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Happy Birthday to Me, I’m Now Forty-Three

January 30, 2010 · by · 42 Comments
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Novelty candles may be used.
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It’s my birthday!  I’m 43 today, and I’m feeling pretty good.  I got to sleep in this morning, and later today, Chris and I are going to the movies. Other than that, it should be a regular day.

Thanks for stopping by to leave me a birthday comment! I started this tradition in 2007 when I turned 40, and wrote a post saying all I wanted for my birthday was 40 comments.  I did the same thing in 2008 and 2009, so now here it is my birthday again, and I’m hoping for 43 comments!

I realize that few people read blogs on Saturdays let alone leave comments, but it would really mean a lot to me.  If you could spread the word on Twitter or Facebook or on your blog that I’m really hoping to get 43 comments today, it would be the best birthday gift you could give me!  Unless, of course, you wanted to send me a Blackberry or an iPhone or a freshly baked chocolate cake. Those would be good too :)

Here’s to being 43!

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Dean’s Dips plus Football equals the Dean’s Dipstakes!

January 29, 2010 · by · 4 Comments
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When it comes to party food, chips, pretzels and dip are essential. Whether you like potato chips or tortilla chips, guacamole or Ranch dip – that age old combination of dip and chips are a universal crowd pleaser. And right now, Dean’s® Dip is running a fun sweepstakes called the Dean’s Dipstakes™ Sweepstakes –- it combines the elements of fantasy football with the various flavors of chips and dip, such as French Onion (my favorite!) or Honey Mustard pretzel dip –- vote for your favorites, and you’ll be entered to win prizes like football memorabilia, tailgating party supplies and sports gear.

Even better, this February 2010 there will be a grand prize drawing for a home entertainment system! You don’t have to buy Dean’s Dip to participate, just head to Deans Dipstakes Facebook page and click the big image saying “PLAY NOW!” You’ll be sent to a game page where you can pick your chip or dip of choice and submit your predictions for the weekly football games. It’s really easy and you can play as much as you want.

Here’s a recipe from www.deansdip.com to enjoy the next time you watch football or any day of the week!

Ranch, Cheese and Bacon Dip

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients:

* 1 (16-ounce) container Dean’s Ranch Dip
* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup crisp-cooked, crumbled bacon or bacon bits
* Choice of tortilla chips, snack crackers, bagel chips, pita chips, pretzels or fresh vegetables for dipping

Directions:

Combine Dean’s Ranch Dip with cheese and bacon; mix well. Serve with choice of dippers.

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Things I’m Thinking About Today – 1/28

January 28, 2010 · by · 15 Comments
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1. The President’s State of the Union Address – we let the boys stay up until 10:00, even though the President was still talking we had to get them to bed since they get up at 6:00 am for school (yes, that is crazy early, the bus comes at 6:45).   We kept pausing the TV because as he was talking, it was bringing up issues that we wanted to discuss further with the boys. We talked about the difference between the Senate and the House, we talked about the Supreme Court and their overturning of campaign spending limits, we explained the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed out our own representatives – both Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin were front and center!  We marveled over the fact that Al Franken, who is the most Junior of the Junior Senators, was sitting right behind the Joint Chiefs of Staff (we thought seating had something to do with seniority).

And we discussed the fact that Joe Biden was wearing a purple striped tie, Nancy Pelosi was wearing a lavender suit, and Michele Obama was wearing a purple dress. Did they call each other beforehand to decide they would all wear purple? Nathan thought maybe it stood for something, I think maybe purple is the “hot” color right now and when all three went out to buy clothes for the event, that’s the color the stores were pushing.

Please feel free to leave a comment about what you thought of the State of the Union Address, all opinions are welcome here.

2. In yesterday’s USA Today, there was an article about the USNS Comfort, the Navy ship that is docked off of Port-Au-Prince. According to www.navy.mil, the Comfort is “three football fields long and one wide – has 250 hospital beds and a 550-person medical team that includes trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, eye surgeons and obstetricians and gynecologists. The team also will include medical professionals from the Navy, Army, Air Force and U.S. Public Health Service, as well as nongovernmental organizations.”

The Comfort is seeing hundreds of patients a day, including people crushed by falling buildings, children who lost their whole family, women in labor, people with diseases like tetanus (which can be cured if treated quickly, otherwise it’s fatal), and they just work and work and work to save as many people as they can.  If you are the praying kind, I think the officers on the Comfort deserve a mention for the work they are doing.

3. According to the Wikipedia page for Sarah Palin, she graduated from High School and went to FOUR different colleges.  So I think it’s fair to say that she received a decent education, right? So how come when Glenn Beck asked her to name her favorite “Founding Father”, she froze, blinked, and then said “All of ‘em”?   I’m not a fan of Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin, but dear gods, woman, if you are going to be interviewed by someone who is organizing conventions, writing a book, and planning a March on Washington to promote something he calls the “Refounding of America”, you’d better brush up on the, you know, FOUNDING OF AMERICA.  Doesn’t this woman have anyone who helps her prepare for interviews??

