Whether or not you think the man is guilty, who out there actually believed Sen. Larry Craig ever actually intended to resign from the Senate?

No, I didn’t believe him either.

For my readers who know me and my family, I have some good news. Gigi has been in Level one swimming lesson for 6 weeks now and on Tuesday night her instructor told me she would need one more session in Level 1. Tonight, though, she was asked to move up to Level 2. Yay, my little swimmer.

I think I will enroll her for one more three-week session, but might opt out of the session after that. It will be the last session of the season, but will run into mid-November. Even Florida has some chilly November evenings if you plan to be in the water.

I had been a little excited about keeping her in Level 1, because the nights were changing to nights that I always have her. Level 2 will be on the same nights we are used to, which means once a week her father takes her to her lesson. I don’t want to keep him from her. I just liked being the one to be involved in her lesson, since I am the one paying. ?

About this time last year I had a tooth chip. More specifically, a filling fell out of one of my back teeth and bits of the tooth chipped off in the process. It was a very old filling, probably 20 years or so. It was a horrible sensation. I was in one of my night classes when it happened and it hurt like I cannot even describe. Plus, it was awkward to be sitting there trying to fish pieces of tooth out of my mouth without anyone noticing. I had just eaten a couple of peanut M&Ms, so you might imagine it was not a graceful act.

I called my dentist, but even though it hurt and I was getting food stuck in the jagged parts, they could not get me in for weeks for a scheduled appointment. I got put on the cancellation list and they got me in a week later, but in the meantime I was miserable. I even took to chewing a piece of gum after meals to help get the food out, but looking back I realize that could have caused further damage.

I had no idea at that time there was a product on the market called Dentemp OS. It’s an FDA approved over-the-counter dental cement you use it to replace lost fillings and temporarily cement loose crowns. It sort of fills things in for you and the best part is that after 30 minutes, you can eat on the tooth. It comes in a little plastic vial with enough compound for up to six uses, so you can carry it with you.

If I had had this with me at the time, I could have gone into the bathroom and had my tooth fixed up before break was finished. And, it would have meant that the week I had to wait to get into the dentist would have been more pleasant, without impressive amounts of food getting stuck in the void in my tooth. Temporary dental repair just never crossed my mind. Now that I know the product is available, I’m going to carry it with me at all times. I don’t have that many fillings, but it only takes losing one to make you miserable.

I don’t think I will ever get used to my daughter being away from me every other weekend. In fact, I cannot fathom what went through my ex-husband’s head when he left and knew that he was giving up time with Gigi. He fully understood right away that he would have far less time with his won daughter. Who makes that kind of decision willingly? I would do almost anything to have my baby girl in the house with me each and every night. She is a comfort to me, a joy, and my brightness.

When I first started having to allow Gigi to go to her father’s every other weekend, I was back in school full time and in all actuality I just filled each of those weekends with homework and writing papers. I did my work ahead of time so that the weekends where Gigi was home would be completely free for the two of us to just have a great time together.

Now school is finished and my move is done. The weekends where Gigi is away are hard. I have plans with some girlfriends for dinner out Saturday, but I still would trade that for time with my daughter. I dropped her off at school this morning and her dad picked her up this afternoon. I will not see her until Monday morning. I cannot describe how hollow I feel.

I suppose it is a good thing that I will not “get used” to her being gone. When anyone is that important to you, being apart is painful.

If you build it, they will come, might work for a corner deli, but it sure isn’t the right attitude to have about your website or blog. Online, you need to build your traffic, your incoming links, and your site’s reputation. It can be a daunting task. I think the simplest way to begin is to make sure your blog is listed in a handful of reputable blog niche web directory services.
having your site listed in directories, you boost the chance of new traffic and ensure solid incoming links to your site. Link building is an important aspect when it comes to the Page Rank of your site. Traffic is a separate issue, but both can be addressed if you have strong directory listings.

Incoming links are when another site links to your site. Search engines can detect which sites and how many sites are linking to you. They can also determine if the sites linking to you are relevant to your site. In a directory listing, you try to have your site listed in a category that closely matches your site’s subject matter so the link is in context.

Traffic comes from a number of sources, including incoming links. You want to make your presence known, be an active member of social networks and make sure your site is set up to do well in the search engines listing processes.

Go ahead and build it, but then make sure you take the time to ensure they will come.

Yes, there are now even more free hair bow instructions on the Girly Things free hairbow instructions site. We’ve added instructions for Quad Color Bows and Tails Down Bows. Ann Whisler provided amazing step-by-step photographs and easy to follow written instructions. I think you will be thrilled.

Please check out Girly Things.

Upcoming additions will include:
Braided Headbands
and more…

I’ve been burning discs of photos tonight and while looking at pictures of my daughter on her birthday throughout the years, I thought it might be fun to morph together a couple of shots to show how much she has changed. Well, actually, after I quickly used a picture of her on her first birthday and a picture of her on her third birthday, I can see how little she actually changed! I always get a big grin from her when I am the one behind the camera. Here’s that picture:

When I have some more time, I am going to pull out good shots from her first through fourth birthdays and make a little morph that shows more detail. I can slow down the movement between pictures a little more so you can really get a feel for it.

And while I am on the subject of morphing photos, how cool was that little picture I pasted in above? I used Morpheus Photo-Morpher. It was so simple to use, it almost seems like I cheated. Seriously, I could have done it with my contact lenses out. You just tell the software which photos to use and position a few dots, set your speed and you’re off! I’m used to more complicated graphics programs, so this was actually a pleasure to use.

If you want to make your own photo morph, check out Zoombli to get Morpheus.

I could say a lot about Pushing Daisies, since this show seems to be the darling of the critics this season. I’m sure you’ve already read your share of reviews. I’ll just give you my opinion instead of recapping and the ins and outs of the program.

Although Pushing Daisies is a lot less exciting than I had anticipated, there is a low-key intensity that I enjoyed. All of the characters seem just this side of jumping out of their skins. You can nearly feel the pulsing energy, but just barely. Nonetheless, I will keep watching, simple due to the cuteness factor and the stunning visuals. Pushing Dailies is delightful to look at. Everything from the over-sized pies in the kitchen and the giant pie sculpture on the front of the Pie Hole restaurant to the ever-blooming flowers in Coeur d’ Coeurs exists in vivid color and exaggerated splashes.

I love Chi McBride, too, so I’m pleased to see him in such a charming role. And speaking of charming, that might very well be the best work to describe Pushing Daisies. There is a simplicity, an innocence, a purity that permeates the entire pilot episode. I just hope the show can maintain this momentum.