Girl Scout Cookies at the Mall

My daughter and I went to the Mall tonight to sell some Girl Scout cookies. Her Brownie Troop leader and 3 girls sold the cookies outside of JC Penny. We were on the downstairs level of the JC Penny inside of the mall though.

The mall is pretty strict on "soliciting" though. JC Penny is the one giving us permission to sell the cookies not the mall. So you can not step foot about an inch past JC Penny or you could get in trouble. Last year we got in trouble for going out into the hall way trying to attract people to our booth. And I guess last weekend another troop got in trouble for doing that too.

It sort of stinks since we are not in view of the main traffic of the mall, only if people happen to see us way down at the JC Penny. But in the hour or so I was there, we sold probably 50 or more boxes of cookies. And they were going to be there for an hour more. And we will be selling them a couple more times on other days.

At one point a girl who must have been no more then 18 to 20 years old, came up and wanted to buy some cookies. She was all excited about it, because she said she used to be a Girl Scout and also that she hadn't had them in years. I thought she was going to buy maybe 2 or 3 boxes, because that seemed to be what others were doing. Next thing you know she said she would take 10 boxes of Thin mints and 10 boxes of Samoas! That's $70.00 worth of cookies! She took out a huge wad of cash to pay for them. Luckily we didn't have to use a barcode scanner to ring them up or anything. But just gave her a case of each box of cookies minus 2 boxes from each box. Neither I or the Brownie Leader could believe this girl bought so many cookies!

Fine by us though, the more boxes we sell the more money our troop gets towards field trips, supplies, etc. that we need!

Looking At The Sky on Friday

These pictures were taken at a place called Crawford Notch, NH. We went camping there a few times last summer. It was so beautiful there. I really want to go back there this summer.






Click on the "Looking at The Sky on Friday" badge above to see more participants.

Blogging Away from Home

The kids are on vacation this week. So we came down my mother's yesterday. And we are staying until Saturday. So although I am trying to write some posts it isn't as easy to do away from home.

I am trying to return all comments and visit blogs, but my mother's computer is so slow I want to scream. Maybe she could use some cheap computer memory!

But anyway I think I am spoiled with my new computer. I realize how fast mine is now and then get on my mother's and it seems to jam up. I really can not even deal with attempting to do any dropping with Entrecard right now. I'm sorry to all those who are dropping on me yesterday and for the rest of the week, because I tried to return drops and my mother's computer just wouldn't let me do it.

So until I get back home, I'm really unable to do as much blogging as I can when I'm home. Oh well, today we went to Bugaboo Creek restaurant for lunch and tonight we had pizza! We're having a good time! Bye for now!

Thursday Thirteen #22 "Quotes from My Planner"

header by samulli

I noticed this little pocket planner my husband gave me has quotes on it. Here's some I think are cool.

1. It's not enough we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required. - Sir Winston Churchill

2. Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people. - Barbara Bush

3. The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. - Theodore Roosevelt

4. Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. - George Burns

5. The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. - Lucille Ball

6. Middle age is when your age starts to show around the middle. - Bob Hope

7. The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20, has wasted 30 years of his life. - Muhammad Ali

8. You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. - Wayne Gretzky

9. Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but paddling like the dickens underneath. - Michael Caine

10. I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying. - Michael Jordan

11. We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

12. I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business. - Michael J. Fox

13. The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort. - Colin Powell

New Online Dating Service

There's a new online dating service. It's called passion search. On Passion Search.com you will be able to meet people who have things in common with you. This online dating service is also free to join, which is cool.

If you're looking to meet someone then check out this online dating website. After asking basic questions like your age, where you live, etc., they will ask you some other interesting questions. Like your qualities, what qualities you are looking for in someone, etc. They also asked fun questions like, "if you won millions in the lottery, what's the first thing you'd do?" And, "if you could have lunch with any person living or dead, who would it be?"

