Favorites Friday: Peacocks

I love peacocks. Peacock blue is my favorite color. As a bird, I think they're quite majestic. I remember going to a zoo in Germany and seeing the peacocks wandering around completely free. You could buy their feathers in the gift shop for one Deutsche Mark, so most kids got one as a souvenir on field trips.

This week I decided that my Friday Favorites would be all about the cool peacock themed things I've found on Etsy.

Peacock Blue Crystal Earrings by beachflowerdesigns $16

Vintage Double String Carnival Bead Necklace by CuriosCorner $20.28

1960s Peacock Beaded Bag by archetypevintage $45

Peacock Dog Collar by youhadmeatwoof $19

Peacock Crystal Hair Clip by bethanylorelle $39.50

Antique Periwinkle Peacock Enameled Bar Pin by MindiLynJewelry $26

Watercolor Painting by MaiAutumn $29.40

Vintage Abstract Peacock Colored Dress by FlanneryCrane $58

Peacock Blue Glass Apothecary Jar by randomandrare1 $75

Embroidered Peacock Clutch by ItsSoClutch $50

Trinket Box by AULDNNEW $38.50

Peacock Felties by AllPrettyLilThings $3.20

Upcycled Peacock Pouf by BEloise $130

Easy Corn Shucking

Today was slightly better weather wise, we had some moments of sunshine. Overall still kind of dreary.

We didn't go anywhere or do anything special, but we had corn on the cob with lunch.

This might not seem like a big deal, but I really love corn on the cob. I'm slightly allergic to the corn silk (nasal allergy not food allergy) and so I hated buying the fresh husks and trying to shuck them through a runny nose. Frozen pre-packaged stuff just isn't the same. As much as I love corn on the cob we just never had it very often.

Well, break out the floss because last year I learned a new way of preparing it. Thanks to the magic of Pinterest, I learned that you can microwave the corn in the husk. Then you take it out, slice off the end, and shake the corn out. We have corn on the cob so much more often now! Especially when the fresh stuff comes out at the Farmer's Market.

The corn stays crisp and there is very little mess. Plus, it's a really cute older guy doing the demonstration.

Without further ado, here is the video of Ken teaching you how to shuck corn. (He uses gloves, I just use two dishtowels.)

The video is courtesy martincraid4 on YouTube.

Yay! Summer!

It's finally here! Woo! Summer Vacation!

I have so many plans for this vacation! Camping! Hiking! Swimming! I've been planning for so long and now it's here!

Actually, a lot of those plans are going to have to wait because on Saturday my adorable baby sister is coming to visit!! We are only two years apart and we fought like cats when we were younger. Age and having kids has mellowed us a lot. Now we're really close. Emotionally that is. Physically we're around 750 miles apart. She lives in the Phoenix suburbs and I'm way up here in O-Town.

That will change on Saturday when her and her four kids will be invading our 3 bedroom one bathroom house for a few weeks. Logistically I'm not sure how well this will work, but we are sure as heck going to try it.

This week I have to spend as much time as I can cleaning up the house. I wrenched my back and spent most of last week laid up, so the house went down the tubes. Luckily my sister doesn't expect the house to be spotless, she's got four kids after all! She knows what a lived in house looks like!

If anybody wants to come over and help me, you are more than welcome. Even if you just want to come chat with me. For some reason when I am chatting I get more done. It's probably because I'm an extrovert, I get energy from social interactions.

Wish me luck and send me your good, clean house vibes!

Macaroni, but not the kind with cheese.

I'm kind of a history geek. I know a bunch of random facts about things that happened way too long ago. Ask my friends, I bring up weird facts all the time. Luckily for me they're all kind of geeky in their own ways, so they tolerate this quirk of mine.

Recently I learned something new and it was one of those forehead-slapping, oh-my-goodness-so-THAT-is-what-it-means kind of moments.

If it shocked me, the History Nerd, then maybe it would be eye opening to you guys too!

Now, just about every American kid knows the song Yankee Doodle. How it is a song that the British made up to make fun of the American Colonists during the Revolutionary War, but the Colonists turned it around and made it kind of a theme song.

Yankee Doodle went to town,

A-riding on his pony.

He stuck a feather in his cap,

And called it Macaroni!

