Flashback Friday

Today I am flashing back just over 14 yrs ago. I must admit these pictures were taken about 2 months apart. hehe

This is our engagement photo. My GOODNESS we both look sooo young!!! I think this will always be my second favorite photo of my dear hubby (yeah, he's been forgiven for his transgressions of late...he made up for it yesterday) and me. What's my first favorite you ask? This one:

Both of these pictures were taken in 1994. And I'm thrilled to say, every time I kiss my hubby I feel just as "on air" as I did those days. Who needs Red Bull to give you wings when you have a yummy hubby around and a happy marriage?!?!


Click here to find out about my first giveaway.

My IQ

No, I'm not going to talk about my intelligence...well, not really. Recently I have had the opportunity to be interviewed by one of my bloggy friends, Texan Mama at Who Put Me In Charge of These People.
I am super thrilled to be asked questions by fellow bloggers..so here goes...and could someone please touch up my make-up and hair. What?! This isn't a paid interview? Ah well, no big.

1. What's the best birthday present you've ever gotten?

• The BEST would have to have been a leather jacket with fringe I got when I was about 14 yrs old. It doesn't seem the BEST fashion choice now..but then..I was hawt!!! More recently I think it was my combination Christmas/Birthday present of my new digital camera.
  

2. What is your astrological sign?

• I'm an Aquarius. (I think the new "What's your sign?" pick-up line is "A/S/L?" That's what I've seen online at least when you go into any public chat room and the people there even SUSPECT you might be female!! hehe means Age/Sex/Location?)
  

3. If you won a prize of $10,000 and you didn't have to pay taxes on it, what would you do with the money?

• First of all I'd take some of it and put it towards credit cards. Then I'd probably buy myself a new kick ass laptop. hehe And then I'd probably do something silly and sensible and buy like $1000 worth of scratch off lottery tickets! hehehe Knowing me I'd likely use a good chunk of it on home improvements like paint, flooring, and such for the house.

4. Can you name the current heads of state of at least 5 world countries?

• Ummm....Amadinajad, Queen Elizabeth, Bradjelina (haven't they founded their own country yet?), and that's about it...besides our own...Barak Obama

5. Where did you lose your virginity?

• Sadly, in my boyfriend's rent house...sad thing is..he was sort of..umm..lacking in certain areas, and I wasn't totally sure I had lost my virginity...ho hum...and I stayed with him for over THREE years!!!

6. Why did you start blogging?

• I originally started blogging here to give myself an outlet to get my weight loss frustrations and successes out. Blogging has been my therapy for quite some time now. I started a couple years ago on yahoo 360 and myspace. Then it was just somewhere to write out my thoughts and occasionally get some feedback. Only later did it become a venue to vent overall. I also started a digital scrapbooking blog so I could share with family members some of the things I was putting together.

7. Who was the first singing group/artist whose cassette/CD/8-track YOU bought (with your own money)?

• Brace yourself...New Kids on The Block's "Hangin' Tough", my mother bought me Vanilla Ice's with "Ice Ice Baby" on it because she liked that song so much (GOOD thing that's the ONLY song she listened to!!!) and she also bought me a Fresh Prince cassette (the one with "Nightmare on My Street" and "Parents Just Don't Understand").

8. How do you wake up in the morning?

• Generally with a chihuahua ass in my face...stupid dog! I generally wake up somewhat cranky as my first order of business is to get everyone else in the house up and let the dogs out so they don't crap on the floor. Most of the time my alarm on my phone or my husband's evil half broken Smithsonian-bound alarm clock rouses me, or the sound of my children's alarms going off above me that I seem to be able to hear through the floor but they can't seem to hear from across their own freakin' bedroom!!!!!

9. When was the last time you wrote someone a letter?

• I did this earlier this month actually, with a stamp and everything!! I have a friend who is serving some time in white collar jail for a very bad mistake in her own judgement. She and I have corresponded throughout her stay there.

10. Name 3 things you'd like to do before you die, that you haven't already done.

• Go to a tropical resort for a week with my hubby
• Read the entire Bible, cover to cover
• Learn two foreign languages fluently..preferably Spanish and French

Thanks again, Texan Mama for the interview! I had a blast answering the questions. I think I might have to come up with something similar in the coming week.

No rest for the Mom...

