Shame on GOOGLE Adsense

This is not the blog that I intended to write today. Believe it or not, I have had SEVERAL blogs brewing; oh, and if only for the time,I would have gotten out one or two in the past week; but alas no. And then, it happened. I was checking on "TBR" as I often do, and what did I see in those little freakin boxes; (you know the ones that I mentioned before) well, now I can go on and say exactly what they were - GOOGLE Adsense. Yah, I got this smart idea that if I let GOOGLE place ads on my blog, that maybe just maybe I might make some money. As I previously explained, the conditions were that I couldn't ask or tell you to click on the ads or make reference to the ads; but basically I was SUPPOSED to get paid per click and yah, I haven't made a penny yet - and that is TOTALLY OK, because I write my blog to write, not to make some pennies.

Now,the way it works, (I'm sure that I really don't need to explain this part - but ya, you know me; I Will.) is that they skim my blogs for labels and try to put up relative ads; which is why I was so shocked that I had to live with those fungus ads for so long. (Had I written nothing more sellable than foot fungus ? LOL) Well, the other day when I wrote about that disgrace - Sarah Palin and how she charged sexual abuse victims for the swab kits etc; GOOGLE Adsense had the audacity to post ads for attorneys for people accused of sex crimes. I wanted to VOMIT. (I'm hoping that most of you didn't even see these ads; but you know me, Queen of WORRYING I had to make sure this matter was taken care of.) I was so outraged that I wrote them a complaint letter and I immediately removed all of the boxes / ads from my blog. My integrity is worth a lot more than any of the money that I might have ever made with them. I did say in my letter that I thought they owed my reader (ha, no I said readers) an apology. I am EXTREMELY doubtful that you will ever get one from them; but you are certainly getting one from me. I am so sorry that those ridiculous ads appeared on my blog and rest assured we will NEVER see anything of its kind again.

I am hoping to have at least 3 more blogs come out within the next few days -(Gasps of shock were just heard- I'm sure) so be on the look out. There are definitely a lot more Bumpy Rides that need to be taken.

OHHHH, yah, while we're cleaning up let me mention one more thing. If you recently received a previous blog from the RSS feed thingy, it's because they are back in business; HOWEVER I'm not using them. You won't get another email form them since I didn't re-sign with them and I do apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. Now, if you aren't receiving a feed on this blog and just check it at random, go up to the top and sign up real quick for the Feed Burner, and you will get an email each time I post a new blog, and you'll only have to go to the blog to leave a comment (which you know I live for.)

Again, my sincerest apologies.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

A New, New look

I know that many of you don't really SEE "The Bumpy Ride," because you just read your feed when it is emailed to you; but IF you happen to check it out; you will see that once again it has a new look. I am DEE-LIGHTED with it's current appearance, and though I am typically the Queen of CHANGING MY MIND (about little trivial things;) I am now THOROUGHLY satisfied, and anticipate this being "TBR" ("The Bumpy Ride") from here on out. To go along with the NEW, NEW look I have also changed my picture. I know my profile pic is tiny; so I am going to include some recent photos, so you can check out MY New, New look.

