I Turned 61 Today--Am I Old Yet?

Cake I picked out at Giant Eagle for myself--very sweet but the penguins called to me!

I had a nice birthday today and was showered with gifts.  We splurged a bit and had lunch at Cracker Barrel to celebrate using a gift card we bought at Giant Eagle so we get fuel perks out of it too AND guarantees me getting to go back again since we spent less than the $25 gift card amount!

Before we left, the first present I opened was from our cats, Spunky Doodle and Manny Boy:

"You've Cat to be Kitten Me Right--Meow"

That's what the puppet team's thought was when I told them I was 61 today.  It always makes me happy with people think I'm at least ten years younger or more than I really am.  Peter Pan is my hero! 

Go Browns!

This Browns sweater is from Abby who cheers along with me when the Browns score.  I always wear orange and brown on Sundays and Fridays during football season to show my support and sometimes even on Mondays if they win on Sunday.  Now if have another orange sweater I can wear besides the same one all the time--thanks, Abby!

Furry Siberian Tiger leg warmers!

When I opened the package, all I saw was fur!  I couldn't tell what they were but then Gerard told me.  I love leg warmers on really cold days and expect these will for sure keep my legs warm!  They are very soft too but don't worry, it is from Fabulous Furs, the Faux Fur experts.   

Of course, the best part of my birthday was that it came on Saturday so I could spend it with my husband and our pets, watched the Army/Navy game.  Funny, I don't feel any older.  Thanks for making my birthday a happy day!

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My First Shawl

I actually like my new shawl that my hubby gave me on the anniversary of the day we met.  He, of course, consulted the pets and came up with the perfect one for me that he found on the Animal Rescue Site (those are paw prints, sorry a bit blurry).  It's soft, gives me just enough added warmth so we can keep the thermostat in the 60s, and even has two pockets in it!  I keep telling myself, shawls are NOT just for old ladies, are they?

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Happy Mother's Day!

 

I hope you all had a nice mother's day.  I sure did!  My pets and husband gave me cute cards and Photoshop!  It seems there is always something more for me to learn!  I've been thinking about getting this for several years.  I was surprised when my husband told me he went to three stores looking for it and none of them had it--Best Buy, Office Max and Staples.  He finally ordered it from Amazon and it arrived in just two days!  Amazon has so much more than just books.

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Wardrobe Malfunction (Writer's Workshop)

Here is a picture of my wardrobe malfunction which happened last summer.  I have my Eyeore "Chocolate Makes Me Smile" nightshirt on with my light blue shorts and my furry slippers.  I do not like going barefoot.  When my husband saw me in this outfit, he busted out laughing and said he had to take a picture.   I wouldn't wear this outside, but for bumming around the house, it was quite comfortable.

So, let me know what you think of my outfit.

Joining in with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  "Write about a wardrobe malfunction."

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Prioritizing Usually Relieves Stress But Not Always

I think I am generally good at prioritizing.  I do this both at home and at work frequently.  However, what gets me stressed out is when I am working at finishing one high priority item and another comes up of even greater importance, and then another and pretty soon I feel swamped with three or four high priority items all at once.  Fortunately, this doesn't happen often or I'd be a nervous wreck!  It did happen three days last week though right after returning to work from a week's vacation. 

So, how did I re-prioritize the tasks?  I prioritized them based on the deadlines and did first what only I could do.  The things I could let someone help with I did last and put off until the next day whatever I could.

Here is my results of the blogthings quiz that answers the question, What Do You Prioritize? followed by my reaction to the statements.

You Prioritize Principles

When making a big decision, you turn to the moral guidelines that you follow. You trust them to show you what's right.  [ABSOLUTELY TRUE]

Whether you're religious or simply philosophical, you have an ethical framework that you're serious about following.  [yes]

When it comes to what's right, you don't think things are as gray as they seem. People just want to avoid doing what they need to do. [YES]

It isn't easy to behave ethically, and that's why you put so much emphasis on it. You think people should be recognized more for upstanding behavior.  [Not really, just think people should do what is right because it's the right thing to do, not for recognition.]

Those who don't know you well may call you obstinate and inflexible, but little do they know how much flexibility your ideas about morality give you.  [What?]

By having a clear idea of what is right and wrong for you, you trust yourself to be adventurous and open. You know you'll stick to your guns when you need to.  [Yes.]

