Summin' up the Weekend

It wasn't the worst weekend I've ever had, but let's just say it wasn't one for the books either. Well, apparently it was since well.. it's going in "the book".  Moving on -

I'm loving my new-to-me Swagger Wagon. Could not be any happier with it. Other than the fact that there is already a chip in the windshield - easy enough to have fixed - and the side doors won't close by themselves once you start them anymore. After what? 2 days. I think I pressed the wrong button and turned that function off or something. I may just take it up to the dealership.

On to more thrilling subjects:

I decided to go ahead and give Drewsky the antibiotic. I like to avoid them when at all possible, but it was such a low dose and only necessary for 5 days. Today is the last day in fact. Plus, if that mess he had turned into something worse (ear infection) and I could have prevented it, but didn't.. I would have felt terrible. So, tomorrow I'll try and schedule a follow-up with "his doctor" whoever that may be this time and make sure everything looks good. Besides a cough and being a little more irritable than normal, he seems to be fine.

Probably because the little angel passed IT on to me. And I must say - if he felt anything like I felt yesterday, he handled it better than I did! Yuck. My skin hurt to touch and I was pretty much confined to the bed. Luckily, that part is gone and today I just can't breath. Here's to all of this passing quickly.

We were routing pretty hard for The Patriots around here on Sunday. Super Bowl Fail.

It was heart-breaking, but they didn't deserve to win that game. Silly mistakes that they don't usually make. It would have been pretty cool to be a double championship household this year, though. Remember - Alabama is my husband's Patriots.
I thanked the stars above that he had the day after Super Bowl off to take care of me. What? The Day After Super Bowl isn't a national holiday? Oh. According to his unit it is. He won't be watching it from our comfy living room next year, so I guess it's well deserved :) The least the Patriots could have done was won the thing!

So, that was our exciting, fun-filled weekend. Nursing sicknesses and hearts. There's always next weekend, right? Let's place bets on whether or not Trey will be ill for that one.

This and That

Happy Thursday! Thursdays are happy days around here because it's "Iron Soldier Time" in other words family day, in other words, theoretically my husband comes home around 3:30 instead of 5:30-6:00. Me likey. Although, I do wish this happened on Fridays instead of Thursdays. When he gets home early on Thursday my mind jumps to weekend mode, only to be let down when he gets up and gets dressed for work Friday morning.

I have a good friend here, Ashley, who has started a blog recently called The Way I See It. She has promised me that she is going to write in it more, and this time I believe her ;) I think you all would really enjoy her. She's witty, funny, and sickeningly creative and crafty. I almost literally turned green this morning when I saw what she's done with her laundry room. You can go check her out here.

Yesterday was a bad day for the babe and I. Well.. a bad day for him apparently, which in turn made my day bad. Lots of tantrums. Some in public. Echhh. By the end of the day I had just had enough of that cry and the word "NO". Today has been great though and I'm thoroughly enjoying him again. We all have our days, right?

This Sunday is the Super Bowl. Some of my new readers may need to be aware of the fact that I'm a die hard Patriots fan. So this weekend is kind of a big deal. Super Bowl Sunday ranks pretty high up there on my list of favorite days of the year. I love the sport of course, but the commercials excite me greatly as well. Plus the food... ughh.. perfect day. So while I'm ecstatic that The Pats are playing.. ahem.. again.. this year, I think it's much more fun when I could care less who wins. A little part of me feels that way. Of course, if it's a blow out and I don't have to be pacing and on my way to a heart attack, then all the better. That would be the ideal situation.

What's the big deal about Giselle sending out an email for her friends and family to pray for Tommy? I'm not sure why people are getting upset about that. She's supporting her husband. And why is it any of our business?

I'm still loving my van.. aka.. the Swagger Wagon. Ha! Thanks for that one Jaci! I'm even slowly getting better at parking it. It only took me one try to get it parked in the garage this morning!

Is it Fall yet??

I'm over this whole summer thing. More and more... I'm deciding I'm NOT a summer girl. Yes, cookouts are great, but it's more fun to grill out in the fall when you don't have to risk getting a second degree burn to stand out there and grill a burger. I've never been a fan of it staying light later anyways. It being light isn't going to ensure I stay outside longer. It's hot and I have a baby that goes to sleep at 7pm for the night. I'd rather the sun start to go down earlier so we can get an evening walk in before he goes to bed. Plus, there is something cozy about it being dark with all the family home together, eating dinner, watching TV, snuggling on the couch with a good book, etc.

So... let's chat a bit about why the fall season (and even winter) is like heaven to me, shall we?

1) Football
Ahhhh football season. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. I've had the love of the sport instilled in me for as long as I can remember. I love everything about it. Putting hope into something you can't control. There's something exciting about that. The passion for your team and the (most of the time) friendly banter said passion creates between friends. Game day gear. Game day food. Seriously, my husband and I live for college football Saturdays (and whenever I can watch a Patriots game here in Cowboy land.. ecchh). We wake up bright and early to catch Gameday (LOVE to see where they are at, the rivalry between the fans, and see whatever small town famous restaurant they choose to highlight) and we are glued to the games all.day.long.We will watch any SEC game we can... and anyone else who may show some promise of making it a good game, but whole-heartedly route for SEC! It makes the day even better if we can get together with another couple who loves the sport as much as we do (Hi Jaci). COME ON football season... you're right around the corner!

