Give Me Five Monday Meme #7

Monday, December 31, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.
Sign up for weekly reminder emails @ beccagirl@charter.net


Give Me Five ideas for kicking off your new year whether that be party suggestions or weight loss ideas or simply goals you have or crafty ideas you have been thinking about starting, the sky is the limit on this one!

No, I won't be talking about changing your cufflinks, but I will make some suggestions for giving your house or office a face lift for the new year!

1. Rearrange your furniture. It's the simplest way to get out of the same-old same-old slump that can actually be quite depressing! Just think outside of the box and with a little planning, you will have a new furniture lay out in no time flat! Don't be afraid to experiment! Grab that chair from the corner it has lived in since you brought it into the room and pull that out away from the wall! Forget all those old cliches' about the furniture has to be up against the walls or in a specific arrangement focusing on the tv. It's your house, you might just like it! And buddy up! It's easiest to have a friend help you do the actual moving of the furniture. You will be so happy just moving a pieces of furniture around, even if you simply trade the sofa and love seat positions!

2. Another great idea for refreshing your spaces is to simply rearrange your chotchkies! Go into a room that needs a face lift, and take down all the sit-a-rounds, picture frames, books, vases...you get the picture here. Take them all down and spread them out on the kitchen table. Then 1 by 1, take a piece back into the room and put it somewhere else than where it was before. I think you will be amazed by the results!

3. How long has it been since you updated family photos or simply rearranged the order they hang on the 'family photo' wall that every family seems to have and should have, I might add. You can do wonders by just taking those photos down and adding new ones in or arranging them by family member's age.

4. Another great idea is painting an accent wall. If you don't have much money, don't fret! You can pick up a can of 'Oopsie' paint at your local hardware store for like $5 a gallon! Oopsie paint is when someone orders a color to be mixed and it doesn't come out to their liking...the hardware store sells these cans of perfectly good paint very inexpensively and they will even shake the can again for you before taking it home. But I do suggest revisiting this aisle often as the selection of random 'oopsies' can vary from day to day. Another option for this is to ask for left over paint from a friend's project! Chances are they will give you the paint and you can make use of the leftovers to create an accent for your home!

5. To update your kitchen, clean out that pantry! That's right...what better way to kick off your new year than to get out all those old what-nots that have been plaguing your healthy eating. I'm not saying throw away your food here....I'm merely suggesting a reorganization to bring to the front all the unhealthy snacks lurking in the darkness of temptation in the back reaches of your snack shelf! Get those snacks out to the front...finish them off first and then replace them with healthier snacks! Besides, isn't it time to check for expiration dates on some of those things?

All of these suggestions range from subtle to major but they are all basically free and not really all that time consuming, if you think about it. You will be so surprised what a different feeling a few changes can make to your home or office spaces. This is where we spend the most amount of time, don't let it get you in a slump! Try any combination of these to kick off your new year in a new mood! Happy New Year!!!

Give Me Five Participants

1. Comedy Plus

2. Serena

3. maryt/theteach

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2008 is going to be great!

I have so many things to look forward to in 2008! I have many goals and am going to be refocusing my attentions back towards myself and what I need to get done. I have neglected certain parts of my life for a very long time now and have decided that I am going to make some changes to kick off my future!

I am not going to make any 'New Year's resolutions' per se because I find those to be extremely disappointing and frustrating. I don't want to set myself up for failure, after all, some of these changes are going to be in effect for longer than just the year of 2008. So without further adue, here are some of the things I'll be cooking up for the next step of my life:

• A new part time business opportunity to earn extra income.
• A new baby on the way (no, not mine, my cousin's) who is due in June.
• A rekindled interest in keeping my house clean and organized.
• More reading and studying, less TV.
• More activity and exercise, less bad food choices.
• Pay off my new tires.
• Pay off atleast 1 credit card.
• Spend more time with family than I do now. I see friends more often than family!
• Accomplish more while I'm at work.
• More writing.
• Explore a new opportunity to contribute to a woman's conference for women in transition.

This is just a few of the things I'm considering for change in 2008. It's time for a change...I can feel it!

Well, well, well...

Lot's to ponder today. No, not like how to fit mover NYC into a post, but things like "Why does my header work one day and then not the next?" I'm also pondering the Blog365 challenge for 2008. I know it doesn't seem like a difficult thing to do, but I'm thinking ahead here to the busiest times of the year for me.

Like tax season. There are days I may not be able to post and if you mess up once, frrrrrt! You've ruined everything for the whole year! I know some bloggers can actually do posts ahead of time and then have them scheduled to appear, but with blogger, you can't do that.

I participated in the NaBloPoMo in November and had a couple of VERY close calls with the midnight deadline...I didn't like stressing about it...but I've been wanting to write more regularly too, so I'm not sure if I will join the Blog365 or not. I know we can post videos and such too, but even that takes time to find one and get it posted. We'll see I guess!

Stop making me fatter!

