6 Weird Things

Phelan tagged me with this one also and again I've put it off for too long. So here are six weird things about me.

1. I put peanut butter in my chili

2. I can't whistle

3. I have a pair of tennis shoes that are more than 15 years old and for some reason I haven't thrown them away.

4. I dress my dog even though I swore I'd never do that.

5. I can't sing to save my soul but I still try every once in awhile.

6. I won't stop driving if the last number of my odometer is a 7.

So that's it. I'm not tagging anyone. Happy New Year! I'm caught up now... :-)

Jessie

5 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Okay
Tricia tagged me with this meme more than a week ago. I have put it on the back burner for long enough. Sorry about that Tricia! Before I do it though I have to tell you that her blog Tricia's Musings is one of my favorites to visit. And now Tricia has branched out and I've been reading her newest blog Celebrity Scoop. I really enjoy it too! I like reading about the newest gossip and going ons of celebrities. Here husband Chris even has a blog called Odd Planet. So when you get done reading the five things about me go over and pay them a visit at all of their blogs. Tell them I said Happy New Year!

1. I am afriad of midgets. I have probably told you this already but seriously I am terrified of them!

2. I'm addicted to Nancy Grace. I like watching it every night. Lots of people can't stand her but I dig it.

3. I collect Willow Tree Angels. I like that they are simple and clean and they happen to look adorable in my dining room.

4. I'm a painting fool. I've painted so many rooms in so many houses this year that I have lost track. And guess what I'm doing tomorrow... Painting my kitchen. Fun times.

5. I don't like to drive in the rain. It creeps me out a little. I'm always afraid that I will wreck. I'm not a good driver okay...

So that's me. Go visit Tricia now!

Jessie

I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas

Well we had Christmas with my mom's family yesterday. It was a great time! The food was amazing and of course the company was wonderful. And my aunts went overboard on Christmas presents.

I got some beautiful black and white floral prints that I love. I also got a cool treasure chest type storage box that is pretty handy. And then I got a nativity set. I collect nativity sets and this one is unique, it's of a black Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. I love that. It is very hard to find black angels, nativities, etc. so I am always on the hunt. So Aunt Donna got me the nativity set and then she also got me three Christmas ornaments of black angels. And they are beautiful. One of the angels even has braids. How cute is that. Then Aunt Betty got me some black carollers for my Christmas village! I love my aunts!!! I also got a couple books, some hand towels that match my bathroom set, and an adorable snowman guy. So Merry last Christmas of the year to me!!!

Today we have been bumming around the house. Kelci came to visit Heather and we have just been napping and watching movies. I think they might go out for a little while tonight. They were gonna go to Manhatten but the weather isn't the best so they are gonna stay in town. I'm gonna babysit Bel and Jorgen so Stinna and Adam can go out. They don't get to go out often and I haven't been able to keep the kids in awhile so that will be nice.

Good times...
Jessie

Flowers

Everyone loves to get flowers. And sometimes it can be a hassle finding a good florist. But now even if you are in a cruch for time you can find great flowers and great deals at www.dotflowers.com. They have field fresh delivery options where you can special order something and have it delivered right out of the field to anywhere in the United States. I've gotten a flower arrangement from this website and they were beautiful! They also offer a wide selection of gift baskets, fresh flower arrangements made at your local florist, and gourmet food. So the next time you need to order something special take the time to check them out.

Jessie

Join The PayPerPost Postie Carnival

The PayPerPost Postie Carnival is an ongoing blog carnival. The carnival will take place every other Monday! To participate in the next carnival or to find out the host blog please visit Postie Carnival. If you have questions regarding the carnival feel free to email posties@inbox.com. To participate in the Postie Carnival you must be an active PayPerPost postie. If you have yet to join PayPerPost please pay them a visit and sign up.

We look forward to having you participate!

Jessie

Boise

My friend Kara from church is moving to Boise Idado. She got a new job there and is leaving in about three weeks. She is really getting excited about it but is still a little nervous. Moving is always a little scary but she has never lived in a big city. And Boise has like 200,000 people which is WAY more than what we are used to around here. She has never been the best at driving in the city but she is going to be fine. Her boyfriend has family around that area and he is also moving so he will help her figure everything out.

She has already bought a house. They went out to visit and did all that. But before she went she used Boise mls to kind of get an idea of what type of place she wanted. My sponsor offers a clear, quick, easy way to find a house with a price in the range you are looking for. It really helped narrow things down so she didn't waste anytime while she was there. So new city, new house, I think it is going to be an exciting year for Mss Kara.

What A Year

Well the end of the year is fast approaching. It has been quite a year to say the least. I think of all the firsts and lasts this year has held and it's overwhelming... So lets just review the highlights and lowlights...

1. At the start of 2006 my stepdad informs us that he wants to divorce my mom... Bad deal... The end of that relationship in my life...

2. My mom, sister, and I start planning for our future without my stepdad. We were in a small way looking forward to the adventure of just the three of us girls again. We all made a good team. The beginning of our new life together was starting...

3. My mom gets sick, then real sick and then the doctors tell us that it's pancreatic cancer... The beginning of the end... or is it...

4. Our family and friends rally around us as my mom begins treatment. We learn a lot about faith, unconditional love, the power of prayer, and small miracles... We are growing through our pain.

5. We find a way to make a terminal illness bearable. We laugh and cry and joke and play together. We have our last birthday parties with our mom, our last Easter, our last Fourth of July. We take tons of pictures and cherish each moment. We know that each major event probably will be the first one with cancer and the last one ever. It's an overwhelming feeling but we wouldn't trade the togetherness for anything...

6. My mom and stepdad's separation is finalized, we buy her a new house in town and the fun of remodeling begins. We paint and clean and recarpet and make it hers. She loved it! We did a mass moving event and had it all set up in no time. She had her first home as a single woman. The first place that was really "her home"!

7. We connect with the wonderful folks at Hospice. We meet our nurse Sheila and bond with her like crazy. Without cancer we never would have met her and what a gift she was and will forever be in our lives.

8. We have those last moments together with our mom, the last day she ate every meal, the last day she told a joke, the last time she wrote us a note, the last time she told us goodbye.

9. Mom heads home for heaven. We are with her and love her all the way. It is the end of our earthly relationship and the beginning of our spiritual relationship. Her strength inspires us to push forward, live life and continue to find joy in the people around us.

10. We have made it through the last months of 2006 without our mom. So much has changed so quickly. We pushed through Christmas and survived. We miss her and need her and want her but we are surviving.

We are going to make it through 2006. In September, when mom died, I wondered if I would make it a week. But I did. We are going to be okay. We will never stop missing her but we are finding a way to live and laugh and love...

We are ready for 2007!

Jessie

Friday Feast #2

Appetizer:
How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve?

I usually just have some friends over to play games and eat too much food! I don't like to go out on New Year's Eve so we have some stay in the house kind of fun.

Soup:
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.

My mom got pancreatic cancer and died.

Salad:
What was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?

My sister and I went to the covered bridge capital of the world in Indiana. We didn't do much traveling this year due to my mom's illness so that was the highlight.

Main Course:
What resolution is your top priority for 2007?

I'm not making any resolutions, I'm just praying for a much better year, health and happiness for myself, my family and my friends.

Dessert:
Using three words describe 2006.

Inspiring... Heartbreaking... Short

I Got The Ticket

Okay well I don't really have the ticket but if I wanted to I could get an amazing discount on Disney Tickets! And you can get the discount too. There are discount tickets for all kinds of Disney activities. Do you wanna go to Disneyquest or maybe Typhoon Lagoon? Well you can and you can save money doing it. And maybe when you get sick of being around the crying screaming kids at Disney you can change things up and turn into an adult again. And adults must go to a dinner show if they are in Orlando. And suprisingly enough there are discount tickets for that too! See I'm the girl with the deals... Make sure when you get your tickets you get one for me too. I would really like to go with you and I'm a good travel buddy!

Robyn

Well yesterday I showed you the postie patrol video from the scavenger hunt Robyn went on. I think she did a great job and was such a good sport in the cold! It was freezing that day in Chicago! So please stop by and visit Robyn. Tell her hi, make sure she has thawed out and find out how she is spending her money!

Jessie

Are you cool?

