Farrah Fawcett Tribute On Music Monday

I was big Michael Jackson fan in the day. Actually, I found an old vinyl Thriller album in my collection. Too bad it's scratched and I don't have the sleeve it came in. As weird as he was, his music was incredible.

However, I feel a little bad for Farrah Fawcett. Her death was going to be the main story on the news on the day she died, but was upstaged by Michael's. So, for Music Monday I found a Charlie's Angels slideshow set to the original theme music that I selected in her honor. It has some really great photos of Farrah, in addition to all the other angels.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Your Girl Wants Jewelry - You Need Help To Pick The Perfect Piece

My husband hates picking out jewelry for me. I consider it a good thing because instead of buying me something I will hate, he chooses to give me money and tells me to go buy what I want. For example, for our past anniversary I purchased two thin silver bracelets that I can wear every day with just about everything.

But once in a while, it's nice to be surprised with one of those little boxes. My hubby has given me a few pieces that I really love, such as a gold and diamond tennis bracelet and a beautiful matching necklace and earrings set of freshwater pearls, and they are something that I will always cherish. But jewelry sends a message - one you don't want to be wrong!

Bella True has devoted an entire section of their website to tips to help guys that are shopping for jewelry. Whether he's shopping for a ring for the big day, and anniversary, or an "I'm sorry" gift, or just because. Here is where he can learn everything he needs to know to purchase the perfect piece of jewelry.

I especially liked the at-a-glance guide, which matches gemstones to the specific anniversary year each represents; but the crash course in color is something every guy needs to read too!

So guys, come on and send the right message - one she wants to hear - by visiting BellaTrue.com.

I'm In A Focus Group Today!

I'm so excited! I've been selected by VocalPoint to participate in a focus group today!

I'm not sure of all the details other than it's three hours and I'm supposed to make three collages. The collages are supposed to be words and pictures to represent:

• A close friendship
• An offline community I'm a member of
• An online community I frequent

I'm almost done with my collages - which was actually a little harder than I imagined. My friend one was the easiest... girls drinking wine, dressing up, with their kids, etc. My offline group was a little harder. I choose my church and have pics of the bible, a meeting group, a couple girls hugging (to show the support), and words like love, hope, faith. The last board I'm still working on. It's to show my online community and I guess WAHM.com would be the one I frequent the most. So, I've chosen a pic of a mom with her daughter, a mom working on a computer with her child next to her, and words like Share, Smile, Support, Tips, Great Stories, Reviews, etc. I still need a couple more pictures, (I'm supposed to have at least 5 per board.) but it's coming along.

I'll take a camera and let you know how it goes. Till then...

My Favorite Mop

OK, so this is not the most exciting thing you've read today... but, when I find something I really like, I like to share it here.

So, I've started my own cleaning business. I just have a few jobs, but they pay about twice as much as my accounting job of 13 years did!

When you clean a lot, you learn that there are certain products that you like and don't like and some that make your cleaning job much faster. One such product I found is the Libman Nitty Gritty® Roller Mop. It's a great mop (she said as excited as a person can get about a mop!) because not only is it easy to wring out, it has an attached scrub-brush that is great for those spots that are stuck and just won't come off without some elbow grease. I also have the Libman Utility Bucket, which is actually big enough for a mop to fit in, unlike the little round ones at the dollar store.

For all glass surfaces, I always take with me the E-Cloth Glass & Polishing Cloth. I have yet to find anything as good to wash mirrors with, and the bonus is that it's green. By using it, think you are saving all the trees that would have to die to make the paper towels you'd use instead. And, it's a lot easier to carry a cloth with me to my jobs than to remember a roll of paper towels each time.

Those are two of the items I won't clean without. What have you found to make the job quicker and easier?

The XBox 360 - Also A Great Communication Tool!

My son came home from GameStop with a headset the other day. I asked what he was going to do with it. A few minutes later he showed me.

The headset attaches to his XBox 360 and through it he can talk to other XBox 360 users that he's approved as a friend.

It's become a great way for him to keep in touch with his friend that moved to another state. They compete in games and chat, just like they were in the room together.

