Google Yourself!

Have you ever done a Google search for yourself. It's weird, isn't it? I googled myself and found out that there is someone out there with my same name, but she lives in New Jersey and is the general manager of a gym. She apparently made some news by banning grunting in her gym. I didn't read any of the articles because they sounded a little boring, actually. I also saw that a little piece I wrote about the death of our pet hamster is out there. I used the Google search for my daughters as well and found absolutely nothing out there for two of the names and a bunch of stuff out there for the other two of my daughters. I didn't read any of that stuff either because most of it was in Italian! So, I was glad to see that my older girls are obeying the rules of using the internet and that my oldest one has not posted anything on the internet about herself. Good going girls! I think I will Google my maiden name. One time my brother got a call from the Colorado State Police asking him if he knew a woman with my same name. He said he knew his sister's name (me), but that I had never been in Colorado. This woman had robbed a bank or something. It is a little unnerving to know someone is out there doing things, for good or evil, and has the same name as you. So, go Google yourself. You might find out something juicy!

Century21 Realty

This whole house selling fiasco is so frustrating for us, I can only imagine what our Century21 realtor is going through. She has had to go to the house to check on it for us, and has had to deal with open houses and all the negative market news. Now we are going to have to have her arrange to have the whole interior painted, just to make it more marketable. Our real estate experience has been one twist after another that keeps costing us more money on top of paying both of our mortgages. Real estate agents, Century21 and all others, really have to work hard for their comissions these days! Thank goodness ours is trustworthy and willing to put the effort in.

I Need A Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute. . .

My husband woke me up at 3:00 this morning. He couldn't sleep. We have had a lot of restless nights lately. He told me he worries every minute about money. He also said that he was sorry he moved us here. I am prone to worrying myself, and have not been happy about the way things are working out for us here, but to hear him say he regrets the move made me feel a little panicky. We have not had anything work out smoothly. For my husband, the grass certainly looked greener here than where we were, and we all know that sometimes you just have to test out the "grass" on the other side, but this is not what we had hoped for. All of 2007 has been one trouble or worry after another, so I don't know why this mess is surprising us so. We have pretty much decided that I should get a job, and he might need to get a second job as well. Just when we will squeeze these jobs in is unclear. I have not worked for pay for fifteen years, so I'm not sure I will have much to offer in the way of marketability. We also have our four kids to think about too. They are too young to do much housework and I really don't feel comfortable leaving my fifteen-year-old in charge of her three siblings. With all the worry and stress, I am reminded of that Christmas song from the Broadway musical "Mame" that goes: "We need a little Christmas, right this very minute. . ." Maybe that is what my family and I need: to worry less and think about what this Christmas is season is all about.

Sometimes Things Just Suck

I really am not a complainer. I have been a pretty positive person my whole life. The life I have is a good one, but sometimes stuff just sucks! It seems that this whole year, we have had nothing but struggles and worries and saddness. It seems like everything for us this year has been one big conflict or mess after another. We just can't seem to come up for air before the next thing comes at us. We have two huge mortgages because we moved before our house sold. We live 600 miles away from our old house, so its not like we can just zip over there to check on it or do anything with it. What is so frustrating is that some people don't like the colors of it, or the floorplan or the view from the back. When we were looking for houses, the last thing that would keep me from buying a house was the color of the kitchen! For heaven's sake, paint is relatively inexpensive and I would almost always bet that no matter what color our kitchen is, someone would not like it. Why can't the people looking at the house just make an offer and see if we will give them credit toward paint. Sheeesh, this is getting old. The other thing that sucks right now is that our cars are old and need to be replaced. We spent last Friday buying a car so that my husband can get to work, but our Suburban now needs $1200.00 of work done on it. Where is that money going to come from? We can't catch a break. I sure will be looking forward to a new year, and hopefully a little easier time of it.

