Pioneer Woman comes to Texas!

One of my favorite bloggers ever, The Pioneer Woman, is coming to Texas on her book tour!

She's famous in the Blogosphere for her amazing photos, funny stories & incredible cooking.

And has now released a cookbook!!

I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Ree a while back.

Right below, see the design on the T-shirts she's handing out at the book signings.

I want one!!

I really want one!

I must have one!!

She's giving away one on her site today!

This Tuesday, I will be at her book signing, provided the bookstore isn't overrun  by her mob of fans.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

7:00 PM

BORDERS

10720 Preston Road

Dallas, TX

I think she goes on to Austin next.

Strange things I've learned while on Twitter

I'm on Twitter a lot more now than I used to be.

(I'm TexasRhea)

Why?

Because I am helping the companies I work for Tweet:

United Credit Source

Total Score Repair

Elite Debt Management

And I've started "following" some interesting Twitterers.

NASA - I followed their recent Atlantis Shuttle mission to the Space Station and then it's landing.

I learned from ZAPPOS CEO Tony Hsieh that "Did u know if u put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will go up&down continuously? This has been our entertainment tonight."

I learned about Mystery Google, where you get what the person before you was searching for.

Cue scary, laughing manequin!

Have you learned anything interesting on Twitter?

Do you follow anyone famous?  Or infamous?

My Furry Nephew is in Town!

My little sister, her husband and their furry child, Hollis are in town for Thanksgiving!!

 

And Annie has had fun, playing with her furry cousin!

 

 

 

He's hilarious and adorable.

 

Grab a camera and a critter and join Camera Critters!

My Non-Thanksgiving Post

While it IS Thanksgiving for most of America...it is NOT Thanksgiving quite yet for me.

We are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Why?

Because my sister, her husband and my furry nephew don't fly in until later today.

and because my boys aren't due back from Austin until tomorrow.

So, as I read all this turkey talk on Facebook & Twitter today, I'm jealous...and hungry.

Here's the Thanksgiving sky today in north Texas:

Here's an early pumpkin pie that is slightly creative and artistic looking:

And the silverware my mom is polishing in preparation for tomorrow:

But, just know this.

Tomorrow is MY Thanksgiving, and I'm going to enjoy the heck out of it.

I pulled the plug on my own party

My boys are on Day 4 of their visit to Austin to spend time with their dad.

and I miss them terribly.

Annie misses them too.

She mopes around and doesn't eat as much.

She misses her boys.

When I called the boys this evening, they weren't big on talking.

Neither child likes talking on the phone much, which I understand, because I'm not much of a phone person myself.

But, as I spoke to them, I could hear the pout entering my voice...feel my feelings starting to get hurt.

And I thought to myself, "Rhea, stop it right now."

It's not my boys' fault.

They're having fun with their dad, who they don't see much.

Yes, he gets to be the fun parent, spending six days just doing fun things.

And I'm the one who left their dad and caused all this change.

Nevermind that I think it was for the better, I realized that I needed to grow up and get tough.

So, even though I started the pity party and was ready to wallow...

I managed to man up and move on.

Yes, I miss my boys.

Yes, they're having fun with their dad.

Yes, I'm home, without them, working long days and missing them terribly, but this is how things have to be.

And I'm not going to make them feel guilty for not wanting to talk to me on the phone much...or for having fun with their dad.

Because even though I'm angry with him, he cares about them and wants to spend time with them.

And that's important.

And I want them to be loved.

So, yes, I pulled the plug on my own pity party.

I'm not patting myself on the back  yet, I still have plenty of growing up to do, but for now, it's a start.

The Poo Log, the Pimple Popper & the Vibe

I have an iPod Touch that is just awesome.  It's really incredible.

But, I really want an iPhone.

I'm very into apps these days.

There's an app for anything and everything.

I download mostly free ones, but...

The most expensive app is iRa for $900.

iRa Pro and iRa Direct are used to view and manage super-expensive enterprise surveillance camera installations. Clients could include corporations, schools, government, etc.

There are useful apps like maps, GPS, dictionary and other reference apps.

There are fun, crazy apps, like the koi pond, the bubble wrap popper and silly games.

Then there is the crazy.

Like the Poo Log where you can keep track of your bowel movements size, frequency and consistency.

Based on the best-selling book, "What's Your Poo Telling You?" by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth MD, Poo Log is the top choice app for discerning Poo-ers everywhere. Don’t be fooled by imitations, and don’t miss “What’s My Pee Telling Me?” coming this fall to bookstores everywhere.

Reviews of Poo Log, the book:
***** Great gift for the poop lover. – Sandy, Amazon reviews
***** The Poo Log gives you a giggle while you dribble – Larissa, Amazon reviews
***** Hi-Larious! – A. Miller, Amazon reviews

Finally! What every iPhone and iPod Touch has been waiting for – the Poo Log, a digital timer and journal for recording and studying the wondrous uniqueness of each bowel movement. With a clever mix of bathroom humor and legitimate medical information, Poo Log allows you to track your digestive workings and graph your poo – all with one hand. With handy references, trivia, and interesting nuggets throughout, this digital Poo Log makes every trip to the can an e-loo-cidating experience. Who knew one could learn so much from poo?