I am SOO incredibly thankful that today is a GORGEOUS day in N. Texas!! It is 82 degrees F outside!! Every now and then there's a slight breeze, and best of all..I DON'T have Spring allergies!! So after waking from my Theraflu induced sleep this morning-ish (it was about 12:30pm, but I was just waking up..so it totally counts as my morning), I made myself a light lunch and proceeded to open all the doors/windows that I could. And no worries all, THIS time I had on shorts and a very light 3/4-length sleeve shirt (no need revisiting yesterday). What makes this day so wonderful is it is the FIRST day this week I've really felt half way decent. My nose is not too drippy today, the aches are subsiding, and no headache on the horizon!! Yipee!!! Last night was another story.
Yesterday, pretty much all day, I fought chills and fever along with overall yuckiness. I spent the vast majority of the day in bed drifting in and out of consciousness. So around 6:30pm the hubby calls to let me know he's on his way home. The conversation went something like this:
Him: Hey honey, I'm on my way home. Need me to get anything on the way home?
Me: (weakly)No, I don't think so.
Him: OK, so what's for supper?
Me: I don't know...I've been in bed all day. I haven't even thought about supper.
Him: Well, think about it. What are we having?
Me: I'm not sure...I guess we'll figure it out when you get home. Bye.
Him: OK, bye, see ya in a few.

WTF?!?! Now I must warn you, I'm one of those nurturing wives. When my hubby doesn't feel well I all out PAMPER him!! I dote. I bring him meals in bed. I check on him often. I threaten the children with unspeakable consequences if they make too much noise and disturb his rest. THIS apparently is a one-sided thing in my house. That same morning before he went to work, while I laid in the bed being about as pitiful as one could be, he whined "What? You didn't make me a lunch?" I just gave him a look, grabbed one of the dogs like a teddy bear, and rolled over.

Yesterday after my son came home from school he came into my room, laid down with me in bed, and watched Blossom reruns on DVD with me for about an hour and a half. He even asked if I needed anything.

After my darling hubby got home he continued to lament that he was HUNGRY!!! So I got up, moped into the kitchen and started some spaghetti. It was only after getting everything started that he huffed and said "No dear. Go back to bed. Remember, you're sick. Go to sleep."

I did just that! This morning I got up and cautiously stepped on the scale. I have not done so in several days. I've been lucky through being sick that I haven't had any stomach issues, so I've been able to keep everything in. And I have been trying to keep to a good meal plan. So I almost jumped for joy when those little digital numbers showed up FOUR AND A HALF pounds less than the last time I'd been on the scale!! Yeah!!!! So I'm on my way to being a Skinny Bitch!

Don't forget about my giveaway if you too are searching for your inner skinny and hoping to release her!!

A small glimpse...

So yesterday I felt ICK!! I drank a cup of Theraflu last night and went to bed early. This morning I couldn't find any Dayquil, so I had a dose of Nyquil. Did you know that it says for adults to take 2 TBSP every 6 hours? Seems excessive to me, but who am I to judge? This will be a short post, as in my current medicated state I seem to lose my train of thought FAST! But before I go I wanted to share with you what Nyquil did to my mind...

I had to take some movies back to Blockbuster this morning so I got out of bed, after waking from a GREAT Nyquil nap, and proceeded to get dressed. I grabbed a Dallas Fire and Rescue cap for my hair, put it on, without looking in a mirror and headed for the door. I found my keys and just before putting my hand on the front door to leave my boob itched. So I itched it. At that point I discovered that the only "clothes" I had on were my slip on shoes, comfy panties, and my hat. Yep, had it NOT been for that itch, I would have stepped out my front door for all the world to see my in all my glory. Ugh! Maybe I'll just go back to bed. Now where did I put that Nyquil? Hasn't it been 6 hours?

Are you a Skinny Bitch?

A while back I got on one of my rants and decided I was going to do something about it dammit!! And so off to Barnes and Noble I trekked. I looked in the health/weight loss section and came out with two books I thought were speaking to me...




















Now I'm all for being a bitch (when the time calls for it)...and I AM searching for skinny...but I don't think this is quite right for me. If you're looking to check this out for yourself..please leave me a comment and I'll throw everyone's name into a bucket, or hat, or something...and draw out a winner on March 6th and get the books on the way to you. For the record, this is my first ever giveaway. I am not being paid by the Skinny Bitches that wrote the book, nor were they donated...just looking to spread their message of bitchiness and skinniness with someone else. Tell your friends! Comment away!

The Happy Homemaker?