Well, I couldn't ever understand how sticking a feather in your cap could ever be mistaken for noodles. I even asked my teacher about it when we were taught the song. I was told that the British were saying that the Colonists were just that stupid. 

I was taught WRONG!!

How does this....

...Mean this?

IT DOESN'T!!

After doing a little research I found out that Macaroni was actually a fashion trend! 

Macaroni (which can also be spelled Maccaroni) was a mid-18th century fashion trend, mostly among men in the upper classes.

If you picture the men in the mid-1700s with the huge powdered wigs, wearing tons of make-up, fake beauty marks, and talking with an effeminate air. That is Macaroni. 

If you've seen Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, the man who does the wigs for Marie Antoinette is a really good example of a Macaroni. 

That is the best picture I could find online. The Macaroni is the guy on the right with the pointy looking hair. If you compare him to the rest of the male cast you can really see how odd he looks. The movie uses it brilliantly for comedic effect. 

Here's a historical caricature. Regular guy on the right, Macaroni on the left. 

The Macaroni was the precursor to the Dandy of the 1800s. Somebody, usually male, who took a great interest in fashion and tended to really go overboard with trends. 

What the British were trying to convey in the song was that the Colonists were so stupid that they thought a simple feather was enough adornment to be the same as the overblown Macaroni. 

In today's society we have lots of different ways of dressing: Skaters, Hipsters, Preppies, Yuppies, Metrosexuals, People of WalMart...

In the middle of the 1700s you didn't have this many choices. Your style of dress was determined by your status or class in society. So these upper class weird Macaroni were really a sight to behold. (Kind of like when really rich ladies get really bad plastic surgery.)

In summation, translating it into todays language, Yankee Doodle might go something like this:

Dumb American went to town,

A-riding in his Mazda.

Sagged his pants below his butt,

And called himself a gangsta'!

Lovely Locks

I'm going to try a new feature. Henceforth, I declare Fridays to be Favorites Friday. I'll post some of my favorite things for y'all to ogle. Let me know if you love it or hate it or feel completely ambivalent.

In October, Eric and I will be celebrating our 15th Wedding anniversary. I've been trying to think of gifts for him and one of the things I was thinking was a play on the  "You hold the key to my heart" idea.

I did a search on Etsy for "lock" and I got completely lost. I'm afraid I found a lot more stuff for myself than I did for Eric. I didn't buy anything (yet!) but here are some of my favorites.

Key to my Heart Locket Necklace by iluxo $34.99

 Fancy Key and Lock Bangle 2 Bracelet Set by turquoisecity $17.95

Heart Lock Padlock by MinSvenskaLandgard $11

Cute Star Lock by 3Dpatternpaper $3.80

Antique Reproduction Turtle Garden Lock by SweetyPutul $32.

Oval Lock Silhouette Ring by ANORIGINALJEWELRY  $50

Red Heart Lock by illumine $3

Hindu-Persian Jewelry Box by CozyTraditions $99

Small Heart Lock by SerenityInChains $8

Impossible Puzzle Lock Box by kalotart $49.90

Countdown to Summer

Today is the last full day of school for my kids. Friday and Tuesday are half days. The school year was actually supposed to end tomorrow, but we had a Snow Day and needed to add another day to make up for it. One of the cool things about my kids' school is that they sent out a survey asking when we'd prefer to have the extra day added.

Here I am, sitting in the living room trying to motivate my kids to get dressed and ready for school. They're dragging. I keep chanting to myself, "It's almost over, it's almost over..."

I'm looking forward to this Summer Break. I have all sorts of fun stuff planned! My sister is coming into town at the beginning of June, and I'm super excited about that. I've also been compiling a list of things I want to do with the kids. I've been working on it since January. We're going to build a solar oven, and attempt to cook a meal in it. We're going to pitch the tent in the back yard and camp out a lot.  I'm going to teach my kids part of my vast knowledge on how to start and maintain fires. We'll be Letterboxing and using the compasses the kids got for Christmas.

Joey had his Kindergarten evaluation and didn't do very well, so a lot of this break will be dedicated to getting him ready for school. I have an idea in my head to do my own little Summer Camp for the kids and the idea is evolving to include things Joey needs to be familiar with. Maybe a number, letter, and shape of the day? I have to ponder that one some more.

