Sunday, October 10, 2010

Why I dislike the cocks..this is serious business people

So lots of folks dislike teams for one reason or another.  I cannot stand the gaytors, or auburn...but those are sort of created during college. I didn't grow up disliking teams....certain teams are easy to hate. It's hard for me to believe but some folks honestly cannot stand Bama. Shocking, but sadly true. They are soo missing out, but it is their loss.

Getting back to the point.....I have THE BEST reason of ALL. PERIOD. To hate the cocks. Yes, YES I do. So don't hate me, it's a DAMN good reason!

I had no idea the carolina gamecocks even existed until i met my ex-hus...cannot even finish that word because he soooo did not act like one. He was a pig-faced JERK!

Anyhoo, he and his ENTIRE family were the most raging gamecock fans ever. And i mean EVER. Like super annoying EVER. Like I'd rather scrape my bare ass along the pavement instead of hanging around with them while they talk about how awesome the cocks COULD be,...EVER. I was dragged to every freaking football game, it was misery. Like skiing on a river of fire in hell would be more fun than going to those tailgates. And when lou holtz came to town, it was, uh, I lack the proper words for how ridiculous it really was.

So perhaps, unfairly, I cast my hatred towards those cocks. BUT, turns out for the best because my real hubby (who rocks my world he is so awesome) has a brother who BLEEDS ORANGE. So I pull for Clemson. Gladly. When they aren't playing any other team I love.

Now that we have that out of the way we can move on to better things. Love and hugs to my gamecock friends...I might have liked the place had it not been directly tied to the ex!
kisses
RTR

Sunday, June 20, 2010

You can't choose your neighbors but you can choose to ignore them

To the extent that I am irritated I have also had a really good laugh about our little old neighborhood.  Most of the time, we go about our business. Running errands, taking the kids to the park or zoo, mowing the yard, paying some dude to spray for bugs. We have the occasional issue with annoying teens, but who doesn't? Teens can be, at times, pretty annoying. But more often than the teens, it is their parents that are actually most annoying.

We have been doing a ton of work, to the outside of our home. It's a total pain in the ass. I cannot, at this point in time, even fathom touching the inside. But, to have our "neighbors" call the police because of the small dumpster out in front of our house, is simply sad.

The breakdown of the neighborhood has happened. it is gone. Gone forever.

Part of me thought, you know what, I'll bring over some pineapple cake to them. And tell them, here's the deal, when someone lobs a pineapple your way, normally you'd duck, grab it and throw it back. But this one hit the back of our head. So I made this cake with it. But the next time you toss a pineapple our way, we won't give it back to you as a cake...

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Thirty-One

So, some of my friends may wonder why I decided to go out on a "limb" and join Thirty-One as an Independent Consultant. I sold Arbonne, years ago, but it was a blink of an eye, so expensive and honestly, really bored me. Sorry, it just did. There was so much junk to sell and it really isn't everyone's cup of tea. I think I still have samples somewhere around the house. The stuff is okaygood, but it was expensive and frankly, there is better skincare and makeup out there...like bare minerals and everyday diva! :) But I digress...

OK, Thirty-One is my little part time job. I LOVE bags, storage ideas and monogramming. BUT, I am sooooooo impressed with this company. It is small, there aren't a lot of sales reps, like 6,000 in the entire country. I think there are 900 in SC, so we have the most. And compared to other direct sales companies, it's a drop in the bucket. Get in now, at the bottom floor, and you can go where ever you want to go.

Me? I really don't care about that. I mean, the extra cash is nice, but in no way is that something we need. I needed to feel useful, to feel like I wasn't on some island, alone with my kids. And I love being a part of a company that is positive, life affirming and supportive to women. And, the stuff they make is so modern, fresh and AWESOME! LOL! As a longtime sales rep and a working gal until I was 35, it's hard to all of a sudden stop. But I did. And I am very grateful for the ability to do so. But a girl still needs some social time and a way to expand herself.

