Oh, yes, I am also thankful that our flight to Arizona went smoothly and I didn't have to sit next to "bomb boy"!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
-Thankful
I'm taking a quick break from my vacation to think about all of the things that I am thankful for....my husband, my daughter, all the family that I am getting to spend time with this week that I don't get to see very often. We are all healthy and blessed. I"m also thankful for all my blogging friends who I will get to visit and read and comment on when I get back home. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.....and those of you not in America, that you have a wonderful day too!
Oh, yes, I am also thankful that our flight to Arizona went smoothly and I didn't have to sit next to "bomb boy"!
Oh, yes, I am also thankful that our flight to Arizona went smoothly and I didn't have to sit next to "bomb boy"!
Friday, November 20, 2009
-The Promised Story
Here is the story that I promised you yesterday....This happened back in 2006, and ever since then I have been wary of who gets seated next to me on a plane. This is the excerpt from the post that shows up when those scary people search for something about bomb on a plane.....
I did ask the guy if he thought it would help to go to the bathroom and stick his head in the sink to try to get some water in his eyes.....he wasn't impressed with my idea. I was just hoping that if he stuck his head in some cold water he would come to his senses and stop saying "bomb" on the plane.
For all of the people who are searching for bomb on a plane and come here--I want to be sure to tell you, I am decidedly anti-bombing planes. I just want to make that clear.
There it is folks, the thing that is always in the back of my mind when I fly....will "bomb boy" be seated next to me on this flight?
I have a special story to tell you, a true story--here is the title: "Don't say B___ on the Plane!" Are you intrigued? I know I would be............... On the way to Arizona, we had to sit next to this guy on the plane...
First he tried to get me to sign up for his natural home health care pyramid business-I declined as nicely as possible.
Then he took a nap.
After he woke up-he had burning, itchy eyes from his contacts. It was just a couple of days after the new no liquids rules so he didn't have any contact lens solution with him (which I think you can actually bring, but he didn't know that at the time) So he proceeded to complain about how much his eyes were bothering him. I was sympathetic-we still had two hours to go..........
Then all of the sudden the pain in his eyes must have affected his brain because he decided to come up with an idea how he could sneak contact lens solution on the plane when he traveled home in a couple of days. He told me that what made sense was to just put some in a plastic bag and tape it to his leg. Because the metal detector wouldn't pick up on it and he could easily sneak it on.
At this point I was already looking nervously around to make sure that no flight attendants were standing nearby hearing this, because I was sure it was a forbidden topic---And then.....you guessed it he started saying "Of course I don't understand why those guys who were making the bombs didn't do that. You could easily go into the bathroom and untape the bags and mix the stuff together to make a bomb. If you wanted to bomb a plane that is all you have to do. In fact it would probably only take a couple of bags of stuff to make a bomb. Really bombing a plane probably isn't that hard"
I told him to shut up! He just kept going! I promise you that man said the word "bomb" at least thirteen times before Katarina saved me by wanting to ask for some of my Sprite....and then I pretended to sleep, because "Bomb Boy" was sure to get us all arrested if he was allowed to continue talking like that on the airplane! What an idiot! Don't say bomb on a plane!! I'm glad that we weren't sitting behind an Air Marshall!!
I did ask the guy if he thought it would help to go to the bathroom and stick his head in the sink to try to get some water in his eyes.....he wasn't impressed with my idea. I was just hoping that if he stuck his head in some cold water he would come to his senses and stop saying "bomb" on the plane.
For all of the people who are searching for bomb on a plane and come here--I want to be sure to tell you, I am decidedly anti-bombing planes. I just want to make that clear.
There it is folks, the thing that is always in the back of my mind when I fly....will "bomb boy" be seated next to me on this flight?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
-Thursday Thirteen #7
Welcome to Thursday Thirteen....that we all seem to do on Wednesdays! You can play along too!
1. I love looking at the ways that people find my blog. Most of them are pretty normal searches, but some of them are a little strange. Here are some from this week...
2. "Tracie"....this one is pretty self-explanatory.
3. "Microsoft Owns Google"......oh no, those guys from the IHOP found me!!
4. "Music Notes for 'A New Wold Somewhere' ".......um, I don't have those. Sorry! But it is a great song.
5. "Boiling Peanuts Without the Shells"........You are supposed to boil them with the shells. Just don't eat the peanut shells like Don did.
6. "Tracie Cannada"....no, I didn't spell Canada wrong, the searcher did. This is why spell check was invented.
7. "Companies Going Bankrupt" ......I have no wisdom on this.
8. "Raw peanuts in Arizona"......people really loved the peanut searches this week!
9. "Say Bomb on a Plane".....this is a story that I will be re-addressing later this week when I leave for Arizona.
10. "Gingerbread Pancakes Eggnog Pancakes".....so yummy!
11. "Bob Ross Rabbits" .......I love Bob Ross and all of his happy little trees!! But he never did paint those rabbits.
