Well, it's Saturday.... and there's lots going on in these parts.
First up... I'm still taking song suggestions for this week's Mix Tape. It's the last week, so it'd be nice to have a good turnout. if you haven't already.. go play!
Second... I'm hosting a CONTEST over at Crumbles..... looking for names for my newest Happy Jane creation. I'll be taking comments all week, then put them to a panel of judges for a vote. Winner gets a free batch of Happy Janes made especially for them... can you say YUMMY? so go check it out, do some thinking, and take a chance!
This afternoon... troy and I will be taking the kids to Carowinds.... we're doing the after-4pm route.. cause 1 - it's cheaper, 2 - the kids have attention spans of GNATS... so no use paying the full amount for a few hours. Plus factor in the BALL ASS HEAT we have here, and it does help to wait til the later parts of the day.
Speaking of Troy.... While his spine/neck still seems to be slipped (read MANGLED).. the pain has been dissipating some. Not that I actually know this for sure.. but he seems to be less and less cranky these days. so hoorah for that!
ALSO.. my husband is slowing joining the world of technology. ODD, as all the man does is web developing and boring stuff like that. He just joined Twitter... so if you're interested in C++ java java DLL to the ICP in sequel formation (or whatEVER in hell that crap means) go check him out. Or if you know someone else who twits about that stuff.... send them troy's way. (ps.. secretly loving what a rookie troy is in a computer-related thing. HAH)
alright.
time for me to pack some bags so that I may smuggle some snacks into amusement central. oh.. and did I tell you I got my new glasses??? very funky. They match my roots. which, NO.. is not a good thing. but at least I can laugh. I do like the glasses though.
alrighty... have a great weekend!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
SO MUCH going on!
Friday, August 22, 2008
MIX TAPE - LAST CHANCE DANCE
aaaah, yes. Summer is coming to a close. Labor day is rapidly approaching, and while it will still remain HOT AS BALLS here in the south for another good 3 months or so....
tis time to retire the mix tape.
now now.. fear not. I WILL keep the player up in my sidebar, and I think when all is said and done, I may make one last 'master mix' of all the songs that were suggested these past 2 months. now understand that will give y'all a grand ole hodge-podge of tunes to listen (or SKIP) through... but it will be fun to keep the tunes playing, regardless of not having a new topic each week.
and who knows? I may get my shit together and bring back another round of the mix tape come the fall or winter when I catch my breath and get into a routine again. but for now... I think it's time for me to hang up my links and start focusing on fall. or you know... the season in which we have hot weather in the last half of the year.
but blabbity blah. too much talk, not enough topic!!!
for this last week.. I would like for you all to give me a song (and ONE SONG ONLY!) that given all the money, magic and/or miracles in the world.... what ONE SONG would you want performed for you LIVE by an artist?
That's right. picture it. you. the artist (or band). one song. performed BY THEM, FOR YOU... right in front of you. (mood lighters not included, but yes.. you can invite as many friends as you want to gloat in the glory that this band or artist is performing for YOU AND ONLY YOU.)
being that this is the last week for the mix.. you have until MONDAY NIGHT to make your comment. one extra day to think about it, and maybe even to tell a friend (or your mom and aunt like Angela does!)
so what do you say? what's your show stopper?
___________
edited to add: YES, you CAN bring back the dead for this special fantasy performance. Granted... it would HAVE to at least be someone who has been recorded singing the song... No fair saying you would have Jesus sing "Back in the USSR", for example.
But Elvis, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and their likes?? all included.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
of Packages and Packages
Hänni!! you're so fresh! I wasn't talking about THAT kind of package!
sheesh!
naaah. I'm talking about good old fashioned packages. as in mail.
it is THE most adorable book. inside features some cupcakes that look JUST like corn on the cob. and one page features some tv-dinner looking creation. I TOTALLY want to work that shit. I'll share more when I get it. but let's say I'm looking forward to that package.
anyways.. in other news... I was flipping through yet ANOTHER oriental trading catalogue. I need to stop looking at shit and just ORDER the stuff for rhena's party already. (or at the very least make some damn invitations) but I have to say a big hearty WTF to one page I saw recently. It was for some crafty things, and this 'page' featured frames and banners boasting that said child is DRUG FREE and PROUD OF IT.
ok. I'm off to make some new confections. if all goes well I'll have yet ANOTHER post for crumbles before the weekend is through.
peace out.. oh, and check back tomorrow for what I think will be the FINAL week/topic of the mix tape game.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Little Engine that Could
Monday, August 18, 2008
Home On The Range
As you know.. my folks were here last week. In between bearing down and getting shit done (doctor appointments and pierogies to name a few dozen) good times were had.
