ToT: 10 Things I’d Bring On a Deserted Island
June 16, 2009 | 4 Comments
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This week’s Ten on Tuesday asks what 10 items you would want to bring on a deserted island.
Here goes:
- My kids. I don’t know if that counts as 1, or 4.
- My Bible.
- Lip balm. I’m sure I could make my own beauty products using whatever’s lying around, but I’m a real lip balm addict.
- A very large knife.
- Paper
- A supply of pencils - a girl’s got to document her thoughts, y’know? And I’m assuming this island has no wi-fi so, no blogging.
- A wide toothed comb so my hair doesn’t get TOO tangled from all that salt water.
- Some really cool sunglasses.
- Tweezers for my eyebrows.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
And if the kids count as 4 things, then skip items 3-6.)
6 Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy
June 11, 2009 | 3 Comments
Shay tagged me with this blog meme. I’m supposed to list 6 “unimportant” things that make me happy.
There are so many small things that make me happy.
You could ask me this question every week and probably get different answers each time. For now, I’ll choose a theme.
How about summer?
6 Summer Things That Make Me Happy
1- Edy’s Lime Popsicles
photo credit: Gibsonclaire
Oh my goodness these are good. They’re sweetened with sugar instead of HFCS. And just between you and me, you can throw one into the blender with tequila and triple sec and make a super fast margarita.
2 - My Blue Fingernail Polish from Piggy Paints
If you’re not familiar, Piggy Paints is a non toxic nail polish. As soon as my toes came out of hiding, they got the blue treatment.
3 - Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil
I’m working on a review of this product now. I’ve long used coconut oil for cooking, but this stuff I’m taking as a supplement - anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon a day, straight up.
I also use it externally - I rub it on my skin after a shower while I’m damp. It soaks in quicker than any other oil! I use a few drops on my hair as a conditioner before shampooing and after, as a styling aid - my hair has never looked so shiny!
It’s great for keeping your feet soft, so I use a little on my feet just before bed. I slather it on my face at night. Love the stuff.
(It just occurred to me that perhaps #3 doesn’t fit the description of uninportant. Nutrition and health are certainly important. Moving on…)
4 - Facebook
I’ll admit it. Facebook is my guilty pleasure. I recently made the decision to remove all business contacts from Facebook so it can be all about friends and family and the odd ex boyfriend.
The way I figure, I don’t have a television, I don’t read trashy magazines, so why not? It’s too much fun to connect and re-connect with people you care about.
5 - The City Pool
We bought a pass. For $30 all 5 of us can swim our little hearts out. I can’t think of cheaper summer entertainment than that!
The 3 older kids are taking swim lessons for an hour a day, 5 days a week for two weeks. That’s been fun for them and they’re a lot more confident in the water. Sadie didn’t meet the height requirement but she has worked her charms on the hot lifeguards instructors and so every day they’ve grabbed her and let her participate.
6 - Avocados
I love avocados. I just one ate one, straight up, with a spoon.
Now it’s your turn:
Lisa @ MsFitUniverse
Nichole @ FullEarthsEtc
Amanda @ oohAmanda
Nell @ CasualFridayEveryday
Stefanie @ MommyMusings
Jo-Lynn @ MusingsOfAHousewife
(The rules are: link to this post, list your 6 things, link to 6 other bloggers and comment on their blog too.)
TmT: Backyard
June 11, 2009 | 1 Comment
Yesterday for Wordless Wednesday I posted a picture of my daughter in our backyard. This picture was shot before we moved in. I had just her with me, the other kids were in school, and we were walking through the place with my landlord.
She loves to pick dandelions.
I love this place. The location is perfect - it’s an urban environment, not far from Atlanta. Small but we have a fenced in yard. The kids play baseball out there. I have a clothesline. I want to start having parties out there. Eventually, a container garden. The kids love to work in the garden!
Guest Post: Living the Rural Life
June 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I love living in an urban environment. But I’ve often said that I wouldn’t mind living deep in the country, where I could have my own chickens and maybe even a cow! And of course the organic garden.
This is a guest post from Melinda of Behind The Stall Door. It’s all about:
Living The Rural Life
Hi, I’m Melinda and I live in BFE, SC. *chorus of “hi, Melinda” ensues*
photo credit: René Ehrhardt
Ok, so it’s not totally BFE. We have a Walmart and a Lowes, which stock the basics of life and home repair. I can’t complain much. It was my idea to move here from the big city (my hometown of Charlotte, NC), because it was a better environment from raising kids than the carnage my city had become since my childhood. We live in a small house (I think it may be a little over 1K square feet, not including the car porch) and several acres of land. Our automobiles are paid for. Our house is paid for. The kids and the animals have tons of room to run and play and not have to worry about strangers around the corner (we only have two neighbors and any unusual traffic is immediately noticed and is broadcasted by our three large dogs). I have an herb garden, a veggie garden, several flower beds, rose bushes, pear trees, cherry trees, apple trees, fig trees, blueberry bushes and even some grape vines. We have room for a composting area and a chicken coop and several storage sheds.
I am in absolute heaven. Until I need something unusual, something crunchy related, or just something that is plain odd.
Then I have to travel to the nearest big town, thirty miles away. Which means packing up the three girls, making sure the diaper bag is stocked, the two little ones have sippy cups and munchies to keep them happy during the drive and the teenager has her IPod and earplugs so she won’t grumble the whole way.
Sometimes, though, even that trip doesn’t pan out. It is too obscure for this little corner of the world, with their farms and pastures right out of a Currier and Ives painting. So, then, it’s the internet we go, shipping costs required.
You should have seen the look on the lady’s face when I, with the piercings and tattoos, lugging two small children and a teenager, also with piercings and strange hair, asked where I could find cloth diapers in the store. (Yes, you guessed it; they didn’t have any because everyone buys disposables.)
Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t change living here for anything in the world. I love it – even the coffee shop which doesn’t open on Sundays. It’s just taking me a while to get my stubborn head around not having easy access to the things I am used to being able to put my hands on immediately. I get to play in the dirt and walk in the woods and breathe clean air, I just have to buy most of my green materials online.
doh
May 28, 2009 | 2 Comments
Two things I’ve learned about my phone in the last 48 hours.
One: I don’t have to enter apostrophies. How many apostrophies have I manually entered in a year’s time?
I have no clue but it boggles me.
Two: I can blog from my phone.
Take this post for instance.
My mind is currently blowed.
WW: He Ain’t Heavy
May 27, 2009 | 3 Comments
Back Online - Finally
May 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment
It took a week but I’m finally back online today. My new house wasn’t exactly wired for cable internet, so when the Comcast guy came, he had to arrange for an electrician to come and install a new cable outlet.
Thank goodness for my Blackberry. I’ve at least been able to check email, Twitter, and do some basic essential stuff.
We’re almost completely unpacked. The new place is a bit smaller than the duplex, and the closets are much smaller, so storage space is an issue.
It has an attic but the ladder is broken. My landlord is replacing it so I can use it. That should help me get stuff out of the way so that I can finally put things in their place.
I don’t have a lot of stuff, but off season clothing and homeschooling supplies I’m keeping, etc - it takes up a bit of space.
What have you been doing lately?
photo credit: Andrew Mason
Last Minute Mom Essay Contest
May 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment
International House of Pancakes wants you to know that there is still a couple of days left to enter their essay competition. Write something touching about your mom and you could win one of several $100 gift certificates to IHOP.
Living Out of a Suitcase
May 4, 2009 | 7 Comments
It’s Sunday.
The kids are at their Dad’s house.
So I’m up early at our apartment - finishing up the packing in preparation for our move the following day.
photo credit: extremeezine
Then I get a phone call from my would-be landlord.
Actually, I got a TEXT. Can you believe that? Breaking up with me as a leasee via TEXT has got to be as rude as breaking up with your girlfriend via text. Hummph!
He told me that he couldn’t refinance the property and would have to sell it instead of renting it.
So.
My lease is up on the 12th of this month.
My worldly goods are all boxed up, down to the sheets on the bed and the soap and shampoo.
The other day I did a Facebook status that read,
“I think God must love the nick of time.”
What did I mean by that?
Every time I need something, He seems to give it to me in the Nick. Of. Time.
Did he take this place, the one I thought was so perfect and was so excited about, away from me for some good reason?
Is there something better for me in store?
After I got the phone call, I immediately went out hunting in my neighborhood for another place.
I found several, and as I drove around, made several phone calls.
I looked at two houses. One was too small. The second one was almost perfect.
It’s a house (which is preferable to a duplex - which is where we live now). It has hardwoods. It has a nice sunny backyard that’s fenced in (it gets full sun in the afternoon - perfect for a small garden! And two posts where a clothesline used to be). It has lots of windows that let light stream in. It has a renovated kitchen and bathroom. It has 3 bedrooms yet the rent is the same as I was paying in the duplex, which is surprisingly low for a house.
I say almost perfect because it has brand new carpeting in the bedrooms. Yuck. I don’t like carpet at all, but brand new carpet is even worse. I don’t want my kids breathing in formaldehyde.
I’m not sure what to do.
If I got it, I suppose I could buy a really nice air purifier.
Does anyone know if that will help with the outgassing?
Other than that, it’s perfect.
Twitterific
May 1, 2009 | 2 Comments
Are you on Twitter yet?
Why not? If you have a blog, Twitter is a great way to get new readers. It’s just plain fun too. If you are on Twitter, follow me. 
Here are some of my favorite conversations on Twitter this past week.
On Aspartame:
- just realized with horror that my trident white gum has aspartame. gulp. throwing in rubbish bin! poison
- ByteSizeDiva@carrielee It’s amazing how many products have aspartame in it… that stuff is the devil.
- @ByteSizeDiva i know - i thought trident was safe but they snuck it in to the white gum. yuck
On Parenting:
- From @ExtraordMommy So, I’m wondering - how do you finish this sentence, “Parenting is……” http://bit.ly/13xP2T
- @ExtraordMommy parenting is personal growth. i don’t believe people totally grow up until they become one
- Sadie is in the kitchen and just said “toopid cwap!”. I think that’s 3 year old for swearing.
On Introverts As Bloggers:
- @barbaraling Nice post here - Are Introverts Better Bloggers http://tinyurl.com/cykpzr (I totally agree - an astute observation!)
On Eco-Friendly Coffee:
- It just occurred to me that making your coffee with a French press is more eco-friendly - no filters, no electricity.
- @lexirodrigo Yes a French press is more eco-friendly + so easy to use plus tastier coffee
On Breastfeeding/Breastfed Celebrities:
- From @MsFitUniverse: I’ve failed over & over & over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. - Michael Jordan
- @MsFitUniverse: Michael Jordan - breastfed. Michael Jackson - not
- must have been the talk about Selma Hayek’s rack that did it. (rash of new male followers)
- vhernandez Heh - boost your (male) follower count by tweeting about Salma Hayek ;-)…wonder what keywords they’re using to find you? Hmm…
On Fitness:
- From @MsFitUniverse Let’s do bicep curls, lateral raises, and skull crushers. Go heavy weight, cuz summer’s coming, and U have the right 2 “bare arms”!
- yeah what @MsFitUniverse said re: heavy weight. no working out like a girl y’all! (reminds me of a guest post I did on her blog)
Am I following you on Twitter?
Leave your @username in the comments below and I’ll be sure to do so!
photo credit: Matthew Oliphant
