You know, Valentine's Day is coming...

John of Leather Thorn Paddles has a gorgeous new strap, and I sooo want it! Isn't it gorgeous?

Gratitude Tuesday - Q

It's Gratitude Tuesday again! Today we celebrate Q:

Quilts - I love quilts, love, love, LOVE them. Nick laughs at me for having such a blanket fetish, but what can I say? I like to be warm!

Quickies - nothing beats them for putting a smile on your face when your about to head out to a boring evening somewhere!

Quality time - this is a major love language with me, and fortunately Nick is generous with it.

Quantum Leap - yes, it was a cheesy sci-fi show, but I adored it.

Quirkiness - it makes me well, ME!

Quesadillas - sooo tasty!

Queso and chips - the perfect snack food!

Quizzes - I admit it, I'm a hopeless internet quiz taker...

Questions - It's the very best way to learn...

Quiet time - sometimes it's just what I need.

Happy Gratitude Tuesday!

My Husband

I just wanted to take the time to share all the amazing things I appreciate about Nick. These are just a drop in the bucket compared to all the truly wonderful things about him, but maybe it's a start on letting him know how very much I love and appreciate him.


My husband has the strongest, most perfect hands.
My husband has the most beautiful blue eyes.
My husband has the most beautiful, sensual lips.
My husband is the best kisser I've ever known.
My husband plays card games with me when we go on vacation.
My husband constantly amazes me with his capacity for learning.
My husband always makes me laugh.
My husband married me when he was 19 years old and I was 20, even though I told him I would wait for him forever.
My husband gives the best hugs.
My husband has the most wonderful body.
My husband wears his seat belt for my peace of mind.
My husband always makes me feel safe.
My husband brought my younger brothers pizza and videos when my dad had a heart attack.
My husband is a hard worker.
My husband is a dedicated spiritual leader in our family.
My husband kisses the back of my neck till I want to rip his clothes off.
My husband lets me buy all the books I can read.
My husband helps out around the house.
My husband usually puts the toilet seat down.
My husband makes great lasagna.
My husband sneaks into the shower with me.
My husband laughs at my jokes.
My husband bought me a gorgeous leather paddle and had it personalized.
My husband makes me feel feminine.
My husband looks awesome in jeans and a white t-shirt.
My husband is a willing and inventive lover.
My husband bathes my feet with lotion when they hurt.
My husband is an amazing father.
My husband went out and bought a replacement the same night when I lost my wedding ring.
My husband buys me a new silver bullet every time I need one.
My husband know just how to make me shiver.
My husband lives a domestic discipline lifestyle because it gives me what I need.
My husband has perfected The Look.
My husband calls me sweet, silly names.
My husband lets me borrow his shaving cream when I run out of mine.
My husband sometimes spends a sensual hour shaving me very slowly.
My husband brings me back from the edge time and time again.
My husband paints my toenails - and our daughter's.
My husband stands behind my decisions as a parent.
My husband has worked hard to embrace all of me, inside and out, even when it isn't easy.
My husband spanks me when I want it.
My husband spanks me when I need it.
My husband spanks me when I need it and don't want it.
My husband is very generous to me.
My husband compliments me when I wear lotion or perfume.
My husband smells soooo sexy!
My husband tells me he needs me.
My husband is a talented and honest mechanic.
My husband supports me in all that I do.
My husband believes in me.
My husband gives me goosebumps when he takes off his belt.
My husband is a wonderful artist.
My husband buys me roses.
My husband takes off the trash.
My husband mows the yard.
My husband spanks me as long and hard as I need it, then holds me while I cry when it's over.
My husband puts up the Christmas lights.
My husband makes paddles and other implements to use on me.
My husband lets me read to him.
My husband spent his own money to buy me a laptop.
My husband took us on vacation.
My husband makes me knees go weak when he speaks sternly to me.
My husband brought home "The Notebook" for us to watch together last Valentine's Day.
My husband let me read "The Notebook" aloud to him years ago - and cried with me.
My husband builds fires in the fireplace for me.
My husband takes me camping.
My husband likes to take me out to dinner.
My husband takes me off-roading.
My husband never brings up a past misdeed.
My husband wants to have another baby with me.
My husband tells me he loves me many times a day.
My husband is kind to my friends.
My husband is a dependable friend to others.
My husband loves his in-laws.
My husband is a conscientious and kind son-in-law.
My husband provides me with a shoulder to cry on, and sounding board for all my ideas.
My husband scratches my back when I need it.
My husband kicks ass on the grill.
My husband makes me very horny when I see him working outdoors.
My husband is a truck guy.
My husband buys me pretty dangly earrings and tells me how pretty I look in them.
My husband can order for me at any restaurant we go to.
My husband does his job with a fluidity that awes me.
My husband demands respect from me.
My husband refuses to let me disrespect myself.
My husband prays with me.
My husband plays video games with our daughter.
My husband buys me things he knows I will enjoy but will not ask for.
My husband keeps my car in good repair.
My husband lets me buy tons of pretty panties.
My husband washes my car.
My husband is an honorable man.

