THREE CHEERS!

HIP-HIP-HOORAY!

HIP-HIP-HOORAY!

HIP-HIP-HOORAY!

Hey!  Would you look at that!?!! It seems like everything might be back in working order!  YEA!!!!

If you are here looking for "Mr. Linky", then please, by all means ~ LINK AWAY!!!

THREE CHEERS!

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/10/three-cheers.html

TEN THINGS TUESDAY

Good morning, Y'all!

Things are looking up on the computer front here in the Brownstone home!  We have a new Internet service, and today it is actually working...  Keep your fingers crossed for us, there have still been issues with that one!  Several early birthday and Christmas presents later, as well as a partial company reimbursement, we also have a new computer!  (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)  I haven't quite figured it all out yet, and I need to contact Mr. Linky to have the "Mr. Linky" capabilities reinstalled, so today there is not a box where you can link.  Please accept my apologies for that, and please feel free to add your link to the comments section!

Thanks to everyone for dropping by  ~ if you're here for the first time, WELCOME!!! I hope you'll join in and express what is blessing you today! If you do join in, be sure and put (first time) by your name so others will know to give you an extra big hello!  You can also find the code for the graphic, the guidelines, and the inspiration behind "Ten Things Tuesday" in the sidebar.

If you are a old-timer, thanks for coming week after week!  Y'all rock!

1. I am thankful for our new Internet service.  It's been a frustrating few weeks, but hopefully things are finally resolved.
   
2. We have an awesome new computer.  I've never had a laptop before and can already see the massive benefits of it compared to a desktop.  There is a lot to learn about this new one, so have patience with me!  
   
3. It was so nice to log in and see that friends that still visit, even when I'm on a break!
   
4. We had a fun Trunk or Treat at church on Sunday night.  Lots of unfamiliar faces came through, so I'm hoping we will see them again at church!
   
5. We have such good friends ~ I've felt so disconnected with our limited communication abilities, but each time we're with our friends, it gives me such a feeling of contentment.
   
6. Our families are always willing to lend a helping hand, whether it be babysitting so we can have a night out, or giving us early birthday and Christmas presents so we can communicate.  That is only a small glimpse of the ways they help us!
7. There are the tiniest little birds hopping around outside my window ~ they are so cute!
8. Our two wonderful children are having such a great year, not just at school but at home, too.  I am so proud of them!
9. I am thankful for humor.  Whether it be dry or slapstick, it's always fun to have a good laugh!
10. I am thankful for great movies that make you cry.  Sometimes it's good to have a good cry.  As I'm typing this, one of my favorite movies is playing.  If you haven't seen "Antwone Fisher", you need to rent it and watch it.  Then email me, and I'll tell you more about why I love it so much.

Thanks again for your patience with my "Mr. Linky" issues!  Have a blessed week everyone!

Ten Things Tuesday Participants

1. Joanna 2. Loving Mom 2 Boys 3. Jennifer 4. HisFireFly 5. Melissa

6. Dyane 7. Michelle 8. Jennifer 9. Lanii 10. Meredith

11. Skelty 12. Sharon 13. Chandra

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TEN THINGS TUESDAY

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TEN THINGS TUESDAY...ON WEDNESDAY!

From the very beginning of "Ten Things Tuesday" until now, I have gotten many comments and emails apologizing for being a day or two late in making a list! I can honestly say that I am so happy for you to join in on ANY day of the week ~ it's always a good day to be thankful!

And as you can see, my friends, even the hostess is sometimes fashionably late!

So here I am apologizing to you...I am still having great difficultly with the computer ~ all of the pop-up issues are not quite resolved, and there really hasn't been a day that has enough hours to focus the time required to fix the problem!

BUT at this point it's not really the "virus threat" that is keeping me from blogging...a new issue has occurred. We are without Internet in the Brownstone home for the moment. I could interject here that we are also without a home telephone, but this is supposed to be a thankful post! It's a long story of switching providers, and miscommunication between the old and the new, and one turning off the old services before the other has started the new services, and just working with providers that are impossible to reach because all the employees are apparently computer-generated voices, or holograms, or robots, or something...but this is a thankful list ~ not a list about Internet and telephone troubles.

