And the Winner is...

Angela at http://demama.blogspot.com/ the Random Integer Generator chose you to win the Webkinz Pug!

Congratulations!


Thank you to everyone who participated!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday-- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

I don't know about you but I do some of my best thinking under the blow dryer in the morning. As a result, there is always something I want to write down but I don't have any paper nearby. What I do have is 3 giant mirrors and a dry erase marker. Put them together and you have a wonderful place to write reminders, Scripture, love notes, phone messages, your to-do list or the next day's events. I even have a list of items on the mirror that were donated when I cleaned the closet because I didn't have any paper. That is one list I haven't lost yet!

It is difficult to miss a note when it is blocking your view as you put on makeup or brush your hair. It is even more difficult to lose the mirror and wonder where you put it. : )

I write notes on the kid's mirror as well, and they draw pictures. My sister Auntiebug uses the mirror backsplash in the kitchen to write last doses of medications or reminders. It also works on windows, glass shower doors, and possibly white appliances. It wipes off with a tissue and any residue left comes off with window cleaner- no big deal.

That's it for me, head over to Rocks In My Dryer for MORE great tips!

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival: Winter '08 Edition

I am giving away a Webkinz Pug. It is brand new with unused tags.

I didn't do a good job of listening to Doodlebug when I went shopping for her and got the wrong one. Unfortunately for me, fortunately for you, I could not return it. I bought it on Saturday, went to return it unopened with the receipt on Sunday and they said they didn't accept returns on Webkinz. I wasn't told that when I checked out nor was it posted in the store. Where it was posted, was the bottom of my receipt which you get AFTER you purchase. Make sense to you? Let's just say, sale or no sale, I will not be shopping at Libby Lu's any more.

Anyway, enough ranting. Here is a picture of the little guy. He is trying to look menacing but it isn't working.

This giveaway is open to ANYONE. Leave a comment and consider yourself entered in the giveaway. If you are like me, you'll want him for yourself.

One entry per person. Multiple entries will be deleted. Please leave a contact email if you do not have a blog or your profile is not open to the public. One winner will be selected on Sunday, February 3rd. Comments will close at Midnight February 1st. I'll post the winner here and contact you via email. If the winner doesn't respond within 3 days, a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

***Edited *** Comments accepted until Midnight Saturday Feb. 2nd***

Head over to Bloggy Giveaways for LOTS of other great things!

Ostrich Eggs...

Did you know how big ostrich eggs are ?

Now you do.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

I feel better now. It has been one of those days that very little has gotten done around here and it is insane at the moment.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday-- Scrub-a-Scrub-Scrub...

I get absolutely annoyed at my shower and bathtub when it doesn't SHINE after I just finished cleaning it. I like my tub and faucets to be not only dirt free, but also smooth to the touch and shiny enough to see my reflection. My bathroom cleaner spray may remove the dirt just fine, but doesn't make it completely smooth and shiny because the soap scum and build up has dulled and roughened the surface.

The best solution I have found for this problem is a lovely product called Barkeeper's Friend. The version I like is in powder form like Ajax or Comet. In addition to cleaning tubs and showers, I also use it on my stainless steel sinks and faucets. The only thing I don't care for is having to rinse it. I have yet to figure out an easy way to rinse the walls in our stand alone shower.

READ the label to make sure it is safe for your bathroom then hop to it.

Here are the steps:

1. Wet the tub/shower down



2. Sprinkle a generous amount around-- shake, shake, shake



3. Put on rubber gloves. It's doable with bare hands but I use rubbergloves if I have them.



4. Spread BKF around with a wet rag to make a paste that covers all the area



5. Let it sit or set for however long you get distracted



6. Go find your child who is screaming "Mommmeeee".



7. Tell big brother to put her down-- NOW



8. Tell little sister to quit taking big brother's Legos and hiding them



9. Remember that you were cleaning the tub



10. Take rag or any scrubby thing and SCRUB 'til that tub is slick as ice so if Bambi fell in your tub his little legs would just go every which way



11. Throw gloves down and RUN because it is TOO QUIET



12. Send children to separate corners with threats of "if I have to come out here one more time, I am putting Webkinz in timeout-- until tomorrow!"



