Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and my husband...and me...but not the dog. His name is Dexter.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Less Words Wednesday-Because I Can't Do Wordless

Dexter has issues with running away.  Probably because I'm a bad dog mom.  He is horribly neglected and ignored, as you can tell by this picture.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Escape That Wasn't

Remember a few weeks back when I talked about Creative Estates?  Right here.  Remember?  I was so excited to go.  I don't get to do too much crafty stuff these days but I do love it.  And hearing all about Creative Estates and the fun things they had planned sent my cold, craft-less heart all a-flutter.  To say I was excited about going would be a slight understatement.  I was thrilled!  PLUS!  I would be traveling in style in the Party Car with Steph and Tauni.  It would be the perfect little escape for this overworked Mama.

And now? I can't go.  When I realized the date I started getting unsettled.  It's the weekend between Aid Appreciation Week and Teacher Appreciation Week which I am surprisingly in charge of.  The PTA was desperate.  But I thought I could make it work.  Get everything done ahead of time, go a little crazy the week of, but everything would be fine.  Then I looked at the soccer game schedule.  The first game is on April 9.  It will be Babs first game ever.  And that just is one of those moments that I can't get back.  How could I miss her first soccer game?!
I went back and forth trying to figure it out.  To make it work out.  Then I finally realized that I can't.  I can not make this all work.  Something has to give somewhere.  And at this point of my life, my "social life" (let's pretend that I have one) is what had to give.  We would all be upset about me missing the game.  And as much as I hate to say it, PTA played a factor in it too.  I don't think I can do it all and still keep family life normal AND go out of town.  Although it is possible that I'm being overly dramatic and reverting to my natural assumption of my own failures.  And that I'm more than a little nervous to be 12 hours away from my children for 5 days.  But I don't know.  

So I made my decision (kinda) and put on my big girl panties.  I sent the email to Tauni axing my crafty vacation.  And I really thought I was okay with it.  Until I hit "send" and started to cry.  I guess I'm not all that good at being a grown up after all. 

I keep telling myself it's just that time of life.  The small sacrifices I make now will have a big pay off for my children in the future.  And being home, spending time with my girls doesn't really feel like a sacrifice at all.  Missing out on Creative Estates feels like a sacrifice, that's for sure.  I really hope I made the right decision.  But soon my girls will be so grown up and won't need me anymore.  And then I can do all the things that I put off doing now.  They are so worth it. 
Until then, I will wear my big girl panties, even though they are bunching, and I will carry on.  Yes, I will be missing out on the most fabulous crafting conference to ever take place.  Maybe next year.  A time and season for everything.  And right now....it's PTA and soccer season. 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

I Have Giant Papillaries

My eyes.  They've been kind of bugging me for a while.  Since, oh, October.  Of last year.  I've been meaning to go in and get them checked out but it never happened.  They'd bug me and then it would get a little better so I'd put it off and then they'd bug me again.  I admit it...I'm not the greatest example of "self care" in the world.  But don't worry too much.  I'm going to go spend some quality time with my gynecologist next week and I'm giving some serious thought to going in to see a doctor regarding issues from the last time I broke my nose *ahem* 7 years ago.  I don't think it healed right. 

Anyway, I finally went in this week because my eyes had actually started to hurt, which was new.  They'd been itchy, dry and goopy, but not painful.  But this week they were hurting.  Like a lot.  So yesterday, off I went, telling myself that even if I was overreacting, it was better safe than sorry.  My appointment went a little something like this:

Eye Doctor looking in my eyes.  Me freaking out over it because I'm a baby about my eyes.  Doctor turning my eye lid INSIDE OUT for a better look.  Babs rubbing my back during the whole ordeal. 

Eye Doctor: "You have giant papillary conjunctivitis."
Me: "So, is that like pink eye?"
Eye Doctor: "No, this is way worse than pink eye.  This is the worst case I've ever seen."
Me: "Oh." (freaking out)
Eye Doctor: "It's pretty bad and you need to stop wearing your contacts right away so it can heal.  No contacts for at least a month and up to 6 months.  And you'll need to use these eye drops for the next 30 days."   (It was super exciting to find out later that those eye drops cost $100.  ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!)
Me: "Oh." (freaking out a lot more)
Eye Doctor: "But it'll be fine.  We just need to take care of it."
Me: "I feel pretty stupid right now."
Eye Doctor: "It's a good thing you came in.  Don't feel stupid."
Me:..........

