Where analytic and creative thought collide and all kinds of weird stuff can happen.

I’ll start this post on a positive note by saying, with complete honesty, I love this company.

PersonalCreations.com has the coolest stuff.

Kitchsy? Maybe. Campy? A little. Unique, personal, and fun? Yes, yes, and yes!

That’s where Hubby bought the Meg Rug he gave me for Christmas.

Meg Rug

Okay, it’s a doormat. But it’s a nice doormat. Well-made. Clear image. It’s holding up very well. I love it.

We liked it so much, we bought one for our friends. Except we used a different picture.

I told my boss about this company and so far she’s gotten at least two things that she LOVES, a throw and a color-changing mug. She’s sent me pictures of each. And she just gushes about the good quality of the merchandise.

How many times have you bought personalized gifts online or via a catalog advertisement and received tacky junk? Even if it was only one time, wasn’t that enough?

PersonalCreations.com sells great stuff. Truly.

But after seeing page one of their special Father’s Day ad, I couldn’t help but poke fun at them.

Big what!?!

Would you want your Hubby wearing this shirt? Even if your last name is Petersen?

I guess it’s a cute idea, but I think they could have picked a different last name to use in the ad.

It's a Family Thing

I mean, really. It all seems a bit in-your-face to me. And sexist!

Hubby agreed. But then having raised two girls, he’s a big proponent of equal rights for us chicks.

Come to think of it, it’s also a bit exclusionary.

You’ve got a well-endowed Dad, one not-so-lucky son, and a son that’s too young to judge.

What options are there for the girls? Dad’s proud of them too, right?

Hubby and I put our heads together and came up with a few choices. Which do you like the best?

Choice #1

Choice #2

Choice #3

Three options. That’s it.

Just let me know which is your favorite. Choice number one, two, or three?

Oh, wait. Here’s a late entry…

Choice #4

Personally, I like #4 the best.

Do you have a favorite?

It’s been rather quiet around here lately. Even work has been unusually slow. So yesterday, I actually got to leave the house at lunchtime.

First, I joined Hubby for a trip to the dump.

Yep, I am living large now!

That’s where I saw this…

What a great idea, eh? I’m just not convinced that the landfill is the best place for that thing. Why not the lobby of the post office? It’s open around the clock for folks who need access to their P.O. boxes. It seems to me that more people would be aware of it at the post office. But then, maybe more people frequent the landfill than I realize? Either way, I never knew there was a retirement program for flags.

Once we left the landfill, we drove back to town (about a minute away) and Hubby dropped me off at the library. I had time to peruse the used “sale” books (bought two!) and look through the travel section (borrowed two). From there I headed home.

On the way, I stopped at the Great Harvest Bread bakery.

I think I have mentioned my affinity for Great Harvest’s blondies a time or two before on this blog. I think I have also mentioned that Meg is a chocoholic with a really bad sweet tooth. She’s driven by food in general, but REALLY likes sweets.

Good thing I’m aware of this. No sooner did I set my blondie on my desk than this happened…

"Damn, I wish I had fingers!"

My camera just happened to be sitting within reach atop my desk.

Don’t worry, I know better than to turn my back on Meg in a situation like that. I most certainly would never leave the room.

"Maybe if I stare hard enough..."

She’s relentless.

Can you blame her? Blondies are really quite tasty.

My Blondie

There were no corners available, but I did get a side piece. It’s a bit moister than I usually like. But most people prefer blondies and even brownies to be moist and gooey. To me, they just taste half-raw when served that way. I like dry and chewy. This one was sort of disappointing for me. But I ate it anyway. And, no, Meg did not get a piece.

Even after taking the time to snap those images, I was back at my desk just 45 minutes after we’d left.

And now to completely change the subject…

Did you hear about the Harley Davidson motorcycle that washed up on the shore of a remote island in British Columbia? It was in a shipping container that had been washed to sea during the Japan tsunami. It’s a touching story. The guy who found it and some friends of his went to great lengths to retrieve the bike. And the HD Corporation is paying to have the bike shipped back to Japan where it will be restored and returned to its owner.

