Goodwill scores! And some updates.......

OK, so I had a GREAT day at Goodwill today!  I love finding stuff for really reaaallly cheap there!  My total was only $11.38, and here's a list of what all I got:

-an oil and vinegar cruet, brand new, marked with a $15.99 price tag from Harry and David, for $1.18 (and woo-hoo, I just noticed the site I took the pic from says $34.95!  Double score!)

-two little metal red buckets with a star cutout on them, which are either going to be Christmas decor, or part of my red kitchen, I haven't decided yet....but they were only 50 cents apiece!

-a skein of Coats and Clark blue yarn, 59 cents

-3 glass shades for our pendant lights (that used to be recessed lights, but thanks to Thrifty Decor Chick, no longer are!), marked $6.96 (each!) from Lowes, for 69 cents (each!)  Yup, I said 69 cents!  Whew!

-a cute pepperment striped candle, along with a cute santa candleholder/cup/kitschy thingy to put it in, the candle was 99 cents, the holder was $1.18.

-a little throw pillow that says "Meet Me Under the Mistletoe" (oooh-la-la!) for $1.29

-a quilted pillow sham with lots of scrappy, fallish colors that I'm going to trun into a wall hanging sort of thing for the front door for $1.29.  Don't you just love my literary describing skills?! 

So that was the extent of my shopping, I was going to buy a pretty leaf dish that I would use as a butter dish, but I only had eleven dollars cash with me.  And my Goodwill only takes cash.  Bummer!  Next time.....

For those of you who don't know, I also started college classes again last week!  I'm really excited!  I'm taking a World Religions class and a Developmental Psych class.  I love them both, but I have to say, I really love the religion class.  It's just so interesting to find out about other religions I normally would not take the time to find out about, the Old and New Testament, and whatever else we're going to learn about.  I wonder what my instructor, who is a Southern Baptist preacher, will say when he finds out I'm LDS.....lol!  It should be interesting. 

My psych class is an online class, which is the first online class I've ever taken.  It's taking me a while to get used to working online.  I've always thought of the internet as mystical and magical, where everything you do is just made up of numbers and letters (ok, maybe not to the extent that I just made it sound, I don't think it's Fairyland or something), so it's hard to keep up with the class when I don't go to an actual "classroom".  Adam bought me a laptop to use, so that has helped a lot.  I think he was scared I would infringe on his WOW time (kidding honey.......sort of!)

Both kids started school, Anthony started last week, and Ayden's first day was yesterday. Anthony is in first grade, and Ayden started More at Four, which is NC's free preschool program for 4 year olds THAT I LOVE.  Did I mention I LOVE it???  Like love LOVE it????  Yeah.  It's great!  I got to go to any store I wanted yesterday and today, without thinking about whether or not Goldfish would be allowed there, how long we could be in there before finding a potty, what kinds of things were there that could be broken, or where the exits are in case of tantrums.  Loved it!  I even got to clean almost the WHOLE HOUSE with NO INTERRUPTIONS.  Normally, this would not be something I'd be excited about, but I've been finding myself much more anal about cleaning lately, it helps me stay on track and on schedule with my schoolwork and the kids school schedules.

So, that's life in a nutshell.  Big changes!  More to come in a few days, hopefully.

Score one for domestic violence, thanks Eminem!

OK, quick warning here - the following video is graphic and has bad language.  Normally I wouldn't post something like it on my blog, but I have a beef with this video, and the song.  Having seen my share of domestic disturbances among friends and neighbors, I know enough to realize this video is sending the wrong message, to both young kids just starting out in a relationship, and to those already involved in an abusive relationship.  It glorifies the sick kind of excuses and lies that are used to keep the cycle of violence going.  Here's some of the words from the song:

"As long as the wrong feels right

It's like I'm in flight

High off of love

Drunk from the hate

It's like I'm huffing paint

And I love it the more I suffer

I suffocate

And right before I'm about to drown

She resuscitates me

She fucking hates me

And I love it"

What kind of screwed up stuff is that?  The bad part is, that before I realized what he was saying, I listened to the song all the time, because Rihanna's voice is so pretty.  And now my kids know the words to the chorus, and when they hear it on the radio they get mad when I change the channel.

And this:

"Cause when it's going good

It's going great

I'm Superman

With the wind at his back

She's Lois Lane

But when it's bad

It's awful

I feel so ashamed

I snap

Who's that dude

I don't even know his name

I laid hands on her

I'll never stoop so low again

I guess I don't know my own strength"

"I guess I don't know my own strength?"  That sounds to me like an excuse to hurt someone, like, oh, whoops, I guess I didn't know I could choke you so hard I'd leave bruises that don't go away for weeks and crush your windpipe so hard you can't ever talk again....my bad....sorry......

Or how about this:

"All I know is

I love you too much

To walk away though

Come inside

Pick up your bags off the sidewalk

Don't you hear sincerity

In my voice when I talk

Told you this is my fault

Look me in the eyeball

Next time I'm pissed

I'll aim my fist

At the dry wall

Next time

There will be no next time

I apologize

Even though I know it's lies

I'm tired of the games

I just want her back

I know I'm a liar

If she ever tries to fucking leave again

I'mma tie her to the bed

And set this house on fire"

Wow.  My mental picture when hearing this is NOTHING like the video, so I can just imagine what someone who hears this and gets ideas for their girlfriend's next beating is thinking of. 

I just think it's so wrong that popular artists get to say whatever they want in their songs.  I know, I know, freedom of speech, whatever.  Musicians should be more concerned about the well being of their fans than making a buck. 

If You Sprinkle When You Tinkle......

I mean really, how hard is it?  I guess since I don't have the same anatomy as the rest of my household, I have no way of understanding......whatever!  If my kids' aim in the potty was as good as it is when it comes to punching eachother, I wouldn't have the gross job of wiping up floors and seats EVERY day, MULTIPLE times a day! 

I need to work on remembering that life could be a whole lot worse.  I just reread what I wrote above and realized that I'm really lucky - I was able to HAVE children, they are both healthy, and we have a nice home to live in.  I've decided to work on some personal values over the next few weeks, and one of them is remembering how lucky I am to have the life I do. 

I will try each week to remember to be thankful for the value I'm working on.  Another one I'm working on is self-respect.  We'll see how it goes!  This week is starting out a little weak, lol.  Wish me luck!

Why I love The Office

Really?  You just CANnot get any funnier if you tried!  Well, maybe you could, but why attempt it?  Gosh I needed this.....sigh.

I need to buy stock in batteries.....

Seriously?  Why can't we just come up with a battery that is like, one size fits all?Get on the ball, electronics/battery/geek people.  PLEASE come up with something so I can quit WASTING money on stupid batteries.

That's all!