How to Follow a blog with Google Friend Connect

I'm posting this in response to a sweet friend of mine asking how to become a follower of my incredibly wonderful blog.

First click on the follow button shown in the pic below.

You will be directed to this site shown below:

From there you can sign in using your choice of the shown sites and you should be directed from there to sign in to that account.

Then you will be given a choice of whether to follow publically or privately depending on whether or not you want others (and me) to know you are following. Of course you want to publically follow this blog - cause I'll look cooler with the more followers I have.

I tested the process and signed in as a public follower using my twitter account.

Rain, Rain Go Away!!

It’s getting awfully cloudy out there…..and normally I would adore that. Not today. Why? Cause I was gonna ride the motorcycle from Fort Worth to Decatur tonight so I could ride in a benefit ride this weekend. (The bike normally stays in Fort Worth.)

Even better? There’s a pretty, pretty……pretty good chance that it’s gonna rain this weekend. I don’t ride in the rain and I don’t ride in windy conditions.

Weather = Boo!!!!

(EDIT: My pic didn't upload yesterday. Darnit!)

Kelly is so lucky!

U2 Kid from Everything Is Terrible! on Vimeo.

Ahhh....how sweet and romantic...sorta.

The Barcode

....I referred to this earlier in my lunch time post. Here is a snapshot what it looks like and technically it's called a QR code.

Lunch Time Thoughts

·I finished reading Dear John last night and bawled like a baby during the last couple of chapters. Ugh. It was NOT supposed to end that way! Finally I get to watch the movie…and I will so have a big box of tissue ready.
·Now I need a new book to read. Any suggestions? I read The Lovely Bones – liked it, The Shack – loved it and used to be completely engulfed in Dean Kootnz. I like the true crime stories too. I also love the idea of reading a book before the movie.
·We traveled to the far corner of Fort Worth last night to pick up my new replacement phone. Ugh. I have to re-do everything, but I’m ok with that because I have a phone again.
·That store was packed – but they had a great concept. You could call or email ahead to make an appointment so you don’t have to wait. I wasn’t that bright – but if you haven’t made an appointment, then they put your name on a waiting list that is displayed on a tv screen on the wall. Not a bad idea at all.
·My little rep girl seemed to be an expert with my type of phone – which Decatur wasn’t. She gave me some tips regarding the removable SD card. Nice.
·Then I took the older kid shopping for her straight A reward – she wanted an outfit. We really don’t do a lot of shopping around my house – so she was VERY excited, VERY grateful and VERY sweet….but man oh man, was that a beating! Next time, I’m taking a book and planting myself in a corner somewhere. I remembered I really don’t even like shopping for myself. I’d rather get in and get right out. She’s a look through every rack kind of gal. I will say the girl has style and it pays off. She did an incredible job and came out with a very cute outfit at a great price.
·Phone: Ok-more on the phone. Last night I started browsing different app sites on my laptop looking for an ebook reader for the google phone so I’ll stop using the iphone and carrying two phones. The iphone has a Barnes and Noble app that isn’t available with the android OS yet.
·I came across a site that displayed some popular apps, gave descriptions, reviews and also had a funny looking barcode type square that you could scan to “get” the app. On a hunch, I went straight to “The Market” on my phone and searched for scanners. I found an app called, Scanlife and downloaded it.
·I’ll be…..I opened that app up, the camera popped up on the screen, I pointed it towards the funny looking barcode and it scanned it. It automatically downloaded it the app from the laptop. Just. Like. That. ·Incredible, huh?
·Seriously – I know I threaten to video stuff all the time – but this time I mean it! Here’s a pic of the “barcode” thingie. I’ll feel silly if I learn that the iphone does that or if everybody already knew about the scanning feature.
·I already had an app that will scan barcodes off any product that has a barcode and google it. It’s great while shopping if you want to know who sells something cheaper.

OK- get on with your Wedneday. (And, thanks, Ali - that was sweet.)

Wake Up

Get out of bed, the old man at Six Flags is running circles around ya!!

(Did I dream that he did the Pied Piper Dance at the 1:07 mark?)

Lunchtime Quickie

·         I’m sleepy today. Very sleepy.

·         I wrote Happy Birthday on a friend’s facebook wall and then realized I left off the “r” in birthday. Did you know you can’t delete that once you’ve left it? Go me.

