Did You Know About Pumpkins?

Did you know about pumpkins?

I found lots of good "pumpkin facts" at The Pumpkin Patch . Did you know a pumpkin is a squash? It is filled with lots of good enzymes, potassium and vitamin A. I just read this week how to make a great facial scrub using pumpkin! In colonial times, pumpkins were apparently used for "removing" freckles and "curing" snake bites! Pumpkins are abundant in the U.S. Eighty percent of the American pumpkin crop is available in October. Immigrant Irish brought the custom of pumpkin carving with them to the States. Go to the Pumpkin Patch to learn more about pumpkins!

Did You Know About Fractal Geometry?

Did you know about fractal geometry?

I watched a very interesting show on it today. I first heard about fractals about four years ago. They fascinated me then and today's program really intrigued me again. Fractals are all about self-similarity in design. Seeing fractals in nature in objects from broccoli and trees to coast lines and the human systems is fascinating. The scientists in the show talk about "evolution hitting upon a design that works". But to me, fractals really point to a Creator. I mean, how can you have a design without a designer? And the fractals are such simple patterns. They look intricate upon first sight, but when looked at closely, you can see how the same design is just repeated upon itself multiple times. It is a very interesting new math/science/art that I hope will be taught more in our schools.

Did You Know You Can Get a Free Taco Today?

Did you know you can get a FREE taco today?

Between 2pm and 6pm, Taco Bell will give a free taco to folks because of the stolen base in last night's World Series Game. This offer is good for one crunchy taco per person and is good in the US. This offer is good for the day following any World Series game in which there is a stolen base!

Did You Know About the Play Blitzen?

Did you know about the play Blitzen?

I have not seen it before, but my friend was telling about it. Her girls performed in it a couple of years ago, and it sounds like something that is happening to our area this year. The play is about life in South Carolina after a hurricane has hit. It is Christmas and damage is still prevalent in the area. This is exactly how our area seems to be faring this year.

There are still many people waiting for repairs to be done to their homes damaged by Ike. It looks like they may still be waiting at Christmas. When there is so much to be done, that is a really likely scenario. From new roofs, sheet rock, paint, home lighting and flooring, the damage repair is really extensive for some, making their holiday wish list one of a list of home repairs.

Did You Know I Swam With the Coast Guard Today?

Did you know I swam with the Coast Guard today?

Well, ok, it was actually Coast Guard trainees undergoing a PT test.

As I swam my laps at 24 Hour Fitness this morning, a whole group of guys came in. There were maybe ten in all. I was kind of surprised and knew they had to be some kind of class or group training or something. There is just not that much room in the pool.

They began to pair up in the lanes (thankfully the instructor left me a whole lane to myself!) They were having to do certain timed swimming. I don't know what all was required but I do know it had to be done in a certain time limit.

When I was done I got into the hot tub for a few minutes. I asked one of the guys what they were doing and he told me they were there taking there PT test for the Coast Guard!

Did You Know How Wedding Rings Reflect a Relationship?

Did you know how wedding rings reflect a relationship?

In many marriage ceremonies, you will hear the minister talk about the ring being a symbol of never ending love. I like this analogy and believe in it too. But my engagement and wedding ring really reflect the true relationship of my marriage.

My rings are no longer exactly round in shape. After wearing them for over twenty years, they are a little bent and the engagement ring and wedding band are not even shaped the same as each other anymore! I think this represents the real relationship in which we live. Our marriages do indeed go through changes, they even take a few beatings. But like the rings, they can remain in tact. They can still represent the idea of unending love and devotion, through both the good and the bad times. When I see my rings, it gives me a new idea of how wedding and engagement rings really do reflect the true nature of a relationship that lasts "til death do us part".

Did You Know How to Dispose of Electronic Waste?

Did you know how to dispose of electronic waste?

I guess right now there is a lot of electronic waste in our area due to damage caused by hurricane Ike. So Nasa is hosting an "e-waste" event. Most people don't know how to properly dispose of e-waste or realize its importance. Here is the email I received about the event:

"On November 15th, 2008 there will be a large electronics waste (e-waste) collection event in the parking lot at Space Center Houston. This is part of a larger event sponsored by Sony Electronics; put on by Waste Management and Recycle America as well as CompuCycle. These companies will be participating in four simultaneous e-waste collection events happening around the Houston area. The one I am organizing is serving the greater Clear Lake Area and is by far, going to be the biggest of the four events.

The greatest thing about this event is that it is open to the public and it is free, free, free!!

Usually there is a fee attached to the recycling of electronics, which subsequently defers people from properly disposing of their electronics. This is an incredible opportunity to educate people about not only how to properly dispose of their electronic material, but why it is so important to recycle through an ethical recycling
company; including both environmentally and protection for human rights. Many times e-waste ends up in developing nations where workers, often times children, are exposed to harsh chemicals and heavy pollution.

