Big Bald Blog Contest

The Big Bald Blog is having a great contest where you could win an Ipod Touch or a blog review. Go check it out: http://blog.impactmt.com/2007/12/i-am-giving-away-this-ipod-and-more.html

That's What She Said

I do love that I can watch episodes back to back online right now. Just finished a block of "the Office." I wouldn't have time to watch that otherwise! Thank goodness for those whining writers.

In other news, fudge is evil. It's here and it's out to get me. It's the end of the month, I'm feeling a little chubby and hormonal. Did I mention I LOVE my cycle? It has chosen the most convoluted time of the month to act up. The time when rent is due and money is thin. Darn you fudgy goodness!!!!

I May Not Be Eating Bon Bons...

...but I am acting the part of someone on vacation. Up late watching TV & playing PSP. Eating one piece of fudge on a daily basis. Letting the house fall into the dregs of dirt. And generally being a lump of lazy self-indulgence.

Should I be worried that I'm not concerned about doing anything with depth?I think about it in a couple days.

Contest of the Day

Table for Five is giving you the chance to win a year's supply of popcorn www.orville.com and a year long membership to Netflix! Check it out! http://table4five.net/2007/12/27/win-a-free-year-of-netflix-and-a-years-supply-of-popcorn/

The Strike Drags On

I know I haven't said much about this lately...the holidays sort've made me not care as much. But now some shows are getting the axe, that makes me a little sad. Sure, some were complete dreck, but some will never be given a chance to shine.

Will all the late night hosts shoot themselves in the foot by doing their shows without writers?? Leno, Letterman and Stewart have the potential to kill their careers with the move to writerless shows.

I'll be interested to see if the strike shifts the tenor of what we watch. The popularity of certian types of shows come in waves. One show gets a hit crime drama and then everyone does a crime drama. What happens when a brick wall hits the wave? Stay tuned!

Vegetables, Herbal Tea, and Fudge

That's what I'll be eating and drinking today. The kids and I all have colds and are sitting around hacking. Fortunately their friends across the street are sick too, so they still have playmates.

I've been playing happily with my new PSP that my dear hubby got me. I know not all women would be thrilled with getting a handheld video console, but I find it so relaxing to kick some alien butt sometimes!

Christmas was so good this year. We spent the day with friends and at amazing food. I can't get over how joyful my church family makes me. I'm missing Kari, Lauren, Kati and Brit though. Ladies, let's get together!

Contest of the Day

Laced With Grace http://lacedwithgrace.com/?p=657 is hosting a fabulous end of the year giveaway. Prize includes a Women of Faith study Bible (NIV/Hardcover); Lisa Whelchel’s Bible study tool for busy moms; a coffee mug from “Mugs of Truth“; the DVD “The Nativity Story“; the book “Love and Respect“; and a music CD by Becky Knight, who just released her first CD.

The Walls Are Closing In!

I'm stuck indoors all day with two sick kids. Nothing serious, a cold, but I am getting really bored with sitting at home. I would take them to the grocery store...if I had a working car!! I'm not in the best of moods and I'm very tired. I was looking forward to seeing hubby, but he's at work and will be coming home to change his clothes and go to a poker game. Sigh.

Brain is mush and I'm reading "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer.

Working on the Chain Gang

I am hands-down (or maybe hands-moving) a physical worker. The last thing I desire is a job where I have to sit down all the time. Back when I worked I was a waitress because it was constant movement. My metabolism was never better!! Right now I'm taking the occasional job to clean houses and I LOVE IT.
Cleaning other houses is better than cleaning my own because I never have to see it get messed up. That's the worst part about cleaning my own is it's slow (sometimes rapid) decline into a messy pit. So, now I get to tidy up a different house, get a workout, and get paid to do it!!
The other plus is that it doesn't intrude too much on my daily life. My hubby has shown me the beauty of the non-traditional job. Give me the job of lumberjack or pig farmer or park ranger or road construction crew member!
I think that's another reason why being a barista would appeal to me. I'd be on my feet the whole time and I'd get free caffeine! BTW, if any of you have been reading since my giving up of caffeine...I fell FAR off the wagon. Once the snow started flying caffeinated drinks simply showed up in front of me. No way was I going to waste them!

