Pet Peeves

I was talking with a friend about some funny pet peeves we have and we got to laughing so hard. I just wanted to share some with you guys:

These are some of my pet peeves-
*It always annoys me at Christmas time when everything makes for a 'great gift'~ No, tires are not a 'great gift idea' not everything is a 'great gift'
*It also annoys me when everything is your 'one stop Christmas shop' I heard this Verizon Wireless commercial that said, "Come in to Verizon Wireless and find something for everyone on your list" No I am not going to be able to find anything at Verizon Wireless for anyone on my Christmas list

* It also annoys me when publications talk about 'helpful hints' or 'great tips' that are neither helpful or great.....or they are just common sense.

I was reading this list of money saving tips for new babies and most of them were stupid...here are a few:

Instead of buying those pricey wipes use a bowl of warm water, a drop of baby shampoo, and some paper towels to wipe baby-What? paper towels get to be really expensive...how is buying more paper towels going to save any money? You also have to use more shampoo up, and waste electricity getting the water warm? Also you need to be by a water source...when you are out and about there is not always a sink near by.

Another one was-breastfeed your baby...this will save on formula and bottles-well, duh!!!! everyone knows that breastfeeding is FREE! Mothers who choose not to breastfeed do not make the decision based on saving money. They base it on whether they need to go back to work, whether their baby is taking to the breast, whether they want to or not do to pain or whatever reason.

Another tip is-do not buy your baby, who can not walk, shoes. What? -shoes help with the proper growth of the foot...they assist in arch support development.

Another tip-For cost savings, find activities to do at home with your baby instead of signing up for activities around the community-Well, again, DUH, I think most people know that staying at home saves money rather than signing your kid up for community events.

Another tip was-cut coupons-again~DUH

I was reading another pamphlet about energy saving in the home here were the tips:

-turn off lights when you leave the room-DUH
-take shorter showers-DUH


I also hate house cleaning tips that are just so stupid or common sense. I read an article that said, "soak your dishes...it will make to easier clean-up when you go to wash them" and another one that said, "pick up as you go, it will save from a big pickup at the end of the project" again~DUH!


Does anyone have any good pet peeves?

China

China

I wanted to do a post on China...mainly because I love china and mainly because there is a very interesting story on how I acquired mine.

Now-the china I have I probably wouldn't of picked it out at a store if I could pick any China in the whole world.....but it is ok. The main reason why I wouldn't pick it is because it looks very spring-ish to me...like I can't see Thanksgiving dinner being eaten off of it or really any fall/winter meal. It looks very Easter/birthday/anniversary/spring/maybe summer-ish

So this is my now china and I hope to get one more set in my life that is more versatile.
Also I really like China when you have more than just the place setting...I like the 'extras' serving platters/serving bowls/gravy boats/etc

Now how I got it.
My husband and I went to an estate sale and it was the third and final day of the sale. There was this set set in the living room set on several shelves and boxes. One of the boxes had $150 marked on it with an X through it and then $100 with an X through it and $75 with an X through is and then $45. So you can tell they wanted to sell it. I though "this isn't my perfect china, but it is only $45 for all of it" It had tons of place setting and lot of extra. Well the lady who was selling it (the daughter of the lady who passed away) started helping my husband and myself wrap it up in newspaper and pack it in boxes. This took a long time!!!!!!!!!

At the very end of wrapping it up the lady noticed her left hand and started to freak out. She said, "My wedding ring!!!!!!!!!!" She did not have her wedding ring on her hand. We didn't know what to do because she could of lost it anywhere that day....she said she got up at 5am and it was now 4pm and she could of lost it anywhere. I told her that I would take my china home and unwrap every piece right away. She said, "Will you really...are you sure?" I said of course.

Well I went home and unwrapped every piece and right in the middle of unwrapping her wedding ring fell out on my kitchen floor. (Oh-the estate sale was 2 blocks away from my house) I walked it right over and she was so happy and started hugging me. She asked for my address and I said I didn't need any reward, but she demanded my address. The next day I went to my mailbox and found a card w/o a return address on it. I opened the card and $40 fell out. I really didn't need the money I was so happy that she got her wedding ring back, but I couldn't return it to her.

So basically I got all my china for $5.