Later on, while the doctor was writing prescriptions, I was chatting with Babs.  I told her that I have giant papillaries.  At least we all got a good laugh out of it.  

So, no contacts for a while.  No big deal, right?!  Except for the part that I don't have any glasses with the right prescription.  And I'm blind as a bat.  Maybe a big deal.  Thankfully, I found a place close by that does glasses in one hour and accepts our insurance.  And that's where the "fun" began.

You see, like previously mentioned, I've broken my nose a few times.  And the last one didn't heal all that well.  Possibly because I didn't go into the doctor.  Either way, it makes choosing glasses a bit tricky.  I've found that the glasses with the little nose pieces really hurt to wear so I was left to choose from the styles without the nose pieces.  And it's a really good things that those glasses are in style right now and I had quite a bit to choose from.  And I had my Lolly girl there to help me pick out the perfect pair, giving each pair a yes or no or "a little bit of both".  This pair seemed to be the family favorite though. 

So, how did we do?  Doesn't the camera look stunning!

A little close-up....
Hmmmmm....I think I like them....
As I look through these photos with my hair actually done and make-up actually on, one thing stands out...even with all that, I still look tired.  But, hey, I had my hair and make-up done all in the same day.  It's the little victories that count.  Also?  Really don't love taking pictures of myself.  I just never look like myself to me in these pictures.  And I always feel stupid smiling like an idiot while trying to take a picture of myself or my reflection in the mirror.  But I figured you would want evidence.  And I'm a people pleaser.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

And The Survey Says...

Happy Tip Tuesday Everyone!  No tips here, but a question.  The question of the day, if you will.

How often do you buy clothing?  And  be honest now.  CG and I have differing opinions on this particular subject so I'm taking it to you, my dear blog friends.  It's for the sake of our marriage people, so it is CRUCIAL that you comment!  Well, it's not that dramatic, but I'm curious to see what everyone else does/thinks. 

*Do you buy new clothes/shoes seasonally? 
*Do you buy trendy pieces?  How often?  Or are you strictly utilitarian?
*Do you wait to buy something new until the something old has completely worn out?
*How much would you guess you spend yearly on clothes for you? 
*And this is an important part...where would you rate yourself on the "maintenance scale"?  Are you High Maintenance, Medium Maintenance or Low Maintenance?

Sunday, March 20, 2011

This Ain't Yo Mama's Charity Sale

The lovely Adrian, of Adrian's Crazy Life, told me all about her church's twice-yearly charity sale.  And now I'm passing that great info on to you!
*******
 
IF you are in the Salt Lake area.
IF you have little kids, a baby, or are pregnant.
IF you like to save money on stuff for your kids.


THEN I have something I think you'll be interested in.  Have you ever shopped at someplace like Kid2Kid?  They have some pretty nice stuff, the prices are low, and everything is organized by gender, size, and type of clothing.  What if I could tell you about a place that was like about TEN Kid2Kid stores all in one place?  Would you be interested?  I'm betting that you would.

Adrian's church puts on a twice-yearly sale that is just like that.  They bring in about 100 different consignment sellers who bring all of their inventory - clothes, shoes, toys, maternity wear, the works.  Everything is gently used, but it is pre-screened by our committee.  Any item that has a stain, a bad smell, or a tear is immediately returned to the seller and is not placed for sale.  Only season-appropriate items are accepted.  This isn't the time when you want to sort through coats & snow boots.  Those are brought out for the Fall sale.  

Everything is required to be hung on a hanger with all matching pieces attached and the price clearly marked.  Then it is all set up on clearly marked racks for each gender and size so you can go straight to the items that will fit your kids.  

Looking for furniture, toys, outdoor play equipment, or cute maternity clothing - they've got 'em.  And the prices are about 70% off of retail.  Like I said, this isn't your Mama's charity sale.  I've been to lots of church charity sales.  Whether they call it a rummage sale, a garage sale, or a yard sale, it's all pretty much the same.  You can usually find a few good deals, but you have to dig through heaps of stuff and a lot of it isn't worth buying.  Obviously, this is different.  This is the good stuff and it is organized for Moms with a desire for a bargain who want to get in, find what they want, and get on with their day!  

Let me give you some details and a chance to win an edge over the other shoppers.  


