My Latest Obsession

Erin Condren Life Planners!!!

Candy Lace in Multi design

Since I was a little girl I've loved loved loved loved organizing. I always made lists and took notes and I loved anything to do with an office. I was that kid you could take to any appointment. Adults thought I was well behaved, but I was really just enthralled with all the lingo and the paper manipulation. Back in those days the closest things to computers were calculators and typewriters (typewriters....what are those :-D). Now that I'm all grown up and smack in this digital era, I am still obsessed with organizing. I love planners and I own many of them from basic to really expensive, and I have both paper and electronic planners. As much as I try to go digital I still find myself going back to paper. I can't get the gratification of physically checking a box or crossing an item off a list on something electronic. It just doesn't work. So I've been on the hunt for a new planner and stumbled across these Erin Condren Life Planners. I've watched lots of videos and read countless reviews and have decided......(drum roll) I MUST HAVE ONE!!! I've spent I don't know how long on her website and created my perfect planner. I haven't ordered because right now, I just can't swing $50 bucks on a planner when it could go towards something bigger. So.....I stumbled upon this blog called Live in my Heart and she's giving a away a 50 dollar voucher!!! Check it out here at Live in my Heart.. 

I figure if I'm gonna get one I'll probably have to win it so I entered. Good luck!!

It's February now....

Just two more days til my baby girl's 11th birthday......and 13 days to what would have been my mom's 68th birthday. I miss her so much. It hasn't been a year since she passed and I still want to call her and just shoot the shit and hear her goofy laugh. I can still remember what she sounds like. I have some pictures and a few things of hers. I think about her everyday. When I wake up she is the first thing I think about and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. Its more like pass out. I haven't slept well since she died and its taking a toll on me. I'm forgetful and sometimes hard to live with. I never used to be like that. I want to visit momma's grave again. The last time I was there was my birthday and her vulture brothers and sisters didn't even put a marker on her grave after they pilfered her estate and stole everything. I hope there's something there when I go back.

I'm taking Cali shopping for her birthday if the weather isn't bad tomorrow. Otherwise we'll go on Superbowl Sunday which falls on her day this year. She's so excited. I hope I can pull myself outta this funk before then or I won't be much fun for her. I really need something to look forward to.

20 days in......

Well its 20 days into the new year. I am so glad 2011 it's said and done. It went down as the most topsy turvy year of my life. My Mother died in April. I was blacksheeped by my family afterward. They even tried to kill me and my husband at the funeral home during the planning meeting. An uncle stabbed my husband while an aunt sliced my arm open. Six of my seven uncles jumped my husband but my baby ain't no punk. Every last one of them knew they'd been in a brawl with my man. They came with canes and left with lumps and limps. Even at the funeral the bastards tried to act like nothing happened. I told them to get the fuck away from us.....right in the church! They locked me out of my mother's house and stole the car she left me. They took everything in the house too. My wedding dress was there and I was saving it for my daughter. Pictures that I'll never get to see again. Toys I can't give to my kids and their kids cause they were stolen from me. I still struggle with all that I went thru last year. I still grieve for my mom. I've only been to her grave once since we buried her. Never ever have I spent a birthday without being with my mom. When my 40th rolled around last year I went to her grave. I spent about an hour looking for her because those assholes never marked her grave! It broke my heart. After all they did to keep me away from what my mother intended her only child to have, they didn't even mark her grave. They'll all burn in hell for what they've done. Now that I think about it, they started paying after they assaulted us. As a matter of fact, that very day the rains and winds came. Memphis got hit with floods and tornados like it hadn't seen in 100 years. Every neighborhood that got hit hard by tornado or flood or both were places that a relative lived. Some places were untouched. Not very many, but I come from a huge family and they are spread out over Memphis. Everywhere they live there was destruction. The rain lasted for days and days. The Mississippi River flooded and they were calling it the 100 year flood. Unbelievable? Look it up. If I didn't live it I wouldn't believe it either. Check my facts. I live about 150 away from Memphis so I watched it all on the news. It hardly rained where I live.

Thanx Mommy.

