On Bailouts and Taxes

Bailing a sinking boat is good,
But let’s not be playing Robin Hood.
I want to keep all that I earn,
Not give it to some fool to burn.

The Bible says, “Don’t work: don’t eat,”
But they give handouts to deadbeats.
So let me keep assets I’ve arranged;
You keep your bailouts, tax, and “change.”

Editorial note: I do realize that some folks are undergoing financial hardship for reasons outside their control; others are victims of their own folly. This post is not directed toward the former group. It is directed toward law-makers (and those who elected them) who would steal from me (taxes) in order to fund bailouts and entitlement programs. For more on this topic, read this insightful article: http://www.americanvision.org/article/obama-and-the-future-economy/

What I Did Today. Period..

I had no idea in my brain
The strain of blogging causes pain.
I fight the curse of sounding trite
While thinking of new stuff to write.

Some days are just a great big bore,
A bit of work, a household chore.
Nothing that you’d want to read,
Much less write if you were me.

But just in case you need to know,
It rained today, there might be snow.
I drove my car, I breathed in air,
I walked on floors, I sat in chairs.

I’ve proved my point, consumed your time,
Given nothing for your dime.
So forgive me if I fail to post.
My brain has given up the ghost.

What We Did for Fun Today

Cooked while sitting down. I seriously want a kitchen like this.Laid out all the number books, open cover to open cover.Then made Piglet walk the plank.Went over the school lesson (Caleb's) for Grammy's benefit.Played Dora the Explorer on the computer. (Notice that he has GHD, too -- Genetic Hair Disorder.)Went for a spin in the desk chair.
Then two out of three of us took a nap. I waited 'til I got home for mine.

Sudden Death

It can be difficult to deal with any death, but one that is sudden and in the prime of life can seem even harder. I wasn't finished with you. I still had plans for us. I still need you and want to touch you. You made life so much easier. If you had let me know in some way that the end was near, I could have been prepared. Now, I will have to make other arrangements and figure out how to go on without you. You will require a special burial, and I will have to replace you. All I can say now is,



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Dang piece of junk!

Congratulations to Me! (Day Two)

Twenty-six years ago today, I became a mom for the second time. After growing up with three sisters in a neighborhood of mostly girls, I discovered that I knew nothing about raising a boy. But we both survived (with Dad's help, of course, and our local emergency room) and I'm thankful for this day.

Happy Birthday, Phillip!

The Big Five

I hit the big five for today's shopping: Kroger, Publix, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid. it was a so-so grocery day. I saved 50% at one store and 52% at the other. I should have done better, but I apparently left my brain at home because there were some coupons I should have used but didn't. One of my best deals was for these cans of chicken at Rite Aid. I paid 24 cents each for them. The frozen skillet meals are generally heavy on pasta and light on meat (to be expected), so I like to supplement a bit.

At CVS, Valentine's candy was marked 75% off, so I "had to have" this baseball box. Once I opened the box and discovered that the packaging comprised about 70% of the interior and the candy only 30%, I would have been majorly unhappy if I'd paid any more than I did. And there was a piece missing! (Oh wait -- never mind -- I remember the ride home from the store now.)

Congratulations to Me!

Twenty-nine years ago today, I became a mom for the first time, after a mere 3-1/2 hours of labor. (Law of physics: same amount of work to do but less time to do it in = more force required). Oh, and

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Vintage? Perhaps...

I didn't save a lot of Emily & Phillip's little clothes, due to lack of space, and the fact that most weren't worth saving. A few days ago I went digging in the basement for some of Emily's clothes that may soon fit Alexa. She couldn't wear Emily's baptismal dress because Alexa weighed a hefty two pounds more at birth than her mom did. Maybe one or two of these other outfits will fit some day.

I made this lion outfit and the accompanying stuffed lion. (My apologies for the poor quality of the scanned Christmas 1981 photo.) The outfit even has leg snaps for ease in changing. At age 2, Emily loved dressing up in her cowgirl outfit. Until I dug out this picture, I didn't remember that it had a hat and a belt. Only the shirt and skirt made it this far. The next two are dresses that Emily had at Christmastime in 1982, a couple of months before she turned three. In the first picture, she's holding the doll that I made her the year that Cabbage Patch dolls first became overwhelmingly popular. People were literally trampling one another in toy stores! No need for that, when mom can sew.Maybe in the next months/years, I can get a picture of Alexa in these vintage outfits.