So, when I had my first party, it felt amazing. Everything clicked. I had a blast helping women with their purchases and gifts. FUN! I loved it! It didn't feel like sales, it didn't feel like work. It just made me feel good.

Thirty-One times over I made the right choice to be a part of something that is fun, worthwhile and novel. If, at some point, it is not fun for me, then I will move on...but I will STILL have awesome bags! LOL!!!

www.mythirtyone.com/glee

Don't be scared to try something new, step out of your box, or supplement your income. This is a super company and the start up cost is $99. Seriously. No regrets!

Now, it's off to bed. I'm TIRED!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Mama Bears & Parents Who Don't Bother to Parent

There is nothing that brings out the fury in me more than my child being hurt by another. And not to worry,  I get really damn mad when he hurts someone else's child.  But isn't that what good parents feel? Fury when their baby is hurt and frustration or disappointment when they hurt another?!?

I admit it, I am a MAMA BEAR. I will always protect my little ones. But, here's the thing, sometimes I feel like I have to be this way because of other parents who refuse to parent. Simply said and simply sad.

Sometimes it is just a tired parent with too much to do, too many kids to watch or not enough sleep. You can see it in their eyes. And, as soon as they realize or are told what their little monster did, they take immediate action. I'm okay with that because it happens to us all.

Other times it is a parent who would rather socialize and pretend as if they did not even bring a child or children with them. Those are the people who really tick me off. Usually it's the parents of kids who are entirely out of control, super sneaky, or just plain mean. I try like hell to avoid situations with parents who are like this but we all know they are everywhere. If you are one of those parents. please STOP! Come on, you have such a short time with your little monsters. Enjoy it before it goes away and you really do have time to enjoy sipping your cocktail and ignoring kids for realz...

Even worse is when one parent ignores their kids while the other poor parent is left to watch the entire brood. Really? Why have kids if you are just going to ignore them? And please get over the old idea of the wife doing everything all the time. It's selfish and stupid.

As parents we try our best but we aren't going to be perfect. There is simply no such thing. The best we can do is give our kids a lot of love, quality attention and time. And, of course, be the people that we want them to grow up to be. That means behave the way we want them to behave. And seriously expect them to treat others with respect and kindness. And if they do not, work to adjust and alter their behavior.


It is so tough being a parent these days. Spank, don't spank, yell, don't yell, they should be reading by 1, be an olympic athlete by 5! I am so tired of all the damn books, behavior experts and judgmental people. Every child is different and every child needs a different approach.

The only absolute? Well, beating your child or yelling at your child is prolly not gonna help at all. I will pop my son on the bottom when he runs out into the road. I do not see anything wrong with that. But I don't think a child needs to be spanked for everything thing he or she does. That is extreme.

Maybe it is the extremes of parenting that annoy me. In psychology that is actually not considered a healthy or good thing. We must see that there is gray area, everything is not black and white.

Parenting is the same. It is a fluid motion much like dancing where we should sometimes respond to our partner and other times take a step before our partner.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Summer Reading

Ok, so I haven't had a whole lotta time for reading lately. Magazines are about all I can muster the time for, and usually while trying to fall asleep. But there are so many good books out and I have decided to start a wish list for myself. I have a girl's trip lined up for June and I am ready to READ! LOL! Can you believe that? No, not ready to party. Ready to lay on a beach, not have someone screaming for me, and READ a whole damn book. Or ten.




So, I love the Twilight Series. If you have not read these little gems, please do. They aren't just for teen girls. They are written by a woman, who is genius at creating words that help bring a book into vivid color.  The characters have depth, heart and there isn't a whole lot of what you'd expect out of a vampire novel series. Surprise yourself and read them-you will like them despite your judgments.  It focuses on love and relationships and tough choices we all have to make.








She has a short novella out now about one of the characters-it's on my summer reading list for sure.  But order the Twilight series, read it and thank me later for telling you to. LOL!


