Conveniences of the Day

Sometimes I wonder how my mom did things when I was a kid…well maybe even before that! I was thinking the other day of what in the world did people do without a microwave! We were lucky and had a HUGE microwave in our house – I don’t remember a time when we didn’t have one…but I know that was one of the first microwaves out there so before that what the heck did mom’s do at lunch time! Man, talk about having to really time things out! Usually it takes me two minutes to put a meal together for my little guy weather it’s warming something up or it’s putting some bread and cheese in the toaster oven.

Then there are washable crayons and markers. At first I thought that I didn’t need to wash crayon out of my son’s clothes but he does get marks on the table with them when he really gets into coloring and goes off the page. For me it takes two seconds to run some warm water over a dishcloth and wipe it off – easy as pie!

It’s just amazing how many conveniences we have these days….touch tone phones connected through the internet for phone service and portable phones that fit in your pocket. Much has changed since the rotary dial phones my parents had in the house I grew up in and the bag phone my parents had in their car! I probably could go on for days with the things I remember as a kid and how much they have changed now….sometimes I wonder what we did without some of these inventions but apparently we all made it through a time before they existed :)

Desire to mend what was lost....

Why do people hold grudges? I mean, yeah, I can see when someone is wronged you – you shouldn’t forget it so you can protect yourself in the future from that person…but forgiveness should be extended. I have been on both sides of this coin…where I have grudges held against me and where I have had the opportunity to hold one myself. I’m not perfect, but I would like to think I don’t have any grudges against anyone. I have not forgotten some wrongs and won’t allow for things to ever go there again with those people. And I don’t throw the ill behavior in the face of that person over and over again.

Also, sometimes there is more than one side to a story. The current grudge I am thinking about is one held against me – one that is a very hurtful because it has made a relationship with this person near impossible. This said person has a made up story behind what happened and has decided to believe. They also haven’t even heard my side of the story because, well, they refused to even talk to me about it. I can’t even speak to this person without feeling attacked in a very personal way. The funny thing is that the event occurred about a year and a half ago and the hurt is still there like it was the day it happened.

Part of me wants to try to “kiss this person’s feet” so to speak and make things right. The other part of me doesn’t want to play that game because, well, I did nothing wrong and actually tried to call and apologize for what happened right when it happened. I’m not this person’s you-know-what list with no way of coming off unless they decide to extend some mercy my way. Although, I believe that’s very doubtful.

Man, why do I have to think about this junk today! Bleh….I wish it would just go away….

Check out this link

http://www.worldonfire.ca/

New view...

In the midst of crisis, say “thank you” because there is always something better on the other side. ~ Maya Angelo

This quote is so true….it has helped me to see how temporary a crisis can be and how things are so much better on the other side.

Houseidous, Get Behind Me!!

Yes, I said it….Houseidous. My beloved Dave Ramsey has coined that term as a disease people get when the move somewhere new. It’s a disease where you consider pulling out your credit card so you can get things you think would make your house look nice instead of saving up to buy it. I’ve had it before – although not too bad – but I fear it will rear its ugly head now that my husband and I have purchased our first home (ok, it’s in escrow right now, so God willing we will purchase it).

I already have a short list in my mind of things that need to be bought – some absolutely have to be purchased like gates for the stairs and shelving in the laundry/pantry area so Costco can fit in our house (or at least the portion of it I bring home monthly).

The credit cards will remain locked up in our safe – where they have been for years. I have had evil, evil thoughts of using them and confessed this sin to my husband already. Thankfully we don’t make any purchases without the other knowing – well, anything that is not put into one of our budget categories and thoughtfully spent on paper before the month even starts. This might sound anal to some, but it’s helped us pay off thousands of dollars in debt and saved us from really ever fighting about money (which, btw, is one of the top reasons people get divorced).

So, houseidous – get behind me!

Bono in Africa and NBC Nightly News Broadcasting LIVE - WATCH TONIGHT!!!!

