And The Winners Are.....

Barack Obama & Joe Biden!

As the numbers come in, it it becoming evident that the Obama/Biden ticket has won both the popular vote and enough states to secure the electoral vote as well.  The last numbers I saw had them with a 303 electoral votes to Romney/Ryan's 206, and a 2½ million vote advantage in the popular vote.  Of course, there are ballots yet to be counted, but I don't see any way Romney/Ryan could win this now.

4 More Years:

Yes We Did!

Update Sunday, 11/11/12: As of yesterday afternoon, Florida has been officially called for Obama as well, putting him at 332 electoral votes.  He won the popular vote in Florida with 50% of the vote to Romney's 49.1%, a margin of roughly 74,000 votes.

An Updated Review of Malena's Mini School

In January of 2012, I was on the hunt for a new daycare facility for Kaleb and ended up deciding to enroll him into Malena's Mini School at their location on Pine Forest Road.

Although he had just turned 3 earlier that same month, he was placed into the "older 2s" class because Malena's promotes on the same schedule as the public school system and his birthday hadn't happened before the cut-off.  At the time, I was a little disappointed about that, since he was already fully potty trained.  Little did I know then that the "older 2s" class would be the highest level we would be happy with at Malena's.

At the beginning of June, the week after the public schools let out for the summer, Kaleb was promoted to the 3-year-olds class.  Since he was already fully potty trained, he wouldn't have to wait until the end of the summer for his promotion.  It was really great for the first week or so, but the newness wore off quickly.

While I am a very strong proponent of young children taking naps—Kaleb still takes one every afternoon, no matter what—I am no where near as rigid on this point as Malena (the owner) is.  She serves the children lunch at sometime between 11a.m. and noon, and then expects them to lie down immediately for a 2-hour-minimum mandatory nap.  Even though a 2-hour nap would be no problem at all for Kaleb at home in his own bed, the early time coupled with the distraction of being in a room full of friends made it very difficult for Kaleb to accomplish this napping requirement.

He began coming home with bad daily reports almost every day, and most every comment was centered around Kaleb not being compliant with the napping law.  To make matters worse, Malena herself told me that she was making that class' nap times, and my child in particular, her personal mission.  Her stern attitude made me feel as if I were in the principal's office all the time.

Red! Got A Late-Summer Makeover

Students and teachers alike just finished getting outfitted with new clothes for school.  Change can be a really good thing, and new clothes can be an outward expression of a renewed commitment or a new beginning.  In similar fashion, Red! has been given a new look and imbued with a new sense of commitment.

©2012,  Les Taylor Photography.
Used with permission from my friend, Les Taylor.

Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to nurture my relationship with Jack—although neither of us knows quite how to label or characterize what exactly our relationship is.  Just over one year ago, Jack was given an amazing chance to move to Japan and accept employment with an architectural firm there.  Over such a great distance, and with the communicative obstacles that exist in our relationship when we are geographically separated, Jack and I have used written words (well, typed) to share with one another everything from personal successes and sadnesses to light humor and strange sightings.  My blog has been one of the tools I have used to share many of my thoughts, not only with Jack but with many of my other friends as well.

Just as a conversation will grow stale without new topics, a blog will grow stale over time without new content and new visual interest.  The new content was never really a problem, as I had blogged frequently up until this past April when I decided to take a break.  But the visual interest on the blog just wasn't there anymore, and the several edits and tweaks I had made were more bandages than permanent solutions.

Under the old design, even though the name was "Red!," there was very little of the actual color red to be found on the pages.  While I still think the old design was pretty, it didn't have any special meaning beyond that.  I began to wish that I could put some real symbolism into the design of my blog, something that could be uniquely me and would complement my text content.

Taking a Ride on the Etsy Bandwagon!

So, I may not be any professional artist, but I've been experimenting a lot lately with paintings inspired by Japanese Sakura (cherry blossoms).  I've worked out a technique that I think produces lovely results, so I thought I'd see if anyone else might enjoy them as well.  As of tonight, I've opened an Etsy Shop, figuring I might make a little supplemental income.  Couldn't hurt, right?  So, check it out, or tell your friends.  Thanks!

PcolaRedHead Etsy Shop!

