Time Marches On

I went dress shopping with my girls last night. Their first semi formal dance is tonight. A Valentine's dance. It is one milestone I never got to do with my own mother. She died  passed away when I was 15. It will be 20 years in October and I still can't say the words she died. She died and my father lost his mind.

Welcome!

I'm taking part in Blizzard Bloghop 2011 hosted by household6diva

I'd like to welcome all of you and thanks for stopping by my blog.

My name is Kriste, mom to Katie 13 and Mary, 12. Married to Dennis, former Army guy turned computer geek. I'm originally from Mississippi and my husband is from Indiana. We have 2 dogs and 1 cat. Who are spoiled just as much as the kids.

I'm a shopping, coffee and chocolate addict. Lover of junk TV and music.I'm a college student majoring in History, hoping to someday work in a museum. I have a tendency to cuss too much, sing and dance around the house and in the car. Sometimes I talk to myself too, and answer back.

My kids say I don't cook enough, embarrass them too much, but all their friends love me. :)

If you stick around, you'll find me blogging about something crazy I saw on TV, my adventures in trying to cook more, and the stuff that my kids say.

Why I Hate Shopping At Wal-Mart (otherwise known Trash-Mart)

It is no secret that I hate, no LOATHE going to the Wal-Mart here. It has to be one of the worst Wal-Marts I have ever been in. And I've visited alot of them. From small town, non-super ones, to the short lived Hyper-Mart.

It is our Wal-Mart here in Kansas City that takes the cake. The only thing I go there for is the vision center and the photo center. That is it! If I have to do a big trip, I hit up a Super Target.

But after having the girls home for 5 days after the snow closed the school for 3 days, we were running low on everything from dog food to milk. Since the roads were still like an ice skating rink, there was no way I was going to attempt to drive it and wind up in a ditch somewhere.
I had to get the Husband to drive me.......

Let me just say this, my husband has been wonderful about taking me places when we have bad weather or when my emphysema is really bothering me.

But he does NOT like running from store to store and he was not going to drive to the Super Target in the next town. So Wal-Mart it was. We thought if we just did a small run of the things that were most necessary we could get in there and back out unscathed......HA!

While he parked the truck, I went to use the bathroom. I can hear of you now.

Wal-Mart Bathrooms=GROSS

But I had to go....BAD! I mean like a kindergardener crossing their leggs bad.

I cover the toliet with half a roll of paper, hover and then hear from the stall next to me.....

"I don't know what's wrong? I've had this bad diaherra for 3 days now."

Cue  me giving a look to the stall next to me. Someone is on the phone in the toilet and going to the bathroom." BLECH!

She continues on, "Yeah, I'm in the bathroom right now. I can't hold anything in. I've drank a whole bottle of Pepto and it still won't stop."

OMG! Really!

I think I did the fastest pee in the history of peeing. Then scrubbed my hands when I washed them, and dumped my whole bottle of hand sanitizer on them too.

We hadn't even gotten a cart yet and it was already beginning.

We raced through getting dog food, those girly things, and were making our way back to Electronics when we heard someone yelling.

We thought it was some customer yelling at their kid, spouse, boyfriend, whoever... right?

No. This was a Wal-Mart employee yelling, no SCREAMING at/for another employee. She was at one end of Electronics and from what we can assume, he was in the photo department.

This is what we hear, along with the rest of the store that has stopped to stare.

JOHN! JOHN! JOHN! WHERE ARE YOU, JOHN?- from female employee.

A red faced John appears around the corner.

Female employee, still screaming- I'VE BEEN CALLING FOR YOU FOR 10 FREAKING MINUTES. JESUS CHRIST!

Then she literally throws the phone at him.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here before she throws something at all of us too." My husband said.

On the way to the grocery side, we almost get run over by an employee pushing a dolly full of boxes. No apology, they just kept on going.

In another aisle, I can't get to the food I need because the shelf is being stocked and the employee will done in a minute. 5 minutes later, I'm still waiting.

Never mind, I'll just go to the grocery store to get that I say to the employee.

Okay was the reply.

Finally, we are done, except standing in line. I stand in line while my husband gets the truck and waits out front for me.

