Mama's Havin' a Breakdown....

Luckily?

My sister called just in time (she's a nurse):



We collaborated on my treatment.

I decided to listen to this song on my iPod 3 times (It's a video. Click on it, but don't watch it. It's John Mayer. Watching him sing isn't pretty. Listening is.)

Then?

She said I needed to watch a movie. Luckily, this just came from Netflix:



During the movie? I was supposed consume one of these:




I increased the dosage to two.
(Don't tell her.)


Then I ate some of this:



I'm feeling MUCH better.



But I think I may need more of this:

Letters

Dear Guy On The Plane,

Wow - seriously? 3 Jack and Cokes in a row at 9am?

Hey - I've been known to get my "drink on" once in a while. And believe you me - I'm not exactly subtle when I do it. Sometimes it involves a night worshipping the porcelain God.

But typically?

I'm at a party.

With people.

Socializing - you know.

Not on my way to a business meeting across the country and drinking myself into a stupor in First Class.

Alone.

Well - you weren't totally alone. I was sitting there right behind you judging you.

Good luck and I'm here if you need me,
Martha





Dear Guy at the Airport,

Wow. Really? How do I explain you to my friends in blogland?

Okay. First of all - I didn't even see you. My co-worker Scott did. He was so excited to point you out to me that I think he broke out into an actual jog to meet me when he saw me come down the concourse to our gate.

First, he explained that he saw you at the security checkpoint.

With your pants completely unfastened.

I think that tipped him off to keep on watching that freak show you've got goin' on there. Scott doesn't normally use the word 'flamboyant'? But it really seemed to be the right fit when describing you, because you are no shrinking violet - oh no you aren't.

And - that HAIR! How do you do that? It's like Richard Simmons on acid! You can't just wake up like that - you have to be working at that look. That's an achievement, you know what I'm sayin'? Good work on the hot pink noise cancelling headphones, too. I can't think of a better way to top it all off up there, buddy.

How about that belly shirt? Dude.....not okay. I mean, where do you even get one of those? It was all wrong with the pants. But when you took the pants off to reveal the shorts, it really seemed to pull it all together. Good for you.

Except it's, like, 10 degrees here. So........yyeeah. Maybe shoulda kept the pants on.

Hey - keep on keepin' on, mister.
Martha

Fa-la-freakin'-la...

Dear Mommy at American Girl Place,

You have the cutest little toddler in the world. Really. I could've watched her push her little Bitty Baby stroller around the store all day long. Adorable.

However, you may want to re-think the timing of your outing. Because the holiday season at a gifty store like American Girl Place - less than a week before Christmas - to let your toddler push her dolly stroller? Not good.

Especially because I have a history of trampling toddlers. It's not something I'm proud of. (See January 29th 2008 post.)

Happy Holidays,
Martha



Dear Worker at the Lands' End Inlet,

I'm sorry I lied to you about needing two gift boxes for the polar fleece tops I purchased. I think we both knew that one of those tops was for me. I saw the way you looked me up and down in the polar fleece top and pants I was sportin'. You knew, but you didn't make me feel bad at all. Well played, my friend. Well. Played.

And I'm really sorry that I was making fun of your affected accent and lisp in my head while I was waiting in line. Because you were really nice and funny.

Kindest Regards and deepest apologies,
Martha




Dear Lands' End,

I love your polar fleece.

Love,
Martha





Dear Old People in the Chrysler 300's on the road Thursday,

That is a cool-lookin' ride - it is.

But I thought you all got your Holiday shopping done in June? So what are you all doing on the highway driving 35 mph in the passing lane as we're all whizzing past you on hwy 494?

Helpful hint: get some good snow tires and take the city streets.

Best,
Martha



Dear Culvers,

When I want to eat my feelings, you are always there for me.

That double scoop chocolate-vanilla waffle cone is just the ticket when I'm feeling frazzled. And who are we kidding? It's not just a double scoop - there's probably a quart of ice cream jammed into that crispy waffle cone.

Your name is on at least two of my four chins. Keep doin' what you're doin'.

Love,
Martha



Dear Guy at Michael's,

You don't belong in a craft store. You were bumping into women, tripping over your own feet and you looked very confused as you cruised the aisles looking for whatever it was you were looking for.

Just get her a gift card. You'll just end up getting her the wrong thing anyway.

xoxox,
martha



Dear Noodle's Teacher,

I can't tell you how irritated I was when we found out just this week that the kids were doing a 'Secret Snowflake' gift exchange.

