Flip Flop Sculpture

In San Paulo, Brazil local art students helped artist Florentijn Hofman create this Fat Monkey sculpture completely out of Opanka flip flops.  FLIP FLOPS!  It's like a modern Monet, my favorite.
Here are videos of the making of Fat Monkey.
Here's a rubber duck, by the same artist, that floats around the Loire River estuary. 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I sometimes like to use my blog as more of a notepad or place to dump the thoughts in my head, and if someone reads it, super cool!
Below I have compiled a list of my current favorites for you to check out.  Maybe a few will become your favorites, too.


Look at these amazing pictures, a technique you could do, too.  So nifty!   They don't look real.

I love this hand embroidery pattern, Floral Fantasy, from Sublime Stitching.  Hand embroidering, for me, is like coloring with thread instead of crayons. 

I wish we had a place to put this ornate chalkboard sticker in our house.  The detail is great.

Owls are so trendy now and although I prefer to go against the grain, I have gotten caught up in the owl following.  This is the cutest cookie jar ever!  It's turquoise!!!  (Pictures of recent owl project coming soon.)

I really dig the entire line of Melissa & Doug toys but I especially like this mail themed "fill and spill."  Don't you remember playing mailman when you were little?  There was even a Muppet Babies episode where they played mailroom. 

While I'm folding clothes, folding diapers, and feeding babies I watch episodes of Masterchef Australia on Youtube.  They have tons of challenges and they have a "Master Class" where the chefs teach the amatuers kitchen skills. 

I ran across this clip from "This Is Elvis," a documentary about Elvis Presley.  I've never seen the film but of course I would love to see it and own it.  I'm not sure what to think about this Elvis.  I prefer to think of him as being perfect and innocent like the 1956 Elvis.  Guess he was a real person and certainly a womanizer.

Michelle Money

Who does Michelle, from The Bachelor, look like?  I can't place it.  Is it Elizabeth Hurley or Lauren Conrad?

Michelle Money

Elizabeth Hurley

Lauren Conrad

My Attempt At A Grammar Lesson

I hate hearing bad grammar, I instead of me, "Bring me to the store," then and than.  Oh, it kills me!  Not that I use purfect Engrish all the time, you read my blog, you know.  I type like I talk.  And honestly, some of these, I'm not too sure about myself.  So consider this a refresher course for us all.

Bring and Take
From your perspective, things can only be brought to you, not taken to you. 
Someone brings something to your location.  You take something to someone else.

You're and Your
You're is a contraction of you and are.  Easily replace you're with you are and see if it makes sense.
Your is a possessive pronoun.  "Your dingo ate my baby." 

Their, They're, There
Their is to be used when you're discussing people.  "Their grandma just threw up on me."
They're is a contraction of they and are.  Again with any conjunction, replace they're with they are and if it works, use it.
There is referring to a place, a location.  "I think I see a bear holding a shark over there."

I and Me   
Oh, this one hurts.  There are tons of folks on Facebook that caption their photos, "The Pope and I."
The easiest way to remember when to use I or me is if you take out the other person, and it makes sense, use it.  For example, if you take out The Pope..."This is a picture of I."  NO.  "This is a picture of me."
Other examples:  "Do you want to go to Memphis with Carlene and I?"  (take out the other person) "Do you want to go to Memphis with I?"  NO.  "Do you want to go to Memphis with me?"  Correct!
"Carlene and me are going to Memphis."  (take out the other person)  "Me (am) going to Memphis."  NO.  "I (am) going to Memphis."  "Carlene and I are going to Memphis."

Its and It's
Its is the possessive form of it.  Use it instead of his or hers.  "The dolphin shot air through its blow hole."
It's is a contraction of it and is or it and has.  What's the rule?  Replace it's with it is and listen.  "It's a great time for fresh tomatoes."  "It is a great time for fresh tomatoes."
Another example:  "The restaurant was nice but it's ambiance was terrible."  (replace it's with it is)  "The restaurant was nice but it is ambiance was terrible."  NOPE.  "...but its ambiance was terrible."

Next time maybe I'll also post when to use lay, laid, and lie.  I have to learn the proper usage first.  Tricky.

Which of my favorite movies has the best soundtrack?

