She was ready for her close up! Ha! Sorry, I'm warped. I have spent these past 2 days cleaning up after my son who now has the 'virus from hell'. It is scary when all you want to do is make your child feel better, and all you can really do is clean up after they throw up and um other stuff. My poor baby is having trouble holding down Ginger-Ale and Sprite. I have been a firm believer in the magic of ginger-aale for years. However, it's falling down on the job right now. It seems to have hit my son the hardest out of all of them. I guess it's because he's so young. I have been lucky so far (knock on wood) not to have gotten this horrible little germ. I was so looking forward to getting out of the house today. I was just going to take them to Story-time at the bookstore and go grocery shopping. Not much, I know. Just enough time out to keep me from going stir crazy. 'Oh, well. Maybe I'll get them out of here tomorrow. IF my son is feeling better. It's times like these I miss my Mom. It's also times like these that I thank God that she taught(sp) me how to take care of sick kids, by how she took care of me. My Dh's parents weren't very sympathetic with him when he was sick as a child and therefore he's not sure of what to do. But, he is a lot nicer than his parents were. Which is funny considering every time they are having health problems they call us wanting us to be commiserating. Which we are, but good grief a little perspective PLEASE. I certainly don't mean to make my Mom out to be perfect. She wasn't. Then again, no one is. But, she WAS a better parent than they seem to have been. To give my in-laws credit, they are good grandparents. They love our children, and I'm glad that my kids have them. I'm not close with my Dad. Especially since his remarriage.(not my fault, I swear) He loves the kids too. He's just caught up in his life. Neither me nor my Dh received even a card for our birthdays from him this year and my kids were almost forgotten. I won't let him get away it with them. I'm trying not to be sad or bitter over it, over the act that his own daughter is forgettable. But, trust me when I say that his wife's family is not forgotten. It's all about priorities. Mine are my kids and Dh. PERIOD. EveryTHING else, everyONE else comes after. I think that's a Moms job, though. I finished all my books. I NEED MORE!!! Been meaning to go by the library again. *SIGH, big SIGH!* NEED a BOOK. Maybe, Dh will watch son long enough for me to hit the bookstore for a minute tonight. Hmmmm! Maybe. I'm a total scaredy cat, I don't feel safe going out at night without the Dh. Statistics say, a woman can never be too safe. Women are always the easiest target, therefore, I try not to be a target. We don't exactly live in a huge city, but crime is EVERYWHERE. Things just aren't the same as when I was growing up. Although, they could have been, reporting of crime has gotten more efficient in past years. But, it just seems to me that society is more violent now than ever before. (Can you tell I have strong opinions?) Ha-Ha!

My community is having a yard sale tomorrow. I am sooooo not ready yet. I hope the things I need to get rid of sell. I need the space back. I really don't like clutter, but it is hard to let go of things. Years of packing and moving with the military make it easier, though. I have an end table, bakers ack and twin sleigh bed to sell, not to mention kids clothes and toys. Gonna have to sneeck(sp) the old baby toys past my son. He still wants to keep them, but his room and closet are getting crowded.

Gotta run, boy needs me.B.

Good God. I am still sore. Daughter woke up throwing up about 5 am this morning. Ugh! Nasty. I can handle blood and burns, but that uh-uh, no way. Thank Goodness Dh was getting up anyway, he cleaned her bed and I cleaned her and remade her bed. Fast forward to tonight and she's fine, just a little tired. We are hoping that no one else gets this. It's just eeewwwwwww! I have finally finished the Armoire. Yeah. I had to go buy a darker stain yesterday and stained it last night. Now I just need to get Dh to move it back in. That may take a while. I love him, but when I ask him to do something..........I have to remind him so often that I get annoyed. Oh, well. That's married life. I'm sure my asking him so often ticks him off.
I am still feeding all the neighborhood stray kitties. Now, yesterday my son wanted to go to PetSmart while we were out. I gave in. (It didn't take much extra time and I'm looking for a new collar for Layla anyway.) BIG MISTAKE! They had kittens. Cute as can be kittens. I could feel my heart melting and we almost came home with a new one. But, I was strong, I held firm. And I feel so guilty because of it. I just want them all to have good homes. Homes where someone will love them and nurture them. I know I sound pathetic. I can't help it. It was SOOOOOOO cute. I know I can't give them ALL homes. This is why I strongly believe in Spay or Neutoring animals. I hate to think of all those homeless animals because some people won't. All the suffering they go through, starvation, abuse, thrown away. The few charities I give money to usually involve children or animals. Usually animals. People are always willing to help other people, not everyone will help animals, those who can't help themselves at all. Sorry, I'll step off my Soap Box. Although, one last thing. If you are going to adopt an animal please do so from a shelter, not a breeder. Night Y'all. B.

