My Favorite Hate Mail: Where Mean Comments Go....

When Idiots weigh in on Anniversaries. (It's never pretty.)

2012-06-04T10:15:00.003-07:00

Good grief, Charlie Brown! Chalk this one up to people who are bitter and can't understand what playful banter is... Lauren at Filing Jointly... Finally (isn't that a cute name!?) is a newlywed and wrote an obviously tongue in cheek post about how her husband didn't share her enthusiasm about their 11 month anniversary.

Source

She wanted to celebrate on 11/11/11 at 11:11. Him? Not so much. Anyone who has even half a brain cell should be able to tell that she is totally kidding around, and should also be able to tell that her blog is chock-full of funnies.
It appears there are several anonymous readers who do not, in fact, have a whole brain cell between them.
Here are three:
#1 "Wow stumbled upon this by accident! I feel sorry for this Ryan dude ...you sound extremely spoiled and bitchy and who the hell celebrates each month how long they have been married! I barely have time to think of one anniversary a year because Yes this is what the word anniversary means! Who lets spoiled immature people like you get married? Bad mouthing your husband so openly like this after only 11 months of marriage is pathetic! You will be divorced before you can celebrate 11 years!"

#2 "My friend who stumbled on this by accident sent me the link for a laugh. Lol, indeed. Give the guy a break. I mean, he's already facing a yearly reminder that he married an imbecile, does he really need one every month? I can't say I blame him for not wanting to wish with you--I don't think there's any nice way to say, "I wish my wife would stop being a moron." Good luck with that."

#3 "Oh SHUT UP! Today is my 3-year anniversary. As in, the actual anniversary of the date we got married three years ago. Though actually today marks the date TEN years ago that we first got together. I got my husband a nice watch, a bottle of Crown Royal Reserve, and a sweet card talking about how much I loved him. And what did I get? A big fat nothing. Not even a "Happy Anniversary." So excuse me if I don't have any patience to listen to you talk about not getting what you want for your 11-month anniversary. And by the way, count your lucky stars that you're able to use his credit card to buy new boots. That shit would absolutely not fly around here. And seeing as he didn't call you any four-letter names or hurl something at your head while this interaction was going on, you guys's conversation was NOT ALL THAT BAD. It was pretty normal, in fact. If anything you come off looking like a spoiled little brat for wanting to get your way about a made-up holiday, and then demanding to use his credit card. YOU HAVE A NORMAL HUSBAND. Enjoy that fact, and stop bitching. I guarantee you a lot more people have it WAY worse than you. Enjoy what you have. Your griping about this is making you look really petty and unattractive."
Our Slammed Blogger Says:
I chose not to respond on my blog, though a lot of my sweet Blogstalkers (what I call my readers) did respond for me. But if I did decide to justify the comments with a reply, this is what I would say. This is a humor blog. It is supposed to be ridiculous. And I can not stress enough the fact that this post was just a JOKE. Maybe not a very good one, but a joke nevertheless. I didn't try seriously to make my husband celebrate 11 months nor did I actually use his credit card (which is actually a joint account) to purchase myself a gift. That would be ridiculous. My husband and I love each other very much and he supports my blog wholeheartedly. He understands my inane sense of humor, which you all obviously do not. And that is just fine, truly. What is not fine, and I think most people would agree, is calling someone you do not know spoiled and bitchy and pathetic. You label me immature and ask who let me get married. My answer is this, I made the decision myself thank you very much, as I am an adult. You, in my opinion, are the ones that are being immature, calling someone you again, do not even know, an imbecile and a moron. For what is the purpose of this? It is hurtful and downright mean. Oh and as far as your prediction that my husband and I will not be together after 11 years? We actually hit ten years together in January and we're still going strong. And you know what? We celebrated our ten year dating anniversary even though we're married now and should start over. Because to us, it was a milestone and we both wanted to commemorate the occasion in some small way. For your sake(s) I hope that you were just having a bad day when you commented. For it would be trying, I think, to go through life in such a resentful and it seems (though I wouldn't know as I do not know you) bitter way. Oh, and if my husband called made a habit of calling me names and hurling things at my head? He wouldn't be my husband any longer. Just saying.

Viv Says:
This is truly stupid. Let's examine their comments, shall we?

#1 - "...who the hell celebrates each month how long they have been married!"
Um, people who love each other and view each day as a gift..? People who look to celebrate the little moments in life...?
"...I barely have time to think of one anniversary a year..."
Gee. Your spouse must feel so fortunate and special!

#2 - "I mean, he's already facing a yearly reminder that he married an imbecile, does he really need one every month?"
You're just a Jack-Ass.

Moving on...

#3 - "And what did I get? A big fat nothing. Not even a "Happy Anniversary." "YOU HAVE A NORMAL HUSBAND." "I guarantee you a lot more people have it WAY worse than you."
Oh honey, I think there is a better than average chance that you are married to Anonymous Commenter #1. If your spouse is a Normal Husband, I am glad that mine is abnormal.

It's obvious that Lauren's blog is just good, snarky fun. It's also obvious that her husband has every bit as much snark as she does and they play off of each other and with each other. Couples who can both dish it up AND take it are more likely to remain happily married. These commenters may be anonymous, but I think we all got some great insights into the states of their marriages, didn't we?

What do you say?

A clear case of NON-marriage material...

2012-05-23T11:21:00.004-07:00

OK, football season is over, but I had to share the REEEEE-dick-ulous comment that the lovely Kate from Kate Elizabeth Conner received for a silly post where she ranked NFL Quarterbacks based on marital qualifications and eligibility.

The lovely Kate and her #1 pick.
Source.

It was just for fun.
It was tongue in cheek.
It was in jest.
It was discovered by a complete Jack-hole.

The Jack-hole says:
Yeah, Minneapolis sucks! (Looks around, see's there aren't too many snobby b****** like the author of this article, considers self fortunate to live in the area.) Holy s***, this dumb broad thinks Matt Hasselbeck is hot. Like, 5 out of 5 hot. He gets the same marry-able score (32.5) as Josh Freeman and…wait for it…CAM F****** NEWTON. She also finds REX GROSSMAN more marryable than Tom Brady. Dumb b****** like this are why you make 75 cents on the dollar, women of America. This s*** right here. Oh wait, she’s an evangelical Christian. Color me surprised.

Kate's husband is a youth pastor, so she couldn't leave the comment up on her blog. (She added the asterisks for the ridiculously bad language for our benefit.) However, here is what she wanted to say.

Our slammed blogger says:
FIRST of all. I don't see how my not preferring to live in Minneapolis over San Diego (real mystery of life right there) makes me a snobby b****. Secondly, NOWHERE in my entire post (on my entire blog for that matter) did I call anyone as disrespectful of a name as you just called me - so yeah, I'm the one with the personality flaw. And yes; Matt Hasslebeck is hot, I have nothing against Josh Freeman, Cam Newton has a smile that goes on for miles, and Tom Brady cheated on his wife and had an illegitimate child. How stupid of me not to want that quality in a life partner. It's no wonder I make 75 cents on the dollar. OH WAIT! I stay at home learning braille and caring for my blind child and volunteering to work with at-risk teenagers in our area. What a snob I am. And finally, it is ignorant, small-minded, prejudicial, and so ugly of you to imply that I am a snob, b****, or a dumb broad because I am a Christian. As far as I can tell it makes me kinder than you.

Viv says:
Un-B-leeeeeve-able! I almost have no words for this idiot. (Almost.)
Jack-hole must not be a Real Man. Real men do not provide serious input on what is clearly a post written just for fun. Real men do not weigh on whether or not other men have desirable attributes as husbands. Real men don't slam someone's faith and belittle them. But mostly? Real men do not refer to women as dumb broads or dumb Be-yotches.

Jack-hole? My mental picture of you includes an over-sized team jersey (worn almost to your knees) which hides the skinny jeans you've got belted below your butt. (Hopefully it hides the stupid tattoo you got at Coachella as well.) You are holding a can of Coors Light, giving your buddies knuckle bumps or high-fives, you have stains from Buffalo Wings and pizza under your fingernails and you almost certainly have on a ball cap worn backwards.

I am fairly certain you have no need for this book:

Enjoy your life as a mediocre stereotype.
You wear it well. Asshat.

What do you say?

Speedos: All kinds of wrong. (And not just in America.)

2012-05-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

Shawn over at Seriously Shawn has quite the sense of humor. She is a practical joker and seems to be a magnet for funny/slightly uncomfortable situations. She also seems to have drawn the ire of someone who prefers Speedos to regular swim trunks....
She helps to host Talk To Us Tuesday, a linky party for funny or random stories.

In this post where she describes a practical joke involving her husband and a Speedo that was too small she got this comment:

credit: Seriously Shawn

Mean Comment:
More evidence why Americans are viewed by the rest of the world as being ignorant and stupid.

