Happy New Year

Happy New Year to my few faithful blog friends! I know I've been an absent blogger lately but there has been some heavy stuff going down at work that I can't blog about but that has been consuming my thoughts. There is some resolution, possibly temporary but a resolution for now nonetheless. So as things settle down I hope to get back to my semi-regular blogging soon, because let's face it that is about as regularly as I blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful, peaceful 2009!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crackers

The Dallas Morning News recently held their annual holiday cookie contest, which is always filled with wonderful and different recipes. This one placed 2nd in the "easy" division, which is right up my alley! I am planning to do my holiday baking and put together friend and neighbor gifts tomorrow. I think these beauties will be a must! Easy and yummy, what better combination is there?
CHOCOLATE PEANUT-BUTTER CRACKERS

1 (18-ounce) jar peanut butter

1 (14.5-ounce) box Ritz brand crackers (you will use 48 crackers)

12 ounces chocolate-flavored almond bark (see note)

Chopped nuts, white chocolate chips to decorate (optional) Spread the peanut butter on 24 crackers. Top with the remaining 24 crackers, so you have 24 sandwiches.

Melt almond bark in a double boiler or on the stovetop over low heat.

Dip the peanut-butter cracker sandwiches into the melted chocolate and set on wax paper to cool.

Makes 24 cookies.

Optional decorations: Before cooling, sprinkle on chopped nuts, or melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave and drizzle over cooled cookies.

All By Myself: Grey's Wrap

Overall a solid episode to end 2008 I think. Or maybe the last couple of episodes have been so weak that I’ve just lowered my standards and this one was just better in comparison? Anyway on to…

Things I Liked
1. Mark! Love, love, love my Mark! He isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but he is my favorite. I loved him with Callie: “No hot interns!”, and boy did he end up eating those words in the end. I really like the chemistry between he and Lexie, but I will admit to getting a bit of a Lolita vibe from their ending scene. “Teach me, teach me…” Teach you what? You are a grown woman. He can teach her in the hospital, but in private…well that was a bit weird! If the writers are going to continue this they need to portray Lexie more as the woman she is, not like an immature girl. You could see that Mark was trying to resist her but he just couldn’t do it. Love him and I like the potential for this storyline if written the right way.

2. “That’s one of us down there”. Meredith saying that took me back to when this show was really good. I liked that she was supportive of Alex when he was awarded the surgery that she wanted, but I did not like her making it personal with Christina and I was glad that Christina called her on that.

3. Alex. His “I love you” speech to Izzie made me get all teary, but I HATE that it was wasted on her. I am not sure where they are taking this whole Alex/Izzie/Denny thing, but I have a bad feeling that it’s going to end with Alex getting his heart broken. I was happy that he got the solo surgery too since he did present the best case to Christina. And speaking of Christina…

4. Christina and Major Doctor Hottie were yummy! I loved their final scene in the boiler room together. He is still a bit of an odd duck, but he knew that she needed a breakdown and took her to just the right place and made her all kinds of happy. I just love them more and more every week!

5. Bailey. I enjoyed seeing her enthusiasm for learning something new. And I loved that Mark saw that she was genuinely excited to learn and let her be part of that cutting edge surgery. “I was young, gifted and black.” Yes you are Bailey, yes you are!!

6. The conflict between Christina and Meredith. Not sure why but I’m enjoying seeing them have conflict. No friendship is perfect!


Things I Didn’t Like
1. Denny. Kill him already! Oh wait, he is dead! I do not like this “triangle”. I don’t like not knowing where it’s going and I do not like that Izzie is making Alex look like a fool! I don’t like that it’s making Izzie look like an incompetent doctor and I don’t like that it has made me really not like Izzie. She used to be one of my favorites and now I can’t stand the sight of her on my TV.

2. Not enough Meredith & Derek as a couple. I get that they are trying to show them as a settled couple and I was okay with the lack of couple time earlier in the season, but can we get a gratuitous love scene once in awhile, please?? I did enjoy their exchange at the board though.

3. Sadie. I don’t like her as an intern. I don’t like her as a potential love interest (Ick!) for Callie. I just really don’t like her and I don’t care who her father is. Just get rid of her!

4. Dr. Dixon. I get that they are trying to portray her as having Asperger’ but IMO they are missing the mark. Her scene with the brain dead girl’s family made me cringe. I get that she is autistic, but no doctor would be allowed to speak to a family that way. She is older so she has obviously been a doctor for a long time. Asperger’s or not she should have been taught better than that or at least not be allowed to speak to grieving families. It was a really awful scene!

5. Not enough George. Give the man something worthwhile to do.


Things I Didn’t Care About
1. The interns. Lather, rinse, repeat. They take up valuable air time that should be given to the characters that I have grown to love.

It looks like we’ve got a long wait for the next new episode, which I do not like. I felt like the ending of the show gave some stories strong momentum and I’m afraid that having to wait a month for a new episode could derail some of that. Now it’s your turn, let me know what you think. What did you love? Hate? Just not care about???

Future Writer?

I am so proud of Cole! I received a note from Cole's writing teacher early this week requesting permission for her to enter a poem that he wrote in a national writing contest. The title of the poem is "A Monday Morning" and I will admit that I was a bit surprised that it was so well written! If I can get the author's permission I will post it on my blog, but for today I just wanted to say how proud I am of my little budding writer and ask for some good luck wishes for him. I think it would be so cool if he actually got some recognition and had his poem published!

Happy Thanksgiving

Harder Than It Looks

Cole got a RipStik for his birthday and decided to get outside and try to learn to ride it yesterday. It is much more difficult than it looks...

But with some help from his dad and encouragement from friends...

He is starting to get the hang of it.

In the Midnight Hour: Grey's Wrap

I am honestly not 100% sure if I liked this episode. When it ended I was left sort of scratching my head trying to figure out what I was going to write about it. I think I might should go back and watch it again before writing this, but I’m seeing Twilight today and have a super busy weekend so I’m going to go ahead and knock it out because otherwise it might not get done.

Things I Liked
1. Callie and Mark as BFF’s. They are so fun and light and funny. I love them as friends, and friends ONLY! I do not want a romantic relationship there. Callie is like kryptonite to a romantic relationship so keep her strictly platonic with my Mark.

2. Mark with the young girl. He was so great with her. The scene where she fell asleep on his shoulder was so sweet. I’m happy to see the writers show him as something more than a horn dog and I was thrilled to get some of his back story!

3. Christina and Major Doctor Hottie. Loved their interaction. I love that he is vulnerable and unsure and I’m glad that the writers seem to be taking their time developing their relationship. I think when they finally get down to real business it’s going to be HOT!

4. The Christina/Meredith argument. Real friendships have their struggles, nothing is perfect, and I’m glad to see that happening here. Their relationship was starting to border on unhealthy so it’s nice to see a little conflict. I’m guessing from the preview that this isn’t resolved and will come into play when choosing the solo surgery in the next episode.

5. Derek brought home a stray! I’m just really enjoying Derek as a character and watching his relationship with Meredith evolve. I like that they are getting along and just being.

6. Alex. He was just a good guy this episode. I liked how he handled the situation with the hypochondriac patient and her husband, and I liked his support of Izzy at the end of the episode.