Dirty Dancing
Almost Famous
The Blues Brothers
Bridget Jones Diary
Dazed and Confused

Fallen Princesses

As I've gotten older I have realized that Disney princess movies (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid) give girls false hope of love and relationships. Take Beauty and the Beast for instance. Isn't it usually the other way around? Men are super sweet and treat you great (prince-like) when you're dating, and then when you're married he turns into a "beast."
How about Cinderella.....a girl is forced to work hard her whole life until a man comes and saves her. Don't women work harder after they find a man?

I found these pictures of Fallen Princesses, cutesy princesses depicted in real life scenarios. I've posted my favorites. Go check out the others.

Training a Mini Penis

I moved to North Carolina in 2007. That same month, Sister went away to college, and Daddy changed jobs and started working out of town 5 days a week. Momma, being the great mother she is, decided to become a foster parent. She currently has 4 children living with her at her house in South Carolina....a 6 and a 7 year old brother and sister that have been with her for almost 3 years, a 1 year old little boy, and a 2 year old little boy.

Momma has only raised girls so this means she has learned a lot about boys in the last 3 years. Well now it is time for the two year old boy to be potty trained. Recently Momma was talking to a girlfriend about potty training little boys as this woman has raised two boys, now men. Apparently there are two schools of thought, some men shake their penis after urinating and some men actually use a square of toilet paper and dab any excess off. After further investigation, Momma also found that only some men use the flap on their briefs where as some men unzip their pants and pull their underwear down to urinate.

I myself have only recently become familiar with the male anatomy and find this all very fascinating! So I did my own research....poopreport.com (awful isn't it?) did a poll in 2006 of 1,327 men. These were their findings:
26% give a gentle shake
12% give a wild thrashing
23% blot with toilet paper
33% let their underwear absorb the drips
6% other, whatever that would be

Now aren't you curious to know what the men in your life do? Shake, dab, flap, pull down?! I've already asked The Pope; he's a shaker, flapper, and a puller-downer.

I heart my flat wallet!

I am not usually into following the crowd and owning the most trendy things. However, TONS of chicks have come into the pharmacy lately with these super cute flat wallets. These woman seem so organized plus the outside of the wallets are so darn cute. Well today this woman came through the drive-thru. She had one of these great wallets, too! I complimented her and asked her where she got it. "Everyone is carrying these wallets. Where did you get yours? I have searched online and don't know what it's called." She asked if I really liked it and told me she would be back later. About 30 minutes later she came through the drive-thru again with a flat wallet for me! It is bright blue, fake alligator skin....so great. I told the woman I didn't have any cash to pay her for the wallet. I also offered to make her homemade dog biscuits for her puppy. (Is that lame?) She told me just to "pass it forward."
How wonderfully nice?!

Easily Distracted

I have an AIM email account and when I go to aol.com to check my mail, there are always tons of crazy, ridiculous articles that I HAVE TO read. I end up, 15 minutes later, forgetting why I was even on the computer in the first place. Later I remember I never actually checked my email.
Here are a few articles that peeked my interest so much that I forgot to check my email.

Teen Suspended For Going to Prom
Woman Keeps Moms Body For 6 Years
Celeb Gossip
Cher Turns Back Time
KFC Free Food Foul-up
Best Free Things To Do in America
Pro Athlete to Skip White House Visit
Parents Fight For Child's Name
Woman's Abs Saved Her Life
Boy Hit By Meteorite and Lived

Le Père Noël

I just got a letter back from Santa (at this site, you can EMAIL Santa!!!) Here's his response to my email:

What a nice surprise Stephanie!

Thank you for sending me your email all the way from Wilmington! The Net sure is wonderful because now I never feel lonely all the way up at the North Pole. I can get those wonderful Christmas emails any time of the year now, but it's always special when I get one from you, Stephanie.

Well bless my whiskers, Stephanie! Are you fibbing to ol' Santa Claus?!? You can't possibly be 26 years old already! Why it seems like only yesterday that I was leaving presents for a certain little girl and here you are now, practically one of Santa's elves! (*grin*)

Sorry the presents the last little while probably haven't been quite as exciting as they were when you were a little girl but, well, you know how these things go (*wink*). Anyway, Santa's glad to see some of the 'older kids' (not to mention anyone in particular!) still take the time to write. I also hear you've been a REALLY REALLY good girl. (Of course, you won't mind if I do a little checking, will you? Ho!! ho!! ho!!).

