You can teach and old dog!

I have been using Secret deodorant since day one! I have over time occassionaly switched to a different fragrance within the Secret line but it has always been Secret. The only exception to this was a few years ago when we had trouble scraping together two dollars, I decided to try the store brand that was most similar to Secret because it was half the price. It was horrible and I only used it once or twice before I found three dollars in the coach and ran to the store to buy my precious Secret.

A few months ago I noticed that Secret was failing me. I noticed it the most as I was undressing for the evening. My clothes smelled and it was not pleasant. Then I started paying closer attention and it was not just the evening or my clothes that smelled. It was quite embarrassing, to finally realized that you smell and have smelled for months.

The other day I decided it was time to make the change. For the past few weeks I had been applying more and more Secret and it felt like my underarms were an inch think with deodorant. Now just to give you a little history, I hate change. I am a creature of habit. If I find a product that I like, case closed. I won't deviate!

The deodorant of choice was Dove Ultimate. I had tried several of the body mists and then walked around the store to see which one I liked best, after an hour the Dove won hands down. I am so very please with my purchase. As you probably already know based on the fact that I am blogging about deodorant.

I purchased a combination of the Dove Ultimate Burst and the Dove Body Mist Burst. The fragrance is nectarine and white ginger. The anti-perspirant keeps me very dry and at the end of the day it still smells fresh and clean not a mixture of BO and deodorant.

Now I am sure your day is complete now that you have read all about my personal hygiene. Be on the look out for next weeks edition on mouthwash.

Thank you!

I am the worst in sending out thank you cards. I don't know why, probably because I never have any personalized note cards in the house.

I have passed this trait down to my son. He is always very thankful but actually sitting down and writing out that card is torture for him.

We mailed some thank you cards that we need to send out from his birthday, a few days ago. Yes his birthday is early December. I have not even started the Christmas ones. I was able to double up on some of them but others we will have to struggle through. Usually I take his picture and make a photo thank you but I have not been able to get an acceptable picture this year.

I really need to invest in a new digital camera. This camera is almost ten to twelve years old. Time for a few one.

Snow Camp

Cal arrived home last night after a weekend away for Snow Camp. I think things went pretty well but it was a little difficult to tell since he fell asleep about an hour after getting home.

It was funny because we all sat down to watch TV and I remember him complaining about a commercial. He said something about it being pure evil and that is the last we heard from him. The rest of the time we watched TV he didn't even MOVE!

I love it when he gets his batteries recharged. My son is becoming quite the young man. He is starting to make some very mature decisions.

His job is going pretty good, he works about three hours a week right now. Yesterday Dante was talking to his boss after church and his boss said that he was really impressed with the comments he has heard about Cal and he is really looking forward to getting him some more hours.

That will be nice because he has a missions trip coming up in a few months. I will blog more about that later because I will be fundraising for that trip!

My own words used against me!

The other day, while riding in the car, I said to Dante and Cal that if they wanted to get me something for Valentine's Day that I would really like the game Active2 for the Wii.

Cal then went into this 20 minute lecture (Dante style) about how I have the Wii fit and the Wii fit plus and how I need to start using those before I get another work-out program. The problem is that during this lecture he used several arguments that I know for a fact came out of my mouth regarding several items that Cal has asked for in the past.

It was actually quite funny because he was very serious as he is pleading his case that I not purchase this new item. I tried to convince him that this one would be different and I would use it but I think I am going to have to get one of those payday loans and make the purchase for myself. I so dislike getting paid every other week.

I know I am getting old!

Last night Dante and I had a LONG conversation about how the behavior out of the students at Cal's school is incredibly liberal. ME! talking about behavior being liberal........ I was probably one of the wildest kids you could imagine. I was defiant, rude, obnoxious, and a rebel (without a cause). Now that behavior seems very wrong when it is coming from kids that are suppose to be Christians. When our kids behave like the rest of the world, what is the point.

Cal had an away basketball game last night. At the game there was a student from our school, and he was acting like, frankly, and idiot. He was yelling negative comments, jumping around, screaming like a mad man. Some of the parents from the other school started making comments about his behavior. Now you must remember that we are two very conservative churches. It was embarrassing. On the way out of the game, Dante stopped a few of the parents to apologize for this student. They asked "I wonder if he would act that way in front of his parents." Dante smiled and said "Yes, his father was four rows in front of him". They were speechless.

