Picking Furniture

I am still looking for furniture to put outside near the pool. I am leaning towards some type of restaurant tables; you know the ones that they always show on the side walks in front of trendy little cafes on television. I found a website called Contractfurniture.com where they have a huge selection for tables. They give you the option of choosing the base you want, and the top you want. This gives you hundreds of different possibilities. I, of course, loved the black metal bases with the gray and black speckled tops.

Now I just need to pick out the chairs I want to go with the tables.

The Secret

I think I found the secret to losing weight...not eating. With my mouth hurting so bad, I am hardly eating, and it shows on the scale. I would give anything right now for a yummy cheeseburger, but it hurts to much to open my mouth and chew.

Hopefully in a couple of days I will be back to normal. I'm a big girl...I need to eat!

How Do You Shop?

When you need to make a big purchase, what do you do? Let's say you need to buy a tent. Do you go to the first store you see and buy a tent, or do you shop around for the best deal? Do you do Comparison shopping to make sure you buy the tent that most fits your needs?

I am a planner. If I know we need something, I like to do a little research. I recently found a site called willyfogg.com, where they do the research for you. All you have to do is look up what you need, and they will show you that product, and then similar products so you can choose which one is best for you. I looked up camping equipment, and was quite impressed with the results that showed up. I now know exactly what I want, and where I can get it.

That's my kind of shopping.

Belated Father's Day Gift

The last week of school, Brandi brought home a gift for Junior for Father's Day. It was wrapped, so I had no idea what it was. She took it into her room, and hid it so Junior wouldn't see it until Father's Day.

Well, the big day comes, and Brandi is so upset because she forgot where she put his gift. I told her it had to be somewhere in her room, and she would find it. Yesterday, the girls and I cleaned their room, and guess what Brandi found?

How cute is this? It's a magnet, so it is proudly displayed on my fridge.
She put it on Kasi's headboard (which has a bookshelf) and forgot about it.

She was all smile when she gave it to her Daddy.

Treat Me Nicely

Do you know where to get cheap police boots? Try CHIEF. This is a company that puts their customers first. Their staff has been in position since the company started, and you can deal with the same representative for all of your needs. There are many ways to order; by phone, by mail, by fax, or online. They get you the best deal possible, and they treat you like the a person, not a number. I can tell you from personal experience that when someone in customer service speaks to me like they really care about what I need, and not like they are "dealing with me", I am more likely to return to them with my business. To me, it's all about the way a company treats it's customers.

Thursday Thirteen ~ 7/23

Thirteen Steps To Yummy Home Made Fried Cheese Won Tons

1. get all ingredients together...1 package cream cheese, fresh chives, sugar, won ton wrappers, and peanut oil.

2. mix together cream cheese, chives, and a little sugar, to taste. If you want them sweet, add a lot of sugar. I just put about 2 tbsp.

3. line up your won ton wrappers on the counter like I do.

4. add a small drop of the cream cheese mixture...if you add too much, you won't be able to close the wrapper.

5. using your finger, moisten two edges of the wrapper, and fold in half.

6. press edges together with a fork.

7. fold the two edges into the center, and moisten with more water.

8. place won tons on waxed paper.

9. heat peanut oil over medium heat...I have tried this with other oils, and peanut works best.

10. let the won tons take a bath in the hot oil.

11. flip them after about 2 minutes.

12. place on a paper towel to absorb the excess grease.

13. enjoy your yummy home made fried cheese won tons!~

To participate, go here.

New Bedding

I have noticed something about myself. Whenever I am looking for household things, from kitchen canisters to Bedding Sets, I always pick something black. Purple is my favorite color, and I tried to find bedding I liked that was purple, but I kept coming back to this black, gray, and white checkerboard. Isn't it beautiful? I would love to have this on my bed at home. I can picture the entire room in my head. There would be white walls, and gray carpet. The furniture would be a glossy black. Simple lamps with soft bulbs on the nightstands, perfect for reading before bed.

Now we just need to buy a house so I can have my dream bedroom.

More Fun With Playdough

I promised more pictures of the girls playdough masterpieces, so here you go.
They really like this people swimming theme, an they are making the cutest heads.
Check out the Mohawk on this little guy.

