one exit early so I could drive by a gas station. this is one of the cheapest places in the area......and is still 14 cents more expensive than this time last month. so......even if my $4 in train fees is only break even with the 1 gallon of gas I might be saving.......I am also saving a minimum of $7 a day in parking. I think I deserve a nice treat for saving so much money, don't you? lol!!
and what 12 of 12 would be complete without a fully devoted food shot?
like I mentioned before, one of the biggest changes with this new job is dinner. Mondays are still easy since we generally have pizza, but J and R are going to be doing more of the cooking. R was in charge of cooking the pizza tonight. looks good! tasted even better.

and with my days starting at 5am now.....I am exhausted and off to bed.
thanks for joining me this month!

think of 2008 as the year of opportunity....

2008-05-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have a layout in mind showing the front door of my previous employer. I am going to use the quote "when God closes a door he opens a window" and talk about my old job and how hard it was to deal with the office closing and everyone being laid off. I figure I can have an accompanying page titled something like "hello window" about my fortune in finding a good job so quickly. (not really QUICKLY but in a whole lot less time that I thought it would take)

add to that the timing made it so I was able to take the boys up to see my mom, nana, and stepdad during Spring Break.

add to that my being able to go see the Gin Blossoms in concert in Reno.

add to that the fact that next week I will start getting paychecks from the new job and will still be receiving a little severance from the old job. we have plans to use that money to pay down some debt and trade a gas guzzler for a nice hybrid so that we can start saving more money.

add to that the fact that now I am taking public transportation to work. it is definately an interesting experience but I am saving a couple $$ every day and helping make less pollution. my new employer will also let me do pre-tax withholding for my transportation expenses.....so I will be making less taxes for myself at the same time! lol!

add to that the fact that J's employer has started a nifty new health plan. they will pay our gym membership as long as we go 3 times a week. sounds pretty simple except that I am getting home a lot later with my new job than with my old job. but I figure if I go Sat and Sun and 1 night during the week it will be a lot better than I am doing now. the company they have partnered with is putting in a new club about 1 mile from our house. no excuses!!! I just hope they have a yoga class on Weds at 7pm. life would be pretty darn close to perfect then!

oh yes.....and about that gym......from what I can see from their website, R will be able to use the facilities too. most places say they have to be 13, but it looks like this place goes down to 12. which is good because R really needs to work on some physical fitness!

so......while things looked rather bleak....it seems that 2008 might be a darn good year afterall! now if I can just get back into scrapbooking! lol!

you know you have been married a long time.....

2008-04-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

when the places you went to frequently while you were just dating are all gone!

today is J and my 15th anniversary! insane, isn't it? we must have married when we were 13! lol!! but seriously.......we aren't big celebrators but wanted to go out to a kid-free evening at a nicer restaurant. so we started brainstorming.....

our first date was at a nice Italian/American restaurant in Old Town. we knew that night there was something special going on.......we both wanted the garlic bread! lol! it went under many years ago. in fact, we went to its replacement restaurant for our 9th anniversary. it just wasn't the same without the garlic bread.

the next place that would have been appropriate was what I would call a supper club. the place was run similar to the restaurant at a golf/tennis club. a regular meal, some scheduled specials, etc. but they also had a club meal. we joined and would get discounted meals, or meal credits, or something. I can't remember........J paid. anyway, it was special to us because we were regulars.......and because we set the place on fire......literally!! probably our 3rd or 4th time there we were eating bread and chatting and didn't notice that the bread napkin had flipped over the lit candle on the table. it wasn't until a couple across the room yelled at us did we notice! lol!! luckily, no bread was lost. that place, oddly enough and unrelated to us, burned down and a Starbucks currently resides on the spot.

but that still left a wonderful place, near and dear to our hearts. see.....when we were first dating, I worked retail and frequently got off work at 9:30. we had to find a place that served dinner later than most places. Brother Olivers was that place. I can't say the food was amazing or anything but there were always a few things that appealed to us. that and it was a nice relaxing environment to talk and enjoy being together. so Tuesday I reminded myself to call and make a reservation. at 9:45 we never needed one before, but this time around we would be going during a more normal hour. yep! you guessed it.........closed! closed about a month ago. closed and they are going to tear it down and build a Beverages & More. I really should go take a picture of the building to scrapbook before it is gone.

boy do I feel old.........old and married! lol!

