Happy Valentine's Day, In March

The Wednesday before Valentine's Day I ordered a gift for The Pope from a seller on Etsy.  I debated between an all natural shaving kit (which he's wanted for a while) or the gift I bought him.  The item I decided on, not handmade, is unusual and was reasonably priced.  Shipping was only $3.
Using paypal, I paid for the item immediately and sat impatiently for the gift to arrive.  (I'm never able to wait to give The Pope his gifts for any holiday.  The excitement just kills me!)
I didn't really expect it to arrive by Valentine's Day (that following Monday).  But I thought maybe by the next Thursday (a week after I purchased it) it would certainly be waiting for him in the mailbox.  Nope.  On the 16th I emailed the seller and asked when I should expect the gift to arrive.  (I specified in the "notes to seller" section that I was buying this item for my husband for Valentine's.)  The seller provided me with the tracking number so, I guess, instead of bugging them I could check the status myself.
Another week went by (two weeks after Valentine's Day) and still no present in the mail.  So in order to hurry things along I thought I should send the seller another message (this is the Carlene in me).....

I have yet to receive this item that I purchased two weeks ago. Using the tracking number you provided below I get this message on usps.com "we have received notice that the originating post is preparing to dispatch this mail piece." When will I receive my item?

I specified in the "notes to seller" section of the original invoice that I was purchasing this as a gift for my husband for Valentine's. Ordering it the Wednesday before Valentine's, I realize I should not have expected it, maybe, by Valentine's Day. However, I certainly would have expected it by now given it is not a handmade item.

I hope this matter can be rectified soon.
Thank you.  

So then I got this message in return, very quickly.

hi,dear:
Thanks for your massage,do you mean that you never got this item?or you got it?
well,i shipped it by flat shipping,it will be take approx 15-25days to your country,i hope you will understand.and anyway,it is not a handmade item.

Ignoring the awful punctuation and misuse of words, umm, what???  Fifteen to twenty-five days?  My country?  What do they mean my country?

After a little more investigating I found out that this seller is in CHINA.  Sorry, what?!  I didn't even know Etsy was international.  Way to support the US, huh.  Good grief.  Hopefully The Pope will have his gift before next year's Valentine's Day.  (shrug)

Five Question Friday

 Mama M from My Little Life used one of *my* questions for this week's Five Question Friday!  My name is on her blog and everything.  Obviously I am way more excited about this than I should be.  I'm lame.

1. Can you drive a stick shift?
Nope.  Carlene told me about this woman she read about in Reader's Digest, I think, that was kidnapped and couldn't get away because the only vehicle on the property was a stick shift.  My mom tried to teach me, but I never got a chance to put it into practice so I basically forgot. 
I don't know if I believe that story or not.

2. What are two foods you just can't eat?
Before becoming pregnant with our twins I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for almost 14 years.  But about two months into the pregnancy I started craving meatball subs, BLTs, and even eventually eating a few Wendy's cheeseburgers.  Four months later I am still eating some meat but I still can't stand beets or licorice.  Bleck!   

3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What is your favorite kind?
I have bought a couple of boxes of Samoas in the past but, in my opinion, they are too expensive.  For $3.50 I expect more than a dinky box of cookies!  The coconut, caramelness of the Samoas is AMAZING.  Edy's even makes a Samoas ice cream.  Oh my gosh!

4. How do you pamper yourself?
These days my idea of pampering is taking a shower daily and brushing my teeth.  Seriously.  Or getting to wear my hair down instead of pulled back all the time.  There's always the risk of someone spitting up in my hair.

5. What is your nickname and how did you get it?
Steph is a common nickname for Stephanie, of course.  But since I was little some of my family members call me "Stuff."  I don't know how it started.  Maybe it's just that it sounds an awful lot like Steph.  (shrug)  And of course there are the mean nicknames the boys in middle school gave me because of my red hair......

Ketchup

I haven't been around much lately (two babies keep a woman pretty darn busy).  So here's what's happened in the last few months.

Sisters:  Heather, Rhonda, and Carlene

On December 2 my aunt, Rhonda, passed away of ovarian cancer.  After suffering severe abdominal pain, she went to the emergency room and was admitted to the hospital.  They found a mass in her abdomen and two months later she passed away.
Most women that die from ovarian and uterine cancer have a similar story.  You usually don't have symptoms until the cancer is full blown and it's too late for treatment.  There is, however, a blood test you can get now to predict your risk for ovarian and breast cancer.  Please read this website for more information.

Alex and Ayden, aka The Babies, turned two months old December 16th. 

Christmas.  Can you find The Babies?

And to end our year, we bought a new car....a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder.  We were lucky to find a great deal on this vehicle and drove all the way to Sandy Springs GA (just north of Atlanta) to pick it up.  Now I will have no trouble driving the babies around town! 

My dreams came true this year and I am eager to see what 2011 has instore for our family.

