Sabrina's Adventures

Post Halloween

Okay, Halloween is officially over. We ended up having about 12 kids in total. Last year I didn't have enough candy; this year, I have too much leftover. That's not good for a dieting person.

I still had fun tonight. We let Diesel come in and he was all excited about everyone coming over. He was dressed in his Halloween shirt that glowed in the dark.

Here's my Halloween Collage of the night.

To Wed or Not To Wed

Shane and I have been dating for almost 3 years now. And yes, we've talked about marriage but that's it; talked only. Never said yes we'll get married or talked about a ring or any kind of details; just talked in general.

Well, Payperpost is holding a contest for a FREE payperpost wedding. Yes, I'm talking a full blown paid wedding in Vegas on November 18, 2006.

This video tells you all about the requirements. It can't be a renewal of vows; but other than that, it's up for grabs.

November 18th is a little soon for me; however, I may pass this onto my sister. I think it's time for her and her boyfriend to get hitched for free in Vegas!!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone. I hope everyone has a great day and nothing superstitious happens. Witch, I don't believe in all that superstitious stuff, but some people do and for those, I wish them a Happy day!

I love Halloween because I enjoy seeing what all the little ghouls are dressed up in. Some of them are so cute and creative. I can't wait to see the Daily Fuller Fix and see what my friend Alli's son, Fuller, will be. They are such a creative family.

So, be safe tonight when you Trick or Treat and have a great day. May you all get tons of candy!!!

Healthy Living

We brought Diesel in tonight and measured him. He is 32 inches long and his chest is 29 inches around. He is about 19 inches tall. He's getting to be a big doggie.

Since we put him outside during the day, the bottom of his paws are getting rough. I try to keep his nails trimmed, his coat brushed and his breath fresh with treats for fresh breath. He's an overall good dog to maintain and his personality is great.

While I was on N101 Nutrition looking for some medicine for Shane, I ran across this medicine called Paw Saver.

It soothes cracked, chapped, dry paws and supports healing of any irritations he may get while playing outside. I have to take care of my baby.

The Departed

Last night Shane and I went to see The Departed. First of all, let me say that I didn't know it was an All-Star Cast. I was surprised by everyone in it. I love Jack Nicholson.

Anyway, overall it was a very good movie. Good story line and a shock ending. I won't go into details about the actual movie for those that haven't seen it; but I will suggest seeing it.

Leonardo DiCaprio played a different role than he is used to playing and he was great in it. The entire cast was great. Lots of drama and suspense, keeps you anticipating the next move. I even screamed once.

I love drama, comedy, romance and horror movies. Drama and Horror tie for first place in my book though.

Again, I suggest you see this movie; it's really good. If you go see it, let me know what you think.

Disclosure Policy

Disclosure is necessity for alot of different things in life and if you are needing a specific disclosure you can now make your own. Disclosure Policy Generator is a Web site that lets you design your own disclosure specific to your own needs.

Here is my disclosure. This is a great thing to add to your blog; it puts everything out there up front and without questions.

Family Time is Not Good for Dieting

Yesterday we went up to my sister's house for the day. As you know, I've been on Weight Watchers for the past year and a half. I've lost a total of 56 lbs.; but I had set a goal for myself to lose 4 lbs. this week.

I was doing good up until yesterday. First of all, my sister lives 3 hours away and my mom and I like to snack when we travel. Yes, I could have gotten healthy snacks to take with us, but what fun would that have been? haha

Anyway, I blew my diet yesterday; so today until Tuesday, I'll be living on less than 800 calories. I know that isn't safe; but I want to lose that 4 lbs.

Halloween Trivia

Today is Daylight Savings Time; meaning you need to set your clocks back an hour. I think that is great, we gain an extra hour and in the cold winter, that is good to have.

Tuesday is Halloween and we have yet to get a pumpkin and carve it. We've decorated our yard and the house; but we were waiting until this weekend to carve a pumpking when the kids were here. Well, Logan didn't come down this weekend, so I guess we'll do it ourself.

I remember in past Halloweens where people could take their candy to the hospitals and have it x-rayed to make sure nothing had been put inside their children's candy. I know we still worry about weird-dos out in the world; but I don't think people worry as bad. Or do they?

Click on the above link and learn all about Halloween Trivia. She tells you about the origin or Halloween.

"During the 1800’s, immigrants from the Irish Potato Famine brought their use of this lantern. Back then, pumpkins were not used. A burning lump of coal was placed inside a hollowed out turnip, potato, or beet. These were left on doorsteps to ward off evil spirits and to welcome the souls of a departed loved one. The pumpkin didn’t begin to be used until the Victorian Era."

It's a very interesting story about Halloween and how it came to be or atleast how people think it came to be.