So recently I've been going through boxes and boxes of old pictures. In my searching I have come across a few books that I forgot I had as well. And I think I know why I might have buried them in a box in the garage. Here is one of them:
I don't have an official date on this one, but judging from the picture I'd wager a guess at somewhere in the mid to late 60s. And doesn't she just look so fulfilled wiping her towel in the air? She MUST be high!!! The book opens with a letter to "dear homemaker:" in which Barbara Bee states that this little booklet will help you gain more "leisure time". It promises no magic ways to make this happen, just "little ideas" to make your every day tasks go faster. (I thought I figured out a way to do this by having children...aka lil' housework slaves...but alas this just magnifies my problems) And you know what SUCKS!! These are applicable to TODAY!!! It covers Floors and Walls, Fixtures and Windows, All Around the House, Pets, Laundering, Special Problems, Shampoos, soft Water, and Stain Removal. There is even a little thing about Husbands. I think I might hide this book from my husband, lest he thinks I should take some of the ideas and put them to use. If I do, I'm gonna need some of Barbara's booze or brain-altering substances.

This is another book that I bought to try and improve the way I clean house.
This is a good one. And it plays to my list-making obsessions. I even get to make little note cards for all sorts of shit! I bought note cards, wrote a few 100 of them out, and I think they're in the top of my closet now. Think I might keep this book around for when I get nostalgic and want a good laugh at my attempts. hehe

Bottom line is, I do NOT like to clean!! I clean our bedroom about once a wee, at least once every two weeks. Days later, it is a challenge to see the floor on my side of the bed. Everything goes there!! I but cleaning products that I envision making my life a magical land of cleanliness. Heck I've even considered channeling Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo in a polka dot dress and apron with a smart cocktail awaiting the hubby when he walks through the door to a pristine house and shiny clean kids. Instead, he gets me sipping on a cocktail and asking if he wants to try some of mine, kids yelling at each other that the OTHER one didn't finish cleaning the kitchen yesterday, dog shit in the front room, and he's lucky if I've worked in time to my day to get fully dressed and hair coiffed perfectly and don't scream at him to stop trying to cop a feel while I'm making the hamburger helper!!!

But I'm trying to get better. I'm doing my damnest to clean at least ONE room every day, even if it goes to shit later that night. Do any of you have any ideas for me?

Tomorrow I plan on starting a giveaway of my very own!!! I'm thinking about either a purse or a set of books..maybe BOTH!! Check back to find out more!!

Just call me hop along mommia

So this weekend my husband and son discovered a new game online. "The West" is a multiplayer game online. Basically you live in the days of the Wild Wild West (but without the cool 80s song as your theme song..SUCK!!) and have to complete "quests". These range from picking cotton to tending pigs to selling newspapers to dueling, with many more in between. This HILARIOUS thing (to me) is that you start off these duels with just your bare fists...but then you move UP in the barbaric world of fighting to dueling with A BROKEN JUG!!! Yes..that's right...a broken jug...see...
That's my weapon of choice! I just HAVE to laugh thinking of two guys whaling on each other with their fists and broken jugs. I just can't help but think its a tough LOOKING version of a sissy chick fight. HA!!
So I'm going these quests and waiting for the hubby to take over a ghost town so I have somewhere I can sleep for cheap. Its a game where you start a task and then come back later. Because of this, my hubby and son think I'll be the best at this because "I'm not doing anything ELSE all day" (Assholes!). But I know, I KNOW, that my hubby will be logging on from work throughout the day as well. So THERE! hehe Is there a game that any of you play online that I could get hooked on too? hehe BTW, I've been SOO addicted to Cubes on my iPod ever since someone told me about it! hehe

Oh..BIG NEWS!!!! There's a dinner coming up this weekend for DFW area bloggers!! I'm SOOO excited I can hardly stand it! I hope they've told me the right location so I'll get to meet them in person and cease to be just an online stalker, ahem, I mean follower...(although follower sounds WAY creepier to ME). I'm going to take my camera and take plenty of pictures while downing cocktails and exchanging laughs. Now I MUST resist the urge to shop for a special outfit and just go through my closet and all the things I already own. Ooooo!! I'll wear my fabulous red shoes!!!

Flashback Friday!!!

I've been looking through a LOT of old photos and decided to make every Friday about flashing back to the past...

Here's a couple to get me started...
Remember Jason? This is a picture of the two of us together at Washington-On-The-Brazos (in Texas).
Oh yeah, I was smitten for sure!! ha!!!

And here's another a few year later...1991 (my then boyfriend's senior prom)
For the record, YES even then I LOVED the color pink!! And I thought I was da bomb in that dress!!! hehehe At least I toned down my hair it WAS 1991, like gawh!!!