Bono is touring through Africa now and he will be on NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams. Set your TiVo's peeps and learn more about the ONE campaign and how it's helping or how you can help!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12916501/
http://www.one.org/blog/

My Space - Can I Hug You?!?!

Wow! I can’t believe how awesome My Space is becoming for an oldie like me…I say that because mainly it’s used by high school students…but more and more people my age and even older are using it to reconnect with friends from the past!

Some people I know online shared they had a page and then a friend that I knew from a few years ago and kept in touch with emailed me with updates to her blog on there and what not (Hi Season!)…so I decided to make my own page. I thought that there might be an off chance of reconnecting with some old friends. WELL, in the last few weeks I found a friend of mine from high school and just this last weekend I found a good friend of mine I went to college with and reconnected with a few others through him….I also did a search this morning to find two of my other close friends from college! I am just AMAZED at how many people I have been able to find! Some of them I have always wondered what they were up to! This is so very exciting!

Thank you My Space!!! XOXOXOXOX

One of the hardest jobs

The hardest yet most rewarding job I have ever had was becoming a mother. It requires no interview, no prerequisites (besides having a uterus), and comes with no instructions.

Before Kian was born I think I read every book I could get my hands on about pregnancy. I did the same with babies, but babies don’t fit into nice neat little boxes - like if he’s screaming he’s hungry….yeah, that could be one of the things he’s needing but it could also mean he’s bored, he’s tired, he’s wet….you get the picture. A lot of mothering is done by feel and by how well you know your baby. It takes time, using trial and error, and making mistakes – those mistakes are the hardest for a mom to take…believe I know first hand.

All three of us had a rocky start. When I was pregnant I thought I would have a med free birth – all natural. Well, it didn’t end up that way. Kian was stuck and I had to have a c-section. The road was bumpy one for us from the start – I almost died two days after giving birth, Kian had problems breastfeeding, and I soon found out that the crying he was doing all the time wasn’t “normal” after attending a class with other mom’s and newborns and getting a lot of stares because I wasn’t able to calm Kian down. Talk about feeling helpless! At least we found some things that worked for Kian but it was still pretty colicky or irritable for the first 7 months of his life (which is 4 months past the colic stage). Who knows why he was that way, but let me tell you that if I told someone that who only knew him today they would not believe me! Kian is a very happy toddler – well he has his moments but don’t we all.

Apart of being a mom is not only the caring and giving of yourself to this little person but it also means that you need to be willing to let them fly on their own. A few weeks ago Kian turned two and I have to say those two years have flown by so fast! A while ago I was putting away some of Kian’s clothes from when he was a baby and it was so hard to believe that he fit in them! I’m happy my little guy is growing up but at the same time I’m sad too!

Somedays cleaning and cooking calls my name and the day gets away from me. It’s those days that I realize I haven’t spent a lot of time with Kian….it’s also those days that I need to remind myself that two-years-old only happens once in his lifetime and I need to cherish every moment. No one will remember that my kitchen was clean on May 19, 2006 but I know that I will remember the laughter and fun me and Kian had on that day – I think I choose Kian over my dirty kitchen :)

WOW! and more news!

Bono cut his hair.....WOW! He looks a LOT younger....and HOTTER lol! Sorry, Jamie! I still love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

News from some unoffical U2 sources say that the ZooTV tour will be released on DVD in October! Guess who has a b-day in October and the first thing that will be on my list ;) Man! I can't wait to show my hubby Macphisto and The Fly (personas Bono portrays on stage).

Also, take a guess where this photo was taken:
Ok, it was taken at the San Fransciso Zoo on 5/5/06! That was three days before we took my son there for his birthday! GRRRR! Oh well, I guess we stood in the same places (relatively) although I had no idea until now! Bleh!

