Friday's Quote to Ponder

Well, two quotes actually:

"Men are generally more careful of the breed of their horses and dogs than of their children. "
William Penn

"Parentage is a very important profession, but no test of fitness for it is ever imposed in the interest of the children."
George Bernard Shaw, Everybody's Political What's What? (1944) ch. 9. Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

We need a license to drive, a diploma to graduate school, permits to hunt and fish, passports to leave the country, and in some places, even licenses for our dogs! There is no pre-requisite for having children, however. I've always said some people should not be allowed to breed. These quotes say it more eloquently. What do you think about our rights to have children? When China passed the one-child law, bad things happened. Infanticide, abandoned female children, people leaving the country. I wonder if, though, people in this country should at least be required to attend child-rearing courses before having a child. As human beings, God gave us the blessing to "be fruitful and multiply", but does that give us the right to bring children into the world when we're not prepared? I'd love to hear some imput on this issue. Have a great weekend!

WOOHOO!!! 1000 visitors!!!

Let's celebrate by seeing how many of you can LEAVE A COMMENT!! Just a hi, woopee, whatever! Thanks for visiting me!

~Misty

A Gruesome Warning

An e-mail from "Maggie" this morning:

"prepare for a downer, but a good precaution I suppose!

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/leafpile.asp"

This one is true according to Snopes, unfortunately. So, be careful around your leaf piles this fall!

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud

Here's linky to a cute greeting card video about Thanksgiving. Sorry so late in the day. Busy day! Hope you enjoy it!

The Great Escape

Wednesday's Faves and Flops

I like rainy days. Except that I just want to curl up and sleep all day and can't but other than that, I get mundane stuff done fairly well. I have managed to complete nearly all my Christmas shopping ONLINE (woohoo!) This doesn't seem like that big of an accomplishment, but if you knew how much I hate shopping then, yes, it is! And, being the clever little computer chick that I am, I have also made up a nice Christmas list on Excel, on which I have listed all the people I'm buying for, what I have bought them (and would like to buy), and how much I've spent, with a summed up total on the bottom of that column as well. I have also color coded the list and when I finish up shopping for someone, their name is in GREEN, and gifts I have yet to buy (or ideas) I have in RED. I have printed out all of the receipts as well so that I can keep up with what I have bought and when they are shipped. I feel like the holiday season is going to be more controlled this year. I love feeling organized. It doesn't happen often enough. On to this week's faves and flops:

Wednesday's Fave: Click

Hubby and I had not rented a movie in such a long time until a couple weeks ago, when we watched Saw II (really gross, but really twisty plot). We decided to rent Click and watched it night before last. We loved it! It's about a man who is a workaholic and decides to buy a universal remote control to "make life easier". Well, he ends up in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where "Beyond" is staffed by a mad scientist looking fellow by the name of Morty (Christopher Walken). He gives him the remote, which Mike (Adam Sandler) finds out can actually control real life like a Tivo. The movie begins like the other slapstick, raw humor of previous Adam Sandler movies, but this time, ends with a really serious story and hubby and I were both teary eyed. The point of the movie is that all of life has a purpose--the good and the bad and that you really don't want to miss any of it, or you'll regret it. If you want a good date movie and don't mind a few curse words and sexual innuendos (put the kids to bed!), pop some corn and snuggle up to watch this. It REALLY is good!

Wednesday's Flop: Retailers who don't offer online products/pricing or don't take debit cards

It's time to get out of the Stone Ages, people. Debit/credit cards are fast and convenient and most consumers in the developed world are using them. Many, many consumers now also have online access and at least offering a catalog/pricing of items in a store is a good way for people to do research. Even little mom/pop shops could offer a website with at least an e-mail link for questions. Technology is not scary. It's useful.

As for the debit/credit cards, checks are for little old ladies in Wal-Mart who take 10 minutes to fill them out only AFTER all is rang up, then mess it up and start over. You can still keep up with what you spend. No one will steal your soul. It's not the mark of the beast. I think a lot of people are afraid of identity theft/robbery with credit cards, which is a concern. But, you can take precautions here. Make sure only to buy from websites that are secure, do not share your PIN with anyone, and find out about the credit company's policies on theft. Most of them will not hold you responsible if a card is stolen and charged. I know. I had it happen to me--on my last day of work before I left to be a stay-at-home mom. I had $600 charged to the Discover and I was not responsible for a penny of it. You can easily call their 800 numbers too and often can get the card cancelled before they can even charge anything. As for checks and money, if those are stolen, well, the money is gone, and you may be responsible for stolen funds from your banking account. Now, who's going to call their bank?

Tuesday's Terrific Food

I've recovered from the wallet-losing fiasco, so now I'm continuing with life as normal. I have to pat myself on the back this morning. I managed to do a load of laundry a load of dishes, ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes, did push-ups and 8 minute abs. Now for my blogging. Here is a recipe I made year before last. Great turkey recipe if you're looking to spruce up that old bird. It takes some extra time for the brining, but you can easily do that the night before. It's from Alton Brown, who hosts "Good Eats" on Food Network. Here's the link and I'll copy it here too: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html

Good Eats Roast Turkey

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics(this is the stuff you put inside the turkey):
1 red apple,
sliced 1/2 onion,
sliced 1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. (A probe thermometer is very useful here--one that has a metal probe attached to a wire that you can leave sticking out of the oven door. The actual thermometer sits on the counter top and you can get ones that have alarms that tell you when the turkey has reached the right temp. Insert the probe into the thigh, not touching bone.)

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Monday--Misty's Challenge

*Edit--I just happened to find it (1:50 PM CST)--where I have looked several times already, only this time with hubby's GOOD flashlight...under my oldest daughter's bed. I believe my youngest was responsible, but nonetheless I am soooo relieved!! Oh, and biggest lesson learned--never leave my wallet or anything I really need in my toddler's reach :)

Lessons in Frustration

On Saturday afternoon, I lost my wallet. "Uh, oh," you think. If I had left it at a restaurant or store, I would just immediately check there, then cancel all my cards, get replacements, etc if I couldn't find it. Trouble is, I was here ALL day Saturday and I had it here that morning. I was doing my favorite kind of Christmas shopping--catalog shopping online! I sat down for my afternoon shopping session with my laptop on the couch and when I was ready to check out, no wallet to be found. I have combed this house, even going as far as digging through the garbage I had taken out that afternoon. Yesterday, I even moved the couch and searched beneath and inside it--which is not an easy feat since it's a sectional and my back is not thanking me today.

My dear husband, being the sympathetic man he is ;) says, "I don't know why you're so upset about it. You know it's here somewhere." That's precisely why I'm upset! I had it one moment, and the next it's gone. I either put it somewhere really wierd, or Zoe carried it off and hid it or flushed it, or it's gone to the Land of Lost Wallets (probably near the Island of Lost Toys and the Realm of Lost Socks).

I'm learning some lessons in this frustration, though I have not taken it well at all until today. Saturday I was angry and yesterday I was depressed, and today, I'm starting to see some lessons in finding lots of other things I had fogotten about during the searching. I found our electric bill, 9 days late, and managed to call in a phone payment (with hubby's debit card). I found three play phones for the kids, which they enjoyed like they were new again. I found a Veggie Tales movie under the entertainment center that the kids had never watched and some more movies that had been lost for a while. And I was able to vacuum behind and under the couch and retrieve all the toys and "items" that had fallen behind there.

