A view into Amy's World...

December "update"

2011-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Time really goes fast these days. In less than 4 weeks our little addition will be here! I can’t get over how quickly things have been going. J’s been taking some time off from work (at least attempting to) so that we can get things done around the house. Today he’s putting the final coat of paint on the walls. And, despite what he tells you, I did not get pregnant to trick him into painting a room or cleaning out the basement. The basement needed clearing out before now, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I still have some issues with that, but I will say that at least there’s been progress in that area.

My biggest stress creator is is laundry. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for me it is. (I let strange things get to me.) Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we have several tubs full of clothing and blankets. I am very grateful for these, since I knew that putting clothes on our baby would be an expense I wasn’t prepared to handle. We’ve been having problems with our washing machine for over a year now, and the day before Thanksgiving we went and ordered a new washer and dryer. We were told it would arrive in 3 weeks. (That would be yesterday.) I called last night to be told that the items weren’t even in the distribution center, and that they probably wouldn’t be around until the middle of January, maybe even into February. I was also told that when I bought the items I was told this. Um...nope. Wasn’t told this. Was told 3 weeks. Double checked that it was 3 weeks when I ordered it. I knew I had a deadline to get laundry caught up. Ugh. I’ve added this to J’s list of things to take care of. I have to not stress about things. I’m thinking we’ll be taking a trip to the laundromat soon...

Since I’m not sure if I’ll be blogging again before the holidays start (or end), Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! :)

Hello World!

2011-08-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Why hello there! I know, I've been AWOL for what seems like months! Ok. It has been months. I apologize. It's not all my fault, I promise. A large part has to deal with a class action lawsuit that took away my laptop back in March.

So what happened to my laptop, you ask? The suit was brought on by NVIDIA and a faulty graphics card. My HP laptop wasn't acting horribly, but it was starting to act up and met the symptoms that were outlined in the suit. So, I sent it in, being told that in 4 to 6 weeks I would receive a laptop of equal or greater value. HA! I figured I could go a month without my laptop, I can handle not being online all the time. (Or at least have the access to being online.) I didn't need to do anything with my photos, I wouldn't take that many that I would need to worry about the space running out on my memory card. So 4 to 6 weeks came and went, and I started reading some online forums from other people in the suit, only to find out that we were not getting something of "equal or greater value" and that in reality, those words had been taken out of the settlement. Not only that, but the time frame was extended 8 to 10 weeks. Again, I thought I'd be ok, as long as I had my computer by July (which 10 weeks was actually up in June on my birthday) so that I would have it for a scrapbooking retreat. I started calling the hotline they provided, only to be told that they didn't know when it would be shipping out. On my birthday, at 10 weeks I called again and was told to call back in a few weeks because they had no idea when it would ship. So at 12 weeks I called and was told that it would ship July 25. Umm....I'm pretty sure that from March 30th to July 25 is not 8 to 10 weeks. To say I was pissed is an understatement. I couldn't believe it. So finally, after my scrapbooking retreat was over, my laptop arrived at my work. (I had it sent there because I knew I wouldn't be at home to sign for it and why delay receiving it any longer?!) The total time I waited for it? 16 weeks. I received a Compaq Presario CQ56. I can purchase one on ebay for about $250. Yep. Definitely NOT equal to the HP Entertainment laptop that I sent in, one that can handle graphics work, had a dual core processor and could have more than one application open at a time without slowing down. This one is slow-my phone accesses things on the internet faster, and from what I read on the forums, will require at least $200 worth of upgrades to make it even close to what I had. Unfortunately I don't have that kind of money right now (for reasons I will explain shortly) so I'm stuck with a very sub-par computer. I am very sad. But, at least now I can go online and post my rants. The one thing I did learn was that just because you are part of a lawsuit, you don't have to participate. I learned the hard way, and hope that somebody else will learn from my mistake.

As for why I don't have money right now....well, turns out that in about 5 months (ok, 21 weeks) we will be having a baby! It was handy to find out I was pregnant so early into waiting for my laptop too-I knew exactly how many weeks I was without my laptop because it was very close to the same amount as I was! (And no, it was not because I didn't have a computer that we're having a baby!) (Ohh....another thing I don't like about this computer...if I hit a specific button it automatically posts my blog...even if I'm not done typing!) So...anyway. We're going to have a baby the beginning of January. Things have been going along fairly smoothly for the most part, and thanks to being so blessed with wonderful family and friends, we have a large part of the big items we will need taken care of. I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity...I was a bit worried how we were going to be able to afford a crib and car seats and strollers and all of the "stuff" that is associated with having a new family member. We're not all the way there with what we need, but we are definitely a lot closer than I ever dreamed we would be. My current dilemma is clothing. As most of you who know me, you know that I am not tiny. I used to be considered "average" until I had to go and gain 60 pounds thanks to life. I lost roughly 25 pounds of them prior to becoming pregnant, but I am still considered obese and therefore have a hard time finding clothes that fit. I am not short at 5'9 and I don't like pants that barely come to my ankle...unless they're capris, and then it's ok. Today's fashion designers don't seem to think that someone of a "large" stature (roughly size 18, although I was down to 16 back in February/March) needs to have pants that have a larger inseam or room in the thigh. AND retailers don't seem to want to carry maternity clothing anyway. It's absolutely nuts! I have been to Motherhood, and I have purchased a pair of jeans and pants for work, but I can't wear jeans to work at all, and wearing the same pants to work everyday is just gross. I have found that even though the tags say they're XL and fit a size 18, they still end up being tight, mainly in the thighs. I don't find that comfortable since I have to sit most of the day anyway. I found that the Avenue started carrying maternity clothes and went in to a store yesterday to check them out. The girl there was not helpful, to say the least. She said that I could only purchase the maternity clothes online which she didn't recommend because I couldn't return them at the store, and I would have to pay to send them back if they didn't fit. She then said that I could just buy pants one size larger than what I normally wear and would be perfectly fine. Um...no? I mean, my belly is just starting to show (and no my dear sweet husband, it's not all just fat!), and pants that were one size bigger are not comfortable. The buttons/zippers are just not comfortable! I had read some reviews online of pants from Walmart and a few people from work suggested I try them, so I purchased some online. The lounge pants fit great, although I found out that they're not maternity pants. Oh well, at least they're comfortable and should last a few more weeks. The other pants I purchased were once again too tight in the thighs and sitting wasn't an option. So, today we went back to the store to return them (wait, what, I can return something I buy online at a store?! There's a novel concept!) After a small problem with the return not working, I finally had my money back and I went back to the clothing section to check out what they did have. I was told that they haven't sold maternity clothes in the store for more than 5 years! So, um....does Walmart not expect their customers to reproduce? Or do they just expect us to purchase clothes one size bigger than what we are now and then every other week come back and buy more? Yeah, I don't have that kind of disposable income. We did go to Kohl's where the pants were the right length, but again too tight in the thighs. (Sensing a pattern anyone?) I was able to buy a cute shirt and a pair of capris that were on sale, so at least I have some clothes to wear. I realize my rant is nothing new to many ladies who have gone through this experience. I just don't understand why fashion designers are not capitalizing on this market...there are many folks in my boat-we're tall and we're overweight, and we need clothes that we can wear to work! (And, I have found a pair of pants from Target that will fit, but I am waiting to see if I can find them online in gray. I don't want to only have black pants for work....that's boring!)

Well...that's about all for now. Hopefully now that I have a laptop at my fingertips I can keep my blog updated a little more. I will do my best, but as we prepare for our arrival, I can make no guarantees!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's already Christmas! Where has time gone?

While I haven't been on lately to tell you what's going on in my life (hopefully that will change soon!), please know that I'm hoping you have a fantastic Christmas and a great New Year! :)

Loze-A-Palooza

2010-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to remind everyone to check out the Lose for Good website today! In case you forgot:

For every accepted mention or acknowledgment of “Lose For Good” made on September 14th through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and check-in via foursquare, Weight Watchers will donate $1 – up to $60,000* – to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger.

Blogging for a Good Cause

2010-09-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

So, I haven’t posted for awhile. Again, it’s not like I don’t want to post. I think about posting. But then I get home from work and the need to type out what I’m thinking is overpowered by the need to do other things. Like play games. Or stare at the tv. Or sleep. Besides, I’m pretty sure like 4 people read this, and most of you know what is going on in my life anyway. HA!
Anyway, a little over a week ago our friends decided to challenge each other by getting the other to try to lose 5 pounds by Thanksgiving. I am up for the challenge (I need to lose at least 10 times that much), so I accepted. To help me (and thanks to Kate for suggesting it), I signed up on FatSecret.com. I’ve been inputting my calories and my “exercise” for the last week. It’s interesting. According to that I expend more calories than I eat. I have noticed that I’m not getting much protein in my diet though. So, I need to start working on that.
Speaking of losing weight, I wanted to let you know about the Lose-A-Palooza sponsored by Weight Watchers. It’s on September 14th.

What is the Lose-A-Palooza you ask? It’s “a one-day social media event created to encourage participation in the Lose For Good® campaign to benefit Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. As part of the Lose For Good campaign, Weight Watchers will donate $1, up to a maximum of $60,000, to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger for each approved mention, acknowledgment or action related to “Lose For Good” made on September 14th through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and check-in via foursquare.”

Now, I’m not working on losing my weight through Weight Watchers. I can’t afford to do that. Not that I don’t like Weight Watchers, I do! I really like the recipes in their magazines, and amazingly enough a lot of them don’t include gluten! (Yay!) I do however, want to help support Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger, so I am joining the Lose-A-Palooza to spread the word. Plus, some of you might be interested in following the Weight Watchers program. It’s a win-win situation for everyone! For more information, be sure to check out the Lose for Good web page. They are even offering a free month of membership to Weight Watchers. And, if you sign up, be sure to mention Lose for Good in your blog, on Twitter, and Facebook too. The more support they get, the better!
Well, I’m off to update my other blog. I’ve read several books within the last couple of weeks and I want to get them reviewed before I forget what they were about.
Until next time, have a good one!

Who do you think you are?

2010-04-10T17:52:00.001-07:00

That's the tv show that I've been watching on Fridays on NBC. It's quite interesting. Yes, the actors are dramatic and sometimes over the top when they find out a fact about their family, but that's ok. I've seen 3 episodes now, tracing Lisa Kudrow's family, Brooke Sheild's family, and last night's traced Sarah Jessica Parker's family. I think my favorite of the three is Lisa Kudrow's episode; she was able to trace back to her great grandmother's demise in the Holocaust, and she was able to find a living relative that she didn't know was still living. Joe finds the show over dramatic, but I'm ok with it.