Pensacola-area residents who wish to make a purchase and pick up their painting can contact me directly for a "free shipping" coupon code.  Then you won't have to pay for shipping, and we can work out a meeting to get your painting to you!

That's the Thing About Having Friends...

I've never been the kind of person who had—or wanted—bunches and bunches of friends.  I've always preferred to keep one or two close friends and simply maintain others at the level of friendly acquaintances.  I know this might not be typical for a woman, but there's a reason behind it.

You see, there's this thing about having friends: you have to open yourself up emotionally.

It doesn't sound like anything big or scary, but opening up emotionally leaves you open to being hurt or disappointed or mislead (intentionally or not) or embarrassed.  And none of those are things anyone likes, really.

Throughout my life, nearly every time I have opened up to a new friendship, at least of of those things has happened to me, and I can tell you that it is never any fun.  And each time it happens, I have to take a break and decide if that friendship is worth saving or if it's better to just let go.  Most times, I end up deciding that the value of the relationship doesn't outweigh the emotional toll it takes on me.  On rare occasions, I step back for a while, swallow my opinions (I know, hard for you to imagine), and push on through with a business-as-usual friendship.

Some of you may have noticed that I've been on a bit of "internet silence" the last few weeks.  Partly, this has been because work is pretty hectic this close to the end of the school year.  But mostly, I've been nursing a spot of hurt pride/embarrassment caused by a couple of friends.  I went out on a limb for someone, and it ended up biting me in the ass.  That old familiar sting came back, reminiscent of so many hurts and wrongs in the past, and I needed some time to myself to reevaluate.

I've had plenty of time to think now, and I'm back in the public arena of the internet again.  I haven't made any definite decisions about the status of this freshly-wounded friendship.  And, though I won't name the other party or even hint to their identity, the ball is now squarely in his or her court.

Friendship.  It's tough.  But for the opportunity to find those rare, true friends, it's totally worth it.

My Apologies for the Neglect

As the school year winds to a close, I find that my days are so crammed full of activity that my mind needs rest at night and there is very little brain power left over for blogging.  While this leaves my dear readers with nothing to read, it also means that I have put myself in a position to have a certain job next year, and that's a big deal for me.  We have 14 days of school left, so please be patient just a little while longer.  ♥

2 Neat Google Features Most People Don't Know About

Most of us know that Google can do hundreds of really neat things thought the many applications integrated into the Google website.  Recently, though, I have discovered 2 Google features I had never heard of and plan to make good use of for the benefit of this blog.

Google Alerts

is a Google feature that allows you to receive notification from Google when they discover new content on the internet that meets your set criteria.  Want to know when someone writes a new article about the Wizard of Oz?  No, you probably don't.  But if you did, you could set up an alert for it, and Google would let you know any time it came across new websites or webpages with Wizard of Oz subject matter.  Better yet, you could set Google to let you know any time it comes across your name online....but beware of that if your name is John Brown or any other common name!

Google & LIFE

(the magazine) have partnered and Google now hosts the entire photo archive of LIFE, including hundreds (thousands?) of photos that were never published in the magazine.  These photos are available to everyone through Google for personal use....you know, like blogs!

Go check out these really awesome features!

Alert: Childrens' Consignment Sale Pensacola (April)

I found out that there is another childrens' consignment sale happening in a few weeks.  Unlike the March sales I posted about several weeks ago, this is a sale I had never heard of before, and so cannot verify the quality of this sale.  I think I already have all the clothes Kaleb will need this season, but he and I will probably go check out the sale anyway so I'll know if it's one I want to attend next year.

For those of you who weren't able to get what you needed at the last sales, or those who didn't attend them, check out the flyer below for the upcoming April sale!

If you need more information than what's on the flyer, check out

http://www.tinytotsandpolkadots.net

Why I'm Not A Christian

Several weeks ago, I wrote and published on this blog a post entitled "A Darn Good Christian," wherein I mentioned that a co-worker had told me I'd make a "darn good" Christian....if I only believed in God.  I went on to explain that I didn't need the Bible or church or any other religious trappings to see a need in the world and try to do my part to fill that need for the benefit of my fellow earth-dwelling creatures.  Christians do not have a monopoly on good works.  Within that post, I did not get into the reasons behind my non-belief, stating that they were fodder for another post.  This is that post.

Before I get into my specific reasons, there are a few things I feel I must state first if I have any hope of my words being understood in the manner intended.

