Joy's Blog

It's Been Awhile....

2011-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a really long time. I have been asked a few times if I am watching the Bachelorette, which OF COURSE I am, and, as always, I have strong opinions about it! Unfortunately, I just have not had the energy to blog. Why???
Yep, number four is on the way. Don't worry, number 3 is only 8 months old, so we are looking at a 14 month age gap. Heaven help me!!!

Extreme???

2011-04-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, who else is completely addicted to the show Extreme Couponing on TLC? I have to admit that not only am I addicted....I am obsessed! Sure, in the past I have seen the occasional Facebook post from a friend, attaching a picture of groceries and boasting about how little they spent on them. Yes, I was intrigued, but after seeking information online, I quickly wrote off the whole 'coupon game'.

Until now.

Thanks to a good friend's advice and a renewed sense of I-can-do-this-ness, I have re-entered the land of the coupon...and IT. IS. ADDICTIVE.

Now, I am not nearly as skilled as those extreme couponers you see on television- remember, I am just a baby at the coupon game. But I am excited to say that in just one day of couponing, I scored some awesome deals! Seriously, getting these items for free or dirt cheap gave me a high like you would not believe. I literally had to make myself stay home tonight and not continue bouncing around the town's grocery stores, flaunting my new coupon skills. Check. Me. Out!

Store One: Target
Total Spent: $3.26

This was my first attempt at going in and using some 'killer deal' coupons. I had a coupon for more than the worth of the floss, so that was FREE! (Husband had to hear my squawk about the free floss all night, I was so proud.) The next killer deal- the Lysol Wipes. They were already on a great sale at $1.89, combined with a coupon for $1.50 off made them 39 CENTS! EACH! Dying!! Lastly the Dishwasher Powerballs. These weren't as cheap as the others, but still a fabulous deal. They started at $2.99 and I had a $1.75 coupon making them $1.24 a piece. These are de-lux, so I am happy about that!

Next up: Kroger
Total Spent: $11.15

Kroger is having a KILLER DEAL on General Mills cereal right now, buy 4 boxes, get a $5 gift card to Kroger. On top of that, there were a few cereals that were also on sale during the promotion- making it almost like a buy one, get one free deal. Combined with a coupon....dang good deal! I ended up spending about $1.15 a box. I have never paid so little for cereal before- including generic! LOOK at those huge boxes of cheerios! Can you tell I am puffed up in pride?

Last but not least, CVS.
Total Spent: $0.97

First I would just like to apologize to CVS for my past ignorance of their awesomeness. You can definitely score some incredible deals there, and they love to accept coupons. They give you coupons the moment you walk in, and also easy care bucks to come back and shop again. Combined with amazing sales and coupons...easy place to score a deal.

I got all of this (see that free floss again?) for 97 CENTS!!! Beaming! Love it! The toothbrushes were a dollar a piece (on sale from 5) and I had a buy 2, get $2 off coupon. So they were free. The dressings were the only thing I paid for, and they were about 38 cents a piece after a coupon.

I am really getting into the coupon thing.

Now, tell me. Are you a couponer? Do you love it? What sites do you love?

I still have some questions about coupons. My main ones are:

What is the difference in the newspaper inserts SS and RP compaired to the online SS and RP? Are they different?

On the show, how do people buy 100's of an item at one time? Every coupon I see says 'limit one per transaction'. Is this not a real concern?

I saw the advice that I need to look for the 'rock bottom prices' on the things I buy and never buy above that again. Are there any good sites that maybe have already compiled a list of sale prices?? Can you share?

Thanks for letting me have a moment. To say I was giddy about my savings is a total understatement. After seeing my cereal stash, my husband informed me that, "There is a fine line between an extreme couponer and a hoarder."

That's probably true.

Searching...

2011-04-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

So. We are moving.

We aren't moving far, but still, we are moving. Most of you that can relate to the stress that accompanies a move. Please pardon my looooong blog absence.

Over the next few months I will be coming here, pleading for opinions, as we basically have to start over with home furnishings. I am also going to attempts some 'do it yourself' projects (eep!), and I will come here to share. I am nervous but excited!!!

Anyhow, my first question comes in the form of TABLES. Dining room tables, to be exact. We need a large table for our dining room, but it can't be too formal (we will eat there every night), and it must be large enough to seat 6-8. Have you seen one you love? Have one you love? I have been mulling over the look of Farmhouse tables....thoughts?

Goodbye Little Dreamers.

2011-04-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who digi scrap, like I used-to-but-haven't-since-I-started-photography-but-still-totally-buy-digiscrap-products-with-the-hope-that-someday-I-will-start-again, you were probably mourning the loss of Little Dreamers Designs with me. That was my all time favorite place to shop for digiscrap supplies, I thought they had the cutest things. I will just go ahead and admit that I am a Michelle Coleman junkie, and it is NOT okay with me that she is quitting. ;)

Anyway. You can still buy her products until April 15th, so hurry over and stock up before it's too late.

Also, she sent a nice email to her customers with a link to a NEW shop in 'town', named Digital Dandelions. I haven't had time to scour their site, but I did skim and it looks pretty cute. So perhaps there is hope. Perhaps tonight I need not drown my digiscrap sorrows in a big piece of delicious chocolate cake.....

Dear Emily...

2011-03-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Since I have about .3 seconds before my baby starts to cry (he is currently doing 'tummy time' on the floor and NOT thrilled about it) let me just skip through all the mundane details leading up to the final rose last night. Brad picked Emily, and the whole world rejoiced. Poor, 'widowed', single-mom Emily finally has her fairytale coming true! Brad made her (and our room full of girls) cry when he professed his devotion to her and her daughter-even after she had given him the 3rd degree about being a dad and beaten the dead cat into the ground about how NOT fun that is...

Chantel made a very classy exit, uttering heartbreaking words about how she could have been so wrong about him ever loving her at all....sigh....

Then came After The Final Rose where it all fell apart. WHAT in the WORLD has gotten into Emily? Poised, classy Emily turned into the Ice Princess. She was cold...stand-off-ish, and just...SO uncomfortable to watch. Does she love Brad? Do you think she is happy to be the final one standing? What about his temper? What about HER temper??? I can't believe that she is falling apart while watching the episodes, that is as annoying as when girls who are on the show complain about him dating other women. Seriously? Her whole demeanor was killing me. Her 'I love yous' seemed shallow and empty. I felt really sad. Sad for Brad.

When the final episode ended, I felt like Brad had made the right choice choosing Emily.

When After the Rose ended, I felt like he had definitely made the wrong choice.

What do you think?

In other news, I had a little gathering at my house to watch the finale, and each of us brought a little treat to share. There were some YUMMY foods consumed (especially by this stress-eater right here!) and I thought I would share my treat since it turned out so yummy.

So if any of you have ever heard of Popcorn Indiana popcorn company, they make delicious popcorn in all flavors....and my friend, Amber, turned me on to their cinnamon sugar kettle corn.

It is ADDICTIVE!!! So yesterday as I passed it in the store, I thought to myself, "Hey, I can make it at home!" So I pulled out my Whirly Pop and gave it a go....and it turned out SO good!

Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Sugar Kettle Corn

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

1/2 cup sugar

topping

1/4 cup cinnamon/sugar mixture

3/4 teaspoon salt

Pour oil and popcorn kernels into popper, spin them around until you hear the first kernels popping. Lift lid and pour in 1/2 cup sugar. Continue to spin until popping stops (this happens all at once and can be crazy loud there for a minute!)

Carefully pour into a bowl and then IMMEDIATELY sprinkle salt and cinnamon/sugar mixture over the popcorn. I found it works best to pour onto a shallow wide bowl instead of a deep bowl in order to get the salt/cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly on there.

YUMMY!!!!

Where to Begin?

2011-03-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

I feel like a broken record when I say that, once again, I have totally neglected this blog for too long. I come with excuses!

First, we took a FABULOUS trip to the Bahamas. We stayed at Atlantis and it. was. amazing. I would recommend it to anyone, everyone...it is the PERFECT family vacation spot. Tons of pools, water slides, lazy river, CRAZY river, beach, sand, ocean....we never ran out of things to do or got bored. The whole resort is one HUGE aquarium, it is a visual feast where ever you go. Our kids 'oohed and aahed' over the fish every single day. The food was wonderful, the people were SO nice and willing to help us in any way...it was the best trip. We are going to be talking about this one for a long, long time!

After we returned, however, my baby boy came down with a nasty cough which landed him an overnight stay in the hospital. I wasn't SUPER worried, just felt really bad for him and his misery. Luckily he is doing better, on some medication, inhalers, etc, and on the road to recovery. I hope to recover from my extreme lack of sleep soon.

Lastly, we have been in the process of buying a new home. I am SO thrilled with the prospect of adding more space to our lives. Since the boy was born, we have felt the walls of our town home become more and more cramped, and we are definitely ready to move on. We have been consumed with loans, furniture, fences, appliances...all the fun things that come with a new space. I will definitely be coming here to ask for thoughts and opinions on decor- I think we MIGHT just attempt to put up a picture rail on our own...and a little wainscoting? Maybe??

Throughout all this, I have been, of course, keeping up with my precious Bachelor. I am SO EXCITED for the finale next week, I just can't wait for him to make his choice! I watched the Women Tell All while I was in the hospital, and I was really surprised how nuts Jackie went on Michelle. Why she was taking it SO personally, I do not know. I am glad Brad stuck up for Michelle, I believe that she probably was just being sarcastic. As much as she annoyed me, if she hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't have been nearly as entertained!

GO EMILY!!!!

Valentine's Lesson Learned.

2011-02-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

*Family Blog Updated.

This year it seemed like Valentine's Day was on some kind of performance enhancing drug.

Everywhere I turned there was some kind of irresistible Valentine's craft or baked good staring me in the face, and I could hardly choose which morsel of cuteness I wanted to partake in. A few blogs down, I posted some bubblegum necklaces that I thought I was definitely going to be making for my girl's Valentines. However, after pricing out gumballs and thinking about the time factor, making 30 of those necklaces...packaging them somehow...I began to feel overwhelmed. Which is why I turned to Our Best Bites, where I saw these adorable cookies:

Perfect! Cookies are easy to bust out, and really, how hard could these be? Sure, I had never worked with GLACE icing before...or piped a cookie...or piped anything...but it would be fine, right?

Next, I was in charge of my preschooler's 'sweet treat' for her class Valentine's party. So what would be cute and fun for preschoolers to eat? Off to Our Best Bites again....how bout these beauties?

Cauuuuuuute!!!! Since I am the queen of homemade pie crust, I just knew these would be a breeze.

Oh my gosh...ANDDDDDDDDD....since I am making pies ANYWAY....why don't I make those cute Pie in a Jar treats for Teacher gifts?????

Perfection. Utter perfection.

And so it began, my baking extraveganza. Husband was out of town, but no sweat. I knew I could do it alone. New baby in the house? Not a problem. I would bust it all out while he was sleeping.

Do you see where this is going? We are headed to a very dark place, my friends.

I started out right. I made the sugar cookies AND the pie dough on Saturday night so that on Sunday all I would have to do is pipe the cookies and make the pies. Easy peasy. I got the baby down for a nap and the kids settled in front of a movie, and began making my glace icing. The icing was very easy to make and turned out exactly as she showed it. The only problem is, her black icing called for food coloring gel, which I had bought....one of. Ummmmm, not even close. In the car, kids, and off to the store to buy 4 more of those...and to be safe, I picked up a bunch more red, too. Back home, the black was finally a dark charcoal color and the 'red' was about as good as it was going to get.
I pulled out my previously purchased frosting bags and piping tip. For those of you who actually know what I am talking about, I bought a #4 tip, and then I read that she used a #3. Shoot! Well, I had to make due with my #4, and it also worked fine. I figured out how to attach it to my bag (where were my reality tv cameras when I was working THAT out?) and filled it with icing, and got to piping.

Let me let you in on a little secret, friends. Piping is VERY SOOTHING. I could have piped all the day long. Sure, my piping wasn't perfect, but boy was it fun! Here are my cookies all piped and ready to go:

Notice that I added a line down the middle that OBB didn't have. I think it helped define the wings more. I liked it.

So then I had to wait for that to set. Once it was ready, I filled in the middles. While this was not hard at all, it took FOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVER!!!!!!!!!

You can see that I piped frosting in, then spread it with a spoon. Took about a million years to spread it all out.

FINALLY! All spread, and, once again, waited for it to set:

Next came the black. First I put on the black heads while I was waiting on the wings to harden, then went onto the dots. Now let me let you in on a MAJOR secret here. The black dots were SO MUCH EASIER to put on the wings that were NOT FULLY SET. If I could do it over I would have immediately put the black on before the red was even close to set. I could just push the tip (still #4) down into the red and squeeze a little and the black would meld into the red. On the ones that were set, it sat on top, kind of 3 dimensionally, which was hard not to squish when I packaged them up.

Okay, so once the black heads were set (do you see how time consuming this was becoming, waiting for the icing to set between each step?) I added the white eyes....then....you guessed it....waited for those to set and THEN I added the black eyes. PHEW!

Hello, my pretties!!!!

By that time it was about 9 pm and it was off to get the kidlets in bed. They had insisted that they witness the creation of the eyes, so I had to let them stay up late to see them (because I had to wait for them to set, people.) Oh, and I made 5 cookie sheets full of these, between school friends and other friends, we needed a lot of cookies.

Fast forward to 10 pm, kids are finally sleeping and it is time to START the pie pops. Yes, start them. At 10 pm. No problem, pie is easy. And the pie crust was already made in my freezer, remember????

I pulled out the dough, made the mistake of trying to roll it out right away. It crumbled into a bajillion pieces. Rolled it out a few times, and when it warmed up it worked beautifully. I grabbed my 2 inch heart and....wow, it was tiny. I wish I would have taken a picture to show you, but it was ITSY bitsy. The trouble was, I had lost my 3 inch heart. Crap! So, I rolled out 2 inch hearts and then I flattened them out with my hand to make them larger. I filled them with her apple pie recipe (I used about 1/10 of the recipe, the pies were that small) and got them on the sticks...into the oven....and started working on the Pies in the Jar. Oh, did I mention how I had to hunt around town for the jars? And even then I didn't find the exact right ones. Oh well.

Quick glance at clock...11:30. How did it take so long to make those pies? Oh, right. I flattened them all by hand. Shoot.

Okay, so I flew into crazy mode, pressing the pie crusts into the jars, filling them with blueberry pie filling (from a can, people, times were getting desperate!) and then cut out tiny pie hearts to put on top. At this time the pops were coming out of the oven, so I feverishly whipped up the glaze to go on top. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! The glaze was delicious!!! I threw the pies in the oven to bake...For 45 minutes????

I used the time wisely to create a container for the pie pops to stick into. I used a punch bowl and made a little tag for the outside. Then I used floral foam and glued some cute paper on it that looked like conversation hearts, and then filled the top with the hearts. Perfection.

At this point my baby woke up and by the time I got him back to sleep it was 1 am. ONE IN THE MORNING! The pies were ALMOST done baking and then I could sleep.

But wait.

The kids can't just take those cookies to school to drop in Valentine's boxes all naked and unpackaged! DARN IT!!!! DARN ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loaded all the mostly set cookies into tiny cellophane bags. Which were open on top. then I took a trip to the basement, quickly made a tag in photoshop, printed the tags, brought them up, cut them out, and stapled them on top of the cellophane bags.

Which brings me to the point of the story. There I was. At TWO in the morning. Finishing Valentine's treats for my preschoolers. PRESCHOOLERS. 4 and 3 years old. What was I DOING??? WHY??? Was I insane? What was I trying to PROVE? And who was I trying to prove it TO??

Honestly, I cannot tell you. I will say that I grossly misjudged how much work these treats were going to be. I definitely did not set out to spend 10 hours making Valentines goodies for tiny children who would not fully appreciate the magnitude of my work. I am begging you...next year, if I even MENTION hand making treats like this again, stop me. Get on a plane, fly here, and stop me. It was definitely not worth losing my sanity over!!!

The only saving grace here were the results of the hard work. Of course everything turned out darling. The cookies were TO DIE FOR and the girls were incredibly proud to hand them out (don't worry that my older one got sick and ended up not being able to go to her Valentine's party anyway. No, I am not kidding.) I was, however, surprised to discover that in BOTH of their classes...they were the only ones to bring home made Valentines. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. I also have to admit that as I was carrying everything into the school, I felt a bit silly. It all felt so over the top....oh well.

So, I wish I had a cuter picture of how the Valentine's turned out, but at 2 am, you get what you get.

And the Sweety Pie Pops? Um yes, so cute, Here they are at the preschool about to be served:

And here they are after, just a few left over:

My favorite thing, and by far the EASIEST thing to make, were the Pie in a Jar for the teachers.

So there you have it. My totally insane Valentine's Day Treat Extraveganza. PLEASE tell me that I was not the only crazy mom out there up til 2 am making treats for preschool. Lie to make me feel better if you have to...or at least to make me feel a little less insane.

And then there were Four....

2011-02-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

So here I am, late as usual to give my 2 cents about this week's Bachelor. Let me just mention here that my baby has refused to sleep all week and we had each child get the stomach flu one right after another...so this makes night one-million without any sleep for me. Everyone take a moment of silence for my lost sleep. Thank you.

Well, this week did not pass by without any drama, that's for sure. Let's start with the one on one date he had with Britney. I know Brad was being honest with Brit that he has no attraction to her, but it seemed a bit cold hearted to send her packing right there at dinner. He could have waited for the date to be over, no? Or even pretended to mull it over and send her home at the rose ceremony? I know he thought he was being kind, but I felt like it was almost worse to send her away like he couldn't stand to spend ONE MORE MINUTE with her. And...what was that welcoming committee back at the house? Everyone jumping for joy to see Brit return from her date? That was bizarre...she is dating YOUR man, ladies!

The other one one one dates (with Emily and Shantelle) seemed to go well, although I LOVE Emily, I am not seeing much of a spark between them. I can see why he likes her, but is there really any connection there? I felt like his connection with Shantelle was much more obvious. She seemed really fun loving and genuine on their date, I like her even more now.

The horribly awkward group date was about as distasterous as you can get. I am not sure how Brad expected the other girls to react when he was getting it on with Michelle in front of them. I am not sure how I expected them to react....I mean, I knew they would be mad, but they acted like they were about 2 years old. Especially Ashley- "Don't send me home! I am so scared!" It was so uncomfortable to watch, I felt like an idiot for her. Then Chontelle started up with the tears, and if I were Brad I would have plunged myself over the cliff into the water just to get away from those babies. I love how Michelle was SO angry and wouldn't even look at him after he gave Ashley the rose....

What will we do now that Michelle is gone? She was what brought the crazy to the show...that crazy we hate but can't stop watching. At this point I feel like it's anyone's game....

