Another day at the races

We were at the horse track again today! It was the last day for the horse racing season here in Lexington. The track is only open in May and October for live horse racing; they simulcast the racing the rest of the year. None of us did well enough to brag, so we won't. :)

I made blueberry muffins for breakfast...mmm, they were like eating birthday cake. Lunch: was McD's, and dinner we finally got into Old Chicago Pizzeria here in town. It opened about 3 months ago, but they always have a 45 min. to 1 hour wait time. The experience was okay, but none of us thought it was worthy of the long wait. I personally didn't really like the crust. However the warm artichoke dip appetizer was really tasty. They served it with a really nice garlic toast, and fresh vegetables.

After hours (JMS in bed and hubby watching football), I was able to do a little shopping. I got a cool spider web table runner with matching place mats on clearance, and the napkin rings that are skeleton bones. It looks really cool in my formal dining room. Did I mention that I got four pumpkins (decent size) and 2 large mums for 13 dollars on Thursday? I was telling my mom about this deal today and the more I talked the more I realized that it was a super good deal. I don't think the guy charging me knew how to do math.

If you haven't read my friend Kim's blog lately....she has links to Dunkin Donuts coupons and Starbucks coupons. You rock!

Jailhouse Rock

Trying to snarl...love the sideburns attached to the glasses.
New age Elvis...on his cell phone.

So he got props for his outfit, but not his dancing. :)

Horse Breeding

JMS and I went to Three Chimney's Farm today with a group from my work. We got to see some of the greatest race horses and where they breed. Big Brown will be retiring to this farm in the very near future. We also learned all of the details of how to breed a thorough bred horse. They are not artificially inseminated folks! They have to do the deed or they are disqualified as a thorough bred. Each of the stallions mounts at least 110 mares a year, and the breeding season is only 6 months long (Feb - Sep). Don't worry...std's...each mare is carefully screened so that no one is contracting anything but a baby foal out of the deal.

Then, we went to Keeneland and watched 3 of the 9 races. Mommy made a little money, and then we came home.

At work...on Tuesday, I was on the look out for: humidifiers, wall light switch plates, pet steps, hannah montana costumes, pet costumes in size XL, iDogs, and camera battery chargers.

Update on the hubby, he wore an elvis costume to work today for the disco danceathon. Pictures coming soon!

The answers please...

1) Condoleeza Rice

2) Gordon Brown

3) Democrats



Are you smarter than 82% of Americans?

It's official!

I actually have three people who have admit to reading my blog! Thank you Emily for being the most recent person to recognize their guilty pleasure. This is the first step to recovery!

On with the good commentary for the day: So, I haven't posted recently what customers are shopping for. Yesterday it was an air horn and face paints that we were in search of; today, it was hearing aid batteries, hand soap, and coffee flavored candies, but they couldn't be hard candy like Werther's...that would have been too easy. Oh, and why do people always assume the bathrooms are in the rear of the store. When they get back there and don't find them, then they ask, "where are your restrooms?" "Duh, everywhere you haven't checked...like in the front of the store." (so I wish I could say)

Also, here are updated photos of the family:

Dad looking like he just spent the day with JMS...b/c he did! Thank you.
JMS giving out good-bye kisses.
Melmo slippers...
JMS got to play in the rain a few days ago...he loved that the water kept coming out of the gutter spout.
Who me? Yes you!

And the last photo..."when you have a problem...think think think." (According to Darby on the Disney show Tigger and Friends.) Please disregard my Saturday morning look. :)

Oh, had a few more things to share. 1) Who is the secretary of state in the US? 2) Who is the Prime Minister of GB? 3) Which party currently controls the House? Don't look these up...answer them quietly to yourself. I will post the answer tomorrow. These were asked on National Radio shows this week and only 18% of American's got all three correct.

Last thought from me at 1:44am (I closed the store tonight), I PASSED MY FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION COURSE with a 98%!!!! Go me.

