The Green Diet

And We Have a Winner…

2012-01-30T02:04:00.001-07:00

Using random.org for my blog candy winner got me this:

(I used the number 15 for number of comments since two were duplicates)

Which means that

TraceyJean Jan 23, 2012 07:03 AM

I'm curious to see the project you completed. Been looking at these inks but haven't made the leap just yet. Would love a chance to try one out...

should come on down!

I don’t have a way to contact you, so please email me your mailing address and I will get this out in the mail. My email address is over on the left side of my blog.

I’m excited for you to try this ink, you’re going to love it.

Thanks again to Hero Arts for sending me an extra ink pad!

Silly Dog Video

2012-01-27T00:07:00.001-07:00

While editing pictures for Project Life, I came across these four pictures and put together a silly little video. Makes me smile.

My silly dog.

There are a few days left to win some new Hero Arts ink, don't forget to enter!

Who Wants to try the new Hero Arts Ink?

2012-01-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

I just finished a small stamping project for Hero Arts and am absolutely in love with their new mid-tone shadow inks. I’ve never used a Hero Arts ink before, and now I’m wondering why not. They are wonderful. The colors are lovely, the inks are forgiving, and the saturation is just perfect.

(I am no artist, so that description was all mine, in case those words make absolutely no sense to anyone that might be reading this, and happens to be a real artist.)

Anyway… Hero Arts sent me an extra Pool Shadow Ink pad, and since I don’t need it, I’m going to give it away here as blog candy.

All you have to do is leave me a comment here on this post. It would be nice if you started following me, but I won’t make that a contingency.

This is open to all commenters, worldwide. So, you know… comment away.

Edited to add: I will post the winner on Monday, January 30, 2012. Winner will be chosen via random.org.

Blog Your Heart

2011-12-31T19:50:00.001-07:00

The amazing Stephanie Howell issued a challenge today to “Blog Your Heart.” So, I am.

2011 was not an easy year for me, but I know people who had it harder. And that makes me feel that I have no right to complain. That’s self-imposed, by the way. No one tells me that I can’t complain.

And since Stephanie issued the challenge, and since I’ve been wanting to blog some things for a few weeks now, I’ve decided to use New Year’s Eve to my advantage, and get this off my chest.

February 12th, 2009 was the day that I found out that we would not be having any children, of our own. It was the day that my last fertility treatment was cancelled, because the frozen embryos did not survive the thaw.

That was after two fresh rounds of IVF.

That was after three rounds of clomid and the “not as fun as it sounds” timed intercourse.

My husband has “perfect sperm”. Which makes all of this my fault. And for those of you who want to know, my fertility “issue” is that my tubes are blocked. Plus, at the time, I was in my late 30’s, also known as “advanced maternal age”, which I likened to the other “AMA”, against medical advice. As in, it’s against MY medical advice to tell me that I am at an advanced maternal age. Just saying.

Anyway, that was almost three years ago. And I got over it, eventually. It wasn’t easy, but it happened. And we went on with our lives, and spoiled other people’s children.

I made some good friends during my infertility journey. One of them, we’ll call her Jessica (because that’s her name), is still a very good friend of mine. And we still email, talk, and text each other all the time. You know, like when I’m having raging PMS and just can’t figure out why I get to have PMS every freaking month, but can’t have a baby.

While I was bitching about my PMS in November, just last month, Jessica said “ummm, you’ve been bitching about PMS for about three weeks now, I think you’re pregnant.” Now, I’m paraphrasing here, because she spent about a week telling me how I must be pregnant. And I finally said to her “I am the least pregnant person you will ever meet, now stop saying that. Thanks.”

And then I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. Holy shit, I peed on a stick, and the stick did not win. That has never happened to me before, and Ladies & Gentlemen*, I have peed on a lot of sticks during my two years of fertility treatments.

Miracles do happen. Infertile women do get pregnant the old fashioned way. You know, via sex. It was amazing. Being pregnant. Not the sex. I’m not sure that I remember the sex.

And now I’m not pregnant. I miscarried on December 10th. Which, really, is a whole other post. Holy hell, I had no idea a miscarriage could be so painful. Probably because no one speaks of them, but still, that’s information that people should know. If you’re pregnant, and you know it, and you’re at least eight weeks along, and your body decides to be a bitch and throw the baby out, it’s going to hurt like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Ever.

So, that’s my 2011 in a nutshell. I was pregnant. I had a miscarriage.

I believed in miracles. And then mine was taken away from me.

I have a lot I want to say on this subject, but I’m going to post this right away to get it out there, and end this year on a high note. You’ll be hearing more from me on this subject, I’m sure.

***

If you have any questions about infertility, please ask me. I’m sort of an expert since I’ve been through most treatments for it, and would be happy to share my knowledge. I can not help you get pregnant though. Clearly.

* – I know of two men that read my blog, hence the proper usage of the word “gentlemen”.

Are you using Photo Stream?

2011-12-30T03:42:00.001-07:00

The other day I was helping a friend with her iPhone and importing photos to her computer.. I saw “Photo Stream” on her iPhone and had a very vague idea of what it was all about.

Well, tonight I was pondering how I might get my husband (Hi, Robert!) involved in ~~our~~ my upcoming Project Life journey. I was thinking it would be pretty neat if I could get him to contribute to the stash of things I’d like to include in Project Life. You know, receipts, cool collectibles, etc. Most importantly, photos.

Then I came across a reference to this amazing post by Lisa Truesdell. She mentions using iCloud to sync her photos wirelessly from her iPhone to her computer. SIGN ME UP!

A big reason why this will work for us is that my husband and I share an iTunes account, so now all of our photos will sync to one folder on our computer, and I can just pull from there for Project Life.

It’s very easy to set up. You just have to turn it on on each of your iOS devices, and then download a control panel, if your computer is a PC rather than a MAC.

There is even a way to manually upload photos, if you need to do so. The standard is that it just starts to work with the next picture you take, after setting it up on your phones/computers. The great thing about that is that we’re very close to January 1st, when I plan to start my Project Life.

I am very excited that I learned about this, it will make Project Life even easier. I can’t wait to get started!

Project Life

2011-12-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

I've decided to jump in and do Project Life starting in 2012. I've loved seeing other bloggers post about their Project Life albums over the past few years, but never felt that it was for me. It's just myself, my husband, and our dog, and I have always felt a little bit like I have "nothing to scrapbook".

I was wrong. I have a life, and I intend to document it in Project Life, starting in just a few days. I am very excited about it. A great friend of mine gifted me the Clementine core kit, and the page protectors that I will need to get started. I haven't decided on an album yet, but I've got a while before that's really necessary. I'm thinking I'll go with an American Crafts modern 3-ring binder. Those appeal to me the most.

Here's a picture of the core kit, love the packaging, the design, and just the fact that it's here in my happy little hands! I've already made my first and last page, since the kit comes with pieces designed for that. I'm sure I'll embellish and/or edit them as soon as January rolls around, but so far they are just perfect.

I've added the badge to my sidebar, which for some reason, makes me pretty darn happy.

In case I don't check in before the weekend is over, I wish you all a very Happy Holiday season.

I love Hero Arts!

2011-12-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

If you got here from the Hero Arts blog, welcome! I really do love Hero Arts. Their products are beautifully designed, made in the USA, and work perfectly, right out of the package! No wasting paper, ink, or time, when using Hero Arts stamps!

And, Hero Arts has recently won a Top Environmental Leadership Award. And that makes my little green heart go pitter patter!

Hero Arts mentioned on today’s blog that they sometimes enlist the help of outside stampers to get their samples done for stores worldwide. Well, I’m one of the lucky gals that gets to help! Honestly, it’s lots of fun for me. First, I get to deal with Jennifer McGuire. Hello, amazing lady. Second, I sometimes get to see a stamp image or even actual rubber before it’s released to the public. Yes, I have top secret stamp clearance. It’s awesome. Third, as a reward for helping out, I receive some Hero Arts products in return!

Here is a little something I made with the Big Ticket stamp set and with the Large Fabric Design background stamp. I just stamped the background with Distress Stain in picket fence, onto kraft wrapping paper. Then I used the Tim Holtz winter seasonal distress inks to stamp my ticket. I happen to LOVE how it turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to have some more Hero Arts goodness up soon!

Friendship

2011-12-15T22:12:00.001-07:00

Tonight I was texting a good friend of mine. And I confessed something to her, something I’ve been keeping from her for a few years.

Something deeply personal, that was about me. I hadn’t told her before because I didn’t want my issue to affect the way she shared her life with me. I didn’t want her to hold back.

I realized that that was a very selfish thing for me to do. And maybe a bit controlling, too.

I did it because I didn’t want her to feel guilty about something that was beyond her control. Or mine, for that matter.

Ends up we’ve both been keeping a secret for the past few years.

Shame on me for being selfish.