My Layla, again. We were playing with the cats feather toy when taking this.

I AM IN PAIN! My neck is sooooo sore from yesterday. I have been popping motrim like tic tacs. I hate when this happens. I have a tendency to go gung ho on a project and end up paying for it physically. I spent the day running around doing errands. And let me tell you, doing this with 2 kids and the inability to turn your neck to the left is NOT a good thing. Luckily we are having pizza for dinner. I didn't hace to cook. The lovely people at Dominoes did it for me. YEAH!

I just finished a great book last night. It's called "Witch Way to Murder" by Shirley Damsgaard. It was great. I loved it. It's about a reluctant phycic who grew up knowing her family were Witches. Her Grandmother is one and she had started to train for doing so until her best friend is murdered and she couldn't stop it. Fast forard 4 years. She is now a librarian in a small town where her Grandmother lives and is reluctantly sucked back into the 'magick' while trying to solve a local murder. I have never read a mystery with these types of paranormal activities before. You have got to try this book. I am eagerly awaiting the second in the series!

Gonna spend time with the Dh now. By the way the brownies are GREAT! B.

Again, meet Squeekie. He was the runt of his litter. That's why I picked him. He was in a basket making these little squeeking sounds and he was the smallest kitten, so I HAD to get him. Now, he weighs about 17lbs. He is BIG. He is also, not all there. We think he acts like a dog. He carries his toys around, drools and follows us around, he licks, he begs, and constantly demands attention. Can't you see the BLANK expression on his face? He's just so, so, SO WEIRD!

I finally stained my Armoire today. Yay!!! It took me almost 2 hours. Ugh. Dh called in sick today. He still felt bad. He's better now. THANK GOD. He's going back to work tomorrow. YEAH!!!!!! I went to the library today. Picked up 2 books. 'The Legend MacKinnon' by Donna Kauffman, and 'Some Kind of Wonderful' by Maureen Child. I've read other books by Maureen Child before and I really liked them. She has a good touch with emotions and you really feel like you understand the motivations of the characters. The other book had paranormal aspects, of which I REALLY like. It involves a ghost, time travel and a curse of immortality. All the result of a curse on the family.

I'm trying to find an excercise my DH might like. He needs a physical outlet to stay in shape, but hates to excercise. I think I might have a solution. I suggested a 'heavy bag' (punching bag). He likes the idea. It will keep him in shape and allow him to release any stress that may be caused by his job. (he's a supervisor for 16 people) So, we'll see how it goes. It actually sounds like fun.( I know I'd like to release some stress after spending all day with 2 kids. HA!!)

Gotta Run, son is demanding BROWNIES. Since I like them too (too much), I'll be GLAD to make them for him. B.

Ooo boy! I have been busy today. Finished taking the paint off the Armoire, cut the grass, dealt with a sick Dh. Yup, sick Dh. He missed church this morning because of it. And then STAYED sick all day. He got worse tonight. Ewwwww! I'm trying to take care of him, but he acts sooooo pitiful it makes me resentful. I'm putting that aside, though. Taking care of him the same as if he were one of the kids.
Took the kids to Barnes & Noble yesterday evening. There was an American Girl meeting there. I didn't know that was happening. Lucky coincidence. My daugher doesn't really follow the stories or even have one of the dolls,(DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THOSE THINGS COST?!). Geez, the dolls start at $87.00. For a doll. For a ten year old? Nuh-uh. Are they kidding? Granted, they both have been given Vermont Teddy Bears as gifts. But, this doll isn't a collectible. It's to PLAY with. Sorry, no. ANYWAY, my daughter enjoyed the meeting. I don't mind her reading the books that these dolls are based off of. I let my son play with the Thomas the Train set they have in the children's section. He loves to play with the table they have there. I'm smart, though. I go through and pick up a book or two or a couple of magazines BEFORE we head back there. Otherwise, I would be stuck back there bored out of my ever lovin' mind!!! Anyone know of any good children's books about Fall? Everything about Halloween was out, but no Fall books. I ended up buying 2 books and a magazine.
I have to go. CARETAKER to the rescue! B.

