Everybody Needs Gadgets

Turtle pull-apart silicone cupcake mold – too cute!

I need this finger shield when I’m cutting my squash. Now if we could only get one for onions!

Food! Glorious Food!

50 springtime recipes

Where to shop for baking supplies.

Do you know your candy bars?

The most-clicked chocolate cake recipe (at Epicurious).

Creative Pursuits

Macro photography tips for point and shoot cameras.

5 questions to ask yourself before you take that picture.

Techno Geekery

Text reminders right to your computer.

Where was this when we had a dog who actually needed her nails clipped? And more importantly, where’s the baby version?

Find out when your favorite items go on sale.

Life Is a Highway

50 ways to waste time when you’re broke and bored.

How to cram for a college exam.

It’s spring cleaning time!

16 uncommon uses for hairspray. People still use hairspray?

How to get gum off your shoe.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

They had to do a scientific study to figure this out?

Airborne doesn’t work. No, really? (sarcasm intended)

Dress your car like the Easter bunny?

Good Ideas

Honey you can hold.

Do 101 things in 1001 days.

Good Reads

The fascinating history of the leap year.

The dog and the polar bear.

For the Kids

Make your kids work for their gifts! via Chicka Nuts

An alternative to the plastic sippy cup.

Stories read by some of your favorite actors and actresses.

Raise your own butterflies.

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

If you’re a fan of the comic strip Garfield (or even if you’re not), you should read this post.

Too Much Time on My Hands

The moon survival challenge. (via Jen)

Weekly Features

Pretty recipe of the week

Cupcake of the week

Bonus cupcake

Tip of the week

Eight years ago today, I lost one of my best friends – my mom. Eight years and the pain has lessened a little, but only a little. I don’t think you ever really get over losing a parent. It’s hard to understand and to accept that one of the people on whom you depended for just about everything for a good chunk of your life is no longer there for you to depend on.

I miss being able to talk to her and laugh with her and pick up the phone and call her five times a day to tell her silly mundane things that no one else would care about, but that she will listen to and react to just like I want her to. I hope that someday I can do that for my daughter. I want her to feel like she can pick up that phone and call me as many times a day as she wants to, to tell me anything – important, poignant, silly, or just to vent. I pray that we have that kind of relationship when she is no longer living under my roof.

I miss all the little things she would do for me – like get me little trinkets or give me money to buy something or send me a card for any and all occasions. And that might sound selfish, but they were expressions of love and I miss those expressions of love very very much.

But more than anything, I am sad that she is not here to share the joy of Little Girl. I know how very much she would have loved her and probably spoiled her rotten. I also know that I have a little piece of my mom with me every day inside of that little girl.

We visit my mom’s grave twice a year – on Mother’s Day and on her birthday. And we talk to LG about her grandma. She sees her picture on the wall and she knows exactly who it is. And she says “the nother Grandma is in my heart”. And so she is. She’s in mine, too.

Ever heard of mittelschmerz? I hadn’t until today. It’s a medical term for “ovulation pain” or “midcycle pain”. Who knew?

I used to get pain in my ovaries on a fairly regular basis when I was ovulating, but I haven’t had any for years, so when I felt it last night, I was rather startled. It was gone when I woke up this morning, but decided to make a return trip while I was in the grocery store. It’s not excruciating, and it’s not really debilitating, but it’s not fun and it’s annoying. And it makes me want to just sort of lay in bed all day.

I did a little research and found out it becomes more common as you grow older. So I guess that means I’m doomed huh? Freaking ovaries. Only ever did one good thing for me my whole life. :P

By the way, so that I can end this post on a positive note, that one good thing is 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days old today. And when this picture was taken, she was 3 hours and 18 minutes as well.

I guess I got a lot accomplished today, but my brain is pretty exhausted right now.

My day started off with a trip to the lab to get some blood drawn (my new doctor ordered some tests just to check me out – not because he necessarily thinks something is wrong). I went to the one closest to our house and it took me forever to figure out where to park and where to go in and where the stupid office was. I walked in and there were at least 50 people there – so many that it was standing room only. I didn’t even bother to sign in. I just turned around and walked back out.

I then drove to another office that was a little farther away, but still fairly close to home. I walked in and there were about 5 people ahead of me. Much better. The poor phlebotomist got a vein in my left arm (my right arm is pointless really), but then it decided it didn’t want to give her any blood so she had to find another vein. Luckily that one worked so I only had to get poked twice. Oh, how I loathe getting blood drawn. She was really nice though and it actually didn’t hurt too much.

I came back home, helped Mike finish straightening up before the other music director from church came over to plan music for the Easter season. We were trucking along pretty well when we came to the gospel for the 5th Sunday of Easter and we were discussing a certain song that fit, but that none of us wanted to do. I said there should be another song about that scripture and one thing led to another and we spent a half an hour messing around with a new song. I wrote the lyrics to the chorus and the guys got the basic chord structure of the song down.

It was at that point when I thought I was recording what we were doing that I discovered that my audio input on my iBook G4 had mysteriously stopped working. I did everything I knew to do from checking to make sure the preferences were set correctly to trying the external mic instead of the internal mic to repairing permissions to rebooting. No luck whatsoever. So that meant that I couldn’t record anything at all. I was. not. happy. Anyway, they got the chords written down and the basic melody in their brains so they could remind me of it later and we went back to planning. They programmed the new song (that was not written yet) into that week. So that meant I had to actually finish the song.

