my love / hate of womanship.

Top 10 awesome perks of being female

1.  you get to say super cute whenever you want without sounding ridiculous.

2.  Shopping is a lifestyle.

3.  SEPHORA!   make up is my medicine... this shop makes my heart sing.

4. You can always get out of the hard labor jobs pulling the damsel in distress bit and why not honestly, men have no problem pretending cleaning is a foreign word.

5.  spas.  massages.  all the luxury things as a woman you are expected to do on the regular. 

6.  the natural ability to multi task. 

7.  Dresses.

8.  Girls nights full of chatter and sillyness. and party planning madness.

9.  Free drinks. 

10.  No one ever expects you to be able to fix things around the house or with the car so you can simply get out of it by saying "i dont know anything about that, can you do it for me?"  -- however, if you do know how to do it you just end up looking even more amazing because not only can you do all the super awesome woman things + + +



a few reason i get just a little jealous of males:

1.  camping would be SO MUCH EASIER if we could pee standing too!  i dont think guys really have any idea how very little aim we have.  its such a mess and it makes camping and the like so difficult, its not just about the lack of showering boys..  its the lack of showering with pee stained legs for days on end.. the fear of tipping over into your pee cos you had a few too many beers and its not easy to remain stable while you're trying to wipe.... the shuffling around for tp in the middle of the night...

2.  guys get to burp and fart and be disgusting with out looking unattractive and rude.

3. and mostly because they have more control over their emotions... they dont seem to be ruled by feelings all the time and crying doesnt just happen cos a baby bird fell from its nest...

  i guess someone's gotta keep puff's in business.

and thats gotta be it cos mostly, women are the superior gender, right?!!

Summer Flowers I will plant again!

Back on my gardening / planting kick this summer.. picked a variety of plants and flowers to see what works out best so eventually my flower beds will be the talk of the town :)

The flower above is Convolvulus which was listed on the tag that came with the flower however upon researching through wikipedia would be known as Convolvulus tricolor - Dwarf Morning Glory.
I love the bright colors in this flower!  This is the only flower that has bloomed in this particular plant so far and i am really looking forward to see more!

According to the information this is a perennial which is good to plant in pots or at the gardens edge.  (i have it planted in a pot)  You should plant in sun or part sun and it will grow to be 6 - 8" tall.

This beautiful pink flower is a zinnia, the type i have is considered a profusion mix, here is what wikipedia has to say about them: "The Profusion series, with both single and double-flowered components, is bred by Sakata of Japan, and is among the most well-known of this hybrid group. Zinnias seem especially favored by butterflies, and many gardeners add zinnias specifically to attract them"  Zinnias flourish in full sun and will grow 10 - 12" tall.

This fantastic bright yellow beauty is a snapdragon (also known as Antirrhinum) the mix i chose is called freesong which will produce pink, white, yellow and red flowers.

wikipedia says "Snapdragons are perennial plants often sold as cold-season annual plants and do best in full or partial sun. They are available in a range of heights:"  mine says plant in sun or part sun and they will grow 14 - 18" tall.  

this lovely flower is called a Eustoma Lisianthus and the variety i have is Florida Blue.  wikipedia says this "
Eustoma is a genus of 3 species in the family Gentianaceae, found in warm regions of the Southern United States, Mexico, Caribbean and northern South America. They are mostly found growing in grassland and areas of disturbed ground.
They are herbaceous annuals, growing to 15 – 60 cm tall, with bluish green, slightly succulent leaves, and large funnel shaped flowers growing on long straight stems."

mine says grow in full to part sun and they will reach 8 - 10" tall.  I love the bright purple/blue color of this flower and it has very unique leaves.

This lovely purple-ish / red flower is called a cosmos.  i really like the leaves surrounding it, and it seems to bloom really well.  the flowers are big and bright and the contrast with the light green leaves is really beautiful.  These are to be planted in full sun and can grow up to 24" tall!

