Another Oldie, but goodie!

Today's the 28th and today we're headed to Progresso, Mexico, as I type this I'm not so sure we're getting off the boat here or not... IF so, we're headed to a private beach thanks to some comments that it's not the best place to try and just walk around without being attacked by people wanting to sell me who-knows-what and braid my hair... so anyway, here's an oldie, but a goodie from way back in 1978!

 this is our family van headed out on a trip to California (from Michigan and yes, we were insane!)

Yeah Baby!

Here's my Grandpa in the white dress shirt & farmers hat- see how he's looking at the van with great pride?! His oldest son really made the family proud! Seriously, how many of his friends back in Indiana could say their sons drove a van with the name of an article of clothing printed on the side! Take that boys!

I LOVE this picture... i hardly need to say anything because as you know, a picture is worth a thousand words & isn't that the truth!! But, being who i am & all, you know i gotta say something! Let's start at the left & move to the right.... Who loves him some plaid pants? The man that is watching his dog sniff my butt, that's who!! Now Chick.... look at the poor gal, apparently we were driving to California with 3 kids, 2 grandparents, a plastic banjo & a can of shaving cream to get her A NECK! California always has been ahead of it's time with the whole plastic surgery scene. I guess our luggage was FULL because there on the indoor/outdoor carpet step (hey- we didn't want crap on that shag!) are a variety of items: the can of shaving cream, what looks like a can of pumpkin (in case Grandma wanted to whip up a pie in Vegas) & then, i swear, it looks like a mini pumpkin... maybe they were afraid we wouldn't be back before fall & didn't want us missing out on pumpkin carving?... who knows! Don't put anything past people who would buy a van that says BLUE JEANS! I just got darling daughters kids meal toy magnifying glass out & I still can't tell if that's a mini pumpkin or not.... I love how my brother & I are both dressed in a red, white & blue motif! Chick was a big fan of 1976 for several years...

As I type, i suddenly realize i'm rockin' out to FREE RIDE...TAKE IT EASY.... in my head! If it wasn't such a pain to change my music, i'd go add that, but speaking of the music.... Guess who was crackin' herself up with Conway Twitty? Tight fittin' jeans?! Oh yeah, i was a real Casey Kasem this morning! Well, i hope the wait was worth it... Isn't she all I promised & so much more? I only wish i was more of a photojournalist back then like i am now....but then again, maybe it's best those memories live only in my mind...

~Adios~

My Ovaries are a HOT TOPIC of conversation!

Last winter when i still owned the pizza shop (Oh thank God that is gone...) I was headed to my accountants with darling daughter in the car & we're running late (of course) & I've fed her nothing for breakfast (of course) & so i make a decision to head into the Burger King drive-thru so i can get a "healthy" breakfast for my darling daughter & a coffee for myself (what is it about BK coffee?? so stinkin' good- 2 creams, thank you!). I'm at the 1st booth to hand over my $ & the gal with the "oh-so-cool" headset on says "Oh is your daughter adopted?" actually she whispers the word "adopted" - this cracks me up, people whispering "adopted", it's 2008 (I told you this was an old post!) people, "adopted" isn't a secret anymore & besides, my kid is Chinese... I don't think I'm going to fool her into thinking she somehow came from my uterus, or vagina or wherever the heck babies come from... YUCK! So anyway, I say "yes, she was born in China" to which girl genius replys "China? CHINA?" (did she think perhaps i found her in Chicago in Chinatown?). I say "Yep, China, China, I went there myself to get her". Now we've known each other about 12 - 20 seconds, so we're tight & she's feeling cozy with me (i guess...) and now she says "I think that's so cool when people adopt... why did you? is something WRONG with you?"... OMG!! I am not even joking!! I wanted to say to her "you bet there's something wrong with me, when is your break & how much time do you get because this ain't gonna be a 30 second story" then i realize by "something wrong with me" she means my "woman parts". How can i blame her for being so bold, we're close, i've given her my personal order for breakfast, i've given her my $4 & we've spent to much time chatting.... Luckily for this girl I have more than a great sense of humor... & besides I never wanted to give birth so whether or not the parts south of the border work... what the hell do i care?! So... instead of making her feel like the idiot she seems to be (or is she just an extreme "people person"... you decide) I cheerfully chuckle & tell her the truth "nope, nothing wrong, I just always wanted to adopt". I drive to the 2nd window, get my coffee & my sweetie's breakfast & away we go to the accountant to find out how much in the hole we are now.... Ahhh, good times my friends, GOOD times!!