What Shawn Says:
Ignorant and stupid you say! Let me ask you, do you mean Americans as a whole or just little ol' me, the author of this post? Your choice of words are a little harsh don't you think?
I would love to thank you personally for your less than kind words but it seems that you like to hide behind the screen of anonymity. You also have no email linked to your profile, I'm thinking it's because you like to stir the pot but aren't man enough to handle what comes your way in return. As a result you have left me no choice but to reply here, oh and next Tuesday on the front page of my blog because this is a perfect TTUT post!
If you wanted to play nice I would simply say I'm sorry I offended you but it seems that you don't want to do that. So I'll leave it at this, you my dear, have no sense of humor! Maybe it's because you have the personality of a dry piece of toast or that you lack the ability to fill out your own beloved Speedo, making this no laughing matter in your eyes, either way I really don't care. Clearly, or maybe not so clearly for some, this was meant as a joke. My advice to you is to lighten up or buy your next Speedo in the next size up!

Viv Says:
See, now I just thought a Speedo was a poor fashion choice. I had no idea that swim suit preferences were evidence that could further the condemnation of America.
When American men try to compensate for a substandard wee-wee they usually do it in some symbolic way, like buying a flashy car... Perhaps Shawn's commenter is more of a literal guy, and believes you should put on a tight pair of swim bottoms to try to make the object in question appear larger. Or, perhaps his Speedo is too tight and it has cut off the blood flow to his brain...

What do you say?

Everyone should be a Whiner. Oops. I mean Winner.

2012-02-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Someone sent our friend Lesley at Fabulously Flawed a lame email. And by lame, we mean completely clueless, off in their own Narcissistic La-La World of Entitlement kind of lame.

In her own words, here's What Lesley Says:

My name is Lesley and I host a very small linky party every Thursday called Super Sweet Thursday Par-tay. By small I mean teeny compared to some of the linky parties out there that receive hundreds of entries. I get a maximum of 40ish link ups every week.

The reason that I mention this is to express that I certainly do not think I am a big deal. I also know very well that if anyone links up their project to this party, and if I happen to choose to feature said project, there are only a couple of dozen people who would even notice.

Which brings me to my email. Notice the subject line. Lovely. This blogger, who did not send the email anonymously, goes on to tell me that she is upset with me for not choosing her to win a prize on my blog. The prize being a feature ( I assume ).

Lesley didn't respond to this wacky email... but here's what she Wanted To Say:
Hello darling!
I am so thrilled that you chose to take time away from your day, and also take time away from your meds, to write such a sincere and uplifting email.
It was such a pleasure to read! Or was it? Who can tell what I mean? I do exude timeless sarcasm, after all.

I could sit here and wonder what prize you are referring to. I could pace the room fretting over what mind bogglingly amazing craft it was that you submitted that I overlooked.

But, I won't. I think you're freaking out enough for both of us.

I will say though, for future reference, that a linky party is not a contest. It awards no prizes. You cannot win a linky party.

There are no entries, or enteries, as you call them. It is just a place where like minded people can share projects that they have worked on be them crafts, recipes or anything else. In submitting such a link, you may catch the host's eye and have your project featured. Or, you may not.

What to the ever! It's all in fun and no one seems to take it very seriously. Please chill out.

Signed, The Nicest Person Ever

What Viv Says:
Oh my! I have never received a prize for entering a linky party either! This is madness! Madness, I tell you!

If she has "entered" Lesley's linky party "again and again" why hasn't she picked up on how this all works? Lesley, tell me... do her projects tend to use an inordinate amount of glue? As perhaps she has been sniffing it.

This sounds like the type of person who thinks that there shouldn't ever be winners or losers... no one should ever have their feelings hurt, so everyone should get a trophy. Congratulations! You all get an Honorable Mediocrity Mention!

Lame. (I will say that I totally agree with our Over-Entitled Email-er in that yes, Lesley does have "wit and timeless sarcasm" ...part of why I double puffy heart love her.)

What Do You Say?

Peace Out Dudes

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Hate Mailers! Mandilicious here. Gosh it's been a while since we posted! Did you miss us?!?
I just wanted to write a quick little post and let my friends (all of you!!) know that I have decided to step away from Hate Mail. The freakishly cool Viv will still be here taking care of everything (like she normally does) with her quick wit, amazing titles, and hilarious comparisons. So don’t you worry your pretty little noses about that!

Hate Mail was started one afternoon after one of my fave bloggers announced on Twitter that she was going to quit because the haters were out in full force. It made me MAD. Why in the world was it ok for people to openly bash her ideas, choices and family?! So Hate Mail was born. I could not have found a better partner to team up with to write it. Viv is one of the most fun, amazing and TALENTED women I have ever had the chance to meet.
And I want to thank you guys for supporting us.

So I bet you are wondering why, right? I mean lets face it, it's not like this is a daily post kind of blog….or monthly post for that matter…
Honestly I am just not up for it anymore. I have learned a lot the last few months and it made me realize that people really read what I write. (I know it's lame that I am JUST coming to this conclusion). You might remember this post about a comment that someone left on Vintage Revivals. A few months after the post went live I got an email from the girl who had left it. She explained that she had seen the post over here and that she had been having an awful day and was sorry. I cringe to think of the mean things that I wrote (and meaner things that Viv edited out) you see, cause I too was having a really hard time with someone and I projected my anger onto this anonymous girl.

So. The moral of the story I have learned from one of my favorite people in the world is that You will never regret behaving appropriately. That has been the mantra that I have had to take time and time again as my blog has experienced huge growing pains. When in all reality it would have been so much easier and fun to lash out at people that are jerks.

Hate Mail is a fun, positive place to come and defend your fellow bloggers and I hope that you will continue to do that! Building a community of support is SO important and I love you all for being in mine! Thanks again!

Love your guts,
Mandi

Hi all! Viv here. I am going to miss Mandi's contributions. Her quick wit and playful nature have helped to make this site a fun place to be and working with her has been a blast. (Should I tell you that in my imagination we are wearing capes and are karate-chopping mean comments when we write this stuff...? No? Oops.) I love her colorful phrasing (and her colorful, brilliant design projects!) and wish she would hang around a bit more. She cracks me up and inspires me to try to think outside the box creatively. I am in awe of her talent and creative vision.
I guess I will just have to make more frequent trips over to visit her at Vintage Revivals.

My Favorite Hate Mail will go on, pretty much as it has been. This is still a safe, positive place to make light of mean comments and to get support from your fellow bloggers.

I continue to believe that if there is something stinky in a room it is better to air out the place than to close the door on the smell. (And that's what mean comments are... a stinky room.) Hope to see you all back here real soon!
Love, Viv

Let there be light! (As long as the electrician is a woman...)

2011-11-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

OK, so check out this amazing Anthropologie-inspired glass ornament chandelier.
Breann and Hillary are co-writing this brand new (and really fabulous) blog called Things We Fancy.
You know what they don't fancy...? That their 2-week old blog that already has a Hater. Seriously? Oy.

Anonymous was unclear about where, exactly, the light source came from in this post....
Yep, the other commenters are right -- this says nothing about where the light actually comes from! To me, it looks like there is one light bulb connected to a simple light fixture, which is wired up to the "light wire" (the electrical wire that sticks out of your ceiling when you remove your old light fixture). I understand she is clueless about "man things"... but COME ON! There is all sorts of information on the internet about how to do it. Don't be helpless. And at least tell your poor readers where the light is coming from! (e.g., it's not coming from Christmas lights inside of each ornament.)

As a woman and a crafter, I resent this stereotypical helplessness!

Our Slammed Bloggers Say:
Oh, Hey ANONYMOUS! Nice of you to stop by with your cynicism. We're actually pretty impressed that our blog has been live for less than 2 weeks and we already got a rude anonymous comment! Looks like we're doing something right!

You're right, we should have been a little more clear as to the light fixture in the chandelier. However, if you weren't such a jerk, you'd see in the above comments we explained where the light was coming from to our "poor readers." They were also followed up via e-mail.... that CLEARLY makes them super unfortunate.

Yes, we could have EASILY looked up some YouTube video on how to install a light wire, but what's the point if you already have someone there who knows how to do it?! If your husband was a mechanic and you had a blown transmission, would you go take classes on how to fix it yourself? No, because that's freaking dumb. You're right though, asking a husband to install a wire because he knows how and I don't want to electrocute myself makes me totally helpless.

As women and crafters, we resent your stereotypical anonymous comment!

Viv Says:
Perhaps Anonymous needs more than one light bulb to read by...? Because it was clear to me in the text of the post that there is one wire/one light bulb illuminating the chandy. (And let's say i didn't read it 2 gud: there's a pitchur of a single bulb in the middle a'that cluster o' or-nam-nets...) Perhaps negativity impairs your vision?

