Gigantic Sagos!!!!

So my Mom has these 2 GIGANTIC 25-ish year old Sago Palms that flank the front entry to the house and had actually become so overgrown that you'd have to bob and weave to get to the front door without getting poked and stabbed by the big needle-like limbs! My Mom had called a tree trimming company to come and chop out the big torpedo-like seed pods from the queen palms in the backyard that make such a mess in the pool and thought that she might have them do the Sagos in the front the same day. They were supposed to show up at 8am so I showed up a bit after 7am because I wanted to scope out the sagos for big "pups" that I could pop off and re-pot before the guys came and chopped them up. I got started around 7:30 and once I got a couple popped off I could then see what I was doing and was able to make progress much more quickly. With a lot of elbow grease and sweat...I had one full sago stripped by the time the tree trimming service FINALLY showed up which was somewhere around 10am! I must have gotten more than 30 good pups off, ready to re-pot but there had to have been more than 50 total that I popped off. I already had a good blister in the center of my right palm and my poor arms looked like I stuck them into a fire ant hole...those pokey sagos are MEAN! I told mom I'd be happy to attack the dual headed gigantic sago next weekend once my hand healed up a bit but we'd saved enough of the big pups that we'd run out of pots so she decided to have them prune it up. Once they were done and cleaned up I drove home to get my girls and the 2 big bags of potting soil that I had left over in my garage. The girls went swimming while mom started cleaning all the debris out of the pool that were left over from the palm pruning and I began potting the pups...both MAJOR chores! In the midst of all this, Sherry needed a sitter so that she could do some back to school shopping without Carter his diaper bag & stroller! It gave us a much needed break...he got to have a quick swim with "grandma"...then a quick diaper change and bottle later he was down for the count! We went back to work while he slept and just checked on him every 10 minutes or so...the little guy slept 'till Sherry got back around 4pm. They went home but we kept working...I was determined to finish even though by this time sore was an understatement...you name it, back, arms, shoulders, hands...EVERYTHING hurt!!! Once mom got the pool in check she began helping me water the newly potted pups and arrange the numerous pots around her yard. Finally we finished up a bit before 8pm...it was a rough day but like they say, no pain-no gain and we CLEARLY got a LOT done in that 12-ish hours!!! Now I just hope that most of the pups live so that the hard work was not done in vain! Fingers crossed!

Customer Comments to Kraft & Crystal Light!!!

So...I've been complaining about this for a while now and I decided to try to DO something about it! I wrote two separate customer letters to the Kraft corporation (they own the Crystal Light Company)...the first was just a customer comment letter but the second was a customer innovation admission letter that they will actually respond to! I'm attaching my customer letter so you understand what I'm talking about because the innovation submission was in a bunch of different entry boxes rather than one paragraph. ENJOY!


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Hello! First I'd like to say thank you to those responsible for creating the Crystal Light drink mixes because they are wonderful! However, I'm a woman in a professional job and my favorite flavor is the Cherry Pomegranate. I don't feel comfortable drinking this mix during my work hours because it stains my lips and teeth for a good 30 minutes after enjoying my beverage! Is it truly necessary for the flavor to have SO much food coloring added in? You are marketing these mixes to grown adult women with hopes to help them drink more water, not young children who need the bright colors to get excited! I understand that your recent commercials are all about the colors and that is fine, make THEM colorful and make the packaging colorful but PLEASE make the drink mixes colorless!!! Adult women do not need to look like clowns with "Kool-aid" style mustaches, red stained gums, and tinted teeth! For me, and others I know, this side-effect has become a deterrent to using such mixes. Even mixing the powders with water becomes an issue if ANY powder manages to escape the desired container as it will inevitably stain fingers and worse, clothing! Drinking the Fruit Punch, Cherry Pomegranate, Pomegranate Lemonade etc. (primarily the red-colored flavors) comes with consequences that has caused me to use these products less often which is the exact opposite effect that the marketing campaign is trying to accomplish! I really would like to routinely add these wonderful flavors to my water and would do so if I didn’t have to worry about looking so silly! All I ask is that you at least consider making some clear choices like a “white cherry pomegranate” still containing all the fabulous flavor but without all the unnecessary food coloring additives. In a world of people searching for more health conscious options I really believe that your market population would be accepting and truly welcome such an alteration! Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns. Best wishes,


Melissa Stonecipher
Bakersfield, CA

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Hi Melissa Stoneipher!This confirms that Kraft Foods has received the idea that you electronically submitted through our Innovate with Kraft web site. We sincerely thank you for choosing to share your idea with us. You can expect to hear back from someone on our Innovations Team in about 6 weeks.Please do not respond to this email, as we do not have ability to receive responses at this web address.If you have further questions about our Innovation policy, we invite you to review our FAQs at innovatewithkraft.com.



