Blog Filler (aka The Carma Suri post)

This time of year, people are out and about and not sitting home reading blogs....halllloooooo....*echo bounces back* Kidding! Actually I've been thrilled that so many sweet bloggers have visited lately.

But, I figured it was a good time to post something that I had on one of my original blog posts over a year and a half ago, figuring no one could possibly remember it. It is one of those "new to you" posts.

When Suri Cruise was born and I started seeing her baby pics, I thought that they looked very similar to some of my baby pics.

(That's me on the bottom)

Of course, it may have to do most with our Moe (from the Three Stooges - or as VC liked to call them when he was a toddler "The Three Students") hairstyles :D


Here's a pic of me at about the same age Suri is now...she's way cuter...

Aren't you relieved I made you aware of this??

Probably not as relieved as Tiger's wife was after he made his official statement, though ;-) I'm figuring she won't be picking up a golf club any time soon*....

Hey, would that be the same as me running out after MB with his leaf vacuum???

He'd better not cross my path!!

*Of course, I realize that this is all "alleged"

Pass the Turkey, You Turkey!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here's how mine went (I figured I'd illustrate it in my cartoon style):

Two relatives got into an argument and were not speaking to each other the entire day:

(I have not put on any identifying marks so that the parties can remain anonymous.)

Another couple is always noticeably absent because they are not "kid people":
I've come to the conclusion that I am never going to know what it would be like to be in this scene:

because inevitably our family get togethers come off more with us acting like these folks:

On the brighter side, I did get to eat lots of this:

Please share your fond Thanksgiving memories. However, if they are "too fond" please don't share as I will just get depressed :-(

Oh, and this will be me - next year!!!!!

The others can get together and "enjoy" each other's company!!!

Still time to enter my Oh!Nuts Giveaway!

Oh! Nuts Giveaway

To get us in the mood for holiday goodies, here's a fun giveaway sponsored by Oh! Nuts

**Disclaimer: I did not receive ANY products to review nor compensation, this is just a fun giveaway!**

I love nuts. Even practically OD'd on a bunch of cashews 20 years ago....and you all know I recently got busted to sneaking into VC's treat bag. So I am drooling over the awesome selection of nuts and candy at Oh! Nuts (can I possibly work a few more 'Oh! Nuts' into this giveaway?)

They have a fine selection of bulk candy:

Take a peek at these juicy jelly fruit slices:
or these Anakonda Gummies (what boy would not want to find these in his stocking?)
or one of my childhood favorites - Rock Candy!

Now, let's get to it! Winner will receive their choice of a pound of bulk candy

To Enter:

Visit Oh! Nuts and tell me something that strikes your fancy (you can do this once a day)

For extra entries (Please leave a separate comment for each entry):

1. "Follow" my blog on Blogger
2. Subscribe to my blog
3. Grab my handy dandy blog button (please let me know so I can reciprocate!)
4. StumbleUpon, Kirtsy or Digg any Carma Sez blog post that you've particularly enjoyed
5. Blog about the giveaway and link back to my blog
6. Post about the giveaway on Facebook
7. Tweet about the giveaway & send me the link to the tweet (you can tweet up to 3 times a day!)
8. Tell me what you like most or least about my blog

**If you are already a follower, or already have my button, please still tell me so in a separate comment. Thanks!**

Giveaway ends on Tuesday, December 1st at 8:00 PM EST

You May Be Wondering....

"How did Carma's man get so rugged and virile (see previous post) - if he was not out roping cattle???"

Well, I'm tickled you asked....
MB was using this little contraption - a machine that "vacuums up leaves" - only this particular model was picked up at the curb. A neighbor put it out as trash and we happened by at the most opportune time and got to be the proud new owners!!! The only problem being that it is old and if you push it like a mower - you get a face full of fumes and debris.

What is wrong with using a good, old fashioned leaf rake, you ask?

Simple: MB is the 2010 version of Tim the Tool Man Taylor
Use a rake - instead of a "power tool??" pfffffft That's only something that his boring minimalist neo-Luddite (I kid on that one but wanted to use the term) blogger wife would use :-)



[BTW, I know everyone hates the word verification, but I was getting so much spammy nonsense I had to put it back on...]

He's Also Rugged and Virile (aka My Worst Post Ever)

I hemmed and hawed over whether or not to post this. I've had a lot going on lately with the daily stresses of life and haven't had as much time to focus. But, since I did prepare this post, I hate to let it just go dormant, although that is EXACTLY what I should be doing ;-)

Without further ado, I bring you my WORST POST EVER:

Who does this photo remind you of??


Hint: Think of a cow rancher.






Does MB not look like the Marlboro Man of the famous Pioneer Woman blog??? (more accurately, the Marlboro Man in 15 years) He had just come in from a long afternoon working on the yard and I couldn't resist snapping a few shots.

This is how he originally wanted to appear in the photo:

To get those images out of your mind, I figured I'd better post a more flattering pic that is not distorted by the use of the digital camera up close. I've added a Michael Jackson hat which should jog your memory ;-)


Pioneer Woman followers: This is just a spoof - not meant to offend. I know her blog is awesome.

*and she slowly hits the Publish Post key*

You Don't Say??

ABC News recently came out with results of a new study: "Scientific evidence shows we all have a "phone voice" that's different than the voice we use in our regular, face-to-face conversations!"

Wow! It took a study to figure this out! MB and I have been ribbing each other for years over my high pitched friendly phone voice and his signature lighthearted chuckle that indicates he is on the phone with one of his relatives.

Do you have a phone voice that is the butt of jokes? Do share!


P.S. Congrats to the winner of the Crazy Dog T-Shirt giveaway: bayctygrl (Jennifer)! Thanks to all who entered :-)

Five Obsessions

Lucy , one very spunky blogger, graciously bestowed on me the Fabulous Award. The rules of the award are to list 5 Obsessions and then pass on to 5 bloggers. There is a good chance I have already done this list, but I shall post 5 more obsessions just in cases :D

(1) Rice - I am obsessed with the white fluffy stuff; I'm trying to break this obsession, yet I think I had rice 4 nights this week.

(2) Smart Balance Buttery Spread- Now with Flax Oil! to slather on the above rice
(3) My Precor Elliptical Machine
to combat obsessions #1 and #2; I am not one to splurge, but one thing I've discovered is that if you are buying exercise equipment and know you will be using it regularly (this is key ;-) - go for top of the line or the most you can afford. You'll be glad you did.

(4) Maintaining my youthful complexion - which means I slather on lots of this:

(5) Being successful at something - anything - (and I'm not fussy at this point)-before I lose my youthful complexion and have permanent bloat from eating too much rice.

I have chosen to pass on this award to:

Kaylen
Dale
Cass
Allison
Kys

Looking forward to hearing your obsessions if you choose to participate!

Congratulations to Fashion Frugality, winner of the UPrinting.com Rolled Canvas Print!

Petticoats and Poker

The other day VC went on a field trip. This was not just ANY fieldtrip. It was a $34 field trip! (what happened to the days of the $5 field trip???) to a restored village about 2 hours away.

Kids were allowed to bring iPods and other things to keep busy on the chartered bus ride. VC wisely decided to leave his iPod at home, which is good because then I did not have to help him conduct a search and rescue upon his return when he would have realized he left it on the bus or worse....

It was a long day, having to be at school at 6:30 am and not getting home until 7:00 pm. I asked him if he slept on the bus on the way home and his answer was, "No. I played poker." Apparently he decided to bring a deck of cards (along with his Rubiks Cubes) and he and his buddy played Black Jack and Texas Hold 'Em most of the way home.

(You heard about the 21 year old winning over 8 million at Poker the other day.) It never hurts to know when hold 'em. (I swear I couldn't resist. I did not want to use that line.) Especially if he one day finds himself in a jam - and can't raise enough cash with his busker skills. He may need to hustle up a few bucks with his poker game. [Just thinking worst case scenarios here.]

Funny story: When we attended back to school night when VC was in second grade, there was a bulletin board outside the classroom decorated with pictures the kids drew of something they liked to do. Most wrote things like: Play soccer, jump rope, blah, blah, blah, and then we glanced over to VC's picture and activity. It was labeled: I like playing poker.

Even as a second grader, he didn't fit the "mold" :D Yes, we used to give him his own little stack of chips to use when we played cards for fun.

Before you call us irresponsible, I learned just this past weekend (in USA Weekend) that there are Three Invaluable Life Lessons you can learn from playing poker:

(1) Look for subtle clues - Important in business as well as in your personal life
(2) Be objective - Learn to put aside emotions (this does not apply to bloggers ;-)
(3) Remember the past - Past performance is your best indicator of future results.

This holiday season, forget the Barbies and Thomas Train Sets (I am clueless as to what the new 'hot' kiddie gifts are), instead pick up one of those felt-lined poker cases with chips for your little one :D They'll thank you in 20 years.


Photo Credit: jking89

Still time to enter my giveaways here and here!

Oh Snickers!

Has anyone else been busted for sneaking in their child's treat bag? Unbeknownst to me, VC set a trap.

Take a peek at this photo. Do you see the Twist?

Well, I'm wishing I had seen the twist before inadvertently alerting VC that I had been in his treat bag (aka pillowcase) He is quite the detective these days :D

And I Said It Wouldn't Last...

I begin this post with a great big *sigh*

The bromance is no more. Cough. Cough. Gasp. You heard me. The bromance. It's Over....

I'm not one to say "I Told You So." (OK, maybe I am.) but my prediction has become reality.

As I alluded to in my first "Bromance" post, the bro was personality-wise very opposite from that of MB. While we try not to be very bragadocious, the bromance IS. For example he is so big into his vehicles that he has posted photos of them on his Facebook page along with his collection of tattoos. And you may recall when I first met him, much of the conversation was disrupted by him and his s.o. glancing at their i-Phones mid-conversation. That's when he is wasn't talking about himself ;-)

MB and I are proud fix-it-yourselfer's. We are not showy. We take pride in being able to make due with what we have, living beneath our means and not going hog wild on purchases. The bromance, on the other hand, drives a Hummer and uses $500 earbuds. One pair of skates is not enough. He has 10 pairs of skates that he brings with him presumably to show off. Top of the line. Fix a broken skate? pshaw!

So, it was inevitable that some friction would manifest itself at some point.

MB is the consummate planner. He plans his week at work in detailed spreadsheet format and carries around a list on a clipboard.

He is the same way when it comes to planning his fun activities.

So when MB and the bro were planning to go to a new rink this past weekend, MB did all he could to make the plan come to fruition. MB sent a message to the bro detailing info about the rink hours and location. And then a follow up email and call. He waited around on Sat. to hear back from the bromance. He received nary a text message. This was not the first time the bro suggested trying a new rink, only to doff out. All talk; no action.

It took sending the bro a message on Sunday: "So I'm guessing we aren't going skating Yesterday" to get him to respond back today saying he was "super busy on Sat." Yet, he amazingly found time to update his Facebook profile several times that day!!

If there's one thing MB can't stand, it's people who don't follow through, which pretty much describes the bromance.

MB has decided not to bother to send him any more messages and will just go on his own skating this week. Will the bromance show up? Will he be bringing his 10 pairs of custom skates, Hummer and $500 earbuds? dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnn.....


P.S. In case you are wondering, I got MB's "permission" before writing this post. Not that I needed it since I am a woman of the 2000's.

I hope you will enter my latest giveaway! A canvas print of the kids for grandma = priceless!

Rolled Canvas Print Giveaway

I'm excited about this giveaway because it is just in time for the holidays!

Get ready to turn your favorite photo into a work of art. UPrinting.com is giving one of my readers the opportunity to win a 16 x 20 rolled canvas print.

I bet your loved ones would be thrilled to receive a canvas print of your "little one" or in my case "larger one." And I know exactly the print I have in mind to enlarge and put on canvas: This photo of VC at the Renaissance Festival after he juggled with London Broil on stage. Woo-hoo!!!


UPrinting.com's canvas prints are thick, high quality artist canvas with a matte finish. Poly-cotton blend makes this canvas ultra durable. Stretched orders are coated with eco-friendly protective matte coating that is UV protected.

To enter to win a 16 x 20 rolled canvas print:

Describe what photo gifts you want to have printed for your family and loved ones (e.g. posters, canvas prints, calendars, etc.)

For Extra Entries:

1. "Follow" my blog on Blogger
2. Subscribe to my blog
3. Grab my handy dandy blog button (please let me know so I can reciprocate!)
4. StumbleUpon, Kirtsy or Digg any Carma Sez blog post that you've particularly enjoyed
5. Blog about the giveaway and link back to my blog
6. Post about the giveaway on Facebook
7. Tweet about the giveaway & send me the link to the tweet (you can tweet once a day)

**If you are already a follower, or already have my button, please still tell me so in a separate comment. Thanks!**

Eligibility: Limited to US Residents (FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the US)

Giveaway ends on Sunday, November 15th at 8:00 PM EST

Full Disclosure: I am receiving a 16 x 20 canvas print for hosting this giveaway.
Check out UPrinting.com on Yelp!

If you are not familiar with UPrinting.com's products, be assured that they are top quality. Here's a video review I made about their custom stickers!

Call the Bitter Police

Yep. I'm ready to be cuffed. Call me Bitter.

In actuality I have no justification to be bitter. I live a charmed life compared to many on the planet.

What brought on this most recent bout of bitterness you ask. Simple: The pure evilness that is InStyle magazine. Not only does this magazine put all sorts of things that I "need" to look younger, prettier, less frizzy, more chic, etc. in my mind, but now it also taunts me with children of celebrities who are given full page modeling spreads.

Reference a recent issue that featured Dakota Johnson, daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Lily Collins, daughter of Phil Collins, Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, all of whom are now actresses, and Mavis Spencer, daughter of Alfre Woodard, who is "deferring at Columbia because she is starting to model," due to what the magazine describes as her 'skyscraping height' (she is 6 feet tall).

