Contests Rock!

I have another contest link on my sidebar. The contest is being hosted by pinksandbluesgirls This time the prize is a Dooney & Burke handbag and as an added bonus they are including a Dream Angels Heavenly Eau de Parfum purse spray from Victoria’s Secret. So click on the link above or in my sidebar and enter before June 1st @ 8PM EST.

With three girls in the house, we will definitely get alot of use out of it. We have all our fingers and toes crossed. Good Luck to all!

Happy 17th Baby Girl!

Born: May 29, 1990

6:45 PM

9 lbs 11 oz!!!!

The weekend has been quiet and uneventful. We had a family BBQ on Sunday w/cake for Kari. We went out for dinner to Benihana on Monday for Kari. Today? I don't know, I'm sure she has something up her sleeves. She insists on celebrating her Birthday month!

Martha's Way or Maxine's?

I got this in my email and it cracked me up. Simply because I can totally be Maxine! Although, If you ask my friends, they will say that I am so Martha! In a way I guess. I am a perfectionist when it comes to party planning & stuff. I love to bake and prepare party food, but I HATE regular cooking! If there is an easy way to get things done, I am all for it!

Martha's Way:
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Maxine's Way:
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!


Martha's Way:
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Maxine's Way:
Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix , keep it in the pantry for up to a year.


Martha's Way:
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Maxine's Way:
Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.


Martha's Way:
If you accidentally over salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix-me-up."
Maxine's Way:
If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!"


Martha's Way:
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Maxine's Way:
Celery? Never heard of it!


Martha's Way:
Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Maxine's Way:
The Mrs.Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust so I don't.


Martha's Way:
Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Maxine's Way:
Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink!


Martha's Way:
If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
Maxine's Way:
Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.


Martha's Way:
Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Maxine's Way:
Leftover wine??????????? HELLO !!!!!!!

Graduation

One week from tomorrow, my baby graduates from high school. I still remember her pre-school graduation vividly! For crissake, I still remember the day she was born like it was yesterday!

So on June 1st, I will join thousands of other people @ the arena to hopefully be able to at least hear my daughter's name being called. That is not a misprint. Although hers is the first graduating class from that school, they still have over 500 seniors. Take that and multiply it by at least 4 family members each plus faculty & staff and we are probably looking at about 3000 bodies. Next year it will be worse, Kari has about 700 kids in her graduating class! Oh, joy!

Gigot

Have I mentioned that I LOVE my DVR?

When I was little, I saw a movie called Gigot. I must have been around 6 or so. It was the first movie that ever made me cry. That was early indication that I am a sucker for sappy movies. I haven't seen it in many years but I remember most of it. After searching all over for it and since Blockbuster does not have it, I was about to break down and buy an off market copy from Ebay. I did a quick title search on my DVR and Viola! It is now set to record on May 31st on Fox Movie Channel, which I did not even know we had! That makes me very happy.

Another old movie which I liked as a kid is "The Trouble with Angels", fortunately BB carries that one and I should be receiving it soon. Seems like I am in some sort of Nostalgia funk! I just watched the entire 1st season of Family Affair.

If you have never seen Gigot, I HIGHLY recommended it! Just have a box of Kleenex handy!

What Will I Do....

...for the next 4 months? I HATE Summer TV! All my shows are ending this week and my TV addicted self will not have anything to watch. It is not going to be pretty.

I am really liking the song at the end of last night's show. Keep Breathing. Is it any wonder that I like it? Breathe is my word for this year. So far, I have only forgotten a few times.

T.G.I.F.

A. A . A . D . D .

I just got this in my email and thought I would share. It's a tad long, but so funny (and true).

(Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.)

This is how it manifests: I decided to water my garden.

As I turned on the hose in the driveway, I looked over at my car and decided my car needs washing.

As I started toward the garage, I noticed that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway. I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find a can of coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the coke aside so that I don't knock it over. I see that the coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye-- they need to be watered.I set the coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. Then I decide I better put themback on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spilled on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipeup the spill, then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day----the car isn't washed, ----the bills aren't paid,----there is a warm can of coke sitting on the counter,----the flowers don't have enough water, ----there is still only 1 check in my checkbook,----I can't find the remote, ----I can't find my glasses,----and I don't remember what in the world I did with the car keys! Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled, because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Don't laugh-- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!! P. S. I just walked outside and SOMEONE LEFT THE WATER RUNNING IN THE DRIVEWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is soooo me, it's not even funny! I will run upstairs to get something, then stand in the middle of my room tryin to figure out what i went up for. Pretty sad.