I've always had a relationship with genealogy. My mom and grandparents had traced our family trees back. Some of the tales being mentioned on Sarah Jessica Parker's episode made me wonder if we were long lost relatives. I remember hearing of having family involved in the Salem witch trials. Hopefully I'll be able to find the information as we get our house ready to move. I also wonder if there's relation to Brooke Sheild's family. I don't know that our family had ties to Louis IV, but there are ties to Princess Di, Eleanor Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan. I've read somewhere that Louisa May Alcott was in there too, and it would be really cool if it was true. After all, my name came from Amy in Little Women.

Recently I've been trying to trace back my dad's side. His maternal grandmother's family has stumped us. We know she was Gertrude Garrett and that she was one of 14 children from Joseph and Lucy (Vance) Garrett, but that's about the end of the line. Family legend has that Gertrude was full blood Cherokee, but I haven't found that yet. I've been checking out things at the library when I get a chance. I love that they allow free access to Ancestry.com, even if it is only for an hour or two a day. The last time I was able to find the marriage certificate for Gertrude Garrette and Asia Miller, my great grandparents. I found it interesting the spelling was different. I also found the marriage certificate for her parents, Joseph and L.E. Vance. There are always walls that you'll hit when doing genealogy, and when you're not able to go to the states where the licenses and records are, it is difficult. But, at the same time, it is fun. I do worry a bit about the Vance line though. When I was checking out Joe's line a few years ago, he also has Vance ties. I am hoping that they don't cross! :)

Well, that is all for now. I think I'm going to do a bit of research from home tonight. Here's hoping I find something!

Jury Duty and things

2010-04-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

So this morning didn't start out so swell. I made it out the door only to realize that my keys weren't in my hand. Nope. They were on the table, behind the locked door. Total frustration! (Especially since I needed to be at the courthouse for jury duty 45 minutes from then!) So, I called Joe who wasn't quite at work yet-although he was almost there, and he turned around and let me in. (Thank you, honey!)

I made it to jury duty and was only 20 minutes late. They hadn't done anything yet, other than herd the jurors into the room. After about an hour, they took 15 people to a trial, the left about 40 of us left. So, we sat there listening to the news talk about Tiger Woods' return to golf today. I was thankful I had my book with me. Eventually they came back in and took another 25 people. (I wasn't one of them.) I did have some time to observe though. One wife came with her husband (I'm pretty sure she couldn't drive), and they let him go and sit with her in the court. Another observation was dress. The paper they had given us said to dress in business casual. I wore a work outfit, since we pretty much wear business casual anyway. (Although we don't wear jeans.) I was floored by the amount of people in jeans and t-shirts! Since when is a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt business casual? Did I miss something?? Now, a nice white cotton shirt and jeans isn't bad, and I'll allow that. But a t-shirt that can more appropriately be considered an undershirt? I don't think so. I also liked the Cavs t-shirt and jeans dressed up with a jean jacket.
Good times. Hey, something has to amuse me while I'm sitting around! I did have to wonder what the cases/trials were. The first group of people were the ones that were sitting around reading religious materials or carrying their Bibles, and the second group was mostly minority females. The bailiff pointed out that if anyone was a primary care provider for an elderly parent or had issues with childcare to bring it up, because they would be dismissed. I'm glad I'm not there, but yet, I want to know what the case was!

Well, that's all for now. I had some other observations, but I can't allow all of my excitement to be shared right now! ;)

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and Easter is here! What crazy weather we've been having here lately. A week ago we woke up to 2 inches of snow, and yesterday was in the 80s. I'm pretty sure this only happens in Ohio. We took the plastic off of 3 of our windows to let the fresh air in, but left it on the others. We can't be sure that we're not going to get cold nights again!

Not a whole lot has been going on in Amy's world. Going to work, coming home, continuing that routine 5 days a week, then sleeping in on the weekend. This week will be a bit different though-I have been selected for Jury Duty. I was really hoping I would get out of it and go to work, but alas, I have to report at 8:30 tomorrow morning. I understand that it is a privilege of living here in the US, but I don't want to go! I mean, what would've happened had the case that I was involved in a few years ago gone to court. The jury would've listened to how the lady that was suing me could no longer have "marital relations" and as a result was suing me. That's not something a juror really wants to hear, is it? (Mind you, after the case was over, I saw her at the gym working out. Hard to believe a person working out at the gym would have those problems at home. I'm just sayin'....) I just hope that maybe I'll just sit there and read my book, then go home in the evening.

Well, that's all for now. I have had several topics for my blog come to mind while I'm driving to and from work. One of these days I'll actually remember what they were. I am also going to keep my eyes out for a dictation program that runs on my phone. Then I could dictate my blog as I'm driving-wouldn't that be awesome?!

Have a great Easter and fantastic week everyone!

Snow, snow, go away

2010-03-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Snow in March? No. I'm done. I refuse to see snow in Ohio in March. The end of March at that! I'm done with it!

That is all.

So...

2010-02-09T15:54:00.001-08:00

I've been granted 10 more minutes of time on the library computer. Woohoo! I must say that I really do like the Strongsville library. They have a nice selection, and the staff is very friendly. (I know, what librarian isn't! :))

Anyway. So tomorrow is a snow day for me. No, I don't get paid, and I can make it up on Saturday, but the fact that I have the option to not drive in the weather just amazes me! The snow is supposed to be about 4 inches overnight - in addition to the 3+ that has already fallen here-and maybe another3 or 4 during the day tomorrow. Not a lot of snow when compared to what the East Coast is getting, but it's still snow, none the less. I'm just not used to a company that actually takes the well being and safety of the staff into consideration. (This does not include schools-obviously that happens, but not for a private company!) I am really enjoying my new job, and the drive doesn't bother me all that much. Except when the weather is bad...or I'm tired. But really, compared to what I used to have to do, this is fantastic! I actually don't mind getting up at o'dark thirty to go to work! Yay!

So my time is again almost up, and I don't want to be one of those people who hogs the computer. I could, but I'm not one of those people. Besides, I want to go eat dinner! Have a good one folks, and I hope everyone stays safe and warm in this weather! :)

Random comments

2010-02-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

So it's already February, crazy how time flies when you're having fun...or something like that. Not a whole lot has been going on in the world of Amy, but there have been a few things, and I figure I might as well share.

So a couple of weeks ago, the new car wouldn't start for me. We had taken it in on Monday to have our usual guys check it out, they replaced the starter saying that it was bad, and then on Wednesday it wouldn't start. I called Joe, who then told me to call AAA and have it towed back to the car place. I called work to let them know I'd be late (if in at all) and had the car towed. I get there and the usual guy (he's the owner) apologizes and says they'll get to it when they can. Swell. While the guy is taking it off the tow truck, another worker, I'll call him Bob, comes up to take my information. He then procedes to tell me that my car had been towed in on Monday and that they were able to get it started, and it's probably the same problem. Um, no. The car was driven in on Monday by Joseph, and it started-even if it was a little slow on the uptake. So, no, idiot, you're wrong. I told him that my husband had brought it in and he argued with me anyway. Just because I'm female does not mean I don't know what is going on. Idiot. I do not like Bob and he is not allowed to touch our car. I ended up renting a car (a total rip off because it cost $50 bucks + gas for not even 12 hours!), and lost money on the deal because I didn't work enough to make up for it. Grr. The car place said it was a blown fuse and they replaced that. A week later the car didn't start for Joe, and he replaced the fuse again. Last week he took the car back to the place that we bought it from and they replaced the starter. Fantastic!

Another 'issue' in the last few weeks, I got my hair cut. I know, nothing too serious, but the chick that cut my hair is on my list. I said that layers were fine (I had some). Less than 15 minutes later, she informed me she was done. Yep....she gave me layers. Short, all the way around, and then a bit of the length-mullet style. Fan-tastic! I was so ticked. I ended up going to the girl who usually does my hair and had her redo it. It's still not what I want, but it will do. Luckily my hair grows fast, so hopefully it will be better soon. I learned my lesson though-I won't be going back to Best Cuts to get my hair done.

And, one final rant because my time on the library computer is running out. It's about people at the library and the computer use. There's a waiting list for a reason people. And when the person who has reserved the computer is up talking to the librarian because there's a problem, don't take the computer because you want to play Farmville. That just angers the patron who was there to use the computer.

Ok...that's all for now. Must go-tomorrow is a snow day from work (who would've thought!), so hopefully there will be more then. :)

Happy New Year, World!

2010-01-16T20:38:00.001-08:00

So, it's been over 6 months since I've last blogged. I apologize for that, but for those of you who do read my blog, most of you know what's been going on since you're also friends with me on Facebook. (Well, your friends with me in general, it just so happens that you are *also* FB friends.)

Since July, in a nutshell, I have started and stopped working as a fine jewelry associate for Macy's, gone on several outings with the JoKeRMob, found a new job at Howard's Jewelry Center in Parma Heights, downsized to a queen size bed, had a car die, and get a new car. Please note that it is new to us, it has 161K miles on it and is a 2001 Dodge Stratus, so it is not new. Doesn't sound like much, but honestly, that's a lot! Really, that bed thing is a big adjustment, don't knock it 'til you try it!

I plan on posting updates more frequently this year-as in maybe once a week. Joe and I carpool to work, so on those days when I go to the library to spend time, maybe I'll update my blog. We'll see. So far I've been trying out new restaurants in the area and shopping.

For now, this is all I'm going to post. I was supposed to go to bed an hour ago, but due to some technical difficulties, I'm still up. I'm hoping to go to bed very soon!

Happy Birthday, America!

2009-07-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's July 4th. Time sure flies when you're having fun!

I have been quite lax in updating my blog, and I totally apologize. I haven't been able to come up with the time to sit and type my thoughts or happenings. I figured I might as well take the time now though, since I can. So, what has been going on? Let me give you a brief recap.

In May, Joe started working for a new company. He's doing basically the same thing he did before, but for a different company. They went live a couple of days ago, so I haven't seen all that much of him lately. It's pretty sad, but I know it has to be done. He's not happy, and has been threatening to quit. I just hope that he can find something if he does. This economy is not good for jobs.