New decorating idea

Well, since my job search has gone kind of stagnant, I've decided to concentrate on decorating the house again. I have all kinds of painting I'd LIKE to do (but the hubby has put the kabash on most of that as it requires a pesky thing like $$ to buy paint), and ideas are running rampant. But the other day I was looking at a funny gift site and happened upon these cute little drawings. They're from the site cowboychuck.com and since the hubby is INCREDIBLY cheap these days...I'm adapting them myself. Here's two I did today that will go in my kids' bathroom:

I drew them out freehand myself and then colored them in with map pencils (after tracing all the pencil lines in permanent marker). I plan on framing them in some of the dozens of frames we have laying around the house and hanging them in their bathroom. I've got almost 2 dozen of these in mind for almost every room in the house. It is a SUPER cute idea and I only wish I could afford to just order them all from the site itself.

After speaking to a lawyer...

Alright, so I didn't actually TALK to a lawyer, but she did leave a wonderful comment. hehe So I've decided to share with you all my Lobster & Corn Chowder recipe from Valentine's Day.

Lobster & Corn Chowder
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: About 45 minutes

• 1 8-oz uncooked lobster tail (I just used the lobster that comes in a bag at the grocery store near the other seafood)
• 2 TBSP butter, divided
• 2 TBSP brandy, divided (optional)
• 1 small leek (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I use the dried McCormick stuff, but not the powdery looking kind)
  
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2 bottles (8-oz each) clam juice (it is usually near the tuna in the store)
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large red potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (I used 1/2 a can of corn)
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Remove lobster meat from shell; cut into 1-inch pieces. (see how this is easier if you use the bagged kind, already shelled AND cut! ha!) Melt 1 TBSP of the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add lobster; cook 5-7 minutes or until edges of lobster being to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove lobster from pan; set aside. If desired, add 1 TBSP of the brandy to the pan (if not using brandy, use water); stir to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan.
2. Melt remaining 1 TBSP butter in the same saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and thyme; cook and stir 1 minute or until slightly softened. Whisk in flour; cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in clam juice, tomato paste, and salt; bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Add potato; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in corn; cover and cook 10 minutes or until potato is tender.
3. Stir in cream; simmer gently just until heated through. Remove from heat; add lobster and remaining 1 TBSP brandy, if desired. Ladle into soup bowls; garnish with thyme sprigs if desired.

Yields: 2 servings (about 3 cups)

Nutrients per serving (about 1 1/2 cups):

• Calories 360
• Total fat 23g
• Saturated fat 14g
• Cholesterol 100mg
• Carbohydrate 30g
• Protein 12g
• Sodium 1070mg
• Fiber 2g

Diabetic exchanges per serving (about 1 1/2 cups): 2 starch, 1 low-fat meat, 3 fat (2 carb)

Now mind you, I used unsalted butter, low-sodium canned corn, and that salt that is like near-salt that comes in the light blue container thing. You know, like near beer is beer but not really beer...this is salt, but not really salt.

For me this makes 3 servings, because we put about 1 cup away for the next day (usually for hubby to take to work). I actually bought two bags of lobster so I made this again tonight and MAN was it yummy!!! I also made a red velvet cake FROM SCRATCH!!! And you'd have thought it came from a freakin' box, baby!!! SOOOO yummy!! I'll take a picture of it and add it to then end of this post tomorrow. If I go back in there and cut a piece tonight I'm liable to eat the whole damned thing! hehe

Enjoy my legal friend! Let me know if you make it how it turns out!!

The obligatory post...

Seeing as how everyone else has blogged something about Valentine's Day I figured I'd share my experience. Around here it has just become another day, but I have been known to take advantage of the gift aspect of the occasion and try to weasel something out of my dear hubby. hehe This year I asked for a tripod for my camera, alright...YOU might not think its romantic or anything, but after this many years together, romance = electronics. HA!

Hubby asks for the same thing almost every year (truthfully, he asks for this for ANY gift giving occasion)...clean house and a BJ. well, he didn't get that this time. This past weekend I've been sitting for my BFF. She and her hubby went to CanCun for her hubby's brother's wedding and so the kids and her new dog needed somewhere to stay. Well, me being a friend I am, I was avaialble...(and this means she owes me big time). So there was no way in hell this house was going to be completely cleaned with two extra kids (1st grader and 3rd grader) and a puppy in our home!

