Bloggie Giveaways - A FLIP CAMERA

I just found a new blog. This one is perfect for me! It is A Cowboy's Wife. She is currently giving away a Flip Camera. Have I ever mentioned how much I would LOVE to have a Flip Camera???? They are amazing. I just can't afford one right now. But think of all the ways you could use it! I could have it in my purse so when Missy and her friends are doing something funny...BAM! I could video it! If Buddy is pitching....BAM! I could video!! Oh boy, cross your fingers and hope I win!!!

Addictions

Hi, my name is Mrs. M, and I am a Facebook addict. Yes, I said it out loud. I am addicted. I love seeing what my friends and family are doing. But here is where the real addiction comes into play. I am addicted to playing Scramble live. Oh I can rationalize, it is helping my brain. I have noticed that my memory is not the greatest lately and with Alzheimer's in my genes, I need to do some kind of word puzzles every day to keep it sharp, right? Well, this is my drug of choice. You are saying but most addictions you do in private, well, I push the button that says I am offline, so nobody can bother me!!! SEE!!! I have a problem!!! Is there Scramble Anonymous for people like me? Cause let me tell you, LOTS of people are on playing this game. In the room that I frequent there are at least 30-50 players every time I go in, no matter the time of day. Oh! The other indication that this has become an addiction? I think of words all the time. SERIOUSLY! I start with one word and think of other words with those letters. It is starting to ruin my life!!!

Until next time, you can find me over on fb playing Scramble!
Mrs. M

GIVEAWAY

Jane is having yet another giveaway. This one is even more fantastic!! I love using reuseable bags to grocery shop. I try to get cute ones, but honestly, I use what is free. I got some at the State Fair one year from the cable company. They were free and I made my whole family walk through and get one. They are flimsy though and really only good for chips or bread. Of course, I still use them. I got a nice free one from Kroger that has a bottom and sturdy sides. These hotSACKS look very chic and they are different sizes and look sturdy! So, Jane is giving away a set of 5 bags!! Plus the produce bags. Now, that I don't have!! I really need those. I buy a lot of produce and those bags bother me! So much plastic and what a waste! So, go on over there and get your name in the drawing! I hope I win and get the Lime Scream!! Wish me luck!!



Until next time,

Mrs. M

It is cold, cold here. Not nearly as cold as in other places, but still, cold. When I have Meinere's I get really dependent and scared to go out. I have been pretty low. So today I got my hair cut. It is cute and edgy. Just what I wanted. I wonder what my family will say, Missy will probably not like it at all! But I do. It makes me feel flirty and alive. What? You want to see? Okay, now keep in mind I had to take these photos myself. So first the short sassy side.

Now for the softer, more feminine side. A little longer, but still a bit sassy!

And now 2 different views. It was hard to get a good full on photo. But you get the idea here.

In fact, I feel so alive that I finally tackled the baking cabinet! I wrote about it back in November, click here to see the before.

Here are the after shots:

I changed the shelf paper and labeled the baskets and shelves. Hopefully now the teens will actually put things where they belong! You think? I was on such a roll I went ahead and organized the spice cabinet as well.

And you know the thing about organizing is that it makes you feel so productive. I am now ready to get back to baking my own bread every day, anything to have an excuse to open that cupboard!!! :-)

So, what about you? What needs organizing in your house? Just set aside 15 minutes and clear out the cabinet. The next step is to put like things with like for instance in the spice cabinet, the middle shelf has all baking spices on the turntable. The bottom shelf has all cooking spices. The very top shelf has a basket with all decorating supplies in it. Then throw away old spices and empty bottles. Combine the 2 bottles of Basil that you have because it was so messy you didn't know you already had some. Then start putting back in the cabinet. And in 15 minutes you will have an organized cabinet. (If you choose to change the shelf paper, like I did, you might need a little more for measuring and cutting.) Hope you will give it a try. Leave me a comment and tell me about your experience!!

Till next time,
Mrs. M

Upside Down, Boy You Turn Me, Inside out and round and round....

Yea, well I'm not singing. This morning at 6:40 the floor was on the ceiling and the ceiling on the floor and it kept rolling and rolling around. Yea! Meinere's is back. This is a wonderful condition of the inner ear. It has been gone for 8 years, and decided Thursday to rear its ugly little head. So, I had an episode on Thursday but luckily I was home and near the bed AND my neighbor was home. (I have to take Xanax quickly or I'll throw up till kingdom comes) Then Saturday while outside taking Christmas decos down, BAM! It hit again. I was outside alone, and if the neighbors saw me, well.....I was weaving all over the yard. I was afraid that if I laid down in the yard (getting down flat is the only thing to do) that my teens might never realize Mom hadn't come back in!!! :-) I got in and medicated and all was well. I took Sunday off to rest and hopefully get the fluids in my inner ear settled down. But no! This morning it strikes again. ARGH!!

Think Destiny's child had Meinere's????

Until next time,
Mrs. M

Dreams

About a year after I had Buddy, my friend Elaine got pregnant with her 2nd child. Late in her pregnancy she discovered that there was something different with the baby. The legs were too short, and I think there were other "differences". This started a flurry of activity. More sonograms were done, research was done, and finally the drs. said the baby had a form of dwarfism. The form they feared she had was one that would not allow the baby to live much past her 1st birthday. Elaine, who had done her own research as she is in the medical field herself, was devastated. This news absolutely turned Elaine's world upside down, topsy turvy. She became incredibly depressed, not getting out of bed, not eating and becoming extremely lethargic. The drs. finally had to go in and take the baby because Elaine simply could not sustain the baby. She was beautiful. Yes, her legs seemed short and crooked, but she was "normal" looking. Inside the bones were telling a different story. The drs.' diagnoses changed every time they saw her. It was a difficult time in Elaine's home and heart. When talking she said something that has stuck with me. She said that she had to change the picture in her head. She and her husband were very active people. The picture she had was her family of four going on bike rides and hikes together. But now that picture would have to change. Her dreams for this child would not look like the ones she had in her head when she was first pregnant.

