Thursday, October 16, 2008

Have a Very Faux Christmas?

I visited Costco today. Saw a nice set of candles in the Christmas area. I love candles, but I like fire more than candles. Luckily, you can have fire and candles at the same time. Anyway back to Costco candles. They looked like candles, all creamy and waxy and they smelled like candles, all vanilla-y. I took a closer look. A villainous light bulb had taken over the wicks place. The wax was-was, well it wasn't wax and I'm not sure what the material really was, but it definitely wasn't wax. Ack! A cord! The candle was not real!!!! It was a faux candle. WHaaah? Who wants a fake candle? Where is the fire, the burning fire to warm and flicker? Is there a faux flicker too?

OK, I'm am just sick and tired of all this plasticky stuff people use at Christmas time. The tree for instance. I know the tree can be very expensive, but I would rather have a real tree than the foil wrapped presents lying under it! Sorry!

Wait...hmm..I do have some faux holly garland, but after seeing the candle today, I am going to turn a new leaf and go totally real this Christmas. I will sell my garland on craigslist. The picture will look real nice, when the buyer comes over to get it he/she won't even care that it is plastic, for I don't believe anybody has ever seen real live (or recently living) garland.

What's up with the plastic snowman. Do you guys know it isn't real. Just go up to it. It is not real. It's actually slightly warm around the tummy area.

Along the same line here, I believe the reason people do not appreciate the fruit cake anymore is because they don't make it themselves. It's not real. You may or may not know this but the stuff you buy at the store contains faux fruits (yes, plastics and woodchips are added). That is why they are so hard. Faux fruitcake! We should create a new law mandating the disclosure of these phony ingredients on every label.

As soon as my oranges are ripe I am going to pick one and poke some cloves through their tasty skins and let the smell wreak havoc on my home! None of these fabricated smells, but really orangy and stuff!

Vote No on Faux Christmas!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Stapp Tradition of Tolerance

To any friends and neighbors who may be offended by our support of Prop 8!

Although our values can never bend, we will always try to love and not judge you! Please love us and tolerate our religious views to protect traditional marriage. We feel the demise of Prop 8 will be an attact on our right to practice our faith of marriage between a man and a women.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Last Few Hours of the Spending Freeze!

Day 9
All is well today. Not a penny spent. Didn't even drive.

Day 10
Took Julia's car into Sacramento. I have only 20 miles left on the van. No milk and everyone is hoping for a bowl of cereal tomorrow. Ate a fresh peach at my Dad's place. It was marvelous.

All in all, and each one of us agreed last night, the Stapp family is very blessed! We have been able to utilize our creativity and stored resource. But most of all we have learned gratitude for all our bounteous blessing. The 10 day spending freeze will hopefully start us on a new path to simpler living! You ought to try it.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Spending Freeze Continued

Day 7
Tuesday started off with a bit of a crisis. I sent Curtis out the door with a gourmet lunch around 6:40 am. Ten minutes later he was back in a bit of a quandary. He misplaced his bus pass. As you may or may not know, Curtis has taken the bus into the city for the past 15+ years and saves $ with the monthly pass. No pass-a-roosy! We looked here, we looked there and and then we looked everywhere. I reluctantly handed him a $20 that was on circulation vacation. He informed me that the Yolo Bus only takes exact change!!! Even better, let's use the cash in the boy's bank! Luckily, they don't read blogs.

Opened a can of fruit punch from the LDS cannery today. Samuel did not like the smell, but thought it tasted pretty good. Nutritional value; 100% vitamin C, 45% vitamin A. Hmmm...packaged in 1999. Bet I need to cut nutrient numbers in half. Possibly toxic. I'm stealing from and poisoning my children!!!! Nothing like a challenge to cloud better judgment.

Day 8
Tender Mercies!! Dug deep and located 4 Eggo waffles, a bag of frozen Rhodes dough that had defrosted, transformed into a dough glob, then refrozen, a Weight Watcher creamy rigatoni with broccoli & chicken, three Angus beef hamburger patties, and three 3 oz. salmon steaks. Curtis scouted out the calcium rich LDS cannery hot chocolate last night.

Other items in the Maytag Refidgerator/Freezer include; selection of cheeses, 14 eggs, one loaf of bread, 2 lbs butter, a few oranges, ice, a variety of meats, peas, turkey meatball makings, mixed veggies with freezer-burn, frozen plums and leftover chocolate frosting, see day 3 (I'm planning a Friday night surprise dessert).

1/8th tank of gas left in my car. See hypermiling.

Confession. I took Sarah to Costco today. I told her I I had a ton of hand-me-downs to give her. There was the food court. Maybe I could trade her for a frozen yogurt. BINGO!

Click here to see what Samuel and I made with the frozen Rhodes bread ball (without the milk)! I can smell them now!