Wah Wah Wah. I want famous parents so that I can get an awesome job.

Oh, and I want tall parents so that I can "defer" from my boring job trajectory to take time to model. In fact, I would so love to model (even considering my bland and indistinct features) that I would pay them for the opportunity to model...

And I also want a Temptu Airbrush makeup system because I wasn't one of the first 50 readers to win one for free and I so deserve a flawless complexion.

...and I wanna be like Donatella Versace lamenting that she has "warehouses full of art and [she's] run out of wall space." Boo hoo hoo...

Thanks InStyle. You've convinced me it's time for some new reading material, which reminds me I'm about due for another "book recommendation" ;-)

*Still time to enter my Crazy Dog T Giveaway - lots of cool designs!*

I Voted!

Hope you got a chance to head to the polls yesterday. I usually try to make it out, this being one of our most basic rights and another reason to celebrate our fine country.

In my town, the only seats up for grabs were on the Town Council. The Mayor was running unopposed, and there were three candidates to fill a vacated School Board seat.

Some of the candidates I knew, but not enough to select 5 for the Town Council. I did a little research, discovered many of their platforms were similar and then came up with my own rubric:

(1) whoever wasn't an incumbent (where possible)
(2) whoever didn't look uppity
(3) whoever did not resemble an overzealous PTA member* (for the School Board position)
*note the use of the word "overzealous" before you lambaste me :D

Is this bad? Would it have been better had I stayed home and returned blog comments instead?

What formula do you use when you are unfamiliar with the candidates?

Remember to enter my supercool T giveaway!

Crazy Dog T-Shirts - Giveaway!!

Comfort rules at our place. And so does hilarity. We love a good joke. So I was happy to come across Crazy Dog T-Shirts, a company that combines supersoft T's with humorous slogans. They've seriously got something for everybody!


Here's VC wearing his new Chuck Norris T-shirt:


You can't beat a good Chuck Norris joke!

The shirts are made of supersoft 100% cotton. Have you ever purchased a T-Shirt only to find it to be stiff, uncomfortable and easily wrinkled? That is NOT the case with Crazy Dog T's. They are like wearing your favorite vintage T-Shirt.

Some of my favorites include:

A little post-Halloween humor (from the girls dept):Math Humor Rocks!

And of course, my favorite comedian, Chris Farley!!
Gotta love anything Office related!

Crazy Dog T's has so many categories, you are guaranteed to find a shirt for everyone in your family - and just in time for the holidays! Plus, Crazy Dog T's features one shirt for only $6.99 every day!

Now, here's the fun part. One reader will win a T-shirt of their choice from Crazy Dog T's!

To Enter: Visit Crazy Dog T-Shirts & Tell me what T-shirt is your favorite, along with the size you would like if you win.

For extra entries:

1. "Follow" my blog on Blogger
2. Subscribe to my blog
3. Grab my handy dandy blog button (please let me know so I can reciprocate!)
4. StumbleUpon, Kirtsy or Digg any Carma Sez blog post that you've particularly enjoyed
5. Blog about the giveaway and link back to my blog
6. Post about the giveaway on Facebook
7. Follow Crazy Dog T's on Twitter
8. Become a fan of Crazy Dog T's on Facebook
9. Tweet about the giveaway & send me the link to the tweet (you can tweet once a day)

**If you are already a follower, or already have my button, please still tell me so in a separate comment. Thanks!**

Giveaway ends Tuesday, November 17th at 8:00 PM EST.

Full Disclosure: I received merchandise to review for this giveaway; However, no monetary compensation was provided whatsoever.

This is NOT It!

I've already documented MB's love of all things Michael Jackson (see this, one of my more controversial posts) - so when I heard that a local radio station was doing a skate jam from 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM on Friday night - culminating in an attempt to get the world record for most people on roller skates - skating to Thriller, I knew that I had to alert MB.

Because when you look at MB,


you immediately think

Michael Jackson
MB even shaved off his goatee in order to look more authentic. (He'll be growing it back at my urging :D - plus wore his authentic Michael Jackson hat - that he purchased years ago from someone who attended a MJ concert. If you have any ideas how to authenticate it, please pass on the info so I can retire to Sardinia.)

Here he is learning Thriller:
Oh, and to make MB's weekend even more complete, he went to see This is It! at the movie theatre on Sunday wearing his favorite vintage Michael Jackson T-shirt (well, not his favorite, more like the only one that still fits ;-)

How was your Halloween?


p.s. I am behind on returning blog comments since we had family in town this week. Will visit you all soon :-)