ABC Wednesday: O

I have no idea what O to put. Then I saw this picture. It's O-shaped art, and it's Out in the Open Outside of a Mall. Does that count? I'm sure it is not a obelisk.


More ABE Wednesdayhere.

This Old House

The nice thing about this house is I own it. The bad thing is also about owning it. I have a 30-year old house. If I had bought it right when it was built, it's paid off by now. Unfortunately, I was only 6 years old when they built it, so I couldn't buy it. I noticed that to make this house into something I want to live in; we have to spend money. First, the kitchen has to go, then the bathrooms, and then there's the sun room. Dallas Remodeling provides me with creative space that is both functional and beautiful. I have tried doing it the cheap way and it ended up more expensive. Redoing anything in a house takes time and money. I thought why not do it right the first time? I am very happy with my newly remodeled kitchen. It wasn't cheap, but it needs to be done. Now, if I cook and serve dinner from my new kitchen, I’ll call it even three years. That is in comparison to how much I spend going out to eat for lunch and dinner both. A successfully remodeled home can bring so much joy. I find myself walking into my kitchen and just enjoy the beauty of it all. I caught myself running my fingers through the granite countertops and shinny appliance. It's worth it. I'm worth it.

Today's Flowers

My husband took this picture. I don't know what kind of flower this is. At first, I thought it might be sunflower. It's got that same look. But then agian, I have never seen sunflower in other color than yellow. So, what is this?

Click on the picture to enlarge.

I Should Have Thought of This

Last summer, we adopted a black Labrador-German Shepherd mix. They were very cute and extremely lovable. We adapted three puppies. And because there were three of them, so we decided they are going to be happier outside, prancing around in our yard versus being inside where it's not as big as our yard. When they were about 6 months old, they got very fascinated with squirrels. They would chase them all day long. We should have gotten some squirrel repellents before they caught one and eat it. It was a tragedy that we could have prevented. Unfortunately for us, the squirrel was sick with rabies. Our dogs got sick too. It was with a very heavy heart that we had to call animal control to take our cute doggies away. One year after this happened; we took a chance on another dog, this time a Labrador-Beagle mix. This time, we're taking advantage of Havahart® products to keep squirrels away from our yard. We're also keeping our dogs inside. However, a dog must run and play outside. For those times he's outside, Havahart® will ensure that my dog will not catch and eat another squirrel again. I wonder though if they have a product that will protect my roses from my puppies. As of yesterday, he has knocked down and shredded 6 of my prized roses.

Mellow Yellow

I saw this at the mall. It used to be a dollar to play this game. That was 17 years ago. Today, they accept credit cards, and it cost 5 dollars to play. I don't know that I wanted Spongebob so much as to plunk that kind of money on a change to snag it.

The Hammer with Adam Carolla

I like Adam Carolla's podcast. He's funny, insightful and blunt. I heard about his movie, The Hammer. I got the DVD from Netflix and found it to be a very good movie. It's even better than some of Nicolas Cage movies. It is so much better than Gone in 60 seconds. I think every one should see it because it's worth watching. That's Adam and his wife Lynette above.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I went to my kid's school today and discovered that it was earth day. They planted flowers and tree to celebrate. They even turn off the school lights for five minutes to save energy. It was cool. I was just thinking along recycling, redecorating my fireplace. To be more energy efficient, I should just put some glass tile on it instead of taking down the whole thing. It would give my fireplace the face lift it needs while saving energy and money. The theme for earth day is to save energy and save the earth, too.

Camera-Critters #54

Isn't he cute? His name is Charlie Brown. He's very good at letting us know he needs to go outside to pee. He's not trained yet, but he will be. I'm hoping anyway.

Looking At the Sky on Friday

My daughter and I drove to Rockwall yesterday. It's a 2 hour round trip. We had such fun checking out the country. Yes, it's only 30 miles away from the city, but it's a whole new world out there.

There's a big lake between Dallas and Rockwall. These are the skies out there yesterday. It's a bit cloudy, no rain. It's thundering right now though. Ugh, my windshield could use some cleaning!