Our main sponsor, Sony Electronics, is an EPA recognized "e-cycle" partner, ensuring proper ethical treatment of all materials and people involved. It is truly a unique experience to be part of an event like this."

Did You Know How to Get Your Own Domain?

Did you know how to get your own domain?

This past year, my sister and I have talked about getting our own web sites to host a blog. We love having blogs on free hosted sites, but we have thought that it would be even better to have a blog on our own domain. For folks like me who are not too internet savvy yet, this can seem like a daunting endeavor. Fortunately, I have some cyber-friends who have made this easier. There are also web hosting information sites that can provide a lot of good information. It is important to do some homework before jumping into hosting your own site.

A web hosting blog like Web Hosting Geeks has can be a one-stop wealth of information. I like how the daily blog provides information on current events and how they relate to the internet, as well as providing tips on getting your own domain and the potential web hosting sites available. One of the first reads would be "What kind of hosting do you need?" I also like the post "Three Web Hosting Mistakes to Avoid."

We have since gotten our own domains. It is pretty cool having a blog with its own domain name! I think if anyone is interested in it, it’s a good thing. And getting the information you need before you take the plunge is easier than ever.

Did You Know I am Putting Together my Christmas Shopping List?

Did you know I am putting together my Christmas shopping list?

Yes, I like to have it done early! I always try to order books from Scholastic for all the cousins, and I am a little behind on that this year. I bought some shirts for the boys on my list-nephews, son, husband and dad. I got season passes to Broadway Across America for my daughter and she picked out a hoodie she wants. My son will likely get an in-ground basketball goal to replace the one blown down by Ike and probably a new bike, since his got stolen that week too. As for my husband, no idea! Nephews are still into toys (but I did my the older one laser tag for his upcoming 9th birthday!) Mom and my husband's family, no ideas yet either. Maybe lots of cooked/homemade items again. Now, just don't go telling them their gifts, please!

Did You Know Buying Shoes Is So Hard?

Did you know buying shoes is so hard?

You would think with the millions of shoe choices available, it would not be that hard. But when looking for shoes for me or my daughter, it seems to be hard! She is so picky and my feet often hurt, so it just makes it that much more difficult. And there are so many weird styles available. Sometimes I just want a good plain shoe! I have never tried Dansko before, but I do like the look of some of their shoe styles.

Did You Know How To Make Maroon?

Did you know how to make maroon?

Most folks know how to combine colors to make another color. Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green and red and blue make purple. But as my daughter and her team mates were making a banner for their Varsity's homecoming volleyball game, they wanted to make maroon, since that is their team's color. One of the girls thought she remembered hearing how to do it. Combine red and brown. So they tried it and the color turned out to be the shade of maroon they were looking for!

Did You Know About Extra Dime?

Did you know about Extra Dime ?

Right now, everyone I know is pinching pennies. And saving that extra dime is pretty important. With the holidays coming up, many people are worried how to trim their holiday spending while still providing their kids the gifts they want. With a site like Extra Dime , it's a little easier! This forum is all about hot deals! You can find coupons for some favorite shops, find bank sign up deals and credit card cash back offers. These will be a real boon to this year's holiday shopping!

Did You Know About the Recycle Ike Program?

Did you know about the Recycle Ike program?

No, it is not an effort to recreate the storm, but an effort by the City of Houston to recycle all the debris left by Ike. We are talking about 8,000,000 cubic yards of green debris. This is a mixture of trees found in the area, including sectioned trunks with bark. The mayor is trying to keep as much of this debris from taking up space in the landfills. Right now, much of it is being ground to make mulch and compost. But the city is looking for ideas from environmental-conscious folks to put as much of the debris to good use as possible. The contest is open to anyone (except those related to the judges) and there are cash rewards for the top three ideas. There are some stipulations the ideas must meet, but I know there are many folks out there with some good ideas. I am really hoping that my friend Montucky , my father-in-law and my brother-in-law will come up with a winning idea each! These guys are full of great ideas and here is an excellent place to put them into practice!

Did You Know We Finally Got Our Internet Fixed?

Did you know we finally got our internet fixed?

I know, I may be jinxing myself by saying that! We heard that about a week ago, a debris truck had clipped the cable line on one of the streets causing an outage of all cable services. This lasted several days, but then Comcast seemingly thought all was working again (even though several of us kept calling!) Apparently, one side of the street had been fixed but the other side still wasn't working. When a tech came out to my neighbor's house, he walked up and down the street and finally found that the line had been pulled away from the pole behind someone's house. He called some helpers and they had it fixed by that evening! Now all seems to be working fine and we didn't have to switch carriers, buy memory, or upgrade our computer!

Did You Know It's Been One Month Since Ike Blew In?

Did you know it's been one month since Ike blew in?

