Tackle it Tuesday.

Accomplishing this Tackle it Tuesday has been like unloading a HUGE monkey off my back.

This monkey has been on my back for the last five years. Pestering me. Nibbling on my ear. Pulling my hair. Poking my eyeballs.....Annoying the hell out of me.

I've been putting it off mainly because I've been too lazy to try to figure out how busy to do it. It literally took me five minutes to figure it out and now I feel foolish for waiting so long.

I've had five years worth of digital photos sitting on my computer uncopied and unprotected. If my computer crashed it would have taken along with it all my precious photos.

So....not only do I have all my photos saved on an external hard drive....

But I've also spent this entire past week (a little at a time) saving every single photo (and there's alot) onto DVD. And every DVD has a back-up. I feel so much better now!

Moments for Me Monday - week 3

I'm editing this post to add a Make Me Laugh Monday tidbit....My daughter made me laugh and I want to share!

I walk into the kitchen and my daughter is found giggling in her shy demure way with her hand covering her mouth and giggle.

Me: "What's so funny"
Smurfette: "I burped from my butt" (giggle giggle)




I had a difficult time this week squeezing in a Moment for me...Papa smurf was in Europe all week so I was playing the single parent role. And then when he finally returned Friday night I was sick....again....with a nasty head and chest cold that has me down and out. So my Moment for me was spent curled up in bed beside a mountain of snot rags....I don't think that counts! So, I leave you with this.....


Another Happiness Now quote...pg 34....

"True happiness is also very attractive in that it literally attracts great things. Happiness, by its very nature, encourages trust, spontaneity, optimism, and enthusiasm - all of which bring great gifts. In particular, when you dare to be happy, you find that people instinctively gravitate to you and like you, although they may not know why. Maybe it's something to do with your smile. Whatever it is, your happiness is an inspiration and a gift to everyone. Everyone benefits from true happiness...everyone benefits from your happiness."

This paragraph reminded me of one of the greatest complements I've ever received. I was a fresh college grad and interviewing for a RN position at a hospital. I had already been working at this hospital for 2 years as a Nurse Tech and thoroughly LOVED my job. My manager that was interviewing me told me that she liked me and was giving me the position because she thought "my enthusiasm and positive attitude were contagious". That one simple complement has stuck with me all these years....13 years to be exact.

Negativity and Positivity ARE contagious. It's extremely difficult to maintain a positive attitude when you're surrounded by negativity. Nurses tend to be an unhappy bunch. Complaints of being over worked and under paid are an epidemic. I certainly don't deny the nursing shortage ....BUT.... I remember as a nurse constantly observing the same group of nurses standing at the nurses station complaining about how short staffed it was and all I could think was....if you spent half as much time getting your work done as you do standing behind the desk complaining about the understaffed situation you'd have nothing to complain about. They literally made the situatuation worse than it had to be with all their complaining....because complaining takes time and effort.


It takes far greater time and energy to be negative.


So smack a smile on that kisser and just BE HAPPY!


I remember watching an Oprah show (surprise, surprise) and she had a guy on the show (can't remember who or what he was...so if someone reads this and can shed some light....I think he may have been a pastor) who was trying to promote happiness through the symbolism of a very simple bracelet. He was challenging the world to put the bracelet on and the goal was to keep the bracelet on the same wrist for X amount of days straight (I think it was like 30 days but I'm not positive). Everytime you complain about something or say ANYthing negative you have to switch the bracelet over to the opposite wrist. So the challenge was to try to go 30 straight days (or something like that) without a single complaint or negative statement. I didn't actually go out and buy a bracelet but it certainly made me more aware of my own negativity. Try it! It's not as easy as it sounds!


Again, I feel like I need to add a disclaimer here. I'm NOT trying to insinuate in any of these Moment For Me or Happiness Now posts that I walk around all day with a blissful smile and never complain about a thing and my life is just all roses and sugar! It's not. EVERYone has bad days. EVERYone complains. EVERY mom out there feels the fleeting urge to drop kick one of her children out the front door. And, EVERY wife gets an occasional itch that can't be scratched until she bips her husband in the head (figuratively speaking) for being stupid. These posts are about changing your general outlook on life and recognizing how your general outlook attracts negativity/positivity in your life.


So, come on, link to your own "Moment for Me" post...share your own smile today. Inspire others to do the same.

