I Love My Silhouette, I Loathe My Silhouette

I invested in a Silhouette Portrait about a month ago and have had very limited luck getting it to do what I want.  Basically, I think it should do one thing and it has consistently proven me wrong.  Really, I read raving review after review before I received the thing in the mail.  But, then, all I found were tons of folks having similar problems and one very entertaining YouTube video about how much a lady hated her Silhouette.  I really did have an "oh crap" moment thinking I had just tanked $140 down the drain. 

But, me and my can-do attitude just could not accept defeat.  I scoured YouTube and the Internet for helpful videos and tips or tricks to make this little electronic cutter do what I wanted.  I had two main issues to overcome:  the new software to make the thing work, and getting the paper off the cutting mat after I cut something.

I have been a happy Photoshop Elements user for about six years and the Silhouette Studio software pales by comparison.  Like, seriously doesn't hold a candle to Photoshop.  But, just like learning to navigate Photoshop, well, you have to learn to navigate the Silhouette Studio.  It does get easier and YouTube will become your very best friend because there are tons of tutorials to help you.  I've never spent much time on YouTube, but I'm now a happy follower of several YouTube channels and have several tutorials saved in the "watch later" category. 

The second hurdle is the cutting mat and how sticky the darn thing is.  Don't even think about cutting stuff out of regular ol' copy or printer paper.  Thin paper just sticks to the mat and rips when you try to peal it off.  Not only is it a mess, it's a frustrating mess to deal with.  I found a recommendation on a blog (I don't know where) that the Cricut cutting mat is less sticky and works in the Silhouette machine.  The thing to keep in mind is the size of your Silhouette.  As far as I know there are two Silhouettes, the Portrait (which is less expensive) and the Cameo.  The Portrait can only handle cutting shapes that are 8 inches or smaller, the Cameo can do 12 inches or smaller.  I think they can cut things that are 10 feet long, but I am no where near cutting any project that large.  I ordered my 8.5"x12" Cricut cutting mat from Joann.com.  I completely agree with that blogger who said the Cricut mat is more user friendly and less sticky.  It's still too sticky for plain copy paper, though.

When I searched for the Cricut mats I saw that the Cricut tool kit was also on sale at Joann.com and I went ahead and ordered it.  I really didn't want to invest any more money into this fiasco because I thought it was the worst possible idea.  But, the special tools definitely make life easier when trying to get the paper off the cutting mat.  That little metal spatula is a god-send.

So, I'm slowly growing to appreciate my Silhouette and what it can do.  I really like the print-and-cut option and see limitless possibilities for it!  If you're a paper scrapbooker, which I have never been (I'm all digital) you'll probably be head over heals for your Silhouette.  But, it's definitely taking me a little longer to fall in love!

Damn-It, You Can't Close the Commissary

I tried to leave this as a comment on The Military Wallet, but just can't get the comment to post!  I thought maybe the comment was too long, but shortening it didn't help.  So, I'll just post it here instead.  You'll probably want to read the article on The Military Wallet so any of this will make sense.

I can't imagine these closures will become reality for pretty simple reasons.  First, people live on military installations.  Second, military installations can go on lock down with zero prior warning, which means no entering or leaving the installation. 
As long as there are people residing on a military base, the military should be required to provide the basic options available to those who reside in the civilian world.  Can you imagine being a mother living on base with a young child on 9/11?  She would have needed a place where she could easily get food.  Same goes for single soldiers living in barracks.

I agree with previous comments that there is some mixup between commissary and post exchange (or px).  Fort Campbell has had two commissaries in the past 15 years and neither have had a "mini mall" of vendors setup right outside it's door.  But, the PX has always had these, making the PX very much like a small shopping mall in the civilian world, complete with fast food court.

As for saving money by shopping at the commissary....I don't think the figures make sense.  You do drive a great distance, in some cases, to save a buck on that gallon of milk.  Plus you're paying a surcharge, which is less than my areas sales tax, but just barely.  And you can't forget to tip your bagger/carry out person.  I also agree that many items are priced higher at the commissary, things like toilet paper and laundry detergent, while other things are basically the same price as Walmart every day of the week.  How is the commissary selling "at cost" when Walmart sells the same can of cat food at exactly the same price?

