Blog Updates

I don't like it when I don't update my blog -- but life sometimes get pretty busy and I forget, or just don't have the time. I've been bad lately. The summer budget season at work was super busy this year, and with all the changes at work, my mind has been elsewhere. But today, with a day off of work, rain pouring outside, and my car in the garage for repairs, I decided to stay in, and go back through all my pics and update my blog. Check it out...

blog updates

I often don't get much time to update my blog on a weekly basis. So sometimes, I will post a lot of posts, all on one day, and backdate them. My promise to myself this year was to stop doing that, and try and post more on a timely basis. But so far, this year I haven't done that. I blame the weather (and the ton of snow we've gotten this year).

updates

Check out the other pages on my blog. I've recently updated my book list, my food list, and my bucket list.

blogging away

I've been absent from blogging for some time. Work, life, and other stuff just has taken precedence over the last few weeks. I'm hoping to get back into it now. I miss blogging when I don't do it.

How many?

This blog post is post number 1111
Can you believe it?
That's one thousand, one hundred, and eleven blog posts.
All since May 2008.
Since then, I've had ups and downs. Days, weeks, even months, where I couldn't think of a thing to blog about. And other times when I couldn't think of anything, but blogged anyways. And other times when I had so many ideas, pictures, or things to say, I would post 4 or 5 days worth all at once.
Some were really good posts.
Others... not so much.

Here are a just a few of the more notable ones. These are the ones that either made me giggle, or that get a lot of traffic from others that visit my site...

I'm not a vampire

Google Searches

Conversations

Could it be?

Dear Shaun Cassidy

999 bottles of beer? Nope!

This is post number 999!
A milestone for me. I have to admit, when I started blogging, I had no idea of what it would do to me. I am constantly taking pictures of everyday things and places. Sometimes, to the point of embarrassment too. Snapping pictures in a department store without being seen or asked "Why?" is not an easy task. I take pictures of food now too. Why do I do that? I catalogue things in my head... this would make a good blog post, but that wouldn't.
Early on, when I started blogging, I ask myself, "What makes me read someone else's blog?" The answer pointed to 2 things, which I decided I had to do with my blog...

1) try and post something everyday

I haven't always done this. Sometimes I can think of 1,000 things to blog about on one day. Other days, nada.Sometimes I feel like turning on the computer and putting something cute or funny out there. Other days I can't be bothered. So far, I've come up with 999 things to say. Not bad.

2) Keep it short and include pictures.
This one is easy. A picture says a thousand words. I love visiting other blogs that have lots of pictures. I love seeing how others live, what their house looks like, what they think is worth commenting on. I hate reading long verbose blogs....even if the writing is good....if the entry goes on and on, I will get bored, and move on. So, I try to do the same with my blog. Short, sweet, simple posts with lots of pics.

I've contemplated pulling the plug on my blog a number of times. Changes in my life and time commitments have kept me away more in the last year or so than it has in the past. But, then one day I'll be reading through an old post of mine, or come across a picture or something that "would be great for the blog" and I'm off and running again. Let's see if I can get to another 999! Thanks for reading!

Google Searches

It's been awhile since I posted.
I have to stop saying that. Well then... I guess I have to post more often. My fault, right?

Just to fill in the gap, here are some of the searches that have brought people to my blog recently...

Scrapbooking recipes

Yeah... ok, that one makes sense. Although, I haven't scrapbooked in such a long time...

Brad King's Ultimate Migraine Relief

I posted about that HERE. I get a lot of hits on that one. More than I would have expected.

New Zealand Grey Honey Bee

Ok... this one is a maybe. I'm not from New Zealand. I'm not grey (yet). I do love Honey Bee's (because they make such wonder honey!). I'm not sure why that search brought someone from New Zealand to my blog. Oh well... I hope they found what they were looking for.

seeking balance lady grey saddest wife blog

Oh my! Now that just makes me depressed! I'm definitely not the saddest wife (very happy, thank you!). Seeking balance? Aren't we all? I think I have to blog more happy stuff!

