Blog Title: Informal Critique

Bleh

Our power went out an our ago, Charter still hasnt shown up, my phone is almost dead and it's all I can do not to fall asleep. This just isn't my day.

<3Jenn

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I Didn't Realize...

Wow, a whole week since a posted? Yep that seems to be happening a lot right now. I just really haven't had much time to sit down at the pc to do anything including blogging. I have ran across a few products that I do want to share with you, so I'll definitely be getting reviews up soon...hopefully!

I'm also finding it hard to sit down and write about one product because I'm feeling quite ADD. Now that I've cleaned a bunch of junk out of my home I have all this extra room...and I can find stuff! I can decorate again because I don't have boxes of Hubby's clutter in the way! I guess the shopping and decorating bugs have hit me, and I can't seem to keep my mind on one thing at a time. I'm like ooh hey check this out! Isn't it cool? *Glances at something else* Ooh shiny! I want it!

Yeah yeah I know. I can't go filling my house with more junk, so I'm trying to choose carefully. I need to come up with a decorating plan and renovate one area of the house at a time. I've really got the itch to work on our back patio first, but it's just too cold. I'll save that for Spring even though I'm really really wanting to go ahead and buy a few more small fruit trees to go out there with the two Plum trees. Then I can start thinking about patio furniture.

See...sidetracked again! That might have something to do with the fact that I haven't been to sleep, and I've had 3 cups of coffee to keep me awake until the cable guy shows up this morning. Maybe what I really need is to go take a walk right now around the yard to run some of this energy out before I'm all hyped up and scary for the cable guy.

On Location: Posting From My Phone

I just wanted to stop in for a minute to tell everyone happy new year! We're hanging out, shooting fireworks, and waiting for the ball to drop, but I doubt I'll make it back here at midnight. The boys have confiscated my pc for gaming, so I'm doing well enough to get this post out!



So once again let me say Happy New Year! I'll see you all in 2009!

<3Jenn

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Happy New Year's Eve!

It figures that I made plans to have a little party tonight, and I didn't get but 3 hours of sleep because I had a huge to-do list on my mind.

We've been doing an end of the year cleaning all week. We started Saturday and have gone room by room, closet by closet cleaning out all the junk we need to get rid of. After 4 1/2 days I still have 1 room and 1 closet to go, but the rest of my house looks great. I've also been doing what I didn't do for spring cleaning...the dirty once or twice a year stuff. I washed down all the walls room by room, pulled out furniture that hasn't been moved in years and cleaned behind that (yeah I'm a slacker), scrubbed out and replaced all the paper in my cabinets and drawers, stuff like that.

Now I'm almost finished getting the house ready for the party, but I feel like I still have so much to do. The toilet is driving me absolutely crazy. The pipes under the house are plastic, but the one leading through the wall to the toilet is metal, and it's begun to break down leaving behind nasty deposits in the toilet that I just can't seem to get rid of. The whole bottom of the toilet bowl looks nasty brown, but I can't do anything about it.

I've scrubbed with everything I can think of from toilet bowl cleaner to CLR. I even tried the old 2 liter bottle of Coke, and I even went so far as trying mold killer. Bleach was a no go as well. I think I might just have to break down and learn to live with it or buy a new toilet. I'm not worrying about it anymore tonight. Most of my guests already know what's going on with it, and if someone asks I'll tell them straight up. I promise, my toilet is clean!

Now all I have to do to finish up for tonight is sweep/mop throughout the house and then do the food prep. With the dog and cat running around I think it's best if I wait until later this afternoon to do the mopping, otherwise the floors will look just as bad as they do now.

I'm about to go make more sausage balls, but that's about all I'm making food wise. We're doing like snack type food, so most of it just has to be pulled out of the fridge, like the veggie tray, chips & dip, stuff like that. I also have a half of a German chocolate cake left over from Saturday that I'm going to offer up, and I still have a ton of chocolates and cookies as well.

I have 2 rolls of cookie dough I might go ahead and make just to get rid of them. As for actual dinner food we're doing sandwiches. I picked up 2 kinds of turkey (sorry Alli, I forgot you don't eat turkey so I'll go grab some ham later) to make sandwiches. I was going to do chicken salad sandwiches, too, but Hubby and the bro-in-law are both so picky we decided to stick to the basics. I know my sis-in-law is bringing some munchie food, too, but I have no idea what. I guess she can surprise me!

