This might be perfect for me!

I must admit that I haven't been up for scary movies in the past. In part because I don't want Graem to get the same scared reaction as myself and I really don't want her to watch them.

However, I just looked at the Sweeney Tood movie site and I can say that it looks like a thriller that I can actually tolerate and probably enjoy!

I'm happy to see that Johnny Depp is at it again. He's a great actor and always pulls off any role that he is in. Most recently I enjoyed him in Willy Wonka and he was just as scary as Gene Wilder in the original movie!

He also did a good job in Pirates of the Carribean. His acting made the movie what it is today! In fact, it's lead to the huge success and many sequels too!

I'm sure he'll do a perfect job in the Sweeney Todd Movie and make it a chartbuster you just can't miss!

If interested... visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site


I've never been much of a myspacer myself (I'm addicted to Facebook) but you can now visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace!

I'm all about making friends on Facebook and I'm guessing it's equally intoxicating to find friends on MySpace!

We have heat!

So I know last week I was bitching about us having heat. Last night Shawna's parents called cause they were under the assumption that since we hadn't posted about our heating situation --- we still weren't heated!

Well, I'm happy to let you know that we are fully heated. Of course, the installers are total dumbasses and haven't quite finished the job.

They've come out 4 times now and still not been able to finish a job that should have taken two days. However, they have promised that they will have it totally finished and up and running by FRIDAY!

Help!

We all need a little help sometimes.

I remember when Shawna and I first started living together and I was in school. To say the least...we were poor!

At one point we were even going around and collecting cans to pay for our next meal!

I don't remember seeing much about payday loans but now it seems like they are the "in" thing that people are doing to get by.

There's now a place that offers Faxless Payday Loans!

PayDayLoanQuotes.com offers an easy to use website that specializes in making payday loans easy and convienant.

This post sponsored by: PayDayLoanQuotes.com

1/2 way through...

I don't know how I'm going to be able to get through the next 7 months!

Things at work have been pretty hectic and the deadlines are never ending. When I told my boss about Shawna being pregnant and told her I wanted to take 8 weeks maternity leave - she mentioned that I'd have to save my vacation and not take time leading up to the baby's arrival!

So, it looks like I'll just have to endure and pray to god that I don't burn out before then.

I think it's all about pacing myself and just not overdoing it on any one project. Of course, with that said...I'll still make sure that things are done good and the job gets finished on time!

Traveling?

I can honestly say that we're probably not going to travel for a while! We might go to New York for Christmas but that's only if we can find a place for the dog to stay.

We've thought about breaking the trip up and actually finding Hotel Reservations half way - maybe in Scranton.

We've checked out HotelReservations.com before and the website was easy to use and they really did have some great prices and good specials.

This post sponsored by:

MOES.

Today I noticed that my boss had put out a card for a free lunch at the new restaurant Moes. So since I'm all about free lunch I called Shawna and asked if she wanted to come down and go for lunch, my treat.

We actually ended up going with some work friends too who wanted to hook up with a free meal!

I got the nachos and although the queso was good there was hardly any meat on the nachos and the bottom nachos were just chips because they didn't put enough toppings.

Shawna got the burrito and it was pretty good.

But how can you screw up a burrito?

All in all...I'm glad it was a free meal. However, I don't think we'll be going back. How in the hell can they charge $6 for a burrito or nachos?? We all know that it takes just pennies to make these crappy foods!

Our almost three year old!

I can't believe I wrote that. Graem's birthday is in almost a month and we haven't even started to think about what we're going to do to celebrate.

More than likely we'll do cupcakes at school and also have a small party for her. I should probably get some kids party invitations and get them out since her birthday is around the holidays and I want to make sure that people mark their calendars.

I'm guessing that Graem is going to want to go with a Backyardigans theme this year!

This little light of mine...

At some point we're going to have to get a few more lights for our house. We've had a few table lamps break on us and I'm tired of getting cheap lighting that breaks! So I think we might check out the lighting stores available both online and locally.

I'm guessing that the quality of their lamps are top notch and they'll probably last longer than our cheapie target ones!

I've never been one to...

use tons of products. However, I'm starting to realize that my skin is having a hard time battling the brutal upstate New York winters. One solution that I've looked into is Jane Iredale cosmetics and products.

Lately, my eczema has been making my face rash out including my nostrils and around my lips. Maybe I can find something that will help make it less noticeable.

The time has come...

for us to look into getting some new luggage! A few months ago I saw a great piece of Samsonite that was pretty reasonably priced. However, I've heard that travelpro is also a good brand too.

We just want something that's easy to use, lasts through tons of traveling, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

You got to keep in mind...the less we spend on luggage...the more we can spend on traveling!