985 East 10600 South
Sandy, UT  84093


Here are the sales dates & times:

Friday, April 8, 9 am- 8 pm - No strollers before noon due to crowds

Saturday, April 9, 8 am – 2 pm - Clothes & shoes an extra 25% off on Sat.



However, there is a little secret.  There is a pre-sale.  A very exclusive pre-sale that only lasts for an hour and a half - 7 PM to 8:30 PM on Thursday April 7th.  Usually this event is only for the dozens of volunteers who help out with the sale.  However, I'm going to give you a chance to win one of these exclusive pre-sale tickets.  


Just FYI - kids are not allowed at the pre-sale.  It's kind of a mob scene and we don't want anyone getting hurt.  And besides, you need your arms free for grabbing all the great deals.  

PS:  If you don't win a pre-sale ticket, you might be able to volunteer for a 3 hour shift and earn one - if there are any spots left.  Leave me a comment and I'll put you in touch with Adrian who can put you in touch with the organizers.  'Cuz I know people....who know people....


To win the pre-sale ticket - You get ONE entry just for leaving me a comment.  You get a SECOND entry if you Tweet or Facebook this to your friends.  You get a THIRD entry if you follow my blog.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  


I will draw the winner on April 2nd-ish and I will email you immediately-ish to get your address to mail your pre-sale ticket.  Please be sure to leave your email address in one of your comments. 

And even if you don't win the pre-sale ticket, I hope you can go.  This is going to be a great sale and all the leftover clothes and proceeds are going to go to local charities and to support the church programs.  So you get a good bargain and do a good deed at the same time.  Sounds like a winner to me!  

Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Favorite-St. Patrick's Day Festivities

Breakfast?  Lucky Charms, of course.  And the prettiest rainbow I've ever seen.
The best dressed leprechauns in all the land.

Leprechaun Lolly
Leprechaun Babs
A super yummy dinner of Corned beef melts, Irish scones and Irish onion rings.  Although onion rings may not be Irish food, they are definitely pub food.  Surely you can see the connection there.
Fun was had by all!
Photo posted with permission from CG.


**Ever since my dot com upgrade a few weeks ago, I think I might be having some "rerouting" problems.  So, if I'm lucky enough to be in your reader, please update the URL address.  And if I'm not in your reader...well, then carry on... ;o)  Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Recipe Swap Wednesday-St. Patrick's Day Melts

In all honesty, I have never actually made this recipe.  This is just a recipe I stumbled upon that I decided to make for this year's St. Patrick's Day feast.  It looks easy (famous last words) and I like easy.  So I've decided to pass this recipe along to you today so that you actually have enough time to make it, if you so choose. 

Also, another family favorite are the Irish Scones that you can find the recipe for here.  The recipe is from way back when I first started blogging.  Before Recipe Swap Wednesday was even born.  But they're still good.  And even better if you dye them green.  

And just to be extra nice, I'll put the recipe up here.  I couldn't make it any easier unless I came to your house and cooked it for you.  Which I won't do.

Ingredients

  • 3/4  pound  thinly sliced lean corned beef
  • 4  slices whole wheat or rye bread
  • 2  tablespoons  mayonnaise
  • 1  tablespoon  ketchup
  • 1 1/2  cups  coleslaw
  • 1/2  pound  Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400° (or use a toaster oven set to medium). Heat corned beef in a skillet over medium heat until warm. While warming, place bread on a baking sheet. Stir together mayonnaise and ketchup, and spread evenly on bread.
Divide warmed corned beef among bread slices, and top with desired amount of coleslaw and Swiss cheese. Bake open-faced sandwiches until cheese melts and bread is thoroughly toasted.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Pick Your Paint Baby!

Today I'm over at MMB talking about picking paint colors.  Exciting stuff people!  So head on over and read all about paint.  Plus, if you have any design questions you can go ahead and leave a comment and it could be answered in a future post!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

About Creative Estates...

Have you heard about it?  Surely you have.  Creative Estates.  It's a conference honoring all things creative and handmade.  They're even having a handmade market.  They'll have classes on everything creative from blogging your passion to vlogging to creating a community.  They're covering all the bases. 


The craziest thing about it?  They're letting me come!  Really!




