Questions:

1. Tomorrow I’m going to _________?
Work. WORK WORK WORK. I write articles, and last month I BARELY made my quota. For the next week or two, until Christmas vacation when I intend to slack off like a Mexican under a midday summer sun, I have to chug out those articles. I’ve come across some really tough ones lately– how to build a wooden deck from scratch in 10 easy steps. Yeaaaahhhhhhh, RRRRIGHT. These suckers take me HOURS and I wonder if it’s worth it at all. Sadly, writing articles isn’t the most lucrative of jobs (but HEY I get to stay at home so it’s cool). Blogging is what makes me the money, but the opportunities are few and far between. I wish I had more business in that. Anyway, that’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow. I’m going into my hidey-hole away from the children, the pets, the telephone, the front door… gonna write till my fingertips bleed. Thank God we caught up on the laundry!

2. Pudding or Jello?
Pudding, definitely. Jello gives me the heebie-jeebies. Just thinking about the cold, slithery goop in my mouth makes me shudder. LOL

A brain made from Jello. *wretch* Ya can't do that with pudding....

3. What book are you currently reading?
Well, I FINALLY finished my book about William the Marshal (a 13th century knight who became regent to the king of England, eons ago).

Portrait of King Stephen, 1154... yyyeaaaahhh, OK. I was always a supporter of Matilda....

And I also just finished a book called A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute– an amazing book that I couldn’t put down! I have a few I’ve been working on but am not too excited about yet….
To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Christie English…
When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman. The title refers to the very distressing time in 12th century England when Stephen and Matilda (Henry I’s nephew and daughter) battled for the crown of England, devastating the country in civil war for 19 years.
Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John Henry Haaren. So far, a lot of it is about the ancient Celtic mythology that goes back to Odin and Thor and such.
What is HTML 5 by Brett McLaughlin, a rip-rousing tale of how HTML 5 will eventually destroy Flash and conquer web browsers everywhere….

… hey, you still awake? :blink:

4. What is the first concert you went to see?
You know, I have only been to a total of 4 concerts that I can ever remember… the first one was more like a pageant. My parents took us to Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, NY, to see the Mormon rendition of the Easter pageant. I visited the Hill again last year and blogged about it on my travel blog, if you are interested. The first *real* all-music concert I saw was the Star Wars Laser Light Show in Philadelphia. I was living there at the time. The concert was in the park next to Independence Hall. I had NO IDEA it was Independence Hall until much later. Now, history buff that I am, I kick myself for sitting and listening to dumb old Star Wars music when I could have been walking the same rooms as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton!

5. What is your current weather?
30 degrees, clear as a bell. There’s no accumulative snow, but a tiny icing of snow flakes sprinkle the frozen grass and the tops of the cars. They say we won’t get any snow any time soon. It will rain later this week. Such weird weather, I don’t ever remember snow being delayed for so long. I miss it a little, but not a lot. It would be nice to have a white Christmas, but I’m happy with a moderate winter. It means lower heating bills!

Have a happy Monday, friends! Let me know what your answers would be to these questions, I’d always like to know what you’re up to.

We’ve been home a week now from the vacation, and I’m still adjusting to “normal” life. I must be getting older– it now takes one week to GO on vacation and an additional week to RECOVER from vacation! :blink:

Here’s the Follow Friday Four Fill-in meme, I always have time for a fun meme. How would you answer these questions?

1. ____always tastes better_____

Well, the obvious answer is to talk about coffee, but I’m trying to be different here…. hmmm… uhhhh…. gee, I can’t think of anything except coffee!!!

Coffee always tastes better fresh. Lame, I know. LOL

2. I predominately read _____

Non-fiction. If I do read fiction, it has to be related to non-fiction somehow, such as historical or relevant to a non-fiction topic. I don’t know why I don’t like fiction all that much. Maybe it’s because it seems too frivolous to me. I always feel like I need to be working at or on something. Right now. I’m reading “Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth” (Elizabeth I), a couple of books on the medieval times, an apologetics book by Ravi Zacarias (“Has Christianity Failed You?”), C.S. Lewis’ autobiography “Surprised by Joy,” and a biography of Abigail Adams. Some non-fiction can be very, very dry and it can be hard to find a good one. I like biographies, though. You can never seem to go wrong with a biography.

3. I have brand loyalty to ____________ and ____________

Hewlett-Packard and Earth Spirit. I will *only* buy HP monitors for my computers. For some reason, these are brightest and clearest of them all. I sit in front a computer monitor all day, I’m a bit fussy. I dislike the name “Earth Spirit,” but I like the shoes they produce. They are usually leather and very comfortable. They also last a long time. Last year, I bought a couple pairs of $12 sneakers made in China (hey, I finally found something comfortable, so I got several) and they wore out in a few WEEKS. I bought another two pair and they wore out even sooner! I would have been better off paying the big bucks for a big name.

