And the winner is...

Kirsten said...
I want to learn how to surf!kirsten_dash(at)yahoo(dot)comThanks for the giveaway!
10:33 AM

I have emailled the winner. If I do not hear back from her by Tuesday, I will draw another name. Thanks to everyone who played.

Award. For me?

I forgot that sweet Melissa gave me an award the other day. The Arte & Pico Award. The site is in spanish & even I had a hard time but scroll down for english. Anyhoo,apparently, Melissa thinks that I have an artistic blog! Me. Jack of all trades, master of none! I hope she does not have second thoughts after seeing my last "creation" LOL!

I'm supposed to choose 5 other blogs to pass it on to, but I have to think about that and get back to it later.

Right now I have to get ready to go to my nephew's end of camp show. He is dancing in it. His witch with a capital B egg donor does not want to take him. So yes dear friends, it falls on my mom. Who by the way is tending to my stepdad who was finally released from the hospital. So we are going so that the poor child has his own little fan club. My brother has been trying to rearrange his flight schedule so that he gets in on time but it doesn't look like it's gonna happen. Betcha he'll be comin home with us tonight. After all, it's friday night. The nighclub will be hot tonight!

Pain in my... head!

I have been MIA practically the entire week. So many fab giveaways and I haven't actually entered as many as I would have liked. I had a migraine on Wednesday that worked it's way into Thursday. When I have a migraine, my eyes get really sensitive to light. The computer screen is not my friend. So I have been staying away.

Thursday was my fnal Course 1 class. Which means that I had to make my cake on Wednesday. In the midst of my pain. I learned something. Don't try to do anythin creative, say like baking and decorating a cake with a migraine. First of all, I screwed up one cake by adding 3 tbsp instead of 3 tsp of baking powder. I should know better, but that is not important right now. I then proceeded to drop my flour canister and the entire contents on my kitchen floor. I decided to quit and resorted to my old, faithful friend Duncan. Mr. Hines has helped me through several crises and I will always be grateful . It was then time for me to make the dreaded roses. After a few hours I finally had 7 carnations roses that would serve the purpose. I Filled my cake with pastry creme and fresh strawberries and proceeded to ice. The supid thing kept sliding and it looked lopsided but whatever. I was done. As always, I would not go to bed with a messy kitchen, so by the time I was done it was 2AM.

The next day, I go to the class to get yelled at a bit and get my certificate. My friend Maggie took the course in Georgia and she had told me that her instructor allowed them to be creative with their cakes as long as they used the techniques learned. Not my lady. Whatever. Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I signed up for course 2.

Bright side of it all? The cake. The pastry creme and the strawberies were amazing. So much so, that although the cake was ugly as sin, I was going to share a picture. I share the good and the bad you know. When I came down, Danny had already dug in. So this is all I have.

Just one more...

I just saw this on Tanyetta's blog and am just jumping on the bandwagon. Go visit My Wooden Spoon, not only are they giving away awesome prizes, but I LOVE the blog. Food & giveaways! What more can you ask for????

Today’s giveaway consists of 3 prizes which equals 3 winners! The 3 prizes are:

$300 Gift Certificate to Amazon
$100 Gift Card to Williams Sonoma
$50 cash via Paypal
PLUS there are other giveaway posts that I have yet to peruse. Hurry though, because they all end on the 31st!

I must be living under a rock

I just saw a commercial for Primetime. The Last Lecture, A Celebration of Life. Apparently, Randy Pausch passed away on the 25th. I never heard about it on the news. I truly admired him and his very inspirational message. I had been following his story for a while now and occasionally would visit his site for updates. May he rest in peace.

I do watch the news. Sometimes. Mainly it's full of drivel, with an occassional newsworthy piece. I really don't care about who's in rehab or was arrested for drunk driving. I don't care if Angelina is nursing or if Britney lost custody. Today I had to sit through about 5 minutes of Hulk Hogan's kid's birthday party in jail. Whoo Hoo! Now that is news.

Bloggy Giveaway Once Again

Comments Closed. I will choose a winner later tonight. Thanks for playing.