Commentary on People's 100 Most Beautiful People

Hubby and I were thumbing through my lastest people magazine with the 100 most beautiful people...here is our commentary...I'm red...Hubby is Blue



Halle Berry - pg 12 - HOLY SHIT - has any one SEEN those post baby boobies!! She is my hero!

Kate Hudson - She looks just like her mother.

Brooke Shields - she just doesn't do it for me...maybe it's the eyebrows...

Jennifer Love Hewitt - I agree with Drew & Mike (from local radio station)...she has a giraffe neck....it's like 5 feet long....

Ashton Kutcher - EW!

Josh Groban....seriously?!....voice is sexy as hell but....seriously?! He has major bed head in this picture!

Kate Beckinsale - now SHE is gorgeous! Serendipity is one of my favorite movies...but couldn't they have picked a better lead guy....like, like, I don't know...maybe Wentworth Miller or Enrique Iglasias or David Beckham...or... SOMEone!?

Christina applegate - Christina Applegate's still in there, aye?

Jessica Simpson - she'd be hot if she weren't so stupid.

George Clooney - George just doesn't do it for me

Halle Berry again - she's hot she's hot (I type this while watching Swordfish on tbs)

Marcia Cross and Juliane Morre - EW! and EW!

Hey Eva Longoria's got a tat!

Jason Taylor - He's a good looking guy He's smoke'n

QUEEN LATIFAH!? Can her skin really be THAT flawless?....

Pete Wentz just looks like a girl!

Jessica Alba's hot!

OMG... they have the 35 year old Angie Harmon in the "Age-Defying Beauties" section! SHIT...since when is 35 old.....since when did beauty at 35 become "age defying"?! (I then proceeded to have a mini temper tantrum....I just turned 36....I felt justified in my temper tantrum!)

Ashley Judd's another pretty one...she has that cute, sweet, southern thing goin on...

Shit....where's all the men in this list...It's all women....where's Wentworth Miller....Someone overlooked Wentworth Miller...Call the press....

My husband is taking over today's post!

So, I'm sitting here in my Great Room typing out this post....why?....because I can! =)


I can sit in my Great Room and post blogs while my home PC is occupied with burning DVDs of our 5 years worth of family photos....my current Tackle it Tuesday project.


Happiness is ~ a laptop with wireless internet connection! I do believe I've found the answer to my happiness quest. Yeah, yeah, I know.....they say "things" can't make you happy....but, let me tell you, these "things" sure have put a smile on MY face! I feel cool! I feel like a modern woman! I feel like taking my laptop up to the nearest Starbucks just so I can fire up my internet connection and look all cool and modern like.


The topic of this post has been inspired by Whiskeyinmysippycup (the blog name alone warrants a place on my blog roll)...this woman makes me laugh....I mean rolling on the floor peeing my pants tears streaming down my face laugh....she's a funny funny woman. You really should watch the video she recently posted of her braiding her daughter's hair...this woman has the patience of a saint...she's my idol....


Anyway, I digress.....


The purpose of this post is to give my husband the floor...to give him a chance to air his pet peeves about me. My blog is one sided. So I'm giving him today's post....So here he is everyone...my wonderful, charming, intelligent, and sexy husband....Papa Smurf.....(round of applause in the background)....


PS...I reserve the right to edit his comments as I see fit....or, at the very least, post a rebuttal as to defend my self....

OK...I'm new to this blogging thing so I'll try to keep it brief. Easy to do since I don't have many pet peeves that come to mind regarding my nearly perfect wife. But there are a couple that come to mind so here it goes:

#1 - Shredded feet on the floor. That's right, I said shredded feet. I'm talking about the foot shavings that my wife likes to leave on the bathroom floor for me after she cleans off the calluses on the bottom of her feet. There's nothing like getting out of the shower, stepping in something, and then realizing that you are standing in a pile of callused foot. Now we all know that my wife has the most perfect and beautiful feet in the continental US (as apposed to the rest of us) so I figure there is only one explanation.....she leaves the ugly parts on the bathroom floor for me!

rebuttal ~ OK...OK......gross......I know......I have done this in the past....but I don't anymore! Because I have since found this nifty little contraption called a Ped-Egg that I now keep in my shower stall at all times! AND FOR THE LAST TIME!.......I NEVER SAID MY FEET WERE PERFECT!!!! And lets not forget THIS post! I bow my head in shame....

