Sooooo quiet....

It is so quiet in my house!!! The girls left for a week long church camp yesterday and I just can't believe how much I miss them already. I know, they're 13 and 17 years old and I should be enjoying my quiet time, and I do.... don't get me wrong. But I miss my girls...

I do have to say one thing, I very much enjoyed coming home from work today and the house was still clean! lol! My girls know how to clean up after themselves, but that doesn't mean they always do it! I have a whole week of only having to pick up after myself (or yeah, and maybe Frank ;) )

Wonder what they're doing right now???

Uh oh!

Link Love...

What a great morning! I've started exercising again and can't believe how much better I feel! I get so mad at myself when I let my exercising go, because if affects my whole life when I do that. When I follow a daily exercise program, and make it a habit, my whole life is better organized. I work harder and get more done at work, I keep things more organized at home, and I generally feel better. I even keep up with my blogs better!

My friend Anne over at The Tall Poppy has sent me some link love and tagged me to share some with others. Thank you Anne!

Anyway, this is how it works:

1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog (preferably the post url like I did at the top with Anne's blog, there is a link below to her blog so the one above should be to the post to avoid redundancy) that put you on the list in the paragraph. This isn’t a suggestion. You need to break up the duplicate content. Someone took the time to add you so the least you can do is give them an extra link back.

2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword.

3. Take the adds from the blog that added you and place them in the “Originals” list.

4. Add at least 1 new blog that you KNOW is using the DO FOLLOW plugin to the list in the “My Adds” section. (Add no more than 5!) Let the people you’ve added know, so that they can keep the list going!

I would like to add:



Originals:A Great Pleasure Little world of thoughts Renisphere mott’s island Kev’s Walkabout iBubbs woof Down Memory Lanes Woof & Arf Lovely Mummy Bubba Stuff Mommibee Moments in My Life Rambling Moo All about Zara & Zaria Hip n cool momma Random Thoughts of a Blur Mommy Mylittleanelqianyi Bits & Pieces De’moments chinneeq Giddy Tiger Huei Rabbit Rinnah Simple America Niceheart Ethel Sanna The Queer Chef Shoshana Leahgina> Haze GheeNeng aka Sirena Angelo Ju aka The Border aka Juana of Femjo Tina Keep the Faith jsonvlog Suncoast Scribe Blogging Kenneth My 2 Centavos Worth Manila Mom 3 Dogs, 3 Pigs and A Family Cafe Romanza Earn Global Credit Ability Macuha Flee the Cube MomReviews.net Fellow Eskimo Pajama Mommy Amanita.net WebStyle Meredith’s Weight Loss Blog Pink Blog Tricia’s Musings Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot Midlife Musings Utterly Geek Whatever I Feel Like My Dandelion Patch Surviving NJ GeekySpeaky Simple Kind Of Life 3DayMom BuyMeBlog The Hockey Dad Mariuca This is a Miracle Revellian d bImBo Secret of Mind Rightly Epitomised Random Magus Disjointed Intelligence WalksFarWoman FeedGet The Process of a Miracle The Tall Poppy Man About the House One Man's Travel Blog Wits End A Modern Goddess Online Bev's Bits A Nice Place in the Sun Twisted Sister

To All Pet Owners

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not s take a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, and try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don' t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"nature.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don' t want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.

And finally,

11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Harry Potter....

Have you read the new book yet? We did not pre-order the book for Jillian, because we knew we would be out of town camping... but first thing Saturday morning, Frank got up and took her to Walmart and she got her copy! She was just a little bit excited! lol!

Jillian was never much of a reader when she was little... she hated reading in school and never read for pleasure. When the first Harry Potter movie came out in 2001, she was only about 7 years old. She loved it! Then the second movie came out and she was finally old enough to try reading the book. By that time, she had the first movie pretty much memorized! lol!

From then on, Jillian became my bookworm... just like me :) I've always been a big book reader. Now, Jillian can always be found with a book in her hand, or in her backpack. She spends a lot of time at the library getting new books, or having me order her new ones from Amazon.com. I love buying the books used there for a few dollars....

So, have you read the latest Harry Potter book yet?

Overpopulation of Nerds

Okay, I just got a brand new lap top, so this one really strikes me as funny! lol!