4. Apple, Apple, Apple.  The iPad?  Seriously???  Was there not a single person at Apple who said “hey, um, this is embarrassing, but have you thought about the word Pad? Sure, it can mean a swinging 70′s bachelor apartment, but it also is the word for, um, a feminine hygiene product”?  And did they not think about the fact that there’s only one letter difference between iPod and iPad?  Just imagine the conversations-”honey, have you seen my iPad?”  “Your iPod? No, haven’t seen it”. “No, not my iPOD, my iPAD!”  etc. etc.    You know who is happy about this new device? The people who’s jobs it will be to create all the iPad accessories, because it’s too big to tuck into a purse or jacket pocket. There will need to be iPad sleeves, iPad totes, iPad cases.  Ka-CHING.

5. American Idol – the Dallas auditions were awesome!  First of all, OMGNPH – that’s Neil Patrick Harris if you didn’t watch, he was the guest judge for one day of the auditions, and he was…wait for it…LEGENDARY.  The second day of auditions, the guest judge was Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, and he just sat there. When it was time to vote he just said “yeah.”  It would have been nice to hear him actually say something about singing to any of the contestants.  Unless he doesn’t actually know anything about singing. (sorry JoBro fans).

And THEN…there was Erica Rhodes who was one of the cute kids on BARNEY, and they showed a clip of her on the show, and I looked at Ryan and he looked at me and we REMEMBERED HER! Ryan hates to admit it but he used to like Barney. And this girl was on the show! And now she’s a grad student, and she came into the judges’ room wearing black leather and stiletto boots and CRACKING A FREAKING WHIP.  NPH asked her to sing the Barney theme song and she did, then she sang “Free Your Mind” by En Vogue and she was totally good and got a golden ticket to Hollywood!

Comments are welcome on any or all of these, or share something you’ve been thinking about!

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Wordless Wednesday-Nathan’s Birthday Cake

January 27, 2010 · by · 15 Comments
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okay, this is ALMOST Wordless. I called our local ice cream place on Dec. 20th needing a cake for Nathan’s birthday dinner the next day. And I didn’t want a cake that fed 16 people since it was just the 5 of us that night. The store had a “Yule Log” ice cream cake, and the clerk said she could write “Happy Birthday Nathan” on it. How do you think it turned out?

A. It looks just fine!

B. Um, that is a Cake Wreck for sure.

Leave your vote in a comment and don’t forget to link to your Wordless Wednesday post in the Mr. Linky!

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Things I’m Thinking About Today

January 23, 2010 · by · 15 Comments
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1. Many of the blogs I comment on have the little CommentLuv icon under the comment field, but 9 times out of 10, it doesn’t pull my latest post.  I’d suggest checking to make sure you have the latest version of the CommentLuv plugin.

2. Should Conan O’Brien have spent $1.5 Million of NBC’s money on a CAR? Couldn’t he have bought $1.5 Million worth of computers, or library books, or gym equipment, or classroom supplies, and donated it to a school in the area on behalf of NBC?

3. Is Heidi Montag able to move her face yet?

4. A 21 year old Haiti man was found alive and was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building. His mother had never given up hope that he would be found. This makes me incredibly happy and a little teary.

5. What the heck did I do to my back? It feels like an elephant stood on my back between my shoulder blades. I can barely move and it even hurts to catch my breath. I have some painkillers from when I wrenched my neck last year, so I took one of those, and it barely touched the pain. OW.

6. You know what sucks?  People who steal coffee supplies from the public library. Our township library is nice enough to provide a Coke machine as well as a coin-operated Keurig coffee maker. They have a basket with the Keurig K-cups, which cost the library 50 cents each. While chatting with one of the librarians who was working at the desk near the coffee machine, she told me that someone had stolen 12 K-cups recently. Here are they are, providing coffee and drinks to library patrons, which is surprising enough because I’ve never been in another library that did that, AND you’d think they would worry about liquids getting spilled on the books, but anyway, here are they are doing that, and people are STEALING the coffee supplies. Isn’t that one of the first things parents teach their toddlers, not to steal?

So that’s what’s been on my mind today. What have you been thinking about?

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Bumble Bee Foods Offers Budget-Friendly Shopping Tips For the New Year

January 21, 2010 · by · 7 Comments
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BeeSquadBadgeResults of a recent Bumble Bee Foods survey suggest that a significant majority of consumers are spending more or about the same on groceries as they did two years ago, but a relatively limited percentage of shoppers are fully recognizing cost saving opportunities beyond the typical approach of looking for the best prices, special offers and/or coupons.