The challenge for today, I guess, is how well do you handle frustrations? Can you eventually see some lessons in it or light at the end of the tunnel? Or does it consume you in unrest? I've started out totally consumed in frustration, and I'm moving toward acceptance and thinking of what to do next. Annoying as most situations like this are, they're really not the end of the world and we have to trust that God can use even this little craziness to teach us and reach us.

The Worst Computer Virus EVER!

The e-mail:

"WARNING
You should be alert during the next days: Do not open any message with an attached filed called "Invitation" regardless of who sent it. It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which "burns" the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list, that is why you should send this e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a mail called "invitation", though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut down your computer immediately.
This is the worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
SEND THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US "

Oh, my! It sounds awful--it can erase your whole hard drive.....or CAN IT???

See what I Snopes-ed out: http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.asp

Friday's Quote to Ponder

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. "

~John Howard Payne (1791-1852)

I'm a homebody. Since I'm a stay-at-home mom, I guess that's a good thing, since I'm home quite a lot. I know that will change when the kids get into elementary school and beyond, but for now, I'm at home most of the time. And I love it. Most of us do, don't we? We travel here and there and go on wonderful vacations to great little cabins and hotels and beaches. But it just feels good to get home. We are comfortable there. Home is where we can kick off our shoes, let our hair down and really relax. We don't have to pretend to be somebody we're not when we're home. There is a sense of belonging there, a sense of purpose, a sense of pride, even, that we feel no where else. Our home is what we make of it. It's not about how big it is, how much stuff is crammed into it, how well-manicured and maintained it is. It's a place where US is born. Our homes are a blessing from God. They give us shelter and peace, a place of memory-making. We can all remember our childhood home(s). I remember how the crickets and tree frogs sang outside my bedroom window at night in the summer time. I remember waking up to the smell of sausage frying when my mom would cook breakfast, and how she would smile and say, "Good morning!" as I came around the refrigerator in that small kitchen. Your home will be a big part of your childrens' memories. They won't cherish the memories of the stuff in there--it will be the memories of the love that was there. I pray now that our homes will always be a place where our children remember that they were LOVED, where they had a place to find refuge and peace from life's storms, and where some of life's storms were overcome by God's grace. For truly, thanks to Him, there IS no place like home!

Cancer in your Inbox

There are many variations of this e-mail. They usually seem to be written by a sick kid or caregiver of a sick kid and claim that every time you forward an e-mail, money will be donated to a certain charity or to the sick kid. If you think about it logically, the charities have NO way to track e-mails like this. Instead of passing it on unquestioningly, just visit the charity's website and donate if you feel led. Much more productive! Here's the e-mail I received and the Snopes link:

"Subject: 7 year old with cancer

Hi, my name is Amy Bruce. I am 7 years old, and I have a large tumor on my brain and severe lung cancer. The doctors say I will die soon if this isn't fixed, and my family can't pay the bills. "The Make A Wish Foundation" has agreed to donate 7 cents for every time this message is sent on. For those of you who send this along, I thank you so much. But for those who don't send it, I will still pray for you. Please, if you are a kind person, have a heart. Please,please,PLEASE HIT THE FORWARD BUTTON.

Amy Bruce
Wake Forest Outpatient Dialysis"

Read the Snopes article here: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/medical/amybruce.asp

*Note: I am in NO way trying to make people feel bad for sending me things or for believing phony e-mails. I've believed a lot of them too. I just want to increase awareness of all the prankster e-mails floating along out there so we can discern what is real and what's not. If you get something fishy, check it out on Snopes for yourself--they usually will tell you what's what, or check out the website in question. Also, send them along to me so I can post them here. Everyone who reads about it will be informed.

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud :-D

Today's Laugh Out Loud is more like a "Wow!" Out Loud. Check out the video below. This took much time and effort for these guys. The video is about 3 minutes long, but well worth it just for the "Wow!" effect. I don't know the chemistry behind this yet, but I'm curious enough to start researching. Hope you enjoy!!

*Edit--Ok, ok, I just went and researched it--there is, in fact, no CHEMICAL reaction at all. It is purely a physical one. The surface tension of the soda (other sodas will work as well) is reduced by dropping the Mentos in, which allows the CO2 in the soda to more easily become gaseous, and the Mentos have little "nucleation" pocket on their surface, where many CO2 bubbles can form, and thus the CO2 can become gaseous and escape VERY fast as a geyser effect. Still, a very cool and creative video--and safe experiment too :) See this link for more info:

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000109

Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments II - The Domino Effect

Wednesday's Faves and Flops

It was so quiet yesterday. No preschool, no babysitting, and the girls were very mellow. I liked yesterday. I want more yesterdays. Today is back to the usual chaos, with someone in trouble every 5 minutes. Keeps me on my toes I guess. I had to delve deep into the cobwebby recesses of my mind to seek out my faves and flops today. Here's what I came up with:

Wednesday's Fave: Activia Yogurt from Dannon
It really seems to work like it says it does. I've tried it every day for two weeks like the "challenge" says to do, starting right at the tail of that flu I had. My tummy was all bloated up and crampy and not well, and after a couple days eating this, it really got things going :) And I felt better. I haven't been bloated, and things have been normal in the digestive tract. It tastes good too, which is a big plus. Also makes really good fruit smoothies--take 2 containers of the vanilla, mix with half a carton of chopped strawberries (or two bananas is great too), a little milk and about a tablespoon of honey, and voila! It's become one of my girls favorite treats.

Wednesday's Flop: POLITICS!
Sick, sick, sick of hearing it and I'm glad election day is over and I don't really care who won what seat. I've heard so much mudslinging going on that it has sickened me and I really don't think any politicians have the public's interests at heart. Perhaps some of them start out that way, but many just end up in corruption or uneffectiveness. I realize they're just people and not superheroes, but I don't like people making promises they don't keep and especially pointing fingers at everyone else. It's ugly, and I'm tired of it. I've got enough to worry about.

Did you like my faves and flops today? Don't let the tumbleweeds blow by on here--post a comment if you drop by, if only "Yo, wuz up?" I can see people are coming by the stat counter, but not many are leaving a message.

Tuesday's Terrific Food

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, I am sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes the rest of this month. Here is a Double Layer Pumpkin Pie that I have made every year since I was a teenager. It's lighter in consistency than your regular pumpkin pie, so a good alternative to the classic recipes. And it's really easy and tasty too--no baking! Here's the recipe:

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup cold milk
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.
Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.
Refrigerate 4 hours, or until set.

Do you like it?

The new layout, that is...I have switched to the new Blogger Beta version, which now allows for labeling of posts. So, now just look in my sidebar and you can find all the "Tuesday's Terrific Food" posts, etc. It also allows much easier template changes, where I can drag and drop page elements and pick and choose fonts for all parts of the blog. I've also changed my description and my picture and added a cute quote above. I hope you like it--because I can't switch back. It's all or nothing here, baby. :)

Monday--Misty's Challenge

Contentment vs. Complacency:

contentment-
1. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.
2. Archaic. the act of making contentedly satisfied.

complacency-
1. a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.
2. Archaic. a. friendly civility; inclination to please; complaisance.
b. a civil act.

