Hi everyone,

I’ve been super busy: a technology-free weekend (more about that later), HS graduation, a visit to the in-laws,  followed immediately by getting sick… again (I’m not making and direct connection), I went right back to work prepping kids for all the big tests.

Long story short, between being sick and trying to drag myself to work for this, the last week of school with all this exams, I’m pooped. I planning to get back to blogging consistently by this upcoming weekend… I will be in touch with the contest winner this week however

 
Inspired by the cancellation of a few of my favorite shows, here is a list of 10 shows they really never should have cancelled, and at the very least deserve another season.

1. The Pretender. I loved that show! Every week it was an unexpected adventure mixed with conspiracy theory, parallel plots–nerd heaven! Add to the fact that Michael T. Weiss  was a hottie, it made this show a winner!

2. Firefly. This show makes any go

od nerd’s list. The movie it is base on, Serenity, is a cult classic; the show, Firefly is also well loved! It has a 9.3 on the IMDB rating scale, yet it only had one season. Really guys? If this isn’t obviously one that needs to be brought back, I don’t know is!

3. Outcast. This is actually a recent show from Britain. It was aired in 2010, and is only 8   episodes long. After watching just one and a half episodes this show inspired me to write this list! So far, I’ve found it refreshingly creative. It does only have a rating of 6.3 on IMDB, so I suppose it might be all down hill in an episode or two.

4. Eureka. This show is really for the smarties of the world. Adventure, conspiracy, mystery, drama, humor AND science– it is almost too good to be true! I imagine that it could have gotten too complex at times, and it was probably an expensive production–but it was worth it.

5. Codename: Kids Next Door. No I’m not going to give this one up. This was a fabulous kids show that was creative and funny. I still watch it when it comes on TV. Kids need more shows that are funny and age appropriate. Who ever cancelled Number One is full of number two!

6. Jericho. This show did a lot better than many of the other shows on the list–it actually made it two season! Post apocalyptic worlds usually aren’t my thing, so I passed on watching this show when it was actually on TV between 2006 and 2008. Apparently I wasn’t the only one, based on its mediocre following. Though it has an IMDB rating of 8, completely deserved in my opinion, the show was cut at a cliffhanger that will never be solved.

7. Outsourced. Part of the NBC comedy lineup in 2010, this show was one husband’s favorites. It was truly unique; how many other shows do you know that take place in a call center in India? It was nice to see an almost completely ethnic cast, with some witty cultural jokes.

8. Girlfriends. While this show wasn’t exactly cancelled (it was one of the shows that never recovered after the writers strike a while ago) it did disappear unexpectantly. I loved seeing the divas strut their stuff across the stage in fabulous outfits. Drama, drama, drama! It was the black version on Sex In The City, and I miss it!

9. Human Target. This was a fly-under-the-radar DC action show that only had a two season lifespan. I used to watch it faithfully. What’s not to love? It was Chuck meets James Bond. Light-hearted fun that could kick you straight in your throat? Awesome!

10. Lie To Me. I positively love this show. I actual find myself trying “Lightman” people. As a matter of fact I did it earlier today. It was such a simple concept, but had endless possibilities. What genius at FOX thought that canceling this show was a good idea?

Well another year of TV is bound to bring another good show or two swept under the rug. So make sure you support the shows you can’t live without. And for those that don’t make the cut–thank god for Netflix!

Do you have a big dream for the future? Is there a grandiose desire on your dream board? Sometimes that grandiose desire can sabotage your progress if you are not taking small steps of action to get there!

I envisioned a sun room one day, so I left the spot bare of plants.

We have lived here in Wisconsin for 8 1/2 years now and I’ve had fun doing a little bit in our yard here and there each summer – adding trees, evergreens, mulching, etc.

But the area behind our dining room was always where I envisioned adding a sun room (my secret dream)- so I never planted there. Why plant when it would have to be dug up for my new dream sun room? It was super ugly, but my imaginary sun room made me blind to its ugliness.

Dream Bubble Burst!

Recently, my husband told me that we would NEVER add a sun room no matter how much money we had. If we had a lot of money, we should move to house with a sun room if I really wanted one that badly. Of course, my dream was crushed.

Dream Rerouted: Plan B

I resigned myself to not having a sun room, so I decided to plant a few things in that spot. My husband dug it up for me (he really is a good husband – just doesn’t approve sun room additions), and I added plants a friend gave me plus a $12.99 bush I bought, plus $4 of mulch.

Small garden results in big satisfaction!

I gathered stones from around our house to border it, and now I have an adorable, inexpensive garden to enjoy. I can see it from where I sit to have my devotions each morning. I absolutely love it – not quite my envisioned dream, but really fulfilling for me.

 

How could something that cost me so little but gives me so much pleasure have taken me 8 1/2 years to do?

 

Here’s the lesson: Sometimes wanting the grandiose dream paralyzes us from doing anything at all, in anticipation of the grandiose! On the contrary, a small accomplishment can bring grandiose satisfaction. Now I am still taking steps to build a nest egg for a possible house with a sun room some day that I dream about. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy my little garden.

 

What grandiose dream do you have?

 

Want a huge thriving internet business? Then start with a blog & a regular schedule to write posts. Don’t wait till you know everything or your post is perfect!