ETA: I really meant to say “how selfish was that that we didn't give each other the chance to support each other?”

Neat Gadget

2011-10-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

The Nest Learning Thermostat. Wow, this is a neat item.

It's a good looking thermostat, created by the original designer of the iPod. Here's a basic overview:

To program it, you answer a few basic questions about what temp you want for day and night. When you leave for the day and turn the temp down, the Nest will record that and follow a similar pattern. The device even knows when you consistently raise the temp on specific days of the week. You can then see your energy patterns (and savings) through an online portal and via a handy (you guessed it) iPhone app.

I love the concept of this, and the neat design. I especially love that they have a link on their website entitled "responsibility", where they address their environmental practices.

Hey, good looking...

Let’s Play “Guess the Product”

2011-10-13T19:39:00.001-07:00

I saw these ingredients on a food product today at Safeway. What do you think it is?

SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OILS, WATER, CORN SYRUP, CORN STARCH, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CELLULOSE GEL, SALT, PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOSTEARATE, CARRAGEENAN, ARTIFICIAL COLOR INCLUDING RED 40 AND YELLOW 5, POLYSORBATE 80, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE), CITRIC ACID, CELLULOSE GUM, SOY LECITHIN, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE.

I am blown away by this list of ingredients.

For a second, I was afraid that this was just a listing of the ingredients in cream cheese, plus stuff to make it into frosting. Thank G-d, I was wrong. Philadelphia Cream Cheese contains the following: PASTEURIZED NONFAT MILK AND MILKFAT, CHEESE CULTURE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, GUAR GUM, CAROB BEAN GUM. CONTAINS: MILK.

For me, it doesn’t matter. We’re vegan now, and will be trying a cream cheese frosting made from Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. I don’t like frosting, so I’m sure I’ll be okay with it. We’ll have a non-vegan do a blind taste test.

Do You Know Your Biggest Regret in Life?

2011-10-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

I do. I feel powerful because I know what it is. I don't have to think about the question. Don't have to ponder, to wonder. Liberating. Maybe.

Video is well done, a bit long. Worth watching, in my opinion.

Vegan Yarn

2011-09-18T19:38:00.002-07:00

Just a quick post...

Robert and I have become vegans. More on that in the next few posts.

Today I was buying yarn for a crochet project and realized that I couldn't get a wool yarn.

It was actually a pretty neat feeling.

In case you're wondering, I got bamboo yarn. Sustainable. Renewable. Green living at its finest.

Change of Venue

2011-06-30T14:17:00.001-07:00

I’m changing my domain to www.lisastein.com. Please make sure to update your bookmarks, favorites, RSS reader, etc.

Thanks so much. See you over there.

Couch to 5k, Part Deux

2011-04-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

I started the Couch to 5k program on Monday. Again. I should have written about this on Monday, but in all fairness to me, the last time I did a day of the C25k program was ten months ago. Since I did it again today, clearly, this is going to stick. And I shall tell you all about it, lucky reader(s).

Here are some tools that I use to make this more fun.

The Nike+ website. That’s a link to my history. Don’t worry, it’s not showing off. I don’t even have Lance Armstrong telling me how great I am. Yet. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this site, when you do exceptional things, different runners/athletes whisper sweet nothings in your ear. I’m looking forward to that happening. Soon.
The Nike+ sensor. I just have the sensor in a pouch attached with velcro around my laces. You don’t need to wear Nike shoes to use the sensor.
I use this iPhone app, C25K to tell me when to walk, run, walk, run, etc. I got some recommendations from friends, and most said to use this particular app. It’s changed a lot since I first purchased it, all for the better. You can load playlists into it, journal your mood, the weather, etc. I like it.

The way that C25k works is that you start off by walking/warming up. Then you go to 60 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, and continue doing that for 31 minutes. Then as you progress through the program the walking gets shorter and the running gets longer. On Monday, my week 1 day 1, I couldn’t even make it through the first 60 seconds of running. After doing about 35 seconds of it, I switched back to walking. I was feeling okay about that, knew that I would just continue to do week 1 day 1 until I could complete it as planned. Then the following song started playing: Click here to see it (edited for audience). Well, that just made me laugh out loud. And I thought, really, what was I thinking? I can do this. It might take me longer than other people, but I can do this.

So I did. Ended up just running two minutes total on Monday, but that’s okay. It’s two minutes more than I ran on Sunday.

Yesterday I could barely walk. My shins were making their presence known, and not in a nice way. Ends up I should have switched to my new sneakers on Monday. I just didn’t want to start using the last pair of sneakers that I had. I fell in love with a particular style/model two summers ago, and have been hoarding a spare pair. Don’t worry, this is my second spare pair. I haven’t been wearing the same sneakers for two years. And when I wear sneakers on the treadmill, I do not ever wear them on the street. So now I will rotate pair number two into street wear and pair number one will be donated.

I’m still in a lot of pain today, but knew that if I didn’t get on the treadmill today, I’d have to do it tomorrow. That’s always great incentive for me. So I laced up the new pair of shoes and did week 1 day 1 all over again. This time, I RAN FOR ALL NINE MINUTES!!! I wasn’t breaking any land speed records, but I ran. I ran, I ran, I ran! I kept thinking “you don’t have to run the first time it tells you to, you can ease into it.” Then I realized that I was talking myself out of it when I should have been talking myself into it; so I did.

I’m very proud of myself. I didn’t run or walk as fast as I did on Monday, but I completed it, as designed, and that means I can move on to day 2 on Friday!

Oh, and just so you know… the incentive for all of this? I start Boot Camp on May 2nd.

New Recycling Facility in Phoenix

2011-01-17T01:19:00.001-07:00

I think this sounds pretty neat. Wonder if the public can take tours. I'd totally be into this!

Waste Management opens high-tech, high-efficiency facility

edited to add: No public tours due to fast moving equipment.

Oh, The Places We Have Been

2011-01-14T01:53:00.001-07:00

What is it about the places we used to live, that makes us go back and look at them?

It’s something my mother does, each time she’s in Savannah, Georgia, her home town.

It’s something my father used to do when he took us to downtown Philadelphia.

It’s something my husband does whenever we’re meandering through different parts of Scottsdale. With him, though, it’s become a joke. “Yes, honey, as a matter of fact, I DID know you lived here once. You see, I pay attention to you when you talk to me, and you might have mentioned if a few (read that as EVERY SINGLE TIME WE DRIVE BY) times.”

That happened today. Robert pointed out a place where he used to live, and shockingly, it was a new place on my list of Places Robert Has Lived.

It got me thinking about this subject, though.

Why do we go back to the places we’ve been before. Is it to see if it looks the same? If it feels the same? Do we leave a little part of ourselves wherever we’ve been, and then we go back to see if we can recapture that part of our soul?

I think it’s a nice thing, in a melancholy way, to look at the places where we used to live.

I also happen to think it’s nice to look at Oh, The Places You’ll Go.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T20:55:00.001-07:00

I could acknowledge that I haven’t blogged in forever, but I don’t want to do that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy your family, whether they’re related to you or not.

More Pumpkins!

2010-10-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

Well, more pumpkin, to be exact. Made this one to finish the trio. And now I will ship them off to their new home.

Oh, and this one is HUGE. It looks like it could eat the other two.

Eek! I’m “Famous”

2010-10-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

Not really, but I’ve started to crochet, and joined something called the Pumpkin Patch Crochet-Along.

The wonderful amigurumi artist has featured one of my pumpkins on her blog. And she called me brilliant. Click here to see the post. I made the pumpkin with the button bottom. Love it!

And here’s a link to the Flickr group, where you can see all of the pumpkins in the patch. So cute!

And, yes, I’ve decided to ignore that I haven’t posted in about forever. :)

Free Custom Luggage Tags

2010-04-04T21:57:00.001-07:00

KLM Airlines is giving away some pretty neat luggage tags. Go here!

Update on BPA, courtesy of the Whole Foods Blog

2010-01-19T11:13:00.001-07:00

Click here for a great article on the latest US Government “standings” on BPA.

50 Ways to Help the Planet

2009-12-30T02:13:00.002-07:00

Here's a great chart that I hope will inspire you to do your part for the environment:

50 Ways to Help the Planet

How do they do that?

2009-12-22T01:53:00.001-07:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia   Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Northeast
The Midland
The Inland North
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

What Not To Do When Making a Tunnel of Fudge Cake.

2009-12-17T22:20:00.001-07:00

Do you ever watch America’s Test Kitchen, or Cook’s Country? I do, and really enjoy them. You learn some interesting things. The only frustration, for me, is that since I don’t subscribe to the magazine, I can’t access the recipes online.

Well, last Saturday, Cook’s Country featured a chocolate cake called Tunnel of Fudge Cake. I had to make this cake! This meant that I opened up a new file on my computer and transcribed the recipe as I watched; pausing and rewinding as required.

