The End of the Gold

I'm losing my Gold status with American Airlines at the end of this month.

The end of an era...for now, at least.

I use to travel a minimum of 1 week a month. I went to Cincinnati every month. Speckled with 2 trips to Atlanta, two or three to Washington DC/Virginia Beach. Houston, San Antonio. And some vacation...of course! Enough to keep up Gold status. Not horrible travel, but certainly interesting to juggle with 2 kids and a husband that works 60 - 70 hours a week. Thanks to my sweet, sainted in-laws, we were able to make it work.

Then I was laid off in February of 2008. My company was tanking. The sales team was the first to go. (don't get me started on that logic) In hindsight, it was the best way to go because we did get a little severance. Had we stayed to the end, we would have been lucky to get our last paycheck!

(Sidebar - the president of this company bore a *striking* resemblance to Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Disney Channel's "Phineas and Ferb". Seriously. Just as evil and just as clueless and just as German. hahaha)

Several dozen attempts to gain fruitful employment landed me in the unemployment office with a decent bout of mild depression - which I self medicated with wine and sugar.

In September of 2008 I got a great part time job at a little sales firm 5 miles from my house. It's commission only, which means I make about $.05 an hour, but it's totally flexible and does have potential...if my buyers ever answer their phones...

I continued to look for other jobs, prayed, yelled, bartered with God to please help me get a good job. Please - come on - it's been months. Please?

In the early months of 2009, my sweet father-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Devastating news. And he immediately began a very aggressive chemotherapy treatment program. It's been very hard on the family, as you can imagine.

Then it hit me - duh! God kept me out of the fast lane for a reason! My in-laws can't keep my kids on a weekly basis. She still keeps Bergen twice a week - at her request - to help lift the mood of the house and make them laugh. He's good at that. But we can't lean on them the way we've done in the past.

Oh how blind I can get to God's plan and provision! He's taken care of us all along the way. It may not be huge gestures that the whole world can see, but it's certainly enough to help us survive. And it's through this path that I've learned to trust Him and thank Him for the little things, and to stop waiting for the big things - big job, big raise, etc - before I start my praise.

Back to the Gold status on AA.

In December of 2008, American called my cell phone. Yeah, we're that tight. The sweet customer service rep says "we've noticed you've not been on the DFW/Dayton flight in quite a while - is everything okay?" I responded, "well, I was laid off in February so I really have nowhere to go..." She replied, "I'm so sorry. I know it's hard out there. American Airlines would like to extend your Gold status until the end of 2009."

What? Something nice for ME? I started crying...which probably freaked her out a bit.

"It's been a really crappy year. This is pretty much the nicest thing that's happened to me in a while." Poor lady. She replied, "well we appreciate your loyalty and hope that you choose AA when things start to look up." So for all of 2009...and the two flights I took in 2009...I got to board with the folks in the fast lane, and enjoy my exit row, aisle seat.

To me, losing my status at AA means the following:

- I'm home all the time, and not on a plane away from my kids
- My normal has been adjusted - normal now is being home for my boys after school, and I love it
- Noticing the everyday blessings from God
- Learning to trust God, even when it hurts, and even when it feels like He's not watching

So I'm happy to join the folks at the end of the line to board the plane. It's taught me a lot. Maybe someday I'll get another "fast lane" job. But for now, I'm perfectly thankful.

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the 10 things I'm most thankful for...right now.

#10 - My Hoover Floormate and the slight buzz I get from the fumes inhaled while scrubbing the floors for 2.5 hours.

#9 - Hibachi and sushi...and wine.

#8 - A husband who can cook. And likes to cook. So I don't have to do the big stuff.

#7 - The muscle relaxer I'm about to take to make up for #10.

#6 - Chocolate. It goes well with the fumes, wine, sushi and muscle relaxer.

#5 - The cortisone shot I got on Friday. Ding dong daddy that was worth the price of the copay!

#4 - The episode of "Glee" that I'll be watching soon after the younglings are fast asleep.

#3 - The muscle relaxer...wait, did I say that already?

#2 - The massive meal I'm going to devour tomorrow without a lick of regret.

#1 - My sweet family, as crazy as they are, for making life wonderful and eventful. And my parents for loving me and raising me to be the woman I am today. And my inlaws, for being completely perfect. And my friends who love me and support me and would carry a dead body for me if I asked. And for God, who truly blesses me everyday and gives me the promise to never leave me, and gives me hope and salvation.