12. "Steward's of Children".....Everyone should get this training!13. That is some of the searches from this week (minus a bunch of repeats....I had no idea that so many people search the name Tracie or try to find the meaning)
I will be in going to Arizona on Saturday for the next couple of weeks, so blogging and commenting will be sparse, but my husband (the crazy list maker!....he loves to make lists) has offered to fill in for me and do my TT next week. We will see.
Please don't forget that SuppahMommy's auction for Jaden is starting soon. Go bid on something!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
-It's All About the Prevention
Have you heard about the Mohler Family? A whole family of child rapists.......am I surprised? Sadly, no I am not. It is happening every day. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are being sexually abused right now in this country. Lots of people still seemed surprised and shocked when stories like this make the news. I hear a lot of people say "Why?" and "How can we stop this?".....................here is one important answer - PREVENTION!!
It is no longer enough to sit around our houses shaking our heads at the news when these stories come on. There is something that each of us can do. Have you heard about Darkness to Light's Steward's of Children?
Steward's of Children is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action.
Here is Anne Lee from Darkness to Light:
Do you know a child who is being sexually abused? Would you be able to recognize the signs if you saw them? If a child came to you and told you that this was happening, would you know what to do? I encourage everyone to check out Darkness to Light and especially the Steward's of Children.
It is no longer enough to sit around our houses shaking our heads at the news when these stories come on. There is something that each of us can do. Have you heard about Darkness to Light's Steward's of Children?
Steward's of Children is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action.
Here is Anne Lee from Darkness to Light:
Do you know a child who is being sexually abused? Would you be able to recognize the signs if you saw them? If a child came to you and told you that this was happening, would you know what to do? I encourage everyone to check out Darkness to Light and especially the Steward's of Children.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
-Microsoft Owns...What?
Last night we went to IHOP and there was this table of really loud, really annoying people behind us. (*sidenote-people who know me in real life know that I am loud....but these people were much louder than me!!)
Apparently one of them had just gotten an iPhone, because their entire dinner conversation consisted of one of them saying something, and then another one of them looking it up on the phone. Here is some of the exciting tidbits that I got to learn from this experience:
~Oh my gosh!! Pepsi owns Yum!!!
~No, Pepsi can't own Yum...that is crazy!
(at which point Thomas and I look at each other and say "what is Yum"?)
~Yum has been around longer than Pepsi
~No it hasn't, Pepsi started in 1979 and Yum started in 1998
(Since I still didn't know what Yum was, I had no idea if this was true or not)
~I think that Pepsi is a parent corporation and so is Yum. Then Yum started selling off some of it's "subsidizes" and Pepsi bought them, now that Pepsi owns some of Yum's former companies they are like parent's with shared custody-not quite married, but still forced to spend time together on holidays and birthdays.
~No, Pepsi actually owns all of Yum!
(is anyone else wondering who would start a company and name it "Yum"?)
~Oh my Gosh, Did you know that Yum owns Taco Bell and KFC? See, that proves that Pepsi owns Yum.
~How does that prove that?
~Because at Taco Bell and KFC they only serve Pepsi products.
~No Way!! You are, like, so totally right! Dude. Pepsi must own Yum! I think we should like google.....
~NO, remember we don't google anymore!!
~Oh right, I forgot. We should "bing" fortune 50 and see if Microsoft owns Pepsi.
~Why would Microsoft own Pepsi?
~Well Pepsi owns Yum and that didn't seem possible, so Microsoft could have bought Pepsi without anyone knowing.
(at this point there is a pause while person number one plays with his iPhone and person number two eats. We enjoy the brief silence and I try Katarina's gingerbread pancakes)
~I can't find anything about it, but that doesn't mean it they haven't bought it.
~Yeah, Microsoft is so sneaky, you know they own GE, and GE makes cars and electricity and Microsoft makes computers and computer systems, if Microsoft wanted to they could shut down the country, since they practically own it anyway.
~They don't make cars, they make car parts.
~NO, they make the actual cars!! I think they even bought up a whole bunch of that car company that was going bankrupt.
~You mean GM?
~No, not GM, I think it was Ford.
(click click click on the iPhone.....what website are they looking at that is agreeing with this idea?)
~Microsoft is so sneaky. I wonder if they make airplanes too? Maybe they made Air Force One.
~They made a plane for "he who shall not be named"
~One day I am going to meet him, and I am, like, going to be so bold as to walk right up to him and call him Bill!
~No Way! You wouldn't do that! You would be too scared!
~I totally will do that!
~Will you ask him if he owns Pepsi?
~Yeah! But you know he will deny it. He is sneaky like that!
~We really should buy some Yum stock (these guys buy stock?) Once word gets out that Microsoft owns Pepsi and Pepsi owns Yum it will be worth millions! We will be so rich because we used our iPhones for good instead of evil and figures out "he who shall not be named" plan for global dominance.
And now, dear readers, because I love you, I will not force you to hear about how "he who shall not be named" has a secret deal in the works to buy Apple, or how if you "bing" Apple it tells you that you can't do that and then it takes you to Microsoft's website. I will spare you the details of how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs may have been secretly working together for years, and it is possible that Apple bought part of Ford too.
