Yeah, the weather people were right!!!

So last night it was 69 degrees when I went to bed, and when I woke up today it was 34 degrees!!!! I Love it!! :) Today will stay pretty cold, the high will be around 47 degrees, with a 60% chance of showers and sleet :) I left early today for work because people in Texas are total nimrods when it comes to driving in anything but sunny weather. I actually got to work on time, but I had a couple employees late due to accidents. I forgot to pull some of my potted plants in from the wind, so hopefully they aren't dying! I'll cover them when I get home tonight because the low is 30 (20's in the rural area's).

I love winter weather!!!

FINALLY!




Well the weather is showing signs that winter is coming. I mean, dear lord, it is the end of November and we are expecting the high to be in the low 80's. Yuck, and it is humid so I feel all sticky and gross. So all week long the weather people have been promising cooler weather, and I hope they are right. For what ever reason the weather people seem to always be "off" in their reports. I thought they had all of this new weather reading equipment so they can help predict the weather a little better. Anywho~ I won't rip on them, yet. As long as I get my cooler weather I'll be happy! We are putting up our Christmas decorations this week, so the cooler weather will help put us in the mood!!! :)

November 28

November 28 is the 332nd day of the year.

Interesting events that happened on November 28:

In 1582 William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay 40 pounds for their marriage license
In 1785 The Treaty of Hopewell is signed
In 1895 The first American automobile race takes place in Chicago to Evanston, Illinois. It took 10 hours to travel 54 miles.
In 1920 The Mask of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens
In 1969 the Rolling Stones releases the album Let it Bleed
In 1974 an extremely cute baby was born,,,hehehehe
In 1995 President Bill Clinton signs a highway bill that ends the federal 55 mph speed limit

Births:
1959 Judd Nelson
1962 Jon Stewart
1967 Anna Nicole Smith
1974 Dana B
1978 Freddie Mitchell (Former Eagle)

As if you guys couldn't tell to day is my birthday. I am a young 21 years young! :) Jim and I are going to dinner tonight to celebrate my b-day! I wonder what I'll wish for when I blow out my candle on my ice cream sundae! :)

UPDATE:

Dinner was fantastic! I hadn't been to Trulucks before but after that dinner I'll be back! Jim got a mixed grill with steak, chicken and shimp and I got the Flounder Ponchartrain. The Ponchartrain sauce is wonderful,,, it is a canjun flavored sauce with shrimp and crawfish tails. SO good! I had this type of sauce when we were in New Orleans last month and loved every bite!

Thanksgiving Weekend

So I barely survived Black Friday but I survived. It was amazing how many damn people felt compelled by sales and free trinkets to wake up at 4am and go shopping. It's not really for me, but if there was something that I wanted that had a wonderful sale, then I would probably go through the ordeal.

I celebrated Thanksgiving twice during the weekend. My first Turkey day was with my husbands family at a local restaurant. We had some good food but horrible service. I guess that is what you get when you go to a restaurant on a holiday. My second Turkey day was at our house with my dad. I made a tasty turkey with all of the trimmings. And it was still tasty the next day for lunch! I LOVE Thanksgiving day leftovers!!!

Turkey Day #1

Turkey Day #2

We ended the weekend with a poker game with some friends. I have only played once before so I didn't really go into it with high hopes. I didn't win it all but I held my own with the guys. I wasn't the first person to lose all of their money (I won't say who it was, but I'll give you a hint, I live with him). In fact I was the 3rd to fall out (out of 8) so not great but not terrible. We left the poker party around midnight (we started at 8) but we found out that the rest of the guys played until 6am!!! SERIOUSLY! There was no way I could have lasted that long.

Way to Freakin Early

So, I'm at work and it is early and dark. Stupid retail. Stupid Black Friday. Stupid people for getting up this early to go shopping. I got to work at 5:45am this morning. I basically rolled out of bed, put my clothes on, drove to Starbucks (which was thankfully open) and came to work. I'm sure the people at Starbucks are griping about me saying that I should have stayed in bed instead of buying their coffee :) There were about 30-35 people at each entrance at Macy's just waiting to get inside and buy stuff. I guess saving a couple of bucks isn't worth it to me, I would rather sleep!!

Oh well, what's a girl in retail to do?


UPDATE:
So, I caved and did a little shopping. I was originally walking to the food court for breakfast but I made a couple of pit stops. I found a really cute sweater that was $59.99 for $19.99 and I got a free clutch (purse) for being one of their first customers. :) I might check out one or two other places, just to make sure there isn't another deal waiting for me to find them!

