Black Friday Freebie!!!

It's Black Friday!!!

*shrug* I'm going out to breakfast with a long lost friend. NO shopping for me, yo.

Did you go out? Did you score? Tell me stories - I need to live vicariously.

There's still a Freebie to be had here at Sacred & Profane. Only, uh, it's not *here*, per se. No. My friend Jen is kindly hosting an awesome post-Thanksgiving Freebie.

She has NINE kids. Nine. En-eye-en-eee.

I bow down to her.

Go give her some love and see what she's giving away!

Thanks, Jen!!

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P.S. Don't forget to make the recipes and vote in the Iron Chef challenge this month!

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P.P.S. Mega Congrats to my friend Kameron who gave birth to her baby girl, Arielle, this week!! Go wish her luck!

Verbs.

Give. To offer. Proffer. Grant. Bestow. Put. Accord. Yield. Present. Provide. Propose. Set. Designate. Apply.

I offer you my thanks. I am thankful for you. I present you with my gratitude. I designate this day to be the day I bestow my thanks upon you.

You. The collective you. All of you.

Thanks for being you, you.

*~~~~~~~~~~*

Speaking of Giving and Verbs....

Are you ready?

*~~~~~~~~~~~*

Hey? Last year? I posted a very funny - but irreverent - cartoon. Feel free to go check it out for a laugh.

*~~~~~~~~~~~*

Gobble, Gobble, yo.

Bloody Sunday and Black Friday

Neither of those sound great, do that? Bloody Sunday? Oy. Black Friday? Is the plague involved? Kind of. But I digress.

How's your Christmas shopping going? Do you plan on heading out on Black Friday for some mega door busting sales?!?! Are you pulling in the reigns on the shopping? Or are you one of those dreaded, uber-organized people that is already done buying for the year?? Fess up. I won't hate you for too long.

I generally go out on Black Friday. I adore it. I know, I'm crazy. You didn't know that already? C'mon now! This year I'm not going out. *le sigh*

Nothing that I need for the kids' Christmas gifts are going to be on sale on Black Friday. Nah, I stayed home and shopped online for some of them, already. I got Cara a...well, you'll just have to wait until I get it all put together but my girl Cyndi did some shopping for me to help make it work. Muchas grassy-ass, Cyndi!

I just ordered up Corban's from a a place that has online toys and I can't WAIT to see his face. He is going to be so excited!! I had such a hard time trying to figure out what I wanted to get him, but the toy we picked out is *definitely* something that he'll adore. I mean, it involves TRAINS and he is all about the trains. Thomas, Geo Trac, it doesn't matter. And this toy even combines trains with something else he adores!

I will hafta let you know if he loves it as much as I think he will. If he does? Then I'll be giving away a toy from the same place that sells online toys for you to snag for your little train lover!

Stay tuned and happy Christmas shopping!

Oh! Hey? If you haven't finished shopping and you and your kids are into educational type stuff like us? Check this out:

Also, I just wanted to let you know, and you can also let your readers know about a promotion going on for The Young Scientists club kits . For a limited time, the promo code YSC20 can be used to take an additional 20% off the final price on our site!

Sweet deal, dude!

Peace out.

Friday Freebie!!!

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday dear.... you...Happy Birthday to you!!!

The person that is guest hosting today is having a ginormous birthday this week!!! WHat FUN! And instead of asking you all to give her gifts she's gonna give something away. Isn't that sweet? So do me a favor? Go over and just tell her Happy Birthday, ok? She's had a rough go of it lately and she could use some love. So, if for no other reason than to just lift up someone who needs some love, go tell her hello.

Why are you still here?!?!

Oh, yeah, a link....sure...I'll get right on that...Click below...



Happy Friday, Yo!

Do you have the time...

...to listen to me whine? About nothing and everything all at once? I am one of those, melodramatic fools, Neurotic to the bone no doubt about it. Sometimes I give myself the creeps. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. It all keeps adding up...I think I'm cracking up! Am I just paranoid? Or am I disturbed?!


Yeah. Today was one of those days. You know the ones, right? The ones where you wonder if it's child abuse to toss your 3 year old out the window into two feet of snow just to get him to quit whining, screaming and picking on the baby??!! Right. Or one of those days where the baby (who is nealy 18 months now, thankyouverymuch) won't stop clinging to you and whining? Or your 10 year old needs you to drop everything and bring her benadryl to school? Or the kids your're babysitting - all of their parents are running late and you end up feeding 4 extra kids at dinner?!?!

