Photo Friday: Beverage/s and What’s/Who’s cooking?

The brilliant Calliope of Creating Motherhood is sponsoring this weekly opportunity to indulge your inner artist and take artsy fartsy photographs. In keeping with this weeks theme, here are my selections...beverage

beverages - milk and coffee

what's cooking

who's cooking


Now, head on over to Calli's y'all and check out everyone's photos this week.

uPrinting Business Card Giveaway

UPrinting is giving me a chance to give one lucky reader 500 business cards. The contest will be open until midnight on May 10th and the winner will be announced on May 11th.

Giveaway Prize: 500 Business Cards for one (1) lucky winner
Size: 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 3”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.5 x 3.5” (skinny card)
Paper: 14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock
Specifications: Full Color Both Sides; Offset Press; 3 Business Day Printing
Shipping: Free UPS Ground Shipping
Eligibility: Limited to US Residents due to shipping costs.

You may be thinking, "Why do I need business cards?" Well, if either you or your partner/hubby/wife/significant other has a business...YOU NEED THEM. If you are going to BlogHer 2010...YOU NEED THEM. If you want to make personalized itty-bitty, teeny-tiny paper airplanes...YOU NEED THEM.

Per FCC regs, I have to tell you that I am getting 500 free personalized mini paper airplanes business cards. That's right...I'm getting free stuff too! Was that loud enough FCC?

Seriously, uPrinting does amazing work and I highly, highly recommend them (and I'd say that even if I wasn't getting free stuff). So enter and get goodies. Shipping is only FREE via UPS Ground.

So, here's how you enter (one comment for each entry; you don't have to do all four, but you MUST do #1 to be eligible for the other entries)...

1. comment on this post and tell me how you would use your business cards (required)
2. Tweet this giveaway and come back and provide the link... Win 500 business cards from @uPrinting and @dragondream http://bit.ly/9isSlN giveaway closes on May10th #giveaway
   
3. blog this giveaway and come back and provide the link
4. follow my blog
   

Don't forget to comment one time for each of entry.

The power of the whale penis...

The other day, Marty, Gabe, and I were watching a Simpson's episode on dvr. We were watching the episode with the beached whale. During that episode, Lisa kept referring to the whale as "she". Marty asked how they could tell whether the whale was a he or a she. Well, I've never shied away from a question so I said, "When they mate and it comes out..." I didn't even get a chance to finish and Marty interrupted and said "What do you mean?" Of course, I bluntly said "When the whale penis comes out." Now, Marty is 13 yrs old and whenever anyone mentions things about genitalia or breasts, he reacts in theatrical disgust and falls to the ground. When I said whale penis, he reacted in his best theatrical style, yelling "Ewwwwww gross" and fell down like it was killing him. For a 4 yr old, that type of reaction is pure gold. For the next 30 minutes, Gabe chased Marty through the house yelling "WHALE PENIS!" and thoroughly enjoyed Marty's screams of torture. I was laughing too damned hard to put a stop to it.


BTW, can y'all go one post down and wish my mom a happy birthday? I would really appreciate it.

Happy 65th Birthday Mom!

Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe
Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe
Hippo Birdie Deer Mom
Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe

Mom, I can't begin to tell you how special you are to me. You were always there for me when I was growing up and you continue to be a source of support now that I'm an adult. You do so much for my kids and they adore you. You are so smart and accomplished and I wanna be just like you when I grow up. And, I hope I look half as good as you do when I hit 65.

I love you to the moon and back!

The Headache And The Award

I originally had great plans for this in depth and wonderful post today. It ain't gonna happen. I woke up when my husband's alarm went off and my head felt like it was going to fall off. I knew I needed to get up and take some meds but instead I rolled over and went back to sleep. An hour later when my alarm went off, my head was still hurting. I had a migraine that was seriously kicking my ass. 2 vicodin, 4 motrin, a bunch of caffeine, and 7 hours later, I feel semi-human. Semi-human is NOT sufficient to write an in depth post. Instead, I'm going to accept and pass on the wonderful award Mrs. Gamgee from Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings gave me.The rules say I have to say 10 things about myself and then I need to give this award to 10 fellow bloggers.

