Blogger Clogger

I have a ton of photos to post, BUT... when I tried to do it, blogger wouldn't let me move them around. You know... click and drag them where I wanted them. Technicians are working on this issue. My post will be here very soon!

It's coming!

See, Dennis is the only one that can load the photos onto the pc because I am apparently a box o' rocks. Maybe Santa will bring us a card reader! :) As soon as the photos are on here, I will post my project!

Mel gets to call her Mandy

Time to lighten things up a bit! After reading Miranda's blog and her recipe of the week, I wrote to her. I wanted to copy the recipe, however clicking and highlighting brought in too much other information. So I emailed her. Her email was so inspiring. Not only did she send me the email, but some other tips that I have already started to put to use!

Stay tuned to see what Miranda's email inspired me to do!

Somber

On Sunday I attended the brunch for our Tastefully Simple Team. It is always such a wonderful event, and I was really looking forward to it. However this event would definitely not be the same for me this year...

Saturday night, Den and I were watching the news. While watching it, a story came on about a man stabbing his wife to death in Chesterfield Township. I then started thinking, That looks like my brother's neighborhood. A few seconds later they showed the street sign and it was my brothers street. Then they showed it. The house next to my brothers.

As we watched, I mentioned to Dennis that a man committed suicide in the basement of that house. Then a family had moved in, and the mother was a drunk. She was constantly being admitted to rehab. I had wondered if the man had killed her. We went to bed, and I didn't think a whole lot about it.

The next morning, I started thinking about it again and it was on the news... again. I then received a call from my mom. While talking to her, I realized that the drunk woman and her family had left the house and there was a new family there. Two boys and their parents. One of the boys became best friends with my nephew. I had the pleasure of meeting this young man this past October when my brother brought Chase & the boy to the campground to see all of us. The kids had a great time together and went trick or treating through the park. This kid was a very nice boy. After hearing that he and his brother witnessed their father plunging a knife into their mothers back, I haven't quite been the same.

How does this happen? How could this man do this? The family was from Albania, however the youngest (my nephew's friend) was born in America. They have NO family here. Now... the boys are in a foster home somewhere, their mother is in a morgue, and their father is in the Macomb County Jail. How does this happen? I just can not seem to wrap my head around this. These two boys are now going to spend Christmas with complete strangers. This would be their first Christmas with a real tree (as the boy told my nephew). The mother was so excited about being able to buy the boys gifts. How does this happen?

I went to my holiday brunch with all of this on my head. As we all sat around a very large table, and talked about what we are grateful for, or our hopes for the future, all I wanted to do was cry. I can't even look at the future, when I think about those two boys. I realize that I will go on, and life will go on, but those boys... their futures have been altered f...o...r...e...v...e...r. How could he kill their mother? Ironically enough, I was paid a compliment that day about how people love to read my postings on our "my family" website. They think I am so funny, and apparently, they think I'm funny all the time. Yet even hearing those words that day, made me want to cry. I know I have my witty moments, but right now I couldn't feel further away from them than I do right now. My heart is broken for those two boys. What will happen to them? Will they be forced to go back to Albania or will they stay here in the foster system?

I'm sorry to not be funny nor witty. I'm just so sad that this has happened, and I wasn't even the boys best friend. My heart is broken for my nephew. I hope he is able to keep in touch with this wonderful kid, forever.

Another Conversation with Greg

Today Greg was running a fever due to an ear infection that we though had gone away. I think it's the child's first ear infection... at least that I can remember. Anyhow, we were reading his book on the White House while in the exam room.

G: "Mom when I grow up, I want to be a Doctor or a Nurse"

M: "Greg if you want to be either of those, you can't be afraid of the things they do to people"

G: "Ok, then maybe I'll be a policeman or maybe a sniper sharp shooter"

M: "Then I will worry about you. You could always do something cool like be in the secret service and protect the President!"

Greg turns around with eyes like baseballs and says, "THEN I'LL HAVE TO MOVE TO WASHINGTON D.C.!"

M: "That's ok. We'll come visit you... often!"

G: "Instead I think I'll go there in the morning, then be back in time for dinner.

M: "You're going to commute back and forth EVERY DAY??? Don't you want to leave us?"

G: "No WAY!"

... and he give me a kiss.

Age Limits

I recently received a friend request from my 9 year old niece on facebook. Seriously people. Are there NO limits to where and what kids are allowed to do? Emily was all over me about joining facebook a while back because her friend was allowed to join. There is no way in hell that I am letting my 10 year old get a facebook page. To me, it's the equivalent of letting them get a myspace page too, which will NEVER happen in this house.

On a whim I decided to look up the age limits to see if there are any and guess what... here it is:

4. Registration and Account Security

3. You will not use Facebook if you are under 13.

It is becoming rediculous how parents are not being parents, but are just letting their kids do whatever, just because.

