A Plethora of Information

When Larry and I looked into Kitchen Renovation a couple of years ago, we knew it would add to our home in numerous ways. The value of our home would increase, as well as our cooking space would be better organized and more efficient. We opted for granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It will be two years this May since we had it done, and even though we are still paying for it, I don't regret it at all.

You can find addition information about kitchen renovation and a plethora of other topics, such as Evogear on Encyclocentral.

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Monday Mention

Today's Monday Mention is a bit different that normal. I'm not going to touch on the next lesson in the series Escaping the House of Blues: Stormy Weather, but rather a series that was taught back before I started attending regularly. The series was reminiscent of the Miami Heat going to the championship and was entitled The Finals: How to Beat the Heat. I'm sorry I can't link to it, but it appears to be before they started saving the lessons. The four part series spoke on the Rapture, the Tribulation and finally the Judgement. As scary as all of this is, I've always been fascinated with it.

Growing up at a Christian school, that was based on the Church of Christ, which is the church I attended, we were taught that there would be one big judgement day, the big finale, and then the end. At the judgement, people were either sent to Heaven or Hell. I had vaguely heard the phrase, The Thousand Year Reign, but it was never discussed, and conveniently, I graduated before we could study Revelations. It wasn't until I was 20 or so and the Left Behind series came out that the words Rapture and Tribulation were brought to my attention. I never put much stock in them though, because it wasn't my core belief.

When I started attending Church by the Glades, I happened to be picking up the CD's for another series to send to my mom, when I saw The Finals CD's. I was curious to see what Pastor David had to say on the subject. Abbreviated version of his teachings: The Rapture occurs, which is when all of the Christ followers will be raised to Heaven in the blink of an eye. Chaos will ensue on earth because all these people will have just disappeared. The Rapture marks the beginning of the Tribulations, which is 7 years of literally hell on earth. The evil trinity will rise up, including the Anti-christ. Those who repent will be persecuted, and a satanic world religion will rise. There's also the Mark of the Beast. After the 7 years, there will be the 1000 year Reign of Jesus on earth, then the final judgement.

I know this is heavy, but I am curious to hear you guys beliefs and thoughts. Especially if anyone out there knows a good book that speaks on the differing ideas. I understand that this is not a point of salvation, but rather my curiosity on the subject. So come on guys, comment up!

The New Valentine's Day Gift

If you are reading this post, then you are at least somewhat Internet savvy, and very many of you spend incredible amounts of time on the Internet, and by association, your computer. Couple this with the impending holiday of doom love, what better gift to give your sweetie than personalizedthumb drives. These nifty little portable drives come in cool colors and have free custom laser engraving. You can store photos on them, your important files, term papers, and even music. In fact, the possibilities are endless. Imagine being able to bring photos from your home computer to a friends house for an impromptu display without lugging your laptop around! Cute and functional at the same time. There are several Internet specials going on now at the link above, so hurry, order one for your Valentine today.

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Stand in the Rain

Last night, we went over to the Cousin's house so the kids could play and Tracey and I could hang out. When we got home, it was sprinkling a bit. I got Shey out of his car seat first, then turned back to help Peyton out of the car. I glanced down at Shey and he was standing there with his eyes closed, head tilted up, letting the rain tickle his face. A moment frozen in time in my heart.

Wanted: A Bed Big Enough for One and Two Halves

You would think a king size bed would be plenty big enough for one adult, a four year old and a two year. However, anyone with children knows (and I'm even looking at you, who denies your children sleep with you) that even a bed the size of a football stadium would not be large enough to accommodate the shifting and wiggling and kicking that accompanies sleeping with rugrats. Larry is out of town for the week (but if a stranger calls, I will tell them he's in the shower) so I so foolishly thought I would have my huge comfy bed to myself last night. Au contraire, mon fraire, at 1:45, Shey woke up crying, so I brought him to bed with me. He settled in rather quickly in the middle of the bed. And because he has a "Shey is in the bed with mommy" radar beam, Peyton was up quickly thereafter.