4. When I feel sad, I like to ___

Go to bed. I don’t like feeling sad (does anyone?). I don’t even want to THINK about being sad!

On that note, I wish everyone a happy and blessed weekend. Remember the brothers as if chained with them.

Plus, it’s Meet Me on Monday day! Here are this week’s questions and answers.

Questions:

1. What is was the last piece of candy that you ate?
Hmm. Maybe a peppermint. I don’t eat much candy anymore. As a kid, oh how I craved it. Whenever we found a nickel (or, hearts a-flutter, a DIME!), my brother and I raced to the Penny Store to see what we could buy. We had a large family and my dad was always in between work it seemed, so candy was rare. Now that I am older, I don’t eat much candy. I prefer brussels sprouts, can you believe it?! Things sure have changed.

2. Do you “read” in the bathroom?
Yep. I can’t think of a time when I’m not doing at least two things at once, lol. Even when I am falling asleep or waking up, I am thinking of what I have to do, or pondering things. I haven’t read for leisure in a long time, though. I stick to mostly non-fiction (history and Bible studies), but lately I’ve been reading a few fiction books, to relax my always-busy mind. I just finished Dickens’ “David Copperfield” and Crichton’s “Timeline.” I’m reading “Reason for God” by Timothy Keller, next. And I just ordered a book by Frederick Artz called “The Mind of the Middle Ages: An Historical Survey.” Those are non-fiction, but look SO SO interesting that it will be like fiction to me. I was once a voracious reader as a young person, but having a bunch of kids and working a job cooled my interest. Now, I am back into it and it feels so good.

3. I can’t stand when someone _________?
Tailgates. I greatly dislike it when drivers tailgate me (or anyone). It is more than rude, these creeps are putting themselves and other people in danger because they are in a blasted hurry. :rollpin:

4. Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
Well, probably something between weekly and monthly. I don’t like shopping AT ALL. I avoid it at all costs. (See Question #3 as to why). Here in Central New York, we have “residential” areas and “shopping complexes” and both are far distances from each other. I do not like the setup. You have to drive several miles to the supermarket, fighting intense traffic all the way. It’s very stressful, and then because it’s the “complex,” there are always zillions of people shopping at the same time. So when I go to the store, I cram as much as I can into that cart and get outta there til the family begs me to go again!

I’ve heard that some online stores may be offering groceries AND grocery delivery. Oh, I would definitely go for that!

So how is your Monday? :D

I LOVE the snarky, retro look of the book cover.

I was recently sent a marvelous book to review: Home Ec: 101, Skills for Everyday Living: Cook It, Clean It, Fix It, Wash It by Heather Solos.

Short Version: This is a spectacular book!!! A perfect addition to the household OR as a terrific gift!

Long Version: Home Ec: 101 Skills for Everyday Living is a colorful paperback book (pages are decorated with teal-colored borders) that covers the basics of everyday living in its 240 pages (including index). It is PERFECT for the newly married couple, or the young adult ready to strike off on her own, or as a Home Ec homeschooling tool. The content is simple and very readable. Here’s a little bit from the table of contents:

• Getting Started: Tools, Secrets, and the Chemistry of Cleaning
• Make It Manageable: Flexible Scheduling
• Dining Rooms and Dusty Dens of Doom: Yes, You Do Windows
• Minor Garment Repair: Beyond Dental Floss and Staples
• Laundry: The World’s Most Thankless Chore
• When Good Appliances Go Bad: Avoid Minor Meltdowns (a very good section!)
• Plumbing: Someone Jiggle the Handle Already
• Outfit Your Kitchen: Cookware and Small Appliances
• Recipe Rundown: Deciphering Terms and Basic Techniques
• Meal Planning: Not Just For the Control Freaks
• Substitutions: I’ll Remember to Put It on the List, Promise

There are also several appendixes with formulas and checklists, for you geeky types. ;)

Interspersed throughout the book are anecdotes related to the chapter. I really liked those, especially the hilarious anecdotes in the plumbing section. Barrels of laughter from that one, folks. (Yes, we do our own plumbing here at the Mecomber homestead, hahaha). :whistle:

Heather, maybe sometime you can write a post about how you keep your skin looking so gorgeous!

Be warned, this is no encyclopedic tome with snobby, puzzling professorial formulations spewing from the pages. Home Ec: 101 is snarky, it’s funny, it’s easy reading, it’s concise. Heather Solos did a terrific job organizing all the tips and compiling them into interesting and readable sections, adding twinges of humor at every turn. You know how we have our special “books” for the household, like Webster’s Dictionary and The Joy of Cooking? Home Ec: 101 Skills for Everyday Living is another to get for your collection. It’s kind of like This Old House, Heloise’s Hints, The Joy of Cooking (the interesting parts) and Erma Bombeck all rolled into one paperback package. It’s witty enough so that young people will like it, detailed and informative enough that experienced old coots like me like it. And the book would make a really, really nice gift.

