This is basically what my washer and drier are like.  They are really tall and are really crammed into my little laundry room.  I have never liked my laundry room but dislike transitioned to downright hate this morning when I discovered the painful little room was flooded! At some point during the last couple of days, my stupid washer started leaking from the cold water connection.  It is close to impossible to see behind the huge machine so it wasn't discovered until t...

My hubby recently bought me and himself pedometers.  We have a little competition each day to see who takes the most steps.  Apparently we should take at least 10,000 steps each day.  Most days that isn't too difficult but some days we need to take a nice long walk to accomplish 10,000. I better get off the computer and get moving!  That number on the pedometer keeps me moving and reminds me not to sit at the computer or anywhere else for too long.

  Ashley with her pumpkin last year   The cool breezes and turning leaves have me thinking about Halloween.  The kids are already talking about what they want to dress as.  I must admit, I really enjoy Halloween! I'm a Fall person.  I love the sweater weather.  I love the beautifully colored leaves and the smells.  I just wish Fall was longer and Winter was shorter! I look forward to decorating with gourds and pumpkins.  I love...

I haven't been good about posting pictures of my kids.  I am going to try to get better at it.  In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures to give a taste of what's to come. The picture of Ryan holding the "crystal turtle" was taken for his 8th birthday party.  He had an Indiana Jones type party but it was "Indiana Ryan and the Kingdom of the Crystal Turtle".  We had a hunt for the Crystal turtle complete with clues drawn on scrolls that lead to a site to dig.&...

Brad has his benchmarks of his myriad of computers. So what computer do I get? I thought I'd check it out... His laptop is 5 times faster than my laptop and this the only computer I get access to. Shame on him!

Here's a picture of Ryan (my son) playing catcher.

From the Mount Olympus type setting of the DNC,  Obama looked down upon his subjects and accepted their appointment of him as their nominee.  It was quite a spectacle.  Plenty of celebs were everywhere.  The hype was palpable. What a show!  But that is all I see coming from the Dems, show and no substance.  They are for the things that are good and against the things that are bad.  Obama is going to tell us what we should and shouldn't do because we can't be...

I realized one of the reasons I feel so relaxed at our cottage...it isn't filled to the brim with crap!  Our home is so overrun with stuff that it just weighs me down sometimes.  I feel like renting a dumpster or calling a truck and having it all hauled away. I'm not a hoarder but I do have the curse of feeling that the moment I get rid of something I'll need it.  I also feel guilt over getting rid of anything anyone gave me as a present.  My husband and I have been marrie...

Most of us know what is good for us.  Knowing it and doing it are very different things.  How many times do we say "I know I should exercise, but..." or "I know this pop isn't good for me, but...".  We make decisions between knowing and doing constantly. I am addicted to coffee and chocolate.  I KNOW that for a fact.  I have tried to cut them out of my day before and am not convinced that my life will be good without them.  I am aided in my addiction by some repo...

Happiness has been a subject on my mind a lot lately.  I have been taking a look at my days to figure out what made a "good tired" or a "bad tired" at the end of each.  The things that seemed to lead to a good day are pretty consistent: -I got to spend time with my husband (especially if we ate a meal as a family) -I enjoyed some coffee in the morning -I enjoyed watching my children play and truly listened to their voices -I spent some time outdoors even if it was just for ...

I finally read a whole book!  It was a  short one but it was one full of impact.  The book is called "the five secrets you must discover before you die" by John Izzo Ph.D. I'm a people person so this book truly kept my interest.  The "secrets" are conclusions from hundreds of interviews with people who were nominated by people in their lives as being happy people.  I really enjoyed reading about what other people think leadh them to happiness. I truly agree with mo...

I was very saddened to hear the news that Tony Snow succumbed to colon cancer.  He was only 53 and one of the best, if not best, White House Press Secretaries ever.  Whether or not you agreed with his politics, he seemed like a truly nice, genuine person. His fate touches me at a personal level too because my longest, dearest friend is battling the same cancer.  Hers wasn't discovered until it had already spread to her liver.  Like Snow, the doctors were able to remove the...

I have lived a very blessed life.  I grew up in a family short on money but big on love.  I had everything I needed and my parents did the best they could to get me things I wanted when they could.  I look back and wonder how they did it and now am in awe of them. My parents did a good job of teaching me to appreciate what I have.  I have always followed the "Happiness is wanting what you have not having what you want" approach to life.  In turn, I have ende...

I just reported this problem but wanted to let the people know who have been commenting on my blogs, I have been wanting to respond but can't.  Every time I try to respond, my comment won't get submitted.  So, I'm not ignoring my articles, I just can't add a comment!  I appreciate those who can and do though.

I will never understand why people pay any attention to what actors say when it comes to politics or anything of any importance.  These people play pretend as a profession.  They aren't scholars.  They have no credentials when it comes to foreign policy, religion, politics, etc.  So why should they have any clout on these subjects, because sometimes they pretend to be characters that know such things? Sharone Stone, as some may have heard, made the bone headed comment that...