Did I mention that my cell phone is also kaput?
Seriously.
A friend stalked me down in the pick-up line at my kids school today because she knew she might catch me there. She decided that the cost of the gas would be worth it because it would be faster than snail mail.

Oh, yes, it's a no-win situation regarding communication of any sort for the Brownstone family, but like I said...this is a thankful list! I'm not going to shout "ARRRRRGH!" or anything like that.

So, onto "Ten Things Tuesday".

1. I am so thankful for my friend Jennifer for letting me come over and borrow her computer to catch up on some "must-do" things. Not only does she share her computer, she is just a really great friend. She's one of those people I could call for help in the late-late PM, the early-early AM, or just the middle of the day and not have to think twice about it. She would do whatever she could to help.
2. I am thankful that we had a cool-front blow through today. It definitely made a difference in the temperature!
3. I am thankful that my kids still love me, even though I was probably the only mom that didn't watch the news and know they needed to be dressed for a weather-change in the middle of the day.
4. I am thankful for the way they bounded to the car today with pink cheeks and wind-blown hair and proclaimed that is was a "Hot Chocolate Day!"
5. I am thankful that we will get to see most of our friends at church tonight. With all of the communication issues, I feel a little bit out-of-touch with everyone.
   
6. I am thankful for all of the new readers of this blog and the new people that have found "Ten Things Tuesday". I am excited to be able to come and visit your blogs as soon as we have Internet again!
7. I am thankful for all of the old readers, too! All of you are such inspiration to me ~ I am still amazed, too, at how this whole blogging community works!
8. I am thankful for the new cappuccino I found on "Hot Chocolate Day". It's called "Bananas Foster", and it is YUM! You can find it at your local "Quik Trip", also known as "QT".
9. I am thankful for all of the different flavors you can add to your drink at Sonic. It's a small pleasure, but it's fun! I added "orange" to my Diet Coke today. It was not my favorite flavor to add, but it was good and a fun change from cherry vanilla!
10. I am thankful for good books AND a good public library! I checked out three books today in the hopes that they will keep me occupied with all of the non-technological free-time I have recently been given.
    

So what are YOU thankful for today?

Because I am blogging from a computer other than my own, I am unable to add "Mr. Linky", but please feel free to add your link to the comments section, and I will link you up as soon as possible!

As always, thanks to everyone for dropping by ~ if you're here for the first time, WELCOME!!! I hope you'll join in and express what is blessing you today! If you do join in, be sure and put (first time) by your name so others will know to give you an extra big hello!

And if you are a repeat visitor? THANK YOU for sharing your blessings each week! I really look forward to reading them ~ I feel like I know y'all a little bit!

Finally, please remember, I am taking a short blogging break until I can deal with the computer issues and our Internet is activated. Please don't forget about me!

Have a blessed week!!!

TEN THINGS TUESDAY...ON WEDNESDAY!

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/10/ten-things-tuesdayon-wednesday.html

TEN THINGS TUESDAY

Previous Entry: Dear "XBOX Wife" Friends:

Hello, Friends!

Hope y'all are having a wonderful day. I'm absent today but wanted to encourage all of you to count your blessings ~ I'm counting mine! Today it is a "YET I" list. You can read about my first "YET I" list and what it means here.