Oh, and I guess I need to go throw the champagne in the fridge to chill before I forget! We don't want warm champagne at midnight, and if I don't do it now that's exactly what we'll have. Hopefully now that I've rambled away about all this I can clear my head and catch a nap for an hour or two as well. I totally don't want to be passing out as the party is just beginning.

Computer Off

I've hardly been online all day, and it feels good. I'm not even on the computer right now. Thank goodness for awesome phones.

No the real reason I'm not blogging from my pc is because I've torn my office apart. I'm rearranging things in there, and I didn't feel like hooking my pc up just because I wanted to pop in any say hi.

<3Jenn

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Curious As A Cat 149

I've been so busy and/or lazy (lol) that I haven't done any memes in awhile. I think it's just about time I do one, don't ya think? Curious as a Cat is one of my faves that I haven't participated in lately, so let's have a go at it!


1) Who do you wish could find their inner spirit to become more comfortable in their life?

That one's easy, my sister, but I won't tell you why.

2) You have to fight a duel tomorrow at dawn. You have been allowed to choose the weapons. What do you choose?

Do powers count? Like invisibility? No? Ok um a very long sword and a very powerful fully automatic machine gun. If you're going, go big! ;-)

3) What’s the best thing to inherit other than money?

Knowledge that is passed down through family generations.

4) Do you hope to run your own company some day?

I pretty much already do! I wouldn't want to run anything big, but I'm perfectly happy with my own little home based business.

5) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.


The colors make me think of the mint chocolate chip ice cream I used to love getting at the Botanical gardens when I was a kid. Now I don't really care that much for mint chocolate chip.

Sausage Balls

It's almost 3am, and I just pulled my last batch of sausage balls out of the oven. I make them every year, but I was slack this year. I've been trying to get around to it the past few days, but with our drain problems I just haven't had the chance. I finally decided at midnight tonight I was going to make them.

I don't go all out and make the perfect sausage balls from scratch. I'm the throw them together with Bisquick kinda gal, so it's simple and quick. Yeah it took me 3 hours to make them, but I make them for our entire family, so I ended up having to make 4 batches.

Here's the simple recipe I use.

1lb sausage (spiciness is up to you)
10oz grated cheese (I mix mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, and monterey jack)
2 cups Bisquick

Nope, I don't add extra water or milk to mine. If you mix everything well enough you don't need it, and you don't want your mixture to be too gooey to roll into balls.

Mix the Bisquick and cheese together. If you're using pre-grated cheese you can throw it all in at once. If you've grated it yourself you should add a little at a time because the cheese holds more moisture and tends to clump together.

After you've got your Bisquick and cheese mixed well, start adding the sausage a little at a time. If you throw it all in at once it will take you much longer to mix. Work the mixture until you can form a large dough like ball with it. I wish I could have taken photos while I was mixing mine up, but I didn't think to plug my camera up to charge until I already had the first batch in the oven.

Roll out balls about the size of a walnut. Don't go any larger than a golf ball or you'll end up burning the outside before the inside cooks. Hubby has a habit of trying to roll them softball size, so I have to wait until he goes to sleep to make them now.

You'll have to adjust your baking temperature and time according to your own oven. I set mine at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, but most recipes I've seen call for 325 to 400 for 15-20 minutes. Last year I royally screwed up by letting my first batch bake at 350 for 15 minutes in a new oven without checking on them, and they were totally scorched. Just keep an eye on them, and pull them out of the oven when the tops are golden brown.

I think sausage balls are one of the easiest "holiday" things to make. I tend to make them year round as appetizers just because they're so simple, but our family goes sausage ball crazy for Christmas. I also make a variation of these that Hubby calls "Mexican balls". We just buy bags of the Mexican or Taco premixed cheese.

Anywho, here's what my first batch looked like when they were done. These also stayed in just a few minutes too long, so the bottoms are a little darker than I would normally like.


Now I just have to make 2 cheesecakes, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate covered pretzels. I think I'll wait until tomorrow for all that though. I'm too tired to finish baking tonight.

