Looking BACK At 2011

It's Friday Bloggers, and you know what that means!

And since its the last Friday before the new year, I decided to look BACK at those Wally World crazeees and the skin they regularly showcase. It's become a sport; flashing skin, and some of these people are true champions.

I'm sure that wool sweater is keeping her nice and warm in this chilly weather. You know, it can get pretty breezy some days but she's prepared. Don't you agree?

Cheeky outfit for sister here., but it's the wedgee that bothers me...ouch. She may need some surgical intervention.

This one's for Heff. I couldn't help but be reminded of him. Hee hee.

Sister broke the cardinal fashion rule here: her bra straps are visible.

What the hell is THAT? Really? That is the easiest way to ward off the chicks.

BUT, I think we may have found him a mate...a match made in heaven.

Or this one. She may be a little spicy cuz she's got attitude and plenty of it to go around.

I may make fun, but one thing's for sure...Boys like girls with back. So if you've got it why not flaunt it at your local WalMart. You never know who you may meet.

This guy made no bones about the kind of woman he's looking for.

Happy New Year Bloggers!

May 2012 bring you peace, prosperity and better fashion choices.

Hot Or Not

So yes, I saw these on TV.

Pajama jeans? I decided to inquire further. At first glance these look to be faux designer jeans and nothing that would peak my interest but I have to admit I was curious. Made from a blend of cotton and denim, these faux jeans claim to be so comfortable that you can sleep in them. (I might have slept in my jeans a time or two, but it wasn't because I thought my jeans were "super comfortable")

With "butt lifting" European stitching and a mock zip front, the brass rivets and the designer look of these jeans could fool even the best fashion expert. Or could it?

I decided to ask a trusted group of friends their opinion:

"those are gross," one exclaimed.

"Sooo not!" said another.

But being a journalist at heart, I had to argue the two sides.

For the NOT:

• They look fake and cheap. (are they? I have yet to hold said garment in my hands so these are just observations based on what I saw on TV)


• They have their own infomercial. Need I say more?


• Would you DIE if someone on the street stopped you and said, "Oh my God, aren't those the pajama jeans??"

For the HOT:

• If you have a killer figure and your ass looks good, does it really matter what the jeans are made of?


• Comfort. Does comfort trump fashion? (not in my mind, ever)


• Price. At $39.99, is this a great way to steal a fashion trend? Some designer jeans run up to $280.00. If she is rockin' jeans at $39.99, who looks the fool then?

In the end, I can't decide.

Can you believe it? Me, who has all kinds of opinions when it comes to fashion. I couldn't help but see both sides of the designer jeans debate. I guess if you look good in them, it doesn't really matter what they are and if Angelina Jolie were photographed wearing them, they might become the next greatest fashion trend. Then lots of naysayers would be caught with egg on their face.

Would I ever wear them?

Hell no, but I never said I wasn't a fool.

Dee-Leete

Anytime I see a "FW:..." in my inbox, I think the same thing; DELETE.
The other day I got this one and just as I was hitting the X, I caught what it said:

Perfect.

A Heavy Issue

Now that the major meal-eating-holiday's are over and the time to resolve is fast approaching, I want to talk about weight. I got to thinking about it because I, like everyone, over indulged this weekend, and now I am feeling feeling gross and I'm not loving the mini muffin top that has sprouted over the top of my skinny jeans. Those are the same jeans I'm supposed to feel skinny in, but don't really at the moment.

It's no surprise that losing weight is one of the most common New Year's resolutions, as the weight loss in this country is a big business. For me, this year, the issue a bit different than it has ever been. I have pretty much kept off the thirty pounds I lost two years ago, give or take a five pound fluctuation here and there, and now I'm bored with this last amount of weight I lost. Now I want more, much more. I want my friends to tell me I look like I lost weight and I want to be able to say, "Yes, I did loose weight."

I want to put on my skinny jeans and not be able to wear them because they are too big. I want to go down a whole size, and "live there", and I know exactly what I need to do to get there. Is it attainable? Of course, but I was wondering if I would ever be happy there. The mini muffin-top I speak of, should take me 2-3 weeks to get back under control, then I should be able to shed 10 good pounds in six weeks. But will I be happy at that magic number?