·         My yard looks a zillion times better. For now. I’m afraid that the replaceable spool for my edger/weed eater isn’t being sold at The Walmart anymore. BUT on the same row is one of those fancy cordless ones. I drool.

·         TAKS test today and my daughter made it out the door with her snow boots on. I hollered but didn’t make her change because I feared her missing the bus. I just know that she waited till the last second to put those on because she knew I would protest and there wouldn’t be time to make her change.  Little stinker.

·         Speaking of bad kids….mine got straight A’s!!! Yay!!!!

·         She’s been sooooo close this entire year – with one high B each six weeks. It’s been driving her crazy! (Me=Proud)

·         Did you know they don’t give a bumper sticker for that? I wanted one of those “My kids an honor roll student at….” for the Pinto Station Wagon. She thinks the bumper stickers are given with ending semester grades of all A’s.

·         Same kid….I scolded her last week for not practicing her flute as much and the very next day she landed first chair after a chair test.

·         She keeps up with excellent grades, stays out of trouble, is very respectful, has a cute funny personality….I might wanna give her a little bit of slack.

·         Then again…..can’t have that kid turning out like me.

·         Other kiddo got an award at school, “Extraordinary Eagle” for being an outstanding student. It’s interesting that the kids don’t know who is going to get it until the assembly. Her teacher sent me a hush – hush text giving me a heads up so I could be there. The night before I asked her who she thought would get it and she admitted that she secretly hoped it would be her. She said the teacher calls the parents to let them know ahead of time. Oh snap – her teacher didn’t call me. (tee, hee, hee).

·         I loved-loved-loved the look on her face when she walked in that room and saw me there. She knew she was getting it….and boy-oh-boy was she excited!

·         I have been a bad blogger. It’s been over a week since I’ve blogged last. Even my hater sent me a comment on how much they’ve missed me. Ahhhh, sweet mean hater that spews out filthy language (especially since they themselves are such a high upstanding citizen), I’m still here. Don’t fret. Don’t be hatin’. Wait…scratch that, that’s what you do; make that: keep hatin’.

·         Yep, mouse is still around at home and I’ve figured out that he (still hoping he’s a he) doesn’t care for cheese. Picky little stinker. I may have to lay out ramen noodle soup. (Pause for MzChief’s giggling over me delusional enough to think it’s a him.)

·         I watched last week’s Survivor this weekend. I was in shock. Me, in shock. Wow! That Pavarriti (sp?) is pretty good. I’m completely impressed. Completely. (Just paahleeze don’t let Colby get on her bad side!!)

·         Along with Survivor and The Office, you can now add Glee to the list of shows I’ve become addicted to. Glee isn’t really my kind of show – but I’m hooked.

·         We’ve had a lot of lay-offs at work. We were a little behind on the economic troubles. There are a lot of nervous people around here.

·         The world is going crazy: I sat in the car this morning and listened to the news stories of the six year old, disabled child, left in a field to die; a woman that was decapitated by her husband in Lewisville – they had six kids; and decided I’d rather listen to country music.

·         My phone, yes – my glorious new android phone has died. Not a good week.

·         I’m getting a replacement phone – but in the meantime I have been dealing with a phone that has a problem with the sensor on the touch screen. It’s a touch screen – I’ve been going crazy trying to operate that phone! Crazy!!!

·         When the repair store tried to repair it they did a factory reset. I lost all the data --- phone #’s, texts, everything!  

·         Grrrrrr!

·         I need a nap. No amount of coffee seems to be working today….unless someone snuck in decaf.

·         Hmmm….I might need to go ahead and fix a fresh pot – just in case.

