Susan52 dot com

Working in My New Kitchen

2012-02-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

For now it's mostly in my head, but now that the kitchen cabinets are installed in our new house I have a better picture of what it's going to be like to prepare a meal in our new kitchen.

Refrigerator here, canned goods there, utensils in that drawer, potholders in the next. Gas stove on that side, dishes, bowls, and plates on the other.

Time to serve lunch. Can you smell it? Mmm, I almost can!

Progress On the New House: Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

Our New House: Building Blocks for the New Year

2012-01-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to post another house construction picture so soon, but my good friend Joan reminded me today that, "A new home foundation going down is one heck of a way to start a brand new year!!!!!!!" (Those who know Joan will know that I'm quoting her exactly, down to her contagious punctuation!)

Joan is absolutely right, so I decided to share this picture, taken today, January 1, 2012. It truly is symbolic of all the good things we expect in this new year. I know everything about the year won't be perfect, and some won't be good at all (we're not in Heaven yet!) but Chris and I head into this year thankful for all that we've been through, with appreciation for the gifts that have yet to come.

Happy New Year from our family to yours. I hope you have much to look forward to and even more to be thankful for!

Our New House: Digging the Footings

2011-12-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

We visited the site of our new house yesterday and found activity! The forecast is working in our favor right now (look at that blue sky!), so yesterday they were digging the footings and planning to pour those later in the afternoon.

I don't know exactly what footings are, but I sort of do. Guess I need to do a bit of research on the technicalities of homebuilding. I'm more interested in the outward appearance, what the new house will look like as it goes up. But certainly a firm foundation is very important and I'm glad we have a builder we can trust to do that part right.

Sort of like in our lives. No matter what else we do, if we have a firm foundation then the rest of life sort of takes care of itself, guided by our Builder.

Visit again soon for more updates on our new house as construction progresses. Feel free to get excited about it. We are!

One More Seasonal Greeting (Wordless Wednesday)

2011-12-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

Best Christmas Ever and the New Year Ahead

2011-12-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

It's almost New Year's and I forgot to say Merry Christmas. Hope everyone had a happy one! We had what may have been our best Christmas ever, with a very special gift of family photos from our kids with help from various relatives who provided copies from their own stash. Now we have an organized chronicle of our lives, neatly cataloged and scrapbooked, plus several framed 8 x 10's. It was hard losing family photos in our fire, but we had the memories. Now we have both and a place to add new memories, too. What an amazingly awesome gift from our sons and daughter-in-law.

Now it's time to put this too-memorable year behind us and move ahead to 2012. Our new house is in the beginning stages of construction and we're very excited about getting to choose all the things that will go inside. I'll be taking pictures and posting them along with progress notes here on this site.

Have you set goals for 2012? I'm working on doing that this week, too, since life-other-than-building-a-new-house will go on as usual. I need to remember to include personal physical and spiritual goals along with the business goals, which are much easier (at least for me) to address and plan.

No matter what your goals, I wish you health, wealth, prosperity, and bundles of blessings for 2012!

Win Free Content for Your Blog

2011-12-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

My friend Rhonda, aka Mommy Revenue, is giving away three free memberships to her site, NewsletterClips.com. It's a cool site and, if you're ever in need of some quick content for your blog or newsletter, it could be a lifesaver - and certainly a time saver!

I've known Rhonda online for a number of years and recommend her highly. In fact, she's the one who referred me to Squidoo!

Enter the giveaway by following the easy instructions here. Hope you and I both win!

Homeschool Band and Orchestra Christmas Concert: (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

Even retired homeschool moms can make joyful music unto the Lord.

We Promise to Remember the Seventh of December

2011-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Ever watch the John Wayne movie The Fighting Seabees? Our family did, multiple times, and every December 7th (Pearl Harbor Day in case you're not in the know) the song from that movie goes through my head all day.

Best part for me are the lyrics, "And we promise to remember the seventh of December."

We promise, too.

You'll find the lyrics and the music to "The Song of the Seabees" here, the movie here.

The Stove That Made Me Cry

2011-11-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

We went to Sears last night to do some looking for appliances for the new house. Ugh, what a chore.

I was fine until we noticed a gas stove that was similar to the one we lost in the fire. I really loved that stove and don't expect I'll ever have another one quite like it. Made me cry, just a little bit.

There's an element of fun in this new house project, but a lot of emotion, too, sometimes when I least expect it.

Something Good About Facebook

2011-10-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Love it that my kids are friending and getting to know their long-distance cousins on Facebook.

Hate it that we didn't visit those cousins more often while all the kids were growing up.

An Eventful Summer

2011-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

The weather has turned chilly, it's almost Halloween, and I have to say that even though I prefer warm weather, I'm not sorry to leave this summer behind.

Most people who read this blog already know about our house fire. (If you don't, just click the link for details, pictures, and news stories.) The time has passed oh, so quickly and we've accomplished a lot. We've also learned a lot. Here are two quick lessons that I want to share with you.

First, do an inventory of your belongings. You just never know when you might have to account for everything you own for insurance purposes. Fires, tornadoes, and other disasters usually offer little warning. At bare minimum, take your digital camera around the house, take good pictures of every room, every corner of every closet, and the contents of every drawer and every kitchen cupboard. Then upload those pictures to a service such as Picasa where they'll be stored for you for free, able to be retrieved on any computer, anywhere.

Speaking of computers, lesson number two is that if you have any files at all on your computer that you care about, invest in an online backup service. We had (and will always have) Carbonite on our computers so our business files, pictures, music files, video files, every file on the computers were all backed up and able to be retrieved. Each now resides safely once again on the new computer where it belongs. Carbonite is a very inexpensive annual investment if you care about your computer's contents. Of course it works the same way in the case of a hard drive crash (which is much more likely than a house fire) so even if you feel fireproof, invest in Carbonite anyway.

We learned a lot of even more important lessons, and I may share some of those later, but I didn't want to wait any longer to pass along this advice to you. There's nothing in it for me if you follow the links above (though if you want one free month of Carbonite with a purchase, send me your email address and I'll have Carbonite send it to you and I'll get some free months too), but I hope you'll gain at least an element of peace-of-mind.

Talk again soon,

The Motorcycle Injury I'll Never Forget

2011-07-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

My number one son bought his first motorcycle on Saturday. On Tuesday he posted on Facebook that he had sustained his first motorcycle injury: "Sore face muscles from excessive smiling."

When he first sat on the new motorcycle I took his picture as he tried to contain his excitement. Indeed, he was smiling so wide it looked like his cheeks might crack. I'll cherish that moment and the picture always.

That's the kind of happiness, the kind of outright joy, that every mom wants for her kids. And the kind of happiness that makes this mom's heart sing.

The Gift of a Mockingbird

2011-05-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Mockingbird Card by lisawilliamsgifts

The mockingbird has to be my favorite bird. I have memories of watching a mockingbird singing while perched atop a very tall telephone pole at my grandparents' house many, many years ago. We had mockingbirds that nested in our yard in Virginia, and we have them here in Arkansas, too. I never tire of listening, trying to identify each of the birds that the mockingbird is mocking when he sings.

Recently, one of these very vocally-gifted birds has taken up residence in our back yard, very near to the house. I haven't seen it yet, but I hear it daily. This morning, I heard it singing outside the bathroom window, very close. What a wonderful gift from the Lord that song was on an otherwise mundane Saturday morning!

I think I love mockingbirds so much because of the variety in their songs that reminds me of the variety in my moods and my personality. Mockingbirds are always "up" even if I'm feeling "down." Mockingbirds are fiercely protective of their families, and I like to think that I'd fight that hard for mine if I had to, swooping after any enemy who tried to come between me and my little ones, even though my little ones aren't exactly little anymore.

