Spookiez Spot

Due to current events in my life..

2009-07-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

mainly those surrounding my terminally ill father, I have decided to post random things that make me smile, giggle or laugh ;)

Enjoy!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Political Pictures

see more Lol Celebs

2009-07-14T17:28:00.001-07:00

see more Lol Celebs

Wow, if I was a celebrity this week..

2009-06-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

I would be staying home, wrapped in bubble wrap (unless they live in Fresno, the heat would kill them!) with paramedics standing by. They are dropping like flies! First Ed McMahon passed, followed by Farrah Fawcett, then the shocking death of Michael Jackson, and today I heard Billy Mays passed away!

I have not been a fan of Michael Jackson's since high school. Thriller was my one and old album of his. It just wasn't really my style of music most of the time. But still, I was glued to the TV, Twitter and Facebook to find out any information about what happened! As anyone who followed my Twitter stream is aware I was Tweeting out the info just like everyone else. In fact, I and others like me, almost took out Twitter all together! It was Fail Whales galore for a while there...

So, I have been thinking about why we are so obsessed with deaths like Michael Jacksons. I have come to the conclusion it's because it is a stark reminder of our own mortality. In most ways, Michael was larger then life. He lived a life that most of us can't even imagine, both the highs and the lows. But I am pretty sure, no one ever really thought he could die. Maybe he didn't even think of it, though for those children's sake I sure hope he did, and prepared for it! If he could die, then gosh, I guess I could die too! What a scary thing to think of. So we watch CNN all morning to wait for confirmation of Michael death, and we talk about it on Twitter, and all our message boards. We are fascinated, like a train wreck and we can't look away.

Worse yet, his death has given people the opportunity to say all sorts of awful evil things about him, though they may be true, don't need to be said in the comments of every news story, blog post and Twitter stream :( And that's another thing we do, though it is often said "Don't speak ill of the dead" we do. Like people feel safe to say bad things about people who are unlucky enough to have their death make the news. A good friend of my brother's passed away last year, and he was front page news for a while. The horrible things people said in comments just made me cry for his family. WTF is that about? They are dead, and your words aren't going to hurt them, but sure as heck can hurt those they left behind.

Wow, that was a long and rambling post, saying a whole lot of nothing. But I felt like I needed to say something.

2009-06-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

see more Lol Celebs

Finally! After what 6 months?

2009-06-19T20:33:00.001-07:00

Danielle is getting a front toof. Artichokes everywhere, you have been warned!

Latest Paperback Book Swap Stats :)

2009-06-19T00:55:00.001-07:00

My current bookshelf stats

				Books Mailed	Books Received
				262	286

Based on an average price of $4.50 per book (and that would be a low estimate for most of my books!) I have saved $1,282.50!!

In this time of belt tightening, and penny pinching, I can't speak highly enough about Paperback Swap! I love trading my old, read paperbacks for new things to read! Plus, I am not as afraid of trying a new author, because I know if I don't love it, I can just relist it in the system, and get something that I will love!

Click on the banner below to sign up for yourself. List 10 of your books and get 2 credits to get started! Then each book you send out give you another credit! Build a wish list, and the system automatically informs you when the books you want become available. It's a win-win ;)

Uploaded - 6\14\09

2009-06-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

For DH :p

2009-06-07T23:33:00.001-07:00

see more Lol Celebs

I know, I know...

2009-06-03T00:18:00.001-07:00

I haven't been blogging a lot lately. Not sure why that is, partially because I am blogging more at Swiftly Shrinking Spooky, and partially because I am feeling uninspired.

We went and saw Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian! GREAT MOVIE! We still want to see UP, and hopefully we will find the time soon.

Jack has his last Speech Therapy appointment tomorrow. He'll start back up in Fall, assumably. I am hoping to find something else for him for the summer, but I am not holding my breath.

Well, that's about it for now. The family are all sleeping, and I need to get a shower and get to bed.

