<![CDATA[Lil' Hangout - Blogs]]> http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:58:59 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.lilhangout.com/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Lil' Hangout - Blogs]]> http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php The Deadly Cheesecake. Yes, cheesecake. http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=398 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:03:50 GMT Hey, everyone! It's been a long time since I came on here but with my mum being not well I haven't been doing much lately. I decided to write a blog about my near death experience yesterday... bring tissues.

My dad made us dinner today as my mum isn't well. Oh mum, please get well soon.. dad is killing us.
No, he's actually pretty good.. well, he asks us what we want and he gets it from the shop, usually mine is just a salad but today my dad decided to try and be a chef. His 'dish' was a 'long tasty strands of spaghetti with a rich yet creamy tomato sauce'. I only wish I had my camera with me to take a picture. It came out looking pretty good, the spaghetti was covered in.. sauce, but it didn't look rich and creamy. It was a dark orange colour, almost red. I tried a small bit and that's when it burned my mouth off. R.I.P feeling of my tongue, taste buds and movement of my lips!!! I'm slightly bashing my dad's cooking, aren't I? Yes, I am. I'm sorry dad, it was very nice, you should be on Hell's Kitchen.. emphasis on the hell's.
Anyway, I didn't eat dinner making me extremely hungry coming bedtime, I couldn't sleep so I decided to get some strawberry cheesecake. The cheesecake we have are in teeny tinny little tubs with foil lids on top, and when I opened it *insert dramatic music here* splashed the strawberry sauce in my eye. *Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun.* I was severly injured and had to get it amputated. No, just kidding. Did you feel sorry for me there? Yeah, I did. I looked down at it and I glared, I decided to torture him for doing that.. so I stuck a spoon in him and chewed him into mush. Oh yus, this girl is badass. ]]> Amy http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=398 <![CDATA[How To Cheer Yourself Up When You're Down]]> http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=397 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:44:18 GMT 1) Dance! 2) Smile! 3) Spend time with children. 4) Reward yourself with whatever you love. 5) Clear out your clutter. 6) Take action. 7) Positive thoughts. 8) Have more fun. 9) Make something. 10) Keep a gratitude journal. 11) Start a new project. 12) See your old friends. 1) Dance!

2) Smile!

3) Spend time with children.

4) Reward yourself with whatever you love.

5) Clear out your clutter.

6) Take action.

7) Positive thoughts.

8) Have more fun.

9) Make something.

10) Keep a gratitude journal.

11) Start a new project.

12) See your old friends. ]]> mommytipper http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=397 Getting The Most From Your Candles http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=396 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:39:41 GMT I love burning candles. I have them all around the house. Long ones, short ones, fat ones and thin ones, in all different colours, and in lots of different holders. I burn them in the evening when I'm relaxing, I burn them at mealtimes, and I burn them in the bathroom. Any excuse to light a candle really!

But candles don't always fit the holder, and sometimes they burn down too far and the wax gets stuck! It's at those times that candles aren't quite as much fun!

Here are some candle burning tips I've picked up through the years:

- Cold candles will burn slower. Pop candles into the fridge for an hour before lighting them, but wrap them in foil or cling-film first to prevent the wicks from absorbing moisture.

- When burning pillar candles, let them burn long enough each time to create a pool of wax that almost covers the diameter of the candle. This will ensure that the candle burns evenly each time you light it. If it doesn't create a large enough pool you'll end up with a tunnel through the candle and eventually it will either melt through one side, or you'll no longer be able to light it.

- Never stand a lit candle in a draught. Draughts create a larger flame and uneven burning.

- Never expose candles to sunlight or indoor spotlights. They will fade the colour, and if left for too long, the candles will bend.

- If your candle is too slim to fit snugly into the holder, wrap cooking foil or tissue paper around the bottom of the candle to make the base thicker. Don't worry, the tissue paper won't burn even if you do allow the candle to burn right down into the holder, as the melted wax will soak the paper. But it's never a good idea to allow candles to burn right down; they should be extinguished when they're about 2 inches over the holder.

- If you have allowed the candle to burn right down and the wax is stuck in the holder, put the holder into the freezer for a couple of hours and the wax should be easier to dig out.

- If you like votive candles, try to buy the type that have metal cases as these are easy to remove from holders after use. If you only have the uncovered type, pour some water into the holder before lighting the candle. When it's extinguished and the wax has hardened, it should be easier to pop it out of the container.

- Spilled wax should be allowed to solidify. Once hard, cover the area with brown paper and gently press with a warm iron. The wax will be absorbed into the paper.

- Extinguish candles by pushing the wick into the liquid wax (don't use your fingers!). Leave for about a minute, then re-center the wick. Using this technique both eliminates smoking from the extinguished wick and covers the wick with a layer of wax making re-lighting easier.

© Sharon Jacobsen ]]> mommytipper http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=396 The Frugal Moms Clothing Resources Guide: Getting the Most for Your Money http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=395 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:29:53 GMT Here are all of the places I can think of to obtain clothing, rated from cheapest to most expensive. Where do your purchases fall? Of course, no one is expected to have an entirely free wardrobe or a designer one either. This chart is just meant to give you some ideas on where to look for cheaper clothing resources. If I have left any out, please email me and I will be happy to include them.

Free:

Swap with friends, relatives, and neighbors

Hand-me-downs from older siblings

Gifts (ask for clothing, most kids have more than enough toys)

Free boxes at yard sales

Curbside freebies- leftovers that did not sell at a yard sale, junk day items. You would be surprised at what people put on the curb, free for the taking!