Fun Fun Fun

Jim and I have found out over the years that going out the night before Thanksgiving is a lot of fun. Usually the bars are quite and you don't have to worry about traffic. We were told about a band called the Spazmatics that played on Wednesdays who was a lot of fun to see in concert. We arrived a little early because they tend to sell out. We got there in enough time and found a good seat. Once they started to play (they were about 30 minutes late getting on the stage) we found that we realized that we made a good decision. They were freakin hilarious! They are a band who dresses up as nerds who covers 80's songs. We had a fantastic time! I can't wait to see them again!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I'll post some pictures from my 2 Turkey day celebrations later!!!

Not Early Enough

I thought I would get an early jump on the holiday grocery traffic but I wasn't early enough. I took a couple hours of vacation today so I could leave early and get some errands done. My jaw dropped when I saw how busy Costco was. The parking lot was extremely full and it looked like it was a Sunday afternoon, not a Monday afternoon. Damn those people for stealing my idea of shopping in the middle of a Monday afternoon. Then I headed over to the grocery store to find another crowd. The cashier said that they have been busy for the last 4-5 days. I hope I bought everything I need for Thanksgiving dinner because I know the grocery store is going to get more and more crazy the closer we get to Thursday!!!

UPDATE:

So after talking to my mother, I threw out my turkey and bought another one. I was telling her that I was excited about having a turkey that was already thawed. She brought it to my attention that turkeys only have a certain amount of time to be thawed before they have to be cooked. Hmmm, Damn. I didn't think about that. So I decided to be safe and get a different, frozen, turkey. After I went to the store and bought another turkey my mom informed me that a friend of hers said that they sell fresh turkeys that aren't frozen. So guess which one I bought.... a fresh one. :) Oh well, at least now I'll know that we won't get sick!! :) I'll be making that turkey on Friday so I'll let you know how it goes!

SHIT!!!!!

I really thought the Eagles had a chance this year to make it to the playoffs. They have been making stupid plays and missing on easy catches, but I still thought they had a chance. Their chance for this year flew out the window when McNabb was hurt. He'll be out for the season, and I don't think his replacement, Garcia, will be able to get it done. The super crappy thing is that McNabb got hurt when he was "bumped" off of the field. No big play, no nasty tackle. Damn. There is always next year.






McNabb done for the year with ACL tear

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will miss the rest of the year because of a torn ligament in his right knee, ending his season early for the third time in five years.
McNabb was carted off the field early in the second quarter of Philadelphia 24-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Eagles said McNabb tore his ACL.
"That's normally an eight month to a year injury, so he's done for the year," Eagles coach Andy Reid said.
McNabb was rolling to his right near the Tennessee sideline and tumbled out of bounds after throwing an incomplete pass. He grabbed his leg and was immediately tended to by trainers. He was replaced in the lineup by Jeff Garcia.
McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowler, came into the game tied with Peyton Manning for the league lead with 18 touchdown passes and was second in the league with 2,569 yards passing.
McNabb had surgery for a sports hernia and missed the final seven games last season when the Eagles finished 6-10 a year after going to the Super Bowl. McNabb also sat out the final six regular-season games of the 2002 season with a broken ankle before returning for the playoffs.
The Eagles were 2-5 with Mike McMahon filling in for McNabb last year and went 5-1 with Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley starting the last six games in '02.
McNabb was 6-for-13 for 78 yards and threw an interception in the end zone before leaving the game.

Bathroom Ettiquete

HOW TO POOP AT WORK

We've all been there but don't like to admit it.As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the WORKPOOP isinevitable.For those who hate pooping at work,following is the Survival Guide for taking a dump at work.

CROP DUSTING:When farting, you walk briskly around the office so the smell is not inyour area and everyone else gets a whiff, but doesn't know where it camefrom. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart hasbeen expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to make sure the smell has leftyour pants.

FLY BY:This is the act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in andcheck for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave andcome back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People maybecome suspicious if they catch you constantly goin g into the bathroom.

ESCAPEE:This is a fart that slips out while taking a leak at the urinal orforcing a poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden waveof embarrassment. If you release an Escapee, do not acknowledge it.Pretend it did not happen. If you are standing next to the farter in theurinal, pretend you did not hear it. No one likes an Escapee.It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makesboth parties feel uneasy.

JAILBREAK:When forcing a poop, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. Thisis a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, donot panic. Remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom tospare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.

COURTESY FLUSH:The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poop hits the water.This reduces the amount of air-time the poop has to stink up thebathroom.This can help avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME.

WALK OF SHAME:Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have juststunk the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someonewalks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that thesmell does not exist. This very uncomfortable walk can be avoided withthe use of the COURTESY FLUSH.

OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER:This is a colleague who poops at work and is damn proud of it. You willoften see an Out Of The Closet Pooper enter the bathroom with anewspaper or magazine under his or her arm. Always look around theoffice for the out Of The Closet Pooper before entering the bathroom.

