Baby Watch Update

I'm going to be a grandma today! They are at the hospital. I am four hours away. THIS SUCKS!! I'm getting done what I have to get done today and then I am on the road. How cool is this? I'm gonna be a grandma. I'm gonna be a grandma. {sung while doing the happy dance}

OK. Back to work. I just had to tell you!

This is the one of the coolest feelings EVER! Who cares if it means I'm old. I'm going to be a grandma!

NKOTB Reunion

My "best friend that lives far away" is going to love me for this. I almost don't want to tell her though because I think I know what will follow. But in case you are a child of the 80's that had a thing for the boy bands.....

New Kids on the Block is rumored to be staging a reunion.





There you go M. Drool away.

Working with idiots can kill you

Click on the pic above and make the article big enough to read. I'd tell you where it originated but I've no clue as it was sourceless when I found it.

I can honestly say that this does not apply to my current position. It does however apply to most others I have had. Now you have fodder next time you need to explain why you need a sick day.

7 random things

Hey! I've been tagged by Harmony to tell you seven random/crazy things about me...hmm....Don't I tell you random things about me every day? hmmmm.

1. I can't drink milk. Not lactose intolerant but something about it gives me ear and sinus infections. Didn't believe it when the nutritionist told me. But quit drinking it and my ears and sinuses have thanked me. Who knew?
2. I wanted to be a Dr when I grew up. I'm still not grown up so this may still happen.
3. My next door neighbors growing up were Keysha on one side and Nancy on the other. Kay lived across the street. Kristy, Lisa, and Jeff all lived around the bend. Chuck lived 2 streets away and was my best friend. Larry used to be my backyard neighbor. I recently got an email from him through classmates.com it was kind of cool.
4. Even though I am on classmates.com, have an alumni designation on my myspace account, am in the hometown paper no less than 3 times a year, my parents still have the same phone number we had growing up, and they live literally in the backyard of the high school, I was still listed as an "unable to locate" or "missing" for my class reunion last summer. I don't think they tried real hard to find us. What do you think?
5. I secretly long to belong to Daring Bakers but just can't bring myself to commit. I would love to expand my baking horizons. But the whole blogging about food thing is a little out of my realm. Even though I do seem to blog about everything else. But I really don't need the extra calories each month either. But most months I make the recipes. This month's lemon meringue pie will most likely make an appearance in my kitchen. But it will have to be shared with A LOT of people because there is that extra sugar nobody needs thing. See. I just can't commit.
6. Jessie "The Body" Ventura (former governor of Minnesota) is my 2nd cousin by marriage. (so what is that, second cousin once removed?)
7. Labyrinth is my all time favorite movie.

That was kind of fun! Thanks Harmony!

From Today's Gratitude Journal

Today I am thankful for the faith of others.

A good friend is in the hospital dealing with congestive heart failure. She has great trust in her doctors. But it is her trust and faith in God that is getting her and her husband through this experience. God be with her. For then I don't have to worry.

Whether you pray, share energy, or send good thoughts, please keep my friend with you today. She could really use it.

1/28/08 Follow up: The procedure on Friday seemed to take. She is home and doing well. Thank you to all of you for your help and concern.

This is my 100th post

Not that I have anything to say really. Just wanted to post so I could say I had 100 posts on my blog. How sad am I? LOL Don't answer that.

And for those who keep asking...Still waiting...no baby news yet.

BUT I'm GONNA BE A GRANDMA!! not that I'm excited or anything. :)

Next Blog

Have you ever been reading a blog in blogger and after you are done, hit the 'next blog' button? It's up there. To the left of the middle of the screen. Do you see it? OK. Now go hit 'next blog'. Take a read. (If it' porno, I apologize now) Sometimes you get a language you don't understand. Sometimes you find a new friend in Australia. Any way you shake it, it's the 'next blog'. Random readings. Go read and report back. (just hit your browser's back button)

Can't wait to see what you find!

When good people...

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Marked locally by a big budget event -- an annual tribute downtown. Further north there was a wreath laid at the memorial to Dr. King. We closed schools. We closed businesses. The banks were open. You could shop at most stores. But did we really honor him? What would he say if he was here today to witness the day that is set aside to honor him?

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. “ - Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have to believe that with all the evil out there, all the otherwise good people who do nothing to stand against it, all the outrage we've surpressed for whatever lie we tell ourselves, that if he were here today to speak, he'd feel dishonored. He wouldn't want the schools closed, the businesses with shut doors, the wreaths and memorials. He'd want action. He'd want words that weren't empty. He'd want us to make a difference today.

Forty five years later, are we any closer than we were then?

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Who me?

There's a baby in there!

Ella was sooo fascinated by the idea that there was a baby in there! She kept looking for it. And patting the belly. It was fun to watch.

