A Little Inbreeding Never Hurt No One

Late last summer, Emily and I wowed you with a sadly true tale of how inbred we are. I suggest you go back and read the original post for the whole sordid story (’cause you know, it’s funny), but the short version is that Emily and I are not only first cousins to each other, we are also FIFTH cousins to each other. (And our own siblings).

Back then, my Uncle Paul, my dad’s brother (who is one of the funniest people I know and the person from whom I get my *ahem* unparalled sarcastic wit) left a comment on that post stating that the family tree was even worse on my dad’s side of the family, who are from Virginia. (Emily and I are related on my maternal side via the great state of Kentucky). But I must confess, I thought he must have been exaggerating. ‘Cause it couldn’t get any worse, right?

Wrong. Reeeeeee-ooooong. Last week Uncle Paul sent me an email detailing our tree, or shrub, as it may be more accurately described. I present it to you, in summarized form:

So here’s how it breaks down. This “Mark” character on my family tree is the great-grandfather on both sides of the family to my grandma, and on one side of the family to my grandpa. So, where usually two people would have EIGHT great-grandfathers between them, my grandparents have SIX. Cause three of them?? ARE THE SAME GUY. Sooo….my grandparents are third cousins. My grandmother is also HER OWN THIRD COUSIN. My dad is his own fourth cousin, and I am my own fifth cousin, as well as fifth cousin to both of my brothers.

So, I am a *smidge* inbred.

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FAMILY.

Incidentally, I am also lucky that I don’t have two heads.

I will not answer questions about the number of my fingers and toes.

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Partyin’ It Up – For a Cause!

A few weeks ago, Emily and I were contacted by the good folks at Johnson’s Body Care to ask if we’d like to throw a party – sponsored by Johnson’s – to raise money for OUR favorite cause!

Heck yes we would! Who could turn that down? Both of us immediately knew what cause we would choose to raise $$ for – the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Emily’s husband Andy has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 16, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this disease effects just about every moment of their lives. It doesn’t define them as a family but it factors heavily into how they function – and they look forward to a day when this disease will be eradicated! Research has made great progress in the last couple of decades – a perfect example is the insulin pump Andy has worn every day for the past 8 years that has greatly improved his health and quality of life.

So, anyways, get together with some of our closest friends, have lots of great food, raise money for a great cause and raffle off some incredible prizes? Yes, please!

Johnson’s Body Care sponsored the party by giving us money for the food and starting us off with $100 for JDRF!! And they provided these gorgeous swag-bags with full-sized Johnson’s Body care products inside! And travel sizes too!

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Here’s Katie modeling her swag bag:

Katie models SWAG

Thanks to Johnson’s support, we were able to treat our guests to some super-yummy food: a taco bar from Qdoba!

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IT. WAS. SOOOO. GOOD!!

Emily also made our guests her famous Weight Watchers-recipe Margaritas. Here she is enjoying her creation:

drinkin' it up

Funny story: I have never bought alcohol in my life, and at age 31 Emily ruined me by calling me on the way to the party and asking me to buy “a cheap-@$$ bottle of Tequila”. So I obliged her and I am now a marked woman. We took a picture to commemorate my descent into debauchery (don’t worry Mom I didn’t DRINK any. I’m just pretending!!)

I'm just PRETENDING! I swear!

Ok, on to the PRIZES!!! We were able to get some amazing sponsors to donate prizes, which we raffled off to our greedy generous friends to raise money. Here are some of the AWESOME prizes we raffled off:

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THREE KABOOST booster seats from Target

A Bug View, Bug Loupe, and zOrb from Carson Optical:

great science toys from carson optical

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A cleaning product prize pack from Seventh Generation

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A Clarisonic PLUS skin care brush (these things are amaaaazing!)

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Fabulous SPF 15 skin care from Palmer‘s Cocoa Butter (love this stuff!) and my favorite organic lip balm set from EcoLips

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A to-DIE-for prize pack of Eufora Hair Care products – my FAVORITE!!

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Serif Digital Scrapbook artist and free CVS Photo Book!!

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Great package of eco-friendly household products from EcoStore USA – another one of my faves!

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Awesome Sun Care set from our friends at CVS!