God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving. Don't pass by this precious holiday in expectation of Christmas. Take some time to give thanks to God for everyday blessings. Big and small.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you MLB

It's Drug Free Week in our local school district. Just say NO!

Every day the kids were something theme related - Monday was PJ's, Tuesday was Camo, Wednesday was dress like a nerd, Thursday was Jersey day. Today is wear all red. Because red is the drug free color.

So I load up Preston for school in red track pants, black shirt and red sweatshirt. On the way to school, I ask him "why are you wearing red today?" Here's how it went down:

Mom: "Why are you wearing red today? What does it stand for?"

Preston: "Texas Tech"

M: "yes, but what else?"

P: "just say no to drugs"

M: "Right! Drugs are really bad, they ruin your life. You can't get a good job or have a full life if you are on drugs. We don't need drugs to feel good. If you do drugs, you'll get kicked off the team. They are just really bad for you. You can't play sports if you are using drugs."

P: "But Manny Ramirez uses drugs and he plays for the Dodgers"

Silence... What do you say to that? Seriously...what do you say?

So I say "he's a creep".

What? I didn't know what to say! So then I took the opportunity to tell him about Josh Hamilton and how he got addicted to drugs and was kicked out of baseball and almost lost his family, but then he let Jesus start running his life and now he's on top of the world. Preston does love Josh Hamilton.

I'm so sick that there are so many horrible examples in professional sports. My kid watches any game that's on. He watches Sports Center. He loves sports, and he loves certain athletes. It's just heart breaking when we try to teach our kids the right thing, and there's so many others telling him the wrong thing.

More Blastoff Ramblings

The boys have been sick, so I've had lots of time to play with my new Blastoff page. I've ordered a few things. I need to order some more coffee. Anyhow...if you have not set up your Blastoff page, what are you waiting for?

Check out my frugal blog here - I've been writing about it. It also has a swell link to my Frugal Shoppers group on Facebook. I am digging this - so much fun to tell others how to save money!!

http://www.weirfrugalblastoffshoppers.blogspot.com/

If you have not set up your own Blastoff page, you can now! Pizza Hut is about to launch their own advertising campaign around it this week. (you can read all about it in my Frugal blog...)

http://my.blastoffnetwork.com/amyweir

Can I Marry a Casserole?

My husband is a trained chef. He went to the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. His mastery has been published, by way of the chef he worked for during his internship. His chef published a cookbook, and Joe prepared and plated several items - including the cover. He's good. His food is amazing. He is not in the profession, but he gets joy from cooking. For the first 12 years of our marriage, he did most of the cooking. He loves to cook. I, on the other hand - hated to cook. In all honesty, it might be the fact that cooking for a trained chef. Ya think?

So with TV Joe doing all his TV Joe duties at work...for 12 hours a day... I was forced to either learn how to cook or get a job at the Sonic to help supplement our bill there. In the beginning, I was not very good. And I resisted training from Joe - I'm a smart girl, surely I could follow a recipe? I watched Rachael Ray, Paula Deen - Food Network 24/7. I'm not sure when it happened...I wasn't really paying attention...but I got good at it. I made few things that I thought "hey I could serve this to guest", or "this didn't completely suck". I became an expert at Taco Soup, spaghetti - basics. I made a good roasted corn chowder. Then my friend Janna started her food blog and made it look so pretty and easy, and I really started trying hard. I think it might have been last year when I made a roasted pork tenderloin with a mustard apricot glaze and new potatoes. I plated it, stepped back and actually felt pride. It was beautiful, cooked well and delicious. From then I decided to try at least one new recipe a week, if our schedule allowed. And I began to love it.

Monday night I decided to cook a King Ranch Chicken Casserole. I read about it on some blog, and thought it looked easy and good. It called for 2 cream soups, rotel, tortillas, chicken and cheese. That's it. Sounded good...but sounded boring. Surely I could jazz this up. So I started googling and read about 10 recipes for KRCC and got a little spice list compiled.
So I made this recipe Monday. Layer tortillas, layer chicken/soup/rotel/broth/spices mixture, layer cheese, layer mixture, layer cheese. Done. In the midst of cooking, I got a call reminding me that TV Joe would not be home for dinner, he was going to watch Monday Night Football. Well, I'm not cooking this for 2 picky kids and me. I was about to wrap it in foil and throw it in the freezer when I realized I forgot the rotel tomatoes. I tried to gently remove the tortillas from the layers to keep them from getting into the chicken mixture. It didn't work very well. So I thought, screw it - I'm just going to mix these tortillas in and then layer some extras. Good move, Ed. This made the casserole have a bit of a stuffing/dressing consistency. I pulled it out of the freezer last night and popped it in the oven. It. Was. So. Good. So good. Soooooooo good. I want to marry this casserole. I have leftovers in the fridge that I'm eating slowly to make them last. Yum.

