Little Girl has made one of those awesome synaptic connections that mark sort of a milestone in the life of a toddler. Yesterday when I was talking to her and saying something about her being my baby, all of a sudden she said, “I not a baby! I two years old!” I had to have her repeat it a few times, but yeah, she even answers the question “how old are you” with the correct response. And not only that, she’s holding up two fingers when she says it!

Remember how I told you Mike had Independence Day off from gigging? Well, not long after I posted that he was asked to play a fill-in gig with another band. And he accepted. The good news is that it’s not a bar gig, but rather a pre-fireworks display concert, so we can all go and LG will still get to see her first fireworks show with the both of us. The bad news is that the forecast high for Wednesday is 114. Ew. At least it’s at night so it will start cooling down. A bit.

Yesterday I was actually feeling halfway decent - at least in comparison to some days since my flutter came back. But it does my heartrate NO good when the phone rings at 4:30ish in the morning. It was the alarm company (OF COURSE) and Mike had to go to the church and take care of the stupid alarm yet again. Just to let you know - it is rarely, if ever, the alarm on the actual church building that goes off, but rather it’s the alarm on the rummage sale storage sheds that always seem to be compromised. Either way, it’s not fun to have an adrenaline rush that shoots your already compromised heartrate up in the wee hours of the morning. Stupid idiots who think they’re going to get something of value. Come on, people. It’s rummage sale stuff. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Oh, and one more thing. Don’t join Curves or any other gym if you think you might want to cancel your membership before the end of the year because you can’t use it for health reasons and you’d like to save a few dollars. Because guess what? They’ll cancel your membership all right, but you’ll still get charged for the rest of your year. Jerks. Maybe it’s my fault for not realizing it, but still. I don’t remember anyone telling me that when I signed up. I won’t be returning.

I don’t foresee anything drastic happening, but you never know, so I taught LG how to speed dial Mike on my cell phone. And every time I call him and she’s anywhere near, I have her do it just to stay in practice. She is very proud that she knows to push the 2 and then the green button and she gets Daddy. I’m proud of her, too, and it’s a good thing for her to know for safety’s sake. Next thing you know, she’ll be memorizing phone numbers and calling boys! Yikes.

This post actually came about from a comment I left on another blog talking about strange people sitting next to you on the bus…

Back in high school, I lived out of area for the school I went to because the high school district was a so-called “open district” and you could basically choose what school you wanted to go to as long as there was room. So rather than go to the school in my neighborhood, where even 20-something years ago there was gang activity and kids had been threatened by guns in the parking lot, I went to a school in a better neighborhood (and oddly enough where my future husband went to school as well even though we didn’t really meet each other in high school - we met in college).

Anyway, I used to either get driven to school (because I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 18, but that’s another story for another day…lol) or I would ride the city bus. (Read on …)

Here’s a little Monday quiz for you…can you figure out what she means when she names some of her favorite television shows/networks? (Answers after the jump)

1. Sissssss-a-me Street

2. George the Monkey

3. Clipper the Big Red Gog

4. Dizzy Channel

5. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

6. Mercan Lidol with Simon Howell

7. Dancing Tars

8. Fink Ya Dance

9. Food Network

(Read on …)

I really wish I could knit, because these little hats are just so cute I want to make one!

This is a gadget I think we all could use. Or at least those of us who are grossed out by touching things that thousands before us have touched.

Have you heard about this site? It’s makeup for $1 people! One dollah! Where can you beat that? (I totally ordered some already!)

Too much cuteness! via sk*rt

Make up tips from Carmindy for the 5 minute face. via sk*rt

I had a lot of fun reading this list: 101 things to do in London and it brought back a lot of memories. I’ve been to London three times and I counted 27 things I’ve done on the list. I guess that means I have to go back and do the rest some day!

Solutions for 7 modern day problems.

How to take great group photos

This is just so wrong.

10 fun things to do with your kids this summer.

