Christmas at the Simpletons Has Begun!

I am not ashamed to admit that I began listening to Christmas music this morning- approximate time of fighting the urge to do it and then giving in was 9:47am.

Yes, I love Christmas music and yes, I love Christmas and all that goes with it. But those reasons were not the motivation for playing this CD over and over again this morning......

You see, I NEEDED to get in the spirit of Christmas because I was working on making these.....

A photogrpaher I am not.......a card-maker I AM! These are just a sampling of some of the cards that I made today. Once I am done, I'll post photos of more and if you want to order any, well you sure can!

For those of you who live in the same city as me, I'll be sending out an invitation to another card open house later in October.

Well friends, it's time that I get back to ribbons, trees, and colorful paper! I am on a roll and must take advantage of my creative juices.

Merry Christmas.......uhm, I mean Good Night!

Just Because

I love this picture of Simple Guy with old friends from college:

This was taken at a wedding this summer in Minnesota: the guy in front is Jerod- he was the groom; the guy to the far right is my Guy- best looking one in the bunch if you ask me!

Money Chasers

On the way home from church this afternoon, Simple Guy and I were casually conversing and plotting out the rest of our day when suddenly Simple Guy murmured something, unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the driver's seat, only to dash into the middle of an intersection and dash back to the car with a $5 bill!

I was astonished....not because he had $5, but because he unmanned the car and bolted into an intersection.....grant it, there were no cars and upon replay in my mind, he was never in any danger.

"There is money in the street......look, there's more over there!" said he.

He crossed the intersection and pulled up to the curb across the way and I quickly opened my door and snatched up a $20 bill!

"Oh my gosh......this is unbelievable!" said me.

Simple Guy quickly turned the car around to go back to see if there was any more cash tumbling around on the other side of the street. After careful surveillance we determined there was no more cash to chase......but then we wanted to make sure just in case.......so we circled the block again and pulled into a small parking lot and sure enough......

"There's another one!" declared Simple Guy. I opened my door and lo' and behold, there was a $10 bill!

"This really is unbelievable!" I said laughing and pumping my fist full of money!

So there you have it, we found $35 in just three minutes. Here it is:



And in case you are wondering, there was no one around who appeared to be frantically looking for their money, because if there was, we certainly would have given it to them!

Bottle Caps: There's Something You Can Do With Them

I bet you didn't know this: if you throw your plastic water bottle into the recycling bin with the cap on it does not get recycled....it goes in a landfill! Know why? Because the caps found on things like water bottles and other containers cannot be recycled and if they are attached to a recyclable item they deem the whole item unrecyclable. So only throw the actual container in the recycling bin, but do not throw out the caps- there is something you can do with them!

Instead, for an idea of what you can do with your caps, click here.

Not sure if there is an Aveda store or salon near you? Click here. If you do not have a store near you, but you may see me at some point, then save the caps for me and I'll turn them in for you.

I'm Not That Girl

You know how some women shower every morning and heck, if they have something to do later in the day they shower again? Yeah, uhm, I'm not that girl.

You know how some women wash their hair every single day and blow dry it into a perfect coif? I'm not that girl.

You know how some women like to shave every other day, or sometimes, every day? Who has time to shave but only on special occassions- I'm not that girl!

You know how some women wouldn't be caught anywhere in public in their pj's? Bring on the jammies- I'm not that girl!

You know how some women like to make sure everything matches- the shoes match the bag; the eyeshadow matches the blouse, etc. Boring! I'm not that girl!

You know how some women like to make sure that their workout clothes look just so? I'll take Simple Guy's t-shirts and a wrinkled pair of sweatpants because I am not that girl!

You know how some women won't eat more than two bites of dessert because their salad was so big? Please pass my own piece of carrot cake because I am not that girl!

This post is in honor of Michelle and the confessions we made to each other this morning at the church office......and in honor of all you other ladies who may have read something above that sounds a bit familiar.