There's a pimple popping game where you can pretend to pop pimples.  ewww.

And then the one that sent me over the edge in disgust...a vibrator app!!

I'll never look at the iPhone the same again.  lol

I still really want one...but not for poo or pimple or vibes.

Seriously.

Why Twilight is Unhealthy for Girls (and women!)

I read the Twilight books.

I enjoyed reading them.

I was swept up in the romance and uniqueness...

and I enjoyed the first movie.

BUT, if you really think about it...maybe the message isn't very healthy for females.

Bella can't exist with Edward.

(Granted he can't seem to exist without her either.)

Love isn't really like that.

It can be powerful and consuming...

but I think I'd prefer the message for tweens and teenagers to read is

that we females can function on our own.

Do I sound bitter?

Or butch?

I am going through a divorce, so maybe I am biased.

And don't get me wrong, I loved the books...but a little part of me didn't like that message.

I prefer strong heroines who can kick butt,  honestly. 

Little League Sports and The Flu have partnered up to take us out!

My 7 yr old had three baseball games over the weekend.

And at the end of each game, all the boys line up...

and proceed to slap each others hands.

And if that's not bad enough...

the kids all then run to get their end-of-game team snack!!

Why, oh, why didn't I think to bring hand sanitizer to the games?!

We're going to get our kids sick with good sportsmanship!!

Putting the Y in Chromosomes

You know you must the mother of boys when:

1. You discover Legos are sharper than glass to step on.

2. You decide bodily noises are considered impressive rather than embarrassing.

3. You always find dribbles around the toilet seat.

4. You have a football, basketball, soccer ball or baseball in your car at all times.

5. You have toy guns, water gun, BB guns, paintball guns, Nerf guns and pop guns in every corner of the house.

How is a 90 lb dog intimidated by a 12 lb cat?

When the boys and I first moved in with my mom and step-dad,

our sweet Annie was terrified of Kachi the cat.

Eventually, the two made peace and ignored each other.

However, take a look at this photo.

Anything wrong with this picture?

Let's zoom in closer for a better look.

Hi, Annie!

Who's that sleeping in your bed?!

It's Kachi the kitty!!

Bad Kitty!!

 

But, Annie's so scared of the cat  or totally wimpy polite, she won't make the kitty move.

 

It's Remy to the rescue!

He dumps the kitty out of the bed.

 

Kachi runs off and gives us his back, clearly irritated his nap has been interrupted so rudely.

 

And, there's a happy ending.

Annie is back in her bed once again!

 

They are getting along much better...but I think the kitty still wears the pants around here.

Grab a camera and a critter and join Camera Critters!

It's like Gunshot Residue

Sometimes I find myself responding a certain way, interacting in a mindless manner, and I have realized that I'm not being myself. I've fallen into habits that I don't even consider changing. It just doesn't even occur to me.

I fell into a serious relationship at an awfully young age.  And I think I stopped growing.
I went into some sort of freeze.
Maybe I felt trapped?
I take responsibility for myself.
I don't blame it on anyone else.

But, I don't think that relationship was healthy for me.  For either of us.
I don't feel like we brought out the best in each other.

And so, I've decided that relationships leave behind an invisible footprint, somewhat like gunshot residue
It coats you.
It identifies you...but it can be washed away.

I'm trying to wash it away at the moment.
And figure out who I am alone.
Who I want to be..

It's scary..and yet exciting..
It's overwhelming...and yet freeing.

I love metaphors.

Operation Bird Noise

The company I work for has fastened their helmets, strapped on knee pads, secured their parachutes and is launching head first into social media.

This means blogging.

This means Facebook.

This means Twitter.

And guess who gets to help?!

Your favorite pink-hatted Texas blogger!!

So, please, please, please, come follow me on Twitter as I now write under three names, different Tweets for each:

TexasRhea

UnitedCreditSrc

EliteDebtMgmt

I promise, I'll be entertaining and make you laugh.

or have you scratching your head in disbelief.

You can never have too many socks

Especially if you have a household with two boys.

What can you never have enough of?

I might add books to that list too.

I can never have enough books.

or chocolate.

At the moment I've had too much advice.

from well meaning people.

too much hair, that needs to be cut.

too much dirty laundry that needs to be washed.

I could go on and on, but

my boys, who lose their socks in mysterious ways, want me to go to the park with them.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!

Heading into the Weekend

Whatcha up to this weekend, huh?  huh?!

Grab a camera and a critter and join Camera Critters!

Let Me Tell You Why

5 reaons why I really, really need an iPhone.

1.To help my 12 yr old son do math while watching my younger son play baseball.(it has a calculator!)

2. To play games myself, I mean, keep my boys occupied when we're stuck in line. (sudoku, tangram, Bejeweled, chess!)

3. To play music on when babysitting toddlers to keep them distracted, I mean, teach them the importance of classical tunes.

4. To compare apps with strangers make friends with other iPhone users.

5. To set alarms to wake myself up when napping in my car during my lunch hour working so hard I forget to take a break..

You can do EVERYTHING (get on the Internet, find maps, look up info, listen to music, find places to pee, play games,  and do just about anything and everything under the sun with an app)

Can you tell how badly I want one?!