I have to say this blogging thing is harder than one expects. When you want the words to come... They don't come. So here are just a few random thoughts.

I love the smell of a rain storm on a summers night.

I love to watch my garden grow.

I love to hear my children laugh.

I love my family.

That's all for now........... more to come later. Until then................

S.

The Most Bitchin' Italian Sub in South Salt Lake

Little Dave's Deli

When you think of a great Italian sub, your mind immediately journeys to the East Coast - Manhattan's Little Italy, Boston's North End, Potbelly's in D.C.'s China Town. However, closer to home there's a unique establishment on the westerly edge of South Salt Lake City that can boast and Italian sub comparable to anything found on the East Coast - Little Dave's Deli.

The proprietor is "Little" Dave himself and he can be found most any weekday taking orders at the drive-in window or constructing heavenly sandwiches behind the dark oak counter. Little Dave has concocted a "little" piece of heaven on 41 West and 3300 South . Offering rare sodas from over 10 countries and a serious soda bottle and cap collection as appealing as the food, Little Dave's Deli is the only establishment in the Salt Lake Valley with a restored early model Ford truck parked in the center of the dining room!

In addition to great, fresh sandwiches and rare sodas, Little Dave's offers fresh-cut fries, salads, and soups - not to mention Jersey Sticks (you have to try one for yourself!). Little Dave's is hoppin' during the weekday lunch hour but service is always great. Don't forget to pick up a punch card - you'll fill it up and get a free sandwich on Little Dave. Before you know it, you'll be hooked on this locally owned and operated little gem. The Three Bitchin' Brunettes have been enjoying Little Dave's since it opened and encourage you to try it yourself or visit Little Dave's Deli at http://www.littledavesdeli.com/. Let us know what you think!

D&J&S

My Bitchin' Mom

As this BB sits at her computer trying to compose something to fit the occasion of Mother's Day, my eye wanders to the old photographs trapped in time and place beneath the glass top of my writing desk. One picture in particular draws my attention because the Bitchin' Brunette in the photograph is exceptionally sultry, sexy, and seemingly straight off the pages of a "gentleman's" magazine - and she's my mother. I love to collect old photographs, especially old photographs of my mom as they capture her in that brief period of time that didn't include me. I'm intrigued by what THAT woman wanted from life. The woman I know always just wanted what was best for me and worked to create a better life for me than the one she had - and she succeeded. But what I think about most now that I'm the mom is what my own beautiful mother really wanted just for herself and how at a very young age she willingly sacrificed all those things for me.

I've been blessed with a full, Bitchin' life thanks to a mom who pushed her dreams aside to teach me how to pursue mine. Mom protected me, guided me, held my hand when we crossed the street, scolded me, humiliated me, challenged me, grounded me, loved me, disliked my friends, disliked my taste in music, brushed my hair,tucked me in, drove me to practice, drove me nuts, gave me cash, gave me hell, called my teachers, called my bluff, caught my lie, caught me sneaking out, saved my report cards, and saved my life. She sewed my prom dress, sewed my wedding gown, wiped my tears, watched me fail, watched me soar, listened to my phone calls, listened to my dreams, took an interest, took her time, put her arms around me, put me in my place, told me "no", told me the truth, read me the riot act, read my mind, found my stash, found a way, taught me honesty, taught me to crochet, made me do the dishes, made me cry, made me cookies, made me mad - made me into the person I am. Thanks, Mom, for all the time and care you put into making me. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day to Bitchin' Moms Everywhere! (Brunette or otherwise)

D.

Bitchin' Brunette of the Week: Joslyne H.

Whether you know Joslyne H. personally or not, you probably know someone like her. And if you do, you most likely hold that person in very high regard. Joslyne is this week's Bitchin' Brunette because, after 35 years as a dedicated employee and working mom, Jos is retiring. What began as a cookie frosting job for a local bakery company blossomed into a bitchin' management career for Sara Lee - a career fueled by dedication, hard work, and exceptional work ethic. All while growing an amazing family that any mother would be proud to call her own. Joslyne is an inspiration and one truly Bitchin' Brunette. Congratulations, dear lady!

