The Queen B

Game On

The Palace is in great need of new games.

The kind that are not connected to a video gaming system.

We love board games, card games, domino games...pretty much all games.

Our current favorite is Racko. We have worn out the cards. But I happen to know which card numbers belong to the card with the faded right corner and the card with the bent middle. So we'll not be replacing those any time soon.

Honorable mention goes to Mancala. But I always lose. And I'm not so much into losing.

So tell me your favorite game. And we can all read the comments and learn about some new ones.

We'll all be winners.

Weekend In Review

Let me begin with this: Why do boys feel the need to blow up everything that is not breathing on the 4th of July?? Coke cans, boxes, BBQ sandwiches....

I don't understand boys.

My beloved felt the need to place mini bombs under his family members' chairs. And he liked rolling smoke bombs at their shoes. And throwing bottle rockets at his 30-year-old sister.

I don't understand boys.

Now. I'll review the weekend. Prepare yourselves for complete boredom.

The Princess had a yucky gross cough all last week, so I took her to the doctor on Thursday. And you know, both of her lungs were full. So she was prescribed steroids and albuterol. Which has made her wild. And unfortunately not sleepy. She spent all of Thursday night laughing hysterically.

Which makes for a happy Friday.

We recovered enough to do a Movie Marathon on Friday afternoon. We started with Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. I loved it. It was a great movie.

And may I just ask where Chris O'Donnell has been for the last few years? I forgot that I really like him.

Then we went to see Wall-E. Not so sure about this one. I liked the robot interaction. For the first 30 minutes or so. However, I am beginning to get a bit frustrated with this new trend of political statements being made in children's movies. Just tell a story people. TELL A STORY.

I kept expecting Al Gore to pop onto the screen and talk with us about global warming.

After the marathon, we went to The King's parents for a little bbq and fireworks. It was a lot of fun until the smoke bombs got the coughing started. Pretty much downhill from there.

We had to rise at the crack of dawn on Saturday in order to be out of the house for a 9 a.m. realtor showing. My mom is in Florida, so we drove to her house (which is about an hour away) to feed her cat.

This might be a good time to mention that her cat does not like me. The cat hasn't had human interaction in days, but he hides under the bed while I'm there. Whatever.

While we were in town, we stopped by to visit Nannie. She and The Princess made chocolate covered strawberries. I've only had about 16.

We took Nannie to eat at the new cafeteria in town. Which could be a post in itself.

A. Cafeterias are way expensive.
B. Who knew there were new cafeterias?
C. There is a lot of overeating that takes place at a cafeteria.

Nannie recently bought a new car.

Y'all. She will be 86 on her next birthday.

She is not like any other 86-year-old I've ever known.

The wheels on her last car were spinners.

Spinners, y'all.

And it had a bullet hole sticker or two.

The King asked her where her spinners were for her new car.

She said, "They say that spinners were a phase and it is over."

Alrighty then.

We got home in time to watch the Daytona race. Go #88!!

Yesterday we went to church and then spent the afternoon swimming.

Oh. And I drove around and wrote down the addresses of houses that I like and then did that reverse lookup thing to see who lives in them.

And then I may or may not have sent them letters telling them I want their houses.

It's hard to imagine how Monday can top that excitement.

We Have a Winner...

The Winner of Providence by Chris Coppernoll is:

Soliloquy

For real. Here's the proof...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

16

Timestamp: 2008-07-06 00:58:27 UTC

Congrats, Soliloquy. I'll be emailing you shortly...

'Cause My Mama Said, That's Why

Cheer Detergent
Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
Pledge
Charmin Toilet Paper
Cascade
Crest Toothpaste
Pioneer Biscuit Mix
Shawnee Pancake Mix
Velveeta Shells and Cheese
Duncan Hines Cake Mix

Why in the world am I posting my grocery list, you ask?

I'm not.

I'm listing all of the products that I use because my mom uses them. And her mom uses them.

We are 3 generation brand loyalists.

I've often wondered if there might be better products out there. You know, on the dark side. I've come close to dabbling in other detergents.

But I can't. My heritage won't allow it.

Recently, I was contacted to see if I would do a comparison of two dishwashing products and blog about which I like the most.

With fear and trembling, and just a teensy bit of rebellion, I accepted.

My options?

Cascade Complete and Electrasol Advanced.

Let the games begin.

I used both products on heavy loads and light loads. I used both on loads that had been in the dishwasher a little too long. I used both on the normal cycle and the scrub cycle.

I washed a lot of dishes, y'all.

Here's the deal: Both products cleaned my dishes the same.

I was a little surprised by that. I was certain the Electrasol would leave big orange spots, seeing as how it is the other brand.