FINALLY! Here's Patches for your viewing pleasure. She is laying on the scratching post. The very near to death scratching post. It is almost BALD at the top, and the little red Pom-Pom that was on the top, is (sigh) gone forever, after being shredded throught-out the carpet. My other strange cat squeekie is wearing off on her, she is now carrying a blue ribbon up the stairs everynight, with it between her teeth, MEOWING pitifully. I know, I know they're WEIRD!!!

Well, have tried loading a picture of Patches for y'all, but blogspot seems to be having PROBLEMS! I'll try again later. I've already tried 2x and experience tells me, wait, and try later. My air-conditioning is out tonight. My Dh went up to the attic to see what the problem was, and the fuse was blown. It worked fine earlier today when the sevice came to repair the defunct coil. But, seems they oobooed somewhere, because even after replacing the fuse, it kept blowing. A whole package of fuses was sacrificed in the process. So now Dh is UPSET with the service. He has tried calling their beeper all night and no response. Oooh boy! Hopefully they will call tomorrow, or Dh will blow his own fuse. I haven't managed to do much today. I feel guilty about it too. I was going to go to the library and hopefully stock up for a day or two, no such luck however. The kids have been cranky today and I won't subject the innocent public to a cranky 3 year old. It's not fair to them. I hate days when he (son-3yr old) gets this way. He is usually sooo sweet and helpful. Although, he will let his older sister have it at any point. Usually she provokes him though. I wonder if all brothers and sisters are like this? I was an only child so I have no clue.
It's September, where is the cool weather? I don't want 92 degree days anymore. The leaves are slowly starting to change. I can't wait. The town close to us will have the Fair next month. We took the kids last year and will go again this year. I am hoping that my son will actually ride something this year. He was too scared last year. Even to ride a pony! I loved the Fair when I was a kid. The lights, the sounds of the rides, the candy apples, the animals, even the cheesey prizes. Now, when we take the kids all I can do is constantly keep them in sight, watch out for any dangers, and wonder if it cost this darn much when I was a kid. We spent almost $100 last year. Most of that was on the rides and food. Why does it cost this much? Oh, well, at least they enjoy themselves. I hope they have as good a time and as nice of memories that I had/have.
Since I was unable to go to the library today I am rereading a Katie MacAlister book, "Corset Diaries". I love this book. The female lead is so 'real'. You can agree with her actions (up to a point). And I love the fact that she is a real sized woman. Not some petite, yet buxom, waif. The male llead came off as a bit standoffish through most of the book, but I've met real men that are that way. They just keep things bottled up. Most men do. I also like the ending, with comedic chaos until the closing. I wish my life had a little more comdy to it.
I have been enjoying premiere week on TV. My Dh and I love the new show 'Bones'. The characters are very acerbic with each other yet there is a sense of comraderie. It was actually funny. I tend to like the cop, criminalist shows. Like, CSI(all 3 of them, Miami being favorite), NCIS, Law and Order(all 3 of them, Criminal Intent being favorite). My Dh loves Two and a half Men. I have to admit it is lol funny. Gilmore Girls used to be a favorite as well, until the changed the mother/daughter dynamic that made it great to begin with. ANYWAY, I know you don't want to hear all THAT. Sorry, sometimes I just run off track. STILL working on re-finishing project, I had to take a break today. I was feeling like it was too hard. I will attack, I mean finish it this weekend. Have a good night. I feel like baking a bluberry cobbler.B.

So, here again is Layla. When I was finally able to talk Dh into removing all the equipment out of the Armoire, he put it all on my sofa table. The cats are going nuts. Any little change in their routine or home and they FREAK. This was made after they had re-discovered the living room.

My Dh and I really got into it yesterday, everything is ok now, but it was not pretty. We don't do that often. Maybe once a year at the most. I hate confrontation, and he REALLY hates it. We love each other, so we are always really glad when the air is cleared and over.

The kids and I went and got his new tag for our state today. Our state is really good at sticking it to you, too. They made us pay sales tax on our car, even though we bought it in another state. OUCH! Oh, well. I'm just glad that was a one time deal. Will be making the rounds to the library and used bookstore tomorrow. Any suggestions on a funny romance? Need something funny. My allergies are giving me huge headaches and it's sometimes too painful to read. So, if I;m going to be in pain, it better be funny. Gotta run, dinner needs to be prepared. Eating late tonight. B.