It's like you're standing up against the wall and they're all playing dodgeball. They all just start PELTING you with balls while you try and dodge them. You move left and you go right but everywhere you go its WHAM WHAM WHAM you're hit...Echo! Tango! Charlie! Bravo! For the love of GOD get me out of this WAR ZONE! It's brutal down here!!!!

ARGH!!!! And you fight...tooth and nail (alone, I might add because your gorgeous husband has a meeting tonight) to get them all into bed. Not only into bed but alseep.

The following phrases/words leave your mouth: the words "Are you serious?!?! Were you NOT thinking?!?" (When the 10 year old threw something down the stairs, knocking pictures off the wall and breaking them. Hello?!?! Brain to 10 year old, not a great idea!) The words, "Forget it I'll just do it myself! How hard is it to read ONE WORD?!" while asking the 8 year ld to grab a book off the shelf that has a one word title (Hello? brain to 8 year old...Engage.) The words, "I am going to hurl you out a window if you do NOT stop body slamming your brother!!!" (Brain to 3 year old: Abort! Abort! Abort!! Mom is reaching meltdown stage!) The words "Oh for the love of all things holy SHUT UP!!!" to all four kids (Brain to 17 month old: What? I only speak Klingon. I can not communicate in this manner. I recommend a translator, and soon.)

*scream* Is?! This?! Day?! Over?! YET?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Holy Key-RAP!

Send re-enforcements (and a helmet!) {And alcohol!!!} ASAP!! SOS!!

Peace out.

Shameless Glee or Gleeful Shame?

It's no secret that I'm a TV junkie. What? Don't believe me? Take a gander at the TV schedule I have made and taped to my desk:



See that? Organization. That way I don't forget what comes on, when. I don't watch them live - I watch them online, so it's important to know when they aired so I know when they'll be available, capiche?

You'll notice that Thursday is booked solid? Yeah - that day gets me through the ENTIRE week, pretty much. Shall we talk TV for a minute? Yes, we shall.

Mondays: Trauma and Castle.

Trauma is a recent addition for me, but I'm all caught up now. My friend Stacy was all "Ohhh, you're not watching Trauma?! You need to be watching Trauma! Blah Blah Blah" *smooch* So, I started watching. It's a good medical drama that is different than the typical one that's been out lately. It is a little more Third Watch and less ER, yk? Good show.

Castle is my date night show. I'm behind on this one because it is mandatory that Rob and I watch it together and we got a little caught up in Life On Mars so we have some catching up to do.

Tuesday is The Biggest Loser. This is our weekly family show. Who do you want to win? I really can't decide. I love makeover week though, and this was no exception. You get so used to seeing them sweaty and gross that when they get all cleane dup they *really* get cleaned up, yk? I think I'm pulling for Liz, but I can't be certain. I'm just glad Tracy is gone. *spits on ground*

Wednesday is a fun day - Glee and Cougar Town. What?? C'mon! COugar town is just a fun little show that means nothing!! It's good for a laugh.

I can't say enough about Glee. Glee is the ONLY show on my list that I watch the next day after it airs. I love this little show. I love the singing and dancing and Will Schuester. I love it all. Even the politically incorrectness of it. It is indeed delightful. SInfully delicious. It makes me happy...nay, Gleeful.

Thursday is my crazy TV day:

Project Runway - which is nearly OVER! *sob* What do you think? Althea, Carol Hannah or Irina? I bet PETA is pulling for Irina, no? HA! HA HA! Poor little CH is so darned sick! I hope she gets to show her collection!!! I am not a huge fan of Althea's stuff. I am pulling for Carol Hannah. You?

Grey's Anatomy - eh, it's a staple - what else can I say?

Private Practice - Oy. Violet. Time to pull your head out sweetheart and get some damned therapy. Sam can examine me any time. :-x

Flash Forward - sometimes I'm really into this show and other times I'm like, eh, whatever. I like the premise of it but the minutia is tedious tome for some reason.

Survivor - duh. The kids and I all watch this one together. Russel is a SLIME but I have to tell you that he's played the game the best so far. I loved Rob (remember Rob and Am-buh?) and he was just as sneaky and coniving but not quite as crass. Who's your favorite for Sole Survivor? Survivor carries over into Friday for me when I watch the Ponderosa videos to see the people who were voted out.

Friday brings some eye candy my way on White Collar. Love this show. It's fun and it's got mystery and my new TV boyfriend.

Sunday is Desperate Houewives and I'm just not as into it this season. It's losing it's flavor, to me. Although, I can't believe Carlos sent Lynette to Florida. Wonder how THAT will play out!

There ya have it. My Gleeful Shame...and my Shameless Glee about TV.