Speaking of jobs, I have been offered a full time position at macys. It's been several years since I've had a full time job with benefits! I'm hoping that I'll still be able to sub a little. I'd miss seeing my friends at school. Maybe someday I'll get to go back to subbing part time and working at macys part time, but for now I'll be found in the fine jewelry department 38.5 hours a week.

I finished my scrapbook room. I'm quite happy-it's a nice blue color, and this week I worked in there on my book. It was awesome! Hopefully I'll be able to spend more time in there. I do need to clean up the stuff I put in the basement when I was cleaning out the room though. I need to find homes for the pictures that were in the closet and the other random stuff that was there. I tried to sell some of my old scrapbooking stuff at a yard sale and it didn't sell. I can't decided if I should put it on ebay or not. Maybe I will, who knows.

I have essentially been gluten-free now for an entire year. I still have the occasional brownie at Chik-Fil-A, and I have some food I shouldn't, but for the most part I do without. I'm hoping that as time goes on I'll be able to start cooking more of my own food. I really miss cookies! :)

Well, that's the update for now. It's fairly late and I'm tired. Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Hello world!

2009-04-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

It is I, Amy. And I am alive! :)

It's amazing how fast life moves, even when you don't want it to. Yesterday was Joe's 3,600th and final day at GTECH. (He did the math, not me!) Tomorrow he starts his new job. He goes back to working long days, and in Strongsville to boot! It was nice having him home on weekends and in evenings. Now we're not sure when he'll be home. I think we did figure he'll be here for an average of 8 hours a day, and one day a week.

I'm still attempting to substitute teach, although I very rarely get called. The system is a bit flawed. I've had people requesting me, yet I don't get the calls. And when I do get calls, they're for the days that I cannot work, thanks to my other PT job. That job is a bit crazy too. Yes, it's retail. And yes, there are stupid people involved. I just want the switch to be done. For those of you who don't know-the department I work in is a leased department. The company I work for has decided to pull out of Macy's and turn us all into Macy's employees. Last week we were given the status of of jobs, that we will still have them. (Everyone but our manager, which I think is crap!) I had hoped I would be able to get more hours, given that Joe won't be home, and I know we'll need the money soon. I was told our pay rate would remain the same and that I could have up to 20 hours a week. Totally not what I was hoping for. I know, it's still a job. And I am thankful for it, I just wish that the change was complete. First we are liquidating too slowly, then too quickly, then back to slowly. THEN on top of that they changed the discounts twice in one day. Talk about angry customers. I had a customer call and complain. Woohoo! Gotta love stupid people who think we don't communicate with each other!

Anyway...just thought I'd post an update. In my mind I've posted several times over the past few weeks. Maybe I'll be able to post some of the fun stuff soon!

Random Pictures

2009-02-10T13:55:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures that were on my phone.

This puppy is on 'clearance' at the pet store at the mall I work at. He's down to $650. Still a bunch of money, and definitely from a puppy mill, but he's so cute!!

This was the 'flock' of birds that came by our house in December. I'd told Joe about it, and he didn't believe me. So, the next day they flew through again, so I took pictures. I've never seen so many birds...it was kind of creepy. Not to mention loud! (And, I must say, I was glad I was in the car...)

And finally, a few bowling pictures. We've been going bowling with our friends from the 'Mob, and while I forgot my real camera, I was able to capture a few pictures with my phone.

Ok. That's all for now. More updates later. And who knows, maybe some real pictures from a real camera! :)

Random thoughts

2009-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

I still do not like snow. There seems to be quite a bit of it out there. I know, I live in Ohio and should just be used to it by now, but I just don't like it! Yesterday we received about 8 inches of snow or so. I had a snow day (one of the very few days I was actually scheduled to sub too!), and I was off at my other job, so I was able to relax. Good thing since I was sick. I think it's just a sinus thing, but it could be a cold too. It had kept me up all night Tuesday into Wednesday, so I was glad to be able to rest and recoup a bit during the day. I did feel bad for Joe though. He had to shovel the drive so he could go to work, only to find out that they'd sent the Lottery guys home around 10. He left around 2:30 and come home and shoveled the drive again. Yep, lots of fun was had in the Ramey casa last night!

The next topic on my mind is the economy and work. Now, I'm not going to get all deep about the economy, or how a new president is going to change everything. I'm going to talk about a simple observation I've made at work. As most of you know, I work for a large retail department store-the same one that hosts the Thanksgiving Day parade. Anyway. Last week we heard that they let 10 people in our store go, the mens department, a couple of shoe ladies, some in juniors, and then the cash office. It wasn't just our store-it apparently happened at others in the area too. I can understand letting people go because the cash isn't there, but aren't there other ways to cut back too? Say, closing when the weather is bad and no one is going to be out anyway. Or, closing at a decent hour, like 8 or heck, I'll say 9, during the week instead of staying open to 10 when the mall closes at 8. The amount of money that is saved from those hours alone would probably pay for those 10 people they had to let go. There aren't sales-the only folks in the store are the employees!

Ok. That is all I have on my mind right now. I had other things I was thinking about blogging about (like how I really want a dog) but I will save those for another day. Until then check out this book. I'll hopefully have a review of it up on my book blog withing a few months. :)

Cold.

2009-01-15T18:31:00.001-08:00

I don't like it. It's horrible. I don't like it when the high is expected to be 4. It's just not right.

That is all.

Two Days in a Row

2009-01-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

I know, it's amazing. I'm doing what I can to keep everyone on their toes.

So. Retail. It's an interesting world. It takes up a lot of my thinking time these days, as I've been there quite a bit. It's fun to watch people. Especially old people. They're all for getting the biggest bang for their buck. Today's sale I'm sure has them coming out of the homes in droves. In a way, I'm happy to not be working tonight. Tomorrow night it's supposed to snow, so there's a chance that the sale will fizzle. Not sure how I feel about that. I would like a sale or two. I'm not being greedy. There are some really awesome pieces on clearance in our department! I have my eye on an aquamarine ring that with all the discounts would be around 100 bucks. With my additional discounts, it'd be more like 75. My eye will stay on it, but I won't buy it....I think I'd rather have a necklace as my next piece of jewelry. I was really surprised how much the sales bring prices down.

Today and yesterday I've been subbing in a science class. We watched Apollo 13 in all 3 classes. I enjoyed the movie when it came out in '95, and it's still not bad now. There are some pretty good quotes that you could take out of the movie. I've found that some of the students just don't get the movie though. Some think it's all a hoax, and it didn't happen at all. Others think that this was the mission that burned up upon re-entry. *sigh* It can be scary sometimes. I worry about what's going to happen when they grow up. They're likely to be the ones that give me problems with the discount system.

Oh. I forgot. This is a fun little story. (Ok, not really, but anyway.) I left to go to work last night, and as a good person does, I closed and latched the door to the house. Only then did I realize that what I thought was my keys was really my phone. Oops! At least it was my phone. So, I made a quick call to my dad and about 5 minutes later, he arrived. I went in, got the keys, and off to work I went. We definitely need a new plan for lock outs, that's for sure!

Anyway...I'm off for now. The movie is almost over, and we're still waiting for Apollo 13 to re initiate contact with Houston....

Happy New Year

2009-01-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! It's hard to believe that 2008 has come and gone. It's amazing to think back to all of the things that have gone on in the past 365 days or so. There have been changes, some good, and some not so good.

I've started working retail again, and I can't totally make up my mind. I have more stories to add to the previous post-it's amazing how people react to discounts, or lack there of. I must say, my most common question I receive is asking where the bathrooms are. Or if I can ring up socks. I am also no longer working on my online job. That ended as of the 31st. While I'm a bit relieved-I'm also a bit sad. In February it would've been 3 years, that's pretty good for a job for me! (Aside from subbing, that is.) I am happy I don't have to worry about responding to reports and getting x amount done in x amount of time. I'll miss finding out about campaigns, but you know, I'll be ok. I still have the friendships I've made, thanks to blogs and Facebook.

I cannot say that I made any resolutions for the new year. I never seem to keep them anyway. I do hope to better myself though, whether it's through classes-fun or educational, weight loss (I hope!), or just becoming a better person in general.

Well, that's enough rambling for now. (Not to mention, it's lunchtime here at school. :)) More soon!

I really am still alive, I promise!

2008-12-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

So, it's been awhile. I've been around, but time to blog has been fleeting. So I suppose I'll do some catching up. I have composed several blog entries since my last post, but they were all in my head. Doesn't help my reader much, but hey, my head enjoyed them!

Lately I've been doing a bit of reading (when I can, that is). I've been reviewing books and then posting the reviews on my book blog. I have a few more reviews I need to post to be caught up. I hope I can get to them in the next few days. One book that I'm currently reading is particularly interesting. It is entitled The Customer is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles edited by Jeff Martin. I received a review copy from Soft Skull Press, and I have to say that I am thrilled.

I haven't read the entire book yet, just bits and pieces, but I have to say it's great! Ok. Perhaps if you haven't lived the world of retail like so many of us have or are living, it might not be great. The stories bring back great memories. I really think I could add some of my own. One of the main ones that came to mind was from when I was working retail in college. I will not give away names, but those of you know where I worked and who we worked with will know exactly who this person is. I remember working in the back of the store, doing my job of taking customers orders, copying them, and then returning them. We had a bell on our counter for when we were off in the store, either checking stock or helping other customers. (Or working at the register up front...that happened often too.) Anyway. We had this bell, and should we were be at the counter, the customer was to ring the bell and we'd return to the counter to fill their order. There was a customer who was the head of a large real estate company in the area. We'll call her Jenny. Jenny was apparently involved in a Bible study group. Every week she would be at the store, getting things ready for the weekly study. She loved to impart her 'wisdom' on the heathens that worked at the store. (Because clearly, to work in retail (not real estate) you had to be one.) Anyway. One day I was in an aisle, helping a customer, and I heard the ringing of the bell. I finished up and returned to the counter. There was Jenny. I did my best to hide my disappointment, because inevitably, the work would not make her happy, and it would have to be redone. And usually, when it was redone, it would look the exact same, but that time she was happy. She gave me my task, and I turned back to the copier to complete it. She decided to stay at the counter while I copied her 'worksheets' on the beatitudes. While I was at the copying machine, she continued to ring the bell. Not just a little bit. Oh no, for Jenny that would've been way too easy. She kept ringing the damn thing. When asked why...she said she was making a joyful noise, and perhaps I should learn the meaning. If only I could have shoved it down her throat. The choking noise would've been awesome!

