Why I loathe Craigslist

This is my mean face.

I have always been a fan of Craigslist, that is until recently.  In fact, I have listed many things on Craigslist lately only to end up at eBay because of the CL spammers and/or losers.  

But, I like to try to deal with people locally and this morning, I listed a Wacom Drawing Tablet (that I just had to have, but never got the hang of using it.)  As with all Craigslist listings, you add your location so people will know where the item is.  For example, I would not contact a seller for an item that is more than 25 miles away unless I really wanted it and was willing to make the drive to get it.  That's just me...

So, I get this email today regarding the tablet.  Read on:

First email / reply

• Danielle@maximus.com:  I'm interested in the tablet.  Please contact me if it's still available.

• Erica: Yes, i still have it.  I'm in Georgetown.  I can meet as far as round rock most afternoons around 3pm. You can pick it up in Georgetown anytime.

Second email / reply

• Danielle@maximus.com: If you can only come to RR around 3pm, I can pick up it up Saturday at one of the shopping plazas.  I could pick it up sooner, but I'm working long hours right now and Georgetown is too far.

(She did not specify which “shopping plaza” so I threw out Georgetown again…)

• Erica: Saturday works.  Around 2-3?  In Georgetown?  I pick up kids from school in RR, so unfortunately, that is a M-F thing.

(Meaning, I can meet in RR at 3pm ONLY on M-F’s.  Otherwise, here's a time frame to work with on Saturday...)

Third email / reply

• Danielle@maximus.com   I can't do Georgetown and I work 12 hours days.  If coming to Georgetown is a stipulation, you'll probably have to look for another buyer.

• Erica:  Ok, Thx anyway.

(This is where I expected it to end… but now, seconds later I get this email….)

Fourth email / reply

• Danielle@maximus.com   Cool, when you realize you're making a mistake by forcing people to come to Georgetown and if I haven't gotten my replacement pen for my other tablet, feel free to contact me again. I might still be interested, but chances are slim.

• Erica: I live, work and play in Georgetown and NOT that desperate to sell it.  I’d rather keep it for my kids than deal with buyers like you.

("Forcing people to drive to Georgetown..."  Really?  You contacted me.  So, yeah... I threw out the "buyers like you" sentence, but really... we were done... you are now harassing ME.)   

Fifth email

• Danielle@maximus.com Then don't waste people's time.  It's ignorant people like you who give Craig's List a bad name.  Don't e-mail this address again.

(Oh yes, like I’m going to further engage is THIS conversation... DELETE...)

Or, rather, "SAVE"... and publish on my blog... because I like to get in the last word. 

Seriously people.  You would not order something from Target and then expect Target to meet you halfway for pick up.  Nor should you expect it from a seller on Craigslist.  I was willing to meet her.  I was willing to work with her...what I was not willing to do was drive all over town to accommodate her schedule.  

Ugh.  Craigslist... I'm done with you. 

Wordless Wednesday

4 vs. 1...'nuff said

One proud mama!

I have to say, we've had an incredibly busy week.  Blah, blah, blah, I know... EVERYONE is busy.  But, for posterity sake, I must detail our last week (or so...)

First off, the big news is that I'm the proud owner of my very own MacBook (a.k.a. MacDaddy).  Randy surprised me with a laptop for Valentine's Day.  Now, don't go thinking that Randy is a big spender at Valentine's day, because in the 14 years that we've been married, he has never bought me anything like this before.  It's always been flowers or a card, or ONLY a card... maybe a nice dinner out... but never anything extravagant.  In fact, for Valentine's Day, I only asked for "Sparkly Green Earrings" by Melanie Shankle (a.k.a. Big Mama).  But, instead... I got a MacDaddy.