That long?

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted anything hasn't it? Just over 2 weeks. I don't really know why. I guess I've just been caught up in life lately, and haven't sat down at the computer for 2 weeks. Yes, I get my emails, and quickly go through new posts on Facebook through my iPad. But, other than that, I haven't done much of anything on a computer except work. So, what has happened in the last 2 weeks?

We said goodbye to our old-falling-apart-needed-a-new-radiator truck. In it's place, we have welcomed to the family a 2011 Mazda CX-7. It's officially hubby's car, but I like it too, and might just convince him that I get to drive it a lot more than I ever drove the truck.

Work. Lots and lots of work. But, I got a raise, a bonus, and claimed a sh*tload of OT. Which all comes in handy to help pay off the new wheels.

The new diet plan is going ok. I'm not 100% convinced this plan is for me yet. So, I keep falling off the wagon. I get back on a day or two later, so I am losing weight. Just not that fast. It's a lot of pre-planning for meals, and that's why it's not working for me. I don't have any time.

And that's about it. It doesn't sound like much. But honestly, all I do all week is work. Weekends consist of running around Saturday for errands, and cleaning the house. Sunday is for paying bills, doing laundry, and cooking for the week, and preparing my meal plans. I've managed to finish a book in all this (a 1,000 page novel that I'll review sometime soon). And even watched a couple of new movies. But mostly, I'm just out and about, and not sitting at the computer anymore. So, I don't get much time to blog anymore as a result. I thought about quitting altogether. But, I guess I'm not ready to pull the plug on my blog just yet.

Can't blog

Can't blog...
too busy playing with my iPad mini.
:-)
Love that thing!
Blogging on it works, except I can't publish anything. (Come on Blogger... get the app fixed would you!) So, I just write my blog, and then login to the PC to publish it.

Weekend plans...
Me upstairs playing on my iPad.
Him downstairs playing his new PS3 game.
What a wonderful, stress free, cozy weekend it will be.

Labels

I try to label all my posts. There is a cute little label app on the sidebar of my blog that tracks the labels of my posts, and groups them together. The higher the number of posts with a certain label, the bigger the label is. Click on "Family" for example, and you get 73 posts with that label.
Then I noticed it.
Poor old "Chocolate" was sitting there with only one post on it.
What???
I LOVE Chocolate. You would think that I would have posted about chocolate at least twice since starting this blog!! Only once!! I eat chocolate more than once a week! Just what am I thinking!!

So, here it is. One more post with the label "Chocolate", and a promise to post a whole lot more in the future.

blogging absence

I know. It’s been a long time since I posted anything.

I would like to post something more often, but my new job isn’t very forgiving when it comes to time to myself. I started this job 9 months ago, and it has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions for me. I’ve never spent so much time commuting to and from a job before (most days it’s 2 to 2 ½ hours a day). Add that to the 9 to 10 hours that I work on average, and I’m not home for 12 hours a day. This is putting a strain on me and my relationship with my husband. So, the little time that I do get at home… well, little of that is spent on the computer blogging. I just don’t have the time, or energy anymore.
However, I’m getting paid more money than I have ever got paid before. I’m eligible for a big fat pension in as little as 8 years (although I likely won’t be able to afford to retire then… and will likely go for another 5 or more years after that). I have a savings account at work that just keeps accumulating and getting bigger. And on top of my outrageous wages, I also get yearly bonuses. So financially, I am doing better than I ever have. But, the offset to that is the time away from home.
Anyways… I was reviewing a few posts from back in 2009 recently. I was surprised at how much I used to post. Almost one post every day. I would like to start doing that again. So, I am going to try. I’m going to take that 2 ½ hours I commute on a daily basis, and write my blogs then. At least in my brain. So, that when I get home, it’s just a matter of being on the computer for a few minutes. I think I can do a few minutes. I hope I can.
In the meantime, I have a bunch of catch-up blogging to do, so I’m certainly not short on ideas right now.
Stay tuned.