2) Weather
After a full spring/summer of temperatures that reach over 100 on most days, I can't stress enough how much I'm looking forward to cooler air. I know, I know, I live in the desert and it doesn't get cold by any means. But with no humidity... the 70s and even 80s are perfect for me! My body has acclimated and when it gets too low into the 70s I may need an extra layer.. just sayin'. I can already picture the windows open and catching a cool breeze every now and then. We'll be able to walk more because we don't have to start our walk by 6:30am at the latest. We can walk whenever the mood strikes. Being outside more in general makes me a happy camper.

3) Holidays
All my favorite holidays packed into a few short months! Andrew's birthday, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Perfection! I become a child during all of these holidays. It means playing make believe, time spent with family (or in our case our Army family), decorations, and food. I'm so excited to see these things through Andrew's eyes. To see him dressed up for Halloween. To hear what his heart is thankful for. To teach him the real meaning of Christmas and show him all of the classic Christmas movies I grew up watching. I think it's going to be pretty magical. Of course, along with all of these holidays comes lots of 4-days for my husband. More family time = a happy Jessica.

4) Decorations
I LOVE fall decor. Going to Hobby Lobby and seeing it all front and center yesterday may have given me heart palpitations. I make great use of the strands of colored leaves because I don't see that outside anymore. The pumpkins, scarecrows, signs declaring how thankful we are... I can't get enough. I love earthy tones anyways, so bringing all of these things out makes my home feel nice and cozy. Light a pumpkin pie or harvest leaves candle and I'm good to go :)

5) Clothing
Speaking of being cozy and comfortable. The perfect pair of jeans? A cute, ruffly tank with a warm cardigan? Yes please! I think this year I will live in cardigans and tunics. Time to do a little shopping very soon. My body has changed over the past year (for better or worse) and the closet needs some work. Any suggestions on where to stock up on some of these items without breaking the bank would be wonderful!

6) Did I mention football?

Can't we all just get along??

This post is inspired by a recent.. ummm.. conversation (?) that was had on my Facebook page about college football.
It's no secret that I am passionate about it. We live and breath it every weekend (and Thursday and sometimes Friday) during the fall. And those that have been reading my blog for a while know that I am a firm believer in the SEC. I personally believe that no one out there can compete. I've been a S. Carolina fan for years and years and over the past few years have been persuaded by my husband to route for Alabama as well.. it's hard not to, right? But this is less about our conference as a whole and more about one particular team... OHIO STATE.

Please, ladies, please... let me know if I'm wrong! Unless you live in the state of Ohio.. most people don't care for (or may have some stronger words) Ohio State Football. I've never run into anyone that isn't from Ohio that actually likes the team. Well I have family that lives in Cleveland, Ohio and are huge fans. I don't hold that against them ;) but there has been a huge stink caused on my FB page (seriously.. like 60 comments long) over the fact that I don't like them (the team, not my family).

They say it hurts their feelings that I don't like them and sometimes vocalize my feelings on the subject. And they are REALLY worked up about it. Really? It's nothing personal, says I. I could care less if anyone in the world.. no matter how close you are to me had something bad to say about any of the teams I pull for. To each his own! Say whatever you want and I'll be glad to have a little friendly back and forth banter with you. Why does it have to be so serious? Of course I never want to hurt any one's feelings.. especially friends and family, but to make matters worse - All of this was started over a conversation that was had on my MIL's fb page. They don't know her. Shouldn't be able to see what was on her page. Clearly, I have the right to discuss football (or anything) in whatever fashion I want when it's not directed at them, right?

Here are the reasons I do not care for Ohio State:
I don't have much respect for them as a team. I feel like they play cake teams all year round and don't deserve to be ranked where they are. Come on down south and play some real teams instead of Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern. See how you hold up.
They value a coach (Woody Hayes) that smacked a student player (from Clemson) by still having his name on the stadium. I understand that happened years ago.. but it's all about tradition and history.
They call themselves "THE Ohio State". Isn't there only 1 state of Ohio? Grrrr

There are lots more that gets under my skin about them, but Andrew is starting to stir and need to finish up my point.

Basically.. I love my family, I do. But I will NEVER love or like Ohio State Football and don't see why this has been made out to be such an issue. Don't let it hurt your feelings.. embrace it and lets have a good ol' fashion family rivalry and pray we play each other in a bowl game or better yet.. National Championship!

I'm still alive!

I've just been super, super  busy. And sick :( 

We've had some pretty crappy germs running through our household. Starting with my husband, who oh so lovingly passed it on to me. You know.. the congestion, sneezing, coughing, headache (I feel like a Dayquil commercial), and I, unfortunately, passed it on to our sweet boy who now has congestion and diarrhea. We're both miserable because of it.



Our first family photo... at a wine festival



Anywho... what's been going on in my world? Well I just mentioned most of it, but we had a WONDERFUL weekend! The Storey's (two of our best friends from back home) flew out to visit us! I can't tell you how much that meant to us and how happy it made the both of us. It's so hard being away from family and friends. For those two blissful days, it didn't feel like we were so far away. Thank you Matthew and Ashleigh! I'm so happy that they got to meet Andrew.. Ashleigh got lots of practice and is going to be a fantastic mum one day! Annd the two extra pairs of hands? I loved it!! We watched lots of football on Saturday (y'all.. nothing gets in the way of Football Saturday). Sunday we took them to Taco Cabana (it's the Norton mission to make sure everyone on the planet eats here) and drove out to New Mexico to check on the La Vina Wine Fest. We had a great time and this little mama got a little tipsy over a few samples of wine.. not gonna lie! It was hard to send them back home the next morning and I almost kidnapped them and made them stay forever... lucky they have a sweet pup to go home to!



Ashleigh and I - October 2010



Monday night I watched the Pats.. FINALLY!! They scared me in the first half but came back swinging in the 2nd. That's my boys! I hear now that Moss is leaving to the Vikings. We'll do just fine without him is what I say...

And this week I've just been taking care of a sad, sick baby. Thanks, girls, for your napping advise! I found something that works and have been getting in a nap a day. I curl up with him on the couch when he falls asleep and sleep with him on my chest! I know I'll have to stop doing this with him in the next few weeks so I don't start any bad habits, but for now, I'm cherishing it. It's the sweetest thing to feel his baby breath on my neck and feel his little fingers wrapping around my arm to curling on my chest. I know that I will miss these little moments!

I'm really looking forward to .. ahhh... 4pm or so today. Hubby will be off and he is coming home to relieve me! That's right.. I get some ME time :) I'm heading off to find some clothes that actually fit me!! I'm in this horrible in between stage where I'm nowhere close to fitting in my pre-pregnancy clothes, but the maternity stuff doesn't quite work anymore either. Any suggestions?

And thank you God, it's a 4-day weekend! I was talking to my cousin last night and she mentioned that she had a long weekend, but wasn't sure why. So thank you Christopher Columbus. Thank you for getting my husband a 4-day :) We'll be enjoying some downtime (watching the Carolina-Bama game.. yessss I'm going for Bama! Don't call me a traitor.. I can't help it) and each other's company.



Look at my little man looking fly in his Bama jersey (courtesy of the Storey's)



Tomorrow.. I put up my fall decor. Can't wait. Time to start lighting that Autumn Leaves candle!!

Visitors

Yaayyy for Friday!!!

Even though I'm not working, I'm still loving me some Fridays! That means Daddy comes home and gets to stay with us for 2 days.. woohoo! And in about an hour and 1/2 Andrew's other set of Grandparents will be here to meet him along with his Great-Grandfather. My in-laws will be here until Wednesday and I'm looking forward to spending some time with them and having them get to know their grandson! Not to mention all those other hands that are going to be dying to hold him and give me a break now and then :)

We have plans to spend lots of time in front of the tube tomorrow watching football. Carolina won't be showing here, but I'll be sure to root them on against Furman... Andrew will be too in his Gamecock onsie! But we will make sure to watch the Bama game and Tennessee game (my father-in-law is a huge TN fan). Sunday we hope to make it on post and check out Oktoberfest for a bit. (Here's to my first experience pumping in the back seat of my car under my breast feeding cover.. I'm sure that'll be a blog post in and of itself). We have an appointment to get our pictures done on Monday (mainly for the boys... 4 generations together!). And I'm sure some shopping trips to Cosco and the outlet malls plus some eating out will be happening. I'm tired just from typing all of this out!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend... now for the pic of the day :)

Friday Randomness

Still not much going on around here, but I figure I better post somewhat regularly so you don't think I'm in labor or anything!

Remember earlier in the week where I talked about still not being seen on a weekly basis or even having an internal exam? I almost gave up after leaving numerous messages for my nurse and calling straight to L&D to see if my nurse was just confused. L&D told me it was normal - I'm not seeing someone regularly or having the internal because I'm part of the Centering group (which I will never do again) and more and more they don't like to do internals since it could cause early labor and there's no real benefit to know if I've started to dialate. I get that.. I really do. But... 1: I'm kind of okay with going into labor at any point now. 2: They clearly don't know me very well. I like to be prepared. So when my nurse FINALLY called me back yesterday (4 day turnaround? Not very acceptable) and said I could come in Monday morning for sick call and ask for a certain nurse and will be given an exam.. I've decided to jump on that I think. I just need to know what's going on.

I finally got around to getting a breast pump. It came with an instructional DVD and we watched it the other night. Ha.. freaky! That'll take some getting used to! The most beneficial thing I got out of the DVD was the "words of encouragement" section. I'm more determined that this IS GOING TO WORK now more than ever. I really want to be able to breastfeed and if it comes down to calling a lactation consultant to help, than I will.. but one way or another.. it's going to happen. Take that Andrew ;)


I'm so glad it's the weekend. Friday nights are my favorite. Trey comes home fairly early (most of the time) and we have the whole weekend ahead of us. No work. No meetings. Just hanging out together. We have a goodbye party to go to tonight for some friends that are leaving to go to Colorado. Tomorrow we'll get some work done on our cars -no fun- and buy just two more things I need for the babe. Other than that, we have no real plans!

