So Sad

The saying that deaths always happen in three's is a very scary saying to me, but you know it seems to always come true. Every time I hear of a death, not more then a few days later, there have been two more. This time is no exception. Last Friday night, our neighbor was killed in a single vehicle car accident on her way home from work. The next night, a boy was killed in an ATV accident while going home from a party. And, this past Monday (Memorial Day) a family friend passed away from a short battle with cancer.

I know this is just coincindence, but does anyone else think it's odd that this is one piece of folklore which seems to come true 99.9% of the time?

Did you see this?

OMG! I can't even imagine encountering one of these things! To read the entire story, Click Here.

PPP Direct

It's been pretty hectic around here what with the end of school activities, work and the installation of our pool. I've not been posting many PayPerPost items because I truthfully just haven't had the time to sit at my computer and write them. However, when I saw this opportunity posted, I just had to take it. Why? Because PayPerPost has just launched a new and exciting way to make money writing advertisements for big name companies.

It is called ppp direct and the concept is really super simple. You place a button on your web site that says that you are "for hire" to write on a company's behalf. In other words, these companies will come directly to YOU to hire you to write posts for them. And, unlike all the other big named word of mouth marketers out there, ppp direct only takes 10 percent of whatever earnings you receive. For instance, a typical word of mouth marketing company will, and CAN, take anywhere from 50 to 100 percent of your total earnings! Yes, you read that right, anywhere from 50 to 100 percent!!!. What is the point of even writing for those other companies if they are just going to take all of your hard earned money? PPP Direct looks to be very promising to the average “postie” also and not just those who have very high traffic sites. For more information on this subject be sure to check out the ppp blog as well as the video debut.

Ahh, Summertime

I just love summertime. I love that the days are longer. You can get more done in the evenings when there is nothing on TV. I love that the days are warm and you can be outside more instead of being cooped up indoors like you are in the winter. I love that school is out and I can sleep in. Makes it much easier to get up the next day when there isn't an alarm clock involved, especially if I've stayed up a bit later the night before watching a really good movie. My kids love it because of that point too. lol

The only thing I do NOT like about summer is the snakes! If I never saw another snake in my lifetime, I would be happy. Last Friday, we had a 6 foot long blacksnake on our front porch! Yep, if I'd opened the door I would have easily stepped on the stupid thing. Ugh! Thankfully, my mom saw it first though and shooed him off. Of course, that wasn't until AFTER he'd scared the bejeebies out of her. Poor mom. She had just wanted to give me some fresh onions and radishes from her garden. She had no idea that when she walked up to my front door, that Mr. Black Snake would be laying there, waiting to greet her. I do wish I'd had a camera though because she jumped pretty high into the air when she saw him:)

Ok, back to what I do like about summer....fresh veggies from the garden, lazy days spent in the pool, cold and juicy watermelon, crickets chirping at night...wow, I could probably fill an entire blog of my favorite things about this season, but think I'll stop for now.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Pool pictures

Ok, here are a few pictures of the pool. If you are interested, take a peek, if not, skip this post:)

This is the preparation of the pool location. Thankfully they didn't have to do too much digging to make it level.

This is the pool after it is put together, but there's not any water in it yet.

This is the design on the outside of the pool. It's tan and matches the house nicely.

This is the liner. I couldn't get close enough to get a nice shot so will update this one after we're able to actually get in the pool. It is light blue bottom with gray blocks and brown crosses along the top rim.

Alright, this is the last one I took. The pool is almost full of water. There was one more load after this pic was taken. It looks so cool and refreshing, but it's definitely NOT warm enough to get into yet. Maybe by Memorial Day.

Classified Ads

How many times have you searched free classifieds online only to find that they don't pertain to your local area? I have several times and it is downright frustrating especially when you find something that you would like to buy or a service you would like to use.

Well now you can find local free classifieds in your area. Just visit ItsMyMarket.com, a free classified ads site providing free classified ads in your local area. This site also provides a dating service to find that special someone close by, blogs to write your own personal thoughts and feelings, local weather reports so you know whether or not to take that umbrella with you and even local movie theater listings. Visit their website today.

The pool is here!

