If YOU'RE NOT ALREADY ON MY FRIENDS LIST and you'd like to be friends, please comment on this entry and tell me where I might know you from (or why you want to be my friend). I don't bite! :)

(and thanks to lylith_st for the FO banner!) (EDIT 12/22/09: It's ironic that I've kept this banner all this time and the cast of House changed to all different supporting castmembers and then back again to the original ones who are in the banner!)

Starting off the list for 2010.

1. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard (audiobook) finished 1/7/10
2. The End of Overeating by David Kessler (audiobook) finished 1/16/10
3. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (audiobook) finished 1/27/10
4. Green River Running Red by Ann Rule (audiobook) finished 2/2/10
5. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore (audiobook and printed book) finished 2/4/10
6. Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (audiobook) finished 2/8/10

Links to previous years' lists:
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005

Today creamicannoli turned me on to CloudCrowd, which is an app on Facebook where you can make money editing poorly-written website text and a few other tasks. I find the work interesting and I've been doing it in between doing other stuff. I started this afternoon and have already earned $15. I thought I would let you all know about it, and I hope you join me. :) You can do by clicking here.

A real update is coming up later today. A lot has been happening, good and not-as-good. ;)

A Blogger blog has been set up specifically for discussing Emily McDonald (irangel) and the accusations against her, etc. She is the person I posted about the other day who is accused of attempting to harm her own daughter in the hospital.

The blog is at this address. Feel free to read, contribute, etc.

Nevermind. It's gone.

Look! Here's my profile!
I've got two articles on there so far...

Parenting a Special Needs Child: Books for the Journey, which I already published on Associated Content

and

The Impact of Munchausen by Proxy cases on the special needs community

If you guys could click, I would be so appreciative. This and AC will hopefully help me earn some money for our household. (I hope I am not bugging everyone too much.)

Behold, a new article: Parenting the Special Needs Child: Books for the Journey (well, it is on Examiner too).

And a new funny Misty video: Misty is a pudding mess

Please, if you would, click the links and recommend? Thanks!!

They were looking for "America's Funniest Videos" so here I have one you might like... Misty helping Dave play XBox 360 when she was very little. :)

Here it is. Please click and recommend and enjoy! (She is so cute!)

My first Associated Content article has been published! It is about warning signs of breast cancer and you can read it here. (If you could click and recommend I would be grateful... But also it's good and important information!

Alice.com, which will be launching its beta site soon hopefully, is giving away a year's worth of toilet paper to a lucky U.S. resident.

I personally would love to win this because Misty is potty training and the boys use an awful lot of toilet paper. Funny how that works!

You can enter to win here.

Today is the 9th anniversary of my dad's death. It is also Don't Fry Day, which always happens on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

My dad died of metastatic melanoma. It started in 1991 with one of many cancerous spots he had removed by his dermatologist. This was the first malignant melanoma spot. It was near his temple.

It cropped up again in 1999 in his vertebra, although it took a while to figure out what was wrong. The melanoma at this point was already stage IV and progressed quickly to his liver, one kidney, and brain. He underwent spinal fusion and numerous chemotherapy and radiation treatments, largely for comfort because there would be no cure.

He also had non-small cell lung cancer (unusual to have two types of cancer at the same time) but ultimately died from the melanoma invading his digestive tract. We knew he didn't have long, but it still came WAY too quickly. We didn't feel like we had time to say goodbye. His virtual memorial is here. He was a father, son, uncle, and my mom's soulmate.

Yes, today (for another 20 minutes or so, anyway) is Don't Fry Day, but it is important EVERY day of the year to remember to use sunscreen.

Don't look like this:


Andrew, age 10

My dad adored his grandsons. I wish he had lived long enough to meet Misty. He would adore her as well.


My dad with Andrew (8 months old) in 1997


My dad with Ricky (12 months old) in 1996

Rules:
+ Please comment and credit if you take any
+ No hotlinking
+ Enjoy!

( pregnancy icons under the cut )

( some other random icons )

Last year I made some Valentine's Day icons. You can find them here.

And now here are some more icons for January and February holidays...

Rules:
+ Please comment and credit if you take any
+ No hotlinking
+ Enjoy!

( under the cut )

Starting this year's list!