Edit:

I can't believe I forgot to mention Michelle's vow of silence as she left! What was THAT??? Week after week of not listening to the verbal vomit that refused to be silenced and then....crickets. Hmmmm......

No More.

2011-02-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Michelle.

Needs.

To.

Stop.

Talking.

Please.

Make it stop.

I had to look away. I couldn't even watch her awkwardness. One 'hola' and my skin went clammy and the complete psychoness of it all nearly put me over the edge...and yet....he KEPT her.

WHAT???

Okay, so all the girls were SO quick on the uptake that 'someone' had talked to Brad before the rose ceremony. Does anyone else feel like that was completely ridiculous? I mean, puh-lease, there is no way a producer didn't put that bug in their ear. And, as much as Michelle freaked me out, WHY does she have to tell them ANYTHING about it? I didn't really understand that. I actually liked when she said, "I'm not apologizing, I'm just keeping it real." I'm glad she didn't apologize to them...she shouldn't have even had to have told them. (Yes, I know I sound like I am team Michelle, but at that moment I kind of was. Probably because I can't stand Chontelle.)

Nope, Chontelle is bothering me a lot. I don't know why she rubs me the wrong way....although it was genius timing of her to tell him she loves him when she had nothing to gain. VERY smart move.

Glad that Alli left, although she was cute I think it was a good choice, but I was surprised that Jackie had to hit the road. Thought the blonde girl was going to get the axe. Apparently I was wrong!

How much longer do you think Michelle has? Next week? More?

Everything Tragic Seems Trivial.

2011-02-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

*Edit at bottom.

This past week has been a stressful one:

Cleaning, Listing, and Selling a home.

Offers. Counter Offers.

Buying a home.

Figuring out how I want my business to go this year.

How many sessions to take?

Babysitters? Nanny?

Home studio, perhaps?

Baby Weight. How to lose it when I can barely open my eyes, let alone get on the treadmill.

Money? Budgeting?

Can I learn to use my Cricut Cake in time for V-day?

How many days of preschool next year?

So many things I have agonized over this week.

Today I read THIS. I watched THIS.

I read one of the comments:

Reading your blog has made everything tragic in my life seem trivial.

I could not agree more.

EDIT: Since I wrote this post, her husband passed away. My heart breaks for them.

Super. Cute.

2011-02-04T17:18:00.001-08:00

I don't want to ruin the surprise...but....I am DEFINITELY having my girls make these to hand out to their class for Valentine's Day!

My SISTER passed along this DARLING SITE to me and it is full of cute Valentine's day ideas.

Those are GUMBALLS! I mean, really, could that be any cuter? The only thing is...will the boys in the class appreciate them? I am trying to think of something masculine I can make with the gumballs.....

Another darling idea, and runner up if the gumball thing falls through, are these Sweety Pies from Our Best Bites. Absolutely adorable!!!

What are your kids bringing to school for Valentine's day?

Ice-pocolypse.

2011-02-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's the storm of the century here in the Midwest, and since my lights have been flickering for the past few hours I figured I should post now if I am ever going to because once we loose power, who knows when it will return. And you know I can't go all week without posting about the Bachelor, right? Or, as it seems lately, food.

Let's start with the Bachelor:

First off, WHO paid for that shopping spree for Shantell? Seriously? Who? How is that even close to the realm of 'reality' of a life with her and Brad. I mean, okay, helicopter rides and private concerts with Train aren't really reality either, I realize this, but walking into Fendi and buying whatever the heck you want? Really? She definitely got the BEST date. Anyway, besides being insanely jealous (like the other women in the house) I like this girl. She reminds me a bit of Hillary Swank. Anyone?

Next, the two-on-one date...cold hearted, very cold hearted to stick the Ashleys who love each other on the two-on-one date. It would have made for much better television if we had actually SEEN how good of friends they were before this episode, but whatever. I can't say that I was super surprised that he chose to send the younger, more southern Ashley home, but only because she was matched against the hot dentist Ashley. If that situation hadn't occurred, I would have been much more shocked, like if he had sent her home at the rose ceremony. I felt bad for the poor girl, bawling her eyes out. Even the camera guy had to give up on her ever looking up and repositioned the camera to film her sobbing into her lap.

Emily's date...Oops, I mean, the group date was kind of a bust. Poor Emily having to pretend to have a good time, and I thought she was pretty gracious about the whole situation but I do have to say that I did feel a bit bad for the other girls having to sit around and watch the two of them all night. Although Alli's comments in the hot tub were seriously stupid, I wanted to reach through the TV and smack her face. Insensitive much?

Michelle makes me cringe. Her alone time with Brad in the hotel room had me literally sticking my face into a pillow. Make it stop! Why is she so awkward?? I am SO glad Brad calls her out soon. All she does is tell him how wrong the other girls are for him...um, how can she judge that? Finally Brad points that out. I think she gets cut after that.

Other than that I don't have much to say. I think his cuts were appropriate this week (although I wouldn't have minded to see Michelle go), and the scenes from the rest of the season have me pumped!!!!

Onto food: Still diligently trying to lose the pounds by March. Any low calorie treat ideas would be greatly appreciated! I am down 10 lbs from when I was 2 months post partum, 10 more would be FABULOUS.

A Fail....and then a BIG Win!

2011-01-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hello there, I'll bet you wondered if I was going to post this week. I can't believe it's Saturday and the week got away from me without posting about the Bachelor...and to be honest, this post isn't totally about that. (skip to the end if you want to read my short thoughts on this week's episode.) It's about...you guessed it, diet food!

In my quest to loose about 50 pounds before March (that's a joke, people) I have been scouring the internet for good diet options, ones I can actually follow, because, as I pointed out before, I can barely stand up during the day, let alone get on a treadmill (baby wakes up about 5 times a night.) Anyway, I ran across the Hungry Girl website. I thought I was so clever finding this site and then the next day I turned on The View and she was their guest. Whatever. Anyway, she had a low calorie cake recipe, mixing a cake mix (any flavor) with a can of diet soda (any flavor). I decided to give it a whirl, but when I went on her website to get the baking instructions, I saw that she also suggested a can of pumpkin. Genius! A can of pumpkin is so good mixed with a spice cake mix for pumpkin cookies...it MUST be just as good with a chocolate cake mix, right?? Right?? WRONG.

Big. Fat. Fail.

If you are even considering mixing a chocolate cake mix with a can of pumpkin in an effort to cut calories, STOP RIGHT THERE! Back away from the cake mix. Put the pumpkin DOWN!!!!

Instead, do what I did (after throwing out the entire batch of moist yet disgusting pumpkin/chocolate cake) and buy a Devils food cake and mix it with Greek Yogurt. Yes, this was another suggestion on her site, and it sounded much tastier to me, so I went with it and it was a big WIN! Delicious! The best part is that a 'serving' of this is double what is considered a serving on the box normally (1/12 of the cake instead of 1/24). So you get double the cake for a lot fewer calories, and it is Yum, yum, yummmmmmy!

Okay, now I will say a few words about the Bachelor this week. Let me start by saying that my DVR failed me so I missed most of his first date with Chantel, but I caught the end and they looked nice enough together, and I really didn't mind her...until it was time for Michelle's date and she was so rude to her! Okay, listen. I get it. Michelle is obnoxious. She can whine and be annoying and yes, overconfident, and completely ridiculous with her sense of entitlement. But do you know what I hate even more than that? A bully. And I really felt like Chantel was completely stirring the pot with Michelle when she was waiting for her time with Brad. It was unnecessary, and to me that shows a HUGE amount of immaturity. It takes a much bigger woman to be able to let things go, and to not have to jab, jab, jab at someone. I lose a lot of respect for that.

Anyway. Moving on...the group date was a bit ridiculous with the hot Dentist, she needs to get some self confidence quickly or I fear she will find herself packing soon. Why can't she pull her head out of her bottom and see that he is going above and beyond to prove his love for her??

Michelle, well, I have to admit it felt sorry for her and her repelling date. My WORST NIGHTMARE right there, people. I have an insane fear of heights, and I would not have been able to do it. She rocked in that moment. Don't worry, I am definitely not rooting for her, but as she was dangling off that ridiculously high building, I was on her side for just a moment.

Next week....really?? Taking Emily to the races, huh? ANY CLASS AT ALL, ABC????

Surprisingly Good!

2011-01-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

So, in an effort to blog about something OTHER than the Bachelor, I wanted to pop on here and share my new find. You may know that I am feverishly trying to loose weight via diet alone right now. We are off to the Bahamas next month and I want to try to look halfway decent...as decent as you can look being 3 months post partum. Anyway, since my baby insists on waking up every 2-3 hours throughout the night, I am not even close to being able to hop on the treadmill (I wade through my days bleary-eyed, sipping the life back into myself one diet coke at a time...), hence the 'diet only' weight loss strategy...mostly calorie counting.

ANYWAY. I decided to try the new Lean Cuisine steambag meals...and they are actually really good! So far I have tried the Shrimp Scampi and the Chicken Alfredo, and both were tasty, and both were portioned really well. So if you have been wondering if you should try them out, go for it! I am excited to try the other flavors.

Vampiress has a Heart.

2011-01-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

Didn't I say I wasn't going to Bachelor blog this season? Or even watch it? How did it suck me in???? Somehow it did...it really did.

Can I just jump right into the middle and tell you how much I cried my eyes out as Emily was telling her story to the other girls? The way she kept whispering 'sorry' every few seconds...just broke my heart into tiny little pieces. Picture me...melting....all.over.the.floor. I was aching for her to tell Brad immediately (A little bit horrific that the first thing she had to do was hop on a private plane with him. Um, how did she not flip out?) and it was SO awkward when she was very obviously keeping the story from him. I am so glad she opened up to him. Chemistry....may be just a tiny bit lacking? What do you think?

Apparently he and Chantel have lots of chemistry, though, or at least they keep talking about it. I am not sure how I feel about her. As much as I CANNOT stand Michelle, it really annoyed me how snide she was to her at the rose ceremony. Everyone knows I can't stand a bully, and it really made me feel bad when she was poking fun at her, even though Michelle was being obnoxious. Michelle situation aside, though, it seems that Brad and Chantel really have some kind of connection going on, I am interested to see how their one on one goes next week.

Back to Michelle...I keep reading about her on Facebook, about what a nice girl she is in real life. Why is she acting like such a crazy nutso on the show? I mean, 'creative editing' can only go so far, she is definitely giving them plenty to work with. She seems a bit 'single white female', wouldn't you say? Why doesn't it annoy Brad how she is constantly inconsiderate of his time with everyone else?

Finally....It turns out that Madison has the softest heart of all! I am really impressed that she looked into herself and knew that she was not nearly as into Brad as the other girls. Since we are on the subject of girls leaving, the other girls he sent home...fine with me. I mean, OF COURSE I wish he would have kicked Michelle to the curb, but since he didn't, I felt his choices were good.

I still really like Ashley and Emily, along with Allie and Lisa. I wish I could see him alone with Allie or Lisa. Apparently Ashley-the-dentist goes nuts next week- can't wait for that!

I'll Cry if I Want To.

2011-01-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so last night I got all my kids to bed, sat down to watch Brad do his thing...turned on the DVR and....I wasn't recording it! So I missed the first date with Ashley at the carnival. Never fear, I just caught up on it online (not easy with 3 awake children!) and I do have a few thoughts.

First of all, Ashley's date was pretty darn cute. I felt like they related well to each other, however as I was watching them interact, especially when they were talking about their dads abandoning them, I started to see, um, real sincerity in Brad. He seemed to be very real about his feelings and emotions, and he may have just won me over a little bit. Ashley seemed a little too peppy, but that could have been because she was trying not to let the mood get too depressing? She just rubbed me the wrong way a tad when she was smiling and laughing through their conversation. Still, she is pretty darling.

The group date...wow. So, have you heard? It's Michelle's birthday. Her Thirtieth birthday. Not twenty-nine. Not thirty-one. Her thirtieth. Imagine the horror of sharing her thirtieth birthday with 15 other women. Sharing time with Brad on her birthday. Her thirtieth birthday. Probably she should storm off and pout in a corner. Good work, Michelle, way to get some pity attention. Brad, you idiot, why give her a rose when she is acting like such a little snot? Oh, because it's her birthday.

Seriously, though, Michelle is acting crazy.....acting to be the main word here. Looky looky what someone sent me:

INTERESTING.
As a side note, I have had my hair done at the salon Michelle works at, by another FABULOUS stylist (Tara Snarr for anyone who is looking for a great stylist! She did an amazing job and I loved my hair soooo much!) Funny little coincidence!

Anyway, the other girls seemed normal, except for Melissa (cougar girl) who busted into the soap opera scene...that was bizarre. I noticed a few girls who I thought were pretty cute that I hadn't really noticed before: Alli and Lisa M. Both girls look super cute.

The last one on one date is absolutely my dream come true. A full day of pampering, followed by a room full of any gorgeous dress or shoes she would like to pick, followed DIAMONDS, followed by a romantic dinner, followed by a private concert by Train! I am going to be seriously disappointed if my next anniversary does not mimic this date exactly. (Just kidding, stop sweating, Mike). Jackie seems really really cute. She was not on my radar at all, in fact I was curious when her name was picked for the date. She was pretty darling, though.

Rose Ceremony: Melissa, seriously? I guess I missed where Raichel was being so awful to her, um, dissecting her words (what?) to make her look crazy...but it definitely worked against her, and poor Raichel, I'm afraid. This kind of proves to me that maybe ABC can't force Brad to keep people around for drama? He got rid of them just like.that. Didn't even bat an eye. Another move that impressed me. I felt bad for Keltie but the show must go on without her. It's too bad she is such a dating disaster...poor girl. It's a good thing he kept Madison, though, because really, who wouldn't want a girl with fangs? What the heck?

I am excited for next week, I am sure I will be bawling along with all the other girls as Emily shares her story, and I cannot wait to have her share it with Brad! I also can't wait to see Michelle's crazy stalking in the corner, I wonder if he will cut her next week? Can't keep the crazy around for too long. Do you think she is the one who leaves the rose ceremony and he has to go out and get?

PS: Props to ABC for bringing in Ali and Roberto. Cutest couple ever.

Yum, yum, YUM!

2011-01-07T07:02:00.001-08:00

*family blog updated

I am always on the lookout for new recipes for our family dinners...and not just any recipe. It must be healthy, kid friendly, and delicious! I have been trying out new recipes all month, and while most are good, this one is GREAT! I found the recipe on Our Best Bites, which is one of my favorite recipe sites. It is their Tortellini Sausage Soup, and it is DIVINE!

(Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites)

So, the best thing about this soup? The Zucchini. Now, I am NOT, I repeat NOT a zucchini lover by any means. I am very medium on it- but for some reason, it *makes* this soup. Here is my theory why: The texture of the zucchini is very noodle-like. It tastes like I am eating a hearty noodle soup. I could easily leave the tortellini noodles out of my bowl and make this a very diet friendly soup for myself. When I was making it, I noticed that once I was done shredding the zucchini...it looked like WAY too much. I almost didn't put it all in. Now I would easily add another one in to make it even 'noodlier'.

Try this one...you will love it!

W T F...

2011-01-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

As in....What the FANGS???

Really?

Fangs?

Brad?

FANGS?

BRAD! This is your second chance to find love...don't be an idiot!!! All of America already hates you, don't mess around with girls who wear fangs, for pete sake. Sheesh.

Okay, so I have been a bit harassed today for a Bachelor Blog. I know that I let the ball drop. I also have a new baby who is very naughty at night and barely lets me get any sleep. To be honest, I found myself nodding off a few times last night because it comes on later here (8-10) and by 10 I was dying for it to be over so I could go hop in bed, there was no WAY I was going to be able to blog about it! Maybe by the time this season of the Bachelor is over, my baby will be sleeping through the night? We can all hope, right?

Anyway, I hadn't really planned to blog about it this season, for the reason mentioned above...however I am trying to convince my SISTER to blog about it. She and I have pretty much the same opinions on all the episodes and she is definitely a witty writer. Until she agrees, though, I will make a few comments. Please forgive the lack of 'wow' factor in this post, I just don't have it in me to upload ALL the girls pictures and comment on each and every girl he kept.

First, can I just say that I think most of the girls they chose for this season are cute. I think it's kind of unfair that he has so many darling girls to choose from. Besides Vampire girl, I can't really think of any other crazies (besides the dentist that they portrayed that way in the season previews). The fact that he kept the Vampire girl really has me perplexed. It's one thing to be into Twilight, it's another to tell someone that they look delicious enough to eat...and mean it. Brad needs to give her the name of his therapist.

Speaking of therapists....I am so glad we heard from Brad's that he is ready to be back on the show. (eyeroll). And if that didn't convince you, what about the whole opening of the show, with Brad talking about his commitment issues, seeing the therapist...scenes of Brad shaking his head shamefully as he watches the finale of his season over and over...contemplating his life over a solitary bowl of cereal...I mean, wow. WOW. That was almost enough for me to turn off the show and quit watching this season. SO. LAME.

Even lamer? Deanna. I really can't believe they brought Deanna and Jenni back to 'confront Brad', and even worse, I can't believe they agreed to do it! The thing that really annoys me is how jilted Deanna is about the whole situation. He dumped Jenni, too...about 5 seconds before he dumped you, Deanna, and you don't see her freaking out to everyone who will listen. Isn't Deanna engaged?? She needs to MOVE ON! I hope this is the last I ever have to hear about Brad not choosing Deanna ever EVER again.

Oh wait. Every single girl who gets out of the limo is going to bring it up. Well, sweet. I guess I can spend the next hour hearing the same conversation over...and over..and over...Won't any of you ladies figure out that the LAST thing he wants to do is explain himself all night long? FINALLY Ashley gets the idea and talks about something other than Deanna. Congratulations, Ashley! You deserve that first impression rose, girl! Way to get a brain and the good sense not to bring up his shameful past. The rest of you ladies...seriously?

One more thing- are we really to believe that the ladies did not know that Brad was going to be the Bachelor until they got out of the limo? We really think that they came up with all those lines as they were walking the 5 steps from the limo to Brad? You think that the first girl really came up with the idea to slap him in .2 seconds? I am going to call BS here. I think they knew. I think he knew that slap was coming. Just my opinion.

So, as I said before, I liked the majority of the girls. You all know I was bawling my head off at Emily's story. Her fiance dying just days before she found out she was pregnant...naming her daughter after him....sob, sob, soooobbing into my pillow. Of course I wanted her to win from that moment on. However, MIKE picked her, so I am going to make my pick ASHLEY, since she was the only smart one to not bring up Deanna.

As for Dark Horses... I am going to pick Lisa M. from Kansas. Why? Because of her ruby slippers. Genius.

Mike is picking Michelle...I think because she's from Utah. Nice.

