tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276879423786591292024-03-18T22:29:59.913-05:00Million Dream Mom"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya AngelouKristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-32241466194202161792012-12-19T02:33:00.000-06:002012-12-19T02:44:24.556-06:00Peteyville 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXhsrZ4LWSOuyA6pPRK0STUgeUBKoOSiLZJvMOFv7ajfKleZ-GRY0Lkf-WPAcxEu0CHE5q9p_HEuOFVKUZ3-H9G2_06fZ1sFoLOR18aUmeWvX4vrwnkZH5xCn0MsXNuMXm5fSFHfzbUA/s1600/IMG_2989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXhsrZ4LWSOuyA6pPRK0STUgeUBKoOSiLZJvMOFv7ajfKleZ-GRY0Lkf-WPAcxEu0CHE5q9p_HEuOFVKUZ3-H9G2_06fZ1sFoLOR18aUmeWvX4vrwnkZH5xCn0MsXNuMXm5fSFHfzbUA/s320/IMG_2989.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The other night I took my kids to Peteyville. What's that, you ask? Don't worry, I didn't know either: despite growing up one town over, this year was the first time I ever heard of it.<br />
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A Christmas staple for the past 25 years, it's that house (houses,
really) that EVERYONE drives out to see... the house that Clark Griswold
could only DREAM of having. Homemade holiday machines, lights, and
inflatables span across five lawns; they even have their own theme song!
(Tune in to 88.5fm while you're by the house to hear it, along with a
brief history of Peteyville.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJQWxUbCOggBzk9_1jYVpRvUfqszJWprsWBcBfVRbC20ssjokuL2tftJzHZmKwZrjHnXImeNpTkAnX5nPIvrBbb0lv_JJiwJWcRAqIplM9ieG1qtgWVTlukFYUjGkjAhwee1T344UUW8/s1600/IMG_2990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVGHUZV1arbfwi7TV9CB69oM8bNiikZgTGT0KV5sEzL3lTOSnSFCTVWsjmPo7dEBwn7lrjQp683s8PQ54x6X8CNVKI2F1HYz_fx7HqetLLjkFmvEVRV3WQ-HwR2b_7AwM18vGOWOsg_Q/s1600/IMG_2998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVGHUZV1arbfwi7TV9CB69oM8bNiikZgTGT0KV5sEzL3lTOSnSFCTVWsjmPo7dEBwn7lrjQp683s8PQ54x6X8CNVKI2F1HYz_fx7HqetLLjkFmvEVRV3WQ-HwR2b_7AwM18vGOWOsg_Q/s320/IMG_2998.jpg" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJQWxUbCOggBzk9_1jYVpRvUfqszJWprsWBcBfVRbC20ssjokuL2tftJzHZmKwZrjHnXImeNpTkAnX5nPIvrBbb0lv_JJiwJWcRAqIplM9ieG1qtgWVTlukFYUjGkjAhwee1T344UUW8/s320/IMG_2990.jpg" width="240" /></div>
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My brother got wind of it this year, and he dragged my parents along; my
mother insisted I had to take my kids. We were out and about the other
night and the weather was good (from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Peteyville.IN?fref=ts" target="_blank">their facebook page</a>, they can't put the display up during high winds; otherwise it's on from 5-10pm every night) so we headed over.</div>
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The kids were completely amazed. We were all enchanted, and I was given yet more proof that the more we age, the sappier we get; these goddamn Christmas lights and displays made me tear up. I CHOKED UP at someone's holiday display. I almost couldn't finish reading one of the signs to my daughter. It was pretty ridiculous.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah this one. It's not even that sappy but just the thought that a family has been spreading joy like this for 25 years... Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Peteyville is located at 3033 Crane Place in Hammond, Indiana. If you're in the area, you really must go. Get out of your car and walk around; the displays continue up the sides of each house. Take some pictures. Tune in to the radio station and listen to the story and song of Peteyville. Give yourself permission to revel in the holiday spirit just a little. Pictures just don't do this place justice.<br />
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Make it a scavenger hunt! See if you can spot:<br />
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*three Santas stuck in chimneys<br />
*six teddy bears<br />
*the leg lamp<br />
*the Peteyville sign<br />
*Scooby Doo<br />
*Spongebob<br />
*Mickey Mouse<br />
*a 'failed' light installation<br />
*two penguins<br />
*three snowmen <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-36YIrhVt9cObQqZcp7405ewLvVJL67njlJCHjlXFwjwgvGEbPs44C2UgfwsjdDjU03gLdn-Noch0XlLGtjuJKquCeJcHELP866KMOkzFu7jr-BprPnQn-hR4UF3tMJnyIk2uaNDoNY4/s1600/IMG_2999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-36YIrhVt9cObQqZcp7405ewLvVJL67njlJCHjlXFwjwgvGEbPs44C2UgfwsjdDjU03gLdn-Noch0XlLGtjuJKquCeJcHELP866KMOkzFu7jr-BprPnQn-hR4UF3tMJnyIk2uaNDoNY4/s320/IMG_2999.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8RpKrVorYaJZHhxB4qrDFxVQhSSpy-h3RXstG1jMhN3_tAuUsq23NGT05-ToGuHPhEy74sXoKuSkYZb9JE9DrJaxq54iD0dgvTlWzGFIUE81qVbKiKU95R9oh7_QmI_Q3010kgw_31Q/s1600/IMG_2997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8RpKrVorYaJZHhxB4qrDFxVQhSSpy-h3RXstG1jMhN3_tAuUsq23NGT05-ToGuHPhEy74sXoKuSkYZb9JE9DrJaxq54iD0dgvTlWzGFIUE81qVbKiKU95R9oh7_QmI_Q3010kgw_31Q/s320/IMG_2997.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Stop back here after you visit and let me know what your favorite
display was! Personally I was pretty damn impressed with the 20 foot
inflatables; I've never seen holiday inflatables that size! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Peteyville Panoramic<br />
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<a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802463511&pid=1220997&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kohls.com%2Fupgrade%2Fwebstore%2Fproduct_page.jsp%3FPRODUCT%253C%253Eprd_id%3D845524893037132%26pfx%3Dpfx_shopcompare%26cid%3Dshopping3&usg=AFHzDLvOjgHgqmH5kh6wKeZ-eh4ghjJtwg&pubid=606827" rel="nofollow"></a><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="250" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6534890.1594;sz=300x250;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1257842;usg=AFHzDLtzX876ewcfY3bMvAtpBZkiYmQzOA;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fupgrade%252Fwebstore%252Fproduct_page.jsp%253FPRODUCT%25253C%25253Eprd_id%253D845524893062200%2526pfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=606827;price=%24203.99;title=Kurt+Adler+24+Days+Of+Christmas+Moveable+Lighted+Music+Box;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1257842%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=135;height=135" vspace="0" width="300"></iframe><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-65800887023050033562012-08-09T02:54:00.001-05:002012-08-09T02:55:09.302-05:00I Feel So Broke Up, I Wanna Go HomeAnxiety and pain have me in vice grips tonight, so much so that I can't sleep. I am on vacation in a cabin in North Carolina, lying in a bedroom with my sleeping family, while my husband's family sleeps on in various rooms around us, with arms aching from poorly thought-out water sports (not THAT kind) and a stomach aching from accidental gluten ingestion (I think, anyway). I miss my house and my anxiety over a number of hurdles I need to face the next four days is sky high, and I don't know how to turn it off. The catch-22 of 'you need to sleep so you can function in the morning AND pack so you can get on the road AND not be a cranky bitch in front of your husband's family' clashing with the anxiety keeping me awake just generates more anxiety and I think I might throw up (the stomach pain doesn't help). I can't sleep during the day tomorrow because we are taking several small trips and meeting various people and right now I just kind of need a day off and there is no such thing. I can't even figure out how to pack because apparently I did it ALL WRONG on the way down here and used too many bags and we don't have enough room, but I don't even know HOW to repackage in such a way that will allow all four of us access to all the clothes and items we will need while traveling by car the next four days. I guess we could all wear the same damn outfit for the next four days, hygiene be damned! Fuck this noise. Can I just get beamed home already??<br />
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I wish I knew a good way to quell an anxiety attack when it comes up. I'm not doing very well with it right now. I think I took on too much this trip and I am losing my ever loving mind. Just cancel the rest of this tour and let me go home. I don't want to tackle any more.<br />
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I pecked out this whole post on my iPhone. I guess that's sort of like an accomplishment?Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-88666004714420148802012-07-22T22:38:00.001-05:002012-08-09T02:54:34.725-05:00Update on Dad<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW8Mikrb4t74deT9Yob1n_Hitd7IN53sKLMVU3sCf4g0ugeaxGzov9Fr6a4PoglcYc23dVEziVtIS4F3H67LMamq5VOh9NZPjVGv_zgfV1VSO0e8xqnq2GZ5KRUdT78szDp7AfuM44Yk/s1600/CIMG5459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW8Mikrb4t74deT9Yob1n_Hitd7IN53sKLMVU3sCf4g0ugeaxGzov9Fr6a4PoglcYc23dVEziVtIS4F3H67LMamq5VOh9NZPjVGv_zgfV1VSO0e8xqnq2GZ5KRUdT78szDp7AfuM44Yk/s400/CIMG5459.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, Oksana, Drake, and OJ at Raven's Grin Inn - September 2010. Mom, Matt, and Amy in the background.</td></tr>
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Dad's back in the hospital. He went back in yesterday. He was running a fever - 101.9 at home - so Mom took him to the ER around 1pm yesterday. They did some tests on him and decided to admit him. He has a urinary tract infection and it's causing him some pain in his nether regions (is it in bad taste to discuss your dad's balls on the internet? I guess the answer would be 'only if you think he would care', which mine pretty much wouldn't). I guess there's a possibility of some tubes in there or sometimes even the testicle itself twisting after surgery... not even sure what they need to do to fix that, go in again? ... but from the ultrasound it LOOKS like it's just inflammation from the UTI so here's hoping. They're keeping him again tonight but he can probably go home tomorrow. I'm not too worried as it sounds like it's a fairly common issue after this surgery and they seem to have it under control. Still, feel free to send healing thoughts and prayers Dad's way. I'm hoping now that they've moved him to a regular wing that the kids and I can visit him tomorrow (the rule where he was before is 'no kids under 14'). I'll find out tomorrow!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglus1yqK9D9-FXexwokLUz-mgcEs4I-4OxqjYpjF__twbC0B3dd-UPtWmOaZcuFjUeFKOL4r06OZEx7ePP083-iv0GzNNxFdUFKPKY9Wji_jOqvnc3HvrqJj2wHE0AF3SZ0bjaCXUI1To/s1600/580879_4417432593771_2139161399_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglus1yqK9D9-FXexwokLUz-mgcEs4I-4OxqjYpjF__twbC0B3dd-UPtWmOaZcuFjUeFKOL4r06OZEx7ePP083-iv0GzNNxFdUFKPKY9Wji_jOqvnc3HvrqJj2wHE0AF3SZ0bjaCXUI1To/s400/580879_4417432593771_2139161399_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad's stomach last night in the ER. The white things are steri-strips over the incisions. The red areas are the spots where they pulled the tape off after surgery. Mom is convinced those are infected but the rest of us keep telling her they're just irritated and it looks bad but it will heal. The hospital staff don't seem concerned about them so hopefully we're right!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-44026181744992697372012-07-18T01:51:00.001-05:002012-07-18T01:51:30.303-05:0031 Uses For Thirty-One Gift's Cinch-It-Up Thermal ToteEvery month Thirty-One Gifts runs great special for our customers. This July we have a variety of items available for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">only $5 </span>with each $31 you spend! I'm going to share ideas for each item, starting with the adorable Cinch-It-Up Thermal Tote.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVdBp5rDAXxCUJ9vm-5lG91MSs6j5I-U7ijXy7GWidzIiLMQg_BXgB62DFvHJAoYojxCH1k_Lf60jO6porioXZfWUu4tCuBF-djjVIXHqYR-0UE51CxJV33UUeb8a0TgM0u4CfvcQ9h-n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-18+at+1.21.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVdBp5rDAXxCUJ9vm-5lG91MSs6j5I-U7ijXy7GWidzIiLMQg_BXgB62DFvHJAoYojxCH1k_Lf60jO6porioXZfWUu4tCuBF-djjVIXHqYR-0UE51CxJV33UUeb8a0TgM0u4CfvcQ9h-n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-18+at+1.21.08+AM.png" /></a></div>
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The first thing you should know is that our thermal totes are amazing. I use them on a regular basis and they really work! I've even had them sit outside in the hot sun on a 90 degree day for 8-9 hours, and the food inside was still cold (sometimes even still frozen, if I stuck, say, a frozen water bottle in it) at the end of the day. THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR CUB SCOUT CAMP LUNCHES AMAZING, THIRTY-ONE!<br />
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The second thing you should know is that this is a fantastic deal. It's a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">$19 savings</span>! Holy cow! Grab it up! And you can get one with every $31 you spend, so if you've got your eye on some other items in the catalog, go for it.<br />
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The third thing, of course, is that they're ridiculously adorable. Just look at those prints! They look even better in person. Here, here's a little video preview of them:<br />
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<b>Still on the fence? Here's 31 things you can do with the Cinch-It-Up Thermal Tote:</b><br />