Clothing Made from Recycled items (scaling down adult clothing for kids, cut-offs from jeans, turning a dress into a skirt or vest, etc)

Free clothing from church and civic organizations

Community Outreach Programs- if you are a low-income family, you may be able to get free clothing from Salvation Army, etc. Our area also has a "Suits for Success" program, which helps low-income families find better jobs, and gives free suits and office wear to those who qualify

Very Cheap (25 cents to $1 per item):

Yard Sales

Rummage Sales

Thrift Shop Specials (tag sales, etc)

Consignment Shop Clearances

Salvation Army "As Is" Stores

Cheap ($1-$3 per item):

Store clearances

"high class" yard sales

thrft stores -Good Will, Salvation Army, etc

Moderate: ($2-$5 per item)

Classified ads in newspaper (occasionally there are some really good bargains, especially for maternity and baby clothes)

Store sales and closeouts

Dollar stores- Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc (be careful- sometimes clothing quality isn't too good)

Closeout Stores- Big Lots, UFS, etc. (these places buy closeouts from other stores and sell them at lower prices, but sometimes clothing quality is an issue at these stores too)

Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sales

Homemade Items from On-Sale Fabrics

Dry Cleaner Leftovers- some people never pick up their dry cleaning. Some dry cleaners sell these clothes after they have been left for a while. Others donate them to charities and thrift stores.

Fair ($5-10 per item)

Outlets

Discount Stores- Kmart, Walmart, etc

Department Store Clearances, occasional sales

Expensive ($10-30 an item)

Department Store Sales

Department Store Clothing Lines- some are in this range at full price such as Sag Harbor, and Crazy Horse (both have excellent quality)

Department Store brands such as JcPenney's Hunt Club and St. John's Bay lines.

Discount Store Clothing Lines- Kmart's Jacquelyn Smith, Kathy Ireland, Walmart's Kathy Lee line ( I like the Kathy Lee line, the quality is good, and the clothes hold up, great for work clothing)

Mail Order, Catalogs

Homemade from Full Price Fabrics

High Class Consignment Boutiques

Vintage Stores (depends, some are cheaper, but most are pricey)

More Expensive ($30-$50 per item)

Department Stores

High Class Catalogs

Homemade from Specialty Fabrics

Exorbitant ($50 and up)

Tailor-made items

Department Store Designer Lines (Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, etc)

Boutiques

Men's Specialty Stores- Structure, etc

Lingerie

Ungodly Expensive ($100s-$1000s and up)

Anything auctioned off that a celebrity has worn

Specialty Costumes and Gowns

Wedding Attire, Prom and Homcoming Clothing

Designer Fashion Show Items


About the Author
Kim Tilley, a tightwad at heart, is the mother of three active boys and the founding editor of Frugal-Moms dot com, now sadly closed as Kim needed to spend more time with her family. Frugal by force and later by choice, Kim cut her income by 60% to stay at home with her children and discovered that anyone can live better for less. Her work has appeared in print publications such as The Tightwad Gazette. In her free time, she entertains herself by chasing kids and finding ways to create something from nothing! ]]> mommytipper http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=395 Thoughts Of A Nothing http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=394 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:19:29 GMT I've got nothing, my mind is totally blank. If only I could come up with an idea, something that someone would find the least bit interesting. I can't say I don't have any good ideas, it's just that when I start to write them down, the words get all scrambled or I can't follow through. I guess my biggest problem lately is a failure to finish writing what I start. I'm a notable procrastinator when writing and I have a million and one projects waiting to be finished. Every time I start a new written project, the last one I started is still on standstill. I really surprise myself sometimes because I actually finish something.

Sometimes I think I don't know why I do it, I guess something gets boring after a while and I don't have the dedication, the passion, required to follow through. I always make excuses like; I didn't have enough time , or I was tired, or I forgot. What is it really though? Anyone can make the time to finish something that they really want to finish. Anyone can work on a project they're interested in even if they're very very tired. I've been known to work late into the night and actually fall asleep :lhsleep: doing something because I wanted to finish it so bad that I didn't even go to bed when I started feeling tired. I was so dedicated that I would rather lose sleep, than stop working. A person is a lot less likely to think about other things or forget something which is that important to him or her.

So have I actually gotten to the root of my problem :lhredface: or have I just scratched the surface? Is there really any answer. It is indeed a fault to procrastinate or to be lazy. And What is a fault except a really really bad habit. It isn't impossible to change a bad habit, just very hard. So what does it take for me to finish a writing project. To get my act together? Drive, it takes determination and drive to finish what you start. It takes an immense desire to get it done. In order to get it done right you have to have motivation in doing so. If you just do it because someone nags you and you just want to keep the peace, well you could care less about how it turns out unless that is going to bring reproach from the nagger. But if you envision what you want it to be or look like or sound like and strive for that image to be in your brain every waking moment, then that's how to do something perfect.

You see there are two ways of doing things, the right way and the wrong way. Anything that isn't the right way is the wrong way, there is no in between. There is no middle ground and there can be no argument that there is. There can be no excuses or reasons for not succeeding when you think this way. For even uncontrollable circumstances cannot control the way you react to them. Some things can prevent you from reaching your goal momentarily but if you are dedicated and concentrate on the task at hand you will find it much easier.

I guess then, that I have :lhrolleyes: answered my own question in regards to what I have to do in order to stop procrastinating and get some writing finished. Either pick a writing project which I have started and with tunnel vision, work on that alone until it's finished or take a few minutes each day to cancel out everything else.

My mind is always a muddle of so many things I can't even count them. I set my goals too much on the broad spectrum, like I want to be a good wife, or I want to be a good mother, or I want to be a good webmaster, or I want to be a good writer. There are many components to these things though. Many different pieces of the same puzzle. I don't think often enough about what I must do to get what I want. I think only about and focus mainly on what I want.

Another one of my biggest problems is my lack of :lhstomp: patience. When I set out to do something I want it to show results immediately and many things just aren't that way. Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes. You can't learn to play the violin in one lesson, you can't crochet an afghan in one week. You can't expect results right away on anything that's worth doing. It always takes the extra effort the extra time because if you don't think it's worth having patience with and sticking it out, then you won't think it's worth the drive and dedication it takes to finish it.

