Human Slinky

I saw this the other day on Yahoo and thought it was really kind of neat. I think this guy got booted off of some show called America's Got Talent. He actually has a lot more talent than I have not to mention able to bend a lot more than me.

All is Calm

All is calm in the house right now. My grandchildren are at their other grandparents house for the night last night and will be home this afternoon. The three year old is at his aunt's and uncle's house until January 1st. When I found that out last night I was so excited that I thought I would pee my pants. I mean I can't tell you what it is like in the house without that child. To be honest I can't figure out why anybody in their right mind would volunteer to keep that child for 3 days. I mean he has his good moments but to tel you the truth they are very far and few between. I actually think their would be some hope for him if his Mother would work with the rest of us in making him mind. But she doesn't she seems to enjoy being the martyr having such a bad child but she does. On the other hand I do miss my grandchildren. They are good kids they are just loud and do a lot of talking and fighting amongst themselves. But, isn't that what brothers and sisters do talk and fight.

Going Going Gone

I have officially gone crazy. It has been a very short trip but I finally reached my destination. We have had another stray cat appear at our door. This one is orange colored and not to be offensive but heck the cat is just plain fat. I mean there is no other word for it. I have tried to think of other words but fluffy, big, healthy, large.... Nope none describe the cat other than just plain fat. She is declawed on the front and is very scared of the kids. But heck some days I am scared of the kids too. I mean there are some days that the kids out number the adults in the house when Joy and the "Mother" are at work. I wish I could post a picture but that would mean having to have Jill do that for me and I don't think I will bother her this morning.

Cards for kids

Every year at Christmas I have always seen one commercial that always seems to make a tear come to my eye. This year I just realized that I didn't see it. It is the commercial where the little boy goes up to the Marine and slips his letter to Santa into the Marines hand and the Marine never moves his eyes. This year they had trouble getting all of the toys that they needed for needy children so here is how you can help you can send free E-cards. Here's where to get the month2month free eCards. All you have to do is sign up and send e-cards and a cash contribution is made to Toys for Tots. So let's all do it and send some cards to our friends. Heck we could even send them to our enemies and maybe they would turn into friends.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Bill Grein
Marine Toys for Tots
V: 703-640-9433
F: 703-640-0917
wjgrein@toysfortots.org
http://www.toysfortots.org

Steven Marcus
Month2Month.com
V: 914-933-2638
F: 501-325-9147
smarcus@month2month.com
http://www.month2month.com


Marines Toys for Tots Needs Last Minute Help
Quantico, VA. December 21, 2007 / PR Newswire – The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is making a nationwide last minute appeal for more toys. Since time is critical as they go into their toy distribution phase this weekend the Foundation is encouraging people to make cash contributions because it allows them to purchase the toys they need to fill in gaps and match the remaining needs.
One novel way to get cash immediately into the hands of the Marines is to send lots of holiday eCards to everyone you know. Month2Month.com, a free eCard website has agreed to contribute up to $50,000 when their cards are sent and received.
Bill Grein, Vice President for Marines Toys for Tots, said: "Cash contributions are critical for us at this time because we can purchase the toys we need and can place them where they are needed most at the last minute. It will help us close a gap in many areas where the economy, toy recalls and even bad weather have caused us to come short of our goals so far. We urge everyone to take advantage of this wonderful offer from Month2Month."
John Aslanian, CEO of Month2Month.com said: "We are expecting to have 1 million cards sent in the next few days that could result in a contribution of up to $50,000. We know that for some the economy might be putting a crimp in their generosity. But what this can do is to save them the cost of buying cards and the postage. We are asking everyone to send these cards, even if they already sent other cards, to help make this a merry Christmas and happy holiday for many more needy children."

Month2Month.com cards are all produced by top-notch artists working in a loft studio just outside of New York City. The cards show great care in design and detail and often take weeks or months to complete. They are all professionally animated often requiring hundreds of frames to get the motion to look smooth and flowing. Month2Month.com is a privately held online greeting company founded in 2005. The site offers free high quality online greeting cards and can be found at http://www.month2month.com.
This year marks the 60th anniversary for the Toys for Tots tradition of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. In 2006, Toys for Tots delivered more than 19.2 million toys to over 7.6 million children.

Blues

I guess I have the after Christmas blues right now. Because to tell you the truth I just wish right now that the earth would stop and just let me off. I would get back on later. Well, if I felt like getting back on. Right now at this moment I am not sure I really want back on. There is always something it seems going on and I am just really tired. Tired of putting up with the 3 year old in the house and his mother and well... Just tired. Hopefully tomorrow will be better has to be cause I am not sure it can be worse.

Whee and Whopee

Hey have I got a deal for you. If you are in to the Nintendo Wii and you have a ton of friends you need to enter the Myndnet Wii Contest and just maybe you will win yourself a free Wii. Could things get any better? My grandchildren are about to die they want a Wii. But I think they need to wait a little while they are only 8 and 9 and I am not sure they have the coordination for the Wii. They have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time. But now I just might think about trying to get a 1,000 members to sign up and if they do then well who knows I just might get into Wiil.

Kids Kids Kids

The Grandchildren have been watching their DVD's they got for Christmas. If they are not watching movies they have been playing their DS game systems that they got for Christmas also. I just had to go in and rescue my grandson "Z" he was having one of his temper fits of sorts. He just lays and seems to make what we call a dead cow noise. I am here to tell you that it drives us all crazy. I don't know why he does it but it just about drives me right up a wall. Now he is not happy because his brother is playing the DS game that he wants to play and his sister is playing the other game and the only new game left is Hannah Montana and that game "is for girls".

Then there is the 16 month old that lives in the house. I am telling you that her mother is a card carrying idiot. Just look up the words idiot, crazy, stupid in the dictionary and I guarantee you her picture will be there every time. She got home from work last night about 11:30 - 12:00 and then she goes into her room where her kids are also sleeping and turns the light on and turns the TV on and then will leave the TV on until probably 3 or 4 AM in the morning while she sleeps and the baby will lay there in her crib and watch the TV most of the night. Then she is so sleepy and crabby all day long. We have tried to tell her mother that this is what happens but she only gets a crappy attitude and won't listen to us.

