Monday, April 28, 2008

Give Me Five Monday Meme #22

Monday, April 28, 2008

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 have been busy with in the last 2 weeks since the last GM5!

First off, I want to apologize to all the bloggers who regularly participate in the Give Me Five meme for Monday, I hope you have not been too discouraged as I have taken these past 2 Mondays off from the meme. I appreciate your loyalty, understanding and patience! I say this with all sincerity, "Wow, what an insanely busy last couple of weeks I've had....and it's *still* going!" I literally have so much going on, I haven't had time to update my blog properly much less keep up with what's been going on with any of you and visit your blogs! I thought this topic would be a great chance to update us in both directions! I don't think 5 is enough for all the specific items...so I will break it down into 5 categories:


1. Work-Well, April 15th was as usual. It's always such a hectic time in our office. Things are starkly different, even on April 16th! The phone is quiet...there aren't tons of clients in and out. The fax is quiet....nice! I love it when you get almost used to the fast paced, high stress, anxiety filled 6 or 7 day-long day-work weeks and then there's the ... aaaaahhhhhhhhh, release of pressure the day after. Not to say there's not still alot of work to be done...after all, your *normal* works gets pushed aside during tax season and you end up with a pile up of new work loads to get out. I dislike it when people make jokes about us taking vacations on April 16th...like just because the 1st income tax deadline is past, we have nothing to do now. People are gravely mislead sometimes and it's quite frankly, annoying.


2. Personally-I have been trying to resolve to start eating better and getting more active. I feel like I am on the verge of it. It's one of those things that until I just resolve in my mind to do it and I want to be this other way...it won't happen. My car's control panel is acting weird, I'm hoping it's covered under my warranty but I haven't taken it in to be serviced yet. I've been told I have one of the best warranties...so my chances are pretty good. Now that tax season is over, I am also trying to resolve to get my house in order too. I just have so many irons on the fire, I can't wrap my mind around my own needs right now. Also, because of all this stuff, it's putting a strain on my finances..so I am trying to keep my head about that and not just say, oh well and spend unnecessarily.


3. Friends-Lots going on here. On April 16th, a friend of ours that we used to go to church with passed away. It's so sad on so many levels...where to start! Ok, this is a 42 year old wife and mother of 3...her youngest being an 11 yr old daughter. This woman used to be heavy and underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost down to a size 0! Things were not so good for her growing up, I believe her mother was overly critical and so on...she always had issues with weight and as she began to gain some weight back, she began to push away her friends. She really pushed everyone away several years ago, she stopped answering emails or taking telephone calls and even wouldn't let you in if you stopped by to try and talk to her. As far as why or how she died, at the time of her service, last Monday April 21, they still didn't know what had happened. She complained that she didn't feel well before going to bed and the next morning her husband got up with the alarm and she didn't. What a shame, she had an infectious smile and personality. She really loved her kids and was a huge supporter of all their activities. She will be missed! One of my other friends had to have exploratory surgery last week because of some tummy issues. Her son, one of my favorite "nephews" had to have his adnoids out today...I just got here from the surgery center. He'll be ok...he just needs lots of love and rest!


4. Family-This Sunday coming up, May 4, I am hosting a baby shower for my cousin. You may remember some of the other posts about that. It's really beginning to come together now but there's still lots left to do. I'm really excited, I think it will be alot of fun for everyone! My mom and I will work on the favors and get those done...probably tonight. I have alot of other projects to finish but most of it is done now. It feels good to be ahead of the game, normally, I'm behind and frantic! Don't get me wrong, I'm still stressed but it's not a panic stress, it's anticipation stress...not as bad :) We have a wedding to go to on May 17th down in the country. It will be nice, but weird. Nice, because, you know, it's a wedding and I love those. Weird because it is on my dad's side of the family and they actually invited my mom too and she's coming with me! My parents divorced a few years ago and it's not that they don't get along, they just really don't have much to do with each other. She doesn't see or visit people on his side much...there's just not that much opportunity to, really. After my cousin's daughter was killed in the car accident last year and we all went to the funeral service, it's almost like all the cousins went, "Hey, I remember Aunt JoAnn!" LOL So she received and invitation too. It will be fine, it's not like my parents fight and argue anymore, so it will be fine.


5. Spiritually-Last, but certainly NOT least, my spiritual life. The past few weeks have been great! I've been extra busy not only with tax season at work and planning the baby shower for my cousin but also planning a Mother's Day Tea at church! There sure is alot that goes into planning something even as simple as a tea! Plus, the same friend who had surgery last week and I are the 2 main people doing the planning and executing of all the fine details so her having some down time has added some to the pressures I have to get things done. Not to worry though, things are getting done and the tea will be a very nice treat and everything will be enjoyable!

