Wednesday's Wild Wacky Trivia

"All hail the Hypno-Toad!" If you have any idea who this guy is, PLEASE leave a comment!

Now, on to the trivia (yeah, that was a wierd way to start). After carusing around on the net, I found an article that says there are more poisonous species of fish than snakes. Who knew?! It's a good thing, despite the fact that more than 50,000 people are poisoned by fish bites each year (didn't know that either!). It's good because these fish could help researchers make medicines for all sorts of disorders. Here's the link I found. Enjoy!

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060822_venomous_fish.html

Snopes-ing out your Pancake Mix

I received this e-mail from my sis-in-law today. If you use boxed pancake mixes like Bisquick--especially ones that are not resealable or just in cardboard without wax-lined bags, read on:

"I recently made a batch of pancakes for my healthy 14-year-old son, using a mix that was in our pantry. He said that they tasted "funny," but ate them anyway. About 10 minutes later, he began having difficulty breathing and his lips began turning purple. I gave him his allergy pill, had him sit on the sofa and told him to relax. He was wheezing while inhaling and exhaling. "....The e-mail goes on to claim that old pancake mix contaminated with mold had caused an allergic reaction that could have been life-threatening. The e-mail I got even included the link to the Snopes article. It turns out to be potentially true and there is at least one medically documented case of someone dying because of it. Here's the article:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp

Tuesday's Terrific Food

Sorry I missed yesterday. I'm like Garfield. I hate Mondays. Just hits like a ton of bricks sometimes. It really wasn't that bad of a day. I just decided to declutter most of our living spaces and it took a good deal of the day. And I stuck with my chores and got them done, even when I didn't want to fold that load of towels. Today, I'm trying to stick to my routine well and not get behind. Last night was hubby's last trip away for a while, so hopefully I'll have him around more at night.

Late last week we tried the third time for #3, so it'll be at least another week before I can test and hopefully get a BFP (big fat positive!)--I've learned new lingo now that we're TTC (trying to conceive). Joined a message board and an online fertility charting thing. One can really get obsessed with this stuff, but I'm feeling much more mellowed about it now. If it happens, it happens. We're thankful and blessed by the two healthy little giggly girls we have now, and if God chooses to bless us with a boy, we'll just be more blessed.

Since this is supposed to be a food post, I'll share a recipe with you. It's a very simple one (did I hear a YAY!?) I had some leftover whole wheat tortillas from some fajitas I made last week and decided to put them to good use for lunch.

Chicken Wraps

Whole wheat tortillas (just look around--you should be able to find them, probably in the refrigerated section around the cheeses)

Refrigerated precooked grilled chicken strips

Organic baby lettuces, NOT Iceberg (the nice dark leafy kind in a bag, prewashed)

Tomatoes, chopped

Shredded cheese of your choice

Ranch dressing, or honey mustard dressing, or whatever you like.

Heat the chicken strips as directed in the microwave. Heat however many tortillas you want for about 30 seconds in the microwave, wrapped in paper towels. Put a thin line of ranch dressing along middle of tortilla. NOTE: You can use regular ranch, but sparingly--it's full of fat. I like it better than the fat free though. Add chicken, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Wrap up and eat! How easy is that?!

Friday's Quote to Ponder

"If you must love your neighbor as yourself, it is at least as fair to love yourself as your neighbor." ~Sebastien-Roch Nicolas

This week's The Frazzled Female study is about taking care of yourself. How often do you do this? Do you wait until you're just frazzled out the whazoo, then get sick and be FORCED to rest? Stress is a major cause of illness, not to mention emotional and mental problems. We all have stress, but how we choose to deal with it is what's important. Many of us say, "I don't have time to take care of myself (exercise, eating well, etc, etc)." But if you don't make the time in the midst of the chaos, the chaos will eventually bring you down.

This sounds more like a Misty's Challenge, but please--find the time somewhere. Take a walk if only to park your car far away from the store and walk farther. If you must consume fast food, opt for grilled chicken (no mayo) or a salad. And you don't have to buy Cookie Crisp and Fruit Loops. My Kroger excursion today opened my eyes to the amounts of sugar in that stuff. Just a bunch of empty calories. Go with Cheerios or oatmeal or my favorite--Kashi Go Lean. "That healthy stuff tastes like... (rabbit food, sticks and twigs, grass, etc)" And that high-fat and sugar stuff will eventually kill you. And for goodness sakes, don't stay up all night to get more chores done. Figure out a system (Flylady is great!) and get to bed at a decent hour. Sleep deprived people tend to be unhappy, unhealthy, and overweight. Yes, even full time working mothers, fathers, and students can take care of themselves, even if it is challenging.