Pass the test

I met a lady the other day at the school bus stop while I was waiting for my grandkids. Her husband was transfered from another state and they just recently relocated to Florida. She has been taking classes to be a Real Estate Agent. She was about finished with her classes but was getting concerned about taking her Real Estate Exam having moved from one state to another. I mentioned to her that I knew people who had taken courses which would help her with the test. These courses not only show you how to study for the test but they actually guarantee that you pass the test on your first try. Real Estate tests are not only based on the National laws they are based on your state laws so Compucram will customize the test for the state you are trying to get your license in. Right now they have a special price on the program for the state of Florida of only $49.00. So I am telling her what have you got to lose? If you take the test and don't pass it on your first try they will give you your money back. I mean it is a win win situation.

It is over

Well, Christmas is over and as much as I really love Christmas I am glad it is over this year. Yesterday was a nightmare with the 3 year old and his mother. I learned a new Dutch word "Trut" that is my new name for the mother. You will only know what I mean if you understand Dutch. But since you are so nice I will give you a hint. It is spelled kind of like this b_ _ _ h. If you fill in the blanks you will have it. We started passing out gifts and gave his little sister the first gift and the first thing out of his mouth was "What about me" he says this every time somebody get something and he wants it too. It just about drives me crazy and trust me I don't need anybody to drive me there cause it is so close by I can just walk there. Now we have to get things put away. The kids were really happy with their Christmas I think. They have to make room for the new stuff so we can get it all out of the living room. But then hopefully life will get back to a more normal basis. But to be honest I am not sure what normal is anymore.

Let the Search Begin

OK, for all of you people out there that are looking for the better search engine the time has come. You need to check this out. Their moto is "If you can't find it by using this site it doesn't exist" I can believe it I have done several searches and have found results on everything I have searched for this morning. The way it works is that it actually searches the entire world wide web for your results. It also weeds out spam so that we are not bombarded with that issue. The plan is to launch this site on Monday New Years Eve. So Happy New Year and start the new year off with a new way to search the web.

Christmas Eve

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Well, today is Christmas Eve and we have almost everything wrapped and ready to put under the tree when all of the children finally fall asleep. We have decided not to put anything under the tree before hand because of the 17 month old and the 3 year old. The baby would open things just because she is curious and just that a baby. But the 3 year old on the other hand would open everything because... well, he could. He has gotten presents already from his mother's family and has actually already broken several of his toys. We tried to get him things he would not break but he really seems to have the breaking thing down to a fine art.

I seem to be a bit down this Christmas. We haven't had much money just what I have been able to earn from my blog and that hasn't been much. But I have been able to buy everyone in the house Christmas presents. Not the things that I would love to have purchased them but at least no one had to give me money to make my purchases and for that I am thankful. Randy and I will not be exchanging gifts this year as there just wasn't enough money to go around but that is ok. We have each other and we are in good health.

Jill is downstairs working in the kitchen. This afternoon we have to make reindeer dust for the kids to sprinkle on the lawn this evening so that Santa can find the house and the reindeer have something to eat. We mix some glitter with oatmeal and they really love doing it. Then they leave out coke and cookies for santa and some celery and carrots for the reindeer to have a snack on. Then it will be off to bed for them so that everything can be placed under the tree for tomorrow morning.

I remind myself daily that it is not about gifts, food or Santa at Christmas but that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Peace and Quiet

Tonight almost everyone is out of the house. Only Randy, Me and the 17 month old and she is in bed fast asleep. So it is a very quiet evening. I have to say even sitting here watching TV I sometimes just mute it to have a bit more silence. You never know how much you appreciate a quiet evening at home until you don't have one. I am waiting for one of my programs to come on in a few minutes and I think after I watch it I just might turn in for the night. That way when everyone comes home I will be asleep and will continue the silence until morning light. Oh well, something to think about.

Go king size

OK here it goes I think when we finally get our own place I am going to try to find us one of those adjustable beds. You know where I can sit up without trying to jam a thousand pillows behind my back and none of them feeling very comfortable. So I have started looking for them and have realized oh oh I would also need adjustable bed sheets. I mean who knew they even created such things? I really think I would love to have another king-sized bed. So, I am finding that I would need to use XL twin fitted sheets for the mattress and also a king-sized flat sheet. OK, guess that makes sense to me. I really think this just might be the answer that I am looking for in our new bed.

New likes

I recently have started purchasing sterling silver jewelry. I used to be a gold snob and would wear nothing less. But lately I have really gotten to think that silver jewelry actually has the look of white gold and a fraction of the cost. So I am not a snob anymore. (well at lease where gold jewelry is concerned) I am getting ready to purchase a ring and just thought I would put a picture of it on my blog so everyone can see it. I think one is kind of simple yet I really like it. If you don't like it please don't bust my bubble and tell me that way I will think everyone out there likes it just as much as I do. It is blue Mother of Pearl along with the sterling silver.

Making life easier

I just found a service that my last employer could have really used. But he is kind of old school and you know what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks. But, I can't tell you how many times I have seen him in his office talking on the office phone and then he puts it on hold to answer his cell phone all so he wouldn't loose a sale. But if he would only make use of Ifbyphone - free phone calls from your web site. he could do everything via the their web site. He would also be able to track calls to see where they came from, time length and even more information would be available to him via the internet. This way with the call tracking you actually have an accountability for leads giving you a better return on marketing investments. How much more could you want.

