We got a letter in the mail the other day letting us know our Delta miles were about to expire. Uh oh! What to do with 11,111 points? What would that actually buy us? A pack of peanuts? An extra blanket? Maybe a drink on the house really paid by us?

Well, wouldn’t you know it, Delta’s southern hospitality was in full force because they had suggestions waiting for us on how to “spend” those points.

Magazines!

Now, why did it take us receiving this letter to realize we needed 11,111 points-worth of magazines? Du and I stared at the list. Not a one on there that we would have chosen ourselves to subscribe to. But heck, when they’re “free” why not? They all started looking like good subscription ideas.

We started through the list:
Allure: I could use some allure in my life. That’s a maybe. ↔
Business Weekly: Um, not anymore. ↓
Cigar Aficionado: Well, maybe when we lived in Germany, but not now. ↓
Condé Nast Traveler: Didn’t want to cry each month. ↓
Elegant Bride: Maybe 13 years ago. ↓
Entertainment Weekly: Finally, a yes! Sure we don’t watch tv any more. But who cares when it’s a free magazine! Now I won’t feel so out of touch when someone references “Lipstick Jungle” or “Gossip Girl” or “Fidy Cent”. What are those anyway? Now I’ll know. ↑
Out or The Advocate: Yeah, I could just see the ladies that do lunch coming over and finding that… ↓
People in Español: No gracias. ↓
Windows IT Pro: I know just enough HTML and CSS to make me dangerous. Why ruin a good thing? ↓
Wired: I wish. Maybe I should do this one. ↓

This is just a sampling of what we were having to choose from. Winners, I know. Here are the ones we chose:

Entertainment Weekly: My famous fix.
Harper’s Bazaar: a 2-year subscription. I’ll be on the high end of fashion for exactly 24 months.
Self: And I’ll be fit.
The Atlantic Monthly: Can you tell this one’s for Du?
The Economist: Snore…zzzz…
Lucky: Wha? Me? Subscribing to Lucky? Oh yes, this is my comedy fix for a year. Read here if you’re confused.

AND LAST…BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

Garden & Gun!! Yeh betcha! Yup, we’re gettin’ a subscripshun to a magazine that features gardens.and.guns. I absolutely cannot wait. Did you even know there was a magazine out there like this!?!? This is for the true redneck and his missus. Actually, the tag line says “21st Century Southern America” and that fits me to a T. Even the gun part…

So, for the price of 11,111 airline points we’ll be getting the amount of paper that it took about 100 trees to produce. I promise I’ll try my darned hardest to recycle these. And blog the crap out of what Lucky is going to try to convince me is the next big fashion trend…

Dear Costco,

I’m writing to inform you of my new found devotion to you. Where have you been all my life? I mean, I know that you’ve been around, I’ve seen you around town, but why has it taken this long for you to introduce yourself to me?

From the moment I entered your presence I knew I was going to fall in love. I mean, who can resist floor to ceiling merchandise? At discounted prices even!?! You’ve got aisle after aisle of things I never knew I needed in bulk, until now. Like toilet paper. I’ve got enough to last me a whole year, or through one good weekend of pranks (but you don’t need to know that). And Vienna Sausages. My Ashlyn can now have her processed meat stick fix anytime she wants, and even more than once a day. I don’t have to ration any more! Thank you. I never knew I could buy that many batteries at one time. I’m not convinced that they won’t run out of juice before I use them all, but I trust you Costco. You wouldn’t let me down.

And those aisles each come with their own taste tester. I love you. They don’t even mind that I just grab a cup and keep wheeling by. I don’t really need to know how much they cost, just throw one in my buggy as I’m passing. And how none of the aisles are complete toy aisles. Yes, you give the kids a little bit to drool over. You’re smart like that. You know that if you didn’t provide at least one LeapPad or giant Halloween spider the kids would go ballistic while I was trying to taste test shop. You know me. You get me.

Costco, I can’t wait to try your grocery section. I’m in awe of how much garlic I can buy in one jar. Or strawberries. Or cheese. You have visions of cooking grandeur for me don’t you? I’ll try to live up to your expectations. And Costco, I promise that I’m going to sign up for your credit card soon. Why would I even question that it’s the only one you accept? That makes sense when you’re trying to create Costco groupies. I will have your name on everything in my wallet soon. I’m going to need that card when I decide to buy twelve tires or a whole new floor and counter tops for the house. And the car. And a trip to Jamaica. And my life insurance. What don’t you sell? You’re so entrepreneurial.

I must mention how I love eating dinner in your cafeteria after an hour or two of shopping. A girl gets hungry trying to do consumer math in her head. I mean, a foot-long hot dog and a huge Coke (so appropriate) for less than two dollars?!?! How do you do it? I don’t even care that I have to hold Ashlyn in my lap because you don’t have any high chairs. I know you don’t want to waste money on frivilous stuff.

And you’re so smart to close down at 6pm. I need to get home with enough time left in the day to unpack the UHaul truck and rearrange the house to find new hiding places for all of my bulk items. Thank you for thinking of me.