Newest Addition to the Family

Jailynn is my newest great niece. She was born on July 18th and is 3 months old; however, I hadn't had an opportunity to get pictures for here until now. I'm up at my sisters in Westmoreland, TN and I got some great pictures, but this video is so cute. Meet Jailynn Marie talking to her great aunt(me) and her great-granny(my mom)......

Smart & Stupid

I love doing crossword puzzles and have recently learned how to play Suduko; I just love mind games. They say if you play mind games that helps prevent you from getting Alzheimer.

Check what is Smart and what is Stupid on WordDisplay today.

This site really works your mind if you play the games. On the Name the Brand, I couldn't even get past the first one.

They have a game called Matrix Vision that is pretty cool to play. I made it a little further on this one.

Check it out; the Smart & Stupid word displays are funny and you can even create your own.

Traveling with Diesel

Saturday, we are going to my sister's house up in Westmoreland, TN. It is a 3 hour drive from Chattanooga and since Shane is also going; we are taking Diesel with us.

Diesel's not a big fan of riding in the car, but I'm hoping he'll sleep most of the way. I know it will take us longer to get there because we'll have to stop with him and let him go potty, but it will be worth it to have him with us.

My sister and her family haven't seen Diesel in person yet, just via photos. Anyone have any suggestions for making the car ride smoother for him?

Anyone in Need of a Good Dentist and/or Doctor?

I have been pretty lucky when it comes to finding a great family doctor and dentist. I have actually gone to the same dentist office since I was old enough to need to go to the dentist. Both my doctors are great and I wouldn't change for anything. On
Vimo you can search for doctors, dentists, hospitals, etc. and see how they rate up.

Go to the following links and you can check of my two doctors, Dr. Rogers and Dr. Quinn. They are great and I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of a good doctor and/or dentist.

Dr. J. Kirk Rogers is my doctor and he is in the Women's East Center over in East Brainerd.

My dentist is Dr. Quinn down by the UTC Campus.

4 Races Left to The Chase

There are only 4 races left to the Chase, the Big Championship in Nascar. Dale Jr is in 6th place and I'm hoping he can pull it off and win his first Championship.

This weekend they race in Atlanta. I've been to the Atlanta race once and it got rained out and I couldn't go back that Monday due to work.

I haven't been to a single race this entire season. That is going to be one of my New Year's Resolution to go to atleast one Nascar race in 2007.

Charlotte, NC is my favorite track and I love going up there for the weekend. It's so much fun to go to the different race shops. Some of these race teams are empires and their race shop are amazing. DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc) is grand. They call it the Tagarage Mahal. Plus it helps that Dale Jr lives across the street from it.

Mortgage Nightmares

Luckily when I bought my house, it was a very smooth transaction. I don't know if because my broker was excellent and I was a first-time home buyer or what exactly it was.

I think one of the most important things that helped me is during my senior year in high school, I worked for a Real Estate Appraiser. I ended up working for him for 5 years and then even when I went to work for my current employer; I still worked part-time for another Real Estate Appraiser. I was very knowledgeable with the entire Mortgage process.

It can be scary though and you need to know what type of questions to ask when applying for a mortgage loan. Personal Home Loan Mortgages protects customer data through SecureTrust, which guarantees compliance with FTC, DoNotCall & Can Spam regulations. They have an extensive mortgage directory and great forums.

I suggest anyone that is buying a home, whether it be your first home or your fifth home; make sure you cover your yourself and are not taken in by mortgage fraud.

Isn't Hacking Illegal Still?

I read an article on CNN this morning, titled Hacker claims to have cracked iPod restrictions and in it, they state this "Today, songs purchased from Apple's online iTunes Music Store can't be played on portable devices made by other companies. Songs purchased from many other online music stores also won't work on iPods because they similarly use a form of copy-protection that Apple doesn't support". Well, that is so not true.

I had an iPod and we had over 1000 songs on our PC where we downloaded from another source other than iTunes and they all played just fine on my iPod. I mean, people are praising this guy for being a Hacker. I thought hacking was illegal? Yes, that's great for him but I doubt I'd be announcing it to the world.

Also, it states, "managing director Monique Farantzos states that an unnamed client will soon use the technology so its copy-protected content will be playable on iPods, she said, declining to give any specifics".

They complain about people file sharing, but yet they are supporting a hacker...go figure.

Flaming Tamale's Confessional

No, I'm not taking about a religous confessional; but just a confessional like you see on reality shows.

Flaming Tamale works for Payperpost, you know the place you get paid to blog? Anyway, the team members at Payperpost are going to start doing video confessionals and this is the first one from Flaming Tamale. They say she has been having a bad week and she got chosen to go first because she's had a bad week. Week? It's just Wednesday.

She makes this confessional enjoyable and you get a some laughs out of it also. Check it if you think you've had a bad day.