What Do You Prioritize?  Click the link and take the quiz to find out. Then leave your results in a comment.

Are you good at prioritizing tasks? 

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What's That Beep, Beep, Beep?

Sunday afternoon, Gerard was in our kitchen and heard a soft beeping noise.  I'm surprised he even heard it because usually his hearing isn't so good; however, this time he heard "beep, beep, beep" before I did.  It sounded like our smoke alarm detector needed batteries but wasn't coming from the one in our hallway downstairs or upstairs.  We started walking around the house trying to find what was making that annoying beeping noise.  We thought it might be our carbon monoxide detector so I reset that, but still heard "beep, beep, beep." It wasn't constant, but would beep a little bit and then stop for about 30 seconds, then start up again.

It sounded to me like it was coming from the basement so I went down there to investigate and the sound was louder.  Sure enough, I found a smoke detector in our drop ceiling down there that I had forgotten about.  It was the first time it beeped since we had it installed.  I unscrewed it and since we didn't have any 9-volt batteries on hand, Gerard made a trip to Rite-Aid to get one.

Getting it in wasn't easy!  Here we are both trying to change the battery.  It was stored inside a little door which I got open but then couldn't get the battery out.  Gerard managed to pop it out and I put in the new one but the beeping noise continued.  Here we were, both staring at the smoke alarm feeling helpless and stupid.  I kept saying, "I don't know what else to do, it is supposed to stop when we replace the battery!"

I took it out and reversed it, stuck it back in and still heard beeping.  I was so frustrated because I didn't know what else to do.  The beeping is supposed to stop when you change those batteries!  I tried again and realized I didn't have it in all the way.  Finally, after about what seemed a half hour of fussing around with it, quiet prevailed. 

Even Abby was annoyed by it and in a panicky state!  While Gerard went for the battery, I was going to take my car up to the repair shop but Abby wouldn't let me out.  She wanted out too if I was leaving.  Perhaps she thought the house was going to blow up or something. 

Don't you just hate the noise?

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Aww Mondays (even though this was Saturday!)

We like Saturdays--best day of the week because we do not have to rush in the morning.  What is your favorite day of the week?

We went to "Meet Your Best Friend Day" at the zoo and took a few pictures. This one I took because not only were the kittens so cute, but I loved their names: Chaos and Havoc!  They were hoping to be adopted together.




Joining up with AWW Mondays and Cats on Tuesday.


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What a Crazy Outfit!

Relaxing After Busy Work Day Yesterday in My "Chocolate Makes Me Smile" Nightshirt

Mr. Wonderful took this picture and told me to post it.  He thought this outfit was hilarious and wanted to see what our readers think of it.  (I think it's okay until I get to the furry slippers.)  It's all wrinkly because it was buried in the bottom of my drawer.  Hopefully I won't get a "come as you are" party invitation tonight.


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Barking and Meowing With The Zemeks (Vlog--Introduction to Youtube Channel)

I am joining in with Mama Kat's Vlog prompt to introduce my YouTube channel.


This was very hard for me to do and took me a long time, but I finally got it done even though I'm not real happy with it. Do you have a YouTube channel?  If so, why not join in the Business2Blogger Just Push Record challenge with me in the hopes of increasing your subscribers. Please visit mine and consider subscribing to it; c'mon, everyone needs more junk in our inbox, don't we?. 

"How many subscribers do I currently have?, you ask.  Glad you asked that question, the answer is 28.   Just click the tab above that says "Our Videos" and it will take to our channel where you can subscribe (youtube/user/kzemek). 



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Even I Can Make Ambrosia--Easy and Yummy

At my Sunday morning Bible study, one of the ladies brought a delicious concoction that she called Ambrosia and shared with me how to make it. She said it really easy to make and that I could do it. I seldom make anything but even I thought I could actually do this since it is so good. Here is the video of me making this which took me a little over five minutes.


I suppose you could use different flavored pudding and just mix in anything that would go well. I may play around some with this. Although it has some fruit, I wouldn't consider it a "healthy" recipe considering I used a whole tub of cool whip and marshmallows, but it sure tastes good!

Have you ever made this?  What flavor do you use?  

Joining up with Mama Kat's Vlogging Workshop today in response to the prompt:  Share a healthy recipe.

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Your Attention Please!

When we hear those words at work, it's usually nothing, but yesterday was different. The message following those words was this: "A fire in the building has been reported. Please stand by while we investigate."

