Now It's Personal!

Since I had my bi-weekly Bible study last night, I missed all my Thursday shows. I gleefully got on ABC tonight, only to see that "Grey's" was a re-run. So, I tried to watch CSI...re-run!!! Arrgh!!! For the love of all things cheese-made, they can't be out of episodes! I was worried about the writer's strike, and now I'm downright terrified.
How can I live without House, Grey's, Heroes, and CSI? What do they expect me to do? I will say this, I might pick up a couple of other shows by watching back episodes online. I've seen some of "Chuck" and I like what I've seen. "Pushing Daisies" interests me too. It looks like Pee Wee from Pee Wee's Playhouse is on that show right now.
What did I end up watching? Scrubs, which was thankfully a new one. That show still has magic for me.

How To Get Your Kids to spend time in Their Room

I don't know about you, but sometimes getting my munchkins to play with toys in their room is impossible. I don't know why that is. So, here' s what I've done to turn that around. I've instigated a "rest time" a couple times a week. They have to go to their rooms and play quietly until the timer goes off (usually 20 minutes). Somedays that 20 minutes seems to last longer than normal (I can't help it if time magically is added to the timer!). Thank goodness for rest time!

This article is part of How2Blogger’s Super Sexy Holiday ‘How To’ Contest which you can see at How2Blogger’s ‘How To’ site.

Contests of the Day

Not Entirely British is giving away a portable DVD player. I would love to win this since ours broke 6 months ago.

http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/2007/11/christmas-give-away-win-compact-dvd.html

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Green Style Mom is giving away some very cool baking cups on her site. Check it out!

http://greenstylemom.blogspot.com/2007/11/best-gifts-are-baked.html

I Miss...

...singing in a choir! I loved the blending of so many voices into a myriad of amazing Latinonious tones. I miss it especially around Christmas because there's so many amazing pieces put out for the holiday. If I were to add one thing to any church I attended, it would be a choir like my high school choir. I miss stretching my range and excercising the tones on a daily basis.

Yes, I am (and apparently always will be) a choir geek.

Child Creativity

Mmkay, so my kids have taken my car keys. They are hanging them half in, half out of the back of their shirts and being cars.

The Apple of my Photo Eye

I know that most Apple-users are very die-hard about their machines. I'm not really in any camp on the subject. I'll use whatever computer you put on my lap. BUT, one thing about Apple that made me very excited today was their IPhoto program.

I was able to bust out a softcover 2o page picture book for the three sets of grandparents in an hour. The product on the computer look fabulous and I'm hoping the finished product will look just as good. I was able to order three small books for $15!!! I think all of my Christmas shopping is offically done now. Not bad for it still being November.

Contest of the Day

Crunchy Domestic Goddess http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2007/11/21/the-cdg-holiday-toy-gift-guide/ has a great toy guide up for all those people trying to keep it simple.

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Here's a quick contest that you need to enter by 10pm tonight!

Doug Phillips and Vision Forum are sponsoring a giveaway at inashoe.com to help get word out about the FREE SHIPPING Vision Forum is offering until Midnight tonight

Help spread the word on your website or blog then leave a comment at Life in a Shoe by 10pm today to enter!

House Gives 13 A Lifeline!!!

Does anyone remember 13's name??? I couldn't have been happier with the outcome, but I was a little surprised that the plastic surgeon got to stay. In hindsight, I think they pulled out this whole storyline because they knew that it had been too much about House. When are he and Cuddy going to get it on? Probably not until Cuddy has to leave the show. I am so excited for where this show goes next!

Hopefully the closed talks over the writer's strike went well today. Sure, I can hold my attention on local politics, but give me a Hollywood writer strike or any news blurg on the country of Turkey or anything about Colony Collapse Disorder and I'm all over it like Homer on a donut!

Hubby update: The man is in Fez, Morocco eating lentils (lots of them apparently) and once again the luggage is coming later than the man. So, their Christmas is postponed a little. Luckily I don't really have much spare time the next 4 days, so I can't miss him.

Contest of the Day

Mel In a Nutshell http://www.melinanutshell.com/ is hosting a giveaway of $50 in an effort to generate more traffic on her site. You do need to have Paypal to enter. Check it out!

Ho, Ho, Ho, Moroccan style

Hubby is on his way to Morocco as I type. Every year we get to play Santa Claus to all our church's missionaries. So, he was packed full of presents and was concerned with overweight bags. Yeah, nothing like flying for 2 days to spend 3 days in a foreign country. I've got the traveling itch, but it's not time for me to scratch it.

If you are a praying person, please pray for my hubby this week (he'll be back Sat.). Oh yeah, and my kids would appreciate me keeping my sanity.

