Well, we're off. Driving to the beach today, we plan to leave in about an hour and a half. Of course, I'm the only one up at this Godforsaken hour of 6:30 AM. We are NOT early risers these days in the castle. My girls are notoriously anti-road trip. They love the destination, but most assuredly do NOT love the drive. And have no qualms making that known loudly every five to ten minutes. Anyone in southeast Texas, southern Louisiana, and the tips of Mississippi and Alabama? You might just hear us screaming through if you listen closely. I have lots of tricks up my sleeve today, though. I have three movies they've been BEGGING to watch, and Prince Charming is hitting Blockbuster for another one on the way out of town, I have little notebooks and pens (pens are usually not encouraged here, as my girls think EVERYTHING looks better with their handiwork on it :X), fruit roll ups, and a cool little plug-in game that they can play on the dvd player in the car. That ought to last us until we hit..... Louisiana. @@. SO, I also have the Queen Mother who will be waiting in Alabama with wine :)
Not sure if we'll have net access there or not, we're really hoping we do, but if we don't have a great week everyone!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Recent projects :)
I've been a busy bee lately! I found this awesome tutorial on how to make hooded towels and decided to make some for my girls and four of my nephews.
Also, I managed two nightgowns for each lovebug, these DARLING 4th of July dresses:
post-embroidery (it was really hard to find an fireworks design I was happy with. Who'da thunk?!)
Made matching dresses for a friend's daughters (pre-embroidery):
Made special pillowcases for the girls for our beach trip:
One more dress for previously mentioned friend's younger daughter:
and a boatload of embroidery. Whew!!!!! I have two more swimsuits to monogram for the girls and I THINK I'm done...... ::::::Crossing fingers::::::
We hit Target and WalMart (our two favorite non-fabric stores, lol) this week to buy essentials for our 10+ hour drive to Gulf Shores this week. I let the girls pick out some new movies for the car. The hurricane picked an Eloise cartoon movie, it looks darling. I LOVE Eloise! Lara, stop reading here. HRH picked a (gasp!) Barbie movie. :X Now, the girls in my family are notoriously anti-Barbie. I even am, to an extent. But, to be honest, if it keeps my two little lovebugs happily ensconced in their carseats for an hour or so, I'd let them watch just about anything! HRH, of course, is over the moon. She cannot WAIT to watch this movie, LOL!!! I don't even care if Barbie is a good role model for girls nowadays. Who cares if she wouldn't be able to stand up b/c of her proportions if she was a real person. Who cares if her hair could never be achieved naturally. Aren't there all sorts of Barbies, like lawyer Barbie and teacher Barbie and Doctor Barbie? Something like that, anyway. So I'll stand right up and say it now. If my little princess wants a Barbie movie, I'm going to buy her a freaking Barbie movie. Keep all pissy comments to yourself, please. ;) On second thought, no....don't. I need comments. I LOVE comments. Not enough people leave me comments. I want to see comments NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wordless Wednesday?
I see a lot of blogs out there who do "Wordless Wednesday". I thought I might try it out myself, but let's be real.... I'm not very good at being silent :X Just ask anyone who ever taught me or grew up with me (no comments from the peanut gallery, Angela, LOL!!). I HAVE gotten better about it, though. I DID decide, however, to use today as a picture post. :) I just adore my girls. I think there is something so special about sisters, I have three myself, you know. We may not always agree on everything, and we may drive each other crazy sometimes (except for me, of course, I AM practically perfect in every way, you know. Hush, Lara), but don't mess with one of us unless you want to tackle ALL four of us, LOL!!! Anyway, I thought this pic was just precious :)
I'll be back on later with pics what's been keeping me so busy this week :)
Monday, June 23, 2008
::::polishing knuckles::::
Woo hoo! Get a load of me! I got an award!!!!!
My friend Angela gave me a "you make my day award"! How sweet is she? Her blog is SO cool and fun and I'm so not worthy of this, but I'll shamelessly take it and pretend to be worthy!! Random thoughts before I award ;)
~We spent the day out on the lake yesterday. Lake Conroe, to be precise. It's so pretty. Crowded, but pretty. Some of our friends are always out the same time as us, so the kids just love playing together and we get to have grown up conversation! Win win! As we were hanging out, I saw something weird looking floating in the water. I floated over to it in my AWESOME float (I can't find it online or I'd link you. It was $5.88 at WalMart, though) and it was a coconut! No kidding! How random is that? It was really heavy for its size, but it was floating. Very cool. I'm sure there's some super technical explanation, but my friend's 9 yr old and I decided that just thinking it was neat-o was good enough for us ;) Anyway, then you KNOW we had to try to crack it open. After 30 minutes, we did it. The coconut milk was a disappointment. Very watery looking. And yucky tasting, LOL! And OMG the little outer shell smelled SOOOOOOOOOOO bad. Ew. I think I'll be passing on the pina coladas for the near future.