People of the world, at this time of year it is nice to be remembered with home made treats and confections. A few of our clients here at the office have graciously stopped by with trays and baskets of all sorts of holiday yummies! While they are all wonderful and sweet, they are causing me to gain undesired amounts of weight!

Stop. It. Now.

Seriously, just give me an ipod chock full of yummy tunes! At least I could be entertained while I'm walking all those extra miles on my treadmill trying to reverse the effects of holiday snacking. :)

Long lost post

Well, you may have thought I was somewhere in drug rehabilitation like Britney you-know-who should be because I haven't posted in almost a week! Well, I assure you, I have no need for that, it's just been one of those things. I have been frustrated about my header and not knowing how to fix it for the past week and a half. The most frustrating part for me was spending aaaaaaaaallllllllll this time constructing it and adding the wording and getting a great background to match it and all that, just to have it ruined and I am now unable to share with my readers, my Christmas banner that I made! Grrr.

To my knowlege, there still isn't any kind of fix for the issue, I keep visiting boards and people say they will help me, but it's been a week and a half and no one has actually came through with a solution. If you have experienced this issue and know of a fix, please let me know! All the boards I've been reading say to find "header-inner" and "header-wrapper" and fix the dimentions on there, but I do not have either one of those in my html! So now what?

I plan to make some changes in the near future, probably to coicide with the upcoming new year, to make this blog more about me, and my thoughts and my writings and such. I don't care too much for all the different meme's I've been doing and when I look back at my blog, that's about all I can see lately. I didn't even do my own 'Give Me Five' meme this past Monday. I think that it mostly bothered me because none of my readers even noticed or commented or anything. So really, it's not a big deal. I'll just start again next week.

For now, I want to share with you something I wrote to a friend about some issues they are having with a friend and potentially in the throws of breaking up a long friendship. Obviously I have changed the names, for my protection LOL I am putting this here just in case someone out there is going through something similar and my words can be encouragement to move on or find clarity.

You know, X doesn't seem to be in a reasoning mood right now. If she didn't pay to have the coat cleaned, she's not going to even entertain the idea of the duckie stuff. She might actually turn it around and how dare you when you did blah blah whatever and figure out some way you owe her! She might not ever see things from the other side, that's her problem. She just has to learn that other people don't share her single sided view of the world. It's a small price to pay for a big lesson learned, I guess. At this point, you might as well cut your losses and just try to separate with the least amount of collateral damage as possible. Nothing will ever or could ever give you back the years of service and dedication and loyalty you put into your relationship. I'd sure hate to think that everything crumbled because of one comment from you. There has to be a whole lot more going on here, you just gave her the out she was searching for, it seems. I've seen her do that, be on the way out with someone and then the first little thing, she's ceasing the opportunity to take the victim role. Like with M, "She never called me back". Boo. Hoo. 6 years wasted. There was so much more going on than 'she never called me back'. We all suffered for that one.

I surely hope she can find a way in her life to stop thriving on the drama and all the attention ploys and feeling the need to contrive and belittle and control everything around her. If she keeps doing that, she's someday going to realize all she has around her are lies and fakeness. No one wants to be controlled like that or talked down to. X has soooo much potential of being this awesome friend and person to be around. It's all lost when she begins to twist and dig and self center everything. What will she do when she realizes the world doesn't revolve around her likes and whims? She has been catered to and spoiled for so long, her sense of entitlement has reached a soaring new height. No one on earth owes her anything. I can't spend my life being caught up in all that. I have a life of my own to answer for. A future to build with God as my focus and the eternal life to come has to be my priority! I can't be bothered with all this high school senseless and fruitless drama. We are supposed to be living purposeful lives to be more like Christ! Frankly I don't see how any of this bickering and not getting along and petty squabbles over who said and did and all that is furthering the glory of God!?!? As a matter of fact, it's going full steam ahead in the opposite direction taking down the witness to onlookers who would rather get along just fine without their Christian friends and all the dumb drama that goes along with it.

I think you have enough going on, that you should try to declutter your plate a little. You have a full and happy life and have so much to look forward to and things to keep you busy! It's great, God has blessed you in so many ways. I'm sorry you are having so many physical issues right now, but I just know in my heart that de-stressing will help you feel better physically too. I hope the doctor can get some relief to you too. Let me know what you decide to do about the X stuff. If I were you, definitely don't do any of this stuff in front of other people like at that thing on Sat. Even though you know they aren't that happy with her or her kids, don't put them in the position of taking a side and standing up with you against her. Remember, not many people have the balls to stand up to her and the whole thing might backfire. Just cut your losses. Sometimes life isn't fair, but you have to let God be the judge and jury on that and He *will* do that thing He does! :) We have to give Him room to opperate!!!!
Love,
Me

Enjoy!

I think we can all relate to this on some minor level. Enjoy!!

An apology...

To all of my regular visitors and faithful readers...I owe you an apology. I have not been quite up to posting for the past couple of weeks with the exception of a couple of memes and in turn my blog appears as a sad abandoned afterthought!

