winner, winner, chicken dinner and another giveaway

i can't believe i've waited this long to share the fabulous news that yesterday i won smutopia's paper origami earrings that i talked about in a previous post. now, my post had nothing to do with my being choosen as that was not a way to be picked. i just posted due to my absolute smitteness with her wares. you can imagine my joy at winning. i can't remember the last time i won anything. and, she is having another giveaway for a charming(pun intended) necklace featuring a silver starfish suspended in a mother of pearl hoop. you can enter the giveaway by going here. the giveaway will end next thursday at midnight.

making popcorn in a paper bag

i need snacks in my house. and, i mean need. what can i say i am a snack girl. for me, this means pretzels, fruit, peanut butter, and popcorn. don't think i'm a good girl all the time when it comes to snacking, but these are my go tos. recently, as part of our weekly shopping at the dollar store which includes such essentials as imitation bacon bits, laundry detergent(ok, so the making of my own laundry detergent never gained traction as i was unable to find some of the necessary ingredients.), and pretzels, we have often added microwave popcorn. but, even at $1 for several packs, i have become convinced there was a cheaper way that maintained the convenience of microwave bagged popcorn. you see i am the kind of slob that eats right out of the bag when i have no guests to avoid having any dishes to clean up. and even though it has been a few years since the microwave popcorn scandal of popcorn lung being caused by diacetyl, the idea of being able to avoid that can't be a bad thing.
so, i when to instructables.com which always seems to have great hacks for just about everything from food to decorating. and, of course, they had multiple simple tutorials for making microwave popcorn with a brown paper bag. here is the original tute i used from instructables. as always, i made my own modifications.

you will need:

• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels-the instructions said you can get about 50 uses out of a 1 lb bag. i didn't believe this was possible until i saw what a little dent the 1/4 cup made out of the bag. and, in terms of cost, i purchased a 2lb bag of generic brand popping kernels at my local grocery for $1.59.
• 1 tsp of oil-the instructions say olive oil, but i come from the make it work school of thought. so, i used whatever we happened to have.
• salt-the instructions insisted on popcorn salt, but i did not see any in my store. so, i used kosher salt which is what we keep in our kitchen. old bay(i grew i virginia on the water, and we put old bay on any and everything. don't believe me, then try utz's crab chips. they rock my world.)or seasoned salt should also work just fine.
• a brown paper bag-my dollar store carries a 50 pack for $1, but i managed to forget them on my last trip. i just used a carryout bag from a local restaurant. it may have been a little big as you may notice in the pictures, but it was better than nothing.
• something to fasten the bag-here is where i parted way with the instructions. i know it says stapling the bag will not cause sparks. i,however, decided to err on the side of being cautious. i happened to have a chip clip which is completely made of plastic even the spring mechanism. if you don't have such a chip clip, you could always use a bit of scotch tape.
• seasonings such as butter, parmasen cheese(and, i mean the stuff in the green can for this as it really is yummy on popcorn), sugar(approxiamately 2 tbps will make your popcorn into kettle corn but you need to omit the salt), jello(may sound a bit odd at first, but fruit flavored popcorn was something we had as kids and loved especially since it made the popcorn really cool colors), cinnamon, or butter buds.

place your 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels and oil into your brown bag. shake up to coat the kernels with oil. fasten the bag. place in microwave, and set for the same time as you would in your microwave as you would for normal microwave popcorn. mine takes about 3 and 1/2 minutes. listen for the popping to slow down so you can count to about 3 seconds between pops. remove popcorn and season with your choice of seasonings and enjoy.

here is my finished popcorn in the overly large bag.

and, a closeup of the popcorn.

today's free stuff 4/4/09

free real energy drink sample
free download of kid rock's the warrior
free download of a bare naked ladies song such as if i had a million dollars
free john deere hat
free sample of pureology essential repair shampoo and conditioner

today's free stuff 4/3/09

free headbands from vix swimwear
2 free issues of town and country magazine
free sample of halle berry fragrance
free sample of goodnites boxers
printout coupon for free single of hood ice cream
free redwood creek trout unlimited poster
free basil seeds
3-d treasure hunt at micheal's stores 10am-2pm saturday, april 4th
free toys r us easter adventure 4/4 from 10am-2pm for kids
free birdhouse workshop at home depot 4/4 from 9am-noon
get a free cone at ben and jerry's for signing up for their email list

thought of the day 4/3/09

remember ginger rogers did everything fred astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.
-bob thaves in the comic strip frank and ernest 1982

some days we have to remember being a woman is tough work.

