Some Things Are Too Good to Keep to Myself

As a matter of fact, I am a breeder

Katie, Trevor and I went to the Dallas Gay Pride Parade today. We took Seri from church with us. The North Texas Association of Unitarian Universalist Societies (NTAUUS) marches in this parade every year so it is well-publicized at church. We went last year, too, and had a blast. I think it meant more this year because Katie "gets it" and Trevor just likes to get beads.

I saw a very large presence of heteros at the parade this year who were there to show support for our GLBT friends.

The parade makes me feel connected to my friends, happy to be part of this celebration, and hopeful of changes to come.

It occurred to me that we are all ever-evolving.

• When the Colonists broke away from England, they did so stating that was their right.
• Slavery was abolished because it infringed on individual rights.
• Women were granted the right to vote because it was determined they had the right.
• The Civil Rights movement guaranteed rights regardless of color.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act ensured persons with disabilities have access to public places and be accommodated in jobs. These are called rights.

So, why do gays still not have the right to be legally married? Hopefully, that will be the next right we see granted to individuals in this country as well as world-wide.

Peace,

Mary

RIP Senator Kennedy.

I didn't realize how much the passing of the "Lion of the Senate" would affect me. After watching this video of Reverend Jesse Jackson discussing Senator Edward Moore "Teddy" Kennedy's legacy, I was in tears.

I realize there are many scandals associated with the Kennedy family, but aren't there in every family? How many of us can say our families have achieved as much as the Kennedys?

What a great, great family they have been for the American people.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

New (ad)Venture

My neighbor, Denise McDonald, invited me to a party for something I'd never heard of -- Scentsy. I was a ... tad ... skeptical because I don't care for strong fragrances. Maggie and Katie can testify to that. How many times have I made them take a bath/shower because they sprayed on some perfume and it made me sick???

Anyway, I went to the party and was pretty impressed. I NEVER burn regular candles. I use tea lights if I ever burn a candle. Most candles have scents that give me a headache, sick at my stomach and aggravate my asthma.

These are very different. There are over 80 scents. I'll be honest and say I don't care for some of them because they are perfumy (is that a word?). I like the fruit scents the most.



Another thing different about these candles is they do not have a wick. WHAT? No wick? No way!

Yes, way. No wick because the wax sits in a section of the warmer. If there's no wick, how is it lit? Easy... it's not lit with a flame. The warmer contains a 25-watt bulb that heats up the wax. The wax is a special type of wax that is able to melt at a lower temperature. You can purchase a "brick" or a "block." When you're through burning the candle and want to put it up or just swap out the wax, it's easy pour the melted wax back in the container where it will harden back to its original state until you are ready to use it again. This is a win in several ways:

• While the wax can be warm while it is in the warmer, it is not hot enough to burn any child, or pet, who is curious
• NOT A FIRE HAZARD
• No soot
• No "ring around the candle" where your candle burns way down the middle and not along the sides

The warmers are very pretty. I think a few are very masculine and would be appropriate to give a man for his birthday, Christmas or Father's Day. There are large warmers and plug-ins (shown in turquoise above). The plug-ins are great as nightlights.

I signed up to be a Scentsy consultant. I am not very good at sales, so this is quite a gamble for me. I'm hoping it will sell itself!

Here is the link to my Scentsy website: www.scentsy.com/marycost

If you're interested, drop me a line or give me a call. Pretty soon I'll have my sample kit with each of the scents.

Wish me luck!

Time Wasters

I found this site under the heading of Time Wasters. Tim follows this blog, too, so I've now been added to their list. You know what they say, the couple that wastes time together, stay together. Here's the link:

http://failblog.org

Here is a sample of what you can find:

see more pwn and owned pictures

Coolest Magazine Cover EVER

I was getting the oil changed Friday and noticed the latest issue of Time magazine on the counter. I LOVED the cover for the November 24th issue. I know it was Photoshopped but I think the comparison is spot on!