Am I off my rocker feeling this way or do you agree?

One week!

Wow! I'm so surprised that it's been a week since my last post. Where does the time go?

I guess I am at a loss for words this week. There hasn't been a whole lot going on really. We are preparing for Thanksgiving at our house. We told everyone to go elsewhere last year due to major family drama. Let's just say I was worried there would be a boxing match at our house. So we invited ourselves to our friends house for dinner. It was awesome. Don't you love friends that are good with stuff like that?

This year I will attempt to have a 23 pound turkey done BEFORE the side dishes, and vow NOT to stress out. I've been cleaning here and there, and just doing odds and ends of things to get ready. It's all good.

We started out the weekend with a bang. I told Greg this morning if he came out of the school with shoes untied, he would be writing sentences when he got home. Guess who has writers cramps. lol. I only made him write 5 sentences that read "I will keep my shoes tied". You would have thought I took away his favorite toy the way he carried on. It's then that I hit him with, "Keep complaining and I will add 5 more". He zipped it, and is now starting an awesome weekend by having a nerf sniper shoot-out with his Dad. Did I ever tell you about the collection of nerf guns we have in this house?

I went to the nerf website to see if I could hijack some photos, but their website is wayyyy too animated for my blog. Blogger would definitely crash. Let's just say we have about every Nerf gun known to man, in this house. Including the huge missile launcher that damn near took Greg's head off once, accidentally of course. Yesterday Greg used a bit more of a gift card he received for his birthday, to purchase the double barrel nerf shot gun. I think we have about $13 left on the card which could be used for more darts.

Friday... I'm not sure I'm venturing out for shopping. Only 1 place has something I REALLY want, but 1. It's probably limited quantity. 2. It is at a store that is open 24 hours, which makes you wonder what time to get there for such item, and finally... is the savings really worth losing sleep over? I'm thinking not.

Saturday... we are heading down to Ford Field to watch the Stevenson Titans (Den's Alma mater) take down Detroit Catholic Central. I'm hoping it's an annihilation, since I once dated a guy that went there, then a few years later wondered what the "f" I was thinking. So I'm hoping they will smear them.

What's on your calendar this week?

HELLOOOO, HELloooo, helloooooo

Echo. Every wonder if anyone reads your blog? I wonder all the time, but here I am. Still posting away. Even if I'm talking to myself, I can still put my thoughts out there.

Did you know...

Sodium Benzoate mixed with Citric Acid forms a carcinogen called Benzene which is found in gasoline? Funny huh? Start reading your nutrition labels.

The other day, I was going to buy maple syrup but I didn't. I read the label and just couldn't get past the ingredients. I put it back on the shelf.

Two days later, Dennis buys syrup. Guess whats in it. Yep. The junk listed above. I know it is horribly terrible to eat, but have you seen the price of real syrup lately? It makes me sick and even worse... I can't afford to buy it right now. Even though I'm hitting this huge mental block on this, he looked at me like I was nuts. Guess that's why he calls me a "tree hugger".

Every time I put syrup on anything, I feel like the mother in Flowers in the Attic, that is putting arsenic mixed with powdered sugar on her kids cookies. I feel like I am killing all of us by using it, knowing full well it's potential.

I need to grow more maple trees.

Think before you speak!

I'm reading this book called More Build it Big- 101 Insider Secrets for Direct Selling. The title is close to that. It is the sequel to a book that I haven't read. Before going to the National conference this past summer, I decided to find some books on direct sales, and that's how I came across it.

I've been taking my time reading it, trying to absorb the tips and to put some of them to use. For instance, since I started reading it, I added 3 people to my new team. Before it was just Shannan and I. Shannan joined about a year and a half ago. We were a team of two. Then came Joy, Katrina and now Kristin. I am so glad they are with me and this is why...

In the book there is a section on team building. It goes on to say about how you should choose "wisely" because you will be talking to this person on a regular basis. You will be seeing them frequently, emailing them all the time and so forth. I started thinking back about all of the people that I had asked to join me. I think there are about 5 total, and 3 just joined. I am very picky about who I want to work with, but wasn't sure why... until last week.

I was at the school picking up Emily & Greg. When I pulled up to the sidewalk, I saw a friend pull up too. I pick up in the back of the school, and she picks up in the front. So I was wondering why she was on "our side". We are both parked on either side of the street. One facing North, the other facing South (I was north). We both got out of our cars at the same time. I noticed a southbound vehicle coming. It was a classic Ford pick up truck like the one pictured here...

I love classic pick-ups. I don't know what it is, but I would LOVE to have a 1950's Chevrolet in Denim blue. The kind of truck that has wood rails on the back of the truck. Anyway, I immediately admired this truck. The man had looked at my friend and allegedly made a face at her. I saw him too, but did not see any face. She was so angry, she started saying she should have flipped him off, or yelled or something. Why was this "jackass" making a face at her? She was going to show him!!