finally starting my easter preparations

i headed to the dollar store to pick up some things i need for around the house. i thought while i was there that i would start to pick up some items for easter. i needed new bunny ears to wear to work since my darling kitties thought mine from last year were a playtoy and chewed them up. as i unloaded them, i caught this precious moment as belle had to check out my new ears. i have since stowed them high out of her reach.
while i was there, i scouted some perfect items for adding to easter baskets. they have baskets that are reusable and not just the plastic kiddy ones. and, they have an amazing selection of easter candy including my favorite jelly beans and of all things my favorite jelly beans, jelly bellies. for less than $5, you could fill a basket with goodies and even add some handmade goodies too like rock candy(ok, so i'm enjoying it a little too much today and you can make them in a ton of spring colors.) and, they have egg coloring kits as well.

blogs i love edition 4

sits as it is lovingly referred to has been a blessing to my blog and blogging life. you may have noticed the button for the secret is in the sauce on the new left sidebar(could i be any prouder that i figured out how make a left sidebar?). the secret is in the sauce is an awesome community of mainly female bloggers who support one another. it is all about discovering new blogs and commenting on each others blogs. since i have joined sits, my comments on my blog have increased dramatically and who doesn't appreciate some blog love. it has been a wonderful opportunity to find new blogs such as chicken nuggets as wisdom which i know follow. every day, sits features a new blogger from their community. after i have been a part of this community for a bit of time, i hope to submit posts to be a featured blogger. i highly recommend joining the sits community.

thought of the day 4/2/09

i love watching criminal minds. last friday night's usa episode of criminal minds ended with this quote and it really hit a note with me especially in these difficult economic times.

nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles.
-charlie chaplin

today's free stuff 4/2/09

free sample of mighty leaf tea
free redken color extend samples you must download the widget and then install. you'll see option to request your free sample.
free botanical skincare bar at blue mercury with this printout coupon
free sample of glad flex force bags
free after coupon for gerber baby food or gerber graduates since the coupon is a $3 coupon. you need to take the pledge if you haven't already and then go here.
free copy of people magazine's yearbook 2009
free sample of aerie abigail body mist. print the coupon on the bottom left of screen.
free sample of gold in lite candles
free sample of playtex gentle glide tampons
free sample of enfamil baby formula
more samples from enfamil and breastfeeding support kit
free bites at cinnabon from 5-8pm on april 15th
free tacos at taco del mar on april 15th. you have to register here

rock candy finally

i know i have been promising a post on making rock candy for some time. the problem is that it really takes time, and by time i mean 5-7 days to finish. i modified the recipe from the science of cooking.

i had to make some changes to the recipe for several reasons. first, this recipe has no flavoring or coloring. that seems way too boring for me like just eating plain sugar. personally, i used lemon extract since that was the only fruit flavored extract i had on hand; but you can use any fruit flavored extract. now, with lemon, the natural choice is yellow food coloring. i didn't have any yellow on hand. so, i went with pink and am calling my rock candy pink lemonade.

the second reason i had to modify the recipe is that it just didn't work for me the first time. to make rock candy, you need the solution to be super saturated to the point that it will no longer absorb any more sugar. when i tried to follow the recipe, i was nowhere near a super saturated solution. i tried once with the recipe recommendations and no crystals had formed. the second time, i added more sugar until i got a super saturated solution.

my rock candy recipe

ingredients:

5 1/2-6 cups of sugar

2 cups of water

a few drops of food coloring

3/4 tsp of fruit flavored extract

additional supplies you will need:

a cotton string or wooden dowel(i used a chopstick.)

small saucepan

a small glasses or jars (2-4)

spoon

if you are using a string, you will need a stick to suspend the string and a weight.

step 1: add the extract and food coloring to your water, and bring it to a boil. remember the color will be 3-4xs darker than the final product.

step 2: begin adding the sugar a cup to 1/2 cup at a time until the solution can no longer dissolve sugar. the solution may become opaque. keep stirring until it is transparent again.

step 3: allow the solution to cool down for 10-15 minutes so that you can pour it into the jars. while it is cooling, you need to wet the string or dowel and dip it in sugar so that the portion that will be in the jar is thoroughly coated in sugar. the dowel or string needs to have the sugar coating so that the crystals have a base to stick to. this is very important. if you forget to do this, you will not end up with rock candy.

