Back Off Lady

I wonder what someone would do (if I had a conceal carry permit and carried) if I pulled a gun on them when they approached me with their arms extended toward my belly.

Just a day dream I assure you. But boy did I want to do exactly that on Saturday.

What gives strangers (or friends for that matter) the idea that is socially acceptable to touch a woman's belly when she is pregnant?

Some stranger walked up to me on Saturday at the garage sale we were having, stuck her hand out toward my belly and started cooing "when are you due?"

I of course started scooting my butt backwards so fast my mom started laughing. She knows how much I hate to be touched, even by family members. In fact, she thought I'd never get pregnant with my aversion to touch. *grin*

Her hand never touched me, but it came within inches. I think my horrified expression and rapid backward movement may have tipped her off. She wasn't some little old lady either...she was maybe in her 50s. She should know better.

It really does tick me off though. I shouldn't have to be on guard all the time. I can't wear a shirt every single day with the words "Do Not Touch" across the belly. I don't let my family members (aside from hubby) touch my belly so why in the hell would I allow a stranger? I'm not even comfortable when the doctor touches me!

Yes, I have issues. That's another subject all together.

Craziness

A tree fell on my mom's house last night.

Weird, right?

I didn't even realize we'd had any wind. We only live about 20 minutes from her house and I don't remember any large gusts or crazy weather. Her neighbors saw it happen and said that a huge gust of wind came through and CRACK...half the tree fell on her house.

Freaky!

We've got a garage sale over there on Saturday so it should make for some interesting conversations. I doubt it'll get removed before then.

Survey - What's With the Hair?

My hair is way too long...I'm just too cheap to go get it cut.



I don't have much in the way of ideas for blogging right now. :) So the survey is it for the time being.

I Heart Walmart

I want a bumper sticker that says "I SHOP AT WALMART" ... just to counter the stupid assinine stickers like the one my neighbor has that says "I don't shop at Walmart." I know I've written before about how stupid I think they are...they think they're so much better than those of us who do shop there?

Just this last weekend I had an excellent trip to my local Wally World. I've discovered the joys of price matching. Instead of making four different stops to different stores to get the best deals and the biggest bang for my coupon dollars, I can take the ads with me to WM and they will match the prices right there and I can still use my coupons. Saving me time and money (and gas!).

I got bologna (yes, I know...gross...but I'm pregnant and have been craving it) for a crazy cheap price. It's normally around $5 for a 16 oz package. WM sells it for $3.80 something. The sale from Safeway was buy one get one free. And I had a coupon for $1 off of two.

So for $2.80 (something) I got two 16 ounce containers of beef bologna. Name brand. I'll be eating bologna for weeks...already I've had a sandwich for lunch every day. YUMMY!

That is a huge savings! Nearly $7 cheaper than if I bought two 16 ounce containers at another store.

I also got a 12 ounce package of string cheese for $1.99. Safeway had it on sale for $2.99 and I had a coupon for $1 off. WM's regular price is over $4, and other stores are over $5.

Not to mention the Tucks travel pack boxes that are less than $3, and I had coupons for $3 off. So I actually EARNED money off the rest of my order (I calculated that I got an additional $2 off my bill by using these coupons that were worth more than the asking price). That doesn't happen a lot but it's great when it does.

So maybe one of these high and mighty "I don't shop at Walmart" people can explain to me why I should go spend more money at another grocery store for the exact same items. I've saved hundreds of dollars just this year by shopping at Walmart, using their price match policy, and using coupons.

That is money that I can save. Or use to pay off debts. Or spend on something else like maternity clothes. (Which, I will say WM sucks in their maternity section...everything looks like nursing scrubs.)

Instapundit also linked to this great article about how Walmart actually helps people maintain their weight! Who knew?

What I do know is those people who stand outside WM with picket signs and try to make people feel bad because it's a non-union shop can kiss my ass. I often feel like flipping them the bird, but I usually just shake my head. They don't know what they're missing.

I Can't Do This Justice

This post cracked me up.

I guess I'm a chicken abortionist myself...I luvs me some unborn chicken fetuses. Preferably scrambled with cheese. Or fried on a lunchmeat and bagel sandwich.

*snorfle*

No, There's Nothing Tawdry Here

The whole thing stinks to high heaven. The government taking over a private company that would probably fail on their own. And SHOULD fail if they cannot compete in the marketplace.

Conveniently, the contract signed by UAW will come due for renegotiation JUST in time for the reelection campaign. But I'm sure that won't affect the administrations decisions at all.

"There's also the labor agreement that the UAW approved last week, which goes some way toward reducing costs but probably not enough to make the new, smaller GM competitive. The new agreement simplifies some work rules and job descriptions but makes no reductions in hourly pay, pensions or health care for active workers. The agreement must also be renegotiated in two years by an Obama Administration running for re-election and weighing the need to keep Big Labor happy against the risks to taxpayer-shareholders. Who do you think wins that White House debate?"

Nope...nothing to see here. Everything is perfectly above board. Keep your heads down and bow to your Messiah who is here to save you from yourselves.

And read the whole article...if you can stomach it.

Gathering

We traveled down to my grandfather's property this weekend. It was a dual purpose trip - to have lunch and meet with the family, but also to go see my grandmother's new gravestone.

She died in 2007 but the new gravestone was just put up last weekend. It's very cool and totally her (and grandpa).

I blurred out their last name...call me paranoid. :) And the flowers are over a week old ... but no one wanted to remove them. The fisherman and elk are totally representative of my grandparent's lives together. On their honeymoon they went hunting!

It's weird going to the cemetery...especially with so many people on a gorgeous sunny day. There were pretty horses in a field next door and we could hear gun fire from the gun range that was just a mile or two away.

People joked and laughed...it wasn't depressing at all. Our family is much better with laughter than with tears.

This is my great-grandmother's gravestone (and her husband, my great-grandpa, who I never knew)...

Isn't Audra a cool name? I wanted to name our kid that if we had a girl...maybe next time. She was a kooky lady. Grew up during the "Great" Depression and would laugh at people calling these times we live in any kind of difficult. This lady knew how to get by on nothing. And she saved everything. Plastic butter containers. Nylons with runs. Cleaning out her house after she died was an adventure.

And of course my dad is buried there too. Someone must have left flowers last week...I think it might have been my mom but she didn't say anything. Nor did I see her even look at his gravestone when we were there. I don't blame her. It's not easy.

He was only 36.


But at least he left a legacy (back view). (It's our birthdays that I blurred out...ya know...paranoid.)

Not sure why they called him "Skip" but that's how people knew him. I wish I liked the name Donald better...but it just doesn't sound right to me for my baby. And we already have a middle name picked out. And his middle name was Leroy...that just doesn't work for me either.

We didn't stay at the cemetery long...we had lunch to eat after all. Grandpa smoked a turkey and it was incredibly yummy.

Hubby and I brought Kodiak and Timber with us and had an adventure down at the river. Timber swam for the first time ever! We had a great time.