Don't buy Girl Scout Cookies from an aardvark.

We're in the thick of things here in Girl Scout Cookie Land. Yup, cookies as far as the eye can see. Okay, maybe not that far, but my living room is pretty full.

We had our cookie rally the other night and the girls had a blast. There were a bunch of different tables set up with different cookie-related things to do at them. And you may find this hard to believe, but the girls' favorite table was the one where they got to sample all the cookies. Shocker, huh? My favorite part was at the end when they all screamed sang camp songs. No, really. It's great fun to have "Stinky Skunk" running through your head all night long, especially when you have a headache.

One of my friends owns a scrapbooking store and I took my daughter there tonight to drop off the cookies she had ordered. They were having a workshop there and my friend yelled out to everyone there asking if they wanted to buy Girl Scout Cookies from a cute Daisy (pulling my daughter in so everyone could see her). The ladies lined up and my daughter sold 11 extra boxes of cookies and had a great time doing it. Wasn't my friend sweet to do that? If you're ever in the South Puget Sound area and need scrapbooking supplies, feel free to head over to Toadilly Scrappin'!

Next weekend I'll be hanging out at my local grocery store with my troop selling cookies at the exit door. The girls all think that this will be the coolest thing ever! I still can't get over how excited they are to sell cookies. It really is pretty cute. I just hope that we'll be able to sell all we've got, because you know who will end up with them if we don't...

Now, for something completely unrelated... A couple of blogs I follow have had some especially funny posts that you should check out - PamperingBeki and Moongoddess - don't miss the video clip on the first and click the link on the second. And make sure you aren't drinking any milk at the time, that way it won't come out your nose when you laugh.

Criss Cross Applesauce is not my friend.

Kids have got it pretty easy when it comes to sitting on the floor. Criss cross applesauce is like second nature to them. And getting up again? That's not a problem either.

For me, it's like torture.

I didn't mind sitting on the floor when I was a kid, but these days I'll do just about anything I can to avoid it. Not only is it not terribly comfortable, I have a really tough time getting up!

I was painting over at my folks house today. The ceiling line and around the baseboards needed some work, so I started on the ceiling first. Why? Because sitting on the floor is bad. Very bad. I don't even like ladders, but I'd rather get up on one than sit on the floor. Once I finished the ceiling line, I looked at the baseboards. Nope, they hadn't been finished by the painting fairies. Drats. Down on the floor I went.

That didn't last long.

After just a few minutes, my rear end and legs were screaming for mercy. And you know? It's not easy cutting in when you're sitting criss cross applesauce. I opted for sitting on a 5-gallon paint bucket instead. Comfy? No. But still better than sitting on the floor. Of course by this time, my legs were so sore that it was still hard to get up from off the bucket. And now that I'm home, I'm finding it tough to get out of a chair, climb the stairs, or anything else that requires any type of movement on my part. Is this what getting older feels like?

Remember - it's your last chance for my giveaway! The chocolate is calling you...

Can I store cheese in my belly button?

Just for grins, I like to see what people Google to get to my blog. Don't we all check our statcounters for that? So, for your reading enjoyment, I present my Google searches...

first snowflake freakout lady - This is my most popular one. I'm tellin' ya, that commercial is big around Washington. The thing I don't understand is, why did someone in South Africa Google it?

my rainboots - No, they're my rainboots!

hungry mother really I am - Has someone else been listening to my daugher?

train table husband - Do train tables make good husbands? Discuss.

Without a plan, there's no attack. Without and attack there's no victory. - Looks like someone else is a fan of One Crazy Summer...

My nose is running, can you catch it? - EWWW!!! Why would I want to?

hair cut OR snip OR chop OR inches OR gone OR donate "locks of love" - Wow, thorough, aren't they?

yeti "Things to come" - What is "the next show on SciFi" Alex?

blog giveaways - Oh, I see how you are! You only love me for my giveaways! And speaking of giveaways - don't forget to enter mine!

toilet paper better for nose - Thanks for the input, but I'll just continue to use it elsewhere thanks.

do raisins go bad? - They're raisins - they are inherently bad.

grapes go bad - Hmm...I'm seeing a trend here... Yes, grapes go bad - they call them raisins.

dreams about being able to do the splits - Looks like someone was checking up on me. See? I told you that there was no explanation for what it means!

crayons for babes - So, what? The mildly attractive don't get crayons?

weightwhat.blogspot - Was adding the ".com" just too much to handle on your own? Good thing that Google was there...

tamaras anteater - No, Rafaella Gabriela Sarsaparilla's aardvark. Let's get it right people!