It really got me thinking about HOME. For a long time "home" meant Sayreville, New Jersey to me. it's where my family was, it's where I grew up, and no matter what craziness came about in Daytona, Seattle, and Reno... Jersey was always home. I suppose in many ways it still is.... ask ANY Jersey Girl and she'll tell you something along the lines of being from jersey, despite living wherever now. It's like a little badge of some sorts... like by us telling she's from Jersey, she's letting you know right off the bat that you're PROBABLY going to love or hate her, and she's fine with either one.
My dad sent Troy an article one time about dating a jersey girl. he and I had a few good chuckles on how very true it rang. But all of that is an aside.
NOWADAYS... my home is here in Stepford. well.. not necessarily STEPFORD... cause you CERTAINLY don't see me joining any pageants or flying rebel flags or even worse.. watching NASCAR. No.. by Stepford, I mean where Rhena and Danny and Troy are. THEY are my family now. THEY are my home.
I enjoyed reading some of the comments that went along with the song suggestions. It's interesting getting that tiny glimpse of the wheres and whys of each of you.
So without further ado... here's this week's mix:
Cze-Johnson Fever's Home On The Range Mix:
Dixie Land - by Dan Emmett
Puff the Magic Dragon - by Peter, Paul & Mary
Over the Rainbow - by E.Y. Harburg (and the OTHER version)
Carolina in my Mind by James Taylor
White Wedding by Billy Idol
Golden Slumbers - by The Beatles
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - by Meatloaf'
Teach Your Children - by Crosby Stills & Nash
Cowboy Take Me Away by the Dixie Chicks
Where the Green Grass Grows - by Tim McGraw
Helpless - by Neil Young
Alberta Bound - by Gordon Lightfoot
Battle of New Orleans - by Johnny Horton
Bohemian Rhapsody - by Queen
The last song by Queen is my contribution. for all my talk about which home is home... one of the most constant things in my life is the process of GETTING home. Whether driving with the kids, or past times of driving with my mom in a car... somehow the journey home is always an interesting (read 'stressful') one, and SOMEBODY ends up crying.
One time in particular, my dad and I reduced my mom to a hot mess of tears and curses on route from Florida to Jersey. It's hard to remember which song in particular it was that set her off... (it was either Led Zeppelin or Queen) but the way that Bohemian Rhapsody is just ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE... it will always be associated with driving home. To this day the song makes my mom cringe. hee hee hee. (LOVE YOU, mom!)
alrighty.... the tunes will be pumped into the player during naptime this afternoon. right now... we're off to do that thing we do.
Happy monday!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
To Have and To Hold
ok.... perhaps not quite the best title... but given a chance to win free stuff???
you know I'm in.
Thanks to Stacey for tipping me off to Cool Mom Picks. They're hosting a little giveaway for any blogger that posts their button on a blog. So yeah. sign me up!
really.. go visit.. I won't mind!
speaking of visiting.. my folks are gone, so you SHOULD be seeing me on the regular again. updates to come this week.. including PICTURES!!! I know.. try to contain yourselves.
and hey.. if you haven't left a comment/song for this weeks mix... please do!!! Suser got cranky on me cause some of you were e-mailing me your song suggestions.. so please.. just go and actually leave a comment. it really is more fun when there's more songs, too.
alrighty then. I'm off and running again.. while the caffeine is still working.
Friday, August 15, 2008
MIX TAPE - Homebodies!!!
so this past week or so I've been busy here with my folks visiting. Tomorrow they're heading home, though. It's been a good visit and all that... but you're here for the tunes, so I'll save the recaps for next week.
Anyways.... I was watching the Olympics.. thinking about my folks leaving... or even just them BEING HERE... and it was pretty clear what this week's topic should be.
HOME.
whatever that definition of "home" is for you... maybe it's where you live now.. maybe it's when you're with your family... maybe it's a nod to the state or city you grew up in or near.
but the point is... everyone is from somewhere. Let's take a minute and suggest a song that evokes a feeling of 'home' for you.