D&J&S

Bitchin' Ladies Who Lunch - April 17th

Three Bitchin' Brunettes lunched this week at The Dodo in Sugarhouse, Utah. A local favorite for its fab food, chic atmosphere, and to-die-for desserts, 3BB were not disappointed by The Dodo's new location and renovated aura. The French dip with jalapeno bacon was unique and delicious, but the best always being saved for last, the carrot cake was .... .... .... divine. See for yourself by visiting http://www.thedodo.net/. This restaurant, like all things bitchin', IS still smoking after 25 years in the biz.

Stay tuned to see where the 3BBs lunch next time...

Bitchin' Brunette of the Week: Fergie

Three Bitchin' Brunettes congratulate Fergie on the dubious honor of being named our first Bitchin' Brunette of the Week. It's not that the BBs are necessarily followers of the Black Eyed Peas, although they do rock a beat BBs can really shake a bootie to. This shout out goes to the new, improved Fergie for coming over to "the dark side" as seen in all its glory on the cover of the April 29, 2010 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine (check out the new http://www.rollingstone.com/ ). What a babe! Once a trashy blonde who touted her "lovely lady lumps" all over the airwaves and the cover of the October, 2006 RS, Mrs. Josh Duhamel is a classier, sassier version of her bitchin' brunette self these days. And for proving that all things Brunette are bigger, bolder and more beautiful, this one goes to you, Fergilicious!

D&J&S

Eavesdropping

Overheard at the weekly Bitchin' Brunette lunch date:


"You shouldn't dress your kids in Disney outfits unless they are one of the Seven Dwarfs."







J

I'm Just Saying...

Disclaimer: I am SO going to be in trouble for this post someday, maybe sooner rather than later, but I’m feeling dangerous (and a bit snarky) today….


I received an envelope in the mail late last week. I didn’t recognize the return address, but I did recognize the handwriting that penned the following message “It doesn’t have to be this fabric, just this color. Love you guys.” Inside the envelope was a 4-inch by 4-inch swatch of green fabric.

This seemingly innocuous fabric swatch represents the color of clothing that my entire family needs to wear to an upcoming wedding. A wedding where we have not yet been introduced to the bride. A wedding for which we have yet to see an invitation. However, to ME this fabric swatch represents a little more, or actually, maybe a little less.

Isn’t there a certain protocol, implied or otherwise, that is followed before picking out attire for your wedding guests? Like actually meeting them first? Or at the very least picking up a phone to say "I’m looking forward to being a part of the family"? The closest thing we got is a Facebook friend invitation… that WE initiated.... admittedly for the primary purpose of scoping her out. Oh, and a text message from another family member saying the engagement was announced on Facebook.

I understand that it’s THEIR day and they want it to be as perfect as they can imagine it to be, and with each word I type, “the fabric sample incident” is irking me less and less. (Blog therapy is awesome, and FREE!!). Still, I was just taken aback by the boldness of the move. Where are Emily Post and Miss Manners when you need them?

I’m just saying…





J

Not So Bitchin' Parenting Skills

What is it with the complete lack of parenting in today's society? This Bitchin' Brunette just returned from a middle school "event" for her high school freshman at one of SLC's most exclusive venues and is appalled by the adolescent behavior displayed in the presence of, and apparantely encouraged by, the parents of my generation. As a former middle school teacher, I know my way around the inner workings of the pimple brigade with all their angst and hormonal raging, but poor manners are not entirely developmental - they are mostly just the result of over-indulgent, laissez-faire parenting.

The fine young specimens with which I dined this evening were perfectly delightful (I suspect they detected the authoritative scent still lingering about my persons); however, all around the room - in the presence of parents and teachers alike - young people were being down-right rude and disrespectful to servers, adults, and the facility in general. Tipping on their chairs, mauling drapery, talking too loudly, filling their crystal water goblets with odds and ends from the salad plate - just a sample of the circus acts I witnessed. When I was a teen I saved THAT kind of behavior for home - my parents were the recipients of the worst I had to offer, not the general public.