10 Things About Me:

1. Once upon a time I dreamed about riding horses on the Grand Prix show circuit. I took riding lessons for quite a while. I started in elementary school and continued (with a break of a few years) through college. I actually spent a while after college training horses with a former United States Equestrian Team member.
2. I love to bake and I love to cook. Even if I was independently wealthy, I would never hire a chef. I'd hire a housekeeper and a gardener/landscaper but the kitchen would remain my domain.
3. I love to travel but I hate moving. I never, ever, ever want to move again. However, I would gladly travel the world as long as I could come home to here.
4. Once, back in high school, I brought a copy of Playgirl magazine to school and passed it around in my classes. Miraculously, I never got caught.
5. Very few things scare me. The only book I ever read that scared me was James Patterson's Kiss The Girls. It is set in central NC and I could take you to EVERY location described in the book. I worked as a nanny in a neighborhood featured prominently in the book. It scared the shit out of me.
6. If we ever added on to this house or built a new house here, one room I would insist on having would be a sewing/craft room. I need a place where I can keep my sewing machine set up and a cutting table. I would get so much more made and created if I could keep things set up.
7. I made my baby sister's prom dress. My mom and sister brought me two patterns and she said "I want the top off this patten and the bottom off this pattern, can you do it?" I was stupid and said yes. I actually managed to pull it off.
8. I often reach a point with projects when I want it done and I want it done NOW. I usually manage to avoid cutting corners to finish NOW but, sometimes, this need creates more work. That is why I ended up making the buttons for the Christening gown I crocheted.
9. I am contemplating deconstructing my wedding dress to make something. I don't have a girl to pass it on to. I'm thinking about making a crazy quilt with it and the other formal dresses I have collected over the years. Anyone have any other ideas?
10. I've decided to expand my design company, Cuppa Joe Designs, beyond cross stitching. I have quilt ideas and crochet pattern ideas. Now, I just have to find the time to do it.

10 of my Sweet Bloggy Friends

1. Meari over at Meari's Musings
2. Sheliza at Momfiles.com
3. Michell from Tales Of A Batty Nurse
4. Wishy at Wishing4One
5. Heather over at Geek By Marriage
6. Jen from In One Ear
7. D at Life induces thoughts, mostly random
8. Lynn at Wistful Girl
9. Ms. Fertility Chick
10. Lori over at Weebles Wobblog
11. and, just because I don't follow rules well, Rys from Confessions of a Clutter Queen
    

*HaBO: the Share Southern Vermont version

So many times, those of us in the ALI community feel like there is no one out there who understands, no one out there who cares. Well, Share is a group the does understand. Share is a group that offers support to anyone who has experienced the loss of a pregnancy or the loss of an infant. A member of our online ALI community, the fabulous Cara from Building Heavenly Bridges, is the founder of Share Southern Vermont, a most amazing branch of Share.

SSV is getting ready for their annual Remembrance Walk on May 8th. Last year, SSV had wonderful lavender t-shirts for participants of the Remembrance Walk and, this year, they have an even more amazing t-shirt design.Thanks to a wonderful family who donated ALL the t-shirts, you can get one of these gorgeous shirts for only $8 ($5 if you live close enough to Cara to pick it up yourself) and $5 goes to help grieving families (yeah, that's right, every cant except shipping goes to helping the families). The shirts are available in a wide range of sizes (child's xs to adult xxl). Pop over to Cara's blog and get the details on how to order a t-shirt. If you sent SSV money by clicking on the donate button, make sure you email Cara at the SSV email address with the details of how many shirts you want and what sizes you need.

I've already ordered mine...what are you waiting for?


*Habo stands for Help A Bitch Out, a phrase I got from the lovely ladies at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

What IF?

What if I hadn't been affected by infertility?

I've always known I was going to have at least three children and, since I was pregnant with my second son, I became convinced that I was suppose to have 4 kids. Then infertility hit and it was a struggle to even get my third son here. Looking back at what we went through gets me thinking and the unanswerable questions rear their heads. Looking forward seems to offer just as many opportunities for contemplation and confusion. Infertility changes your life forever and sometimes seems to leave you with more questions than answers.

Looking back...

