My Junk Drawer

A Cat Named Rufus

2009-11-08T23:29:00.000-05:00

Way back before my son was born we had a cat named Rufus. Rufus was the meanest cat you've ever seen. Rufus wasn't a pampered cat that wore cute cat clothes and costumes like Daisy The Curly Cat.

A Boy Named Sue For Music Monday

2009-11-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

While I have a very diverse range of music likes, hubby has only a few loves, but they are worlds apart. For instance he loves Metallica, U2 and... old country, especially Johnny Cash. On our way to our favorite camping spot last week we listened to Johnny's many, many hits. This one is probably very well known, but it still makes me laugh every time I hear it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Lyrics | Johnny Cash lyrics - A Boy Named Sue lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

I Want To Retire... Any Chance Of It Happening Soon?

2009-11-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

We received our latest 401(k) statement last week and I almost did a dance. The amount actually went up this quarter! I had to laugh when I told hubby though, because it still isn't up to where it was less than two years ago. (It's either laugh or cry!)

I believe in the importance of saving for retirement. I sure don't want to work forever. But what is the perfect way to do that? I'm not sure I'm the one to ask. I know one of my clients buys and sells stocks constantly. He's the type to read all the reports and really knows what he's doing. I also know that gold is near an all time high and gold is something that seems to hardly ever lose value. Even in ancient history there was great value put upon gold coins. (The first real gold coins were made in the 6th century BC in Lydia.) So, it's easy to see why it might be a good investment.

In fact, (and this makes me ill thinking about it) if you had purchased $25,000 of gold bullion coins in the early 70’s and held on to it you could sell that gold today for almost $525K!

Are you wondering what in the world a bullion coin is? According to Wikipedia it's "a coin struck from precious metal and kept as a store of value or an investment, rather than used in day-to-day commerce." They come in different weights and as an added bonus are usually of limited quantity and are quite nice looking, such as the #1 gold coin choice which is the Gold American Eagle which captures a bald eagle swooping into a nest holding its family - this scene is meant to symbolize many classic American concepts.

I guess I really just need a Retirement Investing For Dummies book! A step-by-step guide to getting out of the daily grind as soon as possible! Anyone want to write it for me?

Candles For A Cure Is A Huge Success!

2009-11-06T08:07:00.001-05:00

I was hoping to post about Scent-Sations (Mia Bella's) Candle For A Cure last month, but with all my vacations (2 camping trips and a trip to Florida) I never found the time. So, now I'll tell you what a success the program was, and how you can still help.

Last month in response to breast cancer awareness month Mia Bella released the Hope candle. A candle created especially for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure to breast cancer. The 16oz pink jar candle is perfumed with high-end designer fragrances, and for each candle sold, Scent-Sations decided to donate $10.00 to the Foundation with an initial goal of $5000!

Did they meet the goal? With flying colors! The check presented to the Foundation a few days ago was for $15,190.00!

The great news is that the Fundraiser is not over! You still have a chance to help. Just purchase a Hope candle and a portion of the proceeds will be sent the following month to the Foundation. You get an incredible smelling and burning natural wax candle, and we all get closer to a cure!

Click Here to get your Candles For A Cure.

My Ramblings About Car Safety And Insurance Prices

2009-11-05T00:18:00.000-05:00

If only all cars were made so that you could survive a crash like the one Ryan Newman lived through at the NASCAR race on Sunday. His car skidded on it's hood for the longest time and then rolled sideways and landed hard, back on it's hood. Street cars aren't designed for that kind of impact.

Kentucky has a series of signs throughout the state that according to their website, "provide timely information to motorists of any upcoming incidents and estimated delay times." On our way home from our Florida trip the signs read "616 people have died on Kentucky highways this year." I told my husband I didn't want to be number 617. Fortunately I wasn't, but two days later it read 619 which meant in two days three people died in car wrecks.

Then yesterday hubby decides he could be using less gas by driving our old car - the one we had given to our son before he bought a car with less miles on it a couple months ago. However, it's not insured any more. So we call Progressive, (Who I love by-the-way. They were amazing when my Jeep burned last year. It burned on a Friday evening and on Monday afternoon they were at my house with a check!) and ask for insurance quotes on adding yet another car. This will be number four. Four cars, three people, one of which is a male under 25.