7. Bailey. Her “no more speeches” speech was great! “I raised my babies, now it’s your turn.” I loved her with Callie, I loved her helping save the butts of the stupid interns. I just love her! She is the best character on this show.

Things I Didn’t Like
1. Izzy and Denny. This whole thing is too weird. I can’t figure out where they are taking it and for now it’s just creeping me out. Hot, loud, sweaty sex with a dead guy? Huh? I do like that Izzy went with Alex at the end though.

2. Sadie. Girlfriend is nuts. Not feeling her at all and I hope she goes away soon.

Things I Didn’t Care About
1. The interns. Aside from Lexie I don’t care about any of these people, so their surgery fight club doesn’t interest me at all. I hope they cut down the intern crew soon. There are just too many of them to have any sort of meaningful story.

That’s it for me. I’m sure I forgot something but I’ve got to get to work so I don’t have any more time to think about it. Let me know what you guys thought.

Thankful Thursday

Yet another Thursday upon us already...where do these things come from and how do they get here so quickly? Even harder to believe is that next Thursday is the biggest Thankful Thursday of all! For today I am thankful for...

1. Ron. Sunday is my 12th wedding anniversary. I can't believe that Ron and I have been married that long. My mom asked me last night how many years it was going to be and I told her 12 and that we were still really happy together. And I meant it! Lots of people can't say the same thing after that many years together so I'm thankful to know that I have the right guy for me!

2. My Mom. She is watching Cole for us this weekend so we can go out and celebrate our anniversary. I'm so thankful that she is always willing to watch him for us so we don't have to hire sitters. She loves being with him and he loves being with her and he is so much happier with his Gigi than some random person.

3. Vacation. I am thankful that I get so many vacation days and I am even more thankful that I will be using some to be off next week. I can't wait to sleep in, spend some QT with Cole, and get my house decorated for Christmas.

4. Christmas Savings Account.

I did good this year! I put back enough that I should easily be able to buy Christmas gifts and maybe even have some left over to start next year's fund. I am thankful that we will be able to have our own Christmas wishes granted and be able to grant some wishes for those less fortunate than us.

5. The end of Cole's football season. This has been a LONG season filled with drama and I am glad it's almost over. Ron is Cole's team head coach and after this season I can totally see why more parents don't volunteer. We have a great group of boys and a mostly great group of parents, but it really does only take one bad apple to ruin the bunch! I can't wait to wish this particular apple good riddance.

Happy Birthday Cole

Happy 10th Birthday to the best kid in the world -- yes I am 100% shamelessly biased when it comes to my baby! HA! You are a wonderful little man and I feel so lucky to be your Mom. I have enjoyed every second of the last 10 years with you and can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

On Hiatus

With my uncle passing away and the craziness of the week I am just not into writing a Grey's wrap this week. I watched the episode hoping to be inspired by it, but I just wasn't. I actually dozed off mid-epidsode. Not good! Sorry girls. I would love to hear what you guys thought of the episode though. I'll be back with your regularly scheduled wrap up next Friday!

Rise Up! Grey's Wrap

Another solid episode this week. I really liked just about everything about the episode and don’t have too much to complain about. I thought it was a great mix of drama with some lighthearted moments thrown in, and that worked perfectly!

Things I Liked
1. Ed and Rose. What a sweet couple. I sure hated to see Rose die, even though I knew it was coming. I loved Bailey and Derek and how they helped Ed let go of his Rose. I loved that Derek stepped up and did what neither Ed nor Bailey could do. Their kindness to Ed was one of the reasons they are two of my favorites. Besides, I have a soft spot for sweet little old people so this was an A+ storyline for me!

2. Major Doctor Hottie. It’s like he is getting to verbalize so many things that I’ve thought about the people of Seattle Grace for a long time! He was right, they are disrespectful and ill-trained and don’t treat their patients like people, and they are more concerned with their soap opera personal lives than they are taking care of their patients. I liked him calling them all out to the chief. But I do think the writers are going to have to watch it with him or his self-righteousness could seriously start to grate! He needs some flaws too.

3. Christina with Major Doctor Hottie. I loved that she shared with him about her dad. I think they are going to connect on a level that she never connected with Burke because she is going to earn his respect before she earns his love. I think he really gets Christina and I don't think Burke ever cared to. However I was not completely happy with her in this episode, which I’ll save for later.

4. The Chief! He was too funny tormenting George with the doll. I like when the chief shows a little personality.

5. Hahn. I know, I know, I have done nothing but complain about her the last few weeks, but I totally got her anger over the whole Izzy/Denny heart stealing. For the first time I really felt her character. I think Brooke Smith is a good actress and I think she could have been an asset to the show if used in the right way, but they just ruined her with the Callie lesbian storyline.
And while I enjoyed her tonight, I didn’t feel any sadness watching her walk away at the end of the episode and I really won't miss her.

6. Derek and Meredith. I am glad that their relationship drama isn't a focus of the show anymore. They are established as a couple and while the writers do make a point to show us that they are still dealing with issues as any couple does, their issues aren't the sole point of every episode and I enjoy them so much more.


Things I Didn’t Like
1. Christina as a resident. I thought last week was going to be a breakthrough for her and she was going to learn how to be a good resident and teacher. But tonight? She was an awful teacher! Why does she even have interns? I can’t believe that Bailey or the chief haven’t called her on how poor of a job she is doing with her interns.

2. The cadavers in the basement. That was just a tiny bit creepy!

3. Derek pimping out Mark. I didn't like Mark trying to pick Christina up, though I do think the reason behind it was entertaining. Give my Mark his own storyline!


Things I Didn’t Care About
1. Denny. I came to the realization tonight that he’s played out. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was hot as usual, but the Denny thing is tired. Let it go, Shonda!

That’s all I’ve got. Let me know what you guys thought. Did you like it? Hate it? Did I miss something important? Talk to me.

Thankful Thursday

Thursday again already? Wow! Thanks to Tib for the nifty new graphic. Today I am thankful for...

1. Heating pads, muscle relaxers, and Aleve. How sad is it that Aleve makes my list so regularly? A sign of getting old I guess. Anyway I have had a doozy of a pinched nerved in my neck this week and those three things have gotten me through the worst of it. I'm so glad it's finally feeling better and I can actually turn my head without pain.

2. My sweet Cole. My baby boy will turn 10 years old in a couple of weeks and I am so thankful to have made it to 10 without screwing him up too much. Now if we can just make it to 20 and still be able to say the same thing!

3. Self-control. I have used all of my reserves this week. I do not understand people who use petty things like politics and sports as an excuse to be rude or hateful to others, especially those who they call friend. We are all different and have different beliefs but isn't that what makes the world go round? It would be a boring place if we only associated with those who thought and felt the way we did, wouldn't it? Some of my closest friends are my polar opposite but I love and appreciate them and hope that they feel the same about me, regardless of our differences.

No Animals Were Harmed in This Grey's Wrap!

Sorry but that disclaimer being replayed over and over cracked me up. Tell me that Hollywood doesn't repsect the craziness that can be PETA. Talk about covering your butt!

Another really good episode this week.

Things I Loved
1. Owen! I love, love Major Doctor Hottie and am going to need a lot more of him! He is a total bad ass but there is a reason for it, he’s earned the right to it, and while he owns it he seems to be a good guy where it counts. I loved how he made Derek and Mark look like fools, they have needed that for awhile. His asking to be taught and learn was brilliant! And Christina? I think they’ve picked a good one for her. They have major chemistry so I am going to enjoy seeing this relationship develop. Good stuff!