Okay, usually after about 30 seconds they come back on telling us the matter has been investigated and it is all clear. However, yesterday, they kept repeating the above message and each time, we are thinking, we need to get out of here! I am on the 29th floor of our building, and it takes awhile to walk down all those stairs. I think my boss was going to the elevator at this point while he could still use it to get out. This message, telling us to "stand by" kept repeating over and over for at least five minutes. We are thinking, what? We are supposed to just stand here and wait while our building is burning? I began packing up my things in my bag and put on my coat. I grabbed my purse and library book and shoved them into my bag.

Then we heard, "leave immediately" followed by the stand by message. But once I heard the leave part, I was out of there! I moved quickly to the stairs and went down as fast as I could. The next message told Everyone to leave the building immediately. I was on my way down and got all the way to the 22nd floor before seeing any other people ahead of me. The flights are split in half with a landing so you are pretty much going in circles on the way down. I was going so fast, I was beginning to get a little dizzy so I slowed down some. I was happy my legs and knees were working so well!

Then the lower floors started coming too and my descent was slowed considerably. Thoughts of 9/11 came to my mind and the book, Thunder Dog. I wished I had brought my camera thinking this could make a good blog post (yes, I did). I was optimistic that I would get out and wondered where my attorneys were. I felt some relief when I got to floor 17 and realized I was over halfway down and my legs were still doing well. I was grateful I wasn't still on floor 33 because that saved me four flights of stairs. I kept thinking on the way down, lets go. It was kind of scary that our building might actually burn down.

After about 15 minutes, I finally reached the bottom and the security guard told us it was a false alarm and we could all use the elevators to go back up. The lobby was mobbed with people, I did spot one of my attorneys and a few of my co-workers, but some had gone outside. I was happy to get back to my desk and know that everything was okay. I emailed all my attorneys to let them know they could come back in case they had actually left the building and hadn't heard that it was a false alarm.

This certainly helped the morning go by and I actually shook me up a little bit. Then it was time for break! I am relieved that my legs are not sore this morning like they were when we had a fire drill while I was on floor 33 years ago.

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Are You Powerful, Organized, Grounded or Social?

This test from blogthings interested me enough that I took it.  My results below describe me very well.  I don't know about that last part about being a good mediator, but the rest of the statements are right on.

You Are Grounded

If slow and steady wins the race, then you're going to be crowned grand champion. You are consistently consistent. You pride yourself on being dependable and reliable. You are a rock, and you are especially loyal to your friends and family. You're the kind of person who finds it hard to say no to someone in need, and why would you even want to? Helping out gives you a sense of purpose. You do well with a routine and consistency. You find 'boring' to be quite rich and deep. You enjoy perfecting your everyday tasks. You are agreeable whenever possible. Disagreeing stresses you out, so you only stand your ground when it's necessary. You are patient and very open to changing your mind. You are always willing to hear someone out, and you are a good mediator.

Take the Personality test for yourself.

Sunday Sharing--Highlights From Ecclesiastes

There's a lot of good stuff in this book!

One of the most fun, encouraging and motivating things I've experienced in a small group Bible study was when we shared a verse that we found especially interesting, encouraging, or that just stood out to us that we read in our quiet time during the week--our highlights. I know many of our readers also read the Bible so I thought it might be fun to share my highlights with you and you could all leave your highlight of the week in a comment for me. I just finished reading the book of Ecclesiastes (only 12 chapters) and found it to be funny, a bit depressing and challenging so want to share some of the verses I marked with you here. In my future "Share Your Highlights" posts, I'll just pick one verse from the week, but I was so impressed with Ecclesiastes, written by the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon and inspired by God that I just want to tell others about it! Here is a list of the verses that stood out most to me (all are from the International Children's Bible):

Ecclesiastes 1:18 says:

With much wisdom comes disappointment. The person who gains more knowledge also gains more sorrow.

(Doesn't this sound like "ignorance is bliss" to you?)


Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 says: 

The best a person can do is eat, drink and enjoy his work.  No one can eat or enjoy life without God.  

This got me questioning why people couldn't eat or enjoy life without God.  Perhaps it is because it is only because of God that we have food or anything since He created it.  Without God, we have nothing.


Ecclesiastes 3:13 says:

God wants everyone to eat and drink and be happy in his work.  These are gifts from God.

There it is again, talking about enjoying or being happy in our work.  I was surprised to see the work is a gift from God.


