Why I'm hoping for around December 14....

So... I just have to get this off my chest... (or, in this case, could it possibly be "off my belly"?!?!)
I must admit: I do NOT like being pregnant.

Don't be mad. I LOVE that we're having a baby. SO THAT is NOT the problem. I also am thrilled that we're bringing a little boy (AKA "Sean clone") into the world. THAT's exciting!!! AND... I am quite entertained by -- and enamored with -- the myriad bumps, kicks and wiggles that have been going on in my stomach region. :)

But, there are so many things that I do NOT like about being pregnant that it tends to color my opinion toward the negative.

One reason I am not a "happy pregger"...
I feel like I'm made of dough.

Yep. I'm convinced. I am now a big, blobby, wobbly, smooshy pile of dough. With eyes. And hair. I'm even the color of dough: pasty white. It frustrates me. Yuck! Keep me away from mirrors, especially when there's some of that oh-so-fun swelling taking place. Sheesh! Is Star Wars needing a Mrs. Jaba in the next installment? I wouldn't need much makeup help at this point....

Another reason why I am not a happy pregger...
the sprinkler system that comes pre-installed with pregnancy.

It's set to go on every hour or so. Even during the middle of the night (uh... especially during the middle of the night!). It's just amazing. I have spent waaaaayyyy too time with the porcelain gods these last few months... for one reason or another. Maybe that's why I've been so inspired to redo the paint job in our little half-bath...

I could go on and on about reasons to not like being pregnant. Some are a little personal. Some are a little gross. (Some are a little personal AND gross.) So I will leave you with one final reason I am not a happy pregger...
The knife.

Yes. The KNIFE. It is a constant companion, day and night... siting, standing, resting, relaxing. No matter. The knife is there. The sharp, burning stabs of pain sometimes overwhelm me in a rush of increased intensity and other times just hang around with their staccato bursts of pain. Sometimes excruciating. Sometimes just achy and annoying. Constantly frustrating. But there. Always. And about to drive me CRAZY!!!!

And it's, what, not quite October yet??? Did I mention that baby is due in December? Like, 80+ days from now? Technically, he's due on Dec. 26. But just between you and me, I'm afraid that the knife may overcome me well before that time (the knife... or the insanity that may take over my mind because of the knife!!!)

That's why I'm hoping for December 14... or somewhere thereabouts. I'll take just about anything before then... during that month, of course. November 14 is not so good. Neither is October 14... while tempting. I mean, this isn't all about me. I have a little bun baking in the oven, and it needs an adequate amount of time.

And that reminds me... I need to buy more of these dough-reducing, uh, I mean "slimming" stretchy top things.

I guess the good new is, I have a great costume idea for Halloween this year: Mrs. Jaba The Hut. (Gosh, I hope you weren't thinking "Psychotic, Knife-Wielding Dough Sprinkler of Doom.") ;)

And the winners are....

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my ONLINE launch party with B’s Purses! I hope it generated some excitement and allowed you to get a peek at the wonderful products!

If anyone is interested in designing your very own bag or hosting a purse party (to earn discounts and free purses), just let me know! And for those of you who live close to Birmingham, be looking for details about my “official” purse party, a real life launch party that will be held at my house… TBD!!!

Also, congratulations to the winners of the party giveaway!

• An adorable heart-shaped “purse valet” goes to “Nyssa” who entered through several different means on my Beth’s B’s Purses blog!
• 50%-off your custom B’s Purses order goes to “Deb K” from my Beth’s B’s Purses blog (who also used some of those extra methods to enter the giveaway!)
• And the grand prize winner of a stylish B’s Savannah "Bucket" Purse … is “misselaineous” who found THIS blog through a random search! WOW! What good luck, Elaine! :)

Teddy Loves B's Purses

I captured a quick shot of Teddy in one of my B's Purses... not sure he's all that thrilled, but he looked TOO cute!
Teddy hopes you enter the giveaway for my online launch party... and don't forget to check out the B's Purses website and catalog!

Happy Online Blog-Launch Partyversary to me!

