Weekend Warriors

Oh, the weekend, she was busy

First, we finished the flower/shrub area under the bay window.

Then, we broke our bed (dirty jokes are actually appropriate, go us!)

Notice how my side slopes downward. Here's a close up.

See the wood frame on the floor? yeah, it's not supposed to be there.

Let's see, then last night, I installed a shower door in the guest bathroom.

The workers were busy Saturday in the bathroom also. It's doesn't look like it, but they are making progress. The frame for the tub is in and they started the tile work there and in the shower.

Last week, we had the interior painted. Here's the color in the living room. I love it. Several walls are this chocolate brown color and the other walls are a light coffee with heavy cream color.

And, this wasn't from this weekend, but here are a couple of gratuitous pics of the boys at the beach.

And on one further note, here's a funny for you. The other week, I grabbed some lotion out of one of the boxes where our master bath is stored and rubbed it on my legs. It was really thick, but the bottle said it was with Shea Butter for extra whatever, so I just thought it was extra moisturizing. I've used it a few times since and even moved it to the counter of the guest bathroom for easier access. Last night, Larry pointed to it and said, "Is that what you've been using?" I confirmed and he said, "Isn't that body wash?" and sure enough, it was. No wonder the stuff took forever to rub in. ha At least I was clean.

This May be Funny Some Day o/k/a I May be Losing It

Sunday I got it in my little bitty head that I would redo the flower/hedge area in front of our bay window. By Sunday night, I had yanked my back out and spent Monday with a heating bandage around my lower back. Wednesday, I was back at it, pulling out the rest of the hedges and last night I raked the area in preparation for the planting, which will commence this weekend.

We also have these decorative stone brick things that line the area. I thought it would be a good idea to wash those things off and apply a coat of paint to match the exterior of our house. (Little pre-story, we are redoing our bathroom, which has been going on for over 2 months now (bastards) and we had the inside of the house painted, which took three and a half days (angels), so I am a little displaced right now) So anyway, I wanted to hang out outside and the rock brick things looked like they could use a fresh coat of paint and off I went.

I moved all 14 of them to the grass, washed them off, then moved them to an old comforter on the driveway for painting. I spent the next hour or so painting those dad-blasted things. Not one second (literally) did I wash off the paint brushes and close the paint bucket up, when the heavens opened up and rain decended on my head.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. (You know, I had really been trying to clean my language up, but this last couple weeks has sucked ass.)

I sat there and stared at the brick/stone things for a while, then went to the back of the house to jump in the pool before my blood boiled over. I stripped down off back and wrapped a towel around me to go back to the front of the house to look at the newly painted, now rained upon brick/stone things.

They were once again not painted. And paint was running down my driveway. And the comforter was soaked and full of paint.

So, if you live in the South Florida area and you saw a crazy woman with a towel wrapped around her hauling brick/stone things back to their original spot, then dragging an old comforter down the driveway, then washing down said driveway all in the rain and with a towel wrapped around her, never you mind, she'll be ok as soon as her fucking bathroom is finished.

Starring Me!

Because all the
cool kids are doing it. Go to The Simpsons site if you'd like to make your own.

Just Because . . .

Vroom, Vroom

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Car Accident

I rear ended a car a few days ago. I tell you it was a REALLY bad day.

The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF!!

He looked up at me and said, "I am not happy!" So I said, "Well, which one are you then?"

Ba Dum Dum

New Toys for Summer

Since my brain is on a break, here are some great portable electronics for summer. :)

I bought the Nikon Cool Pix a few months ago. It was a great deal on e-bay, but now I wish I wouldn't have jumped the gun and checked out a few more cameras like this one for example.


HP Photosmart R927 8.2-Megapixel Digital Camera With Dock

One day I will sign myself up for a photography class and maybe learn something.

Here's something great for those long summer trips.


Philips PET824/37 8.5" Portable DVD Player With DivX®

Here's an interesting option rather than an iPod.


Zune™ 30GB Music-Video MP3 Player, Black

It looks like it already comes loaded with songs. Um, have to think about that.

And because I like you guys so much, here's a coupon for Office Depot.



I'm off to have Fun Friday!

Fascinating

What does a chinese keyboard look like?

For this reason alone, I am glad that I am not Asian.

The Turn

What if I just disapeared? What if I just left, ran away where no one knew me and responsibility couldn't find me?

Getting There

After being inspired by Chell and trying to think of ways to be more eco-friendly, I ordered the following before they were sold out on Delight.com.




I looked around and they do have these cute bags still in stock.



They were delivered today, so I'll be sure to let you know how my first trip to Publix goes.

Blogher

Anyone interested in going to Blogher '07? I thought if a few of us went, we could share a room and cut down on some costs.



Shoot me an e-mail or a comment if you are interested.

