Shout Out!

A friend called last week to ask me, "Do you know of any good dentists in the area?" And yes, I most certainly do. I get calls like this occasionally and am always glad to share.

Today someone asked if I had a hair stylist that I like. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Not just like, but love.

So, my friends, today I present you with a list of people/places/services that I would gladly recommend. You know, just in case you were wondering. And for those of you who don't live near me, scroll down to see some places that I love on the www.

For locals:

The BEST dentist's office (even the littlest kids love going for check-ups!) is Christiansen Dental. They do great, quality work and are friendly, personable and caring. Case in point: Dr. C heard about my broken leg incident and called to see how I was doing. What does that have to do with my teeth? Nothing! But he's a genuinely nice guy who cares about his patients - and makes visits to the dentist a stress-free, even pleasant experience.

Need car repairs? Here's a trustworthy auto repair shop: Mitchell's Garage. I can't remember who recommended this place to us but we have been happy with all of the work we've had done on our vehicles there. Finding a repair shop you can trust is a big deal and we have come to trust the guys here at Mitchell's.

Want to get a haircut? Call Raylene at David Douglas Salon. All of the girls in our family go to her and we always leave happy. She makes you feel like a beauty queen or rock star or whatever place in between you're comfortable with. Trust me, you'll love her.

The best place for dessert on a Saturday night is Gloria's Little Italy - hands down! Why Saturday night? Because all of their delectable, authentic Italian desserts (made fresh daily!) are half-priced on Saturday nights since they are closed on Sundays. And if you don't like layers of flaky filo dough, rich Italian cream and hazelnut then I still have one word for you: Gelato.

How long has it been since you've had family pictures taken? You need to call Jason at Backroads Photography. Let's put it this way: I have lots of kids and he can make them all smile. At the same time! Plus, he makes us look really good. Maybe you just need some new decorative photos to adorn your home? He's got those, too. Check him out.

Any questions? Leave me a comment or send me an email (gerbdonna at gmail).

On the internets (coincidentally, all free stuff):

Need to wish someone a happy birthday? Issue a formal apology? Send a note of thanks? Check out the Bureau of Communication. I'm a lover of handwritten notes, but if you've got to send an email, this is the way to go. It's just quirky enough to make it fun.

Have you ever been a bit leery of letting your kids watch a certain movie because you're not sure what exactly to expect? Then Kids in Mind is the place you seek. It's almost humorous how detailed they are in their descriptions of every teeny little thing that could be found offensive or off-color.

As a service to busy kidnappers, joshuarey.com offers a ransom note generator. Just type in your text, press enter and you have a lovely ransom note from letters cut out of magazines and newspapers. Brilliant.

Does someone you know own an Easy Bake oven? Then you need this website. Instead of buying all of those expensive mixes at the store, Budget101 has a whole plethora of mini-sized recipes you can make from ingredients in your pantry. And as a bonus: these taste better than the packaged mixes, too. Who knew you could cook such tasty little treats with a light bulb?


*No one asked me to write this post or compensated me in any way. I just really, really love these people/places/services and think they deserve a shout-out. Plus I've seen these kind of disclaimers on other blogs and I thought it would make me look cool. Holla!

Repeat Performance

Remember this?


Well, Cowgirl's at it again.

I noticed over the last couple of days that she has been wearing her bangs to the side with a clip placed right square in the middle of her forehead.

This morning before church I asked her to come and let me help her do her hair. She got a freaked out look on her face which I quickly understood as I brushed her bangs out...

She had cut her hair again. Last Friday.

Her explanation was that I was asleep on Friday morning and she wanted them cut before school. She didn't think she did too bad of a job last time so she figured she'd try it again. This time? Not so lucky.

She felt terrible about it so I did my best to fix her hair to hide the new 'do.


She must have liked the end result because she then gave me permission to post pictures on my blog. (No one can resist the chance to be a star!)

Spring Break: A Photo Journey

This week was Spring Break.

That means my kids were all home from school for a week.

Lots of people around here go on trips or take their kids to do fun things.

Not around our house.

Who needs a va-cation? We spent the week at home on stay-cation.