Utah Bloggers Meetup

I've been wanting to get moving on this blog again but for some reason I've just been lacking in motivation. I have no idea what my problem is, but I get all kinds of ideas late at night. Then the next morning I stare at a blank page until I finally give up and head over to Pinterest.

Saturday I got a brilliant shot of inspiration!

I met a few of the coolest ladies in this state. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Utah Bloggers Meetup hosted by my dear friend Mikki. I felt like a total impostor since my blog has a grand total of 6 followers and I hadn't updated in more than a month (we won't do the math to see how long it'd been before that.)

I went because I wanted to get some tips and tricks to hopefully get my blog to be more successful. Life had other plans. I didn't get a single tip.

Something much better happened.

I made new friends!

Photo courtesy of Mikaela Platter.

Every one of the bloggers was amazing, and completely sweet. They accepted my pathetic handmade "business" card and handed me their adorable ones. They let me hold their babies (I'm looking at you Victoria!) and chatted with me all afternoon. As much as I can use the help with this blog, the friendships that are starting to sprout will be much more valuable.

If you look close you'll see the little lip just starting to pout. Poor little cutie just wanted to eat and there I was stealing cuddles. Photo courtesy of Kristin Brandt.

Mikki planned this whole thing, and she did an amazing job. Seriously, I don't know how she does it! Everything she touches just turns amazing!

We met at Grounds for Coffee at 25th Street. It was the perfect place! I didn't know it, but they have a second story area with more tables and quite a bit of privacy. The best thing about this particular Grounds for Coffee is their baker, Jenny. She makes delicious gluten free desserts! I'm drooling just remembering the astounding chocolate mousse cake I had. They didn't have my favorite, the cheesecake, but the mousse cake quickly made me forget my disappointment. I washed it down with a fresh raspberry lemonade. Yes, you can go to Grounds for Coffee and never even have coffee!

Now, I have a confession. I am a sucker for swag. It's sick. Mikki, with her magic, arranged for us to get some pretty awesome gift bags. They were filled with great stuff! Sweet Pop'n Cafe gave us kettle corn, amazing kettle popped corn with just the right amount of sweet and salt. Mmmmm, I'm hungry again just thinking of it. Green the Earth added samples, I got some face firming lotion which I'm looking forward to trying. Silver Firs Farm gave us the most lush lip balm I've ever tried. I tried thinking of other descriptive words but "lush" is the one that keeps coming to mind.  Grounds for Coffee Riverdale, Rovali's Ristorante Italiano, Timeless Yoga, and Treehouse Museum all contributed valuable coupons for free stuff. By far the best swag came from Indie Ogden: stickers, a drink kooszie, and a super soft t-shirt! Oh yeah, and a fuzzy, stick-on moustache, because.... Well, of course a fuzzy, stick-on moustache!

There was one other thing in these bulging gift bags. A t-shirt from FamilyShare.com. Now the thing about this t-shirt is that it's part of a contest. I'm supposed to refashion it, blog about it, and then possibly win a prize. My head is already bubbling with ideas, so stay tuned to see what I make of it.

The Bloggers Meetup was a raging success and I am thrilled that I was a part of it. I look forward to picking up skills from the new friends I made and hopefully making this blog a much better place!

If you're curious about the bloggers I met then head over to the Indie Ogden review of the meetup. Mikki compiled a whole list of the blogs who's writers came. Hours of good reading all listed out for you!

Welcome Back to the Randomness!

If you are reading this then you're a real trooper! I know it's been forever, I have no excuses.

For my own sanity I'd like to work on this blog again. I'm not promising it'll be great but I can promise more random.

Another Story Time

What time is it? 

4:30

It's not late

Naw

Naw

It's Early

Early

I miss the 90s.

Actually it's 3:16.  I woke up around 12:30 for a trip to the bathroom and just couldn't fall back to sleep.  I am normally a very sound sleeper, but when I get disturbed I have a really, really hard time getting sleep to come around again.

Since it's the middle of the night and there is nothing to do I'm here on my blog. Rambling about nothing.

Let's see, what should I tell y'all about this time.... Oh, I've got it.