For the First Time in Five Years

I have gotten a string of pretty good night's sleep. For if one good thing happened from Shey having three cavities, it is that I took away his nightly middle of the night juice fest. After the first couple of nights of only being offered water, Shey apparently decided he would rather sleep through the night than bug me. And the heavens parted and a lovely voice came down singing Alleluia! I may be on my way to functioning like a normal human being.

I bought my first post surgery underwire bra the other day and will wonders never cease, it actually fits me as the manufacturers intended. Meaning, the band fits in the middle of my back rather than up around my neck, and the wires between my cleavage actually touch my body rather than hovering a couple of inches out. Can I say again how much I love my new breasts? One day, I will get around to taking an after photo, and I may share them with you.

I just finished reading Buddha by Deepok Chapra. It's a fictionalized account of Buddha's life beginning when he was a small boy prince and his journey to enlightenment. Very interesting, especially if you have no knowledge of Buddha, which I didn't. Besides Buddhism, it's just an interesting read.

Larry's out of town, so I have the kids. Thankfully, tomorrow is Thursday already.

So Much Going On, So Little Motivation

The blog, she is suffering. I've had plenty of things to write about lately, like how my baby turned five on Tuesday



or how he graduated from Pre-K last night



or that Larry's cousins and one of my very good friends and their kids are moving in a couple weeks

.

When I put Peyton's gown on last night before the ceremony I couldn't help but think that in the blink of an eye, he'll be graduating from high school and I would remember the night of his pre-K graduation.

And, I'm spent.

Mom of the Year

Shey had his first dentist appointment this morning. Peyton didn't go till he was 3, but I had noticed some spots on Shey's front teeth that I thought I should have checked out. Actually, if I am going to be honest, I noticed his teeth were yucky a few months ago, but I didn't want to take him in too young and tramatize him. I try and brush his teeth, but he wants to do it himself and I have to fight him to get it done. I should have tried harder though because now he has three cavities and two teeth that can get there very quickly if I don't step up the brushing.

This means on his next visit, they will sedate him, then strap him down and bond the front two teeth and fill the one to the right. This is just going to suck.

Smokin'

Larry arrived home late last night after being out of town for a week. Couple that with my healing the two weeks before and, well, you can imagine it was a pretty nice reunion. With that being said, can I just add that my new perky breasts look amazing! Larry commented with, "they're so perky, they may poke my eye out!" Which, yep, that just about sums it up. ha

If anyone out there is even contemplating the surgery because you are tired of your heavy saggy breasts, I highly recommend getting a reduction and lift. You will thank me for it!

Speaking of smokin' hot, Blake Lewis was last night on AI. The new black hair was awesome and his rendition of You Give Love a Bad Name kicked major booty. His mouth bothers me though. I think it's the lack of lips. But, as long as he keeps the microphone in front of it, I can totally dig him.

And last on the smokin' front, but most important, after 30 some odd years and at least two packs a day, my dad has laid the cigs down. He started cutting back last week or so, and then quit completely on Sunday. I can't even express how happy I am for this or how proud I am of him. Thanks be to God for giving him the strength and courage to do this. I love you, Dad.

My Son, the Baseball Star

Sunday afternoon was Peyton's first coach pitch t-ball game. Each of the players had three chances at hitting a pitch and then they were able to use the t if needed. Can I just brag about my son for a minute? I believe he was the only player on his team and maybe even the other team that didn't have to use the t once in his three times at bat!

In the first inning, he even hit the very first pitch thrown to him.

I was so proud of him I could barely stop from puffing up my chest. Some of those poor players still don't know how to really stand, and they had no clue how to swing at a ball coming towards them rather than just sitting on the t.

I was so proud of Larry too. He gets out there at least a couple of times a week with Peyton and practices with him.

I realize all kids don't like sports, but Peyton is really enjoying the game. He gets so into it with his game face and all. And since he likes it so much, I'm happy that he's playing well.

Video of Note

Not much to report today. I'm back at work and doing ok. Little tired, but ok.

This video is beautiful in a terrifying way.

Duh, Mom

A couple of weeks ago, Shey and I were riding my bike together around the neighborhood. (And can I just interject here that I don't think I truly felt like a parent until I attached that toddler seat to the back of my beach cruiser and rode around the neighborhood. It's so much more fun than I thought it would be.)

We were on the way home, it was already almost dark and Shey says, "Where are we going?"

I said, "Home."

He said a little more incestantly, "Where are we going?"

Still clueless, I said, "Home" with a little more force, but not yet with the correct intonation.

Ever the persistent two year old, Shey tried once again, "Where are we going?"

Finally really hearing the singsong tone of his voice, I caught on and sang back, "We're going home!"

Shey clapped in a way that strongly suggested he was thinking finally woman! I think we need to up our Dora watchage.

Now with Perky Breasts!