WooHoo! The pool is here and now full of water. The guys still have to install the pump then show me how to do the chemicals and other technical things and then we'll be good to go. Well, we'll have to have a deck built around it but that's not a necessity. The kids are going to be so excited when they get home and see it. I'll post pictures later.

Father's Day

Wow, it's hard to believe that in less then a month it will be Father's Day! I've only just begun to shop for a gift for my dad and hubby. Both are extremely hard to shop for. When asked if there is anything special they would like to have, both will say nothing. BUT, if I don't have something really cool to give them on Father's Day then they are both really disappointed. Must be the kid inside them both.

This year, I'm looking online for my Father's Day Gifts. I've searched through several websites, but I think I'm going to be buying my gifts from DelightfulDeliveries.com. They have some of the coolest gifts that I've ever seen! They have the monthly clubs like Beer of the Month Club, Wine of the Month, and Cigar of the Month. They also have goodies like cookies, brownies, chocolates, and cheesecakes. They also have gourmet baskets and gourmet popcorn. They even have fine meats and seafood! My hubby would LOVE something like that

I think my dad will really enjoy the basket of hot sauce, bbq and salsa. He does a lot of grilling and those would work out exceptionally well for him. If you're still wondering what to get for your dad, hubby, brother, etc for Father's Day, then I highly recommend checking out the wonderful Father's Day Gifts at Delightful Deliveries. You'll be glad that you did.

this is a sponsored post.

Rambling Thoughts

Another week gone. I can't believe how fast this month is going by. My kids only have a couple of weeks of school left already! It seems like I was just shopping for school clothes not that long ago.

Another week finished at the gym. It is getting easier, but I still feel like I'm getting a good workout. I'm not losing any weight though, which is frustrating although I do think that I'm losing inches. Hubby even told me last night that I'm looking trimmer. That is always nice to hear.

I'm still waiting patiently on the pool guys to come out and put up our new pool. They tell me it should be some time next week. We'll see. When I bought the pool, they told me that I was third on the list, but I am wondering how closely they follow that list. They say it'll be here before Memorial Day though so I'm hoping that is right.

My daughter got her swim meet schedule at last night's practice. It looks like we won't be seeing much of her all summer. Between daily practices, 3 meets a week in July and her summer job (if she finds one) we'll be lucky to see her once a week! I hate that part about her growing up.

Scary news last night...a body (skeleton) was found not far from our house in a field. The police say it has been there possibly 1-3 months! It is strange to hear about something that close to home. Usually we'll hear about things like this that have happened in a town close by but never practically in our backyard.

My previous rant regarding my brother inlaw has ended better then I thought it would also. After hubby told him that we just didn't have the money to spare, he said that was fine and he'd find someone else to help him out. Ok, I'm glad that he didn't get mad about it, but still frustrating that he's just looking for another sucker to bail him out of trouble.

I think I'm done rambling now. Hope everyone out there has a nice weekend. I'll be back later.

My rant for today

I'm so sick of people who think they don't need to work and that everyone else should take care of them. My brother inlaw is the topic today. He doesn't have a job, lives in a trailer where rent is provided free of charge by his mom, and blows what little money he does earn from fixing cars on drugs. Today he had the nerve to call my husband and ask if he would buy a car trailer from him so that his electricity wasn't shut off! First of all, we don't need a car trailer. Second, we don't have the extra money to spare to buy the car trailer. Third, it is not OUR problem that my brother inlaw is about to lose his electricity.

This isn't the first time an inlaw has asked for help like this. I'm tired of it. I know that it is harsh, but if everyone continues to take care of brother inlaws bills then he will never worry about them himself. I say, if he can't pay for it then let them shut it off. He'll find some way to come up with the money to get it turned back on eventually. So, he won't have power to have the radio on while he plays around in the garage, working on derby cars. Who cares? Not me! I have my own bills to worry about paying without having to factor in someone elses! I'm not against helping someone out in a pinch, but this is getting ridiculous!

Am I wrong in feeling this way? Like I said, it would be different if C. had never asked for help before and was just down on his luck this time because of a job layoff or something, but this is an ongoing event. Every month, he's bumming money off one sibling or another. He takes major advantage of his mom by not even offering to pay her rent. He doesn't even offer a trade of services or something similar to make up for it. He just uses her kindness to his advantage.