One song, and one song only, gang.
new list will be up on monday!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Gone but not forgotten
hey gang.
sorry I've been scarce in these parts lately and around the internet. As I said earlier, my folks are here, and I've been busy.... surviving.
surviving isn't really the best word, though. I was BARELY surviving before they got here. Since my folks' arrival, I have finally gotten a chance to regroup just enough to man up and get shit done around here.
last week we had Rhena's nose cauterized. anyone that knows my child knows she has been getting severe nosebleeds since like.. BIRTH. we go through phases where she doesn't have many, but then we ALSO go through phases where our house and her clothing typically resemble some crime scene. so despite not wanting to put her through any ordeal... we decided it would be better than many more years of having to stop what she's doing with whomever she's with so she can tend to the red fountain above her mouth. The process was gut wrenching for me. but more on that later.
we made THREE attempts to get Troy an MRI (yes I said three... his spine is jacked up and despite being on 3 different pain meds and taking a valium, he has been unable to lay down for the hour-long test.) we just added some oral steroids to the mix, though... so we're hoping to try again on saturday.
we've been making pierogies (yesterday completed 13 dozen potato ones), dealing with moosey's clockworkingly predictable tantrums, eye doctor appointments for me (since I ripped my last contact and have been wearing 4 yr old glasses for 2 weeks).. and you know.. just regular tomfoolery that comes with the folks visiting.
on a POSITIVE note... I really do know that my folks being here has helped me get everything done. Them being able to watch one or both kids so I can get some things done with complete attention has been a GRACE. I actually feel stronger than I did a week ago. ok.. a little constipated (haven't crapped since saturday. WTF???) but stronger for sure.
I was allowed to do a guest post over at Mama Ginger Tree's House. so that was cool. go on over and say hello!!!
The cancer walk??? have you been over there lately? We're currently standing at OVER $1100 dollars in donations. This is so amazing.. and I can't thank you enough!!!! Some of you have e-mailed me and asked when the donations have to be in by... I believe we have up until just before the walk, so October. I KNOW you can find $5 by October!!!! please donate if and what you can!!! because really.. every dollar does count!
I'm currently working on a pitch for a local place in which I'm going to try to convince them to host a fundraising event for the walk. strike that. I AM going to find a place to host an event... and I have one place in mind.. just hoping they'll see my vision. I'll share more when I have everything official.
alright. I ought to put this thing away and prepare for another day of pierogies. we still have more potato to make, then we move on to the kapusta. I've been taking pictures, so will have a post next week of the whole process.
OH!!! so important!!!! I need some suggestions!!!
part of my 'pitch' to the bar/restaurant includes featuring a drink (one that can be alcoholic, AND have a non-alcoholic version available that's at least semi-similar)
anyways.. I'm looking for a drink to suggest. I want to call it "The Pink Ribbon Rock Star"
My first instinct is pomegranate, raspberry vodka, and 7-up....
I've done martinis where I've mixed keylime sparkling water with pom juice and raspberry vodka, and those are refreshing... but I'm looking for something new and GOOD. PLEASE share any recipes you just love... preferably ones with a pinkish hue. I've heard lots of you talk about blueberry vodka. so hit me with some ideas, gang!!!
ok. pierogies are calling. I'll post more as I can. but for sure will be back ont he regular next week.
oh, and SORRY about the mix tape last week. oops. I'll make a point to schedule a topic for friday this week... so for sure check back so we can get our music on!!!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Hurricane Alley
I suppose that isn't the best title given all the weather issues the gulf states are having....
but what I mean to say is that today is going to be a busy day for the Fever.
My folks are currently en route.... and while this makes every clock in my house look a little larger and tick just a tweensy bit louder..... and every little mess seem to have magically GROWN overnight.... yes.. while this means I will be as busy as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest today (and please notice I DID say MAN.. cause you KNOW any one-legged WOMAN in an ass-kicking contest could do THAT, drink coffee, AND write thank you notes and pay bills at the same time....)
so yeah. me? busy. but very excited.
excited to have the folks come so we can hang out and just BE. oh, and of course, the free babysitting should not go unmentioned. I'm for SURE gonna pimp them out so I can go to dinner and maybe a movie with troy. and you know.. get some basic stuff done like GO TO THE EYE DOCTOR SO I CAN STOP WEARING THESE OUT OF DATE GLASSES.
