Upgrade

See this picture? See the face on Joey? The one that says "I can so take pictures better than you, you mere mortal, so give. me. that. camera!" I have taken far too many pictures like this because every time he sees my camera that's the pose he makes. As much as I love my nephew Joey, and I do love this boy- so much I have to grit my teeth to keep from eating him alive- I can't stand it when he grabs my camera. He loves to take pictures so that's why I got him & Jacob their own Fisher Price camera for Christmas. But I suppose the lure of the Canon is too much for a toddler and he goes after mine. And now I have no zoom. So, I would like to upgrade my camera before going to pick up my baby. Susan has recommended upgrading and she takes amazing photos so I'm inclined to take her advice. As she says "It's the best money we've ever spent. Well, except for our rotisserie oven." Naturally.
Anyone have any suggestions? Brands or cameras to stay away from? Good places to find great deals on 2 gig memory cards?

Red dirt and dead cars

I went to a James Taylor concert many, many moons ago and he said "Welcome to North Carolina- the land of red dirt and dead cars." Well, you can add Iron Monkey to the list. Iron Monkey is Jon's Camry. Jon's driven nothing but Toyota Camry's for a million years and has never had a problem. Back in 2001 when a Cadillac hit me and totaled my car I was forced to buy a new one and that's when Jorge, my Rav4 entered our lives. We were just about to leave the dealership when Jon asked what they'd charge him for that there Camry. It's a 2002- not that old- just a lemon. And for the last few months it's been stalling when slowing down from speeds over 50. But not all the time. Not when we took it to Toyota and showed them and paid $300 twice for them to fix something that they couldn't find. So CSP's been driving Jorge to work since we moved and I've been stuck with IM. I've been pretty lucky up til a couple weeks ago when IM died on the off ramp going to my mom's. He wouldn't start for a good 15 minutes. Then today on the way home from the dentist he died at a stop light and a kind man pushed me off the road where I sat for a half hour til IM would start up again. I drove him straight to the car wash/ inspection place (used a coupon from that book I worked so hard to get) and got him super clean and inspected. Then I went home and hopped on Carmax.com to find CSP a new ride. He's been needing a truck so I searched until I found a good deal on a basic Chevy truck. I called Carmax and told them I was coming in for an appraisal and could they put in a transfer for a truck from their Winston store. She told me to come in first then they'd do the transfer. No problem. Sara & the boys wanted to go so we piled in and headed down to the dealership. Of course by the time we got there the truck I wanted had been sold. But while they were appraising Iron Monkey we found another truck and put in for the transfer on that one. It's coming from Memphis and should be here in a couple weeks.
The boys played in the play room (kudos to Carmax for including this awesome playroom for parents!) while we waited. I got a good trade in value for IM and CSP can't wait to be a truck driver. I just can't wait to get my Jorge back!

Bonjour Y'all!

I think the news of an IKEA being built in Charlotte really killed our motivation to go down to the one in Atlanta. I had a bunch of returns to make, and we needed a couple things, plus we wanted to scope out the cribs. We "tried" to go a few times. Then finally yesterday, at noon, we left. Noon people. We live 4 hours away. We made it a quick trip and got home by midnight. I wish we had been more organized so we could have stopped by Casa Shanahan to meet Maisie, but that will have to wait for the next trip. I tell ya, Monday is the day to go. It was deserted. Of course they were blown out of product too, or "temporarily oversold" as they like to say, but we still got most everything we needed. This billboard cracked me up. Click to enlarge- it's a little fuzzy as I was doing about 70 mph. It says Bonjour Y'all and is an ad for a new exhibit- Louvre Atlanta.

I swear you see the most interesting stuff on road trips. There are billboards we always pass on the way to ATL and I always forget to take photos but they are for a place called Cafe Risque. They advertise adult toys and good food- couples welcome! Now, I have a problem with those combo restaurants like KFC/Taco Bell (stick to one thing please) so you know I'm not pulling over at Cafe Risque for my road dinner. While I do admire their ability to rhyme and their clever name, no matter how good their food is I don't wanna find a "BOB" (battery operated boyfriend) in my dinner, thank you very much.