I will tell you that IHOP has the best holiday pancakes ever made, and they are so good that it was almost worth having to listen to this conversation to be able to eat them........but if I ever see these guys in my IHOP again, I will leave and go to Denny's!
Apparently one of them had just gotten an iPhone, because their entire dinner conversation consisted of one of them saying something, and then another one of them looking it up on the phone. Here is some of the exciting tidbits that I got to learn from this experience:
~Oh my gosh!! Pepsi owns Yum!!!
~No, Pepsi can't own Yum...that is crazy!
(at which point Thomas and I look at each other and say "what is Yum"?)
~Yum has been around longer than Pepsi
~No it hasn't, Pepsi started in 1979 and Yum started in 1998
(Since I still didn't know what Yum was, I had no idea if this was true or not)
~I think that Pepsi is a parent corporation and so is Yum. Then Yum started selling off some of it's "subsidizes" and Pepsi bought them, now that Pepsi owns some of Yum's former companies they are like parent's with shared custody-not quite married, but still forced to spend time together on holidays and birthdays.
~No, Pepsi actually owns all of Yum!
(is anyone else wondering who would start a company and name it "Yum"?)
~Oh my Gosh, Did you know that Yum owns Taco Bell and KFC? See, that proves that Pepsi owns Yum.
~How does that prove that?
~Because at Taco Bell and KFC they only serve Pepsi products.
~No Way!! You are, like, so totally right! Dude. Pepsi must own Yum! I think we should like google.....
~NO, remember we don't google anymore!!
~Oh right, I forgot. We should "bing" fortune 50 and see if Microsoft owns Pepsi.
~Why would Microsoft own Pepsi?
~Well Pepsi owns Yum and that didn't seem possible, so Microsoft could have bought Pepsi without anyone knowing.
(at this point there is a pause while person number one plays with his iPhone and person number two eats. We enjoy the brief silence and I try Katarina's gingerbread pancakes)
~I can't find anything about it, but that doesn't mean it they haven't bought it.
~Yeah, Microsoft is so sneaky, you know they own GE, and GE makes cars and electricity and Microsoft makes computers and computer systems, if Microsoft wanted to they could shut down the country, since they practically own it anyway.
~They don't make cars, they make car parts.
~NO, they make the actual cars!! I think they even bought up a whole bunch of that car company that was going bankrupt.
~You mean GM?
~No, not GM, I think it was Ford.
(click click click on the iPhone.....what website are they looking at that is agreeing with this idea?)
~Microsoft is so sneaky. I wonder if they make airplanes too? Maybe they made Air Force One.
~They made a plane for "he who shall not be named"
~Oh, that is true.....I bet his plane is even better than Air Force One.
(who is "he who shall not be named"?? I wonder, as I eat my eggnog pancakes)~One day I am going to meet him, and I am, like, going to be so bold as to walk right up to him and call him Bill!
~No Way! You wouldn't do that! You would be too scared!
~I totally will do that!
~Will you ask him if he owns Pepsi?
~Yeah! But you know he will deny it. He is sneaky like that!
~We really should buy some Yum stock (these guys buy stock?) Once word gets out that Microsoft owns Pepsi and Pepsi owns Yum it will be worth millions! We will be so rich because we used our iPhones for good instead of evil and figures out "he who shall not be named" plan for global dominance.
And now, dear readers, because I love you, I will not force you to hear about how "he who shall not be named" has a secret deal in the works to buy Apple, or how if you "bing" Apple it tells you that you can't do that and then it takes you to Microsoft's website. I will spare you the details of how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs may have been secretly working together for years, and it is possible that Apple bought part of Ford too.
I will tell you that IHOP has the best holiday pancakes ever made, and they are so good that it was almost worth having to listen to this conversation to be able to eat them........but if I ever see these guys in my IHOP again, I will leave and go to Denny's!
Friday, November 13, 2009
-Friday Fragments
Mrs.4444 is hosting her weekly Friday Fragments.....feel free to go play along!
~My daughter, Katarina, loves to paint her nails. It is her very favorite thing. She always wants to go to the nail polish aisle and buy a new color, and then she can't wait to put it on. Recently we ran out of fingernail polish remover (I'll bet you can guess who used it all up changing their fingernail color every day) and I keep forgetting to buy more (no, not on purpose--I know some of you were thinking that!) so she has had to wait to change her nail color. This morning, the very first thing that she told me after breakfast was, "Mommy, all the nail polish finally wore off and now my nails are empty!" and then she ran off to fill them up with blue and pink!
~We have been knitting squares! Yesterday when Katie was finishing up a square she told me, "Mommy, I need to take a knitting break, because my fingers are as sore as a hedgehog who walked into a porcupine with all it's spikes stuck out"
~My darling Thomas brought home Barnie's Santa's White Christmas Ice Cream last night.....coffee with chocolate chunks.......so yummy!!
~Only eight more days until we go to Arizona!!! Yay!!