Monday and I'm headed out to sea! Headed out to Sea...howWing00tost

What dedication I have to my blog... Seriously, I am patting myself on the back, because it's Wednesday night April 21st and I'm Pre-blogging for the week!

Hmmm, am I sick, narcissistic or just this exciting?

Last year my mom freaked out (you know you did Mom!)  and thought I said I'd call in TWO days when actually I said I'd call in a FEW days... We were leaving Key West and weren't going to have cell service till we got back into US waters, or something like that.  She somehow got a poor travel agent (probably 2 days on the job and late to pick her 6 kids up from daycare) to hook her up with a web-cam on my boat and kept her eye on me the WHOLE WEEK!  So what.., I was in the hot tub drunk and naked, I'm over 21!  Ok, so that's totally an exaggeration, it was my husband!

Ok, so none of that is true, but she DID say she logged onto some boat camera.  Now if my mother tracking me down on the high seas and spying on me isn't enough to get me to undergo plastic surgery and move out of a 2,000 mile radius, I don't know what is!

All I'm sayin' is: you might want to check it out for yourself, I'm headed to Cozumel on Carnival Triumph! I promise to wave every time I see the camera's (like I don't do that all the time anyway!).

This is from last year and I hope to be doing the same thing this time this year...

but with better hair and maybe a cuter shirt...

Adios, I'm headed to Cozumel!

Tune in tomorrow for an old post you may have missed...

It's Saturday and by the time you read this...

I will be on a plane zonked out on my Xanex and not realizing how scared I am!

That's right, I'm flying down to New Orleans and should arrive around 10:30 AM!

Let's hope I don't act inappropriately...

you never know what those meds are gonna do to a small girl...

Friday Etsy Finds!

Well girls and boys, I'm flying around like a chicken with my head cut off since we fly out Saturday morning (to New Orleans) and then board the boat on Monday...

I'm cheating a bit by typing this up Wednesday night...

IF I've set everything up correctly, you're reading this on Friday!

Wait to you see all the ADORABLE clutches I found!  I have to tell you I'm singing the song "Push It" over and over but substituting "Clutch it, clutch it real good" because that new show "Accidentally on Purpose" is playing in the background and "Push It" is the song she wanted played during her labor... I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that song would just make me want to murder someone if I was pushing a person outta my... well, you know!  But then again, one of the (MANY) reasons I chose adoption was a fear that my behavior, while trying to get a person outta me, could have possibly embarrassed me in irreparable ways!  

So back to the clutches... all from etsy, all adorable!!  The sellers name is BELOW each clutch, check out their other goodies too

bambina

daphnenen

downstairsDesigns

majkatree

redrubyrose

ADGCORNERSHOP

(this one is the pattern, do it yourself!!)

keykalou

marymoondesigns

MadameCupcake

ao3designs

Ah, clutch it

Ah, clutch it

Oooh, baby, baby

Baby, baby

Oooh, baby, baby

Baby, baby

Get up on this!

Ow! Baby

chinamommys here!

Now wait a minute, y'all

This clutch ain't for everybody

Only the sexy people

So all you fly mothers, get on out there and clutch it

CLUTCH IT, I said!

chinamommys here and I'm in effect

Want you to clutch it, baby

Coolin' by day then at night working up a sweat

C'mon girls, let's go show the guys that we know

How to become number one in a hot party show

NOW CLUTCH IT!

~you're welcome~

Have a great weekend!!

Got some junk in my trunk....

Well, not yet, but once I haul the Mister down to ol' Plainwell, MI I'm going to!

I met the fabulous "AMY" (wedding photographer extraordinaire) Wednesday for lunch and a chat.

http://www.amysphotography.typepad.com

This is the cutie that took our wedding pictures...

So anyway, Amy and I met up today in a little town for lunch and a quick trip to an antique/art shop.

I use to call on this town years ago when I worked for Kodak but since I called on retailers who we developed pictures for, I'd never seen the downtown.

We didn't have much time, but after a yummy lunch we headed to the cutest shop!!

They had a lot of furniture and accessories made by taking other pieces and parts and putting them together...❤ that!

I quick like snapped some pictures while my friend was chatting to the guy in the other room... I know some places are weird about people taking pictures IN their stores, so I went all "Secret Squirrel".

Ok, I've got rhinestones to heat set!

so much...to....do!

Arrghhhh...... you'd think us procrastinators would learn at some point....

