MikkiStreak

for the stove: DAWN POWER DISSOLVE I kid you not, this shit is da bomb and beats every single thing I've tried in the past. When we moved my parents into the nursing home and had to clean their house so it could sell. My 85 year old father was trying to clean (with bad eyesight) as well as cook, run errands, laundry, take care of my mom, etc.... so the thing that was at the bottom of his priorities was cleaning. I mean, like solid black grease build-up from about 2 years of use, there was mold on the brick interior walls in the basement, food stuck in the metal sink, and MASSIVE rust stains in the bathrub/toilet because of hard water buildup. I spray some of the dawn on an area, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and it barely takes any muscle to get a stain to lift away. I've never seen anything like this stuff. Just make sure you use cleaning gloves because this stuff is STRONG and will dry your hands out really bad overnight.

We have his books and I gotta say.... most of his suggestions are DEAD on! I've trained border collies since I was about 13-14 just by trial and error, but in the last 5 years or so, I've found the methods I've found effective match what he's used also. From what you've described Jessica, it sounds like since you've been occupied with Aiden, that your puppy is starting to see you less as an 'alpha' role and is developing that mentality about Brian and Aiden instead. You're lucky because a lot of people don't prepare their pets for the arrival of a baby very well, and what can happen is that the animal starts to see the child as an interruption/threat to his masters. Which, if not dealt with, can lead to aggression toward the child. Granted, some of it depends on how strong these kind of traits are genetically built into the dog breeds too (like, more likely in chow, but less likely in labs). A lot of what Cesar does deals with these general principles about dogs, and then measures them to the individual dog. Kind of like therapy---- your books teach you about methods to promote communication and resolution, but when you meet the person, you determine which methods will work best. Really, a lot of what Cesar Milan talks about is based on animal behavioral studies from a scientific standing. If I remember correctly from his book, he studied under someone for quite awhile and really just "took to it" naturally once he had the general foundation of knowledge....

HIGH CLASS [ ] You have gone tanning. [x] You own an iPod/mp3 player. [x] You like Starbucks. [ ] You have been called a brat. [ ] You have tons of shoes. [ ] You hate buying things that are on sale. [ ] You have a laptop. [x] You love shopping. GOTHIC [x] Black is one of your favorite colors. [ ] You wear chains. [ ] You like heavy metal. [x] You've shopped at hot topic [x] You have worn black lipstick. [x] You have/had/or wanted piercings. [ ] You own a pair of Tripp pants (big baggy pants) [ ] You have at least one unnaturally colored haired friend. PUNK [ ] You can skateboard. [ ] You like plaid. [ ] You have Converse. [ ] You hate mtv. [x] You have/had/wanted blue, orange, pink, red, purple, or green hair. [ ] You love mohawks [x] You like Music. [x] Hate people who pretend to be something they are not EMO [ ] You have been/are depressed a lot. [ ] You have dark colored thick-rimmed glasses. [ ] Sometimes you cry easily. [ ] You like emo music [x] You've kept a journal/diary. [x] You have written a sad poem. [x] You have dyed your hair [ ] You're sad when you're drunk sometimes GHETTO [ ] You love the Jerry Springer Show [ ] You have said "Fo Sho, Fo Shizzle, Fo Sheezy, etc." [ ] You have worn/wanted a grill. [ ] You have participated in or been present at a free styling contest. [ ] You have worn your shoes with the tongue flipped out. [ ] You work outside on a corner [ ] You know most of the lines from Boyz N Da Hood [ ] You own a huge gold chain with a giant gold pendant HARDCORE [x] You like loud music. [ ]You love/like the Ninja Turtles. [x] You have slip-on shoes. [ ] You like Norma Jean. [x] People have called you a freak [x] You know how to "hardcore" dance or mosh [x] Your hair has been dyed more than one color. [x] You wear jeans a lot. PREP [ ] You LOVE Laguna beach/ The hills. . [ ] You had/have/want a tiny/small sized dog. [ ] Your usual outfits consist of pink. [ ] You like buying shoes.. [ ] You've shopped at Hollister.AE,and/or Abercrombie [ ] Getting your nails done is a fun thing. [x] You have big sunglasses. ONLY BECAUSE I HAVE "BIG HEAD" SYNDROME!!! [ ] You can't go anywhere without your hair perfect. ATHLETIC [ ]You watch/have watched the Superbowl. [ ] You own track shoes or cleats other sports related shoes. [ ] You collect jerseys. [ ] You have/had a special shelf for trophies and awards. [ ] Your garage/shed consists of sports equipment. [ ] You belong/belonged to a team. [ ] You have a specific number preferred for your jersey. [ ] You have played/are playing a real sport . [ ] Judge people by the sports they play. REDNECK [x] Gone four wheeling. [ ] Shot a gun. [ ] Owned a four/three-wheeler or like, etc [ ] Like to go fishing. [ ] Eat beef jerky sometimes [ ] Ever said GIT-R-DONE. [ ] Listened to the song Redneck Woman. [x] You have rode at least 1 thing(horse, bull, dirt bike...) according to this, I must have multiple personalities....

