Friday, June 11, 2010
Migraine battles
The last few days have been marked by migraine battles -- I've been victorious lately, but I have an awful feeling that my days as migraine conqueror are numbered. The migraine is like a small dark cloud of buzzing gnats, hovering about 4 inches above my left temple. I can see them gathering there and feel the heat coming off their beating wings. If I focus hard enough, and eat/drink/do all the right things, they'll stay hovering there. One false move, though, and they will turn into locusts and descend on me, devouring all in their path. I have no wish to be chewed up and spit out by those beasts, so I fight the good fight and hold the migraine holds off.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
National Donut Day and other goodies
National Donut Day is June 4! What a great holiday. Can’t wait for the parade for this one. Free donut with any beverage purchase at Dunkin Donuts on June 4.
Free 20 page photobook from Shutterfly if you “like” them on Facebook. http://apps.facebook.com/shutterflyphotobook/contests/25404 I’ll like anyone if they give me free stuff! Click on the “like” button, then click on “claim coupon”. Copy your unique code and enter it in your account at Shutterfly (shutterfly.com/create-free-photobook). The code is good until 6/30/10.
Some good free stuff at Walmart.com – Three Dog Bakery treats - http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid88237.aspx , Cottonelle tissue, Crest 3D Whitestrips, Playtex tampons, Prilosec. http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-free-samples.aspx Purina cat or dog food –
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid84375.aspx?toLoad=4
Coupon from Picture People for free 8 x 10 plus 25% off your portrait purchase. http://f.chtah.com/i/42/1884124973/sr7.html
Free Reynolds Wrap toy car when you buy 2 rolls of foil http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/en/grilling/Die-Cast-car_ORDER_FORM.pdf
Free 20 page photobook from Shutterfly if you “like” them on Facebook. http://apps.facebook.com/shutterflyphotobook/contests/25404 I’ll like anyone if they give me free stuff! Click on the “like” button, then click on “claim coupon”. Copy your unique code and enter it in your account at Shutterfly (shutterfly.com/create-free-photobook). The code is good until 6/30/10.
Some good free stuff at Walmart.com – Three Dog Bakery treats - http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid88237.aspx , Cottonelle tissue, Crest 3D Whitestrips, Playtex tampons, Prilosec. http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-free-samples.aspx Purina cat or dog food –
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid84375.aspx?toLoad=4
Coupon from Picture People for free 8 x 10 plus 25% off your portrait purchase. http://f.chtah.com/i/42/1884124973/sr7.html
Free Reynolds Wrap toy car when you buy 2 rolls of foil http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/en/grilling/Die-Cast-car_ORDER_FORM.pdf
Book Review - Good, Better, Best Wines
I hate, hate, hate going to the wine store – sure it’s nice to enjoy some wine in the evening, especially now that the weather is nice & the mosquitoes have not yet succeeded in conquering our yard (they are working on it), and it’s great to discover a hidden gem to share with friends, but finding that hidden gem (and not paying as much as you would for an actual gemstone) is almost impossible. I stand there in the store, looking at pictures on labels and price tags and places of origin and pretentious little cards proclaiming that such-and-such bottle has “hints of apricot” and I feel like I’m stuck in an exam that I forgot to study for. I dither and ponder, until finally, out of desperation, I grab the bottle with the cute logo. (We drink a lot of wine with penguins on the label.) Then I wonder if I’ve paid too much just for the logo.
But now, I have a secret weapon. I won a copy of Good, Better, Best Wines by Carolyn Evans Hammond in a blog contest, and it has changed my wine store experience for the better. The book lists only nationally available wines, all under $15, and ranks them as good, better and best in their price range. At last! Something that tells me whether the penguin is better than the black cat. (Turns out the penguin was not a bad choice at all). I gave it a try last weekend when we had a few friends over for a barbeque, and followed the book’s recommendation for a sangria that turned out to be perfect for a summer evening. The book is simple to use, written in clear, easy to understand language, with none of that “notes of apricots and hints of cherry mixed with oak” stuff that is so confusing about other wine books. It’s a convenient size to carry along to the store, too, and I didn’t feel like a complete idiot thumbing through the pages while wandering through the aisles. Even though I’m really a beer person at heart (and stomach), now I feel like I can choose a wine that doesn’t have to be cute.
