Beauty

Sale Shopping

I've been trying these last couple weeks to get the kids school clothes & shoes bought before the madness of the back-to-school sales really begin. That's when all the nutters come out. So far I'm really proud of my sale shopping. I still have a little bit left to get but I have confidence (lol) that I'll be able to find the fab sales that I've been finding. All it takes is a little patience in searching the stores & combing the racks.

Where did I find these great deals? Surprisingly JCPennys & Old Navy. Last year most of the kids shirts came from K-Mart b/c they were like $8.99 for graphic tees. No where could beat that. That was last year!

Right now, Old Navy has graphic tees for 6 bucks & Polo shirts for $7. So the Boy Wonder picked out his selection of tees, grabbed a couple of Polo's and were on our merry way. At Pennys I found the girls graphic tees for wait for it......wait......$3.59!! Regular price: $14.99. How's that for bargain shopping?! Pennys has a killer sale going on. The girls got 7 different styles of shirts from fun to dressed-up for $5.03, reg. price $19.99. There's more but I won't bore you with the details.

Both shopping trips together I spent $320.29 but saved $288.38 shopping sale items only. Getting a total of 1 pr. of Nikes, 2 prs. of New Balance, 1 pr. Sketchers, 1 pr. Arizona Jeans Co. flats, 1 backpack & 22 items of clothing. Those prices can't be beat by Wal-Mart.

Reflections

No Justice

So Michael Vick has been reinstated to the NFL.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090727/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_vick_reinstated

WHAT A CROCK OF SHITE.

Although my husband said he knew it would happen, I had hopes that it wouldn't.

However it seems the NFL harbors criminals so why wouldn't they let him back? They apparently like to give pats on the backs & fat paychecks to those that are a waste of space. Drunk drivers that kill & animal torturer slash murderer are way up there on the list of people that shouldn't be allowed to breathe.

I seriously hope that whatever team decides to sign Vick on gets so much shit thrown at them they let him go. I hope PETA gets dirty with this, as dirty and downright outrageous as they've never done before.

And if you read this and think BFD blah, blah, blah I want you to look up pictures of the dogs that were saved from Vick's dog fighting "kennel" & tell me what they did to deserve that. How about the ones that were drowned? Electrocuted?? Hung???

If you can look at those pictures and still think it's not a big deal what that piece of shit did/was a part of, then do the world a favor- go get a plastic bag, put it over your head, tie it really tight to ensure no air can get in and wait....

An artist in the making

By: Boo J., age 9

A stranger wondered into our lives...

And just as quickly as he entered, he was gone. This is 'Meaty.' This beautiful dog was at our house one day when we got home and here he stayed for about 2 weeks. Everyone on the farm took to 'Meaty' right away. And even though we knew we needed another pet like we needed a hole in the head, we were ready to keep him. Yes, he had a collar on but no tags so we knew he belonged to someone out there. The local PAWS was notified in case that someone was looking for him.

Meaty followed the kids around outside, accompanied Brent to round up horses & was even friendly to Chunky & Piper even though they weren't too keen w/him. He was such a friendly & loving dog. Took to his new name & came when he was called. His downfall, after a week, was when he started to follow my truck every time I'd try to leave.

The first time he went missing for a day I found him on the next road over at a friends house. I put him in the truck & bought him home. A few days later, Meaty disappeared...never to be seen again. I searched for a good week up & down the roads, near and far, in hopes that we'd find him; kids hanging out the windows calling his name. Even stopping to talk to people in their front yards about him, leaving my phone #.

It's been months now since Meaty's been gone, we still look for him on long roads home. We hope that he finally found his way back home.

**Help your local animal shelter by donating much needed items such as food, bowls, blankets, shampoos, etc. Contact the shelter in your area for a complete list.**

~"You can judge a nation's morality by the way they treat their animals." Ghandi

Night approachs

I love the colors of the sky in this picture. Hate that the fence post is in it.

Tonight is the night

Of the Solar Eclipse!

For more info go to: http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2009eclipse/

They're also offering a Live Web Cast from Shanghai.

The kids & I can't wait to see it. We love this sort of thing!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

How does your garden grow?


Seriously, spill it sister.


I'm envious of people with green thumbs...them & their picture perfect flower gardens make me sick. I long for the day I can keep a potted flower alive for more than 2 weeks- max.

Too much water, not enough sunlight. Not enough water, too much sunlight. *SIGH* It's really confusing for me. Therefore I'm trying my hand, er, thumb at growing elephant ears. These plants are no-fuss. They're not like those picky pesky prissy pretty flowers. (Try saying that 3x fast :)













So far so good. I haven't killed it yet...now if I can just get Brent to stop going over it with the weed-eater....