I must end this letter, Costco. It’s late and I must drift off to sleep. I’ll be dreaming of pushing that huge cart (with no less than two places for kids’ legs at the top) through all of those amazingly tall aisles, sampling all your latest goodies and piling in the toothpaste waist high.

You have my heart,

I’m coming across several social situations where I think I might need some outside guidance. Here’s one for you…

Situation: The people across the street from us like to park one of their vehicles on the road. Right behind our driveway. It’s a fairly narrow road. I drive a honkin’ SUV. My driveway is narrow as well so there is no room for me to begin the swinging around process in the driveway. I must wait to turn the tires until I get backed out into the street. Well, if I wait until I’m far enough into the street…you can guess what could happen. Thousands of dollars in car repairs.

There is plenty more road where the neighbors could park. Hey, there’s even their driveway. Novel idea to some, so maybe it’s not that obvious to them. If they could just not park their vehicle in that ten feet of space all would be well.

The plot thickens: They brought us food one night. Should we go over there and say something like: “hey! Thanks for the food! Could you quit parking your car there? Yeah, I know we just moved in, but you see, the way you do it is not logical and beneficial for everyone involved.” Hmmmm.

International Crisis: They’ve been living here longer than we have. They’re not native English speakers and they’re of a nationality that’s been getting bad press for the past seven years. If we just go over there and ask them to stop parking their car in that spot it could be perceived as racially insensitivity, right? Or am I being too sensitive? Do we need to strike up a couple of meaningless, how’s the weather, conversations with them first before we ask them to rework their life around our truck? I’m not opposed to becoming friends with them, but my luck will run out before we become friends.

Denouement: That’s up to you. Help us figure out what to do.

Thanks!

I’m easy. To please that is.

Let me explain that. I’m all for dates both expensive and cheap. I’m just as comfortable dressing up in a gown, eating steak and lobster, and hobnobbing with the rich and famous (those who think they are) as I am dressing in jeans and going people watching at the mall while eating Krystals. Both types are fabulous fun for me. I’m so blessed that I get to do both, though neither not near as often as I’d like.

That being said, we’re not made of money and so most of our date nights have to be on the frugal side. Here are some ways I think a cheap date could actually be a good thing:

FRIDAY 13: 13 Cheap Dates

1. The bookstore. This is my favorite cheap date right now. We go, get coffee and chai and browse the books for as long as we possibly can. Then we browse the magazines. Then we browse the sale aisles. We reluctantly leave either when I’m frozen (see this post) or it’s time to head back home.
2. People watching. We haven’t done this in a while, well, because for two years we didn’t have a place to go people watch. We’re living withing ten minutes of at least three different shopping centers now so I plan on doing lots of it. It’s fun to make up stories about people or, heaven forbid, try to eavesdrop. It brings you closer together when you’re planning out others futures.
3. Walk in the park. Our best walk in the park was in Vienna, Austria. It was just dusk and there were several couples walking hand in hand enjoying the crisp, cool air. We were admiring the golden busts and statues poised along the walkways. All of the sudden, out of the bushes, comes a man in a loose coat, hands in his pockets. NO, get your minds out of the gutter. As we were walking by he quietly whispers, “hashish?” and let us just continue walking. At first we had to check with each other to make sure we heard correctly. Firstly, because we were used to trying to “hear” things in German and we were confirming that “hashish” did indeed mean the same thing in any language. Secondly, because…wha!?! Who does that?!? We’d never been propositioned before. To this day that one word sends our minds back and reminiscing about our trip to Vienna.
4. Star gazing. If you can afford a telescope it’s even better. This can only happen if it’s warm outside. I ain’t sitting out under the stars shaking and just wishing I was back indoors. We went star gazing at White Sands, NM once. It was amazing to lay on a dune of the finest sand in the world, gaze up at the most stars we’d ever seen before (and probably never will see again) and even see satellites orbit the earth. My mind really begins to ponder big things when I star gaze. I always leave with an awakened awe of God.
5. Adult “toy” stores. Get ‘em outta the gutter people. I ain’t goin’ there on this blog. Adults like to play as much as kids do. Our toys are just bigger and more expensive. It’s fun to go in stores like The Sharper Image, Hammacher Schlemmammammaccherrr, Bath & Body Works…and just browse. It’s kind of freeing knowing you’re just there to play so you’re not obligated to pull out the wallet. Get a free massage in one of their multi-million dollar full-body massage chairs. Try out every single lotion in the store and leave smelling like that million bucks.
6. Volunteer. This is something I’d like to do more of, and now that we’re settled I can start looking around for places to volunteer. Many volunteer opportunities aren’t conducive to having kids around. Going with your spouse to help others can be one of the most fulfilling dates you go on.
7. Go on walks in those neighborhoods. You know, the neighborhoods you’ll never be able to afford to live in, but isn’t it loads of fun to mentally create your dream house? We did this throughout our “four year honeymoon” in Germany. Whew! Our “retirement home” had all the trappings of a medieval castle, complete with turrets and a moat. And a hall of mirrors. And a grotto. We were living high on the hog…in our minds at least.
8. Ice Cream. There’s something about getting a scoop in a cone (a cup for me) that makes you feel younger. Maybe even like a kid again. Talking about life while eating ice cream makes everything a little bit lighter. You think of new ways to tackle old problems while eating that frozen goodness.
9. High School football games. Or college if you’re close to a town that has a smaller school. These games are fun to go to because you get the thrill of competition (albeit on a smaller scale) on the cheap. Take your stadium seats and blankets. Get a little stadium food. A watered down Coke. Be amazed at how much high school kids have changed since you were in school. Be thankful you didn’t act like that. And ladies, if you don’t know much about football, these games are easier for your hubby to explain the ins and outs (yes, high school, college and pro rules are different but the basic premise is still the same).
10. Community events. Many towns, larger ones especially seem to go out of their way to always have something going on. Jazz nights downtown; free nights at the museum; festivals at the river walk; free days at the zoo. Get in touch with your Chamber of Commerce or Visitor’s Bureau to see what’s on the calendar in your area.
11. Geocaching or letterboxing. I’ve mentioned these before. With geocaching you do have make the initial investment of a GPS Receiver, but those are fairly cheap now days. With letterboxing all you need to buy is a stamp (with ink, not postage) and a note pad. Enjoy the thrill of mystery solving together while getting out in nature and enjoying your surroundings. We love doing both of these even if it is for different personal reasons. Du likes to get out in nature and enjoy the day. It’s the thrill of the hunt for me and the more we find in a day the better. We’re still together though.
12. Dinner and a movie in. If you’ve got someone who can take your kids away from the house it’s fun just to stay at home and hang out there. Set rules though. No bills, no computer (what?!), no phones. Just you, your spouse, your favorite drink and a good movie. If you’re lucky enough your kids will be spending the night somewhere else.
13. Miniature golf. Putt Putt! This is fun to do even if it’s just to make a total fool of yourself. I don’t play to win at mini golf, I play to see how many strokes I can actually take. Well, it’s not that bad, but I’m there to have fun. This also takes you back to younger freer times. If you don’t feel younger after a game of Putt Putt then I’m not sure anything would help.