I think Brandi did this.
Yesterday they made an entire farm, but I didn't get a picture of that.
My camera battery died, and they didn't want to save it.
The farm quickly became a flower field.

My camera is ready today for whatever masterpiece they create.

Apartment Finding App For The iPhone

Sometimes I feel like I am the only person in the world who does not have an iPhone. In fact, I don't even have a regular cell phone. We had a couple last year, but when we moved, we had top have them turned off. I would love to get one for Junior, because he does so many side jobs, there are times I have no idea where he is.

My brother recently got an iPhone, and it is really cool. I love how you can put different types of applications on it. I have seen commercials lately about all kinds of companies developing apps for it.

I just heard about a pretty interesting app that I would love to try. You all know that our lease is up on the apartment, and we have decided to only sign for another six months. That means we need to start looking for a new place to live. We can download MyNewPlace in the iPhone app store for free, and search for rental properties on our phone. This app lets us search Nationwide for a new apartment, and we can narrow down our search based on what we are looking for. I would love to find a three bedroom with two bathrooms, and I can put that in the phone, along with the city and state, to find available apartments. This makes it so much easier to find the perfect place. When we moved last year, we just randomly drove around town, looking for "for rent" signs. Knowing exactly where to look would be so much easier.

You can find this app at http://www.mynewplace.com/iphone. They are a three time Business Week Best of the Web Winner, and they were the first to put Facebook Connect on their site so you can share the listings you like with your friends.

My mom might find this useful, too, because she is also looking to move. With more than six million apartments and rental homes nationwide, we are both likely to find the perfect place.

Fun With Playdough

I was cleaning out the girls closet this afternoon, and found a tote filled with playdough. It didn't take them long to start making things, and letting their imaginations get the best of them.

I love this! It's a mom and dad swimming in a round river (notice the orange bridge) with their baby relaxing on the center grass island. You can't really see it, but their is a blue duck swimming in the water in the lower right corner.

I have more pictures of their other creations coming soon.

It's Been A Few Days...

...and I have been busy! I needed to make a sign for my soon to be nephew, so I was working on that. I think it came out great! Now I just need to mail it up north to my sister.

I also made this for her. Years ago, I made these for everyone for Christmas, back when she only had two kids. It had both boys names on it, but she took it off her wall when Kevin was born, and I have never gotten around to making a new one for her.

I did this one yesterday, and instead of putting all the boys names, I just put "and the boys". I think it came out great! I love how the flowers look.

All three signs will be attached with wire, but I am going to send it to her undone, that way it fits better in the envelope. Jake's sign will also have ribbon or wire to hang on...I just haven't figured out which yet.

Now if only Colleen would find out what she is having, I can make a sign for her baby.

New Computer Chair

I need a new computer chair. I used to have a nice one, but the back broke off, and it was so uncomfortable to sit in. I was looking through new Office Chairs, and found one similar to this one. There was one big difference, though.

The chair I found was purple.

Junior says there is no way he will let me have a purple chair in the house, but you all know that I usually get what I want. Especially since I spend so much time online, and the chair was so comfy.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get it.

Enough Already!

How many different farm games can one person play?

I do farmtown, as you know.

I also do farmville, because it is similar to farmtown.

Now there is barn buddies and something else I can't remember, where you can steal other people's harvests.

I say enough already!

Please feel free to send me trees, just no more invites to the other farm games.

I think one addiction is bad enough.

Hello, All

I am still alive. I think this is the longest I have gone without posting here in a long time. I have been suffering through a pretty bad toothache, and think I am finally on the "getting better" side of things. The day before yesterday is kind of a blur, because I took a lortab. I am such a lightweight when it comes to medication, and half of one put me out for 12 hours, and then I only stayed up a few hours, then went back to bed and napped the rest of the day away. Now I have just been taking plain tylenol, and it's been okay. Hopefully by tomorrow I can make it through the day without taking anything.

Beauty Tips For Women

I love magazines. For the past few years, my father's wife has given my sister's and I a magazine subscription for Christmas. I love getting it in the mail every month. I have also recently discovered the joys of online magazines. Take Scrubs, for instance. This is a magazine geared towards nurses, but let me tell you, they have articles even us non nurses can enjoy. I just read a great article called "Wake Up Looking Younger", which listed tips for doing just that.