We need more dinero.

So, I'm looked at our checking account this morning and realized we are broke! Merry Christmas, right??

I think we're going to have to figure out how to get more money! Shawna's been subbing and we have some money coming in from that and doing some computer work. However, with us now having to pay for a new heater and then some Christmas gifts.

Eek!

Can I be excited...

about our new furnace? I mean, there are many other things that I'd rather spend $5,000 on - including saving it for maternity leave. However, I'm excited that we might actually be warm in our bedroom and I'm also excited about the humidifier option and the possibility of having some decent gas bills this winter.

Oh, the joys of being a homeowner.

I'm so ready to go back to renting. That way when something breaks or craps out we can just make one call to the landlord!

MONDAY.

I hate you, Monday. It seems like after every weekend I have the hardest time getting to bed Sunday. Perhaps it's that I just don't want Monday to come. Or maybe it's because my mind is racing through all of the things I'm going to have to get done Monday.

This weekend was pretty productive. We ended up cleaning the house Sunday and Saturday we went out ran errands, and had a good time at the Farmer's Market.

It seems like the days are going so fast. I don't want to be at work and by the time I get home at 5:30pm it's pitch black and I can't even take Graem outside.

I guess I shouldn't complain because in a few more days it's going to be snowing outside!

We *heart* New York!

Of course, since I was born and raised there I have a passion for New York and the great things it has to offer. Sometimes it makes me sad that Graem will never get to experience the many things that I took for granted when I was a kid.

That's why we feel like when we go to the city to visit my dad or brother that we have to make the most of it and go to all of the museums, plays, and shopping that we can fit in during our visit.

During the holidays they are now offering a New York CityPass. The CityPass is offered at a price of $65 for adults and $49 for youth. The pass allows you to go to all of the great museums and includes a pass to the top of the Empire State Building! Plus, MOMA, Museum of Natural History (we went to that a few months ago), and the Guggenheim.

All together the price for these tickets would be around $130 - so you can see the great savings.

This is a great gift for anyone that you might know that is visiting the city or even someone that lives in the city but might not take advantage of all of the great arts and entertainment.

The great thing about these museums is that they are HUGE and there's no way that you can full see one of them in less than a day! Plus, they constantly have new shows and are always changing. So even though you might have visited the museum a year ago --- I'm sure it has a new exhibit or has added new features.

This evening's plans.

Well, it looks like Shawna might pick me up after work then we're going to go pick Grammy up at school. I love picking up that kid because she get so excited. She loves seeing both of us too!

I think we might go for Vietnamese tonight. WE weren't planning on eating out. However, Shawna had a harsh day subbing, I had a rough day at work, and we didn't thaw anything out.

Plus, it's Thursday and we're all friggin' exhausted!

I know...

I'm totally a spoiled brat when it comes to appliances. At least I admit it, right?

Just a few years ago we looked at Maytag Dryers. Our old dryer worked fine but it was making our clothes smell like mold and baby barf.

We looked online for reviews of Whirlpool and Maytag washing machines. We really couldn't find a great website with opinions or customer reviews. We even went to consumer reports website and we've trusted their opinions for years. Who would have thought that a website would be able to charge you to see a review?

Now, I wish we would have known about krillion.com. They offer reviews of thousands of different appliances and it's easy to use and search. They also have information on how to order the specific machine if you are interested!

I love a place that offers one-stop-shop.

I guess that goes back to me being a spoiled brat!

Is Friday here???

God I can't believe it's almost a weekend. I think I'm going to try to get some geocaching in this weekend. I know a time will come (maybe next weekend!) when it's going to be snowy out and I won't be able to get outside.

Plus, I need to do some yard work. We have about 20 million leaves outside that need to be raked up and I need to prune some of the peonies.

Tomorrow should go by fast since we have our midwife appointment at 2:00 and that will probably take an hour or so.

YAH FOR A WEEKEND!

Everynight...

I make sure to spend time with Graem teaching her letters and sounds. We try to do it in a fun way and typically that involves spongy letters and the bathtub. She's doing a great job and just the other night was able to read "hot dog".

At some point we might be interested in hiring Reading Tutors to help her out.

Score Learning Centers offer trained tutors to help your kids.

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

2 more weeks and over the hump.

I'm talking about the pregnancy hump! I can't believe that we'll be out of the first trimestr and into the second.

WOW.

Despite all of the early complications things have actually gone pretty fast. We were lying in bed last night and Shawna mentioned that Thanksgiving was in two weeks.

I really can't believe it.

