38 Things For 38 Years

Dear Big Daddy...

1. You are incredibly generous.
2. You are a fantastic father. You are the first to offer to change a diaper or get up with a sick kid. I sooo lucked out on that one.
3. You love to nap just as much as me.
4. You have sexy legs.
5. You are super smart. When we got married, I thought we were about even. But now I realize that you are far and away smarter than I am.
6. You look great in skates (and move well too).
7. You are so inventive and a brilliant entrepreneur.
8. Everyone likes you. Everywhere you go, whether you are the boss or the uncle or the home teacher or the employee, everyone loves Big Daddy. You are just so likable.
9. You are a really good driver. That would have been a deal breaker for me when we were dating. I was not about to marry someone who drove like a grandma.
10. You are a good dresser.
11. You never shirk your responsibilities.
12. You rarely say a bad thing about another person.
13. Your Photoshop editing skills are, I dare say, the best in the entire state. No lie. You are a genius in that program and it comes in so handy!
14. You are kind.
15. You are so willing to better yourself. You may not admit it during a fight, but I always see you trying harder to change after you get criticism.
16. You have the best butt ever.
17. Your pop culture trivia knowledge is nearly unsurpassed, especially 70’s and 80’s.
18. You cook fantastic fajitas. And more than that, you are at home in the kitchen.
19. You are super talented. There are so many things you can do that I’m still finding them out after knowing you for 10 years.
20. You are dedicated to your family. Both the one you grew up with and the one you have now. There is nothing you wouldn’t do for us.
21. You are an extremely hard worker. “Slacker” is a word you have never been called (well, not since high school). When you do something, you do it 100%.
22. You have great taste. Whether in clothes or music or cars, you always know what’s cool.
23. Not to belabor the physical attributes, but you’ve got these big meaty hands and feet that I absolutely love. They’re so strong and manly.
24. You are creative.
25. You have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ.
26. You are an amazing lover.
27. You have great taste in movies. It may not seem that important, but trust me, being married to someone who loved movies you hated or who hated movies you loved would make date night very lame.
28. You always smell good.
29. You have this great crooked smile. It reminds me of Harrison Ford. Hubba hubba.
30. You pick up my slack without complaining.
31. You pay attention to little comments I make about things I like and remember them so I always get the most thoughtful gifts.
32. You never complain about how much money it costs to take me out to eat because you know that it’s my favorite thing.
33. You are an absolutely silent sleeper. (This also would have been a deal breaker for me.)
34. You have a very artistic eye. I rely on your opinion on decorating and color more than I rely on my own.
35. You will hold my hand in public. That one has been a work in progress, but we’ve come to the point where you don’t mind a little PDA now and then.
36. You are active without being overly active. I think it would be hard to be married to someone who was go-go-go all the time since I’m not. We’re about the same energy level and I really appreciate that about you.
37. You forgive me when I curse on the golf course or throw a fit after a bad shot.
38. (I have to stop already??) You love me for just who I am. That kind of unconditional love is amazing in this world. I know that despite my mistakes, annoying habits, messy house, overspending, fidgeting during movies, stealing the covers, and all the rest of it… You will always love me. Thank you.

Sweetie, your 38 years on this planet have made you an amazing man. I am a lucky woman to have you. Happy Birthday. And here’s to 38 more. I love you.

-Wifey

Happy Devil's Night!

Don't know what Devil's Night is? Well, if you live in Detroit and you're lucky, your car might get egged. If you live in Detroit and you're not lucky, your car might get keyed. If you live in Detroit and you don't sit outside with a shotgun on October 30th, your house might get burnt to the ground. Why? 'Cause we Michiganders know how to paaaartay.

And now I'll leave you with a happier thought. The only vandalism here was committed against pumpkins. (click to enlarge)



p.s. Bonus points if you can tell me which 1997 movie set in the Detroit area made reference to Devil's Night. (No fair looking it up!)

Beds

Hard or Soft?



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Mighty Mouse

Last week I opened my baggies and plastic wrap drawer and out jumped a mouse. I'm not afraid of mice. But still, having one jump out at you from your baggies and plastic wrap drawer can be startling. I screamed. And then I laughed. And then I had to explain to my children, who came running, why I had screamed and laughed. And then I had to take them on a tour of the entire kitchen and living room to show them that really had no idea where the mouse had gone after that. (Daphne wanted to befriend him and name him Snanu. I'm not making that up.)

