Bachelorette Party Anyone?

With Cinderella getting married early next year I have become interested in different aspects of putting a wedding together. Not that I would want all that work, but looking at all the dresses, gowns, reception areas and such can be quite fun.

Cinderella will be having her bachelorette party in Las Vegas. I am not quite sure where Tango's bachelor party will be, but I am sure it will be a fun and exciting place. There is such a bevy of ideas and places to do and go. I ran across Redseven. Based in the UK, Redseven arranges Hen parties and Stagg weekends for brides and grooms. What is this you ask? Well Hen parties and Stag weekends are the European equivalent to Bachelorette and Bachelor parties except on a slightly higher scale. Instead of a one-night party, the occasion usually involves a weekend stay.

Redseven even will arrange a Hen party or Stag weekend almost anywhere in the world. The bride and groom and their guests will be treated to the best of hotels, restaurants and other accommodations. Redseven can tailor a party to exactly what the customer is looking for and they offer many different packages. They also can arrange Christmas parties, company parties and extreme sporting parties.

I do not think Cinderella and Tango will be going quite this far. I do think it serves as an interesting idea for bachelorette or bachelor party or as they are called in Europe, Hen parties and Stag weekends.

It is Too Darn Hot!

Last night I was sitting watching the weather on the news. They said the weather would cool off to 88 degrees. I am sure a lot of you are laughing at that, but considering it was, right around 101 degrees yesterday it will be a nice change.

There is not really a fall season here in the desert southwest. Usually it goes from freakin' hot to sort of hot. That being said we do get some nice days in the so-called fall and spring and sometimes it actually gets cold enough for freeze warnings and then if we are lucky it snows every now and then. Now I am sure not anyone reading this in Minnesota agrees with the "lucky" part, but snow is a novelty here.

Lately I have been wishing I lived somewhere cooler. A place with grass and trees without stickers on the branches would be nice. Of course, it would have to be free of biting insects, high humidity, and smog. Therefore, I guess that rules out Florida, Louisiana, and California. I would not want to live in a big city like New York or Chicago. Sometimes I would like to live on a farm in the Midwest or a cabin in the mountains, but there is snow.
                                                                                  Lots of snow.

No extreme cold just might be worse than extreme heat.

Well this is just a thought. I do not think I am going anywhere soon. But I can dream. Maybe I will win the lottery or inherit a large amount of money from a rich relative (of which I do not have). As I said, I can dream. If you love where you live, please tell me. I would like to hear about it.

As for now I guess I will just settle with heat and blinding sunshine.

Finding the Perfect Website Host

Recently I thought about taking this blog and hosting it on my own site. Since I wanted to do reviews, I found out that I could not do them on my wordpress site since it is against their policies and doing them could result in my blog being deleted. The thought of all that work and effort being lost was not very appealing to me. That is one reason why I moved all of the content here to Blogger.


I did a lot research on the internet about web hosting sites. I found Web Hosting Geeks. They reviewed the top ten web hosting sites. Web Hosting Geeks ranks each site from one to ten. They included features, bonus features, prices and user reviews.

There is also web hosting awards for Best Budget Web Hosting, Best Blog Web Hosting, and Best Email Web Hosting and so on. You can visit Web Hosting Geeks and read the awards for yourself.

I found Web Hosting Geeks very helpful in my search for a web host. It was easier to compare features, prices and I always like to read actual user reviews on any product I plan to purchase.

If you are in need of web hosting you should check out Web Hosting Geeks. They have done all the footwork for you making it easy to find the right web host for your blog or website.

I can't help it.

Sorry, I am watching Dancing with the Stars. I love dancing and I just have to watch this show. So far I like Aaron and Donnie. Ashley and Tom I think your days are numbered!

What do you think?

The Lone Cucumber

Corvette and I planted a garden this year. We planted a little late and since we live in the Desert Southwest it has been pretty hot. We managed to harvest a few varieties of peppers, cherry tomatoes and radish. We planted cucumbers, bell peppers, snap beans, carrots, spinach and green leaf lettuce, none of which produced. But, now that it is cooling off a bit we seem to have a resurgent in the garden. Yes!


When we planted, I told Corvette that we have to thin things out. But, no he would not let me thin and he would not either. Soooo, we did not get a good harvest. Well I will be taking control next year. Corvette's attitude is to plunge in no matter the cost. Ok, well that did not work out so well.

Currently we have one cucumber growing. As far as Corvette is concerned you would think we are feeding the world with ONE cucumber! Like I said I am taking control.

