Thursday, March 31, 2005

Nickname options

Wow. I got a lot of GREAT nicknames. Now how do you pick just one? I have an asterisk by my favorites. Notice that it is plural – favorites. The favorites today are in alphabetical order. I must say that the others are cute too… well, until I made up some from my old job. GRIN. I had a hard time picking some from the list. But I narrowed it down as best as I could. Trust me, it wasn’t easy! I was trying to get it down to three and just gave up.

What about it? From the list of 7, which do YOU think is the most appropriate for my little monsters?

*Big Pup and Little Pup
*Calvin and Hobbes
*ElderLarvae and YoungerLarvae
*Frick and Frack
*Imp and Chief
*Little Rat and Big Rat
*Tater and Tot
Fraser and Niles
Tom and Jerry
Chip and Dale
Fred and Barney
Piglet and Roo (suggested but NO.WAY)
Frank and Jesse
Cabriolet and Convertible
Uno and Dos
Pete and Re-pete
Cute Rat and Cuter Rat
Adorable Rat and Precious Rat
Darling Rat and Loveable Rat
Angelic Rat and Heavenly Rat
It was also suggested I use names from my old job (computer industry)…
   Micro and Chip
   Ethernet and Network
   ATM and IP

UPDATE: I forgot to add Bubblehead1 and Bubblehead2

Ultimate Comfort Strap Bra

What? Very seldom do I mention stuff about myself but I thought I would share this with my blog family. There might be other large breasted women out there who have not heard of this either. I just found a bra with Gel-cushioned straps, plush-lined for extra comfort. I’m serious. I just ordered it on-line. I should be getting it in a couple of weeks and I’ll let you know if it is as comfortable as it sounds. Interested? I ordered mine at onehanesplace.com and you can follow the link above to go directly to it. Just in case something happens to that link, the Style is 13715HB and today (Wednesday, March 30th) it is on sale for $11.99. Be aware these are ‘slightly imperfect’ bras. But I’m willing to give it a try for that price.

This may not get posted until Thursday the way Blogger and I are fighting. ERGGGGGG

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Spark of Genius!

A man was driving down the road. He passed a traffic camera and saw it flash.

Astounded that he had been caught speeding when he was doing the speed limit, he turned around and, going even slower, he passed by the camera.

Again, he saw it flash. He couldn't believe it! So he turned and, going a snail's pace, he passed the camera.

AGAIN, he saw the camera flash. He guessed it must have a fault, and home he went.

Four weeks later he received 3 traffic fines in the mail, all for not wearing a seatbelt.

For every person with a spark of genius, there are a hundred with ignition trouble.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

Today is International Very Good Looking, D.mn Smart Woman's Day, so please send this message to someone you think fits this description. Please do not send it back to me as I have already received it from a Very Good Looking, D.mn Smart Woman!

And remember this motto to live by:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have an wonderful day!

Tink Causes Trouble!

Tink, my oldest sister, loves to see how much trouble she can get me into. In the comments of ‘Happy Easter’, she says:

Guess this will be the week for auntie #1 to call son #1 and tell him that if he can say Toyota, DisneyWorld and Ford 150, mom will buy him one of each.

Long story and will let VW tell you this one. Gotcha vw....


I’m going to give you the short story.

Part 1: Just last week her husband breaks his wrist. She is telling this to me on the phone and I, stupidly, empathize with her husband first. He is a programmer (I use to be one). Having a broken wrist really SUCKS as it prohibits you from getting work done in a timely manner. Ooops. I wasn’t thinking about the fact that it would impact her life as well. She already takes care of 2 of her young grandchildren and now she will have to take care of her husband as well. She did say she refuses to do bathroom duty for him… she will not shake it nor will she wipe it. GRIN. (Can't understand why since he also broke a finger on the other hand - something about falling trees). But I didn’t catch myself in time to sympathize with her… so she is going to make that phone call and here is why ->

Part 2: Many months ago when we were trying to get #1 Son to say ANY word or set of words, she sat with him and tried to get him to talk. They were looking through a toy magazine. She told him that if he would say the name of the toy, Mom would buy it for him. (Not very likely as it was one of the ‘expensive’ magazines they send to every parent). But they had fun and he tried to talk for her.

Now my son understands words even if he can’t necessarily say them all, so if she makes that call… I'm.in.big.trouble. Some days it just doesn’t pay to answer the phone. ;-)

Garden Chicken and Stuffing

This is from Campbell's Easy Recipes. My children loved it. My husband and I found it somewhat bland. I did notice he ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. GRIN.

John at Texas Best Grok is going to host this week. Be sure to get your recipes or posts to him before Midnight Thursday. Send an email to carnival.recipe -at- gmail.com and replace the -at- with @.

Ingredients:
½ cup margarine or butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
¼ cup all-purpose flour (I like to use Wondra)
1 can (10 ½ ounces) Condensed chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 package (7 ounces) herb seasoned cubed stuffing
2 cups cubed COOKED chicken or turkey
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Directions:
In 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, in hot butter, cook celery, onion and carrots until tender. Add flour; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in broth and milk/. Cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.

