And then there was...

God is SO Good!

2011-10-18T10:56:00.002-04:00

What can I say? I am blessed in abundance! I love my family, I love my church, I love my life! No, I'm not rich with all my desires catered to. That couldn't be further from the truth. But I am alive and I have joy. There is nothing like it. There are times that I'm down and I get on myself for my failures, but I can't stay down for long. As I look around God is taking care of me, reminding me that He is always there. I have no worries for the future. "Things" will work out.

I'm still doing photography (www.kaspinn.com) so if you need holiday pictures (or any type of pictures really), you know who to contact/send your friends to. :) I'm doing free shoots on Thursdays from now until Thanksgiving.

Last week I coordinated a media conference. Can you say nervewracking? lol With only one person officially registered and the conference in four days, I didn't know if we would end up having to cancel it. I'm so glad we didn't! People actually showed up! And they learned stuff! My presenters were amazing!! Todd Mace, Southern Union Conference Information Systems Director, Dale Holness, Broward County Commissioner for District 9, Collin Williams, award-winning producer and owner of Studio 1080, Inc., Marie Compas-Polo, CEO of Joshua Tree Marketing, Cynthia Roby, freelance writer and consultant and owner of Bluestocking, Inc., Karl Pinnock, owner/photographer/videographer for Kaspinn Productions, Andrew Nugent, Associate Pastor for Lauderhill Seventh-day Adventist Church, Dave Adden, EasyWorship Guru, myself and friend/photographer Gerard Rowe. Whew! It was a grand success in my estimation, and a first for the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in South Florida! I'm looking forward to doing it again but for now I'm already on to my next project...a conference for entrepreneurs. Interested?

2010-05-08T23:39:00.001-04:00

Sep '09?? Wow, that was a long time ago! Just wanted to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the momma's (biological and otherwise) out there!!

Me and Shelb

2009-09-05T20:02:00.001-04:00

Scary and Disgusting Stuff

2009-09-02T23:09:00.003-04:00

I went to the gym this morning. Nothing too out of the ordinary about that. Didn't feel like it but went anyway. When Shelby and I came back we saw muddy footprints outside our front door. People used to use our backyard as a thoroughfare so I wasn't entirely surprised about it starting up again. Ran some errands throughout the day and when we all got home around 6:30 P.M. our newest neighbor who lives right beside us, met us in our driveway. Apparently they were robbed. Same muddy footprints on their back patio as in front of our house. Times are hard, yes, but do people have to be so disgustingly greedy/selfish/self-centered?

A Day at the Park

2009-04-07T22:30:00.000-04:00

It was a long week

2009-04-06T18:27:00.002-04:00

Busy is good, I suppose. We spent most of the week getting footage to put into a promo video for Sid's school. It took a lot more out of us than I initially thought, but then again, isn't that how most things are. You never realize the true scope until it's too late to back out. lol The good thing is, after going to bed at 5:45 am on Saturday morning and then waking at 7:00 am, the video came out ok after all and by 10:30 am of the same day the viewing at the Education Day Rally was over. The Director admitted to crying and the others who I spoke to said they liked it. That made it worth it. Plus, it was good experience. I even got to the voiceover! :D

One day this week we hope to make it to the beach for the sunrise. (Yeah, right!) No, for real - we will. Tomorrow. If the pix come out good then I'll post a couple. The purpose it not to catch the sunrise itself but experiment with taking pix in that light. The sun rises relatively fast so the window of opportunity is short which adds to the excitement of trying to get good pix. We'll see how it goes.

WID

2009-03-20T16:43:00.003-04:00

I am so exhausted! Did a shoot today for a local dentist who was doing free work for the day for "Women In Distress." We got to his office at 9 am and I didn't leave until 3 pm. One lady had 10 extractions. Yes, 10 in one day! Another lady had a mouth full of golds and couldn't get a job and was totally transformed with their removal. It was a wonderful experience. Hubby did video and I took stills. Dr. Ken Ross is one of the seven founding members of Project 31 - an organization of dentists that want to give back to their communities. They set up all kinds of 'missions', days that they do pro bono work. Great concept. Hopefully other doctors and service providers will catch the fever and do the same.

Another business card

2009-03-01T12:14:00.003-05:00

Hubby has some business cards like mine (with Shelbs on it) but now he also has this one (with Sid on it). It'll work for now.

Some things don't have to be learned the hard way

2009-02-17T09:15:00.002-05:00

Before you sign up to do something, ask around first. Get input from experienced others. Draw up a contract. Be specific about what services/products you will be providing so you don't get caught with "feature creep" in the end.

2009-02-06T23:31:00.003-05:00

These pix were taken at the end of a shoot of a friend of mine. By the end, Shelb was cranky so she didn't want to take any pix herself. I put her on the stool and this is what I got.

Of course, I had to rescue my baby in the end.

II of II Photo Shoots

2009-02-02T21:20:00.003-05:00

This second shoot was much shorter but we still got some nice pix.

I of II Photo Shoots

2009-02-02T19:03:00.004-05:00

Some of my faves from one of two shoots I had yesterday afternoon.

2009-01-23T00:58:00.002-05:00

FOUR LAYERS OF CLOTHES YESTERDAY!

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Boy, do I bring doom and gloom whereever I go? Found out yesterday that the school I've been teaching at (parttime) is closing down. The instructors will be around long enough to finish teaching their classes but the goal is to get all the students graduated and placed by the end of the year. For me, that means I should have until early March. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

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At the behest of an old friend I finally downloaded Android and the latest Eclipse IDE and Java SDK. For what, I don't know. It's not like I have a G-Phone....

2009-01-21T18:34:00.002-05:00

You would think that there would be a certain amount of relief on your part once you have delivered a product to a customer. Not necessarily. Any relief you may feel is quickly and greatly overshadowed by a nerve-wracking waiting period as the customer finds time to review the work. In my case, that period lasted over 24 hours! In the end, the customer and our contact were impressed, which is good, of course, because that should mean more commercial business.

There are still good people in the world

2009-01-08T23:04:00.003-05:00

I stopped by my previous place of employment a couple of days ago. I was under the impression that an ex-coworker had something for my kids. On my way there I was debating whether or not to go upstairs or ask the lady to come down, but I unstrapped the kids and went up like I knew in the back of my mind that I would. After the lady at the front desk went to get my friend it seemed to take forever for her to come up front. I called before arriving so she was expecting us, and her office is not far from the front, so I was wondering what on earth was keeping her. I soon found out. There she came but she wasn't alone. I didn't think anything of it though; I figured she just told some people along the way and they came to say hi...until she pulled out the card and proceeded to speak on behalf of the group. All I heard was something about them getting together to give me (the fam) something, and then I got all sappy and started crying right in front of everybody! (lol) I was very touched by the gesture. It was completely unexpected. Keep in mind I haven't worked there since early October yet as the holidays approached they thought of me and my family. I will forever have a soft spot for those guys.

Keychain Picture

2009-01-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Me and my baby at the all-white banquet. (Pic taken by his daughter.)

The Latest Business Card

2009-01-01T14:57:00.000-05:00

The Photography

2008-12-31T11:56:00.002-05:00

The "studio" is almost complete. I have a camera, tripod, awesome pistol grip head, lights, umbrellas, seamless paper, the paper stand is a work in progress (I'd say 90+% done), and the battery grip with extra battery is on the way. We're supposed to do a commercial on-location shoot next week that I'm looking forward to. It's for a company that produces a hair straightening product. They may still need a female model who has big bouncy curls. If you know someone, get me a pic and I'll forward it.

I started a gallery (http://www.kaspinn.com/gallery.aspx). Take a look. Positive and negative feedback would be greatly appreciated. :)

I wish you a happy and properous 2009!

It's not too late to set some personal goals for next year. Notice, I didn't say resolutions. I prefer to think in terms of having something to work towards instead of resolutions that may imply a sudden and drastic change in behavior. For me, one goal is to grow my business so it's actuallyprofitable in 2009. To do that I have to put together an action plan for each area of the business. If I want more exposure, what do I have to do to get it? If I want more commercial work, what doors do I have to stick my foot in? If I want to produce better quality work, what practice can I get, what classes can I take, what other photographers/videographers can I work with. All this and more I have to think about for 2009. What will YOU be doing next year?

Check out the rainforest

2008-11-16T18:39:00.002-05:00

Make sure to watch the bloopers at the end too. :) That's my boy!

Rays of Sunlight Near Sunset

2008-11-13T19:24:00.000-05:00

Civil Rights

2008-11-06T22:47:00.002-05:00

What do you think about the whole gay rights issue? Should marriage be defined as one man and one woman? What is marriage? Should two people have the right to decide to spend their lives together? Should they be denied survivorship benefits? Why do we have to be so stuck on words? Ok, so marriage is defined as one man and one woman. And let's say we call the union between two men a civil union. What's the difference again? Take religion out of it and tell me what's left?

Marriage was defined in the Bible. For someone who doesn't believe in the Bible it doesn't make sense to be forced to be defined by it. The Bible is for believers.

Have at it if you want. I'd love to hear from you on this one.

Is it for real?

