Suzy Q

Sometimes you get to know someone who gives you the feeling you've been friends for all times. A mutual friend got us introduced and instantly, we started talking. Too many hobbies we share and we understand each other just like that. Although she's Canadian, she lives in Holland, married to a man who's half Dutch. Apparently, he grew up in the neighborhood I'm living in. Did I say that there are no coincidences?

We started mailing that very same day. We share the same love for baking and cooking. Just the other day, I was completing my online cookbook with a recipe for apple crostata. I got a Facebook update from Suzy Q, and guess what it said? "I'm baking an apple crostini".. I was like: what? that sounds like my apple crostata. I wonder what an apple crostini is.. To my surprise, Suzy Q had mixed up the words and she was actually making an apple crostata, not crostini.. I had never made this recipe before and neither had she. Then how come we were both making the same thing at the same time? There's a connection somehow..

She's a very brave woman. Having survived a previous marriage and breast cancer, she hangs in and doesn't give up. I love her attitude towards life. Too bad she lives in Holland. I bet we would visit a lot and cook together if we had the means. But for now, I enjoy her scribbles on Facebook and the recipes she shares. You are a wonderful woman, Suzy Q! I'm sending you some good vibes.

Dog-Shaming.com

Inthe

There's a really great group on Facebook, called Dog-Shaming. It's a group where dog owners can post pictures of their dogs misbehaving. It's hilarious at times - although we would probably not laugh if it were our dogs... I think I could post some pictures of our dogs as well.. They have ruined the couch, eaten my glasses and laptop charger, one stole my grilled tuna steak off the stove, and guess what? They look soooo innocent when you see them. But when you come home after they have been into trouble, they know! They try to hide and give me their best look ever, but immediately I smell their mischief. The problem is that you can never catch them by surprise. They behave when you are around, but if they are all by themselves? ttsss....

Today I would like to post a picture of our Rebba, for keeping us awake at night with her barking sessions. There are no medical problems and having sleepovers at other people's houses give no problems: in fact, they are like angels in someone else's house?! We could do with some rest at night.

Rebba

So this is the Shame Board for Inthe: I dug a hole in the couch, so I can rest my head when I want to take a nap.

The Shame hat for Rebba to wear: I love to call my peeps in the middle of the night. I make sure they pity me. It's great to see them downstairs whenever I bark.

Bedtime reading

Some people like to read a book in bed, before they turn off the light and close their eyes. But how about reading your friend's messages on Facebook before you head off to bed? Isn't that the modern version of bedtime reading? I like to check the statuses of my friends on Facebook at night. We like to chat and tell one another about our day. It's rather addictive to check Facebook. You keep pushing that refresh button to see if anything has changed. Isn't that silly? On the other hand, you get in touch with people that you never would have talked to without FB. For instance, other diabetics, who live all over the world. I like to read about their way of diabetes treatment and how they motivate each other.
I need to find the balance between bedtime reading books and bedtime reading facebook. How easy the days were, when we were young and facebook was not even in sight..

That is totally understandable

Photo Lana Joos

Of course you miss your  friends from boarding school. After all, you have lived with them  for 2 years. Times were different back then. You were in a different school.  You were younger. You were in Highschool for the first time. Making new friends is no problem for you. You are outgoing and sociable and you attract other people easily. Look at the three of you! Best friends and that didn't take you long. But yes, you still miss your old friends.. having shared so many adventures, it must have been hard to leave them behind. Not many remained in boarding school. They chose other schools, just like you. In a couple of weeks, you're going to summer camp and that's when you will meet up with your old friends. That'll be such a fun time for all of you. Time to catch up and tell them all about your new life. It's not easy to be 15, you know. I understand. I really do. I was 15 once, remember? Long time ago, but I remember what it was like to change schools and leave your friends behind. Back in those days, we had no Internet nor a cell phone to keep in touch with your friends. But we managed. Just like you do. I'm happy for you, that you are so good at making friends. It says a lot about you. It's heartwarming to see you get along so well. Hold on to your friends, cupcake, for they will help you grow stronger.

Sit back and enjoy the ride

About three years ago, I took care of a young lady, pregnant with her first child. At the age of 6, her life changed completely when she got sick. The diagnosis said Friedreich's Ataxia. It was not a very hopeful diagnosis, certainly not if you get it at such a young age.. I got interested in this condition and searched the Internet to get more information. That's how I met Paula and Tom Hook from La Porte, Indiana. United States, exactly. They have three wonderful girls. Two of them have FA, just like Jody. They got diagnosed as adults, meaning the disease won't progress at the same speed. Paula and I have kept in touch over the years and every now and then we mail and tell each other more about what keeps us going. On several occasions, she has invited me and my family to spend our holiday at their ranch. That sounded so appealing! Unfortunately we have not been able to go see them yet. One day... one day...