I want to be content, not complacent. I think we fall into complacency very easily when we are just too tired, too afraid, too whatever to address issues that need improvement in our lives. We become "unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like". Are we really unaware or just unwilling to see the problems? And how do we rest contentedly in our life--we'll always have problems. So, my question is this: How do we, like the apostle Paul, learn to be "content whatever the circumstances"(Philippians 4:11)? We are to trust in Jesus to work on our issues, to work on US and give us the strength to work on our problems.

Is your marriage getting stale? Is the job getting too stressful? Are the bill collectors knocking on the door? Are the kids driving you crazy? Up to a point, you have to accept where you are in your situation, realize that things will NOT change overnight, and seek out the goodness and hope within it. However, we must not let ourselves get complacent about the situation--we need to be aware that it exists, and that it needs improvement. We should not only pray and trust in Jesus to help us, but also meet him halfway and take ACTIVE steps to rise above and have victory. Stale marriage--spice it up with a couple retreat, good dates, etc. Job stressful--look for another position, talk to your boss, get more education, etc. Financial stress--look for ways to save money, drop unnecessary stuff, get credit counseling. Kids driving you crazy--look at life through their eyes, lighten up a bit and play with them, get "me" time whenever you can. We CAN move toward contentment and away from complacency if we work at it.

*Note--I believe "Maggie" had a post on this a while back, and if so, she is welcome to post the link here. Young moms must think on this issue often! :)

"Paypal" phishing scam--beware!!

I dont' know how many of these I've gotten over the past couple months, but it's a lot. If you have a Paypal account, you should be aware of this. I was almost duped the first time I got it--it looks really believable, with the Paypal logo, and transaction ID's, etc, but when you scroll over the links on the page, you can see on the info bar at the bottom of your browser that they don't match up. You can also log into your Paypal account and see if there are any suspicious transactions on there, like the e-mail claims. If you do get one of these, send it to spoof@paypal.com. Here is what the e-mail generally consists of, so be on the lookout:

Dear PayPal member,
As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system.We recently noticed the following issue on your account:
We have reason to believe that your account was accessed by a third party.We discover unauthorized money transfer:
Amount: 22.47 $
Transaction ID: #13Y17222818UY182281
PayPal e-mail address: This address will vary with each phishing attempt, and they want you to think that this "person" has taken money from your account.
Transaction Date: October - 23 - 2006
Because protecting the security of your account is our primary concern, we have limited access to sensitive PayPal account features. We understandthat this may be an inconvenience but please understand that this temporarylimitation is for your protection.
Case ID Number: PP-163-413-717
For your protection, we have limited access to your account until additional security measures can be completed. We apologize for anyinconvenience this may cause.
To restore your PayPal account and refund the 22.47 $ back to your bank account or PayPal balance click the LogIn button bellow orthe SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Log In :

Here they list a couple links that they want you to click on. One is named www.paypal.com, but when you move your cursor over it, you'll see the actual web address on the bottom of your browser is actually different. The other link is a "secure sockets layer", and this link is also false.

If, after reviewing your account information and refund the money, you seekfurther clarification regarding your account access, please contact PayPalby visiting the Help Center and clicking "Contact Us".We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understandthat this is a security measure intended to help protect you and youraccount. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Sincerely,PayPal Account Review DepartmentPayPal Email ID PP122

Credit card scam?

My Aunt Lu sent this one the other day:
"This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all information, except the one piece they want.Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. By understanding how this Credit Card scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.The scam works like this: Person calling says, " I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in Arizona?"

Did I "Snopes" it out? Of course! See the results here:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

Friday's Quote to Ponder

"We do not remember days, we remember moments." ~Cesare Pavese

I'm feeling so tired and defeated today. The enemy is having a heyday in my life and those around me. By the grace of God, I will pick up myself and move on--and remember the good moments. How I crave them. How I love spending time with my husband--quality, wonderful, uninterrupted couple time. I love to laugh with him, to snuggle, to walk, to do fun things--just the two of us. It's just so hard to come by at this stage in our marriage. So hard to end a long day with quality time when I'm so worn out and spent. Making the transition from frazzled mom to loving wife is so challenging. But I will remember each moment, each happy time. A year from now, I won't remember the date of our couple retreat, but I'll remember the fun, the fellowship, the walk by the lake, the cozy cabin room. That's how life is, isn't it? You probably don't remember which Christmas was the first white one, which day your child first said "I wuv you", but you remember the moments. Enjoy them while they last.

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud

Remember how I've been fighting off this cold/flu thing? How could you not? It's all I've talked about for two weeks straight. Well, I've found the solution. I'm going to be a ninja. Watch this video to see how ninjas fight colds :D


Ninja Colds

Wednesday's Faves and Flops

Are you ready? Put down those Sweet Tarts and Snickers you pilfered from the kids' treat sacks--or just snack on them as you read :)

Wednesday's Fave: Zoo Tycoon!!
As most of you know, I'm a computer game junkie. I currently switch back and forth from The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion to Zoo Tycoon 2. I just got the most recent expansion pack yesterday--Marine Mania 2. I haven't had the time to play much yet, but going through the tutorials was even fun! You can build marine exhibits, and add show animals and train them. This game lets you get into first person (zookeeper) mode and walk around like you're really there, really caring for the animals, along with overhead modes for building, etc. If your kids (or you) are into gaming, and you want a good game that is free of violence and explicit material, this is the game for you. Zoo Tycoon 1 is good too, except it doesn't have zookeeper modes, but can be played on older systems.

Wednesday's Flop: Afrin 12-hour Nasal Spray
More like 6 hours with severe congestion, and the lousy thing is--it says you cannot use it for more than 3 days. I NEVER have congestion for less than 3 days. Apparently if you use decongestants too much, you can make congestion WORSE!!?? I really can't understand that. How about designing some that you can use the whole time you have a cold and they actually work to clear the congestion and don't have wierd effects? Anyone know of any? I'm using plain saline spray now to break it up and keep things flowing, and that is helping some, but when a cold actually hits, I need something to clear it out fast and get going again. So, it's more of a rant than a review, really. I hate being sick *whine*.

Halloween fun pics!

We had a fun Halloween, despite the lingering sicknesses. Have a look at our pics:

http://desperatehousewifepics.blogspot.com/

Tuesday's Terrific Food--Happy Halloween!!

Feeling a mite better today--mainly gastrointestinal issues and weakness. I won't elaborate :) Here's a great recipe for you if you want to make something fun and gross looking for Halloween. I made this for a Halloween party at my last job and it was a hit. Have a look:

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/dessert/cakes/kittylittercake.html

Monday--Misty's Challenge

I'm challenging myself today--to get over whatever this flu bug is that I have. I attended a couples' retreat over the weekend. Great time, really, until Saturday night. I had been fighting a cold/sinus infection all week, but Saturday night, it turned to a flu of some sort. I couldn't even eat when we went to Patti's Restaurant (great place in the Land Between the Lakes area), and I was so sad. Then after that, we went back to our cabins for some couple sessions/fellowship, and I developed a fever and chills, and was aching all over and had to turn in early. What awful timing. My fever is better, but I'm still weak as a kitten, and have little appetite. I've taken the day off babysitting, and hoping I can be somewhat normal by tomorrow (Halloween). So, my challenge is to me--getting enough rest and TLC to get over this thing, and be able to let go of non-essential chores until then. Any ideas, tips, "remedies" are welcomed. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be less depressing. Hope you all have a flu-free day!

