Arise! The Queen Cometh!

First, let me set the stage.... Do-do-do-do Do-do-do-do (think - Twilight Zone).... 

There I stand, dressed in a sparkly-silver-lame'-sequins-dress..... a pair of matching strappy high heeled shoes... my hair & make-up perfect.... waving, blowing kisses towards all 8 of my adoring fans...(listen, it's MY Twilight Zone Dream)... I walk gracefully up on stage, smiling as I look out towards the bright lights.... Someone approaches from the left... Oh look!!! Here comes Kerrye from Impossible Cleanliness...  What?  What's that you say, Kerrye?  You're presenting me with The Versatile Blogger Award?  Oh. My. Goodness! (a sob catches in my throat *gulp, sniff, sniff)  Thank you!  Thank you so much!!!  I curtsy, tears glistening in my eyes.....my fans clap & whistle joyously!! Stage fade right..... 

Snap, Snap, Snap!!!  Back to reality people...

There are rules ya know... rules you have to follow when you accept awards... So here they are:

A.  I have to share 7 things about myself with you, and

B.  I have to pass this award on to 15 bloggers I think deserve it.

The Seven Super Secret Things (Dum-dum-duuuuummmmm!)

1.  I grew up in farm country - I spent quite a few summers doing field work a couple of those jobs were sorting & setting cabbage and detasselling corn (yes, detasselling IS a word - it's where you rip the tassels off the top of one variety of corn stalks so that it can pollinate with another variety so you can hopefully 'develop' a stronger variety corn).

2.  I was chosen as Senior Class Flirt during High School.

3.  I don't like scary movies.  The last scary movie I watched was one of the Dawn of the Dead movies on VHS tape with my younger brother during the mid-80's.  I had nightmares for weeks after that.  I have not watched a scary movie since.

4.  I have a lead-foot when it comes to driving. 

5.  I have a secret stash of chocolate-covered caramel popcorn hidden in the backroom.  Only the Princess & I know it's there.  We call it our PMS Popcorn.

6.  I have re-gifted Christmas & Birthday presents.

7.  I am not bothered by someone who calls me a BITCH.  I actually take it as a compliment.  While attending a Domestic Violence Counseling Group a friend of mine told us that it was just an acronym for:  Beauty In Total Control of Herself.  I choose to believe that.  And generally when someone calls me that, they're just angry because they are not in control.  I have a magnet on my fridge that says:  "You call me a Bitch like it's a bad thing!"

The 15 bloggers who also deserve this award are as follows:
 1.  A Slob Comes Clean
 2.  Chillmoms
 3.  Clean, Smart, Simple Style
 4.  Controlling My Chaos
 5.  Declutter Daily
 6.  I'm an Organizing Junkie
 7.  Laundry Hurts My Feelings
 8.  The Bearded Iris
 9.  The Creative Homemaker
10.  A Real Housewife of NYC
11.  The Scott's Crib
12.  The Feral Turtle
13.  Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva
14.  The Frazzled Homemaker
15.  Love Living Simply

I love reading all of these blogs.  They make me laugh or give me ideas or make me think (Ouch!!!)  Hopefully you'll love them as much as I do.... So I shall now make a decree to:   Go forth & multiply-blog-follower-numbers!!

I always get all goofy & giggly when someone new joins my little list of minions blog followers.  It always makes me do a happy dance around the kitchen (the Princess & I grab hands & jump up and down - the 'boys' think we're weird)... so anyhoot, I know that all of the above mentioned bloggers get that tingly-giggly feeling too (although - they may not dance around like me)...  

Don't forget to congratulate them for winning The Versatile Blogger Award!  And don't forget to check out Kerrye's blog - Impossible Cleanliness for cool cleaning tips & decorating ideas!  Thanks again, Kerrye!

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

Deal of the Day

I love, love, love deals.  I jokingly say that my favorite word is 'CLEARANCE' or better yet, the word 'FREE'!  My kids have slunk low down in the seats of the van so that no one can see them when I have stopped & grabbed something along the edge of the road.  I'm not one of those people who pick up stuff just because it's sitting there along the road.  I grab it if it's something I can use.  For example - you know those round-spinning-chip-displays that they have at convenience stores?  The tall tower-like ones that hold about 100 individual bags of chips?  Well, I found one of those along the road, slammed on the brakes & jammed it in the back of the van.  I use mine to hold scrapbook supplies so I can see them.  I had just been looking at those cool spinning towers that hold stuff & didn't want to pay what they wanted.  This works great & was FREE!!!

This past weekend, the Princess & I made a thrifting trip.  We stopped at some local thrift stores to check them out.  I was primarily looking for dessert plates, bowls  & serving pieces for my set of Christmas dishes.  About 9 years ago King Turd bought me a whole set of Christmas dishes, just because I had said I had always thought it would be fun to have some.  He surprised me - such a mush.  Anyhoot, they have been well 'loved' and the snowman image has faded & worn off.  So I thought I'd look for new ones.  Found plates last year at Goodwill for $1 each, a Debbie Mumm set put out by Oneida.  Then a month or so ago I found the coffee mugs to match.  I figured that I might find more as thrift stores put out Christmas items.  Well, didn't find the dishes, but I did find alot of other things.

First we stopped at Volunteers of America, nothing much there, so we moved along to Lilly's Consignment Shop.  Lilly's has been in business for over 25 years.  They have nice clean clothing & household items there.  The Princess was looking for new jeans.  While she was trying some on, I went exploring.  I found an Eldreth Pottery Nativity Set for $19.  It matches my Salt-Fired Santa Collection.  The Princess found 3 pairs of jeans



                           

for $8 each, she was happy.  We moved on from there & headed to Goodwill.  Talk about 'Deal of the Day', we made a 'killin'!  On the way I mentioned to The Princess that she might want to look for a dress for Prom, since they sometimes have brand new dresses for $15 or so.  Then she mentioned that 'Semi' was going to be in December & she'd like to go.  So we decided to look for a dress for that.  We found a beautiful halter-style dress that was mid-calf length for $9.  I can't wait to take pictures of her all 'dolled up'.  Then we moved over to housewares & toys (we're always on the lookout for legos for the Lego King).  We found 2 wooden stools with woven-grass seats for $3 each.  Then we found 6 ladderback kitchen chairs with rushed seats - $4 each!!!  Sweet!!!

I love finding deals that make my home & family comfortable.  I've been pretty picky about what comes into the house in the past couple of years.  Having that yard sale this summer opened my eyes even more to the crap that is brought in vs. the crap taken out.  I haven't grabbed stuff 'just because',  I've tried to only pick up stuff to make our life better and bring us joy.  Not to stuff ourselves or our home with possessions.  I continue to toss & sort & declutter as I go.  It's a work in progress, I'm just careful as to which Deal of the Day I purchase.

What is your best Deal of the Day?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!