Do you think your website is cool? Do you get a lot of hits? Just because your link is popular doesn't mean you really are. At least not anymore. If you visit my sponsors homepage, Sproose home page, you can get the scoop. They have an interesting social search engine method. Basically when people search for something they can then rate the results. So if you really dig a website you give it a 5 and if it really sucks you give it a 1. Then sites are ranked based on an average of user ratings. So it gives advertisers and users a more realistic idea of how useful a site is. It's kinda like voting for the homecoming queen in highschool. Is your site gonna be Ms. Popularity????

Jessie



This is a sponsored post.

Tired

I'm so tired today! I just couldn't sleep last night and now I'm worn out today. But I have so much to do! Work is crazy today and I have to leave at two. Heather and I are meeting with a financial planner guy so he can get us all straightened out. No wasteful spending here. Well we are going to Greece but that isn't wasteful. Travel is buying an experience so I don't consider it wasteful. Good justification right....

Jessie

Postie Patrol

Well another Postie Patrol to report about. Again it was hilarious! I wanna be in a postie patrol! The postie patrol as well as this post are sponsored by the amazing HP the peeps that rock at Digital Photo Printing. This time the patrol was held in Chicago and it looks like it was way cold. But Robyn participated in the scavenger hunt and won some great prizes from HP. You really have to watch the video. Some of my favorite parts of her hunt have to be Ted in shorts (a little scary), Robyn trying to make a snow angel in ice (I hope she doesn't have frost bite), and the gangster Christmas carrol! What I don't get is how that dang catfish survived in the cold? I thought it would have froze to death. I guess it really is like a cat and has nine lives. :-) So check out the video, laugh a little, join PPP, and then you can be in a postie patrol too!




Jessie

Carnival

Well the bestest blog carnival went well. I had quite a few visitors and I really had fun putting it together and visiting everyone's blogs. Now that that carnival is over it's not long until the PPP postie carnival will happen. January 1st the carnival will be right here. So don't forget to come visit so you can meant all kinds of posties.

Jessie

Audio Resume

*********This post is sponsored by audioresume.com*************

I hate how my typed resume looks. I tend to stay at jobs for quite awhile so it makes my resume look kinda silly. I have like three jobs listed and it doesn't look like I have much experience. But I do. I swear I would be a good employee. I just hate that when you give an employeer that resume all they see is that and you can't really explain everything your capable of and what you can bring to the company. That's why my sponsor's idea of an audio resume is such a great idea. You can Learn More About Audio Resume here.



Jessie

Busy Days

Wow it's been a crazy couple of days. Work has been very busy. Being left in charge this week on top of all my regular stuff is a little overwhelming. I know what I'm supposed do and all that is fine it's just trying to get it all done. Time is the issue. But isn't it always...

Heather has been a little working fool while I've been at work. That kind has organized my kitchen, sorted through a bunch of stuff for me, gone grocery shopping, straightened up my desk. She is a busy bee! I don't know where everything is but it sures looks pretty.

Tonight she headed to Wichita to go to the club with friends. I'm kinda glad she went because that means I don't have to work now that I'm home. We had a deal that while she is on break we will spend one hour a night in the shop sorting through mom things. Well every night it's turned into way longer than an hour. Last night was closer to 2 1/2 hours and it was dusting and my allergies are driving me nuts. So I'm glad I will have a break while she is clubbing!

Jessie

Real Estate

If you live in the Chicago area or you are thinking of relocating to that area you may be interested in Aurora Real Estate. NewCastle Realty Group would be able to help you find the home of your dreams or even the home that fits your budget. They have over 20 experienced realtors that would be happy to help you.

If you are relocating NewCastle Realty Group could help you iron out all the details. They will work with you to help ease the stress of relocation. They are more than willing to recommend local attorneys, home inspectors, and mortgage consultants so you don’t have the burden of trying to find reliable individuals in an area you aren’t familiar with. So let the professionals do the hard work so you can enjoy moving into your new home.

Bestest Blog Carnival

Okay the Bestest Blog Carnival is up! It is posted on my other blog Who Are We. I'm so excited! If you are visiting via the carnival I'm glad you made it by! Please leave comments so I can visit you also!

Jessie

Wordless Wednesday #1- Child Labor Laws Not Followed!

Gerald Ford

Well it seems that Gerald Ford has passed away. He was our 38th president and happens to be the only president that was not elected. He took over the office after Nixon resigned. He was only in office for 895 days which is fascinating to me. A very short presidency. He lived to be 93 years old. So farewell Mr. President.

Chicago Cubs

My Grandma Kaye lives in Arizona and she has been asking me to come visit her lately. The last time I went to Arizona I didn't enjoy it so much. So I've been trying to think of some things we could do if I went to visit that I would enjoy. One of the things I think I would like to do would be to attend a Chicago Cubs Spring Training game. And luckily my sponsor happens to have Cubs Spring Training Tickets! Several of the games are very close to where she lives. It would be pretty handy to head to a game and make a fun day of it. I don't know what she would think of that but I think it could make for a very fun day with Grandma!

Jessie

Funny Things

Okay here are some funny things that have happened this week!

1. My dog Lena got herself stuck inside my bra. Not a bra I was wearing but one she got out of the hamper. Nothing like a puppy inside a DDD to make a girl chuckle.

2. Darby and I met a Panda! There was a person in a Panda costume at Panda Express. He liked us so we took a picture with him.

3. My boss is on vacation and she left me in charge! I am the boss. Now that is funny!

4. I got a 20 foot section of BRIGHT orange construction fence wrapped around the wheel of my car. Not so funny when it happened but I'm thinking the visual of a farmer guy undoing it and me standing there trying to explain why I'm such an idiot is kinda funny now.

5. The one eyed greeter guy at Wal-Mart told me I looked nice today. Don't know how much of a compliment that is coming from someone that can't see well....

Jessie

Debt Help

Now that Christmas has come to an end the buyer's remorse is bound to start. I know that some of my friends put hundreds and even thousands of dollars of Christmas gifts on their credit cards and are now drowning in debt. And it's not just my friends, it's your friends too. Credit card debt is crazy. I know I have my share that I'm working hard to get rid of! And this year is the first year that I didn't use those dreaded cards for gifts. But for those folks out there that did and are hurting now my sponsor DebtHelp.com may be very useful! At DebtHelp.com they offer many different debt solutions to fit the needs of the individual. They can help with consolidation and can help eliminate the stress and mess that debt can create. I hope they can help you!

Jessie

Christmas Review

Okay my sister Heather officially rocks! Like she is the bestest sister in the whole wide world! I love that girl. For many many reasons. Today is big reason is that she is like the younger version of the gift buying monster known as my mom! My mom us with the pressure of being good gift givers and that girl stepped up to the challenge! Mom is looking down from heaven and smiling right now! Christmas continues! Here is what she got me.

This is NOT a paid advertisement. This is just me spreading the gift giving joy!!!

1. Armani Mania Perfume! Oh this stuff is liquid sex!!! LOVE IT!!!!

2. Two large framed black and white pictures that I've had my eye on and couldn't or wouldn't fork over the money for. They have come home to mommy!

3. An adorable necklace that looks great with the adorable grey scoopneck sweater she got me.

4. A nativity set that is beautiful. (I collect those)

5. A willow tree angel boy that has blue pants and is holding a gold heart. (I collect those too)

6. Magnetic picture frames for my work office. Then I can put up pictures on my desk and file cabinet.

7. A star candle holder for my living room.

8. And a partridge in a pear tree!!!!

She rocks doesn't she! Gotta love that girl. I think I did pretty good on the gifting for her too. We had a great teacher...

I'm off to enjoy my goodies.

Jessie

Diet

Well now that Christmas is over and the food monsters have gone away I'm getting with it on the diet. I just wanted to maintain over the last couple weeks but now I'm getting serious. No playing around anymore. It's crunch time in diet land for me. Our trip to Greece is rapidly approaching and I wanna be hot! Not just oh she has lost some weight and looks good hot. I wanna be really smoking hot. Like fitness women kinda hot. Like some Greece guy wants to take me home and make some Greek babies kinda hot. Okay sorry Dad, that was a bit much but really hot would be good.