I finished the NaBloPoMo challenge of 'once per day, every day of the month' of November and just kinda took a break from posting. My friend mentioned a similar challenge on a much grander scale. A couple of bloggers are talking about starting a challenge to post once per day everyday of 2008!!!

I'm not too sure I would be able to keep up with that, especially considering tax season! Sometimes I have a bunch to talk about and sometimes I don't. I mean, I could make things up to talk about, like diamond pendants or something, but I don't think that would impress readers and make them want to stop back by. Really, I don't think I would be able to keep it up without altering some posts dates and such, and that would be cheating, so forget that!!! Oh well, I promise to be back to making regular posts real soon...lots going on right now!

Give Me Five Monday Meme #6

Monday, December 10, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.
Sign up for weekly reminder emails @ beccagirl@charter.net

Give Me Five things about Christmas/Holiday cards: buying them, getting them ready, sending them, receiving them, displaying them, tips for recycling them, getting/sending 'family newsletters', traditions, pictures, etc.

1. This year I have taken a new approach to sending my cards. I saved the cards I received last year and am 'reduce, reuse & recycling' them into new cards with my scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies and sending them back to the people who sent them to me! I figure if it was good enough to send out last year, it's good enough to get, right? Also, the cards are much nicer as handmade, people really like that you put effort into something for them. Also, my mom and I have a bet going to see how many people actually recognize their cards coming back to them! (for more tips on how to do this, I will be posting about that soon, along with illustrations!)

2. I love getting cards, some of them are really beautiful! Some of them make me wonder what the person was thinking exactly when they chose this card over other ones at the store! I also love all the color they bring to the house and watching to see if I get 2 alike!

3. I dislike waiting in line for stamps and/or to mail them off...this time of year is horrible for dealing with the post office, yucko!

4. When I buy cards, because let's face it, you always send more than you get to recycle! When I buy them, I try to buy them on the after Christmas clearance sale, the day after the holiday. Sure, there is a lot of craziness on that day, but it's all worth it to get a box of cards for 75% off! Hellooooooo!!

5. My mom sends out a newsletter every year in her Christmas cards. Even though we are grown now, my brother and I always get a mention, it's usually a brief 1 or 2 line entry that sums up our year. This year I was able to mention my trip to England and Italy in September. For me, it's usually some kind of trip or that I moved :) I know some people who strongly dislike the 'family newsletter'. One friend in particular mentioned that if people aren't close enough to you to already know what your family did that year, chances are they don't care to know. Well, I see your point, but I must admit that I tend to agree more with my mom's idea behind sending out her letter, which is that not everyone she sends a card and letter too are Christians and she wants everyone to know that even if you are an old Christian lady, your life can be filled to the brim with all sorts of fun stuff! So many people think being a Christian means you have to not do this and not do that and not have any fun, well, my mom is here to show, that's not true at all!!! I like her thinking there...if I ever have a family, I will also create a family newsletter and that friend can just throw it away. Of course, I hope we will all still be friends then and they will know already what we did that year, because they did it too! :)

Give a gift that gives to others!

There are many ways to give at this time of year. Working for an accounting firm, I can tell you that there are a lot of people and businesses trying to finalize their contributions before the end of the year for tax reporting purposes. That's great but maybe it's time to look beyond your cash assets and give in other ways. Perhaps car donations!

These days, you can give an old or unused car, boat, trailer, RV...you get the picture. If you have ever considered this kind of donation, may I suggest Car Angel? They are a non profit company that uses the donated vehicles and such to make videos for kids and teens! Here's one of their videos to give you an idea of the message they are trying to further:



It's so cute!!! Car Angel Ministries uses these videos and other literatures to help single mothers, homeless people, teen and adult rehab situations, food distribution and help to orphans as well as prison reform programs. They offer fast and free nation wide pick up of your donated vehicle and will give you all the documentation needed for the IRS requirements on you tax return deduction, if your tax situation enables you to itemize your deductions. So help them, help others!

Wine about this!

It has been a couple of months now, since my big trip to England and Italy. I must say, I haven't enjoyed a glass of wine since my time in Tuscany! Oh the meals of splendor and succulence! My mouth may never be the same! But I digress.

Recently I had the pleasure of receiving this fine gift:

The package was well padded and inside I found a beautifully wrapped bottle of 2005 Belvedere Chardonnay complete with a bow! Alongside I also discovered a 2004 bottle of Bradford Mountain Zinfandel, also finished with a bow, perfectly presented as a wrapped gift in Gold Medal tissue papers. The package also included a number of other accoutrement. I found a gift card with my name printed on it! I also found a special holiday gift guide explaining all the different wine of the month options they offer as well as explanations about the gift memberships.