Meet Robosapien, also now known by me as 'Junior'. Here he's waving "Hi". We are still having fun with him. My Dh is looking at all the different things you can hack him to do.

I am STILL working on my refinishing project. Stripping off paint is not easy. I am shorter than the Armiore so reaching the top without my arms feeling like they are going to fall off after a few minutes is SO NOT FUN. It didn't help that it was 94 degrees here today. I am so ready for fall. It's my favorite time of year anyway. I love Halloween. I like to carve funny faces in pumpkins andI love to sit on the porch watching all the trick-or-treaters and handing out candy, while my Dh takes our kids around the neighborhood. Actually, my son didn't want to go last year and handed out candy with me. He says that he wants to go with his sister and Dad this year. He wants to be a policeman. My Dh would dress up if he could. He was a Ghoul one year. Hey, a good tip: If you're making a Scarecrow/Strawman to sit outside either on a porch or in the yard, you can use latex medical gloves for the hands. All you have to do is stuff them with toilet paper. They actually look realistic (to a point).We've been doing it for years. I love to take one of those plastic jack o'lantern candy buckets to use for the head, we put a light in it. It has freaked out kids like you wouldn't believe. I'm mean, NOT. It is fun to watch all the little ones though. Not to fond of the teenagers that trick-or-treat and GRAB candy and are rude. I'm not saying I think they shouldn't, I just think their attitude should be better. (The Wonder and Innocence is gone, just figured out what bothered me about the older ones.) I am also ready for the leaves to change and the weather to cool. I hate hot weather. I tell my Dh that you can pile on the clothes in cold weather, but you can only strip so far( in public). Not so fond of Thanksgiving. I hate having to juggle relatives since we moved back here. Who's house we're eating at and all that. My Dh actually volunteered to work last year, just so we could eat with just the 4 of us. It was peaceful. We don't really like turkey too much. We had 3 turkeys given to us one year. We had our FILL of turkey. Not to mention, when we were trying to eat really low fat we tried a turkey burger recipe and ended up with food posioning. EEEWWWW! Never want that again. I won't talk about Christmas. It's another round of 'come here, visit there'. My In-laws don't get the fact that for 12 years It's just been us for the Holidays. We actually don't want to travel around to 4 or 5 different relatives houses every holiday. And, by the way, we aren't given much of choice. If we don't travel around, my in-laws 'invite' themselves over to our house. They are very controlling. They don't get the fact that my Dh and I are grown up. We married young, and yes we needed them now and then back then. But, we haven't for a long time. They are trying to make us like them. My sister-in-law is very much like they are. But, we are not and it bothers them. Well, it bothers me that they try to dictate my actions. I always feel like we are being judged by them. Especially in how we choose to raise our kids. ESPECIALLY no that we have switched Faiths. You would not beleive what my mother-in-law said when we told her we were joining the church we did. Ignorance knows no age. Don't mean to climb on my soapbox. I just.........need to vent. My Dh so agrees, beleive me! My mom wasn' tlike this. She wanted us to have our own lives. She also loved my DH as much as if she had given birth to him. She thought he could do no wrong. And no matter what kind of mistake I made, I always knew she loved me. Aaaaggghhhhhhhh!!!!!! SO SORRY. Never ment to go off. I am tired, not been sleeping good. I'll use that as my excuse. It's the truth, but anyway. 'Night. B.

See Squeekie? He's so weird. We don't have normal cats. They each have their own strange quircks.

I worked on my Armoire today. I spent almost 2 hours sanding it with a power sander. THOSE THINGS ARE LOUD, especially with prolonged use. For the first 15 minutes after I stopped, I TALKED REALLY LOUDLY. And one strange side effect, my fingers felt almost numb by the time I stopped. But, I got one whole side done and tomorrow I will get the other and the rest of the trim. The doors are done, so this is the last of it. I will need to stain and finish and then....done, done, DONE. I asked my Dh if it was weird that I had never taken shop in school, but he had, and that I was the one doing all this. He said, "I don't know". Ooookkkaayyyyyy! That is what we spent so many years on a degree for? Just kidding. Growing up, my Dad was always working on some project or another. And I was a nosy girl. Although, I am a little scared of those big electric saws. And the sewing machine. I am such a klutz that I do all my sewing, hemming by hand. I am scared to use the sewing machine because I can just see myself getting my finger caught under the needle. My Dh on the other hand is not scared of the sewing machine. So, if I need something done on it, he does it. Weird, huh? I can gaurantee he's not effiminate. He just has no fear of machines. I want crown molding put up this year, so I will either have to conquer(sp) my fear of an orbital saw or get him to do it. I can get him to do it if I buy him a nail gun. He LOVES power tools. Show me a guy who doesn't?! Hope I haven't bored ya.

