I was talking with my mom the other day about the absurd amount of money she is shelling out for gas.  She lives in California where the price per gallon has well surpassed the $4 mark (and is teetering dangerously close to 5).  I’m lucky to live in a city that ranks among the ten where prices are lowest in the country.  With our 10 cent discount at the grocery store we’re paying $3.77 I think.  At least we were on Wednesday.

     Of course we all know that when the price of gas goes up the price of everything else follows.  And when we’re paying more for gas, food, diapers, you name it, then we have less to spend on everything else.  So for Finish This Sentence Friday, I’m wondering what kinds of things your family is sacrificing to compensate.

     As for us, we’re driving less.  We live a good 30 minutes from any real shopping/restaurants that are worth patronizing.  And since it costs us twice as much just to get there, we’ve taken to staying home more often.  I’m the kind of girl who can be easily entertained by perusing the aisles of Target trying to find a great deal on the clearance stuff.  No more though it seems.  The purse strings are tightened up a bit.  

     To help on the other end Jeff is working more hours at work.  The overtime goes a long way to pad the budget. 

     I’m pretty cheap frugal all the time anyway, so other than that I haven’t changed my ways too much.  How about you?  Have pedicures and dinners out gone by the wayside?

     Aren’t there more weddings in June than any other month?  I think I’ve heard that before.  Not that it matters really, cuz’ I haven’t been invited to any.  But, I did hear this really cute toast when I was at Disney World in April for the blogging event and I filed it away in my mental Rolodex should an occasion ever arise in which I’m asked to do the honors.  I don’t really foresee that happening in all honesty because I’m not exactly the strongest public speaker ever, but you know, just in case. 

     The toast went like this:  

     May all your joy be pure joy and may all your pain be champagne.

     C’mon now.  How cute is that?

     So, for Finish This Sentence Friday, let me hear the best toast you know.  The one you’ve filed back in your mental Rolodex.

     When I was at Walt Disney World in April for the Mommy Blogger event someone brought up an interesting question at dinner one night.  The question was, “would you rather have a personal chef or a maid?”  The answer was almost unanimous among the moms at our table.  Can you guess it?  It was chef.  Definitely a chef.

     I don’t mind the cooking so much, although there are nights that I just don’t want to mess with it.  I’d much rather sit on the back patio with a glass of wine while Jeff grills up some yummy chicken concoction.  The reason I chose chef was because it would save me ions of time.  Not only the actual cooking of the meal, but the planning, shopping and prep work too.  Shoot I’ll clean the toilets every week as a trade off.

     So, here’s what I’ve come up with for this week’s rendition of Finish This Sentence:

     If my Fairy Godmother granted my wish for a _______________ of my own, I’d never stay out past midnight again.

     Okay, now remember we’re thinking along the lines of a personal assistant who would provide some sort of service for you whenever you beckoned.  Think personal trainer, hairdresser, masseuse.  That sorta thing. 

     I’m stickin’ with chef.  How dang cool would it be to summon Wolfgang from the guest quarters and be like, “Hey, wolfie, be a dear and throw together a nice almond and pesto crusted halibut would ya?  With a balsamic glaze.  Oh, and some Parmesan garlic smashed red potatoes.  Maybe some lemon asparagus too, if it’s not too much trouble.  That raspberry sorbet of yours would be great for dessert.”

     Yeah.  I could totally handle that.

     Friday already?  It’s amazing how much faster the week goes by in the summer!  You know what Friday means though right?  Uh-huh.  Finish This Sentence!

     When it comes to _________________, I’m your go-to girl (or guy).

     This one is another no brainer for me.  When it comes to Walt Disney World travel planning, I am such the go-to girl.  No really, I am.  Check out the unbeatable advice me and eleven of my Disneyphile counterparts have to offer here.

     So, that’s my area of expertise.  What about you?  What are you insanely knowledgeable about?

     Buckle up kids…it’s time for another Finish This Sentence Friday.  This one came to mind yesterday as I was running errands in town and I saw SUV after SUV with graduate well wishes written across the windows.  Okay, so here’s your food for thought:

     This time of year, it’s all about the Pomp and Circumstance.  But my high school years were best summed up in the lyrics of ____________________________.

     I had to cheat and pick two.  Sara Evans’ Born to Fly has always hit home with me.  And John Mellencamp’s Jack ‘n Diane.  Before you go all judgemental on me I gotta say that the main reason I picked this one was for the stanza towards the end of the song that says,

“Hold on to 16 as long as you can
Changes comin round real soon
Make us women and men.”

     If you’ve read my Who Am I page then you can see why I relate. 

     Of course nowadays, Rascall Flatts’ Bless the Broken Road says it all.

     Okay, okay.  Enough about me.  What songs that tell the story of your life? 

     It’s finish that sentence Friday time.  And I say, hey, why not kick the weekend off right with a Mothers Day inspired prompt?  I’ll be putting up a few different posts on precisely that topic over the next couple of days.  And I’ll be sharing some moola saving Disney World tips for the Destination Disney carnival tomorrow.  For now though, knock your socks off with this little diddy…

     My perfect Mothers Day:  ______________________________________.

     Too easy right? 

     My perfect Mothers Day: peace among the natives, heartfelt sentiments from the kids (spoken or in scratchy print, it matters not), and Jeff bbq’ing to spare me the cooking and the cleaning.  Oh what the heck.  Throw in a lemon meringue martini and it just doesn’t get much better than that.

     Okay.  Your turn.  Share.

     (Thunderous applause) Happy Friday bloggateers!  Thanks for tuning in for another titillating rendition of Finish this Sentence Friday (insert more thunderous applause).  Without further adieu, here is this week’s sentence:

     If only I had as much _________ as I have __________, my world would be a shinier, happier place!

     Now be sure to tune in next week boys and girls.  Until then, remember to drink your Ovaltine! (And the crowd goes wild).

     Yikes.  I’m sorry about that momentary departure from sanity.  Not sure where that 1940′s radio host bit came from.

     Anyway.

     Mine would read, “If only I had as much patience as I have dirty laundry, my world would be a shinier, happier place.”

     How about you?  What do you need more/less of in your life?

Here’s this week’s Finish This Sentence Friday:

I should be _______________, but here I sit reading this blog!

I don’t know about you, but I should be getting my kids out the door in a timely manner for school, but here I sit writing this blog.

What’s your to-do list look like today?

Okay, so I thought I’d try out a little something on Fridays. I’ll give it a whirl a few times and see how it goes. If it’s a hit, we’ll keep it. If not, eh, no biggie.

So here goes…Finish This Sentence Friday.

Today’s offering:

If I could be anywhere on Earth at this very moment I’d be ________________________________.

I’m going to cheat on this one because right now I’m either on my way to Walt Disney World or already there. And, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure there really is anywhere else I’d rather be.

At least for today.