*2Flower* To You...

Saturday, January 24, 2004

How to make blog stickers...

with text:
I like Gary Turner's blogstickers, but I know a lot of graphics can slow down my page. I got the idea from meg that they could be made with text and text effects, since she is always making little boxes with words.

NOW LOOK WHAT
YOU MADE ME BLOG

Here is how I made this:

I made all of the stickers on my blog by playing around with the attributes in the div and span tags. I'm not an expert at all, and I don't know if it looks good in other browsers (I use IE 6). But give it a try, because it's fun. ;)

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Friday, January 23, 2004

MIL Update

My mother-in-law is OK. They were able to medicate her and pop her hip back into the socket. Just thinking about that really makes me hurt. She has to be very careful anyway, as she has many health problems and very bad arthritis. But I will say this about her -- she's an amazing woman. She has pain all the time, but she does as much as she can and maintains a really positive outlook most of the time.

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Sad news and more sad news...

Cassandra's old boyfriend died yesterday from severe burns he received in an accident that he had on Wednesday with a kerosene heater exploding. I didn't want to bring it up yesterday on my blog because it was our anniversary. It was a shock, and she was very, very upset. They were still good friends. Thankfully, her husband Mark is very kind and considerate of her feelings and has been supportive.

And then this afternoon I got a call from Scott that his mother fell and dislocated her hip. He's over at the ER, and I'm going to head over there in a few minutes. I doubt I will have anything more to blog tonight. Prayers would really be appreciated. Her name is Sue. Thanks!

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Thursday, January 22, 2004

Our Anniversary and the Soap Opera that got us here...

I didn't ever finish writing about our first date, and I didn't even write half of the rest of how we got together. And I'm tired and somewhat stressed today. So today I'm going for the no-frills look. I'm too tired to break into the template today or to upload pictures.

Scott and I have been married for 16 years today. It hasn't been easy all the time, but when is life ever easy all the time? Being married to Scott really has been great. I can't imagine what my life would be without him. I just realized that I've known him longer than I haven't, since we met when I was 15.

OK, I'm going to finish up the previous first date post and move through the rest by giving you the Reader's Digest version. Our first date was Scott's prom. After the dance portion, he took me to the alternate activity provided by one of the Baptist churches because the movie the prom kids were all going to was Porky's -- gag. I'm glad he had enough respect for me that he didn't even ask my opinion on the matter. Then we went to a catered breakfast put on by some rich parents of one of the seniors -- nice mansion. ;) Then he brought me home, and kissed me good-bye at the door. And WOW. I could hardly find the doorknob to get into the house.

So we dated for a month or so until he went into the Marines. We continued to date for over a year, but that was by letters, phone calls and very rare visits since he was stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA. By late in the next summer though, I had gotten very tired of hanging around having no social life. So I broke up with him. I still really cared about him and we had even talked about getting married someday. But it was my senior year, and I thought I was missing out on dating, etc.

So I started dating other people. And it didn't take me long to meet someone who was really, really bad. If you read the earlier post, this guy was even more manipulative than Phil -- or at least better at it. And I got stuck with him. And I got pregnant. And then I married the jerk, because I really didn't feel I had another choice. And then I spent the most miserable couple of years of my life. It was hell, and I was lucky that the U.S. Air Force put him into "corrective custody" so I could get away from him. But I had 2 kids -- a one year old and a newborn to take care of.

Thankfully my parents took me in and helped me. I got a job working in a hospital and got a little bit of my self-esteem back. Ironically enough, the night before I started working I had a vivid dream that I was dating Scott again. And even more ironically, before the training began for the job, the other trainees were talking and the subject of dreams came up. I mentioned that I had dreamed about my old boyfriend. And the girl next to me asked me if I was talking about Scott, and I said yes. She said, "Oh, well that's my boyfriend." Well, that was really awkward! But it was interesting that when I called to his mother that afternoon ;) that she said he had broken up with her a long time before that. And she hinted that Scott still really liked me. And I had already filed for divorce. (BTW, later she said that Melinda had called her that day too, LOL)

The day before my 2nd anniversary with my x, he showed up. He had gotten out of jail and had been kicked out of the Air Force. And my parents were scared. He and I went and talked for a long time -- he was trying to talk me out of the divorce. My parents had begun to think something had happened to me. Interestingly enough, that day was also the day that Scott came home because his 4 years in the Marines were up. And he had tried calling me several times that afternoon and evening, but I was gone with my x. When I finally got back, my parents said I had to call Scott (even though it was about 10 pm, LOL) he came right over, and we talked until 5 am when I had to get ready to go to work. When my x called me after work to see where I was taking him for our anniversary (he had no job) I told him that I was definitely divorcing him. ;) Wonderfully enough, except for some stalking and harrassing phone calls, he left me alone after that. He was a real coward at heart, and he was really afraid of Scott (who was smaller than him, LOL) because Scott was a Marine.

