Et Tu, eBay?

I have to give you all a warning. I have never EVER had a problem with eBay ‘lo these many years I have used it. Well, until this weekend. I had to have this egg nog bowl and mugs. I was going to buy Naomi’s but then I saw the whole set and decided I “needed” it. For what, I have no idea.

So my advice to all you eBay buyers is this. Before bidding, you apparently need to confirm shipping with the seller (even if it is clearly indicated on their listing) because while sellers are “encouraged” to indicate proper shipping charges, current eBay policy does not mandate that their invoice reflects the shipping charges that were quoted on their listing. I ended up paying almost $5.00 more than was quoted on the listing page. So anywho, all, buyer beware.

Edit: I have calmed down *a bit* and after reading my post again, I felt like a total crazy woman. Therefore, this has been edited down a bit to convey my intended "warning to ebay buyers" only. :) Oh, and to show you my cute egg nog set. Sorry for freaking out. Ommmmmmm, ommmmmmmm, ommmmmmm.

It's Not Me, It's You, Prison Break

Prison Break, this is painful, but we have to end this thing. I know that sometimes one cannot control the direction that his network has decided to take, but my love for you (well, more like for Wentworth) just isn't enough this time. How you could just suck me in and make promises to me like you did? After all the time I'd invested in you and how I stuck up for you when people wanted to know how a "Prison Break" could be stretched into three seasons...what did I get for it? I'll tell you what I got! Sara's head in a box!!! And you know that if you hadn't killed her now, it would have been done later this season-- let's not fool ourselves. I thought I could forgive you when you killed off Tweener last year, but it still hurts. Bottom line is this, PB-- you should know that I had Tivo'ed your last two episodes, but I never watched them. And tonight, I finally had the strength to erase them.

You're dead to me, Prison Break. Forget you ever knew me.

(I don't know what's sicker-- the fact that I'm such a TV junkie or that I took the time to write this post).

Sugar & Spice

Hello, my Blogger friends! I hope you are all having a marvelous long weekend. We have had fun. Friday, we saw The Bourne Ultimatum. Eh, it was exactly what I thought it would be. Really, no more, no less. The hubby has always really liked the Bourne movies although he's never ever liked any sort of violent, cheesy, manly-men movies besides these oh AND Roadhouse which I have never fully understood. I just sat there thinking about how I really liked Julia Stiles' hair.

We were in my hometown this weekend. Yesterday, hit the local farmer's market for some lovely spiced pear jam and hit a flea market at Turkeyville! Bought a couple of overpriced mothball smelling books just so I wouldn't leave empty handed. Went to the zoo in the afternoon where Q loved the goats and the choo choo. Very fun.

Cornwell's Turkey Farm aka Turkeyville USA is kind of an institution in my hometown. All the entrees are turkey based-- turkey dogs, smoked turkey, turkey dinner, sloppy tom (like a sloppy joe but with shredded turkey instead of beef), you get the idea. There is an ice cream shop, candy shop, rather large gift area, dinner theater, antique barn, and when I was a kid, they'd have vaudevilian plays in tents outside and fireworks on the 4th of July. I was thinking of Sarah's post and thought to myself that this was probably the closest thing we have to The Ark, but Turkeyville is (to the best of my knowledge and thanks to lotsa red hat ladies) still going strong. Let me point out that my husband, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law all think it's pretty grody. My brother and I disagree even if we are simply blinded by nostalgia.

Anywho, on to the sugar and spice part of my post. I baked today! I don't ever bake, but Ryan was hankering for some Hello Dollies. The recipe I always start with is from my great grandma I think, and I have tweaked it a bit. However, I also saw a similar version on the stinkin' can of condensed milk, so I guess it's a pretty common recipe. Still lovely though, easy, and mighty tasty:

1 stick butter

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup chocolate chips (we use milk choc chips)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts (we used pecans today cuz that's what we had)

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Spray square pan with cooking spray. Soften butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs. Press into bottom of pan. Layer with coconut, chips, and nuts. Pour condensed milk over all. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Done!

And speaking of sugar & spice and little girls, Q liked helping which was more her eating the chocolate chips. Here she is in my favorite Rae Gun dress! I just love the sweet fabric.