Ifbyphone Releases revolutionary Phone-Me-Now: the world’s first Zero Configuration Click to Call
With 100 free minutes per month Phone-Me-Now

Promises to be biggest Killer App of 2008

Chicago, IL: December, 2007 - Ifbyphone, a voice infrastructure and applications development company providing enterprise class services to Small and Medium sized Businesses (SMB’s), has just released a solution destined to revolutionize the web to voice space: Phone-Me-Now, a zero configuration click to call application. To introduce Phone-Me-Now to hundreds of thousands of businesses that will be able to use it as a sales tool, Ifbyphone is making it available free of charge for 6 months and providing the first 100 minutes per month of usage for free as well.

This patent pending solution can be integrated in less then 60 seconds into any website, email or hyperlinked document and requires no experience to configure. It’s literally the Internet’s first instant voice mash up tool.
"While many companies provide click to call services we were troubled by how complex they are to use. Users had to cut and paste HTML or javascript, rendering these services outside of the technical reach of thousands of businesses. Once we designed this patent pending solution we configured our existing smart click to call services to work with the Phone-Me-Now interface." says Irv Shapiro, Founder and CEO of Ifbyphone. The zero configuration Phone-Me-Now service is literally the Holy Grail of web to telephone integration and ease of use.

Using Phone-Me-Now is as simple as typing:

www.phone-me-now/your-business-number

into any web site, Word Document, Powerpoint Presentation, Spreadsheet, PDF or email. When a reader clicks on the link they are prompted for their telephone number and the Ifbyphone systems call your business, calls the reader and conferences the call. Phone-Me-Now works with any telephone number you register on your Ifbyphone account.

"We wanted to eliminate any barriers to basic click to call, and know that Phone-Me-Now will immediately set an industry standard for rapid deployment. If the Internet is all about speed and response, what could be a more appropriate Killer App for 2008 than Phone-Me-Now, which puts a business owner in instant voice communication with their customers," adds Shapiro.

Free Phone-Me-Now accounts can be updated to additional Ifbyphone packages that include:

- Click to Call with Custom Dialog Forms
- Integrated Call Routing and Reporting
- Find Me
- Virtual Voice Mail
- Virtual Receptionist
- Outbound Voice Broadcast
- Web Configured Voice Dialogs (Hosted IVR)
- Call Recording
- Backend Database Integration
- A Complete Call Management API

All Ifbyphone solutions work with any telephone system and are fully portable if a company moves from one telephone transport vendor to another.

# # #


About Ifbyphone

Ifbyphone is a hosted voice application and platform company with a simplified approach to the deployment of stand-alone and web-integrated voice services for small and medium sized businesses (SMB). Combining advanced telephony and web services, Ifbyphone's web-integrated voice applications turn the small business telephone into a powerful tool, increasing lead generation, improving sales conversion and enhancing the customer experience. Ifbyphone makes it easier for customers to connect with you from online and off. All of Ifbyphone's applications are accessible via a click on a Web site, an inbound call to a toll free number, an outbound call or with the help of a programmable API. Our configuration and deployment tools look and feel just like Web applications, and require no previous knowledge of telephony programming or terminology.
Previously available only to large enterprises, Ifbyphone is delivering these converged voice and web solutions at affordable monthly fees, with no major upfront costs. The company's services are available online and through a network of SMB value-added resellers.

My handwriting

What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are a fairly energetic person. You know how do pace yourself, and you deal well with stress. You are very extroverted and outgoing. You are loving, friendly, and supportive. However, you are also manipulative and controlling at times. You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others. You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well. You are conservative, old fashioned, and a little stubborn. You are resistant to change. You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Well at this stage in life I am not sure that I deal with stress very well anymore. I used to always think that I could be a stock broker and work on the exchange floor with all the screaming and shouting. But now I think I would be the one on the floor crying in the fetal position.

Avoid the Cold

I just did a post about the Gingerbread house being completed and guess we will all have to give it a taste when the time is right. My only problem is that I seem to have sensitive teeth when it comes to sweets and anything very cold or very hot. I have to be very careful especially with very cold liquids. I learned this lesson the hard way in a restaurant once and since then have always been very careful when drinking. Now I have found a toothpaste called Biotene it can get down to the root of the sensitive teeth issue and it doesn't just cover up the symptoms so it is a much better alternative than those popular ones you see everyday in the store. This really sounds like a good sensitive toothpaste and I am really going to check into getting it to replace the one I currently use.

Gingerbread House

Well, they did it. They finished the Gingerbread house and no one had to leave home and join the witness protection program. The Aunt Sue Sue (Jill) and the three grandchildren accomplished it. I really think it turned out quite well. It is now in my room so the icing can all dry and that way when the 3 year old gets home he won't be running his grubby little fingers across the roof for the icing and trying to eat the candy off of it. It has been a pretty peaceful day his Mother is off work today and sometimes that is good news and sometimes that is bad news. Good news when she is gone almost all day long and bad when she is home almost all day long. She will be here for supper tonight which can mean problems. Both of her kids do not eat well when she is at the table. So better chill a bottle of wine so I can have a glass after dinner.

How well do you know Christmas

You Know a Lot About Christmas

You got 7/10 correct You know tons about the history and traditions surrounding Christmas. When you celebrate the holidays, you never forget their true meaning - or all the little fun details. Random Christmas fact: The average mall Santa is 5'9, 218 lbs, and 52 years old. The average waist size is 43 inches.

How Much Do You Know About Christmas?

Ok so I don't know everything like I thought I did. But the worse thing about not knowing everything is that I don't know what I don't know??? I mean I took the test and now I don't know what questions I missed. Oh well guess what I don't know doesn't hurt me. Right?? Right!!

Take me Away Please

I think I am going to start working on a romantic get-a-way for Randy and myself for our next Anniversary. Living here with my daughters has made really appreciate the fact of just being alone or alone with my Husband. There is very little alone time anymore and don't get me wrong I love my family and my grandchildren but sometimes you just want the place all to yourself. Do you know what I mean?