Here's what I came up with: (and know, I get about 5lbs of rotisserie chicken breast at Costco for casseroles and freeze in 1# bags - love it!)

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

1 lb cooked chicked breast, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can rotel tomatoes
1t chili powder
1/4t salt
1/4t garlic
1t cumin
1 cup chicken broth
10-12 corn tortillas
2 cups colby jack cheese (or cheddar, mexican blend - whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 350
Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with pam. Cut or tear the corn tortillas into small triangles. Layer 1/3 of the tortillas in the dish. Mix chicken, soups, tomatoes, spices, broth and 1/3 of the tortillas in a bowl. Layer 1/2 the mixture on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese. Spread 1/3 (remainder) of the tortillas on top. Add the rest of the mixture. Sprinkle with remainder of the cheese. Cook for 30 minutes.

So good. I served with Mexican rice. Enjoy!

Anyone Scrapbook?

I assure you I will return to boring you with my everyday details of my exciting life in suburbia, but I'm so busy with this Blastoff launch - trying to get the word out on how COOL it is to earn cash back that I have to dedicate both blogs to this effort.

Mosey over to my shopping blog to learn how you can earn 5% cash back on your digital prints. And earn a referral on the digital prints that your scrapbooking friends order - down to 10 degrees. Awesome.

http://weirfrugalblastoffshoppers.blogspot.com/2009/10/snapfish-photo-developing-christmas.html

My Blastoff Shopping Blog - first purchase

Hey y'all - I have a new internet shopping blog to get the word out on this new network that pays cash back on your online purchases at over 300 retailers - including Target, Walmart, Kmart, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Sephora, on and on. It's completely free - all you have to do is sign up! And then when you invite your friends to sign up, you get a referral bonus on THEIR purchases, up to 10 degrees of separation from you! Amazing! The site goes live in a few days - check out my other blog for more info!

http://weirfrugalblastoffshoppers.blogspot.com/

The Slowest Driver Rears Her *perfect* Head

You all remember the slowest driver in Colleyville, right? There was much rejoicing when I discovered that her child now goes to the middle school. Can I get a hallelujah? I'm finally rid of the 25-mile-per-hour-when-we-are-rushing-to-school-hurry-don't-get-a-tardy!!

Until today.

We live next to the gate on our street. The gate only opens for the school bus. It's wonderful because the boys can play in the street out there fairly safely. The gate opens from 7:10 until about 7:45 or longer - I have no idea how long, I'm always gone by then. So the middle school bus stops on our street, and apparently now the slowest driver brings her child to our street. Now the way I see this - if you are getting in your car to bring your child to the bus stop, shouldn't you just drive them all the way to school?

I digress...

So today this car was stopped the wrong way on the corner of my street and the major street. And she sat there for a while. A long while. Probably only 2 minutes, but it felt an eternity. I could not turn, I could not go around her. Grrrrr. But we finally made it and she turned into her neighborhood. Time to accelerate.

Right into the NEW slowest driver in Colleyville. That's right. The sweet little black Mercedes SUV is slightly faster that it's prettier sister, the black Audi SUV. This one drives 23 miles per hour down the 30mph road to school. Oh boy. I'm going to have to pray for patience on the way to school. Road rage in the carpool lane is never a good idea.

Fall TV Round-Up

Ahhhh fall. I love you so much. Something about a northern breeze seriously refreshes the soul. Here in Texas, summer is like literally walking through fire. And that first cold front is just the best day of the year. Ahhhhh. Thank you God for helping us survive another summer. And ps, we would not be offended if you didn't make next summer quite this harsh. Ding dong it was hot.