The rest of 2011 came and went, thank God, and now I wearily tread the days of 2012. I try to stay strong. Some days are harder than others but I manage with my wonderful husband and awesome kids. I know I'm luckier than most and get on my knees and thank my Lord for that.....no doubt. I know he never gives us more than we handle but damn! Sometimes its just too much and we need a little break ya know? The break I'm allowing myself is to just take it one day at a time and I'll be fine. Gotta keep my sanity right? Right?

Enjoying a show my kids can't

Guest post written by Mary Henderson

I'm very active in monitoring what my kids are watching on TV. I remember that growing up I would watch some things that weren't age appropriate. But then again, I doubt that any of that stuff was nearly as bad as some things on TV now. That doesn't mean that I can't enjoy them though. One of my favorite shows I won't let my kids watch but I enjoy is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
It seems like the time between last season and the current season was so long, so I've been using my Sacramento wireless internet to look up all kinds of hints and spoilers as to what I could expect from it this season.
This Sunny new season looks pretty promising. Mac has quite the story line with his weight gain. You also have to love Frank and Charlie. I started watching because of Danny Devito, so I love keeping up with his character. I loved in the first episode that they took Charlie out on a blind date and he pretended to be some millionaire from Texas.

Guest post

m a salon owner, but a lot of my business comes from doing hair in locations that I've never been to before. For example, when a bride gets married, she will often hire me and my staff to come to her hotel room and do everyone's hair. This is a lot of fun for us, but we have to take all of our tools with us, including our global Internet connection (click here for details). I like to be able to look up different hairstyles to show the girls at a moments notice, it is nice to be able to check my e-mail for other client’s communication while I'm on a break at work. I hate being out of touch and I consider it very unprofessional to not be available to my clients, so I definitely think mobile Internet is a worthwhile expense for my business. I strive to be the best stylist in this city and I think my professionalism goes a long way towards earning me that title among my clients and peers.

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The New Year is here......

I'm almost afraid to ask what's next. After the disaster that was 2010, I'm just glad it's over and i pray for a better year. I also realize a lot of that is in my hands too.

I've decided to forego the traditional resolution setting and go for goal setting instead. I know that's it's basically the same thing, but my approach will be different. I have the specific goal of creating an income for my family. This economy isn't getting any better like our retarded government would like for us to believe. Nobody is hiring anyone that hasn't worked in over 2 years. I haven't worked in over 3 and Congress doesn't give a shit about me or the other 99ers so that leaves me no choice but to create my own income.

What am i gonna do?

That remains to be seen. Right now my focus is doing well in school and taking care of my family.

Well, this is one thing i can check off my todo list. With some willpower I'll keep up my blogging and see where that takes me.

Merry New Year!!!

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Don't sit on your hands.....act now!!!

That's what I'd like to tell Congress when it comes to a new bill that was introduced August 4th of this year. It's been more than a month and there's been no significant movement on it.

CONGRESS!! DON'T SIT ON YOUR HANDS ANYMORE!!!

There are millions of long-term unemployed people out there (myself included) that have run completely out of benefits, but still unable to secure employment. Can you imagine how depressing it is to be by from a 22-year old McDonald's manager that they won't hire you because you're too experienced, or they'll say they know you'll leave the minute you find something better? Very! It angers me to no end when I read about some conservative Republican that more unemployment would be like welfare or it would stop the receivers from looking for jobs. That's so untrue!! I, for one, have continued to look for employment. I miss working! I can't stand feeling like I'm not contributing to my family's way of life. Unemployment insurance is NOT welfare.....it's insurance! I've worked since I was 16 years old. I've paid into my state's unemployment fund for more than 30 years and I deserve access to those funds to help take care of my family and other financial obligations while I look for a job. Nobody is "handing" me the money, it's MY money! We've had to trade down from our dream car to a shadow of what it was. We've moved from a huge, modern and gorgeous townhouse to duplex 1/3 the size. We've had to turn to charitable organizations for Christmas for our kids. I'm now on anti-depressant medication because I've been so low that I couldn't get out of bed. When I was receiving unemployment it made things a lot easier, but it was still hard. My unemployment is only half what my salary was. It's been so long since my unemployment ended, getting it back now would almost feel like winning the lottery! 

