Recently in BigRedCouch Category

Trying to get rid of all of the spam. New post to come tomorrow.

Since there isn't any interest in skirts or making one ... What do you want me to write?

I believe the title here tells you everything so far. Adelphia became Comcast. TV was snowy. Internet was out. I am like a rabid lost dog when the internet goes out. I feel like I have lost all contact with the outside world. It makes me crazy. Are you completely lost when the internet is out? I am. Even if you are not on the net and you know the internt service is out does it make you crazy? O'kay, so maybe it's just me. :-)

I like things in neat tidy packages. If you could see my livingroom you would question my need for organization. Steven has toys every where. Steven walks everywhere now. At 11 months I guess he is officially a toddler now. I cannot believe how fast he picks up a new skill. For example (argghh!!!) the other night Steve was eating popcorn and feeding it to Steven. He takes his tiny fingers and picks up his popcorn bits and they disappear with lightening speed. The dog came up begging and Steve fed her a piece of popcorn by dangling it over her nose. Guess who was watching? Exactly! Now when he is in his highchair and having goldfish crackers (or any cracker) he hangs over looking for the dog and then dangles cheese crackers above her nose. He drops the cracker and she catches it mid-air. Steve has learned quickly NOT to do things in front of this boy. It only takes once and he picks things up and repeats them without flaw! So, back to this organization thing - As I introduced you to my thinner me journal I have decided to post some product reviews over there for the low carb items we have purchased in the past 6 months. I started today with flatout bread. I am going to try to keep all the eating craziness over there on the weighing-in journal. Comments are open. Save the link to your favorites. Go see how many fat lady jiggles this product rated. I was overwelmed by the response to my post on blog templates. I am starting a separate journal to keep up with all of those designs. Please visit me over there to see what I am doing, to see what's new and to see what designs I have done for others. Along the way, over time there will be many freebies over there. So make sure you bookmark Fairy BlogMother Designs. I have had a lot of fun with the graphic for this one. It snowed most of yesterday. The early evening was ice. We had to drive in it to return J. to her mother's. The roads in our county were excellent. Other counties were not as dilligent about getting their roads open. This morning everything was a fine sheet of ice. Steve took Colby's explorer to work. I was just too worried about him trying to take that little mustang on these roads. He was glad he drove the explorer too. the roads in Reston had not been cleared when he arrived at 5am. My big excursion plows right through the ice and the slush. V10 triton engine and 4 wheel drive is hard to stop. I feel safest in my truck. I am so glad it is cold and we got even the smallest bits of ice. I hope it will stay cold for a while to kill off all the bugs otherwise we will be battling mosquitoes the size of bats this summer. The fireplaces are blazing, the house is toasty warm. Steve and I are relaxing on our bed watching Stargate Sg-1 Season 1 Disc 5 (actually I just heard a snore so Steve is not watching! Hahahahaha!). The kids are sleeping. I don't have a headache. I am not hungry. I am not having any cravings. All is well. P.S. I will be trying to answer comments in the comments section. My comments email is backing up and I can't seem to get to everything like a should. Look for replies to your comments there from now on.

In honor of the Week for De-lurking: I don't know who you are but I see you! I can't believe how many countries are in that list! Who knew a little journal from the farmlands and foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia would be such an international hub! Now - if I could just figure out how to get you all to talk to me. That would be exciting! Some of you are closer to home: Georgia, Augusta, United States - This is my old hometown! Talk to me! South Carolina, Aiken, United States - This is the land of my nativity! Let's chat! Georgia, Atlanta, United States - There are 5 of you visiting from Atlanta. You all should get together and have lunch. How about at that old Tara Plantation out near Buckhead? District Of Columbia, Washington, United States - 8 ip's. Virginia, Broad Run, United States Virginia, Reston, United States - 6 different ip's Virginia, Glade Spring, United States Virginia, Arlington, United States - 2 ip's Virginia, Ashburn, United States Virginia, Galax, United States* Virginia, Purcellville, United States* Virginia, Virginia Beach, United States 2 ip's Maryland, Clinton, United States Maryland, Silver Spring, United States Maryland, Haggarstown, United States* Maryland, Bethesda, United States* You people are insanely close to me. We are almost neighbors. Need to borrow a cup of sugar? Let's have coffee. I'll start the pot. If I say, "Good morning, friends" with a welcoming smile - will you respond? Please? I am always hopeful you all will talk to me. The list is only a very small sampling I cut from the stats log. Don't be offended if you don't see yourself here if you are local to me. Speak up and I'll add you ;-) -What a deceptive way to get you to respond. Hahahahaha! *updates