First Night In the House

As I've stated before Diesel is not an outside dog, meaning he can't live outside. Living in our laundry room was fine in the summertime because it was cool out there for him; however, now that it is cold; it's too cold for him.

Last night, we decided to bring him in the house to sleep. We cleared out everything from the master bath and put his dog gate up and his bed and Squirrel in there and then put him in there. He was hesitant at first, but Shane eventually got him in there.

I went to bed at the same time so he wouldn't be lonely. He whined a little at first, but I just kept talking to him until I fell asleep. He was good all night. Once he settled down, he got on his bed and went to sleep. He didn't whine anymore at all.

This morning when I got up, I had to wake him up to take him outside to potty. He went right outside and pottied. During the day, he's fine staying in the laundry room and going back and forth outside; but at night time, I think he's got a new room.

A Hawaiian Wedding

My mother was born and raised in Hawaii. No, she's not Hawaiian, she is Portequese. My father was stationed in Hawaii in the Navy and that how they met, fell in love, got married and had 3 children.

We went back to Hawaii about 3 years ago and I loved it. I wouldn't want to live there, but I definitely will vacation there again. I told my mom that is where I wanted my honeymoon to be if and when I get married.

There are great Hawaii Wedding Packages and getting married there would be great; however, the cost to fly my family out there would be so expensive and I don't think I could get married without my family there. Family meaning, immediate family.

It's something worth thinking about though for the near future.

What Happened to Alias?

Okay, the new Fall shows are coming back on and what happened to Alias? I know Jennifer Garner wasn't going to be on there anymore, but did the show end for good?

I was watching Inside Edition and they showed Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck and it made me wonder about the show. I guess I could search online and see what's going on; but just wondered if anyone knew anything?

I watched almost all episodes and really enjoyed the show. Now I just watch reality shows. Can someone suggest a new show to replace Alias?

I'm in the Money

Like I've said in many previous posts; sometimes my entries are blog advertising for PayPerPost.

For those that are new, PayPerPost is a Consumer Generated Advertising Company. They pay us bloggers to advertise products. I learned about PayPerPost from my friend, Alli. She had started using them as a way to get a new digital camera; which she did. I thought I'd use it just as a mean of extra money. Right now, the extra money pays bills; but one day I hope I can use it just as extra money. Money that I can save, pay bills, spend or just have fun with.

So far, I've been paid around $115 but I still have over $200 that I still have coming to me.

I stand behind PayPerPost and recommend anyone that needs some extra money and has a blog; to jump on board. It's really easy to do and you don't have to be a journalist to participate.

It's fun, it's easy, it's extra $$$$$$$$Money$$$$$$$$$. What could be better than that when you need it?

God Works Wonders

Back in September, Shane got sick and we didn't know what was wrong; so we went to the Emergency Room. Shane has no health insurance, but he was terribly sick and we absolutely had to go.

He ended up with Kidney Stones and ended up passing it later that afternoon and is all better now; however, the hospital, ER, Cat Scan bill for just 5 hours totalled up to be over $5100.

Since Shane got laid off, paying bills is tough; however, I knew I had to make an effort to atleast start paying these hospital charges.

I typed up a letter for Shane stating he had been laid off and he would have to pay $10 a month until he got a job and we could pay more. I mailed the same letter to all 3 places.

Today in the mail, he got a letter from the main office for the hospital stating that a charity discount had been applied to his account and the account was closed now and the bill was discounted.

How wonderful God is to provide for us in our time of need. God is Good!!

Shopping, Thrift Style

I love shopping; every type of shopping including big name stores like Macy*s to Flea Markets to Thrift Stores. I'm good at finding great deals when I shop. There are a few times when I'll find something that is semi-pricey that I just have to have; other times, I'm good with a great find.

Back in the Spring my sister, Donna, and I cleaned out my mom's garage. We kept things that we had stored there that we still wanted and then we boxed up things that we no longer wanted or needed.

We tried to give the boxes to a local thrift store(who shall remain nameless) but they didn't want to take the time to go thru the boxes for the things they thought could make money.

We ended up taking it to a Charity Thrift store, Donation Pickup, Car Donations place that was glad to accept them. I think it's great if you can donate things to Charity, especially if you don't need them anymore.

Even though I don't live in the Houston area, The Houston Charity Center sounds like a thrift store we have in Chattanooga. They even have auctions where you can buy a wholesale lot at a great price.

If you can, donate to your local charity; it will help someone else and make you feel good.

Ashley & Lucy

Ashley has always wanted a puppy or small dog. She had a miniature Chihuahua and he broke his leg and then he bit too. They got rid of him. She really hasn't mentioned much about it until we got Diesel.

She finally got a Rat Terrier and she is solid white and very small. Her name is Lucy. Ashley has loved that name ever since Britney Spears played Lucy in the movie Crossroads.

