Uh-Oh, Tulo

SAN FRANCISCO -- The happiness over the Rockies' all-hands-on-deck, 3-2 victory over the Giants on Tuesday night was tinged with concern that shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's upper left quadriceps strain -- the cause of much of the scrambling -- could be an ongoing issue.

Rockies head athletic trainer Keith Dugger said Tulowitzki will fly to Denver on Wednesday morning, and the club hopes to arrange an MRI for him by the afternoon. He's likely to be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

"He is in a lot of pain and discomfort, and a lot of spasm after the injury," said Dugger, who refused to speculate on how much action Tulowitzki will miss.

Tulowitzki limped off during the bottom of the first inning, leaving the Rockies to put catcher Chris Iannetta at third base for the first time as a pro and move third baseman Garrett Atkins to second base -- for the first time in his life. Clint Barmes moved from second to short.

The reason a catcher ended up in the infield was Jeff Baker, who was supposed to start at second with Barmes at short while Tulowitzki (batting .152) sat, suffered a broken blood vessel in his right middle finger while throwing a ball during workouts about a half-hour before the game. There also is no speculation on when he can return.

Add those to the Rockies' other injury situation that arose Tuesday. Right-handed relief pitcher Kip Wells, who has a history of circulation problems and once underwent surgery for a blocked artery, was sent to Denver on Tuesday morning for "diagnostic tests" on his right hand for what appears to be another circulation issue.

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle announced that infielder Omar Quintanilla has been called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs, and was making his way to San Francisco from Nashville, where the Sky Sox were playing Tuesday night.

Adding Quintanilla (.329, one homer, eight RBIs in 20 games at Colorado Springs) corresponds with the Rockies' decision to option left-handed starting pitcher Franklin Morales to Colorado Springs.

The club figures to call up a starting pitcher at some point and would need to replace Tulowitzki if he goes on the DL. The Rockies may also need to replace Baker if the swelling doesn't subside and he needs to be put on the DL as well.

Hmm .. I must be pregnant!

One of my co-workers just got done watering plants near my desk. As she grabbed one plant down from the high wall where it's hanging, some dirt dropped to the floor. It's still sitting there as she's gone around to water all the other plants before cleaning up any messes made along the way. I could walk over, pick up the dirt clump and throw in the trash. I mean that would be the responsible, or even nice, thing to do, right? Wrong. I am enjoying the smell of the dirt clump so much that I want to keep it there. Heck, maybe I should even go and grab it and bring it closer so the smell is stronger. Just kidding. At least I didn't take a bite, as some pregnant women do. I know I couldn't bring myself to that. But, the smell? Divine.

P.S. I know .. I'm crazy! But, I'm also four months pregnant!

Piecing it together

Over the weekend, we picked up a couple 25-piece puzzles for Brooklyn. Her pediatrician told us at her two-year-old checkup back in December that it would be terrific and a great way for her to advance in her skills if she were to learn how to put puzzles together.

We let her pick out the two puzzles that she wanted to get. She chose a Five Little Monkeys one and a Winnie the Pooh one. She was more than excited when we got home and opened the boxes the next morning after breakfast. We're sure that she just wasn't too sure what to expect, because when all the puzzle pieces fell out, she had a confused look on her face. With some explaining and guidance for what a puzzle is and how you go about getting one pieced together she started smiling and snapping the pieces in one at a time. Once the first one was done, she had to move onto the second one and that meant tearing the first one apart as fast as she could. She started getting the hang of how to do things a little better once we began the second puzzle, although she still wanted to stick the edge pieces in the middle.

She's learning though, and that's what matters. Some day she'll be able to put puzzles together without anyone's help. Maybe once that happens, we'll have to buy a 1,000-piece puzzle for the whole family to be involved with. It could be fun!

As I was finishing this post, my little prccious daughter walked in the room with a pair of my heels on. Isn't she just so cute!?!

What will you spend it on?

Some exciting news..

Starting in May, 116 million American families are getting economic stimulus package checks from the government. To receive a payment, taxpayers must have a valid social security number; $3,000 of income and file a 2007 federal tax return. Eligible people will receive up to $600 ($1,200 for married couples), and parents will receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17.

The economic stimulus payments will be issued according to the last two digits of the main filer's social security number. People who use direct deposit also will be among the first to receive the payments starting May 2. Paper checks will be put in the mail starting May 16.

Here's the schedule for when to expect yours to come:
DIRECT DEPOSIT (transmitted on date)
00 through 20, May 2
21 through 75, May 9
76 through 99, May 16

PAPER CHECK (mailed by the date)
00 through 09, May 16
10 through 18, May 23
19 through 25, May 30
26 through 38, June 6
39 through 51, June 13
52 through 63, June 20
64 through 75, June 27
76 through 87, July 4
88 through 99, July 11

One of the purposes of the stimulus checks? To strengthen the middle class, to create jobs and to turn this economy around, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California.

I've seen quite a lot of deals being made by businesses such as Best Buy, Sears, etc. to appeal to the consumer on how to spend this extra cash. I work for a newspaper in the advertising department, so we're reaching out to our clients to get them interested in running a similar ad saying come spend your stimulus check with us! It's all about spending the money as soon as you get it, huh? I guess that's the hope.

So, what are you going to do with your check? Save it? Or buy that plasma TV you've been dying to get?

Wanna go swimming??

In Zimbabwe, Africa, you will find the magnificent Victoria Falls at a height of 416 feet. The location is known as "The Devil's Swimming Pool." During the months of September and December, people can swim as close as possible to the edge of the falls without falling over! These falls are becoming well known amongst the 'radical tourist' industry as more and more people search for the ultimate experience.

Would you dare?

A Blast From the Past

As I was on a website searching for something work related, a web ad to the right of the information I was looking at caught my eye. It was for a local drugstore, but it was advertising their body spray line. I had to do a second take. I examined the bottles that were shown, and after a few minutes, I started to smile. This is what I was looking at.

Do any of you girls remember these? I used to love them and I can totally remember my mom buying them for me when I was younger. They are bottles of body spray that are mimicked after an actual perfume line, but for way less money. I wanted to reach through my computer screen and open the cap and sniff one. I bet it still smells the same.

Bring The Rain

I've been following a blog about a family of five with another little girl on the way for some time now. Their story is heart wrenching and they are experiencing a pain I cannot even fathom. But, through it all, they have turned toward the Lord and believe whole heartedly that His will has been done. They thank God for the 2 1/2 hours they got to spend with their precious newborn daughter before she went to heaven.

Today as I checked the blog, I found this letter that Angie, the mom, wrote to her daughter Audrey Caroline. Angie gives everything to the Lord. She truly believes that He has a purpose and reason for taking her newborn daughter to heaven, and she is at peace with that.

This whole story just makes me so very grateful for my precious, loving daughter, and it reminds me just what a miracle it is to bring a baby into the world. It's also is reminder to me to cherish every moment with my little ones in the flesh and in the womb.