Screen Shots

I really suck at this screen shot thing. This is the best that I could do, and none of them are very flattering. The 1st one looks like Botox gone bad on me. These are shots from our Price is Right adventure. Remember that at that point we had been awake for about 37 hours and spent the night on the sidewalk.

The last picture is me telling Justin to pick #2 while everyone else said #6. If he would have listened to me, he would have won a "New Car!"

I thought that Danny was the only one who doesn't listen to me!

No Wonder We're FAT!

Danny & I have spent the entire weekend EATING OUT! We have been literally wobbling around all weekend. Yes, we actually only ate one meal each day but they were not tiny meals. We were solo all weekend except for Mother's Day. On Friday, Kat was at prom & Kari was babysitting. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in the whole wide world, Houstons. They never dissapoint. Their filet mignon is fantastic & the loaded baked tater is to die for.

Then on Saturday, the girls were at the beach so Danny dragged me around to Lowes, Home Depot, Costco.... Yuck! Then we ate at Sweet Tomatoes. Yea, I start off ok with a nice salad but then I go and get a bowl of chili and add cheese & sour cream. Then chase it down with a bowl of Potato soup. Fortunately the bowls are tiny.

Mother's Day, we were all together. Yahooo! Plus we added my mom & stepdad to the mix. We headed out to the beach at around 6PM and had dinner at our 2nd favorite place, Carraba's.
EVERYTHING, here is great and I always have a hard time choosing. I had the Sirloin Marsala which was fantastic. Plus 2 glasses of Italian Sangria & dessert!!!
We had a very nice evening and it's always nice to drive around the beach at night.

So is it any wonder that my rear is as big as a house????

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all mommies!

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can understand our tears,

Can soothe our disappoints

And calm all of our fears.

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can share the joy we feel

When something we've dreamed about

Quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's faith

Can help us on life's way

And inspire in us the confidence

We need from day to day.

For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith

And a Mother's steadfast love

Were fashioned by the Angels

And sent from God above.

'All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother."

Prom Night

After all the headaches & mishaps, she is finally off at prom. We had hair trouble & traffic getting back home. So she was running late and I only had time for a couple of quick pics, which came out pretty bad. Hopefully they will take lots of pics tonight.

Things have certainly changed alot since my proms. We were way more into our prom. We made plans months in advance. These kids decided what they were oing to do within the last 2 weeks. Plus about 80% of the class is going solo. I would not have been caught dead at prom without a date. They seem to prefer it that way. I do admire their confidence & independence though. I hope they have fun and most of all, stay safe.

I shall now settle in for my sleepless night!

How hard can it be??

He can NEVER replace the roll! I know it may be a bit difficult for a man brain. But I have given him step by step instructions several times!

I guess it's a good time to repost this. Although it has been on my fridge for years, he has yet to sign up.

New Evening Classes For Men!
ALL ARE WELCOME.

OPEN TO MEN ONLY

Note: Due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants.Sign up early and get a discount on registration...

The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL THE ICE CUBE TRAY

Step by step guide w/slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS, DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Roundtable discussion



DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practicing with hamper (Pictures and graphics)



DISHES & SILVERWARE, DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts



LOSS OF VIRILITY
Losing the remote control to your significant other - Help line and support groups



LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place instead ofturning the house upside down while screaming - Open forum



DAY TWO


EMPTY MILK CARTONS, DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role play



HEALTH WATCH, BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
PowerPoint presentation



REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did



IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation



LIVING WITH ADULTS, BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing



HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques



REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class



GETTING OVER IT, LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counselors available

Wicked Weather

I HATE lightning & thunder! Scares the crap out of me! We desperately needed the rain though. We have been under major water restrictions here. I don't mind the rain. I don't even mind the wind. But thunder & lightning makes me scream. Danny took the picture by the way, I was probably hiding in the closet!

This awful weather with tornado warnings started at about 7:30 PM last night. We had just spent a beautiful day out by the pool. I had just showered and settled myself in to watch the finale of The Amazing Race. At exactly 7:58 PM the satellite goes out and we (I) freaked. Danny had to go look for our hurricane TV that was somewhere in the garage. So we watched the 1st half of the AR on a 5 inch black & white tv. I had been rooting for Danny & Oswald all along so I really didn't care who won (since I didn't like either of them), but I just enjoy this show.

I have become such a TV junkie! Aside from AR, my must see TV shows include Grey's, ER, House, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters and I have really gotten into October Road.