Anyway, Ashley now has a dog and all is well; for now that is. I'll have to take a picture of her and show everyone.

Add Something Sexy to Your Relationship

I love buying sexy lingerie but I don't wear it much because it's hard to find in plus size. And yes, even if you are plus size, you can still be and feel sexy.

Anyway, like I said, it's not that easy to find plus size lingerie. So I went searching for some online that would be really cute and that Shane may like. I've never understood the School Girl look and why guys find that so erotic; however, I do think this Police Woman outfit is.

Our Anniversary is in February and then Christmas is right around the corner, so hopefully Shane won't read my blog and maybe he'll get a surprise.

New Bed for a Big Dog

Diesel has outgrown his bed we bought him when we first got him 2 months ago. He is getting to be a very big doggie.

Dog beds are NOT cheap. I mean at this store in Lexington, the size that Diesel would need was $65. We decided against that one; so my mom kept saying, "Maybe he'll get one for Christmas".

Before we finally got home today, we stopped at the dollar store and found one for him for $15. What a deal and he seems like he liked it.

He's so spoiled!

Can You See in the Dark?

It amazes me how animals have excellent night vision. I can be outside with Diesel late at night and he can spot a bug in the grass and it's pitch black. I can barely see if he's going potty because I don't have a light out on my deck or on the back of my house.

Wouldn't it be neat if humans had animalistic night vision? I could get me a nice night vision scope if I wanted to get silly about it.

Of course, there are probably things in the night that I'd be better off not seeing. If you know what I mean.

I would like to have a telescope so that I could sit out on my deck and look at the stars and planets. It would be nice to share that with the kids and teach them things about the Solar System. I'd have to learn things myself first though.

Opticsplant.net sells a variety of things from Night Vision Goggles to Telescopes to Digital Cameras. They even have Digital Camera Binoculars, which I think is the neatest invention since the Telephone...haha.

I need to start making my Christmas list for Santa because as I surf the web; I think of more things I want for Christmas.

Weekend in Kentucky

This weekend was alot of fun in Kentucky. Friday was freezing at the races, but it was fun. My throat is a little sore from yelling so much. We really didn't lose much money, but it's so much fun.

Saturday morning, we went shopping and went to Macy's in Lexington. I got a new pair of brown boots for the winter. That afternoon, back at the hotel, we had a little tailgating party for the Tennessee vs Alabama game. Go VOLS!!!!

That evening, we drove to Renfro Valley for a show and dinner. Overall, it was a nice evening. The trees are changing colors and the drive was absolutely beautiful.

This morning we got up and came home and stopped at the Sweetwater Flea Market on the way for some last minute shopping. I'm glad to be home because I missed Shane and of course, Diesel.

There's no place like home.

Ink Cartridges

I love having my own printer; however, I hate having to buy new cartridges. They are so expensive and don't last as long as you want them to.

I have a Lexmark X1150 and the cartridges run around $50 each and I just can't see paying that much for a replacement one. Sometimes I'll look one eBay; but here lately, they have been a little expensive for eBay prices.

I found a site that gives away Free Printer Ink Cartridge Samples but they are only for a select brand and Lexmark isn't one of them.

However, I did find a set of 2 black cartridges and 1 color for $63; which isn't bad at all.

Check it out though, your brand my one of the ones that they are giving away a free sample for.

First Loose Tooth

First of all, let me start off by saying; I didn't know puppies lost their baby teeth.

When I got home today, Shane told me that one of Diesel's K-9 teeth was loose. Of course, we couldn't keep Diesel still enough to look at it; but how neat.

Shane said Diesel was kind of winey today and chewing funny so Shane looked at his mouth and found the tooth loose. I think that is neat that he "almost" goes thru the same things as a baby. Of course, he is my baby.

Anyway, I will miss him this weekend as I go on my semi-vacation to Lexington, KY.

PS: Shane had a job interview so please pray that if it's meant to be, he will get this job.

Payperpost, What Do You Think?

I have posted many entries about Payperpost and how great I think it is. So far, I've actually made $102.50 and have about $200 more coming to me.

For those that don't know Payperpost is a site that pays bloggers to write entries as adverstising for companies. It's also called blog advertising. Some people don't like this idea and seem to always want to gripe about it. There's a podcast about how Payperpost raised 3-million dollars of financing from Inflexion Partners and with participation from Villiage Ventures and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

I, personally, don't see what the gripe is all about. I stand behind Payperpost and will keep doing what I want as long as it is available for me to do.

Keep up the great work, guys and girls at Payperpost; I love your site.

Who Will Win?

This weekend, my mom and I are going to Lexington, KY for the horse races.