There are more fun questions after that. All to get an idea of what kind of person you are, and what kind of person you would best be matched up with. This is really a different kind of online dating service. They really are interested in matching you up with the right people for you.

So if you are looking to meet that special someone, then why not give Passion Search a try? Go ahead check it out, and don't forget it's free!

WW #44 "Smile You're at the Dentist"

The kids went to a new dentist on Monday. I didn't get to go in the back with them. So I was pleasantly surprised later when I received an email from the Dentist! And she included these pictures they had taken of the kids while they were getting their checkup! I thought it was cool anyway.

Husband's Health

My husband went to get some tests done last week. He had a chest x-ray done, blood tests and even had a stress test done. He was mostly worried about the stress test. But he received the results from that right away. His heart is fine. He passed the stress test no problem. I hope the other tests come out fine too. He will find out the results of those later this week. He is putting a little more thought into his health, because "gasp" he will turn 50 in April.

Now I hope he will consider losing some weight and quit smoking soon! I want him to be around for another 50 yrs! He has been pretty healthy minus a few accidents. About 3 months before our wedding he was in a car accident and broke his arm.

And before I even knew him, he was in a pretty severe motorcyle accident. He was going through an intersection riding a motorcycle and someone ran a red light and plowed right into him. His leg and foot were severely injured. He had surgery and for awhile they really thought he might lose part of his leg, at least from the foot down. Luckily that didn't happen and he was able to keep his foot. His foot and ankle still bother him sometimes, even about 20 yrs after the accident.

He didn't even have good motorcycle accident attorneys. Because he didn't end up getting that much money out of the whole thing. He was out of work for over a year due to it, and could have really used the money. Let's just say he got kind of screwed in the whole thing. But luckily his health is good. And I really hope we get good news from the Doctor later this week. I don't know why I'm so worried about it. I just really wish mostly he would quit smoking!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

The kids are on vacation this week. Why when they have school I have to drag them out of bed? But on vacation they get up earlier then they even would when they have school!

Yesterday we went to Walmart. My daughter had brought a little toy of hers with her. She thought she had left it in the car. On the way home from the store she said she couldn't find it. When we got home I searched the whole car. I told her to look in her coat pockets. She said it wasn't in there. Against my better judgement, I drove all the way back to Walmart. I thought it may have fallen out of the car in the parking lot. I searched where we had parked, looking under other peoples cars. Felt kind of weird about doing that. Didn't find it. Came all the way back home and checked her coat pockets myself. And it was in one of the pockets!

I bought some toothpaste. I had tried a sample of Crest pro health toothpaste, and liked it. My son liked it too. When I got home I realized I had bought "cinnamon flavor!" I wanted regular flavor. Why do they make all these different flavors, and why does anyone want cinnamon flavor toothpaste? It's actually ok, but I don't think I'll buy it again.

Web Design Informational Blog

There's a new blog that I found interesting. It's a website for people who are new to the world of web design. It's a tutorial website, that is fun to read and newbie friendly.

Check out the web design for idiots main page website tutorials. There you will find links, graphics, and other resources to help you grasp the concepts.

The website is called Web Design for Idiots. Check out this website to get your web design questions answered by web design for idiots. Through this website you will also be able to teach yourself oscommerce for newbies oscommerce file structure.

This blog is new and the content is growing. The blog is very interactive. The blog owner is always online and ready to answer any questions. If you can't find the answer you are looking for you can email and they will respond to your questions and comments.

If you would like more information About Web Design for Idiots, then click on any of the links to visit this site. And find out more about it for yourself.

A New Dentist After All

The other day I mentioned, I might have to find the kids a new dentist. Well that ended up being the case.

I hate to admit it, but it didn't exactly have to do with them not taking the new insurance. I was a little late on a payment to the dentist. I did recently pay them in full what I owed them. I called to make an appointment and they said that they didn't think they could take me back. The receptionist said she would find out and call me back. That was at least 5 or 6 days ago, and she never even called me back. Maybe they don't take the new insurance, I never even found that out anyway.