1. My computer is acting up, YET I am so thankful for technology!
2. Allergies are not so fun for me during this time of year, YET I love Fall. It is my favorite season!
3. Our washer and dryer are just a bangin' and clackin' away, YET I am thankful that we've had them for so long, and they still get our clothes clean.
4. I have been sleep deprived due to busy-ness the past couple of weeks, YET I am thankful that I am able to be "busy".
5. My favorite drive-in (If you're a regular reader, you know the one!) has messed up my last several drink orders, YET I am thankful to be able to have a cold drink (and an indulgent one at that!) during the day. So many people don't even get a cup of clean water, much less something cold and refreshing.
6. Between the stock market, the war, and the political election, there is so much turmoil in the United States right now, YET I am so thankful that I live in America and have such abundant wealth and freedoms.
7. Due to a mix-up while changing service providers (long story!), our home telephone line is temporarily unavailable, YET I am thankful that a temporary delay has allowed me to get caught up on some things for which a telephone might be a distraction.
8. Having a job in the financial industry, Mr. Brownstone has been just a little bit stressed out at work (Can you blame him?), YET I (and he) are so thankful that he has a job to go to everyday...and one that he likes most of the time!
9. Sometimes I get overwhelmed if there is TOO much going on all at the same time, YET I am so blessed to have friends and family that are loving and supportive!
10. I miss being in adult classes at church, YET I am really enjoying the group of kids we have in the fifth and sixth grade class that we teach!
    

Thanks to everyone for dropping by ~ if you're here for the first time, WELCOME!!! I hope you'll join in and express what is blessing you today! If you do join in, be sure and put (first time) by your name so others will know to give you an extra big hello!

And if you are a repeat visitor? THANK YOU for sharing your blessings each week! All of your thankful lists have been such a blessing to me and to others, too!

Remember, I am taking a short blogging break until I can deal with the computer issues. If Mr. Linky happens to not work on this scheduled post, please add your link to the comments section, and I will add it to Mr. Linky when I'm back online!

Have a blessed week!

TEN THINGS TUESDAY

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/10/ten-things-tuesday_14.html

DEAR "XBOX WIFE" FRIENDS:

Previous Entry: Ten Things Tuesday 10/07/08

It saddens me to say that it's highly possible my computer is very sick. I'm having great difficulty using it, whether it is connected to the internet or not. A nasty little message keeps popping up informing me:

Your computer is infected!
Windows has detected spyware infection!
It is recomended to use special antispyware tools to pervent data loss. Windows will now download and install the most up-to-date antispyware for you.
Click here to protect your computer from spyware!

Now friends, a couple of things I would like to point out to you:

1. I added the bold and italicized purple to emphasize the spelling choices of the person responsible for informing people ~ myself included ~ of their misfortune. I did NOT, however, add the misspelling of "recommended" and "prevent". You'll notice the correct spelling here. It's nice to know that the "Windows" people have hired such competency to aid in time of computer crisis.
2. I added the giant bold orange to the existing exclamation points because nothing says "DANGER!" quite like orange can say it. I did NOT, however, add all of the exclamation points! If you read this blog often, you know that I do love the exclamation point. I can get as excited about things as the next person, but seriously??? Read the statement out loud exactly as the "Windows" people wrote it. They have apparently hired enthusiasm as well, again a necessary skill to aid in time of computer crisis.

So...what to do? What to do? I have not clicked the "warning" because I'm pretty sure that is what actually downloads the virus. The problem lies in the boxes that pop up every time I try to do anything on the computer, whether it be online or offline. The above mentioned is the smallest of three boxes. The other two are much larger. Much larger. And they pop up a LOT. A lot. I'm going to estimate that in the time I've taken to type this, they have come up at least twenty-five times. At least.

Arrrrgh!!! (Red indicates anger, don't ya know!)

So, my apologies for unanswered comments, unvisited "Ten Things" lists, and un-participation in your blogs. Manuevering around the pop-up warnings is taking time that I haven't had available this week. It is adding a great amount of time to accomplish any task on the computer, however great, however small. They are also causing the computer to just freeze-up completely, requiring a hard shut-down. In light of this, it might be a few days before I can respond to you. Please do not take it personally, and please know that I love visiting your blogs and leaving you comments! I just need to take care of this problem first.

