Category: Around the Web

The Big Reveal

Published by dee on January 22, 2008

I’ve mentioned several times lately that I’ve been working on a new project and it is finally ready to show off. There are still a few things to tweak here and there and I’m not 100% convinced that I like the layout so that might change in the near future too. But, it is functioning well enough to start getting a little traffic.

The site came about after months of discussions with my mom about needing a place to post all of our family recipes. We were constantly e-mailing them between my mom, my sister, and I, and we decided there had to be a better way. I’ve taken it a step further and have asked both family members and friends to send in contributions. I’m hoping it will evolve into an online cookbook of sorts so that when I’m looking for recipes I can go there for some of my favorites and/or maybe find something new to try.

As with all new sites, there are probably some functions I haven’t tried out yet. If you find something wonky, please let me know. I would love some feedback/ideas/suggestions as I get this site off the ground.

Still here? Please go on over and check out Recipe Corner!

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Interview Meme

Published by dee on November 9, 2007

A couple of weeks ago, Lara posted answers to an interview meme on her blog and at then end asked for volunteers to be interviewed. It sounded like fun, so I left a comment saying I would love to be interviewed. She sent me the questions and they’ve been sitting in my inbox waiting for me since then. I figured I better get around to answering them before I forgot about them, so here’s what the amazingly talented Lara wanted to know.

1) What excites you most about having a second child?

This one is actually a really easy answer for me. The thing I am most excited about with this second child is that I’ll have the opportunity to watch my two children grow up as siblings. I love my brother and sister with all my heart and I know my life would not have been the same without them in it. I can’t wait to watch Zachary and Baby G grow up together with all of the fights, love, and camaraderie that brothers and sisters share.

2) What, in your opinion, is the best gift you’ve ever given someone?
(Real gifts only – things like “my son” or “love” don’t count)

I love giving gifts and always try to put a lot of thought into it to get just the right thing for just the right person. I like to think that all of the gifts I’ve given have been fabulous, but I’m sure the recipients have probably wondered just what I was thinking from time to time. In my opinion, probably the best gifts I’ve ever given were those that I made myself. In particular, I think the handmade baby blankets that I love to give are probably the best. I put a lot of time and love into making them and hope that they will be something that the recipients will cherish as they get older.

3) What is the one musical act you’re most ashamed of having loved in
your youth?

I like to think I have pretty good taste in music, so this is a tough question. I guess it would have to be New Kids On The Block. I was absolutely infatuated with them during my pre-teen years. They were cute. Their songs were catchy. What more could a pre-teen girl with raging hormones ask for? My favorite NKOTB member changed about as often as my underwear, but always alternated between Jordan, Donnie, and Joe. The other two were never really a consideration for me, but I would have been willing to marry any of my three favorites. These days I still find myself singing along whenever I happen to catch a few notes of one of their songs and I even kind of regret getting rid of the cd my Grandpa bought me years later when I was in High School.

4) Cheerleading: Is it or is it not a sport?

Although many people would probably disagree, I do believe that cheerleading is a sport, just as much a swimming or gymnastics. Cheerleading requires a certain amount of coordination, strength, and physical ability (all of which I never had). Anyone who disagrees needs to spend some time watching a cheerleading competition and watch the team perform flips and throw each other around for a while.

5) If you had a rewind button that could fix it if you hated it, what
major change(s) would you want to make to your hair?

I think I’ve pretty much done everything that I could possibly do with my hair. I’ve had it waist long, almost completely shaved, and everything in between. The only thing I’ve ever really wanted that I can’t have is straight hair. I’ve straightened it with a blow dryer and flat iron many times, but that takes a level of effort that I just can’t expend on a daily basis. If I could somehow have it permanently straightened (and didn’t have to pay for it), I would totally do it. Of course, then I would probably get sick of it and want my curls back.

So, that’s the end of Lara’s questions, but if you have any more, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. I still have 21 days left of NaBloPoMo and I’m sure I’m going to run out of things to write about soon!