You had a dream from the day you turned 12. You promised yourself, that one day, you would go to the United States. I recognized that feeling, because I shared that same dream. We discussed this dream on several occasions. It was hard for you to believe that dream would come true. Until the plans started to get more concrete. I introduced you to Paula on Facebook. The two of you got acquainted and you liked each other. You told her about your dream and your wish to improve your English. You were looking for a job in exchange for room and board. There's always work on a ranch... and there's plenty of space for you to stay. If you know what I mean..

You're leaving July 10th and you won't be coming home till August 6th. It will be your first trip abroad, your first flight, your first time away from home on your own. You will love it. All excited and hyper, you will get on that plane. Your heart will be pounding way too fast, just like mine did 20 years ago on my way to Portland, Oregon. It will be an experience of a lifetime. You are lucky this family will welcome you into their home. They are lucky to have you over and experience a wonderful time with you.

Sit back and enjoy the ride. Open your ears and eyes and let all of your senses indulge the United States. It's not a coincidence you ended up with the Hook family.. before you know it, you will be "hooked" to the States.. Keep us informed, okay? We expect no less than 1 blog a day, to hear all about your adventure.

Shopping for men

This one is for my special friends. I was amazed to say the least, when I saw this documentary on Grindr. Wow.. a social network especially for men.To be more specific: for men shopping for men. Grindr is the perfect way to find a new date, a buddy or a friend.
Grindr is quick. Grindr is convenient and most of all: it's discreet. And if you want it to be anonymous, that's what you will get.
But what is it??? Well, it's an app that uses your mobile device's location-bases services to show you the guys closest to you who are also on Grindr. You decide how much information on yourself you are willing to reveal. Soho seems to be the Mekka for Grindr fans. So if you are looking into testing out the app, don't be surprised if some total stranger comes up to you to say hi and sign you up for a date!

Money down the drain

Do you have that same experience, that kitchen appliances bought on TV or on the market are nothing but a waste of money? Have you ended up with devices you have stored away somewhere deep down in your cabinets? Were you embarrassed for the money that went down the drain when you bought that kitchen utensil? I know what you mean.. Those kitchen appliances seem like heaven when demonstrated by professional sellers. They even make you try out the tool right there on the spot. You are being praised like the best chef ever. But of course, when you come home, you all of a sudden become the most clumsy person around. Things don't work the way they were promised. Your mood alters and the catch is no longer that promising. So you hide it in your cabinets, never to appear on your countertop again.

Despite good intentions, my sister-in-law and I were attracted by the presentation of the Nicer Dicer Plus. I had seen the device on TV, earlier that week and I had looked it up on the Internet to check it out. I thought it was pretty awesome, but too expensive (knowing that I have plenty of kitchen appliances). I was interested to hear the market price. No shipping costs and there was a way to try it out for yourself. Yes, we bought one each. My fridge was loaded with crispy vegetables and the fruit bowl was screaming for fruit salad. As soon as I came home, I emptied the fridge and diced up my first cucumber-tomato salad with the Nicer Dicer Plus. The cubes came out real well: truly fine brunoise. Loved it! So I kept going and decided we were going to have stir-fry for dinner. The appliance gave me perfect coarse cubes of zucchini, pepper, onion, carrots, cauliflower. Awesome! American potato wedges, scalloped potatoes, quartered hard boiled eggs: it does the trick!
Just rinsed the blades and the container, before I cubed and sliced the ingredients for a summer fruit salad: mango, pineapple, grapes, apple and melon. Yes, this device is going to cut it! I'm happy! I hear my sister-in-law is as excited. It's been in the dishwasher several times by now and I'm looking forward to using it again. Let me come up with some recipes to fill our plates with perfectly chopped veggies!

A culinary masterpiece

I couldn't help it, but this message almost made me burst into tears. That was just too funny.

This friend and I both like to cook and we have the same values when it comes to good food. So we send each other recipes and ideas and we love to discuss food and food magazines. When he sent me this link "a culinary masterpiece", I was thrilled to open it and enjoy the pleasure of an extraordinary recipe. He sure made me laugh..

It is a fun idea to do with kids though. Well, that is small kids. Mine are too big for this kind of fun. They would give me that "are you kidding me?" look and I wouldn't blame them.

