My New Favorite

I have been a fan of Strawberry Yogurt Burst Cheerios ever since they hit the scene...

But they are now taking a close second to what might become my FAVORITE cereal of all time...

CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS!!!!

Seriously, how can you go wrong? Whole grain goodness AND chocolate!!! Maybe I should try mixing the two...then it would be like eating chocolate covered strawberries with fiber!!! I'm in love!!! Hmm, maybe instead of the Special K diet, I will try the Cheerios diet because frankly, there isn't a flavor of Cheerios I don't like.

Mostly Because I Can't Stand the Picture I Posted Yesterday

I started going to a new dentist about a year ago. So far I like the office. Staff is nice and the dentist isn’t creepy like my previous one. I went in for a cleaning earlier today and I walked away thinking “hmm” about two things that happened while I was there.

First, the dentist told me I had a tooth that had a small cavity that he “recommended I fix” but it’s up to me. I have never had a dentist really give me an option. It was like he was trying to sell me some sort of extended warranty. “We recommend you purchase our warranty, but it’s completely up to you.” Normally the dentist says “you have a cavity and we need to schedule a time for you to come back in and get it fixed.” I am of course sitting in the chair thinking “I have no expertise in this area, so you just need to tell me what to do.” Strange. Since I have just recently changed dental insurance, I’m waiting to find out what the waiting period is before I schedule anything. What I also find strange is that it is in a front tooth. I’ve never had a cavity there before. Hmm.

The other “Hmmm” moment is almost more of a “What the Heck” moment. Because I have new insurance I needed to give them that information. The girl in the office looks at me and says “is this your husband’s insurance?” And not in a fact finding kind of way, but in an assumption kind of way. I think its interesting people always assume I’m married. People always assume I have kids. I’m not offended by it really, but just think it’s odd the assumptions people make.

EWWWW

Maybe it's because I have my degree in advertising and spent countless hours sitting through classes analyzing what is good and bad about an ad...or maybe I'm just opinionated about this kind of stuff, but here is just another ad that frankly CREEPS ME OUT!!!!

Let's just say it is a real testament to how bothered I am by the image on this ad to be putting it on my blog because this image really gives me the heeby jeebies!!! What is worse is that Slacker runs this banner ad ALL THE TIME! All I can really say is that this is disturbing!!!

Someone Needs to Hire A Better Ad Designer

This ad was the banner ad when I pulled up my online email account this morning.


Anyone but me think it odd that they chose the picture of this old man to advertise their program? Does he LOOK like he wants to go back to school? Does he even look like he could get a job after he went back to school that would pay him MORE than $45,000 a year? I'm not even sure Wal-Mart would hire him as a greeter. Can you image that face saying "Welcome to Wal-Mart?" That face would probably even send the most desperate old lady at the retirement center running in the other direction.

Classes USA...maybe you're on a tight budget and you couldn't afford acceptable clip art, but Microsoft Clip Art Gallery is free and ANYTHING on there would be better than using the picture of Great Uncle Charlie that your mom emailed you.

Hair Brush Update

I ventured out at lunch yesterday and bought a new hair brush. Since they no longer make my hair brush (what were they thinking discontinuing a classic!) I had to find something that I thought would work in a similar fashion. After one day, it gets a B. It seems to work okay on the drying front, BUT as I discovered last night, when my hair is dry it causes much static. Frustrating!!! My only hope is that summer is on its way and maybe this won't be an issue once summer gets here AND maybe by next winter I will have found a better replacement.

Sad Day

It was a sad day in my home yesterday...my favorite hair brush broke. At first I thought I had easily had this brush for 8 years, but when I look back at it, I'm thinking I have possibly had it closer to 14 years!!! This hair brush has seen me through good dates and bad dates; boyfriends and break ups; good hair cuts and even helped me to survive some bad ones. This hair brush got me through my 20's and has helped me to survive the jump into my 30's. I've tried to change hair brushes over the years, but I've always come back to my old reliable.

I know, I know...it was time to let it go. I even know there are some that think my holding on to things for a long time is because I don't like change. Actually, that's not it at all. When it comes to purses, wallets, shoes, etc. it's because I'm really picky about these things and it can take a long time for me to find a suitable replacement. And when it comes to things like alarm clocks, head bands, or hair brushes it becomes more of an iconic thing for me. I like being able to look at something and say "wow, I've had this ___ # of years and it still works." So few things last long anymore, so I like it when I possess something that has withstood the test of time.

So Ulta, hear I come! You just better have a hair brush that can meet my high expectations! FYI, I've had my pick since I was in high school and the head band I use to wash my face since I was in Jr. High.

Tulip Watch 2010

Tulip Watch 2010 has begun. I have tried planting tulips every year for the last 9 years. Only once have they come up and bloomed. I even tried daffodils once, and even though they came up every year, I only got one bloom ever. Tulips are not supposed to be this hard. Matter of fact, my mom digs hers up all the time trying to keep them from growing in a particular area of her yard…but they always come back. I on the other hand am lucky if they make it more than 2 inches above the ground. BUT this may just be my year!