Once again, I totally forgot about the carnival! So as always, I am late! Since I really didn't plan for this, my prize is all spur of the moment. Not much though went into it and I'm making it easy on my lazy self! I will offer up a $20 GC to someplace. Not sure exactly where. I would jump on Target in a heartbeat since I LOVE that place, but maybe you don't share in my obsession. Or you don't have one nearby. I also considered a gas card. But 20 bucks won't even get you 5 gallons! So, as long as I can get it around here, it will be your choice.

All you need to do to win is comment on this post. Not just a pick me or I'm in though. I'll make you work for this. Nothing too hard. Plus where else can you possibly earn $20 for a minute of your time? So just comment here and let me know what's on your Bucket List. Easy Peasy. If the number chosen does not meet these terms, I will choose another one.

I will use Random.org to pick a weinerwinner on August 1st. You do not have to have a blog, but be sure to leave your name & contact info. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE. If the winner resides outside of the US, the prize will be $20US to Amazon.com.

Go and see what else is up for grabs at BloggyGiveaways.com. Ta Ta for now.

More Giveaways

Rainy days are spent online. Although, now it seems to be clearing up, so I'll make it quick.

Shake the Salt is launching off their site with a huge bash, which consists of over 40 giveaways! It's a month long event, so head on over and join the fun.

Mommy Daze is hosting a contest for a $25 GC to Soothing Rituals. I LOVE handcrafted soaps, so this one is a must for me! Go check them both out!

Laurie at One Day at a Time is hosting a giveaway for a Mary Kay Satin Hands Set. I personally love Satin hands and use it regurlarly.

So now let me get out there and enjoy some sunshine before the rain comes back!

Happy Sunday!

In a slump

I'm really slacking on my shopping lately. The price of gas is definitely putting a damper on my deals! Speaking of gas, why is it that the price of oil has been going down, yet we have yet to see it at the pump? Yet, the exact moment that it goes up, they are raising the price at the stations?

Remember this? Seems like this gas situation is not easin up the traffic congestion though. I took this picture today around noon.

Anyhoo, since I have not really been out much, hence the reason for my lack of blogging. I did make a Target, CVS & Michael's run today. Nothing too exiciting.

For those that don't know, September 27th is Museum Day sponsored by the Smithsonian Magazine. On this day, you get free admission to hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide. Just go here for paticipating venues. Free!

Oh, and what I am most excited about since I'm a fatty, is July 30th. This coming Wednesday is National Cheesecake Day! How awesomely delicious is that? The Cheesecake Factory, will be selling their cheesecake slices for $1.50! I'll take a slice of each variety thank you very much. Unfortunately, I can't, because they are limiting it to one slice per customer. Party poopers!

Hope ya'll have a good weekend.

A rose by any other name is....

A CARNATION!
They look like carnations. But I choose to call them roses!

Creepy Clowns

My 3rd cake decorating clas was last night.. The class learned how to make a rose. I didn't. This is going to turn out to be the bane of my cake decorating. The darn thing keeps fallin off the stupid nail before I'm done! To top it off, next week's cake requires several roses. I guess, I should start practicing. But needless to say, after that, I will probably not be making any more roses.

Anyhoo, the cake we had to make yesterday was a creepy clown cake. I'm not a big fan of clowns. I'm not afraid of them or anything, I just don't care for them. My clown looks like some creepy flasher sitting ther with his legs*wide*open. I decided to type that last sentence like that to hopefully prevent the clown*pervs from finding their way here.

So here is my creepy clown cake, can you tell that I only know how to make stars???

Rock Around the Clock!

There's a party going on! And as always, I'm a tad bit late. Anyhoo, Welcome! You can read about me in a nutshell here. Yeah, I did not go to BlogHer either. Quite frankly, I probably never will as my blog is not that kind of blog. This is a mish mash of stuff that goes on in my daily life. Not very interesting blog fodder, but that's what it is. So since this is supposed t be kept short, like me, let me offer you some of this awesome Pizza Dip & a drink before you hop along. Feel free to stop by later for a dip in the pool. I love making new friends.

Hot Pizza Dip

8 oz. package cream cheese softened

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 8 oz. can pizza sauce

2 tablespoons green pepper chopped

2 tablespoons green onions sliced

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine cream cheese and Italian seasonings , spread onto a 8" mini-baker.In a small bowl, combine mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle 1/2 on top of the cream cheese. Spread pizza sauce over the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with bell pepper and green onions.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. Serve with French bread or fresh vegetable dippers. I like to use toasted.panettones.