So in keeping with this hold thrifty shit I'm having to embrace here lately, I cooked a meal at home. I made a Mediterranean Salad with homemade vinegrette dressing and feta cheese.
I picked up a bottle of Sparkling Zinfandel to drink. For the main course I made a Lobster and Corn chowder that was just DELISH!!! The recipe claimed that it makes 2 servings and is about 360 calories a serving. I have to tell you, I had maybe 1/2 a serving and was FULL!!!! Kyle ended up having the rest. He said it was SOO good! hehe
We both ate and giggled at how "unromantic" it all was in reality. In the background we heard children fighting and running around above us, dogs arguing over food at our feet (not OUR food, our dog's bowls are in the kitchen)...ahhh the ambiance! For dessert we had the classic chocolate dipped goodies (bananas, strawberries, and shortbread cookies)..I have one of those double boilers like you've seen on TV infomercials for chocolate, so I dipped them all myself.

I still haven't gotten my tripod, but I'm not gonna sweat it as I'm sure it'll happen in time. You know what, I still have some lobster in the fridge, I'm debating either making more chowder or putting it with some pasta and alfredo sauce for lunch today.

Don't hate me because I have a totally awesome collection!!

Just about everyone I know collects something or another, be that dolls, plates, cat crap, neuroses, personalities, whatever... But I never really thought I collected anything until a couple of years ago. Then I realized I've been collecting something for just over 15 years. And what is it? Here I'll show ya...
Yep! I collect bar glasses!! I've got just about everything...wine glasses, champagne flutes, cordial cups, shot glasses, tubes, margarita glasses, beer pilsners, water goblets, brandy snifters, fish bow glass, shooter chess set, goblet goblets, martini glasses, mini Coca-Cola glasses...etc...

But dear not friends, these lovelies do not spend their days on my dining room table. No their home is in my china cabinet. Hubby got it for me for my birthday about five years ago. It sits atop a matching buffet and is beautiful. In the lower buffet cabinets is also not a single dish, instead it holds LIQUOR!!! Yep, I use these babies!! Some of the glasses have stories, but most were just found somewhere and I thought they were pretty, or I didn't have that type yet. For years now every birthday or Christmas someone in my family has given me something related to my bar. Here's a few examples of some of the glasses and their origins:


My Pimp Cup - Yeah baby...'cause that's how Momma rollz! HA! This one I actually owe to my mother's family. For years we've done a "White Elephant" gift exchange on Christmas Eve. A couple of years ago they had this as one of the gifts and the hubby got it so I could have it to use at Bunco with the girls. The same year I took home a lovely bottle of Merlot. And no I don't have my grillz to match my pimp cup. Yes I know, my family is excellent!!! hehe


German Shot Glasses - the hubby went to go visit his bro in Germany in the fall of 2001. He brought these back for me along with several bottles of Reisling and Gluewein. There's pictures of different German towns or landmarks on all the glasses. Behind them are a set of "Family Guy" shot glasses.

Stolen Booty Shot Glass - This little cutie is only about 3-4 inches high and the mouth on it is about as big around as a silver dollar. I was out with the girls at dinner years ago and we were duped out of a free shot (they said they'd give us one for making us wait 1.5 hrs to be seats and being passed up twice then they tried to charge us for the round anyways). So since they didn't comp the drinks, we each made off with one of their pretty little shot glasses. And never came back. Never piss off a bunch of drunk moms.

Oktoberfest Tent Swag - well sort of, my bro-in-law and his wife visited 10 or so tents at Oktoberfest in Germany and made off with several of the pilsners, he said there were signs EVERYWHERE saying NOT to take the glasses out of the tent. That lil' rebel!! hehe

Fish Bowl Sloshy - Ever been to a Razoo's before? There was something called a fish bowl and it was SOOO yummy! Again I was out with the girls (about 9 of us were there til after closing time) and the cute flirty waiter (this is a requirement for any restaurant we ever dined/drank in) let me slip it into my oversized purse and make off with it.

Wedding Flutes - These are the wedding flutes we used at our wedding. They are engraved with our first names and we use them once a year on our anniversary.

So if any of you ever find yourselves in the Dallas area and want to stop by for a drink, I'm here and I've got the supplies needed to make you a yummy concoction. Y'all come back now, ya hear! hehe

Some days you just want to nap!

Alright, last night I made a yummy dessert (it wasn't actually ready to eat until this morning). I made a cheesecake. And it wasn't a no-bake either!! I've never made a really real cheesecake, so this was quite a feat for me. I cut into it this morning to send a piece to work with hubby's lunch and it just looked gorgeous!!! All the layers just right!! WOW! Yeah, me! This one wasn't as "low fat", etc...as my last creation. So what did I have this morning for breakfast? You guessed it!! A piece of cheesecake and a diet dr. pepper. Mmmmm, breakfast of champions!!! Ha!