I'm going to tell you about the time I got pneumonia (Holy Cow I spelled it right on my first try!)


When I was about 10 my parents took us on a great winter vacation to some kind of hotel/lodge.  I don't think it was a ski resort but I remember we went tubing.  What I do know is that the hotel had an indoor heated pool and hot tub.  We got a big kick out of that and I think we spent more time in that pool than anywhere else.  My sister and I especially had fun in the hot tub, going under water and playing with the jets.

About a day and a half into our vacation I started feeling sick.  Really sick.  I started running a fever and I was hot enough that my parents decided we'd better go to the hospital.  As we were leaving the hotel we happened to pass by the hot tub and for the first time since we got there it wasn't running.  It was nasty.  There was some kind of green film on top of the water.  I don't remember it, but I've heard the story. My mom says it looked like pond scum or algae.  If she'd seen it first she never would have let us in that thing.

When we got to the hospital after a torturous car ride I had the pleasure of having my ears scraped out and trying to stand still for X-Rays while I was freezing and weak. Turns out I had an infection in both ears and full-blown pneumonia.  I was given a prescription and my mom filled it there in the hospital.  I had to take one of the pills right away, so she got me over to a water fountain and I took it.

I got about four steps from the fountain before I 'unswallowed' all over my little brother.  He was about four years old at the time and had a beloved Care Bear, Grumpy.  I covered this poor boy from head to toe in sick and all he did was stand there, bottom lip quivering and said the words that would soon become family legend,

"She trew up on Drumpy!" (My Joey sounds a lot like Dan did at that age!)

He didn't care at all that he had just been covered in vomit, his only concern was for his precious Grumpy.  Sweet kid.  My poor dad had to take my little brother into the Mens room to try to somehow hose him off while my mom took me into the Ladies to clean me up.  I don't remember how they cleaned him up, but I think having vacation clothes in the car probably helped.

When we finally got home I was put to bed.  The next bit of my memory is really hazy. I had a waterbed at that time and I remember that every time I rolled over or moved the waves made me nauseated.  I also remember feeling so thirsty but the only thing I could hold down was ice water.  If it wasn't absolutely freezing cold I couldn't stomach it.  I was so in and out of reality that I would pick up the cup next to my bed thinking it was just a few minutes old when really it had been filled hours before.  I'd take a huge gulp of lukewarm water and that would start the fireworks all over again.

When I finally started feeling better I asked what day it was.  My mom told me it was Wednesday, so I thought I'd been out of it for three days, since I'd gone to the hospital on a Saturday.  Apparently it was Wednesday of the next week.  There is a whole week of my life that I have absolutely no memory of.  My fourth grade class even made me a Get Well Soon card, but I don't remember seeing it.  I heard about it when I got back to school.

My lungs have never been the same since then.  I've been told I have permanent damage from the pneumonia.  I'm not sure exactly what that means, other than I get winded a little more easily.  I was never a very athletic kid, so it didn't matter much.

There you have it, the story of how I single handed-ly ruined a great family get-away. You've got to admit, I really did the job thoroughly! I not only puked on my brother, I'm pretty sure I gave my sister a phobia of hot tubs.  I don't know how long it took her to get over that.  Yep, when I ruin a vacation I do it with flair!


Well, it's 4:06 now.  I'm still wide awake but I think I'm going to try to go back to bed.  I've still got a couple hours before I have to get the kids up.  Maybe I can get a little sleep.  Good night!

Little Parrot

My three year old (nearly four) is quite the little parrot.  He will be paying attention to something else completely and just grab one word from a conversation or TV and repeat it. Over and over.  Obviously I have to be careful what I say. Not that I'm bad, but I do tend to use mild expletives. "Crap" is the worst but I also use "Shoot", "Stinkin'", "Freakin'", and "Darn" pretty regularly.

Today I learned that I have to watch the other things I say just as carefully.

First, a little background.  I don't often drink soft drinks, especially carbonated ones.  I have problems with my gal bladder and carbonation makes it worse, I'm also very sensitive to high fructose corn syrup.  However, when I feel a migraine coming I know that having a Dr. Pepper (the only kind of soda I like) will help get rid of the problem before it gets too bad.  I always get a fountain drink because they are cheaper and the ice helps dilute it a little.  The largest I ever get is 32 ounces.  Any bigger and I get in trouble.

