Entertaining on a Dime... Actually on $8.64!

Thank you, Dollar Tree, for saving my hide once again. We threw an impromptu Italian dinner on Friday night for some friends and because I'm the hostess with the mostess, I felt the need to stock a make-shift bar with a few different red wines to compliment the hub's eggplant parmesan. Realizing Thursday night that there was no red wine glass to be found in the whole house, I set out to find some.

First stop was Wal-Mart, and their assortment of glassware was so pathetic that I'm not going to waste your time bad-mouthing them. Remembering that I had gotten some margarita glasses at a good price for a friend at Belk a few years ago, I headed there next. I did find a suitable set of wine goblets but they wanted $34.00 for a set of FOUR! Sorry, Belk. I am SO not spending that.

As a last resort, I thought I'd try Dollar Tree. And Ba-Bam! Eight red wine goblets (all a nice shape and quite sturdy) to the tune of $8.64 tax and all. And at that price, if one (or two:D) get broken along the way, I won't be reaching for the Pinot Noir to drown my sorrows! LOL! I've been wanting to add some champagne flutes to my glassware collection, so guess who's making a return visit? :) What are some of the things you frequent your local dollar store for? What's been your "deal of the century" there? Leave a comment and we'll all compare!

Throwing Caution to the Wind

Sometimes I get too obsessed with my schedule. I can't play with the girls, cuz I've GOT to get these dishes done. I can't invite anyone over because today is laundry day and I CAN'T get behind. I couldn't possibly break our evening routine or the earth might stop still on it's axis. And where does that leave me? Checking off my unending to-do list, up to my elbows in dish suds, and smelling "April fresh." And that's about it.

I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but in the last 24 hours, I have made a conscious decision to put more effort into my relationships than into my domestic duties. I have stepped over toys making my way out the door to walk with a friend. AFTER supper. On a school night. Gasp! I've left laundry in the hamper to go and have breakfast with another friend. What's for supper tonight, you ask? I have no idea. I've decided to write this blog post about how good it feels to "let go" and worry about dinner later. And as far as I know, the world is still turning. Wait... Yep. Still turning. ;)

Don't worry, this outrageous behavior will in no way become the status quo around here. I just think that living life on "housekeeping auto-pilot" can be just as detrimental as never adhering to any schedule at all. In a hundred years, your floors will be mopped by someone else living in your house. Your dishes will be packed up in your great-grand daughter's attic. And what will be said for your life? I hope my life will read like this: "She played with her girls. She loved her family. She listened to her friends. She welcomed everyone into her heart and into her home." Balance. And who couldn't use a little more of that?

How Me and My Ride Compare AKA: Random Musings About Momhood and Minivans

Both are indispensable for getting the family where we need to go. With all the crap that comes with. ;)

The kids take a toll on us daily and it shows!

Speaking of, both of us could use a little TLC in the grooming department.

We are both NOT the latest model, but was top of the line back in the day. ;)

You can find us sputtering around, "running on empty" half the time.

The older we get, the more maintenance we require!

The kids love us and all the bells and whistles we provide for them, but would NEVER admit said love for sheer embarrassment.

Yesterday, my battery died in car line. I'm hoping this is where we draw the line with our comparisons (she writes, laughing nervously). Although, Chuck DID drop everything to come and get me going again. Loving the romantic connotations here. I'm lame, I know. I drive a minivan, remember?

We are both a lot bigger than I thought necessary, but FABULOUS nonetheless!

Food For Thought

Every time we get a puppy, Anna has some life-threatening hospital stay. I'm thinking this may be our last puppy for a LONG time. Like ever.

Every time I make plans to "change my life," life, as it turns out, has OTHER plans for me. Life lesson: I'm really not as in control as I think I am.

Dreaming about someone I love that is no longer with me is almost like being with them again. In my dream I remember what their hands look like, and how their hugs felt long after my conscious mind had forgotten. Sigh...

Hollywood has not come up with an original movie idea in YEARS (with only a few exceptions). Quit making money off of someone else's brainchild. Re-makes are old and putting a movie in 3-D and re-releasing it is just lame. Of course the last movie I saw in the theater was "High School Musical 3" so my opinion might not carry much weight.

I am currently dealing with an apparent card hoarding addiction. Only yesterday did I successfully discard cards given to me when I graduated from college. SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO, people. Gah! I'm letting go. Moving on. What exactly was I holding on to?

I find it most intriguing that after visiting New York last month, us southerners are quite repressed in our thoughts and actions as a whole. Why IS that?

Finding an old pay-stub or checkbook register from years ago can really put things in perspective and put your present financial circumstances in a far better light than you imagined. Just think how much better it can be five or ten years from NOW...

"Phineas and Ferb" is pure genius. If only summer vacation was really 104 days...

Is 39 too old to start making a "bucket list?"