Show Me That Smile!

There are some things that just make me break out into a smile whenever I think of them. Whether it's a line from a song or movie or something someone said or did, I'll be driving along and all of a sudden realize I'm just grinning. It's a good feeling.

Recently we were in the car and the three youngest boys were singing a snatch of song from a DVD we had watched the night before. When they finished, Nicky laughed out loud and said, "Oh, that never gets old!" His sheer delight in that makes me smile right now as I'm thinking of it.

So last night I asked some of my family members what makes them smile.

Luke:  "Taco. It's just a great word." (He did smile when he said it.)

Paul:  "No School."

Joel:  "Trying to smile makes me smile."

Nicky:  "Matt." (His oldest brother. I'm not sure if the thought of Matt makes him smile or the realization that Matt is off at college. I didn't ask.)

Terry:  "Thinking of you." (That made me smile.)

So I'm sharing the smiles today. Leave a comment telling us what makes you smile. Come on! It doesn't hurt and you actually might feel a little warmer for a moment. Show me that smile!

The Good Ole Days

So I'm walking through the store this weekend, and I spied something new. Or ... old. Actually, I'm not sure.

See, I noticed a 12 pack of Mountain Dew, and it was in a different box. Instead of the usual green swirls, this box was white with red lettering on it. And under the Mountain Dew, it said "throwback".

Okay, I get it. Retro. Vintage. Nostalgic. Marketing campaign. Let's face it. The good ole days are a great angle. Memories tend to sweeten through the years, and no matter how bad things might have been, there can be a certain nostalgia when faced with items from your past. Somehow people can be convinced to buy something when the packaging reminds them of way back when.

But Pepsi is going even further. Under the throwback line, the advertising blurb said, "made with REAL sugar". Now you know it's retro because sugar is not a selling point in this day and age. But I guess you can get away with enjoying something that's bad for you if you're doing it because it brings back memories.

It's funny though that the nostalgia angle doesn't work for everything. For instance, you'll never see a computer with the packaging:  "relive the slow speeds of the good ole days with this single processor dinosaur!" Toilet paper never seems to get retro advertising either. Restaurants go in for nostalgia in their decorations, but never in the menus. When's the last time an eatery advertised: "eat the artery-clogging foods your father enjoyed".

What I'd really like to see is gas station advertising that capitalized on the good ole days. How about, "let us fill 'er up! And can we check your tires?" How about a store that says, "May we help you? We really mean it!"

I know of one marketing campaign that could really capitalize on the throwback to better days. Instead of just packaging it in old packaging, sell it at the old price. Now that would really bring back some memories!

'Splain It To Me

So the entire nation is in the grip of cold temperatures. The warmest spots in our country--California, Florida, Texas--are in the low fifties today.

Here in central Florida, people have been discussing the weather for almost a week. We've turned on the heat in our homes. We quit wearing flip-flops. Some of us have actually worn coats! (Those of you in sub-zero temperatures, quit complaining! I have a point!)

Yesterday I went into one of those little shipping stores. The clerk was very friendly, and as she weighed my package, this is how our conversation went:

She: "It is just cold out today!"

Me: "I know. They're even predicting possible 'winter precipitation' by the weekend." (I'm not sure the weather people know the term for snow down here.)

She: "Makes you think. This global warming thing ..."

Me: "I know!"

She: "The whole country's turning blue. That Al Gore really was on to something. I mean, now we know there's got to be something to this global warming thing, right?"

Huh?

Somebody piece this together for me, please. The entire country's freezing. It's snowing everywhere, including in Florida. So that proves global warming?

Adolph Hitler once said, "If you tell a lie loud enough and long enough, people will believe it".

Obviously.

Happy 101

Joyce at From This Side of the Pond gave me the Happy 101 award! I absolutely love getting awards. I'd like to thank my husband and my wonderful children and all the little people that made this possible. (Sorry. It's award season and I got carried away.) Anyway, this award is given to someone who brightens your day. I think that's an awfully nice thing to say about someone! When accepting this award I'm supposed to post 10 things that make me happy and try to make at least one of them part of my day today. Then I'm to pass the award on to 10 bloggers who brighten my day.