Mommy Needs a Review

Mommy Needs A Review http://mommyneedsareview.com/?p=8 is hosting a contest about the BEST missed shot. Here's mine:
I would have to say mine would be CSI-like mock up photos of my daughter's head injury. When she was 2, she ran to give my hubby a hug, tripped and sliced her skin down to the bone RIGHT next to her eye! You know head injuries, lots of blood and parental freaking out because we don't know how bad it is. I can't get the memory of her being held down in the ER as they use what might as well be a fishhook to sew up the wound. My daughter likes to repeat the story, but I'm not sure she actually remembers any of it. Thank God for no pictures!

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2007/digphoto/images/m447.jpg

Contests of the Day

Teeny Manolo is having a giveaway of Amazon GC, and who couldn't use that?! http://teenymanolo.com/2007/11/18/the-teeny-manolo-sweepstakes/

Raging Rouge http://www.ragingrouge.com/ragingrouge/2007/11/ragingly-genero.html a sweet makeup related site is giving away an amazing makeup prize.

An lastly, Laura Williams Musings http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/11/review-giveaway-limited-edition-happy.html is giving away a Happy Panda http://www.happypandababy.com/home.php?xid=06fe7067c260c4f54a2fe1cb53db4c34 gift basket. Check it out!

Oh So Giddy!

A couple of weeks back I won a blog review from the fabu site of Blog About Your Blog. Well, they posted it today and I'm flattered! Here's the link: http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2007/11/24/young-mom-in-the-big-world/

The Best Contest Ever!

I am kind've nerdy, I lust after seminary and a large collection of deep theological books and my current hero is Dallas Willard. All that to say, Encyclopedia Kevinannica http://www.kevinstilley.com/2007/03/thousands-of-dollars-in-free-books.html I giving away a lot of amazing tomes! If any of you PW's are looking for something for the spouse, there may be something on his list.

Blessings and I love you all (I don't tell you that enough, do I?)

Yes, I Am Up Early

While I was standing in line at Target at 5am, I started to wonder who started all this madness and why. Here's what Wikipedia could tell me:

Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1970s. "Black Friday" was originally so named because of the heavy traffic on that day, although most contemporary uses of the term refer instead to it as the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

I looked around the web this morning and that's the most complete explanation I could get. Not good enough for me.

Then I started thinking about other cultures. How in the world do you explain this tradition to people in other countries?! I'm sure the BBC and other overseas networks will show little blurbs of Americans beating each other up in Best Buy over a TV.

Then I thought about my own attitude about the whole thing. I love it and I don't think it's necessarily because of the great deals. I spent 45 minutes this morning chatting with a very nice woman who was in line behind me. I think I like that it's something we as a country can bond over. We can catch a spirit of community and camraderie while standing in these long lines and talking about the "good deals". So, yes, it is a time of rampant consumerism, but it can be encouraging as well.

BTW, I got a coffee maker for $5! That was my big purchase this morning. I didn't go overboard because I had a couple days to think rationally about my spending.

Any thoughts? Oh yeah, do Canadians have a Black Friday?

Bring Me the Thong of Cuddy!

I wasn't surprised to see the Mormon out this week. He hadn't been developed enough as a character for them to keep him around. I loved that he made a deal with Cuddy! Also, where were Chase and Cameron? We need to see more of Wilson...he's always a voice of gentle mockery in the harse bluntness of everyone else.

I kind've wonder if 13 is going to be dead in a couple weeks. I think she's terminally ill and, hey, it'd be a different way to knock someone out of the running.

Ruth and I went to "Enchanted" today. It was cute, had a good hopefully message at the end. I love that she's old enough to do things like this with me. I'm a sucker for a fairy tale.

Give it to Me Straight Doc!

And he did, our Isuzu Rodeo is on its way out. We can either let it bite the dust in a week/month or sink a little over $1,000 into it. We love that car because it's our post-blizzard ride out of our driveway. Oh yeah, we don't have money for any car repairs, much less a NEW old car.

This all comes as the holidays are almost here and I want to spend some cash on Black Friday. Not in the best of moods today, both kids have been extra special whiney the last two days. Extra special, because it's come with a liberal dose of angry eyes.

Hopefully "House" will be on tonight and be entertaining. Stay tuned to see my after-opinion on the episode.

TMIAB: Challenges #7 and #8

Two Moms in a Blog are hosting a slew of challenges....most of them photo related. Number 7 was taking a picture of my name in some medium. Witness my name in the goodness of Goldfish and Pringles. Barbecue Pringles no less!

The other is a picture of my daughters gorgeous art.

The Golden Compass

I have stated in the past that I have authority issues and hate jumping on most bandwagons. With all that in mind, I am aggravated when anyone passes around an e-mail to boycott something without doing the research. It makes them look dumb. Take the latest Christian outrage at "The Golden Compass".

