Have Y'all Seen Me On TV?

I'm not bragging or anything, but I'm pretty much a celebrity now.  I mean, I was in a Fox 4 commercial and everything.

This is just a picture, the video is down there, silly

That means I'm, like, totally tubular...or something like that.  All kidding aside, if you want to see me make a fool of myself, become a superstar before your very eyes, then watch this.  I'm the one that says, I Like Fox 4.  What what?!!?!

Do you like Fox 4 on Facebook?  If not, go check them out.  

ESPN in Sundance Square

Did y'all make it out to Sundance Square this past weekend?  I took my youngest daughter out there Saturday.  It was a little drizzly and pretty cold, but we stayed long enough to snap a few pics. 

Always puts that hand on that hip!

They weren't filming while we were there, but it was still pretty cool to look at everything they had set up out there.

Check my calendar because Sundance Square has tons of stuff planned for this spring and summer.

Granbury Tornado Relief Benefit

This Saturday, 5/25/13 from 11am-10pm at Ken's Automotive, 4516 Fall Creek Hwy, Granbury, TX,  76049, tornado relief benefit for the victims of the Granbury storms. 

All items have been donated and all proceeds will go directly to the victims, through Mission Granbury. 

They will have a great group of musicians for entertainment, a bounce house for kids, hamburgers, hot dogs, raffles, et cetera.  Please try to attend. The Rancho Brazos community needs your help. 

They will be accepting donated items:  clothing, non-perishable food, water, anything to help them get a good start at starting over.


Here's the music schedule:   

11:30-Randall Wayne
1:00- Alex Garcia and Jason Brimer
2:30- Michael Cote
4:00- Eric Wagner
5:00- ********50/50 raffle*******
5:15- John Costlow and Beau Nichols
6:30- Courtney Loren Yates
7:30- Marc Cote
9:00- Lucas Blevins

All times are approximate and may fluctuate some.

Y'all go out and show your support!!

North Texas Tornadoes - How We Can Help

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with those affected by the devastating storms that ripped through North Texas last night.  I'm sure those of us in Fort Worth either know people or have family in Hood County and Johnson County and other areas that were affected by the tornadoes.

I've been searching online all morning trying to find out how we can help.  I've heard that The Salvation Army and The Red Cross are taking donations, but then the Hood County News website says to hold off on donations - I think they're trying to come up with a location where people can take supplies locally - in the meantime, donate to The Salvation Army and The Red Cross.

If you're trying to find out information about loved ones in the area, call this number:  817-579-2888.

Hood County officials have also established an emergency line - 682-498-8010.

If you are a resident or have family in the area affected by the tornado in Hood County, or searching for someone in the affected area, please use the Red Cross Safe & Well website. 

I've read that if you need a place to stay due to the storm damage in Hood County, go to First Christian Church of Granbury (817-573-5431) 2109 Highway 377 West, just past Pirate Drive, in Granbury next to Tractor Supply.  Red Cross officials and other volunteers are on hand, and food and water supplies are available there.

Another relocation center was set up at Granbury First United Methodist, 301 Loop 567, Granbury, Texas 76048 - 817-573-5573.  That relocation center has now closed according to The Red Cross website.


The Humane Society of North Texas has a trailer in the Granbury area to help with animal control and displaced animals.  Their phone number is:  817-332-4768
 
Grumps Burgers 3503 East Highway 377, Granbury is offering to buy you lunch if you've been displaced by the storms.  How awesome is that!  Next time I'm in Granbury, I'm eating at Grumps Burgers.



From The Salvation Army website:

Financial donations can be made in the following ways to support The Salvation Army’s response to the North Texas tornadoes:

• MAIL – please send checks to The Salvation Army, PO Box 36607, Dallas, TX 75235
• PHONE at 1-800-SAL-ARMY
• ONLINE at www.salvationarmytexas.org
For more information about The Salvation Army’s disaster response effort, please go to www.Facebook.com/SalvationArmyTexas, www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org, or www.salvationarmytexas.org.

Cleburne:

The Salvation Army has set up a mobile disaster kitchen at Cleburne Conference Center, 1501 Henderson Street, at 10:00 AM to serve meals for up to 125 people today. This service may continue until 7:00 PM or longer if needed.

TNT Builders will be out today in the Cleburne area offering emergency tarping for free - no strings attached.  What a great example of neighbors helping neighbors! 


UPDATE FOR HOOD COUNTY:


The volunteer center closes at 7pm tonight and will reopen tomorrow morning at 7am.

Donations can be made through the American Red Cross on their website.

The Tarrant County Food Bank will have a food pantry set up on Saturday from 9am-11:30am at First United Methodist Church.