Included in my box was a copy of the latest addition of The Wine Press, the Gold Medal Wine Club Newsletter Vol. 17 No. 9. I read through it with much delight. It was full of commentary, photos of the vineyards and fun facts, there was even a funny little cartoon to entertain me! The newsletter contained an article about the 2 yummy wines I received giving information even down to the fruits invloved in it's making, awards they have been recognized for and what to pair them best with, just to name a few details! I was particularly fond of the 'Food for Thought' page which offered up recipes too! What a great idea for a gift for yourself or any other wine lover on your list this year!

Give Me Five Monday Meme #5

Monday December 3, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.
Sign up for weekly reminder emails @ beccagirl@charter.net

Give Me Five things you like and/or dislike about Christmas trees (putting them up or fond memories, favorite ornaments or tree toppers, etc.)

1. I always loved putting up the Christmas tree when I was growing up. My mom taught me how to separate all the different limbs by size and how they went on the tree. She always taught me how to do the garland and lights and the angel on top. But then there was a time when my mom stopped putting up the tree and I couldn't stand for that. So I began to put it up on my own. I really enjoyed it.

(Just and example!)

2. I can still remember the smell of the old ornaments. My mom rarely got any new ones and the old ones were well worn. But the smell...that musty, been-in-the-basement-for-years smell was like no other. My favorite ornaments were ones that we made like the paper santa hat with dangling eye balls. My mom had this beautiful angel that lit up, I can still remember how she held a light in each hand like candles and there were lights under her dress.

3. I love the look of a tree with lots of tiny lights all over it! I have a 6 1/2' pre-lit tree with clear lights on it. Sometimes I like to just turn the tree on and turn out all the other lights in the house and watch it spin around and around (yes, the whole tree turns around and around). All of my ornaments for my tree are silver, white, iridescent or clear so everything shines and sparkles!

4. I dislike taking down the tree. It's no fun and that means I can't see it again for another year! :-(

5. I love it when people put their decorated trees in front of a window so we can see them all lit up as we drive down the streets! I also love it when people decorate the trees outside in the yards, if they have them!

Give Me Five Participants

1. Deb - Mom of 3 Girls 2. Queen-size funny bone 3. Mom Knows Everything 4. Comedy Plus

5. Kwizgiver 6. Mama Pajama 7. Misty Dawn 8. Cat.

9. PhoenixTheBloggingMama 10. Tina Kubala 11. Skittles

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Friday's Feast #170

Appetizer
What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?
I love roller coasters of most any kinds!


Soup
How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?
I sprout wings and fly off to never-never land...was that out loud? Just kidding, I don't usually have those type of awkward situations, I try to relate to every person individually. Most of the time, all you have to do is ask something about them and then listen! Besides, the Christ in me drives me to commune with everyone!


Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?
I'd say about a 10 if I am interested in the topic! I'm a very opinionated person, so any time I have a chance, I like to trade thoughts with others, even the deep ones!!


Main Course
Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?
I did not, but I'm not usually a very sick person either. I'm all good!


Dessert
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?
Too many to count...seriously. Although I could really use a tv lift in my bedroom to make it less of a strain on my neck! LOL

Hip-hip, Hooray!!!

Bring out the salt shakers - or um, I mean, bring out the noise makers!!! It's the last day of the month of November and that means it's the last day of NaBloPoMo!!!

It has been fairly easy, with the exception of a couple of days. I was even out of town for a couple of days but was able to post the morning I left and the night I came back, so still well within the qualifying time frame.

I offered a prize, a six month wood level membership to GoldToken.com too! I think they will be drawing winners this week and varifying the blog posts to make sure they posted at least once per day, every day of this month. I hope I win something, the prizes sound great!!! I'd even like to win the prize I'm offering! LOL

I hate my home computer....

...making me sweat bullets. I was too busy today to post and then after getting home, I forgot to post which lead to an all out scurry to get a post up for today! I had 10 minutes before midnight to go, and my computer takes so long to boot up, I'm all out of time! GRrrrrrr.....but I did it! So take that NaBloPoMo! Woo!!!

Busy time of year: a reminder

This is a busy time of year for everyone. What with all the parties and family gatherings and shopping and food preparations, it's no wonder we keep 1/2 our sanity during these couple of months!

This post is just a reminder to make the time to reflect on the reasons why we go out of our way to celebrate this time of year. For me, it's all about the birth of Jesus!

So atleast once a week (or as needed) I like to take a few minutes and ponder this. Maybe I read Luke 2 or watch 'The Nativity Story' or something like that. Even looking at the lights on people's homes as I scurry about can be a reminder of the gift from God of Jesus, the Light of the World!

As we get older, they years and their holidays pass by with increasing speed. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to slow down and take it in! Enjoy your time with your family and not fret over all the little details! Trust me! And don't forget the peace of mind you'll get with travel insurance if you will be traveling this holiday season. No joke, I had it for my big vacation and it's a great stress reliever!

Wordless Wednesday - Feelin' queezie?

Guess what I want for Christmas...