When I was pregnant with my oldest, we were living in a very small apartment. Back then, my in-laws offered us a house...the same house we are now living in. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity. We would be renting to own, paying less than market value, and there would be no worries about financing. Hell, it even had a fenced in back yard for our dog. But, something told us to say no. It was more than the fact that we lived near our friends and our church. It just didn't feel like the right move to make.
What if we had taken the house back then? If we had moved to Cary back then, I wouldn't have had the wonderful OB that I had. My OB and his wife had been infertility patients themselves. He got just how hard it was to go through it. He was willing to order whatever tests I needed. He was open to all kinds of treatments. And, we did it all without a referral to an RE. Would Gabe have ever been born without me being under the care of that wonderful man? While Gabe can sometimes drive me crazy, he is a sweet, wonderful boy who makes me melt and I can't imagine life without him.

What if we hadn't lost our daughter in the summer of 2004? Would we still have had Gabe or would our family be completely different? I can't even fathom how that would change everything.

What if we hadn't experienced infertility? Would we have had our fourth child before Vic was diagnosed with diabetes? Diabetes issues put our trying to conceive plans on hold and have thrown up road blocks I couldn't have imagined.

Looking forward...

What if we never have that fourth child that I so strongly believe is suppose to be here? Will I always wonder about how things might have been different?

What if we do have a fourth child but, because of the delays caused by IF, my husband isn't around when that child grows up? I'm 40. Vic is 50. We're pushing the reproductive envelope here.

I can't let the What ifs dominate my thoughts or paralyze me when it comes to thinking about the future. I can't imagine life without the exact 3 children we have and I can't imagine my life without the friends I have made because of infertility. Instead of letting the What ifs be heavy chains that weigh down my soul, I chose to see them as butterflies that flit through and remind me to be thankful for what I have.

*****************************************

Bloggers from the ALI (Adoption, Loss, Infertility) community are writing about WhatIfs for National Infertility Awareness Week, April 24 to May 1. To add your own thoughts, link here or here.

This post is part of the Bloggers Unite Project. For more on infertility, see Resolve.

Pssssst...I stole the phrasing for this last paragraph from Lori.

Welcome to the Droolry Box

What's a Droolry Box? Well, I have to confess I stole this idea of the Droolry Box from my friend Susan over at She's Becoming DoughMessTic. The Droolry (it sounds like jewelry, get it?) Box is a place to feature items I've run across and developed a severe case of lust for while online window shopping.

I have been looking for a new wallet. Mine is ancient and starting to fall apart. I found one (well, two actually) today that I desperately want. These lovely, lust inducing wallets are made by Fossil...

the Sasha Multi Multifunction

the Sasha Multi Clutch

Now, I just have to figure out how to justify $40 to $45 for a wallet...LOL.

The other recent entries into the Droolry Box are some gorgeous shoes (you know, the kind we referred to as Fuck Me pumps way back when). For those of you who don't know it, I have a serious shoe addiction. If money weren't an issue, I would have a closet just devoted to shoes. We won't discuss the cost of these Droolry Box entries because that is just too depressing.

These lovely red open toe pumps
are from Alexander McQueen

and, this lovely is called
the Yellow Madagascar Peep Toe "Gres's" Pumps
by Christian Louboutin.

What would you put in your Droolry Box?

edited to add...I am so excited. One of my friend's from high school told me there is a Fossil outlet store in Smithfield, NC. I see a trip in my future.

Who am I?

If someone looks at you and says "Who are you?", can you answer that question? Do you have a short sweet answer or is it long and involved? I can't give a short answer. There are too many different facets of my personality and they can't be jammed together into one little description.

When we are battling infertility, it becomes all to easy to focus on that one aspect of who we are...to focus on what isn't working. In one respect, I was lucky about how and, when I went through infertility, I already had 2 children. I was forced to define myself as more than an infertile woman and that helped me survive with my sanity intact.

Who am I?

• I'm a wife - my soulmate and I have been married for over 15 yrs and have been together for over 17 years.
• I'm a mother - we are raising 3 boys but we've conceived 11 children.
• I'm infertile - I lost 8 babies.
  
