Past Blast - I Loved Doing This

Photo Essay - Where We Are Now

Emma Louise

Evan and Catherine

Doug and Judy

Mindless insomniac searches...sometimes make me smile.

The Force is strong in Buford. Could be something in the cookies.

A Mother's Bedtime Story

Shall I tell a bedtime story?

Castles and roads of gold you have heard.

Feathers to fly, potions of magic, chattering animal friends, are yours.

When we met.

How you smiled.

The fears and joys of watching over you.

These are the tales you asked for.

They are the times we shared.

Stories are forever

For with each breath we

Create the new.

Bedtime stories to dream upon.

Memories that quicken the breath as

They are remembered and retold.

All these I give to you and more

For we are not finished.

Today I tell myself the story of us.

When you are the voice,

Mine shall be the chorus, the small

Harmony behind your bedtime tale

Told to your children

As they fall to slumber

Enveloped in an orchestra of voices

Singing generations of our lives.

Not The Game You Are Looking For.

I adore video games. No news there. What may be surprising is how picky I am about the games I play.

I follow current game news, read trend reports, apply for Alpha's, Beta's and consider myself well informed. The current trend towards browser based games is not new. The "new" part is porting these games to social platforms such as Facebook.

Be prepared for an onslaught of social media, browser games. Raph Koster's Metaplace was recently acquired by Playdom which in turn is now a part of Disney. The developers of these forms of games are very excited. They spout numbers in the billions for player bases. I am sure the numbers are high...minus one. I can't stand these games. They feel like a time warp back to my arcade days. These new games do not compare to the creative, visual, games of old. Perhaps if they were to port Earthworm Jim,(exception iPhone which I will never own..go Android) Starship Titanic or Myst I might hit the play button but I refuse to join anyone's Mafia or farm any ville. I am a game snob.

We have more time wasters. Free to play browser games. Being the Star Wars fan I am, I gave the Lucas Arts/Sony new Clone Wars 15 minutes then I spent 30 minutes making sure no trace of the game remained on my PC. The story is pretty much the same for Sony's Free Realms. *coughs* Ya get what you pay for eh?

I realize a great number of these games are geared towards a young, if not very, very young audience. A good thing for parents. Free. No begging for time cards or mile long lists of 60 buck a pop platform games. (That last statement may be a bit of wishful thinking for parents.)When my kids were just venturing into video games, the worlds were rich, the puzzles clever and the immersion a delight. As a trio, my daughter, son and I nibbled at Myst. (along with a few sequels) The world was lovely, art insanely beautiful. The storyline played like a novel and overall the experience was like candy for the imagination. Games such as Myst inspired creativity outside the game. Can we say the same for current trends? I can not say they inspire imagination IN the game let alone after you walk away.

I am on Facebook. I do "Hide" all posts from social games. I easily refuse all invitations to join teams or play within a social network. I offer the game developers a challenge...change my mind.

Orlando Bound

I am still a Star Wars fan and along with thousands of others, I am heading to Orlando, Florida for the Star Wars convention known as "Celebration V." Four days of total Geeky-ness. No costume for me. I can't sew well enough and haven't managed to follow through with Scout Trouper armor. Maybe I'll be properly attired for Celebration VI. Two years to plan...which at my age is a bit like a smile and a nod.

If anyone is attending the convention and 'ya see me, say Hi!

MTFBWY...Always.

Gotta Love Real(ity) T.V.

I just found this amusing. You would think extras would not be needed but eh...it is Reality T.V.

Extras Casting Atlanta

MTV's "Super Psycho Sweet 16" is seeking high school age extras on Wed July 7th, afternoon scene at Sprayberry High School in Marietta. This would be begin @ 1:30PM & last for a few hours. It's unpaid but tons of MTV & other stuff we are giving away all afternoon. If interested please email pic, age & contact info to: sweet16extras@gmail.com WE will get right back to you with a confirmation & all of the details.

We Run Re-Run...Again

Hornaday/Chaffee Trading Spouses episodes.

March 24, 2010.
CMT 4:00 PM

I still want to see myself speak another language. I wonder if they dub or just sub-title?

Real Gamers Have More Fun

I "met" Kathy Scanlon long ago in a town known as Blazing Falls. We were two of a band of online game junkies. We traveled together through pixel perfect worlds.

