It could be worse

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Tweet! Tweet!

I found a nifty new thing on how to add an easy re-tweet button into my Blogger posts! (You know, those nifty buttons that've popped up all over the place lately.) It was on Blogger Widgets, and can be found HERE. It took me a little bit to find the code to place it after, because one important thing is missing. When you go to edit html, make sure you check the box that says "Expand Widget Templates" - otherwise you won't find the right spot! And just like that, it works! :-) Happy blogging!

Well, Now I Feel Loved

I checked my newest comments tonight to find that a friend has left me something on her blog. So, I immediately clicked on the link to find Michelle very kindly left me a blog award! :-) I'm so touched and thrilled - this is my first blog award of any kind. The fact that it's from another blogger (one I actually look up to, nonetheless) makes it that much more special! There's nothing better than being recognized by your peers.

Michelle kindly gave me the Humane Award, which is for kind bloggers. Thank you, Michelle!

It's my turn to pass it on, and I'm choosing some of my favorite bloggers who I consider true friends. Whether it's from support here, on Facebook, in real-life situations, or as a general rule, these bloggers are people I couldn't imagine my life without!

• Kelly ~ From helping me with the design for this blog and the design for my site to being a true friend, I just couldn't do it without her! Kelly defines a kindhearted person! Love you, Kelly!
• Sara ~ I've had the pleasure of meeting her in real life, too - and I suspect I'll see her more, now that her sister lives down the street! She's one of the kindest people I know.
• Heidi ~ I know, we hardly know each other. But, I love reading your blog. Not only that, but you've always been quick to help me when I have asked you questions regarding how to do something here on Blogger! Thank you!
• Lisa ~ You've always been so sweet to me. Back in the M-Z days, and now when you comment on my posts. Thank you!
• Chris ~ You're last, but definitely not least. I can't remember if your blog is open to the public or not, but I couldn't leave you off the list! You're one of my BFF, and always will be!
  

If you were tagged, download the image, post it in your blog, and share the love: nominate your Humane blogging buddies! Please don't forget to link back to the person who gave you the award!

My Elevator Pitch

As I have mentioned a few times in the past, I'm participating in a 31-day challenge to improve my blog. Yesterday's challenge was about creating an elevator pitch for your blog. (If you wanna know exactly what that is, read all about it here.) Long story short, it's a tagline, basically. It's supposed to make someone want to read it. I don't think mine is all that catchy - "Just sharing whatever's on my mind" doesn't scream READ ME! But, that's ok. Because, really, that's all I plan/intend to do here. I don't have a higher purpose for this blog. I'm not trying to change the world, leave my mark on the world, or anything else. I started this blog with the intention of having a place where I could let myself out. Say what I want, how I want, when I want. Allow my verbal diarrhea (nice picture, huh? LOL) to have its way. Yes, the blog is evolving a bit - I now also post book reviews, product reviews, and community "events" (such as Friend Makin' Mondays) - but I don't want it to be pegged. I don't want it to be something I feel I have to do. I enjoy this, and I'd like to keep it that way. So, while it's not very engaging, my elevator pitch will have to remain "Just sharing whatever's on my mind" - at least for now. A longer version could be, "Just sharing whatever's on my mind. From rantings and ravings about life in general to book and product reviews, if it's on my mind, this is where it'll be." Not very catchy or creative, but then neither am I! ;-)

Stay tuned for more posts related to the 31 days to a better blog. In fact, I'm hoping to complete today's task soon.

I lied

Well, not really. I didn't lie, persay. I just was wrong! LOL I thought I was done with my blog, but I was not happy with my header at all! So, I've been up way too late trying to make one I like. This one is much better, but I'm still not sure if this is IT. I've been staring at it for way too long to be able to determine that! LOL In fact, I've spent so much time on this, that I failed to do my first day of the 31 days to a better blog. And, of course, we're leaving Wednesday to go out of town for Easter weekend. So, maybe I'll be a week behind. Or maybe, by some miracle, I'll find time tomorrow to do it. We'll see. But, I WILL do this challenge!

It pleases me to announce ...