~While I am in Arizona, I won't be around blogg-world very much.....Un-Yay!
~I have been busy the past two Thursday nights in a row, and missed The Office. Sad.
~After repeated watching, I have decided that the new Tinkerbell movie is cute, but I would have liked to see more of the other fairies, I feel like they got a little gypped this time around. Terrance is great, but I am sort of over him now. ..........this is the fun things that you get to spend lots of time analyzing when you have a six year old fairy fanatic!
~I have to thank all my sweet readers who came by last night during my blog-break-down and encouraged me! Y'all rock!
~That is it! I am fragmented out (for now) Go check out the other fragmenters, and have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
-Blog Changes
My old template is broken.....I have messed around with it so much over the years, that it is beyond repair! I have put off doing anything about it because I was toying with the idea of changing to WordPress, but I realize that it might be a while before I do that, and the brokenness is driving me crazy........So, before getting a new template, I have decided to do something that I have dreaded......
I am going to switch over to the "new" blogger. I'm sure that I am the last person on this planet to switch, but it is still scary for me. One thing that I have already noticed is that because my Google Follower thing wasn't put in there by blogger, all my followers are going to disappear when I switch.....so, if you follow me, please check back tonight or tomorrow and re-click follow if you don't see yourself in my follower box. Thank you so much (nothing like reading a blog, only to be given homework, is there!) I appreciate all of you who stop by and read and leave comments, hopefully this won't be too annoying for y'all!
I am going to switch over to the "new" blogger. I'm sure that I am the last person on this planet to switch, but it is still scary for me. One thing that I have already noticed is that because my Google Follower thing wasn't put in there by blogger, all my followers are going to disappear when I switch.....so, if you follow me, please check back tonight or tomorrow and re-click follow if you don't see yourself in my follower box. Thank you so much (nothing like reading a blog, only to be given homework, is there!) I appreciate all of you who stop by and read and leave comments, hopefully this won't be too annoying for y'all!
-We've Got Trouble
I don't have anything exciting to say today......but a little "Music Man" is always exciting....right?
That's what I thought! :0)
What is your favorite musical?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
-Thursday Thirteen #6
All About Jaden!
Have you heard about Jaden? He is the son of one of SupahMommy's friends. He is a sweet little boy who has Metastatic Neuroblastoma. For Thursday Thirteen this week, here are some things that you can do.....
1. Read Jaden's story, get to know about him and his family so that you can get an idea of what they are going through.
2. Pray......and then pray some more!!
3. Jaden's mom isn't able to work right now, she has to be there with him 24/7, and with only one income coming in and all of those medical bills I'm sure you can see how much extra stress that family has that they just don't need.
4. There is a project called Wishes for Jaden....all you have to do is take a picture of yourself with an encouraging message to send to the family!
5. November 24th-December 6th SupahMommy is going to have an online auction to benefit Jaden and his family, get an early start on Christmas and bid on something!
6. Hosting an online auction sounds like a big job, doesn't it? If you are thinking to yourself, "I bet that SupahMommy woman could use some help with that" ......you would be correct!!
7. And now that you know she is needing help, I bet your next thought is, "I wonder how I could help her?"...well I am here to tell you that it will be easier than you think!
8. And you can start right now!!!
(because the auction starts on the 24th y'all, and we need to get a move on this!)
9. If you own a business or you are crafty, you could donate something to be auctioned.
10. She is looking for gift cards, handmade items, sports stuff....anything that she can auction off.
11. Even if you do not own a business, or if you aren't particularly crafty, you can help. Supah needs lots of gift cards......she isn't asking you to purchase these cards yourself, what she needs is for you go to businesses (and she has a list of suggestions for you to look at) and ask them to donate! What could be simpler than that?
12. If you are a super blogger (you have over 200 followers) and you don't craft, and you don't feel comfortable soliciting donations, you can still help!! Auction off a guest post on your blog on a high traffic day! You can help Jaden and maybe even make a new friend!
13. Blog about Jaden......and grab one of his buttons.......there is one for his story (Supah does an update every Sunday!) and one for this auction........
........And this one is so important that it gets to be mentioned twice.....please Pray!!
Have a great Thursday y'all and if you want to play along with all us Thursday Thirteen folks, just go here!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
-The Bonnet Heads are in a War
I spent many years of my life reading The Little House on the Prairie series and the Anne of Green Gables series. Both are responsible for many of my childhood memories (especially when I tried to get rid of my freckles like Anne) so when I saw this on Alison Arngrim's facebook page, I couldn't help but be intrigued.......
"Obviously I am totally biased. I will always side with my Bonnet-Headed brethren on this one! (To be fair, I did do one performance (a buyers showcase evening) of a proposed musical of "Anne of Green Gables" - I played the "Mrs. Oleson" position on the Anne team: Busybody Rachel Lynde.)
It is true: Laura is a real person,... Anne is a figment of the imagination.