1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) finished 1/14/09
2. Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian (audiobook) finished 1/26/09
3. Voice of the Night by Dean Koontz (audiobook) finished 2/4/09
4. Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle (audiobook) finished 2/26/09
5. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 3/2/09
6. Fool by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 3/13/09
7. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken finished 4/8/09
8. Tooth & Claw and Other Stories by T.C. Boyle (audiobook) finished 4/8/09
9. Digging to America by Anne Tyler (audiobook) finished 4/13/09
10. Still Alice by Lisa Genova finished 4/16/09
11. The Memory-Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (audiobook) finished 4/21/09
12. Fluke by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 5/4/09
13. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 5/13/09
14. Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (audiobook) finished 5/18/09
15. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (audiobook) finished 6/3/09
16. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (audiobook) finished 6/5/09
17. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) finished 6/5/09
18. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (audiobook) finished 6/25/09
29. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) finished 7/8/09
30. This Lovely Life by Vicki Forman finished 7/11/09
31. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult (audiobook) finished 7/22/09
31. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich finished 7/29/09
32. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) finished 8/6/09
33. The Amateur Marriage by Ann Tyler (audiobook) finished 8/13/09
34. Three Weeks to Say Goodbye by C. J. Box (audiobook) finished 8/22/09
35. A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham (audiobook) finished 8/29/09
36. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (audiobook) finished 9/4/09
37. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb finished 9/10/09
38. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb (print + audiobook) finished 9/17/09
39. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult (audiobook) finished 10/1/09
40. the Accidental by Ali Smith (audiobook) finished 10/12/09 (BLECH)
41. Mercy by Jodi Picoult (audiobook) finished 10/29/09 (disappointing)
42. Desperado City by Rebecca Coleman finished 11/3/09 (good!)
43. Last Chance, Last Dance by Ann Rule finished 11/9/09
44. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner finished 11/18/09
45. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (audiobook) finished 11/19/09
46. Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 11/24/09
47. You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 12/1/09
48. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (audiobook) finished 12/8/09
49. Full of Grace by Dorothea Benton Frank (audiobook) finished 12/15/09 (CRAP)
50. Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard (audiobook) finished 12/22/09
51. You Better Not Cry: Christmas Stories by Augusten Burroughs finished 12/25/09
52. Body Surfing by Anita Shreve (audiobook) finished 12/28/09
53. Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb finished 12/31/09

Links to previous years' lists:
2008
2007
2006
2005

Today I shopped at Walgreens, and got $41.01 worth of food and other necessities for $19.23. Later, I went to Safeway, and got $118.89 worth of groceries for a mere $59.69.

And how did I do it?

A blogging friend turned me on to The Grocery Game (thegrocerygame.com). Basically the people there compile the info for the stores in your area. For my zip code they have Safeway, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. I am just starting my 4 week free trial, which is nice to see if I'm really going to use it.

Basically they peruse the Sunday ads and coupons and each week they come up with a list of recommendations for each store, showing the prices and which coupons you should use. The idea is that you clip coupons for stuff you usually buy, each week, out of the Sunday paper. You save them and use them when they tell you to use them. Also, they have stuff out of those Easy Saver type rebate books in their recommendations. That's how I got the jumbo size of Pert shampoo for free (after rebate) today at Walgreens. Keep in mind, though, that the savings I accomplished today were done with hardly any coupons, as I only ordered the Sunday paper today! At Walgreens, I used four of the coupons from their weekly flyer (which you can get in the store) and at Safeway, I used one manufacturer's coupon that I printed off of the internet. Imagine the damage I could do if I had a stockpile of coupons!

The idea is that you stock up on stuff when it is cheap, and store it for when you need it. This assumes you have some storage space. I happen to have a chest freezer that I've been working on cleaning out, so I have room for the frozen stuff, and I just cleaned out my pantry closet so I could store all of the $1 cake mixes and $1.50 pasta that I bought today. So basically you are buying stuff you're going to use anyway, but you buy it when it's on sale, so that when you need it you have it and don't have to buy it at full price. There is a cycle of sales, so eventually you end up with everything you need for your pantry and freezer.

Does that make sense?