Another read for my wish list is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I heard one gal say she didn't want the book to end. Enough said! 




I also want to read the Stieg Larsson trilogy which includes "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".





I'm curious about what else is on everyone's list to read, or maybe what you are currently reading. Looking to have a giant stack of books, or a loaded Kindle, for my trip this summer!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Twists on the Boring Old Salad

So I am not a big salad eater. They bore me and do not fill me up at all. I've been known to order a fried chicken tenders salad or a salmon salad, but who the hell has the time to do those at home?

Well, salmon maybe, but you know what I mean.

So I like tossing things on romaine lettuce that you normally would not expect. But I keep it simple. I am not a fan of the "let's see how many things we can cram into a salad bowl" salad. I do not want to hunt for my next bite at the bottom of a damn bowl. Annoying.

1) Roast either red potatoes or fingerling or a yukon-just chop up into smaller cubes. Quarter and toss a yellow onion along with the potatoes-toss it all w olive oil, a few tbs of melted butter, salt and pepper. Roast at 425-check onions after 15 mins-they will need to come out first. Continue roasting potatoes for another 20 mins-you will know when they are done-gotta get them crispy!

When cooked, add to the crisp cold chopped romaine lettuce, along with your choice of dressing-I like a good ginger dressing-but balsamic is good as well. You could also add roasted chicken or salmon.

2) Take a roll of goat cheese and stick it in the freezer for 10 mins. Then take it out, slice into half inch or so wheels, dip in olive oil, then cover well with italian bread crumbs. Place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Baked these in a 350 oven for a few mins-you must watch them closely as they will warm quickly. Add to salad greens with the dressing (and whatever extra veggies) of your choice.

3) I also recently baked some frozen onion rings while we were grilling burgers. I chopped up a few of the rings, added them to salad, with carrots and balsamic dressing. It tasted great with the burger (dressed w a yummy horseradish mustard). A little daring-but you know-it is always good to to mix things up a bit.



Best Turkey Tacos EVER

This is my recipe for turkey tacos. I came up with it because I was tired of buying those little packages filled with msg and other junk! Plus, it really is just a few simple ingredients.

Start with all white ground turkey meat-it tastes better than if it is mixed with dark. It will say all white on the package or ask the butcher.
Cook in a saute pan with a little olive oil, add salt and pepper while it is cooking.

After the meat is completely cooked add cumin, paprika, mexican chili powder, garlic salt and more salt and pepper. I like to add by the palmful-it is really a smell thing. It all has to balance. So add a tsp at a time until you get the "smell" you want. Odd but it really works. If you do not like spicy foods, use a mild chili powder.

Stir that very well, and then add one 14.5 oz can of Hunts fire roasted diced tomatoes. If you have a cup or so of roasted yellow onions, add those too. They add great flavor. If you don't know how to roast an onion-take one, cut in quarters, rub w some olive oil, 425 oven, roast until browned. easy. Add tons of flavor to this dish. My son loves roasted onions.

Cook this together until the liquid from the can of tomatoes starts to cook down.

Serve as you choose-on a salad, as nachos or as tacos with a little mexican cheese, iceberg lettuce, and sour cream. YUM!



Yummy and Easy Veggie Recipe!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash

I tried this today for the first time-super easy and really good!

Chop up fresh, cleaned brussel sprouts

Peel and chop a butternut squash into one inch sized cubes

Toss with a couple tbs of olive oil, add some salt and pepper

Roast at 425 degrees for about 10 to 15 mins-take out and toss, then roast about 10 more mins.

Make sure everything is spread out on the pan, don't crowd the veggies or they will steam more than roast.
Do two pans if need be.

My baby girl loved the butternut squash. My little boy took his "no thank you" bites without complaints! LOL
I just ate this as is, but I bet it'd be great tossed with peanuts and soy sauce (or a pad thai sauce) for an asian flair,
or you can add toasted walnuts and serve roasted chicken along side for a big dinner.


