Dear Zachary

Cut to the chase.. Found this movie on Netflix and it seemed to be highly rated so I cued it up. I had read the synopsis so I knew what it was about and it exceeded my expectations. I laughed and cried and cried some more. Absolutely heart wrenching and it really touched me in a way that can only be understood by my husband. This movie will stay in my thoughts for a long while

Chicken vs Dog

We had a nice little treat for dinner of T bones,crab legs, and lobster tails. Homer sat so patiently waiting for his cut! I threw the t bone out the back door thinking the chickens were all in bed but noooooo they were not and they were quite interested in the bone as well.

A few girls ventured up to Homer to check out the grubb but he picked up the bone and ran off. About 3 minutes later I decided to check on him and went outside. He didn't have the bone and seemed to be looking for it and the chickens were running around as well.

Doing a quick count I realized Cowgirl was missing and I spotted her clear on the other side of the yard backed up into the corner. As I approached her with 5 chickens and a dog tailing me I saw that she had commandeered the missing bone. She must have snatched it away from Homer!

I got the bone back and brought Homer inside with it. I gave it to him and he promptly disappeared. I found him under the Christmas tree making sure no one would find him or his bone.

I am in heaven!

I won't bore you with the details but I stumbled upon the group Vitamin String Quartet on You Tube and I am hooked. The group covers some of my favorite songs and groups from AC/DC and Led Zeppelin to Green Day and Evanescence all on violin,viola,cello, and bass.

I am having a hard time deciding on my favorites but I enjoy No Doubts *Don't Speak* so I will leave you with that.

Up

I was really fighting watching this movie for some reason. My 6 year old wanted to see it and I just did not! Not sure what I had against it but I took her to see it and I loved it!! I cried during the Carl and Ellie montage and at the end when Carl looked at Ellie's scrapbook. I can give this a big 2 thumbs UP!

Paranormal Activity

So my brother and I are talking and he tells me about this movie *Paranormal Activity* He said it was very scary and good. Knowing he is a no nonsense 30 year old law student I was intrigued that something would scare him.

Off we go to the theater and one of my daughters calls to say she just saw it and it isn't scary. Great! So now I am kind of not sure what to expect. I went with my husband, another of my daughters and her boyfriend.

I really enjoyed it for several reasons. One- I was scared! Two-I enjoyed the simplicity of something like noises in the night being terrifying. Three- I think it is something that could happen.

There are 2 endings to the film. The one shown in theaters and suggested by Steven Spielberg is the one I prefer. I watched the *alternate* or original ending and although I understood the concept and idea I didn't care for the acting I guess. I don't know what it was about it.

If you liked the Blair Witch Project you might enjoy this.

Yes, I vape

I can proudly admit that I am a vaper now. I had heard about electronic cigarettes on the Etsy forums and saw a review on you tube someone linked to. I liked the review because the fellow was from the UK and his accent was a hoot to listen to.

I kind of got hung up on the accent and filed the e cig idea in the back of my brain. My daughter came over with an ecig about a month ago and I tried it. I must say I enjoyed it and thought it might be a way for me to quit smoking. We ordered some supplies and I gave it a whirl. It took me about a week to run out of my analogs (regular cigarettes) and I made the switch. I am almost at 2 weeks without an analog and am very proud of myself. Considering I have not gone a single day without a cigarette in 13 years this is a big deal for me.

In the future I will post more about how I am doing, FAQ,supplies,mods,etc..

Mr Darcy

What is it about Mr Darcy??? I finally decided to get into the swing of things and see the BBC production with Colin Firth. I enjoyed the first half especially Mr Bennet's whit. As I came up to the second half I sort of thought *What is the big deal with this* as I enjoyed it but wasn't bowled over with emotion. A good, emotional movie for me is Braveheart and this wasn't exactly the same. However at some point when Mr. Darcy spoke I found myself getting teary eyed and really rooting for him.

I guess this must be the magic that is Pride and Prejudice? I have always wanted to find out the secret since I watched *You've got mail*

JOE
But you'll never forgive me. Like
Elizabeth.

KATHLEEN
Who?

JOE
Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.
She was too proud --

KATHLEEN
I thought you hated Pride and Prejudice.

JOE
-- or was she too prejudiced and Mr.
Darcy too proud? I can never remember.
(beat)
It wasn't personal

That scene has been in my head since the movie came out! SO I thoroughly enjoyed the BBC production and decided to do some reading so I picked up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and loved it! Once again Mr. Darcy is dashing and a kick ass zombie killer.

Next up is Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly and Lost in Austen about a girl getting thrown back in time into the novel.

Sports Candy Sundae

My 5 year old enjoys watching VHS tapes of Lazy Town which features *Sportacus* the local hero who is always encouraging kids not to be lazy and saving citizens in trouble. Very campy, but Sportacus calls apples *Sports Candy* and my daughter has picked up on the theme.

I put together a *Sports Sundae* for her that looks appealing,tastes great, and is healthy. Vanilla Yogurt, frozen berries, and grape nuts is all it takes.


Thanks Sportacus!

My Little Girls

I have had my 6 little chicks for 2 weeks now and they are growing every day.