The first tip was to never wear makeup to bed. I have heard this before, and to be truthful, I love showering at night. there is nothing more comfortable than sliding a clean, warm, relaxed body into bed every night. At least there isn't in my opinion.

The second tip was to use a facial moisturizer. This is one thing that I do not do, but think I need to start doing. I want my skin to look as good as my moms does, and she has always used a face cream.

The third tip was surprising to me. Did you know that you should sleep on your back because sleeping face down or on your side can cause more wrinkles? This is one tip I know I can't follow. I always sleep on my side or tummy.

The fourth tip was something I never thought to do, and that's to brush your lips when brushing your teeth. After, make sure and apply a lip balm.

The last tip, and this is the one I know and follow, is to tweeze at night. Now, I don't do my eyebrows. I never have. I do, however, have these awful hairs on my chin that I constantly have to pluck. Plucking can cause redness, so doing it at night gives your skin a chance to heal while you sleep.

These tips can apply to every woman, not just nurses, because we all want to look our best. I read two other articles, too. One was about your nails, and the other was about makeup. I'm not going to share those tips with you here. If you want to know, go read the articles. Check out the magazine. I know you will enjoy it just as much as I do.

Camera Critters ~ Seven

I think it's been a while since I have posted an elephant picture.
I took this at our local zoo. Isn't he or she beautiful!
I love me some elephants!

To participate, go here.

Ryan's New Hobby

Ryan has decided that he wants to learn how to skateboard. I am hesitant, because I know how dangerous it can be. I did promise him that we would sit down together and look for longboard skateboards and safety equipment online, and that I would keep an open mind.

When I was a child, I remember going down a hill on my cousins skateboard and wiping out halfway down. I sprained my wrist, and never got back on a skateboard. I don't want to pass my fears to Ryan, but I want him to be careful. The best way I know to do that is to make sure he has all the safety equipment available. He will have on knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet before he puts even one foot on a skateboard.

Safety first!

Is It Christmas?

Ryan asked me before if it was Christmas? He's such a wise butt.

I baked another two loaves of banana bread this afternoon, and right now I have the peanut butter oatmeal bars in the oven. My house smells so good!

He does have a point, though. I never bake like this. It's just that I don't want all these bananas and zucchini to go bad.

Affordable Eyeglasses

I have been wearing glasses for years. This pair looks exactly like the ones I wear every day. The only difference between these eyeglasses and mine is the price. I paid over one hundred dollars for my glasses, and these only cost eight dollars. That's about a ninety dollar difference. I could have bought several pairs of glasses, and wear them according to my moods. Or I could have just bought the one pair, and saved the difference to do something special.

The glasses pictured are from ZenniOptical.com. They have so many different styles and colors of fashionable eyeglasses starting at eight dollars. I was browsing their site, and found so many cute pairs. They had a purple pair that I would love, but I think I might be a little too old to pull off that look. I also found a Christmas themed pair, and I would love to wear those around the holidays. In fact, I would love to have a different pair of glasses for every Holiday.

They also offer different types of lenses, like bifocals or progressive lenses. They have tinted sunglasses and sunsensor lenses. There are so many different options to chose from, you are sure to find something to match your taste and style.

Bread, Bread, And More Bread

I have been in a baking mood. I'm not sure if it's all the zucchini from my garden or what, but I have been baking bread since yesterday. I've made four loaves of zucchini bread, and two banana breads. I still have more bananas, and they need to be used soon, so I will probably bake again today. Brandi also mentioned baking some peanut butter oatmeal bars, but we'll see.

Car Repair

Most people want their car to be in perfect condition, inside and out. A well kept car shows that you have pride in your belongings, and that you like things neat. I have tried over and over to get Junior to keep our van clean, because it drives me crazy that he is such a slob. He does his side jobs out of the van, so there are always tools laying around that the kids have to step over. Luckily he likes keeping the outside clean, so most people never know how much of a slob he is.

We used to have this Camry, and about a month after we bought it, Junior had an accident. Instead of taking the car to an auto body shop irvine like most people would do, he had his friend help him do the repairs himself. We spent months driving around in a blue car with a black hood, fender, and door. I wish he had taken it to a collision repair expert. Maybe then it would have been put back to pre-accident condition.