So Scott and I were inseparable pretty much from that day on. We were married 8 months later. He was able to adopt Jason and Cassandra a few months later because my x didn't want to pay child support. We were so fortunate not to have to deal with him anymore. My x was remarried sooner than I was -- I found out later that he had a girlfriend/fiancee lined up before he got out of the Air Force. He's always got a wife and/or girlfriend lined up. I don't know too much more about him, except that he has been married at least 4 times now -- although I've heard he's been married 7 times.

And really, life has been good to us. We are best friends and more. Unfortunately, we can't afford to go away for a few days like we had planned, but this will still be good. We can go another time. Since we ended up as an instant family, our opportunities to be alone have been rare, LOL. I need to go get ready to go out to dinner with him tonight.

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Lie-detector glasses???

Whoa, Big Brother! I can "see" a lot of good uses for those, but it does sound kind of like it would invade your privacy, especially if anyone could buy a pair.
via Drudge Report

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Wictory Wednesday

I didn't get to watch the State of the Union address last night. We had planned to, but got sidetracked. I read it this morning, along with the Democrats' response from Nancy Pelosi and Tom Daschle.

I think George W. Bush did a great job with his speech, as always. I also think he has done a wonderful job as our president, especially considering 9-11 which I think the Democrats are trying to forget even happened. Instead of trying to appease our enemies, he has fought the war on terror with great success and has strengthened our defense. The Democrats' have no new or good ideas to offer this country, and can only criticize everything Bush has done.

Nancy Pelosi said, "Instead of alienating our allies, let us work with them and international institutions so that together we can prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and keep them out of the hands of terrorists." Nancy, that is just dumb. We tried that already under Clinton, and it didn't work. I guess the only "allies" we have according to her are France and Germany. The only reason they felt "alienated" is because they were helping Saddam Hussein! And they were getting rich off the "Food for Oil" (ha-ha) program. I think of the U.N. as a big, useless money-sucking tick that would die with the U.S.

Anyway, that is enough ranting for today -- I could go on for pages, but I'll save some for next time. ;) Vote for Bush, the only positive choice for a free and safe America! If you would like to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign, please do. Get involved. Here is where you click to find out more about Wictory Wednesday if you're interested in joining. Here are the other Wictory Wednesday bloggers:

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

When you don't have content...

Fill it up with quizzes and memes. So much for "Monday is Funday" -- if I wait any longer my Monday post will be so long that I may have to start archiving daily. So here it is, fluff for my blog and yours:

Are You A Blogaholic? Results
Your Score: 60 / 100
AVG SCORE
43.0% 43.0 points out of 100
11176 people have taken this silly test so far.
1552 people have scored higher than you.
9014 people have scored lower than you.
610 people made the same grade as you.

60 points is in the 51 through 80 precent
You are a dedicated weblogger. You post frequently because you enjoy weblogging a lot, yet you still manage to have a social life. You're the best kind of weblogger. Way to go!

What day are you?

This is hilarious, because it's so not me. I'm a domestic goddess.
snagged from Pam

Tuesday is Chooseday:
Would you rather:

have the power to see through walls OR hear even faint sounds up to 10 miles away?
live in ethiopia OR live in the outback of australia?

always show up 20 minutes late for eveything OR always show up 90 minutes early for everything?
have four more years with george w bush as president of USA OR not?

