A Room With A View

( image courtesy of travelphoto.net)

Talk about relaxation! I would love to have this view from my window every morning when I wake up. Not that I really want to live in Spain...but it's an idea. ;o)

Since No-No, life is always a whirlwind. Did I mention that I've even lost my "sacred place"? Wanna know what it is? THE SHOWER! LOL! Yup, she now likes taking showers and duh, I have to be in there with her. There's hardly a quiet moment around here anymore. She whines and has melt downs all day. Ugh.

Sorry, had to vent for a minute. Maybe I should print this out and put it up on the wall next to me. LOL! Hey, that's not a bad idea!

Children in Need

Every now and then, I will post about certain charities or fundraising efforts. More than likely, it will be for a children’s cause for obvious reasons. I want to make sure I do my part to help out.

I just heard about this Charity Golf Tournament and was really disappointed that I can’t send my step-dad in. We live too far away since we are in the upper part of Ca. BUT, if there are any of you that live near the Tijeras Creek Golf Course in Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca and play or know someone (like your husband) that plays golf, please send this along. I will be sending in my donation. As some one who was born with a birth defect at just the "right time", I never pass up an opportunity to help out another family. Please make an effort to donate. Times are tough for all of us right now but any little bit can make a difference. Thanks!

The Hailey’s Wish 2008 Golf Tournament will be held at the beautiful Tijeras Creek Golf Club.

For more details about Tijeras Creek visit their website at: http://www.tijerascreek.com/
Tijeras Creek is located at 29082 Tijeras Creek Rd., Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688. Phone: 949-589-9793

Tentative Tournament Details

10:30-12pm Golfer’s Arrive and Register
12:00pm Golfing Starts
4:30pm-5:00pm Golfers finish up course & return to clubhouse
5:00pm-6:00pm No Host Cocktail Hour
5:30pm – HELICOPTER GOLF BALL DROP – be sure to enter the golf ball drop raffle! See online flyer above for details.
5:45pm – Buffet Dinner and Awards Banquet Begins

There will be many great silent auction items to bid on and some great raffle items!! Thank you very much for your support and we look forward to seeing you there!

Hailey’s Wish is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 in honor of Hailey Reese Cavlovic, a beautiful 16 month old child who died from Alpers Syndrome, a fatal mitochondrial disease. With your support we will;
* Fund research to advance treatments for children with mitochondrial diseases.
* Educate the medical community and public to promote early diagnosis and a better understanding of these complex diseases, which are nearly as common as childhood cancer.
* Promote the sharing of information between the medical team and families to enhance the continuity and standard of care for these children.

We are driven by the belief that through research and education we can work to assure all children an early diagnosis and a better quality of life.

A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS OF THIS EVENT WILL BENIFIT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ORANGE COUNTY METOBOLIC PROGRAM

What Month is it?

Every year Yes-Yes's school has it's annual fundraiser of magazine subscriptions. (Yes, I will be posting that later in September. Every bit helps. LOL) Last fall I ordered my lot of them and also found out there were some that were not so good. One of the ones I ordered was All You. It's kind of like a Good Housekeeping. The way they distribute this mag is very odd. Sometimes they send you one that's months ahead because they sped up the shipping to much. I don't know, it's just weird.

So, today I got mine copy and went was like what?! As you can see, the cover is orange and has decorated pumpkins on it! I did realize later that it is September's issue. Okay, Not like I haven't thought about it, but how many of us already want to think about Halloween when our kids JUST got back into school? That means that Christmas is like tomorrow, right?

I just can't get all of this marketing. It is a very poor stratagy to speed things up so quickly. When I was working at Nordstrom, do you know how hard it was to sell a mom sandals in the middle of winter or Ugg boots toward the end of summer?! That's just crazy. I had to keep telling them to get them "just in case" because by the time they would naturally think about it, there wouldn't be any. Some did it out of trust for me, and some had to learn the hard way. Boy was it bad when they were looking for Uggs because they all wanted them for Christmas presents and they would sell out by Halloween! And yes, they kindly let me know later that I was right. :o) There's a good feeling for ya. LOL

We Love Tag Heuer Watches!

I’m still getting used to not working for Nordstrom. It is really hard…no discount, no shopping everyday (I’m a shopaholic) , and no replacing something when it doesn’t work. You heard me right…every time my watch battery dies, I would just buy a whole new watch. I know, it’s crazy.

So, my last working watch battery went out on me the other day, and what did I do? Start shopping for a new watch! I know I can’t afford it right now but I saw some beautiful Tag Heuer watches at thewatchery.com. What makes it even harder to resist is that they have a great deal going on. If I were to buy the watch that I want, I can get another watch FREE or at a 80% discount! They even give you free shipping! Can you imagine how quickly I want to jump on that? LOL

I’ve always looked at Tag Heuer watches because my step-dad has one. When we go shopping he’ll go over and look at all the new ones that have come out…his is pretty old. My mom and I would really like to be able to get him a new one when the finances get better. I think he deserves it. He works for United and, if you don’t know, have taken a gigantic pay cut and lost a ton of their stock. In order to keep up with the mortgage, he’s had to work any overtime day that he can get, sometimes even working 2 weeks at a time. I think I’ll wait on a watch for me, get the battery replaced like a normal person *insert eye rolling*, and save up to buy him something. It’s going to take a while though. LOL!

Are You Serious?!

I went to the grocery store yesterday...finally, and thought this was quite amusing. Who would have thought? I laughed as person after person walked by this sign in awe, disbelief, pointing, and laughing. If you can't read it, it says; Attention Cusomers: There Is An Extra Charge For Husking Corn. Please Do Not HUSK THE CORN! LMAO! That was great.