The 'Scenes from this Season' make is seem like one of the girls isn't sure she can commit to Brad- I think it's Emily. They also make the hot dentist (Ashley) look like she is crazy insane. Interesting. They make Michelle seem really sketchy. I am excited to see the drama unfold. What's with Brad getting back into the Limo during the final proposal-rose ceremony? Hmmm......

Very VERY Merry!!!

2010-12-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet, and I cannot even tell you how excited I have been to share this post with you! *squeal!!!*

You may not know that sewing is NOT listed among my talents...not even close. Truth be told, I cannot sew on a button, or darn a sock (what does that even mean?), which is pretty sad since I spend a lot of time drooling over tons of amazing sewing blogs- almost as much as I drool over photography blogs...almost.

Lucky for me, I have Sara. Sara is my extremely, amazingly, unbelievably talented friend who can work a sewing machine like nobody's business. Last Christmas when I was over at her house, I noticed that her family's Christmas stockings were basically the cutest things I had ever laid eyes on. It didn't surprise me one bit to learn that SHE had sewn them all. After much begging, pleading, bribing, whining, maybe even tears (just teasing!), she agreed to sew some for my family in exchange for a photoshoot. Um, yes. YES!

They COULD NOT be cuter!!! EVERY person who comes into our home comments on them. I have them hanging right by the door on our staircase (I was afraid to hang them from the fireplace for fear the kids would put their hands all over them or try to hang on them or something.) and not a person can walk by without commenting on them. They are A-MAZING! I am so excited to share pictures! All of our names are hand stitched on, and of course I am blurring out the kid's names so you will just have to imagine the utter cuteness. I love these so much and I am not kidding when I say I would have gladly paid $100 each for them. They are a precious heirloom for our family. Love, love, love!!!

Look at all the precious details! I love how the reindeer's tail hangs off the edge- and her bow and darling jingle bells around her neck.

Love the little 'snowflakes' and the way the scarf hangs off the edge. LOVE the buttons and you should see the material the snowman is made out of. SO darling!

Love this precious little gingerbread man and his cute candy cane hanging off the edge. I don't know why but he looks black in this picture- he is actually made of corduroy and is a beautiful gingerbread brown.

I HAD to choose the bird for myself, of course. I LOVE birds!! Santa Clause went to Mike. So darn cute.

Thank you for letting me gush and share. I am so in love with these stockings. I have threatened my kids so many times that if they even breathe on these puppies they will be in huuuuuuge trouble! ;) I am thinking about scotch gaurding them. Thoughts? Would that be a good idea or no?

Now Serving...Humble Pie.

2010-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that I recently had a baby. A baby boy, to be exact. What you may not know, however, is how incredibly FREAKED OUT I was at the idea of having a boy.

You see, I am a 'girl' kind of mom. I love playing princesses and Barbie, Hannah Montana, nail polish, and all things glitter. I do not love frogs, snakes, getting peed on, Spiderman, Batman, or any man in a cape.

For the past few years I really felt it was my destiny to be a mommy to all girls. I fantasized about 'girl' trips in our future, spa vacations, mani/pedi's, and girl talk. LOTS of girl talk.

All that changed when the ultrasound tech told us we were having a boy. Both my husband and I began to cry...him from excitement, me from sheer and utter fear.

Being a mom of all girls, I didn't have a single boy item in the house. I tried multiple times to go out and shop for our new little man. I would wander through the boy aisles, vision sliding out of focus as I stared at all the blue. I would start migrating, hands empty, to the girl side of the store. Vision would slide back into focus and I would leave the store with my arms full of pink. I am embarrassed to admit that I bought ONE boy item in my last trimester of pregnancy. The rest of my boy items came from showers and hand me downs. I just COULD NOT get on the boy train, as hard as I tried.

Then I gave birth to my little boy.

My smooshy, delicious, sweet, cuddly, yummy, warm, snuggly little boy.

I am in love. I love everything about him. I love his smooshy lips, his little coos, his sweet smell, his precious, toothless smiles. I love the way he sighs and snuggles into my arms when he is done eating. I love seeing my girls pour every ounce of love they have over him. I love how they fuss over him and fight over who he is looking at. I love all the blue. The soft puppy and dinosaur onsies, the camouflage socks, the airplane sleepers. I love the blue patchwork bumper in his crib. I loooooooooooooooooooove kissing his smooshy little mouth!!!

I feel silly that I ever thought I would not be able to bond with my little man- how foolish was I? He has me wrapped around his marvelous little fingers. I am in trou-ble!!!!

Winner Winner!!!

2010-12-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well, the time has come for me to announce the winner of the $20 gift code from CSN! So, using the random generator I got...

LUCKY number EIGHT!!! Congratulations, Anna! Please send me an email and I will send you the code. (You can find my email in my profile information.)

Thanks to everyone who participated!

If you would like to host your own giveaway, let me know. CSN is great to work with and looking for people to host giveaways for them.

A Give Away!!!

2010-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...the holidays are upon us, and in our house: Christmas! Every.single.day from the backseat of the car I hear the countdown...14 days, 13 days, 12 days....a constant reminder that I am grossly under prepared for Christmas morning. What can I say? With a new baby, the holiday has definitely gotten away from me, and the closer it gets, the more anxiety I feel about braving the crowds at the mall.

Thank HEAVENS for online shopping!!!

So what about you? Are you prepared for the holiday, or, like me, do you still have about a million people left to shop for? Well, hopefully I can help you with that! CSN Stores has graciously offered my readers a chance to win a $20 gift code to their online stores! There are so many ways to spend it, CSN has a multitude of products: TV stands for flat screens, toys, strollers, kitchen appliances, rugs, home decor....the possibilities are endless!

So, how do you enter? All you have to do is visit the CSN site, look around at their awesome products, and then leave me a comment telling me how you would spend the $20. Easy peasy, people!

This contest will end at midnight on Thursday, December 16th, just enough time for you to pick up something for the holiday! At that time I will use random.org's generator to pick a winner. Good luck!

Oh, and if you are wondering what I would put the money towards...here you go!

Be Gone, Belly Fat.

2010-12-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

*Family blog updated.

I recently ran across this blog: My Year Without Sugar and I thought to myself, This looks intriguing! Cutting out sugar is JUST what I need to get my fat, post-baby self back into shape. (working out is NOT happening right now since I am running on about 4 hours of sleep per night). After looking over her blog, however, I realized just how non realistic that is for me. This girl has WILLPOWER!

Anyway, I am still hoping to start shedding some pounds through diet alone, until I get enough sleep to be able to amp myself up to break out the Jillian (aka the devil) videos. However, all of my typical 'diet treats', like sugar free chocolate pudding, diet hot chocolate with hazelnut cream, low calorie chocolate muffins, all contain one common ingredient that is not conducive with breastfeeding....chocolate. So, I need ideas! Any non-chocolate awesome diet treats? Any tips would be extremely appreciated!!!

One more question. Be honest here. I want to know....who is going to watch Bachelor Brad? Tell me truthfully...because as much as I don't want to, I MIGHT have to just peak at that first episode...just to see. Just to see, people! Don't judge me!

Life As I Know It.

2010-12-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

So, before I begin, let me just comment about protecting your images. A long while back, I wrote a blog post about disabling the right click function on your blog so people can't steal your images. Well, it turns out that there are ways around it...like enlarging the image and then right clicking on it. Personally, I host my image through Flickr and mark it to private so people can't click on it and bring it into a new browser window and save it. However, I have been told that some people have had success dragging my images onto their desktop. So, I am sorry I don't have the answer to that. I have had a lot of follow up comments on that post, and I am sorry I haven't responded earlier.

Once you read through the rest of my post, this will become more and more clear...the only way to protect your images is to not put them on the internet at all...and if you must, do it in a private forum.

So. Here we go.

Seven weeks ago, I had a baby. My third baby, actually, and amidst the absolute and complete lack of sleep and the crazy hormonal imbalanced anxiety, I had a couple of real eye opening experiences. Allow me to share.

First, I have to preface this by saying I. am. paranoid...and not only am I paranoid in general, but when it comes to my children, I am pretty much a basketcase. So, moving on....I often have photographers that I have never met 'friend' me on Facebook. This is not unusual for me, and we typically have lots of other photographer 'friends' in common, so I will usually add these requests and stick them in a Limited Profile category. Easy Peasy. Well, the day before I was going into the hospital to have my baby, a photographer I had never met- but had tons of photographer friends in common with- requested me as a friend. I added her but then realized that since I was on my itouch that I couldn't access the Limited Profile function. No bother, I figured I would do it later. However, seeing as how I had my pending labor on my mind, I totally forgot about it.

Fast forward to a week later. This photographer 'friend' has commented on my wall a few times...commented on pictures I posted of my precious new baby, and sent me a private message. The message said:

"Hi Joy, congratulations for new baby!! Your blog is blocked, me too have blog (I'm new in blog)and I wish I could enjoy your blog if there is no problem."

What the broken english? I was so confused and checked out her page, which seemed completely normal. TONS of posts, written in proper grammar, with no signs of shadiness. So, I figured her account had been hacked. Since I hadn't met her, I decided to write on her wall, "Hey, did you just send me a message?" to which she promptly responded, "Yes, Joy."

But something felt off. I decided to go to her business page (which was not listed on her facebook page, which I found odd) and found her business email. I sent her a quick message just verifying that she had messaged me. She hadn't. I told her that her page was probably hacked and that someone was spamming her friends, because they had responded to me on her wall. Her next response confused me even more, "No, I don't have anything from you on my wall....this is bizarre, please send me more information." I took a screen shot of her wall (I told you I am paranoid!) and sent it to her, and her next response was, "OMG, that is me, but that is SO NOT ME!!"

Someone was impersonating her. After much digging we found out that this someone was not only impersonating her, but also her husband, and her sister. And it had been going on for months. This person had created fake pages for all of them, and posting every day as if they were them. Stealing their profile pictures and any unprotected photo albums they had, and posting them as if they were theirs. They even stalked her photography blog and reposted things on the facebook wall that she would blog. This person knew INTIMATE details about this girl and her family, things they had found on her family blog. It was the yuckiest, creepiest, sickest feeling uncovering all of this. I just wanted to jump through the computer and give this girl a big, huge, hug. The imposter had tons of 'friends' who were all under the assumption that this was the real girl, and guess what? As a result, that imposter had access to all of those friends information...pictures....posts....who knows how many people they could impersonate with all that information?

What creeped me out even further was the fact that not only had the faker asked me for an invite to my blog, but had also tried to 'friend' my husband. I strongly feel that we would have been next on the impersonation list. I don't understand what someone would have to gain by doing that, but I do know this:

That is not normal. It is weird, and especially weird that someone in a foreign country would want to do it, which makes me feel that they must have SOMETHING to gain by doing it.

I feel absolutely HORRIBLE that this wierdo had access to all the images I posted of my children, not to mention I was already feeling very mother-hen about my brand new baby. It sickened me that this person had been commenting on my pictures of him, our name choice for him...everything. Seriously disgusting. Again, I can't even let my mind wander to a place that wonders what a wierdo would do with his images. *shudder*

The fact is...any of my 'friends' could be hacked, and lately a lot have (you can tell because they spam your wall), and while that hacker is in their account, they can see everything about my account. Personal information, and (the clincher for me) pictures of my kids. Which is why I have removed them from Facebook. It is JUST NOT WORTH IT to me to not have control over those images.

By the way, this story made the news in Utah. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=12933972

Okay, so let me interject some personal feelings here. As I said, this happened the week I gave birth, so not only was I totally freaked out, but I was also sleep deprived, weepy, hormonal, and a bit nuts. I felt like it was totally unfair that this had to happen during a time when I was feeling so emotional, I was especially resentful that this person had been able to see all my children, know their names, etc. I felt totally violated, and pretty much felt like in the arena of internet safety, I was completely freaked out. I wanted to delete everything, all my blogs, facebook, just quit the internet all together.

A few months have passed now, and I have calmed down a little, but I still feel like I was taught an important message: If you want something to remain private, don't put it on the internet. I took an internet safety class a few years ago, and the person teaching the class made a very good point. Would you walk up to a strange man on the street and introduce him to all your children? Would you go into a bar or a strip club and walk up to the creepers there and tell them your children's birth dates, where they go to school, where they take dance class, etc? Of course not! For some reason, everyone feels so 'safe' putting all that information on their public blogs, facebook pages, etc.

The fact is, you have no idea who actually has access to the information you put on the internet. Even when you think you are protected, you have no idea if you really are. If someone's facebook account gets hacked...if their email gets hacked...you no longer have control of that information.

Anyway, I hope this strikes a little bit of awareness for some when it comes to internet safety.

I am climbing off of my soapbox now. ;)

Thank you

2010-10-08T16:54:00.001-07:00

*Family Blog Updated

So I am amazed anyone checks my blog anymore, I have been soooo neglectful. I over committed myself this year when it came to fall photoshoots. I cannot believe I am 9 months pregnant and still shooting, but I am. Really, I love my sessions, each and every one, it's just that coupled with being a mom of 2 and preparing for our baby boy who will be here any minute...I should have thought that through a little more. Anyway- we are excited that the wait is almost over and I can't wait to just sit back and enjoy the snuggles and newborn sweetness for the next few months. I have NO sessions after this weekend so I can enjoy bonding time with our new little guy.

What I won't be enjoying???? BACHELOR BRAD. I am still seething over that announcement. So you weren't ready to find love last time? Too bad, Brad! You had your chance. Is ABC really that desperate for Bachelor candidates? I think I really might skip this one. You know what I am loving, though, is the new series 'The Whole Truth' and I am starting to get sucked into 'The Event'. Those shows, coupled with my favorites from last season (Vampire Diaries, Modern Family, Project Runway, Grey's, etc) are keeping me warm while I edit at night. So give those two new ones a try, they are pretty great!

Halloween???

2010-09-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Quick question for anyone who may still be out there reading my blog (by the way, I appreciate the comments from my last post, thank you!!!).....

I know that Halloween is still a month away, but with this new little bundle coming in October, I want to be fully prepared for my favorite holiday.

I LOVE handmaking my Halloween costumes, but last year I gave in to a few costumes that were in previous Gymboree collections...a bee and a ladybug. Coordinating. Glittery. Adorable.

This year, I snagged the darling peacock costume for my 4 year old, and I would LOVE an idea of what my 3 year old could wear to coordinate with it. Any thoughts???

Thanks. :)

How is it?

2010-09-10T06:21:00.000-07:00

I am coming up on 9 months pregnant here and I have to admit that this pregnancy has been a real eye opener for me. It seems like every 'typical' pregnancy symptom out there has decided to befriend me this time around. I am not here to complain, I have too many friends who would like to be pregnant but are not. I realize I am lucky to be pregnant at all, and I should count my blessings...but I DO have to wonder.....

How is it possible to be on my third pregnancy but to have it be sooooooo new and different? How did I manage to make it through those crazy nine months TWICE and not ever have to deal with the craziness of:

Placenta Previa

Gestational Diabetes (quite possibly the worst thing ever)

Horrendous Stretch Marks (never got a single one before- am now covered in them)

Linea Nigra (um, ew.)

Nosebleeds (every single day.)

Heartburn

Extreme Fatigue

Nesting (not necessarily bad!)

Nausea- Okay this one was with all three so it's nothing new.

I find it so intruiging that I am experiencing most of these things for the first time, and I wonder if it's because I am having a boy this time around? The first 20 weeks felt exactly the same as with the girls, and them WHAM. Craziness ensued. I think my least favorite thing is the Gestational Diabetes. If anyone out there has Diabetes, I am SO sorry. Seriously, my condolences. There are some days where I would literally kill for a cupcake. I have CRIED over the fact that I want a baked treat soooooo bad. The only thing holding me together is the knowledge that in 6 weeks or less, I will be able to put on a few pounds purely made of sugar.

If you are at RISK for diabetes, take care of yourself! It is not fun! I have to prick myself 4 times a day, fast 2 hours between meals, and deprive myself of anything tasty. I will definitely be making sure that I try to avoid 'real life' diabetes as long as possible. (With a mom who is a diabetic, it's basically inevitable.)

Anyway. Thanks for letting me ponder and yes, possibly complain just a tad. Wish me luck that these next few weeks will fly by!

Snot Bubbles.

2010-09-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

I know I am horribly MIA lately, but I have refrained from posting simply because all I want to do is complain. A lot. But that is for another time. Right now I have to share what I FINALLY watched, and yes, I know I am behind the times because this was all over facebook a month ago...but I just could not bring myself to watch it.

Seriously? I had to pause it a few times so I could put my face in my hands and bawl. The little girl who is sitting on Santa's lap? Nearly killed me. The little blue-shirt boy in preschool? Seriously. Dying. All the little ones really got to me since those are my kid's ages.

Anyway, if you haven't seen it yet, watch it. It will make you bawl- in a good way.

Hmmmm......

2010-08-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a few things. First, many people have commented on all the chinese comments I get, and honestly I have NO CLUE why or how to deal with it...I have the 'word verification' turned on...so what the heck????

Second, I have been watching the Bachelor Pad with no time to blog about it, but still loving it. I caught up tonight on last night's episode....um, DRUNK MUCH, Gia?? Goodness. It's good that she left, because the love of her life was almost overthrown by an idiot who can't even come up with an original song for this season's serenades.

Third, my sister in law sent me this link, um, REALLY???? http://themormonbachelorette.blogspot.com/

Yes, this is for real.

That's all from me, I have been a bad blogger, even more horrible on my family blog. Maybe once I catch up editing all my sessions I did this summer....plus the ones I have coming up....eep!!!

I Admit It.

2010-08-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I watched the Bachelor Pad. I admit it....I LOVED it. I had no idea that so much drama could occur in one episode alone. If you didn't watch it, hop on abc.com or hulu and give it a chance. It was SO worth the watch.

So, I didn't realize that a lot of the people had prior relationships to coming on the show...Nicky and Juan....Elizabeth and Jesse...and that made for even better drama.

For those of you who DID watch, could Elizabeth have been ANY MORE CRAZY???? I mean, blackmailing someone into telling you that they love you....really, Elizabeth? REALLY? My mouth was on the floor.

And Michelle....precious Michelle. She is seriously just a nutbag and a half. Yowza.

I won't ruin it for you since I know a lot of people didn't watch, but again...give it a try. So worth it.

Roberto!

2010-08-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

And so it ends with Roberto being the last man standing. I will make this brief since I am at the beach (yay!) and delirious from being in the sun all day- but I had to comment about Allie letting Chris go before the rose ceremony. I am glad that she let him go and didn't make him go through all the excitement of picking out the ring and all that just to get his heart smashed. However, I thought it was so bizarre how spastic she was when she was telling him that she was letting him go. She was talking like a valley girl on speed, "Um, like, you know, this week has been, like, SO hard and there are, like, two guys left and it is ca-raaaaaazy!" I was so confused at first, why she was acting so nuts. Then she tells him she is letting him go and I finally realized what was happening. I felt SO bad for him but the rainbow thing was super cool and he seemed really good on the Final Rose. But HELLO, who is the next Bachelor? I wonder if they are not hyping up the next season because of the Bachelor Pad. I wish they would have said it was him, though. I want him to have a happy ending SO bad.