Love yourself as you love your neighbor--you wouldn't make your neighbor consume foods filled with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, would you? And you wouldn't make them stay up til 2 am to get laundry done. So take care of you! And then you can better help your neighbor.

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud and Snopesed out thing too

I received this e-mail from a cousin:

SERIOUSLY? NEW YORK - Idaho resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family Tuesday when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular TV show, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."It seems that Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question, and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing "the absolute worst use of lifelines ever."After being introduced to the show's host Meredith Vieira, Evans assured her that she was ready to play, whereupon she was posed with an extremely easy $100 question. The question was:"Which of the following is the largest?"A) A PeanutB) An ElephantC) The MoonD) (Then a bunch of other stuff about how she used up two lifelines, and argued with the show host and then her answer...)I'm going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer."Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath, and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, C, 'The Moon."

This, in fact, is a spoof. The real lady in the picture is from a UK version of the show and actually did quite well. Not sure who has the time on their hands to Photoshop the fake answers and send them out, but it looks quite real. Here's the article:

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/gameshows/millionaire.asp

Now for a funny, real Millionaire "Oops" video from You Tube:

Wednesday's Wacky Wild Trivia

This is another animal I saw featured on Animal Planet's "Most Extreme" today. This is the Hooded Pitohui from New Guinea. He is one of the first documented POISONOUS birds in the world. Only this guy and a few of his relatives are documented as poisonous. We owe our thanks for this discovery to Jack Dumbacher, who in 1989, was studying these birds way out there and was scratched and bit by getting one out of a net. He put his boo-boo finger in his mouth, and lo and behold, his lips and mouth went numb. It was eventually discovered that the Pitohui's skin and feathers contain this poison, called Batrachotoxin, and has only been found in one other group of animals--poison dart frogs. Research is still ongoing to determine if this bird gets his poison from the insects he eats and how he is immune to it. It is thought that the poison is a chemical defense, visually demonstrated by the bright colors of the more toxic birds. Interestingly, the very low toxicity birds are much more dull in color. This would indicate the presence of Aposematism, a defense mechanism used by animals to ward off predators, warning them of unpalatibility or poison. For more information see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitohui and http://www.interaktv.com/articles/pitohui.htm.

Now, don't you feel smarter? Speaking of feeling smarter, my sister in law is taking an intermediate algebra class in college and my hubby and I (mostly him, the math genius), helped her with some of her assignments. I had forgotten a lot of the algebraic rules and such, but when I got started, I got such a mental stimulation from it, that I have now been doing some algebra here at home. I never thought while sitting in 8th grade algebra class, and calculus throughout high school and college, that I would ever want to do math for fun. Being a stay at home mom, though, has me in brain drain. Being with toddlers all day long is physically, but not mentally challenging. It was like I took my bored mind for a walk in a sunny park. Here's a website I've been using to "crunch" out problems. Good tutorials too for any age who need some mathematics help. Check it out!

http://www.coolmath.com/algebra/index.html

And HOW could I forget???....

Yesterday morning before my hubby left for work, we booked our summer vacation. We've decided to go back to Lovers' Key Resort in the Fort Myers area of Florida. We loved it last year. It was a great hotel, and the state parks beaches were tranquil and clean. We made the decision Sunday night on our way home from visiting family and went ahead and booked it before we could change our minds :) It may be the last nice vacation we get to take for a while without the kids. We had discussed taking Meg along, but decided to wait at least another year for such a big trip for her. If you want to see the resort, here's the link:

http://www.loverskey.com/default.htm

If you ever want a nice place to vacation in Florida, check this area out--Lovers' Key State Park is off of the mainstream beaches, so it's quiet and well-maintained. Lots of wildlife. Just beautiful. I can hardly wait!!!

Tuesday's Update

No, not terrific food. I'm not making much in the way of new recipes this week. So, just an update on my terribly non-exciting life :) Hold on to your britches!