3 year old tantrum

She was a little mad at me. Now if only I could remember what it was all about. :)

A mighty good weekend of not much of anything

So we're still on baby watch. No new news. We've instead spent the weekend doing a lot of nothing. Volunteered with Angel Food and SHARE for most of the day yesterday. Then I had stamp club with the always entertaining Sharon and Amber. :) Hi Sharon! Then home to do more of nothingness. Today was an exciting day of cleaning and going on a search for Union Suits for Jim. Do you have any idea how hard they are to find? I mean it's January. It's below zero. Shouldn't long underwear be a little easier to locate? Called a zillion stores before I found one that had some. But the search has ended and Jim is happy with his new red "winter fur." Oh yeah. And the grocery store. We went grocery shopping and spent a small fortune at Super Target. Then home to watch movies on TiVo. Have you seen Shattered Glass? If you haven't, it's really good.

See. This is why I haven't blogged lately. Really not much to talk about. Except a lot of nothing. So happy nothing day!

Underdog Cartoon Tricky Trap By Tap-Tap (1967)

Last one. I promise. But wasn't that a fun walk down memory lane?

Pinky and the Brain, Tongue Twister

parts of the brain

OK, so I'm bored and I spend too much time on YouTube. What's your point?

smurfs - episode 238 - crying smurfs

Did you know that the Smurfs' turned 50 this year?

SchoolHouse Rock - Grammar The Tale Of Mr Morton

But the ultimate question is "What does Mr. Morton do?"

Horton Hears A Who Trailer

I can honestly say that this is the first movie I'm looking forward to in a LONG time! Who wants to come and see it with me?

I laughed so hard!

Finally watched Napolean Dynamite last night. Yes. I know I'm a few years behind in pop culture what of it? Watched it with a good friend that knew I just needed to laugh. And so we did.

"Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills."

Do you have great skills? Me, I'm a nunchuk skills kind of gal.

ROFL

Why I don't read or watch the news

Warning: don't follow this link unless you want to get as angry as I am.

Because stories like THIS ONE make me literally sick to my stomach. They bother me on so many levels and for so many different reasons. I need to gather my thoughts and then I'll elaborate but right now I’m so full of words that don’t come out right that I’ll have to wait to comment.

What some people think is OK. :(

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

A friend posted these lyrics on their blog as part of a larger discussion. I found the statements to ring very true to me. Well, except for 1 of them. But I'm not telling which one. :D And no. It's not the one you thing. LOL

What do you believe?
This I Believe- cool site. Check it out.

"Affirmation" by Savage Garden

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self-esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternity

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Speaking of Girl Scout cookies...

As I understand it, the purpose of cookie sales is a pretty basic.
1) Raise $$ for the troop.
2) Teach the kids the value of working and earning.
3) Teach good business practices.

If cookie sales aren't supposed to begin until tomorrow (Friday), why would you bring your kid to my office today to peddle her wares? I mean, what kind of ethics is that teaching your child? It's teaching them how to cheat. And why exactly would you want to do that? And why would you TELL them to tell me that cookie sales don't REALLY start until Friday but this is just practice today.

Did I mention she had already sold nearly 100 boxes? Practice. Yeah, THAT'S it.

What ethical business practice have you modeled today?

Did I mention?

Saw an ad on TV tonight. The newscasters were doing a public service announcement.

Girl Scout cookie sales start next week.

And here we've just recovered from the Christmas cookie coma.

Thin mints and Samoas anyone?

Man Land

It's 12:15 am. I have insomnia. As usual. Nothing new there. Another 15 minutes and I'll try and go back to bed.

My husband fell asleep on the couch earlier. Nothing new there. Usually that just means he sleeps on the couch, I wake him up when I go to bed. He comes to bed and all is well until early morning.

Tonight he woke up and decided to go look for something. I didn't ask what. Then Eric went outside to see what was taking him so long. Then I went out to see what was taking both of them so long. They are both in "man land." aka the garage. The garage that HAD to get a bullet heater two weeks ago. They went out there 2 hours ago.

Exactly what good can come from 2 overgrown boys playing in man land for 2 hours in the late evening on a Tuesday?

Just asking.

From today's gratitude journal

Today's gratitude Journal

Today I am thankful for hope.

This week is the one year anniversary of the recovery of Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby. And that was the day my hope was restored. And it is what I turn to when the hope begins to fade.

Today Show appearance today
Story from that day
Erin's Story

My prayers to both families today. Milestones are rarely easy. My joy with them always.

Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them. ~Vincent McNabb

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. ~George Iles

For this blessing, I am grateful and indebted.

Praise be to God!

Man Made Card

If you are a crafter (specifically a stamper) you'll get a kick out of this. I laughed so hard!

Man Made Card Tutorial

My grandpa Jack

The last week since my grandpa’s death has been a roller coaster of emotions. The memories of the best times with him have crept their way into my everyday life. The oddest things will induce a memory or a thought of him.

I have a great respect for my grandpa’s life. He was an incredible man. I can only hope that I will be as positive of an influence on my grandchildren as my grandpa Jack has been for me.