In celebration of my three years of blogging (ah, yes…the first bloggy anniversary I’ve actually, sort of, remembered), I was thinking about having some sort of giveaway… to follow in the footsteps of some of my favorite fellow bloggers and to commemorate the special occasion! Well, since I just started my own business with B’s Purses and plan on hosting my online launch party all this weekend (September 25-27), I have decided to combine the two things…

So Happy Online Blog-Launch Partyversary to me!


THE DETAILS
If you're like me, then you know that you can never have too many purses or totes. I just LOVE bags! And I especially love bags that are unique, bags that fit me (and my personality), bags that make a statement, bags that match that perfect pair of shoes, or bags that my kids can use for piano lessons or visiting grandma's!

That's why I started up my own business as an independent consultant with B's Purses. Not only are their products beautiful, well-made, trendy and useful, YOU get to be the designer! Pick your own favorite fabrics and patterns -- outside AND inside -- and select the hardware, accessories, accents and even monogramming! It's all up to YOU!

So it's YOUR perfect bag!


THE PRIZES
For my Happy Online Blog-Launch Partyversary, I will be giving away some really neat things! By entering, you could win one of the following:

• A handy and adorable heart-shaped “purse valet” ($12 value; this is one of those neat little gadgets you can use to hang your purse at your desk or at a table in a restaurant so you don’t have to put it on a dirty, germy floor, table, chair or otherwise!)
  
• Half-off your custom B’s Purses order (depending on what you choose, that’s a $50 value… or more!; that’s an amazing 50% savings on a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind purse that YOU get to design!)
• A stylish B’s Savannah "Bucket" Purse ($110 value!!!!; this is an already designed, ready-to-send-to-you handbag in a polka-dot fabric)

THE CONTEST
To enter my Happy Online Blog-Launch Partyversary giveaway, browse the catalog and/or check out my personal B’s Purses website and look around at the products. Come back here and tell me which purse is your favorite (and why!), and you'll be entered! (Be sure to leave me an e-mail address if I don't have a way to contact you… i.e. via e-mail, blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

* The contest will be open Monday, September 21, through Sunday, September 27. Winners will be randomly selected and announced on this blog on Monday, September 28, by 5pm.

THE RULES
Here are some rules as well as a few other ways to get extra entries into this contest.

1. You MUST post a comment on THIS post to enter the giveaway.
   
2. You will have until Sunday night, September 27, to enter.
   

You can earn some extra entries in the giveaway for the following:

1. If you're a follower of this blog (just let me know on this post, and I'll take care of your extra entries).
2. If you post about my Happy Online Blog-Launch Partyversary giveaway on your blog (feel free to use any of the photos, buttons or images in this post, and be sure to comment here so I know where to see your post!).
3. If you tweet about this giveaway (comment here and let me know!).
4. If you make a comment on my B’s Purse blog – on any post!
5. If you place an order during my online launch party (September 25-27) … 5 extra entries!!
6. If you sign up to host your own purse party (at your home and/or online)… 3 extra entries!!

Good luck to all!
I'm so excited!!

(BTW: When placing an order during my ONLINE LAUNCH PARTY, Sept. 25-27, please use party number 5800!)

The Latest Buzz

I'm just a'buzz with excitement to be a new independent consultant with B's Purses. I've always loved bags, totes, purses and handbags... and I am thrilled to be a part of a company that lets YOU design your very own!

I'm sure you already have bags that you love, but for a one-of-a-kind item made exactly to your taste, you can create it yourself! B's Purses lets you choose the shape (including handbags, cell phone cases, garment bags, diaper bags and tennis-racket bags) and the fabric/pattern (from solids and polka dots to vibrant florals and animal prints) for the inside and outside of your bag. Add a handle of your choice and finish it off with ribbon, piping or a monogram. It might cost a little more than the average bag.... but that's the point! These bags are not average at all! They are YOUR unique creations!

