You're Telling Me?

This bathroom remodel has almost cost my husband his life. And not just him, but every male who has had anything to with it. Men and their tools, I have discovered, are not to be questioned, for any reason, at any time, by a woman and her sensible logic.

Take for example this one instance out of innumerable instances: It was time to pick tile for the floor and the shower. When I say that it was time to select tile, I do not mean it was time to explore samples and compare materials and ponder products. No. What I mean is that my husband had worked himself into a complete tile emergency. We had to pick the tile, then, right then, that day. It had to be done without delay. No time for careful thought. Do you hear me? IT WAS AN EMERGENCY!

So there we are at the tile store, me and my husband, with the contractor on the phone, the salesman assisting us, and the store owner hovering about. Not one of them seemed to have any clue about how close I was to going postal in the place.

I see my husband nodding and saying, "Uh-huh, uh-huh," into his cell phone.

"What now?" I whisper.

"He says not to forget the towel bar for the shower," explains my husband.

"We're not putting a towel bar in the shower," I tell him. Any decorator types might disagree with me, but a towel bar in a shower makes absolutely no sense to me. Why do people do that? A towel hanging on a towel bar in the shower must be removed and put somewhere else (at my house, that would be the floor) before anyone can take a shower. Otherwise, the towel will get wet.

My husband says a few more uh-huhs, then addresses me again, "It's standard to put a towel bar on the end wall of the shower. We're paying experts to help us with this, so let's let them."

Again, I don't see it that way. I'm paying experts to advise me and then to do what I tell them I want done. "No towel bar," I repeat.

The salesman overhears our tift and rushes in to help. "He's right. All showers have towel bars on the end wall opposite the the shower head. Why don't I show you a few examples." The owner of the store nods in agreement. All showers have towel bars.

Again, I explain why WE will not be installing a towel bar IN our shower. But I express that we would like to install a recessed shelf for shampoo and such. I am taken and shown my options. Then guess what ALL those men tell me when I tell them I want it placed on the wall opposite the shower head (where the towel bar is generally placed)?

They say that "typically" those shelves are installed on the long wall of the shower. Why? Because, as they each explain it to me, in all seriousness, your shampoo and such will get wet if it's on the wall opposite the shower head. And they insist that I change my mind!

I did not. Sensibility and logic both prevailed in that particular instance, keeping me from lasering everyone of those men, including one via a wireless connection, with my well-practiced evil eye. Those men and their tools are working hard to put that shelf exactly where I advised them to put it, without a ridiculous matching towel bar.

Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run

Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run

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Happy New Year!

It's nothing but time. 12 months of possibility spread before you. What do you plan to do with them?

Southern Girls Living Fearlessly in the New Year

Every [woman] should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every [woman] gird [herself] once more, with [her] face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past. ~Henry Ward Beecher

As January 1st approaches, I have to assess if I really accomplished all that I set out to do this year - get organized, manage my time better, read more books, focus on the truly important things in life . . . live fearlessly. Then I must put it behind me. Face forward and meet the New Year head on. Because if I'm seriously honest with myself, I have to admit that the only thing organization ever did for me was create a clean slate for new chaos.

Instead of making the same-old-same-old safe resolutions like travel, lose weight, spend more time with family and friends, get in shape, eat healthier, let's accept that we've probably done the best that we can with those tried and true standards over the years. In 2011, step out on a limb and take a chance on a new approach to evolving into a better person:

Say "No" - Say "No" to doing anything - joining a club, leading a group, organizing an activity - that you cannot or will not give your best to. Do not allow a guilty sense of obligation back you into a corner.

Make no comparisons- No matter what the talking heads in the media try to get you panicked about this year, no matter what your friends and neighbors do, spend your time and my money only on things that are important to you and your family.

Live life as a work of art - Cherish experiences over things. Collect beautiful memories instead of stuff.

Foolish versus Fearless - Remember the difference between foolish and fearless and do not do anything to compromise your life or your dignity. This includes skydiving and skinny dipping and other sundry activities of that nature.