Un~Crafty

I have not been doing too many crafty things lately. I think it's the season. I find myself doing more crafts when it's cold outside. I really need to make some wood signs, and that is actually something that is better done outside. I just need to go buy some wood.

I have a drawer full of Christmas decorations that need to be painted, and I'm thinking of letting the kids do some to give as Christmas gifts this year. I am saving them for a rainy day, though, when they are stuck in the house.

Getting Rid Of Dark Circles

I have not been getting enough sleep. When I started working from home about eight months ago, I easily fell into a routine. There were certain hours that I dedicated to work, and things were going great. It was when Junior's schedule was changed at work, and I was having to get up in the middle of night to get him up that my sleep started suffering. I would be up working until after midnight because I found it easier to work when the kids were in bed, and it felt like as soon as I fell asleep, the alarm was going off at 3:15 to get Junior up for work. I would fall back asleep, only to have the alarm go off again at 5:30 to get the kids up and ready for school. I would lay back down once they were safely on the bus, and sleep until 9. I think I was averaging about seven hours of broken sleep, which left me exhausted. I started getting dark circles under my eyes, and I was miserable. When the kids started summer vacation I thought I would be able to sleep better. It's nice not having to get up at 5:30 every day, but I still have to get Junior up at 3:15. Instead of setting the alarm, I just stay up that late, get him up, go to bed, and sleep until 10 or so. Even though this gives me seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, I am still tired most of the time. I still have circles under my eyes, and most days they look horrible. I have been looking at Eye Cream Reviews to try and find a product that will help with the circles under my eyes. I found a great site called EyeCreams.com where everyday people have submitted reviews of their experiences with certain products. I love this, because a company can claim their products can do almost anything, but the people who use it know exactly what these products can do. This site even has a blog, covering all aspects of eye creams. I read a few entries and found them fascinating. I feel confident that I will be able to find an eye cream that will do exactly what I need it to do.

Problem Solved

The plumbers showed up around 10 this morning. At first it was two guys. They looked at where it was leaking, asked for a piece of paper to write down the serial number, and said they would be back in a little while.

Two hours later, five guys showed up with a brand new water heater.

I guess they couldn't fix the problem. I am just happy I no longer have to leave towels all over the kitchen floor.

Kids Actors And Models

Do you have kids?

Has anyone ever told you that your child should model, or be in movies?

When Kasi was younger, someone signed her up to be seen by a modeling agency. To this day I have no idea who it was, and we never took her to the appointment. Junior and I decided that we wanted her to be old enough to decide if that was something she wanted to do. If she showed an interest in it, we would pursue it with her. We have broached the subject a time or two, but she hasn't shown any interest. Brandi, on the other hand, believes she was born to perform. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she will most likely name a profession where she can be on stage. I have looked into Acting For Kids, but am having a hard time deciding if I really want her to pursue it at this age. I know she would be wonderful, but do I want her to grow up in that industry?

I'm not sure.

I think I might talk my sister into entering my nephew in the Baby Photo Contest. There is not a doubt in my mind that he would win. A friend of hers already uses his imagine to advertise his photography business. She would just need to brush up on Child Actor Laws before she makes any decisions. Maybe she could just get him some modeling jobs. he sure does have the smile for it.

Tea

In New York, tea is a beverage served hot.

In South Carolina, tea is what us Northerners call iced tea.

I hate tea, no matter what you call it.

My first job down south was working at Hardee's. The first time someone asked for tea, I served them hot water and a tea bag. As you can imagine, the jokes started immediately, and I never lived that down.

My husband has recently showed my son how to make tea at home, and I can not stand the smell. Ryan makes it every night, and every night I sit here trying not to gag.

Why can't they like lemonade?

ADT Home Security

As most of you know, I live in South Carolina. Last week, a nearby town was terrorized by a serial killer. This person, and it pains me to call him that because in my opinion he was a monster, killed five innocent people. He had no preference. One of his victims was fifteen, and another was eighty three. I live very close to this town, and my daughter was terrified. She is a worrier to begin with, and all the news coverage was giving her nightmares. We spent a lot of time indoors this past week, with our doors locked. I can tell you, that was not a fun way to live. Luckily, the murderer was identified after he was shot and killed by the police.