And since we were invited to a friend’s house tomorrow night, I was provided with a reason to make this cake. Yay! I prefer to make things like cakes and pies when we’re having company, or when we can bring it somewhere to share. Cookies I can make and freeze the batter, a cake will just go stale here. Or, even worse, get eaten!

I made the cake tonight. It’s a fairly simple recipe, just many steps. And it involves ~~four~~ five bowls. So, I make the cake, and get it into the oven. As I lick a bit of batter off my finger before loading the dishwasher I think to myself “that cake looks pale and tastes terrible”. I was a bit worried as I did some chocolate and cocoa substituting; I hoped I hadn’t messed up any of the science.

Ummm. What’s that? In the bowl to the left of the sink? Oh! That’s the sugar, cocoa and salt mixture. Huh. Wonder if the cake would be darker AND tastier if that were in the batter versus on my counter?

I have never in my life taken the cake batter out of the pan and tried to add another ingredient. I had no choice. I was out of some of the ingredients!

The good news is that the cake batter DID taste much better once I had added the rest of the ingredients. And since it was a dry mixture that needed to be added, I felt that I could incorporate it properly and have no negative side effects (fingers crossed).

The ironic part? When I took the flat beater off of the stand mixer to remove the bowl I intentionally didn’t put it in the sink, where it would get dirty. I felt like I had just “missed” something. I then went through the recipe to make sure I included all of the ingredients. And I had. Just not incorporated them all.

Update on cake, after tasting:

Super rich. Too much chocolate for me. I think I’d like it better with a confectioner’s sugar glaze on top, rather than a fudge topping. Small slices are the way to go. Although, even though we all said “too rich”, we also all pretty much cleaned our plates. :O)

Poignant

2009-12-03T01:05:00.001-07:00

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God from Frank Warren on Vimeo.

Turkey Talk

2009-11-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

I love this holiday. I decorate for this holiday. I cook for this holiday. I invite friends and family to celebrate this holiday with us.

It’s my favorite.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

A Moment in Time

2009-11-07T15:39:00.001-07:00

I just heard that an “internet friend” of mine passed away in her sleep last night. 38 years old. Seemingly healthy. Her baby turns one next week.

It’s a reminder that we should all be thankful for what we have. Whether or not we have what we want.

I Just Love this Guy!!!

2009-11-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

Let’s Win This, Phillies!!!

Blog Counter Gone

2009-11-04T00:07:00.001-07:00

Lovely. I just noticed that my blog counter is whacked.

Anyone have a suggestion for a nice, free, blog counter?

Thanks!

Shopping Bag Credit

2009-11-01T18:24:00.001-07:00

Just came from a quick trip to Whole Foods. I didn’t bring my shopping bag in with me. Told them I didn’t want a bag. I do this often, when I forget my bags. I just load up the cart and then bag the items when I get to my car.

Why don’t I get a bag refund for NOT using a bag at all?

This is Neat

2009-11-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

Let’s Go Phillies!

2009-10-27T20:23:00.001-07:00

I grew up in Philadelphia, with a father who was a big baseball fan. I would endure going to the games with him because of this:

That’s the Phillie Phanatic for those of you that might not know. He’s the mascot of the team, and the best thing ever. I love that green guy.

I’m still jealous because he once kissed my Mom. A Phillie Phanatic kiss entails a snake-like tongue coming out of his snout.

Here’s to the World Series, and the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Last year, and this year.

I Think It’s About Time

2009-10-27T17:16:00.001-07:00

That some of these things became reality:

A clothes folding machine. This can be the final cycle of my dryer, I don’t care. It’s the worst part of laundry.
A pillow or pillowcase that stays cold. I’m sick of flipping my pillow all night long.
Legs that self-shave. Or something like that. Haven’t we evolved past the need for leg hair?

Was this too much information?

Oh, and I’d like a dish fairy too. Even if she just puts the dishes away after the dishwasher is finished.

Craft Store Oddities

2009-10-22T17:35:00.001-07:00

A new Hobby Lobby opened near me today. This is exciting only in that my local Michaels is not one of the fancy stores; in fact, it’s pretty bad. I went to Hobby Lobby to see if there were any opening day specials, etc. Didn’t notice anything spectacular, other than that the store was clean. And the clearance section was stocked with random things that they wanted you to buy, things that shouldn’t have been clearanced. Like the cute little chicken that will sit on my kitchen counter soon.

Here’s the weird thing about Hobby Lobby. And when I say “the” weird thing, I mean the one that bothers me the most. Why don’t they have bar code scanning cash registers? They put out a flyer every week and the cashiers have to figure out what you’re buying and whether or not it’s on sale this week. That makes perfect sense for a store that just opened its doors on October 22, 2009, right? If only that technology was available. Soon, I hope.

Now, let’s discuss a policy at Michaels that makes my head want to explode. This first came to light about two months ago when my friend Tracy was at a Michaels and a bunch of items from their clearance section rang up at .01. That is not a typo, that’s a penny. Items at Michaels rang up as a penny. Tracy thinks this is wonderful, of course. Until the cashier says “you can’t buy these things, when something rings up at a penny that means it needs to be thrown out.”

Yes, I did say “thrown out” and Tracy clarified that the term meant what it sounded like it meant. They THROW THINGS AWAY RATHER THAN SELLING THEM OR DONATING THEM. What a strange policy.

So… Tracy and I are at Michaels a few days ago, on the elusive search for a Martha Stewart punch, and something rings up as a penny. We just look at each other, we know what’s coming next. It doesn’t come. The cashier lets us buy this item, a Sizzix die. For a penny. Yahoo!

Since the Cashier seems friendly, I inquire about the “throw out the clearanced items” policy, and she does confirm that that is the official policy. Items cannot be sold, they must be thrown out. I ask why the items aren’t donated to a school, or a senior home, etc. She says it’s because people will return the items for credit or refunds. I suggest they could take the items out of the packaging, and donate them “naked”. She pretty much looks at me like I’ve grown a horn out of my forehead.

I then go on to suggest that they could donate the items out of the country, where stores don’t exist so they can’t be returned. Now it seems that my horn has changed colors. She says “it’s a weird policy, I don’t agree with it, it just is.” End of conversation.

What do you think of this policy? Wasteful, right? Poor economic choice as well. Why not just let people buy the items?

Health Care Estimates

2009-09-28T23:27:00.001-07:00

We had to take our dog to the doggie ER at 4am Friday. He’s fine, but it was scary. Probably more so for us than for him. Once they thought about what treatment they wanted to do, they presented us with two estimates. One was for the minimum care and the other was for the ideal care. The second included x-rays, etc.

We decided on which course of action we wanted, they had us sign the estimate, then they took our doggie away for some treatment in back.

Afterward we went to pay the bill and it was exactly the same as the estimate.

Today I opened the mail and we have an Explanation of Benefits from our (human) health insurance company, telling us that we are responsible for $171.39 for an ultrasound one of us recently received. How come we didn’t know that in advance? Why didn’t the doctor’s office tell us what the fees would be? We paid our co-pay, and I guess in some self-induced health care fantasy, I thought that would cover the day’s activities.

Why do our pets receive up-front information and we don’t?

The thing is, I had an x-ray a few months ago. You might remember my ranting about needing physical therapy, but having to have an x-ray before I could get cleared for PT. I didn’t think to ask in advance, what that x-ray would cost me, but afterward I did call and ask. And got a complete runaround. I can only imagine what would have happened had I asked at the check-in desk.

We need to make this simpler. When you sign that “financial responsibility” form at a Doctor’s office, you really have no idea what you’re agreeing to, not until the bill comes. When did we, as Americans, agree to that?

Oh, and Tucker is 98% back to normal now, thank G-d. We were very scared, but he’ll be okay.

SIGG Water Bottles. Anyone?

2009-09-14T12:29:00.001-07:00

SIGG has come out and said that pre-2008 bottles are NOT BPA-free. Here’s a link to the SIGG site that give you all the information you need: http://mysigg.com/liner/

Glad they are providing an easy exchange system for the old bottles.

Haunting

2009-09-12T22:48:00.001-07:00

From today’s PostSecret update:

Let’s Play Catch Up

2009-09-04T18:16:00.001-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I’ve not been around. Sorry. Let’s catch up, shall we?

