Friday, April 29, 2011

royal comedy

to funny not to share


and of course, the little one that stole the show...

Grandmothers on Facebook

Something tells me this isn't what Lyla had in mind.

Grandmother
Lyla asked me, "Would you put some music on? I like music." That's my girl!!! We're listening to Enya.

At least Lyla is not listening to Rhianna singing about "chains and whips"


Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away



This just in. Dallas- Quite a leap from the Abbey.

So, I know we are all about to OD on royal wedding info. (Except for my Mom who has been up since 2:00 a.m. watching the wedding and plans to keep on watching all day. I admire that dedication!)

I'm sure we all know by now that the Beckhams attended the event looking dapper and British as ever.

it's a girl!

I am incredibly amused with what one People magazine reporter commented about David Beckham's schedule after the royal wedding, please allow me to share...

"The day after the wedding, David jets to Dallas in anticipation of his L.A. Galaxy Major League Soccer team's Sunday game against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. Quite a leap from the Abbey."

Was it necessary to add "Quite a leap from the Abbey." What are you suggesting??? That Pizza Hut Park in Frisco isn't as majestic as the Westminster Abbey?!?!! Surely you jest! I'll have you know that Pizza Hut Park is an 145-acre multipurpose sports and entertainment facility!!! Jimmy Buffet performs there! Can you say that about the Abbey?? 

Seriously though, why would anyone attempt to compare a soccer game/Dallas/Pizza Hut Park VS. the royal wedding/London/ the Abbey??
Quite a leap? Well, I should bloody well say so, ole' chap!

It's just not fair. Dallas has enough pressure trying to keep afloat among Austin, San Antonio and Houston without throwing "the Abbey" in there. Hey People magazine how about you leave Dallas alone, go back to discussing the "very cozy reception" or the "wedding's best hats". 

Okay, that's all. I've only lived here for 5 years, but a girl has got to defend her city, right? Right. Oh and by the way I guarantee Dallas can provide the Beckham's with more appetizing food that the entire country of England can. Hello?? Queso? One bite of queso and I might wager that Becks and prego Posh might forget the Abbey ever existed. ;)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

I like her

why, yes, Matt Lauer, i am engaged.

How great is Kate Hudson? Instead of doing the whole "celebrity announcing your engagement" bit. She waits for someone to notice the rock on her finger. It's as if nothing even happened more than her buying a new dress. Of course in her case, that someone who just happened to notice is Matt Lauer during her interview on the Today show, so I think the cat's out of the bag. I just appreciate her not-caring outlook. 

It's not like this post-engagement behavior would happen with a normal person. What happens in real life is right after you get engaged you call you parents and then you send a mass text to all your friends that says something like "Engaged!" That's normally followed up with cocktails, shoving your ring in people's faces and regaling them of the story of "how he proposed". You can't really hold that news in and be cool like Kate Hudson. Of course, she is prego and on Hubby #2, so maybe it's a little different? 

I was so so excited and happy when we got engaged. Here's some post-engagement pics. 

Mary and Ande inspecting the jewels.
hugging Ande over and over. I love this one of Robert. it's like he's thinking "what have i got myself into?" ha.
cocktails and celebration 

It was a happy day...so fun to reminisce...

Thanks Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy for giving me a reason to reminisce and best wishes to them too :) 

buzzing

I don't know about you and your friends, but me and my friends are buzzing about the Royal Wedding. We all have plans to record the affair and spend Friday night completely immersed in the coverage. I'm sure lots of women have a similar game plan. I bet all the husbands in America are so excited! HA.


heyyy guys! see you tomorrow night!!

A Very Dull Update Continued....

I thought I'd give you an update of what I've been reading. Try not to shriek with excitement.

Remember when I said that I'd started Gone with the Wind? Well, I finished it. It was all I thought it would be and more. From the first chapter, I felt that I was in another world while reading those pages. It deserved the Pulitzer Prize that it won in 1937, it is truly a spectacular novel. It is all that you want a true novel to be. I loved learning more about the characters, especially Scarlett's mom, Ellen. By the WAY - spoiler alert - Scarlett had two children before Bonnie Blue (daughter with Rhett). She had Wade Hamilton and Ella Kennedy. They did not make the movie, so I was shocked. Yes, shocked. My love for this book has enhanced my love for this film.

*Sarah thinks I should read the Twilight series. But, I'm scared that the books won't enhance my love for the films because I've heard mixed reviews books. Oh, these tough decisions that face me.*

scenes from the movie. it won TEN Academy Awards. also, spectacular.

How do you follow up reading Gone with the Wind? I was ready for it to end because I was getting really mad at Scarlett, but as I usually am with a good book, I was sad when it was over. Robert had just finished Lonesome Dove and wanted me to read it, but I needed a break from the "epic novel" thing. So, I picked up a book that I've been trying to get through for two years. There's the poor neglected book below. 