~I got Prince Charming a Palm Centro. He had a Treo and wanted a smaller phone. This Centro is SO cool. I highly recommend it!
~I am sunburned, yet again. But I actually look tan underneath it! I can't believe it. I think this is the first tan I've had in probably ten years!! I am expecting some After Sun Spray in the mail today or tomorrow. I promise that you have NEVER felt anything this good after a day in the sun, lol. Added bonus? It works as a detangler for hair, too!
~My mission before we leave for the beach on Friday is to get a good picture of each of my girls from above. I saw this on Mommy's Martini and love the idea! If y'all get pics, be sure to post them!
OK, my "you make my day award" goes to my sister Lara. I SHOULDN'T give it to her, b/c she doesn't post often enough for my happiness, but I'll forgive her because I love her and she's such an amazing aunt to HRH and the Hurricane! Love you, LaLa! :::::::::smooches::::::::
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Thirty THREE?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy birthday to me!
:-)
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy birthday to me!
:-)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dating AGAIN?!?!??!
No, not really dating, but do you ever feel like when you're getting to know new friends that you're pretty much "dating" them, just without the kissing? You hang out, talk on the phone, spend time together and getting to know each other. Add kids and husbands into the mix and it's a whole 'nuther ballgame, too! LOL! I've been doing some friend dating lately. I was, once upon a time, before Prince Charming came into my life, quite a dater. I loved it, and I was darn good at it, if I do say so myself ;)
I've never really talked about it on here, but those of you close to me know that it took a while to have HRH. I'm talking years and years and years and tears and tears and tears. Like decades! (well, okay, not DECADES! Almost half a decade, but it sure did feel a heckuva lot longer than that. The tears were there, though.) All I ever wanted was a baby, to be a mommy. I honestly feel like that's what I was put here to do in life. And I LOVE it. I am definitely doing what I was put here for. Well, when her Madgesty finally deigned to come along and grace us with her presence, I was on cloud nine. She and I and Prince Charming lived in our own little world for a couple of years. I didn't need anyone outside of my family, my baby, my husband, my parents and sisters and inlaws. What more could I want? Then a Hurricane came and life got even more crazily wonderful!!! A little whirlwind of giggles, hugs, and broken household lamps.
Well. NOW these darling little lovebugs are growing up and going to preschool and leaving me all by my lonesome self. Hmph. The nerve! Ungrateful little ingrates! I COULD have another baby, but Prince Charming has vetoed that until we get into our bigger house, in the next 18-24 months, hopefully. So, I've become friends with a few people. And it's so funny to me that the people you were friends with before you have children might be SO not the people you would be friends with AFTER you have children. Or is this just the case in my world? I mean certainly not everyone we knew falls into this category, but some do and then some REALLLLLLLLY do, if you know what I mean.
My whole point to this strange blog is that it feels weird to be testing relationship waters at my age, even if it is just a friend relationship. I don't tend to have lots of super close friends. I have TONS of people I'm friendly with, but people that I honestly consider a true friend come few and far between to me. I know you're never too old to make new friends, but golly gee, it seems like it's kind of hard work! You have those little mis-steps, where you misjudge someone's character and find out later that they really aren't the kind of friend you thought they were going to be, then you get disappointed (or I do, b/c I get my feelings hurt easily about some things). But then again, you meet a couple that you like, your husband likes, and your kids all play well together and it's like oh my gosh! How FUN is this?!?!?!
I've never really talked about it on here, but those of you close to me know that it took a while to have HRH. I'm talking years and years and years and tears and tears and tears. Like decades! (well, okay, not DECADES! Almost half a decade, but it sure did feel a heckuva lot longer than that. The tears were there, though.) All I ever wanted was a baby, to be a mommy. I honestly feel like that's what I was put here to do in life. And I LOVE it. I am definitely doing what I was put here for. Well, when her Madgesty finally deigned to come along and grace us with her presence, I was on cloud nine. She and I and Prince Charming lived in our own little world for a couple of years. I didn't need anyone outside of my family, my baby, my husband, my parents and sisters and inlaws. What more could I want? Then a Hurricane came and life got even more crazily wonderful!!! A little whirlwind of giggles, hugs, and broken household lamps.
Well. NOW these darling little lovebugs are growing up and going to preschool and leaving me all by my lonesome self. Hmph. The nerve! Ungrateful little ingrates! I COULD have another baby, but Prince Charming has vetoed that until we get into our bigger house, in the next 18-24 months, hopefully. So, I've become friends with a few people. And it's so funny to me that the people you were friends with before you have children might be SO not the people you would be friends with AFTER you have children. Or is this just the case in my world? I mean certainly not everyone we knew falls into this category, but some do and then some REALLLLLLLLY do, if you know what I mean.