• I'm an artist - I create and design all kinds of things...cross stitch, crochet projects, quilts, clothes, tote bags, etc
• I'm a dreamer - I dream of my future and the future of my family.
• I'm a reader - check out my 2010 book challenge and the books I've already read this year.
• I'm a student - I continue to teach myself how to do things - build web pages, hardanger embroidery, quilting, etc
• I'm a teacher - I'm homeschooling my oldest son.
• I'm a friend, a daughter, a sister
• I'm an outstanding cook
• I'm a crappy maid - housework SUCKS
• I'm a teensy bit of a rebel - tattoos, multiple ear piercings, experimentation with my hair, getting married without telling my family
  
• I'm a traditionalist - I followed up our quickie legal service with a beautiful service in our church
• I'm a Christian, specifically Lutheran, who believes my faith and my church are strong enough to withstand my questions and doubts.
• I have a warped, twisted sense of humor

Who are you? Tell me about how you define yourself.

And, Happy ICLW!

Our Visit to the Carolina Tiger Rescue

Back on Sunday, April 11th, Joey and I visited the Carolina Tiger Rescue with some of the kids from his scout pack. It was incredible seeing these beautiful animals close up (and we were close) and hearing the stories of how they came to live there or where they were rescued from.

Despite having the enclosures between us, I still got some incredible pictures.

Take a moment to go by the Carolina Tiger Rescue website and read the story behind all these incredible animals. And, if any of you are ever in the area, drop me an email and we can go see them.

Someone's in the kitchen with Gabe

Actually, I was in the kitchen with Gabe this weekend. Look what we made...
Lots and lots of play-do. For a complete how to instructions, please check out my article over at Examiner.com. Please show me some clicky love and consider subscribing to my feed over there (thereis a subscribe link at the top of all my articles).

We Have A Winner

Congrats to RobinL on winning my Pride and Preudice and Zombies giveaway. RobinL won a journal and postcards.Sorry I forgot to post this on Friday. RobinL, I will have these in the mail no later than the 23rd.

If you know a child, love a child, or have a child, PLEASE READ

My friend Rys brought this to my attention and I'm cross posting it here...

If you've ever bought a toy for a child, chances are it was from Fisher-Price or Mattel. You may not be aware of a massive recall of many popular toys in 2007 due to lead paint. While I was aware of the recall, I was shocked to see which toys (and how many of them) were part of this recall. This has now turned into a class action lawsuit, which Mattel is settling. To see exactly which toys are in this recall, what dates are affected and what to do about it, visit the Mattel Settlement website. Think this isn't a big deal? I'd like to share just some of the character series involved:

Dora the Explorer
Diego (Go Diego Go!)
Sesame Street
Blues Clues
Geo Trax
Barbie
Polly Pocket
Batman
and MORE

Rys's daughter is a huge Dora/Diego fan. She literally rummaged through her toy box last night, pulling out toy after toy affected in this recall. Maybe you're the type that don't like to participate in class action lawsuits. Rys is not either, but PLEASE at least view the affected toys so you can GET RID OF THEM. A great number of these toys cater to small children, who stick everything in their mouths. Rys's daughter was tested for lead levels a few years ago, and she was shocked when the results said her levels were high. She and her husband combed through their house thinking it could be paint in the house or something. Now that she'se read this it makes her think otherwise.

PLEASE don't brush this aside. Please look at the affects of lead poisoning. Considering young children are at high risk, and the fact that MANY of these toys are for this very age group is scary!

Photo Friday: Cooking Oil and Electric Light Source

The brilliant Calliope of Creating Motherhood is sponsoring this weekly opportunity to indulge your inner artist and take artsy fartsy photographs. In keeping with this weeks theme, here are my selections...cooking oil



electric light source
Now, head on over to Calli's y'all and check out everyone's photos this week.

The Lushary is open!

Mel opened The Lushary yesterday and this month she asked us all to play a fun little game. She asked you to either post a blatant lie or an outrageous truth about yourself and then post about it on your blog.

I confessed that when I was in the 2nd and 3rd grade that my best friend's dad was a mafia don. It's the truth. Miss M's family moved to Hawaii from New York. They paid cash for both their house and their family business. a laundromat. In an era when parents didn't obsess about their kids whereabouts when they were with friends, Miss M's parents always needed to know exactly where we were going, what time we were leaving, and when we would get back. When my family went to their house for dinner, they would lay out a spread that COVERED 2 complete tables. They were never in debt yet they seemed to live beyond their means. My parents were fairly close friends with Miss M's parents and use to tease them by calling her dad Don M. He never, ever denied it. When Miss M's father had a heart attack, a business associate flew in from New York and ran the business for them for over 6 weeks. Yes, it's true, my best friend was a mafia princess.

