diy lighting options

cool article posted here
about making your own lighting systems for around $75 dollars.

wow quote

"I try to believe that God doesn't give you more than one piece of the story at once. You know- the story of your life. Otherwise your heart would crack wider than you could handle. He only cracks it enough so you can still walk, like someone with a cast. But you've got a crack running up your side, big enough for a sapling to grow out of. Only no one sees it. Everybody thinks you're one whole piece, and so they treat you maybe not as gentle as they would if they could see that crack." -Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

copied this from this blog by way of Jamie's blog YA-Ya

this is an amazing quote to me. I love the fact this is how I feel, I loved this movie by the way too, the scrapbook in it was incredable, and they even showed in the dvd extra's that a couple of the producers mom's friends made the scrapbook and everyone loved it. This is a definate movie to rent to see as a girlfriend-chick movie. Would be fn to show at a scrap retreat : )

digi layout challenge

this was posted at croppers cottage where I have been a member since 2002 and the picture was so cute I had to do the challenge.

here's a meme copied from Dawn

Are you more...

01) A harsher critic of others or a harsher critic of yourself? of myself Definately
02) One who thinks stealing is the bigger sin or one who thinks lying is the bigger sin? I think lying is by far a bigger sin
03) Fond of crayons for colouring or fond of paint for colouring? I like both, prefer paints
04) Someone who thinks they have all the tools they could need or someone who thinks you barely have the minimum number of tools to get by? my tool shed is always in need of help!?
05) McDonald's or Burger King? McDonald's--it's the fries that win
06) Obsessive compulsive or whatever happens, happens? Obsessive planner
07) One who enjoys the company of small children (playing with blocks) or one who enjoys the company of senior citizens (playing bridge)? Seniors win in my book
08) Someone who will vacuum-seal food before putting it in the freezer or someone who will just put it in the freezer? No need to vacuum ..just put in there--
09) More proud of your belches or more proud of your flatulence? neither make me happy or proud
10) Possessed of a soothing voice or possessed or an order-barking voice? soothing--I hope i don't bark too often LOL

a little blessing chick

" I know you are going to want your own little chick so be sure to visit http://www.blessthischick.com/"

I got this from Katie- her little chick is so cute , she got it from Lindsay Teague- who had a cute artsy fartsy fairy

She is so cute, this is a british web site , but the pay pal was about 7.00$ us - and so fast, I paid today and had her by the time I got home today.

more photos

this photo is from my Brother's window to his back yard, they have a cute little moat and filled it up for us, the sun was out and it was a marvalous day- we spent a great day together.

the kids enjoyed playing bolle in the back yard, something we all haven't done in ages- we reminesed, I took my scrapbook ( book of me) and some photos and a family tree I had and we looked at those and remembered stories about times shared and vacations taken. All in all a good time.

These two are dark- but they are from Mr. Gatti's a pizza and fun spot, kind of like a chuckie cheese- but better food and more fun stuff like the bummper cars, the kids had a blast.


more from mr. Gatti's J playing air hockey and Hh playing skee ball. She got tons of tickets and choose a 8 ball fourtune teller for her prize. they enjoyed the evening.

a few photos from our trip

J and Hh at the reststop inside colorado on the way home from Big Spring! Wed- it was a long day and they were doing pretty well here.

We listened to the cronicles on Narnia by C.S. Lewis on the way home. The first 4 books so far of 7 books. They are a dramatization and are very well done. On the way there we listened to Deception Point by Dan Brown the author of the Da Vinchy Code.

When we left Denver on Monday morning, we had snow and traffic, when we got south to C.S. we had snow and traffic and construction. When we got to Pueblo we had snow and wet roads, when we got to Raton, we stopped and had a little bit of sunshine, we watched the weather channel and then we went on.

the worst leg of the trip was though the " saftey corridor" What the hell is that??? I didn't feel safe at all. We went 30 miles per hour for about 100 miles with such poor visiblity we had flashers on and bearly could see the people in front of us.this was what it really was like. though I didn't take a photo of it.

with the heart

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine De Saint-Exupery " from the book the Little Prince"

I loved this book, I read it several times, in english and at least once in French while in college.

home again home again ziggady zig!