Because after running around all day and still not finishing my shopping? I realized when I picked up the Noodle at the bus stop at 6:15 pm that we still needed to go to the dollar store and get gifts for her 'Secret Snowflake'.

That's how I found out the dollar store in our area had folded. So we had to go to Target's dollar spot and find some stuff.

But after watching her agonizing over what to get for her 'Snowflake', I realized (yet again) what a complete hateful witch I am. Because for four dollars, the Noodle put together a really cute little gift basket with a mini slinky, a date book and some socks. She really got into the spirit of giving and was thrilled to give this gift to little Rosa.

Even though Rosa indicated that she hates Noodle.....we're hoping that $4 gift will buy her love....wish us luck!

Oh - and I hope you like your gift. It was my first craft EVER.


Love,
Noodle's Mom

Things.....

1. Suzy from the Runs is running a marathon in Arizona in a few days. I can't stop thinking about her. And if you haven't already, you should pop by and give her some love. She wants to qualify for the Boston Marathon!!! I'm so impressed by her. She's a mom to 3 kids and a student. Plus, she's super funny. SUPER funny. And I don't even think she tries to be funny.

2. You all know I have a pretty serious problem: Facebook. And here's the problem: My new-old-best-friend Micaela would probably say my problem is that I keep sending her notes on Facebook and stalking her blog.
But that's not it.

Here's what the problem is for me. I'll go to, say...Micaela's friends list. If there's someone there who will let me look at their page? I will look at everything they have on their page. I'll look at their photos, ooh and aah over their kids. Then? I'll look at all their friends. And find someone there who will let me look at their page. Then I'll look at their photos, ooh and aah over their kids. Then? I'll look at their friends!
See? It's a hundred kinds of wrong. I know that. I mean first of all: get a freakin' life, Martha. You don't even know these people. Second? Well, there is no second. I should be painting furniture or stripping that final bit of wallpaper off my kitchen walls. Because:

3. It will be 2 years in March that I started my kitchen project. I've had 3 weeks off and frittered it away. And now I will be working for the next few months. I really need to get this done. The tile work won't be all that expensive. Mrs. Jones told me to get the cheapest tile out there and I think I will do that. Which is killing me because every once in a while I run across a photo where I see a beveled subway tile and I'm totally enamored with it. But that would be silly. In my blog-stalking travels, I've seen an interior designer whose trademark tile job is the herringbone design. Here's an image of the herringbone pattern will look like and a link to her blog:



Do you like that pattern? Do you think it will look okay in my kitchen? I'm going to go with a dark gray grout.



4. Can I tell you about my new-old-best-friend Micaela? Hi Micaela *i'm waving*! She has a blog called Striving Green. I love her blog because I'm always trying to more earth-friendly myself, though I'm not as organized as Micaela. I can't remember when I met Micaela...probably the 7th or 8th grade? We were band geeks together and she was always really funny and smart and cool. We had our 20th High School reunion over the summer - Zuddy and I didn't go, so I totally missed out on seeing her. But that darn Facebook brought us together again. Sigh. Have I mentioned Facebook before? No?
Anyway.
I heart Micaela.

5. The Noodle is really improving in school.
I brought her to work one day on my day off so I could have a colleague speak to her in Spanish and tell me if the she thought Noodle understood what she was saying.
My friend from work is named Livia and she's originally from Peru. She's fluent in English, Spanish and Inca, I think. AND she is THE most amazing cook in the world. Anyway. She took Noodle away into the back storage area to hunt for candy and had a conversation with her in Spanish. Noodle told her (in Spanish) that she only speaks Spanish at school or when she doesn't want her mom and dad to know what she's saying. Ha! Livia seemed really impressed with her Spanish and was just beaming telling us all about their conversation. Isn't that sweet? LIVIA was beaming and so proud of MY kid. So now I'M proud of my kid.
And? I've hired Noodle's BFF's Mom (Colleen) to work with her once a week on her math. Colleen is a teacher and is amazing - she is fluent in Spanish too. We've decided to go this route because Colleen will come to our house once a week to work with her for an hour. And she can teach math in Spanish, too. Which is ideal because, of course, math is taught in Spanish at Gracie's school. I feel really relieved. However, this is going to be expensive and it needs to come out my already inadequate weekly budget. Oh - Colleen tried to tell me not to pay her what Mathnasium charges, but I can't do that. She's a professional and worth every penny.