2008-11-05T21:51:00.002-05:00

Not sure how to take all this excitement. It's easy to get caught up in it though. People gave their lives so that a day like yesterday could happen - that a man could be judged by his character instead of his race. Everywhere I turn people are smiling and happy and talking to each other. Thinking back on today it seems I was one of those people. lol. I think even the world has breathed a sigh of relief at the election results.

To my son, who is five and said he would vote for Obama without any prompting from me or hubby, it doesn't seem like a big deal. He can't fully appreciate the enormity of what has happened. Not even I can. But when I see men like Colin Powell overwhelmed with emotion, I get it.

I wish Obama the best. I don't expect miracles like saving the world. I do expect that the next four years will be something to look forward to in this country. After that, who can tell, but at least for now there's hope.

McCain Concedes

2008-11-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

What can I say?

I hope the economy picks up after this.

The Boat Show

2008-11-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

I'm not a big boat person but I went to the show. I was given two tickets this morning. It helps when you know people in high places. :) Those boats were really nice. I could see if I had A LOT of disposable income I wouldn't mind having one or two for myself. Should have brought the kids - they would have liked it. But, nah, they would have wore us out even more than we already were.

Tomorrow is the big day. Anxious to see what Wed will hold.

Been taking random pix lately. Maybe it's time to post some?

There's nothing like manual labor

2008-11-02T23:13:00.002-05:00

Last week found me trimming hedges. Today I pressure-cleaned the driveway. Who knows what I'll be doing next week!

I Voted!

2008-10-30T23:18:00.002-04:00

Yes, I exercised my right as a citizen of this country. I was in and out in an hour. Good stuff.

Shelby is sick (again). Change of weather maybe or because of other sick kids, who knows. Either case she's got something that I don't need to catch because it always affects me worse than it does the kids.

Sid is a bookworm lately. I'll send him to bed only to find him half an hour later still up with his nose in a book.

NaNoWriMo starts midnight tomorrow night. All you potential authors take note. There's no better time than the present to get that book on paper.

Usability Quote of the Day
"Any intelligent fool can make things more complex. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction." -- E. F. Schumacker (via interaction-design.org)

2008-10-26T12:32:00.000-04:00

Playing with Photoshop

2008-10-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

2008-09-19T20:58:00.001-04:00

I'm going to have fun this weekend - we rented a 50mm f/1.4 and an 85mm f/1.8, a Canon 580EX flash and we bought a LightSphere diffuser! All of that for $112 USD.

For as long as I've known her...

2008-09-15T09:58:00.003-04:00

...she has been creative. She has always had an eye for the beautiful, for the non-conventional, for the extraordinary. She has been my best friend since forever. Ok, at least since middle school. She recently took up photography and as I would expect, her pictures are awesome. Check out this young lady who is in search of being here.

You learn something new every day

2008-09-09T10:33:00.002-04:00

I used to crack my boiled egg on the corner of the sink and start peeling from there. My aunt told me to make a crack and then roll the egg. Then when you start peeling the little broken pieces come off a whole lot easier. I tried it and it works. Amazing.

Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid...for the Lord they God is with thee.

2008-09-08T19:26:00.003-04:00

Joshua 1:9

Next year this time I will have a testimony like no other. I have no worries for the future. I'm concerned about the present. If I can get through this there's not much left to phase me.

It's a good day when...

2008-06-27T16:48:00.003-04:00

...you finally get your income tax return! *whew*

...you see that justice may be served to the scum that screwed you AND made tons of money off of you.

Got to get back to writing.

2008-06-25T11:48:00.002-04:00

TODAY is my 7 year anniversary! Yay!!

2008-06-24T16:54:00.001-04:00

My Latest Idea

2008-06-16T17:18:00.003-04:00

Stories of Redemption
A collection of anonymous testimonies of youth (ages 18-30), where they talk about one experience/trial in their lives, how they dealt with it, how it has brought them closer to God, and words of encouragement to others in a similar situation.

I think this would make a great fundraiser for the Youth Department of my church. It would be a book written by the youth, about the youth, for the youth. I wonder if I can get the youth leader's (and the youth's) buy-in. Would they write about their experiences? Would they make the effort?

A Mother

2008-06-05T12:16:00.002-04:00

I have no respect for a woman who can consciously or otherwise put her own needs above those of her child.

I look at my children and can't imagine being able to leave them while they are still dependents. What would make a woman able to do that?

School Pix

2008-05-09T16:39:00.002-04:00

Project #2 - School Class Pictures and Yearbook

We took over 400 pictures yesterday. Phew. It was hard work keeping those kids entertained and coaxing them to smile. We got there at 9 am and didn't leave until 1 pm (which fortunately included a half hour lunch break). We took pictures of every child on the premises - from age 1+ to fifth grade. We had two setups - one was a makeshift green screen, and the other was a print fabric that we'll probably use for the yearbook. The green screen will just make it easier to extract the kids and put them on different backgrounds.

After going through all the pictures yesterday afternoon we narrowed it down to 100+ really good pix to put in the yearbook and to offer to parents in packages.

The last time I worked on a yearbook I was in middle school - remember that, Ardean?!

I'll post some pix soon.

I wouldn't call it a fiasco exactly

2008-05-07T14:47:00.002-04:00

I did a pro bono wedding this past Sunday morning and a 40th birthday in the afternoon. Needless to say it was a looong day. I got to the bride's house minutes after 9:00 am. I didn't leave the bday party until 9:00 pm! The next day I was a zombie.

"How did the pix turn out," you ask. Well, let me photoshop them first and get back to you. For sure I'll take some good oens and put them on my company website.

I'm nervous about this whole 'business' thing. What if after all my efforts I end up less than mediocre and it all flops? I have a grandiose vision of owning a photography and video production studio, with real employees, and a training/seminar/meeting area, and hosting local club meetings, etc. What if it doesn't work? What if it does?

Me and Hubby

2008-05-07T11:20:00.002-04:00

Working on Lighting

2008-01-28T12:59:00.000-05:00

Pic one is the tomato without any special lighting - only a camera set to auto and a flash. Pic two (80+ shots later) is the final tomato. Much better, I'd say. After all was said and done the tomato was a nice addition to our dinner.

When Is 'Enough' Enough?

2007-11-30T09:58:00.000-05:00

Where is the line between not settling and setting your standards so high that you miss out on great opportunities??

That question could be applied to any facet of life but today I'm specifically talking about relationships.

Here's an excerpt from a previous post...
"I was engaged once...for over a year. Here's a tip: If you're engaged over a year, I'll bet the farm you don't really want to be with the person you've chosen. Get out before you waste more (of both of your) time. Not sure what I was thinking with this one. Everyone knew he wasn't for me (including me and, of course, my mother). According to my mother, we were always fighting. I wasn't in love with him either, but he was (is) a really good person. Not a love lost, but we learned a lot from each other. I credit myself with making him a better man for his current wife."

Yes, every situation is different, blah, blah, blah. But how are they alike?

I stayed with a 'good' man even though I knew the relationship would not be enough for me, I assumed I could make it be enough. I asked myself why I would need more than a perfectly good man.

It wasn't that the guy wasn't good or good enough or good for me, he just wasn't for me. He (may) have thought that our personalities clicked but from my perspective they did not. Of course you can't expect the person you're with to act 100% according to your expectations. Probably not even 75%, but what is the 25% like? Is that 25% tolerable? I wanted to believe it was. It wasn't.

The man I have now is a 'good' man also. Granted, some of the 25% are things that get on my nerves but the other 75% make it so much easier to deal with.

I still say, when in doubt, don't.

So what is the answer to the initial question? For me, the answer is when that 25% really is tolerable, things that you know you can live with...forever

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Anyone participate in NaNoWriMo this year? I started. I even got my step-daughter into it. We attended our first write-in and I came out with over 700 words! That was three weeks ago. (No yay.) The deadline is midnight tonight. My hopes of completion are fading fast. One thing they have on the NaNoWriMo site is how to donate when you're broke. I particularly liked the first option that talks about getting sponsored by family and friends. This would be a good way to ensure participation and maybe even completion. Don't be surprised if next year I come to you with a special request. ;)

Kindle Some Things

2007-11-21T10:13:00.000-05:00

When they perfect this, i.e. make it more “book-like,” then I want one.

By book-like I mean that:
1. It opens like a book which will help with evening the weight distribution
2. There are two screens so it looks like two pages

By the way, check out this cute 'usability' short.

I've been working late nights lately, which sucks but is kinda cool at the same time, only with respect to how productive it has made me. Not only have I been fixing problems left and right at work, but then I get home, say at 11 pm, and I still have energy to wash bottles, get kids' clothes ready for the next day, talk to hubby, and watch tv. Amazing.

The epiphany I had last week when I got home after midnight was Thursday was this: I am darn good! All these years I knew I was 'ok' but now? Now I know differently. This realization could change my life!