Sincerely,Kraft FoodsKim McMiller

Associate Director, Consumer Relations

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Making Drapes and Hanging Blinds!!!!

Finally accomplishing summer projects!!! I have this ridiculously lengthy summer to-do list and I'm satisfied to know that I've accomplished a couple of BIG ones! I bought this upholstery fabric that I thought would look great as drapes in my living room back around Christmas time when my mom and I were actually on the hunt for leather and foam to fix my torn apart couch (thanks to Ginger). We had big plans to re-upholster my couch and make drapes over the Christmas break and although we did finish the couch, the drapes were a distant dream. So we planned a 3-day weekend during summer with hopes of knocking out the drapes in one fail swoop...again, that didn't happen but we did get a good start! After a day or two of mom showing me the proper way to fold in the hems and understanding why you need to zig-zag stitch edges that have been cut to prevent fraying I was able to continue sewing after she went back to work. I finished all the tabs and the 3 long panels for the living room drapes during the week and then she came back to help draw and cut out a pattern for my sliding patio door's valance. The planning and measuring was the worst part...but I think they turned out nicely and they block out light fabulously! Now I just want to add buttons onto the tabs of the long drapes and possibly add a valance to the kitchen drapes but until then, they appear finished! THEN my next big thing was to take measurements (myself) and order some faux wood blinds off of selectblinds.com and then install them myself! Although, I found I needed help balancing, climbing ladders, and drilling and luckily my mom was willing to come over to help. We got two hung (which was all I ordered to start)...now I'm more comfortable with the measuring and hanging process and more confident with the company that they'd be cut proper and look good! Now I can order more!

The Dog Beach at Avila

All summer I'd been wanting to take the girls to the dog beach for fun but also because Ginger had never been to the ocean before! On Thursday 7-30-09 I declared a day trip day! Mom and I drove the girls to the Dog Beach in Avila. We totally lucked out...it was a beautiful sunny, breezy 70 degree day at the beach...no clouds!!! It sure beat the 100-plus degree day Bakersfield was having!!! When you get there...you park along the shoulder of the road and then walk down this, like...big boat ramp (or at least that is what is SUPPOSED to happen!) You see, the minute we made the Avila turn off I rolled down the windows and Baylie jumped up out of a dead sleep when she smelled the ocean air! She ran from window to window and barked a few times out of excitement...Ginger didn't really know what was going on but seemed to feed off of Baylie's enthusiasm. Once we got to the people side of Avila we HAD to make a pit stop...too much water intake on the way up! Of-course near the peer there wasn't any parking so I jumped out of the car and ran to the restroom while mom drove around the block...then a quick "Chinese fire drill" and I jumped into the driver's seat and drove around the block while she ran into the bathrooms. Whew! After that I drove us down to the dog beach...the girls could SEE the other dogs down on the beach and started going crazy! I could barely keep them calm enough to get their leashes on and grab the toys, beach blanket, camera, and water! The girls were DRAGGING me toward the beach...only they were looking for the shortest way to the shore and it was all I could do to keep them from jumping down the rocky cliff and taking me with them! We made it half way down the ramp when Baylie pulled out of her collar and took off running for the water! Ginger started whimpering and so I just unhooked her collar and she sprinted after Baylie. I was shocked that she had NO hesitation when her paws hit the sand or as she dove into turbulent water! She and Baylie played for a solid 2 hours while we threw the frisbee and the ball. By the time we left they were SO tired and dehydrated they drank about a gallon of water! We were hungry for lunch and I was really craving GOOD fish and chips so we drove in to SLO and stopped at the Splash Cafe (they have outdoor tables so the dogs could come too)! I'm such a sucker, I even got them a plain burger to split between them! After lunch it was on the road toward home...the girls slept the whole way (well, with the exception of the 2 pit stops they had to make after drinking soooo much water!) Overall it was a beautiful day and everybody had fun...and only got slightly sunburt! :)

I thought I was making progress...guess not!!!

