Wordy Or Not So Wordy Wednesday

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Sunday March 6th, my peanut turned four years old.  It has been so fast these past four years.  Feels like just yesterday I was laying in that hospital bed having my beautiful daughter.

Peanut celebrated her fourth birthday at Going Bonkers.  She really enjoys being at that place

All Peanut's birthday guests, mainly cousins

Peanut being goofy with her birthday cake

Peanut needed help from mommy to blow out her candles

My mom got peanut a microphone for her bday so she can sing Single Ladies by Beyonce,  I should have never taught her that song haha.

Me and my beautiful daughter.  She had an awesome birthday party, and really got a lot of good gifts.  I just wish that I could push the pause button and stop her from growing up.  They don't lie when they say children grow up way to fast.  I just hope that we have an awesome relationship when she gets older like I have with my mommy.

Stalk Hop Friday

Welcome to


"Stalk Hop Friday"!

Blog hops are a great way to gain more followers! This hop follows in EVERY way: Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Feed, Blog Frog, Networked Blogs! "Stalk Me" and I will return the favor! (For those of you who have participated in this hop before, you'll notice I changed a few things).


Please Link directly to your Blog post about "Stalk Hop Friday" or Friday Follow below!


** Please grab the Badge to put in your post, help spread the word and make this hop big!!

** It's a lot easier for others to leave a comment and follow you back if they have a specific post to comment on.

Wordy Or Not So Wordy Wednesday

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I am so glad that winter is almost officially over, I love when it is spring time.  I am so ready to start decorating my yard and getting ready for the warm months.  We got lucky this week and had a few nice days, that were unseasonably warm.  But of course, according to the farmer's almanac we are supposed to get more snow, and I am starting to believe it because it is back down in the 20's

Peanut playing on her swingset on one of the nice days this week

Peanut was so excited that she finally got to play outside without freezing, she even asked if we could go swimming in her pool.  She is so funny at times.

Mary Jane, my black lab/ boxer mix was even excited about the weather, Look she is smiling

My two babies, Peanut and Mary Jane.  Peanut loves her doggy, even though she is twice Peanuts size



I Love My Online Friends Monday Blog Hop

I am following a new Monday Blog Hop hosted by The Things We Find Inside.  To link up, just click on the button below to be directed to her page.


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RULES




1. Follow the host (The Things We Find Inside ) and the guest hosts on GFC. For this week, we are the number 1, 2 and 3 spots on the linky. (We will follow back.) Leave a comment to let us know.



2. Follow as many people as you can and be sure to let them know that you are from the 'I love my Online Friends Monday Hop'.



3. You are not required to, but it will be great if you could grab our button and make a post about this hop. The more people that see this hop, the more blogs for us to visit and the more followers we gain.



4. Every week the host will pick one person to 'Guest Host' the hop with her. If you would like to be considered for the guest host position, all you need to do is grab the hosts  button, write a post about the hop and follow her on GFC.

I Will Get Better...

I just want to say sorry to all of my followers...I have failed you guys by not tending to my blog as much as I used to.  I am trying to get busy.  Just have to learn how to manage my time/ life a little better.  I recently started participatining in roller derby and became addicted to a game on facebook, that I began to ignore my blog.  Well guess what, I am back. 

Keepin' Company Thursday

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* 1. Copy and Paste the 'Keepin' Company Thursday" button and write a blog post about it on your page, explaining to your blog followers how it works and how to join. (You can find this on Traci66 right side bar or on Heck of a Bunch right side bar)


* 2. Follow the first two blogs, which are the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch and Traci66. We will follow back.

* 3. Follow the "LUCKY" #3 spot winner.


For this hop to really work you'll need to follow the 'honor code' and help us spread the word about Keepin' Company Thursday.

*4. Go to as many blogs on the list as possible and follow them.

*5. Leave them a comment saying. "Hey! I'm a new follower from "Keepin' Company Thursday" Check out my blog too! www.yourbloghere.blogspot.com Thanks!" They should all follow you back because that's what this is all about!

*6. If you get a follower via Keepin' Company Thursday please follow them back.