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<ol>
<li>School lunches</li>
<li>Work lunches</li>
<li>Take home leftovers from parties</li>
<li>Snacks on-the-go for outings with little ones</li>
<li>Beach outings</li>
<li>Picnics</li>
<li>BBQ's</li>
<li>Fill it with ice and a few mini bottles of wine for a romantic date (even if it's in your backyard!)</li>
<li>Mini diaper bag</li>
<li>Emergency car kit (snacks and water)</li>
<li>Have food allergies or a restrictive diet? Separate your lunch from the rest of the family!</li>
<li>Snacks for kids sports games</li>
<li>Taking bottles to day care</li>
<li>Nursing mothers who pump at work</li>
<li>Keep medicines cool while traveling</li>
<li>Carry protein shakes to the gym</li>
<li>Shopping at your local farmer's market</li>
<li>Trips to the park</li>
<li>Tailgating</li>
<li>Cosmetic bag</li>
<li>First aid kit</li>
<li>Grocery shopping</li>
<li>Pool bag for wet swimsuit</li>
<li>Kids traveling activity bag</li>
<li>And don't forget gifts! Teacher gift (back to school is almost here!)</li>
<li>New parent gift</li>
<li>Trick or treat bag</li>
<li>Thank you for coaches</li>
<li>Holiday gift bag</li>
<li>Soup or a gift for a sick friend</li>
<li>Just because!</li>
</ol>
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Here's a peek at our other $5 items on special this month:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97GJR-XA9TdJV15YHrghJGk6YDK4Ob2WnhlvxSDAX9ncom7F2zEutHo_j9NWQWC_LJKALW7z7iOu5vh3rWXmBI3_07lTCBh0yzJKpEFT8mgvEDvi1kH-qBmpSWj3utjRjJl1v3_SqNASx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-18+at+1.20.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97GJR-XA9TdJV15YHrghJGk6YDK4Ob2WnhlvxSDAX9ncom7F2zEutHo_j9NWQWC_LJKALW7z7iOu5vh3rWXmBI3_07lTCBh0yzJKpEFT8mgvEDvi1kH-qBmpSWj3utjRjJl1v3_SqNASx/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-07-18+at+1.20.41+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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All items must be purchased by July 31st to be eligible for the special. <a href="mailto:kristi@thedorsons.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">E-mail me</a> or call me (773-860-1108) to place your order! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSMELWQsHd2OrT24jJAge9Dvd2cOlgp7QHdSqNthpusuop3QjLTtbBvnhSwr54tPGbWNpyMeXd9dDeMf1mTEt2JHQlVMNZkorKMDiWIs7oMnhGLXVLQDn28FHFfL3oTDDJ-DiNTFJ49OM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-18+at+1.20.53+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSMELWQsHd2OrT24jJAge9Dvd2cOlgp7QHdSqNthpusuop3QjLTtbBvnhSwr54tPGbWNpyMeXd9dDeMf1mTEt2JHQlVMNZkorKMDiWIs7oMnhGLXVLQDn28FHFfL3oTDDJ-DiNTFJ49OM/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-07-18+at+1.20.53+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>A final note: through the end of the summer season (August 31st), personalization is only $5 (a $2 savings). The Cinch-It-Up Thermal Tote is not eligible for personalization, but many of our items are. Contact me with any questions or to place your order.</i></div>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-85819199438116913302012-07-16T17:56:00.005-05:002013-10-02T21:21:39.425-05:00Excellent Band NamesAdmit it, you've thought and / or said 'That would make an excellent band name' more than one time in your life. Usually when you've heard a somewhat ridiculous combination of words. I catch myself saying it all the time. Purely for my own amusement, I'm going to keep a running list of Most Excellent Band Names that occur in my life. Feel free to share yours too!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48oHkMzXhI3oH_GEdC5AeIWttsDXf4p6RKz-ecA0bAvrG257Awa5vdse7LoEMwyoW53NjrutaqqKEs9J85B6zcmG-rwlKziNdwwp1a-w7ZTub-evlxVfl_20Wn8PfuT_Q1Useap0LFIs/s1600/7544723264_a39e8ef402_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48oHkMzXhI3oH_GEdC5AeIWttsDXf4p6RKz-ecA0bAvrG257Awa5vdse7LoEMwyoW53NjrutaqqKEs9J85B6zcmG-rwlKziNdwwp1a-w7ZTub-evlxVfl_20Wn8PfuT_Q1Useap0LFIs/s1600/7544723264_a39e8ef402_m.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/wikipedia-names-your-band" target="_blank">Wikipedia Names Your Band Meme</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
80's Shemale<br />
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Vagina Grinch<br />
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Boneless Beauties<br />
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Communal Vagina<br />
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Angry Uterus<br />
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Lard & the Sugar CookiesKristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-9323539639005910802012-07-16T13:32:00.000-05:002012-07-16T18:08:16.415-05:00This Post Won't Be PrettyToday my father is having his prostate removed. He is, at this moment, in surgery. He has been in surgery for almost six hours now, at a hospital fifteen minutes from me. I am sitting at home.<br />
<br />
I am sitting at home because I woke up at 3AM with horrible stomach pain. I have some reflux problems (and a hiatal hernia; just one of those wonderful many health issues I deal with) and went to sleep last night with those horrible sulfur belches. If you've not ever had the joy, it's... not something I'd wish on my worst enemy. It's like the rottenest of rotten eggs bellowing out of your gut, forcing you to both taste and smell the awfulness. For HOURS. Thankfully it doesn't happen often. So when I woke up at 3AM to a swollen, immensely painful stomach, I assumed it was gas pain. I'd been trying to choke those burps down after all; hoping the gas would make its way towards the other end instead. Presumably it had built up over night.<br />
<br />
I sat up. I massaged my stomach. It was hard, distended and painful. Most of the gas felt trapped around my stomach, meaning I'd probably have to burp it out to relieve the pain... farting was of course preferable so I could avoid the awful taste, but at that point I was so uncomfortable I'd take what I could get. I maneuvered myself around on the bed for a few minutes, trying to work my way into the yoga pose that might best move the gas up and out,<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHQVvX-iMflAFw9KFhsAtIDmpp0FMHaWVJDFG3hIAuR6j_NZwT-cz9qSjNIm_ZdKzyfx8MFsJtPbS-YhC_Q1tfqNDEmd55QvKcQo5bVqwKW2neNAFX6FqVpLvjBZu8MdUfscY0R8dsJw/s1600/pavana-solo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHQVvX-iMflAFw9KFhsAtIDmpp0FMHaWVJDFG3hIAuR6j_NZwT-cz9qSjNIm_ZdKzyfx8MFsJtPbS-YhC_Q1tfqNDEmd55QvKcQo5bVqwKW2neNAFX6FqVpLvjBZu8MdUfscY0R8dsJw/s1600/pavana-solo.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I use 'fart pose' and I am not ashamed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It wasn't working. I rolled onto my stomach and stuck my butt up in the air, hoping to encourage the gas to move up and out. And then... it happened.<br />
<br />
No, I didn't fart. I wouldn't waste an entire blog post on a mere fart. I felt the gas rolling up my throat and prepared myself to belch the pressure away. Except when the gas reached my mouth, I suddenly found myself with a mouth full of last night's dinner. I mean FULL. I freaked and started trying to scramble out of the bed when I felt more coming up my throat. I did the only thing I could, which was lean over the end of the bed and heave my guts out. I blew chunks all over the carpet. Load after load. In between heaves I was frantically clawing at my husband's foot. Normally this much disturbance would have awakened him but it was my luck that he was passed out cold. Puke. Claw. Puke. I managed to voice a desperate plea. "Help!" Claw foot. Puke. "OJ! Help!" Puke. "Me!" He finally woke up and moved his ass out of the way so I could dash to the bathroom and blow MORE chunks in the toilet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-FBhDoD7gD1P8reExfeuY2xJLMP6nwcUmc1E2YoRooMHWd3buDJfUs6hsj4bcExhIvHUDv1xgNXsQ-3lsYvzCuJ-NhYln6-xQizNR1yZWOZTqhC51bsmpInmZYDJcKLTclxwlcy1YVA/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-FBhDoD7gD1P8reExfeuY2xJLMP6nwcUmc1E2YoRooMHWd3buDJfUs6hsj4bcExhIvHUDv1xgNXsQ-3lsYvzCuJ-NhYln6-xQizNR1yZWOZTqhC51bsmpInmZYDJcKLTclxwlcy1YVA/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chunks is my dog.</td></tr>
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I've been miserable ever since. I can't shake the stomach pain. I can't keep anything down. I haven't even TRIED anything but some mint tea with a little honey and baking soda. Things are coming out of both ends now. You never really realize how much liquid and waste there is rolling around in your body until you start spewing it all over for hours.<br />
<br />
It's a horrible feeling. I have no nausea, and no warning about when the puke is coming. I'm walking around carrying a bucket. It's like my stomach is slowly filling up, like a hose is leaking somewhere inside me. (Yes, it's as painful as it sounds.) Like one of those giant buckets at water parks that fills up and tips over every ten minutes or so. The discomfort grows and my stomach becomes more and more distended until suddenly, BLEH!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJPXJwy6wIDSsT8KNwwRmIj1mxW3lbxim_wbxjEJofZUV-8ntBVmC24gKxrV7Q1vx7ogoNYlWBOqA2k5oABnN_azwGwhMAqQKrPyRIb0yXRHGvMCQz2rsuBPdZgsDHqb3H-Teur2aqKo/s1600/images-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJPXJwy6wIDSsT8KNwwRmIj1mxW3lbxim_wbxjEJofZUV-8ntBVmC24gKxrV7Q1vx7ogoNYlWBOqA2k5oABnN_azwGwhMAqQKrPyRIb0yXRHGvMCQz2rsuBPdZgsDHqb3H-Teur2aqKo/s1600/images-8.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this, only with puke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Needless to say, this is why I'm sitting at home instead of at the hospital with my mom and brother, waiting to hear news about my dad. Physically, being sick like this is bad enough. Emotionally in this situation, it's even worse. I wanted to be there with my family. I wanted to see my dad as soon as we were able. Logically I know that bringing in a bug and potentially infecting my dad after surgery or my mom and brother, who live with him and will be taking care of him, is a terrible idea, and I'm doing the smart and correct thing by staying home. Emotionally, I just wanted to be there.<br />
<br />
Please say a prayer, think good thoughts, send healing vibes, whatever your preference, to my dad. They told us the surgery was at least four hours long. Sitting here at six hours and counting, I'm more than a little anxious.<br />
<br />
Edited to add: Dad is out of surgery, awake (albeit very groggy and drugged), and the surgery went well. They ran into a few snags with some hernia scars but they got the entire prostate and preliminary reports seem to indicate the cancer hadn't spread. He'll be in the hospital until Wednesday.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-63772076923584879542012-07-15T12:20:00.000-05:002012-07-15T12:20:32.079-05:00Thirty-One GiftsDid you know I'm a consultant with Thirty-One Gifts? I have been for almost a year now.<br />
<br />
<b>What is Thirty-One Gifts?</b><br />
<br />
Thirty-One is a direct sales company offering a variety of products to help make your life easier. Whether you are looking for style, organization, the perfect giftable item - or a little bit of everything - we've got it. From <a href="http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog#/28-29">totes</a> or <a href="http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog#/20-21">purses</a> you can wear while you’re out and about, <a href="http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog#/4-5">thermals</a> to help you transport food and drinks to a party, or <a href="http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog#/6-7">organizational items</a> to help you keep your house neat and tidy, Thirty-One has a solution! All products are customizable - each item comes in a variety of prints (with prints changing two or three times a season) AND the majority of items we sell can be personalized with embroidery or laser etching.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUj0x1soYkYJMswXeMbfWpWF0DzNu_epF5RzcShWgcI3t6SbxkEpSk3xDeUjlREvR21uZd4GRiZQMUeMOV7fjGis_ez_MT-RfS1hE170U6F-b62pFC5-zedv2GCK1b32eXmTf-Pkwozg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-15+at+12.04.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUj0x1soYkYJMswXeMbfWpWF0DzNu_epF5RzcShWgcI3t6SbxkEpSk3xDeUjlREvR21uZd4GRiZQMUeMOV7fjGis_ez_MT-RfS1hE170U6F-b62pFC5-zedv2GCK1b32eXmTf-Pkwozg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-15+at+12.04.21+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Retro Metro bag (print: Lotsa Dots). I actually USE this purse! (I've never been a 'purse' kind of girl so that's nothing short of a miracle.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>What is direct sales?</b><br />
<br />