In an opinion survey targeting a national random sample of 1,000-plus respondents, the Bumble Bee-commissioned research found that 81% of consumers are spending more or about the same on groceries as they did two years ago. But the same respondents confirmed that they are also actively looking for ways to save on their grocery bills, including shopping for best prices at a variety of stores, and using coupons as well as other techniques to extend the value of their spending. According to Bumble Bee, the results of the survey indicate the opportunity for consumers to realize additional savings by following a few simple tips.

Meal Planning
While respondents sought ways to save on grocery spending, only 50% admitted to meal planning as a technique. Meal planning can lead to tighter budgeting, offer cost and time efficiencies around busy schedules, and ensure that groceries purchased will in fact be used up before ingredients spoil.

Reducing Grocery Waste
Despite the frugal spending and budgeting that comes with challenging economic times, nearly one quarter of all respondents said they still throw away 10% or more of their grocery purchases as a result of items spoiling.

While meal planning is one way to help alleviate food waste, so is balancing your grocery shopping between the fresh vegetables, fruit and meats sections with center of the store dry-grocery purchases. Many ingredients that go into creating a host of meals are found in these canned and packaged food aisles of the grocery store.

Shopping Center Aisle
Approximately 25% of respondents confirmed using more canned protein foods than they were two years ago, with the majority using about the same or less. Many packaged foods located in most central aisles of the grocery store are great to have on hand in the pantry to create meal solutions for the family, special guests, or for a quick snack. And given their affordable price points and relatively longer shelf life which helps to avoid waste, consumers can prepare numerous heart healthy recipes and achieve further savings by using these products.

Bumble Bee Foods
As we get into the new year, Bumble Bee offers solutions and meal ideas to create your favorite recipes, while offering convenience and nutrition at great value. The Bumblebee.com Web site allows consumers to preview Bumble Bee’s entire line of healthy, protein-packed seafood products and never run out of recipe ideas. The site has a user-friendly recipe finder that allows customers to search by meal type, ingredient, and even special dietary considerations. It is a great tool for planning out a shopping list in order to stay on budget and keep from bringing home extra unnecessary items that may end up going to waste.

Get Creative
Stocking up on canned and pouch products such as tuna and chicken that can be used in a variety of recipes ensures that you maximize the value of your purchases at the grocery store. Tuna, for example, does not have to be limited to traditional tuna sandwiches. Whole grain pasta with tuna, tuna fajitas and even pizza with tuna are just a few great meal options rich in protein and full of heart-healthy omega-3s. Let the kids get involved in the preparation for added fun and have a balanced healthy meal on the table in minutes.

How are you saving money on groceries this year? Tell me in a comment!

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Wordless Wednesday-North American International Auto Show

January 20, 2010 · by · 21 Comments
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Photos by Ryan Edwards, age 13

Location: Cobo Center, Detroit Michigan

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Goals, Belly Bandits, and Books – Questions from Lanna

January 20, 2010 · by · 13 Comments
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I asked my readers for helping thinking of what to post about, and they came through! I love you guys :) So, first up are questions from my dear, longtime reader and commenter Lanna (rhymes with banana LOL), who asked:

Did you figure out any goals for yourself for the year?
Do you know where I can find a Belly Bandit for really cheap?
What cute/sweet/whatever thing(s) have the boys done lately?
Wanna come help clean and pack my house since Braxton Hicks have started kicking my butt and the other kids keep wanting to be fed and paid attention to?
Favorite book you’re reading or recently read?

Wow! I’m never going to have to post about having writer’s block again, I’ll just email Lanna first! Here are some answers-

1. Goals for this year – Well, I’ve already started working on my first goal, which is to increase the number of legitimate comments I get on my posts. I am determined to help the Momblogging community rediscover commenting this year. There are SO MANY BLOGS, and only so much time each day to read them, and I know it’s hard to stop and comment. I’m going to figure out a way to not only increase the number of comments I get on this blog, but to help others increase the comments on theirs. I just have to figure out how :)

2. I had no idea what a Belly Bandit was! Turns out it’s a fabric wrap with velcro that goes around your midsection after you give birth to help hold your tummy in. They are $65.00 new! I found Lanna one for $24.95 on eBay and emailed her the link :)

3. The boys continue to be wonderful with their little sister, although Ryan is starting to be less interested in playing with her. Nathan likes to chase her around the house after dinner with her shrieking and giggling.  Kaitlyn recently started informing me that she is going to MARRY Nathan when she grows up, and there’s nothing I can tell her that will change her mind. Is that a girl thing? Neither of the boys talked about marrying anybody when they were four!

4. Oh sweetie, I totally would come there and help if I could. The state you live in is just so far away from Michigan!  I hope you get some help with your little ones so you can rest up before the baby comes!