Anyway...I highly recommend the book for those of you who have any retail/customer service experience. I am reminded on an almost daily basis these days of the 'joys' of retail, and how people watching can become quite fun around the holidays. They seem to want the biggest bang for their buck, and they want a 6K piece of jewelry to be mere pennies when it's on clearance. While that might be a great deal, it's not going to happen!

I am going to try to post more updates over the holidays, but I cannot guarantee anything! If you don't hear from me, have a safe and merry Christmas! :)

Another contest

2008-10-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

I have fun looking around and finding fun contests. I came across this contest from Always Amy, I thought I'd go ahead and join in.

I found two pairs of earrings that I found just adorable.

This pair that looks like Chinese take out boxes is just too cute! I like oriental related things, and these are just cute. :)

The other pair that I liked was this white pair of maple leafs. I think it's perfect for the fall. It would go with any outfit-you wouldn't have to worry about wearing fallish colors for these to match with! :) You can see a bigger picture here.

Life comes at you fast...

2008-10-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

You know, I'm tired. I'm tired of politics. I'm tired of coming home from school and having messages on my machine telling me who will be in town and that I should go join the rally. And yes, I received 3 calls about the same specific rally. I didn't go. Wanted to, but didn't. I'm tired that the majority of our mail these days are "vote for this" "don't vote for that" pamphlets. This is the first campaign I honestly remember all of the advertising, being bombarded almost constantly. (I know, the Obama campaign does have a lot of money, and is spending it on advertising. I'm sure that's a large part of it.) I'm just looking forward to next Tuesday evening, when the majority of the ads will end. I don't expect the election itself to be over. I expect there will be recounts, and the election will hinge on one or two states as it has in the past two elections. I'll just be glad to not have to worry about smear ads on TV.

On to other things. Last weekend we had our annual Halloween party with the JoKeRMob. Ok. Technically the JoeRMob, because the Ks weren't there. It was up at Steve and Kate's new house. What a great place they found! It made us talk about moving, starting over, with something that we could decorate on our own. Someday we'll have that. But for now we can only deal with what we have and change it a little bit at a time, a room and window at a time.

I also won some books last week from bookbrothel. It was a giveaway of 10 books from Hachette Book Group. They're all politically related, but that's ok. I'm really looking forward to reading them, and if I don't read them, at least skimming them. I'm sure there will be some interesting tidbits of trivia in them.

Well, I'm off for now. I recently updated my starting page on FireFox to iGoogle, and I need to customize it to get the feeds I want to see. If you haven't checked out iGoogle yet, give it a try! :) Have a great week!

A meme...

2008-10-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

A while ago (a long while, I'm sorry to say) I asked to be part of a meme that has you commenting on fictional characters, all of whom have names that start with a specific letter. I was given the letter 'S'. Below you will find my answers (and below that the rules to participate, should you so choose).

1.) Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) Definitely one of my favorite books and a favorite character too. You can almost imagine what a girl of her young age was thinking when the country was trying to deal with segregation. I know that even now it's hard to believe that such things took place. Scout is such a real girl, and you can totally feel like you know what it was like to sneak past Boo Radley's house, but yet to be fascinated by him at the same time.

2.) Severus Snake (Harry Potter series) - he's so annoying, you can't help but like him! I am a fan of the Harry Potter books, and I really enjoyed the role in which Snape had in Harry's adventures.

3.) Pomona Sprout (Harry Potter series) - There was something about this gal you couldn't help but like. I always picture her almost as a Martha Steward of the wizard world. She can grown anything!

4.) Snow White (Disney Princess) - As much as I'd love to say that she really exists, she's just a fantasy. I remember that Snow White was one of the only movies that I went to as a kid, my mom taking me to the theater after my grandfather had died. I like how her character causes girls to dream of being a princess, and of having seven short men helping you out-at your beg and call!

5.) Slightly Sane Georgie (Hat Full of Sky) - He's not a prominent character. He's a Nac Mac Feegle, and those little blue men just make me smile. The fact that his name started with S just was perfect!

(And because I had to)

6.) Jack Schitt (Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde) - He's an evil man, that Jack Schitt. He's caused Thursday's husband to vanish from the memories of everyone, even poor Thursday! He does such horrible things, it's no wonder he works for Goliath Corp! Definitely a character you love to hate!

Ok. So there they are. Better late than never! :)

Here are the rules to the meme, let me know if you'd like to play too!
1. Comment on this post.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Think of 5 fictional characters and post their names and your comments on these characters in your blog.
4. Have fun!

We've got spirit, yes we do...Or do we?!

2008-10-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today was the first pep assembly that the school has had in a long time. Correction. The first pep assembly held during school hours. There is one for homecoming, but it's a community rally, and it's in the evening.

So anyway. There was a pep assembly today. I've never been to an assembly so quiet! The kids were just sitting there. Not yelling and screaming, excited for their school and their teams. They sat there. The emcee even had to tell the kids when to stand up and how to do the cheers! It was really a bit sad. I guess it shows that all of those years of telling the kids to sit down and shut up when there was an assembly paid off. They knew they had to be quiet or the assembly wouldn't progress. I'd really like to say something profound right now, but I've got nothing. I was just in shock. I've never been to an assembly where at times you really would've heard a pin drop. Strange. Hopefully as they start having more of these assemblies the kids will pick up what to do and the excitement will build. They really need to learn school spirit.

Cooking and updates

2008-10-09T10:15:00.001-07:00

So Monday I decided I'd try cooking using the crock pot yet again. I've never actually put something in the crock pot, left for work, and let it do its thing. I know. I'm a freak. But, I decided it was worth a shot. So into the pot I threw pork chops (like 8 of them) and while last year I usually used chicken noodle soup, noodles aren't an option for me, so I went with a chicken and rice and vegetable soup. It was an organic soup that was new, by Wolfgang Puck. I came home, it smelled tasty. I was happy. Then, it was time for the true test, the taste test, about 2.5 hours later, when Joe got home.

Apparently...rice cooks away when left in a crock pot for about 10 hours. The wild rice curled up and reminded me of little snails. The white rice just kind of cooked away to nothing. All that was left was broth, carrots, 'snails', and pork chops. The overall taste wasn't horrible. It was just really bland. I need to get the seasoning thing down. I think next time I'm just going to use chicken broth, pork chops, and then about an hour before the food is done, I'll throw in some gluten-free noodles. I've got to think about the seasonings. Although a few days later, I'm not so sure. Joe wasn't too keen on the food. He says he doesn't like anything soupy. Even when we drained the broth away he just wasn't happy.

Tuesday I decided to branch out and cook tacos. I've never done that before. I chose to use turkey meat instead of beef. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the greatest either. I have 3 containers of meat left over. And you all know how I feel about leftovers. Blech! I'm learning to like them, yes, but they totally aren't my thing! Wednesday we went out to eat. I wasn't in the mood to be creative with food.

Other news...Joe has become the hunter extraordinaire! I can't go into details, but let's just say that I'm quite impressed! Be sure to ask him what he's been doing. It's a fun story, and depending on the mood, it might include bad words! (Ok, it would from me, that's just me though!)

That's all the news on the home front. We're going biking on Saturday. I haven't actively been on a real bike (the exercise bike doesn't count) since college. Should be interesting. I'll let you know how that goes!

Little Punks!

2008-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

You know, it's 10:33 on a Thursday night, and I'm supposed to be in bed. But NO. Little idiot punks have to come through and nail our mailbox with a bat. Now we're waiting on the sheriff so that we can file a report. I'm all for having fun, but when it involves damaging property of somebody else AND keeping me awake, I am NOT a happy camper. I sure hope the sheriff nabs the bugger!

UPDATE: The sheriff never did show up on Thursday night. Turns out they never officially entered our call into the system! So I had to call them on Friday and have someone come out. It sure is interesting to see the amount of attention your house receives when it has a sheriff cruiser sitting in the driveway! After Joe got home we drove down the other streets in the neighborhood to see the damage, and the one street looked as though almost every mailbox got hit-even the plastic ones! We learned our lesson-no type of mailbox is baseball bat-proof, so we bought the $9.99 special at Wally World. After talking to my dad, the mailbox that was damaged was about 6 years old, so hopefully the replacement will last that long too.

Fall is Finally here!

2008-10-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

I know, officially it was here a few weeks ago, but for me it's officially here now. I have been able to wear a hoodie for the past few days (either after school when I got home) or as my choice piece of clothing when I drug my buns out of bed. I am so happy! I love my hoodies! The one I'm currently wearing is in honor of Kent State. In the summer I had to go back up to campus to get yet another copy of my transcript, and I realized that as an alumna, I did not have a KSU hoodie. The horrors! I have Army hoodies and OSU hoodies, but no KSU hoodies.
So, I remedied the situation. The one I purchased is similar to this in design, but the colors are different. I went for the grey with navy letters and gold outlines. I must say, the shirt is tres comfortible! (Have I mentioned that I love hoodies??)

I also know fall is finally here because I had to turn the heat on. I didn't want to do it, but even when dressed in layers, the house was showing it was 63 degrees, which is about 2 degrees less than what I would want it to be. So, I caved and turned it on.

Yet another sign? I'm drinking hot tea instead of iced, and I've turned to soup as one of my main meals for the day. Today I had a bowl of chicken chili that I found at Raisin Rack. It was premade, frozen, and best of all, gluten free! It was SO tasty! I'm planning on going back to Raisin Rack tonight to get some more, as well as to get some fresh baked gluten free goods. (I hope!) There's a bakery in Alliance (Kathy's Creations), and her food is un-be-lievable! I had the snickerdoodles and bear claws last week. I was so in heaven! I had forgotten how things like donuts/bear claws could be so tasty. But, her bakery is completely gluten free. I was beyond excited to find the items last week. I'm looking forward to what I find tonight! :)

Ok. Back to trying to stay warm. I'm thinking I might have to have some warm apple cider soon. Doesn't that sound yummy?

Wii had fun!

2008-09-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the annual corn maze event for the JoKeRMob. For the past 3 years (this makes 4), we've gone out to Amherst and split up guys against girls and navigated the maze. We also try to pick apples when we can, and yesterday we did that too. (I LOVE Jonagold apples that are fresh picked! So much better than what you get at the store!)

The theme for this year's maze was baseball and the 1948 World Series. The maze was of a baseball player. The girls all 'talked' before hand, and our plan was to use the Maze-o-vision glasses that Lynn had, along with copies of the maze printed out to find all of the stations within the maze. From what I understand, the boys 'talked' too, and pretty much got caught up on the trivia as well as printed out copies of the maze to navigate. Jim went so far as to change his email password so that Susan couldn't read what the boys were saying. Hilarious!

