What kind of Carnival Ride are you?

You Are a Ferris Wheel

Deep down, you are a fun, whimsical, and easygoing person. You often enjoy life for what it is, and the littlest changes in course can be quite thrilling. In relationships, people tend to feel what you feel. It can be liberating at first... But after a while, the people closest to you end up feeling a little trapped. Your life has perfectly normal cycles of ups and downs. However, you can't help but sometimes feel that you're missing out on the most exciting aspects of life. You only are happy when you're experiencing the highest of highs. Your low points just make you feel depressed, restless, and bored. At your best, you feel on top of the world with a great sense of perspective. You believe that anything is possible, and that you are happily looking down on everyone else. At your worst, you feel like your life is going in circles. You often feel like you're not going anywhere. This is sometimes psychologically disorienting. And sometimes it brings on a sense of hopelessness.

What Carnival Ride Are You?

This pretty much describes my life. I go around and around in circles and really get nowhere at all. How about you what describes your life?

Second Language

I saw something on Overstock.com the other day that I would like to have for Christmas. It is the Rosetta Stone language program. I think this would be a great way to learn a foreign language. I know a little Creole but living in the State of Florida it would be a good to learn Spanish. I think for the price it would be a great value and something that would be easily afforded. Right now you can get free 2 day shipping in the United States so that is even bigger savings. Which means the money you save on shipping could be spent on another present for someone. I really do believe that the best value for you would to just go ahead and invest in purchasing all three levels at the same time. You can save quite a bit of money and still be able to take advantage of the free 2 day shipping program. I really feel strongly about this product that when you are finished with the courses you will be able to read, write and also speak the Language that you choose to study.

Monday Blues

Well it is Monday again and some of you out there know what that means. It means the kids are home from school and it is dreaded homework time. I really hate homework. I hated it when I was in school and now that I have been out of school for many many years, I hate it more. When you have three coming home with homework and then I get one of the twins to help with his homework and believe it or not he shows up with a ball point pen to do his homework with. So now we are having a battle because he is pouting on the steps saying he doesn't have a pencil and I am very sure that he is not ready to do math with an ink pen. Bet you can guess who will win this battle. If you place any bets I would encourage you to place them on me. Two late I already won he is back with a sour look on his face but you guessed it he has a pencil in his hand. I am Nannie hear me roar!!!

Get an Advance in Life

Have you ever found yourself between a rock and a hard place and you just need a payday cash advance? I mean you don't need a bank loan just something to help you with a sudden emergency. Like when your child has his glasses broken on the bus on the way home from school and you just find yourself with a case of the shorts. Or when you have a credit card debt and you need some help with lowering the monthly payments. I have a friend who could use some help with a mortgage refinance their mortgage payments are about to take them under. They are basically just keeping their nose above water. There is help out there for the average person who doesn't know their banker by his first name.

Today is the day

Well, to my husband I say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. When I posted last night my husband was fast asleep so I had not officially wished him the traditional "Happy Anniversary". Today we are not actually going to do anything. This is the first year in 40 years of marriage that we have not had any money (and I do mean no money) to purchase each other a present for our special day. This has kind of been a bummer for me. We have returned from the Nation of Haiti as missionaries and we literally put everything we had into that move. Many factors came up that it was not a safe thing for us to remain in the country. So for us to come back to the States with absolutely nothing to our name was a very hard thing to do. We have no vehicle, no furniture, nothing really that we had spent 40 years of marriage accumulating. But, we do have each other and that is really all that matters in the end. I am really trying hard to not get down in the dumps. But, sometimes having a pity party is just where you end up. But we are going to have a good dinner. We are having a big pork roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, macaroni and cheese and sweet tea this evening. I will do the meat, potatoes and mac and cheese. I do not do veggies, I have never and will never in my life I am sure eat veggies. My dad tried my entire childhood to make me eat them and I would not. I am healthy as a horse on meat, potatoes and other starch type foods and at my age why should I change anything. The old saying goes for me if it ain't broke then don't fix it. I don't think I am broke but those that live with me might have a different opinion.

Make it Personal

It is getting close to Christmas and I am trying to figure out what to get the people on my list. I have a little secret for you too, my list is getting shorter and shorter every year. The reason is I am cutting extra people out. Not because I am a scrooge but just because of the money factor. I have decided to do Christmas presents for those that are closest to me.

I think this year I am going to try to buy presents that have a more personalized nature to them. I am talking about things like maybe some address signs for my oldest sister. She is one who basically is very hard to shop for you just never know what to get her. Then for my other sister (who by the way is still older than me). I think I will get her a custom address plaque. That brings me down to my daughters. I haven't as of yet decided what to get my oldest daughter but I think for my youngest daughter I will check into getting her a personalized doormat, since she rents her home that is something that she could use even if she moves from the house she is in. Which is going to happen because she doesn't like the house she is living in or where the house is located.

Wired Granddaughter

Well I think that my granddaughter has finally fallen asleep it is almost 1:00 AM and she was trying to wait up for her mother to get home from work. But, even after a cup of coffee from her Aunt Sue Sue about an hour ago. (It wasn't full strength coffee) but nevertheless it was still a minor caffeine rush for her she pooped out at the party. But she has been a in a very silly mood all evening. When she gets this silly she can get on your nerves but she has you laughing so much at her that you can't get upset with her. So you just laugh and go with the flow.

Plan Ahead

My husband and I are starting to shop around for insurance. At this point we are needing several types of insurance. First off I know we are going to be getting another vehicle in the near future so we will need to search out the best rates on car insurance. I am also trying to locate a good plan for life insurance for my husband and myself. This can be a major chore if you are doing the searching the old fashion way of driving around town and talking to various agents. Then you have to try to compare the quotes you receive along with the coverage of each plan. Before long you can become a babbling idiot. Then if you really want to throw something else into the mix you could also look for home insurance at the same time. But by doing this all online you can really save yourself some major headaches and just sit back and let your fingers do the walking for you.