Yesterday, ventured to Wal-Mart for groceries. Zoe was fussy the whole time. What a joy! I decided to upgrade my cell phone at Cingular. Got a new Samsung to replace my old one. It's dark gray, with a thin profile and takes pictures too! Pretty good ones, even. I have even downloaded two new games, Wheel of Fortune 2007 and Deal or No Deal. Won $400,000 on that one last night. Wish that was real.

Today--mailing in my $50 phone rebate, catching up on housework that is seriously behind. Dust bunnies everywhere. Swiffer has come to the rescue big time today.

Waiting for O this week (ovulation). Hoping it will happen on Friday since hubby won't be back until Thursday night. These trips are bad for our timing. Getting ready to take another ovulation predictor test. I finally was able to get positive ones last month, so hoping that will help with timing this month.....if my hubby is HERE, that is! Conceiving a child is nearly impossible when you're 120 miles from each other--unless I have one that doesn't look anything like him :) Kidding!!!! Totally kidding! Trust me, our mailman is NO looker! But the UPS guy on the other hand.....no, he won't be still long enough--hee hee! I'm in such a wierd mood. Can you tell?

Well, off to resume some of these fallen-behind chores whilst the little ones are napping. See you tomorrow with more wacky wild trivia!

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud, a day late

After that somber Amber Alert Post, I had to post a funny one. This could easily happen in my neck of the woods :) I titled it:

The Magic Door

A redneck family from the hills was visiting the city and they were in
a mall for the first time in their lives. The father and son were
strolling around while the wife shopped. They were amazed by almost
everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that
could move apart and then slide back together again. The boy asked,
"Paw, what's at?"
The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, "Son, I dunno. I
ain't never seen nuttin' like that in my entire life, I ain't got no idea'r what it is."
While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, an
overweight, elderly lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular number above the walls light up sequentially.
They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order. Then the walls opened up again and a gorgeous, voluptuous 24 year-old blonde woman stepped out.

The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to
his son, "Boy..................go git cha Momma.......... "

A Snopesed-Out Amber Alert

I got this e-mail yesterday and Snopes-ed it out. So many missing child e-mails are fakes, but this one, unfortunately, is NOT. This little girl went missing from her North Dakota home last May, and according to Snopes, the man who allegedly kidnapped her was found dead of apparent suicide. He left no clues as to her wherabouts. The search has dwindled. Let's pray that answers will be found so her family will have some closure on this. Here's the Snopes article: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/reachelle.asp

Family Jules: Make Shane Happy

Jules posted this one a few days ago. It is such a neat idea. I also double checked it on Snopes because you hear a lot of "sick kid" scams out there, and it is legit. So, check out how you can send a birthday card to little Shane and beat a world record.

Family Jules: Make Shane Happy

Oh and here's the Snopes article too. Apparently, though, even good intentioned things like this can go wrong and keep cycling through email, etc when the need is no longer there. There was a family who had to move because of something like this. Read it here:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/medical/bernier.asp

Wednesday's Wacky Wild Trivia!

In the spirit of Valentine's day, here is some trivia on some bizarre animal mating rituals. Two extreme examples:

1. Squid--They mate all day long for two weeks. At sunlight, they begin. The female only takes a break to dive down and deposit eggs. At twilight, they stop to eat and rest and by dawn, they're at it again. No Viagra needed by these guys!

2. The Adele Penguin--Once a year, the males signal their intentions to their prospective mates by rolling a stone at her feet. Two weeks after they pair up, they mate--for 3 minutes. Neither penquin will mate for the rest of the year. Talk about commitment!

Here's to a Valentine's Day that is JUST RIGHT!

Tuesday's Terrific Food--A day late

Yesterday, Zoe had a 2 year old checkup. The good news: she's had a growth spurt of 4 inches in 6 months. The bad news: She's got her first ear infection. She had a terrible fever and felt awful Monday night, then yesterday and today, she's like it never happened. 10 days of antibiotics should clear it up though.

Hubby will be out of town tonight--great timing, huh?--Valentine's Day and all! So, he brought me home a beautiful bouquet tonight and some decadent chocolate last night. I got him some chocolates of his own and a photo collage I made in Photoshop.

For our Valentine's dinner, I tried a new recipe. It was a Chicken Pot Pie I saw on The Food Network. It turned out really rich and tasty--a good hearty meal for winter. Here's the recipe, with my notes on how I tweaked it.