The weather yesterday wasn't perfect-it was drizzling and a bit on the chilly side. But being the JoKeRMob, we went ahead. (Whether rain, sleet, sun or snow, the JoKeRMob events are always a go!) We navigated the maze to the best of our abilities, and I must say, that we ladies did much better than we have in the previous runs. We were able to find all but 2 stations before the men were on the bridge mocking us. Next year is our year, girls!

After the maze we went back to Brian and Lynn's for pizza and entertainment. They have a Wii and they decided to show us what it could do. It was fun watching and playing the different games. Who knew that cow racing could bring Lynn to tears?! It definitely was a fun evening. Joe's claiming Wii elbow today. It's not my fault he had to rematch against me in bowling!

I'm thinking that a Wii might be on my list of things to purchase someday. It really was a bunch of fun, and I could see us using it a lot more than our PS2 or XBox. Probably because the games were much more amusing to me. Don't know. Just a guess. Before yesterday I was really wanting a touch iPod, the games on that can be fun, and it would be nice to listen to fun music when roadtripping to Nashville/Hopkinsville. Cassettes of hair bands just don't cut it for me. I need a mixture of music! I suppose an iPod still might be on the list, but I'd probably take a Wii first. Now if only I had a 'real' job so I could purchase these!

Another fun giveaway

2008-09-28T14:45:00.001-07:00

Found this one from Heather's blog too. It's a giveaway for a free Hoover Sweeper. Now, many of you might now that I grew up in a Hoover Vacuum household, since my grandfather worked there for 55 years. Many of you didn't, but now you do! Anyway, Mama Kat's giving away a new model, and you might just win one for your house!

Fun Giveaway!

2008-09-28T14:35:00.001-07:00

I found this site through a friend. A Resting Place is giving away a $25 gift certificate for looking over her store and for leaving a comment on her blog. Go check it out-the contest is over tomorrow (the 29th)! (Sorry for the late notice!) I really liked a lot of the items, and I hope you do too!

Why does my crock pot hate me?

2008-09-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

So as one of the many ways to save money here in la casa del Ramey, I've vowed to start cooking more. I know. I'm hilarious! But, it's worth a try. Especially since I'm still gluten free and feeling better as a result.

Today I decided I'd start the new cooking regime now that there is food in the fridge. (Hey, it only took a week after the storm, that's not too bad!) So I decided I'd make chicken, broccoli, rice and cheese in the crock pot. Now seriously, it was that easy. Put all of those ingredients, some water, some seasonings, cream of chicken soup and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours. Sounds easy. Perfect for putting together when I get home from school and ready for Joe when he gets home from work, now that he works until 5 instead of 8:30. Um, yeah, not so much. In 3.5 hours, the rice wasn't cooked. So, I let it cook a little longer and then I went ahead and made more rice in the microwave. The results? Blah. the food had no flavor. I'm so disappointed! I really wanted to like it. I need to tweak it somehow. How, I don't know. If you have suggestions, let me know. An empty crock pot will be waiting by...

Hurricanes and things

2008-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

You know, living in Ohio you wouldn't think that we'd be bothered by a hurricane. HA! Yesterday the remnants of Hurricane Ike came barreling through Ohio, including our nice little city of Green. I say barreling because wind speeds were up around 60 mph or so. Insane! Around 3 or so our power went out for the first time. There was no rain, just the crazy winds. I didn't mind too much, it was daylight, so I could still see to read. I just couldn't play on the Internet or watch tv. Or go to the bathroom or take a shower. Or cook lunch/dinner.

We decided to drive to the local home improvement store to check out different drainage solutions, and in turn of a/c and a bathroom if we needed it. We went and did our grocery shopping and returned home and there was power. Yay! Joe decided to do a load of laundry and I watched TV, basically to see what the weather was going to do. After all, if this was what was left of a hurricane, I wanted to know what we were in for! The winds really started picking up, so much so that I decided it was time to go to the basement. The trees were really moving and we're pretty sure our car moved a couple of inches. We'd turned on a football game and I was just finishing my food and POOF! The power went out again. I went upstairs to see the wind just whipping around, branches and leaves flying. The neighbor had a huge limb down and we noticed we had a limb that if it were to drop would take power, cable and phone out for our house.

I have to say that the folks who have weathered storms like these amaze me. I wasn't scared so much as bored. I still am, to be honest. 24 hours later and we're still waiting for our power to come back. We bought water so we could flush the toilet, and we bought extra candles because well, it gets dark! You never know how much you rely on electricity until you don't have it. Even the little things like looking at the alarm clock in the middle of the night isn't possible. This morning I received 2 calls asking me to come in and sub. I couldn't do it. I wanted to, but I really wanted to take a shower, and I didn't want to go in feeling icky. So I stayed home. Joe, on the other hand, had to go in, so he used what water we did have to take a shower. He's called me a few times to ask if we've got power yet. Nope. That's why I'm bumming electricity here at Panera. My phone is pretty much dead, so I needed to charge it up, and while I really wanted to read one of the many books I've checked out of the library, I wanted to get online. The Internet is an addiction. I've realized this. Here's hoping we have power soon. Otherwise, thank you Kate for saying I can come over and take a shower. I so appreciate it!

As for other things. Yesterday morning we had to go move furniture for Joe's aunt. He's only met her twice. I think I've seen her that many times as well, and it's been when Joe wasn't with me. So she's not exactly a close relative of his. Anyway. We drove down to Navarre to move some furniture that she needed to get out of her apartment because she was being sued by her niece/cousin. It was crazy. Her apartment definitely helped me see that I cannot become a pack rat. I have a bunch of stuff in the basement that I need to start going through. i don't think I'll be able to live like his aunt. There was stuff EVERYWHERE. There wasn't an empty shelf, counter, chair, sofa, whatever. It was crazy. The only good thing was that we got to see some old pictures of Joe's dad, and that was pretty cool. We both liked that. I love seeing old photos anyway, and to have them be of Joe's dad when he was 8 and 9, that was just awesome. Now I just need to figure out how to get copies of the pictures for us-without having to see his aunt again.

I am back on the 'sauce'. Sauce being Dr. Pepper. I'd been off for about a week, but yesterday's event caused me to go back. I only drank it yesterday, and even then it was just a bottle. I've decided I'm going to give myself one day a week to have some DP for about a month, and then I'll get off. I needed the caffeine, and since I couldn't open the fridge to get to my iced tea (or make more, for that matter), I had to get some sauce. I still haven't gone back to gluten though. I don't see that happening. I feel so much better without it! Plus, I really don't miss bread. I am at Panera now, and I do miss their desserts, but I'll survive.

Ok. I'm done for now. I think I'm going to write a book review shortly, and then maybe see if there's power back at home. I've been here for almost 2 hours now, and I have a feeling they're going to ask me to leave. Have a good one!

Greatest American Dog, Season Finale

2008-09-10T18:05:00.001-07:00

I haven't mentioned the show for quite awhile, but I have been keeping up on the show. I was pretty upset when the Brittany Spaniel was voted off. She really was a talented dog, and the owner definitely showed a love for his dog and his family. I tuned in tonight not really realizing it was the final show. When I started watching, the final of the border collies was being 'expelled' leaving the smallyippee toy dog and the boxer. I still really love the boxer. He's just a pup, but he's got so much energy, and his owner, well, you can just see how much he adores his dog. The final challenge was for the dogs to go through a maze, a teeter-totter, a wobbly board thing, do two jumps AND get their toy out from underneath an elephant. The boxer was first to go, and he flew through the first 4obstacles like there was nothing to it. The elephant, yeah, not so much. But hey, who wouldn't be a bit scared?! He didn't go under until his owner proved that it was ok by going through himself. I totally gave him props for that. The second to "compete" was the yippee dog. (It was a Maltese, totally clung to his owner. Couldn't handle being away from her and would run to the door when she left. She claims he wasn't clingy. Psh, yeah, RIGHT!) Anyway. The Maltese was up, and she was like practically holding it through the first 3 obstacles. Then he flew through the jumps and easily retrieved his toy from under the elephant. I seriously think he was more afraid of his owner than the elephant! So, at the end they had to decide who was the best and who would win the title Greatest American Dog. It was rough, both dogs really did know their stuff. It had to have been rough for the judges. In the end they picked Presley, the boxer. Yay! I was so happy. They said that they had a newly wed type of relationship, and that the owner totally showed America what it was like to be a dog owner. I totally agree. So, even though I didn't agree with the judging through most of the show, at least theyippee dog didn't win AND the psycho dog didn't win. Phew!

Now...on to other shows...

Cemetery Walks

2008-08-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Many of my friends know that I enjoy going to cemeteries and walking around. While I was in Tennessee it was no different. A few years ago, my uncle and I had found Johnny Cash's grave through a geocaching adventure. I had promised Lauren I'd take her there, so she and I went back, along with her sister Jenn, while they were in Mt. Juliet visiting me. We drove out and paid our respects to the man in black and his wife, and then moved along. I wanted to go back, so a few days later when I had the car, I did. I walked around and observed the different stones. I found it quite interesting that so many stones would have epitaphs or even just sayings on them. Maybe it's common elsewhere, but around here it's not. There was a set of stones that was a family and it explained the genealogy of the family. I thought that was a nice touch. A week or so later, Joe's sister and the girls and I went back. We had seen a movie and it was still early, and Chris thought it would be fun to see Johnny Cash's grave. So...we drove back. This time we walked around more, and we found the stone pictured. There are 20 years between JD and Iris, but they have the same last name. Not sure if it was husband and wife or father and daughter, or even brother and sister. But, poor JD is still alive and there written in bronze, "My wife, My partner..." How many Johns are wives?

Now, you're asking, why did you go back to the same cemetery three times? I had planned on visiting other cemeteries while I was there, but it didn't work out. Plus, I honestly had fun exploring the one. Each time I'd find something a little different. Next trip I do plan on visiting a different one, possibly two. I've been checking out the listings on findagrave.com and it really is interesting to see the different people who are buried in the locations. Who knows, maybe you have somebody 'famous' buried near you!

Hi honey, I'm home!