The mockingbird is back! As I'm typing this, I hear him again, this time on the other side of the house. Maybe one day I'll be able to see the bird and take its picture. In the meantime, I like the one I found and included above.

Do you have mockingbirds where you live? I hope you feel as gifted with yours as I feel with ours. Enjoy!

Charlotte and the Presidents

2011-02-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

I saw 2-year-old Charlotte and her family on Rachel Ray this morning naming - and quoting - the presidents. What a smart, happy little girl!

Happy President's Day, everyone!

From My Baby Boomer Persona

2011-02-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

Found this one in my Recipe du Jour daily email today. Perhaps you can relate.

A Crazy Sexy Diet Book

2011-01-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

There's a new diet book on the shelf and I think it's going to be a huge hit. In fact, it's only been out for a couple of weeks and it's already a bestseller. The name is pretty crazy, and I can only imagine that people are going to wonder what's sexy about a diet book, but if an unexpected title is what it takes to get people to take a serious look at this book, then the name is perfect!

If you are a cancer survivor or know one, or if you just want to learn how to eat healthy to prevent disease, check out this Crazy, Sexy Diet Book.

Post Christmas Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

True Grit 2010 Movie Review

2010-12-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

My husband and I saw the new "True Grit" movie last night. I had been looking forward to seeing it for months, since I found out there would be a remake, and with our local connection and the associated hoopla, as well as the great early reviews, my anticipation level was very high.

We live in western Arkansas, minutes from the site of Judge Isaac Parker's Fort Smith courtroom and the infamous gallows, which play a rather dramatic role in the movie; thus the local connection. The original 1969 "True Grit" with John Wayne is in the top five of my all-time favorite movies, so this one certainly had a lot to live up to. I went into the screening with an open mind, set on judging the Coen brothers' version as objectively as possible, but comparisons were inevitable and it's hard to relay my thoughts on the new movie without mentioning the old.

The characters created by Charles Portis in his "True Grit" novel are unique and nothing less than outstanding, and each one is interpreted splendidly in the movie. I was not disappointed in the least and, in fact, I was surprised how much I loved each one. Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross had more opportunities to show both sides of her personality, the well-educated, precocious, determined young woman and the frightened little girl who misses her father, than did Kim Darby in 1969. I loved her interaction with Tom Chaney and, especially, with Ned Pepper, both of whom I would have enjoyed seeing more of in the film.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn and Matt Damon's LaBoeuf. Both of these amazingly talented actors were totally believable and truly made their characters their own. There's no reason to compare their performances to those of John Wayne and Glen Campbell from 1969. What's most important here is their interpretations of what Charles Portis had in mind, and I would certainly think that the author could be no less than very pleased.

In fact, if there's any real comparison to be made between the two movies it would have to be that watching the 2010 "True Grit" is like reading a great book while the original version is more of a fabulous Hollywood extravaganza-of-a-western movie starring bigger-than-life actors and gorgeous scenery and music. Not that the Coens skimped on scenery or music because they didn't, and certainly there was no skimping on great actors, but the story and its characters are the real stars in 2010.

For the true "True Grit" experience, one must read the novel and watch both movies. I'm thinking that those who read the book first will like the 2010 "True Grit" movie better than the 1969 version, but baby boomers who fell in love with John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn in 1969, as well as those who haven't read the book or lack the local connection, may just prefer the original movie. As for me, the movies were totally different experiences and I thoroughly enjoyed them both.

How about you? Have you seen either movie? Both? Read the book? I'd love to read your comments and reviews.

Celebrate the Reason for the Season

2010-12-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

When my kids were little, we made sure that the excitement of Christmas didn't interfere with the reason for the season. One way of doing that was to have a special dessert with our Christmas meal, a birthday cake for Jesus.

Of course our children heard the biblical Christmas story every year and we usually attended at least one special Christmas presentation at church, as well as visited a living nativity on occasion. But I believe that putting Jesus' birth into the modern concept of a birthday celebration by having a special cake makes it even easier for children to understand that Jesus came to earth as a baby and grew up here just like they did.

Of course the most important aspect of Jesus is spiritual and miraculous, and the emphasis on why He came always comes first. Whatever it takes to help a child understand the real meaning of Christmas, though, seems like a good idea to me.

Will your children or grandchildren have a birthday cake for Jesus this year? I'd love to know how you celebrate the Reason for the season in a comment below.

Happy Birthday, dear Jesus. Happy birthday to you!

P.S. Aren't these shirts cute? You can order them here and here.

New Graduate

2010-12-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

Last night, our number two son graduated from college. I can't tell you how proud we are of him. He's a Marine vet, having served four years of active duty before he started his college career. He thought it made sense to do it that way, military first, college second. Excellent strategy.

He graduated with a BS in criminal justice, summa cum laude, all A's all the way through. He's worked very hard as a full-time student. So hard, in fact that he squeezed a four-year degree into two and a half years. He enjoyed being in school so much that he's going back, starting another degree as well as doing some additional formal language study on his own. He has a career goal that he's working toward, and all of this studying is to enable him to reach that goal as quickly as possible.

I could go on and on bragging about him, and then I'd have to go on and on bragging on number one son, too. Instead, I'll just say that we are truly blessed. Congratulations, Tim. You did good!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Thoughts on the Election

2010-11-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Putting on my Sassy Susan hat this morning with some thoughts on the 2010 election results.

Our county's computer wouldn't work last night, so even though I stayed up late, I didn't know local results until this morning and, by golly, I had to work hard to find them online. (Thank you, The City Wire.)

We had an interesting election for mayor in our little town. The incumbent was recently ruled ineligible to run because of a misdemeanor conviction - while in office - of stealing campaign signs (in the middle of the night, with a cohort, and they took the license tag off his truck - amazing stupidity). His name was still on the ballot, but I was never so happy to see a zero next to anyone's name in my life when I finally saw the results. He's very charismatic, but he's a crook and actually has a felony conviction in the past and was an attorney but had to surrender his law license, presumably because of the felony, years ago. Not sure what he's going to do now, but I hope he goes to Washington, D.C. to become a lobbyist. He'd fit in there very well. Happily, the candidate we were supporting won handily and I'm very excited to see how things change around here.

Otherwise, the state results were pretty predictable, although more Republicans were elected than I expected, both at the state and local levels. Having that (R) next to a name on the ballot obviously got some people into office who probably would not have won otherwise except for the prevailing political anti-Obama/Democrat wind. We'll have a new sheriff in town - definitely needed - and I'm glad his decision to run on the Democrat side didn't cost him the race. Our Democrat governor won re-election, but he is very popular and actually truly a good man who did a lot for the state in his first term, so I'm fine with that and even voted for him.

As for the national scene, Blanche is out, Boozman is in, and obviously it's going to be an interesting couple of years in Congress.

Bottom line, I'm pretty satisfied this morning after election night. I just hope I can say the same in two more years.

Bling My Bra - For a Great Cause

2010-10-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

For years, I've been associated with an awesome group of online sellers. Today's post was contributed by Danni Ackerman, one of the members of that group and also part of the 2010 "Bling My Bra" campaign. I'll let her tell you more about it. . . .

Bling My Bra is the brainchild of Beth Cherkowsky of Depression Glass Warehouse on Ebay. This is the second annual Bling My Bra Fundraiser Campaign and is being run by a Committee of 12 women this year with our fearless leader being Kat Simpson of Kat's Kloset on Ebay.

What we do is solicit donations of one of a kind art bras made by anyone from the homemaker to celebrities! Ebay has even gotten behind us this year with a contest being run between Ebay employees to come up with the best selling bra. John Donahoe has offered up an IPad as a reward.