But, I am somewhat conflicted over this issue as I am an American, but my family is Canadian. "Little House" the ultimate American story by American author Laura Ingalls Wilder VS "Anne" of Prince Edward Island, written by a big old Canuck, Lucy Maud Montgomery.
I can see where divisive issues of the most base nationalism could arise! I have awful visions of braided girls massing along our border to fling little tin lunch pails and slates at one another! We must nip this bigotry and hatred in the bud!
The bonnet heads of both nations must unite!"
To make my decision, I am going to set the television adaptations aside -
Honestly there is no adaptation of Anne that ever got it right (although I did enjoy the Road to Avenlea series that was on the Disney Channel when I was a kid, I always watched it when they had those free Disney Channel preview weekends back when Disney was a "pay-extra" channel and my parents were too cheap to pay--but this series doesn't count because it isn't based on the Anne Shirley story line, it is loosely taken from the story line of other L M Montgomery books that were also set in Avenlea)
Little House on the Prairie was good, but by the later years they were so far away from the true story that there was no resemblance other than the character names (and some of those weren't even correct!) *Confession Alert---Little House does get some extra points for having Michael Landon playing Charles Ingalls, because from the first time that I saw him in Bonanza I was in love...and seeing him as Laura's dad didn't diminish those feelings at all!
I read and reread both series over and over again. They have such a different feel that it is hard to compare them.....but if I am being truly honest, I think I would have to pick Anne. Maybe my Canadian half is just more into reading than my American half, but I don't think that is it! (hey, Alison and I have something in common) From that first moment where Anne declared that she wanted to be "Anne spelled with an E" I knew that I had found my soul mate....even if she was fictional. If I was to pull my old copies of the books out of storage, the Little House books would be well read, but the Anne books would be falling apart from so much reading.....I vote....Anne Shirley (because she had a full name folks, and she didn't always live at Green Gables, just check your book titles. I always feel like the people who really love Anne call her by her real name and not just the title of her first book).....
Now all of us bonnet heads have to take Alison's advice and unite together to stop the war, but not until you tell me who you would pick and why......
........Laura or Anne?
Monday, November 09, 2009
-Dentist Part 2
This will be my last dentist related post....I promise!
We went to our appointment yesterday.
Katarina was a big girl, and went in for her cleaning and loved every minute of it. I think we might have a future dentist in our house (that is one way to get some dental care!!) She was excited that they used the "pick thing" on her, the watermelon flavored fluoride and then they polished them....she has showed everyone she has seen her sparkly clean teeth! And she was also more excited over the free toothbrush than I ever remember being!
While Thomas was waiting for the oral surgeon to arrive to extract his four teeth, the dentist went ahead and did three fillings that he also needed, but wasn't supposed to get done because of the time....what a blessing!
I have learned a very important fact about myself.....Novocain does not work on me! After six shots of Novocain, my face was numb, but on the inside where it counted I was feeling everything! The dentist told me that I was at the max for what they could give me, and I told her to just pull it out and I would handle it. It was more important to get the tooth out at that point. Needless to say, I was hurting pretty bad yesterday (and Thomas was even worse!!!) but we are both doing a lot better today, and feeling blessed!!
Just a quick reminder...you still have time to order cute Earring Holders for Christmas presents--all the proceeds will help a family pay for some very needed dental care!
We went to our appointment yesterday.
Katarina was a big girl, and went in for her cleaning and loved every minute of it. I think we might have a future dentist in our house (that is one way to get some dental care!!) She was excited that they used the "pick thing" on her, the watermelon flavored fluoride and then they polished them....she has showed everyone she has seen her sparkly clean teeth! And she was also more excited over the free toothbrush than I ever remember being!
While Thomas was waiting for the oral surgeon to arrive to extract his four teeth, the dentist went ahead and did three fillings that he also needed, but wasn't supposed to get done because of the time....what a blessing!
I have learned a very important fact about myself.....Novocain does not work on me! After six shots of Novocain, my face was numb, but on the inside where it counted I was feeling everything! The dentist told me that I was at the max for what they could give me, and I told her to just pull it out and I would handle it. It was more important to get the tooth out at that point. Needless to say, I was hurting pretty bad yesterday (and Thomas was even worse!!!) but we are both doing a lot better today, and feeling blessed!!
Just a quick reminder...you still have time to order cute Earring Holders for Christmas presents--all the proceeds will help a family pay for some very needed dental care!
Sunday, November 08, 2009
-Honest Scrap
I just got an award!!! Jen from Following the Footsteps gave me the Honest Scrap award....I have seen this on other people's sidebars and admired how cool it looks. Thank you Jen! You are very sweet!
Here is the rules:
1) Thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.
2) Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.
3) Present this award to others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
4) Tell those people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.
Honest Things about Tracie:
1. There is no roller coaster that I will not ride!
2. I love water with lime juice. (lemon juice is good too)
3. I read everything!
4. I like to sleep in.
5. I don't wear yellow.
6. I want to live in England.
7. I love Rich Mullins.
8. I can quote almost every word to all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls.
9. I love snow. (I don't get to see too much of it in Florida!)
10. I believe that I can drive a stick shift.....I just haven't tapped into my latent talent.
Growing Up Townsend Style
Sissie's Shabby Cottage
Dancing in the Morning Sun
Jumping Tandem
Here is the rules:
1) Thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.
2) Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.
3) Present this award to others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
4) Tell those people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.
Honest Things about Tracie:
1. There is no roller coaster that I will not ride!
2. I love water with lime juice. (lemon juice is good too)
3. I read everything!
4. I like to sleep in.
5. I don't wear yellow.
6. I want to live in England.
7. I love Rich Mullins.
8. I can quote almost every word to all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls.
9. I love snow. (I don't get to see too much of it in Florida!)
10. I believe that I can drive a stick shift.....I just haven't tapped into my latent talent.
Growing Up Townsend Style
Sissie's Shabby Cottage
Dancing in the Morning Sun
Jumping Tandem
Saturday, November 07, 2009
-5 Cities That Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson
When I saw the name of this book, 5 Cities That Ruled the World, on Thomas Nelson's list, I was excited. I love books that deal with history and this seemed like an interesting concept. Douglas Wilson gives an overview of the history of Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York, and explains their part in world history. I felt that he missed the opportunity to discuss the impact of several important Eastern cities, and I was disappointed that he didn't explain the reasons behind the cities that he chose.
To be honest, I struggled through reading this book, which I didn't feel was well written. As an example, here is a complete sentence that can be found on page 41, "And this promise that there Jerusalem and finds its fulfillment in the New Jerusalem." The writing was choppy throughout, and I felt that the author spent too much time on his personal conjecture. The length of the book, 236 pages, may be partly to blame, this is a short book for such a large subject matter.
This is a book with a great title, but disappointing content.
To be honest, I struggled through reading this book, which I didn't feel was well written. As an example, here is a complete sentence that can be found on page 41, "And this promise that there Jerusalem and finds its fulfillment in the New Jerusalem." The writing was choppy throughout, and I felt that the author spent too much time on his personal conjecture. The length of the book, 236 pages, may be partly to blame, this is a short book for such a large subject matter.
This is a book with a great title, but disappointing content.
Friday, November 06, 2009
-Dentist Part 1.5
I just blogged yesterday about how I went to the dentist.....well, here is the whole story.....We don't have any type of health insurance, and we certainly don't have dental insurance, or money for dental help. Thomas has four teeth that need serious attention, and I have the one that has been causing me some pain for about five years. Three weeks ago one of Thomas' teeth got to the point where he was in terrible, constant pain....I mean, seriously bad. He was taking Advil like they were candy (and this is a man who didn't even take meds when he sprained his back, he is pill-o-phobic!)
I went in search of a dentist who would see him. I was put in touch with an emergency dental ministry, and the woman told me that once a year they have a dental weekend. They take the first 250 people who qualify, and provide free dental care!! That is right, free!! And this year's even was only a couple of weeks away!
So yesterday, we went early in the morning and filled out paperwork, and got a number. We left and came back a couple of hours later, armed with our numbers and started waiting.........and waiting........for several hours out in the hot sun (hey it is Florida, we don't get fall down here) but there was no complaining from us!! Once we went through the final paperwork, we were taken back to see the dentist for the preliminary check and x-rays. They are going to do a cleaning for Katarina, do a fancy oral debridement and pull my bad tooth (which is beyond saving) and do oral surgery on Thomas to take care of all four teeth! All for free!!!! This Sunday morning! Absolutely unbelievable!
We got home last evening feeling so blessed. Marveling at the goodness and provision of God.
This dental situation has been an ongoing problem for years that we haven't been able to do anything about. So, when I saw that my friend, Jenny, was blogging about dentistry too, I was intrigued. Here is an exerpt of her post; it is an email that her friend Kristen sent out.
..........If you've seen the news recently, I'm sure you're well aware that more than 130 people died at the hands of suicide bombers in Baghdad, Iraq just over a week ago. As I sat beside a friend and watched some of the footage last Sunday night, I wondered what it would be like to see those images from his perspective. You see, I've never walked the streets of Baghdad, but he has. In fact, Baghdad, Iraq, is the place he calls "home."
If you are interested in purchasing one of these earring holders to assist the family in need, please contact Kristen at kristenhillerATyahooDOTcom to order one (or more) and learn about more ways you can help this particular family. Frames can be either white, black, or stained wood and Kristen is currently taking requests for ribbon color.
As a person who was so overcome with what a blessing (badly needed) free dental care is, I couldn't just pass by this request without being touched. Please consider what a blessing you can give to this family for only $20......and you will get a super-cute earring holder in return! (what girl couldn't use one of those!?!)
I went in search of a dentist who would see him. I was put in touch with an emergency dental ministry, and the woman told me that once a year they have a dental weekend. They take the first 250 people who qualify, and provide free dental care!! That is right, free!! And this year's even was only a couple of weeks away!