Ecclesiastes 4:9 says:

Two are better than one.  They get more done by working together.

I find this to be true in marriage.  It would apply to other things as well.  Being active in a church enables me to have a part in reaching more people with the gospel and encouraging people to follow Christ than I could do just on my own.  I think the key phrase here is "working together."  The two have to be on the same page with a common goal to work towards.


Ecclesiastes 5:5 says:

It is better not to promise anything than to promise something and not do it.

This was just a good reminder to be careful what I promise.
 

Ecclesiastes 6:6 & 9 says:

(6) Even if a person lives 2,000 years, it is sad if a person can't enjoy the good things God gives him.  (9) So it is better to be happy with what you have than always to be wanting more.  Always wanting more is useless like chasing the wind.

I think this is why people living in poverty in other countries seem to be happy, because they are content with what they have.  When our short-term mission teams from church visit foreign countries where the people are very poor compared to what we have, they always report back how happy the people were.


Ecclesiastes 7:1 says:

It is better to have respect than good perfume.  The day a person dies is better than the day he was born.

Wow, this one got me thinking.  I couldn't help but ask why?  Is life such a hassle that we're better off dead?  All I could come up with is that if a person dies and goes to heaven, then yes--they are definitely better off.


Ecclesiastes 8:5b says:

A wise man knows how to do the right thing at the right time.

We all need wisdom!  There have been times in my life when I didn't know what the right thing to do was.  How about you?  I need to remember to ask God daily for wisdom.


Ecclesiastes 9:4 says:

 But anyone still alive has hope.  Even a live dog is better than a dead lion.

 I laughed when I read this one and had to share it in my Circle of Friends study last week. 


Ecclesiastes 9:9 says:

Enjoy life with the wife you love.  Enjoy all the days of this short life God has given you here on earth.  It is all you have, so enjoy the work you have to do here on earth.

I liked that "Enjoy life with the wife" phrase.  Solomon had lots of wives though so I wonder if he had just one special one that he loved most since he wrote "wife you love."  And there's that theme again about enjoying the work we have on earth.


Ecclesiastes 10:2 says:

A wise man's heart leads him on the right way.  But the heart of a foolish person leads him in the wrong way.

Better make sure if you tell someone to "follow your heart"  that the someone is a wise person!


Ecclesiastes 11:1 says:

Do good things wherever you go.  And after awhile the good you do will return to help you.

This reminded me of the saying, "What goes around comes around."  See, it's not all depressing!


Ecclesiastes 11:8 says:

A person ought to enjoy every day of his life.  This is true no matter how long he lives.  But he should also remember this:  you will be dead much longer than you live.  After you are dead, you accomplish nothing.

Does "Seize the day" and The Dead Poet's Society come to mind?  Life truly is a gift from God and each day is a second chance.  Life really is short so we need to make the most of every day we have!  Also, keeping in mind that our life is so short compared to eternity and what we do with Jesus during this short time we have on earth determines where we will spend eternity.


Ecclesiastes 12:13 says:

Now, everything has been heard.  Here is my final advice:  Honor God and obey His commands.  This is the most important thing people can do.

 This is how I want to live my life.  I love Jesus so want to honor and obey Him.  It is the least that I can do in light of all God has done for me.  Also though, God knows way more than I do so I want Him to lead me in the way He wants me to live. 

It's the first five verses of chapter 12 that describe old age, not chapter 11 that I mentioned in my Friday Fragments.  The point is, serve the Lord while you're still young, before your body starts falling apart! 


Sorry this is such a long post but hope you took the time to read my highlights.  Future posts will be shorter since I'll only choose one (or maybe two) verses that stood out to me during the week.  I read Ecclesiastes over a period of 3 weeks.

So, please share one of your highlights from the week with me in the comments or feel free to comment on anything in this post.  Have a great day and enjoy life while you can!

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So Much For My Tunewriter

I got this tunewriter for my birthday last December and used it in our computer/music room. It played nice until yesterday morning when I couldn't get any sound for the radio or tape and only minimal sound for the records. I have no idea why all of a sudden, the volume control went capoot! No matter how high I turned it up, it made no difference. Unfortunately, it is past the time for a refund for $237.42. When I called Brookstone's customer service, they agreed to take it back in exchange for a Brookstone gift card since itt has a 1 year warranty. At least they will send me a UPS shipping label to use so I don't have to pay the shipping. 

