Summer Reading

I usually do a lot of reading in the summer. This summer hasn't afforded me that luxury due to our  move. I did start and finish one book though. It was a "Dollar Store" read and a surprising one at that. The name of the book is "Jokes My Father Never Taught Me" It's written by Rain Pryor, the daughter of Richard Pryor, the comedian. I just happened to find it in the Dollar Tree one day this past spring and sat it on my book shelf. In packing for our move, I put it in my "keep it with me" bag for the rare moments when I had some down time. It quickly became one of those pushing myself to stay awake and finish this chapter books and one of those, you and the kids can go in and wait for the table, I'll be in in a minute books. Not because the writing was so great but because it was so real. It was amazing to see this world known comedian who was endeared by so many be characterized as someone who walked with, carried and invited visitors into his own personal hell. She writes about his rampages, their awesome vacations that end with bloody beat downs and his losing battle with MS. It was a good summer read. Check it out!

Now, as I'm recuperating from this move, I'm thinking about something else I'd like to read and the number one on my list is "THE HELP"



I've seen the movie previews and read the reviews so as soon as I can get the crew back to school, I'll be on it!
What was your last read?
 Why did you read it and what did you think of it?
What's next on your list?
Let me know in the comment box.




Read me next time and don't forget to show some appreciation for the pickles in your life!

Hey Y'all

AND... I'm Back


So it has been a minute or two since my last blog. Well we can all attribute that to life happening. I am here in Columbus Ge-or-gia! Trying to settle in and get things to have a sense of normalcy for myself and the crew.
Thank you to all of you who sent such well wishes, prayers and positive vibes for our transition. We needed it. I firmly believe that everything went as well as it could've gone.
I must admit, I am a little jumbled in my head, which is exactly why I needed to write today. I need to start sorting somethings out. What better way than public therapy blogging...
There a a million things I want  to say but I believe in responsible blogging, so I must wait until I can say whatever it is with tact and grace. 

I leave you all with this and feel free to share it! We make life hard, but our world is made up of everything we need to get through it, IF we are paying attention and living a conscious life, check this out!
When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, "What is life about?" I found the answer in my room...the fan said, "Be cool." The roof said, "Aim high." The window said, "See the world!" The clock said, "Every minute is precious." The mirror said, "Reflect before you act." The calendar said, "Be up to date." The door said, "Push hard for your goals." The floor said, "Kneel down and pray"...
and I did!

Cheers,
Read me next time!

Memorial Day 2011

On this  Memorial Day I find myself thinking of the men and women that I know and even those that I don't. I'm thinking of the people that I knew that lost their lives on mission for our country and their family members whose loss is so real and present on this day.

The Vegas Experience

We are back from Vegas and back from the down time we seem to need after any vacation.
Honestly, Vegas is great if you respond to that environment. It, for me, was a bit of sensory overload. Does that make sense to any of you?
It's what we call here at my house, shiny ball syndrome.(Your attention is diverted by anything that catches it in the moment)

Fair Question... Fair Response Friday

Here I am, so excited!
Two days to Vegas Baby!
I can't wait!

So If you are showing up today and have missed any of the latest posts, check out the right sideline or even the archives on the bottom, left sideline and catch up with us. Feel free to respond to any of the older posts as well.

Today, I'm calling Fair Question....Fair Response Friday because every now and then someone will send me a question on Face Book, email or text me and I simply reply that way, but I thought to myself yesterday, when I got this request "Can you blog about Why the more things change, the more they remain the same?"
That's do-able! Is do-able a word?
Anyway, now I'm asking all of you. What does that mean? I've heard it all of my life and never really gave it that much thought until yesterday.

What does the more things change, the more they stay the same mean to you?

This is a fair question, give us Pickles a fair response....
You can leave your response in the comment box.

Cheers and read me next time!

WWW.Wednesday

Who? What? Where?... Wednesday

After catching up on a little news, and I do mean a little and doing some much needed reading, I thought about a new format for the blog. Something a little engaging and an opportunity to get some of your thoughts ans opinions.

