Five Suggestions for Birth Father's Gift

Father's Day is fast approaching and it's already passed you by if you, and by you I mean me, have to send a birth father's day gift by the first of June.  Much like Mother's Day, I was unsure what to get Cordie's BF.  The natural response is head to Pinterest.  I was horrified to discover a dearth of hits.  If Pinterest doesn't know what I should send, then NO ONE IN THE WORLD knows!  After rocking back and forth in the fetal position for about a week, I found myself wandering through Target picking up and putting down giftlike things.

I think it's easy to forget about BFs.  I know when I was praying for my future adopted baby and his/her mom in the years before I met them, I didn't often think about the BF.  It's easy to stereotype and say he's a deadbeat or wants nothing to do with the baby or doesn't even know there is a baby.  While I'm sure each of those situations happen in lots of adoptions, Cordie has a BF who is in the picture and who really struggled with placing her because he cared so much for her.  That's something to celebrate.  Below are a few suggestions about gifts you can send to a BF to show that you remember that he made a sacrifice too and you hold him in high esteem for it and want him to feel included in Father's Day.

1.  Traditional Father's Day gifts-There are lots of cute mugs, shirts, picture frames, etc that all say something great about dads.  A picture in a dad frame for a BF's desk would be appropriate and sweet.  In the future I may send something like this, but I think you need to know a bit about your BF's mindset about adoption before sending a traditional dad gift.  I know that Cordie's BF was very sad to place her and I don't want to rub salt in that and seem inconsiderate.  In years to come, when emotions aren't quite as high, he might well like something that says "Dad'.

2.  A Day in a Box-Another avenue I considered was a package that would make one full day fun.  Try sending a mason jar of muffin mix for breakfast, tickets for a movie matinee, and a gift card for dinner after the movie.  The great thing about this is that it can be as general or specific as you like based on how well you know the BF.  Movie tickets are great for a general thing, but you could do just about anything:  a hat with a light and fishing lure for late night fishing, a month's subscription to an online video game provider, whatever floats his boat.  The point is to make the entire day about him.

3.  Matching T-shirts for Him and Baby-Father's Day snuck up on me.  Had I had more time to order online I would have considered something like this

This was made by a company called Carpe Viam, but I'm sure there are lots of places you can find other styles.  Take a picture of your little one in the matching shirt to send with it.

4.  A Gift Card-How unoriginal, I know.  I so wanted to find something better than just a gift card.  The fact of the matter is that I have only met Cordie's BF once and know very little about him.  It may not be super thoughtful, but at least it shows you are trying and who doesn't love a gift card?  Sometimes you have to work with limited information and shipping costs.

5.  "Work with What You Know"-Like I said, I don't know a lot about Cordie's BF, but I do know that he is a car guy.  I wanted to get him something car related because that was the one thing I knew he would enjoy.  I know nothing about cars and it's a broad field.  So I found a coffee table book about cars that shaped America.  I didn't want a book you really had to read because he may not be much of the reading type, but this book has tons of pictures and diagrams about every type of American made car.  Even Josh, who also likes cars but not reading, flipped through it so I figured it was a hit.  I also took pictures of Cordie "working" on a car to include with the book.  Basically this gift boils down to making a connection even if you don't have a lot of info to go on.

 (Don't worry, we cleaned that before we let her have it!)

Those are my BF gift suggestions.  There are many many many more out there, but thankfully our gift is done and sent for this year!

A "Onederful" Deal

 Today my friend Beverly and I hung out and went shopping.  We hit up several antique stores in search of teacups.  Cordie's first birthday party's them is going to be Alice in "Onederland" themed.  Isn't that cute?  I didn't come up with that, I saw it on Pinterest, but I SO wish I had!  I wanted to use the cups to decorate although I'm toying with the idea of serving cupcakes in them.  Get it, cup cakes?  My comedy is on a level of its own.  Lo the spoils of our day!

All the cups I had been finding were $5-12 each and I am just not going to pay that for decorations for a one year old's party.  The guy who ran this booth was going out of business so he said I could have 10 for $10.  I started gathering up cups and then he said, "Well, I'll throw in a teapot for free."  Great, let me grab a teapot.  Then Bev asked how much a vase was.  His response?  "Eh, just toss it in the box and take it."  Awesome.  Free!  I finally gathered everything up and he tossed in a pitcher shaped like a lemon for, once again, free!  Hooray!  All told we got ten cups, a teapot, a vase, and a pitcher for $10.  I added everything up once I got home and it would have been $127.95.  Oh yeah!!  Winning at life and party planning!