Direct sales companies include well known brands such as Avon, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, and more. Individuals sign up to become Independent Consultants with the company. Products are primarily sold through home parties, where you invite your friends over to shop from the comfort of your home, and you (the host or hostess) receive free and discounted items for hosting the show. Consultants run their own business, set their own hours, and determine their earning potential. It's a fun and rewarding business!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvt6F1GxTUwneK98IVzdKc7TP12e9_9FzCQ9xl9Xudg8Fn2Jy2cHAayr1OVG_e38IfuNXNKGuj_TrBC63dLxhes4JF1zeJwiLqXA3xj53L3qlZCfw99j4uM_0YE4kbbIrbpdtn_iHSWw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-15+at+12.05.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvt6F1GxTUwneK98IVzdKc7TP12e9_9FzCQ9xl9Xudg8Fn2Jy2cHAayr1OVG_e38IfuNXNKGuj_TrBC63dLxhes4JF1zeJwiLqXA3xj53L3qlZCfw99j4uM_0YE4kbbIrbpdtn_iHSWw/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-07-15+at+12.05.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of our products that are perfect for bringing home groceries (one of their MANY uses). The Market Thermal Tote (upper left, print: Circle Spirals) and the Large Utility Tote (upper right, print: Pin Dots) are two products I use almost daily.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Why did you sign up with Thirty-One Gifts?</b><br />
<br />
Honestly? I initially signed up to get a discount on the products. A friend threw a party in August 2011; I had never heard of Thirty-One Gifts, and my cursory glance at the catalog left me thinking it was one of those 'purse parties'. I'm not really a purse kind of girl so I was a bit reluctant about attending but I wanted to support my friend. Imagine my surprise when I showed up and learned that a) the majority of the products are NOT purses, b) I actually love most of the purses they DO have, and c) the products were cute, stylish, well made, and I was IN LOVE with them. It was only $100 to sign up as a consultant, I had people at the party telling me they'd host parties for me, and my wishlist would have cost me more than that anyway... so I signed up. I've been a very casual consultant over the past year, hosting a party maybe every other month - enough to keep me active and get my hands on my desired products. These are the bags I never knew I needed but suddenly can't live without. I take them EVERYWHERE and I love them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xjnx5ulFflxlu10SChegWXLtoNEcBkI8A2gdH_r3uEG988Xz_u59B3PuELwEfd_4B-3OIQQS8BJBo4I650mT8b2S6OL8Qqo9nOxoIo6FSZwVo6AmKbhvQGzW19_2skhhQJ55Cs5ES5s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-15+at+12.03.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xjnx5ulFflxlu10SChegWXLtoNEcBkI8A2gdH_r3uEG988Xz_u59B3PuELwEfd_4B-3OIQQS8BJBo4I650mT8b2S6OL8Qqo9nOxoIo6FSZwVo6AmKbhvQGzW19_2skhhQJ55Cs5ES5s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-15+at+12.03.02+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new Making Memories Thermal (print: Mint Chip). Only available to hostesses! Both the front pocket and the large section are thermal, and it has an extendable handle and wheels. It folds down for easy storage when not in use. I just used mine last week at Cub Scout Camp - it kept our lunches and drinks cold ALL DAY outside in 90 degree heat. Amazing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Moving forward, I'd like to share Thirty-One with more people and put more effort into the business side of things. I'll be sharing occasional monthly specials and favorite products in future posts.<br />
<br />
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments! If you live in my area (south suburbs of Chicago) and would like to host a party, let me know. If you would like to sign up for my newsletter, e-mail me <a href="mailto:kristi@thedorsons.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and I will add you to my mailing list.<br />
<br />
I will soon have a personal Thirty-One Gifts website for online shopping and will share that here when I have it!<br />
<br />
The Thirty-One Gifts story:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BZcfpVJ5qx8" width="560"></iframe>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-9868119285869071082012-05-02T01:19:00.000-05:002012-05-02T01:23:01.571-05:00Gather Up Your Tears; Keep 'Em In Your Pocket. Save Them For A Time When You're Really Going To Need Them.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today was a hard day, for a number of reasons. Health troubles, business troubles, life troubles, anxiety... overall just a downer. I'm medicating with music. A friend suggested wine, but wine (in addition to wreaking havoc on my already unstable blood sugar) has been bringing me migraines lately, and I just got rid of a near-24-hour one, so I don't feel like tempting that fate again.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes when I'm down I'll listen to energizing music to cheer me up... and then sometimes, it's really comforting to listen to beautiful, melancholy songs. That may seem odd, that indulging in sadness would be healing, and yet it is. It hearkens back to one of my favorite articles, <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/why-being-broken-in-a-pile-on-your-bedroom-floor-is-a-good-idea-julie-jc-peters/" target="_blank">"Why Lying Broken In A Pile On Your Floor Is A Good Idea"</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">All the places where you’ve shattered can now reflect light and colour where there was none. Now is the time to become something new, to choose a new whole."</span></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">So I'm indulging in my sadness tonight; in the parts of me that are broken right now, because it's time to become something new. It's scary and it's hard but if I don't do it the crocodiles are going to eat me, so I'm rending myself into little pieces, to be unlimited.</span><br />
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This song is beautiful; it just breaks my heart every time I hear it. The melancholy and, at the same time, the wisdom it portrays fill me with both sadness and hope. I have a dear friend who died young some ten years ago and of course I think of her every time I hear it. But then I think of everyone I've lost, and everyone dear to me who has lost loved ones; for it seems as if 'young' is really relative, and it always seems like our loved ones are snatched away too soon. Gone and yet I believe they are still with us, in one way or another.<br />
'Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother'<br />
'the sharp knife of a short life'<br />
'I've had just enough time'<br />
'I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger'<br />
'what I never did is done'<br />
'funny when you're dead, how people start listening'<br />
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Pink Floyd has some amazing songs, especially when it comes to melancholy. This is one of my favorites; it captures the melancholy perfectly but also ends with hope, with a heartfelt beseechingness to act, to keep going, to feel.<br />
'No more turning away<br />
From the weak and the weary<br />
No more turning away<br />
From the coldness inside'<br />
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I'm not necessarily searching for a spiritual answer right now, but I frequently feel lost and alone these days. I feel myself reaching out for someone, anyone, to show me the way; to give me the strength and the courage to believe that I'll get there someday. One step at a time. One meal at a time; one workout at a time; one blood test at a time. One day, one hour, one minute at a time.<br />
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Yes I *am* a huge nerd, why do you ask? I like Enya and I LOVE Lord Of The Rings. The movies are pretty much perfect. And if you're looking for a melancholy story of epic struggle, you certainly don't need to look any further. As a matter of fact I'm tempted to go and watch them right now but that'll be like 16 hours and I'll NEVER sleep.<br />
'believe and you will find your way'<br />
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I'm going to end with one of the most heart-rending songs out there... and I'm choosing to listen to Susan Boyle's audition version because while the song is beautifully depressing, this version at least ends with a lovely lady seeing her dream fulfilled. Godspeed Susan, and Godspeed to me as well. May all our dreams have significantly better outcomes than poor Fantine's.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-16377780925086532872012-04-16T22:47:00.000-05:002012-04-16T22:47:08.200-05:00Re-Inventing Myself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLK14jBzzFrJcCl5jfMIgKIOLh9Qqc2aD4Csf0Cr8uET7eSdb8Fas3Z71z4NrnPvFCwkZHgFKjYn_sQo0e7FYdM10kxQNpnfTrP2A0l7-Bd4eC2ELre0kzEC72Td27hBcQm8tsqbin18/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLK14jBzzFrJcCl5jfMIgKIOLh9Qqc2aD4Csf0Cr8uET7eSdb8Fas3Z71z4NrnPvFCwkZHgFKjYn_sQo0e7FYdM10kxQNpnfTrP2A0l7-Bd4eC2ELre0kzEC72Td27hBcQm8tsqbin18/s200/images-1.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>I go for long periods of time not blogging these days. I'm struggling with my anxiety monsters a lot, and my diabetes is raging out of control. There are a lot of changes on the horizon for me and that's never easy. And as always, I struggle with a lot of the same issues every day. Major clutter. Weight issues. Trouble with food. Trouble with managing my life in general.<br />
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Sometimes I get so down in the dumps about it all that the only thing I think I can do is re-invent myself. I'll start a new blog somewhere, writing about my life! I'll get it all together THIS TIME, and I'll keep it anonymous until I have it all together, then I'll re-emerge like a glorious phoenix out of the ashes of my current miserable, decrepit existence!<br />
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This time the 'new' blog was going to be called "Small House, Big Life" and was going to be all about my BIG struggles and BIG dreams locked away in a tiny space, fighting to get free. That doesn't sound familiar at all, does it?? And I might have even started it too if someone hadn't already claimed the name on blogger.<br />
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As I was sitting there staring at my Google search results and thinking of similar alternate names for the 'new me', I realized that my OLD blog is still me too. That just because a bunch of people know about this blog, doesn't make me any less able to make the changes I want. It doesn't mean I will, and it doesn't mean I won't. That's up to me. It's NOT up to whether I blog about it or not. And if I blog about it and people read it and it takes a long time to happen, it doesn't make me a failure. As long as I persevere I will get there eventually.<br />
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Sometimes I just get so ashamed of everyone watching me go in circles again and again.<br />
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But like the old adage says, 'wherever you go, there you are'. Hiding in a different corner of the internet won't make me change any faster.<br />
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And as long as I keep trying and keep fighting, I shouldn't be ashamed.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-28132586686088020782012-03-14T14:39:00.000-05:002012-03-14T14:39:26.062-05:00When Bullies Endanger Your Free-Range Kid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cRxa8Rqq1Xw_nQGureETMyJbCOf-3G63fYLJz8KEUoe0j0GzuzZ2tXfYAwIxCQojRFoAAa5MhJreaDn4QVxtIt_PO7GWbPuT95lAxTpqVU84x1d1lyWmkBmh5BN-FMwq8LXcUQCFVa8/s1600/1318900381000_685334.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cRxa8Rqq1Xw_nQGureETMyJbCOf-3G63fYLJz8KEUoe0j0GzuzZ2tXfYAwIxCQojRFoAAa5MhJreaDn4QVxtIt_PO7GWbPuT95lAxTpqVU84x1d1lyWmkBmh5BN-FMwq8LXcUQCFVa8/s320/1318900381000_685334.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We've been having a run of delightfully warm weather this past week. Highs in the 70's. I'm loving it, and so are the kids. Yesterday after school, Drake asked if he could go to the park one block from our house to meet some of his friends. In keeping with my desire to be a free-range mom, I said sure. He was gone for about a half hour. When he returned, he told me there was an older boy at the park who was bullying him. <br />
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"He kept saying bad words, and kept trying to get ME to say bad words. Like the F word, a LOT. And then he kept trying to get me to punch the girls he was with. He told me to beat the HELL out of them. He also wanted to know where I lived and where my parents were."<br />
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I asked him how he handled it. He said "I refused to say the bad words, and I told him I don't hit girls. I also told him I live down the alley, because there are lots of houses down the alleys. Then when he wouldn't leave me alone, I just came home."<br />
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There were a couple other kids at the park, all around Drake's age. Drake said the kid was bothering them some too but mostly was bothering him. As he told the story, the kid kept getting older... a generic 'teenager' to a 'high schooler' to 'at least 17' to 'a college kid!'. He also said the kid started following him when he began heading home, so Drake ran home. <br />