Next I found droppings in my baggies and plastic wrap drawer. Why the mouse had chosen to hang out and poop in that drawer is beyond me. There isn't anything slightly edible in there. So I washed out that drawer, sprayed it with bleach disinfectant, and put all the baggies and plastic wrap back in.

The next day I opened a nearby drawer, a sort of catch-all drawer containing things like birthday candles, chip clips, wooden skewers, and matches. I found more mouse droppings mixed in among the detritus of my cooking adventures. And candle shavings. What are candle shavings, you ask? Candle shavings are what's left after a mouse chews up a candle. Why Said Mouse had chosen to hang out and poop and eat candles in this drawer, I don't know. There are cupboards and drawers all over kitchen containing delectable items like chips, crackers, cereal and Peanut M&M's. And the counter at the time had brownies, cookies, and corn bread on it. But he hadn't touched that stuff. He had gone straight for the green, waxy candle. I thought this mouse must have brain damage.

Usually Flossie, my cat, is an excellent mouser. But this mouse seemed to be giving her some trouble. Flossie had haunted the corner of my kitchen where the mouse droppings had been spotted for two days. Then she had hung out in the corner of the dining room behind the radiator for a day or two, just staring. Next she staked out the little gap in the floorboards behind the living room TV. But she never seemed to be able to catch Said Mouse. I was beginning to think Said Mouse was more cunning than I had previously believed.

So I took matters into my own hand and bought mouse traps.

Day 1: I put the mouse traps, baited with peanut butter, in the two favored kitchen drawers (both of which had been revisited, if excrement is any sign). The next day? Both traps were licked clean. No mouse.

Day 2: I put new bait in the traps--peanut butter with a big chunk of hard bread smooshed down in it. I figured this way the mouse would have to tug at the bread, thereby setting off the traps. The next day? Both traps licked clean. No mouse.

Day 3: I went back to the store to get a different kind of trap. The kind with the super sensitive hair triggers. The kind that make me cringe in fear just setting them up. I baited them with cream cheese covered in peanut butter. I'm pretty sure that equals ambrosia in mouseland. I set up trap #1 on the kitchen counter, trap #2in the drawer, trap #3 behind the TV, and trap #4 next to the radiator. And this morning? Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

BEFORE

AFTER

Worried, were you? Thought you were going to be forced to look at the mutilated body of a brainless mouse? Oh no. Not this mouse. This mouse is smart. Cunning. Crafty. And he has a sense of humor. Because as I was standing there staring dumbfounded at mousetrap #3 this morning, Said Mouse jumped out from his hole in the floorboards and trotted right past me. He didn't scurry. He didn't run. He moved like he knew just what he was doing...heading to get his breakfast from mousetrap #4.

I think this mouse is messing with me. And liking it.

Game on, Snanu. Game on.


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Vampires On the Loose!

Help! Last night my cupcakes were attacked by vampires!




I guess even vampires like chocolate cupcakes.

I love the Ocean

I'm talking about Danny Ocean, not Billy Ocean, in case you're confused. And if you're still not sure who I'm talking about, you are obviously not a woman or a gay man and I feel sorry for you. Because it would be far better to be a woman or a gay man than to be anything else and not know the sheer heaven that is Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Anyway, I figure they should probably be starting casting any time now for the love interests for Ocean's Fourteen (Please, God, say there will be an Ocean's Fourteen!) And I want to be at the top of the list. So I figured the best ways to get there are to drink more Coke Zero, blech, (and hopefully shrink my mothering hips down more to the size of a 13 year old Chinese gymnast's hips) and, of course, to learn to pick locks. I'm on it.

I give you Exhibit A.

I give you Exhibit B.

I give you Exhibit C.

Elapsed time? 28 seconds.

I think this automatically makes me a shoe-in. Those master thieves like a woman with skillz. I don't even care if they cast me to be Reuben's love interest. If I get to view Damon, Clooney, and Pitt for even 5 minutes up close, all my hard work with the Masterlock will have been worth it. It might even have been worth the Coke Zero.

Special thanks go out to Big Daddy, my own smokin' hot master thief, for hooking me up with the lock picks and the know-how. ;)

Eggnog

Yes or no?