I am allowed to have 6 *fowl* within the city limits. Taking my neighbor into account I passed on Turkeys,Ducks, and Geese. I read up like crazy and had a site in mind to purchase exactly what I wanted but the minimum order is 25 so that idea fell flat.

That left me having to visit the local Atwoods. I chose 3 Pullets (I know this means a girl but have not figured out the breed yet) who my 5 year old named

Martha
Dorothy
Cowgirl

I also picked out 3 Bantams- the guys at Atwoods seemed to think they could identify females even though they aren't supposed to- I can't wait to see if they were right!

Bulina
Skunky
Captain Caveman (this is what happens when you let a man name one)

We will be working on the coop this weekend.

You Tube Picks

I am pretty much a You Tube freak! After watching Beowulf this past weekend I was fascinated with the whole movie but especially the music. I found this version of *A Hero Comes Home* sung by a fan. Hauntingly beautiful.....

One Day At A Time

Some of the changes I have made take time! So I try to look at one day at a time.

Wii fit- Day #26 I have earned my silver piggy bank ( 20 Hours) and almost have a gold one! I am pretty regular on it M-F for at least an hour. I have probably lost 5 pounds since I started.

No caffeine - Day #8 That was a lot easier than I thought! No problem at all...

Walking the Dogs - Day #5 I take each dog (I have 2) on a walk around the lake separately. That gets me and them some exercise.

Body Cleanse - Day #2 Something I did about 20 years ago and it tasted so horrible that I was afraid to do it again. This product tastes fine though. I will be doing this for about 3 months.

One more item to take care of which I will probably start next week. They say you can't eat an elephant all in one bite so I am taking it one day at a time...

Featured Seller ~ Meluseena

I found the Etsy Seller meluseena
after she posted on the forums. I love her work! Meluseena is the Etsy shop of Lisa Falzon a writer and illustrator.


A little bit about her....
I am 25 years old, I'm Maltese living in Cork, Ireland. I'm a writer and illustrator, working primarily in the digital medium. I've done children's books, CD covers, banners for buses. The whole shebang.

I used to have solo exhibitions and be in group shows, but I have discovered that getting rid of the pretention of it all and selling art directly to buyers all over the world is much more satisfactory :)

http://meluseena.deviantart.com/ <--- my art dump
http://lisa-falzon.blogspot.com/ <-- my blog
www.lisafalzon.com <-- my online portfolio .


I had a hard time picking faves as I love all her work! Right now she offers Free Shipping on most items so stop by her shop and have a look. You won't be disappointed!

Dog Mystery Partially Solved

About this time last year I had the opportunity to foster 4 out of 9 puppies who were dumped in a barn. They were described as *Spaniel Mix* and as puppies they looked quite a but like Spaniels. I adopted 3 out and kept one who we named Fenway.
As time passed Fenway seemed less and less like a spaniel and more like some type of hound. Not a Basset or Blood hound. Over the weekend I caught a dog show on tv and happened to see the hound group. Low and behold an American Foxhound came out and I said *BINGO* that is Fenway!
He is still a mix with something else- maybe a spaniel but now I know that he is probably a Foxhound. He has all the characteristics of this breed as well. Not earth shattering news but it was nice to solve a little mystery- still need to work on dog #2 who we call Little Bear...

Caffiene Diary

I decided to cut down on my soda intake today. Pathetically, this is a really hard thing for me to do as I chug Diet Dr. Thunder(Walmart version of Diet. Dr. Pepper)
like there is no tomorrow. Certain things in life I have fallen into a routine with and having a soda first thing in the morning is one of them. After thinking about it though it might have a lot to do with drinking from a straw that forms my habit.
This morning about 10 am I washed my embarrassingly large soda mug and put it away.
I have been drinking Crystal Light peach tea in water bottles all day. I am on my 5th 8 oz bottle, I do have a headache but I feel pretty good. I know it will get easier.
This was on my to do list and now I can at least partially cross it off as started on!

Featured Seller

I am quite smitten with the Etsy Shop Buy My Crap for a few reasons. The first being that Buy My Crap is the other half of The Naked Mushroom whom I adore.

Second the name BUY MY CRAP is pure genius!! I find humor very appealing and besides I like the items for sale. Resin rings in mouth watering colors. I have never really though about a resin ring before but I love the patterns and colors.



Even something for the Twilight crowd!

The Day After Tomorrow

I am talking about the movie here!
If you live in a severe weather area this is all familiar to you- if you lived in Arizona like I did for over 20 years and then move to a place like Oklahoma you need to do some adjusting!

I have learned to be prepared- have a generator,bags of salt,oil lamps,flashlights,emergency radio,etc.. What I find most fascinating is that when severe weather is coming the grocery store is where the action is. I stopped by yesterday after my friend told me that the approaching weather might snap power lines in the next few days.

Sundays are a somewhat busy day but severe weather shopping always stops me dead in my tracks because I have a tendency to watch people (there are twice as many as usual) and become speechless at the empty shelves. Milk,OJ,and egg areas are decimated as well as meat. Actually pretty much anything is gone. You see huge areas of empty shelves and cardboard boxes all over the floor. Everyone's shopping cart is completely full. Not being prepared can be the difference between life and death for some people.