My trainer tells me it's not about a number on a scale, but whether or not your weight affects your overall health, and my BMI is right where it needs to be. So why am I not satisfied with all of this information? Why am I now resolving to loose 10 more pounds?

Because society dictates that women should be thin, and I'm beginning to think that no matter what weight I am, I'm never going to be really satisfied. It should be a victory, that I have kept the weight I lost off for two years, but instead I yearn to impress myself with more. I want to know in my head that I have reached that magic number and that the size jeans I am wearing reflect that. It's a psychological and emotional issue for me, and I think I will never fully understand it.

It's a constant battle.

It's like death and taxes.

And it's always there, in the back of my thin thinking mind.

Merry Christmas

He's coming, you know, my good friend in red.
All dressed in his finest, from the top of his head.
At Christmas time I get giddy with happiness and cheer.
But really, it could be from all the eggnog and beer.

So we'll invite him to come, to join in our joy.
Knowing full well that he's busy, he gotta bust out the toys.
But to me Santa just isn't a legend in red.
He's a spirit, a hero and a saint, in my head.

As I harness that feeling when I think of the old boy,
I'll try to remember that this weekend's about joy.
It's not about toys and it's not about things.
It's about family and love and about spreading your wings.

Merry Christmas bloggers, may you all experience great love.
My wish for you is for blessings, that come from above.
But can Santa do that? Can he even try?
Well, for sure he's a myth, which means we'll never know why.

May your holiday be wondrous and your heart filled with glee.
And may Santa bring you peace, all wrapped up under your tree.


A very merry Christmas to you and yours from Candy's Daily Dandy.

Hall Of Famer's

Nothing brings shrieks of delight from small children more than toys. Especially at Christmas time, when the promise of their most coveted toy possibly nestled under their tree helps to keep many awake at night with excitement. Toys are an important part of childhood, and some even instrumental in your child's development. The National Toy Hall Of Fame, based in Rochester, NY, just released their 2011 inductees, and I might have shrieked with delight myself when I read them. They are as follows:

The Dollhouse: It's been well documented here on The Daily Dandy how much I love miniatures, so I was overjoyed to see one of my most favorite childhood play things on the list. (Please note, that I still have mine, complete with furnishings, stashed lovingly away for safe keeping) The first dollhouses were created for adults only in Europe in the 1500's, and were designed to showcase a lady's great wealth. Copies of funrnishings were produced to scale with only the finest materials, fabrics and craftsmanship. It wasn't until the 17th century that German toy makers created dollhouses for small children.

Playing Cards: I spent many long hours playing cards with my freinds and family throughout my childhood. I loved Solitaire, War, Crazy Eight's, Go Fish and Rummy 500, to name only a few of the countless ways to play. I've even tried to engage a friend or two in a friendly game of 52 pick up.. With cards origin's spread across the globe, it wasn't until after the Revolutionary War that American's got Playing Cards straight from England, and they have remained a favorite amongst children and adults alike.

Blanket: This one, while somewhat bizarre, I have to agree with. Bizarre because one would not think that a blanket, made for warmth and comfort, would be considered a "Hall Of Fame" winning child's play thing. On the contrary, a child's beloved blanket sometimes serves as he/she's best friend and protector. A cape, a cloak, the skirt on a movie star's dress, a head piece, a tent; the possibilities are endless. I think Frick might agree, whole heartedly, with this one too.

Hot Wheels: I have two brothers closest in age to me, so safe to say there were a lot of Hot Wheels floating around my house. They had them in tins and boxes, all brightly colored and neatly lined up, the minature lover in me couldn't help but be attraceted to these mini hot rods.According to the National Toy Hall Of Fame website:

"In the 1960s, Elliot Handler, a cofounder of Mattel, Inc., envisioned a die-cast car to surpass the popular English Matchbox brand. He wanted a line of toy cars to dominate Mattel’s boys’ division just as its Barbie doll had become the strongest brand in its girls’ division. Handler insisted that the toy cars look authentic, so the project enlisted Harry Bradley, a top auto designer from Chevrolet, to lead the toy design team. What Handler really wanted was not the cars of Detroit, but the radical versions altered by custom-car shops—like vehicles he often saw on California’s highways."