So, in trying to plan my little secret for our Anniversary I have started checking some details and some locations that I think would fit into many categories such as... Fun, Romantic or just plan Relaxing. In searching the internet I found the perfect web site for planning a romantic trip. They have locations all around the world to choose from. Plus one of the good things about this site is that you are renting directly from the owner of the property which saves you about 40% off of the rental prices. I found some fantastic places in St Lucia. After all, St. Lucia holiday villas mean romance! one of them has 6 bedrooms and can sleep 12. I think that might be a tad too big for just the two of us but who knows if we went for 6 nights we would not have to sleep in the same bedroom twice??? Just something to think about. No I think I will keep looking and see what else I can find.

Of course, everyone knows that Holiday villas in Bali are super romantic. They say it is perfect there for a romantic get-a-way. Well I know I will be able to find just the spot that will be that perfect place for us to go to have fun and relax and just have some quiet. That is a commodity that is very rare here in the house we just don't get much quiet with 5 children in the house.

Building a new house

Jill has started building a new house. She has gotten her crew to help her build this house. The only problem is that he crew is the 8 year old twins and the 9 year old sister of said twins. You might be trying to figure out what kind of house they are building. Well, then in that case I had better tell you. They are building a gingerbread house. So far the have the 4 walls and the roof together. This is better than the last gingerbread house my grandchildren attempted because on that one the roof slid off onto the table. Tomorrow they are going to attempt to finish this house. This may be where the problem will some to light. Because they have to try to cut gum drops and various other candies to decorate the house. I don't know who will go crazy first... Jill or my very technical grandson. With him everything has to be done just so and if not then he has to figure out why it wasn't done that way and was it actually done the best way. Well I guess you finally get the picture. Speaking of picture... IF it turns out well I will try to take a picture and post it on my blog in the next few days.

Home is where the heart is

My daughter is thinking about trying to purchase a home for herself and her children. I know that as a single mother there are sometimes more options available to her. She is tired of paying rent and putting her money into the pocket of someone else. She would eventually love to be that person that someone is paying rent to so she just might check into Investment Property Loans. That way she could work and pay the mortgage on her home and have another home that she rents out for the investment and extra income. I am telling you if I know her like I do I really think the day will come that she will accomplish this for herself.

By George I think we've got it

Well, I can't actually believe it but I think we finally have the cable problem solved. I mean it just about took an act of congress but we finally got a guy out here who was willing to actually do some work. He redid most if not all of the connections outside and inside of the house and actually got the cable box working in the one room were we had been told by previous cable guys that we should just attach a splitter and run a cable across the hall and cover it with tape. Which we did but now that situation is taken care of and we have actually had working cable for several days now. I was afraid to post about our good fortune before because I was afraid it would go back off like before. But so far so good.

Check me out please

This is actually the first year that I have ever done some of my Christmas shopping online. I have actually found it for the most part pretty easy. I have gone to some sites where they could have used better Shopping cart software because their sites were not that easy. I went to one site and had a terrible time finding where to click to find the shopping cart at all. I think they should have tried using the ecommerce software by shopping cart software. They actually have a 10 day free trial and believe me some of the places I checked out online should have taken them up on the offer. I am a firm believer that if you have a web site where you are selling a product then it needs to be very user friendly or you will not sell much product. I don't have a lot of problem finding my way around web sites but if a site is not well constructed then I just pass it up. So, when I am online trying to purchase something, I don't want to have to play hide and seek to find the item I am looking for and then try to find out how to check out. That is always one of my pet peeves. I hate going somewhere and purchase something then have to jump through hoops to pay for my purchase. When that happens to me I take out my mental notebook and just cross them off my shopping list. So when I shop online I want a quick and smooth process and the final thing I look for is the ease in going to the shopping cart and paying for my purchase.

My Collection

I can't believe it but I just got some more DVD's last night. I can remember just a few months ago I didn't own even 1 DVD. But I counted them last night and I now have 45 of them. The girls have bought me some of them and I have bought some of them for myself. I always had the idea that it was kind of dumb to buy DVD's. I mean I always waited for the movies to come on TV and I would just watch them there. Plus I had always thought of having to pay over $20.00 per DVD and I never thought that was a smart thing to do. But since I have realized that I can get them at Wall-Mart pretty reasonable and I can buy the previously rented DVD's at Blockbusters for like 4 for $20.00 it seems more practicable for me to start my collection. So now the girls have turned me into a DVD junkie. But right now I have to wait until after Christmas to purchase anymore. I have two more presents to purchase. I need to get something else for my Granddaughter and something for the 3 year olds mother. I was thinking of a chair and whip but that might turn into child abuse so I crossed that off my list. I thought about getting her some candles. But then she falls asleep with him still awake and he just might burn the house down and since my room is right above their room. I think not!! Now I am back to square one with her racking my brain as to what to get her. Guess I will think of something soon. I can't get anything right this minute anyway. Cause I am broke after shopping yesterday.

Cable Saga Continues

Well we had another cable, Internet, Phone free night last night. This is not a new thing we are doing in the house to revert back to the olden days before such inventions. This is because of our cable company (Brighthouse) failing to figure out and fix whatever problem there is with our service. So lately this has not been a very Brighthouse. This has been going on for about a week now. This is about the seventh tech they have sent out to the house. They keep telling us they have no ides why everything goes off for about 12 hours. So last night I was on the phone with the guy and he told me they needed to "dig" and that would be 12 days before they could get that scheduled. Well I absolutely went ballistic on the phone. So Joy took over for me. I mean come on now our cable is on for 12 hours and then off for 12 hours and they need 12 days to dig, plus when they schedule you a regular appointment the time slot they give you is 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. (that's right it is 12 hours). What is up with this whole number 12 thing with them. I think they are trying to drive me crazy and my response to them is thanks, but I don't need you to drive me crazy... It's in walking distance. But they finally agreed to send someone out first thing this morning. He was here at 9:00 AM and after changing everything out at the "Box" he now tells us that someone will be here later today to change all of the wiring to the various TV's and cable boxes in the house. Well it is now going on noon and we haven't seen anyone yet. So time will tell.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

You Are a Traditional Christmas Tree

For a good Christmas, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. You already have traditions, foods, and special things you bring out every year.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

I am really pretty traditional. I tend to want to do the things that were done in my family when I was a Child. But I know that over the years things do change. As the family gets bigger things tend to evolve and sort of morph into other traditions. I just need to learn to go with the flow a little bit more.