A couple of weeks ago I took my girls to get their hair cut. Well, Kelsie came out looking like a member of a male, 80's rock band; and Lyndzi's bangs were WAY too short; not to mention that although my instruction was to cut off whatever wasn't healthy; I think the lady cut off far too much. OK, so it's hair, and it will grow; but after these descriptions, a sane person might wonder why I decided to get my haircut there, the same afternoon. LOL Well, I'll tell ya. For EVER I had long hair, and then almost 2 years ago I got my hair cut a little shorter than shoulder length, and then a little shorter, and a little shorter. I had gained a considerable amount of weight at the time, and I think that cutting my hair was the only thing that I felt like I could control about my appearance; so I kept cutting it. So now, were up to present day and my hair was starting to grow to it's original (first cut) length, and I was actually on the fence about what to do with it. It wasn't looking bad, I just hadn't decided if I was going to let it grow or not. So when I took the girls that day, the lady who was cutting Lyndzi's hair, made a comment that people with curly hair should either have it long, or very short (so of course, Queen of INSECURITY that I am; thought she was directing that comment to me.) I asked her if she had an idea for my hair, and she did, so yah, I let her cut it; and you know what? The response has been PHENOMENAL. I think this is the best haircut, hairdo I have EVER had. People who didn't expect to like it when I described it, see it and LOVE it; even my bosses, (all guys) RAVED about it. The only one who didn't like it... was Luis. As a matter of fact he HATED it. BUT, after a few days of hearing all the other people say how terrific it was, he said "I think it's growing on me." No; actually it's growing on me - hahaha Thank you very much; I'm here all week. OK, I couldn't resist. Anyway, My friends Lori and Jessica have developed this little ritual that they call "Drunk Hair Friday." Apparently they get together, have some cocktails and color each others hair. So of course Michelle (...K) and I wanted to get in on the act. Luis was actually PRO- Drunk hair Friday (I think he SECRETLY wants me to become a blond) but hey, I'm a proud red head. Remember; RED, it's not just a color, it's an attitude. But with some blond streaks - hmm, there are definite possibilities. So Michelle (... K) and I went to Drunk Hair Friday with our pals Lori and Jess and we had A BLAST. Jessica did my hair PERFECTLY (and she's not even a licensed hairdresser; but 5 people in her family are;) and Lori blew me. Well, my hair. Michelle went blonder, Lori got some more highlights and Jess did her roots. We had some shots, and some cocktails; and a good time was had by all. ( THANKS LADIES!!) So, now without further ado, here are some more pix (as taken by Michelle today - when we were attempting to make a You Tube Video - story for another time.) I'm now down 30 lbs (I know that was my last report, but I'm working on it) Have MUCH shorter hair; and blond streaks. Check me out!
Till Next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

You HAVE to Know...

OK, so just as "The Bumpy Ride" is NOT becoming a scrapbooking only blog; it's also NOT becoming an Obama rally; however, I do feel duty bound to inform you when I hear things that are so INCREDIBLY scary and WRONG, since; aha, say it with me "I'm all about the greater good."

Tonight I HAVE to write about Sen McCain and Gov Palin - each laughable in their own right; but both should be ASHAMED of themselves. Let's start with the Maverick himself. Today Sen McCain was being interviewed by a Spanish media station (In order to appeal to Latino voters.) The interview was conducted in English and the Senator was asked if he was President, would he be willing to meet with the Prime Minister of Spain. (He was asked this because Prime Minister Zapatero had pulled his troops out of Iraq.) McCain responded that he thought he would be willing to meet with any Latin American country, that was a part of NATO. Hmm, Call Jeff Foxworthy, because I've got a new show for him, it's not smarter that a 5th grader; it's smarter than a 4th grader - which I guess McCain is not; because when we asked Nicky, even he knew that Spain is in EUROPE, NOT Latin America. The interviewer politely informed McCain that Spain is a Latin country but it's not in Latin America, and he just started talking about meeting with Pres. Calderone of Mexico. OK, well, I guess to McCain all Latin speaking countries are one in the same; ALL Mexico! Umm, excuse me Mr. Foreign Policy expert, but there's a continent called Europe, and THAT happens to be where Spain is Maverick. Foreign Policy - Umm, maybe not.

Now as pathetic as that was; what I've heard about the illustrious Governor is far, far worse. According to Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) - When Sarah Palin was the Mayor of Wasilla, she charged sexual assault victims for the swab kits and forensic exams needed to gather evidence for prosecuting their assaulters. It was reported that Wasilla was the ONLY city in Alaska to do this; and by doing so she was essentially charging rape victims to investigate their own rapes. Additionally, Sarah Palin claims that she did not fire Walt Monegan because he wouldn't fire her brother-in-law; SHE claims that she fired him because he was seeking federal money to investigate the worst cases of sexual abuse in the state; including sex crimes against children.