This whole thing has got me thinking about my family's safety. I want to have a security system installed. I want to go with a company with a great reputation, and Junior suggested we go with a d t. They are America's #1 home security provider, and they protect all federal courthouses nationwide. They are so popular, they install more than eighty systems an hour. Once installed, your house is monitored twenty four hours a day. I know I will sleep better knowing someone is watching over my family.

Leaking Water Heater

Junior called again today to tell the management company about our leaking water heater. He had to leave a message. It has gotten so bad that we had to turn it off. I can finally see where it is leaking from...it's not the bottom that's leaking...it's a panel on the side. Junior took it off to see what the problem was, and he doesn't think it's something fixable. He believes we need a new water heater. I'm hoping the plumber comes some time today, but who knows. They still haven't been out to look at my bathtub faucet.

Remote Computer Access

I am not smart about computer things. I have a tendency to load up my computer with useless garbage that ultimately makes it run really slow and crash quite often. Luckily I have a brother who is a computer wizard. The only problem is that he lives an hour away. Back in November, I decided to install a new program that was supposed to scan for viruses. As usual, I did something wrong, and deleted all the other anti virus programs on my computer, as well as everything else that protects my computer from bad things. The horrible part was that I didn't realize I did anything wrong until a sneaky little virus kept telling me to download a certain program every time I opened a new page while online. I called my brother, and he told me where to go online to find the steps I needed to take to remove the virus. I remember the first step being that I had to find some hidden file, but it wasn't where they told me to look. I called my brother back, and he said he would need to look on my computer, so he had me download another program. At the time, I had no idea what it would do. After it was fully loaded, my brother took control of my computer from his house. I was floored! Turns out he had me download remote desktop software, which allowed him to log into my computer from his, at his house, an hour away. It was really neat watching him work, even though my computer was so messed up he couldn't fix it that night. He ended up having to take it from me and rebuild it from scratch. Since then, I have been very careful, and, knock on wood, haven't had any major problems.

The day my brother gave me back my computer, he had me download the software again so he could get on here whenever I have any problems. He taught me how to make sure the connection is secure, and that no one gets on here without my permission. The remote desktop software from Proxy Networks has 256-bit encryption, which is the highest in its class. They focus on security, so you know exactly who has access to your computer. I, personally, love knowing that one phone call can have my brother crawling around this computer, fixing all my screw ups.

Because lets face it, I have a tendency to screw up often.

Baby Blanket

Remember this blanket? I started it when I found out my older sister was pregnant, because I was convinced she was having a girl. When she found out the baby was a boy, I set it aside.

Sunday I was bored, so I pulled it back out and decided to finish it. My youngest sister, who is also pregnant, may have a girl, and I want it to be ready if she does. She didn't find out the sex at her ultrasound because they want to be surprised.

I really want her to have a girl but I think, by the way she is carrying, that she is also having a boy. If so, this blanket will be put away until someone has a girl.

Walking Away

It was a year ago this month that we moved into this apartment. By moving, we walked away from all the anger and hate, and started a new life. In this past year, we have gotten closer as a family. Junior is more relaxed and has learned how to manage his stress. We do more things together, and we have never been happier.

There are things I miss about our old house, though. I miss the four bedrooms, and everyone having their own space. I miss our big yard, and mowing the grass. I miss my little work space in the basement, and the pool table we had there. I miss doing all the home improvements. We didn't hire Kansas City remodeling to do the work; Junior and I did it all ourselves. We decorated each bedroom the way the kids wanted. We made that house a home, and sometimes I miss that.

But once I remember all the strings and manipulation that went with living there, I don't miss it anymore. We may be cramped in this apartment, and we may not have our own bedrooms anymore, but what we do have is happiness.

And you can't put a price on happiness.

Another Blog Award

The lovely Swapna from Crafts and Cooking passed this award on to me.

I am supposed to pass it along as well, but am going to do something a little different.

If you came here via entrecard today, and drop on this blog, take this award as a token of my appreciation.

If you stopped by just because you love me, take this award, because you know I love you back.

Thanks again, Swapna, for thinking of me.

