Friday's Favorite #3 and a Giveaway!

Let's start with the really good stuff, a giveaway! Not just ANY giveaway, my very first blogging giveaway! YEAH! Last week forFriday's Favorite I talked about my favorite magazine, Real Simple. (In case you are new to Friday's favorite you can read about it here ) When I went to our HEB grocery later that day, I noticed a Real Simple Family issue in the checkout aisle. I picked it up and bought it. However, this week in the mail I received another copy of the same magazine with my September issue of Real Simple.

I do not need two identical magazines. Maybe shoes, but that's another story.

So, I want to give one away! Just leave a comment and you will be entered. I will leave the contest open until this Saturday, August 23rd at 7:30am (Central time). I will then have my husband randomly select a comment number and we will have our winner. I will post the winner then! Unfortunately I don't have a random integer so my husband will have to do for now. Have fun! You may comment as many times as you wish!

Alright, now that the technical stuff is out of the way, let's move on to todays Friday Favorite.
My favorite today is a radio show from Chicago Public Radio called This American Life.

Where do I even begin in describing this programs greatness? How about with the shows host, Ira Glass? He's witty, an incredible storyteller and interviewer and he and his staff always manage to put together an hour of some of the most engaging, thought provoking stories on the radio.

I first heard This American Life back in 1997. I was listening to a story called Fiasco! . It's the story about a small town attempting to put on a "progressive" version of Peter Pan at a local theater when everything imaginable goes wrong. I was laughing so hard I had to pull my car over and stop so I wouldn't crash. If you go to http://www.thisamericanlife.org/ the Fiasco episode is listed in their archives section as one of their 12 early classics. Check it out. You can also sign up for their free weekly podcast as well as download past episodes and listen to a current episode. Look up http://www.npr.org/ to see if your local National Public Radio station carries This American Life's weekly show. You can also check out the TV show of This American Life on Showtime.

Here are a few of my favorite stories they told, in no particular order...
1. Pray
2. This one has two unbelievable stories. The first is about a place called the "Rubber Room". It's a room in NYC where public teachers are sent while awaiting reassignment or release. The second story is about a place called Chimp Haven, which is a retirement home for chimpanzees. I could not make this up if I tried. The story is calledHuman Resources .
3. The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar.

What about you? Do you have a favorite radio program you can't wait to hear? Maybe it's Prairie Home Companion? Or Car Talk? or Fresh Air? Let me know.
Take care,
Julie

I did not see this one coming

The other day I was doing some grocery shopping at HEB.

As I rounded the corner of the aisle I saw something that caught my attention.
At first I thought I was seeing an unusually tall, hairy woman with a sundress on until I got closer and realized it was a MAN with sunglasses, long blonde hair (it very well could have been a wig, I didn't stop long enough to get a good look), pink lipstick and a dress on.

Not what I was expecting to see in the pasta, rice and beans aisle.

(Just to clarify, the sundress was more among the lines of a sleeveless cotton nightgown like the kind my 80 year old grandma used to wear.)

What about you all? What is the most unusual sight you've seen while out and about? These ought to be good.
Take care,
Julie

What's a Girl to do?

The other day I went to my favorite salon to get my hair cut. It ended up being one of the best haircuts I have had in a while. Long layers.  Thinned out.  All equals less frizz for me here in South Texas and that is a very good thing.

Anyway, I was faced with the same dilemma I encounter each time I go to have my hair cut...

What do I do with my purse when I am taken back to have my hair washed?

It is quite the problem.

Do I....

A.  Leave my purse at my stylist's station hoping nothing happens to it.

B.  Take it back with me while I get my hair washed and risk appearing a bit paranoid.

C.  Leave my purse at home and just bring a debit card and my drivers license.

D.  None of the above.

What do I do?

I can tell you what I won't do.  Leave my purse at home.  I only leave my purse at home when I am going for a jog, otherwise it is attached to my arm.

So I wrestled with the issue internally while I was waiting to have my hair washed.  

Then I made my decision.

I left the purse at the station.

I just hope my mom is not reading this.  She just may  pass out from the stress caused from thinking about all that could have happened to my purse while it was left alone out in the open for everyone to see.

What about you all?  How do you deal with the purse issue while at the stylist?  Let me know.  I'm curious how others handle this whole situation.  

Take care,

Julie 

Go Speedy Go!

The kids have been begging us all summer long to drive go-karts at a track nearby. We planned to go earlier in the summer, but the day we were going to go just didn't work out.

So we waited until August to go when it's nice and toasty outside.

Because nothing says I love you better than taking three kids to a hot asphalt go-kart track in South Texas when it's 100 degrees, in the shade!