step 4: pour the solution into a jar and lower the dowel or string into the solution. you will want to leave the solution in a cool dark place and cover the top with aluminum foil or saran wrap.

step 5: after a few hours, you should be able to see crystals form. if no crystals form, take the solution reheat and add more sugar. also use a new string or dowel. this pic was taken after about 3 hours.

step 6: after 5-7 days, you will have candy. you will need to take it out and allow it to dry off. then, enjoy.

today's free stuff 4/1/09

free 5x7 hallmark folded card enter code trial
free subscription to black enterprise magazine
free 16 oz smoothie at juice it up today from 4-6pm
free cinnastix when ordering dominos online with coupon code sweet
free sample of rachel ray nurish dog food
free hallmark silver heart of motherhood swarovski crystal charm. when it says sold out, it will tell you how many hours til the offer will be back up.
free redbox rental code good for today only MMM401
2 free bowling games for kids per day for the entire summer
free ice cream at maggie moo's on april 15th

the big 200

in honor of my 200th post(my last one was officially my 200th post.), i am going to share 200 things about me. some will be mundane, but maybe some will be interesting. just some fun facts about me. 200 is a lot of things. hmm this make take a while. hopefully, by the time i make it to my 300th post, i can get together a giveaway. don't be sad at this rate, it will probably only be in a month or so.

1. i am a vegetarian. and have been one since new years of my junior year in college. it was a totally random new years resolution. i think its probably the only new years resolution i've ever kept.



2. i am a recovering alcoholic. my sobriety date is june 24th, 2003.



3. my hair started going white(never gray only white) at 14. by now, its almost completely white; so i dye it incessantly.



4. i love my middle name, autumn; and loving it always sign my full name.



5. i briefly did stand up comedy, but only at stand up open mics.



6. montel williams came to my hometown to do a show on teenage violence, and i was not only in the audience, but also got a comment that made it on the show. unfortunately, since the trial of the girl from my geometry class who along with her boyfriend and his friend killed 2 members of her family had yet to take place it never aired in virginia.



7. i am getting ready to have my 10 year college reunion and quite nervous about it.



8. i missed my 10 year high school reunion since my then best friend from rehab killed himself the day before. i was too distraught for any festivities.



9. in middle and high school, i played the clarinet and bass clarinet.



10. i am a karoke junkie and once worked at a karoke bar.



11. i taught high school english.



12. i used to be a bartender.



13. i held a pet snake as he had a seizure which lead to his death the next day.



14. my favorite show in high school was homicide life on the streets and taught my dad how to work the vcr to tape it since it came on friday nights and i was gone a lot of friday nights as i marched in the marching band at the football games.



15. my favorite colors are lime green and red but not together.



16. my mom taught me to knit, but i can only do one stitch. despite that, i have knit afghans and scarves.



17. i double majored in political science and english, linguistics, and speech.



18. i discovered my allergy to tape adhesive when i felt burning after being taped to a bench during junior ring week in college.



19. i've won a chili cooking contest despite it being vegetarian chili for spiciest chili and of course best vegetarian chili.



20. i am the eldest child of 2, and am totally have the personality of an oldest child.



21. i am brutally honest to a fault.



22. i am bipolar.



23. i was a state bible drill champion in middle school.



24. my first pet completely of my own was a beta fish in college named gilbert. despite my belief that beta fish should have drag queen names, i named mine gilbert after gilbert blythe from anne of green gables series. it was my favorite boy name, but i knew no man would ever let me name a son gilbert. so, i named my first boy pet gilbert.



25. my first cat of my own was belle who followed me into my door of my townhouse. she is still with me today and has been pictured in several of my posts. i then got jax, so belle could have a friend when a coworker was trying to find his kittens good homes. jax was the last one and so cute in the rain i couldn't say no. i named him jax after a character from feeling minnesota just because i thought it was a cool name. i then got talked into getting tara a cutie manx a year later when another coworker needed a home for his unexpected kittens. i couldn't have more than 2 cats when i moved out of the townhouse, so my parents now have tara. jax passed away of a sad battle with a terrible illness. about a year and a half ago, i got talked into taking in kitty named as such by my boyfriend.



26. i was not a cat person as a child. we had a dog named putt putt. when he passed in my junior year in high school, i asked that we have no more pets til i went away to college. but, mouser adopted our family; and i became a cat person.



