Saturday, February 28, 2009

how to manhandle

Ramona's crazy eyes, ala gilmore!

I ended up watching The Real Housewives of New York City the other night. Alex & Simon ("Silex" as Jill calls them) really gross me out so I don't go out of my way to catch this one. I don't get why they're always out shopping for expensive clothes when they live in a hovel. It's just so odd to me. I could see if they were doing this on the down-low, but they're on a freaking reality show! Why would they work so hard to LOOK like they have money and then show that they clearly DON'T to anyone who feels like tuning in? wtf

How much do I love Jill's parents! The mom was a little crazy with the car not being "right" for her, but once she was happy she was happy so everything worked out fine. What was up with all those cars on the side of the house? Do they really have that many cars at their summer house all the time?

Jill's mother "adopting" Bethany was very sweet. Do we know where Bethany's real mom is? I don't pay that much attention to this series so I don't know everyone's back story.

I loved when Jill got that ring from her mother and she called her "mommy". I just thought that was the cutest moment.

Ramona's article about how to "manhandle" was funny. Seeing Ramona SHOW the article to someone was even funnier! Her eyes are so bulging out crazy it amuses me just to watch her on screen. She is a little kooky, but I feel like she's being herself and I appreciate that. SOME PEOPLE on these shows (coughVicki, Tamera) act one way then around certain people then a totally different way when they're gone. Ramona, if she doesn't like you, she will tell you and walk out of a dinner party because you're there! ha!

I don't understand who this Kelly chick is and why going to a party for 30 minutes by yourself is fabulous. Did she go to several other parties that night and they just didn't show us? It was kind of a "yikes" moment when she fell off that horse. She's so tall it didn't look like she fell that long though.

Bethany & Jill dancing in front of that fan was pretty funny.

I have to admit, I can only take so much of this show because of the accents and how fast they all speak. Sometimes I just want to tell them to CALM DOWN. I guess that's cuz I'm "West Coast"! ha ha

Thursday, February 26, 2009

color me disappointed

Carla you are Top Chef in my heart!

*sigh* Top Chef ended last night and my least favorite Cheftestant won.

As soon as I heard Casey suggest they sous vide the meat, I was like "Ok my girl just lost it". The final meal is supposed to be all about YOU (the person in the competition, not you reading this!). Taking anyone's suggestions is just a death sentence. I'm a little upset with Casey for opening her big mouth like that. I wish she would have just supported Carla in all her choices and done whatever was asked of her like a good sous chef should.

I loved seeing Stefan chop off that alligator's tail! I was expecting them to bring out some butchered alligator to cook with-not that he'd have to just go at that one right there! And he didn't give a shit about it either. Hosea wanted to really "stick it" to him and he was like "whatever, I'm making alligator", hacks off the tail and gets to cooking it. Some call him arrogant but I see it as confidence and I think he's great.

I've always known that they judge each challenge individually. Like if someone makes something really good one time, then royally effs something up the next time, they can't say "Well she made really good stuff last time, so let's keep her". It makes sense to me. BUT, I think for the final competition all the other challenges need to be taken into consideration. It is kind of ludacris to me that Stefan can win almost every challenge they had (ok not really but it seemed like he won a LOT!) and Hosea only wins one....but Hosea is the "Top" Chef? It should be the person who has done the best throughout the whole thing, AS WELL AS cooking the best final meal.

So even though I love Carla, I really feel that Stefan should have won this competition. If not him, then Carla. If not her, then Fabio or Jeff or Jamie. Hosea is like 9th on the list of who should have won.

My heart is still breaking for Carla after seeing/hearing her cry at Judge's Table. She can be SO GOOD, but that dang appetizer just frazzled her! They always throw an extra dish in on the finale so it seemed like they all should have been anticipating that surprise, but I've never been in their shoes so what the crap do I know.

At least she won the Superbowl tickets and did she also win the car? Did she win Fan Favorite? As soon as Hosea was announced the winner I said "I STAYED UP TILL MIDNIGHT FOR THIS CRAP???" and had a little coniption trying to turn the TV off. My husband had to take the remote out of my hand and tuck me into bed...he was all patronizing because he liked Hosea. He's in the "Stefan is an a-hole and I don't like it" camp.

