I stole this from Tori

Click the title here, and you can tell me about ME! I'd like some honest, real opinions of who you think I am, and once you do that, you can see who I think I am. Its pretty interesting. I would actually use quite a few more adjectives to show who I really think I am, but you're limited to 5-6 from this finite list. So I picked the best ones. Maybe.

Welcome to Rapunzel's Bows

Yay! I had a pow-wow with a few of my girl friends tonight, and over a game of cards we found a name for my fledgling business! Rapunzel's Bows. Rapunzel, known for long gorgeous hair, as a child surely would need bows...and thats where I'll be coming in. I'll be getting business cards with Rapunzel's Bows- Custom bows and Accessories as soon as I can find the right graphics for the background. I'm so excited! I've made a few bows over the last few days for V. to wear to meetings and to the park etc, and she has been complimented like crazy. I have orders already! This is so fun!

I need a name

Obviously my parents took care of naming me 30 years 3 months and some odd days ago, but I am trying to start selling some crafts and bags and accessories that I'm making, and I have no clue what to name my business. I'm pretty much focusing on 1. baby accessories (diaper bags, changing pads, bibs, burp cloths etc.) 2. mommy accessories (handbags and aprons mostly) 3. bows & headbands. I'll be selling the bows right away, they are the fastest and easiest to make. I may or may not start a website, but since I'm starting this hobby on a shoestring budget, I'm definitely not doing one today. I'm really really open to suggestions for a sophisticated, yet kiddish sounding name. About the only names that I've come up with is Bauble Head and Bootsie and Me. So anyway, please please please leave a comment with a name for me! I'll be forever grateful!

Disneyworld, Part Deux

I know I already gave the details of where and when we went to Disneyworld. But I left out a few things. Like where we stayed. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort, on the recommendation of a former client of mine. She and her husband went there for their honeymoon (couple in their 50's, second marriages) and stayed at that resort. They loved it. I also loved it. Its a "Moderate" resort which meant that we had a refrigerator, and a larger room than staying at the "Value" resort. C. had a different take on it. He said that we werent in the room long enough to make the difference up in the price, I said that the more comfortable surroundings and quicker bus pick-ups made up for it. Last time we went in 2006 we stayed at the All-Star Music resort, which was fine other than the fact that we were 1/2 mile back from THE bus stop, and at the end of the day having a close bus stop was WELL worth the difference in money. We're planning on coming back to Disneyworld next year, and we're still debating on which room type will be right for us. We're surely not rolling in money, so I'm going to do as much discount searching as possible so we can get the most for our money.

I'm brain fried right now, I guess thats it.