The thing is, Peyton wants to sleep right by me in order to rub my ear and dig his feet into my back. I refused his request as Shey was already in the middle of the bed, and I would not be subject to being squished between them on one half of the bed. Of course, he whined, "but I'm scared!" Tough! So I stuck my leg out to let him touch that. This action woke Shey up, who decided to perform his flipping trick, where he decides to put his head at the foot and his feet near the head. This set off a whole chain of events: we have little feet and heads at the same ends with no control, so you can see where that led. Eventually we all fell back asleep.

Alas, for me, it was not to be a peaceful sleep, for while Peyton can sleep through his snorting and sniffling, I can not. Added to that Shey's constant movement and my lack of room, all I could think is "when is this night going to end?!?!" And, of course, just as I got into a good sleep, it did.

Daily Drama

Like many people, I grew up catching Soap Operas whenever I was home sick, or during the summer if mom happened to be watching them. My favorite, or maybe it was my mom's, was always Days of our Lives. It's funny, how even when I catch it on now that the same characters are there, going through the same emotions and events. It's almost like going home. There is a website, Soaps.com, that was born 5 or 6 months ago, that details the daily happenings on the soaps, including Days of our Lives, Passions, Guiding Light, Young and the Restless, etc. The site is well designed and easy to navigate. One each of the recounting of the daily shows, they offer stills from the soap opera to add to your mental picture. They also offer news, and places to add comments. For those of us who can't catch our favorite Soap Opera every day, but are still just as addicted, Soaps.com is our answer.

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Monday Mention

We continue the series Escaping the House of Blues this week with another guest speaker, Tom Albright. I have to admit, Mr. Albright didn't quite hold my attention like our regular Pastor, but a friend I was with really enjoyed the lesson, so there you go, just a matter of opinion. The name of this section is Defeating Doubt. Mr. Albright used an interesting method of showing how we can trust in God, which was to discuss the times that God comes through, over and over again throughout the Bible. He even said to look back on your own life and the same pattern should emerge. There was a key group of scripture that spoke well on the topic, and just so you don't have to run off to find your Bible, I'll put it here.

Psalm 77

1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.

3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah

4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.

5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;

6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

7 "Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?

8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?

9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Selah

10 Then I thought, "To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High."

11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah

16 The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.

17 The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.

18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.

19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

One more lesson in this series, and then in February, we move to The Bare Naked Truth on Sex. Now that should be fun.

The Sweetest Thing

Last Sunday, we had lunch with a few friends after church. The boys weren't too bad, but Shey refused to sit in his seat. Instead he wondered around the blessedly open area near our table. I could tell he was getting tired and cranky though as we were finishing up and he ended the lunch in my lap. I was playing around with him, and holding him longways, like a baby. He smiled at me with those sleepy eyes and reached up to pat my face. Oh, my little baby doll, you are growing up too, too fast.

A Buyer's Market

When Larry and I purchased our townhouse in 1998, it was a buyer's market. Interest rates were low, sellers were motivated and we got a good deal. By the time we sold it in 2004, the tides had changed and it was a seller's market. We made a good amount of money on the sale and were able to put a nice down payment on our Mortgage for the house we live in now. The tide has swayed again and it's once again a buyer's market. There is one thing that doesn't change though, and that's the need for mortgages. Whether you need a New York mortgage, California mortgage or a Florida mortgage, like us, the general population needs a mortgage. Even though, most of us need mortgages, there is a difference in the one obtained in New Jersey, as opposed to a mortgage obtained in, oh, Virgina. Before deciding to relocate, one should always check the market and nature of the mortgage where you would like to move.

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There's not much a hockey game, a few beers and good sex won't fix

Last night, we were given second row seats to see the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs play a heart pounding, body beating, bloody game of hockey. I don't mind watching football or basketball on TV, but I really think Hockey is the best sport to watch in person, especially, close up and right next to the ice. There's just something about watching huge guys with sticks beat the hell out of each other that brings out that primative grrrrr in you. One guy got hit in the face pretty close to us and bled on the ice. After they threw him a towel and he skated off, the ref and goalie just scraped the blood in the ice till it froze and then kicked it aside. Awesome! Most of the rules and such were lost on Larry and me, but we had fun watching the guys fly around the rink. I definitely want to go again.