OK, do we REALLY need to hear any more? These two are LIARS. They lie just for the hell of it; like Palin telling the people of Ohio that during her speech at the Republican convention her teleprompter broke, and she just had to speak from her heart, and she looked out and the people who were sitting right in front of her were the people of Ohio, so she just "spoke to Ohio;" MM, , nice story, BUT that didn't happen. The press that were there could SEE her teleprompter, from where they were sitting and they have confirmed that, um, yah, NEVER happened. She read off the teleprompter the entire time; and was Ohio sitting in front of her - NOPE. They have also lied about the size of the crowds that are attending their rallies. Yup, McCain said he had 23,000 people at a rally the other day as told to him by the Fire Marshall; but the Fire Marshall reported that he never spoke to McCain and IN FACT, the crowd was about 8,000. C'mon guys; you do the math - 8,000; 23,000 Not quite the same thing. He reported 10,000 at a Palin rally the other day and the venue only accommodates 3,500. OK, so MAYBE size DOES matter. And speaking of liars; the first Dude, (as he calls himself)Todd Palin had gone on and on at the Republican convention about how his wife had done no wrong (in Troopergate) and he'd be happy to tell any court so - yah, until he gets subpoenaed; and then what happened? Well, MUM was the word.

Do I REALLY need to tell you anymore? Please think on this, and make the ONLY choice that makes sense. VOTE OBAMA / BIDEN.

Luis was telling me tonight about some uninformed people from his job, who were pro-Republican; but weren't going to vote. I told him that was good, because we A - didn't need uninformed people voting; and B - if you're not voting for Obama but you DON'T vote for McCain either - that's OK.

To quote Rachel (and maybe she's not he first to have said it; but it was the first time I heard it) PLEASE BaRock the vote.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

What A Wonderful World

Remember when I said that "The Bumpy Ride" was NOT becoming a scrapbooking blog? Well, it's not. I just thought that I would share my latest layout, completed with the September "Comfort" kit from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out ." I truly went WAY out of my comfort zone for this layout, and did things that I NEVER do; and you know what... I loved it. Now, I am NOT fishing for compliments, but I will say that I think this is one of the best lay outs that I have ever done. Not only because of the design, but because of the message. It is GREAT to remind yourself of what you have to look forward to; ESPECIALLY when things aren't feeling so hopeful.

The journalling says:

I see trees of green... and I think to myself What a Wonderful World. I'm comforted by the endless possibilities of what has yet to come: Becoming a professional writer, watching my children fulfill their destinies, growing OLD with my husband (my Love) and living in a world that is safe and peaceful; where EVERYONE is free to be who they are. I take a deep breath and I hold these dreams close and tight; and I think to myself - What A Wonderful World!

In this campaign season, it is often hard to believe that we have a future to look forward to. Luis and I watch CNN all the time and we actually get panic stricken when McCain and Palin seem to be doing better than we can afford them to be doing. Luis has been a HUGE Obama supporter from day one; and at this point I invite anyone who has any question about Obama and what he stands for or what he intends to do for this country to "Ask Luis;" he is SO informed that it's actually a little scary. He told me the other day that he thought he might be watching TOO much CNN because he was getting physically ill when McCain and Palin would speak. I myself was a Hillary supporter but when she didn't get the nomination, there was no doubt that Obama would be my candidate; as I do believe that he represents all of my families best interests.
We are so hopeful for the changes that are SO necessary in order for us and our friends to continue pursuing our American dreams. We truly want to believe that the WONDERFUL WORLD that I have described in my layout is possible; and I believe it can be if you VOTE OBAMA / BIDEN!!

