Related to tech in the general sense, my e-reader! I absolutely LOVE my e-reader! I am so thankful for e-readers (physical and app forms)! Reading relaxes me and gives me a mental break from daily stresses like trying to leave the house with a toddler and an an infant. I would be so much closer to full blown crazy if it weren't for my e-readers.
Join us on our journey as a family and throw in the occasional deployment or drill.
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Thankfulness 2013: Day Thirteen and Fourteen
Alyssa is getting pretty sneaky. She can make two phone calls without my phone being unlocked. She has learned to navigate to the ICE list on the emergency dialer in the lock screen. So while I contemplate how to teach her to utilize things like that in an emergency for real, I am thankful that we have the technology we do. Beyond the complications that it can create for child proofing and safety, it is such an amazing set of resources. We can look up thousands of questions that our toddlers demand answers to. We can have endless entertainment options available at our fingertips. The most amazing thing to me though is along with the transfer of knowledge, we can transfer virtual lives. Our family and friends who may otherwise not get more than the Christmas card in a year, can keep up with our family including photos, daily rants, chats, and whatever else they may want to know depending on the tech form used. Phones provide a few ways to talk to people quickly. The Internet allows for video calls or photo swapping, and of course blogs share our stories easily. Such a wonderful tool!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Thankful November!
Every year starting November 1st, people across all forms of social media and the blogosphere begin posting at least one thing they are thankful for each day. I may be mistaken but this typically is linked to the U.S. holiday Thanksgiving held on the fourth Thursday of the month.
It is intended to make us search our daily lives and surroundings for the blessings in our life. To become aware of more than the aggravations, annoyances, and inconveniences that we already notice far more often than we should.
I participated last year and enjoyed it. I would like to invite you to join in this year! November 1-30, 2013 post at least one thing/reason you are thankful. Your day could be going to hell in a hand basket but one moment taken to find a blessing can bring you so much cheer and brighten the day.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Stolen Chances Blog Tour
Let's start with the fact that I adore Elisabeth Naughton. Aside from that, I wanted to let you know that Stolen Chances is available NOW! And if you haven't read them yet, pick up a copy of EACH Eternal Guardian Series books....On to the main event of the day:
Stolen Chances
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Find me at Amazon and Barnes and Noble! Check out your other favorite e-book sellers too! |
~*~*~*~
Nine years ago, Archaeologist Maren Hudson lost everything when a member of her team was killed during a routine dive. Now she’s been drawn back to Mexico and the career she walked away from in order to protect the most precious thing in the world: her daughter.
One desperate phone call brings salvage expert Thad Leighton back to Mexico. For his murdered brother, he’s ready to settle the score, but one look at Maren and everything changes. Years may have passed, but she’s still as mesmerizing as she once was, and a few days on site together have him questioning his priorities and why the hell he walked away from her so long ago.Sparks between them reignite, but Thad knows Maren is holding something back. Thrust together in the middle of the sweltering Yucatan, Thad is more than willing to strip away her layers. But while the truth might offer the second chance he’s been searching for, forgiveness may be as elusive as the relic they’re both hunting. Because when Thad unearths Maren’s biggest secret and discovers who she’s really working for, suddenly it’s not just about a life that was stolen from both of them, it’s about staying alive and outwitting a madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
~*~*~*~
If you see it out in the wild, let us know! Otherwise, you can grab your copy online at Amazon!
Get To Know Elisabeth!
~*~*~*~

Years ago,
my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With
The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat
and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer.
But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my
teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of
reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again.
Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my
own stories.
My writing
journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going
to write a book and voila! sell
my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to
publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d
given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the
way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by
lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in
my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier.
I’m one of
the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with
my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once
my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more
minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to
me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive
without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent
me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say,
thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly
wouldn’t be here without you.
~*~*~*~
Visit Elisabeth and the Guardians!
