Ms. Vera

Hey guys!  A lot of stores are opening up their layaways this Christmas season. Considering the economic crisis, this might help a lot of people.

Are you planning to use layaways this year? Have you done it before?
I've done it. My problem is waiting. I don't like to wait!
I've also left things in layaway because I forgot about it (duh, Vera!)

Anyway, let me know your layaway experience!

Is a limit on Trick or Treating really necessary? Some people say "yes." Others say "no." What do you think?

I guess I won't be trick or treating in Belleville! And I wanted to be Sarah Palin! Darn!

>>Story except from MyFOXstl.com's Homepage<<

When are you too old for trick or treating? In Belleville, it’s after the age of 12. Council members unanimously passed a resolution Monday restricting anyone over the age of 12 from trick-or-treating, unless that person is a special needs individual.

Belleville is also limiting "door-to-door" trick- or-treating to the hours of 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Halloween night.

Ok. As a female who is only about 5'4", it's getting harder for me to find pants that are the right length.
I'm stuck between at regular and a petite (depending on the store).. I have some hips on me so sometime the petite doesn't work. Not to mention they're just a "tad" too short.
Then the regulars are just a "tad" to long.
I've also noticed that the brands to do fit me perfectly tend to be from the more expensive stores and boutiques. That means I can't buy in bulk!!

I'm trying to avoid buying clothes then paying for a tailor to fix them. But geez! It's so hard to find the right fit for petite ladies!!!

Do any of you ladies (around my height) have any suggestions? What works for you?

I'm tired of being stuck in the middle!

Help Me!

I hear this term sometime and often wonder what people think it means.
Some people think that if their boss or supervisor says one word to them, it means they're being "micromanaged".

So, let me know...what do you think? Have you ever been micromanaged? Explain. 

I don't think I've ever been micromanaged, but I'm also not territorial and just want to do my job to the best of my ability. I don't think I've ever had anyone breathing down my back but I'm so interested in hearing whether or not it insults you to think that someone thinks you can't do you job without constantly checking on you.

I don't know...let me know what you think.

As the season winds down and kids head back to school, the garage sales will decrease..

I love garage sales and I'm going to miss the summer sales season.

So tell me, what's the best thing you've ever found at a garage sale? I got a nearly brand-new car seat for $5. Yes! $5. I got it during the tri-city sale in Brentwood (and those other two cities nearby)!

What's your best yard sale/garage sale find?

Check this out:

The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says.

Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions.

What do you guys think?  The full article is found in the link below.

Now On The Hallmark Aisle: Gay Marriage Cards

This story is so crazy...and gross...

Read this & watch:

Restaurant workers are always asked to wash up before starting work. But one Ohio Burger King employee has gone too far. The worker who calls himself "mister unstable" posted a four-minute video on MySpace showing him bathing in the restaurant's sink as his fellow employees and the store manager looked on. The video eventually made it's way to the local heath commissioner who's now investigating. All the employees involved in the incident have been fired.

Oh my. I woke up Saturday morning and was watching FOX News when they broke in and said Bernie Mac had died.

Then last night, I was watching and the report about Issac Hayes' death.  Whoa...

I felt really bad that two good people and good entertainers passed away this weekend. But now I can't help wondering about the old folktale that death comes in threes...

Who's next? Do you guys believe in the three rule? 

Also, take a look at this picture from Issac Haye's Official website about an upcoming project. Pictured is Bernie Mac (passed on Saturday), Issac Hayes (passed on Sunday) and Samuel L. Jackson (uhhh...that's scary!)

If I was Samuel L. Jackson, I'd be watching my every move...

 

I recently took a trip to Chicago for a journalism conference and one thing I learned very quickly is the way to get around is by taxi...

While I did do a bit of walking (I like to walk) and even took a couple of buses to get to the Oprah Store (yeah, sure did)

most of my travels to and from the conference were done by taxi. Well, there's some things to know about taking a taxi in a big city:

1. If you find a good cab driver, HIRE him!!: Boy, if I knew that the first night, I would've kept the driver who took me to my hotel. So, I get off the bus (I rode the Mega Bus for $10!! can you believe that??) and flagged down a cab driver. He was very nice and talkative. He asked me where I was from, I told him St. Louis but said that I had been to Chicago many times (well, I've been a few times) just so he would think I knew where I was going.
Well, I didn't have to fake it with him. I noticed that he took me the route I knew as the quickest route to the hotel. Thank goodness! And I enjoyed his conversation! We got there in like 6 minutes, I paid him plus a tip. He asked, "do you need a driver while you're here." I said, "oh no thank you. I'll be fine! THanks alot!" My mistake. It leads to my next point:

