All Stories





It's Friday and around our house, over the past 6 weeks, that's meant Harry Potter night to my family! 
Yes, we may be one of the last families on the planet 
to not have read the books or seen the movies.
I was waiting until Em and Kaye were old enough for the dark story line.
 (Honestly, I didn't know much about the story, but thought since Em's BFF Rory has been a Potter fan for years, that now, at age 10, would be a good time for Em to see the movies.) 
 We've been borrowing the DVD's from our public library every week and tonight we are on movie #7- 'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows-Part I'.  I can't imagine those who went to the theater to see these movies because they are so long! We usually stop the movie once or twice for potty and snack breaks. Kaye usually falls asleep the last 40 minutes of every movie, so she tends to miss the really dark parts of the movies, which is fine with me because she's only 6 years old and I normally would've waited for her to see these movies, but it isn't fair to Em to have to wait.   

It's been quite interesting watching the Harry Potter actors grow up .
  While watching I find myself thinking how these movies are now a part of classic movie history and how future generations will look to this movie series as I looked at The Wizard Of Oz, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (the original), Mary Poppins, Annie, E.T., Gremlins, Poltergeist, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Monsters Inc, The Muppet Movie (the original,) Freaky Friday (the original) and The Santa Clause movies.
  


 

  
What others would you place on the kids 'classics' list?

I thought Em was going to skip reading the Harry Potter books since she's watching the movies, but on Tuesday when we went to the library she borrowed the 1st & 2nd Potter books.  I'm glad that she still wants to read them.  She isn't the type of reader that seeks out really long books.  Either am I for that matter.  Time will tell if she decides to continue with the entire series or moves onto something else.

Em finished 'A Wrinkle In Time' by Madeleine L'Engle a few days ago, so we also borrowed that movie from the library.  I don't remember reading this book or seeing the movie.  There are a lot of children's books that I haven't read mainly because when I was in elementary school our township did not have access to the public library.  When I was in 5th grade we were granted library access and that is when I remember beginning to read more.  Still, I never read as much as Em does.  She loves to read and I am very grateful for that.  I'm hoping Kaye follows in her footsteps with the love of reading.

With that said, does it matter to you if a book becomes a movie and you haven't read the book yet, will you watch the movie before reading the book?

For me the answer depends on what the story is about.  For example, I read 'Confessions Of A Shopaholic' by Sophie Kinsella before watching the movie; in my opinion the book was much better.  I saw 'The Notebook' by Nicholas Sparks before I read the book; I liked the movie much better.

I haven't read of seen anything 'Twilight' related yet. 
 I will probably watch the movies before deciding whether I want to read the books or not, since this isn't the genre of books I usually seek out.  

You're probably thinking to yourself, 'Sheesh, this woman doesn't keep up with the times does she?'  I'm fully aware of what books and movies are popular, but I never feel like I have to be reading or seeing what everyone else is at any particular time.  So if you see books and movie reviews on my blog that are 'so 2008' (so to speak;  this is a reference to the Black Eyed Peas song 'Boom Boom Pow' where she says "I'm so 3008, you so 2000 and late") you know it's because I read and watch what I feel like, not what society is telling me is popular at any particular time.

Enjoy the weekend!

Harry Potter Friday #7






It's Friday and around our house, over the past 6 weeks, that's meant Harry Potter night to my family! 
Yes, we may be one of the last families on the planet 
to not have read the books or seen the movies.
I was waiting until Em and Kaye were old enough for the dark story line.
 (Honestly, I didn't know much about the story, but thought since Em's BFF Rory has been a Potter fan for years, that now, at age 10, would be a good time for Em to see the movies.) 
 We've been borrowing the DVD's from our public library every week and tonight we are on movie #7- 'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows-Part I'.  I can't imagine those who went to the theater to see these movies because they are so long! We usually stop the movie once or twice for potty and snack breaks. Kaye usually falls asleep the last 40 minutes of every movie, so she tends to miss the really dark parts of the movies, which is fine with me because she's only 6 years old and I normally would've waited for her to see these movies, but it isn't fair to Em to have to wait.   

It's been quite interesting watching the Harry Potter actors grow up .
  While watching I find myself thinking how these movies are now a part of classic movie history and how future generations will look to this movie series as I looked at The Wizard Of Oz, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (the original), Mary Poppins, Annie, E.T., Gremlins, Poltergeist, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Monsters Inc, The Muppet Movie (the original,) Freaky Friday (the original) and The Santa Clause movies.
  


