Looking for more Black Fridays

Actually, looking for Black Sundays.  Or, in my world, PINK SUNDAYS! 

I am wondering if there are any sales in Moscow?!  Any one-offs?  Any discounts?  Any bartering to be done? 

Currently, I have a carrier bag full of "Matrushka Dolls"... every little girl is getting one for Christmas. 

Moscow is quite expensive.  About 20% higher in prices than Europe.  But really that is quite acceptable.  Because I do not want to buy European goods in Russia.  I would prefer to buy Russian goods in Russia. 

29 Rubles = 1 USD

Perhaps a couple more "Matrushka Dolls" ...

OR

How much Vodka can be carried back to the good ole USA?  If we would quit drinking the souvenirs, we might be able to gift Vodka.   Because who doesn't want Vodka from the original Vodka Heaven??!!

PINK Friday

Why do they call the Friday after Thanksgiving "Black Friday"?  No, this is not a riddle.  This is a very serious inquiry, not to be taken lightly! 

Black is not a very happy color.  Not a very mind-pleasing word.  not very colorful.  not very enlightening.

We should call it "Ice Cream Friday".  Everyone loves Ice Cream!  But November's end could be a bit chilly.  And "Coffee Friday" would be very limiting... because not everyone loves coffee. 

Or we should call it "Pink Friday".  Pink is a wonderful sounding, ear pleasing, eye catching word.  Pink, as in "spoiled pink", "think pink", "tickled pink", "pink power", and "the pink panther".  Ahhh, PINK!  A GREAT ADJECTIVE for the Friday after Thanksgiving!!

PINK!

Pink Friday is a very colorful, exciting, mind-jumping, hand-clapping, foot-dancing kind of day!!  There are savings abound.  Items galore.  Stores to explore.

Happy Thanksgiving

so many wonderful memories to be grateful for

so many memories to be made

here's to giving THANKS!

Trial Thanksgiving Run

Turkeys are not my "thing" in cooking

They appear to be easy to cook

They appear to be low maintenance

But first, you have to clean out all that shit inside them

You have all seen your mothers do it

They reach inside and pull that crap out

Personally, after being an eyewitness

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner is RUINED for me

My darling husband loves turkey

And after our First Thanksgiving together

in which I managed to turn into a BBQ

He is now the man in charge of cooking the turkey

On that lovely First Thanksgiving together

I pretended that I already cleaned out the turkey's innards

So I left it in

I couldn't bear to ruin his Thanksgiving too

Well I did anyway

When the fire department sent truck number 26

My mother never told me that innards could cause a fire

A big Fire in old appliances

We remodeled the kitchen during the Christmas holidays!

My Mornings; 5 - 9 am

Unfortunately, I have learned to become a morning person.  For 38 years, I was a night person.  And then I married the 'love of my life morning person' and became a mom to more 'little morning people'. 

The cats go out for their morning carousing at 4AM.  They return about 5AM, depending on the weather conditions and temperatures.  Most mornings upon their return, the cats bring home a surprise.  This surprise could be a cockroach, a gigantic moth, any other bug or insect, a bird, a squirrel, a mouse, a rat, or a snake. 

Lately, it is garden snakes.  They love to bring these snakes home.  ALIVE. 

{ALIVE, because that is part of the game we play every single day - "CATCH THE CRITTER"!}

Recently, the cat snuck back in the house before 5AM and brought a playdate.  A visitor.  However, this particular playdate did not want to play "TAG" any longer and he took off to start his own game of "HIDE AND SEEK". 

I was not quite bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4:40AM... so I missed the game of "TAG".  Apparently, I also missed the game of "HIDE AND SEEK".

Later on, I decided to do a load of laundry.  DARKS.  I picked up the load from the basket (that was sitting on the floor), threw it in the washing machine, poured in detergent and other harsh chemicals, pushed START, heard the rinse cycle, the spin cycle, and the final beeper. 