5. Favorite book recently read – I discovered Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series this past Fall, and between checking the paperbacks out of the library and treating myself to new copies here and there, I just finished book #15.   Now I wish she would hurry up and write another book! If you haven’t read the series, I do recommend reading the books in order as much as possible. Any of the books would make sense if you hadn’t read any of the others, but there are little things that make more sense if you know what’s already happened.

If you have read the Stephanie Plum books, tell me this – is it just me, or from the descriptions of Ranger, doesn’t he look like Benjamin Bratt? At least that’s who I picture in my head ;)

Thanks for the questions, Lanna! I’ll tackle another set next time I get a chance, and feel free to keep asking questions in the comments!

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Win an adorable Baby Wumbler plush, three winners!

January 17, 2010 · by ·
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CLOSED – Congratulations to the winner, comment #49 from Monique!

Prizey Pick badge Pictures, Images and Photosedited to add: Thank you, everyone who came here from Prizey, for making this giveaway a Prizey Pick!

The Wumblers are the creation of Laura Wellington, mother of FIVE (congratulations on the new baby!) who used two tragedies to create a world of characters who learn about positive social and global messages while also having fun together. Her Wumblers Patch Store carries board games, books, CDs, DVDs, plush toys, puzzles, and even an iPhone app with a watermelon seed spitting game.  Laura sent Kaitlyn a Baby Girl Wumbler that she absolutely loves, as well as an Alphabet game. The Wumbler comes inside a fabric watermelon, you unzip it and turn it right-side-out, and it’s a plush baby Wumbler wearing a satiny diaper! Seriously, so cute:

From the site:

Laura Wellington, a mother and former teacher, created The Wumblers series and The Wumbler Patch brand to help her own four children cope with the three year passing of her husband from cancer. Not long thereafter, the tragedy of 911 marked a second opportunity for Laura to help children cope with the suffering they were experiencing as a result of the many personal losses plaguing their own families.

The outcome of the meaningful messages, uplifting story lines, and exciting characters embedded in both The Wumblers series and The Wumbler Patch brand was the rapid launching of The Wumblers series and The Wumbler Patch brand throughout the world. A combination of vast parent-child approval and appeal became the valuable seeds in which the success of both The Wumbler series and The Wumbler Patch brand were sown upon.

Baby Wumblers hatch from watermelons in the Watermelon Patch and are totally adorable!  And best of all,  25% of every Baby Wumbler purchase is donated to Tuesday’s Children, an organization that provides resources and support to families directly impacted by 9-11.  Laura and her team have generously offered three Baby Wumblers for me to giveaway to Table for Five readers!

WIN IT: For your main entry, visit the Baby Wumblers page and then come back here and tell me in a comment which you will choose if you win – a Baby Boy Wumbler or a Baby Girl Wumbler.  Shipping is U.S. only.  Enter by January 28th 2010 at 12:00 noon EST.  EDITED TO ADD:  I’m extending the giveaway deadline  because I had comments set to close after 10 days! SORRY!! I will choose three winners using random.org and then email them for their mailing information. Shipping will be provided by the sponsor.

BONUS ENTRIES: Leave a separate comment for each of the following that you do or have done:

  • Blog about this giveaway and leave the URL in a comment
  • Tweet the giveaway – you can do this once per day, leave a separate comment for each
  • Subscribe to my RSS or email feed
  • Stumble or Digg this post
  • Add Table for Five to your blogroll, leave your URL so I can add you back!
  • Friend me on Facebook

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

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Website Review – Fast Water Heater Co.

January 17, 2010 · by · 22 Comments
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If you live in California, Oregon, or Washington and own a home, this post might be useful to you. I live in Michigan so I can’t recommend this company personally, but I do own a hot water heater that broke down last year, and finding a company that could come right out and fix it wasn’t as easy as I thought. When you have no hot water at all, hearing someone say “we can come out in four days” is really not helpful. Fast Water Heater Co. asked me to let my readers know that they really are fast – call before noon and you can usually get someone out that same day.

Whether you have a traditional or tankless water heater, San Francisco Bay Area residents as well as residents of service areas in Oregon and Washington can get fast service including getting a new water heater installed and the processing of any required permits based on where you live. You can read more about what to expect from a Fast Water Heater service call by reading the appropriately named “What to Expect” page on the site.

The site also has a helpful “Articles” page with articles and resources on how to extend the life of your hot water water as well as tests you can do to determine if your water heater might need servicing, BEFORE it stops working and you are standing in a cold shower with a head full of shampoo :P   Not that I want anyone reading this to have their water heater break down or anything, but if it does, I hope this post helps get it fixed!

disclosure: you know how my Disclosure Policy page says that I occasionally get compensated by websites to post a review of their site? This is one of those posts.

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