 

  
What others would you place on the kids 'classics' list?

I thought Em was going to skip reading the Harry Potter books since she's watching the movies, but on Tuesday when we went to the library she borrowed the 1st & 2nd Potter books.  I'm glad that she still wants to read them.  She isn't the type of reader that seeks out really long books.  Either am I for that matter.  Time will tell if she decides to continue with the entire series or moves onto something else.

Em finished 'A Wrinkle In Time' by Madeleine L'Engle a few days ago, so we also borrowed that movie from the library.  I don't remember reading this book or seeing the movie.  There are a lot of children's books that I haven't read mainly because when I was in elementary school our township did not have access to the public library.  When I was in 5th grade we were granted library access and that is when I remember beginning to read more.  Still, I never read as much as Em does.  She loves to read and I am very grateful for that.  I'm hoping Kaye follows in her footsteps with the love of reading.

With that said, does it matter to you if a book becomes a movie and you haven't read the book yet, will you watch the movie before reading the book?

For me the answer depends on what the story is about.  For example, I read 'Confessions Of A Shopaholic' by Sophie Kinsella before watching the movie; in my opinion the book was much better.  I saw 'The Notebook' by Nicholas Sparks before I read the book; I liked the movie much better.

I haven't read of seen anything 'Twilight' related yet. 
 I will probably watch the movies before deciding whether I want to read the books or not, since this isn't the genre of books I usually seek out.  

You're probably thinking to yourself, 'Sheesh, this woman doesn't keep up with the times does she?'  I'm fully aware of what books and movies are popular, but I never feel like I have to be reading or seeing what everyone else is at any particular time.  So if you see books and movie reviews on my blog that are 'so 2008' (so to speak;  this is a reference to the Black Eyed Peas song 'Boom Boom Pow' where she says "I'm so 3008, you so 2000 and late") you know it's because I read and watch what I feel like, not what society is telling me is popular at any particular time.

Enjoy the weekend!

Posted at 1:42 PM  |  by Lisa E.



WordLess Wednesday #2




Posted at 2:41 PM  |  by Lisa E.
"The Facebook algorithm gives preference to images, then status updates, and way down the food chain is links to outside websites.  This is because they want people staying on their site, not leaving their site.  And you can't blame them for that because they’re a business who makes money with every click on their site, and they offer a free service to the general public. It is what it is."  
This is STILL the reason why I miss FB friends posts!   Because FB decides what I see by their algorithm! 
If you want to read more check out this link by Single Dad Laughing here:

I don't know how most bloggers keep up with all that is involve with blogging!  My little blog is just that, little.  Sometimes I feel like this is a personal way for me to get thoughts out and nothing more.  I would like to have a following and make this blog into something more, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  I'm trying though.  At least this past year I actually posted, where as when I first started I would forget that I even started a blog.  If you are out there reading this post, thank you.  I hope to bring more content to my blog soon and maybe even do a blog make-over.  

Kudos to all the bloggers out there who are making a living by blogging and are successful at it.  It takes a lot of time, persistence and know how and I salute you! 

The Harsh New Reality of Being a Blogger

"The Facebook algorithm gives preference to images, then status updates, and way down the food chain is links to outside websites.  This is because they want people staying on their site, not leaving their site.  And you can't blame them for that because they’re a business who makes money with every click on their site, and they offer a free service to the general public. It is what it is."  
This is STILL the reason why I miss FB friends posts!   Because FB decides what I see by their algorithm! 
If you want to read more check out this link by Single Dad Laughing here:

I don't know how most bloggers keep up with all that is involve with blogging!  My little blog is just that, little.  Sometimes I feel like this is a personal way for me to get thoughts out and nothing more.  I would like to have a following and make this blog into something more, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  I'm trying though.  At least this past year I actually posted, where as when I first started I would forget that I even started a blog.  If you are out there reading this post, thank you.  I hope to bring more content to my blog soon and maybe even do a blog make-over.  

Kudos to all the bloggers out there who are making a living by blogging and are successful at it.  It takes a lot of time, persistence and know how and I salute you! 

Posted at 12:16 PM  |  by Lisa E.
Hello there!  It's been awhile since I've posted an update on the family and I so here goes.....

The new year started out with the loss of a former co-worker who lost her 3 year battle to cancer.  I visited her in hospice 4 days before she passed.  It was heartbreaking to see her so weak and frail.  She was unresponsive, so I 'm not sure she knew I was there, but I felt I needed to see her.  She left behind her husband, son (age 12) and daughter (age 13.)  Extremely heartbreaking.