Almost Finished Shopping

With 3 shopping days left I've finally just about finished all my Christmas shopping. I can't say I'm completely done because I do have to pick up a couple more gifts, but I know what I'm getting and where to get them. I just have to kick my butt in gear tomorrow and head to the store. I search around to find which store would give me the best buy for my money, and luckily I have to get them at The Tractor Supply store, so I seriously doubt that place will be crowded. *knocks on wooden desk before I jinx myself!*

I've been so ready to get Christmas over with. This year it seems like it's been such a hassle to even get into the Christmas spirit, but then I remember what Christmas is all about. That puts me in a better mood, and I get back to preparing for Christmas again.

Unfortunately we had a big problem come up with our water drain line at the house, so instead of Hubby and I spending a nice evening tomorrow baking and wrapping presents it looks like we'll be trying to fix our drain line or find a professional who can do it in our price range. Ugh. Doesn't something always have to go wrong?

Thank goodness I'm not having a Christmas party this year. At least if I can make it through Christmas all I have to worry about is my New Year's party.

What's With All The Cleaning?

Did someone spike my tea with Lipovox? I feel like something must have happened because I've had all this get up and get stuff done energy all weekend. That is so not like me!

Friday I got on this cleaning kick where I just had to scrub the kitchen spotless. I was on like some Spring cleaning binge...only I'm not that big on Spring cleaning, especially in the Fall! Saturday I kicked Hubby's butt in gear, and I had his best friend come over to help him clean out a bunch of junk. By the time they were done my house was minus 2 rooms full of junk and I was $30 richer.

Today I planned to be lazy all day. I figured we'd done enough cleaning in 2 days to last a year, but apparently my mind had other plans. I tried to be lazy, but I was so restless I couldn't. I tried to watch a movie, but I found myself wandering into the bathroom to scrub it. I tried to do some blogging, but I found myself slipping into the guest room to throw more junk in Goodwill boxes. I finally told Hubby I had to get out of the house before I went stir crazy. A couple hours later when I got home I thought I'd sit down and blog, but I ended up doing laundry I'd set aside for tomorrow, and then I rearranged my freakin' cabinets.

WTF is wrong with me? Did I get abducted by aliens and replaced with someone who actually likes to clean?

She Thinks It's Evil

Why is it my mother freaks out over everything? She called me earlier wanting me to look up a phone number for her because she couldn't find her phone book. She refuses to own a computer because she thinks the internet is the devil, but the second she wants to know something she calls wanting me to use the "evil internet" to look it up. LMAO!

When she called tonight I wasn't at home, so I told her to call the toll free 411 service. 1-800-free-411. I live by it when I'm not at home to just look up a number myself. There's no way I'm paying $2.99 a call to use 411 on my cell phone.

She freaked out and told me there was no way it could be free. I assured her not only do I use it all the time, but just about everyone else I know does, too. According to her, Nooooo. There's no way it could be free. There must be a catch! It's probably one of those Nigerian scams out to trick her into giving them access to her phone line so they can charge her phone bill $500.

I finally gave up on trying to convince her the entire world isn't out to get her, and I three way called 1-800-free-411 for her.

I swear that woman thinks everything is evil.

Good Morning

Good morning everyone. I'll probably be blogging from bed at least this morning. Last night I thought I was getting better, but then the puking started. I haven't been able to hold much food down so I'm going to stay in bed with the soup Hubby made me this morning, my stack of books, and my remote. If I had my laptop going I'd be set. I'll probably be around the web via my phone today when I get restless, so you may find me on Twitter or Aim later. For now I'm curling up with my heat radiating puppy and trying to get some more sleep.

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Everglide S-500 Professional Headphones Review

Last week I received a pair of Everglide S-500 Professional Headphones for $14.99. I picked them up during the Woot Off a few weeks ago because they were going for the same price I've seen at Buy.com. I've seen them listed from $24.99-79.99 elsewhere.

Warranty: 1 Year Everglide

Features:

• Ultra-Light Membrane for instantaneous audio response
• Designed For Comfort And Extended Wear
• Optimum noise isolation
• Over-sized circumaural leather muffs to reduce ambient noise
• Protective carrying bag included
• Great for gaming or music

Technical Specifications:

• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20,000Hz
• Transducer: Dynamic
• Nominal Impedence: 16 ohm
• Max Sound Pressure (SPL): 102dB
• Max Power Rating: 100mW
• 3.5mm stereo plug for headphones
• Headphone cable length: 3.1m
• Weight: 360g

In the Box:

• Everglide S-500 Headphones
• Microphone
• Storage Bag

New Review On It's Way

New review coming in just a few! I finally found the cord to my digital camera. Now I just have to transfer the photos over to my pc the slow way. Ugh. I totally hate using the cord, but at least I have some way to get them off my camera right now. I'll hopefully be picking up a new card reader this weekend.

