65 Questions

Still in desperate need for filler, I got this from Christopher's Facebook page. No tagging. Anyone can participate when and if they feel like it.


1. First thing you wash in the shower? My hair

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Gray

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Yes

4. Do you plan outfits? Yes

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Restless

6. What's the closest thing to you that's red? Lucas' robe, which is slung over the arm of the sofa.

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I just remember that my teeth fell out.

8. Did you meet anybody new today? No

9. What are you craving right now? Chocolate and peanut butter ice cream

10. Do you floss? Yes. When I remember.

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Coleslaw

12. Are you emotional? I wouldn't say I'm emotional. Overwrought, loud, and dramatic is more like it

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? No

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? Bite into it

15. Do you like your hair? Yes, since I recently gave up on growing it long.

16. Do you like yourself? Usually

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Yeah, probably...especially if he's paying. If anything, I'll have bragging rights that I got to break bread with a former president.

18. What are you listening to right now? The 70s channel on Music Choice. Current song playing is "Baby Blue" by Badfinger

19. Are your parents strict? Dad was. Mom, not so much.

20. Would you go sky diving? Not likely.

21. Do you like cottage cheese? Gross!

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? I once met Frank Bialec and Doug Wilson in a store in Scottsdale at the height of Trading Spaces popularity.

23. Do you rent movies often? No

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? Not currently.

25. How many countries have you visited? Seven...eight if you count Monaco.

26. Have you made a prank phone call? Yes, when I was 12 or 13

27. Ever been on a train? Do trains at amusement parks count? How about a commuter rail? If so, yes.

28. Brown or white eggs? White, I guess. I'm not sure I've ever had brown eggs.

29. Do you have a cell phone? Yes

30. Do you use ChapStick? I only keep a tube in every purse I own.

31. Do you own a gun? No.

32. Can you use chop sticks? Yes

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? Q, the boys, and the cat.

34. Are you too forgiving? I think I am, although some might disagaree vehemently.

35. Ever been in love? Yes

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? Working

37. Ever have cream puffs? Yes

38. Last time you cried? A few weeks ago

39. What was the last question you asked? "Are you watching this or can I turn it off?"

40. Favorite time of the year? Spring

41. Do you have any tattoos? No

42. Are you sarcastic? NOOOO!

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? No

44. Ever walked into a wall? Yes

45. Favorite color? Pink

46. Have you ever slapped someone? Yes.

47. Is your hair curly? No, but it's very wavy.

48. What was the last CD you bought? A compilation disk of hits from 1979. And I only bought it because it had a few songs that I couldn't get on iTunes.

49. Do looks matter? Looks aren't everything, but they're not completely unimportant, either.

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater? Hell NO!

51. Is your phone bill sky high? No

52. Do you like your life right now? Yes

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? No.

54. Can you handle the truth? I can if I'm prepped for it.

55. Do you have good vision? Yes, for the time being. I do think I should get my eyes checked because small print is starting to look a little blurry.

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? No.

57. How often do you talk on the phone? Every day

58. The last person you held hands with? Q.

59. What are you wearing? Pajamas

60. What is your favorite animal? Siamese kitty

61. Where was your profile picture taken? Disney's California Adventure

62. Can you hula hoop? I used to be really good at it when I was a child. Now, not so much.

63. Do you have a job? I have lots of jobs. Unfortunately, none of them generates a paycheck.

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Dinner at In-N-Out Burger for me and the boys.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes

Paula Deen Diet

Every creative brain cell I have is currently being eaten up by school. Even so, I still felt the need to come up with a filler post. Video clips are great for that. Besides, I know a few people who might enjoy this one.

BGSS 2 Presents: Paula Deen

Yes, I am a straight white girl from the suburbs.