No AC? BLEH

Yeah, that's right...our house has no AC and let me tell ya today I wish we did! It's pretty warm here today...and will be throughout the summer...but it's not hot enough for people to care about having AC around here....guess it's mainly people that don't LIVE WITHOUT AC!!!!! GRRRRRRR!
The oven won't be turned on again this summer! Tonight I was going to make a baked meal...but I think it would be borderline crazy if I did! lol Oh well! Hopefully we will be in our own home with AC before it gets hotter than all get out.

why?

Why can't the dishwasher unload itself? Or the laundry fold itself and put itself away in the right place?

I will go in the debt over my freaking eyeballs if someone comes up with those inventions lol

Helpful Tip of the Day:

For those of you enjoying your strawberries out there this time of year, I found this tip in Rachel Ray’s magazine very helpful!

Strawberries lose their flavor if they are left in water – they absorb it! Make sure our rinse time is not long as well and pat them dry. Enjoy the full flavor of your strawberries this spring ;)

For the Ladies :)

(there was a problem with this post showing up so I am redoing it)

Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one had to leave, because otherwise they were all going to fall. They weren't able to name that person, until the woman gave a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because, as a woman, she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids, or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return. As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping their hands.....

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Recently I have been thinking back on a time in my life that was not so fun. It was a time where I felt I didn’t fit in at all. I also had pressure from a “mentor” of sorts to basically my square self fit into a round hole…as we all know that doesn’t work. Let me tell you, I tried and tired very hard to be a round peg. At first I thought that is what I was supposed to do. After a while I realized that God didn’t make me round, he made me square for a reason! To my “mentor” I looked like I was rebelling but in reality I was doing what I thought was right for me and for the girls I was “mentoring.”

I spent two years under the pressure and label of not being good enough and it took its toll. I was trying so hard to not be who I really was. I was told that I needed to “go outside my comfort zone” when honestly my personality didn’t reach the lengths that these people wanted from me. Some thought that was an excuse for me to not participate in some activities…some really did thing that I needed to “comfort zone” when in reality every day I lived outside my comfort zone and pushed the boundaries of what I was capable of. When you try to hard to be someone you aren’t I think it shows very clearly to those you are talking to. For me personally I can see right through those people so I am sure that others could see through my guise.

When I think about that time I just want to forget it. I want to forget the pain of not being accepted for who I was. I want to forget all the people I tried to befriend or thought I was friends with and found out several years later that they could care less. The people that I know care I am in touch with (just incase some of you are reading this!) and I cherish the times that we spent together and all the things we went through. Some of you I couldn’t have gotten through this time without your kindness and friendship!

Ok, enough of that tangent… Really what I wanted to say that even though I want to forget that pain I learned so much about myself at that time. At the end of my time of those two years I met my husband. I also believe that the experience helped me in dealing with being a “gaming wife” with all the late hours, sudden moves and craziness that comes with this odd sort of job.

Every moment in our lives shapes us into who we are. Sometimes those moments are hard, scary, wonderful, beautiful…but we always walk away with something more than when we arrived in that situation.

U2 Postpones Second Leg of Vertigo Tour

This news came in last week, but I haven't had much time to post. I am going to post the official report from U2.com on the news. They have postponed the tour due to an immidate family members illness. Some of you might remember that back before the tour even started there was talks of cancelling because The Edge's daughter, Sian, was battling leukemia. Apparently things aren't good right now. My prayers and thoughts go out for his family.

The following is taken from U2.com:


08.03.2006

Vertigo '06: Final Dates Postponed.

It is with great regret that tour promoter The Next Adventure announces the postponement of the final ten dates of U2's Vertigo '06 tour. This action is unavoidable due to the illness of an immediate family member of one of the band. Postponed dates are listed below.

'Any fan of U2 will realise that this decision has not been taken lightly', said TNA President Arthur Fogel. 'We will announce further details as soon as we have them.'

The effected shows, which are all sold out, are: March 17th & 18th, Ericcson Stadium AUCKLAND; 21st, Queensland Sports & Athletics Centre BRISBANE; 24TH & 25TH, Telstra Dome, MELBOURNE; 28th, AAMI Stadium ADELAIDE; 31st & 1st April, Telstra Stadium, SYDNEY; 4th, Nissan Stadium YOKOHAMA; 8th Aloha Stadium, HONOLULU.

