Queen of the Girl Geeks

Raccoons Like Croutons...

I just found this out last night. At about 3am my husband heard a really strange noise in the kitchen and went to investigate. Much to his horror he found a raccoon peeking his head into our kitchen through the screen that he had just chewed through.

HELLO! Now let me just say that we live in a suburban neighborhood that just happens to be quite woodsy and we have a lot of critters. Deer, Geese, skunks, groundhogs and yes raccoons. However in the past the raccoons stayed in their own houses and avoided mine. Not anymore!

Apparently raccoons like croutons. You see I had a box of Pepperage Farms Onion & Garlic Croutons sitting on the window sill. This window just happens to look out over our deck and there is a table under the window. I guess Ranger Rick decided to climb onto the table for a looksie inside, spotted the croutons and decided that he had to have them thus chewing a big hole in my screen.

So the moral of the story is, hide your croutons and make sure that you have a husband with good ears so that if you happen to accidentally leave croutons on the window sill he can catch the raccoon BEFORE he gets into your house to wreck havoc on your kitchen. Tonight I'm sleeping with one eye open!

Technology Overload

Today I went with my mom to our local clinic so she could get her blood drawn. Much to my surprise when she checked in they handed her a beeper, kind of like the one you get a Outback Steakhouse to let you know your table is ready. HELLO! This really ticked me off!

First of all we live in a fairly small suburban community and the most people I have even seen in the waiting room has been 20 (this includes lab, x-ray and cat scan people). There is a large front desk with about 3 people to check you in and a slew of nurses wander around. So, why on earth did they give my mom a beeper? Sure enough in about 5 minutes she beeped which was her clue to go to the lab entrance about 4 feet from where we were sitting. This is crazy!

Now I love technology but not when it goes on overload. There is no reason to hand out restaurant beepers to the over 60 crowd at the local clinic. Just be human and call out their name. Yes, I know all about HIPPA laws but you can still use a first name. Being human in this case goes a long way!

The Wii Is Really Good For Mii

I just got the Wii Fit today by compete accident. A few months ago I was reading about it and it sounded really cool but I didn't really pay much attention. Then today my mom and I were taking about it again and decided that it would be pretty cool to get one so we headed out to Toys R Us and wondered why there was a line. HELLO, they actually released the Wii Fit today. I had no idea. So i got one of the last ones and was very excited!

Once we got home I hooked it up and took the Fitness test. Despite having a BMI in the normal range my Wii Fit age is 52, I'm 38. Can anyone say depressing! So now I a determined to get fit. I love using this thing because it challenges me and is really fun to use. I hate exercising because it's boring. The Wii makes it fun so I am really hoping to loose 20 lbs. by Dec. and get back to my high school weight.

So I offically give the Wii Fit 2 thumbs up and a big W00t! Now I just have to tackle Guitar Hero.

Fixed Up My Flower Beds!

I just thought that I would share my before and after pics of my newly fixed up flowers beds. Every year I try and tame this jungle in the Spring but this year turned out really well.

I added some Marigolds, Petunia's, a Poppy, some Black Eyed Susan's and a few more Perennials this year. My Peonies that I planted two years ago are doing really good this year too.

As an added touch I bought these Cedar barriers to make it look really pretty. The rocks are from our beach. My husband and lugged about 10 buckets of them up 3 years ago. I love how they give it a rustic look.

So despite the fact that I kneeled on a rock and screwed up my knee I am extremely happy with the results!

50 Ways You Can "Change The World" Using Squidoo!

A grass roots effort to make a big difference...One lens at a time!

I bet you didn't know that building a lens could change the world...well I'm here to tell you that it can!

Think about it...if every Lensmaster on Squidoo created 1 lens per month and donated the funds to Charity that would add up to a heck of a lot of money!

I've compiled a list of 50 of the Top Squidoo Charities. Support a cause you believe in, because you CAN make a difference! Create your charity lens today!

Hey Jose Canseco...I've got a great house for you in Cleveland!

