Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Galloping Greedy Gimmies

Have you ever read Berenstain Bears?


One of the books I read to my kids was Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmes. The story is about Brother and Sister Bear throwing a temper tantrum every time they don't get their way. In the book they call in the Galloping Greedy Gimmes for grownups it's called Keeping up with the Jones.

Once upon a time "Keeping up with the Jones" was OK because the people we based our life style on was the people living next to us. Unfortunately now-a-days we base it on the things we see on TV. We ask ourselves why we can't have all the things the characters on TV have? All those commercials trying to get us to buy buy buy because we just can't live without some doodad or another. Right now I'm watching a movie where the rich guy has a marble bathtub with a flat screen TV in and enormous bathroom. Good God who wouldn't want to soak in that bath?
Give me an hour Please!

Now if I had never seen this I wouldn't want it I wouldn't even think about it. Every day we are exposed to tons of products we would have never even considered because we didn't know about it and we were getting alone just fine not knowing about it.

Where am I going with this? Well January 1st starts my galloping greedy gimmes. HGTV has their Dream Home Giveaway. It is highly unlikely that I will ever win this enormous monstrosity and even if I did I couldn't afford the taxes to keep it. But every year I go to HGTV's website and check out the new house and enter everyday. Sometimes I don't even like the houses. They had one where the Master Suite was disconnected from the main house. This means leaving the kids in the house all by themselves but still I entered. I'll be entering this year too. I usually watch HGTV to get ideas on how to fix things up or get organized but every year this contest gives me the gimmes.

I think TV give us the gimmes, yes it may entertain us, make us laugh (though with the flood of reality tv shows I've been watching less and less) but it also makes us want stuff we can't afford and if we didn't know about it (through tv) would be perfectly happy without. Does this make me get rid of the TV .... well no but I watch with my kids and talk to them about the things they see. If you asked my daughter about the toys in Happy Meals she would most definitely tell you about how they are just there to make kids bug their parent to eat at McDonalds and how that good ol clown cares more about your cash then your nutrition. Do we still eat at McDonalds? Yes.. once in a while we eat there because I want my daughter to understand that on occasion it ok to eat a little junk food....

Ok I think I'm ranting LOL so to wrap this up answer me this What give you the gimmies? Something you've seen on TV in a newspaper or magazine? Something your friend told you about? What do you do to fight off the gimmes when it's something you know you don't need and cant afford or don't want to waste your hard earned cash on?

Sunday, December 28, 2008

My First Container Garden ?!?

Well I’ve been checking out some books on Container gardening and Gardening in small spaces to try and decide which vegetables will work best. I haven’t decided which to use yet but I have plenty of time to decide.
Yep thats snow in the background.
BUT I hate waiting! So in this little pot I’ve planted some pepper seeds. (I got them out of a pepper on a veggie tray LOL) I have no idea how big the plants will grow but it will be fun to see while I’m waiting for that warm spring weather to start planting my other veggies.

Layers Layers Layers

Well I broke down and did it. SHAME SHAME on me!

I drove the kids to school on the Thursday before Christmas! I had to it was FREEZING! Actually I drove my son to school I walked my daughter. She had to be at school first and my hubby was working at home that day so instead of taking my son and waiting in the cold I left him home with Mark and planned to come back and walk my son. That way he could stay where it was warm until it was time for school. By the time I got home from walking my daughter I was so cold it hurt. There was no way I was walking Billy in that, Samantha had on tights under her pants so she stayed pretty warm. But I don’t have anything for Billy to wear as a second layer to keep his legs warm and since I wasn’t wearing a second layer I knew he would be miserable. So, yes I warmed up the car and took him to school.

When it gets closer to New Years we are going to go out and get him some long johns. We are waiting until after Christmas because you would not believe the way some of the people drive around here. It’s a major nightmare at the mall there was actually some idiots driving over the curb to cut into the line of traffic. If they had just joined the line we all would have gotten home sooner but because they stopped traffic while they forced their way into the line it stopped traffic completely! There is no way I’m going to drive around with people like that on the roads in MASS numbers.

Now for a tip for all you facing that bitter windy cold. Layers are very important and not just for the top half. Billy was wearing a shirt, a hooded sweater, a hat and a coat. But only one layer on his legs, which is the same thing I had when I walked Sam to school. When that wind chill kicks up you need that extra layer on your legs to keep the cold out and the body heat in.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Take A Break

Tis the season to be frazzled frustrated and overworked so take five have a laugh, think a thought, and have a great day!
Where my hubby got these I don't know but I'm sharing them with you I hope you enjoy!

Ponder ables

If you take a person from the Far East and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

Why do we say something is out of whack? What's a whack?

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts", and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a Broker?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

Have a Great day! LIVE LAUGH LOVE and no matter which Holiday you celebrate my it be filled with JOY!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Big Mac Or Whopper?

Have you seen the new Burger King ad?

They go to rural villages where the locals have never sampled a burger. Then asked those folks to taste-test its Whopper against the Big Mac. How horrible is that? Lets go to places that have never had the artery clogging fatty disgusting burgers served in fast food joints and give them to individuals that have never had them to see which processed heart clogger would win.

Gee I can't wait to see which burger the impoverished citizens of this planet would pick can you? Lets watch them bite into a burger for the first time without wondering what the fatty burgers will do to their bodies and tease them with a treat that may be unaffordable once the ad men are done with them.

Some things are just plain wrong and I think this is one of them. What do you think?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

You will want to Check this out

Sew, Mama, Sew Blog has gotton together with other bloggers and are having a great big Hugh giveaway. Just go to Sew Mama Sew to find the list of bloggers who are participating (I would have but found out about it yesterday so Didn't have time to make a prize). Anyway here is a cheat link to get you over there.



Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Crazy Green and World Wide

I sent out Zoya's prize today. I meant to send it yesterday but was having trouble finding a box. Anyway I wrapped it up nice and neat. Oh she selected the Origami book.




So I go back to her e-mail to get the address to send her prize and guess where she is from?

Indonesia



How cool is that? It never ceases to amaze me when I find out I'm talking to someone in another country. It makes me wonder about the person on the other side of the connection. What is it like where they live?

Well thanks to google and other browers we can find out a little about other places. I got this information off of National Geographics Website.

Indonesia Flag and Fast Facts


Population: 221,932,000

Capital Jakarta: 13,194,000
Area: 1,922,570 square kilometers(742,308 square miles)
Language: Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch, Javanese, and other local dialects

Religion: Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist

Currency: Indonesian rupiah

Life Expectancy: 68

GDP per CapitaU.S.: $3,100

Literacy Percent: 89
I have really enjoyed the National Geographics Website. It has tons of world wide information for free. And well all love free don't we.

Google