Oh yeah one more thing-GAIL'S BOOBS WERE OUT AND PROUD!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

the plant lady

I wear something similar to this for work. Yeah right.

Last week I started working again for the first time since Riley was born. I am now a "plant lady"! Before Riley, I always worked in offices where people would come water the plants and I'd think "that would be a neat job". A few weeks ago I saw an ad for it, got the job, and started last Monday. It's only part time so that is very nice. I mostly go to big office buildings with lots of cubicles. I love being able to go in the break room at these places, fill up my water bucket, and NOT HAVE TO GO SIT IN THE CUBES. It is very liberating!!

So that means I am no longer a "SAHM". I guess I'm a "WM" now?

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Customer Satisfaction

Well, Paypal and ebay both SEEM to care about customer satisfaction....I've gotten surveys from both of them sent to my email in response to my contacting their customer service departments. They ask questions like "How likely are you to recommend ebay to a friend?" or "How satisfied were you with the response to your question?" You can imagine my answers to those inquiries. It's nice to be able to give them a piece of my mind, but I'd like it SO MUCH BETTER if there was a way for us little guys to avoid situations like the one I'm in right now. STILL waiting for my money to be refunded, by the way! And I will NOT let it go. I worked as a Customer Service rep for an HMO and the Electric/Gas co. for years before Riley. I know the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It's so SAD that people have to ultra "squeaky" to have situations resolved the way they should be!

bye bye OC

I read once that people who smile with their mouths open like this are trying to draw attention to themselves.
Hmm, here's another Bravo attention whore...

Ok, the show starts off with Jeana going on a date with a guy in a flannel shirt. Of course they went to the Regis for dinner because no one can go anywhere that isn't paid for by Bravo or the place itself. Watching two people have a first date on TV is almost as awkward and uncomfortable as going on a first date. I wish Jeana well but I don't think the magic was happening with that dude.

I felt bad for Brianna that her mom wasn't more supportive of her interest in the Army. When she said she was the only one at the meeting w/out a parent I was like "Oh, damn. Ouch." I'd be like Vicki and not want my kid to do that, but if he's 22 and wants to do it, I have to support him. It was also sad when she blurted out "Colby dumped me out of nowhere!" If I was a guy, I would totally be calling that girl! She's a nurse, she likes to do karate (or whatever they did together), she doesn't want to go shopping for expensive clothes, she likes Lake Havasu...I'm sure she won't be single for long. Unless she wants to be! A girl like that can call her own shots and I hope she knows it.

Then they show Lynne and Raquel. Ew. First of all, can she do something with that hair please? I just want to scoop it up into a ponytail and chop it off. Lynne tries to tell Raquel that she needs to go to school, which she'll pay for, or get a job. The conversation ends with Raquel saying "peace out" a bunch of times. Lynne says "Gosh". Where is the Grandma when you need her?

The party at the end took up most of the episode, I didn't expect that. I was holding back barf having to hear them all say how hot they all were when they greeted each other. They can't just say "How are you", it's "Oh, you're so hot" "Hey hottest Housewife" etc. I am so sick of the word "hot" after watching this show!

It was really funny when they'd show Vicki in her little interview saying "I don't want to be all flashy about my Rolex" then at the party she's waving it in everyone's face saying how she bought it for herself. First of all, she got it from a website that sells USED Rolexes so it wasn't even new and she probably got it for free from them so she didn't even buy it for herself! She goes on and on about how she had a good quarter and she works so hard...she has a youtube video saying how great the website is and how she loves her watch so much...why would she make this if she was not getting free crap?

Another holding back barf moment occured when Vicki draped herself on Tammy Knickerbocker's boyfriend and moaned to him about how she needs to be told she is wonderful. Just because you admit you're a needy psycho doesn't make it okay. A serial killer who admits his crimes isn't allowed to just go free is he? Yes I just compared Vicki Gunvalson to a serial killer, yikes!