An Open Letter of Apology to Illegal Aliens in the United States

This is a post from Errant Thoughts from a Disquieted Mind. I thought she wrote it well. Here it is, in whole from this link.

On behalf of the many Congressmen and women I have helped to elect in the last near three decades of my life, who have refused their obligations under the Constitution and their promises to me that led to my votes to elect them, I wish to apologize to you for your mistaken understanding that you are entitled to the same rights, privileges and freedoms your born, naturalized or amnestied brethren have earned in the United States of America.


Through the years, while hoping you would follow your promises made to me and to others to become legal citizens, we have educated you and your children for free, provided your free healthcare, and made you the recipient of thousands of programs to assist you, free of charge, along your way.


Despite being the wealthiest and most compassionate nation on Earth, our resources are nevertheless finite. There is a bottom to this well of funds we continue to expend on your behalf. Yet our government continues to do so to the direct detriment and flagrant discrimination of the legal citizens of our land. Regardless of politics, one day soon, this well is going to run completely dry.


Our hospitals are overwhelmed by your needs, and their subsidies for providing you free healthcare are shrinking as they continue to care for more and more and more of you. And we the legal taxpayers of this country cough up more and more money ourselves to keep our hospitals afloat. The unwed birthrate among illegal Hispanic teenage girls alone is the highest of any group in our country, more than three times the teenage pregnancy rate of whites and Asians, and one-and-a-half times that of African-American girls. And your numbers of teenage pregnancies only continue to grow. In the first three months of 2006 at Parkland charity Hospital in Dallas, 70% of all births were babies born to illegal aliens. Parkland, once one of the most reputable trauma centers in the US, and where JFK was taken after his assassination on downtown Dallas streets, is now a birthing center with more than 16,000 births recorded yearly.


Our elementary, middle and high schools are failing miserably to educate your children, as well as the millions of our own children born and naturalized in this land. About a fourth of Texas teachers are uncertified at the time of their hire in our frantic need to place educators of any definition into our classrooms. Our Texas classrooms are so overpopulated that we currently have one of the highest teacher-to-pupil ratios in the country, which has drastically lowered our ability to provide a quality education to all children. Our social groups struggle harder and harder to collect the donations necessary to see that your children have the free school supplies necessary to complete their education, in addition to providing these same compassion-born generosities for children born to legal citizens living in poverty. And the situation is growing worse as more and more and more of your children enroll.


We have even gone so far as to provide many of your children, even when they are also illegal aliens, with special financial aide and the privilege of being charged the in-state tuition fees for college that we don’t offer to any of our legal residents and students beyond our state lines. And we provide this huge slap to the face in flagrant discrimination to the many students from foreign lands that have endured the exhaustive process of obtaining special Visas to attend our schools revered as some of the best in the world.


Our automotive insurance companies are reeling from paying for the millions of dollars in damages to-date to repair insured vehicles because they have no means of collecting from you when the damages are your fault, because you (as illegal aliens) are not insured. We legal citizens pay higher and higher premiums for insurance, so that you don’t have to pay a penny, but still drive across our land. Latinos account for 43% of DUI arrests in Texas, and 45% of DUI arrests in California, according to our respective Departments of Transportation statistics for 2005. The majority of these arrests are Latinos with multiple previous DUI charges, so it is no wonder why more and more and more of our innocent citizens are being slaughtered and maimed on our roadways, nor why so very many of those causing DUI accidents either flee the scene or fail to appear in court, and merely disappear into your hidden world of anonymity to repeat the offense again.


Our jails overflow with illegal aliens arrested for crimes committed after breaching our borders and sneaking onto our land, and we pay for this also, as well as the cost of deporting some of these criminals, who would rather go “home” and sneak back in another day to avoid their further incarceration following the adjudication of their crimes in court. And we pay for the court costs, too, and your attorney fees all along the way. Then you steal over our borders again to repeat this seemingly endless cycle.