I could be a complusive gambler; but due to the lack of funds, I'm not. I will make small bets and hope I win something. I've been to the horse races one other time down in Alabama; but that's been years and years ago.

Whether I win or not, it will be a nice little vacation away from Chattanooga. I'm sure I'll have a great time relaxing and just having fun with my mom.

How Much Help is a 30-day Visit?

I'm the type of person that if I want to talk about something; I will, no matter where. I'm not that type that just keeps hush-hush about some things.

One of my brothers(I have 3) is going thru a divorce and I hate because they have a child. My brother hurt his back and has had back surgery and got addicted to painkillers. For anyone that has been around someone that does drugs, whether legal or illegal drugs; it's not fun.

I, personally, have never like painkillers. Whenever I have surgery, I never even get the prescription filled for them. I'm a very strong person and can deal with the pain, if any.

Not every is that lucky. Some people get addicted to painkillers and it's near impossible to get off them. The doctors don't help either. They just keep prescribing them to the patient knowing how addictive they are. My brother has been to a pyschiatric hospital for drug detox, but I don't think it helped all the much.

I wish there was a place around Chattanooga like Meditox. The Meditox Method allows a patient, while under the supervision and care of medical experts in addiction, to withdraw from substance dependency as they continue to work or study.

Alot of people would probably be more willing to try to kick the habit if they could do it and still work or go on in their life without being in a Rehab Center for a 30-day visit.

I'm praying that all works out for my brother and his family. Please keep him in your prayers.

Another Funeral

This year has been filled with bad events happening either directly or indirectly to my family.

We've had several deaths in the family and then I had a miscarriage.

Yesterday I learned that a good friend of mine's mother passed away Monday evening. Tonight, I'm going to the funeral home and then the funeral is tomorrow.

Please keep everyone in your prayers during this hard time for Rhonda and her family.

I sure hope 2007 is a better year for me, my family and friends.

Unique Gift for Christmas

I'm always looking for unique Christmas gifts, especially for my mother. I mean she has everything and doesn't need anything; but she is the best mother. Even though she has been my only mother, I still think she is the greatest. She raised 3 children by herself on a very low income and we never wanted for anything. I wish I could give her so much more than I do. She is now retired and I talk to her 4-5 times a day and see her everyday.

I think the music box with some of her grandchildren's voices would mean so much to her.

A VoiceQuilt is a a music box that plays memories, meaning you record the message that it plays when the music box is opened.

It's a little pricey, $99.95 plus shipping and handling, but I think this would be a great and unique gift for that special someone who has everything and well worth it for a lifetime of memories.

Madonna vs Angelina

I've been reading about Madonna adopting a child from Malawi and how child-protection groups are complaining about it.

Why are they complaining about Madonna adopting a child, when they praise Angelina Jolie for doing it? Angelina can just walk in a proverty-stricken country, give them a few million and come out with a child; but when Madonna tries it, someone has something to say about it. Why is that?

The way it sounds is that Madonna's adoption is an interim adoption, meaning they have the child for 18 months while they are being evaluated first. It sounds like a real adoption and why bother her about it?

She is helping the country just like Angelina does and if a group is going to challenge one famous person for doing it; they need to challenge everyone including Angelina Jolie, Meg Ryan and any other celebrity that does it.

2007 Benefits

Our Open Enrollment period at my job was this month and today was the last day to choose our options. One of the best benefits to me is that we can add our Domestic Partner to our insurance policy. That is, as long as we meet the requirements; which I know we do.

This will be excellent for Shane as he doesn't have any health insurance at the moment and unless he gets a full-time job with benefits, he can stay on my insurance.

Vimo is a great health insurance web tool. It lets you shop for and compare health insurance plans, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), doctors and dentists side-by-side. Even though I get Health Insurance/Vision and Dental Insurance through my job; it's great to be able to see how much healthcare would cost if, for some reason, we needed to buy a private policy.

They have a great FAQ section that answers almost any question you may have.

Having Health Insurance is one less worry and gives you a little bit of piece of mind.

Discouraging

As you may know, I've been dieting for almost 1.5 years now and it definitely has it's ups and downs.

I didn't exercise for about 12 weeks while I was off on disability and I still lost weight. I've been going back to the gym for about 3 weeks now and have gained weight 2 of the 3 weeks. Yes, I understand it may be muscle; but when you are weighing on a weekly basis via Weight Watchers, you don't want to see that gain when we you trying to eat right.

Just want to do a quick poll on which Gym you prefer.

Opinion Poll from CWT

Holiday Spending

As the Holidays approach, most people start worry about spending. I mean you have Halloween, which if you have kids, you have to buy costumes, candy, decorations(if you're like me), etc. It can get expensive. Last year, we ran out of candy because it was my first Halloween in my house and I felt bad because I had to turn my lights off so I wouldn't get anymore trick-or-treaters. This year, I bought plenty of candy and I have 2 big bowls ready for all the kids of my neighborhood.