Why you getting rid of this great box, mom?

I immediately went looking for the box it came in which I had used as part of our kitty condo. The only slight problem is that I had cut a hole in the one side which I covered up with a flap from another box and once again used my trusty duct tape to reinforce the box. Spunky "helped."

So, I am so disappointed and kind of frustrated too that everything seems to be a hassle lately.  It never did make CDs from a tape or record that would play in anything other than my computer and the tunewriter itself.  I did try to copy a record onto a CD because I would do that with all the good records before returning it.  Guess what, that didn't work either!  It showed the tracks when I put it into the computer to play it, but there was no sound.  I regret ever mentioning that I would like one of these.  Oh, and another surprise I got when reading the instruction booklet was this:

WARNING:  This Product may contain chemicals listed in proposition 65 http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list / Newlist.html, that may be known to cause cancer, both defects or other reproductive harm. 

I was tempted to return it as soon as I got it when I read that, but decided to keep it anyhow.  It wasn't like I would be using it all that much, I figured.  Perhaps this is one of those blessings in disguise?  So, okay, out it goes.

At least I still had the box, thanks to my cats!

I didn't realize Spunky Doodle was so attached to this box.  She didn't even go in it when it was part of her kitty condo.  Guess the cats prefer their boxes to be spread out.  I have it all ready to go and just waiting for the UPS label via email.  I didn't want to see it anymore because it's just too depressing. Gerard felt bad too but said I could put his CD/tape player in the computer/music room. I didn't waste any time moving it in!

Do you have a purchase that disappointed you?

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Working On My New Year's Resolution: Eat Out With Co-Workers

I normally spend my lunch hour eating a quick lunch that I bring from home in the lunch room and then the rest of my lunch hour reading away from the office by myself. This year one of my New Year's Resolutions was to be more social at work by going out for lunch with a co-worker at least once a month. I got right on this and have lined up people to go to lunch with through August!  I know this sounds weird but I also know myself; if I don't intentionally plan ahead, it likely won't happen.

January I went with Marcy to Sammy's Grille, a little family run restaurant nearby that is inside our building. I've walked by this place so many times for the past 25 years but never once went in until this month. It reminded me of the soda shop on the Andy Griffith Show! The waitress was very friendly and the food was very good. I had a burger since I hadn't had one in a very long time. I resisted the malt (mostly because it was over $2 and I didn't want to spend anymore than $5 for lunch). I also resisted getting fries. We had a nice chat and it was fun just breaking out of my routine for a change of pace.

Sammy's Grille opens early for breakfast too, I believe at 6 a.m.  It's nice they have their menu posted right on the front window so people like me can plan ahead on what to order!  Where and when was the last time you went out to lunch with someone?  I highly recommend it!

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Things That Currently Bug Us

Life is really good for us and we really aren't experience any major troubles right now which we are thankful for.  There are a few little things though that are like gnats that are currently bugging us.  Want to know what they are?  No?  then move on.  Yes? then keep on reading.  Here's our list:

Can you guess what bugs Gerard about the top shelf?

1. Gerard just told me the other day that if we would use a different bowl for Abby's food, we could have all three bowls in our bear plate set on the shelf and it would look better.  We've been using one of these bowls for close to a year at least and he just mentioned that it bothered him.  This cracked me up that such a thing bugged him.  I immediately looked for a different bowl for Abby and found one. 



2. 

   This is NOT good!

   
   Yesterday, the rubber stripping at the bottom of my middle van door came loose again, impeding the opening and closing of the door.  This bugs me because we use this door every week when we visit the skilled care facilities with Abby.  I already had this problem fixed once before and now it happened again.   





These stains are too tough for these three cleaners.

3. We have these stubborn stains in our den and I've tried three different cleaners to try getting them out but none have worked. Granted, the Nature's Miracle says to use it first or it will react with the previous chemicals used and won't work. Well, of the three, it still seemed to work best. I used it on the spot farthest right and at least it foamed up and made it lighter. It's supposed to draw the urine out of the carpet. That first one, the foam just made the spot bigger and the Bissell stomp n go didn't seem to do anything at all. It is the easiest one to use though. Hopefully it will work on stains not set in better!



These were so good--a gift from my ex-boss for Christmas.

