Keurig - You Own Me.

I don't have a problem.

Who says I have a problem.

(Not) Better Living Through Chemistry

Does anyone have advice and/or a source for the best non-budget busting pure maple syrup? My kids go through this stuff by the gallon but I just realized, in reading the label, that I'd be better off giving them Drano from under the sink to pour on those homemade waffles. 

But hey, it's Gluten Free! 

This would be because gluten is not a chemical.

Why I Wouldn't Buy Another Acer Computer Even If They Came With Free Foot Massage

I say "another" because we already own one and I've been happy with it although NOW I view it with deep and growing suspicion (knock wood).

It's probably a ticking time bomb.

Being an academic minded mommy, I purchased an Acer Aspire netbook from Amazon.com as a Christmas gift for Boywonder.

Upon opening his gift on Christmas Day we discovered it was not working properly. Witness me making the :( face but these things DO happen.

We returned netbook to Acer on December 28, 2011 for what we were told would be a ten day turnaround time for repair.

They ended up keeping it for 34 days, including shipping it to the wrong household once (and sending someone else's to us. Good thing I'm not an identity thief!); missing another promised shipping date entirely, and at one point arguing with me on whether or not they should have to pay for overnight shipping? (I voted "yes.")

Don't for a minute think this was a pleasant process. This was the kind of tear-your-hair and bang your head on something solid out of sheer frustration experience that would have tried the patience of a SAINT. Each and every mix-up and missed-shipping date was met with "we know this is frustrating for you" and the unspoken finish "but please undrestand that we have no intention of doing a da#$ thing differently" that characterize Acer's internal process control.

Yesterday, after having been PROMISED it would be in our hands no later than January 30th, we finally received it returned to us on February 1. Inside the box was paperwork that says:  Item not Repaired. No Issue(s) Found.

I make another :( face. Is there an emoticon for SCREAMING?

Within minutes of turning it on, I am able to take a video of said Netbook exhibiting the same exact symptoms we sent it in for (frozen screen and grinding noise coming from within the computer).



No issues found? We beg to differ. 


Acer isn't sure why this happened but, as you can imagine,They understand our frustration.

No, I really don't think they do.

Better yet? The return window for Amazon ended on 1/31, a date I missed because Acer was holding it hostage. Amazon graciously offered to extend the return period one day for me and will give a full refund. Kudos to Amazon for understanding my frustration and offering to alleviate that, even when nothing was their fault.

Moral of this story.

Amazon good.

Acer bad.

Any questions?

Don't you just hate when people post photos that make it seem as if their homes are always perfect?

Yeah, me too ;)

Weekly Column | Taking A Bite out of a Big Little Apple

Click to Read the Full Column: Taking A Bite out of the Big Little Apple

Excerpt: 

A near riot occurred Friday outside an Apple store in Beijing as fights broke out among people trying to be first in line for the new iPhone 4S, Apple said.

– UPI.com.

Two weeks ago I would have rolled eyes at that as a sign of the Apocalypse. For years I resisted having a smart phone. I figured that my being a reasonably capable person would easily compensate for the fact that my phone wasn’t terribly bright.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (And Sleeping and Soccer and Standing Around Feeling Pretty Fabulous).

Disclaimer: Country Outfitter, a retailer of Cowgirl Boots, sent me these Dan Post Women's Maria Boots to review.

I’m not sure if I should be flattered, or devastated, that Country Outfitter generously offered me a pair of boots.

I fear that some sort of bat signal (boot signal?) went out. Or  perhaps there was a staged intervention masterminded by family and friends to finally drive a stake through the heart of my played-out faux-Ugg sheepskin boots. Whatever the cause, I am not proud but, rather, thrilled because (bias alert ahead): I love boots. If I could live my non-barefoot days completely in boots or sandals my feet would be forever happy. I used to love high heels but let’s face it, I’m not 18 and pretending that I could star in a ZZ Topp video at any moment in three inch heels no longer suits me. Those darned heels just kept getting stuck in the soccer turf and are no use at all if you slip on a grocery store grape. 