Add stuffing and chicken; toss to coat. Spoon into 2-quart oblong baking dish. Bake at 350degrees F for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese melts.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

At the In-Laws

We went to dinner over at the In-Laws for Easter. It was delicious. They also spoil our 2 kids as much as they can. Which means they gave the two little monsters some gifts. #1 Son got a sing-a-long book and #2 Son got a toy phone.

Here is #1 Son singing (actually he was making noises with his tongue into the mic):

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and yes, I did cut his hair… I never said I was a beautician!


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And here is #2 Son ‘talking’ on the phone while laying on the floor:

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Monday, March 28, 2005

Nickname Contest!

I give up! I am so tired of typing in #1 Son and #2 Son. I want a nickname to type in instead. Not a creative bone left in my body, so I am requesting your assistance. Take a look at their pictures. You have heard their stories. What do you think?

Bou has Bones and two others that escape me right now
Angela has Flash and Peanut
And there are many more out there…

and I have???? #1 Son and #2 Son. Actually I have quite a few nicknames for them – GRIN. I would rather you help me pick some out that are much better suited for the Internet.

Give it a shot. Just let me know which name is for which kid!

And here is a picture of them both together to refresh your memory:

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Happy Easter

Update: Happy Sunday for those not celebrating Easter!

We decided to have some fun at home before heading off to the Egg Hunt at the Church down the road. Being that we have a camcorder, it was being used first and towards the end we remembered to take pictures. That being said, here is the only picture we got while at home! Notice the Big Egg in the Fort. #1 Son is headed up the ladder to get it while #2 Son is outside looking in at it.

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On to the church. They must have had 300 eggs out for the kids just laying in that hay. This was as we were headed over to open the eggs.

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Here they are opening eggs found at the church. The church requested that the plastic eggs be given back for use next year. Sounded good to me!

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What you are suppose to do with the open egg after you get the candy out? Put it under your chin of course!

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I hope everyone has a wonderful and enjoyable Easter day.

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Carnival of Recipes Number 32

Yummy yummy... the Carnival of Recipes Number 32 is up and ready. Thanks to Pajama Pundits. Everything from Fudge to Tacos to Macaroni and Cheese. You gotta go over there and see what's for dinner this week!

I needed to get this done but it just so happened I didn't have time yesterday. Phew, that means I can appease my Blog-sister (Sissy) by making something else besides the Mosquito the first thing you see.

They're Back

and in Force. What is coming back to South Florida now?

Mosquitos!


Image from AllPosters.com**


HERE is a place for useful information on Mosquito control. It is the AMCA (American Mosquito Control Assocation).

**Got this image from allposters.com

Search Engine

Search at Yahoo for:

when did the vw bug come out


I'm #1, I'm #1

I think they were looking for information on the car, but instead – the first search line was my BLOG! Bahwahahaha.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Gnomette

Is visiting the blog-o-sphere. She decided to drop by here for a little make-over by my kids.

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It all started because we decided to steal the original Gnome while Chuck, over at Class Mishaps has gone on vacation. He left a Gnome to guard his blog. If the (now a) Gnomette comes to visit you be sure to leave a note in the comment section HERE.

And if you want to hear all about the Gnomette, there are some tall tales HERE, HERE and HERE.

Enjoy!

Cleaning House

After getting back home, the boys decided to help with some house cleaning. Having only one Swiffer… #1 Son got to use it. I’m so proud of him – sweeping under the stroller, the rug, the bookcase. He’s two… will he do this when he’s 12? Click pictures to enlarge them.

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As you can see, #2 Son is NOT very happy. He wanted to clean as well. The bottom lip is just starting to come out. But once I took the first picture… he went on his merry way and I couldn’t get another. Kids!

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The Hospital Stay

There is so much more about that hospital stay, but it is still too hard to talk about some of it. And part of what was so hard was like the 4 month old that the family just left. No one stayed with it. Ahhhh. But I do have a story for you!

I had a Friend that came to help out. I bet you can guess who I’m talking about! That’s right – Bou. She brought me food, let me complain, heard my worries and still was able to make me laugh. I noticed she didn’t mention that she tried to make me bust my butt! What’s that you say? Yep! I was trying to get ready for bed, she was holding #2 Son. He thought she was only a climbing device to get to Momma. All I had left to get off were my pants and I had them part way down. He lunged. I got him. Bou decided to pull one pants cuff at my foot to help me get them off. Uh huh… you guessed it… comedy in the making. I go off balance holding my son, she is trying to figure out what to do. Luckily nothing happened except laughter out of my mouth.

She made me laugh when she told me about the chocolate chip pie she made to bring. She got it off the carnival of recipes and never wrote down where it came from. She has no idea. And she wasn't going to put in her post because she couldn't give credit! I must say – it is DELICIOUS! It could have been the Chocolate Chip Pie from Bobo Blogger or the Dropped Chocolate Pie from Fresh as a Daisy. (I cheated and went to THIS LISTING made by MaryBeth at Random Thoughts to search for Pies with Chocolate Chips in them).

Overall, I am happy it is done. This is the last you will hear about it. I’m sure there will be more trips in the future to fill your interest in what happens when you have 2 kids so close together… did I mention that this was a virus? Hmmmm… wonder when (or should I say if), #1 Son will get it? Moi? I’m not allowed to catch it – I’m the Momma!