But along with fall's cool breeze comes the ever-exciting Fall TV Premiers! Yay! I love TV. I use to have more time for it, but since prime time TV is not good for little ears, we are careful with our 7:00 pm viewing. Sporting events, Disney or Sprout is on in the background. The 8:00 hour is the kids bath, reading, dishes and get them to bed hour. So I typically DVR most shows and watch in the 9:00 - 11:00 hour. That's the beauty of DVR - you can see two 1-hour shows in about 1 and a half hours...or less. My must-see shows are The Biggest Loser, The Office, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. If I don't catch these live, I will DVR, or watch online during my lunch hour. We watch Dancing with the Stars, but it's typically background noise. I'm not in love with any contestants this season. I also like Castle, but I don't care if I see it or not. We DVR Law & Order SVU - Joe loves this show, and it's definitely not child appropriate. Honestly, I have a hard time watching because I would rather laugh for an hour. And before you judge me for the amount of TV I watch - I do watch much of this while I'm eating my lunch at work. I carry a lot of worry about my family and this lovely economy and political environment that I just want to veg for an hour each day and not think about anything but fictional people.


Most networks have unveiled their fall premiers, and I've watched a few new shows. Some are keepers. I have The Good Wife (CBS) on DVR - have not watched yet. I love Chris Noth. Mr. Big. Sigh. But from the looks of things, it's not likely that it will make my roundup since I have yet to watch it. I caught the first episode of Mercy (NBC) and fell in love with it. You have love a medical drama with a few laughs. I caught Modern Family (ABC) online last week. It was very, very funny, despite objectionable family values - not a big fan of kids being snarky or sassy to their parents. Again, won't be watching with the kids. This show will be one I would not mind watching, but I won't worry about missing. I caught Cougar Town (ABC) online and I thought it was okay, except a little too much...like the kid walking in on mom and 20-something about to do things you normally only see on HBO...awkward. And besides that, if Courtney Cox-Arquette can't score a man at 40... and feels terrible about her body, then I think the rest of us are screwed. This show could use some better writers. She's a great actress - give her something to work with! Anyhow...moving on...I forgot to set the DVR for Flash Forward (ABC) - it looks a bit like LOST (love LOST), but I worry about cool shows like this. You get all attached to them, then the network decides they are too expensive to produce and they get cut. I will likely try to catch this online this week and at least give it a shot.


I think the real winner of the season premiers has fallen into the hands of Fox and their new show, Glee. Glee is amazing. Amazing. Funny, witty, harsh - I love it. If you saw "Election" with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, it's *that* kind of humor - a little dark, a little "tongue in cheek". And it has Jane Lynch - the incredibly funny actress. She's genius. Joe and I love this show. Love love love love love it. If you have not seen it, please check it out. Hilarious. And the music is OUTSTANDING. Outstanding. You simply must watch this show. I now look forward to it like I did my beloved Gilmore Girls. Moment of silence for the girls....I miss them.


Glee and Mercy - I'd say these are my top picks thus far for must see TV. Stay tuned for my Biggest Loser picks. I really should have done this after episode one, but honestly the people kicked off thus far weren't really my pick anyway. Except maybe the red team. I love me some youth minister - he brought a great something extra to the show. Okay enough of that...I'll get on to my opinions after tomorrow's show - and I do have some hot sports opinions about some of these people!!

Old McDonald's

This morning on the way to school, Biggie and I were singing "Old McDonald's". If you have a toddler, you know it's not Old MacDonald, it's Old McDonald's. It's a trick they use to remind you of their favorite place to eat.

So, we're going through the usual cast of characters on McDonald's farm:

And on that farm he had a:

duck
chicken
cow
horse
lamb
pig
dog
cat
monkey
elephant
tractor
farmer

Last verse, I sing "and on that farm he had a ....." waiting for him to fill in what was next and he said...

"that's all he had"

funny kid

Reposting - Never Forget

Never Forget - my story

Okay time to dumb down this blog

Happy September!

I've been on blogcation. Bigtime. Like since what, May? Sorry. To my 2 readers, I apologize. Here's the thing. I think that I place too high of expectations on this poor little blog. Like I need to have pictures and be funny or clever. But I don't have time to post pictures every week. Yet there's so much going on around here that's blog-worthy to me. Like the funny things my boys say. Or the fact that the k on my computer is plucked off by one of these boys, which makes things difficult. I use odd synonyms to get around using this letter. I'll call my children the boys or children so I don't have to spell out kids. Or the fact that there are fire ants in my pantry and I am convinced they are playing games with me. And they are really smart. I actually saw one carrying the body of another I had killed. Who knew the ants had such a brotherhood? I am convinced they are trying to see just how many foul words I can say at them under my breath. Hopefully the bug guy can get rid of them. 2nd treatment. Little annoying ants. Then there's the annoying people of my town. The slowest driver in town has reared her ugly driving habits just in time for school to start. And the tool in the drive-through at school who pulls up in his Porsche convertible. He has to get out of the car to let his boys out of the back seat. This causes a delay and when you push it to the limit on time as we do, every second counts. I'm so over him. So much to say. So I'm going to bring down the expectation level a bit. Sometime you'll get pictures, sometimes a rant about politics, or the poor driving habits of my neighbors, or TV/music/movies. But I will try harder. Now I have to get on with the Thursday beating - baseball practice. Out.