Are you a physical laborer or a sitting worker?

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

I am dragging!! I think I'd built up so much anxiety about the court case that my body is extremely tired now. Either that or it's just the season. My kids seem extra tired as well.

They're fighting with friends and whining about many things. I'm REALLY looking forward to hanging out with them over the break (by hanging out, I mean chucking them out a window).

I've won two things within the last couple of weeks that I'm really thankful for. The first one is my Krups Blender. Our blender had started smoking, so this was a lifesaver...a double blessing this week because hubby had his wisdom tooth taken out. The blender is amazing! THe other thing I won was the new Ipod Nano with the video screen. Talk about a fun little toy! I'll be thankful for it on my next flight overseas.
When I started the whole contesting thing I was thrilled with leaving God in control of my winning & losing. I'm so thankful for every contest I've won, because it's only by God's choice that I got those things. I've been able to give out so many more Christmas presents because of it. Sometimes it's hard to keep it in perspective though.

The kid's latest catch phrase is "Yum...stinky!!" Great thing to hear when you're walking around the house.

Contests of the Day!

Momsational is giving away oodles of great prizes! I have my eye on the $50 GC to Ebay. http://emomsathome.com/momsational/win-a-50-ebay-gift-certificate-and-buy-the-hottest-hard-to-find-gifts-this-year/

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Cootie Hog is giving away a $10 GC to Target. Who couldn't use some bullseye fun?! http://www.cootiehog.com/?p=3865

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Where Does All My Money Go is giving back by giving away a 7.1 megapixel camera. Check it out. http://www.wheredoesallmymoneygo.com/mainpage/2007/12/17/win-a-free-71-megapixel-canon-digital-camera.html

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ENCHANTING THE LADY
"The imagination of J.K. Rowling and the romance of Julie Garwoodall rolled up into one fabulous novel." Erin Grady, author of WhispersPlease visit: http://www.KathryneKennedy.com

Does Anyone Know...

...can novacaine make you drowsy. I had two fillings taken care of this morning and I'm feeling really out of it.



Could be lack of sleep talking too.

I Fought The Law & the Law Won (Unfairly!!!!)

Sooooo....as you can tell from the title, I lost. I really couldn't believe it. The witnesses for the other side stated a couple of times that they really didn't know what happened. The woman couldn't remember which side of my car hit hers and couldn't identify the car AT ALL. The city attorney even handed the judge my clean driving record!
BASICALLY the judge decided that I was guilty and hadn't proven myself innocent. Damn system, but hey, at least I now know I can do a fine job representing myself. Hubby was right there with my and was very pissed off when I got my butt handed to me on a frickin platter.

Has anyone else been unfairly screwed by the justice system???

Mild Freakout: Please Pray

I'm devoting much too much stress and brain space to worrying about my trial tomorrow. It's a traffic violation for goodness sake! But I have to represent myself and that scares me to death.

Please pray that the formal letter I sent to the DA stating my position would somehow make him drop the case. That's my ultimate prayer, not having to go, but if I do please pray that God would be with me and give me favor in that room with that judge.

Break from the Baking

I've spent all morning in the kitchen making pistachio cookies, fudge and divinity with maraschino cherries! So good!! I'm still debating whether to keep going and make date-filled cookies today, or tomorrow.

Thursday night was a very special night for Ruth and I. We went to "Disney Princess on Ice" with our friends Lanell and Ana. I'm not a very emotional parent for the most part, but watching her face light up made me tear up. I still remember going to Disney on Ice when I was a kid.

God answered a car prayer yesterday. Someone handed us a gas card and some money to buy a tire (our has bits hanging off of it, I can't believe it's still going!).