We have had a heck of a week- since I last posted, I went to a Scout weekend and cooked for 40 folks, then Left on Monday and went to TX- it was a terrible drive, took 15 hours - through all kinds of horrible weather, from snow and slush to white out blizzard, to rain and sunny weather.

we are home

calling my folks and my bro to tell them I am here.

will post more stuff in the next day or too, thanks friends for keeping tabs on me.

Cain on the move!

Well the LCSW wants j and I to communicate better !! fear drives my desire for him and I react to that fear, he reacts with attitude to my ravings, the only thing that makes any difference to him is the bike-
I agreed not to sell it- but he has not gotten it back yet either. He needs to show me why he wants it and sell me on letting him have it back - that is what his councelor told him.
So I agreed to go to a parenting adolecents class and he to a being a teen class at the same time. We will see how this all plays out.

On another note- I am going to go to see my younger brother in TX - I will take J and Hh with me and try to make a little good before we don't have him in our lives anymore. I would like to put together a little scrap book for him, but I am not sure I will have time before I go. I have a few photos of us growing up and some info on family. I would like to beable to share so stories, I would love it if my older brother could be there too- with his son. then it would be like a family reunion.

Autism in the news about CDC

here is the national web site- interesting things in the news about mecury and vacines.

Katie has a great web blog and site too at this link

When you have a child with autism you always are worried and looking for all the knowledge you can get.

Raising Cain- it is what it is

here is a link to the book on Amazon

J is up to some old tricks but now worse? than ever if that is possible. he has been getting lots of bike time and I am trying to learn to trust him, though I don't he isn't hanging with good guys and I don't know what to do to keep him safe.. and emotionally to help him.

Well friday we come across a beer bottle- stashed in the bathroom at my house, and the kind J-ex drinks ( J- says he did take it from dad's house later) - What is a mom to do?? well this is not a first offence and so the bike is outta here- I tell him saturday am that I am taking the bike to pawn and will put the money back in his bank account. Oh he has a fit, that is the only thing he " owns" he says to me, you can't take it I say I can, and I will, he phones a friend, and then packs his pack and leaves out the back door- shouting " I hate this effen house and I don't want to live in your effen house." ( he has called his dad to tell him too!) I tell them both that you know when you get a DUI they impound your car! it is Illegal for him to drink at 14!
I am then told how unreasonalble I am, I know in my heart this is not the first or last time this will occur.

The book above has shed a bit of light on the Drinking behaviors as a masculine activity - that allows for emotions to be excused with the "well I was drunk excuse"- though it has some scary statistics on the mind numbing behaviors and let down of bariors that prevent clear thought.

I am taking him back for a session today with a LCSW we have seen for about a year now off and on, it is tough, just when I think we are at a good point he goes right back to bad untrustworthy behavior, it makes me want to scream and shout. I don't understand the cry for what? Attention He's got it. ! control, boundries? I am struggling, to let go but I don't want him to mess up his life and pay for it at such an early age.

This is definatly been a tough go for me and J.

my pirate name and discription

My pirate name is:

Captain Mary Rackham

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

word cloud

go to snapshirts

to generate your own word cloud, it is kind of cool to see what topics I really blog about.

how to take better protraits

Link to LIfehacker and further links in article ....

talks about using camera settings and forcing flas for lights in the eyes of those in the head shots.

You're Blessed

You're Blessed when you care.
At the moment of being " care-full", you find yourselves cared for.
You're Blessed when you get your inside world- your mind and heart- put right.
Then you can see God in the outside world.
Mattew 5:5-6 msg

things to do with leftovers scrap stuff??

cool link to HPDA- doityourself planner
this is a photo set on flicker

or this link at lifehacker too

just think of the possiblities to make this with Scrapping left overs- hmmn??

side veiw in the street-

 

Here it is - Dig those racing stripes

 

new ownership

97 'Tang - black with blue stripes- v8- gt 4lt engine- all the specs- pictures to follow later of the Man and the car- suffice it to say he is grining from ear to ear, and of course agreeed that the next car would be mine- yeah someday I can drive a cool queue_t mobile.

proud to say 'tang dang!