But anyway, I was so mad after calling there, that I had already decided to call somewhere else one way or the other. I wasn't going back to the old place. I called a new dentist and they were very pleasant. I figured I would be waiting at least a month for an appointment. Especially being new patients there. They had an appointment available today actually.

So the kids went there today. And I was so happy that there were no cavities. My son actually has never even had one. And his teeth are in great shape. He doesn't have any baby teeth left. No more tooth fairy for him. My daughter had one slight groove on the side of one of her teeth that needs filing to prevent a cavity. My son needs his 12 year old molars sealed. So they can go next month to get that done.

I was pleasantly surprised, when I just checked my email and received an email from the dentist! She sent a very nice email saying how good they did today, and how their teeth are doing. They even took pictures of them in the dentist chairs and emailed the pictures to me! How cool is that? They never did that at the old dentist. So I guess it's all for the best, I'm really happy with this new dentist!

Dolphin Bubbles

Do you like dolphins? SeaWorld has a really cool website. It's a brand new blog. You can share stories and learn more about dolphins. You can leave a comment or ask questions about the dolphins in SeaWorld's care or dolphins throughout the world.

Wach a really cool video, "Dolphin Bubbles", of underwater bubbles created by dolphins in SeaWorld's care.

Check out SeaWorld's blog today. It's really fun.
Click here to visit their blog:

Looking at the Sky on Friday

These pictures were taken down my sister's. She lives in Hingham, MA. This is a place called World's End. My sister lives within walking distance of it. Click here: World's End to read more about this awesome place.






Visit Crazy Working Mom (who hosts this) to play along!

Career Day

Remember awhile back, when I said my daughter had to do a project on careers? At the time she had picked a "Fashion Designer." Well she changed her mind since. And the new career she picked was a "Chef."

We made a DVD recording of her pretending she was a chef. First she talked about what it takes to be a chef, and some different information about it. Then she demonstrated how you cook some brownies.

The only problem we had was working the darn DVD camcorder. We bought it for our trip to Disney World and haven't really used it much since. So my husband thought he was working it right. Come to find out after she did her 3 minute spiel on the whole thing, he didn't get any of it on tape!

Needless to say, my daughter proceeded to cry, etc. She had already made the brownies and everything. It was about 7:00 on Saturday night and I ended up having to run to the supermarket to buy another thing of brownie mix.

When I came back my husband had figured out what he did wrong, and was ready to record it the right way. My daughter redid the whole thing from the beginning and it came out great. In the mean time we had two pans of brownies! So this past weekend I tried to resist (as best I could) two pans of brownies and 6 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Not sure if I succeeded, I may need some weight loss pills soon!

Also maybe I'll try to upload the video she made on here sometime soon.

WW 43 "Let's Go Snowshoeing"

*Sticky Post for today. Newer posts may be added underneath*

May Have to Find a New Dentist

We recently have gotten some new dental insurance. My husband used to work 2 jobs. A little over a year ago he quit the job that had the dental insurance. Now his other job just recently got dental insurance.

The kids are due for their 6 month appointment. A little over due, actually. Now as I'm about to call their dentist, I have a feeling they do not take this different insurance. I am going to call shortly to find out.

If not, I guess I'm going to have to find them a new dentist. Which is too bad. My daughter got upset recently when I told her she may have to go to a new dentist. Not like she loves the dentist or anything, but I think she is used to them. They have been going there for at least 6 years.

On top of it I'm going to have to transfer their records, etc. What a pain! I hope they take this insurance. To be continued...

New Fun Social Network

Just when you thought you heard it all, there is a new Social Network. And get this it's for redheads and redhead lovers!

Redhedd.com is the only free Social Network for redheads. It is the largest and most active community online dedicated entirely to cheerleading redheads.

On Redhedd.com you can connect with other redheads and redhead lovers. You can shop for all things red head. Like T-shirts, bags, mugs and even baby stuff. You can share your blog and view others blogs. There are forums, polls, groups, videos, and more.