27. my first car was an oldsmobile cutlass supreme in cornflower blue. it was a graduation present from college. i had to take over payments for it when i graduated.



28. i didn't get my drivers license until after i graduated from college.



29. i am the tallest female in my family.



30. i am proud of being exactly average at 5'4".



31. i am severely allergic to opiates as i found out recovering from ankle reconstruction surgery.



32. in band, i played the clarinet and bass clarinet. yes, i was a band geek.



33. i've only had stitches once after my brother threw a rusty rod into the back of my leg because i beat him in a bike race. my mom had to extract the rod from my leg. i missed swimming at our end of the year school party because of the stitches.



34. i played in the peach bowl half time show in high school with my band.



35. i have a birth mark on my hip.



36. i have to have an epipen for my hornet and wasp allergy which i didn't discover til my mid 20s.



37. my boyfriend and i have been together for 3 years as of this month, but we have no official anniversary date.



38. i am a scorpio, and if you believe in the horoscope hype, i think i fit the profile to a tee.



39. when i was in middle and high school, i kept a quote notebook where i cataloged all my favorite quotes i would find. it was quite large, and i wish i had kept it.



40. i abhor coffee with a passion and have never had a coffee maker in any house i've lived in. i won't allow it. yet, i serve it at work like crazy as i work the breakfast shift.



41. i learned to cross stitch from my mom in elementary school. i loved samplers. in high school, i entered one of my samplers in competition.



42. i have never lived outside of the state of virginia.



43. i won a texas holdem tournament at binions in vegas the home of the world series of poker.



44. i was a poker hostess for a bar poker league which is where i met my boyfriend.



45. i love photography. its my latest passion. i take tons of pics of events with friends. i've shown some of my photography at an art show, and entered one photography contest. i hope to enter more this year.



46. i always dreamed of being a writer and started novels twice.



47. i've been a maid of honor in a wedding, but i got to wear a dress of my choosing.



48. i am a grammar fanatic and have a problem with verbally correcting people's misuse of the english language. its rude; i know.



49. slurpees are one of my favorite things in the world. when i am feeling down, my friends know to bring me a slurpee. my favorite slurpee flavor is coke and icee is orange dreamsicle. i like it when i'm in a good mood too though.



50. my favorite ice cream is the mint cookie by ben & jerry's.



51. i almost always have a book sometimes several stashed by my bed to read. right now, i am working on a mercy by toni morrison and as seen on tv by sarah mlynowski.



52. cheese is my favorite food. part of the reason i can't be a vegan.



53. i can't do roller coasters. i get motion sick too easily, and am scared of heights.



54. i have dyed my hair almost every natural hair color there is and several not so natural ones. i have been platinum blond to jet black and several in between, but my favorite is always auburn.



55. for the longest time, i was convinced that i had a huge nose and would use makeup tricks to try and make it look smaller. i have since given up on that.



56. my family never took a vacation when i was a child. so, my first vacation was at 28 to vegas.



57. most people call me becca, but i didn't pick up this nickname until college. my nametag at work even says becca.



58. i have recently realized i have an obsession with commas. i possibly overuse think, but i don't think so.



59. i love my laptop, and hate using desktop computers.



60. i love bubbles and am so proud of having taught my cousins who to use bubbles.



61. the first concert i attended was the indigo girls in college.



62. i still live in the same town where i went to college and am less a few miles from my college.



63. my favorite hair accessory is my sunglasses. i need them with me at all time. i even tend to have them on my head at night as i can't stand to have my hair in my face.



64. i still find coloring to be relaxing and fun.



65. latin was my favorite class in college.



66. i lead a bible study my sophmore year in college.



67. my first experience with sports was gymnastics as a small child.



68. my senior year of high school, i went to a governor's school half a day for physics and technology. i had a mentorship at the virginia institute of marine science studying the effects of creating artificial marshes on benthic creatures. i missed my original presentation for my mentorship, because the bridge that i had to take to get to the governor's school was shut down as a cow escaped from a truck.



69. in college and high school, i was a debater and continued to judge and coach debate after college.



70. i was a girl scout. i still love girl scout cookies especially thin mints.



71. when i was a kid, i went through a phase where i hated regular chocolate chip cookies and would only eat ones made with mint chocolate chips.



72. i went through a phase in college when i wouldn't wear shoes unless i had to when entering a dining facility. what can i say it was cool in college to go sans shoes. now, i am obsessed with shoes.