My whole point to this strange blog is that it feels weird to be testing relationship waters at my age, even if it is just a friend relationship. I don't tend to have lots of super close friends. I have TONS of people I'm friendly with, but people that I honestly consider a true friend come few and far between to me. I know you're never too old to make new friends, but golly gee, it seems like it's kind of hard work! You have those little mis-steps, where you misjudge someone's character and find out later that they really aren't the kind of friend you thought they were going to be, then you get disappointed (or I do, b/c I get my feelings hurt easily about some things). But then again, you meet a couple that you like, your husband likes, and your kids all play well together and it's like oh my gosh! How FUN is this?!?!?!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Happy Father's Day :)
I'm fairly sure I won't be online tomorrow, we're spending the day on the lake and the night at the lakehouse. So, let me say Happy FATHER'S Day!!!! To my dad, who I didn't have NEARLY long enough. To my step-dad, who, bless his heart, had to live with ALL of that estrogen (me, my mom, and three sisters and occasionally even my step-sister!). To Prince Charming, who I love more than chili cheese covered fries from Sonic and who is an awesome dad. And to my father-in-law, I guess we'll call him King Charming, who wished for grandbabies and got 4 in less than 4 years, lol. I am blessed to have you all in my life. Happy Father's Day out there to all of you dads, dads-to-be, and anything of the sort! Have a wonderful day!
Friday, June 13, 2008
:::::::yawn:::::::: part 2
As my day progresses and my headache grows (thank you very much, lack of sleep @@), I had a thought. I remember hearing once on the news about how sleep deprivation and interruption of sleep is used as a torture method. Waking someone briefly every 2-3-4 hours can evidently really mess with their heads. I'm trying to remember a time when my girls might have been out of my sight long enough to get their training from the CIA. I haven't had more than 6 hours in a stretch in over 4 years now, LMAO!!!! It really only gets to me when I have nights like last night, where the TOTAL from getting into bed to waking in the morning is about 5 hours, not taking into consideration middle of the night requests for water or potty or snuggles or nursies or "HOLD you, Mommy!". Those can actually be pretty sweet.
I wonder what the chances are of me getting them to bed by about 8:00? (she types as she laughs hysterically in her mind because laughing hysterically out loud would hurt her brain). I love summer, really, I do, but nights like this make the 8:00 sunlight really tick me off, LMAO! My girls can NOT be convinced that it is bedtime if "the sun is still awake, Mommy. We go to sleep AFTER the sun goes to sleep, REMEMBER?!?!?".
I wonder what the chances are of me getting them to bed by about 8:00? (she types as she laughs hysterically in her mind because laughing hysterically out loud would hurt her brain). I love summer, really, I do, but nights like this make the 8:00 sunlight really tick me off, LMAO! My girls can NOT be convinced that it is bedtime if "the sun is still awake, Mommy. We go to sleep AFTER the sun goes to sleep, REMEMBER?!?!?".
::::::::::yawn:::::::::
I'm not exactly sure what it IS about my children that causes them to not sleep. My mother-in-law, who is a doll, has instructed me to take her method of explaining things that drive me nuts about my children as "it's the Charming in them", as SHE always does, being that she and I aren't Charmings by blood, but merely marriage. Genius! So, I'm blaming the non-sleep gene on the Charming DNA. Not sure how accurate that is, though, as Prince Charming can sleep through ANYTHING, including a Princess fighting the pea under the mattress (she's our super restless sleeper, she takes up every bit of her full-sized bed every night) and a Hurricane at Category 5 level.
Case in point.... For some unknown reason, BOTH girls took super long naps yesterday, like from 2 pm until 4:45. I merely THOUGHT I knew what I was in for, being a late bedtime. So, we headed to our local WalMart (my favorite store. I know, I know, people have all sorts of ethical issues with it, but you just can't beat it for convenience and price, so no snippy "anti-WalMart comments, please), to kill some time.