As I'm standing there looking at all the tabloids and trying to decide which one to buy. Do I want Poor Kendra and her divorce or Valerie Bertinelli's wedding.
I'm going for Kendra when I overhear the lady behind me on her phone. At first I think she is talking to me since she is wearing one of those little bluetooth devices.

"What else cures diaherra?"

I jump. It's the diaherra lady. I look down. Different shoes. This lady has on those UGG boots.

Another diaherra person?!

I was about to tell her buttermilk. It was what my mom made me drink when I got it, nasty but it took care of business.
Thank goodness I noticed the little blue light blinking in her ear. I went back to studying the other tabloids.

"It started a few days ago. I've still been going to work though"

I'll save you the details of the rest of the conversation. She went into great detail about her diaherra.

People if you don't want others hearing your conversations, don't talk LOUD, or come up with a secret word. In this house we call diaherra, The Skittles.

Finally, it is my turn to check out. I've lined up all my stuff. Cleaning supplies up front, cold stuff all together, bread and chips. So I won't find lysol in with my apples.

Checking out can be an experience in its self. Either you get the checker who ignores you completely. Or you get the one who has to make a comment about every single one of your purchases.

I got the one who liked to comment on my purchases and fondle them as well.

She asked about all of my purchases. Told me I could get my lysol cheaper at Dollar General. Where did I find the apples that come in the Toy Store bag.
One of the sandwiches I bought looked like it didn't have much meat. The list goes on and on.

I was glad when I got my total, could swipe my card and leave diaherra lady behind.

Do you have a Wal-Mart horror story? Feel free to share it on your blog or tell me about it in the comments.

Today is Delurking Day 2011. I love comments. And I appreciate all of you who take the time to read my blog.
You don't have to leave a long comment. A smiley face works, or even a hi.




**I know not all Wal-Marts are this bad. There are some that I like. Just not this one.**


                           

Incoming!!

Some of you might remember the giveaway I did awhile back. Well, the good people over at CSN stores have chosen me as a preferred blogger/webmaster. YAY! If you haven't already checked them out, you should. They have over 200 stores with a variety of items.
From kids bedding, kitchen stuff, you can even get a  bathroom vanity. So if you need to remodel your bathroom, check them out to get your bathroom vanity.
This time I'm going to do a review for them. Just in time for my daughter's 14th birthday.
So be watching this spot for my upcoming review.

GIVEAWAY MONDAY!!!!

CONTEST HAS NOW ENDED. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE MORNING.
Thanks to all of you who entered. I appreciate all of you making this a success. I will be having more giveways in the future! I was recently contacted about doing a giveaway on my site. Let me tell you, I had so much fun looking around their site. They have over 200 different stores for you to choose from. From cookware to kids bedding .
Both of my daughters are wanting to redo their bedrooms. They found the perfect bedding for their rooms.
My oldest loved this style. Black and white Kathy Ireland comforter
And my youngest really wants this one: Dragonfly bedding

If you have boys, they have a large selection of sport team bedding, even college teams are on there.

The giveaway from http://www.allchildrensfurniture.com/ is this:





This is the X Rocker Standard Blue Shiny Bean Bag Chair.

I loved my bean bag chair as a kid. They are great from little kids to teens to relax in while watching tv or playing a video game.

To enter all you need to do is visit http://www.allchildrensfurniture.com/ and tell me what your favorite item is.
For extra entries you can follow this blog and follow me on twitter.

Just make sure you do a separate comment for each thing you do.
One for your favorite item, another for following the blog and another for being a twitter follower. So 3 comments total.

I'll announce the winner on Friday. So go out and tell all your friends. :)

It's sooo cold even the ice is complaining

I guess this will go down in the history books. The coldest winter in 20 something years. Now I have something to tell my grandkids. And talk about when I get old.

We had to go to the grocery store tonight or the one stop called WalMart. I hadn't done a good grocery run since Christmas.So we were out of everything, dog food, bread, eggs, and all the good food. You know, the frozen pizza, yummy snack cakes, and chips. My girls are eating me out of house and home. I swear teen boys have nothing teen girls. They can eat!!