YUP more details to follow soon-

The park and walking

these are from the Arvada Web Site.

this is the kind of path Me and my exercise buddy are walking - it goes around a lake by my house and she has met us there in the morning and we have been walking for about 25 minutes at a crack, Hh wants to go too and she has been a good sport about it - this morning she took her MP3 player and was so happy just to be out on a gorgous morning and we spotted 7 huge robins this morning too, there is a bunch of great nesting boxes and they were so fat and happy, I always think spring when I see the robins out.

I have been blogging for a year now!

That is so hard for me to believe- It has been a tough year too-

J has given me fits and starts
J-ex has also given me fits and starts and hasn't stepped up to the plate
SS-Dl - has grown and changed mostly to the good, matured and gotten his stuff mostly together, though I am concerned about the kissy face w/ the current GF.
SS-Dn- has also been maturing- it is hard sometimes to see the changes in him , because of the autism. I can hardly bring myself to think about his being in High school next year. With out Dl at home with him his communication skills have dropped off a bit and that can be so tough to maintain with him.
All the boys are shaving and maturing physically - this has been a couple of hard years to get going toward manhood.

Hh- is full of things that are good, she has her days though when I want her to be independant and she is clingy - She doesn't want to be left alone at all- the mornings are the toughest time she balks at having to go to school on her own in anyway. yesterday she complained bitterly to being left by J- so he didn't leave her either.

I have done one exciting thing for myself this week- I got my self an Excercise Partner, from this web site for just that thing
I needed to get out there and move, S- has had so many health problems, and we were walking for a while, but he hurts so bad he is not willing to do it as hard and with the freqency I need.
This Lady is a great fit and we have much in common, Hh has been going with us too..

great gift ideas for your girls!!

I sent this article to myself at christmas time and wanted to pass it on here- still great anytime ideas for birthdays, or just anytime you need a girlfriend gift.

They're the first ones there when your heart is broken, the last ones there when you throw a party, and the only ones who, like you, endorse eating the entire roll of cookie dough.

Gift Guide

Dont give your girls the brush-off; give them makeup brushes from Marshall Fields.

Let Carrie be your relationship guide with "Sex and the City" DVDs.

"Classic Cocktails" has 150 ideas on what to put in those glasses.

Hot chocolate from Williams-Sonoma helps keep warm chatter flowing.

Photos/Kevin Eisenhut Give the gift of "Peace" and a heartfelt holiday "Wish" with selections from Yankee Candles.

Weekly Guides

For your girls Check out our list of 30 gifts under $30 The art of gift giving in a new romantic relationship

They are your girlfriends. Your girls. And you can't imagine how you would have made it through life thus far without them.

So this holiday season, you want to reward the ladies with something special.

"It's an emotional connection we have with our girlfriends," says Jennifer Putney, owner of the J Bird Boutique, 415 E. Menomonee St., in the Third Ward. "It's a nice way of saying thank you for their friendship and support."

Putney, who considers buying gifts for seven or eight of her girlfriends as important as buying gifts for her family "because they are family," searches for months for the perfect presents. Clutch handbags and jewelry pieces are some of her favorite gift ideas.

Ethnic-inspired, big jewel, crystal and semi-precious stone necklaces and bracelets have been popular gift purchases at the boutique in recent months, she said.

To help you navigate some of the other girlie gifts available, we've picked out some of our favorite finds from stores around and just outside the Milwaukee area.

Your girlfriends will be so proud of you for making great shopping decisions on your own.

Candles: Let's face it. When we have extra cash in our pocketbooks - or available balances on our credit cards - it goes straight to shoes and clothing. Fancy candles become the items we don't often splurge on for ourselves. Splurge for her with these dreamy jars from Yankee Candle at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa. The "Wish" candle carries the scent of vanilla and balsam. "Peace" is country linen scent. $19.99 each.

"Sex and the City" DVDs: The series that made girlfriend relationships famous has just been released as a six-season boxed set on DVD. The hot pink velvet-covered case holds a book with quotes and memories of the show's best moments. If the $186.98 Amazon.com price tag is too steep for your budget, consider getting your friends to chip in for group ownership. Individual seasons are available and generally cost about $29.99 each.