And yes, I watch the LOGO channel. :-)

Cushing's Awareness Day

April 8 is Cushing's Awareness Day. Cushing's Syndrome is a hormonal disorder that causes the body to produce abnormally high levels of cortisol. More information about Cushing's can be found here.
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As most of you know, this issue is close to our family. Complications from Cushing's Syndrome almost cost Q his life just three years ago.
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Cushing's Syndrome is quite rare. So much so Q was living with it for a few years before we even knew what it was. His primary care doctor was even stumped. An endocrinologist was able to diagnose him almost on sight. Here's how he looked shortly before his hospital admission in 2006. This was one of his good days.

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During this time, Q needed assistance to get off the couch. He could barely walk up and down stairs. His glaucoma was so bad that he probably shouldn't have been driving a car.

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All the while, Q never called in sick to work. On his worst days, he would work from home.

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But Q is one of the lucky ones. After spending four months in the hospital, enduring three major surgeries, and an extended recovery, he is living a normal, healthy life with minimal restrictions. In fact, the only way one can tell he was ever sick is the surgical scarring and the bottle of cortisone pills in his medicine cabinet. He still has all the mojo of a 19-year old.

He's able to enjoy the rides at an amusement park...

participate in water sports...

frolic in the pool during a summer rainstorm....

play catch with our sons...

and give Luke some stiff competition at Skee Ball.

Pieces of Flair

Recently, I have been directing my computer attention toward Facebook (at the noticeable expense of my blog). One of my favorite parts of FB is an application called Pieces of Flair. This feature allows users to send colorful and snarky buttons to one another. If you require further explanation, please consult Urban Dictionary.

Below are a few flair buttons that express me to a T. Some were sent to me by other FB friends, others I added on my own. My visually impaired readers may need to click on the photo for easier reading.

More flair to come...

Backyard Visitor

Stuff 'n Save Your Money

Since we eat Mexican food no fewer than three times a week, I'm always looking to try something new. So I bought these Old El Paso Stand 'n Stuff taco shells.

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The concept behind these flat-bottomed shells is that you can set your taco down upright and the filling won't roll out. It's a good idea, in theory. These shells do exactly what they're supposed to. But the design was just poorly executed.

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I'm not a physics expert so I'm not going to pretend to give a scientific explanation. But something about the not-so-gradual folds in the taco shell make for a weaker product. When Q bit into his first taco, the shell cracked on the creases and the whole thing fell apart on his plate. He had to eat the rest of his taco mess with a fork.

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I had slightly better luck. It was cumbersome, but I managed to hold the shell together long enough to eat the entire taco. My spillage was limited to some meat and a slice of avocado. But I did have a problem with the fact that the above-average width of the shells made them difficult to bite into without the ability to unhinge my jaw.

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One positive attribute is that since the Stand 'n Stuff shells are wider, they hold more taco filling than traditional round bottomed variety. But in my opinion, that alone is not worth the price of admission. Next time I'll go back to the smaller, rounder shells. And if more food is desired, we'll simply help ourselves to a second, third, or fourth helping.

Renaissance Festival

Yesterday, we went to the Renaissance Festival out in Apache Junction. Below are a few pics from the day.

Another Goodwill Rescue

Today's Goodwill trip yielded the following score:

Eight Fiesta napkin rings--four Rose and four Seamist. These look like they have never been used. Lucas commented that "they don't even smell ghetto!"

I got them for a grand total of $3.99. And it wasn't even half-price day.

Thursday 13: Right Now

1. Right now, it's 4:01 AM and I can't sleep.

2. The only good thing on TV is VH1 Classic. The video for "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" by Aretha Franklin and Annie Lenox is currently playing. I haven't heard that song in YEARS.

3. After I'm done here, I'm off to iTunes. While I'm there, I'll download Adam Carolla's latest podcast, which, BTW is the #1 downloaded podcast on iTunes. It's beating anything NPR is putting out there! If you need a good laugh, give the Ace Man a listen. (WARNING: Subject matter is graphic and unsavory language is used often.)