Also, answers to prayers from my teenage years...it's amazing how God works in His perfect timing! As many of you know, I heart Kirk Cameron! He was my teenage heart throb...but really, I can't say now that I remember pining away for him like *that*...I do remember wishing I could meet him and tell him about Jesus and feeling very frustrated that me being just a normal everyday girl here in the Mid-West probably meant that I would never get the opportunity. So I used to pray, probably when I was about 13, 14 yrs old, because I knew I'd never get the chance to, that God would send someone into Kirk's life to tell him about God and Jesus so he could get saved and go to heaven and I would have all of eternity to meet him! I know, selfish, but true! I prayed this way because it was being impressed upon my heart way back then and I remember, a few months later, I saw a photo of Kirk Cameron with his arm around Billy Graham and I just had a peace about it!

Kirk Cameron has since been busy about the Lord's work and evangelizing his beliefs to many people. I am so happy that my prayers have been answered and not only that, I got to meet Kirk Cameron because of it! Kirk and Ray Comfort and others through a ministry called "The Way of the Master" came to my mom's church doing a conference called "'Transformed' Never be Lukewarm Again!". The conference was fantastic!!! Ray Comfort's comedic delivery really made it fun and personable. Kirk Cameron was very passionate about his message and friendly and I was able to meet him at the book signing! One of his big security guards drew near as I began to mention that I prayed for him when we were teenagers but all was fine, of course. I was excited beyond all imagination to have such an opportunity to tell Kirk myself, an unexpected cherry on top!

Thank you Lord for such an added bonus! You made the long lost teenager inside me light up and sing! I never expected such an awesome return on a long lost and almost forgotten prayer. You sent his wife, Chelsea, into his life and through her faith, brought Kirk around to You! Fantastic, I couldn't be more pleased with the results! Kirk is hard at work teaching, inspiring and motivating fellow Christians to get out there and talk to the unsaved world! What I learned from that conference, I will hold with me dearly forever and I appreciate the work they are doing for You! What an awesome God You are!!!!!

Give Me Five Participants
1. Connie
2. Tammy
3. boogiemum
4. TT&TOT
5. Anna
6. Dawn\'s Daily Life
7. Kwizgiver
8. Penny Lane
9. Shannon H.
10. Alison
11. Bethany

Learn more about Give Me Five here.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Cell phone booster - mobile peace of mind

You may remember a post I did a couple of months back called "True story: Picture this...". It tells of a real life boating accident that happened to my dad and his friend. They had too little cell phone reception out on the river to call for help. I wish they would have had a mobile cell phone booster like the one by Wilson I was just given to try out from Powerful Signal. Here's a video that tells all about it:

I was delighted to see how many accessories it came with, adding to it's versatility. I'll be able to go straight from the car to the boat without having to remember extra adapters or parts, it's all conveniently stored in the carrying case which has a very nice handle (which didn't show up well on the video).

It was *extremely* easy to set up and it delivered amplified signal on the first try-within moments after turning it on! I couldn't be happier to have received such an asset to my mobile peace of mind. Hey, I'm a single lady and driving long distances back and forth to see family as well as being out in remote areas fishing and boating will be enjoyed more peacefully from now on.

Thanks again to all the kind folks over at PowerfulSignal.com for providing this opportunity and choosing me as a recipient. I will make sure it is put to good use! It's not quite boating season yet, so because it was the closest location I could think of, I'd also like to thank Kim, my co-director and photographer for creative help and patience but most of all, for lending me the use of her house...the place where cell phone signal goes to die! :)

Monday, April 14, 2008

Give Me Five Monday Meme - April 14, 2008


Due to work obligations in connection with the April 15th tax deadline (I work for an accounting and tax preparation office), I am unable to take time to construct a topic and original post and therefore this week's Give Me Five meme will be skipped. I do apologize as I know there are many people who look forward to participating and I don't want to let anyone down. However, this is a temporary, 1 week incident and we will begin again next week with our regularly scheduled meme on Monday. Thanks again to all the faithful participants, I do appreciate your posts and look forward to all future Give Me Fives!
Thanks, BeccA

Friday, April 11, 2008

He's so precious to me!

I need some practice using the video feature on my camera in order to create a video for an upcoming assignment so I decided to capture my nephew doing something just precious. I just love this kid! Enjoy:



The best part is that he doesn't even talk full time yet! He says a few words and uses sign language some and of course is learning more and more everyday....that's why I wanted to capture him telling a joke before he even talked. Kids can bring so much joy and laughter to your life!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Name that pill

Seriously.