Here's to us!Girl talk is always more fun when it's accessorized with beverages. The party martini glasses were a steal at Crate & Barrel, which has a store at Mayfair, at $4.95 a piece. Wine glasses are available for the same price. Add a martini shaker for $14.95 or a book on "150 Classic Cocktails" for $9.95.

Hot cocoa also goes well with winter gossip. Williams-Sonoma, which has stores at Mayfair and Bayshore Mall in Glendale, sells regular and peppermint hot chocolate made of chocolate shavings, $14.75 for a container. Add handcrafted marshmallows in either chocolate or vanilla, $14.75 a box.

Massage break: You've heard her complain non-stop about stress at work, so how about sending a masseuse right to the office? Jurg J. Oggenfuss, owner of Massageworks1ders, will bring his massage chair and services to her break room. An on-site chair massage is $1 a minute, with an 80 minute minimum. She can split the gift into 10-minute increments with other stressed out co-workers. For more information, contact Massageworks1ders: (414) 614-5832.

All Men are Liars! Got your attention? And you'll get hers by giving her a new book by Jeffrey L. Rodengen - yes, it's by a man. In "All Men are Liars: An Incomplete Guide to Relationship Trauma" (Write Stuff Enterprises Inc.; $24.95), Rodengen attempts to prove that men tell the most lies, whether they be about sex, relationships, business, sports or personal accomplishments. The perfect gift for your girlfriends in Men-Are-Dogs mode.

Funky tees: Pop rocker Gwen Stefani released her high-priced L.A.M.B. clothing line in the spring of 2004. Stefani recently released her less- costly Harajuku Lovers line, which is available at a few local boutiques. We found a T-shirt with long thermal sleeves for $52 at Moxy, 2219 N Farwell Ave. Moxy expects to get four more styles of screen tees, which start at $46 each, by mid-month.

Buckle up for fashion: This season's hottest accessory is easy to buy for friends because the styles are mostly one-size-fits-all. All of these knock-off designer belts, which look great on jeans or over tunics, came from Wet Seal at Mayfair Mall. The Moroccan-inspired belt (the one with big circles) was $12.50; braided bronze metallic, $10.50; and silver shimmering fabric design, $10.50.

Pretty practical: Maybe you can't buy her makeup, but you can buy her a gorgeous set of makeup brushes. These handy brush kits gift sets are offered at Marshall Field's MAC makeup counter during the holiday season. Three different colors: hot pink, aqua and olive green are available. Brush styles vary, so be sure to get the kinds she'll use. $46.

Sephora for a friend: On second thought, maybe you can buy her makeup. Sephora, the makeup wonderland that opened at Mayfair Mall this summer, sells gift cards for any amount above $10. They come in a dainty icy blue mirror compact. Or, for $5 put the gift card in a gift set with Philosophy Sugar Cookie body wash. Or for $8, add it to a set of Sephora brand body butter.

Sweeten the gift: If your girlfriend likes cooking or baking, she'll love her own gift set of freshly ground spices and sugars from The Spice House, 1031 N. Old World 3rd St., and 1244 N. Glenview Ave. in Wauwatosa. Pre-made box sets include a Flavored Sugars collection for $23.95; Bakers Extracts for $24.95; and Asian flavorings; $17.95 You may also create your own gift set with four, six, or eight spice blends, averaging about $16.95 for the smallest set. Internet shoppers can hop to www.thespicehouse.com.

Handbags, her way: This gift certificate idea is a fun holiday present and the start of a future girlfriend outing. 1154 Lill Studio, at 904 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, is a boutique where you can custom-design your own handbag, choosing from 20 available styles and hundreds of fabrics. The handbags range from $25 to $150 and take about three weeks to be completed. If you can't make it back to Chicago to pick up your creation, they'll mail it to you for an extra $8. Call (773) 477-5455 or visit www.1154lill.com for more information.