Saturday, March 27, 2010

Tranny Shoes

Well, for a long time now, I've been wearing flats. My pregnancies are to blame. No one in their right mind can teeter on heels while carrying a 20lb load on their front side.

But enough is enough. I'm sick of wearing flat shoes. running shoes. flip flops. SICK. It's not that there isn't a place for such shoes. I still wear them on a daily basis. But only because I HAVE to.

You know, chasing babies is much harder in heels than in flats. Boring yucky flats.

So I was on facebook, and an ad came up for this shoe site. It looked interesting to me. So I checked it out. A shoe of the month club. Whatdayaknow! How cool is this?!

So, I joined. When do I get the chance to even shop for shoes, other than at Target, anymore??

The shoe site is called, wait for it, Shoedazzle. The name is even cheesy. Shoe Dazzle. And wait until you see all the tranny shoes that await your feet! They copy designer shoes and also have some other brand. I think it's Michael Antonio. Anyhoo, I got a pair the other week that are a knockoff of Louboutian. And they look better than the CB version. Seriously.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. I am now addicted to buying extremely high heels from Shoedazzle. Tranny shoes, as I like to call them. I know that high heels and platforms are actually very much in style right now. But, at first it seemed, I don't know...in poor taste...buying such high ass tranny shoes. Now, I love them and cannot stop.

I will attach pictures at some later time. But dear lord in heaven, I have a serious tranny shoe problem.

Their facebook page is hysterical. If I want a good laugh, reading that fan page will bring me one every darn time. It's hard to describe to a guy- but as a girl, there are things that bring out the meow in us-men, other women and fashion.

Most of the shoes are not real leather-which I suppose would be a bonus if you are a vegan. I'm not, but it's what keep them cheap as shiz. And, they are shoes you won't see everywhere. Because they are TRANNY SHOES!!!!! Ok, they really aren't tranny shoes, they ARE very sexy.

Here's the thing. Your man will love to see you in them. Seriously. High heels elevate your jeans and little cute top to an all new level. But not any shoes. SEXY TRANNY SHOES! Trust me on this ladies, really.

If you are bored with your closet, go to that shoedazzle.com site, fill out the little questionnaire, and see what sorts of tranny shoes you get. They will send you new choices each month-so it's like a party in your email inbox every month! Whoopeee!!! If you don't like the choices you get, you can get a new set of choices sent to you. I have two accounts-via two emails so I get twice the tranny shoe fun each month.

You may think that I have lost my mind. But I am just tired of feeling and looking like a frumpyblah mommy. So having these tranny shoes makes me feel like that side of me, that hotgoingouthavingfun side of me isn't dead and gone, just hibernating.

And then, when we get a sitter to watch the kids, I pick out a pair of tranny shoes and teeter happily out the door holding on for dear life to my hubby.






Thursday, March 25, 2010

Skin Care by BB*Jayde and The Everyday Diva: - April Giveaway -

Skin Care by BB*Jayde and The Everyday Diva: - April Giveaway -

woohoo! love love love! What an awesome giveaway! Good luck everyone!

check out her store too!!! see my reviews below-more to come-she has new scents out and I want to try them all!!!!

everydaydiva.net

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Reviews of Some of The Everyday Diva Products

So far I have purchased the acne wash, the healing lotion, the BHA acne treatment, the vitamin c serum, a brown sugar facial scrub, the green french clay mask, a sugary pink grapefruit scrub in cube form, a few body washes, a few body sprays and a few ultra body butters. I love all of them. She also sent me testers of the AHA mini-peel. love!

Let me begin by saying that she (the owner) has a SUPER price point and uses exceptional quality ingredients that are safe and she avoids all the yucky, unsafe crappy junk most skin companies use today. I'd go check out her blog-she is listed in my favorites.