Shopping, Lots and Lots of Good Shopping

Today Mom and I hit town hard.  We hadn't shopped in several weeks so we each had a list of things we needed to get and accomplish.

I got two new pairs of shoes.  Only one is pictured because it is way too far to walk across the room just to take a picture.  Yeah, I'm feeling That lazy, deal with it.  How cute are these?!  Plus, on clearance!

Then we went to CVS.  I've just started doing couponing there because they have Extra Bucks.  I say this because this is hardly a "haul", but I'm just learning.  Here's the breakdown

Shick Razor=$12.99-$4.00EB-sale price=$5.49
Shick Shaving Gel=Free w/purchase of Shick razor (manufacturer's coupon)
All=$3.99 (sale price)-$1.00 manufacturer's coupon=$2.99

Original price (no sales, no coupons)=$20.97+tax
Price with coupons, Extra Bucks, and sales=-$1.50

Yes, that's right, they paid me to walk out of the store with merchandise.  I got four dollars in Extra Bucks and $4.40 in cash because they rang it up wrong.  Three items do hardly a crazy couponer make, but guys, SO MUCH FUN!!!

After that Mom and I went to Wal-Mart for the best part of the day. Yes, I know free stuff is hard to beat, but look at this buggy full of joy...

How much do you want to play???  My family has been helping out some kids in Belize for several years now and Mom decided she wanted to send board games to the local orphanage there, so we all chipped in and got this cart of wonderfulness.  I so so wish I could go down there and hand them out.  And play Mouse Trap.  Mom wouldn't let me have that when I was a kid because it had so many pieces.  And Clue because I haven't played Clue in a long time.  It was like shopping for Operation Christmas Child in May!

So that was my day, productive and fun, just as a weekend day should be.  Tomorrow is a Hobby Lobby day.  Oh it's gonna be good :)

A Mantle and Two Walls

Today I went to Hobby Lobby.  I love that store.  My bank account, however, does not.  Today though, I was happy AND my bank account was happy!  How you ask.  80% off sale.  Oh yeah!  The Valentine's Day stuff was practically being given away so I got stuff to make a mantle.  Isn't it cute!

 Okay, now close ups:

 I love this little guy.  I've decided that I have a thing for owls.  Remember my my Halloween mantle.  It had an owl too.  I even picked out a precious poster with lots of owls.  Anyway, this owl, at 80% off was $1.40!  I mean, look at him, he needed to come with me.  He also begged for a name, so I am calling him Charles-Winston.  He looks like a Charles-Winston, don't you think?

I saw this print (and the other cake pop one) at HL months ago and thought they were so cute, but I had no idea what I would do with them.  Nothing in my house is pink and it is really girly, VDay can be girly though.  Plus, sale!  You gotta have it then!

On another decorating note, I am angry at two walls.  That's normal right, to be angry at large stationary objects?  I have one wall in my kitchen and the other side of the same wall that is in the living room.  They desperately need "something", but I am having a hard time finding what that "thing" is.  I have these posters (below) on the wall now and they looked great against the old red walls, but they just blend right into the paint.  I have several old school movie posters that I could hang. I already have two framed, but I don't know, I cant decide if they will look right.  I think I would get different frames and paint them that shade of blue green that I love so much.  The other wall is sooooo long.  It just stretches all the way down the hallway and there is nothing there.  I want something with color because our house is very neutral, but I want something with personality.  That is the perfect wall for a landscape, but it just seems very generic.  I want something a little more personal, something that reflects my style more.  Thoughts?  Offer to come and just make it more decorated?  Anyone, anyone, no?  Sad.

I feel like I should talk about other pieces of my house and show random pictures ala:  couch, tv stand, spinny chair, but the post is long so I'll spare you!

