Big Brother 11 - BB11

Thankfully Big Brother 11 - 2nd episode was better than the first one!

Cj rowing our boat

We rented canoes at the Lake James Park today. It was AWESOME!!! We should have done that a long time ago. It was only $5 per hour and they give you the canoe, life jackets and oars. I was a little bit scared at first because I have never canoed before and neither had CJ but we worked really well together! The lake is about 5' down and we aren't sure why because we have gotten a lot of rain this Spring!

Tink rowing her daddy

Here is Tink and her Daddy rowing. After Cj and I got a little more confident we went out into the lake and raced daddy. We had a lot of fun :) My DH didn't need no stinking life jacket! I noticed that the other family of boaters the daddy didn't have his jacket on either. It must be a man thing :)

Tip of the day:

Avoid buying toilet paper (or feminine products) that contains fragrance. The cancer-causing fragrance chemicals go right through the delicate skin of your bottom, entering your bloodstream where they accumulate in your heart, liver and kidneys.
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/

How to calculate the cost per square foot for a new construction home...

This is a great illustration! How to calculate the cost per square foot for a new construction home (just divide this in half and it is how much it costs the builder)...
http://www.home-cost.com/template.php?sectionID=10&pageID=44

WNC Nature Park

Now we know!

While we are touring the WNC Nature Center we saw a Red Fox. We saw a Red Fox in our development recently but didn't know what it was, now we know!

Here is Tink up close and personal with a coyote.

Western North Carolina Nature Center

We went to the Western North Carolina Nature Center today in Asheville. It was really neat and we got in free because we are members of the Hickory Science Center which was cool too! The WNC Nature Center is a living museum of plants and animals native to the Appalachian region. Our purpose is to increase public awareness and understanding of all aspects of the natural environment of Western North Carolina through hands-on and sensory experiences. We got to touch a black rat snake! Link: www.wildwnc.org

Black Bears at the Zoo

We went to the Western North Carolina Nature Park today and saw lots of native North Carolina animals. Fox, Coyotes, Snakes, Bears etc. Your Aunt Meredy is afraid of bears which is odd because she and Uncle Dave mountain bikes and hikes through all the national forest up in the North East where they live.

Swine flu mass vaccination program targets infants, children, expectant mothers

"I just got word that the U.S. swine flu mass vaccination program is openly targeting infants, pregnant women and chronically diseased adults for a new round of vaccine injections. And guess who's making some of those vaccines? Baxter International, the very same company that was caught inserting LIVE avian flu viruses into vaccine materials distributed to 18 countries.

In today's feature story, I explain the insane profit motives behind this vaccine initiative and why smart people will be refusing swine flu vaccine injections (which start in October)." more...

Source: www.naturalnews.com

Movie Night - The Mighty Ducks

For the first time, I ordered pizzas (instead of making organic homemade pizzas) at the Morganton Geppettos and my DH picked them up on his way home. The Bacon Cheeseburger pizza traveled the 20 minutes well but my Veggie pizza did not fare as well. I think maybe the crust wasn't done so that was part of the problem? We watched the Mighty Ducks 2 for movie night tonight. Tink didn't enjoy it as much as my DH and CJ did =) Next is Night at the Museum (it really never gets old!)

When GOOD kids go BAD

We are going through an "I hate you" phase. Of course, Tink learned it from CJ. She said that twice before 9am and CJ told me "NO" 4 times before 9am. So I told them that we are not going to go to Hickory to go out for lunch and go to the Science Center, as planned for today. They were pretty bummed that I cancelled our whole day and took away their 1 hour of TV. They tried to talk me into going to the pool but I nixed that too (and it would have been a perfect day!) I told them they can get their suits on and go outside in the sprinkler, so they did.

Thanks Grandma Melba

Grandma Melba sent CJ a fun game, Booty Trap, and $10 for his birthday. We are going to go to Target tomorrow to spend his and Tink's new found loot!

Do we have a future attorney on our hands?!

I have had another person, I don't know, come up and tell me that CJ is going to be an attorney. The first guy that told me that, I'll never forget, we were eating breakfast at a hotel, Cj was 3 or 4, and he over heard us talking and during a break leaned over and said, "You know, your son is going to be an attorney." If MOMMY could choose, I would choose an ND, Naturopathic Doctor.

Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness --- (this is so good and so true)

Hansen's Natural Green Tea Soda Pomegranate

We LOVE Hansen's Natural Green Tea Soda Pomegranate. We went to Nature's Bounty, our all-natural store in Morganton, and they were giving out free samples of new drinks. We LOVE this one so we bought 3 cans. We drank our last can today and we all savored every swallow. Funny story... CJ was swishing it around in his mouth and enjoying every taste and Tink went up to him and slapped his cheeks together and WOOOSH out came the Pomegranate all over her face, neck and dress. Not so funny when it happened but very funny on re-call. I hope we can find it in bottles because we normally don't eat or drink anything out of cans.
Source: http://www.hansens.com/products/products.php?subcat=20&color=soda

Zoya's Jordana

How come it always looks better when someone else does your nails than when you do them yourself? I can't do the French Manicure myself so I pulled an old Zoya color out of my box of tricks under the bathroom sink. The Barbie Doll pink looks good with my healthy tan but hopefully I can get back to my nail girl and get a real manicure :)

Source: www.Zoya.com

Summer Bridge Activity Books

We love our Summer Bridge Activity books. They kept asking if they could get them out, finally today I said, YES! They each did about 10 pages in their books. Tink's is Pre-K to K and CJ's is 2nd - 3rd. When they are finished with the whole book (all 174 pages CJ informed me) they get $10 to spend at Chucky Cheese! Cj only wants $7 in tokens and $3 in cash. I wonder what his plans are :)
Tink is 100% left handed. Cj would switch back and forth until his Kindergarden teacher, Mrs. Miller, said that he had to pick a hand. He picked his right hand.

Just a note on Whippoorwill's & Heat Pumps

For the first time (can I start a sentence with a preposition, I just can't end a sentence with a preposition?) since we moved into our beautiful home (wish it was a ranch) on Lake James have I appreciated the fact that we have two air conditioning units. The Master Bedroom / Master Bath / Master Closets have their own unit and for 10 months I have thought what a good marketing scheme that is for the heating and cooling unit area salesmen. "Let's sell them TWO units instead of one and tell them it's a good idea!" (everyone seems to have fallen for their marketing scheme, except ME). Well, last night we turned the air conditioner on in the MB (I had the windows throughout the house open all day because it was only 77 yesterday) so we wouldn't be awoken at 5:15 am, by our very own, boisterous Whippoorwill. My DH swears the bird (who lives right outside our bedroom) has 15 songs that he bellows into our bedroom window and when he reaches song number 15 he starts over again. I have to admit I never counted songs he sang (did I mention he starts at 5:15am?) I just counted the number of bullets it would take me to shoot him out of his nest (oh- did I say that out loud?). So, once a year having two units is a good idea but the rest of the year you are better off getting a real heating/air conditioning unit instead of multiple heat pumps. Last weekend, we actually looked at a new home with 3 heat pumps (SUCKER).

Powerful Reasons to Eat More Slowly

Many people rush through the day, with no time for anything. When they have time to get a bite to eat, they gobble it down. That leads to stressful, unhealthy living.

Here are some reasons you should consider the simple act of eating slower:

Lose weight. A growing number of studies confirm that just by eating slower, you’ll consume fewer calories -- in fact, enough to lose 20 pounds a year without doing anything different or eating anything different. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full. If you eat fast, you can continue eating past the point where you’re actually full.

Enjoy your food. It’s hard to enjoy your food if it goes by too quickly. Make your meals a gastronomic pleasure, not a thing you do rushed, between stressful events.

Better digestion. If you eat slower, you’ll chew your food better, which leads to better digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more work you do up there, the less you’ll have to do in your stomach.

Less stress. Eating slowly, and paying attention to our eating, can be a great form of mindfulness exercise. Be in the moment, rather than rushing through a meal thinking about what you need to do next.

Rebel against fast food and fast life. A hectic, fast-paced, stressful, chaotic lives -- the Fast Life -- leads to eating Fast Food, and eating it quickly. Rebel against that entire lifestyle and philosophy with the small act of eating slower.

Sources: Zen Habits July 13, 2007

Lake James Fireworks

I really don't like spam - especially when my email address is the SENDER!

I really don't like spam, and it especially trips my trigger when the spammer uses MY email address as the SENDER!!! Technically I am being spammed by myself. I had no idea that I sell university degrees online! Apparently, I "...promote a program that will allow anyone with sufficient qualifications to fetch a fully verifiable University Degree - Bachelors, Masters or even a Doctorate."

Oh, Lucky Me.

Spiderwick Chronicles Movie

We went and saw the Spiderwick Chronicles today at the Mimosa Movie Theater. I was worried that Tink would be to little for the movie but CJ assured me that they had already seen the movie?! There is always a summer camp group that comes and the group that sat behind us ranged in age from 3 - 6. I felt so bad for the little ones they were so scared. It was good movie but it scared the kids (and me once or twice)! www.SpiderwickChronicles.com

The Devil in the Milk

Prominent food researcher Dr. Thomas Cowan has been involved in thinking about the medicinal aspects of cow’s milk virtually his entire career.

His studies on the subject started in earnest when he read the book The Milk of Human Kindness Is Not Pasteurized, by maverick physician, William Campbell Douglass, MD.
Cowan became convinced that a large part of the disease in this country is related to the way we handle, or rather mishandle, milk and milk products.

Raw and cultured dairy products from healthy grass-fed cows are one of the healthiest foods people have ever eaten. However, pasteurized milk products have caused more disease than perhaps any other substance people are generally in contact with... more...

Sources: The Bovine March 20, 2009 & Dr. Mercola

Picking the first of our very own fresh blueberries!

I didn't do this, but maybe I should? http://www.1stoporganicgardening.com/blog/2009/03/25/pine-needles-keep-soil-ph-acidic-for-blueberries/

Nap Time!