Guilt Sucks

You know the guilt you get when you put that little extra something in the shopping trolley? How about when you're cramming that #3 (guilt) meal down your throat? Renting that movie you've been dying to see & even though it's not a 'dirty' one, it sure makes you feel like it.

Yep, that 5, 10, 20 (etc.) dollar extra of whatever, makes you feel like complete & udder shite. Shoppers guilt? No, I don't think so. This is the guilt associated with being a parent. That 5 bucks could buy a gallon & a half of milk on a rainy day. 10 & over could be spent on extra groceries, a pack of socks, a couple shirts or something your kid(s) would want & enjoy.

I suffer from this guilt...a lot. Probably every other trip to the local Wal-Mart. I always find myself putting things back on the way to the checkout line. Even worse is when I do it as the cashier is just fixing to scan it;"I don't need that nevermind," I blurt out.

There have been many times when I do my best to ignore the guilt of getting something that's not a necessity. Heaven forbid should I, the parent, need or enjoy a little pick-me-up in my life. Buying loo paper & fabric softener can only make you smile when your favorite brand goes on sale.

And so I fought this guilt last Friday when I decided I was buying new lamps for the living room. I fought the "parent guilt" as I decided not to get the beautiful $130 ones I've had my eye on for a month (that were on sale for $83 by the way). I fought it when I finally settled on a pair for 40 bucks a piece. I fought it when I put one back & said outloud, "I'll come back next week for that one." I fought it as I brought the damn thing in the house. Two days later, I was still feeling a bit of guilt for getting a lamp even though new lamps are in order. (Football in the house isn't ok just b/c it's a "soft one" & a smoking cord just isn't cool.)

Come this Friday when I go to get the matching lamp, I am determined to do it guilt free because damn it I deserve it!

Lovin' my...

New Covergirl Lip Stain. I went with the 'Flirty Nude' shade.




After seeing the advertisement for this the 100th time, I finally stepped outside my little makeup box & bought one. I really do like this product although I think the price is a bit much (almost 8 bucks). It goes on smoothly, not sticky, stays put and lasts a fair amount of time. My favorite thing though? It doesn't melt. And in the dog days of summer when all you can apply is a little lip color without it sliding off your face, that's the best thing ever!

Let's go to the movies!

We're loading up and going to watch the newest Harry Potter flick tonight! WOOT!! We can NOT wait to go. I don't know who's more excited: me or the kids!

They're magically delicious!

Mushrooms.

That's what my 4 yr. old calls marshmallows. Every morning for breakfast she requests "Mushroom cereal." I know she's referring to 'Lucky Charms' others don't.

My husband for example. The first time our little Diva in-training asked him for some "mushrooms" he looked puzzled.

"You want some mushrooms?" he asked.

"Yeah Daddy I yike mushrooms. Der yummy!" Diva tells him.

*Insert 30 second pause*

"Okay.........you really want mushrooms??" Clearly clueless.

"Yep."

"Stac...(now whispering so the Diva doesn't hear) What are "mushrooms"?"

"Marshmallows. She wants 'Lucky Charms.'"

And so Daddy fixed Diva her bowl of "mushrooms" and all was right with the world.

Knots & Butterflies

I'm in the process of applying for a job. This will be my first 'real' job since I was pregnant with my twins, who are now 9. Mind you I did dabble in a bit of home daycare a yr. or so ago that lasted a bit...and I did get paid to do it. No, this will be my first job working around big people (I think they're called Adults) and having a boss in a very long time.

Admittedly, I'm very excited about this job. It's all I've thought about since May (okay I'm lying but you get my point) not to mention I'm nervous as all get out about if I'll be hired. That part is working my nerves over.

So wish me all the luck in the world, send me all the good vibes you can spare and pray to all that is Holy that come August I'll be a working woman.

Where does the time go?

Time flies...that is when you're not in a hurry or late for something. The kids summer break from school is almost over & I don't want it to end.

I ♥ summer b/c everyone gets to slow down & relax. There's no rush-rush on anything (unless we want to make sure we get our favorite spot at the Lake). Ahh, the lazy days of summer...they just don't last long enough. It feels like school just let out & break just started.

Soon it'll be time to gather everyone's school supplies, shop for the best deals on clothes & shoes and get back to our regularly scheduled program. *SIGH*

Back to the germs from snot-nosed kids, back to the bickering of "so-and-so flipped me the bird under his desk," back to the aggravation of thinking if the teacher would do it this way they'd get more outta my kid.

Is it horrible that I'm already hoping the upcoming school year will fly by so we can get back to summer break??