 

 

Lunctime Quickie

·Yea – my Station Wagon Pinto is back home again! Radiator, a belt, a clutch thingy and thermostat all fixed. If the repairs cost half of what the car is worth, does that mean the worth is now double what it was before?
·I had a random call from an ole’ boyfriend last night and we chatted for 45 minutes. I remembered why I liked him so much. Funny guy.
·Yes, I know what a leaf blower is and yes I do happen to have one BUT I didn’t rake up the leaves during the fall and some viney, clover, weed stuff has grown over the layer of leaves. The leaf blower doesn’t do much for leaves that are underneath. Now, if I had used that leaf blower in November, then it would have worked like a charm. Now back to the vacuum cleaner for yards….I still like that idea.
·I have spent so much time on yard work during the last two weeks that I’ve only jogged once. I didn’t miss it too much until a neighbor stopped by yesterday evening to boast that he had finally worked up to jogging a full seven miles. It made me want to go jog.
·Every time I mow, I catch a glimpse of my kids darting from tree to tree and around the deck as if they are either chasing each other or playing a game of tag . It’s always made me smile and feel like the yard work is really worth it to see them playing and having fun.
·My older offspring informed me that they have a couple of made up games, one is called Hide From Mom Mowing. I laughed out loud.
·My brother and I used to have a game called Hide From Cars. We’d play after Sunset and would lose points if a car’s headlights caught us. I’m not sure we ever actually kept up with points. Now that I think about it, it was a really silly game.
·Ahhh….I miss his kids. I really really need to steal them for a weekend.

I'm now down to nine pounds lost. I want a cheeseburger. And some fries. And I'm craving ice cream.
·I have yet to ride the motorcycle at all this year. It’s time to fit that into the schedule. Quickly.
·I got giggled at for using “fixing to” to start off a sentence the other day. That’s correct English, isn’t it?
·I added a word verification to the comments to eliminate the spam comments. Someone told me that would reduce actual people from commenting because it’s a slight pain to do the word verification. I’m not sure I agree with that.
·Happy Thursday!

Lunctime Grumpiness

·         My pinto station wagon is in the shop getting fixed. The update is, “…we’re working on the estimate right now. The fan clutch is locked up, the water pump is bad and, well, it has a list of several things wrong with it. We’ll call ya back shortly once we get the list complete.” Ugh…tense.

·         I’ve spent the last week (minus the weekend) doing yard work in the back yard and I have only raked up half the leaves in the back yard. I’ve gone through three boxes of lawn bags. I’m starting to wonder if someone else is dumping their leaves in my yard. Yep, it could be a conspiracy.

·         Picking up leaves is back breaking work. My daughter says last night, “ Hey, isn’t there a machine that sucks up the leaves like a vacuum cleaner?” If there is, don’t tell me, I’m sure I can’t afford it and knowing it exists would be burden upon my already unstable mental state.

·         I dropped my phone yesterday pretty hard and now I am having trouble with the touch screen. You know how hard it is to answer a phone that doesn’t have the touch screen working?

·         If I need to, I can unlock/jail break the iphone to where it will work with Sprint, right? I’m sure itunes sells an app for Sprint so that will let me pay my bill and keep up with my minutes.

·         I’m addicted to The Office and have gone through every episode on my DVR. I have none left.

·         I had a photog assignment set up for last night and was stuck at home with broke down car. I switched it for tonight and me having transportation tonight isn’t looking too promising.

·         There is an alarm that is malfunctioning at work. For the last week, I have the high pitched ringing in my ears. The alarm company is supposed to come out this week and they could not get here fast enough.

·         I think I’m overdue on getting my estrogen shot. I wonder how long I could go without it before I really go crazy.

·         It’s beautiful outside and I am sitting behind a desk all day. (Insert pouty lip here.)

·         Boo Tuesday.

 

Monday Thoughts

·         I was right about this weekend’s trip. It was great and the view from table top was incredible. I’m just not so sure about the trail being “secret”. We also did another trail called the Lighthouse trail that was pretty popular, and for good reason. It leads you on a 2.5 mile hike to a set of rocks that looks like a lighthouse sitting all by itself on a cliff. There was a tall one next to it that I actually climbed to the top of. Let me add – THAT was a very dicey climb. I followed a dad with five of kids ranging from ages 4 to 10. One kid stayed behind with mama. This rock is something I barely had courage to do – there is no way in the world any sane person would take their child up there – MUCH LESS five of their children. It was insane.

·         I got a little sunburned. I’m hatin on my brassiere today.

·         We had trouble with airport security on the way and had sunscreen confiscated due to its size. On the way back they found my knife. Yep, I should have known better than to attempt to carry that thing on, but I didn’t think about it and it made the trip there without any problems. It was pretty upsetting for it to be taken away. The gift shop was closed – I couldn’t mail it, we didn’t know a soul there and I couldn’t take it with me. It was given to me as a gift back in my EMS days. It was a tearful departure between me and the knife. Security was INCREDIBLY delicate and sweet in the way they handled me (I was already a nervous wreck just knowing I was fixing to fly). The supervisor ending up promising me he would mail it to me this week. My fingers are crossed he pulls through and really does mail it.