There are two major differences that shaped my ultimate opinion.

1. Packaging
2. Smell

I am admittedly a package snob. I love a good design. It makes me giddy to see someone pull off amazing product packaging.

I know. I need to get out more.

The Cascade won that contest hands down. The container is prettier, sturdier and easier to use. I found that the Electrasol felt a little flimsy and the spout got clogged a few times.

And it is ugly.

If your daddy or your sister designed the packaging for Electrasol, I am so sorry. I beg forgiveness.

But, still. They need to know.

The smell thing? I would base my purchasing decision on this difference alone.

When I opened my dishwasher after using the Cascade, it smelled warm and clean. Even on a load laden with onions and peppers.

The Electrasol load? It smelled warm and rank. My dishwasher still reeked of whatever I'd served.

Not gonna work for me.

I need fresh lemons. Not old tuna.

I must say I am pretty happy that what I'd been using was the better of the choices. I feel validated. Kinda proud.

And I can still have my grandmother over for supper.

My Book Club's Next Selection (Giveaway!!)

Our Book Club met last night and, of course, had a great time.

What could go wrong when the night includes a good book and peanut butter bars?

Our next book is Providence by Chris Coppernoll. It is an incredible book. I loved it. LOVED IT. I was so sad to see it end that I emailed the author and told him to get to work. Really. I did.

I am sure he got right on it.

I can't wait for you to read it!! I will be giving away a copy to one of you on Saturday, July 5. Just leave a comment and your email, and I will randomly pick a winner.

You all rock.

Time Management 101

Unless I am mistaken, I believe it is summer.

Why then am I so stinkin' busy?

I'm beginning to wonder if I am going to look back and feel like I wasted these glorious summer days doing stuff.

Errands. Phone calls. Blogging. The list could go on.

Starting today it is back to boot camp.

Time Management Boot Camp.

If I don't control the direction of my day...who is going to?

I seriously doubt The King is going to suddenly exclaim, "Honey, I've noticed you are overwhelmed with the day to day stuff right now, and I would love to spend my hard earned money providing you with a personal assistant to do all of the yuck sprinkled throughout your day. It is my heartfelt desire that you and The Princess enjoy leisurely summer days filled with nothing but lemonade and bliss".

It is more likely that I'll be mistaken for a swimsuit model.

And that, my friends, ain't gonna happen.

So, I'm going to spend the day organizing things so that the rest of this break feels like an actual break.

I thought I might give you one of my favorite time management tips and then you could share one of yours.

We all win.

Ok. I love, love, love unruled index cards.

I use them for:

Daily Lists - I write down everything I need to do that day and scratch it off when it is done. I LOVE scratching things off my list. Sometimes I even put "eat lunch" on my list. I can carry it with me all day and throw it away each night.

Grocery Lists - It fits right in my wallet. Perfect!!

Meal Planning - I keep my weekly menu on a card and keep in on my calendar. When the week is over, I file it to use again.

Notes - I can jot notes to The King and leave those babies all over the place.

Gift Tags - Oh yes. I've done it. A few stickers, ribbon and markers and you are all set.

It costs less than $3 for a package of 500 cards. Get them. You will love them.

Now give me your best. Quickly. Time's a-wastin'.

Next Time, I'll Be Grateful For The Nothin'

There is a phrase that The Palace will not utter.

Are you ready for it?

Here goes: "It Cannot Get Any Worse".

It can.

And voicing those words means it usually does.

With that knowledge, we've chosen to no longer use those words in that particular sequence.

Well. After last night, we've banned another phrase.

Here it is: "I Don't Have Anything To Blog About".

Nope. I won't be speaking those again.

No way, no how.

Here's the story.

So our weekend was relatively uneventful. Nothing worthy of a post, you know? I was whining about it while I was in the bathtub.

Now, if your house is anything like my house...when mom is in the tub, the family feels a great desire to spend time with her.

Not so relaxing.

Anyhow. I'm in the tub and The Princess runs in saying, "Mom! There is something nasty on your computer!"

Well I had just placed my laptop on my bed before getting in the tub.

And I may or may not have eaten a little piece of Heath Bar.

So I was fairly certain it was a smudge of the Heath.

Not wanting to incriminate myself, I said, "Bring it in here and let me see."

So she carries my computer in and shows me a brown smear on the closed lid.

I took my thumb and wiped it off, just to show her it was no big deal.

Her freaking out was not going to salvage any bit of my psuedo-relaxing bath.

After I dried off and put on my jammies, I went into my bedroom and was shocked by what I saw.

Streaks of brown. On my sheets. My blanket. My quilt. The carpet.

