This Side of Perfect

Talk to your friends, family or colleagues and you'll find that most everyone is tweaking their budget. Most people are choosing to adjust their food budgets, as it's the most versatile area to adjust. Others are choosing to cut out the extras - like cable or a second car. But for those who are re-thinking phone options I present this question: Have you considered VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)?

For all you non-tech people, VoIP allows you to use your DSL or Cable connection to make phone calls. It differs from voice chat through instant messenger in that you talk on a regular telephone - it's just hooked up to a VoIP adapter instead of your wall jack. With most companies, you get all the features of your local phone company for a fraction of the cost.

But unlike the phone company, you can choose what company to go with for VoIP. You've seen the Vonage commercials, but they aren't the only VoIP company. I've personally used Packet 8 and was happy wit…

***I'm still working out the details, apparantly. The code works...but doesn't link back to Horizontal Yo-Yo. So, until I can figure that part out, y'all are gonna have to link back manually. After you place the code, click on 'rich text' and manually link it. It'll work...just an extra step. Thanks for your patience.***

That's not meant to sound vulgar. But look over there ====> thanks to Susan and some Swag Bucks searches, I figured out how to make a button (although mine is a bit like a mini banner).

If you want it - grab it. If not - well, that's okay, too. I know that I really enjoy grabbing buttons (and will be adding some to my blog in the days to come).

And as always...my blog is a work in progress. Much like it's owner.

Hmmm....

Until next time...

This weekend, we all went Pawn Shopping. For those of you who don't know what Pawn Shopping is, it's kind of like hitting the yard sales, except they're pawn shops (which really comes in handy when it's cold and rainy like it was this past Saturday).

We were looking for a few select items - the best finds were the AC/DC Collection for Rock Band and an XBox 360 - both at a sweet price.

But what we didn't expect to walk away with was a lesson on integrity for our boy.

We enter one pawn shop and begin to look around. On the counter, we see this:



If you look closely, you will see a folded $20 bill on the newspaper.

I walk right by it. It's not mine, so I figure maybe someone left it there and they'll come by to pick it up. The Boy notices it and immediately comes to me:

The Boy: Mom! Mom! There's money on the counter!
Me: Is it yours?
The Boy (deflated a bit): No
Me: Then let it alone.

But the man beast...oh yes...the man beast. He does one better when we go …

If you all remember, I had a date with the Man Beast Friday night at church. The Sweetheart Banquet included a steak dinner as well as a movie - Fireproof - a movie neither the MB or I had seen.

I wanted to see it so badly. MB didn't want to see it at all. But being the awesome husband that he is, he went and sat through it, knowing I wanted to see it so badly.

I will give you both of our reviews - based on how I felt about the movie and what the MB said after it.

But first, let me give you the briefest of synopsis:

Caleb and Katherine's marriage is in trouble. After seven years of marriage, they've grown apathetic towards each other and their relationship. Pretty soon, the D Word is mentioned. Both want out - Katherine is feeling unloved and unheard and Caleb feels like he getsrespect from everywhere except in his own house. Caleb receives a little help from his best friend, Micheal who has gone through some rough spots in his own marriage. Caleb's dad, John, give…

Salma Hayek breast feeds a one week old African Baby.

Have y'all seen the video? If not, I've provided the link.

I've decided to share because I wanted to get some thoughts on this - as well as share my own.

To be perfectly honest, my first, very first thought was, "Yuck." But in the very next second I thought, "Why not?"

If you had asked me if I would be willing to feed another baby while I was breastfeeding Baby Gurl or the Boy (7 or 11 years ago, respectively), I would have told you absolutely not! It's not that I thought it disgusting...but just weird.

This video, however, makes me rethink my position.

This is a child who is starving - whose mother cannot give him any milk. Selma feeds him. You can see him greedily suckling from her breast.

So, I guess my question to you is - do you think Selma did a gross or gracious thing?