Almost as Good as Chocolate

I love fabric, and it's not fattening. Of course, a "piece" costs a little more, but hey, there have to be trade-offs in life. With the sewing room finished, I've been able to pull out my stash of fabrics and touch each one. Literally. The last two nights I've been cutting off all the cool selvages, especially all the ones with the multi-colored, numbered circles. I got a basket full, and I still have a few more to cut, but they're attached to fabrics that I haven't pre-shrunk yet, so I need to do that first. (Notice a theme to my recent fabric purchases?) I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with them yet, but there are lots of ideas here and here. If you sew or quilt and don't want your selvages, I'll be happy to take them off your hands. The total width needs to be 1.5" (you lose a little bit of fabric) and they can be any length from about 3" and up. I would even give you some chocolate in exchange.

It Bears Repeating

A few months back, I acknowledged Emily as being Coupon Queen, but I crowned myself Queen of Clearance Racks. Here are some bargains I've found in the last several days.

This is a dress for Alexa for next Christmas. The photo makes it look hot pink, but it really is a pretty shade of red. The picture of the price tag is a better representation of the actual color.

This is a pair of Nike athletic pants for Caleb. Is there anyone out there who would have paid the full retail price? I sure wouldn't.
If you think the retail price of the pants was too high, take a look at the original tag on this fleece jacket for Alexa. For that price, it ought to be lined with gold.Finally, here's a pair of socks I got for Caleb. They weren't a bargain compared to the other things, but they were just too cute to pass up.
Even though the manufacturers' suggested retail prices are a joke, the total for these four items is $118. I paid $11 for a savings of 91%. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

What Do You Get?

What do you get when you cross blood red and blood yellow? Blood orange, of course. (And possibly a transfusion gone terribly wrong.) I had heard of blood oranges, but I'd never had one before. Since they were featured at Kroger this week, I decided to buy a couple. I thought the name came merely from the fact that the peel has some reddish tint to it. What a surprise when I peeled it! I'm still cogitating so that I can describe how the taste differs from that of an orange orange, but it does differ. My lack of apt language in this regard means I probably won't be hired as a commentator by the Food Network.

Ready, Set, Sew! (Again)

I originally posted this yesterday, but something weird happened, and the page, although fine initially, began opening with errors. So, I decided to delete the whole post and start over. I made the pictures smaller, too, in case that was the problem.

The sewing room is finished, with the possible exception of the wall decor, if I had any. We had enough flooring (with a little patching) to do the closet as well. The only nice piece of furniture in the room is a cherry computer hutch that came from James' parents' house. It weighs about two tons, and it was an adventure getting it moved into the hall while we put the floor down. James hung his contribution to the decor in front of the windows, but it didn't stay there long.

Photo-Worthy Savings

I got everything pictured at Publix and (drum roll) saved 74% doing it! I have a hard time reaching the ever-elusive 70% + level, mostly because I'll have things on my list that aren't on sale and/or don't have coupons. But not today.

CVS would have paid me $2 to bring home a razor and two tubes of Colgate, but I blew the wad on Valentine's clearance chocolate. You can rest assured that it will be put to good use, though.

Happy 93rd Birthday

Yesterday marked the 93rd birthday of my grandfather and his twin sister and this afternoon there was a family party. Here are my three sisters and me posing, and then one of our grandfather along with us being a little goofy, a rare thing. You believe that, don't you?

Happy Valentine's Day

And please let me know if you have any leftover chocolate; there will be no need for recycling it.

How to Know If You Have Too Much Time on Your Hands

I've been accused of having too much time on my hands. Since this is probably true, the least I can do is to provide instruction to the rest of you so that you'll know if this "malady" strikes you. Here's how to know if you have too much time on your hands:
You start seeing Martians.

Everything your pet does is entertaining.

Everything your spouse does is entertaining.

You find humor in pollen.

Trashcans make you feel nostalgic.

You become obsessed with hair.

Colors of yogurt matter.

You take photographs of price stickers, food, medicine, and thermometers.

And finally, you keep blogging as if your life depended on it, even when you have nothing worthwhile to say, because you're pretty sure that your sanity does depend on it.