 In 1996. Married for a couple of months.

 
Jan 2006. 10 Years of Cheap Dates.

*********************************

How about you? Are you a cheap date? What are your favorite (cheap) ways to go out with your honey?

I knew it wouldn’t take long for this segment to go to the dogs. But, thankfully, I’m pulling out the flea bombs and after this week we’ll be parasite free and ready to roll.

Here’s what you do:

1. Look at photo below.
2. Comment on photo below (with a story or caption about what’s going on).
3. I read comments on photo below.
4. I laugh so hard coke comes out my nose. The drink, people, I don’t do drugs. You get the idea.
5. You once again make my Thursday. All because of the photo below. Simple really.

This was taken with my old cell phone so the pics pretty small. That’s a dog. In a car. Behind the steering wheel.

***************************************

As for last week’s gem (go ahead, click. It will open up a new tab or window) let me explain…My mother is one awesome gift giver. We went to visit her and my brother and sister-in-law recently. In July. Mom couldn’t wait until December to give us our Christmas gifts so we had Christmas in July. A Wii and Guitar Hero. She rocks. Actually I rock as evidenced by the picture I posted. We were having a friendly family feud and I’m always game for making myself look like a total freak. Really, that’s all there is to it. I’m a closet rocker and like to let it out every now and then. I’ll have to find that one picture of me in my wedding dress…

Thanks for playing!

We’re in the process of cleaning out all of our computers and backing up the info on external hard drives. So what, you ask? I just found some old information that made me laugh. I have mentioned that I’m no where near as anal and organized as I used to be.

During the good ole days of list making and making lists of the lists and then cross referencing those lists on a whole schematic I would spend hours if not days perfecting those dear lists. Those of you who are list makers yourselves understand.

And I give you one example of how crazy I was. Here is a screen shot of part of a three page document listing 22 stores and every single piece of information I could find about them. This was for my shopping trip to New York in 2005.

***********************************************************

Notice:

• They are in alpha-numeric order
• I’ve got everything listed including hours of operation; address(es); metro directions
• The metros are color coordinated
• I’ve got the sales tax listed at the top of each page
• I’ve annotated what the store is if it wasn’t well known to me

Anal Retentive? Uh, just a little.

Now, here’s an example of my new way of list making: The plans for our Florida trip:

I jest, but it’s not as far from the truth as the old me shutters to realize.

I’m thinking I may need to go back to the old way of doing things if I want to feel in control of my life. Either that or start relying on God to show me where I’m disorganized and show me how to rearrange some things in my life. Hmmm….

I’m free. For a couple hours. Du is the best father in the world because he has the girls on a Daddy/Daughter date. He likes doing those. Weekly. And now that we’re settled in after the move he can start doing those again.