Additionally, it seemed pretty obvious that the line about "asking a man for help" was pretty tongue in cheek. These gals seem far from helpless. Poking around their newly formed blog, I can tell that I will be a frequent visitor due to their innovation, inspiration and utter lack of Helpless Female Syndrome.

Anonymous? As a woman and a crafter, I resent that you let your snarky, holier than thou, Gloria Steinem-ish nature take over and tried to tear down other women, rather than support them. So much for us girls trying to stick together. Boo to you.

Mandi Says:
What. The Crap. You know what I think this is? I think this is a case of "Someone got to a project before I could"-itis. Which is the technical term when seeing a really great knockoff project that you had on your 15 mile long to do list, and being jerkish and lashing out that someone made it before you did. This projects is super cool and CLEARLY you can tell that there is just one light bulb in it...let me refresh your memory:

Yup pretty sure they aren't all filled with Christmas lights...

What do You say?

I like your blog! (But you are stupid and careless...)

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Our friend Ashley at Cherished Bliss had a reader who didn't just leave her a comment... this reader went out of her way to fill out Ashley's contact form and email her directly.

The Kooky Emailer:
Subject: like your blog

What interests you the most?: Tutorials, Recipes, Shopping
Message: I like your blog...you have some fun and original ideas.
But, please please please learn to spell correctly, and use proper grammar and punctuation...maybe a writing class at a communiy college...it would make your blog so much more enjoyable to read.

Ashley Says:
Seriously... she's attacking my PUNCTUATION when her email clearly is not properly punctuated. While I love to use the infamous "..." they are not grammatically correct, I know that and so does she, but she still uses them!!
So I replied to her email and wrote:

It's a blog, not a book. Before you write somebody about proper grammer, you might consider using it in your own paragraph.

Thank you,
Ashley

She wrote back again!

True...it is a blog and not a book...but you sound stupid and careless when you post and words are spelled incorrectly. I know it is fun to lash out when you have been criticized ...but, I'm right...
I'm sure I do have misspelled words and grammatical errors, I would like to know if she writes blog posts with a toddler screaming and a one year old pulling on her arm! It's a miracle I type posts up sometimes. If I was writing a blog on the English language I might put a little more thought in to it!

Viv Says:
Wow. Shouldn't there be commas in between all of those pleases?
What the heck is a communiy college?
You know what else sounds stupid and careless? Contacting someone on the pretense of paying them a compliment, but really using it as a springboard to start criticizing. It's also stupid and careless put your foot in your mouth and then try to get a splinter out of someone's eye. When you fall over, all you do is shove the plank further into your own eye. Owwie.
I am a huge fan of the ellipsis (...) and just can't help myself...

Mandi Says:
No. Really? So super unecessary people. I think that it is 100 times more tacky to start a critique that is rude with a compliment. If you are going to take the time to compliment someone then you can take the time to make your criticism constructive. The end. If the original email wasnt supposed to have a harsh tone when the hater wrote back she should have said something like "Ashley I really do love your blog. I know that you take a lot of time on each post and I just have your best interest at heart." Instead of freaking out. The end....again.

What do you say?

Haters that pin things on Pinterest? Whaaat...!?

2011-09-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Something we at My Favorite Hate Mail didn't think about when we started this blog was the potential for mean comments to show up on Pinterest!

Julie from It's Sew Stinkin' Cute threw an adorable Micky Mouse Chef birthday party for her 3 year old daughter. Pictures of the party were ultimately pinned to Pinterest boards.

The comment:
"Uneccessary should be the theme of the party :)"
Another comment, in response to the first
"hahaha I know but its sooo cute"

What Julie said:
She responded with a link to this picture...

Hope you are having a good weekend. I am sorry that you don't appreciate my love of crafts and parties. Regardless of your comment thank you for pinning this and looking at my blog. Have a great school year!

What Julie wanted to say:
Why did you feel the need to pin it under your Birthday Parties board if you felt it so "unnecessary". If you have nothing nice to say don't say it at all, you're obviously jealous that you can't create cute things from scratch like me. Oh, and did you realize you spelled "Unecessary" incorrectly? If you're going to hate, at least spell your hate mail correctly. So to all of the haters that think just because you put a smiley face on the end of a tacky comment it makes it better... you're wrong, it is still tacky, rude and inconsiderate.

Viv says:
Wow. I don't understand why someone would pin something to an inspiration board if they didn't like it. So basically, if anything is unnecessary, it would be this lame person who spends time on Pinterest, pinning things they don't like. Life is too short to pin things that you don't like.

Also? All birthday parties, holidays, celebrations, etc are technically "unnecessary" but we have them anyway. We put love into the details because we care about the people we are do it all for. Duh. How much would it suck to only live your life in a way that was necessary...?

Mandi says:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The haters are corrupting the beautiful time suck that is Pinterest?!?! What is this world coming to? Yes, birthday parties are unnecessary but so are pants. You still wear pants don't you? Also if you don't throw your kid a birthday party you have mom guilt for an entire year about it. (Trust me I know first hand). Yay for Julie and her cute party and meanies...pin this.

And for the rest of you:

What do you say?

Some home remodel projects require stealth. It's just the way it is.

2011-09-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Loraine at Breakfast 4 Dinner encounters what many of us have encountered before: a husband that can't get with our DIY program. He can't see our vision, he can't understand our concept... so sometimes we just go ahead and do it.
Then, lo and behold! He gets it... He likes it... He's happy we did it. (Until the next time when he forgets that we know what we're doing and we go through the same song and dance again...)
Loraine wrote up a funny post about how she started to re-do some counter tops, thinking she had hours to complete the project, but her husband decided to come home early. She got not one, but two snarky comments doling out criticism and marital advice.

Anonymous #1 said...

So....... you did some remodeling without discussing it with your husband purposely and lied about it. Yeah.... if I was your husband I would consider whether or not I would leave you. Who knows what other kinds of huge decisions you would make behind my back. There would be a lack of trust regardless if he liked the outcome or not. Communication and trust are very important factors in having a successful marriage.

Anonymous #2 said...

You shouldn't have to hide stuff unless you know it is wrong or a surprise because you care or love the person.

Our Slammed Blogger says:

Wow anonymous, Thanks you so much for the most awesome marriage advice. But I shouldn't take advice from some one that would be so quick to divorce. Now here is some for you:

1.Don't jump to judgment or conclusions.

2. Research before you leave such a hate-full comment.
You obviously aren't familiar with my blog at all. If you had taken the time to scroll down to some of my other postings to learn a little more about me, you would soon figure out that my husband is a very, very easy going guy and likes my home remodeling projects and that he doesn't require me to consult him before I start one because

a.He totally trusts my judgment
b.Because I don't require him to help me with them at all
c.Because he knows that I start projects spontaneously.

He knew that before we got married and that is one of the things loves about me. I get an idea in my head and within 5 minutes I have the power tools out. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't have it any other way because he loves it when I am happy. And yes, I did do a home remodeling project without telling him because of the reasons above. The reason I hid everything from him is yes, because I wanted to surprise him with the finished project. Not come home to a mess in the kitchen with no counter tops because I love him and want him to be able to come home and relax without having to smell stinky wood varnish.

3. Please call your mother and ask her why she forgot to teach you manners.

By the way....I finished the counter tops today and My husband loves them and took the old ones out to the curb for me and finished cooking dinner so I could finish up one last coat of paint.

It's good that I'm not married to you because I would have a very hard time dealing with a very rude control freak of a spouse that I'm sure you are. If you're even married at all.

Viv says:
Loraine clearly said it all regarding the anonymous comments, but I am cracking up over the hypocrisy contained in them!

Anonymous comment #1 touts communication and trust as highly important in a relationship, yet would advocate leaving a spouse without getting the full story. (In other words, Anonymous' spouse probably lives in constant fear that they'll leave over some misunderstanding.)

Anonymous comment #2 says you should only hide things if you know it's wrong, or if you're planning a surprise party. (In other words, it's OK to do The Wrong Thing if you hide it. Accountability is for suckers.) Nice.

(By the way. Who doesn't love the occasional omelette or stack of pancakes for dinner!?)

Mandi says:

Gosh you two already said it all! As I was reading the first anonymous comment the thought I had was, oh poor girl. Her husband is one of those freaky types that like to have a say in stuff....She must not be a DIY blogger. Hee hee hee
And as for #2 if you were cheating on your husband and he caught you and you said SURPRISE! Does that mean that its all good in the hood?

I also just need to profess my love for anonymous commenters. You make my life so happy and full of laughter. Thank you and keep it up meanies!

What do you say?

The Anti-Social Quilt Project

2011-09-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Amber at Quilted Euphoria wrote up this post where she described how and why she made this tongue in cheek, cute little sign regarding unexpected visitors.