Story within a story time:
They're getting rid of our store's fabric department, which makes me sad. I know that the fabric isn't the best quality, but it's great to be able to grab a few yards of the $2/yard stuff to practice an idea on, as I don't really sew from patterns, but more from the pictures and voices in my head, LMAO! So, the girls and I perused the fabric selections. I told them to each pick out some fabric and we'd make a nightgown, they need new nightgowns anyway. HRH chose (surprise, surprise) a pink princess material, and the Hurricane chose the purple version of the same. Super cute, and I grabbed a couple of tank tops to make really quick nightgowns. I LOVE their Garanimals stuff! Anywho..... we cruised through the dairy to grab some yogurt and cinnamon rolls and then head up to the cash registers. Yay! We're able to go to the Express lane. We finally get up to the front, and as the cashier (who could NOT have been less friendly) was about to start ringing me up, I realized that I left my wallet in my car. CRAP! I explain the situation, apologize profusely, and ask if she can hold on to my stuff while I dash out to the car and get my wallet. Not unreasonable, right? She heaves a HUGE sigh and says "I'll send it to the Customer Service desk". Now, I don't know how many of you have ever had the pleasure of standing in a WalMart Customer Service line on a Friday evening in southeast Texas, but it's a JOY, let me tell you. :X I'm slightly less than thrilled that she couldn't hold on to my stuff for the literally 3-4 minutes it would take me to run out to my car and grab my wallet. Nonetheless, I take a deep cleansing breath and head out in the heat (95ish) and humidity (just less humid than the Amazonian Rainforest, I'm guessing) and reach my car and run back, returning to the store in about 180 seconds.
yet another side note..... you'd think that since, upon arrival at said WalMart and noticing that someone had left a bag of groceries in the buggy I grabbed from the parking lot, prompting me to drop it with the greeter lady, you know, the one who gives the kids the smiley face stickers:
(not actual greeter)
That Karma would smile kindly on me for doing a good deed, right? Evidently not. I've got a bone to pick with Karma, and if something nice doesn't happen to me today, I'm gonna give her an earful!
Back to your regularly scheduled story-within-a-story.....
So, the evil cashier lady, let's call her Cruella, looks over at my sweating, panting, pathetic self, shrugs her shoulders (!), and goes back to scanning items as slowly as she can (b/c she gets paid by the hour, of course). I head over to the Customer Service desk, practicing deep breathing exercises as I walk to lower my blood pressure. Mercy of mercies! There is NO line! I walk right up to the counter and say "I need to pay for my things, I forgot my wallet and Cruella on register 3 sent them to you". Super nice CS lady, we'll call her Pollyanna, says "why, SURE, honey! Let me grab it off the counter over here and we'll get you taken care of!" :) So, she rings up the tank tops I grabbed, the Yoplait Whips, the Hannah Montana Danimals yogurt, the cinnamon rolls, and the straws, and then gets to the fabric...... She asks me if I have the ticket that shows the yardage and pricing of the fabric. Um, no. Why would I? Cruella had it in her hands when I dashed out the door to get my wallet.... I'm not sure why it's not with the fabric. (5 different cuts of fabric, probably 7 or 8 yards total). She rings Cruella... "Cruella, this is Pollyanna over at Customer Service, do you have the lady with the darling girls' ticket for her fabric (I do not tell a lie, lol! And my girls ARE darling.... most of the time :X)? What? Now, Cruella, why would you do that? What are we supposed to do now?" Oh, crap. What happened NOW?!?!!? Seems Cruella, in her infinite friendliness and helpfulness (typed with sarcasm dripping from my fingers), TORE UP the freaking ticket!!!!!!!!! The only thing I could do was go BACK to the fabric department and have everything remeasured and get a new ticket. Joy. Not getting the fabric was not an option, either, b/c both girls would NOT let me forget their promised nightgown. Is it Happy Hour yet?!?!??! So we schlep BACK to the fabric department, where Flo (real name, I swear, and she's a doll) had already heard the story (gotta love WalMart, LMAO!) and was waiting for me. She said "honey, just tell me how much of each you got, I trust you!". She whipped out a new ticket, the girls and I checked out and headed home finally!!!!! An hour later, they were sporting their new nightgowns:
HRH in full "we are NOT amused" mode and the Hurricane biting those blasted nails!!!!
Anyway, back to my original story (if you can remember what it was about, LMAO!)
We get home from WalMart, let them play while I'm making their nightgowns, have a snack, and then a bath, and snuggle in to fall asleep while watching The Cheetah Girls 2. Cheetalicious! ALL of CG2 goes by and no sleeping angels. So we turn off the TV and just lay there for a while, every few minutes I hear a "Mommy, I can't go to sleep" LOL! Finally, HRH falls asleep. It's 10:30. The Hurricane must be close on her heels, no? NO! 11:freaking:30!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time I get a bubble bath (sacred to me and must be taken every night, no matter HOW late I have to stay up) and get into bed, it's after midnight. OK, logic says that we should probably sleep late. 8:00 or so, right? Um, not my Charming children! HRH is up at 6:00, yes, 6:00, the buttcrack of dawn, asking for Cocoa Puffs. I am sleepy, grumpy, and probably another dwarf or two today all rolled into one. They HAVE to sleep tonight, don't they? DON'T THEY?!?!?!?!!??