Grenada

2007-10-07T02:01:00.000-04:00

I visited Grenada last week. It was my first time there. Got there late Monday night and left early Friday morning. The purpose was to take part in the surprise festivities being bestowed on my uncle for his 60th bday. My attendance was the last in a string of surprises. I went without hubby or babies. A whole week without any of my babies is a looong time, BUT I did surprisingly well. Thank goodness for technology. Anywho, I met a ton of family and family friends, and got to hang with girl cuz AND boy cuz, among others. The trip was intensely relaxing - much needed. We slept, we ate, we beached and beached some more. Definitely one of the best trips I've ever had. I came back with a renewed sense of family and ambition.
The real star of the vacation = my baby cousin.
You see these people are crazy!
A flower outside the hotel where we stayed.
The plane I was forced to take between San Juan and Grenada.
Real Grenadian chocolate.
My first taste of local food was at The Nutmeg in The Carenage. The chicken sandwich was mmm mmm good.
A goat similar to the one nicknamed "Christmas Tree."
Part of the cocoa factory my grandfather used to run.
Some hors d'oeuvres at one of the dinner parties we attended.
Me and Auntie.

Couple of Pix

2007-09-19T11:06:00.000-04:00

6 Years

2007-06-25T10:51:00.000-04:00

No, hubby hasn't done anything out of the ordinary, he's just mine.

Yesterday was our anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been six years already. Time really flies when you're having fun! :) Where would I be if I didn't get married? Maybe I would still have my BMW, but that's besides the point. lol

We didn't have any plans for the day. In the morning we took the kids to the beach. The day was perfect. In the evening my mother-in-law took us to dinner. We chose Indian food which turned out to be an excellent choice.

(If you want to see Shelby half buried you'll have to check her blog!)

My Hubby

2007-06-12T12:47:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't trade him for the world.

Leftover Cake

2007-05-31T09:51:00.000-04:00

There was way too much cake leftover from Saturday's surprise "party." I brought two-thirds of the cake in to work today because there is no way it would get eaten fast enough at my house.

It's My Birthday! It's My Birthday!

2007-05-25T17:16:00.001-04:00

33 years of non-stop blessings - that's what I've had - from my grandma to my comfortable life growing up through my schooling and into a decent job, to the present state of blissful marriage and the best kids in the world.

A few months ago someone who my husband tried to help (a few years ago) fix his wife's computer, came and told us that his wife accused hubby of ruining said computer. Every few weeks the guy would come with new reports that the harddrive had been swapped (by my hubby), that the place where the bought the computer did an analysis and said the current harddrive was severely corrupted, that hubby had registered the computer in his name, and even that hubby was using their Internet service! They made official complaints to our pastor and head elder and even went so far as to file a police report, or so they say since we have never seen the report. Hubby always maintained his innocence but the guy's wife refused to talk to hubby or even to let us go with them to where they bought it so we could have everything explained directly. No go. Keep in mind that this has been dragging on for months. Last week the guy came back to us with a big smile on his face bursting to share his latest findings. Apparently he had yet another "computer expert" come over and look at the computer. They guy explained everything to him, even wrote stuff down so he could show his wife when she came home from work, and the kicker is that the guy got the computer back to the state it was in before hubby ever looked at, thus proving that it was indeed the original harddrive. That was the biggest relief for me and I'm sure even bigger for hubby who was wrongly accused. I don't know what the guy's wife said to the irrefutable proof of innocence. Maybe we'll find out tomorrow after church. That is, of course, unless the story has changed yet again.

Yesterday my kids' school's director called to tell me that I've been overpaying for Shelby ever since she started going to daycare. That means we get at least $120 reprieve from this month's school fees which is always good news.

Today my co-workers took me to lunch at Macaroni Grill, then we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. I heard that the reviews weren't good but it didn't matter - it was Johnny Depp. Lots and lots of Johnny Depp. I have loved that man since 21 Jumpstreet Days! *sigh* Anyway, yes, I liked the movie enough. It was fun to watch. A bit slow in some spots but overall I'd give it a (probably biased) thumbs up. Nice way to spend the afternoon. No plans for myself for the weekend though. Maybe take some more pictures. Oh yes, I took pictures of the kids last Sunday. We went to a park and I had them bring changes of clothes. Hubby's mom came too. Had a pretty good time. I'll have to upload some of my favorites when I get a chance.

I had a good weekend, and you?

2007-05-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

My baby, Sid, made me a card and a picture of a flower. Shelby didn't make me anything, that little diva! Hubby brought me blueberry pancakes from Grand Lux, which were yummy as usual. At church on Saturday the mothers got a rose, a carnation, and an evening treat of sandwiches and soup and numerous tributes. Sunday afternoon I spent with family celebrating my cousin's graduation from law school. Her husband bought her a BMW 330 as a graduation gift. I asked my hubby what I'm doing wrong as a wife why I don't get gifts like that. He basically told me that he gave me two kids and I should be happy. lol.

Ok, you know nothing ever really goes smoothly for me, right? I had everything packed and ready to head to Miami for the graduation - the baby bottles, cars for Sid to play with, and just as importantly I had my camera and even a backup camera. On the way down hubby asked me if I had the battery. Umm, that's when I realized I did forget to bring it. He told me it was ok cause he picked it up for me. I breathed a sigh of relief only to find out later that he was only kidding. He thought I was kidding! Yeah, I had to use the backup camera. :( Fortunately the "after party" was at cousin's uncle's house which happened to be close to mine, so I swung by home first. After that, it was on. Hanging with family is always nice for me. We talked, we laughed, we ate, and...I took pictures! The latest one on Shelby's blog was actually taken Saturday afternoon but it's one of my favorites. Take a look.

I got my camera!

2007-05-09T15:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to moms for my early birthday gift - a Canon Rebel SLR XTi.

There's so much more I need now. *sigh*

You Sure You Want To Know?

2007-04-30T11:25:00.000-04:00

My weekend was off to a bad start with a mild case of food poisoning from the nastiest chicken philly I ever ate, EVER, for lunch on Friday. I still have some of the twisty stomach feeling today which is why I'm really watching what I eat for a while. Saturday hubby woke up with flu symptoms - fever, chills, aches. Out of four feedings, Shelby threw up three of them. Fortunately the rest of the kids were fine.

Sunday we videotaped our first official wedding. Although it didn't feel so official (but hubby made us wear black and white since he considered us 'help' and not merely attendees even though two of four of our kids attended) cause we knew the bride and a large portion of the attendees. It was a lot of fun for me, even though, yes, I wasn't feeling 100% the whole time. I got footage of the bride and bridesmaids, etc. getting dressed. It was like hanging out at a friend's house. Well, I was at a friend's house and everyone there knew me.... The wedding started late (not surprising) but because of that the ceremony was extremely short and to the point. The reception was ok. Lots of love, lots of laughs, just enough food.

We ran two videocameras the whole time so editing and aligning all of that footage should be interesting. I'm looking forward to it though.

On an even better note, I (my mother) ordered my Canon XTi. If you're interested slickdeals.net has a 25% off coupon for Dell for specifically that camera (incl. lens). There are always cool deals on that site. I check it pretty often. They lean heavily towards electronics but there are tons of other specials, like for clothes and shoes, etc., too.

2007-04-22T23:32:00.000-04:00

Tabouli? I don't think I've ever heard of it.

Speaking of food, this weekend I made a rotini spinach salad. I surprised myself and I think hubby too. It was quick, easy, and tasted really good.

There are two commercials that really bug me. The first is the for Qui.znos where some girl says something like, "And that's what every woman wants - a lot of meat." How classless can you be? I don't blame her but I think it was poor taste on Quiz' part to put that in their ad. The second commercial is a new one for Sta.te Fa.rm. It has something to do with being a good neighbor. It shows some girls outside jumping rope and their helpful neighbor, a middle-aged man, goes and finds another rope for them without being asked. After he throws it to them he says, "Because two are better than one." Right. The camera goes to the girls and then goes back to him. I swear he looks like he's enjoying the whole scene more than he should, watching these little girls bouncing up and down.

Check out Sidney's and Shelby's latest pix - I took them to the park today.

2007-04-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the nice words. You all are too kind, really. :)

Facebook Fiend

2007-04-17T11:22:00.000-04:00

Yep, that's what I've turned into. I'm on FB every-durn-day!

A lot has been going on though. At work we have a mid-may deadline so we're working hard towards that. Mocha came to Miami for some sunshine so I got to see her. What a sweetheart she is! I'm on the market for a D-SLR camera. Actually, my mother promised to buy me one as a birthday (May 25) present! Yay! In the meantime I'm still using my Canon PowerShot A400 (as you can tell from the pix below). Can't complain about that camera - it has served me very well. The kids are good. Sid keeps losing his homework before he even leaves school! Yeah, not sure what we're going to do about that. Shelby is a bonafide rugrat now. She crawls everyone and grabs everything. Her smile is infectious. Her laugh is like a sunny day.
I had to dump another pair of jeans. I got to replace them though. Macy's had a sale (surprise, surprise) so I got a few pairs of jeans and a couple of tops. I was (am) a happy camper. See the smiles?

By the way, the cooking has reached a new level. Today, a co-worker and I made a couscous salad with chicken. It had couscous (of course), cilantro, parsley, olive oil, chicken broth, and scalllion. The chicken someone picked up for us from Chicken Kitchen.