2. Christina, all the way around. I liked Christina the teacher. I want to see more of this. She rocked the house with her interns saving the pigs! I felt so bad for her when Owen told her to put the pigs down. I don’t think I could have done it either, Christina. She does have a human side and I enjoy it when we get to see it. I liked friend Christina too. She and Meredith running from Owen at the beginning of the episode was cute and fun and cracked me up!

3. Anatomy Jane. Not for any particular reason, I just thought it was a really clever way to involve Meredith in the tumor storyline. She created a connection between Meredith and Bailey, showed a past connection to the Chief, and she helped Meredith figure out a way to operate on tumor girl. She helped give Meredith a stellar episode all the way around. Nice!

4. Erica’s speech to Callie at the beginning of the show. I know, I haven’t been on board with the Callie/Hahn as a couple storyline and I’m still not, but her vulnerability got to me. I can totally buy Hahn as a lesbian, and I’m fine with that, just not as a couple with Callie. It has been obvious that Erica is more into Callie and I felt bad for her when she was giving the speech because I knew she was going to get her feelings hurt. Get her another woman and run with the lesbian storyline because she sold me!

5. Bailey. Not for any particular reason this episode, I just love her and her awesomeness so I felt compelled to mention her. She is going to make a fine chief one day!

6. Lexie & George. Their friendship is so sweet and fun.
Lexie: "I named the pigs today." George: "I don't know what that means." Genius!

7. Izzy and Alex. They bring out the best in each other!

8. Mark. Come on, you aren’t surprised, are you? I always love Mark! I love the friendship between Mark & Callie. Beneath his brash exterior I think Mark is a really good guy and I was glad to hear someone tell him that.

Things I Didn’t Love
1. Callie. I don’t like cheater Callie. Does she not have patients to take care of? You are telling me that the only orthopedic resident that we know of has nothing better to do than have sex in the on-call room all day? I think it has become pretty obvious by now that she is not that into a romantic relationship with Hahn and she is being cruel leading her on. This has this potential to end very badly, so I think they just need to drop this storyline and let Callie do what she does best…screw Mark.

2. Hahn’s attitude toward Bailey during the surgery. What a bitch!

Things I Just Didn’t Care About
1. The tumor girl. Is it wrong that I cared more about what happened to the pigs? I did like the one scene with the girl’s father and the chief, but the rest of that storyline just didn’t do anything for me.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

1. My 100 blog entries. When I started this little blog on January 1 it was completely on a whim. I assumed it would be like my high school diary where I would jump in with enthusiasm and eventually peter out, so imagine my surprise when I noticed earlier this week that I had reached the 100 entry mark. Yea me!

2. Tuesday is finally election day. I am ready for this one to be OVER! I've seen sides of people that I don't wish to see again and have been witness to more than one friendship being damaged beyond repair by politics.

3. Tomorrow is Halloween. Maybe now all of the well meaning pepople that I work with will take the candy home!

4. My crock pot. I love this time of year when I can have something good cooking all day while I am at work and dinner is ready when I get home. Today I am especially thankful for the yummy spaghetti and meatballs that we will be eating tonight!

5. I almost forgot one. I bought my first Christmas gift today! I am terribly behind this year, so I'm thankful to have that first one out of the way.

Ask Cole

I have seen this fun little Q&A on several friend's blogs and since Cole and I were hanging at home today I thought it would be fun to see his answers...

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Get ready for football practice.

2. What makes mom happy?
Two things: Whenever I follow her instructions. And whenever I win football games.

3. What makes mom sad?
Me not listening.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
When she has some sort of sense of humor.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
I don't even know, you never told me.

6. What is her favorite thing to do?
Go to Cowboys games.

7. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Go on the internet.

8. What is your mom really good at?
Guitar Hero and Rock Band

9. What is your mom not very good at?
Trying to talk Dad out of something.

10. What does your mom do for her job?
She works for Verizon and sits at the computer all day.

11. What is your mom's favorite food?
Chocolate chip cookies.

12. What makes you proud of your mom?
She doesn't embarass me nearly as much as my dad.

13. What do you and your mom do together?
Play Rock Band

14. How are you and your mom the same?
We both like music. A lot.

15. How are you and your mom different?
We don't like the same styles of music.

16. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Target

17. How do you know your mom loves you?
She buys me awesome video games.

Warning: Bragging Ahead

See that report card? That is pretty much what Cole's first 4th grade report card looks like! Well except we don't do A's, we do 4's, but replace the A's with a 4 and you get the idea. :)

I had parent/teacher conference this morning and both of Cole's teachers were very complimentary. His math and science teacher, who is also his homeroom teacher, said that his math skills are "unbelieveable" and "far exceed the expectations for a 4th grader at any level". She also complimented his wonderful behavior, called him an example to others and said that he is a leader in his classroom with his actions and ability. His language arts teacher, who I just LOVE for her enthusiasm for her profession and really wish was his homeroom teacher, said that there weren't enough positive adjectives to describe how great she thinks Cole is. She praised his creative writing and and wrote on his report card that he "has an extensive vocabulary and enjoys the suble nuances in the written word far beyond his age." She told me that she wishes she had a classroom full of Cole's and her job would do itself.

Both teachers recommended to me that they believe we should reconsider our stance and have Cole tested for Alpha, which is our school district's gifted and talented program. They said that they have 5 or 6 kids in their rotation who are Alpha and that they feel that Cole exceeds the abilities of any of those children. Ron and I have previously been against doing anything that would put a label on Cole, but both teachers feel that he is going to need the enrichment that Alpha would provide especially going into 5th grade. So we are going to think about it and discuss it further and decide before spring testing.

Needless to say I left this morning's conference with a spring in my step and a lot of pride for my sweet boy. He tries so hard to always do the right thing, he's a good friend, and works hard to be a good student, so it was thrilling to get such positive feedback from his teachers.

I Did My Part...

Early voting rocks! Cole has been sporting my "My Vote Counted" sticker today and telling people that his parents voted for Obama. As you can probably imagine, that goes over well here in red Texas! LOL

This is one of the most exciting elections I can remember in my lifetime, so make sure that you can say you were part of it. No matter which candidate you support, get out and vote and let your voice be heard too.

There's No "I" in Team...Grey's Wrap

This was a much better episode for me, which I think you'll see reflected in my "things I like" below. It was balanced and well written and just really good!

Things I Liked
1. Derek giving Meredith the kidney in a jar. I am enjoying seeing them work out their problems like adults. I do think Derek was wrong in not giving Meredith any credit for helping with the clinical trial, but I think Meredith overreacted a bit too. When Derek, with Bailey’s help, realized he was wrong and needed to apologize he knew that hearts and flowers wouldn’t be the right thing for Meredith, and the kidney was a perfect apology!

2. Izzy and Alex. I don’t know what it is about these two. I generally find myself disliking them apart, but together I can’t get enough. Her telling him that she cares about him was perfection! She knew that she needed to beat it in his head. She knows the wounded little boy that Alex is on the inside and she found the way to get through to him, at least for a moment.