So diet land here I come. I'm joining weight watchers, hitting the gym, drinking the water, going to dance class and I'm gonna lose some weight. I'm gonna lose a lot of weight. I'm gonna get healthy and have some fun doing it. I'm also gonna take a look at my sponsors website noexcusesgym.com. There are some great tips on here and I'm gonna apply some of them. It's time to get skinny with it folks! Are you ready to get skinny? I'll let you hang out with me if you wanna join me....

Jessie

Wow

Christmas has been a little different to say the least. Yesterday I was really sick. I just couldn't get out of bed and was MISERABLE! I don't know if I got food poisoning or what the deal was. Whatever it was really interfered with my Christmas Eve plans. No going to church for me. No fun stuff with Heather and Betty. Just me in bed being sickly. No fun for me. Luckily I woke up this morning feeling better. Not great but better. So I'll tell you about that later....

Jessie

Pay Day Headaches

My mom's best friend Doreen runs a trucking company and a farming business. She is a very busy gal! In fact she spends almost every waking moment at her office making sure the book keeping is done and caught up and accurate. It's a huge mess for her. I keep telling her she needs to hire more help, turn more over to the accountant or just run away before it gets to be too much. Life is to short to worry so much about payroll! It's ridiculous that she misses out on so many things because of running a business. Whoever says being your own boss is a good thing has obviously never been the boss for long... She is WORN out!

So tired Doreen needs to check out the services offered by my sponsor for help with small business payroll. This appears to be an affordable way for her to get some HELP and cut back on the amount of time she is stuck in the office, wading through paperwork. Maybe if Doreen would try this she could spend more time enjoying her life and less time worrying about paying all the truck drivers. We could only wish!

Jessie

Girls Day...?

Well we are having a girl's day in KC! Well kinda. Two girls and a guy day I suppose. Darby and I planned on going shopping in KC today and then picking Heather up at the airport. Well Roy heard about it and begged and pleaded and convinced us to let him go with us. He swears up and down that he will not complain about the girl stores, the long wait, the questions about how fat we look in such and such pants, and our endless talking. We will see how long he can hold to that.... I have a feeling he will be complaining before we hit the city limits.

No matter what it's gonna be a great day. Fun people to hang with, good shopping, great food and most importantly my sister is COMING HOME! I finally feel like Christmas. I'm excited to have her here and to do our church service on Sunday and gifts on Monday. It should be very very good. Our Aunt Betty is coming to visit us Sunday too which will be great. So Christmas is in my heart a little bit....

Jessie

PPP Blog Carnival

Well to help all of the devoted PayPerPost posties out there I am organizing a PPP Postie Blog Carnival. This is a great way to exchange links, gain new readers, and increase your PR. The last time I participated in a Blog Carnival I got an extra 400 visitors that day, many of whom have become regular readers. I also found a lot of other really great blogs. So to join the PPP Postie Blog Carnival follow these steps.

1. Be an active postie. (Meaning posting for PPP at least once a week)
2. Email me at hunnagirl063080@gmail.com You will need to include the link to your blog as well as a link to the post you want submitted for the carnival.
3. Submissions must be emailed to me NO later than 11:59 on December 27, 2006. The carnival will occur on January 1, 2007.
4. Place a post on your blog directing other PPP posties to enter the carnival and another post the day of the carnival directing readers to check out the carnival.

You can enter more than 1 blog as long was you are doing PPP on all blogs you enter.

This should be fun. Let me know if you have any questions.

Jessie

Free API

This post is sponsored by Video Detective. The nice folks there are offerring Free API to the web's largest collection of movie trailers. How nice is that. The program is free, meaning no fees, zip, zilch, nada. It is also open to web developers from any site. So take the time to stop by and visit and sign up for a developers account.

Jessie

Friday Feast #1

Appetizer:
What is one of your Christmas traditions? One of my traditions is to attend Christmas Eve service at my church. I love the candle light service and all the Christmas songs!

Soup:
Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for? My sister Heather, I always want to get her a little bit of EVERYTHING!

Salad:
What is your favorite Christmas scent? Real Christmas trees!

Main Course:
If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift who would it be and what would you give them? I would give Bobby a new camera since his was stolen.

Dessert:
What is something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)? An alarm clock.

Who Wants A Camera

I want a camera! I really really want a camera. Ted over a Pay Per Post has a shipment of new HP cameras and printers. We are talking nice camera's. 6 megapixel's of camera happiness that wants to come to my house!!! So if Ted reads my post and feels sorry for me after reading my sob story he will give me one of the camera's. How awesome is that. So here is the sob story....

I actually have a camera. It's not the best camera but it's not the worst camera. My brother and sister-in-law however do NOT have a camera. They don't even have a crappy camera. They have no camera! And they are expecting a baby any day now!

This baby has been long awaited. My sister-in-law has been through so much with this pregnancy and there were quite a few times we didn't know if she or the baby would make it. From week 23 she has been on bedrest doing everything she can to cook this little baby long enough. Well today marks week 34! And the good news is that the baby is now 5lbs and 2 oz. What that means is that they will deliver the baby anytime. Which means we have to hurry!!! We have to have a digital camera for them before this baby shows up! I have to have pictures. They live 10 hours from me and I won't be able to see the baby very often in person. A digital camera would allow them to email pictures to all of our family easily and often! We have waited so long for this little baby to enter our lives. We don't want to miss a thing. Please Ted send us that camera!!!!

This post was brought to you by HP!

Jessie

Wow

Oh my I got a lot of stuff done tonight! My house is clean. Like really clean! I like that!!! I even gave Miss Lena a bath. The house and the dog clean in one night. Now that is amazing stuff!

Work is gonna suck tomorrow. I have so much stuff to get done before the end of the month. All the vacation and holiday time is killing me. I am so behind schedule. Not good I say!

Jessie

Discount!

I found a way to save some money! Beautyneeds.com that is sponsoring this post is offering a 10% of Beauty Supplies. All you need is the coupon code goddess at checkout. What a good deal. Since my sister had all of her hair and make-up products taken by the lovely security gaurds at the airport she may need the discount to replace all her stuff. Maybe that will make her feel a little better about the bad traveling experience.

Jessie

Don't Forget

Please don't forget that The Bestest Blog of All Time is having it's second blog carnival on December 27th. All entries for this themed "Family" carnival must be in by 11:59 on the 24th. So not much longer. The last carnival brought me quite a few new readers and lots of comments. So join the fun and get those entries in. It's so worth it!

Jessie

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about Jessie 1. I'm Adopted 2. I have one spoiled dog 3. I think my sister rocks 4. I like to fly 5. I have watched the movie Dream A Little Dream more times than I can count 6. I'm scared of midgets 7. I can't whistle 8. I am going to Greece in MAY!!! 9. I want to visit all 50 states by the time I'm 50. 10. I didn't take the training wheels off my bike till I was like 12... No lie! 11. My favorite holiday is Halloween 12. My friends call me Hunna 13. I miss my mom Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Skittles 2. Heather 3. K T Cat 4. Becca Lynn 5. Sunflower 6. Starrlight 7. Misti 8. Leah 9. Alisonwonderland

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Reminders

This post is sponsored by American Greetings. They have a great online calendar. I have been using their online calendar for awhile now. It's very helpful! It saves me quite a bit of time. Now it's easy for me to remember birthdays, anniversary's and other special occasions. I just get an email reminder from them and then I get the cards emailed or mailed out. Simple! Now I'm not forgeting or rushing around or wasting money on belated cards! When you go sign up remember my birthday is June 30th. I love getting happy mail!

Jessie

Getting There

Well the presents are all wrapped! Every last one of them is wrapped up all cute and pretty. I wish they were all cute and pretty under my tree. However, I have learned my lesson about that. They are safely hidden away from Miss Lena. I'm not making the same mistake twice! So now all I have left to do for the night is make my own dinner and get the food ready for tomorrow. So not to bad! I have time to do that...

Jessie

Test Prep

My sister is currently attending a Junior College. She will be done there in May and then she will head to a four year university. The problem is that she hasn't picked a major which makes it hard for her to pick a school. I keep telling her not to worry about it that she will know when she is supposed to but I don't think that is what she needs to hear. But I think I may have found something that could help her. ePrep who is sponsoring this post offers ePrep SAT test prep help. While she has already taken the SAT and ACT and doesn't need to prep for a test they also offer some other great college planning services, like admissions and financial aid that we really need help with. Any help we can get at this point is worth it. I wish now we would have know about the test prep help before she was taking all those. That was a whole other mess of stress. Hopefully this will help her a little bit.


