Football Followup

Ok, I realize it's only pre-season and anything can happen. I'm going on record here and I'm saying the Raven's are going to kick some a*s this season!! This is my second football post and the regular season hasn't even started, I'm pretty excited can you tell? I'm not the only one either. Have you stopped by Momspective lately to read what Julie has been up to? LOTS of football talk over there.
As I mentioned before, our hard and fast rule for game day is to eat some Fritos and Chili Cheese dip and you know we have been. The Ravens are 3-0 right now and I've already gained a pound. Superstition, tradition whatever, we're sticking with it. Chris over at Lohman Trading is a proud Steelers fan. Don't know what they do on game day but maybe we can find out. Stacie at Stacie's Madness has announced herself a Bears fan. She occasionally scores some tickets to the game, lucky girl. Maria over at Conversations With Moms calls herself a football fan, yet, she hasn't committed to a team, at least that I know of. Maria?
I understand that Julie's game day tradition is to take her pants off for the win!! Of course in the privacy of her own home. I'm pretty sure you can't do that at the stadium! Also, I believe Julie as well as my friend Jennifer are Carolina Panthers fans. Hmmm, well they looked ok on Saturday. Of course the headline I read on Sunday was "Ravens Declaw Panthers 17-13" . What's up with that? Frito/Cheese dip mojo is stronger than the de-pants? Could that be it?

Are you ready for some football? Everyone, stop by these great blogs if you haven't already. And say hi for me.

Sunday Seven

Happy Sunday All! Want to play? Just give us a list of seven...anything you want. No pressure, it's the weekend. Place your link here. Comments are not mandatory but always very appreciated.

I Must Burn My House Down

I don't want to do it, I like my house, or at least I used to like it. I really don't have another place to live either, except maybe with one of my children. What do you say kids, who gets Momma? Maybe I can still avoid it, I'll give it one more day.

Ok, 2 days ago I crawled out of bed all bleary eyed, I'm so not a morning person. I was jamming my feet into my slippers thinking of coffee when I saw it! An evil, sneaky, jumping cricket! He jumped up and into my BED!! I grabbed one of my slippers and went commando. Under the pillow he went and I was right behind him and I was not letting him get away, oh the thought of him getting away!! I chased him across the bed, ran around to the other side but now he was under the sheets, ick. Now I have a pillow in one hand and a slipper in the other, screaming at the stupid cricket. I tripped on a cord in my haste (panic) and fell into the table knocking over the lamp (destroyed) and the clock. By the time I got myself back up he had zipped off the bed and under the dresser. He was playing possum and NOT coming out.

Let me explain that this was not your regular big, black, chirpy cricket. This was one of those creepy, smallish, brown ones that don't chirp. Silent and sneaky so you never know where they are.

Anyway, I ripped everything off the bed and threw it all in the washing machine. Later in the afternoon I went back into that chamber of horrors to look for that evil bug once more and hopefully, put some clean sheets back on my bed. I stuck my head in, nothing. Looked under the bed, no cricket. As I got up from the floor I saw him near the closet door. Showdown! Now I have not a wimpy bedroom slipper but a real shoe, got him on the first try. YES! My world is safe once more. Clean sheets on the bed, happy day.

After the sheets I decided to clean my bathroom. I have a big jaccuzi tub and you have to climb in the tub in order to clean it. I got in I wiped the surround and the window sills, feeling happy with the clean smells and the sunshine. I turned around and there in the tub with me was a giant cricket the size of a CAT! Oh yeah, no kidding. He must have been hiding in the water jet thing. I jumped out of that tub in a blink, slipped on the floor, banged my head on the door frame. The cricket was pretty happy in his bathtub because he didn't go anywhere while I was busy bruising my body parts. I murdered him with a hair brush.

To me, crickets are in the same category as boa constrictors. I'm ok with regular old bugs, mice, whatever. How would you feel about having your house virtually taken over by boa constrictors? Exactly.

As I said...I must burn my house down, it's the only answer.

WW - I Can Tie!

Tuesday Randomness

Random thoughts, yep, I have those and I can share them here whether you read them or not.

This morning I was trolling around the bloggy world and stopped at The Bloggess. In a matter of moments I was laughing out loud and my stomache hurt. This woman is seriously funny and she can write. If you have never read her blog you really need to give it a try!

