New at the Store

Just wanted to let you know that there are a few new items in my cafepress store (Hannikah Designs) and more coming. I will be adding more to the store and upgrading to offer more items over the next few days/weeks. If there is something that you would like to see there, let me know.


A big Happy Thanksgiving to all! I'm looking forward to December and getting ready for the holidays. We have several December birthdays in our family, including Lyric and my mom. As well as just enjoying time with family.

I'll also be working on my next book starting next week. I believe that this one is going to be a collection of short stories as I have several that I've written but not developed into full novel length. I'll keep you posted!

I almost Missed

I was going about my business and realized I hadn't blogged yet today. Huh, just when I was doing so well. I bought another Christmas present today. I can't tell you for who, just in case, but after Christmas, I'm sure you'll see it here in a photo. It's supercool and something that this person really wanted. Now, if I could just figure out everybody else. LOL

I found some very cool photos on my computer last night that I forgot I had, so I will be posting them over the next few days/weeks (look for them on Friday).

Okay, I'm off. see you Wednesday.

Have You Ever...

no, this isn't one of those crazy game. Have you ever realized that something was not quite right, but couldn't quite figure out what was wrong/missing/different? I was having that sort of a moment (several times actually) with my keys. They just felt different in my hand. I thought maybe Fisher had taken off extra keys, but nope, they are all still there. Maybe I was just holding them different? Nope. Then, suddenly, it hits me. One of the keychains is missing. I lost my Ranger keyfob thingy. In the real world, not a big deal. In my world, huge deal! I got that keychain when I went to meet Janet Evanovich a few years ago. And Ranger is hot. Okay, on the key chain he's a cartoon hamster, but in the books- wow! So, now I'm bummed because I went to buy another one and the store is closed until 11/28. Okay, I can wait. But I ain't happy about it. I was on the website (www.evanovich.com) looking for the picture to put in here, but I can't find it.(Probably because the store is closed). I can tell you I will buy another one (or two) and I'm almost positive that Kelley will be getting something from that store for Christmas. (she's the one who originally turned me on to Janet). I might even get myself a black Rangeman tee. :-)

Happy Holidays

It's officially holiday time around here. We just got back from the Light the Park Parade (Lyric is in the band). It was cold out there, but not as cold as last year. The firemen had a cute thing. They were pulling santa's sleigh (it was on wheels) like reindeer. There were lots of police and fire vehicles lit up, too. I wish I had photos, but my mom has my camera and Fisher's camera doesn't have a zoom. Now I know I need to get him a new camera for Christmas. I was already planning to get him a photo printer so the two things will go well together. Lyric needs a new camera too. I might just give her mine and get a new one myself. I want a nice one like my mom's, but probably can't afford it. Oh, well.

Have a great Sunday night, all. See you tomorrow.

More Music

I was at Target today and bought the 2008 Christmas with You CD. I also picked up To Remember by Josh Kelley. I'm off to load it onto the ipod so I can listen while I'm cleaning. If it's like the other one of his, I should like it. There's a whole bunch of music out there that I want to buy but I have to control myself. I could spend hundreds of dollars on CD's and MP3! What's in you ipod?? Any new music suggestions??

Happy Friday!

It's finally the end of the week. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo for PPP because snapfish is stupid! usually I can pull a photo out of one of my albums and upload it. That's not working today. I guess next week I'll have to be more prepared.

I watched Grey's Anatomy last night, almost entirely uninterrupted. I liked it better than last week, but I'm not sure what the heck they are doing with Izzy and that bothers me. The morning DJ's were saying maybe she has a brain tumor. i don't know if I like that either, but come on! It's one thing to "see" dead people, a whole nother thing to do, well, what she was doing.

Twilight opens today (well, I guess at midnight it opened). We won't be seeing it for a few weeks, maybe by Lyric's birthday. I was excited for the movie, but after seeing a few photos and clips, I'm not as excited. I don't like what they did with Peter Facinelli, and Robert Pattinson doesn't fit my image of Edward. We'll see. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised.

People's sexiest man. Hugh Jackman. (Australian hunk) but sexiest?? Not so sure. Is it funny that he gets this honor right about the time his new movie is coming out?? And the others that I saw on the list?? Not impressed. What's the criteria to be on this list?? Blair Underwood and Zac Efron are the only two that I think deserve to be there. But that is my opinion. I understand that. If you are in love with Hugh Jackman then it's a great week for you! :-)

Okay, so that was a whole lot of "stuff" for today. Enjoy your weekend.