I started to throw the load into the dryer when I noticed a string had come out of a jacket or shorts or something.  I reached in to grab the string.  And since it is now 5:33AM, my coffee has kicked in and my eyeballs have been pried open. 

Good Lord, Mother of Mercy, Praise Jesus, Holy Shit ...

I washed a snake.

I wish I could say I didn't have a full load and that I have taken up snake-washing in all my free time.  When his friends see him back in the garden, all squeaky clean and shiny, his friends will be lining up for this new snake spa treatment!

PS  For all you PETA people, this was an accident.  I do not participate in snake washing.  Snake handling.  Snake anything.  And the snake survived the washing!  He is happy to be back in his garden hole.

tonbo~tonbo

everyday the girls want to go outside and look at the dragonfly.  this dragonfly landed on our house about 18 days ago.  and he hasn't moved.  at all.  i am beginning to get concerned.  isn't he hungry?  isn't he tired of hanging on the brick? 

the littlest baby girl screams, "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!"

"why, yes, he's still sleeping!"

by the way, how long do dragonflies sleep?  for days? 

could he be [shhhhh!] dead?  is that possible?  if he is dead, then why is he still stuck to the wall?  what do they do, ooze glue when they die so they just stick to whatever?  he would be cute in a glass case with a pin in him!

littlest baby girl screams again, "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"

"i know it, he must be very tired.  maybe he's hibernating.  it is cooling off in texas - finally."

i'm.a.happy.mommy

because i'm going on vacation

far, far, away

to the land of probable relaxation

landing on a cay

no cooking for a while

no cleaning there either

i get to eat at restaurants dressed in style

and there's plenty a housekeeper

so i can do absolutely nothing

sleeping and drinking

perhaps a little shopping

but i won't buy a thing

shout out

the cutest sleeping bags. ever. are on sale. now. until november 19.

pink. lavendar. blue. red

a big shout out to

www.potterybarnkids.com

for an adorable sleeping bag!

so adorable your kids may actually take a nap. for real.

wouldn't that be a delightful concept.

it's friday the 13th

and have you been to the Winchester Mystery House?  In San Jose, California?  This house is the most amazing place to be on a Friday the 13th!  A Tour of the House by Torch!  (That is, a flashlight!)  If you are ever in the bay area, this is a fantastic site to visit.

check it out at http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Sarah Winchester was married to the son of the Winchester Rifle manufacturer.  Upon her husband's death, Mrs. Winchester was convinced by a medium that continuous building would appease the evil spirits of those killed by the Winchester weapons and help her attain eternal life. Certainly her $20,000,000 inheritance was sufficient to support her obsession until her death at 82!

Amazing Facts:
Number of rooms: 160
Cost: $5,500,000
Date of Construction: 1884 - September 5, 1922 (38 continuous years!)
Number of stories: Prior to 1906 Earthquake - 7; presently 4
Number of acres: Originally 161.919; presently 4
Number of basements: 2
Heating: Steam, forced air, fireplaces
Number of windows: Frames 1,257; panes approx. 10,000
Number of doors: Doorways 467, doors approx. 950 not including cabinet doors.
Number of fireplaces: 47 (gas, wood, or coal burning)
Number of chimneys: Presently 17 with evidence of 2 others
Number of cars at her death: 2 (a 1917 Pierce Arrow Limousine & a 1916 4 cyl. Buick truck)
Number of bedrooms: Approx. 40
Number of kitchens: 5 or 6
Number of staircases: 40, total of stair steps - 367
Number of skylights: Approx. 52
Number of gallons of paint required to paint entire home: Over 20,000
Number of ballrooms: 2 (one nearly complete, and one under construction)
Blueprints available: No, Mrs. Winchester never had a master set of blueprints, but did sketch out individual rooms on paper and even tablecloths!

a laborious life

And you thought it was because I eat healthy!

hide and seek

HONEY .....

a.  how to buy a new vacuum
b.  husband is bailing out of "his" chores
c.  husband is "underfoot"
d.  how to get funding for hiring a maid
e.  all of the above

a web of tales

life is the yarn we spin

the web we weave

life is great

go out and make it a fabulous day

for today only happens once

AND, for goodness sakes, do not get tangled in your own web!!