I don't take pills very often. Today I was having some issues with my carpal tunnel and decided to take an ibuprofen. I go into my purse and grab my bottle of Aleve...that's right, I keep all my pills in one bottle, sue me. So I pour them out into my hand...I find 2 different kinds of Aleve (gel covered tabs and stick-to-your-tongue tabs) in there and orange ibuprofen in there and these:

Is there anyone out there who knows what kind of pills these are? There's no writing on them so I can't look them up. Honestly, I have no ideas to work with either. I didn't take any, cause I would have no idea what to expect! I could have a BM or headache relief or a period! I can't recall where they came from. I wouldn't imagine they are prescription with not having any kind of writing on them. I can't figure it out...Anybody wanna guess?

Wordless Wednesday - You should...

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Bio Quench by Biotiva USA product review

I was recently introduced to a whole new world of antioxidants in the form of dietary supplement capsules. There's so much buzz these days about the benefits of antioxidants and Bio Quench by Biotivia boasts the latest discoveries in the field and presents alot of information about the different components and ingredients and describes how they all work to get you to the highest level of health in this area. It was all new to me and I'm eager to learn about it all.

After receiving the capsules, I was pleased to read on the bottle that they are not made with fillers, additives or animal by products. It even goes as far as to say it's suitable for vegetarians and persons of all faiths! Nice!!! I had no reserves about trying it out.

Some ingredients involved are: Apple skin extract, Goji berry extract, Pomegranate extract, Mangosteen extract and Grape seed extract. Sounds more like a recipe for an awesome summer dessert! LOL Of course there are other natural ingredients involved and let me just say there are many bloggers out there giving this product great reviews! So if you are in the market to quench your free radicals, why not try it out!?

Maybe it's me, maybe it's PMS

Lately, I've been finding the regular things to be annoying. You know, not like go-get-a-gun annoying, but not unlike when you have the captioning turned on while watching your favorite DVD and can't seem to figure out how to turn it off. Like that. You can't help what's coming at you, only how you react to it. Throwing the remote at the TV isn't helping either.

I am praying about it and I recognize it's happening, which is 1/2 the battle sometimes. I have alot going on in my mind, probably more than most people know about. There are some big things coming up that require alot from me and I'm trying really hard not to let things get to me. So if I seem distant right now, don't take it personally, I'll be fine, I'm just trying to work some things out. I need more candy...did I say candy? I meant prayer, I need more prayer! Candy couldn't hurt too though :)

Monday, April 07, 2008

Give Me Five Monday Meme #21

Monday, April 7, 2008

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 favorite candies, of all time or currently.

Everyone....well, ok not *every*one....most people enjoy candy. I certainly do! I've been on quite the candy trip lately. Here are my top five (currently), which ones are your favorites?


1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups-Ever since I was a child, they are #1 with me!!!!!!!!! I have always loved them and enjoyed eating them. It's funny, when I got my first car, I though euphoria was driving fast while eating chocolate! LOL


2. Peanut Butter M & M's-I'm beginning to see a trend here, the chocolate, the peanut butter. These are wonderful and the 'eggs' they had as an Easter limited special were even better! I can't wait for those to come back next year.


3. Milky Way Dark-Now normally, I'm not a fan of dark chocolate at all but the first one of these I ever had was a bit warm from being in the car and um, YUM!


4. Twizzler Cherry Bites-Can you believe, not chocolate! These are great, a real treat for sure.


5. Jolly Ranchers-I don't get these very often but when I do, my mouth thanks me! They aren't very big candies but they pack a big punch full of flavors, especially the red ones!
Give Me Five Participants
1. forgetfulone
2. ravenn
3. Heather
4. Tamy ~ 3 Sides of Crazy
5. Sandy M
6. SaraLynn
7. Cat.
8. Skittles
9. Dawn\'s Daily Life
10. Comedy Plus
11. Tammy
12. Mo
13. Stacey @Real World Mom
14. boogiemum
15. Anna
16. Julie
17. Shannon H.
18. Misty\'s Words
19. Kwizgiver
20. Irishcoda
21. Joyce T.
22. Multitasking Mama
23. Bethany
24. Alison
25. Maria
26. Phyl
27. Annette
28. Penny Lane
29. Debbie
30. dawntrenee

Learn more about Give Me Five here.

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Saturday, April 05, 2008

What a novel and personal gift idea!

I have always loved to give personal or homemade gifts. I always love to get these kinds of gifts, so I know other people appreciate them as well. Knowing my nephew's 4th birthday is coming up in a few weeks, I jumped at the opportunity to choose one of the personalized books that feature his name in a story from Kid's Personally. There were so many to choose from, they had all the popular names:

My nephew is all about the super heroes! His room is decorated with every kind of super hero you can think of! His dad reads to him every night, tall tails of heroic action, he loves it! He has a very healthy imagination and you can just see the wheels turning when he starts to tell you these stories as they play out in his mind.