THE POOPING FRIENDS NETWORK (P.F.N):A group of co-workers who band together to ensure emergency pooping goesoff without incident. This group can help you to monitor the whereaboutsof Out Of The Closet Poopers and identify SAFE HAVENS.

SAFE HAVENS:A Safe Haven is a s eldom-used bathroom somewhere in the building whereyou can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of theopposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooper of your sex enteringthe bathroom.

TURD BURGLAR:This is someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and triesto force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerablemoments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs,remain in the stall until the Turd Burglar leaves. This way you willavoid all uncomfortable eye contact.

CAMO-COUGH:A phony cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that youare in a stall is called a Camo-Cough. This can be used to cover-up aWATERMELON, or to alert potential Turd Burglars. The Camo-Cough is veryeffective when used in conjunction with an ASTAIRE.

WATERMELON:A watermelon is a big poop that creates a loud splash when hitting thetoilet water. This is also an e mbarrassing incident. If you feel aWatermelon coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.

ASTAIRE:An Astaire is a subtle toe-tap that is used to alert potential TurdBurglars that you are occupying a stall. This will end all doubt thatthe stall is occupied. If you hear an Astaire, leave the bathroomimmediately so the pooper can poop in peace.

HAVANA OMELET:A case of diarrhea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toiletwater. Often accompanied by an Escapee. Try using a Camo-Cough with anAstaire.

UNCLE TODD:An Uncle Todd is a bathroom user who seems to linger around forever.This person could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirroror sitting on the pot. An Uncle Todd makes it difficult to relax whileon The Crapper, as you should always wait to poop when the bathroom isempty.This benefits you as well as other bathroom attendees.

Hope the Survival Guide helps,as the WORKPOOP is an inevitable part of life.

Thank you/Damn you Starbucks

Every hoiday season Starbucks brings back my favorite drink of all time, the mint mocha. They let me get totally hooked on the warm minty goodness, then they take it away as soon as the new year is here. Why can't they let me enjoy this drink year round???? It's not like it is pumpkin or eggnog, which is associated with the holidays. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get my fill and be on a caffeine high for the next six weeks. :).

Ahhhhhhh, How cute!

The weather has been cooling down over the past week and we have been lucky enough to not have to use the air conditioning or the heater. The house has been kind of cool at night be we just bundle up in a sweatshirt or sweater and we are fine. The kids were on the couch and looking kind of cool so I put a blanket over them. They did not move for an hour once I covered them up on the couch. They looked so comfortable!! :)

Dinner and a movie

We had a good night of a successful new recipe and an entertaining movie. I had a recipe I wanted to try for a Bolognese sauce, which is basically a thick Italian meat sauce. We weren't in the mood for pasta so I made this sauce and used it as a layer in French bread pizza. I took a loaf of French bread, split it and layered the meat sauce, shredded colby cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh sliced mozzarella cheese then baked it until it was a yummy bubbly goodness.

Quick Bolognes Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 rib of celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 pounds of ground beef (i actually used about 1.25 pounds)

3/4 cup dry red wine (I used a Shiraz I had)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1) Heat the olive oil, add the vegetables, decrease heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef: increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly brown, about 15 minutes.

2) Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the broth and tomatoes: cook until flavors come together, about 40 minutes. Add salt if necessary. I also added a dash or two of garlic powder and oregano.

I think I let it simmer for about an hour and half. It was very good and I"ll be making this again!

The simmering sauce, which is a simple recipe with lots of taste. We'll use the extra either over pasta or in a lasagna

The French bread pizzas before they were cooked. I tried to get a good picture of the layers

YUM!

While we enjoyed our dinner we watched Inside Man, with Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster. The most I knew about the movie was that it was about a bank robbery. We were both pleasantly surprised at how much we liked the movie. A nice little twist through out the movie that kept you guessing! I give it 3 out of 4 starts. If Clive Owen had flashed his ass or stood around in just a towel then I would have given it a 4 out of 4. :)

Because I had to...

I came across some pictures that burned my retina so I just knew I had to share with all of you :) . Apparently there is a Harley festival in upstate New York that has some questionable outfits. Hmmm,,, outfits implicates that a person is fully clothed, let's just say it is plain questionable.


Here are the pictures that will probably give you nightmares... Enjoy!

There are more, but I thought I would spare you :)

The Kids

We have had really fantastic weather this weekend so I took advantage of that and took some pictures of the kids as they hung out in the back yard. We played Frisbee, catch, chase and then we relaxed. Actually they relaxed and I took pictures :) I also took some pictures of the neighbors new dogs, Elvis and Oscar, two wiener dogs. They are precious and very lovable. Taylor and Chewie get along with them and love to run up and down the fence chasing each other.