Check it out:

In case you don't know the origins of the photo, here is the original:

My little artist

This has been a pretty busy week, so I'm putting several days' worth of blogs in on one day.

My pretty Katie is now an official artist. She has sold a piece of her artwork.

Katie is my crafting buddy. Anytime I am doing a craft, she's right there.

Now, she is an artist in her own right. The Hurst-Euless-Bedford (HEB) Shool District has an Education Foundation that gave a fundraiser dinner Saturday night at the Hyatt at DFW Airport. As part of their fundraiser, they auctioned off pieces of artwork done by HEB students at all of the different schools. HEB has two high schools. five junior high schools and close to 20 elementary schools. Katie is a third grader at Lakewood Elementary. She and one other child had their artwork chosen to represent all of Lakewood at the fundraiser. Here is the text of the email sent to me by the art teacher:

11/3/08
Ms. Costello,
I’m sure that no one minded your viewing the art at the gala. Each piece of art had an opening bid of $20 and increased in increments of $10 each bid. I sent 3 pieces of art to represent Lakewood. They earned a total of $100.00 for the HEB ISD Educational Foundation. The one by our sixth grade boy placed 3rd Place in the Elementary Division when the pieces were juried. Katie’s art was purchased by our superintendent Dr. Buinger’s wife who loved the colors and was charmed by it. She purchased it for her daughter who is a 3rd grade teacher because of the colors, and because the little white bird Katie had sitting on the table reminded her of a pet her daughter owns.
I’m so glad you had a chance to get a picture with Katie beside it all matted and framed before it sold. I have a digital picture of it that I will also send home to you soon.
Thank you for your support. Congratulations to Katie for being part of the 50th Anniversary of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD and the ongoing support of grants to teachers for the benefit of children in our district through generously donating her artwork.
Sincerely,
Diane McClure
Lakewood Art Teacher

Here are the pictures Maggie took of the artwork:

Yep, we're awfully proud!

Yahoo!

As soon as the Electoral Votes reached 270 on Tuesday night, I headed down to Tom Thumb to purchase balloons to hang on our Obama yard sign. When I told the man at Tom Thumb what I was doing, he gave me a weird look and said, "Obviously, I hadn't heard." I wasn't going to let him rain on my parade!

My balloons didn't make it through the night very well, but I did manage to get a picture Wednesday morning of what was left.

Did you catch the speech? That was some inspiring speech. Even if I hadn't voted for him, I think I would have become a fan after hearing that.

The kids and I had dinner at Chick Fil-A that Tuesday night -- it was kids' night and they have crafts for the kids to do. Lots of talk about the election was going around Chick Fil-A. One kid working at the counter asked everyone he encountered, "Who did you vote for?" He never asked me but I told Katie and Trevor it is rude to ask someone that. Trevor said they had partitions set up at school for the Kindergartners when they voted. I told him that was to make sure it was a secret ballot. I tried to tell them how the secret ballot is very important. If you want to tell someone who you voted for, you have every right to do that. You do not, however, ask someone for whom they voted. The secret ballot is to protect the privacy of those who do not want everyone to know. Of course, I've got a bumper sticker and a yard sign, so evidently I don't mind discussing it. Both kids told me that Obama won at their elementary school's mock election. They both said they voted for him, too. I asked each one why they voted for him. I said it's important to understand why you want someone to be president. Trevor said, bless his heart, that Barack Obama's grandmother died and he wanted to do something to make him happy so he voted for him for president. I replied that might not be the best reason to vote for someone, but at least he had a reason. Katie said she voted for him because Mama and Daddy did. I told her it's important to make her own decisions. Listen to what others say about the candidates but ultimately make your own decision.

I just read an article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2203910/?GT1=38001

It was thought provoking. The question is, "Did Obama's race help him win the election?" Nowhere in it did I see my theory. I think President-Elect (wow!) Obama's race helped in that it got others who may not usually feel voting is important to listen to him. Once they heard his message, it was a done-deal. I really do not think many people voted for him just because of his race.