I have designated Tuesday nights as scrapbooking night. Each Tuesday night I’m going to take a couple of hours to get my pics into an album. Once a month I’ll do it with the ladies in the neighborhood at the club house. Tonight I didn’t feel like going though. It’s been raining all day, which I’m actually happy about. The rain has given me a headache though. I wasn’t feeling very social, and I hadn’t gotten anything together. So I decided to head out to the nearest wifi hotspot and work on my Picaboo digital album.

This leads me to where I am now. I first tried a Panera Bread. Couldn’t even find a parking space. Headed back closer to home remembering that there’s a Books A Million I could try. Wait, is that another Panera I see? I actually got into this restaurant and the oneoutlet that is accessible to patrons was being used. And a bunch of teenage girls had just come in to eat, I guess. What do teenage girls like about Panera? I pulled into the BAM parking lot and reminded myself that there’s always Chick Fil-A, which wouldn’t be any less crowded than the first Panera I tried. We truly are a nation that would rather eat out than eat at home (too expensive for us though). Thankfully there was an outlet with my name on it and a quiet corner just for me at BAM.

So here I sit and I haven’t started scrapbooking yet. I did want to let you know some things I’ve observed so far:

• gum that comes in a plastic case you can attach to your key chain. How cool is that. I want one.
• sunflower seeds…covered in candy coated chocolate. Where have you been all my life?
• a woman speaking on the cell phone in an accent I can only place as French with strong Eastern European tendencies. Couldn’t figure out what she was saying.
• a kid begging his dad to buy him a toy every day of the week. Apparently this dad only gets to see his kid a couple of days a week. I laugh knowing that what is first and foremost important to the kid is possessions…and feel sorry for the dad. But I know that kid will come to realize how much his father did for him when he was little. Then he’ll feel bad for bugging his dad about the toys he didn’t have and be grateful for the ones Daddy did buy him. And from what Daddy says, he buys the kid something each weekend. Too much in my opinion, but when you’re divorced you gotta go to extremes sometimes. 

Off to scrapbook. I promise.

You may recall that one of the six weird, random and unspectacular things about me was that I auditioned to be in a video.  I didn’t finish the story because it was getting too long for that list and I didn’t want blood on my hands. I only got one comment about any of the six things (and thanks, Kelly, for wondering about navels), so I was right, they truly were unspectacular. Since absolutely none of you commented about the audition story I’m going to finish telling it to you anyway. That’s how much of a weird and unspectacular friend I am. Deep down you know you’re wondering how video auditions go.

To recap: I was buying a tape (I don’t even think it was a CD) of Deadeye Dick sometime in 93 or 94. The guy behind me asked why I was buying it. “I like the music” was my response (duh!). “Well, I’m their manager and we’re holding auditions for their video. You should come by.” He told me I had the “all-American” look they were going for. He told me the time and place of the audition and to just show up. I can’t remember if the audition was actually that day or what. This part of the story probably did take place on a Friday or Saturday so the audition was probably sometime that weekend. I love how my brain just doesn’t work.

You all thought he was just hitting on me didn’t you? I showed up at the audition, not alone. It was being talked about on 99X so I knew it was legit, but I wasn’t about to go alone. I just remember waiting in a long line on a hot day with other girls ranging in age from teen all the way up to the geriatric set way too old to be in a song about a “New Age Girl”. And why he thought an all-American look would work well as a “new age” girl I’ll never know. Some girls were dressed how they thought a new age girl would look like in a video. I did not fit in.

Quite a few of the girls were carrying portfolios. Me? I was carrying maybe a purse. No head shots. No pictures of me proving that I was worthy of being in a video. So unprofessional. I was in the big leagues (for a Deadeye Dick video, right) and I was showing up without my bat.

 It was finally my turn. Several other ladies and I were taken to this dimly lit room where we lined up in front of three judges. I’m not kidding. They were sitting behind a table with Coke cups. Ok, I am kidding about that. The girls with portfolios quickly handed them to the judges. We were lined up under the only lights in the room. One by one they called each of our names. When a name was called the girl was to step forward, turn around and step back. Here is where quick thinking and ingenuity would have come in handy. I have neither.

I was probably the third girl to be called. Wasn’t the first, but wasn’t one of the later ones who could play off what a previous girl had done. My name was called. I stepped forward. Turned on cue. Stepped back. One of the next who was called stepped forward, did a cute little turn and some other business that made her stand out from the crowd, and then stepped back. “Dang!” I thought to myself, “why didn’t I do something like that?” Well, Vicki, you’re a rule follower and rarely think outside the box. That’s why.

We were told that we would get a call if we were the chosen girl. The manager, not being very smart (but I think we’ve already established that) had given me his number at the record store. Why? Not quite sure. Maybe he was trying to prove who he was. Maybe he was hitting on me, but I was too naive to catch on. I ended up calling him stalker-like for the next day or two as I sat impatiently on my couch waiting for the phone to actually ring. It never rang.