73. i broke my ankle repeatedly but only my left ankle. i spent a lot of time on crutches for breaks and sprains. i've had 3 pairs of crutches through the years since one pair got broken and the other pair was left at my parents house several hours away from me when i needed crutches as an adult(but that was for a knee injury).



74. i become giddy like a child at the mere sight of snow.



75. my must have makeup product is mascara. i really believe it opens up and accents the eyes.



76. i love baking and cooking even though i don't get to do it much now since my boyfriend was a chef and hogs the kitchen.



77. i have pretty much given up on wearing shorts in public. i did make an exception for last year's county fair. i didn't want to give anyone a free show, but it was too hot for pants. in general, i wear skirts and dresses during the summer.



78. i love the water. i grew up on the water. now, i get happy when it rains; and being at the water whether it be river, ocean, or pond calms me.



79. i love buying a wearing coats and jackets, but can't stand driving with one on.



80. as a child and until college, i was a morning person. i would annoy my band director entering my early morning band class singing oh what a beautiful morning from the musical oklahoma. he swore i would get my comeuppance as an adult. boy did i. i hate mornings now, and hit snooze multiple times.



81. i still love getting my picture taken with santa and have the last 2 years.



82. in college, i worked at our speaking intensive center helping people with public speaking. of all of my fears, public speaking is not one of them.



83. i've never been on a blind date.



84. i spent a week in the crazy house as i was suicidal.



85. my favorite flowers are daffodils, tiger lilies, and sunflowers. daffodils were my county flower, and we had a festival every year called the daffodil festival.



86. i won't eat cherries, butterscotch, licorice, beets, or coconut.



87. i was scared of the dark well into high school.



88. my least favorite college course was art history. i only took the 2nd part leaving me a bit confused. i am not catholic and did not know that mary had seven sorrows much less that there was a flower that represented them. additionally, it was a morning course taught mainly in the dark by slideshow. needless to say, i had dificulty staying awake.



89. i want to be a mother one day, but due to my polycystic ovarian syndrome, having a child of my own may not be a possibility.



90. my favorite football team is the dallas cowboys despite and possibly because i live in redskins territory.



91. i am proud of being a grit(girl raised in the south).



92. my favorite holiday is my birthday cause it a day just for you.



93. i started learning spanish in the first grade since one of my classmate's mom was from ecuador and gave us spanish lessons.



94. i am a liberal.



95. i was the first grandchild on either side of my family.



96. i always have a beverage. if i don't, something is wrong. i feel a need to have something with me to drink at all time. and usually, its diet coke.



97. i was an adult the first time i ever said a cuss word in front of my mother and of all things it was the f bomb after waiting for hours at an endocrinologist office.



98. when i was a kid, we missed more time from school for flooding than snow. i even missed trick or treating one year due to flooding.



99. when i was baptized, the water had such high iron content that it looked dark brown. they told me to wear my oldest bathing suit under an old choir robe they only used for baptism. and, my preacher wore hip waders.



100. my best friend is 3 years younger than my parents yet we have so much in common. i love her dearly and wish we spent more time together.



101. i have no fear of bugs unlike my sweetheart who is terribly afraid of spiders.



102. i personally know all of my friends on facebook.



103. i have wavy hair and hate it.



104. i have only told 3 men i loved and i meant it every time.



105. i never had a real boyfriend until college.



106. my 6th grade boyfriend is one of my friends on facebook.



107. i shave my arm hair and have for several years.



108. i am a night owl. even when i have to work at 5 am, i'm still up at midnight or later.



109. i absolutely abhor housework. i avoid it at all cost.



110. i used to find ironing relaxing as a teen. weird i know. and, now i don't even own an iron. i have an ironing board, though.



111. i have never been outside of the continental united states.



112. the street view of my house on google maps shows the empty box from the lawn mower we bought. how embarassing.



113. i never got detention in school.



114. i have a different schedule from most people where my work week ends on tuesdays and begins on fridays. yep, its a restaurant schedule.



115. i only wore glasses for a year. i had an astimgmatism during puberty, and it corrected itself. but, i needed the glasses to read music.



116. i have never riden a motorcycle. i was always too scared before. now that i'm over my fear, i no longer have any friends who ride motorcycles.



117. i prefer baths to showers. i find them relaxing. we took baths as children, and now i generally take baths.



118. my favorite concert i attended was aerosmith as a christmas present from a friend. and, we had amazing seats. the energy at the show was insane.



119. i've tonged for oysters.