Outside of gaming, we posted on our forums. We cheered as members had children, laughed as we wrote of our real life escapades and became friends.

My avatar buddies knew when I became involved with the FOX "Trading Spouses" reality TV show. I kept them updated and we waited...and waited and waited. During that time Kathy appeared in a commentary for "Survivor." I believe I still have that on a VHS tape somewhere! (It could come in handy if we play another MMORPG and I am short on gold.) Kathy wanted to be on a reality TV show and when you want something that much, and you are Kathy, you get it.

Kathy will be on Animal Planet's "Underdog to Wonderdog," this Saturday at 9PM EST. The show replays so check the listings.

I am so happy for Kathy. I will be watching, smiling and thinking, "Kathy PWNS!!!"

Run! Rerun!

My "Trading Spouses" episodes will air tomorrow. Eh, always fun stuff. I think I will play video games while this is on....or maybe I will take a break from my 12 hour a day pc addiction and watch it!

CMT - Hornaday/Chaffee Part 1.
Wed., Sep. 9 4:00 PM ET/PT
A Star Wars gaming addict with two grown teenagers trades places with a Christian mom from Kentucky who has young triplets.

CMT - Hornaday/Chaffee Part 2.
Wed., Sep. 9 5:00 PM ET/PT
Judy accuses Mike of being a control freak who doesn't spend enough "down time" simply enjoying his young triplets; Shon takes Doug and his teenagers sailing to reconnect as a family; when the moms meet, Shon confronts Judy about her computer addiction; and Judy warns Shon that Mike needs to put his family first, not the house.

Locker Bling

Today begins Senior Week at my Son’s High School. It is a tacky celebration of banquets, ceremony, decoration and one up-manship competitions geared towards the graduation senior’s parents. Yes, parents, not students.


The “Letter” breakfast involves parents writing letters to graduation seniors. Not only to your senior but also to your child’s friends. I have received correspondences from parents requesting letters to their child. I didn’t write a single one. This event reminds me of the old school Valentines boxes. The child with the most cards wins. I didn’t like it then and today, as a parent, I dislike it more. This event we did not participate in. My Son said, “No.” Thank you Evan.


My yard needs mowing. What my yard does not need is a sign announcing my Son’s graduation. Yard signs and banners are appearing all around the community. Some are small like the ones that say, “Stay off the grass” and in smaller letters, “Pesticides applied.” By the time you get close enough to read the fine print you can smell the Raid. Over zealous parents go for the banners. They can be read from a low flying plane. The only sign I want in my yard is a small post it note that reads, “Evan, I will pay you to mow.”


Now for the one event I did participate in. Just shoot me now, it didn’t go well. Locker decoration should be an easy task. Grab a few photos, some tacky glitter, glue, tape and ta-da…done. With this event the parent must abide by the rules. That was the easy part. No offending photos. Before a parent can begin this task, they must go to the school after hours, pick up the decorating package. This includes a template (That was the nice part) and a permission ship to be filled out by the student. The permission slip gives the locker number, combination and is required by the school before the decoration can be applied. My Son did not know his locker number however he gave me vague directions on how to locate it. I didn’t foresee a problem. Have the school look up the number, decorate locker.


With spray mount still on my hands I was happy to be 30 minutes early for the turn in time. The school attendant requested my child’s name and the form. She then told me his locker number. I walked the hall for 45 minutes looking for the locker. The school insisted it was upstairs however the directions my Son had given were downstairs. One school employee advised me three times to find the locker and vacate the building as they were locking the school. She offered no assistance finding the locker. During my exploration of the halls, I saw a banquet of sorts occurring in the cafeteria. The diners were just beginning their meal. I had no plans on vacating the building until everyone did, including the cafeteria patrons.


The woman insisting I leave the building found me again. This time I asked her for help. She declined by repeating her vacate the building line. Another school “Helper” overheard and offered assistance. Finally! After 40 minutes I was out of halls to roam. We went back to the list. The locker listed was upstairs. Shaking my head and informing the lady the locker was not upstairs, I appeased her and entered the elevator. The “Officially listed” locker was easy to find. I entered the combination, knowing this was not my Son’s locker and it did not open. No surprise there. The lady tried the combination. It still would not open because….it was not the right locker. The “Official list” was wrong. Of course then I received a lecture on how the list was not wrong. My son must be sharing a locker or using someone else’s. He is not, but there is no way to convince any person employed by Gwinnett County schools that they are wrong. Over 14 years, with two children I have learned this. They never make mistakes. They are infallible. They are still wrong regardless of their staunch righteousness.