Not too long ago, we allowed you to obtain jobs here without any documentation at all. Not long after that, our President Ronald Reagan granted you amnesty, since our Congress was (and remains) spineless in its inability and refusal to find a real solution to the problem then of your numbers, which are dwarfed by your numbers today. Then, following public outcries, our employers were finally forced to require proof of your citizenship, which you falsified with remedial results. Further public outcry, and later the bombing of our World Trade Center in New York City by terrorists who hate us and you, and our freedoms and wealth, forced you to become much more sophisticated in lying about your citizenry to be able to work. Since then, you have stolen the identities of Americans alive and dead to continue to remain and work, and you have allowed thousands of profiteering criminals to line their pockets with the monies of your desperation in selling you those false identities.


Insofar as you taking jobs away from our legal citizenry, I don’t blame you for that, for taking advantage of any opportunities that came your way. That is why you came, and you would have been fools not to avail yourselves of everything that has been given you. Instead, I blame the greed of the hundreds of employers who took advantage of YOU and used YOU to keep them from having to participate in a fair and competitive marketplace and fraudulently keeping down the costs of their doing business. And our government – as recently as the last week – refuses to hold employers accountable beyond a token wee slap on the wrist if caught.


There are many citizens in dire need of jobs in the US, but none other than you who could be forced to accept a job for as little as you have. This they were able to do to you because you, as illegal aliens, could be threatened with discovery and deportation if you complained. You didn’t complain. Instead, you showed up in masses and we can deny neither your work ethic in your jobs, nor your networking to get there first. Without you, the companies would have enjoyed less profits, or merely passed along the higher costs of doing business to us, who by our patronage (or lack thereof) would force them to be smarter and more competitive, or face demise at the hands of businesses who would.


Our government deliberately looks “the other way” as you commit tax fraud daily. While your income is taxed when paid by check, real or electronic, and you further contribute to social security taxes you cannot ever access while an illegal alien, you neither file nor pay further income tax as all legal citizens must by April 15th of each year. Further, when your income is paid in cash, which you prefer, you pay no tax whatsoever, yet continue to benefit from the organized society those taxes provide us all. Instead of contributing to your own expense to us of your living and working here illegally, you send every penny possible back to your homeland to help pay exorbitant “coyote” fees to sneak your relatives into our country, too.


We have even made it easy now for you to vote in Mexico elections here on US soil, and prevent you from having to leave and then sneak back in to continue your lives here.


Make no mistake, we welcomed you to our country, and we always will, regardless of your race, creed, or nation or origin. We merely expect you to either stay here temporarily, seeking visitor status in full respect of our laws and covenants, or become a legal resident and citizen and stay forever. In return for your citizenship, we offer you all that you have received anyway and more, as well as the ability to vote and help us grow as a nation that has always embodied honor and diversity.


“Our forefathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” But understand clearly that Abraham Lincoln was addressing the citizens of the United States when he spoke those famous words on the Civil War battlefield ofGettysburg. And no, illegal aliens are NOT equal to legal citizens. Otherwise, your amnesty, a legal forgiveness of your crimes in entering illegally and living here since, would never be necessary or discussed. And I opose this with every ounce of my being.


I apologize to you today, because I believe in my heart the day is not long away when we will be forced as a nation to seal our borders, because people with motivations other than seeking a better life, motivations to do our nation and our citizens harm, will sneak across and enter illegally on your very heels and do their evil deeds to you and us. You have set a fine example for our enemies to follow, and have shown them how easily we enable your continued crimes in breaching our border.


I apologize to you today, because our politicians never will, since doing so would risk their dethroning at the next election by your sympathizers. And this is really their fault, you know, for not following the laws and obligations placed upon them by our Constitution that they gave an oath to follow and protect, as well as from the electorate whom they promised to respect and represent.


The day will never come when the United States does not welcome you to join us and take full part of the many rights, freedoms and amenities we enjoy as legal citizens, or to a lesser degree as legal visitors. But the day is coming soon when we citizens will force our national, state and local elected leaders to no longer allow you to be here illegally with impunity.


I apologize to you today, because we should never have led you to believe otherwise.


Sincerely yours,
An American Citizen

Oh, The Things I See

Oversize versus wide load. What's the difference? They're both going to clog traffic.