Today was one of those days where I needed a Dr. Pepper.  I could feel the migraine coming on and I need to get stuff done today.  There is a Sinclair gas station down the road from us that not only has the best Dr. Pepper fountain (something about their mix makes it really good, I swear) but they also have a drive-thru so I don't have to unload Joey just for a drink.  The people who work there are also really nice and we go there a lot.

Those who know me know that I like to tease.  In my family and Eric's family teasing is kind of a sign of affection.  We only tease the people we like. If we don't tease you then you should feel left out.  Good natured ribbing is par for the course.  I also tend to tease my friends and people I feel comfortable with.  Sometimes if I'm in a good mood random strangers will also get this treatment.  What can I say, I'm a crazy person.

On to the subject of this post.

I dropped the big kids off at school and hit the grocery store.  I felt the migraine coming on so I decided to hit the gas station on my way home and get my Dr. Pepper fix.

After the attendant handed me my drink we had to wait a few seconds for my receipt to print so I told him they had the best Dr. Pepper.  Teasing him I said, "You guys put crack in the mix, don't you? Just to get people to keep coming back."

He laughed at me and played along basically saying, "Yeah, you caught us.  It's all that crack."

We laughed a little and I pulled away.  Two seconds later Joey pipes up from the back seat:

"Whas twack?"
"Why dere twack in you dotter pepber?"
"Why dey put twack in you dotter pepber?"

Crap.

I explained that crack is a bad drug and that I was just joking about it being in my Dr. Pepper. I'm hoping he forgets all about it soon. Fingers crossed!

Just so you all know.  If you hear my son talking about my soda being laced with drugs.  I promise, I do not now nor will I ever consume illegal substances!

I guess if that's the worst thing my kid learns from me I'm still doing okay!

Dog Park

We went to the dog park after school today.  The weather was perfect for it and there were a ton of dogs there. Of course, I forgot my camera!  I charged up the battery yesterday and forgot to put it back in my bag.  D'oh!

We had lots of fun.  There were a bunch of puppies there today.  A five month old Rottweiler that I just wanted to squeeze, an adorable eight month old Labrador/Australian Mix, and a very hyper nine month old Golden that kept knocking my kids down.  So stinking cute. They were all so soft, especially the Rottie. Gotta love that puppy softness! They definitely made me glad I don't have a puppy though!  They had way more energy than I'd be able to handle.

One lady came and brought her Husky/Malamute mix and German Shepherd.  The Husky mix looked just like a wolf.  He was gorgeous and huge!  He was just a big sweetheart and a total wimp.  It was so cute!  Joshua kept trying to play with him but he was just scaring the pants of the poor dog.  Josh would yell his name and go running after him like we do with Leela, but the poor Husky was just scared and would run away from Josh with his tail tucked between his legs.  Josh eventually figured out that if he threw a ball then he could get the dog to play.

Leela doesn't really play much at the dog park.  She does run around and get some exercise though, and that's what's important.  She likes playing with other dogs but they have to really bug her to get her to play with them.  It takes her a while to warm up to it.  She especially likes playing with little dogs.  She likes to chase them down and then chew on their ears. Not hard, she doesn't hurt anybody, just playfully.  Some of the little dogs actually like it.  It's funny, the ones who like it will get all slobbery.  Then when it dries their fur stands up like spikes.  It's so gross. I'm just glad Leela doesn't get slobbered on.  It's a lot easier to bathe a little dog than it is to wash a beast like her.

Here are a few pictures that Joshua and Bethy took back in November.  I'll try to remember my camera tomorrow and get some new shots.

Middle Child

I spent some time this afternoon outside watching my eight year old, Joshua, do tricks on the new scooter he got from Santa. The light was going but I did manage to get a couple of pictures.

Here's a shot of one of his tricks.  He calls it the "I Gotta Go". 

Yup, that's my boy!

Sister Friend

I spent hours last night chatting online with my cousin Shanon.  Lots of fun.  She's technically my cousin, you know, biologically and all that.  In reality though she's much more to me.

