Don't We Love a Giveaway?

Hey, y'all! Hope your week has been great, and I have just a WONDERFUL ending for you.

My BFF Kristin, the Redneck Diva, is hosting not one, but TWO giveaways in conjunction with her Blogaversary Marathon of Celebrating. She's been blogging for FOUR years, but she carries her age well.

Giveaway Item Number One is a set of hairbows, and who among us couldn't use a lovely set of hairbows, either for our darling daughters or to earn us the title of Best Gift Giver In Town?

Giveaway Item Two is a new header, and weren't you just saying you were ready for a change?

So here's what you need to do. Go on over and visit Kristin, enter the giveaway, and stay for awhile. Look around, read a few posts, and I promise - you'll be back.

And have a great weekend, y'all.

I just can't help it.

I was walking past the mental hospital yesterday, and all the patients were shouting, "13....13....13....13....13!"

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks and looked through to see what was going on.

Somebody poked me in the eye with a stick.

Then they all started shouting, "14....14....14!"

Not bad at all.

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Our prayers are needed

Please be in prayer for Heather's daughter Emma and their whole family.

I'll whoop their buttocks.

12

What's hilarious about this is that 2/3 of the questions were about physical condition, etc. I didn't do so well on those. But the last few were about how dirty I'd fight and y'all, I'd fight dirty if I had to. And I think that's where most of my points came from.

What about you?

God's Gifts

I have wanted for so long to write about my family's story, from the beginning. Problem is, where exactly is the beginning?

June 11, 19whatever, when I was born?

Maybe the night I met Big Daddy? (It was in a bar!)

Or the day he proposed to me? (In New Mexico)

What about the day we were married? (In a barn)

Oh, maybe the day our first house burned down.

Then there's the day we discovered I was pregnant,

Or the day we learned the pregnancy had ended.

I could talk about our long, on-and-off journey to foster care,

Or the death of our best friend.

I remember the moment I first laid eyes on my Pooh, who was 5 at the time. (I cried)

And oh, so much more about that first weekend when we visited our daughters-to-be in a children's shelter. (Tink was sick.)

Oh, and the day we legally became a family.

I think I will definitely write about all those things - and soon.

But right now, I think I'll tell you about my Pooh (8yo), who is patiently reading a book to Toddler I Babysit.

You know what, Pooh probably didn't have anyone to read books to her when she was a toddler. I don't know where she was at that age, and I can't think about that too much or I'll fall apart. I do know that as soon as Tinkerbell was born, Pooh became a caregiver at not-even-two years old. And those nurturing instincts are still in her.

My Pooh has her baggage from those first 5 years of her life, that's for sure. But she is an incredible young lady who loves people, loves helping, loves her family and loves her God.

And I am eternally grateful for the gift I've been given in her.

sigh

So hey, I'm still around. Just a bit weary. I think I may have hit a wall this afternoon; it was eerie. How do you spell eerie? Spellcheck says I spelled it right, but it looks weird.

Oh, and by "hit a wall," I mean reached the end of my rope. That's two cliches for the price of one, y'all. And does anyone know how to do the accent on the e in cliche?

I know that there are moms all over the dadgum place who work much, much harder than I do, so I feel guilty when I feel tired or overwhelmed.

But I do. Feel tired and overwhelmed.

Today I took Scooter to school, came home and got the other 2 girls (who were with Daddy).
Drove by my parents' house to take them some ribs that BD smoked. (YUM)
Went to get the van checked out by an insurance adjuster.
Took the check to the bank. (YAY)
Made an appointment for tomorrow to get a repair estimate.
Back to get Scooter at school, and then home to meet Toddler That I Babysit. By Noon.
The girls played for about an hour, and then Big Daddy came home for lunch. None of the girls liked what they were given for lunch. (TOUGH LUCK)
Sister of Toddler will be here in about 20 minutes (YAY - seriously YAY), and I'll have them both until about 5:00.
At some point I have to do hair and makeup, because
I have a church board meeting from 6:45 until who knows when, and then home. (BED) (YAY)

I do have downtime while the kids are playing and whatnot, but I'm extraordinarily sensitive to the chaos right now. And my Scooter does not know how to play without making VERY MUCH noise. Neither does Tink, for that matter. And my living room is 17 x 19 and they're both 2 feet from me.

