Congrats to Cousin Billy!

I just had to share how excited I am for my cousin, Bill Petty, who won Male Vocalist of the Year at the Momentum Awards last night! Bill has a beautiful voice and an amazing musical talent...we are just so proud of him! Glory to God that he gave this great man such an amazing gift to share with others!

Happy Easter

From our crew to yours...

Now what...

The sale is almost over and most of you are probably thinking now what for me...

well, I'll tell you...

I am going to sleep...and since the kids will be on spring break next week I am going to play with them like I, too, am 8 years old in the backyard. We are going to go to the park. We are going to go downtown and explore. We are going to have fun. And most of all? I am going to sleep.

Longaberger, Furniture, Clothing OH MY!

As I have mentioned before, I love to go junking. I love finding that diamond in the rough deal for something I really wanted for the house. That's why I am UBER (yes, I just said UBER) excited about Encores and More North Adult Clothing and Home Decor Sale that is coming up this week. Not only does my friend Angie run it, but she gets in amazing stuff at great prices. Longaberger baskets, scrapbooking supplies, furniture, AWESOME deals on clothing for us big kids, home decor (my favorite part), Southern Living, rugs, ok I could seriously go ON AND ON. The bad part? I spend too much money. But, hey, it's WAY cheaper than retail.

Come check it out...starts Wednesday at 10am. For all the details, click on the kids sale website link to the right and then click on the adult sale tab on the left!

Frustrating

This is just a small rant and something I am sure that I myself have done and will continue to do...but I am hoping that posting this will not only help me be more accountable, but maybe make others think as well.

It is beginning to drive me nuts when people say things like...

"I don't mean to be a bother, but..."

OR

"I don't want to seem like I am gossiping, but...."

OR

"I don't want to be a tattle tale, but..."

Because ultimately what you saying is that you REALLY do want to do those things and still look good. It cracks me up to hear people talking about someone else like a dog and then acting like NO ONE SHOULD TELL THEM! Or better yet, lets come tattle about someone like we are three years old and then act like that was perfectly fine and I should be thankful they tattled. I know some of you men reading this are going to think, "well that's what you get when you put a bunch of women together" but guess what boys, men are just as bad.

So the next time I use the word BUT in a sentence, I hope someone stops me right there and reminds me that I am getting ready to totally contradict myself.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

P.S. The consignment sale was amazing and my hats are off to all the workers, consignors and shoppers that made this sale a huge success!

I found this interesting (another autism post)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) Mar 07 - Federal health officials said on Thursday the government has not conceded that vaccines cause autism even after a Georgia girl won federal compensation in a case arguing a vaccine led to her autistic condition. Hannah Poling, 9, had a rare mitochondrial disorder and a federal court ruling said regular childhood vaccinations may have contributed to some of her autism-like symptoms. She was awarded compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in a case that became public this week. Some activists who argue vaccines can trigger autism jumped on the case as vindication of their cause, but Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), denied this. "Let me be very clear that (the) government has made absolutely no statement about indicating that vaccines are a cause of autism," Dr. Gerberding told reporters in a telephone briefing. "That is a complete mischaracterization of the findings of the case, and a complete mischaracterization of any of the science that we have at our disposal today. So I think we need to set the record straight on that." The vaccine injury program is a no-fault system that has a $2.5 billion fund built up from a 75-cent-per-dose tax on vaccines. It was set up to ensure companies would not be afraid to make vaccines, and to provide injured children an easier way to seek compensation. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed by parents who argue their children have autism caused by vaccines. The Institute of Medicine, an independent organization set up to inform U.S. policy, has found there is no evidence that vaccines can cause autism. Many recent studies have come to the same conclusion. Some autism advocacy groups argue that the mercury-containing thimerosal preservative in vaccines can cause autism. Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain entered the debate last week, saying there is "strong evidence" linking autism to a thimerosal. Dr. Edwin Trevathan, director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said the Poling case did not demonstrate any link between vaccines and autism. "I think it's also worth noting that most children with autism do not seem to have a mitochondrial problem," he told the briefing. "So this association between mitochondrial disorders and autism is actually probably relatively rare. But the association between mitochondrial disorders and severe brain damage and dysfunction is one that is not as rare and is actually quite important." Dr. Trevathan said it is not clear whether a fever caused by a vaccine might further stress a child with such a condition, causing autism-like symptoms. The CDC estimates that about one in every 150 children has autism or a related disorder such as Asperger's syndrome -- 560,000 people up to age 21 in the United States. "Our message to parents is that immunization is life-saving. There's absolutely nothing changed in the adamant recommendations that we are making to get children vaccinated," Dr. Gerberding said.

Being a junker...

I am a junker. I love going to thrift stores, garage sales, etc. to find a great deal. Another great place to find DEALS is at auctions. Although I don't get to go as often as I would like, I have picked up MAJOR deals at auctions in the past. A great place to find info on upcoming auctions is the Sunday Tennessean. Another new place (a new personal favorite) is http://www.sumnerauctions.com/. Check it out!