Month: June 2008

  • Computer Revisited

    Recall my computer woes of last night. I drowned them in a tub full of honeysuckle BBW bubbles.  Ransom and Wes kindly offered their knight in shining armor services to see me through this annoying computer crisis, but I was determined to try again to install that dratted php board for Wit. 

    So, I did. And it was working just fine. I had to change two settings, but Wit beat me to it, and THE BOARD WAS FUNCTIONAL! I was so thrilled.  Until Wit saw it and said, “That’s not what I wanted at all.”  Grrrrrrr.  I shall think of it as an exercise in helping to teach myself computer stuff.

    Did I report to you my book selling update? Remember I wanted to sell some on Ebay? Well, I listed an out-of-print paperback I thought would sell well, and it sold for $30!  Buoyed by that success, I listed two more. Neither one has a bid. Such is the world of Ebay, I suppose.

    You Are a Spork
    You have a playful, eccentric sense of humor.
    You are creative. You see the world in bold colors.

    You are a dabbler. You love to experiment.
    You aren’t an expert in anything, but you know a little about everything.
    What Utensil Are You?

    But, only a lucky few get to be titanium sporks.

  • GAAAAAAAH!

    I am so frustrated I could spit fire.  I have just spent the last three hours trying to get a php board uploaded so Wit can set up a message thingie and play with it as a project.  GAAAAH!  I’ve been on live chats, to so many help pages and tutorials that my eyes are bugging out, and have installed, uninstalled, reinstalled, and more.  WHY is this so hard?  GAAAAH!  So, I’ve quit. It is beyond my meager computer skills to figure out why the cache is empty and how to reconfigure the configure page.  Rant, rant, rant, grumble, grumble, rant.

    Last night TGD and I watched the worst Big-Name-Movie ever.  It was even worse than Elizabethtown, which was my former worst Big-Name-MoiveEver. To what hideous waste of $4.23 at Blockbuster do I refer? Jumper!  It was such an excellent premise: a guy who can jump through space in an instant. But, someone had to write a good script and to act well in it.  Someone did not do either.  About halfway through the movie, we said, “I wonder if this is getting close to being done. There seems to be no plot, so it is hard to tell.” And the winning dialogue:  “You can make this go swifter.”  I’ve never encoded a murkier plot–truly. Or so many characters that I categorically disliked. (That would be every character in the movie.  It was not redeemed by Kristen Stewart, the future Bella Swan, opening the door at the end of the movie. Perhaps if the whole Cullen family had made a cameo,  it could have saved this wretched flick.)

    We kept trying to figure out who the target audience might be. TGD finally surmised, “I think it is aimed at 15 year old boys, none of whom we know.”  (Not that we don’t know many 15 year old boys, just not any who would fall into the target audience.)

    I thought perhaps writing a Xanga would be cathartic. It was a bit.  But I’m still frustrated. I’ll have to sort socks or something. Grrrr…

    Oh, for two really nifty stories (with a gruesome picture), check out TGD’s latest entry HERE.

  • A Bit of This, A Dash of That

    Thursday already and almost July? Did someone hit fast forward on the rotation of the earth? 

    Today is rainy and we are headed to my mom’s for the day (after Wit is finished with work, of course). I will probably do there just what I am doing now, sit in a chair and relax.  Isn’t summer wonderful?

    The shutters are all rehung, which is a nice relief. I decided to paint an interior door, which is also finished. And then there was all the gardening yesterday…hopefully something will grow.  I transplanted a bunch of baby lettuces to individual pots. But, I know when they are all grown and healthy and pesticide-free, I’ll bring one in to make a salad and the kids wills say, “Ew! Is that from the garden? Did you just pick that? There’s dirt on it!” Sigh.  I wish the tomatoes were taller than four inches. I’m not holding out much hope of tomatoes before August, which is a bummer as I dearly love homegrown tomatoes. 

    Speaking of healthy veggies, you may or may not have noticed the absence of my diet being written out here. I have been writing it in my mind, and I am much more aware of what healthy means. It’s not just adding a pear here and there. I felt pretty happy yesterday when I had a big glass of milk, two pears, and a veggie with a dash of pasta thing and egg salad on whole wheat .  Am I losing weight? Eh, maybe. As my weight is up and down during the day (like everyone’s), I can’t say FOR SURE that I have lost a pound or two. But I might have.