I'm envious, all we have is flat, more flat, and dead grass all year long. Your view is AMAZING!!

It's a stock photo then... companies can use whatever images they want for marketing, as long as they purchase the images. Think about how many company websites you visit where it has a picture of the beautiful, happy employee who dresses oh-so professionally and always has a smile on their face with an upscale looking decor to the background. Then, when you call their customer service, it's been outsourced to the middle east.... same thing applies with weddings/vendors/venues...

Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus ahh wowww. all those activites you listed really makes me just wanna up and go there right now... my dad went there when i was a kid and took a gorgeous picture of the beach and blew it up poster size and i dreamt of going there for the longest time. beaches are gorgeous there I know what you mean! Whenever I look at photos of St. Thomas, my imagination is so vivid that I can "feel" the sun, "hear" the sounds, etc.... What I would give to retire there!!!

that would be one for Tammy (and Steve) to look at. If I remember correctly, it has something to do with the persmissions file in relation to a user group code. But the thing that makes me question that is that normally if there's a conflict in that file, the message simply stays put. It doesn't allow the user to re-create the action and have it complete successfully the second time around....

Quote: Originally Posted by twinkletoes Companies usually use different criteria to determine what internet sites to block. #1. IT gets a log of ALL websites that EVERYONE has visited. So your company can block the most visited websites/or a website an individual user frequents if they wanted to. (usually social networking sites,etc) #2. I.T. can block sites based on keywords as well (ex: anything that has to do with sex). So they put filters on the server to restrict some or all users from certain sites. Companies usually do this for a couple of reasons. The obvious being of course for employee productivity. But also for security reasons. So many sites can have pop-ups or viruses that can take over a companies entire server(s) if detremental enough. I guess I finally find a perk about being in IT, I have unrestricted access to the internet! Also, to add on this idea: Companies will vary too in whether they actually monitor internet activity. Our company, for example, needs to restrict some websites due to bandwidth limitation. So we get the "blocked" message, but rarely does IT actually use the reports to see what sites have been visited and how frequently. Even if your company doesn't use a blocking software like this, other methods are used to monitor. In the last company I worked for, I installed VNC software on each desktop so employees could VPN in from home instead of using the Remote Assistance built into Windows. The other side of VNC is the ability to monitor a person's desktop LIVE without being detected.

Here's another easy one that I made: - bow tie pasta - alfredo sauce - small package of smoked salmon (like 4-6oz size) - diced shallot - tarragon (maybe 1-2 tablespoons) - white wine You can use a jar of store alfredo sauce. I usually make my own, but I don't remember the butter, cream quantities off the top of my head. Basically, you sautee the onion. Then add some white wine and throw in the tarragon. Simmer until the white wine is reduced. Then add your alfredo sauce, then add the smoked salmon at the end (just to warm it up). Mix the bow tie pasta in once it's drained.

