Commonsense conservative.

I found that the end of the Palin book was maybe better than the beginning that got me hooked. I found several passages, one that Victor shared on his Facebook page.

" I am a conservative because I deal with the world as it is- complicated and beautiful, tragic and hopeful. I am a conservative because I believe in the rights and the responsibilities and the inherent dignity of the individual."

" Commonsense conservatives deal w human nature as it is- with its unavoidable weaknesses and its potential for goodness. We see the world as it is- imperfect but filled w beauty. We hope for the best. We believe that people can change for the better, but we do not ignore history's lessons and waste time chasing Utopian dreams. We don't trust Utopian dreams from politicians."

While reading this particular section I noticed that she thinks like a mother and like a woman, but she is not naive. She closed her book with an incredible email that has been widely circulated.

In the email Dewey Whetsell describes the achievements of SP while in Alaska and how tenacious she was when it came to what she believed. He lists these achievements..asking as he goes if anyone else has accomplished such goals. His final paragraph discusses how she was dogged with ethics complaints after the election. This led to her ultimate resignation..to protect her family and those staff members who had stood beside her during the campaign. This is his final paragraph..

" By the way, she was content to return to Alaska after the national election and go to work but the haters would not let her. Now, these adolescent screechers are obviously not scuba divers. And no one ever told them what happens when you continually jab and pester a barracuda. Without warning, it will spin around and tear your face off. Shoulda known better."

History Repeats Itself.

In my current position (unemployed) this passage from the book I am reading- Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, struck a cord with me. Recently, I took a temporary job that lasted a week. Since, I took this week of work, I was refused unemployment for THREE weeks. This is why people on welfare or unemployment prefer not working over working, because ultimately they are punished in one way or another. Whether it be waiting hours upon hours on a representative who talks to you like you are dirt..only to provide you with a five minute response and tell you to be on your way. Or you are punished like me, without payment for three weeks because you worked one. This excerpt from the book is a great synopsis of how I feel.

"Jack Reagan (Ronald's father) did not wait to be asked by anyone to help people find work. It was within the meager budget given to him by the federal government to find jobs in the community that needed doing and match them to men who presented themselves before him each week. By working late into the night, Jack managed to distribute the few jobs on offer between the thousands of men so that each of them received a share of the small amount of money available and the scrap of self respect that job, however menial, represented."

" As the Roosevelt administration became better organized, the scale of government help increased and with it the unintended inequities of the welfare system. Jack Reagan soon found that men who took his jobs were refused full welfare relief payment because they were working. The men he helped had to join the back of the line for welfare payments and fill in endless forms, turning them from proud family men without jobs into anonymous case numbers to be lost in the system. As his son later pointed out, "In the meantime their families went hungry- all because they'd done a few days honest work."

I am not suggesting that my situation is as desperate, but I do know people whose situations are. If it is difficult for me to make it, I can't imagine adding children and a spouse to the mix.

Politicos.

Victor has decided to run for Congress in our district. Therefore, I must become acutely aware of where he stands when it comes to politics. He told me to read the Fair Tax book and also he suggested that I read Sexy Sarah's book. I was completely not interested..not repulsed, but simply not into her. I have to admit now that the book is outstanding and if she is the actual author..meaning that all the verbiage came from her ( not ghost writers and editors), then I have to say that I am overwhelmingly impressed. I have had my nose stuck in the book for weeks. I am about half way through. I shall provide my final comments upon completion.

Verde

I don't typically enjoy "Mexican" food. It is usually greasy and makes my tummy hurt. :( Vic and I have found a great place in Brookhaven for tacos. It is called Verde which implies that it is green or organic and I think they may be onto something. The food is fantastic..always fresh and comes out quickly. The guacamole is out of this world. This was the first time I tried it and I obviously loved it. Enjoy the pics and check it out!

Dear John

Victor's nephew played the younger version of Channing Tatum's character in Dear John. The picture above taken at the premiere in EL Lay. We are all so very excited. He and his bothers and sister have modeled and acted. We hope to see them all in many movies to come!!

Bear Naked B!

When I was up in NY, my girl Julie and I got hooked on our morning parfaits. So when I came home I decided to make one of my own. I got some light and fit yogurt (low in calories and SUGAR). Some people don't know that some yogurts are full of sugar..check the nutrition facts. I got some fresh bananas, strawberries, and blueberries and the secret ingredient- Bear Naked Chocolate Granola. It is low in calories and fat. Check out their website. They have a great product. This and a giant cup of coffee from my mini cappuccino machine was a great welcome home!

Things that make you say Awwww.

When I was asked to think about designing little boys clothes, my first instinct was to go directly to my favorite thing-sneaks. I didn't even want to think about the clothes yet. You can't have a pimptastic boys outfit without the sneaks!! Hello. I found these three styles. Chucks of course are on my top list and the others looked similar to shoes that I found when I was in Mexico. Mexico actually has some very trendy clothing and shoes that are not seen around here. Since, I found these I was able to start putting together wardrobes in my head. Of course they were nothing like the outfits that were requested of me, but I won't let them kill my creative heart yet. A girl can dream.

NYC Gift Show

Second- Heavenly Metal which is actually a store in Ann Arbor. The owner is a jewel and I enjoyed talking with her when she visited my booth. She has a variety of items available in her store like the picture at the top of the page. For more info go to http://www.heavenlymetal.com/.

Third and fourth- Papaya. I met this artist at the gift show in NY. He was super cool and his artwork is even cooler. You can view more of his stuff at http://www.papayaart.com/.

Lastly-Is Cavallini. A company that has very cool postcards, calendars, gift wrap and more. See more at http://www.cavallini.com/.

First- Funktion. My favorite part of their line is the children's aprons which can serve as a dress as well. The one in the picture above is called Hazel. She names each piece. Find more at www.funktionhome.com.

LBG revisit.

Vanessa at LBG really does have talent. Check out the owl at the top. I love those lil critters. Below the owl, is a little zipper pouch as she likes to call it. I own something similar to this and I am constantly being complimented, to the point that I had to request more cards from her. I have introduced her work to many people and they are always amazed at the detail. Every stitch is a perfect one. You can't buy this quality in a store. I may be repeating myself, but I believe it.

iphone Strawberry application..what?!!!

There's an app for that!! No freakin way. I found this at ZoomYummy.com. She found the recipe for these strawberry dumplings on an app for her iphone. Holy crap. Can you tell that I am excited?! I unfortunately do not have a fry daddy yet, but you can bet that this (plus fried chicken for the b/f) will be the first that I make.