After he left, we ate a late lunch and Mike went to an appointment. I spent a long time trying to find an answer for my computer problem with no luck whatsoever. I even reset the PMU. Didn’t do any good. Ugh.

I got sick of that and worked on the lyrics for the song awhile. I got the basic idea of where I wanted it to go and the first verse sort of blocked out but I couldn’t do much more than that until Mike got home.

I also spent a ridiculously long period of time on the phone waiting for tech support that did me no good. Then Mike came home with dinner from Subway because I was too tired to actually expend energy cooking.

After dinner, we worked on the song and mostly finished it. Go figure. But I’m really tired. My brain is really tired. It doesn’t want to think anymore. I’m not even sure why I’m blogging because that, you know, requires me to think.

Seems like everyone I know is stressed about one thing or another whether it’s money (✓), health stuff (✓), things getting done that need to be done, being overtired or all of those things put together.

It’s hard because we’re all stressed and we want to be there for each other, but I think when you’re stressed it makes it that much harder to give any of yourself if that makes sense. You’re trying so hard to just keep yourself on an even keel and keep it together for your family and get the basics done that have to be done on a day to day basis, that you just don’t have much left for anyone else.

And you know, it happens. We all have those times. Usually, though, they are spread out and they don’t effect everyone at once. But right now, it sure seems like it’s hitting everyone I care about at the same time. Including myself.

I think the worst part is when it’s stuff you have no control over. Like health issues that you’re worried about. Or when the bills start piling up over unexpected things and then money that you were counting on falls through. And you have so much going on that you don’t have time to think. I looked at my calendar for March and it’s insane (well for me it’s insane – I know other people’s calendars are even crazier than mine).

And to top it all off, Easter is early this year. And for church musicians, that just makes things even more crazy. I mean seriously, people, Holy Week is less than three weeks away. And before that, there are rehearsals to deal with as well. Our monthly religious education program got cancelled for the month because of the issues with the church roof, but that’s one of those good/bad things. Good that we don’t have to deal with it and put time into it this month. Bad that the people who were counting on the money won’t be getting it. So time is gained, but cash is lost. It’s just another thing to be stressed about. And we don’t even know if we’ll be back in the church before Easter. That is a very bad thing. Trying to have Easter Mass in the hall (even Palm Sunday Mass) is going to be horrible. Not even close to enough room.

Anyway, I know I’m rambling. I guess I’m just trying to say I love you to my stressed out friends. I’m stressed out right along with you. But we’ll get it through it somehow.

Another month has gone by. I have to say that three year old moments can be much more frustrating than two year old moments, but on the flipside, three years old is a terrific, amazing, awesome age. So, it’s like anything in life, I guess…the bad moments make you enjoy the good moments that much more. Here are some pictures from the past month (and towards the end – a few of her first kite flying experience which occurred this morning on a beautiful windy Spring day)… (Read on …)

Everybody Needs Gadgets

A very interesting knife block.

Tired of using keys to get in your house?

Handheld paper shredder

Cutest. Dust pan. Ever!

Food! Glorious Food!

12 superfoods you need to start eating.

7 low calorie ways to liven up your meals.

A place to find hard-to find foods.

Chocolate pencils to make chocolate shavings with.

Scrumptious looking apple dumplings from The Pioneer Woman.

Creative Pursuits

Learn how to crochet.

A beautiful photo of an American bald eagle.

Low-light digital photography tips.

Weather and landscape photography tips.

I love my rotary cutter. Here’s a great tutorial on how to use it correctly.

Techno Geekery

Looking for a recipe? Use the food blog search engine.

Create fonts from your own handwriting (or your child’s).

Life Is a Highway

10 ways to teach yourself to be organized.

12 tricks to combat impulse buying. (I’d have to never go to Target to do this!)

12 hours to better time management.

Top 15 alternative uses for baby oil.

10 tips to help you stick to your exercise routine.

10 ways to save money on home improvement projects.

Naps are good for you. Yay!

Easter will never be this early again in our lifetimes (thank goodness). And it won’t be in March again until 2016 (27th) and then not again until 2024 (31st) and 2027 (28th).

9 conditions you can’t (and shouldn’t) do anything about.

How to prevent a clothes dryer fire.

Surprising expiration dates.

Some of the cool buildings Beijing has built (or is building) in anticipation of the Olympics this summer.

DIY wrinkle release tips.

Easy ways to improve your vision.

Foods you should not feed your dog. I learned a thing or two from this list.

Fascinating stuff

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

Could there be a world without bananas?

Silly rabbit, cupcakes are for eating, not for wearing!

How would you feel about mandatory flu vaccines for all kids?

Edible landscapes

Good Ideas

Get postcards from around the world.

Home safety handbook

Good Reads

The story of a soldier and a dog – make sure you have some Kleenex.

Notable lost works – what ever happened to Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labours Won” for instance?

For the Kids

I love these blocks! I want these blocks! For LG of course! *ahem*

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Sunday funny

Classic Peanuts

Too Much Time on My Hands

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you’re a total pushover and completely soft. You’re a traditionalist, and you don’t change easily. You’re likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it’s sold out.

Weekly Features

Pretty recipe of the week

Pretty recipe of the week 2

Cupcakes of the week

Video of the week