books I've read (in bold):
1984, George Orwell
The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
The BFG, Roald Dahl
Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
The Catcher In The Rye, JD Salinger
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald DahlA Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Crime And Punishment, Fyodor
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
Dune, Frank Herbert
Emma, Jane Austen
Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, JK Rowling
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
His Dark Materials trilogy, Philip Pullman
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
Holes, Louis Sachar
I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Broent
Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
Katherine, Anya Seton
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
The Lord Of The Rings, JRR Tolkien (The Fellowship only)
Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blighton
Magician, Raymond E Feist
The Magus, John Fowles
Matilda, Roald Dahl
Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Mort, Terry Pratchett
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
On The Road, Jack Kerouac
One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Perfume, Patrick Suskind
Persuasion, Jane Austen
The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
Pride And Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
The Ragged Trousered Philantrhopists, Robert Tressell
Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
The Stand, Stephen King
The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Tess Of The D'urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Twits, Roald Dahl
Ulysses, James Joyce
Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
War And Peace, Leo Tolstoy
Watership Down, Richard Adams
The Wind In The Willows, Kenneth GrahameWinnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne
The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

29 out of 100
via The Three R's

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

My Mean Howard Dean

I don't have to crush his head today, but I will anyway just for fun. I can't help myself -- he's just so darn angry! He sounded like a raving lunatic last night, but I guess that's not new for him. I think I'd be understating quite a bit by saying he messed up alot during this campaign, but I'm sure the cherry on the top of it all was when he told the guy in Iowa to sit down. He's mean and crazy, and it's pretty obvious to everyone -- not exactly presidential.

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

A blast from the past...

Pride & Prejudice Update: Lydia and Wickham will soon be leaving. They have put a deposit on a one bedroom flat in the village, and should be moving out of Longbourne in as soon as a week. ;)

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Oh the books I could write...

The joys of dog ownership.

The Many Misadventures

of Padi, Obi, Piglet and POO

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

ZZZZzzzzzz...

Today I'm not really awake yet. I've gotten into the habit of reading until midnight or later. I get up when Scott does to make his lunch, and then I read a few blogs and crawl back into bed. Bad habit, I know. The bed is calling to me, and most likely I will answer the call... Either that, or I will have to get the Diet Dr. Pepper.

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Monday, January 19, 2004

Monday is Funday

I'm being a little sarcastic. Most people hate Monday, and I agree that it isn't usually my favorite day either. At least I don't have to go to work.

I thought I would use Mondays to put up all the quizzes and memes that have been collecting in my drafts folder:

Cheddar X
1. What is your home life like? Mad Max
2. What is your first thought when you think about high school? Lethal Weapon (1-4)
3. What is your strongest personality trait? Forever Young
4. What's your work like? Payback
5. What do you wish your job was? What Women Want
6. Describe your partner. Fairy Tale: A True Story
7. Describe yourself. Hamlet
8. What's some good advice? Braveheart
9. Tell us about your childhood. Chicken Run
10. What would you say to your ten year old self? The Year of Living Dangerously
Which actor is in all the movies?

found @ OttO OncE MorE
1. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: happily married
2. FAVORITE BOARD GAME: LIFE
3. FAVORITE MAGAZINE: Whistleblower
4. FAVORITE SMELL: sandalwood rose
5. FAVORITE SOUND: children getting along with each other
6. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR FAMILY: 8 -- living in my house!
7. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: losing someone you love
8. FAVORITE COLOR: purple
9. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER: It depends on who is calling -- at least as many as it takes for the caller ID to display -- sometimes until the answering machine gets it. ;)
10 FUTURE CHILDS NAME: none, but my grandchild: Avery (boy) or Chloe (girl)
11. PIERCING YOU HAVE and TATTOOS: my ears are double-pierced, but I hardly ever wear earrings because I'm allergic to all cheap earrings. ;) No tattoos -- not now, not ever.
12. WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE: God and Family
13. FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza
14. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA: Chocolate
15. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST: Not usually
16. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL: Not unless my husband has eaten a lot before bed.
17. STORMS-COOL OR SCARY: Usually cool.
18. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU WANT IN THE FUTURE? A flying Delorian ;)
19. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE: Weird Al Yankovic
20. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI: yes
21. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A writer.
22. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Whatever color it grows out as.
23. EVER BEEN IN LOVE? Yes, I am
24. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 47
25. SAY ONE NICE THING TO THE PERSON ~~THAT SENT THIS TO YOU~~ ON WHOSE SITE YOU FOUND THIS: Otto, you're the best!
26. PERSON YOU SENT THIS TO WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO SEND IT BACK: I wouldn't send it as an e-mail, as I detest fwd's.
27. PERSON YOU SENT THIS TO WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO SEND IT BACK: I wouldn't do that to anyone.
28. FAVORITE PLACE IN THE USA: My home
29. FAVORITE T. V. SHOW: Seinfeld
30. DO YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE: Yes, but I'm getting rid of it soon.
31. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ON A PERSON OF THE OPPOSITE SEX: Personality and sense of humor.
32.WHAT TURNS YOU OFF ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX: arrogance & vanity
33. AT WHAT AGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE MARRIED: 20, since that's when I married Scott.
34: WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE? Lots of different kinds, but mostly stuff like Enya, movie scores, etc.
35: WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE WITH YOU ON A DESERT(ed) ISLAND: My family, house, computer -- all the stuff I like and none of what I don't, LOL.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Your soul is bound to the White Rose: The
Pure.