I had just gone through a year of almost losing my first child and not even really beginning to dream for him. And within a year of Elaine's pregnancy, I gave birth to a daughter with a vascular disease that affected her face. My dreams for my daughter were dramatically changed.

This is not unique to me or Elaine. My friend, Joy, has also experienced this shift in our dreams. She has even written a book about that process, Involuntary Joy. But now that I am in the company of parents with teens, I am realizing that although many parents were able to keep their dreams intact to this point, they are now having to let them go now.

When our children begin to become independent beings and able to make choices that can alter their futures, our dreams are often shattered. Many is the parent whose child chose drugs and ended up in jail, dead, or lost from the family. Many is the parent whose child chose a lifestyle opposite of the parents' and is now not willing to come "home". Many is the parent whose child chose to drink and drive and ended of losing their child to death or the prison system. You get the idea.

I am not even sure that we are aware of these dreams we have for our children until we see them not realized. I think we all want our children to grow up to be independent, contributing members of society and to really know love in their lives. I think without realizing it, we predetermine the path to this outcome. But our children often surprise us by taking different paths. We fear this path will not lead to the same outcome but it often does.

We have to let go. We have to trust. We have to simply love.

This post is somewhat disjointed as are my thoughts this morning. I am standing in a place where I have done all I can as a parent. At least all the teaching I can do. Now it is time to let go, trust, and love him. The rest is up to him and God. Trust....ah....how this keeps coming back to bite me in the ass!!!!!

Til next time,
Mrs. M

I am trying to have a new attitude about cooking for my family. It has always been a chore for me. I have never looked forward to it, and feel that I am not very good at it. I want to change that. My inspiration came from an interesting place. Missy and I love to watch Jon and Kate Plus 8. We love the reality of their life and how they argue and yell, just like real moms and dads. Recently we were at a bookstore and found their book, Multiple Blessings. I had heard Kate talk about how she loved cooking for her family. She felt it was a gift she gave them every meal. So she works hard to make it good and healthy. For some odd reason, it struck me. I had never really thought of it that way. All I saw was the energy expended and the dirty dishes.

So, I am changing my attitude. I am trying new recipes, and adding a surprise every night. Monday night it was some grapes, Clementine sections, and a strawberry sliced and spread out on the plate with our dinner. Last night it was candlelight on the table during dinner. I am not sure what it will be tonight. I think music. But inspiration may hit me later. And you know, I haven't dreaded making dinner yet. I actually look forward to it.

The first step for me was organizing. I sat down and planned meals for 4 weeks. I wrote out the meals that I have been looking at in Healthy Cookbooks. I xeroxed the recipes and clipped them to that week's menu. Then I wrote out a shopping list. I put all of this in a page protector. I have a clip on my fridge where I keep the current week's menu and recipes. When it comes time to make a recipe, I can put it in front and keep it clean by leaving it in the page protector. I am also making notes on the recipes about changes I would make next time.

It is a new adventure for me. My family is eating healthier (and vegetarian), we are eating together, and I am not angry and tired every night. But most of all, it gives me something to look forward to everyday! That is important!

So, since I didn't do Monday Menu, I will go ahead and put this week's menu up. I don't currently have my recipes in the computer, but if you see one you want, let me know! I'll work on publishing those as well!

Monday: Roast Turkey (Quorn turkey)
Sauteed Green Beans
French Bread

Tuesday: Salmon
Tomatoes and Spinach
Brown Rice

Wednesday: Corn and Black Bean Bundles
Quesadillas
Chips and Salsa

Thursday: Penne w/Roasted Veggies

Friday: Pizza
Salad

Saturday: Veggie Picadillo
Brown Rice
Peas

Until next time,
Mrs. M

The First Full Week in 2009

So tonight ends the lazy, sleeping in days of the break. Tomorrow starts a new week. I am looking forward to it. I hope to incorporate some new habits. But before I do anything, I must make my way over to my friend, Allison. She had a new baby over the holidays and I was too sick to visit. I look forward to holding baby Grey and soaking in his newborn smells! I'll try to take photos to share.

So organization will be on the top of my list tomorrow. I will be looking into how to organize my week. I will share the results tomorrow!

Till next time,
Mrs. M

SmartShopper at Jane's blog

OMG!!! I just scrolled over to a blog I have been reading for some time. It is Jane4Girls $800!! It is a single mom who budgets $800 for groceries for the WHOLE year!!! And, she did it!! It has been amazing to watch. I began reading her blog in the beginning before she was on TV and became a local legend!! She is funny and very educational. Stop over and she what she is up to. On her blog yesterday she introduced the Smartshopper. It is an amazing tool! I SOOOO want one of these!!! So of course I signed up. If you are a couponer, or an organizer, you may want to pop over and sign up as well!!!! Good luck!!!

As for me? I will be spending the day finishing up packing up the Christmas decos. Mr. M and I worked yesterday afternoon on getting everything down. I think it might be the first time he has ever helped! It was nice! He built a fire and we got everything down. Now I just need to organize the boxes. Then, we will need to sweep, vacuum, and dust. I look forward to the clean unchaotic look!!!

Oh! Before I forget. Looking for a good book to read? Try Home and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. The books occur at the same time from 2 different perspectives. She is an amazing writer!! These are not hurry through books. They are not about the end result, but about the process. Really amazing!!!! A must read for both books!!!!

Okay, well, until next time,
Mrs. M