Chatbug Karen

My nephew is getting married in July and so begins the celebrations! Tomorrow I am attending a bridal shower. It seems like just yesterday I was attending a bridal shower for my son and his wife.

I have to tell you that I am thrilled with the way Bed, Bath and Beyond is set up with their gift registry department. It was so easy to get a copy of my nephew and future niece in-law’s gift requests. I simply went down the list which included everything from canisters to door hangers for any wreaths they wish to hang on their front door. It made it so easy to pick out gifts that they truly want.

While visiting my daughter in Florida last month, she introduced me to a restaurant I had never heard of. Since mentioning it in an earlier post, I have discovered it has been around for a while. I sure wish we had a Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation here in the mid west.

The Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation, same restaurant uses different names, is a restaurant that accommodates everyone from families with small children to mesothelioma lawyers who need a place to discuss business while eating lunch. These restaurants offer a cozy, comfortable setting and fabulous food.

My friend, Val, is offering a giveaway of a pair of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes dining passes to celebrate “It’s Lemon Month at Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation!” Head over to Fun, Crafts and Recipes to get all the particulars on how to win the dining passes.

Many of you know that my son is attending law school. Law school is very demanding and challenging. I think my son and daughter in-law needed a diversion from all the tension that comes with studying, attending classes and general living with the constant pressure.

Let me introduce you to the cutest diversion, Phoebe.



Phoebe is a two year old Boston Terrier who was living in deplorable conditions until she was rescued by the Humane Society. She has joined a loving household complete with a friend, Chandler, who is a Boston Terrier mix of some sort. They are getting used to each other and I hear it is quite comical.

Lawyers tend to be the brunt of many jokes because of some of the people they must represent. I suppose a lawyer gets used to the remarks and just remembers all the hard work it took to become someone who defends people and protects the laws of our land. From the moment a person takes lsat prep courses, they are determined to learn the most about their field.

The LSAT is a half-day standardized test required for admission to all ABA-approved law schools. If someone you know is interested in knowing how to prepare for the LSAT, please direct them to Knewton. Knewton is an online learning company that offers preparation courses for standardized tests, such as the GMAT, LSAT, and SAT. They offer live, interactive LSAT classes taught by the industry’s top teachers. It is important, if a student wishes to gain entrance into a top law school, to get a high score on an LSAT test. Knewton is able pinpoint and prioritize exactly what one needs to maximize each student’s score. Don’t leave your future to chance. Get the best preparation available by checking out Knewton.

After Knewton prepares you and after you start your law classes, I recommend a diversion. The Human Society has many animals that will make you smile.

I hope my friends in the southern states are safe. I read at CNN online that they are having severe storms. A tornado touched down at a mall near St. Louis today. I haven’t heard from my son to find out if the mall was near where he and his wife live. I will be glad when he calls me. A mother never stops worrying does she? I just watched a documentary about Kaskachia, Illinois and how it survived flood after flood. Not a good show to watch when worrying.

I am happy to say that I got most of a quilt machine quilted last night, ripped out mistakes and am ready to finish quilting it. I am a novice at machine quilting so it is rare that I am satisfied with my work. I made a lot of progress and am getting better at making flowers with dark circles and swirls. The more I made, the better they looked, imo. I did tire of working on it and cut fabric to make another quilt top. You can see the fabric at Kreated by Karen. It is an easy pattern to sew and I can’t wait to finish cutting and pressing. I like the sewing part!

I had to get up early this morning for a doctor appointment. I guess I have high cholesterol so I need to take medicine to lower it. Waiting for my appointment left me reading everything I could find in the little, cold, room. I read what to do if you get H1N1, pronexin reviews and how to contact my doctor online. I should have brought my own book. Why don’t they let me sit in the main waiting room if the doctor is going to take a half hour to get to me. I would rather watch people than look at four walls and read boring stuff.

I sound grouchy and I really am not! I am excited to get to work with some new fabric I bought this past weekend. I cleaned out my sewing room yesterday and feel as if I can really think now. Why is it when my room is chaos I cannot function? I found a few projects I had started but never completed. I made a space on a shelf for those projects so I can get to them without having to dig for them. Organization was my goal yesterday! Sewing is my goal for today.

You know what? We can think for ourselves. The government does not have to require food manufacturers to reduce sodium in the food we buy. We can actually “not shake the salt shaker”. When are they going to put labels on gold coins telling us not to swallow them? The government already requires ladder manufacturers to put labels on ladders that tell us not to climb on the top step. When I get that shaky feeling upon arriving higher than I feel comfortable, I stop climbing. I don’t stop because of a label. Does the government think we are stupid? Apparently so.

Here are a few more dumb warning labels that either our government or a foreign government decided we needed to see on items.

Do not use while sleeping.
Sears hair dryer

You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
Bag of Fritos

Use like regular soap.
Dial soap

Serving suggestion: Defrost.
Swann frozen dinner

Fits one head.
Shower cap box

Do not turn upside down.
Bottom of Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert box

Product will be hot after heating.
Marks & Spencer bread pudding

Do not iron clothes on body.
Rowenta iron

Do not drive car or operate machinery.
Boot’s children’s cough medicine

Warning: May cause drowsiness.
Nytol

Warning: Keep out of children.
Korean kitchen knife

For indoor or outdoor use only.
Chinese Christmas lights

Not to be used for the other use.
Japanese food processor

Warning: Contains nuts.
Sainsbury’s peanuts

Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts.
American Airlines peanut packet

Found at the Innocent English website

Wordless Wednesday

This week, on Tackle It Tuesday, the author mentioned how she was backlogged with paper work. I think that many of us were behind the eight ball with paper work because of tax form preparation. I hate getting things together to figure out our taxes. When we see how much we pay in taxes each year it is maddening. I have looked over all of our utility bills in an effort to save money. I bartered with the cable company and was able to get some deductions on our bill. I also got new term life insurance quotes and worked on the bill for our cell phone plans. Now, if I could get our health insurance figured out. Sigh…

My sister and her husband just got two, adorable puppies. They are 8 weeks old and are not in need of any
prenatal vitamins! They are very busy and cute. Sis and her hubby are going through the trials and tribulations of potty training two puppies at the same time.
Bichons are noted as being very sociable and lovable dogs. They do have a high pitched bark that is sometimes irritating. Bichons have a curly coat that doesn’t shed (one of the best breeds for allergy sufferers).

I love the Hallmark Movie Channel. I thought I would be getting a few things accomplished already this morning but I turned on the television while washing dishes and now I have to find out the end of this movie. You can click here to learn about reviews of sleeping pills and you can check out IMDB.com to read more about this movie.

“The Incident” stars Walter Matthau, William Schallert and Harry Morgan. This made for tv movie held my interest as a person was accused of murder and the judge was intent on sentencing him to a hanging. I love a movie full of twists and turns.

During WWII German POWs were housed in camps across the USA. “The Incident” is set in a small Colorado town near such a camp, and things seem to be going along well enough until the universally liked small town doctor is murdered one night at the camp.

A suspect is identified, and wheels go in motion that produce high-level suspence and intrigue. Before you know it a Federal Judge (Harry Morgan) is in town, preparing to try the soldier for murder in a civilian court. The catch is this, in order to run a fair trial someone has to defend the soldier.

The judge pressures the local small-town lawyer (Walter Matthau) into defending the soldier. It looks like an open and shut case – there is a murder, a weapon, witnesses, and universal hatred toward the soldier, but is everything as it appears?

Enjoy this engaging movie. It’s definitely my all-time favorite Walter Matthau movie.

The story has interesting twists and turns, and produces strong emotion.

Definitely 5 stars! Great story, acting, and drama!