Jessie

To Much on The To Do

I have way to many things left to do before Christmas. What's crazy is that I start way ahead of time. Seriously I have the majority of my shopping done by October 1st. I have already done Christmas with half my family! I should not be rushing around like this. But Heather and I are having a big weird Christmas together and I still have all her presents to wrap. And she got the most. I still have to a gift exchange with several of my friends who's presents are bought but not wrapped. Damn dog of mine unwrapped them all so I'm doing the same thing again! Wasted time ticks me off. Our Christmas dinner at work is tomorrow and I'm in charge of that so I have a bunch of food to cook tonight. Good times. So instead of blogging about all this I ought to get my ass in gear and get it done.

Jessie

Chronic Fatigue

Well it seems like we all know someone with chronic fatigue syndrome anymore. It's becoming a fairly common diagnosis. I know at least 10 people that have been diagnosed with it. What's unfortunate is that there does not appear to be many effective treatments for it. That is until Faith Meds who is sponsoring this post brought Revivol for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia to those suffering. Revivol is an all natural remedy for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. Since it is all natural you can avoid some of those nasty side effects of over the counter meds. That's always a good thing.

Jessie

Home Sweet Home

Oh I'm so glad to be home! Flying today was a bit of a nightmare. It just took a really long time. There was a lot of fog which meant a lot of delays. I hate just sitting on the runway going no where. Pretty powerless. But I'm home and I shouldn't complain. Lena was very excited to see me. So excited she is clawing the heck out of me while I type this. I guess she wants some attention...

Jessie

Video

This post is sponsored by the lovely Pay Per Post team! Once again there are some confessionals to be heard. Actually right now on YouTube there are a whole lot of Pay Per Post videos! I decided to show you Brit's confessional. She is getting ready for the holidays like most of the rest of us. But the folks at PayPerPost really need a little break. All of the employees at Pay Per Post are always so busy helping us posties make money. They really deserve a happy holiday and a mini vacation. I hope that Brit actually gets to stay home for awhile. All that time on the road must get very old! Maybe if they all get rested up over the holidays they won't get so overwhelmed at the start of the New Year. So enjoy the holidays and take a break Brit!

Hot

Oh my gosh it is hot here today. It's already above 80 and humid! We are heading to the beach today and to hit a few of our favorite shops. It's been a long time since I've been on vacation and didn't have a schedule. It sure is nice. I'm really enjoying the break. To bad I head back home tomorrow.

Jessie

Southwest Inn

This post is sponsored by the Southwest Inn at Sedona, combination bed and breakfast / Small luxury hotel. If I'm taking the time for a vaction I want to stay somewhere nice. And the Southwest Inn is more than nice. It's been voted the best place to stay in Sedona three years in a row now. Every room has a fireplace which I love and they have a high speed internet cafe! You can't beat that. If that wasn't enough you can wake up to this beautiful view in the morning.

Wide Awake

Well I fell asleep and took a nap for three hours. I meant to just take like a 1 hour nap but I didn't wake up. So now everyone else is in bed sleeping and I'm wide awake! I'm hanging out with a gecko that is crawling on the window. It's so weird to see a gecko. We for sure don't have those back home. To bad he doesn't talk like the gecko for Geico on TV. I'm a little bored and Heather is gonna get mad if I wake her up again...

Jessie

Wingman

Online dating can be a little bit scary sometimes. You never know for sure if someone is who they say they are. There is always that chance that you are gonna end up stuck with the psycho or with the person that wants to explain the history of chess. Thankfully, I Am Free Tonight not not only sponsored this post but also developed a way to make online dating more fun and safe. Now instead of just emailing back and forth they have come up with a way to encourage group dates to avoid that awkwardness. So check them out and take a wingman with you when you go meet that next person from the web.

Jessie

Christmas Gifts

Well I had a very Merry Christmas! I ended up getting an i-Pod! How cool is that. In fact it was an i-pod Christmas. Heather, Dalton, and Venus got one too. I think Apple needs to send Dad and Cricket a thank you card for all the business. I also got a gift certificate to get my nails done, scrapbook stuff, earrings, a planner, Nip Tuck Season 2 DVD's, Heather got Season 3 so we can share, some picture frames, and a cool bag with Dalton and MoJo's pictures on it. I can't believe we got so many neat things. Dad and Cricket really went all out!!!

We all went to church this morning and it was nice. They go to a really pretty church. Amazing stained glass windows that are done in tropical colors. Very unique. It was a good time. I think we are heading to the art gallery that I like so much sometime this afternoon. Fun times!

Jessie

Full Disclosure

Well PayPerPost has gone to a full disclosure policy. Now all bloggers that post blog ads through PayPerPost have to have a disclosure policy. I will have mine created and posted by Monday. Basically this is a step in the right direction in my opinion. This way folks can't keep comparing our PayPerPost ads to spam. That way it's very clear to readers that there are posts on my blog that I am getting paid for. And paid well I am. At this point I've made close to $300 dollars and have another $400 coming to me in the next 30 days. I'm actually making $10 just telling you about the disclosure policy!!! I'm loving PayPerPost and I'm sure I will love it just as much with the changes coming this week. If you haven't signed up for PayPerPost I would encourage you to do so. It's fun, easy, and you make some money. Just click the little PayPerPost icon on my blog and sign up.

Jessie

Texas Girls

Well we are in Texas. We made it here on time despite getting off to a very rough start. We should have left the house at 7 this morning and that happened to be the same time we woke up! The alarms didn't go off!!! It was a mad crazy dash to the airport.

We actually ended up getting to the airport with plenty of time to spare but still ended up running to catch our plane due to problems with security. Due to the great new security precautions in place we had to hand over our water, lotion, makeup, and they actually tried to take my glucose meter but I fought over that and got to keep it. What is really weird is they took all that stuff but I got to keep my lighter? What? Usually they take things that you can start a fire with. But I guess water and lotion are the big threats now. CRAZY!!!!

So after we ran for the plane we ended up sitting next to strange people of course. Because we have strange travel Karma like that. We were sitting next to an extremely large drunk snoring man and directly behind a 9 year old ADHD boy. We determined that the kid likes talking, long walks on the beach, slamming his body against the seat repeatedly, turning around and staring at Heather. We did determine that he does not like it when Heather glares at him.

So to ease the tension and Heather's tears I created a chant to get us through.

Christmas got off to a rough start
In fact it kinda hurt my heart
But now that we are on our way
Let's pretend it's a brand new day

When I tried to teach Heather the chant her words were, "I'm still grumpy and pissed and that is stupid." Guess I won't try to get that chant copyrighted! :-)

While it wasn't the best travel experience we did get the best greeting at the airport. Dad, Cricket, and our niece Morghan "MoJo" as we call her greeted us. As soon as we got off the plane we saw them. Dad all tall above the crowd holding MoJo. MoJO was holding a sign that said "MoJo is waiting for Aunt Jessie and Heather." No better greeting then that.

We did unwrap gifts tonight but I'll post about that later. I will tell you that it was a great Christmas and almost everything on my list has already arrived.

Jessie

Reindeer Games

This is a paid post.

Well since it's Christmas time everyone needs to get ready for some reindeer games. What better way then with some free online Christmas games. Right now Blue Mountain has some fun interactive games for Christmas. Everything from an elf toss game to a gingerbread hangman word puzzle. There is bound to be something for everyone. You can even send the games to your friends and family in an ecard format. I'm thinking about sending Stinna one of the ecard games so Bel can play it. She loves to play games on the computer and she has gotten pretty good at it. She could probably beat me at most of them.

Jessie

Rotten Dog

My dog is going nuts tonight! She is attacking my suitcase as I type. She keeps growling at it and pulling it over. This suitcase is HUGE. It could totally squish her little self. I'm not sure what the deal is and why she is obsessed with it but she is not feeling the suitcase love... Weird rotten dog!

Refinance

My house will be officially sold next week. That is a very good thing. Once it sells and the probate on my mom's house is over I'm probably going to have to look at a mortgage refinance on the house I'm in now. I'll need to even things out between Heather and I and refinancing is one way to do that.

