Tales of a SuperStar

So a few days ago SuperStar was in a spelling bee at school. Apparently they take some little test/class assignment thing and after grading it pick the top 5 kids from each 4th & 5th grade class and then have a spelling bee with those 25 kids. The winner and 1st runner up go to the county finals. SuperStar was so into this that we even rented Akeelah and The Bee . Not our first time watching - if you haven't seen it then rent it. Good family movie. Uplifting - you cry and all. Anyway, she gets 2nd runner up out of all 25 kids - pretty darn good girlie!! The winner was another one of our GS at school - MissBB. Pretty darn good girlies!!

This is not the story I want to tell though - just kinda told that to show off and point out that SuperStar is generally a pretty smart cookie (pun intended because it is Girl Scout COOKIE TIME!! If you haven't bought any - then do!!).

So...........Tuesday night she and I ventured out to do door to door cookies sales - AGAIN. It was very cold - AGAIN. We were literally freezing as it was 3 degrees with a nice breeze - ACK! Most people were very sweet. Unfortunately this was a longer established neighborhood and there were apparently lots of Florida Snow Birds living there. We went door to door to door - lights were on, but no one was home. Then you hit a door with the Friendliest woman - and I mean talk your ear off friendly (which we don't mind at all because the time inside thaws out our brains) and she points out ALL the houses NOT to go to because the people are in Florida (but don't tell anyone because that would compromise the safety of the house - apparently SuperStar and I do not come across as casing the joint kinda girls) - unfortunately we have already visited EVERYONE OF THOSE HOUSES!! Sheesh. Sigh. Anyhoo - we hit probably 40 houses? 1/3 bought small amounts - 1/3 were in Florida - 1/3 bought at work. We finish up having sold 16 boxes that night. Not a good night. We head home and I mention to SuperStar that she should probably put in longer hours the first week next year to get the "at work buyers" before they buy at work.

Once home we are telling BigGuy all about the sales. SuperStar is explaining that 1/3 of the people said they bought at work. BigGuy starts to say, "You know what that means........." (and his intent is to point out doing longer hours the first week) and SuperStar cuts him off and says, "Yeah Dad, you should work harder selling cookies to people at your work."

She is utterly serious. He is speachless. I am giggling. And Cookie Sales continue.

Spidey Batman Race

For the fun - thought we would bring you to the race.

Speed Racer

What do you do on Friday Nights? Well.....if you are in our family most likely you are doing SOMETHING Scouty. Girl Scouts - Boy Scouts - whatever, it is most likely a Scout night. And a recent Friday was no different.

Spidey had his First Ever Pinewood Derby! Was he excited - kinda. Did he work hard on his derby car? - kinda. Was BigGuy excited - totally! Did he work hard on his derby car? - Totally! It was very cute to watch. BigGuy stood back kinda like nothing big was going on. Spidey was right out in front looking confused like he had no idea what was going on. Then as soon as he realized his car won - because the first race was pretty close - he got all excited and ran back to his place totally forgetting his car. I looked up at BigGuy, who was playing it all cool, and asked him if he was happy. He kinda grinned like it was no big deal and said, "Uh Yeah! Next year I am going to have my own car in the race."

Apparently they never grow up.

OHMYGOODNESS!!

So the last post is from the 20th and today is the 26th. That isn't so bad - really - if you think about it. Just 6 days since I had time to write something. Only - NOT!!! I think it was somewhere around the 9th or so that I preset all those posts, with the exception of Greta's post - which I did the day she passed, but had come up a few days later into the mix. It has been so busy here that I only have time for facebook - because that is simple - I work (I actually have a lot of my volunteer work on the computer - PTO treasurer stuff, emails to charity places, GS info and newsletter stuff, things for BigGuy) on the computer and emails pop up from facebook - I answer those and then back out. Easy to keep up with people and spend very minimal time. I have gotten past the facebook phase of "looking" at EVERYTHING everyone posts. I am now a scanner and a voyeur. Anyway, this is not about facebook so quit distracting me with that stuff. I was talking about......

OHMYGOODNESS!!! Where did the last 20 days go? Seriously!!!

Girl Scout Cookie sales - are we doing them? Yup, almost everyday. Where are we in numbers? About 500 sold. Most of these are door to door. Are we cold? Damn straight we are cold - it is flipping 4 degrees and snowing most nights. The nights we haven't gone out - 20 degrees. Why? Because that is the way the cookie crumbles - pun totally intended. Are you helping us by buying some? Yes, most of you are - and I THANK YOU! Especially my friend, Mindy C., who has her own blog (click here for her funny witisisms - and so you know I don't care if that word is made up or spelt wrong - keep it to yourself)- her family bought 16 boxes!! Beat that the rest of you. Yes, call, up your order to be higher then hers! Even the millionaire guy down the street only purchased 11 boxes.

What else is going on? Ahhhh.....painting all the main floor......playing with the King (Babers) to make him happy and not scream - even though he now has a bestest friend that he loves........making Pinewood Derby cars - blog about that to come later - and mundane things like feeding the family, cleaning their clothes, not killing any of them.....and then there is the CONSTANT snow (which I love) that has gotten everyone around to the point of not shoveling. You know - at first I felt kinda bad if our front walk wasn't shoveled should someone need to walk to the door. Now - well, screw shoveling snow all the time - no one else is doing it so why should I care if they have to snow cover their shoes to get to my door.

Oh, and by the way - we now have a new visitor policy - Please remove your Snow Covered Shoes as you enter our home. Thanks!!