Bacation

We are on bacation. Bergen calls it bacation, and it's kind of stuck. Stay tuned next week for many pictures from San Antonio. Bacation Rocks!!!

Hope's Journey Garage Sale

I wanted to let you know of a very worthwhile cause on Saturday. One that you can give and get at the same time!

One of the minister's family at our church is trying to adopt a young lady from Ukraine. They feel totally led by God that this is the right thing for their family, but for some reason I'll never understand, you need like a bazillion dollars to adopt. What's up with that? Read more about their story here.

This Saturday, there's a HUGE garage sale to help raise money for adoption fees. Please see below the details. There will be something there for everyone.

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009
Time: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Location:Covenant Christian Academy
901 Cheek-Sparger Rd.
Colleyville, TX 76034

Last Day of School Lunch

In the 1st grade, you eat lunch at 11am. Sooooo early! But in Kinder you eat at 10:30....which is usually when I'm finishing up my coffee. I never made it to school last year to eat at 10:30 and I'm going to go ahead and blame Bergen. Who wants to drag a 1 year old up there? Not me!

This year I ate with Preston....ZERO times. Yes, I know... I'm SUCH a good mother! But I work through my lunch so I can leave early and pick him up from school. So no need to call CPS...I'm really not THAT bad.

Today I suprised Preston with a Happy Meal for lunch and saved him from the dreaded "Culinary Favorites" day which is basically "whatever is leftover" day. These poor kids were eating flatbread with cheese and garlic. When Preston saw me he ran and gave me a big hug and said "thank you for saving me from Culinary Favorites"!! HA! That really made me laugh.

I enjoyed the company of several 7 year old boys fresh off the playground. Sweat + Garlicky Flatbread. Awesome. They are such sweet boys. I had a really good time! I told Preston I would eat with him more often next year when the lunch time is bumped up to 11:30. And I will check to make sure it's not "culinary favorites" day. Yikes!

But this story is not quite complete without a run-in with the mom who is *always* at school and another mom...baby in tow. It went a little something like this.

Always there mom to Mom with baby - "are you eating lunch?"

Mom with baby - "No - and I haven't all year and I feel bad about it!"

Me - "Don't feel bad! You have a baby! And this is the first time I've eaten here...ever"

Always there mom to me - "You've never eaten lunch here with your child?"

Me - "No. It's 11am! I just finished my coffee! No really, I work and well, I work. My boss is out of town so...oh look at the time...gotta run...back to work."

So thank you Always There Mom for bursting my bubble and making me feel like a slacker mom. I wonder if she drives that Mercedes?

Yes, I'm still here

It's been, um, gently pointed out that I've been MIA too long. And I have. I admit. And since the world's worst blogger called ME the world's worst blogger...I thought I'd better pop my head in to give an update. (Wendy - you are no longer the world's worst blogger...you've been rockin' it lately girl!)

In a nutshell... the list below details some things that are happening around me, to me, or to my family or friends. Some are good, some are bad, some are downright horrible. And yes, some are mentioned more than once, meaning...a real time consumer.

~father-in-law's cancer
~depression - not mine, but someone close to me...but praise the Lord - it's over! Strongest woman I know!
~baseball!
~dirty house
~skiing
~Easter
~Trip to Abilene for Joe's Distinguished Young Alumni Award ceremony!
~baseball!
~Aunt's death
~house guests
~baseball!
~injury - fell and really hurt myself
~other family health issues - not mine people...I'm fine...aside from being clumsy!
~work
~PROMOTION for TV Joe!! Yay to my little rockstar husband!
~baseball!
~kids
~cooking
~dirty house
~baseball!
~trying to burn some stress at the gym

WHEW!

I'm still blissfully happy, mainly because anger and all around pootiness just takes too much energy. Our little family of 4 is fine...the world is just spinning quickly around us. We are blessed beyond what we deserve...roof over head and food on the table, great new promotion for TV Joe (I guess we should call him Corporate Joe now?). There's just a lot going on in my little brain. I'm so ready for summer. I am having to alter my work schedule to take care of the kids, and I'm happy to have a little time to work from home.