Last fall my mom and I dug up tulips in her back yard and brought them home and started a flower bed around my bird bath since grass really wasn’t growing there anyway. Well, last weekend I was looking out the window and much to my surprise there were at least ten tulips starting to peak their heads through the soil. Seriously, you would have thought someone just gave me $1000 I was so excited!

Now I just have to hope that 1) the mole and the squirrels leave them alone; 2) the weather doesn’t hinder their growth (I’m told it shouldn’t, but that has not been my experience in the past); and 3) the landscapers don’t mow over or weed eat them (which is why flowerbed border is an impending purchase for me).

So here we go. The first picture of what I hope will be a beautiful tulip garden come spring.

All those little green spots...those are tulips!!!

Close up shot to prove it.

Now I need to think of other things to plant in that garden so it doesn’t look like a weedy mess when the tulips are gone. Thinking creeping flocks.

Cruel Dream

I had this wonderful dream last night that I was dating Jim Clancy (you know Melinda’s husband on Ghost Whisperer) and he was being super sweet and making me feel super special and I think he was about to propose…just as my alarm went off. For a girl who has been struggling with the reality of my reality lately, this was just down right the CRUELEST thing my subconscious could have done to me. You’re supposed to wake up and say “oh good, that was just a dream” not “oh crap! It was just a dream.”

Could It Be?

Could it be? Is it possible that my neighbors are moving out? Is it too good to be true? Could I finally get some peace and quiet? If the U-Haul in their driveway last night and the fact that they kept me up until 2 a.m. doing what sounded like throwing furniture down the stairs is any indication...I think they might be moving. No more piano. No more tomato plants in front of my house. No more weird stuff in jars on my front walk. No more blue "ziplock bag" looking things attached to their front door. Oh wait...one less topic for my blog. I'll survive. Hopefully if I'm getting new neighbors, they'll be more like my first ones (who gave me the awsome mirror in my living room) and not worse than the current ones.

Pathetic Attempt

Yes, my blog has become too often neglected these days. What can I say, there is nothing to write about. Attic is currently pest free. Car is running (knock on wood…I’m almost afraid to say it out loud). It’s too cold to do any home renovations right now. Dating (or lack there of) and work are not acceptable topics of conversation. And my opinions in most cases are better kept to myself. And my birthday…well we’re not going to go there. So sadly, you are left with this pathetic attempt at saying I’ve updated my blog.

Some Days

Some days it doesn't pay to be a home owner. I'm thinking this is one of those days. I went to switch my laundry from the washer to the dryer this morning and found a piece of plastic laying on the bottom of the washing machine. After some investigation, I discovered it came off the piece in the middle of the washer (the thing that agitates the water...that I'm now "agitated" about).

First thought was to ignore it, quickly followed by the fact that there is now a sharp edge in my washing machine and I can't imagine that will be good for the life of my clothes. So I'm thinking of attempting the following (in this order): 1) Super glue. Hey, it's worth a try. 2) sanding down the sharp edge...it could work. 3) Check into what it would cost to replace the part. Part of me is thinking that it will cost more than I paid for the washer and dryer since I bought them, practically new, from family members who made me a REALLY good deal.

I wish the washing machine was my only immediate issue I encountered this morning. After switching the laundry, I went to turn on the light in the kitchen and "POP"! The last working light bulb in my light fixture burned out. I know what you're thinking...1) it's just a light bulb and 2) why hadn't I already replaced the other bulbs that were burned out? WEEELLLL...I tried that at Thanksgiving since I had another set of hands around (aka Mom), but the globe wouldn't come off the light fixture to change the light bulbs. There HAS to be a way to do it, but unlike most light fixtures, there isn't anything to unscrew. We tried just popping it off like my brother suggested, but it kept pulling the whole thing loose from the ceiling. I've never really liked this light fixture to begin with because it's ugly and it is hard to keep clean. I highly suspect that I will be purchasing a new light fixture this weekend and installing it. Not really what I had planned for this weekend, but I'll just add it to the list of "to do's" along with taking down the outdoor Christmas lights (sorry, but the weather has not been cooperative enough to do this sooner) and getting a jump on cleaning house for next weekend's Pampered Chef Party.

Stop Already

This is the conversation that took place when I went to the allergist this afternoon:

Allergist: Did you have a baby? (FYI, I've been seeing this doctor for 5 years)

Me: No.

Allergist: Do you have any children?

Me: No, but I still hope to someday.

Allergist: Are you trying to get pregnant?

Me: No, I'm not even married yet.

Allergist: So, that shouldn't stop you.

Me: Well, I would prefer to do it that way.

Allergist: Just remember, you're not getting any younger.

SERIOUSLY!?!?! Did I really need that reminder with the impending birthday coming up in less than 20 days? And even more, my child-bearing plans had absolutely no relevence to this appointment. I was just there so she could look up my nose. Sheesh!

Major Home Owning Don't

This is me, outside FREEZING my tail off...


This is my "other" hair dryer (the one I use when my good hair dryers bite the dust).


This is the garden hose I forgot to unattach this fall before it got cold that is now frozen to the faucet and MUST be removed before tomorrows cold front. I'm already fortunate that my pipes hadn't burst.