And did anyone notice that Contagion kindly posted a Dreaded Wednesday Humor post for me? If not, follow THIS LINK. It was perfect!

PS (I'm still getting through all my comments and email! Thanks again!)

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Thank you!

Just a quick post. I had to let you know how much it meant to me to see these posts and read the comments. The compassion and warmth just made me feel better. Thank you all for taking the time to pray, send good vibrations, and post a comment. It has been a long week and I'm still very tired. Will try to post more tomorrow. But again - I feel so ... I don't know the words ... wonderful, cared about, fuzzy? that so many of you took the time to show you were there for me and my family. Back to caring for the family. Later!

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

They Are Home

They were released sometime mid morning. She sounded glad to be home.

I am leaving them alone so they can get back to their routines and try to get rest... I just noticed she hadn't posted (she's exhausted), so I thought I'd drop by and let you know the dude is home.

-Bou

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Little Man Update

They did not release her little man today and plans are for tomorrow. They wanted to do injected steroids for one more day and then see how he did on oral steroids tonight. How he does tonight determines if he goes home tomorrow, but the expectations are that he will take to the oral steroids well and be released.

VW got about 2.5 hours of sleep last night. I have a feeling that was not continuous, but rather in total. Her little man did sleep well, but it's difficult to sleep in the hospital as an adult, as I think most of you know. People always coming in and out, noise on the floor above or from the room across the hall.

I think the highlight of our night came about 10:00 last night. Little man had fallen asleep, she was lying next to him, holding him, I was sitting in a chair nearby, ready to spring into action if she needed anything.

She was saying what a day it had been. Her stomach was still a mess with the flu, she was feeling faint, her refrigerator at the house broke, her two year old missed her, her little man was sick and here they were in the hospital. We went through the list, chuckling at what a mess the day had been. We fell silent in the darkness, I was sitting there trying to think of something positive to say about her day. Finally I said, "Well, at least you're not pregnant!" She laughed and said, "Oh my! Can you imagine?! All this and being pregnant too?!"

Ack. No.

Her spirits are good, her little man is busy, she's ready to go home... we'll see what tonight brings, but I do believe it will be a good night and my hopes are that they do get released in the morning... although I do know some of it depends on how the chest XRays came out this afternoon.

I will update as I can. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers for her little man and her.

And... thank you from the bottom of my heart for the comments you left her. It choked me up and made my eyes well when I saw such an outpouring from everyone.

-Bou

Monday, March 21, 2005

H is for Hospital...

Which is where VW is right now. Son#2 has been admitted with a severe case of the croup. The flu has been running through their family and it appears to have settled in this little guy's upper respiratory.

Since I'm guest blogging, I am feeling free to tell you how it is.

The little guy will be fine. He's at one of the best pedo units around and I bet they let him out tomorrow. But let me tell you about VW... she is a strong woman, but she is a tired woman as any woman who has had toddlers can attest. Her babies are 13 months apart. For those of you without kids, that is close. Very close.

She has been sick the last 3 days, running a fever, fighting it herself. Before that Son#1 had it. She has been averaging about ONE hour of continuous sleep for the last week and I would venture to say, she never gets much more than 4 hours on any given night anyway. Her boys keep her hoppin' and they have a lot going on. A lot.

So here's what I need you to do. Say a nice prayer for her tonight... that her baby is better and that she gets some sleep. Throw some positive vibes her way....

And please, fill up her comments with good thoughts. I'd love for her to come back tomorrow and it be filled with good wishes. All of us with babies have been there... when you think surely you cannot take anymore... but it is the friends and support that see us through.

Fill 'er up.

Updates posted as I can... I'm off to take her dinner in a couple hours. I'm hoping the little guy will let me hold him while she sleeps. The probability of that is slim, but I am not without hope.

Thanks- Bou.

**Update: I just got back from the hospital. He was sleeping when I left, she was trying. He's a very sick little boy, but he will be fine. He has more than the croup, he also has asthma. They have him on massive doses of steroids and anything else they can use to combat it and are nebulizing him every 4 hours. I think the plan is for him to go home tomorrow, and considering when I left, his O2 was back up to 98-100%, perhaps he is on track.

I was there when the pediatrician arrived for her evening rounds. She said, "He sounds so MUCH better. I was so worried today." I 'm listening to him thinking, "He sounds like crap. He sounds better?" I cannot even imagine how bad he sounded 4 hours before when they admitted him.

If they stay another day, I will blog tomorrow. Otherwise, I am sure she will be back. I will keep everyone posted as I can.

OH! And he wouldn't let me hold him so she could sleep. If he thought I was evil before, he thinks I'm a satanic worshipper that eats little boys for breakfast now! I am just NOT Mama!
-Bou **

Sunday, March 20, 2005

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Spaghetti Face

It is always cute to see a spaghetti face and I couldn’t resist taking this picture. If he had just kept his fingers in his ears! Click pictures to enlarge them.

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And this #2 Son is growing fast. This is what he ate for dinner. And don’t let the little containers deceive you. There is a LOT of food in those things. Oh… I had carrot sticks as well, but he just chewed on them and spit them out. Why he will eat the carrot baby food and not the real thing… I have no clue.