And it's not just C either. I think all of hubby's siblings have been mooches at one time or another. His sister, J, owes his mom several thousand dollars for back car payments that his mom paid for so her car wasn't repossessed. M, a brother, uses his mom as his own personal banker to help fund his business. He's even had her take out loans so that he can pay his employee payroll! What the hell? Another brother, D, has also bummed money from us or his mom. It's a neverending cycle. Hmm, I'm seeing a pattern here. Mom inlaw has been involved in all of these matters. Maybe SHE should stop giving so much and let her children learn from their mistakes instead of always being there to bail them out.

Well, I know this time, even though hubby is wanting to help his brother out, it's not going to happen. I'm not taking money to C like hubby wants. He is just going to have to find some other sucker to get it from....and I'm sure he will.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Seduce a celeb

How would you like to date a celebrity? Here's your chance. There is currently a contest called Seduce a Celeb going on over at GoFish.com where you can submit a video stating why YOU should be the one to have a date with a celebrity.

Who is this celebrity, you might ask? Currently, it is Mirelly Taylor who has appeared in the movies Kiss Me Again and Serving Sara along with appearances on the television shows, Las Vegas, Punk'd, and Numb3rs. Emmy Award winning producer, Scott Sternberg and Andrew Firestone, from The Bachelor, are also featured in the show. This contest will be running for the next 14 weeks.

This is the first of it’s kind online contest as the online audience actually becomes part of the program through the submission of user videos. Go check out the music videos at GoFish too! My personal favorites are My Chemical Romance. That's my favorite band and I love their music AND their videos. Check out the Free videos at GoFish.com yourself. You'll find several that will be of great interest to you.

So, how do you go about winning this contest? Well, for this contest, you can enter as many videos as you want to, but of course they must be original and different. All you do is go to the site and watch Mirelly Taylor videos on what she is looking for in a hot guy, and then make your video on why you are the guy for her. You could end up being her perfect match. Then you'd date, get engaged, and then get married. Ok, maybe not, but you could win a date with her and who knows what will happen after that. Go check it out!

My little girl is growing up

OMG! My daughter told me last night that she is ready to go get her driver's license! Yes, her birthday was two weeks ago and yes, I knew she was going to get to this point eventually, but I really was hoping it would be a lot longer! I'm just not ready to have a child driving and out of my control, no not control, care. That's a better word. I know she is a good driver and I know she will be very careful, but still, I'm going to be worried every time she leaves our driveway. She's already putting in job applications for summer too. Another scary thought. When did she get so mature? In my mind, she is still five years old and afraid of the dark. I realize that I have to let her grow up though and will begrudgingly take her to the license branch to get her driver's license. I might go kicking and screaming the entire way, but I will take her. Maybe:)

American Greetings

How many people love the idea of free ecards and printable greeting cards? If you're like me, it is just so much easier nowadays to do the ecards or print out your own greeting cards at home rather then go to the store to spend an hour searching through all the cards just to find the right one. Of course, there are several ecard websites out there and that can be pretty overwhelming too.

Well, how about trying American Greetings? Right now they are having a special 3-day "free view" promotion to celebrate the websites redesign. Everything... ecards, printable greeting cards, screen savers, etc... is absolutely free from now until May 17th! American Greetings offers thousands of birthday, anniversary, and "just because" cards. They also offer a line of licensed characters including Elvis, Looney Tunes, Disney, The Muppets, Twisted Whiskers, and more!

Since redesigning their website, American Greetings now features improved navigation, including a "Find it Quick" module to help find specific cards, a ratings system so you can comment on the cards, and better customization tools on ecards and printables.

Remember, the "free view" only lasts until May 17th. Check the website out today to take advantage.

this is a sponsored post.

It's just another MeMe Monday

It's MeMe Monday again over at the Link and Blog challenge website. I guess I didn't scare anybody off with my last one so here I go again with some new "things you didn't know about me".

1. I only dated my hubby for 3 months before we got married. Yep, only 3 months. People said it would never last, but here we are, almost 17 years later, still happily married and going strong.

