Sunday Sanity: My Week In Sparkles #2

Work wise, I've had a little bit of a blow this week. I've been busy and busy is good! But I (with my overly trusting heart and soul) felt a little bit of a sting with a fellow blogger as she did a very subtle dagger in the back kind of thing. 'Here...let me help you walk the plank...I'll show you how!' I don't know why I always fall for it, but I do. I won't change because I am who I am. I'll trust everyone...always...and the knives in the back will continue to hurt. So where did I find my sparkles this week other than the obvious places...my husband and kids? In the silliest places of all of course!

I had a nice weekend with my family. I took quite a bit of time off which is not typical for me. They make me happy...they make me sparkle. But it was Sunday evening and time to get caught up. I wasn't terribly motivated but as I sat down, I realized that no one will ever dull my sparkles because they are there no matter what I do. I pulled out my initial supplies and everything sparkled. I smiled. 

Then as I sat down and pulled out the rest of my supplies for this evening's work, I actually laughed out loud. I had 2 freshly sharpened sparkle pencils (one for each eye...inside joke), I had 2 sparkle pens ready (one in Barbie Pink, one in Tinkerbell Green), and a couple of sparkly notebooks. Yes, life is good and no matter what...I'm happy and I sparkle! I had to smile! I have a good life!

Sparkle On! Forget about the crappy people in life. You can't change them but you never have to let them dull your sparkle!

Flash Underoos? Is This What I've Become? Top 10!

Has it really come to this? Every week, (whether I want to or not, and no matter how hard I try to avoid it) I look at my blog stats. I'm busy and my numbers are ehhh...at best. But what always interests me the most, as I've previously shared, is how people "find" me on the WWW. They type in a word or words, and I pop up and they "click" me. This week's exercise in futility was particularly amusing to me, so I thought I'd share. Technically this list means that I'm a nonsensical moron who has nothing of "meaning" to offer this world...but it is what it is! So without further ado, top 10 search words that drove traffic to Insanity Is Not An Option this week are:

1. Dork (I know, you're not surprised...neither am I!). 
2. Shut your pie hole (What? That was a valid topic...I'm just surprised people Google it.). 
3. "Flash Underoos" (It's in quotes in the search, I have no clue! Guess they didn't want it confused with "Superman Underoos"?). 
4. I love you dork (Who types I love you dork in a Google search bar? My "fans" frighten me!). 
5. My Murphy USA (there's really nothing funny to say about that, so that's a cool search). 
6. The Flash Underwear (OK, so am I more bothered that people search for this or that they find me when they search for this? I'm really not certain!). 
7. 10 Most Annoying Facebook Personalities (Actually one of my best.posts.ever so I'm cool with this one.).  
8. Boys Tighty Whities (See, now I'm just afraid the authorities are looking for me...it was a joke...I'm serious...and I'm NOT the one Googling it!).
9. My Walmart (of course).
10. Banana Clip (I'm a product of the 80's, yes I wrote about this.).

And there you have it. This is how I gauge my life, my business. Ehh...if people are searching and I'm coming up, I guess I'm doing something right~ish! Twenty years ago, did I think this is what I'd be known for? Absolutely...NOT! Am I happy they're finding me by whatever means? You bet your sweet tighty whitey Flash Underoos, I am!

Keep Googling, you never know when I might pop up!

The Batty Bug Lady of The Woods

Yet another interesting bug that caught my eye with its color and simplicity!

I don't get it! Where is this fascination with bugs coming from lately? I've never been a fan of bugs (other than my own little Bug of course) but since we've moved to The Woods, I find myself watching these little creatures more and more (and snapping pictures...who does that?).

Let's face it, I *might* not be the most sane person on this planet, some might even say I'm "off" just a bit, but a bug watcher? I always assumed I'd turn out something like The Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons one day. Her story and mine are quite similar actually. That would not have surprised me in the least. But The Batty Bug Lady from The Woods?  Never in a million years!

I'm convinced, however, that it is not my fault! You really can't take an Island Girl off of the Island and throw her into the middle of The Woods and think she won't be *touched* in some way! 

But you have to admit, this is a pretty interesting little bug, whatever the heck it is! I just hope I get out of The Woods soon before I start breeding rare bugs of some sort. Ewwaahh...what has become of me?