6. Boy this is getting to be a wordy post. But I've got a lot on my mind. And I'm going to puke it all out right here.

7. My brother Mike made the best turkey dinner for Thanksgiving! I don't think we even got into a fight the whole day! Amazing. Nope - I take that back. I heard him yell at his wife. Go back to last Thanksgiving to see an explanation of our totally functional family dynamics. Here is a photo of the Schmacker making apple pie on Thanksgiving morning:



I love this photo of him. When he concentrates really hard, the tongue comes out. He's done this since he was a baby.

8. Zuddy and I had a date on Tuesday. Zuddy took some vacation from work (which he never does) and we got in the car and drove to the tiny little town of Miesville to have a burger at Kings. If you are from the Twin Cities, you must go. Zuddy's been talking about it for ages. My brother Mike and sister Myrna love it. You MUST GO. They have a gazillion types of burgers there. Zuddy got one topped with corned beef. He also likes the one topped with egg and a hot dog. And the fries! Fries aren't really my thing unless they're very good.
Zuddy knows this and told me to order the seasoned waffle fries with the chive sour cream dipping sauce.
I told him, "Fries aren't really my thing."
He said, "Order the fries."
Those fries are my new thing.

Anyway, after lunch we drove around the small towns around there and looked at all of the houses. Makes me want to live in a small town. We spent hours just driving in a quiet car (no radio) and hanging out. It was great.

I told him to call me sometime and we could do it again **making the phone sign with my hand up to my ear and mouthing, 'call me'**
I think I like him, I don't know.
Next time we go out, I'm totally going to let him kiss me.
Oh gosh - I hope he calls. What if he doesn't? Oh, I'll just die. It's been two days and he hasn't called! Do you think he will? Maybe I should call him?

9. I'm going shopping and out to lunch with Kirst and MJ today. I can't wait.

10. I looked at my resolutions from last year. They were totally the same as this year. The only one I did well on was the reusable bags.

11. I start a new project at work tomorrow. That means no more obsessive blog and Facebook stalking.

ACK!

You all know I have a blog-stalking problem.

You do too....admit it!

You also know I don't have all of them on my blog-roll, too.

Well, I've found a few more that I'm in love with, but in the process? I found out Cottage Living Magazine is folding.

I think that girl from the Coastal Nest is going to FREAK.

Blogitis

I'm trying to think of a name for the condition I have and Blogitis isn't it.

Blogitis seems like it would be more of an inflammation of the blog, and I don't think my blog is inflamed.

Now. At times my blog may make you scratch your head, but you risk that everytime you come for a visit, don't you? So in the end, that's really more your problem than mine, isn't it?



..........No - not blogitis. The only accurate word I can think of is blogaholic. But that's such an ugly word. Blogaholic states that maybe I'm the type of person that can't stop reading blogs.

But I can quit anytime I want!

Anytime!

Anytime.

Any. Time.

Not a problem.

Here are some of my new (and old) faves:

• Kat's Whimsy: She's doing a kitchen makeover. She's almost finished. I have no doubt she will finish. Reading her blog is like buying a beer fridge for the garage.


• Reflections On An Empty Nest: Barb is a court reporter and she's into photography and decorating. I love her sense of humor and I've been reading her blog for a while, but it just hasn't been on my blog roll. It's been in my favorites list. Putting something in your favorites list and not on your blogroll is kind of like buying your vodka in little bottles you can stash in your purse. Or behind the cinnamon in your spice cupboard. You know what I mean?
• The Queen B: You probably already had her on your blogroll. I didn't. Again, she was in my favorites. Kind of like slipping a little whisky in my Diet Pepsi.
• Amongst The Oaks: It all started when I saw the makeover of her rambler into an English cottage. Then I noticed she really likes butter. We seem to have a lot in common. Then I tried to forget about her. You know - doing a drive-by on her blog, but not commenting? I recently started visiting her again....you know - just to say hi. Nothing serious. It's all casual. Then? She offered to paint me a Z. And now I'm in love all over again.

Okay. These are my big four I'm going to put out there. There's more, but I'm taking baby steps.

We've got the Pox...

.....over here on Elizabeth Hill.

Just the Noodle, mind you. But she's got them in her throat, in her ears, on her toungue - yikes.