*7. Add your blog name and the URL to your Keepin' Company Thursday Post to the linky below

* You can also grab the code below to add to your post if you want the thumbnails to appear in your post.


How to get to be in the #3 spot

* If you add the Keepin' Company button to your sidebar or post and leave either of the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch or Traci66, a comment letting us know where to find it we will randomly draw a blog to be in the #3 spot next week. We would really appreciate if you did this step so we can spread the word about Keepin' Company Thursdays.

Wordy Or Not So Wordy Wednesday

Since it has been so cold the last few weeks, Peanut and me have been spending a lot of quality time in the house.  We been having pretend birthday parties for the cats, pretend tea parties and just plain playing with toys.  Tonight, we decided to make our birdy house that I had bought for us to do.  As we were making our birdy house, Peanut kept telling me how I am a good painter because I am a nurse.   She is amazed with my job, which is kinda neat.  She also had to tell me several times that she is going to be a nurse when she gets big.  Honestly, this makes me happy to hear that she wants to follow in my footsteps, which I know will probably change when she gets older.

Peanut with all the supplies laid out to make her birdy house

The birdy house put together and ready to be painted

Peanut painting her birdy house, she really had a good time

Peanut with her completed birdy house, she chose the colors all by herself, and she even informed me that her birdy house is going to be taken to my parents campground.  Damn the luck thought we could decorate our yard with it. Haha

The birdy house hanging to dry







Steppin By Saturday

This is a brand new blog hop, so please please please pass on our button!!!




RULES

1- Follow all 3 hostesses above and the featured host, We are the first four in Linky!

2- Grab the button, or the whole hop if you like and post it on your blog!

3-The more people you follow, the more that will follow you back!

If you'd like to be a featured blog next week-

Follow all the rules and leave a comment with the link to where the button/post can be found. One blog will be randomly selected and be the featured blog!

Interesting Info I Found About Phil the Groundhog

2011 will be Punxsutawney Phils 125 prognositcation!

Looking for answers to your Groundhog Day questions? You've come to the right spot! Click the links above to learn about various aspects of the Groundhog Day holiday, and how we've been celebrating it in Punxsutawney since 1886. Explore the web site for all the answers you may have about the event, Punxsutawney Phil, The Groundhog Club, Video and Pictures of past events and media information.

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the holiday:

Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.

How often is Phil's prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!

How many "Phils" have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 125 years!

Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.

On February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.


The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."

Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887.

So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.


I am so excited, the groundhog didn't see his shadow this year.  Spring will be here sooner than we know it.

Spring Can Not Get Here Fast Enough...

I really wish that spring would hurry up and get here.  It is my favorite season of the year. The temperatures are perfect generally and the days are not super short.  I was excited when we had our first snowfall this year because this was the first year that I was able to take Peanut sled riding.  But now, I have enough.  And for anyone who lives in the Midwest, they know what I am talking about.  Most of today, it has been sleeting, and everything is covered with a thin layer of ice.  But it only gets better, where I live we are under a winter storm warning, which includes a blizzard warning.  I am so not looking forward for all of this snow and ice.  Our forcast for the next few days is snow, snow and more snow.  All I can think is ugh.  Here is what the weather channel is saying for my area: WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST TUESDAY......BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TUESDAY TO NOON CST WEDNESDAY...A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6AM CST TUESDAY. A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TUESDAY TO NOON CST WEDNESDAY.

* TIMING...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
EARLY EVENING HOURS...ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A
COLUMBIA MISSOURI TO WHITE HALL ILLINOIS LINE. THE PRECIPITATION WILL
CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW BY LATE THIS EVENING AND PERSIST THROUGH
WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES TUESDAY AND
TUESDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW WILL END WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* ACCUMULATIONS...MINOR ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS CAN BE
EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL
RANGE FROM 12 TO 21 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

* WINDS...WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHERLY AND INCREASE TO 25 TO 30
MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 45 MPH BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

* IMPACTS...EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE HEAVY
SNOW ACCUMULATION AND EXTENSIVE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
COULD LIMIT TRAVEL FOR DAYS. WHITE OUT CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED WHERE THE DEEPEST SNOW COVER IS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A BLIZZARD WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS OF OVER 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED FOR SEVERAL HOURS WITH CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND/OR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. VISIBILITIES WILL BECOME POOR...WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES...MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THOSE VENTURING OUTDOORS MAY BECOME LOST OR DISORIENTED...SO PERSONS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE ADVISED TO STAY INDOORS.

