Shopping Mall Shakedown!!

So yesterday I traveled to a local mall to have my annual picture taken with Santa Claus. I head into Macy's to first say hi to one of my former co-workers and then head off to see the big man. Now for those that do not know, I made a Mrs. Claus outfit years ago and for the past 5 yrs or so have visited a different Santa every year to have my picture taken with him. I usually donned this same outfit for a holiday party I would host when I was in various Mommy groups and it was a good opportunity for friends' kids to have their picture taken with Mrs. Claus without a lot of tears as the kiddos already knew and recognized me.

So there I am, hair coiffed just so (it had been on its best behavior for me that morning!!!), makeup done at the perfect level (just the right amount of glittery sparkle), and this year I'd decided to wear my glasses instead of simply contacts and non-bespectacled. The "Dead Sea Salts" soap guy caught me first. But he was INCREDIBLY friendly!! He sent me on my way without a major sales pitch and with four free samples for "just looking so fabulous and festive". He was quite the charmer and cute to boot!! If he'd have asked a little I would have likely picked up a Christmas package of glycerin soaps for the hubby's grandmother, but my credit card stayed tucked away in my purse the whole time.

A little further down, the "flat iron/curling iron" chick snagged me. She asked what I used on my hair to style it (blow dryer, round brush, and a little hairspray) and proceeded to inform me how my hair looked bad and horribly unhealthy. I REALLY wanted to bitch slap her and inform her that I LIKED the way my hair looked when I walked in the mall. She first curled all the hair on the right side of my head, then styled the left side with a flat iron. She must have thought I was a complete idiot as she seriously believed that I had NO IDEA that you could style your hair with a flat iron. Then she went on and on and on about how their products are from Italy and have a lifetime warranty. "So if you were to go to, say Wal-mart, and purchase a flat iron. In a couple months it breaks and you have to buy another, then another couple months later that one breaks and you buy another. Now you've spent $150 dollar on three products, when you could save yourself all this trouble and have one product that is so much better for your hair." Yeah, nice try honey...I ain't buying it!!! And mind my asking, what the HELL are people doing with their flat irons that they're breaking so often?!?! I mean REALLY!!!! She went on and on..."You see this price, (quick flip of the box to reveal a $250 price tag) because you are SO creative and my first customer (yeah right chicka, its noon.....I'm NOT your first shakedown!!), I offer you a price of $99. What you think?" I think NO! So then she offers me her card with a 20% discount when I come back. And now I sit there looking in the mirror at my hair kinda flat on one side and curly on the other. I said, "Yea, before I go have my picture taken (which we'd previously discussed was my entire purpose for being in the mall that day) can we make both sides of my hair match?" She conceded the defeat and curled the other side. I was internally fuming, now my crown was FLAT and this was NOT the style I set out for when I left the house this morning. Alright, I'd already lied to this woman once and told her my daughter had one of those pixie hair cuts so she couldn't try and get me with the daughter thing. Ugh!!

So I got the picture done and was as pleased as I could be with how it turned out. This is the BEST Santa in the area, in my opinion. He's always similing and never seemed to just be "humoring" me when I show up without any kids in tow to get my picture taken. So here's the picture:



The husband took a look at the picture and made an interesting comment. There are two "glowing spheres" behind us that appear to be some angry beasty eyes peering at us from within the tree. A little scary, um, yes!!!

And I'm going to end this with a funny little exchange made between myself and a 3rd grader at the school I volunteer with (all this while I was dressed in this same costume).