Happy Anniversary

Well it is now officially my wedding anniversary. My husband and I have been married for 40 years now. When we got married (he wasn't the guy my mother picked out for me) she said the marriage would never last. Well I guess you could say it has lasted. At least it has lasted for 40 years. They have been good years too. Not to say that we haven't had our bumps in the road. I think everyone has them. If someone tells me that they and their spouse never fight then I am of the opinion that the don't live together and never see and or talk to each other. But our marriage has been good. We have two very great daughters and 3 very very very great grandchildren. I really wouldn't change my life if I could. So happy anniversary to my husband. I hope we have many many more to come.

In the know

Do you have children in grade school? If so then it is never too early to start planning for their college education. Many people will need to obtain student loans and/or a private loan. Make certain that you do your research and seek out all of the information that is available to you. Some parents are taking college classes at the same time that their children are. It's during a situation such as this that you would want to consider Student loan consolidation. Every school has their own guidelines and deadlines to be sure that you're in the know about everything well in advance. You can never go wrong with being prepared!

Peaceful Saturday Morning??

Well it is Saturday morning and this was always a great time for me. My husband and I had finally reached the age where we could get up when we wanted to on Saturday and if we wanted breakfast we would get dressed at a leisurely pace and go out for breakfast. It was our treat to ourselves for surviving the hectic week. Well, that has all changed. We now are living with our daughters and there are 5 children (you heard me right 5) living in the house with us so now my husband is downstairs making pancakes for the entire clan. So there goes the peaceful Saturday morning breakfast for us. Our three grandchildren are really no problem. They sit and eat pancakes until they are about ready to explode. But then there is the 3 year old living in the house with us. His Mother has created a monster out of him. So mealtime with him is a constant battle to keep him eating and not playing. Well, there goes the peaceful Saturday breakfast out.

Academic Help

My granddaughter is a very bright intelligent 9 year old. However, she is having a few issues in school. Her Mother is starting to look for an Innovative Tutor to help her make the academic progress in the subjects she is struggling with in school. She is looking into Score Learning Centers for the answers she is needing. Score is a great program for children from ages 4-14, because it helps children make progress in a fun environment. Take a look at it for yourself and see what you think.

Proud New Momma

I can not believe it. I am a new Momma at my age. (Don't ask what age that is) This happened a couple of weeks ago. I am not really sure of the exact date. WHAT! You say, you don't know what day you became a new Momma. No I don't and the reason it is because it was a rainy evening and my daughter and I were sitting on the front porch just talking and I looked up and at the screen door was the prettiest cat I had seen in a long time. He is gray and white. Well, I couldn't stand to see him out there in the rain getting all wet. We had seen him many times before running the neighborhood but he never came to the door like this. Well I turned into a very soft person and let him into the front porch. Then the next thing you know I had him on the back screened porch. My daughter already had a cat in the house but he was terrible. He would not use the litter box and he would wait for my grandchildren to get near him and he would strike out and claw their legs. Well, she found a new home for him and we were able to let the new cat into the house. I had been feeding him on the back screen room for a few days so now he is my baby. He comes into my room and sits beside me while I work on the computer. As a matter of fact he is laying beside me right now. I have named him Smokey. He is a very pretty gray and white with a tiger stripe tail. I have gotten very fond of him in a very short time. He is great with the children in the house all the way down to the 15 month old who just loves the kitty. So if I had them I guess we could pass out cigars but we don't so we won't.

To little to grow up

My grandsons are beginning to reach the age where they want to venture away from the little boy toys and get into the serious toys. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. Strike that. I know I'm not ready for that and neither are they. They would love nothing more than to head out to the backyard with a couple of paintball guns and all donned in some ultra cool paintball gear . I know I want them to toughen up and be little brut like boys and not be such Momma's boys but I just don't think I'll ever be ready for them to truly grow up and want to hang with the big boys. I get nervous when they play with water guns. I guess that's a grandmother for you. I want them to grow up to be big strong handsome men but in the same respect, I'd be just as happy to keep my little twin boys tied right at the apron strings forever. I guess life doesn't work that way. I'm not sure what Santa has in mind this year for Christmas but I suppose I'd better be prepared for the big boy toys to be under the tree!

One Sheet to the Wind

Well it is Sunday evening and my daughter should be home just about anytime. She has worked a double shift today at work and I spoke to her earlier in the evening and she has had a terrible day at work. I think she is getting ready to leave this job and take a new one which would be a great thing for her. But, the reason for this post is to tell you that her day is about to get worse when she gets home. There is a 3 year old that lives here in the house with his poor excuse for a mother. Well, somehow this evening he got a pair of scissors and managed to cut two holes in my daughter's sheet on her bed. You might say oh well after all it is just a sheet. That is what I would say. But this is not just a sheet it is the fitted sheet to a $60.00 set of sheets. Now mind you I have never had a set of sheets that were that expensive. As a matter of fact I have never had a bedspread that was that expensive. But nevertheless my daughter has them and she loves them. So when she gets home anytime from now on the you know what is going to hit the fan. I don't want to be the 3 year old when she gets him or his mother for that matter. No matter what he does when you tell her he has done something wrong she just laughs. What scares me so much is if he is this terrible when he is 3 what is he going to be like in 5 years or 10 years. It is really a scary thought. No matter what advise we all give her and how we try to help her try to make him mind she just does away with anything we try to do.

Christmas is Coming

Since it is almost November, it is time to start thinking about Black Friday better known as the day after Thanksgiving. Somehow, this has turned into the #1 shopping day of the year with stores offering unbelievable deals like $200.00 laptops to get people in the stores. I remember one year my husband and I stood in line for hours at a store and were walked through the store with armed police just to purchase my youngest daughter a Cabbage Patch doll. But, now the idea of fighting the crowd and having some crazies maul me for that $20 DVD player just doesn't sound like my idea of a fun day at the mall.

So what do you do if you are afraid to venture out to the sales and then how can you still come up with the good deals? Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret called black friday 2007. When you shop at this site online you can actually shop your favorite black Friday sales online. You heard me right you can do it at home in your PJ's or buck naked if that is what you prefer. I think I am going to try to do some shopping at my favorite store, Staples. I'm sure I'll have no problem finding what I need in the Staples circular. My daughters can always use new gadgets for their laptops. I also think I just might shop the Old Navy buys. Old Navy is a great place to get my grandchildren new clothes, which at their age they can always use. Irregardless of where I do my shopping, it's great to know that I can still hit all of the sales without ever leaving my home!