According to Yahoo! News former baseball star Jose Canseco lost his home as a result of foreclosure. Canseco told the syndicated TV show "Inside Edition" that he walked away from his $2.5 million, 7,300-square foot home in suburban Encino because it didn't make sense to continue making payments. In layman's terms this means he didn't want to pay the mortgage and walked away. Hey, let someone else deal with this mess! HELLO! The man's top earnings were $6 million per year. I think that if he wanted to he could pay the mortgage.

What ticks me off about celebrities like Jose is that they live WAY beyond their means without consequence. If Joe Factory Worker in Ohio loses his house because his hours get cut society labels him as a bad risk and a burden on our economy. Joe Factory Worker will most likely end up living with his parents for the rest of his life or in a big card board box down by the river! Jose is going to "reorganize" his finances and buy a modest $1 million home next time because he's "learned" from his mistakes.

America (our government) needs to wake up and smell the insanity. We've got families struggling to pay their mortgages, buy food and gas and just live...while people like Jose get off scott free. Well I've got the answer for poor Jose:

Jose, I know that you're a little down and out what with having to pay $7-$8 Million dollars for your divorces and all but come on over to Cleveland. We've got a slew of houses at affordable prices. Cleveland's a great city and we even have a baseball team. Maybe you could get a job at Progressive Field selling hot dogs or something...I'm sure people would get a kick out of buying a wiener from you! Just don't forget to pay your mortgage we don't need anymore foreclosures in our city!

Stop On By Cabaret Squidoo

Lensmaster rms or Robin, as us Squidoo regulars call her, has started a deliciously wonderful Blog called Cabaret Squidoo where she features the tastiest lenses on Squidoo. Some of my favorite Blog entries are Tasty Lime and Mojito Recipes, Awesome Panini Recipes and Easy As Pie Recipes.

Also stop by the Cabaret Squidoo Store and check out Robin's Kitchen and Cookbook recommendations!

SquidBoomers Rock!

Fantastically Awesome Lensmaster Susan52 has started a new blog called SquidBoomers where she features lenses about the Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and comprise a very large portion of the US Population because people were having lots and lots of kids after WWII, hence the term Boomer! OK...History lesson is over for the day.

Anyway Susan's blog is really, really cool and she's looking for submissions so visit her Squidoo Lens SquidBoomers - Baby Boomer Lenses on Squidoo to give her your Best Baby Boomer Lens!

Stick Shift In Your Mom Mobile = Not Cool

This is actually a pretty funny story. My sister-in-law has decided that her 7-year-old sporty little Acura is not a good car to be carting around a toddler, so after much research they have decide to get a Subaru Forester. That's cool, nice choice for a mom car. Now here's the funny part. She and my brother-in-law have decided to special order a new 2009 model so they can get a Manual Transmission and a bunch of other cool extras like a moon roof. HELLO...SUV + Toddler + Stick Shift = Big Pain In The Ass!

I tried unsuccessfully to explain that having a toddler requires you to have one hand for driving and the other hand free for retrieving lost toys, handing out juice, breaking up fights, etc. So I asked the obvious question: Why! Her answer is that you get better performance from a manual transmission and that it's more fun to drive...yeah maybe on the Autobahn in a Ferrari, but certainly not in a SUV. Oops..It's not an SUV, it's a "Crossover" vehicle or so I've been told.

Anyway, we got a good laugh at their naivety. Their child is an infant and they still have delusions of grandeur for a cool car. Little do they know that their pristine, high performance SUV...err Crossover vehicle is going to be transformed into a trash can on wheels complete with McDonald's wrappers, Blue Slurpy stains and nasty smells quicker they you can say "Farfegnugen"...because as all moms know, driving with a toddler does not = "Driving Pleasure"!

Yardwork Is For The Birds & Other Small Animals...

Literally! I just cleaned up 10 bags of leaves and nuts left by the birds and squirrels over the winter. We have some sort of nut tree in our yard that small animals like to destroy and consume. We had piles and piles and piles of mutilated nuts that needed cleaned up. Whoo! Hoo! What a way to spend a Sunday!