We'll bring you more news on U2.Com as we get it.

Yes, I am also a wanna be....

Ok, I’m also a Rachel Ray wannabe hehe (For more on Rachel Ray check here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/rachael_ray/article/0,1974,FOOD_9928_1702057,00.html )

I was recently reminded of how much of a fan I am of hers because I finally got my knife sharpened…oh…my lovely knife that is the same one Rachel used on her 30 min meals show! I love my knife and couldn’t make do without it! I have had it for about 4 years now and FINALLY got something to sharpen it on my own. Let me tell you that this knife was brought back to LIFE!

I remember when I first started watching the show – it was a year or so after me and my husband were married. I was excited to see good meals be prepared in about 30 mins! I was also happy to see a chef saying that there’s not problem with taking short cuts without losing great flavor!

So I started asking for Rachel Ray things…a Cuisenart chopper, her knife (which I researched carefully before requesting it as a gift), a wood cutting board (safes your knives from getting dull), a garbage bowl (to save on trips to the trash can – although I use a plastic grocery bag…makes it easy on clean up), and I even stopped using my garlic press and started mincing like she does! If you know Rachel, everything has garlic in it so I have seen her mince this with her knife many times ;)

I have yet another addiction....

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

My Points – Earn money by just Clicking your Mouse!

My mom introduced me to My Points (www.mypoints.com) just before Christmas. I was kind of skeptical about it at first but my mom and my aunt have been able to redeem their earned points for gift cards at places like Toys R Us, Target, Dave and Busters and many, many other places!

As most of you know, I am pretty much the Coupon Queen so I try to save a few bucks where ever I can...and for doing shopping over the internet and for clicking and viewing a webpage I earn points to redeem for gift cards!

How it works is SO simple! When you sign up you tell My Points the things you are interested in. They send you emails where you just click on the red button and get 5 points just for looking! Sometimes you can sign up for a newsletter or to get emails about deals from certain places and get a bonus 25-50 points. Also, from time to time they will send you emails with surveys. They don’t take a lot of time to fill out and you get a good amount of points for doing those as well.

Also, if you buy anything from any of the merchants associated with my points (Target, ebay, etc) go through the My Points website first and you will earn a certain amount per dollar that you spend! I shop on ebay a lot so I get a good amount of points from there. I also bought an Entertainment book through the website which helps me save EVEN more throughout the year and gave me a good chunk of points! I have only been signed up since November and I already have enough to get a $20 gift card to Toys R Us! Right now I am saving my points so I can get a few cards at once to use around Christmas time :)

If you are interested in signing up, please let me know and I will send you an invite (I’ll get points hehe). It’s easy money...really :)

Oprah’s Show on Debt – SHOCKING!

Let me tell you that if you haven’t seen this show you need to check out this link: http://www2.oprah.com/money/debtdiet/money_debtdiet_main.jhtml That link could have information that will change your life!

One of the MOST shocking things I heard on that show was that 70% of Americans have credit card debt (or maybe it was debt in general over a certain amount – I can’t remember) but I was floored and so was Oprah lol! My husband and I are among those who are in CC debt but we won’t be there for long! In the next few months it will be completely gone and we will start tackling some of my husband’s student loans.

Honestly, we thought we would NEVER get out of the hole that we were in when we were first married almost 4 years ago. It wasn’t until we were married for about 6 months that my husband was introduced to Dave Ramsey. A few months after that we saved up for the fee to take one of his classes called Financial Peace University and became graduates. It has taken us about 3 years and we will finally wave bye-bye to all our CC debt and be well on our way to financial freedom :)

When I watched Oprah’s show, I was reminded of Dave Ramsey and a lot of the suggestions they made on the show are ones that Dave himself advocates. Honestly, we owe Dave Ramsey our lives!!!! He has changed everything for us completely! When we get our tax return instead of spending it we put it on debt – yes I know people think we are weird but honestly I don’t care! That money is money we already spent and owe on – we need to get out from under it.