Recommitted And It Feels So Good

About two and a half years ago, I joined up with Tiburon's Biggest Loser competition. And I lost 18 lbs. Then, about a year later, I joined up again, this time with Big Daddy (he for boys, me for girls), and he lost 22 lbs and I lost 11 (some of it was the same lbs). I was about at the weight I'd been at the end of college, and 1 lb lower than I was when we got married. Fortunately, Big Daddy wasn't at the weight he'd been in college. I think he weighed less than me then! But he was at the weight we were when we got married, which was a great weight for him. We both felt good and looked good.

We devised a plan to keep ourselves from gaining back the weight we'd lost: We both set a maximum allowable weight (M.A.W.) and decided that as long as we stayed at or below that weight, we wouldn't "diet," we'd just try to maintain through reasonable eating. This worked pretty well for quite a while. I think I managed to stay below my M.A.W. for about 8 months. But once the holidays hit, I got slack. And by January, I was 4-5 lbs over my M.A.W. So over the last 9 months, I've worked at getting that down to my M.A.W. again. But I just haven't been committed. I've exercised pretty regularly. But my eating has been less than stellar. I have had such a sweet tooth my whole life; it's the thorn in my side when it comes to dieting. I don't snack much. I don't care for chips or crackers or salty snacks. I don't eat large quantities of food. But I feel the necessity to end every meal with dessert, and also dessert in between if at all possible. So my biggest challenge over the last 3/4 of a year has been to not undo all my exercise with sugar.

Well, as of today, I've decided to recommit to losing this weight. Right now I've got about 3-4 lbs to go to be at my M.A.W., and 5-6 to be below it with a little cushion. So below are my strategies for getting there. They're not extreme. If I were a robot or had an iron will, I'm sure I could do more and get there faster. But I'm also trying to be realistic. If I set goals that I can't maintain, I'm going to quit sooner. So here are the things I'm going to do until I'm below my M.A.W:

1) Exercise every other day at minimum, every day if possible. This usually means P90X at home twice a week, yoga on the opposite days, going to gym for water aerobics or to run on the treadmill or eliptical and do weights.

2) Take Hoodia. I've found that taking Hoodia takes the edge off my hunger. It's not a massive change, but I think about food just a little less.

3) No full-sugar pop. Water for all drinks, but one diet pop a day if I need the caffeine rush. Or some flavor.

4) One small treat per day. Preferably a Smart Ones or Skinny Cow. I'm being realistic here. I can't go cold turkey on the sugar. But I can limit myself.

5) Lean Cuisines for lunch. I've been adding a lot of calories lately by eating lunch out or eating leftovers from dinners out. Lean Cuisines are an easy way for me to cut calories during the day.

6) Smart choices for snacks. This means doing some shopping to get low-cal popcorn, light yogurt, rice cakes, wheat bread, and reduced fat versions of everything else I like to eat.

7) Smart choices eating out. If you know anything about me, you know that eating out is my favorite past time, bar none. I love it. So I'm not even going to pretend for one second that I'm going to give up going out to eat entirely. But if I can limit it to once a week, and/or make myself choose wisely when I go out (i.e. no apps, no pop, share a dessert, lower fat entre), I can fix one of my biggest sources of undoing all the progress I make from exercise and eating right during the week.

8) STOP BAKING. This is my biggest downfall, other than going out to eat. My kids want some chocolate chip cookies, or on the weekend I decide that Big Daddy and I deserve a treat. But then I make a whole batch of cookies or a whole pan of brownies. And then, of course, I continue to eat them all week until they're gone. I never go hog-wild and eat a bunch at once. I have at least that much self-control. But I do nibble all week (see 2nd paragraph above). If those treats weren't there, I wouldn't eat them.

I'm up for any other suggestions. Do you have any little tricks or tips that you use to shave calories when eating or burn calories through physical activity?

Winner Winner Soap Dinner

Ok, so I drew names today for the winners of my soap giveaway. You may have noticed that its not Friday at midnight or even Saturday morning. No, it's Sunday night and I'm just getting to it. Lazy. I hope no one was holding their breath all weekend. If so, you're probably dead now. Sorry about that. I will speak kindly of you at your funeral.

OK, so, using the random name generator, the winners are...

1) Jen at How To Drink Hot Tea
2) Rychelle at The Better To Stalk You With, My Dear
3) Appalachian Woman

Congratulations, ladies! I'll be sending you an email tomorrow with the options for your soaps. You can check out my last soap post to see the ones I already posted, or you can see some more options for shapes, colors, and scents tomorrow. Please make sure I have an email address for you. You can send it to hot booty mama at gmail dot com.