Go figure.

But you know what? I'm thankful that I have all three of my children. I'm thankful that they're healthy. I'm thankful that I am able to be home with them instead of them spending 8+ hours a day with other caretakers.

How's your day going? What's the best thing about your day so far?

Changing Again.

Yep, changed the colors again. Seems digital scrapbook designers want LOTS of money to let you use their papers in a blog design. So I'm trying to find something more reasonable.

I still want to get Photoshop Elements so that I can make a header. Have any of you used the free photo editing called Gimp or something like that? What did you think?

Oh, and also, I'm ranting about Kathy Lee Gifford over at the News and Reviews blog. I changed the name of it since I'll be posting product reviews over there too.

Later.

Like I Know What I'm Doing.

Yeah, so I changed the colors and patterns on my blog all by my little self.

Problem is, I'm never completely satisfied, so it may be a little different every time you visit.

You know what that means, don't you? You've got to come back over and over and over again to check and see what I've changed.

And leave a comment while you're at it.

I may shoot a roofer.

Hey, good morning everyone.

There are roofers all over the top of my house, and I may be cranky. Why, you ask? You know I'll tell ya.

I do not like the supervisor of the roofing people. He's overly friendly and a little creepy. Talks to me about things other than roofing. Obnoxious.

I don't know how Scooter(5) and Toddler That I Babysit will take a nap with all the banging going on. No naps = grumpy.

I'm anxious about the color of the roofing material. We had it narrowed down to three choices, and then Big Daddy called the roofers and told them SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. When I tried to do damage control, it was too late to order my choice, so they improvised. I don't like the way it looks in my driveway; hopefully it will look different on the roof.

I suspect that it will look just like all the other houses on the street, and that I'm stressing for no reason.

I've been known to do that.

American Idol - The End

Yeah, so I ended up watching the American Idol Finale Results Extravaganza tonight, even though I don't give a dang who won. Man, I didn't even watch the performances last night, cause did I mention that I stopped caring?

But please go on over to the Entertainment Blog and check out my random and at times disturbing thoughts. And be sure to tell me what you thought about tonight's show. Or whatever.

Thanks.

Dancing With The Stars - FINALE!

I'm so sad that after tonight I won't get to see my new pretend boyfriend, Cristian de la Fuente. Wah.

I don't even know what he does in real life. Do you?

Anyway.

My thoughts on tonight's Finale are over at the Entertainment Blog. What did you think about tonight's show?

Dream Interpretation, Anyone?

Y'all would not believe the dream I had last night. I don't even believe it myself.

Here are a couple of highlights:

We're in an abandoned spa/restaurant/whatever the heck.

Who's WE? I don't know. There were several people with me, but the only one I'm certain of is me.

So this spa/restaurant/whatever was open for business yesterday, but today it's deserted. So WE decide to go forward with business as usual, as best WE can.

This snooty guy is asking for certain vintages of wine, and since I only drink Boone's Farm, Jack Daniels and frozen girly drinks, he's oh, so out of luck. I'm trying to write down what he says, but he's very pretentious and says it too fast for me to catch.

Then WE can't find the diners, but maybe they're dining in the wine cellar, which is where? I don't know.

The next thing that happens is this big, honkin' body builder guy comes in like he's been there a hundred times, so I try to act like I know what I'm doing. He goes down a hallway, which I realize is the tanning section.

I can handle this.

I find the controls to the tanning junk, match the number on his door to the controls, and turn it on. Then his door swings open, and I see his big ol' body builder booty. Unclothed. But I close my eyes very quickly.

I promise.

I realize that the booth he's in is the spray-on tanner, and hope it's working properly. I go back to the front desk.

The guy comes out into the hall, griping about something, covered in some kind of green goop, and I wonder if this is how the spray-on stuff works but since he's wiping it off, I suspect it's not.

OOPS.

P.S. Y'all, he is TOTALLY nekkid.