I do realize why they have done this (Yes, I did see the huge pile in front of the sign. Apparently, no one really cares that they put it up.), people make such a mess with the husks, but come on. Is it that bad? It's not like they are losing out on money since they charge by the piece rather than pound. If you ask me, there may not be enough for their employees to do anyway. Have you ever tried to locate one when you had a question? I was running all over the store yesterday and couldn't find anyone that wasn't behind a counter. Sorry, had to vent about that. LOL

Note: Yes, people we not only laughing at the sign, they were also laughing at me holding my cellphone up to take a picture of it. I think it was worth it, don't you? LOL!

Yea! NewEgg Coupons!!!

I know we’ve established that I’m broke, but we’re going to do it one more time. LOL! I’m finding all these new ways to save money lately, including using any coupons or discount codes that I can find. (I’m still trying to figure out how to double coupons…any knowledge on this is greatly appreciated!) I never buy anything regular priced any more either. Yes-Yes knows that if he wants it, there has to be a sale tag on it. The catch to this is that stores will trick you into thinking it’s on sale, when it really isn’t by marking up the “regular price”, so you have to watch out when you do that. OMG, am I turning into one of those "how to save money" things or what?! LOL

I do have a problem though. Ca has instated a hands-free while driving law back in July. Because we’re broke, I haven’t been able to get the dh one to use while he’s driving. This isn’t good because then he can’t answer his phone and if he thinks it was important, he’ll pull over, check, and then call back. How annoying is that? I’d like to get him a Jawbone (Yes-Yes wants the new Jawbone 2, which I like, but agrees it looks girly, LOL) because it has the noise cancellation feature. I found another great site that has NewEgg coupons. NewEgg.com is a cool site that sells electronics and accessories. They have both the old and new version of the Jawbone! I’m really excited. It is way cheaper than I found at other places. I think that if we save up enough, he can have one by next month. I’m thinking of getting Yes-Yes one for Christmas or his birthday, which is right after. We’ll see how he does in school I think. ;o)

Name That Tune

There is always some completely random song going on in my head through out the day. Just now, I was outside looking at, what I call my garden, and Strawberry Fields by the Beatles popped up. At least that one made sense. LOL! I was looking at my strawberry patch.

Some days it's so random that even I can't believe it. Like one day I woke up with Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood and another with some awful song from Raggs (the PBS show). I can't stand that show. No-No likes all the songs and dances to it. Ugh. *cringe*

Then there's the days when I have a tune but no words. What's up with that?! Then it bothers me all day cause I can't figure out which song was playing in there. I end up calling my bff who has a memory like nothing I've seen. I swear she has a library full of stuff, that's useless to me, in her head. She knows just about every song and at least some of the words. When we would talk about a certain memory, she'd say "do you remember that time..." and I'd say "no". Then she'd go on saying "You don't remember? You were wearing blah blah and I was wearing blah blah and this and that happened". I'm like "What?!" It's too funny.

My Custom Postcards

I have a weird thing for office supplies and stuff. There, I said it. *phew* LOL! I can buy tons of stuff and have absolutely no use for it. Seeing all these moms with the cutesy stationary made me want to get some too but I really wanted to get some cute Postcards instead. I like to send things out to my family updating them on the kids but I don’t have any graphics software to do it in. I asked a friend of mine what she did, since she doesn’t have any either, and she told me about VistaPrint.com. I looked right away, of course, and found out that they have TONS of things to choose from, from promotional products to personalized sticky notes. They even have free stuff like business cards, holiday cards, checks, and even web site design. That’s really cool! Who ever heard of free website design? They serve 20 countries, guarantee the lowest price, and has a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. That’s great because I can’t afford to pay a lot and trying to price compare is a lot of work. I found a coupon code for them too! If anyone’s interested it is PC50 which is good for 50 FREE oversized postcards. Neat, huh?

I’m designing my cards soon so we shall see how they turn out. I’ve never really used online printing service or photo editors so this is all new to me. It should save me a lot of time and energy though. It is so much more professional than me using some ugly clip art and randomly placing things everywhere. They looked really weird and I wasn’t too impressed with myself. LOL!

It's Too Hot!

The last 2 days have not been kind, weather wise. Just 3 days ago it was cooler and wind was blowing everywhere! They said we'd have a mini heat wave, which I hate. I really just don't want to go anywhere at all! Poor No-No is having a heck of a time going to sleep at night, not to mention her nap! Could you imagine trying to sleep in 90+ degree weather wiht hardly any wind, in a room at the top of the house? Yuck. We have a fan in there going all day but that doesn't really do anything until around 11:00 at night. I've been having to make sure I wash or wet her hair each night to cool her down.

Where I live, this kind of weather isn't too normal. I live on a peninsula between the ocean and the bay, so we always have some breezes and fog later in the evening from the ocean. The average temp is somewhere around 70 degrees when it's nice. It's been getting harder to predict over the years though. Damn global warming. LOL!

My Parents' New Endeavor

My parents have been trying to get into buying real estate for a while. It doesn’t help that they don’t have the money to do it but it was a good idea. I hope they don't waste all of the money that they've invested already. As of late, they have been looking for all sorts of services for what they need, including a san francisco realtor since their old agent doesn’t handle the type of property they are looking to buy. I just found this great site Clicksmart.com and sent it to them. They screen all of their Clicksmart certified experts for things like licenses and consumer complaints with the BBB, which takes out some of the work for you. It really narrows it down. You can also find other services like event planners, florists, contractors, and even a massage therapist. I could really use one of those right now. LOL!