Sprint has sent us yet ANOTHER statement telling us that they owe us .08, and not to send a payment. Okay, thanks big corporation that can’t figure out how to change their invoices to say “we won’t be sending you anything else until you owe us, okay?”.
I got a letter the other day from our health insurance company. My birthday is coming up (tomorrow) and they wanted to let me know that my birthday is a great time to go in for my annual “lady parts” examination. And that if I look at my provider directory, they “even have female physicians available”. Oh, really? You mean it’s NOT 1948 still? Welcome to 2009, Health Insurance Company of America. Female doctors. Wearing pants, probably.
Tucker turned nine last month. I don’t think anyone told him. He still acts like a two year old Golden Retriever. Just with a nine year old face.
Customer Service is a hot topic for me. I pride myself on being very customer oriented, and excelled at it in any job I ever held. Whether my customers were hotel guests, employees, or work associates. Customer Service in 2009 is worse than ever. I have been to a few local scrapbook stores lately and have inquired about a product. When they didn’t have it only one out of six stores asked if I wanted them to order it for me. What are these other stores doing for business these days? Just waiting for someone to come in and buy whatever they have on the shelves, and not have an original thought? It’s very frustrating to me. I prefer to buy local; I like to keep the money in the community and I don’t like to pay for shipping. Who wants to open a scrapbook store with me?
I’ve been on a peach cobbler craze lately. And the most shocking part is that we eat it all. I usually make a dessert, we each have a piece and the rest gets thrown away. Not so with this cobbler recipe. Delicious! Made it a few nights ago in eight ramekins, fit perfectly!

That’s it for now. Need to work on some crafty things, so I should be back in the next day or two.

Have a great long weekend. Be safe.

File this under “WTF were they thinking”?

2009-07-15T19:33:00.001-07:00

Do I have to bring my own memorabilia, or will they sell that to me as well?

Things that make you say “huh”.

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

I got this month’s issue of Real Simple in the mail over the weekend. Opened it last night and saw a small blurb about disposing of expired medication. It starts by stating that putting medicine down the drain, and therefore into the sewer system, is not a good idea. It damages the ecosystem and waterways. I couldn’t agree more.

Goes on to say that you should “mix most expired pills with coffee grounds, cat litter, or sawdust in a zippered plastic bag and throw it out with the garbage”. This poses a problem for me as I don’t have or use any of those items. I’m just being hypothetical here though, as I don’t have any pills to dispose of either.

Here’s where I get lost:

“Highly addictive drugs, such as Percocet and OxyContin… should be flushed, to eliminate any chance of accidental ingestion.”

Who is digging through coffee grounds, cat litter and/or sawdust to get illicit drugs? Is it wrong for me to think that if someone is going to all that effort, they should get a little “something something” for their efforts?

United Breaks Guitars

2009-07-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

I like the idea behind this video. Can’t do much against a big conglomerate, so they did what they do best.

Recycled Trash Bags

2009-07-01T23:35:00.001-07:00

Starting July 6th, ending July 26th, these trash bags will be available for $10.49, DELIVERED, from Costco.com. They are made out of 75% recycled plastic, including 10% post-consumer material. 150 bags, 13 gallon size, which is kitchen trash can size.

I usually buy my trash bags from Whole Foods, and they’re $6.00 for 30, so this is a great price.

When you purchase them, the item you want is at the bottom, they’re called “re-claim”.

I’m marking my calendar!

Menfolk, Stop Reading Now

2009-06-29T22:16:00.001-07:00

We’ll be talking about breasts. And you wouldn’t be interested in that.

Squeezing breasts, to be more precise. I had my first mammogram today. And the part I dreaded most was the handling of my breast by a strange woman. And guess what? That was the worst part.

For those that have never had one, here’s the rundown:

Check in for procedure. I did not agree to pay $25 to have the Computer Assisted Diagnosis as I’d like to have a doctor look at the results, not a computer. And, I’m cheap.
See that every table in the waiting room has a piece of paper taped to it that says “please leave magazines here”. I do not see one magazine in the entire place. Ever.
Get taken back to a corridor that says “women only” on the door. Interesting.
Sit in another waiting room.
See a woman in a full length pink gown in the waiting room. Uh oh, I haven’t shaved my legs.
Have my name called and am told to change into a gown. The “gown” is more like a jacket and would be snug on Calista Flockhart. I’m serious. I don’t know many people that this jacket would fit. I go back into the corridor and ask if they have any in a larger size. They look at me like I am an alien and then say no. I ask if I can just wear my shirt into the room.
Get into the room and the lady is just doing paperwork, etc. Then basically tells me to take off my top. Yay. I get to undress in front of her and stand there naked from the waist up. I’m so happy.
She tells me that she has to put stickers on my nipples. What? No one has mentioned this to me. I have since learned that this is old technology, and digital mammography doesn’t require this. Now I’m wondering about that $25.
I ask the girl her name. I feel like I should know this much, since she’s essentially getting to second base with me.
Lots of breast manipulation at this point. Not enjoyable. Not the worst thing I’ve been through though.
I get to get dressed in front of her. Another pleasant experience.
She has me sit in the waiting room so she can make sure the films are clear. I’m thinking they’re going to have to bribe me to disrobe again, if they’re not.
Encounter a 65 year old woman in the waiting room, the one in the full length pink gown. She’s there for a bone scan. She’s only ever had one mammogram and will never have another. Was too painful. She was glad her cousin/best friend got one every year, but she never would. She felt that it was so painful that it would cause a problem, rather than diagnose one.
Get the all clear from my technician, which saves me from an exasperated conversation with the 65 year old.

Final thoughts? If you’re due for one, schedule it, get it done. The boob squeezing isn’t pleasant, but it’s not worth avoiding.

And here’s the 5k update: I have blisters! My soles were killing me, so I got some insoles today. They didn’t help much, and I think that the shoes are too big, so I got a blister. Back to the Running Store tomorrow. Anyone have any sock recommendations?

What Should I do with all these Blueberries?

2009-06-24T21:56:00.001-07:00

My sister was here this past weekend. We went to Costco. That meant we got the Costco size of the following:

Cherries (finished them yesterday)
Strawberries (finished them today)
Blackberries (just a handful left)
Plums (just two left, will eat those tonight)
Blueberries (a LOT left, how can I eat all of these?)

So… I made blueberry muffins tonight.

Delicious.

And the best part is that they freeze well. I’ll put them on a cookie sheet, freeze them overnight, and in the morning, I’ll put them in a freezer bag. That’s called flash freezing. If I were to just put them in a freezer bag and freeze them that way, they might get stuck together, which makes it difficult for thawing just one.

The Long Awaited Invitation Post

2009-06-15T16:53:00.001-07:00

Every year my sister hosts a big summer barbecue. I make the invitations. Above is this year’s invitation. I absolutely love how it looks and feels. It was a lot of work, but very much worth the effort.

(You can click on any of these pictures to make them bigger.)

Here’s a picture of the inside:

How cute is that Riley? That’s BBQ Riley, from Hanna Stamps, and I just think he’s the cutest little moose ever. I have lots of Rileys and just love them. Besides how cute they are, the quality of the rubber is amazing. As you can see, I stamped him directly onto my cardstock, so it was very important to me that I get perfect images, each and every time. I made 42 invitations. And I only had to stamp him 42 times! Do you know how miraculous that is? For most other stamp companies I have to stamp multiple images just to get the perfect image. Not for Riley though. Yay!

Here’s a close up of Riley himself:

He’s colored with Copic markers, and a Sakura silver pen. I used Adirondack ink to stamp him. Kraft cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy patterned paper, my printer for the text and the Stampin’ Up! Top Note Die. For the front I used the Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain stamp, and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I just love the feel of that, makes me happy! The utensils were punched with a small punch, and then I used the Stampin’ Up! curly label punch to finish the design.

And… last but not least, I’m submitting this card as my application to Hanna Stamps to be part of their design team! How exciting is that? Wish me luck!

Please let me know what you think, and email me if you have any questions.

Are you a Taster or a Gambler?

2009-06-12T21:00:00.001-07:00

I just got home from our local “farmer’s market” where I’ve lately been buying my produce for the week. I get a bag of cherries, then proceed to the bulk aisle. While I’m scooping some sushi style rice into my bag, I notice a woman carrying a bag of cherries back to the cherry section. And she takes a pit out of her mouth. Huh.

She puts the bag of cherries back onto the display, then takes another bag and places it into her cart. I think to myself “Oh, she must have tasted one, it met with her approval, and now she’s getting a different bag to buy because she wouldn’t want to buy the one that was opened.”

A few moments later she comes back to the cherry display, and puts her bag BACK on the display. Walks away empty handed. What does that mean?

When I first saw her I almost, jokingly, asked her how the cherries were, since I had just put a bag in my cart. And now, I was concerned that the cherries were so unpalatable that she couldn’t even fathom buying a bag, even though she’d tested at least two different bags.

What do you do? Do you sneak a taste in the store, or take the risk?

I’m a gambler. I buy the produce. If it’s bad, I either throw it out, in the case of a plum or peach; a single item product. If it’s a multiple item product, like strawberries, or let’s say, cherries, and they’re bad, I return them to the store.

That’s another reason to love Whole Foods. They usually have lots of samples out, and they are more than happy to provide a sample to you if you ask.

And, in case you’re wondering, my strawberry container this week has about one more strawberry than last week.

Edited to add: I have to return my cherries. They’re all soft and not edible. Irony isn’t a strong enough word.