Disneyworld 2007

Well, we got back from a whirlwind Disney world trip last night. It was CRAZY! We left on Wednesday, took 14 hours to get down to Orlando, and hit MGM bright and early Thursday morning. Our main reason for booking our trip on the days we did was so we could take V. and E. (her cousin-both 2 years old) to see the Doodlebops. Our girls just LOVED them. It was a 25 minute show and from the second they came on stage it was nothing but energy and silliness, which the kids just ate up with a spoon. They had it set up in a very large tent, so we were actually in the air conditioning for a while. There was a large area that the kids could dance around in right next to our chairs. Really well done. The only draw back was the huge long hot line that you had to wait in for tickets. No charge, just had to have a ticket to get in. So in the mean time C. and I went over to Tower of Terror, right next to the Doodlebops tent, and walked on. Always a good time. We left our girl with C's sister J. and his mom D. because they were nice enough to stand in the loooong line for us. After the concert we did the rest of the park, taking in as many attractions as having 2 two year olds would allow, and finished the day with a delicious dinner at Cape May Cafe. In 2003 when we went to Disney the first time, we ate there and this time was even more yummy!
Friday we went to Epcot. Lots of fun, of course! The kids loved the Crush Chat show and the living seas. Every fish that passed was new and exciting to them. At the Crush show, V. was sitting next to a little boy of about 3, and she was in LOVE! She kept trying to kiss him, and was saying "Mama I be nice!" and rubbing his shoulder with this sweet look on her face. It was adorable, but it looks like I have trouble on my hands! We made our way around the park, and about mid-day ended up in the world showcase. We took our time, lingering in each shop, browsing, and watching the movies each country offered. We found ourselves down by Mexico with about 20 minutes to get back to Morocco (more on that later!) for our dinner reservation. Anyone familiar with the world showcase knows that this is about as far apart as you can get, with a lake in the middle and no shortcuts. We have 2 strollers, a lady in her early 60's, an out of shape pair of parents and a short sister-in-law, who naturally walks a little slow. So we start hoofing it. We get to our reservation about 5 minutes late, and get seated at what can only be called the WORST table possible. My daughter was literally in the door of the kitchen, we were all the way at the back of the restaurant, and there was the most loud, clangy music being played just behind her. Not somewhere I'll be going again. The food was good, but the dessert was weird. The taste was very similar to sweetened cornflakes with almonds. After our dinner we went out and staked a claim to some waterfront and watched the fireworks. Beautiful and well done as usual. Only thing is that E. was so scared of them that she couldn't watch without screaming. It was the extra magic hours night for Disney world guests, so we stayed until about 11:30 and made our way back to the hotel, exhausted and overheated.
Saturday we made the fatal error of trying to go to an early breakfast at Boma, in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had an 8:30 seating. We made it and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, but we were all so tired from coming in late and getting up early, that by the end of our meal we all could have gone back to the room for a rest. We went to Animal Kingdom after breakfast and timed it just right to get on the Safari ride with NO WAIT! I couldn't believe it! The kids just loved seeing the animals and riding the ride. The main thing that impressed me at Animal Kingdom was the Finding Nemo stage show. It may actually beat the Lion King in terms of production and performance! It was nice to get inside, because this happened to be the hottest day of our trip. Sometime around 4 it started to sprinkle, so we went into A Bug's Life, and I forgot how funny it is to be with someone the first time they go see that show! By the time we came out it was POURING rain, so we got out the ponchos, threw them over the strollers, and went to the shops. By 4:15 they shut down all the rides, and basically closed the park. We had dinner plans for Chefs De France at Epcot and decided to cancel and rebook at our resort restaurant. They were full, so we went on the recommendation of the lady at the desk to the Maya Grill at Coronado Springs Resort. It was the best meal I had the whole time! The food was very very well done, the service (until the end of our meal) was perfect, and the quieter atmosphere was just what we needed. I had a mixed grill plate, Fillet Mignon, Grilled Fish, and BBQ ribs. Let me just say YUM!!
Sunday was the big day. Magic Kingdom. My best friend in the world, M. and her husband B. were there with her parents, sister & brother in law, and 2 nieces! Our trips weren't planned to overlap they just did, so I got to see them all briefly. My best friend and her husband came with us and rode all the kid rides and stuff, just so we could all hang out. I was really happy about that! They even rode Its a Small World with us. Now that's love! We left the kids with C's mom & sister so we could ride Splash mountain with M. & B. I have never gotten so thoroughly soaked in my life! In all the times I've ridden splash mountain (at Disney World and Disney Land) I have never seen a wave of water come over the front of the log like it did. My friends happened to be in the front so they got drenched. It was hilarious! I was supposed to be in the front, but my friend's husband at the last minute said he wanted to ride with her, so we switched and went down as couples. The girls got to watch the parade with the princesses while we were riding and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have loved to have been with my baby, and I thought I would be off the ride in plenty of time to see the parade, but the line said 20 minutes wait and it ended up being 55 minutes wait!! So I missed the whole thing.
There is so much more to tell, but I'm going to have to put it in a later post. I can't wait to go back next year! My main regret about this trip is that we had so little down time and didn't get to just enjoy our resort and relax more.