2. I don't eat the crust of my pizza. I'll eat everything else, but will always leave the crusts behind.

3. I don't know how to drive a stick-shift automobile. I tried to learn but just couldn't manage the clutch, gas pedal and brake all at once. I'm not that good at multi-tasking either.

4. Still along the lines of driving, I can't parallel park. I will drive around the block a dozen times until I find a spot that I can just pull into. I learned how to do it for my driving test, but haven't done it since.

Ok, my brain hurts now from trying to think of things that people don't know about me already so I'm going to stop at four items. I'll have more for you next week. TTFN!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the mom's out there are having a wonderful day today. Here is a lovely poem that I found dedicated to mom's everywhere.

"Happy Mother's Day" Means More

"Happy Mother's Day" means more
Than have a happy day.
Within those words lie lots of things
We never get to say.


It means I love you first of all,
Then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to me,
And that I honor you.

But most of all, I guess it means
That I am thinking of
Your happiness on this, your day,
With pleasure and with love.
Nicholas Gordon

Sorry I've been MIA this week

I know, some of you are wondering what the heck happened to me this past week. I'm sorry. It's just been so busy around here with billing, the city wide cleanup, we lost an employee on Monday that left us shorthanded and the end of year school functions that have started already. It's just been a lot of stuff and unfortunately my blog suffers the consequences of it all.

Anyway, an update on the diet front. I didn't even weigh myself this morning. I think I'm going to ignore the scale for awhile and just go by how I feel for a change. I'm going to the gym faithfully and I do feel a difference in my stamina and energy so I know it is helping. Who cares what the number on the scale reads as long as I'm feeling healthier each day?

I'm also cancelling my nutrisystem order. I don't even know why I ordered it again. I was sick of the food when I went off of it last time so I don't know why the food would be any better this time around. I think I just wanted something to show that I really was trying to do better. Oh well, it'll save me $300 a month by just eating my own food. I've looked over the NS message boards and there are several people who do use their own foods but still follow the NS program. I'm going to try to be one of those people for awhile.

Curves is still going well. I can tell it is working as I can get through the entire circuit now before I'm wiped out. I am also noticing a change in my day to day energy. And I can tell when I've not gone to the gym for a couple of days. I'm more tired and listless. At least I know this is one investment where my money is actually doing some good.

So, what else has been going on here? Like I said earlier, this is the week that I have to do the billing for all of our customers. I really wish I had a program that would create these bills for me each month, but the one I use now doesn't. Well, it would if there weren't any changes between customers, if they all got billed the same each month, but they don't so I have to manually enter them. Each and every one of them and that takes A LOT of time. We also lost an employee on Monday. He wasn't working out and we knew that he probably was going to quit eventually, but we were hoping that he'd wait until after our busiest week of the month to do so. No such luck, but I can't blame him for getting out beforehand. This has just been a really busy week. And my son and daughter have started in with their end of year school activities. I've only had one of those to deal with this week, but it was enough to put a kink in my schedule for the day. Oh well, at least it is now Friday and hopefully I can rest and relax this weekend.

Afraid of bugs? Maybe you should be!

We have been going to a lot of movies lately. Yesterday my son said that he wanted to go see that new bug movie that comes out at the end of this month. I did not have any idea what movie he was talking about so I did some research online. BUG stars Ashley Judd and is directed by the same person who directed The Exorcist and is described as one of the most disturbing horror movies in ages. Hmm, does not sound like my son, who is only twelve, will be watching this one any time soon, but I, on the other hand, will probably be checking it out.

I love horror movies. I am one of these who will watch it through my fingers, but I still enjoy a good heart pounding horror show. Bug really looks like it is going to be one of those movies. Unfortunately, I only have dial up internet so I can't watch the movie trailer. It would take all day to load and even then it probably wouldn't play right, but that's another story altogether. Anyway, from the looks of these movie posters, I think this movie is going to be a winner. I love the tagline too..."First they send in their drone, then they find their queen" Ooh, gives me goosebumps just thinking about what that might mean. I can't wait for May 25th now, which is when the movie hits theaters.

this is a sponsored post.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

This week is so stressful!