 And thank God it didn’t because look at what they did:

Hey everyone, I’m being featured today at MomDot! It’s a great site that features different bloggers and boutiques. They are using the whole month of August as their grand opening by highlighting bloggers and giving away 1000s of dollars worth of prizes. Yes, I meant to write that many zeros. In fact it’s more like somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.

So head over there (click the picture below), read my interview and give me some luvin!

Me on MomDot!

I’ve been raking in the awards lately. It’s high time I start passing them along. And apparently Jaci thinks I’m too busy to post a meme.

I have y’all so totally fooled. I’m not busy homeschooling or cleaning or playing with a toddler or running a business (wait, I’m really not running a business anymore…I’m in the R&D phase of the business.) Really, all I do is sit around all day and pet my cats while watching soaps. And eating junk food. I have all the time in the world to tell y’all 6 weird things about me and give away blog awards. In fact, I threatened Jaci, and in effect, my whole readership with turning it into a Friday 13 where I tell everyone 13 weird facts about me. I reconsidered though as all I could imagine was a bunch of you drinking Windex to stop the madness.

6 Random, Weird and Unspectacular Things About Me:

1. I’d rather be hot than cold. See previous post.
2. My belly button is now a half innie/half outie after the birth of my second child. TMI? Sorry. My kids grew like basket balls inside my tummy. WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURE AHEAD:                                                                                                          I know, gross right? 6 days before Ashlyn arrived. That left little room for my poor innie. I guess she stretched my skin too far; and it had less elasticity. My stomach now looks weird with a half and half.
3. I can still put my legs behind my head. One at a time. I used to be able to leave them up there, now they must be held up. Once again, was that TMI?
4. My husband thinks that it’s weird that I graze all day instead of eating three solid meals. What can I say? I love to eat. I’ve already mentioned that I consider eating a sport. Let’s just say I’m not a sprint eater. I’m a cross country eater. Actually, what he thinks is weird is that it’s not the healthiest food. Please, how can that be weird?
5. I prefer pizza cold. Straight out of the fridge from the night before. Don’t hate.
6. I auditioned for a music video. I was attending Agnes Scott College at the time (and maybe one day I’ll post about my former feminist and somewhat liberal self. It is a woman’s college after all). I was in a record store somewhere in Atlanta buying the Deadeye Dick album. The year was late 1993 or early 1994. As I was checking out, the guy behind me asked me why I was buying the album. “I like the music” was my response (duh!). “Well, I’m their manager and we’re holding auditions for their video. You should come by.” This story is getting way too long. I’m saving the rest for another post.

Now, to award the awards!

Let me just tell you right now I feel a little like Michael Scott handing out the Dundies. Please laugh at my jokes, if I tell any. Please applaud for all recipients. Please, no making fun of me or feeling sorry for me. Oh, and I don’t care if you’ve received these awards before, or if you hate getting awards. Just accept them will ya?

The first award of the day is the  Excellent Award. I have to pass this onto ten other blogs. Holy cow. I’m just going to spit ‘em out all at once, in alphabetical order. If you choose to accept this award please stab yourself with a pencil, in the eye, while you too think of ten blogs to pass it along to. Congrats!

1. Dancing With My Father We’ve decided we’re kindred spirits.
2. Inspirations From Cheese In A Can My kind of humor. I love it.
3. It’s Just A Moment, This Time Will Pass The first blog I ever read. And a fellow ASC grad.
4. Lifting Up Serenity Serenity’s parents are blogging her and their experience with childhood leukemia.
5. Politics 4 Moms Informative info re: all the candidates. Written by a mom for moms.
6. Ravings of a Mad Housewife More of my kind of humor. I love finding blogs that get me.
7. Root & Sprout Awesome e-zine that published an article written by me
8. Snapshots Of My Life AMAZING photography skillz in Tori. You must look for yourselves.
9. Stretch Marks Melissa Lee makes me spit coke out my nose. Well, it hasn’t happened yet, but it will one day.
10. The Happy Housewife What I aspire to be. She’s got it all together. Or she makes it look as though she does.

The second award of the day is the  Brillante Weblog Premio!! My Italian Stallion! This one comes with its own set of rules:
Once an award is received, the rules are as follows:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

OMG, seven more blogs? Where’s that pencil? Don’t we remember that I broke up with several blogs I read? This award will go to the awesome family blogs that we visit in order to catch up on the latest of our long lost friends.

1. Our Journ-O Our mates living Down Under for the time being.
2. Wich4 Our BFFs in Atlanta. (I’m kinda sick of that term, but what else works in a short space?)
3. The Grunwalds We’re following them. Literally. Only we’re split by a year. Kinda Sandra Bullock-ish.
4. The Kolb Family Dear Liberty/Hampton friends.
5. The Wise Family Missouri friends with whom we didn’t get to spend near as much time as we would have liked.
   Hmm, it seems that I only know these five families that frequently (or not so) update their blogs.