In 2007 we had massive storm that was the worst in 100 years. The entire candle and lamp oil shelve was completely empty and it is a pretty big area. No power for 10 days means I was filling up gas cans for the generator every other day (along with everyone else) and eating meals at QT. When even Walmart is without power you know it is bad.

So maybe it won't be so bad in the next few days but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it....

Wii Diary

The Wii Fit is a daily part of my life now. I use it every day,although I did miss last weekend. I start off with Yoga and then move on to Aerobics. I prefer the step aerobics and rhythm boxing the most. I do like to Hoola Hoop though!I usually finish up with some strength training and ski jump or tight rope for fun.
I spend about 1 hour and 20 minutes on average using it and still haven't gotten bored.

My First Artfire Purchase

Checking out the front page of Artfire I saw some items from
Simply Tempted Bath and Body

I purchased 3 Body Splashes. Pink Sugar,Lick Me All Over,and Black Raspberry Vanilla.

Product Description for Pink Sugar (My favorite)
Designed for the busy girl on the go!

Enjoy long lasting and luscious fragrance all day long wherever you may be. Small enough to slip into a purse, jeans pocket or bra… don’t pretend girls...we’ve all put something in our bras at one time or other, and we don’t mean just Kleenex either.Perfect for a little pick me up throughout your day.

Don’t let the small package size fool you… (And where have we heard this one before?) Each mist mini will last approximately 100 sprays. A little goes a long way baby!

~ 8ml. ~
~ non greasy ~

PINK SUGAR: A playfully soft women's fragrance with the sweetness of sugar, cotton candy, vanilla, musk and light florals. For the young and young at heart!


These sprays are divine- can't say enough good about them. Great seller and product. Will definitely be back.

Wii Diary

Lot's of Wii activity to report!

My Wii fit arrived about 6 days ago and I just opened it up today- more on that later..

Still plugging along with Samba De Amigo- I picked up an extra Nun Chuck so my daughter and I can play together since she was hogging it all the time. We have fun with the mini games and have even tried the medium setting.

Won my first tennis match today on Wii Sports- Woo Hoo- this is a big deal as I have been getting smoked on a regular basis.

Tried boxing and KO's the first 5 opponents

Decided to give Golf a try-uh oh- VERY addictive. It's pretty much the PGA tour here the last 3 days. All of us play and DH is completely addicted to it now.

So I set up my Wii Fit tonite and subjected myself to letting it tell me I was out of shape- like I didn't know that but at least it was in a friendly voice!

Yoga- won't even go there- I am horrible
Strength- hit or miss on those
Aerobics- loved it! Did some hula hoops and step aerobics.
Balance Board- Decent on the ball in the hole

Spent 32 minutes on the fit, unlocked some new things, and had a blast.

Little Debbie vs Hostess

Life's hard questions take time to answer....
For childhood memories I give 1 point to Hostess. I remember a specific time of being in our car in the 70's on a road trip and eating a Suzy Q and then getting a massive headache but still a good memory. At the bottom of my Hostess list would be Sno Balls- almost need to remove a point for that nastiness.

Little Debbie- definitely what I usually reach for these days. Big fan of snack cakes and Swiss cake rolls. Oh and Nutty bars as well.

If I need to pick only one line to have to eat the rest of my life I will go with Little Debbie... and you?

New ideas

I like combining things and I like the spoon and typewriter key ring I made.

Lord of The Rings Fun

When you must know important info check out this site to find out your Hobbit name.
http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

I am Peony Toadfoot which I actually fancy!

Or try this one http://www.chriswetherell.com/elf/ for your elven name.

I am Silmarwen Lissësúl which I am not impressed with but if it means I end up with Legolas I will take it...

Wii Diary

I finally got a Wii for Christmas- yay!! Since then I have tried out the games that came with it. My favorite is bowling, followed by tennis and baseball. Haven't done the boxing yet but it's on my to do list.
Yesterday, I got my first new game Samba De Amigo. I picked this one because I live music and I wanted something like DDR but without having to move my feet unless I wanted. The object is to shake your controller like a maraca at the right moment.
My 5 year old was intrigued and went from watching me,to dancing along with me,to hijacking the game. She can play the game no problem and it was the first thing she wanted to do this morning when she woke up. We have started out on easy level and are using the Pose settings- will try the Hustle settings sometime soon. My husband even tried it and had a good time. Thankfully I am better at it than he is- I was worried because he kicks my but in bowling and baseball and I was looking to save face.
My Wii fit arrived today so I will give it a whirl and report back.

Dog Gone Mad

This video cracks me up!

Let's Celebrate!

And you thought the holidays were over? Think again- January provides us with some important holidays that surely you must throw a party for.

Book Blitz Month
Birth Defects Month Link
California Dried Plum Digestive Month
Celebration of Life Month
Cervical Cancer Screening Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get Organized Month
International Change Your Stars Month
International Creativity Month
International New Year's Resolutions Month for Businesses
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Get Organized Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Lose Weight, Feel Great Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mentoring Month
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month Link
Oatmeal Month
Thyroid Awareness Month