Happy Wednesday y'all! Sure hope I didn't *bug* you with this little rant of mine. And whatever you do, watch where you walk today. My friends are lurking everywhere and hoping to enjoy their day too. ;)

Sunday Sanity: My Week In Sparkles

My life has been crazy busy lately.  Crazy busy isn't always a bad thing but sometimes it's hard to maintain my sanity throughout the week.  And let us not forget, Insanity Is Not An Option!  So I play a little game with myself (I'm rather fond of games) every week and I thought I should start sharing it with y'all for a little weekly glimpse in to my mind (no need to fear, we won't go to the dark side).  

My sparkles are what keep me sane.  It's simple really.  And things don't have to technically sparkle for me to consider them sparkly.  A sparkly moment, for me, is just one that makes me smile from ear to ear, one that warms my heart.  I cling to these moments all week when the going gets tough and I feel my sanity slipping.  I always try to capture these moments in pictures and revert to them as needed.  

So as a happy little exercise for me, I'm going to be sharing some of them with you on a weekly basis.  Sundays are my least busy days and I thought I would end each Sunday night off by recapping my sparkles.  Here are a few of the things that kept me sane this week:

Sparkle Moment #1:  This one actually does sparkle.  I stepped out of my "box" and got orange sparkle nails.  They made me smile but I just can't help but wonder if they are affecting my Super Powers in some way.  We'll see...hopefully I'll continue to venture out of my pink sparkly box and learn to take some more "risks" in life!

Sparkle Moment #2:  I always thought there was nothing sweeter than watching Bubby sleep until I watched Bug tuck Bubby in with her Pooh Bear.  Wish I had caught that moment because it truly will sparkle in my heart forever.  But it's hard to take a picture when you're sobbing tears of joy and love ya know!  I'm a sap, I can't help it!  I cry way more when I'm happy than when I'm sad.

Sparkle Moment #3:  Today was my 9th wedding anniversary!  Every anniversary, it's the same thing.  We add 10 (or 20, 30, even 40) years to the count when wishing each other a happy anniversary.  Not necessarily a joke though (that 3rd and 7th year itch thing got us and both of those years seem more like 5) but we stuck it out, made it though, and are still in love.  I got gorgeous white roses (the color of peace...my favorite roses), a beautiful card, and the unthinkable!  B and I went out...by ourselves...for 2 whole hours...without the kids!  Seriously the first time in 3 years!  So we only went to dinner and stopped at Walmart on the way home...no big deal right?  WRONG!  Best dinner and trip to Walmart I've ever had!

Life is annoying, crazy, frustrating, and hectic. But it is truly PRICELESS if you choose to grasp those sparkly moments.   I'm a fan of the sparkles!  So tell me, what sparkled in your world this past week?  I'd love to hear about it!  And please remember to check back every Sunday to see what sparkled in my world each week and share what sparkled in yours!

Fighting the Flop Factor, One Pair at a Time

It's no secret that I love my husband.  And I share with you often how active he is.  But there are things that I don't think of on a regular basis when trying to do my best to take care of him.  One of those things just so happens to be skivvies,  Yes I'm going to go "there" in this tale so bear with me as I try to keep this clean.  Y'all know I have the mind of a 12-year-old-boy so I'm going to do the best I can (but seriously, don't be surprised if I slip now and then).

So you're wondering what brought us to today's topic, right?  My friends over at Collective Bias introduced me to a new product launch for #MaLoUnderwear and at first I steered clear of the conversation (because of that whole potty mind thing).  But the 12-year-old boy in me couldn't resist and so HE joined in and we both had fun with it.  

Then the opportunity presented itself to Make Over My Man with the help of this new underwear line inspired by the one and only Mario Lopez.  Initially I thought to myself, "Self...B doesn't need a makeover, he's perfect just the way he is!".  Even his wardrobe is since I buy everything for him anyway.  But then ah ha, the light bulb went off and I realized I had neglected him in one very important way....the flop factor!  That's right, I buy him boxers because that's what I like, but how was that working out for him during all of his work outs?  Those boxers surely weren't protecting "the boys" with all of that jumping and running around!  And there will be no tighty whities in this house.  Seriously, he might need support but why not just stick him in Superman Underoos and let him play out in the parking lot with his trucks like my 3 year old?  SEX-SAY (not)!  So what's the solution?  How do I keep him in boxers but still protect the jewels?  

Well I had an idea and I pitched it to them (for the record, the 12-year-old boy actually pitched it and it was FUNNY).  They approved it and here's where our story really begins.