His wife is a very blessed woman.

Putting it in Writing

Okay, I'm going to clean the kitchen. It will be clean by the time Nick gets home from work. It looks really awful and it should've never gotten this messy. But I am going to clean it as soon as I post this. Every Saturday I wake up with noble intentions, but somehow I never quite accomplish what I plan too. And that is why I'm putting this here: so that I have some definite motivation, because if Nick reads this later and the kitchen still looks like a disaster zone, then chances are he'll get out another big scary implement. SO...I'm off to clean. Right now.

The Swift Hand of Justice

Just a quick announcement: from this point forward I will be running EVERYTHING past my husband. Seriously. I don't think my butt can handle it otherwise.

So here's what happened: Monday I balanced our checkbook like a good little girl. We didn't have a whole lot to go on, but all the bills got paid, even some we could've paid a little later if we absolutely had to, and we had gas and grocery money. Yesterday I pulled up the account to make sure the paycheck Nick deposited over the weekend had cleared, and the account looked lower than it should've for all the stuff still outstanding. So I started looking a little closer. Everything looked familiar, so I started to compare the checkbook to the account history...and realized that I'd forgotten to write down two major bills. They were in the list of stuff to pay, and I paid them both online, but I'd neglected to include them in the checkbook register.

I began to feel a bit nauseated as I realized that not only did we not have any money to go on for the next week and a half, but we might even go overdrawn. Panic set in. It was 8:00 in the morning, and I was absolutely not going to wake Nick up on his day off to tell him I'd majorly screwed up and we were worse than broke.

Okay, we have a small credit line on our account for overdraft protection, and with Christmas, we'd been pretty much living in it. Just the night before we'd had a rather uncomfortable conversation where Nick threatened to take the checkbook away from me because he hadn't realized we were still using it, and a plan to get away from that practice was strongly suggested. SO, what did my panic-stricken brain decide to do? It decided to call up the customer service department and have the line increased. Now, to my credit, I didn't take the full increase they offered, just enough to cover us for the next two weeks.

Almost as soon as the relief that there would be food and no overdrafts set in, it was replaced by a nagging certainty that Nick wasn't going to be very happy with my solution. That certainty grew until I was quite sure that I shouldn't even tell him what I'd done. Surely I could get us past this and reduce the credit line again without ever needing to bother him about it.

But by the time I got home I knew I could never pull it off. For better or worse, I have a soul for confession. I never get away with anything because I always tell on myself. So when he asked me about my day I offhandedly mention that it was kind of stressful because of this little checkbook snafu. The casual air didn't quite take. He was mad. Very mad. He began to watch TV with intense concentration, which usually means he's deciding just what implement of torture he's going to beat my butt with. I tried to melt into the couch until I just couldn't take it any more.

I cleared my throat and squeaked out, "Am I in trouble for this?"