2. ALL CAB DRIVERS ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY: not that I thought they would be but I had no idea they would be so different!! I went from rude, to barely english, to mad if you told them there was a quicker way.
On my second day, one cab driver tried to get over on me...I told him where the conference was and he headed towards the hotel. Well, it was a huge conference and there was a sign outside for parking for taxis. This driver decided he was going to circle the building. When I said, "you can stop right here," he made up some excuse saying no, he had to go around to the back way, I said no," that's the sign right there, that's where I'm going."
So he acts like he's going to turn around! No! I told him "pull over right here." I got out, paid him without a tip! Geez. He thought I was dumb.

Another guy talked and talked to me and my friend as he got on the highway to go somewhere I KNEW wasn't that far away! It costs us $13.00 to get there but only $9.00 to get back with another driver, who went through the city...charged it to the game.

3. CAB DRIVERS HATE CREDIT CARDS: Oh my goodness...you should've seen the look on some of thier faces when me and my friend would pay for the taxi with a credit card. You see, going back and forth from the conference for my friend was "expensible." That means the company paid for the transportation because my friend was working the conference. Well, we got the dirties looks when ever the credit card came out. And I don't blame them....credit card company charges them like 5 %. I might be a little ticked off too! But don't take it out on the customers. And we heard it all. "You no have cash?" "My Card machine not plugged in" "I don't have any receipt paper." The list goes on and on...
And them most of them who were paid by credit card asked: "are you going to give a tip?" And they didn't ask in a nice way either. By the end of the trip, I wasn't tipping anyone who was bold enough to ask. Hey, call me wrong, but tipping is "TO INSURE PROMPTNESS", not compensate you for a form of payment you're required to take in the city of Chicago.
I don't make the rules.

Anyway, it was just interesting to see all the different dynamics, and here the stories, see how they think they can get away with charging more, and see ALLL the different people were just trying to make thier everyday living. Some were talkative. Others didn't speak a work other letting me know it was time to pay. It's an interesting experience....that I don't entirely look forward to again. Next time I'll keep the first nice guy I find.

So, after being on blogging sabbatical, (they keep me pretty busy at FOX 2), I’m back! My last blog post was in May about how much I hated folding laundry. Since then, the clean piles are so big!  But anyway, now….I have nothing to write about?!!  News..nah.

Politics…nah. Weather…nah.. I have no idea. So, I’ll just use this as a springboard to say hello to all my long-lost blogging buddies!! I told you I wouldn’t stay away forever.

 

And to all the newbies who don’t know me, don’t worry, I’m the nice one!!

 

Love to all!

 

Have a blessed day!

I was on my way to work this morning and thought I had to readjust my sight when I saw the sign - $3.59 for Gas on Hampton Avenue near the Berthold.  Huh?? It's was $3.69 just the other day at the same station!

Hallejuah! Pass the pump!
Who ever thought we'd be happy for $3.59 gas? I remember when gas was $2.00 and I thought the world was coming to an end, but now...oh I'm going to treat my car -- Regular Unleaded PLUS~~  Yes.. Midgrade~!
My car can take regular unleaded, but the manual suggests premium for the "high performance engine."  Well that when out the door when we got to $2.50 a gallon.

Since gas prices have dropped significantly in the last week, I filled 'er up!  Like a bandit!
Now, I'm thinking of taking a short trip up the road this weekend to see some friends. That's right, ACTUALLY leaving town again...what a concept, right?
Anybody else taking advantage of the lower prices?
By the way, if you don't know where to find them, just remember, we've got a gas tracker page right "er :  myFOXstl.com Gas Tracker

...Well technically, it's all clean but the problem is I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!!!!

HELP ME OUT HERE....

Okay, here's my dilemma: I am totally bad at folding laundry and putting it away.
Washing clothes?  No problem at all. I can wash all day like clock work.
As soon as one load's out of the wash, the other's going in. And if the clothes in the dryer aren't dry, I start hanging some of the wet clothes just to keep the process moving.

BUT....when it's time to fold and put them away, my enticement with clean laundry seems to stop right there with the laundry basket.

Yes, I have baskets of cleaning laundry crying to be folded. I've actually considered hiring someone to fold it and put it away for me!  I hate it that much!! I have to put on a movie to watch just to commit to folding.