3. Christina discussing Burke. I’m glad that writers haven’t forgotten her history with him and are showing us how his leaving affected her. I know they are doing it to set up something with Major Doctor Hottie, but no matter the reason I’m glad that it’s being addressed.

4. Bailey! I liked her taking charge of the whole organ transplant thing. I liked her reminding Izzy of her own organ stealing days. I liked her beat down of the residents: “You, you are lazy. You're whiny and butterfingers over there? You're downright depressing.” Hee! And her “Five Second Rule!” LOL And I loved her conversation with the cheating man’s wife and how she took her to meet the family of the woman who received her kidney. Bailey always knows the right moves to make because she is ten kinds of awesome!

5. Lexie giving George a smackdown. “Did you even ask for me?” That was a wonderful scene! Granted she was a little immature decorating George’s locker like they were in high school, and if she had just told him how she felt she wouldn’t feel like such a doormat. But the girl is obviously crazy about George and I can’t believe that he is too blind to see it. Me thinks he is going to figure it out too late, like when Lexie ends up sleeping with Mark. And speaking of…

6. I love Mark! I know, minority opinion here, but he is just the most fun character. He says what I am thinking about 99% of the time! I really wish the writers would give him his own woman and his own storyline. Eric Dane is great!

7. The previews for next week. Major Doctor Hottie is back! From the looks of the previews he isn't going to be making many friends at Seattle Grace, but I think his character is going to bring some sorely needed new life into the show.


Things I Didn’t Like
1. Callie & Hahn. Normally I just don’t care about them but this week they have moved to don’t like status. I can’t believe they went there. Doesn’t Callie know that what she did with Mark was cheating, at least sort of? And Callie isn’t a cheater. That scene and her "take off your pants" scene with Hahn was just gross! They are giving lesbians everywhere a bad rap, and involving my Mark in this whole fiasco ticks me off! Stop the madness!!

2. The young mistress kidney donor chic. She bugged and I liked how it was pointed out to her that her guy had made his choice. Suck that homewrecker!

3. The chief. What is wrong with him this season? Does everyone else dislike him as much as me? He used to be one of my favorites, but I find myself wanting to punch him in the face every single episode.


Things I Just Didn’t Care About
1. The father/son “he worked too hard and didn’t pay attention to me growing up”. That particular storyline is played out on any show, and the boy crying at the end didn’t affect me because he wasn’t a good actor.

That’s it for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode! I’m curious to hear what you guys think because it’s getting mixed reviews from my Grey’s buddies at work this morning. Not everyone loved it as much as I did. So let me have it…what did you think?

Wednesday Randomness

Biggest Loser Vicky might be the most vile cow ever in the history of reality television. Her whole attitude on last night's show made me want to punch the television over and over, just to get that smirk off of her nasty face. She doesn't care about learning to live a new, healthy lifestyle so she can be around to raise her children, she even said that videos of her children weren't a good prize and therefore not worth any effort in the reward challenge. Hello mother of the year! She is all about the money and is just disgusting.

I was disappointed to see Toni voted off of Dancing with the Stars last night. Not because I thought she was a great dancer or anything, actually I find her to be kind of boring, but because it means another week of suffering through Cloris. Besides Alec consistently brought the pretty every week, and I will miss that.

Do you ever feel like you are just hemmoraging money? Because lately that has been the theme at our house. $100 here. $300 there. And the cherry on top of the hemmoraged money sundae came at Ron's visit to the dentist yesterday to the tune of $800 for 2 new crowns. Happy Anniversary, Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, baby!

I have officially become a Weight Watchers drop out. I am tired of fighting the same two pounds so for now I have given up. Even bringing the meetings to me at work wasn't enough apparently, and I am sick of giving up my lunch hour each Monday only to lose a pound one week and gain it back the next. It's so discouraging! I will eat reasonably healthy and continue to exercise but I just don't want to stress about it any more, at least not right now.

Sometimes peanut M&Ms really are the cure for what ails you, which is probably one of the reasons that I'm a Weight Watchers failure.

Brave New World...Grey's Wrap

Another odd and slightly disjointed episode. Though better than last week, it still wasn't great for me. With that being said...

Things I Loved
1. George & Duncan. Can we get these two their own show? I loved Duncan, what a great kid, and together with George they made a dynamic duo. Their operating room scenes were spot on, so funny, and really entertaining, especially when the walked into the room with no face guy. "No, put me down, I want to see the guy without a face! Can we go back to the guy without a face? This one's boring." "Yours will be boring too!" Too funny! I hope we see more of Duncan! And I am super happy that George passed his test. Welcome to residency big guy!

2. Meredith & Christina finding the dermatology department. So, so funny! I liked seeing their relationship getting back on track, and the derm office scenes were especially funny since I had just been to the dermatologist last week and that office was eerily similar to my own derm's office, right down to the water with fresh fruit!

3. Izzy taking the surgery back from Alex. I am not the biggest Izzy fan, but Alex was such an ass this entire episode, I was happy to see her standing up to him. I admit to being a bit worried that she was going to make a mistake during surgery, but I'm happy with the way it worked out.

4. The conversation between Callie & Bailey. The look on Bailey's face when she first found out about Callie & Hahn? Priceless!

5. I liked the way the writers handled the diary thing. Sure Mer was being a little silly about it, but I think it was wrapped up nicely at the end with Mer giving Derek his space in the house and him giving her space at the trailer. I like that they are communicating better.

Things I Didn't Love
1. Not enough Mark. I know that not everyone is a Mark fan, but I am and I need more of him in my show.

2. Still no Major Doctor Hottie. I thought he was going to be a series regular. Where the heck is he??

3. The brain tumor patient/storyline. Boring. And did I miss the wrap up of that storyline? I just felt like the writers left us hanging.

4. Alex. I didn't like him saying that Izzy is the only one he's got to be mad at. I think I know where the writers were trying to go with that, but for me it fell flat. It wasn't romantic, even in an angsty way. It was just mean.

5. George at the end of the episode. I didn't like how he ran off from Lexie and left her standing outside at the hospital, and then blew her off at Joe's. I don't want them as a couple romantically, but you just don't do that to your friends. Especially the one friend who has been there for you during the whole test failing fiasco.

6. Meredith lying to Hahn about knowing how to do a procedure. Not professional at all. But I also didn't appreciate how Hahn chose to admonish her for it either. Threatening to cut her heart out with a steak knife was ridiculous and also very unprofessional.

Things I Just Didn't Care About
1. Callie & Hahn. Later, rinse, repeat, right? The only good things I can say about them is that I thought they both looked really pretty in the restaurant, and their scenes gave me an excuse to switch over and check the TCU/BYU score.

All in all a better episdoe than last week. I do feel like the writers are getting back into a groove and giving me the Grey's that I enjoy so much. The previews for next week look good, so I'll be anxiously awaiting next Thursday to see what it brings. Now it's your turn, tell me what you thought!

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done one of these in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Tib for the idea and the nifty new fall graphic.

1. Simply Saline. My little man has a cold. His nose is gross and gunky and this stuff works like magic to clear him out so he can breathe. The best part is that it's non-medicated so he can use it as often as he needs to. Good stuff!

2. Fall. It is my favorite season and it just doesn't seem fallish when it's 90 degrees. But finally we have some fall weather in Texas. It was 52 degrees when I left for work this morning. Love it!