Response I got from Marshall's Customer Service

Thank you for contacting Marshalls regarding your recent experience in our Lexington, KY store.Customer courtesy and convenience is very important to us, and we apologize for your unfortunate experience and delay. Providing customers with quality service in a clean and organized atmosphere is very important to us also, and we apologize if the store was not up to our standards of cleanliness. Please be assured that we have discussed your comments and concerns with Store Management for their review and attention.Again, thank you for taking the time to e-mail us about this situation. If we can be of any further assistance, simply e-mail us back or contact our Customer Service Department at 1-888-627-7425. You are a valued Marshalls customer, and we look forward to better serving you in the future.

Sincerely,Rhonda
Marshalls Customer Service
Customer Service Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9 AM to 6 PM, EST.

Stress and Prayers

Thank you everyone who prayed for me through the past week. Interviews were awful; I got feedback that I was nervous to their distraction (ok, so rigid military style isn't going to work). I wasn't exactly nervous, I was just sitting straight, slightly forward with my hands in my lap. I wasn't sweaty, red faced, jittery, stuttering....what I would consider nervous. I answered the questions in the format they wanted, but I guess I "didn't show any personality." So...my husband says, "don't they know that stressed out, cannot relax, no emotions, all business...is your personality." Geez.

Please leave suggestions on my blog for how I can "show more personality" in an interview. I'll give it a shot. Oh, and smiling...is not a good suggestion b/c I'm already doing that.

Overall, I was recommended to go forward through the next round. So, your suggestions will be taken seriously.

Huggable Hangers

So, what are huggable hangers you ask. They are velvety hangers that help save closet space and preserve the shape of your clothes.

JMS has been fighting a cold this weekend and was running a fever on Sunday. I'm staying home with him this morning, to be relieved by my husband around lunchtime. This way, we both could give a little at work.

JMS finally has his appetite back. We were eating a jar of breakfast baby cereal and pears this morning by Beechnut. We usually eat Gerber (with the baby on the label). And he usually points and says, "baby." Well this morning he spun and spun the jar looking for the baby. It was too cute.

DO NOT SHOP MARSHALL's

OK, so I usually do not boycott, but my recent experience as a customer of Marshall's deserves a boycott! I went out on a short (so I thought) morning trip to hit some bargains I found in today's sales papers. I first hit Michael's - they had yarn on sale and I was interested in seeing their discounted Halloween and fall specials. I found what I was looking for and quickly moved on to see if I could find any early Christmas gift bargains in Marshall's (next door to Michael's).

Well, upon entering the store I should have seen my first sign. I actually looked at my watch, it really was only 11:30am, and the store had only been open for 1.5 hours, and it was TRASHED! The shoe department had shoes all over the floor, boxes open and spread out, the stuffing on top of the display shoes. It was bad. Well, this spread past the shoes...into the housewares, the clothing...the whole store was upside down. It looked as thought they had a really heavy day of shopping on Saturday, closed the doors at closing time, and didn't do anything to repair the appearance of the merchandise.

Since I was "off duty" I turned my retail critique button off, and attempted to find a few deals. Score...a holiday table runner, matching place mats and napkins; ooh, a few small things I will not mention for it might be some one's gift, and a pair of clearance gym shoes for JMS; no more than an armful of stuff.

I made my way to the front of the store and they had 2 registers open beneath signs that said "Customer Service." (Oxymoron - we will come to learn.) There are two lines forming: 1)Customer returns and 2)Customer purchases. I get in the second line behind two other customers. And wait....and wait...the cashiers worked their way through everyone in the returns line, with no greeting, explanation, or acknowledgement of the rest of us. Then, they take one person from our line, as two more customers jump into the returns line (legit returns, but essentially cut in line - I sound like a grade school kid). Then, they help the two that were in the returns line. Then they take 1 from our line. Again...more customers line up to process returns.

When I got to the front register I said to the girl "Are you really taking returns customers ahead of those of us who are just trying to check out?" She said, "That is the priority." I said, "Well, there are a lot of angry people in that line over there that don't agree." She completely ignored me, quietly processed my purchases, and continued to ignore me...and then had the gall to say "Have a nice day." Are you kidding me??????????

I am not one to call for a manager to complain (because I don't like dealing with these type of complaints) but this was really bad. I decided I'd file a complaint on line because you probably wouldn't have found a manager in that store today who cared.