It is 1:13pm and my 7 year old is sleeping, my 4 year old is NOT but I think she is on the verge :) Soon to be nap time for mommy too!

Swimming at the pool!

Space Chimps Movie

We went to the free movie at the Mimosa theater this morning and then did some errands afterwards. The movie today was Space Chimps. The kids really liked it. They wanted to go to the store and buy it afterwards :) Thanks Mimosa Theater for giving us free summer time movies for the kids!

Our new Crocs

Our new Crocs came today. Crocs are the BEST shoe buy for the money. They last 12 months and they are super easy to clean! SO I bought some for mommy and daddy too. I decided we needed them last time we went up to a new water fall and my DH and I had to take off our shoes to wade into the fresh clean NC waterfall! We also need them so we can explore the islands and state parks around Lake James from our NEW BOAT!!!

Quote for Today

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

Six Reasons Why You Should Eat More Raw Foods

In 2006 a raw food diet study was made by Lenka J. Zajic, who went on to obtain a Masters in Vegan and Live Food Nutrition, where she conducted an in-depth 500-participant survey of raw food eaters. The study showed that people who ate 80-90 percent raw foods showed significant improvements in immunity, digestion, allergies, weight, disease, energy, and mental and emotional well-being. "There seems to be no question that, at least initially, eating a raw food diet can reduce or cure many health complaints," Said Zajic more...

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/026553_food_raw_food_health.html

Nothing like the smell of beans softening on the stove =)

CJ playing his newly found DS

Usually he doesn't get to play his XBox until 4pm. It is my bargaining tool for him being pleasant and good all day. Today I made an exception since his daddy found his DS last night and now we have both the DS and the DS charging cord. He charged it all night long so it was ready to go this morning. I made an exception and let him play it this morning. He was very happy!

Quote for Today

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back."

—Arthur Rubinstein

Mental Note:

Frappuccino's are physically and psychologically addicting!
While on vacation, for the past 8 days, we stopped in at Starbucks every morning. This morning I didn't have my Frappuccino and I had a horrible headache. I wonder how much caffeine and calories we both consumed JUST drinking Fraps every day for 8 days straight? UGH! Finally, after a 3 hour nap this afternoon and still having headache, I broke down and took some OTC medication. Thank GOD I am finally pain free.

Update: SHUT UP!!! A Starbucks Frappuccino only has 190 calories!!! YAH!!! http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-starbucks-coffee-frappuccino-i6

Quote for Today

(ops!)
CJ: "Mom the tooth fairy didn't come last night?"
Me: "He didn't?"
CJ: "NO, I guess they don't take 1/2 tooths."

We lost Cj's DS cord back in November 2008. We found the DS cord while cleaning out the Tahoe from our most recent sojourn. While looking for the DS my DH found one of CJ's teeth and it had broken in half. So CJ put it under his pillow last night. I fell asleep before my DH went to bed so I didn't get a chance to tell him. Ops!

Obama's Plan to Change U.S. Health Care System Will Cost Nearly Two TRILLION Dollars

Awesome Fireworks at Mimosa Marina

We had no idea we had such great seats/house for the fireworks display last night! Since my kids go to bed at 7pm and the fireworks don't start until 10pm we don't go to see them. However, when the fireworks are being set off at a marina 8 houses away it is hard to keep them asleep! The bombs going off, right next to our house, woke the kids up so we went out front and watched them from the front yard. They lasted for about 10 minutes and then there was, what we thought, was the finale. After most of the red and green lights (boats) took off we heard sirens drive on the highway past our development. Then 10 minutes later we had 10 more minutes of awesome fireworks and an amazing finale! Hope everyone was OK.

This was our first fireworks since our dog Winter died. She was terrified of fireworks so we would have to put her in the bathroom with music playing and all the lights on so she would freak out a little bit less. We kept thinking about her as we saw all of our neighbors walking by our house with their dogs. They went down to the end of the cul-de-sac to watch the fireworks.

Update: There was an explosion on the dock and a couple people were hurt (prayers)... here is a video taken from the house at the end of our street... http://morgantonmommy.blogspot.com/2009/07/lake-james-fireworks.html

Banking Collapse Announces the Beginning of The Golden Age

Red White and Blue Bracelets - Happy 4th of July!!!

This Red White and Blue bracelet is made with large 8mm bicone (diamond shaped) Swarovski crystals and large Bali style sterling silver bumpy beads. I put 6mm sterling silver smooth saucer beads before and after each crystal. This bracelet is shown with a lobster clasp. It is shown with an add-on USA heart charm. I have LOTS of charms to choose from. You can add up to 3 charms per string.

Details and more info... http://www.usaribbonbracelets.com/rwb1bracelet.html

Did You Know?

The first human death of the Civil War occurred on April 14, 1861, the day after the battle of Fort Sumter ended. Private Daniel Hough died when the cannon he was loading (for the Union's 100-gun salute to the U.S. flag) discharged prematurely. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC