This is the package I sent to my swap buddy for Autumn.

This is what A Dozen Eggs sent me for the Harvest Swap! Look at the cookies. Just look at the AMAZING detail! Almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. I did share them and everyone agreed that they were sooo super-de-duper delish!! She over the top spoiled me!!

This is Sadie Kate eating one of the home-made puppy treats. She LOVED it!

This is Sadie Kate begging for another cookie after she finished the first. Girl has no shame when it comes to yummy goodies! (I promise she has had a bath since this picture was taken.)

And this is what I sent to Eggs in as her Harvest Swap package. Not nearly as amazing as what she sent to me!

The fabric "T" bag is actually a wine gift bag. Makes a cute hostess gift.

Saw these in Target this evening and thought of you and your missing Monkey! Perhaps you should look into getting his picture on the back of a milk carton. I know this is a terrible picture but people were staring at me. As if it's abnormal to take pictures of slippers?

I just heard the best analogy on CNN. Allow me to paraphrase....

If the house is on fire, don't stop to debate where the child found the matches or who let him play with the matches. The house is on fire. Put it out. When everyone is safe and sound, then take the time to figure out where the toddler found the matches and who is at fault.

Washington....our country is on fire. Put. It. Out. Quit squabbling over minutiae. No one is ever going to draft a bill that will entirely please everyone. Put out the fire. Deal with the blame game tomorrow.

Oh I am soooo nervous! The Black Out is super exciting but this is not going to be an easy game. I'm cheering though, Georgia! Can you hear me waaaay up here in Upstate NY? Goooo Dawgs! Sic 'em! Woof, woof, woof, woof!!!

**Update at 8:56PM.... Are you effing kidding me? Butt kick is an understatement at the moment! This is humiliating!

**Update at 9:06PM....G E O R G I A!!!!!!!!! Two more please, boys!! Looks like y'all finally woke up...better late than never!

So my big plans to leaf peep from home to Manchester and back again today were a bust. As predicted. It poured! It was windy! And it made for some nervous moments this morning on my drive up as cars were swerving all over the place, myself included. Oh it's too bad too because the leaves are starting to change up in the mountains. I'll have to plan another little venture up that way in the coming weeks to take pictures.


My haircut is THE BEST cut and color I have had in years!! Don't get me wrong, I like my local girl a lot. But she is about 25 minutes away and Manchester is only about an hour away. I'll probably just go ahead and make the drive. Honestly I just LOVE Manchester and any excuse to get up there works for me. Have y'all been up there before? Probably not. Oh it's adorable! The prettiest little town with nice shops (outlets!) and fantastic restaurants and coffee shops and clean streets. It's charming and like a scene from a movie. Love it! It's the home of Orvis, for all you out-doorsy folks. I am not one of those people. Shocking, I know. But it's there and it too is a really pretty building. Anyway, my hair is adorable! The back looks like Sienna Miller's (when she wore it short....is it still short? I have no idea. Honestly, I feel bad, but I have no idea who she is...actress? Party girl? I know she sleeps with married men but that's seriously all I know about her. So she's probably not sending me a Christmas card this year.) and the front looks a little like Hillary Swank (really just my bangs are like hers. Not the overall shape. I've tried to do pixie but unless you are cute and little like Audry or Natalie, it just does not look that cute.). And the color is fantastic. Oooh, I'm a happy girl. I love a good cut and color!!

The rain did not stop me from doing a bit of shopping though. Mission accomplished at Burberry. One new quilted barn jacket for this little crocodile. I don't believe that is the technical term but that's what I've always called it, so .... This is not my jacket as mine is black. This is a random pic from Ebay because the pics online were hard to see. This wild blue makes for a better photograph. Can't imagine wearing that color though....glad I bought classic black.

I picked up a cozy pair of fleece pants (that I am wearing right now- so super comfie!) at JCrew that were on sale today. They didn't have much that made me stop and look really. Oh they did have several fun blazers but they were all in size zero. Um...that's not a size. And I bought a pair of pink Lilly chinos and an adorable silk black watch type skirt (VV) from Five Seasons - both 75% off. I also solidified the fact that I am incredibly self-centered. Not only did I suggest that they carry Bonannos, but I talked them up for a good five minutes and wrote down the website. It's all about me, people! I want my shoe supply local. And I want to see other preps sporting monogrammed Emmas. I want to wear my shoes and not explain that the shoes were not magically monogrammed for me to purchase. That I ordered them this way. Anyway, I'm on a mission to paint my town (area) preppy, one monogrammed accessory at a time!


Oh I also had the most delicious bowl of carrot pumpkin soup at Ponce Gourmet (next to Brooks Brothers). They make everything fresh and use local ingredients. It's small but the quality was outstanding. I also met a cute gal wearing fun yellow shoes and a matching coat and her mom in there. Unfortunately I was in a spacey mood as it was the end of the day and I realized that my increasingly painful headache was likely due to the fact that I forgot to eat. How I forget to eat is beyond me. But every now and then I do. Like today. And then my mood all goes to hell in a handbasket. I wish I had been in a better mood because she was so sweet and totally friendly and I could use more local girlfriends. I've lived here several years now and I still don't have a very large friend base in the area.


As usual, I'm watching the news and blog rambling at the same time. Bottom line is that despite the icky weather, I had a great day. And I will definitely get back up there soon (on a sunny day of course!) to take pics of my leaf peeping adventures.

One more recipe for my fellow crockpot lovers. I just made this one up last night and it is totally delish! Perfect for cool Autumn nights.
Ingredients:


1 small chicken (By small I mean it can fit easily into your crockpot. Use your best judgement of course)
10 red potatoes, chopped into chunks (This is a guesstimate. And you can certainly use whatever type of potato floats your boat.)
1 medium onion, sliced thick
1 orange, cut into chunks/wedges (Don't have an orange on hand, use instead a lemon or lime or apple or peach. It's just there to add another layer of flavor.)
1 small bag of brussel sprouts (OK, have you tried brussel sprouts or do you just think you don't like them? Because they really are so yummy. I usually buy them frozen and just dump the bag into the pot/pan/whatever. But if you really don't like them, just leave them out. But how can you not like them...they are adorable!)
A couple of handfuls of baby carrots.
Fresh rosemary if you have it in your garden.
Season generously with Kosher salt and pepper.




I am not a morning person so I typically do all the chopping the night before. In the morning, I literally dumped in 1/2 of the veggies. Then shoved some orange and onion up the chicken butt. Put that on top of the vegetables. Then add the rest of the veggies. Season well. Lid on the pot. Pot set to low all day or high for half the day. Enjoy!!

Dear Ticket Master,

I think you should require people to register their height when purchasing tickets to concerts. If I had known that my seemingly awesome seat was two rows directly behind THE TALLEST MAN IN THE WORLD, perhaps I would have chosen another seat.

Sincerely,
PPC



Dear Angry Couple Sitting Next To Me,

You do know that if we are so close that our elbows touch that I can hear you, right? So when you turned around to the girl behind me to make a comment about me, I could hear you. Because my head was only about six inches from yours. And since I am being so bold, a little sugar goes a long way. Smile once in a while. It's fun and it leads to fewer blog posts where people refer to you as "angry."

Smiles,
PPC



Dear Girl Wearing A Poncho,

OK so your fashion choice was questionable. Especially considering it was about 400 degrees in that theater. But I enjoyed your enthusiasm. It was cute. I would have been more enthusiastic too, but it was a pretty subdued crowd. Probably due to the sweltering heat. What annoyed me to pieces was when you decided to whip out your camera to video record songs. It was bright and distracting and ridiculous. Seriously, what was the point? You can listen to songs online. A crappy video of 2/3 of a song is for what exactly?

Best,
PPC



Dear Parents Of Children In The Audience,

Your kids were good. But I was a big shocked to see so many kids under the age of eight in attendance. It was kind of late. Nice to see that your kids already have such fabu taste in music though.

Cheers,
PPC



Dear Julie,

You're adorable and your jeans were cute. Who makes them? I am forever searching for cute jeans. By "forever", I should probably specify that means like twice a year. I don't like trying on clothes. And am easily frustrated. Anyway, love your jeans.

Best,
PPC



Dear Indigo Girls,

Y'all were awesome. As always! I loved that impromptu acapella number you did. Beautiful! And it was funny to see the "Great Harmonica Debacle of '08" go down. Stuff like that makes it feel more personal. Have you ever considered letting a fan in each city pick your play list? And by "a fan," I mean me. Because it's all about me. Tehe. Seriously though, I think that would be fun to have your fans pick their favorite songs in each city. And again, to be clear, by "fans," I mean me. I would for sure include old favorites like Least Complicated and Mystery. Oh and that hidden extra song (whatever you call it when there are extra songs not listed in the jacket on CD's) on the green CD (sorry, I never remember CD titles). Anyway, think about it. I promise to make it a good mix of new and old stuff. Fans would love it. Do I need to say that by "fans" I mean me? Glad we had this little chat. Thanks for coming to my little city. It is always exciting to hear y'all in person. Happy touring!

Hugs,
PPC

Well come on down, Preppy Little Dress! You are the big bag giveaway winner!! Congratulations! Send me an email with your bag choice and your mailing address so that I can pass it along to Ann Veronica Handprints.

On another note....where are y'all the rest of the time? Seriously...82 of you commented (that includes the few who opted to email me instead of comment on the blog). That might be my personal record! Not that you need to comment every day but drop me a little hello now and then. I'm very friendly...I promise!

**Just a reminder that I will pick a winner (using random number generator) for this bag giveaway at some point this evening. So if you want to enter....hurry up!

TGIF!

Last night I tried out a fun new recipe from cutie Preppy Sue's blog and it was delish. This is my slightly altered version of the recipe, which was totally delish! Thanks for the great recipe, Sue!

Pasta Spinach Bake

1 box penne (I used whole wheat and my box was 13.5oz.)
1 tbsp. butter
1 thinly sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided (or in my world, one small bag and eyeball it)
1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper (or in my world, a bunch of twists of the pepper grinder)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I didn't thaw or drain...that takes too much time and this crocodile wanted to get the show on the road)
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs (or in my world, enough to cover the top. measuring makes for more clean up)
2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
A few spritz of EVOO

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Saute chicken in EVOO spray, set aside.

3. Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

4. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute 5 minutes.

5. Add flour to saucepan, cook 30 seconds. Add milk, cook 4 minutes or until bubbly.

6. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper and let thicken. Remove saucepan from heat.

7. In a large bowl combine chicken, pasta, cheese sauce, 3/4 cup cheese, diced tomatoes and spinach.

8. Spoon mixture into a 13x9 sprayed dish. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp. cheese. Sprinkle over dish.

9. Bake 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6


So right after I stuck this in the oven I looked over at my fruit bowl to realize the five nectarines that I purchased ROCK HARD on Tuesday, were about ready to rot today. I cut those up (discarding the icky parts of course) and added a bag of frozen blueberries (right out of the freezer. Have you noticed that I am a short-cut cook and rarely actually defrost anything? That simply takes too much time and pre-planning. Who has time for that fancy business?). Tossed in 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon and ginger. Then in a small bowl I mixed up 1 tablespoon of flour, 1 cup oats, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 stick butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for @25 mins. Delish!!

**All measurements are an estimate. You should have also noticed by now that I am a big fan of the eyeball-it method. That's just how I learned to cook. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks I guess.

Y'all watched Project Runway last night, right? Was Kenley crying because her design was good but not the big winner? Are you kidding me? Girl is so close to Bryant Park it's insane and she is whimpering over not winning the teenage challenge? If her head gets any more inflated she just might fly up to the moon. I like most of her designs but every week I find her more and more annoying. Everyone knows that Tim gives the best advice and she is just so flippant about anything beyond her own big head. Simmer down, Kenley! Simmer down!!

So I am helping my dad out this AM by meeting with the carpet guy. Dad is in meetings all day and just couldn't get away to meet with this guy. Carpet man was hired to do a quick and simple job and was to be at the house for under an hour. No offense to carpet guy but he appears older than this house (Dad's house is about 150 years old) and moves like a turtle. I knew from the moment I opened the door that this was going to be more than me letting him in and writing a check a half hour later. Anyway, so I do let him in. And then I go upstairs to read blogs. Because watching an old man deal with carpet just doesn't sound exciting at 8AM (or any hour really). I smelled something though. I have a crazy hyper sensitive nose that can smell things I dislike a mile away. I think I was a hound dog in another life or something. It was definitely cigarette smoke. The guy smelled of cigs when he walked in though so I figured his scent was just, unfortunately, making its way upstairs. But I also hear the front door open. This home is in a downtown area so it is obvious to my also hyper sensitive ears if the front door is open. Suddenly it goes from being quiet to hearing buses and people and cars and everything else that happens on a work day downtown. I go down to investigate and as I am walking down the stairs, he closes the door. I go down anyway to see how it's all going. I was hoping that perhaps he was already packing up his stuff to leave. Oh, Old Man Carpet had barely started. And the entire first floor smelled of cigarettes. But being the naive one that I am, I again figured it was simply his hair and clothing and went back upstairs. Until I hear the door open again. And stay open. And smell lots of smoke again. Baffled, I go back downstairs (no need for a StairMaster when you can run up and down the stairs a zillion times chasing damn cigarette smoke scent like a dog) and the door is still open but he sort of zips into the room he should be finished working in by now. I pop in to ask how its all going and the smell is just permeating the house. I don't see him with a cig but then I go to close the open door (it's plenty comfortable in the house- we have AC- and there is no need for the door to be open like that) and see right on the front step that a barely finished cig is still smoldering. He had been smoking in my house! Or half inside/half standing in the doorway. It's not like this is a project site or anything. No, it's an antique furnished, beautifully restored, historical home. With carpet. That he was, hello, supposed to be touching up or whatever. Fibers absorb smoke super fast. I know I am just hyper sensitive because I am allergic but don't you think that is incredibly rude and unprofessional. Oh, it also took him close to 2.5 hours to finish the job. I felt like I was baby sitting and kept finding reasons to go downstairs to prevent him from continuing to smoke inside. A job this small shouldn't really require smoke breaks if you ask me (which you did because you are reading my blog). Ugh...I'm just annoyed. Grandpa Carpet is gone but his scent will probably linger for years just to torture me. I lit a candle- hopefully that absorbs a little of that nonsense.

Guess what? Y'all are lucky ducks, that's what! Ann Veronica Handprints has generously offered to do a fabulously fun giveaway to my fabulously fantastic blog readers.

Here is a little info about this awesome company that I stole from their website...

Proudly based in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Ann Veronica® features canvas totes, handbags and cotton accessories in hand silk-screened designs.

We are committed to:

• preserving a legacy of American craftsmanship and inspiring new generations in the tradition of textile arts;

• encouraging ingenuity and entrepreneurship of women and girls through effective mentoring, partnership and collaboration, and

• honoring our customers’ values by pursuing philanthropic opportunities.

• We value our predecessors, whose dedication to providing customers with high-quality craftsmanship forms the cornerstone of our business.

• We value new ideas, attitudes and the spirit of America’s youth and will work to provide opportunities in support of their individual vision.

• We value the integrity of American-based small businesses that provide growth and opportunities here at home.

• We believe in empowering women and girls as they aspire toward achieving their personal dreams.

• We believe in promoting and producing products that help reduce environmental impact.

• We believe we have a social responsibility to help those in need and to support the causes our customers hold dear.

Finally, we hope to make a lasting and worthwhile contribution to the rich history of American textile art.

All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post by end-of-day on Friday September 19. The lucky winner will have her choice of any Maiden Cove Tote. You will be able to select any pattern and color combination offered, with the exception of their charity bags. This is an awesome offer and I am so jealous because I think the red lobsters or pink fish would look fabu on my shoulder. Santa just might need to do some shopping with this great company this year!

*Just to clarify, the charity bags, including the Breast Cancer Pink, are not available for the giveaway. Sorry kids. But they are available for purchase....so the news is not all bad!

The Palm Gifts is offering a generous 15% discount on all items during the month of September! Enter code TPG4. They are celebrating four years in business and have lots of items on sale PLUS the discount!!

Everything on the site is 15% off with NO minimums! Even if it's on sale. Time to start stocking up for the holidays!

I know, dumb title. But I don't really have a special name for this soup. It's just...well, it's just soup. But it's a good soup. And a simple soup. And you're totally going to love this soup. It's also made in a crockpot. Sure, you can make it in a Dutch oven or just a big soup pot. But why? If you don't have a crockpot....go buy one. Not some day....no, today. Buy one today. Target always has them on sale. You will use it ALL THE TIME! I promise! Nothing makes me happier than knowing that my nutritious and delicious dinner is waiting and ready for me when I get home.

Soup

- Chicken broth- I used a humongo low fat/low sodium can but use whatever you have on hand (a few small cans, a box or two, whatever). Just guesstimate....you can't ruin this recipe....promise.
- 1 jar of tomato-basil pasta sauce
- 1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 2-3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced/cubed/whatever makes you happy
- **2 yellow or green squash of your choosing, chopped in large chunks
- Kosher salt and pepper
- a bag of baby spinach
- grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Dump chicken broth, sauce, beans, red pepper, chicken chunks, squash and dash of salt and pepper in crockpot. Set on low all day. When you get home, toss the spinach in the pot. After you walk the dog and pour yourself a glass of wine (or water...we're not trying to encourage alcohol intake on this blog if it's not your thing), dish up your soup, top with some parm cheese and enjoy with a nice crusty bread. Mmmm good!

**This is what I actually used this week instead of zucchini. Do you know what it is? It's a not yet ripe pumpkin from my aunt's garden. I was a bit hesitant but she swore that she was eating them as green squash and they were great. She just didn't need a few dozen pumpkins so she was eating them up as green squash. It totally tasted the same- who knew?!

America really is beautiful! Thank you for all of your great comments. I think it was a good exercise to put some nice karma out into the world. I was lazy and used a random number generator to pick a winner this time. So no photos. Congratulations to Cancer Sucks! Send me your mailing addy and I will get a little prezzie off in your direction.

And for those who are curious, I finally found the website responsible for those corn syrup commercials I've mentioned. Check it out for yourself...I think you can view the commercials too from this site.

Don't forget to vote today if you live in an area holding a primary!

My cousin and aunt both have huge, beautiful gardens this summer. And they each have one plant of THE MOST DELICIOUS tomatoes ever ever ever. See those tiny orangy-yellow cherry tomatoes in that bag full of 'maters? They are like candy. When I was house-sitting a few weeks ago for my cousin I would just stand in the garden watering the plants and eat every one of the ripe orangy-yellow goodies. I cannot even describe the flavor other than saying they are the most amazing tomatoes ever. On Sunday my dad brought me this big bag (plus two other bags with a variety of veggies) after he went out to see my aunt and uncle. I'll probably have kanker soars by the end of the week after consuming so many tomatoes but whatever. Details. I wonder if the High Fructose Corn Syrup peeps can spin eating a t'mater as being just as healthy as their processed sweet ick.

OK, for the record I would never actually say that. And when I type OMG, my "G" stands for goodness or grape jelly. Just for the record.

But that being said, are y'all watching Gossip Girl? JUICY GOODNESS! The reviews I read online for this season made it seem like it would never top last season. Sooo wrong. So far this season is soooo good! LOVE it! Such a fabulous wicked pleasure!!

Guess what I did yesterday? Nothing! Not a single thing. Well that's not entirely true. I went to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner and I walked the dog. And I read several magazines and watched a lot of mindless TV and some football too. Oh and when I got home from the grocery store without the one item I actually needed, I went back out after dinner. But this time I went to Target, enjoyed the first sign of Fall with a fabulous Pumpkin Spice Latte, and walked around aimlessly. It was delightful. And shock of all shocks, I didn't even buy anything other than the one item I actually set out to purchase. It was a rainy, dreary day and I have to say, it was awesome! I have not been getting enough sleep and this do nothing day was exactly what I needed. A mind and body vacation right in my own home. De-light-ful! I highly recommend it!

So during my brain break yesterday, I spotted a new (to me anyway) commercial that left me with a rather quizzical look on my face each and every time it aired. This commercial is pro corn syrup. It brags that it is made of corn and no worse than sugar and honey. Perhaps they have the same calorie count but there is no way a processed sweetener is the same as honey and other natural sweeteners. I feel that this commercial is on the same level as saying that most kids don't get hurt from playing with guns or smoking doesn't make everyone sick or some people eat fast food every day and remain skinny and healthy. It's deceiving and in poor taste and just really bothered me.

And....(see, I really did flip through a lot of TV yesterday!)...what on earth do people think they are going to solve by violently protesting in from of Kacey Anthony's house? If that little girl is dead (which I think she likely is- so so sad!!), they are not going to bring her back or even find her by getting violent. Violence solves nothing people! It must suck to be one of the innocent neighbors who now have to deal with this black mark on their once nice and normal neighborhood. And those poor grandparents...my heart just goes out to them! If Kacey killed that sweet little girl, I hope she just finally comes clean so that the family can make peace and say goodbye.

Don't forget that I will pick a winner from this post tomorrow evening.

I hope everyone is having a wonderfully relaxing weekend! Happy Sunday.

In the last 24 hours I have been lucky enough to win several UK lotteries, an Irish lottery and one somewhere in Africa! Oh and I have been left a lovely inheritance by someone in Africa too. Jealous? Well you should be! Not everyone can be lucky enough to get these notifications in your email in-box each and every morning.

I enter the emails as "spam" but they just come back the next day under a new email addy. Argh! Soooo annoying.

One more thing I forgot to mention (in my two previous blog posts today....seriously my entire world is feast or famine!) is that tonight is the all network cancer benefit program tonight. So if you are home, be sure to watch any one of the major networks to help raise money. It looks like a really fun entertainment line-up too!

You know me, a swap-aholic! I had like two days this summer when I was thinking, gosh I am finished with all of my swaps and I miss them. I searched and found the Thanksgiving Apron Swap first. Since I love a good apron, I signed right up! The rules were to make a full body apron and matching oven mitt.

This adorable apron arrived the other day. Isn't is so fun? Plus the hand towel and "K" coasters. And a recipe for Tar Heel Pie that sounds crazy sweet but totally delish!



In return (to a different partner) I sent what I am humbly calling my cutest creation ever! I actually had this idea for an apron pocket last year and have been sketching it in hopes of finding a reason to sew it. So one side is that caramel brown color and has a round pocket in the same color. But the other side is that jewel tone with a cherry pie pocket! Cherry fabric covered in lattice and crust made of felt. Totally washable (though she might stick it in a laundry bag so that the lattice doesn't fall apart) and dry-able. I know it's not perfect, but I really do think it's cute and fun. I hope she agrees! As for the oven mitt....I plead first-timers. I didn't use a real pattern and it is very evident. It is still very usable but it is definitely not beautiful. Sorry!







The second swap (I think I signed up for this one the same day....I was over-zealous because within two or three days I signed up for a whopping SIX swaps. I know, I'm nuts!) was the Spooky Boo Scary Apron Swap. But since I don't really like scary fabrics (or anything else scary for that matter), I did more of a general Halloween theme. I hope that's OK. The rules were to include a full body apron, matching oven mitt, a fabric bag and candy.

So I made this little gem. Black and white polka dots on one side (they don't photograph well) and orange dots on the other side. The oven mitt (again, sorry I am not yet skilled at my oven mitt skills) is black and white on the outside and lined with the orange. And the bag.....my favorite part of the swap package! Isn't it cute! Perfect for trick-or-treating or just running errands around town. Boo!

Wow- what an exhausting four weeks! Staying up late for the two weeks worth of Olympic excitement and then two weeks of political conventions. I'm tired! I am relieved to get back to my regularly scheduled relaxing evenings and early bedtimes. I am starting to become a sleep-deprived, cranky crocodile!

I have to say that this two year long election process is far from ideal. I feel like it divided our nation more than it brought people together. The conventions did a lot to bring party lines together but certainly not the country as a whole. And things are likely to get even dirtier and darker in the coming months. My nerves are shot and I am tired of feeling so upset and defensive and then excited and energized and then a million other emotions all over again. And I don't think I am alone here. I think a lot of Americans feel this way. So in a tiny effort to bring us back to focus, I have devised a little giveaway. But there's a catch.

Here are the rules....

You must leave me a comment with two sentences. You must say one genuinely nice thing about each of our presidential candidates. You may not say that they are handsome. They are both attractive people with attractive wives and darling families. There, that's covered. Nope, dig deeper folks. Something truly nice about both Barack Obama and John McCain. Not about their running mates. Maybe if this goes well we can talk about the veeps next week or something. Don't like either of them? Well you are welcome to say something nice about those two AND your preferred third choice if you so please. But the key is to say NICE things. To put positive energy out into the world instead of all the negativity that we will all read about or hear about or engage in during the remainder of this election.

Y'all are the kindest and sweetest girls I've never met so I know you can find many many nice things to say about these remarkable and honorable political leaders. And as a reward for spreading the love, I will pick a winner and mail her (or him....but I don't think I have any boys reading my blog....unless my grocery store lovah is reading...in that case...call me!) a fun little prize. I think it's been well documented in Blogville that I am a pretty fun gift giver.

Leave your NICE comments by Monday evening. That should be plenty of time to think of something to say. Snarky comments will not be posted. That's not what this is about. Be sweet and play by the rules. If you don't have something nice to say, please just don't say anything at all.

