Apology

Okay look. I want to say something. Just before the holiday I was browsing the internets looking for a recipe my mom used to make.  Can I just tell you the amount of minutia I had to wade through just to get an ingredients list? 

I do not want a long, drawn out, boring ass history lesson about the food I'm about to spend hours cooking so my family can snarf it down in less than 10 minutes. 

I just don't.

I apologize to everyone out there for any recipe I posted that contains a college thesis. 

xo 

S

#Humbled #WhyAmILikeThis #GetOffMyLawn

Public Service Announcement: if you're thinking of law school

Don't. 

Seriously.  It takes up your whole life.

And you'll be in debt until you're two hundred years old.

And you won't have time for fun stuff like blogging.

Or Facebook.

Or Twitter (@whyrustalkingme).

Help Our Troops Until They Can All Come Home

Taste of Home will donate 10¢ to the USO for each unique visit to tasteofhome.com/flagcake from May 26, 2011 to July 4, 2011, up to $100,000.

Photo from Taste of Home

Because of you, Taste of Home is donating 10¢ to the USO. Every dime raised allows a service member to call home free for 2 minutes. Want to do more? Share this recipe with your friends and family.

Mothers for Ocular Melanosis Support (M.O.M.S.)

My friend Amy has the cutest nephew ever!  I want to grab him and kiss his little puffy cheeks right off! However, this post is not about his having the most kissable cheeks on the planet or the most stunning brown eyes I've ever seen on a baby. This is about something that lurks behind those eyes.

Ocular Melanosis

Sounds pretty ominous doesn't it?  What is Ocular Melanosis? It is a rare pigment disorder that could turn into glaucoma and in rare cases, melanoma of the eye.  You read that right, cancer of the eye. 

Ocular Melanosis is a rare defect of the eye that can either be congenital (present at birth) or acquired (happening later in life). Depending on the type, the outcome can vary greatly, from yearly monitoring by an opthamologist to enucleation (eye removal). In most cases the condition remains stable and nothing needs to be done, but in rare cases it has the potential to develop into melanoma, a form of cancer. This is most frequently seen in Primary Acquired Melanosis (PAM).

OM that is seen with bluish skin discolorations on the face and neck is known as Nevus of Ota, and is almost always seen in the Asian population. This form is less likely to develop into melanoma.

(reference)

There is no treatment.  There is no cure.

When Amy's nephew was diagnosed, Amy's sister, Tracy, did what all concerned mom's do, she turned to Dr. Google to find out all she could about Ocular Melanosis.  She tried to find support groups for other parents going through what she was, yet she came up empty handed.

Knowing that her son would spend the rest of his life being monitored and that someday there was the very real chance that her son could become blind or worst case scenario lose his eye to cancer, made Tracy all the more eager to find someone, anyone else with whom she could find support, who knew what she was going through and who understood the fear that lives within her heart. 

Coming up empty handed, Tracy did what any one of us would have done.  She started a website to grow attention to what few people know is a real problem. 

Tracy created Mothers for Ocular Melanosis Support (M.O.M.S)

Please check out Tracy's site and let her know she is not alone.  If you know anyone who is dealing with Ocular Melanosis, please tell them about M.O.M.S. too.

Stuffs (and gift suggestions I suppose)

I'm tweaking my template. It is borked in IE, but what else is new. I've tried everything I know of to fix it. I recommend looking at this site in anything but IE. I'm in Firefox right now and it's beautiful.

In other news, I've added a list of my Favorite Reads from Amazon over there to the left. I can honestly say I've read 90% of the books on my list. And I'm not done adding them. I'm a huge Peter Straub and Nicholas Sparks fan. I also love John Grisham and have a strong like for Stephen King. Something about him skeeves me out just a little. I have read all three of Eleanor Herman's books, well, I'm half way done with Mistress of the Vatican and I cannot wait to read King Peggy. And as you already know, I fell in love with Oogy.

With all this free time on my hands, Santa is bringing me a slew of new books for Christmas. I cannot wait to read You had me at Woof and Santa scored me a first edition, signed copy of Peter Straub's A Dark Matter and it's companion, A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter. He is also bringing me Room, Not Without My Sister, and Damaged.

I should be sufficiently busy until at least May.

World Habitat Day is October 4th

October 4, 2010 is World Habitat Day.

Habitat for Humanity World Habitat Day events

Around the world, many Habitat for Humanity local offices have organized World Habitat Day events. Habitat for Humanity’s 27th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project is a World Habitat Day event this year. It will be held Oct. 4 – 8 in six cities in the United States. Held in a different location each year, Habitat’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project is an annual, internationally-recognized week of building that brings attention to the need for simple, decent and affordable housing. This year, the Carters will work alongside volunteers in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore and Annapolis, Md.; Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.; and Birmingham, Ala. to build, rehabilitate and improve 86 homes.