More Sayings from my Mother #3

Well here are the final sayings that I used to hear my Mother and family say all of my life. If you look toward the bottom you will see the Shoot Fire and Save Matches. Well you will actually see S**t Fire and Save Matches.

She Said: Land O"Goshen
It Means: Oh My Gosh

She Said: Let me have a crack at it
It Means: Let me try to do it

She Said: Mark my words
It Means: Believe me, one day you'll be sorry

She Said: Much Obliged
It Means: Thank you

She Said: Oh for Pete's Sake
It Means: I don't believe this Mess

She Said: Put A Sock in It
It Means: Be quiet

She Said: Quit yer Lollygaggin
It Means: Stop waisting time

She Said: S**t fire and save matches
It Means: WOW

She Said: That boat don't float
It Means: It's a Lie

She Said: That dog won't hunt
It Means: What a load of bull

She Said: Well I Swan
It Means: You don't say

Plan it out

My daughter loves to travel. She's been to several countries in Europe as well as across most of the United States. She often tries to research out a city before she heads there. It's good to be able to get a heads up about restaurants and so forth. She's hoping to travel to England next year. By doing some detective work beforehand, she'll be able to know some trusted information such as restaurants in London. She's had a few off experiences when eating in different countries. She'd like to know what's what and not end up in a London bar that is known for being of ill repute. If she's learned anything about her travels, its to plan everything out in advance and listen to the locals about where to go, what to see and what to eat!

Old Sayings from my Mother #2

Here are 10 more sayings I remember my Mother saying when I was a child. I will probably have about one more posting on these. I actually think that most of them were old sayings passed down from my grandmother and possibly from her mother. Now I am hearing my daughters saying these very things to their children so things just keep going on and on and on.

She Said: I do declare
It Means: Really?

She Said: I've got everything tied down and locked up
It Means: I took care of all the details

She Said: I like to died
It Means: I was very embarrassed

She Said: I love you to pieces
It Means: I love you very much

She Said: I Reckon
It Means: I think so

She Said: If that don't beat all
It Means: Imagine that

She Said: Well I'll be dipped in S**t and rolled in cookie crumbs
It Means: I can hardly believe it

She Said: I'm fixing to
It Means: I'm getting ready to

She Said: It don't make no never mind
It Means: It doesn't matter

She Said: Keep your shirt on
It Means: Wait a minute

Busines Sense and Sensibility

The last company I worked for had some major issues. To begin with they had no system in place to exchange data between employees. They believed they could get by with a very simple program that would basically allow them to enter bills and pay bills. Employees didn't have access to order information or financial data. The program they had did not allow employees the ability to create a budget, track orders, track cash flow nothing that was of vital importance to the survival of the company. Without these abilities, it was a daily issue of just paying the bills to keep the business up and running. They were constantly calling the bank to see how much money was in the checking account and then trying to figure out what checks were outstanding and then come up with an estimated bank balance. To say the least, it was a constant juggling act.

There are services out there that could have greatly benefited from. One of those businesses is Business Intelligence Consultants. They not only offer public training courses which you can send your employees to. They also offer what they refer to as "Classroom in a Box" which they could deliver to your office or to a venue of your choice.

Old Sayings From my Mother

My Mother had many sayings when I was a kid and I would like to list some of them and what the meaning of these sayings were.

She Said: Between you and me and the fencepost...
It Means: Don't tell anyone, but...

She said: Creeks rising and I'm up to my *** in alligators!
It Means: As if I don't have enough troubles!

She Said: Do I have to knock some sense into you?
It Means: What will it take to make you understand?

She Said: Does a bear s**t in the woods?
It Means: Answering "yes" to a question?

She Said: Don't get your bloomers in an uproar
It Means: Calm down

She Said: For the love of Mike.
It Means: For goodness sake.

She Said: Get the lead out!
It Means: Get moving!

She Said: Go jump in the lake.
It Means: Get lost.

She Said: God willing and the creek don't rise
It Means: If all goes well...

She Said: I don't have a dog in that fight.
It Means: That's none of my concern.

OK, I think this is enough for today. But stay tuned and I just might let you know what Shoot fire and Save Matches means.

Reading is Knowledge

As I have said before I am the Grandmother of three beautiful and very bright children. We have found that each child is very different, even though the boys are mirror image twins and look alike. Even they have different interests and personalities. We are seeing that each of the three also have their favorite subjects in school. Reading does not happen to be my Granddaughters' favorite subject. Reading is a subject that is more difficult for her. It is nice to know that Score Learning Centers are there with their Reading Tutors to help a child that is having problems reading. With this help a child can greatly improve their reading skills. Score helps children from ages 4 - 14. If your child is struggling in an area look into Score.

Tuesday Out

Today was our usual Tuesday out. We the 4 of us went to Target I actually didn't spend anything. Of course that is not really hard to do when you don't have any money to begin with. My husband has managed to hide back a little money and we were going to split it today to get each other something for our Anniversary that is coming up at the end of the month. But can you believe I could not find him anything I really wanted to purchase him for a meaningful gift. I did not want to just grab him just anything. But I walked the store for almost 2 hours and found nothing that I wanted to give him from my heart. I mean I found many things that I could have just spent money on but when you have been married for 40 years you want meaning not just something. It is really hard what do you buy a man who really has nothing and needs everything and yet you don't have much money to do it with? I really don't know.

Let the Challenge Begin

One of my husband's favorite networks on TV is the Food Network. I really think he could watch it 24-7. But, he does watch other TV from time to time. This is a network where you can just about learn everything from hot dogs to gourmet cooking all from your living room couch. You can go to http://www.spock.com and from there you can not only check out all your favorite people on the food network but you can search for other people or news just type in what you want to know and it appears on your screen for you. Simple as that.

I'm all about having life at the touch of my fingers. I've become so accustomed to turning on my computer and finding whatever it is I need within a matter of seconds. Of course television has become that way too. Simply hit the buttons on your remote and you've got whatever you want up on your screen. Life is spoiling us! It certainly is!