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4. NPR = Not Particularly Relevant.

5. Right now, I'm having to share the ottoman with Jango. She's being quiet, for once.

6. There's a bunch of Scarlet birthday Fiesta that needs to be detagged and washed. (Thank you, Mom).

7. It's 57 degrees in Peoria, AZ. The weather widget in the sidebar is wrong. It's NOT 79 degrees outside. It's not even that warm inside.

8. Right now, my hair feels parched and crispy. I place all blame squarely on that tea tree and eucalyptus conditioner I bought at Trader Joe's last week. Because the dry air in Arizona has nothin' to do with it. :-)~

9. I wonder if the recycling barrel got taken out to the curb.

10. Right now, there's a basket of white laundry that needs to be folded. Sorting socks SUCKS!

11. I'm thinking about what errands I need to do later today. I need flower pots that fit the wire plant stands I bought a few months ago. Kyle asked me to pick some duck tape. Maybe I'll see if the Happy Valley Goodwill has more unwanted Fiesta sitting on its shelves. I'd also like to see if the new issue of Modernism magazine is in stock at Barnes & Noble. Then I'll scrounge through the clearance racks at Old Navy.

12. "Tonight She Comes" by the Cars just started. This is the very first time EVER I'm seeing this video...even if it is over 20 years old. Cable TV availability was very sporadic when I was a kid.

13. Right now, I'm going to pick out what color to make the font for this post.

Shamrock! Shamrock!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Everyone!

Green Day!

Look what arrived just in time for St. Patrick's Day:

The hole in my Ironstone/Amberstone sugar bowl collection has been filled.

Flip That Cap?

About a month ago, one of the hubcaps fell off our car. A missing cap made the car look so ghetto that I felt self-concious driving it. Q, on the other hand, only has two requirements of a car: it has to get him to work and have AM radio. Even so, my husband still considers the latter item a luxury on par with Corinthian leather seats and a heated steering wheel. So driving the ghetto car didn't bother him.

Meanwhile, I turned to the Internet in search of a replacement hubcap for our 2001 Dodge Stratus. I was looking to get something cheap, and prices on eBay were going for higher than I was willing to pay. Remember, we are talking about an 8-year old car here.

Eventually, I got very impatient and bought a used, blemished hubcap with a $20 buy-it-now price. It arrived three days ago. We put it on the car. End of story.

Not really.

Today, we set out for biweekly trip to Goodwill's half-price Saturday. It was here where I found not one, but THREE 15-inch Dodge hubcaps just like the ones on our car! My heart sank.

I called Q over and showed him my discovery. He tends to keep his emotions very much in check, but I'll never forget his reaction. He clenched his teeth and muttered "oh my god".

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. I had just shelled out $30 (with shipping) for a used cap with scratches and here we happen upon three more that appear to be in better shape.

The price was better, too. WAY better. Even though we no longer needed them, Q decided to buy the hubcaps anyway. At $2 apiece, he couldn't afford not to.

I'm not sure what we'll do with these extra hubcaps. We will definitely swap out the $30 eBay cap for one of the prettier Goodwill ones. We might also keep one for a spare. The rest will probably be flipped on eBay.

Also at Goodwill, I found two more pieces of Fiesta: a Cobalt salad plate and a Cinnabar luncheon plate. I didn't want 'em and I didn't need 'em. But at 34 cents each, they needed to be rescued.

Big Score

Today, Q and I spent a nice, leisurely day lunching and dishing in downtown Glendale (if you're in this area, La Piazza al Forno on 58th and Glendale Ave. is a must stop for pizza).

After seeing lots of damaged and overpriced ware ($65 for a Plum disk pitcher that I can buy in Dillard's for $28), I was giving up hope. Still, I wanted to hit one more shop before going home. It was there where I glanced down onto a low shelf and found this beauty--a vintage Fiesta comport in cobalt blue:

It is damaged. In addition to the chip, there is a long hairline crack through the center of the bowl. But for $25, I didn't care. These things commonly sell on eBay for $200+. This is a piece I never thought I'd own in any condition for any price. I certainly didn't think I'd find one in the wild.

