Category: Uncategorized

Ok, this one made me chuckle:

Can a Hearing Aid Improve Your Sex Life?

The Deaf Freedom Cruise 2007 is nearly full. That’s right, the ship has just 45 cabins left to fill.

My brother and his wife took the same cruise last week and they said it was absolutely wonderful. They’re no strangers to cruises–this was their eighth cruise. Even with 4,000 people aboard, they said the ship didn’t feel crowded at all. They especially enjoyed the ice show which was simply spectacular. Each morning, my brother sipped his coffee in the hot tub that extends over the ocean. Yeah, coffee in a hot tub!

So if you’d like to join this cruise, you’ve got to hurry and grab your spot!

To sign up and reserve today: Passages Deaf Travel.

A detailed review of the ship: Frommer’s Review of the Freedom.

Last week, I spent a wonderful week in Michigan with my parents and some cousins from Missouri. My cousins have a big garden and some chickens and they brought up a bountiful harvest. We spent the entire week cooking up different dishes and biting into fresh tomatoes. There’s just nothing like a home-grown tomato.

There’s no internet access at my parent’s and the library is still on dial up. It’s one of those old towns with a single main street and a handful of mom-and-pop stores. It wasn’t until I arrived home that I realized the entire week was quite stress free.

It certainly wasn’t quiet on the internet front. Ev Nucci from My Life Is Murphy’s Law has handed over the Bloggers for Positive Global Change Award. This one encourages blogging with a purpose: to change the world we live in for the better. That was the mission of my favorite singer, John Denver. He worked tirelessly to make this world a better place and to ensure that we protected the resources of our earth.

I’m passing this award on to:

Environmental Graffiti

Simply Green

Christy from Writers Review has created the Courageous Blogger Award and has kindly made me one of the first recipients. Christy says, “It was my hope to create an award series that would give unique, caring, brave, and positive bloggers the recognition they deserve.” In turn, I’m passing this award on to:

Stephen from Adversity University

Glenda from Do It Myself

Dawn from Palms to Pines

Thank you Ev and Christy–I very much appreciate it and I’m honored! You both rock!

Rocks in My Dryer hosts “Works for Me Wednesdays” where everyone shares helpful tips that make life easier.

Last year, our brick patio was invaded by hundreds of weeds. The hubby and I don’t like to use weed killer, so last year, we boiled water and annihilated the weeds with that method. It was a pain in the butt to boil the water and walk outside holding a pot with heavy-duty oven mitts. I’m sure the neighbors were amused at the sight.

This year, I was doing some research online and discovered that vinegar is a natural weedkiller. Why isn’t this simple remedy proclaimed all over? I took a three dollar jug of white vinegar and poured it on the patio. A few hours later, the weeds were no longer a bright green.

The best part of all, I didn’t have to worry about the dog licking at the weed killer!

Here’s another mom who found this tip helpful:
It Works!

Yesterday I said goodbye to Barb, my friend and neighbor. Barb and I met through another neighbor, Denise. Our backyards faced each other and one evening, Denise introduced us. Barb and I were pregnant–she with twin boys and me with my youngest son Steven.

We had our babies, and over the years, all of the kids played together. Between the three of us, we had nine kids (make that ten–my niece joined us for two years). Seven of them were close in age and Denise had two older boys. We had many evenings of sitting in our backyards exhausted as we watched the kids run circles around us. Most often than not, we ended up in my backyard with the kids bouncing in the trampoline and swimming in an inflatible pool. We would occasionally order pizza or toss some hot dogs on the grill. On a few summer nights, we ladies filled our glasses with wine and the husbands joined us.

We moved just two blocks over and our sense of community shifted. Suddenly, it wasn’t as easy to get together and play dates had to be arranged to make sure one was home. Gone were the days of opening the sliding door and sending the kids down the backyard. We still gathered the kids together for pizza nights but it definitely was harder as the kids got older and were involved in various activities. I still stopped at Barb’s and Denise’s houses after dropping the kids off at school and we would have our morning chats.