So there you go. While all those searches may sound odd (okay, they definitely sound odd), each one brought someone to my blog. Is it because I blog about odd things? Clearly. If I have time tomorrow during the day I'll go back and put links to each of the searches so you can see what those poor unsuspecting souls saw when they got to my blog. I wonder if they've recovered yet.

Hello Mr. Gopher

I have to admit something... I totally dig the gopher from Caddyshack. Get it? Dig? I can hardly stand myself for that one... :o)

Ever since Caddyshack came out a gazillion years ago, every time I hear "I'm Alright" by Kenny Loggins, I feel the need to do the Gopher Dance. C'mon, you know the one. Admit it, you've probably done it yourself. Maybe when you're alone in the car? Or late at night when no one is watching? I don't even have the decency to wait until I'm alone. I do it wherever I am and no matter who is watching. That's how deep my love for the gopher goes. Sometimes I even break out in the dance without the music. If anyone is watching, I have to do the dance and ask, "Who am I?" I have yet to find a person who doesn't get the correct answer. Then again, I usually only ask people who are around my own age. It's a good thing that this commercial came out a little while back to introduce the beloved gopher to a whole new audience.

I think I'm going to have to teach the dance to my daughter. She'll need to be prepared in case she ever goes to another ball...

Mutual Admiration Society

Over on Darcie's blog, she's been participating in the What I Learned This Week Carnival at musingsofahousewife.com. So, being the big ol' copycat that I am, I decided to do it, too. All I have to do is come up with something I've learned...

Okay, got it.

I've learned that I'm totally addicted to comments. As if you couldn't tell from my 100th post... But it's more than just getting comments (which is the best thing ever). I have a lot of fun leaving comments on other people's blogs. Kind of like a Mutual Admiration Society.

I have to admit that I can't go very long during the day without checking for comments on my blog. Thanks to my statcounter, I know that I'm getting a good number of readers. I just have very quiet readers. I have a few people who will comment regularly (You guys are the greatest!) and I have to say that it really makes my day. Does that make me needy? I need! I need! One of my favorite benefits of blogging is getting to know other people, but it's a bit tough when it's a one way street. Comments are a way of keeping the conversation going.

I leave comments on a lot of the blogs I read. It's really nice to see others blogs and find a connection there. I miss it when people haven't blogged for a while. It's like missing a friend. I just hope that my leaving comments for others lets them know how much I enjoy reading what they have to say. So to all of my blogging friends, keep writing! I'll keep commenting. And please know that I appreciate you sharing your lives with all of us.



Don't forget to check out my giveaway! Mmmm... Chocolate...

Is it supposed to look like that?

I made homemade bread for the first time tonight. Nope, no breadmaker used this time! Don't get me wrong, I love my breadmaker. I also love all the yummy bread mixes out there. But I've had a hankering to make bread all on my own. Then, the other day, I found an article about making No-Knead Bread. It said that a 4 year old could make that recipe, so I figured hey, I could do it!

Hmmm... It looks like I might still be 3.

It started out simply enough. Just mix flour, salt, yeast and water, then let it sit until the next day. Yes, I can mix with the best of them. The problems started today, after the sitting period was over. Today I was supposed to put it on a floured surface and fold it over a couple of times. My dough was so wet that it was sticking to everything. I sprinkled more flour on. Then a bit more. Okay, one more time with the flour. It still wasn't looking right, but I went with it anyway. It had to sit and rest again before I shaped it into a ball on a floured dish towel. There was no shaping this dough. It was more like pouring it onto the dish towel. It still had to rise for another 2 hours after that, so I was hoping that it might magically change it's form into something that actually resembled bread dough. Nope. But I'm a trooper and I pressed on. I tried to dump the dough into the baking dish, but it didn't so much dump. I tried to scrape it off the dish towel and although I did get quite a bit off, I think that dish towel has seen it's last day. So then into the oven it went. The wait was on...

Now mind you, this was a long process, so it gave me plenty of time to complain about how it just wasn't working. I think my husband was starting to fear my bread. But if I've spent the last 24 hours trying to make a loaf of bread, you'd better believe we were going to eat it.

The time came to take it out. Hmmm...It looked pretty good. Rustic, but good. It smelled really good, too. It even sounded good when I cut it. My daughter was the guinea pig first to try it. She gave it a thumbs up, so I gave it a try. Hey! It was fantastic! Even though it looked like a total disaster throughout the process, the end was better than anything that's come out of my breadmaker. My husband couldn't figure out why it tasted so good. Um, thanks honey. It's because of my mad baking skills, of course! Okay, maybe because it really is a fool-proof recipe.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway in yesterday's post! Mmm... Chocolate...