Below is all the place setting...of course the middle is the dinner plate, but going clockwise starting on the far left is the salad plate, soup bowl ((it is not very bowly (I know not a word)), desert plate, and the cup and saucer

close-up of the dinner plate

cup and saucer

gravy boat-this might look like two pieces but they are attached

cream/sugar

large serving platter oval (it is bigger than it looks) and in front of it is 2 of the 4 large serving bowls

this is the round serving platter...it does look just like the plates only bigger

I have 20 place setting, 4 serving bowls, 2 platters (round and oval) gray boat, and cream sugar

The rose is pink and the rim is a silver color.

The lady I bought it from looked to be in her fifties and she said she remembered her mother getting it from her father for Christmas when she was about 6 years old or so)
The bottom says Mikasa which is still sold at Macy's and Bergner's and other high end stores today.

The below picture has nothing to do with my china...my grandma gave this to me today. It is a cake carrier that she got for her wedding over 60 years ago.

Song

Has anybody ever heard a song and really think-Was this written for me?
A song that talks about EXACTLY how you feel?
Like the song writer could read your mind?

Mine is "I Just Call You Mine" by Martina McBride

The thing that really attracted me to my husband in the first handful of months that we dated was what a good FRIEND he was to everyone.

He has the largest group of friends of anyone I have ever met!!!!!

If we went to a local bar or restaurant or party or any event people would be pushing people over to get to Wes.

His guest list for our wedding was majorly out weighed in the friends department~and every friend showed up and most of his family did not???

I really thought "Everyone loves him!!!!"

My family fell for him....(I think they like him more than they like me!)

Every word of this song is perfect for my husband and I~I am so proud to call him mine!!!!!!!!!!!!

Survey

I took this Valentine Survery from another blog. I gave my husband it, but his answers were funny and some sorta inappropriate for this blog. So Here are my answers:





What couple from a movie or TV show are you most like?:

I would say it is a toss up (or maybe a combination) between Jim and Pam from the office or Monica and Chandler from Friends.


Do you have a song?:

"When You Say Nothing at All" by Allison Krauss



First movie you saw together in the theatre:

I can't remember

Who said I Love You first?

He did

Where do you eat out at most as a couple?

Texas Roadhouse

Who is better at handling money?

ME

What was the first meal that your wife ever cooked for you?

I cooked Pork chops, with stuffing, and peas for him.

If your spouse was a cartoon character which one would he/she be?

Superman-He really can do anything. Construction, plumbing, electrician, sports, fix cars anything.

How many boyfriends/girlfriends did your spouse have before you?

No long term. 2 short term...one was just the summer and one was 2 months.

What is your idea of a perfect date?

dinner at a restaurant with a nice walk along the river on a warm night, stopping for ice cream and then laying in bed watching a movie.

What physical feature first attracted you to your spouse?

his body-he has nice abs and a nice back-----oh and his hands too.

Where was your first date?

mini golfing

What is your spouses favorite show?

CSI, House, Food Network (anything on FN)

What is your favorite show?

Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Sex and the City

What is your dating anniversary?

April 20

If you could go anywhere on a second honeymoon, where would you go?
Hawaii

What surprised you about your spouse after marriage?

Nothing really-maybe just how much he eats.....it is really hard to keep groceries in the house. One bag of OREOS is a serving for him.....he will sit and eat a whole cheese block with crackers. He can also eat a whole pizza at one sitting. He is very skinny. He has actually lost 35 lbs since our wedding so he looks chunky in our wedding pictures to me. I think I have gained all the 35 lbs that he lost.


What's the best thing about being married to your spouse?

He really is chivalrous. He will carry things for me and clean for me.....after dinner he will load the dishwasher. He will run and get the mail if I ask him to and really do anything I ask him to do.


I am not going to lie....it is really nice to be married on Valentine's Day...I know I will always have a Valentine.

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

I am starting to think about Valentine's Day so I thought I would blog about how I met my husband:

First-this is to all the single ladies out there-Have you ever heard someone say "You will find a boyfriend when you stop looking" ? Well I believe this is totally true. Maybe it is some vibe we put out without knowing but this is true. ~and this was my case.