Fredrik The Great

2009-06-11T15:14:00.001-07:00

Last week I made invitations for my sister’s annual barbecue (invitation post to come later). Which I do every year. It’s always fun to make them, but since I’m a bit OCD, the perfectionist in me goes a little cuckoo.

Then I found Fredrik. Would you like to meet him?

Fredrik comes from IKEA and is only $7.99. It’s a plastic drafting desk. I used him (and yes, I DO personify my crafting tools) when I was coloring the stamped image. It was wonderful. Mostly because I didn’t get nearly as sore between my shoulders as I normally do while coloring. Was a great angle to use, no more hunching over my desk.

Might just be my favorite crafting tool.

He’s not available for purchase online, but, if you’d really like one, and don’t have an IKEA nearby, I’m willing to go get him and ship him to you. Yes, he’s THAT wonderful. I’d have to find a box for him, but if someone’s interested, I’ll figure that all out and report back here.

Why did I need a Referral?

2009-06-08T19:32:00.001-07:00

We have a lovely HMO health insurance plan. We’re pretty healthy, so it’s fine. We pay a co-pay for the doctor and we get cheaper prescriptions. As long as it’s a prescription for a drug invented before 1970.

Anyway, I’m having a leg issue. My right leg sometimes goes numb on me, and I’ve lost some mobility in my right foot. The doctor suggests some things for me to take/do to make sure it’s muscular, not neurological. I do them, and it’s muscular. Yeah! That means I get to go to physical therapy, rather than a neurologist. Perfect.

I wait a few days for the required referral to the physical therapy (“PT”) place. I finally get it and I’m allowed 24 visits. The day after the nurse calls me with the information, the PT place actually leaves me a message, to book an appointment. I thought they were on the ball (no pun intended) and was excited.

I called them today to find out the fees. I’m thinking it’s a co-pay situation. After giving her every single piece of identifying data about myself and my insurance she quickly says “Does tomorrow work for you"?” I say that I’d like to know how much this is going to cost me first, ha ha. She says she’ll have to get back to me.

She left me the following voice mail:

“Hi, it’s so and so from PT, I called your insurance company, and here are your benefits: You pay for PT until your deductible has been met. You have a $2,000 deductible of which you’ve met $49.47. After your deductible is met, your insurance pays 10%. Or… we can offer you our cash payment plan. That would be $100 for the first visit, and $80 each subsequent visit. Call me tomorrow to schedule your appointment.”

Really? You can “offer” me your cash plan? Do I sound like someone who can’t use a calculator? Because if I add up your offer, I’d be spending $1,940 (for suggested 24 visits). Why wouldn’t I just do that through insurance so at least I can meet my deductible? Oh, wait. As I type this I realize that those are “special cash” rates, so I’d probably meet my deductible sooner if I went with the insurance rates vs. the cash rates.

I needed to wait for a referral for this? Is that so that my health insurance company gets a kickback in case I happen to be stupid enough to pay for this?

So… if any of you out there are physical therapists, please drop me a line. I’d love to get some tips for fixing my legs with exercise. In the meantime, I’m walking on the treadmill, hoping regular exercise and hopefully some weight loss, will help my leg get back to normal.

Oh, and as an aside, our insurer is raising rates for our next year. By 34%.

Almost a Quart of Strawberries

2009-06-04T13:27:00.001-07:00

I bought this “quart” of strawberries yesterday.

It’s been a while since I’ve purchased a quart of strawberries. We’ve been getting the “bushel” from Costco. Since Robert’s away, I got a few less strawberries this time.

I think I got shorted though. This quart is far from full. And it doesn’t have a “sold by weight, not by volume” disclaimer on the container (which is a good thing, since a quart of fruit IS a volume metric). When did we start getting shorted on our fruits and vegetables?

My father would be enraged by this.

Update: They were delicious.

Neat Application

2009-06-02T22:40:00.001-07:00

How do you save webpages that you want to read, but can’t read right now? Not a website that you bookmark, but a particular article or idea. Well I email them to myself. Then I have an unmanageable number of “unread” emails in my inbox, which drives me crazy. This is the “system” I’ve used for years.

Well, I ran across a super cool website today that allows you to save web pages for reading later. It’s called Instapaper and it’s so easy to use. You sign up, which means a user name or email. That’s it! Tada, you’re registered. Then drag an icon to your bookmarks bar on your web browser.

When you come across an article that you want to read, but can’t read right now, you click on the icon in your toolbar and it saves it to your Instapaper account for you. No more emailing myself. No more saving an article to a bookmark and never remembering to go back to read it at a later date.

This site rocks! I’m so excited.

This also works with an iPhone or iPod touch and the Kindle. You’ll pay a download charge for the Kindle. And you can even add an RSS feed of your unread articles to your reader.

Couch to 5k, ha ha ha ha ha

2009-06-01T17:12:00.001-07:00

Last week I decided I would start the Couch to 5k program while Robert was away at the World Series of Poker.

It ends up I need a program just to get me to the first week of this Couch to 5k program. I’m serious! I can’t run 60 seconds every 90 seconds. Shoot, I can barely run for 60 seconds. I have been walking for at least 40 minutes on the treadmill, every other day. The only reason I’m taking the day off is because the “program” says to, and because my shins are killing me.

I got some new sneakers yesterday, so hopefully my shins will hurt less. When I was walking/running today they seemed to hurt less, but who knows. I’ll have to give it a few days to see if the pain completely goes away.

This program is supposed to get you running a 5k in six weeks. I’m hoping to get to the first week of this program in six weeks. Not joking!

Wish me luck!

My Towels Can Drink

2009-05-19T17:31:00.001-07:00

Legally.

Well, they can in two months. I am still using the towels that my Mom got me to take to college. They’re more like beach towels. And it’s been almost 21 years.

I still have three out of the four towels I brought to college with me. The other one my Dad took ownership of and that’s been long gone.

Guess I’ve always been green.

Just a little oddity I thought I’d share with my blog readers.

My Earth Day Post

2009-04-22T14:11:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite crafty blogs, The Scrap Review, is hosting a challenge today, involving the use of junk mail. Well, I’m happy to say that I can not participate.

We don’t get any junk mail. We signed up a few years ago for something called Green Dimes. It is now called MailStopper.

You pay a small fee and then you tell them what catalogs you want to STOP receiving. They handle the rest for you. One of the pleasant side effects of this is that you spend less money. And covet less catalog items. You don’t know what’s out there, so there’s no need to add it to your “must have” list.

Some other things that we do on a regular basis:

Bring reusable shopping bags with us to the store. This includes grocery store, Target, etc. And, if we forget the bags, we just bring our stuff out in the shopping cart and “bag” the items in the car.
Refillable water bottles. Fill them with filtered water and put them in the fridge. Bottled water! No bottles. :O)
Save boxes and large envelopes from packages received in the mail. Reuse them for anything we ship out.

Happy Earth Day everyone. Take care of her, she’s the only one we have.

Today’s The Day

2009-04-22T02:23:00.001-07:00

To print your rebate form for the 100% Recycled Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil.

If you followed the link last week you should have gotten a reminder email today. Don’t forget to follow the instructions. Great product, and free.

Click here.

Going to be a Busy Blog Today

2009-04-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

Why? Because traffic will be directed here from one of the best blogs out there, Bits&Pieces. You see, Cathy had a giveaway. For a scrapbook retreat weekend in Salt Lake City. All you had to do was leave a comment. One of the first comments was from a woman named Lori, who said she needed a getaway because her house burned down. Eek!

Most of the following comments all gave a reason and then said “But, if I win, please give it to Lori” or “how do we send stuff to Lori?”

Ends up that that is exactly what happened. The random winner said “give it to Lori” and that is what happened.

Then I sent a little email to Cathy offering a bonus for Lori, and now Cathy is mailing me a book! Oh my gosh, that’s almost the most thrilling part of this whole thing. You know me and my books.

Anyway, welcome new readers. Sorry that I don’t have any recent paper crafting posts for you. Here’s an oldie, but goodie. Enjoy.

(I’m a much better air brusher these days.)

100% Recycled Aluminum Foil

2009-04-14T12:43:00.001-07:00

How neat is that? And you can get a free roll! Click here to sign up for a rebate for this great new product.

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

2009-04-08T02:18:00.001-07:00

Got a hair cut today. Last time was November 15, 2007. That is NOT a typo. Got my hair cut on the day I got married. Then I sort of ignored it for a while. I am not one that ever liked to go to the hair salon, even as a child.

After a few months my hair got pretty long, at least for me, and I still never made an appointment. A few months later I said to myself “Self, why not just keep growing it and donate it to Locks of Love?”

I agreed, and chose to grow it for a great cause. Finally got it cut today. Needed 10” in order to donate to Locks of Love. If I didn’t have 10”, I could donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, they require 8”.

I actually brought a ruler with me to the appointment. I thought that last thing I needed was to get there and then have to find something to use as a measuring device. Like a piece of paper, or a dollar bill.