... that my blog redesign is finished! :-) I am so excited. I've been working for several days with my friend Kelly on this design. Many of you know it took me some thought and help to decide on a header. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! I removed some elements from my blog, because they increased load time, or they were just plain annoying. I considered removing the playlist, but I have that there for my own enjoyment more than anything. So, it stays - but it does not autoplay. So, that means if you want to hear it, you'll have to start it. Otherwise, no more music. I know how annoying it can be if you aren't wanting to hear it - or if you're listening to something else - when someone's music starts without your consent. So, now you have control.

This is Day 1 of the 31-day blog-improvement challenge. I haven't even read the e-mail yet, but I cannot wait to get started. I wanted my new design live before I did anything with that, though. Anyway, I am thrilled to pieces over this. Thanks for your patience - and your help, if you weighed in on the header!

So Excited!

I know, I know. I've been quiet lately. But, I have good reason. I've been working on a custom template created by ME (with the help of one of my BFF, Kelly) for this blog! I am so excited about it. The color scheme is so me. Actually, any of you familiar with FROGs should instantly recognize the colors! I love those colors so much I decided to use them here, too. I have a practice blog on which I'm tweaking my template. Once it's done, I'll bring it here. I cannot wait! :-)

Oh, the drama!

I hate drama - IRL, online, wherever. Well, except on TV - but then I'm actually expecting it and wanting to get lost in it. Any drama other than that which was made for the purpose of entertainment is unwelcome. I. don't. want. it.

Some of you likely will remember that I had some drama going on with my Web site somewhat recently. In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday; in others, it feels like it was months ago. Funny how that works.

Anyway, the result of that whole stupid ordeal was that one of our members - a staff member, nonetheless - decided to take her leave of the board. I knew she'd be a big loss, but I also understood (and still understand) where she's coming from. But, in her announcement to the rest of Staff that she's leaving, she basically told my co-admin to go ahead and kill the site. She's gone - or something like that. It appears she's getting her wish. She's a sweet individual and a true friend, so I know she didn't actually mean that she wanted to see the site fail. I also know that she hasn't done anything to sabotage to site. I think it was just the fallout from the crap that happened before. Now, the site is extremely inactive and I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever recover. Apparently this individual was the heart and soul of the site - for her absence is what brought this lull in activity to pass.

So, now the question becomes simple: What do I do? Do I watch it die a slow, miserable death? Do I perform e-CPR and do what I can to revive the site? Do I beg the former staffer to return to the site? Do I pull the plug and walk away? Or do I hand the site over to someone else, then walk away? I dunno. Even staff members aren't posting much, which can't be good. I think the whole incident from before had a much bigger impact on them than it originally looked like it had. And I just don't know what to do.

Add to all of this that I've been just overtired. Not sure why. Plus, my wonderful (and I mean it - no sarcasm) husband has decided to work for FEMA again. No, he's not getting a new job. He's still with the Army Corps of Engineers. But, they'll send him to North Dakota to help with all the flooding and stuff going on there. Just like what he's done in the past in New Orleans and Texas - except for once he's going farther north. I get to be the one to brag about better weather! LOL I'm sharing this to say it's just going to get worse. I'll temporarily be a single mom, having to do it all 100% by myself. Sure, I could attempt to ask my family for help, but they're useless. My mom always has a million and one excuses for why she couldn't possibly help me out. (But she's going to try to see my other sister - who is several states away - soon because she thinks my sister needs her right now!) One sister is too far away. The other is VERY, very busy - especially this time of year. And my in-laws? Forget them. They can't make their way up here under normal circumstances. They couldn't be bothered to come up here when our youngest was born. Don't get me started.

Despite all of that, I decided to take on a challenge. It's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog by ProBlogger. I have found that I really enjoy blogging and I have been thinking of ways to make this a better blog. Now I'll have not only a ton of great ideas, but also big-time motivation! I only hope that I'll find a way to really be faithful in this while my husband's away! I am excited about this, and hope that in the coming weeks you'll find this blog an even better place! (Many thanks to My Friend Amy for her Weekly Review post that included this little tidbit!)

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for reading!

Short Update

Sorry to be absent so long. I've been busy and really haven't had much to write about. I will be back soon, though, with some new product reviews. Until then, I thought I should update.