Today I’m very thankful for Old Navy’s 40% off coat sale. With an added 10% off on top of that, I was able to purchase the maternity coat for the winter that I’ve been drooling over. I debated whether to buy it or to just let my belly hang out of my coat this winter, but with 50% off, how could I not buy it? Now I have the comfort of knowing that on those cold winter days (that are coming up very soon), me and Baby G will be nice and warm. (Zach will be nice and warm too as he also benefited from the sale!)

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Time for Change

Published by dee on October 30, 2007

I’ve debated for quite a while, but I finally decided it was time to move to WordPress. When I first set this blog up, I decided to go with Movable Type because I thought it had a lot more to offer. Since then, WordPress has come a long way and I’ve ended up loving it more than I ever though I would. I’ve been working on the switch for a while, but since NaBloPoMo is coming up, I pushed forward a little more so that I could launch by November 1st.

Because of the rush, I don’t have a design ready but fortunately for me, there are tons of free WordPress themes out there to choose from. I still have some tinkering to do, but as far as I can tell everything is working right now. You can check out the new site here. Please let me know if you find anything quirky or missing.

Most importantly, please update your feeds so you don’t miss out on cute Halloween pictures and NaBloPoMo goodness! Tomorrow the old site will disappear and the new one will be in its place.

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What this blog needs

Published by dee on October 17, 2007

…is a challenge. NaBloPoMo to be exact. Have I lost my mind? Quite possibly. Why I think I’m up for the challenge when I can barely squeeze out a post or two a week, I don’t know. But, I’m going to do it.

For those of you new to the blog scene or those of you who are possibly members of my family and are thinking that I’m talking jibberish, NaBloPoMo is short for National Blog Posting Month. Basically, you sign up and post on your blog every day for the month of November. Every. Day. Oh, and there are prizes. I’m really in it for the challenge more than anything, but prizes don’t hurt much either.

Last year I had a hard time even keeping up with my favorite bloggers during NaBloPoMo because they were writing so much, so this should be interesting.

If you want to join me, go sign up. Then, add me as a friend so I know you are there. Plus, I’ll feel special if I have lots of friends. Really, a girl can never have too many friends, right?

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Getting Back in the Groove

Published by dee on August 28, 2007

I’m trying to get back to some regular blogging, so I’m taking the easy way out today and doing this fun meme that I snatched from the lovely Lara David. It looked like fun and I haven’t done one for a while so sit back and enjoy, or if you hate memes, just move on.

1. You wake up in the morning. What time is it probably?
The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., but it is most likely 7:00 by the time I actually wake up.

2. You get yourself some breakfast. What do you make?
A glass of chocolate milk and a banana if we happen to have any in the house, otherwise whatever I can find that looks edible.

3. Someone calls you on the phone. Who do you want it to be?
My boss telling me to take the day off, or at the very least to sleep in and come in a bit later.

4. You turn on the TV for a bit. What channel do you put it on?
Noggin–I think the boy would hurt me if I tried to put anything else on.

5. You have some time to kill before you leave. What do you do?
Ha! That never happens. If I did have a spare moment, it would be spent snuggling with Zach for a few extra moments.

6. You go and have a shower. How long does it take you?
5-10 minutes on a good day, more if I have to shave.

7. You decide to get yourself ready for your day. How long does it take?
Probably 15-20 minutes, unless Zach wakes up and interrupts my routine.

8. You put on some makeup. What do you put on?
No makeup, but I usually slather on some sort of lip balm before I run out the door.

9. You’re ready to leave. What do you take out with you?
My purse, laptop, bottle of water, Zach, and anything he needs for day care that day.

10. How long does it take you to get to work?
About 30 minutes with day care drop-off added in.

11. What is the first thing you do when you get to work?
Start up my laptop and check my e-mail.

12. Do you take part in office gossip/water cooler talk?
I need some kind of entertainment during the day, right?

13. Anything particularly annoying about each work day?
Other than actually being at work? Not really.

14. What’s the best part of the day?
Leaving work to pick Zach up and seeing the huge smile on his face when he spots me.