3rd grader: But you're not the REAL Mrs. Claus, right?
Me: What do YOU think?
3rd grader: Your last name isn't Claus though?! Its Bell.
Me: True, but haven't you ever heard of the Christmas Bells? And besides, MY last name doesn't have to be Claus, HIS last name is Claus.
3rd grader: (showing signs of wonderment in her eyes) OK, if you ARE Mrs. Claus, what is Santa's favorite cookie?
Me: Oh, Chocolate Chip, for sure!!!
3rd grader: WOW! That's the kind I'M making!!! So does Rudolph's nose REALLY glow red?
Me: Only when he's excited about Christmas.
3rd grader: How tall are the elves?
Me: A little shorter than you, probably up to your shoulder.
3rd grader: Hmmm, those are some TALL elves. Do you ever ride in the sleigh with Santa to deliver toys?
Me: No
3rd grader: Why not?
Me: Someone has to stay behind and clean up all that mess at the North Pole from all that toy making and tuck the elves into bed at night.
3rd grader: How do you GET to the North Pole?!
Me: Well, that's Christmas magic!
3rd grader: (pretty close to full on belief now) Can you make sure Santa gets my list? I think I forgot to sign my name to it.
Me: As a matter of fact, I believe I saw your list on his desk just a couple days ago. And I saw that he put you at the TOP of his nice list, too.

She left with a BIG smile and a hug for me. The women I volunteer with explained that that was a SUPER cute Q&A session and that this must not have been my first time answering questions. She said I seemed to have all the right answers at all the right times, no hesitations at all.

Christmas Memories 1987

Here's what is sadly going to be one of the last entries from my diary. I didn't want to re-print anything that put any of my family members in a poor light, and given that apparently I was your average 11-13 yr old and pretty much couldn't STAND my parents, that limits the possible choices.

So here's looking back to my 2nd every entry into this diary:

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December 25, 1987

Susie,

It may be 1:00AM but it's CHRISTMAS! Did you know I LOVED Elvis Presley? Well, I do! OH, is he a hunk! Him & Tom Selleck & Kirk Cameron are at the top of MY List! I'm watching some weird movie about the Pilgrims! Its ok I guess. Well, I promised you I'd tell you what else I got for Christmas!! I got you, a card file, a desk organizer, an Elvis Presley tape (Christmas one), a jewelry box, & a gorgious music box! I'm sure I'll have tons of fun today. I guess I'll write in ya tomorrow!

Dorsey G.C.

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A little more for the record, YES at the time I knew Elvis had "left the building" but I still thought he was a HOTTIE!!! (Young Elvis) And I know I spelled gorgeous wrong, but I kept to my word and typed it just as it was written. hehe No changing of typos. Although I'm really wondering what was up with all the organizational gifts, was my mother REALLY thinking she'd get me to keep my room cleaner by buying me these things for Christmas? Go figure?!

Here's a picture of said diary..hehe You'll note all the "I love Jason" references scribbled about the front and back cover.

Finding my voice

This is just a quickie post...

Obviously my internet is back up and running

I found my phone..or rather the hubby did (it was in the back seat of the car)

I'm dressing up for the season tomorrow (which will come with a post including a story of my daily adventures and a picture..tee hee hee

And to CeeCee, maybe that explains why I felt nostalgic and watched movies like White Dog (with Kristy McNichol) and Weekend at Bernie's...hmmmm

At a loss for words

Ok, this time off thing over the weekend seems to be a forming habit of mine. I tried to get online a couple of times, but apparently our WiFi decided to take the weekend off as well, and I just didn't have the proper motivation to fix it myself.

So for the last, oh...five or so days, I've been without my cell phone. And all because I didn't plug it in to charge and then put it down SOMEWHERE (which I cannot remember right now). So my phone is hiding somewhere in my house. And obviously I can't simply call it an listen for the ring, as its out of juice and won't ring. Ugh! So I'm cut off from my cellular world for the time being.

And as many of you others have been doing, I've been shopping a lot lately, mostly for other people. But in my shopping I've been by Lane Bryant more than a time or two (usually looking for something for myself). I was visiting with some of my favorite associates there and they informed me that they've had a horrible time keeping good workers around. I commented that I've THOUGHT about going back to work. The girl smiled and said "OOO! Could you start tonight?! hehe" I told her that I was more or less thinking about something part time, and wouldn't be interested in starting until January. So she sent me off with an application. I went home, talked to hubby about it, and he agreed. Today I dropped off the application and talked with one of the managers. It would not be a lot of hours, but it would be something better than not working at all. And it comes with a BIG discount on merchandise!! hehehe

I've recently received a few awards from folks, and I promise to get online again either tonight or tomorrow and address those.

