Exceedingly Mundane

Feast Seventy-Seven
Friday, January 20, 2006

Appetizer
About how many times per day do you check your email? A lot. I bring it up first thing in the morning and leave it on all day, till I go to bed. I probably check at least once an hour, maybe more.

Soup
If you had the money to collect something really valuable, what would it be? I guess gold, I think the value never goes down. Probably a smart thing to collect!

Salad
Write a sentence using the letters of your favorite beverage. (Example: The egret admires.) Hmmm, this is hard! C-o-k-e …… Carry other keys everywhere? (The rules didn’t say it had to make sense!)

Main Course
If you could be on a game show, which one would you want it to be? Wheel of Fortune, I’d have a better chance at getting the answers than on Jeopardy 🙄

Dessert
Name 3 computer programs or web sites you would hate to be without. Hambones.org, Blingo, WordPress

I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of cooking since the holidays ended. I normally like to try new recipes, but so far this year, I’ve been cooking old standby’s and not trying anything new. Last night, I made a really quick and easy enchilada pie, which is a new recipe for me. It’s not low-fat, but it was fairly easy and we both liked it. It made enough for us for dinner last night, and leftovers for lunch today, so that is always nice.

Recipe included on the extended section… just click “read more” if you’re interested!

Read the rest of this entry »

Easy one today… I have so far been able to stay far away from the quicksand that is Ebay 😀

::eBay and PayPal::

Onesome: eBay– Is eBay your first stop when looking for something? …or your last place to go when you cannot find it anywhere else? Do you even use it? …and hey, have you scored anything choice there lately? No, I don’t use eBay and rarely look there

Twosome: and– while we’re at it: if you did your shopping online for Christmas, how did it go? Did things come in on time? Any significant failures? …and if you didn’t, will you consider trying online shopping sometime this year? I like to shop online and I did order several things at Christmas. Most of them were delivered in a timely manner, but Amazon.com seemed really slow this year. I think they were swamped and overwhelmed. My stuff arrived in time, and in perfect condition, but it took a lot longer than I thought. I ordered in what I thought was plenty of time (before 12/10) and my stuff got here around 12/21 or 12/22. I expected it in a week, not 11-12 days.

Threesome: PayPal– Online shopping and services can be somewhat of an adventure; is PayPal your choice as a payment option or do you prefer another method. …or do you shop locally or not at all? Don’t use PayPal. When I do order online, I just use a credit card.

The ladies at my favorite scrapbooking message board are really into doing quizzes and questionnaires on their new blogs lately, and they are being very sweet to tag me! I have been tagged twice lately, and I just logged on the message board and discovered I’d been tagged yet again. So, here’s another one! Jodi tagged me with a “5 Guilty Pleasures” list. Here we go!

Ground Rules: The first player of this “game” starts with the topic “5 Guilty Pleasures” and people who get tagged need to write an LJ (blog) entry about their 5 Guilty Pleasures as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next 5 people to be tagged and list their names.

My 5 Guilty Pleasures

1. The Computer/Internet – I spend far too much time on my computer and online all day. It is in my blood though, I have a degree in computer science and spent most of my working career working on computers. We have the Hambones website that I maintain, my blog that I update daily and all that goes with those (maintenance, updates, finding graphics, posting topics of interest, sizing and uploading photos, etc). I also surf several blogs per day, a couple of message boards, some cooking sites, and even play games every now and then. When I work on updated themes for my blog, I can easily spend 6-8 hours working on a new design. Definitely a guilty pleasure, but fairly useful as well. 🙂

2. TV – I have been a serious TV addict all of my life. As a child, I had two escapes – TV and reading. Both are still guilty pleasures. My sisters were older than me, gone by the time I started kindergarten, and there were no kids in my neighborhood my age. I grew up very alone, and found that TV and books filled my time quite nicely. Still do today!

3. Reading – see #2. I love to read, always have. I have really kicked it up in the last year or so on my reading pace, and I am really enjoying it. I could easily sit all afternoon and read. I try to get all of my “chores” done first, and normally only read at night. After the requisite TV shows have been watched, of course.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tidbits of random nothingness… that’s the tagline on my blog (or subtitle, I guess you could call it). Since I don’t really have anything to blather on about today (or any day, for that matter!), I’ll log a few random tidbits for the day. Not a whole lot else going on anyway. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, hardy har har. 😆

– I have been working on loading photos in the Photos section of Hambones. I have a huge backlog, way back to last November. Yes, that’s me, the poster child for procrastination. I hope to get them finished today, but it may be later in the week. In the mean time, there are now new/old pictures loaded from Ethan’s birthday party in November, Thanksgiving, Don’s first deer, misc Tim golfing pictures, and the Hammons family lunch in early January. Go check them out if you are a registered user (you’ll have to be logged in to view photos). I still have all the Christmas ones left to load, so don’t look for those quite yet.