The conference is in Phoenix, Arizona and runs from Thursday April 7th to Saturday April 9th.  In Arizona.  Where it is warm.  At least until I get there.  I have a special way of turning normally warm places cold when I travel there.  It must be my warm, sparkly personality.  The city is compensating.  I know that sounds crazy but the last two times we've been to Las Vegas people had resorted to wearing parkas while passing out porn cards because it was that cold.  We were in light jackets so I guess it's all relative. 

Last I heard there are a few openings left for booths in the handmade market and only 17 conference tickets left.  17 tickets!  So, if you've been fence-sitting about whether or not to go the time has come to make the decision...to Creative Estate or not to Creative Estate.  Clearly, the answer is obvious.

So, the only question left is.....will I be seeing YOU there?  And will you be my neighbor?
 

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Behind The Scenes of Fresh Living

As we all know, and I'm constantly reminding people about in person, last week I was on a local television show called Fresh Living.  The behind the scenes scoop is always so interesting.  Sometimes more interesting than the on camera stuff.  So I'm going to share all the great details with you today.

Technically, the most exciting thing that happened "behind the scenes" was I made my poor friends Carly and Stephanie tell me if I had anything hanging out of my nose.  I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of their day.  I also put on lipstick.  So perhaps I should focus on the pre- and post-show excitement.

Once I heard that I was going to be on TV I decided to get my eyebrows waxed so that I could, ya know, see.  It's been a while.  A couple of days before the show I finally had the time to get it done.  I wasn't too worried...I've had my eyebrows waxed many times, even in the skankiest of "salons" where I am mocked in multiple languages and called a Cry Baby because it makes my eyes water to have hair pulled out of my face.  My plan was fool proof!

Then the fool entered a local nail and waxing salon.  It actually seems like a nice place and they were very nice, especially considering that I had my two darling children in tow that love all things girly.  And have to touch EVERYTHING.  The woman who helped me was very kind and did a great job shaping them.  She started with a powder (that was new to me) and then moved on the wax portion of the show, finishing up with cream after she was all done.  Pretty standard procedure.  But I noticed...my eyebrows were still stinging as I was leaving.  Oh well, what could go wrong?!

The next morning I woke up around 4 am.  It's so awesome when I do that.  Gotta love a little insomnia.  Then I noticed.....my eyebrows are still stinging a little.  So a dragged my exhausted self out of bed and into the bathroom to check out the state of things.  If it hadn't been 4 in the morning with everyone else in my family sleeping peacefully I would have screamed.  Loudly.  Not only did I have large red bumps surrounding both my eyebrows, my forehead above the brows was swollen so much that it stuck out further than the rest of my face.  I was having an allergic reaction to something she used during the waxing.  And?  I looked like a Klingon.  I was ready for my television debut.

Here's a picture of my hawt self 24 HOURS later.  Not the best picture (taken with my cell phone) but you get the idea.
Thankfully, the swelling had gone down enough that you couldn't really tell from straight on and the redness was covered up by miracle Mary Kay cover up.  I mean, you couldn't tell on TV right?  Please tell me you couldn't see my Klingon forehead....

The morning of the taping I was super excited and slightly nervous.  Or super nervous and slightly excited.  Those feelings are often interchangeable.  After doing about 5 feet of hair between me and all my girls, we headed out for the day.  I went downtown and CG took the girls to a event at the school involving donuts.  Everyone was happy.

I was making fairly good time, but had a hard time finding a parking space.  I should say, I had a hard time finding an intersection where I could turn left to get to a great parking space.  I managed a round-the-block maneuver and found my parking space, but thought I was running late.  Then the panic set it...do I even have change in put in the parking meter?!  I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a quarter and was overjoyed that I had a quarter.  So overjoyed that instead of putting my wallet back into my purse, I plopped it on the floor in the front of my van.  In plain sight.  Yes.  Then I put my quarter in the meter and wobbled my way to the studio as fast as I could wearing 3-inch heels. 

Wait....$.25 isn't enough to feed a meter for an hour?  And there's a little display screen on the back that tells me how much time is on the meter?  Well....I know that now.  I returned to my van (in the pouring rain) to find a love note from the parking police telling me that their love will cost me $15 if paid within the next 10 days and $55 if paid after ten days.  It's a cruel, cruel love.