I have so much to do and I'm pretty sure my heart isn't suppose to be beating this fast when I haven't been running?!

 I'm selling a cricut cartridge on ebay, I have all those survey's to fill out online (you know for that $1,000 gift card to Meijer or that $5,000 to Target...), I have mountains of laundry to sort and put away, I'm thinking of packing since we leave EARLY Saturday morning for New Orleans.  I've made plans with 2 friends this week, I have to pick darling up from school today, the Mister was out of town on business last night, we have to practice spelling words, I sent a bunch of artwork/jewelry to a gal I went to HS with for a fundraiser, I got the dog groomed and I should wash sheets since Monday flew right by me and that's bedding day.

BUT, the good news: 

the XANEX is in my purse so I can get on the plane!!

Last night I realized I didn't post yesterday, but I was in bed (with darling snoring by my side) and watching the season final of 

"16 and Pregnant" with Dr. Drew, I cried...

whatever!

Anyone else watch this show?  I'm thinking all kids should have to!

Ok, I have to get ready for coffee date #2... I have till 5 am Saturday to be ready, so really, WHY RUSH?

Oh great.... loose scantily clad women cause earthquakes! (news flash on the local news)

Have you heard this?

Yikes, I hear clothing is optional at some of the beaches we'll be stopping at next week.... Don't worry, it won't be ME causing all that shakin'!!!!!!

lator tators!

Oh crap.. I have to finish my rhinestones too... maybe I'll take a nap?!

Is it stealing if the rings are STUCK on your finger?

Saturday the Mister and I were at Target to get some "stuff" for our trip.  We were walking through the jewelry when I remembered I had to show him these "eternity" bands so he would realize how much I NEED 3 diamond bands to go with my wedding ring.  If you know me, you know I happen to believe you can't have a diamond too big or have too many stacks of diamond encrusted rings round your finger!  I slipped my wedding ring off and slipped on the following 3 rings then put my wedding ring back on top to show him how AWESOME it looked... and it DID!

BUT...

My wedding ring was stuck SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tight to my finger I couldn't get it to budge!  My snobby ring was probably mad it had to sit on a stack of cubic zirconia rings.  Of course having the "freak-out-gene" I freaked out!  I'm tugging like crazy on my ring and my knuckle is getting bigger and redder by the second.  The Mister says QUIT tugging on that, so I licked my finger and tugged again... dang, he was right- it didn't help!  

I had to walk around Target with these rings on and my hand held palm up so it looked like I was carrying something because of course, the rings were on this giant cardboard thingy.  You know they have cameras all over that store so I was trying to keep my paranoia in check.

A big glob of lotion finally took the rings off but my finger, in retaliation, stayed red for a long, long time!

I believe this proves that the Mister should buy me diamond bands so I don't have to worry about taking my ring off to prove their awesomeness ever again!

Can I get an Amen?

Hot and Dangerous DIY!

So my last DIY was a total flop... 

I think you're suppose to under promise and over deliver and I did the opposite with my DIY paper mache Easter eggs... let's not talk about it, ok?!

I thought being so unorganized I'd better just do the craft, take the pictures and THEN post rather than promising I'll do something which I'll never follow through on... you know some of us artsy types!
We're leaving on a cruise next week... to Mexico.  I'm a little nervous about Mexico (hey, I watch all those Dateline, 20/20 shows) and a LOT nervous about flying... I'm not a big fan!  Thanks to one little xanex pill I can get on a plane and once I'm off I really don't have much memory of the flight.  We went to Maui last year and had a stop over in Chicago. My friend mentioned something about stopping in Chicago, I said "we did?"
My DIY has nothing to do with this, so let's move on...
Well, it does have to do with the cruise because I bought a new swim suit.  The Mister said "Oh you needed another one?" and I said "nope", cause with bathing suits it's not about "NEED"-don't ask how many I have...
I found this top at TARGET:

and this bottom

 they didn't REALLY go together

but I had a plan!

RHINESTONES!!!
So, in this case I picked out the turquoise stones that match the tie on the bottoms.

To bling out your own outfit:
You need a heat setting tool (I got mine on ebay!), and heat set / flatback rhinestones.  If you're going to heat set them you MUST have the type that have a heat set glue on the back or it's not gonna work!
**CAUTION, This is HOT**
***this is NOT a kid-friendly, or accident prone mom craft!***

Of course me being me, I started with the hardest project (because when I mentioned rhinestones Darling Daughter wanted some on her skirt!)...
1. You need to pick the right size tip for the heat tool.  Mine comes with a variety of tip sizes and to figure out what size you need- set the tool (BEFORE it's plugged in) on the rhinestone, it should fit just perfectly in the tip.
2. this thing is STINKIN HOT, so make sure you're working on a heat safe surface!!
3. Turn the stones UP so you can see the color, NOT the glued side.  You just set the tool on top of the rhinestone and watch the bottom of your stone-wait just a few seconds for the glue to melt- You'll see it bubble up.