No, not Super Bowl tickets! Although I would certainly take them if someone offered *wink-wink*

This year I want to get a professional clothes steamer, like this one:

Do you know of a good one? I am still looking around to find the best deal on the best one I can get my paws on. I used one of these when I worked at Fashion Bug unpackaging all the new arrivals and I really liked it. Right now I'm looking at the Jiffy brand steamers. Do you have one? They do such a great job of getting wrinkles out, refreshing the fabric and you can use them on more than just clothes too! Watch out cats, you'd better be good! LOL Just joking...maybe.

Tuesday nights are alright with me

Yesterday was Tuesday. You know what that means, don't you? No not a fun filled day of succession planning. It's the night for:

Me likey!!! I hadn't even heard of The Biggest Loser show until late last year and then I only saw a couple of episodes here and there. I thought, "What a great idea for a show! I've always said, I could lose the weight if the only thing I had to do was focus on working out and learning to eat right!" This show creates just such an environment. I even have my mom interested in watching it now. I went online to the website to find out about trying out for the new season (the one on air now). I don't have a video camera to take videos to submit, I need to recruit the help of my friends for that. Also, they film during tax season. Kind of a no-go around my office. My boss is flexible with some time off, but not during tax season. Although, when I approached him with the idea, he said, "Do whatever you have to do." Not sure he knew the time line though.

The only other thing I couldn't figure out, how do you pay your rent and care payment and all your other bills for those 3 months (hopefully I'd be gone that long!!) if you aren't working??? Any ideas? Anyone?

Red Rover, Red Rover...send Mary Alice right over!

So I have this friend, let's call him...'Patrick', who is running a contest on his blog to name a patron saint of his blog. That's great! He chose some worthy contestants and allowed his readers to choose a few as well. Through a system of voting, a winner will be chosen. One of the people he chose to contend for the prized spot, he was unable to find sufficient photos of online, so he wrote a post to announce the replacement of that contestant, Mary Alice from Ace of Cakes.

Shown here in red shirt, I really hope I didn't have to just tell you that!

Poof! She showed up!!! I believe she commented on his post proclaiming her dislike in being dropped out of the running like that. Did you hear what I just said? Mary Alice from Ace of Cakes commented on his blog! So cool.....

Boy was he right, pickins' are slim out there in the photo pool. After much searching, I have found a couple of photos of Mary Alice to share here on my blog in an effort to summon her to my humble blog. I need to check my term life insurance to make sure it's up to date in case she actually responds! I told 'Patrick'...if you build it, they will come...........

Mary Alice, if you are reading this: Thanks for stopping by! I love cake and Baltimore, too! I have a friend who moved there from here (St. Louis, MO) a few years ago and I just love to visit her there! The Inner Harbor is my FAVE, especially the National Aquarium. When all the white jelly fish are thick in the Bay or when they are having the live music like Alborada or Mystic Warriors (South American flute types) The music just fills the air around the bay and the boats. Love it!
I wish I worked with younger people...it looks like fun, really! Don't hate me for that curb photo above, I did not make it grainy nor did I write all over you in green. I found it on a Google search! LOL

Heads or Tails - Mark

This week on Heads or Tails, Barb @ Skittles Place suggested the topic of 'Mark'. Then she changed her mind, noticing the acronym for Heads or Tails to be the letters H O T. Well, I like the original topic, so I'm going with 'mark'.

I want to share some verses out of the Bible from the book of Mark with you.

Mark 4:36-41
³⁶And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
³⁷And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
³⁸And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
³⁹And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
⁴⁰And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
⁴¹And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Or another good one I found in Mark is:

Mark 10:45
⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Just a little drink for your thirsty soul today! Happy Heads or Tails day!!!

Cold air and dry skin

These two things go hand in hand (no pun intended)! I think the skinceuticals companies order cold dry air this time of year to boost their year end profits! LOL
I don't know about your area, but here in the midwest, we have to keep our beloved 'products' around us to keep from drying and cracking up! And don't even get me started on the itchy skin! It's this time of year, I want to crawl inside a lotion bottle and roll around naked every morning before I get dressed, once at lunch break and then again in the evening LOL

'Bout time to clean house around here...

Have you been Google-slapped too? I believe I just went from a PR2 down to a PR0. I don't mind really, since it was an across the board kind of spanking, but it is time to get some dirty laundry out of here. PR isn't important to me except when it comes to income potential. Otherwise, I am still going to conduct my blog in the manner I see fit.

I do paid ads on this blog for things like Las Vegas hotels or many other topics. It's has been great for me to share some paid link love and pass on some info on websites and services that I encounter or am introduced to. Recently I have been chosen to participate in some product sampling opportunities and frankly, I couldn't be more pleased! I have done paid marketing research in the past as a participant and I love sharing my opinions for profit!

Unfortunately, Google has been looking down on such paid posts, so I decided to go back and re-evaluate some of the posts I have completed. I am under contract to keep the previous paid posts active for only 30 days and I have let some stay on for almost a year now. So the archives will be shrinking a bit, but it's no big deal. Keep looking forward to all the good *NEW* posts to come.

