SandyMiller's Blog

Okay, this probably seems strange to some of you... but I'm interested in finding  a duck hunting lease in Missouri.  Is this even possible? Not a big Duck Club or anything like that.  My  son loves to hunt... and property to hunt on  is getting tougher and tougher to find.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!! Future Mom of the Year. LOL.

This happens all the time and it's soooo frustrating!! 

I'm doing some remodeling in my home and was looking at a few websites to see what my options are to replace my stair-rails with wrought iron. So, when I received an e-mail with "stairrail" in the subject line, I opened it thinking a company was sending me information.  What I found was a sexually explicit e-mail, complete with filthy language, pictures and who knows what... IF I  had clicked on the link.  First of all, who are these people who send the e-mails?  Why do they "trick" you into opening the nasty messages  by putting things like stair rail in the subject line, and what in the heck do they get out of it???  I  have all kinds of filters  but they still make it through. I can guarantee I've never been on a website that would put me on some kind of  mailing list to receive these... or they could just put "nasty filthy sexual trash" in the subject line, instead of trying to trick me into opening the e-mail!   We just did a story on a young boy who googled pokemon and ended up on one of these sites... ITS RIDICULOUS!   Laws? Regulations? Monitoring? Hello????

You know it's tough to keep up with what's "in" and what's not as far as women's health and beauty.  Well,  I've done my homework (with some help from friends) and I thought I'd share :

Fall 2007- Put away the bronzers and lip gloss.  This fall , "Glam" is back.  Smokey eyes are all the rage. Look for dark blues and  smokey grays to really give you the "sultry" look.  If you're doing the "big eye" thing... then stay neutral on the lips. But... ruby red lips ARE  back!  (especially for the young ladies)   If you're going bright on the lips, then compliment it with a neutral all-over lid color and a little mascara. The key... don't focus on both the eyes and the lips at the same time, its one or the other.  White-tipped nails... GONE!   Rich red polish will "nail" your fall look.

Next Question (for me): Does permanent hair removal really work? Ahhh, to never have to shave your legs or underarms again!!!  If anyone's had it... let me know!

Anyone out there with any thoughts or questions? I'm getting quite the group of "experts" to call on that seem to really know their stuff!!

I found a great new website!   It's www.shakadoo.com    It's all about your shak (home) tips for decorating, gardening, electronics... everything! Check it out and let me know what you think.  

Vacation time next week, yea!!!   I've decided to do a little camping and float trip.  I've floated the Current, Jack's Fork, Meremec and Huzzah... I'm looking for a good "new" float that's still fairly close... any ideas??

I've received several e-mails asking my thoughts on poor Miss USA falling on her tush during las week's Miss Universe Pageant. (I competed in the Miss USA pageant years & years ago). Here's the deal... they give you a donated swimsuit (that doesn't fit well) it's held in place with firm grip (someone sprays it on you bum and you stick your swimsuit in place) then they give you donated shoes (not broken in yet and usually extremely high heels) then ask you to walk on the slick flooring on the stage and up and down stairs (without looking down because you need to maintain eye contact with the judges).  It's amazing to me someone hasn't broken their neck!  Miss USA did what you're told to do by pageant officials... if you fall, just get up like nothing happend and keep smiling!!  It was a "graceful" fall and she still looked beautiful!  

Only two weeks of school left and I feel like my kids are "checking out"!  Honestly, I think  I am too. Parents need that summer break as much (or more) than the students.  So, how do you keep them focused for that last couple of weeks? 

And, as long as I'm at it... why is that girls seem to do much better in school than boys??  In my opinion, girls are much better at organization, taking notes, fine motor skills, and listening.  Boys... need more "hands-on", projects to use large motor skills,  and activities rather than lecturing and note taking.  Is the classroom set-up for girls? What are the boys to do?? 