Seriously Profane Poop

I'm just wondering - when you have a whole bunch of kids at your house because you're babysitting them, what do you do when you have to go to the bathroom? I mean, not just a quick little tinkle but something that requires reading material. It's bad enough when your own kids are shoving their fingers under the door while simultaneously banging on it and asking if you're in there. (No, dear, I'm not. Go away. No one here but us chickens.) But when it's someone ELSES kids doing the same thing? Good gravy and a loaf of bread, man! You can't swear at other people's kids and threaten to lock them in the bathroom with the smell if they don't leave you alone. You have to use your sunshine voice and say, "I'll be out in just a minute!!"

Then?

Then?

When you walk out of the bathroom? And there's a crowd of people there all saying your name "heidi? heidi? HEIDI!" "Mom? Mom? Mom?" "Mama? Mama? MAMA?" "Momheidimomheidimomheidi" and you're about to freak out when you notice that SOMEONE answered the freaking door and the neighbor and his kid are standing there patiently waiting for you to exit the bathroom, as well?

Wait for it....

One of the kids says, "Ewwww....what's that SMELL? heidi did you poooooooop??!?!"

Seriously Profane, dude. Seriously.

Threshhold, a letter

Dear heidi,

You've shut yourself up in this dark place for a long while to, what? Lick your wounds? Self-medicate? Learn to deal with reality? Argue with God? Punish yourself? Who knows. All of the above, is my guess. I know that it's not been easy or without cost.

Changes have to be made. Decisions have to be decided. You are standing on the edge of a cliff waiting for someone to talk you down and you need to realize that no one is going to be able to tell you what you want to hear or has the answers you think that you need. All you can do is make some changes, accept that you'll never have some answers and move forward.

Remember your theory of evolution? You need to try to keep that in mind. Things can't always stay the same. Change or turn to fertilizer. And you can hang onto the past as much as you want but it's not going to make you a better person or help you along your journey. Sometimes it's best to neatly package up the past and leave it in the back of the closet. Take it out and look at it once in awhile, but don't carry it around with you. It's heavy. And, quite frankly, starting to stink.

God isn't to blame. People make choices. Practice what you preach. Live what you teach. Believe. Breathe. Put the cheese BACK in the fridge. And for the love of pete let GO, already. I'm crashing this pity party and declaring it last call.

Forgive yourself.

It's time.

Love,

heidi

Friday Freebie!!!!

It's Friday and there's a Freebie! Giddy-up.



What's on YOUR Christmas list this year? A little something sparkly? Maybe the chance to just go shopping for yourself without guilt? Yeah, we know. Money is tight. Getting a little sumthin-sumthin for yourself seems out of the question, doesn't it? Especially something that is obviously NOT a necessity. Out. Of. The. Question.

Well, today a sneaky little friend of mine is giving away something you might want for yourself.

Go check out her place and see what's up for grabs!




Thanks for stopping by, have a Friday!

How HGTV Showed Me What A Loser I am, A List

I used to be a HUGE fan of HGTV. Then I overdosed.

Apparently watching it all day every day will deaden you inside. Jade you. Make you cynical and bitter and covetous. Or maybe I already was all those things and I'm just using HGTV as an excuse? That's irrelevant, what IS relevant are the following things about HGTV that helped me to see what a Loser I really am:

I don't know about you, but when I try to glue some ribbon to a lampshade? It looks like a craft project on the elementary level. It's NOT something I want to showcase in my home, unless, of course, it was done by someone in elementary school. Ditto for decopage.

Trying to use branches to decorate my house does a little more "bringing the outside in" than I think is warranted in this situation. It never looks clever or creative - it just looks like something died and I forgot to throw it out.

The word fabulous. Get a thesaurus. The end.

Where do these people put everything? I mean - we have STUFF, don't you? So when they get their rooms made over the designers are all, "Oh there is a ton of storage here!" Uh..where? Huh? In that tiny end table? In the bookshelf with EXPOSED shelves? Where do I stash my piles of crap at? Baskets are great but they are FAILING me right now, what with them overflowing. I tried, I did, baskets and totes seemed like a *fabulous* (Ha!) idea at first. But now I know better. The more places there are for people (Rob) to put crap, the more crap will get put there.

I have a crush on David Bromstad. Why does this make me a loser? He's gay and I'm married.

I'm an American and, apparently, all the good stuff is in Canada. Notice that? Good real estate? Canada. Great design concepts? Canada. Damn Canadians. *wink*

When people look for houses to buy they're always going on and on about how such and such area would be great for entertaining and "Can't you see us entertaining out here?". Uh...what kind of entertaining do these people do? Seriously - do you have people over a lot? Do you "entertain" regularly? Yeah. We're big losers and we don't invite people to our house because then, yk, we'd have to entertain them and we're not very entertaining to anyone but ourselves. I'm waiting for the episode when someone walks into the master suite and says, 'WOW! Just *think* of all the entertaining we could do in here!"