Dear Abby...

I found this post yesterday and had to share. It is almost hard to believe, but then again maybe not. let me know what you think. The whole question is a train wreck, but pay close attention to the text in RED.


DEAR ABBY: My wife and I received an invitation from a family member to attend their daughter "Heidi's" wedding on Father's Day weekend. We canceled our existing plans in order to attend, and gave "Heidi and Dave" an appropriate gift. As the ceremony progressed, the minister asked, "Do you, Steve, take Heidi" ... at which point the guests began whispering to themselves, "STEVE?"
We were embarrassed, thinking we had made a horrible mistake in addressing the gift card -- and we weren't the only ones. Finally, after much discussion among the guests, someone approached the bride's mother to ask if we had made a mistake. "Oh, no," she replied. "Dave backed out two weeks ago. Heidi asked Steve if he would marry her, and he said he wasn't doing anything else this weekend, so why not?"
I was flabbergasted. Predictably, in less than three weeks, this sham of a marriage was over. Heidi, of course, retained all the gifts.
My wife says it's no big deal. I say the bride's parents should have called the guests and explained the circumstances so they could make an informed decision about attending. I was also raised to believe that in cases such as this, where the commitment to marriage was so obviously missing, that the gifts should be returned. Am I wrong? This has caused a rift in the family. -- JILTED GUEST
DEAR GUEST: It appears that Heidi and her parents became so involved in the details of the "production" that they forgot the real meaning of the wedding celebration -- the joining of two people together in a lifetime commitment to each other. Frankly, I am shocked and disappointed that a minister would go along with such a farce, much less "bless" it. (Could the clergyman also have been a stand-in for the real thing?)
Yes, the wedding should have been called off when the groom backed out. Yes, the guests should have been notified. Yes, any unopened or unused gifts should have been promptly returned. And no, you're not wrong.

More About Music

Since yesterday's post was about music, today's post will be about, well, music. Do you ever rediscover music that you love? Have you ever heard a few songs by a band but suddenly one song turns you into an obsessed "i can't get enough of their music" fan?? Both have happened to me. Last summer it was Nickelback. I had heard some of their songs and like them okay. I think we even had a couple of their CD's already. But one day, with my friend (Chad Kroeger is her RICK), and I was hooked. I think I listened to all Nickelback all the time for over two weeks. It was like I was trying to absorb all of the music.

Now, it's Darren Hayes. I've liked him since the Savage Garden days. He's cute, he can sing, he's from Australia (sound like anybody else??) I didn't even care that people thought he was gay (not like the other guy). And then he came out...Darren, honey, it's okay. I really do like you for your musical ability. As long as you are happy and keep writing songs, I'm there for you. So, anyway, the other day I'm scanning my ipod (prior to the activity that lead to yesterday's post) and I find "In Your Eyes" Darren Hayes UK single. Okay, I just wish that I could imbed that song right her for you to listen to. (Note to readers: If anybody knows how to make that happen, I will send you a gift!) Anyway, there's a couple of things about this song. 1) it was original performed by Peter Gabriel (I don't know if anybody has done), 2) I didn't know/realize that it was on my ipod, and 3) I LOVE THIS SONG. seriously, there is something about it that has totally sucked me in. I listened to it multiple times, in a row. and I'm getting ready to listen to it again. Then, as I'm scrolling through said ipod I find two more Darren Hayes songs that i didn't realize I had. "Strange Magic" and "Can't Help Falling In Love" (which is my second fave Elvis song). So, I'm on a Darren Hayes kick right now. I know that he has some music out there that I don't have. I'll be putting it on my Christmas list. I've been good this year, Santa. I promise!!