February was pretty much filled with trying to get Em and Kaye to reach their Girl Scout cookie goals.  Since this is Kaye's 1st year in Daisy Scouts, she wanted to earn enough to earn the cookie patch.  Em's troop goal was for each girl to sell 80 boxes, which was way more than Em has ever sold.  But somehow, even with the price of a box of Girl Scout cookies rising to $4 per box, she met the goal and even went a little bit over that number!   Em's troop did a cookie booth on one of the coldest days of the winter and that helped her exceed her goal.

Now we are two weeks into March.  Last week Jay did massive amounts of overtime because there was a sink hole 4 blocks from our house.  Jay works for our township in the physical plant division  (he is the township electrician, however he also does a lot more than that; i.e: pump station work, fixing things at the community center, inventory/purchasing for projects, etc.)  He also had a 6 hour electrical seminar last Saturday.  It was one tiring week for him.  
"The sinkhole, which was 30 feet wide and 12 deep on Sunday, was about half again as big by Monday afternoon. Township employees said they would shore up a sewer pipe beneath the street, then fill the sinkhole with a mixture of sand and concrete.  Gallagher declared Jenkins' home uninhabitable. On Sunday, Jenkins said the ceiling in part of her house separated from the wall, likely due to the house shifting."

"The sinkhole was caused by a sewer main leak, has been stabilized and is no longer a threat to the neighborhood.  The hole remains open, but contractors are expected to fill it with grout beginning Wednesday, Gallagher said. Today's rain shouldn't make the issues worse, since paths have been created for rain water to flow away from the hole, he said.  Engineers will do radar and probing work today, he said. The weather is not why the hole isn't being filled in today, he said. It's a logistics issue getting everything to the site, he said.  Sewer main work was done recently (at the intersection where this house is),  to repair problems that officials said caused several small sinkholes. Sunday's damage was caused by a secondary leak in the same forced main that was put in during the 1970s. It has since been repaired. The main has been temporarily rerouted above ground and will be moved below the surface as the hole is filled.  A forced main means water is pumped up a hill to the sewer plant, rather than driven by gravity. Forced mains operate under higher pressure than gravity mains, adding that the leaking main was old and deteriorating.  While Gallagher initially said (the house) couldn't be lived in because of cracks to the foundation, facade and roof and the smell of sewer gas, engineers have since determined it was safe for the residents to occupy the home while repairs are made.  Insurance companies are negotiating who will pay for the work"
I'm not sure I'd want to go back to living in that house just in case the engineers are wrong!

My daughters have been sick with colds off & on for the past 3 weeks.  At the beginning it started off as a cold with Kaye, turned into a nasty cough, 3 days later Jay got it, 3 days later Em got it.  Kaye and Em kind of kept giving it back and forth to one another for a bit.  I thought I had dodged this sickness, when this past Wednesday I awoke with post nasal drip and a sore throat.  I am now on Day 3 of this nasty cold and it is holding me back from accomplishing a lot of things that need to be done around the house and errands that I must do.

Right now I need to get a birthday gift for one of Kaye's friends;  the party is next Saturday.  I also have barely anything for Easter baskets.  I am not supplying a bunch of candy this year and I'm not big on 'trinkety' things you'd see from Oriental Trading Co.  I've been perusing the internet for non-candy ideas.  Most ideas I've seen online I've done in the past  (sidewalk chalk, small puzzles/games/cards, hair clips/barettes, stickers, small toy, etc.)  I will post a photo of what I end up purchasing for baskets as soon as I have the loot! 

Well, my eyes are starting to water and I feel like I've used 1/2 a box of tissues as I've typed out this post.  I will leave you with a picture of the successful surgery that I performed this afternoon.  The patient was Kaye's pink Webkinz poodle.  She will be a happy little girl when she comes home from school today!

When Em was around 4 years old our cable company offered this show On Demand and she LOVED it!
"St Bear's Dolls Hospital is a wonderful world where dolls and toys from all over the world are nurtured and mended. St. Bear's is a fun-filled environment that help children learn about friendship, teamwork, respect and understanding."

Update: The Last Three Months

Hello there!  It's been awhile since I've posted an update on the family and I so here goes.....

The new year started out with the loss of a former co-worker who lost her 3 year battle to cancer.  I visited her in hospice 4 days before she passed.  It was heartbreaking to see her so weak and frail.  She was unresponsive, so I 'm not sure she knew I was there, but I felt I needed to see her.  She left behind her husband, son (age 12) and daughter (age 13.)  Extremely heartbreaking.