#2 - What happens to that car. About every few weeks I get into my wife's van and think to myself "Oh my god". Food and candy can often be found ground into the carpet. Fast food and misc. wrappers stuffed in any available crevice and assorted other goodies found where you least expect it. Then there are the patented coffee stains (I'm pretty sure every car has had them). I'm not talking a little stain.....I'm talking a huge oil slick. Now, I know she has to cart the kids around all the time and their busy schedules often require "meals on wheels" but come on.....make these guys clean up a little, or take the car to the car wash and vacuum it once in a while. So, once it gets to the point of no return, guess who ends up taking the car to get cleaned out. Don't get me wrong, not really complaining, in fact its kind of turned into tradition now. But I still wonder how such an organized person can drive around in that pig sty!

Rebuttal ~ I have no rebuttal ~ I fully admitted to the above comment in my 100 things about me post...numbers 32 - 36 ~ but I still say that if we traded places for just ONE MONTH and you did all the stay at home mom stuff and carted these kids around 24 / 7.....it would look JUST as bad!

#3 - Where is my credit card? I won't even tell you how many times that question has turned into cancelling all our accounts, getting a new card, and re-registering our charges. Its almost become comical at this point. The worst part is, I think the last couple times, she ended up finding it after everything was cancelled. It's gotten to the point that now I just say "here we go again" and grin and bear it but if I could have a wish I would ask "just hang on to the stupid thing".

Rebuttal ~ Again, I have no rebuttal...I've reluctantly admitted to this in past blog posts...like here and here....but then have you seen how my purse looks....as posted here.....it's no wonder....

Well those are a couple things that come to mind to give you some insight into the women behind the blog. Of course there are others like packing 4 weeks before vacation while planning and packing for every possible scenario (my motto is you can't travel without forgetting something). Bottom line is that these are all the little things that only I know (of course now many more also have this top secret knowledge) and, although they sometimes drive me crazy, they also remind me why I love her so much! I'm off to do some things that I'm sure will drive her crazy....that's why we have such a wonderful marriage.

AWWWWW! Ain't he sweet. I'm so happy it's a short list. I heard an awful lot of fast typing goin on in here and thought.....geez, is he writing a book or WHAT!.....I was scared!

That wasn't so bad!

And he didn't even make reference to my manipulative shopping habits....My Soul Mate!

Flashback Friday - Our wedding day

For Flashback Friday I'm doing a quick recap of my wedding day. I don't have time to dive into full detail as the Geek Squad is coming to hook up my wireless internet soon....yeay! So here's a quick recap....I'll go into more detail at a later date.

Our wedding day! August 19, 1995

I can't believe we've been married for almost 13 years.

Time flies when you're having fun.

Our wedding day was fantastic. But if I had to do it all over again I would have eloped! So much time and money went into this day and it was over in the blink of an eye. We'd have been much better off saving that money and eloping.

I loved my dress. I picked it out of a magazine and after trying on 30 different dresses I still kept coming back to this one. The funny thing is....our wedding day was over 90 degrees outside and I had on this long sleeved, high necked, heavy gown.

I was HOT!....

and ITCHY!.....

Hindsight is 20/20...but I also would have chosen a more weather appropriate gown if I had to do it all over again.

Me and the groomsmen.
Papa Smurf and the ladies.
My unbelievably talented mother made this glorious cake! This picture does it NO justice as you cant see all the detailing on it....The employees at Pennas told us it was the most beautiful cake they had ever seen there....they probably say that to all the brides...but I believed mine really was....=)....... My mom ROCKS!
This picture shows the detailing a little better. Each teir was seperated with a pexiglass octagon enclosure filled with Baby's Breath and greenery...I just loved my cake...

and I hated to destroy it! Although....I'm not too sure about the Precious Moments cake topper....I'm thinking that would go too....what was I thinking. This glorious, gorgeous, and elegant cake topped with a Precious Moment....UGH!

My confession to my hubby

Dear Hubby,

I have a confession to make.

Remember last week when I came home with two ridiculously expensive bathing suits and 2 ridiculously expensive matching cover ups and modeled them for you so you could pick out your favorite?

The original plan was to return the one you didn't pick. And bring the other one on my girl's trip.

Only, when I went to return the one you didn't pick......

guess what......

as it turns out, the one you didn't pick is non-returnable. I failed to read the fine print at the bottom of the receipt....

But I didn't want to return the other one because........well........it was your favorite.

And, it's all about making you happy after all. Right?

I mean, how selfish would it have been for me to return the one that you liked??!!

I just couldn't do that to you. Your disappointment would have been far too much for my conscience to handle.

I love you.

So I kept both bathing suits.

I kept both bathing suits because I love you.

And now I'm upset because you're in Europe and I can't see the grateful "I'm so happy you're my wife" look on your face...I know, I know how much you love me....I know how grateful you must be that I kept the bathing suit that you chose. Knowing that and feeling it in my heart makes the distance tolerable and makes me feel really good about my decision to keep them both. You can thank me when you return.

Love,

Your devoted, hard working, faithfully smitten, wife and mother to your children,

Me!
ps - Did I mention, btw, that I have forgiven you for the pig sty that I was welcomed home to when I returned from my vacation, and for you not getting me a birthday present, and for leaving for Europe on my birthday.......just thought I'd throw that out there....because I know how important forgiveness is in a marriage...VERY important....yep....I forgive you.

I'm Drowning....

....in my own to-do list. I'm posting my to-do thoughts so as to organize them and relieve the stress and get some sleep tonight so that I might actually get some of these done in the next couple days...

* Sign me and kids up for Race for a Cure

* Get copies of Grandma's photo made & Drop them off at her house

* Call Geek Squad to get my wireless Internet hook-up scheduled....=)....no more fighting for the computer! Since my husband DIDN'T GET ME A BIRTHDAY GIFT (read with snarl and squinty eyes).......I went out and got my own....a laptop complete with wireless Internet service! Yeay! He claims he couldn't get my gift because he got sick 2 days before my birthday...and I say "why the hell did you wait till the day before to begin with".... They're coming tomorrow...I can hardly wait!

* Get snacks and drinks for Jordyn's snack day @ school

* Call to get lawn aerated ...called and left a message

*Update bank account & pay bills & order new checks

* Find out status of shipment of replacement net & spring guard mat for trampoline...it was shipped over 2 weeks ago and we still haven't received it.

*purchase new trash cans WITH LOCKING LIDS!!!! The damn coons are BACK! I wake up every morning to my trash scattered up and down my driveway. Damn critters! Those little @#!%^& come back every year and torment my husband and I. Papa Smurf has gone as far as buying a pellet gun to peg there asses off our roof-top....he's chased them out of our garage with a baseball bat....semori worrior style.....we've set traps..... and they keep coming back for more. Bold little creatures....they'll stand 5 feet away and stare at you as if to say "hehe - try and get me you sorry bastards....go ahead.....dare ya" You just know they're laughing at you in their little coony way..."nah-nah you ca-ant catch me"....ooohhhhhh...I'll catch you! This is war! Those little boogers were back again last night....took a picture this time.....

* RSVP to birthday party

* Get gift for birthday boy

* Purchase new AC charger for Palm ~ can't find mine ANYwhere ...went to 2 different stores and neither store carrys them so I went on line and ordered it!

* Figure out what we're doing for mother's day and make brunch reservations if necessary Took care of this while at Grandma's house dropping off the photos

* purchase (or make - haven't decided yet) Mother's Day cards and gifts

* Save gymnastics photos to DVD for other team mates....better late than never.....

* Return GPS to mom

* find and purchase book....Make your Children Mind Without Losing Yours....That's the kind of day I've had..... went to the bookstore this morning and found the book along with 4 other "sex education" books for my 11 year old....couldn't decide on one so I bought all 4...I'll hand them to him and say "here....read these....if you have any question...come to me"...well, on second thought, maybe I should read them first....

I'm adding to my to-do list.....

* GET LARGE CRITTER TRAP!

* Pay for Gymnastics DVD and Gymnastics banquet

So I just left this draft of a post to see if I could find the book on Amazon and OMG check out this product (video) that was featured on the Amazon home page....the AmazonKindle "Amazon's Revolutionary Wireless Reading Device".....Here's what it says....

Product Overview
Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
More than 115,000 books available, including more than 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
More than 300 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Holds over 200 titles.
Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.
Included in the box: Kindle wireless reader, Book cover, Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable

How effing cool is THAT!!! & why am I just now hearing about this product??!! This thing is going right at the top of my wish list!....Right next to "Pool".....& "Tummy Tuck".....& "Boobie lift"....& ....the list is a long one. I'll spare you. You're welcome.