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Of course, #1 Son wanted to have his picture taken as well. I asked him to smile for the camera and this is what I got!

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Friday, March 18, 2005

Party time?

Turns out that my blog grandpappy Harvey had his C-drive crash. Downloading a lot of naughty stuff I'm sure. I have loaded up my van with WD-40 and Duct Tape and am heading up to the great white North to help him out. In fact, you are welcome to leave a comment or two at his place. Just go to this LINK.

Always fun to Party when the Grandpappy's away!

Grasshoppers

How do you get rid of these things? Click on pictures to enlarge them.

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They are tiny now, but will be about 3 inches long soon. We had them around last year too. I can’t spray a lot of poison because of the kids, dog and horse. Does anyone know any other way to get rid of them? I would hate for them to eat my son’s plants.

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Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Book Meme answers by Flash

You have to go over and read how Flash answered her questions. I think my favorite line is:


I like to read Harold (you know, the one with the crayon?), but I don’t LIKE him. He’s a BOY. Ew.


Go on… it is well worth the smiles! P.S. Fixed it to a direct link with my Grandpappy Harvey's help. Thanks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

McQuillan walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar.

When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, the Irishman started to leave.

"S'cuse me", said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done, "what was that all about?"

"Nothin', said the Irishman, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives!"

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An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding in Connecticut.

The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?"

"Just water," says the priest.

The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?"

The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"

===========================

An Irishman arrived at J.F.K. Airport and wandered around the terminal with tears streaming down his cheeks. An airline employee asked him if he was already homesick.

"No," replied the Irishman "I've lost all me luggage!"

"How'd that happen?"

"The cork fell out!" said the Irishman.

Getting away from the Roofers

We left our house on Sunday because we were told they were going to work on our roof that day. Off to Lion Country Safari. Notice the cool sunglasses and Mom’s baseball cap. Click any picture to enlarge it.

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Yipeeee, we are all on Flying Elephants. Son #1 and Dad in front of Son #2 and Mom.

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Look Mom! Cool button to press. It.makes.loud.noises!!!!

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Oh boy, we are higher in the sky than my brother! OHHH and there is that button again.

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No one else on the train! It’s mine, all mine! Bahwaaahaaa

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Ding ding, ding ding. Gotta ring that bell!

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BTW, the roofers did NOT show up Sunday. They waited until Monday and Tuesday to finish off the roof. Big sigh.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

Remedies that really work

1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic! Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost instantly removed.

2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: just cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins.

5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.

7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.

Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are:

You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You get another chance.

And finally, be really nice to your family and friends, you never know when you might need them to empty your bedpan.

102 and Puke on You

It happened. My #1 Son decided to run a fever and puke last night. Thankfully it was Dad helping him. I on the other hand was busy with #2 Son. After giving #1 Son some Motrin and food this morning he is now feeling great and wants to go out and play. #2 Son ate 2 bowls of oatmeal, played and went back to sleep for an hour. Now #2 Son is ready to to outside as well. How do they bounce back like that?

Oh yaa… this means my posting might be little light about the kids for the next couple of days. Depends on how ‘clingy’ they get. Hard to type with a child attached to each leg and trying to crawl up to your arms. I find it easier just to sit down and let them snuggle with me. I enjoy it more and so do they. Mañana.

Who Would You Be in 1400AD

Over at Caltech Girl's Not Exactly Rocket Science, Bou at Boudicca's Voice found this QUIZ on Who Would You Be in 1400AD. Caltech Girl ended up as a Prioress and Bou ended up as a Knight. {snicker snicker} I just couldn't resist taking it myself. Guess I shouldn't have laughed at what Bou got...

The Harlequin
You scored 34% Cardinal, 33% Monk, 44% Lady, and 40% Knight!

You are a mystery, a jack-of-all-trades. You have the king's ear, but also listen to murmurings of the common folk. You believe in the value of force and also literature. Truly you are the puzzlement of the age.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 71% on Cardinal
You scored higher than 28% on Monk
You scored higher than 14% on Lady
You scored higher than 57% on Knight
Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid


So what are you?

How to Switch to Haloscan comments

My blog Grandpappy Harvey suggested I write up what I did to switch to Haloscan comments. I wish I could put in word for word what was told to me, I can’t. I seemed to have deleted a lot of emails lately. Or the email goblin got them. With that in mind, I am going to write what I did, just remember the credit still goes to Doug at Iowa Geek and Sissy at And What’s Next.

Also, I started writing this so any person would be able to follow it step by step. It got way.to.long. This is the shortened version!

First – BACKUP! Ok, Doug said this in a much better choice of words. Now I’m telling you my way - Backup your Blog site and backup your template. Preferably to a CD. How did I do this?

I had notepad open and an internet window. The template I backed up by going to Blogger dashboard, going into my blog, clicking on the Template tab, and finally clicking in my template area and doing a Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C. Then going to notepad and doing a Ctrl-V and then saved it.

Next I used wget to back up my blogger website. There is a gui interface that you can just plug in the name of your website (like http://onehappydogspeaks.blogspot.com) and press Add to wgetstart.bat and then press Start wgetstart.bat. This did not go out to imageshack and pick up my pictures. That didn’t bother me since I have a backup of every picture I put out there. If you need more detailed directions on how to do this, email me.