Orlando Inflatable Bounce House Rentals

My father had his 60th birthday party at an ice skating rink/inflatables center. The older grandchildren had a great time ice skating, while the younger grandchildren bounced on the inflatables. It was Ryan and Kasi's first time skating, and they caught on pretty quickly. Brandi put one skate on the ice and freaked out, so I spent the rest of the party with her on the inflatables. She had so much fun, and has been begging me ever since to have inflatables at her birthday in December. The only problem is that the weather is very unpredictable, and it could be too cold to be outside. I wish we lived in Florida, because then we could take advantage of Orlando Bounce House Rentals. They have this Rain Day Guarantee, where if the weather is unfavorable the day of your party, Orlando inflatable bounce house rentals will arrange for you to have your party indoor at one of their Monkey Joe's locations. Maybe I will just save myself the headache of worrying about the weather and look into having her party at Monkey Joe's instead of at our house. The only problem is that her birthday is so close to Christmas, and money is tight that time of year. I guess I need to start putting money aside now.

Beauty

This is one of my favorite pictures from last weekend. Brandi is watching the fireworks, totally unaware that her picture was being taken. Her hair is a mess because she had been swimming all day, and there is no forced smile on her face.

I can not take credit for this picture...Missy took it. She took a lot more, and you can see them on my picture blog. There are great shots of all the kids.

Toaster Ovens

When Junior and I got married fourteen years ago, we bought a toaster oven for the kitchen. I didn't really know how to cook back then, so we used it a lot the first few years we were married. The oven went through a lot. Junior set it on fire more times than I can count, and by the end, it never got as hot as it used to. About two years ago, we decided it needed to be replaced. We looked at other small toaster ovens but finally decided on a bigger one that had a convection cooking option. We didn't throw out our other toaster oven. We put it up in the attic, just in case we need it again someday.

Repeat Weekend

There was nothing on television this weekend. Harper's Island and True Blood were repeats. I did watch Army Wives and The Next Food Network Star because those were new. Have you guys seen the new show Hung on HBO? They had the pilot on last Sunday, and then played it again last night.

Basically, it is about a teacher who decides to make some extra money by selling himself to women. The pilot was pretty good, setting up the storyline. I was disappointed last night when they showed it again...I wanted to see something new.

I also watched the 6th episode of Nurse Jackie, and I am addicted. I love, love, love the characters in this show. I love that my cable company lets we watch episodes before they air.

I am really looking forward to this Saturday...the two hour finale of Harper's Island. Who will be left alive????

Termites

There is nothing worse than finding out your house is infested with termites. The first house my mom was looking at had termite damage on the shed steps. The house itself was okay. Just to be safe, she checked out orange oil termite control to see what her options would be dealing with the termites. In the end, it didn't matter because she didn't buy the house. There were too many other things wrong with it.

Bad Movies

Kasi and I have been watching movies together. She likes scary movies, so we have been watching all the scary movies we can find. The last two we watched were horrible.
Now, I love a good scary movie, too. But there is a fine line between a good, bloody gory movie, and stupidity. I think I watched this movie, Valentine, alone, because it has Denise Richards in it, and she has a tendency to get naked. I was surprised to see Katherine Heigl in it. I love her, but they killed her off in the first five minutes, which was disappointing. (don't worry...I didn't give anything away with that). I don't know how I made it through the whole movie, because the acting was horrific. If I never see another movie with Denise Richards I will die happy girl. No one got naked, so I told Kasi she could watch it if she wanted to, but that it wasn't worth her time. She chose not to watch.

Smart girl.
We watched Midnight Movie together, and this one was okay. I did know any of the actors in it, although the "leading lady" Rebekah Brandes, looked familiar. The premise of the movie is that the killer of an old black and white film comes out of the screen to kill people. It was an idea we hadn't seen before, so it was interesting in that effect. There were a couple of adult moments that Kasi didn't seem to pick up on, but I wouldn't recommend this to movie for kids. Had I watched it first, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to see it.

Good parenting, huh?

Looking For Furniture

I am so tired. The past three days have been busy ones, and I just want to crash. I want to crawl in my bed and sleep for about thirty hours. I know that's impossible, especially since I share my bed with a seven year old. Junior and I have been looking at bedroom furniture, trying to find something that will work better for us, maybe bunk beds or something. I need to get Brandi into her own bed soon, because she is getting big enough that she thinks she owns the bed. I spend half the night removing her knees from my kidneys.