February was pretty much filled with trying to get Em and Kaye to reach their Girl Scout cookie goals.  Since this is Kaye's 1st year in Daisy Scouts, she wanted to earn enough to earn the cookie patch.  Em's troop goal was for each girl to sell 80 boxes, which was way more than Em has ever sold.  But somehow, even with the price of a box of Girl Scout cookies rising to $4 per box, she met the goal and even went a little bit over that number!   Em's troop did a cookie booth on one of the coldest days of the winter and that helped her exceed her goal.

Now we are two weeks into March.  Last week Jay did massive amounts of overtime because there was a sink hole 4 blocks from our house.  Jay works for our township in the physical plant division  (he is the township electrician, however he also does a lot more than that; i.e: pump station work, fixing things at the community center, inventory/purchasing for projects, etc.)  He also had a 6 hour electrical seminar last Saturday.  It was one tiring week for him.  
"The sinkhole, which was 30 feet wide and 12 deep on Sunday, was about half again as big by Monday afternoon. Township employees said they would shore up a sewer pipe beneath the street, then fill the sinkhole with a mixture of sand and concrete.  Gallagher declared Jenkins' home uninhabitable. On Sunday, Jenkins said the ceiling in part of her house separated from the wall, likely due to the house shifting."

"The sinkhole was caused by a sewer main leak, has been stabilized and is no longer a threat to the neighborhood.  The hole remains open, but contractors are expected to fill it with grout beginning Wednesday, Gallagher said. Today's rain shouldn't make the issues worse, since paths have been created for rain water to flow away from the hole, he said.  Engineers will do radar and probing work today, he said. The weather is not why the hole isn't being filled in today, he said. It's a logistics issue getting everything to the site, he said.  Sewer main work was done recently (at the intersection where this house is),  to repair problems that officials said caused several small sinkholes. Sunday's damage was caused by a secondary leak in the same forced main that was put in during the 1970s. It has since been repaired. The main has been temporarily rerouted above ground and will be moved below the surface as the hole is filled.  A forced main means water is pumped up a hill to the sewer plant, rather than driven by gravity. Forced mains operate under higher pressure than gravity mains, adding that the leaking main was old and deteriorating.  While Gallagher initially said (the house) couldn't be lived in because of cracks to the foundation, facade and roof and the smell of sewer gas, engineers have since determined it was safe for the residents to occupy the home while repairs are made.  Insurance companies are negotiating who will pay for the work"
I'm not sure I'd want to go back to living in that house just in case the engineers are wrong!

My daughters have been sick with colds off & on for the past 3 weeks.  At the beginning it started off as a cold with Kaye, turned into a nasty cough, 3 days later Jay got it, 3 days later Em got it.  Kaye and Em kind of kept giving it back and forth to one another for a bit.  I thought I had dodged this sickness, when this past Wednesday I awoke with post nasal drip and a sore throat.  I am now on Day 3 of this nasty cold and it is holding me back from accomplishing a lot of things that need to be done around the house and errands that I must do.

Right now I need to get a birthday gift for one of Kaye's friends;  the party is next Saturday.  I also have barely anything for Easter baskets.  I am not supplying a bunch of candy this year and I'm not big on 'trinkety' things you'd see from Oriental Trading Co.  I've been perusing the internet for non-candy ideas.  Most ideas I've seen online I've done in the past  (sidewalk chalk, small puzzles/games/cards, hair clips/barettes, stickers, small toy, etc.)  I will post a photo of what I end up purchasing for baskets as soon as I have the loot! 

Well, my eyes are starting to water and I feel like I've used 1/2 a box of tissues as I've typed out this post.  I will leave you with a picture of the successful surgery that I performed this afternoon.  The patient was Kaye's pink Webkinz poodle.  She will be a happy little girl when she comes home from school today!

When Em was around 4 years old our cable company offered this show On Demand and she LOVED it!
"St Bear's Dolls Hospital is a wonderful world where dolls and toys from all over the world are nurtured and mended. St. Bear's is a fun-filled environment that help children learn about friendship, teamwork, respect and understanding."

Posted at 2:56 PM  |  by Lisa E.