Gretchen giving all the ladies wallets was funny. It pissed Vicki and Tamera off something fierce, didn't it? Vicki felt like it made her look bad for not bringing gifts herself. Obviously there was no "gift email", she just wanted to do something nice! I guess that's such a strange concept for Vicki she has to get pissed off about it. When Tamera said that maybe it was just Gretchen kissing their asses, her eyes were barely open. Seeing how envious Tamera & Vicki are of Gretchen has made both of them so ugly! (Not that I ever thought Vicki was the least bit attractive)

Simon giving Tamera the bracelet-bleh! Another plug for some whack ass company that thinks being on a Bravo show will make them money. We know Simon hasn't been working, their house is up for sale, no one's buying that HE bought her that bracelet.

Not to be left out or outdone, Gretchen receives a Harley Davidson and sappy romantic letter from her hospital bound fiancee Jeff. Tamera pretends to like the gift and letter then pouts to Lauri that SHE wanted a motorcycle and the reason Gretchen has one is she's copying her. No one in the world is allowed to like/ride/own a motorcycle besides Tamera I guess. Just like no one in the world can drink a dirty martini except Vicki. Vicki didn't haul her ass upstairs to coo at the gift so I at least have to give it to her for not being fake.

Tamera states that she and Vicki think Jeff is paying Gretchen to take care of him. Uh, DUH GUYS!!! EVERYONE knows Jeff is paying Gretchen, including Jeff and Gretchen! They also seem to really like each other, which I guess is what makes Vicki and Tamera so mad. He spoils her the way they would like to be spoiled. It's all about stuff and appearances to these chicks and Gretchen has both of those areas covered way better than V & T! No matter how much Vicki crows about how she loves working hard and enjoying the "fruits of her labor", she wants a man to buy her EXPENSIVE things. She wants to be able to shove her big fat ring or bracelet or watch or car in all the other girl's faces and have them say how jealous they are of her. She's probably wanted that her entire life.

The Gretchen situation on it's own is pretty sick, don't get me wrong. It's gross to me when she gets all excited about these material things that Jeff buys for her and he's not even there to share them with her (like her "gigantor" engagement ring). But then she gets around Vicki and Tamara, who are on this whole other level, it makes Gretchen seem less horrible. I think if Vicki and Tamera had just kept their mouths shut about Gretchen things would have turned out differently, but they couldn't hold in their jealousy. They have to trash talk her and try to make other people not like her when in the end it just makes people not like them.

In her blog Tamera sounds like she does realize she needs to work on herself. Vicki sounds like her usual, narcissistic self.

Friday, February 20, 2009

ebay warning!

DO NOT buy from ebay seller "coloradothings"!!

I try to stay away from fee-bay as much as I possibly can because of situations like this.

I purchased something from "coloradothings" on Feb 3. I was told it would be in the mail by Feb 07. On Feb 11 I emailed to check the status and was told the item was STILL NOT EVEN IN THE MAIL.

I left negative feedback for this seller because that's what feedback is for. To let other people know if the seller is not doing what they're supposed to be doing. Of course the seller didn't like that and asked that I cancel the transaction. Like an idiot I agreed to cancel without finding out when my money would be refunded. Now the transaction has been canceled and instead of a refund all I've gotten are rude and sarcastic emails from the seller. He/she has insulted my scrapbooking, my paper bag albums, my myspace page, and personality for having a myspace page in the first place. Is this professional behavior or what? All I wanted was my money back for items I NEVER RECIEVED, what a crazy concept. Instead of just refunding what is rightfully mine this person would rather play games with me through email.

I have filed a Paypal claim to try and get my money back but of course they have to wait for the seller to respond.

This kind of crap would not happen on etsy! People on etsy are NORMAL and actually CARE about customer service!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

way to go carla!


How great was our girl Carla last night?! I thought only two people were going on to next week and I wanted them to be Stefan & Carla. Then Bravo decides to get all weird on us and brings back the last three people to get kicked out, and says they might be able to come back? Wha....? I don't like it when they change stuff like that. I get very grumpy old man when they do these weird twists I'm not used to!