Want a copy for yourself? It’s available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Good-Better-Best-Wines-No-Nonsense/dp/1592579779 . You can like them on facebook, too http://www.facebook.com/goodbetterbestwines?v=wall .
But now, I have a secret weapon. I won a copy of Good, Better, Best Wines by Carolyn Evans Hammond in a blog contest, and it has changed my wine store experience for the better. The book lists only nationally available wines, all under $15, and ranks them as good, better and best in their price range. At last! Something that tells me whether the penguin is better than the black cat. (Turns out the penguin was not a bad choice at all). I gave it a try last weekend when we had a few friends over for a barbeque, and followed the book’s recommendation for a sangria that turned out to be perfect for a summer evening. The book is simple to use, written in clear, easy to understand language, with none of that “notes of apricots and hints of cherry mixed with oak” stuff that is so confusing about other wine books. It’s a convenient size to carry along to the store, too, and I didn’t feel like a complete idiot thumbing through the pages while wandering through the aisles. Even though I’m really a beer person at heart (and stomach), now I feel like I can choose a wine that doesn’t have to be cute.
Want a copy for yourself? It’s available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Good-Better-Best-Wines-No-Nonsense/dp/1592579779 . You can like them on facebook, too http://www.facebook.com/goodbetterbestwines?v=wall .
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Business 2 Blogger
Good news for my followers -- I have just signed up with Business 2 Blooger http://business2blogger.com/ so I can bring you some information about new products and giveaways. Are you a blogger? Check out Business 2 Blogger to see what they can do for you! Run a business? Business 2 Blogger can put you in touch with bloggers to get your products known. And the best part? It's a free service. Watch this space for developments!
Camping = Relaxing?
My husband adores camping – the fresh air; tasty grilled meals; exploring the woods; seeing the stars; toasted marshmallows on the camp fire. He is not, however, good at preparing for camping. That has somehow become my exclusive domain. Lucky me.
We had not been camping for quite a while – taking a less-than-two year old out into the forest is not my idea of a good time (although taking a two year old into the wilderness is no picnic either – but more on that later), and I refused to sleep on the ground while pregnant (since there was a distinct possibility that I would not have been able to get up from the ground then). I knew our tent was somewhere up in the attic, but finding it was an adventure in itself (although my son and I did discover lots of other treasures hiding up the attic – who knew we had a whole box of playdoh molds hiding up there?). And then all the other things we needed for camping – flashlights (batteries drained long ago, of course), sleeping bags (needed washing, since something seemed to be growing inside), grill (still filled with ashes from last summer), ice chest (ditto on the something growing inside), folding chairs (home to an entire army of spiders, all of which became very ticked off at being displaced), charcoal & lighter fluid, food for grilling, swimsuits, towels, sunscreen, industrial strength bug spray, dog’s license (we never go camping without our Nanny Dog – who would watch the kids otherwise?), special dog food since Nanny Dog refuses to touch his regular food while on “vacation”, and on and on and on. Fitting it into the car required lots of swearing, squishing, and a small dose of magic – and sliding up my seat so that the only place for my feet was somewhere over my ears. But somehow, I made it all fit in.
And where was my dearly beloved spouse during all the swearing, squishing, and small dose of magic time? Downloading songs. Downloading. Songs. Two hours of downloading. Songs. Good thing “Janie’s Got a Gun” was not on the playlist, or that would have been the headline in the paper once I discovered how he was using his time. More swearing ensued, and although I was tempted, I did not squish my husband in with the other camping stuff in the trunk (there was no room).
Off we all went to camping, with the Nanny Dog standing guard in the middle of the front seat. Unpacking the car when we arrived at the campsite brought on another round of swearing when I saw what the squishing had done.