100? You don't look a day over 99!

Well, here it is - post number 100. It sure came up fast! The other day, I posted asking for suggestions for what I should do on today's post. After reading through the gazillions (3) of responses I received, I decided to do a bit of everything. Here we go!

100 Things About Me

1. I am a natural redhead.

2. I couldn't get a suntan if my life depended on it.

3. When I was younger, my friends liked to hang around me because I made them look more tan.

4. During a meal, I will only eat one food at a time. Yes, I'm odd.

5. Fish are friends, not food.

6. I love split pea soup, but I won't eat peas.

7. I make an amazing Potato Cheese Soup (my own recipe).

8. I rarely make my Potato Cheese Soup because it takes me all day.

9. One of my old phone numbers spelled LET-FIDO.

10. I can touch my tongue to my nose.

11. I am an expert at doing fish lips.

12. I got my front tooth knocked out by a Girl Scout.

13. I was reading when I was 3.

14. It's really hard to embarrass me.

15. I have one really embarrassing moment that I can't put here on my blog because it's not PG rated.

16. If you really want to know what it is, I might be talked in to emailing it to you. Just know that you've been warned.

17. I went to Westmont College - a private Christian college.

18. My parents used to send me posters of barely dressed men and I'd put them up on the walls and let everyone know that my parents gave them to me.

19. I also had a shirt on my wall (also from my parents) that said, "The Marines and I have a lot in common. We're both looking for a few good men."

20. If you are faint of heart, skip this one. Thanks to the college cafeteria, I used to be able to fart on command.

21. Some of my college friends and I used to joke about the universe revolving around my belly button. Yup, it was a joke. Or was it?

22. I once wrote a poem called Ode to Belly Button Lint.

23. I can't burp.

24. I have had a crush on Kurt Russell since I was a kid and he was doing Disney movies.

25. I am a huge Harry Potter fan.

26. Every time a new Harry Potter book would come out, I'd re-read the entire collection in order to be fully prepared for the new book.

27. I also have a fondness for Captain Underpants.

28. I'll probably post something in the future from a Captain Underpants book.

29. The Princess Bride is my favorite movie.

30. I also love, love, love the book!

31. To this day, I can't read Where the Red Fern Grows without crying my eyes out.

32. I worked at Disneyland two different times, for a total of 6 years.

33. Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie.

34. The only car accident I've been in involved a pedestrian.

35. The pedestrian was at fault. It's in the police report and everything. A little tip - never run through moving traffic.

36. My grandpa used to yell at me for spinning around on barstools at their house when I was a kid.

37. When I did it as an adult, he didn't yell at me.

38. To this day, if I blow bubbles in my soda, my mom will tell me that it will make my soda go flat.

39. I don't drink, smoke or chew, or run with boys who do.

40. I can get very competitive, but only with certain people.

41. As a kid, I used to cheat at Monopoly and Clue every chance I got.

42. I'm totally hooked on Heroes.

43. I've watched every season of Survivor.

44. Okay, I'll admit it. I also watch America's Next Top Model every season.

45. I took ice skating lessons for a couple of years starting when I turned 30.

46. I skated in 3 competitions.

47. Yes, it was very scary.

48. I love peppermint stick ice cream

49. My one pregnancy meltdown was over peppermint stick ice cream. Or the lack of, I should say.

50. I was in labor with my daughter for 59 hours.

51. After much begging, I finally got a c-section.

52. My daughter was so wedged in, they had to use suction on her rear end to get her out.

53. I love 80's music.

54. I can't stand U2.

55. Or Prince.

56. I'm not usually a fan of strawberry ice cream, but I will sit down with a pint of Haagen Daaz Strawberry and finish it.

57. I hope to write children's books someday.

58. Maybe even illustrate them.

59. I used to be able to sink a nail with one hit.

60. I can wiggle my nose like a rabbit.

61. I love the Bobrick company - the company that makes dispensers and such for public restrooms - because of their logo. Actually, because of the plastic left on after they etch their logo.

62. Since I was a kid, I've always checked for Bobrick dispensers in bathrooms in the hope of finding that little piece of plastic still attached to their logo so I could peel it off. Then I scratch off the centers of the 'o' and 'b's' because they don't peel away with the rest.

63. The bathroom at my sleep study last night had a Bobrick dispenser that still had the plastic on it. I guess the sleep study wasn't all bad.