And then I look out my bedroom window and its DREARY!! It rained last night and everything is brown and wet outside. The air is only slightly crisp, so I'm sitting here in jeans and my favorite sweatshirt thinking about taking a nap. Yea, yea, yea...I know there's other things to do today. But they said on the Today Show this morning that you could lose weight sleeping!! Alright, I'm editing the story for my own desires..but ah well. Today just seems to be one of those days.

So as I listen to the hens cackle on "The View" I am contemplating losing the jeans, curling up under the covers, and drifting off for an hour or so. I'm sure I'll be up by the time Days of Our Lives comes on and I'll probably bust my butt this afternoon cleaning for an hour or two in an attempt to make it appear that I've done something with my day that will please the hubby.

I'm considering arranging a game night with some couples in the coming weeks, but unfortunately I cannot plan a THING until I find out if hubby is headed back to the Philippines. Ugh!! Hopefully I can find something out soon, so I can send out the invites in enough time to have a decent turn-out.

OK..bored with TV now, and allergy meds are kicking in (I've started sneezing less and yawning more)...so I'm off to nap. And no worries if have to go to the grocery store later, I shaved this morning already. =)

Step up to the circus!!!

Alright, so its not THAT bad. But days it feels like it!!! Years ago I suffered from a horrible abnormality called PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome). One of the loverly side effects is increased hair growth. But NOT on my head where I would have preferred!! Well, not exactly not on my head. On my chin!!! WTF?!?! And not just a few stray hairs here and there either. DAMN!! I can grow a better goatee than my brother-in-law can in a week!!! It just isn't right!!! I promise there's no adam's apple visible in my throat. And what are my options?
Well there's plucking. But seriously, with this volume..that's just long, drawn out, and PAINFUL!! Another option is waxing...no..again not enough tequila in the state (and I'm NOT going to a little nail salon to have them do it!!). Hmm..electrolysis? Tried it, that shit HURTS!! Laser hair removal? Not in the cards until I reach 200lbs, or win the lottery. So I'm left with shaving. So every morning I stand at the sink and shave that crap off. I know that it will grow back thicker and more dense by doing this, but I just don't care!! I do it all dry and have never had razor burn or anything else. Its just a PAIN IN THE ASS!!!
I've had mornings where I have been too busy or tired to remember this little ritual and left the house. Only to catch a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror and almose careen into the nearest ditch. I've considered keeping an emergency stash of razors in the glove box, but in order to shave in public I think I'd need to wear much flashier clothing, LOTS more makeup, and do wonders with my hair (ala drag queen style)...otherwise I'll cause Mr. Improtant on his way to work to spill his Starbucks as he glances over at the lady in the next car pruning herself. Ugh!!
I guess if I am not able to find a job elsewhere I can always see if the local circus is hiring and get on as the bearded lady. Wonder how much they pay?

*Disclaimer: That is NOT a picture of MY actual chin!

Assume Fox viewing positions!!

Alright, I might have mentioned on here before how I've enjoyed watching Married...With Children in the past. And every time they would tune into a show on Fox on the program Al Bundy would yell out "Assume Fox viewing positions!!" and the whole family would be in every which position with rabbit ear antennas, foils, etc... to properly tune in the station. THIS is how I currently feel concerning my laptop. Let me start by saying I LOVE my laptop, heck I've even named the damned thing (her name is Lucy). So any time anyone else in the house "searches" the network for my computer they need to look for "Lucy" and they have arrived at my little luxury item. It is far from state of the art. No fancy video cards, sound cards, webcams, etc...just what I needed for school/work-at-home business that I sought out originally. Lucy is roughly four years old but has been updated with RAM and a bigger hard drive. So the only way I feel frustrated in regards to my dear Lucy is in her charging!! She is a BITCH!!! And use the term in the most loving way possible. Let me share with you a few pictures I just took of the current configuration required to get THIS:

The elusive "charging" icon

So this first photo is of the adapter plugged into the side of the laptop.
Notice the red marks (I added those after taking the pictures). The arrow on the laptop shows where it plugs in, then if you will notice the plug is arched severely and the plug is COMING out of the little plug in thingy. WTF?!?! Yeah, when I plugged it in all the way, and changed the configuration to perpendicular (as it comes and is normally) Lucy doesn't even acknowledge that she's plugged into AC power (nope, she's runnin on batteries then). And to maintain this configuration is NOT an easy task. It requires a certain amount of force to keep the plug head arched in such a way. Notice please that the cord is tucked UNDER the laptop. But where does it go? Take a look:
Just follow the red lines to see where the cable runs. OMG!!! This is so ridiculous!! And no, its not a matter of adapter. I have like 5 of them (they were on sale for $20 at Albertsons a while back and I bought like 3 of them) because as you can probably tell these great acrobatics in electricity are very hard on a power adapter.
I wrote a letter to HP asking if they could provide a solution (namely can I purchase the innards needed to switch out the power so it works normally). They said that I could, and then I could take it to an "authorized HP repair service" to get it installed. Ummm...yeah, I'll look into that. But in the mean time I keep searching eBay and Craigslist for someone selling my ancient laptop without any major guts (no HD, no memory, etc...) so that I can keep everything mostly the same, but not have to "assume the positions".