Just a little help would be nice

I am really having a hard time this year with Christmas Shopping. Christmas is the one time of the year where I really believe that MORE is much better. We usually wind up with close to 100 presents apiece for each of the 3 grandchildren. But this year that just isn't going to happen. They may wind up with 5 or 6 and then there is not going to actually be what I deem as a big present. Last year we got them all new bicycles and they were so excited. I have actually thought that maybe I should take out a Loan to just be able to do things up the way I think they should be done. I know that sometimes it can really be a major challenge to go through all of the processes of a Personal Loan. I actually thought about a Pay Day Loan that would be something that would be just enough to get me through Christmas. I don't mean I want to buy the Hope Diamond or anything. I just want to get presents for the kids. I think I just might check this out this year.

Redneck 12 Days of Christmas

OK, I did a classy 12 Days of Christmas so now here is the less than classy version. This is the redneck version. Since we live in Polk County Florida you have to add a little redneck to your blog. But don't expect to see anything else if I can help it. I am not a redneck and never have been and hope I will never be.

The 12 Days of Christmas...a better version

I found version of the 12 Days of Christmas today while surfing online and being originally from Indiana I just had to put this on my blog. This is not only great music it is so funny. You really have to watch this.

Latest on Larry the Cable Guy

Well after all of the issue with the cable yesterday, it went back out about 11:00 pm last night. So for the way things have been going we knew it would be out for 12 hours and sure enough it came back on about 11:00 AM this morning. Wouldn't you know it the cable guy got here about noon. So after being here for about 1/2 hour he tells us that there is anything that he can find wrong with it because they have to be here when it is actually not working?? So he says he will be on duty until 11:00 pm tonight and if it goes out before that we are to call customer service then and tell them they are to call him. Does he actually think they will do this. I am not sure if they actually will or not but what other choice do we have? NONE!

We need furniture

Randy and I are starting to make plans for moving out from our daughters. Don't get me wrong I love them to death. But I am afraid someone's death may come sooner than later if we all live together for eternity. We have no Furniture at all to our names. We gave everything away. So we need everything. I think that we need to look for a Bed first. Right now he is sleeping on a twin bed and I am sleeping on our futon. After we have the bedroom furniture taken care of we then need to look for Living Room Furniture . I can remember my Mother had a very beautiful Antique sofa in her formal living room. I might try to look for something like that to have and then get us a couple of very comfortable chairs to go along with it. I really have to decide exactly what I want before long so we can start planning.

It is Finished

Well the tree is up and the decorations are all finished and we had no major nervous breakdowns involving the adults. The kids actually did really well even the three year old was pretty well behaved. We even managed to get up some extra decorations that were packed away. The saving grace was that the 3 year olds mother was at work and not here. If she had been here I can guarantee you he would have been a monster.

Today they finally called us from the school bus transportation department to inform us that they were going to change the bus the kids have been riding to and from school. But, the issue was that they were going to start this on their ride home. I insisted they were not to put the kids on a new bus this afternoon but that it could be done in the morning. I could just have imagined them sending the kids home on a different bus without them knowing anything about it until the last minute. They would have been in a panic. I am telling you we have nothing but idiots that work for our school corporation.

Stressed Out

I am telling you if things don't change around here I am going to be so stressed out that I actually think the only hope for me would be to ask Santa for the Human Touch HT 7450 Zero Gravity Massage Chair. I am telling you this chair could replace everything in your life. It uses the sensation of hands very rapidly tapping on your back and at the same time you feel gentle rolling and alternating strokes which relieves your spinal pressure and as if someone were kneading on you to work out the knots and rid you of any soreness. I am telling you to have this would be as if you had died and gone to heaven. I have just moved this chair to the top of my Christmas list.

This would be the perfect thing in this house what with Christmas and the 5 kids plus the one Mother who shall remain nameless. Plus don't forget the three year old. He alone would cause all of the available adults to stand in line and pay each other off just for the privilege of spending time in the Zero Gravity Massage Chair.

Cable is the Pits

Well lately our cable service has been the pits. Last night was about the 4th time that our cable has gone off completely during the evening and has been off until morning. But this time the cable guy had been here and said he had solved the problem.... Yeah right!! About a half hour after he left guess what? You guessed it the cable went off again. So we figured no problem we will call them back and have him come back to the house and fix it right this time. But no.... they tried to tell us that they could send him out on Sunday. Well after much arguments and name calling they finally said they would call us back in 1 to 3 hours to set an appointment for today. So after waiting for the prescribed three hours and no phone call I called them back and only after being put on terminal hold for ever the guy came back to say they would be out today from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. I asked if we couldn't get something earlier since we had the same problem yesterday why couldn't we go to the head of the list and he said well we might have other people with the same issue and you have. Now mind you we had to be here yesterday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM waiting for the Cable Guy and he showed up at 6:00 PM right at supper time. In our house when the cable goes out that means no TV, No Phone, and No Internet. The TV we can get around because there are probably over 200 DVD's in this house that we could watch, and the Phone there is usually at least somebody home with a cell phone. But the internet is another issue. That means Jill and I can't take any posts to put on our blogs and no posts means well you know no money. So needless to say Jill and I were pretty upset. As a matter of fact I found Jill sitting outside in the middle of the driveway trying to pick up a wireless signal from anyone in the area so she could submit the post she had already taken and not lose the money. I just don't understand why the cable always goes out in the evening and comes back on by 8:30 at the latest in the morning?????

Fourth Generation and counting

My grandchildren are beginning to enjoy watching sports. So I think this spring I will do something for them that we did several times for our girls when they were younger. I think we are going to get Boston Red Sox Spring Training tickets and take them to at least one game if not more. This is something that I have remembered from my childhood and my girls can remember from their childhood. So I think it would be equally good for my grandchildren to have those same memories.