So buddy: thanks for making me smile. It worked!

There's nothing you can't be

My little girl is growing up so fast.. Sometimes I still see her as the little girl she once was, but then again, I have to let go of that phantasy and come back to Earth, to see the beautiful young woman she has become.

You have changed so much in the last two years. Being in boarding school, we didn't see that much of each other as I wanted to. I'm sure we missed out on a lot of your activities and we didn't always know what kept you going.

You showed me one of your blogs you're keeping. I was truly stunned.. Wow girlie! You are truly amazing! Congratulations! There's nothing you can't be! I had a great time reading your blog and I will be a follower from now on. I'm proud of you! You are very versatile and your talents are worth mentioning: drawing, designing clothes, making great pictures, being a fashionista and a good friend..
I'm so happy to read you and the fact that you let me in to your blog world, means a lot to me. Keep it up sweetie. You're doing a great job! xxx

Photo by Eva Joos

Dog 'O' Nine Tails

I got to know Lisa Rees on Facebook. Just like us, she adores greyhounds, whippets and all sighthounds. Since she has a webshop, I had already purchased some phone charms with little whippet heads as decoration.

Last week, I ordered two new collars and matching leashes for Rebba and Inthe. They are custom made by Lisa and I must say: she does a very good job! You get to pick the fabric and the width and I asked for matching leashes and to my surprise, not even one week later, the martingales (that's how you call those greyhound collars) and the leashes got here.

The dogs went frantic over their new gadgets and they were ready to go for a walk right there on the spot. I'm real happy with the handmade martingales. The dogs will look their best!

Take a look at Lisa's webshop. Or make her your friend on Facebook: Dog 'O' Nine Tails Store. She's truly amazing!

Flipz.. are you flipping out?

I encountered a new way of online shopping. At least, that's what I thought it would be like. The company compares itself to eBay, but better. I don't know whether you have heard about flipz before? Maybe you should check it out and find out for yourself.. Make up your mind!

This is the concept: using Paypal, you buy "flipz". That's the virtual money you will need to bid on the auctions presented by the website. Unlike the items on eBay, flipz.be promises new products for ridiculous prices. So you buy flipz. Depending on the amount of flipz you buy, one flipz is worth between 0.42 and 0.56 euro a piece. You cannot start to bid on the products, before you have purchased a number of flipz's. Once you're settled with your flipz-money in your account (assume you have bought € 100 worth of flipz's - that equals 200 flipz), you can check out the auctions and decide what products you would like to bid on. The product says how much the minimum price is and how long you have for the auction to begin. This is the tricky part! Assume one auction shows: 3 minutes left, it doesn't mean the auction will end in 3 minutes! Beware! It means the bidders will play it hard from then on. You bid and so many others bid as well. Once you start the bidding, you're not very willing to give up (if you do stop, you loose all the money you have used bidding so far!). It won't be a surprise to you that you spend € 100 in very little time. So you go back to Paypal to purchase some more flipz-money. And you go on bidding.. and so do the other bidders. After all, the homepage gives you the impression that the eventual prices for the products offered, are ridiculously low. And indeed: 34 euros for a brandnew iPhone4 is an offer you can't refuse. So you keep bidding.. Until you run out of flipz-money (again) and you need to refuel (again). And then, all of a sudden, the game's over. One person wins the auction, the others are left with a big hole in their wallet and major disappointment. No iPhone4, no more flipz's. Only a loss of over 400 euros. Because that's what happens when you are not the winner. The homepage does not say: iPhone4 auction € 34 + € 400.

It says: 2011-03-09 21:08:20

Apple iPhone 4

€ 34.12 (i.p.v. € 659.00)
door brennan7

or

2011-03-06 17:22:06

Apple iPhone 4

€ 10.20 (i.p.v. € 659.00)
door Diablo

People who are not familiar with this kind of online shopping, will be tricked for sure. They will assume they are able to buy an iPhone4 (worth € 659) for no more than € 34 or even € 10! But what the site doesn't say, is the amount of flipz's the bidders have bought in advance in order to be able to bid on these auctions. This is no more than a gambling site, trying to trick people into buying a bucket full of virtual money to play an auction they are very unlikely to win. In the end, you will have lost a lot of money and you still won't have the product you were bidding on. Don't make flipz.be your favorite website. In fact, you should ban it from your computer!

If you have not been able to resist the temptation and you feel like you have been taken advantage of, don't hesitate to serve your complaint with eCops. They are familiar with these circumstances and they can give you advise.