3. Uncle Julio's. My favorite Mexican restaurant just opened a new location less than 10 minutes from mi casa. Cole is having a sleepover at a friend's house this weekend so Ron and I will be date nighting with dinner out. Can't wait!

4. Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit. Because some mornings yogurt and fruit just doesn't fill the hungry spot.

Here Comes the Flood...Grey's Wrap

This is going to be short and sweet because this episode was just okay for me. More to the point I actually struggled through most of it. With that being said...

Things I Loved
1. Lexie. She has become my favorite character. Not sure when it happened, but I just adore her. She is cute and quirky and fun and makes me smile, and in a show filled with really dysfunctional people, she is a sorely needed bright spot.

2. Cancer girl. She was so cute with Meredith. I wish she didn't have to die because I really enjoyed her.

3. Mark & Lexie. I like where I think they are going with this. They have great chemistry!

4. Meredith standing up to Derek. This needs to happen more. She gives him too much control.

5. George. He's such a likeable character when he's not hooking up with someone. And I really hope he passes his test.

Things I Didn't Love
1. Where was Major Doctor Hottie? I like him and need to see more stat!

2. Izzie. She can go now. I snickered a little over the whole Izzie/Christina apartment thing. I enjoy Izzie's pain.

3. Christina. I normally always enjoy Christina, but in this episode she was just there for me. She needs her own storyline away apart from her friendship with Meredith.

Things I Just Didn't Care About
1. The Chief and the Flood. Just didn't care. I don't enjoy plot devices that don't fit in my show and the flood just didn't fit.

2. Callie & Hahn. When they talk to each other I just hear "blah, blah, blah".

That's about it. Not a great episode for me. Tell me what you guys think?

Modern (?!?) Medicine

So yesterday I went to the dermatologist for my yearly skin cancer check. While I was there I mentioned to her that I had recently developed a little wart -- a first for me -- on the inside of my left index finger and asked what I could do to get rid of it. She froze it with a little liquid nitrogen and wrote me a prescription for salicylic acid, told me to put a little of the salicylic acid on the wart each night before bed and then put a little tape around it and it should disappear in a couple of weeks. No problem I thought, I can handle that.

So I go to the compounding pharmacy -- another first, you apparently can't just walk into your local Walgreens and expect them to mix you up some acid -- and the nice pharmacist lady fills the prescription for me and asks me if the dermatologist instructed me on the use. I said yes and told her what the doctor had said about the tape. The pharmacist got this really funny look on her face, smiled and asked, "Did she specify what kind of tape?" I tried to remember and decided that the doctor had not been specific and I was just going to use regular medical tape. WRONG! The nice pharmacist lady informed me that I was to use duct tape! Duct tape? For medicinal purposes?? Apparently so! She said that the tape irritates the skin and causes an immune system reaction which causes your body to attack the wart, assisting the acid in killing it off. All of this money spent on medicine and technology and the easiest and most painless remedy could be found at my local hardware store. Who knew!!

My Elite 8

I am shamelessly taking this one from Tiburon. She did say if we were reading to consider ourselves tagged, and goodness knows I'm always looking for a blog worthy topic.

8 Favorite TV shows...

1. Grey's Anatomy

2. The Amazing Race

3. Private Practice

4. So You Think You Can Dance

5. The Biggest Loser

6. Dancing with the Stars

7. House Hunters

8. Sex & The City. Yes I know it's not on anymore, but I own the entire thing on DVD and still watch. A LOT!

8 Favorite Restaurants...

1. Uncle Julio's

2. Chick-Fil-A

3. PF Chang's

4. Texas Roadhouse

5. On the Border

6. Christina's

7. Scotty P's Hamburgers

8. Cafe Max

8 things that happened yesterday...

1. Went to the dermatologist

2. Had a suspicious spot removed

3. Visited a compounding pharmacy for the first time ever

4. Worked a few hours

5. Did a load of laundry

6. Did 45 minutes on the treadmill

7. Watched Biggest Loser

8. Started reading "7th Heaven" by James Patterson

8 things to look forward to...

1. Cole's first football game on Saturday

2. Haircut on Saturday

3. Halloween

4. Cole's Birthday

5. Thanksgiving

6. Day after Thanksgiving shopping with Gigi

7. My 12th wedding anniversary

8. Ron's birthday

8 things I love about Fall...

1. Cooler weather, which in Texas means 80s. But I'll still take it.

2. FOOTBALL baby

3. Pumpkins

4. Wearing jeans again

5. The state fair

6. My little man's birthday

7. Halloween

8. Yoga pants and long sleeve tees. My weekend wardrobe.

8 things on my wish list...

1. This. Yes, still.

2. New pair of Lucky jeans

3. 8-0 season for Cole's football team

4. Super Bowl Championship for my Cowboys

5. Season tickets for the new Cowboys stadium

6. All 4's on Cole's report card

7. Obama victory in November

8. A new king size bed for Christmas

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged now too. Let us see your 8!

Tagged

I was tagged by Melinda to find and post the fourth picture in the fourth file in my picture folder, so here you go Ms. Melinda. I had completely forgotten about this picture. It's Cole, obviously, when he was about 4, and the moose is a footstool that was a Christmas gift from him to his Nana and Peepaw. We had ordered the moose sight unseen for the grandparents to have at their lake house and it arrived one afternoon while I was at work. I was impatient and couldn't wait to get home and see it so Ron took a picture of Cole and the moose and emailed it to me at work.

Now I tag Robin, Rebecca, Carmel, and Tiburon. No Cheating. Fourth file, fourth picture, in your picture file and post it so we can all see what you find!

Two Freaking Weeks?!?! Grey's Wrap!

Before I begin my Grey’s wrap can I just say how ticked I was when the previews for the next episode came on and we were informed that we have to wait TWO weeks for the next new episode? WTF? The new season just started ABC. What is up with that? And if I find out that next week is pre-empted for some stupid presidential debate I think my head might explode! Anyway on to business…

Things that I loved:

1. Major Doctor Hunk. Love him! He’s hot and studly and did I say hot? And he makes Christina smile. I love anyone who can do that!

2. Christina telling Meredith to shut it! Now I love Mere, but come on. It’s not all about you sister. And when your person has an icicle in her side is probably not the best time to be going on and on about your personal problems. Only a true friend would have the guts to say to Meredith the things that Christina did, though I did think she was a little mean with the “You and Derek will never work.” Their friendship is so real and fun to watch though, and old Meredith and old Christina cracked my stuff up!

3. Seeing Denny. Though I don’t really think I understood WHY he was there. His appearance just seemed odd and out of place, but I loved seeing him anyway.

4. Lexie! She was so cute with her big old puppy dog eyed crush on George. They are such a fun pair and I love their friendship. I loved her reading the letter from the husband too. She is such a cutie and me thinks McSteamy has himself a big ole crush on little Lexie. Interesting!

5. Bernadette Peters. I actually loved the whole storyline with the 3 women and their husbands, it was very well done, but to me she just owned the whole thing.

6. Dr. Hahn. She was all kinds of awesome, taking what the chief said about teaching to heart and trying to learn the best way to be a better teach, yet in the process pointing out to the chief what some of the problems with his staff were.