Case in point.... For some unknown reason, BOTH girls took super long naps yesterday, like from 2 pm until 4:45. I merely THOUGHT I knew what I was in for, being a late bedtime. So, we headed to our local WalMart (my favorite store. I know, I know, people have all sorts of ethical issues with it, but you just can't beat it for convenience and price, so no snippy "anti-WalMart comments, please), to kill some time.
Story within a story time:
They're getting rid of our store's fabric department, which makes me sad. I know that the fabric isn't the best quality, but it's great to be able to grab a few yards of the $2/yard stuff to practice an idea on, as I don't really sew from patterns, but more from the pictures and voices in my head, LMAO! So, the girls and I perused the fabric selections. I told them to each pick out some fabric and we'd make a nightgown, they need new nightgowns anyway. HRH chose (surprise, surprise) a pink princess material, and the Hurricane chose the purple version of the same. Super cute, and I grabbed a couple of tank tops to make really quick nightgowns. I LOVE their Garanimals stuff! Anywho..... we cruised through the dairy to grab some yogurt and cinnamon rolls and then head up to the cash registers. Yay! We're able to go to the Express lane. We finally get up to the front, and as the cashier (who could NOT have been less friendly) was about to start ringing me up, I realized that I left my wallet in my car. CRAP! I explain the situation, apologize profusely, and ask if she can hold on to my stuff while I dash out to the car and get my wallet. Not unreasonable, right? She heaves a HUGE sigh and says "I'll send it to the Customer Service desk". Now, I don't know how many of you have ever had the pleasure of standing in a WalMart Customer Service line on a Friday evening in southeast Texas, but it's a JOY, let me tell you. :X I'm slightly less than thrilled that she couldn't hold on to my stuff for the literally 3-4 minutes it would take me to run out to my car and grab my wallet. Nonetheless, I take a deep cleansing breath and head out in the heat (95ish) and humidity (just less humid than the Amazonian Rainforest, I'm guessing) and reach my car and run back, returning to the store in about 180 seconds.
yet another side note..... you'd think that since, upon arrival at said WalMart and noticing that someone had left a bag of groceries in the buggy I grabbed from the parking lot, prompting me to drop it with the greeter lady, you know, the one who gives the kids the smiley face stickers:
(not actual greeter)
That Karma would smile kindly on me for doing a good deed, right? Evidently not. I've got a bone to pick with Karma, and if something nice doesn't happen to me today, I'm gonna give her an earful!
Back to your regularly scheduled story-within-a-story.....
So, the evil cashier lady, let's call her Cruella, looks over at my sweating, panting, pathetic self, shrugs her shoulders (!), and goes back to scanning items as slowly as she can (b/c she gets paid by the hour, of course). I head over to the Customer Service desk, practicing deep breathing exercises as I walk to lower my blood pressure. Mercy of mercies! There is NO line! I walk right up to the counter and say "I need to pay for my things, I forgot my wallet and Cruella on register 3 sent them to you". Super nice CS lady, we'll call her Pollyanna, says "why, SURE, honey! Let me grab it off the counter over here and we'll get you taken care of!" :) So, she rings up the tank tops I grabbed, the Yoplait Whips, the Hannah Montana Danimals yogurt, the cinnamon rolls, and the straws, and then gets to the fabric...... She asks me if I have the ticket that shows the yardage and pricing of the fabric. Um, no. Why would I? Cruella had it in her hands when I dashed out the door to get my wallet.... I'm not sure why it's not with the fabric. (5 different cuts of fabric, probably 7 or 8 yards total). She rings Cruella... "Cruella, this is Pollyanna over at Customer Service, do you have the lady with the darling girls' ticket for her fabric (I do not tell a lie, lol! And my girls ARE darling.... most of the time :X)? What? Now, Cruella, why would you do that? What are we supposed to do now?" Oh, crap. What happened NOW?!?!!? Seems Cruella, in her infinite friendliness and helpfulness (typed with sarcasm dripping from my fingers), TORE UP the freaking ticket!!!!!!!!! The only thing I could do was go BACK to the fabric department and have everything remeasured and get a new ticket. Joy. Not getting the fabric was not an option, either, b/c both girls would NOT let me forget their promised nightgown. Is it Happy Hour yet?!?!??! So we schlep BACK to the fabric department, where Flo (real name, I swear, and she's a doll) had already heard the story (gotta love WalMart, LMAO!) and was waiting for me. She said "honey, just tell me how much of each you got, I trust you!". She whipped out a new ticket, the girls and I checked out and headed home finally!!!!! An hour later, they were sporting their new nightgowns:
HRH in full "we are NOT amused" mode and the Hurricane biting those blasted nails!!!!
Anyway, back to my original story (if you can remember what it was about, LMAO!)
