The Story of My Life

I was looking back over my blog post this year so far, and I have really written NOTHING. I mean tech reviews and pictures aside- no personal reflections, no deep insights. NOTHING. Why is that? I do not sponsor or participate in Swaps. No contests, giveaways, author signings. No book reviews or giveaways. And my faithful blogger friends, you know I used to comment often. I used to spend hours a day catching up on your world. And what, may you ask, is the difference? I started this blog as a stay home mom. I worked in education for 13 years before my daughter was born. And have stayed home a bit off and on since. I was always used to working, having deadlines and needing an outlet for my creativity in some orderly fashion. Blogging was perfect for me. I felt compelled to write and produce for my, you know, hundreds of readers. AND I LOVED IT. Still do. If you didn't know, I joined the working world again this school year. I am a technology specialist! Yes, really, I am. And ALL m...

Guess Who????? Friday night I had the pleasure of meeting with a bunch of Helena Bloggers. We had a blast, shared stories and talked like old friends. It is nice to go out with people you feel comfortable and have things in common with. We laughed and laughed...and laughed some more. Meeting someone in real life that you communicate with daily through the blog world is a unique experience. I have been so blessed this past year to make these new friends. Can't wait until next time, Society of Helena Bloggers- unless it is craft night. I will bring my flute, my camera, of course.... and my perm rods, extra small. We can meet at my house for Rock Band and pizza. I won't be cooking it, of course. Take your charter member badge and post on your site PROUDLY if you want. UPDATE!!!!!!!! Here is one for ALL Helena Bloggers who attended the morning event, minus the night pics..... or if you didn't attend and wish you had. Sorry, didn't mean to leave anyone out!

I have been on a blogging break this past week with the hectic and busy life we have had. I do have lots of things to blog about, just can't seem to find the time to sit down and get it all down in words. -The results from the STOOPID family contest -Baby Girl's 5th birthday party and the Pinata Fiasco Fun- including photos, of course -Family Stories and some new Photography in my heirlooms collection- including an Ancestry.com review and geneaology update -1st annual BLOGGERFEST FUN!!!! -My son's first official vandalism act and ensuing punishment And more.... Stay tuned. More to come this weekend and the upcoming week!!! In the meantime, Dustbunny........ THIS IS FOR YOU!!!!!

We visited Colorado on our family vacation for 2008 and it was one of the best trips ever. As I researched for my blog posts AFTER my trip, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a really neat, creative guy from Colorado that I have since become a huge fan of.... Steve, the Colorado Guy. "My name is Steve and I live in Buena Vista, Colorado. This web site started as an itty -bitty little web site in 2000, and slowly but surely it grew in traffic and became a massive hobby of mine. This web site is my excuse to explore the mountains , photograph Colorado scenery and visit new places as much as possible." If you have not checked him out thus far in your time in blogosphere , please do. I am sure you will become a fan and regular visitor to his many sites of interest as well. Whether it be to read about his: Biking Across America , (AN AMAZING FEAT and story.....) Quest for ALL the High Points in the US , Altitude Snob list , Dunkin donuts page, BEAUTIFUL pictures of fourt...

On January 7th it will be my ONE YEAR BLOG anniversary. I asked my husband how many posts he thought I had done in one year and he said, oh maybe 150 or so. I said OK, so I won't tell you the real number. ....... 307 . And 1800 pictures or so in my Album at Picasa. Crazy to some!! Perfectly normal for me. So to celebrate my Blog anniversary, here is a tribute to myself. Well, to my blog. I really can't imagine not having a blog and wonder why I waited so long to start one. In the beginning, I wrote more thoughtful, actual creative writing pieces. Since I have been working a real job other than blogger lately, it has evolved into a diary of such, but I do intend to write some more reviews, ponderings and reflections in the new year. I have met some amazing friends through the blogging world, and actually many of them in real life. I have received gifts, encouragement and true friendship from bloggers that have made my life much richer in the past year, although I have had to lim...

Check out the new blog about the Helena gnome hunt! Hewy, premiere Helena blogger, is once again up to his fun. Be sure to tune in..... WAIT. DON'T! I don't think it will be any fun ..... Just kidding. Come on out and play with us. We can handle the competition. My family and I are gonna, hopefully, add another notch to our gnome belt. Or garden. Here is my newest addition- I got him today from a new real life friend. I got the honor of meeting....the GNOME MASTER himself!!! Quite an honor. Thank you, my new friend. I shall name him Blogger, for the person who got me hooked on Helena blogging and shares my love for gnome hunts as well. I hope the Christmas gnome will be joining him this weekend.