Nighty night...

Dinner with Angela...

2009-05-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Better late then never ;) We went out to dinner a few weeks ago to North India Bar and Grill here in Clovis, and all I can say is YUM!!

I'll hit the highlights ;)

House Salad with Pomegranate dressing YUM!!

Chana Masala (HOT!! but YUM!!)

Warm Garlic Naan

And a Mango Martini!

I highly recommend North India if you are in the Clovis area looking for some great food, good service and a fun time :)

2009-05-18T14:37:00.001-07:00

Daily Mugshot

My Mothers Day present from DH

2009-05-08T14:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's a full set of Star Trek glasses from Burger King and a little talking Spock :)

Remember when Burger King has glassware for all the movies? It was fun to drink out of a Star Wars or Muppet glass. So WTG Burger King for the shot of nostaglia, I for one get it ;)

Now just get rid of the Kingon commmercials and we'll be all good again, LOL!

Maybe it's because I am mostly blind...

2009-05-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

But I keep feeling like it's difficult to read my blog, the text is too small and doesn't really POP in comparison to the background. I made some changes today, to color and font size, let me know what you think. Too big?? Wrong color? Could you read it fine before? Any comments are appreciated ;)

There is a new CSA in town, and it's heads (of lettuce!) above the rest!

2009-04-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, for those who don't know what a CSA is, here is from Farmer and the Dale's FAQ

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It allows people to skip the numerous middle men and buy directly from the famer. It’s like a farmers market that delivers.

But what separates Farmer and the Dale from other CSA's in the Fresno/Clovis area, YOU choose what comes in your share box! For a very reasonable flat fee, you choose 10 units of produce to be delivered to your door each Thursday. You can keep the same box over and over, or you can change from week to week!

Angela and I share a box each week, and the 5 units that I get are more then 100% of the fruits and veggies that my family can eat in one week! We have gotten strawberries, that don't last until Friday, because little fingers keep stealing them from the fridge. The asparagus and brussels sprouts roasted with olive oil and CSA delivered garlic is to DIE FOR!

And, more then just delivering TOP quality produce, the customer service from Farmer and the Dale is second to none. Early on, we had some issues with our subscription. Emails were returned promptly and the went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that everything was taken care of and we were pleased.

So if you are looking for a way to add fresh, wholesome fruits and veggies, grown locally to your diet, I can't say enough good things about The Farmer and the Dale!

Danielle is getting new glasses.

2009-04-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

After trying on every pair in the place, she decided on these. She's a bit far sighting, which might explain some of the behaviors I have been seeing when she tried to read :)

For those who knew I was gone..

2009-04-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

I'm home now ;0)

I took a little last minute trip to visit my parents. My Dad who was recovering from pneumonia was rushed to the ER Tuesday morning for dehydration. When he got there, it was discovered he was in full renal failure. They decided to admit him, so I packed up Jack and he and I rushed up there (I figured one kid would be less of a strain on Papa then both kids, LOL) While I was on my way, I found out my mom had a heart attack while in the ER waiting for them to take care of dad!! So by the time I arrived, dad was in one room in the ER and mom was in another!

Luckily for mom she turned out to be fine, and was sent home that night with us. Dad had to wait until after midnight (more then 12 hours after he arrived at the ER, with NONE of his usual medications) to finally get a room.

Papa was in the hospital until Thursday afternoon, they got him rehydrated and sent him home good as new!

At the Hot Dog Depot

2009-04-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

A Martinez institution, the Hot Dog Depot was a must stop for my train loving boy. We saw a freight train, Amtrak train and a truck pretending to be a train. :)

Waiting for Nanno

2009-04-10T10:45:00.001-07:00

Papa was sleeping so Jack went to Nanno's bed in the ER while she was having a stress test and he made himself as home LOL!

Mmmmm, Sushi!