Bought a new book over the weekend. It's a mystery called "Candy Apple Dead" by Sammi Carter. I haven't finished it yet, haven't started it either. I have either been too tired or too busy. Maybe I'll get on the treadmill tonight and read some. If I can gather the energy. I just can't excercise in the morning. I like to do it at night. Um, excercise I mean. The other is nobody's business but mine and Dh's. Bwahahahaha! I'm warped, sorry. Jennifer Crusie's weblog is hilarious. I would link it, but being a techno goober I haven't figured out how yet. Her web site is: www.jennycrusie.com or you can just type in www.jennycrusie.blogspt.com Oooohhhh, I did it! Yay me. Wonder why her website didn't? Oh, there it went. Yeah, I know, I'm so bad at this. I'm trying, give me some credit. Anyway, her book "Fast Women" has to be a huge favorite of mine. I can read it and read it, over and over. I guess I mad my point. The first chapter had me cracking up. It's about a woman who has been divorced almost a year. She's coming out of her depression and is iterviewing for a job with a detective's agency(she worked in her ex's insurance agancy before the divorce). The guy's on the phone and you don't think he's paing attention to her as she accidentally crack's his window, rubs a hole in his carpet and breaks the arm on the chair she's sitting in. After he gives her the job, and she leaves, you meet his partner his cousin. He explains what the lady did to the office to his partner and you can see that even though he was on the phone, he caught everything she had done. She also kidnaps an 'abused' daschund' in the book. I swear I laughed so hard while reding this book, my Dh thought I was nuts. I love it when a book makes me laugh. Well, done for now. B.

I know I post too many pictures of Layla, but she's just too cute to resist. Her eyes don't look blue here either. But, they are a beautiful sky blue. Can you believe I am still working on my Armiore? It took 2 weeks for me to get my DH to take out all the electronics. Where do all the wires come from?? Is it mandatory that they are a complete mess. Reminds me of taking down and putting away the Christmas lights. Which I do every year on my own. That's easy compared to hooking everything up for the TV. I have been too tired today to read so I don't have a book to talk about. Dh has gone to pick up my kids favorite. Tortilla chips and cheese dip ( monteray jack cheese dip) from our favorite Mexican resteraunt. I'm making a layered bean dip for dinner and was in the mood for the dip to go with it. My kids ATTACK this dip with a gusto the Army would love. Gotta run. Sorry for the short post. B.

As a parent I ran into a big problem yesterday. Guilt. My kids have dragged out the video camera and have been watching the tapes we have made over the years. Now, I am always taking pictures of my kids (love camera phones). But, I have noticed that I don't have half the video of my son that I have of my daughter. Somehow over the last few years we have totally forgotten that those special moments need to be recorded, as well as everday ones. I wish I had somewhere else to place the blame. But, I know it's mine. I never meant to make my son feel like his place in our family isn't as strong as our daughters. At least on film. Although, to be honest as he is my 'baby'( I need to stop calling him that) he receives lots of attention. I am now trying to rectify this to him. We are trying hard not to play favorites with the kids. Which is hard because my daughter is hitting adolecence(sp), and we are starting to fuss more. (Child is HUGE SLOB). And my son is still in is sweet mode, not to mention that although he is ALL boy, his manner is more like mine ( quiet, introspective, shy). ANYWAY, I still feel guilty and now need to rectify this without paying son an innordinate amount of attention, to keep from making daughter feel left out. IT'S A HUGE GUILT CYCLE!!!!!! HELP.
Anyway, I am going to re-read a Karen Robards book, "Whispers at Midnight".(not in front of me may have title wrong.) It's actually quite funny and interesting because the mystery is not only based in the present, but also the past. I also love the main characters friend. She is totally funny and you can actually sit and think, "me too". The book is set in a small town and you actually get a feel for it. I am up way too late. Gotta get sleep. B.