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I told him he did the right things, and asked him if he wanted us to walk back over and see if that kid was still there. He said yes so we did, me prepared to do some stern mama-talking (and possibly get my own ass beat, if these kids were REAL punks). Oksana (who is five going on I'LL KICK YOUR ASS) took off eagerly, ready to take down some bullies. When we got there, the park was clear of all children. In the distance, we could see three bigger kids walking down the block. "That's them!" said Drake. "I can tell because one of the girls had blue hair." They were too far away to do anything - not that this stopped Oksana, who took off at a full-on run after them until I called her back. "I'm mad at them for being bullies to my brother! I was going to kick that bully in the wiener!" (I have a feeling I'll be getting called to school quite a bit for this kid. I better start practicing my IT WAS SELF DEFENSE speeches now.) <br />
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I think Drake handled it pretty well, as a 7 year old dealing with three older kids. I'm not sure what other advice I could or should have given him. I know that kids can be assholes, and it's likely this kid was just being a little jerk trying to be 'cool' for his friends. He probably wasn't looking for a physical altercation. But what if he was? What do you tell your 7 year old about fighting with older kids? Or even fighting with a group of kids? We've told him it's OK to fight back in self-defense, and that the goal should be to drop the kid so he can get to safety, not for revenge or to beat the crap out of the other person. How do you answer questions when your child, rightfully so, asks what he should do if he fights back in self-defense and the bully's friends jump in? What do you say when they ask you "I will try to kick the boy in the privates, but what about the girls?" (I've already told him he CAN hit a girl if they hit him first.) Do I teach my kid to be a dirty fighter? <br />
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I tell you, there was a good part of me that wanted to go over there and punch those foul-mouthed little shitbags in the face. Not because I care about bad words (obviously), but because they were very clearly intimidating little kids and trying to get them to engage in bad behaviors. It made my blood boil.<br />
<br />
Part of allowing my children to be free-range kids means knowing and accepting that they will run into situations that are difficult to deal with and hoping I've guided them and taught them the right ways to handle those situations. How do you teach your kids to deal with bullies and jerks? (That's not a hypothetical; I really want to know what other parents are teaching their kids about these types of situations.) A lot of the time I feel like the 'school sponsored' responses are kind of weak, but I'm not sure what else to do.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-33975389400728876662012-01-12T23:52:00.001-06:002012-01-12T23:55:10.885-06:00Keep Things Spooky!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBYctN9SJ5sjfED5sXpHAySfWOtsyqJHX2qcDF9jmOOUdzj6lWeGyZfrp3vwN8v__7CA-gWI-CXSvAWxD5yB-2qZuZVFza0i9okVsP_N0DAQyr0-HOHVr8HRGZ5FrWo_5IwuSCVse_nQ/s1600/381702_10150504526145673_501820672_10654955_1069449469_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBYctN9SJ5sjfED5sXpHAySfWOtsyqJHX2qcDF9jmOOUdzj6lWeGyZfrp3vwN8v__7CA-gWI-CXSvAWxD5yB-2qZuZVFza0i9okVsP_N0DAQyr0-HOHVr8HRGZ5FrWo_5IwuSCVse_nQ/s200/381702_10150504526145673_501820672_10654955_1069449469_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Hey friends. It's Friday the 13th... well, it will be in 20 minutes... and I want to devote today's blog entry to a friend of mine. My friend Red Clark is an amazing person. He's funny, he's creative, he's talented, and he's one of the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met. He's also a huge horror fan and aspiring filmmaker. He's really active in the Chicago horror scene and he's always coming up with fantastic ideas and projects.<br />
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If you follow me on Facebook or follow my horror blog, you may recall me crowing enthusiastically about a cool and creepy little video we did that won third place in a Midnight Syndicate video contest. Red was pretty much the mastermind behind that, and he did all the filming and editing. The end result was incredible. AND HE THREW IT TOGETHER IN LESS THAN 48 HOURS. You can now find it on the DVD for the film <a href="http://www.thedeadmatter.com/">The Dead Matter</a>.<br />
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I'm telling you about Red because he has a new project in the works. It's perfectly suited to his unique talents and I really think his passion for old school horror and his keen eye will make this into something great, but he needs just a little help to get it off the ground. Stephen King (yeah, that's right) has given Red permission to make a non-commercial short film adaptation of his story Gray Matter, from the collection Night Shift. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and would be a great stepping stone for Red's career! I truly believe that the horror world needs more filmmakers like Red, with original ideas and a driving passion for the genre. Red is funding this project through Kickstarter. He's 8 days out and $1,100 shy of his goal right now. If you can find it within you to celebrate a little spookiness this Friday the 13th and lend a hand... whether it's through a donation OR just by spreading the word... it would be much appreciated.<br />
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Thanks, everyone!Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-75053144040303498372012-01-09T22:50:00.000-06:002012-01-09T22:50:56.349-06:00Wonders of Nature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5uBtYZPTU-RXxj-A_TLvH-fVeWe_0TRiUMUPriRy7d_L_UcgkIxY4xv9oHHbj2NYxsWQbIy31OAzzKO01yCRoGmLcGNYqwXd5xsZgWhAyXiqv8M5jc3LhYQLFdUUDtyc50hYcyKjy_o/s1600/milo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5uBtYZPTU-RXxj-A_TLvH-fVeWe_0TRiUMUPriRy7d_L_UcgkIxY4xv9oHHbj2NYxsWQbIy31OAzzKO01yCRoGmLcGNYqwXd5xsZgWhAyXiqv8M5jc3LhYQLFdUUDtyc50hYcyKjy_o/s200/milo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Oksana saw kitten and puppy birthing today, thanks to Milo and Otis. Which I'd seen once long ago, but only retained a memory of "OMG CUTE KITTEN AND PUPPY ADVENTURE!". I forgot there was birthing involved. Not that I have a problem with it, I think it's right to raise your kids to view birth as a perfectly natural process, not something taboo. I would even let them be present at the birth of my next baby if they wanted to be there.<br />
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At the same time, though, while I believe it is wonderful to treat it as a natural process and really, I applaud the movie for doing so... at the same time, when you randomly encounter something like a BIRTHING MONEY SHOT when you're watching TV with your kids, there's always an internal part of you that is completely caught off guard and totally squirms, like 'oh. OH! well. um. that's happening. My kid is now seeing this. ohhhhh.... kay. Here we go!' and you have to steel yourself for questions and reactions all while keeping yourself calm, collected, and NATURAL. ACT NATURAL. ACT NATURAL SO THEY'RE NOT SCARRED FOR LIFE DAMNIT!<br />
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My daughter's reaction? "Oh. EWWWW."<br />
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Two minutes later: "OMG THEY'RE SOOOO CUTE!"<br />
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The end.<br />
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<i>you know you wanna see it.</i>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-60683886155967928692012-01-09T21:02:00.000-06:002012-01-09T21:02:18.489-06:00Bedtime Conversation: 5 Year Old Edition<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP3CkUxo2GDvHDpZIP6_0zNIHrJXY7epqF-HwZLfZi0weC4Bpbn8Zt-IKCfYIrHELqo-5C-UZnLW_NOjlerYnmC6BPydCNJ7WFnvbyxZMfNfBDbmsIPD_ibWg3B2VlVnaL1bbDr6oxT0/s1600/IMG_1557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP3CkUxo2GDvHDpZIP6_0zNIHrJXY7epqF-HwZLfZi0weC4Bpbn8Zt-IKCfYIrHELqo-5C-UZnLW_NOjlerYnmC6BPydCNJ7WFnvbyxZMfNfBDbmsIPD_ibWg3B2VlVnaL1bbDr6oxT0/s200/IMG_1557.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonic</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Oksana: "I don't like when Sonic catches bugs. Well, I like when she catches OTHER bugs, but not when she catches moths."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">M</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">e: "Why is that? You like moths?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">O: "Yeah. They're little and cute. Do you remember that one time when Sarah was over and she found a REALLY BIG moth?"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Me: "I sure do. It was big!"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">O: "Yup. And part of it glowed red."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Me: "uhh... I... don't remember that part."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">O: "it did! It was on the tail. Well not like a tail like Sonic has, but you know. Maybe that's it's butt."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Me: "Could be."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">O: "And if it was a girl moth, it would have little boobs too."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_1Z9gzKp_47SADkiDIn7ByMbyZEw06FUvggTyrC8ngDcPLYJnoPV9nMEm7auC7Of0Gu-IppJTNoaJ5kBCkiS45hWIBPoeX06ZiuWBxd92ST4pjJf7UiGrZkFH4ao9oauRAzQB07ho4I/s1600/304943_10150274460338100_593658099_7716408_5168051_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_1Z9gzKp_47SADkiDIn7ByMbyZEw06FUvggTyrC8ngDcPLYJnoPV9nMEm7auC7Of0Gu-IppJTNoaJ5kBCkiS45hWIBPoeX06ZiuWBxd92ST4pjJf7UiGrZkFH4ao9oauRAzQB07ho4I/s320/304943_10150274460338100_593658099_7716408_5168051_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cecropia moth in our yard! <br />
Not pictured: glowing red tail. Or tiny boobs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUc-K0I4EoKi8zgtxIeFkJzKmSBR9SqYi_FENB_tneCKPoFx22O_k05LAL9FELAbVcCR9bSr4Psy5LdHJs4Sn6XF8Dy6eShgmRpxW9KyXXl4ZNzygntQwHFXNSQ6Ln5576Hpa4cZmmZo/s1600/IMG_1458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUc-K0I4EoKi8zgtxIeFkJzKmSBR9SqYi_FENB_tneCKPoFx22O_k05LAL9FELAbVcCR9bSr4Psy5LdHJs4Sn6XF8Dy6eShgmRpxW9KyXXl4ZNzygntQwHFXNSQ6Ln5576Hpa4cZmmZo/s320/IMG_1458.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and the giant moth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-65769305717327054222012-01-09T13:39:00.000-06:002012-01-09T13:39:25.873-06:00Moving OnChristmas vacation is over! The kids are back in school today. I enjoyed having them home with me the last two weeks and I am kind of sad. Everyone's adjusting back to going to bed early and waking up early. Somewhat reluctantly, on all our parts, I might add.<br />
<br />
Things are coming along in all the other areas of life. Financial Peace University starts tomorrow. I picked up our kit yesterday and I'm really looking forward to it. We have something of a working budget hammered out for now. We're so far behind on the house that for now we've decided we're not paying the mortgage. We are in communications with the mortgage company and have tried several angles to get assistance, to no avail. Right now what we will probably do is wait until they start foreclosure proceedings and then see if we can turn it into a short sale. That will, hopefully, buy us the time we'll need to get everything together to move somewhere else.<br />
<br />
"Somewhere else" is looking like it'll probably be North Carolina. I'm open to it and OJ is really interested. We love Boone but employment opportunities are slim... so it'll probably be either Raleigh or Charlotte. He has friends in both cities, and I have a cousin in Raleigh.<br />
<br />
On our radar is also Austin, Texas. We have friends there, and OJ's brother lives there. Neither of us have ever been though, and OJ is really not keen on how hot it gets (whereas I LOVE it!).<br />
<br />
(And of course, lest we forget, we're probably going to spend about a year in Park City, Utah after I win my beloved HGTV Dream Home.)<br />
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It is our hope to visit all of the places on our list sometime this year so we can truly decide on our favorite and start looking for work. And of course, despite which one ends up being the 'favorite', it'll really depend on jobs. OJ's going to try to get a job and stay with friends while he finds us a place to live, I think. We'll just have to see how it all plays out.<br />
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I'm still working on the house. Getting lots of stuff purged. Which reminds me, I have a trunk full of stuff I need to bring to Kara, the lady that sells my stuff on ebay. She does an awesome job! She has an ebay store and does online consignment for several people, so she always has a nice variety of merchandise. If anyone is in need of stuff, and wants to help out me, or her, or any of the rest of us local moms that need money, you can find her store here: <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/thesweetbuyandbuy">The Sweet Buy And Buy</a>.<br />
<br />