To conclude, I think it's best for me to follow my own advice, and maybe by my writing it down I can help someone else with the same problem. That would be a worthwhile goal. The main thing is we really need to think about it and think hard, but more than that we need to do something. Let's get out there and change the world, or maybe something a little less drastic but just as important to us. :lhwavespin: ]]> CallieJo http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=394 Now THIS was a Classic Rock concert http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=392 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:50:14 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by peter View Post
Way back in time (1967 to be exact) I went to a concert at the Central Hall, Chatham, Kent. It was a national tour that had 2 shows a day and the whole cost was under £1 (about $1.65)......

Attachment 3448

the top of the bill was Jimi Hendrix with The Move (members of whom later joined ELO, The Traveling Wilburies and Roy Wood's Wizzard), The Nice (who later became Emerson Lake and Palmer) Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett who was comatose through drugs at the concert I attended) Amen Corner (whose singer Andy Fairweather-Lowe had a big hit with Wide Eyed and Legless) and a couple of other bands......
]]> peter http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=392 Twilight Haters. http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=391 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:36:53 GMT I thought I would just rant about Twilight haters.. It's not the first time I have came across a mean and hurtful comment on a Twilight video or picture and to be honest it bugs me. Not just because I'm a crazy fan of it, but it bugs me how people instantly despise it because of its obsessive following. Yeah, there are a lot of people following it because it's the 'in thing' and yes people are obsessed with it because they like it, I wouldn't really say that I was 'following' the Twilight phenomenon, I would say I am obsessed with the Twilight saga because I like it but not following anything. I'm the kind of person that hates following any sort of crowd or any sort of fashion. I wear what I want, I like what I want I'm that's not going to change because one of my 'friends' don't like it.

It also bugs me when I'm out with my Twilight shirt on, the comments I get on it are mostly.. 'Oh, are you obsessed with that too?' I sometimes wish I could just say.. 'Nope, I'm not obsessed with it too. I like it because of the romance, the interesting plot, werewolf vampire envy and unlike the other Twilight 'fans', I read the books before the movie was made!! (Thanks to Chelsi!!)' But of course, I couldn't, that would be rude xD

So.. I'm going to continue liking Twilight, not because it's the 'in thing' or because other people like it, but because I like it. :) ]]> Amy http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=391 My Job Hunting Trip To Canada....Part One http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=390 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:13:53 GMT Well folk's here it is, the well awaited blog from your's truly...... Bobby.
Brace yourselves! I know it's exciting!......lol.
My first ever blog and at this point, please take note....I am not a writer!

The story begins of my Job hunting trip to Canada without my wife Andrea, daughter Amy and son Rory. My journey from our home is Scotland. My journey, in the hope that I can find a job in Canada to give our family a better life, to give our kids the opportunies they deserve. A trip all by myself, a challenge on its own. To fly over 3000 miles is a lonely feat in itself but not knowing what awaits you at the other side of the world is quite frightening to say the least. Not knowing where to go, how to find transport, what bus, what train, what taxi, no one to help and no one to talk to and not having your better half's support right beside you where she's always been for near on 18 years.

So to the flight..... standing waiting for the aerplane was nerve racking as all the other times I have flown was as a family. My concentration was always on the kids or Andrea. This time I was on my own. Nervous wasn't the word for it?! Sitting down in the Departure Lounge of Glasgow airport, I got into conversation with an elderly lady. I asked her if she was going to Toronto, Canada. She smiled, said 'yes',and asked if I was too. We got talking and I found out that 50 years ago, she stayed in the little village in Scotland, where I was raised as a child. We got talking about all the people she knew and I knew.... small world right enough. I told her I was quite nervous of the flight, she smiled and said it would be fine and its an easy flight...(Is there such a thing?...Can I sit next to the "black box?" were two questions that sprung to mind!) ..Getting into my seat was like getting on to the electric chair...... but, despite my fears, take off was good. I had a window seat and looking out I could see my own home area dissapear into the distance, through the clouds. Not long into the flight, the lady whom I met in Departure Lounge, came walking up the aisle and politely asked how I was. Through grimmaced teeth, I managed a "fine thank you'. How kind, I thought.
Looking out the window I could see Greenland below me, nothing but snowy mountains and Icebergs. The flight didn't feel as long as I anticipated. Landing was quick and easy, 'Here we go' I thought. The journey begins here. Looking around Pearson Airport, Toronto, my first thought was of how very busy it was. People from all walks of life going to and fro. I asked a security guard where I could find a bus to Brampton to which he kindly directed me. Getting on the bus, I asked the lady driver where I should get off and she told me that she would let me know. Half way there, she decided to take a break at a Coffee Shop. At this point, coffee sounded like a good idea as by this time I was tired, hungry and leg sore with the trailing of my luggage. After another 10 mins or so on the bus, she pointed to my Hotel which looked miles away. Off I trundled, heavy luggage in hand, ruck sack on back, waiting for the traffic to stop at the pedestrain crossing. 500 cars later, I set off towards the Hotel in the distance. Arms aching with the weight of the luggage, I finally reach the summit of Everest!....well, not quite but it felt like it. Entering the hotel, I was warmly welcomed at reception by the manager who escorted me to my room. Putting my luggage on top of the bed I looked around. It was tidy, clean and most of all, quiet. Very quiet! Eerily quiet! Looking around me with a heavy, ache deep in my stomach, I thought what the heck am I doing here without my family??.......It was one of the most isolated, scary feelings I have ever felt...Here I was, a man whose entire life is his family, standing in the middle of a hotel room, some 3000 miles away from them. All I could think of was 'What if they need me and I'm not there?....How can I protect them? How could I get back if need be? I'm at the other side of the world?!.....Scary wasn't the word! Holding back emotion, I had to constantly remind myself that if I wanted a better life for my family, I knew in my heart I had no choice and that this was something I had to do............