Thanks to everyone for playing!

(Yay! I get to make soaps!)

.

Halloween Emergency!

So I realized today that it's only 2 weeks until Halloween!!! Woohoo! And I still haven't gotten my kids' costumes. AGH! I've got mine, but not theirs. PRIORITIES. I mean, I have to answer the door to hand out candy, for Pete's sake!

Originally, I had thought the whole family could go as the Scooby-Doo gang, seeing as how Daphne is already in the gang and it's her favorite show. But the Fred and Velma costumes available were seriously underwhelming. Velma's skirt was all wrong. It's pleated, China. Make it right!

Then yesterday I found a great costume for me, so the Scooby-Doo idea got scrapped. I love gory, as you know if you read my other Halloween post. So when I saw this costume, which combines pageantry and pomp with the macabre, I just couldn't resist...

(Zombie Prom Queen)


Big Daddy likes to dress up in obscure and/or vaguely funny costumes. Oh, they're dead on. But you have to be a 70's sit com aficionado to recognize them. Or else you have to know who Steve Zissou is. Anyway, he's on his own.

So now all I have to do is figure out the kids. I made a serious error in judgment today by thinking it would be a fun idea to take them to the store WITH me to look at costumes. How I pictured it was that I would walk down the aisles at Target and show them a few options and then they would say, "Oh, Mommy! I want to be a _________!" and then I would buy them that costume. But what it turned out like was every 18 inches the cart would move forward one would scream, "That, Mommy! I want to wear that hot-pink leopard unitard!" while the other was screaming, "Stop, Mommy! Go back! I want to see the scary devil man costume!" (That would be Beck first, then Daphne). 18 inches later, they would change their minds. There was a lot of screaming, crying, and throwing of selves on the floor. Then I decided to stop having a fit and we went home. In the end, each one of them had narrowed their choices down to 35 costumes. So I decided to do some online searching and just get them what I thought was cutest.

So now all their Halloween costume glory and praise rests on me. I've decided on a theme: Cowboys and Indians. Or it might be cowgirls and Indians. But I need some help deciding...

Option A:

BeckDaphne


Option B:

Beck

Daphne


Whatya think?

Silver Screen Challenge

Someone asked me recently what my favorite movie was. I had a hard time deciding because it really depends on the genre. But it got me thinking about the movies I like best (and worst), so I thought I'd do a little break down...

Funniest Movie: Raising Arizona (although the first time I saw Money Pit, I laughed harder than I've ever laughed at any movie)
Scariest Movie: I Am Legend
Worst Movie Ever: The Hunted or Hell Boy 2
Most Romantic Movie: A Room With A View
Most Boring Movie: 7 Years In Tibet (aka 7 Years In the Movie Theater. Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that I saw this in a semi-indoor theater in Nepal, sitting on a wooden bench in 55 degree weather with a parka and gloves on)
Best Romantic Comedy: Fever Pitch
Most Exciting Movie: Either Mission Impossible or one of the Bourne movies. (I'm sure there's something better, but I can't think of it just now).
Best Feel-Good Movie: The Power of One
Most Disturbing Movie: Strange Days
Best Animated Movie: Ooo, tough call. Flushed Away for funniness, Monsters Inc for cuteness and amazing animation.
Best Movie To Watch Over and Over Again: Princess Bride
Best Movie of All Time: Again, this is hard to choose. But I'd have to say the movie I love more than all others is Sense and Sensibility. I know it's not for everyone, but I just love it so much, no matter how many times I watch it.

What about you?

Rocky Mountain High

My mother called me this morning to see if I might want to go for a ride in the mountains and see the changing leaves. I did. So we packed up the kiddles and headed up the canyon to the Alpine Loop. Then we veered off toward Cascade Springs. It's beautiful. If you've never been there, I highly recommend it. It's a series of cascading waterfalls, ponds, trails, boardwalks, and meadows, all surrounded by maples and aspens. The weather was perfect. Cool enough to walk without getting hot, but not yet cold. The trees were, unfortunately, slightly past their prime. Some were almost bare. But others were still bright yellow, orange, red, pink, and gold. The kids had a blast running up and down the trails, spotting brown trout in the streams, and looking for "reindeer" in the meadows (because the signs had pictures of them. Well, mule deer at least.) I had a great time scouting the trails head of them for bears or cougars or moose that might jump out and carry them away. Hey, the sign said there was lots of wild life around! We finished the outing off with some fruit snacks and water from Beck's new Incredible Hulk lunchbox and thermos. What could be better?