Each bra has a theme and some are even wearable. The idea is to put these bras up for auction and get the bidding action going wild in order to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

100% of all proceeds go to Susan G Komen for the Cure. The auctions will start on October 1st, the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Starting bid on all the bras is $19.82 to honor the date the Susan G Komen foundation was founded. But sky's the limit on how high they will sell! And we hope to raise at least $6,000 this year so need everyone's support!

To find the auctions just visit http://www.Blingmybra.com. All the information is there.

author - Danni Ackerman of Udderlygoodstuff

****
Thank you, Danni! The first awesome auction is up and is for the beauty shown in the video below. (Think Halloween, girls!)

Bookmark this link and check back often through October to see each day's new "Bling My Bra" auction - for the cause!

Podcasting with AudioBoo

2010-09-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

I learned something new today, how to use AudioBoo to make podcasts that I can share on my blogs and social media sites. Here's my first "boo." (Silly name, great product.)

Listen!

So, what do you think? Are you going to try AudioBoo, too? Leave me a message - and a link if you do!

Rick Monday Rescues the American Flag

2010-09-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to say that I missed this incident when it occurred back in 1976, but I'm very glad I didn't miss it when my friend Joan the video to me this week. Take a couple of minutes and watch this.

God bless you, Rick Monday.

Apple Season

2010-09-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about fall is apple season and the return of fresh apples. All summer long, apple prices go up as apple quality goes down. Right now I'm really looking forward to the new crop which, judging from the loaded-down apple tree we pass on the way to church, should arrive any day now. I'm thinking apple cake, apple cider, crispy red apples for snacks, and homemade applesauce.

I made a new Squidoo lens yesterday about applesauce recipes. Check it out if you love apples. I've been surprised, judging by the comments I've recieved, that many people I know to be otherwise prolific cooks have never made homemade applesauce. I promise, making applesauce is very easy and well worth the little bit of effort it takes. It's also a great project for families with children. And of course, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" applies to cooked apples, too!

While you're waiting for the fall apple crop to arrive, check out the information on the U.S. Apple Association's website where you'll find everything you were wondering about and probably a few things you didn't know you should know about beautiful, crispy, yummy, autumn apples - in season now.

Apple poster available at allposters.com

Free 2011 Calendar for the Health of It

2010-09-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

I just found a place online where you can order a free 2011 women's health calendar. Don't know about you, but I love calendars, and the free-er the better. The 2010 version of the calendar contains quite a wealth of health information for women and girls and is actually quite nice, so I would expect the same from the 2011 version.

Order your 2011 women's health calendar here, available in English or Spanish, one per customer. Then use it to keep track of your upcoming health screenings. You do have those scheduled for the coming year, right? If not, get up right now and call your doctor. Please don't put it off! (Trust me, I know what can happen if you do put it off.)

If you're in the mood for more calendars, I found a big sale, too. For this week only, or while supplies last, Calendars.com is having a $2 calendar sale on all of their 2010 calendars. Currently there's a really nice selection available. Remember, there's still almost one-third of 2010 left, so if you could use another calendar or if you just want one for the artwork, this is an incredible deal. Act fast so you don't miss out. Here's the link again for the $2 calendar sale.

Eat Less, More Often

2010-08-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot about eating while I was being treated for cancer. I couldn't eat much at a time, which really was a good thing and actually helped me develop the habits of eating smaller portions and eating more often throughout the day.

After treatment was over, I was happy to have lost 20 pounds which put my weight right where it needed to be. I was concerned that if I started eating "normally" again I would gain the weight back, so I decided to continue to eat smaller portions and to eat several times a day. My habit had been to snack at the computer through the day and then eat a big meal in the evenings. I rarely sat down and had breakfast or lunch in the past, but now I start my day with a cup of dry Cheerios, stop to prepare and eat a small lunch, eat a small snack a couple of times a day (usually fruit), and eat small portions at dinnertime. I also drink lots and lots of water all day long.

I'm happy to say that seven months post treatment my weight has remained stable with no more than a pound or two fluctuation. I've tried to increase the amount of fiber and whole foods in our meals and decrease the amount of meat, but by no means have I made radical changes in what we eat. (I have a husband to keep happy, too.)

It's really rather amazing to me that eating more frequently has kept me from gaining weight, but certainly I've read that advice in the past so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. "Five meals a day" sounds like a lot of food and a lot of time involved in both preparing and eating it, but neither of those things is true. All that is required is a mindset change and a bit of planning before grocery shopping.

I'd love to know if others have tried the "eat less, more often" diet plan and how it's worked for you.

Michelle Obama's Trip to Spain

2010-08-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama went to Spain and all I got . . by susan52z

I already posted this shirt on my new blog, but I'm feeling sassy today and just couldn't resist posting it here, too.

Some thoughts about Michelle Obama's $375,000, paid mostly by the taxpayers (unless that fact is wrong and I'm hoping it is - though I fear the figure is understated) vacation (with 40 of her friends) to Spain:

1. Tacky

I guess that's just one thought, but to me it pretty much says it all.

3D Street Art - Almost Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Scroll through the 10 amazing 3D street art pictures at cnet.com - here.

I like this one. Which is your favorite?

Scary Story or Sign of the Times?

2010-07-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Tell me what you think of this true story.

Recently, a student in my son's college class wondered aloud what time it was. My son pointed her to the round-clock-with-hands on the wall. (Can you guess what's coming?) This college student then stated that she knew the clock was there, but she didn't know how to tell time with that kind of a clock.

Call me sassy, but I think that's just a little bit scary. Our future is in the hands of college students such as this one. Maybe not knowing how to tell time on a clock with hands isn't a big deal anymore, but I have to wonder what other basic skills she might have forgotten - or never learned in the first place.

Do you think I'm over-reacting? Is this a sign of the times and nothing to be concerned about? Or could it be a sign of something more serious in our society? I'd love to know what you think.

P.S. I still love the look of a beautiful, simple analog clock such as this La Crosse Technology Wood Atomic Analog Clock, pictured above.

Picking Daisies

2010-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Setting goals and making plans to meet them are important for success, but sometimes I'm not sure why I bother. I seem to do much better flying by the seat of my pants, acting on inspiration as it strikes.

Even though I had goals and a written plan, I was inspired by a post on SquidU yesterday to create this new lens.

I hope you'll visit and sign the guestbook to become a member of Team Cancer Warrior. If you need a nice gift for a family member or friend, or for yourself, feel free to pick a daisy while you're there, too. I'd appreciate it!

Lame Gray Day

2010-07-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have two very creative sons. Both are terrific writers; watch for bestsellers coming in the future (assuming they take my advice and "write it down!"). Until recently, I had no idea that #1 son is also a poet. Turns out he's into haiku.

Between his sense of humor and his quirky mind, you never know what you might read on his Facebook page, but I've learned not to be surprised if an update has five syllables, then seven, then five more.

The funniest, though, is the verse he wrote in response to my own Facebook update one day back in March. Here's what I wrote: "The bright-yellow forsythia in the yard on this gray day stands out like cheery yellow highlighter on a boring textbook page."

Here's his response: "Bright yellow flower. So much like a highlighter. What a lame gray day."

I still can't stop laughing.

Forsythia print from Allposters.com

God Bless America

2010-07-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be an appropriate way to wind up a great Independence Day and 4th of July weekend. I hope you agree and hope you took some time to reflect on the meaning of the holiday.

Exercise for Cancer Patients and Survivors

2010-06-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

If you are a cancer patient or cancer survivor, I hope you'll read this article about exercise during cancer treatment.