It is Hard Being a Landlord

Since we built our new home last November we are renting out our first home. Last week the cooler went out at the rented house so Corvette had to go and attempt to fix it. Before moving into our new house we lived at the former house for over twenty years so Corvette new pretty well how to fix things. Well it did not work this time and he is done with climbing the roof. After all, we are not so young anymore and it is dangerous for him to climb roofs.


Well after figuring out what was wrong Corvette decided to hire someone to fix the cooler. This got me thinking about just finding a property management company to take over the repairs and whatever other issues come up with the house. This would take the pressure off of us and we would not have to worry about any future problems that might occur. Hopefully we will be able to sell the house, but of course the market is not good right now, so we have to wait.

I looked into property management and found Real Property Management online. They are a full service management company that can help single property owners like us or multiple unit owners. They also are the recipients of awards in their field like "Franchise of the Year Honorable Mention" award. They have also been mention in Midwest Bizjournal of Cincinnati and Columbus.

Real Property Management is currently managing over 20,000 units all over the country. They are also a member of the National Association of Residential Property Managers. Real Property Management signed with Freddie Mac to manage the new REO Rental Initiative.

I think this a great solution for landlords. If you are like Corvette and me, look into property management. It is just one way to make life a little easier.

New Advertising Campaign for the Marines

On 9.19.09 the Marines will launch a new advertising campaign designed to portray what it takes for America's youth to answer the call to become one of the few and one of the proud. The campaign is called 'What it Takes' and is a prequel to the 'America's Marines' campaign which was launched in January of 2009.


Boot Camp is a very grueling and intense 13 weeks where the individual is basically broken down only to be shaped and then built back up to become someone deserving the title of US Marine. The title is not just given out it is earned.

I never went through boot camp but LCpl Honda has spoken to me about it many times. These young men and women deserve such respect for making it through boot camp. As does every other person in all military branches.

There is a teaser video on Our.Marines.com and you can read more about the campaign.

Thanks Crafty for bringing this to my attention!

Military Monday - Task Force Born 9/11 Still Guards NY

I came across this article today on Military.com. The New York National Guard has a task force that has guarded New York City since 9/11. It was actually formed on September 11th, 2001. Joint Task Force Empire Shield is an active-duty force of 280 and some of the people have been on the force since day one.

One of those soldiers is Staff Sgt. Michael Wilson, who joined the Army because of the tragic events on 9/11. He was 19 years old at the time. He has spent most of his career with Empire Shield which includes a deployment to Iraq. He is shown here outside of Penn Station.

Empire Shield's mission is to provide homeland security and to support civilian authorities, as needed. They patrol randomly to keep the enemy off guard. They perform missions, such as patrolling John F. Kennedy International Airport, La Guardia Airport, Penn Station and other mass transit hubs. They join New York State Naval Militia and Coast Guard reserve colleagues on boats bought with homeland security money released after 9/11. They also conduct foot patrols in and around airports and nuclear power facilities.

It is nice to know this special unit is watching out for us. Please read the full story of Empire Shield.

Sunday Brunch

My son, LCpl Honda is returning to his base to prepare for his upcoming deployment next week. As I have mentioned, he will work in combat cargo. His job is to unload helicopters which includes supplies and/or people. He along with his fellow Marines and of course the Navy will be cruising the high seas. He is going to see many parts of the world. I know this will be a great adventure for him and I will update his progress. What is my job? Well, I get to make sure his bills are paid and babysit his car. Corvette and I will drive out this week and see him off. Then since a one way car rental is so expensive me and Corvette have to caravan back. It is only a six hour drive so I guess it will be okay. I am looking forward to seeing the carrier leave with all the fanfare. I am not looking forward to my son being gone for months. I guess that is normal.

I have a new post up at Parent's Zone. It is about a organization that is trying to have a flag Congressional and military sanctioned to Honor and Remember all who have given their life for our country. It would also be a visible sign to each American. Please go and sign the petition to make this flag possible.

So the recipe for today is of course Lasagna in honor of LCpl Honda's birthday this past week I do not make it from scratch but it always turns out good. It is one of his favorite dishes and it is also a Christmas Eve tradition for our family. We always partake of Lasagna on Christmas Eve and then enjoy a traditional dinner on Christmas Day of turkey, ham, stuffing mashed potatoes... Needless to day we have lots of leftovers to feast on for the following week. I do fear that this year will be a little tougher than past years with LCpl Honda gone and Lolly Pop Kid in Heaven. It have been tough but we do have our new additions, Fuzzy and Wuzzy.