    One thing I have lost is the battery charger for my camera. If God brings it to mind, could you pray that it would be found? Soon?  Thanks. No battery charger means no working camera which means no more pictures.

    EDIT–The battery charger was found!  I shall now call all my friends and rejoice. Plus, I have a “swept house.”  Hee hee

  • I Shutter to Think

    30 shutters

    Do you think they needed refreshing? It’s only been 13 years or so…
    (This shows both the original color and the new paint.)

    I’ve heard of painted daisies, but not quite like this one.

    Phew.  Five hours of painting.  Now we just have to hang them all back up.

    Have you been making any home improvements lately?

     

  • The Answer

    I looked down with fear and trepidation.  Would I be condemned to a life of white milk? Ice water?  Guava and Pomegranate juice with pulp?  Nope. I had a glass of Crystal Light Lemonade. (You guys were so smart!)  I smiled at my drink. “Crystal Light Lemonade won’t be a bad life, will it?” I thought. And I was right; this life has been just wonderful.

    Some of you may have noticed that I didn’t post my diet yesterday or maybe the day before that. One reason is that I have a hideous memory. I forget ordinary details really quickly and it takes a lot of mental effort to recall them. Plus, on Thursday, I ate lunch at Panera and supper at Outback Steakhouse, so I figured the quasi-healthy diet was toast anyhow.   Today, I shall share my success and failures.

    Saturday’s Slurpings and Shovelings

    Breakfast–hot tea and two chocolate chip cookies

    Lunch–turkey sandwich with cheese, lettuce, and tomato with a side of Jax

    Supper–BBQ chicken, baked beans, salad, fruit salad, square of carrot cake

    Snack–two sugar cookies

    Exercise–painting the front door and some shutters, bending to get laundry from the basket while hanging it on the line, I took a 2 mile walk with hand weights, but I can’t remember if that was this morning or yesterday (see what I mean?)

    A friend of mine, upon seeing these repeated lists of food said, “You don’t eat that much.”  Do I really not eat that much? I don’t think of myself as a light eater. Do you eat more than this in a day? I know you don’t eat the amount of Jax cheese twists I do, but what about the other food?

  • What’s in YOUR Mug?

    When I was in high school, the seniors would always have Awards Day. These weren’t the scholarships and things that one might expect, but more personal awards like “Class Driver” given to the worst driver in the class (yup, I got that one) and other silly things.  They also awarded a “Junior Most Likely to Succeed.”  I wound up with that one and got a mug. 

    My friend Jeanene and I decided that whatever beverage I drank first from the mug would be how my life would go. Being dorky 16 year olds, we thought a beer would be great and a glass of  milk would be horrible.  Instead of casting the die, I put the mug on my shelf with all my other memorabilia.

    A few years later and home from college for the summer, I decided it was time to rid myself of the lingering vestiges of high school. Down came the Ferris Bueller poster and the Mardi Gras beads.  The dusty mugs went into the sink to be washed.  The scraps of magazines and newspapers were filed or tossed. 

    After the great purge, I sat at my desk, surveying my “adult” room, sipping a well-deserved beverage.  With sudden shock, I realized I was drinking from THE mug. For the first time!  Ah!

    What do you think was in the glass and why do you think so?

     

  • So Happy and Munchy

    Today, I am very happy. Thank you, ElizabethDNB, for recommending Paperback Swap!  I had never heard of this nifty place.  You go register there and list books you have that you’d like to trade. If someone wants one, you get an email, print a handy, pre-addressed mailing label, and pay the postage to send the book. But, the nifty thing is, for every book you send, you get to request one from someone else!  Oh, the joy! Books I don’t want for books I do want for only the cost of shipping.

    If you want to go sign up for this wonderful website, click on this link.

    Thank you all who recommended Amazon over Ebay. I have a few books for each place, I think, and some for free giveaway to homeschoolers with younger kids. Nothing really exciting (or I wouldn’t be giving them away, eh?)

    Now, for the Munchy part of my title… Today has not been the best day for diet and exercise.  It’s been raining off and on, so no walking.  Wit made chocolate chip cookies, which are one of my main downfalls (although I’ve only had THREE so far. Good on me!). And, I’m a bit bored.  Munch, munch, munch.

    Breakfast–two slices of whole wheat toast with sugar free blackberry jam and hot tea with honey

    Lunch–pasta with sauce, bowl of Jax

    Supper–Homemade pizza and a chocolate chip cookie.