What is your blog rated? Mine is rated PG…lol! via Susie

Pretty recipe of the week

Tip of the week: To burn calories you can either rake leaves or wash the car (for 20 to 25 minutes); do moderate aerobics or wash windows (for 20 to 30 minutes); do light cycling or stack firewood (for 15 to 20 minutes). (from Family Fun magazine)

Because I haven’t felt at all inspired lately, I thought I’d share a few little facts about myself, courtesy of one of those memes that I found over at Angel’s…

Facts about Karin:

1. Were you named after anyone?
No. My mom was reading through the baby name book and when she got to ‘Karen’, my dad said “that’s it!” She chose to spell it with an ‘I’ to be unique, and I much prefer it that way!

2. When was the last time you cried?
In the parking lot of the doctor’s office after being told I was again in atrial flutter after almost two years.

3. Do you like your handwriting?
It’s okay. Sometimes I really like it if I’m not rushing.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat?
I don’t have a favorite really. Whatever I’m in the mood for at the time. I do love salami though!

5. Do you have kids?
1 human (2 1/2) and 1 furry (19 months) and 3 furry in heaven that will forever be my kids

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
I’d like to think so!

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Moi? Why would I do that? *cough cough*

8. Do you still have your tonsils?
Yes, yes I do actually!

9. Would you bungee jump?
Absolutely not. My biggest fear is the fear of falling, so that would be rather silly wouldn’t it?

10. What is your favorite cereal?
I’m not a huge cereal fan, but I do like my Frosted Flakes. That is LG’s cereal of choice at the moment, too, due to running out of Honey Nut Cheerios…lol!

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
On the rare occasion that I wear shoes with laces, I do not untie them unless I can’t get them off otherwise. I’m a slip-on kind of girl.

12. Do you think you are strong?
Physically, when I’m in shape, I’m fairly strong. Emotionally, I think I’m pretty strong - I’ve been through a lot of stuff and survived. I do have my moments of weakness, though.

13. What is your favorite ice cream?
My very favorite ice cream ever is my dad’s homemade strawberry.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?
Definitely the eyes and the smile.

15. Red or pink?
I don’t really like either one, but I guess I’d choose a very soft pastel pink. (Shocked some of you who know of my aversion to pink, didn’t I?)

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself?
At the moment, probably my heart, but usually my weight.

17. Who do you miss the most?
My mother.

18. What color pants and shoes are you wearing?
Black shorts and no shoes.

19. What was the last thing you ate?
A banana.

20. What are you listening to right now?
The sounds of Mike in the kitchen washing dishes and LG playing in the living room and walking toward the bedroom.

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Midnight blue

22. Favorite smells?
Little Girl, Mike, anything with garlic in it, cilantro, flowers, rain on the creosote

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Mike last night at 3 am because he wasn’t home yet and I was slightly worried (there was band drama so it made him late).

24. Favorite sport to watch?
It used to be baseball, but the Diamondbacks and their ugliest uniforms in the Major Leagues are dead to me now, so it’s basketball.

25. Hair color[s]?
I’m not sure what you’d call it - kind of light brown with blonde highlights. It’s not real, though…lol!

26. Eye color?
blue-gray

27. Do you wear contacts?
Nope.

28. Favorite food?
Salmon, pizza, pasta, anything with garlic

29. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings. I do NOT like scary movies.

30. Last movie you watched?
At the theatre - Pirates of the Caribbean 3
At home - Fortunes of Captain Blood (I guess I’m in a pirate mood…lol!)

31. What color shirt are you wearing?
Light blue

32. Summer or winter?
Between those two it’s winter, but really my favorite season is Fall.

33. Hugs or kisses?
Definitely both - especially from LG.

34. Favorite dessert?
I love dessert in general, but we’ll go with creme brulee :)

35. What book are you reading now?
I’m trying to motivate myself to read all the Harry Potters before the new one comes out, but I’m not having much luck right now because of how yucky I feel.