Guess what else? She's starting Violin lessons at school. She's so excited. Today was her first lesson - and of course she missed it, but one of the the Moms called to tell me that her first assignment is to name her violin. Right now "Jane" and "Sarah" are in the running. I don't mean to leave you all hanging, but I'll let you know when a decision has been made. In the meantime, I'm lobbying for "Tina Fey".

What? I like Tina Fey. She's funny!

Amy, I have that house tour waiting in the wings for you. There are a few choice photos I couldn't copy for some reason, so I'm going to try again tomorrow.

One more thing: I watched a show last night:

And I'm not embarassed to say that I watched it solely for the fabulous eye candy that is Simon Baker.

Oh yes I did.

When it came on? Zuddy gave me the 'eye-roll with a half back twist'. For those of you who don't know what that is? Its when your husband throws his head back and slightly to the side while rolling his eyes in exasperation at your bad TV viewing habits.

And then? He calls you on the fact that you could care less about the content of the show you're about to watch by suggesting you turn down the sound and play some nice John Mayer while you watch the moving picture show.

Gol-ly I love that Zuddy. He always comes up with the best ideas!

The State Of Things Around Here......

Oh, internets.
It's not pretty. Not pretty at all.

Where do I begin, huh?
Hmmmmm..........how about the kitchen?

I have a large obstacle in the finishing of the kitchen.

It's called, "bad walls".

Here, have a look:

When I took the wallpaper down? A bunch of old "patchwork" came with it. So what do I do, just skim-coat it and prime it? Or will I have this problem when I decide to change the wallpaper again?

This is not my area of expertise, people.

Here's another spot. Zuddy will need to patch this one up before I can do any tiling:

It's going to be a cold day in Hell before that happens, because Zuddy and I had a big argument last night.

The argument was basically about how he works 10 hours a day and I how I stay home and eat bon-bons. Which, quite honestly, happens sometimes (the bon-bon eating, that is). So I think I'm on my own with the patching of the walls and I'm at a total loss.

Then? I have a bunch of furniture to paint:

The multi-materialed hutch. It's made out of wood, laminate and plastic.

Good times, people. GOOD. TIMES:

I'm going to paint it an Oatmeal color. Maybe I'll age it, maybe I won't.

Then? We have the chair and desk for the Noodle's room:

I love that needlepoint seat on the chair. These will all be painted white.

Then, here's one of the drawers that go with the bookcase I got from my Mom. The bookcase and the drawers (heh.) are going to be white, too.

And my toes. See 'em? Totally neat and tidy.

At least part of me and my bon-bon-eating self is looking tidy.

Now.

All I want to do is vent about how hard being married and raising a little girl-person can be.

And about how much of yourself you "give up".

And about how I have dreams too, but I feel like I need to be here to raise my little girl-person.

And about how I can't follow my dreams from 9-3 during the school year and take the summers off from working on my dreams.

But I'm not going to do that right now. I'll wait until it's not so fresh. Heh.

My New Personal Trainer, Kim.

Yep. I have a new Personal Trainer.

Her name is Kim.

Okay, fine.

I've never actually met her. But I feel like I have. Because I see her every day.

My sister Dawn just gave me her new DVD called Small Changes=Big Benefits. Dawn actually DOES know her - they've been friends for years. And Dawn's been using the DVD and has totally toned up.

Here's Kim's schtick: the fitness industry is a money-making business. Kim says it takes much less time and effort to get fit than everyone in the fitness industry is telling us. We can do it at home with a balance ball and one of those tube-thingies - no expensive gym membership required. (Unless you're talking Jazzercise - then by all means......There's this nice little studio in Washington State I've heard about....awesome owner. You should join that place. Even if you're out of state ;)

So Kim made this DVD with four 10-minute workout segments. You pick one of them a day PLUS the stretching segment and you're done. The workouts are uncomplicated, but challenging. I've been doing the Ball Strength workout and it's making me feel great. I actually look forward to it, even though I can't do a couple of the exercises very well....the tricep push-up is killer.

Here's Kim's other schtick: Quit feeling guilty. It's paralyzing and detrimental to your well-being. It makes you feel out of control, so stop it. And further more? Quit beating yourself up. No good comes of that. If you've messed up? Just. Move. On.

So.

There it is.

You know I'm trying to make changes in my life. I don't like the way I look. And it's all because of my lack of exercise. I feel guilty. I beat myself up because before I met Zuddy I was quite the exerciser. Every day. Without fail. And now? Not so much. And oddly enough? I don't even realize I beat myself up about it most of the time! I have so far to go to get back to where I want to be that it's just too much.

