100 Books

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here (I can't verify this statistic). How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions: Look at the list and put an 'X' after those you have read.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ( )
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (X)
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte ( )
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling ( )
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (X)
6. The Bible (X)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (X)
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ( )
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ( )
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens ( )

11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (X)
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ( )
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ( )
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (X)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier ( )
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien ( )
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ( )
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger ( )
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ( )
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot ( )

21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell ( )
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald ( )
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens ( )
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ( )
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ( )
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh ( )
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ( )
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ( )
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (X)
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (X)

31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ( )
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens ( )
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (X)
34. Emma - Jane Austen ( )
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen ( )
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (X)
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - ( )
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ( )
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ( )
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne ( )

41. Animal Farm - George Orwell (X)
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown ( )
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
44. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving ( )
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ( )
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (X)
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ( )
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ( )
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding (X)
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan ( )

51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel ( )
52. Dune - Frank Herbert ( )
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons ( )
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ( )
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ( )
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ( )
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (X)
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ( )
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon ( )
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )

61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck ( )
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( )
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt ( )
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold ( )
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ( )
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac ( )
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ( )
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding ( )
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ( )
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville ( )

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ( )
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker (X)
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (X)
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ( )
75. Ulysses - James Joyce ( )
76. The Inferno - Dante ( )
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ( )
78. Germinal - Emile Zola ( )
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ( )
80. Possession - AS Byatt ( )

81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens ( )
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ( )
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker ( )
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ( )
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ( )
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ( )
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White (X)
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ( )
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( )
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ( )

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ( )
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (X)
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ( )
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams (X)
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ( )
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ( )
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ( )
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare (X)
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (X)
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ( )


I have read 21 of these books. I'm smarter then the average bear. However books #33 and #36 are technically the same thing, unless one was refering to the rest of the series and not just the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, there for it would count as 6 individual books bringing my total up to 26. . . but it's just a silly list anyway.

How many of these books have you read?

A Very Cute Movie

I just wanted to make note of a very cute movie that I have watched recently:

 

Penelope

 

I loved this film. Over the weekend John and I had the chance to baby-sit our favorite niece named Natalie who by-the-way is one of the most adorable babies I have been able to love for a long time. But there were many an hour where we came up with nothing to do and baby was sleeping so we perused the brothers (and sister-in-laws) movie choices and decided to watch a few movie that we had not seen before, there weren't many but we found enough.... Anyway, I fell in love with Penelope. This is a movie that I had taken note of when it came out in theaters a while back and thought to myself "self, that looks like it could be a cute movie" and myself said to me" Well, me, maybe you should put it on your 'to-rent-list' and we can see it some day." after the conversation with me and myself, I forgot to add it to the rental list so it passed from my knowledge and was rarely thought of unless my cute little sister's cute friend brought it up (who by-the-way dressed as Penelope for Halloween last year) Well, to make a long story short, I loved the movie and now I must purchase it for my own to go on that shelf next to Tristan & Isolde, Ever After, The Note Book and Never Ending Story II, all of which are movie that john doesn't particularly like to watch with me because they are "Girl Movies". It really is nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to movie plots Poor baby cursed with ugliness must find true love in order to be transformed into beautiful maiden but some unforeseen man comes into the picture and throws the whole story into chaos.... Nothing new, but cute none-the-less.

This is a movie I would absolutely recommend to others. Thanks Rachel for owning this movie for me to watch, It is now going on my super long list of Ultimate girl movies of all time. ;)

 

 

I thought this was interesting

Infertility Etiquette
By Vita Alligood

Chances are, you know someone who is struggling with infertility. More than five million people of childbearing age in the United States experience infertility. Yet, as a society, we are woefully uninformed about how to best provide emotional support for our loved ones during this painful time.

Infertility is, indeed, a very painful struggle. The pain is similar to the grief over losing a loved one, but it is unique because it is a recurring grief. When a loved one dies, he isn't coming back. There is no hope that he will come back from the dead. You must work through the stages of grief, accept that you will never see this person again, and move on with your life.

The grief of infertility is not so cut and dry. Infertile people grieve the loss of the baby that they may never know. They grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes. But, each month, there is the hope that maybe that baby will be conceived after all. No matter how hard they try to prepare themselves for bad news, they still hope that this month will be different. Then, the bad news comes again, and the grief washes over the infertile couple anew. This process happens month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.