It's less than $50 a month, so we add it for now. We'll monitor it and see if we would save that much on gas in a month by using the car verses the truck. If not we'll drop it again. It's nice to know that we have a backup car if one of ours decides not to start one morning, but what's odd is that it costs more per year to insure it than the one my son is driving daily - and that car is a year older. I'm told it's because the one he's driving has a better safety rating. That makes me feel better for him, (since I can't put him in a car with roll bars) but now I have to worry about hubby. Hopefully he can keep it from rolling end-over-end!

Favorite Photos - Fur Babies, A Chipmunk And Why Won't The Crossword Puzzle Burn? - Blog Hop Tuesday

2009-11-03T20:52:00.002-05:00

I'm late with this post... yes, we went camping one last time for the season. We're back now and here it is nevertheless.

This week's Blog Hop Theme is "FAVORITE PHOTOS". Let's see those great photos... fun, inspiring, cute, special. Leave a caption with each photo so we can enjoy them even more.

These aren't my favorite photos of all time... but they are some of my newest favorites. All were taken this past week.

Our fur-babies. It love this because it looks like they were posing for this photo. Actually I took this through the glass door because I knew if I went to open it, the little dog would jump up. As I suspected, I took this and then went to the door to try to take one outside and he ran to me. Thank goodness the glass was clean...

This little guy was so brave, he even scurried between my feet at one time. I guess he's worried about the upcoming winter... (I love his little paws, they are so cute!)

I was sitting by the campfire looking at the photos I took that day and noticed this crossword puzzle in the fire. I couldn't figure out why everything was on fire but this small section. It did finally burn, but at least I got this photo before it went up in smoke...

We All Do It - I'd Just Like To Know If Someone Is Watching

2009-10-29T20:24:00.000-04:00

I'm checking out a Salvage Store in our area the other day and look up to see a TV in the corner flashing images from their video surveillance equipment. My only thought was, 'what embarrassing things have I been doing while walking around here that everyone could have been watching without my knowledge?'

It's not that I do anything secretive like shoplifting, but I know me, I'm sure I was singing at some point - looking like a crazy person talking to no one. And I probably did that too, talked to myself. And who knows if I adjusted a bra or wedgie or heaven-forbid picked my nose!

Then I got to thinking about how all stores have those cameras, they just aren't normally where the general public can sit and watch them. Instead some crazy person is probably sitting in a room alone watching them and laughing his butt off.

Now that I think about it, I just might take me a chair next time I go to the Salvage Store, buy me some popcorn and then sit down and enjoy the show!

Music Review: Five For Fighting "Slice"

2009-10-29T13:52:00.001-04:00

I recently had the privilege to review Five For Fighting's new album, Slice. If you're a regular visitor to my blog you know that I'm a Five For Fighting fan. I've featured them more than once on my Music Monday posts.

Although known as Five For Fighting, (FFF) the talent behind the name is John Ondrasik. John has been an accomplished pianist since he was a child and writes lyrics that are poignant and stirring; telling stories of his life and sentiments, along with current issues - lyrics we can all relate to.

John, himself, is quite an interesting person I found in reading his bio. He's not just a composer/songwriter/musician, he uses his talent and celebrity in many other ways. He's a husband and father, writes for Sports Illustrated, scores music for films, and is heavily involved in charity work. He's even started a site, http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/, that is a charity "You Tube" of sorts. Anyone who wants to help can make and submit a video and when people watch that video money will be donated to one of five charities. Over $250,000 has already been donated.

John's lyrics are probably the reason I love his work so much. When my husband hears a song he only hears the music. I, on the other hand, mainly hear the lyrics. I love a song that touches my soul, my feelings, on a matter. John's music does that. I think of his song, 100 years, which I used on my son's graduation video. It came out just around the time that my son was 15 and the lyrics, "15 there's still time for you. Time to buy, time to lose yourself within a morning star. 15 I'm all right with you. 15, there's never a wish better than this, when you only got 100 years to live." brought me to tears the first few times I heard them. I couldn't help but think about how time flies and how much I wanted for him to experience in that short amount of time.