So, here we go

The WHO:
 Lakeysha Beard, yeah, I'm guessing none of you know her, and neither do I, personally anyway. But, I'm sure all of you have come across her or someone just like her a time or two. "Big Mouth Beard"

Purging

Hey Pickles,
I have been a so side tracked. I'm assuming that this may be my life for a bit with our impending move and all. BUT, flexible is all that I can be.

We are in the midst of purging. What a huge chore. It is absolutely amazing what you will find out about yourself in the process of a purge. The projects you started and didn't finish, the gifts you bought with aunt______ or uncle ___________ (fill in the blank) in mind.

Celebrating Continued....

*Okay I think I've got it now!*
So in the past I've asked for my readers to leave your comments here on AP, in the comment box, and without  fail, we just haven't achieved that goal. I decided to look back at past comments, emails, tweets, text messages and even ran through some of the phone conversations and what I came up with was the fact that I missed it. Readers will comment on blogs and in comment boxes if there is a dialogue. You commented and I didn't answer. I apologize. That would be the reason for all of the other forms of commentary, duh! I in fact answered to each of those. I got it, I got it! So from here on out I agree to answer each of the comments left here at AP, if for nothing else then to show my appreciation for each of my readers, individually or until I get this massive following and I'm hosting my own t.v. show and doing radio spots.... a  little too much? LOL!
 I digress, forgive me and let's dialogue! If you may need help doing so you can find directions in the FAQ's.
On  with it then...


This week I really wanted to focus on celebrating.
When I met my husband, he never once said that he wasn't used to being celebrated. After a period of time it's was more than obvious.
It had never dawned on me that if he wasnt used to being celebrated then he probably wasn't well versed in celebrating anyone else. That was a hurdle.
Celebrating is nothing more than a gesture of appreciation. That doesn't mean that it has to be the biggest, grandest display every time, but it really should be the most heartfelt and sincere gesture.
I learned a major lesson in learning to love my husband and that was this same fact. All celebrations and gestures didn't have to be big. He taught me that those small celebrations meant just as much if not more than the big ones. We are both better at knowing how to celebrate each other, if you ask him he may say different...

How do you celebrate those around you?                                                

Here are a few ways to celebrate the different Pickles in your life.

• For little Pickles:

-Picnics with their favorite foods
-Having an unplanned lunch with the kids at school, if you have more than one child, schedule the lunch at different times or on different days. (be sure to let them know why you're CELEBRATING THEM)
-Plan a meal and allow the guest of honor to make up the menu, don't tell them that they're the guest of honor. Tell them what time dinner will be and have some balloons and indiviual desserts waiting.
They'll really get a kick out of this.
-Take an impromtu picture of them that really shows who they are and frame it with a caption. Give it a special, always seen place!
-Teach your children not only how to appreciate others but how to show it!

Here's a great article for all of you mom's out there.
http://simplekids.net/photographing-mothers-day-2/

• For your significant Pickle:

-Sending them flowers, a balloon bouquet, or an edible bouquet to the office or work place is a huge score.
-Sunday Brunch is big in my book
-That coupon book never gets old, make your own with coupons for the little things ie... putting laundry away, two consecutive days of dishes or a bed time pass (get your mind out of the gutter) this means you'll do the duty of getting the kids down for bed and shutting the house down.
-Gift certificates to the favorite spa or restaurant is always great, psst- (always make the gift certificate enough for two! This gives the option of taking a friend along or the favor may be returned when you're asked to join) Was this an ah ha moment for some?
-Take an impromtu picture of them that really shows who they are and frame it with a caption. Give it a special, always seen place!

*Make sure to tell the person why you're celebrating them*

Here's a great article for all of you significant others.
http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8319163

• For your Pickle friends:

-Send a random card in the mail even if you live around the corner
-If your friend works, make plans to pick them up at their lunch time and take them to lunch
-Send them a simple text message or email celebrating or thanking them.
-Take an impromtu picture of them that really shows who they are and frame it with a caption. Give it a special, always seen place!

                                                         
Here is a good article for all of you Pickle friends.
                                                          http://www.squidoo.com/ways_to_celebrate_friendship_day

                                                  
 *Again, please let the person know that they are being celebrated*

These are very simple tips. You know the people that you are in relationship with but you may or may not know their need to be celebrated and/or appreciated. If nothing else, it's an opportunity to put that energy out into the world to have it returned to yourself. Think of it as starting a trend if you will.