So if you're looking for a unique gift, shopping for Christmas presents or just itching to buy a new bag for yourself, check out my B's Purses BLOG and WEBSITE. Have fun looking through all the gorgeous styles and fabrics, and feel free to place an order, post questions, sign-up for a purse party in your home or find out more about becoming a B's Designer to make extra income for you and your family!

It's truly the latest buzz!

I speak English; thank you very much.

I have to share a bit about the, uh, little "disagreement" I've been having with AT&T over the last year or so....

Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from AT&T. Oh, but this letter was not just the average, annoying junk mail letter or those sneaky deals and marketing ploys that show up every other week in the mailbox. This letter was different... because THIS piece of literature (which was clearly addressed to me) was in Spanish!

Just so you know, I do NOT speak Spanish. I am not from Mexico nor from any Spanish-speaking country. In fact, I was born in Des Moines, Iowa, of my Brooklyn-born father and my mother, who immigrated to the U.S.A. legally from Norway more than 50 years ago.

So, why did I get a letter from AT&T in Spanish? (Actually, the question is: why have I gotten many, many letters from AT&T in Spanish?)

It's my last name: Alcazar.
And it looks to me like AT&T is profiling. (Dun-dun-duuuunnnnnnnn!)

Apparently, my last name must have popped up on their list of "possible Latinos/Latinas." SO, the brilliant advertising gurus at AT&T thought they would be so amazingly clever and write to me in my assumed native language. They were wrong. So VERY wrong. And they messed with the wrong American. Upon receiving the third letter in Spanish, addressed directly to me, I called up AT&T and demanded that they stop sending any literature of any kind in Spanish. I also reminded the AT&T representative that this is America, and we speak English!


Well, the Spanish letters continued. In fact, I received the most recent one a few months ago. And, frankly, I am pretty darn upset that AT&T continues to discriminate against me because of my last name! It's outrageous! My friends and family members who are AT&T customers do not receive Spanish marketing crap. So, I called them up again and told yet another AT&T representative that I was not at all happy that the company would target me because of my last name or that that they would just assume I spoke Spanish. Are they sending German letters to my friends with German-sounding last names? French-language literature to my pals with French names? No way! I mean... What's next? Are they going to look at my blond hair, decide I must be the typical "dumb blond" and start sending out "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Junkmail?" How about "Marketing Ploys For Blonds"?!?! ;)

It's discriminatory!

During my last phone call, AT&T promised to stop sending letters. Any letters (Spanish OR English)! And supposedly they contacted a man named Jose Espinel who is sending these stupid letters to me. (Hmmm... is he Spanish?) Jose stated that it will take 4-6 weeks to "get things cleared up."

Oh, on that note... I got a very similar piece of mail a few days ago from Direct TV, advertising -- both in English and in Spanish -- that my household can now enjoy the best Spanish-language TV channels. How exciting for me, a non-Mexican, non-Spanish-speaking American. Right?! (So it's not just AT&T!?!?!) I contacted this company by phone as well. Let's just say Direct TV will no longer be sending me marketing material...of any kind. ;) Heh-heh.

I just hope that Jose at AT&T and the folks at Direct TV get this clear: I am an American. I live in America. And I speak English. I should not have to "press 1" for English. I should not have to listen to any other language when I call an American company. I should not get marketing materials here in the U.S.A. that are written in ANY language other than English... and I should not be discriminated against because of my last name.

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We're on a roll!

Tuesday, September 1, marked the very first night for Bunco in my neighborhood.
Our group, which included a few Bunco veterans and mostly "newbies," met up at my house for a lively evening of food, conversation, competition and prizes!
After learning the rules, making a few trial runs and working out all the specifics, there were three very active tables of cheers and chatter along with some fancy dice-rolling techniques and many excited exclamations of "Bunco!"

Winners for the night were Brandi, with the most wins, Krystal, with the most losses (yes, there is a prize for that!), and ME, with the most Buncos. (I never win anything! Ha-ha!) Other participants included Amy, Cara, Cathryn, Debbie, Jill, Nancy, Paige, Season and Tina. Everyone ended the night with some great memories... but we three lucky ladies (pictured, below) also had a little extra spending money to take home!