Moving on, we come to the last award of the day. I rarely cuss y’all. And I’m not even saying this one in my head. Ok, I am, but only because Reagan and I discussed it’s meaning the other day. The last award of the day is the .

Here are the rules:
-Choose 5 bloggers that you feel are “Kick A$$ Bloggers”
-Let ‘em know via email, twitter or blog comments that they’ve received an award
-Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to Mamma Dawg
-Pass it on!

I must also say that with this one you can sign Mr. Linky at MammaDawg’s site to show that you are indeed a recipient.

And the winners are:

1. Dr. Robyn Silverman Dr. Robyn came to my rescue (along with many of you) when I realized the Princesses were Sexualizing My Daughter. She writes a couple blogs that discuss current issues and how they deal with girls.
2. Especially Heather A mom dealing with brain cancer. One of her children has had a heart transplant. She has a deep, abiding faith in Jesus. She blogs her life in an encouraging way. What’s more kick butt than that?
3. The team at MomDot These girls blog like there’s no tomorrow. They’re in the middle of their launch party right now with blog features, giveaways and discussions on controversial topics. What could be better?
4. The Flip Side of DandelionEnd This woman is funny. Hilarious. Have you seen the comments she leaves on my Story Time, Interactive Style posts? And she makes weird stuff called Kombucha.
5. The Right Wife Not only is she “right” but she’s also got great musical knowledge.

**************************************

Ugh! I did it! Please tell me you’re not drunk on Windex.

I hate being cold. I’d much rather be hot than cold. It has been hot as an oven down here and I haven’t minded a bit. In fact the heat is what is saving my life. This is what is prompting my:

OPEN LETTER TO THE MEAT LOCKERS
(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS STORES AND RESTAURANTS)

Dear managers of any store, restaurant or public area (especially Old Navy and Applebees),

Is this some form of a joke? Or are you really clueless as to how core body temperature works? Maybe it’s just me, but I’m the one suffering, so here goes. When it is really hot outside, people tend to dress for that weather. Hotter temperatures = less clothing. You get that part right?

Now, when we’re out and about in the summer, in our summer clothing, it is nice to get some relief from the heat. But do you really think we need to be cryogenically preserved for patronizing your establishment? Really? It’s not easy on a body to go from sizzling hot to meat locker cold. Who would have thought, right? Now a little burst of cold air would be nice to take the edge off the summer temps. I’m just saying a little though. We don’t need a never ending supply of frozen air blown on us continually just because it’s close to 100 outside.

Here’s another lesson. Your walls actually do a pretty good job at insulating. Just because it is so freakin’ hot outside doesn’t mean that we’re still going to feel that freakin’ hot once we step in from the heat. A little bit of air conditioning would do. You know, just to drop the inside temp to the low 70s. Let me ask, are you really comfortable with the thermostat set at 47? And actually, I’m acquiescing a bit here. I’d prefer the ambient temperature to be somewhere around 75 to 78, but I understand that most people wouldn’t go for that. But below 60? Really? When I enter the store there’s about one second of a feeling of relief. Then the chilliness sets in. Once I’ve been in there for about ten minutes I start to shiver. By the end of my stay I’m shaking so hard people nearby are wondering if I have some medical condition. This is not my idea of a good time shopping or eating. If I sigh out of relief and begin to actually dethaw upon exiting your building something’s wrong, right? If I’m relieved to be leaving that’s not good for you, is it?

Let me ask you this. Once we enter your place of business you want us to stay there and spend our money right? What good would it do then if I can’t even feel my fingers enough to pull the money out of my wallet? If my fingers are frozen I can’t sign the credit card bill. Will you pay for all the stuff I bought/ate?

Don’t tell me you’re doing this for your staff. I’m still in awe at how they can survive working in Siberia for hours on end. Yes, they may be moving around and active trying to give us great customer service, but they haven’t just come in from the heat either… They don’t need to be chilled to the bone because they don’t really know how hot it is outside. I’m the first one to admit that shopping is a sport; eating too. But I don’t come close to working up a sweat when I’m searching through racks and racks of clothes, or sitting down eating the latest version of chicken, Asian sauce and lettuce mixed together. I just don’t get hot doing these things. I’d venture to say that most normal people out there don’t either.

And don’t tell me to bring in a sweater. Do you know what all I have to remember already? I can’t think for myself because I’ve got someone talking to me 1000+ words an hour. That’s in my right ear. In my left ear I’ve got someone screaming because I’m not letting her bounce through the roof. I have to remember to bring my purse, my keys, my phone. I must remember to wear shoes. Oh, did I brush my hair? Did I brush the kids’ hair? Did I turn everything off? Are both cats still in the house? See? You want me to remember a sweater as well? In the summer? Shut up and turn down the air. The cold has frozen that part of your brain that affects judgment.

Your faithful (frozen) patron,
Vicki

*Happy first day of the Olympics. That’s all I’m going to say about it because I’m boycotting it.*

Whew, thanks for letting me take the breather last week. I’m back, refreshed and not “having my moon” as Insane Mama so eloquently and euphemistically calls it. I am adopting that term for forever, or at least until Jesus returns. ‘Cause in Heaven, since it’s perfect, we won’t have moons.

Living for about three decades allows one plenty of time to get particular about what she likes. Actually, living for about 4.25 years allows one plenty of time for that. My daughter has long since been telling me such and such is her favorite: “I like it 100″. I tried to explain percentages to her, because she really means she likes it 100%. But her way is so much cuter. Maybe I should adopt that saying as well.

I like not having my moon 100.

There are plenty of other things that I like 100 too. I’m going to list them for you, at least 13 of them.

Friday 13: 13 Things I Like 100

1. Favorite body cream: Orange Chocolate Shea Butter by Fresh  If I could eat body butter I would get fat on this. I could open the lid and sniff the jar all day. In fact, I need to find this in a candle scent. Whoever the genius was that decided to mingle chocolate and orange, I’d like to pay him or her great respects right now. Come to think of it, chocolate covered orange sticks were one of my favorite treats when walking around any town in France….but that’s another story. I’m depressed that this is no longer in stock. Now I’m going to have to use what’s left sparingly.
2. Favorite perfume: Baby Doll by Yves Saint Laurent Is it weird to want to smell yourself all the time? ‘Cause I do. I can’t get enough of this scent. I discovered this (and my lovely chocolate/orange potion above) on my 30th birthday (shopping) trip to NYC. The bad thing is that I keep having to spray more and more on myself in order to be able to smell it. I love France and all, but I never want to end up smelling like a French…ahem. A close runner up would be Champs-Elysées by Guerlain. French as well. 
3. Favorite lip stick: L’Oréal Endless Lipstick in Fawn Fatale  The perfect lipstick in the perfect color. Once you put it on it does not come off: on his collar, on her little cheek, on the rest of your face when you’re eating. I used to be a lipstick groupie (I really don’t care to call myself a *ho*e of anything, not even French perfume), but after finding Endless I am fulfilled. Complete. I do change shades though.
4. Favorite lip gloss: C. O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine in Vanilla Cola Yummy. That’s really all I should have to write to describe it. The perfect combination of vanilla cola and tingling mentha. And this doesn’t get sticky on my lips. If only the real Coke were as good for me.
5.  Favorite mascara: Définicils by Lancôme The waterproof kind. I neverwear mascara that is not waterproof. Why take the chance when these buckets could start pouring at any moment? I like to pretend that I’m not very sentimental, but show me a Kleenex commercial and I’ll be darn relieved that my waterproof mascara will stay put. Définicils never clumps, and it separates my lashes perfectly. I don’t even have to curl them (like I’d spend time doing that anyway…on a daily basis). I’m using an impostor brand right now and regretting every clumpy, crumbly swipe of it. Sometimes it pays to not be cheap.
6. Favorite soap (not of the daytime variety): Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Line in Eucalyptus Spearmint. Another yummy scent. At some time or another we’ve had the hand soap, the lotion, the pillow mist… B&BW touts it’s powers as “Stress Relief.”  It truly is. When I’m feeling stressed I just go wash my hands. My hands have never been cleaner.
7. Favorite blush: Bare Minerals in the color Lovely by Bare Escentuals.  This is probably the best color I’ve ever found for my face. I even got a compliment on it. By another woman. She was my stylist and was about one foot away from my cheek as she was washing my hair, but hey, who would know better than someone who stares at ladies’ faces all day right? Yeah so, that’s the only reason it’s my favorite.
8. Favorite podcast(er): Let’s move away from the girly stuff for a while. I love me some Sephora, and I could outlast anyone in that store browsing and testing, but I’m a deep woman. My likes and desires are diverse. Whatever. My favorite podcast(er) is none other than Grammar Girl!!!!  aka Mignon Fogerty. Girl knows some English! And she’d probably freak to see how I’ve been writing in this blog. Oh well, it’s always good to know the proper way. And she has a book out. I should buy that. Maybe it would learn me a thing or two. I blog as though I were speaking, not really writing. (Hey Grammar Girl, I used “as” properly! I didn’t use “like”!) And no, I don’t really speak like this.
9. Favorite dessert: I don’t care if you serve it to me as a Crème Brûlée or a Crème Caramel , just serve it to me s’il vous plaît. The original plain vanilla please–don’t debase it by adding anything, not even chocolate. I can’t believe I just wrote that. This is another hold over from France for me. Every restaurant we ate at had either crème brûlée or caramel on the menu. Il n’y a rien de mieux. Ooh la la.
10. Favorite movie: I could probably name 13 movies. If I absolutely had to, had to, pick one I’d pick…one from each decade that I can actually remember. The 80s: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ; the 90s: Elizabeth ; the 00s: The Passion of the Christ . I told you I was diverse.
11. Favorite tv show: Would I even have to give you more than one guess? In case you haven’t been reading my blog (Shame on you. But welcome! Please browse at your leisure.) Project Runway!  But do you know what? I haven’t seen the latest episode. I know! I can’t believe our tv decided not to give us the channels we weren’t paying for in the first place! I hope to visit YouTube soon to see the latest. So please, no spoilers in the comments. I really won’t forgive you. Well, I eventually will because Jesus tells me to. But I’ll never forget. Project Runway has got to be the best show ever (don’t argue with me here, it’s my blog). The sewing. The competition. The personalities. The masterful designs. The horrible ones. It’s so fascinating to me to see how the designers can bring their concept to design to actual garment within a day or two. A girl can aspire.        A close second would be The Office , although we’ve never actually seen an episode on prime time tv (enter Netflix, Blockbuster and NBC.com). “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.” The jokes, the looks! There’s nothing funnier than the facial comedy on that show. I think that’s why we like it so much. And we so totally get the humor. Steve Carrell is just about the funniest physical comedian out today (I do love another Steve too who’s perfected the facial expressions: Steve Martin) And who doesn’t heart Jim and Pam? PB&J forever. Sigh. We’ve even made converts of my mother, brother and sister-in-law.
12. Favorite computer tool: The F5 key. Don’t know what it is? Try it. It’s fabulous for Wootoffs and ebay auctions. A very close second would be the screen capture feature. How else do you think I get all these photos? I mean other than right clicking and “save as”ing. Sometimes you just aren’t able to right click. That’s when you hold down the windows button while hitting S.
13. Favorite daughter: Just kidding! They each have their moments and each one is my favorite for something.  

Don’t you like how I provided shopping experiences for each product? Please know though that I rarely pay full price for anything. Even the best of the best of the best. There’s always a deal to be found somewhere. I didn’t go searching those out for this post though. I’ll leave that to you if you’re serious about trying out some of this awesomely fabulous booty.

What about you? What are some of your favorite things? Some things that you like 100?

I almost forgot! Then when I remembered I was traipsing around the city playing in a splash park and eating yummy food at the best hole in wall. Yep, I took my girl out of homeschool to spend a day with friends. So, without further ado, this week’s Story Time: Interactive Style!

1. Look at the pic.
2. Comment on the pic with a story/line/caption.
3. Yay!

Whew! Have fun with that one!

*************************************************

As for last week’s pic. It’s pretty obvious we were still in the moving in phase. I believe I had already gotten the new iPhone and Ashlyn was appropriating my old phone. I have a feeling we’re going to have a lot of chatting going on at our house when the girls get older. They’re both already breaking their allotted 20,000 words per day and the 250 words per minute that girls are supposed to speak. Those scientists weren’t at this house, let me tell you, when they came up with those numbers.

I started Sew Petit last fall in order to fulfill a desire. The desire was (and still is) multifaceted. I wanted to be a business woman running my own company. I wanted an outlet for my sporadic creativity. I wanted to be able to create nice things for people. I wanted to be able to link up with a charity or some other organization where I could donate some of my wares or earnings. And all of these things I still desire.

However, my desire for a more stable and God-centered household for this next year are trumping my business yearnings. We plan to move again in a year and the process of getting a business set up in Alabama is no small thing, nor is it cheap. So, as of now and for the next year Sew Petit will be on hiatus. I have a Sew Petit blog over at Blogger, which I set up when I was changing site hosts, and I hope to make that active. This way people can stay informed as to what I’m doing by way of brainstorming and sewing.

I’m taking this one year opportunity to hopefully relax a little more, spend quality time with family, homeschool without distractions (yeah, right) and sew for myself and my girls. I do hope to still fulfill friends’ orders, but I’m not sure how to do that when I’m not a legitimate, license-holding, tax-paying business. When I was researching starting a business last summer I had originally wanted to be an online boutique only (like on a blog, website or Etsy). After talking with an attorney I realized that even in selling only online, I should technically and legally still get licensed within the state I was living. So, does anyone have ideas how I can legally still sell to friends (you know I only want to take their money when I’m taking a break, haha) while not being a business?

I’ll post the address of the Sew Petit blog as soon as I have it ready. Thanks to all the support I have received over the last year!

There are those who think outside of the box. There are those of us that like to stay securely boxed.

Wordle is thinking outside the box. Here’s a visual rendering of what my blog is all about: words.

Now a little word association:

time: The thing I’ve been struggling with the most lately.
blog: What I’m doing instead of…
read: What I wish I did more of.
think: Not enough.
getting: A beach vacation soon.
now: I wish.
know: I’m secure in His firm grip.
comments: Love ‘em. Like Coke, can’t get enough.
actually: Should be going to bed.
really: It will probably be another hour or so.
learn: Love to do it.
leave: enough silence between thinking and speaking
things: That’s all they really are, just things.
one: Love

Play along if you’d like. Head to Wordle and create your own. Leave a link in the comments section here to it’s url. And thank you, Toni, for the heads up on Wordle. And why doesn’t WordPress spell check titles? I’m a horrible speller…and I’m homeschooling.