"I haven't decided yet," he claimed.

Let me just point out that the phrase "I haven't decided yet" apparently actually means "I haven't decided yet which big scary paddle I'm going to use on you." NEVER has he said "I haven't decided yet" and then not spanked me.

I practiced more of my melting into the couch technique until the hammering on my nerves drove me to ask (why does my voice never seem to want to work at times like this?) if he had decided if he was going to punish me. It turns out he had, and that he was indeed going to punish me.

He dropped it for then, and for the next six hours or so I tried to think of anything else. As it got later I started getting tired, but I knew that as soon as I mentioned wanting to go sleep to it would be time for my spanking. After about half an hour of gathering my courage, I tentatively mentioned that I needed to go to bed soon.

Yep, sure enough he went and got a very scary implement. What he came back with was this awful wooden spatula. Now we've had this thing for like two years, and he's never so much as waived it toward my bottom, so this was a very rude awakening indeed. I can say, with absolute honesty, that this was one of the most painful spankings I've ever had.




He put me over his knee, which pretty is unusual for us and always makes me feel very dominated. He yanked down my pj bottoms and panties and sternly informed me that this was for neglecting to write down the missing transactions, for making the decision to increase the credit line at all and definitely without asking, and for even thinking about not telling him what I'd done. Then he started spanking. HOLY SHIT IT HURT.




I confess, I fought him the whole time. I begged, I promised, I cried, I screamed. I kicked, I fought, I managed to push myself out of position three times, and every time I refused to bend back over. Every time I was effectively persuaded to reconsider. Finally he stopped. That was good. What was bad was that it didn't end with me over his knee, and that left me feeling like it had ended on my terms, which was definitely not what I needed.

I spent a good ten minutes curled up beside him on the couch, sobbing with guilt, over fighting him, over refusing to get back into position, over the whole fiasco that got me spanked in the first place. My bottom was throbbing, but I knew that I needed more. As much as I didn't want it, I knew I needed to be spanked until he decided I'd learned my lesson. This is the sort of thing I find impossible to say to him. I finally managed to say, "I'm sorry I moved, and I understand if you feel like I need more." Why oh why is it so hard for me to just say, "I need more"? I guess it's because I need to feel punished, and I just can't feel that if I'm asking.

He declined to spank me again, and pulled me onto his lap to hold. Somehow I maneuvered myself back over his knee. Finally my need was apparent, and he began to spank my still bare bottom with his hand. He must've understood that I was still feeling guilty, because he spanked hard. As he spanked me I could feel my aching heart begin to soothe, and when he was done I slid off his knee and knelt in front of him.

When I had brought him to climax I rested my upper body on the couch, and a few minutes later I felt his hand begin to gently rub my bruised bottom. I felt myself push back against him, and his fingers began to explore. This time the spanking warmed rather than seared, and it didn't take me very long to go over the edge.

Today my bottom is livid with bruises, and very, very sore, but it was just what I needed. Thank you so much, baby.

Gratitude Tuesday - P

It's that time again! Today I'm thankful for the P's:

Panties - little and lacy, soft and comfy, cottony boy-shorts or tiny g-strings, I love them all!

Popsicles - sweet and refreshing, and oh so sexy to eat!

Paddles - I confess, I love them above all other implements, just as much as I hate them when they're used with intention. Leather, wood, or even plastic, they all have a place in our toy box.

Punishments - Okay, I may not love them, but I am grateful for them, and I would surely fall to pieces without them.

Pie - Apple pie, blueberry pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, chicken pot pie, the list goes on and on - yum!

Post-its - it's hard to find a more helpful office supply than the humble Post-it note. I use them every single day.

Passion - needs no explanation.

Pregnancy - I loved being pregnant. It was such an amazing feeling to have Nick's baby moving inside me, and it had such an amazing beginning!

Pillows - we have about six on our bed, a feather pillow each, plus various other much loved and worn shapes to curl around each night.