Ginger ate the futon again! It had been torn up previously and sewn back together because that is the one piece of furniture I allow them to sleep on and it happens to be Baylie's favorite place! You see, over the summer I've been trying to get Ginger more comfortable and less anxious about staying home while I go out. Before when I'd go to the gym at night I'd leave Baylie inside with free reign (as she's always had) but I'd crate Ginger...then she started becoming resistant, dodging me and the crate only to lay in her normal dog bed. I hate shoving her into the crate against her will and I don't like locking them outside when it's been so HOT either. So I started small...a quick 20-30 minute trip leaving both girls in the house with free reign of the backyard and house (with the exception of the bedrooms because I shut the doors) and everything was fine! Then slowly I added time and every time I returned home to find it untouched my confidence grew. I'd actually built up to a 4 hour trip...with the goal of a full workday I and a month left before school starts I figured I was on track to achieving it! Normally I did errands mid-day or in the evening but today I got up first thing in the morning to go to the gym with Leah...fed the girls breakfast then left. I returned only about 2 hours later to find the futon in the middle of the living room with shreds of foam everywhere!!! It had been dragged off its frame and then Ginger cured her anxiety (or boredom) by gnawing on it! I was more upset about the regression of progress than the futon itself! I re-stuffed it then sewed it back up again and got a cover to hide my ugly patch job and now I guess it's back to the drawing board when it comes to conditioning Ginger to stay home alone!

The 4th of July...2009

I have always loved fireworks but I'm glad that it is over this year!!! What happened to the good 'ole days when fireworks were only legal to light off on the of the 4th??? This year (and last) I've had to hear the squealing, cracking, and whistling of random fireworks beginning as early as the 1st! It is not really me who has the issue with it...it's the dogs (even more specifically, Baylie). At the first sound of a boom, scream, or pop she is set off on a barking spree that is tough to cease! Each night has been an adventure...I even brought my big box fan into the bedroom to help drown out the outside noises and although it helps, it does not prevent the barking! So on the 4th with my brother, (his dog Kailey) and his girlfriend Amy in town for the holiday we'd planned to have a simple BBQ/swim/hang out evening at Mom's house and then the two of them were going to the bluffs to see the big fireworks. Now...the planning began because my sister and her husband had gone to Canada on a weeks vacation and were now in Seattle for the 4th. Typically they give tranquilizer pills to their dogs because the fireworks upset them so much...but mom and I weren't comfortable just giving them pills and leaving them alone at their house so I picked them up on the way over to the BBQ. It was practically a zoo in the backyard once my carload arrived...it was the 4 of us (Mom, Wayne, Amy, and I) plus my brother's friend Jake and then 5 dogs...my 2 (Baylie & Ginger), my sister's 2 (Blue & Liberty), and my brothers 1 (Kailey). All the dogs had fun and enjoyed the smells of the BBQ. After dinner I stayed in the house while everybody else went outside to light the few fountain fireworks that Wayne got while the dogs and I watched through the window. Baylie (of-course) barked at every sound and flicker of strange light, Ginger and Liberty seemed intrigued, Kailey hid down the hall under a bed, and Blue slept on the couch. I drove Blue and Liberty home around 10pm but as I drove up their street there were still some big parties happening in the street and aerials exploding over the golf course. I decided that without the tranq. pills I was afraid to leave them alone in case the dug out or ran away etc. just one day before Sherry & Matt got home! So I went inside to get their beds and drove home for a "sleep-over". All the dogs were crazy tired and we went strait in to bed...I read for a while to make sure everyone settled in comfortably. They all slept well until 4am...when Blue and Liberty had to go outside. The bathroom break was no trouble but settling everyone back down in hopes of taking in a couple more hours of sleep was another story!!! By 6am I gave up and woke up to feed my girls breakfast and take Blue and Liberty home for their breakfast. I may have gone overboard a bit but I couldn't bear to think of anything bad happening...as it was today I've seen multiple "lost dog" signs on the mailboxes! All in all...it was a happy laid back 4th with just a few extra precautions! Hope yours was good too!