In Slice, his newest album, the tracks are no different. In the title track he ruminates about a by-gone era when music was more important. He brings home the point by saying, “There was a time a long, long time ago/Chevies and levies played on the radio/No cell phones just 20,000 lights, swaying on a Saturday night.” Most of us will relate immediately because we are familiar with the song he is playing off of, American Pie.

I've listened to the entire album five for more times now and on my first listen I thought that the forth track, Chances, was my favorite. However, I now wonder if it wasn't just because I was subliminally more familiar with it. I say subliminally because I noticed a few days after listening to the album that the song was being used in a commercial for one of my favorite shows. Either way, it's still a great song with the message that we have to dive in, head-first, to the unfamiliar, which will sometimes end badly but sometimes we get lucky and as the song says, "chances are more than expectations...the possibilities."

I told you I was a lyrics person and because of that what I thought was my least favorite of the eleven tracks has ended up at the top of my list. That song is track number 11, Augie Nieto. I have fallen in love with a quote from that song, "It's not the breaths you take, It's how you breathe." I listened to that song and realized that Augie must be a real person who had ALS, so I came home and Googled him. After reading a bit about him I realized why John was inspired to write the song. His positive outlook is something we would all do well to imitate.

There are so many aspects to this album. It's not just a bunch of the same story set to different music. In addition to the songs mentioned above, others of note are, Story Of Your Life, (track 9) which was written for John's wife of 12 years, but I think it would make a great backdrop to an anniversary video. This Dance, (#5) which is very romantic -- what girl wouldn't love to be told, "You put the beautiful in life"? and Note To The Unknown Soldier.

This is, of course, not an album that will make you get up and dance, but more of one that will make you think, feed your soul, and maybe even put you in the mood to relax or be romantic. It would be a great backdrop at a dinner party.

Overall, if you are a Five For Fighting fan, love incredible piano music, and/or are someone who wants to enjoy lyrics that have real meaning, you will be as impressed with Five For Fighting's new album as I was. I'd love to know your thoughts on it, so be sure to comment if you've listened to it.

(The only compensation received for this post was a free download of the album, which did not affect my review.)

Going Back To School... Would It Be Cool?

2009-10-27T23:57:00.000-04:00

Education seems to be not be a luxury but more of a necessity in this day and age. My husband has a part-time business (in addition to his salaried job) and he had thought about building it up and hiring my son to work for him full-time but just couldn't get enough work for them both.

I lost my accounting job at the end of December due to branch closure and finding another job that paid what I was making, without a degree, didn't seem to be happening. I finally decided to start a cleaning business.

Both DS and myself have weighed the pros and cons of getting our degrees. He was, fortunately, awarded two academic scholarships that have not only paid for his schooling, but also for his books and meal plan. As for me, I'm still trying to decide what to do. I love the flexibility of my business, and it pays well, but it's very labor intensive.

Something both of us (before he was sure he was getting the scholarships) have thought about was getting an online degree. What some people don't realize is that there are online schools that are accredited. Actually, I have a friend who is a librarian for the public school system and got his degree entirely online.

One such school is the Western Governors Online University. They have programs that allow you to get your Bachelor's or Master's in Nursing, Teaching, Business or you can even get an online IT degree.

Tuition is affordable (less than the state school my son attends) and the programs are accelerated, allowing you to get your degree faster.

I'm going to think on it a while still (even though the Obama administration wants to help me get more training) and see which option suits my lifestyle better. (You know I enjoy going on vacation at the drop of a hat.) And, I'm not sure what I'd major in. I don't think teaching is for me, and I know I'm not cut out to be a nurse. However, I do enjoy 'playing' on the computer - so maybe IT would be a good option...

Fall Family Fun = Football (Blog Hop Tuesdays)

2009-10-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

The Blog Hop theme for this week "FAMILY FUN". We are supposed to give the blog hoppers our idea(s) for something fun they can do as a family. Autumn is in the air... let's put up a bunch of great ideas for families to have a great time together. Try to make it something that is not dependent on location (like visiting Disney) or overly expensive (free is GREAT)!