I made a real life friend that I feel like was my friend for a long time now anyways. Dust Bunny Hostage and I were able to meet and chat as our paths finally crossed over the Thanksgiving holiday. She is such a fun friend in the virtual world, and in real life as well. We could have chatted for HOURS AND HOURS. It was such fun to chat, confide and yes, sadly, leave with a hug. I know we will meet again. Soon. I even called Leigh to brag and we all decided to plan a spring Alabama blogging convention so we can all mix and mingle! Leigh called me a name for forgetting my camera.... CAN YOU BELIEVE I left it at my mother's on the counter while going to meet a celebrity like Dustbunny????? Bunny had hers, thank goodness, so we could record our meeting. Bunny said she had Farrah Fawcett hair in these, but I love them and I love my now real life friend as well Baby girl also took some of us with my Blackberry they were cute too.... A perfect Thanksgiving treat.... I really am Thankful...

I have a blogger friend, Leigh, who I have been doing some graphic work for her blog in the last several months. She is a shining Christian blogger that has a gift for communicating. I have always been happy to contribute to her blog and ministry. She has sent me really cool purses in the mail in return for my services. She recently wanted a few more things done to her blog. I agreed to help her. Let me step back and say..... As my blog readers know, we started on a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace plan for our family recently. We have budgeted every dollar the rest of the year and I do not find it impossible. just constraining and different and really NO FUN in the short run. Believe me, the first months on this plan are anything but peaceful. We have COMPLETELY changed our spending, giving and budgeting lifestyle- for the better, I may add- from the past 19 years of our marriage. We are not starving and have more than everything we need. So I do not mean to say that we are- just that chan...

I am so excited! I have a follower!!!! Follow me! Follow Me. Not literally, because I will get you lost if driving, just ask my son and husband about finding Oak Mt. football game last night. I had been there before, only a few weeks ago and still got lost. I passed the exit on my way to work last week and went 10 miles- YES I SAID 10 MILES- past it before I realized it. In my own little lala land. That is 20 miles out of the way total for you smarty pants math folks. My son had to get me to the bank when we first moved to Tampa. He would say, "Mom, this is not the way the bank was last time. Turn here!!!" Did I mention he was 6 at the time??? Oh, believe me, I could go on about my spatial realtions learning disability. But I won't. So FOLLOW MY BLOG, FOLLOW MY BLOG. NOT ME........

Thank you, Leigh ....My Friend. She honored so many of us with this award. I Love so many of her friends as well. Dust Bunny Hostage has been one of my favorites of late, as has Drama Mama and her redneck fun. (I don't mean she is a redneck....go check it out....she just likes to make fun of 'em) So check out these 3 blogging buds of mine- you can always find some fun and friendship at their places! Thanks Leigh.....lunch soon!!!! See ya at the ball field!

Granted, I do not know Hal Woodman in real life, but if you ask me, I will tell you many noteworthy things about him and still tell you he is a close friend of mine.....that I communicate with daily. He is sincere in his love for Helena and his desire to see only the best things happen to our amazing little home. He is intelligent, creative, logical and open to new ideas and changes. He is an outside-the-box thinker who makes things happen. I mean, come on, who else can get me out in below freezing weather to hunt a plastic gnome . He has a great sense of humor and that is VERY important in life. He is a dedicated, family-oriented man who can iron clothes, make cool photoshop and video things and still find time to Hang out at Incahoots and write important news. He sleeps way too little. I can go on about the things I have learned about Hal in the past year, but will stop there. Please remember, Helena is a wonderful place to call home and we need to make sure we change and grow as n...

I have been out and about more lately and met lots of new friends. No, I do not mean new bloggers - I do have a real life. I met THE COOLEST guy at a meeting yesterday- a friend of a friend who actually knew me from my blog. Turns out he is a FAMOUS writer and actor. Oh, man,- I thought I was the famous blogger in the house! So hello out there to my new friend! Let's meet up again in real life soon. I googled you and saw your book info- MAN- you are really smarter than I thought! And, it was such a pleasure to meet you, I may add. You made me laugh and made that rather uneventful meeting lots more fun. And I am here, in your "office" waiting to hook up the projector. Where are you????? And I finally got all that COOKIE OUT. Hope to see you soon, my new friend. Over BonJovi and a DP......diet for you.

http://eghopper.blogspot.com/2008/07/tv-theme-song-challenge.html Head on over to my cuz Emm's blog and take her TV movie theme challenge. She has crafted a montage of the songs- 23 of them for you to identify. I just did a quick listen and have only 11 that I knew right off the bat.....so I am gonna go again and see if any more come to me before posting my response. She does cool stuff with her obsessive listing......on of her 6 UNSPECTACULAR quirks. Check it out.