2008-08-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

As of 11 pm last night, I'm home. It took us 11 hours to drive the usual 8.5 hour drive. I fell asleep in the car on the way home, only to awaken to "What the Fuck?!" Now...let me say, last time I fell asleep on the drive home from TN and heard those words, we were being pulled over for speeding in Covington, KY. So...I was a bit worried. (The ticket was $180!!) This time, however, it was a WTF in response to the traffic jam on I-65. We went from speeds of 70 mph (the fastest we dare let the car go) to zip. After about an hour and 15 minutes, we'd gone all of 5 miles, if that. We finally reached an exit, and I recommended we get off. I didn't know where the road went, after all, we were south of Louisville and I didn't have a map, but I determined life would be better if 1.) we were moving and getting air circulating in our non-AC car and 2.) I went to the bathroom. So, we stopped at the truck stop, I looked at the $30 buck map and took care of business. Funny...the traffic jam was the result of a truck that spilled oil (or so the people at the truck stop said), and it was going to take several hours to clean up. Now...wouldn't you think that if the police knew that it would take hours and traffic would be at a standstill, they'd divert traffic? Not in Kentucky! Luckily, I had checked out the map and found an alternate route. What a ride! A rural Kentucky road, full of twists and turns, and a speed limit of 55mph. It was quite amusing! We were glad to finally get back to our usual route, but it was fun to see some parts of a state we'll probably never need to see again! Now if only I hadn't received a sunburn on my right arm, from the bottom of my sleeve to my finger tips...

Book Review

2008-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

So I started reading this book last week, hoping to be able to listen to the audio version while on the plane to Nashville. Didn't work. I had to finish it! :)

I chose Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett on a recommendation from a friend who really enjoys Terry's books. I can now see why! I'm hooked and am really hoping that the Nashville Library has some so I can check them out!

The book starts out with a young girl named Tiffany. She's down by the river with her younger brother, and a monster comes out towards her. She attacks it. She also encounters these small blue men who speak kind of funny. This is when she realizes there is something different about her.

The little blue men are the Nac Mac Feegles, or as they call themselves, the Wee Free Men. They're blue, they wear kilts and they speak with a Scottish accent. I have to say, I absolutely loved reading what they were saying! It was amusing. I kept picturing little leprechauns that had defected to Scotland. And since they enjoyed drinking, they clearly had found the good Scotch ale!

Back to the story. Tiffany's little brother is abducted by the Quin, er, I mean queen, and miss Tiffany has to figure out how to get into the Queen's world to get him back. She is assisted by the Nac Mac Feegles, and has a few adventures along the way.

I really enjoyed this story, and I highly recommend it. Now that Harry Potter is over, I think this will make a great new series to read. (There are apparently several books written by Mr. Pratchett.) Let me know if you've read any of these books yourself and what you think! I'd love to compare notes!

Gluten-free, and me

2008-07-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

So, I've been without wheat and gluten for a month now. Ok. Not totally without, but for the majority of the time. I have to say, I feel much better! As long as I don't have Chik-Fil-A's regular chicken, I'm ok. I had some the other day (my mistake, I thought they were gluten free). By the end of the afternoon, my stomach was swollen to the point where it looked like I was several months pregnant. (Which I am NOT!) It's slowly going back down to where it was pre-gluten. I couldn't believe the bloat! If that's not a sign of gluten intolerance, I don't know what is! I'm looking forward to my trip to Nashville, I just hope I can stay away from that bad gluten stuff!

Other news, Joe likes Mexican! I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it is! We've been eating only American-Mexican for the past 8 years because he only would eat the steak. He tried Mexican a few weeks ago with his co-workers, and he came home to tell me how much he enjoyed it. We went to Pancho's, the Tex-Mex restaurant here in town, twice, and it's amazing how much lower our bill is when we don't have steak on it! Then yesterday we went to El Rincon. We decided that was the best. Today (yes, that would be the 4th Mexican meal in 5 days) we went to Mariachi Loco's. Not good. We decided we won't be eating there. Or, if we will, we won't get what we did today. It was not acceptable.

Ok, that's all for now. I've started getting my things ready for my trip. Packing for 3 weeks in one suitcase, quite difficult! Have a good one!

AGD update...

2008-07-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

I know. It's sad...I like a reality TV show. It's pathetic. I made sure I had nothing planned from 8 to 9 last night so that I could watch America's Greatest Dog. I was quite happy that Presley, the boxer, won the golden bone and was able to have the big suite. I'm always amazed at how well dogs are trained, and how people make it look so easy. Clearly it takes work, but the folks on the show make it seem so easy! When they had the elimination round, I have to admit, I was worried. After all, Star was on drugs after her run in with the wire or whatever it was that day, and I was afraid she wouldn't live up to the judges' standards. I was also a bit worried about Presley since he's still a puppy and can easily be distracted. Luckily those two dogs made it through no problem, and even the bulldog, Tillman, managed to sit and not eat his steak. (Seriously, that's a big thing for a dog!) When they called up the 3 that were up for elimination, can I just say how happy I was that Bella was up again? I was cheering, I was talking to the TV, and most of all, I was mocking the dog's owner. Why? Well...they had asked the dogs to be groomed. The wacko owner dressed the dog up in a formal dress. Um...how the heck is that grooming?! The judges agreed, and said that they couldn't even judge the dog because the clothes were taking away from the dog. Then the owner starts arguing, saying how her dog's a mutt, and how she has to put clothes on it because it's not attractive. Oh boo hoo. Then she starts crying, saying how she didn't even know if her dog was going to walk 3 months ago. Puh-lease. I was heckling her. But in the end...she wasn't voted off. I was a bit disappointed. OK. A lot disappointed. Hopefully she leaves next week.

On to other things...today we went picking blackberries at Joe's sister's. I have never seen so many berries before!! It was crazy! We picked about 8 cups worth today, and they're not even completely ripe! I was a bit sad that I am leaving before they're all ripe, but hey, I'm sure there will be blackberries in Nashville, right?! Anyway...off to decide if I should cut my hair. Long hair is hot in the summer! Have a good one! :)

The Double Bind...a book review

2008-07-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Do you remember reading The Great Gatsby when you were in school? I do. It was by far one of my favorite books we had to read in English class. I honestly can't tell you what it was about this book that I enjoyed so much. Perhaps the time frame, the way that Gatsby was finally able to see Daisy, I just don't know. And I just reread the book again, and still can't tell you why I liked it so much! I just do!

I reread Gatsby because the book, The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian refers to Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and their daughter, Pamela. I'd been recommend this book by my friend Susan, who knows my love for Great Gatsby and is a Language Arts teacher.

The book starts out with the main character, Laurel, talking about being attacked while bike riding in Vermont. She talks about the men who attacked her and what saved her from being killed. While the book itself doesn't focus on this, it is an underlying theme.

From there, we're brought back to present day, where Laurel is given pictures that were taken by Bobbie Crocker, a former resident at the homeless shelter where she works. Bobbie had recently passed away, and her boss thought that perhaps the photos could be put together to make a show and then be used as a fundraiser for the shelter.

There are photos showing famous singers, actors, musicians, and then some that also show the Gatsby residence, and one of Pamela Buchanan and a boy, whom Laurel believes to be Bobby Crocker. There are also a few pictures of Laurel on her bike in the woods in Vermont, wearing the shirt she described as wearing when she was attacked.

Laurel becomes obsessed with finding out who exactly Bobby Crocker is and how he was connected to the Buchanans. I can relate with her obsession-when you have a mystery to solve, you want to know, and sometimes other things just get tossed aside.

The rest of the book deals with her obsession to solve the mystery, print the photos from negatives, and to find out just who exactly Bobby Crocker was. I don't want to give away too much of the ending (which was quite surprising to me, and I honestly need to now reread the book to see what little details I missed), so I'll leave it at that. Let me know if you want to know more about the book or if you've read it yourself. I'm curious to know if other readers are as surprised by the ending as I am.

Rejected...and other things.

2008-07-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

After waiting over a month, I finally received my rejection letter from Medina County Career Center. Am I surprised? No, not really. Just means I have to keep looking for a job. *sigh* Oh, and I have a strong feeling the the local district isn't too keen on hiring 'their own' anymore. Any guesses on when I get that rejection letter?

Have you seen the TV show America's Greatest Dog? It started this week. There's a rerun on now, so I'm watching it...again. It's a strange reality show, something I don't watch all that often. But yet...I'm drawn in and can't help but watch this. I think I have fun making fun of the pet owners. The one lady who is dressing her dog up in full fledged outfits? Nutso. (She thinks the dog is her soul mate. Need I say more?!) Or the chick who won't let anybody touch her dog. Um...hello. You're on a TV show, where the dogs are important, and you're with 11 other dog owners. And no one can touch your dog? Yeah, I don't see that happening. Should be interesting. I'm hoping I lose interest in the show. I probably will when I'm in Nashville and have access to cable. BTW, my favorite dog right now is Star. I know, I didn't go for the border collies or the boxer. It's only the first week, maybe my favorite will change!

Other news, I'll be leaving on the 23rd and then coming home sometime in August. I'm hoping to get to Hopkinsville for a little while to visit with the family there, but I'm not sure when that will be. Nor do I know how I'll get there. But it's all good.

Ok. That's all for now. I should be posting a book review shortly. I've had lots of time to read lately. I'm hoping to start adding the book reviews when I can.

My newest dog...

2008-06-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

This year was the 5th annual birthday trip for our niece Alexa and myself to Build-a-Bear. It's becoming a fine tradition, although I'm sure she'll outgrow it. (She'll be 9 on the 10th of July.) Each year we co-build bears (or in my case, animals). It's a fun time, and I enjoy feeling like a kid again.

As is typical for me (except for the year of Sally Freda the Frog and Katerina aka Hello Kitty), I built a dog. This year I decided to go for a black lab. I really like labs, but I'm realistic and realize that it's highly unlikely I'll ever own a real live black lab. Unless they become miniature somehow. So...I built Hatfield. I've always thought that if I had real animals, I'd have a pair, a black one named Hatfield and a white one named McCoy. Yes, from the West Virginia Hatfield-McCoy feud.

Why? Well...Joe's related to the Hatfields. I haven't gotten his family treetotally figured out yet (there are co-relatives on his father's side...you know, cousins marrying cousins...I think). But, from what I tell, "Devil Anse" Hatfield is an uncle. Again, I think. If you're not familiar with the Hatfields and McCoys, you can read a bit here.

Anyway. I decided to have my own Hatfield and McCoy, and I built them. I really like how they look together (and no, Hatfield is not eating McCoy...they're just hanging out together. Playing if you will). I brought them home, Joe asked to see them, and he shook his head. Hatfield is now with the rest my pets, guarding my bookshelves. He seems happy.