Needless to say, we have stocked up on water and on food that doesn't have to be cooked just in case this really gets bad.  Our local news program is saying that if we get all the snow they are calling for, it will be a historical moment.  The most snow we have ever receieved at one time has been 10 inches and that was back in 1993.  I just really hope that it misses us, or that we only get a few inches of snow.  But know my luck we will get all the accumulations they are calling for.  This is what our news is saying to prepare for the winter storm: In anticipation of the winter storm, emergency officials say it's important to be prepared with basic necessities in case you're snowed in. Officials recommend having 3-5 days worth of food and medicine. When stocking up for a storm, the first thing that comes to mind is getting essentials like milk. But emergency officials say you also need to remember to pick up your non-perishable items. "Things to be looking at is canned goods, you know those will last for a long period of time, don't forget the can opener, pre-packaged meats are often ok, pasta, things like that can be stored for a long period of time and things that can be eaten without - not that you can eat pasta without cooking it - but things that you don't need to cook," said Adams County Emergency Management Director John Simon.  It is kinda scarey for me since I have a three year old to look out for and not only for myself.  I really hope that the power stays on and that we don't get snowed in.  It is really crazy at the local stores, most of them have sold out of their supplies of milk, bread and bottled water.  I am just glad that we had most of this stuff already at home.  And the most scarey thing for me is, since I am a nursing supervisor at the nursing home I work at, I still have to try my hardest to get to work and if the weather gets too bad, I have the chance of being stuck at work until there is enough staff available to cover the floors.  This is going to be an interesting few days, wish us luck!!

Stepping By Saturday

RULES

- Follow All 3 host (First 3 in the linky)

-Grab the button or the linky and add it somewhere on your blog

- Follow some more people for fun

-Follow Guest Host


If you'd like to be a Guest Host follow all the rules and comment.

One blog will be randomly selected and be the Guest Host.

Let me know you did all that and leave a comment.

Keepin' Company Thursday

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Rules
* 1. Copy and Paste the 'Keepin' Company Thursday" button and write a blog post about it on your page, explaining to your blog followers how it works and how to join. (You can find this on Traci66 right side bar or on Heck of a Bunch right side bar)


* 2. Follow the first two blogs, which are the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch and Traci66. We will follow back.

* 3. Follow the "LUCKY" #3 spot winner.

For this hop to really work you'll need to follow the 'honor code' and help us spread the word about Keepin' Company Thursday.

*4. Go to as many blogs on the list as possible and follow them.

*5. Leave them a comment saying. "Hey! I'm a new follower from "Keepin' Company Thursday" Check out my blog too! www.yourbloghere.blogspot.com Thanks!" They should all follow you back because that's what this is all about!

*6. If you get a follower via Keepin' Company Thursday please follow them back.

*7. Add your blog name and the URL to your Keepin' Company Thursday Post to the linky below

* You can also grab the code below to add to your post if you want the thumbnails to appear in your post.

How to get to be in the #3 spot

* If you add the Keepin' Company button to your sidebar or post and leave either of the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch or Traci66, a comment letting us know where to find it we will randomly draw a blog to be in the #3 spot next week. We would really appreciate if you did this step so we can spread the word about Keepin' Company Thursdays.

Meet Me On Monday

Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!


Every Sunday Never Growing Old (the hostess) will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!






Questions:



1. What is your favorite kind of fudge?


2. Is there snow outside your window?


3. What is your favorite meal of the day?


4. Do you text on your cell phone?


5. Waffles or pancakes?

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Answers:
1.  I personally do not like fudge, it is too rich for me.


2. Oh yeah, there is probably about a foot of snow on the ground outside of my house...This has been accumulating over several days now!!