Change is not just the coins jingling at the bottom of your purse - It is an uncertain world in which we live. Accept change in your circumstances as God's way of offering a new opportunity or His desire to alter your life's direction.

Be a light of this world - Speak kind words, make charitable contributions within your means, and engage in behaviors that build your community regardless of recognition.

Happy New Year! May you and those you love embrace all the possibilities it brings at the stroke of midnight.

The 30 Day Challenge

I got this idea from my FaceBook friend, Leah Kanaan. It's a 30 Day Challenge that I modified somewhat to fit the blogosphere. For the month of January, beginning January 2nd, I will post every day to the following prompts. I'm doing this for two dumb reasons: (1) I love lists. Love them! Can't help it. (2) I love checking things off of lists. Okay, and there's a third dumb reason: I like silly little projects like this that sound fun at the point of pondering but become entirely annoying by the time I finish them.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself plus five facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.
Day 03 - A link to your favorite blog/video/web page.
Day 04 - A picture of what you ate for dinner last night, plus the recipe.
Day 05 - A recap of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been and a few words about why you went there.
Day 07 - An honest description of your true self. A picture to illustrate might be helpful.
Day 08 - A list: Something that makes you laugh, something that makes you cry, something that makes you laugh through tears.
Day 09 - Your best advice for surviving tough times.
Day 10 - A forecast of where you will be and what you will be doing 10 years in the furture.
Day 11 - Three things you hate.
Day 12 - Three things you love.
Day 13 - Two measurable goals for 2013.
Day 14 - The one reason you will never be as cool as you imagine.
Day 15 - Three things on your bucket list.
Day 16 - A picture of something you did that you shouldn't have.
Day 17 - A confession of your biggest insecurity.
Say 18 - A picture of your favorite place.
Day 19 - A habit you wish you didn't have and when it started and why you won't quit it.
Day 20 - A date and a plan for going somewhere you've never been but want to go.
Day 21 - A poem about something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture that confuses you.
Day 23 - A review of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you crave a lot.
Day 25 - A quiz that has no right answers and no wrong answers.
Day 26 - The greatest historical event in your lifetime.
Day 27 - Name the one family member you'd want to end up in jail with if by chance you ended up in jail.
Day 28 - A confession of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A character description of someone you miss.







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My Review of Stainless Steel Onion and Vegetable Chopper

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

This product is designed for dicing and chopping fruits, vegetables, nuts and other food items. With each chop the knives retract and reset to a new position of the next chop. It can be taken apart for cleaning.

Features:

• Great for dicing and chopping
...

Stainless Steel Onion and Vegetable Chopper

The Super Slapper

By Lucy Adams from Thomson, GA on 12/30/2010

 

5out of 5

When my husband unwrapped his Christmas gift, a huge grin broke across his face. He said, "Oh you got me one, a super slapper." I received it as a free product from CSN in exchange for using it and writing a review. As it was Christmas, I decided to give it to my husband as a replacement of one we had previously, made by another company out of less durable materials. The stainless steel body of this chopper can withstand the vigorous use my husband puts it through.

This stainless steel chopper is perfect for chopping and dicing small to moderate amounts of onions, vegetables, and even tender meats. And it's so much more convenient than dragging out the big food processor and all its parts.Plus, it stores in a relatively small space, which is important in our kitchen since we don't have a lot of cabinets.

My husband's favorite use for his chopper is making salsa. The chopper allows him to very efficiently prepare all of his ingredients. I like the salsa better when we makes it this way as opposed to using the food processor, because the food processor whips the salsa into a frothy consistency rather than a chunky mixture.

Overall, I think this product is more useful and efficient for chopping than either a knife or a food processor. Depending on how many times the blade is depressed, the user can control the resulting size of the food being chopped. The more depressions the smaller the pieces. Finally, it comes apart for easy cleaning and, again, unlike a food processor, there is no motor to worry about when cleaning the "Super Slapper."

(legalese)

Merry Christmas

I wish for you the joy and simplicity of the very first Christmas.

Let us not forget why we celebrate.