Jaci over at Me and My SoldierMan is having an awesomely exciting (you like that Jaci?) Scentsy giveaway, so go on over and check that out! I didn't want to mention it, because I want to win it very badly, but she needs at least 30 bloggers to sign up, so what are you waiting for? Annnd.. she found out yesterday that as soon as her hubby is done with BOLC and Ranger school that they are heading here to Fort Bliss! So excited to be reunited with her :) We met when Trey and I were stationed at Ft. Sill and they were still living in Oklahoma!

Can you imagine how distraught I was when I tried to tune in to the FINALE of SYTYCD last night and the Dallas Cowboys were playing instead??? Really? How do you just cancel a show like that? I know everyone else in the country got to watch it. Why play with my emotions like that? And just so they could play the freaking Raiders of all teams?? I know Lauren won and that made my heart happy, but so much that I missed! All the best performances of the season... reactions to winning and losing... guests on the show that Cat Dealy promised me I wouldn't want to miss. Grrrrr! It made me feel a lot better to see that Dallas lost.. to the RAIDERS. Sorry if I've upset any fans. Love ya.. mean it.

I'm sorry for the most boring post ever. Carry on.

7 Weeks

Our little alien in 7 weeks today! I feel like everyday that goes by is a huge accomplishment, but I really love these weekly updates. I get so excited to read what's going on in there! So what's happening in my belly this week?

• You are growing so fast! You are 10,000 times bigger today then you were at conception. You're now about the size of a blueberry :)
• New brain cells are being generated at the rate of 100 cells per minute.
• You're mouth and tongue will be forming this week.
• So will your arm and leg buds, that look like paddle-like appendages and they will start dividing into hand, arm, shoulder, leg, knee and foot segments.
• You're kidneys are now in place and are beginning to start working. As What To Expect When You're Expecting pointed out, at least I'm not having to change the diapers yet!

Busy week! Honestly, I have not been to the gym even ONCE. I go to bed so determined that I'll go in the morning and it didn't happen at all last week. It's extremely important to me to continue exercising during my pregnancy, but I'm just SOOOOOO exhausted. I feel like a walking zombie almost constantly. I know my body is busy and I have reason to be tired, but a lot of girls exercise the whole time, so I know I can do it!! I'm going to set short goals and I plan to go 3 times this week. IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. I don't care if I fall asleep on the treadmill :)

As a couple side notes: 1) Can I get an Amen for that Alabama win on Thursday?? 2) The Patriots are playing in the playoffs right now against The Ravens. It hasn't been looking so good so far (we're almost in the 4th quarter), but I did pray for a win in church this morning. God, were you listening? 3) I don't know what is going on, but I'm getting daily Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese (sorry.. don't know how to tell the difference) comments on just one of my older blogs. I find this so strange. Clearly, I have no clue what in the world they are saying. Has this happened to anyone else?

Big Night!

I take a break from the as of late Pregnancy Brain to say this....

Rollllll Tide!!!!!

We'll be heading over a friends house to watch the game with a few other couples. At least until 1/2 time that is. Please, as long as you are not a die hard longhorn fan, please please please send some good Roll Tide juju our way. My husband's favorite team is playing for the National Title. To say his every hope and dream coming true is dependent on tonight would be downplaying how he really feels. Let's just say this - for Bama to win the National Title and for his first child to be born in the same year - he will FOREVER be a content man.

Now imagine his reaction if they lose. Ever seen a grown man cry? (ya know.. besides Tebow?) Sorry, sorry, I had to go there...

Another Weekend Gone

Time seems to be flying by faster than usual lately. I hardly remember going through November and now we are weeks away from Christmas! * 13 DAYS AWAY FROM BEING IN SC AGAIN * I'm just a tad excited!!!! To say the least...

It seems like it is snowing in every part of the country except where we are. Is everyone enjoying it? I hope to get some here soon! I have some vegetable soup going in the crock pot right now, so it would be perfect timing!

We had a quiet, but great weekend. The two of us went out for dinner to Buffalo Wild Wings Friday night. It was nice.. our idea of a perfect date. Big screen TVs everywhere talking about sports, a few Blue Moon for him and Sunset Wheat for me beers, nachos, boneless wings, and a ton of laughing. We got up early Saturday morning and hit the gym. I am gaining weight and don't know why. (other than the nights of beer, nachos and wings, you say... hey.. no one asked you!). Got home and had coffee and eggs and multiple hours before the SEC championship game, I was about to wring my husbands neck. He could not handle his excitement and drove me crazy well into the afternoon until the game actually started. All was well in the end though, as Alabama beat Florida and is now the #1 team in the country.. yup.. it feels good. And will feel even better if we beat Texas for the National Championship!!

Today was/is a really good day as well. We got up this morning and went to a new church. I had a feeling about this one from the parking lot. It just felt right. I was right... we ended up LOVING it. Everyone there was so GENUINELY nice, we were invited to come to their young adult bible study (which is what I've been looking for), the sermon was great (The pastor was able to keep my attention the entire time.. which is a HUGE accomplishment in any setting). It was the perfect mix of what we both wanted. The Methodist traditions.. you know.. repeat after me stuff and hymns for him mixed with a huge sanctuary full of people and some contemporary music for me. We're going to try the bible study next week and that will either make or break the deal. It's really important to me to get into something like that. We met friends for lunch at a supposedly great Mexican restaurant afterwards, which didn't turn out to be all that great at all. Their "cheese dip" was more like chicken broth. No thank you. After that the boys went to OKC to some shooting range and the girls went to the Christmas craft fair on post. I found nothing to spend money on (you're welcome, Trey), made a quick, very necessary Starbucks trip, then came home to make soup, wrap presents, and thoroughly enjoy some alone time before the boys come back.