This is my Dh and I 2 years aga. Isn't he cute? We've been married over 13 years now. It is definately a balance of give and take. He takes and I give! I feel like I was born to be a Mom and wife. Kinda silly in this day and age. But, I wouldn't change anything. Well, maybe I would try to have lose more weight. LOL. I soooo did not enjoy gestational diabetes with both my kids. Although, I haven't developed the 'full test' version. ( I really like to walk on the treadmill). I'll never look like I want, tried it got down to a size 8 and stayed sick the whole time. But, I guess I'm happy with what I have. And DH hasn't complained!!! I have always felt a little out of step with my own generation. I never wanted to be a lawyer or Doctor. I just wanted a home and family. I have what I wanted. But, I am still going to make plans for when the kids won't need me as much. I want to go back to school, not for a profession, more as a back-up. And also, to show my kids tha teducation is good for them and that you are never too old to do anything. I hate being made to feel stupid because I chose to stay home with my children. Or guilty that I don't work outside of the home to make other busuness women look good. I also don't want to make business women feel guilty because they choose to work. I'm doing what I wanted to do. End of story. ALTHOUGH, every job has a vacation schedule, EXCEPT being a Mom. Do I sound like everything I do, I complain about? I hope not. Aghhhh! Got off onto this topic how?????

I recently read "Get A Clue", by Jill Shavis. I loved it. It was hilarious! Groom ditches Bride, Bride take off on honeymoon by herself for a pity part and to regroup. Double booking occurs. Meet tall, dark and gorgeous cop. Oooohhhh. A possible murder also has occured, a housefull of wacky acting help complicates matters. Mix in a blizzard and you have.......a great read!!!! I'm not going to spoil it for you. Just go read it!

Off to finish laundry and all that. Sleep tight, B.

See Squeekie as he relaxes on my bed. He is smiling, I swear, look close. He is so much like a dog it's wierd. We often comment that he's a dog in a catsuit. He drools. No, REALLY! If you pet him for a few minutes he gets really happy and DROOLS! He also follows us around the house and practically begs for attention. He's the cat I told you about who carries a 'baby' up and down our stairs meowing like he's on fire. Well, if we leave our master bedroom closet open he will reach into the bag and bring down one of my son's pullups, meowing the whole time. Dingbat! But, we love him. Dh hasn't done one thing he was supposed to do with his days off. Figures. Now, I've got to take care of everything that wasn't done and do it with 2 kids in tow. AGHHHHHH! I think he does it on purpose. Funny. He did let me nap today for a while and kept our 3 year old entertained. When I woke up, he came upstairs and said that our son was driving him nuts. Bwahahahahaha!!!!!! Loved it. He should try both of them full time!! Well, enough of my household drivel, B.

See my Layla. Isn't she cute? She is in my lap AGAIN! She will push my book out of the way to get me to pet her. I call all of my cats my 'furry babies'. But, Layla is without a doubt my favorite. I had to move the computer out of the way, she would'nt take no for an answer. I am re-reading "Ready" by Lucy Monroe. It's a good book. I like the premise and find it a good book to go back and look at again and again. My Dh has the next 2 days off and he doesn't know it yet, but he's going to be helping me do some things around our house. He caught my cold last week and is finally over it. Thank God! There is NOTHING worse than a sick man. I can even handle sick kids. But, a sick man would try the patience of a saint. Especially since the same man can't muster sympathy for his wife in the same circumstance. I know that sounds childish and I was sympathetic when he was sick, it just makes me feel disgruntled to know I take better care of everyone than they can of me when I'm not well. 'Oh well. Love them no matter what.

This is 'Tiger'. He is one of the strays we feed. He's really sweet, but a little too independant to be a housecat. My other cats HATE him with total passion. I keep hoping someone will keep him as a pet. I just am too scared to take him to the Humane Society.

Went to my family reunion today. Had a good time. Got to see my Grandmother. She's so great. She is the only grandparent I have living now. I don't see her as often as I should. I love her, it's just hard to remember to take time out to call her or visit. Guilt, gotta love it.