Anyway, 11 1/2” later, I’m shorn like a spring sheep. It’s a bit short for me. I wish I’d kept that inch and a half, but… it’s for a great cause, and it will grow back.

Right?

Military Families – Read This!

2009-04-07T17:03:00.001-07:00

And if you’re reading, and NOT a military family, please pass this along.

Canvas on Demand is offering free photo canvases for military families. They’re giving away 500 canvases.

Here’s the link.

Can You Hear Me, Sprint?

2009-03-25T13:55:00.001-07:00

Guess what? Another Sprint “bill” in the mail. Again with the .08 credit. So now they’ve spent money and resources three times telling us “not to pay”. If only there was something they could do to catch these before they went out in the mail. You know, an automated something or other. I think it might be called “programming”!

I’d like to call them to tell them to stop sending me the invoices, but I do not wish to ever speak to them again. Ever.

The good news? It seems like I now have a guaranteed monthly blog entry.

Car Idling

2009-03-22T16:10:00.001-07:00

I'm at Carrabba's getting curbside delivery. Why don't they have signs that say ''no idling''? It’s 79 degrees, no need to keep the heater running, or something like that. Would it be in bad taste for me to ask the man next to me to turn off his car?

A Special Kind of Sprint Silliness

2009-02-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

A few years back we used Sprint for our mobile phone service. Their customer service is the worst I've ever experienced. We ended up canceling, and paying the penalty for early cancellation, because I just couldn't deal with them anymore.

Last month we got a piece of mail from them that looked remarkably like a bill. Ends up we must have them for our home phone long distance, and just never realized it, since we don't have a home phone. A few months back we faxed someone, long distance, and then Sprint billed us. We paid it. Well, we overpaid it.

By eight cents. Yes, .08.

They sent us a bill/statement last month telling us, wait for it... NOT TO PAY, since we had an eight cent credit. Okay, fine. Thanks.

Today we got another bill/statement. Same .08 credit. Yet, now, it seems like we should owe them .56. At least. How do I figure this?

Well, we had a credit of .08. Then they spent .32 (bulk mail rate) sending us a letter telling us about that credit. And then they did the same thing the next month. Not to mention the paper, ink, and transportation costs. And what about carbon offsets?

Seriously, Sprint. Keep my .08. Buy some customer service.

Is It Hot In Here?

2009-02-20T14:56:00.001-07:00

The other night Robert sent me a text message saying that Nelly just sat down in his game. I immediately replied saying something like "that's cool, Boo. Is he wearing clothes?" And got nothing from Robert. Then I said "is it hot in there?" Again, nothing.

That's not like Robert. We're full of witty banter. :O) So I just assumed Robert wasn't getting my text messages. Later on that night I mentioned my funny texts and he had an "a ha" moment.

Yesterday I was emailing a friend about this and while typing I thought to myself "whoa, did I use 50 Cent lyrics in a text about Nelly?" No wonder Robert didn't get my jokes! Well, I had used the right hip-hop artist, it was just slow texting that prevented Robert from laughing out loud.

Anyway, last night I was thinking about all of this and was reminded of a funny incident that occurred about five or six years ago, and thought I'd share it here.

Robert and I were in Las Vegas for a weekend. I don't remember why. I need a reason to go to Vegas, so I'm sure there was one. It was Sunday afternoon, and we were getting ready to come home and decided to grab some lunch at the buffet at Mandalay Bay. Fortification for the road trip. As we were waiting in the "paying customers" line, someone walked into the "I have a pass, seat me NOW" line. The hostess greeted us at the same time, and said she'd be right with us.

The VIP looked so familiar. I knew I knew him from somewhere. I thought it was from my work life, in the hotel industry. I say to him "Hi, you look very familiar. Do you work in the hospitality industry?" He says "Sort of." Okay, that's helpful. He says "I skate in the show here at the hotel".

The hostess comes back, walks us all to our tables. Robert and I sit down and I tell him who it is. It's Brian Orser, from the 1988 "Battle of the Brians" Olympics!

Too funny! Me, swearing I knew him as a client, co-worker, etc. And he's an Olympic Ice Skater.

Perma-blush set in. Was it getting hot in (t)herre?

This Makes Me Cry. And Smile.

2009-02-06T00:39:00.001-07:00

I'm no dancer, but I think that emotion is what it's all about.

Conversation I Had Yesterday

2009-01-27T12:20:00.001-07:00

With a Doctor's office:

Me: Hi, may I please speak with your billing department?

Them: May I tell them who's calling?

Me: FName LName

Them: May I tell them what this is in reference to?

Me: A bill?

Now you can just picture the look on my face.

Chipboard Mobile

2008-11-28T15:11:00.001-07:00

How gorgeous is this? Click there and you can enter a contest to win this masterpiece.

Ta da! Best Black Friday deal out there! And here's a link to her Etsy Shop.

Receipt I Found Today

2008-11-22T16:00:00.001-07:00

Blood Orange Soda

2008-11-20T11:59:00.001-07:00

This is from Cost Plus World Market. I grabbed a bottle of the Blood Orange flavor and we consumed it last night. Delicious!

Might be interesting to have a few flavors around the Thanksgiving table.

Shout It Out!

2008-11-12T14:14:00.001-07:00

This stuff is AMAZING. Seriously.

Old, set-in stains, it gets rid of them. Like that! I sprayed some shirts last night that had a stain on them, for over a year. Don't even ask why the shirts were still around. Anyway, sprayed them, let them sit for a few hours, then washed them last night. Stains are GONE! And none of those color fading problems I've had before with stain removers.

You must get some Shout Advanced Gel.

I'm just saying.

Apple Season

2008-10-16T15:31:00.001-07:00

Anyone else addicted to apples this year? I'm usually not much of an apple eater, but I just can't get enough these past few weeks. And look at this neato kitchen tool/piece of art. I'd love it, but can't stomach the price.

Clothing Dryer Efficiency

2008-10-11T14:27:00.001-07:00

Last year we got a new washer and dryer. We'd had a Maytag Neptune, and one of the features I really liked about that set was that the washer and dryer were synced. Which meant that if you saved all of your laundry for one day of the week (horrors!), the dryer was synced to finish it's cycle at the very least, at the same time as the dryer. Depending upon what was inside, it might even have been faster.

I didn't think about this option when we purchased our new machines. Since the Neptunes were almost a decade old, I figured this new-fangled technology was everywhere now. I was wrong. Or so I thought.

Our new dryer had been slowing down the past few weeks. It seemed to take forever to dry a load of laundry. And no, Robert, I did not overstuff it! This thing is brand new, it can certainly take whatever I'm stuffing inside of it; I promise they're harder on it at quality control than I am in Scottsdale.

Anyway, I called the repair people last week, they sent a technician out this past Monday. She (yes, SHE) was wonderful. Said it wasn't the dryer. Said that the vent leading away from the house needed to be cleaned. That the dryer wasn't getting any air circulation, so it was pretty much just steaming my clothing, for hours. Seriously, it took the dryer over 3 hours to dry a load two weeks ago. Told me to call Dryer Vent Wizard. And yes, I did hear a trumpet in my head every time I said the name of this company.

They came out on Wednesday, did their thing. Which basically means they climbed onto the roof and sucked out 30 years of lint from the dryer vent tube, and went on their merry way.

I did laundry last night. The dryer was finished BEFORE the washing machine was finished with the next load. WOO HOO! Energy efficiency has been reached. My poor dryer has been hacking away and it took me so long to notice. I'm sorry Dryer. Don't hate me.

Moral of this story: If you haven't had your dryer vent (to the outside of your house) cleaned out in a long time, it might be worth the $100 to do so. Faster drying cycle = less energy used = lower electric/gas bill.

Ta da!

Extra Cheese Please

2008-10-06T13:20:00.001-07:00

I don't like cheese. I have learned, over the past 20 years, to eat mozzarella, melted, on pizza, or eggplant. And ricotta, in ravioli, or eggplant rollatini (there might be a theme here). I do not want it on my sandwiches, on my chicken, on anything else. Ever.

I am always asking for things without cheese. I very rarely get the item served as requested. I ordered a salad the other night at Carrabbas. No cheese, no celery please. Comes with cheese. Big slabs of it. Shiver. I send it back. This time it comes out with celery. Just one piece, as if the Chef was toying with me.

About 20 minutes ago I ran into a local sandwich shop for lunch. Here is my receipt:

Anyone want to take a guess on what I actually received? And, silly me, I did not check my sandwich before driving home. I get home, and I have extra cheese. Well, I can't eat this sandwich. Don't go getting all huffy on me, it's a religious thing. I can't eat meat (turkey) that has had dairy (cheese) touching it, that's just the way it is. I called them. Asked for a credit for next time. The woman told me to "calm down."

Calm down to me is basically going to get my inner pit bull to gnaw on your leg. Seriously. I dislike that phrase with all that I am.