4. I went to the cupboard to have a piece of my Malley's candy and was shocked to find only three pieces left! Last I looked, there were like three whole rows left! I did say Gerard could have "some" too, but he ate practically the whole box! These were really good creams so I packed the last three pieces into my lunch bag. Guess he felt bad because he just bought two big special dark Hershey chocolate bars and told me I could have one--he just found out that a little dark chocolate is good for you.  Gerard says, "NO, I DID NOT EAT THE WHOLE BOX!  I KNOW WHAT I ATE, AND I KNOW I DIDN'T!" (I think I had about 6 pieces, at the most 8.)





I really like this pen . . . I'd like it more if I didn't have to tape it..

5. The free YAMMER pen I got writes nice with a fine line which I like, and is wide so easy to hold. The only trouble is that the clicker won't stay down to keep the point out. I taped it down with scotch tape, but it only holds for a day and then I have to retape it the next day.


6. Finally, having lights on in an empty room bugs me. I see no reason for this, but Gerard does it every time he vacuums. He says it's easier because then he doesn't have to turn the lights on and off while he maneuvers the vacuum cleaner around. I guess I can see that at least makes a little sense, right? But why put on both lights in the dining room while he goes to walk the dog? I even turn out the one light and turn it back on when it's near time for his return. 

What's bugging you lately?  Here's your chance to sound off.

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My 2013 New Year Resolutions

still working at skipping the donuts

I have ten resolutions/goals for 2013, some of which are repeats from last year because I still want to do them. Here they are:

1. Move: Don't lay if I can sit; don't sit if I can stand, don't stand if I can walk, don't walk if I can run.
2. Bank spouse's paycheck in savings.
3. Keep track of what charities I give to and just make one donation to those I do not support monthly. Support Samaritan's Purse monthly in place of Boys Town.
4. Park in the first open spot I see on nice days.
5. Love all, serve all. Show more kindness to people I actually see, including strangers..
6. Get new linoleum for kitchen.
7. Get new front doorknob--it's still broke.
8. Go out to lunch at least every other month with a friend or co-worker.
9. Get den closet cleaned out.
10. My word for 2013: declutter. I am going to try to throw something away every day.  Gerard was glad to hear this!

Take a guess as to which one you think will be my biggest challenge.  Go ahead, try and guess.

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If you guessed No. 8 is going to be my biggest challenge, you are correct!.

How's that? Which one do you like best? Feel free to use any of mine if you can't think of any.

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5 Friday Fragments (Klutzy, Tweets, resolutions, computer, book)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Ouch!

Sometimes I can't believe how klutzy I am. Last Sunday I even got hurt sitting in church! I bent over to get my coat on and boom! I banged my forehead hard on the pew in front of me and my glasses fell off. Fortunately, it was at the end of the service and I put some ice on it right after. Kathy at the Junk Drawer agreed with me that I should win the "Klutz of the Year" award. Can you beat this?

My Favorite Tweets of 2012

Favorites
21 Nov Thangluai Family Thangluai Family ‏@TheGodTweeter

Out of difficulties grow miracles! http://fb.me/1JvIjk6IN

14 Nov mamakatslosinit mamakatslosinit ‏@mamakatslosinit

I put another dog to the IQ test...see how Jack did: http://bit.ly/PTiaRe

15 Mar Joel Osteen Joel Osteen ‏@JoelOsteen

When things don’t go your way, don’t get bent out of shape. Just go with the flow and let God use you in the way He wants.

Resolutions

I am happy to report that I kept ALL 8 of my New Year's Resolutions for 2012!  Unfortunately, after memorizing the book of James by June 2012, I have forgotten it already.  I still remember the concepts but not word for word.  I will post ones for this year soon--I wrote them on my calendar.  Did you make any?

No Internet Connection

Yesterday and today when we opened Firefox, instead of our ATT email page we got a goofy message that we do not have an Internet connection. Then have to hit "connect" and then have to enter our modem access code that is on back of our DSL modem. (After this happening twice, I wrote it down.) Anyone else experiencing this? Anyone know what's going on? We never got this message before in the whole five years we've had the computer.

The Titanic

Before I read I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshish,I didn't realize how big it was! It was like a palace, 11 stories high and only 16 lifeboats. After this event, it became law for ships to have lifeboats enough for all crew and passengers.  If you like to read, be sure to look at Our Favorite Reads for December and 2012 for some great book recommendations--both fiction and non-fiction.  

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Our Favorite Reads For December and for 2012

Karen's favorite read for December was In Too Deep by Mary Conneally.