Second – I made changes to my Template. The biggest problem here is that everyone’s template is different. Here are the lines of code with the major change in italics. I put in bold the userid I log into Haloscan with because you will need to replace that with YOUR userid.

NOTE: all <> were replaced with []

[p class="post-footer"]
[em]posted by [$BlogItemAuthorNickname$] @ [a href="[$BlogItemPermalinkUrl$]" title="permanent link"][$BlogItemDateTime$][/a][/em]
[MainOrArchivePage]
[BlogItemCommentsEnabled]
[a class="comment-link" href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/onehappydog/[$BlogItemNumber$]/" alt="Comment" onclick="HaloScan('[$BlogItemNumber$]'); return false;" target="_self"][script type="text/javascript"]postCount('[$BlogItemNumber$]'); [/script][noscript]Comment[/noscript][/a] | [a class="comment-link" href="http://www.haloscan.com/tb/onehappydog/[$BlogItemNumber$]/" alt="Trackback" onclick="HaloScanTB('[$BlogItemNumber$]'); return false;" target="_self"][script type="text/javascript"]postCountTB('[$BlogItemNumber$]'); [/script][noscript]Trackback[/noscript][/a] | [a class="comment-link" href="[$BlogItemCommentCreate$]]"[$BlogItemCommentFormOnclick$] [font="1"]Pre Haloscan [$BlogItemCommentCount$][/a]

[/BlogItemCommentsEnabled]

[!-- This was the OLD line of code I replaced >>> [a class="comment-link" href="[$BlogItemPermalinkURL$]#comments"][$BlogItemCommentCount$] Comments [/a][/BlogItemCommentsEnabled] <<< End of OLD line of code --]

[/font] [$BlogItemControl$]
[/MainOrArchivePage]
[!--[$BlogItemControl$]--]
[/p]

Give it a try. Or if you want some step by step help, let me know. I’ll do my best to help you out. Everyone was so helpful to me, I would like to pass it on to others.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Negligent In My Duties

What? Yaa, I know it’s hard to believe that I would ever forget anything or be delinquent in getting something done. BaaHaaaHaaa. And if you believe that one I have some swamp land to sell you. Oh Wait. I do own swamp land. How about, if you believe that I’ll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge cheap?

I have missed posting information on other blogs that have done a fantastic job. Pamibe put up the Recipes of Carnival last Friday and it is magnificent. Everything from Sausage Biscuit Bites to Cheese Grits Soufflé to Tax Return Dinner. Really, you gotta check it out.

I sent out some ‘Memes about books’ to be done and here they are:

Tara at Whimsy Capricious has not only answered the questions, but given us some insight to her parents.

Connor at Jennifer’s World has a variety he likes to read, including computer screens.

I see that http://badexample.mu.nu/ Grandpappy Harvey has started a Meme on Books from the Dog’s point of view.

Gotta run, the roofers sound like they are falling in from above.

The Adventure with Thomas the Tank Engine

Look!!! I got to ride in a carriage pulled by Thomas the Tank Engine.

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When on the train, they asked #1 Son a couple of questions about Thomas the Tank Engine and friends. The attendant asks “What color is Thomas?”. #1 Son answers “Blue”. She asks "What number is on Thomas?”. #1 Son answers “One”. “What color is Percy?”. “Green”. “What number is on Percy?”. “Six”. She asks “What color is Harold?”. #1 Son points out the window to something else. (He is the great distracter when he doesn’t know the answer!). It was cute. She gave him the certificate and a big smile. She was nice and gave one to #2 Son as well, though he didn’t say anything but “Bye Bye”.

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Oh WOW! Crayons! We can color Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends! Kids and crayons – always a dangerous but fun adventure.

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They had some stuff for the kids to do besides look at trains. #1 Son joined the band and played the maracas and got a free whistle for participating. There was a sand box that both kids enjoyed. And then there was the ‘hay’. Can you spot #1 Son in this picture? Click the picture to Enlarge it.

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There were plenty of pictures, but many did not come out (too much light, too little light). Fun was had by the kids and we had a nice day away from the house. Just got my fingers crossed that this doesn’t happen again anytime soon. Particularly when we get home and find this:

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to our SURPRISE. Yes, we had made arrangements to get our roof redone. No, noone had called and told us they were coming. In fact, last we heard from them, it was going to be another 2 weeks. Never a dull moment.

Monday, March 14, 2005

What is the Story Behind This One?

Or how about what caption goes with this picture? Click picture to enlarge it.

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Sunday, March 13, 2005

Book Meme

Hello, I’m #1 Son and my mommy is going to help me answer these questions. Before children she would go through 1 or 2 fictional books a week and a technical book a month. Now all she reads are books to me. So she decided I had to do all the work and answer these.

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
Mommy says to pick my very favorite book. I have so many, but the book I ask to have read to me the most THIS WEEK is Maisy Goes Camping by Lucy Cousins.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional Character?
Crush? Mommy says to pick my favorite female in a book. I like Dora the Explorer. I like reading about in my books and then watching the videos.

The last book you bought is?
Bought? Mommy can you BUY books? I thought we could only go to the library and borrow them.