 

Want to start a family? Then volunteer to care for a friend’s baby or keep the church nursery or get licensed to foster children.

 

Want a neat, organized house? Start with cleaning out one drawer!

 

What else can you think of? Start small for a big satisfaction. You will be surprised how it boosts your mental outlook! Then keep taking steps toward the big dream.

 

It’s all about enjoying the scenery along the way to your destination. Leave a comment of your own experiences with getting out of  a paralyzed state and taking action toward accomplishing your dream!

This instead I’ve written a list of “Ten Things That Could Have Gone Wrong If I Wrote This Week’s List”.

1. My husband could have read it (this is a public blog your know) and I’d have some ‘splainin to do. And I don’t like splainin stuff, so I’ll just keep it to myself, thank you.
2. My mother could have read this list (once again public) and I’d have to have “girl talk”. No thank you to that.
3. My mother-in-law could have read it and then she’d tell my husband, and I’d be right back to #1
4. I would spend half of my next therapy session talking about my feelings, and why I posted the list on the internet.
5. Someone from my job will read it, and they’d be all up in business. No thank you.
6. Someone hoochie-mama from my hubby’s job would read it and be like “Oh, your wife just doesn’t understand”. Then I’d have to punch her in the face, and I’d have to go to court. I hate court. Pass
7. My list could trigger some deeply repressed memory. I highly doubt it, but I can’t take that risk. I have no idea what I’d find if I start digging around in my head. I’d probably find myself back at #4.
8. My list could probably start fights around the world. I can just hear some wives around the world: “See, other wives think that you men should put the bloody toilet lid down!”
9. My list could probably increase the national divorce rates. (see #8) I’m just not going to be a party to that.
10. One day, hundreds of years from now, after the Mayan-predicted apocalypse, there will only be a hand full of humans who have survived. As they try to rebuild society, they will use my blog lists to understand the mating patterns of humans during our time-period. My list of “Ten Things Husbands Should Do” would have led to a skewed view of social roles. In the new human society men would all bake, wear aprons, give foot massages on request, and only speak every third Thursday. I don’t think it would have turned out well.

While you are here, don’t forget to enter my current contest to win a $50 Spa Gift Card! 

Also, if you tweet about food or natural hair, feel free to add yourself to my new bi-monthly twitter linky to find some new tweeps! 

This week’s Topics: Food bloggers OR Natural Hair

Get more tweeps that are interested in the same thing as you–free, easy, gimmick free!

It can hard to find people with similar interests as you on Twitter sometimes. It can be really easy to find followers, but it isn’t always so easy to find people who post about similar topics as you. That why I started this weekly linky: to help some fellow tweeters with specific interests find each other. (Side note: What is a “linky”? Basically it is a list of links. In this case it is list of links to twitter profiles with specific interests).

Please add your twitter profile to the any or all of the linky below. If everyone follows the simple rules, everyone will get some new quality followers!

Rules

1. Please follow me, your hostess, on twitter @utrend
2. Add you twitter profile link to the appropriate linky list (ie: http://www.twitter.com/USERNAME)
3. Please follow at least 3 new people on the linky–and let them know you found them here! (i.e.: if your link is #10, follow #7-9 right above you)
4. That’s it!

Natural Hair Tweeps (remember only add a link to your twitter account)

Food Blogger Tweeps (remember only add a link to your twitter account)

Would you like to be a featured host? People will be asked to follow you before they add their link. It’s a easy way to get some followers. All I need you to do is tweet about this linky to your followers and let me know. I’ll line you us to be a featured host of the linky party!

“Oh my God, do you remember Chilly Willy?”

*blank stare* I stood up and stared wiggling my butt and singing:

“My name is Chilly Willy, I’m frozen through and through. My head is hot and my feet are cold. Ha, He, Ac-hoo!”

*blank stare*

“Really?!?!”

“I didn’t watch stupid cartoons.”

OK, now I’m sorry by Chilly Willy was just the JAM! That was when cartoons were for kids, and they were cute and adorable and innocent! So I’m dedicating the nostalgia flashback to Chilly Willy to all the  awesome childhood cartoons from back in the day! What cartoon used to be your favorite?

BTW: I got the lyrics all wrong! LOL

I never really say anything when I hear or read someone make a reference to their “OCD” when it’s obvious they was just using it as a term to emphasize the extremity of something. However I find myself silently offended more and more often. I’d liken it to the way a blind person might feel when someone walks into a piece of furniture and yells “I’m blind as a bat!” Or maybe it’s the way a stay at home mom feels when friends say how lucky they are because they get to stay home and “not work”. A bit ignorant and insensitive, no?

I think my reaction is because I’m starting to define OCD as a mental disorder. People don’t make reference or light of others with autism, bipolar, or depression–why is it OK to make light of OCD? If you have an autistic person in your family and someone says something is “retarded”, doesn’t it grate you a bit? Or maybe if you have a loved one in the GLBT community and you hear someone saying something is “gay”, don’t your eyes snap to the side to get a good look at the idiot. I think that’s kind of the way I’m  seeing things.

Don’t forget to enter my current giveaway to win a $50 SpaFinders Gift Card!

I appreciate your support!