Thanks to Enchantress of Books for including me in this tour! I love Elisabeth's books and was thrilled to participate!
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Enchantress of Books Blog Tours |
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
My New Column Badge ---->
You may have noticed a new badge on my side column. The Promotional Spotlight Tour for Elisabeth Naughton's book Stolen Chances has begun! Though my stop isn't until the 22nd (come back and see me!), you are absolutely welcome and encouraged to check in with Elisabeth and get to know some of her other books by swinging through Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and your choice of book stores!
I love her Eternal Guardian's series and am (impatiently) waiting for the next book in the series! I've just got my hands on Stolen Fury (the first in the Stolen series) and am very excited to meet more characters to enjoy!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Meal Planning 101...201...ummmm
It just isn't easy flipping through the recipe book every week trying to figure out what we should eat and when. Using my marker board on the fridge was a great first step to getting us out of the last minute 'what do we have in the pantry' crunch. What I really disliked about my otherwise enjoyable process of planning out meals that didn't feel like they were too repeated, was the constant erasing and reworking for about 40 minutes when I'd find a different meal to plug in. This doesn't include when plans during the week change and a meal needs to be rescheduled or cancelled completely.
So in walks Pinterest and a random pin that caught my eye with its post-it abundance....
Here is a sample week in the planning. Can you see how this might make that revamping worthwhile already? Too many beef meals in the week? Pull and replace! Have too many things on your schedule one day to cook something longer than 20 minutes? Pull and swap until you've got everything looking just how you want it! The laminated sheets make it simple and the post-its stay reusable this way also! If you still prefer markers, they'll erase off of this easier than my cheap marker board on the fridge after the couple years I've had it.
Rather than the categories on the side, I chose to change it from Lunch/Dinner to Meal Ideas, along with Breakfast, Salads/Appetizers, Drinks, Desserts, and Snacks pages. On the Meal Ideas pages (4 of them) I changed the interior categories to various categories that suited my family. I am sure this will change over time as this is a new system to me still and I'll refine it as I go.
I've printed and laminated the calendar pages as well and will include it into my own binder Command Center. I'll figure out what else needs to go into it as I go along but I am already LOVING this system so much more than where I was previously! Thank you Ursula at Home Made by Carmona!
Friday, April 26, 2013
LOVE IT!
No really, I love this....
Ready?
Set...
OMG ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?!?
I love Jason Good's stuff. I find him hilarious most of the time and at least amusing pretty much all the other times. I have no idea if this picture originated with him but it is vastly amusing and no less than honest truth.
Ready?
Set...
OMG ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?!?
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Click here to visit the page I saw this on. |
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Good laughs and Best Parenting Message
Sorry for checking out on y'all for such a span of time! I'd like to make up for it by sending you on a reading adventure...Parental hilarity via comedian Jason Good. I have been crying due to how much laughter I've gotten out of this man's site this morning (not all of which was the pain that a c-section and laughter combined cause). Please take a few minutes to peruse his posts and remember your kids' (or brace yourself if they aren't at that age yet) antics at various young stages.
http://jasongood.net/
And for a dose of seriousness that I completely needed after over two weeks of crazy (and expected) toddler rebellion to all the changes in her life:
http://www.iseeme.com/truly-engaging-with-your-child.html
We need a reminder sometimes (or everyday) that there must be times when it is OKAY to stop being the 'adult' and just make some amazing memories with our kids. Adventures and messes (OMG please no messes!) are necessary and FUN! They need to be embraced in childhood and parenthood or we've missed out on the biggest excitement that can be had at those ages! My Momma-ness cries for the missed opportunities already passed by but I'll be keeping this short article on a very prominent place to help me remember that messes can be cleaned so just make some on purpose!
http://jasongood.net/
And for a dose of seriousness that I completely needed after over two weeks of crazy (and expected) toddler rebellion to all the changes in her life:
http://www.iseeme.com/truly-engaging-with-your-child.html
We need a reminder sometimes (or everyday) that there must be times when it is OKAY to stop being the 'adult' and just make some amazing memories with our kids. Adventures and messes (OMG please no messes!) are necessary and FUN! They need to be embraced in childhood and parenthood or we've missed out on the biggest excitement that can be had at those ages! My Momma-ness cries for the missed opportunities already passed by but I'll be keeping this short article on a very prominent place to help me remember that messes can be cleaned so just make some on purpose!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Get Ready to MOVE! (with another sneak peek!)