I'm home now and could not have asked for a better experience as far as my surgery went yesterday. Thankfully, I was one of only 3 surgeries scheduled, so I received VIP treatment. The nurses were super friendly. We got there about 8:30 to check in, I was marked at 10:30, they had the IV going about 11:00, then I was out. I remember the anethesiologist (who grew up near Larry, imagine that) telling me in about 30 seconds I would feel really good, then I was gone. The next thing I knew, I was waking up with a tube up my nose, which really was the worst part of waking up. They took that out shortly though, and I started to really become coherant. By 4:30 or so, we were home.

I've had minimal pain, and the doctor did a newer technique as far as the cutting went, so my scars will be minimal too. We're heading out now for my follow up, then back home for bed for the day. I would already do it all over again, and I haven't even really seen the results yet. I am so thrilled!

There's a Reason I'm not more Nervous

At 2:30 this morning, Peyton came storming into my room barking orders about the bathroom light and his door and why was there so much light and please shut the bathroom door, but don't turn the light off. This was all before my eyes had opened and my brain had registered the fact that I was being jerked out of my sleep. I sat up to help Peyton with whatever was wrong with the bathroom light as he climbs into the bed with Larry and me. Something snapped.

"Uh uh, Buddy, you are going back to your bed."

See, if it was raining or he was scared from a bad dream, or even if he had come in quietly, barely waking me up, I wouldn't have cared. But he came in the room yelling and then he thought I was going to fix whatever while he settled into sleep. I don't think so.

I escorted him back to his bedroom despite his ever increasing protests and leg thrashing. He started working himself into a frenzy as I repeatedly told him to calm down, there was no need to get so riled up. He got louder and louder until I got very close to him and said "if you wake your brother up . . . "

and there goes Shey.

Apparently, Peyton knew he had gone too far because he calmed down, but Shey was cranking up. I went and got him some juice and got him to lay back down. He fussed for a bit, but then went back to sleep.

I laid back down pretty riled up and finally fell asleep a bit later. Shey then woke up probably an hour later and I kicked Larry to go get him. He, of course, had slept through the first interlude. Shey flailed around for a bit before going to sleep.

I woke up this morning more tired than I was before going to bed. Five years. For five years I haven't gotten more than one good night's sleep in a row.

Three to four days on pain killers, laid up in the bed?

Sounds like a vacation to me.


(See ya on the flip side)

Found

My parents and Larry's parents gave me money for my birthday, so the search for the new handbag was stepped up a notch. Larry and I were at Off Saks yesterday, and I found this beauty. The picture really doesn't do it justice, but I just love it. It's huge! I'm not normally a big purse person, but I will adjust. haha Since we bought it at Off Saks, it was already discounted, and they are going on sale next week, so I can take my receipt in for an additional 20% off. Sweet!

One more reason that turning 30 has been a-ok.

Every Day Should be Your 30th Birthday!

My Birthday in photos . . .



We started at a pottery place, where you paint and they fire and glaze it. I was using elements for my chips and dip bowl, so the outside "vines" will be brown and the inside 30 will be an earthy blue. (Hopefully)



We then went to Cheesecake Factory for, well, cheesecake. This was after three beers, and the martini on the table. Woohoo for birthdays!



It's a Surprise! Larry surprised me at our favorite restaurant with a group of our friends.



My friend, Kristen and me. She hates getting her picture taken. And yes, that's a glass of wine (in case you are keeping track)



The man who planned all this. Also, did you notice the sparkle in my ears? Apparently, diamonds are a 30 year old's best friend.



The crew from work. I like the picture because I look about 12 here. ha ha



This is the Easter carrot, which needs to be passed away as quickly as you get it. I left it with the bartender.



However annoyed we get with Amanda and the camera, we will miss her when she moves.



A red headed slut. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there were no pictures of the beer before, or the two jelly belly shots afterwards.



Although this is not me, this is an adequate picture of the end of the night.

Fin

Rolling Out

So tomorrow is the big day. Dun Da Da! I am celebrating myself by taking the day off of work and going to my favorite pottery place near the beach with some friends. The closer this day has gotten, the better I feel about it. This past year has brought so much growth in my life, that I can't even begin to recount all the ways I feel I've grown, and thankfully weight is not one of them. ha

The last entry I mentioned all the things going on, and I can finally tell you about another one. I've been working on a website to explore the Law of Attraction, what it is and how it affects our lives. ALthough there is still much to add, including an About Me page, it is close enough that I can link it here.

Live Life Abundantly

Go visit, hang out, let me know what you think. I already have several more entries written that I will add in the next day or so.

Life is so exciting right now.

There are a couple more things I am working on, but they're on the hush right now, so you have to stay tuned!