See, I decided at the first of the year I would do the 52 week savings plan, where you save a dollar for each corresponding weeks of the year.  For example, week 3 of the year, you would add $3.00 to your savings... week 25...$25.00 and so on.  By the end of the year, you would have saved a little over $1300.00... enough for me to buy a MacBook.  Randy knowing I wanted a laptop and his pure hatred for PC's, he decided to take the plunge and get the laptop for me.  So, I've been busy buying accessories, software, external disk drive, etc. for it.  Y'all, my husband must REALLY love me, is all I'm sayin'.  (Good thing, since I REALLY love him.)

This is me, typing up a blog entry at the soccer fields.  Sweet!

Speaking of soccer, I've got a lot of news, but I'll keep it brief... you know, because I tend to talk about soccer a lot.

Kyla was in a futsal tournament 2 weekends ago and her team got first place.  Futsal is similar to soccer played outdoors, but futsal is played indoors (usually on a court) and the ball is a weighted soccer ball.  This was her first time to play futsal and she had a blast.

In other soccer news, the girls played in a tournament this past weekend and were in the same bracket... which meant that their two teams played each other... in the finals.  Kyla's team beat Elisan's team to take first place (again).  Elisan's team got second place.  It was a nail-biter game, but I'm so fortunate and grateful that the girls are such good sports!  No one had hurt feelings and they handled the win/loss beautifully.

And finally, last Friday I drove Elisan to San Antonio to the Area Qualifier Competition for Math Olympics.  Math Olympics is hosted by ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International).   She placed 3rd in the surrounding Austin areas and was eligible to compete at the area "regional" competition in math computation (word problems).  

At the end, they brought each group up for awards and the final 5 kids left on stage were the ones that placed in the competition.  Well, as Elisan's group was being awarded ribbons of participation, there were 8 kids remaining on the stage as they began handing out ribbons for 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd place.  That meant, there were four kids left on stage and Elisan was one of them.  YIKES!  What in the world did that mean?

Well, as it turns out, the announcer said, "I guess you're all wondering why there are four remaining students on stage?  That is because there was a 4-way tie!"  So, Elisan was one of 4 that placed FIRST place in math computation in 6th grade.  We were all shocked!  (Check out Elisan's face in the picture below when she learned she placed 1st.)

It was a great day for her!  I could not be more proud.  I'll be honest... the soccer medals are great, because I know they work hard at soccer and truly love it...but, the academic stuff... especially math, is just stinkin' amazing to this math challenged mama.  There is no doubt, she gets the math genes from her daddy.

And, I suppose that is all.  I've bragged... er, um... blogged enough for now.  Maybe now that I have a laptop, I'll be better at blogging... or perhaps I'll just get better at surfing the web or watching Netflix.  Who knows?

Wordless Wednesday

Okay, this really can't be a completely "wordless" post.  Check out this amazingly huge girl take a shot on goal.  Unfortunately, she's aiming at the bright orange jersey worn by my child.

By the way... Elisan stopped the shot.

Sharing the Love... iPad Screensaver

Here's a cute little background for your mobile device.

Enjoy!

Right Click on Image & "Save Image As"

My funny little dog

Y'all, I could write a blog entry entitled "My funny little dog" each week.  TJ is just so stinkin' cute, has a huge personality and is the best companion dog ever.  He literally wants to be with me every single moment of the day.

Here's what I'm talking about.  I was sorting through seasonal clothes yesterday... stuffing away sweaters and jackets and pulling out shorts and tshirts... (YES... it's February... YES, the high is going to be 80 degrees today.... YES, Randy laughs at me every year when I "think" winter is over...) and TJ decided that he needed to be in the center of what I was doing.  So, he just hopped into the storage bag and took a little nap.

But, I will say, there has been a down side to all of this "being with me every single second of the day" and that is, I have become "HIS" and he thinks he's the boss of me, aka. Small Dog Syndrome.  It had gotten so bad, that he was growling at Elisan when she'd approach me when he was sitting in my lap, etc.