The other day I walked downstairs after emptying trash cans upstairs. I had 2 little bags of trash in my hand. My hubs was heading out into the garage so I handed him the bags to throw away. He said to me "what's that?". To which I answered....trash. He comes back with "what kind of trash?" Me...just trash. What? Can you see my eyes rolling into the back of my head?

It occurred to me yesterday that the best place to look for a job in this economy is at the unemployment office. Apparently they are busier than one armed paper hangers over there.

We had a cookout over the weekend, all of our kids and the in laws. I had 2 different cakes for dessert a blueberry and a chocolate. I served coffee and asked the in laws what kind of cake they would like. My MIL wanted chocolate so I was cutting that and my FIL said he would like chocolate as well. MIL says "give him the blueberry because I'm going to give him a litte bit of mine". I looked at him and asked what he would like and he, again, says chocolate. She started getting a little red in the face and insisted that I give him blueberry. Well, I gave him blueberry and laughed while I put it in front of him. Me, "I know you don't want this but I have my orders, so eat it and like it".

Speaking of families, I was thinking, You might be a redneck if......nevermind, that's for another day.

Have a great day all.

I Love This Award!

I'm so excited! I was given this award today by Staci over at Just Bloggled. This is such an honor particularly because I really love her blog. According to Staci it means I love your blog. Thanks so much.

The award comes along with a couple of rules, nothing difficult, and they are:

1. Copy the image above.

2.Pass the award on to the bloggers you feel deserve. As many as you like.

3. Leave a message or a comment with the bloggers you give it to, notifying them of the award.

4. Leave a comment on the blog of the person who gave it to you.

It's nice to share it around, who doesn't enjoy being recognized?

Stacie's Madness

Not Always Charming

Who Put Me In Charge Of These People

The Sewing Mom

Mature Not Senile

My Musings And Stuff

Read The Bee

Three Peas In A Pod

Junk Drawer

Where Is Your Mother?

Before I get started on my rant I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to Lin over at Duck and Wheel with String. Stop by today and wish her well.

Yesterday Buggy and I, along with my daughter and one of her friends, went to my neighborhood pool for the afternoon. We haven't been over there at all this summer since, until recently, I was working every day and then weekends seem to be crazy busy! The weather was beautiful and sunny and about 95 degrees. Perfect pool side weather. We packed a picnic lunch and headed over.

The pool wasn't terribly crowded, maybe 50 people. We snagged a table and spread out. Then we came to a hurdle, small but real, in our idyllic afternoon. Buggy is at the age where she takes her injuries quite seriously. She had several bandaids on her leg, one was actually a case of broken skin, the others were bug bites and what not, you know. That was a good 8 minute discussion during which she announced that she might "pass out" if we removed the bandaid from her cut. *sigh* Drama Queen did you mutter? I tired of the whole thing quickly and told her she could just sit at the table while we went in the pool. It resolved itself pretty quickly after we walked away. Anyway, I got a little side tracked, let me get back to my rant.

Buggy was sticking right with us since she had Grandmom, Aunt Chrissy and Ms. Sarah as playmates, who else did she need? After lunch we waded back in for a dip. Aunt Chrissy and Ms. Sarah were swimming laps at that point and Buggy's eyes began to wander around for new playmates. Not far away there were 3 little girls splashing around, ages were probably 4, 5 and maybe 7. Buggy paddled over and asked if she could play with them, the 4 yo said ok. She announced her name and asked what theirs were, no answer. They were all trailing along behind the oldest girl, the boss, the leader. They all turned around facing the pool and awaiting new direction from their leader who now realized that Buggy had joined "her" group! She began whispering with her followers. They all moved to a different area, Buggy followed. She whispered some more. The little witch moved her blind cohorts down the pool a bit.

At this point Buggy was looking a little uncomfortable but didn't exactly understand. I decided to swim nearby and give that little dictator the "MOM" eye figuring she would be immediately intimidated and act a little nicer. I swam over until I was about 8 feet away from the brat, she didn't even blink, in fact, the whispering intensified. I glanced around wondering if the woman who had spawned this bundle of evil was even nearby. Not a single adult was looking their way. I just wanted to get a look at her.