Everything in my yard and garden looks so wilted! Flowers are drooping, leaves are curled up, that spring freeze sure did a number on all of the outdoor plants, I feel for the farmers. So do I prune back everything, fertilize like crazy or just hope for the best? Will everything come back? My dogwood looks like dogpoop (can you say that on a blog?)  Does anyone have good advice for a weekend gardner like me? (I would ask Dave & Janice Murray, but they're still not back from vacation and I'm sure the foliage in Hawaii is fine!) Is there a silver lining to all of this...fewer summer bugs, better air for all of us who suffer from allergies?

Hi Bloggers!!

I am headed out of town tomorrow morning to the warm beaches and palm trees.  Sorry, I won't get to see you all at the Fox 2 Blogapalooza but I wanted to take a moment  to say thank you for blogging with us!!   I didn't think I'd ever get the hang of this "blogging" thing, but  you all make it fun!! (and I've gotten some great recipes) so keep up the great work.

Did any of you hear the Frank O'pinion Show on Thursday, March 8?   What did you think?? I go on the show every day around 4:30 to talk about the news stories we'll be covering at 6 p.m.  and ususally end up getting pulled into talking about Frank's subject at hand... which today was the size of an elephant's (well, you know) and  conjoined twins (sisters who have two heads but share one body) that were trying to decide who had to pay  the speeding ticket they had received.  Can you say politically correct?  NOT!  Which is probably what makes Frank's show so  popular!  So how  does a representative of a fine news organization like KTVI-TV, Fox 2 News get out every day unscathed??

Happy New Year! I had a 6 p.m. flight back from Florida on New Year's Eve with scheduled arrival time in St. Louis of 7:30... perfect! Time to freshen up, hit some New Year's Eve festivities, etc. etc. Then be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the 6 p.m. newscast on the first. No such luck. Here's the kick off to my 2007:

1. flight cancelled
2. 6 hours of layovers and flights to other airports in order to connect back to St. Louis
3. Happy New Year countdown... in airport on the way to baggage claim. (American Airlines didn't offer champaign, either!)
4. the cold I caught while in Florida... starting to really kick in
5. Arrived home after 1:30 a.m. (still no champaign)
6. cold has now settled in for the long haul (traded idea of champaign for Niquil)
7. I'm home, back to work, still have the cold and completely forgot to make a New Years Resolution...(oh, well, wouldn't have stuck with the diet again this year either!)
How's your New Year going???

Some of the ladies in the newsroom are starting to talk about Thanksgiving dinner, favorite recipes, cooking tips, stuffing vs. dressing (I didn't know there was a difference!!) I've been nominated to get some "favorite" recipes, cooking tips, best Thanksgiving Day stories or memories and any fun traditions that some of us may want to start. One of my friends has a table cloth she uses every year and has guest sign it with a permanent marker. She says some of the signatures are 20 years old now. (Oh, yea... what's the difference between stuffing and dressing???) P.S.S. any good wild turkey recipes out there??? (my son is a hunter).

I helped my God Daughter and her best friend with their makeup before homecoming last weekend. They had tons (I mean TONS) of makeup, but didn't really know how to use any of it. Where do these girls go to learn how to apply makeup if mom can't help that won't cost a fortune? Growing up in the Ozarks... my idea of makeup was a tube of lipstick you could use on your lips and cheeks. But, after competiting in pageants (it was my mom's idea... an effort to turn her hillbilly/tomboy into a lady) and working in the news business, I've learned from some of the best makeup artists out there... that there's a "right" way to apply makeup for every different face shape, eye shape and lip shape. Colors to bring out your best... not make you look tired. Shorten your nose... if its a little too long... or maybe create some great cheek bones!! So, again... where's the best place to take young girls to learn how to apply makeup to "look their best"! (For those of you who don't like to wear makeup or don't think girls need it... don't get me wrong, I'm still a hillbilly/tomboy at heart... but, some girls would really like the help.)

Not sure this is the intent of a blog, but I'm desperate! I need a good ham 'n beans recipe. Anyone? If you have any other good recipes... I'd love to have them.

Are you raising a teenager or have already raised one? If so, I have a question for you. Do you have a curfew for them? What time is it? My junior in high school has to be home by midnight on weekends and you'd think he was the only one in the world with a curfew. Do I have allies out there??