Once the glue is melted you just set it down quickly on the spot you want the stone, and lift up and away quickly!
Now, I will say this is NOT something you want to try on an outfit you can't afford to ruin... just sayin!  Make sure the fabric can take the heat too!  I was a little worried about the swimsuit, but it didn't melt thankfully!
As soon as you set that stone down, you have about 1 second to nudge it a bit if you need to move it over a tiny...TINY bit!  Remember: there's glue on the back so you don't want to push it too much or you'll smear the glue and there won't be as much glue on the rhinestone!  I guess what I'm saying is: make sure you set it on the spot where you want it!!

...and you might want to lay it out before you start, just to make sure you like the placement and to make sure you have enough of that color... because some of us idiots never think of that till we stick down the LAST one...

Hey everybody look at my left star boob!!!
Guess who's running to JoAnne's this morning to see if they have more turquoise rhinestones...??
Then I did Darlings skirt, which was much easier because I wasn't following a line and trying to be all straight and even...

above... cute but needing something!

just a little bling...

I might add a few more to hers (and def. to mine) because can you ever have TOO many rhinestones???
Well... actually, yes you can!  Go to Senior Bingo Night and see for yourself!
One other small tip: IF you're working on a small area (like a bikini top) that won't lay flat, I found it easier to put that area on the top of a small jar:
The lid should be about the size of the area you're working on.

I did these on Thursday and when I showed Darling she said AWESOME!  Now.... coming from her this about knocked me over!  To think I got an "AWESOME" out of her is... well, AWESOME!
So if you're brave enough to give this hot and dangerous DIY yourself, let me know!!
Just think how much your husband would like your initials in rhinestones on his underwear!!??

I'm exhausted, I did wedding flowers with my pal "C" last night- she lured me with $-GREEN-$.  More on that later, I've got to go find rhinestones!
Have a fabulous Weekend, I think we're doing countertops... Well, the Mister is, I'll be busy sneaking rhinestones onto EVERYTHING!

Is it too much to ask that a 6 year old ORGANIZE MY LIFE?

I HATE when a morning starts like this:

"oh, i have a homework paper due today..."

REALLY?  Cause you're hard to wake up, I took your dog out and got your breakfast, and picked out your outfit, and have to get ready myself so we can walk to the bus stop without me in flannel gingerbread girl PJ's!!!

So I do a little yelling and she moved like a snail.  I ask where her glasses are, she has NO idea- so I hunt all over the entire house then ask if she left then in my car.  She heads out to look and when she opens the door, her dog TEARS out of the house because there are cats he has a need to dominate roaming the yard (we live out in the country).  The Mister was trying to be nice and open my side of the garage door  but when you have a sneaky dog desperately looking for a way out, you've got to be on lock-down!!  The glasses...Yep, in the car and covered in 1st grade slime, fingerprints, and Lord knows what else.  I clean them, yell some more about being organized (who do I think I am to yell about organization??  I'm the MOM, I get to) and wash her face, which is child abuse according to darling daughter- have I mentioned she's a bit dramatic?!

We finally get out the door and I tell her because i didn't have time to pack her lunch I want her to buy "Healthy Choice" which results in her saying/whining "but i want the chicken patty..."  I remind her not even McDonald's wants that chicken they're going to serve her at school and she's to get the HEALTHY CHOICE... 

Then I notice.... she's NOT WEARING HER GLASSES...

Oh well, I'm not going to freak out ! How you Mom's with more than 1 do this is beyond me, but than again I can't stick to the plan of getting everything laid out the night before.

I'm exhausted just typing this out, it's like I had to live it twice...

GOOD NEWS: granite is in

and the Mister will be working on my counter-tops SOON!

and because I'm being totally random...

Anyone been to Cozumel?

 or

 Progreso Mexico?

(anyone that made it home alive from Mexico that is...)

I seen I can have my teeth taken care of in Progreso!  Don't be shocked when I come home with a gold tooth!

    Anything that's a must see, must do?

Let's discuss.... I'll tell you why later, I'm too tired right now.

owie!

