Dead Tired!

That just doesn't fully describe how my body feels just about now. My internal clock is totally discombobulated. We got in on the Red Eye yesterday@ 6:30 AM. Since we are too poor & cheap to fly 1st class we were stuck on a 3 across row. I ALWAYS have to sit by the window, that leaves poor D in the middle. If we are lucky, no one will sit in the aisle seat and I can lay down and sleep the entire way. We weren't lucky. I barely slept. I got a crick on my neck and my body hurts. But we are home. Safe. I'm with my girls. And I'm sleeping in my own bed.

I actually woke up at 1:30 PM today. It's a beautiful day out, but I am indoors. In my pj's. Trying to catch up on the gazillion shows that are on my DVR.

We totally enjoyed our entire vacation.

For the record, we were away for 20 days.

We visited Los Angeles, Maui, the Big Island, Oahu & Los Angeles again.

I got on 6 planes, 1 tiny propeller plane, and a freakin' helicopter!

We travelled from LA to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines

. That is officially my all time favorite airline!

Customer service, on time, planes... everything!

We went through a total of 6 different rental cars.

Stayed in 6 different accomodations.

And took 3122 pictures.

I won't bore your with all the details. Just share some of our pictures. Most are scenery.

The ones with both of us are usually the double chin, taken at arms length type.

Maui

Big Island







Oahu

And finally, because Danny truly believes that this street was named after me:

Aloha!

Quick Check In

We are still in Hawaii but finally have a bit of down time. We are on the Big Island right now. We spent 7 days on Maui and have been here for 3 days so far. Right now we are in Volcano in the middle of a tropical rainforest. Tomorrow morning, God help me, I will be getting on a helicopter and vomiting my brains out flying over Kilauea Volcano.

I will post more when I get back. But in the meantime, I will leave you with these pictures of the sunrise at Haleakala. Truly amazing!

Almost Time

Check out my countdown on my sidebar! Tomorrow we leave. I am already anxious. I've been up since 4:30 AM. Didn't sleep at all. I have a doctor appointment today, hopefully I won't forget to ask for a script for Ativan. My nerves are already on high alert!

We leave tomorrow for LA. Then 2 days later, I get on another plane to Hawaii. For a person who HATES to fly, who just only got on a plane for the first time EVER 2 years ago, this trip is going to take the cake! I will get on 6 planes (one of which might be a prop. plane) and then quite possibly unless I chicken out a freakin' helicopter! I'm definitely going to need an entire bottle of Ativan!

Have I mentioned that Danny is worse than a girl??? He has just emptied his entire closet into his suitcase! He won't even wear 1/4 of the stuff he's taking. Freak! Me on the other hand, I have one small section of my suitcase with my clothes and the rest is full of crap! Lotions, sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, etc. I need to learn to simplify that part of my packing.

Better get ready to go to the doctor. I hate going there! Just a bunch of blah, blah, blah!

What a Nice Surprise!

Remember this??





Well, I got home today and found a package on my front steps. This is what it contained.......

Thank You Ryka!!!!!

Just thought I'd share. I think there is still time to enter the giveaway, so head on over to Ryka if you haven't already done so!

Now back to my packing.

Indian Giver?

As you all know, Kat started college this year. She got the Fl. Medallion scholarship through Bright Futures, which covers 75% of her tuition. This is funded through the FL. Lottery & is available to all Fl. Students as long as their GPA & Test scores meet the requirements. Kat met the requirements. She graduated cum laude with a Superintendent's Certificate of Distinction. She received her award letter for Bright Futures in April & she accepted it.

She has now received a letter from the University stating that her award had been cancelled because she is not on the Master Eligibility List. So she calls the Director of Bright Futures and they basically tell her "Too Bad, So Sad". They say that she applied too early!! A month too early. That there is nothing that can be done & she will not be receiving her scholarship. They insist that letters were sent out. Do they actually believe that if we received something stating that her scholarship, her lifeline to her education, was in jeapardy, we would not have done something about it? I am absolutely livid! If she did apply too early then why would she receive the award in the 1st place?

Kat is in tears. Her stress level is going through the roof. She doesn't want to speak to that lady because she was basically rude to her and would not let her speak. So now she will be writing letters. To the Governor of the State of FL, to the State Reps, and to whoever else she can think of. She has worked her entire High School years for this and it is just not fair.

Sad Day

Yes, that's my brand new car. I was at Home Depot, I never go to Home Depot, because I HATE Home Depot. Anyhoo, I decided to stop in since I was in the area and Danny had been looking for something, so I figured that I would go check at HD. So I go in and grab what I was looking for, but then I got distracted by the kitchen displays and then the orchids outside caught my attention. So, I was in there for about 1/2 hour or so. I go out to the parking lot and walk to my car. Oh, that's not my car. Sure looks like it. But mine is brand new. I click my keychain, and THAT car honks & lights blink. OMG! It's my freakin' car! Someone hit my car in the parking lot. Quite hard. It looks worse in person. I remember, when I was a kid, that my mom once hit a car in a parking lot just a slight dent, yet she waited there for about an hour till the owner came out. She also once drove over 30 miles to return a purse that she found in a public restroom. She was offered some $$, but she did not accept. God knows that she really needed it, as my dad had just passed away recently and she was alone with the 3 of us. But that's just the type of person that she is. And I am happy to have learned from her example. Problem is, I expect others t be the same. Wrong!

Sorry to go off on a tangent, but like I've mentioned before, I just type what I'm thinking! Back to what I was saying, I had to call the police to get a police report in case I had to go through my insurance.

While sitting there waiting, I hear units racing by with lights & sirens. I mean lots of units. I even hear alot more in the distance. I call Danny and they had just received a call for officers down. A man had just shot at 4 police officers with an AK47. One of the officers unfortunately lost his life.