Happy holidays, friends!

But does it REALLY work?!?!

So I'm trying SlimQuick currently. I'm on day three of the "cleanse" program. So far, so good. I weighed the first day before I started it and am not going to weigh again until the end of the 7-day cycle. Hence far, I'm wondering if its not very similar to Alli...which I know those side effects. Ugh and YUCK!!

Here's a picture the boy took of me just last week.

Its not a particularly telling photo, as its not a full body shot...then again judging from my demeanor and positioning I'd wager that I'm working on sewing something at the time. And since I'm making purses for several holiday gifts, that's ENTIRELY possible!!!

On another note, my parents are here again. They recently went on a vacation in an RV and drove all over from South Texas to Northwest Arkansas. So on the way back through Mother decided she couldn't go through the area and not hug her babies. So they stopped in and are spending a couple of nights. It works out for me and the kids as I LOVE having them visit more often.
While they're here I'm trying to see about hooking my Dad up with some local headhunters in the oilfield industry. Its going to be a tough call given the current state of that market, but I'm hopeful that we can get at least a couple of leads. He's really interested in doing consulting, and given that he's been in the industry for 30+ years I believe that gives him quite a wealth of knowledge in the field.

So I think I'll try and post at least two new posts every time I do so. One will be from the diary saga aptly nicknamed "View from a Victoria Vixen" by one of my loyal readers. The other will be normal blogging from my own insights and continued weight loss struggles and triumphs.

More to come...

Pictures from the past

Alright readers of my teenage drama...ha!! Here's some pictures to answer the questions that some have asked:

Convertible RS 350 Camaro
(This is what I'm to assume is meant by CSR, although I might never know
I DID have a thing for both Camaros AND Corvettes)


5th grade me
(SOOO cool in my Jams and Guess pink teddy bear shirt
and notice the watch..YEP its a Swatch!!!)

Then end of Jason

Well, since you all seemed to get such a kick out of my 12 yr old rantings, I've decided to share a few more tidbits. So here's the posts from about 6 months down the road.
**********************************************************************

June 26, 1988, Monday, 1:47am

The guys are sweeter in my home town!!!

Susie,

Sorry I haven't been writing in you! (Well everything's over between me & Jason!) He's got a girlfriend, he said he was going to write back and say he agreed with everything I said, and that he loved me too! But then all that crap with Leslie happened and, oh well. Besides I met someone better, sort of. His name is Aaron. He's about 1/2 an inch shorter than me & he's really cute! He said, he never makes the first move unless the girl is ready! Besides, he's more my type! HE said he would promise to write back!! He wears contacts, he lost one but luckily I found it for him! I could tell he really liked me too.
Bye,
Dorsey

June 27, 1988, 2:32am

It seems me & Aaron have a lot more in common than I thought! He said he likes to watch things like divorce, superior, and people's court also! While we were outside talking and taking a short walk! I could tell he really wanted to kiss me, at least he acted like he did! He acted like he really liked to watch the stars. He doesn't get along too well with his dad though, oh well, nobody's perfect. He's really an interesting guy. He says I'll be a model, go to work (in a cherry red CSR) he'll cook, clean, & watch soaps & when I come home he'll have dinner on the table! The guys are nicer in Vic. I can't wait til he writes!

D.G.C.

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FOr the resord I have NO idea what a "CSR" is?!?!

And I think its hilarious how much in love with exclamation points I apparently was back in the day. One of these days I'll come backc and post pictures of Jason. I DO have pics still from when he and his folks came to our town and visited for Spring Break 1988.