An Answered Prayer

So I have been lamenting about this move we made to Virginia. I have had a pretty bad attitude about the whole thing for selfish reasons: my family is all back in Indiana, all my friends are in Indiana, I don't know anyone here. . . Please notice that all of these reasons begin with the word "I". Recently, I have been thinking about how self-centered I have been about this move. Yes, we moved because my husband wanted to; that's what it boiled down to, until something else occurred to me. On three different occasions, from three completely different people, I have heard the same thing: how glad they are that our daughter Gabby has moved here. The first time I heard it was from a mother of a little girl in Gabby's class. They had invited my daughter over to play for the afternoon, and this mother said how excited she was that her daughter wanted to invite a friend over. Her daughter is painfully shy, and the family was dreading this schoolyear. Along comes our little Gabby. New to the school, new to the state of Virginia, and open to everything. She started playing with this little girl, and now they are good little friends.


The second time I heard about our Gabby was from another mother of a little girl who had invited our daughter over to play. She said that her daughter had said how nice Gabby was to everyone, and she was glad they were in the same class. The third time I heard about our daughter was from her teacher. She said that Gabby is friendly and kind to everyone and is a real asset to the class and indeed to the whole school. Well, of course every mother wants to hear how great their kid is. I am very proud that my middle daughter is such a kind and friendly person, but the more I thought about it, the more it occurred to me that this is something more.

Our daughter is the kind of kid to whom people are drawn. She looks like a chubby, sweet, cherub, has a twinkle in her eye, and has just plain nice personality. Until now, however; I never really looked at her for who she really is. She is someone who truly has a purpose here on earth. She was one of those "00ps" pregnancies that happened while I was on the Pill. We had only planned on having two children. She was a lovely baby and an easy toddler. She was popular in preschool, as well as in first grade. Second grade was a little tougher for her and friends were few and far between for some reason. She took this big move to Virginia in stride. After pondering all the why's about this move, it has become clear to me that the reason we moved may have had something to do with my husband, but it could also have been because a shy, lonely little girl living in Northern Virginia prayed every night for a friend. A friend who could accept her just the way she was. No matter that that little girl would be coming from Indiana! Maybe God is using our daughter in some small way. Maybe our daughter has become the answer to a faraway prayer. I believe that God answers prayers in unexpected ways, and Gabby may be one of those answers.

Buy This House!

I am starting to feel a little desperate. We have now been living in Virginia for almost three months, but our house in Fort Wayne, Indiana has not sold yet. I know the market stinks, I know the media keeps spinning how bad things are in real estate, but we really need to sell our house. It is in great condition on the inside, and on the outside we have over $12,ooo worth of landscaping. Everything is done. The buyer only needs to move in and put his or her own personal touches in it. Please, please, if you or anyone you know is moving to Fort Wayne, please have them check out our house. The neighborhood is nice, the neighbors are great, and the schools in the area are quite good. There is every convenience you could possibly want within a ten minute drive including a movie theater, shopping, restaurants, doctors' offices, and two top rated hospitals. The cost of living is relatively low and the quality of life is great. Please check it out!

Patrick Dempsey Doll

Since I have a house full of girls, I was considering taking them all to see the new movie, "Enchanted". The Disney Channel has really been pushing this thing and the girls think it looks good. I am rather neutral about it, but what I find interesting is, as a fortysomething mom, that a forty-one year old man has a doll made in his image that is being marketed to little girls. I just find it a little creepy. They did a better than average job capturing Mr. Dempsey's charming looks, but I'm still a little creeped out by it. Maybe it is because there has only really been Ken and the GI Joe guys that have been seen on store shelves all these years. Maybe something else that is hanging me up on the doll is that I know how old the actor is. There is just something weird about letting a six year old girl play with a 41 year old man doll. I would rather buy the doll for myself. The other thing is that I haven't seen any dolls of actresses who are in their forties being sold at Target stores. The whole thing is odd to me.

Old Navy Song

With not too much hunting, I have found out who sings the Old Navy sweater song. It is Ingrid Michaelson. What a smooth voice. The title of the song is "The Way I Am." I think I will look around to see if I can find her cd. Her music has also been featured on Grey's Anatomy, just in case you are interested.