Such a delicate yellow flower is called MiniFamous™ Double Lemon Calibrachoa -  I actually bought these from a person selling them at his home.  he would get them from an amish farmer and i only paid $1 per plant!  Unfortunately i only bought 2 and wished i had purchased several more! These flowers trail out of the pot and would work great for hanging baskets.  They are very easy to grow!  the tag i have says this:  Best in fertile, well drained soil, water as needed to keep soil evenly moist.  trailing 40", height, 4".  i highly recommend these.. very lovely!

I dont know very much about this plant except that i got it at bachman's and its called Ornamental Oregano.  It's so beautiful and works well in a container with other flowers.  It's a perennial and will come back over and over again so im looking forward to seeing if it works next year!

My lovely Spearmint plant!  I adore these plants, they smell amazing and the leaves are such a bright green.  Mint is good in full sun and fairly easy to grow.  they can get about 24" tall! 

these tiny little blue flowers are absolutely darling!  They are called Forget Me Not's or Myosotis.  

And Wikipedia says this "Forget-me-nots may be annual or perennial plants. Their root systems are generally diffuse. Their seeds are found in small, tulip-shaped pods along the stem to the flower. The pods attach to clothing when brushed against and eventually fall off, leaving the small seed within the pod to germinate elsewhere. Seeds can be collected by putting a piece of paper under the stems and shaking them. The seed pods and some seeds will fall out."  --- i think i'll try shaking the stems and collecting some seeds for next year!  i absolutely adore these dainty little flowers!

 

 and these are wave petunia's ... love love love!  they come in so many different colors and are the easiest thing to grow. 

a few tricks for the summer...

i received a couple forwards with some good information i wanted to share, i dont know if this stuff works but its worth a shot to find out! 

Ticks -   to get rid of a tick thats sunk itself into you
 
"Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball.  Cover the tick
with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few
seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be
stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.   This
technique has worked every time I've used it (and that
was frequently, and it's much less traumatic for the
patient and easier for me.." --- information received from a pediatrician.

another is to rid of mosquito's

"I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, I don't leave home without it."

I am definitely going to try these tips out and I'll comment on how it works!  if  you beat me to it let me know what you thought, id love to hear some feedback! 

people can be so judging.

i read a book recently about change, accepting it, learning how to live with the new life you have after it... how you dont realize while going thru the hardship of an end / beginning, looking back you will find those are the times you learned the biggest lessons.



I've gone through boat loads of change in the past couple years.. many hard lessons to learn and obstacles to overcome. sometimes it feels like punishment and i can become so angry thinking... why me??  --- as i suppose we all think at times.  but more so than just the tough issues at hand i find myself frustrated with the judgement. 


we all have struggles.  we all go through moments of shame we wish no one would ever know about.  we all have those times when we feel so small and vulnerable that all it takes is a feeling of disapproval and you could crumble into thousands of pieces.... or is that just me?  the more i think about it.. how often is it that you actually hear the raw truth.  the REAL.  HARSH.  NO BULLSHIT feelings and thoughts a person goes through at their worst.. and when you do... how many people in that persons day to day life have any idea? 

that lady at the coffee shop who didnt look up and pushed by you.. the one who couldnt smile and looked lost and you felt frustrated and thought "how rude"... i wonder what her suffering is?  maybe she's having a bad day.. maybe she just lost her father? 

the guy at your office who's always being too polite.. almost annoying like. saying hi every morning.  always having a great day. asking about your weekend, your kids.. often you think.. mind your bloody business would you?!  maybe he goes home to an apartment alone and has no one to talk to until he comes to work the next day.. maybe his wife and children just left him... you'd never know would you... but i bet its easy to judge him and think, why is he so happy all the time?  what's there to be happy about every morning at work?

i have struggled for years with the lack of sympathy, empathy, compassion in this world.  its so much easier to step on another to climb up that ladder to the top, right.  why develop concern for a stranger and put thought into their needs when we've all got our own struggles.... they'll figure it out. 