Childhood Comforts

I think we all have something that we will turn to when we need a little comfort. Too bad it comes in the form of food for most of us. LOL!

When I was small, my grandmother always cooked dinner and usually it was an asian type of food...mostly stir fry. So I guess "American" food is harder for me to associate with. One thing I can always eat and feel good about though, is macaroni and cheese. Not the kind actual people make though…the stuff in the blue box. I know most people think it's like plastic and the artificial orange is a turn off but I love this stuff. Have you ever tried the different types of macaroni and cheese that people make? It can even come from a restaurant and it still won't be right. Some are down right disgusting! They're too thick, too cheesy, too watery, no flavor, too salty...I can go on and on. I think I've only eaten one or two that were really good. That's why I love my Kraft macaroni. It's always the same and I can do whatever I want to it and it's still good, although it may not be good for you. LOL

What is Your Dream Job?

Have you ever thought about this? I’m sure most people have. Mine has changed through out the years and I think I finally have figured it out. I really would like to have an organic, socially conscious farm one day. Instead of just selling for a profit, I would like to work with a foundation that would provide my product to people in need. Maybe I can even run that service too. Okay, don’t jump ahead. LOL Since I’ve seen how hard life can get, I think this is a great way to help solve a problem. Plus, I would love to have a beautiful farmhouse too. ;o)

I just entered my dream job idea into this great contest I found. You have to be over 18 and submit a short video to enter. The grand prize winner gets to have their dream job for a day, a $1,000 stipend, and a year subscription to Futureresume.com. Isn’t that cool?! I think this is pretty good for my first video. Watch my video below and hope I win!

Mini Update: The Perfect Mom

If you missed my post on the perfect mom please read it. It's probably the most amusing thing I have written...I was on a roll. LOL

I just realized last night that I will have an update on this crazy woman later this month. I'm actually looking forward to writing it. hehehe I am almost positive that she will be showing off her latest "lookie what I dids" when I see her. Hopefully, she'll have one of those "recycled" plastic bags with her so I can show you guys.

I think this is the first time, in my life, that I am waiting to see her! Sorry, I know it's not nice to make fun of people...but this one just takes the cake. You'd know what I mean if you met her. Feel lucky that you haven't.

Why Are People Like Mosquitoes?

Have you ever noticed that some people just don't stop? They keep pestering, nit-picking, and eventually sound like some annoying kind of annoying white noise. And did you notice that these people just can't get the hint? I mean really, what does it take?! LOL!

I have a couple in mind right now. One I live with. Ugh. There seems to always something to bother me about. Everytime I sit down to do anything I'm called away before I get going. Even before my butt can hit the chair! I can't stand it. Everything to this person HAS to be done "right now". Why?! If it's that important, can't you do it?! Duh, that's obvious, huh? I really wish I didn't have to be everyone's mother all the time. Don't get me wrong, I do say no or not right now but whatever it is, it is still there when I'm done doing what I'm doing. I'm not a doormat but it seems I can't get out of it. I have to yell or something to get my point across and then that's only good for a little while before the cycle starts again. I just want some time for me...is that so wrong?

Planning Next Summer Vacation...Already?!

I have been a lot of places as a kid…not places I wanted to go. Totally random places, like Tan Tara, MO and Gatlinburg, TN. Not that some of these places weren’t fun, it was just kind of weird…being that I’m asian. LOL! We did see some neat things, like the arch in Saint Louis.

On of my most memorable vacations was with my dad to New Jersey. Okay, I was really little, but I remember going very well…it was also on our way over to Boston to visit my godparents. I can’t remember exactly where we stayed or anything, but I do remember going to the shore and seeing all the rides and stuff. It reminded me of The Boardwalk in Santa Cruz here. I don’t think we went on them though.

Since No-No came, dh and I have been looking for fun things to do once we have some money. I started looking online for a place to stay for a family beach vacation in Jersey. I found this great site for Morey’s Piers. They have everything we're looking for there! It is this giant resort type of place with waterparks, rides, great hotels, restaurants, and other things to do around Wildwood. Their site is super easy to navigate, which is good because I need them easy. It’s too bad that we can’t go soon because right now they have a special discount for something everyday of the week! *sigh* This would have been really nice. Hopefully, we can go next year. This year we had to settle for the lakes and rivers...no fancy rides or resorts. LOL!

Are You Ready?

A lot of people have told me about how they wouldn't want to live in Ca because of the earthquakes. In turn, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else because of tornadoes and hurricanes. LOL!

Really though, in Ca we don't have as many big earthquakes like people think we do. I have felt just one in like 7 years, I missed the others, and Yes-Yes has only felt 1 in his whole life! LOL!

With the constant talk of "The Big One" we are all supposed to be prepared and have our emergency kits ready. Supposed to. My family has not been so good about this. We are probably going to be the people you see on the news begging or something when something does happen. We have stuff put aside for the kids and pets but nothing for the adults. Hmmm...can we say priorities? We really need to get it together!

My Link Library

A while back, I had had my own website. It wasn’t fun. I had no idea what I was getting into. I spent months researching all the different domain registration sites, web hosts, and sites that reviewed each site I was interested in. Then, I had to build traffic for the site too. Ugh. I’m so glad I decided to stop doing that. I did find this great site for a web host though. It is something I bookmarked (my bookmarks are like a library) and use as a reference when I need it. They had reviews of all the sites that I was looking at. That made things much easier…too bad I didn’t find it sooner. LOL!