And really, what are the implications of this? Could you imagine milk banks? We have blood banks. We have no issue at all …

Red & Rover Brian Basset

***It cut off the last panel of the comic, y'all:
But that can take hours - and besides, from a distance they ALL look correct.***

I've read quite a bit of blogs that talk about the proposed Bailout/Stimulus Package plan.

Most of what I've read is very, very bad. (Meaning - it's a bad idea...not that the bloggers did an inferior job in posting about the topic). But what I learned most wasn't from the bloggers themselves, but from the comments on their blog.

I always thought that there were two camps as far as this whole stimulus package thing was concerned:
Those for itThose against itBut there seems to be a third camp - those who logically feel that the package is wrong, but emotionally, think it's right because it affects them personally (most notably, state employees losing their jobs because of budget cuts).

Isn't that just the proverbial 'rock and a hard spot'? You know something is wrong, but because it affects you per…

Baby Gurl is sitting at my feet on the floor in front of the couch, doing her Valentines (yes, I realize it's almost 9:30). She pulls out her school list. Her teacher has them separated - boys and girls.

As Baby Gurl settles down with her valentines, crayons (they are the kind you color), suckers and list, she looks up at me and then over at her dad, who is sitting at his computer (also in the living room) and says:

Do you see all these names? These are all my friends. These are the girls [pointing the girl list] and these are the boys [pointing to the boy list].

Don't you just miss those days - where everyone in your class was your friend? Oh, I know, I do! In fact, I am so old (chuckle - I'm 32), that I remember even in sixth grade all the students being my friends. Every single one of the students were invited to my 12th birthday and every single one of them came to my party!

Man! Those were the days!

Until next time...

(I checked my blog roll to make sure no one blogged about weather. Susan came close...but this post will most notably not be about a Sunday drive on a bike.)

The weather down here in SE GA is gorgeous!

I have to say I'm sorry to all my northern readers who have very cold temps or worse, snow. (Unless you like snow - then, congratulations. You can keep it.)

Today was warm (73) with a slight breeze. The sun was out and it was just beautiful!

Tomorrow is supposed to be better - 80! (But then it goes back down to 60. Bummer)

And yes, I know many of you would love to have 60 degree weather right now. I get it. But you see, down here in the south, we don't expect winter to last for more than a couple of weeks. We are all ready for spring (especially on days like today).

Than again, aside from the four-day holiday weekend the schools here have, maybe we're all itching for spring break?

Yeah, that's gotta be it.

Until next time...

I'm mentioning this now because I plan on following up on it Saturday afternoon sometime.

This Friday, the Man Beast and I have a date. We are going to the Sweetheart Banquet at church. A delicious steak dinner is to be served, followed by the movie, Fireproof. I'm not a huge fan of steak, but considering the MB is coming to church (something he never does) and sitting through a Kirk Cameron movie (whom he doesn't really care for) speaks volumes about what my man is willing to do for me when he senses that something is important to me. (And let me say that this was a 'sense thing'. I did not tell him that this was something I really wanted to do. I just simply invited him because I would have liked to go. Later, I told him that if he would have said no, I would have grabbed a married Christian woman from work - or a single one - I wasn't picky!)

While the MB and I eat and watch a movie, Baby Gurl will be at the church chowing down on some chicken nuggets a…

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace. Where there is need,I ask you to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes,families,finances,their goings and their comings. In Jesus' precious name. Amen.

Until next time...

I feel I must apologize for my small group of loyal readers. I'm sure you've checked your blog roll, your blog reader or Horizontal YoYo for an update from me and I haven't given you one - in over a week! This is no way to treat my readers and I'm so very sorry.

Life in the my world has been on the chaotic side. I've been meaning to schedule blog posts, but haven't gotten around to it. I know this is probably absolutely no consultation to y'all, but I think about you (as well as blog-worthy subjects) through out the week. I just never get to them.

I could promise to do better, but those that know me know that I'm fooling myself.

What I can promise is that when I do post, I will make them interesting and blog worthy - not just post something to say I've posted. (I really do have a lot of great ideas -- it's just getting them to the computer...that's the tricky part).

Quick update on me:

Work is going well. This week was rather hectic as MA …