it's far too easy to judge.. natural i think.  so harsh. so cold.  so unnecessary. but yet we all fall into the trap of assuming whatever makes it easiest to believe of a person.. just at simple glance, a small glimpse of a tiny detail of a persons life that probably means nothing anyway. but judge away...

oh look at how perfect she is, i bet she never has a bad day in her whole life.   well at least that lady is fatter then i am.. no need to feel so bad then.  i bet that guy has loads of money, must be nice not to have to stress about anything just buying anything you want all the time....

i dont know what i really expect to come of writing about this.. if nothing else maybe just evoke some type of thought and prevent even just one person from being so harsh  the next time around..

often we have no real idea of the path others live..

why not be that person who...

smiles at strangers.

buys the next guy's coffee.

holds the door open.

helps the neighbor with their groceries.

compliments the cashier on her hair..

may not seem like much but what's it gonna hurt?









 

i recently watched the

extreme home makeover show that was about a family who had lost their daughter because she was texting and driving.  it was sad, well and happy as they all are.  this family was really trying to make a difference and reach out to others by using themselves and their experience as an example.  must be really hard to continue everyday to force an issue and at the same time not be able to forget about your loss as its right in your face all the time...

so anyway.. after watching this very touching show and thinking / feeling just sick to my stomach about this family and the negative affects driving while distracted can do to a person / family... i go to the website and read about what happened to the girl and there is a pledge you can take.  the family has set up a page where you take a pledge to never text and drive... i wanted to do it... i felt like it was the right thing to do it!  who would ever know if i sent one little text here and there after signing the pledge???  --- ME!  i simply cannot live with myself saying that to the world and then the very next day sending a text while driving.. i mean does this include not being able to send a text while at a stop light???   ---  what is the matter with me?!!?  why cant i simply just sign the pledge and wait 10 minutes or whatever it is to respond.. honestly, i doubt anything i have to text someone is that important it cant wait. 

i am wide awake at 12:38a thinking about this because i know it doesnt make sense.  i know better.. ive been texting and looked up from my phone and had to swerve back in my lane.. ive said.. oooh that was close more times than i wish to admit.  --- i defo have cut down and generally only text when im stopped for a light but still, is it that difficult?  apparently i need to address this with my therapist.. adding it to the list.

AWESOME Pork Chop Recipe!

I made these tonight and they were delish! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter crackers (i used ritz) 
• garlic salt 1/2 tsp 
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs, beaten 
• 4 pork chops 
• 1/3 cup butter 

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 375  
2. in a bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper, mix well.  in separate bowl beat eggs. 
3. dip pork chops in eggs, then in crackers and place in casserole dish.  place chunks of butter around the pork chops.  cover and bake for 45 minutes.  

zodiac changing bit.

apparently... if you have facebook atleast you will have already noticed the full upheaval which i orginally partook in myself until i decided there HAD to be more too this! 

anyway, theres a story on msnbc: 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41047777

which is stating the zodiac has changed and when you look at it basically 80% of ppl appear to have been bumped to a different sign.

then you find story's like this on CNN:  

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/13/no-your-zodiac-sign-hasnt-changed/

a whole lotta something about nothing!!!

this kinda stuff drives me nuts!!  another way the media puts things in away that those who read only a small part of a story and start getting all wound up before really researching around to see that its not such a big deal.  besides, i dont care what an article says about my sign changing from a Taurus to and Aries... there is no way i fit the Aries profile.... carry on. 

New year... New attempt at becoming a successful blogger!

Happy New Year all!

I'm hopeful this year will be full of change and growth and success for me and those i hold close.  This past year was a bit chaotic for me full of so many changes... i felt stuck in the mud... in the dark woods, without a clear map and no one who could really tell me how to get out of it the way i needed to.... this year I am determined to get out of those woods and make a change that will fulfill me and make me feel at peace with myself.

Wishing for this to be the best year yet to you and yours.. and myself of course!  Happy 2011!!