And that... is when it hit me. OMG... I asked this woman to join my team. Mrs. Short-wick who thinks this man made a face at her. Never in my life have I ever been so glad someone told me "NO". lol There was once a time when I would actually avoid her phone calls. Mrs. Shortwick seems to think I have my doctorate, and calls me whenever someone has so much as a splinter in her house. She never listens to a word I say, and does not seek further medical attention when I tell her. Just talking to her, listening to her ramble on about the 104 fever, and how she isn't taking someone to the doctor after 2 1/2 weeks just drives me nuts. So, I avoid her.

Which reminds me... Den and I play little jokes on each other. When a solicitor calls, I give him the phone as if it's a friend. lol. So... he got me one day. Our caller ID now shows up on our TV. The phone rang and I was in the office, so I didn't see it. I yelled out, "Who is it?" He said, "It's Helen" (neighbor down the street). I joyfully pick up the phone only to hear Mrs. Shortwick on the other end.

Which reminds me... He's due for a payback.

Close... but no cigar!

If you are a follower of The Pioneer Woman, then you know she does contests regularly. Katrina got me hooked on her blog back when there were about 3 people reading it. When she would do a contest, there would be about 200 entries. Should have known that wouldn't last!

Her last contest had about 40,000 entries I think. The funny thing is, when she does a regular blog post, she gets about 63 comments. Where are the 40,000 followers? Are they just trying to win something?

Anyway, back to our story...

This past week in her cooking section she ran a contest in which the winner would win a set of Cuisinart pots and pans. Lord knows we could use a new set of pots and pans in this house. The ones we have now are the el cheapo ones that Service Merchandise used to carry. You know the ones... they look like pot-belly pots with the gold-like handles. Well... the simulated gold finish is has worn off the handles in some spots. They came with NO pans, which means we picked up some cheap ones from Revco back in the day.

The point I'm getting to is that I entered the contest. The question... "Who is your favorite food blogger, or favorite TV chef?" Well... the only food blogger I know is Ree, and to put that would be like kissing her butt, so I put Paula Deen.

The funny thing is my response was #39. I must have come across the contest moments after she posted it. And then the winners were posted. I can't believe how close I was!! Looks like I'll be using my banged up kitchen artillery for a while longer. That is unless the kitchen fairy drops off something awesome!

Green with Envy

I read off Jro's blog that there is a Breakfast Club in Brighton. I went to one in Clawson once. Hook, line and sinker. I have been dreaming of that place ever since. I wonder if it is the same place that used to be in Clawson. I wonder how long it would take me to drive out there for breakfast.... and believe me. I would.

Ok, my fellow bloggers... someone go there for breakfast. Take photos of your food. I want a FULL REPORT!!

Bamboo Cutting Board

Words can not express how much I LOVE this cutting board from Pampered Chef. I purchased it a few years ago, and it is worth it's weight in gold. On one side it has a flat surface with a well around the edge for juices.

On the other side, it is concave. It is PERFECT for that Thanksgiving Turkey or New Years Roast. The well holds ALL of the juices, so that when you are done carving, you can pour them back over the meat!

I LOVE this cutting board, and think it would make a GREAT gift for Christmas.

#1005 Reversible Bamboo Carving Board - $69.50

Reversible Bamboo Carving Board This beautifully handcrafted bamboo board is ideal for all your carving and slicing needs. The double-sided board features a deep center well on one side to securely hold meat in place. Flip it over for a traditional carving board with a generous well to catch juices. 19" x 14" x 1 1/4". Bamboo is a grass and is actually the fastest growing plant on the planet. This sustainable and renewable resource naturally replenishes itself by constantly sending up new shoots from its root system, so there's no need for replanting. Plus, bamboo:
Resists staining, cracking and warping.
Doesn't conduct heat.
Doesn't absorb moisture.
Is harder and more durable than traditional hardwood.

Where-O, Where-O, Where is Jro?

I am totally blown away that Jro was able to just up and leave to follow their dreams. I am so anchored in my life here that there is NO WAY I could do that. I give her MAJOR kudos!

I wonder how she is doing?

Eeeekkkk!!!

Happy Halloween Everybody!!!

How Much Does it Weigh?

Does a gallon of water weigh as much as a gallon of milk?

I know, totally dumb question, but in my defense... a gallon is a unit of measure for volume. I would like to say that Milk is a bit more dense than water. Almost a colloid solution... so do you think they would weigh the same?

That is what is in my head today.

Facebook

I have to laugh. Ok... well I wasn't laughing when I did this, but the results were actually quite funny. Here is the scoop...

In my TS business we have a golden rule. "Book 90 days out". Which means that any parties I have right now, should have been booked 90 days ago.