A 12 yr old's big night

As previously teased, I've decided to crack open my diary from when I was 12 yrs old. I'm going to write this EXACTLY as it was written all those years ago. So before I start, let me explain something. I called my diary "Susie". I'm not sure why, but perhaps it seemed less corny to me to be writing to "Susie" instead of "diary". Anyway...here you go:

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December 31, 1987
Dear Susie,

I had a blast last night! (The last night before New Year's) I went on a blind date set up by my parents! (actually I think it was Mom and Karen!) I know you'd think he'd be a geek-a-roo but her really wasn't! His name is Jason he has brown hair, dark eyes, tall, (he's what you'd call tall, dark, and handsome!) he's partially Kicker & oooo so fine! We danced at a country dance place & had soo much fun we got to know each other & his fav. subject is History (maybe he can tutor me!) Ha! Ha! My head comes up to about his shoulder - maybe higher! He's sweet as can be & very polite! When I said I'd never find another Dwayne I was wrong! This guy's more than just a Dwayne! He's probably coming up for Spring Break! He said he'd bug his parents about it until they came. Well bye for now.

In Love,
Dorsey

COUNTDOWN
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

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So there you have it...the first of many reminiscences to come, I'm sure. After looking through it it would appear I was quick to fall "in love" with just about every guy that crossed my path! ha!!

100 times later

So this makes the hundredth time I've sat at a computer (or laptop) and tip tapped out my inner thoughts or ramblings. I want to first make sure that everyone realizes that nothing has been wrong, my absence has been all of my own doing. I'd decided to start some of my projects for holiday gifts and honestly just never sat down and turned on my computer.

I've been reading over some of the 200+ posts that my bloggy friends have made during my self-inflicted hiatus and came across one that inspired me. An online friend of mine has recently written about the voyeurism of reading blogs. As she puts it its very akin to watching TV shows. And you know what, she's RIGHT!! I read about all your lives in your blogs and find myself anxiously awaiting the next post of your life saga. I want to meet all of you, but can see myself being instantly "star struck" upon seeing you in real life!

But how much do each of you REALLY know about me?!? Well, here's your chance to get to know a little more about me. In honor of my 100th post, here's 100 things about me:

1. My name is Dorsey
2. I'm 33 yrs old
3. My birthday is in January
4. I love to watch dancing shows
5. I can't dance too well in real life, but I always have fun!!
6. I have two children
7. I had a hysterectomy in April 2005
8. I feel like I've lived the life of someone twice my age
9. I LOVE to laugh!
10. Jeff Dunham is one of my fav comedians
11. I'm addicted to playing puzzle-type games on my computer
12. Chainz 2 is my current obsession
13. My favorite game download site is Big Al Games
14. I play the Lord of The Rings computer game with hubby and my son
15. I call my team "Mohan" (instead of Rohan)
16. Hubby says I comment too much while playing games on the computer
17. I own a popcorn machine, the big one..hehehe
18. I'm an electronics FREAK
19. I own an iTouch, Palm TX, laptop, 400 disc DVD player, Nintendo DS, and more....
20. I have blonde hair
21. Its not natural, my natural color is medium-dark brown
22. I love to travel
23. However, I do NOT have a passport
24. I love doing TV Guide and People Magazine crossword puzzles
25. I love to sew!
26. I'm making purses for several family members for the holidays
27. I hate going to the dentist
28. I once tried to go to school to be a nurse
29. I don't do well with blind memorization
30. I struggled BIG TIME with Anatomy & Physiology
31. I enjoy reading true life crime novels
32. I also like celebrity biographies
33. I just finished reading Tori Spelling's "sTori Telling"
34. It was REALLY telling!! And interesting
35. It usually takes me close to 6 months to finish one book
36. I get sleepy when I read
37. I eat when I'm bored
38. I have bitten my nails since I can remember
39. I used to do my own fake nail manicures
40. I've gotten compliments from actual cosmetologists
41. I no longer wear fake nails
42. I can't put my contact in with fake nails
43. I subscribe/follow to 88 blogs
44. I make it a point to follow anyone that follows me
45. I can't seem to get into hospital TV shows
46. The last ones I watched all the time were T.J. Hooker and Doogie Howser, M.D.
47. I feel like that statement just dated me...HA!
48. I love watching musicals
49. And singing along...hehehe
50. My hubby surprised me when he said he wanted to see Mamma Mia! when it comes out on DVD
51. I am Christian
52. I was raised Lutheran-Missouri Synod
53. I have friends that are atheist, Wicca, Jewish, and Muslim
54. I constantly get blisters on my feet
55. And I can't wait to get home and pop them
56. I still have my diary from when I was a little girl
57. I'm thinking of re-visiting some of those entries for future posts
58. I don't have cable TV
59. I have 395 DVDs in my DVD player currently
60. I love watching all kinds of movies!!!
61. Last night I watched Sex and the City-The Movie on mute with subtitles
62. I still giggled a lot
63. I made a turkey on Friday
64. It looked FANTASTIC!!!
65. Its the first turkey I've ever made all by myself without using a bag to cook it in
66. I think I have nice boobs
67. ...in a bra
68. I love shopping at the container store
69. Even though I'm not generally known for being organized
70. I'd love to write a book
71. I have NO idea what I'd write about
72. I think watching Sex and the City A LOT has warped my confidence in my own writings...HA!
73. I LOVE candles!!!
74. I light them constantly all over the house!!
75. My husband likes to go behind me and blow them out
76. Except in the dining room
77. It covers up the smell of doggie "accidents"
78. The hubby wants me to try nursing again
79. I don't really WANT to go back to school
80. Or to work
81. I like being able to take a nap in the middle of the day
82. After I finish reading posts I'm going back to sewing
83. I've spend less than $400 on holiday shopping this year
84. The hubby almost confiscated my credit card this weekend
85. I hate that I have dry elbows
86. So I am always putting on body butter to try and correct it
87. I haven't weighed myself in over 2 weeks
88. I'm frightened to step on the scale
89. I want to learn how to be a long distance runner
90. I fear I won't be able to commit to it, though
91. This list is harder than I thought it would be
92. I can't decide on how I want to decorate my bedroom
93. I decorated my guest bedroom in maroon, black, and white/cream
94. It has a French theme
95. I'm going to put pictures on the end of this post showing my guest room, and "do-over dinner"
96. I graduated high school in 1993
97. I dated one man for 3 1/2 yrs and broke up with him to be with my now hubby
98. Hubby and I were together for just under 3 months before we got engaged
99. I threaten my son with homeschooling, even though I know I'll NEVER follow through
100. I am very happy with my life overall