So it was hard to say goodbye to Barb yesterday as she prepared to head out to her new life in California. They are moving out west for a new job and to be closer to her husband’s family. I’m going to miss the weekly chats and lunches out.

This goodbye certainly isn’t final, thankfully today we have email and videocameras.

And there certainly is a bright spot: Denise and I have figured that we have a great place to stay when we need a weekend away!

Terry Starbucker over at A Glass Half Full has invited me to participate in a little “future dreaming.” This meme was started by April Groves who wrote:

I introduce to you, the “Opi.” Comes from the Greek word “opiso.” Now, I am no Greek scholar so I maybe way off…but I searched for “future you” in a greek dictionary, this word popped up and I liked it, so I used it. It refers to the hereafter. The Opi is to be written of the future you in the present tense.

So here I am, ten years later:

I’m sitting in the swing on my backyard patio watching the sunset. My oldest son is 24 and has just graduated from college with his degree in chemical engineering. My middle child is visiting her best friend in Texas during her summer break from college. My thoughts turn to my youngest son– he is now almost twenty. Where have the years gone?

I’ve accomplished more than I thought I would in ten short years. I’m now on my third book and the book tours have been an enjoyable means of seeing the world. Hands & Voices has grown to a large organization that is now found in several countries. Everyone involved in the organization has recognized the value of each and every deaf and hard of hearing child and the communication methodolgy wars are a thing of the past. We’ve broken through the reading barrier and the average deaf child now reads at grade level.

The hubby and I are celebrating over thirty years of togetherness. We’ve been married 28 years and have grown to love each other with a comforting deepness. In the past years, he has learned to curb his habit of making me wait for him every time we need to leave the house. He no longer leaves the newspaper piled up for weeks. His provides daily massages and has become a skilled chef. My days are now filled with relaxed muscles and incredible meals. He has hired a crew for weekly house cleaning and I haven’t touched the vacuum nor mop in years. (Hey, I’m really liking this dream stuff.)

The sun is waning in the sky and I take a sip of my frozen margarita. The last ten years of life have indeed been very good.

I look forward to the next ten.

This must be the week of crazy lawsuits–we now have a Michigan woman suing the makers of Starburst candy because–are you ready for this…

The candy is too chewy.

Apparently the gal bit into a lemon Starburst and after three chews, the candy stuck to her teeth and locked her jaw. She now suffers from Temporal Mandibular Joint Dysfunction. She declined any offers from the candy company to pay for her jaw rehabilitation.

As the company lawyer said, you think maybe one could get a clue from the packaging–it does say “Fruit Chews.”

Remember the $65 million dollar lawsuit over a pair of pants?

Roy Pearson lost.

It looks like he will have to dig deep into his pants to cover the court costs for this silly lawsuit that he dreamed up.

There is justice after all.

Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Hearing and Balance Center showcased a live video of a cochlear implant surgery:

Cochlear Implant Surgery

Warning: this is not for the faint of heart.

Remember Erma Bombeck and her short, witty sense of humor?

Well, Marti Lawrence has the same brand of humor with a twist: she comes from the hills of Missouri. My parents and all of my siblings are from the same state. My brothers and sisters have memories of outhouses and second floor bedrooms with no heat. I was the only one fortunate enough to be born in the culturally advanced city of Chicago.

I can’t remember how I first “met” Marti online, but I quickly took a liking to her blog, Enter the Laughter and left a comment. Somehow, we started chatting via email and she was kind enough to send me her book.

Marti Lawrence shares tales of her life in Queen Klutz, a collection of mishaps surrounding her inability to get through life without breaking a few bones. You will find yourself with mixed emotions– one moment you’ll be breaking out in laughter and the next moment you’ll be clutching your heart thinking, “This poor gal, what a life!”

Marti calls herself a “blutz,” which is a klutz who has bad luck. And somehow, this bad luck traveled through the mail to my friend Groovy, who slipped on the steps on her way to the mailbox.

So if you’re looking for a light-hearted read with a couple of chuckles thrown in, grab a copy of Queen Klutz. If you’re lucky, Marti will autograph it!

Update:
I went to pick up Marti’s book from a table and stubbed my toe!