Defeated, I “Vacated” the building, rule abiding, decorated locker template in hand.


My backup plan was to have Evan text me his locker number on Monday, go back to the school and slap the friggin thing on the correct locker. Is anything really that easy?


Since school is in session, parents are required to sign in, show ID, fill out a badge, explain their visit and give a pint of blood before entering the school proper. Lets just say the office employee was as one minded as the “Vacate” woman. She insisted Evan’s locker was the one upstairs that the official record stated. I informed her the list was incorrect and wrote the correct locker number on the back of the template. She informed me parents were not allowed to place the decorations on the lockers during school hours and a student helper would place it for me. I was fine with that! The visit could have ended pleasantly there but this being a school employee, she was concerned about the “Official” list. It was her desire to have Evan come to the office and have the situation remedied. Evan was not in this school at the time. He splits his courses between two schools. I informed her, “There are only a few weeks left of school. Evan is graduating. I see no reason to fix anything.” Thoughts of Evan being forced to move to the upstairs locker for the final weeks flew through my thoughts. She wanted the locker situation corected. The last thing I wanted was for the school to fix the situation. I just wanted the decoration tossed up on the locker my son uses….please!


Hopefully when Evan arrives at school in the morning, his locker will have the gaudy decorations applied. Hopefully, the school will not attempt to fix that which is not broken. Hopefully, the school will send me the allotted four tickets for the graduation ceremony. I am already planning how to skirt any problems if the tickets do not arrive. When it comes to attending the ceremony, I will not be defeated.

Reality TV Tidbit - Letters

There are times email is a wonderful invention. It allows strangers to reach out and correspond easily. The majority of emails I receive on my Trading Spouses experience are a joy. The few that are nasty...well, they are expressing an opinion as well, they just land in the delete file without a reply. So, thank you for the thoughts. I am posting a few (names changed) just for fun.

I encourage all to write on anything to anyone. You could easily make a bad day good for the recipient or de-stress yourself by putting it to paper, so to speak.

I'm sure you must be sick of the entire trading spouses affair by now, but I feel the need to confess. A few months ago I got the flu and got sucked into watching reality shows. I have always abhorred reality shows b/c it's pretty obvious they wouldn't air actual reality on tv. Real reality would probably be rather dull. But I couldn't help but love feeling like I was peeking through the window of someone's life, even if the view was wildly distorted. My hubby got called out to work at last minute so tonight it was just me and the dvr and your episode of trading spouses was on. I'm normally too ADD to sit in front of the tv for the entire two episodes. I know that wasn't the "real" personalities, but you knocked my socks off. The amount of fun you had with the Caffee kids and your patience level, just the ability to have three 7 year olds around and not go insane was great. I have one 7 year old and she drives me up the wall pretty often...course ours is a tad less disciplined than the Caffee kiddos. Anyway, just wanted to compliment you on the way you handled yourself. That must be a really high stress situation, and kudos to you for your ability to handle it. Your kids were adorable, btw.

The kids were great! I was a sub for primary school so multiples didn't scare me. I wish I was able to keep in touch with the kids however, Mike and Shon decided otherwise. Perhaps when they are older (or sneaky) they will remember the nutty Star Wars Mom and drop a line.

Hey Judy,
Stumbled upon your blog after watching the infamous trading spouses with my boyfriend. We actually saw it a few weeks ago, but after thinking about Star Wars after the fact that it has been on TV a lot lately, I figured I would just do a little bit of searching. Anyways, reading your blog I thought I might put in my two cents. First, you were the first episode of the show that we watched for the full two hours, and secondly we could totally relate to you. Wish my parents could be as cool as you sometimes, my mom just discovered what an E-mail forward is. My dad is a Star Wars nut, but you would never catch him at a conference. My boyfriend loves Star Wars, so he thought you were the bees knees. I don't agree with reality TV in the least bit, but out of all of the families that swapped yours felt the most real. I am from Boulder, and am embarrassed that the woman who came from my town was so asinine. Sheesh. Hehe, I know it is all a play up for TV but your true colors showed through. I know your kids are proud you are their mother, and they are wonderful. You have a great family, and I love your house. I kept telling my boyfriend: AH THAT'S LIKE MY DREAM HOUSE. haha.