I had my first boyfriend when I was 14. From then on I basically was never single for long. I have never gone a long period of time without someone I was dating or a boyfriend. However, I am very proud of myself that I felt very comfortable with breaking up with someone I didn't feel I want to date long term. If I went on a first date with someone and I didn't want to date them I was very honest with them and maybe I am lucky, but we were always friendly about it and remained friends with no hard feelings. So from the age of 14-20 it was a constant revolving door of boyfriends or dates, but after breaking up with one boyfriend I was always looking for the next boy. It felt like 6 years of looking. In these 6 years......I had 3 long term boyfriends (none lasted over a year) with a sprinkling of first maybe a second or third date 'dating' relationships sprinkled inbetween.

Well my boyfriend right before I met my husband (lets call him A) I was with for 5 months. He was an amazing kisser!!! and was probably the best looking guy I have ever been with. But, I was not in love with him and knew I never would be. He was the hardest guy to break up with (probably because he was so very good looking and such a great kisser!!!) but I knew I had to. I really did not want to waste my time.

Well, after I broke up with A (I broke up with him right after Valentine's Day of 2002). I had this epiphany, for the first time in my life I was not going to look for the next. I was going to stop looking and thinking about boys and stop saying yes to every date I was asked out on. I was a spring semester sophmore in college. Well again, I broke up with A in February. That April (just 2 months later) my friend J asked me to go to a party with her friend K at K's boyfriend's house. I really didn't want to go, but J begged me and I said ok. Well since I really didn't want to go and I didn't care about boys I just threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and tossed my hair in a ponytail and went to the party. Well Wesley was at this party. Actually K's boyfriend is his best friend and best man at our wedding. At this party K asked what I thought of Wes and I said, "He is nice I guess." She said he was single and that we would be good together and asked if I wanted her to put in a good word for me. I said no, I didn't want a boyfriend or a date. Well she did anyways (didn't know this until later) and Wes ended up giving me glances and being really sweet to me. The next night (Friday) I went to this same person's house with J and K and Wes was there again. This night S (whose house is was and Wes's friend) asked if Wes and I have met. Wes then said, "I have seen you before at the Video Store." (Oh, I worked a video store at this time) (I totally don't remember him as a customer) Way later that night he asked me to go outside with him in the back yard and he played his guitar and sang for me. Really cheesy I know and I thought that at the time, but I also thought was very brave. He also told me that when he saw me at the Video Store he thought I was very pretty.

Well a whole bunch of us slept at S's house that night (I slept alone on the couch thank you very much) and the next morning (Saturday) S, K, Wes, and I decided to go frisbee golfing. After frisbee golfing (as we were driving home) S and K wanted to stop at a gas station. While they were in there Wes asked me for my phone number. Then he drove us to our cars and that was it.

Well the next day Sunday, he called, but I was not home and didn't get the message. Either my brother or dad anwsered the phone) Again I was not looking for anyone so after I went to bed Sunday I really thought 'oh well' again I was not looking to date anyone.

Monday, he called and I answered, during the phone conversation he asked if I got the message that he called yesterday. I didn't (this is when I learned he did call on Sunday) He then asked he out of the next weekend. I didn't really want to say yes because I was taking a break from guys. But I did say yes. We went mini-golfing. We then talked several times and went out to eat twice and then he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend and I said yes and we have been together ever since. In June we will of been married 3 years and been together 8. He is my best friend and I found him when I stopped looking!!!!!!!

Think Spring

I just freshened my blog up with some gerber daisies because I am looking forward to spring!!!

Earthquake

We had an earthquake last night and I felt it. It started in NW Illinois and the effects were felt all the way to Tennessee. It rattled my closet doors and shook my bed. Nothing fell off of any shelves or anything-just a light shake.

Tonight I basically made a Thanksgiving dinner. I was just in the mood. I made Turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, and corn....I also bought stuffing mix, but I forgot to make it!!! How does that happen?

We are in for some snow. It is suppose to snow for the next 3 days. I also need to blog about my Superbowl parties...I hope to do that later.

Movie Crazy

My husband and I are movie crazy this weekend. In the last two days (Friday evening and Saturday) we have watched:

The Hangover (for the second time)
Inglorius Basterds
All About Steve
Post Grad
Zombieland
Public Enemy

I have never watched so many movies in one weekend before.......

Valentines

These are some of the Valentine's I made today.