My trivial whining about my damage suddenly became more stupid to me. Yes, I am still mad that people destroy my property and just walk away. But this criminal just took another man's life and walked away. HUGE difference. My car will get fixed. The officer's family's hearts will never be fixed. My thoughts & prayers go out to his family.

9/11

I can't believe that it has been 6 years. Seems like only yesterday. Strange how I sometimes do not remember what happened two days ago but I clearly remember what I was doing on 9/11/2001.

I had just gotten home from dropping the girls off at school. I turned on one of the morning news shows while I got ready to go on a daily Target run. There was breaking news reporting that it appeared that a plane had hit the WTC. At first, I figured that it was a small cessna type plane but then they said that it was a commercial aircraft. I called Danny at work and I was already freaking out. First of all, my brother is a flight attendant for American. Second, in my mind, there was no way that this was accident. How could a huge passenger plane be flying low enough to hit a building, head on, so far away from an airport? Not falling from the sky. Then, as I was on the phone with my eyes glued to the TV, I see the second plane it. The first words out of my mouth were "Oh. my God!!!" I actually yelled and Danny was on the road so he was not watching TV. So he was trying to figure out my hysterics.

I decided to go pick up the girls from school. Every other parent must have had the same thought. We all wanted our kids with us at that moment.

It was two days later when we finally heard from my brother. He was safe. Unfortunately, we also heard that a friend of ours who worked at the WTC was missing. Unfortunately, he lost his life that day. May God bless Pete & all those who perished.

Always Remember.

Security Camera

I have been wanting to install security cameras for a while now. Especially after waking up to this one morning about 2 years ago. We think that Danny was followed that day for the stupid rims. Anyhoo, today I watched from upstairs as the UPS guy came up my driveway, stopped short of my front porch and tossed my package! I was livid! This is the same guy who decided to walk all over our freshly poured concrete driveway that had yellow "caution do not cross" tape all around! Idiot! I want it on tape so that I can send it to their corporate office to show how brown delivers! Not that they'd care anyway.

I figured that I am not the only one who has this problem and I was right! Here's another:

Bank Account of Life

This is AWESOME....something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he manoeuvred his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." I said.
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it."

"It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. "

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing .

" Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Do you know how hard it is to juice a Key Lime???? HARD! They are sooo tiny! I wanted to may these yummy sounding cupcakes. The recipe was posted at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. I love to bake and they sounded easy enough. NOT! At least not for me. First, the juicing part then the filling part. So I just decided to frost without filling then serve with a dallop of the filling stuff.

So what has been going on in my oh so exiting life? Well, yesterday, Danny & I went to SUPER Target, Lowes, Costco & Sweet Tomatoes (Yum!). Exciting right?? Then Danny put up shelves in my craft room. Can I get an ooooohhhhh, aaahhhh!

I haven't had much to write about. Been getting last minute stuff for our trip. ELEVEN more days. Seems surreal! This is going to be the longest vacation that we have ever taken. Plus it's the longest time away from the girls. We will be gone for 20 days. I am regretting our decision to go away for so long. I know that they are not babies but I still worry.

Anyhoo, better get back to my list making. Although, inevitably, I will forget something!

One Tequila... Floor!

I know, it's supposed to be one tequila, two tequila, three tequila... Floor! But in my case, it's only one!! Sad but true. Danny & I went to Chevy's for dinner tonight. Excellent food by the way and I don't even like mexican food. The steak in the steak fajita was to die for! Anyhoo, back to the floor. I had one, yes one, Mango Margarita. Just so you know, I don't like tequila either. But the bartender assured me that I would like it and if not, she would make something else for me. I LOVED it. It was delicious. It was also frozen. I have a history with frozen drinks. I guess it numbs up my taste buds so I don't feel the alcohol while I'm drinking it. BUT, ten minutes after I finished it my ears and face felt hot and my eyes felt like they were about to burn right out of the sockets. Not at all impaired though. I can no longer hold my liquor!

This is from the queen of college quarters games! I'll still love my froo froo girly frozen drinks and will deal with the burning eyeballs later.

My Present!

Let me just say that I'm not a big car fanatic. I'm actually indifferent about the whole car thing actually. My motto is: As long as it gets me from oint A to Point B, I'm happy. But this was one car that I actually liked and mentioned it to Danny in passing. He took me to the dealer for a look see. And I fell in love. Next thing you know he decided to buy it. The kicker is that instead of getting rid of my MDX, he decided to get rid of his beloved truck! He had longed for a truck for a very long time. He finally bought it in 2005, but rarely uses it. Except to haul stuff every once in a while. Or move people's stuff. Because he was "the friend with a truck". But not only did he want me to have this car, I think he secretly likes it too. Maybe not so secretly. :) So now his big ol' Ram 1500 Hemi truck is for sale. Only 11K miles on it. Hopefully it sells soon.

Anyway, back to my present. So without further ado... here it is...

I love it! It's a VW Eos. I have never owned anything other than a Honda or an Acura. So this is a big change for me! I can't wait till the weather cools down a bit and I can leave the top down more often. It's just not gonna happen in this 100 degree weather! Kari calls it my midlife crisis car. Call it whatever you want. I'm a happy camper. I'm so over car seats and being taxi mom. I've spent 20 years w/ a four door sedan or suv. It was time for a change. It's still a 4 seater so we can all fit and go out together. Who knows, maybe the circle of life will have me back in a sedan when the grandkids come. But in the meantime, I will enjoy!

How about an IPod too!

Books and Shuffles & I-Pods! Oh My!

Camy Tang is hosting a terrific contest to win a bunch of cool prizez. Including but not limited to an 8 GB I Pod! Camy is the Author of Sushi for One which will be included in all the prize packs. So go check it out! If you enter, feel free to give me a little sumthin sumthin and use me(Lisseted) as a referral! Shameless plug, I know, but I need all the help I can get!

FREE Shoes!

I Love Shoes! I Love FREE shoes even more! I am hoping to win a pair to use on my "beloved" treadmill!