And as disastrous as all this sounds, it's pretty standard procedure at the Chaos' household.  And I had a great time going on the show!  I know!  I always thought that people who said that they had fun were crazy.  Well, I have joined the crazy ranks.  Again, standard procedure.  Now that I've had my local television debut, it's probably time to go national.  I'm thinking America's Funniest Home Videos is probably the most likely option for me.  Television Fame, Here I Come!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tip Tuesday-The Laundry!

Wow.  It's been a long time since we had a little Tip Tuesday action around here.  And what better topic to get things rolling than laundry.  We all have it.  Most of us do it.  Some of us like it.  A few of us even fold it.  And I'm going to share a few little laundry tips that save me either time or money.  Both things that we could all use more of. 

First up, we have the laundry sorter.  Best.  Idea.  Ever!  Last summer/fall I bought a double laundry sorter for my girls room.  It looks a little something like this.

Okay, it looks exactly like that.  Then I cut out strips of felt to coordinate with the intended dirty clothes destination.  Dark pieces on the dark side, light pieces on the light side.  Like this:
Fancy yes?  I explained to my girls how it worked then helped them (a vary little bit) sort their very full hamper of dirty clothes.  They had that basket of laundry properly sorted in less than 5 minutes. 

I can't even tell you how much time this has saved me.  Instead of sorting through a large basket attempting to get every piece of whatever load of laundry I'm trying to do, I just grab what's in the designated bag and pop it in the washer.  Yes, there is an occasional stray piece in the wrong bag, but considering that they are 3 & 6, that's really not bad.  Plus, it would help younger children learn their colors and it has helped my children to become more familiar with shades of color.  Also deductive reasoning since I no longer tell them which basket it goes in.  It's educational laundry!

Next up is the laundry bins.  I bought each girl a dish washing bin like you would use camping.  Remember camping?  Anyway, as I fold their clothes each week (when that happens) I put those lovely clean clothes into their bin, carry it into their room and politely invite them to put away their own laundry.  Yes, my girls put away their own laundry.  And my Lolly girl folds both her panties and socks.  Then puts them away.  Wish you were me yet?  Because you totally should.

And finally...this is a tip that I've read a time or two and decided to give it a whirl.  Use half of the recommended amount of laundry detergent for washing your clothing.  Now, the first time I tried it I just happen to have a head cold so I wouldn't have been able to tell if the laundry smelled funky and I don't really recommend that.  But even after the cold cleared the laundry didn't smell funky.  Still doesn't.  The only time I use the full amount is if I'm soaking something overnight.  Or if throw-up is involved.  Such a simple thing and it essentially doubles the length that my laundry soap lasts.  And with as much laundry as I do around here, that really adds up fast.

So, now it's your turn.  What are your laundry tips and tricks? 

Sunday, March 6, 2011

You're The Best!

Recently things have clicked in the reading area for my Lolly girl.  And now she's reading anything that she thinks she'll be able to.  Just the other day she was reading to me all the phrases on some of her Hello Kitty stickers.  Until she came to one she was hesitant with.

Lolly: What does this say?
Me: Sound out each word.
Lolly: You...are...the...butt?
Me: (struggling not to laugh) Close sweetie.  It says "you're the best". 

And then I walked away and laughed  like a crazy person where she couldn't hear me.  

You're The Butt!  I'm totally going to start using that in everyday conversation.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Fresh Living Link

Alrighty, so I have no idea to how to embed the video of the Fresh Living segment that I did this morning.  So instead I am going to give you the link here so that you can go to the KUTV Channel 2 website and watch.  It's the segment titled Mom's World:Mommy Bloggers.  Yep, I'm a mommy blogger. 

A Big Day!

Today is a big day my friends!  There are a lot of fun things going on in the Land of Perpetual Chaos.  Okay, two things.  But two BIG things that I'm excited about!

First of all, if you're living in the Utah area be sure to tune into Channel 2 at 1 PM.  I'm making a little appearance on Fresh Living with the lovely Carly from Living the Scream and Stephanie from The Daily Blarg.  You'll be happy (disappointed?) to hear that I didn't actually humiliate myself on local television.  Yet.  I'll also attempt to post the segment right here on my blog for all my many out-of-state readers. 

Also!  As very few of us know, I'm a finalist for the Sassy Scoops Next Top Sassy.  My review is up today and it's right here.  So if you have a moment to spare, head on over there and give me a little comment love.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

It's Official!

I am a dot com.  And I come with a warning label.  Awesome.


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