2007-03-30T11:55:00.000-04:00

Nobody likes a wet blanket so I'll try to keep this post at least somewhat upbeat.

Had my appraisal at work this week. Got a "meets expectations" mark. Fine, whatever. I didn't go above and beyond last year so I can't very well expect to get "exceeds expectations." The one surprise was a coworker rolling me under the bus without giving me fair warning first. At least if he spoke to me first I would have defended my position and my review may not even have been affected. Now, instead of having a discussion with a peer I have to state my case to my superior.

(Not doing a good job so far of not being a wet blanket, huh?)

Some really good news is that I have a sort of landline at my house again and I can call Canada for free! (I say "sort of" because it uses the internet to make the calls.) Hubby hooked it up Wed night and my first call was to my cousin who just got out of the hospital after having had minor surgery. I made the call after 11 pm and was surprised when she answered. The talking didn't stop until after hubby said to himself "forget this" and left me and went upstairs to bed.

(That was a bit better, wasn't it?)

I still have the sniffles and Shelby still has her ear infection, but it seems like we're both getting better; her faster than me.

Re: SP

2007-03-26T16:45:00.000-04:00

I must apologize to SP for saying she never met Shelby. It must have been so long ago that I forgot!

I'm not crying or laughing yet

2007-03-23T14:53:00.000-04:00

But I am smilling a little.

I Haven't Been Neglecting My Blog

2007-03-22T10:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, maybe I have, just a little. Things have been crazy. Yes, I know that's everyone's excuse but for me it's true! :) Since my last post I've been scared about things, angry and upset about things, anxious about things, and happy about some things. After this Friday I'll either be crying or heaving a great sigh of relief....

Anywho, at work I haven't had much of a break to do anything. I was moved to a new project so I've been trying to get my mind around it so that I can actually be productive asap.

At home my laptop is still dead. Also, I've been sick with my yearly upper respiratory infection. I started taking vitamins and extra vitamin C and they have helped tremendously. I really don't want to take the prescribed antibiotics (one of my co-workers convinced me to go to the doctors). Shelby and Sidney are sick too, and I took them to the pediatrician. Shelb is the one I'm concerned about because it's been a couple of days and her cough doesn't seem to be getting any better. I'm supposed to bring her back next week Wed or so for a checkup but I may take her Monday instead if over the weekend she still doesn't improve.

Online I was introduced to Face.book yesterday by nyabg. I like it. I like the fact that once you add friends you get their newsfeeds. Very cool. Also, while I seemingly threw my blog to the side I have been trying to keep Sidney's and Shelby's blogs updated with pictures.

Businesswise we (hubby and I) got our first real (read: paid) wedding video gig. It'll be fun. It's scheduled for the end of April. Hopefully all will go well and we'll get referrals.

SP still hasn't met Shelb in person. Since she met her man she has been completely MIA!

On TV I've been watching ANTM but I'm not impressed this year. I love Brittany's pictures. I can't stand Renee. Jael needs speech lessons. The other girls haven't made much of an impression I guess cause I can't even think of their names right now. As for American Idol, the girls blow the boys away every time. There are a couple of guys I like but still they don't compare. (Btw, I was SO SO glad when Antonella got the boot. She just didn't get it.) My favorites are Melinda, Lakisha, Jordan, in that order. Melinda's performances are amazing. Granted, I didn't watch this week's episode yet but I'm sure she brought it like she always does. That girl is nothing short of amazing. Makes me want to run around the house singing...but I know better. hehe. It's funny enough watching me stomp around after an episode of ANTM.

A note about shoes: How could I forget to mention that the sandals I bought when I got pregnant have finally snapped - literally. I was at the park on Sunday for a church family fun day when I stepped out of the car and my foot slid out of my shoe. I ended up having to wear my stepdaughter's flip-flops. She's a size 7. I'm a size 10. Yeah. But believe me, they looked better then trying to wear hubby's soccer shoes. The happy ending to this story is that I had to buy new shoes. I got the cutest $20 sandals and a pair of Rockport's at Macy's. You know pix are forthcoming.

A Pre-Update Update

2007-03-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Took my sister out for her birthday last Saturday night.
My old car.
MY NEW CAR! (Can't beat a $200 lower payment.) Oh, the green Explorer next to it is ours too.

Back in the Cube Farm

2007-02-05T23:51:00.000-05:00

Yup, I went in to the office. Shelb spent the day with strange women. When I left her this morning she was sleeping so that made it easier for me to go not having to look her in the eyes and tell her 'bye'. But when I went to pick her up (almost nine hours later) and I asked how she was I was told she was a bit cranky in the morning. Poor thing woke up and probably didn't know where she was or who the people around her were. Sid said he went in to see her when my mother stopped by but that was so late in the day. Shelb went most of the day without a familiar face. :( As for me, every chance I got I was looking at pictures of her on her blog. Maybe tomorrow will be better for both of us.

Is It Possible?

2007-02-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to help people and make money at the same time? Of course. But why are we instinctively hesistant to believe there are people out there who really do want to help people even though they make money doing it? Why are we inclined to believe they only want our money? How can they gain our trust if they truly are sincere? What can they do to be believed?

No one says anything when Jane, who loves to quilt more than anything in the world, decides to sell her creations, hold classes in quilting and maybe start an online forum all about quilting, it seems like the most natural progression in the world. But when an alternative health care pro, for example, who hates standard medicine and what it stands for, opens his practice and does the same thing as Jane, all of sudden it's not that he cares about what he does or believes in what he does; instead what you hear is that all he wants is to draw more people to his front door so he can make more money. And there's nothing he can do short of working for free that will make people believe otherwise. Or is there??

I've Been Lazy Lately

2007-01-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

And that is so unlike me! :)

Today I did a 'mom' thing. I went on a field trip with my son's class! *gasp* And I didn't go alone. I took Shelb. We went to the Museum of Discovery and Science. The movie showing at the IMAX was about Sharks. You can imagine how cool that was being in 3D. A couple of the kids got scared by the realness and bigness of it all. Shelb didn't care. But she refused to wear her 3D glasses. Not sure why. After puking on me a few times she went to sleep.

It was a long day for me. I ended up staying at the school and helping them prepare for licensing next week. Plus Shelb got introduced to the ladies who work in the babies' room in the mornings.

Just finished reading: Tigana
Currently reading: Spandau Phoenix

I Wish I Could Take Credit For These

2007-01-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

TEN THINGS TO PONDER FOR 2007

#10 Life is sexually transmitted.

#9 Good health is merely the slowest rate at which one can die.

#8 Men have two emotions: hungry and horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

#7 Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

#6 Some people are like a slinky... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

#5 Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital dying of nothing.

#4 All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

#3 Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars, and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents???

#2 In the 60's, people took LSD to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

AND THE NUMBER ONE THOUGHT FOR 2007: We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America , but we haven't a clue as to where thousands of
illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the
Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.

D-Day

2007-01-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

...is Feb 5.

This Weekend

2007-01-22T00:22:00.000-05:00

New pix here...
And here...
And here...
We spent Saturday in Naples with hubby's family. His aunt's husband was celebrating his bday plus his retirement from a previous state job has just kicked in. We had a good time eating and talking as usual. A lot of the pix above of from that gathering. There were three babies there all under six months old. They were the real stars of the day but I didn't post any pix of the two besides Shelb cause I didn't ask their momma's first.

Sunday I took Sid and Shelb to another bday party. My girlfriend's daughter turned two and they had the party at Chuck E. Cheese. You can bet Sid was excited to go when he heard! As soon as he got there he was ready to play. When he realized money/tokens were involved he came over with his palm open asking me for some. Shelb on the other hand didn't know what was going on, but she was excited too. I guess she enjoyed the music and all the screaming kids.

2007-01-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

You haven't heard me talk about my cooking escapades lately because I haven't had any, unless you count boiling spaghetti or grilling hot dogs. No? Didn't think so. Oh, wait, there was the vegetable lasagna I made, but how easy is that? My mother keeps bringing me recipes from Publix to try. They look easy and good but I haven't gotten around to any of them yet. I guess I'm preoccupied with thoughts of going back into the office. I know that day is coming very soon. I told hubby the other day that we should move to Canada but as usual he wasn't hearing me. Unless I go to him with a plan he will continue to not hear me. Hmm, sounds like a challenge.

I'm on my son's PTA Board. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm a mother! And even moreso now a motherx2. A girlfriend of mine said to me yesterday, "You and K make such pretty babies. Why don't you have more?" Ha HA! This from a woman who bore five kids herself. Yeah, K laughed even more than I did.

I'm really feeling a major trip right about now. The first one should be to Holland. After that I'm open. I've never been to Grenada and since meeting up with my fam I've had this curiosity to go and see what it's like. Of course, Jamaica is always an option. Canada too. Japan, as improbable as it looks right now, is also on my list. I think I have enough pseudo-travel plans for this year.

Made My Day

2007-01-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

In the daytime, while I'm driving around running errands is when I think about what I want to post later in the day. These days everything that comes to mind is forgotten by the time I get home! Old age??