We're All Needy

I was reminded last night of how important we women are to each other. Our hearts matter and we thrive when we can sit with each other emotionally. I'm glad to be a part of continuing community and growth.

Baskets With a Theme

Oh Amanda www.ohamanda.com is doing weekly giveaways and her assignment this week was to come up with a themed basket.

I gave my SIL a "Save My Newborn Insanity" basket. She had just gotten my niece and was barely sleeping. So the basket included:
-Heavy duty earplugs!
-An eye mask
-Melatonin (to lull her body back to sleep)
-Calm tea
-A bottle of Bailey's to drink sparingly
-1 night off (her hubby agreed to get up with no arguing that night)

Have You Ever...

...washed a diaper with your laundry? Hands down one of the grossest things ever!!! The little gels bits all over the clothes and washer. Just nasty!

Catch up, Ketchup

I'm so sorry that I have been MIA...I consider December right up there with summer as the worst time to stay connected to community. Granted, I've gotten some great time with family though. Quick recap:

Ruth's 6th B-Day sleepover was great! Three girls spent the night and, of course, they giggled and caroused until 11pm. Apparently one of them snored, but there were no fights, so I count that a success.

Jason's mom was here for the first time in 2 years...much shopping happened and she spoiled us rotten. Ruth got a Costco-sized Littlest Pet Shop house and hubby finally got a suitcase that he can live with. Who knew men could be so picky about their luggage!

We finally had two decent snowstorms back to back. Good thing considering it mid-December!!!

Sunday was a weird day for our church body. We have 2 couples in leadership positions at the YWAM base in Arvada. So, we spent our service praying that the guy would be found. We had a cop patrolling the blocks around our church, which at the time I thought was a little too serious, but given the fact that he went on to shoot people at a church affiliated with YWAM I'm thankful he was there. Please continue to pray for everyone involved...our friends had to stay elsewhere while the investigation went on and our now back in their house.

Contests of the Day

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting to great contests:

The first giveaway is a great Insignia Shelf System http://www.5minutesformom.com/2717/insignia-shelf-system-giveaway/ from Best Buy.

The other giveaway is a $200 GC to True Jeans. Check it out! http://www.5minutesformom.com/2725/true-jeans-contest/

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American Made is hosting a contes for some great outdoor gear from Battle Lake Outdoors.
http://americanmade1.blogspot.com/2007/12/battle-lake-outdoors-giveaway.html

It's a Sham!

My studly hubby's mom has been here for a visit since Saturday. We've been busy enjoying her presence so I haven't had time to post.

I'm easy to please and my dear MIL took us shopping and let us pick out our Christmas presents. I have been wanting a new bedding set for a year now and I got a gorgeous red striped set for our room. A sham and bedskirt have made my week.
My daughter is over the moon because she got a massive Littlest Pet Shop House and my son is obsessed with his Car Crushing Hot Wheels toy. Normally I would poo poo an early gift opening, but it has been fun!

So, I'll be posting (hopefully) tomorrow about sleepover madness. BTW, keep YWAM in your prayers...we have 2 couples in our small church body who are part of the leadership at the YWAM base that was hit first. Very hard situation for our friends.

If It Weren't for the Medicine...

...I would've dropped "Grey's Anatomy" SO LONG AGO!!! How much promiscuity can we take people! Grrr. I said I could stick with it as long as their was one couple still together. It looks like Bailey and Tucker are done. Am I done? I'm very close.

But I'm really starting to like Lexie, Sloan, Han and Torres. They just seem slightly less childish than everyone else. What is Alex's problem! Oh!! I'm so frustrated with this show right now.

Do you ever look at your kids and just marvel that they're walking around and talking in intelligent conversation with each other. There's a highly anticipated 6th B-Day party sleepover happening here tomorrow night. Stay tuned for the aftermath!