We get home from WalMart, let them play while I'm making their nightgowns, have a snack, and then a bath, and snuggle in to fall asleep while watching The Cheetah Girls 2. Cheetalicious! ALL of CG2 goes by and no sleeping angels. So we turn off the TV and just lay there for a while, every few minutes I hear a "Mommy, I can't go to sleep" LOL! Finally, HRH falls asleep. It's 10:30. The Hurricane must be close on her heels, no? NO! 11:freaking:30!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time I get a bubble bath (sacred to me and must be taken every night, no matter HOW late I have to stay up) and get into bed, it's after midnight. OK, logic says that we should probably sleep late. 8:00 or so, right? Um, not my Charming children! HRH is up at 6:00, yes, 6:00, the buttcrack of dawn, asking for Cocoa Puffs. I am sleepy, grumpy, and probably another dwarf or two today all rolled into one. They HAVE to sleep tonight, don't they? DON'T THEY?!?!?!?!!??
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Girl Power!!!!!!
WooHoo!!!!!!!!!! Ok, I'm beyond thrilled that Stephanie won TC (does anyone else think Tom Colicchio decided to name the show "Top Chef" so it would have the same initials as him?). :) :) :) I'm so happy that I don't even care that my girls have both been napping for over 2 1/2 hours right now, so we'll undoubtedly be up until 11 or so tonight. I haven't read Dust's recap yet, I'm saving it for tonight, lol. A few thoughts.... What the HECK inspired Lisa-of-the-rice-disasters to make freaking rice pudding for her dessert?!?!? I can't be the only one who thought she'd go down in flames on that, right? (I'm ashamed to admit that I was a little disappointed when she didn't, lol. I'm a horrible person, though.). Richard looked so out of sorts, I kind of got the impression from the start (well, at least from the point when he lost his sous chef, which he SHOULD have expected, and as far as TC surprises go, that wasn't all too bad, KWIM?) that he was not at the top of his game. I really think that when they griped about the leeks at judges's table that Stephanie thought she was out of it. And freaking Lisa was all chest-puffy and proud about her soup. (Yes, I know, I'm bitchy today about Lisa, but I really just don't like her). I was so happy for Stephanie, I think she seems like such a nice person. I feel sorry for Richard, though. He was super cool and a great cook, but it just wasn't his night. And it was about freaking time that a woman won!!!!!
On a totally unrelated note, Prince Charming is famous, don't you know? His picture is on the Continental Airlines website :) on the right side, where that have that little banner that changes pics, he's #4 for now :)
On a totally unrelated note, Prince Charming is famous, don't you know? His picture is on the Continental Airlines website :) on the right side, where that have that little banner that changes pics, he's #4 for now :)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Finale!!!!!!!!!!
Top Chef finale TONIGHT!!!! Mark your Tivo/DVR! I will most assuredly NOT have two sleeping angels at 9:00, so my beloved DVR will record it for me. I'm seriously hoping to stay up and watch it tonight with a little bowl of M&Ms and a Shiner Hefeweizen (although I really like it with a wedge or orange rather than lemon like the good folks at Shiner recommend). However, due to HRH's random fever, which resulted in a spur-of-the-moment pediatrician trip this morning to rule out a UTI (hallelujah!), I have not slept more than 30 -45 minutes at a stretch for 4 nights now. AND don't you know that the Hurricane picked LAST night to sleep through the night without waking for the first time?!?!? Yay for the lovebug! I know that's not impressive to those of you who have the children who sleep through at 8 weeks and such, but for us here at the Casa-of-sleep-through-the-night-after-you-turn-4, we're in awe! She got jellybeans with her breakfast, LMAO!!! Anyway, I couldn't even enjoy it b/c HRH was so restless and hot and sweaty and wanting Mommy in her room and snuggling and burning ME up in the sweetest droopy cuddly fevered baby way that I was up most of the night.
SO......... I will most likely have to wait until tomorrow to watch it, for the sake of my mental health. I believe I'm getting a little snippy. The people at the collision center, where I picked up my darling car, who was having a little nip/tuck done, might agree. When they asked me how I wanted to return my rental car and I informed them that I just did by handing them the key (as opposed to taking my kids to the rental satellite office, loading carseats and sleeping toddlers into THEIR car to go BACK to the collision center, and then reload everything into MY car.). I mean, REALLY, people. Is it so freaking hard to have a brain? And a little sympathy? Ever heard of Karma? She's coming to get you some day, LMAO!!!!!
Anyway, for tonight, repeat to myself "I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap...." It probably won't even be up until tomorrow, right? right? someone tell me I'm right!!!!!!!!!