I GOT ONE! :-) What you ask? Well, read this post. If you don't wanna, read it, I'll just tell you. I got my Wii Fit! :-) A friend of mine in a neighboring community (which is smaller than the community in which I live) happened upon a new shipment at Walmart earlier this week. They got about 20 in on Monday night, and she called to see if I still wanted it. Of course, I said YES! :-) The plan was that she'd pick it up Tuesday morning and bring it to me Wednesday. Of course, she woke up sick and wasn't able to get there. But, her son was going to Walmart that afternoon and she had him get one! :-) There were only two left, so I'm glad he was able to get there when he did! I'm so excited!

No, I haven't used it yet. I've been sick all week! :-( I have had hardly any energy. I'm still not quite well, but hoping to get started with it tomorrow or Monday!

Anyway, I realized I'd complained about no Wii Fit here and thought I'd update. I'll share my opinion of it when I get going with it.

Year in Review

A follow-up to my New Year's post, if you will. My friend Lisa posted this on her blog and I had to follow suit! You go back through your blog and copy the opening sentence from a post (or two) for each month. I began this blog in March, so I will start there - obviously! LOL

Below is the opening sentence from a post from each month. (Any italicized text is a comment I'm writing NOW.) To read the whole post, click on the date/month name:

March: I had a bunch of stuff that I wanted to write. (Is that the story of my blog or what? LMAO)

April: I saw my allergist yesterday, and he said it doesn't sound like an allergy to food!

May: I've never been good at titles - or writing headlines, for that matter.

June: That sums it up perfectly!
June 25: My precious baby girl was born.

July: Around 9:30 p.m. our power was restored!

August: A few months ago, once my daughter got into the wonderful world of Webkinz, I bought her a couple I knew she'd LOVE off eBay.

September: I was just starting up a Baby Einstein DVD for Grant.

October: At this point exactly 12 months ago I was getting to know my sweet new baby girl, Natalie.

November: There is so much going on in my mind right now.

December: DH got home yesterday!

In looking this over, I have to say a couple of things. One, I need to blog more. And two, I need to be more creative in my first lines of my posts! It was hard finding something interesting. No more first sentences being one-word sentences! LOL So far as blogging goes, for 2009 I resolve to write more and better! Wish me luck!

Happy Hump Day!

Yes, I know, it's not Wednesday. But, it's still hump day - and, no, I'm not being dirty! LOL Today is the midway point of DH's absence. We've reached the hump - it's all downhill from here! :-) In some ways, it's energizing. In others, it's EXHAUSTING. But, I'm excited. Two weeks from TOMORROW, he comes HOME! :-) I'm so excited. It's odd, but I think I've missed him even more this time - which I so didn't expect. The other times I was pregnant, and I thought my hormones made it worse. But, perhaps this time it's b/c I don't work. It's me and the kids, day in and day out. Always. No breaks for me, unless right now counts, but even then I have to be ready in case I'm needed. I miss his companionship more than I have in the past. I'm sure our new situation accounts for that. But, I'm not complaining - especially with Thanksgiving being a few days away. My mom is coming out - and probably bringing my niece and nephew - so that'll keep us busy. Hopefully the time will FLY! Abby only has 2 and a half days of school. Part of me wishes she was off all week, but I know it's better NOT that way - we clash way too much! LOL

On a completely unrelated note, I decided I wanted a more seasonal template. So, I found a Christmas/winter one. It was so hard to choose! I again went with Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates - I just LOVE her stuff! She recently released her seasonal templates, so I decided to switch. She does an absolutely lovely job!

I have another post I want to write - about my faith. But, it'll have to wait until I'm not falling asleep at the keyboard! ;-) That said, I gotta get to sleep. I'll write more tomorrow.

Subscribe!

Thanks to Kelly, I now have e-mail subscriptions available. So, if you want to receive an e-mail when there's new stuff to read, sign up! :-)

(Thanks, Kelly, for posting it on your blog so I could find it! LOL Love ya!)

Life sucks sometimes

I just posted a huge long post about my childhood over on Vox. So, if you're on Vox and you have access, check it out. If not, I guess you're just SOL!

And now I've forgotten what I wanted to say here. Darn kids! ;-)

Oh, yeah. The title. For once I'm glad I have to make a title! LMAO

DH is a prick. A fucking prick. At times like these, I hate him. I know, awful - and probably indicative of how immature I am. But, hey, too damn bad. That said, he's just a know-it-all prick.

