flannel, fashion, fun finds & fall

- Went to the mall the other day & was thrilled to learn that I will be right in style this fall/winter bc flannel shirts will be too! Just the tho't of wrapping up in a soft flannel shirt & a slightly worn (ie. comfortable!) pair of jeans made me start looking forward to fall despite that I know what follows it (brrr!! ... & ridiculous heating bills...) & I'm in no rush for that.

- Coveted one flannel shirt in particular but not the $40(yikes!) price so I didn't buy it. But - I took some stuff to the Salvation Army & decided to pop in ... & scored! Yes - I shop there now & then & secretly (sshhh) enjoy it -- & it's a good exercise in putting my pride aside (does it count as that if I go incognito? :) - Anyhow, I came away w/ not one but two great (seriously!) flannel shirts that Playmaker & I will be fighting over all winter plus one thermal top & two other tops for the girls & two games (my girls enjoy playing games...which seems rare these days - but I love it) -- all for about half the price of that one flannel shirt I coveted earlier in the week :) Gotta love it!

- And... I cleaned out my side of the closet yesterday & scored again ... - found yet another flannel shirt I forgot I had :) ... & I stuffed another bag full of stuff to take to none other than the Salvation Army ... & soooo I may just decide to pop in ... again.

... at this rate I'll have one flannel shirt for every day of the week w/ great potential to be right in style 24/7 (bc we have flannel sheets - & pjs too!) & still have some money left over to purchase a cup of coffee, a good book, a pumkin pie scented candle ... & hopefully to cover the dreaded heating bill .... & other such accessories that go well w/ flannel too :)

This should be required viewing ....

... for anyone wanting to get married, get a dog or have kids! :) We could SOoooo relate! Laughed SO hard at times....I cried at others (& I don't typically cry at the drop of a hat!).

We've had our share of "Marley Moments"... like when Mak ate a futon. Yes - a FUTON! or when Katie got sprayed by a skunk smack dab in the kisser (licker?!)...came in gurgling/foaming at the mouth --- rubbing her face in the carpet downstairs ....AARgHhhhh. - .... I tho't for sure she was dying (!) ...what a scene as we attempted to deal w/ her in her misery (me gagging the whole time!) & then the aftermath of the horrible lingering stench. And youda tho't she learned her lesson after that but noooooo....UGGGHH. Needless to say - there's no more carpet downstairs! Strike was traumatized & I believe she still has flashbacks ...she can smell a skunk a mile away & goes around closing doors & windows at the first wiff!

Unfortunately even tho' it's PG there are a few parts they coulda/shoulda left out ( I guess that's where the Parental Guidance is required ...aka Remote Control... & more specifically, fast forward) - but overall a great "documentary" of real life if indeed you are living - or attempting to live - the "American Dream" (btw ... I'm not so sure that's all it's cracked up to be....ph that's a subject for a future post).

I may be the last person in America to see this movie - but if by chance you haven't either, click here for a clip: http://marleyandmemovie.com/

Any Marley Moments you care to share?

Chivalry Lives!

Edit: Realized I probably shouldn't have posted "his" pic w/o permission....so I took "those" pics off and replaced it /w "her" pic instead :)


Our little girl is growing up! Playmaker went to her first dance Saturday. She's not allowed to date & just went as friends w/ the boy who asked her to his school's homecoming. We were both a little nervous ...but I have to say, I was pleased with her "first dance" experience. Her "date" (only for lack of a better word :) showed up right on time (His mom as their chaueffer) & he was such a gentleman - So polite! So respectful! So handsome.... and -- w/ a dozen beautiful(!) white roses w/ pink edges in hand - that I later learned they searched high & low for! He was patient as we took some pics & polite as I made sure he knew how much I was trusting him... He opened the car door for her - His mom thanked me for trusting her son & gave me her cell phone number. He knew very well she'd never been to a school dance before (prior to this I believe her Daddy & her Grampa were the only men she's ever danced w/) & he was very considerate of that. We had a house full of friends over that evening - so....poor kids :) ....when they returned home and walked up to the door -- the light was on, the shade was up .....and --- there was a lineup of four - yes four(!) moms - as opposed to just her own mom - anxiously watching & waiting on the other side of the door/window to welcome them home! -- Guess you had to be there...but it was funny.... & I was grateful my friends were there to lighten the moment w/ some humor just then :)

Did I mention how beautiful she looked? - or how pleased I was w/ how she handled herself - or how proud I am of her -- & how grateful I was for such a really nice "first dance" for her to really get dressed up - & experience what it's like ... and should be like .... to be treated like nothing less than the beautiful young lady she is?

Be inspired!

Don't think I'll even try to wrap words around this video a friend shared w/ me - but if "music is words for the soul"... and - "A picture paints a thousand words" you're in for a treat if you watch this:

Is the gas tank half full - or half empty?

I often tend to see things differently than others...as seems to be the case with the rising gas prices. While I can't say I enjoy spending more & getting less, I actually do appreciate some of the effects of rising gas prices. A few that come to mind are just the beginning of what, if given enough time, would likely become a much longer list:

I'm convinced higher gas prices are the means that will cause/force us to actually be better stewards of our environment (conserve!) & implement efficient renewable energy technology.... Didn't we learn this in the 70's?? - and - Is it really necessary/worth it to buy products that have been shipped across the ocean then hauled across America in trucks getting 5 mpg?! -- esp. when they're a.) silly trinkets, baubles & gadgets in a "Dollar Store" stuffed w/ stuff that serves little or no purpose (junk!); and b.) made out of petroleum (plastic!) in China where environmental & safety precautions taken in the mfg process are slim to none - which, in part, is why they can make stuff so cheap & undermine our economy at the same time?! Ugh! "It all" just provides even more motivation to support the little/local guy & buy Made/Grown in USA. Hopefully it makes more sense to those too, who could care less about all the other good (common sense!) reasons to do this. While it's not easy to find stuff made in the USA anymore...chances are what you do find is more essential in nature...& more friendly to nature.

I'm also trying to plan ahead/multitask more when I'm out & about to save money - & am trying to be more creative/simplistic in regards to having fun/entertaining ourselves - rather than driving us/our kids all over the map & paying to watch someone else do something/be entertained.

On a personal level, the effects of higher gas prices seem to be translating into something even more precious than money & gas --- more quality & quantity time spent w/ people I love the most (think... hikes, local parks, picnics, family movie nights, board games, outdoor sports, meals around the kitchen table).... & a healthier environment & lifestyle. .... And so it seems - paying more for less isn't such a bad deal now that I've (finally!) figured out that less (of non-essential things/stuff!) is actually more (of what's important & meaningful) ... but I have to think that has something to do w/ how one answers the question spelled out in the title of this post...