To be continued................ ]]> Bobby http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=390 Men Don’t Always Want Sex http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=393 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:01:00 GMT I remember when I was in college and it seemed like everybody I knew was out there sexin’ everybody else. I remember purposely staying away from athletes and frat boys because I had this perception of them as over-sexed morons. The messages that we were given back then, and even today, is that men are totally driven by their third leg, or their second head…however you’d like to refer to it. Men are visual creatures, and even the slightest piece of eye candy sends their wingers into outer space to perform a free form high wire act. Right? We’ve seen them. Packs, er um I mean, groups of young men hovering around the girls gym or the girls bathroom like dogs after bitches in heat. Scores of men packing the strip clubs for their weekly dose of visual stimulation. That’s the image we know best, so when we meet a man that goes against the propaganda we’ve been fed, we are totally blown away! I know that growing up, I was rather conservative sexually (that is an understatement). I was one of the real good ‘ole Catholic girls and believed whole heartedly in that stuff about not having sex until I was married. Not only that, but my mom had a fool-proof way of keeping my virginity in tact. She used fear! One day as an eleven year old, I was telling my mother that I wasn’t going to have babies because it hurt! To that, she nonchalantly replied, “If you think having a baby hurts, wait until you have your first penetration!” Oh my GOD!! I was horrified, and you better believe that every time a guy came near me with his winger standing tall, I sent him packing. No way was I gonna experience pain worse than having a baby for some guy!! Are you crazy?! Her method may have been extreme, but it worked. I didn’t have sex until I was a freshman in college. And after that first experience, I had to laugh at how my mom had controlled my mind with that one little statement for so many years. Fast forward to my mid-30s, I was newly divorced and ready to rock and roll! I had been with the same man since college, and I made the conscious decision to learn as much as I could about mind blowing SEX! I didn’t necessarily want to sleep with a lot of men, but I wanted to know what my girlfriends and male friends experienced and how they knew so damn much. Where was I during this sexual revolution? Now was my time to catch up. I had one friend show me the male hot spots and what to do with ‘em. I started reading books by Zane because supposedly, that was gonna teach me some freaky stuff, which it didn’t. I’m convinced that Zane gets off on having sex with strangers like the mailman, cable guy, and the guy who rescues her off the side of the road. I kept reading only to find there were no explanations or diagrams on how to do stuff. Waste of my money. I was better off looking at the Karma Sutra diagrams or watching “Talk Sex with Sue” on the Oxygen channel. Anyway, I digress. Not only did I want to know the mechanics, but I also started to understand the true power I had with sex. I remember the first time I had this revelation. It was like I had found the cure for cancer. I glowed knowing that I could bring a man to his knees simply by helping him achieve a mind-blowing orgasm. It amazed me to see the hoops they’d jump through at the mere thought of gettin’ it on. Amazing. I later came to understand that as my appetite for good and plentiful sex grew, so did my realization that I was mistaking sexual activity for love. There was an emotional hole I was trying to fill, and any time there was a sexual rejection, I took it really hard. After my divorce, I started dating a guy that I had been friends with for years. And of course, over the eight years I knew him, he had this reputation for always shaggin’ the ladies. He was 5’6” which meant he had a little bit of short-man’s disease. He was of course very funny and charismatic, worked out incessantly and was proud of his guns and hard-as-rock 8-pack that he had absolutely no problem showing off to the masses. I had heard all the stories from his frat brothers about the women he scored in college, and all the late night escapades. And then there was the physical evidence: scores of female “friends” that had all at one point, been past lovers of Mr. Man. So it wasn’t like I didn’t have a reason to believe the hype. Well let me tell you I was excited! I was gonna get it and I was gonna get it whenever I wanted it and boy oh boy I could NOT WAIT to get it! Ya feel me? The first week we actually lived in the same city was…confusing. So much so, that he felt the need to explain to me that even though he had this reputation for having a lot of sex and sex partners, he really didn’t like to have sex all that much. WHAT?!! You have got to be kidding me! Look dude. I moved here to be with you so you owe me! Well I didn’t actually say that, but I surely was thinking it. In the following months, I began to learn his signals. Whenever he didn’t want to have sex, which was quite often, he would come to bed with this smelly, sticky acne medicine all over his face. That was his way of saying he wasn’t in the mood. Even if I tried to touch him, I’d get the light snoring which meant he was on his way to REM sleep. I know he was faking it. You’d think as much as he came to bed with that stuff on his face, he’d have the best skin this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Hah. I can’t go into every detail, but suffice it to say, we didn’t have sex more than we did have sex, and I was totally floored. And every time he rejected me, my self-esteem took a direct hit because I thought it had something to do with me. Believe it or not, I’ve had other similar experiences over the years, including my latest one with this man that I was EXTREMELY attracted to. I guess I knew there was a risk getting involved with someone of his caliber (he was somewhat of a local celebrity in his own mind. He was the man next to the man next to the man…something like that), especially after avoiding them during my college years. I had been brainwashed to believe all men like that only wanted sex. So imagine my surprise when this well-endowed, virile, fine-as-hell stallion did not want to have sex with me. Now, it wasn’t the type of situation where we didn’t know each other. We had been friends for about 5 years off and on, and lately we had been “hanging out” and getting to know one another better. It was a mutual attraction, at least I thought it was; and everything seemed to be going really well. Trying my best not to hold my past judgments against this guy, I went into it with an open mind, never thinking in a million years that he’d be a little sex-aversive. To be honest, I didn’t even want to have sex with him. I was determined that if this man was relationship potential, we would not jump right into a physical relationship. I was willing to wait and I was hoping he would be ok with that. So, one particular night we were in his room, lying in bed watching TV and talking. He had been snuggling with me the entire time and everything was cool. He grabbed my hand and put it on his rear end forcing my hand to massage it. So I obliged and started massaging it. After about 30 seconds, he said, “Stop, you’re turning me on.” Ok. I stopped. Mind you, I still was not thinking “sex” at this point. Next thing I know, he goes into this soliloquy about how I’m a sweetheart and I deserve a man that is willing to focus all his attention on me, and that he’s not ready to settle down and we shouldn’t do anything until we were absolutely sure because once you go “there” everything changes…and…and….Ok somebody help me understand this one. So he continues on about how he would hate to be the one to hurt me and that he wants to protect me from others that might hurt me and he could never forgive himself if he hurt me and that he had MAD LOVE for me. AHHHHHHHH!!!! That’s the kiss of death (next to them calling you a “friend-girl”). Whenever somebody has mad love for you, they’re saying they like you but that’s all. And he said that I was “special”. Uggghhhhh! The second kiss of death! That is such BS! What da hell? Where did this come from? All of this came from HIM directing ME to massage his butt muscle! I was pretty insulted by this time, but I didn’t say anything. I swear, if I had a dollar for every man that told me that I was this great woman, but they weren’t ready for me and I deserved someone better…I’d be rich! And people wonder why I don’t have a man…. So trying not to get angry, ‘cause I can do that sometimes (deep breath), I thanked him for his honesty and told him that if friendship was all he wanted, then friendship was all he’d get, and there’d be no pressure from me to do anything. Lord knows, this is a MASSIVE improvement and sign of growth from how I used to be. Had it been a few years back, he woulda got a tongue lashin’ that he’d never forget. So we finish off this really strange conversation and he starts talking to me about problems he’s having with his family and things he wants to do, etc. It’s cool. He wants a friend. But…it is not lost on me that this man was literally about to freak out over the possibility that playful or therapeutic touching might lead to sex. Geesh! I asked him what he did when he was horny and he said that he kept really busy, and that sometimes he just didn’t feel the need to have sex. I cannot begin to tell you how many men I know that have told me the same thing. They fill their lives with work and focus on other things, and sex is only needed when it’s absolutely necessary…and in some cases, it is used as a control mechanism. They only give it when they know they have to…and when they want something. Otherwise, forget it. Their wingers stay tucked in. The good news is that I’ve seen this phenomenon before and I know that it’s not about me. It is his issue…not mine. As I always do, I call up my good male friend back home, run down the story to him just to get his very honest feedback. He almost dropped the phone when I told him what happened. He can’t seem to believe that there is any man that would not at least TRY to sex me down after a few encounters. I tend to agree…but then again…what do I know. I am still kinda flabbergasted at the number of men that seem to creep into my life that have this affliction. Maybe I’m sending out some freaky vibes. I really need to understand what about me keeps drawing these people into my life. When I heard my friend’s declaration that he needed to stay focused on his career and that he was sacrificing any type of relationship with me, I heard his message loud and clear, ringing like the freedom bell. I gave him his space and lots of it. As for me, I ain’t gonna lie…I like sex but I’ve grown to understand that it can’t fill emotional voids. I’ve spent a lot of years working on me, so that anything that happens between me and anyone else is a true expression of the desire to please one another and grow in love together. It can’t be used as a method of control or means of obligating someone to you. That’s why these days, in my older, much more mature age, I only want to be with someone that I’m in love with, and I’m hoping that he’ll at least have the capacity to open up and feel real love for me…not just MAD love. So you see…not all men want to have sex. Freakin’ amazing. I remember when I was in college and it seemed like everybody I knew was out there sexin’ everybody else. I remember purposely staying away from athletes and frat boys because I had this perception of them as over-sexed morons. The messages that we were given back then, and even today, is that men are totally driven by their third leg, or their second head…however you’d like to refer to it. Men are visual creatures, and even the slightest piece of eye candy sends their wingers into outer space to perform a free form high wire act. Right? We’ve seen them. Packs, er um I mean, groups of young men hovering around the girls gym or the girls bathroom like dogs after bitches in heat. Scores of men packing the strip clubs for their weekly dose of visual stimulation. That’s the image we know best, so when we meet a man that goes against the propaganda we’ve been fed, we are totally blown away!