I would love to see our elected officials take the biggest hit with these impending budget cuts.  Let them clean their own toilets for a change.  I told my husband just last week, as we sat waiting for our retired ID cards, "You know, 15 years ago when I got my first ID card, there was a little ticket machine and a person called out numbers indicating it's your turn.  Today there's flat screen televisions on every wall, one of which has a fancy number display telling us who's next.  How much do you think those things cost?" 

The simple fact is, the civilian world has managed to stay current, pay employees, and make a profit.  Why can't the military do this as well?  Maybe the solution should be as simple as privatizing the Commissaries and PXs?  Would Walmart have closed it's doors one day a week to save money during the furlough?  No, they would have cut back hours each day to cater to the needs of their customers rather than inconveniencing shoppers to suit their own twisted purposes. 

Hand Sanitizer, I Do Not Like Thee

I can't remember exactly when hand sanitizers became all the rage.  Was it before or after the bird flu hysteria began?  I just can't recall.  Remember the good ol' days when the doctor actually washed his hands when entering the exam room.  Boy, those were the days.

If  I've said it once I've said it a thousand times.  Poop is poop no matter how much hand sanitizer you put on it.  Right?  And the CDC pretty much agrees with me.  See that photo?  See the bold line that reads "not as effective when hands are visibly dirty".  Yep, something to think about.

How many of you can honestly say that after leaving the playground your kids hands are not "visibly dirty".  And I don't want to think about their hands when leaving the bathroom.  I've heard enough horror stories about what kids leave in the bathroom to make me loose a months worth of sleep.  Seriously, talk to your school janitor, you will be scarred for life.

Now, take a closer look at the label on your hand sanitizer.  I was quite surprised to see a Drug Facts label just like you find on a bottle of medication.  Did you ever think of hand sanitizer as a drug?  Neither did I.  Now, take a closer look at the label on your hand soap.  No Drug Facts label?  Yea, my soap didn't have one either. 

I did a little online snooping and the CDC and Mayo clinic agree that hand sanitizer should be used when soap and water are not available.  I'd guess that 99.99% of places frequented in America have both running water and soap.  So why is hand sanitizer the go-to option in most situations these days? 

I began writing about this topic months ago, around the beginning of the school year, so imagine my surprise when a google search for the best iron-fortified cereal led me to a really great parent resource from a pediatric doctor's office with a page devoted to none other than hand sanitizer vs. hand washing!  Sue me, I was tickled pink.  There's actually a lot of really great information on their website, I'm very impressed and wish they were local for us.  But, back to the hand sanitizer debate. 

Hand sanitizer is equivalent to 124 proof alcohol.  Wow, just wow.  And how many bottles were you asked to send to your child's school this year?  Parents, shouldn't we be worried about this stuff?  It's passed around like crack, I mean candy, in the classroom, readily available to every child in a school, and is absorbed right into your child's delicate skin.  Wonder if you can get a contact buzz that way?  Could we be turning our children into alcoholics because thinking about the long term effect of hand sanitizer use? 

And did I mention that it probably won't kill that pesky virus that's always going around your child's school?  Antibiotics aren't the only thing germs are immune to, obviously they aren't afraid of hand sanitizers either.  Think about all of your children's sick doctor visits lately.  Do you hear more and more often that your child has a virus and antibiotics just aren't going to help?  But, do you know what might help?  HAND WASHING with real SOAP and WATER!!!

I do realize that hand sanitizer is leaps and bounds faster than good ol' fashioned hand washing.  Keep in mind that faster isn't always better.  And I concede that the illnesses which have kept my kids home from school, thus far, this school year would not have been prevented by good ol' fashioned hand washing.  But, this is the last week of November, right at the beginning of cold and flu season, and I believe the spread of communicable illnesses would be lessened by good ol' fashioned hand washing.  Don't you?

Missing Cupcakes

I wasn't paying close attention when Patty asked if she could have a cupcake.  Sure, you can have a cupcake, I vaguely remember telling her.

But, I'm pretty sure there were five cupcakes left over from JT's birthday party.

I only saw her with one cupcake.  Or so I thought.

When I went to the kitchen I discovered this empty cupcake tray!

Yes, she had eaten the frosting off five cupcakes!  I know this because the cake part was in the trash can!

Fifty Shades Recast

So, the Fifty Shades folks announced that this fellow pictured on the left will play Christian Grey in the may never see the light of day movie of the same name.  Sorry fans, but I just can't see this movie arriving at a theatre near me anytime soon.