On a positive note, when I dropped off Sid to school this morning one of parents saw me and told me that everytime he sees me I look like a superstar. See, now that is totally believable. :)

I...Don't Know

2007-01-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

Usually I do these tests multiple times (like Miz JJ) but this time I didn't feel like it. So, this is what I got the first time around).

K's Kids

2007-01-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today is K's bday. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Here he is in all his bday glory with his cheesecake and his offspring.

Updates

2007-01-02T15:44:00.000-05:00

The past few days have been quite emotional. Here's a high-level list:

Shelby was blessed.
I met family members for the first time.
I hung out with my sister and one of her partners.
Of course, we entered a new year.

Meeting Mocha and the fam was somewhat surreal. I was both nervous and excited to meet them in person. My father is the youngest of five children - he has three brothers and a sister. I never knew him. One of his brothers was my GP when I lived in Toronto. The other siblings I didn't know either. Everything so worked out that the two unknown brothers and their wives and some of their children would be in my neck of the woods for New Year's. So I invited all of them to Shelby's blessing. Saturday morning, sitting in church on the balcony, I was watching and waiting for them to arrive. I left to change Shelby's diaper and when I came back I noticed the pews were no longer empty. The first person I saw was my cousin MusicMan who I recognized from the pictures. Next was Mocha's dad, and beside him was his brother, MusicMan's dad. They all greeted me with hugs and kisses and I continued to my seat which was in front of them and to their right. Service had just started so I couldn't stop to talk. As I sat I looked over my left shoulder at the men I had just passed and glimpsed another familiar face just behind them. It was Mocha smiling at me and I couldn't help but smile back. Her mother and MusicMan's stepmom were sitting with her and they smiled 'hi' at me too. I turned back around and all I could think was They're really here. They're right behind me. If I turn around they'll still be there. And, of course, not wanting to stare, I surreptitiously stole sidelong glances until it was time to go down to the front. I got up to leave and motioned for everyone to follow. Once in the foyer we waited for the person praying to finish. We didn't move too much or talk more than necessary, we just waited. At the appointed time I led they way to the front, Shelby was blessed then we filed back out. Once back in the foyer out came the cameras and the hugs and talking started. My mother was trying to tell me that we had time for everything later and that we should go to finish preparing for lunch, but she didn't understand. She didn't understand that I had been waiting all morning, actually for months, to get my hands on my cousins. I'm sure it sounds strange but I just wanted to hold them. I was so happy that they found me, that they wanted to find me. I didn't want to wait another minute to relieve some of that nervous/anxious energy by going from person to person claiming my hugs and soaking in their smiles. We eventually left and had lunch together and with a few of my friends who also attended the blessing. Many times throughout the day I was almost overcome with emotion at the whole thing, thinking about how things have been and the progression of events that led to our meeting all together how we did. MusicMan lives in Japan so he was reuniting with his father and Mocha. Mocha and her parents were meeting MusicMan's stepmom for the first time. And I was meeting everyone for the first time (well, Mocha's dad said the last time he and his wife saw me I was four or five years old).

The next day, Sunday, we didn't talk but you can be sure that first thing Monday morning I was making phone calls to find out what the plans for the day were. I got to Mocha's hotel by noon and all seven of us spent the day at a large mall browsing from store to store. The day reluctantly ended at 10:30 that night after lots of laughter and more food. We got to scratch the surface of getting to know each other and from what I've seen I want to know more. I can't wait for more opportunities to learn even more about them. We have at least 25 years to catch up on! I wish I had met my cousins earlier. Tomorrow MusicMan leaves to go back to Japan so I'll be making a trip to deliver some tamarind balls to him before he goes.

And speaking of family, I've spent more time with my sister over the past four days than over the past few years. She came down with one of her business partners, Ms Ashley, for the blessing and for work. Sunday they invited me to their first photo shoot and we ended spending the rest of the day together. I got to know Ms Ashley a little and decided that I like her a lot. She is a sweet person with a great attitude. Tuesday they came over and stayed for dinner. I stuffed Ms Ashley with lasagna and cake and ice cream. :) Hey, she said she like it. We sat around and talked some more but they had things they had to do before leaving the next day so we said our goodbyes. We'll be talking again soon I hope.

Spending time with the family and special friends was the best way to start the new year. I couldn't have asked for a better beginning.

There were a few good times had last year (having Shelby and meeting the fam), but I'm still glad to see 2006 go. Happy New Year, Everyone!

Recipe Responses

2007-01-01T01:18:00.000-05:00

@Chele - I'm trying to remember where I got the lemon pepper chicken recipe from! If I remember correctly this is what I used: 2 chicken breasts halved, lawry's lemon pepper seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, and lawry's seasoned salt. I cooked it in the oven on 325 for about an hour. The sauce was made from 1/2 bottle Cavit's Pinot Grigio, 6 tbsps unsalted butter, and half of a lime. I brought it to a boil and let it simmer for a while (less than ten minutes). Then I poured the sauce on the chicken when it was done, turned off the oven, and put the chicken back in for 15 minutes. What I would change next time: make extra sauce and cook the chicken a bit less cause it came out dry (but teh sauce really made a difference.

@Anonymous - I was asked to post the recipe for Contessa's Lemon Fusilli with Arugula. Here is a site that has it.

Not Much To Report

2006-12-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

My cooking has not suffered since the bottles burned. As a matter of fact, I made the best chicken ever this week. It's my favorite so far. It was a lemon pepper chicken with a white wine sauce. I'm thinking it was the lime in the sauce that gave it the unique flavor, but it was oh so good. And then the next day I made teriyaki chicken with sesame seeds. That was nowhere near being my favorite but it was edible. Oh, and how could I forget the chocolate ganache I attempted! I should have taken a picture but I wasn't fast enough - hubby ate most of them, he loved them so much. I'm going to try again though and next time take pictures for sure, even though they taste much better than they look.

Sid was a trooper through the whole bottle-burning experience. His older brother took care of him, carrying him around since he didn't have any shoes on. When the firetruck came though he was too shy to go near it. He barely wanted to touch it even though he was in awe - he loves cars and trucks.

The bigs kids are away for Christmas. Their grandpa drove (yes, drove) them to TN to visit some cousins. My mother is still in Jamaica (til next Friday). So this weekend will be pretty quiet. Next weekend is a different story. In one week Mocha will be here (and we all know how rowdy she can be!) along with some other family. Shelby is being blessed next Saturday and I haven't even begun planning for the lunch afterwards. BdaB and his family will be coming down from Jacksonville. My sister will even be here.

Speaking of my sister, she has recently formed a corporation with three other young ladies. Together they make up Star* Power PR and Marketing. She's doing things and I'm happy for her. We'll see what the new year holds for her.

Here's part of my wishlist:
a massage (all of my stress goes directly to my neck and shoulders - a massage is way overdue)
a new bicycle (since the bike I had for the past 14 years was STOLEN thanks to someone who shall remain nameless but goes by the title 'hubby')
a creme brulee torch and ramekins (my absolute favorite dessert is creme brulee - if I learned to make it I would never have to buy it again)
some good cook books (I want the classics, the ones every real cook must have)

Call Me Phoenix

2006-12-19T00:49:00.000-05:00

Edit: Post has been updated.

I nearly burned down my house Sunday night. How was your weekend?

Yeah, so, uh, I burned the baby's bottles.

There I was trying to be Wonder Woman, boiling bottles, washing clothes, and getting Sid ready for bed, when I lost track of all what I was doing and started doing a fourth task - installing my webcam so my mother could see her grandkids while she's on vacation in Jamaica (she left Friday morning and two days without seeing her poopy and booby is much too long). Me, hubby, and Shelb were all in my room when I turned on the big flourescent light for better exposure and Sid came in from out of his bed talking about what's that smell. As he said it we were smelling it too. I went to the light to smell it cause sometimes it smells like it's burning, but that time it wasn't the cause and the smell was getting stronger. Hubby jumped up and ran out and I followed. As I got to the landing I could see the kitchen was filled with smoke. I immediate ran to open the front and back doors so hubby wouldn't choke. He, by the way, had grabbed the flaming pot with an oven mitt and put it in the sink which, by the way, had a big aluminum pot in it filled with water. All I saw was one long flame across the width of the kitchen (about three feet) as he moved from the stove to the sink. I ran back upstairs, opened the window on the landing, continued up the stairs, yelled at everyone to get out (K Jr took Sid who had his hands over his ears cause by this time the fire alarm was going off as well as the house alarm), grabbed the baby and cell phones from off my bed, opened another window and ran back down the stairs and out the house. Hubby came out but went back in and took so long to come out I was beginning to get worried. What was his excuse? He was making sure the windows were opened and the fans were on! Come on! I was worried about smoke inhalation and him passing out and he's worried about smoke in the house!! I couldn't pull his big behind down the stairs by myself! He's at least twice my weight and then some. Well, He finally came out and we spoke to the alarm company who said they could send the fire truck out to help clear out the smoke, which we agreed was a great idea. If you've ever smelled burning plastic/silicone, it is one nasty smell. Anyway, the fire truck came. (Aside: When it got to my street the had to blow the horn to get people to move their parked cars which were illegally parked and I was so happy. What if my house really was burning down?? I live at the end of a cul-de-sac and jokers are always parking on both sides of the road leading to the cul-de-sac, barely leaving room for one vehicle to drive through much less and emergency vehicle. Oh yeah, it was about 10 pm. hehe.) So the firemen came and blew smoke out the house but even after they left we still couldn't stay. Hubby and I tooks turns going in and packing stuff (leaving the kids outside) and then we camped out at hubby's mother's house. We put the house alarm back on and left the upstairs windows open for the night to air the place out. Fortunately it's been cool and breezy these past few days. In the end I didn't get to sleep until 2:30 am (figured I may as well stay up to feed Shelb since her feeding schedule got thrown completely off) and then I was up again minutes to 7 am to take Jr to school. It didn't even end there cause when I got back to hubby we drove his mother downtown so she wouldn't have to fight to park. Needless to say when we finally got to our own house about 1 pm I was exhausted, but at least the smell was almost completely gone.