I took a little from ingredients at a couple restaurants that we like and came up with a made-from-scratch version of this. But I'm posting the quick-n-easy version for those people who don't want to spend 2 hours cooking dinner: Ingredients (guessing at quantities because I don't measure things): - package of cooked bacon - jar of oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes (diced into smaller pieces) - 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms - Shallet, diced - package of chopped cooked chicken breast for salads - jar of Classico Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce - box of bow tie pasta - Throw in to match your taste: garlic, salt, pepper, grated parmesan, basil Boil pasta. While that's cooking: sautee the mushrooms for about 3-5 minutes (depending on size of slice). Add shallot, garlic and sun-dried tomatos to mushrooms, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add sauce & chicken and keep on low heat to keep warm. Drain pasta and mix with sauce. Sprinkle with bacon, and grated parmesan.

COOL!!!! Definitely going to check this out! Thanks Tammy!

Quote: Originally Posted by CarrieRN sounds like photoshop might be worth investing in. will have to tell FI. maybe he can get his hands on it for me. The new versions of photoshop are pretty pricey, but if you can get an older version from someone who already has it, you can find crack codes online to unlock the software. That's what I did---- I copied the CD's from my SIL and then found the codes online to activate the copy. Ta-Da, FREE!

Quote: Originally Posted by trisha0612 Maria..are you even kidding me with your new siggy pic?? I can't stop freaking laughing!!!!!!! sorry to hihack---- I took this one last month---- Raven had a sudden moment of "dominance" toward a dog twice her weight. I crack up because she has that "yoda-ear" thing going on and the tongue thing. Let me tell ya---- she was GOING TO TOWN on Buddy (the other dog)!!!

You can use the clone stamp to copy the surrounding landscape over the chairs. You could also use the lasso tool to remove the items and then use the clone stamp to copy the landscape into that area. Just make sure you zoom in like crazy so you don't change the colors & lines too drastically without realizing it.

Ok, so now I just read the whole thread.... Could you substitute the engagement session part of your package for day after shots instead? It might be more costly to fly back to MN just to do an engagement session, than it would to find someone in MX or AZ to do just the engagement session.

Quote: Originally Posted by tvt We're moving to Phoenix. I asked our photog about coming to Phoenix (on us obviously) and she kinda skirted around the question. She's preggo so I'm not sure if she feels comfortable traveling.... If you decide to do photos in AZ, you could probably do them almost anywhere in the state. I've been to Phoenix and used to hire a lot of vendors out of AZ; the impression I have from those companies, is that it doesn't take a whole lot of time to just go anywhere in the state. If that's the case, you'd get some killer shots in Sedona.... If you're looking for someone in the AZ area for engagement shots---- there's a photographer on here who is local to AZ and his work on his website is amazing. He's the guy who shot Matt & Sol's wedding (Sergio). No clue about pricing or anything, but I was impressed with his work online.

Hi Anny----I haven't seen you in forever! How are things going? How's the pregnancy? Happy Holidays!! The puppy is beautiful!!!! How old is she? How did the older one react to the new puppy?

I know what you're talking about. Some fonts (especially the ones that look like handwriting or scroll/script type) won't fit within the box size that you have. Sometimes, you can resize the box and then change the text size to be smaller inside that text box. But, it's a PITA and only works about 50% of the time. You may need to add a shape behind your text box and remove the color from the shape. That way, when you group the image and save it as a JPEG, it will define the image boundaries based on your shape size, not the text box inside of that. If that doesn't make sense, email me what you need and I'll play around with it.... ifg.mcl0108 at yahoo.com