When I was a teenager Shanon came to live with us and we went to High School together.  Shanon is three years older than me, she was a Senior while I was a lowly Sophomore.  She welcomed me into her group of friends and made my whole High School experience so much better.

Since we weren't exactly sisters but cousin seemed too distant to fully explain the relationship, Shanon came up with the term "Sister-Friend".  That pretty much sums it up.

Even though Shanon is older than me I've always felt like the Big Sister.  It's just my personality.  I like to take care of people.  I worry, fret, mother, and if we're being perfectly honest, probably smother people too. It's just how I am.

I'm actually trying to convince Shanon to move here.  Not only since I think she'd like it here and my town is just amazing.  I really, honestly just miss her.  My sister-in-laws are awesome, they really are, they're just too normal.  I need the color in my life that only Shanon can bring and my kids are seriously lacking in the 'Crazy Aunt' department.  My little sister Heidi's kids get Crazy Aunt in spades.  Not only do they have me, they've also got my sister's best friend Kim.  My kids are pathetically neglected in comparison.  Crazy Mom they've got, Crazy Aunt they lack.  (By the way, I too have a Crazy Aunt.  When we tell crazy relative stories I always win because of her.  For those relatives who are reading:  I'm not talking about Jeanne, Joanne, or Kitty.  Although you all are pretty nuts...)

And now, since she'd have to be here in person in order to murder me with her bare hands, I present embarrassing pictures from High School!!

Summer 1995 at Disneyland.  Left to right: Shanon, Heidi, Me, and our little brother Daniel.

Shanon and I in the Fall  of 1995.  She was blessed with adorable freckles and dimples.  I just got zits.

We were paragons of style.

New Glasses

I ordered new glasses today!  Whoo Hoo!  Two pairs of regular glasses and one pair of sunglasses.  All for under $12 each.

How is this possible you ask?  I'll tell you my little secret.

Zenni Optical.

They are brilliant.  It's like buying glasses wholesale. I go into any glasses store at the mall, try on a bunch of different frames, decide which ones I like, then come home and find them online for a fraction of the price.  What would normally cost me $250 after insurance turns into $15 including shipping. No insurance needed. I can even try the glasses on an uploaded picture of myself to make sure they fit my face correctly.

I first ordered glasses from Zenni in May 2010.  I'd just gone to the eye doctor at Lens Crafters and purchases a pair of glasses there.  After my insurance the glasses cost me something like $210.  I don't have any special prescription or lens needs, but I did have them add the non-reflective coating.  Then as an experiment, and because our HSA would pay for it, Eric and I decided to order some frames from Zenni and compare the two.  I didn't order the exact same pair but it was the exact same prescription.

Eric has a really strong prescription in his glasses.  In order to not have heavy Coke-bottle glasses he has to have the really expensive, light weight lenses in his frames.   His one pair of glasses at Lens Crafters was $325.  After insurance.  

When we placed our 2010 order with Zenni we bought one pair of regular glasses and two pairs of sunglasses for me, and one pair of sunglasses with the more expensive lenses for Eric.  Our total including shipping was less than $99.  Four pairs of glasses for under a hundred bucks.  After spending nearly $500 at the glasses store in the mall. I was already impressed.

It did take us longer than expected to get our frames.  The website told us 2-4 weeks and we didn't get ours until just after the four week mark.  I was starting to get worried. They did eventually come though and they were worth the wait.

The pair I got from Zenni were meant to be spare glasses.  The ones I got from Lens Crafters were supposed to be my grown-up, everyday glasses.  Six months after I got my 'grown-up' glasses, they broke.  A year later the 'fun' pair are still going strong. They've lost a few of the gems at the temple but are otherwise stellar.

I've heard that some people have a problem with Zenni frames not being the correct prescription.  Personally I haven't had a problem.  The Zenni glasses are exactly the same to look through as the ones from Lens Crafters.  Eric says the same thing. Oh yeah, I can also take my Zenni frames into any local glasses store and they'll do free adjustments to fit them for free.