This time of year always gets to me. It is Spring Cleanup time for our hometown and with our business providing dumpsters for this annual event, it gets pretty frantic around here. So far this morning, I've already had 36 phone calls! And it's only been two hours since I started! We've had dumpsters removed and taken to the landfill, dumpsters replaced, dumpsters set at the wrong location and to top it all, I just got a call that a dumpster had been set on fire! ARGH!!!! And the bad thing is that this week is only going to get worse.

I appreciate that the City takes pride in their appearance and wants to give everyone the chance to "clean up" their property, but it is enough to drive me insane at times. I've had people call to see what they will and won't take and have to refer them back to City Hall because they are the ones, not us, who set those rules. I've had people call and complain to me because the city employees didn't pick up building materials or something else that was on their list of things they wouldn't take and, again, had to refer them back to City Hall. I also have people call and threaten to bring anything that is left behind out HERE, to my HOME, and say they will dump it off and then we'll have to take it! Yikes! Not fun, not fun, not fun. So, that explains the little "frazzled" picture in the righthand corner of my blog. I'll be so glad when this week is over.

MeMe Monday

It's all about me today. I hate that. I don't like to talk about myself, but that's what they request you do for the MeMe Monday challenge over at the Link and Blog Challenge website so I guess I'll try to come up with a few things that you might not know about me.

1. My nickname is Weed. And NO, it doesn't have anything to do with marijuana!! It was given to me by my cousin when he was about 4 years old because he couldn't say his L's or S's right. So, Lisa became Weda which became shortened over time to Weed.

2. I am deathly afraid of snakes and will even lift my feet off the floor of the car if we run over one while driving! How bad is that?:) I have also been known to do the same thing if I see one while riding the lawn mower.

3. I am also afraid of heights and can't climb a ladder any higher then the second rung.

Ok, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure everyone will think I'm odd after reading them, but oh well. That's all part of knowing ME:)

In Pain

My son's school called at lunchtime today to see if I could come and pick him up. Apparantly, some kids and him were jostling each other around at lunchtime, you know how boys are, pushing and shoving each other. Anyway, somehow in the process of having fun, he got hurt. He says it feels like he pinched a nerve in either his neck or shoulder. He can't tell because it radiates into both areas. So, he is home now and has the heating pad on to see if that helps. He's taken a couple of ibuprofen and appears to be doing better.

I swear, between him and my daughter, I've had one child home at least once each week for the past month! I think a lot of it is end of school fever. They just don't want to be at school anymore. my son, though, is really hurting today. You can tell just by the way he is holding himself and, on the ride home, every bump I hit with my car (i really was trying to miss them!) he would wince. Maybe today isn't the dreaded end of the year fever, but I'd bet money that some of the other days have been!

Was there ever an Atlantis?

I've always thought this was an interesting story. Was there ever a city of Atlantis? If there was, what happened to it? Did it sink into the ocean like so many of the stories say?

After 20 years of research, there is now a website stating that the city of Atlantis was indeed real. It was divided into ten kingdoms and one of those kingdoms was called Atlantis! In other words, The Americas were once Atlantis!
According to this research, Atlantis was located in what is now called Tampa, Florida. There is also a small island in Tampa Bay that is called Atlantis, which helps support the fact that Atlantis was an island.

Apparantly, Atlantis did "sink", but not in the way you would think. This website states that "there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island". So, Atlantis didn't just sink into the ocean one day, it was actually hit by a tsunami.

If you want to read more about Atlantis, check out www.atlantiskingdom.com. It really is interesting.

this is a sponsored post

Diets are so hard to stick to!

Ok, I fell off the wagon....AGAIN...and I hit the ground so hard I think I'm going to have a major bruise. WHY can't I stick with this? I know I will feel better, have more energy and be happier if I lose this weight, but for some reason I keep going off program and eating junk, junk and more junk. Argh! I am still going to the gym faithfully, but that is only because my mom goes with me. If I were doing it alone, I KNOW I would have skipped that too. What is it going to take to get it through my thick head that I have to do this or I'm never going to be healthy? Is it going to take a major illness (heart attack, stroke, etc) and a trip to the hospital to do it? Is it going to take someone's mean or rude comment to do it? I just don't know. I've had the mean and rude comments, the hurt feelings, the clothes no longer fitting, the lack of energy, but none of those things have kept me motivated for long. I can ignore the comments and can buy bigger clothes. Oh, I just want to scream! And cry...because I know if I don't do something soon that the trip to the hospital might be something that I have to deal with in the near future.