So that about does it for me. Here's some of the pictures I said I'd show you:

The "Do-Over Dinner" spread
(Turkey, Cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole,
rolls, corn, gravy, cranberry sauce)

My turkey..yummm

The old (30 yrs old) dresser I repainted

The bed and Eiffel Tower picture I found at Wal-Mart
with Yankee Candle sconces

A home-made dressing table, made from
plastic wicker-looking things and a glass top

My artsy Eiffel Tower painting that I did

Doin' it up right!

So as many of you did as well, this past week I hung out with the fam and ate turkey and dressing. Only thing is, I think my dad might have gone with creative license whilst making the dressing. He added hamburger meat, seasoned like he was making spaghetti sauce. It tasted alright, but not the usual "I'll-just-take-this-trough-of-dressing-for-me" yummy! hehe

So I told the hubby that this week I was going to the store and making turkey and dressing for us here at the house. Yea, I'm "doing-over". So what?! And the great thing is we'll have leftovers ALL week! tee hee hee

I plan on making all the goodies to go with, too. (green bean casserole, corn,gravy, cranberry sauce, etc...)

It ought to be delicious!! So if anyone is in the area and just can't get enough of the turkey yumminess, feel free to stop by for a plate and some fun convo.

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Here's a little add-on to this post.
My lovely friend, Christine, over at Mommy Madness, has seen fit to award me with this pretty lil' ditty:
She's asked me to also name some things that make me happy. So here goes.

1. Getting bloggy awards
2. Freshly washed, warm blankets to cuddle up under on cold days/nights
3. Following through with a commitment
4. Spending time with my family
5. Helping others
6. A sweet kiss from my hubby just before we both drift off to sleep

I think now I'm supposed to award this out to others, but to be honest, I CAN'T decide!!! So I'm going to bend the rules a bit and just say...
If you've commented on my blog, I'm more than likely following yours now. And I think ALL of you are cool!! So please consider yourselves awarded. Go ahead and post this one your blog, link back to me, name 6 things that make you happy, and nominate others.