Then there is Thanksgiving. If you are chosen to cook Thanksgiving Dinner, that can get expensive too.

On Coupon Chief, you can get online coupons for nearly every store possible. I mean there's Target, Lane Bryant, Kohls, etc. This is really helpful for Christmas Shopping. There is only 70 more shopping days until Christmas. Happy Shopping!

Vols vs Roll Tide

This weekend is the BIG game in Tennessee. It's the Tennessee Vols vs the Alabama Crimson Tide. I'll be out of town this weekend and I doubt that I'll be able to actually watch the game, but I will be rooting for the Vols.

The Vols have only lost 1 game this season to the Florida Gators, so I'm hoping they beat the snot out of Bama.

I have 2 other teams I root for besides Tennessee. The Gators, if they aren't playing Tennessee and anyone playing Bama. I can't stand Alabama and like I said, I hope the Vols beat 'em so bad they won't know what hit 'em.

Click on the link below to listen to one of my favorite songs during Football Season.

Go Vols!

Ghost Rider

Shane is a huge comic book movie fan and I like them also; so when he saw that Ghost Rider was coming out soon, he was excited to see it.

GHOST RIDER stars Nicholas Cage as Marvel superhero Johnny Blaze. I love Nicholas Cage so I'm sure the movie will be great!!

See the new GHOST RIDER trailer and exclusive vlogs here! Watch the making of video blogs straight from the sets before you can see them anywhere else.

Under the Weather

This morning when I woke up; I had a terrible headache. It was hurting at the base of my skull and just not a good thing. I didn't go to work, so I'm home today. I'm hoping I can get some rest too.

This weekend was busy. We had Ashley over from Friday until Saturday evening and then we had Logan Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon; then we had to meet his mother, which is a hour and a half away, so that wears me out.

Then there is Diesel. I'm constantly playing with him and making sure he goes out when he needs to.

Today is just going to be a relaxing day. No cleaning, no washing clothes, no nothing. Just relaxing on the couch.

Elmo TMX

Around the Holidays, there is always a new toy that comes out that is supposed to be top secret and just everyone has to have it. This year, it's Elmo TMX; which means Elmo Tickle Me Extreme or Elmo Tickle Me Ten. Even the case is Top Secret.

The Elmo TMX is really cute and is hilarious to watch. There is a video on the site. Tickle him once, and he starts laughing hysterically, slaps his leg twice, falls down into a sitting position, then rocks himself back up. When you tickle him a second time, he repeats all the movements he did before, plus he falls backwards, and starts kicking his feet while laughing even harder.

The third time you hit his tickle spot, he goes through the first two patterns, rolls over onto his tummy, and starts hitting the floor with his hands ending his laughing attack with a deep sigh.

I remember getting up at 4:00 am the day after Thanksgiving trying to find that hard to find toy on sale at the local toy store. I've looked online for Elmo TMX and they are already sold out in most stores. I'm sure people on eBay, that were able to actual purchase this, are making a killing.

One of Many Haunted Houses

My cousin and brother both work at the Haunted Carnival Ghoul School at Sir Gooney's; so last night we were able to go to it.

Last year we went to The Haunted Caverns at Ruby Falls and it was pretty scary.

My cousin said the one at Sir Gooney's is very scary and that they have had people pee their pants and one guy even do something else in his pants..haha

Shane, Logan, Ashley and I went last night. We knew Ashley would go in; but she had planned on staying outside with Kevin(my brother). We waited about an hour in line and then it was our turn to go thru.

Parts of it was nothing at all; however, towards the end this one guy got right in my face and scared me that I almost did pee my pants, but I didn't. After it was over, we went out front to get Ashley and she was gone. Kevin said she got so scared because some of the characters were walking outside that her granny had to come pick her up. He had even put her in his car and when we went to check on her, she was hiding on the floorboard on the phone with her granny. We just laughed about how scared she had gotten over that.

Anyway, overall The Haunted Carnival was pretty good; however, there's 1 more Haunted House I'd like to visit in Cleveland.

10 Reasons Why I'm a Dale Jr Fan

Like I said before, I've followed Nascar for about 20 years now.

I watch it occasionally when it's on; but I always keep up with it online. There is only 5 races left in the Chase for the Cup; so I'm definitely keeping up with where Dale Jr is.