WalMart was dead. I have never seen a WalMart quiet. Hardly anyone was there. Just a few people here and there. And dumb teenager running around the place like it was Worlds of Fun. It was actually kind of nice. No having to maneuver around tons of people. You could tell there had been a run on some staples but they still had plenty of stuff.

Does the weather make anyone else get sensitive? I have just been such a crybaby the past couple of weeks. Everything just makes me tear up, get upset.
I'm thinking it is the cabin fever and all the bad weather. How do the people up north do it?

Plus my kids are driving me INSANE. It's like they are possessed little heathens running around in my kids bodies. Have they been taken over by the pod people.
Don't they know I need peace and quiet to watch all the new reality shows? The Real Housewives of OC came back tonight, Celeb Rehab, One Big Family... too many shows, too little time, and 2 girls that won't stop fighting for me to hear what nasty thing Tamra is saying about Gretchen or is she fighting with Vicki now? See... I missed it all while trying to get my daughters to stop arguing.

Freebie Friday!

I love freebies or getting something for a MAJOR discount. I've always been amazed by the ladies that can go to the grocery store and spend $20 and come out with 2 carts full just by using coupons and discounts. I try and try to do this and always fail. I'm still trying though.

On one of our local news channels they have a reporter doing daily deals. See her blog here. http://dionsdailydeal.wordpress.com/

On tax day she was posting all the free food around town. So many bargains. and FREE food. I signed up for all of our favorite restaurants email lists and got these great bargains.

Houlihan's: http://www.houlihans.com/EmailClub.aspx- Sign up and get a free coupon for an appetizer and free entree on your birthday. I got a package in the mail from them with recipes for some of their dishes and a coupon for a BOGO entree. Their food is really good too. Love their Tuscan Summer Salad.

Mimi's Cafe: http://www.mimiscafe.com/- Sign up for their e-club and get a coupon for a free Breakfast entree.

Boston Market: I got a coupon for a BOGO crispy country chicken item.

Fazoli's :http://fazolis.com - Coupon for $2 off a $5 order.

Arby's : Free roasted chicken club sandwich with purchase of any soft drink and fries.

I emailed Chili's once about a great server we had and they sent me 2 $10 gift certificates for dinner.

Price Chopper has a kids club. Sign up your child and get coupons and your child gets entered into raffles to win things like a new bike and helmet.

Do you know of any other restaurants that offer coupons when you sign up on their email list? Or any other good freebie sites?

What grocery stores do you know that double or triple coupons? I know K-Mart is going to have a double coupon day soon. Plus sign up on their site and get 2 $5 coupons. Same with Sears. And both have layaway!

What bargain shopping tips do you have?

Country girl turned city diva

I was born and raised in the country. We had land, lots and lots of land. Cable didn't make it out to our little corner of the world until I was in my teens. And then it didn't have MTV! The guy who started the little country bumpkin cable company didn't want "that filth".
We had horses, at least 7 at most times. Dogs, 23 (that was my dad's hunting dogs inlcuded in the mix), barn cats, and ducks. I grew up fishing, riding in rodeos, and generally being a tomboy.
I was a bona fide country girl, except I went to a prep school.

Then I moved out of Mississippi and went to the city. Yes, complete country mouse goes to the city. Except this little country mouse found out that she LOVED the city.

I love living in the suburbs. I love being close to shopping malls, my many coffee shops, and not having to drive 30 miles to get to a grocery store.
We go home about twice a year and my family is horrified that I have turned my back on my country roots. I no longer own a pair of cowboy boots, have jeans that have Wrangler stamped across the butt. And horror of all horrors I shop at health food stores!!

My husband, the Yankee turned Kansas transplant, is still a country boy. His friends are constantly asking us to go fishing, camping and go on float trips with them. Ummm.. Can we get a cabin to go camping. Ya know, one with air conditioning, running water in the cabin and maybe a Wi-Fi connection?
A float trip? No... Floating means being in water that is not in a pool, water that has snakes in it. Snakes mean a possible encounter with those spawns of the devil. The quickest way too see my admitted to the mental hospital is to put me in contact with a snake. I am getting the shakes just typing about them. I can't even look at pictures of them without having a fit, what makes you think I am going to react any better when I see one in person. Well, person to demon spawn!

The great outdoors. How about the great outdoor shopping mall!