To round out the sweet day, I finally sold my Sugar and Spice beverage tray which has been in my shop forEVER. Yay! Thanks, Joanna! Also, I received my vintage decals in the mail and fashioned this stool for my craft room. Made a fabric covered bulletin board too!

P.S. Thanks for all the sweet and supportive comments and emails on my last ranting post; after being told I would be paid for my wholesale order since MAY, I was informed today that she decided not to include my items in her catalog, and she wanted to know where to send them back. What the heck am I going to do with 24 door hangers?? No way, sister. I am getting paid. I just do not understand dishonest people. But it's all ok-- I got nothin' but time to deal with her, and Mama is not happy (and you know how that saying goes). I have stacks of documentation, a complaint in to the Better Business Bureau, and an attorney for a husband. BRING IT.

Negative Nancy/Positive Polly

I'm going to warn you all that this post is going to be a lot of me whining, so if you can't take it, scroll down to #1 at the bottom. I need to vent though, so here goes:
1. Had a lovely dinner with Danielle (my Craven!) at new restaurant Town Tavern. Not so lovely were the two HUNKS of meat on my salad with 5 walnuts and teaspoon of bleu cheese for $15. And what restaurant, in this day and age, doesn't have a website? But you are smoke free, so maybe I can let SOME of your shortcomings slide. I said SOME.

2. I may be burning some craft bridges, but I don't really give a tiny rat's A. After inquiring if a certain local store that I like(d) would be interested in some of my products, I was told their clientele didn't really "'get' the indie look". Huh? I know some of my things are not *super* mainstream, but isn't that kinda the point? Plus, I feel like that was insulting to her clientele! Jessie, let's go knit some dildo cozies. Maybe I'll send Local Store Lady one.

3. More burning bridges. I understand people are busy, but can I PLEASE get paid for a certain large order that I filled??? I need something out of the whole horrible experience. I'm sure it's like a drop in the bucket of what you make. I might even be placated for a bit if I got to see my product displayed online, but that hasn't happened either, and all questions asked regarding status of said online and/or catalog display are never responded to. No more wholesale orders for me, I learned my lesson.

4. I don't want Seth Rogen to be famous. He's MY Seth Rogen. He's my Ronnie. Now he's going to be known as The Green Hornet writer? Blaspheme! Even though, I'm sure it will be good (dammit).

5. Stop ruining movies, people!!!! I just read Zac Efron is going to be in the 2008 version of Footloose. Stop the madness, just STOP! This may be unpopular (don't call me an idiot unless you're over the age of say 23), but High School Musical is a steaming pile of horse pucky. But then you had to go and ruin Hairspray. And now Footloose???!!! There is one Ren McCormack, and you, sir, are not him.

6. I'm not even going to start with the flippin homophobic homosexual, ahem, Congressmen of a cetain party affiliation. And what kind of PR people do these men have? Yes! Let's tell everyone you were scared that these large African American men were going to violate you, so you just offered them some money and a blow-jay instead. That's a wonderful excuse. And the one at the MSP airport? Yes, he has a "wide stance" and he put his hand under the stall to ask if the gentleman next to him could spare a square? You people are pathetic! Effing hypocrites, the lot o' ya!

7. There's no ice cream in the house.

I know, I know-- if the aforementioned are the biggest problems in my life, I'm a lucky woman. And I do know that. So I must close on some happy/love notes:

1. I love Naomi. She is a doll. And she's so together! I want to be like her when I grow up (although I'm almost certain she's younger than me).

2. My smart-as-a-whip niece, Miss Sophia, started first grade yesterday. Even though I don't see her every day, I think of her often. I can only hope Q turns out to be such a nice little girl.

3. I love all my real-life friends and that we make time to stay in touch and that you always think of fun things for us to do even though we're all busy. I'm talking to you, Amy F., Danielle, Lindsay, Amy C., Ginny, and Jana.

4. I love all my blog/craft friends and all the little words of encouragement and inspiration you give me daily. I'm in awe of your talent!

5. Wes Anderson, you old so-and-so, it looks like you've done it again. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, AND Jason Schwartzman? Shut the front door.

6. Lindsay and Ruth have been cast in The Lovely Bones. I love that Peter Jackson uses unknowns. God bless him.

7. I have gotten over the weirdness of estate sales, and I am in fact hitting a doozy tomorrow.

On that (bi-polar/moodswinging) note, put a fork in me.