In Too Deep by Mary Conneally is the second book of the Kincaid Brides series. It is about Audra and Ethan who enter a marriage of convenience and both are fearful of caring too much and getting hurt. Audra finds out that her former husband stole a fortune and the guy who he stole it from is coming after her because he thinks she knows where it is. The story takes place during 1866 in Colorado territory. Audra and Ethan have some very humorous conversations and both find courage to face their fears.

I liked this book very much because it was a sweet romance without being racy and still had enough adventure and suspense to peak my interest. The first book of the Kincaid Brides series (Out of Control) centered on Ethan’s bossy older brother, Rafe and his wife, Julia who is Audra’s step-daughter. I liked this book much better and give this this 5 stars for good Christian romance. I look forward to reading Over the Edge, the last in the series, about the youngest brother, Seth.

Gerard's favorite read for December was Comet's Tale by Steven D. Wolf 

What an amazing true story Comet's Tale by Steven D. Wolf is!  Steven Wolf saved Comet from a bad fate, then Steve's health took a turn for the worse and Comet came through for him.  Comet became the first ever Greyhound service dog.  Find out by reading the book why Comet was named the "Service Dog of the Year."  If you like feel-good stories, start off the new year with this one! Thanks for sharing your story, Mr. Wolf, and give Comet a treat for me and my dog, Abby.  LOVED this book! (rating 5++)

And for our favorites for the year, we made two videos: One for non-fiction favorites and one for fiction favorites. You can see our reviews over at Grab A Book From Our Stack by searching for the book title or author.

(I'm having trouble embedding the videos--they keep changing to Spunky's kitty condo one for some unknown reason, so here's the links if needed too (Fiction Books--http://youtu.be/CnOJsr19MrQ; Non-Fiction Books--http://youtu.be/swRhk8do4OE):

Our 2012 Non-fiction Favorites


Our 2012 favorite fiction books:

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

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I'm 59 Today and Showered With Gifts!

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Wonderful, Love Gerard

Today is my birthday but my wonderful husband started giving me gifts on Monday. Here is the very cute flower arrangement he sent to surprise me at work. It got a lot of comments but my bosses thought they missed my birthday. My husband has learned if he sends me flowers at work, to send them early in the week so I can enjoy them. They are hard to carry home on the bus so I just leave them there.

front view

back view

On Tuesday, my honey bunny gave me this unique full-length hooded sweater.  He likes finding me clothes that I wouldn't normally buy for myself.  I'm thinking, "when will I wear this" and "where am I going to put it?"  It's heavy like a light-weight coat so it's not exactly a sweater.  I think I'd roast in it wearing it inside all day so I think it will be used as a jacket on cool days.  Gerard says I could wear it when I walk Abby.  I never had one of these before, have you?  I could wear it in the around the house because we keep out thermostat at 68 degrees, but since it's soft yarn, if I sat down it would be covered with fur in no time!

Pound for Pound ORANGE AND BROWN

After Tuesday, Mr. Wonderful wanted to give me something he knew for sure I'd really like so the Cleveland Browns hoodie was my Wednesday gift.  Although I have two Browns hoodies already, they are heavier and the one is printed funny so I hardly wear it.  This new one is light weight and it even has printing on both sleeves.  The right sleeve says "CLEVELAND" and the left says "BROWNS."  It's very comfortable and I love it!

Birthday Card (college by picmonkey.com)

What a great card Gerard got for me!  I also got a few from friends and even one from AWANA.

drum roll, for my big birthday gift I opened this morning . . ..

bum, bum, bum, bum . . . you'll never guess!

It's a Victoria Tunewriter from Brookstone

YES!  This is something I had my eye on for about 10 years but it was like $300 so I never mentioned it to Gerard until just recently.  I really didn't think he would find one, but he did.  This is a big toy gadget that copies music from a record or cassette tape onto a CD.  Our record player is busted and we have a few records that we really like but never listen to and quite a few cassette tapes too.  Mostly I wanted this to make CDs of our records.  You can also use it as a radio, record player or tape player.  Gerard told Abby there are a lot of buttons, too complicated for her daddy but I will figure it out.  Good thing I am off work today!  I'm off to read the directions and try out my new toy.  The first record I am going to copy to a CD is FAME--one of my hubby's favorites.

Thanks for making my birthday week special my Super Duper Honey Bear!  Isn't he wonderful?


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