Lastly, why am I back here on blogger? Well let's just say that there are some things I can not do on wordpress. So here I am.

My Lasagna

1 pound hamburger

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1 can spaghetti sauce

1 box of no boil lasagna noodles

15 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz mozzarella cheese

pinch of onion powder

pinch of garlic powder

Brown the hamburger and sausage. Add the sauce and reserve about a 1/4 a cup for later. Start with a layer of meat. Add a layer of ricotta by drops. Layer noodles on top. Add extra sauce to cover noodles. Continue this until you have two to three layers or whatever you desire. Finish with a layer of mozzarella on top. Cover with foil and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

I Remember 9/11

I think everyone remembers what they were doing on September 11th 2001. Getting ready for work this morning and watching the images on TV really took me back to that day. I once again felt the shock, disbelief and the overwhelming sadness over the events that I witnessed.

That morning in 2001 I was doing much the same as today. I was getting ready for work as I turn on the TV. The first plane Flight 175 had already crashed into the south tower and nobody was quite aware what had hit the tower at that point. I continued to get ready for work and Hippie Guy who was in high school at that point, was in the bathroom getting ready for school. I remember looking up and seeing the second plane Flight 11 crash into the north tower. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach and called to Hippie Guy. "Oh my God. I think we are under attack." We both just stared at the TV in horror.

It was a very fearful day to say the least, but then I realized I did not know what would happen to Cinderella. She was in the Army at that time stationed in Ft. Hood. I tried to get ahold of her all day and when I went to work I had my mom try. Finally later that night she called. She said the Post was on lock down that day and the only reason the let her off was to pick up Butterfly, who was a baby at the time. She did not know what would happen either so the days following 9/11 were still very scary and stressful for me.

One other event occurred on 9/11. LCpl Honda was to celebrate his birthday. As you might suspect our family did not celebrate that day. It took a couple of weeks before we did. LCpl Honda really wanted no part of it. Since them he had felt robbed of a normal birthday and the thought of all those people losing their lives in such a horrible way really weighs on him. He also shies away from telling people the date of his birthday because they usually react with, "Oh, I am so sorry!" Yea, that does not go over very well.

We he did something about it. He became a United States Marine.

He said, "Mom, no one's birthday is going to be ruined by terrorism again if I can help it.

I do believe he means it.

Happy Birthday LCpl Honda and Semper Fi to you!

Wordless Wednesday - 9/11

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Angel Tuesday

Today's Angel is Nicholas Aiden Laplante. Nicholas became an Angel on October 8th, 2008 fighting a battle with a brain tumor. He was fourteen months old.

Nicholas was sweet baby boy with a popeye smile and beautiful eyes. During his short time on earth he learned to say what, mom, dad, sis, quack, and no. He loved to ride his four-wheeler ride toy.

Nicholas is loved and missed by his mommy, Daddy and sister. Please add this family to your prayers and stop by their memorial for Nicholas.

Sunday Brunch

Yesterday, family and friends came together and we planted Lolly's tree. The week before, I prayed for cooler weather and that prayer was answered. I was a little worried a major storm might interrupted the planting but that did not happen. The tree was a little bigger than I expected. I have a VW bug. The tree is about 5 feet tall and it actually fit in my car. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. LCpl Honda dug the hole in the yard. Everyone arrived and we feasted on sub sandwiches and potato salad. Grandma M brought a carrot cake. Lolly loved baby carrots. Everyone took turns shoveling dirt into the hole. Then Butterfly and my friend's daughter, Big Brown Eyes helped Lolly's dad Tango make a well around the tree. Finally, we made a circle around Lolly's tree and said a prayer and asked God to bless the tree.

It was a wonderful day.

After the planting, I gave everyone a picture of Lolly's name in the sand.

I am posting our group picture, although we took many pictures that day. The rest I have chosen to keep private. I am also posting a picture of my dad, Grandpa DingDon, one of Lolly's namesakes. No recipe today. Yesterday was simple, kind of like a picnic. Everyone knows how to make a picnic. Yes?

We love you sweet boy. Donovan. Our Lolly Pop Kid.

I had to add this drawing, done by Butterfly, Lolly's sissy.

ps. The drawing was lying on my kitchen table today and my cat decided to walk on it. The blue background was done with pastel chalk. I just spent a whole bunch of time in my bathroom trying to wash the blue color off of my cat's feet. Fun.

Yea, I think that is all I have to say about that...