So yesterday, we went early in the morning and filled out paperwork, and got a number. We left and came back a couple of hours later, armed with our numbers and started waiting.........and waiting........for several hours out in the hot sun (hey it is Florida, we don't get fall down here) but there was no complaining from us!! Once we went through the final paperwork, we were taken back to see the dentist for the preliminary check and x-rays. They are going to do a cleaning for Katarina, do a fancy oral debridement and pull my bad tooth (which is beyond saving) and do oral surgery on Thomas to take care of all four teeth! All for free!!!! This Sunday morning! Absolutely unbelievable!
We got home last evening feeling so blessed. Marveling at the goodness and provision of God.
This dental situation has been an ongoing problem for years that we haven't been able to do anything about. So, when I saw that my friend, Jenny, was blogging about dentistry too, I was intrigued. Here is an exerpt of her post; it is an email that her friend Kristen sent out.
..........If you've seen the news recently, I'm sure you're well aware that more than 130 people died at the hands of suicide bombers in Baghdad, Iraq just over a week ago. As I sat beside a friend and watched some of the footage last Sunday night, I wondered what it would be like to see those images from his perspective. You see, I've never walked the streets of Baghdad, but he has. In fact, Baghdad, Iraq, is the place he calls "home."
H was a professional in the city, and as such, became a prime target for insurgents. On his way home from work one evening, he was abducted, brutally beaten, and eventually left for dead. Through an incredible series of events, he was found by U.S. troops and was able to move with his family to the U.S., where he, his wife, R, and their three young daughters now live as refugees. I can't imagine being forced to leave behind friends and family in exchange for safety, but this is the reality in which they live.
While they are thankful everyday for the opportunity to raise their three little girls here in the United States, they are finding it difficult to make ends meet as he is unable to work due to his injuries, and R serves as his sole caretaker. After living in the States for one year, R is in dire need of dental care which is not covered by Medicaid.
For the next few weeks, I will be selling hand-crafted earring holders to raise the money necessary to cover the dental expense (approx. $2,100). If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing an earring holder for a suggested donation of $20 (plus shipping if needed), one hundred percent of the proceeds will fund the dental work needed by this family. (If you do know of others who might be interested in your area, it might save on shipping to send a couple together.) The earring holders are beautifully crafted, hand-made, and they make great Christmas gifts!
I will be taking orders for the next few weeks, and will get the holders out in time for the Christmas season. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read and consider this note. If you know of anyone who might be interested in purchasing an earring holder, please feel free to forward this message.
Here is a picture of one of the holders:
If you are interested in purchasing one of these earring holders to assist the family in need, please contact Kristen at kristenhillerATyahooDOTcom to order one (or more) and learn about more ways you can help this particular family. Frames can be either white, black, or stained wood and Kristen is currently taking requests for ribbon color.
As a person who was so overcome with what a blessing (badly needed) free dental care is, I couldn't just pass by this request without being touched. Please consider what a blessing you can give to this family for only $20......and you will get a super-cute earring holder in return! (what girl couldn't use one of those!?!)
Thursday, November 05, 2009
-Dentist....Candy Corn
I just got back home from the dentist!! It looks like I will be getting a tooth pulled on Sunday....It will be good to be able to chew on the right side of my mouth for the first time in five years! The good news is that Katarina didn't have any cavities or bad stuff going on. (all that flossing that she loves to do has payed off!)
There is something wrong about talking dentists and candy corn at the same time, isn't there?But I am going to do it anyway....(just don't tell my new dentist)
When I opened the M&Ms and Candy Corn, I put them in separate ziploc bags...Thomas wanted me to combine them, but that just isn't right. You can't let different types of food (or candy) touch each other-that is my rule.Thomas Some people have called me strange for this. These people act like it is abnormal or something....like I have some strange form of OCD. So last night, when Thomas stole my candy I was sharing with Thomas, he poured all of the Candy Corn into the M&Ms bag....yuck!! Even though I protested that the two textures interfered with each other. Thankfully the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups come individually wrapped!
So what about you? Do you think I am crazy, or do you keep certain foods separate from others?
There is something wrong about talking dentists and candy corn at the same time, isn't there?But I am going to do it anyway....(just don't tell my new dentist)
When I opened the M&Ms and Candy Corn, I put them in separate ziploc bags...Thomas wanted me to combine them, but that just isn't right. You can't let different types of food (or candy) touch each other-that is my rule.
So what about you? Do you think I am crazy, or do you keep certain foods separate from others?
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
-Thursday Thirteen #5
1. Hot Pockets makes chicken quesadillas now....not really Mexican food, but good junk food.
2. When I go to Arizona this month I intend to eat lots of real Mexican food!! Yum!!
3. In fact, I hope to do that at Los Olivos in Scottsdale...so good!
4. Then I could eat dessert at the Sugarbowl........I am sensing a real food-related theme to this trip, but I just can't help it. The food is so good there!
5. After watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown many times this season, I have decided that it is Charles Schultz's secret joke about how silly it is to believe in Santa.