I know I haven't mentioned this since my first announcement, but my SIL is about a month and 1/2 away from her due date! She is doing very well and looking even better. She is gorgeous and I cannot wait to get my hands on her belly in about 2 weeks!!!

The Random Post

Well Thanksgiving is officially over and December is almost here. It's now acceptable to turn on the Christmas lights every day, light the Christmas Tree scented candles, and listen to Christmas music at every single opportunity I have. Love it!

Clearly, as you can see from my last two posts, that a lot of my weekend revolved around football. As it should be. And it's not over yet. The Patriots play tonight! They'd be doing me a huge favor by beating the Saints. That way all of my teams would pull out wins this. So Brady, no mistakes okay? Yes, you are gorgeous every.single.minute of your life, but try and stay calm in the pocket per usual, no interceptions.. got it? And Moss... stay open. Make it exciting for me tonight okay? Jump over the defenders. Do a flip into the end zone or something. And Welker.. my favorite. You just keep running your cute, little legs off when you get that ball and make mama proud. This is all I request boys. Think we can handle it tonight?

We saw The Blind Side last night! AH-mazing movie!! I am buying it the second it comes out on DVD. It was perfect... made me think, laugh, and cry. But just the right amount of cry. No sobbing. Just a little tear. I LOVED Sandra Bullock's character and could not get enough of SJ. I would like my future child to be just like him.

The movie really made me think about how quick we are to judge. I try really hard not to, and for the most part do a pretty good job, but we all do it. We're human. It's just amazing to think about the hundreds of people we come in contact with a day and we never really know their story. The homeless person we deny giving our spare change to. The mother we roll our eyes at because she can't control her kid. The teenage boy with his pants below his waist we avoid going near and hold our purses a little tighter. And really, just any normal person we come in contact with on a daily basis. I know, we can't all be Sandra Bullock and take them all into our homes. But maybe just a smile here and there can make all the difference. Or taking the time to really listen to someone when given the opportunity. We just all have our stories and life gives us all a different hand. I think it's sad that, a lot of the times, instead of reaching out, we go so far as to even avoid making eye contact.

I believe I am getting sick. I've been fighting it for a couple of weeks, but there's no ignoring the soreness of my throat now. I'm not going in to the food bank today and may even make a doctor's appointment soon. Can't let any illness play a part in my trip HOME for Christmas!!! (in 19 short days)

35-17

Saturday's big game went waayyy better than I expected it to!! We came out with a huge victory to end our regular season with a 7-5 record. Welcome to the SEC!

We had a couple ugly games this year, but you know what? We looked pretty solid in the game that REALLY matters!We now have bragging rights for a full glorious year....

Now we're waiting for Saturday, praying that Alabama pulls a big win out over Florida for the SEC Championship!!

U-S-C.... Gooo Cocks!

And we're here. The big game we prepare for all season. The only one that really matters. Our big top dawg rivalry. The Carolina-Clemson game!

Yes.. maybe, just maybe, Clemson is way ahead of us in the history of this rivalry. Like sadly so. 65-37 Clemson if you want to get technical. So what if we've lost our last three games and Clemson's kinda been kicking ass. If you know anything about us Carolina fans, you know we are the most hopeful creatures on earth. So this is where I will be all morning until mid-afternoon. Posted up in front of the TV, cheering on my Cocks with all of my entire heart, hoping for a game day miracle.

On a separate note, our Thanksgiving was okay. Just okay though and that's my fault. Dinner was great. Trey said it was the best Thanksgiving dinner he's ever had (lying to flatter me is completely okay in my book). I was just very, very emotional. I know it was just the fact that it was a big holiday, but I was extremely homesick for the first time since I've gotten out here. I cried for the majority of the day. From anything from a Folgers commercial I saw during the parade, from seeing Santa at the end of the parade (WTH???), to bigger more important things. I felt horrible for Trey. I feel like I pretty much ruined his day, especially towards the end of it. I took some NyQuil to go ahead and put an end to both of our misery, woke up and put my big girl panties on. Said a quick prayer, made a mental note of all of my blessings, and plastered a smile on my face. Yeah, it was a fake smile at first, but within a couple of hours my sour mood was lifted. I half-heartedly put Christmas decorations up, but thoroughly enjoyed them once it was dark. Celebrated a close call Alabama win with Trey. Got dressed up and had a much needed night out with friends (dinner and Orange Tree!), came home and laughed for two hours straight together while watching Christmas Vacation! I leave you today with some of my favorite Aunt Bethany quotes:
"Is your house on fire, Clark?"
" No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights"

Ellen: Oh Aunt Bethany, you shouldn't have done that.
Aunt Bethany: Oh dear, did I break wind?
Uncle Lewis: Jesus, did the room clear out, Bethany? Hell no, she means presents. You shouldn't have brought presents.

"Grace? She passed away 30 years ago"

"Is this the airport Clark?"