You too can have a chance to win by visiting both "I Should Be Folding Laundry" and her other blog "Tales from the Scales". The winner can choose ANY pair of shoes from the Ryka website. How cool is that???

But hurry! The giveaway will end on Wednesday, September 5th at 9:00 pm. CST.


If you end up not winning, starting September 5th, Ryka is giving away 30 pairs of shoes a day until October 16th. That's over 1200 pairs of shoes!

Good Luck!

Desperate Times, Call for Desperate Measures

I'm about to make a salad

on my head!

UPDATE:

Since I know that everyone is on the edge of their seats, waiting to find out how my hair did with the mayo, I decided to fill y'all in.

It wasn't as bad as I imagined. It was kind of gross just knowing that it's mayo. I added some vanilla extract to get rid of some of the smell.
Didn't want to walk around smelling like a bologna sandwich ya know??

Anyhoo, it definitely softened up my hair some but the perm is not going anywhere anytime soon. It also washed out quicker than I expected with no lingering smell. I might just have to try it again next week. Sure is cheaper than buying a ton of products!

Oh, and I got a HUGE present. But that deserves it's own special post since I am super excited!!!!!!

I really did it this time!!

my super intelligent self decided that I wanted a perm. Not really a perm, I wanted a body wave, big fat waves. I had visions of bouncy hair. Hair that I did not have to blow dry if I didn't want to . Well, that is not what I got. I got fried that looks horrendous! I should have known better. But I just went into it with blind faith.

I have conditioned my hair more than 3X since yesterday. I am about to pour canola oil on my hair, I am that desperate! People are probably making fun of my google searches for "How to fix a bad perm". I am not brave enough t post pictures right now. So I'll leave you with some images that make me feel waaaay better about my mistake!

Any suggestions for a quick fix aside from more chemicals???

Holy Highway Robbery Batman!

Kat started at the University on Moday. So far so good. Professors seem ok, for now. Today, she went to buy 2 books and a lab coat. Total? $364!!!!! No used books to be had. It's not enough that each semester is roughly about $2K. No wonder these poor kids are in debt way into their careers! Fortunately she decided to stay home and go to school here.

So now, I shall remove myself from my soapbox and move on to something else.

I think that I may have just converted Danny into a "shopper"! We went to JC Penney today and a bunch of stuff was green tagged 75% or more. He actually walked out with 3 freakin' huge bags full of clothes! Yea! This is from a man who literally lives in T-shirts. It drives me nuts. I have threatened to throw them all away. T-shirts and caps. Anyhoo, he paid less than $200 for it all. I ended up w/3 dresses and a bathing suit for $30! Of course the Men's dept. was loaded with stuff whereas the pickins were very slim for the ladies. So lets see about $800 worth of stuff for $200 and 2 books for $340. What's wrong with this picture????

Foot Frustration

I got this in my email and of course I did it, because I'm goofy like that. But... I must admit that I tried to fight it!


Try this... It's SO freaky.....

How smart is Your Right Foot?? It will amaze you! Just try this. This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot,
but, you can't. It's preprogrammed in your brain!

1. WITHOUT anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and while sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction, but this doesn't happen if you do it with your LEFT side!

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it!
You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

More Giveaways

Jenny at Mommin'It Up is celebrating her 30th Birthday in grand style! Reverse presents! Visit her blog for a chance to win presents at her virtual birthday party! Now if I could figure out a way to get a piece of birthday cake. I LOVE birthday cake!

And for all you mommies of little girl, Pinks & Blues Girls is also hosting a fab giveaway specifically geared towards little girls. Cuteness with a capital C!! Makes me want to shrink my big girls down to wee ones again! I'm not joining in on the fun here because of the aforementioned big girls :(

Don't forget that it's Flybaby's birthday too. More presents to be had there!

Presents!

Flybaby is turning one and he is giving away presents for each day of his birthday week! If you have little ones, there are really cute outfits to be won. Even if you don't have kids or have big kids like I do, there are a couple of prizes for you too! So head on over to his mommy's blog and help them celebrate the big 01!

Wanted: Motivation

I seem to have lost my motivation. Anyone seen it?
Lately I have been feeling blah! Tired all the time. I prefer to stay home instead of going out. Sometimes, I even forgo a trip to my beloved Target. I don't feel like blow drying my hair or even shaving my legs!

At least I do get up and get on the treadmill. But only for about 1/2 hour because I get bored. In high school, we used to have to run the mile every day. We were allowed to run the stretch and walk the curves. My lazy butt now runs curves and walks the stretches.

I need to get my act together. Pronto!

Road Rage

I hate driving, period. I have always said that if I ever win the lottery, the first thing I get will be a driver. I hate driving with all the idiots out there who wholeheartedly believe that they own the road!

I went shopping with Kat yeaterday. We hit rush hour traffic on the way home and were stopped at a light behind a line of cars. Kat was showing me something when I hear constant honking. I look to my left and this lady is passing by me makin all sorts of facial and manual gestures. Apparently she was upset that I was not close enough to the car ahead of me. She wanted to get into the turning lane so she rode on the median past several other cars before she got to me. The turning lane was backed up to my car actualy, but there was about a good 5ft b/w me and the car in front of me. Apparently she believed that if I got bumper to bumper with the car ahead of me she would be able to squeeze her car into an already full turn lane. I glanced at my mirror and I noticed that she actually passed people that were waiting their turn to get into the turning lane with their indicators on.

Sorry lady, but I don't ride on peoples bumpers. Obviously, you do and that is why your car is all crashed up. In any case, she was not able to turn on the light anyway. So when we drove by her I happily waved. I know, fuel to the fire. One day I'll probably get in trouble for it. But I couldn't help myself. The other day, this guy was passing cars, weaving in and out of traffic and it looked like he was about to smash into my rear so I merged right to try & get out of his way. Well, he happened to merge right at the same time and he got royally ticked. Quickly went back to the left and passed me, while giving me the finger. All of a sudden, I hear a siren and he is pulled over. You would not believe how happy that made me! I drove past him and waved!