She received the following Anonymous comment:

I feel it's offensive and passive agressive behavior. Have you ever said, "I know you took the time to come to see me/us, but I just don't want any company today. Maybe you could call me tomorrow and we'll set up a time to get together." It's truthful, kind, and handled in a mature way. You, and many others, may find it funny but I doubt you'd feel that way if someone hung that on their door and you dropped by to say "hi." But as they say, "opinions are like noses...everybody has one."

Amber says:

Um...excuse me? So many things wrong with this person! Let's count them, shall we?

This is my blog, my home, and my sign. If you don't like what it says, you're welcome to leave.
Sometimes people just don't respond to "nice". Sometimes you just can't get the person to leave, without being "passive aggressive".
Guess what? I think it's funny and so do the seventeen comments before yours from people with an actual sense of humor.
Get a life.

Viv says:

I've seen a similar sign for sale in Hallmark. I had no idea that Hallmark was offensive and passive aggressive. Who knew?!

Mandi says:

As Michelle on Full House would say "Oh Puuuleeeeeeeeeze." I never answer my door (well, since the paparazzi started camping out on my lawn). I thought the sign was funny. Its her house she can do what she wants (duh). Just like you Miss Anonymous can put up a sign on your front door that says "Caution, enter at your own risk. I am perfect and am probably going to judge the crap out of you. I am also chicken pants and dont usuallyre attach my name to my critiques, so I probably wont say it to your face but to everyone else in the neighborhoood. Consider yourself warned"

What do you say?

Oooooh! Mandi's Got A Hater!

2011-08-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! Mandi here.
So here is deal. Anonymous comments are freakin LAME. We all know this right? But the most annoying ones are the ones that are written out of complete and utter spite. I just wrote a post about 10 Bloggy No No's that I have had to learn from during my time blogging. And pretty quickly recieved this comment:

Anonymous said...

Love how you say not to be negative when you are pointing out everything everyone else is doing wrong. And yeah, I am breaking one of your "rules" leaving an anonymous comment.

Mandi Says:
Whoa whoa whoa. Slow the crazy train down and pull it into the Station-o-Common Sense. First off, let me just say my dear, that if you were trying to make me feel bad, you sorta were not awesome at it...womp womp.
Secondly, the post was not a list of “rules” nor was it written negatively. You must have overlooked the first line of the post, where I preface it by saying that most of these mistakes are ones that I have made MYSELF. You also must have missed the part at the end where I warned that any rude comments could end up on Hate Mail, so by leaving me a rude, anonymous comment, you've made yourself the Guest of Honor today. Enjoy your 15 seconds of fame lady!
I love blogging and I love my readers, so the point that you are CLEARLY missing (that everyone else seemed to get), is that I am trying to share what I have learned so that others don’t make the same mistakes that I have. This in turn, helps to make my amazing readers' blogs more successful. Please explain to me how that can at all be considered "negative."
Most people are able to resist the urge to be mean or spiteful. You know, knowing that with a little bit of self control (or by simply leaving someones blog) that the negative feelings they have inside wont get wiped up and down blogland like a cruddy diaper. Since you my dear must not have these flair up sensors, I gladly invite you to spend your time online elsewhere and let Vintage Revivals be a place of positive spray paint fumes.

p.s. I think you might be allergic to my happiness. (You might want to get that checked...along with the flair up issue. Its no bueno.)

I would also like to thank the readers that stood up for me in the comments, it means a lot ladies!

Viv Says:
Um, so I'm clear... pointing out the proper (or more favorable way to do something) is negative...?
I only lather my hair once during a shampoo... but the shampoo bottles all say to "lather, rinse, repeat" are the shampoo companies negative? If the furniture refinishing experts point out you should lightly sand between coats, but I never do? Does that make the experts negative..?
Mandi gave some guidelines. She outlined things that she has observed in her own personal blogging experience. (Which so far appears to be pretty successful, btw. I'd give her a listen when she hands out advice.) There is no Blogger's 101... no Blogger By-Laws... you learn by experience, watching what other bloggers do or don't do. She shared, people. And if you read through the rest of the comments on that post, you'll notice that there are bloggers who didn't know they could enable their email for replies... people who didn't realize that their word verification option was enabled and/or how to change the option... people who didn't know there are many readers out there who actually don't like music playing on a blog... In other words? They appreciated Mandi's help.
My guess is that anonymous does all of these "no-nos" and is either a) a misguided rebel; b) has serious issues with constructive criticism; or c) is just lame.
Or possibly, d) all of the above...

What do you say?

Today's special! Mean comments and tampons!

2011-08-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Heather is a college student and has a fun little personal blog called The World Is Your Oyster. A while back, she wrote a post about a funny incident at a local store. She needed a few, um, personal items including {tampons... shhh}. She wrote this post, appropriately titled Awkward, about the experience. She tried to make it clear that it was not her first time buying tampons, and that normally it's not a big deal, but this time she had to select the right feminine hygiene product in the middle of 6 guys that live in the same building that she does. She just thought it was funny, how uncomfortable a box of feminine hygiene products can make college-aged boys.

You know what? Even with a funny, tongue in cheek post, there are still jerkwads out there.

The Jerkwad said:
"Educated decision in the tampon aisle eh? have you never bought them
for yourself before? you've been living away from home for three years
at BYU and you still have to think about this decision? Hhhonestly,
your life could be a lot simpler. Let me offer a humble suggestion to
your predicament.http://www.us.depend.com/

Yours,
Anonymous
P.S. You're welcome"

Heather said:
My sister's reply was my favorite. She said:
"Dear Anonymous,

Don't worry, I'm sure they have Midol in the Creamery as well. You seem to have lost yours, since you've been PMSing all over the internet."

Viv says:
Seriously? Who leaves a cruddy comment on a funny story? I love the sister's reply about "PMSing all over the internet." Hilarious. The link for Depends kind of throws me though. Are they saying Heather is being a cry-baby...? That she should use Depends instead of tampons...? What? Perhaps the Jerkwad is a guy an needs to brush up on his knowledge of a woman's anatomy...? At any rate, totally sounds like a person with chronic, raging PMS to me..

Mandi says:
LOL! Now THIS is a funny post. I dont get the depends link either...maybe thats the only way this lady can control her PMSing? And poor cute Heather, I dare say that most guys in college especially when there are 6 together can be unbelievibly immature, it would be awkward for anyone!! Hee hee hee, I am still laughing about this! I am so glad that Jerky McJerkface left a jerky jerk comment so that we could read Heather's hilarious tale.

Ps I just used the word jerk 4 times in one sentence! Yay Me!!

What do you say?

The racist dumpling.

2011-08-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Emily from Decor Chick is one of our favorite bloggers. She's always sharing some fantastic home decor or DIY tips with her readers. In this post, she shared how happy and excited she was that her brother was getting married. Her new sister-in-law, whom Emily adores, is Japanese. Emily ended her post saying that she sees "a lot of homemade dumplings in my future. :)"

A comment from Anonymous:
dumplings? isn’t that kind of racist?

Decor Chick says:
Racist? Ummm, not so much. Doesn’t great chinese food come from the Chinese/China? And doesn’t great Italian food come from Italy, and so on and so on? She happens to make the most mouth-watering dumplings I’ve ever had. Don’t be jealous please.

Viv says:
I'm cracking up over this. What a pot ~~sticker~~ stirrer this person is!
I am half Italian, half Redneck. I make an excellent lasagna and fab baby back ribs. If someone mentioned they were looking forward to eating them, I would take it as a sign that they enjoyed my cooking, not that they thought I was some Guido (ette?) who somehow meandered through Texas.

Mandi says:
When I saw Em's post I was totally JEALOUS. Obviously Anonymous is too. Comments like this that are soooo lame make me want to lash out violently.

Oh my gosh, I just got the best idea! When my Bro-in-law gets married I am SO going to say to the girl, "I see a lot of Burangos in your future."

For those of you jumping to conclusions about what a Burango is, let me clear it up. Its a burrito at our resturant.

Get your minds out of the gutter.

What do you say?

Yeah, I stole your stuff... You should consider it a compliment.

2011-08-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

Stay with me. This only seems complicated:

Our friend Becca has a blog called The Texas Darlings where she writes about adventures with her sweet family and life in general. She also recently started a new blog called R We There Yet Mom? inspired by her love of travel and vacations. In order to help promote R We There Yet Mom? Becca started a Friday Linky Party called Friday Day Dreamin', where she asks people to link up an inspirational travel photo.

Becca (as R We There Yet Mom?) went to visit one of the participants and saw that in addition to linking up a photo, the blogger had also copied this post about facebook from The Texas Darlings and pasted it into her blog word. for. word. There was no credit to or link to her original post anywhere. Just one blogger stealing the work of another. She apparently did not realize that Becca was the author of both blogs.