Heather has a Home Ec 101 Blog, too, where she shares additional tips (with videos she’s discovered!), questions from readers (with answers!), and writes about chipping away at her piles of laundry and lawn mowing chores just like the rest of us.

Home Ec: 101, Skills for Everyday Living: Cook It, Clean It, Fix It, Wash It is very affordable. It sells retail for $20, but it’s on sale at Amazon.com for under $15. And if you’re a Kindle user, you can download the Kindle version of Home Ec: 101.

Just so you know, F+W Media provided a review copy of this book in exchange for this post. All opinions are always overflowing and my own.

This is really neat! I just posted a review of the book The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel, and I found it at Buy.com! Actually, what I found was The Case For Christ audio book, something I’ve been wanting for quite a while now. Buy.com has it on sale for about $21! Yay!

The Case For Christ, as I’ve said before, is a GREAT book. I’ve read the book (don’t own it yet; but I will buy it, now). We have the DVD The Case For Christ; we just watched it again this week. I like it, it’s very good, but the book is much more thorough, and that’s what I really want. I’d read it to the kids a few years ago, and they loved it, too. You can read my review of it..

Did you know Buy.com sells books? Yes indeed! And they sell audio books, as I just discovered today. The Case For Christ paperback is on sale for about $12 right now. Buy.com also has best sellers, older books, and they also have the “Dummies” books– those are my favorite kinds of books, LOL! They have a regular sale on best sellers– 50% off everyday. Plus, they have textbooks! You can go to the site and do a search for the ISBN code number for the textbook you need. This is a great resource, since I am always scarfing up history books for the kids. There’s SparkNotes (I love those, too), dictionaries, tax books, college and graduate books, and loads and loads more. You can buy books new, or used.

So anyway– if you have not yet read The Case for Christ, GET IT. It is one of the the best books I have EVER read. The DVD is OK, it’s good, and it’s a great introduction to the book… but the book is outstanding. And for $12 or $16, it’s a DEAL. There’s also a student edition (I got that a few years ago, for my son) and of course the audio book on CD which I can’t wait for!! Yay for Buy.com!

How do you prove it? For example– how do we REALLY know that George Washington was our first president? What proof is there that this was an historic event? We no longer have eyewitnesses. George is long gone. How would you prove it?

Or how would you prove that Julius Caesar was a real person? Says who? How do you prove that ANYTHING outside of our own personal observation is true?

….

got any ideas?

• Eyewitness accounts
• Documentation
• Corroborating evidence
• Scientific evidence
• Circumstantial Evidence

That’s just a tidbit of all the evidences that combine to form a truthful conclusion.

This is one great book. It’s by Lee Strobel. He’s a Yale Law School graduate, was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and was an atheist. After his wife became a Christian, he set out to find the “scandal” about this goofy Christianity stuff. The evidence blew him away. He became a Christian; he couldn’t be honest to himself if he refused the truth any longer.

Did you know that there is more evidence for the resurrection of Jesus than there is for the existence of Julius Caesar? Did you know that there are 50 times more Greek manuscripts of the New Testament than there are Homer’s Iliad? Isn’t that amazing!? As a kid, I was always told how little evidence there was for the Bible and for the existence of Jesus Christ. They were WRONG. I’m not too happy that I was lied to. This evidence is not hidden in forgotten dusty tomes, either– I discovered that there are reams and reams of books written by multitudes of scholars from the past and present, testifying to the evidence.

I’ve read The Case For Christ. It’s GOOD. And I own the DVD, too, which is a very brief synopsis of the book. If you’ve been wondering about all this Christianity stuff, maybe you should check it out. The evidence is all there. Our entire Western civilization was built on the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I’d say it’s worth investigating! Amazon.com has the book here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of “Blast Off!”. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was never a person who read motivational books or anything. I am a kind of “ad hoc/improvise” kind of gal. I have always been surprised at the popularity of self-help, motivational products. Years ago, one of my friends showed me a book he’d bought: How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Living! I thought it was a really ironic title, because the first thing it told you to do was have a seat and read the book. :-p

Well, I guess old age has tempered me a little. That, or I’ve made enough mistakes in my life to realize the foibles of “ad hoc” living. I’m just getting tooooo old for the trial and error lifestyle! It’s time to be teachable!

How about you? Do you like those motivational products? Do you want to try one? If you do, I’ve got some news for you! It’s Blast Off! by Allison Maslan. She’s a life and business strategist, and she’s got a new book to get yer butt off that couch and start LIVING a successful life! Everybody needs a helping hand, a little coaching. And in these times, with this economy, Maslan’s book is right on target. This lady says that losing your job could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you! Wow! That’s an optimistic outlook! The reason is because now you are free to find your true niche, to do the thing you love.