Fall is the perfect time for family fun. In the summer we like to visit the beach together, but in the fall we do things closer to home. For instance, just this past Sunday my son and his dad joined in a touch football game with other neighborhood family members. The players ranged in age from 9 to 62! I didn't play, but I made a good sideline photographer. See for yourself:

Something else we enjoy as a family is hiking. With the leaves turning colors and the cooler weather it's the perfect time to be outdoors! Here we are a couple of weeks ago at our favorite hiking place, Red River Gorge in Kentucky:

Me Man, Me Make Fire

2009-10-25T22:34:00.000-04:00

We love to camp, especially in the fall. Our favorite place to go is the Natural Bridge/Red River Gorge area in Kentucky. We've hiked all of the 'official' trails and are now venturing in to the less-known unofficial ones.

I love nature and this time of year, with the leaves on the trees turning gorgeous shades of gold, red, orange and brown, it can be quite breathtaking.

Hiking and sitting around a campfire are my favorite two things to do. Although the mornings, getting up when it's still chilly, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting by the warmth of the fire while the fog makes everything seem a little unreal, are so peaceful that I find myself missing them during the hectic mornings when I'm rushing off to work.

While my main goal is to relax and eat myself into a stupor, (you wouldn't believe all the junk food I bring with us) hubby's goal is to make the biggest best campfire in the campground... because making a good-burning fire is apparently a test of one's manhood.

Anyone can make a fire in those stainless steel drums, but a campfire, especially if the wood happens to be damp, takes skills. Hubby still, to this day, talks about a trip we took two years ago, to the same area, and the family on the site next to us couldn't get a campfire burning.

This was their first camping trip. It was a married couple and their teenage son and his friend. They had gone all out. Everything was new and top-of-the-line, right down to their Airstream travel trailer.

They bought an armload of wood and laid a newspaper on the bottom of the fire pit and then proceeded to place three pieces of wood flat on top it. Then they lighted a corner of the paper. It didn't ignite the wood. They kept fiddling with it, but with no success. Finally the father came over and asked my husband if he would mind showing them how to get their fire going.

You would have thought they had told my husband that he was the most incredible, manly, man in the world. He immediately jumped up and strutted to their site. He adjusted the wood into a tee pee shape, adding some cardboard between the pieces, then grabbed a burning piece of wood from our already massive fire and took it and placed it in their fire pit. Within minutes they had a great fire - and my husbands ego was as big as their shiny Airstream.

That same weekend someone else needed help with their fire, he gladly assisted them too. Now, whenever we go camping he's on the lookout for helpless, fireless, campers and I, I get to hear, once again, the story of how he is so good at making fires that other people ask him to build theirs.

Here is hubby resting after building the fire to his liking.

Win Free Housecleaning For A Year From Murphy's Oil Soap

2009-10-25T21:41:00.000-04:00

I have my own cleaning business and one of the products I love is Murphy's Oil Soap. When you finish cleaning floors in a house with Murphy's Oil Soap, it smells so clean. My clients love it! I love it too because it leaves hardwood looking great. Additionally, I found it also works great on tile and laminate floors and wood cabinets. And, it's 98% natural!

I was visiting their site the other day and found that they are running a contest, through October 31, where one person will win a full year of housecleaning service, a $3500 value!

I entered immediately. I am a great house cleaner, but I get so sick of doing it that I tend to let my own house get dirtier than I would like. I'd love to have someone cleaning my house while I'm out cleaning someone else's. :-)

You can enter too, unless you just enjoy housework, by Clicking Here.

Who's Your Favorite Biggest Loser?

2009-10-22T16:34:00.000-04:00

I finally caught up on my recorded episodes of The Biggest Loser and realized I haven't even commented on this season's show.

I've mentioned in the past that I'm a Biggest Loser fanatic. I find the transformation (both physical and emotional) these people make to be such an inspiration! They prove over and over that it doesn't necessarily take drugs or surgery, but by just having a good, healthy diet and exercising you can get fit.

I'm sure it's the editing, but I can't help getting emotionally involved with the participants. This season Abby has to be one of my favorite players. Abby lost her husband and two children in a car wreck a few years ago. How someone can go on after a tragedy such as the one she experienced amazes me. Her strength of character draws me to her.