Make sure to come back to AP and let us know who you celebrated and how. The big and the little celebrations. Remember, a little goes a long way.

*Appreciating someone but never celebrating them is like buying a gift and wrapping it up beautifully and then simply sitting it on a shelf and never gifting it. *

Well I wish every Mom, Mom to be, Mom in spirit and Mom in function a very Happy Mother's day.

Read me next time and Cheers!

Celebrate Good Times... C'MON!

All weekend I have thought about How important it is to celebrate "Good Times"

A lot of times we come up with excuses as to why we can't make time or put out the money. The one thing I find true is that it doesn't have to take a lot of time or a lot of money.

It really just takes the sincerity of heart and the right action to convey your sentiment.

So today, I'm celebrating a couple of things. I'm sure most would think the first is my husband being home from Afghanistan, and while that was first and foremost on my mind, his coming home triggered some other things.

A Place for Everyone!

Hello Pickles.

I Trust that all of you have had a great weekend and Happy Easter or Resurrection Sunday!

We are trying NOT to get blown away here in Tenn. The storms have been terrible here. The power outages have been a pain as well. I guess we are more blessed than some so I will just express great APPRECIATION for being spared what others haven't!

This is the large limb that struck my roof and smashed the smaller tree in my yard.
I'll have to get a co. to clean it up and haul it away.

I hope that none of you have any major damage and will be able to endure what ever storm is brewing in your neck of the woods as we brace for another round or two of this craziness.

1 Year Later

Woot, Woot, Yay for me, Yay for my little Pickles and... Yay for Normalcy! If you couldn't tell by the ruckus,

You Know what BIG FEET means...

Hey Pickles!
So from the time we were old enough to talk trash or sit around and hear other people talk trash, we at some point heard some woman say " well you know he has big feet and you know what that means, right?" Right, well, uuumm, I think I do! That means he has BIG.................Shoes! Hahaha!
No that means he has a big you know what....
Well I'm here to say that you shouldn't believe everything you hear and even less of what you see. That's what my grandmother would say. Everything isn't always what it seems, sometimes it's a whole lot more or in the case above a whole lot less. Just joking fellas!
I am an avid reader. Does that mean that I'm always glued to a novel? No! That means I read anything I can get my hands or eyes on. That means the occasional novel, a magazine, a newspaper article, a written tutorial or researching something or other on the web. I love reading and I love knowledge. It's always fascinating to come across something I don't know or have never heard before.
This brings me to the point of this blog post. I started tweeting last week and while it's an education, you can socialize without being too personal. I like Facebook, but it can be a little too personal as some people really do have relationships, be them friendly or personal on the WORLD WIDE WEB! hhhmmm!
okay, I digress.
While tweeting last week there was a tweet from O'magazine. The link to this article took me to a place of Oh my goodness's and caused me to take a better look at people.
It was beyond interesting, it was informative and short!
So, it was just what I needed for the 1minute thirty seconds it took for me to read it!
Do you know that shortened eyebrows doesn't necessarily mean that you got jacked up when you got your brows done but that you could have that disorder!
What disorder?
 Go and read the article! LOL!!!
Here's the link http://www.oprah.com/health/Sign-of-Diabetes-Thyroid-Symptoms-Yellow-Nails  just click it!




Blog Business:
None of you managed to fit all of the criteria of the last challenge. So let's try this again. If you have signed up to follow me by email (top left of this page) or have subscribed to this feed for your reader, then you've already met half of the criteria and the rest should be easy. All you have to do now is leave a comment here in the comment section of AP (below) for each of the remaining APRIL BLOG POSTS, yes, each of them!
I love your emails, facebook love, and even phone calls, but I'd appreciate the commentary HERE at AP! 

Again, I'd like to say a big congrats to Amanda who won the last blog challenge.

So this time it's simple,
sign up to follow Appreciating Pickles
(those that have already signed up may play along)
Leave a comment today and on each new post through APRIL
at the end of APRIL everyone that has done so,
will be entered into a drawing to receive some spring goodies!
What are you waiting for? Leave a comment, already. please!