So, you see, the house nearly burned to the ground but my mind was reborn from the almost-ashes, like the Phoenix, and I will never, ever, ever, ever, boil bottles and attempt to install a webcam driver on a computer upstairs at the same time.

There must be a lesson in this. Hmm, I know, if you're using the stove, keep it within your line of vision and don't attempt to be a multi-tasking superheroine.

Btw, everyone was fine, no nausea or dizziness.

The Boy and Food and Then Some

2006-12-17T01:13:00.000-05:00

The Older Boy
@Shawn - No, we don't spend alone time together. Up until a year and a half ago we at least had car rides to and from school. We had some interesting discussions during those car rides. Now we hardly see each other unless he needs something.

Food
Yes, I'm still cooking and experimenting I just can't remember what all I cooked last week! I know Friday evening I made "gourmet" chicken sandwiches and carrot soup. The key ingredients for the special sandwich was the ciabatta bread and the spread - a mix of dijon mustard, mayo, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and anchovy paste (which I don't think it really needs). The carrot soup was made in a VitaMix - it had carrots, celery, spicy tomato paste, vegetable bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, onion, and, of course, water. For dessert I made more whipped cream and we had that with fresh strawberries and some diabetic chocolate pudding/cake that hubby made.
Today for lunch we had baked chicken (courtesy of hubby), broccoli and bowtie pasta with lemon, mozzarella and tomato, and leftover ciabatta bread. The tomato and cheese salad didn't look like when it's ordered from a restaurant but it's the taste that matters!

Then Some
It was nice to see my friends from Jacksonville who were in the area today. Their kids have grown so much. It's too bad they came over so late in the day and we didn't get to sit and talk at all. Let me put these people on blast and tell you that I was expecting them around noon but they didn't show up until minutes to 4:00 pm! lol They are lucky that I like them so much. I miss having them nearby. I didn't get to take any pix but BdaB, if you're reading this, I want those pix that you took in my email asap!

Went to my company Christmas party last night. They rented a tent so that we could watch the boat parade. We had a decent time. At least the DJ did a pretty good job. The food was not good at all, very blah. The desserts didn't make up for the bad food but I ate enough to fill the void. Will my hips tell on me? We'll see. Anyway, I got to talk to my cooking buddy. We love to swap stories about what we've cooked, what worked or didn't, and what we've seen that we want to make. I told her how to make the whipped cream and she told me how to make meringue, and we both have plans to make chocolate truffles. Mmmm! And I have a creme brulee set on my wishlist for this year because I absolutely have to learn to make my favorite dessert. (So far, I think the best creme brulee I've had was at Ruth's Chris, and I've had a lot of creme brulee.) Once I get the kit you know you'll see pix of me flaming that sugar.

The latest pix of Sid and Shelb are up.

You Guys Are Just So Helpful!

2006-12-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

Due to the overwhelming response to my last post (lol) I've decided to not make the door-closing an issue. My boss always said to chose your battles and this one is probably not worth fighting considering what you all have told me (and emailed me).

Back to the food
What else have I concocted lately, you ask? I made my very own sweetened whipped cream and I bought fresh blueberries and strawberries to eat with it (and my mother brought over sweet potato pudding). I also made rosemary chicken. Sid ate all of his and wanted mine too! Out of everyone he liked it the best. Tonight I don't know what I'm going to make but I'm excited about the little 3-cup Cuis.inart food processor that hubby bought for me. I just got it this morning and I already used it to chop garlic and parsley! :)

2006-12-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

Edit: I have been rightfully chastised for only showing stepson in a 'bad' light. My blog is not the news channel - there should be some good news sprinkled in there somewhere. So, let me preface this post with the following statements. Stepson is by no means a bad kid. He's actually a pretty good kid. He does well in school, is a quick learner, (as far as I know) doesn't do drugs and isn't a bully. He's a regular kid with regular kid tendencies. With that said, let's get on with the post...."

After the zucchini pancake disaster I still had zucchini left over. What to do with it, I wondered. Well, the next day I made herbed rice (really good) and zucchini fries (not bad although Sid has now decided that zucchini is nasty). Yesterday I made more of the berry muffins. Today I want to make a baked garlic cheddar chicken (recipe from the net). I really wanted to make the caesar chicken sandwich on ciabatta bread that I found in my cookbook but I have yet to prepare the chicken - but I did buy all of the necessary ingredients so I had better use them.
Edit: I did make the garlic cheddar chicken and everybody liked it.

On a different note... If your child is living in your house is it acceptable for that child to act like he is living at a bed-and-breakfast? He comes home, goes in his room, closes the door, and basically only comes out to eat. Is this normal 16 yr-old behavior?? I know I could never have done that in my mother's house. Keeping the door closed alone is a sign of disrespect. To me it's a way of saying this is my life here and you all are out there and the twain don't meet unless I want it to. This, of course, is wrong, because as long as we are responsible for him his life is not off-limits to us. Am I reading too much into this? I don't want to hear about privacy. He may think he needs privacy but to do what? Every day all day??

I don't like it and I've told him to keep his door open. What does he do now? The door is not closed anymore but is only open a half inch or so. His father doesn't like it but doesn't say anything. He's quickly developing his own attitude to this situation (and others). I'm the stepmother which makes it difficult to say anything. I know that if it was Sid this would not be going on. I would have put a full stop to it a long time ago. Having stepkids is hard. The biological parent can easily get defensive when something is done/said to their children. Hubby has never done this. Regardless, I'm well aware that there is a line and I try to stay far away from it, so 99 times out of a 100 I talk to hubby and he is the enforcer. There is that 1% though and it's a fine balancing act. One wrong move could set a lot of negative actions in motion. And I certainly don't want to make things worse than they are. But a kid has to learn respect.

Today's Fare

2006-12-01T22:25:00.000-05:00

Apparently hubby has been motivated by my ambition. This morning he made an oatmeal special which turned out really good (no pix of that though). This evening he let me know that he wanted me to make the muffins I had been talking about so I did. Those are them in the pix. Notice also that I had a helper - Sid. I had another helper (Sid's older sister) who I must mention because she did a good job of helping me get all the ingredients measured and ready.

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am the furthest thing from a cook and that this past week is a big deal for me. I'm almost proud of myself *pat on the back*. :) That's not to say I never used to cook, but I have been pretty averse to going into the kitchen.

And I present to you Zucchini Pancakes!!

2006-11-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

I liked them. The 16 yr-old said they weren't bad but he didn't like them. Sid said they were nasty. lol. I forgot that hubby doesn't like egg yoke so they were too "eggy" for him. My poor family. But hey, if they don't want to eat what I cook or bring home there's always pasta in the pantry!

I'm getting my recipes from I.na G.arten's latest cookbook B.arefoot C.ontessa at Home.

I had wanted to try the onion rings and a lemon butter chicken (the latter courtesy of SP's man, Tico), but I got home too late and wasn't up for the challenge. Actually I met some "new" family tonight - my mother's 2nd cousin, her daughter and son-in-law, and their three kids. The last kid is barely a month old and very cute. I exchanged email addresses with the daughter who is only two years older than me.

Last night I made lemon fusilli with arugula

2006-11-30T01:12:00.000-05:00

I took a picture of it using my phone but I didn't realize until after we ate it all that I didn't save the picture! But, it turned out very good. Tonight I plan to try the zucchini pancakes and maybe onion rings. I know, they probably don't go together but oh well.

2006-11-29T00:07:00.000-05:00

This is what I (we) made for dinner today. I bought a cookbook a few days ago and have been poring over it ever since. What we have here is chicken piccata (thanks SP for the tip on the white wine), tomato and feta cheese salad, and buttermilk mashed potatoes. The potatoes were a tad bit salty but everything together tasted really good.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T09:11:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago I was sharing in the celebration of a life that ended too soon. One weekend ago I was sharing in the celebration of a life that is just beginning. This weekend I'm grateful for the lives of my family members and friends.

It's been freezing here the last few days. It hit the 30s yesterday. Thankfully it will begin warming up today, just in time for our Thanksgiving Day barbecue. Because I mean really, what is cold weather without snow?? As a matter of fact, hubby's favorite vacation was when we visited Toronto some winters ago when the snow was deep. I keep telling him we need to move to Germany but I think he's stopped hearing my pleas.