Applying the Law

My life is pretty full right now. I’m shoulder deep in reading about the Law of Attraction and it really is fascinating. I purchased the mid-pack from the Wealth Beyond Reason program, which contains 4 or 5 ebooks on the subject as well as some audio interviews and seminars. The further I get into it and learn about it, the more I see how it correlates with all the good I’ve learned about God. The books don’t deny this either. They basically say this is the science to prove what Christians have always known about the nature of God. They even quote Jesus. The biggest impact this has made on my life is focus. Up until now, I’ve floated. Not for everything. But overall, I’ve pretty much remained neutral. I never go too high, or sink too low with my feelings. By seeing this information that I already knew on a deeper level presented in a new light, I’ve soaked it in. I’m becoming more grateful and expressing it more freely. I feel more generous with my time and money.

Quick story. I made a mistake in my check register, I forgot to deduct my mortgage. Ha ha Seriously, hello, and I wondered why we had so much money in the account. So, anyway, I’m bebopping around enjoying this extra money we had. I log into my account and see, whoops, that money’s not really there, and my bank had to pay some things and of course they charged me some fees. So I calmly go through the statement and find my mistake. I’m grateful I caught it so soon, because really, that could have been disasterous! I call the bank and explain it to them and they agree to credit back one of the charges. Great. I know it was my fault, and that’s better than nothing. Later that afternoon, I’m driving to the mall and I pass a man who is homeless and works with Homeless Voice (they wear these t-shirts to distinquish them, I think the city helps them out, or something). Something strikes me and I grab my change and give it to him. He thanks me, says God bless and gives me the flyer that they pass out.

Monday comes and I check my bank account and notice that they haven’t credited my account for the one charge. I call them and speak with a rep. She doesn’t see anything in their system about the credit, but tells me to hold on. She comes back a second later and says, “I can give you credit for two of the charges.” Ah, do you see!?!

Before I would have gotten all stressed out about the check mistake and then been in a bad mood for the rest of the day, ignoring the homeless man. Instead, I chose to be grateful that I caught the mistake before it was worse. I didn’t worry because I knew we had the money to transfer over to cover the charges, and I cheerfully helped someone in need.

One of the concepts that A Happy Pocket Full of Money stresses is the biblical principle of not worrying about tomorrow that it will take care of itself. All there is is NOW. You never even get to the future, because then it will be NOW. There is no need for worry and stress. Right NOW you are ok. Any of your problems have already been solved. This is a big idea that I am striving to incorporate into my life so that I don’t even think about it anymore.

Imagine a stress and worry free life.

Musical Meme

Tag, I'm it again! Five or so years I've been blogging, and I think I have only been tagged once in all that time, and now in the past month or so, I've been tagged twice. Go me!

So, Smiling Mom has tagged me to list 7 songs I am listening to, or mean something to me right this second. Here we go.

Lifesong - Casting Crowns
Lips of an Angel - Hinder
Stained Glass Masqerade - Casting Crowns (Actually, their CD is on repeat here lately.)
Fergilcious - Fergie - (I just can't help it.)
1,2,3 Like a Bird I Sing - Tim McGraw (Larry sings this constantly.)
Praise you in this storm - Casting Crowns again
When you Come Home - Mark Schultz

There we go. Now, let's see

Carrie
Rebecca
Amanda
Laura and
Jenn

And, you're off.

Utilizing The Secret

I’m about halfway through The Secret, and I don’t even know where to begin in describing the concept and how I think it could change my way of thinking and life. The author has a way of taking various concepts that most readers are familiar with and offering a new spin on it, or just wording it where it all comes together. It’s a powerfully awesome way to look at life.

They do repeatedly use the Universe as the giver of all you desire, which I can see would be difficult for a Christian, God believer, or other higher power believer to stomach. I look at it this way, God created the Universe, so what if He put this law of attraction into motion as a way of answering the call of people? I don’t want anyone to think that I would put the Universe above God, but I can see how you would take the ideas in the book to apply them to your life.

Also, even though there is a section on wealth, and how one should envision themselves with money in order to obtain it, I don’t think the main theme of the book is materialism. I think that money is tangible, so it is easy to use as an example. Instead, I think the main objective is living the best life you can. I don’t think it is selfish to want to live the best life you can. I think God wants you to live the best life you can. Don’t you want that for your children?

Further, there is a section of the book which concentrates on gratitude. One participant of the movie and book, James Ray, stated that he said “Thank you” every morning before getting out of bed. Then he would continue to say thank you as he was getting ready, so that he started his day with an “attitude of gratitude.” Personally, if I were to implement this aspect, my thanks would be to God, rather than the Universal energy, but either way, what a great way to start your day! Being grateful for all you already have.

It’s funny, I was just reading along thinking, ok, this is interested, but it didn’t really ring true till I read this excerpt by David Schirmer:

People are amazed at how I line up parking spaces. I’ve done this right from when I first understood the Secret. I would visualize a parking space exactly where I wanted it, and 95 percent of the time it would be there for me and I would just pull straight in. Five percent of the time I’d have to wait a minute or two, and the personal would pull out and I would pull in. I do that all the time.