If you are thinking about purchasing an XBox 360, XBox 360 games, or XBox 360 accessories (like a headset) visit ShopWiki.com. Not only does ShopWiki find every store on the internet by crawling like Google, it also gives you in-depth information on the product you are looking to purchase. For example, did you know that NBA 2K7 for Xbox 360 was voted the best current and next-generation NBA hoops franchise by both press and gamers? --I learned that at ShopWiki!

The biggest drawback to the XBox 360, of course, is the price. But how many years of fun can you get for the price of one XBox 360?

Food Presentation Tips -- Brownies & Lasagna

Yesterday on The View they had a a couple great tips on food presentation that I had never heard before and thought you might be interested to know too!

First, when you cut up your brownies and serve them, do they look all messy and have rough edges? Wonder how they brownies that they sell in the deli, or at Subway, always have such a smooth edge and look so pretty? Well, try this next time...

Line your pan with foil before pouring the brownie batter in. Once the brownies are done, place them in the freezer for about a half hour. Now remove them from the foil (another bonus is that you don't have to wash the pan) and cut. The freezing with cause them to have a perfectly smooth edge!

The second tip is for lasagna. When you serve lasagna does the slice fall apart and look very unappetizing on the plate? The trick to a nice looking piece is to cut the lasagna cold, then heat it back up before serving!

Stupid Girls On Music Monday

I have to say I enjoy a good celebrity scoop as much as the next person. It's not that I really care, it's just that it's really entertaining when I'm standing in the 20 minute line at Wal-Mart.

However, that said, if I had a girl I'd be very careful what she watched and who she idolized.

Pink makes this great point in the video I picked for this week's Music Monday. It's actually a little disgusting and disturbing, but the sad fact is that many girls do go to these lengths (binging, taking diet pills, having surgery) to be something they think they "should" be.

Pink - Stupid Girls | Music Videos | SPIKE.com

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

38 And Pregnant - No Not Me!

One of our relatives just announced that they were expecting again. Their other two kids are 16 and 14! Yep, it was an accident, they are 38 and 40. They are excited though, especially since they have two boys and this one is a girl! And as I told them, our family has them beat by a mile! My sister is 24 years younger than me and my mom had her at 43!

What always amazes me is how much things change and the progress that is made in the baby department -- in just a few years! I remember the stroller I had when my son was a baby. I loved that stroller! A few friends had pitched in together to get it for me. I thought it was so great. Now, it's obsolete! It was heavy and even when folded up it took up the majority of the room in my trunk.

Today's strollers, like the Bob stroller, are made of lightweight aluminum, maneuvers easily in stores yet is rugged enough for nearly any outdoor terrain, and even have shock absorbers to make baby's ride smoother! --They make my car envious of them!

Oh, and then I saw a commercial the other day for a system that teaches your infant to talk! Yes, a little baby was saying words. It was freaky, but I thought, "I need a baby, just to see if this thing really works!"

If you've used this program -- I want to hear from you! I'm dying to know if this would work for any child.

Friday Fill-In #128

I missed a week due to running around like a crazy person organizing my son's grad party... but now I'm back. So here we go. See how my mind works!

1. I grew up thinking Neither I nor, anyone I love would ever die, I'd marry a millionaire and lie by the pool all day while someone else took care of the house, kids and cooking... (wow! was that from all those fairy tales I was read or what? lol!!!)

2. Craigslist was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don't you have a drink with me! (we'll both feel better!)

4. A Drink (seeing a theme here?) helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the Vado HD hubby bought me for my anniversary. (I'll be using it for my virtual garden tour in the next couple of days!)

6. Being a snob (you may be better than me, but don't act it or you really aren't!) is very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to weeding my yard, tomorrow my plans include not sure and Sunday, I want to go to a couples bridal shower for our cousin!


Join in the Friday Fill-In Fun at FridayFillins.blogspot.com

Sandwich Thins & Oxygen Cleaner - My (Two) New Favorite Things!

I have two new product loves. One is a new product, the other is an older product, but I just started using it.

For the first one, I was shopping for my son's party and walked by these and had to try them. They are Arnold Select Multigrain Sandwich Thins. I love a good grilled burger, but hate eating a big 'ol fattening bun. (Red meat, good. White bread, bad. lol!) These Sandwich Thins are perfect! They taste great (and I've had some not-so-good wheat buns) and have only 100 calories per bun! Even my son likes them. We've been eating them with everything from burgers to ham sandwiches to BLTs on them. They even have protein in them, about 4 grams if I remember correctly, around 5 grams of fiber, no trans fats and no high fructose corn syrup. --They're a very good thing!