It's really not surprising that exercise helps cancer patients; exercise helps everyone. But the one statement in the article that struck a chord with me is that in one year's time, women undergoing treatment for breast cancer can lose body muscle that is equivalent to 10 years of normal aging. What happens to the muscle without use? It turns into fat. That fact alone should be enough to encourage cancer patients to engage in some mild form of exercise, even just walking, no matter how sick or fatigued they feel during treatment.

Even though treatment can weaken the muscles, aiming for 20 to 30 minutes of walking or light weight work every day, even in five to 10-minute increments, is a good goal. Seek the advice of your oncologist first, but with your doctor's permission try to move just a little more every day. The exercise will energize both your mind and your body, help you heal, and perhaps even reduce the possibility of recurrence (studies are in progress to measure this result).

Check with your local cancer support center for yoga or fitness classes if you're well enough to attend. Group exercise with others who know exactly what you're going through - because they're going through it, too - will help to encourage and strengthen your resolve to exercise through you cancer treatment and recovery.

From Tank Tops to Sweatshirts

2010-06-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ahh, summer. The season has officially arrived. The longest daylight-day of the year is now history. That means we're headed to fall!

I've been reminding myself of that wonderful fact each day this week as the temperature has risen above the 100 degree mark. I love living in the south because of the mild winters, so I refuse to complain about the summer heat - as long as the air conditioning is working and, praise the Lord, ours is humming along fine this year.

But I do secretly (or not so secretly) look forward to exchanging my cool, colorful tank tops for cozy, warm sweatshirts. In the meantime, though, I'll enjoy the gorgeous summer sunshine and appreciate each and every day while looking ahead to cooler ones to come - and the time I can look forward to cool tank tops once again.

Father's Day is for Moms, Too

2010-06-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there, especially mine. We're pictured here together on the front steps of my grandparents' house in West Virginia, many years ago. I asked my dad last year if he remembered what we were looking at when my mom took this picture. He said he thinks we were watching a toy top spinning. I'll have to take his word for it, but obviously we were enjoying what we saw. What a nice dad and daughter moment, don't you think?

My sons were here today (Saturday) to wish their daddy a happy Father's Day a day early. I was too busy enjoying the interaction and laughter to take pictures, but the pictures in my mind will be there for a lifetime. The guys always have such a fun time together. It may have been a holiday for the men, but it was a great treat for this proud mom, too!

Summer Makeover

2010-06-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Found this new template design on blogger and decided to give the place a makeover. I like it and think it's perfect for summer.

What do you think?

Thou Shalt Not Steal

2010-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Someone's been stealing my online property.

This week I've discovered that multiple people have been copying text, my original writing, from my Squidoo lenses and using it as their own. Today I found one of my original photographs on two different websites. I can't help but think there are other incidents that I haven't yet discovered.

I've contacted these people when I've been able to (some don't provide contact information, not surprisingly), but so far the stolen content is still on their sites.

Why do people do that? I'm sure some just don't realize it's against the law, but likely most just don't care. And in case you're thinking that it's a compliment when people like what you write or like your pictures so much that they copy and use them, well it isn't a compliment. It's an invasion of my personal space and makes me feel about the same as I did when someone stole my purse years ago. The only difference is this time I don't have to change the locks on the house.

Most of these thieves will never be punished and likely won't change their ways, but there's something that some people refer to as "karma" in play here. I suppose I'll have to be content in knowing that they'll pay, somehow, in the end.

Daisy's Two (In Dog Years)

2010-06-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Daisy's second birthday this weekend.

My, how's she's grown!

Mother's Day and Mawie's Day

2010-05-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was very special for me. Besides being Mother's Day, it was my grandmother's 100th birthday. I was able to travel "home" to see both of them, along with the rest of the family.

I missed seeing my own kids, but that will happen this weekend. It's always nice to make holidays last, I think.

Hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend, too!

Mom and Me

2010-04-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

My mother tells a story about me, about Christmas when I was not yet 2. I came downstairs on Christmas morning, looked around at all the wonderful presents (I was the first and only at that time) and asked, "Where's my hippopotamus?"

Seems I took seriously the song, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and, apparently, only a hippopotamus would do.

A few years ago my mom came to visit and presented me with a little collectible hippo with a baby hippo on her back. Name of the piece? "Mom and Me."

I finally had my hippopotamus. It was worth the wait.

Satisfaction: Priceless

2010-03-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Here's an oldie, a post from a defunct blog that I wrote in back in 2007. My path is getting wider.

I've discovered that the act of accomplishing earning money online is even more exciting than actually receiving said money.

I got a check in the mail yesterday for an affiliate commission earned via one of my blogs. I received an email this morning notifying me of yet another commission that I earned via a different blog.

While the combination of those two commissions might buy groceries for a day, maybe, the satisfaction that I feel right now is absolutely priceless. I feel that all the work I've done, all the failures along the way, are so worth it now that I have finally narrowed the online superhighway down to my very own little dirt path, which is starting to get wider and wider and one day may actually be paved with gold commission checks.

Don't Put that Doctor Visit Off! It Could be Cancer!

2010-02-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

So many people have cheered for me and prayed me through my treatment for anal cancer. Now I'm better and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

Now, I want you to read this and pay attention. If you are having any symptoms with your bowels, any change at all in stooling habits (such as new-onset constipation) or stool character (thinner stool, blood in the stool), I want you to get up right now and go call and make an appointment with your doctor. Chances are you're just fine and maybe a change in diet would help get things back to normal. But maybe there's something else wrong. Either way, you won't know unless you get checked by a doctor.

Don't be afraid of having a colonoscopy. They're absolutely painless and no big deal. Yes, the prep the night before isn't very pleasant, but you can do ANYTHING for a day. I had radiation treatments for 33 days and I survived that one day at a time. You can do it!

Colorectal cancer, when caught early, is very curable. Anal cancer is highly curable and the treatment is relatively short. Putting off a diagnosis could cost you your life. Don't have medical insurance? Call anyway. I still don't have medical insurance and we have huge bills, but there was never any question about my being treated and the doctors and hospital are helping us with the bills and have been amazingly kind and friendly to work with.

Don't let fear of the unknown cut your life short. Take care of your health - starting today. Do it for yourself , you family, and for the Cancer Warrior!

Another Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T12:06:00.001-08:00

I'm spending the day with my sweetie, who brought me this gorgeous red rose on Friday. It smells beautiful, too.

Funny that we bought each other almost identical Valentine cards, from the picture to the message. Guess that's what happens after thirty years of Valentine's Days together; our two heads have coordinated their brain waves.

Hope your day is sweet, too!

Avatar: Do the Math and it's Gone With the Wind

2010-02-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

I read this morning that Avatar isn't really the top money-making movie of all time. Of course that headline caught my eye - I was curious why every news source I was aware of said that Avatar had passed Titanic and I wanted to know who had been lying to whom.

Well, turns out that when you apply inflation to the equation, Avatar is a measly number 21 on the list of all-time money-making movies. And why not apply inflation? Seems fair enough to me and it also puts the movie-watching population, along with old-fashioned movies, in a whole new light, at least in my mind.

Think of the really popular movies that you used to go see. If you're around my age, Star Wars might come to mind, along with Jaws and The Sound of Music. If you're a bit younger, you might remember Forrest Gump or even The Godfather. Now go look at Armchair Commentary's list of top box office hits list, adjusted for inflation, and you'll find all of these movies listed, with Gone With the Wind topping the list.

I have nothing against 3D sci-fi movies, and Avatar apparently is an exceptionally good one even though it doesn't appeal to me, but the adjusted list makes this baby boomer feel not so out of touch with what makes a movie a really good movie. Apparently it really is more than just the price of the ticket.