If you're a red head or just a fan of red heads then this site is for you. And it's free! So why not join today and find out for yourself all the really cool things you can do on Redhedd.com!

Random Tuesday Thoughts - School Bus

This is a blog carnival hosted by The Un Mom. To participate and see others who are head over there.


This is my first time , but thought I'd join in.

• I am so mad right now! I just got back from my daughter's bus stop. It is starting to get like "Lord of the Flies" down at the bus stop. Why do these other kids that wait down there have to be such jerks?


• Why isn't there every any other parents waiting down there? Except me and one other lady, and her kid is the only other good kid down there.


• All the other kids that are jerks, of course their parents aren't any where in sight.


• Why do the kids have to start picking up tools,from the kids house that we stand in front of to wait for the bus? And literally pick up a pick ax and start hacking at the snow pile.


• And all these kids are picking away at the snow, flinging ice right in my daughter's face. And when I tell them to stop they look at me like I have two heads?


• Then when I point blank kind of yell at them to stop they still don't.


• And Oh yea, one Grandmother does wait down there, and her Grandson is one of the one's doing all this and she doesn't even stop him!


• And the only reason I have to wait at this bus stop, and not drive my daughter to school is because my husband's car is in the shop and he took my car, so I have no other way to get to school except walk 2 miles, which actually is sounding better and better.


• Maybe I should call the school about this, even though I know they probably won't even do anything about it!!

Well that's my random thoughts, which I hope isn't too ranting. But that just all came out, because it just happened minutes ago! Thanks for stopping by!

Girl Scout Cookie Mix Up

I picked up my cases of Girl Scout cookies, yesterday, from our troop leader. I didn't feel like dealing with organizing any of them until today. When we finally got around to figuring out who gets what cookies, there seemed to be a mix up.

While I was doing all the figuring out, of course my kids wanted to help out. So as I was putting say Joe's cookies together, I'd tell them I need 1 box of Thin Mints, 1 box of Tag-alongs, etc. To put every one's order together. The kids got a little over excited by the whole thing, and it was starting to get a little confusing.

Next thing you know, I was at the end of the list and had like 4 boxes of various cookies left. And a whole case of Thin Mints left over! My husband got home from the store, and he went over the whole thing again. We accounted for the 4 extra boxes. I missed a few people that should have gotten these with their orders.

But there was no mistaking the fact that I had a whole case of Thin Mints that didn't go to anyone. I ended up calling the troop leader. And she was pretty taken aback by it. She was like are you sure? I told her that we checked and double checked, and I'm sure there was a mistake.

I felt bad for the troop leader, because now she is going to have to figure out what happened. Some how someone else in our troop must be missing some Thin Mints. I'll find out later this week from her if she figured out what happened.

There was no way I was about to take those extra cookies. Number one I don't want to pay for those. And number two I don't need to be having any more cookies in the house. We'd need to get some Hydroxycut reviews if we kept all those cookies!

Photo Hunters 24"Nautical"

This week's theme is "nautical." We like to go camping in the summer. And get away from all the electronics. While we're there, we like to take out the canoe on the lake. Here's a picture of the kids in the canoe.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day! Filled with love, hearts, flowers, and candy.

I have to make brownies later for a project of my daughter's. (I'll explain that at a later date.) My husband also picked up some Lindt chocolates. And on top of that today I'm supposed to be picking up all our Girl Scout cookies. The one's I ordered for myself and the other 120 boxes for everyone else.

So we will be having lots of fattening things around here to eat for the next couple of days. I might need a diet pill, after this weekend! Well, hope you all have a great Valentine's Day, no matter what you do! ♥♥♥♥

Looking at the Sky on Friday

I took this on Wednesday of this week. It was so nice out! It reached 60 degrees here. It was like Spring. It was so sunny that it finally started to melt some of the snow off of our roof.