(photo:  our backyard resident)

feeling groovy

Well, today I am actually feeling skinny.  Because that is going to end really soon:  just ordered 5 to 10 more pounds of fat, lard, cellulite, and mid-drift rolls.  In the form of sofa-ass.  It arrives lumpy.  It stays frumpy. 

UVERSE.

giving it another shot.  really tired of barney.  And only twenty five days of FUN till my shopping experiment begins. 

UVERSE will keep me out of stores!
UVERSE will keep me on the couch!
UVERSE will keep its thumb on me!
UVERSE will be my babysitter, my monitor!

Thank God for UVERSE!

creativity in the kitchen

So I was feeling a little bit creative this morning at 5 am.  Who else is awake at this hour (besides those of you who reside here)?  I pulled out the ole' pot'o'crock.  It is a perfect rainy, chilly, dreary, gray day to plug in this magical appliance!

I opened up the refrigerator and I threw in a random sample of whatever was within my reach:

carrots
celery
half an onion
chicken breast
potatoes (2)
half a bag of frozen green beans
noodles
lentils
black beans (raw, not from a can)

Then onto the spice cabinet

cumin
ginger
chili powder
minced onion
garlic

Then over to the sink

water poured over the entire contents
enough water to cover everything

Timer set for 8 hours
Pot set on Low

Now... let's see how it turns out... The POT SURPRISE!  And if we don't get some sort of gastrointestinal situation or swine flu -- I will be back to let you know how this turns out.  Don't you just love surprises.  And if this surprise is less than desirable like my new-best-friend then we go to plan B.  FROOT LOOPS.

thirty day countdown

On December 1st, this blog will not only tell short stories but it will also publish the misgivings of a shopper-wannabee.  A shopper who has given up all impulse shopping.  A shopper who wants to see if there is really a savings to be made.  A shopper who reads about other families saving money... but the families never report the actual savings.  And then they spend their savings.  One family bought all new camping equipment... for a one-time deal... and now they probably vacation inside the marriott.  So much for camping gear rotting away in the garage, basement, or attic!!

Rules:
1.  ONLY Shop from a list
2.  USE coupons on every shopping trip.
3.  Extra food items can only be bought IF they are on sale (Extras as in snacks, or beef that is buy one get two free, or canned food supplies that are actually used on a regular basis)
4.  Children's snacks will only be purchased on sale. 
5.  No shopping for use "SOMEDAY".
6.  No extra shopping (extra, in this case, meaning:  we already have three rolls of ribbon and two rolls or wrapping paper, no more until it is gone!)
7.  Gifts will still be purchased!
8.  We will not scrimp on the basics:  toilet paper, tissues, detergent, etc.  But more effort will be made to hunt down coupons to use!
9.  Will not go to any store, boutique, outlet, or mall unless shopping for a SPECIFIC item for a GIFT.  Or my children have outgrown a SIZE.  Or something that is totally negotiable and deemed absolutely necessary.  Imperative. 
10.  Will not stoop to washing plastic bags or plastic containers if they are a threat to our health and well-being.  For example, there is mold growing inside.
11.  Will keep track of savings.  IF I pass on those cute matching girl pajamas (because each child already owns 8 sets each), then I save $$$.  Even IF they were pink and green polka dots and super preppy and totally adorable! 
12.  Will add more rules as they arise!

Good Luck! 
365 days is a long time to 'control' my impulse shopping control. 

Upon completion, November 30, 2010, what should we do with the savings? 
I guess that is what the next year is for, contemplation and planning on how to spend money well-saved!

Time is ticking, must get to Dillards and Nordstroms... shopping to do before my time is up.  hee hee hee.