If you want to know more about Dave Ramsey, his plan, listen to this show or look up if there is a FPU near you go to his website at www.daveramsey.com

Grammy update ;)

Well, since I knew I missed the Grammys I decided to go on the messageboards at U2.com and see if I could find someone who had a link to the performance. Thanks to my memberhship to the site I was able to get an asnwer within an hour! I had a link to download what he recorded on TV so I could watch the performance!

Let me just say that after seeing Mary J. sing "One" her voice will echo through the song as I hear it play! wow! She was utterly amazing!

Congrats to U2 on their 5 Grammys!

U2 was to nominated for 5 Grammys last night and they one ALL 5! That brings their total date to 21 Grammys!

The unbelievalbe thing....I FORGOT THE GRAMMYS WERE ON! Yes, I do feel like kicking my own arse (to take a line from Jim Carey in "Liar Liar") I am still on the look out for video of their performace and acceptance of the awards. I seriously cannot believe I missed out on this BIG TIME! :( PLEASE, if any of you know of where I can see a video of U2 at the Grammys PLEASE reply to this message with a link. I am dying over here!

Here is a list of the Grammys they were up for and what they were up against:
Album of the Year
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - U2
Also nominated:
The Emancipation of Mimi - Mariah Carey
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - Paul McCartney
Love.Angel.Music.Baby - Gwen Stefani
Late Registration - Kanye West

Song of the Year
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - U2
Also nominated:
Bless The Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Devils & Dust - Bruce Springsteen
Ordinary People - John Legend
We Belong Together - Mariah Carey


Best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal
Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own - U2
Also nominated:
Speed of Sound - Coldplay
Best of You - Foo Fighters
Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
All These Things That I've Done - The Killers


Best rock song
City of Blinding Lights - U2
Also nominated:
Best Of You - Foo Fighters
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Devils & Dust - Bruce Springsteen
Speed of Sound - Coldplay

Best rock album
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - U2
Also nominated:
X&Y - Coldplay
In Your Honor - Foo Fighters
A Bigger Bang - The Rolling Stones
Prairie Wind - Neil Young

A big congrats to four of my most favorite Irish men! You deserved it because HTDAAB is an excellent album.

Rudeness episode on 20/20

Thanks to Tivo I was able to watch last night’s 20/20 today. The whole show was about rudeness and how people are becoming ruder as the years pass.

Well, they had a part where someone was running little tests on people to see what they would say to a rude comment she would make. She was in the south and asked a lady, “What do you think of that guy that used to work for you last year?” The lady replied, “I don’t know him very well.” The tester said, “I thought he was a jerk.” The southern lady replied, “That’s what I said.” I was FLOORED to say the least! So was the tester! So the tester went to North Carolina and asked, “What would you say if someone said ‘I don’t know him very well’ about someone?” He said, “That would mean he’s a good for nothing.”

WHAT?!?!??!?! Ok, please, can someone get me a dictionary or a guide on how to speak southern! lol Apparently the rest of us need to be taught because we are clueless!

I honestly don’t think I am a rude person. Although, when push comes to shove, I will be completely honest with people. I am not one for beating around the bush. I can tell it like it is – and honestly, I would rather have people do that for me too. It’s hard to play a game of, what do they really mean or what are they trying to say? Sometimes I will have my husband step in to “translate” because I want to make sure that I am really getting what is behind a certain statement.

To all my Southern friends and family members, please forgive me for being “rude.” I never meant anything by it, I am just ignorant to southern ways. (to be blunt)

Trust your gut

You know how you have that gut instinct. You know, down deep when something tells you, “this is not right” or “this person is probably not trustworthy.” Well, most times I listen to the instinct but I did not with a particular friend (don’t worry, it’s none of you…she doesn’t even know this blog exists).