We have taken our daughters many times to see the Boston Red Sox during spring training in Winter Haven, Florida. We didn't always get the greatest seats right behind home plate but sometimes there is something to be said for not having the greatest seats. I actually think it is more fun to sit a little higher up so that you can see the whole ball field and are able to watch all of the plays. Plus you get the chance of catching a ball during the home runs.

And Now the Time has Come

Tonight is tree decorating time. I think I am going to hide in my room with a bottle of wine and avoid the festivities. Decorating the tree has really never been a favorite thing of mine because things never seem to go very well. We are always just one step away from killing each other by the time the tree is finished. As least we don't have a real tree that never seems to look as good in the stand as it did at the tree lot when we purchased it. I remember one year when we had a real tree and after getting it in the tree stand it would not stand up at all it was so crooked it kept falling over so we had to put a nail in the wall and tie a string from the tree to the nail to keep it up straight. I think that was our worst year of tree experiences.

Tender Loving Care

My Father-in-Law just recently passed away but for several years my husband was his daily care giver. We found him a great Assisted Living Center to live in but he had Alzheimer's so as the time went along with him it got harder and harder to care for him. We are thankful we found a good care home for him to live in even though he didn't seem to think he needed to be there and would get mad at us all the time telling us there was nothing wrong with him. I am told that went with his disease.

I wish we had been able to find somewhere where we could have gotten our needed answers to questions about the care of him. If this type information would have been available we would have been able to look at care options that were available for him. We could have received information and various tips from care experts. Plus I really think it would have been a great help for us to have some type of forum that would have allowed us to discuss our experiences with other care givers would have really helped with the daily stress involved in taking care of him. This type of help would have been very valuable to us over the 7 years of caring for his father.

Christmas Memories

I have been sitting here this evening reading some different blogs and one of them got me thinking about Christmas as a kid. I was the youngest child in our family, so on Christmas Eve we always had our family Christmas. My Dad's parents and my Great Aunt would always come to our house for Christmas. Mother would make Oyster Stew (Uck) so she would always make me bar-b-qued hamburgers. Then after dinner was over we would go to the living room to open presents. Presents were never under the tree until Christmas Eve. When I was still supposed to believe in Santa that meant getting me out of the house so the presents could be retrieved from the Attic. So since my Grandfather was a farmer and had chickens laying eggs. We had a neighbor who only purchased 1 dozen eggs a year. Yeah you guessed it Christmas Eve. Duh? So I always had to be the one to take the eggs to her house. I would needless to say be in a hurry and she was always so slow in finding the money to pay for the eggs. Finally my Mother would call asking what was taking me so long and they would finally send me on my way. For me to find out that I had once again missed the fat old man in the red suit. So we would all sit down in the living room and my Mother would pass out all of the presents and we would all have out separate pile of presents. Because I was the baby of the family I got to open my presents first. Now I know that sounds like a great deal. WRONG! Because after opening my presents I then had to wait to actually play with anything until both my sisters, my Mother, my Dad, my Grandparents and my Great Aunt had opened theirs. Then it was free reign with my presents. Then on Christmas day we always went to the same Grandmother's house for Christmas dinner. We never spent any holiday's with my Mothers family just my Dad's. I never knew why except that was just the way it was. I remember one year when I was probably about 12 or 13 I no longer believed in Santa and knew that presents were kept in the Attic until Christmas Eve so while my parents were gone for the day. I went to the attic and slit the tape on the end of every one of my presents and checked everything out. I even tried a dress on from one of the packages. Needless to say Christmas Eve was a bummer, I had to act very surprised about every present and pretend they were all such a surprise. My Mother never knew about that because I never told her even when I was an adult she would have been very hurt to have learned that. Christmas was always a big thing for my Parents. After my sisters and I were married and had children the Christmas procedure never changed. Plus my Mother was a stickler that if she spent $151.50 on one Grandchild she would spend $151.50 on every Grandchild even if it meant she had to buy a pack of gum to make things even. I was never that accurate with my girls but I always made sure they had exactly the same number of presents. If one had 23 presents the other needed to have 23 presents too. That is the way I am now with the Grandchildren too.

Place your bets

I bet you can't guess what I am doing right now. Well you probably can cause I am sitting here at my computer typing a new post. But if you are into sport betting you need to check out this site. I have never understood how they actually bet on games. I mean other than who wins and who loses I don't understand things like the sports spread and stuff like that. I don't understand the odds and things like that but this seams like a great site for those of you who do.

At this site they have a great range of online betting services available via their online casino Sportsbook betting service. They have an online poker area and all sorts of interactive games. They have what they call a one wallet system so you can enjoy all the services with just one account. So if you are into sports or casino type betting be sure to check out Bet365.

Peaceful Dinner

Last night the Mother of the three year old in the house finally went back to her second job. She hasn't been there for 5 weeks. So because of her not being here last night we had a very peaceful dinner. There were no arguments about him eating or telling him to focus and quit playing in his food. He sat there very quietly and ate his entire plate of food. Which for a three year old was a good size plate. Plus he took extra on a couple of things. But when the Mother is here there is screaming, crying and throwing of the silverware across the table and I don't mean from the 3 year old I mean all of this is coming from the Mother. The other night she got so mad at him that she threw his fork across the table and just about punctured a major appendage belonging to Jill. I really don't understand it but when she is gone he is not a huge problem like he is when she is home. Thankfully she will be working again this evening for dinner.

Out on our Own

Right now Randy and I are living with our two daughters another mother and 5 children. I know this is not a permanent situation cause if it was you could just commit me right now. Don't get me wrong I love everyone in this house... well, OK there is 1 person, OK 2 people in this house that I don't know if I can say I love but all that aside. What I am thinking about is when Randy and I get ready to get our own place we might just try to buy a small house for ourselves. Now you can actually go to NameYourLoan.com, America's 1st Online Mortgage Auction and complete a short application (no S.S. #) and have lenders actually bid on your mortgage. How cool is that?? This is a real time online auction for your loan. This is a totally new way of letting your fingers do the walking. The entire process takes place online, so this eliminates haggling and all of those frustrating phone calls where you can spend an eternity on what I call "Terminal Hold"! Here is a recent press release with further information should you be interested.