The acne wash has multiple ingredients to help cleanse the skin and also heal and treat acne. I've been using it for a month now. I use it twice a day (unless I decide to just use the scrub at night). It smells great to me and has a nice silky feel on the skin. It has a great lather and makes my skin feel soft. I have odd skin that is dry in some areas and then, of course, oily in my t-zone with those lovely hormonal chin breakouts. I am not sure how it is on makeup-but I don't wear a lot of makeup unless I go out and it's mineral makeup. So the few times I have worn makeup I have used my philosophy cleanser and then followed up with the acne wash. But I'm thinking a good facial wipe would work too.

The Healing Lotion is amazing. I use it twice a day, after my Vitamin C serum in the am and after either the aha mini-peel or BHA acne serum in the pm. First, it actually has ingredients that heal skin-our yucky acne prone old skin! It is a super lotion under my mineral makeup, but it also provides me enough moisture to keep my dry parts feeling undry and my oily parts not greasy up like a roadside oil slick. I love this and cannot say enough good things about it, but I have finally found a lotion that works on my skin and doesn't break me out.

The Vitamin C serum is amazing as well. It has all the ingredients we need to protect our skin but doesn't have any of the chemicals that are bad for us. Her site on etsy.com goes into more about the actual ingredients. What I want to tell you is: I use it all over my face, neck and chest, including dabbing some under my eyes. It leaves a nice smooth silky feel on my skin. I follow with the healing lotion. Done-my skin is looking better and better.

The BHA acne Treatment is another serum I use but at night. It is thicker than the Vit C serum but dries down and sinks into my skin very well. I love this and although it could prolly dry out some folks skin, it doesn't get a chance to with mine bc I use the healing lotion afterwards-which helps out. It is so nice to finally have a weapon for aging skin with breakouts! Some people might smell the tea tree oil, I don't. But I also use full strength tea tree oil on cuts and pimples. LOVE!

I recently purchased her Vegan Lactic Acid Brown Sugar Scrub with Lavender. WHOA. AWESOMENESS in a jar!!!!! It gives all these products an extra kick. I love that it actually dissolves (the teeny grains of sugar) so you cannot over-do the scrubadubbing your face. It lathers up well and smell so yummy. Afterwards my skin looks like a baby's butt, pores are gone and I am all glowy.

I love the green french clay mask. LOVE. You take the dry powder, mix w some water in your hand and rub it on your face-let it dry and when you wash it off-it washes all the junk in your pores right down the drain. How easy was that?? LOL! Love this and how it makes my skin glow and my pores go bu-bye!

The sample of the aha-mini peel has been a much appreciated one! It's another key to getting that glowy skin back-not sure what's in it but whatever it is, when I use it at night and wake up the next day-I look like I actually slept. I will be buying a full size one from EDD when the sample is gone! LOVE!

Now-all her body washes, scrubs and body butters are simply flawless. My body skin is typically very dry, as I age it seems to just get drier. Good stuff. I won't go into detail about what's in them-you can get that info on her blog or etsy.com store! They make me smell great, keep my skin feeling soft and that's all you need to know! LOL! I like her Hot Tropic one-it smells like a fruity drink! And I am obsessed with my most recent purchase of a pink sugar/creamy coconut combo. I have that in a body spray and body butter. It may sound cloy but once it starts to dry down, it is the yummiest smell EVER. Of course, if you do not like sugary scents, she has TONS to choose from. I am planning to try Bamboo next! All of the crubs, whether in a jar or cube form are fantastic-they foam up and scrub and clean without drying or being an oily mess!!!

But again, ALL of her items have no nasty chemical bad for you junk. AND her price point is so low it almost makes me go giddy when I shop her site! She donates to animal charities and she is starting a shelter for abused animals, Sammy's Sanctuary. This is one nice couple, doing great things for my skin AND for animals! It's a win win ladies!

I hope you will try her products. I have been so happy with mine I am tossing out all of my junk in the bathroom!!!!
You can find her store by going to etsy.com and searching "The Everyday Diva Co"


Somedays I Really WANT To Be Proven Wrong! Today is One of THOSE Days.

