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Model Homes: Free entertainment
2007-10-09 00:54:00
It seems like we go to model homes every weekend lately. We really want our own house. Yesterday, we saw one great one, and a lot of crappy ones. Our favorite was a four bedroom, two-story house with one bedroom downstairs kind of behind the kitchen, and the other three upstairs. This behind the kitchen thing seems to be a trend. I think it’s a perfect spot for a guest room. The house also had a big dining nook and a formal dining room. I’m not a fan of the formal dining room. I can see the benefits, but I don’t think we need that yet. First step, eating at a dining room table, not a coffee table. Anyway, as usual, the conversation progressed from what we want to what we can afford. Basically, anything more than what we’re renting for now will require something like a monthly payday loan or a serious windfall.
More About: Entertainment , Free , Model , Homes , Entertain

Fall from grace
2007-10-08 01:26:00
I can’t believe Marion Jones has been lying about steroid use this whole time! Seriously. I believed in her innocence. I’m so sad. Clearly there is an environment of such unrealistic competitiveness that gifted athletes feel they must do these things to stay ahead. I’m not making excuses for them, but I also don’t think they enter into these decisions lightly. How do we get back to people just running as fast as they can or naturally strong guys hitting the crap out of a baseball? Are there any sports unaffected by illegal steroid use? I bet rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming are probably safe. If it turns out 10 years from now that Lance Armstrong was doping, I’m going to be SO pissed.
More About: Grace , Fall

Old Town Quilt Show
2007-10-07 18:54:00
All day yesterday, I served as photographer and videographer for my quilt guild’s annual quilt show. This involved walking up and down a street about 10 blocks long about 20 times, taking pictures of quilts and quilters. Upside: exercise, fresh air, and meeting lots of the quilters in the guild. Downside: sunshine beating down on me, and schlepping my big booty up and down the sidewalk over and over. At the end of the day, my knees ached, leaving me feeling old and overweight, which makes me feel sad. I’m about to turn 31, which I don’t think is old at all, but someone better tell my body immediately. Anyway, I took over 250 pictures and over an hour of video. I have hours of cropping, fixing and editing ahead, but my goal is to have a video made of footage and still photos set to music. Any song suggestions? I also may have inadvertently volunteered myself into a committee chairperson position in the guild. Luckily for me, its the one that I would want if I were t...
More About: Show , Old Town , Town , Quilt

Keeping my political head up
2007-10-05 22:27:00
It’s a little challenging keeping my political head up these days. I’m super excited for a change in administration, but what’s happening now is very troubling. First, the reinstatement of Habeas Corpus failed. What do we stand for, anyway? Beacon of freedom and democracy, my a#*. Then, Congress voted to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps “specially designated global terrorists.” Now, I’m not saying they’re good guys - I really don’t know. But I do know that the reason people can be thrown in Guantanamo is because they get a label like “enemy combatant” - rather than “prisoner of war”, which would afford them much more humane treatment under the Geneva Convention. So it frightens me when the Bush Administration gets what they want these days, because who knows what they will do with the power afforded by that label. And is this really the best way to deal with Iran? How about some freakin’ diploma...
More About: Political , Head , Politic

Ouch!
2007-10-05 19:34:00
On every military base I’ve ever lived or worked on, there’s been a paintball course. Some are really elaborate - hay bale walls, lots of structures to provide cover, cool layouts, etc. Most of them outsource the equipment rental part, and they’re not always open because they usually have a full time job somewhere else. I have a few friends that are serious paintballers. They took matters into their own hands, and purchased all their equipment. One friend in particular is a little addicted to his collection of supplies, much like I am to my craft supplies. He refers to his Tippman paintball guns with the same reverence that I refer to my Heather Bailey fabric stash. I have ventured onto paintball courses a couple times in my life. Twice as part of team building exercises - first in college with ROTC, and then on active duty in the Army. Both times, I had fun, but walked away with serious bruises. Is this fun? Actually, yes. I think everyone should try it once. Yo...
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Opinions are like…
2007-10-05 05:06:00
In the next week or so, I’m going to redo one of my other blogs, InformedVoter2008.com. I bought the domain because I thought it would be cool to have a place to put all my political opinions. I’m starting to think that is less useful to others than it is to me. And since I’m really out to build readership, I’m changing course. I’ll be putting my vast political opinions, conspiracy theories, and general disgruntlements on display here, and leaving InformedVoter2008 strictly for information. I hope that it will be a place for voters to find information on the upcoming primaries and general election. Whether that info comes from YouTube, The Washington Post, MSNBC, Fox, etc., that will be the readers choice, but it will be a one stop shop for links. I look forward to your feedback - and don’t forget to register to vote, primaries are coming up faster than ever!
More About: Opinions