As politely as she could, considering the circumstances, Becca left a comment asking that the blogger take down the plagiarized material.

Becca wrote a post about the theft and received the following comment from the thief:

The Thief Says: First off let me say. There is a lot of unnecessary word slinging going on for something that was merely innocent. I have blogged for 2 years and yes with no comments as my 3 blogs are mostly for my family and close friends. Not so much caddiness from strangers like this. I understand now that you may be upset but also from the other side you should see it as a compliment as well. I totally agree with every single word you said and not sure I could have written it or said it any better myself. However, good call out on the “Guest Writer” thing I have never done that but for sure will learn how.
I honestly didn't mean to offend anyone nor make a bunch of blogging enemies. I enjoy reading your blog and think by far you do a really nice job and we do think a lot alike. I would have called someone out too for borrowing my idea. Hell come up with your own. But really Christian people don't do that and it is stealing are you kidding me? Come on people I am a hard core Christian and by far never really thought of it as "stealing" easy on stones you throw around and the judgments one makes. It is a blog and we are grown adults here to share stories about life and make connections. Not rally around like a bunch of hateful little high school girls in the hallway at school slinging hateful words. Sorry that so many of you were so offended that was not the intention. I was only passing it along and sharing with my friends those exact same feelings that most of them do not even blog and have no clue who Texas Darling even is.. so I thought there was no real harm.

Becca Says:

I wish that I could see it as a compliment - and I would, had you just asked permission to use my words. As I mentioned previously, I work very hard to maintain an enjoyable blog for my readers. I do not take kindly to someone "stealing" them. You.stole.them. You did not "borrow" them.

As for my friends' reactions - I am overwhelmed with gratitude to their response. As a community of bloggers, THEY supported me in a time that I felt very violated. I do not see their remarks as "catty" & "high school", but as friends defending someone. All of their comments were valid and worded much nicer than they could have been.

Yes, I agree that we are all adults. But most adults that I know DO NOT steal. And most adults that I know, apologize when they know they have done something wrong. You did neither.

In posting about it on my blog, I brought awareness to blogging etiquette. My hope is that this is a lesson for many that stealing words from a blog, pictures from a website, facebook statuses, etc. may not be a criminal act, but it is defiantly a immoral one.

Viv Says:

I'm a Christian. I never heard of this thing where we don't say anything if someone does something wrong. I've always heard "thou shalt not steal" and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I have never heard "thou shalt sit there and quietly ignore the theft."

It's obvious that this blogger has no idea as to how to behave in the Blog Land, and certainly doesn't recognize the earmarks of plagiarism. Ignorance is no defense. Did she go to school? What if it was an essay she copied from another student? Would her defense be, well, that teacher didn't even know that student...? Lame, lame, lame.

Seriously? The victim should be flattered that she was the victim...? Ridiculous.
***Updated to add: People! Anyone who thinks that Becca over-reacted is not thinking clearly. Plagiarism IS theft. It IS stealing from someone. Whether you steal a dollar or you rob a bank, stealing is stealing.. Becca was polite in her request that the blogger remove the plagiarized post. The fact that the blogger was unapologetic is a problem. I am assuming since the blogger can read and write, that she must have some education... if so, she would have learned from an early age that it is bad to copy someone else's work and pass it off as your own.***

Mandi Says:
Wow. This is caaaarazy. One of the worst things that you can do is post something that belongs to someone else and not give them credit. I have a hard time understanding why our blogger should be happy about them using her content without a link back. Maybe the hater didnt know that its against all etiquite but her defensive response just makes it all the worse.

Moral of the story. Dont jack other peoples crap. And if you do at least put it on a private blog so that no one knows...

What do you say?

Bad guest or bad hostess...?

2011-07-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

Wow. I got some hate mail. It appears these people don't know that I co-author a blog about mean comments!

I did a post called How NOT to set up a buffet & 5 things to make your next potluck more successful. In it, I showed pictures of a really bad, really tacky buffet table set up. I made it very clear that this was not about paper plates vs fine china, or a casual get-together vs Tea with The Queen... this was about hospitality and making your guests comfortable and welcome... (and not like they were an inconvenience for the hostess).

Not-So-Anonymous Said:
Wow. I am so incredibly shocked at how tacky you and Connie are.
Hey about a blog about this..."How to make fun of your host." Oh wait you just did that. How about, or "How to eliminate friends." Oh, you did that too. Dang.

Anonymous Said:
This made me sad. I usually love all you blogger gals for your sense of humors but this just seemed mean. Who knows what the circumstances were? I love hosting parties and preparing evertything just so, but I would never be this cruel to someone else who doesn't. Why so be harsh and judgmental? If you want to be totally Type A good for you, but don't penalize other, more laid back gals, because they want to get together with friends and family without getting the shakes! I hope the hostess reads your blog also...and remembers to strike your names from any further get-togethers, for fear of offending your delicate sensibilities. I mean really! Some people like the whole "idea" of entertaining, while others just like to get together without it being a "big deal". Take a deep breath, move away from the oh so offensive buffet, and just enjoy the company (if you can find it in yourselves to do that either).

Viv (The Slammed Blogger) Says:
hospitality (noun) - Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.

Geez people! Really?!
It's harsh and judgmental to think a hostess should put out a serving utensil for chopped fruit?
I'm cruel because I want a spatula or tongs to pick up a hamburger patty?
I'm tacky because I think it's gross to have trash and half eaten food dumped on the serving table?
I'm Type A because I think the number one goal of a host/hostess should be to make their guests feel comfortable and cared for? Seriously?!

Given the fact that one of these commenters has a blog with the words "Paper Cup" in the title, I figure I offended her paper product sensibilities. Not my intent. In fact, I clearly stated that I had nothing against paper plates, etc. I never said things had to be all snooty and formal. You can have a casual get-together and still make your guests comfortable. By the way, we did know what the circumstances were: it was an annual BBQ/pot-luck. What bothered me here was a person who has been "hosting" a party every year since 1994 and couldn't care less if her guests were comfortable... put some care and love into it, or stop throwing the party.

In summary: if the fact that I don't want to pick up a hot, greasy burger patty with my bare hands, or pick up chunks of melon or pineapple with my fingers means that I am Harsh & Judgmental, Cruel, Tacky and Type A.... well, then, I guess I am all of those things. I will proudly add those titles to my Hostess With The Mostess resume` and will walk a little taller when I wear my Party Goddess Tiara.

Mandi Says:
I thought Viv's post was so hilarious. I mean I of all people have all the reason in the wolrd to get offended when it comes to the paper products seeing as how I live in Utah's Dixie.

Ok that was a bad joke.

But back to the post. I didnt see anything wrong with it. If you have read Viv's blog or Hate Mail or any of her tweets or FB posts AT.ALL. you know that she is the queen of sarcasm. Posts like this need to be taken into the context of the blog.

And I have to agree with the bare hands comment that Viv shot back. Especially with the fruit. Cause you know people are totally more inclined to lick their fingers after picking up fruit than a greasy patty. And that my friends is not awesome.

What Do You Say?

Reading Comprehension... thrown right down the stairs.

2011-07-07T00:42:00.000-07:00

Rachael over at Lovely Crafty Home was probably ecstatic when her stair makeover was featured at Tatertots & Jello, and then Apartment Therapy picked it up from there... She should have been super happy.

But then she had the hard cold truth hit her. There are stupid people out there who can only look at pik-tchers and dey kannot reed two good. There is no other explanation for all the comments she got, stating how ugly her before picture was, and why she didn't make it prettier before taking the photo.

The Hater Said:
No offense, but this looks like cheap marbled linoleum on a basement stairwell. I can imagine it maybe looking okay somewhere else... but not really. Just cleaning up the stairwell would have been fine. It was gross before.

What Rachael Said:
Rachael here...the owner of the filthy stairs...that will teach me not to take a "keeping it real" before photo...
To answer some questions, the poly I used is floor grade so it would be the same as refinishing your hardwoods. It is also easy to patch up though, and I've read many other stories that it wears really well.
It's also a great temporary solution if you are saving up for hardwood it can go right on top.

What Rachael Wanted To Say:
You know that when you start a sentence with "no offense," you're probably about to offend someone, right? I'm so pleased you were able to detect the fact these are basement stairs, therefore we do, in fact, take slightly less care of this area than we do our upstairs. We definitely take all our guests on a tour of our unfinished basement, just to make sure they grasp the fact that this is not living space. I am, however, not impressed with your reading comprehension. Apparently you missed the part where I explained that it is not dirt on the stairs, but actually the floor grade paint showing wear all the way to the mdf. As in, I already tried cleaning them.