Gunning Down Romance

This is cute. I got it from Heaven's Gift
By my answers, you'll see how varied my music tastes are!
1. Put your music on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag ** friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"We Rock" Camp Rock Soundtrack
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Holiday" Waltham
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"You Look Good In My Shirt" Keith Urban
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"Can't Have You" Jonas Borthers
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE??
"Nothin To Lose" Josh Gracin
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"It's A Love Thing" Keith Urban (This is sooo true)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Hero/Heroine" Boys Like Girls
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Who Knew" Pink
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"For No One" Rick Springfield
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Hicktown" Jason Aldean
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"This Is Me" Demi Lavato (I know, I know...I let my kids use my ipod too!)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Finale" Wicked Soundtrack
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"You'll THink of Me" Keith Urban
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"This IS The Life" Hannah Montana
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
(This one is weird because I'm already married but...)
"Special Company" Josh Kelley
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Holiday" Boys Like Girls
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Rollercoaster" Keith Urban (SO not true)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Don't Let Me Down" Beatles
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"She Likes Rock N Roll" AcDc
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Jessie's Girl" Rick Springfield (This is pretty funny because JG is my least fave RS song)
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Seven Days Of Lonely" I Nine
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"I Caught Myself" Paramore (Twilight Soundtrack)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Bet On It" Zac Efron (Which is sooo true, there's a little inside joke with my friend, K and this always makes me laugh)
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"All These Lives" Daughtry (again, soo true. I love this song and the story within it)
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
(Umm, see previous note) "A Little Too Late" Toby Keith
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Rock N Roll All Nite" Poison
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"On Top Of The World" Boys Like Girls
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"Justice' Josh Kelley
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Abide In Me" Kristen Chenoweth
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"Gunning Down Romance" Savage Garden

It was too fun so see what songs were shuffled to each question. Come on and try it! I'm tagging a few people but if you want to just play along, let me know.

Tagged: Amy, Lynn, Ally, Paula, Carrie

Happy Monday!

Well, the cruise that I didn't get to go on is over. Now I get to live vicariously through everybody else as soon as they start posting photos!

Lyric caught up on some sleep last night. One minute she was watching TV, the next, she was passed out on the couch. It was kind of cute. She's already looking forward to Thanksgiving week because they only have 2 days of school.

I thought I would be done with my math class this week, but I'm not so sure now. I only have 2 1/2 sections of homework left, but it's HARD. and I keep thinking I'm doing to right thing, but getting the wrong answer. At least on the tests we get partial points. I know I will be done early for sure. If all else fails I'll be taking the final next week instead of this week. Wish me luck.

Jazz got her science project done last night. She better get a good grade because we (All of the family) worked hard on it. It's taking her a little bit longer to do homework and she's having a bit of trouble understanding things that are not layed out black and white. BUt when I look at it, I have trouble understanding things too. Go figure.

well, that's all for now.

quick note

It's Sunday. i'm blogging. Done. LOL. I've been helping Jazz with homework for the past 4 hours. on one project. and we're not done yet. Almost, but we still have an hour or so. pray for me.

(no)sleepover

Lyric and Jazz and I went to a mom/daughter "sleepover" last night. Why, oh, why do they call it a sleepover? There's not a lot of sleeping going on. Jazz was up until 11:30, which is 3 hours past her bedtime and two hours past her "I can tolerate almost anything that happens"time. It's way into her "don't even look at me or I will cry hysterically for no reason and you will feel bad" time.

Lyric reconnected with an old friend. I don't know what time they layed down, but it was after 1am.

We are all kind of lazy today, but I did get 92% on my art test...and I finally finished section 8.2 in math. I only have four more sections (which is like 4 more days) one test and the final, and I'm DONE. Whoo, hoo!

Candid Carrie: Friday Foto Finish Fiesta 11.14.08

Candid Carrie: Friday Foto Finish Fiesta 11.14.08

PPPP-play along

Hello, All! Here's a couple of photos for PPP. You can play along right Here

This photo was actually taken by Lyric, then tweaked by me. I love doing this coloring thing.



This lis Lyric and a Friend, hanging out. The recolor on this is sort of subtle, but I always like to try to get those casual photos, and I think this turned out nicely.

So Much to Say

I almost forgot to post. I was watching Grey's Anatomy and then ER and I realized I hadn't posted yet today! So here I am.
My stop at the visitation was short and sweet. I found out later what happened, but I feel like that needs to stay private for the family. Suffice it to say, he was not in a good place and now his family has to pick up the pieces.
Lynn texted me from the ship! I was so excited to hear from her. She actually told me that there is talk of another cruise next year. I'm so going to try to talk Fisher into going, but I've got that NYC thing with Lyric in August, so I'm not sure. But a long weekend, Fisher and I, (and a few hundred Rick fans!) would be a great thing.
ER tonight is phenomenal. I have always been a fan of Anthony Edwards and it is so nice to see him back. I think the people at ER are going to do a great job of closing out the show, and I think I need to get all the seasons on DVD. I've watched ER since the very first night (The two hour movie). ER and Chicago Hope premiered in the same week, and ER has stood the test of time.