The dentist…
2007-10-05 01:47:00
Because my blog is where I share my shame with the world, I will admit that I recently had my first dentist visit in over two years. My last cleaning was when I was pregnant, and then I was a new mom, and then I was a stay-at-home mom with other priorities and no one to watch my kid during dentist office hours. So, fast forward two years, and I finally made it in to the dentist because I was noticing how painful cold food was. Ice cream? Painful? That’s not right! Turns out the reason for my pain was THREE CAVITIES! Now, I brush at least twice a day. I am terrible about flossing, but I try to get around to it a few times a month. I have had two other cavities in my lifetime. Both are safely covered with tooth colored fillings. Anyway, so after my initial exam, I had a follow up appointment to get my fillings and my teeth cleaned. I go to my first appointment and they only do one filling and something very horrible called peri probing. I’ll spare you the details, but the...
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Far away lands…
2007-10-04 21:17:00
Right now I’m reading Harlequin’s Tyler series. Twelve books by different authors with recurring characters, all set in the small Wisconsin town of Tyler. I find that I love reading books all set in one place, and that I often want to move to that place as I’m reading the books. This must be a sign of good writing. For example, when I read Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove books, I want to live in a suburb of Seattle. Or at least in the Pacific Northwest. Southern California is great, but the rain in those stories always makes me wistful. Or how about Anne Rivers Siddons and Pat Conroy, often setting their dramatic tales in the Carolinas, with the Outer Banks always figuring prominently. I want to go there and sink my feet in that sand and watch a sunset listening to the cicadas. I don’t even really know what a cicada is, but doesn’t it sound lovely? Sometimes I’m in a Danielle Steele mood, and I want to wisk from San Francisco to Carmel to Paris...

As the world continues to turn…
2007-10-04 00:31:00
Well well well. Hard to believe that this is the FIRST daytime TV gay kiss! Especially since everyone comes back from the dead, people get possessed by the devil, abducted by aliens, and marry their brothers and sisters on daytime TV. Somehow, I think this will cause more uproar than any of those outlandish themes. Funny thing is that gay kisses aren’t outlandish at all. Good for As The World Turn s - groundbreaking move! Those guys sure are handsome!I’m a little annoyed that my favorite, Days of Our Lives, wasn’t the first one to break this staid norm. Get it together, Days!
More About: The World , Conti

vacation…
2007-10-04 00:21:00
Well, it looks like we’re not going to hit Rio Las Vegas at the end of our vacation because Continental switched our flight and our layover city is now Houston. I’m a little sad, but I got good news to fix this. Turns out my school, UCF, is playing Univ. of Alabama Birmingham the same weekend we’re in Alabama! I’m totally going to that game, and some college and high school friends that live in that area are going with me! How fun is that. Did I already mention this in my blog? I’m pretty stinkin’ excited about it. Can you tell?
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storage
2007-10-04 00:14:00
How funny that I would bemoan my organizational woes in my last post, and then get the opportunity to review carguygarage.com - a site full of more dreamy storage bins than a Real Simple reader can handle! I would love to have one of these set ups in my house! For craft supplies, baby supplies, kitchen supplies, you name it. I’d put everything in a drawer! Seriously, can there be enough drawers or cubbies in the world? Everything in its place, that’s what I say. Just don’t look at my house for proof of this theory!
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Baby clothes rotation
2007-10-04 00:01:00
It’s that time again. 12 to 18 months is too small, but 24 months is too big. Which baby clothes are going into a bin in the closet? Which clothes will stay in the dresser. Should I put the wintery clothes that are still a little big in the dresser to save myself trouble in a month or two? I tell you, maintaining baby clothes requires immense organization. Then, once I pull out all the too-small stuff, I have to remember which ones came from friends and need to be returned, and which ones are ours. It’s really a lot to keep up with. Anyone have some good tips? Right now, my system is clothes arranged by size into big plastic bins that stay stacked in his closet. I’ve been holding onto everything in case we have another boy. I mean EVERYTHING. Ugh. So much stuff!
More About: Baby , Clothes , Rotation , Cloth

another rag quilt
2007-10-02 22:31:00
I finished another rag quilt. This one is for my son. These squares started as 8 inches, and I sewed with a 1/2 in seam allowance. He seems to like the fabrics. How cute is his shirt?
More About: Quilt

