For general everyday printing, I do not mind using a refill for my ink cartridges. On the other hand, for high quality photo prints, I am not a fan of refillable ink. The quality seems to diminish if you use ink that does not match what was intended for the printer. So I stick to buy brand named cartridges. I found a site that has a handy cartridge finder for your printing needs.

Cartridge-Finder.com allows you to search by brand name or browse by all major brands for the cartridge you need. I was happy to see that after you find the particular cartridge you need, the site then links you to PriceGrabber to give you the lowest price based on your zip code. I have many printers, but one of them is a Canon Pixma MP160. Through Cartridge-Finder.com I discovered a bottom line price of $19.65 for the CL-41 Tri-Color cartridge.

1. What is one food (or meal) you used to hate but now love?

Fried mushrooms, greens, calamari (I once hated the thought of eating squid so I never ate it, but when I did eat it… I loved it) and there are some others but I cannot think of any now.

2. If you had to give up one of your favorite foods (or meals) for good, what would it be, and why?

I guess I could give up… *gulp* Cheesecake. Why? Because it is a luxury food.

3. Which food seems like it should be healthy and isn’t, and do you eat it? Why?

Potatoes. I eat way too many potatoes. mmmmm carbs.

4. If you were an item of food, personified, what would you be and why?

I would be a cheesecake brownie. Pretty to look at and delicious to eat. *cracking up*

5. You’ve seen tomatoes and pies used for this purpose… now think of a more inventive item of food one could throw at someone. What is it and why would throwing it at someone be hilarious?

Grapes. They would be extremely annoying to the person getting hit, but hilarious for me to throw them at you.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/thefridayfive/1466.html

Last week, William and Keisha went to the circus for the first time. They saw the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey – Circle of Dreams at Scottrade Center as a field trip with their class. I was so excited to hear Keisha talk about all of the clowns that fit into one car… she actually counted them out for me; and William identify all of the animals that he saw.

I just wish I could have shared that experience with them, but I had to go to work *sigh*. The joy of being a parent that works full-time.

Maybe next time kiddos… but I am happy that you had a grand adventure.

1. Have you ever met a fellow blogger in person?

No I have not, but there are a lot of bloggers that I would love to meet.

2. Did you ever play an innocent game of “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours”? How old where you?

The closest version to this game that I played was when I was 18 years old. We played a game of strip poker.

3. When did you get your first not so innocent kiss?

I was once a shy girl… I did not have a not so innocent kiss until I was 16 years old.

4. Have you ever awoke with someone who’s name you did not remember?

Thankfully, I can say no to this one.

5. Have you ever let someone else wash you while you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself?

Yes, when I was 8 years old I got chickenpox. I was very ill and could not care for myself. My mom took care of me. I love you Mama.

Bonus: What makes a great first date for you?

Romance. I want to be wined and dined. You do not have to spend a lot of money on me but you also cannot just take me to Applebee’s. Dinner in a nice restaurant and a movie is a great first date.

http://tmituesday.blogspot.com/2007/11/tmi-tuesday-109.html

We have only been in our home since August 2005, but since day one we have thought about getting a garage. Of course due to financial reasons it has been on hold. That does not stop us from dreaming then creating that dream to reality. JT and I will invest in fencing for the yard, in fact, we will be getting a price quote on this Wednesday morning before work. Then our next goal is to get a garage. I feel like a garage will make our backyard landscaping complete by adding value to our property and security for the van. We have put a lot of thought into the planning; for example, carport versus garage, types of garage floors and storage needs.

I would much rather have a garage than a carport because of the storage needs. I bet JT would primarily use the storage space for his tools, the children’s bicycles and other knick knacks from around the house.

Week 249

Say … and I think … ?

1. Treadmill :: Exercising… something that I really should be doing regularly.

2. Stroke :: One thing that I fear most about sickle cell disease. I know that there is nothing I can do about silent strokes, but I pray that my son, William, never has a stroke. Strokes are very scary.