P.S. None of my top five favorite movies made the list, but there are a few on the list that definitely could be in my personal top 10!

Have Fun Walking

2010-01-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

I'm gearing up for an exercise routine to get myself back in shape after my illness. Walking is the best exercise, and walking up stairs is excellent exercise. This video makes me wish I could convert the stairway in my home. Won't be happening anytime soon, but imagine the possibilities! Thanks to Diana Walker, The Cravings Coach, for the video link.

Cancer Warrior's Goal: Good Health in 2010

2010-01-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010! Don't know about you, but I'm glad to see the old year go and excited about what lies ahead in the new year. I've been working on my business goals for this year, but I also have personal goals, goals that I've decided to share here.

I haven't posted here about what I've been going through for the last couple of months, but since this is my personal blog I guess I should. Since November 11, 2009, I've been undergoing treatment for anal cancer. As cancer treatments go, mine was short. In fact, my last treatment was December 30th. You can imagine how excited I was to leave 2009 behind as I reserve 2010 for healing.

I've had a ton of support from people I know online, as well as from family and friends, and there is no doubt in my mind that their prayers are what have enabled me to do as well as I've done with treatment. As we go into the new year and I wait for scans in a few weeks to see how well the treatment worked, I'll admit that there is apprehension there, though with your help I am claiming victory and setting good health as a goal.

As winter turns into spring, I'm looking forward to my body gaining strength and my hair thickening up again (my formerly-thick hair now looks like a moth-eaten sweater, but at least it didn't all fall out). You can be sure that I'll be paying attention to every warm day and green sprig that pops up from the cold ground, expecting that my energy will increase as the weather warms up. In the meantime, though, there are the cold days of January to get through and I hope you'll send up a prayer for energy for me to do something each day to help reach my goal of noticeably-improved health by the time the forsythia bloom.

Thanks for joining the Cancer Warrior team and helping to pray me to good health in 2010!

My Woody Hayes Story

2009-09-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

It's a perfect September Saturday afternoon, I'm watching college football, and I happen to think of the time I met Woody Hayes.

One evening many years ago I was at Ohio State, after a class, walking down a long hallway when I saw someone approaching me. It was Coach Hayes himself. Just him and me, he and I, in that long hall. I'm sure my eyes got bigger as the distance between us grew shorter. (Can something grow shorter? I wasn't thinking very clearly then, either.)

"Hello, Coach," is what I was finally able to stamnmer as we met, then passed each other. "Hello." Or some such. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I guess that's what it was. When you're in the presence of a living legend, it's hard enough to talk, let alone listen. It was in a friendly tone, though, I know that. And I was relieved that he seemed to be in a good mood.

I related this story to someone on an online forum a couple of years ago, someone who is an absolutely die-hard Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He responded with something like this: "No disrespect intended, but that must have been a little bit like meeting God himself." I had to laugh, but I understood what he meant. It's a moment I'll never forget, that's for sure.

Go Buckeyes! Fight to the end for O-HI-O!

(Photo from the OSU Archives, courtesy Bucknuts)

Patriotism Revisited

2009-09-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

The good part (the only good part) of 9-11 in 2001 was the wave of patriotism that followed. Remember the full-page flags printed in your hometown's newspaper? The "Never Forget" stickers and magnets stuck on car windows and bumpers, soon followed by the "Pray for Our Troops" yellow ribbons that it seemed everyone displayed?

What happened to all that? As the newspaper flags faded and the magnets floated away in car washes, patriotism seemed to fall out of fashion.

Until recently.

Seems like it takes a crisis to spur our citizens to patriotic action. Lately, many have noticed that there's a crisis going on and are beginning, once again, to fly the red, white, and blue, this time on protest signs, in speeches, and in letters to the editor. The current crisis started long before 9-11-2001, but it has reached such a fever pitch recently that patriotic Americans in the know have decided it's about time to do something about it. They've organized and are starting to attract attention. They're beginning to take action to bring the crisis, the crisis of big government and blindly-complacent citizens, to the attention of everyone. Even the mainstream media can no longer ignore - or worse, misrepresent - tea parties and marches on our nation's capital. Patriotic voices are beginning to be heard once again, this time with more substance than a paper flag.

The word is getting out. Our government is too big. Lawmakers, led by the executive branch, are giddy with greed for power, the power to control the lives of our citizens.

If you are a patriotic American, do more than fly your flag. Get informed. Speak out. Stand up for the rights that our forefathers so wisely laid out for us. Learn how many of those rights have been taken over by the government and demand that lawmakers reverse course now, before it's too late!

Start reading here, and here. Open your eyes and your mind to the truth.

Julie & Julia

2009-08-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

We went to see the movie "Julie & Julia" last night. I loved it and my husband enjoyed it, too. He got a kick out of seeing Meryl Streep's rendition of Julia Child, which was amazingly good and even better than Dan Akyrod's. ("Save the liver!")

The movie was totally charming, flowing back and forth between Julia's and Julie's lives flawlessly, I thought. I rarely buy movies on DVD, but this is one I might just have to add to my tiny collection.

I definitely understand why Mastering the Art of French Cooking is selling like hotcakes right now. Besides the vintage copies going for beaucoup bucks on eBay, the book is #1 on Amazon's bestseller list, with 25 days so far in their top 100. I'm thinking that it's at its peak right now and will start to drop soon, but Julia Child's 100th birthday in a few years (August 15, 2012, mark it on your calendar) should likely pique interest in her books again.

I may have to borrow a copy from the library as I now have a very strong urge to bone a duck, à la Julia Child.

Kris versus Adam: Why the Saga Continues

2009-08-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Just read and commented on an article on Examiner.com about American Idol and runner-up, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. That "rivalry" is certainly old news, but somehow it keeps coming up. Since I've followed and promoted Kris Allen on Squidoo throughout the AI season and beyond, I feel obligated to keep up-to-date with the latest news, even if it isn't really newsworthy.

Here's the comment I posted on Examiner:

"There's a little bit of an apples and oranges issue here, the way I see it. Kris and Adam have two different fan bases because of their different styles. I can't see the two of them doing a concert together in the future with the two different audiences; that just wouldn't make sense. Some music lovers will buy both albums, but in general Adam's fans will buy Adam's and Kris's fans will buy Kris's. If not for their honest-to-goodness friendship and the AI tour, they'd be traveling in totally different circles by now, and that's perfectly fine! As for me, I'm middle-aged and from Arkansas, so Kris Allen and his style are much more appealing to me. I wish Adam every success, but I won't be buying his records. Come to think of it, the competition that is being kept alive by the press (though is getting a bit tiring to read about) could result in record album sales for both with one group of fans trying to outdo the other. Aha! Now I get it!"

Yep, I get it. Cha-ching!

Cats and Computers

2009-07-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

My cats love the new computer. There's more room on the desk now, so they both can be up here at the same time.

Here's a picture of the two of them watching cats on YouTube this morning. Dandy's basking in the light of the desk lamp, as he does every morning. Oreo is sitting at attention, listening closely to the cat voices.

If I had to choose, it'd be cats over computers any time. But it's definitely nice to have both.

Learn Twitter Strategy from the Big Tweets

2009-06-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Why should you follow name brand companies on Twitter? You might find a bargain or a coupon code, but that's only a good reason if you're a buyer.

If you're a business person, someone who sells a product or offers a service, follow the big guys. Study their tweets, watch their business strategy unfold, and see what from theirs you can apply to yours.

Doing business on Twitter works for the big guys. No reason it can't work for you.

Obamustache?

2009-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

By golly, it looks like President Obama is growing a mustache. I noticed that on the news this evening. He's on a trip so I thought maybe he had forgotten his razor, but then I noticed that his five o'clock shadow was limited to his upper lip.