Pachelbel Funny

Worth watching the entire 4 minutes. Hilarious!

Personal Invite

I am cordialy invited to attend. Just cause I'm special. This is to preview the MS collection. The same stuff that has been sold at the big red K for years. Now they want to sell it at a 100% mark-up. Who are they kidding????

America's Got Talent

Since I know that everyone gives a squat what I think, I figured that I would share my favorite on this show. This is who I am rooting for 100%! Be sure to sto my annoying song on the right. :)

In Search Of...

I am always tickled at what people search for that leads them to my blog. Usually amusing, sometimes down right scary!

Today, since I have nothing better to write about, I will share some with you. You're Welcome.

"Getting rid of frogs in the backyard"
Ok, I understand that one since I'm always complaing about the frogs. But then comes ...

"Is frog poop good for you?"
Huh? My guess would be NO! Yuck!

"Lissete Girl"
Yeah, that would be me... I am a girl.

Oh, and
"Who is the Queen of Target"
YES! You found me!

Then we have searches that involve a grammar lesson.
"Is Fantabulous a real word?"
Hell yeah! I've been using it since high school!

And while we are talking about high school...
"What are submarine races?"
Life lesson #1. There is no such thing! Think Inspiration Point.

"How much space to leave between when slow dancing?"
Who would ask such a thing? None. Zip. Nada. Those days are over! They actually ended around 6th grade ;)

"Chicken with huge butts"
Okay.... For some reason they were led to this post. Somone with a chicken fetish I suppose.

or this:
"Sexy Chimps"
Well if you're into chimps, I suppose that you would want a sexy one.

Since we are somewhat on the subject, how about the ones that are searching for porn??
"Fantasy with her hands" links here

"Diapered Chick"
I was commenting on that astronaut lady. Who would have thunk that that was porn?

"Men who like laxatives"
I guess I am quite naive about some things. I just don't get the sexual connotation. Anywho this is the post.

And finally, the one that scared the beejeesuz out of me. All the way from Dubai...
"How to get rid of Lissete"

Wordless Wednesday... I'm Melting!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no!

The good news is that the withdrawl headaches are gone! I have been clean for exactly 7 days. The cravings are also down and I have been drinking lots of water. Have I mentioned that I don't really like water? But that's what I have been having. Plain old filtered water from my tap. No add ins either. No lemon or CrystalLite. No bottled water either, because #1, I refuse to spend money on water (unless I'm out & have no choice) and #2 because you get tap water anyway!

Believe it or not, the purest best tasting water we ever had was in Martinique in the French Antilles. People were filling up bottles from a spring on the side of the road. Our driver pulled over to give us a taste. At first I was hesitant, I mean this was literally water that was spurting out from a pipe on the side of the road. For all I knew, it was a sewer line! Michele, our driver told us that the water came from the same spring that they bottled the water sold in their stores. We filled up our empty Zephyrhills bottles (probably tap too) & tried it. The water was crystal clear, crisp & refreshing. Plus I didn't have to pay $1 plus for a small bottle. Just some useless information for ya'll! :)

Back to my original post. The Diet Coke thing is going well. The diet thing is ok as well. Except for the 3 saboteurs in this house. I need to literally go away, alone, for a few months in order to lose weight. Something like the Bigget Loser, without my family tempting me all the time! Plus a personal trainer wouldn't hurt either. I just get sooo mad that they all, especially Danny, do not try to help. It's not as if he doesn't need too lose more than a few pounds himself! It's been a huge point of contention in this house for the past week. I have to go away when they sit down to dinner because my will power is zero. I have been having dinner by myself because they will not eat what I eat. And I can't be around what they eat.

Visit Hawaii....

Since I have been planning our Hawaii trip for almost a year, I have found many very helpful sites. I'm sure that I missed quite a few as well. My most recent find, thanks to Kailani, is Go Visit Hawaii. Even if you are not currently planning a trip, Sheila has a wealth of information that may be very helpful to you in the future. The best part is that she is hosting a contest and the prize includes yummy Hawaiian munchies. So head on over to Go Visit Hawaii, & check it out.

On a side note, my counter says 47 days till we leave. This year has flown by!

Don't forget to sign my guestbook at the bottom of the page if you haven't already done so.

$65 for Cotton Balls

I have absolutely no self control. I admit it. Made my daily Target run today. Just went in for cotton balls. Instead of just going straight to the cotton ball department, I stroll the entire freakin' store. Those red stickers were yelling at me to come look. "Hey, come look at me... I'm 75% off" They know that that is music to my ears. Toys were marked down, but fortunately, I don't have little ones anymore . But the heathens got me with the purses & the left over patio stuff.

At least I didn't forget to get my cotton balls.

Withdrawls

A few months ago I decided to kick my Diet Coke habit. I did really well for about 2 months. Then for some reason, I started up again. I don't remember why though. I do remember that the first few days were tough. The withdrawl headaches were intense.

I haven't had a Diet Coke since Sunday. For the past two days, my head feels like it is going to EXPLODE!! I know I need to cut back. I've been addicted since it first came out in 1983, my junior year of high school. But this is my coffee. I wake up with a Diet Coke. I feel like I literally need one at times. I guess this is my drug.

Anyone know where I can go for Diet Coke rehab???

Free TV!!!!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting another contest. hey are giving away an Insignia® 37" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV from Best Buy! This TV retails for over $700!! You can even use it as a PC monitor!! So head on over there for your chance to win!

Vegging Today!

I have spent the ENTIRE day in my jammies, in bed, on my laptop, watching a marathon of Bridezilla on TV! I LOVE it!