120. i had a poem published in the local paper as a child.



121. i edited a congressional report when i worked for a subcontractor of the dept of education.



122. i don't wash my face with anything other than water because my skin is not only dry but extremely sensitive. i went to a mary kay party where i had a reaction to their sensitive products. in high school, i tried noxema on my face since my mom was a noxema devotee and ended up with severely red skin for days.



123. i got sun poisoning when i was down in orlando on a band trip. i can't sleep in a moving vehicle, so i didn't sleep on the 14 hour bus ride down there. when i arrived after a brief romp in the ocean, i fell asleep on the beach and apparently rolled over in my sleep. i ended up with blisters on my face, chest, and back. they burst the next day waiting in lines at universal studios. it was extremely painful, gross, and painful.



124. i sleep on my stomach or side. only in the last year have i managed with severe back pain have i been able to sleep on my back with a heating pad. when i had my ankle surgery, i still slept on my side with my leg still upright.



125. i was an over 25 the first time i had a cadbury egg. i found it to be way too sweet and rich for my taste though.



126. i had my tonsils removed when i was in the 3rd grade, but they grew back. i had my aednoids removed twice.


127. i am obssessed with technicalities. if a drink is supposed to be garnish a certain way, it better be or it irks me to no end.


128. i love crossword puzzles.


129. i love a theme. i love to dress up for holidays and ear holiday candy. or, i wore baby blue to a baby shower since it was for a baby boy.


130. i'm great at match but can't shoot pool to save my life. it combines 2 of my weakest skills hand eye coordination and spatial reasoning.


131. i love making lists although this one is becoming more of a task than i planned.


132. homegrown tomato sandwhiches are one of my favorite summertime treats.


133. i have a weakness for baked goods especially bread. it stinks that we have such good bread at work. i regularly have at least a roll or biscuit when i work.


134. i abhor white walls yet that's all i have in my home; actually ours are more cream or ecru. but, its a rental; so what can i do.


135. i prefer modern design and mid century modern design.


136. i like toile but not in decorating. i want a toile skirt, shoes, or a handbag.


137. my cell phone is pink, and i like it that way.


138. i have princess tendencies, and an ex of mine gave me the very un-pc nickname of jap.


139. my taste in music is extremely ecclectic everything from country to reggae to opera to broadway musicals to drum and bass to oldies; just to name a few.


140. i hate toweling off after a shower or bath. i prefer air drying.


141. i once held my elemtary school's v sit an reach record.


142. i have a raised mole on my neck which my dad is all the time mistaking for a tick.


143. my favorite towns i have been in other than where i currently live are athens, ga and burlington, vt.


144. i love ladybugs. a friend gave me one for good luck several years ago, and they've been my thing ever since. i hate that i lost my ladybug earrings my mom got for me.


145. the far side by gary larson was my favorite comic strip, and my mom used to always get my far side calendars.


146. i hardly ever wear jewelry these days other than earrings. i prefer big jewelry.


147. my favorite season is autum(never fall which is such a boring word) with the crisp air and changing leaves.


148. as a child, i learned to play the piano though i doubt i remember how to play a single song now.


149. i ask a ton of questions all the time. i like specifics and clarification.


150. i was 19 before i had my first alcoholic beverage.


151. i prefer my fries with anything other than ketchup like ranch, honey mustard, mayo.


152. my eyes are my favorite feature, but i'm starting to appreciate my lips now too.


153. i love the beach, but hate swimming in the ocean. the salt water stings my eyes.


154. i was scared to death to go trick or treating the first time my parents tried to take me, because i was painfully shy as a child which is the opposite of what i am now. now, i am an extrovert once i know you. i still get nervous in groups where i know no one.


155. i hate running or jogging.


156. i wish i have gone sky diving. the one time i tried to go sky diving the weather turned bad, and we couldn't go.


157. i used to collect teddy bears. i am so over that now.


158. i kill houseplants. i incessantly forget to water them.


159. i am terrible with routines and forget to pay bills.


160. my favorite actor of all time is andre braugher. i think he is amazing.


161. i love heels despite the pain. i will even admit most are painful after wearing them for hours.


162. i despise perspiring. it disgusts me to no end.


163. i've never had a guy buy me jewelry.


164. i hate receiving roses. i think they are too generic and mean that someone wasn't willing to put thought into knowing what type of flowers i really like.


165. i haven't worn a watch in 7 years.