And here's the best part.

There's a big blurred circle covering his business. I promise.

IN MY DREAM I censored the nekkidness.

Aren't you proud of me? I'm very proud of me. Aren't you?

Free is My Favorite Price!

I'm a cheapskate, y'all. Most of the time, anyway. And it seems like everything costs money these days, More and More Money.

Big Daddy and I both upgraded our cell phones recently, and I hunted like crazy for the best deals on the phones we wanted. He got a Sony Ericsson 580i and I got a Blackberry Curve. We love 'em.

Except. I can't stand that it costs 2.49 to download a ring tone from AT&T. Can't stand it. So I spent some down time the other day looking for a frugal alternative, and BOY did I find it!

Enter Phonezoo.com. Y'all, this site is great. You upload any piece of music (or other audio media) that you own, and VERY easily create your very own ring tone. And don't worry about it being difficult, because if I can do it, it's not rocket science.

So yeah, you do have to own the music, but most of the ring tones I've made so far have come from CDs that I've owned for years. I'm nostalgic like that.

But. Big Daddy wanted a more current ring tone, so we downloaded the MP3 from Amazon.comfor 99 cents, made a free ring tone from it, and we now own the MP3 free and clear to do with as we wish - MP3 player, rip a CD, etc.

In the interest of disclosure, I want to be sure and let you know that I'm not getting any compensation for mentioning either of the sites here. However, I will get a teensy commission if you buy anything from Amazon by clicking on one of my links here. Maybe even enough to download another MP3 for Big Daddy!

It's been quite awhile since I've participated in Works for Me Wednesday, so I'm glad that this week I have a fun tip to share. Enjoy!

Dancing With The Stars - May 12

Yeah, I'm rambling on about Dancing With The Stars again. Check it out at the Entertainment Blog. And don't forget to come back tonight for my cynical comments on American Idol.

Love y'all.

Randomness, anyone?

Hey, y'all. How's your Monday going? Mine started crappy but is presently very lovely.

I stayed up way too late last night watching the Survivor Finale on DVR, so it was a VERY sleepy Mommy who took Scooter to school this morning. By the time I got back home I felt like crap, so I crawled right back into bed for a couple of hours.

The next time I woke up I felt much better, and went to get Scooter from school. We ran some errands, and while we were gone Big Daddy put my new sheets and quilt on the bed.

Big Daddy Rocks.

So do my new Lilly Pulitzer sheets that I got at Marshall's for $35.

So yeah, doesn't take much to thrill me - new sheets and a new quilt on a perfectly made bed.

Life's Good.

Regularly Scheduled Boredom

Okay, so my header is back.

Thank goodness.

And while it's lovely, I'm sort of ready for a change. A very cheap change.

I sure wish my income tax money would come. Then I'd buy a copy of Photoshop Elements and learn how to make my own header.

I can do this, right?

Please Excuse My Mess!

Y'all, someone has gone and stolen my header! I mean, I needed a new one, but DANG! Give a girl a break!

I guess we know what I'll be doing tonight!

It just doesn't get more boring than this.

Hey. I'm sick.

Again.

The doc says allergies, sinus infection, probably asthma and possibly COPD. That ain't good.

And here're all the medications I'm taking right now, in order of importance:

Crohn's RX
Anxiety RX
Other Crohn's RX
Antibiotic RX
Steroid RX
Inhaler RX
Nose Spray RX
Generic Acetaminophen
Cough Drops

I'm a mess, y'all. I tinkle a little (or more) when I cough. The folks at the StayFree Company really love me right now for contributing to their bottom line.

My ribs hurt and I swear my lungs are sore from coughing. Is that possible?

But I feel 10 times better than I did yesterday, and I actually slept through the night last night!

So what's up with you?

Dancing With The Stars and American Idol

My scintillating thoughts on tonight's episodes of American Idol and Dancing With The Stars are up on the Entertainment Blog. I'd love to hear what you think, too!

Dancing With The Stars and Leg Toots

Hey, y'all. My comments on DWTS are up on the Entertainment Blog.

And my Big Daddy and Tinkerbell are making toot noises with various body parts.