Popcorn - but only by Dale and Thomas!

Happy Gratitude Tuesday!

Thank you!

I want to say a HUGE thank you to padme, who interviewed me for her padme's interview series. She wrote some super sweet things about me, and I want to make it a point to reiterate what a wonderful blog she has. If you've never visited her and Master Anakin, stop by - I think you'll enjoy yourself!

Found!

Hooray! I've got the new link to Ree's blog - update your blogrolls: She's at Cease Resistance: Spanking Ree Again.

By the way, does anyone know what happened to Lily?

Gratitude Tuesday - O

Gratitude Tuesday again - today we celebrate O...

Orgasms - well, enough said.

Orders - I admit it, I get all shivery when Nick orders me to do something - yum!

Oatmeal - on a cold winter's morning, nothing's cozier than a bowl of hot oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins.

Oral Sex - Who doesn't like it?

October - the month I was born, and one of the prettiest months of the year!

Office supplies - I always loved the first day of school because of the fresh clean notebooks, whole packs of shiny new pens, rulers, protractors, mechanical pencils, and white-out, a brand new year, unmarked and full of potential.

Orderliness - I admire it, I envy it, but sadly I don't have much of it.

Oranges - sweet, juicy, delicious!

Options - always nice to have...

Origami - I admit to having a fascination with this ancient art. I bought an Origami-a Day calendar a few years ago, and every day you got to make something new with the previous day's page.

Happy Gratitude Tuesday!

Kink at your local Wal-Mart...

Wal-mart kind of cracks me up, because they're super anal about editing the music that they sell, and you can't buy certain men's magazines there (I'm not talking about porn, I mean Maxim and such, the male versions of Cosmo). But I've found tons of stuff to appeal to the spanko/kink aesthetic, and it seems that every holiday brings new cute and kinky merchandise. This Valentine's Day you can pick up the following:


A cute and sassy little hedgehog...


Yummy body pens (perfect for drawing a bulls-eye!)...


These mini paddleball games (for your naughty little voodoo doll)...


And you can't forget gummy handcuffs!

Happy Birthday, Ceeci!!!!

Links

Okay, I've finally gotten the last round added to the blogroll, and I have a whole new list for you. I actually fought with Blogger for an hour last night trying to get this done and only suceeded in temporarily relocating my whole sidebar to the bottom of the page. Fortunately I got it fixed, but by that time I was ready to hang it up for the night. Anyway, I'm back on track today, so enjoy!

Funny Brat Girl's Spanking Adventures

My Ever Evolving World

Strange Imagination

Sweet Punishment

That Smitten Kitten

The Disciplined Feminist

The Spanking Facts & Research Chat Forum

The Spanking Review

Under His Hand

Growing Together Through Domestic Discipline Dynamics Forum

and a lovely French blog:

La p'tite fessée...et autres amusements

Gratitude Tuesday - N

Okay, I'm back on the wagon. I never meant to abandon Gratitude Tuesday, but the holidays kind of derailed me. SO, here I am, celebrating the N's:

Nick - okay, you didn't seriously think I'd start off with anything else, did you? Nick is my world, my heart, my perfect precious punkin' mud prince. I love you, Baby.

Nutter-Butters - When I was a kid these cookies were the ultimate treat, and now they taste like childhood to me.

Nakedness - In the last few years I've come to be friends with my body. And while I won't be strutting out in public in all my unclothed glory, I certainly love being naked with my man!

New Year's Eve - Even if we don't go out and celebrate, I love the comforting tradition of being with my family, kissing as the ball drops on Time's Square, and ushering in a brand new year as a undivided team.

Nickelodeon - I admit to occasionally parking Morgan in front of the TV, and Nickelodeon can almost always be counted on to serve up fresh funny, and acceptable cartoons.

Niceness - You know, I work in customer service, and every day I deal with people who just aren't nice. Fortunately I also deal with plenty of people on the other end of the scale.

Newborns - whether puppies or babies, it's hard to get more heart-melting than brand new life.