Tricia SUPERMODEL
This super-cutie apron by Taygalook modeled by Tricia of Once a Month Mom (who won it!) Isn’t she just GLOWING? Head over to her blog to find out why!

And here are some prizes that couldn’t be there in person but will be shipped to the winners!

Lee Colorwash Khakis (love!!)

A MyPublisher book – I LOVE these great photobooks!

A Sleep Number Pet Bed from Select Comfort:

A Yummie Tummie Lacie (I won this!! SCORE!!)

and our GRAND PRIZE…two Adirondack Chairs in the winner’s color choice from Lands’ End!

LandsEnd Painted Adirondack Chair

The lucky winner of this great prize was Andrea from MommySnacks!!

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After all this great RAFFLIN’, we raised…..(drumroll please)….
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$420 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU to all our prize sponsors, guests, and especially Johnson’s Body Care!!

Me, Emily & Sammy
(the cousins who blog and party together…)

Here’s some more eye candy – pics of our fabulous guests:

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Shannan i heart you so bad!

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Thanks everyone for an AMAZING NIGHT!! We love you all!!

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A Frigidaire Love Story

Perhaps you may have read that on Friday that Frigidaire announced that 40 lucky bloggers were going to be the proud recipients of Frigidaire appliances. Woohoo! Free refrigerators and washers and dryers for everyone!

Um, well, ok, not everyone. Sadly, Emily and I were not cool enough to be chosen to be a part of Team Frigidaire (though some of our friends were! Congrats!)

Frigidaire, I think we speak for the entire blogosphere when we say, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?” I mean, come on. We are undeniably fabulous and also would love new appliances. You missed the boat on this one, dudes.

But as much as we would have LOVED to have been chosen for this campaign, we can’t hold a grudge against you. Because you see, Frigidaire, if it weren’t for you, Emily and I wouldn’t be here.

Grandpa was a sailor

In 1946, after our grandfather Laton came home from fighting in the Pacific in World War II, he returned to his home in Eastern Kentucky and married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen. In 1947 they had my mother Diane, and in 1948 (*ahem*11monthslater*ahem*) they had Emily’s dad, Dan. In the hills of Eastern Kentucky where they had grown up, there was not any real opportunity for my grandparents to make a living. So in 1950, our grandfather and his young family came to Dayton, Ohio, where there were jobs, to start a new life. And, like his older brother who had come some months before, and like his younger brother would soon after, our grandfather took a job at the booming Dayton plant of a company called Frigidaire.

He and my grandmother and their two toddlers settled in the nearby little town of Germantown, Ohio, where eventually my mom met and fell in love with my dad, and Emily’s dad met and fell in love with her mom.

Our grandfather worked at Frigidaire until 1970, when he died of a heart attack at age 44 (sadly, about three weeks before Em’s parents got married. My mother was pregnant with my oldest brother at the time.) Emily and I never met him, but we sure are glad he had the courage to come to Dayton and start a new life as a young man. Because if he hadn’t? Our parents would never have met their spouses, Emily and I wouldn’t be here – and – tragedy of tragedies – you wouldn’t be reading this blog! {Shudder!}

But seriously, our grandfather’s employment at Frigidaire is nothing if not the model for the post-war American dream. He was a boy from the holler, who wasn’t even able to finish high school because he went off to fight for our country, but in no small part because he pursued opportunity, both of his children and all five of his grandchildren are college graduates.

Now perhaps you know from reading this blog that I am the sentimental sort. And you definitely know that I am the FRUGAL sort – so fortunately, when buying appliances for our home when we moved in eight years ago, sentimentality and frugality aligned perfectly, and as an ode to my grandfather, Bobby and I chose these:

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Seriously!

Yesterday as Emily and I and our families gathered at our grandma’s house to celebrate Mother’s Day, we couldn’t help but notice that Grandma has retained some Frigidaire loyalty as well. Her fridge is old-school but still hanging in there!

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So Frigidaire, you may not have given us shiny new flippin’ awesome appliances to blog about, but that’s all right, because in a way, you gave us something better:

Each other:

Friday nite cocktail par-tay!

Not to mention these little boogers:

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sophie loves to swing

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So thanks, Frigidaire. Really, the WORLD owes you thanks. Cause let’s face it, our kids are pretty awesome.

(And so are we. So call us, mmkay?)

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