AND, I don't seem to really have room to put everything away when I DO finally fold it.

So, what should I do??? Looking for some suggestions here to make my experience less painful...
I mean, I can't be the only one with this problem....
Do you guys wash and fold a load a day? Do you tackle all the laundry in one day?
Do you wash one day and fold another day? Are there other method's you've learned that works for you?

Help a mommy out here. I up to my neck in unfolded laundry -- literally!!

Hello bloggers!
Just wanted to drop a line and say thanks for all the good blogs.
But we'd like to feature more of you but we don't have your avatar pictures!

All you have to do is click on your "my info" tab in your blog and "upload a new avatar."

Show us those beautiful faces to we can feature you in a spot just like me!

Thanks!

Ms. Vera

Why does coffee smell better than it taste?

So, this morning shift has claimed yet another victim - me. And now I'm resorting to the cure of coffee. It's not so bad, but I just don't see what the big deal is.
I know tons of people who "have to have it."
My grandmother used to be that way. It was a bit funny sometimes because she really couldn't function if she didn't have that first cup.
Then, she'd only take a few sips and be done. I know, right.

So, what's the big deal? Tell me what you guys like.
I, being a new coffee drinker, dumped some type of MilkyWay Moco latte, sugar and creme into my cup (hey, at lease I'll be awake ;-).

Holla at me!

Ms. Vera

Partying and Parenting - Please Just Pick One Current mood: angry A Tennessee mother is charged with negligent homicide after leaving her children, ages 4 and 7 children alone in an apartment while she went to a New Years Eve party and the children died in a fire. Are you ready - because here I go... What the 'freak' is wrong with people.

There is something wrong with our world, generation and good common sense when a mother, a 29 year old mother at that, feels it's more important to go out and party on New Years Eve than it is find a capable sitter for her child, or yet, just stay home.

Rule of thumb here, if you can't find a baby sitter, guess what - you can't go! I'm going through a transition of my own right now and for the last three years I haven't done much.

Now, I'm not the party type anyway, but I do like going to hear live bands, sit a the coffeehouse and meet up with friends. I've been out a little more than normal the last few months, but that's going to calm here soon because it's just not my thing.

With that said, enter Christian - my sweet baby: most important man in my life. He's three years old and needs the love and attention of his mother. But if I want to go out, my mother & father, his grandmother, or two of my friends (there only two I'm comfortable leaving him with) will watch him.

I think everyone knows I don't go out much, so usually they'll watch him. Also, they know I'm here alone and I'm not trying to pull some "poor single mom" card, but I kick butt at taking good care of him, playing with him, disciplining him, and taking time out just to spend with him. So, I deserve a break and some adult activities every once in a while (you can only take so much Chuck E Cheese)

But when I do go out, I am responsible. I know where he is and decide before hand what time I'll most likely to return (unless he's spending the night). Is it me, or is this too hard for some people? If I want to go out and my mother doesn't want to watch him, guess what - I stay home. If there's somewhere I really want to go, I may ask one other person, but I'm not calling 20 people to watch my kid just so I can go shake my butt.

So, it gets better. The now 4 and 7 year old fire victims are dead. But get this - they don't even live with her! They live with their grandmother in Mississippi and were visiting their mother for the holidays! So, you mean to tell me that you don't even get to see your babies everyday, they come up to be with you for the holidays and you STILL have the audacity to leave them home alone while you go out and "get yo' party on?" If she were a man, I'd still be pissed, but I'd would expect it. Men do crap like that. "Oh, I miss my kid."

But soon as they pick 'em up and spend like an hour with 'em, they drop them off at the momma's house so they can go "kick it with they boys." But this is a mother. You birthed these children, and now they're dead because you failed at your only job - the preservation of their live. Parenting, apparently, wasn't as important as partying. But it hasn't be a priority for her anyway considering they live in another state. Bottom line: you don't leave children to party.
That goes for people who do find babysitters too! Yeah, I said it! I'm talking about these folk who feel the need to go out "EVERY" flippin' night and not be there to read a book, or put your child to sleep. Like Chris Rock said, "if you said more to him than 'mommy be back'" maybe he'll turn out to be worth something.

All I'm saying is stop. Take a look at what's important. They need us. Men, you need to stop too. Just because your girl is home with your baby don't mean it's okay for you to go out all the time. Grow the hell up and help a sista out.

I'm done.

Fire at will....