As the couple moves into infertility treatments, the pain increases while the bank account depletes. Most infertility treatments involve using hormones, which alter the user's moods. (That statement is like calling a lion a cat-my husband would tell you that the side effect is insanity!) The tests are invasive and embarrassing to both parties, and you feel like the doctor has taken over your bedroom. And for all of this discomfort, you pay a lot of money. Infertility treatments are expensive, and most insurance companies do not cover the costs. So, in addition to the pain of not conceiving a baby each month, the couple pays out anywhere from $300 to five figures, depending upon the treatment used.

A couple will eventually resolve the infertility problem in one of three ways:

They will eventually conceive a baby.
They will stop the infertility treatments and choose to live without children.
They will find an alternative way to parent, such as by adopting a child or becoming a foster parent.

Reaching a resolution can take years, so your infertile loved ones need your emotional support during this journey. Most people don't know what to say, so they wind up saying the wrong thing, which only makes the journey so much harder for their loved ones. Knowing what not to say is half of the battle to providing support.

Don't Tell Them to Relax

Everyone knows someone who had trouble conceiving but then finally became pregnant once she "relaxed." Couples who are able to conceive after a few months of "relaxing" are not infertile. By definition, a couple is not diagnosed as "infertile" until they have tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for a full year. In fact, most infertility specialists will not treat a couple for infertility until they have tried to become pregnant for a year. This year weeds out the people who aren't infertile but just need to "relax." Those that remain are truly infertile.

Comments such as "just relax" or "try going on a cruise" create even more stress for the infertile couple, particularly the woman. The woman feels like she is doing something wrong when, in fact, there is a good chance that there is a physical problem preventing her from becoming pregnant.

These comments can also reach the point of absurdity. As a couple, my husband and I underwent two surgeries, numerous inseminations, hormone treatments, and four years of poking and prodding by doctors. Yet, people still continued to say things like, "If you just relaxed on a cruise . . ." Infertility is a diagnosable medical problem that must be treated by a doctor, and even with treatment, many couples will NEVER successfully conceive a child. Relaxation itself does not cure medical infertility.

Don't Minimize the Problem

Failure to conceive a baby is a very painful journey. Infertile couples are surrounded by families with children. These couples watch their friends give birth to two or three children, and they watch those children grow while the couple goes home to the silence of an empty house. These couples see all of the joy that a child brings into someone's life, and they feel the emptiness of not being able to experience the same joy.

Comments like, "Just enjoy being able to sleep late . . . .travel . . etc.," do not offer comfort. Instead, these comments make infertile people feel like you are minimizing their pain. You wouldn't tell somebody whose parent just died to be thankful that he no longer has to buy Father's Day or Mother's Day cards. Losing that one obligation doesn't even begin to compensate for the incredible loss of losing a parent. In the same vein, being able to sleep late or travel does not provide comfort to somebody who desperately wants a child.

Don't Say There Are Worse Things That Could Happen

Along the same lines, don't tell your friend that there are worse things that she could be going through. Who is the final authority on what is the "worst" thing that could happen to someone? Is it going through a divorce? Watching a loved one die? Getting raped? Losing a job?

Different people react to different life experiences in different ways. To someone who has trained his whole life for the Olympics, the "worst" thing might be experiencing an injury the week before the event. To someone who has walked away from her career to become a stay-at-home wife for 40 years, watching her husband leave her for a younger woman might be the "worst" thing. And, to a woman whose sole goal in life has been to love and nurture a child, infertility may indeed be the "worst" thing that could happen.

People wouldn't dream of telling someone whose parent just died, "It could be worse: both of your parents could be dead." Such a comment would be considered cruel rather than comforting. In the same vein, don't tell your friend that she could be going through worse things than infertility.

Don't Say They Aren't Meant to Be Parents

One of the cruelest things anyone ever said to me is, "Maybe God doesn't intend for you to be a mother." How incredibly insensitive to imply that I would be such a bad mother that God felt the need to divinely sterilize me. If God were in the business of divinely sterilizing women, don't you think he would prevent the pregnancies that end in abortions? Or wouldn't he sterilize the women who wind up neglecting and abusing their children? Even if you aren't religious, the "maybe it's not meant to be" comments are not comforting. Infertility is a medical condition, not a punishment from God or Mother Nature.

Don't Ask Why They Aren't Trying IVF

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method in which the woman harvests multiple eggs, which are then combined with the man's sperm in a petri dish. This is the method that can produce multiple births. People frequently ask, "Why don't you just try IVF?" in the same casual tone they would use to ask, "Why don't you try shopping at another store?"