Give Me Five Monday Meme #4

Monday November 26, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.
Sign up for weekly reminder emails @ beccagirl@charter.net

Give Me Five pet peeves or dislikes associated with shopping.

1. I am not a fan of crowds. I try to avoid them at all costs. It's just very frustrating to move around in a store that is thick with people and carts. I never feel like I have the privilege of looking for what I need because I will inevitably be blocking someone else's view of something or vice versa. Also, it seems that when stores are crowded, other people who even wouldn't normally be fussy, take on a fussy attitude because they are frustrated too. Makes for an unpleasant shopping experience.

2. Not having as much money as I need/want for the stuff I want. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for what money I do have to shop with, but sometimes it's nice to choose something by likes and dislikes vs. what's the better deal cost-wise.

3. Not being able to find something I am looking for. I don't often visit stores I am not familiar with just because I dislike walking around in circles looking for items. It's a big waste of time. So I tend to revisit stores I'm familiar with.

4. I dislike watching the prices of everyday items going up and up. Like milk. Yeah, that's right, you heard me, milk. I could drink a gallon of gasoline cheaper than milk these days! What? Did the cows suddenly demand a raise or something?

5. Shopping is usually an enjoyable adventure for me. Sometimes I have something specific in mind and I set out to hunt it down and shop it out of it's hiding place. I also love to give gifts! So I get a little sad when I find out I can't give as much as I want because my funds are limited and with todays prices on things, you end up getting less for the same money...couple that with crowds and unfamiliar stores, hoo wee! So I stick to my budget, watch for sales, visit stores I'm familiar with and go at off peak times in an effort to keep shopping a fun adventure. I hope you can too!

NaBloPoMo - Keeping it alive!!!

As some of you may remember, I am participating in the National Blog Post Month. Which means, I have to post atleast once per day-every day of the month of November. So far this month, I have done this! No cheating, no changing dates or post times...I have kept it up each day of this month!

I am not at home and am unsure if I will be able to make it home in time to post from home today, so I am posting from my friend's computer (thanks guys!) in order to get my post done for today. This may not be much of a post, but it's all I got, so take that! :-)

Just a lazy day

Well, today was one of those lazy days for me. I didn't really accomplish too much...I did cat nap for a while, which is a prize to me!

Today would have been the perfect day to do so many things. I have curtains for 2 different friends to make, floors that need to be cleaned-VERY BADLY, a fish tank that is just horrible-poor little fishies, lots to put away, organize or otherwise clean, laundry that needs to be rewashed and more laundry that needs to be started and/or brought up and put away, I am hand making some of my Christmas cards this year, I could have gotten a great start on those or really I could have even finished them, I could have walked on my treadmill, I could have cleaned the bathroom and finally redecorated that room, I could have gotten all caught up on my bills and receipts with what has cleared the bank..all these things could have been done from the comfort of my home, without leaving and without getting out in that Black Friday shopping mess...no thank you.

But I didn't do any of those things. I didn't even pick up a pen and make a list of things I need to do! Instead I took the lazy way out and napped and watched TV. I didn't even take this down time to visit the blogs of my readers! All of you who come by and check in to see what's new at BeccA's Buzz and leave me comments, I didn't even take this time to stop by over your way!!! I'm a looser I guess...don't hate me, I'm weak. Tomorrow is a new day...let's see how it goes LOL

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a good day! There was much cooking, much food to eat and much good times with my family. My cousin invited me out to spend the day with her and her family. Her brother in law deep fried the Thanksgiving turkey and I must say it was yummy! I can't remember ever having turkey made this way before.

My cousin is about 3 months pregnant with there first baby. We are all so excited! It's so cute to see them going through all the changes new parents experience. Planning the nursery is going to be fun. I feel honored, they have asked me to join in the planning and participate in the redecoration of it all. I already have some ideas, they are going with a Raggedy Ann and Andy theme. I love that!

Yes, it was a good day today...I may need some hydroxycut after eating all day long like I did, but it was all sooo good!!

Wordless Wednesday - Hunting Season CLOSED

Hospital for the Holidays

Something we all dread: a loved one unexpectedly in the hospital during the holidays. I have not had the displeasure of this experience in many years, thank God!

My friend's mom was taken to the hospital with some issues yesterday and they are still sorting out what's going on and working out a treatment plan to get her back up on her feet and home where she belongs. I told her if she wanted some attention, there are better ways than this!

For all those people out there who wish they were at their homes or even an Orlando vacation home instead of a hospital room this holiday season, this is my post to let you know I am reminded of all the suffering and I will remember all of you in my prayers. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, if we are not in this situation. Remember that others are and pray for them!

A much overdue gift for Christmas

My mom has this friend...well, she's a friend to all of us, really! Her name is Joyce and bless her heart, she is a widow now for many years. She lives on just her income, and she always tries to be a good steward with her money. I have seen that woman cut the corners off the corners, if you know what I mean. She rarely shops for the 'extras' and when she does, she's perfectly happy visiting resale or goodwill type shops. She always finds nice items!