It was also a little dusty and filmy. Nothing that a little soapy bath couldn't fix. But as I started sponging down the bowl, this strange yellow resinous film started flaking off:

I managed to remove all the film. It was only on the outside of the bowl, not inside. I'm assuming this was the former owner's strange attempt at a repair. I just hope I didn't do additional damage.

Additionally, I should point out that this bowl cost less than our lunch.

The Finished Product

Click on the photos to enlarge:

Yes, I know I have a lot of learning to do. In fact, I'm already finding stuff I could have done differently.

Work in Progress

Below is my current project for my presentations class. Here, we had to redraw a picture from a magazine...including color gradations and value changes. So far, I only have the marker work done. I have been assured that the drawing will really take shape when the colored pencil work is done and texture is added. We shall see...

Click on the photo to view larger.

Thirty-Six

Volunteer At Large

That's me. Or you can just call me VAL. Oh, but most of you already do that. Bad joke, I know. But it was a use-it-or-lose-it kind of thing.

I spent the evening selling snacks at the Mardi Gras dance at the boys' school. Most of my time was spent at the popcorn machine because other than the PTSA officers, I'm the only one who knows how to use it without burning myself (NOT an easy task). Even with repeated showers, I will most likely be smelling like salty butter all weekend.

According to the PTSA president, finding volunteers for these events is quite difficult. Funny, because I find that I actually LIKE schlepping junk food at school functions. For starters, helping out is a great way to meet people and it's good for the community. It gives me something to do other than numbing my a$$ on a Formica cafeteria bench.

And that's what a lot of the parents were doing. Since this was a family event, students were not admitted without a parent or other responsible adult. Apparently, most were under the assumption that they could just dump off their kids and go have a quiet dinner at the Chinese place down the street. Nope...it doesn't work that way. We're not running a babysitting service here, people!

So there we had it: a vast sea of kids (90% girls) out on the dance floor partying down to the likes of No Doubt, Beyonce, and whoever sings "The Electric Slide". Meanwhile, their pi$$ed-off parents sat bored at the purple plastic-covered tables and counted the seconds until 9:00.

So, dear readers, when and if you do have kids, make yourself useful and help out at their school. The PTA officers of the world will thank you. You'll be making their lives easier, and you'll be showing your children that sometimes it's important to pitch in and do work without the expectation of monetary payment.

Thursday 13: Weekend Plans UPDATED

1. Research and write a paper for Geology class. The topic is earthquakes.

2. Sell snacks at the Family Dance at the boys' school. DONE

3. Clean out my dresser...remove all baggy jeans, winter pajamas, ratty underwear, and other clothes that no longer fit and I no longer wear.

4. Go to the outlet mall and check out the new Banana Republic Factory Store. Maybe spend the gift card/coupon that BR sent me for my birthday. Any purchases can help fill the void left by item #3. DONE

5. Diamondbacks vs. Mariners Spring Training game on Sunday. I parked illegally and risked being cited or towed to buy the tickets for that game. TIIC really need to provide adequate short term parking for those of us who are there spend money at their box office!

6. Scrape the wallpaper fishies off the boys' bathroom walls (Maybe...this a big, low priority project).

7. Reorganize my iTunes playlists (Another maybe...another big project).

8. Try to find Lucas' good tennis shoes. DONE

9. Replace the hubcap on the Dodge (Pending arrival...the eBay seller shipped it on Tuesday). NOT DONE...didn't arrive in Saturday's mail.

10. Go to a trunk show that one of the stores near my hair salon is holding. NOT DONE...stayed home and played drunk Trivial Pursuit with Q and Lucas...except instead of tequila shots, Lucas did Pepsi shots.

