Do your self a favor,

read the above link,

then click here

to read how this journey started

for Matt and Madeline.

Then click here

to read about how

Matt and Madeline love

Liz

and how they are making it

in the best way possible.

So this is my Manga I gotta say, it does resemble me, you know, big fat head and all. Actually, my hair isn’t quite that blond, but they weren’t giving out the multicolored blond on top/chestnut underneath groovy hair, so what could I do?

You too can FaceYourManga for when your lame asses finally get with the times and get a freaking Twitter. All the cool kids have the Twitter. And when you finally decide to be cool, you can follow me here.

The Bloggess!

This bitch is CRAZY! And when I say “bitch”, I mean it in a good way, a way in which if she were to ever read this, she would be like, “Oh, hell yeah, I’m a total bitch!”. Ha! Who am I kidding, she’s not going to be reading this, so who cares how she takes it, right?. Jenny, The Bloggess, is one of the superstar bloggers. You know, the kind that every other blogger out there knows who she is and only wishes to have so many stalkers followers, especially that comment on all of her posts!!! (Yes, I am looking directly at the two of you who read my damn blog!). But, she is not one of those kind of bloggers that really is a bitch in a “I’m better than everyone else” high school cheerleader bitchy, delusional kind of way. Does any of this make sense? Am I getting through to you two?

Any how, you really need to check her out, not that she needs any more damn traffic. Oh yes, and did I mention she’s crazy. Like cuckoo, sarcastic, don’t believe her when she says she is going to murder people to get higher on the Technorati blog ranking list crazy.

Speaking of Technorati rankings. She’s seriously kicking my ass!

Obviously, she is on the left and I am on the right. You people need to tell some of your friends to read my blog or something. I’m starting to feel like I’m talking to myself. Geez! OK, so I probably am talking to myself, what else is new?

Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed. ~ from Freegan.info

On the surface it sounds lovely, if not hippy-ish and a bit idealistic. While watching the show, I became enthralled by the mere concept of minimal consumption. Throughout my teens and twenties I was all about materialism. I just had to have this or that. My house had to be just so. My kids had to look the part too. As time has passed and I am nearly forty, those things don’t mean as much as they used to. In all honesty, some of it came about just from being broke ourselves and we dealt with it as necessities.

Now that we are well on our way to being back on our feet, I still can’t see myself going back to those old ways. The Freegan concept, though fascinating, is one end of the extreme. The other end could possibly be seen in this blog by Melissa Morris.

I don’t think I could stomach either end of the spectrum to tell the truth. I like being right in the middle somewhere. I don’t want the big fancy house and luxury cars, but I can’t bring myself to dumpster dive for my meal either, although I would if hard times called for feeding my kids or letting them starve.

I’ve seen a lot of people trying to live the dream like Melissa by buying houses and cars and toys and clothes, etc. etc. that they really can not afford. Why do you think the foreclosure rate is so high right now? People living beyond their means.

My choice is to make a good home for my family, but not at the expense of my pocket book or the environment. I am not your typical “tree-hugger”, but I do see how incredibly wasteful I have been in the past and I don’t plan to continue it into the future. We don’t need to go to the extreme folks, everyone (especially in our gluttonous country) needs to be mindful of what we buy and then send to the trash to fill up yet another land fill.

Ignore the commercials for the latest and greatest thing that you just have to have. Don’t let corporations sway you into whipping out your credit card to buy things you really don’t need. Try to live within your budget. We all make those rash decisions at times. The best we can do is to try to be happy in the middle.

If someone comes to your front door saying that s/he is checking for ticks due to the warming weather and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!!!

IT IS A SCAM!!!

They only want to see you naked … I wish I’d gotten this yesterday.

I feel so stupid!

My Doll Click on my doll to see the other one I created.

Click on her to make your own. It is girly and fun.

To get ready for this torturous outing I had to prepare my self, which called for a stop at:

They make coffee for a reason folks! It’s so that parents can not killhandle being around teenagers! I had a pretty good plan though. I warned my kid before even leaving the house this is how her face needed to look during the entire trip, or it would end very quickly and very badly and lots of tears and screaming would be involved, plus they would be pissed too.

Oddly enough, the shopping devils angels were smiling upon this fateful day. We actually found some cute clothes, that we could both agree on, and we got some kick ass deals ta boot! Tal just had to have the “skinny” jeans, which is fine because she is sickeningly skinny to begin with. Of course, she want’s to hear nothing about how these jeans were popular when I was in school, but we called them “pegged leg” jeans. Pisses me off they actually manufacture them this way now…we had to buy our own 501 jeans and sew the peg leg ourselves. She got two pairs of EXTREME slim leg pants for just $7 each. What a bargain, gotta love the clearance rack at TJ MAXX!


The photo does not even do justice to how tight these are. Pretty funny to watch her try to shimmy into them.
I did get her to try a pair of boot cut to whence I was regaled with, “Oh Mom! those are so hideous!”. Damn! Have to give her points for getting that one right.

To be honest these would probably work great ON A NORMAL SIZE PERSON!! She’s such a shorty.

We also got six shirts, two bras and a pair of shoes. Damage for the day - $66! Hell yes, ’cause I’m good like that! We also shopped at the big sale at Old Navy. I hate to pay retail, what can I say.

The cookies on the left are to die for! My dry cleaner gives them out each time you bring something in. Even if I walk by their door, because it is on the way to a convenience store I frequent, the little Korean lady inside calls me to get a cookie, because she knows how much I love them! I love her for that. Come to think of it, I am going to jump up and get one so that I can manage to finish this post!

OK, so I got two, but they are so light and dreamy, you can’t blame me. The green box and chocolate and crushed almond covered cracker stick. Also super yummy. The best thing about the treats in Japan, they are never too sweet, just lightly sweet. I don’t think their taste buds could handle the rich crap we eat.

The two bottles on the right side are gyoza dipping sauce (餃子ディップソース) and yakisoba sauce (ソース焼そば).

I love their packaging and even their little pictures are cute too.

Side note: Their daughter is starting 4th grade this year and she has always given us her hand-me-downs. Both of my girls will now fit into her outgrown clothes…by kids are starting 5th and 9th! The girl is a giant, swear to God!

Anyhow, we needed to stop for gas on the way. Kitty was along for the ride and as usual was sitting on her throne in the front dash board. A Hispanic lady came up to my side of the car and I unrolled my window. She asked if Kitty was a miniature pincher, then proceeded to tell us a story about hers.

Just over a week ago, her min pin of seven years got lost. Some one had let her out to go potty and they haven’t been able to find her since. This woman said, in her broken English, a year ago she had to have brain surgery. For months after the surgery she was having a hard time recovering and her little baby would only leave her side for quick potty breaks and to grab a little kibble and water. As she told us how her baby helped her recover, she was petting Kitty’s head and rubbing her ears, and tears were streaming down her face. Her prayer is that some one nice has her and is taking good care off her until she can find her way back home.

I wanted to cry with her and give her a big hug. For those of use with dogs…we know, we understand the bond.

I’m just glad we had decided to take Kitty with us. Nero is a grumpy bastard and would have growled at the lady and Tigger would have tried to hump her. Kitty is my sweetie.