Hobby Lobby Run

I went to Hobby Lobby on Wednesday.  Or was it Thursday?  I've slept since then.  I found out that the Halloween decorations would be marked down to 66% off.  I love a good deal so I came back the next day and got these cute little doodads.  When I saw the glittery owl, I felt like I had a Pier One moment.  Have you seen those commercials where the teapot says "You know how your kitchen needs a little something special?  Well I'm something special!"  That owl is something special lol.

There were tons of other cute things that really needed to go home with me, but I decided to wait.

I used to have these stickers on my wall and they looked great against that red paint, but with the cream paint they are very blah.  They just don't pop like they should.  I saw these other stickers that have the browns and teals that I have in my kitchen now, but I can't decide how they would look.  Thoughts?  Some people say the stickers look cheap, but they are cheap and cash flow is pretty limited.  Pros and cons.  Eh. 

I've Got a New Face!

I have had the same glasses forever.  It doesn't seem like it's been that long.  Josh kept saying that it was past time to get a new pair and I kept saying it hadn't been so long since I got a new pair.  I got them for my 18th birthday after all.  Then I counted and realized that meant I had had the same pair for five years.  Man, where did that time go?  It doesn't seem like that long at all.  Anyway, I finally caved and got a new pair!  I can see without having to look through a ton of scratches.  I didn't realize how bad mine were lol!

I don't normally like taking pictures of myself a la arm outstretched like so many girls do on Facebook.  I think it looks a little silly, no offense.  I am making an exception today because I want you to see!  They aren't the Harry Potter glasses that I really liked from months back.  Josh says they make me look "lighter".  Heck I am for anything that makes me look lighter, thinner, or cuter! lol

There was a deal going on that made it better to get two pairs so I got sunglasses too.  I've never had prescription sunglasses and they are So cool!  I used to having to choose between  being blinded by the sun or just being naturally blind.  Seeing is wonderful.  Plus I think they look good!

Love Affair

Josh and I have a love affair.  We are in love with Knoxville.  Is it weird to love a city?  We love how much there is to do and how many places there are to eat and shop and hang out.  We went down there today to shop and eat at The Melting Pot.  Eating at The Melting Pot is becoming an annual tradition.  I am so stuffed right now that I Never Ever Ever want to eat again in my entire life!  Never. 

We went to Williams Sonoma which is one of my favorite stores in the entire world.  Josh says it is my Sears, meaning I just go in and starting touching things and saying "I want this, and this, and this, and oh! that!!"  But look at these cookie cutters.  Are they not the cutest things ever???

The only problem is that I don't know if I like the Snow White ones or these Marvel Heroes ones better.  I think these would be so cute if you did an Avengers party before seeing the movie and served these.

Then we went to a wholesale furniture store and found everything we need for our den.  We have looked for months for a tv stand (seriously, like 16 months) and a couch and coffee table.  We have looked at every store around the area and couldn't find anything we just loved.  We literally found all those pieces in one store.  It was amazing.  They were also at wholesale prices!  Score!  Now we have to figure out which piece(s) we want now and what we should wait on til a little later.  This is a terrible picture of chair in the couch set we like.  It is black leather with the softest fabric.  The chair is a swivel chair and Josh and I are already fighting over it!  It's actually way nicer looking in real life lol.

 Then I found two pictures to hang in the guest bathroom.  It was at this place called HomeGoods.  My friend Bev took me there once and I managed to find it again.  They have such great prices on stuff.  We also got super cheap King size pillows for our bed.

After that we walked around down town and ate.  Then we saw a groom in a Prosche (Josh estimated a $300,000 car) wreck it into his rented stretch Hummer with the bridal party inside.  You could hear his pretty demure bride yelling F#&@! all the way up and down the street.  I chuckled just a tiny bit.  Apparently it was one of the groomsmen's father's car and he and the groom starting arguing loudly about the damage.  That would ruin your day.

We had a way better day than the bridal party and now we are safe at home and pretty sleepy.  Hope your day was great!

I'm Rounded In More Ways Than My Hips*

 Today was a good day.  Fridays are always nice.  I get half days off on Friday and I usually hang out with Mom. 

I got a new purse at the very first place I looked!  This was nothing short of miraculous because buying a new purse is extremely tedious normally.  It is way better than the one I had which I got in the 6th grade, had a big stain from a pen exploding in it, and had a good sized tear.  Plus this is pink!