1. I probably know more Christians than non-Christians.  Most of these people are my friends and are good people, and I respect their choice to believe as they wish, not because I think they are right, but because they are my friends and I care about them.  Those who are my friends and already know about my lack of Christian faith may not agree with the choices I make in this regard, but they all acknowledge my rights to believe as I choose, and they care about me regardless of our differing opinions.
2. I do not believe that Christianity itself is bad.  You'll understand more of what I mean by this as you read through the post.
3. As with all my blog posts, the comment section is open for your feedback.  However, remember to be civil with your comments.  Hate-filled comments will be deleted.  Strongly emotional comments, those aimed at "converting" me, or those filled with scripture are probably not comments to which I will post reply....unless you actually come up with a compelling argument.  One more thing: If you feel the need to post harsh criticism, at least have the courage to attach your name to it....I've grown weary of people hiding behind the "anonymous" label when spewing negativity.

With that out of the way, I'll put forth the primary 9 among the many reasons that Christianity has found no place in my life.

The Evolution of Red!'s Name

In life, things change over time.  They grow, they mature, and they evolve.  This blog has been no different.  Over the years since I first began writing here, the tone and nature of my posts have changed.  The site has grown to accommodate more and newer features.  The site "grew up" and adopted a domain name of its very own.  The site has grown and changed in conjunction with the growth and changes that have taken place in my own life.

Something I have learned while developing this blog has been how to use my blog's statistics to help direct posts and features toward my audience, to help raise my visibility in search engines, and to help attract new visitors to my site.  While looking over the search terms which have brought people to my site within the past 30 days, I noticed that some people are still searching for my blog using various incarnations of past names from this site.

I've decided to use this post to share a brief history of the evolution of Red!'s name and page banner, like a quick stroll down memory lane.

The first post was published here in November of 2008.  At the time, I hadn't done anything to personalize or customize the look and feel of the blog's pages.  Back then, the title would have been whatever Blogger's software had used as a default.  My first attempt at a custom title/header came along with the May 2009 post:

Sure, it wasn't anything spectacular, but it was a good first start—something other than the bland blue & white default settings.  I had a silly notion that this font was "edgy."  What was I thinking?

A New Direction in Life

Seven years ago, on a random day in the middle of a very cold January, I was on my way to visit a friend and happened to drive past a homeless man by the side of the road, shivering noticeably, holding a sign that said, "I'm cold and hungry. Please help me if you can." 

On that particular day, I was pretty broke myself.  I also instantly realized that I had eaten both breakfast and lunch that day and was driving down to road in a heated car on my day off going to visit a friend and hang out watching television all day.  Surely, there was something I could do.  A few blocks down the road, I pulled into a parking spot at a McDonald's restaurant and started digging in my purse, the ashtray, and the floorboards for change.

What I found was enough to buy three double cheeseburgers—they were still on the dollar menu then—and a medium coffee.  I drove back the way I had come, found a spot in a nearby parking lot, and walked toward the man with the food and hot coffee in hand.  When he spotted me, and realized that I was intentionally approaching him, he came in my direction.  Completely unsure of what to say, I wordlessly handed him the bag and cup.  He smiled back at me and turned to walk back and collect his sign and the old milk crate he had been sitting on.  By the time I had walked back to my car, the man had silently melted away into some nearby woods.  I never saw that man again, but I have also never forgotten the genuine smile that crossed his face at the gift of fast food and coffee.

In the years since that day, I have helped when I could.  Sometimes it has been a dollar or a handful of change handed out the window of my car.  Other times it has been a sack of fast food or a few cans extra purchased during a grocery store trip.  The feelings that come after such a small donation last for days, and these encounters make very lasting impressions on my heart and mind.

Workplace Email

I have a co-worker who doesn't seem to know the difference between a public post on Facebook and a mass email sent out to every person at our place of work.  It occurs to me that, perhaps, the etiquette of workplace emailing is not common knowledge, so I have decided to share it here in hopes that someone may be enlightened and cease bothering their co-workers with inane emails.