Viv Says:
Seriously! We all have done our fair share of "skimming" a post or an email, or just looked at the pictures. If I plan on writing anything more detailed than "Hey! Great job!" you can bet that I read the article or post before doing so. You know why? Because I don't want to look like a jackass....
(BTW - It looks great and is a fab solution, Rachael! Nice job.)

Mandi Says:
I totally remember this being on AT and I thought it was AWESOME. Plus obviously the commenter doesnt understand the impact of a reeeeeeeally bad before pic to a reeeeeeeeeally awesome after. Idiot.

What Do You Say?

No-Baby Backlash

2011-06-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

The lovely Jennifer, who writes Sunshine and Chaucer knows herself pretty well. She's a young newlywed, and at this stage of her life... she and her husband have basically decided that they don't want to be parents. No biggie, right? She likes children... works with children... loves her nieces... just has decided that she isn't cut out to be a mom.

She's able to be honest with herself, which is pretty smart, and she was honest on a blog, which was pretty brave.

Jennifer read this post on Stitched In Color. Readers were asked to leave a comment telling what bothers them. Jennifer was comment 170 of more than 400. In a nutshell, she said it bothered her when people try to talk her into having children and that they think she is somehow defective for not wanting kids.

Several days later, Jennifer wrote this post featuring great projects she had seen around the blogosphere. It included a beautiful, functional play-room. Clearly, she had offended someone with her comment on another blog, so they came to her blog to spread the hate.

The Hater Said:
As if someone so against having children would have one iota of a clue where children want to play. Selfish twit.

The Slammed Blogger Says:

1. I'm not against everyone having children, just don't want any right now. I'm 22. I just got married. I'm super poor. Also, kids are great and all but I can't be around the for more than a day at a time or I start going crazy.
2. That has nothing to do with knowing what fun stuff for kids is and isn't. I was a kid. I have nieces. I am two classes away from a degree in early childhood development. I nanny. I know what cool crap is.
3. Iota? Using a word typically used by people trying to sound smart doesn't make your comment more classy.
4. I've never got the whole "not wanting kids = selfish" thing. Why is it better to have kids when you don't want them? Why is it better to bring kids into a world where you can't provide for them? Why is it better to make yourself unhappy so you can create a life that won't be sad if it never exists because it won't know the difference? I don't get it.

I could say meaner things, about how pathetic I think you are because you went through all that trouble to leave a rude comment, because clearly my not wanting to have children deeply affects you personally. But I prefer to keep the four letters words off the blog, because I don't think it's classy to cuss in a public forum in front of people you don't know, and also because

I'm just so thrilled that my blog is worth a rude anonymous comment (and that I have something to submit to My Favorite Hate Mail) that I can't get myself to be hurt or offended. I could not, however, resist commemorating it with it's own response. I'd have emailed it privately, but losers don't leave emails when they have something rude to say.

Sincerely,
The extremely happily childfree Jennifer.

Viv Says:

Jennifer, you are my hero. It takes great strength of character to do what is right for you, even if it flies in the face of society's conventions. (You know, that ALL women want to be mothers... etc.)
There are definitely people out there who should not be allowed to have a pet rock, let alone have children. It's sad that the commenter has more respect for crappy parents who should NEVER have had children, than she does for a woman who recognizes her strengths and her limitations bases her important decisions accordingly.
(I'm still shaking my head at this. Seriously! Unbelievable!)

Mandi Says:

Can someone say STALKER? The amount of time that peope have on their hands and the way they waste it never ceases to amaze me. Miss Jennifer has all the right in the world to decide if she does or does not want children. Cause once you got 'em there is no getting rid of 'em. Its like people choosing to not have a dog. Or a husband. Speaking of which, does anyone want mine? Dog that is, I like my husband.

What Do You Say?

Blandy BiPolarinski's Decor Tips

2011-06-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

One of the most talented and sweet bloggers around is Myra from the Casabella Project. She recently got a sucky comment on a post about some interesting thrift finds that she took home and spray painted white.

The Hater Said:

so, not to be a hater, but i am not too impressed. who needs another cool looking thing for the bookshelf. and im sure they look better in person, but these pictures make them kinda shiny and overly white. idk, if i bought and repurposed every odd thing i saw at goodwill i might think that this craft was interesting, but to me, it seems just a little to pointless to compliment

The Slammed Blogger Says:

My thoughts: If you didn't want to be a hater, then why did you choose to keep criticizing and being mean? You made it very obvious that you didn't care about being a hater or not. Didn't your momma teach you that if you can't say something nice, then it's best to not say anything? If you find my blog content uninteresting and pointless then you are more than welcome to go somewhere else. For now your mean comment just gets to hang out at My Favorite Hate Mail where mean comments go to die. The end.

Viv Says:

I've learned amazing things and been completely inspired visiting the Casabella Project! This commenter is a total nut job. I wonder if she is off her meds this week.

"who needs another cool looking thing for the bookshelf" ...?

Um... I do, thank you very much.

"if i bought and repurposed every odd thing i saw at goodwill i might think that this craft was interesting" ...

This tells me that you have no imagination and probably have trouble seeing the potential in anything. In other words? You're probably pretty boring and not very fun at parties.

"it seems just a little to pointless to compliment"

Um. Yeah. It's much more productive to nit-pick and criticize. This is the verbal equivalent of the whole "it takes 500 million facial muscles to frown but only 6 to smile...." (or something like that.) Lame.

Mandi Says:

It could just be me but I have found that my FAVE decorations at my house were random crappiness that, you guessed it, got a coat of white paint. If this commenter really seriously has an issue with this then she should run away from DIY blogland and NEVER come back. Cause that is something that you are going to find on EVERYONES blog. Maybe she should try cooking blogs, I hear they dont use spray paint over there...

And really, you are seriously going to start a comment out with "Not to be a hater"? That is the lamest lame crap I have ever heard. Its like saying "Not that your wife is ugly, but...she has the face of a gargoyle." Or "Not that you son has bad manners, but....he just crapped on my shoe."

What do you say?

Dear Dictionary, Suck It.

2011-06-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Our girl Lindsay @ Living With Lindsay got a ridiculously helpful comment on a post that's over a year old It was from someone with a throw away email address from Mailinator.com. so... anonymous. She totally loves it when people take their precious time to point out spelling and grammatical errors on her site, in this case, the difference between plead and pleat. And no, she’s not going to correct the error because it's not as big of a deal to her as it apparently is to others, and to quote Miss Lindsay ”eYe LyKe tOo MiSsPeL WuRdS.”

The Hater Says:

plead
(plēd) pronunciation

v., plead·ed, or pled (plĕd), plead·ing, pleads.
v.intr.
   To appeal earnestly; beg: plead for more time.
   To offer reasons for or against something; argue earnestly: plead against a bill.
   To provide an argument or appeal: Your youth pleads for you in this instance.
   Law.
       To put forward a plea of a specific nature in court: plead guilty.
       To make or answer an allegation in a legal proceeding.
       To address a court as a lawyer or advocate.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/plead#ixzz1Mqok5r6p
______________________________________________________________________
pleat
(plēt) pronunciation
n.
A fold in cloth made by doubling the material upon itself and then pressing or stitching it into place.
tr.v., pleat·ed, pleat·ing, pleats.
To press or arrange in pleats: pleat a skirt; pleat curtains.
[Middle English plet, variant of plait, pleat, fold. See plait.]
pleater pleat'er n.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/pleat#ixzz1Mqp1NLq0

The Slammed Blogger Says:

Passive Aggressive Personality

(′pas·iv ə′gres·iv ′pərs·ən′al·əd·ē)
(psychology) A personality disorder characterized by the passive expression of hostility and aggressiveness, as by stubbornness, pouting, or inefficiency.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/passive-aggressive-personality#ixzz1MqxgY9X7

Mandi Says:
Since we are doing definitons…

Freaking Lame:

People who take 10 minutes out of their lives to tell you that you misspelled a word. GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS! Seriously. Plus why would you need to be basically anonymous to do that? Its not like you’re saying “Lindsay you're fat and ugly and your husband looks like a girl” Which would warrant an anonymous name. Definitions? Seriously don’t be a pansy.
ps. the post is over a year old… NO ONE CARES.

Viv Says:
OK, I will readily admit that I am persnickety about grammar and spelling. I am an English dork and I have friends and family who send me their written materials so that I might give a quick editorial check before they turn in their essay or fire off an email. I read the original post and it is possible that I developed a small facial tic every time I came to the word plead instead of pleat.

Here's the thing though... I knew what the blogger meant.

In a situation like this, why post a snarky, rather spiteful comment? If the Hater really wanted to correct that spelling error, the way to do it is a direct email to Lindsey. If someone had spinach in their teeth, the proper thing to do is discreetly pull them aside and let them know... Not grab a megaphone and shout it across the room at a dinner party.