So here's ten things that make me happy (in no particular order):

1. Peanut M-M's. They make me very happy right up until they give me a horrible sugar headache. We have a love-hate relationship.

2. Comments on my blog always make me happy. It means someone liked what I wrote ... or ... it means they want me to come visit their blog, but whatever! Comments make me happy!

3. A great looking pair of shoes. In lots of different colors.

4. My husband makes me happy. (Most of the time.)

5. My kids make me happy. (Most of the time.)

6. A really good plot twist that no one could possibly see coming makes me happy, whether I'm writing it or reading it in someone else's writing.

7. Losing weight makes me happy. I've lost some, but not enough to make me absolutely ecstatic.

8. Taking the boat out on the lake makes me happy. I love when our whole family is together in the boat. What fun!

9. Cold weather makes me happy. For those of you in the midwest, I don't mean below zero temperatures. I mean the 50's we get down here in Florida in the winter. (Stop complaining! This list is supposed to be making me happy, not you!)

10. Getting the rest of my Christmas decorations taken down and put away would make me very happy! Maybe today????????

And now to give the award to ten blogging friends who brighten my day ...

Five Moms and A Blog always make me laugh.

Nan at Moms the Word is how I found Five Moms and a Blog. Whether she's being profound, witty or thoughtful, I always enjoy what she has to say.

Rachel at A Future Pastor's Wife. Rachel is a great writer who makes everything interesting.

Nina at Portugal Bound gives a close up view of life on the mission field. She's witty, she's funny and I love going to visit her blog.

Erica in Scottsville. Another author from Five Moms and a Blog, Erica has a wonderful blog and absolutely fabulous pictures.

Dani Joy at Taking the Gospel to Gijon. Another missionary, Dani Joy's enthusiasm for life and the people of Spain is very contagious.

FringeGirl at The Domestic Fringe. What a great writer! Unless she's being profound, just about everything Fringegirl writes makes me laugh out loud. I never miss a post!

Sass at Interpret Sass. She's always fun to be around and I love her take on things.

Katie at The Baby Factory. Life with three boys under the age of two. There's always something going on this blog!

If you chose to accept this award, then you are supposed to link back to me and then do the 10 happy things and 10 bloggers that brighten your day. No pressure, though, if you don't want to. You can just leave the award sitting there on the stage. Forgotten. Alone. Rejected.

I won't take it personally. : )

First Random Dozen of the Year!

1. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being a cranky-baby-hissy-fitter, how much of a complainer are you?

Well obviously the correct answer for this question would be a 5. Any less of a number and people are going to think you have too high an opinion of yourself. Any higher of an answer would be ... well, embarrassing. But in truth, I think I could say that some days I'm a 2 and some days I'm a 10. On the days I'm a 10 I also require a lot of chocolate.

2. When someone else is talking, do you listen, or are you thinking about what you're going to say in response?

I guess that depends on whether I think they are expecting an answer from me or not. Most of the time I try to really listen. Almost half the stuff that comes to my brain does not come out my mouth. (I consider that to be a triumph since that percentage used to be a lot lower!)

3. I just deleted 1062 messages from my email account. Do you have any plans for a clean sweep this month--of anything?

I'm definitely planning on sweeping the floor sometime this month.

And now, here are some brilliant questions from a gal named Angie at Angie's Ad Lib who graciously offered to let me borrow her brain. Please go over and see Angie because it was so nice of her to help me out. Thank you so much, Angie!

4. Tell us about your perfume. Was it a gift? What does it remind you of? Do you have a signature scent?

I have a few bottles of perfume that are very old and have probably lost all their scent. I don't usually wear perfume. For fifteen straight years I had babies and/or toddlers that I carried around on a regular basis. I have always believed that babies should smell like babies and I hated it when I got my baby out of the nursery and he smelled like Chanel No. 5. (Or a generic version thereof.) So I didn't wear perfume so that I would not incorrectly "scent" my babies with something a little too old for them. Plus, I mostly had boys and I can only imagine what it would have done to their little psyches if they spent their formative years smelling floral.