12 of 12 - the Stanley edition!

2008-04-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Stanley (Flat Stanley that is) has arrived for a visit! so in honor of his visit this will be HIS 12of12! lol!! as a reminder, 12of12 is Chad Darnell's creation....... you can learn more about it (and perhaps join us next month) here.

woke up a little after 7am. did a little bit of snuggling with Tessa. she is such a good doggie!

for breakfast we had Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats. Mommie B says these are her favorite. I liked them......tasted a little too much like cardboard to eat every day but they were okay.
check out Mommie B's odometer! now that she isn't working she isn't putting as many miles on her car. just over 1,000 this past month she said! at look at the temperature! it is only 9am. wonder how hot it is going to get out here?

We had to drive Big Bro B and his friend to a Scout camp this morning. because of all the bikes and stuff we borrowed a truck from the friend's mom. BRIGHT RED! HOW COOL!! I took some time to check it all out while the boys loaded the back.

dropped off Big Bro B and his friend. not really sure how they are going to get all their stuff where they need to. and it isn't like I can be of much help! lol! they told me I couldn't stay this time, but maybe next time. I sure hope so! this place looks FUN!
before heading home, we stopped by the District Pinewood Derby. these were the fastest cars in from each of the Packs from the District. my favorite is the black one with the StormTrooper driving! because I am not a Scout, they decided I should wear a Tiger Cub shirt so that everyone knew who I was! Thanks guys!
after our busy morning it was lunch time. Mommie B thought I might be a tad homesick so she made Lil Bro B and I an egg salad sandwich. YUMMY!!

you know when people talk about how hot it has gotten.....in the shade??? well here I am in the shade and it is 85 degrees! a few minutes later we went to go get gas and the car said it was 90! needless to say Mommie B got me some sunglasses so I can be cool.

the price of gas is crazy! here I thought it was expensive to send me USPS! Mommie B said that last month it was $3.44 a gallon.
when Daddy B and Big Bro B are at camp, Mommie B said one of the things she loves to do is get the seafood special from a local Chinese place. sweet & sour pineapple shrimp, crab cream cheese won tons, etc. YUM! normally she gets won ton soup with it, but she said it was too warm today. so instead she had to add on an appetizer sampler so they would deliver. look at all this food! Mommie B said that this will feed her for 2 dinners and a lunch.......even with sharing with me! lol! guess what my fortune said: "A cheerful letter or message is on its way to you." wonder if I am actually that cheerful letter or message and I got Mommie B's fortune by mistake?

the second part of Mommie B's evening routine when Daddy B and Big Bro B are gone is to watch chick flicks. I was trying to be a good house guest so I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" with her. it wasn't that bad.......not as mushy-girlie as "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" that we watched on tv afterwards. Mommie B even cried a bit at the end. blech!
after that it was bed time. I was already half asleep from that last boring movie so it was good to get tucked in bed. couldn't believe it was after 11pm! YAWN!!!!
what a busy day I had! I am really having a good time with the B family. thanks for stopping by.

the end of the first fiscal quarter.....

2008-03-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

used to be the end of a fiscal quarter would bring about reports, reviews, and more reports. but......not this time around. nothing special about it when you aren't working.

