Internet Meets Real Life.

Last week in an act so spontaneous I still can't believe I did it, Maggie changed her ticket home at the last minute and we went shopping. I found lots of good things in thrift stores and antique malls in the middle of Michigan, you can see them here.

Last night Logan said, "I figured out what I love about Maggie. I love that she's not afraid to be enthusiastic."

Which is not surprising since he is one of those same kinds of people, someone who is not afraid to be enthusiastic. When Holly from Nothing But Bonfires came to visit on Saturday afternoon and mentioned she'd missed out on eating Jello Salad on her visit to the middle-ish part of the country, Mr Enthusiasm went out and got her a premade, somewhat authentic jello salad at the store.

And she actually ate it.

This weekend I'm planning on making an advent calendar with the kids, so I used The Buzz Off to research the project. We are also having a quiet dinner at home just the four of us on Thanksgiving but I still have five quick tips to share at Ordering Disorder. I really believe entertaining should be easier so people do it more often.

There is nothing better than this house full of people...full of enthusiastic people eating jello salad.

Comments

[Nicole]

I can't wait for the day I can have a quiet thanksgiving dinner at home with just my husband and kids (i.e. no in-laws). Just thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy. Have a good holiday!

[stella]

I don't quite understand how you can complain about your husbands trip to New York city and then you turned around and bought all this crap. I thought you were short on money? And if you're so short on money why don't you go out and get a job and pay for childcare.

[Strizz]

Do they make bumper stickers that say "I work to pay for daycare"? I stay at this crap job so I can pick my hours and avoid daycare. Or thats what I tell myself anyway.

[sherrypg]

Hang on, Melissa. I've got this one.

@Stella - First of all, the stuff she bought is not crap. Secondly, shut up.

[StellaDevine]

I am horrified lest anybody think it was me who made that comment. It wasn't: I know how to punctuate correctly.

And I wish opshops around here had such nice stuff.

http://stelladevine.livejournal.com

[Laurie]

Any thoughts on Detroit being named the "Most Dangerous City in America"? A Cheetah got loose in our zoo yesterday so I guess that's why we are #2 in St. Louis.

[bigpikchur]

@Stella (the first one): Talk about enthusiasm! Someone sure is enthusiastic about judging someone on their own blog! Sadly, this is the same kind of mentality that moved another woman to write Melissa this wonderful little gem in response to M's description of all the (understandable) frustration she felt from the NYC Marathon weekend debacle that was posted here 11/11:

<<"Why don't you try being happy you even have a man." >>

I just have to say that if we can't vent about your own lives on our own blogs, where can we do it? I wonder how large the segment of population is that chooses to ignore their real emotions brought on by bad days and basic humanity; and just how long will this same segment of the population walk around pointing fingers solely to judge others in order to distract themselves from what's going on in their own imperfect lives.

You do your thing, Melissa. I think you (and your candor about your life) rock!
Jules
House of Jules

[MelissaS]

I really should ignore the troll but I'm in a mood. My non-job earns us just under half our family's income all without any childcare at all. Imagine what I could do if my man I'm lucky to have squeezed his ambition into the time left over by all the things I wanted to do.

[Holly]

De-lurking to say.....Stella, you're a bitch! Love your stuff Melissa!

[zdoodlebub]

I was going to comment to say thanks so much for the advent calendar ideas - now I have something to look forward to, not just a project but a month of little family activities. Awesome.

And then I read all the judgy judgment and my Wednesday is now filled with anger.

Boo to Stella.

[jkopftwins]

Oh, Stella, Stella, Stella... just take a deep breath, honey, and walk away from the keyboard. Why do you feel the need to lecture people you've never met, about situations you're not really familiar with??

I love the video, by the way, of Holly trying out jello salad (bravely keeping that Sierra Nevada by her side in case she needs to wash it down) ... Melissa, you need to start a collection of hesitant people trying new foods (that means you, Logan, Mr. Pickle!)

[Nothing But Bonfires]

If there's one thing I can say quite confidently about myself, it's that I'm certainly very enthusiastic in my jello-salad-eating. Although the Sierra Nevada sure helped.

[chris]

I am not sure which I am more jealous of the shopping finds or Holly visiting.