We have a Roomba (love that thing) - well, two, actually. The first one never charged properly, and we thought we got a dud. I sometimes wondered if the outlet it was plugged into had something to do with it. Sometime later, we acquired our newest Roomba. We had it plugged in elsewhere and it worked great. Recently, we plugged it into the outlet we had the first one plugged into. And now, the battery won't hold a charge - same problem as the first one. I suggested to DH that the outlet might have something to do with it, and he IMMEDIATELY shoots me down. He says no, the battery's just spent. They have a limited number of charge cycles, etc. Blah, blah, blah. OK, I don't deny that could be part of it, but what about the outlet? TWO Roombas met an untimely death after being plugged into that same outlet. Sure, we have had this Roomba for a couple of years now, but it just seems too coincidental, kwim? If this happened while it was plugged into any other outlet, I'd take what DH's explanation is and agree 100%. But, I see a pattern. Sure, we've only had two Roombas, but both were plugged into that outlet. Now, the first one we never plugged in anywhere else, so it is possible that it was a dud. But, you still can't deny the similarities here. This whole thing resulted in a HUGE fight. Funny, huh?

No, it's NOT about a stupid vacuuming robot. Not at all. It's about him ALWAYS dismissing my opinions. He does this more often than not. Won't even consider my thoughts on stuff like that. Apparently he knows EVERYTHING and I'm just a stupid idiot who knows nothing. Stupid jackass! So, I'm mad - well, mad because I'm hurt. He won't even consider my thoughts b/c I haven't tested 50 Roombas to see if it really is a pattern or whatever. Stupid fucking prick. Jackass jerk. And, of course, when I try to talk to him about this, he focuses on the Roomba, not what I'm trying to explain to him. I'm trying to tell him it's not about the Roomba. It's about him making me feel like my opinions and ideas about things are nothing worth considering - like he thinks I'm stupid or something. While it's not meant to be, it's VERY hurtful. (And, yes, I'm like an injured animal - I say all sorts of things, hence what you're reading here. Better here than hurling shit at him, right?)

Still here

I have been away just b/c I'm so dang busy. I know - I do it to myself. I'm an owner of a Web site, and a co-admin on another. Then I joined yet ANOTHER board (as if I needed it) recently and have been spending a ton of time there, too. I'm considering leaving Mommy Zone, as it's really not the same since Kelly left. I can't decide, though. Most of my friends have met up elsewhere, but there are a couple of women I still like talking to. But, it reminds me of when Mommy-Talk was taken over by Gail, and I couldn't stay. I couldn't respect the leadership, and knew that meant I couldn't remain there, either. And I had CLOSER friends - women who I'd known since I was pg with Abby - that didn't follow me anywhere! :-( Makes me so sad. And some won't even return my e-mails! :-( Oh, well. I do think that I will have to leave MZ, but I'm going to wait. They're going to be changing the name/url, etc. So, that'll be the perfect opportunity.

Well, I need to get to bed, so I'm gonna go. I'll try to be back soon.

Me again

I hadn't intended to be away this long. Sorry. Although, I don't think anyone's even reading this so perhaps I'm only letting myself down! LOL Still, this can be therapeutic, so I really should do it more. Now to explain my absence.

It's been a helluva couple of weeks. This past week I've been spending most of my time (when the kids allow, of course) helping a dear friend of mine launch a new Web site. It's phpBB based like mine is, so I've done most of the modifications and stuff. That has been fun - I like doing stuff like that. (Yes, I know, I'm a nerd! LOL) I've even taken a bit of a hiatus from my own site in my efforts to help her get things up and running. I let my Staff know, as I felt they should be aware of my whereabouts. The good thing is I have good people on my site, and me being gone (or in much less than usual) for a while isn't going to cause it to fall apart. I tried to get on a minimum of once per day. I must've done pretty well, as no one seemed to notice my absence.

I have since been made one of four Admin on my friend's site. I haven't let anyone on my site know that yet. Do I have to? I don't think it's a conflict of interests. My site is for Christian women; the new site is for moms. We aren't what some would call "competitors" or anything. Plus, I'm one of FOUR Admin there, all of which can do techie stuff. I might say something at least to my staff. But, I don't want to cause any drama. I know one of my staff members is on the new site, and so far she hasn't said anything about it to me. (If anyone DOES read this and you happen to be on my site, please comment here to let me know your thoughts.)