This truck driver hauling a tractor-trailer load of computers stops for a beer. As he approaches the bar he sees a big sign on the door saying "Nerds Not Allowed - Enter At Your Own Risk!" He goes in and sits down. The bartender comes over to him, sniffs, says, "You smell kind of nerdy. What do you do for a living?" The truck driver says, "I drive a truck, and the smell is just from the computers I am hauling." The bartender says, "Okay, truck drivers are not nerds." and serves him a beer.

As he is sipping his beer, a skinny guy walks in with tape around his glasses, a pocket protector with twelve kinds of pens and pencils, and a belt at least a foot too long. The bartender, without saying a word, pulls out a shotgun and blows the guy away.

The truck driver said, totally shocked, "Why did you do that?" The bartender said, "Not to worry, the nerds are overpopulating Silicon Valley and are in season now. You don't even need a license."

The truck driver finishes his beer, gets back in his truck, and heads back onto the freeway. Suddenly he veers to avoid an accident, and the load shifts. The back door breaks open and computers spill out all over the freeway. He jumps out and sees a crowd already forming, grabbing up the computers. They are all engineers, accountants and programmers wearing the nerdiest clothes he has ever seen. He can't let them steal his whole load. So, remembering what happened in the bar, he pulls out his gun and starts blasting away, felling several of them instantly.

A highway patrol officer comes zooming up and jumps out of the car screaming at him to stop. The truck driver said, "What's wrong? I thought nerds were in season." "Well, sure," said the patrolman. "But you can't bait 'em."

Charms on cell phones!

Becca got an antenna ring from Trinkies.com for her cell phone and she just loves it! Isn't it adorable? Her cell phone has one of those covers on it that is black with silver stars on it, so she picked out the star antenna ring and it matches perfectly!

She gets many comments from her friends about it. It's so sparkly and cute!

Tiffany Schwartz-Weidman is the owner of Trinkies and has been in business for over 2 years now. I was amazed at the large selection of Antenna Rings, Cell Phone Charms and even Key Finders and Toe Rings that are available at Trinkies.com! If you're looking for a unique gift idea, stop in and take a look at what Tiffany has to offer!

My First Quilting Class!

I'm so excited! I'm going to be taking my very first quilting class on Tuesday! Yes, I've made several quilts before, but I've been totally self-taught and often wonder if I'm doing it "right". Well, a new little Quilt Shop opened up about 5 miles from my house and I've been meaning to stop in.... so today I did!

She has an adorable little shop with tons of fabric and lots and lots of quilts all over the place as examples. So, I picked out 3 different bolts of cloth and she's going to teach me everything, from cutting to sewing, starting Tuesday! Woo Hoo!

I really am looking forward to this. I learned totally on the internet, just going from site to site and reading everything I could find... so I'm anxious to see what I'm doing right... or wrong! lol!

Stop over at my craft site, EasyCrafts4fun to see my latest project... a baby quilt for our preacher's daughter.

Girl Scout Day Camp

This week was Girl Scout Day Camp in our area. Both of the girls went all week.

Becca has been in charge of the "Pixies" for the past couple of years. Those are the leaders' little kids (under 5) who come with their moms. She loves working with the little ones! But this year, the little ones were all very, very clingy and wouldn't leave their moms! So, they stayed with their moms and Becca got to help out with the crafts. She had a great week and enjoyed working with our friend Karen, who was in charge of the crafts.

Jillian was in the Cadette troup with quite a few of her friends. They have an overnight on Wednesday night and of course, that is the only day all week that it rained... but the girls all stayed pretty dry. They went "brook snooping" most of the day on Wednesday to learn about different plants and animals.

They learned a couple of new songs, and as usual, Jillian's voice could be heard above most of the other girls! That girl sure loves to sing! lol!

Today is the last day... so next week will return to normal. Of course, we've been running so much already this summer that luckily they haven't had a lot of time for me to hear those dreaded words, "I'm bored!"... let's hope it stays that way ;)

Spence Diamonds are gorgeous!

I'm still on the lookout for the perfect Engagement ring since I lost the diamond in mine a few years ago. I was heartbroken when I lost it as it was Frank's grandmother's diamond that was set in a ring that we picked out.