·         Today I have been blessed with car trouble. I have a leaking radiator. I just love car issues.

·         I wanted to go watch the Dallas Cowboy Stadium be blown to pieces live in person, but was waaay too tired to get out of bed. I watched it live on tv while I drifted in and out of consciousness.  I’m STILL tired from this weekend.

·         Happy Monday.

 

 

My Surprise Adventure

Ok...here it is:

Here is what I know:

"not too big of a deal."

"hiking"

"overnight"

"Southwest Airlines out of Love Field"

my verbal guess: The Grand Canyon

"not the Grand Canyon"

"it is the 2nd biggest canyon in the US"

Sooooo.....I google and find:

Palo Duro Canyon in Admirillo, TX

...and I think there might have been a hint of "a secret trail" which brought me to the Triassic Trail.

So Thursday night, I am writing this and having it post automatically on Saturday about noon...because, I'm guessing by noon, I have seen the following view:




Then again, I could be wrong....

I'm leaving on a jet plane.....

I am one with the plane.
I shall not be afraid.
I feel no fear of flying.
Airplanes are my friends.

Afternoon Distraction

Since you are such a good blog reader I have posted, for your viewing pleasure and/or the need for a giggle to get you through the afternoon I give you:

Mr. So-So Entrance
It only gets a "So-So" cause I'm pretty sure I could do that in my sleep. BUT for those of you who can't....watch this:




Annnd, if two incredibly adorable kittens named Hocus and Pocus engaged in an Epic Battle against a potentially lethal chocolate Easter egg doesn't make you giggle.....well, then, I bet you are probably a dog person.



....wonder how those Ninja Kittens are with potentially lethal Ramen Noodle Soup Eating Mice*.

*Actual scientific name of the mice...comes from the Pasta Rodent Familia. Go ahead, look it up. Do ya think I would be pulling your leg right now?

ipad Experiment

Meet one crazy man debating the question on all of minds in regards to the new ipad:

Will it blend?



Why yes, yes I do believe it will. Nice work, Mr. Crazy Man.

;-)

Finally Friday

It's Friday, my long awaited sweet Friday. This Friday has a bit of a surprise in store for me. I am going on an adventurous trip that starts today immediately after work.
I am flying to ???? and getting up early in the am to hike at ???? I have gotten a couple of hints and I would post them but I'm afraid one of you will guess correctly.
I do feel pretty good that I know where we're going. I am going to schedule my post to pop up on Saturday at noon. We'll see if my extensive searching of The Google will pay off with a correct answer.
In the mean time, I'll send updates to The Twitter Contraption.
Thursday night my little one had the ever so enjoyable music program. It was adorable and the kids were fantastic. The teachers were very into it and did an EXCELLENT job. They put on a play called the The Toad and The Frog. (Or was it The Frog and The Toad?)
Survivor. Yay, my sweet Colby is still on. Double yay, Coach is gone. He should have stuck by Rob's side, he'd still be there. Oh, hind sight....and in other Survivor news. Is it bad press to have a producer arrested for murdering his wife? Guess what happens in Cancun....
Did I say the other day that I love yard work? I was mistaken, I hadn't gone into the back yard yet. I no longer declare yard work as my soul mate.
Oh..but just, me wait, It'll get better, here in two or three months, we'll be enjoying triple digit temperatures and too miserable from the heat to do anything.
I can't wait.
Before flying to a mystery destination this evening, my little one is running in a 1/4 mile race. Awww...Mommy's little runner. And big one is competing in a band contest. Awww...Mommy's little band nerd.
Mouse update? I haven't heard him this week so I'm pretending he doesn't exist. I'm living in denial. It's a great place to live.
I did discuss the annon commenter's suggested home made mouse trap (yes D, I will probably have to use The Google for that too). Big girl was very excited. Little girl - automatically started crying. She wants to keep the mouse as a pet. Maybe getting her a cat isn't such a bad idea.

Happy Friday.

The Children Are Our Future? Really?

Am I scared of the next generation?

Heck yea I am!