Did I not mention that yet?
oh yeah.. TOTALLY ripped the shit out of my contact, irritated my eye to no end.. and yeah.. no more back-up contacts.
anyways. today we're gonna hustle to get this place in tip-top company ready shape. and get creamer. I'm drinking my coffee this morning with danny's whole milk cause I'm out of creamer. If you know me in any capacity... this substitute for me is just about the same as ordering a fillet Mignon in a steak house, and getting a White Castle burger instead.
exactly.
alright... have a great day, gang.
and listen.. if you HAVEN'T made a donation yet??? PLEASE go to my page. EVERY dollar counts, and every PERSON on that honor roll offers a new surge of hope for SO MANY FAMILIES. Don't believe me? check out any one of the +2500 pages of the tribute book.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The Guilt Trip
Y'all know I'm Catholic. and we Catholics LOVE us some guilt trips. at least I am. I am GOOOOOOOOD about guilt.
I get this mostly from my mom. She has an innate way of taking personal responsibility for just about everything. Having shitty weather? meh... it's cause my mom said something the other day. Constipated from eating too much junk food? must be my mom's fault cause she didn't cook you a meal. even though she doesn't know you.
ok... so that's exaggerating just a LITTLE... but you get the point.
Anyways.. as the whole apples-tree-and-not-falling-far saying goes.... I also tend to walk around with an extraordinary amount of guilt at any given time. did I do enough? did I say too much???
Take this morning for instance... not 10 minutes ago, I left a comment on one of my favorite blogs.... Erin Cooks. Erin is awesome.. always hosting contests (btw.. go.. enter!! free books!!) and if you recall.. she's the one who hooked me up with the free ice cream. LOVE HER for that.
She makes amazing stuff, and takes even better pictures of it. I told her once how I had to stop reading her for a while cause I caught myself wanting to lick my laptop. but seriously... love her blog.
so the comment I left remarked how it would have been nice to see some chocolate in the icing of her cookie creations. and while there was absolutely NO ill intent of what I wrote... I TOTALLY have been second guessing what I wrote. so much that I immediately stumbled her page. and started this post about guilt. BAH!
Anyways... me and guilt.. like I said and you can see... we go back. (btw... go and take a peek at her cookies.. they DO look fantastic, and you can tell her as much. and that I'm a jackass for talking about the chocolate. I totally deserve it.)
Now with the Avon Walk, I've been feeling a whole NEW set of guilt. first off... holy CRAP.... we totally blew by the $500 dollar goal in like what.. 2 days??? and donations are still coming in. The generosity and love that has been so quickly given is BEYOND humbling. I have been regularly crying with appreciation.
But yet.. now that the goal has been officially 'met'... I'm at a quandary. TRUE.. I don't HAVE to go out and seek more donations. but yet... something's.... missing. i totally do not feel like I have spoken about it enough. Because while the amount of money that has been raised so far is awe-inspiring... I feel like it should be MORE. but not MORE as in dollar amount. MORE as in number of people.
Am I really doing enough to share my vision? Is it greedy that I think people donating just ONE DOLLAR can inspire hope? and that I want MORE people to donate just that one dollar? Is it crazy to think that I CAN get 100 people just to make even the most minimal donation so my cousin and many many other women and families like her can see the VOLUME of people that believe in LIFE for her?
Part of me feels SO incredibly guilty for wanting that... that VOLUME.... because honestly??? the VOLUME that HAS been given thus far is, as I said.. humbling. I certainly wouldn't want to shadow anything that has been done so far.
but last year.. when I arrived at the walk before sunrise, and I looked around in the stadium.. I couldn't help but feel PART OF SOMETHING as I saw the hundreds of men and women that were there for the very same thing I was... that hope.
I dunno. that's where I'm at. I'm kind of percolating on an event of some sorts... either at church or local pub or grocery store where I can set up camp until I can get x-amount number of donations. Maybe charge everyone a dollar to sign a big assed banner to be hung at the walk or something.
something.
but so far??? I can not express my thanks enough. 11 donations so far representing 31 people who believe.
11 donations, and we're OVER $800. incredible. INCREDIBLE, I say!!!!
so again.. thank you to all who HAVE donated, or WILL donate. every dollar DOES make a difference. And if you have any ideas of how I can shake some of this guilt for not doing more??? I would love to hear them.
I may start off by apologizing to Erin.
Monday, August 04, 2008
The So Bad it's Good Mix
Hey gang! thanks to all that participated in this week's mix tape. Y'all brought the best of the worst out there.