It just goes to show that while the Hater might know the difference between plead and pleat, they don't know the difference between honey and vinegar, and which one is the best for catching flies.

What do you say?

Bigotry 101

2011-05-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Before we start off here: THIS IS NOT A FORUM TO DEBATE DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. This is about one commenter's small-minded stupidity.

Brycie is the lovely and talented gal behind Reenie Jae Creations . She took a quick break from her normal crafting posts to write about something in her life that she was excited about. One of her readers did not share Brycie's enthusiasm. However, rather than politely keep quiet and wait until the next crafting post was published, the reader sent Brycie the following email:

I do so enjoy your blog, but was saddened to hear that you are LDS. To find out that someone of your spunk, sass and creativity has been sucked into the most UNTRUTHFUL church known to man, it just breaks my heart. Can you not see the falsehood of your “church”? The lies and deception they spew? And to be excited about a worldwide broadcast event of lies, is just sad. There are many places you can find the truth and many organizations in Utah that can help you if you want to escape the grasps of the evil. Don’t be afraid to seek the truth. I pray that you may find the truth in your life and be lead unto Christ, the REAL and TRUE Christ. God Bless.

And ps. I am not so sure I will be reading your blog anymore. I have no desire to read posts about a false church.

Concerned Christian

Brycie says:

Dear Concerned Christian,

Thanks so much for enjoying my BLOG! I appreciate that! Though I am saddened to hear that you have stopped reading it on account of my religious belief. In my book that would be under the category of bigotry, don't you think? I mean if stopped reading blogs I loved just because they weren't the same religion or didn't have the exact same belief as myself, I would basically have no blogs to read or follow. Not to mention that would be completely idiotic! I mean we are crafters! Isn't that something we can share DESPITE religion or beliefs? Isn't that the ONE thing that does connect us? It really is sad to think THAT is what stopped you from reading my blog, not that you thought I was tacky or untalented or boring, but because of bigotry! WOW! Sad.

Viv says:

A bigot is a person who is so devoted to their own beliefs and opinions that they are irrationally intolerant of anyone who looks or thinks differently than they do. Concerned Christian...? Um, you meet all the criteria. You're a bigot. Sorry. Time for some self-reflection.

Mandi says:

Bigot: A conjunction of the 2 word Big and Idiot. Hows that for a definition sucka?

I think that Brycie pretty much said it all. I too have had people "unfollow" my blog because of my religion. ITS HER BLOG which means that its a direct refection of Brycie. She can post about whatever she wants. If you have an issue with it, why do you feel like its so necessary to explain? Do you think she writes her blog solely for you Miss Concerned Christian to read? Cause news flash, she doesn't. It does zero good to pull people down with your rudeness. We are all different, every single one of us believe different things, geez stop projecting your mad issues on others.

REMEMBER: this is NOT a debate about religion. Any comments using this post as a platform for their religious views or slamming other's views will be deleted. Understood? Great! Then with that out of the way...

What do you say?

Clash of the Crafters

2011-05-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

There is a monthly craft contest called One Month To Win It. (Think Survivor meets Iron Chef meets Project Runway.) In a Final Round, Emily from Homemade {lovely} made a picnic bag to hold utensils. In the crafter's description of her picnic bag, she wrote:

I know they sell backpack things already stocked with everything you could ever need for a picnic and more, but one, I think those things are a bit tacky, and two, they are definitely a bit of an overkill. I don't know about you, but I have NEVER needed champagne glasses on a picnic.

Apparently, this reference of "a bit tacky" really upset one of the readers, who left the following comment:
I'm not voting for the picnic basket because, while it's cute and creative your write up was super offensive. I love my picnic backpack and when my husband and I dated we loved to go and sip wine on our picnics so the plastic wine glasses were fun on a picnic level. You should be more careful about how you write and think about who your audience might be when you say things. You could have easily made your point without putting anyone down.

Emily was gracious enough not to go for the jugular in her response:
...I'm sorry if my post offended you. If you knew me, you would know the last thing I would ever want to do is offend someone else or hurt their feelings. You are right, I should have just said that those types of backpack bags are not my thing and left it at that. It sounds like you and your husband had a great time using them. Again, sorry. I am posting this anonymously to try and respect the anonymity of the voting and the competition.

Gracious, right?
Not good enough for the Cranky Commentor:
Thanks to the creator of the bag for your follow up comment. I know you didn't intend to offend so I made my comment to point out how it came across to someone who has fond memories of picnic dates with a backpack and having someone associate the word "tacky" with it. I have a feeling you got some sympathy votes since people thought I was lashing out at you, which I WAS NOT. I know in writing it is hard to establish tone, my comment was not an attack, just saying how I felt effected my vote. Your project is very cute and creative, I am looking forward to checking out your other projects when your identity is announced this week!

Several other comments expressed support for Emily, but after anonymous left her follow-up comment, it was just too much for one of them and she got the last word:
You clearly have a few issues. You became offended by such a slight comment that it was pretty ridiculous. AND THEN, after being apologized to, you write a snarky "I have a feeling you got some sympathy votes since people thought I was lashing out at you". That comment is so passive-agressive and petty. I have a feeling you are a person who thrives on drama. Let it go and you will be a lot happier and a lot less easily offended.

Viv Says:
When one finds oneself in a hole, the best thing to do is TO STOP DIGGING!
Sometimes while we try to get one foot out of our mouth, we end up putting the other one in as well. Cranky Commentor needs to just stop. speaking. Stop Speaking! She also needs to realize that she is not the center of the universe and that she should not filter everything she sees and hears through her "it's all about me" perspective.

Mandi Says:
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I know I've been MIA for a week or so and have been painting pretty much the ENTIRE time but I cannot wrap my head around this one. So Mrs. Anonymous is being a meanie cause our cute crafter slightly slammed plastic wine glasses in a tacky picnic bag? Guuuurl. See we are blessed with this weird thing, you may have never heard of it but its called an OPINION. Personally I dont use toilet paper cause I think its a crime against mother nature. Chew on that.

Actually I do use toilet paper, which reminds me I need to go to the store.

Male cheerleaders shouldn't be so sensitive. (People will make fun of 'em...)

2011-05-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

My brother-in-law (whom I love dearly) is just out of his element when he leaves wacky comments on my blog...
****originally published on The V Spot January 27, 2009****

image

Criticism is part of life. I expect it. I yap about whatever I want to on this blog and I figure most people
a) don't read it;
b) could care less; or,
c) agree with me.

Sometimes it is the person doing the criticizing that is a surprise.... I am being criticized by my (big, strapping, weightlifting) brother-in-law because I said in a post that the movie Bring It On has no plot.
I will respond to what I sincerely hope are his tongue in cheek comments. (I thought about putting his comments in pink, but that's just uncalled for. Italics will work just fine.)

As the former captain of a male Yell Leading squad ('88 CVHS), and who at one point in his own life could indeed do round-off's, cartwheels and splits (from my own Karate days no less)...

You do know this is a public site, right? Other people will find out about this past of yours...

I am stunned you say there is no plot to Bring It On. "Blasphemy" I yell in my gold and black megaphone!

OK, maybe I was a bit harsh when I said there was NO plot. I'll rephrase. There IS a plot. It's just that it is so tired, transparent and formulaic that it is easy label it as having no plot.
I stand corrected.

I'll have you know there are 4 movies in the franchise, with a 5th (Bring It On: Fight to the Finish) slated for a 2009 release!!

McDonald's is a franchise too. Just because there are a lot of them around doesn't make them innovative, exciting, thought-provoking or necessary. (And the fact that you are so generous with the use of exclamation points when it comes to writing about the 5th one... well, it has me a bit worried about you.)

The stories are chock full of high stakes drama fueled by teen angst as generally the under dogs have to overcome insurmountable odds to prove they are the best cheer team.

Remove the cheerleader aspect and you've just described the plot of every Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon ever made.

It's the tale of the unsung hero's...the cheerleaders and yell leaders of our communities. We never get credit.