I know for a fact that this is not just a symptom of their adolescent generation because every day I encounter down-right rude toddlers and tweens who don't know how to say "excuse me" or apologize when they step on your foot or whip you with their windbreaker. There is nothing worse than an unpleasant encounter with a snarky, three foot human being. And I blame the three footers' parents. On the occasions when said trespasses have taken place in the presence of parents, the "adults" have been just as oblivious and impolite as their offspring. YUCK! What is our society coming to when manners and consideration for others is no longer a chapter in the latest parenting manual? Who wants to live in a world full of tyrannical toddlers who rule the roost on their parents' watch and expect everyone else to treat them with the same deference? Negligent nit-wits (the parents, I mean).

Yes, I said negligent. Take a few minutes and observe modern parents and their children in public. Babies screaming in movies, toddlers reaching into your booth without restraint or reproach, children running through grocery stores and parking lots. Last weekend while shopping for a new car (yes, I am still trying to decide) I watched in horror as a young mother texted while her 3-year-old ran wild through the car lot - the CAR lot! Operative word CAR. Parents such as this are seemingly too busy texting and working their electronic gadgetry to hold their children's hands anymore! I can't count how many times I've been driving through a parking lot or down a street and a little person veered dangerously close the park strip or curb. What is going on with these people? The vice grip I held on both my children mirrored the same grip my own mother had on me (and still does!) whenever we were within miles of a potentially dangerous situation. Hell, my mother still makes me walk on the inside of the sidewalk so the car that veers out of control and drives up onto the sidewalk will kill her instead of (or at least before) me!

So, please, teach your children to say "excuse me," "please," "thank you" - all of those good, old-fashioned phrases that seem so out-of-date lately. Hold their hand when crossing the street, even if only to instill the message that some situations require extra caution. Show them you love them by teaching them and showing them decency and civility (so that someday others can love them, too). Don't assume that everyone finds your child's everything as wonderful and charming as you do. Teach them well and someday the world might embrace them with the same love and admiration that you do. But in the meantime, keep their sticky fingers out of my hair at IHOP!

D.

My Bitchin' Green Thumb

This bitchin' brunette is ready to start planting. I drove by Lamberts Floral the other day and my green thumb was literally aching. Can't wait to smell the wet, damp dirt running through my fingers. Planting my plants and watering them. The thrill I get when they have grown. It is like raising a child. I have come to the realization that gardening is great therapy for me. It is good for my mind and my body. Ready for the therapy to begin! I keep telling myself that April showers bring May flowers...............







S.

Goodbye to an Original Bitchin' Brunette

Bitchin' Brunette Dixie Carter died yesterday at the age of 70. This BB would like to take a moment and acknowledge the brass, sass and style of this bitchin' Designing Woman. As a tween, I remember watching Designing Women and admiring Dixie's character for her strength and precociousness. One of the few "older" women this young BB ever admired as an adolescent, Dixie played each role with intelligence, class and just enough bitchin' arrogance to make a girl in her formative years yearn to be just like her. Goodbye, Dixie - thanks being such a beautiful, bitchin' role model to the BBs of my generation.

D.

Bereavement. Yesterday, this BB attended final services for the father of a close friend. Not a sad occasion, as the elderly man lived a full life of 85 years surrounded by loved ones and died peacefully in his sleep. No, this occasion was more a celebration of a life - tables adorned with youthful photos and mementos of a life well-lived, laughter, reminiscense, and family members gathering for photos.


As I navigated my way to the services with crumpled newspaper in hand, another obituary caught my eye when I paused at a red light. A thirty-year-old woman had also died peacefully in her sleep. Reading further, I realized this woman worked at my local Barnes and Noble bookstore and on several occasions made recommendations and cheerfully cashed out my purchases. How many times had this pretty young woman and I crossed paths in the last six months? Never would I have taken her for someone near enough to death to pass away unexpectedly in her sleep. I could only imagine how different the funeral of such a young woman would be from the one I was about to attend. The contrast between this death and the death of my friend's father haunted me all day and prevented my own peaceful slumber last night.