I ran across this NASCAR Forum where people are listing reasons why they are Dale Jr fans. Well, here's mine:

1. I am not a Junior fan because of his father, I started rooting for him before Sr passed away.
2. I own my own house and it's not on wheels.
3. I have a AS in Information Systems. I'm not the most intelligent person on Earth, but I'm far from dumb.
4. I don't know anyone named Bubba.
5. I do not go cow tippin'.
6. I am not a redneck, but I do know plenty of them.
7. There are no cars, car parts, flamingos, couches, arm chairs, or any other thing in my yard. My car is parked in the garage.
8. I do not ride a horse to the store.
9. I don't sit on a porch and play Dueling Banjos. If I had a porch, I would sit on it though.
10. I don't think of road kill as "supper".

Not all Nascar fans are redneck; we just love Racing. I happen to be a Dale Jr #8 Chevrolet Budweiser Car FAN!!!

Getting to Be A Big Boy

Diesel went to his last vet appt. until February of 2007. He now weighs 42.6 lbs. and is in good health. He is all caught up on all his vaccinations and is getting to be a big boy.

Everytime we take him to the vet and get him groomed; everyone just dotes on him. They love him because he is so loving.

He's getting a little better in the car and this evening, we brought him in the house and he was a good boy. He even let us know when he needed to go out. I took him right out and he was right; he did need to go out.

He's my baby and he's a keeper.

Deck Furniture

I had a deck built back in July but haven't bought any deck furniture yet. I don't need a table with an umbrella and I just haven't seen anything that reaches out and grabs me.

We have a gazebo on our deck that is cream color. I'd like to get something that is cream and green if I could. I don't have a garden, but I'd still like to have a nice deck set to enjoy dinner out there on the deck in the spring/summer time or just be able to sit out there and read or just relax while Diesel is out playing.

Hopefully, by next Spring; I'll have a new deck set to enjoy with my family.

My Review of Facing The Giants

Last night, Shane, Ashley and I went to see Facing The Giants. Shane didn't know it was a Christian movie until the movie theater got so crowded, I reminded him not to curse about anything. He was like, "Is this movie going to be a sellout?" I told him that alot were probably church groups; he then got the picture.

Anyway, back to the movie review. This was a great movie and I would recommend it as a family night out date; especially if you have kids.

In one my previous blogs, I gave the giest of the movie. However, this movie hit home in so many homes. His wife had been trying to get pregnant for 4 years and never could. That just added one more situation in his life that he didn't understand how God could do that to them. I've been trying going on 3 years and that is a question I ask myself all the time. How could God not let me have a baby when I so desperately want one and would be a good Mother?

The movie was definitely made by the faith of people. It really makes you think, "Do I really have faith in God?". I mean I think I do, but do I really?

It's a tear jerker if you can relate to the movie; which I'm sure there's a part in the movie that everyone can relate to at one point.

After we got home, I was outside with Diesel and I just stood there talking to God. I do understand there's a reason why I it's so hard for me to get pregnant and I'm trying really hard to accept that. I love God no matter if I have children or not and have never hated him for that. Whatever way is God's way for my life to be, I'll accept it and make the best of it.

I haven't been to church since I was in junior high school and I have thought about what church to start going back to; just haven't made an effort yet. But that's going to change now.

You Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em

I love playing cards and the only game I really know how to play that you can gamble on is Blackjack. I'd love to know how to play poker, but I know nothing about poker at all. I didn't even know there were poker rules.

A friend of mine at work plays Texas Poker all the time. She plays with the big boys and wins big, when she wins. I'd like to get in on a small game or just play at home with some friends and not use real money until I know what I'm doing.

I went looking on how to play Texas Hold 'Em. I didn't know there were 5 different rounds of the game. I thought you just kept playing until the hand was over.

The first round is called The Pre-Flop - you blind bet
The second round is called The Flop - dealer deals the cards
The third round is called The Turn - dealer places a fourth card in the middle of the table and this card is called The Turn
The fourth round is called The River - same as above but involves a fifth card called The River. Also another round of betting takes place
The fifth and final round is called The Showdown - The players now use their two cards and the five community cards to make the strongest five-card hand that they can

Then, basically, whoever has the strongest hand WINS.

Doesn't seem to hard; but do I have a Poker face?

It's Getting Cold Outside

Diesel is NOT an outside dog; meaning, he can't live outside all the time. Bulldogs aren't made to live outside. He gets really cold if it's cold and really hot if it's warm outside.

Last night when I came home around 7 pm, I put him in and his ears were cold. I told Shane we needed to put a blanket out there(laundry room) for him. He has a bed that is toasty warm so he has been sleeping in it instead of the floor. I found an old, but warm, blanket and covered him up last night. Eventually the blanket came off sometime in the night; but he looks so dang cute all cozy in his bed with his blankie.

Vonage Review, Part II

I'm still not completely sold on Vonage yet. Yes, it appears to be cheaper than the local phone company; however, how great is the service really?

I've visited the above site and tried to read some of the forums and most of the forums are questions about problems people seem to have. One of the major gripes is dropped calls or the phone rings and noone is there. That is very annoying.