7. Alex. His explanation as to why mean cheat was great!


Things I didn’t love:

1. Psycho Rose. How old is she again, twelve? Just. Go. Away!

2. Izzy. I’m not sure when it happened, but my love for her has just disappeared. She can leave my show any time now and I would be okay with that.

3. The Chief. He was just a pain in the ass the entire episode. I didn’t feel bad for him when Seattle Grace lost their ranking. He knew the inmates had been running the asylum for a long time and he stood back and didn’t do anything about it until they dropped in the rankings. And I didn’t like him blaming his indifference on Meredith either.

4. The freezing paralyzed guy storyline. I remember vividly Kevin Everett, the Buffalo Bills player who they used this technique on, and I also remember reading a news story about the doctor who did the procedure on him. He specifically said that the freezing had to be done within a certain time after the injury happened to be effective and I’m pretty sure that window was closed for the patient last night. Please Shonda, if you are going to be a true medical drama, try to get your facts straight!


Things I just don’t care about:

1. Callie & Hahn as a couple. Just meh!

2. Izzy and Alex as a couple. He deserves better!

Okay fellow Grey’s girls, that’s all I’ve got. I watched this late last night, thus the jumbled thoughts. Overall I loved the episode and feel like the show is back on track with great writing and compelling stories. NowI want to hear what you think. Did you love it? Hate it? Bring it on!

Drool Worthy

Ron had better be glad that I'm truly on board with this whole saving money thing, otherwise we would be $400 poorer right now! I saw this beauty at the mall at lunch today and it took every ounce of willpower that I possess not to buy it. Oh mama, it's so gorgeous and so me! I think I'm going to go visit it every day at lunch until I don't love it anymore. I must do something to get it out of my system so I don't do something stupid, like buy it!

Thankful Thursday

Thanks, as always, to Tib for the idea and the graphic. Today I am thankful for…

1. My Mother-in-Law. What’s that you ask? Thankful for the dreaded MIL? Why yes, yes I am! For many reasons actually, she isn’t a bad mother-in-law at all. Today specifically I am thankful that she is a Cowboys season ticket holder and when she can’t make games she gives the tickets to Ron and I. Because of her we made the Cowboys/Eagles game and will be at the Cowboys/Redskins game on Sunday. Thanks Linda!

2. Aleve. This getting old thing sucks. When I work out too hard any more I feel it in my legs for days.

3. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. It has kept Cole’s skin moisturized and comfortable during this week’s hives breakout.

4. Sonic Half Price Burger Night. It has made it possible to cheaply feed my family dinner on Tuesday nights on more than one occasion. Is it the healthiest meal? No! But sometimes quick, easy and cheap has to overrule healthy!

Cole

I don’t write nearly enough about my sweet guy on this blog. I try not to be one of those Mom’s who lives her life through her children, bragging on their child’s accomplishments as if they are their own. I am extremely proud of Cole and tell him that daily, several times daily actually, but I don’t like to be obnoxious in my praise of him to others. Today I am making an exception to that rule and I’m going to shamelessly brag about my little man. So read at your own risk…

Cole has been fighting a horrible case of hives since last Friday night. We took him to the allergist, who can’t figure out what is causing the hives and can’t figure out how to treat them since none of the typical allergic reaction treatments are even touching them. He thinks it is a non-allergic reaction to something and said that we are just going to have to wait it out until they clear themselves up, which could be as long as 2 weeks! In typical Cole fashion he took that news well. Other than his eyes getting as large as saucers, he didn’t show much of a reaction, just acknowledged what Dr. W. said and sort of nodded, like “Okay, I’ll handle it”. Cole says that they aren’t bothering him, but how could a little boy possibly be covered – I’m talking arms, legs, stomach, back – everywhere and not be bothered and more than a little uncomfortable? He is a trooper though, not complaining and going on about his business like he feels perfectly normal. He hasn’t missed any school and doesn’t use the hives to try and get out of taking care of his responsibilities. He is so mature, well beyond his 9 ½ years, and his matter of factness in dealing with things like this make me so proud of him. I am an adult and am not sure that I would be handling this with as much maturity as he does!

His flag football season kicks into high gear next week and he is so excited! His enthusiasm for things that he loves is such a treat to watch. He thinks he wants to try his hand at playing quarterback this season, and since Daddy is his team’s head coach he has the coach’s ear and has expressed that desire endlessly. So they have been going out just about every night and working on his throwing. He has a really strong arm, his accuracy just leaves something to be desired sometimes. He will mostly be playing wide receiver though, since that is really the position that he really excels at. He’s got great speed and has really sure hands, but Ron wants him to have even better hands so Cole has been carrying his football around constantly, trying to “improve his relationship” with it. That is what I call dedication! As my friend Deb told me, “Football is crack and you guys have got your boy addicted!”, so I’m thinking this is the last year I will be able to convince him to play flag football. I’m pretty sure he’s going to want to move on to tackle next fall, so I plan to enjoy the last little bit of non-contact.

We also received his first 4th grade progress report yesterday. They handed them out on Monday, but because he had to leave early to see the allergist he didn’t receive his until yesterday. I knew they were out and I was so anxious to receive his and he did not disappoint. Seeing those 4’s (our school grades on a 1-4 grading scale) and phrases like “amazing fact fluency”, fantastic writer”, and “incredibly developed vocabulary” used to describe Cole just made my day. Of course I think that my kid is a rock star, it just thrills me to death to know that his teachers feel that way about him too!

I'm a Viper!

I'm a Dodge Viper!

You're all about raw power. You're tough, you're loud, and you don't take crap from anyone. Leave finesse to the other cars, the ones eating your dust.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

1. New Grey's Anatomy. The new season begins next Thursday. I am thankful for this for two reasons. First: New Grey's. Duh! Second: A blog subject! I am terrible at coming up with things to blog about, but one sure fire blog post for me is my weekly Grey's wrap.

2. My Mom. She is a fun, sweet Mom and a loving and generous Gigi to Cole. She rearranged her busy schedule to be available to watch Cole for Ron and I to go to the Cowboys/Eagles game on Monday night and she is doing it again a week from Sunday so we can go to the Cowboys/Redskins game. And because she doesn't want Cole to be bummed that he doesn't get to go to the game, she has reserved a condo for them down at White Bluff. So he will get a fun weekend of hanging at the lake, which he loves, and lots of one-on-one Gigi time. She is the best!

3. Kate Sommerville Exfolikate. For those who don't know me IRL, I have horrible skin. Always have. It's acne prone, yes even still at the ripe old age of 37, and my pores are huge and it gets rough and dull looking so easily. So imagine my delight at finding this little gem, which makes my complexion brighter and my pores look a tad smaller, and makes my cheeks as smooth as a baby's behind. At $85 a pop it's not cheap, and I'll be honest and tell you that I've not had to fork out the money for it yet as I'm still going through the samples that Gigi brought me from Neiman Marcus. But you can rest assured that I will be buying it when I run out because it is a miracle in a jar for my face!

4. My sweet hubby, Ron. Because he truly doesn't care if I spend $85 on a beauty product (see above!), because he knows that no amount of money is too great for me to feel good about how I look. Right, hon?

Quote of the Day

"Her IQ is probably about room temperature."