Hot Wheels popularity only increased every year after that and has surpassed what was originally ever dreamed about. The National Toy Hall of Fame website says that Mattel claims that a Matchbox car is sold in the US every 8 seconds.

And last but certainly not least..

The Game Of Life: I remember the first time I played this game, it was with my brother and I might have enven beaten him. The game of Life was a great intro to strategizing life's big picture. It's three dimentional playing board equipt with each player presented with choices about college, business, marriage and children and navigating through those choices with a Payday. In the 60's version of Life, players could end up in the "Poor Farm" or "Millionaire Acres", where as the politically correct 2010 version offers both "Millionaire Estates" and "Countryside Acres" as their game ending destination.

My most memorable Christmas as a child included an aluminum, minature kitchen set complete with refridgerator, food, dish washer and sink. As I came down the stairs, I might have passed my dad on his way up to go to bed after a long night of setup, but I never caught on till years later.

I just remember how much I loved those toys.

Smart Is As Stupid Does

Visit us and buy fine wine for the holidays.

So I have a confession to make. And I feel kinda bad about it because, you know, it's kinda like a "who the hell do I think I am" confession.

Quick version:
Frick had her senior pics take by a professional.(all the seniors do this) They're great and we have the disc to produce copies. Frack never brought home the order form for his school pics that were taken at the high school this fall, so I never even saw them, much less ordered them. This is the first year that this has ever happened, and to be honest, we all kind of let it go.

Fast forward to now. It's Christmas and Frick has these gorgeous, commerative senior pictures to frame and give as gifts to the grandparents and her father. Frack has none.

Enter: Catholic Guilt. Bad Mother. You name it, I deserve it.

Now, I can't have Frick giving everyone these great photos with Frack having none to give. Being the kind of person who kills herself with guilt over stupid shit like this, I panicked and called the school first thingy this am. I got the number to the company that took my son's shots and proceeded to ask the customer service rep if I could pay for a digital image to be emailed to me, or pay to overnight a package of his photos to me. And here's where the confession comes in..

The customer service rep wasn't smart. I feel awful for saying this, but she just wasn't. I mean, maybe this company is sort of "mom and pop" and maybe not, because she asked me what state I was from, but she tells me that, "because of security purposes they cannot email me a image of my son's photos". Now in this digital day and age, I'm not quite sure how this is possible, and I ask her to explain it a little further. Poor thing just couldn't and it really wasn't her fault. She just wasn't equipt with the correct information and she just wasn't articulate enough to navigate her way through this conversation.

Then she proceeds to tell me that their photo lab is closed for the holiday's and that I would not be able to access the photos until January 4th. A photo lab? I don't know about her, but I was just looking for the digital image of my son, which I would gladly pay for, and use the photo lab at Target.(where I can also buy the frame) I was not rude, I swear, but I nicely asked the flustered girl if I could speak to her supervisor, which put her in even more of a frenzied state. She put me on hold for a good 10 minutes and during that time, the guilt started to creep up my whole body.

Who the hell did I think I was? Again, I was never rude, I just kept thinking how stupid she was and herin lies the confession. I may have been talking down to her....

OMG, I was one of them....

While I was on hold, I kept thinking about how it wasn't her fault she wasn't trained properly and how I was the one in a pickle because I never ordered the photo's like I should have in the first place. The poor thing was probably in the bathroom crying or possibly going postal in the break room with the coffe pot as her weapon, and I was the catalyst. I then decided to take my own digital pictures of Frack today, in the backyard or something, which would probably be better that the school ones anyway, and I quietly hung up the phone before the supervisor could be located.

And I thought, Who the hell am I, thinking I'm all smarter than her? Shit, I do stupid stuff all the time and on some days I can sound like a complete moron, but I was blessed with a sharp tounge and a quick mind that usually gets me out of those situations right quick.

In the end, I am sure it will all turn out fine. I'm neeting Frack here this afternoon to snap some shots, and if they don't come out good, I assure you, I will be the only stupid one.