* To see a list of other Habitat World Habitat Day events, click here.
* To view online resources available for download, click here.
* To join Habitat's World Habitat Day Photo Wall, click here.
* To donate, click here.

Health and housing
Habitat’s World Habitat Day efforts will focus on the link between housing and health, for example, through the release of the 2011 Shelter Report, which focuses on the need for more research on the connections between healthy homes and healthy families around the world.

Neighborhood revitalization
In the United States, Habitat for Humanity will also focus on neighborhood revitalization. In a broad effort to help communities fulfill their aspirations, Habitat will expand its housing programs to include repairing more homes, rehabbing more vacant homes, and improving the energy-efficiency of homes. Habitat will work with partners to provide holistic improvements in a community.

We now resume your normal programming

I'm not dead.

I got hacked.

I'm tired.

I have a sinus infection.

I have 13 weeks of class left and then I get my life back until the holidays!

I have three posts in draft.

I'm too lazy to finalize them.

My life has gone to crap. Good thing it's 117 today and I have no reason to be outside and the dramas refuse to swim.

Posts coming soon. And they're food! Yummy food! nom nom nom

Fresh Air Fund

Your gift of $24 becomes $48, good for TWO round-trip bus tickets from NYC to camp.

Make a gift before June 30th – and two inner-city childrens' lives will be changed forever!

The Countdown to Summer 2010 is on and The Fresh Air Fund is in need of host families. If you or someone you know is able to host, please sign up now.


In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes FOR up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the summer of 2010.

More than 65% of all Fresh Air children are re-invited to stay with their host family, year after year.

Earth Hour - Will you participate?

My family has participated in Earth Hour every year. What we really enjoy is that our neighbors do too. We all congregate outside and chat while the kids run around or star gaze.

It really is the little things. John Lavallo from The Takeout Group sent me the following information in an email. I felt like it was something I could pass along to all of you.

Earth Hour occurs this Saturday, March 27th at 8:30PM (local time) around the world. EarthTV presents LIVE camera feeds from Paris (Eiffel Tower), Sydney (Opera House and Harbour Bridge), Berlin (Brandenburg Gate), and Munich (Church of our Lady). Tune in to earthTV.com to catch these landmarks turn off their lights to support Earth Hour. In addition to these live feeds, tune in this weekend for delayed transmissions from Dubai (Burj Kahlifa and Burjf Al Arab), Hong Kong, Amsterdam, New York (Empire State Building), Auckland (Sky Tower), and Melbourne (Arts Centre and Crown Casino).

About Earth Hour:

With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, Earth Hour--organized by WWF--is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

Fresh Air Fund and OneSight

As you know, I have posted here before about the Fresh Air Fund and the great things they do for disadvantaged children in the United States. Fresh Air Fund has recently teamed up with OneSight to offer free eye exams and eye wear to thousands of children each year.

Both of my daughters wear glasses and for years, I had to pay out of pocket because we did not have insurance. We were lucky because we were able to afford the glasses and eye exam. So many others are not that lucky.

OneSight has a traveling optical clinic that goes to all five Fresh Air Fund camps, along with a team of local doctors and volunteers and services the children.

This summer at Fresh Air camp, OneSight's staff screened 3,295 children and counselors, gave 1,757 eye exams, and made 1,629 pairs of glasses, with 1,458 of them on-site and 171 specially driven in. The team stayed at Camp Hayden-Marks for two camp sessions, to make sure every child who needed the gift of sight was screened.

Some people might some children would be reluctant to be prescribed glasses, but I know from personal experience that they are delighted. They've been missing out on the world around them for too long. They miss seeing simple things like words on the board at school, the definition of leaves on a tree, the people across the street. Being able to see is a huge relief to these kids.

Thank you OneSight, for helping inner-city children receive the services they need.

If you can, please help give a child the experience of a lifetime with your gift to The Fresh Air Fund.

Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun - and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities.

Whether it's a two-week trip to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories - and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities.

Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep our vital programs flourishing. Donate online if you are able.

Vote for your Hero

World Habitat Day 2009

Few people know this about me, but growing up, my family was homeless at least five times that I remember. We lived in a camp trailer outside an uncle's house once; we lived in an abandoned, condemned house that my mom decided to squat in for a while; we lived in a camp trailer outside another uncle's mechanic shop once; we lived in another campter trailer at an HOA facility for two months; we lived in our car for a short period of time; and then, after I was married, my mom, step dad and three brothers and sisters were homeless again and I made them stay with me. I know what it is to be afraid to fall asleep at night. I know what it is to have nothing to call home. Nowhere to take a shower or cook a meal. I know how hard it can be to find somewhere to live. I get it. And, because I get it, I believe in the Habitat for Humanity cause.

Let's stand up on World Habitat Day and let it be known that affordable, adequate housing should be a priority everywhere—in our communities, in our towns, in our country, in our world.