Local radio personality Greg Williams referring to that fool Jessica Simpson, who announced on national television to Philadelphia Eagles fans that the Cowboys are going to "kick your butts" on Monday night. It's pretty sad when the most interesing part of a "pop superstar" is who she is dating because that seems to be all she can talk about anymore. Girlfriend needs to shut up and stop letting her big mouth write checks that her boyfriend's butt is expected to cash!

Thankful Thursday

Wow it has been awhile since I have done one of these. Today I am thankful for...

1. Football Season. Real, live football starts tonight, and even though it's not my team, it's good old NFC East action. I am so sick of preseason and ready to see some games that count. I am trying to keep my high hopes for my beloved Cowboys in check, but I can't help but be excited for what I think they are capable of this season. IF they can get their receivers healthy!

2. Joe Biden. Initially I wasn't too excited about Obama's VP choice, but after listening to Sarah Palin last night, I am much more enamored with my VP candidate. And let's just leave it at that.

3. Hurricane Gustav. While obviously not thankful for the destruction that it caused in other parts of the country, I am thankful for the blast of cooler air and rain that we in North Texas have received from it. It was down right chilly and very fall like this morning!

4. Facebook. I swore I would not get sucked in, but I'm nothin if not a sucker! I am addicted now. Plus it has helped me reconnect with several old friends, and it's fun!

If You Fry It, They Will Come

Fall must be just around the corner because it's almost time for the State Fair of Texas! And in grand fair tradition, here are the foods in the running for the Big Tex Choice Award for most unique food creation:

* Fernie’s All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Creator: Christi Erpillo
What is it? Two slices of white bread filled with American and cheddar cheeses, dipped in a egg and milk batter and lightly coated with bread crumbs. Served with a side of shoestring potato sticks, a pickle spear and tomato soup dipping sauce.

* Chicken Fried Bacon
Creator: Glen Kusak
What is it? Thick and peppery bacon seasoned, double-dipped in a batter and breading and deep-fried. Served with a side of ranch or honey mustard sauce.

* Fried Banana Split
Creator: Shirley Weiss
What is it? Banana and honey peanut butter rolled in balls, battered and deep-fried. Topped with powdered sugar, caramel and chocolate syrups, chopped peanuts, whipped cream, banana split-flavored ice cream bites, and a cherry.

* Texas Fried Jelly Bellys
Creator: Justin Martinez
What is it? Jelly Bellys rolled in funnel cake batter and fried. Try to guess the Jelly Belly flavors as you bite into this treat.

* Deep Fried S’mores
Creator: Tami Stiffler
What is it? Marshmallow cream and chocolate chips sandwiched between two graham crackers, dipped in batter, fried and dusted in powdered sugar.

* Fire & Ice
Creator: Abel Gonzales
What is it? A pineapple ring battered and deep-fried, topped with banana-flavored whipped cream that’s been frozen in liquid nitrogen. The smoking concoction is covered in strawberries and syrup.

* Fried Chocolate Truffles
Creator: Nick Bert Jr.
What is it? A handmade dark chocolate truffle rolled in cocoa powder, battered and deep-fried. The truffle is then dusted in cinnamon, sugar and more cocoa powder.

* Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls
Creator: Mark Zable
What is it? Fresh strawberries covered in a thick chocolate shell, dipped in a waffle batter and deep-fried. Dusted with powdered sugar and served on a stick.

These all sound good and artery clogging, don't they? I can't wait to find out for myself, though I have a hard time believing that anyone will ever top the Deep Fried Snickers bar of a couple of years ago.

Emmy

This is our new family member, Emmy. Isn't she gorgeous? She came to live with us yesterday and I think it's safe to say we are all in love with her already. Well, except for Zoey, and love is definitely too strong of a word there. Zoey is just tolerating her, but at this point I think that is all we can expect. I hope they learn to love each other though because we sure are enjoying them both!

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday. You know the drill...

1. Today is my Friday. Ron and I are taking tomorrow off and we are taking Cole to Six Flags. Yes we are crazy. Yes it is going to be hot. But the boy earned a free ticket through the reading program at school, so who are we to deny him his day of roller coaster riding fun??

2. Central Air Conditioning. It's Texas. It's August. No further explanation necessary.

3. Hand me downs. Cole is lucky to have a cousin who is just older than him and who also has excellent taste in clothes. We regularly get boxes of barely worn stuff from Abercrombie, Hollister, and Gap so he gets to look cool and I don't have to spend a fortune for him to do it.

4. My iPod Shuffle. I recently got this little beauty strictly for gym/working out use and I am so glad that I did. I love my big iPod but it was bulky and uncomfortable to wear on an armband, not too mention how itchy the armband got when I was all sweaty. The Shuffle is a perfect alternative!

Wednesday Random Musings

1. I am tired of being hot. Getting boob sweat right after showering just sucks! Several 100+ degree days in a row is mentally draining. Something about seeing those 3 digits just makes it seem so much worse than it probably is. I'm living for the day when the high is only 99!

2. Yoplait Light Fat Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake yogurt...Oh baby! Sinfully delicious. It's seriously yummy enough to have for dessert. And only 2 Weight Watchers Points.

3. My Cowboys are in training camp and all is right with the world. In 99% of my life I am a girly girl. I part ways with the girly stuff when it comes to sports, most especially football. I am DIE HARD. For me the beginning of training camp is like Christmas, only better. Because while Christmas is only one day, football season lasts for 6 glorious months!!

4. I really want Twitch to make it to the final four of So You Think You Can Dance. No, he's not the most technically dazzling dancer, but he dances from his soul and when he is on the stage my eyes are always drawn to him.

5. Friday is August 1. August?!?! Where the heck did July go? Only 24 more days until school starts back. Unbelieveable!!

6. Just over 2 days until Breaking Dawn! CAN. NOT. WAIT. If you need me this weekend, don't call. Whatever you need can wait until Monday! :)

So Cool

See the cutie on that billboard? That is my cousin Josh! He entered and almost won last year's Kim Dawson model search -- he came in second. It seems as if he is really making the most of this whole modeling thing too. He has done some work for Abercrombie & Fitch, is featured prominently in the back to school campaign for JCPenney, and is the face of this year's model search campaign with his mug gracing this huge billboard on I-35 here in Dallas! Isn't that neat? And to think I used to change his diapers!

I never win anything....

Until now! Of all the things I thought I might win in my life...a new car, a tropical vacation, a designer handbag, $25,000...I never in a million years thought I would win an award for my blog! I started this thing on a whim, thinking it would be a great way to kill some free time as well as a journal of the things we do in our little family. Well as it turns out I actually have a reader or two, and it seems that Tiburon, of the vastly entertaining Shark Bait, likes me. She really likes me! And all this time I thought she only commented on my posts because she felt sorry for me since I have so few readers and even fewer commenters! Thanks Tib!

Of course this award comes with rules:

1. Please put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. You must nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients.

5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

And as is usual with my luck, properly accepting this award is not without challenge. I don't know 7 bloggers! I'm relatively new to the blogging thing and haven't created a big blogging buddy network. Cue violins, it's pretty pitiful, no?

So with that being said, I am going to have my very first blog giveaway! (Tib, I'm going to need your help advertising here since you know everyone who blogs!) If you would like to be considered for this prestigious award, come visit me and leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog. I'll mosey over and check it out and if I find your work worthy, then you too can be BRILLIANTE! C'mon now, you know you want to!