I WON !!! A Bloggy Giveaway!! Thank You Bunny Bungalow!! http://thebunnysbungalow.blogspot.com/ And also made a new Bloggy friend. Like I need more blogs to obsessively read each day. I LOVE BLOGGING!! And free stuff.

No one even noticed my new layout. And let me just tell you 2 things: 1. I didn't mean to do it. 2. It took me several hours to fix one mistake. I am a technology specialist, yes I am. But even tech specialists click on "save new template" accidentally and undo all the hard work they have done setting up a blog for the past 7 months. Therefore, since I was back to Minima template with all my customization gone and had to start over anyways, I did a totally new template. I wanted a 3 column- not this particular three column but another one that I still have not perfected. So bear with me during this blog identity crisis. And feel free to comment your likes and dislikes. I may not listen, but welcome your opinions. I know just enough HTML and CSS to really screw things up and am obsessive enough to spend hours figuring out how to fix it. So, am designing new buttons, headers to my hearts content.....for the DREAM BLOG on the DREAM template. In the mean time, I am going to...

As you can see, after the excitement of 2 weeks of vacation, my life has kinda been a bit boring. Well, as boring as a mom of 2 kids like can be. I realized all my posts, since July 4th had been very impersonal..... That is because we haven't done anything!!! We have been hanging out with Princess and CO. and letting the kids play. I have been trying to get my house organized so as when I am no longer a stay home mom, we can survive. And Baby girl has had asthma problems since returning from my brother's for the 4th- so we have stayed indoors, to keep her cool and not coughing. So I play school, glitter glue and paint with her and while she rests, I have been Photoshopping and writing technical, informative blogs.......and reading other blogs. So, I am still here, living life, but as Leigh said, the blogging world is in a rut in my corner as well. But lots to report soon! Little Man and Football for the first time. Baby Girl and DANCE CAMP!!! Should be cute!! A review of my f...

I am so honored to be able to guest host the ever popular, world famous NO SLEEP in HELENA Blog this weekend while HEWY tries to get some sleep....... Check out what I contribute to No Sleep in his absence. Hurry Back, Hewy! We miss you.

My friend, whom you have all known as Princess.....you know, the one we were pregnant at the same time, our kids are the same age....had major sinus problems and missed BonJovi ..... You know the one....my best friend. I have introduced her to blogging on a girls sleepover..... and she is HOOKED already. Give her some Bloggy love. Leave a comment because you all know how exciting comments are..... and give her some encouragement to keep on blogging- since it is such good exercises for the mind and soul. http://www.mysweet3.blogspot.com/ BTW...her blog design by....me!

Neat little Spiral Bound book with cute patterns and ideas. Not for the person who made a D in Home EC 1, LIKE ME! So my bloggy friends get to benefit from my domestic handicap. If you'd like to win this book, JUST...... ......leave a comment and in a week, a will have my daughter randomly choose a winner!!! Sew U Home Stretch: The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics by Wendy Mullin & Eviana Hartman (ISBN 0316118370) Product Description: Looking to give your wardrobe some pizzazz? Start sewing! Like knitting before it, sewing is being reclaimed by a new generation, one that celebrates individual creativity.Fresh on the heels of her first book, Sew U, which focused on sewing with woven fabrics, Wendy will now teach the creatively inclined how to make perfect t-shirts, dresses, and hoodies, all with soft knit fabric. She'll take your sewing to the next level, providing step-by-step instructions (both for sewing with a serger and without) and patterns directly from...

Once again, my blogging is making me happier. I am getting a Mother's Day present from my friends at Hachette Books !!! I got an email from Valerie that said: On behalf of Hachette Book Group USA, I would like wish to you a glorious Mother’s Day. In honor of your ongoing dedication to our books and this very special day, we’ve put together an exclusive & exciting medley of our newest titles especially for Mother’s Day, which I’d like to send to you as a gift. Our Mother’s Day Book Package includes: Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet (ISBN 031601477X) Your Best Life Now For Moms by Joel Osteen (ISBN 0446581003) How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger by Charla Krupp (ISBN 0446581143) Bobbi Brown Living Beauty by Bobbi Brown (ISBN 0821258346) Kim Cattrall Sexual Intelligence by Kim Cattrall (ISBN 031600541X) Sew U Home Stretch: The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics by Wendy Mullin & Eviana Har...