Go to Tisha at CrazyWorkingMom to join in!

Free Wide Screen TV?

The other day, I took a walk around my neighborhood. It was so nice out. It reached 60 degrees! Not bad for February. I wish it stayed that way.

But anyway, as I was walking, a house had a sign outside their house. The sign said something like "Free 61 inch HD widescreen TV. Ring bell for details." I did not ring the bell. But told my husband about it when he got home.

He said that is a big TV! And if we ever got one we'd have to get rid of the tv stands/ entertainment center we have. Since that kind of TV won't fit in it. I paid quite a bit of money for my entertainment center a few years back, so I'm unwilling to get rid of it anytime soon.

Plus I'm wondering, why would anyone give away a 61 inch HD TV for Free? If it was me I'd try to sell it. There was probably something wrong with it anyway. So for now I'll stick with my (I think) 24 inch TV.

Thursday Thirteen #21 "Things You Shouldn't Say on Valentine's Day"

header by samulli

**Sticky post for today. Newer posts may be added below**

Saturday is Valentine's Day. You might want to plan a romantic evening with your special someone. Here's 13 things you shouldn't say to that special someone on Valentine's Day (or probably any other day either.)

Guys shouldn't say to girls:

1. What did you do to your hair?
2. Is it that time of the month?
3. Do you really think you should be eating that?
4. Your acting just like your (fill in with) mother, ex-girlfriend, etc.
5. You're overreacting.
6. You look tired.
7. Your friend is hot.

Girls don't say to the guys:

8. We need to talk.
9. It's just a game.
10. Which outfit do you like better?
11. Do I look fat in this?
12. Nothing's wrong.
13. Do you think she's pretty?



See more participants HERE

Full From Awards

I received some more awards from some of my favorite blogs. Recently I have received messages saying "I have an award for you." Here are the different awards I have received, in no particular order:

Toni from It is Nap Time gave me this award as a celebration for her Blogaversary:

I also received The Fabulous Award from Toni


Also from Toni & Cascia from Healthy Moms is this award:

Also from Cascia this award:

From Lola at Lola's Diner I received This Award:

And finally from Lydia at On The Verge this award:



Thanks everyone for all the awards. If these awards were cookies, I'd be full from them. And need some weight loss products! I think I'm supposed to pass these along, but I'm also am not good at that. So if you're reading this consider yourself a recipient of these awards!

WW 42 "The next Shaun White?

**Sticky post for today. Newer posts may be added underneath.**

School Bus Frustrations

I'm getting frustrated with my daughter's school bus. One day the driver is 15 minutes early, the next day he may be 20 minutes late!

Last week he came 15 minutes early. The bus stop is like two streets down from us, so we have to walk a little to get to it. One day last week we were just out the front door and I could see around the corner that he was already pulling out of the stop. He comes so early! And he doesn't ever wait.

Today was the opposite. He didn't come early, but almost 20 minutes late. I thought he wasn't going to come. And I was getting mad, telling my daughter let's just go back to the house so I can drive you. But of course she's stubborn and won't do anything that the other kids aren't doing. He finally showed up.

And it wouldn't be that big a deal if I had to drive her, regularly. But with my husband taking my car to work and his car sitting in the driveway. I don't really want to have to drive his car, with the "check engine" light flashing.

So I really wish this Bus driver would be more reliable. And don't even get me started on how unreliable he is on the afternoon trips after school. Well February vacation's coming. I won't have to worry about it then. Maybe we should find out about European cruises for our vacation. Just kidding!

Want a Chihuahua?

Ever since my daughter and I saw the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua a few months back, my daughter wants a chihuahua. Which by the way was a really good movie. And it is coming out next month on DVD. I highly recommend it.

But anyway, she's seen a lot of dog movies lately. And keeps asking about getting a dog. We have a cat. I've always had cats. We were at the pet store this past weekend. Just for something to do. And we looked at all the dogs. They are cute, and you feel bad for them in the cages. But on top of the fact that I can't see myself getting a dog, when I saw the price of a chihuahua, I probably definitely won't be getting one.