Now, IF by chance you are a McCain / Palin supporter; we can still be friends, but I don't want to know about it - so PLEASE no comments talking smack about Obama and Biden; and definitely no Pro- McCain / Palin BS either. Sorry folks but that's how I roll.
Till Next Time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

A Cure for the Hiccups

This morning I came downstairs, and immediately started hiccuping. Lyndzi, (in her inimitable, sweet, Lyndzi fashion) said "Well, you can use one of the 3 cures. You can get scared, you can drink a glass of water in one gulp, or you can hang upside down. I suggest you drink a glass of water in one gulp." And then Nicky said "WELL, I suggest that you think of something embarrassing." Hmm, I thought, now that is an interesting suggestion and I had never tried that before, so I Immediately thought of what I consider my MOST embarrassing moment. Oh, yes, there are many and Queen of INDECISION that I am, you'd think that I might have had a tough time choosing; but oh no; I knew EXACTLY which embarrassing moment to conjure up, and let me tell you - as soon as I started thinking about it - the hiccups went away. UNBELIEVABLE, I tell you.
I asked Nicky where he had gotten this idea from; and he said that it was from his teacher - Ms. Schroeder - so THANK YOU Ms. Schroeder; YOU are a genius.
Now, I'm sure that you are all wondering WHAT my MOST embarrassing moment could be, and though I am usually Queen of FULL DISCLOSURE, this one I will have to keep to myself as "The Bumpy Ride is not ready for an X rated blog. I know; I'm a tease; what can I say? I shared the cure for the hiccups because; YES, "I'm ALL ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD;" but not to my own detriment. If you really need to know, ask me in private, but unless Hugh Hefner or Larry Flynt is calling me with a cash offer; this story will NEVER see the printed page.
Till Next Time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Remembering My Mom

In Loving Memory of Leona Weiner Howell:

Sometime within the next few days it is the 22nd anniversary of my mom passing away. If you do the math, that would have made me 19. My dad had passed away just 3 years before; and my god I just cannot believe that it has been that long. Now it may seem odd that I don't know the exact day that she passed; but neither does my brother. I think that we've both blocked it out because it would just be too painful to remember on one specific day. All I know is that it was sometime between the 9th and the 13th of September. I'm inclined to think it was September 11th but that could just be me associating one disastrous day with another.
My mom was sick for many years. She had cancer when I was in high school; and then she went into remission, but a few months after I went away to college, she got sick again and she never recuperated. It was heart breaking and devastating and I miss her EVERY DAY. My mom was AMAZING (even though I didn't always realize and appreciate her at the time.) She was intelligent, beautiful, sexy, funny and charming; she had a true magnetic personality. When my mom walked in to a room, all heads turned; both men's and women's; she just had a presence that commanded attention. (Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing my mom, please leave a comment and verify that I am speaking nothing but the unadulterated truth - it would be a wonderful tribute.)

My mom was a straight shooter, a good listener and she was a compassionate friend. She was helpful and kind and GOOD. Now I'm not saying that she was perfect - she was human, so how could she be - but boy, was she close to it. It makes me so sad that we don't always know what we've got till it's gone. I wish that I'd had a better relationship with her before she got sick; but we lived a part for several years due to Richie Howell's lies and manipulations. Ironically enough, I KNOW the exact day that he died - July 16, 1983.

I'm not writing about my mom to illicit any pity or sympathy; you all should know me better than that. I just wanted to share a lesson that I have learned, because; say it with me "I'm all about the greater good." I want people to recognize that dying does not suddenly erase any errors of your past. Again, we are human; we are not perfect, and no one is expected to be; but sometimes when people pass away their loved ones tend to put them on a pedestal, and remember only the good things, and then beat themselves up over how they could have done things differently or been a better person toward their loved one. I'm here to say "Don't do that;" your loved one wouldn't want you to. Hopefully your loved one has gone on to a better place and they would not want you to spend the precious time that you have on this earth, beating yourself up over things that you coulda, shoulda done differently. They weren't perfect and neither are you. I tell you this because life is for the living and there is already so much pain and suffering out there; if you have been grieving for an extended amount of time it is now time to heal; to forgive yourself as I know your loved one is forgiving you; and to be thankful for whatever time you had. As Dr. Seuss says "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
I am so grateful for the time that I did have with my mom. She was a wonderful role model and I would be honored if people thought that I emulated her in any way. It kills me that my children will never know what it feels like to be hugged by her; or to make her laugh, and that she will never get to experience how absolutely, incredible and unique they are; but I can only pray that she is watching them and loving them from beyond, and protecting them with her mother's heart.
If you are fortunate enough to still have your mom and/or dad in your life; please give them an extra hug; forgive them of the latest thing they've done to piss you off; and take a picture with them. These are times you will never be able to get back when they are gone; and you are so blessed to have this opportunity; even if it doesn't always feel like it.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Serenity