My DH totally loves his gift. He's been playing with it constantly. My kids think it's great, too. DH is already looking at ways to Hack it and change it's programming. He's a computer geek so he thinks it's cool that you can do that. I already knew that was possible, when I was doing research on it, I found out all the cool things you can do to it, to make it do different things than what it originally could do. I ALWAYS research things before purchasing anything like that. And knowing my DH and what he likes makes it a good thing to do. Well, bored y'all enough for now. 'Night! B.

Ok, here we go. My promised list of e-book providers.

www.oceanmistpress.com new!
www.amberquillpress.com
www.cerridwenpress.com Ellora's cave own's this
www.changelingpess.com
www.ellorascave.com
www.ereader.com
www.extasybooks.com
http://store.fictionwise.com/hardshell
www.imajinnbooks.com
www.loose-is.com
www.ltdbooks.com
www.triskelionpublishing.com
www.microsoft.com/reader/default.asp
www.newcoceptspublishing.com
www.liquidsilverbooks.com
www.venuspress.com
http://whiskeycreekpress.com
www.wingsepress.com
www.zumayapublishing.com
www.draumrpublishing.com/index.php
www.phaze.com
http://sheherazadtales.com/enovels.html
www.lindenbayromance.com/index.php

OK! There they all are. If you find any of them objectionable, don't tell me. I found all these by trial and error over the last year or so. In other news, ha-ha! Today is my DH's 33rd birthday. We bought him a Robosapien. It took a while to find and save for, but he loves it. The thing can burp and 'pass gas' (to put it lightly). It can also do a host of other things. It was so hard keeping it a secret because of my 3 year old. He kept wanting his Dad to open it and play with it. You have no idea how often I had to place my hand over his mouth or change the subjuect quickly. I'm trying to teach him to read by phonetically learning the alphabet. He gave me a HEADACHE! I love this child more than my own life, but it's going to be hell teaching him to read. I can tell already. HELP ME!!!!!!!!!! I have my family reunion to go to tomorrow. I'm not sure why, but they stopped being fun about the time I hit High School. Have you ever notices that your parents find it more important than you do to revisit things in your own past. My in-laws are constantly asking us "Do you remember blah-blah?" My Dh will look at me and go "huh?" "No". And not just that one person, but that persons WHOLE freaking family!??? Sorry. But still, what is up with that? And this happens every week!!!! AGHHHHHHH!. So very sorry. Don't mean to ........well, anyway. Have a good night. Enjoy the list of e-book links. B.

Too tired to post tonight. Will post list of ebook links later. Promise!

Not much going on here. Tried to get by the library today, but just ran out of time. Tomorrow will have to do, although I have that 'twitchy' feeling I get whenever I run out of things to read. I know I have books on the bookshelf, but none really appeal to me right now. I even flipped through my e-book collection. My DH has a mini-comp(like a PDA) that he gave to me when he didn't need it anymore, I keep my e-books on it. It is handy to carry around considering it fits into one hand. I tried to find an inexpensive reader before he gave it to me, and they are not easy to find. Which makes me question, if people are buying so many e-books, where are they storing them, and where are they reading them? I find laptops almost as cumbersome as a regular computers as far as they are hard to take to bed to read. I have to say I prefer paper books to e-books as far as I can take it to bed with me, or to the Doctors office, etc. My little e-book thingy has a battery power of about 4 hours( I think, maybe more) before it needs to be plugged up. A vast array of authors now have e-book as well as regular books published. Actually, I should say, their books are released as e-books as well as traditional publishing. It does make it easier to buy their works. You don't even have to leave your home. However, I have noticed that the prices are just as expensive, even costing more than the actual 'real' books.
In a regular bookstore, you may be able to buy the book on sale or you may have a 'discount' card that saves you on the actual price. However, when buying the e-book versions there are no real discounts. And not every book is made also as an e-book. Or it may take a year or more before the book is 'transferred?' to e-book. And libraries don't carry e-books. I admit that I prefer a book in my hand that I can carry around the house, set down and come back to. Which, I can do with my reader, yes, but I also find the print on the reader smaller and the backlight a bit harsh to my eyes at times. It does however eliminate the need for a light in bed. I bet I've confused you, sorry. I have a tug of war within myself when it's regular book vs. e-book.
In other news, my DH and I came across a movie we both hadn't seen since we were young and have now intriduced to our kids. Mr. Mom, with Micheal Keaton and Terri Garr. My son especially loves the scene with the crazy vacumn cleaner. He just laughs and laughs. My daughter also seems to like the movie. However, you would not believe how hard it was to find a copy of it. (To buy) We finally found a copy at Best Buy. I was so tired of watching/hearing Toy Story over 5 times a day. Once my son likes a movie he watches it until we are SICK of it. Thank God I have a tv and vcr set up in another room for the kids. (It's only for movies, they don't have satellite like the living room or our bedroom.) We also found a copy of Fair Play. It has Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. If you can't tell, I like movies that are funny. Stupid NO, funny YES. I also am not big on violence. Action is OK. Random violence or sex is not something that I believe is necessary for a good movie. I don't mean to lecture, just wanted to share my views with others. Anyway, have a good night! B.