As weird as this may sound, or as insignificant, Larry is this person. Nine times out of ten, Larry gets an excellent parking space. It happens so regularly, that we expect it to happen. We will go to one of the busiest malls in the US (Sawgrass Mills Mall) and he will drive straight to the front, and you know what he pretty much always gets a spot within the first couple of rows. Apparently, we were working the Law of Attraction without even knowing it.

I was talking to my friend this morning who turned me on to the book and she was saying how looking back on her life, she can see it at work now that she knows the signs. For example, how many times do you say, “If I can just make it to payday”? And you know what, you just make it to payday. We both agreed that our families made too much money to just make it to the next payday. We’ve been saying this for years, no matter our salary.

Whether it’s the “Universe” giving it to us, or just a change of thinking propelling us forward, I think there’s some merit in taking the ideas and practicing them in your life. If nothing else, positive people attract positive aspects of life.

I have to run now, but I’m interested in your thoughts.

Before I leave though, I’ll share my major visualization for now. As of this morning, I am 153 pounds. I am going to continue to work out, because I am really enjoying Curves, but I am not going to stress about weighing in every morning, or my weight. I’m going to visualize myself at 140 pounds, and in a month, I’m going to weigh in and see where I am. Here we go. :)

HiJacked

Let this be a lesson to you. If anyone sends you an e-mail from e-bay that starts off Dear E-bay member, rather than your username, DO NOT CLICK THE LINK! I received a couple of these and like a dumbass clicked the link then someone hijacked my account and listed a bunch of Disney tickets for sell. Thankfully, e-bay caught it and retracked all the listings. I had to go in and change my password, then receive a phone call from e-bay confirming it was me. What a mess.

Other than that, life is moving along. In three weeks, I hit the big 30 and in 4 weeks, I have the big S (surgery). I am sooooo excited. Actually, having my surgery the week after my b-day is making my b-day more bearable. I can't wait to go shopping. I've already told Larry that after the swelling goes down, I am taking some of his bonus money and hitting the mall. Curves is going well. It's pretty fun, and I can stick with it. Monday I wanted to laugh so bad though, but I didn't want the other people in the room to think I was laughing at them. The median age is probably 50, so I am definitely in the minority. Also, the remix CD they use has a woman's voice on it every 30 seconds telling you to "Change stations now." All the ladies will be going full force, then we hear, "Change stations now." We all stop and move as one to the next station. I wanted to giggle at the absurdity of it all.

I'm working my way through The Secret, and I will post my thoughts when I finish. For now, I am trying to use the ideas as a way to think more positively, rather than for selfish gains. We'll see.

All I can Muster

Developing

A friend of mine is currently reading The Secret and she recommended that I pick it up. If you haven't heard of it, the book is based around the Law of Attraction. In short, what thoughts and desires you project into the Universe will be reversed to you. I haven't started reading it yet, so I can't give you more than that. I did google it though just to get a better idea, and instead, I stumbled across Personal Development for Smart People. The website's articles and blog is written by one man Steve Pavlina and details his journey of personal growth. There are some fascinating articles on life and gaining the most of it. One of the big projects going on is the Million Dollar Experiment, where you repeat a mantra every day and then follow the path show to help you achieve it. (I know that sounds kinda flighty, but it's an experiment.) Apparently some people are actually benefiting from it.

In an easy and relaxed manner, for the highest good of all, I intend for one million dollars to come into my life and into the lives of everyone who holds this intention.

He also suggests writing your goals down, but see this is where I run into trouble. My goals are so broad, that I'm not sure how to narrow them down. Like the whole finding a niche for your website thing, I ran into a while back when I was trying to build a website. My interests span all over the board. I've never found one that I exanded on. Plus, when do you get the time to do all this expanding?

My job for all intents and purposes is great. I make a good salary, I really like the people, my boss is amazing, but I am BORED. Even when we are busy, I don't like this work. Blah! But the thing is, I don't even know what I want to do. I feel like there's more and I'm just missing it.

Writing Just to Write

If I don't get something down, I will sink into the abyss of non-blog writing. Life is happening, but I just couldn't log on to here for some reason. I joined Curves yesterday. I need some motivation in that department too. I always thought it was just a gym for women, but after I learned it's a set routine, just 30 minutes three times a week, well, how can you go wrong with that? It was ok, and I think something I can do for a while, which is good, since I joined for a year. ha ha

My parents will be here tomorrow night for a long weekend, so that should be fun.

I went to Macy's today to look for a new purse and didn't see one that I liked. If anyone has found one lately that they love, send me a link. I'm on the prowl.