So Jeff ends up being in the competition and the top four don't even have a Quickfire. I don't like the change but at least I didn't have to watch Leah for another hour.

Stefan busted out another great one-liner "This isn't a butt rubbing contest". No, it sure isn't!!! Where does he come up with this stuff!!?!?

I liked that Gail was back.

The masks at the "Masquerade Ball" looked really cheap, like they had an assistant hit a party store for every Mardi Gras mask they had and set them up on a table in the lobby.

Padma looked like a dominatrix.

Jeff messed with his hair while he was serving food, that grossed me out. His drink sounded kind of good to me though.

Hosea winking during service grossed me out too.

Stefan's attitude for the second half of the show also grossed me out! He's been my pick to win from the 1st episode but I thought his butt should have been sent home last night. Fabio's food not being spicy enough didn't seem like a good enough reason for him to go home considering how blah Stefan was being about the whole thing.

Speaking of which, poor Fabio had to go home to his sick mama with no cash.

CARla on the other hand won the car!!! I hope she doesn't repeat Richard from Season 3 (i think) and lose the finale though. I want her to WIN WIN WIN!!!
Carla | Bravo TV Official Site

Monday, February 16, 2009

something boyish

I've been doing so many girlie things lately I had to make something for a boy. I'm really tired right now so that's all I can think to type...need sleepy....


Sunday, February 15, 2009

weird reality show worlds colliding

Ok, I don't know if this is newsworthy to anyone else but...I was watching "Rock of Love Bus" this morning and one of the new chicks says her dad died recently. Then she says she needs to check on her brother & sister, Jake & Jill. This made my ears perk up because I thought two of the kids' names on Real Housewives of the OC were named Jake & Jill....and they are! So this girl Jennifer, is the daughter of Jeff, who was Gretchen's fiancee on Real Housewives. I just find it so freaking crazy that a family could have people in not one but TWO reality shows at the same time. The world is getting very nutty I tell ya! But not peanutty, those are bad!!!

I would like to share what I feel is a very accurate rendering of Gretchen aka Pageant Hair by the fantastic Gilmore of Pretty on the Outside.


It's really hard to tell what is biggest, her mouth (as in she's screaming all the time), her teeth or her bangs.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

what a day! and it's not over yet...

We started off the day with a "romantic" breakfast....


We met Grampa at Dave & Buster's for lunch...and tons of games!!! If you believe in orbs I think there is one in the next two pictures....hi Aiden!


This is Scott and I discussing what the heck we're getting ourselves into....the radio station was trying to break the Guiness Record for "Most Kisses Received" in a minute. So we had to kiss this random dude from the radio station! We did not know that when we first got in line! lol
Here's me running after I kissed the dude....it was so fun! Everyone bascially ran at him and kissed him on the cheek then ran out of the way...and we set the record! It was 109 kisses and we did 111 kisses!!!

After that Grampa stayed with Riley while Scott and I saw "Coraline". I highly recommend it!

Happy Valentine's Day! Jennifer & Riley

♥happy valentine's day!!!

happy valentine's day!!! i hope everyone out there is celebrating today with lots of hugs, kisses and chocolate. here's some fun stuff to keep you busy if you need ideas! have a great weekend everybody! ♥♥♥♥♥A yummy idea for breakfast...


You can find the recipe here.


This adorable cupcake craft is from Country Living.


You can see how to make this really cute heart garland here.



Thursday, February 12, 2009

That pretty much sums it up! I'm sure next week she'll have updated her website with live webcams so you can watch the babies 24/7. YYYUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK

something new...

A question I get a lot is "how much would you charge for..." then fill in a craft. I made another blog page with a list of the stuff I'm most "known" for doing-Paper Bag Albums & Altered Letters. It's just the basics of what I can do and what I charge with a few examples of each. I know I should probably put my big girl panties on and try to design a real live website, but I'd rather just do this and get back to my scrap room! ha!

I added the link to the side of this blog under "Interested In Placing An Order?" It's not a big flashy button or anything. Once my hubs wakes up I'll have him make me something cute to put in the text's place. He actually likes doing stuff like that.