I think he's trying to make sure no one ever wants to date our girls. And that's all right by me.

The Blessings of Home

Y'all, it's almost 11:00 at night, and my two big girls (8 and almost 7) are standing in front of my armoire mirror, cleaning out their noses with Q-Tips and grossing each other out with their boogers.

Tink: A girl gots to be a girl.

Pooh: You can't look at their beauty. You gotta look on the inside.

Tink: Don't toot on me any more.

Pooh: Hey, I only tooted on you once, and you tooted on me twice.

Tink: Well, that's how I roll on my birthday week.

Brings a tear to my eye.

Not Crazy Today.

Hey, I'm still alive.

And I haven't run screamin' down the street or anything.

You know what? I think it's hilarious when people say skreet instead of street and skrimp instead of shrimp. Cracks me up every time.

Anyway.

Here's what's great today.

Big Daddy realizes I'm having a rough week, and he's been oh, so helpful and sympathetic.

Things are busy but smooth - you know what I mean?

I'm sitting here watching these girls (my 3 plus 2 extras) playing dress-up - they're sharing and caring and all that wonderful crap. "Cinderella" was dying and she hit her head on a boot; everyone laughed their butts off. The big girls are helping the baby put on pretty dresses and crowns and they're having such a great time.

Well, Scooter's in Time Out cause she won't stop taking things away from others. But still.

Not-so-great stuff:

I've got to find a roofer and finalize our insurance claim from when 800 tons of hail fell on my house.

Oh, and also get an estimate on my car which was next to the house when said hail fell.

It's time to get new cell phones, but I can't decide which ones to get. And Big Daddy gets a discount through his employer but it's harder'n heck to figure it out.

Yeah, I want a PDA phone with a full keyboard so I can text (yay, me, for catching up with the times!) and keep my calendar on the phone instead of carrying this big old honkin' DayRunner deal in my purse. Except I can't figure out which one to get.

Oh, and I have the sinus/allergy/whatever attack from hell. That's right, hell. Not heck but hell. Because what is occurring in my head is most certainly straight from Lucifer's Resort Hotel and Casino.

So, to recap.

Great:
skreet/skrimp
Kids
Big Daddy
Cinderella whacking her head on a boot.

Not-so-Great:
Hail Damage
Phone Decisions
Attack on my nasal/sinus business

That's not a bad split, huh? You could really help me out if you recommended a phone to me, preferably with a QWERTY keyboard.

Now.

Dancing With The Stars Results - April 29

Yo yo yo, come on over to the Entertainment Blog and dish about tonight's Dancing With The Stars.

I'm feeling much better now.

So yeah, I thought about deleting my previous post, but decided to keep on keepin' it real instead.

Big Daddy came home from work, we had a long talk and then told Scooter that she wouldn't be going to his softball game tonight since she needed her sleep. She sobbed sincerely, promised to do better, and accepted her fate.

So did I.

BD and the big girls have gone to softball, and Scooter is dancing to Le Freak and hanging up laundry. Instead of "Awww...Freak Out," she's singing "Awww...Peace out!"

I didn't even ask her to hang up the laundry - she saw it laying there and got busy.

And she's going to bed in 10 minutes.

It's a roller coaster over here, like in the movie Parenthood, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

In which she eats humble pie

I'm having a motherhood meltdown, y'all.

And I'm about to whine and cry like a big fat baby, so feel free to bail right now if you need to.

I can't presently string two sentences together to make sense, so I'm just fixin' to start typing, and if you can make sense of it, great. If you can't, well then Welcome To My World.

I'm about to be done in by a four-year-old angel, people.
She's gorgeous.
She's friendly.
Her smile lights up the room.
She gets cranky when she's tired.
But she hates naps.
And she's a light sleeper.
She plays in bed for hours every night.
It's getting worse as she gets older.
She used to be a morning person.
But the fatigue is changing her.
And also changing me.

Cause see, Scooter isn't a bad girl.
But she has an attention span of about 15 seconds.
So if I give her a direction, she obeys.
For 15 seconds.
Then all bets are off.
I'm so tired of correcting and redirecting half the day.
I feel like the meanest old mother.
But the alternative is being the mother with the crazy, disobedient kid.

