Stupid and Fat

I am trying hard to understand the obsession our country has on thinness and beauty. I understand that companies market youth and beauty to see their products but why do people buy into it? I read a facebook post today about a woman who writes a furniture blog. She posts a picture of an item from a catalog and then comes up with the plans for it. Then she posts the plans on the internet so others can make the same piece of furniture for a fraction of the cost of buying it from the catalog. She is writing a show proposal and last night told her husband that she doesn't want a show because people will call her stupid and fat. Please tell me what weight has to do with furniture?! WHO FREAKIN' CARES if she is fat and in order to do what she does she definitely can't be considered stupid! She has a skill that people are interested in... What does it matter what she looks like?! Besides, she is a beautiful woman who can't weigh more than 112lbs so why is she wasting brain cells on this unncessary insecurity?!

I just don't get it.

Board book featuring your child...

Hello! I know it's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry about that. I just really haven't had much to say, or rather, the time to really say anything. In the past few months we survived a move to a new city, house, school, etc. and we are still trying to make the adjustment.

Enough about me, how about we get our hands on some free stuff?

A high school friend of mine just launched her new business and to celebrate she's giving you a chance to win two free products. The company is Mine Own Book and they create board books and scrapbooks with the pictures you upload to them. They have a couple of layouts to choose from using your child as the star!

Not only would this be a great gift for your own child but would definitely make a winning gift for all of the other toddlers in your life.

The giveaway is listed on the Mine Own Book blog and ends on May 14th, at midnight, MST. If you want to order a book or several books please go directly to the Mine Own Book website. There you can see what they have and meet my beautiful friend Leslie and her wonderful family!

Good Luck!!!

Free Coffee is Always Good!

So, I have a coffee roasting twitter friend in Georgia who is known to us web surfers as Barista on Duty. Well, he recently sent me a sample of his house blend in order to test how well ground coffee ships and to try and convert me to his world o' java. So, here is a little pictorial of what I received and what I did with it:

The little bag of coffee was still sealed when I opened the shipping package. He was worried that it might burst but it did not. The bag was pretty full though so I would suggest not filling it up any fuller than it was because the gases did make it expand quite a bit.



This is what it looked like right after I opened it:



I use two scoops to make 4 cups of coffee every morning and afternoon. There's usually a little coffee left that winds up getting dumped out so I am getting a single serve coffee maker in January. Don't worry, I'll buy the adapter so that I can also use grounds if I want.




This is how much coffee those two scoops make. I'm not sure if I'm making it too strong or too weak but this is how I usually like it. The oatmeal is the whole oat kind, I can't stand instant or fast cooking oatmeal. It's what Megan, Lizzie and I have most non-school mornings for breakfast. I would like to get a small crock-pot so that we can have it every day. I read somewhere that you can cook oatmeal with apples and cinnamon on low over night and the house smells really good the next morning.



And here's my scrumptious breakfast! I always drink my coffee with just milk, no sugar. Once in a while I'll buy a bottle of flavored creamer but not very often. Besides pancakes, this is my favorite breakfast!



As for the coffee is was pretty delicious. A little on the robust side and it almost has a slight burnt flavor. I would love to try some of his other blends.

If you want to check out Barista on Duty's other coffee blends or coffee related projects you can visit his website and/or follow him on twitter. He also hosts a coffee forum where you can take a look at pictures of his coffee house and find other coffee lovers to chat with.

My Starbuck's 1st Readers Club Book is HERE!

As I mentioned in my previous post I won a book from the Starbucks V2V site. Well, I'm excited to say that it arrived last night! YAY! I can't wait to start reading it today. If you are interested in learning more about the 1st Readers Club or if you want to participate please check it out Here!

Alpaca Sock Giveaway...

So, I've always thought that giveaways on blogs were completely stupid. They make you jump through hoops, which includes subscribing to their blog, in order to earn an entry. I always felt that if I were to do all the stuff many of the contests require then I should be guaranteed a win. I gave into my aversion about a month ago. I simply had to add a Starbuck's employee as a friend on my Starbuck's profile page and if I was one of the first 50 customers to do so I would win a signed copy of their first Starbucks 1st Readers Club books, The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper. Well, I was number 47 so my book should be here shortly! :) The next giveaway I entered was from a blog I already subscribe to but she wanted me to follow her and then write a comment on her blog about a time when I experienced a loss in my life and how creativity, connecting or giving back helped in my healing process. My response won me a childrens book. YAY!

My two wins in a month have convinced me that giveaways on blogs weren't complete time wasters after all, as long as the item that is up for grabs is something that won't just sit in a drawer wasting space for all of eternity. I'll read the novel, my kids will enjoy the childrens book and I will definitely enjoy these warm cozy alpalca socks if I am chosen for this prize. There are several ways to gain an entry so go and check it out. It's easy to enter and if you win you will be prized with warm feet! :)

Here's the link: http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/2008/12/giveaway-day-8-alpaca-socks/#comment-619

Good Luck!

Getting to Know You, Christmas Edition

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Depends on how big the gift is.

2. Real tree or Artificial? We've had a small artificial tree the past few years while the kids were babies but now I'm trying to decide for our big tree what we want. I'll probably go with real because I found out that I can buy a real potted tree and after Christmas a S.F. company will come and pick it up and then replant it elsewhere.

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as I get motivated.

4. When do you take the tree down? Last year our tree was still up in April.

5. Do you like eggnog? I don't like regular eggnog, Pumpkin eggnog is pretty good but Dulce de Leche eggnog is the BEST! Especially in coffee! :)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The only one I really remember was my Cabbage Patch Doll. She had orange hair and her name was Yolanda.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother. Anything you buy her, gift cards and all, will sit in her car or house for the rest of eternity still in the gift package you gave it to her in.

8. Easiest person to buy for? The girls. They want EVERYTHING! Megan is begging for the Dino Mountain Playset, whatever that is!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, I'm agnostic and even if I were still religious Jesus was NOT born in December and Christmas has nothing to do with his birth. Besides, he DID say not to remember his birth but to remember his death.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I WISH I could email them then maybe I'd actually get some out.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I love all of my gifts.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story

13. When do you start shopping? After Thanksgiving

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, I don't think so but I'm not opposed to it either.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies and cookie bars

16. Color of lights on the tree? Multi-colored. I've never understood one color trees. So boring! If you want a one-colored tree then just spray paint the darn thing and save your money!

17. Favorite Christmas songs? How in the world am I supposed to pick just one?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home! I HATE traveling for Christmas and will probably never do it again.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Probably if I tried hard enough.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Not sure what I want yet.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning. One present xmas eve and the rest the next morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Well... Dare I say it?? Fundamentalist Christians would top my list!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Not sure, I've seen a lot of great ones.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Chinese food, baby! YUM!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I already have it. :)

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Who knows, I'm not even sure anyone reads my blog.

Prop. 8 The Musical! Watch it HERE!

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