To confirm my suspicions I went to the authority on everything, Google. I typed in "Obama mustache" and, indeed, there were a lot of results, mostly blog posts speculating as I was. I thought there might be an official picture or something so I looked at Google images and, oh my, there were images all right. Funny how many different people were playing "Draw a mustache on the president." Some were pretty creative; others showed little restraint and even less respect, but most were actually pretty funny. Here, take a look for yourself (caveat emptor).

Growing a mustache while in office seems like an odd thing for a president of the United States to do. Makes me feel a bit creepy looking at him, actually. Maybe he's trying to give both friends and foes something besides the economy to talk about. Maybe there will be an official press release with an explanation. Oh, I'd better start watching the late night talk shows again. Surely Dave and Conan will have some good Obama with a mustache jokes. Jay Leno said last week that it was hard to make fun of Barack Obama. Ha! Not anymore!

Pears

2009-05-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

I was just getting dressed and happened to glance down at my pear-shaped body. (If that is too much information to handle, close this tab now.)

Unlike the diagrams that you see in books and magazines that tell you how to dress for your body type, my body is a three-dimensional pear. Those diagrams are just flat and don't point out that the, uh, round part of the pear goes all the way around.

I think I'm going to get rid of that full-length mirror.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

If you're a mom, have a wonderful day. I know you deserve it!

If you're not a mom, I hope you have one to call or visit today. If you don't, choose another woman you know who's a wonderful mom and give her your best wishes. It'll mean a lot.

Here are the two who make my Mother's Day special. I love you, guys, and I'm so proud of you!

Sibs on a Stamp

2009-05-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

Wish I could be there when my mom, my grandmother, and (next month) my dad receive their Mother's and Father's Day cards with this great stamp I made at Zazzle. I know they'll love it!

If you haven't tried Zazzle, you must. If I can do it, anyone can. (Check out my Green-Eyed Cat gallery.)

Finally, Some Good News

2009-04-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Listening to Glenn Beck on the radio this morning. The subject of Teddy Roosevelt came up. That's Teddy Roosevelt as in the former president. Turns out he was the Barack Obama of his time, maybe even worse.

Good news? Our country survived Teddy. That means it can survive Barack.

I hope so, and that's hope that I'm going to count on.

The Green-Eyed Cat

2009-04-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

I'm at it again. More diversification. This time, I'm getting in touch with my artistic side, a side I wasn't even sure I had. I found it at Zazzle where I've been designing t-shirts, mousepads, stamps, tote bags and more to sell in my own Zazzle gallery.

If you've never tried Zazzle to design your own personal creations, you really should. Their products are great, tools are amazingly simple to use, and their commission and affiliate plans are quite good. It's also easy for a shopper to customize any design to make it their own. For instance, if you're not from a home town that I've included in my "My Home Town" series of products, you can use Zazzle's tools to quickly change the name on your favorite design to that of your own home town.

Here's a sample of what I've included so far in my new Zazzle gallery, The Green-Eyed Cat. I hope you'll drop in and take a look.

Diversifying Online Real Estate

2009-04-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

I've started writing for eHow. Heard of it? If you've ever googled "how to" do anything, you've probably seen it.

Two days ago I wrote my first eHow article, yesterday I listened to this podcast (episode 22), and today I downloaded this ebook. I'm ready to write and I want to do it right.

I think eHow is going to complement my Squidoo business quite nicely. Diversification is the name of the game online, and I'm ready to play.

I'll keep you updated with the score.

Tony Has Left The Building

2009-03-21T13:15:00.001-07:00

We had a treat last night. My husband and I attended a local performance of Elvis tribute artist Tony Witt. It was a small event, put on by one of the teams of our local American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I hope the fundraising was as successful as the evening was fun.

Tony does a great Elvis, looks the part, dresses the part, and most definitely sings the part. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Check Tony out at his web site or on YouTube and if you live in the mid south and ever need to arrange for some great entertainment, be sure and contact him.

I did learn something about our local population last night. The ladies in the audience appeared perfectly normal with the lights on, but as soon as those auditorium lights went dim and Tony-as-Elvis took the stage, some of those women went totally wild! I might be looking at some of my neighbors just a little differently from now on, especially if I see them wearing a sweat-stained scarf.

Kris Allen, Arkansas Idol

2009-03-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's American Idol night. I'm supporting our local-boy-made-good, Kris Allen from Conway, Arkansas. He sang a Garth Brooks song tonight, "To Make You Feel My Love. "

The audience loved his performance. All four judges loved it. His fans on Twitter loved it. I loved it.

Kris is a genuinely good guy. I hope he goes far on Idol. I know he'll go far in life.

She's Got Rhythm, and an Attitude

2009-03-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

She's 80. Watch it all the way through.

Forward Thinking Could Pay Big Bucks

2009-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

Just saw this article link posted on Twitter. ToysRUs bought the toys.com domain name for $5.1 million. All agree that it was a great strategic move for the company and well worth the price.

Reselling domain names is obviously a big business, even in this economy. I need to dream up a name that someone is going to want someday but hasn't thought of yet, then invest 10 bucks a year to sit on the domain. If only my imagination were that good.

Can you think of one?

Ask Me About My Writing Gig

2009-01-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad you asked!

Recently I was approached by Cindi of Moomettesgram's Musings and asked to contribute to a new channel on the Blissfully Domestic website. It's called Timeless Bliss, a channel dedicated to baby boomer-aged women. Isn't that great? I'm very excited and just a little bit nervous.

Cindi is the editor of the new channel. She I have been following each other's online activities for some time now and I continue to be impressed with how much this amazing woman gets done and how well she does it, so I didn't have to think twice about working with her. When I checked out Blissfully Domestic, I loved what I saw. As the week has progressed and details are falling into place, I am more and more excited about the potential for this venture, for myself but especially for the women who will be our audience.

I know that Timeless Bliss is going to become a very popular destination for women, especially those middle-aged baby boomers who, like me, are in the process of figuring out, "What now?" in respect to our new roles and changing responsibilities. I'll be writing about business or empty nesting or whatever is on my mind and heart, anything that my peer group might identify with or relate to.

Please stop by Timeless Bliss at Blissfully Domestic and check us out as we launch this week! If you have something you'd like to hear from me, drop me a comment and let me know. Thanks for your support; I know I appreciate it and I'm certainly going to need it!

Money Management in 2009

2009-01-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Personal money management is a very hot topic, especially this year. I have been blessed with a husband who is a good money manager and I've learned a lot from him, so our finances are in pretty good shape. In fact, we have been debt free for a number of years (except for the house and we're working on that), but I am always open to learning new things, so when I heard that Suze Orman was giving away free downloads of her latest book, Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan, I jumped right on it and already have my PDF copy. I'm anxious to check out her plan to see if there are ways we can improve ours.

The offer is good for one week, so if you're interested in learning how you can manage your money better this year you'd better jump right on it, too. The download link is on Oprah's website, here, or look for it at Oprah.com.

Happy New Year, and I really mean it!

2009-01-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

It's here, another year. Time to look forward as we reflect back. I'm looking forward to the new year, hoping and planning for business success for myself and a happy and healthy year for every member of my family and extended family.

Our family had a good 2008, overall quite good in fact. Both sons are now home safely from Iraq, the younger one already settled in college and doing great, the older, having just arrived back home a couple of weeks ago, ready to settle back into the job he loves and get on with his life with his own family. Who could ask for anything more? A new grandchild would be nice and we'll see how that project works out.