Long time

Wow... it's been along time since I last posted. My last post was June 3rd.
Now, I don't normally do this... but I think I'm going to back-date a couple of posts. You know... keep everything in chronological order. Mostly pictures. So, there may be a couple of posts from June that weren't there before. No... you are not going crazy. It's just me.

Confusing technology

You know... the more technology advances, and supposedly becomes more seamless, the more confusing it becomes!

I got an email from blogger saying my blog was a legacy account, and if I don't upgrade, I will lose it all at the end of the month. So, I followed the link, and typed in what I thought was my username and password. To no avail. I tried every combination I could think of. I even clicked on the "I forgot my username" link, and they sent me an email, but it didn't have any new information on it (ie: no username). So, that did not help either.

So, then I scoured the internet for posts about this issue. Found lots of people having the same problem, but absolutely nothing about how to fix it.

Then, I decided that maybe my Blogger account is set with a hotmail address, and they want a Google address for it. Google = Gmail, right? So, I tried to change the primary address to my Gmail address. I got a message saying I can't do that. WTF????

OK... now, I'm getting annoyed. I go back to the email, I re-read it, I scour the internet some more, and finally, find..... NOTHING!  So, I throw up my hands and say, OK... If Blogger is going to delete my blog at the end of the month, then so be it!! I give up.

google searches

People land on my blog by searching for things in Google, and for whatever reason, Google decides that my blog (or one of the posts on it) is exactly what they are looking for. I've always been amazed at what brings people to my blog. I've posted about it before. Click HERE and HERE to see the previous posts.
And here are a few new ones for you...

"hummingbird tree"
I thought I was the only one on earth that called our trumpeter vine a "hummingbird tree". I guess there are other crazies out there besides me! I'm not alone! It's a good feeling!


"cross stitch flowers book by sue whiting"
My post about that was a really long time ago. And I'm afraid it probably didn't help you much, because I was looking for the same book, and couldn't find it.


"hyundai sonata red"
That makes sense. I posted about one because that's the rental car I got when I went to Louisiana recently


"shaun cassidy cross stitch gift"
There is just too much wrong with that statement.
1) if you are looking to give a gift to someone, let's just hope that it's really not Shaun Cassidy you are looking for. I can't believe anyone would think this is a good gift idea.
2) Does the gift really have to be a cross-stitch pattern? of Shaun Cassidy? Really? You can't find an old Shaun Cassidy doll anywhere instead? HINT -- I found a naked one on Ebay for $10.
3) the fact that this statement brought you to my blog... well crap! That is just really wrong!!
4) then there is the fact that I searched Ebay for a Shaun Cassidy doll, and posted about the naked one... well that is just wrong on so many levels! Time to move on...


"miss lady and the pool guy"
OK... now we are talking!!

Lists

I'm a perfectionist, with OCD tendencies. The result is LISTS. Lots of lists. And do you know... they have apps for that too? :-)
Seriously, I love to make lists of things. And what better way to record things than on my blog. I've created a couple of new pages to list places I've been and foods I've eaten. Both were inspired by recent Facebook apps. While I scored high on both Facebook apps, I realized that a lot of the places I had been and foods I had tried were not on the list to begin with. Which got me thinking... If I scored that high on the Facebook apps, what would be my real score?
Both lists are still a work in progress, but you can check them out at the top of the blog, under FOOD, and PLACES.

