And So She Chooses....

Yes, I am going to talk about the Bachelorette finale here. This is it. So if you are on your blog reader and you don't want it to be spoiled....now is the time to turn back!!!

So. Here we are. And the winner is....
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Ed.

Yay.

(Silence).

I don't know why but there wasn't much enthusiasm from anyone at our house over that one. Well, maybe except for Mike, who I guilted into giving me the 'thumbs up' picture since he DID choose Ed as his dark horse. (I wanted him to get by a picture of Ed on the TV but he wouldn't do it. Just so you know.)



A few girls came over to watch the finale with me and it was so much fun...at first. Here's a picture from halfway through, before all the broken hearts starting getting thrown around:



Then depression started filling the room as Jillian one by one let people go. So, here's my (our) synopsis...

Kiptyn- I was absolutely shocked that she did not choose Kiptyn, and here is why: In their final days together, whenever Ed leaned in to kiss her, she was turning her head, not really seeming very into it...but when Kiptyn would go in for the kiss, she was gripping his face with her hands and not letting HIM go. She seemed so much more passionate about Kiptyn. I think he was really surprised that she cut him and I felt really, really sorry for him.

And then entered Reid. HOLY MOLY. It was like someone turned on a million lightbulbs in my family room. We were all lit up and excited and giddy to see Reid again. And when he proposed...TOTALLY thought she was going to say yes. FOR SURE.

And then she didn't. And....I think she should have. I can't believe how excited I was to have Reid there in front of her proclaiming his love for her. It seemed so right. But apparently not to Jillian.

Enter Ed. Silence in the room. We are all so depressed that Kiptyn and Reid have just had their hearts shattered, that the excitement and love that Jillian and Ed are rejoicing in is barely penetrating our hearts. We are all still mourning for Reid.

Fast forward to now. I have nothing against Ed, he is a nice guy. But I am not over the moon about it. I am glad that they are happy, glad that Jillian is happy with her choice of Ed. I am STILL very intruiged for After the Final Rose tomorrow. I am curious if they are still together or not?? She was acting so fishy at the Men Tell All that I am still not convinced that things are peachy in relationship land. I guess we don't have to wait long to see!!!

Okay, on another note, I made some delicious treats for us tonight...my favorite bread dip, some artichoke dip, and a bunch of sweets.

The spread:

(you can see my freshly painted walls along with the bottoms of my awesome new standouts, which I will blog about at a later time.

Okay, these yummy, delicous carmel chocolate preztel yummies were found here: http://www.zupas.com/index.php/2009/06/dessert-pretzel-crusted-caramel-and-chocolate-brownie-cups/ and they turned out absolutely DIVINE.


Lastly, some mini pies which were delicious. It was dark outside by the time these babies came out of the oven so I had to use the overhead light to photograph them...not as appetizing looking as it should be. Trust me, YUM.

A Pack of Crazy Women

A pack...get it? New Moon? Pack? Wolves? Nevermind.

Anyway, I got this video from my friend Taylor and I could not stop laughing at how CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZY the women go over Jacob taking off his shirt. It's pretty funny.
In other news, I cannot wait to see this! Yes, I am your typical Twilight fan.

Hilarious

My SIL Katie just sent this my way and I thought it was genius. I'll admit, it does kind of get old as the song keeps going...and going. Loved it anyway. I am a huge baby and still cried as the bride made her way down the aisle.

Suspicions...worsening.

EDIT: Thanks to Candi who found out that After the Final Rose is airing on Tuesday, July 28. I was only looking at Mondays. :)


Today I decided to check my trusty Guide on my cable box to see how long next week's Bachelorette (only 5 days until the finale!) is going to be....and see if they are planning to tack on the After the Final Rose or not. Well, there is no 'Final Rose' on my list. Not for this week OR next week. So it seems we will not be checking in with Jillian and 'fiance' after the last episode airs.

Is it strange that I am getting so nervous that she is not going to pick anyone at all? I mean, did anyone else find her 'I'm so happy' response very very weird? I want to be wrong, I want her to choose someone and be very, very happy. I really hope she is. I am just nervous that I am going to be let down again and be soooo disappointed. :(

Suspicions....CONFIRMED!!!

Oh my gosh! Oh my goodness! Holy Moly!!! I am absolutely flipping out here! As SOON as Chris H. announced that Reid was 'unable to make it' I immediately started telling Mike that Reid is going to come back. And........it feels so good to be so right. Hahaha. Seriously, though, I am jumping around my chair as I type! I didn't realize how excited I would be to see Reid again. That last shot of him holding the ring made my heart literally jump up into my throat. EEEEEEEEE!!!!

But.

Is she going to choose him?? I am not convinced. I.....well, I am feeling a little suspicious about how they described Jillian's current state...that she is 'very happy.' Hmmm. Vague. Too vague. Usually we hear about how in love, or how happy they are WITH THE PERSON THEY PICKED. But Jillian is just...happy.