Buggy was getting a bad feeling at this point and asked me why they wouldn't talk to her. Just then a boy threw his ball too far and Buggy picked it up and threw it back. The kid had the good manners to thank her for returning his ball! I told Buggy that since she had been so nice all day that I thought we should go out for an ice cream. Off we went...so there you little meanies!

Where were their mothers and have they taught those children nothing??? Admittedly, I was far more troubled by this than Buggy was, thank goodness. Wouldn't you have been?

Wordless Wednesday - Worms!

It's Football Season!

Yes! I love summer but there is nothing like the start of football season. I understand that there are still hot dogs to be grilled, still potato salad to be consumed with our friends in the back yard. Maybe even one more watermelon buggy to be created. I'm not trying to let all the water out of the pools but it's time to look toward fall.

Early last week the hubster and I along with my sister, bil and my nephew took a ride out to the Ravens training camp to catch an early look at the team. Wow! The place was packed with fans watching the team (they look great) snapping pictures (yes, that's Joe Flacco), getting autographs. Totally fan friendly. The atmosphere was really fun and positive with all of us looking forward to a great season. The day we went to training camp was just 2 days prior to their first pre-season game which was on Thursday night against the Redskins. In case you are unaware (or maybe don't care) The Ravens stomped the Redskins 23-0!

Though I am a relatively new fan of the sport I love everything about game days. We don't have season tickets or anything just enjoy the games at home or watching with friends. As much as I love watching the games equally as important is the food you choose to serve during those games. Football Food! Thou shalt not serve green, leafy vegetables during a football game. No. It's against the rules and your team will surely lose if you ignore this rule!

We have one constant on game day and that is Fritos and Chili Cheese Dip, so of course, we had that as our appetizer on Thursday night. Then I decided that chili cheese dogs with fries would strike just the right note ( do you notice a theme here). We went light for this first game. It was a night game so a bit late on a school night. Obviously it was a perfect choice because our team kicked butt. It's different on Sunday when you have lots of time, you can spread out that whole game experience for at least 8 hours and so, fit in several meals as well as snacks.

I just found the absolutely perfect game day recipe and you better believe I'll be making this for our first football gathering! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Do you have rituals? Favorite football food recipes?

Un-Freaking Believable

A couple of news stories I feel compelled to share with you:

A judge, let me repeat that, A JUDGE, in Charles County was annoyed by someone who continued to park in a space that was convenient to them but not approved. Apparently, there had been notes left on this car but these were ignored. The annoyance escalated to the point that this judge took it upon himself to let all of the air out of the tires to make his point, AND he admitted it.

It turns out that the person who was parking illegally was a cleaning lady who did not finish work until after dark and wanted her car very near the entrance for safety reasons. Hmmmm. I can't wait to read an update on this one.

Yesterday I read about a woman who had recently moved in with her daughter because her house had just been foreclosed. There was a break-in at the daughter's home and much of Mom's belongings were taken. Mom and daughter were walking back home from a neighbor's after filing the police report intending to start listing the items that had been taken when they paused at another neighbor's yard sale because they recognized MOM'S STUFF being sold at the yard sale!

They continued home and called the police who arrested the neighbor after searching the home and finding $75,000. worth of stolen property.

Camouflage?

Wonder what he's hiding from?

For The Kids!

Our grandaughter spends a lot of time at our house and we are looking to the future when even more grandchildren are here visiting. We like her to feel happy and comfortable here and to have things around that she, and we, enjoy. We spend lots of time outdoors, gardening, watching the birds as well as feeding them, bike riding, picnicing, etc. Buggy and her Pop really enjoy the birds. We have several feeders and a couple of houses.

I found a website just today that I really like. It is called LOHASRUS which stands for lifestyle of health and sustainablilty. They sell items geared toward children, mostly for outdoor use but some of things are intended for indoors. They have some very fun furniture, kid sized picnic tables, rocking chairs and benches. The company focuses on safety and sustainability so you can feel confident in your purchase. This company is concerned about the world around us.

The furniture pieces come in different colors some with fun, silk screened animals and images on them. I am very partial to the lime green picnic table with the giraffe.