The lessons in a lost night's sleep? Spend each day in pursuit of a life well-lived; don't waste time worrying about what others are doing, thinking, or possessing. Don't hold grudges, harbor resentments, withhold forgiveness. Love the ones you're with and spend time with them instead of "getting ahead" at work or home. Cherish your friendships. Tell your parents and siblings how you feel about them. Share memories, money, food, and your time. Make a life free of regrets. Wake up early and relish the time you have - regardless of how much you get, it will never be enough.

D.

SeaTac Seafood: UPDATED

This bitchin' brunette is enjoying a cup of Ivar's Famous Chowder at the port of Seattle airport on a gloomy Northwestern day that is somehow depressing, yet appropriate. I love this airport, with its spacious shopping/eating area with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of seating and natural lighting. Even though it is only 10 A.M. here, I chose Ivar's chowder over all of the other breakfast options available. I realize that this is not the same as eating at an Ivar's in Seattle, but its the best I can do during a two hour layover.



Looking forward to getting back to SLC and (finally) some Rocky Mountain sunshine...

UPDATE:

Look what's available at Costco:

This bitchin' brunette's life is consumed in baseball....baseball meetings, baseball practice, baseball talk around the dinner table, and lets not forget the 2-6 games played per week. This may sound like I am "complaining" about it, which I have had my share of moans and groans about just wanting to have a night on the couch, but I have to say I LOVE it!!! I love the atmosphere of the game, the smell of the fields and the cold of the wind, or the sun shining on my face. I love the suspense of what position my child will play that night. I love the ups and downs of the game itself and how in one inning you can win or lose a game. I love the sunflower seeds at the game. I love the friends I have made. But most of all I love watching my sons succeed at the plate. I love watching my sons transforming into young men with a passion. This truly is a great time of the year!!!

I'm confused. Befuddled. Trapped in a cell of indecisiveness. This Bitchin' Brunette needs a new car and can't make up her mind about which make/model to purchase. The problem only seems to get worse each time I speed up at the glimpse of a sexy tail light or eye-catching metallic hue. What to do? What to do?

My dilemma begins with the beautiful Buick Enclave, a car I've admired for the past two years. Love it, but no one seems to think a 40 something BB like myself is "old" enough for a Buick (tell my bod that!). The GMC Acadia held my attention until I drove it - compared to the Buick it felt like the '74 Vega wagon I drove in high school. Next came the Chevy Traverse which is described by my tween and teen as a "repackaged mini van" and no Bitchin' Brunette is caught dead driving a mini van! The Mazda CX-9 lacked third row seating luster, so now I'm flirting with the Chevy Equinox and Mazda CX-7, forgoing the third row altogether. However, this morning my eye wandered to an unnamed Volkswagen... What is lacking in my car-character that I can't seem to monogamously devote myself to an automobile after nearly a year of shameless flirting?

Any advice or insight for this bedraggled Bitchin' Brunette?

D.

I just need to take this time and space to bash the bank know as Key Bank. We have had our account for 20+ years - but no longer. I have put up with their ridiculous bank charges time and time again. I finally realized it is not the end of the world to change banks. This is a free market economy and if you are not happy with the service you are getting - go somewhere else. I feel free...........change is always the hardest thing for me but I am learning.

S.

This Bitchin' Brunette is loving the Barefoot Contessa's coconut cupcakes. Baking a batch for the kids and hubby at Easter is a household tradition - good thing Easter only rolls around once a year. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds of unsalted butter and 1 pound of cream cheese! Visit the Food Network website and search coconut cupcakes or dig around in the recipe book section of your local TJ Max for an old edition of Barefoot Contessa favorites. Even those with an adversion to coconut will find these beauties hard to resist.

D.

Started blogging today.... WOW!!! Never would have thunk it!!! Remember this is your doing D.

S.