My mother and her brother are going to Jamaica in a few weeks to visit their aunt and uncle. It would be nice to be going with them. And speaking of Jamaica, at long last I have received a letter and card from my aunt. In a nutshell she said she was glad to hear from me and she congratulated me on the birth of Shelby.

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Is ANTM even worth talking about?? I was so glad when they kicked off J.aeda last week. Michelle went last night. If only she wanted it. She could probably have won. We're down to the final four and I don't know who to root for anymore. There's no one who stands out.

2006-11-14T17:15:00.000-05:00

I was reading Gian's post and it reminded me of the last time I was approached by a man in a grocery store. (I would highly recommend reading his post before reading mine.) Last week. I went to the deli to order a sub for my mother. I was my usual self. I'm not an intimidating person or anything and I usually smile if my eyes make contact with someone else's. I smiled at various people behind the counter, listening to the banter going back and forth between different people. Nothing flirtatious. After I left the store and was all the way back at my car I noticed one of the employees walking towards me - one of the guys from the deli area. I figured that since the store was almost closing he must be coming to take the cart back. He approached me but it wasn't the cart that he wanted. He tried to make small talk before asking the main question; Where was I from, do I have any kids, am I married, and surprisingly even after I told him I was married he wanted to know for how long. Now, he's a grown man and none too attractive to put it mildly, but I politely but consistently put him off. He continued to tell me that he sees me all the time and whenever he does I'm the one he wants, how there's no one else like me, he'll never find anyone like me, blah, blah, blah. I told him of course he'll find someone and she'll be even better than I am, which of course he refused to believe. I don't know what he wanted me to do - did he expect me to offer my number or my 'friendship' or something else?

I'll Admit It...

...Sometimes I block specific people on msn. I always log on with my status set to 'offline' to see if there's someone(s) I do or don't feel like talking to. If I see someone I wouldn't mind talking to then I go 'online'. If I also see someone I don't want to talk to then I block that person first. Come on, I can't be the only one. You know how certain people are, they'll immediately try to engage you in a conversation, so instead of having to put them off I save them the trouble of trying to start anything.

...I look better pregnant. Ah, yes, a little baby fat never hurt anybody. Now I feel too skinny (except for the belly that I'm working on).

...Sid was a (slightly) cuter baby, but it doesn't matter cause Shelb is still beautiful.

...I don't talk to my friends nearly as much as I would like....

...I have a secret blog. Ok, I have two secret blogs, neither of which I post to on a consistent basis. They more represent different phases of my life. One is about dreams, imaginings, sometimes fiction. The other is the one I use to vent about certain people who may or may not read my public blogs.

...I love chocolate and bread together (think nutella or toblerone), and cinnamon and brown sugar with butter on toast, and pineapples, and watermelon, and orange juice, and Jamaican food, and the smell of a newborn baby, and reading, and watching people, and, and the list goes on.

...I love my baby, my hubby. He's so sweet and fine and even though he gets on my nerves sometimes he's all mine.

For those wondering about SP, the last I heard she was doing fine, enjoying life with her boy toy. It would appear, based on words coming out of her own mouth, that they are offically an item how, but you didn't hear that from me!

You've Got To Watch This!

2006-11-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

I think it's hilarious!

http://www.whiteboydj.com/babygotbook.html

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I had a mixed weekend. Saturday evening was the most stressful but the day ended on a good note. I went to hubby's cousin's baby shower. She's due in a few weeks but she looks good. She looks like she's ready to pop, but she still looks good. Some family flew down from NY which was a nice surprise for everyone. One cousin came with his girlfriend. The other cousin came with his wife and their seven week old daughter who is three days older than Shelby. Of course there was food and I was all up in it!

Sunday some friends came up from MIA to visit another friend, K, her hubby and their nine month old son. I just happen to live almost across the street so visiting me was also an option. However, being as nosey as I am I wanted to see the baby (and the house) too, so instead we all met up at K's house. Couldn't stay long though because Sid had a party at his school and we still had to meet hubby at the bike store before that. Should I say that we never made it to the party? Sid was having too much fun riding bikes around the store and he said he didn't care if he missed the party. Apparently he was serious because when we were ready to leave he wasn't.

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Happy Monday!!

My Babies

2006-11-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

More babies here.

And here.

More Rambling

2006-11-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

See the smiles of the day here!

I went to work again yesterday but this time it was for a meeting to be updated on the progress of the project I was working on before I had to leave. The meeting was with the new guy who started a week into my leave. I was impressed by him. The guy is good. Anyone who reads technical books and writes programs in his off time while being married with two young kids and going to school for his Masters must love what he does. I, on the other hand, like what I do. When I leave work I don't want to think about computers except for checking email, reading blogs, or researching personal topics. Maybe I need to find something that I love that pays well. Anyway, we'll see how this whole thing pans out for me between now and the next review period.

ANTM - You're right, Shawn, about Jaeda. How much longer do we have wait for her to prove herself?? As for Melissa Rose, yes, it's hard to watch her a lot of the times, but I like her pictures lately. I definitely like Caridee's pictures too. Sometimes it feels like she's overdoing it though. And How could I forget Anchal?? Her "groaning" is grating. Eugena can take some good pictures - except there's no connection. The judges are always complaining about her eyes not showing anything and I agree, but how do you fix that? I'm on the fence about the twins. One is better than the other but I can't remember which one. I don't know how successful the past winners have been (I see Eva in the news quite a bit) but I'm rooting for Danielle.

Oh, the randomness of it all...

2006-10-31T16:52:00.000-05:00

I went by my job yesterday morning with hubby and the baby. It wasn't as much of a shock as I thought it might be. Everyone ooh'd and ahh'd and congratulated and complimented. I didn't plan to stay there as long as I did but that was ok. They already had my computer disconnected and ready for me to take home (which I did, and might I say those dual 21" monitors look o-so nice on my computer table). I know the rest of year will go by uneventfully workwise. Could it be because I have 89 vacation hours and 23 sick time hours that I have to use up by Dec. 31? Plus Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are in there too. That doesn't leave too many working days. :) Plus Mocha and fam will be here so I have something to look forward to!

Later in the afternoon I had my first post-pregnancy check up. You probably remember when I mentioned that my doctor made reference to "when I get my tubes tied" to which I promptly replied that I want to have more kids. Well, I am such a trash-talker! lol. I'm actually considering it now. Sidney was a breeze. Shelby gave me a morning in hell. I can't imagine it being any worse. I don't see how a next kid would be any better considering I'm only getting older. People say you forget the pain. Umm, yeah I've forgotten how it felt exactly but I have NOT forgotten how much I hated it when it was happening. Hmm. I'm still thinking.

Have you been watching ANTM? I'm not that impressed by any of the girls but I'm liking Melrose more and more. But I am so tired of hearing Jaeda complaining about her hair!

Sid's school is having a one-hr pajama party tonight when after care ends. (One hour???) Would you believe that up until this morning Sid didn't have any pj's to speak of? I fixed that problem by picking up some Spidey Man pj's. I hope he likes them. He's really into Mcqueen right now but they didn't have any in his size. Anyway, I think the parents are supposed to wear pj's too so I'm off to go pack my stuff!

So Much And Nothing

2006-10-26T15:20:00.000-04:00

Don't look at me like that! I'm not the only one who hasn't been blogging lately!

Monday coming will be six weeks since I had Shelby. Yes, time has flown by. I have so enjoyed the time. Monday I officially start back working (from home at least but still).

As usual people have been getting on my nerves. I would love to explain how but I shouldn't. Let me just ask you this, what's worse - a hypocrite or one who tries to get over all the time? I have both in my life and for reasons beyond my control they will be in my life indefinitely. I think being a hypocrite is worse. I absolutely cannot stand when someone smiles in my face and then talks behind my back. Granted, that's not the case this time, at least not to my knowledge, but this person is definitely two-faced and try as I might to help I don't seem to be getting through. And I have to try. But it's hard. If I had a choice I would choose to not have to deal with this person.

Shelby is getting so big and she demands attention. Sidney is a wonderful little big brother. Lately though he's been complaining that he doesn't have anyone too keep him company when he goes to bed so many nights I wake up to find him standing next to me - so I pull him into my bed. (Thank goodness for the new king bed!) Jr got a cell phone. I know he was so excited when his father finally gave his consent. Stepdaughter - no news there. Her and Sid together drive me crazy though. Hubby is alright. And me, I'm here, spending my time with the bottles and the diapers and baby who seems to love to spit and drool.

What's up with you?

Today's Pix

2006-10-10T23:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, no pix here, they're on Shelby's blog.

@Shawn: You're idea about getting my insurance to replace my phone was a good one, but *ahem* I, uh, didn't get any, er um, insurance on my cheap phone.

@Aziza: I hope it doesn't take me too long to learn how to use. As for why it's called chocolate...think dark, dark, maybe really dark chocolate. :) Actually, think sweeeet!

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Got some good news yesterday. Cuz Mocha and a bunch of other family on my father's side will be coming my way this New Year's!

