Pay It Forward

UPDATED!!!




I won the Pay It Forward contest over at Hope for the Hopeless, so it's time for me to hold my very own contest.

So, here's how it works: You leave me a comment (or 2, or 6 or maybe a dozen) and then I'll head on over to use the randomizer thing Melissa used for hers. It'll select 3 lucky winners to claim 3 fantastic homemade prizes (super duper cool cell phone pouches - that will be hand decorated by me (cuz I am not crafty enough to actually make the pouches themselves!)).



Since 3 seems to be the common number, I'll be running this for 3 days, which means I'll be doing the drawing on Monday 3/3.

Now, I've got an extremely busy work day on Monday, so I can't say if I'll draw in the morning, afternoon or night.....so if you don't see a new post announcing the winners, feel free to keep the comments rolling.

The stipulation? If you win, you have to host your very own Pay It Forward contest on your blog.

So what are you waiting for?? Get commenting!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, March 1, 2008

Seriously? 4 comments? By 3 people? One of which doesn't want to be in the drawing? That leaves me 2 automatic winners with 3 available prizes. Doesn't anyone else want to win and Pay It Forward???

The Things Kids Say

The other day my son had to bring some work home for his friend that lives down the street, who has been out sick.

When we talked about it at the dinner table, I found out it was quite a lot of stuff that he had to tote home.

My mom made a comment that it really weighed down his backpack.

What does my son say?

"Yeah. It was like an anchor!"

Music Makes the World Go Round

I love music, and in my mind there's nothing better than an drive with the windows rolled down, the breeze in my hair, with my tunes cranked up and my camera beside me waiting for the perfect opportunity to capture the beauty in the world.

It's still too damn cold to enjoy a breeze in my hair (unless you really enjoy frozen nose hairs) and there's not much out there to photograph at this point because it's all buried beneath 80 inches of snow/ice/and miserable winter muck.

So, what songs might I be listening to on one of those drives?

It could be....(or just about anything by Michael Buble ... because I heart him. For real.)


Or, it could just be a bit of......(and for the record, I may buy this CD along with that Billy Ocean one I'd like)


Maybe a good one for some butt shaking....


And one last one for now....


Now if only spring would arrive, so I could head out with my camera in hand, my tunes turned up and the windows rolled down......

I'm a winner!

It's been hell at work lately. Friday the crap hit the fan, and this morning.....well, let's just say the entire place would be full of flung crap.

I'm not going to into much detail because it's just too much to get into right now, and I'm hoping if I just ignore the situation, it'll go away.

Yeah, I know .... wishful thinking.

So anyway, back to my little bit of exciting news!

Melissa was hosting a Pay It Forward contest over on her blog, and I WON!!! Woohoo!!!

So, keep your eyes peeled for my very own Pay It Forward contest!!

100 Things About Me - Part 9

81. I cannot stand the sound of a tape gun. It seriously grates on my nerves.

82. I've got a great big photography paraphernalia wish list. At the top; a speed flash. (Hint, hint ... my birthday is in April! LOL)

83. I have a recent addiction to jewelry. Costume, fancy, fun ... you name it.

84. I won't clean toilets. Nope. My husband gets the job of cleaning the bathroom. Toilets give me the heebie jeebies and I wouldn't dare stick my hand in one - gloves or not. Plus, I don't stand up to pee and make a mess, so really why should I clean it?

85. I cannot stand handling raw meat. Especially chicken. I can work with ground beef, but I really have to think about other things. Chicken really grosses me out and I nearly gag because of it's texture and somewhat sliminess when it's raw.

86. When I was in kindergarten, I won a contest naming the school newsletter.

87. I can't ride in the backseat of the car, as I get car sick.

88. I am not very good at multiplication.

89. I would love to drive a pink car.

90. I love Guitar Hero III for Wii, even if I can only currently play on the Easy level.

Virtual Torture

Over 3 hours.

For - count them - over 1, 2, 3 hours I have clicked back and forth between windows to check and see if I was still in the waiting room or not.

I. Just. Want. Cubs. Tickets.

That's all.

One game. 4 tickets.

Over 3 hours my friend.

What's even more sad than waiting for hours, is that I leave work in less than 2 hours. So if I don't get picked to buy tickets before then, I will give up my place in Virtual Waiting Room HELL.

