What to wear

Now that I am "thirty-something" I don't feel the need to impress people with my wardrobe. I just wear what is comfortable, but doesn't make me look like a slob. I was never too much into being fashionable, and usually stuck with classics like jeans, t-shirts, and button-up shirts. The only times I remember worrying about my outfit was when my husband and I would go dancing at nightclubs in college.

The nightclubs we went to were pretty much fashion shows in themselves, with extravagant outfits including thigh high boots, leather, vinyl, and electrical tape. We never went quite that far, but I wore some outfits to nightclubs that I couldn't imagine wearing anywhere else. It was fun at the time, but we are beyond all that now.

Drink and be merry

I find it gets harder each year to come up with unique gift ideas for friends and family. In fact, a large part of my holiday stress comes from the thought of buying gifts and I usually procrastinate until the last minute and then scramble to come up with something.

I found a website today that sends wine gifts to recipients. You sign up on their website for one of the wine clubs, and choose from the four different levels based on price. Then your lucky recipient receives bottles of wine each month from award-winning family owned wineries.

This is one of those gifts that keeps on giving and will remind the recipient of you all year long!

Farmer's

We've been happy with our insurance and have gone with Farmer's for years now. I've tried comparing car insurance online, but have yet to find a better overall rate with the level of service we are accustomed to. We have our auto insurance and our homeowner's insurance through Farmer's, and our agent in Denver several years ago helped us set up life insurance as well.

We've had claims in the past and everything was taken care of with little to no trouble. Overall, we have no complaints and have recommended Farmer's to anyone looking for a solid, trustworthy insurance provider.

City slickers

We went to Silver Dollar City a couple of weeks ago in Branson, Missouri, which is a little over an hour's drive from Eureka Springs. We drove a different way than usual, and ended up on the "Main Drag" of Branson, which looks much like what I imagine Las Vegas does (although I've never been there). There were many shows and attractions with digital signage outside luring passers-by to choose their show over all the other possibilities. Frankly, simply driving by was "show" enough for my kids!

The weather that day was cloudy and it looked like rain, but only rained about fifteen minutes the whole day. The park was very uncrowded and we actually got to ride several rides twice in a row without even waiting in line. The longest we had to wait in line was ten minutes for one ride! That's the way to go - we're planning on hitting Silver Dollar City whenever the weather is slightly crummy.

The shape of things

Summer is just around the corner and although they are not for me, some people may be inclined to use diet supplements along with their exercise routine to get in shape for the season. I found a review of cheap diet pills online that has a list of the most popular brands and a link to find the cheapest current price on Ebay for each item.

I got a great workout today by raking all the leaves out of our flowerbeds in the front yard. It amazes me just how many leaves can build up in one season! I also did some weed pulling, which is a great exercise for hamstring muscles and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.

Computer frenzy

Today was another busy day at the library, mostly due to computer use. We had three hours during the day where people had called ahead to make appointments, and we were booked up ahead of time for all five computers beforehand! That always makes me nervous because I don't like turning people away when we are full. Some days I feel like we are a laptop rental service and I can't imagine how we got along with only three desktops only one year ago.

On one hand, I think it's great that the computers draw more people to the library and has increased our circulation of books and movies. We have increased circulation by over 1,000 items per month since I started working there one year ago, which is quite impressive for a town of less than 2,500 residents. We now average approximately 6,000 items circulated per month.

But part of me is saddened to see a beautiful old library with computers all over the place. There is no beauty in technology and it takes away from the serenity of the architecture the way it was meant to be enjoyed. I guess you can't stop progress.

Her first boyfriend

Yesterday in the car, my 7 year old daughter nonchalantly says, "Mom, I have a boyfriend who loves me." I say, "Oh really? Who is it?" Turns out it is a boy who has been in her class for two years, but apparently they just discovered they love each other "just a little bit" according to her.

I don't think it is a big deal, buy my husband seemed a bit upset by it. He grilled her with questions like, "You don't kiss him or anything, do you??" She just made a disgusted face and said, "No, we just draw pictures for each other."

So we're not quite ready for "the talk" yet, but she is growing up so fast that before too long we will be breaking out acne treatments and fighting off real boyfriends. The good news is that since we live in a small town, there are many other parents looking out for your kids too because everyone knows you. I don't think the teens around here can get away with much... but I could be wrong.