Beyond furniture the company also offers a variety of products that are perfect for encouraging children to explore the outdoors. They have several bird feeders, bird houses and bug houses. All of the items are safe for children. We gave Buggy a bird feeder for her birthday several years ago and it was not easy to find! I didn't want a metal one that she might get hurt on nor one made of glass. I also wanted her to be able to fill it herself and to feel like it was her feeder and her responsibility.

I'll be placing an order with Lohasrus very shortly. I was not only impressed with the products but the prices are very reasonable. Go take a look.

My Hero!

No, I don't know him personally but I feel as though I do. I think everyone, at least around the Baltimore area feels the same way. This man is dedicated, to his family to his community and to his sport and I admire his dedication and strong work ethic.

Once he retired from baseball Cal built a beautiful stadium in Aberdeen, which is his hometown. Ripken Stadium is a smaller replica of the Orioles Park in Baltimore. They run camps all summer long for kids ages 6 - 18. They have day camps as well as overnights. I know several people who work there during the summers as counselors and coaches and the knowledge, work and dedication that these people instill into their camp attendees is worthy of a Ripken.

The Cal Ripken World Series kicks off this weekend at 7pm on August 14th. There will an opening ceremony and the evening will include competitions, games and activities for the whole family. The evening will culminate with a fantastic fireworks display. The World Series will run through the 22nd of August and will include teams from all across the United States (including Belair, Maryland!) as well as teams from Mexico, Japan, Korea, Dominican Republic, Australia and Canada.

It's an easy ride north on I95 from Baltimore and the tickets are very reasonable. Take the family for a great outing that won't break the bank.

For more information just click the title link.

Considering Family Blood Banking?

Have you considered cord blood banking? Maybe someone you know has been talking about it and considering the possibilities. I'll tell you that when I had my own children this wasn't an option so I'm not sure what I would have done. I almost must add that my children have never had a need, thank goodness.
Collection and storage at a safe, reliable cord blood bank can be a little pricey. Now consider the of giving this invaluable option as a gift to the parents to be. Visit cryo-cell.com to learn more about their cord blood bank and take advantage of a limited time special offer that will make this gift very manageable.
The Cryo-Cell facilities are accredited to the AABB, registered with the FDA, certified to ISO 9001:2000 standards. Many of your questions will be answered after reading the extensive information on their website. If you still have questions, feel free to call their toll free number and speak to their trained medical personnel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The process of collecting the cord blood is simple, and painless. The benefits are extensive and experimentation is constant which means the uses for stem cells is ever expanding.
If you are considering giving this gift but are still uncertain, please take some time to read some of the many client stories on the cryo-cell website for additional incite into the benefits.

American Idol

Paula is leaving? What? But she is such a great part of that show! Ok, I admit it I do watch American Idol, in fact, I watch it religously! It's the only reality show that we watch and love. The talent is entertaining, the judges are always entertaining, either love 'em or hate 'em. After 7 years of watching Paula through her addiction years, mumble and sleep and lose track finally she has gotten herself cleaned up and on the road. She was by far my favorite judge this past year. She is kind, fair, caring, knowledgable and frequently on point. Who will balance Simon? I love Simon's acidity and raw honesty but, let's face it, we need a counterpoint.

I haven't heard a word about Kira, anyone? Hopefully that means she's is a thing of the past, whew! Who will it be? Who will be Simon's new counter weight? Who will be there to toss a little sugar on that boiling vat of acid? Did I hear the name Kirstie Alley? What?

Total Coverage

Are you covered? Do you have enough insurance coverage to protect your family? Are you paying more than you need to? These are all valid questions and there is a place you can go for quick easy answers. USA Coverage can provide you an analysis of your coverage needs and quotes on the lowest price you need to pay for that coverage. It takes only minutes to find out and it could be very good news for you. They can provide quotes on all your insurance needs; life, health, auto and home. Stop in today on the website or dial the toll free number to speak to a representative.

Driving Safety

My very first car was a bit of a hoopty! Didn't have a lot of paint and No power steering, also no air conditioning. Not only is it really difficult to drive a car without powere steering, to my way of thinking it isn't very safe! Trust me, there is a reason they call that progress. If you have steering issues, you better be walking. There is a website I discovered where you can order any parts you may need for your power steering rack or steering box. They have a toll free number you can call and place your order with a live person. They have very low, reasonable prices. Their steering rack parts are sold with full warranty and shipping is FREE. I love free shipping. Keep the name in mind, Power Steering Pros.