Hope to see ya'll back here soon!

Niagra Falls

I'm not talking about the actual Falls, one of the great "natural" wonders of the world. Although, I don't think it is actually listed as such. But that's not important right now. I am talking about me. About what a cry baby I am.

Let me explain. I was watching Terms of Endearment the other night. I have watched this movie a gazillion times. Each time, the floodgates open and the waterworks begin. I am such a sap!

I decided to compile a list of movies that have that effect on me, no matter how many times I watch them. Tis is what I came up with in no particular order:


Terms of Endearment
Ghost
The Notebook
Titanic
City of Angels
The Green Mile
Life is Beautiful
Beaches
Pay It Foward
Mask (the one with Cher)
The Champ
My Girl
and even...
Bicentennial Man, a movie about a Robot!

I'm sure that there are many more, but I just can't remember right now. Which movies have that effect on you? I bet I cried during those as well!

Cake!

I went to my 2nd cake decorating class yesterday. I had to haul all my crap plus a frosted cake. I am known as Queen of Desserts around here, but I don't know how to decorate cakes. Maybe that's why I usually stick to cupcakes and use my decorating gun. Back to the class, the instructor is an older lady that likes to scold the class as if we were in kindergarten. I just go with the flow. But when she wants everyones attention she yells "HElloooo!" And that just drives me batty! I stopped counting how many times she said that after I hit 20.

Anyhoo, she told us that we don't want crumbs when icing the the cake. My cake was full of crumbs, but I fixed it up a bit. For being my very first time it didn't come out that bad. I like my buttercream recipe way better, but for the class I make the Wilton recipe, not as tasty but the right texture. She did get mad at me for not finishing in class. But I just work way better on my own, and in my own space.

Kari took the cake to work to give to the kids. From what I hear, they'll eat anything. At least the cake is not going to waste. Or to my waist!

I need to work on my writing and on how to center correctly. Next class she will try to teach us how to make a rose! That should be interesting. Plus we will make a clown cake. I am not very fond of clowns, but again, it will go to the kids.

All in all the class, so far, is ok. I think that I do better at home or with a smaller class, but for the price, I can't complain. It only cost $17 but everything else is expensive. Fortunately, I already had most of the stuff, since I'm a stuff collector after all!

Stop Touching Me!

I am a tad bit claustrophobic. I hate crowds. I hate being in the middle of a crowd. Maybe it's because I am vertically challenged. I hate those holding rooms in Disney World. You know, the rooms that they pile all the sweaty, stinky tourists into until they open another section to board the ride or the actual show. Hate those. I can't breathe. My heart starts beating faster and I'm looking for the nearest exit. If an elevator has too many people in it, I will wait for the next one. That's probably one of the reasons that I hate to fly. So needless to say, the following videos give me the heevie jeevies.

Shhhhhhhhh

What ever happened to those Shhhhhhhhh signs that were all over the hospital? A picture of a nurse asking you to please be quiet. You would think that it is just cmmon sense and common courtesy. But it is not always that way. My step-father had to go to the hospital on Wednesday due to an infection on his foot. He is diabetic plus has a crapload of other things going on. The infection got to the bone, so they have to operate. He has been in a "semi"private room and my mom says that it has been a nightmare. His room mate has visitors all.the.time. The wife does not shut up and always wants to chit chat with my mom. If my mom closes the curtain, the lady comes around and opens it. My mom is not anti-social but my step-dad is trying to rest. On top of that, she says that it always sounds like a party in the hallway and that people get on their cell phones and yell, since I'm sure reception is not very good. Today, she says, there were 3 little girls playing hopscotch in the hall. When we were little, we were not even allowed to leave the lobby! And visitors were limited to 2 at a time!

I, unfortunately, am no stranger to hospital stays. But I have only had to share a room once. And once was enough! When I had my first baby, they put me in a room with another lady. The woman would moan and groan the entire night for no reason. She would buzz the nurse all the time. She would ask me to get her stuff because, get this, she just.had.a.baby! And I was there, why? Definitely not to be her personal servant. On top of that, her visitors were all pervs! I had the bed next to the door and whenever they walked in, they would ogle. Especially when I was nursing!