And here's where I eat the humble pie.
I may have seemed smug about my sweet, partially obedient children.
I may have believed that if I did it right, my girls would obey me.
For longer than 15 seconds.
But this one doesn't.
And I really don't know what to do next.

Oh, and p.s., I just twisted my ankle in the dadgum bathroom because I left clothes laying in the floor.
My fault.
Still hurts.

Dancing With The Stars - April 28

Hey, did y'all watch DWTS tonight? My random thoughts are over at the Entertainment Blog. Come on and tell me what you thought about tonight's show!

Partners

God, please help me fall asleep without playing tonight.
And God, please help me follow d'rekshuns tomorrow.
You and me, God.
You and me, we gonna be partners tomorrow,
All Day Long.
I just love you, God.
In Jesus Name I Pray,

amen

Hand-Me-Down Hazard

You know what, we LOVE hand-me-downs here at the Dirty Laundry house. With 3 girls to clothe, I never turn down an offer of used clothes.

But there are drawbacks.

First of all, there's always that sort-of-cute item - skirt, pant, shorts - that hangs in the closet for a year with nothing to match it. I search and search for a matching shirt, matching shoes or whatever, without success. But it's cute, so there it hangs, mocking me.

Hate that cute skirt.

Next - and this is what prompted my post this morning - is the shirt that I can't stand, but it was free, so we keep it. Without fail, this becomes some one's favorite shirt, and I cringe every time they put it on.

I know - I need to just sneak it into the rag bag when no one's looking, but I have an overactive guilt gland, which prevents me from sneaky acts.

Unless I'm at my wit's end, and then all bets are off. So look out, purple stripe shirt with glitter threads. Today may be the day of your demise.

DWTS and American Idol

Hey, guys! Posts are up on Dancing With The Stars and American Idol. Come tell me what you thought about tonight's shows.

Snark Alert

Hey, y'all. Apparently I'm still in a rank mood, so please do not be offended.

Please.

I just have to ask - what is the deal with

"Woo! I'm the first to comment!"
and
"Wow, I don't think I've ever been first before. WOOT!"

Who cares?

Do you care? And if so, why?

I just don't understand.

Help me.

Dancing With The Stars - Week 6

Dancing With The Stars was good tonight, y'all. Come on over to the Entertainment Blog and tell me what you thought!

Keepin' it real, y'all.

Big Daddy and I were tickling, picking and playing in the car on the way home from church this morning.

Tink: Mommy, I heard you screaming last night.
Pooh: Yeah, me too.
Scooter: Me too.
Tink: Did you hurt yourself or were y'all just playing?

I'm staring out the window trying not to bust a gut.

BD: We were having a tickle fight.
Me: Yeah, we were just playing.

I don't even know what to say.

Except that I really, really thought they were asleep.

More Than Words

I'm lounging on my bed with the laptop, and I just told Scooter, "Hey, go bring me the basket with the granola bars."

Her mouth said, "Of course I will."

But her eyes CLEARLY said, "Why do you need the whole basket of granola bars, you gluttonous THING, you?"

I mean it, y'all. It couldn't have been more clear.

For the record, the only reason I asked her to bring me the whole basket is so that I wouldn't have to spend 10 minutes describing to her which granola bar I wanted.

Really.

Life is Good

Here are some things that are making me happy, amusing me, and encouraging me today.

My 6-year-old dainty girl (Tink) burps bigger than her Daddy. She doesn't do it on purpose or make a big deal about it; it just happens when it needs to. I'm sorry y'all, but I grew up around lots of guys, and body function humor still cracks me up.

I'm still loving Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. A whole bunch.

Scooter (4) prayed all the way to school this morning. And it was a GOOD prayer, too! It's just a 5-minute drive, but still. Did this Momma's heart good.

The west side of my house has shifted back up a little, and now my bathroom door closes again! Go door! Now I don't have a little dog knocking the door open every time I go tinkle. He loves to knock the door open, come in to see what I'm doing, and leave. And he doesn't close the door on his way out.