Oh, and if you ARE that girl.....it's all good!

My Favorite Things

Dear Blog Readers,

I am sorry. I am sorry that I have not posted anything since August 10. I am sorry that whenever you check out my blog all you see is the same: the same pictures, the same words, the same everything.

My absence is for a good reason. Or shall I say reasons. But I will not bore you anymore, instead, I am going to reveal to you.......

My Favorite Things!

Yes, friends, it's my favorite things....just like Oprah, only you won't be going home with anything. But please do read on, for I know there will be at least one thing that is my favorite thing that will quickly become your favorite thing if you give that one thing a try or listen. Please read on!

In the category of personal hygiene and the pursuit to stay looking in my 20's when I am no longer in my 20's, the award goes to.......

Aveda Beautifying Oil

It has the amazing ability to make my skin, scalp, and hair feel as soft as a baby's you-know-what. Have sandpaper elbows? Rub on some oil and in a week you will notice the difference! Does your scalp get dry in the winter? Work in some oil before you go to bed and by morning you will no longer suffer from dry scalp? Does you hair get dull and brittle? Slather some oil on the ends of your hair and it will help restore the shine. And oh, does this stuff smell gooooood!

In the category of technology and for it's ability to make life so much easier, the award goes to.....

zamzar.com

I can't tell you what the lizards have to do with it, but this website works miracles. Have you ever gotten a file sent to you that you cannot open because you do not have the software to view it? It happens to me a lot. And now you and I both have a place to turn......zamzar.com folks! Next time you get a file that you cannot open, simply save the file to your computer, then go to zamzar, download the file you cannot open as prompted, decide what software you want to have it converted to so you can view it, fill in your e-mail address so the converted file can be sent to you, and then you are done!

In the category of reading for enjoyment but also for enlightment, the award goes to......

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Oh, this book! This book is heartbreaking. Yet it's so heartwarming. This book will make you realize just how forutnate we are to live in a free country. This book will enrage you. It will devastate you. But it will teach you. It will teach you what life was like, and likely still is like, for the women in modern Afganistan. Written by the same author of "The Kite Runner," this book will catapolt you into the lives of two women and will take you on a journey as their lives intersect and ultimately, save each other.

In the category of weeknight news, the award goes to......

Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN

I enjoy watching this braodcast during the week because it's smart and fresh. I remember seeing Anderson Cooper when he hosted this reality TV gameshow called "The Mole" and was impressed with him then. And now that he is behind a desk delivering the latest news and interviewing guests, well I am even more impressed. I like Anderson......Anderson for President? He'd get my vote......as long as his views alight with mine!

In the category of getting me in the mood for chillier weather (hey, not all of us enjoy summer that much!) and making me want to get our tree out of storage, the award goes to.......

Amy Grant: Home for Christmas

Who else?! Gosh, this woman was born to sing Christmas music! No one can hold a candy cane to her voice when she is singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." I have all three of AG's Christmas CD's and this is her best one for sure......however, she has a fourth one coming out on the 30th, so maybe that one will top the Christmas tree!

In the category of helping keep my house and dishes clean while being kind to the earth, the award goes to......

Shaklee's Basic H2 Cleaning Concentrate and Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate

Go to http://www.shaklee.com/ and you will see these and other products to use at home that are non-toxic, bio-degradable, and all around not harmful to the environment. The Simpleton household is committed to being enviro-friendly, and the products we use to keep our home clean and tidy do not have any hamrful checmicals in them. It's the chemicals in most commonly used cleaning products that can lead to asthma and other breathing problems, not to mention their ability to pollute our streams, rivers, and oceans. Please consider switching over to products that are not harmful to you, your children, and our world.

And this concludes this edition of My Favorite Things! I'll do more of these in the future with the hope that you might discover something new when I do.

Well, I think it is safe to expect that I will be returning to posting more regularly, and in case you thought I forgot, I will be announcing the winner of my last contest soon!