Wild America Wednesday

So many people have done wordless Wednesday that I thought I'd do it a tiny bit differently. Hopefully, I will have enough pics to post. LOL!

I shot a cool pic of this hawk that lives in our area. It likes to fly thorough our backyards every now and then looking for something to eat...like other small birds. :o} It had landed in my neighbor's backyard on their blackberry trellis. I've never been this close unless it was at some kind of zoo or something. Pretty neat, huh?

The Local Tourist

As I keep mentioning…we’re broke. This summer we were not able to go on vacation because of this. Not fun. So, we’ve been doing a ton of things around our area. It’s pretty good living in the bay area. There’s always something to do.

We thought we’d head into the city and check out the San Francisco tours. There are so many things to choose from. We should have researched before we went. Duh. So we ended up just driving around and played tourist, which we don’t get to often. We went from Ocean Beach to the bay, not like San Francisco is that big. LOL While we were at the waterfront observing the "Top of the Rock" (as in Alcatraz), we spotted this man scaring the heck out of tourists. It was hilarious! What he would do is sit on a metal folding chair and hide himself behind A TON of branches with leaves so he looked like a bush. I know, it is hard to imagine. Then he’d scream at people as they walked by unsuspectingly. OMG, it was too funny!

Anyway, we got home after a great day and I decided to look up online travel guides for next time we decide to do this. I found this fantastic company called Trusted Tours & Attractions. I really should have looked them up sooner…if you sign up for their newsletter by August 31 you can be entered to win a $150 Magellan’s Gift Certificate! That would be so cool to win!

I Will Take Anything

Years ago, I tried doing the online survey thing. Have you ever done it? OMG. I didn't last long. LOL!

The surveys are always long and repetitive, so annoying! I mean, how many times can I answer the same question, over and over? BUT, since we have had our ongoing financial crisis, I decided to give it a whirl one more time. This time, I had a good friend to lead me in the directions of the companies that will actually pay or send you products, not just all those sweepstakes and pint rewards ones.

So, I signed up for 2. Yeah, I know, big whoop right? Okay, one sucked and I won't be doing anymore for them. The other one I was with for a long time but thought it was a bunch of crap because everything said you'll be entered for the sweepstakes, or something, so I just gave up. Little did I know, this is a ploy they use to see who actually cares. My friend told me that they may end up sending you products or something anyway. So, I have been doing everyone they send me. I'll admit, it is not painless (for me). I really don't have the patience for these things, so I have to keep reminding myself that it is worth the time. Plus, I'm not doing anything anyway. LOL!

I'm happy to report that within a month, not only have I entered into like 25 drawings (LOL), I have earned $5 and two products, one they are sending me 2 of. Sorry I can't tell you what it is, but it's great cause it is something I used everyday! Now I don't have to buy it for a couple of weeks. Cool how some little things have a big impact.

I've Gotta Lose This Weight!

After having No-No, I have had the world’s worst time getting rid of this extra weight. It seems impossible! I have actually gained weight since I had her because I’m at home all the time and don’t do much of anything except for what she wants. Yeah, talk about being on beck and call. LOL!

I was looking online for some diet things to try out…yes, I’ve tried them all (except for Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig those are too expensive), really, and came across this one. I’ve always wanted a professional to sit down and tell me what I need to eat for my body type, metabolism, etc. This one does it with an easy to use fat burning diet generator. It sounds really cool because it will come up with menus for you and stuff. They also give you the ultimate diet handbook of ways to help too! Plus, there are tips, like how to lose weight in a week, and a 60 day money back guarantee. I only buy things that have a good long guarantee. ;o)

I can’t wait to start this one out! OMG, I would love to be the size I was before baby No-No! You know, I can’t fit into any of my old clothes at all?! On top of that, I keep refusing to buy any new ones and waste more money…working for Nordstrom sure had its price. LOL! I’ve also had a lot of back problems and stuff. I can feel the weight holding me down when we go out to play. I never really thought I’d be back to this point. It doesn’t help that I’m in front of the computer on and off all day. Talk about a blogging addict. lol I think that with the help from this and finally getting off my rump and move around, I should be back on my way to being a lot lighter and a lot more agile. I’ll keep you posted.

Ever Wonder...

While I was brushing my teeth this morning, a question ran through my mind. Why do I use the toothpaste I'm using? Kinda weird but a good one. I really don't know. Currently I'm using Crest with Scope.

Every time I go to buy toothpaste, there are SO many different types in front of me that I start going cross-eyed. I mean really, what's the difference? Do I really prefer gel or paste? Is there any one that's going to be better than the rest? My mom says there is and she has her preferences, but I don't and always end up with a different kind. Every time. Dh always asks which one I came home with this time. LOL! Yes-Yes knows which ones he wants from the latest played commercial...he's such a sucker for advertising.

If you have a suggestion or preference, I'd love to hear it since I'm so indecisive about this quite mundane subject. LOL!

What?! It's Christmas Already?

Since we are going broke, I have already been planning how we are going to buy the kids’ Christmas presents. It is even harder because BOTH of their birthdays are in the beginning of January!

Normally every year, I wait until all the stores have their sales in November. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s called “black Friday”. It’s a crazy time of year. Stores will send out ads in the newspaper, featuring special deals for like 1 or 2 days only. Weird people will stand in line all night long to get some of the things on their lists. Even families will line up out there and take shifts! That’s crazy! The news will highlight all these weridos during the evening news on Thanksgiving. All I can do is laugh. How important is that new paper shredder?! Is it really worth the $20 you’re about to pay? LOL!As much as I’d love to do this, I really don’t have the patience or time to be standing out in the cold all night. But, then I miss all the great deals.