On the flip side, Tracey is my least favorite player. Tracey is such a game player, and yes, I know it is a game, but she also seems so impulsive with very little self control. She told people in the house she was concerned about them and then turned around and put them in a position that would land them on the chopping block.

Amanda and Rebecca are both young and cute and I'm sure when the entire process is over they will be stunning.

Daniel was on The Biggest Loser last season and you can't help but love him. And, Danny loves his family so much it's almost visible. Whereas Shay, the largest person ever on The Biggest Loser has a hard time finding any love for herself.

I'm sure my opinions will be swayed in the weeks to come, but whatever my opinion of each individual, I know that by the finale I will be amazed with the results of each and every one of them.

Do you watch The Biggest Loser, and if so, who's your favorite player?

Jump Links Now Available For Blogger

2009-10-22T14:09:00.002-04:00

I just read that Blogger now has the Jump Links ability and I have to try it out. So here we go...

Yay! It works!

If you don't know what a jump link is, it's that 'read more' link you just clicked on to get this full blog post. It makes your blog look neater, since there's not as many words per page - especially good when you have a long post. But, additionally, it gets your readers to have to go to another page (extra clicks) to read the full article.

Some may find this annoying, some may love it, either way if you use the Blogger platform, that option is now available to you. (And apparently I'm out of the loop and it's been there for a month or more... opps, maybe one too many vacations for me!)

I could go into detail on how to activate jump links on your blog, but I think I'll just point you to the source I used to figure them out. Blogger Buster has a nice tutorial on inserting jump links at http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2009/09/read-morepost-summaries-now-available.html. And, if you have a customized template and it doesn't work for you, there's also a post on that at their site.

Happy blogging!

Wishing I Was Still On Vacation

2009-10-22T00:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We went on another vacation. Yes, it seems like we have been doing that a lot lately, but hubby gets seven weeks vacation and loves to go, go, go if possible.

This time we visited a friend who owns a place in Panacea, Florida. Never heard of Panacea? Your not alone. It's definitely not a tourist spot like orlando vacations are.

Instead Panacea is a little town near the Panhandle of Florida in an area some call "The Forgotten Coast".

There's no putt-putt, no water parks, no souvenir shops and there are very few restaurants. But there is the ocean! We drive thirty minutes to the nearest Wal-Mart and thirty minutes to visit the quaint little shops on the waterfront in Apalachicola. But it's worth every minute of the drive when you wake up to the sun rising over the bay or drive just a few minutes down the road to watch it set over the ocean, when you stick your toes in the cool sand or when we sit in the boat in the middle of nothing but an ocean of water waiting for a fish to bite our hooks.

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, so maybe these shots will give you a little glance into what we got to enjoy, even if it was only for a few short days.

All I Know On Music Monday

2009-10-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

I'm late with this post but I heard this on my way to work this morning and have not been able to get it out of my head! I've sang it over and over and over again all through the day. Fortunately, I really like it. I hope you enjoy it too, even though there isn't an official video for it, you'll just have to look at the lyrics and sing along. It's Five For Fighting doing the cover of the Garfunkle hit All I Know.

Three Things You Should Teach A Child - Blog Hop Tuesdays

2009-09-29T12:17:00.001-04:00

The Blog Hop theme for this coming Monday is "THREE THINGS EVERY PARENT SHOULD TEACH THEIR KIDS".
To keep from getting a lot of the same obvious answers, try to be specific and let's bypass some of the obvious: be honest, love your parents, love God, be kind to others, accept Jesus as your Savior (Christian parents will feel obligated to list some of those).
This is not a list of the MOST IMPORTANT, so do not feel like you must list the highest priority or the obvious, which will end up having the same thing repeated by everyone over and over. Try to be specific and creative. This your three items with a sentence or two explanation.

My number one answer would be love of God and His word, but since we've been instructed to leave out the obvious I didn't put that as one of my three. Here are a few, less obvious, things every child should be taught.

