Seems pretty simple right? Weren’t we all taught that as a kid? What happened to manners? Now a days the general population can comment on anything and everything. We can comment on our friends Facebook pages, we can comment on blogs, we can even comment on news articles. Why? Unless the person is an expert on the subject why do we allow comments on everything? When I read the comments, at least half of them are mean, racist or whiny so I am not sure what purpose this is serving. I know a bunch of people will spout freedom of speech but when did we get so mean and spiteful as a nation? I’m pretty sure our Founding Fathers weren’t thinking we should diss every person we disagree with when they came up with Freedom of Speech. Plus aren’t we trying to teach our children not to bully – but we as adults bully people with our anonymous comments left on websites! If you don’t have anything nice to say then at least print your name and phone number so everyone knows who you are!
Here are some real examples of comments pulled from the internet (these are the tamer ones):
-Obama hitched his team to the wrong wagon as new witnesses come forward conforming Zims story, Now that racist pig in office has to do damage control. First thing he should do is denounce the panthers putting a bounty on Zims head and separate himself from this whole mess, but he can’t without losing the black vote. I truly hope this is what it takes to get him out in NOV
-You’re an insensitive **** and SOB. Did your momma used to kick you in your no-no place with her Army boots? A man, who you don’t know, accidently killed himself and you want to label him a redneck and ditch him. Go take a long walk off a short pier you idiot. Some day you’re going to thank a redneck with a gun for saving your life.
-isnt he the driver of the clown car? man eff that dude, by the way how the hell you owe 800,000 grand in child support, what they fucc are they feeding the kids, lobster and caviar every day? and wearing expensive clothes? i cant feel sorry for these drones
I got back late last night from a speaking engagement in Sioux Falls, SD. I got to hang out with a bunch of kickass women and talk about what we need to do to get a fair shake in our careers and minimize the mommy guilt all at the same time. The explanation for inequality is really very simple, our biology dictates how we operate and since historically there were more men in the workforce, it’s naturally designed to accommodate their biology. Following me?
my brain, my hubby's brain
I’m not saying that boys are dumb. Okay, I say that all the time but only because I live with a bunch of them and I know this to be true. Even the smart ones are ignorant on occasion. But if you look at my scientific illustration of the brain, you can see that it’s not all their fault.
Take a look at this awesome video about men and women’s brains, A Tale of Two Brains.
So my theory is that we need to maximize the biology that works for us and learn to do a few things more like guys do. I don’t mean scratching your crotch and pee standing up. I mean take credit when you do a good job and don’t sacrifice your principles to make a group happy. That kind of thing. Enough philosophy for today, time to fire up my cordless drill and fix some stuff around the house.
Yesterday both of my daughters had a soccer game after school. I knew I would be busy and not have time to make dinner when I got home at 5pm so I hit the crock pot. I love my “crack” pot, it is so easy to throw a bunch of stuff in and set it for 5-6 hours and out pops a really yummy, hearty meal. So cool. I searched my cupboards for some inspiration and found a bag of dried beans. Normally you need to soak beans overnight and cook them the next day. Obviously I didn’t do that, that would take planning! Instead I hit the internet for a quick solution, what an amazing invention, can you imagine researching this in the Encyclopedia Britannica? Wash your dried beans in cold water and then boil for 10-15 minutes in enough water to cover by a couple of inches then let them sit for a couple of hours. You must do this step because as I also learned on the internet, kidney beans contain toxins. So unless you want a stomach ache and a cleanse don’t forget that step. Next up put all of the ingredients into the crock pot and set for 5-6 hours. You can be creative and pretty much add whatever you want but I’ve also included a basic recipe. When I got home I whipped up some quick corn muffins and we sat down to dinner. I served mine with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Most everything tastes better with cheese.
Now onto the important part of our evening, American Idol. My daughters and I love to watch together. My youngest often makes signs for the people she is rooting for. She is definitely into the rocker type, dark and moody. I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree. We both love Colton, plus his name alone should guarantee him rock star status. I love to read the blog Reality Rocks by Lyndsey Parker and almost always agree with her. I did think the boys did a pretty good job last night and I have to agree with Lyndsey on who I think should get voted through. Not sure the rest of American feels the same. Here are my picks: Colton, Phillip, Joshua, Creighton, Aaron and Heejun (because he is so funny!). I know I have an extra in there but there is a wild card spot, so we’ll see. I should vote for Deandre since he is a hometown boy but I am not into his swinging hair or falsetto, sorry.