B belongs to a boxing gym as I told you in a post a few weeks back, and he works out at least 4 times per week there.  He runs about 3 nights a week, and he is constantly doing push ups, sit ups and the like around here.  

And he's a (goofy, won't take a serious picture) Pipefitter by day.  This means he stays dirty half of his life and he sure moves around a lot on the job.  

So why am I sharing this with you?  He jumps, runs, ducks, bobs, and weaves a lot.  And what do we think "the boys" are doing while he's doing all of that?  Probably pretty much the same, and I can't have that!  Since I want him "protected" but still fashionable, #MaLoUnderwear seemed liked the perfect fix to our dilemma.  

This is how he sits around as a general rule.  In his boxers...these are his "shorts".  Let's show him what underwear is really all about!  

While B napped and the girls played, Bubby and I took a little trip to Target in search of MaLo Underwear.  We wanted to get home before he headed to the gym.

It took a little searching because it was NOT very prominently placed in the store, but we found the MaLo Underwear we'd been searching for.

They had plenty to choose from but I chose these skull and snake trunks because this is B's style.  I also picked up some colored MaLo tanks while we were there.  You can see our entire shopping experience in my Google+ Album.

Bubby and I scurried home with B's skivvies and our timing was impeccable!  He's like clockwork and I was finally on time for something in my life.

Ran in, heard him in the shower, and saw his gym clothes laid out on the counter.  Oh but I had different plans for him!

Bye bye flop factor boxers, hello handsome!  I had made the switch before he could get out of the shower, get dressed, and leave for the gym.  But he did catch me in the act!

Bow-chicka-wow-wow!  He didn't look pleased but he had no choice.  I had made the switch and he always wears whatever I buy for him.  So he got ready for the gym wearing his new #MaLoUnderwear.  Together we combated the flop factor and B will be able to work out in peace, comfortably.

He didn't thank me, he didn't complain, and he sure as heck didn't let me take an after picture.  BOO!  I will assure you that if he had asked me how his butt looked in those #MaLoUnderwear, he would have liked the answer!

Now for the record, he will neither confirm nor deny the lack of said flop factor in his daily activities and work outs, but he continues to wear whatever I lay out for him so I'm not complaining.

So what about you?  Does your man need a mini makeover?  Is he active and after reading this, you too are worried about the flop factor?  I highly recommend that you check out the new MaLo Underwear (inspired by none other than Mario Lopez for the record) available at Target.  You'll both get a smile out of the switch!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and MaLo. All opinions, photos, and ideas are entirely my own as if you didn't know! #CBias #SocialFabric

BlogHer 2012...Oh Bother...Why Bother?

If you know me at all, you know I am crying over want to go to BlogHer 2012.  It is time for me to network and that would be THE place and it's happening this August and I'm NOT going...waahh!  Now I could have pitched (but I'm still a new blogger so why bother?).  I had the perfect pitch (but why bother?).  I would be the perfect advocate for whatever brand or community would have chosen to accept my pitch (but why bother?).  I'm still a nobody (so why bother?).  I didn't pitch anyone (because I'm a sissy pants like that).

I feel like Winnie the Pooh...OH BOTHER!  

And here it is, mid July, and I have no plans to go.  The cost of the ticket for the event is high.  Then there is travel from Texas to NYC.  Let's don't forget accommodations.  Fortunately for me (or unfortunately because I really want to go...OH BOTHER), I realize that buying a house and silly things like feeding my kids and paying the bills come before a conference I long to attend (oh bother)!

So many of my good "virtual" friends will be there and I long to meet them.  There's Deb from Just Short of Crazy, and Amy from As the Bunny Hops, and so many more.  And they will learn, and network, and have FUN...without ME (oh bother)!

It's all my fault.  I should have, could have, would have pitched (if I wasn't such a sissy pants), but now it's too late and I'll be sitting at home while they have fun and I cry try to pretend like I don't care.  

But if anyone with about $1000 happens to be reading this and hopes all my dreams come true (since I do believe in fairy tales and all that sparkle) wants to sponsor me, I sure wouldn't think it was a bother if you contacted me.  Did I actually just type that?  Why bother?

I hope all of my friends have fun at BlogHer 2012 while I sob in the corner of my "clawset" (not a typo, a southern thing that you might not understand...why bother?).  Now, as I kick myself in the keester, I realize, I should have bothered to pitch (and not been all sissy pants) because I really want to go to BlogHer....thank.you.very.much! 