It has been one month since Ike came to visit. There is much work still to do in many areas. Yesterday, we drove to Baytown to my cousin's birthday. As we drove over the Fred Hartman bridge, we saw a row of several boats washed up on the shore. They looked like some toy boats a kid had dropped in the yard. As we came back across Kemah, we saw more boats washed up on the shore as well as the damage to the board walk. Today in Seabrook, we saw many people whose homes are still in a mess. All their stuff is still out in the yard awaiting clean up and home repairs. Although much has been done, and folks are working hard together, I saw today that there is still much to be done.

Did You Know About Our Hurricane Relief Dinner?

Did you know about our hurricane relief dinner?

It has been one month since hurricane Ike blew ashore. Today our church provided lunch to some folks in one of the hardest hit areas outside Galveston. We took spaghetti, bread and cookies to hand out to those who are still cleaning up their homes. I chose to make some of my favorite cookie recipes like snickerdoodles and sugar cookies. I figured if I had been living off of handed out food for a month, I'd want some homemade cookies. Our lunch went over really well, with plenty of food left over to share with a woman's shelter, some relief workers, as well as church members!

Did You Know Today is the First Day It's Rained in Three Weeks?

Did you know today is the first day it's rained in three weeks?

That means it has not rained since the day after Hurricane Ike struck land. This is significant for many people in the area; a real blessing in some ways. It has meant that clean up has been made a little easier without the rain. Some folks, like one of our neighbors, have even been able to get their new roof on in time before the rain came again.

I just found today on my camera some photos my son had taken the day after the storm moved out. We had no real damage in our area, thankfully.




Mostly, branches down,







a few trees down (thankfully not on any houses),



lots of fencing down








and many folks lost a lot of shingles.





My son did lose his prized possession-a basketball goal.





Our neighborhood has also been blessed by the clean up crews having passed through already. I wish I'd have taken a picture of the street lined up with debris, but I never did. As for many folks just south and east of us, the clean up is still going on...

Did You Know About Reverse Phone Lookup?

Did you know about reverse phone lookup ?

I could have used this service just the other day! I had missed a phone call from a number I did not recognize. It worked out all right when I decided to go ahead and call the number back. But there was a time two years ago when I wish I would have been able to use a service like this. There were some family issues going on and we were receiving harassing phone calls. As I did not want to get into a fight with someone, I chose not to answer any calls from an unknown number. As it turned out, my sister overseas was also trying to call. Because I did not recognize the number, I did not answer. This put added stress on the situation as she could not get through to talk to me since I would not answer! I could have used the look up to find out exactly who was calling, from the U.S. or Canada. Using a reverse phone lookup is easy. No one will be contacted to let them know you've searched their number.

The reverse look up can be helpful in other areas too. If you have unknown numbers on your phone bill, or keep getting annoying or prank calls, or just want to check a missed call, the reverse lookup can be an easy way to find the information you need.

Did You Know Oct. 6 is the Last Day to Register to Vote for this Election?

Did you know Oct. 6 is the last day to register to vote for this election?

That's tomorrow. So if you find yourself needing to get registered, do it tomorrow! Information for those displaced by hurricane Ike can find it here . And if you want to, (in Texas) you can get an application online or check your post office, library and DPS office.

Did You Know About the RC Helicopter Sale?

Did you know about the rc helicopter sale?

As I love to get my Christmas shopping out of the way ASAP, I don't think it's too early to start thinking about Christmas gift ideas. My kids each got an rc helicopter last year. It's a fun idea (for dads too!) and this month you can save during the October sale.

Did You Know about Simple Beauty Secrets?

Did you know about simple beauty secrets?


I read last night in Reader's Digest that even superstars like Queen Latifah use simple secrets for enhancing beauty. She said that her grandmother had beautiful skin and taught her to use baking soda with a little warm water to wash her face. Keeping it simple and taking steps for healthy beauty is much more attainable for the average person.

Did You Know About Mobile Routers?

Did you know about mobile routers?

I guess I am behind the times, because I did not know what a mobile router is. But this looks like something my husband would like when he travels. It might have even come in handy just after the storm! The mobile router allows you to create a WiFi hotspot area using an aircard for multiple user anywhere your broadband service is available! This allows you to share your connection with others throughout your home or office! There are even compact, pocket sized ones!

Did You Know We Still Have Intermittent Service?

Did you know we still have intermittent service?

Our internet service is still coming and going, mostly going. I was finally able to talk to someone today. Things are still in repair from the recent hurricane. There are so many lines that are having to be replaced with brand new ones. We do understand it and have tried to be patient. It is just that we don't get very reliable service from Comcast anyway. And when I need to do work online, and my kids have homework to do using the internet, it gets rather frustrating. I understand that we are not the only people in this situation and that there are many folks who are much worse off than we are. But there was a certain commercial that caught my attention tonight. Verizon claims that they have all lines in working order and have since the hurricane passed. I am going to have to check out their website!