Jessie

All Packed

Well we are all packed and I think we are ready to go. Heather just headed to bed and I'm not far behind her. We have to leave the house at 7:00 in the morning. Our flight leaves at 10:00 and we will get to Corpus about 2:00. I'm ready to be there. I hate the travel piece. The airport is always a pain in December. Yuck. I'm just hoping we can get decent parking. As much as we have crammed in our bags I don't wanna be wandering all over the place...

Jessie

Workout

At the gym this morning the guy that kinda wanders around giving pointers was talking about the benefits of circuit training. I usually just use the machines and don't think much about it but he was saying that using hydraulic fitness equipment for circuit training can burn more calories and make the workout more fun. So that's what I did today and he was right. I feel good and it went really quick. I did 2 minutes of cardio and then did 2 minutes on the hydraulic machines. I think I might keep doing my workouts that way.

Jessie

Theft

I'm a thief! I could have gone to jail today! I actually stole from the bank. I went through the drive thru at the bank. I put my stuff in the little tube thing and sent my money through the little tunnel to the people inside. Then they sent it back to me. And then I took the tube and the money! I just wasn't thinking I guess!

I have actually done the same thing in the past. The last time I did it the people called me to get it back. This time I noticed right as I was pulling out so I just pulled back in and got back in line to return the tube. I really should be more observant. If I'm not careful they aren't gonna let me us the drive thru....

Jessie

Tickets

My friend Chris love the San Francisco Giants! Like I mean he really loves them. He actually moved to California for a few years and giving up his San Francisco Giants Tickets was the hardest part of the move back to Kansas for him! He just really loved going to all the games even spring training. It was pretty rare for him to miss any games. His motto was crappy seats are better than no seats.

Even now that he is back in Kansas and doesn't get to be at the games in person he still is quite a devoted fan. He has his "game outfit" as he calls it. The jersey, hat, and even a lucky pair of tennis shoes. He is funny like that.

Jessie

Almost There

Well Heather and I leave to go to Texas to our Dad's for Christmas tomorrow. We fly out about 10:00 and should be there by 2:00. I'm only staying till Tuesday but it should be a good visit. Venus, Brian and the kids will be there. I'm looking forward to seeing Miss Morghan AKA MoJo and Dalton. They are fun kids. Heck I'm just looking forward to getting out of town for awhile. That will be nice to have a little break!

Jessie

Save Space

If you have a digital camera you need this product. It's really a great way to protect, share, send, save and store your pictures. I take so many pictures that it really takes up a lot of space on my computer. But with this service it compresses your photos so you can save up to 20 times more! That alone is worth it to me.

Jessie

Booked

Well we did it! Our trip to Greece is booked. I have reserved our flights, hotels, EVERYTHING! I can't believe we are really going to Greece. What I can't believe is that I'm so excited and I still have to wait until May. That's no fun! I would really be ready to go tomorrow but it's cold there so we have to wait till it's warm and that is May. So I'm officially counting down the days now!

Jessie

Treatment

At work I see so many teenagers with drug and alcohol issues. It really is a huge problem and there are so few treatment centers for adolescents. There are very few facilities that are willing and able to meet the needs of teenage addicts. Echo Malibu is focused on providing adolescent drug treatment. Their philosophy is recovery through empowerment. They have numerous onsite professionals to provide a wide variety of therapuetic services to teens in a beautiful beachhouse setting. I have worked in and visited a lot of treatment facilities. I have never seen a treatment center this nice before. An onsite school, beach access, recreation area, and inhouse chef make treatment a vacation destination.

Jessie

Alone

I've never felt quite so alone in my entire life. There are a lot of people I could call. In fact I just got off the phone with Heather. But I want my mom. And I don't want to talk to anyone about wanting my mom. Writing it is different than saying it. If feels so lame to say I want my mom. But it is a want like no other. I would sell my soul this very moment to touch her and hear her.

When I laid down tonight to go to bed I started to say my prayers. I always pray that God will tell my mom hi and that I love her and miss her. I've prayed that since the day she died. Well tonight without thinking I prayed that she would come home soon. And then I started bawling. She will never come home again. No matter how much I try to convince myself that she is just on a trip she isn't. She is not coming home. I can't seem to wrap my mind around that. Every time I realize it it is worse. This isn't getting easier to deal with like everyone said it would. Each day gets harder.

So now that I've quit crying and I've taken my happy pills I'm gonna try to go back to bed. We will see if it works....

Jessie

Med Mixup

When my mom was sick she was on so many different medications. The pills were to numerous to count. We were all very careful but were always a little worried about how all the pills interacted with one another, if the dose was right and what would happen if we made a mistake. To add to the confussion some of the pills looked pretty similar and it was hard to tell them apart. Now there is a program called Epocrates Online that physicians can use to help their patients with medications. They can email patients information about the drug they have prescribed and it even has pictures of the pills to help clarify and reduce confussion. I wish our physicians or pharmacists would have utilized this service. It is so important for people to be clear on the medications they are taking! Weather you are taking Zyrtec or something more serious it is neccessary to be informed so you can stay healthy.

Jessie

Foot In Mouth

Well this morning and yesterday morning I posted about how tired I am. I should have kept my mouth shut. I just visited My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings and it made me feel pretty guilty for complaining about being tired. She is trying to potty train a 2 year old. And if that doesn't make you tired try doing it while you are 12 weeks pregnant. So I give her props! And come to think of it I'm not so tired today... :-)

Pet Meds

Did you know that there is actually medication for pets? I'm thinking maybe Lena may need a little bit of this... Anivive is a medication that helps to relieve pet depression, stress and anxiety. I wonder if stress or anxiety is why Lena is so sticking rotten! I think I'm going to order some samples after I check with the vet. Maybe after one to two days Lena will be better behaved and I can catch a little break. That crazy puppy wears me out! If any of you have used this with your pets please let me know how it helped.

Jessie

Belisi

I am sure that you have heard of Belisi in the past. I first learned of this brand of tie several years ago. I think they are really beautiful and well made. But I just heard the story of how the brand came to be and now I like them even more. I guess Peter Belisi was a bartender in Palm Beach. He served some of the most elite individuals in Palm Beach While he was serving those with much he was struggling to make money to support his family and had no savings. But with any extra money he had he would purchase a new tie. The new ties gave him a polished look and he became known for never wearing the same tie twice and he developed quite a passion of for fine ties. Before long Peter created his own line of Belisi ties and has become quite successful. I am a sucker for a success story! I always knew the ties were beautiful but now that I know the story behind them I'm even more attracted to them. So the next time you are tie hunting get a Belisi tie and support the bartender that made it big.

Jessie

Countdown

Eve is a neat gal that I have met through the message boards at PPP. She runs a fun blog called Confessions of an Everyday Housewife. Eve is a busy gal! She also just went public with a blog about running an at home business, Home Biz Blogger. But the real exciting thing is that Eve is counting down the days to her wedding!!!! She will be getting married this Saturday and even though the last minute planning is stressful I know it will just be wonderful! Congrats to you Eve. Enjoy your big day!

Jessie

Carnival

Bobby over at The Bestest Blog of All Time is hosting a blog carnival. I think it's going to be a pretty fun thing to be a part of. So if you are already linked up with his site you can be a part of it. You just need to make sure that you get him your information by December 16th so you can participate. Go pay him a visit to get all the information.

Jessie

Insurance

Well I'm looking for new car insurance. In fact since the company I'm with now has jacked my rates up so high on everything I'm looking for new homeowners and car insurance. So while I was on the hunt for a goodcar insurance rate I came across something rather entertaining. Progressive Direct has joined up with Universal Studios to add a crash calculator to the movie The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift. Now as the cars crash into each other there is a little calculator that tallies the cost of the damage. I guess it is a new interactive feature that Universal is adding to their Dvd's. A different type of marketing I suppose. Who would have thought.

Jessie

It's My Party

Well I'm not actually having a party but I do really love getting cards so maybe you could just send me one anyways. Just because it's not my birthday doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a cute card every now and again. If you go visit American Greetings you can find all types of adorable, funny, absolutely gauranteed to make your blogging buddies day cards. They are who I use for sending out e-cards. What I love is that I have signed up for the free reminder service they offer so I don't miss events that are cardworthy! So check them out and make sure to get a reminder that my b-day is June 30th! All cards are accepted.