NameYourLoan.com Diversifies Current Lending Environment for Borrowers with New Approach to Online Mortgage Loans.

New online mortgage auction site, NameYourLoan.com, has revolutionized the way borrowers obtain mortgage loans online. As a unique and creative online community, borrowers can easily connect with the best mortgage lenders while lenders benefit from a wealth of real time mortgage leads and opportunities for business growth.

(PRWEB) – In today’s tough lending environment, littered with deceitful lenders and cunning tactics, it’s high time for a revolutionary tool that can empower borrowers yet still benefit lenders. NameYourLoan.com has answered the need with the launch of a new online mortgage auction site designed to give consumers access to an increasing mortgage lenders network to ultimately obtain great online mortgage loans.
“For centuries, auctions have been the most efficient and effective way to get the best deals in everything,” says Al Salahi, President and CEO of NameYourLoan.com. “Why not have auctions for all mortgage loan types?”
NameYourLoan.com is an online community where borrowers can easily connect with the best mortgage lenders. Lenders compete with one another in an online auction to win the borrower’s business. As numerous lenders submit loan offers, the site enables consumers to see “apples to apples”, compare mortgage interest rates and achieve the lowest rate mortgage online such as the best home equity loan rate or home refinance loan.
The site’s sophisticated computer system compiles and calculates all the information submitted by lenders (interest rates, points, fees, terms, etc.) and then ranks loan offers, based on their true worth relative to the borrower’s stated preferences (lowest rate, lowest fees or best combination of rates and fees). This simplified process gives borrowers a coherent presentation of information without having to do the math themselves.
Unlike other online mortgage comparison shopping services, only those lenders who come out at the top of the auction with the lowest interest rates and fees get a chance at the borrower’s business. Moreover, borrowers can invite their friend or relative lender to participate in the borrower’s auction quickly and without cost. Lenders who refuse to participate are most likely high priced and not the best mortgage lenders.
“Through advanced technology, we are starting to make haggling and deceptive lending tactics a thing of the past,” explains Salahi. “At the same time, we are transforming a generally stressful and complicated process into a very pleasant and easy experience for borrowers. Our multiple bid auction format, coupled with constant consumer feedback, will make it easy for us to weed out dishonest lenders—and hopefully put them out of business!”
Use of NameYourLoan.com is completely free for borrowers. Borrowers are under no obligation to accept any of the online mortgage loans offered in the auction. To protect against identity theft and fraud, site users are never asked for sensitive information, and lenders that receive multiple consumer complaints will be barred from future auctions.
For more information, visit NameYourLoan.com.
About NameYourLoan.com:
NameYourLoan.com is the world’s first online mortgage auction, designed to advance the lending process by helping honest and competitive lenders grow their business, and at the same time, make it possible for borrowers to instantaneously reach multiple lenders and receive competitive loan offers online, in an auction format. NameYourLoan.com uses a patent-pending concept powered by sophisticated proprietary software that has been developed by a number of technology heavyweights from the Fortune 500 arena.

Oh Christmas Tree

Today I think we are going to actually try to get the Christmas Tree put up. This should not be a difficult task you say. Right? Wrong! First we have to move a ton of boxes out of the garage that were put in front of all of the Christmas decorations when we moved into this house. Then after all of those boxes are moved out the Christmas boxes have to be brought into the house and then all of the boxes that were put into the driveway will have to be put back into the Garage. Then comes the actual tree decorating process.

This too should be an easy task you say. Right? Wrong! We will be decorating the tree this year with not one, not two, not three, not four but five children trying to get their hands on the decorations so that they can all have their part in decorating. The three oldest will be the smaller problem but, the three year old... Well, I am not sure we have enough duct tape to keep him away from the tree and said decorations. Then there is the 16 month old little bit. Well we can always put her into the highchair and give her something to snack on.

But the good news is that last night I got 4 bottles of my favorite wine so hopefully that should be enough to get me through the official tree decorating with a smile on my face. So just wish us good thoughts that we will all make it through this with no casualities.

Let's Get Away

My husband and I have never been to New York City. I really think it would be a great thing if we could all arrange it so that we could take the kids and all of us take off for the big apple. I have been checking out Hotel Reservations and have found this site were they have hotel and all sorts of vacation rentals for you to choose from. They have good pricing I found one hotel where if we stayed for a week we got one day free. I don't think we are going to be able to make this trip this year but maybe it is something that we could start working towards for next Christmas.

You Are a Fruitcake!

You taste like nothing else in this world. And get ready, you're about to get tossed!

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

OK go figure I wouldn't eat fruitcake if somebody paid me. I think the suff just looks nasty so it is going to have to taste nasty. And the story of my life is I am about ready to get tossed. OH well guess there must be somebody in the world besides my husband that likes fruit cake.

50 Useless Pieces of Nothing

1. EVER BEEN GIVEN AN ENGAGEMENT RING?
Yes

2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?
40 years

3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?
My birthday present which I had to leave when we left Haiti

4. WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
Worked out What

5. THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
Nothing really I don’t have a lot of money

7. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
I have absolutely no idea (does that mean I am getting old?)

