Tuesday, June 24, 2008

SheSpeaks was great, and then there's my real life. :>)

Well, I haven't had even a moment to figure out what I really got out of the
conference I attended this past weekend.

Mr. Amazing was in Michigan racing his motorcycle,
and my dear friend was here with the kids.

Though he did bring home both first and second place trophies,
Mr. Amazing also brought home a sling and some pain medication,
you know... "souvenirs" from his stay in the critical care unit.

He's got broken collar bone, a few broken ribs, and a small
puncture in his left lung. Nice.
Poor thing. He's really hurting.

While Mr. Amazing sat in the hospital, I made my way through
flight delays and crazy weather from North Carolina to Michigan.
Monday was spent coming home from Michigan.
Today was today.

I'm trying to plow my way through laundry, our regular weekly
commitments, and my new "nurse" duties.

I'm sure I'll catch up and have something to say about
the conference, but right now my brain hurts.

Peace and love, my peeps.

**H**

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Lyrics, courtesy of Queen B

Queen B sings:
"Din-gle, din-gle, baby to-night with a belt on my side...."

Translation (sing with us if you can):
"I can't see me lovin' nobody but you for all my life..."

:>)

She's still talking about American Idol.
Moto K forced me to download a bunch of songs
from this season, so we've been listening to them
in the car for a month.

We've been so impressed at how Queen B can sing right
along with Jason, David C., Brooke, Carly, even Chikezie.
Who knew that all the contestants had the words wrong?

BTW...
When Queen B tries to sing Carly's version of Come Together,
the "I know you, you know me, one thing I can tell you..."
comes out a bit Barney-ish:

"I know you, you know me, one thing I can tell you is
you've got to be free.... with a great big hug and a kiss
from me to you... right now....... OVER ME!"


Rock on! :>)

**H**

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

In 2 days I leave for SHE SPEAKS!

It's a writers' conference. Well, it's a writer's conference.
AND it's a writers' conference. It's both. :>)
I'm excited. I'm nervous. Intimidated.
Scared out of my mind.... but looking forward to it.

Please pray that all will be well as my little family spreads
out all over the country.

My kids will be home with my most wonderful friend, Kim.

Mr. Amazing will be off somewhere on a motorcycle.
(It's a really important event, y'all... it's not like he could just
NOT go.... I mean, really....what are you insinuating?)

To those others attending the conference... I'm praying for you
and yours! See you there!

**H**

Friday, June 13, 2008

Happy Anniversary to us..... SIXTEEN YEARS!!!

We had some plans for this weekend, but now they've
changed. They weren't really romantic or anniversary-ish,
anyway. (Last year we sided the house... woooo....S-T-E-A-M-Y!!!)
We were supposed to go to Michigan...now we're just going
to dinner.

Just before the last decade of the previous century began
(December, 1990)
Mr. Amazing asked me to marry him. I said
"Sure, fine, whatever...."
(Ok, that's not really what I said.)

So, on June 13 of 1992, we got married.

The day before Flag Day. We purposely scheduled it
that way (not really).
See, then, if the flags are out we'll know we've
missed it.
We never HAVE missed it. But, you know... just in case.
Kind of like a little insurance policy.
(Insurance? Knowing you've missed it?
More of an informance policy, if there is such a thing.)

At any rate....
in the past SIXTEEN years we've moved all over the country
enjoying scenery and collecting children (kidding, but
had to say it anyway, since our kids WERE born on
different continents).

We now find ourselves living just a few blocks
from our first home together, which is also just
across the street from where Mr.Amazing's mama laid his
little tiny infant head on his first night home from the hospital.

We've been married so long that the babies at our wedding
are now graduating from high school. Unfathomable.
Stop the clock right now!
(Deep breath! I can NOT afford to get all emotional
about the passage of time today.)

I'm proud to say we've survived SIXTEEN years of marriage.
We're committed, or need to be.
We're in love and/or too stubborn to quit.

It hasn't always been a bed of roses. I don't mind. Roses
are beautiful, but they don't smell good. Not to mention the
thorns. Come to think of it, maybe it HAS been a bed of
roses. :>) I joke, I joke!

Seriously, Mr. Amazing, I want you to know....

I STILL DO!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

This makes me laugh REALLY hard!

EDIT: APOLOGIZING FOR MY CONTINUED
RANDOMNESS. I CERTAINLY COULD HAVE
PUT THIS POST TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT
WOULD HAVE MADE MORE SENSE TO EVERYONE
ELSE. OF COURSE, IT MADE PERFECT SENSE TO ME
UNTIL I TRIED TO GO BACK AND READ IT AS "YOU".

SO... TO SUMMARIZE...THE VIDEO IS A COMEDIC
PORTRAYAL OF A WACKY HOMESCHOOL FAMILY.
I BLATANTLY STOLE IT FROM ANOTHER BLOG...
AND SO ON...

BUT THE ORIG. POST READ LIKE THIS:

Willing to admit: Blog envy.

Reason for envy: Haven't yet learned to use all features availabe to
enhance blogging experience for self and readers.

Pretending to really be sad about: Others being more awesomer
& more blogariffic than I.

Content to: Just be myself until such time as I am able to achieve
a higher level of awesomeness & blogariffawhateveritis.

Watched today: YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-HL2sFX8RA
(Title of this post is also the link!)

Where I saw it: Embedded in a blog.

Blogger's name: DeeDee

How it made me feel: Rapid breathing, hysterical laughter, difficulty
controlling spontaneous urination.

And you might enjoy reading: The "Best Of" posts on DeeDee's blog.
http://fiddledeedee.net/best-of-fiddledeedee/

What I'll do to combat my envy: Eat some ice cream.

Effectiveness level of my plan: Completely ineffective.

How I feel about having an ineffective plan: Willing to accept it and
get on to the part about the ice cream.

Thanks for listening.
Have a great evening.

**H**

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Do you shred pre-approved credit applications?

Do you tear them up?
Do you just throw them away?

You might be interested to read the post below from
cockeyed.com.
The author shredded, taped back together, and changed
the address on one of his own pre-approved applications.
Then he gave a cell phone number so he wouldn't have to
be at his home number when he called to activate the card.
How convenient (for a CRIMINAL!), right?

(Link takes you to page 1 . At the bottom of each page is a link
that takes you to the next page to continue reading.)

http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/creditcard/application.shtml

When we get pre-approved offers, I generally try to mutilate
the address and my name, then just tear up the rest.
This method would be ineffective, though, if someone were
to find something else in the bag with my name and address or
actually steal garbage FROM my address, thereby knowing the
address from whence it came. :>)


(Not an advertisement for this service, just talking about
something.... :>)

We've recently purchased LIFELOCK coverage for all four of us.
http://www.lifelock.com/

Yep. All four of us. Because, the way I see it, for just over
$2 a month (I entered promo code RD3 when I signed up,
so we got a discount!)

I'm attempting to ensure that some creepo won't get ahold
of any of our So-So Security numbers. Imagine the damage
a criminal could do to a child's credit (undetected) before
they ever reach adulthood.

That would be a long time for a creepo to be
out there wreaking havoc, would it not?

Now, LIFELOCK is not completely foolproof.

Link to article about its failings here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080522/ap_on_hi_te/identity_fraud_flap

I don't think anything is completely foolproof.
Because the is "absolutely confident" of their services, he has
his So-So number listed on the LIFELOCK website.

Since I don't plan on publishing any of our So-So numbers,
odds of that NOT happening to us are a bit better. So while
I'm not absolutely confident, I'm pretty confident in their services
in general.

My cousin's credit card number was recently stolen and used online.
The thief 's charges were approved. Her credit card company actually
declined one of her actual charges and questioned her about another.

Last I heard, it was expected that all would work out, that she wouldn't
have to pay for the fraudulent charges. But it could have been worse.
There were thousands of dollars in available credit on that card!
We talked about services like LIFELOCK. She was going to look into it.
Not sure what she decided to do. Her experience prompted me to just
go ahead and do something I've been thinking about doing for a long time.

You can read more about LIFELOCK in the link. I'm not asking you
to use LIFELOCK... just telling you that I do.

And I'm not asking you dispose of your pre-approved credit card
applications in any certain way. I'm just saying that what I thought
was an ok method may not have been. But I won't even really have
to worry about that anymore, since one of the things the service is
supposed to do is stop pre-approved offers from coming in the mail.

Ok, I'm done rambling about that now.
What's for lunch?

**H**

Friday, June 6, 2008

Moto K caught a fish!

It has been reported that Moto K recently caught a bass
with an approximate length of 346 inches. This, of course,
is an extreme exaggeration.
That's what we've been told all fishermen do.

But we DO have a picture of it.

From the picture, it appears to be about 9 inches long.

Moto K reports using a rubber minnow as bait.

We are so very proud, and we thought you should know.

Thank you.
Good day.
We said "Good day."
Hang up now.
Hang up.
You hang up first.
K, bye!

**H**

Sit & Spin

Queen B recently discovered the Sit & Spin.

We've owned it for years, but I've managed to keep it hidden.
I believe it was purchased at a garage sale
or given to us when Moto K was just a tiny thing.

It's one of those toys you can't put away very well
without putting it somewhere out of the way
where it is forgotten.

Honestly, since it's been out I've spent at least
some of the time wishing it was still forgotten.

While I transferred clothes to the dryer from the washer
Queen B had her first few Sit & Spin rides just outside
the laundry room.

She entered the laundry room breathless...

QB: What's it called?

Me: Sit & Spin

QB: Sit & Spin & Fall Off?

Me: (chuckling) No, Sit & Spin.

QB: (determined to get this straight) Sit & Spin & Fall Off.

Me: No, just Sit & Spin.

QB: (frowing, disgusted, walking away) Well.... I fall off.

He-he-he......

Moments later, in attempt to REALLY impress Moto K,
she decided to test the item's versatility as
a Stand & Spin.

This proved to be a bad idea, as demonstrated
by the launching of Queen B from said item into
Superman-style flight. (Great if you're a super
hero, not so great if the door frame of the laundry
room is near where your face is fixin' to land.)

I've seen newer versions of the Sit & Spin online.
They have all sorts of bells & whistles.
They don't get very good reviews, though.

Though I have no personal experience with this,
I'm going to just go ahead and say that the
new/improved versions are probably not as good
as the original.
Is it even possible to make the experience
of spinning until you want to puke better for a kid
by adding lights and sounds?

Heck, I was happy spinning while sitting on wheeled,
swiveling kitchen chairs. (Disclaimer: Spinning on
said chairs was strictly forbidden, but moms and
grandmas have to go potty or run out to the mailbox
SOMETIME!!!)

I find this particular version most laughable.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2264825

As IF!

Simon is NOT the boss of me. I have a feeling Queen B would
have a similar point of view. Guess we'll stick with the original.

Gotta run.
Saw an ad for a garage sale down the street. Guess what they have...
swiveling kitchen chairs on wheels, baby!! :>)

**H**