Six Things...an excerpt

Hello, readers. Today you are in for a treat. I'm going to give you a sneak peek at my next book. Enjoy!


Six Things By Amy Krueger

Find a Man Who:
*calls you beautiful
*is not afraid to hold your hand in front of his friends
*wants to show you off, even when you are in sweats
*kisses you on the forhead
*calls you back when you hang up on him
*tells you how lucky he is to know you


My mom gave me this list when I was twelve. I tucked it away and forgot about it. I found it again when I was packing to go to college. I read through it, and tucked it away again. I didn't really believe it. I thought it was just some junk she made up.
Apparently, it wasn't. And, as I would later find out, Tony was not the man for me either. We met the first week of freshman year. Tony and I. His dorm was across the square from mine and we ran into each other one morning on the way to class. Literally ran into each other. It seemed like we became a couple without meaning to.
........Our divorce was final when the kids were four and five. unfortunately, my sister also found the love of her life that year, with a wedding in the works. I was happy for her, even if I was a little cynical from my experience with Tony.
The wedding was a four day event, with the groom's family coming from out of town. Shelly, my sister, and Steve, her fiance, rented out half of the hotel and insisted that everybody stay there. I couldn't really afford it, but Shelly insisted and paid the bill.
After we checked in, Shelly and I were sitting by the pool talking. She asked if mom had given me the list. I laughed so hard, I almost choked on my drink.
"Mom gave you that list,too?" I asked.
"She gave it to me at the start of junior high. I thought it was a hoot."
"I thought it was mom's way of telling me what to do. I tucked it in a book."
Shelly patted my hand and smiled. "Steve is that guy. He does all those things."
"Are you kidding me? You really found a guy who does all that?"
"Didn't you?"
I shook my head. "Tony was so not that guy."
We looked across the pool at our parents. Dad kissed mom's forhead and they were holding hands.
"Dad is that guy," I said dryly.

Happy Tuesday

I don't know if it's really a happy day, but I'm trying to think positive. Tomorrow is the visitation, and I don't do well with stuff like that. If anybody is crying, I'll cry. Even if I don't know them. It's a really sad flaw of mine.

On a good note, my 101 things list is done. I'll be posting that on my other blog in a few days.

Another good thing is that I should be able to be done with my math class in about a week. I'm going to take one test Thursday. The next one on Monday, and the final the end of next week. That puts me done 3 weeks ahead, and that is a GREAT feeling. After that, I just have to finish up the art class, which is going well. And I'll be working on my next book.

I have two basically done, just need the "meat". I know, I know, last time I said that it took me like 3 years to complete it, but I'm a tad bit more motivated now. So, maybe by the end of the year I will have two books on lulu (and more things crossed off my 101 things list)

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow.

Shocking Monday

I was going to blog about my 101 things list. I was going to blog about how we did nothing all weekend and it was wonderful. I was going to blog about getting ready for the holidays. I was going to blog about my latest story that I'm working on. But all of that went out the window with one phone call.

My mom was looking through the paper and found an obit for a friend of mine. We were friends in high school and two weeks after graduation, he married my best friend (at the time). We hung out together a lot over the course of the next few years. Then things tapered off. They did their thing, I did mine. They are no longer married, but they have 3 beautiful children (the boys are the same age as Lyric, their daughter just turned 19 and is about to have a baby of her own). The obit says he died "peacefully at home". There are notes in the online memory book that say things like "we didn't you call me" "I would have been there for you" "why did you leave us". I don't know for sure, but it seems like maybe it was self induced.

I called another friend, and she and I are planning to attend the visitation on Wednesday. I don't know if we'll be greated warmly by the ex-wife, but we're planning to show our support.

Sunday Post

I don't really have anything insightful for today. I've been working on math for 3 hours and it's killing me. I should be able to finish this class within the next two weeks though, so I'm going to keep working on it so I can be done. See you Monday! (with my 101 things list!)

Happy Saturday!

I've got nothing exciting going on and that is GREAT! I ran a couple of errands this AM, but now I'm home. I have homework to do and I'm going to watch Grey's. I taped it, but for some crazy reason, my VCR immediated taped ER over the top of it. And I missed Friday's GH, so I have to go check out some links on youtube. Homework will wait...a little bit.