2009-04-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dh and I went out on a long overdue date night last week. We hadn't been in probably a year or more, just out to dinner by ourselves. We went to a different sushi place this time, Ooi.

We had edamame ;)

WONDERFUL sashimi

I had plum wine

Dean had shrimp rolls of some kind (can't remember name)

I had Crunch rolls, believe me, there was no good side to take a picture of this thing, but it was YUMMY!!

I highly recommend Ooi for those of you who are local, it was good and reasonably priced!

We also slipped off to Target for a minute to get a new router and headphones for Dh's game :)

I hate shopping for clothes...

2009-04-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

If you don't want to read about shopping for bras, kindly move on now...

I really do hate shopping for clothes, jeans, shirts anything really. But especially bras. My mom has dragged me to the store a few times and I have gotten professionally fitted a couple of times, but honestly I think that the size they proclaim me to be is only that size on that day in that store. I could walk across the mall get refitted (professionally) and have it be different! So the only true way to know if a bra fits is to try it on, and on, and on, and on...

Even on the best of days, when I really, really want some new clothes, I can only motivate myself to try on one or two things, so bra shopping is a special kind of torture, that is put off until I have no choice but to go shopping or go natural.

I am getting to that point. Anyone have any good suggestions for making bra shopping less painful?

Blog Party, It's a blog party!!

2009-03-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome, welcome blog party hoppers! Feel free to pull up a seat and look around a bit. I know it's a bit of a mess, but it's homey ;)

Did you hear they are giving away prizes for people participating in the Blog Party? And anyone who knows me, knows I WIN PRIZES! I expect that I will for this to, so I better make my list of what I am interested in winning ;)

14 — $43 in products
Provided By: Andrea Hatfield- Scentsy Consultant
Prize Details: 1 Scentsy Warmer, 1 Scentsy Bar and 1 Scentsy Room Spray - winners choice!

19 — $50 gift certificate to Target Stores
Provided by: Shoot-Me-Now
Prize details: Treat your kids, or even better, treat yourself! Shoot-Me-Now would like to donate a $50 Target gift card to one winner.

21 — $50 gift certificate to Target Stores
Provided by: Agoosa - Funny Name, Sound Advice
Prize details: Agoosa would like to donate a $50 Target gift card to one winner.

22 — $50 gift certificate to Target Stores
Provided by: Beginner Baby Blog
Prize details: Everyone loves a gift card! Beginner Baby Blog would like to donate a $50 Target gift card to one winner.

56 – Surprise Box of Art Supplies
Provided by: KV Creative Designs
Prize details: Since I just moved, I have been setting up my Office/Studio and cleaning and purging. I will have a wonderful Surprise Box of Art Supplies for the winner!

USC 25 — Phineas and Ferb - The Daze Of Summer DVD
Provided by: Mommy Niri
Prize Details: Get the Disney DVD Phineas and Ferb: The Daze Of Summer. First time this is on DVD and includes bonus outrageous science experiment games.

Ask me why I am wearing black..

2009-03-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Or subtitled, just try and pinch me!

This is a repost from March 17th, 2008, but I wanted to add a link from National Geographic that I found today, that discussed the TRUE history of St. Patrick ;)

Today is the traditional day for people to wear green, drink green beer, and eat corned beef and cabbage. Why? All in celebration of a man named St. Patrick who is said to have driven the snakes out of Ireland.

Problem with this "historical" accounting is, there were no snakes in Ireland at the time (or at ANY TIME in the past!). What St Patrick did, was convert the leaders of the time, including King Loegaire to catholisim, and then systematically began destroying the native religion of the Irish people!! He drove the Druids out of Tara, their historical holy ground! By converting the leaders of the people, he subjected all the Irish people to conversion or persecution! The native religion of the people was forced to go underground or disappear all together! And for this reason we celebrate? We should mourn the loss of another piece of Irish culture and history!!