You can read about it here. Or watch the video embedded below.

I love it when I see good stories in the news. Yay to the Harley Corp for stepping up to get this guy’s bike back to him. And for agreeing to restore it.

I think that’s pretty awesome. How about you? Oh, and did you know about the flag retirement program?

This past weekend was probably the most eclectic I’ve had in a long time.

ToadMama the Motorcyclist

Friday was International Female Ride Day (IFRD). That may sound hokey to you non-riders. But fellow female motorcyclists are few. Our population is growing, but there are still lots of women who think they shouldn’t/can’t ride because it’s a “guy” thing. So IFRD (this was the 6th annual by the way) is about getting out there en masse and showing everyone, especially non-riding women, that we can do it, too!

Hubby and I did manage to get out for a sort ride. But then it rained, so we cut things short.

Take a look at the shot of me and you might notice how threatening the skies look.

It wasn’t an empty threat.

We have rain gear and are fully capable of riding in the rain if we have to. But it’s no fun. And it’s dangerous. Slippery roads and two-wheeled vehicles are not a happy mix.

After returning home, we decided to walk up to Molly’s Irish Pub for dinner. They’ve got really good burgers and fries. And the beer on tap is always cold and refreshing.

It was on our way to the restaurant that we discovered it was the first “Warrenton First Friday” of 2012.

The Partnership for Warrenton sponsors the event, which is described on their site as…

Stroll Historic Main Street Warrenton beginning in May, the First Friday night of each month. Main Street will be closed to traffic while shops remain open late with open houses and specials. There will be music, artists, entertainment for the children and dinner specials at our award winning restaurants. Main Street will be bustling with shoppers, diners and fun.

It’s a cool thing to do.

First "First Friday" of 2012

I shot the picture above after dinner while walking the dogs.

Dogs Just Before Our Walk

Speaking of dogs, Saturday was the  2012 annual American Brittany Rescue (ABR) picnic. That’s a nationwide event, which is usually held in the Midwest or somewhere else far away. Although I have been affiliated with ABR since late 2003, I’ve never been to one of their annual events.

I thought it would be fun to see some of the folks I hadn’t seen for a while, meet others I knew of but had never met, and see all the dogs.

There were a lot of dogs there.

Gatekeepers

I have no idea how many dogs, but it seemed like about 100! That lady in the royal blue shirt, is one of the organizers. At the moment I took this picture, she was acting as a gatekeeper. She is actually a regular follower of this blog, too. Her name is Michelle Falkinburg. She was Belle’s foster Mom.

Sorry I didn’t get a better picture to share here, Michelle! I was too busy taking dog pics as you requested.

The picnic was lots of fun. Hubby didn’t go, but the girls and I enjoyed it. We all had to wear name tags, which was especially helpful for the dogs.

Eating Was a Challenge

It was very cool seeing so many Brittanys in one place. There were dogs there of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Big Shirley's Dogs

Big Shirley, who is not big at all, brought her own dog Brittany (the liver and white female pictured sitting), and two fosters, Cooper (barely visible in the background) and Sam.

Here's my girl's with Ranger, Michelle's dog (and Belle's former foster brother).

K showing off her name tag.

Belle cooling off in the pool.

This next image is my favorite. You have to look closely to “get” the humor.

My Favorite Shot of the Day

How many times have you been at a picnic on a hot day, running around getting all sweaty, looking longingly at the cooler full of ice and beverages wishing you could climb in and cool off? That’s just what that big guy did!

I told you it was fun.  If you’d like to see all of the pictures from the picnic, they are on my Flickr site.

Sunday morning I ran some errands. Hubby finished washing the windows, which he’d already spent lots of time on Saturday doing while we were away.

When I got home, I made a huge pot of pasta sauce and some sangria. Then I planted a few flowers.

I didn’t manage to get all of them into the ground. Maybe this afternoon?

See what I mean by eclectic?

I hope your weekend was a good one.