A chihuahua costs over 1,300 dollars! My daughter will just have to be happy with watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua again when it comes out on DVD.

Get The Skinny

Skinny and the City is your online guide to staying slim and getting healthy. Sign up for their free newsletter and get the latest information on nutrition, food, fashion and beauty.

Skinny and the City's, Editor in Chief is celebrity dietitian and lifestyle guru, Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D. You may have seen some of her work in such places as the New York Post, Vogue, NBC Today show to name a few. She is also the author of the bestselling book "The F-Factor Diet."


Tanya, along with other staff writers are a mix of women. Including Moms, married, single, and business woman. They want to share their knowledge on topics such as fashion and nutrition. Skinny and the City also has contributions from dietitians, who will offer trusted advice on obtaining and maintaining good health and beauty.

A few more things to know are, each week a lucky newletter reader will win a prize. And devoted newsletter readers include celeberties, models, sports icons. Newsletter subscribers can ask questions on nutrition and other topics. And these questions will be answered for free! So if you want to get advice, information and the latest trends in nutrition and fashion then check out Skinny and the City. And sign up for their free newsletter today!

The Cars That Go Boom

Any one ever heard of this song in the above video? It's called "The Cars That Go Boom." It's by a group called Prima J. I guess this song is a remake. It's got a catchy beat.

The only reason I even care about this song is my daughter is taking Hip-Hop classes this year. This is her first year taking that. Other years she has taken ballet, tap and jazz classes. She really likes hip-hop now though.

So this years recital's theme is "Movies." I guess this song was in one of the "Fast and Furious" movies. I had never heard this song before or Prima J either. This song cracks me up and I can't wait to see my daughter's recital to see them dance to this song. I'll have to wait awhile since the recital isn't until June.

Her class is already practicing though. So every week we get to hear this song at her class.

Make Money Online with Free eBook

In this tough economy, finding ways to make money may be difficult. You may have tried to make some money online. Maybe you have been wanting to start an online business. Or need to find ways to supplement your income. All these things can be difficult without the right resources.

Well now there is a free eBook called Credit Crunch Income. This 236 page eBook will provide you with 21 ways to make money online. Each chapter focuses on practical advice and case studies of those already succeeding online.

This eBook was written by Marc Liron. In 2004, he gave up a career as an IT manager to concentrate on his growing online business. He has a wealth of experience in building an online business. Marc Liron uses Information Products, Membership Websites, Video and Audio, Web 2.0, Affiliate Marketing and more. You can read more about his business in the free eBook.

So if you're looking for ideas on how to make money online, check out this free eBook. It will give you great advice on how you can succeed online!

Photo Hunters 23 "Bridges"

Here's a collage of pictures I took this past fall. This bridge reminds me of my grandmother. The reason being, this is the bridge we drove over to visit her house. We lived about an hour away from her, growing up. And would have to drive over this bridge to get to her house.

Now I actually live a lot closer to where this bridge is. And usually am driving over it, not going under it. But last fall after a lot of rain, I wanted to go down to look at the river. We walked down to see how fast the river was flowing. And I took these shots of the bridge.

Don't Keep Your Birdseed Inside

I've mentioned before, that I enjoy feeding the birds. I love watching them outside my front window on my bird feeder.

Every time I buy bird seed I am reminded though of something that happened a couple of years ago. I began noticing moths in the kitchen. In my food cabinets! I was very creeped out by it. I cleared out all the cabinets. I threw out any questionable foods. Such as rice, flour, etc. Anything that was open, that I thought they could be coming from.

I did all that, and the moths continued to show up. I was really getting quite disgusted by it, literally. I had no idea where these moths were coming from. I thought maybe we had picked them up on a recent camping trip. Because we will have left over food, and bring it home. I thought maybe they got in with that.