The Death of Chivalry

Yesterday, Marty and I ran into Raleigh to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. On the way home, we started hearing a LOUD thwap, thwap noise...you know, that noise that it starts to make right before the belt breaks... from the engine. So, I pulled over and popped the hood. The belt was still in place so I decided to take it really slow and hope we made it home. We didn't (make it home that is). A few miles down the road the belt gave out completely and I lost all power. For those of you who know the area, I was on west bound Wade Avenue right past the Blue Ridge Rd exit. We pulled off the road and got out and popped the hood. This is one time when not having a cell phone bit me in the ass because NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON STOPPED or even bothered to call it in to 911 and let them know there was a stranded motorist. No one fucking called or checked despite being able to clearly see it was a woman stranded. After the most futile and frustrating half an hour, Marty and I headed up the nearest exit ramp and the nice folks at the Ramada Inn let us use their phone to call Vic.

Since we knew exactly what was wrong, I asked Vic to stop by the auto parts store and buy the belt for the van. After he picked us up, we headed back to the van to replace the belt. Yay, time for me to play mechanic (Vic's arms and hands are just too large and muscular to fit in between things in the engine). Once again, NO ONE STOPPED or called anyone. Now, I can somewhat understand the lack of help this time because there was a second car and a man with me...but still....grrrr. After a little while of trying to figure out how to put it on and why it was seeming too loose, we realized the idjit at the auto parts store sold Vic the wrong belt despite being clearly told the make, model, and engine size of my van. Now, it's getting close to dinner time and we are all frustrated and frazzled. We locked up the van and headed home.

Vic took kid duty and I went and exchanged the one too large, wrong sized belt with the two correct belts I needed. Leaving my hubby on kid wrangling duty, my sbc Jennifer and I headed back out to my van to try and complete the repair. We were there for more than an hour. I spent that whole time arm deep in the engine trying to get the belt in position. I came a hair's breadth from actually getting the belt in place but I couldn't stretch it the last inch or so to get it in the proper position around the last pulley/gear/whatchamacallit. I just lacked the upper body strength or perhaps the proper tool to do it. Once again, in that whole time, with TWO WOMEN and an obviously broken down an, NOT ONE SINGLE ASSHOLE STOPPED OR CALLED FOR HELP...not even the Wake County Sheriff's Deputy who drove past. Even if that deputy had been enroute to a call (no light's or sirens so I doubt it), he could have used his handy-dandy radio to call the dispatch center and send someone out to check on us. My husband was a cop years ago. During his time as a cop or during his time as a civilian, he never ever would pass two women with a broken vehicle without making sure they had help. I damned well will make sure my boys grow up ready and willing to check on and help their fellow man. You know, I think the fact that no one cared enough to check on me pissed me off as much as the fact that I knew what to do to fix the van but couldn't quite make it all work.

What the hell has happened to common courtesy and chivalry? This is definitely one area the omnipresence of cell phones has hurt rather than helped. People see someone who definitely needs help and, instead of asking what the can do, they think "Fuck it, they have a phone. Let them call for help."

Chivalry is dead. Long live the asshole.

ONE Word, No Explanation

The brilliant and gorgeous (yeah chica, I'm talking about you) Calliope put up this meme on her blog, Creating Motherhood, and it sounded like fun so here goes.

EVERYONE who reads this is officially tagged and, quoting Calli, the only rule is...

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
No.
Explanations.