Stay Tuned...

Hey Developers Listen Up!

Are you a developer? It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned veteran or just learning the tools of the trade. You could win some cool prizes from the IDUG contest.

IDUG wants to increase awareness about XQuery, XML and DB2, so they're sponsoring a contest just for developers. Don't worry. You don't have to be the best developer out there. No matter who you are, student, professional, or just the little hobbyist teaching yourself you can enter this contest.

There will be 5 level tracks to give everyone a chance to enter.

The tracks include a variety of ways to enter. Before entering you only need to take a quick quiz to determine your skill level. Then you will be presented with your entry options. Depending on your skill level you can choose to enter 1 track or all of them!

Just check out the different ways you can enter:

• The Video contest is the easiest to enter, and one lucky winner a month with be rewarded with an 8gb Ipod Nano.

• The Gadget contest is for those with a little more experience. All you have to do is create a small widget or gadget, and 1 lucky winner each month will receive an 80gb Zune.
  

• The XQuery Challenge is a little more difficult. You just have to answer questions by developing queries in XQuery within your 24 hour time limit. All correct answers are entered to win the larger prizes available with this contest.

• Port an Application to enter track 4. You can do this buy porting an existing application to use XML, XQuery, or DB2. First prize is a new notebook computer. Second prize is a Garmen GPS unit.

• Track 5 involves developing an application. Develop a brand new open source application of your choice using XML and/or XQuery.
  

GRRRRRR

I am so ready to throw this computer out the window. Nothing is going right for me tonight. The backup hard drive is throwing errors left and right meaning it's probably on the verge of dieing. I finally had to unplug it and run a manual backup to cd tonight. That took over 2 hours to do, but at least I'm not getting blue screened every little bit. My system also overheated and shut down on me twice because the fan on the video card is slowly dieing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have to open up the case and give it a spin when it doesn't want to work.

At least this isn't my computer. This is Hubby's pc, and I've been planning to upgrade it for awhile now. I almost ordered him a video card for Christmas, but I'm glad I didn't. The one he wants is over $200 (although it's a damn good card), but cash is going to be tight this week with him only working 4 days. What I do have to get is a new power supply. I killed yet another one tonight. For some reason when I'm pissed off I seem to send out a ton of extra static energy, and anything I touch gets zapped be it light bulbs or the psu. Thank god it's only the psu. Unfortunately all the backup psu's I have around here are 20 pin and I need another 24pin for my business pc. Until then I'm stuck on this one.

Heroes at Home Wish Registry

If you could grant a wish for a military family at Christmas this year would you? Of course you would! A lot of people may think they can't afford to or don't have the means to help families like this, but Sears has made it easy this year to help military families enjoy their holiday season even though loved ones may be away from home.

Sears has set up the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry to grant wishes to 30,583 military families this year who may have loved ones overseas or just might need a little help. By visiting the site you can learn about ways you can help fulfill these wishes. The easiest way is to donate to the cause no matter how big or small your donation is. Donations will be used to purchase Sears Gift Cards for each family so they can purchase the items they are wishing for this holiday season.

Can't afford to donate? You can support the cause by placing one of the Heroes at Home Wish Registry badges on your website, Myspace, or Facebook or spread the word by emailing a friend about this great cause. You can also post your own messages offering words of support to our military heroes serving around the world and their families.

Browse families you can help, see what they're wishing for this Christmas, and read their stories. I was definitely touched by the story of a South Carolina family. The father has been deployed twice this year, and he's missed such important milestones in his new son's life such as seeing him walk, hearing him talk, and all the other things that are so special. As with all of the other stories on the site, you will be touched. Each family lists a few items they would like to have, and you can give a generic donation in any amount or you can click on a family's story and donate towards a specific item they would like to have.

Check out the Wish Registry, and if you can't afford to donate tell someone else about it. Spreading the word just might mean one more donation these families didn't have.

Edit Your Images Without Spending A Dime

Just because you don't have photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro doesn't mean you can't have fun with your photos. I use Paint Shop Pro for everything just because that's the program I've been using for years, and I'm used to using it. I've paid to take classes that taught me how to do a lot of the things you can do online these days for free.