Let me back up a bit. Yesterday, we had friends & family over for yet another BBQ. Seems like we spend most of our lives feeding the masses. We had Danny's famous baby back ribs & my famous roasted potatoes w/ cheese and bacon. Yummo! By the time everyone left and I had picked up all the the mess & done the dishes, it was almost midnight. My body hurt and I just wanted to sleep. So I went to bed, popped 2 Benadryls and was out like a light!

The neighborhood dogs started going crazy at about 9AM. Literally non stop barking. My body kept telling me that it needed more sleep, so I tried to ignore the noise. At 10:30, I am startled wide awake by the doorbell. When I peek out, I realize the it's the J.Witnesses! I was so ticked! I was so tempted to open the door in my pj's but Danny held me back. I have had words with them before. After trying to be polite many times and not getting my message across, I once asked for their address so that Danny could visit them at his convenience when he was not on a call at work. I said that he could stop by around 3AM. So please do not come knocking on my door on a Sunday morning, invading my privacy. I can't stand that! This is my home! Leave me alone! Obviously, they started at 9 since that is when the dogs started going crazy. Shortly after they were at my front door, the storm rolled in. I hope they got drenched! Call me mean. I don't care. Do you all get those morning preachers?? How do you handle it?

Anyhoo, I haven't slept past 10 in a long time! I vaccumed & mopped the mess from yesterday, took a shower, put on fresh jammies and vegged! Pure joy! It rained all day, so I had an excuse for the lazyness!

Here is a picture from yesterday. My girls being all mean & not smiling pretty for the camera!

Drumroll please.........

This has been a fun week! I have visited a ton of fun blogs and entered some awesome contests. I have typed a gazillion comments and twice as many word verification thingys (since I always, for some reason get it wrong the first time). I have bookmarked many blogs that I would like to keep visiting as well. But quite frankly, I am ready for a little blog break! I'm sure that it will only last about a day or so though.

So without further ado, I will announce my winners!

Giveaway #1 for the Storyteller Photo Book Creator, the winner is Janelle. She is not a blogger, so I can't link to her.


Giveaway # 2 for the Scrapbook Organizing Book, the winner is Chris Reeder

Thank you all for visiting and joining in the fun. Special thanks goes to Random.org for making my life easier :) With 133 entries in one & 69 in the other, I really needed their help.

I will be emailing the winners shortly. If don't hear back from them by Monday, I will draw an alternate.

You've had a bad day, er, week...

Kat has not been having a very good week. She got into a fender bender yesterday. Fortunately, no one got hurt. I chuck it up to inexperience for the most part.

Today, she was let go from her job. She has only been there 3 weeks. When she interviewed, she told them right off the bat that she was starting at the university and taking full time credits. They hired her and said that would not be a problem. She signed up for early classes that would get her to work by 11:30AM on 3 days and by 10AM on the other 2 days. The office is open till 5:30PM. The way she explains it, it sounds like major office politics and drama. Apparently, some of the agents had refered another girl for the job and were upset that they did interview her before hiring. Huh?? They let another girlgo as well who had just started a few months ago for the same reason. Why hire them in the first place?? She turned down another offer in favor of this one. Now she has no job.

Two major learning experiences in one week. Poor kid.

Full House

So far there are 124 entries in my first giveaway. First of all, I didn't expect so many entries eriod. I also did not forsee so many freaking visits to my blog. Accrording to my counter doohickey, from Monday evening till right now, I have had 923 visitors. I'm normally happy to get 10 a day. So when this big open house party ends tomorrow, I hope that a few new friends will still visit. At least once in a while. Tune in tomorrow when I post the winners. Random.org is a great tool!

Just one more....

***This giveaway is now CLOSED.***

*** I will announce the winner by 5PM EST***

Since I got over 50 participants for my first giveaway, I decided to add another one. Same rules as the first one except this one I am opening up to International friends as well!! So, what am I giving away you ask?

This drawing will be for the Memory Makers book,
How to Organize Your Scrapbook Workspace: Storage Solutions for Any Budget

How's that for a long title?

Anyhoo, If you would like to be entered for this drawing, just comment on here. If you haven't entered my first giveaway, head on over there as well. Only one entry for each prize please.

The Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway is Here!!!

***This giveaway is now CLOSED.***

***I will announce the winner by 5PM EST***

Since I LOVE Giveaways & Prizes, I just could not pass this one up! Today is the first day of the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway! They already have 307 giveaways posted!! Holy moly! That is heaven for me. So in the spirit of the game, I am offering up a little prize of my own.

I am giving away a Storyteller Photo Book Creator retails for about $25. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post by Friday, July 27. I will draw a winner @ 5PM EST. That's it. Easy Peasy. Please be sure to leave a valid email so that I can contact you if you win. This contest is open to both bloggers & non-bloggers. But unfortunately, I can only ship to US addresses due to the high cost of shipping. Sorry :(

If you would like to participate in more giveaways head on over to Rocks in My Dryer and take a look at all the great giveaways. Fun!

** While you're here, please sign my guestbook at the bottom of the page**

Barbie is that you?

Growing up in the 70's I had a gazilion barbies. They all looked identical, mostly all blonde with a few brunettes. Pretty much wholesome looking except for the tini tiny waists and the big boobs. Oh, and they were all on their tippy toes! Unfortunately, that is what most of us aspired to look like. But aside from the perfect body idea, there was nothing wrong with Barbie. Really.

Today I saw a commercial for the new 2007 Barbie Top Model. Ok, I was not very happy with those gawd awful Bratz dolls. Now, Barbie has hopped on the bandwagon. I have seen little girls at the mall dressed like little Bratz. Make up & all. When I say little, I mean 7 or 8. No where near the age to wear make up and dress like that. So now, I should probably expect to see them dressed & made up like these Top Models!

They come with full make up & streaked hair. Plus you can make them walk just like Miss Hilton! Oh, joy! Barbie, what have you done to yourself????