So far we've made plans to leave Wednesday afternoon and go to New York City and spend Thanksgiving with my family. Of course, I'm leaving my brother and his girlfriend in charge of getting everything together.

That could be dangerous.

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Check it out!

This stuff rocks!

At some point...

Graem's not going to want me to teach her.

Every night we've been doing letters in the bathtub and she loves it. She looks forward to bathtime and I think she really appreciates learning.

When she gets older we might look into getting her an Innovative Tutor from Score Learning Centers.

They offer tutoring services for kids 4-14 and are the professionals in the area of learning.

Now we just have to look online to see if they have a Score Learning Center in our area.

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Center

Great weather...

I don't want to jinx things...but I really can't believe what great weather we've had. Sure, it's cold but that's nothing and I can always wear a jacket for that.

It's been sunny and beautiful! Of course, I know that anyday can bring a blizzard and we can end up with 8 feet of snow outside of our door.

But for now, I'm just going to take advantage of it and enjoy the time I have with my sun!

We need a garage first...

My dad has a garage that he spends tons of time in. Of course, I think he loves to tinker and I'd probably do the same thing if I had a garage!

However, I'd want to organize my tools and make it my little "haven". I'd want to install garage cabinets so that everything can have a place and I can find everything easily.

CarGuyGarage.com offers just about everything to organize and have a sweet garage. In fact, I'm pretty sure I can find something for my dad for Christmas! That's been nearly impossible each year.

This post sponsored by: CarGuyGarage.com

Sick kid...again.

Well, it looks like G's cold has gotten worse over the weekend. I swear this poor kid always has something going on. Of course, when she gets sick the asthma kicks in full gear and she sounds horrible.

She was going to go to school this morning, but instead, Shawna's going to keep her at home and take her to the doctor.

I think at this point we're going to push for her to get on some antibiotics.

Poor kid.

Maybe I should...

go back to school. In my profession they offer a Masters program in Landscape Architecture but I'm not sure I'd benefit from it unless I wanted to teach college or university.

In most cases getting a higher education means going to classes during the day, staying up late at night working on assignments, and no income while attending school.

That's not the case any longer! capella university makes it easy to get your online phd while working full time. You can attend their online university and they have many different degree programs that you can enroll in.

They have a great blog where you can see the ongoings and get a feel for what college life would be like for you.

In fact, I have a few friends that are attending online schools and it's fitting in perfectly with their day to day routines - including a full time job!

I can't believe...

we're already at 10 weeks! This weekend we had a bit of a scare. All of a sudden Saturday morning Shawna woke up and had bright red blood. We both freaked out a little...but it wasn't tons and we figured it could have just been from her cervix.

Sure enough, she went to the Re's office and they did a check up. Things look good and the baby was doing well. Shawna's cervix was nice and long and everything looked pretty good!

So, I guess it's just one of those flukey things that we'll have to get used to.

Our smart girl.

Every night I play with Graem in the bathtub and we go over letters. She's really doing good and she gets excited when it comes to learning.

I'm sure she'd love Math Tutors that specialize in teaching.

Score Learning Centers are designed to tutor kids 4-14 and located in many big cities. I'm sure she'd love to learn about math and it'd be good for her to learn from someone besides me!

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

Oh Monday.

Well, we had a fun filled weekend. Saturday Graem and me met up with Dobbs and his moms and we went geocaching at the Cayuga Nature Center. We were able to find two good caches.

Then we went to The Pines and got burgers. Shawna wasn't feeling very good so she stayed home and rested.

Yesterday we went to "The Bee Movie" and then over to Jen and Terry's for delicious chili. I was also able to get out and mow the yard.

Boy, it's a bum deal that when I come home now that it will be dark outside.

Need a good dealer?

I'm talking about a coin dealer of course!

One thing that never loses it’s value is gold coins and other precious metals! Even when our stocks are floundering you can always look to silver, gold, and precious metals to maintain their value.

Monex Deposit Company offers silver, gold, and other precious metals for delivery or they will make arrangements to have your metals stored privately and securely at a bank or depository.

I didn’t realize this but Monex Deposit Company (MDC) is an industry leader. They sell gold in two forms: coin or ingot. The world demand now exceeds the supply demand for gold - which makes it a pretty smart investment.

Especially with the economy doing so poorly and people losing all of their investments with the stock market!

When it rains...

aside from the damn bathroom that is falling apart I get a call from Shawna that our furnace needs to be replaced. Supposedly, we have two cracks in the exchanger. Of course, that means that if we turn on the furnace it will release horrible gasses into our house that could cause us to go dumb.

Or something like that.

Now, it looks like we're going to have to pull $4,000 out of our asses to pay for this damn furnace.

I'm ready to move.