From the looks of things, she will have THREE guys to choose from in the end. If she can't commit to one of them, that is going to really make me nuts.

So, back to the show. I was AMAZED at how badly the guys ripped into Jake. On the flipside, I was glad that so many people had Jake's back about the whole 'ratting out Wes' thing. Too bad Wes couldn't be there to defend himself. What a L.O.S.E.R. Hmmmm, love how he was conveniently asked if he would be the next Bachelor. What do you think? Would you want to watch Jake as the next Bachelor? I would rather watch Michael (who my heart is still breaking for.) I also loved Jake's firm "HELL NO" when Chris asked him about if he regrets tattling on Wes. You go, Jake. Oh, I was also cracking up at the 'pulling a Mesnick'. Hahaha. It's so true.

I wish they would have spent less time on Dave. I really did not care to hear what he had to say, he is SUCH a jerk. Hello, could he be more of the pot calling the kettle black about acting one way in the group and another in front of Jillian? Um, he was the EPITOMY of that!! Idiot!! I wish Jillian had told him that he disgusts her. I am SO glad she stood up for Juan. It's things like that where some idiot picks on a totally random person and ends up looking like a fool in front of the nation....well, I really like when people get their come-upance. :)

I can't think of much more to focus on about this Men Tell All. It was funny, the outtakes and all that, and my heart still breaks for Michael, but I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited for next week!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Oh, one last thing. I do NOT NOT NOT NOT NOOOOOOOOOOOOT read spoilers about the Bachelor/ette. I like to see it as it happens and be surprised. So if you already know what's going to happen....DON'T TELL ME!

How to Protect Your Pictures

I have been asked about this quite a few times. Here is how I protect my pictures from 'right clicking and saving'. I tried typing it so you could copy and paste it, but Blogger won't let me. It's being ridiculous. Sorry!!!

So go to this website: http://www.codelifter.com/main/javascript/norightclick1.html

and there is a little link above the box with the code that you can click to copy the code. Then
on your blog, go to layout and choose to create a new gadget. Choose an HTML/Java and paste the code in there. You can change the message to whatever you want from the default 'this function is disabled'.

DELETE the part that looks like this:

============================================================Script: Basic No-Right-Click ScriptFunctions: Blocks right-click on mouse and shows alert boxBrowsers: NS & IE 4.0 & later; degrades gracefullyAuthor: etLux============================================================
Put the following script in the head of your page:

Now, the tricky thing is, if you host through someone like flickr or photobucket, you have to make sure your pictures are marked as private, or else someone can click on your picture, go to the hosting site and download them there.

Good luck!! :) Sorry I am off the map but I have been swamped working on a project for the Downs Syndrome Association. Best project EVER!!!

I Stand Corrected.

Okay, before I delve into the EXTREME discomfort I felt during this evening's Bachelorette I have a few more comments about Statcounter.

First: I don't mind having people look at my family blog at all, so please don't be afraid to ask if you would like to continue looking at it. I am sure the majority of our viewers were friends or friends of friends or photographers, etc, and I don't mind it one bit. It's just the creepy wierdos from around the world that download pictures of my kids for devious reasons. Eek!

Second: Statcounter will give you OODLES of info, like IP addresses, locations, who's downloading, their IP address, where in the world they are located...it's more info than even I can handle!!

Alright. Bring on the awkwardness from the evening.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!

So. I have to hand it to Mike for pointing out to me that the initials 'E. D.' not only stand for the unfortunate condition that requires a little blue pill to cure, but....it also spells Ed. Genius!!! But also very, very sad. Poor, sweet Ed. Thoughtful Ed, who flew his parents to Hawaii in the most wonderful gesture to meet Jillian and fullfill her biggest desire which was to meet his family...and then he BOMBED in the bedroom. Seriously, what a jerk to tease her all day with those SUPER sexy swim shorts (snort) only to let her down when it counted. Seriously??? How is he supposed to EVER live this down??? Eveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr????????????? His life is ruined. Over. Unless....Jillian keeps him until the end. I have a lot of speculation over this, so let's move on for now and then come back to this.


So I titled this post 'I Stand Corrected' because I was so wrong about Reid being the guy with, um, E.D. However, I was so not wrong when it came to him being the one sent home. I wanted to cry right along with them as they sobbed on eachother's shoulders. I have a theory that she knew she wouldn't pick Reid if it had come down to him and Kiptyn, so she decided to take that chance with Ed, just in case. It was still very sad, though.


It seems that everything went swimmingly on Jillian and Kiptyn's date. I have to admit that I am concerned about her if she chooses Kiptyn. I am worried that he isn't sure of how he feels about her, and that could end up hurting her in the end. But....I am not sold on Ed, either. Compaired to Wes, they are both WINNERS, so that does comfort me a bit. :)

Men tell all next week....Can't wait to see Wes again!!

Watch Yourself.