Hm, other than that, well, that's about it. Well, except this. Isn't this the cutest two year old in the whole world?

Oh, Snap!

Peyton learned this past week how to snap not one, but both sets of fingers. Instead of announcing his presence by the general loudness that is his mouth, now all you hear is just snap, snap, snap. Which, by the way, is a welcome change, although I'm sure we'll grow tired of it as well. He snaps all day long. Snap, snap, snap. (Snap looks and sounds really funny if you say it over and over. Go on, try it.) Snap, snap, snap. ha ha

On the other hand, we are implementing a new discipline plan tonight. Peyton has gotten pretty mouthy lately, the whole copycat thing and just generally being a pain in the rear. So, after work, I am going to the local Targe't and buying a timer. From here on out, he receives one warning, after that, the timer is set for 5 minutes and he goes to time out. While in time out, no one will speak with him and he will NOT be allowed to go to the bathroom, which strangely enough every time he goes to time out, he has the most urgent need to pee. Imagine that. Hopefully, this will force him to use the brain God gave him to think rather than act like he was raised in a barn. I'll let you know how it goes.

WiFi Earns Hi-Fives

What a great technology progressive world we live in. Seriously, what did people do before they could run to their local coffee shop, or sit on their couch, or even ride down the road (not drive!) and be connected to the Internet via a wifi connection. Adding a wireless network to our house is definitely one of the best things we could have done. My husband would probably argue the surround sound is way cooler, and it is, but we absolutely use the Internet more often than the glass shaking, tremor inducing surround sound. I highly recommend for anybody with an internet connection to spend the extra $100 or so and hook yourself up with wireless and secure networking!

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This post is sponsored.

And the answer is . . . .

I don't bite my toenails, because, huh, just ewwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!

Now, I didn't say liver was my favorite, just that I liked it, and also, even though I hate washing my hands, I do on occassion. (I know, I know, how dirty. I just can't help it, my hands are so dry and it just adds to the problem.)

So, last I checked comments, Dixie was the winner (and my mom, who e-mailed me). She wins, well, she wins another link . . . Deep Fried Southern Style and a compliment, Dixie is one funny chick, if I do say so myself.

So there you go, happy Friday! And keep your feet out of your mouth!

Tag, I'm It

Dixie tagged me, so here we go. I have to tell you seven weird things about myself. Six will be true, one will not. You choose the false one.

Larry and I have been "married" three times. The first was in Alabama as after we lived together for 6 months, we were common law married. Second was in a courthouse with just us and a woman justice of the peace. The third was the formal ceremony in front of everyone.

I have a muscle in my lower lip that I can move on command. I've never met anyone else that can do this, and it's only on one side.

I actually like liver.

I hate washing my hands after I go to the bathroom. Gross, I know, but true. (or is it?!?!)

I bite my toenails when I'm anxious.

When I was growing up, i didn't have an imaginary friend, but rather a whole group of friends. We would have contests on my swing set and I always won.

Aside from the group of imaginary friends, I had an imaginary mother who lived in a tree. Whenever I was upset with my mom, I went to "live" with her.


Let's see

Suz
Chell
Nicole
Bonnie
Mel
and Julie

Tag! You're it!

Where do Regular People Go?

With everything in the news about celebrities such as Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan entering drug addiction treatment, one has to wonder where regular people can go when they face the difficult challenge of overcoming drug and alcohol addictions. Even though this post is sponsored by Stone Hawk, I looked around the website, and it does appear to be a nice and helpful place to seek help. The grounds are well maintained and the staff look friendly. If a loved one you know needs help, whether you choose Stone Hawk, or another facility, getting professional help is the best option for you.

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This post is sponsored.

A First

Last night I had to swing by Walgreens to pick up a prescription, and being the good wife that I am, I hit McDonald's to grab some hot fudge sundaes for the family as well. Shey was all over having ice cream, so I put some in a bowl for him and we sat down at the kitchen table. He was having a fine time shoveling ice cream in his mouth, when he apparently bit off more than he could chew, so to speak. All of the sudden he dropped his spoon and screamed in pain. Brain Freeze! He looked horrified and shot the bowl devil eyes. I tried to explain it would go away and it did in a second or two, but he was done with the ice cream. He eyed it mistrustfully and then asked to get down.

I tried not to laugh, but really it was too cute.

Pay Per Post

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I've tried a few different ideas to make money blogging. There were the greeting cards, which I actually spent money on to buy sponsored clicks, but made me absolutely nothing. Then I tried a new blog "Book Reviews by Me" and inserted Amazon links to try and make money, but I didn't keep up with it, and I doubted anyone would buy the books I recommended anyway. I've spent countless hours scouring the Internet for money making ideas.