I am happy for Allie and Roberto, they seem so excited and so in love, I hope it lasts! AND Roberto was my pick! Yeah! Even though I hated seeing Chris get hurt, I still think Roberto is a good guy. Bravo, Allie.

Anticipation...

2010-07-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

So the 'Men Tell All' is kind of an anticlimatic episode, especially when the most dramatic characters (Justin/Rated R, Frank) don't show up. It was enjoyable to see the outtakes from the season, let a few of the guys weigh in and say their peace, but really....not much happens. Except for when they show the final two guys, and I start having huge butterflies and wonder how I will ever be able to wait another week for the final episode! I am DYING to know who she chooses! I was listening really carefully to how she worded things, and I am leaning towards Roberto being the one she chooses, but maybe that is just me guarding and protecting my heart since I want her to choose Chris L SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad. He is SO darling. Roberto is hot, don't get me wrong, and really he is a good guy. But I am rooting for Chris L. What a sweety. Do you think that ABC would ask Roberto to be the next Bachelor if she chooses Chris? I think they would. However, I am not sure if they would ask Chris L. What do you think? I tell you what, if they choose Kirk I will barf. I am not a Kirk fan. Still. Please, ABC. Don't do it.

Okay, so what is up with Frank being on the Final Rose? Why was he not there tonight with all the other guys? I had this crazy moment of panic that there will be a Molly/Jason moment and Frank will try to get Allie back. Probably not, but fun to imagine. Seriously, though, why does he deserve to be on that episode? It doesn't make any sense to me.

What did you make of the Bachelor Pad previews? Hmmmmm.....Elizabeth does not make a good blond...Tina Fabulous is a bit loose with her lips, don't ya think? Tenley seems much racier than she did with Jake! Probably trying to live down the fact that Jake basically called her bad in bed. Ouch.

Okay, so what do you think? Chris? Roberto? Who will be the next Bachelor?

Chris...Roberto....CHRIS....ROBERTO....

2010-07-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I just finished the final seconds of this week's episode of the Bachelorette. I endured text after text tonight while I was shooting a family session at the Library, taunting me about how I was missing all the drama as it happened. (totally worth it, SUCH a fun session!) Anyway, when I got back to my car I already had 10 texts about it including, "Roberto is P.I.M.P", "wowza", and "I want to jump through the TV and marry Roberto." So, naturally I geared up to jump on the Roberto bandwagon and fall in love with him.

He did not disappoint. Seriously, could he be any more darling? And could she be anymore ALLLLLLLL over him? You can tell that she has some serious chemistry with the guy, and honestly, I can totally see why. He is definitely one. hot. boy. Their date was so romantic, LOVED how they were on their own little private heart-shaped island, (did you catch that it was heart-shaped? 'cause I am not sure if they mentioned that enough times...) and you could just SEE the chemistry steaming through the dewy air of Tahiti. It was HOT. He confessed he was falling in love with her....they entered the fantasy suite...SOLD. I was SOOOOOOOOLD.

Enter Chris. "Poor, sweet Chris," I was thinking to myself. I mean, there was no chance he could ever top the hot, romantic Roberto's date, right? WRONG. I am seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY loving Chris!! No, they did not make out in the water the whole time they were on camera (although they did plenty of kissing!) They laughed. Joked. Had fun together. Talked. Really connected. She made the genius comment about how that's how she wanted her relationship to be like with her partner- romantic but fun. And you know what? She is totally right. Because you can only make out for so long, and then you have to come up for air/reality and see what is REALLY there. She and Chris have an actual friendship on top of the romance. Anyone who has been married more than 2 seconds knows that the romance does fade into the background a bit when real life settles in. It is still there, just not at the forefront at all times. So what she has with Chris makes me literally yell at the TV, telling her she is an idiot if she doesn't choose him.

I guess I should mention the 'drama' (not so dramatic when you hear about it weeks in advance) of Frank leaving her for the love-of-his-life-who's-name-I-have-already-forgotten. I am glad he felt awful when he told her and she bawled her eyes out. I would love to know if he is even with this chick anymore, or if he has already moved on and moved to China to pursue some lifetime goal he has for the moment. I really have to wonder if the fear of the seriousness of the situation with Ally is what really triggered his 'reconnection' with the other girl. It's like he can't get too pinned down or he freaks out. Whatever. Chris and Roberto are SOOOOOOOOOO much more awesome than him, I can't believe she even shed a tear. Not my cup of tea at all...

Concensus: I love Chris and I love Roberto. I love Chris more, but I still love Roberto. Roberto is hot, and Chris is darling.

I wish we could skip the Men Tell All and go straight to the finale. I just want to KNOW. Is Chris going to get his heart shattered? Is Roberto the next Bachelor? What will happen!!!???

PS I realized last week that I will be at the beach for the finale! I am frantically trying to figure out a way that I will be able to watch it without my kids crawling all over me. I don't know if I will have a computer, either. EEK!

Good News for the Big Girls.

2010-07-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

*family blog updated.

You all know my angst when it comes to buying maternity clothing. Well, I just got some great news and thought I would pass it along...Forever 21 now offers MATERNITY clothing!!! There's not a ton of variety, but still...exciting! Click HERE for the link!

edit: I also got this GREAT LINK from my friend Candra...I thought these were really cute, too!

Speaking of maternity, the fabulous Brooke Ashley Photography took some maternity pictures of me and I am so pleased with them! Here are some of my favorites, check out her site to see the rest!

Til Monday!!!

Popsicles and Other Frozen Treats....

2010-07-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so first off....remember that gorgeous couple I was photographing last week? Well they have officially tied the knot and their images are up on my photography blog.

Secondly: I am back in Utah and actually remembered to turn the tv on early and catch all of this week's episode! I LOVED the comments from last week, I was nodding in agreement to all of them. Love reading what you think.

Okay...first: her hometown date with Roberto. LOVED him in his baseball uniform, um, yeah. If I were Ali I would have given him the rose right then and there....sigh. So cute! His family was nice, too. It's interesting to me, though, that Ali is almost insecure with the fact that SHE would be good enough for him...other than being really good looking...what is it she is seeing? I think he is a good guy, don't get me wrong, but I don't see why she is so in awe with the fact that he would even like her. It perplexes me.

Next she was off to Chris L's hometown, where I emptied an entire box of kleenexes just watching their family interact, talk about love, talk about his deceased mom, etc. I was literally bawling my eyes out. It seemed like her connection with Chris deepened so much. Let me interject here and just point out that the word 'connection' is way overused on this show, in my opinion...but seriously, it seemed like there was a real connection between then. I feel like he has a real grasp on what is important, he would really treat her well, and take good care of her. Their kiss seemed WAY better this week, too. However, his family isn't super sarcastic or dry, not the kind of humor that Frank's family used, which she seemed to like. Although she did laugh a lot with Chris's family, I wonder if their tender love for eachother would be too much for her? Too heavy?

Next she went to Kirk's house. Where to even begin? His dad seemed creepalicious at first but I really think it was his way of teasing her in a way...trying to unnerve her. I literally choked on my drink when she said, "Kirk's dad likes to keep dead animals in the freezer along with snacks, popsicles, and other frozen treats." Genius. His families actually ended up seeming really nice, but obviously it is a moot point now that she booted him off. (HUGE relief to me since I was worried for my precious Chris L's safety this week!)

Lastly came Frank's family. Let me be honest with you and say that I fast forwarded through most of their 'alone time' on the boat. Okay, now that I know he is going to ditch her next week, I really just don't care to listen to him whine about not being sure of her feelings. I did watch most of his family, and they seem really darling. His dad was funny, I liked them, I liked their humor. But again, moot point???

Okay, so my DVR cut off the scenes from next week, which made me so sad. What happened? I am SO glad that Chris L and Roberto are going to Tahiti with her...and seeing as how Frank is ditching, that would make them the bottom 2, no? That makes me really happy. Let me be honest and say that even though Roberto was my pick, I am rooting for Chris. I can only imagine his poor, tender, broken heart if she lets him go. It makes me tear up just thinking about it...sniff.

Til next week!

Whaaaaa????

2010-07-05T23:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, short post this week because I am in Arizona photographing the most BEAUUUUUTIFUL couple's wedding (can't wait to share!) but I just had to hop on and comment on tonight's Bachelorette. I LOVE watching with other people, tonight's episode was so fun to sit and analyze with a room full of fellow enthusiasts. Anyway, the fact that she cut Ty....totally threw me for a loop. We immediately went back to last week's episode, where they showed the previews from the upcoming season...and Ty is there. A lot. I swear he is in Tahiti. Is he coming back? What is going on? Chris L is completely missing from the Tahiti shots, and Kirk makes a millisecond cameo that could have been from anywhere. ABC definitely has me fooled. I have STILL managed to keep in the dark about the outcome of this season, but the suspense is killing me!!! I can't wait to see who she cuts on the hometown date (although I fear it's Chris, I am crossing my fingers it's Kirk) and who actually ends up in Tahiti.

Oh, and of course I have to comment on Jake and Vienna's national cat fight. Holy moly! I think Jake definitely came off looking like a HUGE jerk. As much as I couldn't stand Vienna before, she had some great points....and all Jake had was a horrible, superior attitude. I won't say Vienna probably didn't manipulate the situation to her advantage, but when he yelled at her...she had me totally on her side. What a d bag!!!

Did you see the preview for the Bachelor Pad? Money involved? I am wondering how they win...must look into it...

Until next time!!!

Rated RRRRRRRRRRR

2010-06-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Oh my drama! I cannot believe I had to wait an extra day to find out exactly what happened. Apparently the Bachelorette starts way earlier in Utah than in does in Indiana. When I settled down to watch it last night...it was ending! But I found out at that point that Justin had been sent home for the girlfriend drama, so I could not wait to watch it online today.

Okay, so Justin...what a coward! I was kinda surprised that he just walked out like that at first. He was in full flee mode...he was scaling buildings and small children to escape Ali's wrath. It was like he was afraid of her, seriously, what did he think she was going to do to him? Anyway, somehow he found the strength to sit down and feed her some lies for a few minutes, then bailed again. Ali was so quick on her feet and so powerful in what she said to him, I was so proud of her! I was DYING, like jaw on the floor gaping, when they played the messages. What a JERK. Seriously. ABC needs to start listening in on all phone calls from the guys and weed these d bags out. Sheesh.

Okay, so moving on. Ty and Frank got the one on on dates this week. I can't say that I am super excited about either one of them, still. I was disappointed that Frank got the other one on on date, why didn't she choose Craig? That seemed kinda unfair...and rude? Maybe she had made up her mind even before Frank's date that she was sending Craig home? I wonder....Anyway, again, kinda blah about Ty for some reason. I don't have much against him except for the fact that I am loving Roberto and Chris. I don't want to watch her kiss TY. PS, Ty, Button your shirt! Frank's date, well, it looks like everything was moving around smoothly....but according to the previews, aka MAJOR spoilers at the end of the show, Frank is going to leave. Why did they show us that? I seriously have maintained full outer darkness when it comes to spoilers this season...Somehow I have managed not to read or hear anything about how things are going to end. I DO NOT know who wins. So why did they go and show so much???

Group date...have I ever told you that I love Roberto and Chris L? I think, according to the spoiler preview, that at least Roberto will be sticking around for awhile. Well, him and Ty. Deducing from the spoiler, it seems like Kirk goes next, then she cuts someone on the home dates...Chris L? (nooooooooo!!!!) maybe vice versa.. and then Frank, Roberto, and Ty go to Tahiti, where Frank leaves....so that would leave Ty and Roberto? I don't know for sure, but I that's what I am assuming from the preview. I really, really don't want to see Chris L go, though!! However, maybe he could be the next Bachelor! I would LOVE to watch that!!! Anyway, the group date was hilarious. Loved watching th guys wrestle. Nothing wrong with an oiled up Roberto, hehe. Seriously, though, that part was cracking me up. Way to go, Craig, for beating Roberto! I am glad he got some alone time with her, especially since he didn't ever get the date. Too bad he went home anyway.

Okay, so...thoughts?

All By Myself.....

2010-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hello!! I am late posting again, so sorry about that, but I am excited to dish about this week's episode. So good!

Okay, so I am really happy with her decisions this week. I think she was right on sending Kasey and Chris N. home. Finally we heard Chris N. speak....and it wasn't so pretty. Good move, Ali.

So, they arrived in Iceland and had a poem-showdown for the one on one date. I was DYING for Chris N as he recited his incredibly odd poem to her. He looked so terrified up there. Poor guy! Frank thought he had it in the bag, but Kirk came in and stole the show with his Rootbeer Eyes line. I wish it would have been Roberto or Chris L, but I am wondering if they even had a chance since they had already been on one on ones with her? Oh well.

So...her one on one with Kirk. I don't know why this guy bugs me. Okay, so their date was not awful, he seemed more genuine and his story of near death did soften me a bit. But I am still not team Kirk by any means. I think this guy is too close to the brink of overly-cheesy for my taste. Oh, and it drives me nuts how he is constantly manhandling her face when they kiss. It's a bit over the top for me. Whatever.

Group date: Well, Ty was definitely in his element, but as far as he and Ali go, I am not seeing the chemistry. I guess she felt it enough to give him the rose, but I am not feeling it. I like him enough, just not for her. I am still loving Roberto and Chris L. A lot! I think Roberto is cuter but I like Chris L's personality more.

Two on One: I guess Ali is a glutton for punishment because it took another totally awkward date with Kasey for her to finally send him packing. Her reaction to his tattoo was classic. Her eyes looked like they would pop out of her head. SERIOUSLY Kasey, now you have that hideous mark for the rest of your life! A great daily reminder of how you got dumped. So, they left him on the glacier. All alone. "Allll by mysellllllllllllf....."

The only thing I would have changed about this 2 on 1 date is I think she should have sent Justin home, too. I don't think he is right for her, and he annoys me more and more each week. Although then she would have had an extra rose to hand out, so I guess that would have kept Chris N. here. Whatever. Hopefully Justin leaves next week.....

Which brings me to 'the mystery guy who has a girlfriend'. Who do you think it is? We are starting to think it's Justin. At first I didn't think so because he had crutches and the guy who leaves doesn't....but now he's in the boot so it could totally be him. DON'T spoil it for me if you know (I have remained spoiler free thus far!) but if you are up for pure speculation, tell me what you think!!

So the award for 'guy who surprised me the most in a good way' goes to Craig. He really is funny! I liked his poem and I was laughing out loud when he drew the tattoo on his arm. Very witty, Craig! I wish he was a bit cuter, though. He seems like he could get lost in the friend zone. I am thinking if a guy hasn't kissed her yet (um, Justin and Craig, I think?) he is probably not going to get over the friend hurdle. Just my opinion, though.

Okay, so I am looking forward to next week! I will be in Utah and hopefully be watching with my sister/s. I am so excited to have a group to dish with, pause and analyze with, and bask in all the drama with. YEAH!

After the Storm....Unicorn Love.

2010-06-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so major delay in my Bachelorette blog post this week. I have a good excuse...I was caught in a HORRENDOUS storm last night, and all of our local channels were having emergency weather broadcasts....so I missed half of the Bachelorette! Don't worry, I caught up online today, so we are all good.

First, though, can I just tell you how spastic I was last night? Tornadoes are pretty much my worst nightmare. When we first moved to Indiana, I was constantly keeping an ear to the ground listening for the sirens. (Remember THIS?) Well, last night we were out having ice cream as a family. We were happily eating our ice cream looking over a beautiful sky, when the sirens started going off. We immediately stood up and looked around, and behind us the sky was BLACK. I practically dislocated my 2 year old's arm as we threw the kids in the car, and as soon as we started driving the wind and rain started- and it was CRAZY! We had the radio on and the Emergency Broadcast System was saying, "Seek cover, a tornado has touched down in Spencer (a surrounding town)" and it was heading towards us. Um....I cannot believe I did not wet my pants. We were driving SO fast to get home- it kinda puts pressure on you when the EBS is telling you to seek cover and get into an interior room....and you are in your car in the middle of a field! Talk about pressure! Needless to say, we made it home safely and huddled in the basement watching the weather report. The storm was RIGHT over our house. Oh, and the tornado? I don't think it actually touched down. At least, after we got home I think there were just funnel clouds everywhere, but no touchdowns. I think. I choose to believe that.
So, I ran outside right as the storm was ending and grabbed this picture, check out the color!

CRAZY right?????

Okay, onto my Bachelorette post. Let's start with what is freshest in my mind:

Precious Kasey. Ohhhhhhh my goodness. This guy takes my awkwardness discomfort level to a WHOLE new level. I wanted to die, die, die when he was singing to her...and that was the FIRST time!!! The second time around, seriously. PLEASE make it stop!!! She looked like she would give anything for him to stop. As Chris L (my darling) said, She doesn't want that cheesy Unicorn Love. She wants someone REAL!!! When she dropped her head down after his second song outburst, I just wanted to hug her and remove her from the situation. I don't blame her for not giving him the rose right away. I was cracking up at the rose ceremony when she said, "He didn't do anything too over the top..." Oh Ali, little do you know! I can't wait to see her reaction when he shows her the tattoo. Kasey, NOT a good choice!!! Gag. Oh, and she sent JESSE home over this guy??? double gag.

Group Date: Okay, I do love Chris L, but Roberto is still absolutely DARLING in my eyes. I am glad he got that wrapped up, loving, hanging from the air moment with her. Sucky to be the other guys having to sit around all day and watch, though. Were you dying during their rehearsal (with all the guys?) SO funny! I was loving watching them all try to shake it.
Okay, another huge GAG when Kirk walked her up to her room. Seriously, this guy bothers me for some reason. He seems soooooo, um, insincere? I don't know, something is off about this guy. At least, that's my opinion. I felt bad for the Weatherman, when he interrupted someone else's time (I think Frank's?) and she told him to hang on....then she went up to the room with Kirk. SHOT DOWN, Weatherman! I am glad she sent him home. I loved Frank's line: "I want what you have!" when he kissed her. That was classic. Love it.

Chris L: Is he perfection or what? I love this guy. I love their date. He is darling, darling, DARLING!!!! I would be SO super happy if he is the last guy standing (I would be happy if it was Roberto, too!) because he really deserves this kind of happiness. He is a sweetheart! I was glad she kissed him, even though she had the plague. Are all these guys going to have the illness of death next week? Happy Birthday Chris, you get a week of the plague of doom! Seriously though. Love him.