So last week I mentioned finding an amazing new product. I think that is a bit of an over-the-top build up but y'all can be the judge. I was passing through Wally World and spotted this set of two headbands by Conair. I think they were @$3? Don't really remember but I know they were cheap cheap. So here's why I am head over heels for them (seriously....I make myself laugh with ridiculous humor like this daily....hehehe)... they don't hurt. They are soft, flexible plastic. So none of that digging into my temples business happening. The underside (part that touches my hair) has several sets of little combs/teeth so it stays in place. I have very soft/slippery hair and have to go to great measures for things to stay in place on my head. They look like nice tortoise shell headbands and come in several other styles. I love them. You will too. They fit soooo well and are soooo comfortable. I know, this is not at all earth-shattering. But mid-afternoon when you are ready to pull your hair out because it is not cooperating, trust me, no thank you's require!



And just because she is so stinkin' cute.... my little Sadie Kate having a mid-afternoon nap on the sofa (the sofa she is not supposed to be on but clearly, I suck at disciplining anyone who looks at me with those darling puppy eyes!). That blanket was folded on the end of the couch and she took the liberty of "fixing it." She has to mess it up to use as a little nest or pillow. Princesses need a proper place to rest their heavy heads, you know!

Wow, I guess I had a lot on my mind yesterday! But as long as I rocked the boat and y'all still like me, I have one more controversial thing to bring up. Can you handle it? Are you sure?

So the dirty, ugly truth is that I absolutely cannot stand Miley Cyrus. Oh it's not that I just don't care for her. It's a full on physical reaction that I have when I see her or hear her or read about her. She is totally going to be the next Brittney or Lindsay. FTW (Future Train Wreck). No question. She'll be dancing on tables topless and panty-less before we know it. Her voice sends shivers down my spine. The same unwelcome twitchy thing happens to me when I hear Paula Abdul or Donald Trump talk. Don't ask me why. I am just telling you how I feel kids.




I don't wish her any ill will. I just would be totally OK if I didn't have to see her or hear her. Ever. I don't think those Annie Leibovitz photos were bad. That "naked" picture didn't offend me in the least bit. She was more covered up than most kids walking around the malls today. I don't get why her parents let her (as a 15 year old) talk about relationships in magazines or post scandalous videos of herself on the web. But she is likely a good person (waiting to go bad of course....remember.....FTW). She just bugs me. A lot. A whole lot!



So there you have it. Can we still be pals after all of my controversial blog posts lately? I know parents adore this young woman. But seriously....I just do not get it.

Dear guy wearing a mint green button down shirt and jeans at Price Chopper this evening,

I love you. OK, maybe I don't love you. I don't even know you. But you are very handsome and cute with your casual preppy attire (so rare up here!) and blonde hair. I was the girl with dark blonde hair wearing a navy blue skirt, white shirt and silver Bonannos going the opposite direction (because I never ever remember that this grocery store keeps the organic frozen veggies on the blasted other side of the store. And every single week when I look for edamame, I have to walk all the way back to the organic section to buy them because apparently no other non-organic company makes them.) as you were walking towards the regular frozen food section. We only passed for a mere second but I am totally sure we would make an adorable couple. You are tall so on those crazy days when I decide to wear heels, we will still look totally cute together. I should have said something to you. What did I have to lose? But alas, I was on a mission to get my food items and go home (it was extra cold in that store tonight). I just wasn't thinking about "picking up" men. Not that I ever think about that. I am the worst flirt (as in I don't flirt- I'm just me- no matter the situation- makes getting dates harder I am told- whatever) and wouldn't have the first clue what to say. I hope we see each other again soon. It will make for a very cute wedding toast, don't you think?!

Until we meet again,
PPC

This is just a teaser... of cute projects that are in progress. Don't you just love those fish and cupcakes? Me too!!

Dear Louisiana,

I am sooo relieved for you! Improvements were made and most of y'all got the heck out of dodge. And your cities survived! I know how scary a hurricane can be as I lived through several, including Andrew in the early 90's. It was so creepy that Gustav came on the anniversary of Katrina! But y'all rocked with your organization and preparedness. And the whole US Gov was there to support you this time! Yeah for lesson's learned!!

Hugs and Kisses to a great state who is far stronger than anyone knew possible!!