There are many reasons why a couple would choose not to pursue this option. Here are a few of them.

IVF is Expensive with Low Odds

One cycle of IVF is very expensive. With all of the hype in the news, many people assume that IVF is a sure thing when, in fact, the odds of success for each cycle are low. Most couples cannot afford to try for one month, much less for multiple times. Considering that it also costs a significant amount of money to adopt a baby, many couples opt for the "sure thing" rather then risking their money on much lower odds.

IVF is Physically Taxing

Undergoing IVF treatments is very rigorous. The woman must inject shots into her thigh daily to cause her ovaries to superovulate. The drugs used are very taxing on the woman, and they can cause her to be become extremely emotional.

IVF Raises Ethical Issues

Ironically, couples who undergo IVF to become parents may have to selectively abort one or more fetuses if multiple eggs are fertilized. Many couples cannot bring themselves to abort a baby when they have worked so hard to become parents. If the couple chooses not to selectively abort, they run the risk of multiple births.

Don't Offer Unsolicited Opinions If They Are Trying IVF

On the flip side of the coin, don't offer unsolicited advice to your friends who do choose to try IVF. For many couples, IVF is the only way they will ever give birth to a baby. This is a huge decision for them to make, for all of the reasons I outlined above.

If the couple has resolved any ethical issues, don't muddy the waters. IVF is a gray area in many ethical circles, and many of our moral leaders don't yet know how to answer the ethical questions that have arisen from this new technology. If the couple has resolved these issues already, you only make it harder by raising the ethical questions again. Respect their decision, and offer your support. If you can't offer your support due to ethical differences of opinion, then say nothing.

A couple who chooses the IVF route has a hard, expensive road ahead, and they need your support more than ever. The hormones are no cakewalk, and the financial cost is enormous. Your friend would not be going this route if there were an easier way, and the fact that she is willing to endure so much is further proof of how much she truly wants to parent a child. The hormones will make her more emotional, so offer her your support and keep your questions to yourself.

Don't Play Doctor

Once your infertile friends are under a doctor's care, the doctor will run them through numerous tests to determine why they aren't able to conceive. There a numerous reasons that a couple may not be able to conceive. Here are a few of them:

Blocked fallopian tubes
Cysts
Endometriosis
Low hormone levels
Low "normal form" sperm count
Low progesterone level
Low sperm count
Low sperm motility
Thin uterine walls

Infertility is a complicated problem to diagnose, and reading an article or book on infertility will not make you an "expert" on the subject. Let your friends work with their doctor to diagnose and treat the problem. Your friends probably already know more about the causes and solutions of infertility than you will ever know.

You may feel like you are being helpful by reading up on infertility, and there is nothing wrong with learning more about the subject. The problem comes when you try to "play doctor" with your friends. They already have a doctor with years of experience in diagnosing and treating the problem. They need to work with and trust their doctor to treat the problem. You only complicate the issue when you throw out other ideas that you have read about. The doctor knows more about the causes and solutions; let your friends work with their doctor to solve the problem.

Don't Be Crude

It is appalling that I even have to include this paragraph, but some of you need to hear this-Don't make crude jokes about your friend's vulnerable position. Crude comments like "I'll donate the sperm" or "Make sure the doctor uses your sperm for the insemination" are not funny, and they only irritate your friends.

Don't Complain About Your Pregnancy

This message is for pregnant women-Just being around you is painful for your infertile friends. Seeing your belly grow is a constant reminder of what your infertile friend cannot have. Unless an infertile woman plans to spend her life in a cave, she has to find a way to interact with pregnant women. However, there are things you can do as her friend to make it easier.

The number one rule is DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY. I understand from my friends that, when you are pregnant, your hormones are going crazy and you experience a lot of discomfort, such as queasiness, stretch marks, and fatigue. You have every right to vent about the discomforts to any one else in your life, but don't put your infertile friend in the position of comforting you.

Your infertile friend would give anything to experience the discomforts you are enduring because those discomforts come from a baby growing inside of you. When I heard a pregnant woman complain about morning sickness, I would think, "I'd gladly throw up for nine straight months if it meant I could have a baby." When a pregnant woman would complain about her weight gain, I would think, "I would cut off my arm if I could be in your shoes."