The real problem is I know for a fact that nothing will be done about the situation. Kids at this school are not expected to behave. Let me rephrase that....... certain kids are not expected to behave. It is not a level playing field.

Devotionals

I need to get back to my devotionals. I think that might be one reason that I am flipping out over everything recently. I get so stressed and upset over the silliest things. I have noticed that stress tends to be very good diet pills, but I don't think it is as healthy.

Last night I woke in the middle of the night with several things on my mind. Things that seem so ridiculous and silly this morning. In the middle of the night they were very serious. Letter writing serious. I was so upset that I started to have chest pains and now realized was just a good old fashion panic attack.

Those silly things, things that I had determined that I was going to get my way regarding, cost me two to three hours of sleep.

Flipping

I am having some issues with my temper recently. Honestly folks I have not behaved this badly in years. We have a few stressful situations going on right now but nothing that warrants this behavior.

I have blown up over two situations that I have embarrassed my self and my family. The funny thing is while I am in the middle of my tantrum it seems so necessary. People need to hear me and I am totally justified. It doesn't take more than a few minutes for me to calm down and realize what an idiot I have just been.

The stress is really getting to me!

Over a week

A week ago Sunday Cal became sick. He didn't go to church and was coughing to the point of throwing up. Unfortunately, this is pretty normal for him. He was out of school Monday, Tuesday, had a snow day on Wednesday, returned to school Thursday but only made it a half day, and finally on Friday he was able to make it through the entire day.

He coughs so much, always has! He will get a hold of a cough and it can last for a month. Everyone keeps asking if we have taken him to the doctor. No! Why? Because after thirteen years of this happening every winter we know what we are doing. We know what they are going to say, and we know how much they are going to charge us to tell us that there isn't really anything to do but wait.

Yesterday a teacher came to me to tell me that he was still coughing. OK? Yes I am aware. Then she asked if I was giving him anything? Nothing stronger than a cough drop! You would have thought I was the worst parent in the world (frankly the jury is still out on that one, I just might be).

This is just something that he is going to have to work through. Nothing helps. I have used everything the doctors have recommended in the past and a few home remedies. Nothing works!

The Best........ and Worst!

I purchased a Keurig coffee machine for Dante for Christmas. This has turned out to be, in his words, the best and worst Christmas present EVER!

We love the machine, if you enjoy coffee, this machine opens up flavors in coffee that you never knew existed. I have come to realize that I enjoy a medium to dark roast. Flavored coffee does not have to be overpowering and sweet. I have some personal favorites and I will be highlighting those in later posts.

The down side is that we are spending so much money on the k-cups and drinking more coffee than ever before. Our argument in getting the Keurig was that we can never seem to drink a full pot of coffee and we end up throwing it out. The solution of only making a half pot just didn't seem to work because you could never get a consistent flavor. Either it was too weak or too strong. In our minds we decided that using the Keurig machine and only making what we knew we would drink would be much cheaper. That argument lost hope the first day. I think that both Dante and I have a three to four cups a day habit going at this point.

If you own a Keurig, please share what are some of your personal favorites. So far we have not really ventured outside the Green Mountain brand.

I have decided to start a Keurig label so that I can group all my ravings/cravings together.

The best exercise

On Wednesday the Northeast was hit with a pretty big snowstorm. We had a foot maybe even a foot and a half of snow. I have never enjoyed the snow as much as I do since moving! We woke up Wednesday and had about eight inches. School was called because there were white-out conditions.

The family decided to go for a walk. It was so awesome, and the best fat burner that money could not buy. We grabbed a snow shovel and just started heading toward town. We knew that CAL was going to do some snow removal at his place of employment and Dante and I just planned on taking pictures and enjoying the heavy snowfall.

I don't think there is anything more enjoyable than taking a nice walk in the snow. It was determined that I need different snow boots. I kept slipping every few feet. I finally lifted my boots to see what was the problem. Now I have had these boots for about fifteen (maybe longer) years. They were as smooth as ice on the tread. It was like ice skating. Now that is an activity that I just cannot seem to get the hang of.

It's not about the Jersey!