Five Factor Personality Test

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have low agreeableness. Your self interest comes first, and others come later, if at all. In general, you feel that people are not to be trusted. And you're skeptical that anyone else really feels differently. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is low. You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable. You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea. While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

The Five Factor Personality Test

This pretty much describes me to the tee. There is probably a little bit that I might not agree with. But if you know me you will know the points I don't agree with and if you don't me then what is the point of me telling you. Try to figure it out.

Get your Coupons Here

If you live in North Carolina and you are looking for a bargain online I have found the place for you. This is another reason that I could add to the list of reasons I would love to live in North Carolina. A couple of place I would like to live in North Carolina are Boone and Blowing Rock. I really enjoy the mountains in these areas. Here is a place for you to go for coupons to many of your favorite places to shop online and they will ship your purchase directly to you.

I have found several stores where I absolutely love to shop but I will only list a couple or so to give you an idea of what I have discovered here. One of my favorite places is BestBuy now I could spend hours there and a small fortune to boot. I also like to shop at Lillian Vernon I have made several purchases there in the past.

Monday Morning Blues

Well it is Monday morning and we finally have all the school age children off to school and all the working adults off to work. You know how it is on Monday, nobody wants to get up and go after the weekend. Especially the kids. They always have a hard time getting up for some reason on Monday morning and getting into the groove. Plus this year they are going to a new school and are trying to make new friends. Also, they are riding a school bus for the first time. This is something that they have begged every year to do. But, now they are finding that it is not so much fun having to ride the bus in the morning for over an hour and then riding it again in the afternoon for over an hour. We are only 20 minutes from their school so I have no idea why it takes so long to get them home from school. But who am I to question the dreaded bus driver. Plus my granddaughter doesn't do "hot" well and well lets just say that in Florida on a school bus that has no air conditioning. Well, need I say more? Just suffice to say she is sweating when she gets off the bus and she doesn't like to sweat.

Seek and it Shall be Found

I have a friend who has a Jewelry Business, she is selling her jewelry online via her website. However, when people search for Jewelry her site is so far down on the list that they never seem to get to her before they find something else that is of interest to them.

She has been trying to discover a way to increase the traffic to her web site. She has decided that the way to go is with Search Engine Marketing and Promotion Services. With this type of service for a low monthly fee whenever potential customers search for jewelry on various search engines she will have much better odds of them finding her web site and ordering from her.

Terrible Two's just keep going

We have a three year old living in this house that has never left the terrible two's. He never ceases to amaze me with all of the trouble he can get into. His mother never makes him mind when she is in the house. All she does is yell at him and never accomplishes any sort of discipline with him. She yells at him and he yells at her and we all go to our various rooms and shut the doors and either turn TV on very loud or start listening to our MP3 players. Well today during his nap time which was in my daughter's room because his baby sister was sleeping in their room. He managed to somehow get into the Turkish Delight Candy that my daughter brought back from Holland with her. Now mind you this small bag of candy was over $10.00 U.S. Well we must not have liked the first, second or third piece because they were all stuck in various places on the bag and the bag was not sealed. Then we discovered he had gotten a sharpie marker and marked on the outside of a DVD case. So to say the least he is banned from our rooms. He can sleep in his Mother's room and if he destroys everything she owns then so be it. We have tried to talk to his mother and to help her with him but when we get onto him when she is in the house for something it only makes her mad and she starts in on my daughters children. So we just let him go when she is home. Makes for fun evenings when she is in the house.

7 + 5 = N

We have 3 third graders in our house and we are going to have to find Math Tutors for all of them. I do not know what happened to two plus two equaling four. But, somehow it no longer does in the school math system. The children all spend a couple of hours doing their math and even though it is something that they have worked on during the school day they seem to have problems. The school has sent papers home and all three of the children qualify for the Score Tutoring program. I think this is something we will definitely be looking into.

New Baby

We have noticed for the last few days that we had a Mourning Dove (Some of you might call it a Turtle Dove) in our bushes in front of the house. We kept thinking that it could not fly because it just seemed to hop around on the sidewalk. But if we would leave the front porch it would fly to the next door neighbor's roof and sit there. Well this morning we found out that she has a young one there in the bushes. I have not seen any kind of nest but we did see the baby on the ground and the mother preening the little one. It is fairly good size so now we are trying to figure out if the little one has a problem and can't fly. I guess we will just have to keep watch and hope that a cat in the neighborhood doesn't find it before it flies away.

Charge It

I worked for a company which sold automotive chemicals and lubricants to Auto Parts Stores around the country. They had a web site and decided that another way to market their products was to sell them via the Internet . They were aware that this was a whole other way to market their products. The first step was to have the web designer add product photos and product descriptions to the web site. They, the web site, then had to be set up with a shopping cart. After having everything up and working on the web site we were ready to receive orders.

We soon discovered that we had forgotten one very important issue. We were not ready to accept payment unless we were willing to bill customers and wait for them to hopefully mail us a check. So the next project was to find a Credit Card Merchant who would process various types of credit cards. This process turned out not to be the chore that I though it would be. We were even able to accept offshore international orders from around the world. This proved to be a very large market for the company.

Question and Answer Session

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Nothing I don't own a car right now

2. When was the last time you threw up? A few months ago in Haiti

3. What's your favorite curse word? I hate to say it but it is S _ _ t

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? Kiayla, Jill & Keoynna

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Trying to sleep

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Playing a game on my computer

7. If you could marry any celebrity today who would it be? None I think they are all crazy

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? No

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? S _ _ t I just lost this page on my computer

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Chocolate Peanut Butter

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Diet Pepsi

12. What are you wearing right now? Shorts and Tank Top

13. What was the last thing you ate? Beef Noodle Soup

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No I let my daughter pay for them I am broke

15. When was the last time you ran? I can't remember that far back

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? Maybe football

18. Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace? I don't use My Space