HOWEVER.......I still have my quarterly to-do list at home. see, I have found that I am not good at remembering the last time I changed my toothbrush, or when dh changed the air filter, etc. sure we could write that stuff on the calendar. but do I really want my in-laws to know that today I am going to replace my razors in the shower?!?!? NOPE! so since the quarter end was such an easy point in time to remember, I have used this as my reminder.

toss and replace toothbrushes
toss and replace razors (I use 2 different ones in the shower so think that changing them every 3 months instead of the recommended month is fine)
check all medicine and toss out of date stuff
check canned goods and toss out of date stuff (anything going bad in the next 3 months either make a plan to use or donate to charity)
replace air filters
pull out magazines over a year old and reread before cutting things out or recycling

ideally I think the toothbrush industry should really focus on the whole fiscal quarter brush replacement idea. instead of a steady stream of commercials telling us how great a brush is they should have a campaign to target changing them every 3 months. you know plenty of people don't and this way they could save on advertising dollars AND sell more toothbrushes at the same time! seriously........I don't jump up to buy a new toothbrush when I see a commercial. but I WOULD put it on my shopping list if I saw an ad that said "hey....this is your reminder that next week is time to change your toothbrush. buy ours!" lol!! heck, if they were uber smart they could sell toothbrushes in packs of 4 with seasonal themes! snowflakes for winter, flowers for spring, sun for summer, and leaves (or a nice teeth-cleaning apple) for fall!

maybe I should be looking for a job in advertising?!?!?

12 of 12 - the unemployed edition

2008-03-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

can't say this is very exciting! in fact, I had to find a few things to do so I would have some photos to take. hopefully by April 12th I will have a job so I won't have to work so hard to take pictures! lol!!

the first is my traditional odometer shot. we are in those fine spring days where it is cold in the morning and beautiful in the afternoon. except it never quite got beautiful yesterday. I guess a storm is coming in. but look how dark this photo is. that is because it is PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE courtesy of ridiculous daylight savings.

I missed my normal gas price shot. actually I took one but because it was SO FREAKIN' DARK you couldn't see anything. but.....J filled up both cars Tuesday night and paid $3.41/gallon at 6am and $3.44/gallon at 6pm.....at the same station!

breakfast. remember those wonderful days of Strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats? well those days are over.....kinda. I had a physical a couple weeks ago and it was determined that my cholesterol is a bit high. (not shocking considering what I eat, huh?!?!?) no heart attack yet.....but I need to work on it. thus....oatmeal! I have compromised with myself.....I alternate off and on between the oatmeal and the mini wheats! today was an oatmeal day.

blech! don't so much like the oatmeal days! one of the reasons is because I get hungry really quickly again. trying to be a little healthy I had cottage cheese and carrots. I really like this as a snack but don't frequently have cottage cheese around. this was leftover from the lasagnas I made last week.

while eating my snack I decided I needed to do something so you all wouldn't end up with a day of food shots. I called and made appointments for oil changes on the cars. mine was for 1pm this afternoon! on the way out to run a few errands beforehand I saw this lovely sight......nothing better than packages........especially when one of them is from LM!

J changed the antennea topper on the car a couple weekends ago so I took a shot of it. with Easter so early it really won't be there for long. sad, huh?!?!?

before getting to the car dealership I ran a few errands.....one being going to Bath & Body works. I am getting near the end of my shower gel (currently cucumber melon) and the boys were out of their all-in-one stinky shower stuff! I got myself sweet pea this time and them frozen daquiri and banana split. there was one other flavor, frosting, but it smelled gross! I don't think I could handle the boys smelling like that for the 15 minutes before their stinky boy smell took over! lol!!

after dropping off the car I walked over to Frys. I had seen a cafe inside the last time I was there and thought it HAD to be a better lunch than Sonic. on the way I passed a guy getting on his motorcycle with this cool denim jacket. I knew I could always use a few more photos and since it was really nifty (the mouse......not so much the machine gun) I asked if I could take a picture. he said his girlfriend free-hand drew the picture and did the jacket for me. how cool!!