We used to live in the city and had a cute little English garden that just needed weeded once in a while. Now we live near a nature preserve and I feel like I live in Jurassic Park! We have large cranes, owls, deer, snakes and other small critters. Granted I love animals and nature but I would prefer that they left my yard alone! I think that we are going to have to spend the rest of May trying to get caught up! Ahhh...my life is so exciting!

I'm An Organizational Wizard

I just got what is one of the coolest kitchen organizational gadgets I have ever seen. The Zevro Dry Food Dispenser!

I was at BJ's yesterday and saw these super cool dispenser's on clearance for $13 each. Needless to say I scooped up 9 of them and now my kitchen rivals Martha Stewart's.

I've got a cereal section (see photo), a dry goods section for rice and nuts AND I've got snack section for fishy crackers, M & M's and chocolate covered raisins. These are perfect if you have kids and a husband who forgets to close the top of the cereal box! I'd actually like a few more for bird seed and cat food, of course we'd have to keep those far away from the people food. I'd hate to see anyone put bird seed on their ice cream cone!

Why I'll Never Be A Supermodel!

Well, ONE of the reasons I'll never be a Supermodel is because of my choice in footwear. I have spent the last 15 years of my life wearing Converse. No heels, no sling backs, no frilly sandals...just my sneakers.

Funny thing is I like the concept of having lots of shoes and I envy women who can wear 3 inch heels and walk like Marilyn Monroe. I on the other hand walk like a drunken elephant in heels. The last time I did wear a pair of pumps I took a major nose dive at a wedding. Not my finest moment!

I personally attribute my problem to the fact that I'm 5' 11". I think it's simple physics. I have big size 10 feet and I think that it's harder to balance for us large footed girls. There's more surface area to fall off of. It seems that short people with tiny feet can run around like the Energizer Bunny on Wheels...or heels. As for the Amazonian Supermodels that wear heels...well they either have tiny feet or they lie like the wind and only wear their super shoes on photo shoots and in public. Maybe that's why they have  "people"...their "people" hold them up so they don't fall off their very stylish 4 inch Manolo Blahnik shoes.

As for me I'll stick to my very low, very stylish and very comfortable Converse...thank you very much!

I Got A Nephrolepis exaltata!

Otherwise know as a Boston Fern! Actually I got 2 of them from the Evil Sam's Club yesterday. Yes I am now regularly shopping at Sam's Club again. They beat me down but as a plus the Fern's only cost $9.99 each so I think I'm on the winning end this time!

My Fern's are residing my the computer room this week because the evening temperatures here in Cleveland are below 50 degrees and the little tag says that I'm "NEVER supposed to let them get exposed to temps under 50"!

Now I just have to learn a little bit more about their care so I don't have 2 dead Nephrolepis exaltata!

Buy ONE of Jaguar Julie's Lenses!

My fellow Lensmaster and friend JaguarJulie is one of Squidoo's top Lensmasters. She is also a Squid Angel and a Top 100 Giant Squid which means that she knows how to build a high quality lens! Julie is selling off some of her amazing lenses for a really, really good cause:

Proceeds from a lens purchase price pays for spaying and neutering fees with a portion being donated to FCNMHP. Proceeds from book purchases are 100% donated to Critter Connection!

This is an incredible opportunity for someone just starting out with Squidoo or established lensmaster that want to build their lens portfolio. Julie's lenses have high lens ranks and great traffic. So if you are interested please visit her at: Buy ONE of Jaguar Julie's Lenses! Also visit Country Club Cats for about the amazing work that Julie is doing with the feral cat colony.

Floral Inspiration

I was inspired to show off my Daffodils by fellow Squidoo Lensmaster and Squid Angel Barkely (Linette) who just happens to also run a really cool blog called Mother Earth's Garden.

My Daffodils bloomed late last week and I am hoping to get a few more days out of them. Also check out Linette's Yellow Daffodils for some more floral inspiration!