Now I just hear him sniffing around at the bottom of the door. And I giggle.

What's making you smile today?

Got it?

Scooter: Daddy moved the thing where the thing were, and the other thing with the box by the thing with the wheels...and the box.

You don't say.

Incredulity

Tink: What are we gonna do outside?

Pooh: Daddy's gonna tell us what to pick up and Mommy's gonna mow the yard.

Tink: Who?

Pooh: Mommy.

Tink: {STUNNED LOOK}

Pooh: Daddy said.

Tink: Is Daddy gonna teach her how to do it?

Pooh: I guess so. It's for exercise, so she can get healthy and stuff.

Tink: Pooh, I don't know if Mommy should do that.

Pooh: Well, Daddy said she can, so I guess it's okay.

Keep in mind, people, that I WAS SITTING RIGHT THERE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION.

And then I came into my bedroom to blog about it, instead of going outside to mow the lawn.

But I'm on my way now.

I promise.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sit down, 'cause it's gonna get exciting up in here.

I haven't posted in a couple days, and am uninspired.

Unfortunately, that means you get a laundry list of what's going on in my life today.

I've already taken worship folders and dropped them off at the church.

Stopped at my parents' house to help them print some photos. And listen to them bicker. AGH.

Bought a few groceries at the Little Wal-Mart. Specifically cookie dough, toilet paper, sodas and feminine annoyance products. In other words, the essentials.

Fed my girls cereals and bananas for lunch.

I still intend to:
Make jello with marshmallows. I've got to whittle down this basket of 15 boxes of jello.

Make pudding. Did you know they make Cookies and Cream flavor? THEY DO! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Bake cookies.

Vacuum. Maybe.

Probably.

Burn lots of candles to make my house smell less like an old dog.

Seriously, man. The older Buster gets, the more he stinks. And p.s., he is also very grouchy and we're wondering whether it's time for him to go on the long, long journey.

Before he attacks somebody. That's how cranky he is.

I'm gonna go ahead and admit that I got the idea for this post from Pioneer Woman, who is giving away a printer today and asked her readers "What are you going to do today?"

So thanks, PW, for the inspiration.

And in a shameless rip-off, I'm gonna ask my 13 readers, "What are you doing today?"

American Idol, people!

Y'all know the drill - I'm talking about American Idol at the Entertainment Blog. Come dish with us!

Dancing With The Stars - April 7

Did y'all watch Dancing With The Stars tonight? Cause I did, and my scintillating commentary is up on the Entertainment Blog.

They crack me up!

We're sitting here watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition from the DVR.

Well, Big Daddy and the two big girls are watching. I'm reading blogs. I can't really get into Extreme Makeover these days. I may be jaded.

I do like watching the reveal, though, and thank goodness, so I didn't miss this:

The lady walks into her master bedroom, which is gorgeous. She's alone.

Tink: Thank you, Ty, for not talking to her.

Big Daddy and I give her puzzled looks.

Tink: Well, if he was there he'd be saying, "Do me a favor and go look at your new room." I hate that!

She's right, y'all. She's right.

Good Customer Service

So I had to call Some Company to check on Some Business, and when the call was completed, the guy said "Thank you for calling Some Company. Have a nice day." And hung up. Wow, what a relief!

The last few times I've dealt with Customer Service Reps, it has been HECK getting off the phone with them.

ME: Okay, thanks. Have a great day.

CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON: Have I been helpful and courteous during our telephone call today?

ME: Yes. Thanks. Bye.

CSP: Have I answered all of your questions regarding Your Business today?

ME: Yes. Thanks. Bye.

CSP: Is there anything else that I can do for you today?

ME: Nope. Thanks. Bye.

CSP: Thank you for calling My Company, and please feel free to call us at 1-800-nevergonnaletyougo if you need anything else at all.

ME: DUDE! I know you're reading a script, and I hate to be rude, but I AM HANGING UP NOW! STOP TALKING!

The issue here is not whether my needs were satisfied. When I say Thank You and Goodbye, please say Goodbye back and Hang The Phone Up. Please don't keep asking me if I need anything else. I just told you Goodbye, for heavens' sake.