I also got this cool jacket which says to me "I was once a real bad a$$ but now I've traded in that lifestyle for the corporate world, but I still want you to know I'm the shiz".  None of that, of course, is true of me, but perhaps people will believe the jacket.  And it was on sale for $5!  Five Dollars!  Woo hoo!

I went to get a baby shower gift and I saw this sign.  Well I actually saw the table and had to stop and look at the Doctor Who DVDS because how cool is that I ask you?  And I was perusing over the table when I saw that it was labeled "geek chic".  It made me smile.

Then, I got home (and took a glorious nap) and discovered that my Martha Stewart Living had come in!  Woo hoo!  Girl knows how to throw a party.  I am way excited because my magazine subscription got all messed up and I haven't had my monthly infusion of random collectibles/Martha's decolletage cream advice/obscure ingredient recipes that I need to feel civilized.  This magazine has some unique stuff but I love it.  It also makes me smile.

I think today really displays all the various facets of my personality from pink purses to reformed biker jackets, Doctor Who to Martha Stewart.  Three cheers for being well rounded!  I hope your Friday was equally smile worthy :)

*PS My mother really did mention how rounded my hips were getting today.  Um...thank you?

I Cook, Therefore I Design

Yesterday I was looking for some new glasses because mine have definitely seen better days.  I am having to strain my eyes to see around the multitude of scratches.  I had been feeling kind of put on with the quality of these glasses because I "just" got them, when I realized that I "just" got them five years ago, so yeah, maybe time for a change haha!  As I was trying pair after pair on I came across a pair of Paula Deen glasses.  Now, I like Paula Deen.  I like to watch her show, I've heard her restaurant is amazing, and her cookware is supposed to be wonderful.  My question is:  how does her impressive cooking technique make her an appropriate person to style eye wear?  It's not just her; there are many celebrities who have have products emblazoned with their name that have little to nothing to do with what their area of expertise is.  Is it a greed thing, they want to make more money off of their name?  A pride thing, "everyone should look/smell/dress/eat like me because I'm Awesome!"?  An opportunity thing, while they are a household name they should capitalize on it because fame is fickle and short lived?  An ego thing, they are particularly good at one thing (singing, acting, cooking, what have you) so they assume they are good at everything, i.e. designing perfume or clothes?  I just don't really get it.  For some reason it bothers me.  I think the perfume industry does in particular because I know how many good and talented chemists and people with crazy accurate noses worked on a perfume to make it smell great, but they get no credit while someone else stamps their name on it and everyone wants to buy it for the star factor.   Sad for the chemists :(  I didn't end up with glasses, Paula Deen or any other type but maybe some Leah Michele's or Kristin Chenoweth's are in my future!

My First Groupon

So I used my first Groupon this week.  I've never used one before so I was a little hesitant.  I got a 16x20 canvas for $39!  Sweet!  They are the photo to canvas things and I'm going to have one of our wedding pictures put on it.  I'm going to use one of these.

I think I'm going to use the second one because it's a more traditional canvas shot.  I'm super excited about it!  I don't know where I'll hang it yet.  I'm also kind of excited about about Groupon as a whole, like who knew they had good deals on stuff you might actually want to use?!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like..Spring?

We're Soapboxin' today!  You ready? 

I went to Food City yesterday and I was looking for chocolate oranges (no luck, where do you get them?).  There I was wondering the aisles when what should assail my eyes?  Valentine's Day Debbie Cakes.  VALENTINE'S DAY.  Pause while I check the calendar...yep, sure enough, it is still Decemeber.  Something like six weeks between now and the dreaded V-Day (my hatred of Valentine's is another whole post, it's a fun one).  It isn't Christmas yet!  I mean come on!  Could they not have left the Christmas Debbie Cakes for a few more days, til, you know, the holiday was Over!!?!  Now don't get me wrong I love me some heart shaped cakes, they taste better, but I think that is a mental thing.  Still!  Craziness all around.

And it was all around.  This afternoon I went to Hobby Lobby and what did I see?  SPRING decorations.  When I went to Hobby Lobby before there were aisles and aisles of Christmas decorations.  It was a Christmasaplooza in there.  Tinsels were coming out of body cavities that tinsel should never come out of...and don't even talk about those pointy little ornaments.  Today, everything was 50% off (which I loved, I plan to go back and rack up) but they were setting out tulip decorations and things that said SPRING in large pastel colors.  Today is the winter solstice.  It isn't spring.  In any definition it is not spring.  I know they want to get a jump on things, but geez louise they have a little time!