I was really mystified. And then just when I was about to buy some flour moth traps, I happened to look down into a bag of bird feed, that I kept in my front hall. Inside it was something that still makes me sick just thinking about it, but there was these little white worms crawling around in it. And moths flying around inside it. I guess I hadn't used the bird feed in awhile so, I hadn't looked at it for sometime.

I'm no expert on it, and don't know how common this is. But from that day on, I will never keep bird seed inside my house again. For awhile I even stopped feeding the birds. I started again, but I make sure I keep it outside in a closed container. Just something for you to be aware of!

Looking at the Sky on Friday

If you would like more information on this fun meme and would like to play click on the button above.

This picture was taken in the summer on a lake called "Otter Lake." We go camping there every year. And like to go down to the beach at sunset. Oh, how I wish it was summer and I was there now!

Cool Jackets by Baby Phat

Baby Phat, by Kimora Lee Simons, has positioned itself as one of the top hip-hop brands in the world of fashion.

Celebrities are wearing Baby Phat tees. Supermodels are wearing Baby Phat fashions on the runways.

Now they have launched an entire Baby Phat sportswear collection. Check out the cool Baby Phat Jackets. There is a variety of stylish jackets on their website. Active wear jackets from Baby Phat look very fashionable. They also have some jackets in denim that look really cool too.

Visit the website to view all the great selection of jackets and other apparel from Baby Phat.

Thursday Thirteen #20 "Girl Scout Cookies"

To see more participants & join along go here: Thursday Thirteen

Last month my daughter was selling Girl Scout Cookies for her Brownie Troop. I just found out she was the top seller in her troop. She sold 125 boxes of cookies! So in honor of that here's some facts I found on Girl Scout Cookies.

1. They make their own caramel for Samoas. It's cooked the old fashion way in copper kettles to 234 degrees

2. Do-si-dos and Tagalongs take 230,000 lbs. of peanut butter per week.

3. Peanut creme is deposited onto Do-si-do cookies at the rate of 2800 per minute.

4. After exiting the oven, Thin Mints travel 300 feet on a conveyer belt to cool before being coated in the chocolate.

5. A rotary die shapes Trefoils. There are 300 identical Trefoil shapes engraved in one rotary die.

6. The die rotates 17 times a minute equaling 5100 cookies a minute.

7. Samoas go through a cooling tunnel at 40-50 degrees before chocolate is applied.

8. Do-si-dos creme goes onto the cookies at 2800 per minute and are wrapped at 64 packages per minute

9. Some weekly ingredients: flour: 21 truckloads, 1,050,000 lbs

10. Chocolate coating: 500,000 lbs.

11. Sugar: 14.5 truckloads, 650,000 lbs

12. Each batch is 1200-1500 lbs... It takes 10 minutes to mix the dough, which lasts 20-30 minutes and takes 5-7 minutes to bake.

13. And don't worry Girl Scout cookies are not affected by the recent Salmonella recall.

Cool Games at Kids Zone!

MEGA Brands Kids Zone is a great website. They have a great selection of fun games for kids to play.

I was just over at the Kids Zone website. And there are a lot of cool online games to play. There are games such as Neo Shifters Resistance. I played that for a few minutes. You are some kind of robot and you have quests and challenges. And you get to interact with other players. There is chat and buddies. This looked like a game my son would really enjoy playing.

Another game I tried was Magnext Virtual. In this game you also get to interact with other players. You can challenge others to the differnent games, shop, and do a lot of other really cool things in this game.

On Kids Zone there is also games involving quests. Games with battles in them, shooting games, and racing games. There is even a drawing game. I tried the drawing game, and it is really neat. You color pictures on this game and it was like virtual coloring! It was one of the best coloring games I've ever seen. My daughter loves coloring like that. I think she would really love this game.

There is a huge variety of games on Kids Zone that will appeal to kids different interests. If you are looking for some really fun games for your kids to try then I suggest you try Kids Zone. The games are very interesting and Kids Zone is a safe and secure online game site. Play games today!