I managed to go to baby showers and hospitals to welcome my friends' new babies, but it was hard. Without exception, it was hard. Stay sensitive to your infertile friend's emotions, and give her the leeway that she needs to be happy for you while she cries for herself. If she can't bring herself to hold your new baby, give her time. She isn't rejecting you or your new baby; she is just trying to work her way through her pain to show sincere joy for you. The fact that she is willing to endure such pain in order to celebrate your new baby with you speaks volumes about how much your friendship means to her.

Don't Treat Them Like They Are Ignorant

For some reason, some people seem to think that infertility causes a person to become unrealistic about the responsibilities of parenthood. I don't follow the logic, but several people told me that I wouldn't ache for a baby so much if I appreciated how much responsibility was involved in parenting.

Let's face it-no one can fully appreciate the responsibilities involved in parenting until they are, themselves, parents. That is true whether you successfully conceived after one month or after 10 years. The length of time you spend waiting for that baby does not factor in to your appreciation of responsibility. If anything, people who have been trying to become pregnant longer have had more time to think about those responsibilities. They have also probably been around lots of babies as their friends started their families.

Perhaps part of what fuels this perception is that infertile couples have a longer time to "dream" about what being a parent will be like. Like every other couple, we have our fantasies-my child will sleep through the night, would never have a tantrum in public, and will always eat his vegetables. Let us have our fantasies. Those fantasies are some of the few parent-to-be perks that we have-let us have them. You can give us your knowing looks when we discover the truth later.

Don't Gossip About Your Friend's Condition

Infertility treatments are very private and embarrassing, which is why many couples choose to undergo these treatments in secret. Men especially are very sensitive to letting people know about infertility testing, such as sperm counts. Gossiping about infertility is not usually done in a malicious manner. The gossipers are usually well-meaning people who are only trying to find out more about infertility so they can help their loved ones.

Regardless of why you are sharing this information with someone else, it hurts and embarrasses your friend to find out that Madge the bank teller knows what your husband's sperm count is and when your next period is expected. Infertility is something that should be kept as private as your friend wants to keep it. Respect your friend's privacy, and don't share any information that your friend hasn't authorized.

Don't Push Adoption (Yet)

Adoption is a wonderful way for infertile people to become parents. (As an adoptive parent, I can fully vouch for this!!) However, the couple needs to work through many issues before they will be ready to make an adoption decision. Before they can make the decision to love a "stranger's baby," they must first grieve the loss of that baby with Daddy's eyes and Mommy's nose. Adoption social workers recognize the importance of the grieving process. When my husband and I went for our initial adoption interview, we expected the first question to be, "Why do you want to adopt a baby?" Instead, the question was, "Have you grieved the loss of your biological child yet?" Our social worker emphasized how important it is to shut one door before you open another.

You do, indeed, need to grieve this loss before you are ready to start the adoption process. The adoption process is very long and expensive, and it is not an easy road. So, the couple needs to be very sure that they can let go of the hope of a biological child and that they can love an adopted baby. This takes time, and some couples are never able to reach this point. If your friend cannot love a baby that isn't her "own," then adoption isn't the right decision for her, and it is certainly not what is best for the baby.

Mentioning adoption in passing can be a comfort to some couples. (The only words that ever offered me comfort were from my sister, who said, "Whether through pregnancy or adoption, you will be a mother one day.") However, "pushing" the issue can frustrate your friend. So, mention the idea in passing if it seems appropriate, and then drop it. When your friend is ready to talk about adoption, she will raise the issue herself.

So, what can you say to your infertile friends? Unless you say "I am giving you this baby," there is nothing you can say that will erase their pain. So, take that pressure off of yourself. It isn't your job to erase their pain, but there is a lot you can do to lesson the load. Here are a few ideas.

Let Them Know That You Care

The best thing you can do is let your infertile friends know that you care. Send them cards. Let them cry on your shoulder. If they are religious, let them know you are praying for them. Offer the same support you would offer a friend who has lost a loved one. Just knowing they can count on you to be there for them lightens the load and lets them know that they aren't going through this alone.

Remember Them on Mother's Day

With all of the activity on Mother's Day, people tend to forget about women who cannot become mothers. Mother's Day is an incredibly painful time for infertile women. You cannot get away from it-There are ads on the TV, posters at the stores, church sermons devoted to celebrating motherhood, and all of the plans for celebrating with your own mother and mother-in-law.