That's what I thought.

As we were heading out the door, I noticed my husband was wearing closed toe shoes, which is odd for him considering he lives in flip flops when he's not working. I asked him about the shoes and he said, "Serious go-karting calls for serious footwear."

I replied with, "But I'm wearing flip flops."

His response? "I guess you'll be coming in 2nd place on the go-kart track."

Since when did go-karting become serious competition with place awards being given? Apparently when the boys in the family are involved and they are sitting behind any kind of steering wheel.

I went back and changed my shoes.

At the race track we took turns driving on the Family Track where the adult drives and a child (of almost any age or size) sits next to the adult and uses a pretend steering wheel.

My husband was prepared for 1st place, at any cost. Which child was in on it with him? Our daughter, of course. She is so much like her daddy. When she was asked how she wanted to drive, she replied, "Fast." Not so with the boys. The oldest is like me, cautious, analytical. (At the bowling alley the other day he, out of the blue, asked me if he should be concerned about getting foot fungus from the shoes. Poor kid, I can relate.) The boys did not want to go as fast as possible.

The first picture is of my husband and daughter. What's that you say? It looks blurry? That's because they were speeding past everyone on their quest for "1st Place". Let me mention just a couple of things that were taking place during that blurry picture.

1. They were passing a sweet but startled mother and her 18 month old child.

2. There were only 5 cars on the entire track that time, most were mothers with children under the age of 2

What can I say? He's my husband and I love him.

We managed to stay outside for about 30 minutes until everyone collectively melted down from the heat.

Then we went inside to the air-conditioned game room and spent a small fortune on video games. Take care, Julie

One more thing: The second picture is just a testament to proper go-karting foot apparel.

Friday's Favorites #2

This week for Friday's Favorites I have picked a magazine. In case you are new to Friday's Favorites, you can read about it here .

There is one magazine I look forward to receiving in the mail more than anything else.

More than a Boden catalog,
More than an Anthropologie catalog,
More than a J. Crew catalog and even more than Dwell magazine, which is saying a lot because I really do love the above mentioned items. However, none of them compare to the joy I feel when I look in my mailbox and see the newest edition of Real Simple magazine.

This magazine if full of helpful hints, product reviews (think best black pants or best moisturizers), and great writing. I usually read it cover to cover in one sitting.

This month's August edition is no exception.

For example, one of this month's articles features a month's worth of meals that can be ready in 20 minutes.(pg. 152) Did you catch that? Twenty minutes. What's not to love about that?

There's another interesting article full of organizing tips for each room of your house.(pg. 168) Good reading, especially if you are a mother of small children.

If you have not done your back to school supply shopping yet, you will want to check out the article on page 122 containing ways to save money when you do buy back to school supplies.

Finally, you can go online to http://www.realsimple.com/ for different stories, recipes, blogs and more. I especially like the adventures in chaos blog.

How about you? Do you have any favorite magazines you can not wait to read? What about a great summer recipe that can be ready in a flash? Please share! I can't wait to read your comments.

Long LOST Voice

My kids were watching PBS cartoons on TV yesterday. One of the shows they were watching featured an Irish goat that sounded just like Desmond from LOST.

To say I can't wait for LOST to return is such an understatement. LOST is the only show I watch religiously. I avoid all contact with anyone during that hour. The kids go to bed nice and early on that night. (Thank you ABC for moving LOST to the 9pm hour last spring. Please keep it there. Whether you move it to Wednesday or Thursday does not matter...I will follow LOST to the ends of the TV week)

Anyone else out there eagerly waiting the return of LOST? I'll probably start watching all of season 4 again in about September, thanks to http://www.abc.com/

I'm Getting So Computer Savvy!

So, I am finally learning (a little) about how to do various things with my blog. Things like uploading a picture, setting the date for a post, and now copying and pasting! I am so proud of myself I may just burst!

One of the newest additions is something I believe in and support on a personal basis and that is www.compassion.com You can click on the link above and find out what Compassion is and what Compassion does.

I first heard the president of Compassion, Dr. Wess Stafford, speak at a mothering convention in Nashville almost two years ago. (www.mops.org) I was moved to tears at his testimony and passion for seeing all children given all the opportunities and resources available to enable them to live productive lives, regardless of where they lived.

I left the convention as a Compassion sponser for three kids.

I don't regret it for a second.

I plan to write more later telling about the Advocacy program with Compassion International, something which I am newly a part of, but for now I will leave it at this. Please take a minute and check out Compassion. I know it can change you, your family and a child's life forever, in Jesus' name. Take care, Julie