8. ONE FAVORITE SONG?
Have I told you Lately that I love you? (My husband sings this to me when I am down and makes up silly rhymes)

9. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
In a house, in Florida

10. FAVORITE MALL STORE:
Bath and Body Works

11. LONGEST JOB YOU HAD:
Bookkeeper

12. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
No unless I have some in storage and don’t know it

13. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE?:
No

14. LAST WEDDING YOU ATTENDED:
Jill’s wedding

15. FIRST FRIEND YOU’D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
Jill & Joy

16. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT:
Sonic Burger I guess

17. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE EVER HEARD:
I have no idea I try not to lie but I am sure I have

18. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS?
Cracker Barrel

19. CAN YOU COOK?
Yes just don’t do much right now

20. WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE?:
I can drive any kind of car just don’t have one right now.

21. BEST KISSER?
My husband

22. LAST TIME YOU CRIED?:
Last week when I found out that yet another person had lied to me

23. MOST DISLIKED FOODS:
Any kind of vegetable

24. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
Nothing really

25. THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
My hair

26. CAN YOU SING?
Yes

27. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED?
I don’t have a clue

28. LAST MOVIE RENTED:
I haven’t rented a movie in years my girls have gotten me started buying DVD’s now and I have 27

29.ONE THING YOU NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT:
My hair (Private joke only family knows about)

30. FAVORITE vacation spot:
Lancaster County

31. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER?:
Both

32. FAVORITE COMEDIAN?:
Don’t know

33. DO YOU SMOKE?
No

34. SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES?
With

35. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT?:
Nobody no room on the futon hubby beside me in twin bed small bedroom

36. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST?
Pancakes

37. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE?:
Nope

38 HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
Fried, over medium

39. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY?:
no

40. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?:
Probably Joy

41. LAST PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALL LIST?:
Don’t get any calls

42. WHAT WAS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECEIVED?:
Don’t get text messages

43. NUMBER OF PILLOWS?:
Three

44. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?:
pajama pants and matching top

45. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC:
Just hear those bells jingle…

46. WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J?
Grape

47. CAN YOU PLAY POOL?:
I can play just not good

48. CAN YOU SWIM?
Yes

49. WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING RIGHT NOW
cleaning my room

50. WHY DID YOU FILL THIS OUT?
Had nothing better I wanted to do

Bean Counters

I know a guy that is a great accountant but he never got his degree as a CPA because he like I let a CPA convince us that this CPA could teach us everything we needed to know and we did not have to go to college to learn. Well, she did teach me a lot and if I had stayed with her I could probably have all the knowledge of an accountant but it wouldn't actually be worth the paper it was written on. Because come to think of it, it wouldn't be written on paper because I would not have a diploma from college. But oh well I guess I digress. Anyway this guy I know if he wanted to advance his carer he needs to check into accountancy jobs abroad. This man is great at performing audits and I really think this would be a fabulous opportunity for him.

Press Release:

The newest arrival in the financial services recruitment scene, www.accountancyjobsabroad.com, has achieved three important goals in its second month of operation. Firstly the company has achieved a number one ranking on Yahoo for its key search term ‘accountancy jobs abroad’ which is unprecedented in such a short space of time. Secondly the company has signed up its first five employers to the site including two ‘Big Four’ Accountancy firms in Bermuda. Two leading captive management firms again mainly present in Bermuda, but also with opportunities in Cayman, the US, Barbados, and Ireland. Thirdly and finally the company was a headline article in one of Bermuda’s leading newspaper’s business section. Namely the Bermuda Sun. The article entitled “Job Site Aims to Fill Accounting Skills Gap” outlined the company’s aim to provide flexible recruitment solutions to employers however as the company is totally web-based this will be achieved through competitive commission rates.

I think I have been here

This sounds like some places I have been to eat. I am not much for Beer no matter if it is hot or cold. I remember when I was much younger and someone told me it was an acquired taste. I can still remember thinking as bad as beer tasted why would I want to acquire a taste for it. But back to the Lousy Food and Bad Service. I could name several restaurants like that. I remember once my family went to a Chinese restaurant and I don't do Chinese food either. Well I asked the waitress if they had American Food and she said "Yes but American Food it not so good". You know what she wasn't lying either it wasn't so good.

Break the Code

I have been searching online for Christmas presents. I have decided that this is the only way to shop. I can use my debit card and shop for all sorts of things. I have found a site that you receive a discount code to use for instant online purchases and on some occasions you can download and print coupons that you can use at the various store for a in-store purchase. Some of the sites you can visit are Dell, Overstock.com Buy.com and Eddie Bauer.

You can search for your deals at WebbyPlanet.com either by the product you are looking for or by the company name. Then after you select a particular company you can then select your discount available. This site is absolutely the best I have found. You are able to find so many things on just one site and branch out from there.

The three year old continues

After having her 16 month old daughter almost fall asleep at the table. I can't believe that said Mother actually left the house with both of her kids only saying "I'll be back" then over 3 hours later she comes back home. She has no regard for these children. I am guessing she was mad about the way dinner went (which was all her fault) so she left the house for several hours. I am telling you this is a nut house and she is the head nut. This child is basically pretty good all day long when she is not home. But the minute she drives into the driveway he changes completely. I mean he does a 180 and all he does is scream and yell at her and she screams and yells at him.

Taking care of the children

When Jill was living in Belgium several years ago she did quite a bit of research regarding Au Pair Live-in Childcare | AuPairCare. She was giving it some serious consideration and discovered she would be one of a large number of carefully screened and experienced au pairs. This is a method of affordable live-in childcare at about $300/week for 45hrs of live-in childcare. When you consider that you have everything you need provided for you for the right person it would be a great deal. This is a great position for women here in the United States.

AuPairCare is a national au pair agency for live-in Childcare where they have an Award-winning au pair online matching system similar to match.com for viewing & searching au pair profiles. If you enjoy working with children this just may be the answer for you.

Longing for a peaceful meal

Well I worked all day today to make a pot of homemade soup. So was tired and really ready to sit down and enjoy the meal. Well that was not to be. The Mother of the 3 year old was in a royal mood from the minute she walked into the door and we had another meal where it was spent listening to her scream at this child at the table and we all just sit there trying to ignore the elephant in the room. I just long for a peaceful dinner again. We are hoping that she goes back to her second job which means she would be out of the house most of the evenings to work while we eat dinner. We can only hope.