My Husband's Inner Red Neck AND GIVE AWAY WINNER!!

Just catching up on photos - SFE's lovely Birthday cake thats she made me

Our neighbor lady's husband made this marble game. She brought it over to share with our kids.

It didn't take him long to discover that this wasn't the kind of store he wanted to be in. As he walked by, people seemed to look somewhat different. He made his way into the bathroom. Just as he got there, a European looking man walked out. Brazenly, the man looked him up and down passionately. That was when he decided he would be waiting in the car..........

Me on the other hand, well, I was having a great time browsing the aisles of a gigantic organic "clean eating" store. As I made my way through the bins of grains, I eagerly scooped out bags of several different kinds.

A pretty, thin, woman with a shiny face, but dark eyes passed by me. She seemed a world away from me, yet here we were enjoying the same place. She had one child in her cart, which was an obvious product of a lot of care and doting. I looked at my kids. They were strong, slender and capable. Each one looked brilliant in a sea of dark faces. They weren't raised being doted upon, nor have they had the finest of arts and music, but passion burns in their eyes. Playing and working outdoors and eating well have helped sculpt their appearance. Though allot of their clothes are "second hand", they wear it well. I knew I didn't fit in with these people, but yet I some how embraced a part of their culture - the appreciation for good quality whole food. I decided not to let the strange vibes bother me. I had every right to be here and I was staking my claim to good eating for my clan.

That's about the time my husband found me, obviously uncomfortable. "This is NOT what I thought it would be." he said with obvious disappointment in his voice. "Did you find any big bags of grains?" I asked him. "No" he said. Then he looked at me and said "I feel like yelling out "I wear leather and hunt my meat!". That's when I knew I needed to begin power shopping. He elected to wait in the car while I finished. I began observing the people more closely. There was nothing they had to say or do to show what they were. They just were. I didn't care. I just am too. I decided to tread my common ground, boldly. I smiled and chose to enjoy what the store had to offer. I eyed some bulk bags at the check out and grabbed a 50 lb bag of organic oats.... knowing it would please my husband............

The rest of the trip was unique as well. Super Catman's Orthodontist wasn't mad at me, like I feared. Rather he was quite pleasant and personable. I had found a great deal on a motel room and so we elected to stay rather than drive the entire 5 /12 hours there and 5 1/2 hours back. That, in itself, was a huge relief to me. Though we didn't buy as much as we hoped to, The Sock Fashion Expert and I found racks and racks of $5 clothes at the mall. Walmart had $3 and $5 racks which was fun too. Some of the food items were 2/3 the price of what they are in the near by cities I shop at. I stocked up on all the great deals I could find.

When we got to the motel, I was awed by how nice it was. Even though it was the cheapest deal, they offered free amenities. Everything was clean. The clerk seemed pleasant. Even the bathroom was roomier than most I'd stayed in. Other than the creepy bar people, the rest of the place seemed formidable. I went in to check on pizza prices there, since it was adjoining and the bar tender and waitress seemed to ignore me. It was almost like I'd walked into some kind of Zombie Horror Flick. People stared, but that's all they did. I ended up ordering Papa Johns for the first time ever, and it was good. I had night mares and Miss Moona hogged the bed. When I got comfortable, I got worried and found her wedged, SLEEPING, between the bed and nightstand in mid air. After prying her out, and laying her back in bed, she just kept on sleeping....... Sheesh! The breakfast was also amazing. My husband, who had hoped to find a super cheap used mini van or econo car was disappointed after his search the next day. Still, he was glad to get back to our home far away. He would eat well, despite embracing his inner red neck ;-)

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CONGRATULATIONS SAL!! YOU'RE OUR CSN STORE $45 GIVE AWAY CODE WINNER!!!