The gift of relaxation: No list of girl-oriented gifts would be complete without a spa suggestion. So how about a gift certificate from Spa Finder, a global spa resource on the Internet? This gift is especially convenient for out-of-state girlfriends. Buy a gift certificate starting at $50, and your friend can choose to use it at thousands of participating spas around the globe. www.spafinder.com/index.jsp

From the Dec. 5, 2005 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Have an opinion on this story? Write a letter to the editor or start an online foru

A movie Quiz-tionaire

Red Molly had something Different , play along if you like

MOVIE QUOTE QUIZ-TIONNAIRE

Fill in the blanks in these movie quotes with words/phrases that describe you. And please note that all references to "you/your" really mean "I/me," at least in the question-answering sense... um... that made no sense, but I think you should be able to figure it out on your own.

1. “I was born a --- --- ---.” (The Jerk)

2.“Your middle name is ---, as in ---, your birth date's ---, you're 5'---, you weigh --- pounds and your social security number is [just kidding!].” (Breakfast Club)

3.“Your mother was a --- and your father smelt of ---.” (Holy Grail)

4.“It's a Zen thing, like how many --- fit in a ---.” (Waiting for Guffman)

5. “I have a bad feeling about ---.” (Star Wars)

6. “This is not a tragedy. A tragedy is ---, or ---.” (Dirty Dancing)

7. “ My job consists of basically ---, and, at least once a day, --- so I can ---while I fantasize about ---. ” (American Beauty)

8. “I see --- people.” (Sixth Sense)

9. “Vote for ---!” (Napoleon Dynamite)

10. “What do you mean nothing good? We've seen everything good. We've seen ---! We went to ---, we saw priceless ---! We ate ---!” (Ferris Bueller)

11. “Life is ---. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”(Princess Bride)

12.“'Blessed are the ---.'” (Life of Brian)

13. " Show me the -----." ( Jerry McGuire) Added


Here are my Answers-

1. “I was born a Jewish American Princess, in Germany.” (The Jerk)

2.“Your middle name is Ann---, as in Ann of Green Gables ---, your birth date's Groundhogs day every year---, you're 5'3 and 1/2 if your really try---, you weigh too much in terms of real--- pounds and your social security number is [just kidding!].” (Breakfast Club)

3.“Your mother was a Fiesty French woman--- and your father smelt of Lox and Bagels---.” (Holy Grail)

4.“It's a Zen thing, like how many Fish--- fit in a tin can---.” (Waiting for Guffman)

5. “I have a bad feeling about my answers here LOL ---.” (Star Wars)

6. “This is not a tragedy. A tragedy is being ill ---, or having no blessings ---.” (Dirty Dancing)

7. “ My job consists of basically Answering the phone, keeping track of my Boss and helping grumpy customers---, and, at least once a day, I get a little break--- so I can eat my lunch---while I fantasize about all the other things I need to be doing in my spare time ---. ” (American Beauty)

8. “I see Printer--- people.” (Sixth Sense)

9. “Vote for Me---!” (Napoleon Dynamite)

10. “What do you mean nothing good? We've seen everything good. We've seen The mountains in the purple morning light---! We went to New Orleans before Katrina---, we saw priceless Cars in Las Vegas---! We ate Wonderfully at Emirils more than once---!” (Ferris Bueller)

11. “Life is a Bitch sometimes ---. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”(Princess Bride)

12.“'Blessed are the People who win the lottery and can choose a new path ---.'” (Life of Brian)

13. " Show me the Money ( love the original) -----." ( Jerry McGuire) Added

She got me on a roll

Cathy's blog and she tells it like it is-

my response -

Queue_t said...

yeah - you touched my nerve too!, i feel I am the same way- for 8 years mine has given me the check- for a while it was on time, and about a year ago he decided to go through a bankrupcy - well needless to say the checks really stopped coming on time and in the right amount, he is in contemp of his court order and but he doesn't care, he forever gives me his sob story- yet has money and time to do what ever he wants.

I need to go see if I can get a garnishment or for my payment to go through the court, maybe that would help. but I just hate having to be the bad guy- YKWIM??

gosh I feel for you , I know the pain, mine is 3000.00 from last year and still not making complete payments this year either.... it sucks.... he called me to tell me the other day gee he got the kids back on health care ( he has to provide this by court order too) but we have been covering them now for almost 4 years- so I am not changing now. unreal- unreasonable-unbelievable- lie lie lie -

wow you really got me on a roll

ear ring ring

at Shiny Shiny

there are these metalic ear buds for those ring ring bling bling