I've gotten a couple of e-mails and talked to a couple of well-meaning women who are saying that all believers should avoid the movie because it's an atheist's manifesto against God. I won't deny that author Phillip Pullman is a staunch atheist who may have wanted to tear apart God...but I would argue that he didn't succeed in his trilogy "His Dark Materials". I read the series over the summer after learning it was going to be a movie. I was disappointed by his inability to finish any of the books well. I was also confused as to what point he was trying to make against God. He pokes fun at the formal church, but theres no serious discussion of atheism symbolized in these books.

All that being said, unless the people who made the movie can extract Pullman's point better than he could, I don't think there's any reason to get in a snit. Do you really think that it would be God's intention for EVERYONE to avoid this movie??? I guess it's possible...but I think it's more possible that some people may have some good questions raised by this movie that will cause them to seek God for the first time OR seek Him more deeply.

I would ask everyone, instead of blatantly boycotting this movie, to prayerfully consider what they ought to do with it. Maybe by reading the books or seeing the movie you will have a meaningful conversation with a nonbeliever. (BTW, I'm not saying your kids should read this series...I think we as parents ought to read them. I'm also not saying you should endorse OR lambast this film to your peers).

So here are some questions to consider:

-Have you read the books?

-Have you seen the movie?

-Do you know the author's story and why he wrote what he did?

Thoughts???

Crime Scene Investigation

I know not many people watch CSI anymore...but hubby and I have stuck with it pretty much since the beginning. Some of the episodes are almost too macabre for me to watch, but I like the rag tag bunch that makes up the team.
If it wasn't for Grissom, there would be no reason to watch. The character has depth and a great mentoring attitude...almost (dare I say it) pastor-like. Horatio could learn so much from working with him.
I won't sugar coat it, I teared up when Sara walked out of Grissom's life this week. I wanted them together (as I want most characters to be together) and want her to come back. Come back Sara!
If Grissom's character ever leaves the show, the show is finished.

Wow

Spent some time with the kids in the mall today. I can't believe how insanely busy it is there already. Santa's already sitting on his throne and rendering little kids speechless. Always amazes me how powerful of an icon Santa is, even to my daughter who knows he's not real.

Felt very productive though because I found the perfect gift for my hubby!!! The trick will be keeping that information from him until Christmas gets here. Hubby is currently out in the Colorado wilds with his dad and little brother trying once again to bring home an elk. Please pray that he gets one tomorrow, I can't stand eating beef for a year!

TV Update

Okay people, "House" had some great episodes the last couple of weeks, but they can't all be winners. This week was just okay...they tried to do too many things in this episode. But the theme of "no one can be trusted" continued in the plastic surgeons life. What is the deal with Cameron still obviously being hung up on House?? Are they going to develop that more? What do you think? They need to kick someone off next week. It's time.

Oh "Grey's Anatomy" you had to go and screw with Bailey...first, you had her had a emotional moment last week over the job (fine, I can take that), BUT to turn her into a giggling schoolgirl and almost ruin my confidence in the one couple still together. For shame!! Granted, you never see Bailey's husband Tucker or her kid, but at least she still has them!! I like what's going on between Lexi and Alex (close name association)...and I also like that the Chief still is being kind to Meredith.

One last comment, I'm getting a little nervous about the writer strike. I seriously look forward to my weekly shows and I will be very sad if the season's are cut short because of it. Most shows have anywhere from 3 to 8 episodes made before their run is through. I'm a little panicked. Do the writer's have good cause to strike?

Thoughts?

Da Traditions

We all have them this time of year, even if it's a tradition to avoid following tradition. Being in only my 6th year of marriage, hubby and I are still meshing our traditions together.
Thanksgiving was always about the food. It was always the same and I always lusted after the dark meat long before the day came. My mom made gravy from scratch and I never make gravy. I'm no good at it and I'm now concerned about the health of it, so "so long" gravy. I still make this heavenly dessert that we had at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My mom actually keeps the receipe close to her heart: Cranberry Cake with Hot Butter sauce!
My parents never went in for Black Friday mania, but that's become a tradition I implemented for myself three years ago. I was afraid that it was going to be an insane bloodbath, but I have yet to run into any carnage.

I'm recommending this website because it's helped me on Black Friday...there are a couple of these sites out there: http://bfads.net/

happy hunting!

In Pursuit of the Proverbs 31 Woman is giving away a HD DVD player over on her site...check it out! http://www.inpursuitofproverbs31.com/2007/11/win-toshiba-hd-dvd-a2-player-contest.html

Bloody Hell!