19. Ever go camping? Yes

20. Were you ever an honor roll student in school? Doubt it

21. Do you like sushi? No I like my fish fried

22. Do you have a tan? A little bit

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Yes

25. What did your last text say? I have no idea I can't remember

26. Are you someone's best friend? Yes

28. Where is your mom right now? She is dead

30. What color is your watch? gold

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Kangaroo's

32. Ever ridden on a roller coaster? Yes

33. What is your birthstone? Emerald

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through? Both just depends

35. What is your favorite number? 7

36. Do you have a dog? No

37. What does your first memory of your sister involve? Probably something painful they are older than me

38. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? The 3 year old in the house

39. Last phone call? To my daughter

40. Are you allergic to anything? Yes Penicillin

41. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Flip Flops

42. What is one thing you've learned about life recently? It sucks from time to time

43. Are you jealous of anyone? No not really

44. Is anyone jealous of you? Why would they be

45. Do You Own an iPod? No but I do have an Mp3 player that I love

46. Do any of your friends have children? yes

47. Do you hate anyone right now? No not hate just greatly dislike

48. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? I guess so I don't pay attention

49. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? Is this any of your business? OK 60

50. Have you ever been to six flags? Yes about 100 years ago.

51. How did you get one of your scars?I have a chicken pox scar somewhere but I think it got lost in a wrinkle

Spruce It Up

I am not one to use one specific search engine. I like to switch things up because they all give me different results. There is a new search engine that is drive by its users. Users vote for their favorite websites. The more votes, the higher a website goes up in the search results. It's that simple. Basically, we decide who we want to see at the top of our list. So remember the name Sproose! And if you're interested then click here to try sproose and see for yourself!

Hooked

I have found a couple of games online that I have become hopelessly hooked on much to the dismay of my family. They reason they are dismayed is because they make some noise and it is not fun to play them unless you have the sound effects. One of the games is called Fitz and the other one is bubbles. On both games you have to match up like objects to complete the game. On the bubble game you match at least 3 of the same colored bubbles and they break but if you miss making matches for a few turns then you get bubbles added to you. If the bubbles reach all the way to the bottom well you guessed it you lose that game. The other game Fitz you have to match like objects and they change colors as you make matches and blue is the last color. After blue the section turns white and you have completed that spot. The goal is to turn the entire area white then you move on to the next level. My only complaint would be that I have made it as far as level 21 but cannot seem to complete level 21. Then during reboot issues with my computer it will send me all the way back to level 1 and I have to start all over. But that is not an issue with the game but with my computer.

And Pingo was its Name-O!

I never thought I would be one to make international calls but in fact, we've ended up making a good many of them over the course of time. We have missionary friends in Haiti and we've also called our daughter during her visits to Europe. The price of a call to Europe has reduced drastically over the years but nevertheless, cheap international call plans are still a must to keep things budgeted. It's easy for us to call the people we know in Haiti and talk for more than an hour. My daughter calls her best friend in the Netherlands and they can easily have a conversation of way more than an hour. How would you like that shocker on the telephone bill?

Pingo has the answer to that. International calling cards are the route to take when it comes to calling friends and loved ones overseas. It takes two minutes to sign up and when you do, you receive $5.00 in international calling time. Not a bad deal huh? Why Pingo? Because if you're going to make international calls, you're best bet is to have a plan that will save you that money. Trust me, the price of an international call can add up with a brief conversation. Don't get caught with a heap of charges.

Saturday Solitude

Today has been a fairly calm and peaceful Saturday. My daughter took 4 of the 5 kids down to the park for about two hours so that there could be some quiet in the house. It was nice to just have some solitude for a while without all of the shouting and screaming and fighting and bickering and general all around noise that 5 children are capable of producing. I love my grandchildren, but frankly, they would drive a dead man crazy enough to rise up out of his grave. Oy Vey!

Never to Early to Start

My daughter has already started thinking about college. She has 8 year old twins and a 9 year old. Normally I would think it was a little to early to be thinking about college but with the idea of putting 3 at the same time in college I am thinking otherwise. You have to start thinking about the fact that you may need to apply for student loans.

To try to help her out I have been doing some research online and have found a lot of good information for her. I am very encouraged that when the time comes she will be able to find the financial assistance that she will need. It is good to know that during their college years she may need to take a service which offers student loan consolidation and that is also available.

Life in Florida

Last evening on the weather they said we were going to have a cool front come through. Well, let me tell you something. In Florida you do not get excited in the Month of October about a "cool" front coming through. Today the high is supposed to be like 88 and it is probably even hotter than that right now at 4:15 PM. However, the weather in December through maybe February or March is much nicer. Now those are the months that I actually enjoy living in the State of Florida. But, during the summer I can actually say I hate it in Florida. Also, the hurricane season is not my favorite time of the year. We moved to Florida in 1980 and went until about 3 years ago before we ever had a hurricane where we live. That is because we live in the central part of the state so most hurricanes would be downsized to tropical storms before they ever reached us. But 3 years ago we got hit with 3 hurricanes that were still hurricanes when they came right over the top of our home in central Florida. Needless to say after the third one hit us I was a basket case. We went each time for days with no electricity which meant the gas stations could not pump gas there was no ice for a few days until the red cross and FEMA could get supplies to our area. There were a lot of people who actually lost their homes. We were very blessed in that we may have been inconvenienced somewhat with no electricity and things of that nature but we did still have a home to live in.

Setting up shop

I have done a lot of thinking lately about starting my own business. What I would like to do is bookkeeping from home. I am a full charge bookkeeper and have worked for a couple of CPA's doing the bookkeeping work for multiple clients. I have come to the conclusion that I could cut out the middle man and go directly to the clients and then to one up that I could work from the comfort of my own home. That way I could get up in the morning and make my large and I do mean large glass of Diet Pepsi and sit in my PJ's and just work away. Just think I would never have to get dressed. Well maybe once in a while if I needed food or something outside the home.

I know that it is not just as easy as saying well I am in business. There are procedures that you must do to become a corporation. For instance, laws are different in every state. A nevada corporation will differ from that of a Florida corporation. I have found a company that offers free forms for getting your tax id number or they will obtain it for you for $25. They also have a great FAQ section where pretty much any of your questions can be answered.

If I do indeed go the route of ever setting up a corporation and going into business, I will definitely seek out assistance in this. It's best to make sure that all of one's ducks are in perfect order!

