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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Annual Gingerbread House Party!

Every year my girlfriends, Sonja and Lauren, and I get together to make Gingerbread houses. Well... OUR rendition of gingerbread houses anyway.

We started this tradition in 2005 and have made every effort to keep it going each year. This year it was at my house. We started the night off with homemade fish tacos for dinner. Lauren had just come home from three months in Europe, so Sonja and I were enamored by her stories of the life and culture over there! While she was in PT school she made friends with people from Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Ansterdam. She was lucky enough to be able to couch surf with her friends and see the real sides of the countries. I'm so jealous!


This is the beginnings of our creations.


This is my house... It's tiny and if you look carefully you will see a slug coming out of the door to welcome you to her home. Check out my M&M trees I made!

This is Lauren's flower creation. Isn't she so creative? She chewed the graham cracker to shape the petals! Yes, that's right... We had white AND pink frosting!

Sonja made a UFO with a dome on top. She added a Chinese temple entrance as well.

We are so proud of our gingerbread houses!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Time to Gripe...

Hello all...

I am a positive person, or at least I like to think I can find the positive in ANY situation... But right now - I am in a total negative mood and I want to share it with everyone!!! Just in time for this holiday season... How sweet (see my sarcasm is coming out - that's me in a mood).

So I bought this beautiful ring from NY & Company in the mall. It is a purple stone weave ring. It has small amethyst colored stones at each criss-cross of the metal weave. I absolutely loved it! You know when you find a piece of jewelery after searching for months and it's perfect!

Anyway... I'm regressing.

So I had the ring for a month and when I looked at it one day, there were two stones missing from it! So I went back to the store to try and exchange it, but since I didn't have the original receipt (who knew the ring would fall apart?!?!?) I could only exchange it for the sale price. So instead of my exchange receipt saying $15 it said $4. Didn't think anything about it... UNTIL NOW!!!!

Just imagine a look of shear disgust on my face right now. This very minute.

The ring I exchanged was size 6, the size I received in return was size 7 - doesn't fit me! So I went to exchange the ring AGAIN at the store and they did not have the size. So I left my name and number for the manager to call me for when the next shipment comes in. Apparently the store cannot request certain items to be shipped to them. So the manager told me I just had to wait and see if the ring comes in.

That was about three weeks ago - I am still a ring size too big. I have not been able to wear my ring because it will fall off my finger. I called the corporate number from online - they told me they cannot do store transfers and that they could give me a list of the store that carry the ring size. Non of the stores were in CA.

So I called the manager that I have been working with at the Chico store and she informs me that the ring still has not come in. So I told her I wanted the full refund of $15 (not the $4) because the ring was defective. I told her I have been patient in waiting for the ring to come in especially since each time I went in or spoke to her on the phone I was told it should be in any day now. She informs me that since I am not in their system nor did I have the original receipt, that I cannot receive my $15. I also told her I am not being unreasonable for asking for the full refund since the ring was defective! I am not trying to cheat the company out of anything - THE RING WAS DEFECTIVE. I was actually yelling at the manager on the phone.

For a big company, I do not know why their customer service is so messed up.

So now I am out of an awesome ring and out $15.

I am going to cry.

Someone I work with found me a solution - to buy a ring snuckle. So I am on my way to Walmart to see if I can find one.

But it's just the principle of the situation... I've been patient and now I am being punished for purchasing a defective ring. Thanks alot NY & Co. I am NEVER SHOPPING THERE EVER AGAIN.