Mother's Day is an important celebration and one that I relish now that I am a mother. However, it was very painful while I was waiting for my baby. Remember your infertile friends on Mother's Day, and send them a card to let them know you are thinking of them. They will appreciate knowing that you haven't "forgotten" them.

Support Their Decision to Stop Treatments

No couple can endure infertility treatments forever. At some point, they will stop. This is an agonizing decision to make, and it involves even more grief. Even if the couple chooses to adopt a baby, they must still first grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes.

Once the couple has made the decision to stop treatments, support their decision. Don't encourage them to try again, and don't discourage them from adopting, if that is their choice. Once the couple has reached resolution (whether to live without children, adopt a child, or become foster parents), they can finally put that chapter of their lives behind them. Don't try to open that chapter again.

The only warm spot in the house...

Credentialing IS Fun

So last night I had a dream ... this dream was different then the others I have had lately where I am constantly going through the StarGate, or being a crazy FBI Agent ... this dream was actually close to "normal".
I dreamed I was at work. Usually work dreams just annoy me because I dream about being at work but then I actually have to wake up and GO to work. Ugh! But what made this dream so fun and interesting was that my credentialing of the doctors was more like a written exam where I had to rate the doctors on their performance and then write an essay question. Well it turned out that my essay questions were all about rating the doctors on the "Crazy/Hot Scale" which made the entire thing extremely funny.
If you have no idea what I am speaking of then please, watch the clip below, it will explain it all for you. If you do know what I am speaking of, you may also watch the clip below to have a really good laugh over it again.

Happy Valentines Day

Valentine's Break Up - watch more funny videos

U2 fans unite!

I read this important announcement on MSN today.

- - -

 

U2 takes a week on David Letterman's 'Late Show'

Feb. 12, 2009, 10:28 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- Make room, Paul Shaffer. U2 will be on David Letterman's "Late Show" for a full week to promote their upcoming album.

The band will be Letterman's musical guest each night from March 2 to 6. It's the first time a musical guest has been given a solid week on the CBS show.

U2's new album, "No Line on the Horizon," is to be released that week. The band played its first single, "Get on Your Boots," to kick off the Grammy Awards on Sunday.

Listen to U2's "Get On Your Boots" | Full coverage of the 2009 Grammy Awards

The band last appeared on the "Late Show" in October 2001.

 

JUST 2 THINGS

Two names you are called that are not your real name:
1.    Buddy   
2.    Quebecca  
   
Two things you're wearing now:
1    pants  

2.   glasses   
 
What are 2 of your favorite things to do?
1.    Sleep    
2.    Read  

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1.    to be home   
2.    a baby   

Two things you did yesterday:
1-    bought cough drops  
2-    watched StarGate SG-1 

Two things you ate yesterday:
1.   Chicken Noodle Soup   
2.    Pretzels     

Two people you last talked to:
1.   Melinda   
2.   Connie   
  
 Two things you are doing tomorrow:
1.    Staying home in bed   
2.    Charging my iPod   
 
Two favorite holidays:
1.    Halloween  

2.    My Birthday  

Two favorite drinks:
1.   A&W Root beer   
2.   Sobe: Energy - I crave the citrus flavor  

Two people no longer alive that you'd like to talk to:
1.    Michelle   
2.    Mr. T 

LET'S PLAY FAMILY FEUD!!!

1. Name something you use in the shower?      Shampoo

2. Name something a football player wears under his uniform?     cup

3. Name something people hate to find on their windshield?     flyers

4. Name something a man might buy before a date?    condoms   

5. What is another word for blemish?     zit  

6. Something you cook in the microwave?     potato

7. Name a piece of furniture people need help moving?    couch   

8 . Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman?     He needs mothering

 9. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner?     pees on the floor

 10. Name a kind of test you cannot study for:    Pregnancy Test 

11. Name something a boy scout gets a badge for:     Swimming

12 .Name a  phrase with the word home in it:     Home Run 

13. Name a sport where players lose teeth:    Rugby 

14. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day?    Assign a report 

15. What is a way you can tell someone has been crying?     Red Nose 

16. Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat:     starlings  

17. Name something a person wears even if it has a hole it!     jeans 

18. Name something that gets smaller as you use it?    soap

I got a new pager at work. State of the art.

Favorites

What is your favorite...