I know that growing up, I was rather conservative sexually (that is an understatement). I was one of the real good ‘ole Catholic girls and believed whole heartedly in that stuff about not having sex until I was married. Not only that, but my mom had a fool-proof way of keeping my virginity in tact. She used fear! One day as an eleven year old, I was telling my mother that I wasn’t going to have babies because it hurt! To that, she nonchalantly replied, “If you think having a baby hurts, wait until you have your first penetration!” Oh my GOD!! I was horrified, and you better believe that every time a guy came near me with his winger standing tall, I sent him packing. No way was I gonna experience pain worse than having a baby for some guy!! Are you crazy?! Her method may have been extreme, but it worked. I didn’t have sex until I was a freshman in college. And after that first experience, I had to laugh at how my mom had controlled my mind with that one little statement for so many years.

Fast forward to my mid-30s, I was newly divorced and ready to rock and roll! I had been with the same man since college, and I made the conscious decision to learn as much as I could about mind blowing SEX! I didn’t necessarily want to sleep with a lot of men, but I wanted to know what my girlfriends and male friends experienced and how they knew so damn much. Where was I during this sexual revolution? Now was my time to catch up. I had one friend show me the male hot spots and what to do with ‘em. I started reading books by Zane because supposedly, that was gonna teach me some freaky stuff, which it didn’t. I’m convinced that Zane gets off on having sex with strangers like the mailman, cable guy, and the guy who rescues her off the side of the road. I kept reading only to find there were no explanations or diagrams on how to do stuff. Waste of my money. I was better off looking at the Karma Sutra diagrams or watching “Talk Sex with Sue” on the Oxygen channel. Anyway, I digress. Not only did I want to know the mechanics, but I also started to understand the true power I had with sex. I remember the first time I had this revelation. It was like I had found the cure for cancer. I glowed knowing that I could bring a man to his knees simply by helping him achieve a mind-blowing orgasm. It amazed me to see the hoops they’d jump through at the mere thought of gettin’ it on. Amazing.

