Time Wasters and Retail Therapy

I hate time wasters!!! I hate, hate, HATE, time wasters. I don't mind wasting my own time. (i.e. face book, word with friends, solitaire, etc.) And I don't even terribly mind other people wasting my time. But, let me tell you, when the government or insurance companies or  some other faceless institution wastes my time-that really gets me steamed. Really. I have been trying to get some paperwork taken care of with our comp insurance company for the past month and a half. I keep faxing forms. I watch the fax machine transmit each form. Then a few weeks later I get a letter telling me that they don't have  certain page. Or they can't read a certain paragraph on a page they have, or they have page number one, but not number two, so could I please send that to them? So I do. I send exactly what they ask for, and then a couple weeks later I get a letter telling me they don't have the information that they had before. Over and over and over again. Do they think all I do is look up, fill out, and fax forms to them? What about a real job? Albeit, I don't have one of those. But if I did, I think I'd have to quit. Or taking care of my kids, or cooking or cleaning, or...or...or? Anyway, I have again faxed forms (the same ones I faxed on 11-8-11), now I get to remember to call on Friday afternoon to see if they finally got them. End of rant.

I was thinking about my favorite stores as I was cooking today. I have a lot of favorites, each for different reasons.
My all around favorite is Meijer-they have the best selection of produce, meat, and ethnic food plus everything else a person might like.
I love Aldi for efficiency-there is absolutely no possible way to waste time there. In there, out of there, and it's cheap to boot. Love it!
Then let's hear it for Hobby Lobby. HL is my go-to store for home decorating on a budget, for crafts, and for all around coolness. I like that everything in the store is 50% off  50% of the time. If it isn't on sale this week, you can almost guarantee it will be next week. And they have a great crash and dent section.
My favorite clothes store is Christopher and Banks. Classic, feminine, and their sales make most of their merchandise rather affordable.
Coldwater Creek has the most girly clothes. Long, flowy skirts. Pretty blouses. I love that store. I have only ever bought one thing there.  (A blouse at 70% off. Such a deal!) But I still love looking.=)
My gun store is Rylee's Ace Hardware. Alright, it is also just my favorite hardware store. Its not like I have a bunch of "gun" needs. I like the special knobs, and plumbing fixtures, and cool cooking things. Tools...not so much.
I like Barnes and Nobles. I love the nice chairs, and the shelves and shelves of books. Because reading is my favorite pastime-next to blogging and coffee drinking. And they all have coffee shops, so that takes care of that.
Williams and Sonoma always gets a drop in if I'm in the vicinity. I love the displays of copper cookware, and $3000 coffee makers, and innovative, aesthetic kitchen utensils.
Soaps and thick lotions are the best from Bath and Body. I splurge on their anti-bacterial soaps because they smell so good, and I can always tell if my kids have washed their hands. Its worth it.
Penzey's Spices...truly one of the neatest stores around! They have pretty jars and bags of any spice or herb you can think of. It is a feast for the senses. So awesome! And they have recipes and uses for each spice/herb. Very helpful. If I need a spice, this is the first place I look. And I always get my Indian spices there.
IKEA-how can you NOT love IKEA? I like the upstairs layout of the every room of the house. It is all  streamlined, and interesting  to look at. Lots of great ideas for organizing!
And even though I wear very little makeup, the place I get what I do wear, and my nail polish, is Ulta. Its bright and colorful, and they have the best selection of O.P.I. nail polish-my fav.

The extended Hippie family. Photo credits to NPT.

I think it may be time for some "retail" time wasting to counteract the insurance paperwork.=)