36. What is on your mouse pad?
Don’t use one

37. What did you watch on T.V. last night?
National Bingo Night

38. Favorite sound[s]?
Little Girl, music, rain

39. Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Hmm, depends on the song, but in general, I’d go with the Beatles.

40. What is the farthest you have been from home?
Paris, France :)

41. Do you have a special talent?
I am the queen of Google…lol!

42. Where were you born?
Phoenix, Arizona

Feel free to join in and leave a comment if you do. :)

A local supermarket was evacuated today because of reports of a bank robbery attempt and a bomb threat.

It all ended up just being a comedy of errors of sorts. First a man (some reports said he was blind) wearing a heavy jacket got in line at the bank branch in the supermarket, which aroused the suspicions of the teller. (I’m assuming it was the jacket that concerned her.) Police were called and responded with their guns drawn.

At the same time, a deliveryman left a bag of pizzas on top of a trashcan outside the store which led to the report of a bomb threat.

In the meantime, the heavy jacket man’s girlfriend, waiting for him in a car in the parking lot called him on his cell to ask if there was a bomb threat, which he repeated out loud and the teller reported that to police.

Police apparently took the girlfriend into custody, thinking she was a getaway driver.

They did get it all sorted out finally and determined it was all bogus. But really, anyone who wears a heavy jacket in Phoenix in the summertime is bound to cause people to do a doubletake. This all started at about 10:30 this morning when the temperature is closing in on 100 degrees.

So just for future reference, don’t wear a heavy jacket into a bank in the summertime unless you want to be mistaken for a bank robber.

According to the news report I just watched on a hiker being rescued from Piestewa Peak, the Phoenix Fire Department conducts more mountain rescues than any other fire department in the nation. And you thought this was just a boring old desert didn’t you?

LG: I wanna watch Dizzy Channel.

Me: That IS Disney Channel.

LG: Dat not Dizzy Channel. (In a tone that says silly grownup, what is wrong with you?)

Me: Oh yes it is!

The cooking segment ends.

LG: Dat Dizzy Channel too!

Me: …

I didn’t think there was anything worse than losing your internet for a few hours. But, there is. That is losing your internet AND your television for a few hours. Luckily they were hours when I was supposed to be asleep, but I have this very bad habit of falling asleep with the tv on (something to do with Mike often being at a gig when I go to sleep I guess), so it was really hard to not have the tv on to fall asleep to. Even though he was here. Yeah, makes no sense, but what can I tell you?

And not only was the internet and the television out, the telephone service was out, too. Thanks Cox. But they did fix it by the time I woke up, so that’s good. And the phone really doesn’t matter that much anyway since we use our cell phones most of the time. But still. I think I’d go crazier faster without television than internet. Go figure.

We (as in LG and I) went to the grocery store today and it wore me out. I can only do a little before I’m wiped out, so there has been much television viewing lately. I know it’s not that huge of a deal and it’s not really going to rot her brain now that she’s over two, but I still feel a little guilty about it. On the other hand, sometimes you just have to do what you can to get by.

Mike pulled my old hobby horse out this morning for LG because Elmo had a hobby horse on Sesame Street this morning. She came walking into the room carrying one of her bears - which was dropped like a hot potato when she saw that horse. The horse has certainly seen better days, but to her it was magical. And that’s cool. I’ll try and get a picture of her with it later (when I figure out where Mike put it, that is…lol).

It looks like Mike is actually going to have an Independence Day free from gigging this year for the first time in like, forever. So we have to figure out where we want to take LG to see fireworks for the first time. I think she’ll be able to handle the noise this year and hopefully not get too scared. And I need to read up on how to take good fireworks photos!

I guess that’s all the randomness for now. I hope you are all enjoying your summer thus far! Think of us desert dwellers later in the week when it’s supposed to hit anywhere from 112 to 114 degrees depending on which forecast you believe. That, my friends, is HOT.