11. Scan some stuff for a future blog post.

12. Go to the gym. NOT DONE...decided to do the opposite and go out for deep fried shrimp tacos instead.

13. Go to Target. I'm not sure what for, but I'm sure somebody will think of something. We seem to end up there nearly every weekend.

Coupon-A-Rama!

Since the economy has fallen into the toilet, the glut of credit card offers that used to clog up our mailbox has pretty much dried up (thank God!). They have been replaced by coupons. Lots and LOTS of coupons. Pictured above is just one weeks worth of accumulation.

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It seems just about everyone with something to sell is coming out of the woodwork. They are using special offers an other incentives in attempt to lure us into spending money at their establishment. Except for those offering 2 for 1 smoothies, most of these coupons will go unused. We currently have coupons for:

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Health and wellness...

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orthodontics, chiropractic services, dental care, hemorrhoid relief, elder care services, orthopedic shoes, eyeglasses, weight loss centers, testosterone replacement.

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Personal care...

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laser treatments, haircuts, tanning salons (we have a pant-load of these places here in sunny Arizona. Why? I don't know), colon hydrotherapy, manicures, pedicures, botox, teeth whitening, facials, yoga classes, massages, skin rejuvenation, eyebrow waxing.

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Auto-related services...

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car rental, airport parking, car washes, windsheild replacement, brake jobs, transmission repair, oil changes, window tinting, coolant flushes, collision repair, camping trailer rentals.

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Goods and services for inside the house...

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window blinds, carpet cleaning, game room supplies, granite countertops, flooring, cabinet refacing, pest control, plumbing, electrical, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, handyman services, closet organization, air duct cleaning, tub-to-shower conversions, consignment furniture, heating and air conditioning repair, grout cleaning, carpet stretching, popcorn ceiling removal, furniture movers, upholstery cleaning, room additions.

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And outside...

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tree nurseries, concrete slabs, retractable awnings, tree removal, pool remodeling, landscape design, pool covers, window replacement, house painting, wrought iron gates, barbecue pits, precast fountains, stucco replacement, imitation grass, security systems, patio-to-sunroom conversions, pool tile cleaning, stone facings.

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And even in the garage...

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garage door repairs, garage cabinets, overhead garage shelves, mini storage, garage floor coating, garage door replacement, garage door openers.

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"Mom" stuff:

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scrapbooking items, art and craft supplies, boutique clothing, jewelry

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Stuff for the kids:

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martial arts classes, zoo admission, preschool and day care, go-cart races, learning centers, pottery painting, museum admission, dance classes, foreign language lessons, inflatable and party slide rentals, bowling, mobile game truck party rentals, swimming lessons.

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Stuff for the animals:
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pet grooming, online pet medication store, pet sitting, pet doors, obedience training, tropical fish, aquarium decor.

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Restaurants:

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frozen yogurt, Thai food, Chinese food, Mexican food, smoothies, fish and chips, pitas, sushi, coffee and donuts, ice cream, hot dogs, fried chicken, pizza (I found more than a dozen pizza coupons, but NOT ONE for a sandwich shop).

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Modern conveniences:

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satellite tv, long distance phone services, digital cable, high speed Internet, cellular service.

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Coupons for those who have a little extra cash in their pockets:

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bottled water delivery service, dry cleaners, concierge services, gourmet desserts, housekeeping, catering, wine tasting.

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And coupons for those who wish they did:

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bankruptcy consultation services, jewelry buyers, rare coin buyers, tax preparation services, divorce lawyers, eBay selling services.

Beep! Beep!

Our gym is located on the campus of the community college near our house. The campus is also across the street from open desert.

We're always seeing different wildlife here. Today, I spotted this roadrunner:

Last week, I saw a coyote running around near the bus stop. Luckily, I was in the safety of the car--he had a small animal hanging out of his mouth. And, of course we are always seeing jackrabbits.