Read Me next time and Cheers!

I'm So Guilty

Today, I woke up and felt great.
Got right into my routine and then it came to abrupt halt.
Today my kid is a SOUR PICKLE! My 13 year old Pickle, derailed my happiness, not my joy.

Appreciating Pickles: Life Happens

Appreciating Pickles: Life Happens: "So I hope not one of you, pickles, feels neglected! I haven't been writing because Life has started happening, AGAIN. This will ju..."

Life Happens

So I hope not one of you, pickles, feels neglected! I haven't been writing because
Life has started happening, AGAIN.
This will just update you all.
After Spring Break I could not come back and commit to the P90X program. Let me just say, there is a certain level of ignorance needed to work through that...

I Just Don't Like IT!!! Rant... UpDate!

 Pickles,
This will be a quick Post!

I am not the techno geek that my husband is, but I've recently found good reasons to purchase some things that could make my life a lot easier. So right after the new year, my first purchase was the Shark. The one for the floors. I love this machine. Granted I did have to get used to the AU-Natural smell of it.  I am that chemical girl and I like my clean fresh scents!

The SHARK gets two thumbs up for me.

Here it comes,
I was looking for a product that would allow me to unchain myself from my desktop PC. I never did embrace the laptop. I bought one for my husband and it seems all of my friends love theirs. I couldn't quite love it. I did purchase a smart phone or two and have loved the abilities of each of them. Still can't get enough done on the go with three kids....
I researched the IPAD now the IPAD 2... Thought long and hard about it. The IPAD got marked down on the release of the IPAD2 and then the earthquake happened. I thought long and hard...
My husband was so excited that I showed any interest period. I asked people that I knew owned them, they raved, I read the reviews, they raved... My husband bought it and had it sent to me. I LOVED IT!.... for a full two hours.
Now, that may have been because he stalked me from a war zone about it, no seriously. I came in from Hobby Lobby last Friday and the kids had the box, I put my keys down and the phone rang, it was my husband saying "So what do you think of it" I say " think of what" he says "the IPAD" I'll let him know as soon as I know. He sat on the phone with me for at least 45 min. while I registered and set it up. I liked it... he asked for pics. I had no problem with that except I wasn't able to touch it from that point 1:40pm till about 10:00pm that night. Why you ask, well let's just say the kids thought it was for them, obviously!
AND... It should have been!

I JUST DON'T LIKE IT!!!

The fact that you can't use flash on the IPAD is enough for me. Then I found out that I can't even link up my office live thinga ma jigs to the IPAD account.
It doesn't even give the full function to a lot of my work sites. D+%$, D!^&*, D)*^%

The IPAD gets one thumb up and one thumb down from me. That's because it's not a bad device, it's just not for me...It's going back!
 Oh, and let me say that I  don't appreciate Apple's Policy. WE paid s/h to get the device, now I'm trying to return it. The Policy is that you have to return it within 14 days, pay the return s/h and a 10% restocking fee. Simply, that STINKS!

I want to know, what do you own that you can't live without?
What do you have that you will be returning? And  what will be your next purchase?


If you've missed any posts of Appreciating Pickles, I'm sure it's unintentional. You can catch up...
Keep scrolling down, to the bottom left of your screen you'll find the archives and all past posts!

Thanks for reading me!

UPDATE: 4-8-2011
Apple only charged me 1.5% for returning the IPAD!
Okay so they aren't spawns of satan but... :-)
all is well... again

Vote For Him Already

Hey Pickles!
First we have some business to handle.
Congratulations to Amanda, who won last months blog candy. Your gift card is on it's way.
Amanda is an elementary school teacher who loves and appreciates her pickles, dearly. How great is it that a teacher would win the blog candy here at AP?  Yay!!! Amanda.

Next, a few of you have asked me to get on twitter. You wouldn't have been the first. My friend in O-H-I-O had also urged me to do the same. So now you can find me on there. My name there is of course ApprecPickles or you can use this link http://twitter.com/ApprecPickles , look me up and follow.
Yeah, this does kind of go against my belief as far as being too accessible but truth be told, I'm also trying to grow this whole blog experience. A Pickle's gotta do what a Pickle's gotta do!