All I'm hoping for is that Congress doesn't make us, the millions of long-term unemployed, wait like you did last year around this time. It was torture watching and listening to you all argue and speculate and even lie to stall and punish us. Please don't put us through that again. Unemployment compensation is still a necessity for us. It's a desperately needed lifeline. The holiday's are looming again. Remember, we're the ones that put you in the positions you're in now. We still have the power to keep you there. If you truly care about us, Americans, pass S.3706 Americans want to work act now!! 

To protect and serve, yeah right

I find that credo laughable now.

 
 

I'm sure there are police officers that just that. But more often than not, as of late, all they seem to do is disrespect and intimidate. Just today my 65 year old mother went to Walgreen's. She's disabled so she has a handicapped placard that she uses. She pulled into the parking lot and noticed two sheriff officers on motorcycles near the front. She found a handicapped spot and parked. She also noticed one of the officers noticing her parking there. So she turns her car off and starts gathering her things before she got out of her car. She put her placard up and got out. My mom is very pretty and she drives a distinctive car. She gets noticed almost everywhere she goes. When she got out of her car, one of the officers was right there. She started to walk past him and he says "how come you don't drive with that up?" with a really nasty attitude. She answered "why should I?" and he says before he walks away "make me walk over here for nothing." My mother, being who she is, says "exercise is good for ya" and walked in the store.

 
 

I have to give a little history so this makes sense.

 
 

Last night I had the worst migraine I'd had in 16 years. It was so bad it made me vomit. My husband was worried and scared and my mom called. He told her what was going on with me and she wanted him to keep her posted. So after I woke up this morning, I decided to call her and let her know I was okay. That's when she told me she was in Walgreen's and what had happened prior to her going inside the store.

 
 

So back to the story……

 
 

My mom's in the store and she's telling me what happened. I was floored! I got mad and told her she needed to get his name and badge number so she could file a complaint against him. What he did was so wrong! He stalked her the minute she pulled into the lot and as soon as he saw her pull into the handicapped spot, he started walking toward her with the intention of giving her a $300 ticket. He got pissed off when he realized he walked over there for nothing. He didn't need to say that. He could've simply said he was checking to see if she had a placard. Doing his job. Not to complain to her because she wasn't making it easier for him to do his job. So when she got outside, she did just what I suggested and asked for his name and badge number. By this time I put her on speaker so Michael (my hubby) could hear what was going on. We hear my mom ask for his name and badge number, and he starts yelling at her telling her she was harassing him by telling him exercise was good for him. What a little bitch! So my mom commenced to letting him know how rude he was and how he needs an attitude adjustment and to learn how to approach people. He eventually shouted his name (which was Smith, yeah right) and his badge number. Then I heard his partner say "okay you got it now you need to move on". I lost it! I started screaming and telling my mom to take hang up with me and take their pictures. She did and she called me right back. I was still screaming! My hubby kept trying to get me to calm down because I was ready to hop in the car and fly 135 miles to let that punk cop know nobody talks to my mother like that and gets away with it. NOBODY!!!! Well I didn't. My mom talked me down after I stopped screaming. When I get that mad I tear up. Whenever I cry I get a headache. Sucks huh? Well after she got the info on the cop she went home and called the Sheriff's office. They told her that she would have to go downtown to the main police station (201 Poplar, Ugh!) and file it there. She called me after she learned that to tell what she had to do next. She wanted me to get off the phone with her before she changed her mind. She's gone down there to file that complaint.

 
 

What's wrong with people!?!?!?!?!

 
 

That cop knew he was wrong. He was probably embarrassed for having walked over there thinking he was about to write a ticket. When he saw my mom, he just decided her car was too good for her. We're from California and we live in Tennessee now. My mom has a vanity California plate on the front of her car (which is legal here). That cop saw that and figured my mom wasn't from here. He needs to get reprimanded for his actions and I'll see that he does. You just can't treat people like that! He wasn't protecting and serving. If he was he was serving his ego then he tried to protect it by yelling at my mom. Bullshit! He was disrespectful and he tried to intimidate my mom. Asshole, he'll think twice before he crosses anyone else.