It is good, but more informative and not exactly a page turner. I was making some progress and actually on Part II of the book when Robert surprised me and bought the final installment of the trilogy by Steig Larrson, The Girl that played with the Hornet's Nest, on iBooks for our iPad on Easter. It is our first book purchase for the iPad! 

visual representation of the book+ iPad

I don't have a kindle and I've never read a book in a digital format. (Digital format?? You know what I mean.) I was skeptical that I'd like it. I like books. I don't want books to just become screens. That's sad to me. It's also sad to me how much I rely on text and email to keep in touch with loved ones rather than picking up the phone to call these days. (Tired of using technology.) I'm totally selling out now though because I looooooveeeee reading on the iPad. I feel like I read faster, because instead of turning a page, I touch a screen. Also, Robert can turn off the light and I can still read until the wee hours of the morning without bothering him. It's fantastic! What's not fantastic is that I can't get myself to look at Omnivore's Dilemma with this great book/iPad combo in my hands. I have a feeling my "dilemma" is just going to be finishing that book. Forget the whole "Omnivore's Dilemma" business. Oh well......oh well..... If these are my problems, I'm a lucky lucky gal. 

Also, on my nightstand and another surprise from Robert, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I've never read it and I've wanted to since high school. Ironically, I've told people to read it and never read it. That's probably something I shouldn't admit? Anyway, I'm so excited to read it. I've read that it's a great book for skeptics and those that are searching. I know where the trust lies, in Christ, but I hoping this book with fortify my faith and help me to understand it even more.  


Well, that's all the f-u-n I've got for you now. Will keep you posted :)

Also, please keep the South in your thoughts and prayers....I can't believe those tornadoes!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

embarrassing

Can we talk about that graffiti background this blog was rocking last week?

My gosh, why didn't anyone tell me how horribly fugly that was? I feel like I have been walking around with something in my teeth. I did choose it, but it looked MUCH different on my Samsung computer circa '04 at work than it did on my iPad. I discovered this disturbing blog news last night and gasped. Whoa! Graffiti! Me and my graffiti background blog. Who am I? Ewww. And yes, I check my own blog.

So, last night I hastily changed it up to this book background. Showing you how smart I am because I like books. HA.

It does sort of feel appropriate because I wanted to be a librarian when I was little. I really did. I know, I am getting cooler by the moment. Speaking of librarians, I am getting a much needed pair of glasses for my near sighted vision coming in the next week or so. Robert told me I looked like a librarian when I tried them on. I was thrilled!

The icing on the cake is that the glasses I'm getting are Kate Spade. She's a Kappa Kappa Gamma....got to support my sister.
kate spade ad from 2006. models with bird arms pretending to read. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

heart of the matter

Yesterday, on the way home from work, the perfect song came on the radio. It's rare this happens, right?  I savored it. You might judge my perfect song, but on the rainy drive home, Don Henley's voice spoke to me.

i hope this is the right song. my speakers don't work.


This could be the best break-up song in the world. (Sorry, Adele.) Though, I'm not going through that thankfully...some of th lyrics, that I've known for years, rang true once more....

The more I know, the less I understand. 
And the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again

Yes, Don Henely, preach it. Don't you get sick of feeling this way? Just when I think I have some element of life figured out is the same moment that I realize that I know nothing. It's a vicious cycle. My wise mother told me once, "we're always learning, we never stop." Learning is hard, with learning comes growing and a lot of times that hurts. This happens a lot with our transitions to adulthood, which I'd say can range from age 20-30? Frankly, sometimes I don't like it. The fact that I'm going to be doing this learning bit my whole life is a little tiring. 

But what you've got to do at those times that it gets tiring is refer to the chorus of this lovely tune that points you to the answer...

I've been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets week
and my thoughts see to scatter, but I think it's about....forgiveness
Forgiveness

We've got to get down to the heart of the matter. The point of it all. But, what is the heart of the matter? 

Not in the song, which is talking about the heart of the matter of why they broke up, but the heart of THE matter. The reason why we are here, what's the purpose of all this learning. To become better people? But, what's the point of that? To become better and more moral to make ourselves feel good? What's at the heart of all this? 

This leads me to think about the only thing in my life where the MORE I know, the MORE I understand. Or rather, the more I know, the more I want to understand and that is when it comes to God's love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. 

Which is why Easter is a big deal, Jesus rose from the dead, giving proof that he was the son of God.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life. 

There's so much to understand, learn and grasp through that verse in Christianity. 

This is where the heart of everything that happens in this world beats for me. I don't often think about the magnitude of this often as I wish I did. But, when I am learning, struggling, celebrating or wondering what everything is for, it always comes back to this. God's truth, God's realness, God's love.