In addition, I am going ahead and scheduling a "Ten Things Tuesday" post for Tuesday morning. I haven't used the "scheduled post" feature before, so I'm not sure if Mr. Linky will be working on Tuesday or not. Please come share your lists here anyway!!! I truly love reading them, and they are always such a blessing. It may take a few days, but I will visit them and you! If Mr. Linky does not work for some reason, the please just place your link in the comments, and I will add them to Mr. Linky when things are back up and running on my end.

Have a very wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

DEAR "XBOX WIFE" FRIENDS:

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/10/dear-xbox-wife-friends.html

TEN THINGS TUESDAY

Previous Entry: Ten Ways To Put Pennies In The Piggy!


Good morning, Y'all! What a blessed day it is!

Thanks to everyone for dropping by ~ if you're here for the first time, WELCOME!!! I hope you'll join in and express what is blessing you today! If you do join in, be sure and put (first time) by your name so others will know to give you an extra big hello!

And if you are a repeat visitor? THANK YOU for coming back time and time again! All of your thankful lists have been such a blessing to me. It was a crazy week last week, and I wasn't able to read most of the lists until yesterday, but they came at just the right time, and as always, they said just the right things!

If you weren't able to visit the other participants last week, be sure and take a quick look at the link list. There were several first-timers, and it was the most successful "Ten Things Tuesday" of all time! There were thirty of us sharing our blessings with each other ~ that's THREE HUNDRED happy thoughts!

Today is a very special day! One of my siblings ~ Thing 3 ~ came over and spent the night last night so we can spend the whole day together! While we are all four very close, I am still often left with the feeling that I don't get to see my siblings enough, so this day will truly be a blessing! Here are ten reasons that I am so thankful for you, Thing 3:

1. You have the gift of gab! We are never at a loss for conversation when we're together!
2. You have a dry sense of humor...and I totally get it! Not a lot of people can pull off "dry" well, but you are definitely one of those people.
3. You have the most eclectic taste in music of anyone I know! You have introduced me to so many new sounds, singers, bands, and musical genres ~ I would never have known what I was missing, and it would have been a LOT!
4. You are so great with my kids! Tornado and Twister love you so much. They are always so excited to find out that you are coming to spend time with us. Most importantly, they know that YOU love THEM. You always make an effort, even with your busy schedule, to carve out time especially for them.
5. You are not afraid to say what you think. I never have to worry if you are giving it to me straight or not! More than once you have helped to think about things in a different light.
6. You are extremely dedicated in your field of work, and you're really great at what you do! I know that your job is not always easy ~ even the parts about it that might look fun to an outsider ~ but you make it look easy! You have a real talent in fulfilling all of the areas that are important to make your job successful, even the ones that a lot of people in your position might overlook.
7. You are scary smart! I don't know a single person that could slide into a different job so effortlessly if that is what you ever decided to do. You've tapped into parts of your brain that the rest of us might never find!
8. You love to try new foods, and you love for other people to try them, too! You are not afraid to experiment with flavors and textures, and you'll try anything at least once. It's fun to dine with you! And for the record, you make crazy good hot sauce! I will always believe that you should bottle and sell the stuff.
9. You are never boring! Whether it's going to the movies or picking up at a moment's notice to go on vacation with your big sis and her family, you like to get out into the world and DO things!
10. You are true to yourself! You have never been afraid to not follow the crowd, even at the ages where a lot of strong folks finding it increasingly difficult to march to their own drummer. I admire your ability to be yourself and to be true to your own heart!
11. Of course, I couldn't stop at just ten, and eleven really will not be sufficient but gets the point across that "You Rock!" You love Jesus, and I'm thankful that our time together won't end here on Earth. Just think...you'll get to spend an eternity with your bossy big sister! :)

Have a blessed day! Don't forget to count your blessings!!!