166. i let my cats sleep in the bed with me and often on me and love it.


167. i've never had servers sing happy birthday to me at a restaurant. and, i wouldn't be embarassed.


168. i've never cheated on a boyfriend or a test.


169. i failed my first driver's ed test. i didn't know how to park.


170. i bruise easily. i am all the time finding bruises, and i have no idea where i got them.


171. the first time i flew i was in college headed to burlington, vermont for debate institute. i was 20.


172. i can't even remember the last time i owned any items of clothing that were yellow. but, i like yellow accessories


173. i am daft when it comes to working blinds.


174. i really enjoy spicy food.


175. i have no tattoos. but, if i did i would get either a ladybug or a scorpion.


176. the first horror movie i saw was candyman 2 first halloween freshman year in college. i watched it peering over a blanket in fear.


177. i watch way too many tv shows thanks to my dvr. and, i can't stand commercials now either.


178. my favorite candies are peppermint patties and andes mints.


179. i sang in a talent show in high school, but only placed 3rd. i sang the greatest man i never knew by reba mcentire. its the only time i've had stagefright.


180. pretzels are probably my favorite snack food especially dipped in peanut butter.


181. i was in almost every club in high school including debate, spanish club, math league, drama club, happy club, junior classical league, marching band, philosphy club, fellowship of christian athletes, science club, beta, key club, forensics, chrome, bible club, and sca.


182. i never liked steaks.


183. when i was a kid, i always dreamed of having an older brother.


184. i've only mowed a lawn once. someone else has always done it for me.


185. i don't drink mountain dew. when i was a kid, my dad told us that moutain dew was goat pee. even though i know it is far from true, i always think of it; and it grosses me out.


186. i hate driving. it bores me. and, long trips tire me out now that i'm older


187. i am super protective of my friends and family.
188. after i turned 30, i developed hay fever.
189. i did not drink on my 21st birthday. i hate an exam that day, and a paper due the next. so, no big night out for me.
190. i cannot fall asleep easily. i toss and turn for what seems like forever before i finally doze off. my mind races even when i'm terribly exhausted.
191. i hardly ever send emails. i mainly communicate electronically via ims, facebook, twitter, text, or my blog.
192. i've had way too many auto accidents especially for someone who used to be a claims adjuster. ok, i'm a bad driver.
193. i cross my ankles when i sleep unless i am really hot.
194. i sleep with a fan even when i'm cold. i got used to the noise in college since i always lived on the 3rd floor of dorms which were always hot. now, i need the noise of a running fan. but, that is the only noise other than snoring i want when sleeping. i can't stand a radio or tv when trying to sleep. and, i need darkness when sleeping.
195. i save any boxes just in case i need to move again.
196. i had to have my dad cut my toenails until i was out on my own. i didn't have the hand strength to do it myself.
197. i was in an abusive relationship, and i swear i will never allow it to happen again.
198. i was on a coed adult softball team, and we never won a game. i was the catcher and can't catch. the referee started wearing a cup because of me.
199. i don't have a credit card and glad for it with my shopping "problem".
200. i can't believe i made it to 200. i was about to give up around about 126. ok, so number 200 is i once lived in a house on an old plantation and had to drive on an airstrip to get to my house.

out of the mouths of babes

i may have no little ones of my own, but i have a huge soft spot in my heart for kiddos. working in a family restaurant instead of a bar was a bit of a transition for me especially being used to having little ones under feet. i enjoy waiting on tables with kids. sure those tables tend to be more of a mess to clean up and require more work in general, but i like being around the cutie pies. of the families that are regulars, i must admit i have 3 favorites children. i tend to preen over them just a little more as long as i have a bit of time to do so talking to them. my favorite happens to be this adorable 3 year old who comes in with her dad. she is all attitude and very much wants to be independent. she got upset after getting sad because she accidentally ripped her kids menu, and it wasn't pretty anymore. she has the cutest pouty face, and totally has her daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger. i'm a bit of a sucker too(actually all my female coworkers are and even some of my male coworkers too at least for her). so, i got her a new one of course; and she was happy.
after she and her daddy had finished eating, i came by to pick up their plates which were neatly stacked off to the side as her father always does. i noticed she had taken the parsley off of her plate and was holding it in her hand like a bouquet. before i could even ask her what she was doing with the parsley, she told me she and her daddy were having a tea party, and asked me if i liked her pretty flowers(the parsley)? i couldn't help giggling. i told her they were lovely and even got her some more. i just couldn't stop laughing at how precious she was being.