The Spoiled Under 30 Crowd!

If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!! When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning, uphill... barefoot...BOTH ways... Yadda, yadda, yadda And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, We had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!! There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! No where was safe!There were no MP3' s or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift ityourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished and the tape would come undone. cause that's how we rolled dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever!And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel! There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards! And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove .... Imagine that!

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!Regards,The over 30 Crowd (Send this to someone you'd like to make smile, Whether they are under 30 or not.)

Wordless Wednesday

Retro - My Life

Nowadays it seems that nearly every company has a casual dress code which is very convenient. Well, my hubs isn't one of those lucky ones, he wears shirt and tie to work everyday. For years now we have been taking a weekly armload of clothes to our dry cleaner as he likes his shirts crisp and we both hate ironing, this works all around. Two weeks ago when I did the dry cleaning pick up, I had to fork over $25.00! I realized this was an area that needed to be cut, not willingly mind you, but necessary. Ugh!

Last week I picked up a can of spray starch and did my laundry. I set up my ironing board and my new iron (woo hoo!) in the family room in front of the tv. My days are fun filled, little pockets of heaven. As I stood there cursing under my breath I had this sudden urge to watch As The World Turns! Is that still on tv? I had this vision of my mother ironing in the living room watching her "stories" with a sprinkle bottle on the ironing board. Who remembers sprinkle bottles? I'm really showing my age I fear. Anyway, for now, this is a piece of my life. I have reverted to the 1960's.

And yes, that's how I dress ever day at home! No stretch yoga pants and t-shirts on this woman, ha!

Investment

We have talked many times about purchasing some investment properties. Residential rental properties or vacation rentals. Now is a great time, if you are in the market, as real estate is certainly on the down side. Many investors, especially small time, intend to do all maintenance and repairs themselves. Out of pocket expense would be lower but this doesn't seem to me like a cost effective approach. Hiring a professional management company such as Real Property Management would be a smart way to go. The time spent on individual units could be consuming and having a professional company take on that task would free your time to further your goals and dreams.

Water Gun Commandos

Those blue jays don't stand a chance against this squadron! Better the blue jays than the Grandmom, trust me.

Free TV Online

Have you heard of Spreety? I did only recently and I thought I would share what I heard which is free tv online. I can imagine it would be great, say, during your lunch hour at work to be able to tune in to your favorite HGTV program. There are lots of other choices as well such as TLC, Cartoon Network. Keep it in mind to try out one of these days.

Watermelon Buggy

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a cookout, it is summer you know. Well, I wanted to take something, a dish, but something a little fun or interesting. I saw this idea in a magazine at the checkout counter. Well I thought it was just too cute and so I snagged the magazine and a watermelon.

I put it together the morning of the cookout, really easy and it didn't take very long. I think it was worth a little effort, don't you?

Besides the very obvious watermelon, grapes, strawberries and cherries I also used a lime, sliced, for the wheels, mouth and eyebrows. I used a marshmallow, cut in half and slices of grapes for the eyes. Oh and quartered strawberries for the side mirrors. Stuck everything on with toohpicks and voila!

Besides cutting and hollowing the watermelon, I used a halloween pumpkin tool that I bought last year to scrape away the outer skin of the watermelon. It was all pretty quick and easy and it was a hit at the party.

If it took me more than 45 minutes to put this together I would be surprised.

Web Host

Have a need for a new web hosting service? Not sure where to go? I came across a great web site recently that could be just what you need, Web Hosting Geeks can be a real help to you in your search. They have done the research for you so you can just look for the features that are important to you and fulfill your needs. They give you information in an easy to read format along with reviews of the different hosts. The reviews are categorized by; geeks, customers, top rated, etc. The list of hosts is broken down for you by provider name, then gives you the features that the providers offer. They even give you some bonus features of each provider and a hosting review and, of course, the monthly cost for each. Of course there are so many different uses for a web site and these are addressed in the reviews. They have business web hosting along with reviews of lowest cost hosting, most reliable hosting and editor's choice.

This site even lists awards for Best Web Hosting Awards for 2008 for different categories like best blog, best budget, best ecommerce, etc. If you are in the market for a new host, I think it woulod be a good place to begin your research.