But guess what? I can do ten minutes of strength exercises from Kim's video and I feel GREAT. I can do it while Noodle is with me.....she loves to watch, give me a drink of water and cheer me on. Best of all, it just makes me feel good. I almost don't care about losing weight. I really just want to keep getting stronger.

So! I'm giving away 2 of her DVDs. Because I love it so freakin' much! It just makes me feel happy. I really think you will love it to - even if you're already fit. It makes you feel great.

Now.

What do you need to do for this contest? I'm not sure yet.

I'm trying to think of something entertaining.......something that will make us all feel good.

How about this:

Go into the comment section and share your most embarrassing moment. Or the funniest thing that's happened to you or a loved one lately. Maybe it's something your child said? You know - just something funny and entertaining.

The funniest TWO stories EACH win a DVD featuring your new trainer, Kim.

I'm hoping to have an entertaining moment or two myself tonight: Neighbor Pam and I are going on a ride-along with Officer McHott tonight. That means we will be riding along with him in his squad car while he's on patrol tonight. Do you ever remember me talking about Officer McHott? Total freakin' eye candy for Pam and me. I'll take pictures of the fine officer.

Have a great day, friends :)

I'm In The Wrinkles and Pimples Camp.....

Scary, right?

Well, Cutzi mentioned in her blog that she is having issues with her skin.

I am too.

I've never had the best of complexions. I firmly believe it's because I'm a big ol' bundle of hormones. My brothers? Both of them have beautiful skin. Beautiful skin. Small pores. Smooth texture. Nice coloring.

But not me.

I've never been able to go without makeup and look okay. Someone always asks me if I'm sick. Do you ever see those photos of stars "without makeup"?

COME ON. You know most of them have a little bit of make up on. They do.

Even though I look horrible without it, I still don't wear makeup most days unless I have to be somewhere. Because I'm lazy. And because nobody is looking at the chubby housewife. Nobody cares, right?

Right. I'm getting ahead of myself because what I really want to talk about is skincare, because I have a fairly recent problem: Pimples and wrinkles.

Actually, the wrinkles don't bother me all that much. I'm 38. I'm gonna get 'em.

It's the pimples that make me crazy, so I use this:

You already know this because I've mentioned it before. It works like a charm and I love it.

But here's the problem: I can't stop using it.

I've tried. I've tried to use something from Target. Something cheaper and more accessible.

Every time I run out? My face breaks out in the weirdest way: my pores get clogged, I get pimples and I can't extract what is in there. It's like a piece of rubber is clogging my pores and I can see it stuck in the pore. I can pull at it with a tweezers, but it snaps back into my pore and won't come out.

When I say "extract"? I mean "squeeze". Because I used to have this extractor:

I got it at Sephora. I have another one - it's a different style extractor, but I don't like it as much. Why don't I have this one anymore you ask? (If you're still here, that is, because I do realize this is getting a little too in-depth. And it's going to get worse in about ......oh? RIGHT NOW.)

Because I broke it. While I was extracting. Because I'm an enthusiastic extractor. I'll extract on anyone I can get my hands on.

Just ask poor Zuddy.

Okay- back to the Proactive. I love it, but I can't quit it.

It's like Crack for the skin. Which would make Doctors Rodan and Fields, Proactive's developers?

Pushers.

Proactive Pushers.Because if you don't use it as directed twice a day and use the mask twice a week? You will pay. In the currency of bad skin.

So a couple of months ago, I ran out of Proactive.

I don't sign up for it to come to my house continuously. Because they don't include the mask in every shipment. So if I go to the Rosedale Mall Proactive Kiosk, I get the whole shebang with the mask. And the mask is good. Even if it smells like sulfur. And now I found out that they have a Proactive vending machine at the airport and at Macy's in the Mall of America! And since I'm at the Airport all of the time? I got it out of that vending machine. I love that system, people. LOVE IT.

Anyway, my skin got so bad for the month I was without the Proactive that it's having a hard time recovering.

After two weeks? I still look like this (Scroll down. It's not pretty. If you have a sensitive stomach you may want to leave now):

I put a little of the mask on a big problem area on my nose.

Yep.

This is me.

What do you use on your skin?? Does anybody else use Proactive and have the same issues when you stop using it?

What about makeup? What are you using?

I use Bare Minerals. I love it. It doesn't feel like I'm wearing make-up and has pretty good coverage for my bad skin:

Next post? Hair.