Justin/Wrestler/Rated R: No dates for him this week but HELLO, vengeful much? He took such pleasure in calling out Kasey on his burn/tattoo. Okay, so he had a valid point, but I hated his pleasure in throwing him under the bus. Don't you remember how bad it hurt when they did it to you, Rated R? I guess he was eager to get out of the hate spotlight.

So, Jesse and Jonathan were sent packing. I think she could have easily gotten rid of either of the Craigs (seriously, WHO is Craig N???) before she got rid of Jesse. Oh well. I am a little surprised because I kind of thought that Jesse would be the one to end up with a secret girlfriend at home...so now I am changing to Kirk. There is something wierd about that guy.

Okay, so there it is! Hope you all had happy watching! Remember to Guard and Protect your hearts this week.

So Right....SO Wrong!

2010-06-08T12:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, today's post is going to be a bit short because my sister is here visiting (yahoo!) and I am eating up my time I have with her. We watched Ali together last night along with my friend 'J' and I think it took us almost 3 hours to get through because we kept pausing and making comments! SO fun! It was so wonderful having other friends there to revel in the drama with me. So, off the top of my head, here are my thoughts:

First, Kirk, EEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!! Creepy McCreep! His line, "When we were making out...it felt so right!" Just got under my skin and made me shiver with disgust. Speaking of shivering...."I am in the hottub and you are making me shiver!" UGHHHHH! I don't know why, but this guy makes me gag.

Roberto- Loved their date. I think he is so darling! I am glad he's still in the running. DID NOT like how he was bullying the wrestler. I wish that he would have confronted Justin in private when she mentioned that he had walked to her house. Instead he chose to tell everyone else and be party to them all calling him out. It made me disappointed. You don't need to be a part of that, Roberto!

Justin- What is it about this guy that everyone hates? I feel like it's Vienna all over again, where they all hate him but we (the viewer) have no idea why? Now, I do think it was LAME that he kind of commented a lot about walking up to Ali's house....like, "I would walk up to her house to show her how I feel!" after he had already done it. Like he was rubbing their noses in it without them actually knowing it. But seriously, what has he done that they hate him so much! No one has any love for this guy at all.

Chris L- Continues to be a favorite. He is just SO darling. I love that he has his mom's signature as a tatoo. I cannot wait for him to have a one on one with Alli! I want to see some sparks!!

Frank- WOW, we really saw his 'off' side this week! He is either UP or he is doooooooown. Poor guy finally realized that he is not the only one in the running.

Jonathan aka Weatherman- Are. You. Kidding. Me. Why did she give him a rose? Maybe it was a pity rose. But really, she eliminated such cute guys to keep this guy around, which is really too bad. He seriously CRIED during the filming? What?? And his kisses sucked. AND he whispered that he wanted to sneak off and have a real kiss, which should have totally weirded her out! WHY?????

Craig N. and Craig R.- Not really sure why these guys are still in the running, either. Especially Craig R, he seems like SUCH a jerk. And everytime we caught a glimpse of Craig N, we were like, Wait, who was that??? He is lurking in the background, who is he??

Hunter- I understand why she sent him home, they really had no chemistry. I liked him, but I could see that it was totally lacking. Not the type of sparks she has with Roberto! (wink!)

Jesse and Kasey didn't get much face time (aside from when they were bullying Justin) Jesse's Rose Ceremony denim outfit was super awesome, right? I mean....come on. What was that!?

I felt bad that Steve got sent packing after he made that cute picnic for her (especially when she kept Craig and Jonathan.), and sad for John C. that he didn't get much of a chance.

Okay, I would love to hear your thoughts!

A Win for the Little Guy...

2010-05-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

Before I post about the Bachelorette, I just wanted to mention that we are having a little guy of our own!

We found out this week that I am having a boy, and while I am nervous (we currently have all girls), I am also very excited, and grateful to have a healthy baby. Very grateful.

Okay, moving on. :)

Juicy, juicy, juicy.

I don't know about you, but I was hiding under my pillow for about half the episode tonight, mostly during the confrontational moments between Craig/jerk and Jonathan/wierdo. I really don't like either of them, but I will admit that I cannot stand a bully, and therefore, I was definitely hoping for a win for Jonathan. Just to show Craig that no matter how tough you think you are by picking on people in the house....you will not come out on top!!! I was DYING during Craig's one-on-one time with Ali before the rose ceremony. He couldn't even form a proper sentence! "um, well, I mean..." He couldn't answer any of her questions, just stammered the entire time. I am glad she saw through him. So glad. Of course he immediately comes in and starts making fun of Jonathan for talking too much. Um, insecure much? Makes sense now that he would pick on someone who easily makes conversation when he obviously can't make it for himself. Oh, and WHERE was Ali when he called Jonathan out in front of everyone? I was dying for her to walk in and see that catastrophe! Then she could have known for sure what a jerk Craig was.

PHEW!! So. Glad to be done with Craig....not glad that Jonathan stayed over DARLING Chris H.

He was so cute in the first episode, and was basically non-existent tonight. That was disappointing for us. You failed us, Chris H!!! So many random people stayed over you!

Okay, so WHAT the Frank???

Talk about swooping in unexpectedly! I did NOT see that coming. In fact, I may still be in shock. He is definitely not the person I would have paired her with. He still may not be the person I see her with. Maybe it's because I would not be attracted to him myself? She seems to like his motto of jumping from one thing to another if you aren't totally happy. Now, this is not a bad thing, especially in his phase of life....but at what point do you commit to something and not run at the first sign of unhappiness? That is what concerns me. How long before he is 'over' Ali and running off to something or someone else? Am I way off the mark here? Have I let the women of The View sway me? (Yes, they discussed this very thing last week and I sat there nodding like an idiot at my tv.) Seriously, by my own observations, it seems to me like he has this short lived enthusiasm for things. He throws himself 100% (very VERY enthusiastically!) into whatever he is passionate about at the moment, and then moves on at the drop of a hat. That would be a red flag to me. I am not Ali, though. Oh, and PS Frank, Ali is NOT your girlfriend, so please quit saying that.

Okay, moving on. to. Jesse.

Oh my cuteness! Why didn't I recognize his potential last week? He is pretty darling. I can see what she likes in him. I don't see huge sparks between them yet, but I hope something more blossoms here. I really enjoyed watching their date, and he seems like a really nice guy.

Ty.

Ty is sweet. He has a southern boy charm that I do like a lot. Ali's facial expression when he informed her of his divorced was concerning to me, but she seemed to appreciate his honesty since he got the rose on the group date. I haven't seen a ton of chemistry with them, either, but I am interested in seeing where things go with them.

Craig R.

Can I just say...this guy totally bothers me. Again, Ali, this guy over Chris H? Really???? He seems like such a whiner!!! Get over the fact that you don't like Justin. Seriously. Move on. Unlike the Craig/Jonathan situation, Justin is NOT doing anything to you. So let it go!

Justin.

Um, talk about a trooper! I would have been super put out if I had been him, one legged jumping through the sand, up and down stairs, and from the looks of next week, alllllll the way up the hill to Ali's house. He never whines or complains about it and I like that. He may not be my favorite guy for her, but you've got to respect this guy's attitude! So interested to see what brings him to tears next week....

Kasey/aka mini-Jake

This guy already drives me nuts, and that was before I was reminded that he is about to turn into a crazy stalker in the episodes to come. His voice grates on me, and really...just curious as to what she sees in him.

I was really thrilled with the way that both Roberto and Chris L. handled the fact that they did not get any dates this week.

Roberto just seems...genuine. Yes, I realize that word is completely overused in the world of the Bachelor, but seriously. He does. He seems comfortable and confident in himself, and Ali obviously loves him. I am super excited to see them interact on a date. Hopefully next week....

Same with Chris L, he just seems like an awesome guy. I REALLY like this guy, and I am also looking forward to him getting some time with Ali. Hopefully alone. PLEASE keep this guy around, Ali!!!

Okay, so let me know your thoughts! Not a ton of comments last week (which is completely fine), so don't be shy in letting me know what you thought of tonight's episode.

And Away We GO!!!!

2010-05-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

EDIT: BIG oops on my part last night! That's what you get for blogging drowsy. ;) I was up all night with a puking child the night before and had to force myself to stay awake to blog. Anyhow, for my 2nd pick I SAID Phil, I meant Chris L., The one who's mom had passed away. I am sure my explanation of Phil made no sense, haha. Anyhow, I have changed it. :) Sorry!

I am so excited to finally be blogging about this! I love that I have a fun way to share all the drama with fellow Bachelorette lovers....LOVE IT!!!

Quickly...I wish that Ali would give more of a sincere reaction to the guys. Even if it is just in the confessionals. The only one we really saw her break out of her norm for was 'Shooter', but the rest seemed to get her generic, "I love it! You don't even know!" reaction. I would have liked to know more of what she was truly thinking of the guys, you know? I also hated how tense she was, she really does outwardly show her stress. Her shoulders were so scrunched up at the rose ceremony, I thought they would pop off!!!

Okay, so my take on the night, and most importantly, the men! I was actually very pleasantly surprised by the men that she had to choose from. Definitely some stood out more than others, but overall I think that ABC did a pretty good job choosing some cool guys. Now, you know that I LOOOOOOOOOOVE making 'picks' in the beginning, and this year is no different. I knew my guys the minute I laid eyes on them....so, here we go!

Roberto:

Okay, I know what you are thinking: OBVIOUS choice, Joy. I know, I know. Seriously, though, I had him pegged from the moment he came out of the Limo. I think he is darling! Mike wanted to fight me for this pick, and he wanted to change the rules of our picking and make it into some kind of a draft, because he wanted to steal Roberto from me. Sooooooo, I decided to share, because I couldn't back down, even for my dark horse (who I also love!!!). So Roberto is both Mike and my pick. However, in the previews it seems like he is the one she is obviously attracted to, which usually means she ends up not picking him. So boo to that.

My 'dark horse':

Chris L.

Okay, so this guy falls into my dark horse category because he is a nice guy...and we all know that the nice guy never wins. I am hoping this guy proves me wrong because he is an absolute sweetheart! Seriously, his hometown interview had me falling for him very, very quickly. I think he made a wierd choice when he told her his parents were still together....but whatever. Still love him.

Mike's dark horse:

Chris H.

I agree, this guy is a great dark horse. Really cute but not a lot of face time. We didn't see him much in the 'upcoming previews', though (which we watch after we make our picks), so who knows if he will be around much longer. I hope so because he seems really cute.

So, moving on to the rest of the guys!!!

Justin: Definitely a 'must mention'. Okay, so it's obvious now from the previews that someone leaves early. Obviously that person isn't limping away as they leave...so either Justin heals quickly OR he doesn't end up leaving after all. HOWEVER, I did hear that someone leaves who is trying to 'promote themselves.' That seems to fit the bill here. I personally don't think that what he has done so far has seemed like 'self promotion' more than any of the other guys have put themselves out there to make themselves stand out. I am curious to see how this works out for him! One thing Justin has against him....pretty sure he can't hang in a hot tub with that cast!

Frank: This guy caught our eye when we were surfing through the pictures before the show. He looks a bit...enthusiastic....which definitely showed up in person! He is the type who wears his heart on his sleeve...who keeps nothing inside....I am interested to see how things pan out for him. I don't really see him with Ali- what do you think?

Hunter: I liked his song. It was clever, which you know I love. I am glad he showed this side of himself and glad she kept him around. She claims to love to laugh, and this guy seems witty.

Kirk: I was laughing about his trip to the scrapbook store and making his keepsake book with his gluestick. I wasn't sure how it would go over with Ali, but she seemed to like it. Looks like he scored with that one!

Jonathan: At first I liked him...then slowly but surely I started liking him less and less. Sure, he has a lot of personality, but I think his favorite thing to talk about is himself. And, did you notice at times when the camera would pan over to him, he seemed to be lurking, almost sulking, in the corners? It kinda weirded me out. I hope this guy can prove me wrong, but for now he is not my fav.

Kasey: First can I point out that he looks like he could be Jake's brother? Okay, with that out of the way, let's just skip to the 'coming up this season' talk. Um, Whhhhaaaat????!!! Seriously this guy is going to give me nightmares! There always has to be one person who has already built their life with the bachelor/bachelorette and believes it as truth and cries whenever they so much as dare glance at another contestant. Looks like this is our guy.

Craig M: Okay, WHY did she keep this guy??? Was it his charm? His wit? His amazing good looks? His amazing attitude? HUGE eyeroll. I am really surprised Ali wasted a rose on this guy. Blah.

Craig R: This guy gets an honorable mention just because I am weird and I like to point things like this out. Does he remind you of Toby from The Office? His mannerisms and the way he speaks completely remind me of him! Do you agree?

Alrighty, I uploaded pictures of all the other remaining men....but then found I didn't have much to say- positive or negative about them. So far, not much is standing out. No one had an awesome story like 'Shooter' Derrick. Bless his heart. I am excited to watch this all unfold! Oh, and I really hope to avoid the spoilers this time. Let's cross our fingers that the winner isn't blown too early!!

Until Tomorrow....

2010-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

(*Family Blog Updated)

After 4 long months of laying on my couch, trying not to vomit, and watching endless amounts of television (thankful for all the finales that kept me entertained), I am SO excited to have a show that I am looking forward to! (Okay, there were a few I looked forward to before like Vampire Diaries and Private Practice, but those are over now!)

THE BACHELORETTE!!!! I am so excited for tomorrow. More excited for this season than probably any other season, since this is basically the highlight of my lay-on-the-couch-and-do-nothing week.

Before I get into it, though, there are three new shows I recommend you get caught up with this summer if you didn't start watching them this year when they premiered.

First: Modern Family. It's on ABC and it's the funniest show I have seen in a LONG time. If you missed out on this one, DO NOT miss your chance to catch up!!! They might also rerun Cougartown afterwards (not sure if this one got picked up for another season) and it's a fun watch, too-but not amazing enough to be on my 'must watch' list. Reminds me a bit of Friends.

Second: Vampire Diaries. So, I mostly started watching this show because it started when I was swamped with editing and needed online shows to watch. The first few episodes were good, but kinda a little 'teen scandelous'....however as the show went on, I will admit, the plot got really smart and I found myself on the edge of my seat during every episode. It also helps that Damon is WAY good looking. Give this one a chance if you think it might be your thing! It's on CW and should be rerunning this summer.

Third: Glee. If you haven't heard of Glee, you must be living under a rock. It is definitely quirky and perhaps not for everyone, but the dry humor and fabulous music will win you over, just give it a chance. It's on ABC as well.

So, back to THE BACHELORETTE!!!!

Alright, so I checked out out the men, and obviously I won't make my picks until I see them in action (wink), but here are some I am feeling good about, based on pictures and bios alone...

Tyler M: He looks like a nice guy, and not too high maintenance. I wish he wasn't wearing that v- neck, but oh well. I like that if he were stranded on a desert island, he would include his wife in the things he would bring with him.

Jessie: Another low-maint looking guy, however I am not sure about the fact that his greatest achievements are things he has purchased.

There are a couple more, Like Chris L or Chris N that look alright, too. Obviously I am attracted to the guys who look the least like they could be on Jersey Shore ie: way high maintenence. I think some of these guys even look feminine because of all the skin softening that was done to their pictures....I am interested to see their true personalities come out!

I don't envy Ali, she has so many different Chris's, Craigs, Derrick/Dereks, Tylers, etc, to keep track of. Was it really that hard to find men with different names??? Good luck, Ali!!!

Okay, so get your picks ready and let's chat all about it tomorrow night. I can't wait!

Getting There.

2010-05-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am slowly coming out of the part of pregnancy where I am basically useless. I am 18 weeks and wishing for that '2nd trimester energy' that I hear about around the blog-sphere. Why aren't all pregnancies created equal? I guess that's a discussion for another day. :)

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to show you that I actually HAVE been taking the suggestions y'all made way back when, when I posted about filling up our very empty walls. I took a bunch of my favorite pictures, framed them, and hung them up the stairs. Now that they are there, it really helps make the space feel a lot homier, although if I could do it again, I think I wouldn't use matching frames. I would probably have made a bigger effort to find lots of cool antique frames and painted them white and light gray. But this works for now.

Until MONDAY!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Bachelorette!!! Noooooooooooo Reality Steve! I don't want this season spoiled for me.

Have you looked at the Bachelors on abc.com? I am still reading up on them. SO excited!!!

Totally Unnecessary but Completely Awesome.

2010-05-08T17:58:00.001-07:00

If only I had an extra $400 bucks and a few hundred hours of free time....I would be in heaven!

PS. I adore Studio Five. And I have to watch it ONLINE, people. Take advantage if you live in Utah! I loooooove it!

PSS. I have a mini update on the family blog. Nothing too important. :)

Do It Yourself.

2010-05-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Lately I have found myself drawn to 'do it yourself' blogs, specifically the type that specialize in home renovations. I am SUPER jealous that there are women out there who pick up a miter saw one day and say to themselves, "What should I do with this? Oh, I know! I will create my own wainscoting all over our house." or, "Today I think I will build a custom playhouse from scratch into that cubby under the stairs." I am in awe of it all, really.

and.....I am tempted. Tempted to run out and buy myself a nail gun and some two-by-fours and a bucket of high gloss paint and just go at it. Custom baseboards? No problem. Fancy moldings? Piece of cake. Just give me a level and I will do it.

Seriously, though, I am curious. Have any of you ever been so tempted by a do-it-yourself home renovation project, that you actually did it? Not your husband...YOU. Did it turn out? Was it a disaster?

What about redoing a piece of furniture? Stripping something, repainting it, remaking it...I have tried sanding down a piece of furniture just to paint it white and BOY. Was that a reality check. Is remodeling like gardening? You need to have the green thumb? I am beginning to wonder if this is not the case....

I will leave you with my musings along with some links to my favorite 'do it yourself-ers' blogs. You can oggle and drool right along with me.

Thrifty Decor Chic : That custom 'big boy room' redo has me literally dying. Um, custom mouldings everywhere, anyone?

Sawdust and Paper Scraps : Are you kidding me with that Playhouse? Seriously?

House of Smith : All that woodworking is going to give me a heart attack. Her bathroom redo? Dying. Her laundry room revamp? Darling! Breakfast nook? Perfection.

Ashley Ann : This room do-over nearly put me into heart failure. Okay, so this isn't really a home remodel, more of a room make over, but still. WOW.

It Begins!!!

2010-04-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I missed the original showing of this, but found a decent copy on Facebook. You really only need to watch the first 30 seconds. I am excited for this! I know some people don't like Ali...how about you? Who will be watching with me?

Here It Is....

2010-04-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

You know how some people keep their pregnancies a secret until they are out of their first trimester? Somehow....that doesn't work for me. Okay, aside from the fact that everyone would think I was literally dying (I get really, really sick), it is just pretty obvious that there is something amiss. You think?

Yeah. To be fair, I am more like 14 weeks in this one, but hey, who's counting? Um, ME!!!!!!!!