For all of our sakes and wallets, I pray that this insane "Healthcare Bill" actually does some good for all of us and does not further break our broken middle class. The congress and senate majority scare me to death-they are giddy with power right now and doing all they can to make the middle class all but disappear into a sea of taxes.
How much more do they think we should HAND out to people? Really?

Affordable healthcare is one thing and I AGREE.

But there are better ways to go about doing this. And devouring small businesses barely surviving the current recession with more taxes, requirements and demands is ludicrous. And not in the rapper turned tv dude sort of way.

I'm am so deeply saddened by what this is doing to our country. Dividing people. Making us all so angry. And the sad thing is the people making the laws and bills do not have on iota of understanding of the deep implications on our future. And they are not being subjected to this bill either...as they put their OWN version of their medical benefits, that we will pay for of course, in this bill. Republicans tried to get that changed so that if the bill was turned into law that they would have the same healthcare options as other citizens. They tried for us peeps. Didn't happen of course because pelosi, aka Satan's Wife, wanted nothing to do with any compromise.

Look at what has not worked in the world....socialized medicine is right up there with slavery, communism, perms and disco.

Monday, March 22, 2010

World's Easiest Dinner...EVER

I got this recipe from my friend, Liza, and the lady knows good food. It seems almost too simple but it is great. I grab two packages of (raw, uncooked-hello)chicken tenders and a bottle of Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce, throw it all in a crockpot and set it on a low heat for four hours-basically until the chicken is cooked. Take the chicken out, shred it up and add it back to the sauce. At this point I am usually transferring to a storage container for the next day's meal.

The sauce is fat free people. FAT FREE. Or almost. But it's not the fullonfattycrap like most wing sauces.

I throw it on tortilla chips with shredded cheese, sliced jalepenos-add a lil sour cream-yummy goodness awaits.

You can wrap it up in a tortilla with some lettuce, green peppers, onions and lite ranch dressing.

I also buy the soft sub rolls at Publix and throw the shredded chicken on there with a tiny bit of lite ranch dressing, shredded cheese and some green peppers-toast it up-so so good.

The chicken will last thru many meals for two people and it is just so easy, cheap and goooooood.

Obsessed

I guess I should admit freely for all to know that I have been a product junkie for a long time now. Beauty products, that is. The problem is, as I age I want to address it, but then whatever I would use would make my pores clog and make me breakout. So, off I would go from product to product, searching for something that would clean my skin, make it glow and maybe help with the lines and such.

I found my makeup years ago-been using Bare Escentuals and I highly recommend it to all except those with super dry skin. But even their skin care products didn't quite do it for me.

So, after stumbling across an etsy.com store under the name of The Every Day Diva, I decided to try out a few of the products. It was so well-priced and all of the products are produced by hand, with attention to detail and quality ingredients. Let me tell ya, I was blown away. I have never used products for as long as I have used EDD-a month now. I know that sounds crazy short but you must understand, everything was breaking me out! My skin has gone thru one cycle without the usual hormonal breakouts. I have a glow, my skin feels soft and the price is right.
I also use her body products. I will do a full length review of each product later, but for anyone wanting to turn their skin around while, at the same time, avoiding all the crappy ingredients that are out there, this line is for you.


More Sunshine PLEASE!

You know, it's funny to me that just a short year ago we were all praying for rain, doing rain dances, glaring at neighbors that watered their grass and hearing doomsday forecasts from who knows who about our lake levels being so low we didn't know when they'd be up again. NOW, my backyard could provide enough water for an entire African nation and a Mardi Gras morning after party. Seriously. What the hell am I supposed to do with my babies when it's so crappy outside??? Right now one is attempting a nap and the other one is practicing spelling words right now. I am sick of the cold and rain-go away! Until we need you again, after my neighbors use up all the water on their crappy grass.