We did have one big loss this past year. Our nephew, Scott, was killed by a drunk driver in a head-on collision. It's hard to believe it's been seven months already. I know his parents and sisters will always remember that about 2008, and I pray for their peace and comfort in 2009. We are confident in his salvation and know we'll see him again some day, but hearts do still ache and miss him more than words can say.

This year holds 365 days of unknowns, and hopefully they'll be mostly good ones. I pray that we, you and I, will meet them head on, deal with them wisely, and grow from the experience. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours!

2008-12-29T12:25:00.001-08:00

The Twitter Revolution

2008-11-29T14:31:00.001-08:00

I really like Twitter. It's a challenge putting a thought in 140 characters and having it make sense, but I've learned that I can actually do that. So can millions, maybe bazillions, of other people and I'm following almost 500 of them.

Some days I don't get on Twitter at all; other days I get on and don't want to get off. It's fun to see if anyone has anything worthwhile to say with their 140 characters, and most actually do. I enjoy checking out people's profiles and clicking on their web links. I've met some very interesting people and made some great business contacts that way.

I particularly like Twitter Search. Yesterday after the Razorbacks game I went there and searched "razorbacks" to see if I could find other fans who were celebrating our victory. I did and they were. Now I'm following a few of those fans. What's your interest? Use Twitter Search to find like-minded folks to follow.

I read once that trying to explain Twitter is like trying to explain s-e-x. It's true; some things you just have to experience for yourself. Have you experienced Twitter? Try it. You can follow me here. Then, find out how your business can benefit from the Twitter Revolution.

Daisy In My Shadow

2008-11-28T16:04:00.001-08:00

Lab puppy, almost six-months of age.
Enough to try anyone's patience.

She's worth it.

How the Corn Shortage Has Affected My TV Dinners

2008-11-16T14:51:00.001-08:00

I like TV dinners. Call me crazy or call me nostalgic, but I usually stock up with a half-dozen or so each time they go on sale; they make a nice lunch.

Swanson's TV dinners are 99 cents each this week at my grocery store, so I was looking forward to loading up the cart on yesterday's shopping trip. Nope, not this time. My favorites, the sliced turkey, the fried chicken, the salisbury steak, all had carrots in place of the usual corn. Now, I like carrots, but not in TV dinners. I just don't. I figure it's the corn shortage that brought on the substitution. Of course everything in the store with corn as an ingredient has gone way up in price over the past year or so, so I guess it was either go with the carrots or raise the price. Swanson's went with the carrots.

Curious how much Swanson TV dinners cost 30 years ago? Check out this commercial from the 1970s.

It's amazing that the price actually hasn't risen much at all. The quantity in each dinner has gone down, of course, but it's still kind of nice to have a quick, nostalgic lunch from time to time for less than a buck. I'll pass on the carrots, though.

Pioneering It

2008-11-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

The electricity went out at our house this morning about 5:30, just as I was winding up and getting my day underway (I'm a morning person). No computer, no lights, so I was on my own. I decided to play pioneer.

I switched on the battery-powered candle then found my cell phone so I could keep track of the time. Next, I took my Kindle out of sleep mode, turned on the Whispernet so it would load the morning's blog posts, got comfortable on the bed with a pillow behind me, turned on the battery-powered book light and started reading.

Ah, pioneering. It was great. The power was out for two whole hours. I could live like that every day for a couple of hours, as long as all my gadgets' batteries are nice and freshly charged.

Open Letter to Megan Casey

2008-11-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much, Megan, for choosing my lens for today's Lens of the Day. I am honored and humbled. Mostly, I'm enjoying all the great comments that people are leaving, especially in the duel module. Great pre-election day fun!

I appreciate it!
Susan / Susan52 on Squidoo

Kindle Day!

2008-10-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Kindle Day. My very own Kindle wireless reader will be here in less than 24 hours and I'm getting ready. I've been re-reading my own Kindle lens on Squidoo (which has been a very active online destination lately, I'm happy to say) and devouring messages in the Kindle discussion group of which I'm a part, as well as on the forum at amazon.com. I already knew a lot about the Kindle; now I know more. I'll be ready.

You may have heard that Oprah declared Amazon's Kindle to be her new "favorite gadget" on her show on Friday. Kindle sales have boomed since then, especially with Oprah offering a coupon code for $50 off. That offer is only good through November 1st so if you want to take advantage, click through the link on my Kindle lens.

All those thousands of books (and blogs and newspapers and magazines), one little wireless book reader, and me. Ahhhh. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Wedding Day, Stephanie

2008-10-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

My niece Stephanie is getting married today. Wish I could be there, but I can't. It'll be an emotional day for the family. Her brother, my nephew Scott, won't be there, but he'll be watching from heaven.

Scott was to be the official wedding photographer, but he was killed in a car wreck back in May. Scott was an awesome photographer (that's his zinnia with this post) and everyone was excited that he'd be shooting Steph's wedding. No matter how good the replacement photographer is (and he's good, I've seen the engagement shots), the pictures just won't be the same without Scott's special touch.

Best wishes, Stephanie and Kevin. We miss you, Scott.

Convince Me!

2008-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of weeks until this crazy presidential election season is over. Who are you voting for, Obama-Biden or McCain-Palin? Do you know, or are you still an undecided voter?

If you haven't made up your mind, what might help is studying arguments on both sides. You'll find plenty of those on our Squidoo lens called Convince Me! Over 76% of visitors to the lens say they have made up their minds which presidential candidate they're voting for and many have presented great arguments, hoping to convince you to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Before you head to the voting booth, make sure you've done your homework and have your mind made up. Just make sure you're better informed than the people you'll hear in the interviews on the video below. And if you know any people as confused as these folks, please send them our way.

Inspired by Oktoberfest

2008-10-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Our local area has an "October Fest" this weekend every year, and last night was our night to go. I'm not a beer drinker, but that doesn't keep me from having fun. I'm not sure if it's the German music, the people-watching, or the homemade German food that I like best, but it's probably that they all work together so well.

The food this year was better than ever and it inspired me to pull out a recipe I haven't made for awhile, and this morning I made a Squidoo lens about it. In fact, I think I'm going to fix that recipe tonight. No problem with having German potato salad two nights in a row around here, no problem at all.

Still Working On It

2008-10-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying hard to do one thing and do it well. My "one thing" is Squidoo, but that includes a lot of things (making new lenses, updating old, commenting on other people's lenses, making a presence on SquidU, and more) and doing them all well is tough, not to mention time consuming. I guess that's why I like Twitter so much.

It doesn't take long to read and respond to several tweets when they're limited to 140 characters, and posting my own tweets is quick and easy, too. Squidoo makes it really simple with one-click updating every time I publish an update to a lens, although I generally prefer to use the Twitter link on the right margin of a lens and add a custom message with the tweet. When I tweet about a lens, I can count on traffic to that lens within minutes.

Marketing myself and my lenses is my weak point, no doubt about it, but Twitter really helps. If you don't know about Twitter, it's simple enough to dive in and get started at twitter.com and you can follow my tweets here. For additional help and to learn how to use Twitter to your best advantage, I recommend you read "The Twitter Report." You can get your free copy here. No catch.

Sassy Speaks on the Presidential Debate

2008-09-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

My alter ego, Sassy Susan, speaks on her observations of the first presidential debate here, if you're interested.

Do One Thing and Do It Well

2008-09-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

I watched the video I've included below today and was so happy to hear Seth saying, in effect: To avoid mediocrity, do one thing and do it well. He does his blog - not Twitter and video and podcasts and this and that - and he does it well.

I feel a lot of pressure when I see so many other Squidoo lensmasters doing so many things; shouldn't I be doing them, too? Spreading myself too thin is something I'm very guilty of. I do many things and feel that I don't do most of them nearly enough and not nearly well enough. Suddenly I feel free to focus in order to bite back that mediocrity bug. Again, Seth Godin has reminded me of a lesson I really already knew.