Cheaper than cheap "Anywhere Spray"

I'm always one to try to figure out the cheapest way to get quality things. One thing that I always buy is Clorox Anywhere spray. I use it constantly! Well, I have been watching my favorite BBC America show, "How Clean is Your House", and I've taken a lot of their suggestions on how to clean your home without using chemicals. One thing that I picked up from the show is that Tea Tree oil is a non toxic bug repellent and disinfectant, vinegar cuts grease, and isopropyl alcohol is a disinfectant. Add all those things together with water and Voila! you have "anywhere" spray. And it smells really clean too. I use 2 cups water, 20 drops tea tree oil, 1/4 c vinegar, and 1/4 c alcohol. If the vinegar is too potent, I'll add a little more tea tree oil. A little goes a LONG Way on that. Enjoy!

Who is this man?

Well, my grandfather died. And I felt nothing. Weird huh? Well here's some background. First off my dad disowned his father. Mr. Fales (what else do I call him?) wanted nothing to do with me and my brother, for reasons only known to himself. I had committed the crime of being born, and for that I was banished from a grandfatherly relationship. Who looks at a baby, and says to himself "wow! I want nothing to do with THAT child". Its inhuman! So my dad, wonderful man that he is, decided that if his father didn't want to have anything to do with us, then he didn't want to have anything to do with him. I tried a couple of times over the course of my life, at vulnerable times, to contact this man and get some sort of relationship going with him, but to no avail. I wrote him a letter and sent him my best picture of myself , at age 18. I got a very disconnected response, a letter and picture of him standing alone next to a car, and nothing else. I was young and naive, and life was coming at me fast, so I didn't try any contact again for a long time. He never called or wrote or came to be with us when my brother died, and that didn't really hurt as much as puzzle me. After all I didn't know him, so why would I expect anything? So fast forward 10 years, and my dad is lying in a hospital bed, precariously holding on to life, trying to recover from emergency open heart surgery, and I write to this man again, and this time I get nothing. Not a post card, not a carrier pigeon, not an email, NOTHING. Well here we are 3 years later, and my dad tells me that his dad died. He had about as much emotion over it as someone talking about a character dying on a TV show that they never watched. Apparently this man was no more popular with other people than he was with his "family", because his obituary (click the title of this blog to go there) says that no services or visitation will be held. Big surprise! There is no one TO visit! Normally my family rallies together, supporting, hugging, comforting each other during a family crisis, but there is none now. How weird is that? Another weird-y thing, my uncle's name is spelled wrong in the obit & my dad's name is wrong altogether. He dropped the name "Floyd" in favor of the initial "F." 15 or more years ago, legally. He never went by that name even as a small child. But there it is listed in the obituary, Floyd McPhalen. So as the song in the movie "A Chorus Line" says, "I dug right down to the bottom of my soul....and I felt nothing". Sad, really.

Wednesday

Its so fun to unexpectedly go out and have a blast. Yesterday afternoon my sister-in-law J. asked me if I wanted to take her husband's place at a wine tasting/benefit that they had bought tickets for. He was held up at work and wouldn't be getting home until the benefit was over, so I was like "hmmm, free wine, free food and a free night away from home? Let me think..." and INSTANTLY said yes. It was aw-some! I left C. with baby V. put on some cute jeans and a flowy tank top, some flat sandals and I was out the door! They had gourmet foods paired with the wines, and like 2-7 different choices of wine at each of the 11 tables. I was pleasantly surprised, because when I found out it was at a grocery store, I had very low expectations. I was imagining Judy Homemaker and her 4 wild hellions bumping me with their cart overfilled with soda and hotpockets, but it was nothing like that. It was held at a very fancy specialty grocery store. They had closed the store down to everyone who didnt have tickets. What a fun way to spend a Wednesday night! Me and J. had the most fun of anyone there I think, because we were also people watching. We saw "John Mayer", "Prince William", a drag queen, an anorexic "Brittany Spears" (or short haired Amy Winehouse?), a drunk woman (who was probably drunk before she got to the tasting) and the most enormous feather brooch I've ever seen! It was great!