Oh, HGTV - you are sneaky and evil. While I thought I was learning about decorating, staging and home buying (and endulging in a little voyeurism, right?) I discovered that I am a loser with no skills, no friends and no place to "entertain" them if I had them. I think I'll go watch the food network and binge eat, instead.

Iron Chef: November

New to Blogstyle Iron Chef? Read about it here.

Missed last week's announcement? That's right here.

This month's challenge is for Holiday Side Dishes and we had some GREAT entries. Generally we pare it down to three dishes but this time we're going to go with four! Since Brandi is an overchiever and entered twice, I flipped a coin to see which recipe of hers we'd be using. Aren't I scientific and fair? I know.

So, for November, here are your four dishes to try and vote on:

Brandi at Okkar Lif with Cornbread Stuffing
Mimi at Screaming Mimi with Mimi's Famous Sweet Potato Crisp
Kameron at A Wrinkle in Time with Kam's Kran with a Kick
Heidi at Tayterjaq's Rebels with Cheesy Hashbrowns

Guest judges? Start your ovens! I will set the poll up for popular opinion next Wednesday. I'm going to run this chllenge a little long so that people can incorporate these recipes into their Thanksgiving meal if desired. So, you have until Midnight, Friday the 27th to try the dishes and vote. Winner will be announced no later than Monday the 30th.

Good luck to the contestants!!

Seriously Sacred

Have you ever bought flowers and just handed them to some random person? Have you ever paid for the order of the person behind you in line at a drive thru? Have you ever put money into parking meters that were about to expire?

Have you ever donated blood? Have you ever donated food? Have you ever donated clothing or toys? Have you ever donated an ear? Have you ever donated time?

Have you ever been sad? Lonely? Depressed? Have you ever been homeless? Jobless? In need? Have you ever been at your wit's end because you just didn't know how you were going to make it through another day?

Last year our family started a new tradition. It's time for this tradition to take place again this year.

Not 12 Days of Receiving. It's not about what we can get but what we can give. How can we help? What small way can we make someone elses life easier? Better? Different? If only for a moment. It doesn't have to be big and grand - sometimes smaller says more.

We're working on our list of 12 Acts of Kindness to enact this December. You can read about our journey last year, here.

Want to join us this year?

This is our family's verse: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. -Proverbs 3:27

This is our prayer:


You know what's Seriously Sacred?

HOPE

And you have the power to give it to someone else.

Iron Chef: November

Hey- just a reminder - you have until 6 am MST Wednesday to enter the Blogstye Iron Chef contest this time around. The competition s for Holiday Side dishes and I *know* I've seen some of you post some tempting recipes already. Link em up!

Helpful Hint from heidi

1. Fire makes plastic melt.
2. Melting plastic is hot.
3. Cooking your thumb is not romantic.

To Summarize:

If you are planning a romantic, candle lit bath for you and your sweetie, candle placement is of utmost importance. A good place to NOT put a candle is on the soap ledge under the wash cloth bar as this bar will get hot very quickly, and likely begin to melt. It should also be noted that, if you are laying in the bathtub and you see bubbles on the plastic wash cloth bar? Don't touch it to see if it's hot and melting. What kind of moron would do something stupid like that? The pain from instantly searing your thumb after thrusting it into melting plastic will only be multiplied when you plunge it into the hot (!) bath water. Please also be aware that the pain will NOT subside quickly, resulting in the cancellation of aforementioned romantic bath and require you to sit naked on the bathroom stool with your hand in cold water for an hour. After which point you will have to wrap it in a washcloth because your baby will have woken up and you'll have to tend to him. Then, and only then, will you decide that the pain pills prescribed by the dentist would be an excellent solution.

Thus, you will go to bed with your hand wrapped in a wet washcloth and ice pack, surrounded by a towel and your husband will, once again, NOT get to have sex.

Another helpful hint brought to you by a brain lapse.

Good day.

Friday Freebie!!!

I hafta tell ya - when I started out this Friday Freebie thing, it was just something fun to do, yk? I like getting stuff for free and I know other people do to. I also really like GIVING stuff away - that's the real reason I do this - I like making other people happy.

I'm so thankful to all of you have have guest hosted the Friday Freebie over the past year (YEAR!). Some pretty awesome prizes have been given away - some that I wish *I* would have won myself, truthfully. (Jealousy, anyone?)