When did everything start coming with cheese?

I know I'm just babbling. Sorry. I'm just cheesed off.

Cubs Could Have Used This Guy

2008-10-05T01:28:00.001-07:00

Remember High School Elections?

2008-10-02T20:19:00.001-07:00

Where you voted for one person for President, one for Vice President, and one for Treasurer? Why can't we do that in our elections here?

Why do the Presidential candidates get to choose their running mate?

Why don't we have the person with the most votes be President, and the runner-up is Vice President?

Why can't I stop blogging today?

When did this turn into the four questions?

Have You Registered?

2008-10-02T18:28:00.001-07:00

Just go here: Register To Vote

Left, Right, Up, Down, I don't care what you are, just vote.

If This Were True

2008-10-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

I think I would have to move. Leave the country. I'm serious. This would break my heart.

A Touching Story

2008-09-29T14:16:00.001-07:00

A nice reminder of the important things in life, on this, the Jewish New Year.

I Won!

2008-09-26T20:34:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of my name being drawn in a blog candy contest. Take a look at what I won.

I Want a Tripod

2008-09-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

And this fantastic glass artist over at The Garden of Leah is giving one away. How perfect. Even better is that she makes the most wonderful glass mobiles, figurines,and jewelry.

I first came across her work last year when I joined a "mobile swap" and she was kind enough to give this novice some pointers on balance, materials, etc. Thanks Leah!

Of course, I then purchased a few of the computer monitor mobiles from her. We love them. They're on our monitors and offer a lovely distraction from computer woes.

She has a great Etsy shop, where I could easily spend Robert's money on this, and this, or many other things. She doesn't have the large Chakra Circles up on her site right now, but they're GORGEOUS!

Anyway, go on over and explore The Garden of Leah (my Hebrew name!), you're going to love it.

Blog Candy That Can't be Topped!

2008-09-23T12:58:00.002-07:00

Carolyn King created a wonderful stamp set for Gina K Designs that benefits the Alzheimer's Association. A wonderful cause. Well, to top that, she now has the biggest, baddest, blog candy giveaway ever. Really. Here's the link to it, so please check it out.

One winner takes it all. If you win, you can share with me. :O)

To enter the contest, one of the requirements is to send a card to a caretaker of a person with Alzheimer's. If you don't know someone like that, she offers the address of the home where her Grandmother was lovingly cared for for the last few years of her life. That's where I am sending my card. If you'd like to send a card as well, the address is:

To the Staff at the Artman Home
250 N. Bethlehem Pike
Ambler, PA 19002

And here's the card I sent. (Sorry about the bad picture.)

Innovative Packaging Materials

2008-09-16T14:01:00.001-07:00

I ordered some adhesive for a tape gun. This is how it came. Who knew that you could ship things like this? I think it's funny.

Good news is that all of this bubble wrap will be reused, so that makes me happy.

This is Tucker.

2008-09-14T16:11:00.001-07:00

Cookies for the Troops

2008-09-05T01:18:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I was blurfing (blog surfing) and came across a link to this website, Operation Baking GALS. I immediately contacted them and found out how I could participate. The premise of the group is that we all bake cookies around the same time, and have a target mailing date. Then we send these cookies to soldiers (we get assigned one in particular) and blast them with a LOT of cookies. This way they get to share the goodies. I think it's a great idea, and I'm honored to be able to help.

The way it works is that when your email is received you are forwarded on to a Team Leader. My Team Leader is Susan and she seems great and has a wonderful blog. I'm thinking that she's the one that set the September 4th mail date. She also gave me permission to get mine mailed on the 5th, phew. I forgot to buy an apple, and I need the peel for shipping. (To help keep the cookies fresh).

I decided to make my fallback cookie, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip four batches. Two would fit into my stand mixer at a time, so it wouldn't been too lengthy of a process.

After the first batch is mixed, I feel like it's a bit dry. I taste it, it's also a bit salty. I didn't use my usual organic butter, but I thought that butter should be butter, and I always use salted, so that shouldn't make a difference, right?

I bake four dozen of these cookies. While the last two dozen are cooling, I start the next batch in the mixer. Well, lo and behold, I realized why the first batch wasn't just right. I forgot to double the eggs in the recipe. Should have used four, I used two.

Does this happen to anyone else when they double or triple a recipe? It seems to happen to me about one in five times that I multiply a recipe. Sigh. It just makes me sad, as these are for the troops, you know? And I'm out of ingredients! The cookies are completely edible, not even salty once cooked. I thought I'd mark those four dozen as "low cholesterol". What do you think?

This last picture is Tucker, enjoying the peanut butter jar. This guy knows when the jar is no longer useful for the humans. Comes right up, gently takes it in his mouth, and proceeds to make it perfect for the recycling bin. Look in the jar, it's about five licks from spotless. Thanks, Tuck!

And thanks to the Troops overseas for doing the jobs that they do. It's my privilege to bake cookies for you. I hope you enjoy them.

Dogs Blog Too

2008-09-03T21:35:00.001-07:00

Your Stomach Is Perfect

2008-08-30T02:28:00.001-07:00

Really? Four words I never thought I'd hear spoken aloud to me. :O)

I went to the dermatologist today. I have a new freckle on my face. I first noticed it about two months ago. This was after my sister had been in town a few times and we'd been hanging out in the pool. Well, I'm pretty pale, so I'm all about sunscreen. This freckle is on my cheek, right about nose height. At night, while I'm reading in bed, I can see it in my field of vision. Two nights ago I was staring at it while reading and realized that I only had two business days left of PPO insurance. Starting September 1 we are on an HMO plan. Ugh.

I called a dermatologist that Robert had seen last year and begged for an appointment in the next 48 hours. I just didn't want to have to go see my primary physician for a referral to a specialist, you know? They were able to get me in today, phew!

I get to the office, of course the nurse wants to know what "made me come in today." I say I have a new freckle. She looks at me like "how'd you notice?" I have LOTS of freckles. Not tons on my face but hundreds on my arms and shoulders. Most people probably don't notice, but this is her specialty, right? She asked how long I'd lived in Arizona, and if I had any birth marks. Then she asked if I wanted a full body check. I said I just wanted an upper body check. That my legs were fine. She didn't believe me. I'm telling you, nothing worth worrying about on my legs. No marks. They never see the sun, etc.

She tells me to put on the gown (sans bra) and that she'll be back in with the Doctor in a few minutes. Then puts a folded gown on the table.

I unfold the gown and slip it over my arms. Whoa! Where's the rest of this thing? This picture is what I had to wear.

If you are taller than 5'2", this thing is a bolero jacket, not a medical gown. Covers your chest, and nothing else. So, of course I stood. No need to scare the Doctor by having him see me in this while sitting.

Naturally, the first thing he makes me do when he comes in is sit. I tell him that this thing could be designed just a bit better. He laughs at me. It's a good thing I like this Doctor.

Checks out my freckle for a bit. With a hand held super bright light with a magnifying lens on it. Asks me why I'm so tense. Then holds up a mirror to my face and says "tell me what I'm supposed to be looking at, all I see is some dry skin." I point out the brown spot to the right of the dry skin and he declares "freckle!"

He then checked my arms and back and shoulders and declared me to be of fair skin and freckled skin. Then says "let me check your stomach." Declares it perfect. Sigh. (as if my stomach has ever seen the light of day without layers of clothing covering it!)

I will admit, I secretly was hoping that he'd say "You're 37?!?! No way, your skin is gorgeous for your age. NO way you're 37." I didn't get that. Oh well.

Moral of this post? Go to the dermatologist. Get looked over, get those moles and anything else checked out. All it takes is a co-pay and a bolero jacket.

Brown Sugar

2008-08-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

It's 10PM, and I want to make cookies or something else divine. I was smart enough to take the butter out earlier, so it's room temperature. I start gathering of the ingredients ("mise en place") on the counter and realize that I can't find the brown sugar. I have a small pantry, so there aren't many places it can be, but I do know that I have it; just need to locate it on the baking shelf.

My hand reaches into a crevice and I grab something that is hard as a rock. What could this be, on the baking shelf? It's not can shaped. Oh no! Could this be my brown sugar? Please no, please no, please no!

Yes. It's my brown sugar. I usually place the brown sugar package into a Ziploc bag before storing, but somehow I didn't do this the last time I bought brown sugar. I set the sugar aside and am about to go Google "how to soften sugar in 5 seconds or less when I'm craving baked chocolate goodies" when I decide to sneak a gander at the bag. I mean, if I were designing the bag for Whole Foods and thought there was even the possibility that it wouldn't seal properly, I'd make sure to have the antidote on the bag itself. (I love how I need an antidote, like it's snake venom!)

On the back of the bag, under ingredients and Whole Foods Headquarters contact information is a little blurb that says "To soften brown sugar that has hardened, place in a bowl with a wet dishcloth covering it. Leave overnight."