Oh well...shoulda, coulda, woulda...it's too late now.  WAAHH!  And yes, one more time....OH BOTHER!

What is it about a Stick Bug that is so fascinating to me?

I've been fascinated with these things my whole life.  I don't know why!  Doesn't matter how old I get, every single time I see one, I am amazed.  Tonight one was hanging on the porch and this fascination overwhelmed me again.

It does look like a stick (with legs and a face and stuff) which is cool all in itself.  But the truly amazing part to me, and always has been, is how does this creature exist?  It must have brain matter, a digestive system, a nervous system, and the like or it couldn't exist at all.  So how does all of this fit in a stick?

OK, so I probably overthink EVERYTHING...but seriously, this stick functions.  This stick amazes me.  I wish I was smart enough to be a scientist or something because I would love to know how these things work.  If I was a scientist (or Bugologist...or whatever they're called), the first thing I would study would be the workings of the stick bug (because I'm strange and dorky like that).  

Anyone?  Come on...someone else has thought of this, right?  Surely I can't be the only dork one that's obsessed with this stick being!  I think if Tom Cruise can have Scientology, surely I can have StickBugOlogy and figure this whole thing out.  Who's with me?

Stick Bug Lovers UNITE!  (Yes, I know I'm strange...it's just who I am...sorry if my odd rant leaves you with a head thunk...welcome to my world).

Mean People Suck...No Matter Who They Are!

And because of that, Bubby went to sleep with a broken heart and so will I!

I know I've said it time and again, but this child, this kind-hearted soul, is one in a million.   This beautiful creature, my only son...my baby, has feelings that run deeper than the average bear.  He wears his heart on his sleeve (when he wears sleeves of course).  He's amazing, he's funny, he's an intellect, and he cares.too.much!  

He's 3 now and aware of "things".  He no longer blows "stuff" off like he used to.  Nope...now he takes it personally.  Lately, he's been going through a lot of heart ache.  I'm not going into detail to keep this short, but let me assure you, he is not always treated kindly around here...and it hurts him (and me).  

Tonight?  All he wanted to do was camp out with his sisters.  One of them said yes, one said no.  And it was NOT a kind no.  It was a "get out of here, I'm trying to sleep and you annoy me" kind of no.  I heard it.  I cringed.  And then I held my baby and I rocked him to sleep.  All the while I explained that "mean people suck" and that with this heart of his, he would have to learn to cope with this and move on.  He sniffled.  

I said "Mommy had to learn the hard way too Bubby, we'll get through this together".  He looked at me with those loving, caring, beautiful blue eyes and said "OK Mommy...I love you!".  And he fell asleep...heartbroken.  But he loves me and I won't let him down.  Mean people do suck, but I will NEVER let them suck the life out of the kindest soul I know.  

I'm sorry my Bubby has to learn this lesson so early in life.  I'm sorry it's from within our own "family".  But mean people do suck no matter who they are.  They'll make you cry and they'll be proud of their accomplishments.  That's what makes them suck the most!  

Tonight, I will sleep with my baby.  He didn't want to sleep alone.  That was his only wish.  Too bad his big "sister" couldn't just be his wish come true.  He's happy in dreamland now and he's not alone.  I'll protect him from the mean people for as long as I exist.  That's what Mommies do!

Good night Bubby!  Don't let the mean people get you down.  They're out there...and they suck!

Grilled Pizza...YUM!

Do you make homemade pizzas?  Have you ever grilled them? If you answered yes, you're in heaven.  If you said no, you're missing out on a lot!  It all starts with a great homemade sauce.

 And then the homemade pizza crust (all plated and stuff).

Fixings all ready!  That's the beauty...you choose!  SCORE!

 Now we're ready for the grill!

Let's see how this goes!  Toss the crusts on the grill and coat them with oil.  Cook on one side for 4 minutes (but watch them so they don't burn).

Flip them over and heap on the sauce!  Looking good.

Overload them with cheese and let the magic begin.

Cover them with your toppings of choice and let them cook an additional 4 minutes!  And done!  Easy peasy...eat and enjoy.

And while they eat, I wait on my veggie pizza.  Looks good no?

 My "Bud" and I are patient!