While we were looking for beds, we also found some cute Bathroom vanities. There is no point in us buying one, though, because the landlord would never approve of us putting in a new one, especially since we would expect them to pay for it. The one we have now is so small, the kids keep their things on the toilet tank. I wish we could change that, but we'll just have to make due until we move to some place bigger.

We were also looking at outdoor furniture because I want a lounge chair for by the pool, that way while the kids swim I can relax with a good book. At least we would be able to take that with us when we move.

Bride Wars

I finally sat with the girls today and watched Bride Wars. Let me start by saying I love both Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. I didn't love this movie, though. I hated Kate's hair in this...I think it was the bangs. There weren't that many funny moments, in my opinion. It felt like I kept waiting for the real funny stuff, and it never showed up. I was disappointed, because i was really looking forward to watching this. There was, however, the message about how your true friends will forgive anything, and always be there for you...blah, blah, blah.

I was looking for funny, and I didn't find it here.

My Joys Of Pregnancy

I have three children. I remember when I was pregnant the first time, almost fourteen years ago, I read every book about pregnancy I could get my hands on. My mother was constantly offering advice, and I wish I had listened, especially when she told me how hard it was to lose baby weight. I gained so much weight with Ryan, and I am still carrying it around. I should blame that my lack of exercising and the fact that I love food, but that's besides the point. It was when I was pregnant with Brandi, my youngest, that I first realized pregnancy could cause Bladder Control Problems. Most women experience this towards the end of pregnancy, whenever they laugh or sneeze. I wasn't that lucky. I would wet myself just walking. I remember one time getting out of the shower, and I thought my water had broke. Turned out I had just peed on myself. That was an embarrassing call to the doctor, I can tell you that. I never got to the point where I needed an external catheter though, which was a good thing. I was having enough problems. I got so big with her, that I would lose my balance and fall. The first time it happened, we were pumpkin picking, and I just fell over. I scared the snot out of Junior. The last time it happened, right before Brandi was born, he didn't even bat an eyelash. He just helped me up, and laughed at me. In fairness, I was laughing, too. When I told my OB, she said I shouldn't walk unless someone was walking beside me. Brandi ended up weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces at birth, and I was so happy to be able to walk alone, without peeing on myself. I'm telling you; it's the little things in life that make me happy.

Sparklers

Junior bought the kids some sparklers to play with tonight. They had a ball! At first, Brandi was a little scared, but soon enough she was out there with Ryan and Kasi, twirling them around, having so much fun. Kasi started a small grass fire with one of hers, which didn't surprise us in the least. I have all the pictures posted on my picture blog. Go ahead, you know you want to see them.

Putting In An Offer

Remember when I told you about the house my mom was looking at that had the in ground pool and the workshop out back? Turns out that it hasn't sold yet, so my mom's realtor is going to see about putting in an offer. Of course, it would be contingent on the home inspection. This is such an important step, and should be done by a company who has the buyers interests as their priority. New Jersey Home Inspectors do not work for the banks or the realtors. They work for the buyer, and give an honest report of what needs to be fixed in a home. The last house my mom put an offer in on, she ended up getting out of it due to all the problems the home inspector found. I hope this house has less problems, or even no problems at all, and she is able to get it. I hate seeing her get her hopes up, just to be disappointed again.

Are You Kidding Me?

Last week, the page rank on this blog went from a 3 to a n/a. At that point, I decided it was the perfect time to switch to a dot com, because doing so would drop my page rank anyway.

So what do you think happened this morning?

I went to ppp, checking opps, and one of the ones I qualified for said "PR3".

WHAT?

Sure enough, google gave this blog back it's page rank, but under the blogspot url. The dot com is still n/a, ppp just hasn't switched it over yet.

Is there a way that I can contact google and have them switch the PR to this url, since the blog content itself has not changed? Would they do that?