74 Days until Christmas

Just a friendly reminder. :) Our toy department is filling in for the holidays. We have our riser shelves up and the board games are within two feet of the ceiling. So, I know you love hearing what shoppers are looking for. This week, popular items were: huggable hangers, pet food, pet supplies, coupon organizer, deep fryer, and a flask! Someone was actually looking for a flask. We found one, but it was with our halloween costumes.

The person with questions about the deep fryer was a volunteer for a home that houses AIDS patients. She was trying to furnish the apartments with whatever appliances she could find within her budget. We are in transition for our housewares department and she actually got a rice cooker for 4 dollars. It was missing the power cord, but armed with the manufacturer information she'd be able to get that real easily. I thought that was nice of her to share that information with me.

Motivated to Date Again

So, I want to thank Kim and Craig for dating! I read on your blog that you all went on a date, and it made me want to date too. :) Fortunately, unlike high school, I didn't have to find a guy to "date." The hardest part for me was finding a babysitter. Ha ha, tell a high school kid that one. I called the two babysitters I have here in town, and one was going to work her regular job, and the other was going for sorority initiation (whatever that means...sounds like drinking). Well, then I called my parents. Bingo is now officially over at the church, so they no longer have that Friday night commitment. I struck gold...they were able to come and watch JMS.

So, my husband and I went to dinner and a movie (Nights in Rodanthe). The movie began at 7:20pm and we were home by 9pm. Movie Tavern rocks. You can eat and watch the movie all at the same time. I didn't know my parents had planned on staying the night. Shoot, we would have stayed out longer.

That is okay, though. I cooked them breakfast in the morning, and off they went. We really appreciated you coming to play with JMS! Thank you.

Women who don't work

You are so smart! You have made a decision to eliminate work place stress and not allow others to tell you your worth! Good for you.

For those of us who work...well, we are going to age quicker, die younger, have low self-esteem and rarely see our kids.

Can you tell what kind of week I've had? Shopping will not cure the stress or relieve the emotional pain from comments that I've been hit with this week. Ice cream hasn't helped either. Beer...yep, tried that...and I cut the grass (exercise).

Anyone who really knows me...would you ever classify me as SHY? Just wondering.

82 days and counting

So, the weather is changing and it is very obvious by what customers are buying. The clothing departments looked as though mini-tornadoes passed through Kentucky yesterday via our store. However, despite how badly things looked, sales are definitely up as folks try to make sure that their little ones are covered up and warm at the bus stop.

The other areas that are starting to see attention from our shoppers are the Halloween department, and the toys. I'd recommend starting early...we have our toy department set for the most part, so what you see now is what you'll see in November and December. The domestics departments are set too...you'll find flannel sheets on the end caps now. Need Christmas candles...if you look hard enough you'll find those too.

Did anyone hear about Jumpstart's Read for the Record? Well, the goal was to read the book Corduroy to as many kids as possible on October 2nd, to set a world record. We had volunteers in our store reading to the kids who came in - 16 in total. I guess every little bit helps.

Happy Birthday Peggy!

My sister's 25 today! I'm sorry I didn't send a card or a gift...but hey, I sent an email! Ok, I'm a bum. Sorry.

So, who is ready for Christmas? Anyone start their holiday shopping yet?

84 days until Christmas Day!!!

Ode to an almost 2 year old

Ode...okay, well maybe not an Ode in the true sense of the word, but I liked how that sounded. We discovered side walk chalk today (and graffiti'd the patio/jungle gym/window screens/patio furniture/hot tub), how to take off our diaper during nap time, and that we do like chicken nuggets. We decided that we would fight mommy putting on our clothes today, that we prefer our dinosaur pajamas to our cars tshirt (thanks Kim), and that the dog will wear a hat and like it. We can pick up maple seed helicopters and act like they are the smallest baseball bat in the world (swing, swing), and that rocks fit in our pockets. We will pitch a fit if you tell me to take a nap, bring me in before I'm finished playing, drain the bath before I'm done, and try to change my diaper. I am an almost 2 year old boy.