Waxxy

I went for an eyebrow wax on Saturday. Actually, since I no longer work at a salon, I went to my old OLD salon that I worked at 5 years ago, and saw an old friend that still works there, for a hair color. My roots were out to THERE and I hadn't had my hair done in about 6 weeks (about 2 weeks too long for my liking). So my friend J. was running late and I thought I'd treat myself to a brow shaping, and not just rip them out myself. The aesthetician asked me what I had in mind, and gave me a beautifully shaped arch. As she's moving on to the second brow, she calmly but tensely says "Is the temperature okay on the wax?". I assured her that it wasn't burning me, but I had a stinging feeling. She says "Well, I've never seen this before, but some of your skin came off". She hands me a mirror and sure enough a patch about the size of a watermelon seed is bleeding and gone! Now its pretty well healed, but I was completely freaked out that my SKIN came off, not just the caterpillar brow. Insane! Of course I not only paid but I tipped. What a goofball I am. I guess I didn't want to cause any waves or anything, who knows. Maybe its because I used to work there?

What if.....

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I was about to choke I was laughing so hard. Let me know what you think! I'm pretty sure I was in Miss Anderson's class when she taught in Arizona, but I could be wrong.

My perfect powers of persuasion (or how I get free stuff)

I can be a bulldog when I want to. I get ahold of an idea, and I hold on to it forever. And, I'm surely feelin' good about myself right about now. Yesterday we took good advantage of the tax-free weekend, and got two big ticket things we were needing (V.'s bed) and wanting (C.'s 42 inch LCD hi-def TV). Well when it came time to check out on the TV, the guy at Best Buy told us we could save $100 by buying a new hi-def DVR at $300. Uh, what? Why in the world should we have to buy a new DVR, when every new customer gets one free just for signing up with Directv? So we declined, saying that when we got home we would just cancel our Directv and get 2 free Hi Definition DVR's from Dish Network, and free installation and no $100 upgrade charge. Yeah, even people not under contract have to pay to upgrade. So I decided to call up ol' Directv and see what they could do to keep my business. The first 2 people I talked to offered some basic things, $5 off per month for the next year, 4 months free Showtime, things along those lines. I was asking for a) a free dvr, b) no $100 upgrade charge, c) free install. By the time I had the 3rd guy on the line, thats exactly what I got. Before the cost of installation I saved us $400! I told them I wanted to stay with them as a customer, but I had no incentive to . I told them what I could get by jumping ship, then they matched it! So if you get "no" from one person, just keep moving up the ladder. It took me roughly 1 hour, but it was totally worth it.

I needed a good thing yesterday. It had been 10 years since I lost my brother Andrew. He died Aug. 3, 1997. I cant believe its been a decade already. I'm normally able to think about his passing away with nothing but hope and peace, but for some reason yesterday really hit me hard. Its honestly been YEARS since I was overly sad about losing him, because of the resurrection hope I have from reading and studying the bible. But for some reason I woke up in a funk and stayed in a funk all day. I allow myself to get sad 2 times a year. Once on the anniversary of losing him, and once on the day he would have turned older. We never celebrated birthday's but its just a day that reminds me of him. You know how it is.

I'm reading this and it seems super-crass that I'm saying that buying an expensive TV took away from losing my brother. But thats where I would hope he would be if he were the surviving sibling. I would hope that 10 years later it would just take something like that to lessen the pain. I would never want my brother (or my husband or daughter) to constantly be sad over losing me. I would want them to remember me, remember the fun times we've had, remember my smile, my laugh, my smell and be happy that I was in their lives. Especially this many years later. I would hope that every once in a while they would unburden themselves however made them feel better, be it doing something nice for someone else, buying themselves something, or just crying over the loss, and then they'd be okay. So I'm totally owning my crassiness, buying stuff did make me feel better yesterday, and I'm alright with that.

Loves!

Welcome

Yup, in case you're wondering about the name. I am unoriginal, and I'm proud of it. I couldnt think of any cool name for the blog, so there you go.

I'll be taking slices of life and commenting on them.

Enjoy!