Hug me pillow

Look what I found on Overstocks.com - it is $29.99 and it SOLD OUT! Am I the only one who is creeped out by this????

Confessions of a Shopoholic - the movie

I loved, loved, loved this movie. It was worth the wait. I got there 10 minutes early so I wouldn't miss anything. However, Amy, my oldest daughter, got there 15 minutes late - actually, she had gotten there 20 minutes early, so she shopped and lost track of time. So as we walked out of the movie, I looked over at her and her shopping bag and said, "I missed the first 15 minutes of Confessions of a Shopoholic because I was shopping." She started laughing and couldn't stop. The mascara was running down her face. She said that was the funniest thing I'd ever said....You had to be there.

Travel

We just got home from a family vacation in Hawaii. This isn’t really a photo of our luggage* – but this is the way it feels to travel with us. There are six adults and two children under three. Each person has at least one large bag and a small bag that gets checked, plus at least two sets of golf bags. So that’s at least 18 bags. We can’t all go to the airport together, even in the airport shuttle, because we have too many bags. When we get to our destination, it takes three or four cabs to get us to the hotel. But once we get to our destination, boy do we have fun.

*It is a photo of one of three “sculptures” in the Sacramento airport (probably constructed from lost luggage…come to think of it, maybe some of our luggage is in there after all).

.

HAWAII

Lincoln 2-1/2 years old

No blogs this week. I'll be in Hawaii with my kids and grandchildren until the 22nd. Aloha!

Pets

I’ve never been a “pet” person. When I was a child, the only animal I was exposed to

was a dog we were babysitting for friends (the poor thing was deaf and blind). When

Amy and Jennifer were old enough to want pets, our yard was too small for a dog so I let

them have hamsters (Kibbles & Bits). But we only had them a few months and gave

them away. Jennifer wanted pets because she had cool names for them. She wanted a

turtle named “fluffy,” and a fish named “bait.” She also wanted a hound dog named

“Elvis” and a small dog named “Pucci.” When we moved to Rancho Santa Fe we finally

got a dog (an orange golden retriever named "Tang"), and cats (Dolce and Gabbana).

We bought a house in Las Vegas and now I’ve got nine Koi fish (of course, I had to

name one of them “Bait”- the others are: The Red Baron, O.J., Goldilocks, Ginger, Ugly Betty,

Batman, Smokey, and Little Nemo) and there is a bronze alligator statue in the swimming pool,

so I call him “Fluffy.”

Left to right: Goldilocks, Ugly Betty, O.J. and the Red Baron

I don't see myself having any pets in the near future.

Who Loves You Baby?

Here's a Valentine's Day Quiz for you:

(You don’t have to answer these, just quickly go down the list)

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials. . the most money. . or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Would you like to know what my husband gave me for Valentine's Day? He bought me a sexy nightie...in a size 6 (I wear a size 18!). I said, "What's up with the size 6? Is this supposed to be a joke?" To which he responded, "No, to me you ARE a size 6." (Gotta love that guy).

Suze Orman Says:

1. Get out of debt
2. Pay bills on time
3. Don't miss a payment
4. Don't go over credit limit
5. Have health and life insurance (term insurance)
6. Don't take money out of your retirement fund to pay your mortgage. If you can't pay your mortgage, let your house go and find an affordable apartment
7. Don't ever cosign a loan (especially for your children)
8. Don't lend money to friends or family (if you want to "give" it to them, okay. But no "loans".)

Really? This is new? Is there anything here we haven't heard before?

When asked if anybody has ever put their FICO score up on Match.com, her response was, "They should. FICO first, then sex. Because you want to practice safe money." (Now that's seriously funny.)

According to Suze, we're in for a long haul. She says not to expect a turn around until 2015.

What I want to know is, how does she know? Did she ask Miss Cleo? Has she got a crystal ball? or did she just say that because she was asked?

Fantasy Lives

Have you ever stopped to think about what other people's lives are like? The wonderful thing about the internet is that it gives us an opportunity to be a fly on the wall of other people's lives.

Picture home made apple pie and an All American girl living in the country. Ruth Ann is living it:

Here she is with her friends having a "pie party" (she's in the green apron). See her happy life at warmpiehappyhome.blogspot.com (I want to have a pie party!)

Can you imaging someone living a "vintage" life? Catiena is living it:

See her life at thevintagehousewife.blogspot.com (wait until you see the inside of that trailer!)

I wouldn't want to trade my life (permanently) with anyone. But it sure would be fun to live their life for a week or two.

For more fantasy lives, just look at their favorite bloggers - they are amazing!

Pet Peeve(s)

Why can't they give you the same amount of hot dog buns as the package of hot dogs? Am I the only one who is bothered by this? It drives me C R A Z Y !