– I bought 2 avocados Monday at the grocery store. They were firm, so not ripe and ready to peel. I had thought they would ripen in a couple of days, as long as I left them out. I even went ahead and put them in a brown paper bag, which I’ve done before (to hasten the ripening process.) So, I want to use them tonight with dinner, and they are still pretty firm. What to do… what to do? I did a Blingo search and found that some people said to add a banana or apple to the bag to help speed up the ripening. I have never done this before. Have you? Does it work?

– How often do you buy new pillows for your bed? You know, the ones you sleep on, not decorative or toss pillows? We seem to go through ours pretty quick, or at least Tim does. I try to wash them every month or two, but I still seem to be replacing them once or twice a year. How often do you get new ones? I must admit I’m more adamant about these after seeing that Oprah show about dust mites and how things are in our beds. That show really grossed me out.

– Coming soon… the story about my squirrel feeder. Yes, random nothingness for another day. I know you’re beside yourself with anticipation. 😛

I’ve been tagged again! Cindi at my SBA scrapbooking message board tagged me with this meme. I love these kinds of things, so I will answer here, and then tag 2 more ladies at SBA! Gotta keep these things alive 🙂

Something I keep hidden: Chocolate

Something that’s always on display: Family Pictures

One thing I will never throw away: Pictures of any kind

The best gift I have ever received: Tim and his love and devotion

An unusual thing in my purse: Hmmm, my purse is pretty normal. I just started carrying Purell hand sanitizer with me, that’s probably the most unusual thing (not very though!)

Something that’s always in my trunk: I don’t have a trunk in my SUV. But there’s always jumper cables underneath the cargo panel.

Something I never want to run out of: Toilet Paper. Milk. Food. 🙂

My favorite pair of shoes: my Ascics tennis shoes

Something I never take off: my wedding band

Something I sleep with every night: gotta be Tim 😀

Something that triggers a memory: pictures trigger the strongest memories for me. Smells and sounds sometimes, but I have an atrociously bad memory, so pictures are the best bet

Something my children fight over: N/A, no kiddos here

One thing that’s on my wishlist: my lifelong dream is to go to England and Scotland

Something I’m embarrassed to admit I like: that I’d rather dip my fries in mayo than ketchup 🙄

Something I collect: scrapbook supplies, cookbooks

Something I avoid at all cost: Snakes

Let’s see….and I tag 2 other ladies at SBA… Michelle and Diane

What’s that old cliche about something being “for the birds”? Does it mean it’s trivial or not worthwhile? Might have to go look that one up.

I had a busy day yesterday, and got a lot done. Today is a little more laid back. For one, it’s raining and grey and dreary and totally bleak here today. You look out the window and it’s the picture of a gray, rainy, winter day. Tim is not feeling well, he pulled a muscle in his neck while he was sleeping, or slept funny on it, and now he can barely move his neck. Poor thing, I never know what to do when he’s not feeling well. He doesn’t like to be bothered or fussed over.

OK, back to the title, this post is “for the birds”. Literally, not figuratively. My backyard was a virtual bird sanctuary yesterday afternoon. At one time, I counted 6 cardinals perched in my bradford pear tree. My bird feeders are nearly empty (well, the seed one, they don’t like the new suet one, more on that later). I need to refill them, but it’s raining and I think I’ll wait till the rain has passed.

I am still trying to learn to use my new camera Tim got me for Christmas. It has a lot more zoom, which I love, and more features. I feel like I should be getting better pictures, but so far I am getting a lot of blurry ones. I tried to take pictures of my birds yesterday afternoon, but I was at full zoom, standing inside the house (trying not to move and scare them and make them fly away), and shooting pictures through a mildly dirty window. So, I guess they could have been worse. Most of them are blurry… a few came out pretty good. Here’s the first one, and the others are in the extended entry.

Two cardinals, chatting, I guess!!!!

Read the rest of this entry »

Obviously, a no-brainer that I would do this meme. Considering I’m this huge TV addict. The only problem with this meme is narrowing down 10 shows!

10 Favorite Current Shows

{in no certain order, that’s too hard to pick them IN ORDER}

1) Lost
2) 24
3) NCIS
4) Survivor
5) Amazing Race
6) Battlestar Galactica
7) Without a Trace
8) House
9) Numb3rs
10) Monk

Honorable Mention: 7th Heaven (just through May, it’s the last season), Criminal Minds, CSI, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Threshold (if they would renew it, but I think it’s been cancelled)

Katelyn Ray:

Gail and Jeremy sent us some pictures over the weekend. Yeah! Jeremy also has an adorable website set up for Katelyn, and it has some great photos and also some videos he shot with his camcorder. I have loaded the pictures of Katelyn Ray in her photo album on Hambones.org. I still have so many other photos to load though, I’m about 3 months behind now! {My apologies that the pictures from Ethan’s birthday party, Thanksgiving, December, Christmas, January, the Hammons family dinner, Don’s first deer, etc are not loaded yet. I hope to get time to work on those this week.}

Click the extended entry below to see a couple of more pictures, and go to Katelyn’s website and the Hambones photo section to see the rest!