Night - Night for me means long, intimate conversations with my husband, sweet snuggly time with my daughter, amazingly hot, er, snuggly time with her daddy, and of course that awesome, awesome state of regeneration - sleep!

New Balance - When Nick and I buy tennis shoes, we always go with New Balance. They're always comfortable, and we can always find a style we like.

Naughtiness - Well, this one sort of goes without saying, doesn't it?

Happy Gratitude Tuesday!

Well that didn't take long...

So I'm a well-spanked brat now. My dear sweet husband didn't waste any time after he read my post. My kids choir at church started the spring semester last night, and while Morgan and I were busy with that, Nick was busy at home. He took down the Christmas tree, cleaned the den and living room, and did some surfing on here. To be honest, I didn't really think he read on here much anymore. I confess to having some recent restlessness with DD. It had been over two months since my last brush with discipline, and I was starting to feel like maybe he had mentally moved on.

Somehow I'm always wrong on that. When I came home from church, dinner in hand, I was in a frustrated mood. The kids were pretty rowdy, and Morgan was pushing my buttons all the way home, not to mention the fact that I was just plain tired. I ate a single piece of pizza and announced that I was going upstairs, some half formed plan in my mind to maybe lie down and read for a bit.

Once upstairs I decided to make an effort to improve my attitude, so I climbed into a hot bath and did a very thorough job of shaving myself in all the important places. When I was finished, I put on some sweet smelling lotion (something I used to do every single day, but somehow fell off of - I'm trying to make it a habit again) and put on pretty panties and a white t-shirt.

I lay down and read for a little bit, then yelled for Nick to come up. He came up within a few minutes, his hands suspiciously behind his back. I tried to ignore this disturbing development, choosing instead to offer him my freshly shaved nether regions. He seemed suitably interested, but when he sat down beside me it turned out to be the other side of me he wanted to see.

After a bit of protesting, I turned over, and immediately tensed when he pinned me to the bed. Never a good sign. It took me a while to figure out just what it was he'd been hiding behind his back, mostly because it was hard to concentrate while he was blistering my bottom with it. It turns out it was a hairbrush, which I figured out about the time it broke across my bare butt. He took up the campaign with his hand, which pretty quickly got old for him (how do you think I felt?) He ordered me to stay put, then got up to find a new implement.


He laid his hands on a wooden spatula that I picked up for a dollar somewhere just because, well, I'm a spanko who likes to shop. Now this thing didn't look very sturdy. When I bought it it was just for play. Apparently it's made out of some sort of super wood. He absolutely set me on fire. This was one of the longer spankings I've ever had, running somewhere over 500 swats, I think. Right now I have a very sore bottom.

Afterwards there were more pleasant activities to pursue, and a less stressed spirit with which to pursue them. Tonight I feel much better, and very much loved.

New Links for the New Year

I have some new links for you! I'll get the permanent links added over on the right very soon, but for now check out:

Down in the Den

Mary's Gem Treasure Box

The Headmaster's Office

and

The Spanked Wife

Happy New Year

I just want to wish you all a very Happy New Year, and to say thank you to all of you who have made blogging such a wonderful experience for me. Today marks the three year anniversary for Nick and I with DD, and blogging has made the journey infinitely richer. May God bless you all in 2007.

ABC Meme for 2006

The Letter A
Are you available?: nope
What is your age?: 29
What annoys you: Slow drivers in the fast lane

The Letter B
Do you live in a big house?: No not really
When is your birthday? Oct 17
Who is your best friend?: Nick

The Letter C
What's your favorite candy?: Ferrero Rocher
Who's your crush?: Nick
When was the last time you cried?: Thursday

The Letter D
Do you daydream?: yes
What's your favorite kind of dog?: Chocolate lab
What day of the week is it? Saturday

The Letter E
How do you like your eggs?: scrambled with cheese
Have you ever been in the emergency room?: yes
What's the easiest thing ever to do?: Sleep