Drosophilia Melanogaster

We have a fruit fly problem, and it's completely grossing me out. I think they're from my husband's organic bananas (the regular Dole ones didn't have them, I swear!). What's even more gross is the contraption he's erected and his morbid fixation on seeing them dead ("I'm killing them all!" he just yelled). It's a paper cone set in a juice glass of apple cider vinegar, but then he felt the need to put it all together with packing tape, so some of them are getting stuck underneath the tape. It's really disgusting. And it's one of my nice Tuesday Morning juice glasses too.

I remember in 10th grade having to do experiments on fruitflies (I'm not kidding) in Mr. Kelley's biology class. We actually had to drug them with this really foul-smelling stuff we dipped a Q-Tip in and then stuck into their jar. Then we looked at them to see if they had red or black eyes and some more things I don't remember.

So as not to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth this fine Monday morning, I will end my post with some things that are currently making me happy!

Oberweis Apple Strudel Ice Cream:

Commercials for Season Three of Prison Break (Season Premiere 9/17!). I'm jonesin' for a Wentworth Miller fix:

Janie & Jack's Strawberry Fields line (just on sale!):

The hubby's baby quilt that Q now adores:

The hope of another lovely Michigan fall and (my favorite) Halloween!!!

And last, but certainly not least, my Kitschy Cute Wonderland courtesy of Amanda. I wanna jump right into that forest!

New Business Cards!

A follow up to my previous raging episode...my business cards just *happened* to show up on our front porch today. I called the local UPS supervisor immediately to find out WTF. Turns out after the driver swearing up and down that he delivered them and having his supervisor all but accuse my neighbors of stealing them, the idiot ended up delivering them to the house two doors down. Serenity now, serenity now...

On a nicer note, it's payday Friday, I'm going out of town, and I'm so happy with my cards. Mine actually have rounded corners instead of what's shown here, but you get the idea. Thanks, (again) Rakel!!!

***Update: I have a confession-- I posted this before I actually saw the cards inside the box. I jumped the gun a bit and, well, does the picture above look like a pale yellow background to you all??? I thought so, but maybe I'm colorblind because they are a hideous shade of lime green in person...Ommmmm, ommmmmmmmmm.

See What Brown Can Screw Up for You

I am going to apologize ahead of time for this post and the forthcoming rants, but I AM HOT!!!!!! I've finally decided that UPS hates me (and at this point, the feeling is MUTUAL). Let me explain...

December 2004: I order an "I Heart Jake Ryan" tee shirt for my sister in law as a Christmas gift...like WELL BEFORE Xmas. UPS says it was delivered, I never receive it, had to get a whole other order sent out from 80's Tees. UPS SUCKS.

March 2005: I order maternity clothing from Old Navy. UPS says it was delivered in the morning. It shows up already opened on my doorstep later that evening (like LATE that evening). Obviously it was misdelivered to one of my neighbors who decided to open it up to peruse the contents. Nice.

December 2006: Ryan orders coffee from Peete's in Berkeley, CA. UPS says it was delivered. Ryan calls on a Saturday to report misdelivery and Peete's has to re-deliver the order.

TODAY, July 2007: Ordered business cards from Overnight Prints. Waiting to send some orders out (wholesale order included) because I wanted to include my new fancy card instead of my crappy hobo handmade card. UPS says it was delivered. NO CARDS IN SIGHT. Called UPS who said I needed to call Overnight Prints. Before I hung up with them, they wanted to confirm I was home all day. NO I WASN'T HOME AND I'M SURE NO ONE WOULD WANT TO STEAL MY BUSINESS CARDS AND NOT LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED $@%%$#^%w%&$.

Waited on the phone for 20 minutes for OP to tell me they would follow up with UPS. I said I wanted some compensation for shipping because they weren't here when they said they would and that I didn't care if they had to recup it from UPS or what, but I want compensation (dammit!). Ryan says I'm being a beotch and that it's not their fault. And being the attorney that he is doesn't think I should post this "slanderous" post. I disagree. UPS can suck it, and Ryan is sleeping on the couch (just kidding).

What good is a tracking system if the dude(tte) in brown thinks they're delivering to me but are really delivering to some other house and they are too dense to know it????!!!! That is all. Going to print my new card design on crappy perforated cards. Not happy. I hate UPS. Over and out.