Well, laundry beckons. So, I must go for now.

I'm still here

Sorry to be so quiet for so long. I haven't intended to be away. I was hoping I'd actually be able to write at least once per day. But, well, I got caught up. I've installed an arcade on my site, and it's taking up my time. No, I'm not spending all of my time playing the games! LOL (Although, I do have to test each one to make sure it works and then properly submits the score.) It's time-consuming to find the games then install them. After that, it's organization and actually activating them on the site. Finally, test. I have one - Marvin's Lucky 13 Solitaire (or something like that) - that works fine, until you go to submit the score. Then I get an error - GAAH! Can't a girl get a break? Then, I took a LOOOOONG time tracking down a couple of my favorites: Sandwich Stacker and Traffic Control. Neither was formatted for this particular arcade, but I was able to get someone to do SS for me. Now to just get TC converted. I wish I knew coding better! :-( I am proud of myself, though, for what I am able to do on my site. I'm learning a little bit of html and php coding. I would love to be able to create awesome Web pages and/or forums. Maybe someday I'll look into some courses on Web design or something.

Before I forget - check out my new Meez! :-)

Well, it's late - I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll write tomorrow! ;-)

OUCH!

I hate headaches. I hate that I get them somewhat regularly. WHY? I'm not sure how often they've been bothering me - probably weekly, on average. It sucks. I hope and pray that my daughters don't inherit this problem - or my son, for that matter. I'd hate for any of my descendants to get this. It's horrible - and so not fair!

Well, I'm sorry to be so boring lately. I guess I don't generally have much to talk about. But, I am sure at some point I'll be a bit more fun to read. Until then, thanks for bearing with me! LOL I sure hope I'm not as dull in person as I am here!

Conflicted

I'm conflicted about what to do with this blog. I want to be able to express myself 100% without worrying about hurting anyone's feelings. But, I also want this to be open to being read. Will anyone find this if I don't point them in the direction of it? I'm conflicted b/c I don't want to shut my friends out, but I don't want to feel like I can't talk about ANYTHING either, kwim?

For example, I recently had a bit of a skirmish with some people on my Web site. Yes, my Web site. I own a domain and board on said domain. I thoroughly enjoy it. I never thought coding and stuff would be so fun! LOL I know, that makes me an ubergeek, but I can handle that label! It's like learning another language - but much more scary. I can make or break my board just by doing one small thing with coding. I love being able to use it as a creative outlet.

Anyway, back to the skirmish. Let's just say that some of my "staff" conducted themselves in a way that I thought wasn't appropriate. Nothing major, in fact I've learned that no one outside of The Team was aware that anything was going on. I just felt a situation could've been handled in a better manner. Now, my original approach was a bit bad, and I did apologize for it. Things do seem to be worked out now, except that one of the individuals isn't getting over it! I am FRUSTRATED with this situation. I can't have the "staff" divided - a house divided against itself cannot stand. How much time do I give her to work through her emotions? When do I say "enough is enough, snap out of it or step down"?

Crap. Baby's waking up. I gotta go take care of her. I'll try to add more to this post later.

Let the Tweaking Begin

I could have a ton of fun playing with this template. I wasn't too fond of the bright pink background, so I chose something that was easier on my eyes. I'd like to REALLY customize the colors eventually, but that'll have to wait. We're getting ready for a LOOOOONG drive to go see my husband's family. So, I don't have the time to tweak much. But, I'm happy to be done with the background that came with this template. Don't get me wrong - it's a pretty template. But, well, I'd be happier if there was a PURPLE template! But, for now, this will do.

Blame Mommy Brain

I had a bunch of stuff that I wanted to write. I thought of it last night - before falling asleep. (That seems to be where I do most of my thinking that leads to any good ideas.) I was hoping to remember, but no luck. I hate that. I thought I'd finally have something interesting to say! LOL

I have a child who won't stop talking. I love her to death, but sometimes I just want a little peace. Or, like now, I'll be doing something that requires a little bit of concentration, and that'll be when she wants to talk most! I suppose it's my fault for not waiting until nap time or after they go to bed for the night.

OK. I'm done rambling for now. Back to your regularly scheduled programming! ROFL