What in the Hexies?

I'm always looking for new things to do and new things for my daughter to do.  She's going nuts.  Stuck in Canada waiting for her immigration papers too go through.  She can't legally work there yet so needs things to fill her days.

I ran across a post at Simply Crunchy, one of the blogs I follow, on hexies.  I did a little more checking and thought it was perfect for my daughter.

Di  loves doing things with her hands.  When she was young she'd come and tell me, "I want to do something creative, crafty and fun!"  She hasn't changed much at all since those days.   This project will allow her to take her work outside on beautiful sunny days and not drag it through the dirt and grass.

I was going to leave this one up to her as I probably wouldn't keep my interest long enough to make a whole quilt.  Then I saw the cutest table runner made out of hexies, so I guess I'm going to try my hand at it.

My tastes run to the oriental or the tropical.  I couldn't find any Hawaiian prints when I went to the fabric store yesterday but did find a few oriental ones.  So this is what I got.

There are only 3 pieces of fabric there but the one to the left has so many different patterns I wanted to show more of them.

I'll give it a try and keep you posted.

Welcome New Followers

I heard blogger comments were down.  I never had any problems commenting personally.

I have noticed some new followers out there on GFC.  I thank you all for stopping by.  I would love to check out your blogs and follow back but can't figure out how to find you.  So if I'm not following you, please leave me a comment, if you can or email me at flipsideblog (at) gmail (dot) com.  Don't forget to leave me a link to your blog(s).

Also if anyone knows how to find someone in my GFC followers list, let me know.

Thanks all and have a wonderful day/evening/night!

Fuzzy Memory

Today is Memorial Day and I'd like to start by thanking all those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have.  I also want to thank those who continue to risk their lives every day and to their families also.


I don't remember what I wrote about last night.  I guess the week or maybe the last two weeks caught up with me.  I can't even blame it on these.

Aren't the pretty though?

I remember sitting here thinking that I needed to hurry and get a post out for today.

I remember dozing off while writing it.  Not once, not twice, but 3 or 4 times.

I remember thinking, okay that's it and hitting "publish post".

I vaguely remember shutting off my computer and crawling in bed.

I'm afraid to look.  I don't think I used any dirty words.  I hope I didn't blurt out the name of a previous or fantasy lover.  I know I didn't post any of my naughty stories, only because I keep those on another computer and don't think I could have managed to transfer them in the state I was in.

Tonight, I'll just pat myself on the back for having a post at all and not skipping a day.

Tomorrow, I'll go read it.  Maybe

Alexa Blog Hop

I posted about Alexa in a previous post.  Today, I found a blog hop to help boost those Alexa numbers.

These are the "rules".  I hate to use that term.  Aren't rules made to be broken?  Well try not to this time.

1. In order to participate, you MUST have the Alexa Toolbar (having one also greatly helps lower your score.) You can download it in just seconds HERE.

2. Please follow each of the hosts in the #1, #2 and #3 spots on Google Friend Connect. Make sure to leave a comment letting each host know that you are following her. If you’re already following us on GFC, please follow us on another social media linked from our homepage (twitter, facebook, etc.) and leave a comment to let us know you did.

3. Follow any other blog on the list that you’d like. If someone else visits and comments on your blog, please consider doing the same for them. It’s the nice thing to do. =)

4. Add the Hop Button to your blog if you’d like (it’s appreciated but not mandatory.)

5. Feel free to tweet or share this however you’d like. The more people that know about the hop means more potential followers and a LOWER ALEXA SCORE for you!


So go HERE now and join us!

A Long Way...

I love my kids.  I also love messing with their minds.  My older son believes that I am 7 years younger than his older sister.  I even told his 3rd grade class at school one year and it was a topic of discussion for his classmates for a long time.  He's 11 now but still believes Momma is always right, even if 2 plus 2 doesn't add up to 4.

I was talking to The Ex this week.  Reminding him it was the end of the month and he needed to send my check. After we squared that away, he told me to ask the boys about their new exercise program and he explained it to me.

Friday night they call me on my cell phone and I remembered what I as supposed to ask them.  I was speaking to Rabbit.

So Rabbit, school is out in a couple weeks.  You ready for your new exercise program?

What new exercise program?

You know, the one where you start walking from California to Wisconsin.  It's good you're starting soon before it gets too hot out.

Nooooooo!  Noooooo!  We're not walking all the way there!

If you walk fast, you'll make it in time to have my cream chicken for dinner, go to bed and I'll take you to the airport the next morning to catch the plane back in time for the start of school.  Watch your brother though, he'll want to stop in every restaurant a long the way.  Let's eat tacos!  Let's eat burgers!  Let's eat donuts!  Then Rabbit, don't walk BEHIND him cause you know what will come next!

The bathroom!  *giggle*  Mom...can you tell dad for real that we need plane tickets to get there?

I still got it, at least for a little while longer.

My Newest Toy

I love gadgets.  Gadgets of all kinds!  Mp3 players, computers, video players even game systems.  I had a Nintendo DS long before my kids did.  I adore kitchen toys too.  Blenders, bread machines, waffle irons, crock pots,  mixers.  I had this gadget that would mix your hot milk and cocoa mix to make hot chocolate (like a spoon in a mug will do...but it was a gadget!)

My boys are prolific readers.  Rabbit especially will read anything he can get his hands on.  So I can keep track of some of what they are reading, I installed Kindle for PC on all our computers.  When they want a book I buy it and have it sent to all our computers.  They get to read it and I do too and I only have to purchase one copy.  Occasionally I hear about a book or I see a free book that I think they might like.  I can read it myself to make sure it's generally age appropriate before I send it on to them.  It works out great!  They just call me when they need a new book and it's usually on their computer within 5 minutes, if I'm on the ball.  Okay I hear that snickering but I was on the ball...once.

I already spend a lot of time at my computer, between blogging, surfing, emails and singing.  I wanted to be able to take my reading material and go lay on the bed or sit on the couch or when we move, by the pool.  ( I'm speaking that pool into existence).  I have my laptop but it's awkward to use in bed.  My vision is not as good as it should be, one of the downsides of getting older, so the glare of the sun makes it hard to read the screen outside.  I got a little birthday money from my mom and sis and finally decided to splurge on  a new gadget.

This is MY Kindle!

All decked out in a new skin!  It is awesome!  I could not believe how clear the writing was when I first got it.  I've been using it for a week now.  I've read 3 books already and it's getting more and more intuitive to use.  I like that I can make "collections", putting the boys books in one and my books in another.  I even have a separate collection for my "adult" books and for those I've already finished.

I like that no one knows what I'm reading.  I can sit at a coffee shop and be reading The Magic Treehouse or one of my erotic novels and no one is the wiser as long as I'm not moaning out loud.  It will access the web, with limited capabilities, but I can check email or do a Google search as long as I have a WiFi connection.

It's not back-lit but then neither is a book and I'll trade back-lit for being able to read in the sun.  Besides I read somewhere that back-lighting wasn't good for you just before bed and since I read for awhile before turning the lights off, it works for me.

I got the WiFi version with ads.  It was $25 cheaper and the only time the ads come up is for the screen saver and a tiny strip at the bottom of my booklist.  Never shows up when I'm reading.  It will send offers for things like a $20 Amazon gift card for $10 or half off a lighted Kindle cover (that's a $30 savings).



The skin was from Decalgirl.  You can buy some of her stuff through Amazon, with even more designs on their website.  She also sells skins for iPod, game systems, iPhone and laptops.  You can even like them on Facebook and get in on some deals!  I hear there is a sale coming out next week!

That's my gadget fix for the week!  What gadgets do you love or can't live without?  I might see something new I want need.

You're Never Too Old To Learn

It's been exactly two weeks since my surgery.  I'm feeling pretty good.  One incision gives me a twinge on occasion but otherwise, everything else seems fine.

Things I have learned the last two weeks.

1.  Hospitals are not good places to "get well".  You are already feeling icky and they poke you, prod you, drain enough blood from you to feed a family of vampires, wake you up every hour to see if you are ok, feed you food not even the dog would eat, inject you with chemicals that make you burn from the inside out (contrast dye), make you lie on that awful adjustable bed that you can never get into the right position to sleep.  You leave sore, bruised, starving and  sleep deprived.

Does that even look comfortable?

2.  It's fun to cook when The Greek chops all the ingredients and I only have to do the actual cooking.  He also did all the cleaning and since I couldn't bend over, he picked up everything I managed to drop on the floor, like half a pantry shelf and a half box of noodles.  (I did catch the empty box before it hit the floor, so don't say I'm not the helpful sort)  Also being starved makes me a more enthusiastic cook.

3.  I have stomach muscles after all.  After 3 kids and everything else, I figured they were non-existent.  Believe me I felt them every time I tried to sit up or get out of bed.

4.  Ice cream really does make one feel better.  I'm not a huge ice cream fan, I can take it or leave it.  A scoop each of Ben and Jerry's Coconut Layer Bar (Coconut Ice Cream with Coconut & Fudge Flakes, Walnuts and Swirls of Graham Cracker & Butterscotch) and Late Night Snack (Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Salty Caramel Swirl & Fudge Covered Potato Chip Clusters)  made me a happy camper.  In a waffle cone bowl, please!

5.  When you are given the "no sex" order it is not fun to have to watch a commercial letting you know that K-Y Yours and Mine gives her an amazing sensation in her.... and him a thrilling sensation in his...and when they come together...BAM.  Yeah, no bam for me.  Bum - mer.  I swear they ran this every single commercial break on Hulu this past week.  Please bring back my sexy Stella Artois commercial with Adrian Brody.  Sigh...ok... maybe that's not a good thing to be watching yet either.