I've also started working on my health a bit more. I had stopped taking everything but the absolute necessary medications while I was having all my stomach trouble last year, and while that hasn't completely cleared up (the endoscopy showed nothing but some inflammation, biopsies of which gave us no information), we're chalking it up to stress/anxiety pain and acid reflux. So I'm easing my way back into my other medicines and vitamins, starting with my metformin, which is causing a little bit of stomach upset but is also bringing my blood sugar down to more acceptable levels, so yay. I'll do most of my health and weight loss blogging over at my blog, <a href="http://fatbreakup.blogspot.com/">The Big Fat Breakup</a>, if anyone wants to follow along.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q8zriuTHlYBeSPPFvT-nVAEE1ZmqQ6Oth3LltefDBeCIZZTvzS1CZ-sEtSkmJlL4RTnas_34rp4blkgO7Ur345nBXrzuORJ1xcGsCgOYNKAQwxoefPHXi0qfCc8rfR4K8blFKGgoQj8/s1600/tumblr_lotuolz03m1qa2txho1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q8zriuTHlYBeSPPFvT-nVAEE1ZmqQ6Oth3LltefDBeCIZZTvzS1CZ-sEtSkmJlL4RTnas_34rp4blkgO7Ur345nBXrzuORJ1xcGsCgOYNKAQwxoefPHXi0qfCc8rfR4K8blFKGgoQj8/s320/tumblr_lotuolz03m1qa2txho1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>one of my favorite recent pins. Are you on <a href="http://pinterest.com/milliondreammom/">Pinterest</a> yet? Follow me!<i></i></i></div>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-73334694119786015002012-01-07T15:04:00.001-06:002012-01-07T15:04:59.065-06:00After Bath Goodness<img height="297" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/400436_3087097856234_1227549162_33471762_780915517_n.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />
A fluffy, slightly disgruntled Patches G. Pig after a bath last night. Curled up in towels on my bed, soothing his frazzled nerves with a delicious salad!Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-29165085609698828572012-01-06T13:37:00.001-06:002012-01-06T13:40:47.600-06:00IUD-Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdt23Vc7oi6HElx0bZ4bWileD-0dRkd53HfPK2K9NSPrPyiXWx2pWKVcdNfh-sqzTrC8ip9JEd3oq7kOgmbEd2k8R2rocO8avv32PYhdCZa1Ujp3N0f0syiIjsCTPLxq6dO_rCzGglZ9Q/s1600/octuplets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdt23Vc7oi6HElx0bZ4bWileD-0dRkd53HfPK2K9NSPrPyiXWx2pWKVcdNfh-sqzTrC8ip9JEd3oq7kOgmbEd2k8R2rocO8avv32PYhdCZa1Ujp3N0f0syiIjsCTPLxq6dO_rCzGglZ9Q/s200/octuplets.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>Had my IUD removed yesterday. My five years were up and it was time. You all know I've been wanting another baby anyway... I'm still in the "yay babies!" boat. OJ is in the "baby in a year or two" boat. I'm putting him in charge of birth control for now.<br />
<br />
Is this an ideal time to have a baby? HELL NO. Are there things I want to do to improve our lives before we have a baby? ABSOLUTELY. All the same, would I be thrilled if I got pregnant? You know it!<br />
Life's funny that way. Things tend to work themselves out as they should.<br />
<br />
We're working on our finances. Financial Peace University starts next week. We have hard decisions and even harder work ahead of us.<br />
<br />
I'm continuing to get the house in order. Purging even more than before since it looks like we'll be moving in the next 6 months - 1.5 years. However we decide is best to approach the house issue, we're going to try to stay here as long as we can to get into the best financial position possible for moving somewhere. Right now we're leaning towards waiting until foreclosure starts and then seeing if we can get into a short sale. We need more information overall though before we really decide.<br />
<br />
My health needs work. I need to eat better foods, have lower blood sugar, and exercise more. I should also work on some meditation / stress relief exercises to help with the anxiety. If I get pregnant I won't be able to take my anxiety medications so that's something I'll really need to work on.<br />
<br />
Those three things remain my biggest priorities right now.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-83255796842750626312012-01-04T23:28:00.000-06:002012-01-04T23:28:09.731-06:00you can wipe your ass with my damn house<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ep5jIkoRZ8/TwU0cqVVcvI/AAAAAAAAAW8/0EKcq5C0Qs0/s1600/384939_342376252442020_325049290841383_1422293_1556411449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ep5jIkoRZ8/TwU0cqVVcvI/AAAAAAAAAW8/0EKcq5C0Qs0/s320/384939_342376252442020_325049290841383_1422293_1556411449_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">welcome to my life right now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Aside from starting the day dealing with FECESCAPADE 2.0, it was a relatively normal day. Did lots of laundry, cleaned in the kitchen, cleaned more in Oksana's room (found more hidden pockets of cat pee, and lots more toys that need to be cleaned thanks to that), took care of animals and kids. Talked to OJ about our 2012 budget and wrote out a document that lays out where the money should go from each paycheck. Butted heads a couple times over how to best deal with money. Agreed to start taking the Financial Peace University class that starts next Tuesday. I'm sure we'll butt heads some more, but I think the group support will be good for us.<br />
<br />
Right now our financial strategy consists of figuring out which steps would fuck us over the most for the longest, and then taking what appears to be the best path in that minefield. Walk away from the house? Short sell? Declare bankruptcy? Can we declare selective bankruptcy and keep some of our accounts out of it? Just stop paying some of our credit cards and wait until they sell them to collections and settle then? Pay off all the rest of our debt? Keep deferring things like student loans for the rest of our godforsaken lives? Decisions like that, where none of them are any good but some are (I guess) better than others.<br />
<br />
I was surprised today when my mother told me that one of my cousins, whom I've always considered very savvy, thinks that the best thing for us is to walk away from our home. I know some of my other relatives think that's the case, but to hear that someone who is wealthy, intelligent and well-informed on a lot of matters like this agrees kind of surprised me. It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around. I mean, I understand that our house is worth about $100,000 less than what we owe on it... and that there's a good chance we'd never even get back to up to amount we owe on it in our lifetimes. But it was a risk we took, an obligation we signed up for, not to mention an emotional investment as well... and it's just hard for me to say 'ok, time to walk away'. Part of it feels right, but a lot of it feels wrong. I hate welshing on obligations and I hate the idea that my decision will make the overall economic climate worse.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-1959516634887355252012-01-04T00:39:00.000-06:002012-01-04T00:39:47.060-06:00Waking Up Is Hard To Do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sHn6qXfaDvM/TwP0JSjI1VI/AAAAAAAAAWw/jo7lQsXyCpg/s1600/waking+up+is+hard+to+do_thumb%255B18%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sHn6qXfaDvM/TwP0JSjI1VI/AAAAAAAAAWw/jo7lQsXyCpg/s200/waking+up+is+hard+to+do_thumb%255B18%255D.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have a devil of a time waking up anymore. No matter when my morning comes, no matter how many hours of sleep I've gotten, it still feels like I'm drowning in sleep, swimming my way up through mud, trying to break through to the surface of wakefulness. I don't know what is causing it... I'm blaming general health issues, because it could be anything from my diabetes (high blood sugar) to my anxiety medications to my lack of activity to sinus infections to poor sleep to god knows what. It makes it REALLY hard to get moving for the first few hours of my day though, and I'm ready for it to change. I'm just a little befuddled because I don't know exactly HOW to make a change. There are a lot of health changes I need to make, that is, and it's a little overwhelming to know where to start. Especially when the house keeps screaming at me to clean it and just finish PURGING already!!<br />
<br />
So I got a slow start today. Other than that, I spent a bunch of time working on Oksana's bedroom; it got a little messy around the holidays again, and of course, Casey started peeing on things again. I'm battling that crazy mess (AGAIN) right now. I'm also battling giant mounds of laundry, BAGS full of laundry, and a lot of that has cat pee on it too (because that's another thing she pees on if it's on the floor; dirty laundry). Which means that each load takes twice as long because I do extra rinses and vinegar washes on top of the regular washing.<br />
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A friend posted a great article on Facebook today: <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/why-being-broken-in-a-pile-on-your-bedroom-floor-is-a-good-idea-julie-jc-peters/">Why Lying Broken In A Pile On Your Bedroom Floor Is A Good Idea</a>. It made me feel stronger, having read it. The author shares some insight gained from a Hindu goddess. Here's an excerpt:<br />
<br />
<i>"Akhilandeshvari:</i><br />
<i>“Ishvari” in Sanskrit means “goddess” or “female power,” and the “Akhilanda” means essentially “never not broken.” In other words, The Always Broken Goddess. Sanskrit is a tricky and amazing language, and I love that the double negative here means that she is broken right down to her name.</i><br />
<i>But this isn’t the kind of broken that indicates weakness and terror.</i><br />
<i>It’s the kind of broken that tears apart all the stuff that gets us stuck in toxic routines, repeating the same relationships and habits over and over, rather than diving into the scary process of trying something new and unfathomable.</i><br />
<i>Akhilanda derives her power from being broken: in flux, pulling herself apart, living in different, constant selves at the same time, from never becoming a whole that has limitations.</i><br />
<i>The thing about going through sudden or scary or sad transitions (like a breakup) is that one of the things you lose is your future: your expectations of what the story of your life so far was going to become. When you lose that partner or that job or that person, your future dissolves in front of you.</i><br />
<i>And of course, this is terrifying.</i><br />
<i>But look, Akhilanda says, now you get to make a choice. In pieces, in a pile on the floor, with no idea how to go forward, your expectations of the future are meaningless. Your stories about the past do not apply. You are in flux, you are changing, you are flowing in a new way, and this is an incredibly powerful opportunity to become new again: to choose how you want to put yourself back together. Confusion can be an incredible teacher—how could you ever learn if you already had it all figured out?"</i><br />
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I highly recommend checking the whole thing out.<br />
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Other than that... I got pretty loopy / dizzy after I took my anxiety medication tonight (that happens sometimes) and ended the evening playing Skylanders with Oksana.<br />
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Speaking of anxiety. The Bloggess shared <a href="http://thebloggess.com/2012/01/the-fight-goes-on/">a post yesterday</a> wherein she talking about her battles with depression and anxiety and admitted publicly for the first time that sometimes she self-harms. I'm really proud of her for talking about it and for standing up for herself and all the other people that fight their demons daily. I don't suffer from depression, and I don't self-harm, but I do suffer from GAD - generalized anxiety disorder. I was diagnosed about a year and a half ago. The symptoms had been creeping up on me for probably a couple of years before that, but I didn't recognize them. I had no real context for anxiety disorder. Sometimes it is hugely disabling, especially when other things in life are hard. It's harder to take action on many things in my life right now, for instance, when so many huge issues are crushing down on us right now. It's hard for me to explain to people why I don't just go get a job and make more money, because it's just not that simple for me. That's not all due to anxiety, but a large part of it is. I worry that people won't understand. I struggle with explaining my thoughts and feelings to people because without an understanding of how terrible anxiety can be to someone fighting it daily, I fear judgment. Scorn. Dismissal.<br />
<br />
I fight anxiety every day. I take medications to help me deal with it. I see a therapist and a psychiatrist. These things have all helped immensely... but some days, life is still a huge battle.<br />
<br />
Through it all, I do my best to figure out what I can do to make myself and my family happy. Sometimes that means compromises, BIG compromises. Even compromises on my own principles / morals at times. Because I'd rather be happy than right all the time.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-90150780879326425752012-01-03T01:12:00.001-06:002012-01-03T01:14:36.917-06:00Financial PeaceI've always been a fan of Dave Ramsey, but I've never really put effort into following his ideas... or much of any ideas about finances, really. I'd dabble in fixing our finances but never really committed for more than a short while. Good intentions, bad follow-through. After reading about a friend's experience with Dave's Financial Peace University (and her recent encouragement to check out one of the local FPU classes that will be starting soon), I convinced OJ that we should take the class. It's $100, not very much to spend on one's financial future. I think taking it together, spending dedicated time for 12 weeks talking about our finances and ways to make things better, working together and finally building a solid partnered financial foundation in our marriage, is a good idea.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xgr66P95mtE/TwKqyLtddlI/AAAAAAAAAWk/OwyvzjrxyzE/s1600/fpu1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xgr66P95mtE/TwKqyLtddlI/AAAAAAAAAWk/OwyvzjrxyzE/s320/fpu1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