I have finally found one that actually works. Pay Per Post offers advertisers the chance to post opportunities for bloggers to write about on their blogs. These "opps" range from 50 to 300 words and can pay anywhere from $5.00 to $1,000.00. That's right. One thousand dollars. To take advantage of an opp that big, a blogger would need to be pretty popular and have a high page rank (For example, mine is 3/10), but the chance is there.

To keep my readers (Hi mom!) happy, I try and only take opportunities that I can relate to and offer personal stories on. I don't want to look like a total advertisement blog, but I have to admit, I have been paid about $100 so far and I have another $75 or so coming to me. It's nice to look in my paypal account and see a little extra spending money there for the frivolous things in life. Also, Pay Per Post requires bloggers to disclose that the entries are sponsored, so you're not lying to your readers.

If you do want to check it out, help me out by clicking on my affiliate link to sign up. It's free. And just so you know, I just made $15.00 for telling you about Pay Per Post. :)

Check me Out

Kumiko, a fellow PayPerPoster, is interviewing bloggers for a new site she has started and I am up! You can read the question and answer session here. While you're there, look around. This is a great idea.

Who Knew?

Somehow Peyton managed to set the nice shiny foil valentines my mom sent him into some water last night, which effectively ruined them. Oh, I tried to dry them and lay books on top of them to flatten them out, but to no avail. I even went so far as to fill them out for Peyton's class, but by the time I got to Shey's class, there were hardly any worth salvaging. It was 8:30, Larry is gone again, so I was frustrated and now I hate to go to Walgreens to buy more valentine cards that the kids will just throw away in a day or two anyway.

We load up the car, boys in PJ's and sandals and head to Walgreens. Let me just say MADHOUSE. The parking lot was full, the store was packed and adults with children in tow were scouring the aisles for cheap chocolates and conversation hearts.

I always thought Valentine's Day was created by Hallmark. Who would have thunk it has been Walgreens'idea ALL ALONG?!

Monday Mention

SEX - Yep that's what this series is all about. We're already two lessons in, so here you go - Bringing Sexy Back and Big Sex are available for download.

A brief synopsis. For those of you who hadn't heard, God invented sex. And according to Genesis, all that God created is Good. Hence, sex is good. Within the right cicumstances, of course. Pastor David explains that the church should discuss sex and how it relates to our lives. He stressed that God wants us to have BIG sex, with our spouses. He explained that God intends for Sex to be a valued item in our life, and just like other valued items (cars, big screen TV, etc.) there are rules around sex. When we limit sex to the physical and just see partners as an assembly of body parts, we are missing the bigger picture. We have little sex. We need to understand that as humans, created in the very image of God, we are multi-faceted and engaging in an activity that connects us to another human being is a very big deal.

Pastor David also explains that on the continium of sexual regrets, most people are on the more regretful side. He shows that you don't have to live with these regrets. Jesus leaned towards the people who are in most need of a friend. He used the people who made the biggest mistakes to show great examples of forgiveness.

These lessons are quite humorous in spots and I recommend them for anyone who has been reading these Monday Mentions, but not yet checked out the service.

As a plus, I've been reading You: On a Diet, and they suggest regular healthy monogamous sex as a means of losing weight. Go figure! Have fun. :)

Jealous?

Another reason living in South Florida is nice.

For Zachary

I will be back with the Monday Mention later this afternoon, but for now, check out Zachary Wins Again. This is completely heartbreaking, so anything anyone can do to help, I'm sure his mother would greatly appreciate.

Roar!

I have to admit it, I am a hairy person. Over the course of my 29 years and 10 months (eek!), I have tried every kind of Hair Removal product on the market. For a time, I went to several different specialists in order to have Electrolysis treatments on my chin. They would work for a while, but I never had the money to keep them up long enough. Also, I would have to run home immediately afterwards to put a cold compress on my chin to keep down the redness and swelling. Plus, my hair is STUBBORN like the rest of me, and grew back eventually. I also saw a dermatologist, who wrote me a prescription for a Hair Inhibitor, but it broke my face out and I decided I would rather tweeze the hairs than pop the bumps. Every once in a while I will try a new Hair Removal Cream, but they tend to make my chin all red, and then break out. Double whammy! (More money, more money!)

Now I've settled on a routine of tweezing almost every morning and waxing occasionally. I purchased a wax heater a while back, one reason for my eyebrows and two because it's so embarrassing to ask someone to wax your chin. Look at me though, dangle some money in my face and I'm writing a whole post on it. Times are rough and my dignity is low. ha ha I purchase wax for sensitive skin and it works pretty well. I'm actually pretty good at doing my own eyebrows. (My mom even let me do her's once, but I think she just felt bad for me because I was pregnant and miserable.) So, if we ever meet in real person, don't gaze too long, because I'm sure you'll find a stray hair somewhere or another.

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This post is sponsored; however, the stories are all true.