I love this new site http://www.blackfridayscans.com/ . They have done all of the work for me. I can get all my favorite stores’ ads before the newspaper comes out and have them emailed to my inbox when they are posted! It’s so cool! Now I can find out way ahead of time, what I’m going to be running out for. This would have come in handy last year…Yes-Yes had to have his Wii and I never knew what games were going to be on sale. Ugh, boys and their video games. Just wait until his little sister figures this Christmas thing out. I think she’ll be even more excited when she realizes her birthday is only 2 weeks away. LOL!

Leaping Lizards

I was outside today, in our backyard, and heard some rustling coming from within my strawberry patch. Needless to say, it was not an expected noise. Here in the bay area flats, we don't have a whole mess of little critters running about. Just a normal selection of birds and squirrels. I looked at the strawberry plants in wonder and with the blink of an eye, saw something shoot out of there toward our fence. Was it a mouse? Nah, they don't go that fast. Hmmm. Later on, I was out again. This time I heard it come from my beans. All of a sudden, there he was. A lizard. Around here, there really isn't enough wild left to have lizards, so I was definitely surprised. I couldn't tell what kind it was, since I couldn't get close enough before he skittered away. I'm glad it's a lizard and not something else...he's taking care of my bug problems and not eating my garden (which I've had to worry about a lot this year). He's even kinda cute. LOL!

I Found A Great Service!

During my search for wahm jobs, I came across this site. They weren't offering jobs but a great legal service!

Did you know that you could have all of your court transcriptions done for you in different formats? You can even get it in a podcast! How cool is that?! I’m a visual person and things retain in my memory more easily if I see what’s going on while I’m listening. But, a lot of things go right over my head and I need to have it said again. I definitely wouldn’t miss anything this way.

That happened to one of my friends. She went to jury duty and was selected for the jury. She has a really bad memory and had to read over the transcriptions over and over again. Even after all of that, she had to record it all into her audio recorder and play it back to herself in order to understand what was going on. She did take notes but she had missed some things too. Could you imagine what her face looked like when I told her that she could have sent in the transcript and had it all done for her within hours? LOL!

In California, it is not the same as ny court reporting but I could use it. I hate when I have to go to jury duty. I know that I will have to rely heavily on the court reporter to accurately transcribe everything. I think I’ll call next time since I can schedule Court Reporters in less than 48 hours notice by calling (800) 960-1861. Then I can get it all done in a podcast, or look through their online document/transcription repository since it is open 24/7. They have very helpful customer service to help guide you too. I know what to do next time. :o)

Link Love...

This is a shout to all my blogging buddies. Can you believe that none of us knew anything about blogging? I don't think you'd know that from the looks of our blogs. We all love what we are doing and I hope that you will stop by and check out a few, if not all of them. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks you guys for all your support!

World of Mom
Drizzly Blog
WICBlog
Green 'n' Pink
Reading Writing and Reloading
Feelings Just Are
Not Just In Your Head
Kateedyd What?!
Mommie’s Marbles
Confetti by: Kateedyd
Pure Jade Home
Luxury Lifestylez
The Fuzzbutt Files
Kimmi's Krazy World
My Weekly Beef
My First Steps With Jesus
Good News
I Love my 3 Boys
Secola‘s Space
Left Hand in Right Mind
Thrifty Momma Ramblings
Tupperware
My So Called Blog
A Hunter's Wife
Candle At Both Ends
Remotely Mommy
Vibrant Healthy U
Nursing Home or Home?
The Art Of Criticism
World of Homemaking
Mix World
Have Your Health
Money Relations
A Christian Marriage
That‘s What I am Talking About
Spiritually Grounded Mind
A Break From Parenting
Florida Travel Spots
All in a blog
Blog About it
Different World
I feel like a woman
Easing Chronic Pain
Momas Life
Bahama Berry
Wah and Loving it
My Big Fat Battle
Liz’s So Called Blog
Secret Thoughts and More
Kathleens Brand Buzz
The 40 Life
Photos for the Fun of it
The Geeks Girl
NES Nintendo
The Mighty Scribbler
Domesticated Diva
A little bit About Nothin
The Cajun Blogger
Wahm Adventures
House of Bargains
Coodas Corner
My-Junk-Drawer
Fat Girl Goes Fit
Mommy Mias World
Thrifty Thoughts
Godly Woman
My Special Place
Work from Home Options
The work from home blog
Women Of Faith
Cypress TX Mom
Momas Life
Success Factors
Savvy Business Moms
Here On Columbia Avenue
Da Boss And Bryguy
4 Cats Make Me Crazy!
It's Just My Thoughts
Making MY American Dream
House Wife Wom
Baby Luvin
Saving With Tracy
Mom Tidings
Candle At Both Ends
Raising a Girl

We're Getting the Car Fixed!

Whoo Hoo! We just found an auto body repair place that would do our car for really cheap! I’m so happy…now we won’t be riding around in a messed up car. Ugh, it’s been so ugly for so long with all the body work that needs to be done. Hopefully we can have it done soon…it’s so embarrassing. LOL!

Talk About Insomnia!

Wow. I finally have gotten some sleep. Can you believe that I was up for over 25 hours yesterday? Holy Crap! I don't think I've ever stayed up that long...you'd think I was on something. LOL!