I'm going to visit him tomorrow. Maybe I should take a boombox!

No life

Apparently, spammers are not all bots. I thought that I was ok with just that annoying verification doohickey thingy for posting comments. I guess I was wrong. Since the title of my post was (whispers) da-ting myself, this person dcided to post a comment about online (whispers) da-ting. So, there you have it. They have no life. They will troll sites and sit there and enter comments, and word verifications and maybe, if they are like me, have to enter the word verification several times. For some reason, I never get it right th first time! I don't think I will have to moderate since I have a total about 5 readers, I will just have to whisper certain words! :)

I'm off to Target since I have no life either.

Dating myself again!

No, I don't mean dating as in going out with myself. I may not have a life but my husband does take me on dates. I mean showing my true age. I don't even remember what I was googling but I came upon this site. Man! Practically all my memories of childhood games came flooding back!


We didn't have Wii's and stuff back then. We played real games with real people. We used our imagination alot and sometimes made up our own games. We all owned a Spaldeen and our school had an endless supply as well. We also had similar soft rubber balls that were pink as well, only larger that we used for kickball, boxball, dodgeball and more! Oh, and tether ball! I LOVED tether ball!

It's funny how on their game roster they have a "game" called "running around". Basically, that really was somethng that we did all.the.time! Day in & day out. We were rarely inside the house. Unless it rained. Then we made up games for indoors. We used to play Queen chase King in school with erasers on top of our heads! Mother May I, Simon Says, Red Light Green Light. Fun times!

I also got a kick out of the games for little girls section. I was queen of hopscotch & jacks. I jumped rope but did not really rock at that! But the clap & rhyme games.... those were my favorite. Concen-tration, Rockin' Robin, Miss Susie & Miss Mary Mack. I found myself singing these the entire day today!

I'm sure that I'll remember some more since I'm on this memory lane kick. What games did you love as a kid????

Lazy Rainy Days

I have been lazy this entire weekend! We had my family over on the 4th for BBQ & Pool fun. Yeah, right. Pool fun lasted for about 1/2 hour. BBQ turned into George Foreman. Pool fun turned into Wii Fun and the mess ended up inside the house. Stupid rain. Total wash out!

We spent the entire day at home yesterday and we seem to be leaning towards the same for today. Bor-ing! So what's a girl to do? I'm on my laptop. Blog hopping. Downloading elements for my new hobby that I have yet to actually do much with, just like my paper hobby. Ebay, looking for an external storage to accomodate my new hobby which I'm not doing much with except collecting. Pretty much like the paper hobby too. Hmmmm...

Oh, and of course, I'm entering contests!
Over at Jackie's Thouhts, you have the opportunity to win a great package from the Sun Protection Zone. Living here in Miami, you know that sun protection is a must!

Run! Don't walk for your chance to win $100 GC to my home away fro home. Target! Be sure to let them know I sent ya!

Head on over to Go Workout Mom for a chance to win a $20 GC to Smoothie King. Yum!

That's it for now. I'll post more if I come across more.

Addicted

I am totally addicted to Wordle! It is past midnight and I am still playing on there.

Still Learning

I'm till trying to figure out this digital stuff. I can't figure out how to make my page load faster, so please bear with me while I play around with it some. I tried doing a layout as well. I kept it simple since I'm using Digital Image Pro as I still haven't sat down to figure out how to use Photoshop CS3. I was able to do my signature below, but now I don't remember how I did it! I'm going to have to write everything down!

For now, I'll share this layout. I know that you can print 12x12 but I think I'll stick to 8x8 since my printer does not have 12x12 capabilities.

I discovered Vicki's awesome blog. She shares her digikits with us for FREE! How amazingly generous is that? Since I'm not sure if I will be sticking with this, I'm all about free right now. Be sure to visit her blog and say hey! Plus I also click around her ads as much as I can, every little bit helps and it's the least I can do! For this layout I used her Beach Towel Papers & Elements and her Chloe Brads. Plus I used Kerri Erickson's Word Art which I picked up here.