So, here's what I plan to tell you about in the coming days as I catch up.

~Skiing
~Easter
~Bergenisms
~Trip to Abilene where Joe won Distinguished Young Alumni at our university
~Baseball
~Spring Fun
~Upcoming Vacation to San Antonio/Family Reunion to Camp Wood (you haven't lived until you've been dunked in the Nueces River)
~More Baseball - Preston made the summer league - we'll play 'til end of June

I promise not to stay away so long again. Thanks for the little nudge sweet friend. I do need to record these precious times happening around me.

I'm not smart enough to link a you tube and a picture

I wanted this picture to go together with the video below, but well...let's just be glad I remembered the simple things like my phone number today, okay?? I'm getting ready for Spring Break and have a little pre-trip anxiety as we are about to haul our kids to Crested Butte...including sweet, wild and crazy Biggie B...where we are meeting 3 other families...with 4 more kids...that's 6 kids...in one house...yeah. Yee Haw

Anyway, this picture is from Bergen's first playdate with his little girlfriend Eva. Eva's momma is my lifesaver, my sounding board, my gym buddy, my drinkin' buddy...the best friend a girl could ever want. She offered to take Bergen so I could take a conference call and not worry about him screaming in the background. They were thanking God for Chick fil A...which we really should do everyday, dontcha think? The world could be going to you know what in a hand basket, but we still have the happiness of the Chicken Mini and the beautiful taste balance of the fried chicken breast and pickles!! Wash it all down with the lemonade.

They also ran to the grocery store, where they were bribed with suckers and got to ride in the car. Are these two the most adorable children in the world??? Eva looks like she's got Bergen's number. Hilarious!!

This about sums up our love for the combo #1

Ridiculously Good Treats

So I have lots of blogs that I read every morning. Some people I know quite well, some that I've met a few times, and some that I've never met, but found here in cyberspace.

The Cruson Crew is a blog by a friend of a friend. We've met several times, she's sweet as the candy I'm about to tell you about. I read her blog because she's really, really funny and most days I need good laugh.

A few days ago, she posted the following recipe. It sounded so good...so good that I had to try it. Before we get started, let me just add that she puts a little pecan on top, but Biggie B is allergic to nuts and Preston would rather go hungry than eat a nut, so we don't put them in anything.

Rolo-Marshmallow-Pretzel Bites (I made up this name...I'm sure it's actually called something much more cleaver)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Gather the following:

Rolos

Butter Snap Pretzels

Marshmallows

Line up the pretzels on a baking sheet.

Put a Rolo on top of each pretzel. Put a marshmallow on top of each Rolo.

Place in the oven for about 3 minutes.

Once you pull them out, you can take a pecan and smush them down, or if you are not using nuts, take a knife lightly sprayed with Pam and smush them down a bit.

If you can wait until they cool down, you are a stronger woman than me. These little jewels are the perfect mix of salty/sweet/chewy.

Try not to eat them all at once. Yeah, good luck.

Happy Thursday!

Elmo's Tree-Hugging Liberal Propaganda

One of the perks of being married to a bigtime TV executive is free tickets to shows that no one else wants. Last night we took both kids to see Elmo live at Nokia Theater. It was a nice little story about finding a place to plant a flower and how we should love our earth. I am joking about the "tree hugging liberal propaganda". It wasn't bad...that's just my attempt at being funny.

TV Joe scored us the suite at Nokia, stocked with a 6-pack of Dr. Pepper, a 6-pack of beer and 2 bags of popcorn. We met some of his clients who we just so happen to really like and took in the Elmo show.

Preston is 7 and is WAY too cool to see Elmo. He was really embarrassed to go, so I told him to take his DS and play games in the suite if he got too "bored". He forgets he was a huge Elmo fan back in the day. He even had an Elmo hat that we scored at his first Elmo concert.

Halfway through the first act, he was talking to TV Joe and our client and said,

"I don't really like Elmo, I'm just here to see if it has changed any since 2002".

So funny.

A few shout outs

To the slowest driver in Colleyville that just so happens to leave her neighborhood at the exact moment we drive by every morning - you have German engineering in that little Mercedes. The Germans should take your car away in the night for driving so slowly. It's the long, skinny peddle on the right. And I hope our kids never meet in the hallway because my son now knows you as "the slowest driver in Colleyville".