That's right.. I asked you to tell me that one song that you JUST CAN'T stand.... but can't stop singing.
so without further ado... I give you:
Cze-Johnson Fever's So Bad it's GOOD Mix:
See You Again - by Miley Cyrus
7 Things - by Miley Cyrus
Ice Ice Baby - by Vanilla Ice
Hot Dog! - by They Might Be Giants
SexyBack - by Justin Timberlake
Baby Got Back - by Sir-Mix-a-Lot
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - by Phil Collins
Piece of Me - by Britney Spears
This Kiss - by Faith Hill
Stronger - by Kanye West
I'm Too Sexy - by Right Said Fred
Without Me - by Eminem
The Choice is Yours - by Black Sheep
Baby One More Time - by Britney Spears
Macarena - by Los Del Rio
Karma Chameleon - by Culture Club
Feliz Navidad - by Jose Feliciano (sorry, Marianna!!!)
ug.... just typing these out makes me a bit ill. but there you have it. Thanks so much to all that played. We missed some regulars this week... perhaps they didn't want to lose clout in the blogosphere by admitting they like crappy music (cough cough Erin Cooks loves Mariah Carey cough cough) but you know.. whatever.. not gonna judge!!! ;)
Enjoy... or try not to. or you know.... at the very least.. put some headphones on!!!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
And so it begins (again)
last year... I spent the month of August talking about and soliciting funds for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I did a lot of reflecting, and I turned to you, my readers, to help me reach my financial fundraising goal of $1800 dollars.
We as a group were able to surpass that goal, and I was humbled by the outpouring of love and generosity. I thought of each and every one of you as I walked 26 miles on the first day of the event.
unfortunately, what my brain wanted and what my body was able to do were two different things. I was unable to walk the second day of the event, and did not complete the proposed 39 mile journey.
I've already discussed it, and most of you know how I feel about the subject. This year, having the experience of understanding what a physical undertaking walking 39 miles is.. and a better grasp of my own capabilities.... I have opted to not walk in the Charlotte event this year.
I HAVE, however, decided to take on the challenge of being a Crew Member for the Walk. Being a Crew Member will not require the physical strength that walking 39 miles demands. It does, however... require a different kind of strength. It requires making EVERY walker know how appreciated they are, and helping them believe in the difference they are making.
For every one that has given ME a kind word, I feel obligated to pass that love, that strength, that BELIEF... THAT HOPE on to someone else. So I'm going to Crew.
As a crew member, I am asked to raise money. I have set a goal of $500, and am determined to find at least 100 people to give just ONE PERCENT of that goal. $5 dollars. 100 people.
I sent an e-mail to some friends and family yesterday, and I'm happy to say that as of this morning, we're well on our way to reaching the goal of $500. This alone is fantastic, because each Walker or Crew Member's collected contribution will help to support medical research into the possible causes of and cure for breast cancer, education and early detection programs, and clinical care and support services for women with breast cancer in communities across the country. so yeah.. the more money the better.
but 100 people. can it be done?
my personal theme for this year's walk is HOPE. imagine the sense of HOPE my cousin Rachel will feel if she knows that 100 people believe in her and her fight against cancer. Imagine the empowerment YOU could feel knowing you were in a room of 100 people that felt the same way you do.
help me find hope. help me GIVE hope. help me SPREAD hope.
please visit my donor page for more information or to make a donation. Donating may not change the entire world.. but it sure can make a world of difference for someone with cancer.
Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk2008/Charlotte?px=3510084&pg=personal&fr_id=1670&et=Xk1Y9CRmM_ie9vZD240YAg..&s_tafId=283615
thank you for even thinking about it.
thank you 100 times over.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Love to Hate You!
ahhh.. love-hate relationships. we've all had them. some of us more than others.. some, with inanimate objects. or food. (oh please.. like you've never had a white castle burger before ??!!??)
Anyways.. this week has been nothing but contradictions and conflictions here in the Fever... so I'm gonna roll with that and make it the base of this weekend's Mix Tape Request Line.
are you lost yet?
Really... the theme is easy.
I want you to name one song (AND ONE SONG ONLY!!!) that you HATE that you LOVE.
You know the song. there's like a THOUSAND of them out there. Like Biz Markie's "Just a Friend". yeah. THAT kind of song.
it's AWFUL. you know it is. everyone ELSE knows it is. but yet... either you know all the words, or you TOTALLY bust a move when it comes on. but the song sucks. but it's SO FUN! But.. oh shit, did that person just see me singing it???
so come one, come all!! fess up and give us your worst! I mean best... well.. you know what I mean.
Get your songs in before monday morning....