Chicken Pot Pie
Copyright, 2005, Robin Miller, All rights reserved
Show:
Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller
Episode:
Ready, Prepped, Go

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil (I also added 2 tbsp butter)

1 cup chopped onion

4 boneless chicken breast halves cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes, about 4 cups (cut that by half unless you make the chicken for another recipe later in the week)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons dried thyme (I also added 1/4 tsp tarragon, 1/2 tsp poutry seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 medium red potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes (I only used 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into 1/2 in cubes)

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I left those out--didn't sound good in a pot pie)

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I probably used a whole can just to get enough liquid)

1/4 cup dry white wine (Left that out too--substituted 1/2 cup heavy cream to get a creamy sauce)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (I also added 1/2 cup frozen peas, 2 bay leaves and 2 cloves chopped garlic)

9-inch refrigerated pie crust

1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat oil (and butter) in a large Dutch oven or oven-proof stockpot over medium heat (My big 10 in iron skillet worked great). Add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove 1/2 the cooked chicken for later in the week, cover and refrigerate. (Do this only if you use all the recommended chicken) In a small bowl, combine flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and paprika (and tarragon and poultry seasoning). Add flour mixture to the chicken and stir to coat. Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, tomatoes (not sure why anyone would put tomatoes in a pot pie, so add your peas, bay leaves, and garlic), chicken broth, wine (use the heavy cream--trust me--it's good) , and Dijon mustard and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender (Note--this will take several minutes. Get enough liquid to just get to the surface of all the veggies and cut them up fairly small so they'll cook quickly. Stir occasionally to help keep from sticking and to thicken the sauce).
Transfer stew to a clean 2-quart casserole dish and stir in corn. (I cooked my corn along with the other veggies and if you use an iron skillet or oven-safe skillet, just skip this step. Also--remember to remove the bay leaves now if you used them). Place pie crust on top of casserole and pinch around the edges to seal the crust to the dish. Brush the top with beaten egg and prick the surface 1 or 2 times with a sharp knife or fork to allow steam to escape during cooking. Place casserole dish on baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes (probably more like 10-12), until crust is golden. Enjoy!!

But the best thing about today is....

14 years ago today, my hubby and I started dating. We were both 16. He asked me out on his scientific calculator in calculus class (yes, we were nerds). I still remember how handsome he looked when he arrived at my house, the full moon shining on him in his leather jacket. I remember how he thought my dad looked like Charlie Daniels, just scarier :) . We went to the movies and saw "Hot Shots Part Deux (2)"--not exactly a romantic date movie--ha ha! Our hands touched in the popcorn box--I was "twitterpated". When he brought me home, he asked if I would like to go out again. I said yes, and the rest is history....who'd have thought that 14 years later, we'd be living in western Kentucky with 2 beautiful daughters and a car with dual-climate controls? You just never know how life will turn out, but this turned out just right. Love you, T. Bear!

Monday, monday...

Zoe had a fever over the weekend. Same as what Meg had, I'm sure. After giving her lots of Tylenol and Ibuprofen along with some Pepto for upset tummy, she's much better today. Zoe and I missed church Sunday. She was up and down with her fever Sat night, and I got some bad nausea about 3 am. I was afraid I was getting the dreaded stomach flu that everyone seems to be getting. I took some Emetrol liquid, and that seemed to knock it off pretty quickly. I'd recommend it. It is a little strong going down, but if you swallow it slowly and keep away from other liquids just before and after, it seems to work well. Anyway, the nausea didn't progress after that, but I was still a bit queasy, so I felt it best to stay home with Zoe. It was my Sunday to work in the nursery, so I didn't want to risk passing anything on to the little ones.

So, today, getting car registration at the courthouse. Discovered the dealership neglected to fill in the sale price and have a signature notarized. Have to mail it back to them, and go back to the courthouse to get it transfered. I hate doing that official paperwork stuff. There's always an obstacle. Back home after picking up the kids, I discover I'm out of stamps. So glad our neighbor had some!

On a good note, I got to drive the new car around a lot this morning. It drives great! Each driver can set their own seat positions that can be activated with our own keys. That's pretty cool. There are also dual climate controls in the front. No more Bryan freezing me out when we drive together :)

That's my Monday. No real challenge, except to get through the day as smoothly as possible.