Family Resemblance?

This is me with my cousins Tonya and Kim at Tonya's birthday party last weekend. Everyone who has seen this picture has remarked at the strong resemblance between the three of us, but I don't see it. What do you think, can we deny that we are related? :)

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday (again!?!?) and thankfulness abounds...

1. 94% Fat Free popcorn. Any brand. I am a volume eater, thus the reason my fat hiney is on Weight Watchers in the first place, so I love that I can eat A. WHOLE. BAG. for only a couple of points. Muy excellent!

2. Antibiotics. My cold turned into a lovely sinus and ear infection. I'm thankful for the medicine my doctor prescribed yesterday. My head feels so much better already. I don't feel like I want to jab my own eye out anymore!

3. Scales. What is this you ask? Me thankful for a scale? Why yes I am! I had to be weighed at the doctor yesterday and I showed even more of a loss from my official weight at weigh in this past Monday. It was nice to not have to wait until next Monday to see that my sticking to the plan is paying off!

4. Ron. I have too many friends who are bemoaning their choices in husbands these days so I felt the need to be especially thankful for the good one that I've got. Love ya honey!

My Favorite Monday

I haven't done one of these in awhile but today Tiburon picked a topic that is near and dear to my heart....PIZZA!

My favorite pizza is from a little hole in wall local place, Chicago Street Pizza. As a matter of fact, it is so local and hole in the wall that they don't even have a website for me to link to! But trust me on this, if you live in my town -- you know who you are -- you must try Chicago Street. The owner, Ozzy, is a Chicago native so I am pretty sure this is authentic Chicago style pizza. (Side note: I actually have been to Chicago but didn't eat pizza there, can you believe that??) The pizza is wonderful and eating there always makes me think of my good friend Mardi who lives in Chicago. Mardi is a faithful reader of my blog but never comments, so big shout out to Mardi! And when she finally makes it down to visit me, I am taking her to Chicago Street so she can verify for me how close Ozzy is to true Chicago style pizza. I will be sure and let my vast blog reading audience know her verdict. ;)

When we eat at Chicago Street my favorite pizza is a thin crust Italian sausage with lots of yummy Roma tomatoes. Nothing fancy for this simple girl! Ron, on the other hand, prefers the deep dish loaded with lots of gooey cheese and meat -- typical guy. I can never really enjoy the deep dish though because when I am eating it all I can picture is the fat from all of that dough, cheese, and meat sticking to my rear end!

A glimpse into the future...

This weekend Ron and I have gotten a taste of what life will be like for us in 8 years when Cole heads off to college. Cole left at 4:00p yesterday afternoon for a sleepover with his friend Ryan. Ron and I were able to do a little shopping alone, and then we came home to our quiet house to get dressed for our evening out at my cousin Tonya's 40th birthday party. We came home late to our quiet house, slept all night without interruption, and woke up to a quiet house this morning. We had breakfast without Spongebob serenading us and were able to read the entire Sunday paper in one sitting. Just when we were getting ready to go pick Cole up and bring him home the phone rang and it was Ryan's mom asking if it would be okay for Cole to spend with afternoon with them at Hawaiian Falls water park. So Ron and I enjoyed (?) a quiet afternoon at home. I got a good hour workout in, Ron got some of his chores done, I bought groceries, cleaned the house a bit, baked banana bread and we watched some golf. It's 4:40 now and I'm watching the clock waiting for my baby to come home. He's been gone 24 hours now, the longest I think I have ever been away from him. Sure, it was nice to have a few hours alone. But it has been quiet around here. Too quiet. And I am not sure I like it.

So You Think You Can Krump????

I think I want to learn how to krump! I took dance for 20+ years, so really, how hard could it be? I'm not sure why the fascination, but it looks FUN! I wonder if they have krump classes for 37 year old slightly overweight white women....

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

1. Weight Watchers at Work. The online thing just wasn't cutting it. I have to have someone to be accountable to, so I am extremely pleased that we have a Weight Watchers meeting at my office now. And added bonus is the fact that meetings and weigh-in's are on Mondays which will help keep me honest on the weekends.

2. NyQuil. I have a lovely summer cold and NyQuil is the only way I am getting any sleep at all.

3. Instant Messenger. I am phone phobic, so I love that I can communicate this way. I use the heck out of it for work and for personal communication. This week it has been a lifesaver because my nose is so stopped up and my throat is scratchy so I sound terrible on the phone.

4. Cole. He knows that his Mama hasn't felt well this week and he's been a gem at home in the evenings. Very helpful, no mouthiness, and overall cooperation. Good kid! :)

The Week That Was...

Last week was SO much fun! I worked from home on Monday and Tuesday and took the rest of the week off so that Cole would get a break from day camp and just hang at home and we did some really fun things together...

On Monday, we mostly stayed around the house during the day so that I could work, but we managed to sneak off for some errand running, a car wash, and a Snowie -- snow cone for you non-locals who have no idea what I'm referring to. We picked Ron up after he got off of work and we headed to Main Event for bowling (I am terrible, the boys are really good!), video games, and then off to Abuelo's for a yummy dinner.

Tuesday, in spite of the working thing we managed to make it to the pool for a couple of hours and on Tuesday night we discovered the greatness that is Wipeout! If you get your amusement from other people's pain and humiliation, this is the show for you. We all laughed so hard that we cried, especially at the "big balls". Seriously, if you want pure mindless entertainment, check it out!

Wednesday was my first day off so we took advantage of the freedom from the house and got busy! We saw Wall-E, going in with great expectations after some seriously good reviews, and let's just say that we didn't love it and leave it at that. Then we hit Subway for our favorite healthy lunch and then off to get Cole's monthly allergy shot. On the way home we stopped at Target for dinner fixin's and home to chill with So You Think You Can Dance.

Thursday morning we got up bright and early and began preparation for our lake trip. We had to make a Costco run and hit the grocery store for supplies since the condo we were staying in basically had furniture and nothing else, and then get the car packed up. There was a mix-up in our plans for Zoey -- the condo we were staying at didn't allow pets -- so we had to do some last minute scrambling to find a place for her to stay, but the in-laws came through and were happy to dog sit. So we headed off to pick up Ron and work and had to go a little bit out of the way to drop Zoey at the in-laws, but it ended up working out and we made it to the lake before dark.

Friday was a FUN 4th of July! Ron and I got up at the crack of dawn to play golf. Well to be truthful HE played golf, I only drove the golf cart and can I just say that thing is SWEET! I have so got to get one of those! Immediately after golf we downed some sandwiches for lunch and then hit the lake with our friends on their boat. We spent the afternoon on the boat, then went to the pool, took a quick shower and headed to our friend's condo for a cookout. Their condo had a perfect view of the marina, which was where the fireworks show was happening, so after the cookout we piled on to their balcony and got a great 45 minute display!

Saturday morning was spa time for Mom and I. We both got facials and massages while the boys just hung out around the resort. Then it was time to check out and head home, and the rest of the weekend was spent unpacking, doing laundry, cleaning house, and getting things done to prepare for our return to work and camp.

The week was busy and really went by in a blur, but I am so glad that I took the time off to hang with Cole. He is growing so much and has become such a big kid so quickly, I know the time is coming when he won't want to be with his Mama all of the time, so I really cherished the fun we had together this week.