Not as easy as you might think…

1. Yourself: creative
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend husband: soulmate
3. Your hair: curly
4. Your mother/stepmother: strong
5. Your dog: spazzy
6. Your favorite item:
7. Your dream last night: forgotten
8. Your favorite drink: fizzy
9. Your dream car: ragtop
10. The room you are in: cluttered
12. Your fear: loss
13. What you want to be in 10 years: here
14. Who you hung out with last night: kids
15. What you’re not: skinny
16. Muffin: blueberry
17. One of your wish list items: girl
18. Time: passing
19. The last thing you did: commented
20. What you are wearing: shirt
21. Your favorite weather: crisp
22. Your favorite book: depends
23. The last thing you ate: granola
24. Your life: satisfying
25. Your mood: content
26. Your best friend(S): lifelong
27. What are you thinking about right now? thesaurus
28. Your car: old
29. What are you doing at the moment?: typing
30. Your summer: busy
31. Your relationship status: completed
32. What is on your TV?: nothing
33. What is the weather like?: cool
34. When is the last time you laughed?: earlier

So, if you wanna play, you can either copy and paste this to your blog or you can answer in the comments at Calli's place. Either way, make sure you stop by and tell her you played.

*BTW, don't forget about the two separate giveaways on my blog here and here.

Household Hints from Evil Mom

Hi all...Evil Mom here and have I got a household hint for you. I don't know about you but I am forever running out of super glue or I never, ever have spackling around when I need it. Well, I've got a solution...Wally World Peanut Butter. I know a whole host of you are sitting there thinking "what the fuck?!?!?...has Evil mom been smoking crack?" I assure you I have not. Seriously, Wally World peanut butter should not be called peanut butter. It is so damned thick that it should be labeled peanut spackling. We bought a jar of it a few weeks ago because were out and we didn't feel like stopping by the grocery store. Never again because Oh my freaking Gawd is it thick. The taste is good but is literally thick and sticky enough to suspend one object from another (see pics below)...
glass suspended by peanut spackling
from another glass

plastic cup suspended from
solatube sky light
So, the next time you have a quickie repair or a hole to fill, whip out the Wally World peanut spackling and fix and fill away.

Perfect Moment Monday: American Pie

Lori over at Weebles Wobblog says that "Perfect Moment Monday is more about noticing a perfect moment than about creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between."

Yesterday, Joey and I had the opportunity to go visit Carolina Tiger Rescue with some of the kids from his scout pack. It was so cool. I took tons of pics and got a few really good ones. Joey and I had a great time.

After ward, when we were on our way home, Joey actually took time to thank me for going with him and told me what a good time he had. And, then came the moment that made it really perfect. We were just chilling out and listening to the radio (yay, my 9 year old LOVES classic rock) and American Pie came on. There is something incredibly cool about riding along in the car and belting out the lyrics to American Pie with your kid.

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Go check out the other perfect moments at this week's Perfect Moment Monday on Weebles Wobblog.

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies Giveaway

Back in early March, I wrote about winning a giveaway from Quirk Classics. I am thrilled beyond belief with the books (they are mine...all mine) but there were a couple of items I know I will never use. I know I won't end up using the postcards or the journal. Both are great, kitschy products but I just ordered a bunch of custom postcards and I already have a journal. The PPZ postcards have both scenes that are representative of the original novel (romance) and scenes that are representative of PPV (horror). The journal's cover matches the cover of PPV and has wonderfully decorative pages. You can click on the pics below to get a close up view.



All you have to do to get a chance to win these cool items is suggest a novel title that would fit in with the other books by this author and publisher...books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. If your title is a twist on a classic, just the title is enough. However, if it's like the last title Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, please give a short explanation. To be entered, YOU MUST SUGGEST A TITLE. There are ways to get additional entries but you must have one comment for each entry. Entries shut on April 15th and a winner will be announced April 16th.

So, to sum it up, here are the ways to get entries...

1. Suggest a title (REQUIRED...you MUST do this to get credit for any of the other entries)
2. Become a follower
   
3. Post about this giveaway on your blog (come back and leave a link)
   
4. Post about this on your facebook page (come back and leave a link)
5. Tweet this giveaway (come back and leave a link) (THIS CAN BE DONE ONCE A DAY)

Suggested tweet: Win some Pride And Prejudice And Zombies merchandise from @dragondream http://bit.ly/cCN9OO

Remember, you must have a separate comment for each entry.

Photo Friday: Bowls and Doorknobs

The brilliant Calliope of Creating Motherhood is sponsoring this weekly opportunity to indulge your inner artist and take artsy fartsy photographs. In keeping with this weeks theme, here are my selections...

dinner bowl

an old doorknob
Now, head on over to Calli's y'all and check out everyone else's photo's this week.