"I've been waiting in the dark for a long
time, shining my beacon of hope through the
shadow. If you see me, don't you hide your
eyes from me."

The White Rose is associated with purity, honor,
and chastity. It is governed by the goddess
Artemis and its sign is The Cross, or Agape.

As a White Rose, you are a person of your word.
You may have a strong moral code, but
regardless of your virtue, you always stay true
to yourself. To you, love is the most pure of
emotional forms and it's just a matter of
waiting for it to bless you. Some people may
say you are too idealistic, but it's only
because you don't want to mess things up.

What Rose Is Your Soul Bound To?
brought to you by Quizilla

Arianrhod is the Celtic goddess of the full moon
(or the 'silver wheel'), of reincarnation, and
of the Wheel of the Year. You are mysterious
and serene, yet you can be stubborn and even
cruel.

What Celtic Goddess are You? (With pictures)
brought to you by Quizilla

Which Cartoon Cat Are You? Quiz by gypsydance

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

Sunday, January 18, 2004

Sunday and visiting...

Organist Update: She played the piano today instead to everyone's great relief, so someone must have talked with her.

Ian was ordained a deacon today. Boys that turn 12 are generally ordained deacons in the Aaronic Priesthood. Scott was able to ordain him, and Jason was able to stand in and have his hands on his head as well. It was a special day, and he will now have the authority to pass the sacrament at church. It's quite a milestone -- amazing how quickly they grow up.

Scott and I went and visited people this afternoon -- something we rarely ever do because we're not terribly social. We visited our landlord (we rent his land) and paid our rent. The family goes to our church and I've known them over half my life. They're really nice people. They have 6 girls -- 2 of whom I went to all the youth activities with when I was a teenager. At any given time that we go over there, they have kids and grandkids all over the place visiting. It's very chaotic -- like a family reunion almost daily.

Then we went and visited another family from church. The wife was at work because her husband just had knee surgery -- so he's been Mr. Mom for few months. They're really struggling right now.

And then we went and visited Scott's great aunt Erma in the nursing home. She's 97 -- my mind boggles at the thought. It's hard for her to stand being there because she has nothing to do. She has always been one of the hardest-working people I've ever known. Up until very recently she was still doing her own yard work in her huge yard. She is still very much alert, and has the most interesting stories and a cute attitude. She's a tough little old cookie. Anyway, I need to visit aunt Erma more often. I certainly left there with a hero today. When I grow up I want to be like aunt Erma. I think I'm going to put a picture of her up on my desk. :)

Scott and I need to go visiting more often. If nothing else, I've learned that while things get tough here sometimes, other people have their own troubles and I definitely wouldn't want to trade with them. It made me appreciate what I have more.

#posted by *2flower* | All comments have been lost. :(

dogwood blooms

what day is it?

reading

finished

i wish

i'm an enfp

my guestbook

bloggerrific peeps

blogroll me

i'm a blogger with bOObies

the "you know what" list

blog help & goodies

artsy-fartsy toys

blog listings

i support

blogometer

How to make blog stickers...

MIL Update

Sad news and more sad news...

Our Anniversary and the Soap Opera that got us here...

Lie-detector glasses???

Wictory Wednesday

When you don't have content...

My Mean Howard Dean

A blast from the past...

Oh the books I could write...

ZZZZzzzzzz...

Monday is Funday

Sunday and visiting...

referrererererers

what'd i miss?

cozy blogs

puffin peeps

radio peeps

links i likeses

memes

my webrings

right peeps

wictory wednesday

blogs for Bush