And this is the end result after standing outside for 20 minutes warming the faucet with a hair dryer so that I could remove the hose. Lesson learned!

To Bad, You Missed It

Well, I had this really long post typed up in MS Word explaining why I have been absent from blogging with a quick run down of everything that happened (and didn't happen) the month of December, but I've tried for two days now and this stupid (I'm an adult, I can say stupid) site won't let me copy and paste anymore and it is too long for me to retype (nor do I want to retype it). So I will leave you with this little story instead...

Unless you live under a rock (or in a state other than Oklahoma) you are highly aware of the blizzard that hit on Christmas Eve and squashed many Christmas plans (side note, I was in fact able to leave town before they started closing roads, but it was a nerve wracking trip home...but I made it safe and sound). Anywho, I returned home to find a 3 foot drift on my front porch and a slick, snow filled driveway. The porch I could deal with, the driveway not so much. My driveway is steep, so if it is the slightest bit slick, I can't get into my garage very easily. After some work I did manage to get in and decided to leave driveway maintenance for the next day.

Tuesday morning I got up and was shoveling the driveway when the mailman showed up. I was walking down to the mailbox when he says "Be careful. You fell last year." Much to my dismay, this was the same mailman who witnessed this escapade on my birthday last year. I obviously made an impression on more than just my tailbone!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
For Christmas, I really want one of these. No really, I'm serious. I could ask for a boyfriend for Christmas to help me with all of those projects around the house that require a second set of hands, but I think this will be more reliable. The only thing better would be a new car, but this will be easier for you to get in your sleigh, and it is much cheaper.

Your Friend,
Stacey

Because I Have THAT Kind of Humor

I can't even pick a favorite!

It's that Time of Year Again

What is my biggest pet peeve during the holiday season? Yep...people who decorate their cars. I saw my first wreath a week and a half before Thanksgiving, but today a saw one that takes the cake. A woman had actually put antlers and a red nose on her SUV. Yes, the woman made her car look like Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer! All i have to say is if you feel the urge, fight it!

Add This to My List of Favorite Songs

I don’t know how long this song has been out there, but I heard it for the first time yesterday on Slacker. Kind of one of those “right song at the right time” kind of things. The song is beautiful and so are the words.

What Faith Can Do
by Kutless

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes

You will have the strength to rise

Ban

I think I'm going to petition the networks to ban all Zales, Kay, or any other jewelry retailer who has a sugary sweet Christmas commercial with some over the top wonderful guy giving some girl a piece of jewelry. Can't handle it right now and I can't afford to replace my TV when I succumb to the knee-jerk reaction to throw something at it.

What Was I THINKING?!?

That pretty much sums it up. My first Etsy sugar cookie order was a learning experience (that’s the nice way to put it).

First, how long does it take to make, decorate, and individually wrap 84 red Volkswagen sugar cookies with flames on the back? Answer: 20 hours approximately (maybe a little more).

I mixed the dough up Friday night, and then got up early Saturday morning to starting working on them. Naïve me thinking “oh, I’ll get these done early so I can do some house cleaning this evening.” Uhhh, didn’t happen. I started at 7:30 a.m. and finished decorating them at 9 p.m. I did take two short 15 minute breaks and had to get up and move a few times during the day, but I basically spent the entire day making cookies. And other than a small bowl of cereal and a handful of pretzels, I didn’t eat either. By 9 p.m., this is how things were looking:

My kitchen at 9 p.m.

This is how much space 84 cookies (actually there are 97 I think) take up on my kitchen table.

Almost finished product. Those look like flames right? Say "yes".

You would think from there I would have gone to bed. I WISH!!! I was having my bible class over for dinner the next evening, so I did some house cleaning while the icing set up. At midnight, I was putting cookies in little plastic sacks and tying them with a bow. Bedtime came at 1 a.m. I SOOOO didn’t charge her enough.

Fast forward to Sunday night. Bible class group left at 7:30 p.m., so I’m thinking “YES! I can curl the ribbon, box them up, and make it to bed by 10:00.” I go to retrieve the container of cookies and much to my dismay, the wheels had bled on over half of them! WHAT?!? I’ve never had this happen before. At first I’m thinking it’s just one or two. Oh no, well over half of them had black icing bleeding a good half inch onto the red. Shoot me now! I’m panicked. I want to cry. I can’t redo all of these cookies. Not only is there not enough time, but my hand is killing me still from the day before.

I’m now doing this mental check list in my head…“what did I do differently this time that I haven’t done in the past?” I had just used the same black icing the weekend before to decorate Halloween cookies and they didn’t bleed. Maybe I didn’t let the red icing set long enough. I have no idea, but it was too late at that point.

Cookies Saturday night, wrapped and ready to go.

Cookies Sunday night. Thankfully they were not all THAT bad.

This morning I emailed the lady and explained the situation. I told her I could keep them and refund her money (my office would have been eating sugar cookies for a LONG time) or I could ship them and if she’s not happy with them I would refund half her money. I’m praying she’s nice and that doesn’t happen because if it does, I will maybe break even on the deal. Why you ask? Because even though I did some research, I way underestimated the cost of shipping. My expenses came to almost half of what I charged her.

