Technology

Nilsa over at SoMi Speaks discussed technology vs paper in her life which has inspired me to discuss it here.

I love technology.

Phones:
I have a Blackberry Storm. I like it but recently had some issues that left me without it and I survived. My husband I stayed at a camp ground without connection and it was great. I like the convenience of it but it is not a life line for me.
 
Music:
I have an iPod. It is an older one (the first year they made black) and it does what I need it to do. It keeps me entertained at the gym and my wonderful husband has made it so I can easily play it through my radio in my car.

Computers:
We have a desktop and a laptop. Although my personal laptop has died. I use the laptop a lot. And I'm on computers all day at work.   

Online:
I blog. I read blogs. I am on Facebook but I don't do up to the minute updates. I don't grasp the need for Twitter but I don't judge. I use Snapfish for my photos and I love it.

Calendar:
Although my calendar is on my Blackberry I still maintain a paper calendar because I like seeing the whole big picture without scrolling and searching.

Books:
I know that there are a number of electronic devices to read books from but I myself still like the feel of the paper in my hands. And although I read blogs online reading long articles or books online kills me.  

Now what I love is watching people when technology goes astray. When Twitter had some troubles a while back I thought friends were going to snap. They couldn't Tweet for about an hour and to them it seemed like forever. When my husband and I were at the above mentioned camp ground people were standing everywhere trying to get a signal on their cell phones. And at work if our internet goes down for a few minutes you can hear grumbles up and down the hall. I'm all for letting technology make lives easier but I think we have to be careful not to allow it to become an addiction. 

A picture is worth a thousand words...

 

He wanted to drive...

What? I'm comfortable...

Why I love going home at night...

Whew we're tired...

Laundry and other perplexing things to my husband...

 

Wooden Sign from ewoodsigns

I like most women have a lot of clothes...and of those clothes I'd guess about 1/4 of them are dry clean only and another 1/4 of them are special care (lay them flat to dry/hang to dry). My husband looks very questioningly at the stack of clothes and has decided not to touch them for fear of messing them up. His laundry is easy...whites (washed in hot), lights (not washed in hot), and darks. Sometimes towels are separate sometimes they are included in the load with the appropriate color.

I don't mind doing my clothes and his but I think it is a tad suspicious that he has stopped taking care of mine but I appreciate the concern for my clothes. Although destroyed clothes equals shopping. Hmm...maybe my husband has given it a little more thought than I thought...

And the Shoe Drops...

We now have a date for when J will be headed to Japan. It is sooner than we originally thought we thought it would be September. It is now around July time frame. I knew it was coming but having the official orders some how makes it more real. I know that July is a long time from now but it is amazing how quickly time flies.

Redecorating on a Budget

We are redecorating redecorated our living room. It is amazing how much difference a coat of paint can make. We went through all of this because our 50 inch tv died and we had to get a new big flat screen tv and I wanted to paint first. My hubby wasn't willing to live with my 34 inch tv for too long so bring on the big boy...when it is all installed I will post pictures.

Before..a lovely goldish yellow with red accents...tasteful but not my taste

During...hubby edging...my edging job...and Arwin inspecting our job

After....

 

With the white and dark blue trim and the couch rotated

  

Hubby arranging furniture...ignore the crap on the mantle it is gone now

 

Loving some Harley paraphernalia

Fun Spring Swap....

Gwen over at Confessions of a Control Freak is having a fun Spring Swap. We want to beat the winter blues by sending each other fun Spring items to brighten our day. If you're interested head over and sign up. Should be fun!!!

My Weekend...in Summary

You know it was a busy weekend when you are happy to be back at work to relax....

Friday the weather started to decline while I was at work...it started snaining (a cross between snow and rain) but the roads were fine no biggie. So when I got home the hubby and I went to Lowe's...
{A brief history...when I moved in with my husband I had a 30-32 inch TV and he had a 50 inch...mine went in the basement. Well a few weeks ago the big TV died...people went blue and then the screen went black. It was going to cost $750 to fix so a replacement was coming. My husband wants a 54 inch flat screen mounted above the fireplace. I wanted to eventually change the color in the living room. So we painted this weekend in anticipation of the new TV that we will get soon.}

We bought lovely light gray paint and dark gray paint...tools...etc. We went to dinner at Panera (I could live there), to the pet store and then we went home for the night. We decided we would wait until the next day to begin painting. So we cuddled on the couch with the puppies and watched Walking Tall and Numbers.