Pixlr is just about one of my favorite online image editors these days for the novice. You can use Pixlr to edit your images in a variety of ways from simple cropping, resizing, and rotating to even adjusting colors and adding effects. It's great for the basic user who needs to edit a few photos, and you don't need an account to use it. Just upload your photo and edit it.

Picnik is another online image editor I really like if you're looking for more than basic editing. You have your basic features like all the other editors, but you also have auto adjust tools to help you out. You can create all kinds of fun and interesting photos with effects, text, touch ups, etc.

Here's just a simple photo I created in about 30 seconds using Picnik. As you can see I was able to adjust the colors in the photo, resize it, add a Polaroid frame, and add text.



There are many more online editors out there, and this just proves you don't have to pay expensive prices for great photo editing software anymore. Just take a look around the web, and you're sure to find a free version that will give you just what you need.

Here are a few more for you to check out.

1. Adobe Photoshop Express
2. Flauntr
3. AlilG
4. Photobucket (built in editors to edit photos, add effects, create scrapbooks)
   
5. DrPic.com
   
6. Pixer.us
7. FotoFlexer.com
8. OnlineImageEditor.info
   
9. Splashup
10. Webresizer.com (simple editing tools to make a photo web ready)
    

Charter Offering $250 Gift Card With Purchase

Since Charter is my only option out here I really wish I could have taken advantage of their Holiday bundle that's going on right now. I'll tell you I'm paying well over $150 after taxes and fees for my services, and I only have basic cable and 5mb internet service. I used to have the Biggest Value Package and 10mb internet service, but we couldn't afford to keep paying for it.

If I could take advantage of the Holiday bundle I could not only save a ton, but I could also have all the features I want again! The black friday deal was way more than I could ask for. It included 10Mbps High Speed internet as well as a ton of TV options including Digital Home, Charter HD, Sports View, Digital View, HBO/Cinemax, Starz/Encore, Showtime/The Movie Channel, and an Unlimited Calling phone line all for $165.97. That deal was well worth the price and included even more stuff than I got when I was paying over $200 a month for service. You also received a $250 gift card with purchase and a chance to win one of 45 X-Box 360 consoles.

I know Black Friday is well past us now, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on the offer. Charter still has some great pricing going on right now, and for my friends and family who live out here, you know they are the only option you've got when it comes to broadband service. You can still take advantage of the whole $165.97 package including the $250 gift card as well as a few other packages at discounted prices that come with gift cards of smaller amounts by visiting the Charter Offers page. If you want this deal grab it because the offer ends December 5th!

Alli, do you hear me? Now's your chance to get your cable service without complaining to me about how much you had to pay for it!

Reviews Coming Soon

I meant to hit up the store today to buy a new card reader, but I ended up sleeping all day. I've been dealing with the combination of a sore throat that's driving me insane and acid reflux that just won't calm down at night. If I prob myself up I can eventually catch some sleep, but for some reason my stomach doesn't calm down until morning.

After Hubby finally got to leave for work at 10am (thanks to the snow), I curled up in bed with a glass of milk and a book. I fell asleep reading and didn't wake up until 6:30pm. At least I did catch some sleep though because I haven't sleep well at all since Thursday.

Hopefully I can head out to the store tomorrow to pick up the card reader. I've got a ton of products to review, but I don't want to post the reviews without photos.

Have A Good Weekend?

Did everyone have a great holiday? I sure hope so! I'm also interested in knowing just how many of you shopped on Black Friday. Those of you who did shop, did you hit the stores or shop online?
I had planned to shop online, but I didn't get the chance. Hubby decided he wanted to hit up Walmart for a 42" RCA 1080p LCD HDTV, and that pretty much wiped us out. Hey, at least it's something we both wanted, and we saved $200! He just better not think I'm hitting up Black Friday every year because I hate going out and dealing with that mess.

My sister did hit up the stores, and she told me all about the goody bags she has. She hit up about 6 stores between 3am-6am Friday morning, and a lot of them were giving away free stuff on top of all the sales. She's got all kind of free stuff from promotional pens to product samples and even a t-shirt. I asked if I could take a photo of the stuff, and she agreed. Now I just have to get my butt to her house to snap the photo, then I have to stop by the store to pick up a new card reader to replace my broken one. I really need a new card reader, and I'm stuck with no photos until I buy one.