Joyce & My mom @ lunch in 2004

Well, this post is to show my excitement and support for her decision to do something extra nice for herself! She decided to buy new bedroom furniture! Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but we are talking real furniture here, something she has never had! I believe she was making do these past few years with hand-me-downs from her son as far as a bed goes. Well, once she decided to treat herself to a new bed and dresser and such, she realized the walls needed to be painted, which then made her realize her old shag carpeting needed to be replaced! Girlfriend is getting a whole new bedroom!!! Yay!!!

She has already painted, ripped out the old carpet and had the new floors installed. Her furniture is set to be delivered this weekend. I think I will go over and see it on Sunday after church. I don't know if it's contemporary bedroom furniture or more traditional, but she is so excited about all of it and so are we! She totally deserves this for her life, she is a fine lady who would give you the clothes off her back if she thought you needed them, it's nice to see her get such a great gift, from her hardworking self!!! Congrats, Joyce!!

7 Random Things Meme

I know, I know, I just got done saying I didn't want this to turn out to be a 'meme-ful' blog. But there is a difference between participating by choice (which I do on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and getting tagged for a meme! I don't often get tagged, so I enjoy them when they come along. So here goes!
Bola who blogs from across the pond in Africa has tagged me for a '7 Random Things about Me' meme. Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and posts the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here are my '7 Random Things about Me'

1. I am horrible at remember what's going on with other people! I mean that, I don't like that about me. If I have a friend who recently went through something or a family member of theirs did, I ALWAYS forget to ask how they are and so on...I suck.

2. I sometimes say I don't like things that I actually do like. No, I wouldn't call it lying, I would call it 'disillusioned'. Example: I always used to say, "I hate U2!" But once I found out all the songs they sing, hello, I love those guys! What is wrong with me?

3. I am a sinner. I always say and do things I wish I didn't. Everyone sins. Thank God for his grace through my faith in Jesus Christ, or else I'd be a goner!

4. I am an obsessive type person. Once I get my sights on something, I can't let it go easily. I need help Lord on this one too!

5. I miss being a kid sometimes. I can watch kids play and learn and wish for just a day, I could have that same wonder and joy!

6. I miss playing tennis and/or racket ball. I have no partner for either at the moment.

7. I think I'm ready to move on to a new romantic interest. It has taken me a while to get past certain points, but I think I'm about ready! Lord, your move on this one too!!!

Ok, now to pass on the tag:
Sandee @ Comedy Plus
Jane @ Cozy Reader
Misty Dawn @ My dogs keep me sane
Barb @ Skittles Place
Alison @ Cherished moments with my 2 angels
CR Morris @ Cheaper by the half dozen
Deb @ Mom of 3 girls

Pain Relief for a friend

I recently was chosen for participation in an opportunity to receive a sample of a product called Freeze It. I received it a couple of months ago, when I was so terribly busy coming and going with my big trip. I remember while I was gone, thinking, "I sure wish I had those samples with me, my knees are killing me!" Not to mention my shoulders from carrying my way too heavy luggage all around.

When I realized that in all my busyness that time had expired on my opportunity and I missed out on conducting a proper review of the product, I was so disappointed! I don't often suffer from aches and pains, certainly not chronic either, and of course I didn't want my samples to go unused. So the first person I thought of was my good friend Jen.



Jen is such a sweet hearted person who is always willing to offer a helping hand. She is a special friend and great example as a mother and wife who even does what she can as an At Home America home style specialist to add to her family's income. She takes care of her husband, her children, her house, her friends, her family and her business despite all she contends with physically. Some days are better than others or her. I have watched her suffer from the effects of Fibromyalgia for quite a few years now. For those of you who don't know, I will insert information on it provided by wikipedia:

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome characterized by diffuse or specific muscle, joint, or bone pain, fatigue, and a wide range of other symptoms. It is not contagious, and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be genetically predisposed. It affects more females than males, with a ratio of 9:1 by ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria. Fibromyalgia is seen in 3% to 6% of the general population. Recently there has been an increase in the number of diagnoses, which is assumed to be associated with better identification of the disorder. It is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50, though onset can occur in childhood. The disease is not life-threatening, though the degree of symptoms may vary greatly from day to day with periods of flares (severe worsening of symptoms) or remission. The syndrome is generally perceived as non-progressive, yet that issue is still debated. Fibromyalgia may actually be composed of several clinical entities, ranging from a mild, idiopathic inflammatory process in some individuals, to a somatoform disorder resulting from clinical depression in others, with probable overlaps in between. Current diagnostic criteria are insufficient to differentiate these entities.

It was hard for her to even get a proper diagnosis because a lot of people don't believe Fibromyalgia is even real! I must admit it took me a while to finally accept all it's wide range of issues too. So I offered my samples of the gel to her and she gladly accepted them! She has used this product in the past and her husband even told me how they both thought it was a better pain relief gel than others they have tried. One of the reasons being that 'the bedroom didn't smell like a men's locker room if she used it at bedtime!'