Cry Baby

I took Kat, my freaking 18 year old, to the pediatrician today. She needed a check-up & her immunization record to register for FIU. So we sit in the waiting room full of babies & toddlers for a while. Then we are taken into a room to wait for the Dr. in total we waited for an hour and a half! Lucky for the doc, we like her. My girls like her. If it were up to them, they would go to her forever. in any case, I'm sure that I have commented on how much I hate making appointments yet not being seen anywhere near that time, so I won't go into that.

So while we are waiting you hear tons of screaming, hollering & crying. I jokingly ask her to please not cause a scene when the dr. sees her and act like a big girl. When the dr. walks in she does a quick check up and sends her to the lab, where they prick her finger. She then gets three shots and starts crying! Funny thing is, she never cried when she got shots when she was younger. Plus, she donates blood every 3 months or so. Go figure! She came out of there with 4 Elmo band-aids, but I have no proof because she would not let me take a picture!

Doing the Happy Dance

I haven't been blogging much. I have been making my daily Target runs since Saturday. Hunting down Patio stuff. I LOVE Target sales. I bought one new set @ 50% last week. But today my manic dedicated hunting paid off. I went in at about 9AM but patio stuff was still at 50. So I stroll around getting junk necessities and head towards the registers. Suddenly, I see a parade! A parade of flatbeds full of patio stuff rolling towards the registers with the store manager as the Grand Marshall. So I follow. The GM,was buying all the stuff!! So I ran back towards patio and it was all at 75%!!! And the best part..... I was the only one there!! I was in heaven. I got another set and a few other things. It's the little things that make me happy. I am still on a hunt for new cushions, but tomorrow is another day and I will be there bright and early.

I will post pictures soon.

They're Baaack!

The yucky frogs are back. We get a few months reprieve every year but then they come back in full force. Today I walk out and there were 3 floating in the pool. Danny has to scoop them out because I won't get near them. With my luck they are only playing dead, then they will jump out at me.

I am open for suggestions on how to get rid of them. Obviously the pool water kills them, but not all of them are stupid enough to jump in! "Oh, and I've heard it all before. "Don't try to rid yourself of the frogs. They eat the creepy crawlies" Blah, Blah, Blah! I don't need frogs to get rid of bugs. That's why I pay Orkin. I HATE frogs! I love my yard. I want to be able to enjoy it.

Kristyn Michelle

Today would have been my daughter's 16th birthday. Kristyn was my 3rd baby. She was a cutie patootie. She was a happy baby. She rarely cried and was usually smiling. My sweet baby girl was called to heaven too soon. She was only 4 month old. It was very unexpected. We lost her to SIDS. A piece of my heart is gone & I still miss her dearly! I will miss her till the day I die.

A CHILD OF MINE

I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine, God said
For you to love the while she lives
And mourn for when she’s dead.

It may be six or seven years,
Or forty-two or three.
But will you, till I call her back
Take care of her for me?


She’ll bring her charms to gladden you
And - should her stay be brief -
You’ll have her lovely memories
As a solace for your grief.


I cannot promise she will stay
For all from earth returns,
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.


I’ve looked the whole world over
In my search for teachers true.
And from all beings that crowd life’s land
I have chosen you.


Now, will you give her all your love?
Nor think the labor vain.
Nor hate me when I come to take
This lent child back again.


I fancied that I heard you say
“Dear Lord, Thy will be done.
For all the joys Thy child will bring
The risk of grief we’ll run.


We will shelter her with tenderness
We’ll love her while we may -
And for the happiness we have known
Forever grateful stay.


But should the angels come for her
Much sooner than we planned.
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try - to understand.”


~Author Unknown

It's getting hot in here!

So for all you whiners out there complaining about the heat where you live,

I just wanted to let you know that Miami has you all beat!

Although we are hot as hell, Danny insists on heading up to Orlando because his cousin is there from NY. What that means for us is going to jam packed theme park, sweating like pigs, and being among other cranky, sweaty pigs! The girls and I are so over theme parks but Danny is as I have always said, my third child. Looks like this one won't be growing up any time soon!

**Oh, and if you haven't already done so, please sign my guestbook at the bottom of the page. Thanks!**

Ouchies!

I went to the dr. yesterday for a check up. She loves to schedule me every 3 months or so, for fun. It's all about the billing! Anyhoo, I have not been in since October. I feel fine, plus I don't think I need to go so often. It's pointless. Even my cardio dr. says so. But I guess my primary dr. was mad that I hadn't been billed seen in so long, that she ordered labs done. So I go in today and they take out 5 freaking huge tubes of blood! I was not a happy camper!


To complete my day, I had an appointment with my dentist. Who, as I've probably mentioned before, is one of my best friends. He normally does not hurt me. He has a gentle touch. Today, it HURT! I don't know why. Maybe because I was missing so much blood??

The average adult has about five liters of blood living inside of their body, coursing through their vessels, delivering essential elements, and removing harmful wastes. Without blood, the human body would stop working.
Blood is the fluid of life, transporting oxygen from the lungs to body tissue and carbon dioxide from body tissue to the lungs. Blood is the fluid of growth, transporting nourishment from digestion and hormones from glands throughout the body. Blood is the fluid of health, transporting disease fighting substances to the tissue and waste to the kidneys.



I need to add that lack of blood must makes me cranky! He hurt me & I pinched him. Hard!


Note: It says that we have about 5 liters of blood. Five years ago I had a medical crisis where I bled for about 20 days. Mind you, this was one month after my heart attack. My above mentioned primary doc did not seem to think that there was a problem. On day 20, I could not sit up without passing out. I was really pale and my skin looked translucent. I went to the ER on the truck with flashing lights and was told that my hemoglobin was at 5. Normal is 12 I think. I needed transfusions but my veins were collapsed so they had to go through the jugular. My paramedic husband almost passed out at this point. In any case, I received about 7 pints of blood which equals roughly about 3 liters. So that means that I only had about 2 liters flowing through my body and my primary felt that I should go relax at the beach! I am very blessed that my heart continued chugging along even though there was not much there to pump. According to my cardio, that was the biggest stress test of my life.