I have always been like this. Even when I was little, I just couldn't ever sleep. *sigh* I've tried everything...teas, a good routine, not getting into bed before I know I can sleep, warm milk, reading, meds....nothing. Actually, I remember being in high school and trying to read Catcher in the Rye...that put me to sleep. It didn't matter where I was or how I was positioned...I'd pass out! You can assume I failed that section of class. My bff always tells me that I should get a copy of it for emergancies. LOL!

Ever since No-No came along, I have not had ANY time to do anything at all while she's awake. She's SO high maintenance. And what was I doing that whole time? Cleaning, blogging, eating, blogging, baby, blogging, fixing my EC problems, blogging, talking on the phone for hours, and more blogging. Can we say addicted?

Since I've started my series of blogs, I have been on the computer non-stop all day long. So much for trying to lose any of this baby weight. LOL!

I Love T-Shirts!

Did I ever mention that I love my t-shirts? I’m always looking for all kinds that are more unique. I hate being like everyone else. The thing is, I have such a hard time finding just the right one. There’s always something I don’t like about the design on them. It’s too big, too small, the color is wrong here or there…I think I’m too picky. LOL! Anyway, I just found this really cool site that lets you make your own custom shirts. It’s so cool! There are tons of things to choose from. I can’t wait to get started and finally have shirts I like. LOL!

My New Sanrio Fav

I'm sure everyone has had their fix of Sanrio's Hello Kitty at some point in time. I sure did. I had tons and tons of stuff. As I got older, I really liked some of the other characters that ended up being less popular and eventually extinct. I still look to see if I can find Kimi Kameleen stuff. She was the cutest turtle thing I had ever seen.My latest fav is Kuromi. She's this cute little gothic version of My Melody. She totally reminds me of No-No with her sweet but devilish smile. I already have a bunch of items with her on them and No-No has her stuffed animal. I really hope this one doesn't go away any time soon.

Finding a Fix-It Shop

Dh's car has always been a mess. There's tons of dents, dings, and other things. Hey, that rhymed! LOL! We thought of taking it to a local shop but didn't know where to take it. There's so many and you never know how good they are. I found this great site that has a great auto body repair network. They really helped us figure out where to go.

Entrecard Droppers...Sorry!

I want to post an apology to all of my fellow EC droppers.

I have been having trouble with some of my linked blogs and can't pass security for some reason.

I have brought this to their attention twice so far.

Since this has been going on, I cannot drop back or drop at all! I am really sorry and will definitely get you back once this is all fixed.

My Discovery of Celle.com

I just came across this article in CNNMoney and found it to be absolutely fascinating! Did you know that women have stem cells that they ‘throw away’ each month? Yeah, there are stem cells in your menstrual blood that can be an important part of treatment with such diseases as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Who knew? I didn’t. I guess I may have been a bit naive. LOL!

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

So I visited C'elle's website and they have tons of great information including customer testimonials. Being someone that was told they had a cervical pre-cancer, or dysphasia, and a grandmother with Alzheimer’s, I am all for this! It totally freaked me out when I was told and I think I’d be more comfortable holding onto something that may treat or possibly cure something I’m facing in the future.

Crazy Cops #2 - Knock-Knock

This one is not quite crazy, per say, but it had me cracking up. Talk about needing a work out. Check it out!

$ Easy Money! $

This is a special offer to all of my readers. At the end of my posts, you will see a link to get paid to review my post! That's right! You get money to post a review of my post. No catch I swear!

Try it out and let me know what you think. ;o)

EDIT: Please let me know if you review my post by leaving a comment...I'd be happy to visit you too.

Ask the Question Already!

This may sound like I want someone to "pop the question", right? So wrong. LOL! This little tidbit is about the lack of 'actively living' your own life.

Sometimes I marvel at how people can not be 'living' their own lives, then complain about the lack of control that they have over it. More than often it frustrates me. I'm definitely not perfect but I do take a high interest in the things and choices that I make, on any level, in my life. It is then, that I can be my own 'judge' and say whether or not that was a smart move on my part. Not only this, but I want to be informed of the choices that I make...don't you?

For example, take this couple I know. They are almost sixty and don't ask questions about things they should know. They think they are asking questions but more often they are so generalized that it comes out to be something like; "What should we know about this?". Come on now, that's not an active question. It's quite incredible that they never learned to research the questions they need to ask all their lives. Because of this lack of intelligence, they make uninformed decisions and waste a ton of money because "they didn't know". Well, who is it that's gonna tell you if you don't ask? Just today, after a huge struggle with figuring out which bills to pay, because of a lack of funds, they realized (after I butted in with a full explanation) that they have been paying for MSN service that they haven't had in a year! Can you believe it?! Almost $20.00 a month has been going into MSN's pockets for a year because they are too stupid to ask what will happen to their email address if they cancel it. Uh, nothing! They thought they were paying for the free email address! LOL! Oh, Lord! *sigh* You see what I'm saying? Give me a break.

This has made me realize that there are never too many questions in this big world of ours...and asking is the only way to protect yourself. Please, ask questions! Only you are your own expert.

Cordon Bleu Meets CIA

Cordon Bleu Meets CIA

Ah, the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America, famous for pumping out some of the top chefs in the country. Unfortunately we are not talking about a banquet of luxurious food. Think more along the lines of CIA…Central Intelligence Agency. That's right. It was reported yesterday that all the names, documents, and paper work of all 24,000+ spies forming one of the country's first centralized intelligence efforts during WWII are been released to the public. Among those named are Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg, and the famous chef Julia Child.