I think I may scream. Especially since greedy, money-hungry, bastards have already listed their newly snagged tickets on places such as Ebay, Craigslist, and StubHub! Bastards!

It's like the Cubs Ticket Nazi is standing back, pointing straight at me, shouting "No Cubs tickets for you!"

The Lunch That Almost Wasn't

For the last 2.5 hours I have been hungry and debating on if I wanted to order something to be delivered, or just eat the Lean Cuisine I've got in the freezer here at the office.

I decide, since I've got to run to the bank anyway, I might as well pick up my lunch. Easy, right? Wrong.

First I head to the bank, and there's a lady in a minivan ahead of me. I'm crossing my fingers that she is not going in the commercial banking lane, and watch as she goes into a regular lane.

I watch in amazement as she pulls into the only available lane that is also CLOSED. So I'm talking to myself saying "Yo idiot, that one is closed."

I pull in, drop my deposit in the drawer and look over at the lane immediately next to me. It's the most ancient, wrinkled raisin (thanks for the word, Melissa) I Have. Ever. Seen. And he's squeezing his frail body out his door to reach back to the bank tube terminal thingy. He pulled forward too much and instead of just BACKING UP, he performed a contortionist act so he could do his banking.

When I notice him, I notice that dumbass minivan driver has realized - WAIT! There is no tube in my terminal! What do I do? So, she backs up so that she can use one of the OPEN lanes. Hmm, those OPEN/CLOSED lights above the lane are there for a reason, huh?

So, I'm thinking "God, please get me away from this stupidity quickly because it might be contagious!" not to mention that my stomach is growling and I know that in just a few moments, my mouth will happily be gulping down a large order of fries from McDonald's.

Hahahahahahaha. Life is just so damn funny sometimes!!!

I get to McDonald's and am the 3rd car back to order. I proceed forward and order a #1.

I hear "mummmble, mummmmble, out of fries"

WHAT?!?

I increduously ask "You. Are. OUT. Of. FRIES?" (Because, you know, McDonald's being out of french fries is like Dairy Queen being out of ice cream, or Lambeau Field being short on Cheese-Heads)

"Yes, ma'am"

Ummmmmmmmmm.........................................

"Well, I guess I'll just have a Big Mac then."

(longest pause ever where I'm thinking, HELLO? IS THIS THING ON? Did you just go on break? HELLO? I said I'd take a flippin' Big Mac!!!!)

Finally she repeats my order (because you know, it was difficult; just a Big Mac and all; it's only their signature burger).

When I finally get my Big Mac, I think to myself .... WTF am I going to eat with it??

So, just down the road is Burger King, and I like their onion rings.

Roll through to grab an order of onion rings, zesty sauce and a Diet Coke (yes, I am one of THOSE people that snarfs down fast food with a Diet drink. Shut up.).

I drive away, pop my straw in my drink and bring the cup up to drink and the BLASTED LID WASN'T ON RIGHT, so there goes Diet Coke down the front of my coat, and all over my lap. Niiiiiiiiccccce.

So I'm dabbing napkins on my soaked jeans, conveniently in a spot that looks like I just peed myself when an another stupid person pulls out of Wendy's on the opposite side of the road and proceeds to do 10 miles an hour because he's counting his chicken nuggets or making sure it's really North Pacific Cod like they say.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!!! Was a quick trip to the bank and a #1 from McDonald's all that much to ask for?

I'm an ar-tist!

Click here to create your own painting.

The Things Kids Say

So, in my household, there are nights that the kids go to bed easily. The kind where, once they are tucked in and their bedroom doors are closed, they are down for the count. Other nights we aren't as lucky and there are extra bathroom trips, things they forgot to tell us, that they need lotion on chapped cheeks, or that Han Solo just came hurtling through the window in the Millennium Falcon (yes, my son is HUGE into Star Wars right now).

Tonight was one of said nights.

Both kids were up a few times, and I did extra tucking. On one tucking with my son, he asks for a drink of water. I bring him a small dixie cup. He drinks it and is content. A bit later, my daughter is up and out of her room again. Get her settled and notice my boy is asleep.

I go in to kiss him and whisper in his ear that I love him sooooo much and he stirs a bit and sleepily, in a hushed voice says:

"Mommy, you know I like big drinks; not those little ones. Will you get me a big drink?"

I oblige and get him his big drink and come back into his room, to find him nodding off again....

"Honey, here's your drink" to which he springs up, drinks it down and says:

"AHHHHHHHHHH......that's what I'm talkin' about!"

100 Things About Me - Part 8

71. I hate runny scrambled eggs. In fact, if I order them out, I order them scrambled well.

72. I have a love affair with fried cheese.

73. I prefer my toilet paper to be hung where the paper unrolls from the top, not the underside. If it's hung incorrectly, I'll turn it around.

74. I'm beginning to believe that I may actually like to live somewhere where it never gets cold or snows.

75. I think the next CD I purchase will be Billy Ocean.

76. I did repeat myself throughout my 100 Things About Me and I just had to come in here and edit this.

77. I think Simon Cowell is sexy in his British, very snarky and honest way.

78. My favorite Cubs player is Aramis Ramirez. I'd like to meet him, and shake his hand, and hug him, and ........ (you fill in the blanks)

79. I did not think I'd like Caesar salad, therefore never in my life tried it. I did for the first time last month, and I love it.

80. I have recently dedicated myself to the Brighten Lives program and pledge to donate at least quarterly every year.

Tag, You're It!

Melissa tagged me, so I better follow thru or she may bomb boxes of candy canes at my head.

The rules are as follows:
# Link to the person who tagged you
# Post the rules on your blog.
# Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
# Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
# Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

So, here goes.....random, weird or quirky things about myself.

1. I don't have patience for certain things. A big one being how long I have to wait to be seated at a restaurant. This especially holds true if I'm starving. This is why I don't tend to frequent restaurants during prime dining time on Fridays or Saturdays. Makes me bonkers.

2. I don't like beer. It tastes gross. Won't touch it. I don't like much wine either, but I'm trying to change that. I guess it's just a matter of finding the right kind for me to enjoy.

3. I love to laugh and make others laugh. Maybe that's not so weird or random, but it makes me who I am.

4. I was a bit freaked out to donate blood. I don't like needles and to volunteer myself to be poked is almost sadistic. It was super easy, though and I'm looking forward to my next appointment!

5. I met my husband online. For a good period of time, most of the people I knew, I had met online. Actually, this still holds true, as I met many of my neighbors through the internet.

6. I hate washing my face before bed. It's one of those tasks that I just don't feel I have a couple minutes for and would rather just fall straight into the bed.

7. I take the same route to and from work every single day and don't like when I have to change it up due to traffic/accidents/weather/etc. I can drive on autopilot when it's the same route (which probably isn't necessarily a good thing).

So, I'm going to tag:

1) Jess
2) Lisa
3) Jenn
4) Mackey
5) Sherry
6) Kristabella
7) Rebecca

Blah

There is more snow falling from the sky. On top of the ice that formed from the rain we got yesterday.

Winter sucks.

And I'm home sick today.

Was up all night in the bathroom. Thought something I ate did not agree with me. The issues started at 11:30 last night. At 5:00 this morning I was finally able to doze off and get a couple hours of shut eye.

Then it was time to get ready for work. I felt like puking and my legs were killing me with every step down the stairs. There was no way I could go to work.

So I called in and was able to get a little bit of work done from home.

Now I'm going back to bed.

No intervention was needed

I was looking back through my NaBloPoMo '07 posts and noticed one of my Friday fotos of my nails. At that point I had only been growing them about a month or so.

Check them out now!



Can you tell I'm proud of them? That is over 3 months of dedication right there. I kicked the habit for good, no intervention needed!

St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Right here in Illinois, we are facing our own nightmare.

I can remember back to Virginia Tech, Columbine ..... the awful school shooting tragedies that deeply touched many, but it never hit so close to home.

This time it's a university practically in our own backyard.

A young man opened fire on a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, and as of this posting, there are 6 confirmed dead (including the gunman).

This is just a couple weeks after several women were murdered, shot execution style inside a Lane Bryant store. News reports call that a "robbery gone bad", but I would be willing to put money on it that it turns up that the gunman had a connection to someone in that store. Who on Earth would rob a woman's clothing store when they first open?? And if you were only robbing it -- why would you line them up in the back room and shoot them all that way???