Hola Kitty

Saturday my Mama, Papa, & Gmommy came and got me and we went to see Night at the Museum (very cute). We had some Mexican for dinner then met up with Morgan, Sara, Marc, my nephews & a million other children for Joey's 2nd birthday party at Build a Bear. The next 2 hours were a blur of stuffed animals, cupcakes & squealing. Jake & Joey had a big time. I didn't want Ling Ling to be left out so I built her a Hello Kitty. So cute!

More photos here of HK in all her finery. Yes she is carrying a purse. Yes she's wearing matching panties. Yes I tend to go overboard.

Dreams really do come true!

IKEA is coming to Charlotte! Woohoo! No more multi hour drives to Atlanta just to make exchanges cause I can't read Swedish! Low priced good tasting coffee for coffee snob CSP! CSP came bounding into our bedroom while I was ironing his clothes this morning to announce that it had been confirmed (rumours have been circulating for a couple of weeks now) and that I should get a job there for the discount. Just try and keep me away!

Thank you, Merci, Xie xie

First, thank you for all of your support and kind words. It really means a lot to me and CSP. I pass on to CSP the things I learn from y'all and we've both come to rely on my bloggy friends as a support system, esp with the adoption. We're still mulling things over.

On a lighter note.... I thought I'd share some of the fabulous gifts I received for Christmas. M&L (honorary aunt and uncle) really spoil us. And they really know us well and are incredible gift givers. They gave me this cute retro cell phone receiver in pink. It really works! And it's awesome cause now I can cradle the phone between my head and shoulder.
They also gave me this gorgeous tea set. I'm a tea drinker and have been wanting to start a tea pot collection and now I can!

One of the wonderful gifts from my in-laws was a book I've been dying for:I Like You by Amy Sedaris. I just love her and this book is a riot while still being informative.

On my side of the family we don't exchange gifts amongst the adults, only the kids get presents, but CSP is an only child and we're still non parents (for now) so we still exchange with his parents and M&L. We keep it modest though since we're on the adoption budget. Our gifts went over really well. They included flameless candles which were a big hit since both couples have pets and are wary about lighting candles with the pets in the house. I absolutely LOVE it when I seem to pick out the perfect gift for someone, especially hard to buy fors like my in-laws & M&L. I can't wait til we can include our children in the Christmas mix!

And you, you light up my life

CSP and I haven't exchanged Christmas presents the last couple of years since we've been doing things like buying houses and trying to adopt children. But he did let me pick up a pair of these cool light up knitting needles that we saw at Michaels. We had to run in to pick up a yarn needle (mine's still boxed up somewhere and I needed one to finish a scarf for Olivia). Yes, I decided to knit a scarf a week before losing right arm function. But I figured out how to wedge a needle into my bandage and knit using mainly my left hand. I'm crafty that way. And I actually finished the scarf in time! (must remember to photograph scarf) Anyway, how cool are those needles?? Great for knitting in the car during long drives at night or while we're watching movies. And my nephews think I have 2 magic wands.

Sharing is caring

Because I love free things more than CSP hates that our names are on random mailing lists (I even get offshore betting guides for some reason), I thought I'd share a coupld of fabulous opportunities with you.
1. Jibbitz is running a cool deal through 12/31/2006. Buy 3 get 1 free. Enter this code: HFACUVBHAK4Q They have been adding new styles all the time. Like Chinese symbols and a Pirate flag. Note to Jibbitz: you may want to consider easier coupon codes cause dude, I had to check that like 3 times to make sure I typed it right.
2. Sephora has an awesome gift bag with 10 big samples if you spend over $50. Good samples too.