Boppie, Daphne, and Beck



River Trio

Daphne


Kids on the move

Posing on the bridge


Looking at birds

Boppie and Beck



cascade kids

Giveaway!

Yes, it's true. I'm going to do a giveaway. And I'll admit right now that this is actually a self-serving giveaway because it will benefit me as much as you.

Most of you know I make soaps. Cute little designer soaps. Well, I bought a bunch of new soap supplies a few months back and I still haven't tried them out. So this giveaway is really an excuse for me to get to use my new stuff. So here's how it will work:

I will give 3 lucky winners their choice of five (5) made-to-order, one of a kind, custom-made soaps. You can choose your scents from about 4 dozen choices that I have. You can choose your color(s) from about a dozen new no-bleed shades I just bought. And I will give you several options on the molds cause I have some new ones that I want to try.

Here are some examples of the types of soaps I make...

Pink Sugar Dragonflies



Oatmeal, Milk & Honey

Lemonade Bars


Lemon, Currant, and Sweet Grass



Autumn Spiced Leaves (Opaque bottom)


Autumn Spiced Leaves (Opaque top)

Peppermint Pig & Friends

Juicy Pear Squares



Fresh Mango



Honey Bars (Glycerin and Goat's Milk bases)



Cranberry Fig Swirl

Tuscan Bars



Art Deco Christmas Bar & Cherry Vanilla Swirl


Cinnamon-Hazelnut Christmas Stars (No, they're not breast implants with pasties)



Lemon Drop Bar



Those are just a few examples. The possibilities are nearly endless. So if you're interested in having soaps made to match your kitchen or bathroom, for giving away as stocking stuffers, or to have as seasonal decor accents, just leave a comment to this post before Friday, October 18th, at midnight. I will draw the winners' names at midnight and post them by Saturday morning. Then the three winners can let me know what kind of soaps they'd like.

Good luck! And thanks for letting me use you as my guinnea pigs.

*I have noticed that a few of you who have commented are lurkers or newbies (Hi!) and don't have blogs or email addresses attatched to your user name. So please leave an email address if I don't already know you so that I can contact you when you win. Thanks!*

Truth or Dare

Recently Tiburon challenged her readers to a dare: Do a post showing yourself au naturale. Now you all know that I am a serious make-up wearer. I don't wear a lot, but I wear it ALL THE TIME. I wear lipstick and cover-up even if I'm in bed dying. I don't go to the gym without those two, even if I'm doing water aerobics that day. I just don't feel happy with my looks without a little man-made beauty. So this was a serious challenge to my pride, to show you the real, down and dirty me. But I'm nothing if not daring. So here goes....

Before....



After...


So now I guess I'm supposed to say something intelligent-sounding and introspective. Ahem...Let me deconstruct these two pictures:

Pic # 1: My upper lip has no color. I am having some sort of re-visitation of my 15year old skin. Only my 15-year old skin was never that bad when I was 15. Shouldn't it be against the laws of physics to have wrinkles and acne at the same time? My eyelashes are STICK STRAIGHT. My eyelash curler is my best friend. Well, my 3rd best friend after lipstick and cover-up. I have inherited super dark circles under my eyes. It doesn't matter how much I sleep. They are there making me look like I just finished a heroin binge, every day of the week. This picture doesn't really do them justice, but trust me, they are crazy dark.

Pic # 2: I have good lips. My mom felt bad for me when I was a kid because I had such full lips. Now she is jealous. As long as I wear make up. 'Cause otherwise you can't see them. I have nicely shaped eyebrows. They had Brook Shield's beat out in the 80's, but then I discovered tweezers. Oh my sweet love tweezers. Next, it took me most of my life to realize that I have great hair. I never understood all the commercials for volumizing products until I felt my sister's hair and realized that some people's hair is fine and flat (sorry, Jen). Me? No, I'd say boofy is the right word. I should have taken a picure with my hair air-dried for full effect. Anyway, the down side of super thick hair is that I have to have my stylist thin out the mass every 9-12 months, and then it still takes me 30-45 minutes to blow dry and straighten it down, one layer at a time. But I've come to realize that I might be the lucky one.

Well, that's enough of that. Overall, I'd say I'm really glad I live in this era of mascara and powder and smoothing milk for my hair. And I'm sure everyone who has to look at me is too.