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, January 16, 2006

Good Monday to you all! Let’s fill in the blanks! As always, I want to thank you for playing my meme! =)

1. Before I walk out the door, I always check to make sure I have my keys and have all the appliances turned off.
2. I can’t seem to catch up on my filing :cry:.
3. The one surface in my house that always seems to get cluttered fast is the kitchen table.
4. If I sleep past 10 AM, I feel that I’ve slept in too late.
5. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to catch up on reading my magazines.
6. I hope to have my income taxes done by early March.
7. This year I’d like to make more time for reading.

I say … and you think … ?

Paralyzed:: can’t move
Bossy:: pushy
Worth:: value
Breathing:: apparatus
Uneventful:: nothing going on
Return:: to sender
Splint:: cast
Notice:: see (as in pay attention to)
Hero:: military
Vulnerable:: a word Tim has trouble with 😛

I was so looking forward to the games this weekend, and so far, I have not been very pleased. Well, I wasn’t picking anyone in the Seattle game, but I was glad they won. Same for the Patriots/Broncos, although I was pulling for the Broncos (Tatum Bell helped me out a lot in my fantasy league). I thought it was about time that the Patriots didn’t go to a Super Bowl, and mostly, I wanted Peyton and my beloved Colts to have a chance to go and win. WELL. That fervent wish was just dashed. It was tight there at the end, and after I had given up, they got the ball back and had a chance to tie it up and go into overtime and then Vanderjagt missed that kick. I’m beyond despondent.

Off to watch “da Bears” as Suzie calls them, and I guess root for them. Tim, I think, would rather the Panthers win. I will have to watch for Suzie, since she’s at that game. I’m sure they will put the camera on her and she’ll wave to us

Tim, as expected, is now outside hitting golf balls. Again.

Looking forward to tonight – Tim is going to go pick us up some Chinese food (my favorite!) and we’re going to watch the 2 hour premiere of “24”. Can’t wait! Maybe that will make me feel better after watching my Colts lose.

The original plan for today, the last Saturday in gun season, was for Tim to go hunting. However, after working 5 days this week, all day, and then having to work all 5 nights, most at 11 PM and until the wee hours of the morning, put a kink in that plan. Tim woke up this morning and decided he wanted to stay here and rest, and not go hunting.

I suspect a lot of that sentiment comes from the fact that he is obsessed with golf.

So far today :

– We ordered a golf video online, about how to practice and improve your swing
– We played out back with the club du jour, the pitching wedge. Several hours of hitting balls is rather exhausting.
– I raked leaves in the backyard and convinced Tim to help me get rid of them, and then he got all excited about raking them behind the fence (not our property, but his new golf area) and getting the leaves out of the way, so they don’t interfere with his golf practice. 😀
– We’re probably going to run to Lowe’s for a couple of things
– I’m planning on watching football, not sure if Tim will join me or play more golf, watch the Golf Channel, or read about golf. 😛

Just another day in paradise.

Happy Birthday Trent! We hope you have a great day, and a wonderful year!!!

I haven’t really blogged much this week about anything personal. I’ve mostly been doing memes and tags. And that would be because of the obvious reason, there’s not a lot going on that’s blogworthy!

Here’s what is going on, in a blabbering, rambling sort of wrap-up:

– Been a good week, but busy. Tim is working up a storm. He’s had to work late 4 nights this week (starting at 10 or 11 PM and into the wee hours of the morning). I do my best to adapt my schedule to his.
– I’ve been happy this week for the return of new episodes of some of my favorite shows . Most notably, NCIS and House on Tuesday, Lost on Wednesday, Invasion on Wednesday (but I’m ready to give this one up, gotten very disillusioned and disinterested). I’m also really liking the new Dancing with the Stars on Thursday (until Survivor starts, then I’ll have a dilemma). Tonight is a busy tv night, we have 3 shows on at the same time – 9 PM. We’ll watch Battlestar Galactica and tape Numb3rs and Monk.
– I’ve been reading my new book and I’m in love, as I expected to be. I just love, love, love the Jan Karon Mitford books. So sad that this is the last one.
– And finally, today is the big shopping trip to Sam’s. I have a long list. I go every couple of months, but I really stock up about twice a year. This is the first of those trips. I should have a big tab by the time I am finished. 🙂