The other day I posted about the September kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside out; and I shared the photo that I planned to use in my first (hopefully not only;) COMFORT lay out. So tonight I went over to Michelle (I'm not sure if she's really ever going to become legally) K's house and we scrapbooked; after having Luis' wonderful Carne Asada, world famous guacamole, and a Starbucks run. Anyway, whenever I do a lay out I tend to be overly critical of myself (BIG surprise there I bet;) and it's not often that I love EVERYTHING about it; but this time, the simplicity of it all speaks volumes to me - as sometimes truly less is more. Now, because I'm all about the Greater Good (ya, ya, I know you know, but I have to point it out or I wouldn't be me and this wouldn't be "The Bumpy Ride." Don't you know by now that one of my very FAVORITE hobbies is beating the dead horse - LOL) Anyway, I want to say that for all of you folks who have thought that scrapbooking might be fun; but you don't think you are creative enough or artsy enough, just create from your heart (Inside - Out) and you can't go wrong. Just give it a try and I'm sure you'll be glad that you did. And if you do; of course I WANT to know about it.

In case you were wondering; the journalling on my lay out says:

My little spitfire, sleeping soundly in my arms; no arguing over what you're going to wear, doing your hair, or choosing your umteenth snack of the day; JUST; rest. Time to reflect, time to relax, time to be thankful for ALL that you are and ALL that you give to me. A sense of purpose, a sense of pride, a sense of fulfillment because YOU complete me. I know that I'm the one who's supposed to comfort you and make you feel secure, but you also do the same for me. Holding each other, breathing together - all is right with the world. There are no bills to pay or dishes to do; there is only time for love, for peace, for serenity; for "To love and be loved is the GREATEST gift of all."
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

"Comfort" - Sept Kit from Scrapbooking From The Inside Out

For all of you scrapbookers, who read "The Bumpy Ride," I just wanted to share the brand new kit that has come out from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out - THE inspirational source, kit club, and online community for scrapbookers who want to explore their inner lives and deepest thoughts and dreams.. The theme for September is Comfort; and I myself cannot wait to get started. Michelle (...)K took this wonderful picture of Kelsie and I last night, while we were at our friend Lori's house. Our families went over to Lori's along with our friend Jessica's family and we had apps, dessert and played karaoke Revolution. A great time was had by all, and since I'm ALL ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD, which is why I'm posting the pic of this kit; I should give you the recipe for the ice cream cake that I made. That's right I said I MADE an ice cream cake. So here it is:

Layer a pan with ice cream sandwiches, it will be 8 whole ice cream sandwiches, and then 2 more cut in half. Then put hot fudge on top of the ice cream sandwiches (Yes, I'm STILL going to the gym;) then put cool whip on top of the hot fudge, then the recipe calls for crushed up Snickers, but I put Crunch since Nicky is allergic to peanuts, and I'm sure that you can put any candy of your choice. Then you repeat, layer of ice cream sandwiches, layer of hot fudge, layer of Cool Whip, Candy and freeze for at least a few hours. EVERYONE loved this dessert and my kids are already requesting it for their birthdays. It's a far cry from Diet Coke chocolate cake - but hey, we all gotta live a little. Here's the pic of Kelsie and I that I plan to use on my first "Comfort" layout.Till Next Time..

Queen of EVERYTHING