OJ is skeptical about the fact that it is a Christian-based program and that it is held at a church. He's become very atheist over the past year or two. I told him there was no way I was entertaining the idea of moving to the Bible Belt (North Carolina) with him if he wouldn't even take a class because it was held at a church. I'm sure we can filter out any God messages and apply them in our own spiritual / ethical / moral way. He also doesn't love the idea of paying someone (AKA making THEM rich) to give us 'financial peace', but I maintain that people's time and efforts are worth paying for if we learn something / get value from it. AND, as I said, $100 is not that much for two people to invest in a 12-week class.<br />
<br />
I don't know which class we will be taking yet; I have sent an email to the most likely one with some questions. Hopefully we'll be able to start soon.<br />
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I wonder if there's a way to take these methods and convert them in such a way that they could be applicable to weight loss and clutter management. I could become the next guru of fixing up your life!Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-28473651322429712022011-07-22T17:43:00.001-05:002011-07-22T17:46:00.684-05:00DaydreamingWow, I haven't posted since March? AMAZING. I post other places... I guess I just haven't been sure what I'm doing with this blog. <br />
<br />
I'm daydreaming right now. I suppose it's only fitting I felt the pull to post on my million dreams blog when I'm daydreaming about things I want / want to do.<br />
<br />
I want...<br />
<br />
a beautiful vacation cabin in the mountains of North Carolina so my family can spend chunks of time playing in the wilderness together (and then we can rent it out during the times we aren't there)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSHHy3cslZe_l3fmJl6_OpGEFNpGmwjmpD1TcRMNYA9y5CwcnRWlTk23EHjGNK4WF2sNKVXXsY1HeWBZFdJJTeojqj3hOV97dqRWsCkffgzFKfIAlR-YyPSufuhRhGX-Sc4qRfTtxaVg/s1600/nc-cabin-fall-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSHHy3cslZe_l3fmJl6_OpGEFNpGmwjmpD1TcRMNYA9y5CwcnRWlTk23EHjGNK4WF2sNKVXXsY1HeWBZFdJJTeojqj3hOV97dqRWsCkffgzFKfIAlR-YyPSufuhRhGX-Sc4qRfTtxaVg/s400/nc-cabin-fall-view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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a decluttered house with all this stuff finally sold and out the door (there's a LOT to go through still... this is no short task... and so I dream of it just being DONE already)<br />
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living a life with enough money to make ends meet AND having all our debts paid, living credit card free<br />
<br />
being a foster parent (I just discovered the fairly new, yet entirely awesome, blog <a href="http://backwoodsmom.danoah.com/">Backwoods Mom</a>... reading through her blog isn't helping me quench my desire to be a foster mom OR live in the wilderness)<br />
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<br />
Having a million dreams is hard because I often don't know what I want to do for a living. I'm happy doing so many things it's hard to focus on one; it's hard not to get swept up in the excitement of a new idea (or the rekindling of an old idea that's been loved and shelved for a while). Even thinking about "what would I do if I was rich?" doesn't help, because I think if I had the money I'd do ALL these things. I'd raise billions of kids and spend lots of time being an awesome mommy but I'd still start up <a href="http://theroadtospookytown.blogspot.com/">Spookytown</a>, I'd just have the money to hire people to work in the businesses I started there rather than having to build it from the ground up...<br />
I'd also own rental properties and vacation properties all over the place, and would rent out the vacation properties when we weren't using them, and would spend lots of time traveling from spot to spot.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I wonder if I should focus on one VS the other (family's not optional; it's coming along with the ride. The only question is how BIG we let the family get, I guess), or if I should keep trying to have both. They're certainly not mutually exclusive but splitting our attention and goals means everything grows a bit slower. The spooky side VS the vacation side. And of course, since I'm NOT rich, building the spooky side is going to involve a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears from us, which means that we will have a lot less time to go on vacations for a while and will be paying a lot more in vacation property management fees once we start accumulating said property.<br />
<br />
And since we don't have the money to buy ANY properties right now, what do I do for money in the meantime? How much of myself do I want to invest in working VS spending time with my family? <br />
I decided recently to start selling <a href="http://kristidorson.pureromance.com/">Pure Romance</a> (click the link to visit my personal Pure Romance by Kristi website if you're interested). I believe I can work that business part time and make the money we need while still being able to focus on my family. I believe I will ENJOY that business too, which is very important to me. <br />
<br />
Sometimes I worry I'm going to enjoy it so much that it'll become a full time thing for me and I will find myself putting my spookytown dreams on hold to pursue this career. <br />
<br />
Then I laugh and say to myself, oh, what a TERRIBLE dilemma to have, having to choose between two things you'd love to do. <br />
<br />
Life's funny that way sometimes. You think you're going to open a haunted bar, only to find yourself selling sex toys from a mountain cabin several states away.Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-67240460981604932402011-03-03T09:30:00.007-06:002011-03-03T10:28:51.850-06:00HEY Y'ALL (dialect vlog)<i>*I do not say "hey y'all" in this video. I am not from the south, much as I may want to be.*</i><br />
<br />
This vlog was inspired by my friend Natalie over at <a href="http://www.mommyboots.com/">Mommy Boots</a>, who also did one of these vlogs. I think they're fun, so here's mine. See below the video for the words, the questions, and a list of other folks who have done this too! If you do one, please leave me a comment with the link and also tell me where you're from; I love to hear how other people pronounce things.<br />
<br />
<i>I noticed one error when I watched this after recording it; when talking about what I called my grandparents, instead of saying "my mother's parents / father's parents" or "my maternal grandparents / paternal grandparents", I TOTALLY referred to them as "my mother's grandparents" and "my father's grandparents". I really WAS talking about THEIR parents, MY grandparents. Durrr. Sorry. LOL.</i><br />
<br />
<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1937528277713" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1937528277713" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Here is the list of words, and also the list of questions :<br />
<br />
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught<br />
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?<br />
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?<br />
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?<br />
What do you call gym shoes?<br />
What do you say to address a group of people?<br />
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped<br />
body and extremely long legs?<br />
What do you call your grandparents?<br />
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry<br />
groceries at the supermarket?<br />
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?<br />
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?<br />
<br />
<br />
Other people that have posted a dialect video:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mommyboots.com/">Mommy Boots</a> (from Chicago, now living in Chattanooga)<br />
<a href="http://ashleygettingdressed.blogspot.com/2011/01/dialect-vlog.html">Ashley Getting Dressed</a> (from a rural area about an hour north of St. Louis, Missouri)<br />
<a href="http://picklesandpaisleys.com/dialect-vlog/">Pickles & Paisleys</a> (from Charleston, SC)<br />
<a href="http://shesmommafied.com/2011/03/dilect-vlog/">She's Mommafied</a> (grew up in Boston, now lives in New Hampshire)<br />
<a href="http://bravocharliesierra.blogspot.com/2011/01/accent-meme.html">Bravo Charlie Sierra</a> (from Pittsburgh, PA)<br />
<a href="http://sarakaisenberg.blogspot.com/2011/02/dialect-vlog.html">Sara Kaisenberg</a> (moved to Texas when she was four, but learned to talk in New York)<br />
<br />
And just for fun, here's a dialect video my husband and I made TWO YEARS AGO, together, with a different list of words! (He's from Miami, FL; I'm from Chicago, IL; we're both living in Chicagoland at the moment.)<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jeKBCI9swCI?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-61399000886078379512011-01-28T13:04:00.000-06:002011-01-28T13:04:17.179-06:00My Girl Likes To Party All The Time, Party All The ZZZZZzzzzzz....I have been nothing short of exhausted lately. Bone-tired, brain completely fried kind of tired. It just seems to keep getting worse, it's interfering with my ability to get anything other than 'basic tasks of the day' done (I do manage a few extras here and there, like the monster cake pops I made for my son's class the other day, but it's with extreme effort and sheer force of will). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3JqtcjUdj_cIzyI7mXk5YLF6zph70gcFk3ygXKFr_Eueo_klIPz2Y62YkaX9JLBnB9Qui0TGNQZ5ocZAEPd0HKhzP5K0bzGaSLIO-uXvzWbGbx_2rHetP4-LeKgHBkesv9ZP3bhudn4/s1600/166484_1875099157024_1227549162_32302469_4092806_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3JqtcjUdj_cIzyI7mXk5YLF6zph70gcFk3ygXKFr_Eueo_klIPz2Y62YkaX9JLBnB9Qui0TGNQZ5ocZAEPd0HKhzP5K0bzGaSLIO-uXvzWbGbx_2rHetP4-LeKgHBkesv9ZP3bhudn4/s320/166484_1875099157024_1227549162_32302469_4092806_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There ain't no second chance against the thing with 40 eyes, girl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>What's the reason? I'm not entirely sure but I really think it's lack of quality sleep, and I think there are several things that have been affecting this. (Which makes it much harder to fix!)<br />
<br />
Problem #1: <a href="http://milliondreammom.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-thrill-when-i-drill-bicuspid.html">My teeth hurt</a>, and they tend to hurt more at night for some reason.<br />
Solution: I get my permanent crown on February 4th, and I'm hoping that will fix this issue. In the meantime, I am turning to drugs. Advil manages to work most of the time, but usually when the pain gets worse the Advil doesn't help or it wears off in the middle of the night and the pain wakes me up, thus interrupting my sleep. I took Advil PM a couple times but we're out of that now, and we do have some Codeine left still. The problem with the drowsy drugs is that it's hard for me to wake up in the mornings, which I need to do in order to take care of my family. This leads to...<br />
<br />
Problem #2: I am not a morning person. Even in the face of sheer exhaustion, as soon as the sun sets I am wide awake, and find it hard to go to bed or fall asleep any earlier than midnight. I have school-age kids so we're up early to get off to school five days a week, and don't usually get to sleep in TOO late on weekends either.<br />
Solution: Go to bed earlier? Yeah, not gonna happen. I've tried this off and on my whole life. My body is just programmed to be up at night. I can't seem to help it. And I ENJOY it. I just don't enjoy the 'getting up in the mornings' part. It would be easier if the world would just start conforming to my schedule. I know I'm not the only night owl out there.<br />
<br />
Problem #3: We recently moved into the basement and have been sleeping on the futon down there. It's a fairly decent futon mattress, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world and I don't feel that I'm sleeping very well on it at all. Not only have I been increasingly more exhausted every day since we moved down there, but I also wake up every day with a new ache somewhere in my body. Back, shoulders, and neck seem to be the most affected. I'm pretty sure that this 'bed' is not at all good for me.<br />
Solution: We've talked about several options, ranging from getting a new mattress to getting a foam memory topper. None of them are particularly cheap, and while some aren't terribly expensive either, we still have to save up for them. I'm starting to be so tired that I kind of just don't care though and am almost willing to just charge it. Which we're trying not to do, but when you're tired and delirious you don't always make the best decisions.<br />