Today I am in the mood to make some BOY stuff...I think after all these princess books & Valentine's day I've actually o.d.'ed on pink. Didn't think it could happen, but it has!

winner winner chicken dinner!


Winner of the Mixed Up Holiday Giveaway is....MICHELLE! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and look out for more giveaways in the future. I like givin' stuff away! lol

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

15

Timestamp: 2009-02-12 07:29:37 UTC

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

valentine's day is approaching...

Here's a few Valentine goodies I've whipped up recently...




I have always wanted to do altered Hershey bars! It was so fast and they look so cute, I'm totally getting more today. It is a miracle that these two have lasted long enough to be photographed because I'm PMSing a little (tmi?) and I am craving all things sweet! I used cosmo cricket paper on the 1st one, I don't remember who makes the paper on the 2nd one.

This card is really pretty in person. The colors of the flower are so vibrant!

Oh yeah, don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Monday, February 9, 2009



If you're in Phx/Tempe/Mesa/Glendale/Scottsdale and like to kiss...see you Saturday!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

rainy weather=soup


This is my idea of absolute heaven. The broccoli cheddar soup and baguette at Panera Bread. For some odd unknown reason there are no Panera Breads in Arizona. According to their website you have to have a net worth of $7.5 million and liquid assets of $3 million to buy a franchise. I know times are tough, but there has to be some rich dude or dudette in AZ that likes bread who wants to open a restaurant! I KNOW it would be a hit. Especially in the Scottsdale area...people in Scottsdale have money and like to spend it on frou frou stuff like fancy sandwiches and coffee.

I've tried making my own with a copycat recipe. The texture came out weird and the taste wasn't right. Then I started trying to just doctor up soup in a can. Crazily enough, the generic Fry's brand of cream of broccoli with lots of extra sharp cheddar grated into it tastes almost exactly the same! I tried Campbell's brand and it wasn't as good.

Now I need to find the perfect baguette-I'll be set. It's a good think it hardly ever rains in AZ or I'd be searching for soup alot more!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

happy saturday night!

These are for my son's Valentines...yes he has TWO Valentines! What can I say, he loves the ladies.
The little bags are from Dollar Tree (3/$1!)
Used two of my hand stitched felt hearts
Glitter letters from Wally World
Ric Rac along the top
I used the good old GLUE GUN for these, haven't pulled that one out in a long time!
They're stuffed with Valentine candies and cards Riley wrote to each girl personally. He's such a lover!


This is just a little altered notepad. I like to keep these in my purse and the little paper clip will come in handy, I'm sure.

Riley's asleep and honey's at his friend's house. I'm about to go scrap! Have a great night everyone!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Mixed Up Holiday Giveaway


Yes, I know Valentine's Day is a week away. That's why this is called the Mixed Up Holiday Giveaway!!!!

Up for grabs is this totally adorable Merry Christmas Paper Bag Album!! By getting it now you'll have a good 9 months to fill in your holiday pictures, then next Christmas it will be a unique interactive decoration that everyone will just oooh and aaahhh over. *I hope!*

There are several ways to earn chances to win this red and green concoction.

  1. Leave a comment! Easy enough, right?
  2. Become a "follower" of this blog.
  3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the give away. Even if you just tweet the link, that's cool.
  4. Mention this contest in your blog. I'll come follow you too! I love new blogging pals.
Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I'll be using random.org to choose the winner.

Contest is open NOW until February 11 at 11pm Arizona time!

Go RED!

I wore my red!

I'm posting this late, but today kicks off the Go Red for Women campaign by the American Heart Association.

Among all U.S. women who die each year, one in four dies of heart disease. In 2004, nearly 60 percent more women died of cardiovascular disease (both heart disease and stroke) than from all cancers combined. The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to get heart disease. But women of all ages should be concerned about heart disease. All women should take steps to prevent heart disease.