Does the tale belong to the unsung heroes, or is it about them? Decide, adjust your punctuation accordingly, then get back to me. (Say hi to my sis and give her a big hug!)
~~~Vivienne

Mandi Says:

Oh my gosh. I wish I could tell you my husbands deepest darkest secret right now. But I cant. I think that everyone has an opinion and whether we agree with it or not its valid. Viv hated the movie. Her bro-in-law obviously loved it.

Personally I liked it but it DID rub in my face how uncoordinated I am and how when I yell it comes out all Banshee and crap. (just ask the girls in my bunco group)

ps. I am LOLing that he called cheer and yell leaders unsung heros of the community. Riiiiight.

What do you say?

PLEASE SEND US OVER SOME HATE MAIL! Or else will be forced to post stupid youtube videos of cats eating peanut butter like the ones you see on icarly!

And You Thought Your Mother In Law Was Bad….

2011-05-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

One of our really great friends on twitter sent us this email. She has asked to remain Anonymous for reasons that you shall be made very aware of.

The Slammed Blogger Says:
I had a blog... I no longer have that blog thanks to my psycho mother- in-law.

Seriously. She.is.evil.

I started a blog about my happy little family, decorating, creating, crafting, cooking...basically everything I love. I had a pretty good little following for only having been around a few months. Well. My in-laws are crazy, mean people. Not quite sure how my husband turned out like he did.
Back to the blog. When I decided to start my blog, I also decided to block my sister-in-law on Facebook because I didn't want her to share my blog with anyone in their family ( mostly because I feel like the only way to avoid snide, hateful comments from them is to avoid them at all costs.) So at first I blocked her ( or so I thought) so I would post my links to FB so my friends and family could visit the blog. Well, apparently I never clicked the block button and she was able to view my blog. Of course, she sent it to EVERYONE in their family and they were all (unbeknownst to me) stalking it daily. Well one day I did a post about how I would not be visiting them over a weekend and that my son and I would have the weekend to bond and have a little fun. ( He had a double ear infection and I ended up with a stomach virus-so neither of us would have done well on a 6 hour car trip) Well about 2 weeks later ... I get a comment made from an email address from my MIL's company that says. "Too late all the in-laws have already read this and we know you are a liar." Pretty sweet huh? Then she went on to leave comments under craft posts that I had done that said "stupid" "ugly" etc. She went back and deleted those, but my email sure did save them for me to see.

Before you judge me for trying to keep my in-laws at a distance let me tell you a few little stories.

1. Before I graduated from college, she told me "I can't believe you wasted your education on over-paid babysitting." ( I am a teacher)

2. When we got engaged there was no congratulations, I was told " You better not mess up his life" ( we both had jobs, college degrees and we had bought a beautiful home together, we had also been together 4 years) She went right out and got a bigger diamond for her ring so that mine would not be bigger than hers.

3. She insisted on paying for the DJ for our formal evening wedding but our cost limit was $500.00 and she never signed the contract. So a month before the wedding she called and blamed my husband for it. When I nicely and calmly said "Don't worry about, it I will call my mom and we will take care of it." She called me ( and my mom) "Stuck up snotty Bi*&%es." Then REFUSED to apologize for it.

4. At said wedding she literally stomped her feet and threw a screaming fit IN THE CHURCH over pictures she wanted taken ( but didn't pay a dime for)

5. When I was pregnant she asked me what our names were for the baby and I proceeded to tell her both girl and boy names and she promptly told me " if you name a girl that I will make fun of her every time I see her. A name like that deserves to be made fun of."

6. When she visited my brand new baby who had no immune system in the hospital, she had a fever. She didn't bother to tell me that until she was holding the baby.

7. During the first year of my child's life she NEVER once came to visit him ( she lives an hour away) Then badmouths us for not driving 6 hours to see her extended family?

AND that my friends was the last straw. You mess with my kid? I am DONE with you. So guess what? I don't care what she thinks of me.... I am a nice person with a good heart and she can trash me all she wants to whomever she wants. Because I have a wonderful family, and that is what matters.

And you know what I have to say to her? Nothing. Talking to her would be a waste of my breath.

Although I would love to tell her she should see a doctor about Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

I closed my old blog down, got off Facebook completely and have started fresh with a new blog... and I have yet to receive on mean comment on it :)

(BOO-YAH)

Mandi Says:
Wow. I am pretty much speechless. Is her name by chance Luci…fer? She has got some big issues and you probably should keep your happy fam away from her claws. And good for you for starting another blog!

Viv Says:
This is one of those times when I wish Dr. Freud was still on call. I think the Slammed Blogger hit the nail on the head when she talked about narcissism... but I think she may have the added bonus of a true sociopath for a mother-in-law. Let's discuss some sociopathic tendencies, mkay?
Anti-social behavior? Check!
Lacking a sense of moral responsibility? Check!
Social conscience isn't what it should be? Check!
Ridiculous notions of entitlement? Check!
Impulsive...? Superficial...? Manipulative...? Check! Check! and Check!

For reals, go here if you think I am kidding.

I'm glad our Slammed Blogger started another blog. She needs a good pen name, but she for sure needs an outlet for her creativity... and a way to get her MIL stories off her chest. Keep it up. Keep writing, keep creating and keep that whack-a-doo away from your precious family. You are under NO obligation to this woman. She lost her chance for a nice relationship with her son's wife and child.
(And even if you did keep extending an olive branch... she's a sociopath and would just take it and beat you with it...)

What Do You Say?

Why You Should Care About What Your Kids Wear.

2011-05-02T03:58:00.000-07:00

Miss Michelle@ A Little Tipsy got this awesome comment on this post: What Should My Son Wear?

This is the most moronic thing I've ever seen. No, really: ever. What kind of a self-absorbed fool puts that much time into what their son is going to wear for a photo? I am pretty sure that the part that's supposed to matter in any photo is your child--his face, his size, his personality.
Your priorities are whacked, and you're an egocentric freak. Get over yourself.

The Slammed Blogger Says:
How sad that this is the most moronic thing you have EVER seen.
Your life must be pretty dull. I have seen countless more moronic things, like how about the lady who called the cops because someone stole her weed.
What mom doesn't put time in to what her kid will wear in a photo shoot? Sad. They are the ones scarred for life because the yearbook comes out and there they are permanently documented in the hands of 500 kids with a bad case of bedhead.
Of course I am going to let his face and personality shine. Actually, I was planning on cutting off his head in all the shots and just focusing on the incredible outfit. Please. Of course my child is most important. He is so cute that he looks adorable in anything I put him in which makes it so hard to choose.
I understand if you think I am egocentric. I am pretty self-absorbed, I do write a blog about myself. Though I do not set up a "special" account to cut others down. I hope you get what you need out of it. I know it gave me a big smile and chuckle. You win for the most moronic comment, no really, EVER.

Mandi Says:
I ditto everything Michelle says. If you don’t care what your kid wears your family picture will end up like mine: (click to enlarge)

Yes, that really is our family Christmas picture. I am the one with the mullet holding the baby with a unibrow.

Viv Says:
Dang it, Mandi! You gave me the hurty-kind of hiccups that you can get from laughing really hard!

(I bet last Friday, Ms. Anonymous was pulling her hair out due to all of the Self Absorbed Egocentric Freaks who were so interested in what Kate Middleton was wearing!)
The vibe that her hateful, venomous comment gives me is that she is the type of person who sucks the air (and the fun) out of any room she's in. She is the Sucker of Fun. The Enemy of Style. In the great fashion delicatessen, she is an egg-salad sandwich on white. She is tight lipped, thin skinned, and has a perennial pebble in her shoe. And she wants to share her gloom.

Michelle summed it all up pretty well, but I would ask this question: what kind of self-absorbed fool DOESN'T pay attention to how their kids look? There have been times when my kids didn't look clean, put together and well kept, (shocking, right?!) and I am fairly certain it was a bad reflection ON ME.

So which is it? Is Michelle self-absorbed because she cared about how her little guy looked in what were probably his very first school photos? Was I self-absorbed because I didn't scrutinize my kids enough before they walked out the door? OR... is Ms. Anonymous self-absorbed because she hasn't figured out she needs to get over herself?
(I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's that last one...)

What Do You Say?

You.Are.Nuts

2011-04-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Suesan @ Frou Fru Gal created one of the coolest projects that we have ever seen. So cool indeed that is was featured on Re-Nest.

The first comment on the post was from "Sam I Am" and he said this:

That poor settee. :(

The Slammed Settee Says:
Dear Sam I Am,
Thank you for your thoughtful, but misplaced, concern for me. Before my owner bought me, I was dirty and neglected. My upholstery was ugly and so last, last, last, last season. Powder Blue went out with geese, sunflowers and bunny rabbit decor. I was choking to death under my ancient varnish. My true beauty was hidden under that old finish. Now my natural grain and inner beauty shines proudly for all to see. I love my map. It's cool and now and unexpected. Don't cry for me, Sam I Am. I'm free and beautiful and everything I ever wanted to be.
Signed,
The Coolest Settee on the Block.

Mandi Says:
Seriously. I only WISH I could come up with projects as amazing as this. Sam you are seriously delusional if you think this settee was better before.

Vivienne Says:
That Sam I Am, that Sam I Am! I do not like that Sam I Am! We do not all have to like the same things, but there are ways to avoid hurting her feelings! That Sam I Am! I do not like his attempt at a witticism... he'd be better off trying some constructive criticism!
(On a non-Seussian note: I adore this settee and have told her more than once how awesome it is! Sam I Am should refer to the map... perhaps he could find where he left his manners.)

What Do You Say?