Props

How annoyed are you by me this week? I NEVER have this much time to waste rambling on my blog, but going on vaca and to Paducah all in one week is the cause of all this. Oh yes, back to Paducah . . . yipee . . . and once again trying to make the best out of what I consider a sorta bad situation.

After a refreshing trip, I was forced to dive right into some "drama" with the 9 to 5. It's not awful but is leaving me very, well, disappointed. When I taught public high school in Mississippi, I was always prepared for drama from students, other teachers, parents, budget cuts, testing, yada, yada. When I was in sales with Cintas, I expected them to constantly change rules and policies and mess up my orders and installs. These jobs taught me to adapt to change, but I guess I have gotten very comfortable in my current job. I constantly brag about how much I love it, but right now I have a very bitter taste in my mouth. None of this is my fault, but I have to deal with it for the majority of my day, which is just no fun.

I fully expect the problems to be resolved soon and I am probably making them into a much bigger deal than they really are. In the meantime I am trying to keep my mood balanced by meditating on the positive (if you can't tell, I have to talk myself into being positive occassionally). Just today I made a list of who deserves some props:

1. La Baguette, Memphis, TN
Ah, who doesn't love a good pastry shop? In college I worked at Bottletree Bakery in Oxford and have had a really hard time finding something in Memphis that can compare to their blueberry brioche and cream cheese danish. Not everyone may get along with Cynthia (I always loved you, by the way!), but she sure has a fantabulous bakery. Anyway, for the past two mornings I have gotten a sausage, egg, and cheese on croissant that comes with a mini blueberry muffin and orange slice at La Baguette . . . heavenly. This morning I even bought an extra blueberry muffin that is the size of my head and have been munching on it all day. I'm pretty sure it's 90% butter, 10% blueberries, which makes it all the yummier.

2. Bumbletees, Germantown, TN

I'm sure I bug the mess out of these women, but I love to pick their brains. This little store is right across from the Gtown Commissary and Methodist Hospital, and I discovered it when leaving a doctor's office one day. They make the CUTEST little t-shirts, skirts, aprons, belts, and other fun little ditties, and they sell beautiful Heather Bailey and Amy Butler fabric. They are so patient with my pregnant self (remember, I'm very indecisive!), and have given me much inspiration for sewing. They don't mind that I might spend my entire lunch hour asking them how they made things or what fabrics coordinate with each other. The ladies get excited when I tell them I've sewn something new, and I must start taking photos in to show them and let them know how they've inspired me. What made me think of them is that I stopped at the Hancock's warehouse when I got to Paducah. It is gigantic and does carry some beautiful fabrics the smalltown Hancocks do not carry (I loaded up on some pretty Heather Bailey prints), but I can't get any of the old quilting ladies to follow me around and pay attention to me like the Bumbletees chicks do! While I'm at it, I would also like to give a shout out to Libby at Sweet Stitches and Amy at Brownie Goose for giving me inspiration. Libby has beautiful and classic taste and does a great job of mixing the traditional with a little funk in her appliques and monograms. Amy is pure funk all around and I stalk her blogs almost on a daily basis (psycho, right?). Although I still have a 9 to 5, I somehow hope one day I will have a little time to come up with pieces half as precious as theirs.

3. Jessi, Amanda, and the rest of the staff at Dr. Bodnarchuk's office in Paducah.

As I've said before, Paducah is not my favorite place to go. It's not that there's something wrong with the town or people, but it is my one overnight that takes me away from my husband and child. Yes, I enjoy the alone time, but I know it stresses Clint out to have to leave work much earlier than normal to get Mimi and to get everything prepared for the next day. Along with this, my sales numbers are horrible for this part of my territory. While I usually have about 30-40% of the business in the rest of my territory (this is above company average, if you're looking for a comparison! Tooting my own horn, how annoying?), I only have about 5% in Kentucky. That is absolutely awful, and although I've tried everything I know I can't get these guys to budge. So Dr. B's office has become my bright spot in the trip. The office is really small and everyone is so welcoming and friendly. I love hearing about their children and grandchildren, and they really seem to care about me and what's going on in my life. I'm saving them until tomorrow, so I'll have something to look forward to!!

4. My sweet, sweet parents.

They made the long trip to 30A with us last week, and I'm so glad they tagged along. More times than I can count my mom told Clint and me to walk down the beach, grab some dinner, or go shop in Seaside and to not hurry back. They dote on Mimi like she's the first grandchild and are so completely amused with every little thing she does. This is their time to shine because this is really when they are best with the grandkids. Most of the others are in elementary right now, and are a little over hanging out with Poppaw and Bebe. But not Mimi, she woke up every day looking for them and thinks they are sooo funny. My dad is extremely impatient and loves to complain, and my mom tells stories about people and things that absolutely matter to no one BUT I've begun to find these "flaws" really amusing. Dad has the funniest stories about growing up that usually consist of fun characters like his cousin "the boy" or the relative who "died of diarrea." I would really like to sit down with him and a tape recorder one day soon and just let him talk. He also LOVES to gossip and getting info from his is a lot like that game we played as kids where one person whispers a phrase in someone's ears and then passes down the phrase . . . my dad seems to be the one at the end to find out the info, and his "twists" are absolutely hilarious. Mom will make zero decisions on her own, which isn't always a bad thing. She may feed Mimi M&Ms (nima nima nims) all day, but she also crams as many fruits and veggies in her as possible. Ah, gotta love the parentals. Here's a link to a little "article" about Dad, Clint, and Brad on their fishing excursion last week. Blessed Moon Charters

5. H.R.H. Dumplins, Murray, KY

Yes, Murray, KY, does have some redeeming qualities other than the trailer park next to the Holiday Inn. It's called Dumplins, and I try my best to plan my lunchbreak in Murray just so I can eat here. Everything on the menu is chocked full of butter and cream of chicken and some other yummy yummy fatness. I got a snack around lunchtime just so I could hold off until later this afternoon to eat lunch there, and the Mexican Chicken Casserole was just what I needed. Thank the Lord there were tomatoes and cucumbers on my salad because absolutely nothing else I inhaled had one ounce of healthiness in it. Every little morsel is homemade, and their apple dumplins are absolutely be-a-utiful.

Because I believe in the yin and the yang, maybe I should have some anti-props just for fun:

1. Olivia Palermo on The City. Ugh. I could say lots of dirty words here. Maybe she should hook up with Freddy Facklemire (sp?) . . . or maybe even Spencer. Clint, we hate her, right?

2. The faux duvets on the end of my two queen beds at my hotel. Burgandy and hunter green. Enough said.

3. The episode of America's Next Top Model that is bugging me in the background right now. As said before, I usually travel on Tuesdays so I can watch American Idol and Lost, but vaca pushed me back to Wednesday. I must never watch TV on Wednesday nights because I had no idea that NOTHING is on.

4. My hair right now. I look like a dirty hippie. Sharlinda, please help.

5. And so it will be even, one more. The high fructose corn syrup commercials. They are so annoying and manipulative. It is bad for you. Just like sugar, and carbonated drinks, and absolutely everything I've eaten today. Ooh, time for a burger.

Okay, that's it for a while. I promise.