What about you? Are you up for a dare???

Dancing With The Stars Review - Week 4

I didn't do a review last week. I was too disgusted. Honestly, this is the least talented group we've ever had. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true. By this time in all the other seasons, there were a lot of 8's, 9's, and 10's. And a bad score was 7's. But this season we are still seeing 4's, 5's and 6's! A lot of them.

And then there's Len. I want to punch that guy in his marble-filled mouth! Why can't he make up his mind? He tells people one week there isn't enough content, then when they add more the next week there is too much. Then the next week they simplify and there isn't enough again. He constantly contridicts himself. I swear the guy has Alzheimers and can't remember by the time he finishes his comment what he said at the beginning.

I also want to duct tape Samantha Harris's mouth shut. She is the most idiotic host of any show EVER. Could she ask stupider questions? NO. She couldn't. Thank goodness for the 30-second fast forward button on my remote!

I'm not going to go through each dance individually tonight. There was a lot of really bad dancing, mostly in the Two Step--you know who you are.

So let me just sum up tonight's show by saying....

CAN'T WE JUST GIVE MYA THE TROPHY ALREADY AND END THE TORTURE???

A Brush With Sort-Of Fame

You know the Brush With Fame Game, right? It's where you and your friends sit around and tell how you met/saw/were in the presence of someone famous at one time or another. Like when I was at Sundance a couple of weeks ago and Robert Redford almost ran over me in his Mercedes Station Wagon. Or when I was in the Kathmandu airport and I stood next to Steven Segal while we filled out our immigration papers. Then you see whose brush with fame was the most impressive (and seeking out a celebrity at a concert or something doesn't count. It has to be random.) And that's who wins.

Well, here's my latest Brush With Fame....ish. My ballroom dance teacher was on So You Think You Can Dance last night and the night before! I know, it's not really a brush with fame. For one thing, he's not actually famous. Yet. He made it through the auditions and on to the Vegas round, and through the first several rounds in Vegas. But they didn't even show his name (although he did get a couple of sound bites). For another thing, he was only my dance teacher once. He got hired on by my other dance teacher, but then he got through the SYTYCD auditions so he stopped working (and I wasn't allowed to know why because the show hadn't aired yet). But still, it's pretty cool when someone you danced with for an hour is on national TV. Maybe he'll make it through to the top 20 and this post will seem a lot more impressive. (Keep your eye out. He's a Polynesian ballroom dancer from SLC named Tony.)

Anyway, anyone else have a brush with fame they'd like to brag about? I'm sure you'll win. Unless Tony WINS So You Think You Can Dance...then I will demand a recount.

Samoa Needs You

If you don't know, I lived in Fiji for a while. It's a beautiful island nation in the middle of the South Pacific. FAR away from any major land mass. Not too far away is Samoa. Also completely isolated from any large country. And as I'm sure you know, Samoa was hit by a tsunami last week. When I was in Fiji, modern conveniences were in limited supply and only available in the few large cities. So if something were to wipe out the roads to those cities, as well as a good portion of the cities themselves, I don't know what the people there would do. It's this first hand understanding for their situation that makes me want to help the people of Samoa. So when I heard about a relief drive today on the news, I wanted to get the word out.

I went to the website, http://www.samoareliefwave.com/, and looked at the list of things that they need. And guess what? I have a lot of them on hand already. Some are things sitting around to go to D.I. (Goodwill). Some are things that I have in my food storage that I don't need immediately (soap, shampoo, rubbing alcohol, band aids). I also have a lot of clothes and some summer shoes, which I'm sure they could use. I know a lot of you have this type of stuff too. So if you feel moved to help the people from this tiny island nation who have nothing right now and no way to get it, here's the drop off info...

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Taylorsville City Hall (click on link to view directions & map)
5320 South 2600 West
Taylorsville, Utah

ST. GEORGE AREA

Another drop off point has been added for the St. George area.