As long as I'm ranting, I also hate bikers that ride side by side instead of single file (road hogs!).

And how about people who call themselves "environmentalists" then burn down a lumber yard in protest. News flash, that is NOT an environmentally friendly thing to do. (Kinda reminds me of the abortion protestors who kill the doctors who perform them. Oh heck, and why don't we throw in PETA while we're at it. Earth is the insane asylum of the universe.

What's YOUR pet peeve?

New Song

"If You Don't"

From time to time I'll replace this video with the newest one she sends me. (She sends me videos of new songs she writes before she demos them). This was added on 3/30/09

See her pics, hear and download her songs at: http://www.myspace.com/zuffinetti

Noah's Ark

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark...

1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9. The woodpeckers inside are more dangerous than the storms that are outside.
10. When you're stressed, float a while.
11. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
12. No matter how bad the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.
Author Unknown

Happy Birthday Emerson!

Little Emmy is 1 year old today!

Tack this to your bathroom mirror:

You may not realize it, but it's 100% true:

1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

"Good friends are like stars.....
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there"

- - old saying

Pithy Words

I just recently overheard the word “four flusher” used in a conversation and when I looked it up, I liked it a lot. I thought I’d share it with you.

“four flusher” = a person who makes false or pretentious claims, Empty boasts, or who continually lies. (originally referred to a person who would misrepresent that they had a flush - a poker hand comprised of five cards all of one suit (hearts, spades, clubs, or diamonds) - when they only had four cards of one suit.)

Unfortunately, I know a few four flushers – bet you do too.

Octuplets

Everyone keeps asking me what I think about Nadya Suleman, a single mom, and her decision to have more children after already having six.

I sympathize with her desire to have children and the seven years it took her to have her first child, because it took me seven years to have my first child and I know the anguish and frustration that is involved. HOWEVER, I think it is totally irresponsible for her to continue having children when there is no way to properly care for them. (As far as I’m concerned, the doctor who implanted the embryos should have his license taken away. Doctors take an oath to “do no harm.” Allowing a single mom who already has six children to be implanted with six more embryos is going against that oath.)

She thinks she had a dysfunctional childhood because she was an only child who “didn’t have much control of her environment and felt powerless.” What does she think her 14 children are going to say about their childhood?

Her friend says, “people are saying negative things and they don’t know her.”
What we do know is:

She’s a single mom (she separated from her husband in 2000 and had her first baby in 2001 – so all these children were planned knowing there would be no father for them)

She has a severe back injury which was the reason she and her husband separated. She didn’t want him to be burdened by her pain and depression (but it is okay to submit infants to it).

She has no way to support her children (she has not accepted welfare – so far. She says she is going back to school in the fall to complete her Master’s Degree so she can be a counselor. So, let’s see – who then will be caring for these 14 children that she wanted so desperately? If she works, she has to pay child care for 14 children…how much will that leave for them to live on? If she doesn’t work, who will support them?) Oh wait. I forgot about all the book deals, talk shows, advertising, and movie offers that are rolling in (it doesn't hurt that she looks like Angelina Jolie...maybe Angie will star in the movie, that will bring in some big bucks).

We'll be following the octuplets story until they are all married with children of their own.

All she cares about is what SHE wants. SHE wants a big, huge family. But we don’t (and shouldn’t) always get what we want. Sometimes what we want isn’t possible or isn’t right for someone else (like, for instance, the 14 children involved – all under the age of eight – with no father and no income to support them. How about what THEY want and deserve?)

That’s my opinion. What’s yours?

How to be mean to old guys:

The AARP eye chart

Getting Old Ain't for Sissies

I have the memory of a 98-year old. In fact, I once bought a "Mega Memory" book on tape….but I couldn't remember where I put it! (sounds like a bad joke, but an unfortunate true story)

I have the memory of a 98-year old. In fact, I once bought a "Mega Memory" book on tape….but I couldn't remember where I put it! (sounds like a bad joke, but an unfortunate true story)

Did I already tell you that?

(Sorry, I stole this from my daughter Jen's list of 25 things about her)

Valentine's Day Dessert

Love you Forever Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package German Chocolate cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped or Heath Bits
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. After cooled, make holes with wooden spoon along the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom. Pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the cake and give it a few minutes to work through the cake. Pour the caramel topping over the top of the cake, then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake. Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar bits. Serve. (Keep leftovers refrigerated).


Bake this for your sweetie and he's guaranteed to Love You Forever!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes (recipe from Paula Deen @ the Food Network) and won First Prize in a cupcake cook off. They're the perfect treat for Valentine's Day:



For the cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Chopped pecans


For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Ice cupcakes and garnish with chopped pecans.