Confessions of a gadget junkie

I never really explained just how much of gadget junkie I am. From the time I was about 6 years old I've always been into technology. At 6 I got my first tape recorder which I promptly took apart just to see how it worked. My mom was pretty pissed until she saw me put it back together. Then she was impressed and only helped to foster my obsession with technology. From then on I had every transistor radio, walk-man radio, boom box you can think of. Even the cool watches I had. Then personal computers hit the scene and it was over from there. It started with a Commodore 64....remember those? I'm dating myself.....I know.....but I make 38 look damn good! I had that for several years until it pooped out. No really, it did. I didn't take that apart. It was a long time before I got another computer, but it didn't stop me from playing every chance I got. I'd go to the apple store to play and I started taking computer science in school. Once I got into college I got another computer. By today's standards, it was just a big typewriter. Dot matrix printer, no internet access (there was no Internet back then), a monochrome monitor and it took 8 discs to load WordPerfect! I used the hell out of that thing too. Eventually as technology grew, my obsession grew. Every cool new gadget I had to have it. If I had to save for a year or wait for a month for it to be available in the US, I'll have it. When palm pilots came out, I had one. When they started coming out in color, I got one of those too. When cell phones started getting more advanced I got into those too. Eventually I have amassed two desktops, a 17" HP, 15.4" compaq, and now my latest acquisition, my Samsung N140 netbook. It is soooo cool and I have a feeling that I'll be using this for quite some time. It's got a huge hard drive (250 gigs), and fast processor (N280), a fat graphics card, 3 USB ports with 2 of them being chargeable even when the computer is off, 10.1 inch screen, draft n wireless, multi-touch touch pad, 6-cell battery, and it only weights 2.8 pounds. It's got a gorgeous deep burgundy lid and an anti-glare screen. I love it and I'm looking forward to the many hours I'll be spending with it.

it's a little after 930a and i feel like i didn't get any sleep at all. i feel like i'm gonna have such a hard time getting started today. i need coffee, but i'm out of filters and sugar and i don't have any money! bitch! sometimes i just can't make it without my coffee and i'm feeling like today might be one of those days! oh boy, hubby, watch out! i wish i could just lay back down and go back to sleep for about 4 hours and dream about winning the social security case we've been fighting for the last 2 1/2 years. it'll be so nice to be normal again and have a little money in our pockets. just a little. it'll be good to live instead of simply exist. just existing and watching life go by around me is like being a ghost. i can see all this happening around me but i can't touch it or be a part of it. i can only watch. sad huh? if hr3548 passes this week, i just might be able to make my car payment this month. i can't see losing 2 cars in a space of a month. that would absolutely depress me. i'm still getting over my platinum being taken away. this economy is a trip. those republicans that delayed the bill for a month are heartless, greedy bastards that act like they have to pay for the extension out of their own pockets. they have no idea what it's like to have no toilet paper, no soap, no laundry soap, very little food, rent's due, there's no gas in the car and there's no money in sight. they have no idea what it is to have a doctor appointment 2 states away and no gas to get there. they don't know what it feel like to see people coming and they act like they don't see you because they don't want you to ask them for any money. they have no idea what it's like to be told a stupid lie right to your face. that's what they've been doing to us. wondering where the money for an unemployment extension is going to come from yet they'll give billions to banks and shit that ran this country into the ground anyway. greedy bastards. this is not welfare i'm asking for. it's money that i worked and deposited into an insurance account for this purpose. i haven't worked in over 2 years and i've collected unemployment intermittently at best. it's just not right. wall street can simply put their hands out and say "i want" and they get. i do that and it's like "oh wait, we don't have that kind of money!" BULLSHIT!!! i just feel like complaining this morning and this seems like the perfect platform. no one to talk back and throw off my train of thought.
well, i guess i got it all off my chest. i better start getting dressed and getting ready to go to another doctor appointment 40 miles away.

L8R!!