New Beginnings Academy & Washington County Youth Crisis Center
251 East 200 North (behind the courthouse)
Saint George, UT 84770
officers@newbeginnings-academy.org
FAX: (800) 570-1561



IMMEDIATELY NEEDED ITEMS -

Medical Supplies
First Aid Kits
Gauze (2 x 2 or 4 x 4)
Band Aids
Antibacterial ointments (like Neosporin)
Rubbing alcohol
Wound cleansers
Cotton swabs/pads
Pain medicine (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, etc.)
Pepto Bismol Tablets

Hygiene Kits
Soap (bars or liquid)
Antibacterial hand soap
Shampoo/Conditioner
Feminine Products
Wipes
Hand sanitizer
Toothpaste/Toothbrush
Washcloths
Towels
Toilet Paper


Bedding
Blankets (new)
Sleeping bags
Mosquito nets
Linens (new)
Pillows (new)

Kitchen Items
Paper plates
Plastic Utensils
Coolers
Plastic storage containers
Matches/lighters
Pots/Pans/Bowls
Cooking Utensils
Ziploc Bags
Trash Bags

General Supplies
Tents
Canopies
Gas stoves
Propane Tanks
Flashlights
Tarps

If you have time and live near one of these drop offs, take just a few minutes today to help someone who needs it.



Thanks.

We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

MUST SEE

I love Chris Rock. LOVE HIM.

Petrified

Daphne has suddenly just realized that there is a world outside her fully-fenced yard. Previously, she played once or twice a week with one other boy in our neighborhood during previously scheduled play dates. But suddenly kids have been showing up on the doorstep, asking for her to play, who have never shown up before. And she suddenly wants to go to their houses to play. I see these kids running up and down the sidewalks and streets, around the corners, into and out of each other's houses and yards. And I can see why Daphne wants to be a part of it. It's exciting and independent and FUN. It's also TERRIFYING. To me. She's only four years old! And we live on a busy-ish street. In a crappy neighborhood. With homeless men and drug dealers and polygamist raids on every side.

I know these kids' moms. And they are all good people. But either they are overly naive or I am overly paranoid. Because I am absolutely petrified to think of letting Daphne run crazy around the neighborhood without supervision at her young age.

So I ask those of you who have/have had little kids: What is your take on letting kids leave the yard unsupervised? Do you let them walk to the neighbor's house without a chaperon? Do you make them call when they get there and/or call before they head home? Are they allowed to leave said neighbor's house for another neighbor's house? Can they play out in the front yards? On the sidewalks? If not, at what age do you allow this stuff?

And here's another question: What is the protocol for going to play at another kid's house? Do you let your kids just show up on someone's doorstep to ask if they can play? Or do you make calls first? 'Cause I've had at least 5 neighborhood kids simply show up at my house and ask to come in. And I tend to think that's kind of rude. That maybe their parents should call first and see if it's OK. I don't just show up at their house and ask to come in, do I? but maybe I'm totally out of touch. Maybe this is the way it works with kids. Daphne is my first, so I really have no clue on 4-Year-Old Play Etiquette.

Any thoughts? Enlighten me.

Pirate Patch(es) Needed

I want to kill myself.

Actually, that's not true. What I want is to stab both of my eyes out. But I'm pretty sure death would follow, so I might as well skip straight to killing myself.

I have double pink eye. Pink eyes, I guess you would call it. Thank you, Beck. (Aren't mothers supposed to get automatic immunity so that they can care for their young?) Beck got over it after 24 hours of antibiotic drops. Me? Not so much. I woke up on Saturday morning with my right eye red and gooey and sore. And since Beck had just been diagnosed the day before with pink eye, and I had all the symptoms, plus a triple refill from the Doc for just such an occurrence, I began self-medication right away.

Flash forward to Sunday....Beck's eyes were fine. My right eye? Completely crusted shut during the night. And swollen. I'm talking swollen nearly to the point that I couldn't open it. Here...picture three large marshmallows, large pink marshmallows, pressed together with a chocolate chip in the middle. That would be my eyeball. Yep, that's how I looked. Big Daddy said it wasn't so bad, I just needed an eye patch. Thanks, Hon.

After the hours of pain, constant wiping of goo, crusting of the lashes, and scaring of the children with my hideousness was too much to bear, I took myself to the Instacare. The doctor proceeded to poke and prod my eyeball for 20 minutes and pour at least four kinds of medication into my eye "just to see" if I might have this or that other eye problem. I didn't. So in the end I walked away with a near coronary from having my eyes poked and prodded, and a stronger eye drop prescription.

Flash forward to today. Some time during the night my right eye went from looking like I had been slugged by Ivan Drago to looking like I had been punched by Miss Piggy (that would be an improvement in case you're not sure). But my left eye? You guessed it. Crusted shut, beet red, raging.

It's not so bad, Big Daddy says. You just need another eye patch.