I was watching an infomercial on Wen Cleansing Conditioner. I think it will make my life better. My hair will definitely be bouncier and hopefully my teeth will be whiter and my personality better.

Have you heard of it?? Have you seen the infomercial??

And why do I keep purchasing items in this manner? I want to find more accessible products to use, but I can't give up the Proactive and the Bare Minerals. They're too good.

Sheesh. Let's hear your story.....either in the comment section of my blog, or do a post on yours and let me know you've posted about it.

Please. From one chick to another.

Work, Potatoes with Life Lessons and Loree

Yep! I'm at it again! Working at the photo studio. Do you want to come along and see what I've done?



What? No?



Oh.



Okay....sorry to bother you.



Hey! Wait! This is MY blog. If you don't want to come to work with me, you just point that cursor to that red box with the white "X" and get outta here!



Sheesh. Ungrateful Internets.



Okay. Here we go.



You know where we need to go first? Do you?



In my business, this will always be the answer: "To the grocery store." Always. This question will be on the final exam, so file it away in the ol' hard drive, people.



Here we are at one of the nice ones. Brand new in Northeast Mpls. Not too far from the studio. This store is so great that I almost try to go there for every shoot.
Anyway, we've got to get some red potatoes. The ones I found the day before at that other store (with the harsh lighting) had skins that were too thin.



Ha! Did you hear that? The potatoes had skins that were too thin.



This brings us to a new feature on this blog.....Life Lessons Through Food.



MJ will laugh at this because we've been learning life lessons through food together for about 12 years. It's times like these where I'm reminded how much I want to work with MJ every day.

Because I miss her.

And nobody else thinks the life lessons are the least bit funny.

So then I sit there and giggle to myself and everybody thinks I'm a crazy person.



Okay. So I get to the studio and the first thing I do is grab some of Dave the Photographer's delicious coffee. It's really really strong. And made from the very best beans.
Yummy.
But I need some milk to tone it down a little bit...........oh look!
No milk...........but there is some HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM!!!!

Don't you judge me!

Okay. I need to sort out the potatoes and pick the best ones (life lesson).

It's kind of hard to tell which ones are the best when you first look at them.

All I know is: They shouldn't be too small or too big:

A little character is a good thing. You don't want (your potato) to be too perfect.

Sometimes, though? You find out that very character you loved so much in the beginning? Well....it's too much. It's just not working the way you thought it would.

Sometimes (potatoes) things aren't classically beautiful.......But they're almost so ugly that they're cute:

And you know what? Sometimes life hurts. And once in a while you'll get stabbed in the back. Don't worry, it happens to all of us. You just need to let it go.

Okay. Lessons over. But they were useful, right?

So I baked up my potatoes and now I need to scoop out the innards for Pegi, the food stylist. I try to make them as beautiful as possible. I futz around and figure out that I need to use a melon baller to get a nice edge on the potato. Then I need to trim the skins with a little scissors because they get a little raggedy:

After all of this, lunch came. The studio caters in lunch every day. Today was Asian. After lunch, the potatoes that Pegi styled and baked up need a little freshening up.......a"facial" perhaps? Pegi gives them a little steam.

Now I go into the other kitchen to bother my pal Loree. 'Memba her? She's the one who turned 50 and got the hair-brained idea to run a marathon to "celebrate". Freak.

Anyway, Loree just styled a thick, juicy steak for a grill shot. Here's Mara, our hand model. Kevin, the photographer, will take a close-up of the steak and of Mara "flipping" the steak.

Isn't Mara just tiny and cute? The grill has fake, glowing coals. I love the fake glowing coals.

This is my old new best friend, Loree, with Mara.

Loree just found the love of her life at age 50. She knew him years ago when she was in the Coast Guard and reconnected with him through the wondrous Internet! Exciting, huh? And he's sounds so sweet that I now have a mouthful of cavities from listening to her nauseating stories of all of the sweet things he says to her.

Okay, I've gotta go. More on Loree and Mara another time!

Well.....I'm feeling better today, pals. Yesterday was payday for Zuddy, so I put my iPod on and walked to his workplace to pick up his paycheck (1.5 miles round-trip). It was a nice day...20 degrees and very bright and sunny so it felt good to be outside. (Edited to add....you know how I figured this out? Gmaps pedometer. If you haven't seen it yet, go and check it out. Where it says, 'jump to' just type in your zip code.)