90 days ago.... where was I? Obviously not doing my job because I suddenly realized that I didn't have any parties! In 2 years I have NEVER had a dryspell unless it was preplanned. That is the beauty of this business. You work when YOU want to work.

Well... now that I want to work, there wasn't anything to do! So I got on the phone. I got on Email and started asking around. I sent this email out to some people that live around me, that are my friends, and have had parties with me before. In my business, all it takes is 1 or 2 parties to get the ball rolling again. That is all I needed. A little shove.

So I sent this email out, putting my heart on my sleeve and asked my gals around here if they would have a party for me. "crickets" I got 2 emails back. Both of them said they just couldn't do it right now. THAT works for me. I am totally hip on honesty, and appreciate them telling me so. I can always take NO for an answer. Not exactly what I would have wanted to hear, but I can deal with that. No biggie.

From the others... still "crickets". So I went on fbook and put a post on there. I said...
You learn a lot about a person when the cards are down. That being said, I have a hypothetical question for you. THINK before you answer!!! If a friend were in danger of losing their job and you could help them with a little time and minimal effort, ...would you do it without hesistation, would you take it into consideration, or probably not because you are already so busy?


OMG... comment after comment flooded in. My phone started ringing off the hook, emails were pouring in. "Are you ok?" and the funny thing was this... I sent that email out to so many people and they responded to my fbook post that they would drop everything to help their friend, but never responded to my email. Sooooo what the heck!

Here is what I came up with... many people don't assume that those of us in direct sales consider this a "real" job. I CONSIDER THIS MY REAL JOB. It's the only one I have. I LOVE this job. It's been 2 years and I am still madly in love with this awesome company. I am working it to the best of my abilities and it just got sooooo much more fun now that Katrina and Joy have joined. While we make a tiny percentage off other people, it isn't nearly enough to make it motivational. TS doesn't want to be that type of company. Trust me, there won't be any car payments made off of my downline dudettes, lol.

So back to my fbook post. I quickly realized that I needed to change the topic on my profile. People were getting off the hook on that one, and it was just bizarre to see the flurry of activity. Although I didn't get any parties off of my "begging" email, things have totally turned around. I did a party on Thursday night, and booked 3 parties. I sent out an email letting people know I would be placing an order, and their orders are pouring in. Plus... one wrote me for a party in December.

Life is good... as always. I was just testing the fbookers. lol

The Compliment of my Life

My son just gave me the biggest compliment of my life.

About an hour ago, Greg walked up to me and says, "When you get older, I hope you don't change much."

"Why is that" I asked.

"Because you are so beautiful" he replied.

... I can't stop crying.

Working 9-5

I've come to a conclusion. I have been so busy applying for jobs, that I haven't been DOING my job as a Tastefully Simple consultant and I just celebrated my 2 year anniversary with this wonderful company. I LOVE this company. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! I have had it planted in my brain that because I don't leave my house M-F that I don't have a job, when actually I do have a job. One that I chose because I didn't want to leave my house M-F unless I planned it that way. What was I thinking?

Last night our team went to see Jill. She is the Founder and CEO of Tastefully Simple. A regular chic like the ones I choose to be my friends. The message wasn't SELL, SELL, SELL, but more inspirational. When you have tragedies in your life, or life just plain sucks at the moment, you take it from day to day. If you can barely make it day to day, then you take it minute by minute. Be happy with what you have. Be happy with what you receive. If you want more out of your life, then you need to make that happen.

Our thoughts are self-fulfilling. Positive thoughts will get your positive results; negative thoughts will get negative results. Thoughts control our emotions; emotions control our actions.

It's time... to get back to work.

Please let me know if you need to place an order, or if you are interested in helping me do my job, by doing a book party or a taste-testing party with me.

www.tastefullysimple.com/web/vmilobar

$19.71 or 1971

Coke. I had the craving of the century that would only be cured by Coca Cola. Of course, we had none. After dropping the kiddies off at Religious Ed, I stopped in to our local Walgreens (my all time favorite convenience store) and got my 2 liter fix. As busy as they were, I ended up at the beauty counter register with another man in front of me.

He was older than I, by a bit. Maybe mid 50's. He smelled nice, and had nicely combed hair. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt. Sort of reminded me of my Dad. I don't know what it is, but you never see men that are well groomed like that, or smell nice. When you do, you take notice. He obviously takes care of himself.

$19.71 the cashier told him. "Ahhh 1971. THAT was a good year" he replied. "Yes it was" said the cashier.

Ahhh, I thought to myself. Finally someone has talked about a date... in which I wasn't even born yet. That one statement, made me feel young again. Ahhhhh the joy.

Two Years ago Today...

I signed up with Tastefully Simple. I am so glad I was offered the opportunity and that I took it. It has been so much fun, and the girls on our TS team are amazing. I am so thankful.