Buffalo Wings

Tonight for supper I had boneless buffalo wings. This is something that I really love. But I recently found a wing sauce that is absolutely fantastic. You will never believe where I buy it. It comes from our local Dollar Store. I can't believe that it only cost $1.00 per bottle and they are pretty good size bottles. Not sure of the ounces cause it is in the refrigerator and I am upstairs in my room and I do not intend to walk downstairs to look at the bottle for you. But we take boneless chicken breast and just brown them a bit with some butter in the skillet. Then take them out and cut them into pieces and put them back in the pan and toss with some of the sauce and simmer until they are good and brown and done. Then sit back and eat until your hearts desire. Wow I think it is the next best thing to heaven.

All I want for Christmas

Christmas is coming in just a few months and I would love a new Digital Camera. Right now I have a Kodak Easy Share camera. One of the reasons that I like it, is because it is kind of small and I can have it in my purse so that I am always ready to take a picture when the opportunity arises and with 3 grandchildren you never know when this is going to happen. The reason I want to start looking for a new camera is I would like to have a more powerful zoom and more mega pixels. I would also like to start working on scrap books with the kids. It is an important way to document their growing up. We just need to come up with more scrapbook page ideas. Whatever it is we decide to do I am sure the kids will put forth their best photogenic effort. They truly are "Hams" for the camera.

Blue Personality

Your Personality Profile

You are dependable, popular, and observant. Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness. In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do. You are unique, creative, and expressive. You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while. And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

I guess this kind of describes me, I know I can get moody from time to time but I am not so sure about the waving of my freak flag part I don't think I even own a flag at all. The deep and thoughtful really makes me sound well deep and thoughtful I guess...

Win your Hosting

I've often thought about purchasing my own domain. I figure that I need to get totally into the swing of blogging first though. Once I have it mastered, then I might consider that domain. However, with a domain also comes hosting. That's something that I really need to consider and search around for. There are so many web hosting plans available out there so I need to take the time to search out the one that will best suit my needs. I know my daughter has a hosting plan so maybe I should talk to her about it.

If you're in the market and looking for a new web host, you can enter the Top Hosting Center Contest and receive a chance to win a free web hosting package. It's very easy to enter the contest. Simply follow the link I have above and then follow the directions at their site. You simply must blog about the contest on your personal blog. That's it. Your blog entry is your contest entry. How easy is that?

I'm going to keep researching the web hosting. All of this is new to me so it will take a while for me to absorb it all and learn what is what in the blogosphere. Wish me luck!

Fat Lip

Let me tell you that when you live in a house that has 5 children under the age of 10 life can get quite interesting to say the least. Yesterday my daughter had gone to the bus stop to retrieve the 3 oldest children from the 1 1/2 hour bus ride from the school that is only 20 minutes away. Don't ask me why it takes that long we have let to figure that one out. But anyway I was upstairs with the 15 month old leaving my husband to keep an eye on the 3 year old. When all of a sudden I hear my husband say the dreaded words. "I have blood everywhere down here". Not know what in the world he is talking about I grab the baby and head down stairs as quickly as possible. I arrive to find the 3 year old with his face and both hands covered in blood. Not to mention the large spot of blood on the carpet. Well I grabbed him up and got him to the kitchen sink and got the blood first off of his face then washed both hands off, I then discovered he had busted his bottom lip. I gave him a wet cloth to hold on his lip as it was still wanting to bleed. I then headed back to the living room to work on the carpet. After getting everything cleaned up I asked him how he managed to do this trying to find out exactly what had happened. He finally admitted that he "did a flip". Well I would say he tried to do a flip because if you could see his fat lip today you would agree he did not "do a flip". So never a dull moment that is for sure.

Time to Think

I think it is time for my Husband and I to start looking for life Insurance. I realize that no matter what type of insurance you are needing, it is always very expensive. It seems like every company I have gotten a quote from, would require an arm and a leg to pay the premiums. But there are companies that don't want every cent you have to your name and possibly even your first born child. They actually want to give you good insurance at a good price. Shopping for life insurance is something that none of us really want to do. This is where Advantage Term Life
can help make life and even death easier for us.

You can actually go onto their web page and get an Insurance Quote without having to leave the comforts of home. At least at this time in our life we don't need to look into the Family Insurance Plans because it is just the two of us now. I think everybody should have some type of Life Insurance. You certainly don't expect to need it but when the need arises you or your family are glad it is there.

Teriffic Thursday

Today is Thursday. What does that mean you ask? Well let me tell you. Today is the last day of the week that we have homework to help three third graders with. They do not have homework on Friday nights. Last night was an absolute nightmare and not on Elm Street with the homework issues. You would think that 3 children all in the third grade at the same school would have somewhat the same homework. Right? Wrong! I know the teachers have explained that all classes will not work at the same speed and I can understand that but why can't they at least all have one thing that they are doing at the same time. Then this week the paper that my Granddaughter brought home with her spelling words on had them written in cursive. She has not been taught as of yet how to write in cursive so therefore she can't read cursive either. So she did not know what her spelling words were. Sometimes I really question the education system in the state of Florida.

Where I Want To Be

Something that my husband and I really enjoy doing is getting away for long weekends to the beach. We haven't been able to do this in some time but maybe soon. We also love spending time up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in Amish Country. Hotel Reservations are easy to come by in Lancaster County. However, if it's Autumn or Spring, you'll definitely want to plan ahead. Lancaster County seems to be the place to be for anyone along the Eastern Seaboard during those times of year. I absolutely LOVE spending time in Lancaster County. We used to live there so we had become friends with quite a few of the Amish families out in the country and used to see them every single weekend. We would head out every Saturday and buy all of our fresh vegetables, fresh milk, butter and eggs and then we would stop off at Mrs. Glick's roadside stand and have the most glorious lunch of Chicken BBQ. If you've never eaten Chicken BBQ along side the road in Amish Country, well then you certainly don't know what you're missing!