Carter at 5 months old!

Totally stole this photo off of my Sister's page because it was just too cute! He is such a happy baby! Enjoy.

Babysitting Carter

So Sherry and Matt decided that they needed a father's day date night and had chosen a late afternoon movie and I got to babysit! He is such an easy baby even though he'd been sick the whole week prior and still had a bit of a cough he was happy and smiley. Sadly, I came down with his cold within the next couple of days and almost lost my voice from coughing and hacking so much! It all seemed to land in my chest...I'd swear to it that I could almost purr...gave new meaning to "sexy phlegm" (like Phoebe on Friends always said)! I felt lethargic and crappy for the whole week...but luckily I was able to hold it together for the last week of summer school by taking LONG naps every afternoon! O-well I had a blast hanging out with him and I feel better finally, although I still have a lingering intermittent cough due to the leftover goo in my lungs that hopefully will vacate my chest soon! Fingers crossed! :)

Doggie Tricks!

So ever since I got my treadmill I'd always wanted to train Baylie and Ginger to run on it like I'd seen on an episode of the Dog Whisperer. They had trained a fire house dog to run on one because they couldn't leave the station to take him on normal walks. I just figured on days where it is too hot, too rainy, too cold or when I just don't have the time to exercise them it'd be a perfect substitute! I started pretty them pretty slow where the belt was at a slow crawl so they'd begin to understand that they needed to move their legs. Baylie caught on pretty fast and I was able to bump up the speed rather quickly....Ginger however was a different story, she sprawled her legs out trying to stop the belt from moving and I thought she'd never catch on!

Babysitting the Friesen's

So Matt and Leah had a Fed-Ex work dinner to go to and Leah was worried that she wouldn't be able to go because she couldn't get ahold of her mother and didn't have another sitter lined up. I didn't like hearing that she would have to stay at home with the kids while Matt got to go hang out with other work couples so I volunteered to watch her 3 kids. At first I think Leah thought I was kidding around but I really didn't mind and because we always go to the dog park together with the kids they are already pretty good about listening and respecting what I ask them to do or not do...so I really wasn't worried about 3 hour evening with them. The hardest decision was whether I went to their house or the kids came to mine so Leah asked the kids and it became unanimous...all at the same time the kids screamed Melissa's House again and again!!!! So that was that! Leah packed up some string cheese and some goldfish crackers for the kids and then over they came. We of-course began our evening by playing ball in the back yard with my girls. Andrew and Isabelle even played in the dogie pool and leave it to Isabelle to SIT in the dog's water dish! Madison didn't care to play very long outside...so after a while she decided to go in and watch a movie made special by me pulling out my big black beanbag for her to veg. in. Once it started getting dark outside and I got the kids dried off we all came inside to play. I had bought some "Magnetixs" a couple of years ago when they went on clearance at Target and this was the perfect time to make their debut! Andrew and Isabelle played with them for quite a while and even Madison stopped watching the movie to play for a bit. Somewhere around 9 everyone was tired (including the dogs) so we started a new movie and took up residency on the couches for a snuggle fest. Poor Isabelle...she was so offended that Baylie and Ginger would not let her lay on them (like their dog Dakota does)...every time she'd crawl over to them and try to put her head on their bellies, they'd jump up and move to another sleeping spot! It was funny and sad all in one! I tried to explain to Isabelle that my dogs are used to playing with kids but they aren't used to being laid on like pillows like her puppy is...sadly she did not accept my explanation! :)

Nephew Update!!!

So when my sister Sherry posted this updated photo of my Nephew Carter I stopped dead in my tracks! Of all the photos I've seen this one catches her likeness more than any other--it's a spitting image of her as a baby (except the blue clothes and thicker eyebrows)! Normally in pictures especially those when he was newborn I thought Matt's features were the more dominant but then he makes some faces that are totally Sherry! Either way, he has changed so much since January...it'll be exciting to see how he continues to grow and change! I also stole some of the close up face photos that my sister recently posted on her blog because they were super cute...and WOW...I'd totally KILL for his eyelashes!!! I swear, it always seems that boys get the long lushes lashes and us girls pile on the mascara to imitate such lengthy lashes!