HP Netbook

Yesterday, hubby and I went by Best Buy to check out computers.  As much as I don't want to do so, my laptop is going to need to be replaced (it was purchased in either 2003 or 2004, I believe).  As far as computers are concerned, my laptop is ancient.  I have decided I am going to replace my laptop with a desktop, but have always really wanted a netbook.  That is something I could easily take with me where ever and now as I begin working on my thesis stuff, it would be even more handy.  After we finished looking at the desktop computers, we looked at the netbooks.  I like the HP netbook better than the others.  As we were looking at them, hubby said "do you want one now?"  I was a little speechless at first, then  I finally said, yes I would really like to have one.  He bought me one that has a rose colored casing (it was $70 cheaper than the blue - go figure) and then he ordered me some accessories directly from HP.  One of the accessories he ordered is an external CD reader so, when that comes in he can install my office 2010 and it will have almost everything that my big laptop has.  I am so excited.  This is an early birthday gift, or part of it actually.  He already purchased my other part too which is to go see Celtic Women in concert.  They will be in town 4 days after my birthday.

Burger Face

Today hubby and I went to Chili's for lunch and after I had finished with my baby burger's, hubby's artistic side came out.  Below is the burger face he made with the bun, ranch dressing for the eye brows and nose, barbeque sauce for the mouth, cheese for the beard, and a jalapeno for a hat.

Garden Pictures



There are 2 plots. Each are 4x6 with a 3ft walk in between.



Basil and Cilantro are looking good.  Just waiting on the Oregano.





The is the plot on the left.  It has Heirloom tomato, cayene, chives, onions, peas, zuchinni, and corn.  All have made an appearance.  The other plot has cherry tomato, bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, spaghetti squash and cucumbers.  All of them have peaked out as well.  Sorry, the pic of the right plot didn't turn out well.

The Lavender in the front is looking good.







The daylilies out front are getting ready to bloom.

 



Even the mystery plant is doing well.



Bee Sting??

On Sunday when we were at the City Wide Garage Sale, I managed to get bit or stung by something.  I don't have a clue what it was, I just felt a little pinch on my left side and nothing else.  When I got home about 4 hours later, I had a very large (6 inch by 4 inch oval), very angry red area on my left side that was blazing hot and hurt very bad.  Hubby thought it looked like I had gotten up against something and he played nurse Sunday evening.  On Monday, it was much better, so I went to the doctor to get it checked out.  She was honestly a little stumped as to what may have gotten me since there was no definitive entrance spot, but thought perhaps it might have been a bee sting.  The one thing she was certain about was that it was already infected - less than 24 hours later.  She gave me some antibiotics and told me to call back this morning if it wasn't better and we would go to plan B.  Thankfully, it is much better this morning.  The size of the main area is about the same (it is outlined with magic marker), but the heat is completely gone and it is now just slightly pink.  Thank goodness I can call her today with good news, because I have no idea what plan B would have been.

Busy Gardening Weekend

We had a pretty busy weekend, but got a lot accomplished.  On Saturday, we planted the majority of the garden.  Now we have corn, peas, zucchini, cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, chives, oregano, basil, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and red heirloom tomatoes.

On Sunday, we went to the City Wide Garage Sale with friends and had a good time.  I only bought a couple of things (some pillow shams, jade chopsticks, some books, and hubby bought some old money).  Then when we got home, we realized we forgot to plant the onions and garlic, so we planted those as well.

The garden looks great and I will have to post some pics when everything gets a little bigger.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

As a kid growing up we were always told we would be pinched on St. Patrick's Day if we didn't wear green.  So, I was curious to find out why.  There are two versions of the story according to stpatty.info.  One version is:

Pinching is thought to had started in American classrooms. It is strictly an American obsession. Kids were also a major driving force behind wearing green during the holiday. The school children would pinch anyone who did not wear green. Reason for this seems to be that the early Irish immigrants to the U.S. (after the Potato Famine) were oppressed and not welcomed with tolerance’s warm embrace. The Irish were thought of as drunkards. Many businesses had ‘Irish need not apply” or simply “No Irish!” signs in their windows. When the holiday became more mainstream with their arrival to the U.S., the adults would pinch anyone who was Irish that did not wear green for lack of pride and respect for their heritage. The color being symbolic of the proud Irish rebels who stand up to the English occupants that persecute them. It was at this time that the shamrock evolved into a political statement of Irish nationalism. Children took pinching a step further and pinched anyone who did not wear green.

The other version is...

Pinching those not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day is an American tradition, having really nothing to do with Ireland or St. Patrick. It’s thought that the pinching started in the early 1700s, about the time that awareness of St. Patrick’s as a holiday came to the fore, too, in Boston, in the Massachusetts colony. They thought if you wore green, it made you invisible to the Leprechauns, which was good because they would pinch anyone they could see. So the pinching is to warn and remind you about the Leprechauns.


Although less likely to be true, I personally like the second version.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hair Cut

I need a new hair cut.  One that is both professional and casual.  The problem - me.  I don't like to fuss with my hair.  If a cut requires lots of fussing or upkeep, I just won't do it.  No curlers, no blow drying, nothing.  The other problem is my hair.  It is really fine and straight.  It doesn't hold a curl without lots of product and the the product just weighs down the hair making it straight again.  So right now, I have my normal haircut.  Below the shoulders and pulled back in either a pony tail or some kind of clip.  I am getting really tired of it because it doesn't look professional, but have no idea what kind of cut to get.  The last time I got at this point, I went to the hair cut place (I don't have a stylist) and told them to cut it off in a boys style.  That was New Years Day 2010. 

All of you style guru's out there, what do you suggest?

Cost of Equal Sweetener

I dawned on me the other day that I was spending $86 per year on 2 boxes of Equal sweetener - a total of 1000 packets.  How ridiculous is that?  We have a membership to Costco and the only thing we buy there is the 500 count boxes of Equal.  We typically go through2 boxes in a year period.  So, if you add in the cost of the membership with what we pay for the Equal, I am spending $86 a year on sweetener.  If I buy that same quantity at the local grocery store, it costs me about $15-$20.  I don't see myself renewing that membership anymore.

Hubby's Birthday

Yesterday was hubby's birthday, so I took the day off from work and we spent the day doing whatever he wanted.  We started the day at the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry.  There is no admission fee to the museum, but they do have a donation box for those who wish to contribute.  We spent about 4 hours at the museum and then headed to Things Celtic.  We picked up a few goodies there and then headed to lunch.  After lunch we went to Pets-Mart and picked up some goodies for the babies, to Toys R Use and found some goodies for hubby, then to Barnes and Nobles to grab some magazines.  After that we went to the mall for an hour or so and headed home.  On the way home we grabbed a Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner and called it an evening. 

Back from Charlotte

I am back from Charlotte, but still feel like I am in catch-up mode.  The trip was uneventful, so that was great.  Now I am happy to be back with my family and looking forward to celebrating hubby's birthday on Wednesday.

Heading to Charlotte

This morning I am heading to Charlotte, NC for a couple of days.  I am going to be in meetings for a day and a half, so not doing anything exciting.  I am looking forward to meeting several of the people.  I have been talking to them on the phone and would like to put a face with the voice.  I had to sneak the suitcase out of the closet a couple of days ago and have been slowly packing.  So far, the dogs haven't gotten freaked out this time.  I guess as I travel more, the suitcase is no big deal to them.  I am not even going to get to say goodbye to hubby this morning.  He will still be asleep when I leave.