    Snacks–(uh-oh) Two chocolate chip cookies, 30 Dots, a banana

    Excuse me, but where are the veggies in this diet?  They should make a carrot and pea Blizzard at Dairy Queen.  Chocolate chip spinach cookies? 

  • The Organizing of Books Is a Difficult Matter

    It isn’t just one of your holiday games… (Kudos to anyone who can identify the allusion!)

    Yes, I’ve decided to tackle the bookshelves. We stuffed books willy-nilly when we got back from England, and today was the day to start taming the beast. I also decided it was time to start pulling things to sell on Ebay–once I get around to selling on Ebay. I’ve got about eight Xerox boxes full of books to list, and I’m not done sorting yet.  But, fret not. I still have 11 full bookshelves to keep me amused and reading.

    Do any of you veteran Ebay sellers have any tips for a newbie?

    Whut I Done Did Et on Tewzdeh

    Breakfast–hot tea and a homemade (well, from a box mix) chocolate chip muffin

    Lunch–Green Bowl restaurant with MaineLady. I had two smallish bowls of stir-fry with chicken and rice and lots of veggies.  Of course, the M-n-M Blizzard afterward wasn’t a great idea, but it was super yummy.

    Supper–Strawberry shortcake (just-picked strawberries, touch of honey, a Jiffy Mix biscuit)  We live practically next-door to a strawberry farm.

    Snacks–I actually didn’t have any today–yet. Mwah-ha-ha!

    Exercise–2 mile walk with hand weights,  10 minutes of strawberry picking

  • Thunderstorm!

    I really like thunderstorms. They just fascinate me. I suppose it’s the coolness factor with a hint of fear.  We are having one swirl around us in the distance right now.  Those storms are why church softball was canceled tonight and why I get to cuddle up to TGD and watch a DVD, The Other Boleyn Girl.  I feel like I’ve missed out on a bunch of movies since I was out of the country. Any recommendations?

    I took LibbyK to meet her new employer starting in September. She’ll be a mother’s helper for a lady who has some health issues and is expecting a baby. I think that mother’s helper is just about the best job for a young lady. Not only does she get to see how another family works and lives and how another mother manages her home and her children, she gets paid for it!

    How about a picture? It’s been a while, eh? This one was taken at Warwick Castle.



    Monday Food, not so Good (say it so it rhymes)

    Breakfast–Well, I fiddled around and took a walk, so it was 11:00 before I ate breakfast, so I had a baked potato with tomatoes, broccoli, and butter and 16 ounces of light cranberry juice

    Lunch–Bowl of Cheese twists, 20 Sugar Babies, 10 Dots

    Supper–Five very overcooked fish sticks, leftover macaroni and cheese, carrots, two chocolate chip muffins, and two mugs of hot tea

    Snacks–Erm, not sure. A handful of microwave popcorn during my pinochle game with the kids, five Jujufruits (got to finish off the box, you know), and probably something else which has slipped my mind

    Exercise–2 mile walk with handweights, lots of laundry folding. I like to fold from the dryer, so each piece I have to do a waist bend thing. 

  • I Want a Bowl of Noodles

    Three of the children and I went to see Kung Fu Panda tonight. It turned out to be a fun movie with lots of quotable, amusing lines. Of course, there was a bit of crude humor and the whole Kung Fu nonsense, but overall, I laughed many times.  Just to be silly, when I bought our smuggle-in movie candy, I also bought a box of Kung Fu Panda Crunchers cereal. Such a goof mother.  The kids just rolled their eyes.

    TGD had a good Father’s Day, I think. We went to lunch at Wendy’s and took a nap.  He got a Second Degree Black Belt Sudoku book (such a martial arts theme) and two bags of peanut butter M-n-Ms (in keeping with the snacking panda theme).  Speaking of snacking, er…

    Not a Very Good Diet Challenge–Sunday

    Breakfast–two cinnamon buns (Pillsbury bake at home) and tea

    Lunch–Wendy’s grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, fries, Oreo Frosty Twister

    Supper–(eaten at the movie theater)  Slimfast bar, half a movie-sized box of Dots

    Snacks–bowl of Jax cheesies, bowl of watermelon (yet to be eaten)

    Exercise–Lifting my hand to my mouth while eating Dots at the movies,  2 hour power nap

    “I just ate, so I’m still digesting, so my Kung Fu might not be as good as…later on.”