Sometimes you want to give a person the benefit of the doubt. Or maybe it is that you are just so lonely that having a conversation; meaningless banter about ebay auctions and the mail postage rate going up. Through months and months of banter my gut instinct started to prove true about this person right before Christmas. Yet, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt once again, but this time with my guard up. Well, tonight was the last straw…

Wow, do I wish I would have listened to my gut a LONG time ago. Maybe this wouldn’t hurt as bad then as it does now.

ALWAYS trust your gut. Most times than not, it is right.

Little known facts about Boy

Yes, I am babbling about U2 again! lol I was reminded one day of U2's first album called "Boy." It was released in 1980 and this is the cover that the guys wanted:


Well, believe it or not, it was turned down... Why you ask? Because it was considered pornographic! (the world has changed a lot!). U2 was wanting to show the innocence of a Boy. I know that a lot of the album had songs where Bono talked about the death of his mother and how hard it was to overcome it at the age of nine. Mainly, the song "Boy" on that album is about that.

The boy in the photo is actually a brother of one of Bono's best friends (Guggi)

Here it he cover of the album as you could buy it in a store today. This is the cover on my of the album:



Oddly enough, if you go to U2's website and look under their albums you will see the photo of the Boy and not this ugly cover...(sorry guys but I do like the boy better lol)

In 1983, the same boy in the photo of "Boy" posed for the cover of "War":



Funny thing is, the kid was actually in a fight that day and that cut on his head is real! I can't remember the entire story - if they planned to use in him the photo shoot or not - but that is the photo they decided to go with.

Anyway, that's your education on U2 for the day hehe ;)

Daily Trivia! Come Join!

I found this fun site that lets you run a daily trivia game. All you have to do is get a screen name and start answering questions!

http://my.funtrivia.com/tournament/Sarahs-Daily-Trivia-43322.html

(you will have to cut and paste the link into your browser - Blogger's link system is messed up right now)

Update on “My Depressing and Bad Week (and it’s only Tuesday)” post

Well, my mom (who I think is the only person who really reads my ramblings lol) saw this post and felt so bad for me that she wrapped up my college diploma and put in it the mail!!! I have it proudly displayed on my desk where I can see it everyday.

I have to say that I sure was stuck in a rut that day but I realized that I do use my degree more than I think. I do some work for my mother-in-law and it requires that I use skills that I picked up in college – without that knowledge they would have no one to take care of those things or have to hire someone out for the work (I’m a lot cheaper…believe me!)

Anyway, I just wanted that little update to put out there

You're the Man Now, Dog!

(I am hoping this link shows up because I have been having issues with links on blogger)

http://bushbono.ytmnd.com/

The above link is to something someone posted on the website called “ytmnd” standing for “you’re the man now dog” which is from a line in a movie that Sean Connery says. Anyway, the site has become a place where people doctor up photos, audio and video and put them on here. Some are funny...some leave you in awe...some a just weird or gross. Well, I did a search on that website for Bono and found the above link. The photo doesn’t change but the audio is Pres Bush saying the ENTIRE song of Sunday Bloody Sunday! It is really well done! I actually listened to the whole thing and they even add in the things that Bono will sing when he performs the song live! This person must have a lot of time on their hands but it sure is well done!

Also, on an odd side note….isn’t it amazing that the President of the United States meets with Bono IN the Oval Office!!! I mean, the places and people Bono has seen and spoke to on behalf of those suffering from poverty and AIDS….what a man :)

Ghost in Sunnyvale Toys R Us?!?!?!

Well, it's all in the link I provided! lol!

I was going through some interesting facts on and came accross the article that the Toys R Us in Sunnyvale, CA is haunted LOL I have to say I have been in that store many times and haven't seen or heard or smelled anything (although I am not sure I have been down Asile 15c or whatever it is). I guess I need to ask my mom if she saw anything when we went shopping for Kian's Christmas gifts when she was here lol!

I just thought it was something odd to share....guess I won't be using the bathroom alone either since Johan follows women in there! LOL!