The Tarrant Area Food Bank will also accept food donations at 2600 Cullen St., Fort Worth, 76107.  Please see their acceptable list of non-perishable foods.

Donations of material items can be made to Mission Granbury by making arrangements at 817-614-2556.

Persons needing assistance from the Red Cross can call 817-335-9137.

Sheriff Deeds will hold a press conference at the HEB Media Staging area at 4pm today.

The affected area will remain closed and a time frame to reopen has not been set.


I'll update this post as soon as I get more information on how we can help. 

2012 Texan Olympic Medalists

We are so proud of all the athletes who represented Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics. Team USA brought home 104 medals - 46 Gold, 29 Silver, 29 Bronze, putting Team USA at the top of the medal count.

Out of the 46 Gold Medals, 12 of them were earned by Texans
Out of the 29 Silver Medals, 9 of them were earned by Texans
Out of the 29 Bronze Medals, 7 of them were earned by Texans

We're especially proud of this list of medalists that have ties to Texas:

In alphabetical order:

Brigetta Barrett  - Duncanville
Track & Field - Women's High Jump - Silver

David Boudia - Abilene
Diving - Men's Synch. 10m Platform - Bronze
Men's 10m Platform - Gold                       

Tamika Catchings - Duncanville
Basketball - Win over France - Gold

Diamond Dixon - Houston
Track & Field - Womens 4x400M Relay - Gold

Troy Dumais - Austin
Diving - Men's Synch. 3m Springboard - Bronze

Marlen Esparza - Pasadena
Boxing - Bronze

James Feigen - San Antonio
Swimming - Men's 4x100m Freestyle - Silver

Brendan Hansen - Austin
Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke - Bronze
Men's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Trey Hardee - Austin -
Track & Field - Men's Decathlon 1500m - Silver

Destinee Hooker - San Antonio
Volleyball - Silver

Courtney Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing -Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Kelley Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing - Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Trell Kimmons - Round Rock
Track & Field- Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Bianca Knight - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 4x100m Relay - Gold

Leo Manzano - Flatonia
Track & Field - Men's 1500m - Silver

Paige McPherson - Abilene
Taekwondo - Bronze

Aries Merritt - Bryan
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Gold

Darvis Patton - Dallas
Track & Field - Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Jason Richardson - Cedar Hill
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Silver

Sanya Richards-Ross - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 400m - Gold
Women's 4x400m Relay - Gold

Michael Tinsley - Round Rock
Track & Field - Men's 400m Hurdles - Silver

Dana Vollmer - Granbury
Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly - Gold
Women's 4x200m Freestyle - Gold
Women's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Deron Williams - The Colony
Basketball - Win over Spain - Gold

 
By Event:

Basketball
Tamika Catchings - Duncanville
Basketball - Win over France - Gold

Deron Williams - The Colony
Basketball - Win over Spain - Gold

Boxing
Marlen Esparza - Pasadena
Boxing - Bronze

Diving
David Boudia - Abilene
Diving - Men's Synch. 10m Platform - Bronze
Men's 10m Platform - Gold

Troy Dumais - Austin
Diving - Men's Synch. 3m Springboard - Bronze

Fencing
Courtney Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing -Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Kelley Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing - Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Swimming
James Feigen - San Antonio
Swimming - Men's 4x100m Freestyle - Silver

Brendan Hansen - Austin
Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke - Bronze
Men's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Dana Vollmer - Granbury
Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly - Gold
Women's 4x200m Freestyle - Gold
Women's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Taekwondo
Paige McPherson - Abilene
Taekwondo - Bronze

Track & Field
Brigetta Barrett  - Duncanville
Track & Field - Women's High Jump - Silver

Diamond Dixon - Houston
Track & Field - Womens 4x400M Relay - Gold

Trey Hardee - Austin -
Track & Field - Men's Decathlon 1500m - Silver

Trell Kimmons - Round Rock
Track & Field- Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Bianca Knight - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 4x100m Relay - Gold

Leo Manzano - Flatonia
Track & Field - Men's 1500m - Silver

Aries Merritt - Bryan
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Gold

Darvis Patton - Dallas
Track & Field - Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Jason Richardson - Cedar Hill
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Silver

Sanya Richards-Ross - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 400m - Gold
Women's 4x400m Relay - Gold

Michael Tinsley - Round Rock
Track & Field - Men's 400m Hurdles - Silver

Volleyball
Destinee Hooker - San Antonio
Volleyball - Silver

The World Would Be A Lot Better Place Without MOSQUITOES

What good are mosquitoes anyway?  All they do is transmit diseases, parasites & viruses.  These pesky things have been around for over 30 million years, so it looks to me like we're not going to get rid of them any time soon.