I like looking at my site stats. Not because I am interested in the numbers. Not in any way. No indeed. I love seeing where all the people come from who observe the view into my window of my world. You know who are. I know where you are (sort of, stats are never exact). These are who have dropped in this morning since 5am until now that I am posting. So many of you already! :-) Alaska, Anchorage, United States California, Lancaster, United States California, Los Angeles, United States California, San Jose, United States California, San Mateo, United States Colorado, Denver, United States Georgia, Hinesville, United States Illinois, Chicago, United States Iowa, Breda, United States Kansas, Lenexa, United States Kansas, Wichita, United States Maryland, Baltimore, United States Maryland, Bethesda, United States Maryland, Germantown, United States Massachusetts, Middleboro, United States Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States Michigan, Bay City, United States Michigan, Grand Haven, United States Michigan, Mt. Pleasant, United States Missouri, Kirksville, United States New Jersey, Livingston, United States New York, Brooklyn, United States New York, New York, United States New York, Scarsdale, United States North Carolina, Mooresville, United States Ohio, Cleveland, United States Ohio, Toledo, United States Oregon, Beaverton, United States Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States Tennessee, Dickson, United States Tennessee, Hixson, United States Texas, Houston, United States Tennessee, Memphis, United States Tennessee, Nashville, United States Texas, Crosby, United States Texas, Humble, United States Texas, Wylie, United States Virginia, Alexandria, United States Virginia, Ashburn, United States Virginia, Galax, United States Virginia, Herndon, United States Virginia, Lynchburg, United States Virginia, Reston, United States Virginia, Virginia Beach, United States Washington, Issaquah, United States Wisconsin, Clintonville, United States Wisconsin, Kenosha, United States Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Australia Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Tasmania, Hobart, Australia Ontario, Uxbridge, Canada Ontario, Toronto, Canada I get excited seeing all the countries you represent. And there are so very many more of you who come back day after day. I like to think of you all as potential friends. Not online personalities but potential real life friends who care about me and my family. From as far away as Australia. From as close to home as Alexandria, Virginia. To all of you and those inbetween - Won't you come in and sit a spell? Coffee or tea? I'd love to meet you all. Thank you for stopping by. Welcome to my world. **Update** It was never my intention to leave anyone out. I was just noting the visitors of the morning on which I posted. The following graphic is the complete list of countries from whence you all come. (I hope.) Or rather it is more correct to say from where the server says your IP originates from. By no means was the first list everyone who drops in. I am sorry if anyone's feelings got hurt or you felt left out.

Dear Contest Winners, The jelly has been made. I will be boxing it up this weekend to mail to you on Monday. I hope you enjoy every sweet bite! Love, Angie **** I am at Mamarazzi today. Come see me talk about Britney -Again! Sigh.

You are the next contestant on The Big Red Couch! The rules are very simple. Mere child's play. Guess the age of my baby in these photos. The person who guesses correctly will receive a selection of fine jams, jellies and preserves from my pantry of delicious homemade goodness. Imagine yourself waking on a cool spring morning. The scent of coffee wafting through the kitchen. You need just a bite of something to get you through the morning. You are not hungry for a full blown breakfast. What will you do? If you are the winner of this contest you will be supping on bread smothered in the sweet goodness of Angie's personal favorite jam and jelly! Yes, you! I'll get the ball rolling here and will tell you this - Steven was 3 months old on Sunday. Count his age in hours, days, weeks or months. The correct answer wins! These are some of my very favorite photos. I could just gobble him up! Why must they grow up so quickly? Get ready. Get set. Go!

**Yes, I am playing with templates. You never know what you might find here over the next few days** This past weekend we hosted two parties. One was for J's 11th birthday. All of Steve's family came to help celebrate. Fourteen of us altogether. Steve's mom likes to tell people she has eight grandchildren ranging in ages from 19 years to 2 months. She likes the shock factor. Steve's brother has 4 boys under the age of 5. The youngest is 7 weeks older than Steven. Steven is bigger than his cousin. "That is what happens when two Catholic boys marry two Baptist girls." Haha! She has a good sense of humor. It rained all day. Nothing but wet and muddy. It cleared out and the sun shined just long enough for the kids to sit on the back porch and eat and be messy then the rains came back and washed everything away so the ants wouldn't attack us and carry away the decking. I was praying for better weather on Sunday. The morning was soggy but the afternoon was fabulous! On Sunday afternoon we hosted a cookout for one of Steve's former employees who will be moving his family out to Washington next week to fill a position for Micr0$0ft. Better them than us. Steve has been offered several jobs with Micr0$0ft now but he keeps turning them down because we don't want to relocate. We have found this home and we want to raise our family here. If they ever come to their senses and offer enough money to keep this place and live comfortably out there we may change our minds. :-) Anywho ... Saturday was hambugers and hotdogs with all the fixings. Plus buttercream chocolate birthday cake and Newt Gingrich's pig lickin' good cake. Both delicious. Sunday I cooked 10 whole chickens -20 halves. I split them in half and cooked them on the grill very slowly. They were tender and juicy and delicious. I made potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs and tossed salad. I served potato rolls, iced tea and gallons of lemonaide. For dessert I made banana pudding. Other than 3 halves of chicken, nothing was left over. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. The early birds waiting for the Sunday dinner special. There is nothing like a slow Sunday afternoon with a few tables full of good food and a dozen uber geeks and their wives. Most of them are gamers, which we are not, but all of them are developers which makes for some very interesting table conversation and jokes. Most of which would fly right by most people's heads and they would have no freakin' idea what had just been said. There was even a playmate for Steven. This little baby in the swing was born 8 days after Steven. He is still wearing newborn size diapers. My line backer wears size 2. Unless of course the network administrator said, "I read your emails." Hahahaha! (Oh, yes, they can!) A good day was had by all. Especially this smiley little baby. And what did you do with your weekend?

If you are feeling crafty and need to invest in sewing supplies or materials used for cutting might I turn your attention to the Home Shopping Network ... (hand flourish like one of Barker's Beauties on The Price Is Right) This group of items is labled as a quilting kit but it is used for much more than quilting. The rolling blade cutter is fantastic and the mats are self healing. The mat alone retails for nearly $25 and the cutter averages around $15. The collective price of $16.95 is a super bargain. Add $4.95 shipping and $21.90 total is a deal and a steal. You will kick yourself later if you let this slip past you. ******* Check out Useless Men. These guys are funny. ******* And here is something to look at ... (another flourishing hand) Saturday Afternoon Sunday Midday