Ok, if anyone has stuck around THANK YOU!! And now I'll share something with you that is SUPER yummy!!! I made it yesterday for a friend and myself. We met for lunch and then came back here for dessert.
I got the recipe out of a Pampered Chef cookbook, but altered it a little. Here it is:

Strawberries 'N Cream Wonton Cups

• 24 square wonton wrappers
• 1 TBSP butter or margarine, melted
• 2 TBSP granulated sugar
• 1 containter (8oz) low-fat strawberry yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip (whipped topping)
• 1 cup strawberries, cut into small pieces
• 2 TBSP powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pastry brush, brush one side of each wonton wrapper with melted butter. Sprinkle wontons with granuated sugar. Press each wonton, sugared/buttered side up, into cups of a mini-muffin pan. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove wontons from pan to a cooling rack, cool completely.
2. Place yogurt in a small batter bowl, fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping.
3. Using a small scoop, scoop yogurt mixture into each wonton. Top each with strawberry pieces. Garnish with whipped topping; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
   

I refirgerated mine and they still tasted REALLY yummy!!! I aso used fat free yogurt and fat free cool whip. So their recipe says 2 wontons = 110 calories. Using my adjustments I say 4-5 wontons = 110 calories. hehe I also only baked 12 wontons at a time, so there was an empty cup between them, it helped to keep them from sticking together so much. I started all this at like 10:00am and by 10:30am I was completely done with all 24 of them.

A future French Foreign Legion member?

This week my son had to sign up for classes for high school...wait a sec, HIGH SCHOOL!!!!! WTF?!?! I have a child in HIGH SCHOOL? Can't be, I look FAR too young for that! ;fEwopi[
2'o

Sorry, just fell off the bed dodging the lightning...

OK, so anyways...here's his list of courses:

• English I
• Algebra I
• PAP Biology
• World Geography
• French I
• Drumline
• ROTC 1

Alright, so the only "elective" in the bunch is drumline. He asked the hubby for a REAL drum set the other day (um, maybe NEXT Christmas, boy...for now keep bangin away on Rock Band). So I'm thrilled that he's pursuing this in such a fashion.
And PAP Biology is NOT some fast track in gynecology, it stands for "Pre-AP". It is an honors class. They recommended that everyone sign up for at least ONE advanced course. Last year he tried PAP History, but this year he's in no honors classes. So we'll see how biology treats him. I worry about dissection time, as he has his father's weak stomach. hmmmm.....
I asked him about taking French and why not Spanish. I know a foreign language is required, but I figured he'd stick to the same one most everyone else is taking. He said "Spanish is too common. I wanted to take German, but its not offered." WOW!! Depth. From the boy. Cool! Maybe I can help him study and learn some myself!
ROTC 1 - This is one we've talked about for years. He has said he wants to be in the military eventually, so we encouraged this venue for him. So he's stuck with it. This also counts as his extra-curricular activity that we told him he needed to pick up this next year. And can I just say he is going to look SWEET in a uniform!!! He's growing up so fast and is becoming quite a handsome gentleman.

When I told the Hubby about his class choices, he asked if he was joining the French Foreign Legion (French, World Geography, Drumline, and ROTC). Hehehe, who knows! Maybe? But I doubt it. Likely he'll join the Corps of Engineers at Texas A&M.

Ah well, adieu les amis!

My name is Dorsey, and I have an iTouch...

and I visit the App Store several times a day...Ugh!!

That shit is ADDICTIVE!! Years ago I got a present for myself, a iTouch iPod. It is the 8GB model, not the 16GB model, so I don't have as much room on it as I could. But I still LOVE it!! I use it for so much more than music ad videos these days. A while back my laptop started having issues with charging the battery. It is only by some miracle that I was able to position the adapter in just the right way this morning and the battery charged all the way up. So for several weeks, I wasn't even turning on my laptop. If I checked email, or anything else for that matter, downstairs it was from my handy dandy iTouch. And although I can type at 50WPM, I think I could text at about 10 WPH. My fingers were NOT build for those tiny little buttons. And the auto-word on the iPod is just as frustrating.