13. Rinse tub and fixtures with lots of water until shiny



14. Dream of the time you will use the tub, alone and without interruption, like in about 18 years



15. Put supplies away



16. Go get a Diet Coke and while you drink it



17. Return to the bathroom



18. Admire your hard work



19. Leave the quiet of the bathroom and go play LEGOS

For other more helpful tips, head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

Sermon Humor...

Today our pastor was describing different kinds of preaching other than preaching Christ and each description began with the letter F.

He used Flashy, Flamboyant, Flavor and my personal favorite, FLATULATION. The snickers rippled across the congregation but Pastor Pete never missed a beat. I couldn't wait to see where he was going with it. I thought maybe he was going to say something about preaching opinions and being full of hot air. He went on to describe churches that beat you over the head about how you are doing wrong and how sinful you are. They get stuck there rather than going on to the rest of the story which includes God's grace. I realized after a few more pronunciations that he was really saying "Flagellation" as in beating you over and over.

Hee Hee, flatulation was funnier!

What's in your Freezer?

You've all heard the commercials by Capital One with the tag line: "What's in your wallet?"

Today on the Southwest Airlines blog the question seems to be: "What's in your freezer?"

Check this out for a good laugh! Click here.

It is a true story that happened this week. The author is on Daddybug's team at work.

Look what the FedEx man brought me today...

Popcorn, Popcorn and more Popcorn... Orville Redenbacher to be exact.

Look good enough to eat?

A food stylist I am NOT. It was good enough to eat, take my word on it. Was is the operative word. It no longer exists. I had a hard time getting the picture taken because I kept snitching on it. Did I mention how delicious it was? It was delicious. The Natural Simply Salted was light, salty and non-greasy. Auntiebug would love it.

What was left after the photo shoot, was descended upon by locusts otherwise known as Doodlebug and Ticklebug. In the epic battle of Locusts vs. Popcorn, the Locusts won.

The Popcorn will live to fight another day. The calvary will come. There are 3 boxes! I wonder if the Popcorn realizes what it is in for.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures of the Redenbacher Popcorn!

Organizing attempts...

I have the organizing/decluttering bug at the moment. I cleared a bookshelf off and found completed Bible study workbooks that are quite possibly more than 10 years old.

Up until Monday night, I thought I would refer back to them.

That never happened!

Into the recycling they went.

Now if I can only part with notes and books from nursing school and get Daddybug to part with some Tshirts.

I also found several stuffed animals. Like we need more around here. The only one I kept was "Coconut", the dog from the American Girl store. I have no earthly idea where it came from. I also found a Koosh ball which I thought TB would enjoy playing with. Daddybug said he would enjoy it even if TB didn't. Again, no idea where that came from.

If only I could find some money...

I will hold out hope, there is plenty of clutter left to go through. We have boxes in our closet that haven't been looked through since we moved 4 years ago.

I know you have clutter in your house too. I was just trying to make you feel better. Ya know, the whole misery loves company thing.

If you are clutter-free like Daralee and Dilenna, I don't want to hear about it. I will just get jealous and then I'll have to spend more time on my knees repenting rather than decluttering.

What's your worst clutter?

Webkinz introductions

I'd like to introduce you to our menagerie of Webkinz. Chooey the Chihuahua, Froggy the Tree Frog, and Spot the Lil Kinz Pug all belong to Doodlebug. Dalmation the Dalmation, Reindeer the Reindeer, and Yellow Lab the Yellow Lab belong to Ticklebug. You have already met Coconut the Clydesdale horse.

I'd better go. I need to play a few games and feed Coconut.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday-- Webkinz

The Webkinz craze has hit our house this Christmas. Want to know how bad?

I've got it too. It's an illness.