I am just tired of everyone wearing green, decorating with shamrocks and leprechaun, and not even taking a moment to think about the true history of this holiday. We do tend to do that don't we. The TRUE history of Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and heck, even Christmas is lost on most people. If it was the other way around, and the Druids had strung St Patrick up by his shamrocks, I am pretty sure we won't be celebrating World Tree Day and all wearing Sun Wheels!

Okay, rant over, and if you see anyone wearing all black today, now you will know why

WiiMom's Blog Swing, Welcome to Jill Berry!

2009-03-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

I'm posting here as part of the Blog Swing Post http://fitness.coolmomguide.com/. Frankly, this is a great concept. I hope Cool Mom Guide does it again. It's like fellowship on the 'net. A support group for moms who want to get fit and lose weight.

I'm not what you would call a fitness fanatic. I'm perhaps more like the Phillies Phanatic. So, it would be fair to say that fitness and I have a checkered past.

My fitness journey thus far:

1. In high school, I recall my dad forcing me to play tennis on the weekend. If playing tennis wasn't bad enough, I also wore a bright green warmup suit. Nice!

2. I joined a health club in my 20s. I made it to the finals of a racquetball tournament because one opponent broke her arm and the other one was a no show. Does anyone still play racquetball?

3. I attended Weight Watchers 3 times in my 30s. I once joined with a group from work. I quit after other people at work would question what we were eating and how many points each item was.

4. I gained 50 pounds with each of my three children. I don't have morning sickness. Period.

5. I lost half of the weight gained with each pregnancy. My oldest is now 13...I have a long way to go.

6. With the pregnancy of my third child I needed to purchase new maternity clothes since the old maternity clothes had become my regular attire.

7. My son is 5. I am proud to say that I stopped wearing maternity clothes when he was 2.

8. I joined a health club in my 40s.

After all these missteps and blips in my fitness journey, I found the motivation to lose weight and get fit. What was my motivation? A health club membership.

My husband surprised me with a health club membership two years ago. He thought it was something that I wouldn't purchase for myself. He was right. The first summer I joined a fitness incentive program at the health club. For every 25 visits I earned a small prize: a workout towel, a water bottle, and a gift card to Home Depot. This program was just the motivation I needed to get going.

For the last two years I have worked out twice a week while my son and daughter have swim team practice. I use the elliptical machines, treadmill, and bike. My interest is there, but not as strong as it was. Several times I have read a book during my children's practice rather than workout. I've hit a bump in the fitness road that is not so easily tackled.

Enter the wii... Last summer we purchased a wii as part of our staycation. Our planned trip to England was scrapped due to high costs of travel and hotels. The wii was intended for family use. Well, the kids and my husband absolutely loved it. My daughters played wii Sports and wii Play, while my husband and son played wii NFL Madden. I tried bowling. I tried tennis. I wasn't good at either. I let my family enjoy the games while I did my thing at the health club.

Just after Christmas we were shopping in Costco and found a wii Fit. It was there. It was $79. It was in our shopping cart immediately. About 10 people asked us where we found the wii Fit as we continued shopping. Shopping win!

I love wii Fit. We had fun as a family introducing our mii people to the game. We laughed as our mii people took shape: my husband and I are pear-shaped and my kids look the same. The balance games are fun. Who knew my center of gravity was off kilter. The heading the soccer ball game was difficult for all of us. We all love the ski jump game. My oldest is a champion at the hula hoop. My middle daughter likes all the games.

As I get more comfortable with using the wii Fit, I hope to practice more yoga poses. I would also like to work on my balance issues. I like the accountability of the scale in wii Fit. Scales don't lie. I know I am in a weight range that I need to get out of. I think wii Fit might just be the right tool for me coupled with my health club workouts.

When not wii Fiting and ellipticizing, Jill blogs at www.writingmylifeoneblogatatime.blogspot.com

Look for me posting @coolmomguide tomorrow :)

2009-03-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

A few LOLCelebrities to share ;)

2009-03-06T11:29:00.000-08:00