Folks, I'm giddy.
Yes, between the euphoric high of finally having closed on our house, the painting, the project planning, AND furniture shopping because we now have two living spaces (living room and downstairs family room--soon to be overran with toys) with only one couch to our names, well, I have been in a planning/decorating state of giddy joy! Let's not forget that I am just eight days from having a son in the outside world rather than bouncing on my bladder on top of all this. (Oh shit...only 8?!)
My mom and aunt came down this weekend and tore through the house with rollers and brushes in hand and what we thought would be months of us working around furniture and kids became a project in the DONE list instead!! I had to run out and buy the paint for the other rooms when they got here because they tore through what we happened to have purchased for the two kids' rooms so FAST! Original plan was that Chris would be painting Alyssa's room this past weekend and we would be lucky to get that much done before moving everything tomorrow (Tuesday). In actuality, those two women showed up 3-4 hours from their homes and got Alyssa's room, Baby's room's base color, our room, dining room, hallway, and living room ALL painted! My contribution was sadly just taping what I could reach without use of a ladder/step stool, keeping a toddler as out-of-the-way as possible, and I got to help with the dots in her room too. So useless when you can barely catch your breath standing still!
Last night we went furniture shopping for the main living room so that we have seating for the various people that are already trying to plan trips down here to meet the little guy--yay...hostessing while fresh into recovery in a new place...Gah!-- Anyways, we found a great setup that I am loving! My husband loves that I stayed very much under budget (30-40% depending on if you consider taxes and delivery in the budget which he usually does not when he gives me a number to stick to) and still got him a recliner in the mix.
I'll get pictures up once we get them delivered and set up in the new house (and have internet over there!). I'd add the recliner in here but the pictures online are kind of awful and I can't find one that shows how well the 'leather' matches the other 'leathers' of these pieces...so y'all will have to wait with the baited breath I know you've got going. (HA)
In the meantime, bear with what will likely be a very sporadic next couple of weeks. I'll post updates as possible on the house. I'll certainly introduce y'all to our boy next week and hopefully it will be coherent while I'm on the lovely pain meds that I'm told accompany a c-section. Otherwise you may find a small craft post mixed in here and there from my folder of to-be-posted stuff just waiting to be shared with y'all. The big move begins tomorrow so the next few days will be CRAZY HECTIC and hopefully super fun too! I'll see y'all when I get internet up at the house!
*Photo credit: Love seat and Sofa
*Photo credit: Coffee Table
**We got all our pieces at Ashley but their site didn't have all of them pictured for me to share directly from them. I have not been asked by anyone at any company to share their products with my audience and do so only because of my own excitement at a new home purchase and love of decorating!
Yes, between the euphoric high of finally having closed on our house, the painting, the project planning, AND furniture shopping because we now have two living spaces (living room and downstairs family room--soon to be overran with toys) with only one couch to our names, well, I have been in a planning/decorating state of giddy joy! Let's not forget that I am just eight days from having a son in the outside world rather than bouncing on my bladder on top of all this. (Oh shit...only 8?!)