Erm

Which rhymes with "worm", which is the extent of my creativity as of late. All my imaginative energy is going towards gifts...which is good for my family and BAD for my blog.

Did I mention I'm being a spiritual putz as well, and that never helps!

I miss talking and thinking deeply lately, but I'm not getting off my shallow butt to do anything about it. I know you know I HATE summers for how the spiritual community sort've goes on hiatus. Well, I feel the same way about the holidays. I know it's good to spend time with family, and God knows people need a break. But I need my weekly Bible studies and prayer! Without them I fall apart.

I think this is the way it's supposed to be, right? Craving good community?

Contest of the Day

5 Minutes For Mom http://www.5minutesformom.com/2689/parentsgiveaway/ is hosting a baby toy giveaway, sponsored by Parents magazine http://www.parents.com/ . Check it out!

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Crucial Web Hosting http://www.crucialwebhost.com/blog/4000-crucial-contest/ is giving away over $4,000 in prizes!! You have to work a little to enter, but it'll be worth it! You might also want to check out David Airey’s site and their Split-Shared hosting page .

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Blonde Walks Into A Review http://blondereviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-giveaway.html is giving away a very popular Christmas book Merry Christmas, America! Megawatt Displays Across the USA . Check it out!

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Sophistishe http://sophistishe.org/2007/12/01/holiday-gift-ideas-giveaway/ is giving away a GC to Kangaroodle !

My Favorite Ornament

For anyone who knows me you know why this is my favorite ornament. Ruth came out of the womb with a love for Spongebob Squarepants.

The Christmas she turned 2, the highlight of her Christmas Eve was the Spongebob special. This has been the cartoon that all four of us bond over. We quote lines from the show to each other and will act out scenes randomly.

The family that acts like a sponge, loves like a sponge!

Oh Amanda www.ohamanda.com came up with this post idea for her contest! Check out other people's favorite ornaments over at her sight.

A Little Stuffed

I spent an hour today in a coffee shop, working on my Bible study notes. As I sat there I realized how stuffed the room felt. I realized that every eye, ear and nose space was taken up by something. Then I stepped outside and I felt much the same way.

No room for silence or nature.

I rarely notice how stuffed full of sensory stuff I am, but occasionally I have a moment of clarity.
When I was a teenager, my friends and I would comment on how there was always a song running through our subconscious...I can say that now I actually have moments where my brain is free of song, but it's been replaced by the endless (because nothing's really ever done) to-do list.
We hardly have to fight nature for our survival anymore, but the fight we ignore these days is our survival of peaceful thought in the middle of sensory overload. I've lost my concentration on this blurg cause hubby turned on Fox news.

Thoughts???

Two Moms In A Blog

Two Moms In a Blog http://twomomsinablog.com/ has been hosting an amazing picture posting contest. If you still want to get in on the contest, head over there for your chance to win a photo printer!

So Disappointed

Zooey, Zooey, Zooey!!! What are you doing in this train wreck "Tin Man"??? You did so well in "Almost Famous" and "Elf". Grrr.
I gave the Sci-Fi channel the benefit of the doubt because they picked up two good shows...and they bit me on the finger! They came out sporting stilted dialogue and bad effects *sigh*. I'll probably give it one more shot ONLY because I'm a glutton for punishment.

Anyone else have an opinion on the show??

Spies & Scarecrows.

I've started to watch "Chuck" on NBC Saturday nights and it's shaping up to be a good choice. The dialogue on this show is really fun and it's just the right mix of comedy and kick butt spy story. The actors they chose for each part are so good too!

I've been hearing about "Tin Man" for the last couple of months and (dorkily enough) it's been on my calendar for the last month. It is a retake on the Wizard of Oz with the very sweet Zooey Deschanel as Dorothy. I really want this show to live up to the hype. It starts tomorrow night on the Sci-Fi channel.

BTW, my hubby had a flight canceled on him, so he's camped out in the Detroit airport tonight. His time in Morocco was apparently very good and encouraging to our friends there.