Update

It's been a long time since I've posted. I'm not sure if I would come back to this or not... I haven't quite decided if blogging fits into my new life or not.
Yes... I applied for the job that I was telling you about. It took a long time. I applied for the job back in Aug or Sept... and the final decision was made in Oct. I got the job! I started the first of November.
The last couple of months have been a whirlwind for me. The emotions of quitting a job, and starting a new one, were a lot higher than I expected. Then, there is the complete upheaval of my routine. I now have to get up early, get dressed :-) and drive to work. This in itself has proven to be somewhat hard to get used to. I used to do it. But, it's been 4 years since I started working from home, and while 4 years doesn't sound like a long time, it certainly is long enough to make certain routines habit forming.
Meanwhile, I don't spend a lot of time at home anymore. When working at home, I somehow managed to work, do laundry, do dishes, blog, read emails, garden, craft, and eat, all at the same time. Now, I am now limited to what I can accomplish in a day. And considering I'm away from home for about 10-12 hours every day... well, let's just say it's an adjustment period. Don't get me wrong. I love my new job. The future prospects here are fantastic. And the pay and benefits are much better. No... I am definitely better off now that I took the job. It's just an adjustment. In a couple of months, I will have my routine back, and be able to get a lot more accomplished.

food!

Wanna check out a great blog all about food and recipes? Check out
SkinnyTaste

She's got some great recipes on there for summer. And all recipes have the nutritional information, so if you are following a diet, or Weight Watchers, you can calculate the points values. I especially like her photography though. She takes pictures of all the recipes, and her photographs are fantastic! Warning! Reviewing her blog will make you hungry!

Great Reads

Wanna read a good book? Try this one...

It's "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I found it on Chapters.ca under "Heather's Picks". It's an older book (first published in Canada in 2005). I read the fabulous reviews that customers posted online about it, so I added it to my list. When Chapters had their "Buy 3 Get 1 Free" promotion last week, I picked it up.

The book takes place in Barcelona, and is about a boy (Daniel) who finds a book titled "The Shadow of the Wind" by an author named Julian Carax. Daniel sets out to find more books by the same author, only to find that someone has been systematically destroying every book that Carax ever wrote. It's a who-dunnit mystery with a bit of romance and intrigue thrown in. It was originally written in Spanish, and has been translated to English.

I absolutely loved the book. I couldn't put it down! The story was beautifully written and sucked me in right from the beginning. The parallels between the Daniel character and the Julian Carax character were intriguing, and it left me guessing as to what was going to happen. It's not often a book surprises me, but this one did, and in a good way. Having been to Barcelona myself, I had the added pleasure of knowing some of the places that the author spoke about in the book. The book is a true literary work of fiction, and I am amazed that it was not originally written in English.

I give Shadow of the Wind 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

google searches

It often amazes me what people will search for in Google, and why. Just for an example: here are a few searches in Google that have brought internet users to my blog while I was away on hiatus. And my comments on those search words:

cross stitch blog lady moves to new house
OK.. this one is good. Cross-stitching blog lady. Yup. But, moves to a new house? Nope, not me. Sorry.

lady miss grey
Not Lady Miss Grey, but Miss Lady Grey. Google is at least smart enough to figure it out when you get it wrong.

lady grey my grey heaven
mmmm? sounds like lyrics from a song. Wonder what song?

what is a grey wacky
I don't know? what is a grey wacky? And why would Google think I would know this? Does Google think I'm wacky? eeesh!

having threesomes with lady grey
OMG! I think I might have to rethink some of my titles on my posts!!

it's been a while...

You know you've been unplugged for a while when you get a phone call from a friend asking why you haven't replied to her email. You've read your emails, replied to a few, but haven't spent much time on the computer lately. Ooops, I think I forgot to reply! Imagine that!

You know you've been unplugged for a while when you get an email from Kobo.com asking "Where have you been?" Not being online, not surfing, means not spending money... especially on ebooks from places like Kobo.com. At least they were nice enough to send a few coupons my way.

You know you've been unplugged for a while when you can't remember why you stopped blogging to begin with.

Yes, it's been a few weeks since I blogged. I've taken the last few weeks just to unplug for awhile, and get away from blogging, emails, and surfing. It is amazing how much time I actually wasted on the internet on a daily basis. So, I'm back now. And even though I have lots of blogging to catch up on, I'm not going to push myself to blog every day, like I did in the past. Although, I do promise to show up at least once a week. So, stay tuned!