I later came to understand that as my appetite for good and plentiful sex grew, so did my realization that I was mistaking sexual activity for love. There was an emotional hole I was trying to fill, and any time there was a sexual rejection, I took it really hard. After my divorce, I started dating a guy that I had been friends with for years. And of course, over the eight years I knew him, he had this reputation for always shaggin’ the ladies. He was 5’6” which meant he had a little bit of short-man’s disease. He was of course very funny and charismatic, worked out incessantly and was proud of his guns and hard-as-rock 8-pack that he had absolutely no problem showing off to the masses. I had heard all the stories from his frat brothers about the women he scored in college, and all the late night escapades. And then there was the physical evidence: scores of female “friends” that had all at one point, been past lovers of Mr. Man. So it wasn’t like I didn’t have a reason to believe the hype. Well let me tell you I was excited! I was gonna get it and I was gonna get it whenever I wanted it and boy oh boy I could NOT WAIT to get it! Ya feel me? The first week we actually lived in the same city was…confusing. So much so, that he felt the need to explain to me that even though he had this reputation for having a lot of sex and sex partners, he really didn’t like to have sex all that much. WHAT?!! You have got to be kidding me! Look dude. I moved here to be with you so you owe me! Well I didn’t actually say that, but I surely was thinking it.

In the following months, I began to learn his signals. Whenever he didn’t want to have sex, which was quite often, he would come to bed with this smelly, sticky acne medicine all over his face. That was his way of saying he wasn’t in the mood. Even if I tried to touch him, I’d get the light snoring which meant he was on his way to REM sleep. I know he was faking it. You’d think as much as he came to bed with that stuff on his face, he’d have the best skin this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Hah. I can’t go into every detail, but suffice it to say, we didn’t have sex more than we did have sex, and I was totally floored. And every time he rejected me, my self-esteem took a direct hit because I thought it had something to do with me.

Believe it or not, I’ve had other similar experiences over the years, including my latest one with this man that I was EXTREMELY attracted to. I guess I knew there was a risk getting involved with someone of his caliber (he was somewhat of a local celebrity in his own mind. He was the man next to the man next to the man…something like that), especially after avoiding them during my college years. I had been brainwashed to believe all men like that only wanted sex. So imagine my surprise when this well-endowed, virile, fine-as-hell stallion did not want to have sex with me. Now, it wasn’t the type of situation where we didn’t know each other. We had been friends for about 5 years off and on, and lately we had been “hanging out” and getting to know one another better. It was a mutual attraction, at least I thought it was; and everything seemed to be going really well. Trying my best not to hold my past judgments against this guy, I went into it with an open mind, never thinking in a million years that he’d be a little sex-aversive. To be honest, I didn’t even want to have sex with him. I was determined that if this man was relationship potential, we would not jump right into a physical relationship. I was willing to wait and I was hoping he would be ok with that. So, one particular night we were in his room, lying in bed watching TV and talking. He had been snuggling with me the entire time and everything was cool. He grabbed my hand and put it on his rear end forcing my hand to massage it. So I obliged and started massaging it. After about 30 seconds, he said, “Stop, you’re turning me on.” Ok. I stopped. Mind you, I still was not thinking “sex” at this point. Next thing I know, he goes into this soliloquy about how I’m a sweetheart and I deserve a man that is willing to focus all his attention on me, and that he’s not ready to settle down and we shouldn’t do anything until we were absolutely sure because once you go “there” everything changes…and…and….Ok somebody help me understand this one. So he continues on about how he would hate to be the one to hurt me and that he wants to protect me from others that might hurt me and he could never forgive himself if he hurt me and that he had MAD LOVE for me. AHHHHHHHH!!!! That’s the kiss of death (next to them calling you a “friend-girl”). Whenever somebody has mad love for you, they’re saying they like you but that’s all. And he said that I was “special”. Uggghhhhh! The second kiss of death! That is such BS! What da hell? Where did this come from? All of this came from HIM directing ME to massage his butt muscle! I was pretty insulted by this time, but I didn’t say anything. I swear, if I had a dollar for every man that told me that I was this great woman, but they weren’t ready for me and I deserved someone better…I’d be rich! And people wonder why I don’t have a man….

So trying not to get angry, ‘cause I can do that sometimes (deep breath), I thanked him for his honesty and told him that if friendship was all he wanted, then friendship was all he’d get, and there’d be no pressure from me to do anything. Lord knows, this is a MASSIVE improvement and sign of growth from how I used to be. Had it been a few years back, he woulda got a tongue lashin’ that he’d never forget. So we finish off this really strange conversation and he starts talking to me about problems he’s having with his family and things he wants to do, etc. It’s cool. He wants a friend. But…it is not lost on me that this man was literally about to freak out over the possibility that playful or therapeutic touching might lead to sex. Geesh! I asked him what he did when he was horny and he said that he kept really busy, and that sometimes he just didn’t feel the need to have sex. I cannot begin to tell you how many men I know that have told me the same thing. They fill their lives with work and focus on other things, and sex is only needed when it’s absolutely necessary…and in some cases, it is used as a control mechanism. They only give it when they know they have to…and when they want something. Otherwise, forget it. Their wingers stay tucked in.

The good news is that I’ve seen this phenomenon before and I know that it’s not about me. It is his issue…not mine. As I always do, I call up my good male friend back home, run down the story to him just to get his very honest feedback. He almost dropped the phone when I told him what happened. He can’t seem to believe that there is any man that would not at least TRY to sex me down after a few encounters. I tend to agree…but then again…what do I know. I am still kinda flabbergasted at the number of men that seem to creep into my life that have this affliction. Maybe I’m sending out some freaky vibes. I really need to understand what about me keeps drawing these people into my life. When I heard my friend’s declaration that he needed to stay focused on his career and that he was sacrificing any type of relationship with me, I heard his message loud and clear, ringing like the freedom bell. I gave him his space and lots of it. As for me, I ain’t gonna lie…I like sex but I’ve grown to understand that it can’t fill emotional voids. I’ve spent a lot of years working on me, so that anything that happens between me and anyone else is a true expression of the desire to please one another and grow in love together. It can’t be used as a method of control or means of obligating someone to you. That’s why these days, in my older, much more mature age, I only want to be with someone that I’m in love with, and I’m hoping that he’ll at least have the capacity to open up and feel real love for me…not just MAD love.