Advertising for Local Businesses

About a month ago, my hair stylist invited me to her house to try out a new facial mask. Her husband and she had gone to Panama and discovered this volcanic mud that was great for the skin. Now they are promoting it here in the states. When her website is up and running, I'll post it here. I'm also going to let her know about search engine submission by servicewrap.net. Submitting your websites to search engines and getting high rankings is one of the best ways to bring clients to your business. This is especially useful for new business owners who don't have the means to launch a huge advertising campaign. If you can list it, Servicewrap can promote it.

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This post is sponsored.

The Three of Us

My mom took this photo of us. It's one of my favorites, but I'm not really sure why.

The Perfect Blog

You know, studying the Bible is great and all, but what I really need is the Blog of Mary . . .

(Fades to black. Mary sits center stage. Lone spotlight. Mary writing with VO)

Eleventh day of the fifth month, really late at night

Jesus threw this biggest fit tonight. He wanted to stay up and watch the local actors. I tried to explain to him that it was an adult play, but he was having none of that. I stayed firm for as long as I could, but when he screamed for ten minutes straight, I just couldn't take it any more. I promised him we would go to the market and get fresh grapes tomorrow if he would just go to bed. He finally relented. I really wanted to make him sleep with the donkey, but God probably wouldn't look kindly on his Son being in the barn when he has a perfectly good straw mat inside. Sometimes I just can't wait for him to go to school.

(Scene two. Mary sits in a hot bath)

Fifteenth day of the seventh month, late afternoon.

Guess where I am!? In the bath! and it's hot! Elizabeth took John and Jesus to the market and I was finally able to bathe. I think it's been at least three weeks since I had a hot bath to myself. My face is a mess. I'm exhausted and I'm growing a unibrow. Elizabeth promised to keep Jesus for a few hours, and although I know there are things around the house I need to be doing, I just can't right now. I need a break in the worst way. The dirty laundry will still be there tomorrow.

(End Scene)

Oh, the Fun that Could be Had

There's a new calling card in town, it's www.SpoofCard.com. Oh, the trouble we could have gotten into if this was available when I was in high school. The Spoof calling card allows you to hide your phone number from caller ID as well as disguise your voice. All you have to do is call the 800 number on the back of the card to be connected to the phone number you want to call, then you choose a voice disguise, and let the fun begin. As with all gadgets of this nature, I would recommend caution, but if used nicely, this could be a lot of fun.

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Growing Up

Shey has hit the terrible twos with a vengeance and it is throwing me for a loop. I think that with Peyton since he was always somewhat high maintenance, that one just rolled into two without much change of behavior. Shey, on the other hand, was such a good baby. He was quiet and he slept well. My little observer. Not so much anymore. Sunday morning, he woke up about 5 hollering for me. I punched Larry to go get him, but Shey was having none of that. When Larry finally grabbed him and brought him to our bed, he (Shey) was pissed off. Shey did not care that I was already in the bed, all he cared about was that I didn't physically pick him up out of the crib. Oh, the wrath of the quiet one. He wailed on Larry, kicking and hitting and screaming. Oh the screaming at 5 in the morning. Finally, after trying to calm him down for 10 minutes or more, Larry tossed put him off the bed. My little sweet baby walked into his room and wanted back in the crib, and I, the ever following one, put him in it. He laid down for a second, and then popped back up so I could take him out of the crib. Oy Vey. Dear Lord, give me strength.

A Different Type of CSI

If you didn't know, or guessed by now, Larry and I work together for an independant adjusting firm. This means, when a loss occurs at your business, or house, we are sent out as liasons between the insurance company and the insured in order to estimate the damages and report the findings back to the company. Sometimes, we can determine the cause and amount of loss on our own, sometimes, we need the help of Civil Engineering Firms that use their expertise to find the exact cause of loss. The above noted company actually recruits the engineers that work for the various companies throughout the nation. It's always good to know that when you utilize the services of an engineer, that they are educated to perform the job required. By using the services of CSI, the chances of finding the right engineer for the job go up.