The Letter F
Have you ever flown in a plane?: yes
Do you use fly swatter? Er, Nick does
Have you ever used a foghorn?: no

The Letter G
Do you chew gum?: yes, on occasion
Are you a giver or a taker?: a mixture of both
Do you like gummy candies?: yes

The Letter H
How are you?: Blessed
What's your height?: 5'10"
What color is your hair?: brown

The Letter I
What's your favorite ice cream? Chocolate peanut butter swirl
Have you ever ice skated?:no
Do you play an instrument?: no

The Letter J
What's your favorite jelly bean?: Jelly Belly strawberry daiquiri
Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke?: yes.
Do you wear jewelry?: yes

The Letter K
Who do you want to kill?: no one
Do you want kids?: yes
Where did you have kindergarten?: I never went to kindergarten

Letter L
Are you laid back?: most of the time
Do you lie? I try not to

The Letter M
Whats your favorite movie?: I have a lot of them...not enough room
Do you still watch Disney movies?: I have a 5 year old!
Do you like mangoes?: not really

The Letter N
Do you have a nickname?: yes
Whats your favorite number?: 7
Do you prefer night over day?: No

The Letter O
Whats your one wish?: Happiness, health, and salvation for my kid(s)
Are you an only child?: nope
Do you wish this was over?: um, no preference

The Letter P
What one fear are you most paranoid about?: losing my child

The Letter Q
Are you quick to judge people?: I try not to be

The Letter R
Do you think you're always right?: No
Do you watch reality TV?: No
Whats a good reason to cry?: Getting a spanking!

The Letter S
Do you prefer sun or rain?: sun
Do you like snow?: yes
What's your favorite season?: fall

The Letter T
What time is it?: 7:31 PM
What time did you wake up?: about 12:30
When was the last time you slept in a tent?: July I think

The Letter U
Underwear or boxers?: underwear

The Letter V
Whats the worst veggie?: brussel sprouts
Where do you want to go on vacation?: the beach!
Where was your last family vacation to? Panama City Beach

The Letter W
What's your worst habit?: being messy
Where do you live?: in a subdivision

The Letter X
Have you ever had an x-ray?: yes
Have you seen the x-games?: bits n pieces
Do you own a xylophone?: no, but my daughter does

The Letter Y
Do you like the color yellow?: sometimes

The Letter Z
Whats your zodiac sign?: Libra
Do you believe in the zodiac?: No
What's your favorite zoo animal?: the penguins

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program...

Hello, everyone. Sorry for the hit and miss posting lately. The Christmas rush gets me every time. We had a wonderful Christmas, some very sweet times with family and friends. I hope you all had a lovely holiday as well, and I wish you a very Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Where are you, John O?

I'm reposting this for Joannie. As she details here, John of Leather Thorn Paddles has chosen the name The Beaver Tail Paddle for his latest creation, shown below. The name was a submission in last year's contest, and he's trying to get in contact with the contributor. If you're John O, please email John of LTP at leatherthornpaddle@yahoo.com.

This is a picture of John's latest creation, The Beaver Tail Paddle. The name was first submitted in last year's "Name the paddle" Contest by John O.
Leather Thorn Paddles would very much like to contact this person so he/she can receive a new Beaver Tail Paddle free of charge. The old email addy does not seem to be valid any longer. So, if you are John O, please contact either myself or John... If you know John O., please give him a heads up... Please feel free to copy this post on your blogs or websites... We have no way to contact John O without help!

A moment to breathe...

Hello, everyone - I've got a free moment, so I'm taking the opportunity to jump in here. This has been a crazy week so far, and there's lots more to come. Fortunately I'm on vacation until the day after Christmas.

Sunday we had a family Christmas gathering at Nick's aunt and uncle's house. A funny note about that: Nick's uncle, who I'll call Jeff, is a very nice but incredibly straight-laced guy. I once saw him drive a jet-ski wearing a sweater vest. For some reason Morgan has always been drawn to him. We really only see him and Nick's aunt two or three times a year, but Morgan always starts a conversation with him, maybe because he's naturally shy and doesn't try to cajole her into talking like every other adult she comes in contact with.