The neighbor's dogs, Elvis and Oscar. Elvis is bigger and lighter in color.

Oscar, he is so adorable!

Taylor and Oscar saying Hello

My Bro

Jim and I traveled down to San Antonio last night to meet up with my brother. He was in SA for a work conference and had some free time on Saturday night. We drove down a little early to make sure we had enough time to find a place to eat where we could see the UT football game. While it was great to see Lee, we still wanted to see the UT game :) Lee likes football so it wasn't a big deal to him. On our way down to SA we passed a really bad accident. There was a flipped 18 wheeler along with 3 or 4 very smashed up cars. There were even two cars that were hung up on the guard rail. We probably missed this accident by 20 minutes!! Thankfully we weren't on the road when it happened.

We decided to eat at Tony Roma's for dinner, which was a wise choice. Jim and I have been on a rib kick lately and we really enjoyed our food. After dinner we found a sports bar to watch the end of the game. Unfortunately UT's quarterback was hurt in the first quarter and didn't return to the game. UT lost the game by 3 points. Crap. This loss will probably mean they don't have a chance for the championship game.

After the sports bar we headed over to an Irish bar that was like a piano bar. It was loud and busy but we ran into some of Lee's co-workers so we were able to sit at their table. I'm glad that we went down to SA to meet up with Lee since I don't get to see him nearly enough!!!

Watching the football at a place called Tex's on the River Walk

Jim and Lee having a serious talk about football

Hanging on the Riverwalk

Working lunch


Yesterday I had to go to a chamber of commerce lunch meeting to network with local businesses. I can't say that this is my favorite thing to do, I'm not usually in the mood to walk up to strangers and strike up a conversation. I just thought we go to lunch and meet some people but I actually had to stand up and talk in front of people. I met some nice people and it was a good experience but I really don't enjoy speaking in front of people. I can do it but if I can avoid it I will!! A highlight of the lunch was the dessert, pumpkin swirl cheesecake. I haven't had it before because it just never sounded good but it was really tasty! I was telling Jim about it and he thought I was nuts because he thought it sounded gross also, but while we were shopping at the grocery store they had a sample of a pumpkin swirl cheesecake! What are the odds!! I made him try it and he agreed that we have been missing out on a yummy dessert!!!

Always searching…..


… for the perfect outfit. As I was walking through the mall, I realized that I should start looking for a couple of outfits for the various holiday gatherings. I’ll need something for my office party, the hubby’s office party, and New Year’s Eve. Now I don’t really need an entire new outfit for each event, but a new shirt here and some new pants there and *POOF* I’m looking good for the parties! :)

I think my plan is to fine nice classic items that I can wear again. I’m not really looking for a sequined snowflake sweater to show my enthusiasm for the holidays. J Crew and Banana Republic has some cute sweaters and shirts that I plan to check out. I guess I’ll just have to go shopping to find the perfect outfits!

Two years

Today is our second wedding anniversary! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. Although, it does seem like forever since I was walking down the isle in my big white dress. Since we had a couple of vacations recently we aren't going to do any traveling for our anniversary, but we will have a nice dinner at Benihana to celebrate.

Here are some pictures from the big day:

So as many of you know, I think cake is one of the grossest things on earth. I'm not a fan of wet bread (which is what I think cake is). But I was a trooper for the wedding and let Jim feed me a piece of his chocolate cake. I thought I could handle it but I was wrong (as you can tell from the picture). Jim thought it was hilarious. Oh well, it made for a funny picture. (I haven't tasted cake since that night!!)

Pop Pop the Pimp. My grandfather was a hit with all of the ladies at the wedding!!! He has wrangled all of my bridesmaids for a picture.

During a photo, I accidentally bumped a friends glass of red wine which went cascading down the back of my dress. I actually thought it was funny but everybody else was freaking out. I think there is still a stain on the dress, but it isn't like I'll whip it out to wear it downtown!! :)

Here are are hanging out of the top of the limo ready to drive away as husband and wife!

Kelli's Ornament Shower

On Sunday night I attended a unique shower, a Christmas ornament shower. It was an elegant event with wonderful food and drinks. It totally put me in the Christmas mood!! Kelli's aunt hosted the party at her house. Instead of normal gifts we gave Kelli and George Christmas ornaments to start their new Christmas collection as husband and wife! A great idea!! Kelli's mom is a caterer so she made all of the wonderful food!


Dana, Nicole, Kelli, Corrine, and Sarah

Kelli opening her presents

Kelli's adorable niece, Abby

The mocha punch was fantastic! I need to get the recipe!

Sitting around the table, chatting the night away

Some of the delicious homemade desserts