15. Do you usually leave on time or stay late? Take any work home with you?
On time (see #14)! I only take work home if I have to leave early or know I might need to work from home the next day.

16. The boss calls to tell you that don’t have to work, and you’re free for a whole day. What do you do?
Hang out with Zach, take a nap, and probably surf some blogs.

17. With whom would you want to spend the day?
Zach, and Hubby if he could be home too.

18. You go to the store to get some snackage, but it turns out you can only buy one thing there. What do you buy?
Either some tortellini pasta salad from the salad bar, or brownies, depending on what I was craving at the time.

19. You’re walking down the street and you find a magic lamp that grants you 3 wishes. What do you wish for?
Enough money to live comfortably and be able to stay home with my kids, for my family to all stay healthy, and to live long enough to meet my great-grandchildren.

20. You meet a man who says he will give you your dream job, what is it?
Stay-at-home mom

21. You can choose any concert of any singer/band in the world; whose do you go to?
So many choices! I think this may be the hardest question to answer for me. I guess I would have to go with Pearl Jam (anyone surprised?), but it would have to be in a small, intimate, Seattle club not a big arena show.

22. You get home and there’s a check for $50,000 in the mail for you. On what would you spend it?
Pay off my debt and use the rest for a down payment on a house.

23. You get to bring back anyone from the dead, famous or not. Who would it be?
Only one? My brother-in-law Josh. His life was entirely too short. If I could choose 2? My grandmother Ruth. I would have love to get to know her as an adult.

24. You get to interview your favorite celebrity. Who is it, and what would you ask him/her?
I’m not really big on interviews, but I would love to meet Angelina Jolie and just hang out with her for a day.

25. You get to see into the future but you can only find out one thing about your future life. What would you want to find out?
Am I happy?

26. At the end of your perfect day, you go on a perfect date; describe it.
A long romantic walk on the beach, a delicious dinner (preferably including Mexican food and a couple margaritas), then snuggling up on the couch with a good chick flick.

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Pardon Me While I Get Geeky

Published by dee on June 14, 2007

To many of you, these things will mean absolutely nothing, so if you aren’t geek inclined like myself then just move along. For the rest of you (who understand the joy of geekiness), here are some things that I’m a little excited about right now.

Movable Type 4.0 Beta – I use Movable Type to power this site and was just about ready to switch it over to WordPress because it is just easier to use. When the new MT was announced I wasn’t quite sure whether to go forward with the change or hold off. After logging in to a demo of MT 4 today, I think I might wait it out a bit. I’m going to wait until the beta period is over and then upgrade before I make a final decision. What I’ve seen of MT 4 so far looks pretty damn good.

I recently downloaded Pidgin, a multi-protocol IM client. I heard about it a while back but never installed it. I’ve tried similar clients before and have never found one I liked so I’m going to try it out for a few days. I use several different instant messengers and would love to just have them all in one place. I’m generally logged in to at least 3 of the 4 I use whenever I’m online. This will make it much simpler if it works for me. The only thing I’ve found so far that I don’t like is that it doesn’t tell you when the person on the other end is typing (unless I’m missing a setting somewhere that allows it). Oh, feel free to pass along your usernames if you want to chat or e-mail me for mine.

Finally, the best new discovery I’ve made this week is the new version of Safari that works with Windows. I do indeed love my Firefox browser to pieces, but when I’m designing sites it will be a great advantage to be able to see what it looks like in Safari so I can troubleshoot. I would really prefer just to have a Mac so I can know for sure what everyone is seeing, but since that isn’t a possibility I’ll just have to settle for the Windows-based Safari browser. It is quite pretty and very fast-loading from what I’ve seen so far.

Technorati Tags: Movable Type 4.0 Beta, Pidgin, Safari, Firefox, Windows

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