Monday Mention

The lesson featured today is on of my favorites so far, and it wasn't even our pastor giving it. The series is still Surviving the House of Blues and the lesson was A Layman's Guide to Depression. The speaker was Don Southerland and he offered personal stories to relate the scientific/medical information to the general public. I'm not sure what it was exactly that drew me to the information; maybe just the way he presented it. Mr. Southerland is a very captivating speaker. He presented four types of depression and has each of the four people in his family suffer from one of the ways, he was able to give an emotional account of the toil depression can have on people. He finished the service by offering ways to get help, and he also didn't bash medication as some religious people may. I enjoyed this service so much, I bought copies of the CD for my mom and friend.

Not just Supersized, but LifeSized!

It never fails that when we set up a conference call to discuss a new account, certain people aren't able to be heard, the phone lines fade in and out and the reception is horrible. If our company had access to a life size phone with high definition, we wouldn't have that problem. Also, how awesome would Video Conferencing be in high definition! If we could afford it, my parents wouldn't have to visit, we could video the kids to them! I'm sure any company could benefit from the latest inovations developed by Lifesize.

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Heart to Heart

I've always had a weird heart. I've never drank a Red Bull or anything like that because I knew my heart would palpitate, or beat hard, or whatever it does that's weird and makes me feel funny. I can't smoke weed (not that I would now anyway) because instead of mellowing me, it makes my heart do this weird thing again. I'm not even sure it's my heart, it just feels like it. When I was pregnant with Shey, it started doing the strange beat, skip a beat, beat hard thing, and I went to the cardiologist, but they could never find anything wrong. After I had Shey, it went away, and I figured it was just the extra blood flow and strain on my body. Well, it's back now. (Don't even mention that I might be pregnant, ha ha, so NOT funny.) Last month, it would happen sometimes when I smoked a cigarette, but I've stuck to my resolution, and I haven't had one in 12 days, and it's still doing it. I'm not drinking obsene amounts of caffeinne either. I cut out my sodas for New Years too, and I may drink a cup of coffee a day, and not always that either. When I'm sitting at my desk all day, it doesn't seem to bother me as much, but when I walk in the door at night, it acts up.

It's almost like mini panic attacks, or from what people have described to me. There's the funny beats, then I feel like I can't get any oxygen in. I can still function, and I try not to freak out, so I don't think it is a panic attack. Maybe just anxiety in general. I wish it would just go away. I so don't want to go to the doctor about this.

Tooting the Horns of Others

I think I am going to quit trying to write my own entertaining blog entries and just start pointing you, my five readers, to entries that are much funnier, poignant or just flat out better than my own could ever dream of being. This entry entitled The Potted History of My Tits is a good one to start with and one we can all sympathize with, except me, I have been grapefruit size come hell or highwater, no matter what. Go, read, and laugh.

All I want(ed) for Christmas

When mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, I told her a Dutch Oven so I could make the No-Knead Bread everyone was talking about. She bought me one and the bread came out perfectly. I also have a Cast Iron Skillet that we use to make cornbread. I would love to try out more recipes for my cast iron cookware. My dutch oven came pre-seasoned, but I think I am going to season it again in order to get the full effects out of the cookware. More and more recipes are coming out that allow you to use cast iron pieces to make lower fat foods than ever before. I'd also like to try out a cast iron griddle.

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Looky, Daddy!

Like anyone else who reads Finslippy, I checked out Looky, Daddy!'s blog and then subsequently spent the whole afternoon catching up on his archives. Hil-ar-i-ous! Whenever I feel bad for not trying to be a stay at home mom, I read blogs like this and thank my lucky stars that money is tight and both Larry and I have to work.

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By the way, if anyone is wondering about my fasting . . . Friday morning, I had to run an errand and when I came back to my car after leaving it for 10 minutes or so in a parking lot at a service plaza, I found that my keys were in the ignition and the car was running. It was at that time, I decided I should probably get something to eat.

Monday Mention

I can't really say enough how much I love attending worship services at Church by the Glades. It's odd even for me, who grew up going to church, to actually feel as though I am getting something out of each service. It's like going to a college class, but for free! The website for the church has started podcasting the services, so I thought on Mondays, I could give a brief synopsis and if it is something you are interested in, then download the message for your own benefit. It looks as though they are pretty caught up and are running only a week behind, so I'll start there, which is the new series: Escaping the House of Blues.