On Location: Posting From My Phone

Sorry for the sideways photo, but I can't change it via utterli. This photo was uploaded from my cell phone Friday morning around 4am when we were waiting to purchase our TV. The box on the top is our TV, and as you can see there weren't very many people around at the time.

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Walmart

Just hit up Walmart to buy a few things we must have tonight. That place is completely dead minus the 3 cars with TENTS setup! I guess while those people are making sure they'll be first in line at 5am everyone else is at home resting up for the big shopping day! I'll be hitting up Walmart & Kmart first thing in the morning but there's no way I'd be camping in the parking lot on a cold night like this. I don't need anything on my list that bad.

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Canvas On Demand Canvas For Grandma

One thing I know I won't be able to buy before December is my Grandparent's Christmas present. Originally I had planned to buy them a canvas from Canvas On Demand. When I received my 16x24 canvas from Canvas On Demand everyone loved it, and my Grandma told me she was jealous of it and wanted one of her own. My canvas is of one of my favorite wedding photos of Hubby and I, but I decided my Grandma needs one of either the family or one of her and my Grandpa.

I tried to contact all the family to get them together for a photo without my Grandparent's knowing, but it's just not going to happen. I thought Thanksgiving would be a good time to do it, but everyone is going to be split for Thanksgiving dinner. My sister and aunt won't be there, so I can't exactly leave either of them out of the photo. I opted to go with a photo of my Grandpa and Grandma, but I don't have any updated photos of them together.

I called my Grandma this morning and told her I wanted to take some updated photos. She said not today because she's feeling quite chunky. lol. I joked that I'd get her some Anoretix and try again next week after she's dropped a few pounds. I told Hubby I'll just take a photo of them on Thanksgiving, order the canvas, and hope it's here by Christmas.

Honestly, I don't think I'll have to worry about it arriving on time. It took right at a week for me to get mine. I also have some great coupons Canvas On Demand sent me. I was planning on ordering her a smaller canvas, but with the coupons I can upgrade to the 16x20 without paying extra.

I really can't wait to give her this gift. I know it's going to be something she's going to love and cherish. I have a feeling it'll end up over the mantle in the living room.

Working To Pay It Forward

I've been going over my Christmas list again today, and I'm crossing my fingers I can meet my goal of buying everything before Dec 1. At the rate I'm going I don't see that happening though. I had a good chunk of cash saved up just for Christmas shopping, but it looks like I'm probably going to have to use that chunk of cash to keep us afloat over the next couple of weeks instead.

I had already budgeted in for a short week due to Thanksgiving. Hubby will be off Thursday and Friday, but I didn't budget in for all this rain/sleet/snow. It's only raining here, but up on the mountain where Hubby works it's started snowing. He's on his way home now, and if it continues to snow through the evening they won't get to work tomorrow. It doesn't matter if it snows on them during the day tomorrow. What matters is they won't be able to get to the job site at all in the morning to work because it's on top of a mountain in the middle of no where. The salt trucks don't hit those roads as they're not main roads in town.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully he'll be able to work, and I won't have to redo my budget to work around this. I know this is going to be a rough Christmas for everyone, but that's an even bigger reason I want to get my shopping done. I have friends and family members that will be scraping to get by with a measly Christmas thanks to the economy, and I'm going to do what I can to make sure they have at least a semi- decent Christmas.

Yeah, we still have debt that I'm paying off at an incredibly faster speed than I could ever imagine, but I'm not skimping on Christmas for anyone. I look at the fact that we're the couple who has finally gotten themselves on their feet. We don't have any kids, and we have the extra cash that a lot of people don't have. We're not rich by any means, but we get by nicely. We're no longer pinching pennies, and it's due in a big part to people who have helped us get by over the years when we were down.

It's time to pay it forward. Whether it's by buying a holiday dinner angel food box for a family that I know won't be able to afford dinner, or buying presents for a couple of kids who won't have much under their tree, I want to do something extra this year. I may just have to rearrange my plans instead of rushing to get it all done by December 1.

On Location: Posting From My Phone

WTF. I've been receiving these weird text messages all night from random people I don't know. They aren't coming from a cell phone because they're all coming from the vxtext.com email addresses that show up when someone texts you from an online app. Some of them are actual messages. Others are spam messages, and two were the stupid bot type check out my webcam things. It's getting seriously annoying.

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