Do:

• Be professional with the type of language and vocabulary you use when sending workplace emails.
• Use workplace email to send specifically work-related emails to bosses, co-workers, and clients.
• Use workplace email to reply to work-related emails from bosses, co-workers, and clients.
• Use workplace email to correspond with other business contacts concerning specifically work-related matters.
• Only send out bulk emails when the subject matter contains work-related information which is relevant to everyone at your workplace.
• Use workplace email to send occasional work-appropriate emails to co-workers with whom you are also friends, even if those emails are not work-related.
• Use workplace email to share your personal email address with your work friends so that you may share personal emails with them outside of the workplace email system.
• Remember that, at most companies, workplace emails can be read by the bosses or other management any time they deem appropriate.

Don't:.....

Alert: Consignment Sales for Children in Pensacola (Spring/Summer)

If you're a parent, you're probably well acquainted with the expenses involved in keeping growing children in clothes that fit them. Over time, these expenses can get to be difficult to keep up with. Some are lucky families can hand down clothes from older cousins or siblings, but not everyone has this option available.

So, for those without hand-me-downs, many organizations have events where parents can get together and consign or purchase used-but-still-usable clothing for children of all ages and pregnant women. Pensacola has two organizations that do this on a grand scale, and both are gearing up for their Spring/Summer sales, scheduled within the next couple of weeks.

I have gotten copies of the Spring/Summer sale flyers for both of these upcoming sales and have posted them below for any readers in or near Pensacola that might want to come and take advantage of these great opportunities to stock up on some warm-weather clothes for the children in your lives.

Both sales are primarily clothing, but they each also have an impressive selection of kids' toys, gear, furniture, and other necessities. It is certainly worth it to go and have a look! The majority of all the clothes Kaleb has ever worn have come from sales at one or the other of these organizations.

Calling All Writers (or Wannabes)!

Back in January, I set a goal for myself to find more quality writers to guest post on my blog from time to time.  I'm so excited to announce that I have made some arrangements with my first new guest blogger just this morning!  I'm looking forward to bringing that post to you soon, but in the meantime it has occurred to me that I might have other friends/readers who'd be interested in writing a guest post or two!

Do you have a blog of your own and want to get some of your material in front of new people?  A guest post might be just the trick!

Do you enjoy writing, but don't have the time or desire to maintain your own blog?  Sounds like you ought to guest post on my blog sometime!

So, if you or someone you know are a writer (or if you'd like to try your hand at it), feel free to let me know!

Previous Guest Blogger Bios here.

Previous Guest Blogger Posts here.

Give Kids a Smile 2012!

The EscaRosa Dental Society and Pensacola State College are gearing up for the 2012 Give Kids a Smile Day!  The information is being passed out at the school where I work, but I thought putting the information here on my blog as well might help spread the work to people who might not know about this great event.

Give Kids a Smile is an annual day where local dentists team up to provide FREE dental services to underserved children.  Each year, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties team up to provide one great day of these very helpful services to families in the 2-county area who might not otherwise be able to provide for their childrens' dental needs for a variety of reasons.

► Who is eligible?

Children aged 4 to 18, whose families cannot otherwise afford dental treatment are eligible.

Red!'s 10,000th-Pageview Red Box Giveaway!

-Artist Unknown, email if you know proper credit-

Red! reached it's milestone 10,000th unique pageview on February 2, 2012 at 3:45p.m., and we are celebrating by launching our first-ever

Red Box Giveaway!

Hurray for free stuff, right?!

Want to win?  Of course you do!  Who wouldn't want to win something free?!  Free is awesome!

And you better not miss this one, because the next Red Box Giveaway won't be until we reach the 15,000-pageview milestone.  It is my current goal to do a giveaway every at 5,000th-pageview milestone, at least until Red!'s total lifetime pageviews hit 6-digit numbers.

"So what is the prize?" you ask!  Well, it's a Red Box, of course!  What the box will contain is something that will not be known until the winner receives their prize!

Ok, so now I know what you're thinking: How many hoops do you have to jump through to enter this giveaway?  Certainly, you have to do something to register, right?  Yep, you're right.

There are 2 ways to enter.  If you do either one of these, you will be entered.  If you do BOTH, you will be entered twice.  There is a maximum of 2 entries per person, one by using each entry method.

Hands Off!

Dear friends & family, you may disregard this message, as it is not directed toward you.

Dear everyone else:

Keep your hands OFF my child.