Another Snopes-ed out article!

Have you seen the e-mail claiming that Swiffer Wet-Jet killed someone's pets? I got this one today, and Snopes-ed it out. Here's the article:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

Friday's Quote to Ponder

"We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves." Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

Never heard of the dear fellow, and don't ask me to pronounce his name, but I came across this quote after browsing a quote website, and I think it fits many of us. Who are you really? Do you know anymore? Has the identity you put on for your family, church, and coworkers made you forget what's truly under the mask? Are you afraid to look? With Halloween upon us, many folks will be hiding behind plastic masks, makeup and wigs, but we often wear unseen masks in our daily lives. Take some time to discover you--remember when you were a teen and in early 20's when you used to have hobbies? Try to dig up one of those old things (something wise, of course) and start it up again.

Another quote comes to mind from "The Lion King"--Simba's father came in a vision and said, "Remember who you are..." Simba had forgotten he was a prince--destined to become king. I think we all have some good destiny in us--it's just hidden behind our disguises, and we forget how to uncover it.

Jeremiah 29:11 says it best: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God planned us for great things. This week has been busy, lots of cold complaints, kid stress, wierd work hours, travel, but reading this quote and this verse gives me hope. There is a method to this madness, there is a silver lining, there will be shining moments when I will realize--ahhh, there I am.

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud!

How cute is this? If you don't think it's cute (ok, kinda corny), but if you don't laugh, I'll have to come tickle you. Hope you all have a funny day--mine's been yucky--until I watched this! Have fun!

WAZZUP

Remember the Budweiser commercials with the "Wazzup" guys? Here's a kids' version :)

Wednesday's Faves and Flops

I had a hard time coming up with a fave this week. I've been sidetracked by a cold, and hard-pressed to really like anything much this week. But, thinking from past experience, I thought of a good fave and flop. Are you ready?

Wednesday's Fave: Food Network!
I've linked stuff from Food Network before, but for a while, I didn't watch the channel or even look up recipes, but I started watching again this past week. They have some really cute Halloween food shows on this week. Very informative--you learn how many of our favorite Halloween treats are made, and get some good ideas for fun Halloween food. All around, it's a great channel AND a great website. You can look up a multitude of recipes, and what's even better is that people rate the recipes, so you can see how others like it before you try it. The recipes are also rated by difficulty, so if you see one labeled "expert", you may want to save that for later :) I got my favorite pancake and biscuit recipes from there. So, if you're not tuning in to Food Network, at least go clicky on these links and see what you're missing.

And now, dum, dum, ta DUMMM!!! What you've all been waiting for....

Wednesday's Flop: Celebrity Paranormal Project
I was channel flipping the other night, when I came across this gem. I cannot believe some of these stupid reality shows--so, the flop is really directed at all the STUPID reality shows out there. Some of them are so ridiculous--"House of Carters" anyone?
But, this one really put the icing on the ridiculous cake. The episode I watched included Gary Busey (good celebrity D-lister), and a "Survivor Amazon" contestant, among other not-so-well-known celebrities. They were touring the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, KY--"Hmm, local place, supposedly haunted, might be interesting", thought I. In the beginning of the tour, one dialogue ensued where the Survivor contestant was proclaiming that she was terrified to enter the place, and Mr. Gary Busey nobly suggested, "Just remember Jesus Christ as your savior, and you'll be fine." "Hmmm, interesting comment--didn't know Gary Busey was a Christian." Then, after a commercial break and some more channel flipping, I return to hear the gallant Mr. Busey screaming in the face of another participant, "Shut the **** up!" Didn't continue to watch at that point. Will never watch again. Sick of TV producers coming up with the stupidest reality TV shows, and people doing anything to get 15 minutes of fame.

Hoped you all liked today's faves and flops--if you have any comments on these or know any other good ones, let me know. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday's Terrific Food

Edit on 10/25/06: I just noticed the formatting was wierd. Sorry if it confused you. I hope it makes more sense now.

My Zoe the Joy has become Zoe the Tyrant. She is almost 21 months old now and is into everything. She still stays in the playpen fairly well, though she has learned to climb out now, so I have to cook in short bursts. Here is a recipe that will allow you to do that if you have a little tyrant (or not-so-little tyrants) on your hands.

Salsa Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed

Plain bread crumbs Pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Your favorite salsa

Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. (To cut down on cooking time, you could cut the chicken breasts in half or in strips.) In shallow dish beat egg with milk. In another shallow dish, mix bread crumbs with an adequate amount of salt, pepper, and paprika. You will need to eyeball it--make sure you have enough bread crumb mixture to coat the chicken. Now, dip each chicken breast or piece in the egg mixture, drip off a little excess, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size, then remove from oven and add about 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite salsa over each chicken breast, and top with about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

*Note: Serve with some instant rice and some quick-cooking frozen veggies for an easy meal.

If you try it, let me know how you liked it. Hope your Tuesday is delicious!

Monday--Misty's Challenge

Sorry it's so late in the day. We had a field trip this morning to the local pumpkin patch with Meg's preschool class, then lunch and a doctor trip for Meg (possible UTI). Anyway, the cold air this morning has my cold in full gear, so I've been down this afternoon until now.

You can see our field trip pics and some other fun trips here: http://desperatehousewifepics.blogspot.com/.

Now, for the day's challenge. I was hard-pressed to find one, since I've been on decongestants and am lucky to remember my name. But, I thought of some advice that I gave a dear friend a long time ago. I told her, "You can't love someone else until you learn to love yourself." So, my challenge for today is love yourself. Now, isn't this going against some of my previous posts? *see Love is a Choice--September 22. I've been really stressing unselfishness and loving others with a servant attitude. Well, think about it--if you don't love yourself (not pridefully or Narcissistically, mind you), how can you really love someone else? God gave you your body, your soul, your life, and if you hate it, you won't be able to extend unselfish love to others. People who don't love themselves tend to speak negatively about themselves or lead unhealthy lifestyles. It rubs off on others. When you learn that you are a unique creation, deserving of love, when you really love and accept yourself, you begin to see your good qualities, you begin to want to take better care of yourself. When you're ok with yourself, you're better able to extend love to others.

So, kiddos, give yourself a pat on the back and say right now, "I love me. I'm ok." Now, think about ways you tend to neglect yourself. Do you eat badly? Do you smoke? Do you not get enough sleep or exercise? Do you often say negative things about yourself--"I'm too fat, I hate my hair, I can't do ___." Turn some things around. Think of things you are GOOD at, take a look in the mirror and see your good features. Remember some good compliments others have given you, and make the decision to love yourself--you and your loved ones will be glad you did.