Since everything went so well with our last order we decided to go ahead and try again. Eric priced some glasses for himself at Lens Crafters for $250 (after insurance.)  We found a pair that look exactly the same on Zenni for less than $40.  That includes his expensive lenses and the anti-reflective coating.  I ordered another three pairs, this time two regular glasses and one pair of sunglasses.  Zenni changed their prices a little and the frames I chose were even less expensive than last time.  We ordered four pairs of glasses: one pair with anti-reflective and more expensive lenses, one pair with the sunglass tint, and two regular pairs with anti-reflective coating.  All for less than $89. They're running a special right now where you get free shipping on orders over $50, so we saved $4.95.

Even if you don't wear prescription glasses I recommend you check these guys out. Less than $17 for a pair of sunglasses is pretty awesome.  I know how easy it is to lose and scratch up sunglasses, for this price you could have a whole wardrobe of shades!

According to the website we should get our glasses in 7-14 days.  Experience tells me it'll probably be closer to a month.  As soon as the box comes in I'll model my glasses and post pictures!

Happy 2012!!

Happy New Year everybody!  I hope you all had lots of fun last night!  I stayed up with my two oldest kids watching Netflix and playing on my laptop.  I just happened to notice that it said 12:00 on my computer and just sort of told the kids, "Hey guys, it's Midnight.  Happy New Year."  They were a little disappointed that we didn't watch the ball drop, so I guess I'll have to tune into that next year.

I don't make New Year Resolutions.  I know myself well enough to know that I won't keep them.  I have enough problems with guilt, I don't need to add to it.  I'm also not superstitious about the New Year.  I like traditions about starting things fresh, so I do try to start the year off with a clean house.  I just don't think it feels like a new year.  I prefer Chinese New Year.  At least that happens closer to Spring.  Then it really feels like things are starting over.  Right now everything in Nature is still hibernating.  There isn't anything fresh.  Nothing feels new.  I like to celebrate New Year traditions near Easter.  That's when I really feel like shaking off the old and welcoming the new. Especially since I've been living here in Northern Utah.  By Easter things are (usually) starting to bud and the weather is warming up.  Watching the world wake up and come back to life is a great motivation for me.  Midwinter just makes me want to curl up with a book and a cup of peppermint tea.  Winter makes me feel like hibernation is really the best idea, I'm not exactly motivated toward action.

So there it is.  Today is basically a regular day.  Eric let me sleep in really late and I've been spending the rest of the day working on some housework.  We skipped church since Eric is still fighting this stomach bug that won't let go and everybody else was up so late.  Pretty boring.

I do have a goal for 2012.  Not a resolution, just a goal.  I want to be better about updating my blog than I had been in 2011.  I really got started posting regularly around my birthday in October, so this isn't a recent goal.

Dressember really helped me.  I had to not only get dressed up but part of the challenge was to post your outfit on your blog every day.  Now that Dressember is over I'm looking for more blog challenges like that.  If anybody has any ideas I'd love to hear them.

I'm not just doing this blog to entertain my few readers.  If I am entertaining then it's a bonus.  Writing in this blog is a lot like journaling for me.  I can post how I'm feeling and what I'm doing and learn some things about myself.  When I keep up with my blog I seem to do a lot better emotionally.  My meds can only do so much to help with my depression.  Any other tools I can keep in my arsenal really make the war easier to fight.

Speaking of which, if you happen to notice that I haven't posted in a while that's probably a sign that I'm having a hard time.  Dropping me a little note would go a long way to help.  When I get depressed it's hard for me to ask for help.  Sometimes I don't even realize how bad things are getting until I'm already buried.  Having a little wake-up call can help me stop digging myself into a hole while I'm still able to climb out.

Wow, got a little dark there didn't it!  Sorry about that.  I hope I didn't kill your New Year's 'buzz'.  I really do wish all of you a stupendous 2012! If there is anything I can do to help you with your resolutions, just let me know.  I am a great listener and I love to motivate people!

Dressember Accessories

I totally wimped out on the last day of Dressember.  If I had somewhere exciting to go I'd probably have some kind of pretty outfit to wear.  Since we're just staying home tonight I'm just wearing jeans and another of my Arizona State sweatshirts.

I was up pretty early this morning in order to take delivery of my friend's doggy.  My friend had a death in the family and had to leave town suddenly.  I told her I'd take her puppy for the day.  She was here about 6:30.  I didn't feel like getting fully decked out that early, so I just tossed on some jeans in the hope that I would get dressed later. Totally didn't happen.