Also, to answer some questions- I am having both arms operated on. The right one first on Monday then when that heals the left one, probably in February. Recovery time is about a week with the bandages on, then soreness is expected for about 3-4 weeks.

And as for a holiday Bloggy Parade of Homes...I really want to do it, but we'll see how my arm is. I'm right handed and typing and mousing will be wierd I'm sure. But I hope to do it!

Sign here Cap'n

Speaking of online shopping....I bought Morgan's (little sister) Christmas present online a week or so ago. Now, before I get to the meat of the story I have to remind you of something. Back in September it was National Talk Like a Pirate Day. So I looked up my pirate name online and found it to be Cap'n Misty Buttscar. Cute right? Well I typed it into my address book on my computer along with the other Tiara Girls' (Susan, Deb, & Shannon H.) pirate names. My Crackberry links up with the computer so when they call and Jelly Legs Velma comes up on the screen it makes me laugh. Anyway, I got to the check out part of the order process for Morgan's gift and just hit S when it came to name, address & so forth to let the computer fill everything in. A couple of days ago I was checking my gmail and found the following email:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: B&H Photo
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 20:33:55 UT
Subject: Order Status
To: heyshanny@gmail.com

420 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10001
www.bhphotovideo.com
800 - 221 - 5743
212 - 239 - 7765

Order Status


Dear CAP'N MISTY BUTTSCAR ,

We are pleased to inform you that the following order has been shipped.
Order Number: 1021734
Billing Address:5*** H********* DR *********G NC 2****
Shipping Address:Same As Billing Address
Shipping Method: UPS 3 DAY
Boxes: 1
Tracking #1:1Z1310352319686


PLEASE NOTE:

If the Ship Date is a non-business day (i.e. Sunday or Legal Holiday)
then the shipping carriers are closed and your order was NOT shipped
on this date. It is merely the date that your order was packed by B&H
and will be picked up by their respective carrier on the NEXT business
day. Please be advised that the above Tracking number(s) were created
by the B&H shipping department and they will only be recorded by their
respective carriers late in the evening of the day of pickup. Tracking
information for orders shipped via USPS is not available for all
destinations.


Item Qty Item Description
MOAIIPFMCH 1iCarPlay Wireless - FM Transmitter/Charg


There are two options available to track your orders with B&H.

1. Email:

Send a blank email to, tracking@bhphotovideo.com. Include ONLY the
ORDER NUMBER in the SUBJECT LINE of your email.

2. Phone:

Call our 24 hour automated Order Tracking Line at 1-800-221-5743 or
212-239-7765

We hope you enjoy your new purchase and look forward to serving you again.


Thank you
B&H Customer Service
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord help me! My auto fill must have put my pirate name in as my regular name! And they are sending it UPS! Which means I might have to sign for it! Can you imagine what the UPS guy would think? Uh, Cap'n, can you just sign right here? And, um, how big is your butt scar?