I got a pastrami sandwich (YUM!!!!) and some loaded potato soup (not as lovingly loaded as Black Angus but decent potato soup) for lunch and sat reading my newest mystery series. I found this one because I needed a name for my new black cat Webkinz. I am naming them all after fictional mystery characters and wanted someone Halloween or witchcraft related. so great what search engines at bookstore sites can find for you!! I am almost halfway through the book now and it is holding my interest. kinda slow starting but I think she is trying to build the foundation for the characters. I ordered the rest of the series from the library. (you can see my lunch a little in the background.)

picked up my car. you can see that I drove about 25 miles from the start of the day until the time the oil change was done......courtesy of the morning school carpool.

Wednesday is bowling day/night for R. since I am not working I take him over early so he can get a little practice in before league. tonight their team shirts came in. the shirts are a little thin (good because R sweats like his dad) and oversized. the boys want them to last the next 2 years. I think they will! R might be able to wear this through high school! lol!!

dinner was leftover/fendforyourself night courtesy of all the cooking I have been doing so there is no cute shot of my dinner: a couple mouthfulls of lasagna, some green beans, and pasta alfredo. wow! how nutritious!! I had a dessert of leftover Baskin Robbins from Tuesday $1 scoop night for dessert. probably totally counteracted that healthy oatmeal, huh?!?!?

with R we watched the most recent episode of New Amsterdam. not a bad show! I am trying to figure out how long they can keep the whole "love of a lifetime" thing going. after R went to bed dh and I enjoyed the sanitized version of Dexter. we don't get HBO so hadn't seen it yet. I can't say they did a decent job of cleaning up the language. it is rather obvious and most of the time you can tell what the guy originally said. but if the FCC doesn't mind then neither do I!

finally........like almost always......I am at the end of the day and have no photo of myself. so here I am with my newest Webkinz, Ophelia. isn't that a great name for a black cat?? I really need to remember to take my self-portraits earlier in the day so I don't look like crap!

what? no photos of me submitting resumes or surfing Monster.com to find a great new job?!?! yeah.....well.....I have applied for the TWO jobs in my field that were out there already. one I was already turned down for. I am trying to think about what nifty new field to enter. I need to think quickly!!

no one has filed a missing person's report....

2008-03-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

but I have really been MIA around here. fact is, I am not big about posting negative things and I am struggling to find the positive right now.

I was laid off and I am worried. the economy bites and my industry has really been hit hard. yes, I am smart, well-educated, and have lots of experience. but all that doesn't matter when there aren't jobs.

so.....instead of posting totally fake posts or whining about how I am depressed I just haven't posted.

Eileen and some caching up to do.....

2008-02-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

(and yes....I know that "caching" isn't pronounced the way it needs to be to really make that title work. but I don't care..... and don't bug me about it! lol!)

so here is the story........ when I got to CHA, Lindsay and his beautiful wife picked me up at the airport. about halfway back to the Convention Center Lindsay told me that his GPS unit is called Eileen. so he can sing "Come On Eileen" when he is waiting for it to tell him something. at this point, he started to sing the song.

then.......3 days later when I arrive back home and turn on the radio in my car guess what song comes on?!?!? of course......."Come On Eileen"!!

so when the psych-out moment on Psych last week was them singing "Come On Eileen" dh got a little worried with my hysterical laughing.

other than starting to feel a tad paranoid about Eileen......we did our first geocaching this weekend. we found 5 out of the 6 caches we set out to find. the 6th one I am thinking has been moved or stolen........ we found where it should be based on coordinates and clues and it wasn't there. oh well!! otherwise we had a great time. I think it will be a fun activity we can do as a family once in awhile. and thankfully the weather was GORGEOUS!!! (it is icky rainy today)

they lie!!!!

2008-02-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

tear and SHARE?!?!?!? SHARE??????

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

12 of 12.....CHA CHA CHA style!