If you are brave enough to get all the way to the 3:00 minute mark, then you will be rewarded, for it gets worse. And you would think it couldn't get much worse after someone else darts through the background in their under-roos. It can.

Tuesday Tears

So I’m sitting at my grandparents house this weekend and I get a “junk” email from Sam Moon. I’ve never been there, but I imagine after peeking at their website that I would love that place. I decided it’s probably best for my checking account that I (and my girls) try to stay clear of that joint.

….back to the “junk” email. It’s just highlighting special deals of some sort on purses and jewelry. But, hold on just a minute….there in that email is THE PURSE. The world stops just for a second as I see this beautiful purse.

I want it…..I need it….I’m sure somewhere on that purse my name is already on it. It’s gorgeous and is everything I ever dreamed in a purse! So this is what love at first sight is. I can barely breath! I show my mom, grandma and girls the pic of the purse. They agree – it’s me.

BUT – Survivor is on and at that moment, I have a bowl of cereal in front of me, and Colby Donaldson with his shirt off on a big screen HDTV. I put the purse on my mental to do list to order later in the day. It would complete me. It’s what I’ve been waiting for my entire life!

Fast forward to this morning. I get an email from my mother alerting me that Coach has filed a lawsuit against Sam Moon. My heart races….that wouldn’t affect my purse would it? I got busy helping my grandfather that day…..I better order it now just in case!

I go online to find……

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

This can’t be so! This isn’t happening….I feel weak, dizzy, short of breath. Wait..is that chest pain? I think my heart just broke. Lawsuit or not…it doesn’t matter because they SOLD OUT???!!!

I now feel lost, empty and incomplete.

And sad.

Sigh. Wasn’t it just beautiful, though?

Happy Freakin’ Tuesday.

Friday Fun

The old man's finally lost it in his old age.....he let me drive the tractor!!!!

We're picking up fallen tree branches from behind his house and hauling them to a burn pile over by the pond.

The video is my third trip over to the burn pile and I'm starting to get the hang of it. I think. It probably isn't smart to video while driving/operating heavy machinery...but, I had to take the risk for educational documentary purposes.



Happy Friday!

(Another) Lunchtime Quickie

·         Did I mention how much I love yard work? I think it’s just this time of year…not too hot, not cold, just right. I worked outside again last night and my yard is looking really good.

·         I also live in one of those neighborhoods where everyone walks their dog, jogs the area and lets the kids play outside. It’s nice and friendly. I pretty much know all the faces….except for one. I saw the cutest guy ever walking his dog yesterday. It was a definite stop down, hey now moment. Ladies, I would like to apologize for not sneaking a pic, but he was movie star handsome and captivating. Very captivating….like more-so than my Colby Donaldson. (Dear Colby, I’m kidding no one will ever be more captivating than you! That was crazy talk.)

·         Anyone working Friday? It’s a national holiday right?

·         I haven’t done anything about the mouse yet. BUT, I’m gonna. Someone pointed out that if the mouse was poisoned it could curl up in a corner somewhere in a wall and die. Very good point. I think I’m going to go with the live traps and let my little one set the mouse free. (Although – she would much MUCH MUCH prefer the solution involving a cat or keeping the mouse as a pet!)

·         I’m sending my older daughter to band camp this summer. That will be a whole week with just me and the little one. That should be fun.

·         A friend of mine is very pregnant and texted that, as of yesterday’s doc appointment, she is now dilated to a two! I understand that she could stay like that for two weeks…but still, it could be any minute. That’s pretty cool! They have a tentative name picked out, but I’m pretty sure they haven’t completely ruled my name out as a very strong possibility.

·         I’m taking ya on a road trip with me this weekend. I get to go play on all the big equipment in a wooded area behind my grandparents house. They have 20 acres with trails for 4 wheelers – but the last time I was there the trails were blocked with fallen trees and branches. I vowed to go back and clear some paths. I’ve been looking forward to this – fun work. I like operating heavy machinery.

·         The only downfall is the drive to get there….seven long hours. Ugh. My little one begged to let us fly. Ha! Right.

·         Happy Friday for me and Thursday if you are working tomorrow.

·         Now, go forth and prank someone.

 

Edit: Lunch would have been more enjoyable at my desk, had I not lost a filling mid bite. Nice.