All News is Bad News

Is it just me, or is the news around the world getting worse? It seems to me that every news story is about how bad things are in the world. The weather is "going crazy" so Sam Champion of ABC's Good Morning America is going on a special assignment to find out why. Kids are addicted to coffee, so a local reporter is digging for the dramatic reason why. More and more people are filing for bankruptcy and no one can sell their homes. If one were to watch news channels all day, everyday, it would seem that the world is coming to an end. Accoding to the media, all the world's gone mad and everything is bad. How has this happened? Are things really as bad as the news channels want us to think? What is the true state of the world? How can I be positive when everything is so negative? I don't want my children to think that there is no hope. That there is no reason to work hard, get good grades, go to church, and be the best person you possibly can be? Last night we went out to eat and when we came out of the restaurant, several protesters were standing outside the courthouse with signs protesting the war in Iraq. My husband, being the conservative he is laughed at them and called them hippies, but my daughters asked me why they were doing that. At the risk of having my husband make fun of me, I told them that they had every right to protest. Maybe there is hope that a handful of voices on a cold Thursday night could make a difference. My girls didn't get it. Honestly, I didn't see the value in standing on a street corner on a Thursday night either, but I want the hope that it represents. We are told by the media everyday that there is no hope. There is no way to make a difference. I don't want my daughters to feel hopeless. I want them to believe that one voice, one opinion, one action, might make a difference. I want that hope, no matter what some news reporter on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, etc. says. I'm going to turn the television new OFF!

Change Your Car Into a Water-Fueled Car for Only $97.00!

Oh, how I wish it were true! I just came across an interesting website, www.water4gas.com, and oh how I wish this weren't a scam! This site claims that for the mere sum of $97.00, you can learn how to add water to your fuel system in your car and save hundreds of dollars on the cost of fuel for your car. The website is a little, well, cheesy to say the least. It shows pictures of what you can build to put in your car, and all it looks like is a bunch of Ball jars and and tubes. To top it all off, you pay a guy named "Ozzie Freedom" almost a hundred dollars for a couple of cheap looking books that tell you how to change your car into a water fueled car. It sounds fabulous, but I just don't think it is for real, but just between you and I, I sure wish I had $97.00 to send old Ozzie, just to find out if it could really work.

Verizon Goes on the Trash Heap Today

I've had it with our Verizon telephone service. I have never had so much trouble with a simple land line. You would think that Verizon service here in Northern Virginia, where there is a new and very large corporate building in Ashburn, we would at least get good service. We have had our phone line in service at our new house for about two months and it has been nothing but annoying and disappointing. There is a constant buzz on the line. We never had that sort of trouble when we lived in Indiana. It seems like they are just hap-hazard with installations, maintenance and repairs around here. I just don't get it. This will be about the fourth or fifth time Verizon has had to come out here to try to get things right.

Guests for Thanksgiving

I am so excited because I found out yesterday that my daughter's friend from Indiana and her mother are coming to our new home for Thanksgiving. It will be like having a little bit of Fort Wayne with us; we miss it so much. I spent the day yesterday watching Food Network's Thanksgiving shows. In particular, I have copied recipes from Paula Deen's show and from Rachel Ray's show. Now I need to start getting my groceries together and finalizing my menu. I have something to looke forward to now!

The Chinese Are Trying to Kill Us; Boycott!

Okay, I've just about had it with the products from China that are toxic. I truly believe they are trying to kill us one toy at a time. Yesterday, I read in the newspaper about the Aqua Dots toys that are poison. My youngest daughter just got some for her birthday and was so excited because she was going to ask for more of the toy for Christmas. Last night I had to throw all of the stuff away. We have also had to deal with the Mattel toys that were said to have lead paint. Let's see, we had the Barbie, the Polly Pocket and lots of Hot Wheels cars. My kids are getting very discouraged and disheartened about the goodness of the world and the people we all rely on. While I entitled this post the Chinese are trying to kill us, a lot of the blame lies with the companies such as Mattel who make their products as cheaply as possible so they can make a higher profit. Shame on them for not checking on the production of their toys and testing and requiring that certain standards be met. I have had it with these companies. I am mad now, and you all know what happens when a housewife gets mad! I told my kids last night that that was the last straw. I will be carefully reading labels on all the items they want and if some toy or gadget is made in China, forget it. I am purging my house of all things Chinese. I have lost any trust I had in the toy manufacturers. I challenge all of you who will be buying toys or gadgets this year for Christmas or other gift giving to read the label and if it says "made in China" throw it back on the shelf. The big companies won't do much to make changes on their own, but if we consumers quit buying things from China, they might get the message. We want our kids to be playing with things that aren't going to kill them. Please join me in my boycott of all things made in China!