"PRINCESS! Could you maybe have mentioned that it was ALL OVER MY BED!!!"

"I told you it was nasty."

Oh dear. I wiped it with my thumb. And what had I done with my thumb since? I couldn't recall.

So I immediately begin looking for a cat. And soon I find Oliver. And I lifted his tail.

B.A.R.F.

Smashed cat poop all over his rump. In his tail. Down his legs.

B.A.R.F.

I screamed at The King to come help me and I grab the cat wipes I had recently purchased.

The King carried him to the bathroom sink and I lifted his tail and began pulling out the poop with the wipe.

Not working.

I am afraid my fingers went where no fingers should have to go.

Pulling and wiping. Wiping and pulling.

I needed The Princess to hand me the wipes so I could go fast, but her dry heaving yielded her incapable.

Not working.

We made a quick decision to run with the cat downstairs to the kitchen sink to give him a bath.

It was about this time that Oliver began making a noise similar to labor breathing.

I warmed the water and we stuck the cat under the faucet.

Holy Cow. He freaked.

Note the bleeding on The King's arm.

While Oliver was hyperventilating, The King was yelling, "Cat! I am gonna win this! You can claw all you want but you are gonna get this crap off your butt!!"

Over and over.

Finally, I reminded him that Oliver is a cat. And he doesn't understand English. All he understands is that the combination of the yelling and the water are not cat-friendly.

More yelling. More wiping. More breathing. More yelling.

We eventually got the stupid cat clean.

Or at least his back half.

We wrapped him in a towel and he went back to the labor breathing.

Check out The King's hand...

We headed back upstairs and changed all of the bedding. We cleaned the spots on the carpet.

And The King decided he needed a relaxing bath after all that work.

As did Oliver.

I got out my computer to begin the blogging, and The King said, "Ask and ye shall receive".

I will not be doing that again.

I Gotta Get Me Some Baskets & Bins

I really, really need things to be in their place.

Especially toys.

I am a firm believer in the put-something-away-before-you-get-something-else-out method of play.

It is a good thing that I have one child.

I know that is what you are thinking.

Anyway, I have been planning on participating in Organizing Junkie's Monthly Organizing Round-Up.

For, like, the last five months.

But I've still got time to join in for June's Playroom Challenge.

We use an extra bedroom for The Princess' playroom. It is actually the largest bedroom in our home, but it is the only downstairs bedroom. We wanted to have everyone sleeping on the same floor, so it worked out perfectly.

Since we didn't use the clothing rod in the closet, we added shelving. My goal was to create a place for all her junk toys so that the playroom floor could remain uncluttered.

This is a look into her closet.

The shelves that are straight ahead were already there. We added the shelving on either side.

The basket on the lower shelf holds her dolls and their accessories.

Her magazines, sticker books and coloring books are in the white magazine holders.

The green baskets hold art supplies, Littlest Pet Shop things, Polly Pockets, etc.

We left a space for her toy box. It holds sports equipment and big stuff that won't fit anywhere else. Little boxes and baskets are handy for smaller things. Note that one of those holds her band-aid collection. When The Princess was little, she said she was going to open a band-aid store when she grew up. Made sense to me...

I love big tubs for her dollhouse furniture. We also keep a big tub of toys for little kids to play with when they come to visit.

We call it Operation Distract and Entertain.

I had an old piece of furniture that we painted silver to hold her movies and video games. We added new knobs--that now strangely remind me of that bra Madonna wore--and it looks like a brand new piece of furniture. Um. Pretend that those knobs are totally level.

Here's a few shots of the rest of the room.

I love these bookshelves. The back of the shelves are mirrored, which adds a little sparkle to the room.

And no, we did not buy The Princess a flat screen TV. The King moved his TV in her room for the ultimate video game experience.

His. Not hers.

The bulletin board behind the TV would be easy to make. A frame, some fabric and a little ribbon.

These swirls were painted by a friend. I love what they add to the room.

We found a "chandelier" in the sale area of a lighting store to add a little glam to the room.

I love to find ways to use older furniture or inexpensive furniture for a child's room. There is so much that a little paint, mirrors and fabric can do!!

Oh. And remember how I said the goal was to keep the floor uncluttered? Well imagine how it would look without the baskets...

The organizing is still a work in progress, but it is nice to know that it is working. Creating a spot for most of her items really encourages her to put things back. It also cuts down on the, "MOM!! I can't find my stuff!!"

And that is worth almost every penny.

Thank You & You're Welcome

You blogging buddies are just too good to me.

A big thank you to Darcie at Such The Spot. She so kindly sent me this sweet award.

Now isn't that nice? She totally made my day by my making her day.