Post script - I just realized I haven't ever expressed who I think will/want to win...... I have been pulling for Stephanie since day 1. Although, I thought Richard would take it from the first elimination challenge. And the pics I saw of him with his little newborn daughter are just deliciously sweet! So, as long as Lisa (UGH) doesn't win, I'm golden, lol!
SO......... I will most likely have to wait until tomorrow to watch it, for the sake of my mental health. I believe I'm getting a little snippy. The people at the collision center, where I picked up my darling car, who was having a little nip/tuck done, might agree. When they asked me how I wanted to return my rental car and I informed them that I just did by handing them the key (as opposed to taking my kids to the rental satellite office, loading carseats and sleeping toddlers into THEIR car to go BACK to the collision center, and then reload everything into MY car.). I mean, REALLY, people. Is it so freaking hard to have a brain? And a little sympathy? Ever heard of Karma? She's coming to get you some day, LMAO!!!!!
Anyway, for tonight, repeat to myself "I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap....I will NOT stalk David Dust's blog for finale recap...." It probably won't even be up until tomorrow, right? right? someone tell me I'm right!!!!!!!!!
Post script - I just realized I haven't ever expressed who I think will/want to win...... I have been pulling for Stephanie since day 1. Although, I thought Richard would take it from the first elimination challenge. And the pics I saw of him with his little newborn daughter are just deliciously sweet! So, as long as Lisa (UGH) doesn't win, I'm golden, lol!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Pork Chops and Apples a la Dianne
My friend Dianne makes these, and they are SOOOOOO yummy. Yeah, it may sound more like a fall-ish dish, but trust me when I say that they certainly taste fabulous on a 95 degree day in the Houston suburbs, lol!!!! Here you go, Jennifer :)
Spray crock pot with Pam or the like (I use the cheap WalMart Great Value brand, lol). Layer think boneless pork chops, then peeled, sliced apples, then cinnamon, then butter pats (if you're making a lot, you can do two layers of each, that's what I did b/c I was feeding 4 adults and 2 kids). Cook on low all day (I put them in around 10 and we ate around 6). I served with brown rice, fresh bread, and baked sweet potatoes. Super yummy. I baked the sweet potatoes a little different than I usually do (this is how I do regular baking potatoes, SO yummy). Wash skins, then prick with fork. Rub oil on skins (I just use canola), then sprinkle pretty heavily with kosher salt (coarse). Bake directly on the oven rack at 400 for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Make sure before you do this that you line the bottom rack with foil to catch any drips, b/c they will smoke you out of your house the next time you turn the oven on. (Voice of experience speaking here).
Spray crock pot with Pam or the like (I use the cheap WalMart Great Value brand, lol). Layer think boneless pork chops, then peeled, sliced apples, then cinnamon, then butter pats (if you're making a lot, you can do two layers of each, that's what I did b/c I was feeding 4 adults and 2 kids). Cook on low all day (I put them in around 10 and we ate around 6). I served with brown rice, fresh bread, and baked sweet potatoes. Super yummy. I baked the sweet potatoes a little different than I usually do (this is how I do regular baking potatoes, SO yummy). Wash skins, then prick with fork. Rub oil on skins (I just use canola), then sprinkle pretty heavily with kosher salt (coarse). Bake directly on the oven rack at 400 for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Make sure before you do this that you line the bottom rack with foil to catch any drips, b/c they will smoke you out of your house the next time you turn the oven on. (Voice of experience speaking here).
Desperate times call for desperate measures
So the Hurricane bites her nails. Religiously! Like all the dang time. And saying "don't bite your nails!" generally either makes her yell "NO! I bite-a my fingies NOW!" or start biting her toenails (all together now.... EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW). Any ideas on how to help her stop? HRH bit hers for a while, and all it took was her getting a piece of a fingernail stuck in her throat for a little while to stop. She'd cry and pretend to gag and say "it's CHOKING me!!" while I sat there and said "gee, I guess you won't bite your nails anymore, now will you?". :X And the Mother-of-the-Year award goes to ..... me! I know, it's evil, but I despise fingernail biting. I used to do it, I'm reformed. Must be why I'm so militant about it. PLEASE give any tips! I'm begging you!
HRH has one of her random fevers. She's famous for them. She'll be totally fine, insist she feels good, and then you notice when she climbs in your lap that she's burning up and when you check, you find that she has 102.5 fever. No symptoms. She gets this from her daddy, he's the same way. We were at the lakehouse last night, swimming in the pool, when she said "Mommy, I'm really cold!" The pool wasn't all that cold, I mean, this IS Houston, right? She was burning up! Well, nowhere near her own personal record of 105.7, but at a respectable 103.2. So needless to say, she and I didn't get much sleep last night. :(
Prince Charming got a phone call right after we got back home (we spent the night out at the lake) from a friend and former flight student who has a float plane. He was invited to go fly the float plane for a while with said friend. So, the two of them set off, giddy as schoolboys at the prospect of scaring the crap out of boaters and skiiers on Lake Conroe while delighting small children and grown men with the hearts of small children out on the water today :) Float planes make me nervous, though. I'm glad he called just now and said he's on his way home :)
Made pork chops with apples and cinnamon and butter in the crock pot yesterday. SO yummy!!!! And SOOOOO easy!