I ran across Spence Diamonds online and saw that they have a beautiful selection of engagement rings as well as bracelets, earrings and pendant necklaces. Their online selection is very large with a wide variety of choices but you can visit one of their showroom locations to view their full selection of over 4000 diamond ring designs. The pictures on their site are very clear and can be enlarged to see a lot of detail.

The Diamond Education link explains the 4 C's in diamonds... carat, clarity, color and cut. That's a big help to someone like me who is most definitely NOT an expert! lol!

I just love this beautiful Diamond Cross Necklace!

Stop by and check them out. I'm sure you'll find something you like!

Adorable Puppy!

Just look at this adorable puppy! A long-coated male chihuahua named "Heart-kun" with a heart-shaped pattern on his coat sleeps at Pucchin Dog's shop in Odate in northern Japan July 10, 2007. The one-and-a-half-month-old chihuahua was born on May 18, 2007 as one of a litter. The shop owner Emiko Sakurada said that this is the first time a puppy with these marks has been born out of a 1,000 that she has bred. She also said that she has no plans to sell the puppy.

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by Fiona over at Dragonfly Crafts to list 8 facts or habits about myself.... Time to get my thinking cap on!

Here are the rules:

A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Here are mine:

1. I HATE doing laundry. I love clean clothes, don't get me wrong, but I just HATE doing it! I procrastinate until I have way too much to do, then have loads and loads to do all at one time. I tell myself that if I just did one or two loads a day, I'd always be caught up... but somehow that just doesn't seem to happen! lol!

2. I LOVE making crafts of all kinds, especially sewing. However I have quite a few WIP (works in progress) and need to finish a few before I start anything else new.

3. I'm a middle child. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My hubby is a middle child as well, with an older brother and a younger sister.

4. We live in the country with a horse farm right behind our house. I love it here and can't imagine ever living in a city. We lived in a small city when we first got married, but soon moved out of town. Hubby is also a country boy, so it hasn't been hard deciding where to live.

5. I love to bake things... bread, cakes, muffins, pies, any kind of desserts. I like to cook nice meals too, but hate how rushed I am after work and don't enjoy it as much. I'd rather bake in the evenings after things have slowed down a little.

6. I love to sing. I sing in our church choir, and I always sing in the car (just ask my kids! lol!). I've even been known to sing along with the songs playing in stores and restaurants ;)

7. I work full time in a funeral home designing monuments for about 30 other funeral homes. I love my boss and his family and they have been wonderful about the time I've needed off since Becca's illnesses, but I would much prefer to be home... if I could find a way to work from home, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

8. And last, but not least, I am extremely close to my family and hubby's family. My brother and his wife live about 15 minutes away, my sister and her family about 8 minutes away and my mom about 2 minutes away. We do a lot of family type activities together and I love it. Hubby's family is about 3 hours north of us and we don't get to visit nearly as often as we'd like because the kids are involved in so much. But when we do visit, we all get together and always have a good time.

So, let's see... who should I tag? I'm heading over to Mommy's Helper to find a few fellow bloggers to tag ;) How about Val, Angela, Marti, Stefani, Amber, Lara, Angie, and Michelle. Whew! It's hard to come up with 8! lol! Good luck ladies!

Picture problems...

I seem to be having problems with my pictures showing up :( I'll have to upload the pictures and try again. Sometimes they show up and other times they don't.

We're still sorting through the 2,500 + pictures to figure out which ones we're going to print for an album, and which ones we're giving to grandma. It's so hard to choose cause so many of them are fantastic shots! Hopefully we'll get through it later this week so the prints can be made next week.

Becca and I are heading to Ohiopyle Friday after I get off work to join Frank and Jillian camping. They went down on Wednesday and will stay through Sunday. This is a yearly trip with a group of Frank's relatives and friends from Rochester, NY. A majority of the gang goes White Water Rafting one of the days when we are there. Through the years, we've dwindled in numbers, but this is last years group that rafted. Frank is the second one from the left.

At one point, we had over 40 people rafting! We've been going for about 16 years now. I used to raft every year, but have finally decided to just stay back at camp where it's warm and dry! lol!

So, pray for good weather this weekend!