Even when my will is weak and my thoughts are scattered, it IS about forgiveness. God loved me before I was born and continues to through my weak will and my scattered thoughts. He accepts me just as I am. He'd accept me if I was worse and if I did better his acceptance would be the same. Acceptance, Forgiveness, Grace.

Celebrate Easter on this Sunday! It's when God gave us access to the acceptance, forgiveness and grace through Christ!

(I'd probably have more Heart of the Matter reflections, but I have to go. I'm sorry, I hope it doesn't ruin your weekend .)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Culinary Adventures with Bob and Al: Healthy, Yummy and Easy - Deadly Combo

What fits this description you ask? I can't hold it in any longer. It's Baked Sweet Potato Fries.


those aren't the ones we made. close enough... 

Someone at work told me how good and easy sweet potato fries are a couple months ago and since then, I've been itching to try them. Last week we finally did and I was so pleased with the results. I googled "sweet potato fries" and Paula Deen's recipe came up, so that's what we used. Modified a little, I only had two sweet potatoes. Here's the recipe via foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

House Seasoning:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • Olive Oil, for tossing
  • 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long slices, then 1/4-wide inch strips, using a crinkle cut knife
  • Oil
  • 1 tablespoon House Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

For the House Seasoning:

Directions

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Also, we had these on Sunday at the Smiths and they were delicious!

who doesn't love waffle fries?

Happy sweet potato-ing to you!

innocent husband comments

For those of you that are unaware, females are sometimes moody, irrational and sensitive and any comment or wrong look can set us off in a million directions.

BUT, I've learned when you're married, sometimes you have to put your femaleness aside and you have to bite your tongue, laugh and be a good sport because husbands don't know what they are saying. I think they mean well most of the time. It just finds a way to come out completely wrong.

For example:

Towards the beginning of our marriage, I came home from work one day and Robert said, "There's my big girl!"

BIG GIRL. No, no, no.

You cannot call me "big girl". The novelty of being called someone's "big girl" wore off at age 5. After 5 we all start getting eating disorders and distorted body images. jk jk!! That doesn't start until  at least 10. Really though, I wish I was lying, but I remember being weighed at school in 5th grade and I was horrified that I weighted 10 more pounds than some of my friends. I didn't believe the whole "if your taller you should weigh more" thing. I just felt fat. Or BIG.

I also felt big when I came home from work BEFORE Robert used, "There's my big girl." as a term of endearment that day. I'm not sure, but I think I cried and since then, Robert and I have decided that adjectives he should use to describe me should be the same ones that describe Mischa Barton. i.e. skinny, petite, waif-like, tiny, size 0, possibly on drugs. (okay not the last one). But, you know what I mean. He knows now that most comments remotely alluding that I am "big" will be received with murderous rage or melt-down sensitivity. Neither of those emotions are very fun.

On Monday we were making lasagna. Robert had gone to the grocery earlier to pick up some things we needed for it. We were chopping vegetables and having a merry ol' time. I got out the ricotta cheese to doctor it up a bit and notice that it's low-fat. We usually don't get low-fat cheeses or low-fat anything for that matter, so I naturally assume that Robert accidentally got it or they were out of the regular fat ricotta. I say, "Low-fat ricotta? Did you get that on purpose?" and he replies, "Yes, I got that the low-fat for you."

for me :)

He goes on chopping, not thinking a thing about the fact that I need low-fat ricotta. I'm just standing there staring at him. I mean, really?! Am I on a diet that I'm unaware of? Who said I needed low-fat ricotta? I don't recall saying that? He then notices that I'm staring at him and says, "You know I didn't mean it like that!!"  I say, "Oh really, do tell, then, HOW, do you mean it??"

I mean hilarious. What a MAN thing to say and even more MAN that he thought it was okay to say. I died laughing and then I decided I have to call his mom and tell him what he said, because she will not believe it and think that it was hilarious too. I called up Robert's house and his Dad answered and I tell him the low-fat ricotta line. His Dad says, "He did not say that." I assure him, that yes, he did indeed say that he bought the low-fat ricotta for me. We had a good chuckle.

In his defense we are always talking about how we need to eat and cook more healthy. In his defense again, he is lifts me up 99.9% of the time in every way possible, even with his subtle innuendos that I need to lose weight ;). haha.  I'm kidding, I don't think he thinks that.

Poor husbands/boyfriends/men, they can't win if the buy the low-fat ricotta, they can't win if they do. Good luck, boys, you're going to need it. ;)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Suri Envy - Happy 5th Birthday, Suri!!

Today is Suri's b-day. It's rumored that "she wants a pinata and wants her girlfriends to come over for some swimming." Good call, Suri...it would be tres tacky to whoop it up for 5, best to go low key. Just a few casual friends over to nibble on cake. 