Anyway, I'm really having fun with it so far and I highly recommend it. If you want to try it, again it's thegrocerygame.com and if you're feeling generous you could put me as the referrer -- beckerbuns@gmail.com -- as that will get me some free weeks down the line.

Oh and after they start charging, after the free four-week trial, it's something like $.60 per week per store. Not bad considering I just saved almost $80 today!

Hope all that makes sense... I know I tend to ramble...

So embarrassing that I'm just starting this now...

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (audiobook) finished sometime in February, 2008
2. Too Late to Say Goodbye A True Story of Murder And Betrayal by Ann Rule finished 5/13/08
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (audiobook with boys) finished 5/25/08
4. Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston finished 7/12/08
5. Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson finished 7/17/08
6. The End of Alice by A.M. Homes finished 7/26/08
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (audiobook with boys) finished 8/14/08
8. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner (audiobook) finished 9/15/08
9. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (audiobook) finished 9/23/08
10. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (audiobook) finished 9/29/08
11. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (audiobook) finished 10/4/08
12. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (audiobook with boys) finished 10/5/08
13. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (audiobook) finished 10/9/08
14. The Inner Circle by T.C. Boyle (audiobook) finished 10/19/08
15. The Guy Not Taken: Stories by Jennifer Weiner (audiobook) finished 10/27/08
16. Running With Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs (audiobook) finished 11/4/08
17. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (audiobook with the boys) finished 11/13/08
18. Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner (audiobook) finished 11/21/08
19. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner (audiobook) finished 12/12/08
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (audiobook with the boys) finished 12/22/08
21. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin (audiobook) finished 12/23/08

I'm a doof and haven't mentioned this yet... Durr.

But I'm walking in the Great Strides walk to cure cystic fibrosis this Sunday. Our team is modest... Probably just me and the kids (though I'm trying to convince Dave) but we're doing our part! I've raised $75 so far. If anyone is interested in helping out, the page to donate is here.

I am also doing the Cystic Fibrosis Research, Inc. Mother's Day Tea. This consists of a tea bag, picture of Ricky, and "invitation" being sent to solicit donations. No one is obligated to donate, but if you'd like to get an invitation, please leave your name and snail mail address in the comments of this post. I am screening comments. Or, if you'd prefer, you can email me (email address in my profile).

Thank you all for your consideration. :)

On a roll tonight I guess.

After a discussion on astralweeks' LJ about the Teletubbies, I made these. :)

If you use either of them, please credit me beckerbuns and comment here. Thanks!

I made some userpics! Well, I've made some before, but I think that this is the first time I have shared them publicly...

Anyway here you go.

Guidelines:
+ no hotlinking
+ comment here and credit me beckerbuns if you use one

Source: Getty

( they're under the cut... )

This is a public post. So just because you can read it doesn't mean I cut you.

I just cut a bunch of people from my friends list. If you were cut, please don't take it personally... I just didn't think we had anything in common anymore, you don't post anymore, I wasn't reading your blog anymore, or I am pretty sure you weren't reading mine.

That being said -- if you were cut and you are upset about it because you ARE reading or believe we DO have things in common, please comment to this post and I'll probably add you back.

Mwah.

1. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (finished sometime in June)
2. Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult (finished sometime in June, while on vacation) (note: Jodi Picoult books = crack)
3. The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket (audiobook, listened to with Ricky and/or Andrew, finished in June)
4. The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket (audiobook, listened to with Andrew, finished 7/1/07)
5. The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket (audiobook, listened to with Andrew, finished in July 2007)
6. The End by Lemony Snicket (audiobook, listened to with Ricky and Andrew, finished 8/15/07 and it made me tear up that it was the last book)
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling (finished the audiobook with the boys in August or September)
8. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich -- A disappointing Stephanie Plum novel. :( I am ready for this series to be over. It started out so well. What happened? (finished in September?)
9. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet -- WOW what a great book, about an autistic savant a la Rainman, but much more interesting. I highly recommend this book. (finished 11/28/07)
10. True Stories of Law & Order by by Kevin Dwyer and Jure Fiorillo (finished 12/16/07)
11. Dear G Spot by Zane (finished 12/26/07)

Sadly, these are the only books I have finished since Misty's birth. Guess I've been a little busy. ;)