With hotelreservations.com, we're also able to search for vacation rentals in the Lancaster area. We don't mind staying in a hotel or motel but I have to admit, I would enjoy my time a lot more having all of the comforts of home. It also saves money in the long run because we can cook all of our meals and not have to spend a small fortune eating out in restaurants every single night. Hotelreservations.com offers very competitive rates and I find their site very easy to maneuver around. I think the next time we do a beach weekend, we'll try to find a vacation rental as well. You can be quite specific in your search so I'd like to find a one story home somewhere at the beach so that we don't have a lot of stairs for my husband to contend with.

If you're planning a get-away, make sure you check out Hotelreservations.com. With their ease of use and competitive rates, you simply can not go wrong. Now, if I can just figure out a way to pay for all of this, it would be wonderful!

My Favorite Cake

I am going to give you the recipe for my all time favorite cake. My husband and I were traveling and we spent a couple of days with the parents of a friend and her mother made this cake and I actually though I had died and gone to heaven. I begged her for the recipe and she gave it to me. Not only is it a delicious cake but it is so easy to make you actually mix it up in the 9" x 13" pan you are going to back it in. So try it and I guarantee you will love it too. Oh, I have also encluded the special icing she used. It is like putting fudge on top of the cake.

WACKEY CAKE

1 1/2 C FLOUR
1 C WATER
3 TBS COCOA
1 TBS VANILLA
1 TSP BAKING SODA
1 TBS OIL
1 C SUGAR
1/2 TSP SALT
1 TBS VINEGAR

"DIRECTIONS"

COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS INTO THE 9"x 13" PAN YOU ARE GOING TO BAKE IN AND
MIX WITH A FORK UNTIL SMOOTH. BAKE AT 350. DO NOT OVER BAKE AS THIS CAKE IS TO BE VERY MOIST.

"BOILED FUDGE ICING"

1 C SUGAR
1/4 C MILK
1/2 STICK BUTTER
4 TBS COCOA

COMBINE THESE INGREDIENTS, BRING TO A BOIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT
AND LET BOIL FOR 1 MINUTE. BEAT ICING UNTIL THICKENED & POUR OVER THE CAKE WHILE BOTH ARE STILL HOT; ICE AND SERVE FROM THE PAN

Get Your Bids In

I just discovered a web site called bid4prizes. Believe it or not you can actually get Free Gifts on this site and when I say free I do mean free they even pay the shipping and handling for you. Bid4prizes.com is a very user friendly site. Basically, you're bidding on these prizes and the lowest bid wins. It's a text based reverse auction game. So like I said...reverse meaning that the lowest bidder wins the prize.


They have a sweepstakes and you can win a new car or even believe it or not a big Cash Prize of possibly a Million Dollars. If you don't win the million dollar prize then there is always the chance that you could win the Apple iPhone or an HDTV or maybe a designer handbag. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, I'd be happy with the designer handbags. Of course, I wouldn't deny myself the pleasure of an iPhone should I win one.

What kind of Breakfast Are You?

You Are Danishes

Indulgent and a bit greedy, you eat whatever you feel like eating... nutrition be damned. You have a total sweet tooth, and you pretty much give into it whenever you feel like it. While it treating yourself is nice occasionally, try eating a vegetable every once and a while. Lay off the donuts and muffins, unless you want to be sporting a "muffin top" of your own!

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

What? Do they actually think I would eat a vegetable for breakfast? I don't eat vegetables period so why should I eat them for breakfast. Seriously, I don't eat vegetables at all, the closest thing to a veggie for me would be to eat potatoes. I can remember as a kid my dad making me sit at the supper table with my plate in front of me with veggies on it and he would finally give up and come in and throw them in the trash and tell me to just go to bed. Which was absolutely fine with me cause I wasn't gonna eat them anyway.

Tis The Season

I honestly can't believe that Christmas is less than three months away. There are 9 other people in this household besides myself and the thought of having to come up with gifts for everyone is a bit more than daunting. I really do enjoy doing my purchasing online. I don't have to mess with the lines at the stores nor do I have to put up with the attitudes of crabby clerks and risk losing my religion over their nastiness. Besides, I like the fact of things coming right to my doorstep and I even have the option of getting things gift wrapped should I go that route. However, with 9 people to purchase gifts for, I have to be certain that we maintain a budget and save money where ever we can. This is where Coupon Chief comes into the picture. I am able to go and find coupons for just about every store that I enjoy shopping with. For instance, I can save money with Target coupons and get my oldest daughter that final season of Sex and the City that she's wanting. I can also check out the Old Navy deals
and get my youngest daughter as well as my grandchildren some of their favorite style of clothes. The options are endless. Of course I can't forget myself. I can always save a few bucks when I shop at Blue Fly and get myself that perfect purse. Santa would want it that way you know! So believe me, coupons will definitely play a huge part in Christmas shopping this year. Tis the season to be jolly but even the jolly need to be frugal!

Sleepy Baby

Well I am sitting here in my bedroom trying to occupy an 15 month old little girl while dinner gets prepared. She is sleepy because she didn't get a nap today so to say the least she is not in a very agreeable mood right now. She is sleepy and hungry for a little one her age that is a dangerous combination for anyone within earshot of her and trust me that is a long distance. She has reached the age where she now can throw a temper fit and cry and cry and never shed a tear. Right now she is trying to climb on my lap because she wants to type on my laptop. I made the big mistake once of letting her type when I was on Yahoo chatting with my daughter so now she thinks if she cries and looks pathetic enough she will get what she wants. But I think she may have met her match because I do not give in very easy, But when the struggle for the laptop is over we will see who wins. If I were you I would place your bets on me.

The Big Day Approaches

Wow, I can not believe that the end of this month is going to be my anniversary. I do not think I will tell you how long I have been married because you will figure out how old I am but lets just say it has been a long, long time. But now is the time I need to start looking for gifts for him for the big day. I have decided that it is much easier to shop online and have things delivered to my home than to fight the people in the stores. Well, we have named my husband the garage Nazi because he has everything arranged in the garage and woe be it to the person that uses something and does not put it back into it's proper place. So I found this great site where I can order him all types and sizes of Metal Storage Cabinets for the garage. This way there will be a place for everything and everything in its place.