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I als watch The Bachelor. I have yet to see a girl who is not attracted to the bachelor. Huh? I mean, who cries over a guy that they have known for 1 day. And out of 20 some odd women, there is not even one that is not attracted to him? I, personally would not have been attracted to any of the bachelors at first sight. I guess people will do anything for a shot at 15 mins of fame!

What the H-E double L???

We have been on last minute prom shopping duty. Got the dress, can't find the shoes. We were in Nordstrom's today and jumped on the PERFECT shoes! Flipped them over and almost passed out! $425!!!! What on earth are they made of???




While there, I saw a pair of shoes that reminded me of the 80's. Remember the jellies? Available in a rainbow of colors and could be had for about $5 a pair. Made your feet sweat like crazy, but whatever. Seems like they are making a comeback. Well, some creative soul decided to jazz 'em up a bit and sell them to those who have $$$ to burn. Here is the pair that we saw today, wish I would have thought of it first!

We still have not found prom shoes for Kat. Prom is Friday. She may have to go barefoot. Or I can always bedazzle a pair of Target Jelly Shoes!

On Flying...

Since I am now an expert flyer (Ha!), I have decided that I need to fly on a private plane from now on. People annoy me! The babies don't really bother me, because they don't know any better. It's the adults that drive me insane! Here are just 3 examples.

Complaint A: If I take the red eye, I hope to be able to sleep. I don't need to listen to your entire conversation from 10 rows away for the freaking entire flight! Along the same vein, if you want to watch your movie on your laptop, headphones help you hear it without having the volume way up. I know that they probably just want to share the movie with us, but I just want to sleep! My crappy foamy earplugs don't help much.

Complaint B: How many times during the flight can a person open & close the overhead? Oh, and if you have so much crap that it doesn't fit in the bin that corresponds to your seat, check the damn thing! It's so not fair that we have to go in search of a bin to put our one bag because you stuffed all your crap above our seat. It also is not right that you keep coming by and leaning over poor Danny to get stuff out. And when you do drop a bag on his head, at least have the courtesy to apologize! Grrrrrr!

Complaint C: When the crew asks everyone to be seated (for the 10th time) so that we can take off, that means YOU! The only one standing in the middle of the aisle! The one that everyone is staring at!

Looking back on what I just wrote, I realized that I sound like a major pain. I'm not. Really. I guess that I just can't deal with being stuck in a tin can in the first place, so everything is amplified X 1000.
I just need to be rich and pay for my own private plane! With a bed!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Contests???

Although I never really win anything, I love entering contests. There's always a possiblility. In my case. it's right there along the lines of say, maybe catching a leperchaun or when pigs fly... stuff like that. But this giveaway is just way to good to pass up. Who can resisit an IPod Nano and chocolates on top of that???So head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and read all about it! They're going to have several giveaways, so keep checking back. I also have the icon on my sidebar.

Jet Lagged but Happy!

We're back! Just got off the red eye from LA and there is a reason why they call it the red eye! You should see ours!

Anyhoo, quick recap. Never say never! We arrived in LA @ 11PM on the 25th. As we are driving to our hotel we see a ton on homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk. We soon realize that they are not homeless, they are just lining up for The Price is Right. We check in to our hotel and I walk over with Danny to settle him in on the sidewalk. All I have to say is that these people are pros. They had tents, sleeping bags, chairs & comforters. We had a picnic blanket. I went back to the room to get some sleep but only for about an 1 1/2 hours. I felt bad for Danny, so I joined him in line. It was FREEZING! The guy next to me (Justin) was totally prepared. He had a bag of tricks loaded with helpful stuff including stuff to keep him warm. I rolled myself like a burrito in my blanket and lay there till 6AM when they started handing out numbers. We had #103 & 104, so 102 people were in line before 11PM. Long story short. We did not get called to come on down but Justin did and that was exciting. It was a VERY long day but it was an absolute BLAST! I am so glad that I was able to see it live before Bob retires. Now I can check that off my life list. Heck, I've been wanting to do this since I was 7!!!

The show airs on May 14th, you might see me or Danny making total jerks of ourselves! The pictures above are not very good, but you get the idea.

We also spent 3 days in San Diego and did all the touristy stuff there (the Zoo, Balboa Park, La Jolla, Coronado Is. Then back to LA, where we went to the Comedy & Magic Club which was really fun and Jay Leno was headlining.

And of course, it wouldn't be a visit to the West Coast if I didn't sneak in at least 2 visits to In-n-Out! Yum!!

We had a really nice time. Froze to death most of the time and by yesterday morning, I was feeling it. Loaded up on Comtrex & Riccolaaaaa! Hope it helps.