The last book you read? Hello, Fish! Visiting the Coral Reef by Sylvia Earle. We are learning about water animals in School. You cannot pet Alligators but you can pet kitty cats.

What are you currently reading? And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss

Five books I would take to a deserted island.

1) Primitive technology: A Book of Earth Skills Mommy told me to take this from Contagion.
2) The Dr. Seuss Series
3) The Dora the Explorer Series
4) Books on Fish
5) Paper and Crayons to create my own books

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and Why? Why? Because Auntie Bouie says I have to pick someone. I’ll pass this onto:

Tara (oh I mean Sally) at Whimsy Capricious
Connor (oh I mean Jennifer) at Jennifer’s World
Flash (oh I mean Flash’s Mommy) at Fresh as a Daisy

Note from Mommy: For those curious about what in world I read, here is a list of books/authors I tend to read. I must say even though we go to the library weekly, I usually do not find books for me, propably a good thing.

The Anita Blake series from Laurell K. Hamilton (if you are a scifi/fantasy reader, you will probably like these – but start at the beginning, you can read them in any order, but more fun in order.)
Any Agatha Christie book
The Nero Wolf series from Rex Stout
Any Isaac Asimov book
The Father Ryan series from Andrew Greeley
The Mrs. Pollifax series from Dorothy Gilman
And a ton of others but I don’t want to spend the time linking them.

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Posting Lite, Living Heavy

What an interesting weekend this is turning out to be. Friday afternoon my husband calls me to say he got us tickets to the Miami Train Museum to see Thomas the Tank Engine. I am not a particular fan of Thomas but my #1 Son loves trains. We made the 2 hour drive down to Miami today (Saturday). I have pictures and stories to post later in the week.

And on our return home there were 4 people ripping our roof off. HUH? Yes, we hired a company to fix our roof after the hurricanes. We were told they would call us the day before and let us know they are coming to work on our roof. This is a posting in itself. Needless to say there was a miscommunication. No way was I going to stop the process. And I found out they were suppose to be here tomorrow in any event. And this is another reason for Posting Lite. We will have EIGHT people on our roof tomorrow. I do not plan on being around for this. The few hours they were at my house today, the walls shook and the noise was horrible.

Lots of good stories but no time to write them up this weekend. I’ve got some short stories and pictures I’ll try to get out tomorrow… but the roofers are suppose to be here at 8:30am. I’m too tired to try and get them out tonight. Maybe I’ll just post a few pictures and let you write the stories. GRIN. Until Tomorrow!

A cup and a Minivan

I blew it. I am in deep dung. Go back 2 weeks and picture driving down I-95 at 70 mph. Now add to this a small voice in the background saying “I have to go P”. Uh oh. Not much you can do at that point. I tried to explain to him he would have to wait until we got off the highway. Which was at least 8 minutes away. Uh huh. It has been 2 weeks since he has told me he needed to go. Today he told me again.

Either I am very lucky or I’m going to regret this for a very long time, but we were just getting off of I-95 and stopped at a stop light when he told me. I told him if he could it till we got over the hill I would let him P in a cup in the van. I got over the hill to a place I could safely pull over. I stopped. I asked did he still have to go. The answer was yes. Hmmmmm. As a result of this answer, I crawl into the back, pull down his pants, have him stand up and put the cup under his pe-nis. The little turkey P’d. He actually waited and P’d in the cup.

In fact he wanted to Poop in the cup as well. Why not? So I hold it behind him. He actually grunts and bends over some. Then told me he couldn’t go. PHEWWWWWWW. I was wiping my brows after that. I have no clue what I would have done if he had actually gone. I am laughing now as I write this remembering how worried I was but not knowing what to do. I was also worrying because I didn’t want another set back. If I had realized what was going on about 8 months ago, he would have been potty trained at this point. Being a new parent I had no clue that if your son was interested in the toilet you should put.him.on.it. Don’t wait. Just do it. Live and learn. He is 4 months away from being 3 years old and is not potty trained. I’m getting desperate on coming up with ideas to help him along. Though this one may have just gotten me into more trouble than help.

Amazing what strange things you will do as a parent. Either way I’m going to be in deep dung and he is always going to want to P in a cup (though I told him we could only do that in the car) or he will start telling me when he needs to go again only when we are in the car. I have my fingers crossed and hoping this will start him telling me again all the time. Definitely NOT the way to train your son to go to the potty.

Friday, March 11, 2005

Sunglasses

Got some pictures of those sunglasses. And in the sun, they look more purple than blue.

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Gotta have one cute one of #2 Son after those cuties of #1 Son.

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Thursday, March 10, 2005

Shopping with Small Children

Nothing like small children to give you a new shopping experience. Let me set up the scene. It’s raining, the kids are fussy, mom is going crazy. I pack the kids into the car and head off to Walmart. I will be looking to buy bras, socks and underwear. To stray from the main story – due to breastfeeding and pregnancy, I have not bought any new undergarments in 3 years. And after having children, the old stuff doesn’t quite fit right. Well, except for the socks and those are just so old I need new ones. And something about my Husband getting tired of me wearing his socks.