I am going to pass this award to:

Jen at Today at Jen's House--she sent me the sweetest email Tuesday and it really did make my day!

Straight Shooter--she's had THE BEST attitude when faced with some scary stuff. I'm not sure I could hold it together at all, and she's done it with grace and humor.

Also to my mom, Beachy Mimi--she did something really nice for me yesterday. And, you know, she gave me life and all.

And then The Fritz Facts has totally stressed me out by tagging me for this 6 Words meme thing.

She must be mad at me or something.

Apparently, this meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. It'€™s a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were, "€œFor Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn."

Yeah. This is gonna be easy.

Hmmm. It is the summing up the life part that is difficult. I mean, I can quickly pull out some that sum up my week...

Crazy Queen Stressed Over Losing Hair

Can't Stop Eating Heath Bar Cake

Wondering Where I'm Going To Live

...but that isn't my life.

Oh, how I pray that is not my life.

So here goes:

Laughing My Way Down This Path - Um. Not so much.

Injecting Sarcasm Where It Doesn't Belong - Probably shouldn't be proud of that.

Appreciating God's Blessings More Each Day - This is true. I am doing this.

Should Keep My Mouth Shut More - Amen.

The Animals Took Over My House - Oh yes they did.

Laughing More Often Than Seems Appropriate - Not sure if this is good or bad.

Seeking Comfort A Little Too Much - What's the big deal?

Working Toward Mom Of The Year - Does this come in remedial?

Who Said Normal Is The Goal - Not me.

Thrilled To Be Where I Am - There you go. I need to stop with that one. That's my thing.

(I could keep at this for hours. Really. FOR. HOURS. For sure I will be speaking in 6 word sentences for the next day or two.)

It Was Hard To Choose One.

I Can't Come Up With More.

I HAVE TO STOP RIGHT NOW.

I'm tagging:

My Mom - because it will keep her up for days.

Lisa - because she needs to get back in the game.

Amy - because she will obsess.

The Roost - because she is going on vacation and I'm jealous.

Kelly - because she is so stinkin' clever.

These are the rules...

1. Write your own six word memoir.

2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like.

3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post http://herebaby.blogspot.com/2008/06/six-word-memior.html if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogsphere

4. Tag 5 more blogs with links

5. Don’t forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play

Hoping You Have A Great Day.

I Am Off To Read Blogs.

Can't Wait To Go To Sonic.

Large Diet Cokes Make My Day.

This Six Word Thing Is Ridiculous.

Somebody Knock Me Over The Head.

I Am Going To Stop Now.

Tying Up Some Loose Ends

Ok. A few of you need closure regarding the Iron Free Motel Stay.

And that is Motel with an M, not an H.

Just in case you hadn't figured that out.

We survived. We were often wrinkled, but we survived. An iron may or may not have been slipped in.

Our cousins' room was next to the indoor pool. There was a dehumidifier in their room to suck out the moisture in the air.

They dumped a gallon.

Which screams "Toxic Mold" loud and clear, my friends. Loud. And. Clear.

Anyway, several asked the name of this establishment. It was not a chain. Other than that, I just can't say it. I don't want to be ugly.

Ok. It has to do with a direction and a brand make type of tree. Like, Northern Pecans, but not.

The End.

***

Thank you all for the encouraging comments and emails yesterday.

I am feeling better about the house. God knows what is going on and that is more than enough for me.

Oh, and we looked at a house today that had been struck by lightening. The chimney was all over the yard. And when we walked inside the fireplace had exploded all over the living room. There was a humongous hole in the wall and sheetrock was everywhere.

I'm thinking this might not be the best selling point.

***

I will be getting back to the Weekend Wonderfulness soon. I am needing to lose a few pounds and perusing through recipes is not conducive to weight loss.

And neither is this, but somebody's gonna have to throw it out to make me stop.

***

I went to an accessory store and bought a few necklaces. Don't know what to wear them with.

***

The ShamWow has not yet been used. I have nothing to report except for the long roll of ShamWows takes up a strange amount of space. (Especially when we have TWO! FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!)

The home electrocution device is interesting. I enjoyed it the first time I strapped it to my back for 30 minutes of non-stop shocking. The place where my back always hurts did not hurt at all after using it.

However, since that time I've had a sharp pain in my left shouder. I'm just sayin'.

***

My hair is falling out. Lots of strands on my pillow when I wake. And the sink where I wash my hair is full of the hair. And I am not sure if it is from the multiple colorings or the stress. Either way, please send me suggestions of what to do to put my hair back in keep it from falling out.

Seriously. Send help.

***

That's all. Nothing else that I can remember needs further detail. Really none of this needed further detail.

Have a fabulous day.