Did I mention I did NOT charge her enough? And for all of you out there that said I should be charging more, please don’t say “I told you so.” I get it. Lesson learned. LOTS of lessons learned to be exact.

Cookies, Glasses, and a Flashback to the 80’s

Cookies
These are the Halloween sugar cookies I made this weekend. Believe it or not, it’s the first time I actually made Halloween sugar cookies. I bought a new “boo” cookie cutter and had a fun with it. I named the green cookie “Frankencookie”. It was actually an accident, but my favorite once I was done. I took pictures so that I could it to my Esty site next year.

Glasses
Because of too much extra money I have in my cafeteria plan this year, I decided this would be the year to replace my frames. I’ve had the same frames since I got glasses seven years ago. Since I don’t have to wear them all the time they’ve held up well, but I was bored with them. Plus I also needed new prescription sun glasses because the ones I have give me a headache because they’re too tight and they couldn’t loosen them up. To my delight, EyeMasters was having a “Buy One, Get One Free” sale with no exclusions. Score! Of course, I couldn’t pick out glasses on my own, so I had to call in reinforcements.

Saturday morning, my friend/fashion advisor met me at the mall to help me pick out glasses. No joke, I think at one point we had close to 20 pairs of frames in our hands. Just randomly trying to narrow it down wasn’t working, so we divided them up by style and narrowed down each style, then narrowed down what was left. It took us a while, but we finally found a winner (sunglasses were thankfully easier).

One of the sales people asked me on numerous occasions if I had finally found frames. He was laughing by time I took the final selection to him.


Flashback to the 80’s
My bible class had an 80’s Party on Saturday night. It was actually a lot of fun. (Side note, anyone else notice lately how “80’s” many of the current styles are. Scary!) Here are a few pictures from the event. I didn’t do a great job of getting very good pictures, but you get the gist. Awe, the good ‘ol days.

Date

I know that title has some of you excited. Don’t get your hopes up. Friday afternoon I had my yearly date with Cody. Cody is the guy who inspects my house for termites. He’s the kind of guy I’m often attracted to, but would never let myself date. He has that cute “bad boy” thing going for him, but what little I’ve learned about him over the years tells me that our “values” are very different. I do have to give him props…he doesn’t smell like cigarettes anymore. I didn’t like that much. So thank you Cody for the date. It may be short and sweet, but they’re the best dates I have all year long. How sad is that?!?

Ugh!

Besides the fact that I’m having one of those “frustrating” days/weeks for reasons I won’t go into (because I’ll get more frustrated), my attempts at a cheap…because that’s all I can afford…80’s Party Costume have not been successful. The skirt I bought one size larger than I normally wear at Goodwill because I didn’t want to try it on turned out to be two sizes smaller. Ugh! Back to the drawing board. I just emailed a friend and told her I was going to make my hair stand on end, spray paint it a neon color, go naked, and be a Troll Doll. It might come to that!

Very Funny

My co-worker/friend Sarah sent this picture to me.

They are "ear cuffs" designed to protect you from burning your ears when curling your hair. Sadly I am infamous for burning myself with with heat styling tools (and sadly, not just in the head region). And the fact that I have no feeling on the upper tips of my ears made burning the tops of my ears a common occurrence. So sad I didn't think of it first.

De-li-laaah

I won’t even beat around the bush. I CANNOT STAND Delilah (you know, the radio show host). Her voice bugs me. Her “oh-so-thoughtful” act (that I don’t buy) bugs me. Her “life is a bowl of cherries” attitude bugs me…it doesn’t feel genuine. And normally her advice/relationship counseling bugs me. If I have the option and I will turn the radio station as soon as I hear her voice. But last night for some strange reason, I didn’t change the station. Maybe because I had a feeling the caller who was requesting a song for her and her fiancée had one of those stories that makes you think “oh brother, where do they find these people.” Whatever the reason…I didn’t change the station.

The caller asked Delilah to pick a song to play for her and her fiancée (remember, she gave Delilah permission to pick the song). The woman went on and on about how great her fiancée was. How he took such great care of her and her kids. In true Delilah fashion, she probed for more information. The caller had two kids. The caller and her fiancée had been together for 4 months and were getting married Mother’s Day of next year. The caller’s youngest child was 4 ½ months old.

Delilah expressed her concerns (I don’t think the girl quite had a counseling session in mind when she called…she just wanted to dedicate a song to her honey for the world to hear). Delilah was already telling the girl to take it slow. To not be so quick to jump in to a relationship. That getting engaged so quickly was a risky thing to do, especially when she was already so young with two children from other relationships. Delilah was justifiably concerned that maybe this girl only THOUGHT she found her knight in shining armor. And when she found out that she and this guy has only been together 4 months and she had a 4 ½ month old child, she flat out told her “so you jumped from one relationship into another”. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but GO DELILAH! She wrapped up her phone call by advising the girl to take it slow and not rush into anything.