Well hope this email wasn't weird for you, if anything I hope it was a compliment! Just thought I would let you know that doing trading spouses for fun really paid off for you. We related, and we wish you well in your life. Keep on gaming! Also, I dig the fact that you do art. That's pretty cool. I started out as an art major but have since switched to Journalism.


My kids friends are always amazed that I play video games. Then they get my long winded speech on Pong, the generation that created the genre (Mine) and my career as a computer aided design/drafter. Computers have always been in my life either as a form of play or work. I love watching the gaming genre evolve. It is astonishing how far it has come in so short a time.

Happy Holidays

Hug everyone.
(A holiday card I created a few years ago)

Evan's Audio Project

Evan is taking an Audio Tech class at Grayson High. Gwinnett County offers seniors the opportunity to take classes not offered by their local High School. Great program and Evan adores this class. The Video and Audio classes worked together on this project. Costumes were mandatory hence the silly wigs and such. My guy is in the creepy old man mask. Evan is quite proud of the score. They create the music on a digital keyboard. Not too bad considering his music background is violin and (currently) guitar.

Election 2008

Finally! The end of the most obnoxious campaigns I have ever experienced. Second to that will be the decision for our President elect.

Maybe in a few weeks I will be able to stomach turning on the TV. Maybe.

A Look Back - Trading Spouses 2006

Country Music Television is currently airing "Trading Spouses." CMT cycles the shows beginning with the first season, ending with the last and starting all over again. This means my episodes air every few weeks.

When my episodes of "Trading Spouses" first aired on the FOX network, I was under contract. Many thoughts on the show, truths and debunks were not allowed. That time has now expired. I am free to expose and ramble on my experience.

There are many little things about the show and it's publicity that still bother me. Perhaps I will take the time to address a few in future posts. For now, I am taking a leap back to 2006 and re-posting my thoughts at the time of my "Trading Spouses" first airing. Without giving any secrets away,(and breaching any hush contracts) this entry remains true to my thoughts.


re·al·i·ty ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r - l -t )

n. pl. re·al·i·ties The quality or state of being actual or true. One, such as a person, an entity, or an event, that is actual: “the weight of history and political realities” (Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.). The totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence. That which exists objectively and in fact: Your observations do not seem to be about reality.


I have been exposed to a few alternate realities. They come with pretty descriptions such as virtual, alternate and true.

Reality is fact, or so says the definition. Fact differs from one observer to another. I see a lavender sunset, my companion see a purple sunset. Perhaps we are looking at exactly the same beam of light as it spears a cloud but chances are we are not. Even if we view exactly the same beam, exactly the same cloud, our minds process the information differently. We form opinions and define our own truths.

Very few things are absolute. In my reality, popcorn is my favorite food. My best friend, having watched me consume copious quantities of dark chocolate, thinks otherwise. Nonetheless, popcorn is my favorite food. Fact, reality and yet questioned through the eyes of another.

Yes some things are undisputable. These truths tend to be simple in their basic form. The Earth revolves. Humans breathe. A tree grows from a seed. But what if? The Earth ceases to turn, a human dies, and the seed never sprouts.

Reality is one moment in time. A single snapshot that the photographer captures. From that point on, reality is open for debate. In the mind of the photographer, that one captured moment may always retain its hold on reality. The photographer shows the snapshot to another, and the viewer defines his own reality. Chances are….it is not the same as the photographers.

Be cautious as you define another’s reality. We as humans are gifted with imagination. We can take one thought and create an entire world around it. Imagination is wondrous and dangerous. In the minds of those that seek to define another’s reality, tales are spun and truths are often re-defined. These tales can be entertaining, upsetting and are able to cause harm or elicit reactions (Both positive and negative) beyond the original dreamers intentions.

And…popcorn is my favorite food.

Searching for a Traded Spouse?

If you scroll to the very bottom of this page you will see a small icon. Many sites have this. Most viewers never bother to look or just don’t care. The icon in question is for Sitemeter.