So, anyway... over the last three weeks we've had to re-program his little brain into a more submissive dog role... which means... walking behind--not ahead (on the stairs), being invited to sit next to us on the furniture, crated or put outside when we eat, absolutely NO sleeping in our bed, etc.  Since then, he's back to his old self.

Being the "big dog in the house" is stressful for little dogs and essentially, the entire household.  We're just so blessed to have an easily adaptable dog.

Wordless Wednesday

Hello Cutie!

Y'all, I love, love, love Cutie Mandarin Oranges.  Don't be fooled by imposter mandarins either folks... CUTIE brand is THE only brand to buy.  They are hand's down our favorite fruit snack.

When it came time to sign up for party food for Valentine's Day, I knew I wanted to send yummy Cuties for a snack.  What kid can resist a Cutie, right?!

So, I decided to dress up the Cuties for Valentine's day.

A little assembly required, but this is where YOUR CUTIE comes in.  Have your child cut, punch, tape, assemble the decorations onto the Cuties.

There ya have it!

If you want to dress up a Cutie for Valentine's Day, click on the image to the left, save as, and print.  NOTE: You might have to adjust the print size prior to printing.  Print on cardstock for best results.

Blog Brain Dump (Edition 2, 2013)

Y'all, I'm just so upset about Downton Abbey and Lady Sybil. And if you are still living under a rock and have not watched Downton Abbey, get thyself a Netflix account and catch up for goodness sakes.

I would have been HAPPY to see Mary go, but Lady Sybil?  And speaking of Mary... when Edith was extending an olive branch of peace at Lady Sybil's bedside, Mary just pish-poshed her to the wayside.  No wonder Edith can't stand her... I can't either.  Mary is my least favorite character, and sadly, Lady Sybil was my favorite. 

Look how cute my girl looks here!  She was asked last minute to fill in a 3x3 soccer tournament this past weekend.  They got third place.  And I'm proud to say that Elisan got the game winning GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!  Such a proud mama moment.

So, I've kicked up my workouts again.  Oh?  You didn't know I was slacking in the gym?  Well, yes... yes I have been.  Don't get me wrong... I'm still going to the gym as often as I can, but lately, that's only been about 3x a week and I've mainly focused on cardio.  Sadly, it is not nearly enough because I enjoy eating.

Anyway, so I've begun lifting weights again.  And writing stuff down to keep track.  I always thought I was the biggest nerd in town when I kept a gym record of my lifts, etc., but you know what?  I really like looking back and seeing how much I've improved over the course of a few months.  Sadly, though... it also lets me know how  much muscle mass I've lost since I began slacking off... which is a ton.  (For example, I used to be able to bench press 95lbs.  Now, I can barely bench press 70lbs.  That's what slacking will get you... flabby muscles.)

If anyone is interested, here's my workout log.  Try it out, see what you think.  If there's an exercise you aren't familiar with, just look it up.  Below is my upper body workout.  I have it set to do every Monday and Thursday -- both days have different exercises.

Below is my lower body workout.  I have it set to do every Tuesday and Friday -- again, with different exercises on both days.

Disclaimer: I'm not a trainer and I don't pretend to be.  All I know is that when I was doing these weightlifting exercises I was strong and I felt awesome. 

I have recently added a must-buy item to my weekly grocery list and it's FAGE Plain Greek Yogurt 2%.  I love to use it as an ingredient for cooking, making salad dressings and dips, including fruit dips.  But, I'll be honest... by itself, it tastes like sour cream, so I could never imagine eating it as a snack.  That is until I decided to mix in a teaspoon of brown sugar and what do you know?  It's super yummy!

I especially love the fact that the 7 ounce container of FAGE Greek Yogurt is only 150 calories and a whopping 20 grams of protein.  That's a huge amount of protein y'all.  (And adding a teaspoon of brown sugar only adds about 15 calories to the container.  Of course, you may want to add more, depending on your taste.)

Anyway, definitely give it a try... Especially after a long hard workout, hint, hint!