And the song that Delilah played for this girl and her fiancée…“You Can’t Hurry Love” by Diana Ross.

LOVE IT!!!!

Long Overdue

Here is the latest in the list of "home improvements"...the upstairs bathroom (a.k.a. the roommate bathroom). I should have posted these almost two weeks ago, but Facebook was as far as they got.

The yellow turned out a little brighter than I intended, but I think with other color accents it might be fine. It actually looks lighter in the pictures than it does in person. Right now I have a roommate again, so it's staying as is, but I MIGHT eventually try painting it a lighter shade of yellow...we'll see.

People of Walmart

Be forewarned that some of the commentary (and a few pictures) are not quite PG, but so VERY funny! Check out the People of Wal-Mart.

I don’t know if any of you saw David Letterman’s show last night, or like me, saw this clip this morning, but am I the only one who is seriously disturbed by the fact that the audience was laughing? I mean, I got the feeling he was being about as serious as a comedian (who naturally have a tendency to use humor as a defense mechanism) could be. The situation is sad/humiliating/wrong and by no means a laughing matter. He’s married, he has a child, and he just admitted to some very inappropriate behavior. What is wrong with people?

Paging Dr. Freud

I’ve been to busy to post this earlier, but days later I’m still thinking about this dream.

The other night, I dreamed I went to the Wal-Mart Market and when I got there, all I saw were gray cinder block walls and empty boxes. I asked where the groceries were and the lady asked me if I was single or married. What did that have to do with anything? She said there were two different parts to the grocery store and I had to shop in the appropriate area. Well this made mad. I was shopping for groceries and for something I needed for a baby shower and I didn’t see why I should only be allowed to shop on the “single” side. The lady called the manager. The manager and I really got into it. The manager tried to kick me out. I ran and found myself in the single side, but was desperately trying to sneak into the married side so I could get the stuff I needed that the single side didn’t carry. There was a lot of hiding behind stuff and covertly maneuvering myself through the grocery store without being discovered by the manager (who was still searching for me.) I woke up before I finished my shopping trip.

Analyze THAT Dr. Freud!!!

Longing for the Day

I am longing for a day when I can sleep in and not wake up until my body decides it is time to wake up. I'm sitting here wondering when was the last time I got to sleep in. I don't remember. My days off have been spoken for for way too long.

Why am I lamenting? Because I woke up this morning EXHAUSTED from my day yesterday and so badly wanting to stay in my nice warm bed, only to be reminded that tomorrow...Saturday...my only free day each week, has once again been spoken for and I have to get up early AGAIN.

I really need a day off that is in fact a day off. I mean, this was premier week...my favorite week of the year when the new fall shows start...and I didn't get to watch any of them. I have hours of recorded shows that need to be caught up on. Priorities!!!

So this was my weekend…

Friday Night: Grilled chicken for dinner for me and a friend. After dinner we went walking until we started feeling it sprinkle. After I got home, I went to the back patio to put the cover on the grill, and this is where it gets interesting. I flipped on the light, and opened the door only to hear a noise. Looked down, saw what I thought might be a cat so I closed the patio door really quick because I didn’t want it running into the house. Squat down to get a better look through the patio door only to see a long tail and two hind feet flailing. There was an opossum stuck between the propane tank and one of the legs of my grill. Freak out and run out to catch my friend, who suggests I call a neighbor friend to help me free it/get rid of it. Good idea. I head back into the house to get my phone and check once again on the status of my uninvited guest only to see it had freed itself and was now long gone. Whew! I really do wish I could have gotten a picture or video because it was a funny sight.

Saturday: Finally managed to create a new flower bed in my back yard and plant some bulbs. I will need to eventually put a border around the garden or the lawn guys will mow them down, but I have until spring to get that done. But hey, it’s a start. Also got more work done on the bathroom (and once again forgot to take a picture before I started). The humidity has made it difficult to get the doors and drawers finished because the paint stay tacky longer. I’m hoping by tonight to be able to turn everything over and finish painting the other side. All I have left after that is to paint the walls and put shelf paper in. Wish me luck.

Sunday: I cannot believe I’m about to admit this, but last night when I got home, I got out of my car and went to put the trash dumpster on curb before going in the house. I proceed back to my car to open the passenger side door only to find that I had once again locked my keys in the car. I didn’t even remember locking the door when I got out of the car. Thankfully I still had a spare key hidden in the garage (sadly, I have locked myself out of the house going into the garage MANY times). I went upstairs and got my spare key to the car and proceeded back to the garage. Guess what I discovered…my car was unlocked. The power locks on my car are operated by the drivers side door lock. Earlier in the evening, I was getting stuff out of my car and instead of locking all the doors, I only locked the passenger side door. Next time I’ll check better.

Random Stuff

We have a new guy working on our copier. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing. I’m nervous.

For some reason, I have been waking up at approximately 3:30 every morning for so long I can’t remember when it started. And when I wake up, I’m totally freaked out that there is someone in my house and it takes me a while to go back to sleep. Which means I am ALWAYS tired…and sleep aids don’t help.