Drug Rehab

Unfortunately, in today's world, drug use is prevalent. However, if you know of someone who wants to stop using then drug rehab is a great step in the right direction.

1800nodrugs.com is a drug rehabilitation referral service that is of no cost to you to use. And they don't just deal with drug rehab, they are also designed to help alcoholics. They will help you and your family find effective drug rehab at no cost to you whatsoever.

There are so many organizations in the country at this moment and it can be so hard trying to find the right one. This is where 1800nodrugs.com comes into play. They do all the hard work for you so that all you need to focus on is getting yourself or your friend or family member healthy.

this is a sponsored post.

Master Seek

Masterseek is the newest business search engine addition to the internet world. Masterseek will provide business profiles and contact information for almost any company out there. Masterseek is fairly new, but looks to be really promising as they continue to build on a great and promising concept. One of the best ideas of masterseek is that you can find businesses all around the world as well as in your own little corner of it.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Technorati Tuesday

It is Technorati Tuesday today. I've never participated in this before, but the people at the Links and Blog Challenge have issued it as a new challenge so I thought I'd give it a try.

The blog that I linked to is called That's Just Plain Crazy. It is written by Wendy and is about any type of craziness you can imagine. My favorite post has got to be the one about Mickey Mouse at Mardi Gras though. I knew Mardi Gras was crazy, but this post just tells me exactly HOW crazy it is.

Bloggerwave

Here is another fantastic way to earn money through your blog. Bloggerwave is the newest website out there, allowing you, the blogger, to earn money for something that you already do....blog!

I belong to several of these types of websites, but so far, Bloggerwave, seems to be the best one yet. Their website is really easy to understand, the opps are fabulous and the payout is awesome. I recommend that you all sign up for Bloggerwave if you'd like to make some extra cash doing something that you love.

this is a sponsored post.

Mediterranean Escape

I have always wanted to go to the Mediterranean. From what I have seen on tv and in movies, the countryside there just looks so beautiful and peaceful. I've read though that the southern area of Cyprus has become overdeveloped so if I ever make it over there I'll be going to northern Cyprus instead. I want to go somewhere peaceful and quaint, somewhere where the old world charm shines through.

North Cyprus Property is also very affordable. Apartments go for £30,000 and detached villas with a pool can be purchased for less then £100,000! It would be awesome to be able to live in a beautiful setting like Cyprus. I can only imagine how much less stress would be in my every day life if it were possible for me.

this is a sponsored post.

Curves First Weigh and Measure

Well, today was the day. I finally got weighed and measured to see how my first month of working out at Curves has been going. I was pleasantly surprised. I only lost two pounds, but I really didn't think I'd be down much weight-wise anyway since I've not really stuck with NS too well this past month. I was happy with my measurements though. I'm down at leas 1 inch in all areas, down 3 in my hips! I never lose in my hip area so that was a real nice surprise. Mom also got her updated stats today too and has also lost two pounds and lost at least an inch in all but a couple of areas. Not bad, not bad. We are both psyched now to do even better this next month. Hopefully the scale will go down a bit more too. I know if I follow NS faithfully that it will, it is just sticking with it.

Person.com

Are you looking for a place to meet new people, for dating, friendship, chat, etc? Then, I suggest visiting Person.com. Person.com is a new website that allows you to do just that. What makes them different from all the other websites out there is that they offer several different means of meeting these people.

You can make your own live webshow to put on their website or you can browse others that are already on there to find someone you might be interested in meeting. If you don't have a webcam, no worries. They also have forums, chat, personals, blogs and games. Why not go check them out and see what you think? I bet you have lots of fun doing so and, who knows, maybe you'll meet that special someone or at least make several new friends while looking.

this is a sponsored post.