So you see…not all men want to have sex. Freakin’ amazing. ]]> FingerLakesLady http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=393 25 signs that you have grown up http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=389 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:34:18 GMT
  • 1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.
  • 2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
  • 3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
  • 4. 6:00AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
  • 5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
  • 6. You watch the Weather Channel.
  • 7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of "hook up" and "break up."
  • 8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
  • 9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."
  • 10. You're the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won't turn down the stereo.
  • 11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
  • 12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
  • 13. Your car insurance goes down, and your car payments go up.
  • 14. You feed your dog Science Diet, instead of McDonald's leftovers.
  • 15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
  • 16. You take naps sometimes between noon and 6 PM.
  • 17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
  • 18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
  • 19. If you're female, you go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
  • 20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."
  • 21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
  • 22. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never going to drink that much again."
  • 23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
  • 24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
  • 25. You read this entire list, looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you and can't find one to save your sorry OLD butt.
]]> CallieJo http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=389 Plastic Surgery Los Angeles http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=388 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:38:22 GMT Most people view plastic surgery as a surgical procedure that will make their physical appearance look younger. Although that may be true in some cases, plastic surgery isn’t all about making you look younger. Plastic surgery can also be used as a tool in changing or enhancing a part or parts of your body that either you are not satisfied with or for various health reasons. In Los Angeles, plastic surgery is quite popular. Plastic surgery can make you feel good of yourself and it also boosts your self esteem by making you not only look good but also feel complete. There are two types of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedures. These are “reconstructive surgical procedure” and the “cosmetic surgical procedures”. Reconstructive surgical procedure is a type of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure that focuses in correcting physical defects (e.g. birthmarks, physical deformities of the body, lip cleft, physical traumas, injuries, body reconstruction, etc.). A cosmetic surgical procedure, on the other hand, focuses more on altering or enhancing a part of the body. A good example of this type of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure is breast augmentation. Cosmetic surgery alters the shape, contour or size of the body in order to give it a more profound look. However, there are some cosmetic procedures that aren’t surgical in a way but belong to this type of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure. These types of cosmetic procedures utilize specialized lasers for various applications such as unwanted hair removal or removing skin flaws. One common misconception of plastic surgery is they are mostly performed on older individuals to defy their aging process. There are also some younger individuals who seek plastic surgery to correct physical defect or remove or lessen a physical disorder such as acnes, scars, protruding ears and the likes. If you are thinking of undergoing a plastic surgery Los Angeles (http://www.skplasticsurgery.com/press-release/plastic-surgery-los-angeles.php) procedure but are unsure if you are making the right decision, it would be wise to seek advice from your physician or a plastic surgeon. Most people view plastic surgery as a surgical procedure that will make their physical appearance look younger. Although that may be true in some cases, plastic surgery isn’t all about making you look younger. Plastic surgery can also be used as a tool in changing or enhancing a part or parts of your body that either you are not satisfied with or for various health reasons.

In Los Angeles, plastic surgery is quite popular. Plastic surgery can make you feel good of yourself and it also boosts your self esteem by making you not only look good but also feel complete. There are two types of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedures. These are “reconstructive surgical procedure” and the “cosmetic surgical procedures”. Reconstructive surgical procedure is a type of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure that focuses in correcting physical defects (e.g. birthmarks, physical deformities of the body, lip cleft, physical traumas, injuries, body reconstruction, etc.).

A cosmetic surgical procedure, on the other hand, focuses more on altering or enhancing a part of the body. A good example of this type of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure is breast augmentation. Cosmetic surgery alters the shape, contour or size of the body in order to give it a more profound look. However, there are some cosmetic procedures that aren’t surgical in a way but belong to this type of plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure. These types of cosmetic procedures utilize specialized lasers for various applications such as unwanted hair removal or removing skin flaws.

One common misconception of plastic surgery is they are mostly performed on older individuals to defy their aging process. There are also some younger individuals who seek plastic surgery to correct physical defect or remove or lessen a physical disorder such as acnes, scars, protruding ears and the likes.

If you are thinking of undergoing a plastic surgery Los Angeles procedure but are unsure if you are making the right decision, it would be wise to seek advice from your physician or a plastic surgeon. ]]> tummytuckjes http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=388 New word today ... http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=387 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:06:55 GMT So i get my son outta bed to start our day. He is growing up on me so fast,, and it makes me sad.. any how he always seems to make me laugh.. He learned a new word today and it was MINE... haha.. he grabed his blankey and kept saying mine mine mine llike the birds on Nemo.. toooo cute.. He's the baby gotta love em..lol ]]> mom24kids http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=387 <![CDATA['Music' of the Generation]]> http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=386 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:47:01 GMT WARNING: I'm a teenager who sounds like an 85 year old woman in this blog! The side effects may cause: headaches, earaches, eye aches and walking stick welts on the leg ;)

Okay, so I was just outisde and I heard loud, repetitive music coming from one of the neighbours down the street. Here's what it sounded like... BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOOM!! 200 booms later and here I am writing this blog! :D I don't want to be mean if some people on here like this kind of music, so please don't take it personally, it's simply just my opinion. I think it sounds like someone hitting me on the head with a club over and over... and over.. blah blah. It gives me a headache and in my opinion.. it's not music.
Music, well what I think of music should have lyrics, a tune and a beat. Not a beat.. a beat and more beat. Some people may find it catchy, some people might find it bleh. I'm sorry, in my opinion, I find it bleh.