The Power Ranger Picture

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot at the daycare this morning, it hit me. Picture Day. I surveyed the boys as they piled out of the car. Shey: red t-shirt, with navy pants. ok, not so bad. Peyton: bright orange Power Rangers shirt and jeans. ehhhh, could be better.

I didn't say anything though, thinking it was just the group pictures, so he'd be ok. We walked in to the pre-k classroom and almost all the kids were dressed to the nines with their button down shirts and slacks and slicked back hair. uh, Peyton didn't even get a bath last night. (we went to see the shark feeding at the local pet store though, so way cooler, right?) I wouldn't have felt so bad, but as soon as he walked to the circle, this one little loud mouth girl said, "You look bad for the pictures." Peyton just looked at her like, uh? and sat down by who his friend. I've never wanted to bitch slap a child so much in my life. I walked out of the room instead, took Shey to his room, where none of the kids were dressed up, and then left. As I walked out, this one mom who has boy/girl twins was walking up. They are always immaculate and today was no exception. Little matching black and red outfits.

I made it to the car before turning around and walking back into the school. I went to Peyton and whispered, "Do you want me to get you another shirt, or do you want to wear this one." He looked down and said, "Wear this one." I nodded, said I love you and left, a lump in my throat.

It's not that he's wearing a Power Rangers shirt for pictures, because really, he's a kid, it was more the feeling lately that I just can't pull it together. I don't have anything much going on at work, and I think it's getting to me. I'm actually *gasp* bored of surfing the Internet. But the thing is, now that I am in such a rut and even bored, I don't want to get out of it. I have become complacent. When I get home at night, all I want to do it sit even though that's what I've been doing all day. And if I'm being blatantly honest, I don't even want to do anything with the boys. Peyton talks incessantly and Shey has become so clingy that I want to scream. I'm not depressed, I'm not happy, I'm worse. I'm just here. It's a funk. and a selfish one at that. I don't want to do anything.

I've been searching around and I think I may have a hormonal imbalance. I've never been regular, it took us forever to get pregnant because I didn't ovulate on my own, I have virtually no sex drive or energy for that matter. I think I'm going to get a good multi-vitamin and maybe something geared towards women's hormones and see if it helps.

And These Are the Days of Our Lives

Which apparently haven't changed much. I was checking out the section for Days of our Lives on Soaps.com and it appears the same events are happening to the same people in the town of Salem. It's funny, but it's also comforting. My life changes greatly, but not Sammi's. She's still pulling her same tricks. Remember so so long ago when she was trying to trick Austin into marrying her? Now, she's with the brother, who was as mean as she is. Bo and Hope were always my favorites, but not the new Bo, who was there for a while. I was so happy when the old Bo came back, but then Hope had died, or something, and he was with Carly for a while, but then Hope came back. ha ha But I think she had amnesia. Isn't that just convenient how these characters die and come back at will? Funny how those plot lines stick out in my head from watching the show when I was a kid.

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This post is sponsored.

My (Ex) Boyfriend's Back

(Before those who know me in real life freak out, he's not really.)

So last night, I dreamt about my ex-boyfriend from high school, and as always, this sparks a day or so of mini-obsessing about where he is and what's going on in his life. There will be google searches, and myspace lookups, which will not yield results and honestly, is a good thing. If I found him, then there would be the temptation to contact him, and honestly, that would be a bad thing, or an awkward thing, at the very least a huh? thing. It's not that I would run off with him or anything, but he was a big part of my teenage life and the curiosity is there. It's funny how someone who was once such a key player in the life of Erika is now just a faded memory.

Add this to the Reasons

I post an entry about the end of time, and crickets chirp. I post an entry about getting my boobs reduced, and I receive more comments than ever before. Once again, my boobs steal all the attention.

Seriously though, thanks for the well wishes. :)

Holy Sh*t, Batman

My insurance company approved my breast reduction.

I am pretty speechless. On April 12, I will finally get the breasts I always wanted.

Wow.

Shopping Online

I'll be pretty honest with you, things are really slow here at work. At least on my end. With the lack of hurricanes last year, we are cleaning up our workloads, and starting to market new work. As such, I do some shopping online to pass the time. I love looking for deals. There's are several websites you can go to to receive discounts and coupons and ebates.com is one of them. Love shopping at Target? Ebates offers Target coupons. Also, they offer 25% cash back on your purchases for the over 800 stores on their website. Registration is free, plus you get money back! Who can beat that.

Open in the Front

Yesterday, I went for my annual "Scoot Down to the End of the Table" exam, and man, that was FUN! Seriously, though, what is up with the paper blankets? My dignity has already been stripped, this man delivered both my boys, so he knows my vagina better than I do, is there really a need for the niceties? I guess it would be a little awkward to look down and see another man's head between my legs, but I already feel him there, is there really much of a difference? Will this post consist entirely of questions? When will these questions be answered?

At least it is done for one year.