I stayed up past midnight New Year's Eve, not because I wanted to see the new year in but rather because I got carried away playing games on http://www.webkinz.com/ and lost track of time. I didn't even know it was midnight until I heard some firecrackers going off nearby.

For those of you new to the WKC (WebKinz Craze), I'll elaborate. Ganz makes many stuffed animals that come with special codes that allow you to adopt the stuffed animal and then create a world for that pet online. You take care of it, decorate it's room, take it to the doctor, get a job and a myriad of other activities that I have yet to do-- all online. You finance your operation by playing games, getting a job, or answering questions for KinzCash. You can only play on the site if you have a code from purchasing an animal. For a more detailed look, click HERE and take a tour.

I had NO idea what a big deal Webkinz were. Ticklebug and Doodlebug had them on their Cmas list. I thought they were just overpriced stuffed animals. I still think that.

Want to see my new toy?

Meet Coconut. I got him on Clearance at Target for $9.08. I spent my Cmas money on him. He's not the cutest thing but now I have my own login and can win my own KinzCash!

The regular WK run anywhere from $10 to $16.50 at retail stores. I have yet to figure out what price the MSRP is. Anyone know?

TB and DB play with the stuffed animals in the house like crazy. They have been giving them rides on their scooters, having playdates, and they even have beds made for them. I think I'll buy some ribbon and velcro and make them collars. Collars for the WK, not the children. Although...

Anyway, my tip for this week... is... buy your own Webkinz.

It will save you some trouble trying to remember which child's account you last played on so you can be fair.

I have an extra Pug who needs a good home. Let me know if he can come live at your house...

For other more helpful tips, head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

Bear with me just little longer...

I am trying to update ya'll (family) with photos but I cannot figure out Blogger and how to list multiple pictures in a nice neat line with text in the appropriate places like D does on her blog. Maybe it is the template I'm using and maybe it is user failure. I would change it if I could. I am going with the theory that something is better than nothing.

We sat down as a family early in December and created a list of things we would like to do related to the holidaze. We stayed in TX for the first time in 10 years for the entire Cmas break. We missed seeing grandparents and extended family but we had a good time here doing things together at a slower pace and not packing the suitcases. We got the majority done of what was most important to us. I realized that it didn't all have to be done by Christmas Day. We had several days afterwards to get more stuff in. By that time, some of it didn't even matter any more.

We went tent camping the 21st. We had every blanket and sleeping bag in the house but 3, I think. SB and I spent the night for the first time in a looooonnnnnggg time. The little buggers conked out about 10:45 with nary a peep from them. Daddybug and I got to spend a little time enjoying conversation and the fire a little longer. We all got these great headlamps as an early present to use. I used mine to stay up late reading a novel while everyone else slept. They were also great when you needed both hands to do something and didn't want to hold a flashlight. The kiddos didn't get us up until 7:30. I think it was too cold for them to come out.

Christmas Day was a good time. The only family we have nearby, as in, in the same state is my sister, Auntiebug. She told the kids to call her as soon as they got up and she would come over in her pjs. They told her it would be 4a.m. but we restricted it to 7a.m. DB and TB literally came running into our room at 0700. The festivities began around 0740 when she arrived. I walked down to hear TB saying "me, me, me, me" as he counted the presents for him under the tree.

We took all THREE kiddos ice skating for the first time on the 26th. TB and DB didn't know if it was ok to laugh when I totally wiped out in front of them. I am talking pain and embarrassment. The feet went up and the head went down. I think that "broke" the ice for them.

There were a lot of pajama days, reading new books and making Geotrax layouts for the kids. DB headed back to work and we just played with new toys.

Here are a few more pictures of "What I did on my Vacation"...

Christmas Break 2007

Auntiebug and Snugglebug, Doodlebug and Chooie, Ticklebug and Dalmation, Daddybug and Mr. GPS, Snugglebug and Ticklebug.

Christmas Photo Catch Up...

These are pictures from an early Christmas gift opening from Grandpa C and MiMie as well as the school Christmas parties.