1. Color?   Blue 

2. Movie?   The Princes Bride 
3. Band?   New Kids on the Block 

4. Song?   David Duchovny (Why Don't You Love Me) 

5. Car? Truck?  2006 Ford Focus 

6. Food?   Thai 
7. TV show?   Chuck

8. Animal?   Cats 

9. Sport?   Galic Football 

10. Dessert?  Cheese Cake 
11. Item of clothing?   pajamas

12. Accessory?   kitty necklace 

13. Number?   13 

14. Past time?  reading 

15. Season?   fall 

16. Holiday?   Halloween 
17. Shape?   splat 

18. Drink?   Dr. Pepper 
19. Gum?   Spearmint
20. Candy?  Charleston Chew - Strawberry 
21. Day?   Saturday
22. Actress?  Jennifer Garner 
23. Piece of Jewelry?   wedding ring 

24. Restaurant?  Applebees

25. CD?   New Kids on the Block/The Block 
26. Store?  Barnes and Noble 
27. Hair product?  whatever is on sale     
28. Time of day?   4:10  

29. Vacation spot?   Washington 
30. Actor?   Ewan McGregor 

Its laundry day again.

some great advice

my brother-in-law gave us some great advice one day. He said that maybe if we pretend we're high school students and run around in letterman jackets and cheerleader outfits then we'd get pregnant in no time. "after all" he says "cheerleaders are always getting knocked up"

What is left of my birthday cake. It was very good. It was a superman cake. Scarlet made it. I did find it funny the head was the first 2 go. Yet no 1 will toutch the belt. LOL!

You're 29!

Today is John's Birthday!!

 

 

this message brought to you by the cute wife liz

Top o' the morning to you!

to which one responds "...and the rest of the day to you."

 

 

~*~

 

By the Way, today is John's Birthday!

Strangely enough this slow-roasted serloin with demi-glace tastes like christmas smells.

Baby Blessings, and Blessing in Disguise

Yesterday was Rachel's baby blessing. Kira was stuffed into a gigantic dress and given her name and a blessing in Rachel's ward at 1 pm. The blessing was nice and you could tell Devin was nervous because he kept repeating himself, but he did good. Being the first Sunday of the month it was also testimony meeting. I was doing just fine until Rachel got up to bear her testimony and talked about the blessings of mother's and being a mother and her struggles to be a mother and how blessed she was to have Kira.... Well that was pretty much it and I couldn't stop crying for the rest of the meeting. I tried, I really did, but I didn't have a Kleenex and I didn't want to cross the entire gym just to go to the restroom, so my sweater became as good of a Kleenex as I could find for the time being. As soon as the meeting was over I was off. I went to the restroom and took some deep breaths and washed my face and went back to join the others... then Rachel came and talked to me and apologized for making me cry. It's okay really, it could have been her or anybody else for the hormonal emotional rollercoaster I have been on lately.... But that just made me cry again and I had to excuse myself from the gathering of family members to go clear my head again and dab up the tears that I refused to let fall.

 

After Sacrament meeting the families all went over to Rachel's in-laws for food and socializing. I have a hard time being with her, not because I'm really mad at her  for having a baby and me not having one anymore. Mostly I just avoid her because she does remind me of what I don't have.

 

At some point in the afternoon Rachel handed me the baby and went to find herself some food, and I got to hold Kira for quite a long time. It was so nice. On one hand it was just nice to have a baby in my arms and to be able to hold her and love her, but on the other hand, it just reminded me that I don't have one of my own and I really want one.

 

I think I've gone way beyond being baby hungry. I now suffer from a disorder I have termed EWS (Empty Womb Syndrome) which has horrible side effects including, but not limited to: Baby Rage, Massive Mood Swings, Super Sensitivity, Uber-Emotions, and Depression. (with or without Clomid)

 

So today I'm not so pissed as I have been, but I hate those little reminders of all those things that I'm missing out on.

 

 

 

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

 

This is Wiarton Willy from Wiarton, Ontario, Canada

I actually have a picture of John standing next to  this statue, but that was not available for posting at the moment.

Happy Groundhog day to everyone....

 

and some interesting facts for the day:

• Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal.
• Scientific name: Marmota monax.
• Woodchucks can climb trees and also swim.
• Groundhogs in the wild eat green plants, such as dandelion greens, clover, plantain and grasses.
• They feed heavily in summer, storing fat for winter hibernation.
• By February, hibernating woodchucks have lost as much as half their body weight.
• So how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? About 318 kilograms.