Blatant and excessive consumerism is already overrunning the holiday but now it is even restocking shelves with fresh junk seasonal decorations before the season has even passed.  Siiiigh.  I was appalled and had to share.  Now I have.  I know your day is better for it :)

Black Friday, It Was Late And Black Outside

Did you shop til you dropped?  Golly gee I did!  Mom and I started at 10 pm and I finally hit bed at 6:15 am.  Wal-Mart was INSANE!!!  Seriously.  I was standing in line waiting for a gift and then suddenly there was this Awful screeching and tearing and breaking of glass because it was time for the pallets to be unwrapped.  If I hadn't known what the cause was, it would have been pretty frightening.  I stood there and contemplated how I was buying stuff for people who didn't need them, to store where they don't have room.  It was a cheery thought process.  Then I switched with Mom and clustered around another pallet where I was nearly choked to death in pursuit of this gift.  Then the gift was then thrown and hit me in the face.  It was a hard fought battle but we got everything we wanted.

I got Rubbermaid and a chopper cause my chopper broke earlier this year and my Rubbermaid is like my socks and has completely disappeared.  I don't understand it.  I have the lids, I don't have the dishes.

I also got a candle at Bath and Body Works because I LOVE the Slatkin & Co candles.  They smell so strongly.  My house smells yummy.  It was a two fer deal so I picked Mom one up too.  Everyone in Bath and Body seemed very frazzled.  I mean Wal-Mart and Target were Cah-Rah-Azy, but the B&BW people seemed way more harried.  I wanted everyone to have a chill pill.

Then I got a tree at Kmart.  It was on sale (not surprising, as it was Day After).  I have a grand total of four ornaments so I have written to a dear friend of mine in hopes that she is in town and we can go to Hobby Lobby.  Do you love Hobby Lobby?  More of a Michael's person?  WHY are ornaments so expensive?!  Anyway, I have to choose a color palette before I buy.  I still can't decide what colors to go with.  I like the blue and silver but the red and gold is more festive.  This isn't that big of a deal so I don't know why I can't decide.  Eye roll at my lack of decision making.  It's pre-lit.  I've never had a pre-lit tree so I'm anxious to see how that works out.

Finally, I found this extremely amusing at all hours.  I mean, I get it and all, but still "butt paste" is a funny phrase.  Say it once out loud (but quietly if others are around).  You smiled didn't you?  I figured so.  :)

Final word on the subject:  If you have to wear a mask to be safe around the common populace, Black Friday probably isn't the best day for you to shop.  Also, PLEASE for all that is good and holy, bathe before you come out.  Everyone is in such tight spaces that any BO just seems magnified like 3 fold.  It was a little rough.

Glasses

Let me first begin by saying, I don't normally have this mid sentence, confused look on my face.  I need new glasses and Josh went to look with me.  I tried these on and loved them.  I thought they made me look like a smart owl.  They are different than anything I've had before.  Josh took one look at them and said if only I had a wand I could be at Hogwarts.  Mom kind of got the same Harry Potter vibe.  Was HP your first thought when you saw these glasses?  Too much for my face?  I still like them, but others seem...more hesitant.

Saturday (AKA Devoid of Pity Title)

Today has been such fun.  First off, I slept late.  I never thought "late" would be 8:30.  I bet that gets even earlier when kids come on the scene lol.  Sleep is luscious.  When I woke up I smelled food.  For all his many wonderful qualities, Josh does not usually cook, but this morning he made me breakfast.  He did it up right too.  He made biscuits, gravy, eggs, and bacon.  It was wonderful.  Then I cleaned my house.  I actually enjoy cleaning house.  Clean toilets make my life feel more ordered.  Don't ask me why.  Then I went to eat lunch with my friend Bekah.  We hadn't seen each in awhile and had been teasing that we wouldn't be able to recognize one another because it had been so long.

I made a sign, just in case recognition was a problem lol.  She laughed.