I am not ok either

My daughter Cinderella wrote this awhile back because she can hardly bear people asking her if she is ok.

Are you okay?

 A piece of my heart is gone forever, I am not okay.

I may smile, laugh and make jokes, but I am not okay.

The pain in my heart hurts so badly and I am not okay.

It is hard for me to get out of bed everyday, I am not okay.

I am able to function everyday, but I am not okay.

Sometimes I want to end it all and I am not okay.

How can I go through life without him, I am not okay.

I am not the same person I once was, I am not okay.

Some people say I am strong, but that does not mean that I am okay.

I am really weak inside and I am not okay.

I want him back so badly and I am not okay.

I pray to the Lord to give me strength, but I am not okay.

 

Please stop asking if I am okay.

I am not ok either.

I can not fix anything.

I would if I could.

I can not change anybody.

People do as they choose.

I still want to scream some days.

And I do.

I wish I could go back in time.

But I can not.

I wish for my family to heal.

But I know they never will.

I still have tears everyday.

I am afraid of the day I don't.

I can not change anything.

No, I am not ok either.

Looking Forward to Saturday

This Saturday we will plant a tree for our Lolly Pop Kid. Our family and Tango's family will gather at our home and together we will plant an orange tree for Lolly.

I prayed to God that the weather would be a little cooler since the temperature has been around 106 degrees. I mean I really prayed. I just want everyone to be comfortable.  However, I did not ask for a hurricane. We do not get full-force hurricanes where we live but we do get some nasty storms from them. So I am hoping the weather will be nice and not drench us with rain all day on Saturday.

I am happy about receiving this photo. There is a woman in Australia writes the names of Angel children in the sand on a beach. She then photos them at sunset and uploads them to her blog. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. I cried when I say Lolly's photo. There appears to be a red halo over the sun. As I have said before, Lolly had wonderful flaming red hair. So everyone attending the tree planting will receive one of these photos. I think it will be a lovely addition.

The Perfect Dress For Mom

My daughter, Cinderella is getting married next January. I have been searching the Internet for a dress. I want something simple, yet elegant. I want to blend with the wedding party, but I do not want to match them. The wedding colors are watermelon and teal. I read somewhere that the Mother-of-the-Bride should look regal. I do not know about that. I just want to look nice and appropriate. Hippie Guy's wedding was very simple, preformed at Flower Child's mother's home, and I wore a simple, black dress. Cinderella's wedding will be at her church with a reception to follow. It will be an afternoon wedding. Corvette suggested I wear the dress I wore as Matron of Honor in my best friend's wedding. Ah, no.

So far, I found a few dresses I like. The first one is very simple but only comes in marine, a dark blue.

The second one comes in either a lighter blue color or a pale purple. I love the front of the dress but I am not sure of the back. There is not an option to view the back on the website.

 

 

 

The last one is as close to regal as I can find. The only drawback is this dress is knee length. I am not sure if I should wear knee length or floor length. I really like this dress. The color is called teal.

 

 

 

Since I need shoes I decided to visit Zappos.com. There is a wide selection of shoes for men, women, boys and girls. There is even a special section for bridal shoes. I like the 'Narrow your Choices' feature. You can search by styles, size, color, brand and even widths. I found a couple pairs of shoes that I like. I just can't wear really high heels anymore so these low-heeled sandals would do nicely. Especially since I intend to spend a good amount of time dancing at the reception!

 

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Angel Tuesday

Today’s Angel is Brianna Sharp. Brianna was a lively 7^th grader when last fall she was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a highly aggressive brain tumor. She went to heaven surrounded by her family on July 25, 2009.

Brianna loved running cross-country at school. She also played the flute in her school band and liked art.

Her father Matt said she had a contagious smile and laugh. She would laugh at his jokes even when they were not that funny.

Brianna kept a daily blog where she has chronicled her battle with cancer. She also describes her life with family and friends.

Brianna’s faith grew during her illness. She wore a cross, carried a rosary and said the Hail Mary. Many family and friends attended her 13th birthday party this past spring.

Brianna is loved and missed by her family, friends and all who knew her. Please say a prayer for Brianna and her family.

 

 

Please continue to pray for Lolly Pop Kid and our families. We now have answers as to why Lolly went to Heaven. I will not post that here. The information does not make me feel better. It just breaks my heart more and gives my brain more stuff to think about.

Today is also the start of Childhood Cancer Awarness Month.  This is near and dear to my heart because Butterfly once battled Leukemia and won! Please take a moment to think about the littlist warriors today and through the month.