Donate blood, I am a living to testament that it does save lives!

I'm a Bad Blogger

Everyone says that you should update your blog regularly. I haven't. Maybe it's because I haven't had anything to write about. Probably means that my life has been more boring than usual. I've been home most of the week. Not much going on. The girls have been busy though.

That's what I miss about being a mom to little ones. Although sometime it was quite hectic, there was never a dull moment. I was always busy & on the go. Now, they rarely need us unless it's for a ride. Athough as of today, Kat is a licensed driver! OMG! Although she is way past the legal driving age (she's 18) I'm still not ready for that! Go figure! Remember, I was the psycho mommy who had her kids in car seats till they were busting out. Then the boosters till they were about my size. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but not too much! I admit that I have always been quite over-protective of my kids. Oh, and riding in the front seat? Get out of here! That didn't happen till they were about 13 or more. I even had a dream once that Kat was driving, from the back seat!

I've come to the conclusion that I need to find friends my age! Now that my girls are abandoning me, I need other people to hang out with. Go to lunch, catch a movie, etc. I can't always count on Danny for that. Problem is, most people my age are not at stage in life that I am. The ones that I do know, have younger kids. Not teens/adults. Mabe there is a Match dot com for friends? LOL! I must sound so needy about now, I probably am!

Anyhoo, in other news, I know this girl who just startd taking that new diet pill Alli. She will be my guinea pig. See how it goes for her. I don't think that I like the thought of walking around pooping my pant! I want a magic pill! I want to take it one day, be thin the next, then go and eat my cupcake!

Remember to visit 5 minutes for Mom 's 4th of July Bash through the 4th. Pinks & Blues girls is also holding a Summer Bling contest, they are giving away Swarovski jewelry to one lucky winner!

Fourth of July Giveaway(s)

The girls over at 5 Minutes for Mom are having another great giveaway. Actually, several giveaways! It's a 4th of July Bash! From now until July 4th, they will be posting various contests. To enter the contests you just need to comment on each contest post and link back to them. Easy peasy! So be sure to visit every day and comment on each contest that you would like to enter.

WW- Wordless Wednesday

Click to Enlarge

Firefighter's Prayer

When I am called to duty,

Whenever flames may rage,

Give me strength to save a life

Whatever be its age.
Help me embrace a little child

Before it is too late

Or save an older person from

The horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert

And hear the weakest shout

And quickly and efficiently

Put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling

To give the best in me

To guard my every neighbor,

and protect his property.
And if according to Your will

I must answer death's last call

Bless with Your protecting hand

My family one and all.

I have had a very sad day today. The news from SC certainly hits home. A bunch of stuff starts running through my mind. I can only imagine what the families are going through. My thoughts & prayers are with each & every one of them.

Maybe I should build an Ark!

Yes, we needed the rain. Yes, we are in the midst of severe water restrictions. But for crissake, give us at least a tiny break! It has been raining every day for over a week. I don't mean a little sprinkling. I'm talking full blown, thunder & lightning monsoon type rain! I hate thunder. I also hate lightning. Our pool is over flowing & the yard is full of mud puddles. Fortunately the drainage system in our area is pretty good though, so flooding is minimal. At least for now. Along with the rain comes mosquitos & horrendous humidity once the storm passes. Yuck!

Here is a quick clip from my upstairs window.




Father's Day was a bust as we were stuck at home because I refused to drive around in the storm. But Danny was ok. We gave him full & total control of the remote. I hope all daddies enjoyed their day!

Throwback Thursday

The girls over at Pinks & Blues Girls have started posting Throwback Thursdays pictures. In their words, "to post old pictures that make us laugh, reminisce, and - let’s face it - recall some questionable fashion choices!"

I decided to post a couple this week because a) I came across a few pictures & b) Because they don't make me look that bad, yet I can still make fun of the others in the pic.

So without further ado...

Talk about throwback, this picture is circa 1970. This is me & my brother I was about 3 he was 2. Can my dress be any shorter??? For crissakes mom, what were you thinking?? You could probably see my ruffled undies from behind! And what about my brother? He looks like a little old man with his bow tie, matching socks & white shoes!!!

This second picture is only a year older. Around 1971. Looks like my skirt got a tad bit longer. I had those cool pom poms on the side of my socks. My poor brother still looks like a little old man, but he is rockin' those striped pants. And what about my mom? Don't you just love the psychadelic pant suit? I guess that the 70's had big hair too! That updo added about 5 inches to her vertically challenged body. That rusty swing set would tip over whenever we would swing too hard. We thought it was a riot and would jump off befor it fell!

Let me know if you post your Throwback pictures so that I can take a peek!

Oh, and while you are over at Pinks & Blues Girls, be sure to check out their new contests. They're giving away a Stroll-o-meter & a new pink Juicy Couture t-shirt. It sounds like a great prize for moms with little ones. I'll be sitting this one out, since I WON the last contest! (Insert evil laugh here)

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Double Digits!

I just realized that my countdown to our Hawaii trip has gotten down to double digits! 99 to be exact! Wow! Where has time gone?? I am so looking foward to this trip. Everything is booked including our inter-island flights. Which, by the way, I just realized that one of them is on a prop plane! I don't think I am quite ready for that! I may just book another flight and lose some $. Not sure yet. We'll see.

I think that my eyes are getting old. I was at the opthamologist about 5 months ago. Although I still have 20/20, he said to expect to need reading glasses by the time I'm 42. That's in less than 2 years. Well, I'm having trouble with small print. It is starting to look blurry. I mean, this happened from one day to another. I'm hoping that my eyes are just a tad bit tired. I don't want to wear glasses! I'll fight it every step of the way!

Shut The Front Door!!!! I Won!!!