But on a good note...

I had signed up to do a home product test for some sanitary napkins, and I was afraid I'd have to send them back if I had gotten pregnant, but since my evil Aunt Flo has now graced me with her presence, I can test the products and get compensated $15. If that old meany has to show up this month, I might as well get compensated for it right? Like charging her rent or something....?

Friday's Quote to Ponder

"The greatness comes not when things go always good for you. But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain. "

Richard M. Nixon37th president of US (1913 - 1994)


I'm disappointed today. It's day 29 of my second cycle of trying for child #3 and took a test this morning. It was a BFN (big fat negative). So, on to cycle 3--maybe three times will be a charm. I've got some kiddos that are under the weather, so that will take some focus off of it. The hardest part is that last two weeks of the cycle, when all you're doing is waiting to take the test or get a period. I can see how it must be beyond frustrating for the women who have tried for months and years to have a child, only to be faced with month after month of disappointment.

I liked this quote though, because it kinda reflects something I have told others as advice. The best things in life mean much more when you have to work hard for them. If everything is just given to you, yeah, it's easy, but you may not appreciate it as much as when you have to work at it. To really put forth an effort and give it your all. Also, you can look back when you have faced hard trials and--especially if you are a Christian--you can see how God has gotten you through it. How He has taught you patience and trust. Sometimes, in long-lived trials, we must turn our focus more on Him, and less on our situation, just to survive. And we'll eventually find ourselves conquering that "highest mountain".

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud!

I have managed to exercise on the treadmill this morning. Poor Meg's been sick most of the week, but I've sent her to preschool the last couple days. Seems like everybody and their uncle has been sick with something this winter. Worst I've seen for a while. My poor sister-in-law just got out of the hospital earlier this week after being dehydrated from a nasty stomach virus. Several from our church have been in there for the same thing. Just nasty stuff. Zoe even had a little fever yesterday, but seems ok today. I'm hoping it won't circulate around here too much.

So, today's funny is much-needed. Let's get our minds off these yucky sicknesses and have a good laugh. I heard this one on Christian Family Radio this morning:

Things a Father Will Never Say

*Well how 'bout that? I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.
* You know Pumpkin, now that you're thirteen, you'll be ready for non-chaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?
* Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car. GO CRAZY!!!
* What do you mean you want to play football? Figure skating not good enough for you, son?
* Your mother and I are going away for while. You might want to consider throwing a party.
* Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickie thingies - you know - that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to the mechanic's and pay whatever they ask.
* No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your belly aching and lets get to the mall.
* Whaddaya want to go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.
* Father's Day? Ah - don't worry about that - it's no big deal.

Wednesday's Wacky Wild Trivia!

I've decided to change my Wednesday theme. I didn't think I did so well with Faves and Flops. It was hard to think of things to fit those categories. So, I'm treating you all to some wacky wild trivia. It will mostly be about the natural world, wierd science, etc. Hope you enjoy! Here's today's trivia:

The Angler Fish:

It was one of Marlin and Dory's enemies in "Finding Nemo", but the angler fish is no mere cartoon villain. It's a real deep-water fish, often living in waters over a mile deep. The wierdest thing I've discovered about this fish is that the males of the species are tiny, and to mate with the females, they actually bite into her skin, fusing with her to become nothing more than a parasitic growth, eventually losing eyes and internal organs and are only capable of depositing sperm. Talk about being too clingy! Here's a good website with some more info. Knowledge is power! Or at least interesting conversation :)

http://www.allthesea.com/Deep-Sea-Fish-Angler-Fish.html

You can also see this wierd fish featured on Most Extreme "Lovers" episode on Animal Planet, I think.

Zoe's 2nd Birthday party pics!

I made a Photoshop gallery of Zoe's birthday party which was last weekend. I finally have figured out how to do this correctly...I think. Click on the link to see our fun day:

http://www.photoshopshowcase.com/ViewFlashMedia.aspx?AID=14706&AT=3

My, what a weekend!

It was rather a quick decision and transaction, but we decided to buy a new car. Well, a used car, but new to us. It's a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville GXP, which are no longer being made, so we found it at a good price. Hubby says it's a rare car. He has a thing for rare cars. And he wanted something roomier in both the front and back. My only criteria were: 1. Fits in my heated garage and 2. Runs. I'm not very picky.