I'm done with you.

Advice Forum Friday - Search Engine...Search.

Hey guys, I'm back with Advice Forum Friday this week, by popular request. I played hooky last week, because I didn't have any burning questions, and because I wondered if anyone would notice.

I do have a question to ask you this week, though, and here's some background. For two years or so I've used Blingo for web searches, because they randomly award prizes as you search. I know this from experience, because only 18 short months ago I won a $50 Amazon Gift Card, just for doing a search I would have been doing anyway.

Note that it was 18 months ago. Yeah, haven't won anything since. And some of the prizes are smaller, like movie tickets and $10 iTunes and such.

Anyway.

My problem is this: For the last little while, all of the searches I do on Blingo (and I do lots of web searches) return at least a page of ads before we get to useful links. And that drives me crazy. It's bad enough that you can't do a search on a doctor or hotel or city without getting a full page of those stupid bogus Docsearch or Cityview or whatever sites.

Yeah, I know I need to relax.

So here's the deal. I've gotten used to the fact that doing searches can win me something or earn me something or whatever. And Google doesn't give me squat. As far as I know, neither does Yahoo.

Do you have a favorite search engine that pays points or contest entries or anything remotely fun?

Or do you think I'm just out of my ever-lovin' mind?

Which if I am, get used to it; I have.

And there's the lovely Mr. Linky down below if you have a question or request to post. Just write the post at your blog and link to it in the Mr. Linky. Bonus points if you link back to me in your post.

In which she loses her self control

I'm a bit embarrassed, y'all. I finally joined the brainwashed masses and bought a Vera Bradley bag.

But I did get a great deal on Ebay.

I've been looking for a lovely laptop bag at a bargain price. Not an easy find, I'll tell ya. But this little puppy fit the bill!

The problem is, now I can't stop looking at the travel bags, wallets and such. I am sticking with Ebay, though. Not sure I'd ever pay full price for one of these babies.

Pray for me.

And for my bank account.

American Idol - April Fool's Day!

Did y'all watch American Idol tonight? Come over to the Entertainment Blog and tell me what you thought!

Current Coupon Codes

BCO Bargain Catalog Outlet Coupon Codes
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Monday, Monday

I love that Big Daddy's days off are Sunday and Monday now. Obviously, working every Saturday presents its own set of problems, but on Sunday nights, when there's no Getting Ready For The Week going on, it seems worth it to me.

So yesterday we finally made it to the YMCA to "work out."

And I put it in quotes because I doubt that many people would consider what I did working out. But I did it, and that's what matters, I guess.

I did one mile on the recumbent bike, and I must be a big old weirdo, because you know what started hurting, y'all? My FEET! My stupid FEET! My legs were sort of tired, but they could have gone another mile at least. But my dogs? They went on strike and refused to peddle another minute. So I couldn't even do treadmill or elliptical, either.

WUSS.

Then yesterday afternoon I had a doctor appointment at 2:30. I got there at 2:15 and y'all, the dadgum waiting room was packed. The receptionist told me the doctor was running behind by about 45 minutes.

No problem at all. I'll just wait in the car and read my James Patterson book. Cause I am all about the popular fiction, and it takes me forever to read a book these days since I only get to read in the restroom.

For the record, pre-children I could read a good book in 2 evenings, MAX. Sitting on the back porch, chain smoking. Now you know one of my deepest, darkest secrets. Smoking on the back porch. And liking it.

But I stopped, so don't quit me, okay?

Anyway, where was I? In the doctor's office parking lot, reading Mary, Mary.

When I went back into the office at around 2:45, No One Had Moved. The waiting room was still full, and the receptionist apologetically asked me if I wanted to reschedule. Sure, no problem.

And as I got back into my car, I realized that I was not one single bit irritated by the fact that I spent almost 2 hours driving 20 miles round-trip and sitting in the doctor's parking lot, for nothing. Know why?

Cause I was ALONE. Which is something I rarely am. I listened to the radio, uninterrupted. I read my book, uninterrupted.

It was a great day.