Friday's Quote to Ponder

It's short, it's simple, it's to the point, but a lot of meaning behind it, I think. It's been a favorite of mine for a long time. Here it is:

"Whatever you are, be a good one."--Abraham Lincoln

Whether you're president of the U.S. or just a stay at home mom, strive to be the best at your occupation. Put your heart into it. Always be on the lookout for ways to improve. Re-examine and alter goals where necessary. Think of who is affected by your position. This is SO vitally important in leadership and customer service roles. I hate to get bad service at a restaurant from someone you know just hates their job. My theory: If you have to work, and you choose to work at a certain place, then why not put your all into it? BE NICE! It will make your day so much better. The person who you smile at or give good service to may just turn around and do that for someone else. It may change the course of their day--all in your one seemingly tiny nice gesture. Just a job well done--strive to be a "good one".

I hope you've all liked my week of new subjects. I know many have looked, but I need some feedback--let's kick it up a notch!!

Thursday's Laugh Out Loud!!

The video below is hilarious, but he does use a little language that you may want to keep from younger ears. I'm in a wierd mood today, trying to catch up with mundane stuff, keeping the girls happy on a rainy day. I'm down one kid today ("Buddy"), so a little less stress. The exterminator just left--came just after I put the girls down for their nap--couldn't be at a worse time. They're just now getting quiet. I did however, manage to listen to the live Fly Lady broadcast on World Radio. I think it's on each Thursday from 11am to 1pm CST, so tune in if you like Fly Lady. I must admit, I don't follow her advice as much as I'd like, but I have stuck to some basic routines since I first found her. I try to make my bed each day, keep my dishes washed, and do a load of laundry each day. I also am keeping paperwork relatively under control. I definitely recommend her if you are at wits' end with your housework/chores.

Check her out here:http://www.flylady.net/pages/About_FlyLady.asp

And the radio show: http://www.worldtalkradio.com/show.asp?sid=300

Weather Roach

Welcome to Thursday's Laugh Out Loud! I totally cracked up with this video. Enjoy!

Wednesday's Faves and Flops

I've managed to exercise two days this week! Go me! Now blogging before I pick up the kids. Hoping they will be a bit less wired today. And Team Kid again tonight--my my. At least it's not my night to teach, so I don't have that pressure. Enough rambling. On to today's topic--

My favorite thing of the day: Digital Scrapbooking! I've decided to venture beyond the paper and glue and gel pens and go digital. All we have is a digial camera now, so it's a bit easier, and I am totally loving the non-mess. I can do it all from the comfort of my laptop and printer. I found a great little free program on the web called Scrapbook Flair. It allows you to set up your templates, add backgrounds, embellishments, photos, etc, and you can download stuff from anywhere else and use with it. There is a lot of free stuff on the internet to choose from and some pretty cheap stuff too. Definitely check it out if you are at all interested in going digital.

My flop of the day: Actually this came from last week. I saw a terrific ad for Chips Ahoy Chunky White Fudge Cookies in Parenting magazine. The close-up picture made me want to eat the page--great ad! I then bought them at the grocery, which I rarely do in response to ads. Needless to say, they did not meet my expectations. They looked great, but had such a processed taste that they almost tasted fake. The chocolate in the dough and the chocolate chips in them didn't taste very chocolatey at all, but the white fudge chunks were good. They were better warmed for a few secs in the microwave, but still were quite the disappointment.

Hope you've enjoyed my faves and flops for Wednesday. Comment all you like. Stay tuned for Thursday's Laugh Out Loud!

Tuesday's Terrific Food

Man, have you ever had one of those days you wish you could just give the kids some tranquilizers and walk by and wipe the drool off them every now and then? It's one of those days. "What part of 'Don't throw toys' don't you understand?!" For the life of me, I can't understand why they can't just PLAY with toys how they're meant to be played with. Are we giving kids too much sugar these days or something? I can remember sitting for long periods of time playing with my Barbies or coloring--I practically have to tie them into their chairs to get them to color. Both older kids are 4 now, and they are so impatient that they color like baby Zoe. I don't know if they're getting too much entertainment elsewhere, and just coloring or putting puzzles together is too boring or what. Well, enough rambling. Here's a recipe I made for my neighbors last year at Christmas and just made some more last night. The chocolate chips make it a bit rich, so I thought maybe lessen the amount some or even use white chocolate chips. I bet it would also be pretty with melted swirled chocolate on top :) Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Makes 3 (9x5") loaves

3 cups sugar 1 T ground nutmeg

1--15 oz can pumpkin puree 2 tsp baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil 1 1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup water 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chips

4 eggs 1/2 cup walnuts, optional

3 1/2 cups flour

1 T ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three 9x5" loaf pans. Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl; set aside. In large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil,water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in the dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips, and nuts, if desired. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

*Note: This bread should freeze well, so if you aren't eating it all or giving it all away now, freeze a loaf or two for later. If you make it now, you could thaw it for Thanksgiving.

Monday--Misty's Challenge!

I've decided to take a new turn on my blog for a spell. Once upon a time, some of you probably remember, I once had a webpage called "The Good-News Letter". I'd update it every week with jokes, Bible verses, stories, etc. It was fun, but our computer died one day, and I lost all my stuff, so I never got back to creating it. So now, I'm going to move in a similar direction for a while here, which may be more simple than keeping an entire website up to date, but will keep me blogging daily and keep my brain working.

So, I've decided Mondays will be Misty's Challenge days. I will challenge myself and you to reach for some good goals. I want you to give me feedback on these too, and let me know if and how you are reaching those goals. I might be more inspired to continue if I get some feedback.

Now, the challenge for today: I was listening to my girls' new Veggie Tales Worship Songs cd over the weekend and the song "Prince of Peace" caught my attention. It ends like this: "You are my prince of peace, and I will live my life for you!" I thought, "That sounds great, but how many of us are actually living for Him?" My challenge for myself and for you--think about who you are living for each day--yourself, other people, or Christ? The world's mindset today says, "Look out for number one (me)". We want instant happiness, instant gratification, instant everything. Waiting on the Lord is especially hard, because we can't sit down by him on the couch and have a face-to-face chat. We can't e-mail him or call him on his cell phone. His answers aren't usually instant, but they're the best. Let's think each day and with each situation, "How can I live for Him?" Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." It's hard to wait, but if we depend on ourselves to drive our lives, we'll likely muck it up. If we seek Him, live for Him, mindful of His peace, presence, and word, our lives will flow much better.

Now, was that a lofty challenge, or what? Let me know your thoughts on it. Here are my goals for the rest of the business week:

Tuesday--Terrific Foods
Wednesday--Faves and Flops
Thursday--Laugh out Loud
Friday--Quote to Ponder

Stay tuned!

Tips for keeping off those Halloween candy pounds!

It's just around the corner! I found this cute little article on Yahoo--read it for how to avoid the candy bulge.