3. Supper is my favorite meal of the day.  It is the meal that my family sits down and eats together, and we spend quality time at this meal


4. I am a big fan of texting on my cellphone,  I probably text more than I actually talk on my phone.


5.  I prefer pancakes over waffles, but I really am not a fan of either.  I prefer to have my cereal or my oatmeal for breakfast.

Railroad Safety

This was on our local news the other day, and I thought I would share this information with everyone.  Kinda interesting.
      
ADAMS COUNTY, ILL. -- Look, Listen, Live has been a common saying with Operation Lifesaver for years. Operation Lifesaver started in Illinois in 1976. Back then, there were 800 grade crossing collisions between cars and trains, and 100 fatalities. Last year, there were 78 collisions and 13 fatalities. Chip Pew says safety has improved at the crossings, but he credits Operation Lifesaver for saving lives.


Here's something you may not know. Every public grade crossing in the country is assigned a specific number...kind of like an address. If your car stalls on the tracks, call the 800 number and give the dispatcher the DOT number. That way they can contact nearby trains and tell them to stop.

So where are those numbers? Many of them are on the signal bungalow. This is a housing for the electricity that operates a signaled crossing. Others can be found on a plaque that's on the railroad crossing pole.


"If a train's coming, which way do you run? You run in the direction of the train, but at a 45 degree angle. If you run down the track, you end up not being hit by the train, you get hit by your own car parts," says Chip Pew, a Rail Safety Specialist with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Pew tells KHQA in the last two years, two people in Illinois have been killed because they ran the wrong way from the train.

"Please, when you approach any crossing whether there are gates, lights, bells, and gates, or a crossing with no appliances, look in both directions. It's the driver's responsibility to yield the right of way to any oncoming train," says Pew.

Just remember, those three words you've heard for decades..

"Look, Listen, Live," says Pew.

One other thing Chip Pew says, the actual railroad crossing sign that's posted at all public railroad crossings actually means yield.

He says on some crossing with no lights or bars, the Illinois Commerce Commission has been installing yield signs in addition to the crossing signs.

Social Parade On Friday

* Follow the blog in the first spot(That is this one!). I will follow all on the linky as time allows! All blogs participating must post about Social Parade every week.


* Link-up your blog post for "It's a Social Parade" that you made on your blog. See the F.A.Q and Updates for help

* Follow as many as you like commenting on their POST as you do so they can follow back!

* If you do not make a post and link that up, it is unlikely that someone will search around for a post to comment on.



The Rules!

*Absolutely no links to other blog hops or hops like this!

*No Porn!

*No Giveaways!

*No other crap!

*These rules ensure a little bit of fun!

Keeping Company Thursday

Keepin' Company Thursday is a blog hop to find new blogs to follow and get more followers. When everyone post, just think about how many bloggers see everyone post and find out about Keepin' Company Thursday, wow pretty amazing. The more bloggers that post, the more bloggers that get informed, the bigger Keepin' Company Thursday can become. Please be courteous and follow the rules.




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* 1. Copy and Paste the 'Keepin' Company Thursday" button and write a blog post about it on your page, explaining to your blog followers how it works and how to join. (You can find this on my right side bar or on Heck of a Bunch right side bar)
* 2. Follow the first two blogs, which are the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch and Traci66. We will follow back.
* 3. Follow the "LUCKY" #3 spot winner.

For this hop to really work you'll need to follow the 'honor code' and help us spread the word about Keepin' Company Thursday.

*4. Go to as many blogs on the list as possible and follow them.

*5. Leave them a comment saying. "Hey! I'm a new follower from "Keepin' Company Thursday" Check out my blog too! www.yourbloghere.blogspot.com Thanks!" They should all follow you back because that's what this is all about!

*6. If you get a follower via Keepin' Company Thursday please follow them back.

*7. Add your blog name and the URL to your Keepin' Company Thursday Post to the linky below

* You can also grab the code below to add to your post if you want the thumbnails to appear in your post.