So I chose the 'Justice League' book to personalize for him. I was able to give details about his name, age, location and a few of his friend's names too. Ordering the book was very simple. Once it came, I read it through and was so excited about it, I didn't want to wait for his birthday! The book was larger than I thought it would be at about 11" x 9".

It was only right for his dad to be the one to read it to him....after all, dad knows how to make the story really come alive!

It was so cute to see his face when he heard his name throughout the story! He would intermittently ask questions about what 'he' was doing and his eyes just went all around studying all 18 of the full color pages! He really really liked hearing how he helped the Justice League save the day from the evil Grodd, a super intelligent gorilla!!!

After he was finished reading his book, of course it had to go right to it's new home on his book shelf for safe keeping until the next time the Justice League calls! If you are looking for great personal and affordable gifts, maybe you should consider some personalized books or other gifts. I'm sure he will enjoy this book for many years to come.

It's amazing what sticks with you

I'm sure I have watched at least 2 or 3 years worth of hours of television over the course of my 34 years. It may even be more than that! There are 8,760 hours in a year....it's quite possible to have wasted more time that I realize with my old friend the 'boob tube' if you are counting all the time even since I was a child. (why do people call it a boob tube?)

Anyway, there have been some shows during that time that have really stuck with me. Now I'm not taking about entire series of shows, like Friends or Growing Pains, I'm talking specific episodes or documentaries and the like. I remember a few that made such an impact on me, I just can't forget them, even now.

I can still recall a documentary on like PBS when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old on people who worked or lived with or near asbestos and now suffer from all sorts of things but mesothelioma, more specifically. I remember being so sad and upset that these people were sick and it could have been prevented somehow. Maybe it was a show I shouldn't have been watching for that age? Maybe it was the type of thing where I was just coming into certain realities from childhood and the stories were extreme and therefore made impressions on me.

I can also recall some type of crime show I watched when I was maybe 11 or 12 that told a story of this older couple found dead in their home. I just couldn't believe someone was out there doing such a thing. It must have made a huge impact on me for my mind to bring that back from time to time.

I'm still amazed by the criminal mind and how much sin is running rampant all around us. Shows like 'The First 48' or 'Crime 360' still grab my attention to this day. It's just amazing what sticks with you when you have so many hours of television under your belt. I still think of those people and wonder if they were ever caught or if they are still in jail and how all the families are dealing with the outcomes of illnesses and crime. This world is not my home!!

I wish I had a laptop

Seriously.

One of these days, I will get one. My brother recently got one and it's been great for him! Because of that, I've been thinking there have been so many times recently where taking my computer with me would be so helpful! Take tonight for instance, I have a meeting at church about the details for the Mother's Day tea coming up in May and I could really put it to good use to keep all the details in order, photos brought in to be used could be scanned in and then returned right away, we could watch other mother's day skits on YouTube and see if there's anything that will fit our theme...the list of good possible uses goes on and on!


So, does anyone have one they aren't using anymore? I could just add a little laptop memory and make good use of it! :) No?

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Speaking of getting frustrations out

You know, home gyms are another great way to work out some pinned up frustrations. I've been watching the Biggest Loser this entire season and I am having some serious gym equipment envy! I have a treadmill, by the grace of God (literally) and I do love to walk on it (although I haven't in a while). But there is just something about the way those contestants use the equipment in alternating ways to get a better work out. Even when I had a gym membership before, I didn't utilize the equipment to the extent they do.

I guess it pays to have a bull headed trainer pumping you along the path as well. That's another reason I like to watch the show, to learn. Now, the application of that learning is where I fall severely short! Only a few more episodes to go before the finale! I still want to go on that show, that would be awesome!

Ah, that's better

Today is a new day, a much better day than yesterday, that's for sure! It was one of those days you just want to put behind you. The issues were all self inflicted stupidity or neglect that all lead up to some key moments that were so very frustrating and aggravating. It's always worse when you realize it was all totally preventable! Wasting hard earned money on unnecessary bank fees makes me physically ill. It's all my own fault, though, so I had no one to blame but myself and I did.

Ok, I need to let it go now, or else I'll get myself all worked up again. Think happy thoughts, remember the good times! Maybe I'll go shop for some CAT6 parts for my brother's new computer. That way he can share my router when he stops by for a visit.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Have you ever been...

so aggravated and having such a messed up afternoon you just wanted to drive really fast into another car because it was there? Trust me, it's one of those days. The kind of day where you want to bolt on a brush guard to your sedan and go 4 wheelin' through an opera house!

It's funny sometimes when you look back on these tough and troublesome situations and try and see the sequence of events that lead up to the volcanic eruptions we try so hard the rest of the time to avoid. These usually start with money issues for me. This one is no exception. A calamity of conditions lead to me bouncing 3 items for a total of $60 thrown out the window for fees on items that total less than that!!! ARRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Calgon take me away, NOW!