Now on to it!
That's right I said vote for him already, I'm not talking about Obama, this is so not the politically correct forum he would need!
I'm talking about MR. Good Will Hunting. Did any of you catch  or DVR him on the Nate Berkus show ( Oprah Prodigy)?
I have no time to watch t.v. but I do take take time to DVR the couple of shows I like most and get to watch them in a decent two week time span.
Any way, this young man, named Rashon Carraway, blogs under the name Mr. Good Will Hunting on his blog and now t.v. personality... Hey, side note.. My last name is Carrasco... that whole Carra thing in common... I digress.
Mr. Good Will Hunting is the self proclaimed Thrift Store Lifestyle Coach. I love his style. He knows his stuff. This gentleman (seriously) may be from South Carolina but he has mastered a very city boy chic design attitude. With his denim and bow tie attire, he was so deserving of his spot on the Nate Berkus show. He shared some great tips. I  immediately signed on to check out his blog and haven't been disappointed, I have even signed up to follow him in my feed as well as on twitter.
If you haven't checked him out as of yet, just do it!!!
Rashon is currently in a contest for the coolest small apt, home, space etc... In my opinion he's already the winner because unlike so many others he did it with such budget savyness ( is that a word?) Yay for you, Mr. Good Will Hunting.
I need all of my readers, followers and guests to check him out at www.rashoncarraway.com and then you can head over to http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcool/2011/entries/925 to vote for him.
Sounding like too much work, just visit his page and click on the photo/article and follow directions.
Rashon, I am on my way to log in my vote, good luck to you and your awesome shopping/decor sense.

Cheers! and don't forget to appreciate a PICKLE!

AND The Winner Is...

So last month when I started this blog, I knew that I would have some faithful readers and those that would catch me when they could. But most of all I needed to check my audience, so I knew what kind of writing I'd be doing... Anyway in order to do that, I put up some blog candy for those that met two criteria for a drawing - 1 sign up to follow me or subscribe and
               2 leave a comment on each (every) of the posts through March 31, 2011
then your names would be entered in a drawing for a restaurant gift certificate for a restaurant near you. Well no one (not one) person met both criteria, therefore Nobody gets anything. :-)
 I got emails from those of you that had something to say about the posts. I got cuddos on Face Book and I even got a little something in the snail mail. Well none of that bothers me but I would appreciate the interaction and dialog here at AP.
Seriously, I have modified the rules of the drawing to really show my appreciation for all of you Pickles for supporting me. And... because I can do that, it's my blog! Hahaha.... So I did the drawing out of the people who signed up to follow the blog and left a comment. Thank you all again!

If you are anything like me, there are few things that feel as good as being on all fours, knees feeling like they can't take much more, the warm sun on your back, I just can't wait! 

I Just Don't Like IT!!! Rant...

 Pickles,
This will be a quick Post!

I am not the techno geek that my husband is, but I've recently found good reasons to purchase some things that could make my life a lot easier. So right after the new year, my first purchase was the Shark. The one for the floors. I love this machine. Granted I did have to get used to the AU-Natural smell of it.  I am that chemical girl and I like my clean fresh scents!

The SHARK gets two thumbs up for me.

Here it comes,
I was looking for a product that would allow me to unchain myself from my desktop PC. I never did embrace the laptop. I bought one for my husband and it seems all of my friends love theirs. I couldn't quite love it. I did purchase a smart phone or two and have loved the abilities of each of them. Still can't get enough done on the go with three kids....
I researched the IPAD now the IPAD 2... Thought long and hard about it. The IPAD got marked down on the release of the IPAD2 and then the earthquake happened. I thought long and hard...
My husband was so excited that I showed any interest period. I asked people that I knew owned them, they raved, I read the reviews, they raved... My husband bought it and had it sent to me. I LOVED IT!.... for a full two hours.
Now, that may have been because he stalked me from a war zone about it, no seriously. I came in from Hobby Lobby last Friday and the kids had the box, I put my keys down and the phone rang, it was my husband saying "So what do you think of it" I say " think of what" he says "the IPAD" I'll let him know as soon as I know. He sat on the phone with me for at least 45 min. while I registered and set it up. I liked it... he asked for pics. I had no problem with that except I wasn't able to touch it from that point 1:40pm till about 10:00pm that night. Why you ask, well let's just say the kids thought it was for them, obviously!
AND... It should have been!