If You're Going To Regret It, Don't Do It! This rule of thumb has served me well through my life. Before doing something think, tomorrow, next week, or next year will I regret making this decision? A lot of heartache can be spared just by looking before you leap.
How To Change A Tire And Jump Start A Battery And Other Minor Car Repairs. DS left his lights on at school yesterday. Fortunately, the campus security has a jumper pack but even if they hadn't DS knows how to use jumper cables. Anytime Hubby has work to do on our vehicles he makes DS help, even if he just watches it's important for him to learn basic car repair.
The Basics Of How To Clean And Cook. My mom worked some evenings when I was in my early teens and I was responsible for making dinner and getting the house in order. I may not have loved it at the time, but it gave me some great life skills. I just realized that I haven't taught my son much in the way of cooking, (I'll get right on that!) but he is expected to do certain chores which include emptying the dishwasher, taking out the garbage, weedeating, dusting, and cleaning his room. A little responsibility never hurt anyone!

Health Insurance Woes

2009-09-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

The one thing we’ve always enjoyed has been a good Health Care plan. Where hubby works they always offered great coverage for a very low price. Well that’s about to change folks! We recently received the enrollment kit for next year’s coverage and have only two options one of which is triple the price we have been paying and the other is basically the same price except instead of having a PPO you get a Health Care savings account. I knew that many businesses were going this route but the health insurance always seemed to me to be what drew people to work here. Not any more! I guess it’s just another sign of the economy of today!

Hubby inquired about Individual Health Insurance, but it wasn’t any less expensive and then we’d also have to outsource dental, vision, and life insurance and I’ve just been through looking for worker’s comp for his small lawn care business and don’t care to go through the process again filling out forms, like life insurance leads, etc., getting messages, returning calls, explaining our situation, ya da, ya da, ya da… I would if it would save us a bundle, but it doesn’t look like it would be much, if anything.

So, I guess we’ll go with the Health Care savings account. If we can keep from getting sick or going to the hospital, in the long run it will be cheaper.

I’m not saying I’m for or against universal health coverage, but it makes you understand what all the talk is about!

Boom Boom Pow For Music Monday

2009-09-28T22:51:00.000-04:00

I recently downloaded this song. It’s a lot of fun and makes you want to move and either work out or dance.

I Can Dance, Who Stinks And What's The Weirdest Thing You've Ever Eaten?

2009-09-24T12:58:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the September 24th version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)

Where we make you think

a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Kimber, the number 1172007 and the color of the walls in an asylum.

My answers are in red. Question #10 I wrote for you... be sure to answer it in your comment!

1. Does soap or shampoo have to really lather up for you to feel that it cleaned throughly? Natural shampoos and soaps don't lather well and I know that... but I really like the bubbles!!

2. Do you have a long standing joke with someone that you still laugh about every time you talk to that person? No, but I have a not-long standing joke with one of my friends that I can't help laughing "at her" about!

3. Share something that happened to you this past week that was unusual. Not much out of the ordinary this week. Last week we went to a poker run on Lake Cumberland. Not every day you get to see boats run over 100 miles per hour!

4. If you dropped a purple crayon and a green crayon off a roof, which would melt faster in the sun? Purple. The darker color would absorb more heat.?.

5. You are standing in line (grocery store, bank, etc.), and someone gets in line behind you that stinks. The stink is so bad that people in line in front of you turn around and look to see if you are the one causing the stink. Do you cover your nose, hold your breath, breathe through your mouth or just get out of line altogether? I'm too nice, I'd probably stay in line, maybe give the people in front of me a funny grimace that says, What's that smell?

6. If you dropped your cell phone in the toilet, would you fish it out? If so, how much soap would you use to wash your hands afterwards? Cell phones cost too much, I'd fish it out and then wash everything (me included in antibacterial soap and spray it all with a bottle of Lysol. Yuck!

7. Sydney Australia dust storm (link). How long do you think it would take you to clean your house after that sort of dust storm? Ugh!! Cleaning!! Yuck!! I'm a professional house cleaner and wouldn't want to touch that mess! But a good pressure washer should take care of the outside and inside I hope I would have had some good air filters to keep most of the dust out!

8. Do you think you can dance? Don't we all? I probably look like Elaine on Seinfeld.

9. You are out to eat and someone across the room is staring at you. Do you get paranoid, try to ignore them, or go find out why they are staring at you? Get paranoid! I'd be sure they were going to follow me home and murder me in my sleep!