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/joybauernutrition/3862/tricks-for-treats-this-halloween

I really like the tip "Buy and give out candy that you personally don't like". I can imagine, "Want some more candy corn and licorice, kids?? Here, take all the Zagnuts you want!" That cracked me up. We have a "Treats -n- More" party thing with our church on Halloween, so that really helps for me to not have candy sitting around the house. I buy it and take it to the church for the event. Then, I can hope to get a little bit of the good stuff I bought in Meg's bag :)

I think Halloween is just the start of the yearly Holiday bulge that gets us all. We eat candy, then get right into baking fall treats, then Thanksgiving and the leftovers, then start making Christmas treats that last until the new year. I think the best approach is to be really choosy about what you make and buy. Start looking for recipes/ideas early and make/buy only a few things for each event. I love to look for new Christmas candy and cookie recipes to try each year, then I give most of it out for gifts, so that helps a bit. What are some other tips you might have for beating that Holiday bulge? Let me know.

It's been 3 years....

Since I lost my mom. I still miss her every day. Here is one of my favorite pics of her--holding Megan on the day she was born. She was the first one to hold her. I'll never forget that day.

Thanks, mom, for teaching me to love unconditionally, for teaching me humility, for encouraging me to do my very best in everything I did. Thanks for being a great mom and granny. We miss you.

Fall break goals and aspirations

I'm climbing out of my "Gloom, despair, and agony on me!" (remember that old Hee Haw song?) week to face a new week of fall break. No preschool for Meg, no Team Kid, no babysitting, and even a weekend trip planned for next weekend--hopefully! Yesterday, I was as gloomy as the weather. Today, I got the kids out and we played in the MMC (big gym) at church and the new playground and had McD's for lunch. We all had good naps, and this evening, I've been picking up and organizing my house. I finally have acknowledged the existence of my second child and have hung pictures of her in my house! She is going to be 2 in January, so I'm a little late ;) I also hung more recent pics of Meg and family pictures and have made big plans to organize more pics and work hard on some scrapbook projects next week.

I feel the itch to organize and beautify my home, to finish and get a good start on home projects. I think this is the key to overcoming my gloomy mood--keep myself busy giving myself a sense of accomplishment, and maybe some extra caffeine too :) I've made a tentative list of 4 big things to accomplish over the weekend. If I can get a good stab at those, I'll feel good and will want to continue with more next week. Do I hear some cheerleading? I'll try to keep you updated. Oh, and will try to blog more interesting things soon. Sorry for the recent dribble. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Where you at, God?

Feeling like a bad mom, bad wife, bad friend, bad person this week. My support system is nil. Lord, you're even quieter than usual. My head cold seems to be my only constant friend, and I don't like that friend. Lord, I'm waiting for You to give me a ring, to stop by, to tell me it's ok, and that I'll get through it. Give me strength--just enough to get along and survive and keep my family surviving through this dry spell. I'm here, trusting in your strength, trusting even though I can't feel you right now. Knowing you're working in ways I can't see and understand. Praying for a good path to be made for my kids and hubby to follow in the days, months, and years ahead, praying for your direction for them, and that my own attempts to direct will be outweighed by yours. Thanking you for goodness, for family, for faithful friends, for the love of your Son. Amen

Poo Raisins

Yes, you read it right. Poo raisins.

Let me tell you about yesterday. I am perpetually late for church, especially when hubby is working A/V, and I am left to prepare our daughters for church alone. It was about 9:30, and I was finishing up my hygiene routine in the bathroom. I had the girls all dressed, and we were actually going to make it to Sunday School on time. Then, Zoe, my 20 month old, walks into the bathroom and what seems to be a chewed-up raisin appears by her foot. I thought, "Zoe didn't have raisins for breakfast. She must have found it on the floor." I picked it up, and an odor hit me, and I smelled it closer--it was a POO RAISIN!!!

I immediately washed it down the drain, and picked up Zoe, who had completely soiled herself and it was running down her lovely little dress pants. So, my morning was then spent taking off the poo raisin pants, re-bathing Zoe, taking out the very smelly garbage, disinfecting the changing table and bathroom floor, and washing the poo-raisin pants. Many more poo raisins were inside, and other unidentifiable chunks. Luckily I had Clorox 2 and Tide with Febreeze and the smell and stains came out. So, after everything was cleaned and disinfected, we headed on to church. Megan spent about 10 minutes in Sunday school, just in time for their snack, much to her joy, then we had to go to the 11:00 service. I spent my 10 minutes just sitting in the church lobby, enjoying a break from poo raisins.

Yesterday was my poo raisin day--didn't seem too bad until I looked closer--have you ever had a poo raisin day? Tell me about it :)

D.H. sort of exclusive!! Scrapbook pics revealed!

Sounds dramatic, huh? The pics aren't the greatest--wish I could get more detail, but you can see the basic layout. Any comments or ideas would be welcome. I'm terribly new and amateur at this. But I've decided to make Sunday afternoons my scrapbook day for now. This past Sunday, I listened to Yahoo Music on my laptop and scrapbooked for a couple hours. It was good for me to sit and focus on something creative for a while. It does not come easy for me--I'm too fidgety.

Here's the link for the pics: http://desperatehousewifepics.blogspot.com/

Frustrations....

Tired of em...don't want no more. Yes, that was a double negative. I'm sorry. It's been a frustrating couple of weeks. My overworked hubby is working during an outage at the power plant--meaning a unit is down for scheduled repairs, so means lots of overtime, early mornings, late nights and they won't give him enough money in his budget to fix things right. He's so stressed, and not having him here is stressing me out. But, I can't tell him that, because it stresses him out more---AHHHHH!!!!

Feeling quite alone. Wishing I had family here to lean on. I feel like such an outsider in this community sometimes. I feel guilty asking people to watch my girls, when they have such busy lives themselves--and we're not family, so they don't have that bond. Maybe I should hire a foreign nanny or something. I'm very thankful for dear friends who will sacrifice their time to watch my kiddos for an evening. Things could be worse.

I'm still bogged down about many hurts in people around me--family issues, deaths, illnesses. I even still hurt for the Irwin family in Australia. I told the Lord this morning, "I can't handle this yoke--you need to take it from me or I'm gonna fall in the mud."

Today--going to make the best of it. Plans to finish painting the trim in our little bathroom, which is almost done (Hallelujah!) Going to look for Halloween costumes for my girls and do some small home furnishing/organizing shopping. I'm going to not think about crappy stuff for a few hours. I'm thumbing my nose at the crappy stuff. *Phhhhttttttthh to you crappy stuff!!*

Phenylpropanolamine--say that 3 times fast!

Have you seen this e-mail floating around?

All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE (PPA) are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and inquire about a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.

A list of medications allegedly containing PPA is usually accompanined below the warning. I got this one from Aunt Lu (thanks!) and had to Snopes it out of course. According to Snopes, this warning is TRUE, but OUTDATED. As the original warning was issued in 2000, many of the medications listed in the email are now reformulated and contain NO PPA. If you have any doubts, look on your ingredient labels or call (888) INFO-FDA. You may also want to read the article here: http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/ppa.asp

This is Misty the informant, signing off ;)

Love is a choice

Today has me pondering this statement. So often, people talk about "feeling" love, but how often is showing love mentioned? Jesus mentioned it a lot. Love your neighbor--doesn't mean admiring their backside (or frontside for that matter) from afar. It means help them, be there, choose to do good for them.