Major Accomplishment

Today my husband and I both went with our two daughters to run errands and get a bite for lunch. You are probably asking yourself why that would be a major accomplishment. Right? Well my daughter has a small compact size car and my husband is not a compact size man. So for all four of us to squeeze into her little car is quite a feat. But the biggest feat is for us to all get out of the car without hurting ourselves or anybody else in the general area of where we happen to park. But we all wound up having a very good day and we did a lot of laughing with and at each other getting in and out of the car. Actually it is days like this that I would not trade for the world. I haven't done a lot of laughing lately so it was good to laugh together today.

I'm A Postie!

Well, I have finally accomplished one of the major tasks I've set out to do this summer. My blog was accepted by Pay Per Post. I am such a happy camper. I'll be honest...the thought of finally being able to bring some income into the household is a weight off of my shoulders. I'm not expecting to be a millionaire by any means, but this will certainly help out a great deal. I truly believe that word of mouth ethics is what brought me to Pay Per Post. My daughter is a PPP Postie and she has had nothing but good things to say about her experiences with them. She's also done very good financially with Pay Per Post and she's been able to really supplement things with the money she earns.

My husband and I are in dire need of a new vehicle. We sold our truck before we moved to Haiti so of course when we came back...no vehicle. So the money I earn from PPP will be put towards getting ourselves a new truck. It'll take a while to get there but I have the faith. I can accomplish anything at this point. This has put me in such a better frame of mind because I now see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks so much Pay Per Post!

Major Accomplishment

Today my husband and I both went with our two daughters to run errands and get a bite for lunch. You are probably asking yourself why that would be a major accomplishment. Right? Well my daughter has a small compact size car and my husband is not a compact size man. So for all four of us to squeeze into her little car is quite a feat. But the biggest feat is for us to all get out of the car without hurting ourselves or anybody else in the general area of where we happen to park. But we all wound up having a very good day and we did a lot of laughing with and at each other getting in and out of the car. Actually it is days like this that I would not trade for the world. I haven't done a lot of laughing lately so it was good to laugh together today.

Trying New Things

I have decided to try something new that I have never done before. No it is not sky diving or skin diving or anything that requires me to leave my computer. I have decided to start posting on my blog for Blogsvertise. As I said it is something I have never tried before and I don't have to jump from a plane at 35,000 feet in the air. Although I do have to admit that still sounds somewhat fun to me but I will probably never get the nerve to do that. I figure by blogging the worst that could happen to me is maybe I might break a fingernail on my keyboard.

TGIF

Well today is finally Friday, in our home Friday has a good feeling about it. What it means to us is that for the 3 third graders coming home from school shortly there will be no homework for the next three days. That is right, we have 3 third graders in the house and on Monday - Thursday we have homework times three. You would think that with three of them in the same grade that they would all have the same homework. Right?? WRONG!! They all have different homework and in different amounts. It really makes you wonder what we actually pay school teachers for. Don't get me wrong I know children need to learn but after being in school for 7 hours a day why do 8 and 9 year olds have to come home with 2 more hours of homework? Actually I thought when I graduated from school I was through with homework and now I find myself all the way back in the third grade. Speaking of third grade what in the heck have they done to Math? I have never in my entire life seen some of the stuff they expect a child to do just in order to learn to add and subtract. What ever happened to the good old policy of borrowing and carrying when you want to add and subtract? No! They have to do crazy things with groups and stuff you have never heard of and never want to hear of. Well guess I have ranted long engough about homework. But my original issue was TGIF no homework tonight.

Shopping Around

My husband and I are trying to get ourselves another vehicle. One of the daunting tasks in acquiring a new vehicle is obtaining Automobile Insurance Policies. There seem to be so many. I never know which way to turn. Thankfully, we no longer have a need for policies such as a Teen Driver Auto Policy. In all actuality, we never had a need for that because our daughters never drove our vehicle and didn't get their driver's licenses until they were over the age of 18. That worked out quite well for our finances in the long run.

I've been searching for Insurance Quotes Online. Seems to me there are a lot of good deals out there to be had. In the past, we just always went to our local insurance agency and took whatever policy the agent gave us. There is no longer a need to do business that way. These days, we can basically act as our own agent and pick and choose the coverages we want without pressure from an agent working on commissions. Well, I do suppose we should find the vehicle before I pick out the coverage plans. We're still deciding on whether or not we're going to look for another pickup truck or not. My husband seems stuck on the fact that its got to be trucks all the way. Me... I wouldn't mind a little sporty car that I can drive around but try fitting my husband into one of those. Not going to happen!

Sleepless Night

Well it is not a little after 7:30 AM and I have been awake since about 4:00 AM I don't know why I do this from time to time but I do. I laid in bed until I couldn't take it any longer then I got up and rode with my daughter to take the kids to the bus stop this morning and then back home. I came back to my bedroom but didn't even bother to try to go to sleep. I have checked my e-mail and some of my favorite web sites and now thought I would blog about... well... actually nothing. As I believe I have said before I have twin grandsons, Z & N well N has worn glasses for a couple of years now and Z just got glasses this week. They are mirror image twins so yeah they pretty much look just alike. Except for the glasses that was until this week. So now you really have to take a double take sometimes to be sure which one you are talking to if you are catching them on the fly which is usually the way it is with 8 year old boys.

Hold the veggies please!

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

I do love Mexican food but I'm very particular about it. I will only eat Enchiladas, Tacos and Burritos and I only want meat and cheese in them. No sour cream. No tomatoes. No guacamole. NO ONIONS. Nothing! Meat and Cheese. Surprisingly enough, its very difficult to get someone to make your order properly when you order something plain. They all want to throw onions and olives on it. GROSS. Hmm, now that I think about it, I could sure go a Taco Bell Burrito with just some meat and cheese!

This and That

I have spent the entire day today out on the front porch. It's been wonderful. It got a bit warm at times but it sure beat sitting in on the futon all day long. I've been able to sit out here with my laptop and surf for freebies on the net and just enjoy the wonderful breeze that has been blowing all day long. I'm working on getting my blog in order for doing paid posts. I am hoping to start generating some sort of income. It's all a bit daunting in trying to get everything set up but I'll eventually get there! Wish me luck!