This year on Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C. and around the world, please join Habitat for Humanity in support of this global observance as we come together and declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable.

U.S. Housing Facts

* About 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems including a high-cost burden, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: 2004)

* One in three American households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing, and one in seven spends more than 50 percent. (Joint Center for Housing Studies: 2006)

* The number of low-income families that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems. About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment. (Sandel, et al: 1999)

What can you do?

ADVOCATE for decent housing for all by submitting a photo of yourself holding a sign that says “It all starts at home” and submit it to Habitat’s photo petition on Flickr.com Habitat’s goal is to collect a minimum of 500 photos to deliver to the White House. Submit your photo by Friday, September 25, 2009.

Today, 1 billion people live in slums, and that number is growing rapidly. The U.S. can be a leader in the fight to help reduce global poverty and improve the lives of people living in slums. Urge your legislators to support the Shelter, Land and Urban Assistance Act of 2009. Tell Congress to pass the SLUM Assistance Act!

EDUCATE your community with Habitat for Humanity’s World Habitat Day handbook to learn more about the importance of secure tenure and neighborhood revitalization. Get even more information about the issue of insecure tenure by reading Habitat’s Shelter Report: building a secure future through effective land policies.

Brainstorm ways to get more people involved. Learn from the successes of last year’s campaign, and come up with brand-new ways to celebrate and publicize the important work of Habitat for Humanity.

Take a virtual tour of the Capotillo informal settlement in the Dominican Republic and put yourself in the shoes of those who live in a broken community of violence, poverty and danger.

Link to Habitat for Humanity’s World Habitat Day 2009 resources page on your social media pages, personal web site or blog to spread the word and raise awareness.

DONATE to be a part of making the world a better place and support Habitat’s efforts. Donate online today!

Fresh Air Fund Still Needs Families

Hey all. Remember a while back I posted about the Fresh Air Fund? Well, they still need hosts for the month of August in the following states:

Connecticut
Delaware
Massachusetts
Maine
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ontario
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Virginia
Vermont

If you are willing and able, please call (800) 367-0003 or click here to fill out a host inquiry form.

Fresh Air Fund

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the Summer of 2009. There is no right or typical host family. If you have an extra bedroom and a big heart, you can host a child also. (there are geographical considerations)

If you cannot host a child, perhaps you can donate to what could be the opportunity of a life time. The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to raise the funds needed to give these children the experiences they deserve.

The Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency. Donations are tax deductible.

What is more annoying that?

Do you want to know what annoys me? wearing a bra Answering the phone. What I hate even more than that is when I answer the phone during dinner or my favorite television show or at 8:01 a.m. and it is not the school informing me that one of the dramas has chopped off her leg or work calling to say I won the lottery and don't need to come in today.

Telemarketers.

Often times it is my bank calling to offer me life insurance or hospital benefits or other useless crap that I don't want and did not ask for. How many insurance policies does one family need? Why can't they call to tell me "bank error in your favor, collect a gozillion dollars?"

Since that is never going to happen, I am going to rely upon the pros.

A website, Every Call, recently launched that helps stop telemarketing calls by identifying who's behind those unknown numbers that come up on our caller ids.

It is a free service that works in conjunction with data from the FCC.
Visit Site and feel free to pass this message along.

EZ School Supplies

My kids start back to school August 11^th. While the end of summer brings some relief from boredom, it does bring other stresses like picking out new school clothes and getting all the school supplies they need before school starts. I end up with two lists, one for each class and each class has specific wants, needs and desires. I usually have to shop at least two stores to find it all. Frustrating and enough to make mom cranky on a hot Phoenix day.

I got an email a couple weeks ago for EZ School Supplies.com. I checked it out and the prices are reasonable. I’m not sure what impressed me more, the variety of supplies or the fact that they would ship it right to my door. No shopping for me on 115 degree days. The fact that my designated group receives a 10% donation from each order made from EZSS as a cash donation and can be used for any project at the school or can come in the form of additional supplies is purely a bonus.

“How to Participate”

Step 1.

Register Your School at EZSchoolSupplies.com!

Create a login name and password for your school. Have each teacher or grade level login and create a school supply list. Lists can be customized by grade or teacher and easily updated throughout the year.

Step 2.

Inform Parents and Staff of the New Service!

Download flyers, newsletters and a link from the EZSS website. Add the EZSS link and information to your school’s website. Include information in your school’s newsletters about EZSS. Distribute the EZSS information to the parents and students. Parents can easily order, with a few clicks of the mouse, their student’s required school supplies all year long.

Step 3.

School Supplies are Delivered to the Home or School!

Orders can be shipped to the School for FREE, or sent to the homes for convenience. Your support group receives a 10% donation from each order. The donation from EZSS is a cash donation and can be used for any project at the school or can come in the form of additional supplies.