To the Schlotzsky's down the road. I'm not sure why I torture myself by going to your drive-thru. You are painfully slower than the slowest driver in Colleyville. And when I say unsweet tea, I mean unsweet tea. This isn't Georgia...sweet tea is not a default. But if you are going to give me sweet tea, could you at least slip a straw into the bag so I can actually drink it?

To the lady at Weight Watchers who doesn't like the taste of water. Really? Suck it up. Your kidney doesn't like the taste of splenda.

To the lady at the park Wednesday - I'm so glad your daughter has taught her 18 month old twins to clean up. I have news for you - all 18 month olds like to help mom. And despite your condescending tone when I said "wait til they turn 7" - mark my words. Those precious toddlers will start handing you and your mother of the year daughter their trash, sucker sticks, gum and anything else they don't want to hold on to.


Well that feels good now, doesn't it. I have more...but my lunch hour is up.

That Biggie B

As I've stated in the past, we are big "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" fans. Last night was especially sad and rewarding. I was crying within 5 minutes.

I took Biggie B for his bath about 7:30pm, let him play around, then we made our way back to the living room in time for the "big reveal". They "moved that bus" and showed the world the new house (which was kinda castle-like...very cool). Biggie B (age 2.5) looks up at the TV and says (and I'm quoting here)

"Wha a bootiful house. I want that house. It so pretty!"

I just stared at him. This child never ceases to amaze me.

How do you make a grown man cry?

P-Ditty made TV Joe this card for his birthday...and the tears started to flow. It really is very sweet. He spelled "hero" wrong...so cute.


I would show you the inside, but it was too hard to photograph. It was a picture of TV Joe and P-Ditty...in the shower. But P-Ditty said "don't worry, I didn't put our privates!" LOL that kid is hilarious.

And Bergen gave him this.

And I gave him this...which will be served in heaven. Did I mention how good this cake is??

I'm just logging for logging's sake...since I don't scrapbook or write anything down, I have to put it here.

Joe's birthday was Monday and we've been eating on Nothing Bundt Cake Chocolate Chocolate Chip all week. I'm convinced this will be served in heaven.

The kids ate early on Wednesday because they played so hard at the gym and came home hungry. I made them Spiderman macaroni and cheese and green beans. (*note -this will likely not be served in heaven). They kept asking for cake and I kept saying "wait for daddy". This happened about 85 times in 30 minutes.

Daddy finally got home, opened the door hoping for the usual greeting of both kids running to the door to hug him. Instead, P-Ditty ran to the door and Bergen yelled (loudly...if you know him, you know how loud!!) "HI DADDY!" then looked at me -

"I WANT CAKE NOW!!" So funny!

Ice Day

No school today - we have 1/3" of ice on the ground. It's 19 degrees outside. Ding dong daddy that's coooold! This chunk of ice came off the trampoline.

Off to do some much needed housework!

TV Joe

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet husband, TV Joe.

I love you more than life - you are the rock in this family. I'm amazed by you daily.

And you are closer to 40 than me. ha ha

We went to TV's aunt and uncle's house Sunday for his birthday dinner. While eating homemade chicken enchiladas, Aunt J told us she found an old VCR tape with TV Joe playing football, circa 1982 or so. She also found a tape of Joe's mom's 40th birthday party (we call her Mimi). Sweet little Preston said "40? WOW!" to which Mimi said, "that's only 3 years older than your dad!" And TV Joe's face turned 3 shades of white, one for each year until you reach 40. We's gettin' old baby!

Thank you for taking such good care of us and loving me when it's easy and when it's not so easy.

We love you!
Ed, P-Ditty and Biggie B

Sending up prayers

Good morning -



If you are reading this, I ask that you lift up this sweet family in your prayers. My friend Allison mentioned Kelly and her family yesterday in Sunday School. They have struggled with fertility issues and she's been blogging about their journey. She has quite a following in the blog world. Kelly gave birth to a sweet baby girl named Harper a few days ago. Harper is very, very sick with pneumonia and other related heart and lung issues. They live in Arkansas, but the baby was lifted to Tulsa where she is being treated. She is so very sick and her condition is improving slightly with each prayer, but it's still touch and go.


Please pray from baby Harper and their family. God is good.

uh, one more thing

Holiday candy rocks. Easter candy is my favorite, but these little gems only show up at Christmas. This year I didn't buy a bag, because I'm the only one that eats them, and my boss gave me 8 tons of butter cookies. I was trying to be good.

This week a bowl of this little nougaty yumminess showed up at the office. Not sure why I felt compelled to share this...guilt I guess. Carry on.