So this car we found online and it happened to be just south of Chicago. Yes, Chicago. So, kinda quick-like (good Kentucky jargon there), we decide to head to our in-laws house 2 hours out of the way Friday evening, stay the night there and wake up really early, leaving the girls there, and head out with our truck and car trailer for the long 7 hour drive. We left about 6 am, and got to the dealership about 2 pm, so we made pretty good time with only 2 stops for gas and lunch. We purchased the car from Lexus of Orland. It had been owned by a bank president who had traded it in for a Lexus. I would recommend trying to buy a good used car from a Lexus dealer--they treat you well, though we didn't fit in with all the suits and ties around there. Felt like hillbillies that were out of our element. The dealership itself had marble everywhere. A big waterfall flowing down a marble wall greeted us behind the front desk. They had a great big tropical fish tank, big flat screen tvs everywhere (even in the bathroom mirrors), comfy leather lounge chairs, and free coffee, cappucinos, and cookies.

I booked us a hotel--a modest La Quinta inn room with a nice king bed. After we had the car in our possession, we checked in and freshened up before heading out in the new ride. We decided to head to the Sears Tower. Bryan had seen it when he was a kid. His parents had lived in Chicago after they married for about 11 years, so they had taken a family vacation there. He wanted to show me the tower too. We didn't make it before dark and had to brave the city streets and really twisty exits and forking roads after dark--a little scary but neat to see. I even saw my first elevated trains. We found a parking garage and headed for the tower. It was frigid cold walking over there. The temp dipped down to -6 so we didn't waste time getting any pics from the outside. We got into a big elevator with lots of other people all crammed in together (not my idea of fun), but the elevator was very fast, taking us all the way to the 103rd floor and the skydeck in just about 2 minutes. They said it usually only takes one minute, but with the wind gusts, it was slower. We could see the whole city lit up from up there. Awesome views!

We left, got some hot dinner at a Steak n Shake, then went straight to bed in the hotel. We slept in just a little and by 7 am, we were loading the car on the trailer. It was really no fun to do in the frigid air. Bryan had two layers of everything on. I spent most of the time in the warm truck, just getting out to help him line it up and such. Breakfast at the hotel, then on the road, pulling the car behind us. We had to stop at three different gas stations before we found an air pump that wasn't frozen up so we could air up the truck tires. Other than that, 2 more stops for lunch and gas, then back to pick up our girls at 5 pm, back on the road by 6pm, dinner at 7pm and back home around 9pm.

Megan has had a fever all weekend, so keeping her home today and not being productive in the least. I do need to get started cleaning out our Grand Prix to sell it, hoping we can do that soon. If anyone is in the market for a good used car and can travel to Western Kentucky or meet us halfway somewhere, we're asking $13,500 for it. It's a 2004 model, 27K miles, new tires, great car with no problems. We'll probably be posting pics on eBay or some other selling site as soon as we get it cleaned up and ready.

I've made a Photoshop gallery of our trip, if you want to see our pics:

http://www.photoshopshowcase.com/ViewFlashMedia.aspx?AID=14695&AT=3

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud!

My hubby sent me this hilarious list. I had to come out of my "regular weekly posting hiatus" to post this one. Be prepared to laugh!


If you remember the Original Hollywood Squares and its comics, this may bring a tear to your eyes. These great questions and answers are from the days when "Hollywood Squares" game show responses were spontaneous and clever, not scripted and (often) dull, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course.

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A. Rose Marie: No, wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say "I Love You"?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.

Q. What are "Do It," "I Can Help," and "I Can't Get Enough"?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh.

Photoshop Elements Gallery again

I changed the setting from private to public and the link works from here, so we'll try it again:

http://www.photoshopshowcase.com/ViewAlbum.aspx?AID=14016&AT=3

Man, I'm so mad!

Lots of reports of 2-4 inches of snow supposed to be on the ground today--yeah, right! I can still see the grass. And they called off school today--why?? Sheesh, people in Kentucky are so afraid of snow. I swear I've seen snow trucks passing by on our little road at least 6 times. There IS no snow on our road, and the asphalt itself is probably melting from all the salt. So, now I'm stuck inside with the girls and can't even play in the snow. The weather folks say we might get more this evening. I wouldn't count on it. I'm just so mad. If it's going to snow, then SNOW!!!