Watch it. The message might be what you need to hear, too.

Catching Up with the Blogs

2008-08-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I've finally found some time today to do some blogging, playing catch-up just a little bit. (Excuse the pictorial pun but, hey, it's a holiday weekend and I'm just having fun!)

If you're trying to make heads, tails, and decisions about your eBay business, this post might be useful. If you want to know how Sassy Susan feels about Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, check it out. If you're hungry, grab an eggplant; I'll furnish the recipe (ketchup not included).

Hope everyone has an awesome Labor Day weekend!

Give that momma a medal!

2008-08-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

As exciting as Michael Phelps' races were to watch, I enjoyed even more his interviews with the press. As a mom with a son the same age, I felt very proud of how Michael responded and the humility mixed with emotion and pride that he showed. When he talked about how it took the team to get him to eight, I believed him!

Debbie Phelps did a good job with her little boy. That mom deserves a hand, and probably a medal of her own!

Meet Miss Daisy

2008-07-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

We have a new puppy! Oh, my, what was I thinking?

Actually, I was mostly thinking watch dog and walking companion. I wasn't thinking about how to wear out a puppy who's active in the middle of the night. (The answer, play her favorite game - chase Mommy - outside in the yard for at least 30 minutes and no earlier than 2 a.m.) I have always thought our next dog would be another rescued adult: "Well trained, well mannered, gets along well with cats." They're a dime a dozen, right? Uh, no.

The puppy decision was a result of a friend's labbie's eight puppies; they needed homes, too. Plus, it made sense that my two older cats would adjust to a big dog better if it started out as a small dog. (So far, well we have a ways to go, but the cats are coming around and haven't disowned me yet.)

Her name is Daisy. She's a fuzzy ball of sharp puppy teeth and energy (except when she's sleeping, which is not through the night, not yet), my future watch dog and future walking, not running, companion. I think I'm going to be in great shape much sooner than I expected.

The Greatest American Dog Days of Summer

2008-07-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Dog lover? Did you watch Greatest American Dog this week? If you like dogs, watch it. If you don't but like kooky people, watch it anyway. Actually, most of the dog owners are surprisingly down to earth, but then there are a few that are a bit over the top and should satisfy the kooky-people lovers as well as the reality show lovers among us.

I have two favorite contestants, Presley and Tillman. Tillman, of course, is the already-famous skateboarding bulldog. Presley is a brindle boxer that looks a whole lot like my grand-pup, Rocky. This is a picture of Rocky with my cat, Dandy. Fortunately for the show and for Presley's owner Travis, Presley is much better behaved than Rocky, but we love him anyway. (Hey, he's a Razorbacks fan. What's not to love?)

Greatest American Dog is good summer family entertainment. Sit. Stay. Watch it, Thursday nights on CBS.

Flippin' Out (well, over) and Having Fun!

2008-07-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

¡spıʞ ɹnoʎ ɥʇıʍ ǝuo sıɥʇ ǝɹɐɥs ˙ƃuıuɹoɯ sıɥʇ ǝɯ ʇuǝs uoıɹɐɯ puǝıɹɟ ʎɯ ʇɐɥʇ ʇǝƃpɐƃ ǝlʇʇıl unɟ ʎɹǝʌ sıɥʇ ɹǝʌo ƃuıddılɟ ǝɯ ʇsnɾ s,ʇı 'ʇno pǝddılɟ ʇ,uǝʌɐɥ noʎ 'ou ¡ʎǝɥ

P.S. Your turn to try it, here.

Mighty Fine Dinin'

2008-07-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

I love to check statcounter to see who's been finding what on my recipes blog. The most popular recipes seem to change with the season, and sometimes the recipes people are searching for seem to be related to a holiday. This 4th of July, people are interested in my wonderful (and easy) banana pudding recipe, followed closely by my mom's bowtie pasta salad.

Looks like somebody's going to be doing some mighty fine dinin' at their 4th of July picnics and family gatherings this weekend!

Long Live Liberty!

2008-07-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

The view from my front porch this morning.
Happy Independence Day to all!
God bless the U.S.A.

Ramblings and Reflections

2008-07-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

I'm crazy about my kids. (Not to be confused with, "My kids drive me crazy." They don't. Mostly.) I can't say for sure, but I think my sons and I have the close relationship that we do largely as a result of homeschooling. We taught our kids at home for their entire school careers, through high school graduation. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't change a thing, at least nothing major.

Both of our boys have grown up to be very successful young men with great character. As important as the academic part of our schooling was, the character part was even more important. They both have a great work ethic and that makes their daddy and me more proud than we can describe. They're smart, too, and they know how to learn and how to find information. I guess you could say they have good sense. You know how some people have a lot of education but just not much common sense? Our guys have good common sense.

I know, I'm beginning to ramble. It's easy to do that when I talk about my kids and, especially, when I talk about homeschooling. I have a blog where I'm allowed to ramble, though, allowed by virtue of its name, Ramblings and Reflections of a Retired Homeschool Mom. I write about more than just my kids, too. I try to include information that may be valuable and of interest to other homeschooling families and even to other families with children who don't homeschool. If you visit, I hope you'll find something of interest to you.

Did I mention that I'm proud of my sons? I'm pretty crazy about them, too.

Susan52 on Squidoo

2008-07-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

April 2007, my love affair with the one-eyed sea creature began. May 2008, I was officially a Giant Squid. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you haven't met Squidoo. Wow, are you missing out!

Squidoo was founded by author, blogger, and popular speaker Seth Godin as a platform for what he terms "permission marketing." Seth's premise is that everyone is an expert at something and where better to write about one's expertise than on Squidoo. More than a few people have taken him up on that and now over 600,000 pages, called lenses, have been built on Squidoo by thousands of "lensmasters" on topics ranging from, well, just about anything you can think of. Squidoo donates 5% off the top of the revenue generated by ads and affiliate sales from the lenses. Lensmasters, who earn 50% of the revenue, can choose to donate none, a percentage, or all of their share of the cash to a charity of their choice as well.

The cooperative spirit is what drives Squidoo and lensmasters who don't participate in giving back, whether through charitable donations or by sharing their knowledge on SquidU, the user forum, are missing out on a great part of the Squidoo experience. Why, besides that, do people bother creating lenses on Squidoo? They do it partly because it's fun (even addictive) and mostly as a way to promote their own online presence or business or charity (search engines love Squidoo!).

By the way, a Giant Squid is a lensmaster who has produced 50 or more quality lenses on Squidoo. We giants wear our badges on our lenses very proudly, proud of our own accomplishments and proud of what we are a part of.

To find out more about Squidoo, it's best to just dive right in and explore - no scuba gear needed! Feel free to start with my lensmaster page, then take the tour wherever it leads you. If you like what you see, and I think you will, jump on in and join us. There's plenty of fun, profit, and search engine frenzy to go around.

Susan52 dot com

2008-06-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

The picture is of me, contemplating this: What happens when you combine several parts business, a few parts personal, and try to keep all parts professional? The answer? Well, you’re looking at it, and I hope you like what you see.

After years of blogging here and there, covering a variety of topics, and more years of building a business presence on the web, I felt it was time to mesh the two. But how? I firmly believe in injecting personality into business, but how much is too much? As Susan52 dot com develops, I guess I’ll find out the answer and I hope you’ll stick with me and assist me along the way.

Sign up for updates and keep an eye on me, will you? And when you have a suggestion or feel that I’m leaning too far in one direction or the other or, heaven forbid, if I begin to lose the professional aspect, please leave a comment and let me know. I’d appreciate it!