Here's Suri with Mom and Dad in a helicopter. I've been in a helicopter once. I was 22.

So guilty - social media felon

Good article in the NYT - concerning manners, smart phones, being connected 24/7 and how it's changed the way we commincate.

Some passages that hit home...

Anthony De Rosa, a product manager and programmer at Reuters and a big presence on Twitter and Tumblr, said that mobile connectedness has eroded fundamental human courtesies.

“When people are out and they’re among other people they need to just put everything down,” he said. “It’s fine when you’re at home or at work when you’re distracted by things, but we need to give that respect to each other back.”



I don't want to be that person. When in public, that's my new rule. Put it down.
Also this...
Anthony Breznican, a reporter for Entertainment Weekly, said all it takes is for one person at a dinner to excuse himself into his phone, and the race is on among everyone else.
So true. Ugg. 
Speaking of true.....
Then there is also a specific kind of narcissism that the social Web engenders. By grooming and updating your various avatars, you are making sure you remain at the popular kid’s table. One of the more seductive data points in real-time media is what people think of you. The metrics of followers and retweets beget a kind of always-on day trading in the unstable currency of the self.

I don't tweet and I don't think of facebook as some sort of validation of myself, but I see it happening daily via Facebook and wonder if I'm not a status updater because I'm afraid people won't "like" it?

Anywayyyyyyy, just food for thought for the generation de social media.

Monday is almost done. I have Friday off.

Yay, Easter!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

blog spring break

The last couple weeks, my blog has been on spring break in Mexico. That's why there haven't been any posts.

Ha. Kidding.

The real reason is that every time i go to write a post these past couple of weeks, one of my boss's gives me an assignment. It shouldn't be bad, but good, right? That's what good boss's do. They give useful assignments. The issue I have is that I've been doing the exact same things for the past 5 years. Upward mobility doesn't exist. Also, assignments being useful doesn't exist. It's Groundhog Day and there's no way to stop it. I won't explain the assignments, but I'll just say that the most annoying one is something that I know my boss's are supposed to do, but push off on me because they "don't have time". They do have time. They go to lunches and leave early to go to happy hours. This assignment just sucks so they don't want to do it. Therefore, they micro-manage me to do it and constantly ask me about it's progress with intense stares. I'm starting to believe it's causing an ulcer, because sometimes flashes of rage vent inside of me when I'm nodding politely while they're giving me instructions.

It just happened again. I was sitting at my desk finishing lunch. My boss approaches my desk and begins prodding me about "where I am with the assignment". Lawd, help me.

To make matters more painful, I keep on thinking that it's Friday and it's only Thursday.

I sound so forlorn. I really don't mind these assignments when I'm feeling sane. I don't mind helping out my boss's. It's my job. I try to shift my focus, be grateful for every day and know that these annoying assignments are temporary. Like so much of of daily stresses and worries. Like so much of what we feel is important. Temporary. Even this life is temporary and short. Be grateful today.

Oh also, I've been a little busy (along with my annoying assignments) due to these guys...




I've been helping out the DFW Pug Rescue and it's been so fun, so far. I'm going to my first "event" this Saturday. No pug left behind is their motto. It's now, one of my motto's too. 

Until next time....

Friday, April 1, 2011

Sigh

I don't have a blog to bitch, moan and complain about things. I save that for Robert. Ha. Kidding, kidding. What I really do is internalize those feelings and then eventaully I'm put on medication and talk to a psychiatrist every 3 months about those things. HA. I'm funny.

Enough out that.

I'm going to need a moment to complain a little and just say that this is annoying:

Victoria Secret Model, Candice Swanepoel is joining that lucky percentage of humans that just "can't seem to put on weight." She says, "Actually, this year my problem has been more putting the weight on and getting muscle on because it's been really busy," she said. "I've been traveling around like crazy. I get skinnier if I'm very busy."

her "problem" pppppffffftttttt
I just hate when I get too skinny from traveling so much. Oh wait. I'm not skinny and I'm not traveling. 

I need to be nice because Robert can easily get too skinny. He stopped drinking cokes once and people began to talk, like they're are talking about poor Candice. When I say "people" began to talk, I mean, Robert's parents said to him, "you're too skinny! you need to put on weight!" 

Don't you just hate it when you get too skinny?!

Who are you people and why didn't I get those genes?!

I still want a margarita. tgif. 

Culinary Adventures with Bob and Al: Winning

I couldn't help but use that line from Charlie Sheen. Though over done already, it's still awfully fun to say.

Duh, Winning.

I thought I'd share two recipes that made Bob and I feel like we were winning over the last couple of weeks.

Pasta with Beautiful Bell Peppers

Vegetable Enchiladas 

Happy cooking. I'm ready for happy HOUR. Hand me a margarita.