Jessie

Weekend Pictures

I said a couple days ago that I would get our weekend pictures up and I haven't done it yet. I also promised my aunts I'd have the pics emailed to them and I haven't done it yet. So I'm going to post a few pics now and then I promise that I will email the pics to my aunts sometime before 10:00 tonight! I will follow through. One day I'm going to get more organized and keep up with things better. Until then I'll just muddle through.

Online Courses

I have always really enjoyed online courses. I actually lucked out and got enrolled in an online course for next semester. I really like the flexibility that online coursework offers. It's nice to know that I can go to class at 10 in the morning or 10 at night. Less pressure and way more flexibility. That makes me a happy girl. A friend of mine is doing her entire graduate degree online through Capella University. Capella was founded in 1993 and has been growing ever since. My friend is working on her graduate degree in business but they offer lots of other degrees. You can choose from 76 different grad and undergrad programs and they also offer 16 certificate specializations. So I would think there would be a little something for everybody. If only you get the an MSW online! That would make me a very happy social worker.

Jessie

Ugh

Morning is just not my friend this week. I think that there are to many things going on in my head right now for me to really shut down and go to sleep. I'm just swamped this week. Work is crazy busy, planning for the trip to Texas Saturday, dealing with all the Christmas shenanigans. My brain is just on overload. I have a feeling I'll sleep very good after the first of the year. For some reason the holidays just overwhelm me. I think that Christmas causes me to have ADD or something. Off to work soon. Fun day ahead!

Jessie

Redecorating

I think Lena decided to redecorate the other day. She is such a crazy little puppy. Her bed and toys are usually in the living room. She however decided that she needed to move her room to the middle of the kitchen floor. Not where I would really like the dog and all her belongings to be! Nothing like being the center of attention. She really is a little brat but boy she is cute. Gotta love that at least.

My Dad

My dad has this thing about coins, metals, gems, etc. He tends to buy them actually. Someday he will probably cash them all in and be worth a fortune. Or he may just keep buying more of them. That is probably more likely. I think I'm going to encourage him to buy silver. For one thing I like silver but it seems that now is a good time to buy silver. Since 1990 the demand for silver has increased and exceeded the production every year. More demand and less production means that silver will gain in value. And we all know that is a good thing. So I'm thinking instead of some of his other purchases sliver might serve him a little better.

Jessie

Thank You

Today has been an odd day for me. I have gotten upset a couple times today. Just little things have made me think of my mom and really miss her and I can't seem to control my emotions very well. Then I kinda start feeling sorry for myself. But I got home tonight after running all day and found this comment that had been left for me.

"Hi Jessie, I really enjoy your blog! I came upon it by "accident" when I was looking (for all things!) any info on dermacia! You mentioned it in one of your blogs waaaay.... back! Anyway, once I started reading your posts, and especially about your Mom, I had to go back and find out what was happening... I must tell you that I cried a lot and my heart went out to you as you struggled through the terrible ordeal of your Mom's illness. I have 2 children (23 and 22) and I know that if I had to "leave" them, it would be so hard... I admire you for being so good to your Mom and for being so strong. The holidays are a tough time for everyone, but especially so when the loss of a loved one is so recent. My prayers go out to you and I will keep up with you through your blog! Hugs to you! Take Care! Holley in San Antonio, Texas".

This comment made me bawl but they were all good tears I promise! So Holley in San Antonio THANK YOU! One thing I have learned through this journey is that God does not make mistakes. I have no doubt that you found my blog for a reason and that it was not an "accident". I needed some encouragement today and you provided it. I can't feel sorry for myself anymore. Anytime I've needed something God has provided it and today is no different. So Thank you Thank you Thank you. I hope you continue to visit and leave comments. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday. And tell your kids I say to be extra nice to you!

Jessie

My Thoughts

Marcus has a cool blog. He is a security guard and spends a lot of time working. But he makes time to enjoy his favorite football games and is good at reminding his readers when the big games are coming up. Marcus is also involved in fantasy football for the first time this year. I know some of my friends are doing fantasy football this year. Maybe you all can learn a thing or two from him. Pay Marcus a visit and make sure to tell him that Jessie says hi!

Jack Black

Jack Black is one of my favorite actors. I think he is oddly intriguing. He isn't the best looking guy, heck he isn't even the best actor. But there is something funny and endearing about him. He just makes me chuckle. I thought he was good in Shallow Hal and he made School of Rock tolerable. I didn't like School of Rock so much but at least with him I could get through it. He recently did an interview with Maxim magazine that is typical Jack Black. It was an interesting read. I hope you find him oddly intriguing too! Presenting Jack Black and Tenacious D!



Jessie

Photo Time

Tonight I'm going to Darby's mom's house to do Christmas pictures of her grandkids. It's Caden who is super cute and a ham for the camera and Kaylee who is still a baby. I've never tried taking her pictures before so I don't know how she will be. Something about a 2 year old and an infant makes me a little nervous. I just hope we can get a few good photos for them. It should be fun anyways. Hanging out with Darby and Caden is always a good time.

Jessie

Being Popular

Trying to get noticed on the web is a little bit like trying to be the popular kid in school. We all make the attempt to increase link popularity. We want to be noticed, we want higher PR ratings, we want to have more visitors and meet new people. That's just for us that are blogging. Companies that are out there with services and products to sell are even more focused on increasing their link popularity. There are several ways they can go about increasing their popularity. Some ways are easier than others. Some cost more than others. But one way that is proving to be effective is for companies to use providers like Blogitive. They provided bloggers with press releases about different companies and service providers and bloggers blog about them. The bloggers provide the link and it helps to increase popularity. It's a cost effective way to get your name out there and increase the number of links pointing to you.

Jessie

I Want It

I want this! I really really want this. This site has beautiful Large Wall Decor ! It's wrought iron just like I like. They have so many pieces that I just love and would look fabulous in my house. I particularly like the laterns. The hard part would be picking which lantern. I have two lanterns now in my living room but I would like to have at least one in my bedroom. I have a thing for laterns. I think it looks awesome to have a candle burning in a latern. They are just romantic yet sturdy. I like that. They also have some amazing wall hangings that would look great in my bathroom. It's a good thing that Christmas is coming.

Jessie

Early Morning

Morning came way to early today! I don't feel rested at all!!! I'm still way tired. I feel like I was in bed long enough just didn't sleep well. I tossed and turned forever and then had some really weird stupid dreams. Sometimes I wonder what in the world my subconcious is up to because I dream some very odd things.

I have court today so I'm actually dressing up for work. Shocking! I think I've been wearing jeans to work for two weeks now. I'm spoiled. Have a good day!

Jessie

Conference Calls

I'm so fed up with the conference calls we have to do at work! The phone connection is never clear! Someone is always asking me to speak up so then I feel like I'm yelling at the poor people on the other line. It starts out all professional and then in 5 minutes we are all huddled around the phone screaming at one another. Not pretty! What we really need is Video Conferencing Equipment! With this equipment we would not only be able to see the people we were talking to but we could actually talk and hear instead of yelling! The phone is has 16 always on microphones to pick up and clearly relay what you are saying. That would make a world of difference! To actually be able to clearly hear on a conference call would be AMAZING!!! I'm thinking I'm gonna forward this site on to my boss. It could be our early Christmas present.

Jessie

Weigh In

Well I thought the stomach flu stuff was going to help me this week. Heck I really thought I would lose big time. But no! I stayed exactly the same. A big 0 this week. I'm kinda disappointed in that. I was counting on the big loss to be the payoff for all the sickness. Now being sick really seems crappy!!! I head to Zumba tonight. Maybe that will get this week started off right and I'll dance some pounds away!

Jessie

Storage

If you are like me and have tons of extra crap you may need some storage units. I say units because I know that for me one storage unit would never be enough. Even through it seems like there are lots of storage places out there it is still hard to find a reliable place. There is a great site out there they can help you find a decent affordable storage facility. They offer an easy way to search and locate storage in your area. They also offer multiple quotes so you can find a storage facility in your price range. They make it easy for you to find the type of storage you need without spending a lot of time trying to track the right place down.