10. Come up with a crazy, wacky Thursday Thunk question. My step-grandmother (for a time) was from Thailand and she once had a pot-luck picnic. At this picnic were dishes such as robin egg and fish gut soup. So my question to you is, What is the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

Red Australia

2009-09-23T22:28:00.001-04:00

I saw this on the news tonight and thought it was fascinating. No, the photo is not edited (Photoshoped) that's the way the sky looked today in Eastern Australia.

High winds blew dust in from the outback and filled the air with a new record high air pollution level. Windstorms are common in the center of Australia but seldom are the winds strong enough to blow the dust into the populated areas of the coast.

The dust caused airline delays and the residents were warned to stay inside if they had any respiratory problems.

As odd and potentially dangerous as it was, it made for some very pretty photographs.

Slow Internet Connection, Talking Dogs, And Outdoor Lighting

2009-09-19T00:31:00.000-04:00

My internet connection is crawling and has been ever it was out for a few hours yesterday. I called my ISP and they ran a speed check and will have someone on Monday come out here to look at it. Until then it's like I have dial-up again -- without the cool phone noises at the beginning of the session.

My dog is talking again. We decided to go for a walk this evening and we were only going to take our little dog, but then the big one was so sad and he was crying and hubby couldn't stand it any longer, so even though I said he'd be in pain tonight, hubby went and got him and let him come with us. Now I have a dog complaining! More than likely he wants a drink and doesn't want to get up to get it. When I'm done here I'll go cater to his needs since it's hard to explain to dog that the world doesn't revolve around him.

Do you have as much trouble keeping those little outdoor solar lights intact and working as I do? I've been through at least two, maybe three sets of them. They either get a crack in them and water gets in there or they get hit by a car or lawn mower. I think it's usually the mower, but no one will confess to it and since it was the one by the driveway I have no proof. Maybe I need to find some outdoor lights made of solid steel?

(Oh, I just went took my dog his water bowl. He drank a bunch and is now happy. How spoiled is that?)

Hugs, The News And Take Something For Your Headache For Thursday Thunks

2009-09-16T22:50:00.000-04:00

I'm actually posting this a little early for once! Here is this week's Thursday Thunks. My answers are in red.

Welcome to the September 17th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the number one thousand twenty seven and the color of leaves in the fall.

1. My daughter (aka Demon #1) informed me the other day that her hugs were worth a million dollars. Would you give up hugs - giving and receiving - for the rest of your life, for a million dollars? You better believe it! I'm not that much of a touchy-feely person anyway.

2.Have you ever been bitten by a member of the canine family? Only lightly by my great-grandmothers little chihuahua. He would nip at everyone... demon dog!

3. What is your favorite color of jeans? Jeans are meant to be blue. Thus, Forever In Blue Jeans, Babe.

4. What is something that has changed in public schools that you wish was the norm when you were in school? In the county I grew up in, you can choose a magnet school that specializes in such-and-such. It would be great to get to focus on your major while still in high school. Although, I did take Word Processing and it was extremely helpful.

5. What is your news source? Local news affiliate channels, the Bonnie Hunt show, The View.

6. What sort of people do you think read your blog? Other than friends, I'd say mommy bloggers trying to get more traffic/backlinks to their own blogs.

7. If I told you that I had a headache, you would say..........??? Have you taken anything for it?

8. You go to a buffet style restaurant, what is the first food you put on your plate? Some sort of meat.

9. If you were stranded on a desert island.... no, we aren't asking that again. Lets put a twist into this. Would you volunteer to be dropped off on a desert island, to be picked up in a month? And you don't get to bring those 3 items, either. Why the heck would I leave my laptop for a month on an island alone? I'd lose my mind!

10. When the sun sets, what are you usually doing? Making dinner.

Join us every Thursday for Thursday Thunks!

http://thursdaythunks.blogspot.com/

Happy I Can Be A TV Head Again!

2009-09-15T00:26:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited that the fall television season is starting this week! I love mindless television and if it were up to me there would be no summer break. I'm sick of watching reruns and movies on bluray and DVD. Of course, maybe the break makes me appreciate the new season more. You know as the saying goes... distance makes the heart grow fonder.