And another thing

2008-06-29T16:26:00.003-07:00

Why does my Pandora radio station insist on playing Christmas music?? It's June!

2008-06-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the crazy world of me! Oh yes, it's been another fun week here in Green. Why? Well...for one thing I couldn't use the computer much because of the freaking storms. Every time I'd go to turn on one of the computers I'd hear thunder and see lightning. So much for that. Luckily there is blue sky out there right now. I'm making a run for the internet and you can't stop me, oh large forces of electricity!

What else have I been doing...well...I'm still not eating wheat or gluten. That makes it fun for someone who doesn't cook all that much. (I totally blame Joe's schedule!) I've made a few gluten-free coffee cakes that I eat for breakfast, and I'm slowly learning what I can and cannot eat when we're out. Sometimes you might not think that there is gluten in something, but my skin itches and my stomach informs me otherwise. Blah. I made a cinnamon-raisin gluten-free bread last night and had a slice of it for breakfast this morning. It wasn't too bad, but it needs something. I'm guessing butter and perhaps some cinnamon sugar. The hardest thing about this is finding foods that I can eat. The specialty shops aren't exactly close, and while I really want to go to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, I just haven't been able to justify the drive to Chagrin Falls and Beachwood yet. Montrose is about as far as I go.

Hmm...what else? I went to Kent State this week. That was interesting. I haven't really been on campus to see it since graduation in '98. It was amazing to me! I was walking and had to stop...hey-wasn't this a field?! Where the f* did that come from?! I did enjoy my 35 minute walk around the 'center' campus (aka Michael Schwartz for yet ANOTHER copy of my transcript) and the Student Center/Library. I didn't want to be too nostalgic and get a parking ticket for over parking. After campus I went downtown to visit a couple of the stores I liked to visit when I lived there. The Works is still there and selling fun artistic creations for enormous prices. Boy do I wish some of my stuff could gather that kind of price! I also went into Lasso the Moon. They were in the midst of their going out of business sale. Good thing I stopped when I did! I was good and didn't purchase anything, but it was fun to look around one last time.

I had my annual Build-a-Bear trip with Lexie on Friday. We had a blast. I'll post more about that later. It's definitely a fun place to go, but man can it be expensive! Luckily Lexie only has a birthday once a year.

Stitches come out on Tuesday at 11. Not that I'm counting down. My head is itching like crazy-I think that's a sign of healing, right? I just want them out! I don't think I can handle having Joe freak out every time he sees them. I swear, if we have children, he's going to be in the lobby. I want him nowhere near me. I don't want to worry about him freaking.

Anyway...that's all for now. I need to get back to 'work'. The storm really screwed my hours for the week, and while I only do 10 a week, having to do 7 in 2 days is just not fun at all!

Update...

2008-06-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, I promise! Just lots of things going on. On Tuesday I had 2 cysts removed from my scalp. (Ok. One was, the other just scar tissue.) I was so excited when 4:30 arrived today so that I could 1.) wash my hair and get the dried blood out and 2.) take allergy and pain meds again! Oh yes, it's the little things. My head isn't hurting too bad today, but there is a dull pain that comes and goes. It makes me wonder how it would feel for someone that doesn't have a high pain tolerance. (I've been told by many a doctor that I should be in pain when in fact I feel fine.)

The other exciting 'event' in my life is that I've given up wheat and gluten. No, sorry, no pregnancies or new dogs here! I realized that when I don't eat wheat or things with gluten in them, I feel WAY better than I did I did have them. So, I've been working on researching and trying new recipes so that I can still enjoy some of the same things I did. No, pizza won't be the same, but if there's an option for a gluten-free pizza dough, you know full well I'll try it! Ok. That's all the news from here for now. I'll keep you updated!

Random things...

2008-06-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

First-still no word from the career center. I haven't decided if that's good news or bad. The gal that stared at me the 2nd half of the test told me it took over a month for them to complete the process with her. I've decided what will be, will be. I cannot stress over this. It's just not worth losing my sanity.

Second...I finally have my name correct on my driver's license! After nearly5 years with it wrong, they finally added the space between Amy and Aileen. Mind you...it was there when we first got married. It disappeared when we moved from Cuyahoga County to Stark County. They said there wasn't room. Yeah, right. So, after going in, having them call the help desk who made us go get my birth certificate and marriage license (which before were not acceptable) they finally changed it. Props to Brenda at the BMV or DMV (whatever!) who said "It lets me put the space in, let's see what happens." $19.50 later, I have my name correct. Next up...the mortgage.

And finally....Just my own random thoughts here. If for some reason you find a growth or lump on your skin, please, please, please insist on seeing a doctor who is willing to check it out and not just claim it's harmless. We lost Joe's aunt last week as a result of such growth, one that had gone from what they thought was a wart to brain cancer. It's just sad when you lose someone so sweet and kind as Aunt Donna, at the young age of 58.

Until next time, enjoy this weather!

The week of my birthday...

2008-06-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Should really be a holiday week. Ok. Maybe not, but I think I should be showered with presents and niceties all week. (I'd go for the month, but I know that won't work out so well...) So last night I was bugging Joe that I thought I deserved a card. (I was joking. The anniversary was a no cards, no presie type event, so my birthday is pretty much the same.) So...he takes a piece of left over cardstock and writes "Hap B-day Amy" puts a smiley face below that and scribbles what he claims are his initials. I was like, um...ok. So then he makes it a stand up card so I can sit here at the computer, work, and be reminded of how much he loves me. A little later he comes in and squashes it, saying that I needed a paperweight as a gift, not a card. Then later he comes in and puts a clothepin on it, and stands it up next to the monitor, and says he bought me art for my birthday. Then again he comes back in and he throws it across the room, and says he bought me a toy for my birthday. I've picked it back up off the floor and put it on the desk. (sorry for the dust in the picture. ICK!) I decided to make the picture look 'artistic' so only the paperweight/card/toy/art is the original color. I wonder if I'll get a bigger piece of art when it really is my birthday?!

Confused much??

2008-05-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd show a picture of my Christmas Cactus. It's blooming. In case you were confused, it's May. Apparently it is now the anniversary cactus (8 years today!). Sorry for the picture quality, I had little light to deal with.

Some flowers and a story.

2008-05-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

I was out checking out the weed progression in the front of our house, and found some forget-me-nots growing. (Ok. I think they are. They look like them. Therefore, in my world, they are!) I really like these flowers. Probably why I collect vintage postcards with them. I took a picture and thought I'd share.

I also was able to cut some of our irises. Some of you know that irises are my favorite flower. I don't know why, they just are. I really like blue irises (hence why they were the chosen flower of our wedding 8 years ago tomorrow). The ones in our yard tend to be purple or another color. The other color ones are still buds, but I'm sure they'll be blooming soon. I cut a few stalks of the flowers and then brought them in. I decided to do my own version of ikebana to arrange them. I love flower frogs. (The dark thing you see in the bowl. It's spikey so you can just poke the flower on it and it stays.) It took a bit of arranging because the one stalk is extremely heavy. But I think I got it. It's adding nice color to my office. I'm sure Joe won't like it, but too bad. I spend lots of time in here!

And now, for my story...

So the other day I was subbing in a spec ed class. (Not short bus special. Just slow when it comes to learning.) They can become wild after lunch, and that day was no different. The one comment was about assuming makes an a$ out of you and me. Apparently it's the new 'saying' at school-the kids have just discovered it. Anyway, the one boy was telling someone not to assume something, and the other girl was just not getting it. So he tells her, write it out. She does. She looks at it. She says, "But there's no 'n' in there. I don't get it." This repeated for 10 minutes. I think we should respell the word assunme, with the silent n, just for her. Maybe then she'd get it.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend-what's left of it! :)

2008-05-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

So, the other night instead of working (I'm pretty sure I was done, really), Heather tagged me for a new meme. You can read her blog here. I will warn you, it's a long one!

Favorite person (outside family)? Erm...um...I can't pick just one! I'm quite fond of my fellow JoKeRMob friends. Technically, the others are related (either through blood, Joe's family, or the Phi Sigma Pi family!)

Favorite food? I really like Thai food. And Peanut Butter ice cream

Quirks about you? I tend to be neat and organized when I'm not at home. At home, nothing is clean. I'm also a perfectionist when it comes to my crafts and creations.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? Not really sure. I know he's said that I have a big heart and that I'm generous.

Any regrets in life? That I didn't listen to the stories my grandparents and my Mom would tell me when I was younger. I'd love to hear them again!

Favorite Charity/ Cause? Homeless animals and Children's services

Favorite Blog recently? Um...I don't read any blogs that are my favorite. I like Heather's.

Something you can’t get enough of? sleep!

Worst job you’ve ever had? working as a web developer-except I wasn't really, I was hired to clean up for new employees and make a nice impression.

What job would you pay NOT to have? the person who has to smell armpits to see if deodorant works.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where would you be? The main office where I work. I'd love to know what's going on there! (Heather, you're not the only one!)

Favorite Bible verse right now? I don't know the specific verse. But I know it's the one that God won't give you more than you can handle.

Guilty Pleasure? WifeSwap (but only on rare occasions)

Got any confessions? Nope.

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? Well, I'd either buy some craft supplies OR I'd take a class at KSU for my library science degree.

Favorite thing about your house? That it's ours.

Least favorite thing about your house? It needs a new roof and other repairs. Oh, and that there isn't a dog in it!

One thing you are bad at? Um...I'd say getting my point across. Not always, but quite frequently, I know what I want to say, but I cannot say it. That and keeping the house clean.

One thing you’re good at? I think I do pretty decently at crafts. (jewelry, needlework, scrapbooking, photography)

If you could change something about your circumstances, what? I'd have a full-time teaching job and Joe wouldn't be worrying about where he's going to be working in a year.

Who would you like to meet someday? Well, there's the obvious, like Jesus. I'd also like to meet some of the gals that I work with.

What makes you feel sexy? High heels.

Who is your real life hero? I have a bunch. Military members are high up there. And my parents. And teachers-they put up with a LOT.

What is the hardest part of your job? Being able to sit and read the same thing 120 times in a row. Or listening to students whine b/c I won't let them leave. Take your pick.

When are you most relaxed? When I'm sleeping.

What stresses you out? Not knowing where I'll be working next year.