Anyway, here it is. The first of many. :)

* Just as a side note, this was taken with my new 24-70 lens (YAY!) and so there is some distortion, which is why my arm looks out of proportion to my bottom. (I really don't have that tiny of a bottom, I wish I did!) and also....don't mind the RAGING farmer's tan. It is my badge of love, sitting outside with my kids when I would rather be buried under my covers crying out of self pity. Just kidding. Kind of.

Seriously, Heidi?

2010-04-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, to say that I have been disappointed in my maternity clothes options this pregnancy would be a complete understatement. Apparently 'tent' is back in, the empire waste that billows open at the bottom. Sure, you can find a few cute things, especially if you are willing to pay out the behind for them....otherwise, it is seriously tough pickin's out there.

I have been stalking Gap and Old Navy (more in my price range) and have been sorely disappointed. What I WANT are normal looking shirts. Cute t-shirts that fit OVER the belly, and come back in at the bottom. Ruched on the side is acceptable. I have barely found anything, though. Either they are the dreaded empire tent, or else they have unflattering t-shirt sleeves, or else they are scoop necked. Um, apparently the so-called 'maternity' models don't gain any extra padding in their chest areas. Seriously, we are looking at 'a' cups, people. I highly doubt there is a preggo out there who can wear a scoop neck and not feel like a prostitute.

ANYWAY.

My sister has been helping me with my maternity dilemma. Enter Heidi Klum. Thank you, Heidi, for designing more hideous maternity options for those of us who already feel like we belong on a dairy farm amongst the cattle. Our favorite option???

Hold on to your seat.....

Wait for it.......

You are not ready.....

Seriously, Heidi?

The Handsome Men's Club

2010-03-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, my sister in law sent me this and I could not stop laughing. I think my favorite part is how the men are slowly revealed throughout the clip. New ones just keep cropping up. That, and "These are my superhero tights!"

Twins?

2010-03-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Most of you have heard the news that I am expecting again. Bring on baby #3! I am almost out of the first trimester and it cannot come fast enough, and I am crossing my fingers that it brings with it some relief. I have the misfortune of having Hyperemesis when I am pregnant. Basically, it is really rough morning sickness. The kind that makes you wish for death. I have gotten used to puking pretty much anywhere and everywhere, which is nothing new since I have been through it twice before.
Anyway, enough complaining. That is not what this post is about. This post is about twins.
I know what you are thinking, and no, I am not pregnant with twins. I have seen for myself that there is only one little nipper in there. You want to see? Well, twist my arm!!

Cute already, right? ;)

No, this post is about the twins that nearly made me lose what little I had choked down for breakfast and lunch today.
I decided that I would turn all my rotting bananas into banana bread today, and so I went about mixing up the ingredients. Well, I cracked the eggs and....gag....twin yolks were in one of them.

Seriously? I have NEVER seen this before. It grossed me out so bad, I don't know why. The thought of those twin yolks were seriously plaguing me, though. I called my sister in law and she assured me that twin yolks are normal, in fact, they are good luck.

Ummmm. Okay. I am still completely grossed out. So...does this happen often? How have I never seen one in all of my 28.5 years? Please let me go another 28 years without ever seeing another!!!

*shudder*

The Dust Has Settled

2010-03-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

***Family blog updated!!

I don't know about you, but I have been eating up all the interviews that Jake and Vienna have done...Regis, Kimmel, Ellen... I watched and laughed and scoffed my way through them and....I guess it's okay. They are happy and I GUESS that's the point of the show. That doesn't mean she doesn't drive me completely insane, though!! It's her eyes or something. They're shifty.

I loved all the comments from the finale post. Thank you for watching and dishing with me! I can't wait for The Bachelorette to start, I seriously cannot wait! I think Allie will be fun to watch, and hopefully they have awesome guys on there, so help me. And...she better not choose a jerk in the end, UGH!!!!!!

So...I watched Molly and Jason's wedding. STOP JUDGING ME! I had to watch, it was like a train wreck! I loved all the fabulous details...especially the pouring rain! Holy moly, could you believe it? Why didn't someone run up there with an umbrella?? I was dying for them. Seriously, though, their reception was fabulous. I was a bit jealous!

So hopefully I will find motivation to blog before next season. I did make some changes to the house per your suggestions, I will post them soon!!!

Sigh.

2010-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

What can I say here? I am disappointed, but not surprised. I hate that the ending this season was totally ruined for me, that it was spoiled early and that I had to suffer through the inevitable. All I can really say is...boo. Boo on Jake for breaking Tenley's heart. Boo on Jake's family for not taking him by the shoulders and shaking some sense into him. Boo on the 'magical spark' that was missing between him and Tenley. Boo on having to see Vienna molest Jake with mud all over their bodies. Boo to the ridiculously cheesy 'On the Wings of Love' Jake/Vienna montage I gagged all the way through. Boo to watching them dance to the live performance (um, Mike's worst nightmare right there).

A few more key points: It breaks my heart how well Tenley fit into Jake's family, how much they loved her and she loved him, and how important it was to Jake's mom to have someone who would unify the women in their family.....and then he chose Vienna. I was laughing at how awkward Vienna's time with them was, and just how her immaturity flashed like a huge neon sign when you compared them side by side.

I have to ask myself what kind of woman Jake was truely looking for...didn't he call Vienna his pet or baby or something like that? I wonder if he was looking for someone to coddle or spoil....if so, he found his match!

Did anyone else think it was so random when Jake was announced for Dancing With the Stars? That was the only true surprise for me this whole night. I was seriously wondering how in the world they decided on that???

I know that some of you are not huge Alli fans, but I am looking forward to her season. I like watching her, she's cute and stylish and doesn't annoy me (although she can really whine), and hopefully she has awesome guys to choose from. I can't wait!!!

I really loved all the texts I received tonight during the finale. It was so much fun, I was laughing the entire show because it seemed I had an ongoing commentary from my friends even though they weren't with me. Loved it!!!

Soooo....what did you think?

Too Funny

2010-02-26T20:05:00.001-08:00

Okay, so Jimmy Kimmel was on the Ellen show today, and he made the funniest comments about the Bachelor. Apparently he is a huge fan as well. You can watch the portion of his interview HERE. Fast forward to 40 seconds in, and it kind of cuts into the middle of their conversation, he is talking about "If Jake chooses Vienna...

It's really funny to watch, but if you don't want to for some reason, this is what he said:

“If he picks Vienna, I’ll just say this, if he thinks that’s a good decision, I don’t want him flying my plane,” Jimmy told Ellen DeGeneres during an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” set to air on Friday.

“That’s not ‘Sully’ Sullenberger type decision making,” he continued, referring to pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who heroically landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan on January 15, 2009.

“She’s weird. She’s crazy,” Jimmy said of contestant Vienna Girardi. “I don’t know. I think Ali [was] the pick.”

You Know You're Classy If...

2010-02-22T19:18:00.002-08:00

...your name is NOT Rozyln.

Wow.

I mean, what can I say? I guess the point of this post is to say something, but really? Wow. I just could not believe, sentence after sentence, what a total classless person she is. Sad for her, she couldn't even come up with a good answer for anything she was asked, so she started answering questions with another question. The only thing I could kind of decipher from her was that apparently when she was being kicked off, she thought it was because she used the producer's cell phone. Is that what she was trying to say? She really botched it up, if so. It was really fabulous how she called everyone a liar and accused Chris of hitting on that guy's wife. Really, really, really classy.

Okay. Onto the other women.

Michelle is still completely and utterly crazy. She contradicted herself a few times and still believes apparently that she left because there was no spark- omitting from her mind, I guess that she threw a big fit when he did ask her to go. I am glad some of the women came to Elizabeth's defense when she threw out there 'I do not need a therapist.' Thank you, Velicia for backing Elizabeth up and telling Michelle that she is, indeed, unstable. Yikes.

Elizabeth won back some points for me when she admitted that even she was saying, "Boo Elizabeth" when she was watching her 'no kissing' crap. At least she can admit that she made the wrong move there.

Ally made me cry a little, I felt sad for her and I almost broke down when she mouthed 'hi' to Jake and they had their little chat. I really really wish she would have never left. I do hope she is the next Bachelorette...and since they didn't announce it tonight, hopefully they will on the Final Rose. It would have been weird to announce it tonight since the feelings are still so fresh with Jake. That is, IF she actually is the next one. I really have nothing to back myself up except a lot of hope.

Props to all the girls for feeling guilty for talking so much smack about Vienna. I was a little perplexed when Chris asked them for examples of why they all disliked her so much and only Ella came up with a very vague answer. I wish they would have given specifics, but it looks like no one really wanted to hold onto it anymore. Probably because they have all feel stupid because she has gone so far? Ally was especially nice about it, way to go Ally. Maybe she is trying to redeem herself so that everyone loves her and wants her to be the next Bachelorette? (wink!)

Not much else is sticking out in my mind right now. Gia was great, I feel bad for her but I am glad she learned so much about herself and will hopefully have a successful dating future. I would have liked to have heard from the other girls, like Corey, for example, who seemed to be totally forgotten about.... and a side note: I loved the out takes, I thought they were so funny.

Lastly, so when they were showing Jake with the final 2 girls, and he was talking about Vienna, and how he was hearing stuff about her from all the other girls, and then he finally said to himself that the way HE felt was the only thing that mattered....um.....HELLO, Jake. Were you not the one who crashed Jillian's love fest -after you had been sent packing- to warn her about Evil Wes? Talk about a double standard! That really, really rubs me the wrong way. From the preview of next week's episode, it looks like the fact that the other girls hated her rubs Jake's mom the wrong way, too. Go Jake's Mom! Tenley must prevail!!!

You know you'

2010-02-22T19:18:00.001-08:00

Family Blog Updated...

2010-02-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

I finally updated our family blog for those that read it! LINK HERE

Alli On Ellen

2010-02-16T18:16:00.001-08:00

Did you see Alli on Ellen today? She explains her job making her come back and also...it sounds like she very well could be the next Bachelorette. What do you think?

So, I loved all your comments on my post below. LOVE them. I seriously eat them up. So your synopsis for next week's episode, OH MY GOODNESS! I had to go back and watch after your comments and I was gasping! What is going to happen there??? EEK!!!

And Then There Were Two...

2010-02-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

Mucho sadness tonight.

It really devastated me tonight to see poor Gia get her heart crushed. I liked Gia more and more as time went on, and even after she was cut tonight, she continued to be very mature and sweet about the other girls. I wish Jake would have kept her and sent Vienna packing, but I guess that's why I am not in charge...I am just left to sit at home and yell at my tv while my husband wonders why he married such a scary woman. Just kidding, you know he is yelling right along with me.

We were yelling a lot when Alli called and begged for forgiveness. Really, Jake? You really like the other girls more? I know he was intimate with all the other girls and Alli missed out on that, but seriously. Come on. More yelling at the tv.

Okay, to be fair, I guess letting Alli come back would have kinda been a jerk move on his part. And I am pretty sure (hoping! fingers crossed!) that Alli has secured herself a spot as the next Bachelorette. Thoughts?

Tenley.

"My name is Tenley. I am twenty-five years old...I am divorced...and I live in a van down by the river."

(If you don't know what I am referring to, I don't even know what to say. Click HERE.)

Wait just a minute now. Are you telling me....are you saying that Tenley has been married before? Gasp!!!

Seriously, Tenley, it's time to stop. talking. about. your. ex. SERIOUSLY!!! Besides the ex-verbal vomit that kept spewing out of her, I think their date was nice. I like Tenley- she is really safe though. She is Jake's personality twin, and I think that could be a bad thing...like she doesn't really add much to the relationship. Don't get me wrong, I really really really don't want Jake to choose Vienna, but at this point, it wouldn't surprise me since Tenley is so vanilla.

Vienna, however, is totally immature, which apparently is a huge turn on to Jake. Um, whatever floats your boat, fella. The thing that made me the most crazy about their date was when she put on her little nighty. I felt like, wow, she couldn't have saved that for when the camera's weren't around? I really wonder sometimes if she is just looking for her moment in the spotlight. That's probably unfair of me, I am definitely still harboring ill feelings towards her from past weeks. But yeah, she drives me nuts. I am interested to see how Jake's family feels about her.

Women tell all next week- I was making candy during the previews so I missed a lot but I am sure it will be juicilicious. Looks like there is some dramatic footage from the Rozlyn scandal, YEAH!!!

A Painful Reminder

2010-02-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read THIS, you must. What a tragic thing that could happen to any of us. If you read her more recent posts, you can see that this family has TRULY seen a miracle.

Read it. It will change you.

An excerpt from her post:

"Please do not try to sugar-coat things for me.

I am responsible. I am the Mommy.

I should have been more attentive.

I should never have walked away from that tub.

I hope to forgive myself one day... Right now that feels impossible."

I cannot EVEN imagine.

Is it in the Cards????

2010-02-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

Allie.

Sweet, sweet Allie.

Why have you forsaken us? How could you leave when Jake was so desperately pleading for you to stay? Don't you know that you are going to regret your decision and try to come crawling back. Precious Allie, did you not learn anything from Jillian and Ed?

I am so sad right now. Yes, I heard the buzz (amongst other buzz) that Allie was going to leave this week, and yet I tried to keep my chin up and hope for the best. My heart was breaking when she actually said she had to leave. Even when I knew it was inevitable. Sigh.

So, with a moment of silence in my heart, I suppose I will move on to the other girls.

Gia- Her family seemed semi normal, her brother's hair was killing me, and Mike's commentary during her part of the dinner was the only thing really keeping me interested. She is so darling and yet she is so unsure of herself. I understand her plea to want to feel special, to stand out from the other girls. We all want to feel that way. I don't blame her for feeling insecure, but she must realize that she signed up for all this unsureity? I like her but I feel like her fears will be her weakness. She needs to let down her walls for real or she will be outa there.

Tenley- Why does the word 'ex' exist in every sentence that comes from her mouth? I get it, she is divorced from a total JERK...do we need to hear about him constantly? You know who is also divorced? Vienna. But we rarely hear her speak about it- only when it is really necessary. For example, when Tenley did her dance, did she have to point out that her ex never appreciated her dancing? No. Just dance and let Jake enjoy the awkwardness and let it be a moment between you (also enjoyed Mike's commentary during this time- what would I do without him?) Tenley's family seemed incredibly sweet and I still feel like they are a match made in heaven. They all seem to be teetering on a precariously thin sheet of hope for their precious Tenley, I wonder what will happen if she is in the bottom two, only to have her heart SQUASHED. I think if Jake is any kind of man, he would tell her BEFORE she expects to get proposed to. Or maybe she will be the one? That would make them all rejoice, I'm sure. I would be excited!!!

Vienna- Ughhhhh. Okay, question: From the way Vienna talks, were you not expecting a totally decked out mansion for her home? Were you not expecting expensive cars, and a million dollar lifestyle? I kinda was. Does she live at home still? Yack. Vienna mostly bugs me now just because Jake likes her so much and I feel like the other girls are so much BETTER for him. What is he seeing in her? It saddens me.

Okay, one side note about Allie...when she was talking about the wishes on the falling leaves, and he hopped up to shake the leaves...Oh. So. Cheesy.

Can't wait for the fantasy dates. And Allie's phone call. Just cannoooooooot wait.

Thoughts?

Another Wreath...

2010-02-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

*Family blog updated also. :)

Okay, it's official, I basically blog about Jake and Wreaths.... Hmmm.... Well, my sister was giving me an earful about how I don't share my projects with her, so here we go! I got the idea from my darling friend Nancy, and thought I would make one for my door. The results? Well, you be the judge.

So, first of all, I bought WAY too much felt- make sure you don't buy too much. I think one yard would have been plenty. I cut out a million circles but still had so much left over.

Fold them like so....

Start pinning them in in bunches.

Make sure you get the inside...

and the outside...

Okay, so ignore the felt bow holding it on the door- I was in a rush to share and did not have the cream ribbon I envisioned on hand. Other than that.......Hmmm. I am not sure. Everytime I drive away from our house I can't decide if it's festive or just an eyesore. What do you think? I added some sparkly hearts today but I am still not sure about it.

Ideas? Suggestions????

Crazy

2010-02-01T20:06:00.001-08:00

Why, Jake, Why????

I don't have much to write about tonight, but I want to hear what everyone else thinks.
I was so completely and utterly annoyed by Vienna and it did NOT help for me to hear Jake say that he had been holding back from her so that he could connect with the other women (insinuating that he would not be able to like the other girls if he concentrated on Vienna. Seriously? Really.) She is so immature compaired to the other girls. PLEASE let his eyes be opened on the hometown date. WHAT could he possibly be attracted to in her? Her spoiled-ness? Her whiney-ness? Her crazy facial expressions? Someone enlighten me.

Alli did better this week (after her tantrum during the prank Corrie pulled) but I felt like she couldn't look Jake in the eye when he asked her about Vienna. It was like she was lying through her teeth. I REALLY do like Alli, but I am not sure that I like her with Jake. What do you think? I think she would make a good next Bachelorette, of all the girls who are left, she is who I would want to watch. That is IF she doesn't go all the way this time.

Gia is also really moving up on my list. I like her a lot, I think she's sweet. However, I feel like they don't talk about much except for him reassuring her. I think that could hurt her in the end?

I still love Tenley and I want her to be 'THE ONE.' I feel like she is so perfect for him. Her laugh is like tinkling glass. Or water. Whatever. They snuck that elevator version of On the Wings of Love in her date, which was awesome, of course. Seriously, though, I think Tenley was made for him.
I was sad to see Corrie go, but it made sense. They didn't have much of a connection and she seemed really surfacy. That moment in the boat- SO awkward. I wasn't too attached to her but DANG it was hard to see her leave and Vienna stay. BLAH!

Didn't Jake mention before that he saw Red Flags with Vienna? Does he have Red Flags with ANY other girl? AGHHHHHH! It makes me CRAZY!!!!

Til next time. I was too busy to blog this week (editing an awesome maternity session!) but I actually have other things to blog this week (gasp!) so stay tuned. :)

Stupid Genius

2010-01-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

First I would like to say that it is truly sad when I haven't posted anything all week in between my Bachelor posts. I do have life outside the Bachelor. I promise.

Okay, now that I have my disclaimer out there, can I just say....I LOATHE VIENNA. Vienna, I was totally easy on you last week but now my eyes have been opened to just how awful you are. I was so annoyed at how much crap the girls talked about you (still kind of am) but HELLO. Ridiculous.

Alright. Back to the beginning. The girls went trecking across the California coast and drama ensued. Thankfully for everyone, Vienna and Alli were not in the same RV. Thank you, ABC.