Darn, I'm just a few days too early to dress up as One-Eyed Willie for Halloween. Er, make that No-Eyed Willie.

Please. Just get me a nice sharp knife so I can cut my eyes out. Or a loaded gun would work too. Ok, fine. I guess a pair of eye patches will have to suffice. But could you at least make them gold-studded? ARRRR, Matey!

Alphabet Tag

It seems like when I first started blogging, these things went around all the time. I haven't seen one in a while. Is that because everyone hates them except me? Or because we ran out of things to question people about? Well, sorry if this pains your very existance to read. I still like them.

Alphabet Tag

A: Addiction: sugar
B: Breakfast: pancakes please
C: Chocolate or Chips: Chocolate. Not a chips person.
D: Dessert or Appetizers: DESSERT. As if there is any question.
E: Essential Items: Blistex, nail file, sunglasses, toothbrush, tweezers, socks, pillow. Seriously, if I had those I could survive anywhere for any amount of time.
F: Favorite Color: spring green
G: Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: bears I guess
H: Hometown: Detroit-ish, Michigan
I: Indulgence: Stephen's Hot Vanilla
J: January or July: July! January should be erased from the calendar.
K: Kids: Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.
L: Life isn't complete without: good food
M: Most exciting memory: Going to India
N: Number of Brothers and Sisters: 1 and 1
O: Oranges or Apples: Not huge on either. Probably apples.
P: Phobias or Fears: spiders, open water, tornados
Q: Quote: An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Gandhi.
R: Reading: The Great Influenza
S: Summer or Spring: I love both. Late spring, early summer.
T: Tag 6 people: Lorie, Melissa, Rychelle, Nicki, Tiburon, Jen
U: Unknown Fact About Me: I used to have my nose pierced.
V: Vacation I want to go on: A cruise somewhere in the Caribbean
W: Walking or Running: Walking. Never running. Ever.
X: X-Ray or Ultrasound: Um...ultrasound? Actually, I kind of like having them done now that I think about it. Dark, quiet room. Warm slippery jelly on me. Does that make me weird?
Y: Your favorite food: pasta, sushi, seafood, baked goods
Z: Zoo or Bowling: bowling. Unless it's w/o kids, then the zoo.

Thanks, Karyn. That was fun!

Doctors Are Always Right

About six weeks ago, I took Beck to the doctor because he said his ear hurt. He was on the tail end of a wicked, 3-week cold. He had nasty green mucus that wouldn't seem to go away and he wasn't sleeping or eating well.

Sure enough, he had a double ear infection. One side was so bad, the doctor said, that it would for sure rupture that night. (It didn't.) He also said that once kids were old enough to talk and say that their ears hurt, he'd never seen a case of a kid being wrong about their ear pain--it always turned out to be an ear infection.

So when Beck woke up this morning after 4-5 days of being sick, having swollen goobery eyes, a runny nose, and a bad cough, and said that his ear hurt, I took him to the doctor again. But guess what? No ear infection. Both ears looked just fine. Wrong again, Doc.

However, he was sick. Nothing big....

JUST PINK EYE AND PNEUMONIA!!!

Poor kid. I'm glad I took him in. He's now on antibiotics of two sorts and will hopefully be on the mend soon.

But you may not want to come anywhere near our house for a while. Unless you're bringing get-well soup. Or get-well balloons. Or get-well cream-cheese brownies. In which case, swath yourself in sterile gauze, surgical masks, and latex gloves and come right on over! Nothing cheers up pneumonia like cream-cheese brownies. At least that's what the doctor said. And, you know, the doctor is always right.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (for real this time)

I know I just sort of seemed to say that Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year, just a few posts ago. But really, Halloween is. Christmas is all good. The lights are nice, the food is plentiful, the presents are great. But I seriously LUH UH UH UV dressing up the house for Halloween. And I'm not much of a seasonal decorator. But something about indulging in the gory, the spooky, the scary and the creepy suits my fancy. So tomorrow, out come the decorations. Ghosts hanging from my trees, the graveyard in the front yard, the skeleton bones on the buffet table, the blood dripping down the front door, and all the cute little bats and witches and pumpkins everywhere. If only I had more surfaces....

My new project this year is to make a sac of spider eggs. I saw one at my sister in law's house and it was delightfully disgusting.

What are your favorite Halloween decorations,either hand-made or store-bought? Feel free to included picture links!