I JUST DON'T LIKE IT!!!

The fact that you can't use flash on the IPAD is enough for me. Then I found out that I can't even link up my office live thinga ma jigs to the IPAD account.
It doesn't even give the full function to a lot of my work sites. D+%$, D!^&*, D)*^%

The IPAD gets one thumb up and one thumb down from me. That's because it's not a bad device, it's just not for me...It's going back!
 Oh, and let me say that I  don't appreciate Apple's Policy. WE paid s/h to get the device, now I'm trying to return it. The Policy is that you have to return it within 14 days, pay the return s/h and a 10% restocking fee. Simply, that STINKS!

I want to know, what do you own that you can't live without?
What do you have that you will be returning? And  what will be your next purchase?


If you've missed any posts of Appreciating Pickles, I'm sure it's unintentional. You can catch up...
Keep scrolling down, to the bottom left of your screen you'll find the archives and all past posts!

Thanks for reading me!

CHANGING SCENERY

I couldn't wait until my kids got old enough for us to go away from home for days at a time and not have everybody out of sorts. For those that have/had young kids,  I'm sure you'll agree that leaving your own environment can be way too big of a chore, sometimes. There were times when I just didn't vacation because it was more work and I'd still need a vacation when I got back...

Spring Break

It's Officially Spring Break for the Kids and myself as well.
So I won't be posting this next week, but it's a great opportunity to take a look back at any posts you may have missed.
Here they are in order, you can just click on each of them and it'll take you to it.

Why Pickles?
Rich Moments
Challenges

I appreciate all of you pickles that have read or are currently reading me. Especially those who've truly made a commitment to be better each day and to appreciate those around you.
I'm sure it was Mother Theresa that said the world is more starved for love and appreciation than it is for bread...
 That says a lot.


I will be changing some things about the blog site over the Spring break as I've also concluded a bit of a conflict of interest with my blogging and crafting.


For those on Spring Break as well, enjoy!  For those of you that aren't, take some time to relax and appreciate the day.


Cheers!

Challenges!

How do you handle "Challenges?" And for some, we have to ask "How do challenges HANDLE YOU?"

I read an article years ago that talked about the idea that Americans were basically some of the weakest people in the world. I was surprised to read such a thing because, you know us Americans we are a "SUPER POWER" plus I'm married to someone in the military! I began to take offense but then I read on... This article explained the American Resolve and Our need to be so politically correct. I read on..
It then spoke to the fact that we do not seek out challenges. "Okay, now that's far enough", I thought, "You have no clue, I've had challenges", is what I'd have said had he physically been there. I read on...
The author of this article went on to explain the difference between having challenges and conquering challenges. Well, Well... I digress...
Hell up until that point, I had a husband, two kids, living expenses and student loans but I was dreaming about my 8th grade math teacher.. Mrs. Ward, telling me how she was going to fail me because I never met the challenge in her class and that I could shape up or join her for summer school. That was then...

RICH MOMENTS

aaaaahhhhh, I feel the love already. Thank you to all of you that came by the comment section on my last (1st) post to show me some love. And yes I forgive you all in advance, I'm sure it'll be the same people putting me in my place when I get it wrong as well.  LOL! Seriously I wouldn't expect any less. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you...


Here we go.

I see a lot of things that maybe other people don't see. For any of you that have spent any time out with me, you know I am a people watcher. I can sit quietly in a spot and just watch people be people. I'm not easily surprised by anything they do. I've literally moved around my entire life... I feel like I've seen just about all human behavior...

Why Pickles?

Hey Pickles! Let me say "Thank You" for showing up... I'm excited about this Blog. It's been a long time coming. I've kind of struggled with my writing confidence. Now, I'm just jumping in.  I know I'll never know what I'm capable of until I try it. Whew, let's learn and laugh!


So Pickle? Why Pickle?
It's just what I call people. I've revisited that question time and time again. And I always come back to the same idea... because we all start out somewhere. Think about it, we come into this world the same way and life then has it's way with us.