Jessie

More Weekend Reviews

I keep remembering things about the weekend that I want to tell you all about. We went to this little pet store. It was beside a craft store so I went in there when I got crafted out. They had these Russian turtles. They live 170-200 years! They cost like $120 but that is less than a dollar a year. How crazy is that. I think I want one. I have no clue what I would do with a turtle that gets up to 20 pounds but how cool would that be. I could leave it to my great great grandchildren! Talk about a lifetime pet!!!

Jessie

Blog

Did you know that Pay Per Post has a blog? Well they do! Pay Per Post has a blog. And I find it rather enjoyable. I go to the blog to check out what is up in Pay Per Post land. I can find out the newest gossip about Ted and Tamale. I like to know what they are up too. And I can find out important info about how many posts we can do each day! The blog is where I get a lot of the Pay Per Post news. I also love the crazy fun videos that tend to get posted on the blog. They usually give me a little chuckle. So if you want some extra news about Pay Per Post you ought to check it out. And while you are checking out the blog you ought to sign up! An easy way to sign up is to click the little PayPerPost button on my site. When you sign up I make money and you make money and that can make us both really happy! So get to it folks!

Jessie

The Gift

My mom shopped for special gifts for my sister and I before she died. We got a fall present and this weekend we got our Christmas gifts from her. It's pretty amazing to me that she did that for us! It means a lot to be able to open something from her now. It's like a gift from heaven. She was an amazing mom and continues to be an amazing mom!

So we opened our gifts and she got each of us the Willow Tree Nativity Set. I don't know if you are familiar with Willow Tree but they are these beautiful angels. We have collected them for quite awhile. I had been asking mom for the nativity set for about 3 years. And every Christmas she would say "If I get you that you won't end up getting much else." So it really means a lot to me that she got that for me. I'll cherish it forever!

Jessie

Hoodia

I'm sure that we have all gotten the spam emails and seen the craziness surrounding the scam know as Hoodia. Well not all of the Hoodia weight loss products out there are scams! I actually found a site that offers legitimate Hoodia supplements. This site goes into depth explaining the history and science of Hoodia. They offer a money back gaurantee and they only sell 100% pure Hoodia. They have put a considerable amount of time and effort into Hoodia Gordonii Research. So take the time and look into pure Hoodia supplements if you are needed some help controlling your appetite and losing some weight.

Jessie

Girl's Weekend

Well I finally recuperated enough to get to KC for the annual Girl's Christmas Weekend!!! I had a great time. My aunts were crazy and fun as usual. There was too much food, which I managed to avoid most of the bad stuff. I think the sickness was still lingering because the homemade chocolate pie didn't sound good. Some I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow when I weigh in it will be good! Let's hope!!!

We shopped and I found some cute stuff and some great bargains. We went to the adorable store called Chickie's in Belton MO that was wonderful. It is a store run by sisters so it's a perfect fit for us. My Aunt Adair calls us all Chickie's so we had to get a picture in front of the store with the name over our head. The sisters running the place were great sports and found us slightly entertaining. They had some awesome unique things and I found the a couple of cute little things for Heather. We also hit Missouri Mud Company and I found some great purses. Every year we go to this little place, it's actually a Greek diner and coffee shop but they have great jewelry, art work, purses, and decorations. So it's become a tradition to get the cute purses and this year was no different.

For dinner on Saturday night we always meet my Great Uncle Bill for dinner at a place called Jumpin Catfish. He is way funny and just a great man to spend time with. He always buys us dinner and we always sing him a Christmas song. He really loves it and so do we. Well last night Uncle Bill had had a few too many glasses of wine and he was observing the fish they have in this huge fish tank. Well someone in the crowd asked why there was a long string hanging from one of the fish!!!! It wasn't a string. But Uncle Bill said kinda loudly "It's not a string, It's semen." I thought I was gonna die laughing. Their are kids and families around and he is talking about fish semen. Lordy!!!! So I couldn't resist and had to say "Well at least the fish are excited to see us". And the whole conversation went downhill from there. Never a dull moment I swear. I'm surprised they let our family go anywhere!

So now I'm home and I had a great time and I'm gonna spend the afternoon hanging out with my sister! I'll post some pictures later!

Jessie

Travel Sites

Darby, Heather, Kelci and I are planning our trip to Greece. Actually we are booking it before December 15th to save some money! We are starting to get very excited!!! Luckily I have had the opportunity to use 50 Travel Sites - courtesy of Luggage Online. This has been a lifesaver as I have tried to determine which agency to use, what kind of tour to pick, and just how in the world to arrange international travel in the first place. So if you are planning a trip head over and utilize some of these sites. They are very helpful!

Jessie

Bestest Blog

Skittles got Bestest Blog Of The Day!!! I love this blog. I really really do. It is one of my favorites! I wanted to pick her for bestest blog but Bobby really wanted to do her review. And I'm glad he did because he did a FABULOUS job. So please go by and wish Barb a happy bestest day. Her link to Skittles Place is on the right.

Jessie

Changing It Up

Well I finally got my tracker updated. Now that I weigh in again on Monday and will have to change it. Go figure. Better late than never as they say. I'm thinking I'm gonna be down for sure this week. Stomach flu kinda does that. The only benefit I suppose. I'm supposed to be in KC for the girls Christmas weekend and since I'm posting that means I'm not there but I'm here.

I was sick most of the day again today. About 6:30 I started feeling a little better. I've been able to have some Sprite and a grilled cheese so maybe I'm making progress. My plan is to sleep alot more tonight then get up and head to KC in the morning. I'm thinking I should be good by then. So that's the plan....

Jess

Search Engine

We all use search engines. We get the results we need and go on with our day. But there is a search engine out there that gives you results and a chance to win great prizes. I'm talking prizes like iPods, gift cards, XBoxes and even cash. So if you can win cool stuff why aren't you using Winzy Search and Win? Winzy is a free search service that also allows you the opportunity to play games and win great prizes.

Jessie

3DayMom

Colleen is a fellow PayPerPoster. Actually she makes a ton of money PayPerPosting. But she is also involved in a project near and dear to my heart! She is part of the Breast Cancer Three Day! It is a 3 day 60 mile walk to raise money for breast cancer. I've always wanted to do the walk but I've never followed through. Maybe if I keep reading Collen's blog 3DayMom.Com she will get me motivated. This year she will be walking with a new team in Tampa. She is even going to be a training walk leader. To bad I don't live in Tampa. I'd just join her team. Even if we all can't train with Colleen in person she does have a great training category on her blog to keep us motivated. So check out Colleen's blog and lets all think seriously about doing the 3 day...

Jessie

Gift Guide

Well I'm pretty much done with my christmas shopping. I just have a couple of hard to buy for people left. And this site might help me with those folks. "Not At This Time" Steve is always hard for me to shop for. But he spends so much time hunting I might getting him rifle scopes. I'm sure I'll be able to find something for him at www.OpticsPlanet.net. They have binoculars, telescopes, goggles, flashlights, etc. And right now they are offering free UPS shipping on orders that are more than $29.95. So check them out.

Jessie

Appendix

Ugh I so don't feel good. My stomach is so upset and I just hurt. I'm really beginning to think that my appendix is trying to come out. I haven't been sick like this since my gallbladder went bad on me. It's no fun! I think I've slept the majority of the day and that isn't helping much either. To top it off I've got another ear infection so I'm on a z-pack for that. Could I just be falling apart?

Jessie

Wife Hunt

A guy at my church recently married a woman from Russia. He had met her through some type of dating service, went to Russia to visit once. Then brought her here and married her. It all happened within a matter of months. They seem really happy but it also seems kinda odd. I think it would be hard to marry someone so quickly but I guess it is working for them. Supposedly the divorce rate for Russian/American marriages is only 6% so I guess it's working for quite a few people.

There is a site out there called Lover's Planet that actually arranges these relationships. I guess millions of men are using the service. I've looked over the site and it's pretty indepth. They have a question and answer section, tips for dating Russian woman, and success stories. So if you are like the guy at my church and you want a Russian wife you can find one with just a couple clicks on your computer....