I have just been notified that I won the Think Pink contest over at Pinks & Blues Girls blog! Oh My Gee! As I have mentioned a gazillion times before, I NEVER win anything! So now my girls & I can share the super cute summery Dooney & Bourke handbag & other goodies! Yahoo!

Head on over to Pinks & Blues Girls and take a look around if you haven't already done so. Check out my moment of glory for yourself! LOL! They have a nice blog and host awesome contests! While you are there wish Barry (their
dad/husband) a Happy Birthday!

Thank you Audrey, Jane & Sharon for hosting this contest!

My Simple Blog Story

I got this from Kailani, who got it from Chili of Don’t Try This At Home. Instead of a regular tag our it, it was turned into a group carnival. So why don't you join in. Write our blogging story then sign theMr. Linky here.

I'm jumping in a bit late in the game, but better late than never. Right????

Tell Your Blogging Story

How did you start blogging?
I honestly don't remember. I know that I read a few blogs and figures that this would be a great way to journal my days.


Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?
No, not at all. Like I said, I was just documenting my day to day life. Mainly for me. I'm so happ that I have made a few blog buddies in the process.

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
I never really had any goals, per se. My one goal was to keep up with the blog. With a few exceptions, I have done that. So I suppose that my goals have been met.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Not at all. It's still just about my own sometimes boring life. But it's my life and I like going back and seeing what I was doing & thinking on certain days. I LOVE contests & that is one thing that I have been sharing on my blog lately as well.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
I only wish that I had decided to start blogging earlier.

Do you make money with your blog?
Nope, don't know how to do that.


Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
Well, my daughter snoops around sometimes but not often. My husband knows about it but does not read. My mom is constantly lost in cyberspace. So I guess that the answer is yes to knowing about it & no to reading.


What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
I am a fairly new blogger. I have only been blogging for a little over a year. My only advice is JUST DO IT! I am totally clueless and through trial & error, I have gotten my blog into somewhat acceptable shape. I haven't changed much, since I don't remember how I did it in the first place. :)
Also, if you visit someone, just say hi and let them know that you are visiting their "home". Comments are quick and easy & brighten peoples days.

Don't forget to sign my new Guestbook at the bottom of the page!

I would love to see who visits.

Mouse for Dad?

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a Father's Day Contest. You all know how much I love contests! The winner of this contest will receive a Rocketfish™ Twister Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse. Danny will be especially happy with this cool prize. So head on over and enter for your chance to win. Don't worry, I don't mind the competition! :)

New toy! Please play!

I have a new toy! Something which once again, I stole from someone else! This time, the victim is doodlebugsmom.

Scroll down to the bottom & sign my guestbook. Just want to see who my blog buddies are! Whether it's your 1st visit or your 101st, please let me know you visit. Pretty please?

Borrowed (stolen) Meme

For lack of anything better to post, I decided to steal this from Valerie.

1. Elaborate on your avatar.

I don't think I have one. Or do I? Is it that little picture on my profile? If it is, then it's just me!

2.What's your current relationship status?

Married with children.

3. Ever have a near-death experience?

Depends what you call a near death experience. I don't think I saw dead people or a light or anything like that. BUT, I did crash after my cath to put stents in my heart. Internal bleeding & stuff. Got 3 pints of blood. Then 2 months later, I almost bled to death after being ignord by the dr. Got 8 pints of blood that time. Thank God for blood donors!

4. What is the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?

How to Save a Life, The Frey. I Must be missing my Grey's Anatomy!

5. Name a celebrity you would marry?

Today?

Patrick Dempsey

6. Who will cut and paste this meme first?

Not sure, maybe Mari?<br>

7. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?

When I was in college everyone said that I looked like Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles. Walk like an Egyptian.....

8. Do you wear a watch?

Nope

9. Do you have anything pierced?

Just my ears.

10. Do you have any tattoos?

Nope. Would never get one either.

11. Do you like pain?

Huh? Hell no! Who likes pain? Hence the reason for no tattoos!

12. Do you like to shop?

Uh, ... yeah!

13. The last thing you paid for with cash?

Can't remember.... I rarely use cash.

14. The last thing you paid for with credit card?

Groceries

15. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

Danny, he can't stand being away from me! LOL

16. What is on your desktop background?

My Girls

17. What was the last movie you watched?

The Painted Veil on DVD

18. What was the last book you read?

The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer

Yet Another Fab Contest!

Man oh man! These ladies are on a roll! Pinks & Blues Blog is having another contest for another FANTABULOUS prize that the girls & I can all share. Except for the size small panties though, my booty will not fit in those! So sad! Anhoo, head on over to their blog and check it out! While you are there, check out the rest of their blog and keep the doggy Bismarck in your prayers. Our Krystal was very much a part of our family and when she got sick, it was VERY hard on all of us.

Class of 2007

Well, Kat is officially a High School Graduate! She graduated Cum Laude with a Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction. We are ver proud of her!

The ceremony itself was as predicted. A zoo. Making matters worse was the weather. Torential rain & wind. The location where the ceremony was being held was horrid. We were not able to drive up to the front to be dropped off. We had to park 2 blocks away, and WALK in the pouring rain! Hair & make up on everyone was ruined. Our feet were muddy. We all looked like drowned rats! And we had umbrellas, imagine if we didn't!

They ask that you hold your applause an yelling till the last name is called. As a courtesy to other parents, that may not be able hear their child's name over the yelling. That doesn't stop anyone. There was yelling, hollering, stomping and even air horns. I did hear her name and actually was able to see her walk up to receive her diploma, so I was happy.

'Tis the Season

Hurricane Season that is. It starts today. I woke up to rain and it has not stopped. We just saw on the news that there already may be a sub tropical system out there. Oh joy! That is the number one reason that I hate living here. From now till November we will be "watching the tropics". we are supposd to have a real active season this year. I believe it too. Last year was pretty slow and according to the media, we are due for a big one. Not looking forward to this at all.

Graduation is tonight. Hopefully we won't get drenched!