Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Four Types of Healthcare in America

I was listening to NPR's Fresh Air with guest journalist T.R. Reid who wrote the book The Healing of America.



He traveled the world to study the different kind of health care available. He found 4 different kinds of health care implementation. He found all four different kinds in the US:

If you are a Native American or a Veteran- you receive the British system of health care. You never receive a bill and the government picks up the tab.

If you are an employed person sharing your insurance premium with your employer- you receive the German system of health care.

If you are a senior and receive Medicare to see your private doctor- you receive the Canadian system of health care.

If you can't get coverage or can't afford it- you receive the 3rd world country system of health care.

Another interesting fact... America spends 18-20% of health care premiums on administrative costs. France spends 4%. Germany spends 5%.

Read more...

Monday, August 24, 2009

Word Art

I stumbled upon this cute little site that will take a RSS feed or any other text sample and create an instant piece of word art.

Take a look at my little masterpiece...

Read more...

Swine Flu Blues

Found that a niece has Swine Flu. Apparently it is raging through their school. She is going to be fine. I just wonder if this is a taste of what flu season is going to be like...

Regardless, tis the season for washing hands...


Read more...

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle


I have been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver ever since I read the Poisonwood Bible. After I finished reading that book (one of my favorites) I went in search of her other works. I was surprised to find a wide array of books that were very different from each other. I often read multiple works by one author. She is the first one who seems to take on a distinctly different voice for each book.

This sort of reminds me of myself. I have such diverse interests that continually evolve. If I wrote a book today and one five years from now, I am not sure they would recognize each other.

That is why I am so excited to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Maybe I will get motivated to plant even more in my garden...

Read more...

Monday, August 10, 2009

Amy Adams

I took the kiddies to see Night at the Museum 2 this weekend. We went to the Smithsonian earlier this year, so I thought they would get a kick out of seeing all of the places they visited on the big screen. I was prepared to kick back and try and not take a nap and that is what I did for the most part. But I must say, Amy Adams, the actress who plays Amelia Earhart was just darling. She is quite beautiful and I loved her hair and makeup. I was pleased to learn that she also plays Julie in the new film Julie and Julia based on Julie Powell's blog which also features Meryl Streep. I am reading the book now and plan on taking a girls night out for the movie.

Don't you love the hair cut above? I am going to print this out and make my hair stylist do that for me!


She really is beautiful!


Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart above


Amy Adams as Julie above

Read more...

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Peach Cobbler


This weekend was full of peaches and little girls. Local peaches from the farmer's market and little Hannah to help me make a peach cobbler. She did such a good job! And we got to eat the reward!

We got the recipe from Pioneer Woman's new recipe site Tasty Kitchen.


Read more...

Friday, August 7, 2009

I just had a "Are you freaking kidding me?" moment


Are you freaking kidding me?

Read more...

Accomplishments to Come

I am typing my to do list for this weekend. School is about to start and I want to get a lot done. I want to paint, re-arrange, do a 100 loads of laundry (slight exaggeration), cook, mop, vacuum, hang curtains, garden, cut grass, work on freelance. As I was writing TO-DO, I changed it to Accomplishments to come. It sounds much better, does it not?

It makes me want to do everything at once.
Please step aside while I conquer this list. Thank you...

I also have quite the honey-do list.
Shh, don't tell...






Read more...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Masterpiece


Great find at the thrift store. The Masterpiece game-an Art Auction game. Apparently it was all the rage in the 70's. It still has all of the pieces and is in mint condition. It even came with these great postcards of famous paintings. Can't wait to play it. It is the inspiration for the game night I am hosting this weekend. Want to come?

Read more...

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

F8 Moment

I am turning into a big Nurse Jackie fan. The writing is great and Edie Falco does a superb job. I was watching the latest episode and there was a scene that made me howl with laughter. Edie is teaching a temp nurse how to do something on the computer and she tells him to push F8. The nurse first pushed the letter F and then the number 8.

I deal with a lot of people who check their technical skills at the door when they come to work everyday. I know have a new name for those episodes--A F8 moment.



Read more...

Bargain Hunter-Warrior Princess

I have a problem. I will be the first to admit it. I love a bargain. I love thrift stores. I love 75% off sales. Maybe it paying less for something OR maybe it's the thrill of the hunt. Either way, I can't go long without a fix.

So, we were at Lowe's tonight buying supplies for ripping out the carpet when I spotted the oops shelf in the paint section. I have been wrestling with paint colors for sometime...

I ended up buying 2 gallons of paint for less than $20. I got a great deal and the colors are fantastic.

Fresh Linen and a great red. I will post pictures as the drama unfolds.

Read more...

Stashing scissors


I have been noticing that Hannah's bangs look uneven and little twigs of hair seem to multiply all over her head. I finally found her STASH of scissors. When I asked her about it, she started looking indignant and pouty and said: "but mom, you don't understand." All this from a 3 year old.

Read more...