They were all a part of and international spy ring called the OSS, or Office of Strategic Services, an early division of the CIA. President Franklin Roosevelt created this secret in response to the uprising of Nazi Germany. There are over 750,000 pages of documents relating to this country secret that are now available to the public.

This is a fascinating part of our country's history. I'm so glad they have finally opened it up. So many people took part in developing important parts of our infrastructure but were never recognized for their efforts. I'm certain the reason why this is all finally coming out is because so many of them have passed on. So many great chefs had based their career success on if they met or cooked with Julia Child. She is a legend of epic proportions. Now I wonder...was she really that quirky or just playing along? Did she ever get a chance to be herself? What was she really like?

Dr. Who?!

I was sitting around today and something totally random popped into my head and it amused me for a minute...

My BFF is finishing her master's soon and is on her way to PhD. She had dated this guy with the last name of Soos. Now, can you believe that it took me forever to realize that had she married this guy, her name very well could have been Dr. Soos?! Hahahaha! I thought that was probably the funniest thing I had ever thought of. I still laugh hysterically when I think about it! I still can't believe I didn't get it right away. LOL!

(Sorry if you read this BFF....I had to. It's too funny!)

Here We Go!

I've been tagged! Okay, I have never done this and didn't even know what this was until a week a go. LOL!

From what I gathered, a meme is a viral thingy that evolves over time and people (like a virus). But most people (bloggers) use it like a game of grown-up tag.

Secola over at Secola's Space was kind enough to put me on her first "Secola's six" so, the best I can do is pass it along. Most likely to unsuspecting newbies such as myself. LOL!

Here's the name of the game...

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger (who tagged you) know when your post is up.

Hmm...six things about me (that I'm sure you really want to know, lol)

1. I'm a natural born domestic (think Martha-but not freaky perfectionist)

2. I don't actually like kids (despite the fact that I sold shoes to them for years and have 2 of my own,lol)

3. I'm the world's biggest procrastinator (can't believe I'm getting this up right away!)

4. I loved P.E. in middle school (beat all the guys at sit-ups during our fitness testing)

5. I wish I still loved P.E. LOL!

6. Currently I have been awake for about 22 hours. (No, I don't sleep. I'm a huge insomniac. Good thing I don't drive! Oops! There's another one.)

And the lucky tagees are...

My So Called Blog

World of Homemaking

Life of Lelelumz

The Sophisticated Life of a Hunter's Wife

My Big Fat Battle

The Healthy Mom

Well, there it is. Hope everyone pays a visit to these guys...we are all working our butts off, so a little appreciation goes a long way. LOL!

Prayers for a Mommy

I was just 'dropping' my cards for the night on entrecard and I stopped by one of my favorite blogs, Daisy the Curly Cat and saw a post pertaining to the loss of a somebody. I thought I was reading wrong but sadly I wasn't. A mommy blogger has lost her baby this weekend.

Baby "Sprout" had a terrible fall on Saturday and did not recover. She passed away on Sunday in her mother's arms. Please stop by and offer some comforting words to Tracey, who has just lost her dear Violette Noelle at Survival of the Furriest and her Godmother Lynne at Darling Millie. Currently, donations are being raised to fly Lynne out for the funeral. If you happen to have anything at all to spare, I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated.

I know we mothers fear this kind of reality all the time, whether we address it or not. I know that I can let it get to me if I think about it too much. My heart is so heavy right now. I do not know Tracey, having just found her blog, but as a mother with a baby girl, I can't help but cry. As a mother who has had a miscarriage, I can only begin to feel the pain she must be feeling.

Crazy Cops - Cops Gone Wild

(image courtesy of The Implied Observer)

Since Mondays are usually the craziest day of the week, I thought I'd make this a regular topic. I love dumb criminals (another topic for another day-coming soon) but crazy cops are just as amusing! Who doesn't need a laugh on Monday?

CHICAGO - A Chicago police officer has been suspended for 15 months for demanding free coffee and baked goods from six different Starbucks.

Officer Barbara Nevers, a 14-year veteran, has also been ordered to undergo counseling.

The Police Board ruled in May that 55-year-old Nevers intimidated Starbucks employees by screaming at them and flashing her badge, handcuffs or gun when they wanted her to pay. The board released its findings Thursday.

Nevers' attorney says her client never used her job to demand coffee. She says some coffeehouses gave it to her for free because she was an officer.

Short 'N Sweet

I really wasn't going to write about this but I figured a short one won't hurt.

Is it just me or does it seem like all 'the great ones' are dying? So far this year we have lost Charlton Heston, Estelle Getty, George Carlin, Randy Pausch, just to name a few. And in the last TWO days two more are gone; Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes. Really, I can't believe what's going on. So much for the 'curse of threes', where celebrities die in sets of three (usually with a large gap in between). I feel like it is the loss of an era happening in fast forward.

I'll miss all of these people and pray we don't lose any more too soon.

Other celebrities who have passed on in 2008

Ready...Go!

(Image courtesy of www.en.beijing2008.cn)

I just love the Olympics! I wait and wait like it's going out of style. LOL!

Okay, so we've had a ton of controversy over the location...but politics are never left out of this event. So, yeah China sucks and treats their people like you know what. Yeah, they are a bunch of freaky communists. Yeah, we want a free Tibet. But...being that this is an international sporting event, it's only fair that they have a go at hosting it. I know, no one really was thrilled about going over there and supporting their economy. I get that. I just don't think that matters much when the world really needs to try to come together for a short moment. Isn't that important too? Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of issues with this but I choose to let it go for 2 weeks and try to enjoy cheering on the home team.