In my case, this is a free statistic utility where I can see where visitors are coming from, how long they stayed, how they arrived at HeyJudyArts and a few other details. There is no super secret information, just fun facts.

I check the stats every once and awhile to get an idea where “Trading Spouses” has aired. When browsing over the list today, I see Germany, Canada, Chili, Poland, Australia, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Very neat. I wonder if any of the countries dub voices. That would be like a double edit. No telling what liberties could be taken. It would be amusing to see myself speak another language.

Aside from location, I can view what was entered into a search engine. Some are quite creative and the surfer often lands in the wrong place.

Spouse Trade - Eep! Chances are these people are at the wrong place. There might be sites out there for this activity but I haven't actually looked.

White carpet stains – I did a piece titled “White Carpet.” It had nothing to do with cleaning. Personally, I liked my rendition.

WoW Trading Spouses – World of Warcraft, a very popular online game and one I have never played nor do I ever plan on playing. Simple, dumbed down Orcs vs Cows? No thanks.

Trading Spouses money – Yes, money is involved! 50k worth. Before taxes, after show and no, nothing is left over. If you are really thinking of doing a reality TV show, money better be at the bottom of the list as a reason.

Trading Spouses Role Play Game – RPG for those that do however, the show is close to a role playing game considering the reality of it.

How to get on reality TV – That one makes sense and landing at my site could be of help.

Bedtime Story – I imagine reading my site could cause drowsiness.



Bottom line, (and icon at the bottom of the page) makes for interesting reading. Thanks Ya’ll!

The Sims: Suburban Rhapsody

An old article on Life imitating games...and a few reasons it is good.

read more | digg story

Mama Mia! That's No Dark Knight!

I did not plan on seeing “Mama Mia!” Given I am not an ABBA fan, the movie was not on my list. Even thinking on ABBA gives me visions of a cross between the Bee Gee’s (Also not on my greatest hits list) and a few final strands of love beads. In my mind, not a good combination.

At the box office, I attempted to purchase a ticket to “Dark Knight.” I must have looked at the wrong theater for times because it was not playing for another hour. With outside temperatures nearing 100 and a great desire to feed my popcorn addiction, I ended up with a stub for Mama Mia! The only movie just past the preview, commercial and silence your phone stage.

Large, no butter popcorn and water in hand, I expected to have the theater to myself on this late, hot afternoon. I did indeed have my choice of seats but there was a nice gathering of people. I did wonder “Why?” I mean…ABBA?

The opening scene and the lovely voice of Amanda Seyfried (singing a song I thankfully did not know to be ABBA) was encouraging. It only got better.

Greece has and continues to, top my list of places to visit. The light, water, colors and architecture all appeal to my California roots. Every scene in Mamma Mia! Makes my desire to travel to Greece more intense. I envy the people that created this movie. I would be happy to sleep on a bench to wake in such a beautiful country.

Mamma Mia! Is (with one exception) a happy movie. Meryl Streep, in her role as a single Mom raising her Daughter on a remote Greek island, is both fanciful and believable. The island Meryl is radiant and…she can sing.

I really dreaded hearing the ABBA songs I did know. How could “Dancing Queen” be anything other than disco lights and a roller rink? SOS? My plans were to head for the power room on that song. So maybe all the well-known songs were not 100% palatable, (Even in the light of a Greek sun) but I did enjoy “Dancing Queen” among others.

One scene, one song I had never heard made this movie great. “Slipping through my fingers,” had me lost in thoughts of my own Daughter. I tried not to allow a scene and song overwhelm me, but I failed. For all Mom’s that see this film, take a tissue and few deep breaths. When the song is over, realize as Mothers (In our own eyes) we will never achieve perfection. Then look to your children and know it doesn’t matter. There will never be time for everything and it is best to rejoice for the time together. I can’t go back and build the fancy tree house. My Daughter will tell you, the planning, dreaming, scheming and smiles were better. Right Emma?

Slipping Through My Fingers

Sleep in our eyes
Her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake
I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone
There's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt
I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
Well some of that we did
But most we didn't
And why I just don't know

Meet Peko

Peko is my 4 month old West Highland Terrier. Adorable, cute, sweet, soft little love. She's been mine since she was 10 weeks old. Her name is from Star Wars after a bird of Naboo, the Peko-Peko. I do love my critters!