<br />
Problem #4: We just got two kittens. Nighttime is playtime! Wheeeee! They run over us, they jump, the mock fight and growl, they wake us up for petting and purring and love, they roll around in the (dry) bathtub and clunk into things. It's ridiculously adorable, but it also wakes us up about 50 times a night.<br />
Solution: Kinda just have to wait this one out, I think. Eventually they'll grow out of it, and they'll be used to the house and the dogs enough where we will be willing to leave the door open and let them roam all over the place while we sleep. Right now, we just have to put up with this one. It's like having a baby, only instead of needing to feed it or change it, it runs all over the place and makes a bunch of noise.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pB87Atv3Nr65Qijt9brQRVWG0jVQHfsqMOxFF7iXSrDRF4eaaPMsveSWkXUXF-zsMZ3BYRS-KfnJXhF6y0jPP7-laJN6bu-AePQtQ0COYUaomf251QZrphE1eqQ6g_AmpzuHZTG23Qs/s1600/167091_1876707197224_1227549162_32305038_758117_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pB87Atv3Nr65Qijt9brQRVWG0jVQHfsqMOxFF7iXSrDRF4eaaPMsveSWkXUXF-zsMZ3BYRS-KfnJXhF6y0jPP7-laJN6bu-AePQtQ0COYUaomf251QZrphE1eqQ6g_AmpzuHZTG23Qs/s320/167091_1876707197224_1227549162_32305038_758117_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are wine botttleesssss!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I think the bed is the biggest problem. Being uncomfortable all night long, every night, is awful. So I think I will focus on solving that problem this weekend and see what a difference it makes. Because I'm really having trouble functioning lately. And I can't spend the rest of my life sitting around like a zombie, watching reruns of Roseanne.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjME2jtsxJ3R7AP8K79u6Fr4VqnmrD5VsW7SIH3DeWFO0on3d447jQfkZpZE51x9Mchzy35Z7lBAIMRzPn-j5KjKztgjP5K7JPc1yfMb925-lSGGr2T89XXPNSgltdIKwFSsf9xePQHxww/s1600/168672_1874097691988_1227549162_32301196_6317779_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjME2jtsxJ3R7AP8K79u6Fr4VqnmrD5VsW7SIH3DeWFO0on3d447jQfkZpZE51x9Mchzy35Z7lBAIMRzPn-j5KjKztgjP5K7JPc1yfMb925-lSGGr2T89XXPNSgltdIKwFSsf9xePQHxww/s400/168672_1874097691988_1227549162_32301196_6317779_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But hey, I got new glasses, and I think they're pretty spiffy. So life's not all bad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-6743503616013753192011-01-25T21:57:00.000-06:002011-01-25T21:57:57.582-06:00I Thrill When I Drill A BicuspidI had my first major dental work done last week. I grew up with fairly healthy teeth, yet somehow managed to develop a healthy fear of dentistry anyway. I never even had to have my wisdom teeth pulled because I DON'T HAVE ANY. I was born with no wisdom teeth! Since they only seem to cause problems for pretty much everyone, I can't help but feel I dodged a bullet with that little congenital defect. <br />
<br />
So with healthy teeth and an unhealthy fear of people hurting me in my mouthal region, I pretty much avoid the dentist. As an adult, eventually the guilt of 'I should really be responsible and take better care of myself' creeps up on you, and finally in 2007 I decided, after AT LEAST ten years of having avoided them, that I really ought to visit the dentist. I had lost a tooth somewhere in that time period; I knew it was coming because I was also born missing that adult tooth (FIVE teeth congenitally missing! go me!), and my childhood dentist had warned us that the baby tooth would eventually wear out. They're just not made to last that long. So it did, in pieces, and it was gross, but it didn't hurt, and it seemed to have all fallen out, and the tooth is kind of on the side of my mouth so I figured I didn't really look like a gap-toothed crack whore or anything so why bother with an expensive repair (though I always thought it would be kind of awesome to get a gold tooth, and maybe someday I will; I'm classy like that). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqr42djrTkYZ4majmwLb9a3H4k3D6eA7AJ9afzJi6jNDpgs7fCLoAXfn7hmqxtrR9puvYVOjlf088ursGx3kdBd5inyzOHgQNpcbT6jfsjPmvhkmQFLVUHQCHS1f1e01sew1DC_H3RRs/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqr42djrTkYZ4majmwLb9a3H4k3D6eA7AJ9afzJi6jNDpgs7fCLoAXfn7hmqxtrR9puvYVOjlf088ursGx3kdBd5inyzOHgQNpcbT6jfsjPmvhkmQFLVUHQCHS1f1e01sew1DC_H3RRs/s200/photo.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi, my name is ChaCha; for $15 bucks I'll blow you in this port-a-potty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
But eventually I started to worry that maybe the RIGHT thing to do would be to have someone official check it out and just make sure all the pieces, you know, came out and whatnot, and maybe they should look at my other teeth too and tell me everything was OK. My husband happened to go to this great dentist in Roscoe Village (this was back when we lived in Chicago; it's <a href="http://www.perfectsmiledentalspa.com/index.html">Perfect Smile Dental Spa</a>, if anyone local needs an awesome dentist! Tell them Kristi Dorson sent you! Dr. DeMars is great!). They tend to cater to dental wusses like me. They'll give you massages if you have to wait for your appointment, they're very nice, they have foot massagers in the waiting area, it's comfy and cozy and they'll give you laughing gas and goofy pills if you're very anxious about seeing the dentist, and they'll give you headphones to listen to the radio or watch movies if you prefer, and they're very thorough. Perfect for someone like me. So I went, they cleaned my teeth and fixed a tiny cavity (the first in my life) and gave me my first dose of laughing gas and it was actually kind of fun.<br />
<br />
And then we moved an hour away and I didn't bother going back. The thought of trying to find another dentist, a local dentist, kind of terrified me, especially after dealing with such nice people who understood what it was like to fear the dentist. I just wanted them to move their offices to ME. Of course that wasn't going to happen, so I just didn't go. Then I was diagnosed with diabetes, and strongly encouraged to see my dentist (and EVERY OTHER MEDICAL SPECIALIST ON THE PLANET) twice a year because diabetes basically fucks up your entire body, and it tends to do it kind of silently at first so if you don't have an entire team of professionals working on your tired old carcass year round you just wake up one day and your foot is gangrenous and they need to amputate, and your liver is shot, and you're blind and your teeth have all fallen out, and then you die from kidney failure. My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades! Ahem. <br />
<br />
So I still avoided the dentist for a couple years. This year I vowed to take better care of my health overall. Also, one of my back teeth cracked in half last month. I figure hey, they're probably not supposed to do that, are they? Whoops, time to go to the dentist. By this point I decided that if I was really happy at Perfect Smile, it was worth the damn one hour drive to go rather than deal with the anxiety of having to find a new, equally awesome dentist.<br />
<br />
As it turns out, at no great surprise to me, cracked tooth=bad. It was a hair's breadth away from the nerve, so I was really lucky it didn't hurt like a bitch; possible root canal needed, definitely a crown. I also had two other cavities that needed fixing and some majorly swollen gums. Higher blood sugar levels from diabetes apparently leads to some KILLER gum disease. So they had lots of major work to do on me! I got some Super Valium to take before the appointment, and then they gave me more at the appointment, AND they gave me the happy gas, AND the radio headphones, so it was a pretty happy experience overall. Except now I have a temporary crown on the cracked tooth and I can't eat on that side of my mouth because it's really tender and keeps hurting when I chew and I'm taking lots of advil and wondering when it will STOP hurting. I get the permanent crown next Friday. I'm hoping that will be the end of my dental miseries for a while.<br />
<br />
Taking better care of myself sucks. Or maybe it's diabeetus that sucks. Or maybe it's avoiding taking care of myself and then having to pay the piper when I finally give in and make the effort that sucks. Whatever; my mouth hurts and I'm grouchy.<br />
<br />
Hey, let's end on a happy note! We got two new kitties last weekend! Here's a picture of Hannah stretching after one of her many naps.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG_3fJN5m6vE0HuJAYEwwSj-RgpHm97h8kcIn-vq0fPy46s7lcmAfnOC8LHh7rcp-4EOQtOOvAZVELFwLjA3L-btjkRqm2YINzHdvuL_Wj-B4dshaVeDxNr4rCxCdUjgMU4a7wscX6ik/s1600/photo_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG_3fJN5m6vE0HuJAYEwwSj-RgpHm97h8kcIn-vq0fPy46s7lcmAfnOC8LHh7rcp-4EOQtOOvAZVELFwLjA3L-btjkRqm2YINzHdvuL_Wj-B4dshaVeDxNr4rCxCdUjgMU4a7wscX6ik/s320/photo_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<i>(Sorry both my pictures are from my camera phone. I know they suck. I've become really lazy with my camera lately; that's another thing I need to work on this year.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Also, I probably should note that this is NOT a sponsored post or anything. That's probably obvious because I swore a lot and made jokes about prostitution. I just really love Perfect Smile and Dr. DeMars. AND the drugs they give me. I DO get a referral bonus if you go to them and say I sent you though. So you should do that.)</i>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-30072529609833189682010-12-06T15:56:00.000-06:002010-12-06T15:56:37.746-06:00ECIA: Ultra Foods - The Results<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Welcome to day two of Extreme Couponing In Action! We continue our journey by hitting the local Ultra Foods for a few items I needed as well as a few things I wanted to grab based on price.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://milliondreammom.blogspot.com/2010/12/extreme-couponing-in-action-ultra-foods.html">Yesterday</a> I estimated that I would spend about $50 after coupons.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I missed five things on my list and added two extra at the store. My final result?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Spent: $34.32. I am guessing that if I had stuck completely to the list I would have been right at about $50 still, so pretty much on the money.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Bonus: I received a "$1.00 off your next visit!" Ultra Catalina at the register (from the Pillsbury deal)! Didn't know about that!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">How did this all work out? Here's the list I made prior to shopping, with notes from the actual store experience beneath each. If you don't want to bother with reading an in-depth analysis, and just want to know the outcome, here's what I saved (according to my receipt) AND a short list of important things I learned during this trip:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>FINAL SAVINGS OUTCOME:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">My Ultra receipt tells me I saved $13.11, and I'm not sure where it's getting that number from! My coupon total appears to add up to: $11.99</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">My sales-price savings appear to add up to: $5.91</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">For a total savings of $17.90</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Which would make my savings percentage: 34%</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The register doesn't appear to count the sales price on meats into savings either. If you consider that about half of my purchase was meat, with NO coupons, just meat at a decent price, the savings percentage should be a little higher, even.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">(These numbers do NOT account for the $1 Ultra Buck I received this week. I will count that on next week's write-up.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>AAAAND, I just noticed that I was charged twice for my pork chops. GO FIGURE. Even when you're watching the register pretty carefully, things slip past. I will have to go back in and take care of that at my next trip! That's $3.53!! (Totals above are pre-extra pork chop removal!)</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>THINGS I LEARNED:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">1) Ultra puts their weekly sales fliers coupons out by the service desk. This was important because the sales flier I got was missing the pop coupon I needed.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">2) There were a TON of coupon tearpads and even a small coupon booklet right by the front door. I don't know if that's normal or not but I will be scouting out this area diligently next time I go!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">3) Ultra does rain checks. They were out of the oil I needed, but gave me a rain check good for the next 30 days.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">4) DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR OWN BAGS. I forgot mine again. Ultra is supposed to give you .05 off for each reusable bag you bring in (just like Target does). Every little bit helps, AND it's environmentally friendly too.