Gia got the first one on one date with Jake and I really warmed up to her. She seemed so relatable, and I loved her stories about what a geek she was. I was laughing at their spin the bottle game, not only because it was unbelievably cheesy, but I thought it was funny that it was Jake's idea (especially after she had just finished telling him how her first kiss was the worst because it was during a spin the bottle game....ummmm....) I really liked Gia, though. I feel like if she came out on top (barring any crazy personality quirks that may surface later) I would be alright with it. Oh, and I have to mention the piano montage of 'On the Wings of Love' in the background of their date. Nice.

Next came the group date where Vienna was horrendous. "I want to be last." Is she two years old? Get over yourself!! We were cheering, jumping up and down when Jake informed her that she brings the torment from the other girls upon herself (that is where the 'genius' in my title comes in). I loved it. Sweet chastising.

Corrie became more outgoing and I liked her much more this week. I really could not stand her comedy routine last week. Give me Corrie ANY day over Vienna though. Seriously. I still don't see much spark between her and Jake, unfortunately. (Or fortunately?)

Tenley got some awesome one on one time and I feel like she is seriously MADE for Jake. Someone mentioned how bubbly she is all the time, and how she always sees the positive. That seems like the type of thing he would absolutely adore. She's my match. She's going all the way. ;)

Alli is Jake's new pick since all his girls got axed this week. I have to say, Alli needs to GET OVER her problems with Vienna. Yes, we all know Vienna is disgusting, Alli. Move on. Focus on your relationship with Jake!! Is she going to give him an ultimatum? A 'her or me' situation? I am absolutely DREADING her 'talking to' she is going to give him. Start spooning out the awkwardness now. UGH.

Lastly the Two on One. The beginning of the bloodbath of mass proportions. Mike's girl, Kathryn, AKA Jean Smith was totally burned when he sent her home when he totally could have given her a rose. Ella had already been sent packing...what would have been the harm? I feel like Kathryn wasn't given much of a chance. In Jake's defense, she REALLY needed to be more upbeat during her one on one time. Maybe her totally downer attitude had something to do with it?

Side note: We were cracking up at all the girls bawling their eyes out when both bags got taken away. Um, hello....you WANT people to leave. Did no one explain to them how this works???

Onto the cocktail party. Jessie (the girl with the dark hair, in case you didn't know who I was talking about.) pulled him aside at the cocktail party and gave him the truth (again) about Vienna. I really liked the story she told him, about the cars. It was a perfect example of a HUGE RED FLAG. (This is where the 'stupid' comes into play in my title). Why, oh why, oh why, did he not let Vienna go? He has been through this before with Wes. Where there is smoke, there's fire. Evil, evil fire. But he kept her, completely dissing Ashleigh and Jessie by having one of the roses removed. Ashleigh's reaction was actually pretty fair, I thought. I would have said the EXACT same thing. Vienna. Really? Spare me.

Vienna, I had your back last week but you are just TOO spoiled and self centered. I am seriously nervous about next week. She makes the stupid move by hopping into Jake's bed- he does NOT seem happy....but I am still scared that he is going to ax Corrie...or Alli will overstep her bounds with her 'talking to'...or any other thing that would keep Vienna around.

Ugh.

PS Was it interesting to anyone else to see the 'behind the scenes' stuff at the Rose Ceremony? I have always envisioned Chris Harrison lurking in the corner of the ceremonies, waiting to jump out and announce the 'final rose tonight', but apparently he is actually halfway across the house laughing and joking with the staff. Do they have to pause the show and round him up when it's time for him to announce that final rose? Also, I loved how the producers scurried out of the shot when Jake came walking out. Like, noooooo one else is here, we promise. Anyway.

On Cloud Jake

2010-01-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Oh my. Oh my.

As always, I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. Right? Okay.

So, Vienna was the lucky girl to get the first date with Jake. It was a magical day, full of panic and sweaty palms, and a bit of making out. Vienna seemed to be fairly normal on the date, besides constantly putting the moves on Jake...which is why it kind of surprised me that all the girls have all this hatred towards her. Why don't WE get to see the drama? Why don't WE get to see the gossip? The 'brutal honesty?' I seem to recall Wes having to relive all of the crazy crap he said to the other guys over and over again. So why aren't we allowed to see the 'real' Vienna? Hmmmm. Anyway, she gets a rose, and the girls get all hysterical over it. Come on, have they NEVER seen the Bachelor before? Seriously? Do they think she is out with him gossiping about everyone? Of course not. She has got GAME. I hate the line "If she is his type then I am soooo not." Ugh. Give me a break. Anyway. Vienna's in. I don't love her, but whatever. Until I see proof, I am just as clueless as Jake, I guess. I only saw her crying as she tried to apologize, apparently an empty apology. Again. Why don't we see what happened in the first place? Ugh.

Okay, moving on, the group date was next. The group date was full of laughter, tears, more tears, and some tears. The whole comedy club thing would have put me right over the edge, so I don't blame Ashley for feeling like she wanted to die rather than stand up in front of everyone, but did she really need to be such a baby about it? I mean, seriously, she followed MICHELLE. There could be no better person to follow. Then Corrie really surprised me with her bit about the other women. I guess people thought it was funny- I thought the thing with Vienna was really catty. Just my 2 cents. I am not team Vienna, I promise, I just think, come on, you are as bad as you are saying she is. Elizabeth apparently has the mouth of a sailor, and Tenley can fold herself up like a pretzel! Fun! Anyway, once the horrible, horrible awkwardness that was the comedy club ended, I finally came up for air from under my quilt and got to witness some of the most train-wreck moments I have ever seen. First, when Michelle decides to get all high and mighty with the girls and ends up- surprise!- crying and storming out. This is after Alli has chosen to use a piece of her alone time to warn Jake about what a horrible person Vienna is. Then Tenley chooses to reveal how she was once married and cheated on (so sad!) and....um....did I miss something, or was there no mention of pregnancy anywhere? Nice one, ABC. I watched their conversation twice, so someone tell me if I missed something. Then we see Michelle FINALLY get her oh so romantic make out moment with Jake! Angels were singing in her precious head until Jake DARED to remove his lips from hers. Luckily he called her bluff and sent her packing. Seriously, she is one special kind of nuts. But she's gone now. And that gave the other girls hope. Until he decided to give none of them a rose. BURN.

Finally Jake had his last one on one date with Ella. Now, Ella really rubbed me the wrong way the first night....but tonight...wow. I wanted to throw my arms around her and bawl when her son came running up behind her. Okay, I am not afraid to admit that I cried a little. And you know what? It REALLY made me love Jake how excited he was to surprise her. He was absolutely giddy. I liked it. He was so good with that little boy. Now that he has met her son, I feel like he owes it to her to marry her. Okay, maybe not. Maybe a little. No, no, I like Alli.

(By the way, I had heard through the grapevine that Ella was NOT going to get a rose tonight, so it looks like those spoiler sites aren't always right, people. Take that. )

Okay, so the cocktail party was full of some fabulous drama in itself. Elizabeth got called out for her completely blatant teasing, and she was somehow completely shocked by such an accusation. Um, okay. Really, Elizabeth? Really? She tried to laugh and charm her way through it, but then when she realized that he was actually trying to have an adult conversation with her, she started grasping for straws. Somehow she didn't get that the kiss wasn't what mattered, it was how she was trying to hold something over his head that did. Ohhh Elizabeth. So pretty.

At this point, Vienna has the audacity to steal Jake away so she can, oh, I don't know defend herself against all the crap that every girl has talked about her behind her back to Jake! I love how this ruffles everyone's feathers so badly, but you know what? Just because she has a rose does not mean she can't go try to clear her name after they openly admitted how much they had said about her to Jake. I know, once again, I sound like I am team Vienna, well, it's not HER so much as the situation. Grrrrrrrr.

Finally after a tad more drama, the Rose Ceremony finally arrives. Not a moment too soon for me, I am excited to whittle these numbers down, baby! Sadly, Elizabeth and Valisha (who? huh?) are both let go. You know what, Elizabeth will be fine. She can get a date any day of the week. No need to cry.

I think Gia deserves an award this week for holding herself together when she was (gasp!) not chosen for a date, and for trying to keep the peace and be nice. I like her a lot more now.

I still like Alli, but CHILL OUT sweetheart!

Scenes from next week look juicy. Burning a rose.....not giving out 2 more....what drama will unfold????

Spare a Suggestion?

2010-01-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Confession. We moved in a year ago and I have never fully decorated. Ummm...never even come close. Before you judge too harshly, please understand that as soon as we moved in I was asked to do a HUGE project with the Downs Syndrome Association, and then photography clients kept pouring in from there. A WONDERFUL blessing, but not for my poor, empty walls.

So now I am turning to you. Yes, I am taking advantage of all the Bachelor blog readers I have to please brainstorm and see how I can fill these gorgeous blue walls.

DISCLAIMER: I recently took down all the Christmas decorations except the wreath over my mirror. So any decoration you see just sitting around doesn't really belong there, I just happened to set it there when I was brainstorming what to put where. We just BARELY got that entry table last weekend, so ditto for the things sitting on it. That is not normally where they go.

Also, do you hate the mirror? It was the only thing I bought as far as decor goes, I thought, Ooo I really like it when people lean mirrors on their mantles....anyway. Be honest. I can take it.

Disclaimer #2. We are in a townhouse and so my spaces are pretty squished. It has been tough decorating here because we aren't planning to stay more than a few years, so everything I buy needs to fit into our future house, too.

This is the entry way. Note the table and few accessories I was 'feeling out' for the space. There is a tall empty wall up from it and to the left is an empty wall twice the size as the wall the table is on.

This is the staircase, I am thinking of a picture collage up the wall and the one looking directly ahead???

Behind our couch I had to stick this little cubby/table to hold my cookboooks, craft items, playdough, coloring books, etc. You have to improvise when you are in a tiny space.

Ughhhhhhh. My least favorite view of the house. Whoever built this house was on crack. Seriously, he is bankrupt now because he made so many idiotic decisions. Anyway, one was the placement of the far right window DIRECTLY against the fireplace...and then putting another window on the far left wall (JUST out of view of this picture, you can see it in the one above). There is no place to put a sofa and only a tiny place for the tv. We are planning to replace this one with a nicer one but for now this will have to do.

Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!!! If you have lots to say, you can email me. joyouswilliams at gmail.

JAW DROP

2010-01-13T12:08:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness!!!!! Click HERE to see watch this trailer on ABC's site.

Family Blog Update AND No Spoilers!

2010-01-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

First, I wanted to inform my family blog readers that I FINALLY updated. Sheesh.

Secondly, I was just informed that you can go to a certain site and basically read how every episode of the Bachelor is going to go, who gets eliminated, and how it ends. If you want to go to it, more power to you! I am just reminding you, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW! Please don't tell me or post about it, it ruins the fun. If you want the link to the spoiler, I can give it to you. I have not read anything but the part about Rozlyn (there was a BIG warning before the spoiler, so I stopped before I read it.) It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tempting, though!!! :D

Care for Some Drama with that Cheez?

2010-01-11T20:38:00.001-08:00

Oh! Oh!! Ohhhhh my goodness! My jaw hurts from being on the floor so many times. I don't even know where to begin here! So much drama! So much to discuss!

Okay, I suppose a good place to start would be the first date. I will go in chronicological order and if I miss anything important, PLEASE jump in and add your thoughts!!! (Well, I want to hear them anyway, of course!) This episode was just so packed with stuff that I very well might miss something important.

Alright, back to the first date. Poor Christina was so nervous for her moment in the sun, I felt like, in that short period when Jake came out and danced with her, and then she talked so tenderly about him...I thought, "Wow, if I hadn't seen her be such a brat on the first episode, I probably would have liked her from what she is showing right now..." That lasted about two seconds, since she decided to drink every ounce of alcohol she could get her paws on. I was SO humiliated for her in her one-on-one time. I am convinced that is why he cut her, because she was so drunk during their alone time....

How did you feel about Ashleigh's 'Miss America' bikini walk? I wish they would have shown more conversation between the two of them. I want to know if they are building a connection or not. Then evil Rozlyn (who was rocking that devil red bikini) came and stole him away and then attacked his face in a completely unnatural, awkward way. Apparently he digs girls who make out with him awkwardly, though, because he gave her the rose (just like he gave Tenley the rose on the first night when SHE made out with him.) Boo, Jake. Don't you know she is the DEVIL?

Meanwhile, a date box appears back at the house, where the totally delusional Michelle feels that she can throw the necklace on to earn the next one on one date. Thankfully, we did not have to endure any long period of time watching Michelle. Instead, the date went to Ali, who cried darling tears of happiness when her name appeared on the date card. She is such a sweetie!

I admit it...I ate their date up. I put it in a bowl, poured sprinkles and whipped cream on it, and ate it all UP! I really adore her and Jake together. Oh, didn't you just get goosebumps when 'On the Wings of Love' started playing when they were in the airplane? (In Ali's words: "I think I just threw up in my stomach." Hmmmmmm.....) I seriously did love them dancing to Chicago, though, and he said he had never felt a connection like that before. Sigh....

The last date card arrives and Psychopath Michelle has a tantrum and runs to pack her bags, jumps all over the girls when they try to comfort her. She even accuses ROZLYN of lying! Can you believe it? Rozlyn? A liar? Pshhhhhhhhhhhh. Tenley remains composed, and, I am starting to see her more and more with Jake (behind Ali) because she is just so positive and nice. She isn't my favorite, but for him....it could work.

The final date is the group date to Six Flags where my Pick, Elizabeth, turns into a complete freak of nature. WHAT the heck. Seriously, Elizabeth? Seriously. I buried my head in my hands and shook as she read her awkward 'note' about not kissing him. So awkward. I would have liked it a lot more if later she would have just maybe mentioned it, once. Nope, she goes on to rub it into him all night. "See those fireworks? Do you want to kiss me? TOO BAD!" "I'm such a good kisser..." It's like, you made your point, he STILL chose you, MOVE on! I am shaking my head at Elizabeth. With shame.

Cocktail party time, and the truth. comes. out. Rozlyn is a BUSTED! I was annoyed by how little details were given, and even more annoyed when I read this: Rozlyn Bashes the Bachelor What is the true story here? I wonder if we will ever know... Regardless, Jake's whole world is rocked, but somehow he picks himself up from his pit of despair and makes it to another rose ceremony, where he eliminates Christina and Ashley. Phew, I was worried he might cut the incredibly unstable Michelle! Good think we can look forward to her split personality for at least another week....

Okay, so here comes the good part! The scenes from next week! Mike and I watched them carefully, and repeatedly. We concluded some things from them, so if you DO NOT WANT ANYTHING (possibly) SPOILED, then don't read on. Are you really strong enough to stop reading, though? Really?

Okay, so here's the deal. They show Vienna's bungee jumping date with Jake, and she is wearing the same tank top as the girl in the clip they show of a girl rolling out her pink luggage...as if she is leaving. WE think that they are just showing her rolling her luggage out because of that chance that he would not give her a rose...they always have to be packed and ready to go, you know what I mean? So, I think the person who actually leaves (when Jake says, "We don't need a Rose Ceremony, I think you SHOULD go") is not the girl (Vienna) they show rolling out the suitcases. Obviously Vienna stays because she goes back to the house and brags about her date too much. Elizabeth is shown storming away, though. Is it possible she is on her way out? Mike thinks that would be TOO much foreshadowing... Also, we noticed that the shirt Jake is wearing when he says that line I just quoted above, is the same shirt he is wearing on the group date he has with all the women in the next episode. Elizabeth is in that group. Michelle is, too, but it shows him kissing her in the preview for the next show....

Thoughts? Let me know! Oh, and I will leave you with a little something awesome....

On the Wings of Love

2010-01-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

*Thank you for all the nice words for our friends. We continue to pray for their family that they might have some comfort during this terrible tragedy.

Before I jump into my Bachelor blogging, let me first share with you something that most of my friends and know, and now you will be privy to know: I HATE awkward situations. Give me almost any other uncomfortable emotion over awkwardness any day. PLEASE! I just don't handle it well...which is probably why I spent half of last night's episode with my face buried in

our throw pillows. Awkwardness! Everywhere!!

So let's discuss Jake first, shall we?

Um, did he hop out of a Brady Bunch episode and onto that 'edgy' motorcycle of his? Using words like 'Dynamite' to describe the stewardess outfit...what happened to the word 'sexy' or even good old 'hot', Jake?

He is a good boy, through and through, and I respect that about him, but WOW that man is Cheesalicious. Cute, but full of CHEESE. It was so funny to see how he reacted to the 'forward' girls, you could see the discomfort just leeching from him. I guess I find him half endearing, half annoying.

As the episode got going, Mike and I started to sort through which of the women would be our 'picks' and which would be the 'dark horse' picks. As the Rose Ceremony got closer, however, we knew that this would be no ordinary season. The cheese factor resonating in the room was just too high to ignore. So, we decided to make a special change to our picks. This season, we chose our usual 'Pick to Win' and instead of the Dark Horse, we chose 'Best Cheesy Fit'. We found that the 'normal' girls that we liked were not necessarily cheesy enough for him. So, that is how we decided to resolve the issue.

Without further ado, our Picks for The Bachelor, On the Wings of Love:

Joy's Pick:

Elizabeth. Love her. She is down to earth, has amazing values, and yet manages to be a normal, non-goofy person. And, as a side note, she looks like my friend, Hillary. That's a bonus.

Joy's Cheesy Match:

Tenley. Oh my goodness. Could a girl who has played a Disney Princess half her life be ANY more perfect for Jake? I think not. Her tinkling voice made is to easy for me to envision her as Ariel, hugging millions of Disneyworld-going children everywhere. She completes him.

Mike's Picks:

Ashleigh. I admit that she had me wondering if she faked her fall or not at the beginning, but after a carefully watched replay, I think it was sincere. It made her memorable, and she IS adorable, so I think that this was a good choice for Mike.

Mike's Cheesy Pick:

Kathryn. Now, she isn't nearly as cheesy as Tenley, but still- the cheesy factor is there, therefore I allowed this pick. (haha) She is a flight attendant, so it's possible they could be perfect together. Maybe they could open their own private airline service together. Wouldn't that be CUUUUUTE? Also, another side note about Kathryn...while she looks a little crazy in this picture, in real life she is cute, and a good mix of my friend Jean and a bit of Meredith from Grey's anatomy. Yes? No? Anyone?

Now, there was one woman who stood out to both of us. She was my favorite from before the show started (looking at pictures online), and soon became a favorite for Mike, too.

Ali. So, I guess Ali isn't an official pick for either of us, but we both agree that we think she will go far. She is cute, real, and looks like the girl next door. Right?

Now, onto the rest of the women. I am going to skip all the women who got eliminated EXCEPT one.

Kimberly. I really liked her, and maybe it's because she reminded me of one of my friends (apparently I am forming weird emotional attachments to the girls who look like someone I know) or if it's because she just seemed so down to earth, sweet, and wholesome, JUST what he was looking for? I don't know, but I was sad to see her leave.