I hope everybody is staying safe and dry (it's cold and rainy here, with snow on the way).

See you tomorrow.

PPPP- What I Miss (ed)

Last night we went to see Lyric's play. They performed "Ramona" based on the the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary, that I never read. Lyric played the mom. No singing in this show (that happens with the spring musical). But while we were there I missed watching this

and this



So, tonight I will be playing catch up. Or not, the play runs again tonight.

(I know this was a bit of a stretch for PPPP but GH and GA are my two favorite shows, so I'm counting it!)

Getting technical... a possible GH spoiler

If you have not been watching GH this week (especially Wed) but you plan to, you may want to stop reading. I'm going to breakdown a couple of things again. Not major plot points, just referencing a couple of things. A few posts ago, I noted the paging of code pink and nobody responding. I know, I know, Aim, it's just a TV show, it's entertainment. I KNOW! But I also knwo that there should be some "realness" to my fake hospital shows. Here comes the spoiler parts.

When Robin passed out, Patrick started CPR. Without lowering the head of the bed. You only need to be certified in CPR once to know that your patient needs to be on a flat surface for CPR to be affective. Robin was still propped up on pillows as well. Second, PATRICK did the CPR. Come on. Doctor or no doctor, he wasn't the best choice to be doing it. How about, oh, Robin's doctor?? I know, I know. It's just a show. Thirdly, someone (I believe it was Ephiphany-who I love!) hollered at the family "Get that baby out of here!". Again, working in a hospital, I'm pretty sure that's not happening. Somebody who works there would have taken her to the nursery. The only people at my hospital who can take/move/transport a baby are staff/mom/dad (or whoever mom designates).

Okay, so that's my "point" for the day. I'll be watching GH again tonight, after Lyric's play. Hopefully Grandpa Drake will be making an appearance. It's about time, right?

101 things in 1001 days

I don't know how I got sucked into this, but yesterday I started my 101 things in 1001 days list.
101 things follow this link to start your own list. Starting 12/1 I will be blogging about all of the things I am doing. Some are for me (me time!), some are for the family (monthly family game night), some are for fun (read a new author every month). I have 78 things on the list right now, so I have a couple of weeks to complete the 101 things. I will be photographing things as well as blogging about them. It should be fun and not too overwhelming. I'll let you know.

If anybody wants to play along, let me know because one of the things on my list is to get somebody else to do this as well.

NaNoBloPo....whatever

This "requirement" to blog every day is tough. I've been keeping a list of things I wanted to blog about, but right now everything seems forced. I could blog about getting the girlies up in the morning (which is so much like work, I'm exhausted just thinking about it) or getting everybody to bed at a decent hour (which again is alot of work), or report cards (which is seems like we get once a month-there's mid quater, quarter, mid quarter, semester, mid quarter..well, you get the idea), there's the upcoming fall play, the fact that I can't get into ANY nursing program, and I don't really know what else I would like to do- maybe health education??, how about the upcoming holidays, or the fact that I hate math. Maybe I could blog about things I care about: girl scouts, organ donation, giving blood, my family, my friends, being a writer. Or I even have a couple compare and contrast things in mind. None of these seem to fit today, so they will have to wait and maybe show up later on.

More importantly than all of those things is that today is Election Day. I don't care what your beliefs are, or who you are voting for, or what you think about the candidates in general. Just get out and VOTE. If you are a registered voter, today is the day to use your mind, voice your opinion....VOTE

Breakfast with Santa

Lyric's scout troop is sponsoring a Breakfast with Santa. I, of course, have been the point person on this, making phone calls, fliers, etc. I just took the girls' ideas, polished them and off we go. I hope it all turns out for the best. Any money raised will help the girls get to New York next summer. YEAH! If you are in the Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin area and are interested, there should be a link to the right for the BWS blog. Or leave a comment here and I will get back to you.

NaNoBloPo

Is today Nov 1?? Does it count if my clock was wrong on my computer and it said 11/1 when I started it up?? No? Oh, well. Here is post #1 of hopefully 29 more.

We're off soon as Jazz is singing with a church group this afternoon. Fisher and Lyric are working in the yard, and I am avoiding my homework at all costs. But I am going to go print it out and take it with to work on before the performance. See, I am a good student.

See you tomorrow!