I realize that I have an adorable kid.  No, really, this is not just my motherly bias talking here; I have a really cute kid.  However, child or not, he is a full person with all the rights that come with such status.  This includes the right not to be groped, rubbed, patted, handled, or otherwise touched without invitation by total strangers.

Legally speaking in the United States, criminal battery (or simply 'battery') is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact.  It doesn't take much force to touch a child, as they don't standardly realize that they are entitled to refuse to allow you to touch them.  However, strangers touching my child is offensive to me.

Perhaps it is made worse in the specific case of my child by his blondish red hair.  Red hair is a rarity, and  people are naturally fascinated by uncommon sights.  But my son no more chose to be born redheaded than I did, and that does not give you automatic reason to touch him.

Yes, my son is a friendly and talkative little boy, often smiling at or talking to complete strangers in the grocery store checkout lines.  But as his mother, I am intimately familiar with the faces Kaleb makes as he reacts to different situations; and he is visibly uncomfortable when a stranger gets close enough to him to touch him.

In short, if you wouldn't reach out and touch an adult stranger, you should not reach out and touch children you don't know either.  And if you ARE the kind of person who regularly feels the need to put your hands on strangers, you may want to learn to stop before you find yourself on the unpleasant end of a criminal misdemeanor battery case.

Help Father Nathan Feed Pensacola's Poorest

A local Pensacola priest, Father Nathan Monk, has spent a lot of time in the public eye lately after his First Amendment rights were trampled by City Council president Sam Hall at a December 15th City Council meeting.  If you somehow missed that entire incident, the previous sentence contains enough keywords to make Google light up on the subject.

But long before he was demanding speak for his remaining 2 minutes, Father Nathan Monk was hard at work building a mission ministry geared at raising money to feed the poor and homeless of Pensacola.  And in the years his ministry has been operating, he has provided thousands of meals to those in need in our community.

Major & Minor World Religions: Correcting Some Common Misconceptions

I assume that anyone who knows me much at all (or who has read the bumper stickers on my car) already knows that I long ago walked away from the Christian faith I was raised with, and have since "tried on" a variety of other religious belief-sets.  During my travels through the world of religions, I encountered any number of misconceptions people have about "other" relgions, and many of them are things I continue to hear on at least a semi-regular basis.  I'm sure that the majority of people do not openly disparage other faiths intending to be mean, but rather because they have been so routinely misinformed.  So, hoping to correct some fallacies, I've listed here a collection of the mistaken beliefs I've heard most frequently.

► Members of alternative religious groups haven't studied the Bible or heard about Jesus.

The implication of this myth is that if these people really knew about Christianity, they would become Christians. It is the fundamental basis for most of the missionary work - and crusades - in Christian history. It is not, however, the case for the vast majority of those worshiping in smaller religions today. Practically all of these members have a background in Christianity and chose to leave it for their current path. They are as well-versed in the Christian faith as most Christians.

► Those smaller groups aren't 'real' religions.

The American Heritage dictionary defines a religion as "A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader". This definition does not specifically mention which leader - or which teachings - these beliefs must be based upon. Therefore, any group, no matter how small their numbers or how unusual their beliefs, which bases their practices in spirituality is a religion.

Help Reunite Grandparents with Baby Granddaughter!

While scanning my Facebook News Feed tonight—is it still called a News Feed?—I saw that a friend had posted this:

I read that and knew immediately that I wanted to help.  I have learned some tricks over the years for trying to find people online, but they aren't always enough.  So, even though it may be a long shot, I'm reposting this plea here on my blog in hopes that someone might see it.

I know that things like this circulate Facebook with some frequency, and most of them turn out to be hoaxes to get us to click links that lead to viruses or get us to donate money to mysterious organizations or people feigning illness.  Rest assured, this is no hoax.  In the pic above, you see the post was put up by a man named Leslie Taylor.  Leslie is an old friend of mine from middle school, and I had a real-time chat with him verifying the validity of this issue.  The grandparents who are looking for their granddaughter are a deacon and his wife from Leslie's home church and, according to Leslie, are good and loving people.

I'm so glad that my son is lucky enough to have 5 living grandparents and 4 living great-grandparents, as well as lots of extended family and many of my friends who are like family too.  I believe that children deserve to grow up surrounded by as many loving relatives as possible, and I hate the thought of these good people and this little girl living separate lives.