Back to the story, I get to Walmart with #2 Son asleep and #1 Son ready to bounce out of the car. Luckily, I find a parking spot close to the front. We won’t get too wet. I get #1 Son down and get #2 Son out. #2 Son is dead weight. All 30 pounds. Nothing is going to wake him up. Sigh. We get into the store. #1 Son wants in the basket. Ok, while holding #2 Son, I use my free arm to lift my 40 pound son into the basket. I thought I was going to break something. Now I’m pushing #1 Son while holding #2 Son and thinking, I have to be totally insane.

Here’s the good part. I get to the bras and start looking for my size. My #1 Son in a VERY loud voice points to one of the boxes and says “Mommy’s Boobies”. Not just once. But at least 4 times before I could get him to shut up. Ahhh. My arm is about to break off from holding #2 Son and I am embarrassed from #1 Son’s comments. Which don’t stop, they just get quieter. There is nothing I can do but go shop for something else. I decide to skip the underwear and just go get socks. (we won't discuss were he learned that phrase - but it wasn't me!)

After getting socks, I go look for raincoats for my sons. I pass a kid’s display of sunglasses. My son wants some. Ok, it’s good for him. I may hate Winnie the Pooh, but I’ll let him have the sunglasses. He picks out a nice black frame with dark lenses and Tigger on it. Off we go. I can’t find the cool rain coats (like you see with hat, coat and matching galoshes) but I find something that is a little to big for him but will work. Nothing small enough for #2 Son. Now we head over to shoes. Just to see if they have galoshes. Nope, no galoshes. Let’s go.

#1 Son says he has lost his sunglasses. Sure enough, they are not in the cart. Back to the kid’s display. Here is another good part. He points to the RED sunglasses with Pooh on them and says he wants those. Hmmmm. I don’t care, but I think Dad might have an issue with this. So I put them on him and say – “Nope, can’t have those. They have red lenses, we need black lenses.” Phew. He points to another pair. You guessed it – Purple. They have dark lenses. I’m starting to sweat this one. We put them on and … They are too small!!!! Phew. Made it through another pair. But then #1 Son starts saying we could get them for #2 Son. Nope, nope. #2 Son can pick out his own later. I had #1 Son a pair with Pooh, that is blue frames with dark lenses. YAAAAAAAAAAAAA. He likes them. Another close call.

And this is only a small part of the story. I’m leaving out the Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs, the batteries and few other things that happened along the way. All in under an hour. Can you say “L.O.N.G. D.A.Y.”? Repeat. I thought the day would never end. But it did and today is another day of fun. Can’t wait to see what they get into today.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Haloscan comments

Getting no sleep last night, being annoyed with Blogger comments, I have decided to switch to Haloscan. So if something terrible wrong happens, oops. Otherwise, I have a backup of all my comments up till today. Not that I can get them easily put back onto Blogger... but you never know.

It is DREADED Wednesday. Might as well have some entertainment. The change should happen sometime today.

Update: Thanks to Doug at Iowa Geek for sending me the initial write-up on what to do to switch to Haloscan (I got those backups!) And Thanks to Sissy at And What's Next for sending me her code on keeping the old and new. Treaked it and it works like a charm. Just a few more changes and I'll be even happier!

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

I laughed when I read these, so I had to share them.

"The Rules"

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules! Please note ... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are not quests to see if we can find the perfect present yet again!

1. Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

1. Sunday = SPORTS. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Don't cut your hair. Ever. Long hair is always more attractive than short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that married women always cut their hair, and by then you're stuck with her.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one. Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. We don't remember dates. Mark birthdays and anniversaries on calendar. Remind us frequently beforehand.

1. Most guys own three pairs of shoes (tops). What makes you think we'd be any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?

1. "Yes" and "No" are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Check your oil! Please.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us. We refuse to answer.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions, and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. We are not mind readers and we never will be. Our lack of mind-reading ability is not proof of how little we care about you.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as navel lint, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. Foreign films are best left to foreigners. (Unless it's Bruce Lee or some war flick where it doesn't really matter what they're saying anyway.)

1. It is neither in your best interest or ours to take the quiz together. No, it doesn't matter which quiz.

1. Trucks are as exciting for us as handbags are for you.

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know we really don't mind that, it's like camping.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Reading Impaired

I love my children. I would not trade them for the world. But I have decided having children under the age of three puts the dunce cap on your head. I was over at Mellow-Drama and found a math test for 8th Graders. To digress and help you understand the humor this brings to me, I am a degreed woman with a minor in mathematics that worked in the Professional arena for over 18 years. You would think since I was able to read technical manuals, write professional documentation and do the appropriate mathematics for my profession, that I would be able to read and take a simple 8th Grade math test. Before Children, I would have not had a problem. Now? I can’t write or speak in words with more than two syllables. Read directions? I have missed ingredients for so many recipes, that I’m not sure how the end product is really supposed to taste.

Does this stop me from trying to do an 8th Grade Math test? Nope. Did I miss a simple question? You betcha. Not only that… in the comments I said something about how I can’t believe I missed getting the volume for a cube. Ok, here’s the kicker… it asked for the surface area of the cube – NOT – the volume. Hello.My.Name.Is.VW.And.I.Am.Reading.Impaired.