The Fix on I-96 goes on and the people of GR are SICK OF IT!  Not so much the construction, but the stupid news people that won't shut the ___ up about it!!

The latest: People near the construction site can't sleep at night due to them destroying a huge concrete overpass and road!  Really??

Does this shock anyone that people living near the site can't sleep?

Thanks local news for enlightening us!

I had to have blood drawn today and pee in a cup.

WHY?

NO, I AM NOT pregnant- never wanted to be, never will be!!  

Darling daughter says to me "i wish so bad you would have a baby in your tummy.  Wouldn't that be funny?"

No, No it wouldn't!!  Most of you know, but I adopted by CHOICE!  People coming out of my vagina freaks me out!

Oh yeah... blood...

The mister decided he wanted some huge life insurance policy on me... should I be scared?  I've watched COLD CASE, I know how that works...

I'm not afraid of needles, I got allergy shots for 13 years.  Giving blood?  Not my favorite thing to do because I have arms the size of pencils.

"Oh, NO PROBLEM..." that's what they all say, but I, I KNOW BETTER!

She started with my left arm and said "oh, I better try the other arm (as the needle is IN my arm) I don't want to hit the tendon".  YUCK!  I am soooooooooooooo not into medical stuff, sure i wanted to MARRY a Dr., but that's as close as I wanted to blood and guts!

Ok, I'm listing this on ebay.

It's a BRAND NEW Hello Kitty Cricut cartridge.

I had 2... I never opened this one.

IF you're interested in bidding, my ebay name is:

chinesebabydoll

I was waiting to go get darling daughter when I chose it.  My friend told me it sounds like a porno name.. GREAT!

Ok, it's 12:30 and I've done nothing... of course, my arms are sore- that's my excuse for today!

Happy Wednesday!!

Good Stuff Tuesday!

1. Well, 1st off I'm happy to report that "THE FIX ON I-96" is Environmentally Friendly!!

Whewww, I did not know- Now I do!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=....stCprpQk

2. I woke up to these words:

"Women can increase their breast size..."

I have NO idea what was going on, but since it was the obnoxious morning guys, I didn't linger to hear the rest... maybe I should have?!

But good thing #2 is free undies and $10 off bras at Victoria's secret!

I've had 2 of these coupons within a couple of weeks.  Underwear that is usually $8.50/pair for FREE!!

3. Natalie Merchant on GMA!

I love, love, love Natalie Merchant and her music- I'm sure I would even enjoy her singing the Meow Mix commercial!  I'm not a big music person, which I know is weird to a lot of people, but it's like annoying noise to me most of the time- I sometimes wonder if I just don't HEAR what music lovers hear?... I saw Natalie M. at Lillith Fair years ago and besides Paul McCartney, she's the only other singer I've seen that I like just as much live as on a CD!

She has a new CD- "Leave Your Sleep" and I'm going to go grab it TODAY!

4. Buttercream?!  Hello!!??
Ok, so I did sip it straight from the bottle... but ONLY once... I could barely stop!!

5. I broke down and bought one... it's ugly, but i love how it works!

I've got to get the Mister to put another hook on the back of the shower so I can hang it there and get my rack put back up.  My 374 shower products are sitting on the floor and the shelves and that just won't do!

We have a glass door that I was wiping down with CLR all the time... the fumes killed me (mild asthma nerd here!) and this is just as easy as pushing a button and getting out of the way!

6. Lava Lamp!

I'm sure Dr. Freud would have something to say about this, but I ❤ it!
My Great Aunt Mable had a red one when I was a kid- I'm pretty sure it was a Christmas gift from us.  Every time we went to her house the 1st thing we would do was turn it on.  When she passed away it was the 1 thing I REALLY wanted, but apparently it didn't work and they threw it out... I would have taken it whether it worked or not...☹

7. ZAPPOS!
Thanks for all the comments everyone, Zappos will soon know where i live!!

8. My old favorite mixed animal was the Liger- which is a mix of a lion and a tiger!

My new favorite is a:

Elemation

or is it a

Dalphant?

8 good things that's enough!  I have 2 more, but it's taking too long to load and I actually have stuff to do... Get this, I decide to take a break from my etsy shops and suddenly I have 2 sales and a special order!!

Papercutsarecute is making a comeback (apparently?!)

Have a great day!!

and feel free to vote for me... No, seriously, I don't mind!!

http://bloginterviewer.com/page/76

I'm clear back on page 76... talk about taking a while to find it- geesh!

GO VOTE!!