We (minus Allen, who still has to work this week) all slept in until at least 9:00 a.m. every day.

I worked for a few hours this week, which is seriously fun for me.


Coolister went to physical therapy, a 'breakfast party thing' and made plans for prom. He also studied for the ACT all week because tomorrow is The Big Day.


ElemenoB bought a new dress and painted her bedroom. She's having friends over on Saturday. She also went running.


Thumbelina went shopping and spent some time with a friend. She wore her pajamas more than anything and watched her collection of Barbie movies a few times each. (I wish I was kidding.)


All-a-Boy played Lego Star Wars on the Wii almost everyday. The one day that I banned the Wii he had some adventures with a friend. He also worked on creating a unique Pinewood Derby car all on his own which allowed for plenty of feeling-sorry-for-himself (we are all fairly certain that he secretly enjoys this).


Cowgirl locked herself in the bathroom and cut her own bangs. Good news: They're almost straight. Bad news: She kind of looks like Spock. Good news: I'm taking her to the salon on Saturday.


Princess got to have a friend over one day. But the real treat for her was the sleeping in every morning and running around in the backyard without shoes once the snow went away and the sun came to visit.


For Hubba, Curly and Little O, it was business as usual - but with bigger friends around to make it more exciting.

Life is good.

Happy Spring Break.

Thinking Out Loud

Thoughts on self-portraits:

How do people take pictures of themselves? Every time I try, mine turn out wacky. Like too dark or too bright or you can only see half an eyeball. Or my nose is freakishly large.

Or I look like a female Skeletor.

How do people know they are in the camera frame when they snap the photo?

I am never in the camera frame.

Is there some secret the world is keeping from me? Is it because no one wants to see my picture?

My smile always looks fake when I take my own pictures. Maybe because it is sort of fake, unless I make myself laugh - and then my nose flares and I have to start all over again.

Thoughts on haircuts. Specifically, mine:

There is something magical about getting a haircut.

Yesterday marked a milestone for me - this is twice that I've had my hair cut in a span of 5 months. I usually go about a year, sometimes two, between visits to the salon.

Am I becoming vain?

Probably.

I finally realized (3 haircuts ago) that I don't really like my hair short. It doesn't matter how badly I want short hair. I don't like it on me.

Are people lying when they say my hair looks good short?

It may be too short this time.

I wanted it shoulder-length when curly. It's shoulder-length when straight.

I am nervous about how my hair will look when it is washed and curly.

I don't want people to pretend they like my hair.

I don't want people to not like my hair.

Why do I care what people think? Because I am human, that's why.

I will not have straight hair again until I get my next haircut. I don't have that kind of time or patience.

Maybe I will love how it looks when curly and always have it cut this short.

Maybe not.

Maybe.

Service (With a Smile): Saturday

First off, let me share with you a service that was performed for me. My older kids get asked to babysit often and I am so appreciative of their willingness to do so. I sometimes have to assign each older child to a younger one so no one is completely ignored. Last night Allen and I went to see the late show of Prince Caspian at the dollar theater, and Coolister was assigned to tend Baby O. He took his responsibility seriously, because when we returned home, we saw this:

My oldest and my youngest. So sweet.

Today was fun. I got my hair cut in the afternoon.

If you ever wondered what I would look like with straight hair, it's your lucky day. It only happens when I go to the salon because I don't have the time or patience to do it myself. The next time you see me, it will be curly again.
The person who did the haircut is a cousin on Allen's side - someone I love to chat and laugh with. She really liked a shirt I made for our family reunion auction this summer but was not the winning bidder, so I decided to make her one since I'd be seeing her this afternoon. (service complete!)
After I got home, Cowgirl asked if I wanted to join the 7-Up Club. I asked her what I would be committing to and she said, "A water party at the beginning, a water party at the end, and sometimes we will drink 7-up." That seemed simple enough, so I signed up. After she convinced everyone else to join Allen suggested we have the first official meeting TODAY. So, Cowgirl and I went to purchase some 7-up and then the kids got their swimsuits on and ran through the sprinklers!
I think that allowing Cowgirl to act on her whimsical club was a service she much appreciated. And everyone else had some fun, too.