I heart my camera
2007-10-02 01:56:00
This weekend, I’m going to serve as the photographer and videographer for my guild’s annual quilt show. I’ll be using my trusty HP R707 digital camera and my handy JVC Everio 20GB hard disk camcorder. I love these two cameras. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love a new digital camera. It’s hard not to fall for the latest gadget these days. For example, my camera is 5.1 MP, 24x zoom. This is pretty good, but it’s about three years old now and there are much better resolution cameras available now for what I paid for mine. My friend has a gorgeous Nikon D300 SLR camera, but that’s a little more than I need. I prefer point-and-shoot, although I’d love to be a little more skilled at photography. On Flickr, you can search by camera type and see what pictures people are taking with your camera. I think it kind of shows what you could be doing if you were a skilled photographer. Which I am not. Luckily for me, it’s free to take 2...
More About: Camera , I heart , Heart

Weekend Update
2007-10-01 07:40:00
My weekend wound up pretty good, but started off kind of crummy. My brother-in-law called my husband (his twin) on Friday afternoon and said he needed help moving. First of all, this brother ALWAYS blows us off. Second, how about a little notice? So, my husband had a golf game Saturday morning, and then picked up boxes from his work and drove to his brothers (3 hrs. away.) Meanwhile, the baby and I are at home/park/home/park/WalMart or Albersons/home as usual. Everyday is the same. Wonderful and fun because my son is a joy, but the same. We look forward to our short weekend with my husband all week, and he didn’t get home until 4pm on Sunday. Sad sad sad. Also, his brother had been steadily giving all of their deceased grandfather’s belongings away, even though my husband had asked him not to. DH came home very sad after having argued with his brother all weekend about why he wanted to keep some things of his grandfather’s. Yeesh. On the plus side, my son can iden...
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cold hard (elusive) cash
2007-10-01 07:06:00
You don’t make much as a stay-at-home-mom. I know magazines and statistics say that a SAHM is worth some crazy amount like $147000 a year, but there are no checks coming to me except for $5 a few times a week from my paid-blogging companies. SO, I’d love to find something more long term. Why can’t there be more actual work at home opportunities. You know, the kind that don’t require a payment of $10 for supplies so that I can make thousands or whatever. I’m reasonably educated, have a variety of marketable skills, but everyone wants to stick me in a cubicle away from my gorgeous son. My German sister-in-law gets a stipend from the government to stay home with her kids. I’m certainly not saying our government could even afford to pay out one more stipend, but it would be nice for our work to be valued in some way. Preferably a way that pays my bills and doesn’t require me to lick envelopes.
More About: Cold , Hard , Cash

Insurance
2007-09-26 03:42:00
I was supposed to find us renter’s insurance last week. I’ve been procrastinating. Half of those California wild fires happen in our backyard (not literally, of course), and it’s dumb that we don’t have coverage. Plus, our pipes make crazy noise, and if this place floods and my computer gets ruined, I’m going to be so pissed at myself. I also need life insurance, because for the first time in my life, I’m not covered. And probably, for the first time in my life, I really need it. I started the research, learned the difference between term, whole, and all the little special ones like mortgage life insurance. I often have these little panic attacks that while I put the grocery cart in the cart return, I’m going to get hit by a car and my son will be trapped in the car, and no one will realize he’s there, and his dad won’t get home from work for hours and hours. These worst-case-scenarios really go on and on. Basically, I need to ju...
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Pinehurst
2007-09-26 00:05:00
So we’re officially going to Pinehurst . I made the tee times and spa reservations yesterday, and I have to admit I’m pretty excited. I could give a fig about golf - no matter how prestigious the course - but I’m getting a mud wrap! The reservation lady asked me if I had a gender preference for my spa attendant, and I said, “um, I guess I want a woman.” It will be weird. I don’t know how rich people do these things all the time. But I’m still excited. And then, because we’re not rich people who do these things often, I asked about gratuities. “What’s a standard tip for the caddy, the spa attendant, etc.” Apparently it’s all included in our package! Everything from breakfast to dinner and even the golf cart parts. I bet we should still tip. Any smart readers know about this? Should I still tip my spa lady after she rubs mud on my big booty? Should my husband still tip his caddy after schlepping his clubs all over ...