Long time between good posts, I'm sorry. I've allowed myself to be consumed by a bloody traffic violation ticket that I didn't do. Then I had to go to bloody court today, plead not bloody guilty, and NOW I have to wait another month for my bloody day in court in front of a judge!!!
I am not a big fan of all of this bloody stuff!

I like this Contest

Okay so Mom Coming Home http://momcominghome.com/2007/11/06/its-my-birthday-and-ill-give-away-money-if-i-want-to/ is hosting a giveaway. It's all about seeing how far your blog has come. So, here's my first post:

All I can say is that it's about bloody time I joined the world of blogging. Being a mom just makes you want to get things off your chest (sometimes literally!) and what better way to do that than on the internet.Let me introduce myself with a brief life history (all 23 years worth). I grew up in Billings, MT...was tragically homeschooled until seventh grade (still have issues from that) and finally ended up in a publice high school. My parents were unbelievably strict folks and I broke free by eloping with J. That turned out to be the best decision I've ever made. In our 4 1/2 years have produced 2 cute kids, 5 trips to Turkey and one crazy adventure. Blogging fascinates me because I was a ravenous journaler in my high school years. So, hopefully my rants may contribute positively to this big blogging world. Adieu

I'd like to think that my posting for that last couple of years has been a positive force in the blogosphere...I know it has been on me. I have a great group of women I respect and read regularly. Who knew making friends online was this much fun!

Do You Ever...

...eat things just to spite your stomach? I am! After having the flu last week, I've been eating the best gaseous foods I can find. I figure you have to whip that thing back into shape!

Let's Talk About Grey's

Just finished watching last week's episode of "Grey's Anatomy" streamed online. (streaming is the best thing since Cheese Whiz!)
They've had some so-so episodes lately, but this one was good! Here are the things that made it good:
-Bailey finally getting the position...love watching that woman cry.
-Lexi and Meredith working on their relationship. I really like Lexi
-The storyline of the father and adopted baby...made me cry.

What part did you like?

"I Was So Mad"

The group I'm facilitating is studying Matthew 5-7. We talked about 5:21-26 last week and it got us thinking about anger and its depths. It's easy for me get irritated and let it build without realizing it. I in this passage of scripture, Christ puts anger in its rightful place as something that can kill. How many people have their souls killed when someone is angry at them and isolates them by making them feel small? Isolation is the opposite of heaven and community...community being the undercurrent of all that the NT talks about.
I forget too easily how emotions are "felt" by those in contact with us without us having to directly talk about the issue. My kids help me see that a lot...though they are often the catalysts for my peevishness as well.
So, I'm more aware of how quickly I allow my anger to turn from a quick emotion that disappears to a wall.

Contest of the Day

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a huge Christmas giveaway http://www.5minutesformom.com/2571/christmas-2007/ . First contest is up, so check it out.

TV Update

Finally anonymous white guy (who wants to be overseas) bit the dust. I was impressed by how they got ride of him, just when I thought he'd stick around, he's a liar.
I'm beginning to think that's the whole theme of the show: Everyone's a liar, so don't trust anyone/anything ever. Hmmm, that's depressing, so hopefully that's not their point.
I loved that they had 2 cases going on AND that they have the old team continue to evaluate their issues.
I think the next person to go will be the Mormon...they've taken him about as far as he can go. I'm wondering at what point they'll stop knocking people off. Actually, I can see that being one of the future ways to get rid of one of the teammates...death.

Any thoughts, fellow Housers?

TMIAB: Little Inspirations.

When I think of the thing (or things) that inspire me the most, at this point in my life, I think of my kids. This wasn't always the case...because of the way I perceived motherhood growing up, I had associated the title of mother with angry martyrdom and depression.
Through a brilliant program at my church I was finally able to see the beauty intended in the title of mother and give it the positive light that it has.
All that to say, my kids inspire me to grow and change on a daily basis. In many little things they do and say I see so much of myself and how I can grow and become a more whole human being.
What a blessing it can be to look at my humanity and divinity through the eyes of these little people.

Non-Scrappy Happiness.

As you know, I went to a lodge for the weekend with 10 other women for a non-scrapping scrapbook retreat. I was in better company than last year with 5 of us not scrapping as opposed to 2 of us from last year. Another bonus this year was there being no snow, so we could actually enjoy the gorgeous outdoors.
I ended up vegging out a lot more than actually working this weekend, which was fine. I took a glorious bath and ate marvelous food and laughed at great stories. There were 4 babies along which didn't ruin things at all. I loved getting some cuddle action into my weekend.
The downer came yesterday when I got the same barfing illness my kids and apparently everyone else at church has had. So I spent some time kissing the toilet before the drive home.











This last picture is of my friend Lanell and I in our 70's sexiness for Halloween.