Jessie

Wow

I have been doing the guest blogger spot at the Bestest Blog of All Time for a couple weeks now. I'm really loving doing it. Not only have a found some neat blogs for my reviews I've also found some neat blogs just to add to my blog roll and share with you all. It's been a great way to find some new blogs. When I find new ones I really like I add them to my link list so keep checking it out. Bobby has had a bunch of new blogs to link with lately too. There is a huge list now that I sift through to when I'm trying to find a new pick. So if you can't find something to tickle your fancy here head over to Bestest Blog of All Time to find one you like. And then make sure to tell me about it! Bobby has all the blogs sorted by category so it makes it pretty easy to find something. Have fun and make sure to keep me posted on any great blogs you find.

Jessie

Maxim Myths

Maxim has just listed a myths debunked article on their website. It's kinda fun. One that they have listed is that you use more muscles to frown than you do to smile. That is TRUE. My mom wasn't giving me a load of crap all those years.



Another myth is that the Great wall of China is the only man made thing you can see from space. That is FALSE. I guess you can see airport runways, highways, etc. I never knew that.

And one of my favorite myths as a kid was that swallowed gum takes 7 years to digest. That is FALSE! I always knew that couldn't be true.

They have 28 different myths listed. It was fun to go through and see which ones I had right and which ones I had wrong. I did have more right though! I knew some of that stuff just couldn't be true. :-) So go over and see which of Urban Legends are true or false.

Jessie

Long Days

Another long day at work. Lots of overtime this week. I suppose that is a good thing. Extra money never hurts. But I'm starting to get tired. Tomorrow I'm walking out a 5:00 no matter what. I have stuff to do at home!

All day at work things kept popping into my head and I would think I have to blog about that. I have to post that. I have to tell someone that. And now that I'm home my brain is friend and I can't remember what was so funny and great. So I'm not telling you anything... Sorry....

Jess

Interesting

I think I've come across something pretty interesting. There is a site called Repvine that allows you to collect and display references. It's a very intriguing site. It is a controlled environment where you invite who you choose to give you a reference. Then you can rate if it was a useful reference. Since you are controlling who leaves references about you it is pretty obvious that you would pick people who would post a positive reference. Since it is releveant information some search engines will pick it up and display it when people search for your name. It is an easy, creative way for you to collect and display your references if you were a seeking a job or do freelance work of some type.

As more people move to the internet when attempting to fill or find work positions I can see the benefit of a service like Repvine. It provides a one stop area for people to gather references and information. More and more employers are using internet job sites to post jobs so I could see them utilizing an internet reference point also. Just something to think about.

They do have couple of videos highlighting why they think an online reference is valuable. The videos are posted below.

Jessie

Stuck

Just got off the phone with Heather. God I love that girl! She and I are in the same sorry boat! We are just kinda stuck. Stuck in the past, stuck in this moment of grief, stuck in fear of the future. Just stuck. I don't know how we will get past it but I know we will. You can't stay stuck forever. Eventually the sun will come up enough times that we will somehow be forced to move forward... That's what I'm telling myself.

But I look around my house and I look at my life and I don't feel like I'm making much progress. In fact I'm in worse shape now than I was when my mom first died. It's not pretty in my head right now. I'm pretty much not okay. When people ask I say I'm okay because I think if I say it I will believe it but I'm really not okay at all.

My calenders in my house are still on the month of September. Everytime I try to change them I feel ill. I actually have a note on September 2nd that says "mom died". Who does that! But I can't turn the page. I still have her jewlery on the dresser and my jewlery is in a box somewhere. Again I try to move it and I can't. So it's there and I pick a different piece and wear it each day. Her purse is still sitting in the same spot it was the day she died. I can't move it. I did however take her driver's license and insurance card and social security card out and I carry it with me everywhere I go. It's my proof that she was here. It's like if I leave certain things in the same place then she can't be really gone.

I do the things I feel like I'm supposed to do. I decorate for the holidays, I buy presents, I send cards. It's like I'm trying to prove to people that Heather and I aren't giving up. That we are moving. That we will be okay. But I don't want to do any of it. I would be fine if there was no Christmas this year. In fact I would be fine if I didn't see a stupid Christmas tree but I pretend I enjoy it. Because I know I'm supposed to enjoy it. I know that the real me, the old me loved those things. I know that my mom loved those things. So I do it. And I smile and I laugh and I pray that somehow someway God will make the smiles real and the laughter joyful. Someday it will come back. Someday the real me will show up again....

But until then I'm kinda stuck!

Jessie

Free Phone

Okay who wants a free phone? Actually who wants a free prepaid T-Mobile to go phone or a free Cingular Go Phone? You can get the hook up at dealking.com! How awesome is that. They actually offer some other really great cash back deals that are worth checking out too. Gotta love the deals and you really gotta love the freebies.

Jessie

Busy

What a crazy busy day! I've driven all over the place today. About 250 miles anyways. Gotta love Kansas. Everything is so spread out! I'm just glad the day is over. I got 13 hours in today. That sucks but the good news is now I can get off work early on Friday. I'm going to my Aunt Betty's for the weekend and I wanted to leave early so I can miss rush hour. Now I'll be able too. That's the payoff to the craziness of today!

Jessie

Reviews

My anniversary date at my job is April 19th. That is also when my employee review is due. I remember this but my boss NEVER remembers this. Even when I start reminding her in advance it is still late. I've never had a review that was done on time. And that sucks. Your raise doesn't kick in until your review is completed and turned into HR. They will go back and pay you for the raise from the anniversary date but it still sucks. I just wish it could be done on time for once. So I'm thinking that for Christmas our office ought to kick in and get our boss some Employee Review Software. Maybe it would help her get the reviews done in a timely manner.

Adjusting?

I think I'm getting used to the butt crack of dawn gym visits. This morning the alarm went off at 5:15 and I got right up. No snoozing it, no trying to convince myself not to go. I just got up got ready and headed out. And then when I got to the gym it was really good. I was able to increase my weights on every machine! That makes me happy. I'm really starting to enjoy going. It makes me feel stronger and now that I'm starting to see results it makes it easier to keep going.

Jessie

Inspiration

Found a good site for some inspirational reading and music. Spiritual books and CD’s. are the speciality. They have a pretty wide selection of items. There are quite a few meditation and relaxation cd's that looked good to me. They also had a wide variety of books. They had children's books, eastern books, psychology books, and some Yoga books. I much rather read about Yoga then actually do Yoga!

The site appears to be fairly new. They have a section for clothing and jewlery that don't have any listings yets but hopefully will in the future. But it seems like they are off to a pretty good start with their books and cd's.

Jessie

Awkward

Okay I totally had an awkward encounter this evening. I ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and got delayed at the movie bin. Yes I know I should keep walking but it grabbed me and made me look and I found a great movie on sale for $4.88. And anyways this isn't about my finances....

I was at the movie bin and this guy totally starts ripping into his kid. He is yelling LOUD! And he said something about her being stupid and just went on for minutes and I was horrified. I walked around the bin to say something and saw who it was! It was one of my favorite professors when I was in undergrad. This guy teaches SOCIOLOGY classes! What in the hell!!! He knows better then to talk to a kid that way. I was pissed. And when he saw me he was embarrassed. He stopped yelling and said hi to me and tried to make small talk and I just smiled at his daughter and said good evening and then walked off. It was way awkward and inappropriate on his part. Very weird.

Jessie

Safety

Well my sister uses MySpace all the time. In fact about everyone I know under the age of 20 uses it. I think in a lot of ways it's great. Heck it can be really fun for kids. But one thing I'm starting to notice is that it can cause some problems. Some of the kids on my caseload have gotten into trouble with MySpace. Either they have posted inappropriate pictures or the big one is chatted with questionable people online. It makes me nervous and it makes a lot of other people nervous too. Internet safety is a big deal and ultimately it comes down to adults providing adequate supervision.

There is a great program out there called Spector Pro that can help parents monitor myspace chat. It's really amazing software that will record both sides of the conversation for review by the parents. It is the only monitoring software that will record every aspect of activity on MySpace. This software could really help parents keep their kids safe.

Jessie

-3

Well the working out is paying off! I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm happy with that. I'm not happy with Beta Blogger however. For some reason it won't let me change my ticker. I'll have to keep messing with that. It feels good to be losing now. Maybe Heather was right about the lifting weights. She said it would take awhile to show up but that it would really help me lose weight. Imagine that!

Jessie