I also have a couple of these in my life and, frankly, they scoff at kitten heels.

Penny is saying “bring it on ya’ big sissy! If I make a break for that fence you’ll never catch me in heels!” (I’d never catch her in track shoes, but we digress).

I’m not some “Easy Endorsement Annie” casting my love to just anything that comes down the pike.  I’ve turned down some strange reuqests because I’m not that kind of a gal, and I don’t guarantee glowing reviews. I’m what you call a tough customer. Both in my expectations of a product and the fact that I cannot have anything nice. 

Because walking around is something it seems like any amateur such as myself can do, I felt comfortable agreeing to give the following wholly unbiased review:

These are the boots out of the box. I cannot tell a lie. The smell of fresh leather was strong and enticing. This is new high for me as the scent of “pleather” from my previous boots was not nearly as alluring.

A good portion of my readers tell me they read me because as urban or suburban dwellers they enjoy living vicariously through my “fish out of water” act of a woman generally lost in the wilds of rural America (newsflash: it’s not an act). Accordingly, many of them are going to have the knee jerk reaction of “cute but I don’t need cowboy boots because there isn’t a single rodeo on my horizon.” You would be wrong my friends. Oh so wrong. (Not about the rodeo of course. I mean if you want one, go find one. I can highly recommend the cowboys – and the fried cheese. The hats are also darling). Even if you aren’t a Rodeo Gal you may still be ignoring the absolute best, classic boot right under your nose – or toes.

If you don’t think western style boots “work” with your non-rural lifestyle, think again. They do. When worn with jeans these are just really rockin’ boots, pure and simple. (Lovin’ that Whiskey Brown color and we’ll just ignore my acid-washed ‘80’s jeans for now ‘m’kay?) Seriously, I’ve been wearing these for nearly a week now and not a single person has asked me where I left my cows.

There actually is a pretty significant heel on these boots. Accordingly, I felt I walked a little taller and could have totally kicked butt in the grocery store or soccer game, had the situation presented itself. (Fortunately it did not).

Even with the heel, these boots were amazingly comfortable. I wore them morning through night and never experienced the throbbing foot pain of death that so often caps off the end of a cute-boot day. There was no breaking in period. I am not privy to the technical details of boot construction beyond saying learned things like: “Adorable!” Suffice to say that there is padding stitched in to the bottom of these boots that perfectly cradles and supports the foot. I am a huge fan of this padding.

Road Test: I put these on out of the box and wore them … everywhere. All the time. I wore them morning through night. One day I wore them for 18 hours straight (yes, really). In every instance my feet felt as good when I took them off as they had when I put them on.

These boots are made for soccer!

The final road test: How do they wear out and about? I’m not going to lie. These are not gripping snow boots with radial tire treads (thank you Dan Post because, frankly, that look is so not cute).  While certainly not sled-and-ski wear, my feet stayed dry and comfortable for short inclement weather jaunts. Even in the slush and snow they didn’t put me on my rear end even once. (<—This is saying something as “Grace” is definitely NOT my middle name, any part of my name, or really ever uttered in conjunction with my name). I’m only five days into these boots but I can also say that I see the leather only getting better with age. (<—this is what people who don’t take care of nice things tell themselves. It helps me sleep at night).

The verdict: These are the most comfortable boots I have ever personally worn that didn’t double as house slippers. Apparently quality materials + quality constructions = quality footwear experience. Who knew?

Consider breaking out of your “suffer for beauty” footwear mold and consider seeking out real boots made my classic boot makers for authentic, attractive, quality construction and footwear that doesn’t make you want to cry.

If you do, you are going to look stylish from the street to the soccer field and all environs in between.

And if a rodeo breaks out, you are so there.

Life Lessons

From Facebook: I have failed as a parent. My son (14) can dismantle a firearm, chop firewood, load and manage a wood burner, set up camp and survive for days by himself and repair most small electronics with a butter knife and sheer cunning. This same boy just stood in front of the washing machine, perplexed, and said "Mom how do you work this?"

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