HRH has one of her random fevers. She's famous for them. She'll be totally fine, insist she feels good, and then you notice when she climbs in your lap that she's burning up and when you check, you find that she has 102.5 fever. No symptoms. She gets this from her daddy, he's the same way. We were at the lakehouse last night, swimming in the pool, when she said "Mommy, I'm really cold!" The pool wasn't all that cold, I mean, this IS Houston, right? She was burning up! Well, nowhere near her own personal record of 105.7, but at a respectable 103.2. So needless to say, she and I didn't get much sleep last night. :(
Prince Charming got a phone call right after we got back home (we spent the night out at the lake) from a friend and former flight student who has a float plane. He was invited to go fly the float plane for a while with said friend. So, the two of them set off, giddy as schoolboys at the prospect of scaring the crap out of boaters and skiiers on Lake Conroe while delighting small children and grown men with the hearts of small children out on the water today :) Float planes make me nervous, though. I'm glad he called just now and said he's on his way home :)
Made pork chops with apples and cinnamon and butter in the crock pot yesterday. SO yummy!!!! And SOOOOO easy!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Chalazions and other things of importance
So, we have finally diagnosed what's been plaguing HRH for the last few months. She's having recurring chalazions. They're basically like a stye, but a little different. LOL! Don't you LOVE my obvious talent for explaining things? The WONDERFUL pediatric ophthalmologist we saw with Texas Children's Hospital explained them to me this way. The oil in her body is just a little too thick for her little pores to handle, so they get a blockage and sometimes it gets a little infected, where you get some granulation, and this is what we're dealing with (current one on lower lid, healing one on upper lid) :
The picture makes it look WAY better than it was. Our course of treatment is to take 1 teaspoon of flax seed oil mixed with one teaspoon of peanut butter every day. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that! The girls LOVE it, by the way, they have been waking up asking for their "peanut butter medicine", LOL! Doesn't HRH have the PRETTIEST eyes?!?!?
Top Chef.... Antonia was ROBBED, to quote my friend Inger. WTH is WRONG with those people? Tom, Padma, GAIL!!!!! What are you thinking?!?!? Lisa is a STANK B*TCH (to quote David Dust, best recapper EVER). What is UP with her "you guys didn't even congratulate me... like you don't think I deserve to BE here anymore"?!?!?!?! I got news for ya, Lisa. AMERICA doesn't think you deserve to be there anymore. Ick. I can't believe I have to watch her in the finale. @@ And am I the only one who thinks Padma sounds snot-slinging drunk half of the time?
Hell's Kitchen... Gordo must be under immense stress this season b/c of opening his new restaurant, b/c there is NO other explanation for how incredibly sucky the people in the kitchen are! And Louross going home before MATT?!?!?!?!? Matt made Gordon physically ILL the first episode!!!!! WTH???!?!?!
The picture makes it look WAY better than it was. Our course of treatment is to take 1 teaspoon of flax seed oil mixed with one teaspoon of peanut butter every day. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that! The girls LOVE it, by the way, they have been waking up asking for their "peanut butter medicine", LOL! Doesn't HRH have the PRETTIEST eyes?!?!?
Top Chef.... Antonia was ROBBED, to quote my friend Inger. WTH is WRONG with those people? Tom, Padma, GAIL!!!!! What are you thinking?!?!? Lisa is a STANK B*TCH (to quote David Dust, best recapper EVER). What is UP with her "you guys didn't even congratulate me... like you don't think I deserve to BE here anymore"?!?!?!?! I got news for ya, Lisa. AMERICA doesn't think you deserve to be there anymore. Ick. I can't believe I have to watch her in the finale. @@ And am I the only one who thinks Padma sounds snot-slinging drunk half of the time?
Hell's Kitchen... Gordo must be under immense stress this season b/c of opening his new restaurant, b/c there is NO other explanation for how incredibly sucky the people in the kitchen are! And Louross going home before MATT?!?!?!?!? Matt made Gordon physically ILL the first episode!!!!! WTH???!?!?!
Monday, June 2, 2008
For those of you with LOTS of free time on your hands:
I realize I'm probably a year or so behind other people discovering this but OMG so fun. Prince Charming and I giggle like little kids and high five when we open new squares, LOL!!
Funny Farm
Google is your friend. Trust.
Funny Farm
Google is your friend. Trust.
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