Ten Things Tuesday Participants

1. Shara 2. Michelle 3. MeChele 4. ~Stacey~ 5. HisFireFly 6. aloted 7. Andria 8. Jan Fleming 9. Joanna Ashlock 10. Crazy Homeschool Mama

11. Rosheeda 12. Mrs.Greer (First Time) 13. Jendi 14. Melissa 15. mzzterry 16. LovingMom2Boys 17. Danna 18. Trisha 19. Dyane 20. Lanii

21. Kipi 22. Sandra Foyt 23. Jenny 24. Jayne 25. Kellie 26. Jason 27. Julie 28. Aloted

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TEN THINGS TUESDAY

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/10/ten-things-tuesday.html

TEN WAYS TO PUT PENNIES IN THE PIGGY!

Previous Entry: Ten Things Tuesday 9/30/08

On the first Monday of every month, e-Mom at Chrysalis hosts "Marriage Monday", which is a challenge to blog about a specific topic that is linked in some way to marriage. I am a long-time reader, but this is the first month that I've actually participated by writing! It's my goal to backtrack and address each of the topics she has presented over the past year ~ there are some really great ones!

The topic for this month's

is FINANCES.

Yikes!

What a timely topic! All too often lately, it seems that people are suffering from debt. And not just small debts. Bills are getting paid late, or not at all...homes are being foreclosed...BANKS are closing! There are strains placed on our wallets, our physical health, our marriages ~ not to mention our kids!

So what is the answer?
How do we separate ourselves from the masses that are drowning in a sea of debt?
How do we turn this:

into this:

???



Following are ten ways that the Brownstone's try to live ~ most we follow always, and one just when we just need to cut back a bit (I'll confess, it's Sonic Happy Hour!) ~ but all are ways that have helped us a some point in our lives:

1. Read the Bible! Turn to God's word and see what HE has to say on the topic of finances.
2. Plan your day. With gas prices so high, it makes perfect sense to develop a plan of action for the week and map out where you need to go.
3. Somewhere along the way, we became a nation of daily designer coffees and Happy Hour soft drinks. Whether it's $5 or $1 a day, you can save a bundle by drinking more water!
   
4. PAY CASH!!!
5. Turn off those lights. And by all means, price compare for electrical services!
6. Do NOT try to keep up with the Joneses...or the Smiths...or the Rockefellers! Let's face it, we aren't all oil tychoons ~ and that's OK!
   
7. Don't try to keep up with your parents! While I'm sure they are lovely people, are most-likely worth admiring, and are a good example of where you'd like to be someday, remember that they've got at least twenty years on you! Success doesn't have to come overnight to be sweet!
   
8. Remember that just because something is advertised as a good deal doesn't mean that it is always a good deal!
   
9. Get back to simple family fun! Remember Game Night? Remember playing in the park or at the neighbor kids' house after school? It almost seems like it has gotten competitive to see who can participate in the most extra-curricular activities. And while I am NOT knocking extra-curricular activities, or anyone's choice or desire to participate in them, I AM saying that it's OK to say no! No one should feel like they have to because everyone else is, and no one should look down on another person's choice to "sit this one out in the bleachers". It's OK to take a breather when you need it!
10. Did I mention PAY CASH? If you can't pay for it with cash, then wait! As attractive as whatever it is seems, it will be even better if you don't have to use the plastic! Cut up the credit cards, or keep only one in the freezer if you feel you must have a security blanket. Take a Financial Peace University class by Dave Ramsey. He will teach you how to handle debt and budgeting with a well-laid-out plan.
    

Saving our pennies is not always easy, but the reward of financial freedom is so worth it! So invest in a little bank, save your pennies, put $5 in the jar every time you skip a trip to that coffee place, put in a few extra dollars when you organize your errands route, watch how quickly that bank gets fat! Who knows, we could be calling you "Rockefeller" before you know it!

The Marriage Monday community is a "diverse group of joyful, Godly women...young, old, seasoned, and newlywed." Come join in anytime ~ you just might learn something new! You can find out more about joining the Marriage Monday blogroll here.

Want an fun and easy post for Tuesday? Come join in "Ten Things Tuesday" ~ it will be a blessing!

TEN WAYS TO PUT PENNIES IN THE PIGGY!

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/10/ten-ways-to-put-pennies-in-piggy.html