Aunt Bethany: What's that sound? You hear it? It's a funny squeaky sound.
Uncle Lewis: You couldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant.

New Obsession

Last night, already on cloud 9 as hubs and I make our way out for our date night, I see the little blinking sign I've been waiting to see from the day I moved out here. "Open". I saw that orange signed lit up and just about lost my cool.

Has anyone heard of Orange Tree??? It's only a little slice of heaven here on earth. Day by day I'd drive by the promise of a self-serve frozen yogurt bar, semi-patiently waiting for them to open. They opened at 5:00 yesterday. So after a delish steak quesidilla and one or two margaritas, I couldn't get in the door soon enough. I may have squealed like a 16 year old girl in line for New Moon when I did get in there. Options and options of flavors. It was hard to chose, but I ended up with a mix of strawberry and cheesecake. After you decide on the flavor, you head on over to the topping bar... to DIE for.

Everything from fresh fruit to candy to cereal and more! I just got some fresh bananas. I stay true to form, make friends with the owner, and get a membership card at the cash register. Yup, I'm a member. And it's so cheap! .38 cents an ounce. I got way more than I should have and it was only $3. That was after taking a bite while waiting in line. Trey ever so gently reminded me that I was not allowed to eat it before paying since you pay by weight. Woopsie.

I will not ever again go to Braums to have a full fledged fattie ice cream. Unless of course it's for a rare banana split....

* this is not my yogurt, I googled a picture so you could imagine it's full goodness. And no, I was not paid to do this post. It's really just that good.

We're in for the night, enjoying a lazy Saturday night. It's pretty dern cold outside and Trey isn't feeling well. I have chili going in the crock pot and baked potatoes in the oven. Trey has football on the TV and beer in his hand. It's a happy household.

Heeyyyy!

Sorry I've been gone for a few days - I know you've all been crying yourself to sleep without a daily fix of mua... humor me! I will let you know that I've been busy working on a little surprise though. One that I am probably waaayyyy more excited about than any of you will be, but I cannot wait to share :)

I don't have any pictures yet that I promised to share. Hopefully tomorrow.

We had a very relaxing rest of the weekend. Almost lethargic actually, but hubs was so incredibly tired... he needed that! We watched football allll day long Saturday. I watched my Gamecocks ALMOOSTT beat the number one team in the country. Then watched Bama stay ahead at #2!

Sunday involved lots of coffee, Atlanta Bread Company, a tri-weekly trip to Walmart, and ended it off with a heart break from the end of the Patriots game...

I started my 5K training today.. woohooo! Oh, you thought I was starting it last week? Hmmphh.. I did. For a day. Then I skipped out of the gym for the rest of the week. I'm not ashamed. It just happened ok? I also started my 2nd week at the food bank. I'm still loving it and I believe they are loving me! I've already been told that I am not allowed to ever leave. The director also paid me the biggest compliment I believe I've ever received last week. We were talking about something and I said something along the lines of "I try and try to do it like that and it never quite works out for me" I believe we were talking about cooking. She told me she didn't believe me. She said I must not be really trying because she's pretty sure that I will accomplish anything I put my mind to in life. I really wish I could see myself the way others see me!
We had a verrry busy day there today and I.am.pooped. We fed 70 families today and they say this is nothing compared to how it's going to be in the next couple weeks. Incredible. As beat down as I feel right now, nothing beats the feeling of knowing we're putting food in so many people's mouths!

Weekend in Review

I hope everyone had a great weekend! That one seemed to go particularly fast for us, but what's new?

Friday night Trey got home a little later than usual, so dinner was just about done when he got home. I did forget to pick up our weekend stash of beer and wine (I know right... how could I?) so he went back out and picked some up for us before dinner - my hero in more ways than one.
I made Chile Rellenos Chicken and I L-O-V-E-D it. Again, I got this recipe from somewhere out here in blog land and can't remember where. I'm really gonna have to make note of who I'm stealing it from when I do that! At least that way I can give whoever it is proper credit
*side note - I'm hearing what I believe is the tornado siren outside right now. But the skies are a perfect blue. I've never heard one before so I'm not sure what it sounds like... but I have no idea what else that could possibly be. Ehh.. if this post stops mid sentence, please know I've lived a good life and have no regrets*
Anywho... here's the recipe:
Chiles Rellenos Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves(4-6 ounces each)
1 lime, cut in half crosswise
1 egg white
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup finely crushed nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips ( I have yet to find these, I just use regular plan tortilla chips, although you could use lime flavored ones as well)
1/2 can whole green chilies, drained and cut into strips
2 tablespoons shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 Teaspoon snipped fresh cilantro
Salsa (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place one chicken breast half in resealable plastic food storage bag; seal bag. Lightly flatten chicken to even thickness using flat side of a meat tenderizer. Repeat with remaining chicken breast. Discard plastic bag. Sometimes I skip this step completely and just use chicken tenders instead of breasts.
2. Juice lime halves into small bowl. Add egg white and garlic;whisk until frothy.
3. Place tortilla chips in another resealable plastic food storage bag and finely crush. Place crushed chips in a shallow dish. Dip chicken into egg mixture and then into chips, coating completely. Discard any remaining chips. Place chicken in a pan.
4. Bake 20-22 mins or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Arrange chile strips over chicken;sprinkle with cheese. Bake 2-3 mins or just until cheese melts. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with salsa, if desired.