Eat Right for Your Body Type: The Super-Healthy Diet Inspired by AyurvedaEat Right for Your Body Type: The Super-Healthy Diet Inspired by Ayurveda by Anjum Anand
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I saw this book on a display table at my public library while I was waiting to check out books I was borrowing.  I didn't even look inside the book.  I thought with the title "Eat Right For Your Body Type" (I wasn't sure what Ayurveda was.  I thought maybe it was a person) it might have some insight for what to eat for my body type.  So when I got home and started to read the book I was surprised to learn that Ayurveda is "a holistic science that believes in the unity of mind, body and soul, so being ill in one area can affect you in another."  Ayurveda means "science" or "knowledge of life" and comes from India.  When I learned that and started to page through the book and see ingredients I never heard of and spicy dishes, I decided that I wouldn't be reading the recipes.  Spicy isn't my thing.

I did read about the different body types: Vata dosha, Pitta dosha, and Kapha dosha.  (Not apple, banana, pear, or hourglass like I was expecting.)  Interesting, but not for me.


View all my reviews

Book Review: Eat Right For Your Body Type: The Super-Healthy Diet Inspired by Ayurveda by Anjum Anand


Eat Right for Your Body Type: The Super-Healthy Diet Inspired by AyurvedaEat Right for Your Body Type: The Super-Healthy Diet Inspired by Ayurveda by Anjum Anand
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I saw this book on a display table at my public library while I was waiting to check out books I was borrowing.  I didn't even look inside the book.  I thought with the title "Eat Right For Your Body Type" (I wasn't sure what Ayurveda was.  I thought maybe it was a person) it might have some insight for what to eat for my body type.  So when I got home and started to read the book I was surprised to learn that Ayurveda is "a holistic science that believes in the unity of mind, body and soul, so being ill in one area can affect you in another."  Ayurveda means "science" or "knowledge of life" and comes from India.  When I learned that and started to page through the book and see ingredients I never heard of and spicy dishes, I decided that I wouldn't be reading the recipes.  Spicy isn't my thing.

I did read about the different body types: Vata dosha, Pitta dosha, and Kapha dosha.  (Not apple, banana, pear, or hourglass like I was expecting.)  Interesting, but not for me.


View all my reviews

Posted at 9:07 PM  |  by Lisa E.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health SystemApple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System by Patricia Bragg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've been drinking a teaspoon or two of apple cider vineger (ACV) in my water for a few years now.  I mostly drink it during the winter months when stomach viruses are at their peak and in the spring to help with my seasonal allergies.  The medical assistant at my allergists office recommended the ACV drink to me a few years ago and once I got past the tart flavor I was fine with drinking a glass or two a day.

This past week when my daughters and I were visiting our public library, my oldest daughter saw this book on one of the display racks along with some other health books.  She knows I drink the ACV with water and occasionally will drink it too (she is 10 years old) because she also has allergies.  So I decided to borrow the book to see what more could be said about ACV.

The first thing you will notice about this book is that it looks a bit 'hokey' if not old.  I tried to find the copyright date in the front of the book, but could only find that this book is its fifty-fourth printing!  It doesn't look like they updated any of the pictures since its first printing!

I was not expecting all the advertisements for the Bragg ACV and other products they sell.  I was also surprised by all the religious references throughout the book.  Odd.

The book did talk about other uses for ACV and regular vinegar as a cleaning product.  Most things I already knew.

Just skip this book and look up information about ACV online.


View all my reviews

Book Review: Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System by Patricia Bragg


Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health SystemApple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System by Patricia Bragg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've been drinking a teaspoon or two of apple cider vineger (ACV) in my water for a few years now.  I mostly drink it during the winter months when stomach viruses are at their peak and in the spring to help with my seasonal allergies.  The medical assistant at my allergists office recommended the ACV drink to me a few years ago and once I got past the tart flavor I was fine with drinking a glass or two a day.

This past week when my daughters and I were visiting our public library, my oldest daughter saw this book on one of the display racks along with some other health books.  She knows I drink the ACV with water and occasionally will drink it too (she is 10 years old) because she also has allergies.  So I decided to borrow the book to see what more could be said about ACV.

The first thing you will notice about this book is that it looks a bit 'hokey' if not old.  I tried to find the copyright date in the front of the book, but could only find that this book is its fifty-fourth printing!  It doesn't look like they updated any of the pictures since its first printing!

I was not expecting all the advertisements for the Bragg ACV and other products they sell.  I was also surprised by all the religious references throughout the book.  Odd.

The book did talk about other uses for ACV and regular vinegar as a cleaning product.  Most things I already knew.

Just skip this book and look up information about ACV online.


View all my reviews

Posted at 8:48 PM  |  by Lisa E.

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