64. I love a good bargain.

65. I named my last dog, a Lhasa Apso, Crusher.

66. I could whistle by breathing in better than breathing out as a kid.

67. Because of that, I always used to win those "eat 3 crackers and whistle" contests.

68. I love rollercoasters.

69. I can't stand ladders.

70. My favorite Halloween costume when I was a kid was my Wonder Woman costume. My grandma and I made it together.

71. I had really cool red go-go boots that I wore with it.

72. I wish I had red go-go boots now.

73. My two favorite colors are orange and lime green.

74. Both of those colors are on walls in my home.

75. Before moving, I used to have a color consulting business.

76. White walls drive me crazy.

77. I don't like ketchup.

78. I can't stand the feeling us dust on my hands.

79. I would love to visit Iceland.

80. And go on a Disney cruise.

81. Technically I have a tattoo.

82. I have permanent makeup on my lips.

83. I love having game nights with friends.

84. Two of my favorite games are Mexican Train and Chickenfoot. (both played with dominoes)

85. I'm a pretty good thumb wrestler.

86. I have huge feet.

87. I had Holly Hobbie wallpaper when I was a kid.

88. I like camping supplies, but I don't like to camp.

89. I'll eat lettuce in a salad, but don't even think about putting it on my burger or taco.

90. I love corn-on-the-cob, but won't eat corn any other way.

91. I love to quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

92. Being a Mommy is pretty much the greatest thing ever.

93. I love wearing red toenail polish.

94. I don't put nail polish on my fingernails because it won't last an hour before I've ruined it.

95. I still like the smell of Love's Baby Soft cologne.

96. When I was in Thailand, I had a huge snake wrapped around me for a picture.

97. I don't like snakes.

98. I'm pretty much a computer illiterate. That I have a blog is a miracle.

99. I can spell "supercalifragilisticexpialadocious".

100. I'm having so much fun writing a blog!

So there you go. 100 things about me.

But wait! There's more!

~*~ Sorry, but the giveaway is now closed ~*~

Congrats to Moongoddess!

I'm going to do a giveaway. What kind of giveaway you ask? Well, a chocolate one, of course! Yup, the winner will receive a chocolatey surprise package from me. No, I won't disclose what will be in it now. Why? Because I still need to go shopping. That being the case, if the winner doesn't like chocolate (I'll never understand how what could even happen to a person) or God forbid, is allergic to chocolate, I'll substitute something else. Don't ask me what because I don't know.

How do you win? The ways are many and, of course, totally about me. Hey, it's my blog so I get to make the rules. So without further ado, here are the possibilities:

1. Tell me which of my 100 things you find most amusing and why.

2. Tell me which of my past posts you've liked and why. Yes, you can do more than one. (Make sure that it's on separate comments though.)

3. Post a comment on this post telling me your story. I just can't believe I didn't get more responses on it before!

4. Sign up as a follower and tell me about it.

5. For all those readers who have never left a comment, leave a comment telling me why. Stop the silence!

6. Tell me which of the songs on my playlist is your favorite.

Okay, I think that's it for the different ways. Make sure you leave each in a separate comment. Sorry, but this is open to U.S. addresses only - postage is not cheap! Also, make sure I have a way to reach you in case you win. You can enter until next Saturday, Feb. 28th at 10 p.m. Pacific Time.

And because I just can't end it like that...

My excuse

I know, I know... I didn't post last night. But I have a good excuse. I had to go get a sleep study done last night. Boy, that was fun. No, really. What could be more fun that having electrodes stuck all over you and things put up your nose? The best part was when they told me to go to sleep like that. Right...

I'm going to go wash the big globs of glue out of my hair now. I know you're all jealous.

Twitterpated

Do you remember your first love? I sure do. I even remember what I thought was my first love, but all he wanted to do was sneak me out to the garage to kiss me. He was cute and I gave in. Yup, I was an easy 4 year old. My real first love came in kindergarten. Bobby... He was dreamy...

My first day of kindergarten, I was distraught. I had never been to preschool, so I wasn't used to my mom leaving me somewhere that wasn't Grandma's house. My mom walked me to school that day and said her goodbyes, me in tears. As my mom made the long walk away, I was inside the fence following along and crying for her not to leave me. Unfortunately for her, the kindergarten yard was very long, so there was a lot of weeping for her to walk away from. When I reached the end of the fence, I stood there, inconsolable, wondering why she would just leave me like that. Suddenly, Bobby was there with his arm around me. He said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." That was it - I was smitten. And he did take care of me. All throughout kindergarten Bobby was there for me. What a guy...

My daughter had her "Bobby" last year in kindergarten. I'd hear stories about how he'd take her to the office when she was sick and would stay with her to take care of her. I'd mention his name to her and she'd get this little grin on her face or start giggling. It was pretty darn cute. I found out from the sweetheart's mom that the two of them had to be separated in class quite a few times because they wanted to hug each other all the time. I know some parents might get upset about something like this, but I'm not one of those parents. I have wonderful memories of times like that for me. I hope that my daughter remembers her first love. Every girl should have a "Bobby" at some time in her life.

So, who was your first love?

Uh, is there a point to this?

At this moment in time, I have no idea what I'll be blogging about tonight. All I know is that I really want to include this video:

Oh, how I love that clip... I'm also a big fan of "Dramatic Chipmunk" even though it's not really a chipmunk. I have big plans to include that in a post someday. Alright, not so much big plans as a desire. Maybe an inkling.

It's amazing how easily Dramatic Lemur fits in to my everyday life. I like to do Dramatic Lemur eyes at my daughter and husband. Sometimes hubby and I will gang up on the kiddo and both do the eyes at her. I don't know why she thinks we're weird. I just pulled her in here to watch the clip again. Yup, she still thinks I'm crazy. My husband was at a meeting not too long ago and they were about to start a video. He was at the front of the room and did Dramatic Lemur. It was amazing how many people recognized what it was. See? I'm not the only fan out there.

Anyway, you can probably tell by now that I'm easily amused. The good thing about being easily amused is that I'm rarely bored. How many people can really say that about themselves?

So was there a point to all this? Nope. But I do find it interesting how much I have to say when I have nothing to say.

How can you hate the Colonel?

Corporate America has my number, and they call it frequently. I know they're out to get me. Hmmm... Wendy needs some coffee - run that coffee commercial! Suddenly, I'm really craving a cup. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've felt the need to have Calgon take me away. But the most insidious of all is the Colonel. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?

A few days ago, there was a KFC commercial on t.v. Yup, they got me. It's been on my mind since then. I don't even like fried food, but a few times a year, that evil Colonel with his secret herbs and spices sucks me in. Evil, I tell you!

So we went to KFC for dinner tonight. I wasn't even hungry, but the husband and kiddo were "starving". I'm afraid I was a disappointment to my husband tonight - he was expecting a chicken frenzy since I've been craving it. Nope, just a little bit of chicken and the mashed potato-like substance that I couldn't finish. Still, I got in my fix. I can go on living another day. It'll be months before I have to give in to the Colonel's wicked lure again.

I know I'll be paying the price for this outing. The Colonel's Revenge should start kicking in any time now. Ick.

Tell me what to do!

I'm looking for suggestions. God willin' and the creek don't rise, this Saturday will be my 100th post. What does one do for their 100th post? I'm at a loss. So, any suggestions out there? I'm up for just about anything. Anything, that is, except going down the big slide.

When will then be now?

Time is a mystery. Where does it go and why does it go so fast? I just signed up for facebook and I've been looking up old college friends. College seems like it was just a couple of years back, so I'm a bit shocked when I think about it being 20 years ago. I feel like I've blinked and missed something - like 20 years! How can that be?!

Time is something of a mystery for my daughter, too. To her, everything that's in the past was yesterday. Hmmm... I know the feeling. She's constantly asking me what time it is (usually because she's hoping it's time to eat) even though it doesn't mean anything to her. If she asks me what time we'll be doing something, I'll usually tell her "later" since she won't be able to figure out a specific time by looking at a clock. Then, of course, we get in to "when is later" and "is it later yet?" To a 6 year old, later is forever away. For me, later comes and goes so quickly I feel like I'm getting whiplash.

If anyone has come up with a way to slow down time, could you please share it with me?

Mushy Gushy Goo

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope that everyone is out there getting spoiled today! My husband sent me two bunches of flowers and sent one bunch to my daughter, so we're pretty well covered in the "spoiled" department. I'll have to hit Target tomorrow for the clearance Valentine chocolate and then my life will be complete. Mostly.

So, what did you all do for Valentine's Day?

The camera goes where?!

Yesterday was just not my day. It's never fun to start your day this way:

And as if stirrups and the salad tongs of death weren't enough, I was told that I'm overdue for this:

But wait, there's more. After getting another very unpleasant test done, I found out that I get to go in for this:

I don't think the pictures from either of those tests will be making it into my photo album.

Back to our regularly scheduled program

Today has been a day. I would blog about it, but since I already said I'd post about what was supposed to be my topic from yesterday, it's probably best to stick with that idea. Wow, did that even make sense?

The missing topic is the splits. Not these Splits:

That was last night. I'm talking about these splits:

This kind of splits has been torturing me for as long as I can remember. You see, I have a recurring dream about being able to do the splits. Isn't that crazy? But wait, it gets better. When I wake up, I'm convinced that I can actually do the splits. Never in my entire life have I been able to do the splits, but hey, I dreamed that I could so it must be true, right? So of course I have to try it. What a shocker! I still can't do them! But the pain from trying will stay with me for the rest of the day.

I've tried looking up "splits" on those sites that interpret dreams. Apparently I'm the only one who has that dream because I can't find it listed anywhere. Wow, it's so great to be a freak unique.

And now, for something completely unrelated to the splits (because I couldn't think of any way to tie the two together). My new BFF, Darcie, has entered one of her fabulous posts in a contest. You can read that post here. She's also doing a pretty great giveaway for those who vote for her. No, it's not a bribe. It's a reward for being smart enough to see the brilliance in her writing. Anyway, you can find out about her giveaway here. Give her blog a good looksee. You'll be glad you did!

Huh, I wonder if Darcie can do the splits...

Look! Something shiny!

Tonight has been a tough night for figuring out what to write about. I've been sitting at the computer for the last 2 hours without a clue. At last, I came upon an idea. Of course, I had to find pictures to post with it. Wouldn't be a post without pictures.

It was then that it happened. I got distracted by something else.

So, the first thought is out for tonight. I'll come back to it tomorrow night. Unless I see something shiny.

What's up for tonight? The Banana Splits! Well, maybe not the entire series. That would be crazy. I'm just going to hit on the part that scarred me for life fascinated me as a child. It's part of the end credits from the show - the part where they're sliding down the big slide. Here, take a look for yourself. It's about the middle of the clip.

Doesn't that big slide look like fun? Oh, how I wanted to go on a big slide like that...

Until my parents took me to one so I could go on it.

That thing was HUGE! I was scared to death! And no, they didn't get me on it. To this day, I will still not go on one of those slides. I see them at carnivals and I just have to walk away. Put me on any rollercoaster out there and I'll have the time of my life. But there's no way I'm going on a big slide. No siree.

Oh, Banana Splits! Why must you taunt me so?

First Snowflake Freakout Lady

We got some surprise snow today! When it started snowing this morning, it was just teeny, tiny flakes that you really had to look hard to see. But it just kept falling. And the snowflakes got bigger. And they kept falling. Soon, it actually started to stick! Oh, how I love the snow! It was like a winter wonderland...

Some people around here (my mom and husband) don't like the snow. My mom grew up with too much snow living in Canada, and she threatens to move back to California whenever it snows. My husband didn't grow up with snow, so what's his excuse? It could be his long commute to work that does it. Maybe he doesn't like the thought of being snowed in. Or maybe he's just afraid that the sky is falling. I don't know.

But since I love the snow so much, I just have to share the love with those who don't.

How do I do this? By calling to give friendly weather reports to make sure they don't miss out. Like today, I called my husband all day long. As soon as he'd pick up the phone, I'd give my report. It's snowing! It's coming down harder! It's sticking! The snowplows are out! You see? I'm just a little ray of sunshine sometimes.

There's a new commercial that plays on the radio around here that cracks me up. It's about First Snowflake Freakout Lady. I know they say "lady," but I'm pretty sure they were talking about my husband when they made the commercial. Unfortunately, I can't embed the commercial on my blog, so I'll just have to tell you how to get to it. First, click here. Click "view the ads" at the bottom of the page. Then go to the list on the left side under "Radio" and you'll see "First Snowflake Freakout Lady." Click on it and you can hear the commercial yourself. Pretty darn funny. And so true.

Well, it's time for me to hit the hay. My husband is already asleep. Should I wake him up and give him the latest weather report?

A different breed of music lover

I guess I'm on a bit of a farm animal kick these days. It was chickens the other day, today is more of a cow kind of day. Who can resist a cow story? Okay, that and I found lots of fun cow goodies to add on to my post. :o)

When I was 11, my grandpa took me to Scotland. I had about a gazillion relatives there and we got to visit all of them. My favorite part of the trip was when we stayed a week with my great-aunt and uncle in the Scottish Highlands. I had so much fun with them and they spoiled me rotten. Who wouldn't like that? Anyway, we went out for a drive one day in the gorgeous Highlands and my great-uncle decided to pull up next to a fence that was keeping cows penned in. He then proceeded to roll down the car window and turn up the radio.