Hi. I just finished reading "Really Unusual Bad Boys" by MaryJanice Davidson. It was great. Three short, fun stories with heat, But, it wasn't so graphic that you might be offended. MaryJanice Davidson is an automatic buy for me and she has a book a month due out for the next few months. A new "Undead" book is due out in October and a sequel to "The Royal Treatment" is due out in November. I'm saving up for them both. Right now I am rereading a few of my OLD paperbacks. "Haunting Secrets" by Glenda Sanders and "When You Call My Name" by Sharon Sala. One is an old Harlequin and the other an old Silhouette. They are light paranormals that were( I think) ahead of the time. Paranormals are all the rage and I for one am glad. I like them because they allow you to suspend disbelief. Vampires, Phychics, Elves and such are all things/people we've grown up hearing tales of and maybe even made a few up of our own. I admit I prefer my paranormals to be light, maybe even funny, that doesn't mean I won't at least try a new author. Lynsay Sands has a new book continuing her series coming out in November, a third in her light vampire series. Her website also has a preview of another book coming out next month a historical. I don't read too many of those(apart from Amanda Quick), but it sound delightful and I'll have to keep a look out. I find that every book I read allows me to explore new things, and even leads me to new authors. That's just the best thing about ......well........READING!!!!!
Hey, go check out a book, it can't hurt, right? B.

I keep hearing horrible stories of the devesatation of both New Orleans and Biloxi/Gulfpot. And I keep trying to recognize places we used to drive by when we lived in Biloxi. It breaks my heart that NOTHING is left of the places we knew. The Air Force Base we lived at and my DH worked at is now talking of rebuilding and of actually HELPING the other rescuer's there. That's one of the things I miss about DH not being in the military anymore, the attitude......we will go on, we will survive. He is actually sorry not to be in the Military right now. He wants to go help, but we would lose his pay if he were to do it as a civillian, and as much as he'd like to help, we are having to do it from afar. We are also worried about people we know who live there. We haven't yet been able to find out if they are allright. I can't help but think of all the pets who have either lost their owners or have no home or no one to take care of them. I was heartened to hear that the LASPCA actually evacuated 200 animals to Houston before Katrina hit. I know ALL of the survivors(human and animal) need everything we can afford to give (wether it be supplies or money). We have already made one donation of supplies for people, and will make another for the furry suvivors. Please help!
(I hope that I haven't offended anyone with my post.)

Last, but not least for y'all to meet is Smokie. I've had her longer than my DH. SHe is over 13 yrs. old. She's not fat, that's all FUR! Promise! She's really sweet and if gets too excited by attention she'll nip at you.

Meet Squeeky. You've already met my baby Lalya. We call Squeeky a couple nicknames. 'Dingbat' and 'The Cowardly Lion'. He likes to carry a doll around the house in his mouth meowing like someone is trying to murder him. If you can see he is holding onto Layla. He treats her like a baby. He will actually hold her down and clean her, until she has enough and kicks his butt. And yes, I realize my cats are large. No, I don't feed them miracle grow. Night! B.

So, yesterday was my birthday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Although, I felt like snot all day. Between the drainage running down the back of my throat, cramps, chills, a HUGE headache and sore muscles, my Dh decided to take the day off to help and he took me and our kids out to dinner. Which was nice, really. I didn't have the heart to tell him how bad I really felt. Have you ever done that? Felt like total heck and then pretended you didn't because someone was trying to be nice to you? Welcome to my day. I want to post more but feel REALLY BAD and need to veg. Be good to each other. B.
P.S. Please donate something to the Katrina victims. We did tonight. We used to live in Biloxi and it's breaking our hearts to see the devestation.