But, if you're curious, his name is Jamie Dornan and he hails from Northern Ireland.  And you may have seen him in a handful of episodes of Once Upon a Time, where, I must add, he was fabulous.

I don't dislike him for the role of Mr. Grey.  I just think my casting choice was better. 

I do find it a little funny that Mr. Dornan is from Ireland and he's replacing Charlie Hunnam for this role.  Why do I find it funny?  Because Charlie's character, Jax, is always having trouble with the Irish on his show Sons of Anarchy! 

;-}  Well, I didn't say you'd think it was funny, too!

Use Reminders for Recipe List

I have to confess, I rarely ever use the little Reminders app on my iPhone.  It just feels faster to use a good old fashioned piece of paper and a pen to make my shopping lists. 

But, I had a list epiphany this afternoon! 

Yes, the Reminders app is app-solutely perfect for making an ingredients list for a recipe! 

Maybe it's just me, but I find myself at the grocery store all the time and can't remember which ingredients I need for a specific recipe.  Really, this happens much more often than I want to admit. 

Now, I can have those favorite recipes with me at all times!  Just have to find all the recipes and then find the time to type them into the Reminders app and I'll be all set!


That recipe list for Onion Soup Mix came from Good Cheap Eats and I can't wait to try it in my next meat loaf!

Fifty Shades Casting Call

I thought I missed the opportunity to post about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, but then Charlie backed out and it's news again!

So, sometime in late August or early September, Hollywood announced that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson would portray Christian and Anastasia in the 2014 movie adaptation of the uber best selling novel Fifty Shades of Grey.  That announcement actually came at the same time I was reading the first installment in the series.  And, no, I wasn't impressed with the casting choices. 

First, I think Charlie is too short to play Christian.  Second, I think Dakota is a dead ringer for the role of Kate, Anastasia's best friend.  But, I'm speculating that the role of Kate will be absent from the movie all together. 

Obviously,  I just wasn't feeling these guys as the characters from the book.  Then, yesterday I hear that Charlie has dropped out of the movie.  The radio said it was a fear of being type-cast, IMDB says it's scheduling conflicts.  I don't know which is accurate, but if I was fearful of type casting, I'd really be trying to get away from playing murdering motorcycle rider Jax Teller.

And now that this is in the news again, I'd finally like to share my casting choices with the world.

Drum roll please.

Imagine Christian Grey played by the handsome and smart Christopher Gorham.  And Anastasia played by the lovely and smart Anna Kendrick.

And here's way I made these choices.

Anna as Anastasia
1.  Right hair color
2.  Perfect for the beautiful but thinks she's not pretty role
3.  Would be funny because Fifty Shades is the result of something known as Twilight Fan Fiction.  Anna was in Twilight.  Come on, it's funny.
4.  Anastasia prefers to be called Ana.  That's Anna's name already.

Christopher as Christian
1.  Tall
2.  Fantastic physique
3.  Great speaking voice
4.  Well, those three things are the only reasons you need to cast Christopher in this role.

Now, having said all that, I want to make a prediction.  I predict that this movie will never see the light of day.  And, if it miraculously does become reality, I think it will be so far removed from the book that fans will be up in arms disappointed.  I mean, we have something called ratings in this country and there's no way anyone is turning this book into an R rated movie fit for theatres. 

For me, this book just wasn't great.  It wasn't a 'can't put it down' read that I couldn't wait to finish.  Actually, I think it took me about two months to read it cover to cover.  And I'm no interest in reading the other two installments.  And that almost never happens when I've started reading a series.  Plus, it's a blatant rip off of Twilight, pretty much down to the initials of the characters, but without the bite. 

And the real clincher for me, the thing I found to be the most off-putting about this book, is a single line of dialogue from the final pages of the book.  Christian says to Anastasia, "I want to hurt you."  And that cemented the icky feeling that I had had from the beginning.  I can't imagine being in a relationship where my partner openly admits that he wants to hurt me.  It's just insane.  I can hardly believe this series found the audience it did.  It just isn't for me, I guess.

Hindsight: I got to thinking about this and I have a new prediction. I predict that, even though this won't make it to the movie box office, Fifty Shades might work as a one-hour drama for a major network. It won't fit I to the ABC Family or CW lineups, and it's not smart enough for AMC, but I think it might find a home on FX or maybe even HBO. These books are long, I think the right team of writers just might be able to squeak out a watchable series.