What can you not live without? Dr. Pepper. Ok. I can. But it's hard.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? Well, I don't consider myself a narcissist, so I'd have to disagree. I think blogs are a great way to share things, thoughts, pictures, videos, etc. And they're a great sounding board to get opinions of people. But, at the same time, there are the blogs that are out there solely as a look at me, see what I can do, pay attention to me, pay no attention to anyone else.

Why do you blog? I tend to blog to share my thoughts with my friends, as well as some of my art and creations.

Who are you tagging? Um....anybody who reads my blog? I don't have any favorite blogs, or really know many people who blog.

Okay - rules:

1. Answer the questions (Did I really have to include this as a rule? Duh!)
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category.
New/ newer bloggers (since we want to share the love and send them traffic)
Bloggy friends
Bloggers you’d like to get to know better
Bloggers you don’t think will respond, but you hope will

Good luck and have fun!

A tribute to my mom

2008-05-10T18:40:00.001-07:00

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I'd post a story about my mom.

Shortly after they moved into this house, my mom was discovering all of the "native" plants that were growing around it. One night, around 11 or so, we were both online chatting via instant message. (We did that a lot.) They didn't have DSL or RoadRunner, so she asked me to look up a plant that was baffling her. I asked her to describe it, and she'd say, hold on, let me go check. Instead of actually going outside (it was 11!), she'd go into the other room, open the window, and shine a flashlight down on the plant to look at it. After she was done observing it, she'd return to the computer room and describe it. This went on for at least half an hour.

So the story seems pointless, I know. But, think about it. It's 11 o'clock at night, totally dark out, and here's a new neighbor opening her window every 5 to minutes, shining a flashlight on the ground, and then closing it! I always laugh when I think of her doing that. :) We didn't find out what the plant was that night, but when it went to seed, we found out it was money plant.

Most of the money plant is now gone from around our house, and our late night IM sessions are gone, but a few individual plants are left behind, and they bloom around Mother's Day. I always look and laugh when I see them.

Rest in peace, Mom. I love you!

For those of you who weren't sure about my sanity...

2008-04-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

Meet my pets. Yes, I have them. No, they aren't alive and breathing. (Nor are they former pets that have been stuffed like we learned about at Skyview Ranch in 4th grade.) These are my pets. As many of you know, I've wanted a dog for quite awhile. At least 9 years, but who's counting? Anyway...as my way of getting one, I've taken to adopting dogs.

The first one is my latest. He was the cheapest in that he came free from Hallmark when I bought necessary cards last weekend. He's a WebKin. I haven't activated his code yet, but that's beside the point. Currently he sits guarding all of my latest book purchases. He does a good job. If only he could find my missing copy of Great Gatsby, all would be swell.

My other 'pets' (those pictured anyway) have been built at Build-a-Bear. I love that store! You go in and you just can't help but be swept away with the fun of making your own friend! After the WebKin (who is currently nameless) is Caterwall. He's the first BAB I built. He was 'born' in Nashville, and has a very special trait. He meows. Oh yes, he meows. Squeeze his paw, you hear, "meow, meow, meow!" It's AWESOME! Of course, when I had the sound box placed in his paw, the lady at the store was all, Honey, you got the cat box. You need to change it for a dog. Um. No! I want a dog that meows thank you! And, because his identity was so confused, he was named Caterwall. :)

The 2nd BAB I built was Buttercup. I built her when I took Alexa to BAB for her birthday. And, no, you can't see the dog's eyes in real life either. But hey, at least she's wearing Limited 2 clothes! :)

The final BAB I'm posting is Buddy. He's a Boxer. I built him another trip for Lex's birthday. He was one of the special kennel pals that they have. A portion of his price is donated to a local shelter. Oh, I'm sure it's like 3 cents or something stupid, but at least when I was in the process of building him, I felt like I'd done something good for animalhood.

I do have 4 other 'pets' that share my office with me. A set of dogs that I bought at Kohl's in their Kohl's for Kids campaign, a Woot flying monkey, a BAB Hello Kitty named Katerina, and a BAB frog name Sally Freda. All of my pets keep me company when I'm in here working. Someday I hope to have a real four-legged friend, but until then, these do just fine! :)

The flowering ___ tree.

2008-04-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd show how the tree looks now. Luckily it was nice out so I could get some pictures of the blooms on the flowering _____ tree. I really think they're pretty. It's a shame it's going to rain the next few days. The pretty blooms will be a thing of the past sooner than necessary!

Latest blooms

2008-04-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

So apparently it rained a little today. I didn't notice. I was sleeping. :) The flowering whatever tree has started to bloom. The buds are popping out one at a time, so I thought I'd get a picture. There will be more to come, if it doesn't rain hard and knock them off of course.

Flowers, part deux

2008-04-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

I had to take a break from work. I only have to do 2 hours worth, but I've been sitting here for 4 hours, and well, yeah. I've one hour finished. So, I went back outside.

These are the buds on our flowering _____ tree. (Crab apple maybe? Ornamental pear? I have no idea.) Anyway. I really think they're pretty, and I have a feeling if we get any storms (as predicted) there's a good chance I'll never get a picture of the actual flowers. So, I'm sharing this one.

Flowers

2008-04-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

I couldn't just sit inside. The weather outside is just beautiful, and since this is Ohio, you just never know how long it will last! I took a couple of pictures of the flowers outside, and I've posted a few of my favorites. Yes, I know...they're in black and white (2, anyway). But, I like how they look. Probably just me. Anyway...Enjoy the weather!

Signs Signs, everywhere signs!

2008-04-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

So, back when my mom was still around, we had this thing where we'd like to look for signs that either had spelling mistakes or grammar issues, or, sometimes, both. She'd cut out articles and ads from the paper and either send them to me or keep them for my next visit. One of my favorites was in Indiana near a school. It said "Speed Limit 15, Unless Kids are Present: 35." I loved it! I wished I would've been able to convince my dad to pull over so I could get a picture, but I didn't. At least I have the memory! :)

This particular sign is notorious for not being able to spell. I had wanted to get a picture of it 5 years ago, because it was one that made her laugh. (It had said Welcome: Cabbage Rolls (spelled correctly): No Smoking) I never got around to it, but I noticed that it was up to it's usual spelling issues, so I stopped and took a picture last night before I picked Joe up from work. I wonder if these people realize that spell check doesn't work on signs?

And people wonder why I get so frustrated when I have to deal with spelling and grammar issues!

Today I managed to take the plastic off of the windows so that I could enjoy the fresh air. I was going to work outside, but I realized that there was a chance that I'd see my neighbors, and really, do I want to talk to them? No. So I decided fresh air in my office was the next best thing.

After I took the plastic off, got the screen switched, and was able to sit at the desktop to work (which by the way I should be doing now, but I'm not b/c I can't deal with the grammar issues (see above)), I looked out the window. I saw the pine tree flicking me off. Clearly it enjoys its position. Ok. So it's not really flicking me off, but that's how it looks. Maybe it's not flicking me off. Maybe it's flicking off the people that I have to read and correct their work. Yeah. That's it.

Now if only UPS or FedEx would deliver a package. I hate making purchases online and having to wait for them!

Life

2008-04-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

I really haven't disappeared-honest! I've just been busy!

I've started a new blog to showcase my creations . That way those of you who aren't into what I make and sell don't have to be bored. You can come here for my random thoughts, pictures, whatever. If you want to see what I've created, visit the above site.

So, what have I been busy doing you ask? Well...this past weekend I read, which was nice. I also worked on jewelry (as seen on the other blog). And, I managed to get scared by a goose.

After a nice lazy afternoon, I persuaded Joe to go to Boettler Park/Southgate to go for a walk. We chose our course and walked. Now, as some of you know, Joe has a fear of birds. Not just bigger birds, but tiny birds too. So we're walking and we get by a pond that has a Canadian Goose that is in the grass. It's close to the path, but not in the path. He tells me "Geese are mean." I say, "Right. I know." We kept walking. We walked past said goose, and he says, "Geese are mean." (Or something very similar to that.) I agreed. I then turned around to look at the goose. BAD IDEA. The freaking thing started hissing at me and waddling towards me! We sped up our pace. The goose stayed behind. He said "I told you they were mean." (Again, something quite similar if not those exact words.) I had to agree.

Lanyard

2008-04-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

So I made a lanyard for Brandee. She requested orange and blue colors. I really like the final result. I wish the pictures did it justice. I think I'm going to make and orange and black one for me. (School colors.) Who knows, maybe I'll be able to start selling more of these puppies!

Bracelet

2008-04-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is my latest creation. It's a bracelet I made from beads I bought from etsy.com. I had wanted to match the beads on the bracelet that Joe had bought me and I dropped, but these were a bit smaller and a different color. It's ok though, I do like this bracelet. It looks really nice and delicate. I hated to waste the beads after I bought them! I've finished another project, but until Brandee decides if she likes it or not (I hope she does, I do!), I don't want to post it.

Chain Maille

2008-04-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished my chain maille (chain mail, chainmail, bijou Cotte de Mailles) necklace! Woo hoo! I'm so proud of myself! It took a total of about 4 hours to do, and once I got a rhythm going, it went pretty quickly. I think I'll probably make other patterns, possibly a few that are more simple, and also purchase another kit like this one to make a bracelet or two. I might sell the other one.

Newest pieces

2008-04-04T07:42:00.001-07:00

I'm finally getting the hang of things, more or less. Once I get the hang of the clasp at the end, I'll be a happy camper.

I made a bracelet and earrings to go with the necklace I've posted before. I also made a necklace to go with a bracelet that I received as a gift when I worked at the daycare. I like the necklace, but I think I'm going to work on it a little more. It needs something. I just don't know what.

Project

2008-03-30T18:53:00.001-07:00

So I've taken up yet another hobby. After Joe bought me a cool necklace and some nice earrings for Christmas, I've decided to add to my collection and start making some jewelry. I made a piece the other night, and it's not very great, but at least it's a start.

Tonight I made another piece. I have some tweakings to do to it yet, but at least I'm getting the hang of things. It's probably a good thing too. My original inspiration, a bracelet that Joe bought me from Wet Dog in Hop-town, was dropped tonight and one of the beads broke off. I've repaired it using some highly potent glass and bead bond, but I can't guarantee that it'll hold. I knew I was looking for additional beads for a reason!

first (of hopefully many!)

2008-03-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

So I decided to do a blog.

I hope to post musings from my day and or current projects that I'm working on.

Thanks for visiting! :)