I watched most of the opening ceremonies tonight. Normally I'd watch the whole thing in great anticipation. I ended up getting a little freaked out at watching the, most of the time, 2,008 performers on the stage moving in unison. I did love the symbolism and the choreography but I just started to envision Nazi Germany and had to leave after a while. I do applaud them though. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I saw them doing and being that the "theme" is all about children, who doesn't love that?

I'm a fifth generation Chinese-American. In other words, I know next to nothing about my culture. lol We've been here too long. I have a general family history of my grandmother's side, which came here from Hong Kong. My great-grandfather (her father) was a film maker and made pictures there and then here. They had moved back to Hong Kong and come out here for a visit and for him to make a film (or something) because family was already established in San Francisco, with every intention of returning. Then WWII (I think) started and they got stuck out here. So, he opened a movie theater in Chinatown and the rest is history. My grandma still recalls having to leave everything behind including their cat, who's name I think was "Fluffy" or maybe it was just a white fluffy cat...can't remember. In short, I've always heard stories of the oppression that 'the people' were (and are still) under and the terrible conditions that they lived in. My grandma always would say how lucky they were because of her father's status. Since he had more money, they had a maid and a few other luxuries that no one else had. BTW: Family legend says that he discovered Bruce Lee before anyone else did...unfortunately, I don't have proof of this. :o( Back on subject, I am really just an American with American views. Even though my "roots" are there, they really started here for me. I do care about people in general but certainly not the whacked out leaders that brainwash their people. And sometimes, I'm not sure how to feel about being Chinese because I don't identify with it too much.

Okay, let's get on with it. I can't wait for all of the events to really gear up! I love them all but you can bet I'll be screaming my lungs out during men's swimming and female beach volleyball. I can't wait to see how many records Michael Phelps breaks and jump up and down watching Kerri Walsh and Misty May! Whoo Hoo!!!

My Annual Island Fix

Bad pic! Can we say 'self taken'? LOL!

Since we don't have enough money to visit the islands every year, we take a family outing to the Annual Aloha Festival hosted by the PICA at San Francisco's Presidio. This year was the 14th year! We love this and are there every year. The food is always 'ono' (where else could you get a fresh malasada?), the music is fantastic, and the shopping is choice. We always love watching the local and not-so-local halaus doing what they do best. The weather, as usual, was foggy since we were by the beach but it was warm enough that it didn't drizzle like last year.

No-No took a minute to warm up to the noise and masses of people but soon made herself right at home. She flirted with the lady next-door and made herself the center of conversation as usual as we ran into family friends. She's such a "ham". Yes-Yes got to visit his favorite vendor, a man that carves and sells beautiful pendants and other things out of wood and bone including mammoth tusk! I, as usual, bought my share of Kelly's Kookies and said hello to Gwen, of Classic Hawaiian Designs, where I buy all of my jewelry. No money this year though.

The only downfall to today was our own Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu of the Academy of Hawaiian Arts, who was missing from the performances. For those of you not familiar with him, you may be surprised that you might recognize him from the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch. He became the ever famous voice of Hawaii as he wrote and preformed "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" with Allen Silvestri, along with "He Mele No Lilo". I absolutely love his music and choreography and is always the fantastic finish to this wonderful gathering. We missed him so much that even DH, who's not as excited to go as I am, said that it didn't feel right without him there.
We missed you Mark!

Watch Mark carve a beautiful Hawaiian drum on You-tube (he is hilarious!) or watch his halau's performance at the Merrie Monarch Festeval '07, last year, which carries the same energy as we love him for.

Which One Do I Buy?

Cosmetics are such a universal thing for most women. Changing it with our many moods and phases...it's kind of like the moon. LOL! There are also those fond memories of playing with your mother's, whether allowed or not. But now, you find yourself reaching for it everyday as you "put your face on". It can be fun or it can be a task. Either way...

Have you ever found yourself staring at all the cosmetics at the drug store or department store? I do. I look around at all the items and start to get dizzy. With so many brands and products how do you know which ones to buy? What company is best for which product?

Sure, you could ask the girl behind the counter but how much does she really know? Since she's paid on commission, is she going to be honest? Will she offer you a product from another brand because it's suited more for you? Not likely. If she does, you've found one heck of a sales person and you don't want to lose her. I've been through so many people it's not funny. And I still have yet to be fitted to the right products.

Being at the drug store is like 10 times worse. No one to ask and only pictures to look at. I don't know how many hours I've spent trying to read the print on the backs of the packaging, skipping past all of the repetitive generic parts. Just about everything says hypo-allergenic on it but is it really? Will it really stay on my face? Is that color right for me?

Ah, so many questions. I have figured out a few things though. I cannot wear any mascara that is not made by Almay. All the magazines swear by Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara, so I bought one. Bad idea. I used it before going to work, like normal, and the stuff gave off fumes and it went into my eyes and I had to redo my make-up all over again. Also, there are certain companies that specialize in certain products. My mom came across an article once saying that each brand is known to have one item that is better than the other brand's. I can't find it right now but I do know that Estee Lauder is fragrance, Lancome is eye shadow, and Clinique is skin care. I have to find that article and will post it here once I do. This would help with the confusion a lot. Also, I know that there are larger companies that sell drug store lines. I can't remember those either but I know L'Oreal is a better known in drug stores but is a huge company which owns such lines as Lancome, Redken, and Maybelline. Will be back with this information as well.

So, I'd like to know...what do you put on your face?