My dad and his biker babe

My dad recently emailed me about how much he is enjoying spending our inheritance. He emailed me a picture of him and my mom on a rented Harley. I thought he would enjoy seeing this one I just found of the two of them before I was born.

Go Dad Go!!!

Toilet Troubles....it doesn't take a genius

to figure out this mystery with the facts.

I can not get the toilet completely unclogged. Every time it gets used it blocks up completely then I plunge it but it seems like something is in the way. I can't get a fast clear flush.

I just put my 2 year old in the bathtub. His favorite Sesame Street bath toy was missing the Elmo piece. I said "uh oh, where's Elmo?"

He looked at me with his gorgeous chubby face and said quite clearly..."Elmo's in the toilet."

Good thing we have 3 toilets! I'll let my husband handle this one.

Update: Kevin did get Elmo out but he went straight into the trash can. "My Hero!" (Kevin, not Elmo.)

An apple a day...

It's Fall again in northern Ohio which means Apples!

George and I visited my Mother-in-Law a week ago last Monday and came home with lots of FREE, locally produced, ORGANIC, apples. They aren't perfect but the key word is FREE. AND the bonus is we get to visit Grandma and the cows on the family dairy farm. George got a kick out of watching them eat ground up corn cobs with molasses mixed in. Grandma's apple tree is weighted down with TONS of fruit so we planned to go back for more.

I made applesauce from most of the original apples and we planned to go back last Monday. Due to car trouble (really just some bad bulbs I was too clueless to figure out how to change...) we had to cancel. AND on top of the $100 we had to pay our mechanic to change our light bulbs, I was forced to pay green money for chemically treated apples at the store. "Sigh."

A Phone Call That You Need to Make

By Christian Hill

The average American has at least one credit card and carries a balance of more than $1,700. Faced with mounting minimum payments on their cards and shrinking monthly budgets, what is a consumer to do? Answer: Call your credit card company and negotiate a lower interest rate.

Credit card delinquencies are mounting with the downturn in the economy. (Interestingly, the two states with the highest foreclosure rates, Nevada and Florida, also lead the nation in credit card delinquencies.) Through July, the annualized rate of credit card charge-offs rose 33 percent compared to last year, according to Moody's Investor Services. At the same time, the Payment Rate Index, which reflects borrowers' ability and willingness to repay credit card debt, dropped.

Faced with increasing delinquencies, credit card companies are more willing than ever to lower your interest rate to make sure you'll be able to keep current. The last thing they want is for you to fall behind on your payments and have another past-due account on their books.

[Ed. Note: Protecting your wealth is about more than investing. It means keeping your debt under control, too.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, an e-zine dedicated to making money, improving your health and quality of life. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

"Today's Paper For A Quarter"

On my way to my day job today, as I was walking up to the Rapid Station, a guy was sitting on top of the newspaper box saying, "Today's Paper For A Quarter?"

He had obviously put in his 50 cents and pulled out a stack of newspapers and was attempting to resell them.

I don't know if he got any takers or not.

Jacob (self titled)

Funny, caring, smart, kind
Son of Paul
Lover of dogs, Pokemon cards, Star Wars
Who needs hugs, my dad, my dog
Who fears spiders
Who would like to see Hancock again
Resident of Elyria

My son did this poem about himself for a 4th grade writing assignment. I think it's awesome!

Angel Food July 2008 Menu Reviewed

Back by Popular Demand: Just picked up our Angel Food on the 26th. Check back often as I review food items.

40 oz. Marie Callender's � Family Crock Pot Dinner (Meat Included) I did get this in my packet. It is no longer in my freezer but I have no memory of cooking it so I must rate it "unmemorable". Not sure if that is good or bad?

1.5 lb. Boneless Pork Filet

5 lb. Breaded Chicken Chunks Get Real !@#$ There are maybe 5 "chunks" in the entire bag. The remainder of the 5 lbs. resembles what's left in the bottom of a Banquet Fried Chicken box after you take the parts out. Very tiny pieces of mostly breading. A speck of chicken here or there but this bag is mostly crumbs. At any rate, I cooked it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Kids dipped them in ranch and bar-b-q sauce. No complaints. The breading is their favorite part. This did the job and satisfied their plebeian appetites. The bag states the contents as "diced chicken breast fritter".

1.5 lb. Meaty Beef Ribs My dad cooked these up at his cottage one weekend we were there. He is the best cook in the world. He could make a sneaker taste good so it wouldn't be fair to recommend these ribs based on his preparation.

28 oz. Meatloaf and Gravy

1 lb. Beef Fajita Meat Suprisingly delicious. Pan fried in canola oil. Seasonings were great. Wish I could buy a huge bag.

1 lb. Fully Cooked Meatballs Easily the best microwavable meatballs ever. From Home Market Foods. They carry these at Super Walmart but they are much more expensive than the Great Value brand.

1 lb. All Meat Hot Dogs Acceptable.

1 lb. Broccoli Fresh and delicious.

1 lb. Peas and Carrots High quality.

28 oz. Pasta Sauce

1 lb. Pasta

32 oz. Borden 2% Reduced Fat Shelf Stable Milk Came in handy when I ran out of milk but kids had a problem with the packaging. Wish I had thought to save the gallon jug to dump it into.

32 oz. Hawaiian Punch Name brand drink. I don't usually buy sugar drinks so this is sure to be a hit. However, there are only 4 8oz servings so the kids will have to duke it out.

12 ct. Corn Tortillas

7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix

1 dozen Eggs In medium

1 Dessert Item This was an off brand bag of Teddy Graham style cookies. They were buttery and flaky. Just the snack to bring along to an afternoon on the beach. They did have trace amounts (.05 g a serving) of trans fats.

Additional items I received that are not listed on the national menu. I went to a new church this time as the other one I had used has changed to the "Great Food for All" program.

6 Frozen Mini Ears of Corn on the Cob My 11 year old stepson would have been happy to eat the whole bag. Tasty.

Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Pizza

ALL THIS FOR THE LOW COST OF JUST--..-..$30.00