Writing Prompt of the Day

Here's another writing prompt from Mama Kat.  The first list is from her workshop.  The second list is my own, inspired from the first.

List the top 10 things you miss about being alone.

1. Peace & Quiet  (I think I could just stop this list after this one and feel completely done!  LOL)
2. Not being interrupted when I’m trying to do…. Anything!
3. Not having to share my meal with a toddler who sees Mommy eating and thinks he has to have some of it (or most of it)
4. Being able to just get up and go… anywhere… without having to pack up the Little Man or wait for or find someone to watch him
5. Not having other people’s messes.  If it’s messy, it’s my own fault.  If I clean it up, I didn’t have to worry about someone coming right behind me to mess it up.
6. Being able to do what I want, when I want, without having to think about or worry about anyone else’s needs/wants.
7. Not having to worry about anyone else… did they get where they were supposed to be?  Will they get home ok?  What are the kids doing?  Don’t touch that!  Don’t do that!  Etc…
8. Being able to walk around naked in the house.
9. Being responsible for myself, my own bills, my own meals (If I skipped a meal, it wasn’t a big deal, but I can’t skip feeding my children)
10. Going out and hanging out with friends any time I wanted.

List the top 10 things I love having now that I’m not alone:

1. Unconditional love from my son.  I never thought I could feel so much love, especially from someone so small.
2. Having someone to take out the garbage and carry in groceries for me.  (Ok, so that one's a bit on the selfish side... it's still one of my favorite things of having a hubby!)
3. Having someone to share things with; how the day went, what happened, things to do, etc.
4. Having a partner (my hubby) for all eternity.
5. Being able to be a SAHM
6. Being the Mom for Mother’s Day!
7. Watching the miracle that is my son.
8. Being able to enjoy playing with toys without anyone thinking I’m weird
9. Being able to watch Disney movies without anyone thinking I’m weird
10. Learning lessons that only my baby boy can teach me.

Pinterest Addiction

Well, another "middle-of-the-night" Pinterest-fest... I've just found some of the most amazing things on there!  I'm just blown away by the creativity of some of these people.  I'm still in search of my muse.  I really don't know where she went, but she really needs to come back.  I'm just so jealous at the creativity of the people and their projects that I've been coming across.

Here's just a sample:

Sand Dollar Cookies

The Lorax Cake

Constellation Cheesecake (this one's just insane!  I couldn't imagine the patience needed!)

Chalkboard Eggs (found this a few weeks too late, but how fun do they look!?!)

Come check it out, join me and let's win!



(Just something I do when I'm bored with all my other distractions. LOL)

Stuffed Crocheted Frog

Went to a birthday party for a friend's beautiful little girl.  The theme was The Princess and the Frog, so I decided to crochet a stuffed frog.  It actually came out pretty well for my first time making one. 

The birthday girl seemed to like it... she didn't want to let go of it.  :o)  Hope it holds up for her and hope she enjoys it. 

It's so soft and smooshy, my hubby and our oldest both said they want one!  Guess I'll be making more!

Can't Connect Windows 7 Phone to Zune

So, Zune seems to be having an issue with the Windows 7 phone and certificates.

I found the answer for my particular issue below.  The first part didn't work, so I, like the person who wrote the entry, had to use the second part and it worked like a charm. 

First, I had to "show hidden files and folders" by going into the Control Panel and typing "folder" in the search bar.  This brought up a few options, one of which was "Folder Options" and under it, "Show hidden files and folders" which I clicked on.  Then click Apply and Ok, then close out of those windows.

Then follow the instructions that I found below....

http://forums.create.msdn.com/forums/p/88904/593709.aspx
The error occurs when you connect your Windows Phone 7 device to your computer with the USB cable. Zune opens and tries to connect to the device, but pops up an error message that says "Can't connect to your phone. Disconnect it, Restart it, then try connecting again".
The most common solution to this from reading the forums is as follows:
There is an issue with the Zune personal digital certificate.
To resolve this issue, create a new certificate:
    If it is running, close the Zune software and disconnect your phone.
    Open Certificate Manager. To do this, click Start, type certmgr.msc, and press Enter.
    Expand Personal, and then expand Certificates.
    Click the heading for the Issued By column to sort the column, and then look for one or more certificates that is issued to "zune-tuner://windowsphone/...".
    Right-click that certificate and then click Delete. Click Yes.
    From the File menu, click Exit.
    Start the Zune software and connect your phone to create a new certificate.
This seems to resolve the error for some people, but it didn't work in my case. Restarting Zune didn't create a new certificate. So after a lot of digging around with process monitor I found an additional step that worked for me and triggered the Zune certificate to be recreated.
    Delete the Zune certificates following the instructions above
    Before restarting the Zune software, locate the folder C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA
    Inside that folder there should be a directory named something like S-1-5-21-1234567890-1234567890-1234567890-1111
    Rename this folder e.g. adding .bak to the end of the folder name
    Restart the Zune software - the folder should be recreated and a new Zune certificate should be created in the certificate store
    I needed to restart Zune one more time in order for the error to clear and the phone to connect successfully
I hope this helps anyone else out there with the same problem.
ref:
http://www.governor.co.uk/blog/2011/3/29/zune-can't-connect-to-your-phone-disconnect-it,-restart-it,-then-try-connecting-again

 Hope this works for someone else.  I'd like to thank those in the links above who posted the great answers!