When I posted that I wasn't able to continue doing the FF every Friday, I got such encouraging words from you all. Thank you for that. Also thank you to those that offered to step in and guest host - know that I'll be emailing you, if I haven't already!

Speaking of being thankful, I'm SUPER thankful to Mimi for faithfully guest hosting FF the first Friday of EVERY month. And guess what today is? Yep - the first Friday of the month - yay!

So, skip on over to Mimi's place and see what kind of awesomeness she has for you today:

Thanks for stopping by. I'll get back to posting next week. I'm feeling antisocial and unfunny lately so I'm trying to drag myself out of that dark cave.

Have a Friday!

Iron Chef: November

Welcome back to Blogstyle Iron Chef!

If you're new here, take a gander and see what the contest is all about. If you're NOT new here, welcome back. :-)

Here's how it works, in general terms: I am revealing the challenge today. You post a recipe or find one you've already posted that meet the requirements. Leave a comment HERE by next Tuesday with the link to your entry and I will add it to my post. Next Wednesday I'll use Random.org to pick 3 contestants for the month and I will announce those contestants. I'll have a poll in the sidebar for voting as well as voting from guest judges. On the last Wednesday of October I will announce the winner!

Since the holidays are now upon us, and many of us are busily planning our special meals, I thought it would be a good idea to have the competition this month be about Holiday Side Dishes. I know I'm always looking for something new and delish to serve. All those potlucks we have to go to as well as the dinner we host at our place. I need something new! So, what do you serve with your holiday dinner? Potatoes? Yams? Salads? Veggies? What do people ask you for the recipe for at every potluck you bring the dish to? THAT is what I want from you...share.

Post your recipe and let me know you've posted it in my comments. Or, link me to one you've already posted on your site (in my comments) and I'll link up to you.

I'm excited about this one!!!

"Allez! Cuisinez!"

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Entries:

Brandi at Okkar Lif with Cornbread Stuffing and Gran's Broccoli Rice Casserole
Mimi at Screaming Mimi with Mimi's Famous Sweet Potato Crisp
Kameron at A Wrinkle in Time with Kam's Kran with a Kick
Heidi at Tayterjaq's Rebels with Cheesy Hashbrowns

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

I adore doing the Friday Freebie and the Iron Chef competitions. I think they're a blast. Unfortunately, the ole pocketbook is disagreeing with me. After reevaluating my spending, I can only come to the conclusion that I can no longer support prizes like this. There will be two Friday Freebie's per month - the first of the month is ALWAYS at Mimi's {Thanks, Mimi!}, and one other Friday per month I'll host one. If I have guest hosts then I will throw them in to cover the rest of the Fridays, but if I don't then it will just be those two Fridays per month.

The Iron Chef competition will still be held every month. The only difference will be that there is no cash prize. No prize at all except the satisfaction of being able to say, 'Ha! Take THAT! I *totally* won Blogstyle Iron Chef!" Hopefully that will be enough to keep this one going.

Thanks for all of your support with these endeavors, oh friends in the great wide blogosphere.

You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. So sayeth Kenny Rogers. Amen.

The Scariest Costume of All Time

Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat...
if you don't, I won't care, I'll pull down your underwear!

The plan was that Sienna would be a mummy, Cara would be a cowgirl, B would be Superman and Corby WANTED to be a ghost that said Boo. That was the PLAN.

On Friday Sis decided to be a ghost instead (yay! less work for moi) and Corban was still set on being a ghost. Cara and Brennan's costumes were ready to roll.

Saturday morning everyone got up and ready. Being the slacker mom that I am, I didn't even get B dressed - just slapped his costume on over his jammies.



Started getting Sis and Corban's costumes ready when Corban decides he can't have anything on his head as planned so we try and talk him into a little white paint and hair spray. No go. Not havin' it. I stuck him in a halloween shirt and plotted what to do next.



B and I discussed it and decided on what Corban could be that would require nothing on his head...



Magnum P.I.! Corban LOVES Magnum. I snagged a Hawaiian shirt and a squirt gun and called it a costume.



Then he changed his mind. Sis tried to talk him into staying Magnum.



But he wasn't having it. It was time to go and we had yet to get Corbs in a costume. B was ready to go and running all over in his SuperB costume.



Cara was cute as could be in her little cowgirl get-up.



Sis was freaky and scary and bloody.



Yeah, scary, right? Not as scary as what Corban ended up being...

You're dying to know, aren't you?

We sent Corban out as the scariest thing we could think of...

A THREE YEAR OLD BOY!!!!



Sends a shiver down your spine, eh?

Trick or Treat, yo.