Let's see what you put in your letter for Christmas wishes: 1. kayak; 2. set of pots and pans and; 3. wardrobe of clothes. Ho!! ho!! ho!! That's exactly what I thought you might like! Of course, there's only so much room in the sleigh so I hope you won't be too upset with me if I can't bring you everything you asked for.

Oh yes, before I forget Stephanie, the elves really want you to visit my new blog! It is called Santa Claus' Christmas Blog. My blog is all about Christmas, life at the North Pole, and me, Santa Claus! You can even write messages to me and see what others have written. I can hardly wait to see what you write!

Oh! oh! I just got a report from an elf that a little girl who lives close to you was being very naughty! Guess I better end my letter to you so I can change my Naughty & Nice List again. Take care Stephanie and don't forget to come back and visit me here at EmailSanta.com on Christmas Eve!! And remember... only 30 more sleeps until Christmas!!

All My Love,


P.S. The reindeer say "Thank You!" for the nice treats! I hope you don't mind, but I had a bit of carrot and celery too. After all, even Santa eats his veggies!

Panera Bread comes to Wilmington!

Panera Bread is built and almost ready to go! I pass the new location everyday on my way to work, and I've been waiting to see a huge sign out front letting everyone know when the grand opening is. Finally, I got tired of waiting for the sign and just sent corporate an email. Below is the exact email I got in response:

Dear Stephanie,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Panera Bread. We are happy to know that you enjoy our food and that the service has been good for you.
Thanks to loyal customers like you, Panera Bread is enjoying tremendous success. We appreciate your business and your kind words. If all goes accordingly, the new bakery-café in Wilmington, NC is scheduled to open in late November, specifically the 17th. Please note that this date is a target date is very likely to change. We hope you will enjoy it!
Thank you again for contacting us. We hope that you continue to enjoy Panera Bread.
Sincerely,
Sam
Customer Comment Coordinator

Yay! November 17th...I'll see you there!

Porsche 356 Speedster-AMAZING!

Okapi, isn't it beautiful

Okapi info

Give money to Surfrider, FOR FREE!

stephatthebeach invites you to SocialVibe.com    

Picture a Day

For 18 years Jamie Livingston kept a record of every day of his life, but this was no ordinary journal.

Livingston, a New York City-based cinematographer, amassed thousands of Polaroid photos, taken each day of his life during those years, and a collection of the photos has been posted online by friends for people to see and experience, according to a report by MyFOX National.

Many of the photos were of friends. The subject sometimes was as ordinary as a smile, a window or a household item. Another was taken on his wedding day.

Livingston's friend Risa Mickenberg told MyFOX National the photos are an essay on life.

"'Photo of the Day' is a work of light, color, laughter, pain, travel, beauty, wonton soup, afternoons, coffee, hanging out, love, life in its entirety," she said.

Livingston was born in New Jersey on Oct. 25, 1956, and died in New York City 41 years to the day in 1997.

In 1978 at Bard College he began to take photos with his Polaroid camera, according to MyFOX National. After a few weeks he realized he had taken almost an image a day. He then began to earnestly take one photo a day and continued the project until his death.

"It's the masterpiece we all create," Mickenberg said. "It's just that Jamie thought to take its picture."

I heart avocados.

I love avocados and eat them on/with everything. I have already told Jon avocados will be a staple in our kitchen, but they are so darn expensive.
Today I did a little research on growing an avocado tree. You can actually grow a tree right from the pit in you avocado at home. Here are the directions.
I also found these avocado facts to be interesting:
*Avocados contain just 5 grams of fat per serving.
*The name 'Avocado' originates from the Aztec name ahuacacuauhitl meaning testicle tree!
*Avocados contain 60% more potassium per ounce than bananas.
*There is documented evidence that animals such as cats, dogs, cattle, goats, rabbits, birds, fish and particularly, horses can be severely harmed or even killed when they consume the avocado leaves, bark, skin, or pit.

Vaginal Sofa

need a sofa?

Britney

I knew Britney should have never left Justin. Look how her life has turned out.
Britney