Basic Bean Soup Recipe
Since it is political debate season, year, month, whatever, I thought I would try to focus on something positive (stop laughing) about politics. No not the lies that are coming out of their mouths nor the attacks on each other, you would think they are all in middle school or high school, so cliquey! And are we not trying to teach our children to not bully? Hello presidential candidates and their PR firms lets cut the crap and lead by example. Enough with the he said, she said, you all need a time out. I digress… The real reason for this post was to take a look at some of the political posters over the last couple hundred years. It might be the one bright spot in the race for presidency. There are some pretty cool ones and it is fun to look at ones that were done so long ago. There are some good designers out there. I also like that lately people have come up with their own versions (as long as they are nice and tasteful. One great example of that is the Obama Hope poster.
Here are some additional places that you can view more posters:
Presidential Campaign Posters: Two Hundred Years
The Library of Congress
We spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws in Manteca. On Friday, as we were heading home we passed a church sign on the main street that I had to stop and take pictures of. It appears that God is a stand up comedienne! Or at least some of his followers are. If I was religious I’d go to this church!
In case you are wondering, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” On the Wikipedia site, Santa Claus is described as: “Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots”. I’m pretty sure Santa did not die for our sins but if you believe in him you get some really great presents!
I showed my family the funny signs and my brother emailed me his favorite. He took this picture at a rental store for floor strippers. No caption necessary. What about you, any funny signs you want to share?
Top Ten Things to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving:
10. Martha Stewart will not critique your turkey or the $1 store napkin rings.
9. You get to be with your family–all day!
8. There will be plenty of wine flowing, see #9.
7. You finally get to use your gravy boat.
6. You can always sit at the kids table.
5. You get to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, again.
4. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving makes you feel pretty good about yourself.
3. You can now shop at midnight instead of sleeping overnight at Walmart.
2. It is the only day that marshmallows are served with dinner.
1. Not only is it acceptable to over indulge it is expected.
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
This was my favorite, it was like it was on fire!
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. – William Shakespeare
This weekend my husband and I had a rare hour to kill until my son’s soccer game started. We decided to visit the San Jose Rose Garden. Sometimes you forget that your city has rare gems just waiting to be visited. When we plan our vacations we are always on the lookout for hot spots in other towns but often forget what we have in our own hometown. The San Jose Rose Garden is 5.5 acres with nearly 4,000 roses. It was selected as America’s Best Rose Garden, who knew! It is a beautiful oasis in the middle of San Jose. There are many weddings and graduations held in the garden each year. What a beautiful backdrop – fountains, grass and thousands of roses, can’t be beat!
We spent our time wandering through the rows and smelling the various roses. Some have no smell and some have wonderful smells. The upkeep of the garden is done by volunteers and I want to thank them for giving their time for every one to enjoy. I encourage you to grab a blanket and picnic lunch and enjoy the garden on a beautiful sunny day, you will not regret it! It was nice to take a break from our busy lives in such a quiet and aromatic spot. We will definitely be back! What treasures do you have in your hometown?
We are really excited to have been featured in Quilt Magazine this month. It is their October/November issue out right now. We are the designer spotlight. We were called several months ago by the writer Cynthia Van Hazinga. It was a great experience and really easy, much to our relief. She asked us great questions and really did her research on our company. It was fun to see how the process works and then see the final piece. There were a couple of funny things in the article that anyone who knows us well would have scratched their head at – I do play soccer but not water polo, those are Erin’s kids that do that. And I don’t love to iron that is just the method I use for sewing – iron-on patches and fusible hemming is the extent of my sewing and ironing skills! My mom is a great seamstress but unfortunately it did not rub off on any of her children.
This is a scan of the actual article in the magazine, hopefully we look young and crafty! You can click on the image to see it in full size, easier to read that way! We love working with Quilting Treasures on new fabric collections and the article highlights our next fabric line, Nesting, which will be out soon. Juicy Blossoms our current line is being sold at quilt stores and online.
You can find the Zebra wall mural here: Muralsyourway.com
Be on the lookout for a Juicy Blossoms fabric giveaway coming up soon. We will post the details here and on our facebook page.