What a fabulous meal (again...all paper plated and stuff).  We all enjoyed this and we will be doing this often.  I highly recommend grilled pizza!  Remember...single sized pizzas are easier to deal with.  And homemade crust cooks better than the premade stuff.  Enjoy yourself and please remember to share your tips with me here!  If you have a favorite grilled pizza...I want to hear about it!

You can find my low sodium sauce and crust recipes HERE or you can use your own homemade recipes, or use store bought sauce if it's more convenient.  Either way, I'm sure it will be fabulous!  Enjoy and have fun!

The 4th of July Sparkles...It's a Beautiful Holiday

Holidays are kind of special around here for multiple reasons.  First off, well they are holidays...DUH!  We get to grill, which we love.  We get to hang at the pool, which we love. We get to celebrate, which we love.  But most importantly, holidays are about spending family time together.  Quality time!  B gets the day off of work and I turn off(ish) all of my devices and we just "hang".  It's a beautiful thing.

The 4th of July is kind of extra special because it's a day full of sparkles and as you know, I'm kind of fond of the sparkles.  So this holiday was full of fun, festivities, family times, and of course sparkles.  I worked the morning away, but then the fun kicked in.

 First off, a little fun time at the pool with the kids!

Then the sparklers "arrived"!  We started up the grill and as the ribs and sides cooked, we played! Life is good.

 Bug always sparkles, but she was particularly sparkly on this day!

And Angel was all aglow (which she hasn't been as of late...more on that later).

 And the Bub was amazed by the "for real" sparkles!

 And he was a chip eating fool while we waited for the feast (oh who am I kidding? He's always a chip eating fool).

But the day and night played out well.  We had fun, we laughed, and we played.  I couldn't ask for anything more!  The meal was delicious (thank you Grill Master B).  I love spending time with the family.  And I didn't die being unattached to my devices for the day (OK so seriously the Droid kept updating me but I wasn't glued to the computer screen...it's a start).

And the night ended with a sparkle....of course!  Bubby sparkles even without the sparklers but they sure did add a shine to his already sparkly personality, and a smile to all of our faces!

  It was a good day and it sparkled.  You can't ask for much more than that!

I hope y'all enjoyed your 4th of July as much as we did!  I'd love to hear about it! It's so important to unplug and enjoy sometimes (I know, it's hard for me too).  I'm already looking forward to the next holiday!  How about you?

Hot Dog Delicacies ~ Who Knew?

This my friends, according to the June issue of Men's Health Magazine, is deemed the Sonoran.  B is a fan of hot dogs and of grilling, and when he saw this in the June issue, we just had to try it out.  We didn't alter the recipe much because I'm a fan of stealing trying other people's recipes out.  And if it's in Men's Health Magazine, it has to be healthy-ish, right?

But let's get one thing straight up front...don't judge!  I'm not high-falutent by any means and I'm not a food blogger.  I live in Texas for goodness sakes.  Before that, I lived in po-dunk Georgia for 25 years (as in step over all of the dogs and spit off the front porch and you'd hit Alabama...po-dunk), and before that a farm in upstate New York.  So I don't "plate" things (unless by "plate", you mean paper) which is why I don't write about food often.  I cook often, as in every night, but I don't share it with you here.  I'm told I'm an awesome cook, although I don't eat much so I wouldn't know.  It's just not "pretty", but this was worth sharing!  So on to the task at hand...The Sonoran....because they LOVED them!

Here's what you need:

• Weiners (they baked, we grilled...of course)
• Avocado Slices (they sliced, we chopped)
• Mayo (ewwww.....we substituted with mustard...no lard for us)
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Crispy Bacon (we cooked ours on the grill...of course)
• Chopped Onion 
• Canned Pinto Beans (obviously we used low sodium here)
• Hot Dog Buns

That's it!  It was easy, clean up was minimal (thanks to the grill and "plating"), and they loved this dish.  Of course, I made some homemade slaw because you can't eat a dog without slaw, and it was an entire meal with all the fabulous 4 food groups represented!

More of my "plating".  Paper plates and paper towels...that's how we roll!

The grilled dogs and bacon.

The healthy, fresh fixins'.

The finished product with slaw on the side!

We'll be adding this "delicacy" into the grilling mix from now on.  It was a huge hit around here and I love finding new and interesting things for my family to enjoy.  

So tell me, how do YOU like your dogs?  I'd love to steal use your recipe too!  Oh come on...I always give credit where credit it due.  So please, tell me how you rock the dogs so we can try them out too!