After Olive Garden (ahhh, chicken gnocchi soup is Wonderful!), Bekah came to see my house for the first time and that was fun.  Then I hung out with Josh for a little while and we got ready to go out for date night.  We went to Wal-Mart (what, you don't date at Wal-Mart? lol) to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  It is one of my favorite holiday things to do!  I LOVE to pack the boxes super full and imagine the little kids' faces when they open them up.  I wanted to start the tradition in our little family, so we packed two boxes.  A 2-4 year old girl and a 7-9 year old boy.

I really want to play with these paper dolls.  I probably need to go personally with my box so I can play with the little girl and these dolls.  I've always loved paper dolls.  Plus, there is like 150 different dresses and accessories in this book!  Sweet!

This is Josh's box.  Not quite as over-packed as mine, but just as fun.  Every kid loves Legos and Josh managed to find a little box that builds three different cars.  Such fun!  Even a glow in the dark Batman shirt (and super hero underpants!)!

Then we ate at Chik-Fil-A.  Oh, yum, yum yum.  We could eat at Chik-Fil-A daily.  Then we went to the mall and looked at glasses.  I found a pair I really like but Josh laughed every time he looked at me in them so I couldn't commit.  Then we rented Thor at the Redbox and are watching snug in a jammies at home.  Sigh...a great day if ever there were one.

P.S.  I'll try to figure out how to get my iPhone to send pictures to the computer so I can show you the glasses.

Impulse Buys

I pretty much never have impulse buys but I went to Target and I saw this ornament:

  It matches exactly the KitchenAid mixer that is sitting wrapped for my birthday that I might possibly maybe get from my parents for my birthday.  Then I felt bad that Josh wasn't getting an ornament.  So I found him this cutie:

 
Josh loves Thomas.  I think it's cute. 

Now I have to go back to being frugal.  Still glad I got the ornaments though :)
Merry Christmas!  Happy Almost My Birthday!

Fun Mail!

 So I am easily impressed.  I can find fun in really simple things.  Today a Williams-Sonoma catalog came in and I am pumped!  I've already looked through it a couple times and torn out the pages with stuff I want, whether to buy, cook, or serve.  If you like any of that stuff, or if you just like to see random gadgets that you have no idea how you have lived without up to this point in your life, you need to go see their website:  Williams-Sonoma 

This was my favorite thing pretty much ever!  Do you know what they are?  They are "cakelets" in the shape of Marvel comic book heroes.  How amazing is that?!?!?!  It's for the geek in all of us, well if you are a geek, if you aren't then I feel a little sad for you.  However, I think most everyone can agree that cake is great and cake in fun shapes=even Better!!

Bake some of these in send them to your favorite person and me!

P.S.  This is not an ad for Williams-Sonoma, if I died tomorrow they wouldn't care, I wouldn't even make a dent in their bottom line.

This Is What My Brain Is Doing...

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....Bleeep bleep......Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...Honk....Whistle...Toot!  Seriously.  It really is.  I am physically exhausted but my brain is on hyper drive.  I swear I think I am can feel it vibrating in my skull.  I am taking Quantitative Analysis in addition to my forty hour work week.  Yeah my life is a blast.  I live on the edge...of my rapidly fraying nerves.  I desperately want to sleep but the vibrating brain won't let me.  I don't want to disturb Josh and I can't get up the energy to peel peaches (one of the many things I'm thinking about right now) so I am writing to all you lovelies. 

I went to Knoxville last weekend.  It was oh so much fun!  I got to see two old friends.  One was a totally random meeting on the street, what are the odds of that?  Hmm, I may have to look up the population and tell you the odds.  Oh wait, you don't care.  The other friend siting was planned. Josh and I met up with my friend Bev (hi Bev!) and her roommate at The Melting Pot.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  The Melting Pot is soooooo good.  If no one was around I could eat an entire pot of that chocolate and not come up for air.  It was also extraordinarily expensive, but we can't date for weeks on end because of our hectic schedules so we made an exception.  It was great and we want to go back.  We love Knox.  We are this ____ much considering moving.  One of the many things we are tossing around at this point.