My Ultimate Blog Party 2010

Welcome, welcome to my stop on the Ultimate Blog Party 2010...step right up to my virtual bar and tell me what you would like while we get to know each other. I put my blog into the not-so family friendly category because I have a tendency to curse (sorry, but when someone is an ass clown, they deserve to be called an ass clown) and I occasionally feel the need to blog about things like vajazzling. Now stop looking at the clock, belly up to the bar, and place your order. Remember, it's 5 o'clock somewhere so we're serving anything and everything.

My name is Kristin and I've been married to my hubby Vic for over 15 years. We have three hellions boys...Marty, 13; Joey, 9; and Gabe, 4. We also have 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 3 fish. I got into blogging almost 6 years ago when we were fighting through secondary infertility. Since we finally beat that bitch infertility, I blog about all kinds of things but my heart is still firmly set in the ALI (Adoption, Loss, and Infertility) community. I'm a wife, a mom, a teacher (I home school my 13 year old), a blogger, an infertility survivor, a cross stitch designer (check out my design blog Cuppa Joe Designs), a crocheter (#50 on the US/Canada prize list...pics to come later), a quilter, a self taught knitter, a voracious reader, and an occasional painter. I dabble in housework, gardening, and web design (like my layout).

Some of my best friends in the world were originally met online and I hope this blog party gives me a chance to meet some cool new people. What you see on my blog is pretty much what you get. Feel free to dig into the nooks and crannies of my blog and try not to get scared off by my warped sense of humor. If y'all want a starting point for your digging, check out my family building/infertility history here and you can learn more than you ever wanted to know about me here.

I hope y'all stop by later during this week long party because, well, I love company and I have at least one giveaway (in addition to the prize I donated) planned. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and I'm always running my mouth around here.

* Enter my Pride And Prejudice And Zombies giveaway

An invitation to all my friends...

I'm sure y'all have noticed the button right over on the top of the right column...the one for the Ultimate Blog Party. Well, I guess the best way of explaining it is to call it a giant blog hop...or for those of you from the ALI community, it's a lot like ICLW. This wonderful event is a week long (STARTS TOMORROW) and is hosted by the fabulous Susan and Janice of 5MinutesForMom. Come join the fun!

I know a lot of you who are in the throes of battling infertility are probably cringing at being surrounded by mom/family blogs. Well, be assured that there are blogs that you can enjoy too. Not all blogs are mom oriented and there are a lot of blogs that focus on other things like crafts, food, fashion, etc, etc. And, THERE ARE PRIZES. Yours truly is offering a small lap/kid sized afghan in the prize giveaway over there.

All you have to do to join in the fun is sign in under the main Ultimate Blog Party post that goes up tomorrow over at 5MinutesForMom. Whose going to join me?

Get Your Navigation Guide Here

Hey y'all, spread the word. The fabulous Jen at Navigating the Waters of Infertility & Beyond (her blog is private but, if you send her a request or ask me to forward her a request, she'll add you to the approved list...it's well worth the read) is giving away a copy of Mel's book Navigating The Land of IF and she's asked me to host the giveaway.

All you have to do to win this awesome prize is plead your case in the comments section. Jen would prefer the book go to someone at the start of their journey but, even if you're way down the IF road, you could still win the book for a friend.

So, plead your case, spread the word, and the winner will be announced next Thursday, April 15th.

Ding Dong Dash

The boys (with a little encouragement from me) have recently started walking the dogs. On some outings, I walk one dog but, a lot of times, each of the older boys takes a dog and goes their own way through the neighborhood. Of course, Gabe wants to help. Now, no matter how big he thinks he is, Gabe is not quite big enough to walk either dog on his own. I mean, Jack and Jolie each outweigh Gabe by a good 20 lbs. Our solution to that has been to have him hold onto the leash along with either Marty, Joey, or me. Gabe has even gone out with just one of his brothers and one dog (no parent tagging along) and, until today, this solution has worked well. This afternoon Gabe decided he didn't need to listen to Joey while they were out walking Jack. This sweet little facedecided to play ding dong dash through the neighborhood. He would take off from Joey, run up to the doors, and either ring the bell or knock really hard on it. Poor Joey had to chase him from house to house, dragging the dog with him. A few times, he had to drag Gabe away from the door. Luckily, it was early enough in the afternoon that most people were still at work. So, I guess I lucked out and won't have a bunch of pissed off neighbors.