Even though I almost bit it on the ice a couple of times.

But I got to give myself another red X on the calendar!

And thanks for the comments....every girl loves to hear from her pals! I know have no reason to be crabby - what with all of you nice internets and my cute little house, sweet little girl and my loving Zuddy.

But the hormones - oh - the hormones. Why? WHY do they make me so hateful??

I mean, I was irritated at everyone in my path yesterday! I kept my iPod on so no one would try and talk to me. Still....some lady at Target just had to keep yammering at me when I was trying to read magazines (at the store so I wouldn't have to buy them - tsk-tsk). I ended up buying a People Magazine and a diet Dr. Pepper for an "I'm crabby and I deserve it" treat. And I spent $100 on essentials. ESSENTIALS...nothing (except for the magazine and soda) went into my cart but food items (Hey! Target sells grass-fed beef now!) and kitty litter and laundry soap. Sheesh.

Then? I went to Hallmark to buy some cards and the woman working there (who looked very familiar) kept staring at me. And following me around. I tried to ignore her......I do look like I'm homeless on most days, so I was thinking she probably thought I was a hoodlum. When I went to purchase my cards and she asked me about my iPod. She was very sweet. She couldn't believe how small it was (which is why she kept following me around - I had it clipped to my sweater and she was trying to get a look at it.) and asked me how I got music in it. She doesn't have a computer, so she really didn't understand, but she was very nice. And here I am, all hateful and ugly inside.

So I went home and drank my soda while reading about Tori Spelling. Because I just had to know about her life. And how Jamie Lynn is doing (will she get married?) and all about Brad and Angelina's family vacation.

Because it's important to keep up with such world events. And to be informed. So I can sound intelligent when I'm deep in conversation with people.

And also so I can be part of the 'stalkerazzi' problem.

Anyway. I put off the rest of grocery shopping for little bit. Have you noticed how the price of groceries has gone up?

Tell me - how much do you end up spending on groceries every week? I used to spend $100. But now? I have a hard time keeping it at $150. And we don't usually buy things like juice or cereal. I know meal planning has been a big help - but I don't mind telling you how much I dislike the planning. I love it when my blogging pals post what they eat - like the way Lisa from Coastal Nest did a few days ago. And Cutzi did, too. Because I'm a copy-cat and I'm not afraid to steal from their lists.

I know Mrs. Jones sometimes uses the Grocery Game. Does anyone else out there use it? Penny used to - not sure if she still does.
If you do use it....do you end up buying things you normally wouldn't? Or do you really stick to your normal grocery items?

I'd love to hear about your money saving ways!

Forgive Me Bloggers........

.....for I have sinned. It's been 5 days since my last post.

Dudes. I'm just not feelin' it! I'm not! I'm so boring that I bore myself!

The only thing I've got for y'all is that the name of my last post? The Girls? Well.....every time some one commented on that post I'd get an email saying, "Elizabeth Hill Cottage comment on The Girls".
I'd get a chuckle every time because it sounds like you're commenting on my other girls.
You know what I'm sayin'? (Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge)

A-hem.
Anyway......

I've been looking at doll house stuff a lot. Wanna see some of the wallpapers I've found?

This is one of my faves.

Okay. Now for the furniture. Dudes. There are so many artists out there that do really special stuff.....I wish I could remember where all of these came from, but I can't.

However, I did jot down the artist's names. These kitchens are done by Elizabeth LePla. She does a modern loft-style kitchen, which I didn't save, but I did save this one:

Cool, huh? She also does a classic European kitchen:

Okay, now here's where the artist's names I jotted down starts to get a little foggy, but I think these pieces are from Barbara Vajnar. She does shaker-style stuff:

I want this sink for my dollhouse kitchen.

I think this one is from Debbie Mize. She does very exacting, detailed pieces. This is a storage shelf for a garage:

Isn't that just too cool?

Here's some more stuff:

I'm getting this wing chair. Cool, huh?

And look at this replica of a Pottery Barn-style wicker chair! I want this one, too.


Look at this sweet vintage-style kitchen work table with the tin top!

I think this is an artisan bed....maybe by Kim Saulter. Shabby Chic.

A bathroom sink.

look at this cool chest of drawers!!! I can't remember the artist who did this, but I do remember they did a lot of 'haunted' dollhouse decor!

So that's what Noodle and I did yesterday: looked at dollhouse stuff.

Sarah? I swear, I will have a house tour for you tomorrow, okay?