I blogged about this on my family blog, but wanted to share here in a public forum to get the information out there to anyone who may not have access to our family blog:

I recently discovered that someone from Brazil has been downloading pictures off our family blog.
Now, downloading a picture off our blog isn't easy, to say the least. I protect them to no end. However, I did leave a few unprotected, and yep, some international weirdo totally downloaded them. Who knows where the pictures of my girls are going to end up? I tell you what, it REALLY bothers me a lot. What bothers me more is wondering how many downloads happened BEFORE I protected my pictures.

Are you wondering how I know this info? Statcounter. I would recommend to EVERYONE that you put statcounter on your blog. Go to http://www.statcounter.com/ and add it. It is free and easy and gives you tons of info about who is visiting your page. Statcounter also shows who is downloading your pictures off your site. Precious info to have, I think.
Does it creep you out to think of some guy in Taiwan or Nigeria or something downloading and sharing pictures of your children??? Yeah. It TOTALLY freaks me out. I am also disturbed because I have only had statcounter for a couple of weeks and so I wonder how many downloads or weird visits happened before that time.

I know this same thing happened to my friend, Kelli, too, so it's not a single occurrence with our family. I would strongly STRONGLY suggest you take pause when you are posting pictures or info about your family and especially your kids. You never NEVER know who is looking.

EEK!

My Etsy Loves

Lately I have been perusing Etsy, and there are SO many stores that I am basically obsessed with. I thought maybe I would share a few. I absolutely love hearing about fun new things, so if you have a favorite etsy store, please share!!

Our basement is being decorated in black (furniture), green, yellow, and gray. I have been searching for something that pops to go on the wall, and I found the perfect thing at Lucky Blue Bird Art. Oh, I am SO excited for these prints to come!!

I recently won a blog contest (on Swag Studio), and my prize was an awesome new camera strap from Cotton Candy by Natalie. If you have a DSLR, I would totally recommend personalizing it by getting a fun strap. Love mine!!

I don't know how I ran across MGMart's store but HOLY cow, I am in LOVE!! These are the cutest things ever. Look at that bridesmaid's boquet, is that not gorgeous!!?





So when it comes to vinyl decals, I am definitely noooooot the biggest fan, but there are those times where I see one one someone's wall (usually in a child's room) that I think is the cutest thing in the world. I think Dali Decals has some of the cutest ones around. I am tempted to order this for my daughter's room.







You can even get decadent deserts from Etsy. This is a recent discovery for me, I love sifting through all the homemade goodies. Has anyone actually ordered food from Etsy? I am intruigued....



Anyway, thanks for listening to my personal fav's. I could get lost in etsy all day long!

Vindication

Will someone please look up Jillian's phone number for me so that I can call her up and scream "I told you so!" a couple of times? And then I will ask her to be my best friend. And ask her to share her clothes with me.

Seriously though, I could NOT be more pleased with how my precious Bachelorette ended tonight. Not only did she give Wes the boot, but she also saw him for the total douche that he is (excuse my french) and realized that Jake was right all along. It was sweet, sweet justice. Mike and I gasped audibly a few times at the totally jerk-filled comments Wes had all night. I mean...wow. WOW. At least Wes felt at home in Spain since he did have a number one hit...in Mexico. What a genius.

Okay, so there is tons more I could say about Wes, but I can't blog about HIM all night. However, if you want to read what his 'ex' girlfriend, Laurel, had to say, you can click HERE.

If you want to read what Jake had to say, Click HERE and read the third paragraph where he talks about Laurel and Wes being in cahoots. Something to think about....

Enough about Wes. Onto the remaining 3 men! I have to be honest, I think I like them all!! There are characteristics about all the guys that I think mesh well with Jillian.

ED! I think she and Ed make a great match, and I am glad that she gave him another chance. I do worry about their future (away from the cameras) and him being a work-a-holic. That's pretty much my only concern with Ed, though. He is such a cutie and she OBVIOUSLY loves being with him. I think Ed is a front runner right now.

Reid was such a doll on their date and although his 'generalizations' were kind of making me nuts, I still think they had great chemistry. His joke about people carrying tourists around on their backs in Philly had me ROLLING. Loved that. Buttttttt......my prediction is that he goes home next week. Well, my predicition is that he has the 'problems' on their overnight time next week and then goes home. Eek.

Kiptyn is still a fan favorite of mine, although out of all the families, I liked his least. I wonder if Jillian sincerely liked his family or if she was just saying that. I guess since I chose Kiptyn as my pick in the beginning, I should start getting nervous because usually my picks get cut at the end.

Anyway, I hope everyone was as entertained as I was tonight, and didn't have as big of anxiety attack as I did during the confrontational moments with Wes. Awkward turtle!!!

Happy Fourth!

Hope you all had a fantastic Fourth of July! We did a lot of this:



And I spent lots of time snuggling this:

My Gorgeous Sis...

....and her kids are on my photography blog. Check them out!!



www.joyalicephotography.blogspot.com


LOVE her! Miss her!