Go Duke!

picture courtesy of goDuke.com

Huge congrats to Coach K and the rest of the Duke Blue Devils. Basketball fans everywhere got treated to a spectacular tournament. The final game was truly amazing and I don't think anyone could fault the way Butler and Duke played against each other. Coach K said it best when he said, "It was a game that we won, but they didn't lose." It was nice to see such outstanding play in a year when the Final Four was populated with true student athletes and coaches who are class acts. Butler truly established themselves as major players in college basketball for the foreseeable future and they did it with players who went to class the morning of the championship game. They are true student athletes and that is something to be exceedingly proud of nowadays. Duke has a graduation rate of about 92% among its basketball players, not quite as high as it's been in the past but still something to be proud of. And, Coach Bob Huggins of West Virginia showed extraordinary grace under pressure when his star player Da'Sean Butler went down with a devastating injury. I have never seen anything quite as touching as the interaction between coach and player while he was trying to comfort Da'Sean.

It was a great tournament filled with great moments. My only regret was that I couldn't be there in Cameron Indoor Stadium with the Cameron Crazies like I was back in '91.

GO DUKE!

Perfect Moment Monday: Silence is golden!

Lori over at Weebles Wobblog says that "Perfect Moment Monday is more about noticing a perfect moment than about creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between."

My perfect moment actually occurred this morning. I got up 8:30 this morning and everyone was still asleep. The house was quiet, the dogs were quiet, and all 3 kids were still asleep. The kids stayed asleep until 10 am. I got 1.5 hours of uninterrupted quiet. It was fabulous.


Go check out the other perfect moments at this week's Perfect Moment Monday on Weebles Wobblog.

The Case of the Disappearing Hair

I'm sure a few of you noticed Gabe's new shorter 'do in the Easter post. Here's a before and after shot for your entertainment.

Before haircut...

After haircut (and baking)...
I still can't believe what a difference a haircut makes in his appearance.

Happy Easter

Yesterday, the kids, my *sbc Jennifer, and I dyed Easter eggs. Joey was exhausted but had a great time and was so creative with his decorations...

Gabe went for the monochromatic look but then went a bit sticker crazy...Marty dyed a few eggs. He too went monochromatic but he hid when the camera came out.

After the kids and Vic went to bed (he has to get up super early for work again, grrrrr), Jen and I put together the Easter basket's for the Easter Bunny to leave for the kids. Marty and Joey gladly play along for Gabe's sake.
Right now, we are headed down to my parents' house for Easter dinner. Since Vic ended up having to work(I am so ticked off about this...not at Vic but at the situation), my sbc Jennifer is going with me instead.

I know not all of you hold the same religious beliefs that I do and I respect and understand that. For those of you whose beliefs differ from mine, I hope y'all are having a wonderful day with your family. For those of you who share my beliefs, I'd like to leave you with this quote...

"Now let the heavens be joyful,
Let earth her song begin:
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein;
Invisible and visible,
Their notes let all things blend,
For Christ the Lord is risen
Our joy that hath no end."
-- John of Damascus

HAPPY EASTER


*sbc = sister by choice

Photo Friday: My Sinks

Calliope over at Creating Motherhood has restarted her wonderful Photo Friday. This weeks theme is your sink or your tub. I took these two cool pics...

my bathroom sink

my kitchen sink

Go check out everyone's photos this week.

Spring has sprung...

and maybe moved right on to summer...

Oh what a beautiful morning,

Oh what a beautiful day,

I've got a wonderful feeling,

Everything's going my way.
Its a gorgeous day her in central NC. Despite the unusually warn weather, it doesn't feel hot at all (yay for unusually low humidity). I truly love days like this. I feel inspired to do all kinds of things. The only reason fall trumps spring as my favorite season of the year is that this time of year and all the blooming stuff wreaks havoc with my allergies.

How is the weather where you are? Do you feel inspired to do all kinds of spring cleaning or are you just kicked back and enjoying the day?