After enjoying that deliciousness, we watched Slumdog Millionaire for the first time! We were a little late with that one, I know, but it was a great movie!

Saturday morning we got up early and went to Atlanta Bread Company for breakfast. Thank God there's one of those right down the street. Nothing beats a 1/2 of chicken pesto panini sandwich and a hot bowl of potato soup. Not for breakfast of course. I had the cinnamon crisp bagel (to die for) for breakfast and a hot cup of coffee of course. After that we set out for OKC. Went to the Capitol Building first. It was interesting and I'm glad we went to see it, but we didn't stay long. I was surprised that NO ONE was there. In Columbia there are always people there, walking around, taking pictures, etc all the time. It was at this point when I realized I had made the awful mistake of wearing a new pair of shoes for the first time on a day that was supposed to be full of walking around. WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN??? We headed straight to Walmart for some hopeful relief. 6 blister bandaids later and we were still no good.
We did make it to lunch and met the Perpetual Newlyweds. Can't say enough about them... we had a great time chatting it up for a couple of hours... even if they aren't SEC fans.. no one's perfect right?? ;) Mr. Newlywed is leaving tonight for Basic, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers! Sadly, we made the trip back home after that. I just was not being a trooper with my feet all blistered up. Fortunately, Trey has a 3-day coming up so we're planning on spending a couple of nights there to get in everything we want to see.
We got home in just enough time to see Carolina get their asses handed to them by Tennessee. Lots of bad words were said during that mess of a game. My FIL was quite happy with that game... grrrrr! And we had NO trick-or-treaters!! Good, because I didn't buy candy anyway. I am not the grinch who stole Halloween, I just didn't expect to be home.

Sunday was a lazy, and pretty boring day to be honest! The only thing worth mentioning is that we went to see Law Abiding Citizen ~ LOVED IT. Run, don't' walk, to your closest movie theater and see this one. My heart was pounding almost the entire time.

The weather is beautiful here today (I think I'm in the clear with the tornado... the "siren" stopped a few minutes ago), so I think I'll get out there and enjoy it before the cold stuff gets here and stays here!

Good Eats

I'm happy to report that this weekend went much better in the cooking department! And I'm sure Trey is very thankful as well.

Friday night I made homemade sloppy joes and used ground turkey burger instead of ground beef. They were delish!! I'm like 99% sure I got this recipe from Charlotte's blog, but I can't for the life of me find where she posted it up so I'm not completely sure. At any rate... here it is.. It made enough for us to have leftovers all weekend!

SLOPPY JOES
Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
12 parker house rolls
Directions:
Set a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add ground turkey, season well with salt and pepper and brown well all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon - about 7 to 10 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with a splash of red wine vinegar and season it once more before serving on parker rolls (or any large whole wheat buns).

I'm pretty positive that I'll never use regular ol' sloppy joe mix out of the can ever again!

Saturday night we had a couple friends over for the Bama/Carolina game (of which I had lots of mixed feelings over and can't say that I'm terribly disappointed that Carolina lost. Please no hate mail) so I just made some munchies. A dip made with ground sausage, package of cream cheese, and rotel and then a buffalo chicken pizza.

Sunday night I made Shepperd's Pie. My grandmother used to make this when her and my grandfather visited and I loved it! This one was made a little differently... let's just say I'm a little overly excited to have it for leftovers tonight. Here's the recipe for this one:
Ingredients:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1lb lean ground beef
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced (I used two)
1 cup of corn
1 cup of tomatoes, diced
2 potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 2-qt casserole dish with cooking spray
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil for 5 min, stirring frequently. Stir in the ground beef and basil, and cook and stir for 5 more minutes. Mix in the garlic, corn, and tomatoes, and simmer for 5 min. Transfer beef mixture to prepared dish.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, egg, and water. Spread evenly over meat mixture.
4. Bake in a preheated over for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown on top (I had to do much longer for some reason) Sprinkle with cheese and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Although it wasn't even close to being cold here, that was a great meal to eat after watching the Pats play a full football game and kicking some serious ass... in the SNOW!!!! Snow.. in October... I have a feeling it's going to be a long winter for some of us!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Football season is off to a wonderful start. My cocks started it off with not so much of a bang Thursday night. Yes we won and all but it wasn't necessarily pretty. Quite a boring win and we're still gangster as ever with the dirty moves like trying to break people's necks and all with no shame. Not even trying to hide it. But ya know.. that's who we are. Predictable every year and that's okay.

Tonight's when the REAL excitement starts for me. I've suspected the change rising in me since last year, but this year I'm ready to fully admit it. Hubs has finally changed my heart. After 8 seasons of watching football together.... I admit defeat. My heart fully bleeds Crimson.

First game is tonight against Virginia Tech and I cannot wait. Never fails to be an exciting game and i'm praying I know this season will be as good, if not better, than last year. Remember last year? We go undefeated all year and then lose the SEC Championship game to Fl and the bowl game against Utah. I can stand losing to Florida... it's Florida.. nuff said. But Utah? Utah??? Ohhh it's too painful to even bring back those memories. I sometimes think that's really the reason hubs joined the Army shortly after that game. Life as he knew it could never be the same after that.