Two Thoughts for Today...

Um, wow... deep water and air travel...I have no words...too busy trying to not have a panic attack just thinking about it.
That pilot and crew and passengers deserve a metal of honor and a big steak dinner. Wowowowow. (pic nod to AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Potty training, dreading it...starting today...gooood times! Goodbye baby, hello big boy. Excuse me while I melt into a ball of "where did the time go???".

Get Over It!

I got a new car. Well, new to me anyway. We are a leasing kind of family. We had 2 cars leased for 3 years, and within a month of each other, we turned in my Expedition and bought Joe's leased SUV. My Expedition went to auction right before Christmas. (btw...there's a pretty cool story about that...maybe later) It had bucket back seats and a DVD player. It was nice. Lots of room.

So now I am driving a later model, really nice German SUV. It was Joe's for 3 years and he took amazing care of it - so it's basically new. He leased a 2 door Japanese speedy something or other. They are both nice cars, and I am not complaining...but...it has been challenging getting use to the smallness of my new ride. Let's be honest here. It's not an SUV. It's an SAV - "sports activity vehicle". There's not nearly the room I'm accustomed to. But we've adjusted nicely. I just can't use this car as a second closet or toy chest.

But...there's...no...DVD. I know! I'm a horrible mother. I now make my children listen to the radio or actually talk to me in the car. I'm expecting a call from CPS at any moment.

Every morning now we listen to the radio. It's morning DJ time and they are all trying desperately to entertain us and make us laugh. This morning they were doing a bit called "Get over it" where people call in and say things like "I know my voice mail is full - get over it". Or "Nickelback rules - get over it". That one almost made me wreck my car. Nickelback...ugh. What a beating.

Anyway...so in the middle of the calls, they played that Eagles song "Get Over It". So I'm listening, laughing, trying not to wreck my car over people's horrible taste in lumberjack music. I hear the little Bergen bear voice from the back singing and dancing "get over it get over it". Hahahalarious! All the way into daycare - "get over it get over it".

Still waiting on that call from CPS.

Couponing

I have a new hobby! Couponing. Yes, you read correctly - couponing is now a hobby. It's like a little game to many women out there. There are books and websites dedicated to the practice of couponing. There are pay-for websites and free websites that compile in-store specials matched with Sunday coupons, telling you where to go for the best deal. I've done a little researching on these website lists and have not yet decided if I want to pay monthly for a list. There are ladies who save literally 50-60% off their grocery bills with these services!

Last week was my first dive into paring and matching stores and savings. I went to the CVS with a few coupons and a very detailed list. I've lost my receipt (or it's in the car), so I can't remember what I spent, but I know I saved about $25. That's exciting stuff! I bought myself a little coupon caddy thingy and made some labels and got to organizing! I put my Entertainment Book in the car and made a vow to check it before entering a store or restaurant. You see, we went bowling over the holiday, and there was a stinkin' 50% off coupon in that Entertainment Book. So now I'm clippin' and cuttin' and saving these coupons.

Yesterday I got my Sunday paper and started the clipping process. I planned suppers for the week, made my list and away I went to the Kroger because Kroger doubles coupons up to $.50 and they triple coupons up to $.35. After a quick trip BACK home to get my purse that I left at home (yeah, don't let all this planning and couponing fool you - it's still me!!) I made my ways through the aisles of the Kroger. My 1st observation was this store didn't suck like I expected. I've become a bit of a grocery store snob - I prefer Central Market or Market Street. But they don't double coupons, so too bad for them. Back to the Kroger. It didn't suck. Now the produce left a bit to be desired, but it IS January and most produce departments are kinda gross right now. The apples were pretty, so I'll take that. The store was laid out nicely and I really had no problem finding things.

I had my coupons and watched for in-store specials. I also had my back-stash of coupons - things we didn't really need this week - just in case there was a wicked in-store deal that I couldn't pass up.

I made my way to the checkout with a mess load of groceries. I applied for the Kroger card and gave the dude my coupons and waited anxiously for my results. I spent $237.70 on groceries, had $29.33 in manufacturer coupons, $25.85 in Kroger card savings for a grand total of $55.18 saved!! I paid $182.52. That's about 23%!! I know that bill seems a bit high, but I got pull-ups ($20) and some other health and beauty products that make the bill a bit higher. Things that I don't have to buy every week.

I was proud of my savings and I know I can do even better if I subscribe to one of these lists. Being frugal is fun!