Both men and women have heart attacks, but more women who have heart attacks die from them. Treatments can limit heart damage but they must be given as soon as possible after a heart attack starts. Ideally, treatment should start within one hour of the first symptoms.*

What can women do to reduce their risk of heart disease?**

There are several lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of heart disease:

  • Exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day on most days of the week.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Quit or don't start smoking.
  • Eat a diet that's low in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt.

You'll also need to take prescribed medications appropriately, such as blood pressure medications, blood thinners and aspirin. And you'll need to better manage other conditions that are risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Some women at high risk of heart disease may also benefit from the use of supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids.


*from womenshealth.gov
**from the mayo clinic

Thursday, February 5, 2009

monkey see monkey do

I was doing dishes during the Quick Fire so I wasn't paying too much attention-until Lea said she was giving up and she actually GAVE UP! Has this ever happened on Top Chef? I don't recall if it has...I could not believe that crap. It was only a couple minutes, just keep going. She was named the best in the first round, then gives up in the second? Is she just trying to help her boyfriend Hosea win?

Speaking of Hosea...how does a sea food chef not know how to skin an eel? If you watch Iron Chef you've seen it done like every other week. Also, why are they making him look like such a douche when it comes to Stefan? They're either not showing Stefan being a douche to cause that behavior or Hosea is really just the douche and jealous of Stefan's talent. Hosea has only been cooking like 10 years, Stefan has been training since puberty. I understand wanting to win but being a sore loser sucks.

All the chefs get to eat lunch at Eric Ripert's restaurant. I hope they all knew that this was going to be part of the elimination challenge, because I sure did! I knew it was going to be "recreate these dishes" or "create a dish inspired by one of these dishes". They did this challenge at the end of Season 3, right? So boo for being totally boring Bravo.

I kind of zoned out on the rest of the show until they got to Judges Table. I was really disappointed that Carla didn't win, because her dish seemed more difficult than Stefan's but oh well.

Very sad to see Jamie go before Leah! Even though Jamie was kind of grouchy she seems like a more thoughtful cook than Leah...and she never GAVE UP during a challenge. Leah mixing butter and miso seems like a bigger disaster than oversalting celery, but I didn't taste it. Braised celery? It's kind of funny how all season Jamie's been calling things "weird" then gets one of the weirdest things to make and it sends her home. She needs to take a page out of Carla's book and have a better attitude about the experience.

GO CARLA!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

happy birthday







I've had this little album in my "unfinished" box for AGES. I finally pulled it out last night and finished it off. It is a very GIRLY and PURPLE Birthday mini-album. I used lots of bright colors throughout the whole thing, but purple was on my mind as the main focus.
It's going in my etsy shop riiiiiiiight NOW.

$10 Valentine Gift!



This album is sooo cute! It's red, pink, turquoise, brown, full of hearts, ribbons & Valentine yumminess! Combined with your pictures and journaling the book will be a wonderful Valentine gift from the heart!
I'm feeling wacky today so I just listed it at $10 in my shop!
-----update--it's sold :)

moment of zen

i'm featured....

...at Potamus Prefers! This is the first time I've ever been "featured" anywhere so I feel pretty darn special! Thanks Shannon!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

right on Stephen!

I may be getting on lots of people's bad sides, but I totally agree with Stephen King when he says Stephanie Meyer of "Twilight" fame "can't write worth a darn". I read Twilight expecting to absolutely love it. Bella is from my hometown and goes to high school in my school district...AND I have family in a tiny town in upstate Washington! Unfortunately I found her story telling to be so BLAND and BLAH. I had no interest in finding out the end of the story. It was not a page turner.

I did however read the excerpt of "Midnight Sun" on her website and THAT was actually interesting! So maybe she just can't write from a teenage girl's point of view. Hmm.

the best baby shower gift

I've never had a baby shower, but I've been to plenty of them, and I've NEVER seen one of these given as a gift. It is a pregnancy journal paper bag album. It's got places for a picture of the mama to be in her 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester, pages for an Ultrasound picture, journaling spots and more mementos can be stashed in the pockets on the sides.
You know, I need to make one of these for myself one of these days!


It's in my etsy shop now :)