Ok, go to the link above and give it a try. Pull up the ol’ calculator and see how you do. Or if you know of a 2nd grade math test I can try, let me know. And if you need a good laugh, give me something to read and see if I can understand it. I know I laughed pretty hard when I realized what I had done. Ahhh. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know in another year or two I will be able to get those brain cells back. I just know it.

Monday, March 07, 2005

Chocolate Chip Cake

A good friend sent me this recipe and I'm going to make it this weekend. Yummy yummy. Almost time for the Carnival of Recipes at Pamibe. Get your recipes in before Thursday at Midnight. Send them to recipe.carnival -at- gmail.com (please replace the -a- with @ -> it is written this way to prevent spammers from doing a search on the @ sign and finding email addresses).

1- Deep Chocolate Cake Mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup veg. oil
1-package instant chocolate pudding mix
1-pint sour cream (16 oz. or 2 cups)
9 oz. chocolate chips

Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in bowl. Beat for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips.

Place in springform pan to bake.

Bake at 350 for 75 minutes (ovens vary, check after 60 minutes). Cooking too long causes cake to be dry.

If you make cupcakes, follow the cooking time on the box of cake mix.

The Train, The Train

Because ‘Auntie Bouie’ gave my sons more train track, #1 Son harasses me almost daily to play with it. Particularly since we can now do ‘double decker’ tracks. #2 Son was of course sitting there taking the trains off the track when they came by him. And I only had to put the track back together about 20 times in 30 minutes. I was amazed that they left it alone long enough for me to get the camera and take a picture. I actually took 3 pictures, but this was the only one where everything was intact. Yes, it was the first picture I took. Click picture to enlarge it.

Don’t turn your back on me!

Not for 2 minutes. I am now able to leap over small objects, move bigger objects and put objects together to reach an end point. Yes, this means you cannot go into the kitchen to get me something to drink without having me there with you.

This is the imagined conversation I see my #2 Son having as he reaches the ability to play with the TV. Life has suddenly gotten a whole lot tougher. And the answer is "No, the chair was not there. #2 Son moved it to that position." Click on picture to enlarge it.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Nemesis

Not enough sleep and too lazy to write up about the monsters children. I found this quiz over at my BlogSis, Sissy, at And What's Next and decided to show the results from my taking the quiz. Go on... give it a try and let me know what God or Goddess would you have been.

nemesis
Nemesis


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Saturday, March 05, 2005

What do you sleep with?

If you are a child, you usually sleep with a stuffed animal. Not my children. #1 Son likes to sleep with a sippy cup. #2 Son has recently taken up with a kid’s trowel. (see right hand in picture – click to enlarge)

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At first, the sippy cup bothered me but I got over it. On the other hand, I have decided that the trowel was definitely not the right toy to sleep with. It is hard plastic, with a point. And he is only 17 months old. #1 Son didn’t start sleeping with the sippy cup until he was close to 22 months. Old enough not to get hurt with it.

I have used many different tricks over the last couple of days to get rid of this toy at night time. But it hasn’t been easy. I was talking to my Mom about this and heard this story about me:

When I was young I had a pet rock. It was about 8 inches long and 2 to 3 inches in width, egg shaped. I use to sleep with it. Sigh, I guess that means sleeping with odd things will be a ‘normal’ thing for this family.


So what did you sleep with as a child? Or what are your children sleeping with?

Friday, March 04, 2005

Carnival of Recipes is Ready

Not only are there good things to eat, but there is a great story as well. You gotta check out the Carnival of Recipes over at Rocket Jones!

Pineapples!

Look! We have pineapples growing on our plants! I took close-ups of two of them. The third didn’t really show up, being too small. Three of my four plants have pineapples. I’m so excited! The kids will get to watch them grow and we’ll all have fresh pineapple to eat.

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These four plants were started from the tops of pineapples we had eaten before. It’s been about two years since we planted them.

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Thursday, March 03, 2005

Llama invasion

I was surfing the blogs and have noticed that more and more llama pictures are appearing.

Some have weird hair and look like Mad Scientists and others require ammo. There is even a write-up on a Grand Slam Event. I believe this is all due to an influence of Evil Glenn on Ogre. And watch out for that Evil llama Glenn. Even Sally has been reporting on the influence of Evil Glenn with animals. Be Afraid. Llamas may yet take over the world.

Ok, I'm tired and I just had to type something up instead of watching Dora the Explorer one.more.time.

How Smart is Your Right Foot?


This was sent to me via email. And it truly boggled my mind. VW

This is so funny that it will boggle your mind. And you will keep trying at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't.

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.

Your foot will change direction.

The Good Life

Being fed, dressed, hugged, watched over and finding 5 mountains of black dirt in your neighbor’s yard. Easy access over the fence! Away we go!!!! Here is a GALLERY OF PICTURES (12 of them). Here are a few just to give you a story line, particularly since they aren’t in any order in the gallery.

#1 Son approaches the piles of dirt with some trepidation of what might happen.


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#2 Son goes for it.


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And then s.l.o.w.l.y tumbles down. I swear if I could have recorded this on a camcorder people would have thought I had put it in slow motion. It was so funny, and he did not get hurt, nor did it stop him from going up again.


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We can work together.




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Look Mom, I made my own slide!


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King of the Mountain!



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There are 5 more cute pictures in the gallery, than what you see here. Can you guess how dirty the tub was after this???