WW 41 "Inaugural Ball"

On Inauguration Day, my daughter's class had their own Inauguration party. All the kids dressed up, and had different parts to play. My daughter was "Malia Obama." Then they reenacted everything from the swearing in, to the ball. Here is my daughter dancing with a boy from her class at the "Inaugural Ball."

See more participants HERE, HERE & HERE

Be In a Commercial

Have you ever wanted to be in a commercial? Well now's your chance. All you have to do is create a Scour Commercial .


This can be done in a few easy steps. First visit their website for contest details. Then create a 45 second or less video. Use the word Scour.com in your video, along with 4 other key words, displayed on the website.

You can also dowload a Scour logo to use in your video. Then upload your video to YouTube. Tag your video according to the directions in the contest. Then all you have to do is tell all your friends, family, etc. to vote for your video.

The winner of the contest will be announced February 19th. And the winner will win a $500.00 Visa Gift card. The winning video will also be featured on the Scour homepage. Which will be seen by over 1 million unique users a month. If you are a blogger this could be a great opportunity to gain exposure for your blog.

So if you've ever wanted to star in a commercial, go ahead and make one now. And maybe you could be the winner of this great contest!

Conversation with Daughter

Daughter:

I love these Hostess cupcakes. I want them everyday for my snack at school. And I only like Capri Sun "Lemonade" juice boxes. It has to be "lemonade" flavored.

Me:

These cupcakes are kind of expensive and not really good for you. And you only like lemonade?

Daughter:

Yes that's all I want for my snack.

Me:

OK, whatever. (I don't feel like fighting with her over it)

TWO WEEKS LATER

Me:

Don't chew on your hair.

Daughter:

(whining) But I'm hungry. All day at school I'm hungry. (starting to cry) And all you give me is the same thing for my snack everyday. Everyday it's cupcakes. I'm sick of cupcakes. And I'm sick of lemonade. I want some fruit punch. Why do you always give me the same thing for my snack & drink? (saying this all while crying.)

Me:

You are the one who told me you only wanted cupcakes and lemonade everyday! (getting mad)

So today I went out and got mini-muffins, pop-tarts, cheese nips, and fruit punch! That should be enough variety for her! Unbelievable!

Visit Branson for Romance

Branson, Missouri has a lot of great attractions to visit. And while there you could stay at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. They offer guests access to shops, boutiques, restaurants, and a river walk.

If I was to visit there, I would love to visit the surrounding lakes, museums, theme parks, and live entertainment theaters. There are 49 live entertainment theaters in the area!

Right now there is a great Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel Package. It is an exclusive Valentine's Package available throughout the month of February. With this package, you will enjoy deluxe accommodations. You will also receive a $50 food and beverage credit redeemable at any of the hotel’s food and beverage outlets and admission to the Titanic Museum Attraction. You can also have your vows renewed at the base of the Grand Staircase. Also included is a box of chocolates and a Heart of the Ocean replica necklace when you book this package. Starting at $209.00 per couple (requires three-day advance purchase and non-refundable) you could get this romantic retreat in Branson, Missouri.

There are a number of other packages available at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. So check out their website for more information. And you could be having fun golfing at championship golf courses, or taking part in the upcoming annual Ice Carving or 2009 Polar plunge. Plan your romantic retreat today!

Life is Grand

I am Harriet gave me the Life is Grand award. I am supposed to list 5 reasons why life is grand and then pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

1. My daughter just recieved her second report card and got all A's and B's.
2. It's staying lighter out later. It's almost 5:30 PM at night before it starts getting dark.
3. Everybody has been fairly healthy this winter (knock on wood).
4. It didn't start snowing out - until the kids were already in school.
5. Only 62 days until Opening Day at Fenway Park! Whoo Hoo!

5 blogger's I'd like to pass this on too:

Toni
Tina
Sherrie
Karen & Gerard Zemek
Windmill