Actually, I didn't see this one. My husband did and took this pictures for me. Some body is moving house, and I get to watch it in pictures. There's two of it. Somebody actually offered to give me one of these before. Hello! What am I supposed to do with it? Move from my house to it? Duh! Still it's the thought that counts. Later on, this person turned rabid...so it makes me wonder what was the motivation of the offer.

General Contractors

At first, I thought general contractors are a waste of my money. What are they good for? It wasn't until later, after I have become a homeowner that I know what difference they can make. They are especially useful when I had to deal with many renovations before I can occupy my home. Are you looking for San San Francisco general contractors? Roger's Construction Company is a good way to find reputable ones. I had this dangerous railing in the second floor. I was afraid that my babies would accidentally fall from it. I had an issue with my oven. It was out-dated, I was afraid so use it. It needed changing. Then there's the question of the stove-top. I wanted a new one. With all those repairs I had to deal with, a general contractor would have taken care of them for me. They would deal with the different workmen specializing in different tasks. I just never thought that buying a ‘new’ house mean that I had to deal with all these things. I bet a general contractor would have dealt with transporting sidings from the store to home. In fact, next time I have more than one home improvement projects, I will hire a general contractor. It would be less stressful, and ultimately cheaper.

Ruby Red

Does this look scary? Yes. But it's also all about fun.
I guess all fun things have elements of danger with them. It won't be fun otherwise, woudn't it?

It's In Your Smile

Does the thought of going to a dentist drag you down? Was your last visit so painful, you just want to put it off? Don't do it. Delaying dental visit might just cause bigger problems later. If you're looking for another Sacramento Dentist, then check out Arden Dental Care. They have extensive services like teeth whitening, bonding, porcelain crowns and many more. They also offer all sort of financial payment options. There's even a no-interested payment plan up to 18 months throught another credit agency. If you wanted an experienced dentist, then Dr. Michael Boyce's 21 years in the business will set your mind at ease.

Mellow Yellow

This was the cakes for my birthday. It was fortunate that I didn't eat all of it. That would have been gluttony. Now I wish I still have those cakes!

Triangle

It's tough to find triangles just when I need it. Here's one. I like tea, so it's a bonus. I could float myself in tea today. I have this huge headache, not even my trusty motrin can cure.

Austin Home Inspector

What is a home inspector? Well, I had no idea what they were, and their importance until I owned a home with termite damaged and some structural problems. Getting a good one is a must. You see, when you see a pretty house and want to buy it, what you see might not be exactly what you get. Austin home inspection is a group of inspector with the best reputation possible. Trust me; you'd want the best to inspect your potential dream home. The last thing you want when you just moved into your new home is dealing with repairmen and more bills to pay. Sure, the bank needs a home inspection to approve the loan, but it's also for your protection that you get a reputable one. It is very easy to get a bad one who does not care for your best interest. It's always good to be well-informed about one of life's significant investment. With inspector from this group, you are assured that your building inspector is not only up-to-date on codes, but also owns a variety of gadgets to ensure that you are getting your money's worth. Their reports come in binders with text in pictures information and all other extra information you need.

Say Good-bye

I heard a rumor. Six Flags Over Texas is going to take down The Texas Giant. It's an old wooden roller coaster. When I rode it, I was convince it's going to make a mush out of my brains. It didn't, but you couldn't have convinced me otherwise. It was very intense. I got a headache and neckache afterwards. But, hey it was fun. And it was breath-taking!

I Welcome Summer

I love spring with all its beautiful flowers. However, I'm really looking forward to summer, too. In fact, I can't wait for it. It's always fun to watch the kids playing in the yard, but with this hot southern sun, exterior shutters is a much welcome addition. I can still let the lights in, but I can also watch my kids playing and having fun. It's a perfect solution. I don't mind the added side effect of enhancing my property value too.

I Want More of These Too

Click on picture to enlarge.



I noticed these growing in my yard. It is so beautiful, I can't resist taking many pictures of it. I do not know its name, but I want more of these. It's very attractive flowers. Does it come from packet of seeds at the store? If you happen to know, I'd love to know the name of this plant.