A while back I discovered the App Store and downloaded a few cute games and such, but nothing major. I tend to lean towards the FREE stuff as that is right in our budget!! (And I don't get griped out from the Hubby for FREE..hehe) We downloaded something that could help us find just about EVERYTHING anywhere in the US. (we found on experimentation that it did NOT work in the Philippines), we could look up everything from schools to airports to law services to dining options and more. And it linked up with the web browser and maps to help you eve more. Pretty cool, huh? And honestly most things I installed were more for the hubby than myself, as we would take my iPod with him on his business trips. I even downloaded a iRisk game thingy.

So let me just tell you everything on there now (downloaded apps in bold print):

• Music - came with
• Videos - came with
• Mail - came with update, use it for yahoo, verizon, and gmail
• Safari - web browser, came with
• Lose It - it tracks meals, weight, and more..a diet helper
• Maps - came with update
• Where To? - the program mentioned above, categories include food & drink, services, shopping, entertainment, travel & transportation, health & medical, attractions, and education
• Calendar - came with
• You Tube - came with
• Contacts - came with
• Stanza - this is a free book app, I have several copies of books downloaded here already (Anne of Avonlea, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of the Island, Fanny Hill, Paradise Lost, Curious Case of Benjammin Button, King James Bible, Picture of Dorian Gray, The Time Machine, and War and Peace)
• Classics - more books
• Sol Free - a card game with several choices; Baker's Game, Demon, Klondike, and Spiderette)
• myhomework - keeps up with classes and upcoming assignments (got it to keep up with the boy's homework, tests, etc...)
  
• Weather - came with update
• eReader - again, more books
• Whiteboard - is what it says, its a virtual whiteboard and I've endured several giggles from drawing dirty pictures here
• AOL Radio - I can listen to a lot of my regular radio stations with this one, as there's currently no other way to do so with the iTouch
• Stocks - came with update
• Photos - came with
• Notes - came with update
• Koi Pond - one of the first apps I installed, its just what it says, a Kio Pond with little fishies and all
• Facebook - an app that takes you directly to Facebook to piddle away the time
• Clock - came with
• oneConnect - use this to chat via YahooMessenger through my iTouch
• Cradle - this is one of those silly pendulum things where the balls hit each other and swing side to side
• Hangman - self explanatory
• Peg Jump - another game, for anyone who's ever been to Cracker Barrel restaurant, this is the game that's on the tables to play
• RhinoBall - a game of the hamster from Bolt where he rolls around town
• Brain Toot Lite - a Brain Age kind of game
• Labyrinth LE - a ball maze
• GuitarChords - just what is sounds like, just a list of chords
• Lightsaber - yeah its cool, and it makes lightsaber noises!! hahaha
• Google Earth - same as online
• Translator - translates several languages English to ...
• FS5 Hockey - this is two player air hockey, A LOT of fun!!! you play with your fingers on the paddle thingy
• BigOven - a recipe look-up app
• I Say Free - Simon Says with lights and sounds
• Flixter - keep up with movies playing in theaters
• Mancala FS5 - the stone game, able to play against computer, another person with you, or online
• Falling Balls - Stickman thing where you have to tilt to dodge falling balls and if not, well...its not pretty
• Backgrounds - a place to download new screensavers for the iPod
• Topple - a game of balance
• People - a people finder like a phone book
• DoneDrinkn - HILARIOUS tilt game where you have to get a drunk home
• iHandy Level - a neat little bubble level
• iHappyDays - a calendar app to help keep up with birthdays and anniversaries as added in Contacts
• Epocrates - a medical reference guide
• What's On? - a TV guide kind of thing where you can see what's on TV
• Drinks Free - place to look up over 6,000 drink recipes

Yeah, there's more than three little pages of crap on there!!! And I can NOT help myself, I keep seeing the damned commercials where they show apps and then I HAVE to go look for them and see if there's a free version. HAHAHA!

I've emailed from my iTouch, but have yet to blog from there, as stated before my typing is REALLY slow on that small of a keyboard. But I HAVE read blogs and commented from there. So yes, I am ready for a support group for the App Store but I think it would only be in order to find out from other junkies what apps they like and use. HA!!!!

So if you have an iTouch, or iPhone, check out the app store...it is AWESOME and has TONS of shit for FREE!!!!!!

My only complaint is that my battery runs down too fast, every night I plug it into a boombox I bought that it clicks in to, and if the boombox is plugged into a wall outlet it'll charge your iPod. Works for me!!!