designer duds on the supercheap

thanks to the gofrugal.com post on brandlet.com i have discovered a new website that sells super cheap designer duds. brandlet sells clothes from baby phat to ralph lauren to valentino almost 90 altogether. all of their clothes are under $20 ranging from $7.95 to $19.95. tuesdays, they have ten dollar tuesdays where they have 10 items for $10. right now, with coupon code marchsale, they are offering 25% off all of their merchandise. just like an outlet store, they have limited sizes and you can easily search by size or item. a few cute items i saw include:

they have this tie neck top for $19.95 (plus 25% off) from style & co available in size 12.

they also have this sleeveless top by inc available in 8p also for $19.95 plus 25% off. i swear if this one was available in my size i would have been beyond tempted to snap this up.

today's free stuff 3/30/09

free knife sharpening at sur la table. they sharpen up to 2 knives per person.
free stir fry at bd mongolian's grill. they email the coupon to you.
free subscription to spin magazine with submission of a vodka cocktail recipe.
free lantus insulin pen travel kit
free redbox rental code for one movie rental good today only 89ZQJ3
free reusable shopping bag from earthbound farms by taking their earth day pledge
free aveeno hair care sample
free mailfinity letter opener
free scoop of ben & jerry's on april 21st for earth day
free chicken wrap snacker on april 1st from 11:30am-2pm with this printout

a visit from my shell

that's me and shell outside of carl's. i mentioned in my previous post that i would post the pic once i got it from shell. well, here it is(please excuse my not so cute post work hair. it was still wet from taking a shower after work). but, i thought i might tell you a little bit more about why shell is so important to my blogging world. i was lucky enough to meet shell back in college here in frednecksburg. we remained friends the first year after i graduated since we were both living in the fredericksburg area. she even meet and approved my first post college boyfriend. once she moved back to va beach, sadly we lost touch. shell is funny, opinionated, and always cutely dressed. i missed her humor and the good times,but i sucked into my bar filled world where i was living in the here and now. i've found though after college, its easy to lose touch even if you have the best of intentions. thanks to myspace, several years ago shell and i got the opportunity to reconnect and have maintained that through facebook and twitter. when she alerted me to her blog, i checked it out and thought i might enjoy trying it to. so, she's to thank/blame for my blogging in the end. after years of watching pics of her kidlets growing, it was good to finally meet them. although seeing her in person after all these years did make me a bit nervous. i feel like i know her family even if i haven't seen them. they are the cutest kiddos ever(i reserve the right to take that back if i ever have my own kiddos.)
if you haven't checked out her blog, i highly recommend you check it out here. she's an amazing working mom with amazing taste.

please vote for me

i know shameless plug, but please vote for me at cheap tweet here http://cheaptweet.com/tweets/1415063958-check-out-todays-free-stuff-32909-free-silicone-spatatula-with-printout-coupon-at-the-great-indoors-. they are taking votes to list my post http://rebos2003.blogspot.com/2009/03/todays-free-stuff-32909.html to list as one of their cheap tweets. thanks everyone.

today's free stuff 3/29/09

free silicone spatatula with printout coupon at the great indoors store for locations see here
free sample of move free advanced for joints
free personalized desk calendar

what a beautiful day

i had an amazing day. my friend, shell, was visiting frednecksburg. i briefly got to meet up with her and her wonderful family and have some carl's which is a double yippee skippee in my book. i didn't take any pics of her visit, but her dad took a pic which she'll be sending to me soon.

speaking of pics when dan left for work, i scurried outside and played with my camera's motion feature. with the wind being so crazy today, i used it to take some flower pics. i really like the way the above pic turned out. the blades in the background looking out of focus reminded me of a watercolor painting.

and, i watched satc the movie. the more i watch that movie, the more i think i am like samantha. having been in a relationship now for 3 years(this month, it was 3 years. i'm still in shock how time has flown.), i still miss the single days. there is still a part of me that has committment issues. i love the way she breaks up with smith. i love you, but i love me more. and, i hate that carrie wears those pearls in that movie. that is so not what her character would wear. ick. it made me want to scream and turn my head every time she was on the screen with those long single strand of simple white pearls. on the brighter side, the movie just increases my need(not want i mean need) to get some black sandals like she wears repeatedly in the movie. i so need them for my darker skirts like the one i got recently from target.

now, i'm off to do some cleaning.