The Thrill is Gone - Although most people are joyous throughout the holiday season, it is also a time of depression for some and this first lesson featured Elijah, who within one chapter went from being on top of the world to wanting to die. Pastor David expressed that we are not alone in being depressed, biblical figures also suffered from "the blues." This series is near and dear to me because I come from a line of women who suffered with depression, and I struggle with it myself. I'm looking forward to the remaining services.

So, yeah, I Suck at the Willpower Thing

Last night when I got home from work, I looked in the fridge to make a lemonade, and I only had one lemon, which I didn't think would get me through the night. Couple that with two very clingy children and a headache that didn't seem to be going away anytime soon, and yeah, I caved. There are no excuses really. I wanted a salad and some soup, so I made it. I know it was only my second day, but I just wanted some food. I figure though, at least it wasn't the quarter pounder with cheese, large fries and large coke I really wanted. ha

Last night, I drank my tea, and this morning I did the saltwater flush, and I'm back to fasting. I'm not starting over, just considering this a bump. I'm still not sure how far I'm going. I don't want to feel like a failure, but then again, who am I trying to impress?

Hi, Hello and Salutations

With all of the various dating sites available online, starting out can be overwhelming. If you have no idea where to go, and aren't sure you want to invest any money on the dating game yet, Justsayhi.com may be the site for you. With their Free Dating, there's no initial risk, except for maybe your heart. With all dating sites, or meeting internet friends at all, please be careful!

So, if you're ready, maybe you should

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Day 2 Day 2

Today has been not so bad, but I'm already not digging the "lemonade" and I must admit to those who may find my blog by searching for the Master Cleanse (which isn't that likely), that I have cheated a bit. I had veggie juice earlier this afternoon, but in my defense, it was juiced here on my premises and I didn't chew anything. Also, I did have a cup of decaf chocolate tea because I was freezing (a side effect) and needed something besides the lemon. Kill the lemon.

I'm not sure how long I'll go this time. In July, I made it 8 days, but I seem to be more bored quicker this time. Thankfully though, the things I do want to eat are good for me, like salads and avocados. Man, I would love an avocado right now.

I was 2 pounds lighter this morning, which I'm sure was water weight, but I feel less bloated, so that's nice.

Funny story: I had some running around to do for work this morning and I was listening to Way FM, which, if you don't know is a Christian Rock station, and I guess since the station is located about an hour north, we don't always get the best signal. As such, I pulled up along side someone listening to Howard Stern on satellite and picked up their broadcast on my radio. What a juxtaposition of broadcasted musings! Howard Stern was making fun of some reporter and on Way the song I feature on my Masthead by Superchicks was on. So, we have Howard Stern making fun of someone, then Superchicks singing to stand your ground. It was almost so perfectly blended that the two could have been recorded together. The song and my piggybacking of stations ended about the same time.

And while I'm here, a word on Christian Rock. My mom has been listening to it for a while, and then when I started attending church, she told me a lot of the songs we sing in the service are on the radio, so I started tuning in. Really, you can't tell the difference in the music, as far as beats and not being cheesy go, except that the words are uplifting and spiritual. If your curious, a couple of my favorites are Aaron Shust, Casting Crowns, Building 429, and The Newsboys. Some of the songs are even mainstreamed.

All right, I've thought too much, and I'm getting a little dizzy . . . wooooooooo

Happy 100th Post!

Having my 100th post on the first post of the New Year, I am affirmed in my decision to get my self back on track. The end of last year was a blur, starting with Larry's scare in October, to testing and waiting with him, to Thanksgiving, Shey's birthday, Holiday parties, Hanukkah, Christmas and finally New Years. Whew! Needless to say, I am ready for life to calm down some. What I'm not ready for is this 5 pounds I've picked up in the last couple of months to hang around my hips and ass like it is now. Blah!

So, this morning, I started the Master Cleanse, which will hopefully knock the sugar, caffeine and cigarette cravings away and I can get back on track. Only 4 months till I turn 30, you know?!