A thirteen boy (who I will not name just to give his worthless parents 15 seconds of fame) was sent home from school on Friday for wearing a Steelers jersey on a day the school set aside for the Seahawks. Now on the surface this sounds like you should feel sorry for the boy. Everyone should be allowed to root for the team of their choice. But here is where the story shows how this little shot nose brat is disrespectful and defiant.

The school has a strict dress policy and decided to lift it for one day. They explained to EVERYONE that it was being lifted so they could wear their Seahawks apparel. They specifically WARNED the students that they could only wear their uniform or Seahawks clothing or colors.

This boy even specifically asked if he could wear the Steelers jersey and was told NO! That my folks is disrespect and defiance all rolled into one. Personally the kid should be suspended from school.

Instead the parents take it to the media.

Hard to find

My mom works in a dentist office and even though she does not "usually" work with the patients she is required to wear a uniform. A couple months ago when she visited she saw that our local hardware store carried nursing uniforms. They have a very good selection but she didn't end up making a purchase. She is funny that way. She will see something she likes but will almost always decide to wait. I also think they may have been a little more than she was used to paying.

One of her problems is that she is required to wear white. Personally I don't think there is anything less attractive then white nursing scrubs. White is such a difficult color to keep looking nice. I love the olive green scrubs or even the pink scrubs but white is just plain boring.

Now that I think about it, this could be a Christmas present for my mom, the woman who hates everything that you give her. It would also enable me to purchase a better quality scrub than she usually buys. I am going to look for some scrub sets on sale and get a jump start on my shopping for next year.

Lady in Waiting - Blog Tour

I would rather read Historical Fiction books more than any other, except Christmas. Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner is the perfect example of everything I love in a book.

This is my favorite book since starting the book review tour. I absolutely loved everything about it, the characters, setting, different time settings, and subject.

Jane Lindsay is an antique collector and found a ring in a prayer journal. After consulting with the experts it was determine that it was from the 1500's. The most interesting part for Jane was the ring had her name on the inside. After doing minimal research Jane was convinced that it was Lady Jane Grey's betrothal ring. The problem is, according to the experts, this is almost impossible to prove.

The book jogs back and forth between the present day and the 1500's. It is a historical "what if" book that has incorporated historical facts and fiction to make a page turner that is difficult to put down. After reading this book you just might find yourself doing some research on Lady Jane Grey.

I received this book free for review from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Fed Ex vs The United States Post Office

You have seen all the commercials for Fed Ex claiming they are the best shipping company. Now this is my commercial for Fed Ex. I purchased a couple pairs of Crocs on December 30th. The shoes shipped from Los Angeles, CA on that date. I just tracked the package and the scheduled delivery is January 13th. Hey Fed Ex, you could have given that package to a bicycle carrier and it would have been here sooner.

Even The United States Post Office could delivery that package in a fraction of the time. What in the world is Fed Ex doing? Are they wearing my shoes for a couple days before they deliver them? Are they walking the package here? Maybe they are trying to revitalize The Pony Express.

I think it is about time that Fed Ex makes yet another name change. Something clever that gives an accurate picture of their "service". They give a new meaning to "snail mail".

A Machine

Yesterday I worked like a machine. I cleaned the bathroom, took down all the Christmas decorations, and put them away. Oh and I also did some business work. It felt good to do some physical labor. Putting the decorations away definitely qualifies as physical labor.

Today my body is letting me know that I finally did something. I am sore in places that I didn't even know existed.

Dante and I were talking about resolutions this morning. This is something that he has NEVER talked about before, as a matter of fact in the past he has stated how much he hates making resolutions. He told me his top three and frankly they were awesome.

1. Get closer to God. That is the biggest and most important.
2. Stop being a slacker and do his best at everything he does. This one is a huge deal for me! Dante's lack of attention to details drives me over the edge a few times a year.
3. Lose 20 pounds. I am also going to take part in this resolution.

I have not thought of some of my own. I am going to take two of his and build from there.

$26 and four bags later

My favorite (and only) place to go for after Christmas shopping is Target. They discounted their Christmas items 75% and we got some great deals. Large bags of pistachios for $2.50. Wrapping paper for $1.50. The cookies that Dante loves only $.99 per metal container. It was fun shopping. Dante was like a kid in a candy shop. He kept going to the scanner, just to make sure the price was really that low.

When we arrived home we unloaded everything on the table and Cal was sure that it was Christmas all over again.