Working The Fields

Junior has been busy working for Del, his ex-father-in-law. This is the same man who is trying to open up a produce stand/flower store. In the past, he has gone to the farmers market and bought produce to sell. This year, he decided to grow his own produce. He has hundreds of tomato, okra, cantaloupe, and watermelon plants in the ground in a field behind his mother-in-laws house. He asked Junior a few weeks ago to help him set up an irrigation system, but he didn't want to buy one. He wanted Junior to figure out how to make one from scratch. Luckily Junior is good at that kind of thing. Well, he is good at a lot of things. He could work for San Francisco general contractors. He has a knack for figuring out how something should be done, and then he can do it. Just like that. He doesn't have to write out a plan. He amazes me sometimes doing that.

Anyway, once the produce starts coming in, Junior will be in charge of running the produce stand. Del tried to get me to do it, but I said no. I have too many other things going on right now.

Like sitting in the sun, enjoying a good book, or watching the kids swim and have fun in the pool. T

Camera Critters ~ Six

Here kitty kitty....

How sweet is this little one?
I think he's absolutely adorable.
I say he, but it could be a she.
I didn;t get close enough to tell...there were bars in the way!

To participate, go here.

Book Deals

The easiest way to save money is to use coupons. I try very hard not to buy anything unless I have a coupon for it, or it is on sale. In my opinion, some things, like books, are overpriced. I love to read, and when my favorite author comes out with a new book, I am desperate to have it. I know I could save money by going to the library, but I love owning books. I have several bookcases overflowing with my books. There are only a few that I paid full price for. I like a1books online, and go there to save money. My latest find was the new James Patterson book, Swimsuit. I should be getting it in the mail any day now, and I got it for a steal. I hear it's a really good book.

If I disappear for a few days, it's because I am reading it.

Got Some Cooking To Do

I have so much to do to get ready for tomorrow, yet here I sit. I have to make pasta salad, wrap the corn on the cob, clean my nasty house, rearrange the crap in my yard so we can all hang out by the pool tomorrow, set up both gazebo tents, and hopefully make a zucchini bread, Some stuff I can't do until tomorrow, but I want to get most of it done tonight. It's a good thing we stay up late around here. Ryan has been staying up until about 3:30-4am and then sleeping until noon, 1pm the next day. I don't mind, because I enjoy the quiet in the mornings while I try and get some work done.

I guess I need to get up from here.

Offeretti

I am loving Offeretti - Offers, Deals, Coupons, Savings, Specials. You sign in by connecting to your Facebook profile, and then search for all kinds of savings. We have a fresh market, and I was able to see all of their sales. I also found a coupon for lunch at a local pizza place, and all kinds of other things. I can even post my finds on Facebook so others can share in the savings. I have a feeling I will be checking in with them before we go out to eat again.

Cookout Tomorrow And A Serial Killer

Do you have big plans for the 4th?

We're having a few people over tomorrow. We're going to hang out, let the kids swim, eat some good food, and then go watch a big firework display.

I don't know what we're doing on Saturday. I know Junior would love to get some hash. We were going to go fishing, but we haven't gotten this years licenses yet. Oh, and there have been three murders about two miles from where we go, and I'm not too keen on going there while they are hunting a serial killer.

That's right, we have a serial killer who is targeting women. Scary, right? I hope they catch this guy soon. The good news is that they have a sketch of him, because the first murder had a witness. Not to the murder, but the woman saw the man in her home, speaking to her husband about some hay. She left for a while, and when she got back, her husband was dead. Then yesterday, two more women, a mother and daughter, were bound and killed in their home. They had a hay for sale sign in front of their house. You can read about it here.

I don't think I'll be putting out any signs in front of our house.

Making Payments

I pay the bills every month, and keep track of the checking account. Junior used to do it, but in the last year, it has fallen on me somehow. I don't mind, I'm just not that organized yet. Every month, I forget to pay our car insurance. We haven't lapsed, yet, but regularly pay on the last day possible. I need to set up a calender or something with all the bills marked on it. I may need to look into Premium Finance if I can't get my act together. They make sure your premiums are paid every month by deducting them directly out of your bank account. This could make my life a whole lot easier.

I'm Now A Dot Com!

For those of you who link to this blog, I am now a dot com.

It's www.jennsbeautifulcreations.com.

A new URL to go with the new look.

I want to thank Anna for helping me make the transition.

She is the BOMB!!!!