Anyway, they have a ping-pong table, and Morgan convinced Jeff to play with her. Well, at one point she hit the ball off in a corner behind a piece of furniture, and Jeff got down on his hands and knees to retrieve it. So what does my daughter do? She sees a perfect opportunity to use the ping-pong paddle in her hand and whacks the bejeezus out of him. I mean, she actually knocked him forward a bit! He was very nice about it and just laughed it off, but he had to be thinking, "What kind of party etiquette are they teaching this kid?" Apparently we forgot to have the "It's impolite to spank your host unless they ask for it" conversation.

Monday was Morgan's school Christmas play, and she did so well! Her school is very small, and they don't have much of a budget, but the singing was heartfelt, and the drama was very well acted. It was a very sweet blessing.

Tuesday a couple we're close friends with took us out for dinner as our Christmas gift. We went to Cracker Barrel, where their two year old daughter sang the praises of macaroni and cheese for approximately twenty minutes. She's a little angel, and watching her, especially with Morgan, makes me want to have another one.

Yesterday I spent all day wrapping gifts and cleaning house, and I got a call that a close friend who's pregnant with her first has developed toxemia, and they'll be taking the baby today. If you can remember her in your prayers I'd appreciate it.

Today I'll be doing more cleaning, and possibly some last minute shopping.

Tomorrow is Christmas with my mom's side of the family, Saturday is at my parents' house, Sunday is with my dad's side of the family as well as at Nick's great aunt and great uncle's house, then Monday morning is at home, then Nick's parents' house, then Nick's grandparent's house.

Tuesday it's back to work - I'm going to need a vacation after that!

Still kicking...

Thank you so much for your lovely thoughts, everyone. This has been a pretty rough week for one reason or another. I think my stomach issue on Tuesday was probably food poisoning, and it went on in several incarnations through Wednesday and Thursday. Yesterday I lost a contact on the way to work, which meant that I spent all day staring at a computer screen with two eyes with drastically different vision. Without my contacts I'm half blind, so by the end of the day I had a blinding headache, and optional computer time was not in the cards. Today was spent first catching up on some desperately needed cleaning, then at Nick's company Christmas party. I'm afraid I'll be scarce this week too due to a heavy holiday schedule. I hope everyone is having a beautiful Christmas season!

Temporarily unavailable...

I've not forgotten Gratitude Tuesday, guys, but I left work early today with some awful stomach cramps. I'm thinking maybe food poisoning, and my thought processes are a bit blurred right now. I'll post as soon as I can. Thanks...

Thank you!

I want to say a big thank you to Eva for this much appreciated reply to my plea for help!

"Okay everyone. Listen up!!! go to blogrolling.com. Open an acct... it's free... Once you have an account go to "support" and then go to "installation and usuage." Under number 3 you can drag a blogroll it link to your link bar of your browser. AND then, the easiest way to set up your blog roll is to go to a site with lots of links such as Bonnie. Go to a site you like. Click your blogrollit link and then okay the choice......Once that is all done you can add something cute like the bouncing snowmen by going to a site such as photo bucket and find an animated bullett that you like. THEN in your blog roll preferences you can add that URL to make the little goober do it's thing. You can also set it up to notify you at different intervals such as "updated in the past 12 hours" or 24 or whatever....Keep one thing in mind though... blogrolling is being a bear right now and needs spanked so don't be upset if it doesn't work right away... wait until it's working on Bonnie's site, or mine... or Ceeci's or elis.... and then check yours to make sure it's working. "

Help!

Ok, I need some help here. Can anyone tell me how to make my link list show which blogs have been recently updated? A star, or "updated" or a cool bouncing snowman like Ceeci's would be great, but I'm terribly illiterate when it comes to HTML. Can somebody help me?