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">5) I was told Ultra's produce is kind of sketchy, and ended up not buying my two produce needs there because the zucchini was all really SOFT. I was wary of it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">6) Check your receipts, check your receipts, CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS! I try to watch my items as they ring up and make sure it's all correct, and somehow my cashier still managed to ring my pork chops twice. Not even right in a row either! It's pork chops - pork roast - pork roast (yes I did get two pork roasts) - PORK CHOPS AGAIN. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Now, here's that detailed analysis I promised:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Things I needed:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">parchment paper (found a $1 off Reynolds parchment paper coupon!): cost ??</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">- was on sale for $2.99! .20 off with the sale plus $1.00 off with the coupon. Nice!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">zucchini: cost ??</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">-it was very soft. I don't want my zucchini to be that squishy. I didn't get it.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">onions: cost ??</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-since I didn't get my zucchini here, I didn't get my onions either. I need both items to make these <a href="http://www.turkishfoodandrecipes.com/2009/08/zucchini-potato-fritters-kabak-patates.html">zucchini-potato latkes</a> I promised my husband I'd make for Hanukkah. So they might not make it on the table DURING Hanukkah, but if not they'll be close! I'll probably get these things tomorrow so we should be all right.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Deals I wanted:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and Select Pepsi Brand Varieties - $.99 </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">WYB 5 (With in ad coupon)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-the in-store coupon did limit me to 5 bottles. I actually grabbed six because I had the 3 $1 off 2 coupons. So I paid .99 for my first 5, $1.50 for my sixth one, and got $3.00 off. Worked out to .56 each.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookie Dough - 4/$10, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In ad coupon for free Dean’s milk WYB 4 packages of dough. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I've got 2 - $1.25 off 2 coupons! So my cost for four will be $7.50, or $1.88 each, AND a free Dean’s Milk!</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-SUCCESS! Extra bonus in that buying four Pillsbury refrigerated dough items is triggering a $1.00 Ultra Buck Catalina at the register. AND there was a hangtag on my milk for .55 off. They wouldn't let me use it at the register today because the milk was free, but I've got it for a future milk purchase!</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sanderson Farms Split Chicken Breast, </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Price: $.98/Pound</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">- I skipped this. It's a good price but I remembered I don't like dicking around with whole, bone-in skin-on chicken breast. LOL.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bone in Pork Sirloin Chops, </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Price: $1.28/Pound</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-SUCCESS!</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Whole Pork Butt Roast, </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Price: $.98/Pound</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-SUCCESS! I bought two. I am going to feed my guests BUTT at our holiday potluck this weekend. Heh heh. Heh heh. BUTT.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Crisco Vegetable Oil, 128 oz. $4.99 , </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">use $.55/1 from RP 11/07/10, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Final Price: $4.44 each</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-this must be a hot deal because they were CLEAN OUT of this stuff. So I got a rain check! My coupon is good for at least another month!</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Hershey's Chocolate Milk $.79 ,I have 2</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> .35 off coupons. Cost will be $.88 for two, or $.44 each!</span></div></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">-Success! These will be a nice little treat for my kids!<br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Things I added while in the store:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I count the sixth bottle of Pepsi as an 'addition' because I really only wanted to buy ten total; either ten here or five here and five at Strack's (which is also running the same deal this week). Now I need to buy 11 to get the deal, but that's OK. I got my six here, and I'll get my five at Strack tomorrow, and we'll be more than set on pop for the party.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I also count the second roast as an 'addition' to my list, because I was planning on buying only one. But at the last minute, as usual, I got panicky about not having enough meat for our guests this weekend, and I grabbed a second roast. I would much rather have too much food than not enough. We will definitely re-use the leftovers if there are any, and at this price it's hard to beat!<br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>BONUS FUN:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Did I mention the $1.00 Ultra buck that printed at the end? That was a nice little surprise!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">These sales run through Thursday December 8th, so if any of them appeal to you, you can run to your local Ultra Food and take advantage of them too! Let me know if you need help tracking down any of the coupons. If you're a new EXTREME COUPONER and you haven't yet subscribed to the Sunday paper or started saving all the coupon inserts, DO IT. You could be saving a LOT of money!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>FINALLY, don't forget to call the feedback number on the bottom of your receipt(s) when you get home! You only have a few days to do it, it's a short survey, and you get entered in a drawing. Ultra's drawing this month is for a $500 gift card. That's worth a couple minutes of my time, for sure.</i></span>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527687942378659129.post-55390592102131379232010-12-05T23:20:00.000-06:002010-12-05T23:20:36.539-06:00Extreme Couponing In Action: Ultra Foods - The Plan<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Tomorrow I will be heading out to our local Ultra Foods to see if I can score some deals. I haven't been there in, oh, probably 15 years or more (I know I haven't been there since they became Ultra; they were still Cub Foods last time I went!), so I'm a little nervous about tackling a new store. However, I hear they have good deals and I have to admit: I'm a natural-born skeptic. Even though I've seen some great results with our Extreme Couponing, I have this burning need to figure out if I really am getting the BEST deals in my area. Which means doing a lot of extra research and work, hitting a lot of extra stores, and even keeping a price comparison spreadsheet (which I started today). Over time, I'll be able to share with all of you the fruits of my labors, and you'll be able to benefit from my hard work. Theoretically, anyway. So, my pain is your gain</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">! Enjoy!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Here's my plan, after looking at <a href="http://oneyeartodisney.blogspot.com/2010/12/ultra-foods-ad-coupon-matchups-12210.html">the weekly deal matchup One Year To Disney put together</a> (<i>side note: there really aren't many Ultra Foods matchups for our area, it seems! </i><a href="http://www.mummydeals.org/"><i>Mummy Deals</i></a><i> does them sometimes but she's very pregnant and thus gets a pass on keeping up with everything for a while, lol. Does anyone know of other deal blogs that do matchups for Ultra?</i>):</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b>Things I need:</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">parchment paper (found a $1 off Reynolds parchment paper coupon!): cost ??</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">zucchini: cost ??</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">onions: cost ??</span></span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b>Deals I want:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and Select Pepsi Brand Varieties - $.99 </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">WYB 5 (With in ad coupon)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I have 3 $1 off 2 coupons, and one $1 off 4 coupons. I don't know if this is a limit of 5 or not. I'm hoping I can get ten (we are having a party this weekend) and use all my coupons. Assuming I can, that would make my net cost $5.90, or .59 each.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">FYI - Strack & Van Til is running this exact SAME DEAL WITH IN AD COUPON THIS WEEK</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookie Dough - 4/$10</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">In ad coupon for free Dean’s milk WYB 4 packages of dough</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I've got 2 - $1.25 off 2 coupons! So my cost for four will be $7.50, or $1.88 each, AND a free Dean’s Milk!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Sanderson Farms Split Chicken Breast</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Price: $.98/Pound</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Bone in Pork Sirloin Chops</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Price: $1.28/Pound</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Whole Pork Butt Roast</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Price: $.98/Pound</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Crisco Vegetable Oil, 128 oz. $4.99 </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">use $.55/1 from RP 11/07/10</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Final Price: $4.44 each, or $.03 per oz</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">(Crisco oil is on sale at Strack & Van Til this week for 1.99ea, 48oz size; it's the same price per ounce so I'm getting the bigger one.)</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Hershey's Chocolate Milk $.79 </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I have 2 .35 off coupons. Cost will be $.88 for two, or $.44 each!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b>Deals I was interested in but ultimately nixed:</b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Palermo's Pizza - 2/$8</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">$1/1 - </span></span></span><a href="http://www.palermoslafamiglia.com/lafamiglia/join-la-famiglia.aspx"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Click here</span></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Final Price: $3/Each WYB 2</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i>I nixed this for two reasons:</i></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i>1) California Pizza Kitchen pizzas are</i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i> $1.50ea at Meijer this week</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i>2) Palermo's Classic Pizzas are on sale 4/$10 at Strack & Van Til this week; I can use my coupon there</i></span></span></span></span></div><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Contadina Tomato Paste $.59</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Use $1/3 from RP 09/26/10</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Final Price $.77/3 or $.26 each</span></span></span></span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i>1) I nixed this one because I don't have coupon fliers going back that far, and I couldn't find any Contadina coupons online.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I also am hoping that ei</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">ther my</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> mom has the Ultra sales ad and I can snag it from her tomorrow, or that they have copies of it in the store, because I need those in-ad coupons for this to work. I don't get the Sunday paper yet; I signed up for the 2011 deal the Chicago Tribune is offering (Sunday-only paper delivery $20 for the whole year! GREAT price!), but that doesn't start until next year. Until then, I keep stealing my mom's papers. I'm sick and I forgot to go over there and get them tonight. So tomorrow morning I will go and hope she has what I need!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Final analysis: I'm guessing this trip will cost me a total of $50. I don't know the cost on a couple of the items, and I don't know exactly how much meat I'll be buying, but I'm hoping for a decent size roast at the very least. We're having a potluck this weekend and we are providing the main meat dish; $.98 per pound pork roast would be AWESOME. Here's hoping for decent meat tomorrow!</span></span>Kristi Nommensen Dorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08326921721243987437noreply@blogger.com0