2008-02-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

I truly expected to have an AMAZING 12 of 12 to show you.....full of exciting sneak peeks from the Craft and Hobby Association show......but it didn't quite happen that way! atleast you can go check them out at LM!

this first shot is what it looked like out my hotel window. well.....KINDA.....add a layer of smog and it would be a closer image! lol!!

this is me with my friends the Shore Thing penguins at the Imaginesce booth. this picture isn't very good. I debated cheating and posting the photo of me with them that a friend took earlier in the show...I just don't get why people don't think that I would actually want the full penguins in the shot! (I'll probably post the other one later....it truly was cute!) oh....and you can see a little sneak of the apron I made myself out of the new Cosmo Cricket fabric!!

aaaah.....home sweet home! lol!! this is the Cosmo Cricket booth. see all those people.....yes that is what it was like for most of the event. in fact, this was actually rather empty compared to most of the time. it was kinda weird.....we would get 5 to 10 minutes of downtime and then get slammed again.

if you are a scrapbooker you might recognize this lady's pretty face! if not, open up the March CK and check out her layouts on pages 66 & 67! we had lunch and hung out together a bit on Sunday and Tuesday. I love that I get to see my internet friends at the show!

MISSED PHOTO OPPORTUNITY RIGHT HERE!!!!
after lunch I came back to the booth. shortly thereafter in walks Lisa D, Noni (Donna.....but they call her Noni and I am hoping that now I can too!), and Moriah. I was so happy that they had stopped by and so excited to finally meet Moriah that I spaced on taking a photo with them! what a bad scrapbooker I am! needless to say we had a lovely conversation about scrapbooking and the vital importance of black t-shirts!

if you haven't checked out Cosmo Cricket's blog.....you really should!! this button is all about Jon the Warehouse Guy. starting back on January 11th he started trying to give sneak peeks for all the new Cosmo Cricket stuff. the posts were an awesome success!! he wasn't actually at CHA on Tuesday (which is why there is a photo of the button instead of him) but he was there on Sunday. I cracked up as women ran up to him to say hello and have their photo taken with him!

no one will ever be able to say that Cosmo Cricket doesn't know how to have fun! remember those 5 to 10 minute lulls between the crowds?!?! well......during this one Lindsay cranked up the music and started dancing with his wife! the reason he looks so odd in this photo......yeah......he is singing along! (btw.....he dances MUCH better than he sings! lol!!) oooh...... and check out the background. see those really big images on the walls?!?!? those are the die cuts for Get Happy and Cogsmo enlarged. they are big ol' magnets! LOVE THEM!!! wish they would make them for sale!

sadly.....I needed to head home Tuesday night. Lindsay was supposed to give me a ride but ended up having a dinner meeting with a supplier.......so I had to get alternate transportation. this late in the game I was stuck with the option of a TownCar or a taxi. I haven't taken a taxi since the dude tried to kill us in Atlanta so when the concierge at the hotel told me it would only be $5 more for a TownCar I went for it. what a comfy ride!! and my driver was really nice and we chatted scrapbooking all the way to the airport. MUCH better than praying for my life the entire trip!

ANOTHER MISSED PHOTO OPPORTUNITY....though not as exciting as the previous one.
when I got to the airport and through security, I walked to my gate and passed the gift store. they had a nice big sign for a Webkinz sale! a chance look scored me a retired Gorilla! so I bought 2 more Webkinz to hide away in my stash.

when I got to my gate I thought it might be cool to take a picture of the flight info. why....I am not sure! probably because I knew I was going to be tight on photos.

when I landed in Sacto I got off the plane and saw this WONDERFULLY TERRIFIC SIGN for the Sacto Zoo. I think the penguins have gone back to the San Francisco Zoo.....but this is the first time I had seen this sign at the airport......so I had to take a picture of it to go along with my other penguin photo from earlier.

THIS is the best photo! I actually can't believe I have never taken a photo of it before. our family usually flies Southwest and therefore we walk up and down this river path often. the boys always take their carry-on roller bags and walk along the crooked river path. and it is funny.....no matter how grumpy other people seem to be and no matter what kind of rush they seem to be in......people usually smile and watch the boys do this. probably not so much now that they are older. it looked much cuter when they were younger! but still....I tend to follow the river myself! (R is sitting next to me while I proof read this and even without reading what I wrote said, "the river path. I always walk down it." lol!)

usually one of the first photos of the day.......here is my odometer. it is 10:30ish at night and I am in the airport parking garage trying to warm up my car a bit. looks like I need an oil change!