Preoccupied

2006-10-09T17:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I've neglected my blog for a while. I know you don't blame me for being preocuppied with my Princess. She's such a good baby. She eats a lot and sleeps a lot. She stays awake longer now, she smiles (no, it ain't gas), and she even started cooing. What a blessing!

I'm sick and Sid's sick, so I'm trying to make sure Shelby doesn't catch whatever it is that we have.

I'm finally getting a new phone. I've had my current phone for at least two years now. Hubby always goes for the gold when we get new phones and I always opt for one of the cheap ones. Well, not this time. I'm getting a new phone because the one I have has done it's time. It's been dropped a few times too many and it's age is showing. As you can tell by the picture, it's being held together by some elastic bands. See, if I take them off, the battery will keep coming loose and interrupting my calls by shutting down. How inconvenient. Well hubby won't let me be telephonically-challenged anymore. I ordered a chocolate yesterday. It shipped today and I can't wait to get it and start playing around.

She's Here!

2006-09-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

By now, if you don't know for sure you can probably guess that my princess is here. It was a rough 2-3 hrs but we made it through. She's happy and healthy and she knows she's gorgeous. If you haven't checked her blog lately (like in the past 15 minutes) take a click over there and see the newest pictures. For those who wanna know how it all went down, I put a post up there about that too (it's not for the squeamish).

What else is going on? I've been getting lots of rest. This girl can eat (she has my appetite) and she can sleep (yeah, she gets that from me too). She's even a night owl like I used to be. She has me up from midnight to 3 a.m. every night. But in general the rest I get in between feedings is priceless. I've needed it. Last week I could hardly walk! I have a two-story house so I spent most of the time upstairs having food brought to me (I love my husband). This week is much, much better. Thank God for friends and family. A girlfriend of mine called last Friday and offered to cook for me the next day. At first I declined. I really wasn't up to "entertaining" plus I have a hard time accepting help from people. Hubby convinced me I was crazy to turn her down so I ended up taking her up on her offer and was glad I did. We enjoyed the company of her, her husband, and daughter. Makes me miss the times when I used to be more social.

Anyhoo, I can tell you I am SO GLAD to not have to go to work! I could be a stay at home mom. I would find stuff to do. Maybe I'd ~~volunteer~~ work part-time at Sid's school. They have a daycare there too so Shelby would be nearby.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

2006-09-22T19:29:00.000-04:00

We Have A Winner!

Chele is our grand-prize winner this weekend. Her prizes include a trip down memory lane with stories of newborn drama and...a new car!

Ok, well, not the last one, but the memory lane I'm sure I could do. I'll be updating Shelby's blog with all the latest dirt.

While there are an infinite possibility of answers, for the purpose of this contest other correct answers include:

Having interminable contraction pains every 3 minutes while being stuck behind a school bus picking up children in wheelchairs.
Knocking an engorged breast against the shower door on your way in.
A bad breastfeeding latch.

Let's See

2006-09-21T15:45:00.000-04:00

Who can finish this sentence correctly?

Hell is ___________.

There Must Be Something About Mondays

2006-09-18T07:03:00.000-04:00

That makes me have babies.

It's 7:00 am and I've been having contractions since 1:00 am, anywhere from 10-15 minutes apart. Now they're down to almost 5 minutes apart. I got up around 2:30 to make sure I was packed. Now all we have to do is get Sid ready for school, drop him off, then take me to the hospital. Hopefully I'm almost ready to deliver cause these contractions are tiring.

If you don't hear from me over the next few days it's because I don't have Internet access at the hospital.

Wish me luck!

YAY!

2006-09-12T13:47:00.000-04:00

I got my pictures!!

The Countdown Continues

2006-09-10T12:15:00.000-04:00

Less than two weeks to go now! My mother keeps telling me how anxious she is for her granddaughter to get here, as if I can up and push her out! lol. On the other hand, one my managers at work keeps telling me how deer can delay labor under stress!! Yes, they are special at my job.

There was a surprise shower for me yesterday (missed you SP). Some people ruined the surprise for me. I really hate when that happens because I love surprises. There was a mix up with the dates and one lady brought me a gift yesterday apologizing for not making it to my shower the week before. That's when I knew something was actually in the making. Just that morning I realized I only had two weeks left and I hadn't even planned anything for myself, and I really didn't think anyone was planning anything for me. So I was there feeling somewhat sorry for myself and all forgotten when this lady came and ruined my surprise. Not longer after she left another girl said something about having something to give me at my "thingy" later. That made it worse cause then I knew when it was happening and based on the person who made that statement I knew who was throwing it. I had to complain to hubby cause it aggravates me when people don't pay attention. How could not have known it was a surprise whether it was for me or anyone. If it was for someone else I would have been just as upset. Anyway 10:30 pm came and I was still sitting around waiting for hubby to finish some meetings and then we headed home. I figured they must have changed something because there was no way they were going to keep a pregnant lady out on the road away from her bed so late at night. Boy, was I wrong. Hubby made a detour and took me straight there. It was really nice and I was touched by the gestures of love. This little baby girl surely won't lack love, that's for sure. We had a good time with games (which I thankfully didn't have to participate in but watched from my 'throne' in the corner, haha), and there were snacks and drinks and food and presents. A great effort was put into decorating the room where we were. I was/am very appreciative of everything that was done for me and my family. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I'm still waiting for the rest of my pix, Shawn, I'm not holding out, trust me! :) And, you know, I don't know what I was thinking offering that woman my book. Just trying to be nice, I guess. I try to give mankind the benefit of doubt but more often than not I am left sorely disappointed.

Teasers

2006-09-09T01:00:00.000-04:00

The Silhouette

Abstract Outline

Baby Update

2006-09-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

No news yet. Still waiting. 15 days to go. Weekly doctor visits til she's done baking. Did I mention that I'm 160lbs now?! I'm exhausted these days. Late nights. (Seemingly) long days at work. Although, since I heard that the powers that be don't care if my app comes out in Dec or Mar my mind has shut down and I haven't been too productive the past two days. I'm so glad the weekend is almost here. I just want to go to bed. It'll be nice when the baby gets here and I can take off work. I get six weeks off (and a pay cut because we don't get maternity leave, we have to take disability leave). Of course, I still won't be getting enough sleep but at least it should be less mentally draining. Hubby will be around to help so I won't go stir crazy for adult interaction. Maybe Auntie Mocha will make it down to help change some diapers??

Another Pet Peeve

2006-09-08T15:33:00.000-04:00

Don't you hate it when you lend people things and they don't give it back? I should have learned my lesson when I lent this guy in college some books for a class and they did come back but they were all tore up. But no, I still lent another guy my absolute favorite Calculus book (yes, I had a favorite Calculus book) and up to this day he doesn't know what happened to it. And even after those two experiences I still went and lent somebody a book. I offered the book to her no less!

I was reading Sula a few months ago and there was a lady I would see in the mornings sometimes. We came in opposite entrances but we made it to the elevator about the same time. Well, she saw me reading the book and asked me about it and went on to tell me how it was recommended to her by one of her friends. Ok, cool. When I was done with the book I brought it with me thinking why don't I lend it to her so she can read it? So I did. She thought it was a nice gesture and said it was perfect timing because she was about to go on vacation and she could read it then. We formally introduced ourselves and off we went. I got off on the 2nd floor and she went on up to the 4th. There are only four floors so how could she not find me when the time came to return the book. Should be easy enough, right?

A few weeks went by and I hadn't heard anything from her. Not that I was anxious to get the book back, but it's the principle of the thing.

A few more weeks went by. Still nothing. During that time her company moved out of my building and into one next door. I glimpsed her once but I wasn't able to get to her at the time. And I haven't seen her since.

Now, you would think that since I offered the book the least she could do is bring it back to me? If the roles were reversed I would go out of my way to make sure whatever I had would be returned to its owner, regardless of the worth of the item.

Is it just me?

Labor Day

2006-09-06T00:30:00.000-04:00

Of course I don't have any stories to tell about this past weekend. It was, thankfully, quiet. Watched Hurricane starring Den.zel, slept, slept some more. It rained quite a bit. Felt like a lazy weekend. It's getting more difficult to get comfortable, but that's to be expected, I guess. The dr checked me on Friday and said I'm not ready to deliver yet but I'm getting "ripe." I didn't ask for an explanation. lol. My next appt is this Friday. The due date is less than three weeks away. Work is...work. Still too much to do. I'd hate to leave them hanging but the baby will come when she will. It's not so much leaving them hanging as much as it is my co-worker will have to take on my responsibilities for awhile, and he doesn't know anything about what I do. This week is mind-meld week where I'm supposed to get him up to speed. Ok. Sure. Anyway, Tues night I had some pictures taken - real pictures. Once the photographer uploads them (and if they look decent) I'll post a link. K and Sid were there too so I let them take some pix with me. :) It was an okay experience, I must say. I would have been better if it wasn't at the end of the day (8:30 pm) but I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would have been. Granted, I didn't know how to pose but we made it through. We took over 125 pix in less than two hours.

I know, it's late. I'm going to bed now. G'nite.