You've probably heard on the news lately all the talk about West Nile in Tarrant and surrounding counties.  West Nile Virus is really rampant this year.  Some even say the incidence of West Nile virus cases in North Texas has reached epidemic proportions.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/18/156615/west-nile-case-levels-in-texas.html#storylink=cpy

Someone my husband knows was hospitalized recently with something similar to West Nile - something called St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV).  It too is transmitted to humans via infected mosquitoes.

Did you know that most people bitten by a mosquito infected with West Nile Virus or SLEV never experience symptoms of the virus?  I didn't know that.  Also, the virus cannot be spread from person-to-person.  It's only spread by infected mosquito to person.

The virus can also affect animals such as horses.  West Nile Virus in pets is rare.  Click here for more information about WNV and your dog or cat. 

You should get to the doctor immediately if the following symptoms persist for more than a few days.  Symptoms of West Nile Virus, according to the Mayo Clinic, are:

Fever
Headaches
Body Aches
Fatigue
Skin Rash (Occasionally)
Swollen Lymph Glands (Occasionally)
Eye Pain (Occasionally)

The Mayo Clinic also says that less than 1% of people infected with West Nile Virus will experience serious neurological infection.  That can include swelling of the brain (encephalitis) or the membrane surrounding the brain (meningoencephalitis).  It can also include meningitis or inflammation of the  membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.  Signs and symptoms of a serious neurological infection are:

High Fever
Severe Headache
Stiff Neck
Disorientation or Confusion
Stupor or Coma
Tremors or Muscle Jerking
Lack of Coordination
Convulsions
Pain
Partial Paralysis or Weakness
Altered Mental State

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of West Nile Virus could last for a few days.  But signs and symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis could last for weeks and neurological effects could be permanent.

According to the CDC, the symptoms for SLEV are similar to West Nile.  It takes 5 to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito to develop symptoms of SLEV.  With West Nile, the onset of symptoms is usually 3 to 14 days.

With all that being said, the best thing you can do is hibernate in your house and become a hermit.  Just kidding.  The best thing you can do to prevent getting these viruses is to try and not get bit by mosquitoes.

If at all possible, wear clothing that covers most of your body.  (Not likely in the middle of a Texas summer.)

Wear clothing that blends into the background.  According to How Stuff Works, female mosquitoes, which are the only mosquitoes that bite you, their visual sensors aren't very keen, but they can see you moving if you are wearing clothing that contrasts the background.

Use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET at a concentration of 7.5 percent to 100 percent.  Lower concentrations are sufficient for most outdoor protection, and a 15-percent concentration is recommended for children.  This is what's recommended by the website How Stuff Works.  Tarrant County Public Health recommends we use an insect repellant that contains up to 20% DEET.

Eliminate sources of standing water in your yard.

Stay inside at dusk and dawn.

The City of Grapevine suggests treating standing water that can't be drained, such as in creeks and bar ditches, with something called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.

Also, if you see a dead bird, you might want to call the Texas Department of Health Regional Zoonosis Control Office.  You can find phone numbers here for the regional office in your area.  Their website says their testing of birds is mainly restricted to crows, bluejays, and hawks.  Never handle a dead bird with your bare hands.  Dead birds can carry many more diseases other than just West Nile or SLEV.

Click here for more information from Tarrant County Public Health.

Click here to get the latest information from Tarrant County Public Health regarding numbers of people infected and ZIP codes where they live.  This page also lists the the location of mosquito pools and whether or not they tested positive for West Nile.

2012 Texas Olympians

Here's a list of all the 2012 Olympians from Texas.  We support Team USA here at Fort Worth Mama.  We're proud to say these great athletes call Texas their home state or their birth place or their current residence.

In alphabetical order:

Amy Acuff - Corpus Christi - Track & Field

Cammille Adams - Cypress - Swimming

Brigetta Barrett - Duncanville - Track & Field

David Boudia - Abilene - Diving

Dennis Bowsher - Dallas - Modern Pentathlon

Michelle Carter - Red Oak - Track & Field

Tamika Catchings - Duncanville - Basketball

Kerron Clement - La Porte - Track & Field 

Diamond Dixon - Houston - Track & Field

Tervel Dlagnev - Arlington - Wrestling

Troy Dumais - Austin - Diving

Glenn Eller - Houston - Shooting

Marlen Esparza - Pasadena - Boxing

James Feigen - San Antonio - Swimming 

Marquise Goodwin - Rowlett - Track & Field

Brendan Hansen - Austin - Swimming

Trey Hardee - Austin - Track & Field 

Kathleen Hersey - Austin - Swimming

Destinee Hooker - San Antonio - Volleyball

Jonathan Horton - Houston - Gymnastics

Liezel Huber - Cypress - Tennis

Courtney Hurley - San Antonio - Fencing 

Kelley Hurley - San Antonio - Fencing

Mary Killman - McKinney - Synchronized Swimming

Trell Kimmons - Round Rock - Track & Field

Bianca Knight - Austin - Track & Field

Micah Lawrence - Pflugerville - Swimming

Diana Lopez - Sugar Land - Taekwondo

Steven Lopez - Sugar Land - Taekwondo

Christina Loukas - The Woodlands - Diving

Leo Manzano - Flatonia - Track & Field

Paige McPherson - Abilene - Taekwondo

Aries Merritt - Bryan - Track & Field

Darvis Patton - Dallas - Track & Field

Jason Richardson - Cedar Hill - Track & Field

Sanya Richards-Ross - Austin - Track & Field

Khadevis Robinson - Fort Worth - Track & Field

Andy Roddick - Austin - Tennis

Mike Rodgers - Round Rock - Track & Field

Keith Sanderson - San Antonio - Shooting

Wallace Spearmon - Bryan - Track & Field

Errol Spence - Dallas - Boxing

Michael Tinsley - Round Rock - Track & Field

Dana Vollmer - Granbury - Swimming

Timothy Wang - Houston - Table Tennis

Jeremy Wariner - Arlington - Track & Field

Deron Williams - The Colony - Basketball

Jason Young - Dallas - Track & Field

By Event:

Basketball
Tamika Catchings - Duncanville - Basketball
Deron Williams - The Colony - Basketball

Boxing
Marlen Esparza - Pasadena - Boxing
Errol Spence - Dallas - Boxing

Diving
David Boudia - Abilene - Diving
Troy Dumais - Austin - Diving
Christina Loukas - The Woodlands - Diving

Fencing
Courtney Hurley - San Antonio - Fencing
Kelley Hurley - San Antonio - Fencing

Gymnastics
Jonathan Horton - Houston - Gymnastics 

Modern Pentathlon
Dennis Bowsher - Dallas - Modern Pentathlon 

Shooting
Glenn Eller - Houston - Shooting
Keith Sanderson - San Antonio - Shooting 

Swimming
Cammille Adams - Cypress - Swimming
James Feigen - San Antonio - Swimming
Brendan Hansen - Austin - Swimming
Kathleen Hersey - Austin - Swimming
Micah Lawrence - Pflugerville - Swimming
Dana Vollmer - Granbury - Swimming 

Synchronized Swimming
Mary Killman - McKinney - Synchronized Swimming

Table Tennis
Timothy Wang - Houston - Table Tennis 

Taekwondo
Diana Lopez - Sugar Land - Taekwondo
Steven Lopez - Sugar Land - Taekwondo
Paige McPherson - Abilene - Taekwondo 

Tennis
Liezel Huber - Cypress - Tennis
Andy Roddick - Austin - Tennis 

Track & Field
Amy Acuff - Corpus Christi - Track & Field
Brigetta Barrett - Duncanville - Track & Field
Michelle Carter - Red Oak - Track & Field
Kerron Clement - La Porte - Track & Field
Diamond Dixon - Houston - Track & Field
Marquise Goodwin - Rowlett - Track & Field
Trey Hardee - Austin - Track & Field
Trell Kimmons - Round Rock - Track & Field
Bianca Knight - Austin - Track & Field
Leo Manzano - Flatonia - Track & Field
Aries Merritt - Bryan - Track & Field
Darvis Patton - Dallas - Track & Field
Jason Richardson - Cedar Hill - Track & Field
Sanya Richards-Ross - Austin - Track & Field
Khadevis Robinson - Fort Worth - Track & Field
Mike Rodgers - Round Rock - Track & Field
Wallace Spearmon - Bryan - Track & Field
Michael Tinsley - Round Rock - Track & Field
Jeremy Wariner - Arlington - Track & Field
Jason Young - Dallas - Track & Field

Volleyball
Destinee Hooker - San Antonio - Volleyball

Wrestling
Tervel Dlagnev - Arlington - Wrestling

Go Team USA!!

Union Members Strike Against Lockheed

Yesterday marked the 8th week that union members have been on strike against Lockheed. It has been a struggle for everyone involved. If this strike has taught me anything, it's taught me how great my friends and family really are. It's also taught me what strong, moral values my husband has.  He has stood strong in his beliefs and has not wavered.  I'm proud to call him my husband. 

Happy Birthday, George!

Guess how old George Strait is today.  Just guess.  He's 60!  I hope I look half as good as he does when I'm 60.  Happy Birthday, George!

(Why does this make me feel, like, ancient?) 

Mom Accused Of Taking 5-year-Old Daughter In Tanning Booth

I...have...no...words!

Are you for real?  Like, really real?  Help us all.