Saturday with rain coming down we started cleaning the room and patching holes to get the walls ready. Then we started painting. We painted from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a brief break for lunch (cold meat sandwiches) and dinner (amazing buffalo chicken sandwiches thanks d.a.r. for the recipe). And following painting I got a crock pot of chili going (I'm not a big fan but J loves it so...) The funny part was the puppies...they would have crazy moments...then try to lick paint...then curl up on the couch. They were distressed we knew this but we wanted them to be out while we worked. They wanted us to stop working and pay attention to them. We got looks the kind of looks that break your heart. So we would take "union breaks" J would go smoke...I would smother puppies with love. It seemed to help. But they loved the end of the day where we curled up on the couch with them.

Sunday we were going to go to church but it was a bit too icy so we decided we'd stay home and play it safe. So we started painting. Then took a break to go to Lowe's to get a few more supplies, Farm Fresh for some groceries, and then Taco Bell for some lunch. Then we came home and painted some more...until kick-off. The puppies had another rough day lacking attention but again they got to cuddle during the Super Bowl with us so that worked out well.

I woke up a bit tired and a bit sore from a long but productive weekend. Pictures to follow soon!!!

My loves and other things that make me happy...

Since I did a list of my pet peeves I thought I should do a positive list of thing I love...so here are some things I enjoy and or love...

1. My husband...he is an amazing man and I am a lucky woman. I love knowing that at the end of a day no matter how crappy it will be better because he will be there at home. (He's military and I'm spoiled at the moment because in the near future this won't be the case.)
2. My pets...I have two dogs and four cats...I love them because they have cute personalities and quirks. Cuddling with them makes things better.
3. My family...I am blessed with loving parents and a wonderful brother...he was the "Man of Honor" at my wedding and it was perfect. And I'm blessed with amazing in-laws, his parents are wonderful and so are my 6 sisters-in-law and my 1 brother-in-law.
4. People who do something nice for a stranger on a random day just because they can not because they have to.
5. The smell of bread baking...it reminds me of home growing up as a child.
6. The taste of ice cream...especially chocolate...it makes my day better...
7. Babies...I don't want children of my own but a baby melts my heart every time. And my husband holding one...gooeyness. 
8. A crisp fall day with the crunch of leaves under my feet...this is when I miss New England.
9. Snow falling...I love watching snow fall and cover everything with a white blanket.
10. A nice hot beverage (coffee, hot cocoa, hot cider) on a cool evening cuddled up on my couch.
11. Knowing I have friends I can call at the drop of a hat if I need them...

Weird Pet Peeves

I've learned a few things over the years about myself...I have some weird pet peeves...

1. People who talk to me on the phone while they are in the bathroom...hang up and call me back...yes I can hear the flush in the background.
2. People who start a sentence with "no offense but" what the heck...you are getting ready to say something bad...saying no offense first doesn't make it ok and yes I'm going to take offense.
3. People who constantly talk at a normal level in a movie theater...an occasional whisper about the movie I can handle...discussing how Joe Bob wronged Susie...leave and discuss it a coffee shop. 
4. People who multitask while driving...put your make-up on at home...read your paper at home...tie your tie at home...it is risky enough out there without being distracted.
5. People who take advantage of your gracious nature over and over and over again...we are called to be servants not doormats.
6. People who take all but the last little drop of coffee and don't make a new pot...or at least turn off the pot.
7. People who give you a compliment and then immediately follow it with an insult...umm if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.
8. People who don't have the nerve to confront an issue face to face so they go behind your back...if you think it is important to share it is important to go to the face of the person.
9. People who air all their dirty laundry on Facebook and then feel people are nosey...don't put it out on a PUBLIC site if you don't want people to comment.
10. People who correct everything you say...ok so I said mute instead of moot did you get my point?
11. People who look down at other people because of lack of education, money, house, job position, etc if we're all created in God's image we're all pretty darn impressive if you ask me. 

I'm just saying...