I love that concept– do the thing you love. I am blessed to be a pro-blogger and writer, it’s what I love. (At least, right now!). Maslan’s book may inspire you to readjust your life and career, and improve your life no matter what level you are. It’s certainly give you something to think about.

Her book, Blast Off! is on sale now for $24 retail, but it’s available on Amazon for less. The book was released January 19th, 2010, at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Borders booksellers websites, so it’s hot off the press! This may be the answer you’re looking for. Check it out! Stop procrastinating and start living! ;)

Bookswim also offers a nice BookSwim.com Gift Card if you want to give Bookswim to a book lover. I think it’s very cool!

Please realize that I am a Bookswim affiliate– which means that if you click my link either in this post or the Bookswim button in the sidebar, and place an order– I earn money. But I am fussy about my affiliations, so know that I must really like a company to want to be an affiliate!

At any rate, whether you purchase or not, check out Bookswim. It’s great for readers and homeschoolers alike!

This baby is going on my wishlist for sure. Wow! I’ve recently seen the Amazon Kindle go on sale, but reviews have been mixed. So I did a little comparison shopping and came across this amazing device: the Sony PRS300BC Digital Reader. It’s pricey, but it’s still less expensive than the Amazon Kindle (by $60!!). The Kindle accesses e-books by wireless, and you have to pay per book and monthly for magazine subscriptions. But the Sony Digital Reader gets e-books from your computer (you use Sony’s software to buy books and download them to your computer, where you then load them into the Sony Reader). Plus, with Sony’s Reader, you can access the free books on Google Books, where I do a lot of my reading. Amazon’s Kindle does not give you this option, a real bummer for me.

Does anyone have a Sony? Are you satisfied with it? I don’t know of any e-readers besides the Kindle, the Sony, and another very expensive unknown brand, Ectaco. I did see another gadget called eBookman (by Ectaco) for only $80; I haven’t checked that out but that looks interesting as well.

I won’t be getting the Sony any time soon, anyway– I’m waiting for it to go on sale. It’s selling at Buy.com for $199 with free shipping. That’s a really good price for a digital reader, but it’s still too much for my budget just yet. I’m going to wait in the sidelines and see if prices come down before I get one. But I would LOVE one, I know that! And I do like that the Sony comes in different colors, especially pink. I’m not very fond of the color pink, but I notice that when I buy pink stuff, it’s rarely used by the men of the house, heh heh. It would make a superb gift, though! Check it out at Buy.com if you’re looking for a nifty gadget. I love it!

IT’S CHEAPER THAN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP!!!!

There is NO WAY I’m going to shell out $300, 400, $600 for Adobe Photoshop, not unless it cooks my meals and vacuums my rooms, too. Wow. Maybe a big business could afford that price, but not little ol’ me! Paint Shop Pro is a “middle class” editing software. It does just about everything Adobe Photoshop does, just 75% less expensive.

I’ve seen Paint Shop Pro on sale at Buy.com lots of times, and they have some of the older (read: cheaper!) versions, too. I saw Paint Shop Pro Photo XI for under $20 brand new! They also have Paint Shop Pro X2 Ultimate for $65 (retail is $100). The Paint Shop Pro X version that I like is out of stock (they go fast at Buy.com) but they add to their inventory frequently. There are loads of various versions– you have to know what you want to use it for. I do a lot of graphic design with photo editing, so I like the “basic” Paint Shop Pro programs.

Someone asked me if Paint Shop Pro is hard to use. Well… at first, yes. There’s a definite learning curve. But I have one word for you newbies: LAYERS. Once you realize that everything revolves around layers, using the software is much, much easier. I’ve been using the various PSP programs for about 2 years now, and I’m still learning new stuff every day. One really great book series for PSP (and for everything) is the “For Dummies” books. I have one for PSP 8 (it’s a GREAT book), but I’m going to get one for PSP 10, too– Paint Shop Pro “X” For Dummies. Buy.com is selling this book for under $18 (that’s including the shipping). There are loads and LOADS of other book tutorials on PSP at Buy.com, too– do a search and you’ll see a whole bunch. The prices are good (discounted) and usually most have free shipping.

There are other free inage editing programs, like GIMP. I once tried GIMP but found it confusing (and because it was free, I had less incentive to push past the confusion). But PSP is a much better deal, I think, than paying $25 a year for online photo editing use (like Piknik which is through Flickr). I have experienced Piknik when it’s had hiccups, and haven’t been very impressed with it in general. Plus, I prefer to own my software myself, and not have to be online to use it.

So that’s my opinion. There was NO WAY I could get all that into Twitter!