3. Exclusively :: Sneak previews to a movie before they come out to the public.

4. Lash :: Eyelashes… JT and William have the most beautiful eyelashes. My are short and crumpled up.

5. Red carpet::: Hollywood and New York premieres.

6. Credit card :: I would be satisfied with if I never ever use one again.

7. Points :: Mortgage points are the first thing that come to mind.

8. Domestic :: Domestic violence… a disturbing topic. Do not be a victim to domestic violence. Seek help.

9. 21 :: Blackjack. Love this game.

10. Inject :: Needles, blood work and vaccinations. Necessary pain.

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/um/ind/week_249/

Thank you JT and Papa… the love of my life and my maternal grandfather, who served in the United States Navy and United States Army during the Persian Gulf War and World War II, respectively.

Thank you to all other veterans for protecting our freedom and serving your country with honor.

Happy Veterans Day.

Presidential Proclamation for Veterans Day 2007: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/10/20071031-6.html

Just under two weeks ago, JT and I saw a news report on Fox 2 St. Louis about a new free drug program at Schnucks Pharmacy. The prescription is free regardless of insurance provider.

The free Prescription Drug Program for Generic Oral Antibiotics includes up to a 21-day supply, as well as prescribed refills, of the following seven classes of antibiotics:

For Drug Descriptions and Item Sizes included in the program go to the site and click on a drug title for more information:

• Amoxicillin (Generic for Amoxil) – capsules and oral suspension

• Ampicillin – capsules and oral suspension

• Ciprofloxacin (Generic for Cipro) – tablets

• Doxycycline – capsules

• Erythromycin – tablets, oral suspension and capsules

• Penicillin – tablets and oral suspension

• Trimeth/Sulfa (Generic for Septra or Bactrim)

Schnucks Pharmacies are located throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin. To find out if a location is near you go to: http://www.schnucks.com/stores/query.asp?pharmacy=Y&feature=pharmacy

I am very excited about this program. JT and I will be going to Schnucks tomorrow to get penicillin filled for William. Because he has sickle cell disease, he takes penicillin twice a day to help fight infection. He has been taking it since he was 2 months old.

Any money saved due to this free program will help out the family’s expenses.

My friend Rantz linked me to this site just a moment ago.

On the site, there is a free vocabulary game. For each word you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger.

FreeRice.com states that they have donated 1,194,402,960 grains of rice since October 7, 2007.

I am up to 620 grains of rice donated since I started playing today. What a nice concept, to build my vocabulary and help someone end hunger at the same time. Try it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.freerice.com

My friend, Eaglehawk tagged me today with a touching post. Thank you for sharing Eaglehawk.

When asked, what are five things I want my children to know, I have to set back and think. Being a mother is the greatest gift that God has given me next to life itself. So I can not just give five things off the tip of my tongue.

What would I tell my dearest Keisha and William?

1. Love God and yourself first. If you do not, it is nearly impossible to truly love anyone else.

2. Family is important. Cherish your time together. Your twin bond is strong… be there for each other no matter what.

3. No secrets. We all mess up in life, but I want you to know that you can come to me about anything. I may be upset, but I promise to not judge you. I am there for you to listen, help, comfort and love. I love you unconditionally. Secrets are destructive.

4. Knowledge is power.

5. Get involved in group activities (and like Eaglehawk told his daughter, the political process). Make your voice be known to make positive changes in the world.

The meme challenge is… Those tagged will share 5 Things You Want Your Kids To Know “Before They Grow Up.” Those tagged will tag 5 people. Leave a link to your meme in the comments section of http://fireball.lifewithchrist.org/permalink/34540.html so everyone can keep track of what’s being posted.

So let the sharing of wisdom and tagging begin!you don’t have to have children yet to participate.

I am tagging:

1. Guppyman: http://his.guppystorm.com/

2. Perri: http://perrinelson.com/

3. Calvin: http://www.killacal.net/

4. Paula Neal Mooney: http://paulamooney.blogspot.com/

5. Jeff: http://www.writestateofmind.net/

I look forward to reading your posts.