My mom and aunt came down this weekend and tore through the house with rollers and brushes in hand and what we thought would be months of us working around furniture and kids became a project in the DONE list instead!! I had to run out and buy the paint for the other rooms when they got here because they tore through what we happened to have purchased for the two kids' rooms so FAST! Original plan was that Chris would be painting Alyssa's room this past weekend and we would be lucky to get that much done before moving everything tomorrow (Tuesday). In actuality, those two women showed up 3-4 hours from their homes and got Alyssa's room, Baby's room's base color, our room, dining room, hallway, and living room ALL painted! My contribution was sadly just taping what I could reach without use of a ladder/step stool, keeping a toddler as out-of-the-way as possible, and I got to help with the dots in her room too. So useless when you can barely catch your breath standing still!
![]() |
I don't think the living room will ever photograph right...so trust me when I say I LOVE how it turned out. Legacy UL250-22 (Behr) |
Last night we went furniture shopping for the main living room so that we have seating for the various people that are already trying to plan trips down here to meet the little guy--yay...hostessing while fresh into recovery in a new place...Gah!-- Anyways, we found a great setup that I am loving! My husband loves that I stayed very much under budget (30-40% depending on if you consider taxes and delivery in the budget which he usually does not when he gives me a number to stick to) and still got him a recliner in the mix.
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Couch |
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Love seat |
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Hubby's favorite: Coffee table with 4 stools (extra seating!) |
In the meantime, bear with what will likely be a very sporadic next couple of weeks. I'll post updates as possible on the house. I'll certainly introduce y'all to our boy next week and hopefully it will be coherent while I'm on the lovely pain meds that I'm told accompany a c-section. Otherwise you may find a small craft post mixed in here and there from my folder of to-be-posted stuff just waiting to be shared with y'all. The big move begins tomorrow so the next few days will be CRAZY HECTIC and hopefully super fun too! I'll see y'all when I get internet up at the house!
*Photo credit: Love seat and Sofa
*Photo credit: Coffee Table
**We got all our pieces at Ashley but their site didn't have all of them pictured for me to share directly from them. I have not been asked by anyone at any company to share their products with my audience and do so only because of my own excitement at a new home purchase and love of decorating!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
The Blogging Adventure....probably taking a backseat.
I've been at a loss on how to keep up with my blogging over the next month or so...It might get pretty sporadic around here but I'm determined to not let it get dropped altogether. I'll try to keep up with updates of our holiday, birthdays, moving, and a birth (of course with an introduction to the new man as well). Bear with me through the crazy hectic life that is our December/January...
We are still in the process of planning exactly how our holiday will go this week plus the toddler birthday next weekend paired with house closing and painting and moving beginning next weekend as well! I think Christmas is going to be the easiest part of this season since we aren't able to travel to family for it.
As exciting as all of these changes are, I can assure you that we are just short of overwhelmed when we look at a calendar. It is going to be a little bumpy packing it all into less than a month but at least we will be super motivated by deadlines...HA
So if you could spare a little extra patience with my gaps in posts, I promise I'll try my best not to leave y'all hanging for full weeks at a time!
We are still in the process of planning exactly how our holiday will go this week plus the toddler birthday next weekend paired with house closing and painting and moving beginning next weekend as well! I think Christmas is going to be the easiest part of this season since we aren't able to travel to family for it.
As exciting as all of these changes are, I can assure you that we are just short of overwhelmed when we look at a calendar. It is going to be a little bumpy packing it all into less than a month but at least we will be super motivated by deadlines...HA
So if you could spare a little extra patience with my gaps in posts, I promise I'll try my best not to leave y'all hanging for full weeks at a time!
Friday, November 30, 2012
PSA: Follow me to a giveaway!
Wow! This blogger just keeps having the best giveaways for families! Build A Bear is a favorite of ours though we don't get to go too often....and during the Christmas season I've got to say we haven't been there so I didn't even realize they had classic Christmas characters!
Which brings us to today's PSA:
Piece Of Me is hosting a giveaway for the Rudolph and Clarice pair from Build a Bear! YAY!! Now go forth and enter!
UPDATE: This giveaway ends 12/14/2012 just for some FYI.
UPDATE: This giveaway ends 12/14/2012 just for some FYI.
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