Where the Swedes kick my Southern ass all the way home

Driving to Atlanta, shopping at IKEA, eating at Lisa's, fighting over smokers, more shopping, driving home, and unloading is a crippling experience. But I can't resist the call of the affordable Swedish homewares. As soon as you walk through the doors something happens to you. Me, my brain slides out of my ears and lies in a quivering mass on the floor. I can never go to IKEA and get my order right. EVER. What did I screw up this time? I bought 2 sconces that must be hardwired instead of the ones that plug in, 3 shades for the screened porch that are 9 inches too short (and I was armed with measurements from home), 3 toliet brush holders instead of toilet tissue holders, and 1 giant cracked mirror. I am a shopping dumbass.
Our drive down was fun and liesurely AND we witnessed an up close and personal Fast and Furious Atlanta style as 5 or 6 souped up Hondas stopped- stopped!!- on the highway then took off like rockets with tires smoking. They crossed 5 lanes of traffic before hitting the exit ramp. We stayed in a fabulous hotel with a modern flare and enjoyed the giant plasma tv, ginger smelling shampoo and soap, and the free breakfast. We did not, however, enjoy the person who insisted on smoking in the room adjacent to ours. Since they were adjoining rooms the smoke came right under the door and flew right down my CPAP machine tube into my lungs. The entire hotel is non-smoking so this was an issue. Susan called down to the desk and told them about it so we wouldn't get charged the $200 smoking fee and so they'd make the smoker stop. We went back to sleep, but the drama didn't end there.
Saturday we shopped at IKEA about all day- 366,000 square feet is a lot of ground to cover, especially when every Atlanta resident is there with you. Man was it crowded! We loaded up our purchases and quickly got lost on the many highways that crisscross the metro Atlanta area. We pulled into a McDon@lds and asked the drive through girl what town we were in while Lisa looked up directions. We finally made it to their house and enjoyed a fabulous dinner and even better company. We laughed and talked til late and headed back to the hotel. Our room smelled clean again so we were hopeful. We were so tired and sore and went right to sleep. Only to be woken up at 2am with a room full of smoke again. This time Susan brought the front desk guy up to our room and do you know what he said? That we just smelled carpet cleaner or incense!!! My ass! We were so tired it just wasn't worth it to switch rooms so we endured another fitful night's sleep. By this time our clothes smelled even! We made sure to talk to the manager when we checked out and secured coupons for a free future visit. We went back to IKEA to return the 7 foot long curtain rods I bought the day before for our 3 foot wide windows. Duh. We couldn't help ourselves and went back through the store one more time before hitting the road.
We stopped for lunch on the way home and had the strangest waitress. Each time she'd refill our drinks or bring us something and we'd say thank you she'd say "thank YOU". It was so weird.
We finally got home with all our goodies and deemed it a fantastic weekend. I was so glad Susan liked IKEA too. And of course, I can't wait to go back!

We have an aggressive agenda today folks

Lots to tell you, so sit back & get comfy.

-If you're participating in the Halloween BPOH- remember to post your pics tomorrow! I can't wait to see everyone's spooky haunts!

-We closed on the old house today. Woohoo! It's done! We no longer own 2 homes AND we cleared enough $ to finish our dossier! So excited about that! We'll still need to save for the China trip, but I'm just thrilled I can get this finished up. I totally cried at the closing table because of it. Also because I was literally running on 1 hour's sleep. We procrastinated and frankly just have too much crap, and I can barely walk cause of my knee so it took forFREAKINGever to clear out the old house. We pulled an all nighter and got to bed at 6:30 this morning to get up at 7:30 to leave at 8 for the closing. We came home and crashed til 6pm today. I'm seriously doing some major purging of stuff and having a ginormous yard sale.

-Got my MRI results finally. Too bad I'm not a pro athlete, I would have had those results by the time Sports Center came on. I have an old football injury. I tore my ACL, I have a ton of fluid in my joint that must be drained (don't like the sound of that), and there is deterioration around my patella. Patella sounds like a dish at Olive Garden. I go in the morning to the Orthopedist (sp) to see what's next. I pray I won't have to have surgery. Or if I do maybe they can do a 2fer and take care of my arms at the same time. I wouldn't mind if they threw in some lipo, a tummy tuck, butt reduction and a pedicure while I'm out.

-I'm officially an old fogey. Lots of those combo restaurants going up- you know half Taco Bell half KFC? Those types. I don't like it. Don't mess with the formula. I don't wanna go somewhere where they are a seafood/Mexican joint. Stick to one theme. I don't want my egg rolls hanging out with my pizza.

-Sharing is caring: if you need anything from Sephora now's the time to get it. Enter JACKPOT for your coupon code and you'll get a goodie bag FULL of fabulous super sized samples. Everything from lotion to perfume to lip gloss.

Ok, I think that's it for now. Thanks for your time, you can go back to your day now.