I was so happy that this was on the bag that I almost didn't care that I was going to have to wait a whole twelve hours in order to get my baked goods craving quenched. I dump the sugar into a small bowl, soak a kitchen cloth with cold water, wring it out, and place it atop the bowl. And stare at it. Is it soft yet? What about now? Now?

I came back an hour later. it was measurably softer. About 90 minutes after that it was perfect for baking. I was so excited. Of course, I decided to try a new recipe. Didn't love it. But that's okay, because for me, it's mostly the process of baking/cooking that I enjoy. That always seems to be better than the eating part.

Here's to forward-thinking food packaging designers. I will raise a cookie to you the next time I follow my gut instinct and make my no-fail peanut-butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.

p.s. I remember hearing that you could put a slice of apple, or a slice of white bread, into a bag with the hardened brown sugar to soften it; I had neither.

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-08-21T21:29:00.003-07:00

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Oh my gosh! How cute is this baby outfit? I mean, seriously, ADORABLE! The good news is that I have two friends about to have baby girls. The bad news is that they'll have to share it amongst themselves. Dawn, Mel, you'll do that, right?

Oh, also, I have to win this first! I'll keep you posted!

Another PostSecret Wonder

2008-08-11T23:40:00.001-07:00

This was from yesterday's PostSecret blog entry.

I love it.

Love Will Keep Us Alive

2008-07-24T23:30:00.002-07:00

Last night Robert and I were playing poker at our friend's club in Phoenix, called Deal Me In.

Someone we were playing with asked me if Robert and I were related. I said we were married. He said "How long you married?" (English is not his first language.)

Robert responded "for the rest of our lives."

Melt...

Has it been forever since I've posted?

2008-07-24T18:44:00.002-07:00

Does this count?

Lisa --

[adjective]:

Benevolent to a fault

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Wordle Me This

2008-07-03T22:16:00.004-07:00

Click on the picture for a bigger version.

This is a Wordle. I typed in my blog address, and the Wordle site came up with this. I just wish I could make it bigger. If only I knew html.

A Little Mosaic to Share

2008-06-29T12:32:00.003-07:00

To do this you go to Flickr and type words into the search bar. Click on the one that moves you. Once the page with your picture opens, copy the URL. Go to the Mosaic Maker, set up your mosaic, and paste your URLs.

1. Full page Mona Lisa artistamps, 2. Smoked Salmon Bagel, 3. Philadelphia Snow, 4. a green penthouse... 5. Dennis Quaid, 6. Iced Tea, 7. Picturesque village Vernazza, 8. Crazy Cake, 9. "Timemachines", 10. Sally Attack!, 11. The Avenue in mist and sun, 12. SETI

Home Depot Recycling CFL Bulbs

2008-06-27T03:47:00.001-07:00

Home Depot has announced that they are now accepting used, unbroken CFL bulbs for recycling. Click here to go to the Home Depot Eco Options page where you can read more.

All you have to do it hand the bulb to the associate behind the returns desk. Couldn't be easier. Hmm, wonder if you have to wait in line for that?

It's like when you go to the Post Office with a package all ready to go, and you have to wait in line to hand it to them. Then they say "you could have just brought it up to a clerk, didn't have to wait in line."

Am I the only person that can't do that? I feel rude, and don't want people to think "who does she think she is?"

Dear Robert...

2008-06-14T20:54:00.001-07:00

Remember when you went away to Las Vegas a few years ago and I removed the kitchen cabinets? Then about a year later you went away for the weekend and I removed all of the carpet and baseboards?

Well, this time I've removed all of our liquid shower soap. Okay, not really removed it, but since we ran out, I purchased this instead. Liquid shower soap is just so wasteful. All that packaging. Shiver. This is what is in our shower now, it's Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. Remember when you bought me a bottle of his soap for my kitchen when we first met? Well, we've come full circle.

I don't know that this will be our new permanent soap, but we're going to give it a shot. I used it tonight, liked it enough. I'd just come from the pool though, so it's not a good time to test a new soap and comment properly. I'm hoping that I love this soap, and that you do too.

Now is also a good time to remind people that a recycling bin in in your bathroom is a very good thing. This wrapper can be recycled, along with the empty bottles of liquid soap. (Be sure to check with your local recycling place to make sure they recycle the "number" in the triangle on the bottom of the container!)

Life's Little Reminders

2008-05-31T12:59:00.001-07:00

I had to go to the hospital yesterday for an x-ray. I brought a book with me to read in the waiting room. I know, smart cookie. Anyway, I looked up from my book yesterday when a young man (wanted to say "kid") sat down next to me. He was in his 20's, I'd say. He had placed two containers of a "smoothie" type substance on the table between us. I saw that they were "berry-flavored" and made some kind of smart-ass comment about that. Something like "ooh, berry!" He laughed.

We then went on for a few minutes talking about the faking of flavors in medical products and how it never works. That his drink was now just berry tinged chalk. I thought it was for a gastrointestinal test of some sort.

The person at the desk calls him up to answer a phone call. He comes back to me and says "Yeah, I just got permission to drink my berry radiation treatment at home!"

I smiled. Sweetly, sadly, emotionally. Here's a kid (younger than me equals kid) with cancer and we're cracking jokes. I guess that's good. It also goes to show you why sometimes you should just shut the hell up and keep your sarcasm to yourself. I don't think this was a faux-pas, at least not in his eyes. I hope he just thought "hey, some goofy lady made me laugh today at radiation treatment."

Here's to you, kid. Please, take care of yourself. Get better. Beat it. Whatever the "it" is.

Print your "Get out of 'Sex and the City' Pass"

2008-05-29T21:35:00.001-07:00

Heard a segment on NPR this afternoon that talked about how the men-folk could get out of seeing Sex and the City this weekend. Here's a link to a "get out of sex and the city" coupon.

One of the funniest parts of the segment was one of the speakers saying "why can't we just say 'no'?" This was in response to someone calling in and saying that he and his work buddies had set up a 'nextel chirping' signal in case someone got roped into this movie. I thought that was hysterical. Dude, grow a pair... of Manolo Blahniks, of course. Get your mind out of the Manhattan gutter.

:O)

And He's Off...

2008-05-29T13:06:00.002-07:00

My hubbers is headed to Las Vegas in about 20 minutes for what we are now calling the World Series of Goldfarb. It's really the World Series of Poker, but he's going to have a great Series, so we changed the name. I hooked him up with Twitter, so if you want to follow him, you can. Or not. I also added his Twitter updates to my blog. I like Twitter. I even just like saying "twitter".

Good luck S---shy!

Edited to Add: Don't forget to grab 2007's World Series Player of the Year's book, it's on my Amazon sidebar. Author is Tom Schneider, a good friend of ours, and an even better person!

Pretty Picture

2008-05-14T23:59:00.001-07:00

My sister is in town this week and we drove up to Sedona this afternoon. So much road construction, and so much development. Sigh. The landscape is still breathtaking, so that's a good thing. I took this picture today, thought I'd share.

Click on the picture to enlarge it, it's really quite a detailed shot. Very pretty in larger size.

Post Secret for Mother's Day

2008-05-10T19:46:00.001-07:00

Do you read PostSecret? It's this great blog where people send in their secrets on postcards, and on Sunday's, new secrets are posted. Well, the blog was updated today with Mother's Day secrets.

This one, I found to be especially touching.

Then I was reading through the rest of the updated post and saw this second one.

Powerful stuff. Worth checking out. He's got a few books as well. Let me know if you want to borrow them.

I Won Blog Candy!

2008-05-07T15:30:00.001-07:00

I won this ridiculously cute/adorable key fob. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Now... I just need to talk Robert into letting me use this as our key chain. That's the problem with sharing a car. :O) It means we also share a key chain.

This is from one of my favorite blogs/Etsy sellers. She has adorable baby wipe cases, onesies, etc. I wish I had a child that would "enable" me to buy these things.

Nalgene Choice

2008-05-07T01:22:00.003-07:00

Nalgene has started a new website that offers information on their water bottles. If you click on the different types of bottles along the left hand side, it will clearly show you if the bottle is BPA free or not. We need to replace our old Nalgene bottles, and I'm about to place my order. I wish I could have fallen for one of those SIGG bottles, but I just can't figure out how they'll come clean in the dishwasher.

Anyway, if you're a water drinker, and who isn't these days, please please please buy yourself a reusable container and fill it up yourself. It's so much better for the planet, for your wallet, and for my peace of mind. :O)

edited to add: the bottles I want, of course, aren't available for purchase online yet. The Tritan bottles. They have a small one, more of a sippy cup for children, I need the adult size. For some reason, psychological, I'm sure, I prefer my drinking bottles to be clear. Or even semi sheer, so I can check water levels. I'm going to wait a week, and see if the Tritans are available then. If you've seen them in a retail store, please let me know.