Thank you for listening to my rant.... now go get my teeth out of that glass! ;) ]]> Amy http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=386 I.. she... we... AGH! http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=385 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:50:15 GMT PEOPLE. That has been my problem all along, not nice people, they are fine.. great in fact. But MEAN people I can't stand. Why waste your time being mean to someone when you can be nice, or if you don't even like the person IGNORE them, don't be sarcastic. Recently I fell out with one of my best friends, we used to edit videos and post them on youtube together, her name was Ruth and we had so much in common. I really thought I had actually found a best friend. One day she kept on going on about this girl who I had fallen out with (over her being mean to me) Her name was Comfort. She was saying how wonderful she was and it really kind of hurt that she couldn't see how much that Comfort had hurt me. So, I told Ruth, I couldn't keep it bottled up. I simply explained to her the way I felt but sadly she didn't take it lightly. We fell out and Comfort, Ruth and one of their other friends (Andrea, who had called me 'Comfort's little dog') formed a small gang. They must have been talking about me behind my back as I saw one of their comments to one another regarding me in it. I just logged onto Youtube today to find a comment from Ruth and Andrea.

xxxaag4e (Andrea)
AMMYY i love you SO much <3

Unforrgivenrose (Ruth)
hey friend haha

Unforrgivenrose (Ruth)
and how are you haha

(I probably shouldn't have put their usernames)

AGH! It just bugs me because if someone were to see that, they wouldn't think it was mean!! People think that they are so sweet and kind!!! I don't get how people would want to do that! Okay, that's fine.. they hate me, but I'm okay with that! They don't need to post a sarcastic comment on my channel for goodness sake! Maybe I'm to sensitive, or a crybaby as Ruth said. And maybe I am a mean and horrid person, maybe I do deserve it, but it just hurts.

I'm sorry for my rant, I just needed to get it out.. ]]> Amy http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=385 The Truth about Halloween Witches http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=383 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:01:35 GMT *Halloween witches are mythical creatures like vampires, were-wolves and monsters. These women ride broomsticks while cackling loudly. They have green skin and warts on their noses. They wear black dresses, pointy hats and the ugliest, most unflattering stockings ever. What self-respecting witch would wear horizontal stripes, really? C’mon. They are NOT slimming. Halloween witches are mean. They make horrible potions in their big-black cauldrons. They poison people; eat children, and torment little dogs like in the Wizard of Oz. Halloween witches are horrible. They’re also NOT real. They are a mythical creation. That is not to say that witches don’t exist. They do. Witches, or Wiccans as many prefer to be called, largely due to the negative energy surrounding the word ‘witch’, are adherents to ancient, usually Celtic, nature religions. Wiccans believe that in the sanctity of the Earth and in all life forms. Of course, there are differences in what different branches of Wicca believe; but, generally speaking, witches are gentle, peace-loving people who follow the Wiccan Rede: _“Do as ye will but harm none.”_ Witches believe in the significance of the seasons. We celebrate 8 major holidays throughout the year. Samhain, which corresponds to Halloween, is our New Year. It is the third harvest and it is a time when the world of the living and the dead can be easily crossed. Other major holidays of the Wiccan faith are: * Yule (Winter Solstice) December 21st * Imbolc (Candlemas) February 2nd * Ostara (Vernal Equinox) March 21st * Beltane (May Day) April 30 or May 1st * Litha (Summer Solstice) June 21 * Lughnasadh (Lammas) July 31st * Mabon (Autumnal Equinox) September 21 Overall, the idea of the Halloween witch can enhance the spookiness of the holiday; however, we must always remember that the Halloween witch is really just a myth. It is an interesting character study that isn’t rooted in reality; rather, it’s rooted in stereotypes and superstitions. Paganism is a true faith. True witches are men and women who follow a creed that allows them to do no harm. Samhain is a holiday in our calendar that causes us to reflect on the past year and look towards the New Year. It is a time for contemplation, meditation and an opportunity to recognize those that have gone before us.* Halloween witches are mythical creatures like vampires, were-wolves and monsters. These women ride broomsticks while cackling loudly. They have green skin and warts on their noses. They wear black dresses, pointy hats and the ugliest, most unflattering stockings ever. What self-respecting witch would wear horizontal stripes, really? C’mon. They are NOT slimming.

Halloween witches are mean. They make horrible potions in their big-black cauldrons. They poison people; eat children, and torment little dogs like in the Wizard of Oz. Halloween witches are horrible.

They’re also NOT real. They are a mythical creation. That is not to say that witches don’t exist. They do. Witches, or Wiccans as many prefer to be called, largely due to the negative energy surrounding the word ‘witch’, are adherents to ancient, usually Celtic, nature religions. Wiccans believe that in the sanctity of the Earth and in all life forms. Of course, there are differences in what different branches of Wicca believe; but, generally speaking, witches are gentle, peace-loving people who follow the Wiccan Rede:

“Do as ye will but harm none.”

Witches believe in the significance of the seasons. We celebrate 8 major holidays throughout the year. Samhain, which corresponds to Halloween, is our New Year. It is the third harvest and it is a time when the world of the living and the dead can be easily crossed.

Other major holidays of the Wiccan faith are:
  • Yule (Winter Solstice) December 21st
  • Imbolc (Candlemas) February 2nd
  • Ostara (Vernal Equinox) March 21st
  • Beltane (May Day) April 30 or May 1st
  • Litha (Summer Solstice) June 21
  • Lughnasadh (Lammas) July 31st
  • Mabon (Autumnal Equinox) September 21

Overall, the idea of the Halloween witch can enhance the spookiness of the holiday; however, we must always remember that the Halloween witch is really just a myth. It is an interesting character study that isn’t rooted in reality; rather, it’s rooted in stereotypes and superstitions. Paganism is a true faith. True witches are men and women who follow a creed that allows them to do no harm. Samhain is a holiday in our calendar that causes us to reflect on the past year and look towards the New Year. It is a time for contemplation, meditation and an opportunity to recognize those that have gone before us. ]]> MagickLady http://www.lilhangout.com/blog.php?b=383