Problems in my side of the family have me bogged down today. Why don't some people just get it??? Love IS a CHOICE!! It is not just how you are feeling--it is NOT even about YOU!! This modern world mentality of do what feels good for me, me, me is just not what Jesus wanted out of us. No, I don't think he means us to completely neglect ourselves and sacrifice everything for everyone all the time. We must have balance. But we are to think MORE HIGHLY of others than of ourselves. Think of their needs before we make choices that will hurt them. Do all we can to resolve problems lovingly before they get out of hand, before we give up and walk away. This has been so rampant in my family and so many others.

Today, I choose to love. Today, I got the paint out for the kids and let them paint. Today, I baked them some chocolate chip cookies for snack time. Today, I will give my hubby one smooshy wet kiss when he gets home. Today, I choose to love my extended family even when I don't like them very much right now. Yes, you can love someone even when you don't like them. Because love is a choice. Choose to love someone today---make it an action.

If you want to see more cute kid pics, click on "My Pictures" in the links section.

The rest of the Apple Orchard Pics...

Are ready for viewing.

Go to http://desperatehousewifepics.blogspot.com/ to see them! I was holding Zoe for many of the shots, so not the best quality. I think I got some fingerprints on my lens too. Ah, the trials of photography during motherhood.

The apple orchard revisited!

We traveled to the local apple orchard again this year with Meg's preschool class. I have now also created a new blog just for pics like this--and I have linked it in the links section. However, I am having difficulties with both Hello and Blogger today, so I only have a few pics from today there, but will try again later. I'll update you when they're ready. The little boy I babysit--henceforth to be known as "buddy", went for the first time today, so it was good to witness him picking his first apple. I love good clean fun like this. I wish we could go more often!

Here is the link: http://desperatehousewifepics.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!!

We said goodbye

I watched the Steve Irwin Memorial Service last night--which was actually 9 am Wednesday morning in Austrailia. It was held at his Crocoseum in Australia Zoo. 5500 people attended, and it was broadcast all around the world. They left a seat reserved for him, and lying in it was his favorite cap that he wore when he watched shows with his daughter. Various people spoke, and some recorded remembrances from celebrities were shown. There were pics and videos from his work and some heartfelt music. I was holding it together pretty well until his little daughter Bindi came up to speak. She read a little eulogy she had written for him. She told how much she loved her daddy and that she had the "best daddy in the world". She said she wanted to continue his passion to save endangered animals and work in conservation. She got a standing ovation. I cried like a baby. I know her dad would have been so proud. Steve's wife, Terri, didn't speak, so I'm assuming she was too distraught still--she was there holding little Bob, and wore sunglasses, and you could tell she was barely keeping it together. One of the most tearful moments was at the end when Steve's #1 croc assistant loaded up his old flatbed croc hunter truck for the last time and drove it out of the Crocoseum.

Read little Bindi's speech here: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20444731-5001028,00.html

And some pics from the service:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/5363342.stm

Still a little tearful this morning. It's really hit home now that Steve Irwin is gone. The world has lost a great life...God's creation has lost a great warrior. I only pray that others will take up the torch and continue with his mission.

Hippo Eats Dwarf

I have gotten a great deal of Snopes-worthy items in my inbox as of late. I had to report on this one!!! Besides being funny as all get out (just let your mind imagine it!), it apparently has been circulating around for several years, and the dwarf has changed nationalities a few times. The hippo, surprisingly enough, has retained the name Hilda. I guess that's a good hippo name. Check out the Snopes article here:

Hippo Eats Dwarf

What I really love about it is the fact that there is a band NAMED after this story. See them here:

The Hippo Eats Dwarf Band

Is Your Cell Phone a Telemarketing Target?

Have you seen any e-mails like this?

Greetings To All of My Friends and Family

In just 4 days from today all U. S. cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies and you will begin to receive sales calls. You will be charged for these calls! Even if you do not answer, the telemarketer will end up in your voice mail and you will be charged for all of the minutes the incoming (usually recorded) message takes to complete. You will then also be charged when you call your voice mail to retrieve your messages. To prevent this, call 888-382-1222 from your cell phone. This is the national DO NOT CALL list; it takes only a minute to register your cell phone number and it blocks most telemarketers calls for five years. In case you have friends other than me, pass this on to them.

According to Snopes, this is FALSE. Read up on it here: Celling Your Soul

E-mail petitions

They don't work. Here's one my Aunt Lu sent me today. You may have seen it before:

Our Granddaughter in Ca. was turned down for a teaching job, because she only had one yr. of Spanish. She got a job at a private school. She now teaches in Rancho Cucamonga, second grade.

Had an interesting conversation with a lady of Hispanic origin last week. She told me that she planned to come down to St. Mary's and get a job in Admissions (where I work). When I pointed out that we didn't have any openings, she advised me that "soon" current employees will have to be fired to hire bi-lingual employees. According to this lady, the Spanish speaking people of the US are going to demand that all public facilities - like hospitals, courthouses, etc. - be staffed by people who read, speak and comprehend Spanish. We hear about the silent majority but I think we are going to have to speak up or find ourselves a conquered country. That would be an interesting historical note - greatest land in the world conquered by Mexico without ever firing a shot! Think about it.

Not a citizen? NO BENEFITS!
Petition to Require citizenship to be eligible for social services in the United States
No amnesty and No free services for illegal immigrants.
Agree or Delete: Instructions to sign are at the bottom.
PETITION FOR PRESIDENT BUSH If you don't forward the petition and just stop it, we will lose all these names. If you do not want to sign it, please forward it to everyone you know. Thank you!!! To add your name, click on "forward". You will be able to add your name at the bottom of the list and then forward it to your friends.
THE 2,000TH PERSON - SEND IT ON TO THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESS: President@WhiteHouse.gov


See what Snopes has to say about this petition and e-mail petitions in general:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/petition.asp