And the cows came. They came up and tried to stick their heads into the car.

He turned the radio off, and away they went.

He turned the radio back on again, and guess what? Yup, back they came.

Those cows loved music! Okay, the farmer probably called them to eat by playing music. But still, it was pretty darn funny! Here it is, 30 years later, and I still want to roll down the windows and turn up the radio whenever I see cows.

And just for good measure (and for a reason to add more cow comics), I have a couple more little cow tidbits.

I used to collect cow stuff. And I don't mean just a little bit of it. I even had large cow spot magnets all over my white refrigerator. The thing is, I never bought a single cow thing for myself. People just kept giving me cow stuff, so everyone else thought I must be collecting it. It was never my intention to become the local cow museum, but I seemed to have been pushed into it. And before anyone gets the idea to send me more cow stuff, please don't. I've managed to get rid of all but one cow item. Now, if you want to send me chocolate, who am I to stop you?

Okay, last cow related item. When I was young, my mom went with my sister's class to a dairy farm for a school field trip. Sounds pretty harmless, huh? Not exactly. My mom caught some kind of weird cow disease and came home and passed it to me. Yes, I had a cow disease. No, it wasn't mad cow disease. But how many people can say they've had that happen to them? I've had an odd life at times.

Wow, I just realized I lied. I still have one more cow thought. Well, not as much a thought as that it's on my list. You know, the kind of list you make of things that you want to do someday? On my list is "milk a cow." Yes, I'm an odd one. But hey, everyone's gotta have a dream.

Home

Cora is Home now. Please pray for her family during this very painful time. The Macs

EEEEWWW!!!

There are times when it's just better to stay home. This morning was one of those times.

Today was World Thinking Day for the Girl Scouts, and our troop was going to a special event along with the other troops in the area. Unfortunately, my daughter started complaining about having a headache before we left. Since she wasn't having stroke symptoms like she usually does with her migraines, I thought it was just a regular headache and I gave her some Tylenol. By the time we needed to leave, she was acting normal again. So, no problem, right?

Wrong.

We got about half an hour into the program when she started complaining that her head hurt. Great. I was wondering if she could hold out a bit longer, but then I got my answer. There was a great tossing of cookies. I couldn't help but be reminded of the barf-o-rama scene in Stand By Me. (I can't bring myself to embed the video clip on my blog - it's just too disgusting. Watch at your own peril.) Once this unfortunate event happened, she felt fine. Of course, she was covered in yuckiness, so there was just no staying around after that. It was back home for us. After a bath for her, she was back to playing as if nothing had ever happened.

I'm guessing that from now on, my daughter and I will be given a wide berth at all Girl Scouting events.

Square Chickens

My two children were arguing all through dinner tonight. Yes, the 6 year old and the 37 year old. And what could they possibly argue about that entire time? Whether or not there are square chickens.

You see, I made Chicken Squares for dinner. They're super yummy and the whole family gobbles them up. Anyway, my daughter asked me what was in them. Before I could even get out my answer, my husband tells her that they're made from square chickens. Being the smart cookie that she is, she didn't believe him. Since they both seem to have the arguing gene, neither would give in. So I got to listen to, "Yes there are!" and "No there aren't!" while eating my meal. Doesn't that sound like fun? I would post the recipe here, but do you know how hard it is to find square chickens?

Speaking of chickens, I saw something very odd the other day. I saw a woman and her child walking a chicken. At least, that's what it looked like. I don't live in farm country, so it's not everyday that you see a chicken around here, least of all one being taken for a walk. The chicken wasn't on a leash or anything, but it was just walking along with them. It's times like this that I wish I had a camera with me. Hmmm... I wonder if chickens make good pets...

The moment of truth...

Okay, okay... I'll talk.

1. An Arab man tried to buy me. True!

I was working at Disneyland at the time. I was selling Mickey Mouse balloons at the front of the park near the train station. Not far from where I was standing, a group of Arab men were walking by when they all suddenly stopped and looked at me. Two of the men approached me and asked, "He would like to know how much to buy you?" "Um, the balloons are a dollar," was my reply. "No, he would like to know how much to buy you." A bit more nervous this time, "The balloons are a dollar!" The two men walked back to the group, said something to the man in the middle and they all stared at me for a bit longer. Finally they moved on. No, I won't be forgetting that one anytime soon!

2. I've ridden an elephant through the jungle. True!

Back in the summer of '93, I went on a summer mission trip to Thailand. While there, I did get to ride an elephant through the jungle, and yes! It was scary! Even though there was a "seat" on the elephant's back, it didn't feel at all stable. I have to say that I was pretty darn happy to get off! One of the other highlights of that day was having a baby elephant steal a bunch of bananas from me. So cute!!! I'll have to post more about my Thailand adventures sometime.