Quote: Originally Posted by Christa Maria - wow, I totally had no idea. 1 bed/1 bath & Audrey on the weekends...you have me beat. You know, it really didn't start bothering me until the *FREAKS* upstairs moved in. Jesus, who the fuck puts those stupid Cheech & Chong "dingleball" things across the top of their entrance?!?! It's like they cut out the interior of the damn "Mystery Machine" and hung it from their doorway! I've never heard tiny little skinny people make so much noise. We hear machinery running in the middle of the night, pounding on the walls during the day, and complete *stomping* across the floor all the time. They have a 6 month old baby and believe it or not--- we hardly ever hear the kid screaming/crying, but we hear every freaking move her parents make. We crammed our asses in this place because it's a "prissy" neighborhood at had a decent price on it. But these people are making it GHETTO, big time. I'm now, 'returning the favor' so to speak. My goal is to make them as sleep deprived as we've been. I grab a broom and knock the shit out of our ceiling in the middle of the night---- throw basketballs at the ceiling----- and starting at 5:00am when I get up for work, both TV's are blasted at top volume for 1.5 hours until I walk out the door... Fuckers.... hehehehehe.... I'll drive them out one way or another.

I completely empathize with you on this one. We have a 1 bedroom/1 bath + den and have been crammed in here for 1.5 years now. We have crap all over the place. I can't even see the surface of our cedar chest because we have to put some tupperware on top because we don't have enough closet space. We walk sideways in our bedroom because the king size bed takes up all the room. The den has become our "spillover", but every weekend Audrey comes to stay with us, I have to move the bike and the stationary bike out to the balcony just so she can flatten the futon to sleep on it. And sadly, we have no realistic idea when the hell we're going to get out of here and into our own house.

Definitely interested in what you think when you receive them. We're thinking of doing a "concert tour" theme for our wedding, and we're planning on doing event tickets for the STD, as well as "backstage passes" for name tags and t-shirts designed as a concert tour for rehearsal dinner night.

I went to the Great Bridal Expo last year. It's very different from the regular bridal show that we've gone to a couple times. The Dallas Bridal show will have hundreds of wedding vendors and that's the main focus of the show. The Great Bridal Expo has about 20-30 wedding vendors, and then a really cool fashion show.... complete with paid professional models, runway, lights, music, etc... very cool indeed. They give away about 2-3 prizes that are really good (noritake china set, all the wedding flowers, bridal gowns, etc...). We found that at the GBE, it's best to get there at the beginning: wander the vender booths and collect the info you want, and make sure you register for all the freebies when you do this. Then find a seat about an hour before the fashion show is scheduled to start because it will be packed and late-arrivers wind up standing for the 2 hour show. Once the fashion show is over---- the whole thing is over, essentially. The first time we arrived, we checked out about 3-4 vendor booths, then grabbed our seats for the fashion show. We figured we'd finish talking to vendors and registering for prizes/giveaways after the show. Nope- while that show is going on, the vendors are closing down their prize drawings and they start packing up.

Quote: Originally Posted by starchild You can grill pizza and I'm just finding out about this? Holy smokes! So you just put the raw dough on the grill? Yep! Grill all the veggies & meats first. Once those are done, it's time for the dough... Spray the dough on one side with Pam Grilling (lightly), then put it on the grill for about 2 minutes with the lid closed. Spray the other side of the dough, quickly put the toppings on the side already grilled, close the lid and leave on there for about 2-3 minutes. VIOLA! It's the best pizza you'll ever have.

Cats sometimes like themselves bald (or to the point where they have open wounds) in reaction to stress due to changes in their environment. You've been thru a lot recently, and the move, combined with everything else--- she could be picking up on everyone's stress around her and reacting this way because of it. Also, I know that allergies have been *really* bad this year for animals. Our dog hardly ever has had allergy issues, but this year---- she's beet red all over, constantly chews/licks herself, etc... and none of our usual 'remedies' have helped her at all. I'd say take her to a vet just to check for allergies or whether it's stress-induced, or symptoms of old age. They'll have some solid advice on how to deal with whatever is causing it.

I buy a cheap packet of dough mix. But only because we grill our pizzas--- we could slap some toppings on top of cardboard, throw it on the grill and BAM! Fabulous pizza!! Doesn't seem to matter what kind of crust we use when we grill it---- we devour the damn things like a couple potheads on a binge....