The second thing I started using because of something a friend said. (See, word of mouth marketing does work!) She was telling me how she had been using Oxiclean in her laundry and how it was taking out stains that normally wouldn't come out, and her all her laundry seemed cleaner. So, a few days later I was stroller by the laundry products and picked up a generic brand oxygen cleaner for 99 cents -- what could it hurt to try it?

I used it for three or four loads and was thinking my clothes smelled better. (Which leads me to say, my clothes never smelled fresh. We thought it was because my dryer is vented wrong and takes three cycles to dry anything completely. We figured because it took long, the clothes just soured a little in the process.) I thought it was just my imagination until DH said, 'what are you using that's different in the laundry? My clothes smell so good!" Aha!! A revelation! It's not the dryers fault, it's the water that smells bad. Which makes sense. We get our water from a cistern, which hasn't been cleaned in years, no telling what kind of crud is in there.

So, if you want to cut some sandwich calories or want cleaner, fresher laundry, run out to the nearest steel buildings department stores in your area (like Wal-Mart) and get Arnold Sandwich Thins and some oxygen cleaner!

It's Vacation Season!

It's funny, I've been so busy I haven't even found myself craving the ocean like I normally do. However, Hubby has the fever! He spent the evening trolling through sites on VRBO.com trying to find the perfect place. (He knows I'm very picky!) It has to have the perfect balance of seclusion and yet modern conveniences within a short distance.

Every year we say we won't take a big vacation, but it always seems that one of us can't stand letting a year pass without standing with our feet in the sand and the warm ocean water lapping over our toes.

Some people prefer the mountains, or theme parks, or the glitz and glamour of Vegas hotels, but we are water people. A lake, a river, an ocean, as long as water is involved we're happy!

So what is your favorite vacation? Is there somewhere you're drawn to and just have to visit every year or maybe even more often?

He R Graduated!

I can't believe I'm old enough to be saying this, but my son graduated from high school Saturday morning! It was a very chaotic and melancholy day, but it turned out well.

Me and Hubby with our Graduate!

We had a friend of the family that passed away suddenly during the night earlier in the week and his funeral was planned for Saturday morning. So, we went to the funeral home and visited for a while before the actual graduation ceremony, which began at 11:00 a.m.

The graduation went well, even though it was (as they always are) a little boring. DS was in the top ten of his class so he was announced sixth. Then we had to just entertain ourselves through the other two hundred and forty-something names. Easier for me than my little nephew and nieces!

Afterward we rushed home and got all the food that I had been cooking and shopping for weeks in advance, put it into crockpots and then ran it down to the location of the party. (We have a family park area that we use for just such events!)

In the end, I made/purchased way too much food. But, I always say I'd rather have too much than not enough!

And, of course, the desserts were a hit! My son told me I had to get the same brownies that he had a friend's party last year. They are peanut butter iced brownies ~ and they are to die for! It was actually a good thing that we only had a few left. I'd still be eating on them if they were here, and needing diet supplements to fit in my swimsuit next month!

My son's friend's band played music and I even got up and sang a song with my sister on the guitar. She's very talented and taught herself how to play!

In the end, DS got enough money to purchase a small used car! Our friends and family were just too generous! In this time of bad economy, I never expected people to give what they did. I told DS it was a great testament to his character and he better stay that way!

I spent the entire Sunday afternoon cleaning dishes, and still have stuff to put away, but all-in-all, it turned it very good under the circumstances! And the best part was when DS told me at least three times later that night how great his party had been!

Boys And Their Cars - I Don't Get It

What is it with guys and their cars? I remember my brother used to want to show me the cars he designed on his video games. I'd look at them, seemingly impressed, but when it came down to it, to me a car is just a vehicle.

Now my son is doing the same thing. He spends hours designing the perfect car. If only real cars weren't so expensive - if Ferrari parts costs the same as a pedicure, maybe I could understand.

And it never changes. Just Saturday night my brother had to show me the intake valve cover he painted purple on his real car. ...And yet again, I feigned interest!