I came home and walked in to the kitchen to see this. R was sick while I was gone and I guess J decided we needed the FAMILY PACK of Halls! oh well.....they don't go bad and he said he got a really good price!
so that was my exciting day at CHA. maybe I should have taken a picture of my feet?? I was wearing my favorite funky green Champion shoes. oh so very comfortable! even so......by 4:30 I was ready to plop down on the carpet and cry because my feet hurt so much.

tomorrow I will try to post the other random shots I got at CHA.

honey......I'm home!!!

2008-02-13T07:39:00.000-08:00

and can you believe that I remembered to take my 12 photos yesterday?!?!? I'll post those later.....along with anything fun I can remember to tell you about CHA!

cha....cha......cha

2008-02-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

for the next 4 days my excuse not to post is CHA. I will be taking my laptop but have no clue if/when I might have time to sign on. don't take it personal! and if by chance YOU are going to be there......come say "howdy!" I'll be hanging out with the crazies from Cosmo Cricket at booth #1351.

peanut butter toast is my friend......

2008-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

with this sinus infection I am taking some nasty antibiotic that makes me totally naseaus (sp?!??!). I spent Tuesday morning driving trying to NOT puke in my car. so I figured out that I needed to eat something. well......according to the pharmacist I can't have any dairy 1 hour before or after taking the medicine. oh yes.....AND I have to drink a FULL glass of water with each pill. so I have settled on peanut butter toast. just one slice with some crunchy peanut butter. eat that. take a big ol' swig of water. take my pill. down the rest of the water. blech!!!

but atleast the infection is going away. good thing because I get on a plane early early Saturday morning.

for anyone that thinks R looks like me.....

2008-02-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

J at age 7ish.

going through some old files at work cleaning things out and found this.

heck, even D looks more like that first photo than he does me! ;)

I survived....

2008-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

the snoozefest that was the Super Bowl. yes, one of our guests yesterday won $200 in his football pool. but other than that, and trying to not miss any good commercials, the most exciting action was watching me try and coordinate the cooking of all the not-so-healthy snack foods.

however....this morning I woke up to determine that my over-a-week-long cold has officially become a sinus infection. my appointment is at 1 today.

an update of sorts...

2008-02-01T23:05:00.000-08:00

to keep this from just being a total whine-fest tonight....I will just let you all know what happened with R's community service grade.

dh talked to the vice principal at R's school today. the reason for the F was because it is a pass or fail class. well......then shouldn't it be rated P or F?!?!? anyway....whatever! he also said that community service grades don't carry on up to high school so it won't continue to haunt R for the rest of his life! lol!! we knew there would be some adjustment issues between being bored in school and then all of a sudden actually having to think and do homework. if this is the worst of it (and is over with now) I am happy to accept it!

I can't really complain....

2008-01-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

but I SHOULD have bought gas yesterday!! it was only $2.99 a gallon!!!! and how sad is it that I was so startled to see that?!?!? by today it was back up to $3.02 at the Safeway I generally buy at. I get a 3 cent discount so it was still really $2.99.....but STILL!!! dh bought gas on his way tonight at Costco for $2.97 a gallon. gosh we saved so much money we are going to buy our cars cars! lol!!

not a day to remember......

2008-01-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

R's 2nd term report card came home. he improved his grades in all but one class. amazing since he was already getting darn good grades.

BUT.......he completely failed community service. why? because he forgot to write a one paragraph reflection on what he was doing and how he liked it. dh and I are so very angry with him. not only because he didn't pay attention well enough to notice but also because he has known for 2 weeks and said he forgot to tell us. here I was happily reviewing all his improved grades and then I get hit with the F.

now.....not to excuse his behaviour, but he missed writing one paragraph yet managed to do 150% of the required service hours. why a F? why not a C or a D for missing a part?