Trojan Horse
2007-09-23 21:38:00
Another funny one…asking “what have we learned from history?” From the makers of The Chaser.com. Thanks, Imar and Stephanie!
More About: Trojan , Horse , Roja , Rojan

Oh, billions of dollars…
2007-09-23 21:33:00
My favorite Jon Stewart skit so far…
More About: Dollars , Doll , Billion

Green Gossip
2007-09-23 00:19:00
If this isn’t the best of both worlds…gossip about celebrities and their green efforts/abuses. Awesome reading. Better than US Weekly! Check it out: Ecorazzi.com When you’re done reading all the latest, scroll to the bottom and check out their “Gossip Sites We Love.”
More About: Green , Ossi

Fall Schmall
2007-09-22 23:43:00
I love Fall . It’s getting cooler, my football team made an appearance on ESPN2 last weekend, and the deli always has fresh pumpkin pies. But sadly, when I start seeing bags of Halloween candy and pumpkins, my “it’s almost Christmas” panic starts to set in. As you may recall, I went on quite the spending spree purchasing fabric in preparation for Christmas. Now, I have a million gifts to make, with the days just dropping off the calendar like fur off my cats (which falls off fast and often - in case that analogy was confusing.) Oh, I have lots of christmas gift ideas, but do I have the time to execute those plans? We shall see. But regardless, I better get off this blog, and haul out the sewing machine. See ya later. Go Knights!

Zaproot
2007-09-22 22:58:00
My friend Damien is creating these awesome webisodes at zaproot.com. They’re funny little news reels about environmental issues. He’s taking a whole new approach to living green - leaning away from the doom and gloom “we’ll all be underwater soon,” and toward witty observations of things happening in the world. It’s worth checking out, and they’re really short, so it will only take you a minute If you love it (like I do) you can become a part of the Zaproot community (leave comments, participate in the forums). You can also subscribe to get the webisodes for free on iTunes. I like the Zaproot jingle the best. “Be Keen, Think Green, Think Zaproot.” Very catchy…like “Co-stanza” Great job, Damien!

Hearing the written word
2007-09-22 22:39:00
I usually have a book on CD going in my car, as well as a book or two on the nightstand. Right now on CD, it’s book two in Meg Cabot’s Mediator series. I just finished Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope. I just fininshed reading Susan Wiggs’ Dockside. On my iPod (my new gorgeous light blue nano), I’ve been listening to NPR Selected Shorts and New Yorker Fiction podcasts (free for downloading on iTunes). In the blogosphere, I’ve been catching up on Lin’s Breakdown in the Fastlane - a blog everyone should read. Here’s what I’ve been noticing. I love dialogue. I love how good dialogue advances the story and reveals so much. I tend to skip over lengthy detail in a novel and dialogue serves as the speed bumps to counteract my haste. If I ever fulfill my dream of becoming a writer, I think it will be when I learn to master the art of dialogue. It’s probably going to be a while. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days,...
More About: Word , Hearing , Written

Inn Love
2007-09-22 05:09:00
I really want to go and stay at Tori and Dean’s Chateau La Rue. I know there are ton’s of California bed and breakfast options, but I’d love to have that experience. I appreciate them trying to have a normal life, working hard, building a business, etc. But I wonder how many people are going there just so they can say, “Tori Spelling cooked me breakfast.” I bet Tori and Dean don’t really care as long as the rooms are filled. I drove by it the other day, and it’s hard to see from the road, but I was too shy to get closer. I hate to infringe on people. But isn’t that silly? If it was any other B&B, I’d drive right up. It’s hard to get past the fact that I watched Tori as Donna for years, and have always enjoyed her terrible Lifetime movies. They were on Ellen the other day, and I thought they were so cute. Tori looked awesome - none of the baby fat she’s had all through Inn Love . I wish Ellen had had more time with ...