6. Do you need a Budoir Pillow?? Because I have found the cutest one!
7. I try to let Katarina make her own choices...so the other night we were at the grocery store buying Pop Tarts because they were buy one get one free, and even though I really wanted the Brown Sugar Cinnamon ones, I told her that she could choose........then she starts gravitating towards the blueberry......so I try to trick her (as any good parent would) into picking the ones I want by saying, "You already picked the strawberry ones, why don't you get something like the Brown Sugar Cinnamon ones to go with them instead of the blueberry. You don't want two berries, do you? And these are really good when you heat them up, of course, it is up to you..." At which point, a woman standing next to us buying fiber-filled healthy granola bars starts laughing and says, "So your favorite Pop Tart is the Brown Sugar Cinnamon ones?" and once I answer her that, yes, they are, Katarina picks up the blueberry ones and declares, "Of course I want two berries, they are much better for you than sugar!"
8. To the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts-you got away this week, but next time I will be smart and buy you when Katarina isn't around....
9. Did you watch The Office last week? Because if you did, you will understand why I will always refer to that wildly popular social networking site as "Book Face".
10. I wonder who decided to make it a Thursday Thirteen instead of a Thursday Three....Three would be so much easier ;-)
11. I re-watched Stranger Than Fiction last night. I seriously love that movie!
12. Every time I watch it I want to ask everyone I see, " Do you find yourself inclined to solve murder mysteries in large, luxurious homes to which you may or may not have been invited?"
13. This made me laugh!
Have a great Thursday y'all!!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
-Love Poem
Yesterday I participated in Marriage Monday and wrote a letter to my husband....one of the other participants used the love poem generator and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to try it for myself. Here it is....
This night I shall dream of your bedazzling Green hair and Tucan-eyes.
Wrapped in echoes of your mellifluous Nose-music, I long to sip from your Pineappleful lips.
In my dreams, we fly on the exquisite winged Okra of Purpleness -- skimming vast continents of Toes and Chinchillas.
The depths of all the oceans of the universe shall never separate our Mangos.
Brilliant as Runing Trees, the seas greet us from afar.
In the twilight we feast on chocolate-coated Zebras and tender Pencilhearts of love.
Adorned in white silk, we pluck our Foghorning love chimes from our Backs.
I press the Boat that you wear around your neck against my Toe-muffin so that our Pineapples melt into one.
You will always be my little Thomas-cakes face, the Tucan of my own Runing eye of love.
Have a great Tuesday full of Foghorning love chimes!
Once More, My Love
Have a great Tuesday full of Foghorning love chimes!
Monday, November 02, 2009
-A Letter to My Husband
Welcome to Marriage Monday! Today's topic is "A Love Letter to My Husband." Today we have the opportunity to express our postive good feelings about our spouses—and to let the world know!
Thomas,
You are a wonderful husband, father, provider and best friend. I know that we have had lots of struggles over the last few years, but I also know that in the future once we have overcome, we will look back on this time as a growing experience. It will be the time when we learned how to make it through anything as long as we are together.
I see how hard you work everyday for this family, and I want to say thank you. I love you! You bring joy to me everyday. You make me laugh. You make Katarina laugh. You encourage me in everything I do (crazy or not!) you are my biggest fan....and I am yours! You never fail to dream big (even when I rain down on those dreams with practicality) You have made me a more fun person (even when you have to drag me to it!) You pray for us and with us everyday! You are awesome. I can never say enough how much I love you and how thankful I am that God gave you to me.
Tracie
Tracie
Sunday, November 01, 2009
-National Half-Price Candy Day
I would like to welcome all of you to the best holiday of the year. It takes place each November 1st.....National Half-Priced Candy Day! I plan to celebrate with as many bags of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Heath Bars, plus a few Skittles, Starbursts, Twizzlers and other random sugary treats that will fit into my shopping buggy! What about you?
Also, today is the start of NaBloPoMo. I had been thinking about participating this year, but just found out last night that we will be visiting my mom (ie cleaning things that are taller than her, climbing on ladders, and possibly helping her to pack and move) the week before Thanksgiving, so there is no way that I can commit to a post each day while I will be gone. I will, however, enjoy visiting all of you who are participating and reading all of your daily fun! Good Luck!
Today is Sunday, and if you read my blog, you know that that means it is time for Sunday with Angela Shelton. I am happy to announce that we won't be in Twitter today (I still can't figure that place out!) but she will be streaming live from Facebook! It happens at 3pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
Also, today is the start of NaBloPoMo. I had been thinking about participating this year, but just found out last night that we will be visiting my mom (ie cleaning things that are taller than her, climbing on ladders, and possibly helping her to pack and move) the week before Thanksgiving, so there is no way that I can commit to a post each day while I will be gone. I will, however, enjoy visiting all of you who are participating and reading all of your daily fun! Good Luck!
Today is Sunday, and if you read my blog, you know that that means it is time for Sunday with Angela Shelton. I am happy to announce that we won't be in Twitter today (I still can't figure that place out!) but she will be streaming live from Facebook! It happens at 3pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)