I am not a big salt person, so I bought some unsalted pretzels. Note to self, some things need salt. Didn’t want to throw them out, so I got the BRIGHT idea to make taco seasoned pretzels. Mixed everything up according to the recipe and put them in the microwave. Seems the microwave owned by the creator of the recipe is not quite as powerful as mine. I took them out to stir them half way through as directed…and they weren’t burnt! Not a little toasty burnt, but about to burst into flames burnt. I’m not sure if I’m happy or concerned that the smoke didn’t set off my smoke alarm. The ones that aren’t burnt are good. Moral of this story…don’t buy unsalted pretzels.

As a result of the above, I tried opening up my house last night to let it air out. Like many other things on my house, the screen door isn’t quite up to par and some flies quickly found their way in. They didn’t last long…and if any of my neighbors were listening, they heard a crazy lady yelling “die fly!” multiple times. Last count…flies 0, Stacey 4!

Watched a rerun of NCIS recently and in this particular episode, Air Force 1 landed in of all places, Wichita, Kansas. In the course of dialog, the “coroner” says he has jurisdiction in “Wichita County”. Wichita County? Okay, NCIS writers, do your research. You can get the name of the airport right, but you can’t get the name of the county right? FYI, Wichita, Kansas is in Sedgwick County and a good 250 miles from Wichita County.

I hate it when gas prices are low until I go to fill up with gas or go down the day after I fill up. Seriously, for almost a week, prices were under $2.20 (yeah, I know…some of you live in areas that would die to have gas prices that low). Monday, they were $2.15 on the corner and I should have filled up then, but I was busy. Yesterday, they were $2.25. 10 cents that quick?!? I know…quit whining, but I really could have used some cheap gas this month. Ugh!

Last but not least, I am now among an elite 2 (maybe 3) to be the proud owner of the new window decals for my church. I know you’re jealous, but you too could be a proud owner in just a few short weeks. If this isn’t encouragement to read your bulletin, I don’t know what is.

We're So Funny

A friend and I decided to get motivated and help each other get up and work out every morning during the week. We started the end of June calling each other every morning at 5:30 to get up and work out. We did well for a few weeks...then I went to camp. We still kept calling each other, but sometimes one or both of us would just go back to bed. So we decided maybe just Monday, Wednesday, Friday. This was today's email:

Me: By the way, are either of us actually getting up at 5:30? I’ve had every intention the last two weeks, but haven’t. :o) I just keep going to bed too late…no matter how hard I try to go to bed early.

Friend: No :o) I’ve been wondering why we’re making ourselves get up to call only to go back to bed…haha!

Now, I have been at least still working out everyday (well, I have missed 3 days this week and probably will miss tomorrow too). But getting myself motivated to get out of bed lately has not been easy. Bed is a good hiding place (unless there is some creature hiding under your covers like in "The Grudge"). So we're going to try again after time change. Ha!

I'm Going To Go Bald

I want to pull my hair out, but I can't say why and I can't really do anything about it, which makes me want to pull my hair out even more. I know I have to wait on God's timing, and trust me I have really really really tried to be patient, but after many years of this, its beyond wearing on me. Seriously, what is the point in all of this?

Badger Car Salesman

This is some of the funniest stuff I've seen in a long time!!!

Badger Car Salesman

More Beautiful You

This has become one of my favorite songs lately. If you haven't heard it, go here. The message is so true, one that I really wish more women (of any age) would listen to. It breaks my heart to see so many of the teenage girls at camp focus so much on what is on the outside instead of learning to love and develop what is on the inside.

More Beautiful You
By Jonny Diaz

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you.

Level Two...I Don't Think So

So I wrote a while back about a new work out I was trying. It was harder than it appeared, but it was a good hard. Since I'm the type that likes to test things, I decided to put the "30 Day" part to the test. Since August 1, I have done this workout every day. I felt like I had mastered Level 1 well enough to move on to Level 2.

What the heck!?!?!?! I was definitely sweating, but the problem is that she LOVES jumping jacks and any other movement that involves jumping. I on the other hand have knee and lower back problems from injuries I received as I child. I am not allowed to do jarring movements. That's why I'm not a runner...doctors have told me for years it's not allowed.

With the first level most of the jumping was for cardio purposes, so just substituted those movements with less impact/equal calorie burn activities. That is going to be a chore with this level. I'm going to have to replace 90% of the moves. Why bother then? I'm not completely giving up on level two...though I may have to put it off until Saturday when I have time to try to come up with some adjustments. But I don't dare try that again without modifications because I was hurting all night...and it was not a GOOD hurt, it was a "I've injured myself hurt" and that is not good.

UGH!!!

Commentary on Commercials

I have to admit I am a self-proclaimed a TV commercial critic. Nothing annoys me more than a stupid, low-budget commercial. My theory on the subject is if you can’t do it well, don’t do it at all. A cheap looking TV commercial will just shoot you in the foot.

That being said, here are currently the top two on my most hated list and the #1 on my favorite list.