5. What is your best organizing tip for the new year?

I have no tips because I'm not that organized. I did organize our vitamins in alphabetical order this year and I think that will satisfy any organizational yearnings I have until 2012.

6. What is your favorite comic strip?

Peanuts wins hands down. We used to have several books of their comic strips when we were growing up. I remember my mom reading them and laughing out loud through most of them. I feel the same way. They're timeless.

7. Do you sleep with a fluffy or flat pillow?

We actually have eight pillows on our bed with varying degrees of fluffiness. I sleep with three because my husband always steals the extra one.

8. What color is your kitchen? Why did you choose that color?

My kitchen is red and brown. I chose those colors because I like them. (duh)

9. What’s the most interesting bumper sticker you’ve seen?

This week I saw a vehicle that had an "Obama/Biden 08" bumper sticker on the right. On the left it had a bumper sticker that said, "I reject your reality and substitute my own."

10. Do you prefer an expensive writing tool or whatever is lying around? (Are you a Montblanc or a Papermate?)

I have no expensive writing tools, but I am particular about what kind of pens I use. I don't want some cheapie pen that leaks all over my hands. I also don't like real skinny pens. I like bics with a finger grip. And I don't like writing in blue ink. (I have no idea why, so don't ask!)

11. What chore doesn’t feel like a chore – you just enjoy it (at least most of the time)?

Ummm, it's a chore. That's work. I don't enjoy work. I don't think it's healthy.

12. If your parents often repeated themselves, what is something one of them said more than once?

My mom was the epitome of a lady, and she was always telling me, "that's not ladylike" for just about everything I did. The saying still applies all too often.

If you'd like to enjoy some more random answers to random questions, click the link at the top of the post!

Setting Myself Up for Failure

Okay, toward the end of last year (it seems so long ago now, doesn't it?) I posted on reviewing the old year and finishing well. Then I posted on how to make successful resolutions, such as making them specific and measurable. Those of you that know me knew it wouldn't be long before I got to the lighter side.

Sometimes you never know if your going to slip off that resolution horse until it actually happens. But other times failure is looming large. Here's a few reasons why you might be in danger of failing on your new year's resolutions.

You might not keep your resolutions if ...

... you wrote them on a post-it note.

... you lost your list on January 2nd.

... you found your list only to realize that was actually your resolutions from 2009.

... after you found your 2009 list you realize you have all the same resolutions for 2010.

... you look more closely at your 2009 list and realize that you doubled the amount of weight you need to lose.

... along with your resolutions, you made a list of excuses for not keeping them.

... you formed a mental disclaimer as you wrote down each resolution.

... you spent December 31st saying, "Resolutions start tomorrow!"

... you spent January 1st saying, "Resolutions start tomorrow!"

...you've already decided you're not making any resolutions for 2011.

Hope you're having as much fun with your list as I am. At least, I will be having fun once I find the list. It was on a green sticky note ...

So what about you? Are you setting yourself up for failure? Have any resolutions already hit the wayside on this fourth day of the year?

Happy New Year!

I hope your new year is starting out right. Last night we had another family over and we all ate pizza, bowled with the Wii, watched a movie and generally enjoyed ourselves. Both men dozed off during the movie, and when it was over, my friend's husband yawned and asked, "What time is it? Must be about 10:00, right?"

I picked up my phone and checked the time. It was 8:48. That was our first clue that we might have trouble staying up until midnight. : ) Fortunately, the neighbors decided to help us out. They set off fireworks in the street in front of our house in the middle of the subdivision. It was a nice show, but I couldn't enjoy it because I kept worrying about them setting the neighborhood on fire. Plus, they were obviously drunk. When the neighbors finally finished the show, we went back inside and ate some more, played some more and watched the new year come in.

Our first day of the new year has been great so far. All of us slept until 10:00. That's a record for the boys. We've had a tradition for a long time that we do our Christmas stockings on New Year's Day. So the boys dug some goodies out of their stockings and then we had our traditional holiday breakfast of cinnamon rolls.

I've got to get downstairs and get some dinner ready to go with the Honeybaked ham, but I wanted to wish all my blogging buddies a very happy new year. Hope 2010 beats 2009 hands down!