The only difference between these two local tragedies is that the gunman from Lane Bryant is still at large. The NIU gunman took his own life.

This is a sick, sick world. There is more and more violence every day. Why is there so much hate? What makes someone think they have the right to take another person's life? I just don't understand....and I guess I never will.

Is that your retainer stuck in my zipper?

When I was in junior high, I fell for the new boy and we started "going out" (you know the type - you were an item, but it was a rare that the two of you were seen outside the walls of school unless your folks toted you around since we were still a couple years from driver's license-dom).

There was a school dance, and afterwards we all headed over to Pizza Hut. It was close enough that we could walk there from the school, and then we only had to rely on parents for a ride home.

Of course, my folks were in charge of the drive home. So it's me, my best friend, her boy and mine. We finished eating and decided to wait outside.

My boy and I headed around to the backside of the building for some totally innocent smooching and while we're back there - my folks arrive (I am still horrified at this remarkable timing!).

What do my folks see when they pull up? Just my friend and her boy. There's my bestest bud calling out "Sarah!! Your parents! They're here!"

And out I stroll with my boy, mortified. OMG - what will my parents think?!? I casually pretend like I didn't just come around from the back of the building and hope that my folks just thought I was throwing out a bag of garbage into the dumpster for the kind employees of Pizza Hut.

But no. We pile into the car, and start our drive home when my dad decides to ask if my retainer was stuck in my boy's zipper.

He was joking of course, but it'll go down in books as one of my most humiliating experiences!!!

It was just one of those days

I think the stress of the week is finally catching up to me. The weather has had me white-knuckled behind the wheel several times, and I've had a knot in my gut worrying about whether or not our drivers were safe and if our routes were getting done.

We've got a new driver at work to boot, so I've been easing him into his routes while the other drivers are finally getting a much needed break from their long work weeks they've been putting in since September.

There was some tension with the drivers, lots of anger and frustration -- and I'm the lucky one that they unload on.

So I'm having a conversation with a driver - on my cell phone, as I'm driving down a totally unplowed road and slip slidin' along - he mentions something and I realize - SHIT! I forgot to do that! So I turn around and back to the office I go and work for another hour.

At this point, I'm feeling like the biggest fuck up on the planet. Before I took the position, I worried about whether I could handle it; if I'd be successful at running the business. Today I felt like a failure. It wasn't just that I forgot to do something and had to go back to the office. I just felt like everything I have been trying to accomplish came right back to bite me in the ass all at once.

I want my bosses to be happy with their decision to ask me to run their business for them. I want to help the company thrive. I want to keep the other employees/drivers happy, healthy and safe. I'm afraid that one wrong move is going to cost us dearly.

Like in the past, I'll get through it and look back and wonder what the hell I was upset about. But for right now I'd just like to have a good cry (when not behind the wheel, because trust me when I say tear-filled eyes while driving down snow encrusted roads is not an easy task).

All the while she was playing Masterbingo

I'm feeling a bit naive. I happen over to Mackey's and lo and behold, there's Billy Idol blaring in the background singing about dancing with himself! And I don't mean the Macarena!

So there I am with the lightbulb above my head flashing and then - what? There's ANOTHER masturbation anthem?!



Talk about not reading between the lines....

Now here's a song that I get the jist of right off the bat (and it's a new favorite of mine, I might add!) ....

Because So Much is Riding on Your Slogan

If you like a lot of Melissa on your biscuit, join our club!

I have to say. We had a great time with the Slogan Generator at girl's night tonight.

Who would have thought that a year later we'd come across campaign slogans that would have been a sure fire shoo-in.

For instance:

"Come one, come all to Melissa"

"Melissa - The Freshmaker!"

"Get More from Melissa" (though I hear she was handing out plenty! hehehe)

"You've Got Questions. We've Got Melissa."

Or how about?

"Melissa Saves Your Soul"

"Come see the softer side of Melissa"

"You're in good hands with Melissa"

But the one that really would have taken the cake? No doubt about it....

"It's the Melissa Fizz that does the Bizz."

Sloganize Yourself!

Well, I certainly like to think so!

The Best Sarah A Man Can Get.

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more sarah slogans.

You've Always Got Time For Sarah.

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more sarah slogans.

Okay, seriously............

Nothing Sucks Like A Sarah.

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more sarah slogans.