Saturday, October 31, 2009

Do you "Facebook"?

The ultimate social interaction known as Facebook.  Do you belong?  Are you addicted?  Is it your ultimate gamespot?

I will say that I got reaquanted with some long ago schoolmates, and that's a good thing.  But the games can be time-consuming...to put it mildly.  I feel like my life has been taken over by visits to fellow YoVillians; hours spent on the farm harvesting, plowing, planting and visiting neighbor's crops; more time making sure my Island Paradise is intact and the animals are milked, eggs are collected and the fruit picked; and lest I forget, the chef duties at Cafe World.  There's Country Life, Animal Farm, Roller Coaster Kingdom, Vegas Slots, Lucky Slots, Lexelous, and a miriad of titles from MindJolt.

Sure, you may say "why play all those games?"  Well, the addictive nature of the games, along with my propensity to overdo just about anything I enjoy is a match made in heaven for Facebook and their advertisers.  While I've been able to ignore the advertising thus far, it's only a matter of time before they creep silently into my brain.

So, why stay?  You tell me, and we'll both know :)  In the meantime, if you'll excuse me, I have crops to tend to and baked goods to get out of the ovens before they burn.  How else will I be able to afford the Cape Cod house? :)

Drop by sometime....but remember to sign up for my crew!

Westward IV....I can't wait!


Fans of the Sandlot Games' Westward, Westward II and Westward III are all excitedly awaiting the release of the fourth game in this series.  The screenshots and trailers show the promise of yet another great game from Sandlot.  I, for one, can't wait!




For those not familiar with the Westward series, please visit Sandlot Games and see what you've been missing!

Building towns in the old west and fighting bandits was never so much fun :)

Soup's on!

I received my package of goodies the other day from MyBlogSpark.  If you recall, I'm going to try some Progesso® High Fiber soup.  I received the Chicken Tuscany, and I'm excited to try it.  The calorie count is wonderful...130 calories per serving, with two servings per can (serving size is about 1 cup).  Only 25 calories from fat, and 0 transfat.  With 7 grams of dietary fiber and 8 grams of protein, this soup will be good for my needs.  The only drawback I see is the somewhat high sodium mark...690 mg, which is 29% of the recommended daily value.

Part of my package was two large soup mugs and soup spoons.  I'd like to offer one set to a reader of this blog.  Simply put a comment on this post letting me know if you have ever tried Progesso® soups.  The giveaway will be closed on Friday, November 6, 2009.  The winner will be chosen by random generator from all eligible comments.

I'll be posting in the next day or two my thoughts on the taste of the Progresso® Chicken Tuscany High Fiber soup!

Calling all quilters!

Patterns by Sandra is hosting a mystery quilt.  New sections of the pattern will be added monthly (mid-month), but the previous month will be taken down.  The first part of the pattern was in my email today, so be sure to check each month!  You can sign up for Sandra's free newsletter and be reminded so you don't miss anything for this great quilt.  Check it out!

While you are at Sandra's site, be sure to look over all the great bag patterns.  I'm fond of making bags, so I enjoy it all :)

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Where has the time gone?

Alot has happened in the last year and a half.. My darling grandson Jaiden passed away at the age of 13 months (September 07), my father passed away (April 09) and my daughter was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (June 09). She had surgery two days ago to remove the thyroid, and they found the cancer had spread to her trachea, so they removed part of that, also. My daughter is all of 33. She is too young to have to think about cancer. Hell, for that matter, I'm too young to think about one of my children having cancer.

On a positive note, the memorial we attended for my father wasn't until June 09, but it was in St. Louis MO and was given my his siblings. I haven't seen them for over 30 years. It was a mixed bag of emotions. They had a great itinerary set up for our visit (all four of my siblings were there with me). My aunt, who happens to be quite renowned in the world of genealogy, created a lovely book about the history of our family through my father's generation. We studied it and had a "Jeopardy" style game to see what we learned. My team won :)

They also took us on a fabulous trip to Marion IL to see where our father grew up. We did a nice walking tour of their neighborhood while my uncle narrated about the different places they played and the people they knew. We also went to a museum, which was opened especially for us on a Sunday, and got to see the actual tables and chairs from Snedden's Soda shop, where our father had his first job. The curator even let us go into the roped area and sit at one of the tables to have our picture taken! I felt like such a celebrity :)

The museum was the former home of the jailhouse. It was built in 1901, and was used as a jail until 1975. The front of the building is where the sheriff and his family lived, while the back was the actual jail. The cells were quite small, yet housed four prisoners each. The walls were covered in graffiti from the very prisoners who were incarcerated there. Most of them were only in their late teens, early twenties.  To say the least, it was strange but exciting to "feel" the presence of those from the past.

I am now excited to announce I will be a grandmother once again...#9!  We know it's another boy (my poor Emily is so outnumbered).  I can't wait to see him....late January, early February.  I've chosen January 31 as his birthdate because my daughter-in-law had both of her other children on the last day of their birth months.  Sounds like a trend to me :)

MyBlogSpark...it's sizzlin'

So, during my random travels among the web's blogs, I stumbled upon MyBlogSpark.  Being the inquisitive type, I clicked to find out just what is is.  Quoted from their website:

"MyBlogSpark™ is a fun and exciting group of bloggers that have access to review new products and services and participate in exciting giveaways, surveys and events. The network provides “Sparks” of information directly to its members from some of the best known consumer brands in the country. "

I'm excited to say that I joined and will now be able to bring fun contests, with prizes, to my blog readers.  The first will be courtesy of Progresso® High Fiber Soups.  I'm anxiously awaiting delivery of my sample and prize pack so I may write a review of the product.  Be sure to check back for details of the giveaway.  It's starting to cool down in many areas, and soup is a great way to keep warm!