Parent Connection

I was very concerned about my health during my first pregnancy. It was frustrating when I cannot always find the answer when I needed it. It seems like it was always around midnight when these doubts plague me. I guess they do not call it witching hour for nothing. I was careful about exercise, diet and sleep. I am constantly pouring over books on discipline. It still wasn't enough. It is different when you can access the internet and find another person who might be willing to talk about similar issues of pregnancy and parenthood. Issues like what is the best way to deal with children when they don't want to behave? Twelve years ago, Internet was not so ubiquitous like it is today. I cannot go online and find another soul to discuss things what to name my babies. I bought about a dozen name books. I just wanted the perfect name for this child. I even convinced my husband to let our baby changed his or her name later on if he or she did not like it. It would certainly have eased my worries and concerns if there was a place I could go and discuss these things. ParentsConnect is a good place to find out about these questions. Now that my kids are growing up, it's still a perfect place to hang out to find out about recipes and discuss parenting tip. Parenthood is a job that is constantly changing. Each child is different, and it never hurts to read more information about parenting.

Look At That

My Rose is about to bloom. I am still optimistic that some day this will be big and flowerful bush of a rose.

They Say It's Weed

Click on the picture to enlarge.


But isn't weed defined as something unwanted? Well, I want these. I don't want to mow this. Look at the tiny beautiful flowers. Of course, you have to put your face right next to the ground to appreciate it, but that's the beauty of it. It's subtle. It's growing valiantly. I want it. It's not weed to me.

Lap Band

I can try jogging and I get results. But then the sheen splints are really painful, and I like my ice cream, so I gain it back. It's very frustrating cycle of weight coasting up and down. I supposed I can get advice at 1-800-GET-SLIM. But it seems like the mecca of weight loss leads into one road. It's probably because people gain weight because of over-eating. Sure there are some insignificant cases of glands going haywire, thus the obesity, but most of the problem lies with over-eater. Lap Band is a non-invasive procedure that will insure one feel full immediately, thus halting the overeating problem. There are many lap band testimonials to assure anyone considering this procedures that it works, and will work once you have it done. I am impressed with the video showing lap band before and after, I can't help noticing how effective this procedure must be. I'll probably need some financing because the expense might be more than I budgeted for weight loss right now. It is all worth it, though.

Grey's Anatomy

I like the character of Owen Hunt on Grey's Anatomy. I don't know if you'd seen the latest installment, but it looks like Christina wants to break up with Owen. Sandra Oh has a great chemistry with Kevin McKidd. They're hot and sexy together. I can't wait to see what is going to come up next.

Collision Experts

I was shopping for hedges at Home Depot two years ago when I was broadsided by an incoming idiot on a cell phone. She was going 40 miles per hour on a 20 miles per hour zone. Her insurance was expired, and my insurance end up paying her 20 grand for broken finger and car. My headlights fell off, and my front and side were gone. I wish I had known about auto repair shops online, then I wouldn't have been tempted to see my van for scraps for 300 dollars. It would be nice to go to a certified shop that won't fix my savings along with my smashed vehicle.

Three on Thursday: Is it Poison Ivy?

I have three pictures for you. I wonder if you can tell me if they are poison Ivy. I found them growing in the shady area of my yard. There are some dead vines there as well. I'm starting to pull them out, just in case. Will you let me know if you can tell that they're the kind that gives rashes. My kids plays on this yard, and I just want to make sure they're not going to harm themselves hanging out there.

The Confident You

I heard this ad on the radio. It says to keep telling your friends about the great deals on make-up and beauty improvements. Sure, your friends might say they are perfectfly happy with the way they are, but this commercial convinced me that no woman is ever satisfied with their looks. There is always room for improvement. For one of my friends, it's her wish to make her chest size manageable enough to jog. Breast Reduction Surgery is just the solution she is looking for. Would she travel long distance to have it done? Yes! I think she prefers it so that no one can talk her out of it. I'd probably convince her to pick the right clinic for safety. While it's not that dangerous a surgery, still it's surgery and caution must be taken. At MYA (Make Yourself Amazing), they offer free consultation with all sorts of experts. They also have comprehensive post op care. If my friend can't quite swing the expenses, they also offer 0 per cent financing. I think this place might just be the place that stands above the rest.