Tuesday's Blog Trail

This blog hop is simple, there are no rules, but I sure would appreciate you following me! (Hostess: Six in the nest)


If you follow my blog, I will be sure to follow your blog back

Meet Me On Monday

 Meet Me On Monday is a blog hop that is simple and fun.  It is a nice way to meet new people and find new blogs to follow.  All you have to do it copy and paste the codes which can be found at Never growing old's blog.  After getting the codes, have fun answering the unique questions that the hostess comes up with weekly.




Questions:

1. Do you like your ice cream in a dish, waffle cone, pretzel cone, sugar cone or cake cone?


2. Do you read the newspaper daily?

3. Marinara or meat sauce?

4. Last time you cried?

5. What word/phrase do you find really annoying?

Answers

1. I prefer to eat my icecream out of a bowl.  Not a big fan of cones.

And of course, cookies and cream is my favorite kind

2.  I read/ skim the paper everyday.  Alot of times though there is not much that interests me in our local newspaper.

3. It depends on what I am eating with the sauce.  If its spaghetti or lasagna, I prefer meat sauce, but if its cheese sticks I want my marinara sauce please.

4. Surprising, I can't recall the last time I actually sat down and cried.  It has been a long time.  I am a very emotional person, and televison shows tend to make me cry at times.



5.  It really drives me nuts when people refer to their child's mother or father as "baby mamma and baby daddy"  Seriously, they have names and can't you respect them enough to call them by their name.  I cannot stand when people call other's out of their name.

Peanut's First Slumber Party

On Thursday, January 13th, Peanut went to her first slumber party.  My sister-in-law kept my daughter and my sister's daughter all night.  She is a brave soul.  The girls had pizza, played dress up and even received manicures.  They all had a blast.

Peanut and my two neices

The girls eating their pizza, Peanut is the one to the right

Getting their manicures from my sister-in-law

Peanut letting her nails dry after her manicure

The little diva's showing off their painted nails

All snug in their sleeping bags, getting ready for bed.  They were out by 830pm.  Now only if I could get Peanut  to go to sleep that early when she is at home. 

Weekend Blog Hop

*It's OK to Follow... it's the Weekend* Blog Hop! this link-up will be hosted every WEEKEND, beginning on Friday.


A Few BASICS...

1. Grab the button above and place it on YOUR blog, so we know where to find one another.

2. Add your link to the list below

3. Visit at least two of your FELLOW bloggers and follow the one's you FANCY. (commentENJOY and HAVE FUN! to let them know you're following... as a general rule, follow those that follow you *wink*) Finally,

4. ... and of course, ace and friends LOVES making new friends, so we would appreciate a follow! happy weekend everyone!

Wordy Or Not So Wordy Wednesday

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Just a little note to let everyone know what Wordy or not so Wordy is:

Wordy or not so Wordy Wednesday is where you write a post add 1,2 ,3 or several photos that you would like to share with everyone. Then you tell about your photos or not. You can be very chatting if you like or say nothing at all. It is up to you. You can grab the button from my right side bar to put in your post if you like, but this isn't required. You may also grab the code below to add to your post so all your readers can see the linky list. Totally up to you. This is a great way to share photos with everyone and get to see what everyone has taken photos of. You can hop around and check them all out and hey feel free to leave a comment or two, we all love comments.


I live in central Illinois, and over the last two days, we have received about four inches of snow.  I personally am amazed how each and every snowflake is a different shape and size.  Not a single one is the same!!!  To entertain Peanut this evening, since it was too cold to play outside, we decided to make our own unique snowflakes out of construction paper.

Our four snowflakes we made.

First, we folded a piece of construction paper and cut it into a square

Then, we folded the square into a cone shape

Next, we used scissors to cut out different designs into the paper. Peanut is really concentrating hard on what she is doing. I ended up cutting them all out because she wasn't really quite sure what to do.

Peanut holding up the piece of paper after cutting the various shapes into it

Peanut is proud of her snowflake

Of course Peanut had to decorate her snowflakes.  She loves to use markers.

We both enjoyed making our snowflakes.  I love doing crafts with Peanut.  She never fails to amaze me at whatever she does.