One thing I will miss on that field this year? This delicious piece of juice:

John Parker Wilson ~ what will I do without having you to drool over cheer on all season??? I'll tell you what tonight's energy will be focused on. Coughing, blowing my nose until it's raw, and spitting out continuous drainage. (sorry for that disturbing visual). That's right, it's my turn to have the crud. I'm just praying I don't pass it on to Trey before he makes the trip out to Oklahoma Thursday!

Just a lil Update & a Memory

Nothing much going on around here! We've just been enjoying each other's company constantly.. with a slight little interuption called work. Not such a bad thing though... this is my last week working there and I'm getting a little emotional about that. I know Friday's going to be a pretty rough day for me. Better believe that when we go out for dinner Friday night with friends that hubs is going to have to be DD. His turn ~ I think I'm going to have one of those drown my tears in beer nights ;)

We went to church Sunday morning. I mention this because it was a little moment I had where I felt extremely close to my grandmother. It was nice. Speaking of which, I have a copy of her obituary I want to post. Not so much because I think you will all find it thrilling, more so because I know I'll always have a copy of it if I put it here. Sad that I don't know how to keep things like that other than blogging anymore? Maybe.


Ann V. (Riggs) McGrane
MARLBOROUGH Ann V. (Riggs) McGrane, 82, of Marlboro, formerly of Hudson and Florida, died on Friday, Aug. 28th at Bolton Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Marlboro with her loving family at her side. She was the beloved wife of the late William McGrane who died in 2002. Ann was born in Frederick, Maryland, daughter of the late Floyd and Anna Riggs. She attended Culinary Arts School for two years after high school in Rochester, NY and was a Chef at the former Saint Anns Convent in Marlboro for many years. Anna and her husband William resided in Hudson for many years before retiring to Florida for 20 years. She has resided in Marlboro the last 9 years. She is survived by her son, Michael G. McGrane of Worcester; four daughters, Kathleen Blood and her husband Ronald of Hudson, Lynda Gordon of Athol, MA, Carolyn Sciabarrasi and her husband Dennis of Lunenburg and Ann Yetton and her husband Charlie of Columbia, South Carolina. She is also survived by her ten Grandchildren and eleven Great Grandchildren. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, Aug. 31st at 9:00 a.m. in the Immaculate Conception Church, 11 Prospect Street, Marlboro. Burial will take place at the convenience of the family. There are no calling hours. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of: Tighe-Hamilton Funeral Home, Inc. 50 Central St. Hudson, MA 01749. (www.tighehamilton.com). In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ann may be made to:
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American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.

Other big plans for the week:
The gym tomorrow is a must for the both of us.
Thursday night = first Carolina game of the season ~ holllllaaaa! I'm so excited. We'll be getting together with some friends to watch that massacre.
Friday night = dinner with more friends and said plans of drowning my tears.
Saturday = gym and first Alabama game. Hubs is beyond thrilled

It'll be a VERRRRY happy household if we can pull out a win for Carolina AND Bama this week... keep your fingers crossed. Unless of course your a NC State or Virginia Tech fan. If so, uncross those fingers!!

Back to Reality

Ahh.. the holidays were nice while they lasted weren't they? Even when Christmas was over, going back to work Monday wasn't so bad knowing it was only for 3 days, then having another 4 day weekend. Now what? Back to the grind. With no up-coming vacations to look forward. I would like to take an extra moment of pity just for myself. ( Which is actually a blessing, but still ) We're starting back on a regular 5-day work week, at least for January!!! Which is great on the bank account, don't get me wrong! But I haven't worked a full work week since early November!! Ugghhhh!! I don't remember what that's like!
For the past 3 days I have been absolutely useless. Like a lump on a log. Friday.. Trey had to work. I spent the whole day.. WHOLE DAY.. on my couch catching up on DVR. I probably should have gotten bed sores. I walked outside once. To check the mail. When Trey did get home, I did get off my arse and made dinner. Steaks on our brand new George Forman grill.. Thanks Santa!! I love that thing. Can't wait to grill some chicken on it this week!! Then.. it hurts to even speak of this.. we watched.. the.. Bama bowl game.

There are NO words to express the dissapointment, shock, and heartache that was ever so present in this house Friday night. Wow.. no words. Trey was still moping on Saturday. I was so sad for that beautiful quarterback of theirs, John Parker. What a way to play your last game ever. 7 sacks?? Oh man.. I can't talk about this yet. My heart hurts.

We were lazy lumps together that day. He got a PS3 New Years Eve with Christmas money. Nuff said. I'm literally going crazy right this second. He got some war game that all his friends have so they can play online together *gay* so all i hear is machine guns continually going off in my house... quite annoying. Good thing we have to leave in an hour to go to family dinner night (we do this with his family once a month). I would image he needs to get his behind up and take a shower.. but what do I know??
Anyways.. back to Saturday. We did nothing at all again except go out to dinner at around 7. Texas Longhorns (again.. thanks Santa!!) Dinner was great!! Then we got home and got back on the couch to watch a movie.. ha!
So I think my body will be in pure shock when I have to actually get up in the morning and be productive. It will be much needed though. Trust me!

Trey takes his ASVAB Wednesday so check back with me for a full report. Have a great week!!