PayU2Blog
2007-09-21 23:33:00
Thanks to my friend Allison, I’m now a proud PayU2Blog blogger. I’ve been doing PayPerPost for a while, but there’s a HUGE difference between the two. With PayPerPost, I have limited opportunities - right now my choices are promoting stomach-stapling, promoting tutoring services or promoting a coupon site. Well, these are all fine, but I don’t know the first thing about the first two, and I’ve already written about the third one. Plus, those entries require a review of the product, service or site - some of them are minimum 300 words. Also not bad, I just don’t have 300 words to say about stomach-stapling surgery. Now, if my Google page rank was higher, I’d have MUCH more opportunities, paying more than the usual $5. So with PayU2Blog, I get a keyword and a link that I have to include, but I can write about whatever I want - as long as I don’t include any other links. This is great! I can write about the product or service, but I don&r...

Open Houses
2007-09-20 22:39:00
My husband and I love to visit open houses. Last weekend, we went to a new neighborhood being built about a mile from our house. This neighborhood is planned to have something like 43 different developments, 15 parks, a golf course (complete by 2010), etc. The problem is that our town is quite recessed. These 4-6 bedroom houses their building speak of wealth that doesn’t reside in our immediate area. Worse, there is no real industry here. Most jobs (that aren’t retail or service related) are at least 30 or more miles away. I don’t know who’s going to buy these houses, but it’s clear that the whole town is having a ball wandering through the dreamy models. The biggest model we went in ($570,000 to $640,000 range) had a home theater complete with three rows of suede barka-loungers with cup holders and a projection screen TV. The next floor featured a home gym complete with a mobile sauna. The bathroom had river rocks for the floor and walls, embedded in ...
More About: Houses , Open

Brandi Carlile
2007-09-20 22:15:00
I tivoed the Viva Las Vegas Elvis special the other night just to watch the Brandi Carlile and Chris Issac performance. Man, that girl never disappoints. If you’re not listening to her, you should be. I’ve already said it, but the concert I went to this summer where she opened with and then sang with the Indigo Girls was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Those girls wail. On You Tube, there’s a wealth of bootleg videos - presumably made by people much braver than me, sneaking their camera phones and camcorders into concerts. Here’s a great version of Brandi’s Cannonball.

Prison Break and other shows
2007-09-19 22:54:00
Well, I was wondering how they were going to continue the themes in prison break, and now I have my answer. Anyone else watching that show? It’s not in my top 10 or anything, but I keep watching because those brothers are so handsome. I didn’t get a chance to watch K-Ville yet, my husband and I are going to watch it together. Anyone have any thoughts on that one? I was sad to say goodbye to The Closer, Saving Grace, State of Mind, Side Order of Life and Army Wives. But I spent an hour programming all the new season passes into the TIVO last night for next week’s premieres. I tell you, it’s really a challenge to get eveyrthing programmed. Not everything will fit on the TIVO because too many things are on at the same time, so I have to break out the trusty VCR to pick up a few stragglers. Sheesh - what I do for TV. My husband looked at my handwritten TV “map” last night - my detailed chart of what’s on when, and just shook his head at me. We l...
More About: Prison Break , Break , Prison , Brea

Rag quilts
2007-09-19 22:09:00
My husband’s boss (and friend) is a super nice guy. He’s very supportive of my husband, really takes his time to make sure that my DH has what he needs to excel at work. In turn, his boss has an employee that does an outstanding job for him, is willing to work long hours, etc. They have quite the little partnership going. They even wear matching shirts sometimes Anyway, so the boss’ mommy has cancer. She went into the hospital last week for her first surgery. I think it’s ovarian, but my husband is terrible with details. I read in a magazine that a good gift for someone going into the hospital is a blanket - since it’s always cold. I certainly remember that from my c-section recovery. So I made her a rag quilt. If you’re looking for a new hobby, and wanted to give quilt making a try, this is the best pattern. There’s actually no “quilting” involved, but it’s a great exercise in learning how to use a rotary cutter and sew ...