I've Missed Y'all

Thanksgiving put a damper on my blogging. Plus my family in Augusta still has dial up.....ring, beeeeeep, beeeeep.
I did have a great holiday break in Augusta hanging out with family. The Pope even made deviled eggs at Maw's (my grandmother) request despite the fact that he hates eggs and mayonnaise.  This was a true test of his love for me.
My parents have recently bought a house in Pine Mountain, Georgia (right next to Callaway Gardens).  So Saturday Carlene, The Fosters, and I drove down to check out the remodeling they've done.  I should have taken pictures but they still wouldn't have made sense to you.
See, the house was just a regular, normal sized home and then the previous owners added a super strange addition.  There is a five or six foot square tiled "tub" that is about four feet deep with stairs and railing!  In another spot in the house there is a trap door that is sort of an indoor root cellar, or I guess it could be used for a very small panic room.  There are even two kitchens in the place, like a duplex but not.  Weird.  Anyway, my parents are making this two-house home into one large home....taking out walls, adding walls, basically completely remodeling the existing rooms.

Stay tuned this month for The Pope's irish coffee recipe and my Christmas crafts.

Law Enforcement Misconceptions

Growing up in a law enforcement family, I remember Daddy telling stories of calls he had been on and the crazy, stupid folks he came in contact with.  He used to say if he pulled a female over, she was getting a ticket.  I guess his point was he obviously had a lawful reason for pulling her in the first place.  Also, he didn't want there to be any question why he didn't give a woman a ticket (ie because she was crying or had big boobs).
I also remember Carlene getting aggravated when people made jokes about cops and doughnuts (I personally can't stand that one) or the you-only-pulled-me-over-to-meet-your-quota response.  With The Pope's help, I wanted to try and clear up and hopefully explain some of these common misconceptions.

Real life is not like CSI: Miami.
Not every surface at a crime scene is good for lifting fingerprints.  Additionally, if there is an obvious shoe print, they might just take a picture instead of lifting it with a big sheet of tape.  Actual CSI units will not solve your crime in an hour.  They also don't necessarily drive Hummers or wear shades.

Police work is not all gun fights and police chases.
The majority of calls are more mundane; disciplining someone's teenager or quieting a neighbors dog.  There is also lots and lots of paperwork to be done.  *But don't forget, a LEO puts on body armor before heading to work.

The officer was not wearing his hat when he wrote me a ticket so it doesn't count.
Yeah right.  Next time trying not breaking the law.  (It also doesn't void the ticket if you tear it up or if the officer writes something incorrect on the ticket.)

Quotas.
There is no such thing as law enforcement quotas.  Officers can write as many tickets as they want.

Miranda rights.
An officer does not have to mirandize you unless you're in custody AND the officer is asking you questions.  Just because the officer put you in handcuffs doesn't mean he/she has to read you your rights.

Mom's Words to Live By

Growing up, Carlene used lots of clichés to help teach me things.  I've always wanted to write them down in one place and share them with others.  Isn't that what a blog is for?

1.  Don't write it down if you don't want it known.
I learned this the hard way in eighth grade when I wrote a note in class about this cute boy next to me.  The teacher saw me writing a note and read it out loud to the class.

2.  Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
Although it is completely true, I have grown up to be skeptical of everything I hear now because of this.  Just because it's printed in a newspaper, on TV, or in an email doesn't mean it's true.  And for goodness sakes, use Snopes.

3.  If someone lies they will also cheat and steal.  If they will lie about something small they will lie about something big, too.
Carlene hates liars.

4.  Nobody ever told you life was gonna be fair.
This was always the reply to me saying, "that's not fair!"

5.  Don't date anyone from work.  When it goes bad, it goes really bad.
This also includes borrowing money or doing business with friends.

6.  Be nice to your sister; she's the only one you'll ever have.
Mantha and I are the only two, we're seven years apart.

7.  Rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
I am constantly quoting this one; just good sense in lots of situations.

BOLO

BOLO (bo-lo) in police lingo is Be On the LookOut (sure you know this).

Carlene and I have sent emails back and forth with lists of things The Pope and I will need to make our new house a home, or just plain livable. I wanted to share the comprehensive list with all of y'all just in case anyone of you have perfectly good not-currently-being-used junk lying around. Or you might just get a kick out of seeing what kind of stuff we're going to decorate with.

By the way, never ask The Pope to stop the car so you can pick perfectly good not-currently-being-used junk off the side of the road. He gets really embarrassed for some reason and will leave you there with the stuff.

So here's our list....
3 or 4 barstools (2 for bar, 2 for blue high table)
2ish nice (non-particleboard-y) bookcases
masculine 4 post bed (like pic from World Market)
dresser with mirror (non matching mirror is ok too)
jute area rug
desk and chair
outdoor furniture (table and 4 chairs)
porch swing
2 chairs for "sitting area" in master bedroom
grill

You might be thinking, "why do two kids just starting out need outdoor furniture or a grill?" Well, again, I just want to put our list of "dream furniture" out there into blog space.....you never know what might come back.