I'm still going to look into it and periodically check the news on it; weigh my options, but it seems like land line phones are the way to go right now. Atleast until the bugs get worked out.

I wonder if the problems they are having is because it's not a nationwide product yet?

Facing The Giants

My mom and a friend went to see Facing The Giants today. This is the details for the movie.

In his six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never had a winning season. Even the hope of a new season is squelched when the best player on his Shiloh Eagles decides to transfer schools. After losing their first three games of the season, the coach discovers a group of fathers are plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor has lost hope in his battle against fear and failure. However, an unexpected challenge finds a purpose bigger than just victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and the Eagles discover how faith plays out on the field--and off. With God, all things are possible.

I got this from Yahoo.

My mom said it was the best movie she has seen in a long time and recommended me to go see it. I plan on taking Ashley to see it also.

Has anyone seen Facing The Giants and what was your thoughts?

Photoshop Fun

Last year, we had Photoshop loaded on our PC. A friend of Shane's gave it to us. I wanted to play around with Photoshop and never could get the hang of it.

I found this Photoshop Video Tutorials for Newbies and wish I still had Photoshop.

Our computer crashed and we no longer have Photoshop; however, this review would have definitely helped back when we did.

I love all the things you can do with Photoshop, but my favorite is how you can take part of a picture and incorporate another picture into it. I want to do that with some of my pictures.

Maybe one day soon, I'll have enough money from Payperpost that I can actually spend on something I want instead of something I need.

Boring ....uh, Nascar

I have loved and followed Nascar for almost 20 years now. I fell in love with Nascar and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. I watched every race every week and went to about 2-3 races a year. Charlotte and Talledega were a given race that I would be at and sometimes I'd add an add'l race if the opportunity presented itself.

When Dale Jr. came up to Winston Cup; I instantly fell in love with him. I still cheered for Dale Sr., but Jr. was my main driver now.

Once Dale Sr. got killed; Nascar just hasn't been the same for me. Most of the drivers are young kids. And yes, literally kids. They act like kids and they are in their early 20s.

I occasionally watch the races now and this is the reason why. This past weekend, the race was at Talledega. Dale Jr. rules this track; however, he didn't qualify well, 33rd. I knew he'd make up spots and come out on top and he would have had it not been for Brian Vickers.

Dale Jr. was leading the race and had 2 laps left. Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers were 2nd and 3rd. On the last lap on the backstretch, Jimmie Johnson decided to "try" to pass Dale. Jimmie gets out of line and, of course, Dale went to block him and then Brian Vickers "taps" Jimmie in the rear and Jimmie goes sideways and hits Dale.

Jimmie and Dale go sliding thru the grass and Brian goes on to win the race. What a bunch of BS.

What beats all is that Brian tried to make it to be Dale's fault in the post race interview. Whining like the babies that the new guys are. It furiated me; however, Dale handled it well and said it's just racing.

Then, there is Jeff Gordon, whining about Dale and his bump drafting. Like Dale said, he is good at drafting and everyone wants to see him in their rearview mirror when he's drafting; but then Jeff is griping about it. Dale pushed him around the track.

Can these boys grow up and show us some racing like we want to see it?

Have You thought about Your Next Summer Vacation?

I'm a planner, so I think about my next summer vacation usually right after I take the current year's vacation. Plus when you plan early, sometimes you get a really great deal.

The beach is always a big hit with me, even though I don't like to swim in the ocean, I like the tropical feeling. Everywhere I've been on vacation, we've always stayed at a hotel; however, I would love to rent a nice house/condo on a nice, clean beach and just relax. That way, we could cook most meals and not spend so much on restaurants.

I've never looked at Vacation Rentals, but this Web site has awesome offers.

I mean a Gulf-Front Summit Condo W/Balcony/Pools/Washer/Dryer & Stunning Views/Specials runs about $50 a night. That is CHEAPER than a hotel.

I will definitely be checking this out and planning a family vacation.

Toothless

Every Tuesday night after mom and I go to Weight Watchers, we always go out to eat as a treat. Sometimes Ashley and Shane will go with us as they did last night.

When we got to the restaurant, Ashley was eating with her hands. I said, "Ashley, don't eat with your hands, we are in public". Then Shane went on a spill about manners, etc., blah, blah, blah.

She said she couldn't cut the meat(broken arm) and was having trouble chewing it because she had a loose tooth. I looked at her tooth and it was just hanging there, bleeding.

She immediately went to the bathroom and pulled it out. When she got back to the table, she said she lost it, literally.

We gave her a hard time that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't be visiting her because there was no tooth to pick up. She said there wasn't a tooth fairy anyway, so that really didn't bother her. I gave her a $1 anyway for the effort.

She's 9 years old and I wonder how many more teeth she has to lose?