Out of Stock

This is one thing I do that just drives me crazy; I see something I want or need to purchase and either can't make up my mind or for some reason am so indecisive that I wait too long and the item is gone. I did just that over the last few weeks. I have been shopping online in my own "personal mall" with My Power Mall to get some furniture that I needed for my new house. I ordered a bunch of kitchen things (dining chairs, table, barstools, etc.) at Target.com. I also found a bed at KMart.com that was in the Martha Stewart line of furniture. It had several 5-star reviews, so I thought it would be a good bed to buy for our guest room. I hemmed and hawed for awhile, and as usual didn't order it when I should have. My husband asked me about the bed today, probably because he has been making flight arrangements for his mother to come here for Christmas. I went to KMart.com this morning to order the bed and guess what? The bed is no longer available. Man am I stupid! Why didn't I just order it a couple of weeks ago? Now I don't have a be for my mother-in-law to sleep on. I am so annoying! Throw that one the trash heap, why don't ya!

Slow Week So Far

I can't believe I don't have anything to throw on the trash heap yet this week. The only thing that comes close is the price of gasoline. I need to fill up my tank today and I dread doing it because it is nearly empty and I drive a Suburban. Yuck! What I wouldn't give to be able to afford to go buy an more gasoline friendly car! I just don't have the money though. Maybe my Google AdSense will go crazy this week and explode with lots of clicks and I will miraculously have money for a car. I can dream, can't I?

Target.com and My Power Mall

I just finished putting together the last chair from my target.com order yesterday. I have to say I am very pleased with all of my purchases. This was sort of an experiment, because I am usually skeptical of at-home business "opportunities, and on-line shopping, but I bit the bullet and tried both in one fell-swoop. I signed up for my own mall through www.mypowermall.com/Biz/Home/64797, and then I did some shopping. I love Target stores, but there isn't one very close to me, so Target.com in my "mall" was a fantastic alternative. I ordered 7 dining chairs, 2 barstools and one table for my kitchen. I received all pieces in less than one week, and everything is solid, looks great and the best of all, all of that stuff only cost me $560.00--including shipping! I also got a commission on what I sold to myself through my mall. I think I will try it again. I need some bedroom furniture before our company comes for the holidays.

Orange Soup

There isn't really anything that belongs in the trash heap in this post, but I thought I would add it anyway. I started the tradition of making my mother-in-laws recipe of "Orange Soup" every year on Halloween. The soup is very popular with my husband and girls and we certainly enjoy it at least every couple of months; not just on Halloween. It is a great alternative for chili since I am the only one who likes chili in my family. So, with that being said, here is the recipe for Italian Chicken Soup, more commonly known in my family as "Orange Soup"

1 chicken, cut up (or just use canned white meat if you are pressed for time)
3 lg. sliced carrots--more if you like
3 ribs sliced celery
2 onions, chopped
1 small can tomato paste (I sometimes use sauce--just depends on what is in my pantry)
5 qt. water
Salt and pepper to taste
Small pasta

Place chicken and water in pot over medium heat. Skim the top occasionally. Turn heat down and simmer for 1 hour. Remove fat from top. Add carrots, onions and tomato paste. Simmer 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat. Remove chicken, shred the meat and return to the pot. Bring to a boil and add 1 cup of soup pasta. When tender, serve. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top for a little added flavor.

**If using canned chicken, I use packaged chicken broth for my base. This recipe is also delicious using stew beef with beef broth for the base. I also like to serve some sort of crusty bread or soft breadsticks with it.

Enjoy!