I guess I'm the most excited about the return of The Office. The older I get the more I enjoy comedy and this show always makes me laugh! Oh, and I can't wait to find out if Pam is pregnant.

And on the same night a new season of Survivor starts. You'd think I'd be tired of this one by now, but I still enjoy it and this season looks to have a lot of controversy from the previews.

I just started watching The Biggest Loser last year and fell in love with it! It starts tomorrow night and I'm practically giddy. Who knows maybe it will motivate me to lose a few pounds!

Then there's Grey's Anatomy. Who doesn't love Grey's? SPOILER ALERT!!! While searching for the date of the season premier (Sept. 24) I ran across this video with the first five minutes of the new season.

OK... so you didn't learn much. But did it get you as excited for the new season as it did me?

Oh my, the list goes on and on. The Amazing Race, Private Practice, Hero's, SNL (now in primetime)... All this and I haven't even considered the new shows that I might find interesting such as The Good Wife, Accidentally On Purpose, The Middle, and Cougar Town.

Well, if I seem sporadic in my writing you know what I'm doing. But on the other hand think of all the shows I can review!

Hand Sanitizer Warning - Something All Parents Should Be Aware Of

2009-09-14T15:08:00.000-04:00

The first thing I do when I get back into my car after grocery shopping is lather on hand sanitizer. My hands feel so grimy after touching everything from a dirty grocery basket to raw meat containers. So when I started reading an email that came to me yesterday about a potential danger hand sanitizer holds for young children, I thought it was just another hoax.

Turns out this one was true. However, let me start by stating that when used in the proper manner, you'll have no problems with hand sanitizers. In fact, in one study the subjects that used hand sanitizers, versus those that were encouraged to wash their hands frequently, experienced a 59% reduction in gastrointestinal illnesses. That's a huge percentage and shows the importance of hand sanitizers - especially with flu season coming up!

That said, children can be mischievous, curious, and sometimes they don't think before they act. So they need to be supervised when using hand sanitizers - they aren't just like using hand lotion. In fact, some contain more than 60% ethyl alcohol. Just imagine handing your toddler a couple ounces of hard liquor and what the result would be!

Here's the email I received. Remember, there may be some minor discrepancies from the original happening. But the gist of the story is the same and the moral of the story, (supervise children using hand sanitizers) is a tale worth heeding.

Yesterday, my youngest daughter, Halle who is just 4 years old, was rushed to the ER by her father for being severely lethargic and incoherent in her classroom. He was called to her school by the school secretary who said that she was 'VERY VERY SICK'!

He told me that when he arrived at her classroom, Halle was barely sitting in the chair. She couldn't hold her own head up and when he looked into her eyes, she couldn't focus them. He immediately scooped her up and rushed her to the closest ER, and then called me. When he got there, they ran blood test after blood test and did x-rays, every test imaginable. Her white blood cell count was normal, nothing was out of the ordinary.

When I arrived at the ER, the doctor there told us that he had done everything that he could do so he was transferring her to Saint Francis Hospital for further tests. Right as we were leaving in the ambulance, her teacher arrived at the ER and told us that after questioning Halle 's classmates, She had found out that our little girl had licked liquid hand sanitizer off of her hands!!! Hand sanitizer, of all things! But it makes sense. These days they have all kinds of different scents and flavors and when you have a curious child, they are going to put all kinds of things into their mouths.

When we arrived at the Saint Francis' Hospital ER, we told the ER Doctor there to check her blood alcohol level, and yes we did get weird looks, but they did it. The results showed her blood alcohol level was 85% -- six hours after we first took her! There's no telling what it would have been if we would have requested it at the first ER.

Since then, her school and a few surrounding schools have taken the liquid hand sanitizers out of all the lower grade classes, but what's to stop middle and high schoolers from ingesting this stuff?

After doing research on the Internet, we found out that it only takes about 3 squirts of the stuff ingested to be fatal to a toddler. For her blood alcohol level to be so high, it would be like someone her size drinking120 proof liquor. So PLEASE, PLEASE, don't disregard this because we don't ever want another family to go through what ours has gone through.

For more information see: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp