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Refinishing Our Furniture

We finally got a chance to start refinishing our bedroom furniture. This furniture was my Grandpa's from around the 1930's. It was passed on to me and I have always wanted to refinish it and restain the wood to a lighter color. The pieces are a very dark brown and we feel that the detailed carvings get lost in such a dark color. We are fortunate enough that my husbands's parents have a garage for us to work in and lucky to get some advice from his father about the best way to go about the whole process.

After working on it all weekend and a little on Tuesday night we realized what a long process it is! We had to put at least eight layers of stripper on to scrape all the stain off. We also learned that steel wool works great to get the stain off after scrapping. We also have to fill any chipped areas with wood putty and sand it down before we can restain it. It is a lot of work especially if we do not have a lot of time as it is but we feel the result will be worth it and we hope to keep it in good condition so we can pass it along to our children one day.

Eventful weekend

I had another eventful weekend. A couple of my friend's bands played at The Saint in Asbury to raise money for a friend who has Leukemia. It was good turnout and the bands were great. We also got to witness my brother take part of the NYC Marathon this year which was pretty exciting. I was not able to go last year so I was very happy I could be there for him this year. It was very inspiring watching all of the runners striving to reach their goal of running a little over 26 miles. I could not believe the top woman and man finished it around two and a half hours. We did run a couple a blocks with him at the 18th mile to cheer him on. It was a great experience and I give kudos to everyone who participated. You are an inspiration!

Happy Halloween!

I was upset at first about Halloween this year because we were planning to see The Roots at the Asbury Park Conventional Hall but the concert was cancelled. I think they are such a great band and I have not seen them since my twenty first birthday so I was really looking forward to it.

Luckily, my husband found a great Halloween alternative. We are going to go on a haunted ghost tour in Keyport. It got good reviews so we figured we give it a shot. The tickets are really affordable too. They are only ten dollars if you purchase them online! I am sure it will be a good time. I am an easy scare because I tend to be very reactive if something jumps out at me or if someone taps me out of nowhere. I think it is because I am constanly in my own world thinking about something ;)

Prepping For Winter Already?

I can not believe it is snowing already. I do not recall ever seeing snow in October in New Jersey. The morning news did not even predict it in our area. We were told only the northern areas would most likely be hit. I was not prepared at all. I did not have a warm enough coat or gloves which would have helped a great deal when I had to clean off my car. The winds were really strong so the snow was stinging my face. Luckily, I did have my scrapper in the trunk of my car to speed the process along.

I hate driving in the snow when it sticks. I dread it even more when it mixes with rain because the streets become slushy causing me to worry to much about getting into a car accident. There are always those people who drive too fast in poor weather conditions and end up hitting someone because of their carelessness. This is why you should make sure your car's tires and brakes are working efficiently. More importantly, having quality car insurance can save you a lot of money if you ever get in an accident as well. My friend who did not have the best coverage got stuck with some pretty big bills after being hit by a drunk driver. Make sure you have plenty of medical coverage included with your auto plan.

Seeing into the life of W. Bush

I saw the movie W this weekend directed by Oliver Stone. It gave a great biography of Bush and how his determination and faith got him to become the President of the United States. Josh Brolin did a wonderful job playing Bush and Richard Dreyfuss supported him well as Dick Cheney.

The movie showed the journey of W. Bush's search in finding himself. It displayed a spoiled rich boy who grew to become an alcoholic because he felt he was constantly being compared to his brother and later a shadow to his father. He later finds God and feels it is his mission to become the governor of Texas and then later the President. He finds himself led by Cheney to start the war in Iraq and soon shows how naive his decision making process was in the end. To me, this movie shows the importance of how well we need to know and understand the candidates who run for president before we decide who will become our leader.

Spontaneous activity from online search

We had yet another wedding to attend this past weekend. This is the third wedding we have attended within the last three months. I must say, I don't think I could ever get sick of attending a wedding. It is always a fun time with family and friends, and it so beautiful to witness two people in love celebrate the start of their life together. We went to Montgomeryville, PA. for this wedding and it officially felt like fall. I actually had to bust out my wool coat. In fact, because the ceremony and reception were outdoors we all ate and danced with our coats on. Definitely a different but fun and memorable wedding. They had a wine and chocolate theme which of coarse was a big hit :)

On the way back from the wedding we had three hours to kill before meeting up with my family for my brother's birthday dinner at a sports bar called Alstarz in Bordentown, NJ. It was a great day to be outside so we decided to go to the park. I grew up around that area so I knew the name of the park but I forgot the name of the street it was on so I did a search online and found a great online local search directory that gave me the address to Veterans Park. I was also able to get directions from the park to the restaurant all in one place.

We had a great birthday dinner and all the boys were happy because they got to see all of there favorite football teams play throughout dinner. The wings and the tiramisu were my fav's of the night.

My Birthday

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend. To celebrate my last year in my twenties we had a pizza party at our house and then continued the party at The Breakfast Club in Old Bridge, NJ.� It was so much fun! I was able to email them a guest to get my friends and family reduced admission and free admission for me! The DJ was great. They spun all the classic 80's and early 90's music and the dance floor was pretty big. Everyone danced the whole night! Definitely a birthday celebration to remember. I think 29 is such a weird sounding number though. I actually would rather say thirty.

Let me know how you spent your last birthday.

Fun girls night in New Brunswick

Once again I had another eventful weekend. To start we celebrated my friend's non pregnant bachelorette party/birthday party by surprising her with a girls night in New Brunswick. Her husband ordered a van and set everything up nicely. She was so surprised! We started the evening at Clydz which was a new restaurant and martini bar for the lady of the hour as well as me to try out. Before we even got to look at the food menu we were awestruck with how many martini choices there were. There must have been over fifty of them! I tried the the destroyer. It was very refreshing martini made of a splash of green tea and lemonade with stoli citrus and fresh cucumbers. The food was very good as well. I had a roasted chicken dish that was very juicy and tasty. I also tasted antelope meat for the first time. It was a very lean meat and reminded me of pork and we were told by the waitress that is most like venison. I have not tried venison yet but I have been told that it does taste good. The birthday girl orderd the duck and that was tender and yummy as well :)

After dinner we walked down the street to go dancing at club Perle. We were excited to learn we just made the eleven 'o clock cut off to get in free. The club was decorated very nicely and had a very sophisticated but comfortable vibe. The DJ was very good and we were up dancing in no time. We did not stop until closing time. I really liked this lounge because we actually had room to dance which is hard to find these days ;)

New Desktop

We are so excited we finally got a desktop computer. My husband and I have been sharing a laptop for the last three years and have been getting so frustrated on how slow it was running. Not only do we download hundreds of songs and upload hundreds of pics, we both like to learn and use graphic/web design programs as well. Unfortunately this programs have been a pain to use because they would take up so much memory. Sometimes we would be in a middle of a project and the computer would just freeze and we would have to reboot it.

Not anymore! We got the new Dell XPS 630 Desktop which has 2GB of memory and hard drive has 320GB! No more waiting for uploads and downloads. No more freezing when multiple programs are being used. We are very happy with our purchase. We also got a very nice 24" LG full HD monitor to go with it and it makes viewing enjoyable while we work.

Relaxing Weekend in New Hope

My husband and I finally got to go away for the weekend and relax in New Hope, PA. We stayed at a very nice called bed and breakfast Porches on the Towpath. The location was perfect and the prices were reasonable. We had access to the path along the canal right outside our room. We also were right in the heart of all the great shops, restaurants, and live entertainment the town has to offer. Here is a pic from the garden on the grounds were we stayed:

There was many paths to walk along around the town. They usually ran up and down the canal. While we were walking we discovered a jetty made of cement that went out into the river. It was a great new discovery and a place to get away from it all:

First Pic of an Okapi Residing in the African Rainforest

First picture of the African Okapi in their natural habitat:

This animal is home to the Democratic Republic of Congo and they are usually only seen at zoos. These pictures have now proved their continued existence in their natural habitat. There are some zoos including the Brookfield Zoo that are home to some of these rare animals. History tells that they were known to the Europeans as the "African unicorn" because of the bump that resides on their forehead. No one outside of Africa knew of their existence until 1900. They are descendants of the giraffe sharing the characteristics of the dark tongue and hair covered horn on the top of their heads. Their stripped skin also resembles a zebra. They primary live in the rain forest and are also known as forest giraffes. They like to live in high altitudes deep in the forest and herbivores.

The Okapi are not an endangered species but because of their unique skins, they are illegally hunted and are in danger of extinction in the near future. Another concern for them is the continuing development, mining, and farming that invades their homes.

NJ shoreline saved from more development

I was excited to hear the news today that Governor Corzine approved a plan to preserve the shore line of the Highlands in New Jersey from further development. It was great to know the New Jersey governor is thinking about our future and taking measures to protect our land to ensure our water and air are cleaner. This plan will help protect our water. I read that environmentalists are concerned that the ungoing development by areas surrounding lakes and reservoirs is decreasing the amount water that is needed by neighboring communites.�

Let's Focus On The Important Issues People

I could not believe all the talk I was hearing about Bristol Palin, the seventeen year old pregnant daughter of Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate. It does not make sense to me in the year 2008 that a pregnent seventeen year old can shake a political campaign. There are far more important issues to be focusing on that effect America and the rest of the world. One million teenagers get pregnant everyday! Nothing new here.

Family matters should be kept quiet. There is no reason why the whole world needs to know about this teenager's business because she is not causing any harm to anyone. I hate when people make judgments or comment on someone that they do not know at all. This girl is just like every other pregnant teenager. People should look to her as someone with strength for choosing to have her baby and raise it so young. Sarah Palin should be viewed as a very realistic and supportive mother who is celebrating her daughter's decision.

First Zucchini of the season!

Our plant finally produced its first zucchini. I can not believe how big it grew! It was not hard to grow at all either. We were glad to see that it produced only one at a time.

It grew almost a foot long and about ten inches thick! I guess we have some rich soil :) I also like the leaves on this plant. They are very thick and rich in color. Because this vegetable is so big I had to figure out how to use it. I love grilled zucchini but you can get bored having that everyday. I also love zucchini bread which is really easy to make and is a crowd pleaser as well. Here is the recipe:

Shopping List:
1 1/3 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking soda
2 tsp of vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups of grated zucchini (fresher the better)
1 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
2 tsp of cinnamon
splash of salt
paprika (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First mix sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Add the oil and grated zucchini. Next, add the baking soda and salt to the mix. Then add the flour slowly while stirring. Lastly, add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the mix.

This recipe should give you enough for two 5x9 loaf pans. Grease pans with butter or oil before you fill them with the batter. Cook for about an hour and test to see if ready by sticking a fork or toothpick in the thickest part of the bread. It is ready when they come out clean. Sprinkle paprika to garnish if you like :)

Back in time to see The Allman Brothers Band!

I have not posted in awhile because I have been very busy between work, friends, and family events. I can not believe it is going to be the end of August already. Were did the summer go? It seems the older I get the more time just flies by.

I was in California last week and came back early Friday morning. The time change messed me up but I still made it to see Bob Weir with Rat Dog and The Allman Brothers. I have been waiting all summer to see them and the day finally came! They were great. Everyone was dancing around having a great time and the weather could not have been more perfect. Bob Weir is still rockin' and has the arms of a twenty year old. Nothing like those blues guitar rifts. They played some classic Greatful Dead songs too. The Allman Brothers did a great cover of Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused" too.

The venue we saw the concert at was Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ right on the waterfront. We had lawn seats and got a gorgeous view of the Ben Franklin Bridge. The concert started right around sunset which made it just a perfect time.

Veggie Baked Ziti Recipe

I made a baked ziti veggie dish tonight that came out pretty tasty so I decided to share it. This recipe also happens to be quite healthy for you too.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat ziti.
Small Italian eggplant sliced thin a cut in half
Small zucchini sliced thin and cut in half
4 large bella mushrooms sliced
12 oz no-salt tomato sauce
1 tbls no-salt of tomato paste
1 garlic clove minced
1 tbls of olive oil
1/2 tbls of each: oregano, basil, marjoram, parsley
1/2 tsp of red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
splash of balsamic vinaigrette
splash of red wine
1 cup of shredded part-skim mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat oven 325 degrees. Boil ziti 8-10 minutes. In a saucepan heat oil and saute garlic. Then add zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms. Add a splash of balsamic vinaigrette and saute on medium heat until veggies are soft. Then mix the tomato sauce, tomato paste, herbs, and red pepper. Add a splash of red wine. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes.

When ziti is cooked drain the water and put the ziti in a baking pan. Add your veggie sauce and mix thoroughly. On top, add mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsely and serve.

This recipe can serve 2-3 people. Enjoy!

Our First Bean Stalk!

Our first green bean stalk is over five feet tall now! We are very excited that our garden is starting to produce some yummy veggies!I couldn't believe how quickly it has grown. The plant started to wrap itself around our fence so luckily the previous home owners left behind some metal plant holders we could stack up for the stalk to wrap itself around.I have been told that some grow up to 10 feet tall. I wonder how long it takes for the bean to produce? I read that when they are as thick as a pencil and firm enough to be "snapped" that it is a good time to start pickin'!

Put Air In Your Tires To Save on Gas

I heard today that Obama stated in a speech given in Missouri that if we all took action to make sure our tires have an accurate amount of air in them, that we can save as much as drilling for more oil of out coasts. Here is a video I found of him trying to persuade the issue:

I understand that he is trying to focus on alternative ways to drilling but come on, if you are going to make that kind of statement you need to explain a little more in detail how inflating your tires will save you that much. I hate when political speakers don't back up there statements with facts or explain visually (for all us visual learners) what the dramatic differences are.

The Darkest Batman Movie

My hubby and I saw The Dark Knight last night. The movie was very long but you would have never realized how much time was passing besides the fact that our backsides were going numb ;) Heath Ledger did an amazing job playing the psychotic joker. He gave a great performance in scaring you or making you feel uneasy and staying comical at the same time.

Aaron Eckhart did very well playing the character of Harvey Dent. The transformation he played into become Two-Face was terrifying. He did a great job portraying what a loss of the most important person in your world can do to your mind.

Of course Christian Bale gave a great performance again playing Batman. Batman is always a head of the game and in this movie someone else saves his life! The twists in the story keep you at the edge of your seat. The Batpod was very cool to watch him ride the streets in. I want one!

With New Beginnings Come Abrupt Endings

We had a very eventful weekend. My husband's sister announced her engagement and set the date for June 6th, 2009! We are very excited because we all like the her fiancee very much. We decided to go with them to the beach on Sunday even though we woke up to rain. We live close to Sandy Hook beach so we thought we would give it a shot in case the storm should happen to pass.

It was only drizzling by the time we reached the shore so we decided to go all the way. When we approached the ticket booth we saw there was no one inside so we were so happy we did not have to pay for parking! Everyone was leaving so we knew we would get a good spot. When we got out of the car we noticed a family or a group of friends standing on top of the walkway down to the beach just standing still and staring down at something going on by the water. We all looked at each other and wondered what it could be. We decided to walk down to check it out. We could tell something was wrong right away and then a minute later a rescue mobile came behind us and drove onto the beach down to the water. We noticed some bodies just laying still and a very upset man laying on the sand. My sister-in-law is a nurse so she ran down to see if they needed help. We later found out that they were all struck by lightning and one man passed away. He was only 38! We could not believe it.

We did not know at the time if they were in the water when they were hit or lying on the sand. I found a report stating that they were just lying on the sand when they were hit. We were all in disbelief for awhile but happy we were safe. Our nephew was with us so we made sure that he knew to get out of the water as soon as he hears thunder. I was a lifeguard at one time and we were always told to make sure no one enters the water at least thirty minutes after the last sound of thunder or the last sight of lightning. Lightning strikes can be so unexpected.

Bid Ed's BBQ

We celebrated my brother's 25th Birthday this past Sunday. It was a fun day.I always love when I get to hang out with my bros. I have four of them! At least I have two sister-in-laws now. The boy-girl ratio is starting to even out. We tried out the long awaited eating establishment Big Ed's BBQ which is pretty much right across the street from our house but my husband and I never felt right going without my brothers and my Dad. The food has actually really good. They are known for their variety of all you can eat BBQ ribs. We learned that St. Louis ribs are a leaner cut and have less bone. Everyone was amazed at the amount of ribs you receive and could not imagine anyone getting seconds. They hardly finished their first helping! I am not really a rib girl so I got the crab cakes and broiled shrimp entree. It was really good. The atmosphere was very comfortable and friendly as well. They even turned on the Mets game for my brothers to watch. Great customer service.�

Up and coming waterfront in Keyport, NJ

Me and my husband went to check out the new waterfront in Keyport, NJ over the weekend. We planned on just walking down the pier but ended up staying all night! The temperature was perfect by the water. The pier was built along the Raritan Bay. We discovered a new place to hangout while we were there called the Bulkhead Bar&Grill. It has two levels of outdoor seating overlooking the water so we had to check it out. We relaxed on the deck with some Corona's and watched the beautiful sunset. I wish I brought my camera....next time. The waitress informed us that there was going to be fireworks so we decided to stay since we had such a great spot to watch them. We also discovered that they have live bands play upstairs and karaoke going on downstairs. We were so happy to find such a nice place to hangout by the water only fifteen minutes away! I will post pictures next time we go!

Get Smart Review

I finally got to see the movie Get Smart. I am a huge Steve Carell fan. I have all three seasons of The Office on DVD. He is hysterical. In Get Smart, he plays an analyst who finally gets to become a field agent and is faced with the opportunity to save the world from being blown up by KAOS. The movie kind of reminded me of a modern day Naked Gun but with more action. It was a little weird to watch Anne Hataway play his side kick then girlfriend because she is so much younger and she is usually in Disney movies, but I think she pulled it off ok. I would have liked to see Jodie Foster or some other action actress in the role but overall it was done well. Two thumbs up!

Poison Ivy Relief With Home Remedies

I played tennis yesterday and woke up in the middle of the night extremely itchy. I was so frustrated because I already had a bunch of mosquito bites that created red blotchy marks on me that I received from a BBQ the night before. I got up and went to the bathroom and saw little red bumps on my wrist, fingers, and forearm. I knew right away it was poison ivy because I got it a couple of months ago from playing tennis. We were told that the tennis courts were cleared but I guess there was some still some plants lingering. Or I could have touched something that was coated with urushiol sap, which is what the poisonous element in poison ivy is. Thank god I still had some Calagel left over from last time to get me through the night and work. It is an over-the-counter itch relief gel that works pretty well.

I always like to research to find home remedies for everything so I searched the internet to see what kind of home remedies there are for poison ivy. Here are some of the treatments for itch relief I found:

Apply ice or a cold compress for 15-20 minutes as needed throughout the day.
Wash the area with soap and water.
Take an oatmeal bath. Aveeno makes an oatmeal bath soak product.
Cook oatmeal and apply a generous thick layer to the infected areas. Let it sit and harden.
Rub alcohol on the infected area.
Soak the area with water and vinegar.
Mix baking soda and water together to form a paste and apply it to the infected area.
Rub the area with the inside of a banana peel.
Rub aloe vera to promote healing and cool the itchy area.
Don't scratch!

Do you have any itch relief home remedies to share?

Hummingbirds

I had the opportunity to see some hummingbirds when we went camping in Roscoe, NY. My husband was luckily enough to capture one on camera while it was feeding!

�

We found out that hummingbirds are attracted to red. Nearly every campsite had the same red hummingbird feeder. They have long bills to get deep inside of flowers to feed on the sweet nectar. They come to the hummingbird feeders because they are filled with sugar water! According to Wikipedia, hummingbirds only feed on the flowers that contain around twenty five percent sugar. They reject the rest. No wonder why they flap their wings so fast! The smallest hummingbird can flap their wings seventy times per second. By creating a garden with flowers that contain a lot of nectar, you can attract humming birds naturally. Some flowers they are attracted to are honeysuckles, a torch lily, and scarlet bee balms. I plan to plant some flowers to attract hummingbirds next spring.

Collectibles

I got a catalog in the mail today that I actually did not throw out! It is the American Royal Arts catalog which is a catalog of fine art collectibles and memorabilia of the entertainment world. They have autographed memorabilia of musicians including some of my favorites; The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Allman Brothers Band. The have signed collectibles of actresses Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Judy Garland. The catalog also displays autographed memorabilia of actors Clark Gable, Al Pacino, and Sylvester Stallone. They did not display any prices throughout the catalog so I went to their website to see if I could find any there and I found that they have even more entertainment collectibles on their website but no prices. I am sure they are worth a lot. They do list a phone number to call for pricing.

I started researching to see how you can find out how much a collectible is worth and I came across a site that lists all different kinds of memorabilia and explains how to determine the worth of a collector's item. They have a music memorabilia buying guide that helps you estimate how much the collectible is worth. For instance, if the artist is dead, then the item is automatically worth more. The condition of the item determines its worth too. I checked out their section of autographed guitars and they do list some websites that give you pricing for you to compare. They showed a Tom Petty autographed guitar listed for 1,499.00! I think that is pretty reasonable.

Happy 4th of July!

We saw the "Kaboom" Fireworks show in Red Bank on Thursday night in Red Bank, NJ. They were spectacular. They are displayed above the Navesink River. They had some new ones this year. I don't know what they are called but there were fireworks that just sat right on the water and they just kept spinning around and around for awhile! I never saw that before. They also had some new colors I never noticed before such as light pink.

One of my favorite radio stations Q104.3 provided the music for the fireworks show but they were alittle off this year. The music wasn't cued up to the fireworks accurately to me. We thought the song choices could have been more patriotic too. I wasn't able to take pictures this year because we brought our camera but forgot the batteries! Here is a video of the fireworks show I found on You Tube:

We saw the Macy's Fireworks on tv last night and they put on a wonderful show. We also tuned in to see the fireworks in Boston and the Boston Pops Orchestra sounded amazing. The fireworks went so nicely to the music.

New Car Tires

I ran over an object on the parkway about a month ago causing the front and rear tires on the driver's side of my car to go flat. I was able to use fix-a-flat to fix both the tires since we were on a tight budget at the moment. Fix-a-flat is great to use on a flat in an emergency . I highly recommend keeping a can or two in your car at all times! It inflates your tire while sending the chemicals into your tire to fill any small leaks.

Recently, the tires started to loose air again and the aligment was off too. I brought my car to Sears Auto and they able to fix everything within an hour and a half. They informed me that I needed all my tires replaced but were very helpful and reasonable with the price of the tires. I needed Falcon tires for my car. The mechanic informed me that if I go to Tire Rack.com and found the Falcon tires I bought cheaper, I could bring a printout of the price I saw them for and they would refund me the difference. Not a bad deal! It is great to have a auto repair place we know we can bring our cars and trust not to be ripped off.

Earn money a charity with your blog

Here is a great way to raise money for your favorite charity with your blog. You can also choose to make money for yourself as well. Be heard!

What Has Happened To Radio Talk Show Hosts?

I can not believe some of the talks shows I hear on the radio lately. Some of these hosts just talk about themselves like there is nothing else going on in the world. I always thought that radio was a powerful way to bring up important issues that a effect us and give everyone a voice to discuss them. Some hosts curse way to much as well. This kind of entertainment reflects on us the listeners.

Wildfires in Northern California

My Aunt informed me today that there are wildfires spreading across Northern California at the moment. So far they have covered over 600 acres. She, her husband, and their two daughters are safe at the moment but are worrying about the fires spreading to their town Magalia. My other Aunt who lives close to them already had to be evacuated. They have already taken the measures to safeguard their most valuable possessions. They stated that the air has been so smoky.

My family experienced a house fire when I was younger so I remember how awful it was to have to stay in a hotel instead of your own house for awhile. How hard it is to loose your favorite clothes, music, art, photos, books, and many other things. I still go looking for things that can't be replaced because of that fire. I also lost my dog Daisy to that fire. My heart goes out to all of those in California who are forced out of their homes. I hope there is a place for everyone to go.

Fun Quizzes For Your Blog

I came across a great site for fun quizzes. You can do them for fun or add them to your blog, facebook, myspace, or any other webpage you may have. I decided to take the quiz about, " What Your Taste in Music Says About You" and I must say, I found the result pretty dead on about my personality.

What Your Taste in Music Says About You

Your musical tastes are intense and rebellious.

You are intelligent... but in a very unconventional way.

You are curious about the world. You love doing something new.

In fact, you enjoy taking risks and doing things most people would shy away from.

You are very physical. It's likely that you're athletic, but not into team sports.

You have the soul of an artist. Beauty and harmony are important to you.

What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?

Summer Nights

There is nothing better than summer nights when the air is that perfect temperature and you are perfectly content just sitting outside with friends and family. Those nights are so intoxicating you do not even realize the time passing by. We finally got to go to the beach and even though we were only there for a half an hour before it rained, just to smell the beach air and hear the ocean made it totally worth the drive. There is no sound more relaxing and tranquil than the sound of water. I would love to live within walking distance of the ocean some day. I had the pleasure of living by the beach in West Long Branch, NJ when I attended Monmouth University and loved being able to walk to the beach or even a lake without having to get into my car.

Neti Pot For Allergy Relief

The Neti Pot is a great natural remedy for allergies. I started using the Neti Pot since the beginning of spring because I was sick of paying for all of that allergy medicine when all it really did was make me feel drowsy or really anxious. I decided to research for a more natural remedy and came across the Neti Pot. After reading about the process and seeing that it has been around for a very long time I decided to try it.

Now, since the beginning of April I have not had one allergy attack! All you do is put a saline solution into the pot with warm water, gently insert the spout up the tip of one nostril, and tilt your head sideways away from the spout. Make sure you breathe through your mouth and not through your nose and the water will start going up one nostril and out the other flushing out the impurities such as pollen, smoke, and dust out of your nose. This will keep the protective mucus lining in your nose clean and have less of a chance to flare up.

This nasal flush helps get rid of impurities that enter your body before you swallow them and before they lead to your stomach and get you sick.

Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car

Honda is the first to provide us with a commercial hydrogen fueled car. It runs from a fuel cell battery that is powered by hydrogen. They have estimated that the Honda FCX Clarity can drive about 280 miles before it needs to refuel. It is said to be twice as efficient as the hybrid vehicles. Of course, this means there must be enough fueling stations around where the hydrogen cars are sold so they can be refueled. As of now, I believe Southern California is the only place where refueling stations were built to support the use of the FCX. It costs about $600 a month right now to lease this hydrogen vehicle. You are also required to live near a hydrogen refueling station to qualify for the lease. It is pricey right now but it is a ground breaking concept. This solution sounds like a great alternative to oil.

BBQ Chicken Marinade Recipe

We hosted Father's Day yesterday. Luckily the weather turned out to be perfect after some heavy rain. The humidity vanished after 6:00. It was the first time my husband and I were able to have both sides of the family over at once. We were very worried we weren't able to fit everyone but because the rain subsided, the backyard provided extra room. Everyone had a great time.

We broke in our new grill and barbequed some chicken. I made my own marinade for the chicken and it was pretty tasty. Here is the recipe:

BBQ Chicken Marinade Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of lite soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice vinegar
1/3 cup of honey
3/4 pineapple juice
1 tsp of ginger
1/2 tsp of chopped garlic
black pepper to taste
1 tsp of chives

Method:
Over medium heat, stir soy sauce, honey, pineapple juice, ginger, and garlic to a simmer.
Reduce heat and add ketchup, chives, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes.
Stir occasionally. Keep in refrigerator until needed.

* I poured it over the chicken I was planning to BBQ and left in the fridge overnight to marinade.

Lower Your Gas Prices

Do you want to take power in your own hands to help lower these climbing gas prices? Go to the American Solutions website to add your signature to the other millions of people who have signed the petition to fight our dependence on foreign oil. Congress is ignoring a logical solution to the fact we have an oil crisis here. These soaring gas prices hurt all Americans. The market will also suffer because with these rising oil costs, most people are on a tightened budget. After reading an article in the Wall Street Journal, I have found that it has been estimated that America has about 8.5 billion gallons of oil reserved off the coasts of the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf. What are they waiting for!

Sign the drill for oil petition. Nothing will ever get accomplished unless you do something about it.

Leave a comment: What are some of your solutions to this oil crisis?
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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

I finally got to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss last night at the Wamu Theatre in Madison Square Garden. They sounded fabulous. I am a big Led Zeppelin fan and even though this is a totally different style for Robert Plant it seemed very natural after listening to him with Alison Krauss. His voice still sounds great. I never really heard Alison Krauss before this tour with Robert Plant except when she sang on the "O' Brother Where Art Thou" movie soundtrack. She also plays the violin which really explains her vocal style which is very captivating. Her voice mimics the violin and with the rest of the band and Robert Plant the music is very entrancing and relaxing. They covered some Zeppelin songs like Blackdog and slowed it down to a blue grass type of style.
This was my favorite song they performed:

Check out the rest of their songs from their album, "Raising Sand."

Father's Day Gift Idea

Father's Day is this Sunday the 15th. It is so hard to shop for father's because they usually have what they want by now. It is so much easier to shop for a woman because there are some many things marketed for woman because they love to shop so much! Guys on the other hand don't really care about high fashion as much so they usually want sport realted or techy gagets.

My father is retired and pretty much just goes to Atlantic City, NJ to see shows and gamble with his new girlfriend. We used to by him tools because he said he wanted them but he never uses them. I tried to come up with something he can use, an event he can experience, or something he can look at everyday that I have created.

I got an idea last month when I was at the Hoboken Arts Festival. There was a vendor selling a collage of black and white pictures of specific towns in NJ. For example; There was a collage done of Pt. Pleasant with a picture of the town sign, the beach, restaurants. It looked nice and historic but the vendor wanted $150 for it and the frame wasn't even that nice!

My husband saw one for his parent's town, Colts Neck. We decided then that we would go out and take pictures of our father's towns and convert the pictures to black and white in Photoshop and frame them up ourselves. We had fun going around town taking pictures despite the 90+ degree temperature. I even ripped my shorts from climbing over a fence to get a close up of the lake behind my dads house in Hightstown!

Fun in New Hope, P.A

Despite the temperature being 95 degrees, me and a couple of my girlfriends braved the Saturday by going to New Hope, P.A. for the day. Even though the air was very humid, we had a great time going in and out of the shops. I love the shops in New Hope. They have such an eclectic mix of stores and resturants. Some of� my favorite places to eat I have found so far is Wildflowers, The Blue Tortilla, and Lulu's.

Wildflowers is a pefect place to eat when the weather is really nice because you can sit outside surrounded by beautiful flowers and overlook the river. They offer a great menu of Thai and American cuisine. The food tastes really fresh. The Blue Tortilla has some of the best Mexican food I have tasted. Their homemade salsa is perfect and the portions are just right. You can order their margarita mix that is homemade and you will recieve a free shot of tequila to mix at the table! Lulu's has the best organic drink menu. I always have to get a smoothie when I am there. They have great vegetarian sandwiches too! John & Peter's is a great bar to go to to catch some great bands at night.

My favorite store to visit is Bucks's County Trading Post. They have a great selection of home decor at unbelievable prices. I always find something unique there to give as a gift or for our home. Not Too Shabby is a great place to stop in too because there is so many pieces of local art to check out.

Billy Joel Contest

My favorite radio statio Q104.3 is hosting a Billy Joel Contest. You can win tickets for the last play at Shea Stadium in July 16th or 18th! If you tried like me to get tickets then you know it was pretty much impossible. Unless you wanted to pay hundreds of dollars! I waited for over 40 min. Ticket Master just to get to the purchase ticket page. All it did was keep reloading and reloading. I was very disappointed. I really want to see him again and also bring my husband. He hasn't seen Billy Joel yet!

If your a Billy fan like me, you have another chance to win tickets! You just have to go to the Q104.3 website and submit your favorite Billy Joel moment and register to win. My favorite Billy Joel moment was when I finally got to see him when I was sixteen. My older brother took me and I couldn't believe how good he and his band sounded! Everyone around us was singing to every song. It was such a great concert! I have piano books with pretty much all his songs so I really appreciate how talented he is. Billy Joel is one of my favorite song writers.

Air Conditioner Repair

It is the first anniversary of our first homeownership. Along with the one year mark comes a broken air conditioner! Thank god we had someone that was available to come sooner than later. One repair shop said they didn't have an appointment available until 2 weeks from now!

Luckily my husband was able to be at the house at the time the repair guy could come. It seems that�the�air conditioner unit ran�out of freon and that is why our house was not getting any colder! He said the last owner did not put a sufficient amount in when the unit was installed. Well of course�we needed to put in 12 lbs of freon! The freon cost about $25 per lb. So $350 later, (after negoitiating down from about $400) our air conditioning was up and running again.�He also said that a full unit of freon will last you about 20 years. So I guess it all evens out in the end.

Grilling Time!

I am so excited we finally bought our propane grill! It has three burners and a side burner too. It is a Perfect Flame model from Lowes which came highly recommended by my sister-in-law and a parent of one of the students my husband teaches guitar. The price was very reasonable too. We decided to host the Father's Day BBQ at our house. It will be the first time we have both our family's in the house at once! It should be a great time. Hopefully the weather is perfect. Keep your fingers crossed!

Iron Man Review

So it was my husband's turn to pick a movie to see since we saw Baby Mama last week which was hilarious. He chose to see Iron Man and I have to say, it was the best action movie I have seen in a while. I usually think super hero movies are kinda corny but Iron Man definitely got my vote. I was very happy to see Robert Downy Jr. doing so well!
Just in case there are some CableVision subscribers reading, you must sign up for their optimum rewards program! We have the voice, cable, and internet package and get to see free movies every Tuesday! You have to check it out!

Memorial Day

I love Memorial Day! I know it is a day to remember all those who died while fighting for our nation but I can't help but thing of it is a start of to summer too.�We had such great weather for this Memorial day weekend. And because everyone usually has off on Monday, it makes the weekend even better because it is easier to relax and not rush to get things done.

There is�a catch 22 that comes with the welcome of warm weather. Now we have to pay to go to our park around the corner from us called Cheesequake State Park and we also have to pay to get on all the beaches by us. New Jersey will take as much as they can from the tax payers. I still don't understand why people who live and pay taxes in their own county have to also pay again�to go to a park or beach�in their own county. I feel county residents should at least get a discount.

Myspace Karaoke!

The best feature on myspace is the karaoke! It is free and the sound quality is actually decent. It is fun when you are bored or feeling musical. Sometimes the lyrics aren't really going in time with the music so you have to make sure you really know the song. I love to sing classic rock, blues, and jazz standards. Here are some songs I have recorded so check it out and try it for yourself. It was fun just to laugh at myself and to work my vocal chords.

Economic Stimulus Payments

I realized today that it is almost the end of May and we did not receive our economic stimulus check. I decided to look into why we didn't receive it by doing a search on Google. I found the IRS website and learned that the checks were being sent out according to the last two digits of your social security number. They had a payment schedule based on direct deposit or paper check. Those who set up their tax return with�direct deposit could have got payments starting April 28th and those who received their return in the mail could have received payments starting May 9th.

The only information that wasn't provided were for people who were married filing jointly. They are issuing a joint check but they haven't stated under whose social security number the payment will�be scheduled for! Now we might have to wait for the end of July! I guess we can think of it as "Christmas in July.."

Rising Gas Prices

I can't believe the gas prices right now! I remember when gas was $0.99 a gallon when I first started driving and now 12 years later it is $3.69! I'm so glad I don't have to commute far to work. It really puts a damper on things if you want go on a road trip this summer. I received and email today stating that�the money we are spending on�gas�is funding the construction of extravagent attractions in�Dubai.�

This was a pic emailed to me of Dubai in 1990:

And here is pic of the same street taken last year:

They have also been busy in the Middle East putting up the world's largest waterfront which includes the world's first underwater hotel called Hydropolis .�Off the coast they have built the world's largest man made islands called Palm Islands:

Dubailand is also been constructed which is projected to be twice the size of Disney World covering three billion square feet and to include sports arenas and a 9.8 million square feet outlet mall. They also have finished the world's largest indoor ski arena:

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The The United Arab Emirates�definitely have the supply and demand idea mastered. The world's tallest building now also resides in Dubai at 1,680ft and rising to be over 800 meters.

We really need to start focusing on alternative ways to fuel our cars.

Helpless

I visited my best friend this weekend because she had her tonsils removed last Friday. I was in shock in how much pain she was still in after a week of the surgery! She was told it would only take three days before she will feel like eating again. She is now on the 6th day and she still can only eat chicken broth! I took her out to try a smoothie and she took one sip and screamed that it burned. I felt to helpless. She can't even take pain medication because she can't eat any food with it. She told me when she tried�to take the pain medication she just sat in the bathroom and threw up for hours. Just the simple act of yawning was killing her. So unfair! I did bring my keyboard to her�because�she has�been wanting to learn for awhile, so I guess I helped her feel better a little bit. I hope I never ever have to get my tonsils removed.

Photography Fun

I have two more weeks left in my digital photography class. We are developing a photo essay which involves telling a story through a series of pictures based on a theme. I picked flowers since it is spring and I absolutely love to do anything outdoors. I have enjoyed visiting different parks, taking pictures of different flowers, �and making compositions out of them. The only thing, is�that it is frustrating�when we have bad weather all week and I don't have a chance to shoot more pictures.

Here is a picture of the tulips that greet you in Deep Cut Park in Holmdel, NJ and yes they really look like that. (My teacher thought I "enhanced" them in Photoshop.)

We also have learned how to enhance and edit our photos in Adobe Photoshop which I love to learn about. It's amazing how you can take a picture and turn it into a total different picture altogther. If it was the morning when you took the shot, you can change the sky to make it look you shot it during sunset. Amazing stuff! I love to do anything creative wether it be music, dance, art, design, or writing. Give me a project and I'll be all over it. I obviously can never be bored because there is always something to create or learn.

Here is a photo from my project which I call "I gave my piano a rose."

I'm getting older

At work today, I needed to research all about life insurance and what happens if you don't have any. While researching I realized the time has come in my life where I need to be searching for some myself! Now that I'm married, have a mortgage and hope to have kids one day, I need to start looking into some policies so I don't leave any kind of financial burden on my family.�Wikipedia had a lot of info to share about life insurance.

You truly never know when you're gonna go, so live for tomorrow and let go of the past.

Peaceful Lake Tobyhanna

Lake Tobyhanna

I had the pleasure of staying at Lake Tobyhanna in P.A. for the weekend with my husband and some friends to celebrate his 30th birthday. It started out as a pretty rained out occasion and then all of a sudden, the sun came out. We all managed to catch some fish including pickeral, catfish, and some sunnies. Catfish can not get enough of hotdogs! The community around the lake was very peaceful and we even got our own paddleboat, kyak, and rowboat to use. Unfortunately the rowboat only allowed 210lbs,�so it did not get good use because no one wanted to row by themselves. I look foward to more warm sunny days to spend outdoors with good friends and family.

The Beginners Guide to Gardening

So spring has arrived and I am excited as a first time homeowner that I have finally started my garden. I want to grow herbs, veggies, and flowers. So far I have bought seeds from Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Matawan World of Gardening to start growing them in peat pods indoors. All you have to do is place two or three seeds in the peat pod and water them until they expand to about an inch and a half in order for the germination process to begin. Each seed germinates at a different time. The peat pods I purchased came in a plastic dome so it simulates a green house. The best part about it I think is when the seedlings start to sprout you can transfer the peat pods right into the ground.

After seven days the first to sprout was the tomato, squash, wallflower, and basil plants. So far so good.