Enough catching up for now. The King is screaming and the Olders will be home soon. Gotta pre-post some blogs so you all will be (not anymore) tricked by them popping up for your reading pleasure and my own venting release. You know - I am not even going to spell check this..........Talk about living on the fly.....

I have never had a Guilty Pleasure

I have never had a Guilty Pleasure........until now - and even then I wasn't aware that it was a guilty pleasure until I realized that what I was enjoying others were fibbing about enjoying.



The whole thing started very innocently. One friend is a vampire book freak and she mentioned that the books she read were coming out as a movie - but that the books weren't that great so she wouldn't be going (however, she had read all 4 books). Not being a vampire book addict the info went in one ear and out the other. Then I noticed that several of the pre-teens were reading the books backstage during the musical SuperStar was in. Then my nieces came during xmas break - they had the lead guy from the movie in as a cover face on their phone. Then I noticed the few young girls who are my friends on facebook were leaving notes about how great the movie was. Then I mentioned all this while at coffee with a few friends when we were talking about books. One friend had the first two books in the series. Not wanting to buy them I asked to borrow. She agreed and dropped them off the next day. So I began reading them. Within a day I had the first book done. Easy read - written for teens (no offence to any teens reading, but lets be honest - a vampire boysfriend? Not the stuff classics are based on). I even thought to myself how goofy this was and that the next one would have to be better - and I DID WANT TO READ THE NEXT ONE - although I couldn't figure out why - perhaps a magical spell is cast upon those books and you are forced to read them even if you don't want to.........I mean, if you believe in the possibility of the story plot a book having a magical spell that compels you to read it Could Be Possible. And since the book was there AND was free - I started it. Two days later I was done with it.

Now I was looking at the dilemma of where to find the other two. My original friend who read them didn't own them and didn't admit to reading the next two - the person who borrowed them to me didn't own them and since she is really smart I assumed she didn't allow herself to buy more (which made me wonder if I shoul)- another friend I mentioned reading them to made me feel silly because they were silly books - so I offered to lend the first two to her in hopes the magical spell would hook her and she wouldn't be able to judge me (not that she was). I was beginning to realize that my interest in these books was not completely acceptable - these were books based on a love affair between a teenage girl, her vampire boyfriend and her werewolf friend. Secrecy was probably in my best interest. I did first look at the library, but my concern of being "outed" by the librarian held me back from requesting to put one on hold - and honestly I just wanted to read them, so putting them on hold wasn't what I wanted to do. So I bought it from a legit bookstore, but I will also admit to pretending the third one was for my neice. The fourth one I just bought outright and bold. Thinking about it before I bought the last two I counceled myself with the thought that they are basically a Disney movie put in book form. Girl can't take care of herself, falls hopelessly in love, he is supernatural, he keeps saving her, she has a friend who is an animal that talks to her...........although they are also in love, which makes it a bit more adult. So why would I want to read them?

Now, I will admit that reading it reminded me of what it feels like to be hopelessly in love and fantasizing about someone - which made me look at Dave with sparkly eyes again (we all still have that silly first love feeling inside I guess). Too bad he had the stomach flu. The only thing that I could think to make myself feel better - was that the person who turned me onto these books is also an educator at the college level and I admire her. However, when I offered her the books I had purchased - she was not quick to take me up on my offer - perhaps she had seen the light, realized how utterly ridiculous these books were and chose not to read the final two - turns out, she only hesitated to make sure that I understood the "conditions" in which she would read the last two in the series - I had to PROMISE not to tell anyone how much she really wanted to. Happily I agreed - but what she doesn't know is that I did it so if anyone ever teases me about this Guilty Pleasure - I can point to her and say "she read them too".

We Love You Greta

This week one of our favorite friends passed away. Greta was our neighbor in STL. She lived with Nona and Popo and always came to the fence to greet us. If we came to the door she was patient, but made certain we used a hand to pet her. When we added our own furry canine family member (Jakey) she became his Big Sister and tolerated his morning visits. Jake figured out how to nose through the loose picket in the fence. Greta has a giant doggie door and she always found patience with Jake as he learned that he could easily crash Greta's breakfast time. They would run together in the back yard and play - Greta probably more out of tolerance of Jake. It wasn't rare though to see them sitting near one another - so it was obvious that Greta and Jake had a close friendship. When we moved Jake missed her. There were no dogs nearby to hang with and when he met a dog while walking they never appreciated his over active friendliness the way Greta did. Jake will miss Greta. We will miss Greta too - and our heart goes out to her family - because at this time I am sure they miss her most of all.

We Love You Greta

It Is Cookie Time!!!

Yesterday Was the Official Door To Door sales kick off for Girl Scout Cookies here in Central Illinois. Well, maybe all of IL, but we only really have to worry about what our counsel here in our area wants us to do. So yesterday was the day. And we didn't do any selling......Yikes! Why? Because it was 3 degrees outside - and.....because SuperStar is 200 boxes into her sales already - just through calling family, her Aunt, Household Exec., helping by seling in Columbia, MO, Gramma R helping a bit by selling to her Weight Watcher friends (isn't that a kick?) - and a few people in the area placing orders through computer sales (which is allowed). However, she has not begun to tap her resource of people - which is good because this year her goal is twice her last year goal. She has from now until Feb. 1st to complete her goal.

1,000 boxes.

Personally, I am thinking she can probably get it done. Hungry for some cookies? Wanna help her make her goal? Just let us know - we will be happy to help you endulge in your need for GS Cookies - you know they are only available one time per year!!