He taught me humility. He never bragged of his own accomplishments. Even when you complimented him on a painting he had done or another successful undertaking he would just say thank you.

He taught me how important it is to be creative no matter what your talents. His woodworking, his paintings, his drawing. All came together to give him a creative outlet. He would always ask me, “what did you create this week?” “It’s important to use both sides of your brain you know.” And when my creative talents fell short of what I wanted, he’d just say, “but did you enjoy doing it? Well that’s what’s important.”

He taught me about support. When I showed an interest in drawing trees, he bought me a book on drawing trees. When I was struggling with calculus, he dug out all of his old calculus books to give to me. He tried to help me find a different way to learn it. I failed miserably but he smiled just the same when I passed the class with the lowest passing grade. “Well you did it. That’s what matters.” When I wanted to learn to do something, he’d do it with me. Even when it was a latch hook rug.

He taught me that there are no gender barriers. Encouraging my love of cars and how they worked, telling me all about engineering, making me watch golf, watching him cook and bake. No matter what I did or wanted to do, he never told me, “that’s for boys” or “that’s for girls.”

He instilled a love of gardening. He showed me every aspect of gardening. He let me pick out seeds and plants. He included me in drawing out the garden plan each spring. Sitting in the garden and eating tomatoes and peas off the vine were encouraged each summer.

He taught me to have pride in others’ accomplishments. He came to every play or musical or band concert I was ever involved with. He came to my track meets. He took me out for breakfast when my report cards came in and celebrated, even when the grades were not straight A’s. “Did you do the best you could? That’s what matters.” Then he turned around a bragged to anyone that would listen about every little success I ever had.

He taught me the importance of education. “Never stop learning.” He beamed when I chose a college. He never said a word when I dropped out. He beamed again when I went back to school. He continued to pursue his own intellectual endeavors long after retirement. Learning HAM radio. Telling me how “you shouldn't let your brain turn to mush.” The well worn magazines from his subscription to Popular Science that sat on his end table. All reminded me that learning wasn’t just for school.

He taught me to do something special for someone. He made me oatmeal scotchies. Just because they were my favorite. And never for any special reason. Walking to DQ and playing on the playground on the way. Just because.

He taught me to stand up for others. The poor school nurse never saw it coming.

He taught me to have respect for everyone. Sir and m’am when I didn’t know someone. Mr. and Mrs. when I did. And always to say thank you.

He taught me the real meaning of love.

Grandpa, I love you. I miss you. And I’ll never forget what you taught me. I promise.

Internet Safety for Teens

Anybody that knows me knows that internet safety is REALLY important to me. This is a really cool video that would be good to show to the young teens in your life. AND it was made by a kid!!

Predator Video

The funniest thing ever

Hey you. Yeah you. You know who you are!

Do you remember that thing we laughed about that one time? The thing that made us laugh so hard we thought we'd die because we were laughing so hard we couldn't catch our breath? We laughed so hard we were both crying. It was so funny it was the funniest thing ever! We were going to write it down so we wouldn't ever forget it and we'd be able to laugh about it all over again. But we didn't need to write it down because it was so funny we'd never forget it. Yeah that was the best laugh ever.

Do you remember what we were laughing about? Yeah, me neither. But it was the funniest thing EVER!

Resolutions

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions? I've made a couple. Things like exercise more, eat better, save money, get organized, etc. But I already know how most of them will turn out. So I've decided to make a few others instead.




1) Laugh. -- I need to laugh more. I need to watch comedies. Read the comics. Subscribe to more humor blogs. Go to a comedy production here and there. I just need to laugh more. And not just at myself.

2) Go to the library. -- I had to pay for my library membership for the first time in my life. (not counting the memberships I've paid for many times over with late fees) Apparently when you live outside of the city's tax jurisdiction you don't pay for the library so you have to pay for a membership. Since I paid the $25, I should really get my money's worth. I'm just going to make it a regular weekly adventure. Ok, probably every couple of weeks. But regularly. :) And I need to return them on time. $25 is really a bargain isn't it?

3) Write more. -- I get a lot out of writing. It's a gift to myself. And it's healing.

4) Create. -- It uses the other side of my brain. I need to let go of the perfectionist part of me that has to have it right. And just create.


But then again... I am perfect the way I am, so why change a thing.


See, I'm laughing already.

From there to here

So I had this idea last week to go over all of my possible words for the year. The "one word" challenge. That obviously didn't work out. I started out well on Thursday and had ideas for Friday, Sat, Sun, and Monday. But that was sidetracked Friday when my grandpa died. I have some reflection to share about him. But not today.

Today I have to pick a word. I had several ideas and have finally settled on one, I think.

Peace
Gratitude
Rejuvenation
Joy
Knowledge

So I've settled on Gratitude. And with that, I intend to use this blog to post what I am grateful for each day. We'll call it a gratitude journal. Bear with me. We'll see how it goes. :)