I saw this at Williams and Sonoma.  It was the only thing in the store I didn't want (A cherry pitter?  Um, yeah!  I'm sure I would totally use that!).  Wait, the lobster isn't a cherry pitter, that was just one other thing I saw that was cool.  The lobster has no function.  It's just a Huge silver lobster.  Why?  I don't know why.  I'm not sure who spends $50 on a lobster that you can't even eat but if you do know who spends that kind of cash, send them my way, I'm sure I can find something to sell them!

Hmm...what other wonderful things have I not had time to tell you about?  I have a neurologist appt!  Woo hoo!  After four months of headaches there may be light at the end of this tunnel!  I'm hooked on the show my Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.  Super strange lifestyle, in my humble opinion.  The little girls dress like prostitutes but have super conservative values.  Check it out on youtube.  I'm spending so much time inside that I literally got a sunburn while driving this week.  Yeah, maybe time to study out of doors.  That's all the random rambling I'll subject you to at the moment.  Have an awesome weekend!

A Super Great Read!

I love to read.  I'm sure you already knew this.  I read this while I was at the beach.  It was so good!  I don't usually read a lot of Christian fiction because it is very predictable.  You can almost look at the cover of a book and know what it's going to be about, and I don't like to judge books by their covers.  Liz Curtis Higgs is such a good author.  This a second series set in 1700s Scotland.  I LOVE period books.  You can just sink into the time and ignore your ringing phone and noisy traffic.  This series is a more "modern" version of Ruth.  The first series she did about Scotland was a more "modern" version of Leah and Rachel.  Modern is a really relative term when you are comparing Biblical times, with 18th century Scotland, with the present day.  I like to read Liz Curtis Higgs because many years ago when I was transitioning from childhood books like Sweet Valley High to adult fiction, I wrote to her and told her how much I admired her writing.  She sent me a postcard back!  In purple marker!  I don't know why I remember that part, I just do.  It made me feel special that someone, even if it was just her publicist, read my letter and responded.  Moral of the story:  go to the library and check out this book, or borrow Thorn in My Heart which is the first in the first Scottish series, or go buy both and curl up to read all Memorial Day Weekend.

Weekends Are Delicious

I love weekends.  I mean this isn't really news, who doesn't love weekends.  May is the new December in that May is pretty much as busy as December.  This May I have graduation, two graduation parties/get togethers, a wedding, a class, and a bachelorette party.  Shew.  This is from the girl who is the equivalent of a social ostrich (instead of a social butterfly, ya see?  The whole head in the sand thing?).  This was our "free" weekend.  Josh is off for a week, lucky dog so we actually got to spend time together!  First we did Chop House with my family to celebrate Josh's graduation.  They got him six seasons of House, MD.  We've already watched an entire season.  I keep having to backspace and retype cause I'm distracted by watching.

After dinner we went shopping.  I had a coupon to Bed, Bath & Beyond that was going to expire soon.  I love coupons. I love BB&B.  It's a great time.  I got a pizza cutter, four martini glasses, and a tart (you know the smell good kind) for $13!  Not only did I have a coupon, every single one of those things was on sale.  AND I found a gift card left over from wedding gifts so everything was actually free.  AND the gift card was for more than I thought.  Happy Day!!!  Then we went to PetSmart to see if there was anything softy to pet.  There wasn't.  Then we went to Barnes and Noble where I got the above pink leather bound Alice in Wonderland.  Josh made margaritas to fill up our new glasses lol.  That's the stack of books I wanted to read this weekend.  So far I haven't made much progress because Gregory House needs my impressive diagnostic skills.

 

See these beauties?  I got them all at the farmer's market.  Less than $5.  Woo hoo!  I'm going to grill the cabbage and onion and saute the peppers.  The oregano will go in lots of stuff.  I'm pretty darn excited!  Then Josh and I went walking and got caught in the rain, played Monopoly and Rummy, and watched more House (that poor man just can't diagnose anything without our help).  Josh beat me in Monopoly which was a great sadness cause well I love to win.  Oh well.  Next time I'll get him :)  By the way for those of you who don't know, I collect Monopolies. I have more than thirty kinds.  This was Monopoly Connect where you connect the pieces (clever name huh?) to make the board.  In a green effort, the game has environmental hazards and bonus buildings to help combat the hazards.  A little weird.  Not my favorite version, but that could be because I lost, blush.  It was pretty much an awesome weekend.  I'm glad it was restful.  

I hope your weekend was equally as good!