Sunday Tidbits

Love this pic! I'm going to start posting it to people who blog too deeply for me :) So, here's some life tidbits to catch you up on. Missed a few days. I'll see what I can remember.
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I've been totally bummed about the death of Steve Irwin all week. They had a private funeral for him yesterday and buried him in his Australia Zoo. I finally understood yesterday why I and so many around the world were so saddened by his passing. If you watched his shows for any length of time, you felt like you knew him. He was always so open, so passionate, so welcoming, like you were part of his adventures. I watched his Crocodile Hunter series starting in college in the mid-nineties, and in his series, I saw his conservation and his FAMILY evolve. He shared every aspect of his life. You would often see his mom and dad on the show, his wife from the start, then his kids--they even had episodes with their births. Check out his Crocodile Hunter website--pics and bios of his family. They share their lives with the world, so the world knows them all . He didn't film dry animal documentaries. He filmed his life, and was so filled with it, that it is just hard to think of him dead. So, that's where I am with that. Moving on, but will still be sad for a while. No one can replace that guy.
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Labor day weekend. Went to a birthday party for daughter's friend. Pool and pizza. Too cold for the pool, and it rained a bit, but good party. Went to visit family later in the day. Ate out at a good restaurant way out in the boonies in Green County, KY (I think) late that night to celebrate belated birthdays (brother in law and mine, 40 and 30 respectively). Had car show in Adair County on Labor Day and did a little shopping at the booths on the square. The bad news: Found out my brother and his wife are splitting up--for the record, I think my brother has problems handling responsibilities of relationships and doesn't want to put the work into it that it deserves, and some of his choices stink. Sorry, need to vent, but I do love him and am praying that he and his wife will work it out still. God has changed harder people than them.
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Joy today--finally started my scrapbook of our summer vacation. Day 1 is chronicled. It is terribly amateur, but I had fun experimenting with different things. I like glue.
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Poor hubby is overworked and overtired. Having back problems. He's spent a good deal of time working on wiring a friend's new house, and much more time working on wiring up A/V stuff for our church. He spent the entire morning sermon on his back under the console hooking up stuff to try to get it working, and the whole Sunday school hour carting stuff from the new sanctuary to the old for the second service, because they haven't enough duplicate equipment and for some reason, won't do both services in the new building. We still have a bathroom that we have had torn apart since February. We have a toilet and sink in our bedroom. I want my bathroom done--we're now starting to move on working on it again. A 4x4 bathroom...February...*roll eyes*
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Babysat a little girl for some friends from Lexington this past Saturday. Nice having a little girl here for Meg to play with. We usually have our little guy here--nice to see a girl in the dress up clothes this time :) Got up about 5 am to make breakfast--a good "Overnight Breakfast Casserole" that I mixed up the night before and just had to get up and bake. They arrived at 6 am, and everyone loved my breakfast--oh, blueberry muffins too (last frozen blueberries from my bushes for the season). I love feeding people. It's a sickness. They went with Bryan to a golf tournament, so I kept the girls and entertained them all day. We painted, watched cartoons, played in sand, play-dough, and dressed up. I was bushed. I was late for church this morning....as usual.
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Started regular exercising again. Going to start walking with a friend this week. Looking forward to getting some fresh air. Did treadmill 3 days last week, and picked up 8 minute abs again. My abs were quite sore for a couple days. Makes a difference when you miss it for a few months.
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Going to the dentist with hubby on Tuesday. Haven't been for 2-3 years. Shame on us. Have a wisdom tooth that is hurting a bit. Will probably have to get it out. Scared to death--hope they knock me out or gas me so I won't care. Never had dental work before.
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That's it for now. I have pics to post of our Labor Day trip, and I'll try to get pics of my amateur scrapbook too. I will also try to post updates on the "Intimate Issues" Bible study and do a piece on healthy dinners. Stay tuned for more....."Tales of Interest!!!" (*if anyone can pinpoint this reference--I'll give you FIVE dollars, I promise!--except Bryan--he knows")

Life is beautiful?

My Aunt Lu sent me this one today. Good example of a hoax about a computer virus. This one has been circulating for a while--if you get a "warning" like this, please check it out on Snopes before you forward it on, which only propagates the hoax. Then, let the sender know it's a hoax, so we'll all be educated. My mission--educating the public about hoax e-mails!

See the Snopes article here: Life is Beautiful

Remembering the "Wildlife Warrior"

Though most people thought he was a bit crazy and figured he'd get taken down by an animal some day, what most people didn't know--and what the media ISN'T focusing on--is that Steve Irwin was a dedicated conservationist. Most of the money he made from his "Crocodile Hunter" program went into conservation efforts around the world. I'm still very saddened today, as are millions around the world, by his tragic loss and I'm tired of the media focusing on him holding his baby in the croc exhibit. They tell so little about all the good things he was involved in. Here's a good article about it. Whatever you thought or didn't think of Steve Irwin, let's keep his family in our prayers as they try to move on and keep things going without him.

Read the article here: Irwin Was a Self-Made 'Wildlife Warrior'

A truly sad day

Steve Irwin, the Australian "Crocodile Hunter" who made "Crikey!" a catch-phrase died in a freak accident yesterday off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. He was stung in the heart by a sting ray. Very unlikely and unlucky accident. I would not have been as shocked to hear that he was decapitated by a crocodile or bitten and died by a poisonous snake. But a sting ray? Right through the heart? Totally shocking. He was filming a documentary at the time that he was also planning on filming with his 8 year old daughter--who was not there, thank the Lord. His wife and kids (Bindi-8 and Bob-2) were in Tasmania on vacation at the time and flew back there yesterday. I am so saddened because the world has lost such an enthusiastic "wildlife warrior", as he called himself. He excited lots of folks about wildlife of all kinds and educated us about creatures that have been villified over the years. I just wonder where all his work will go from here. Read the Discovery News article here:

Steve Irwin dies from stingray


*Edit: Steve's wife and kids were in TASMANIA on vacation, not the states.

Book Memes

I don't know exactly what a meme is, but "Maggie" had this post on her blog the other day. I was "tagged", which is the cyber-space equivalent of being "it" in a game of answering questions about a particular subject, in this case, books. Here is what I posted in the comments:

What is a tag? Does that mean I need to answer those questions?

If so, here goes–it will be short

One book that changed your life:
The Bible–how could it not? And possibly “Plant Anatomy” by James D. Mauseth–mainly because I just looked at it on my bookshelf and thought, “Why not?” I learned more about plants in that class then the average joe knows. Did you know that pears contain cells called brachysclereids that give them their gritty texture? Well, now you do.

One book that you’ve read more than once:
The Bible again, actually–read it twice through when I was younger, though I’m sure I didn’t get the meaning out of it that I can now. Oh, and I read some good kids’ books a few times too. One was “Silver Wolf” by Paige Dixon, which tells a wolf’s story from his point of view, and “The Wolves of Willoughby Chase” by Joan Aiken and Pat Marriott which tells the story of two little girls who become orphaned and must escape from an abusive orphanage. Very good story of overcoming adversity for kids.

One book that you’d want on a desert island:
Wow, that’s a really hard one, but probably a puzzle book to keep my mind occupied until rescue arrived. Plus, when I was finished with it, if I was still stranded, I could use it to start a fire, maybe.

One Book that made you laugh:
“Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway”–hilarious

One book that made you cry:
None that I know of–I’m not very emotional that way, but I almost cried when reading Stephen King’s “It”–crying for it to be over already!! Gees, that book was over 1000 pages–way too much detail to even be scary. You can only describe a freaky clown so much before you say, “Shut up! I don’t care. Get on with it”

One book that you wish had been written:
The manual that came with my kids when they were born.

One book you couldn’t put down:
“Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King–I had a Stephen King phase in my younger years. Very scary story about vampires and I couldn’t read it alone, it was so scary–had to be in the same room with my parents. It really was that scary.

One book you are currently reading:
“Intimate Issues” by Dillow and Pintus. Christian Bible study about sex. I’ll update new chapters on my blog soon–stay tuned!

One book you’ve been meaning to read:
No idea–I’ll surprise myself.

Five people to tag:
No idea–just anyone who reads go on and have fun. Come on now–whatcha waiting for?

You can read the whole discussion here: Magnanimity's Book Memes post

Now, if anyone wants to jump in, just comment it or e-mail me and I'll post it right here in cyber-space. Consider yourself tagged if you have read this *ha-ha (evil laugh)*