And according to the website, I can think of several obvious ways she would get relief from it's use. She often has hip joint pain from just sleeping, her shoulders and the back of her head muscles get tensed up and pull on her facial muscles sometimes and I've seen her rubbing pain relief gel types on her knees before!

I would really really like to win this contest, so I could pass my year's supply of Freeze It on to her! I literally can't think of another more deserving person to get it! With a 3 1/2 year old toddler and a 1 year old baby (both boys, too by the way!) to take care of every day, you are talking about one lady who would put all that pain relief gel to good use!

Birthday photo

I thought I would share with you a photo from last night's birthday dinner. I went with my mom and met my brother and his girlfriend out at Joe's Crab Shack in Chesterfield, Mo.

My mom and I had gone there to eat recently and after being seated at a table, were basically deserted! We actually got up and left after sitting there for a long while without so much as even a drink waiter coming by. We then went across the street to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

We were hoping for better service at Joe's this time around. Which, I guess we did get. But when you are paying $23.00 for a bucket of bbq'd dungeness crab, you want it to be cooked right. Mine was NOT. The crab meat inside was brown and hard and dry....WAY WAY WAY over cooked. So they sent it back...which means I had to sit and watch everyone else eat. Dude! It's my birthday!!

In the end, I got fresh crab...it was less overcooked than the previous batch, but still slightly overcooked. All in all it was an ok evening. I probably would have been happier had we went across the street again.

Meme blog

I realized recently that I seem to be participating in alot of memes. It appears as though this is becoming one of those 'meme theme' blogs. You know what I mean, one of those blogs that only has meme's and no real content.

So here is my pledge, for every meme I participate in, I will also post one original content post. You should also take into consideration that these will possibly include paid ads, so don't be surprised if I happen to mention equestrian riding apparel or some other off the wall topic. :-)

Birthday gifts: Real and virtual

I wanted to share with all of you, the most special presents I've gotten so far for my birthday. This year has proved to be a very special year in the gift getting department. No, it's not leather lingerie, I mean, "Get serious!" But first, a couple of virtual presents I got today from fellow bloggers. Thanks Sandee and Misty Dawn who posted this yummy looking cake and these lovely flowers on there blogs for me. Much appreciated!

Back in reality, this year I was given a gift that will last a lifetime. The wonderful memories and experiences will be in my heart always. When I was on my trip to Florence, Italy, my friends surprised me with a combined early birthday and Christmas gift! I had wanted to take some sort of a mozzarella making or cooking class while I was in Tuscany but didn't have much luck researching the various classes. I gave up looking but my friend did not!

As an early surprise (and boy was it!) I was treated to an Italian Immersion class! I met up with a small group of four women. A mom and 3 daughters there as a gift from the daughters to the mom for her birthday last January. You will NEVER believe where the mom and one of the daughters were from...ST. LOUIS! Well, technically, Webster Groves, but that's part of St. Louis too! I couldn't believe it...and it just goes to prove my mom was right, you can't talk about anybody! We met our instructor, Marizio and we took a tour of the Mercato Centrale (or the Central Market).

This is where all the local restaurants get the fresh ingredients for the day's menu. They have everything from horse to hair, chicken to cow, dried fruit to dried pasta, oils and spices to fresh pastries...you name it! And there was a second floor dedicated to fresh produce of all kinds.

One of the vendor's gave us a short tutorial class on balsamic vinegars, olive oils, truffles and parmesan cheeses. This woman had a great presentation and lots of great information!

Next we met with the rest of our class members and made a rendezvous with the taxi driver. We rode in a van out to a villa on a hillside in Signet, a neighboring town to Florence. The villa was beautiful and boasted some nice views! We were left outside to wander around before the class began. There was another couple who had made the journey to the villa for the class on their own. Everyone was so nice! And better still, everyone was so on board about taking lots of pictures!

Once we were brought inside the kitchen, we found the room quite large and welcoming. There was a large fireplace on one end and a very long table set for all of us in the center. We met our other instructor, Liza. What a wonderful lady! She was informative and patient and smart and funny!! I took lots of pictures.

A lot of the photos came out blurry in the faces or hands. Everything was moving so fast. The class lasted all day, more than 8 hours altogether! We were given the recipes for all the dishes we made including: tiramisu, Sausage and cheese crustinis, fresh pasta for lasagna, fresh pesto for the gnocchi, a black olive chicken dish, and even how to use that weird Italian coffee maker!





We had one at our apartment, but didn't really know how to use it. After this class, we had the best coffee ever! I still want to get one of these for my house...

The class was alot of fun and yummy! I will always remember it and smile. The taste of Tuscany shall live on in my heart and my memories! Thank you so much A and P for the very gracious gift that only you could have given me!

I sure wish I could remember everyone's names...for that I feel bad! I did make some great friends that day...even if we were only friends for one day. Speaking of friends, my friend A also sent this to me today. It's called 'The Flea' and was just about my favorite pieces at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. (I like it because I think she looks like me)