…that another ablation is the thing to do. I asked him if the odds were in my favor and he said they were. It’s certainly possible that 1) it won’t take or 2) that in another two years I’ll be right back where I started from again. But it’s even more possible that it will work and I’ll be done with this. So, I’m willing to try it one more time. Especially when he offered me general anesthesia. Yes, yes I know conscious sedation is better, but the thing is that conscious sedation doesn’t do me a lot of good. Versed used to be my friend. It would me give that “temporary amnesia” they promise. But the last couple of times I’ve had Versed administered, it’s done squat. All it does is make me slightly woozy. But I feel things. And I remember every detail. And let me tell you, getting a cardioversion (that’s when they shock you to get your heart back in rhythm) when you are actually awake is NOT a pleasant experience. (They thought I was asleep. I was not exactly what you would call asleep, and when they shocked me, I definitely wasn’t asleep anymore after that.) Anyway, out cold and no recollection of what happens sounds lovely to me. Although I’m sure I’ll be stressed out about it as it draws closer to happening.

As to when it’s happening - well that is to be determined. My doctor is switch practices, so they won’t be scheduling it until after that occurs. It should be in the next month or two I think. In the meantime, I’m on Toprol to keep my heart out of tachycardia. Which is a good thing. The bad thing is that I feel yucky and I’m not going to feel too much better until this is fixed. So I just have to deal with it. Yay. He did actually offer to do a cardioversion to hold me for awhile, but I figure why put myself through that when I’ll probably just have to end up doing the ablation again anyway. The less stress the better I say.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I’ll probably write a little more on this soon, but that’s about all I can tell you for now. I need to try and relax a bit.

Scroll down for Surfer Sunday

My relationship with my father has been strained for several years, but I do appreciate the fact that we had a close relationship when I was small. I was most definitely a Daddy’s girl.

Mike has been able to learn from my father’s mistakes, and I’m positive he won’t repeat them as LG gets older. It has been a blessing to watch him be a dad and how very much he loves his little girl. When I see his face relax into a smile or scrunch up in laughter when she entertains him, when I see how proud he is of her, I know that there is nothing on this earth that he has done that he is prouder of than her. He is not perfect, but none of us are. He makes mistakes, but he tries to learn from them. He is absolutely a partner in this parenting gig and I couldn’t (and wouldn’t want to) do it without him.

So, to my father and all the other fathers out there, but most especially to my husband I say: Happy Father’s Day.

So you think you can’t dance? Try these free online dance lessons! via Lifehacker

Do you think like a man or a woman? via

Since we have very hot water coming out of our faucets, this would at least keep me from burning my hand when I test the water!

For those of you who don’t want to buy powdered tempera paint, try this idea.

Looking for a doctor? Look here first.

Video: Cutest little girl singing on Britain’s Got Talent. Be warned - keep the tissues close. via Parent Dish

The Edge Brownie Pan so all your brownies can be edgy. via CRAFT Magazine

Pizza Hut online ordering - oh yeah!

A humorous read for those of you with teenagers.

Check out Barnes & Noble’s summer reading program. via The Bargainist

Cheat Sheets for almost anything. via Lifehacker

Where to find exotic ingredients for your cooking masterpieces. via Slashfood

Some fun ideas to combat summer boredom.

I am going to get one of these to convert my parents’ old slides and negatives to digital.

Pretty recipe of the week

Quick tip of the week: Don’t throw out your leftover coffee or tea. Instead freeze it as ice cubes to keep your iced beverages flavorful longer. And instead of ice cubes in your wine, use frozen grapes.

Take an instrument (the flute in this case) that’s been around in some form for well over 30,000 years, add a beatboxing flutist, and you get this…

Why do I love music? Because it’s not static. You can take a centuries old instrument and still make it sound modern and fresh and new just by experimenting a little. Music is not static - it’s alive. Oh how I love music. :)

The flutist is Greg Pattillo. Thanks Rochelle!

I got this in my email today. I’ve read it many times, but every time I read it, it makes me cry. And I really needed it today. By the way, I did a little research, and this story was originally written by Bob Perks - just to give credit where credit is due. (Read on …)