So here I am.  One couch holder downer on each side.  Here's a couple shots of my friend's dog, she's a sweetie.  In the first one you can see the aforementioned sweatshirt.

In the second you can see how seriously she takes the task of holding down that couch. Wild horses couldn't drag her from her duties. Bacon... now that's a different story.

She really is a sweetheart.  Eric came home and she was cuddling with him in a matter of minutes.  Never met him before to complete lapdog in seconds.  Now he can't keep her off him!

Since I bailed on Dressember I thought I'd take some pictures of my jewelry, just the stuff I wore this month.  My full body pictures kind of leave the accessories out and I really want to show them off a little.  Especially since I made some of them!  I apologize for the quality of the pictures.  Shaky hands and close ups are not a good combination.

Opal Ring: 10th Anniversary gift from Eric

Cameo: I made it with pieces from Findings Victoria on Etsy

Faux Pearl Brooch: Garage sale, I think it was less than a quarter.

Butterfly Brooch: Target

Pocket Watch: Victorian Trading Company

Grey Freshwater Pearl Bracelet:  A gift from my fabulous sister.

Pearl Necklace and Earrings: A gift from Eric on our Wedding Day.

Silver 'Globe' Earrings: Same Yard Sale as the faux pearl brooch, I think they were ten cents.

Gold Hoops: I think I got them at a mall kiosk but I can't remember.

Opal Necklace and Earrings: A gift from Eric. 

Shell Necklace: I bought as a souvenir from the cruise my mom took my sister and I on back in 2006.  I got it from the Hilo Hattie store in San Diego.

The four earrings on the left are all made by me.  The gold ones on the right were purchased from Feather and Rust on Etsy.  I thought displaying them on a glass of Martinelli's was appropriate.

Well, there you go.  Dressember has come to an end.  I really enjoyed myself and I plan to do it again next year.  I know I didn't do a fantabulous job dressing up every day, I'm hoping I'll do better next time.

Happy New Year everybody!  

Stay safe and I hope your 2012 is amazing and wonderful! 

Late

I'm running pretty late with this post.  I had my picture taken for Dressember around 11:00 yesterday but I didn't sit right down and post like I usually do.  Then I took the kids to Wal-Mart to spend their gift cards that they got for Christmas from my parents.  

That was quite the ordeal.  They absolutely love getting gift cards.  The problem is that my kids are not exactly the most decisive. There wasn't one big thing they wanted to get, they wanted lots of little things.  We kept going back and forth to the price scanner thingy so I could add up things and make sure they had enough on their cards.  Then they'd find something else or have a new idea and the whole process would start all over again.  At one point Elizabeth found a Smurf doll with no tag that she absolutely fell in love with.  We looked all over that stinkin' store and couldn't find another one. We had to take it to Customer Service to try and find a price.  Of course, since there was no tag they had no idea either.  They asked us to finish our shopping while they tried to look things up.  That was fine except that it made it a lot harder to determine how much Bethy could spend.  Ugh.  She had to wait until we were at the checkout to make her final decisions.  I felt so bad for the people in line behind us.

By the time we got home I was completely wiped out.  Practically catatonic.  I sat down to play with my Christmas Present and didn't move for the rest of the evening. Thank goodness we were just having bratwurst for dinner.  A few minutes in the microwave and dinner is ready.  I tossed in a bag of chips and called it good.  Okay, actually I just had Josh nuke the brats and told the kids where the chips were.  Close enough.

Here I am before the shopping trip:

Luckily I was smart enough to change into my ballet flats before our shopping trip.  Those shoes are comfy, just not hours at Wal-Mart comfy.

Scarf: Crazy Horse, I think I got it at J.C. Penny.  It was years ago though, so I can't really remember.  I bought it after seeing How to Steal a Million for the first time.  If I could I would dress like Audrey Hepburn every single day.

Earrings: Another one of my creations.

Top: Wal-Mart

Skirt: Target

Leggings: Motherhood Maternity

Shoes: Wal-Mart

Since I was so late posting here's another bonus picture of my dog holding down the other couch.  

What would I do without her?  All those couches, just floating around on the ceiling.  Oh yeah and my bed.  She holds that down too. So helpful.