3. I spent a year performing with a circus. False!

No self-respecting circus would have me! The closest I've ever come to anything circus-y was when I was in college (yea Westmont!) and half of the student body would go down to Ensenada, Mexico, for a spring break mission trip. I was on the Mime Team (no, not like that) and we'd dress up like clowns and perform in the different villages. It was a lot of fun, but it was no circus.

So there you have it. Isn't it fun to have stories to tell? And for all of you who stayed silent, don't you wish you'd played along? Hmmm...?

Tough crowd

The silent masses... I know they're out there. It might sound like nothing but chirping crickets, but I've got a statcounter, so I know they're out there. Out there, not playing my game from yesterday.

*shaking my head*

Well then, I'm not gonna tell you the answer to mine. Or the wonderful stories that go along with them. That'll teach ya!

Okay, okay. I'll give all those non-participants out there another chance. Be silent no more! Everyone who is anyone will be playing...

Yeah, that's the ticket!

There's a game I've played over years called "Two Truths and Lie." Have you ever played it? Well, I thought it might be fun to play it here. That, and I couldn't think of another topic tonight.

Here's how you play. You tell two truths about yourself and one lie, then everyone else tries to guess which is the lie. Fun, huh? I'll tell mine in this post, and anyone who would like to play, other than my immediate family, can make their guesses in the comments. You can also leave your truths and lie in the comments. Oh, and if you have a blog, consider yourself tagged for your blog, but leave a comment on my blog to link to yours.

A little explanation for the "comment impaired" (this totally describes certain parental units who will go unnamed) - at the bottom of this post in little letters it says "comment." Click on that and then if you have an account you can sign in. If you don't have an account, scroll down a bit more and click the bubble next to "name/url" so you don't have to sign up for an account and you can just leave a comment. Type in your answer, feel free to leave your own, and hit "publish your comment." Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Without further ado...

1. An Arab man tried to buy me.

2. I've ridden an elephant through the jungle.

3. I spent a year performing with a circus.

So? What do you think?

Only The Shadow knows...

Happy Groundhog's Day! Sorry anti-winter folks, but Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning - 6 more weeks of winter! But isn't winter supposed to be around 6 more weeks anyway? At least, that's what my calendar says.

I love winter! Where I live, it's unusual to get enough snow that it actually sticks, but this season we got snowed in. My daughter and I loved it, but my husband, not so much. He was saying the other day that he liked the weather in California better (we moved from So. Cal. a few years ago). I really hated the weather there. The only way you could tell that it was winter was that the temps dropped below 90 degrees. Ick. So, yes, I really enjoy having real seasons. Bring on the snow!

My only problem is that after living in Southern California my whole life, I'm unprepared in the clothing department for winter. I did buy a coat this year though. Oh, and I just bought some really comfy gloves! But that's about it for me. I keep thinking that I'll get more snow-friendly clothing, but it just doesn't happen. With 6 more weeks of winter to contend with, maybe I should consider doing some shopping.

So, Happy Groundhog's day to all those who love winter. To those who don't, you might want to do something before next February 2nd to make sure that you're not stuck in this predicament again.

Don't forget to pack your angry eyes!

Superbowl Sunday. Who was playing? Okay, okay. I know who was playing. But only because my husband's favorite team was involved. Even he doesn't usually watch sports unless it's a "big game". The only thing I feel like I might be missing out on is the commercials. Thank goodness for the internet so I can watch all the commercials I want! Hmmm... Somehow, that just doesn't sound right. Anyway, I'm sure I haven't gotten to all of the commercials yet, but here's my favorite as of this minute:

The moral of this story is never go out without your "angry eyes". (Yes, it's a blatant Toy Story reference. I just can't help myself.)

What does one do on Superbowl Sunday if she is not watching the game? I took my daughter to the movies. We saw Hotel For Dogs. Cute movie! My little one has been dying to see it since she's a huge fan of dogs. Seriously. Huge. Fan. She will turn everyday household items into collars and leashes. Some items that don't even resemble dogs will become dogs in a pinch. It's not unusual to hear my daughter barking. And asking to be called "Sparkle". The only really embarrassing part is when she starts sniffing people. One day we were out somewhere and she started sniffing a little old lady who was next to her. Nice. I have to warn her to be good or else I'll put a cone around her head. Good thing I just happen to have one handy. I keep it right next to my angry eyes.