The kids were in heaven at the campsite, discovering pine cones (which make really good missiles and hand grenades), where the last campers had built their campfire (ashes make great camouflage makeup), and delighting in the sandy soil (a giant sandbox!). My son was put in charge of gathering kindling for the fire. No need to worry, future campers – every single possible flammable article – every leaf, twig and dry bit of grass -- has been removed from that campsite, and it fed our campfire that night. My two year old busied herself with digging as large a trench as possible in the sand, and storing all the excess sand in her hair.
The next morning, I discovered what I had forgotten to pack during the swearing/squishing/small dose of magic session – clean clothes for the kids. Normally, that would not be too much of a problem, but with one child having taken on the role of High Priest to the god of fire and reeking of smoke, and the other carrying an entire sand pit in her hair and the contents of several mud puddles on her pants, it was a bit of a smelly and grubby ride back home. I’m not even going to mention what the dog got into, but it was not a bed of roses.
Once we arrived home, mountains of dirty, smelly laundry waited for me. How could so many things get so dirty and so stinky when we were only gone one night?
So, now you understand why I remain silent while my husband raves about how relaxing camping is. And now he’s talking about going camping again next weekend. Maybe I will have him download “Janie’s Got a Gun.”
We had not been camping for quite a while – taking a less-than-two year old out into the forest is not my idea of a good time (although taking a two year old into the wilderness is no picnic either – but more on that later), and I refused to sleep on the ground while pregnant (since there was a distinct possibility that I would not have been able to get up from the ground then). I knew our tent was somewhere up in the attic, but finding it was an adventure in itself (although my son and I did discover lots of other treasures hiding up the attic – who knew we had a whole box of playdoh molds hiding up there?). And then all the other things we needed for camping – flashlights (batteries drained long ago, of course), sleeping bags (needed washing, since something seemed to be growing inside), grill (still filled with ashes from last summer), ice chest (ditto on the something growing inside), folding chairs (home to an entire army of spiders, all of which became very ticked off at being displaced), charcoal & lighter fluid, food for grilling, swimsuits, towels, sunscreen, industrial strength bug spray, dog’s license (we never go camping without our Nanny Dog – who would watch the kids otherwise?), special dog food since Nanny Dog refuses to touch his regular food while on “vacation”, and on and on and on. Fitting it into the car required lots of swearing, squishing, and a small dose of magic – and sliding up my seat so that the only place for my feet was somewhere over my ears. But somehow, I made it all fit in.
And where was my dearly beloved spouse during all the swearing, squishing, and small dose of magic time? Downloading songs. Downloading. Songs. Two hours of downloading. Songs. Good thing “Janie’s Got a Gun” was not on the playlist, or that would have been the headline in the paper once I discovered how he was using his time. More swearing ensued, and although I was tempted, I did not squish my husband in with the other camping stuff in the trunk (there was no room).
Off we all went to camping, with the Nanny Dog standing guard in the middle of the front seat. Unpacking the car when we arrived at the campsite brought on another round of swearing when I saw what the squishing had done.
The kids were in heaven at the campsite, discovering pine cones (which make really good missiles and hand grenades), where the last campers had built their campfire (ashes make great camouflage makeup), and delighting in the sandy soil (a giant sandbox!). My son was put in charge of gathering kindling for the fire. No need to worry, future campers – every single possible flammable article – every leaf, twig and dry bit of grass -- has been removed from that campsite, and it fed our campfire that night. My two year old busied herself with digging as large a trench as possible in the sand, and storing all the excess sand in her hair.
The next morning, I discovered what I had forgotten to pack during the swearing/squishing/small dose of magic session – clean clothes for the kids. Normally, that would not be too much of a problem, but with one child having taken on the role of High Priest to the god of fire and reeking of smoke, and the other carrying an entire sand pit in her hair and the contents of several mud puddles on her pants, it was a bit of a smelly and grubby ride back home. I’m not even going to mention what the dog got into, but it was not a bed of roses.
Once we arrived home, mountains of dirty, smelly laundry waited for me. How could so many things get so dirty and so stinky when we were only gone one night?
So, now you understand why I remain silent while my husband raves about how relaxing camping is. And now he’s talking about going camping again next weekend. Maybe I will have him download “Janie’s Got a Gun.”
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