Most Hated Commercial #1: LifeTel’s Bob and the Big Burrito

If you haven’t seen it, I’m not quite sure where to begin. First of all, I get the feeling their trying to make some sexual innuendo when it comes to the big burrito…but its not funny and pretty stupid. The guy is also wearing an obviously fake mustache. I guess they’re trying to make some point that because Bob doesn’t have LifeTel telephone service, he can’t call his girlfriend (who is too pretty for him) and has to eat his big burrito all by himself. LifeTel, fire your ad agency and get a new commercial.


Most Hated Commercials #2: Quest

Okay, if you’re a single male reading this and you have been thinking about calling Quest because you’re looking for a hot woman to date, I have some news for you…it ain’t going to happen. Let me clue you in on a few things. First of all, women do not sit around their houses in slutty outfits with our hair and make-up done. We don’t go to that much trouble to sit around the house and talk on the phone. Second of all, women like THAT don’t generally join phone chat lines unless there is something not quite right about them (think Fatal Attraction). Sorry, you will not be talking to the girls on those commercials on the phone.

There is one more thing that bothers me about the Quest commercials…actually one in particular. The girl in the commercial says her name is Melissa. She looks 16 with big hair and lots of make-up. Are they now trying to attract the clientele that has a fetish for under-aged girls? I think so. But don’t they already have enough sick psycho clientele without reaching out to more?


Now for my FAVORITE commercial showing right now: Toyota Prius

Okay, these have to be the best directed/orchestrated/choreographed commercials I have EVER seen. The first few times, I just thought they were bright and happy…until I realized those are PEOPLE! I still watch with amazement. Click here and you can see all three, plus the making of the Harmony commercial, and even download the music. Well done Toyota. If I could afford your car, I would consider buying one...but only if I could see people running around in nature costumes everywhere I go.

In Mourning

If you know me well or have followed my blog from the early days, you know that Grant Johnston has been on my local celebrity crush list for quite awhile. So you can only imagine how distressed I was to hear on the news that he is leaving. WHAT!!!???!!! NOOOOO!!!!!! Sad but true, he is leaving but since he's leaving to attend a seminary school, I was able to find peace in the situation...especially considering his faith in God is what put him on the list in the first place (I bet you didn't know that). So farewell Grant. I will miss watching you on the news and the phone calls from my friends with Grant sightings. Good luck on your new endeavors.

Now I just need to find a replacement for the list.

Just When I Thought They Couldn't Outdo Themselves

This was the message left of my Facebook this morning by my neighbor/friend Krista:


So...what is that weird blue thing covering your neighbors front door? I've noticed it the last couple mornings when I've been leaving for work and I keep forgetting to ask.


Yes as if the "garden" in the front yard wasn't enough, my neighbors have taken yet another step in attempt to win the "Eye Sore of the Neighborhood" award (they're competing with Jason & Krista's neighbor).


To get the full affect...let's take a look at my half of the yard...



Now let's look at their half of the yard...

The blue thing is (to the best of my knowledge) is their cheap alternative for a screen door. When I saw it the other day, the door was open and I thought it was painters tape and that they were doing some work in their house. Nope, it's just a tack-it-up yourself, screen door alternative. It zips up the middle.

The plants by the front porch are cherry tomatoes. The other thing I thought was a weed, but now I think it's some sort of melon plant. I guess because I tore down their melons that were growing up the side of MY house last summer, they decided to try the front yard. I used to be annoyed by the maple tree they had growing in that spot (and then tried to transplant in the middle of the front yard and then moved to their backyard).

My neighbors are nice enough, but they drive me NUTS with the piano playing at all hours, the what sounds like the moving of furniture late at night, and the running up and down the stairs.

On a much happier note...my flowers in the front flower bed are doing MUCH better this time around!

Someone Needs to Take a Refresher Course in Customer Service

No joke...today I got a call from some from Cox Communications trying to get me to purchase more of their services and they lady sounded like she was eating lunch while she was talking to me on the phone. Considering it was around the lunch hour, I consider this to be very possible. Whether she was eating lunch or not, she most definately was chewing on something. Really?

A Good Lesson to Learn

I was reading my Bible last night and came across this story:

2 Kings 2:23-25
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

It kind of made me laugh. I don't recall ever hearing THIS story in Bible class when I was a kid. Probably because they thought it would scare us, but maybe they should. It would teach kids a good lesson -- make fun of people older than you and you might get mauled by bears.

Quote of the Week

When discussing the fact that my car does not meet the requirements for the new "clunker law," my friend replied, "No offense, but your car IS a clunker."

I have to agree.

By the way, while I was on the above site, I found a link to this site. I found it really interesting.

Not Another One

I don't know what is going on, but there really has been a string of celebrity deaths lately. I think I am the most upset about this one.

And I'm Off

Twenty-four hours from now (if all goes as planned) I will be on my way here:



The only constant in my life for the last 26 years. I have spent at least one week (sometimes two) at this place since I was nine. It holds many fond memories (and few traumatizing ones). Many of the staff are like my second family and the week is like one big reunion.


It's changed a lot over the years. New mess hall with a/c. New cabins with a/c. The old chapel is gone, a new one is being built (may be done by time I get there). The trees that used to encircle the lake have been removed. But no matter how much changes, in many ways it's still the same. And if I ever have children, I hope they love it as much as I do.

Craziness

My first "hometown" had some excitement yesterday. Read the story here. I spent my childhood two blocks from here. And the driver of the trash truck lived across the street from us and his kids were childhood friends of my brother and I. I promise you, this is possibly the most excitement this small town has seen since the Farmer's Oil Company exploded when I was a child.

I Did This!!!

And ALL BY MYSELF!!!




Okay, I did make one phone call to a family friend before I turned the power back on to make sure something I had to do wouldn't cause my house to burn down. But he wasn't there and I had already finished before I called. It was actually easier than I thought. I might have to replace more light fixtures in the future.



If you looking closely and wonder why the light bulbs don't match...it's because the larger globe light bulbs (which is what the box said to use) wouldn't work in that one light fixture. The bulb worked, just not in there. I think the part you screw the light bulb into was crooked and since the bulbs were a tight fit, I don't think it was going in straight. Considering how much I paid for it I'm not surprised. But the fixture had to be replaced and I couldn't find anything I liked, so I bought something cheap that would do for now.

Ironic?

I found this picture on a slide show from the Michael Jackson Memorial:

"Elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus are marched on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, through downtown to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the memorial service for Michael Jackson will be held. The predawn pachyderm march is a decades-old tradition for the circus, which opens Wednesday at the Staples Center."


Anyone else find it ironic that the "Greatest Show on Earth" is following the greatest "show" on earth?

July 4th Rule #1

Rule #1 for going to watch well-done fireworks anywhere other than your backyard is be prepared to wait in a long line of traffic. It’s annoying for all of us. I don’t know anyone who enjoys it…but it is part of the package. If you also follow Rule #2 (Take turns…let someone in ahead of you, then you go) everyone’s trip will go much better. Why is it when everyone is trying to leave the same place at once the Golden Rule seems to get thrown out the window (along with a few choice words and gestures).

The lady in the parking lot with us Saturday night obviously had NOT been schooled in “The Rules”. Of course as soon as the fireworks end, everyone tries to start leaving at once. In the true spirit of the rules, we were doing our best to abide by them and wait for our turn to back out. As we’re backing out, my friend notices the lady next to us is also backing out. So my friend stops and waits for the lady to notice she was there. Oh, the lady knew we were there…she just didn’t care. She proceeds to back out in such a way that my friend is trapped. She can’t back up, she can’t pull forward. But there wasn’t much space between us and the cars heading the opposite direction in the parking lot, so surely the lady will wait for us to finish backing out. Nope. She squeezes her car in-between all the cars (as we held our breath for sure she was going to hit us) and heads towards another exit.

I’d like to say it ended there, but it didn’t. We ended up pulling behind her at the other exit, but she didn’t want to wait in line to get out of the parking lot, so she backs up AGAIN and flies back the other direction in the parking lot, to try to get out that way. We’re all laughing at her knowing she’s not going to get out any faster the direction she was going. We probably had been waiting in line a few minutes when my friend’s daughter yells out that she was getting out of her car. No joke, the lady gets out of her car and walks up the truck in front of her and yells at him for not moving!!! Where did she think he was going to go? He was trying to merge into traffic and the street was bumper to bumper traffic.

We kind of wanted to watch the show, but we did have to keep the flow of traffic going and she ended up out of our view. I have a feeling the conversation that took place wasn’t very PG.

Flower Mishap

Because my neighbor's front flower beds look like rednecks live there (sorry, I should have taken a picture), I decided to plant flowers in mine on Saturday so it didn't look as bad. Sadly almost half of them have died already (two of them were dying by Sunday evening).

I got drought resistant flowers, I planted them where it said to plant them. What else can a girl do? I'll tell you what...take them back. I bought them at Lowe's and they have a guantee and you better bet I'm taking them up on it. I just hope I have better luck the second time around.

Guess I know what I'll be doing on my day off. ;o)

If I Ever Have Children

I HOPE that I am able to raise them in such a way that they don’t feel entitled. It really drives me nuts when I encounter teens or college students that feel the rest of the world needs to yield to them.

Today’s experience at the grocery store is what has me so fired up at the moment. Sadly, it’s not the first time I’ve had this experience. The parking lot of said grocery store has weird traffic flow to be able to exit. I had been sitting there waiting for my turn to pull into the lane I needed to be in when a college girl in a pick up truck decided that she shouldn’t have to wait and cuts me off. Then before I had a chance to pull in behind her the teenage girl coming from the other direction also felt she didn’t need to wait and cut me off again. Seriously?!?!

I was fuming and wanted to yank them out of their cars and ground them (hey, it’s what my dad would have done to me), but since you can’t exactly do that I just called them stupid spoiled brats. I’m sure it didn’t faze them one bit.

Conspiracy Theory of the Day

I’m not 100% convinced Michael Jackson is actually dead. He has always had such odd behavior I would be surprised if this is all some big elaborate scheme to be out of the spotlight forever. I bet the come back tour was all part of the plan to make it more believable. And before any big debate gets started here…I’m kind of kidding…or am I?