Okay, onto the rest:

Vienna. Yes he really kept her. In her 'hometown interview' it was like she was channeling Erica Rose cirque Bachelor Prince Lorenzo. Totally high maintenance and spoiled like crazy. Unlike Erica, she managed to not let out the fact that daddy buys her everything she ever hopes for and more slip in front of Jake. Nice play, Vienna.

Gia. Unfortunately for Gia, Jake didn't send all the rest of the girls home when he saw her (as per her fantasy) but judging from the upcoming scenes from the season, she makes it FAR. I think that Jake has probably never had such a worldly woman interested in him, which is perhaps why he is so intrigued with her. Maybe. I don't know. I'm not seeing it.

Ella. Momma Ella made it through, even with her completely PSYCHO references to their future together. I found her to be totally pushy and off-putting, I seriously have no idea why he kept her around AND it also looks like she makes it pretty far, too. I hope she starts growing on me if I have to continually watch her from week to week.

Christina. Well, how could you help but not love this chick? She's fabulous.

I'm not serious, of course. I cannot handle snotty attitudes and girls who are defined by being mean. Did she come up with the Jelly Bean parting gifts while she was drunk with all her guy friends? Probably. It went over SO well. BLAH. Go home.

Ashley. Okay, this girl, I actually DO like, for real. Don't get me wrong, her stewardess stunt was incredibly weird, but other than that, I think she is a good egg. Mike almost chose her as his Cheesy pick, but she got elbowed out of that spot at the last minute.

Rozlyn. Dum, dum, duuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm...... It seems that Rozlyn is sure to be the cause of lots of heartache, drama, and tears this season. She is beautiful, I think she's around for the same reason Gia is, he has never been able to get a chance with such a woman. But apparently she is super naughty and goes home (or so I am guessing from the previews. And by the way, I noticed that my pick, Elizabeth, was not shown in the midst of all those crying girls. So she probably gets sent home. BOO!)

Michelle. Ummm. Wow. Words cannot describe this girl's level of crazy. My jaw was touching the floor pretty much every time she opened her mouth. I cannot believe he kept her!! Someone should have told him to send her home! STAT!

Oh wait! Someone did. Jillian and Ed. Aren't you glad they were there to save the day? I was laughing so hard when they were interviewing Michelle, they were so visibly uncomfortable by her. I can't blame them, though. She is NUTS. Hey, guys, sorry Jake didn't take your important piece of advice. Good thing you were there, huh?

So the last three girls are not big characters at this point in the game, but worth mentioning anyway.

Valisha. When he picked her, I was like, who? She seems nice enough but did she get any camera time? (Sign of a dark horse. IF we were picking dark horses. Which we aren't.)

Jessie. Again, not much happened with her. She got a bit of face time, but I never really saw them have any chemistry together.

Corrie. I think Corrie's cute. Mike doesn't. She seems nice and really like she would be his type. I am interested to see how things develop with her and Jake.

So that wraps it up with the women. The upcoming scenes from the season sucked me in or else I don't know if I could really handle the completely awkward, goofy, cheesiness that is oozing from this season. I am excited to hear what naughty thing Rozlyn has done, excited to see Jake freak out and kick the lights as he storms out of the interview...Excited to see who he ends up picking!! Do you think he is going to pick someone who is truly a good match for him? Or do you think he will pick someone like Gia who is normally his 'out of reach' type of girl? I am SO interested in everyone else's opinions, so please dish!!

Remember, I do not read spoilers, the only thing I use to make my predictions are what they show us on the show. Please no spoilers! Thanks!

Heartbroken

2010-01-04T20:49:00.001-08:00

I got online to blog about the Bachelor, wow, I have a lot to say about it.

But as I logged on, I got some heartbreaking news about our friends who lost their little boy tonight. So, I am going to save my blogging for tomorrow. Please keep our friends, The Sherwoods, in your prayers. This is the second child they have lost to an untimely death. They have strength that I cannot even begin to imagine. We love you, Sherwoods!

Tomorrow Night.

2010-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Join me, won't you?

Werewolf New Year

2010-01-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Hopefully you all had a wonderful New Years Eve celebration. I spent my evening with a bunch of the youth from our church, because I am a leader for our Young Women's program. I was sad to spend the night away from Mike, but it ended up being a super fun time. (sorry Mike!) We had a chocolate fountain and played some cool games, including a game called Werewolves of Miller Hollow.

It was SO much fun...fun enough that I am blogging about it. :) It is a lot like the game Mafia, but with a few twists thrown in that are absolutely genius. I would definitely recommend getting this game for your next game night. You need kind of a large group to make it really fun, I would say at least 10 people or so, because of all the extra roles they have created.
And, on the Werewolf subject, I wanted to blog quickly about New Moon. I know, I am way behind the times writing about it, but I was so crazy during the time that I saw it (twice). Anyway, my sister wrote a genius blog post about it which I am going to copy and paste here since I don't think I could have written it any better. :)

Twilight Opening Weekend was a blast.......we were almost first in line to see New Moon while my sister was in town, and it was worth every minute.

I couldn't wait to see my main squeeze....

In case you can't tell, my sister (That's Me!) likes her men, Feisty, Fanged and Furry. (YES SIR!)

Now....I liked my men Pale, Fanged and Sparkly....until...... this..........came..........on.........

Hold on, back up.......EDWARD WHO??!!!!!!!

Now I know that everyone is saying how strange it is how excited grown women are going over one particular character in Twilight....but you look at this and tell me what NORMAL woman does NOT go crazy? Hello?!? He is a freak of nature! And I look at it this way......Jacob is to woman as Football is to MEN....particularly my husband. OK? OK!!!!!!!???????

Yes, every single one of you have to admit you are drooling just a little.

Except my mom who rolled her eyes at us every time we "oooooh-ed and aaaahhhh-ed!" And my husband, maybe he's not drooling.

How many of you have switched teams NOW?

Death By Chocolate

2009-12-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

*Blog update on my family blog, also.

This year I decided that I would actually bake something from all the food blogs I religiously stalk ( http://www.ourbestbites.com/, http://picky-palate.com/ are two of my FAV'S!) and make a truly delicious treat for my neighbor gifts. Delicious, but easy. I finally decided on these little beauties:

http://picky-palate.com/2009/12/03/festive-candy-cane-kiss-centered-brownie-bites/

(Photo from www.pickypalate.com)

So, I set off on my culinary journey and decided to take pictures along the way since, you know, I like pictures and all...(disclaimer, I am NOT a food photographer and it SHOWS!)

I started off by making brownies- from a box, and unwrapping half a million peppermint hershey kisses. I HEAVILY greased the pan as per the recipe instructions, and then shoved a kiss into the middle. See the before, and the beautiful after:

They puffed up so nicely over the kisses, I was really excited!!! Lovely, right? Sigh....

Except...Oh. Wait a minute. No.

NO!

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fast forward 2 hours and a trip to the store for more ingredients INCLUDING mini cupcake holders, and we are back in business. Another batch of adorable brownies? Check.

Next, pop some chocolate chips along with some half and half in the microwave and......DARN IT!

Okay, well, let's improvise the 'joy' way and do it on the stove. ahhhh. Much better.

Ooooo they are coming together and looking really yummy!

Crush some candy canes and.....I had to run outside quickly and grab one in natural light before the sun went down...

A snap of the chaos as we are preparing all the plates...

....and finally a quick snap of the finished product as husband gives me the 'let's go' stink eye from the door.

Concensus: These actually ended up tasting DIVINE and were not too much work once I figured out I needed cupcake wrappers. The problem with not having wrappers was that the kisses would sink down and stick to the bottom of the pan. Otherwise, a pretty painless recipe. I could look at Our Best Bites and Picky Palate for a month straight, I am excited to try more recipes!!

Personal Message from Santa

2009-12-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so a friend of mine clued me in to this site: MESSAGE FROM SANTA, you go to the link and fill out some info about your child, and then it will give you another link so that your child can 'call' santa, like a webcam chat. Santa knows your child's name, what he/she wants for Christmas, specific things he/she has done this year....I did it with our 3 year old and her eyes were as large as saucers, she was so mystified! It made me want to bawl my head off, truthfully, seeing her believe so much in the magic of Santa. It really is worth the 2 minutes it takes to do this. I am going to have her watch it again and get her reactions on video, they were so sweet!!! Anyway, hope you are all having a happy Christmas season! Our family was hit with the stomach flu, but hey, at least we will be healthy next weekend, right? ;)

My Newfound Hobby

2009-12-18T19:17:00.001-08:00

It seems I start off every blog post with some sort of excuse why I have been so neglectful of my blog, and truthfully, on top of being completely and utterly swamped with Christmas card orders, I am also a little slow to write over here (I have another private family blog). I can see that people are checking, though, so never fear...HERE I am! I have lots of posts in mind so I promise I will be better. Plus, you know what is happening on January 4th, right? RIGHT? That's right, my friends, Jake will be back, armed with roses, ready to break some hearts. I cannot wait for it, and I hope that commenters will come out of their hiding places because I love a good Bachelor discussion!!!

Okay, enough of that. I am sure that you see the title of this blog and think, "ANOTHER hobby, Joy, are you kidding me?" Yes, I tend to overwhelm myself by trying to learn everything (still on the list: sewing and cake making/decorating) but this one isn't too time consuming...
So, here it is: I have found a lot of joy in making my own wreaths this year. Hobby Lobby has great sales on all of their wreath/decor embellishments every season...So I just buy a base wreath and stand in the aisle assembling my dream wreath while my children run a muck around my feet. They have turned out beautifully, I would HIGHLY recommend it! And they cost around the same price as pre-made wreaths cost, or a wreath at Target. I wish I had a picture of the wreath I made for the fall, but it is already in storage. I thought I would snap a quick one of my Christmas wreath, though, because I love it so. I took my warm little tush out into the FREEZING cold and snap snap snapped my poor frozen camera, so sorry the pictures are not the greatest.

So here it is:

My favorite part:

Thanks for letting me share!

She's Two!!

2009-12-04T10:37:00.001-08:00

Just blogged on our FAMILY BLOG

One Month

2009-12-04T07:30:00.001-08:00

Well, here I am posting one month later. My blog is still Thanksgiving-a-fied and it looks as though it will be staying that way for a week or so longer. I have been up to my ears with sessions (www.joyalicephotography.com) and we also took a two week vacation to Utah (where I did more sessions)!!! With the holiday rush, I have had no time to blog. I am crossing my fingers that by next week I will have all my sessions finished, all my Christmas cards ordered, and have nothing but free time. And sleep.

Anyway........I wanted to take a moment and post about something- I get an email almost every day from up and coming photographers who are just starting out. I saw a post on a photography forum that I really liked and it really opened my eyes to pricing. So often I see photographers charging $50 for a session and disk (this ASTOUNDS me) so I hope this sheds some light on what a session REALLY costs. This is not the 'why does photography cost so much' article that has been circulating. This is FOR photographers, really laying out what it costs to have a biz. Hopefully it is helpful to newbies out there!

http://blog.snapfactory.com/?p=710

Digiscrap Day

2009-11-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday is national Digiscrap Day, but Scrapartist is starting their celebrations early! If you head over there they are having some wicked sales. Head on over and click on each designers name individually to see all the awesome deals they have.

Also, it is Dollar Wednesday at Little Dreamer!

I have had a few people email me about my Scrapbook Blog- I made it private a few weeks ago- I felt that there was too much information about my kiddos on there and I didn't have time to blur it out. I don't know WHAT to do about that blog- I guess just keep it private since I don't want the public to have access to pictures of my kids. Or I guess I could just start posting pages on our family blog...

Anyway, all those links that were on my Scrap blog are now on the sidebar to the right on THIS blog!! So......happy scrapping!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Tooth Fairy would like you to remember.... All that candy will rot your teeth out!

Family Blog Update

2009-10-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

f you read my family blog...it's 'buzzing!' Go check it out: HERE

Happy Pills

2009-10-21T10:12:00.001-07:00

Today I was telling (read: complaining to) some friends about how I have been on my last nerve with my kids these past few days. It has just been one of those weeks, you know? Where your oldest breaks into hysterical tears whenever things don't go her way, and your youngest keeps doing naughty things like painting herself with pudding, coloring on the couch with marker, and taking off her diaper in the middle of the night. On top of that, Mike has been traveling a ton this month (thank goodness it is coming to an end today!) and that always makes things tougher when I am facing it all alone.
Anyway, in our conversation I mentioned that I could use some happy pills today. Jokingly, of course. ;) Well, awhile later there was a knock at my door and my friend was standing there. "Here are some 'happy pills' for you, she said, and then handed me this:

This was the little tag she had on them. My kids destroyed the original packaging in two seconds. Happy!

Ahhhhhhhhh. Thanks friend. I feel better already. :)

Girl's Trip

2009-10-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

*If you read my family blog, I have updated it as well.

Last month I was able to sneak away on an awesome girl's overnight trip with some of my friends in the Midwest. It was a MUCH needed break and girl time!

We met in Cincinnati, I had never been before and I LOVED it! Up until it started storming and the tornado warnings came out, haha. Seriously, though, it's beautiful! We stayed by an awesome mall and I had serious mall envy. I have to admit that was one of the hardest things about moving away from a big city to a tiny town- the shopping! We had lunch at Cheesecake Factory, it was so delicious. Oh, how I have missed Cheesecake Factory!!

Anyway, we didn't take a ton of pictures but we did sneak in a few. We went to dinner at the famous Montgomery Inn on the river. They are known for their ribs, so of course I had to get some. They were delicious! We also had their chips and barbecue sauce appetizer, it was SO yummy.

The girls at dinner.

This is me sporting my awesome rib bib.

The next morning we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I had never been to Cracker Barrel and I was amazed at how much food we got. We had to take a picture to document my first time there.

Here is the picture again, with captions of just MY meal. Wow, right?

So basically, we ate a truckload and shopped. It was heavenly! Thanks for the fun weekend, girls!

Coming in 2010.....

2009-10-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

JAKE!!!

Read all about it here: http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/10/14/and-the-new-bachelor-is…-jake/?-jake/?xid=rss-topheadlines

Thanks to Anne Marie for giving me the heads up. :)

Fall Steals!

2009-10-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

If you are a digi scrapper- which I still consider myself to be, even though it's probably been a year since I have scrapped ANYTHING- you will appreciate these awesome deals at Little Dreamer's today. Some fun holiday kits for $1!!!

Click HERE for the Link

These are SOOOOOOOO fun! If you don't subscribe to Little Dreamer's emails, you should. I only get 2 emails a week, and they are always announcing specials and discounts. Love it! I am very picky about my scrapbook supplies, I think there are way too many cheesy ones out there. Sometimes looking at digiscrap supplies makes me ill because of the horrible, graphic-y, clip-art-y, cheesyness out there. Thankfully there are designers out there like Little Dreamer, Scrapartist, and a few others that have awesome stuff!!

Boo!

2009-10-04T20:49:00.001-07:00

Oh my. I have been MIA again. Let me just level with you (and myself) and admit that I am crazy, insane busy this month. September and October are crazy photography months, but on top of that I have had a huge rush of newborns that were due all at once, so I have been squeezing them into my already insane weeks. Therefore, my blogs (well, all except my photography blog) suffer. They suffer a horrible, horrible lack of attention from moi.

I don't feel TOO bad because I don't think I have a lot of readers, but then I check my stats and see that people are still checking in, and, well, that fills my heart with happiness and guilt all at once.

So let's gab a bit about my favorite thing (besides people and my camera):

HALLOWEEN!!!

I am SO excited for Halloween this year! We got out the decorations last week and I have been burning my favorite (discontinued) Toasted Apple Butter brick by Scentsy. YUM. (I don't sell Scentsy by the way. I just really like their stuff.) My girls are super excited to go trick or treating this year, it's all they can talk about!!!

There is just one problem.

I have NO CLUE what their costumes should be! Any helpful ideas would be appreciated. If you are a reader of my family blog, hop over there and see the newest post about it. I am struggling to come up with something that won't take OODLES of my time, but is also unique (I have issues dressing my girls in store bought costumes. I know, I have problems.)

Thanks in advance!

Twilight-esque?

2009-09-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not the Bachelor, but it is quite entertaining. The Vampire Diaries on CW has already got me sucked in. It's a brand new show and there have only been 2 episodes so far. You can hop online and watch the first two and then you will be all caught up. The CW knows what's up...riding the coat tails of Twilight while there is still so much hype. I like it.

There is a bit of implied teen promiscuity, but my eyes haven't burned so far.

Bella, um, I mean Elana has fallen for good Vamp:

Stefan is just trying to live a normal life, guys.
Bad Vamp brother Damon is trying to ruin it for him, though.
Hmmm.....this looks familiar......

Check it out...see what you think. Warning- so far the intros are always kinda blood-filled.

It's my blog and I'll write what I want to...

2009-09-21T11:25:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is a heavier post, and I promise I will be back soon to post about something uplifting!!!
I just need to write about something that has been on my mind. You all know that I went private awhile back and only keep this blog open to talk about things that don't have to do with my children's lives or you know, to dish about the Bachelor! So, you can guess that I am a bit protective about my children's info, and how it is being put out there.

I feel like I always sound like the blogging police over here on this public blog of mine, but I can't help it. I guess once you have been violated through the blog world, you just can't shake that sense of wanting to protect people from going through the same thing. Anyway, I want to share something that I have not been able to stop thinking about today.

Recently a good friend of mine had another girl in her neighborhood write a blog about her own child's innocence and questions about the differences in boys and girls. I am not a prude, I think these stories are as cute as the next person, but in the story she mentioned my friend's little boy, by name, talking about his genitals. Well, a couple posts down, she has pictures of this little boy, with his name in the caption. And down from that, a very detailed paragraph about my friend's daughter, also using her name.

There is a lot of information about herself and her children, their location, where they spend their days, etc. on this blog. She also does giveaways to bring in more traffic to her online store. Basically, people from all over are checking out this blog. NOT a situation I would be comfortable with. Neither was my friend.

So, my friend very politely emailed her and asked her to remove his name. Later that day the names were changed, but at the bottom there was a snarky remark saying she had changed the names, 'not to protect the children who wouldn't care since they are toddlers, but the parent's privacy.'

Ummmmmm.............talk about missing the point. Which brings me to my point! While most 'too much sharing about someone else's child' happens in total innocence, there is also a feeling of 'it's my blog, I'll write what I want' when it comes to blogging. People have to remember that it is not their place to put information about anyone other than themselves on the net. Especially if you are soliciting strangers to come and read it. It isn't hard to say to another parent, "Hey, I got some cute pictures at so and so's birthday party, do you mind if I put them on my blog?" or "You won't believe what xxx said about xxx the other day, I want to write about it on my blog, is that alright with you?" Even in my business I have to get releases to post pictures of children on my blog so I don't get sued. Yep, sued.

I really don't want to come off as the almighty-child-protecting-blog-police-momma, (because I am SO not!) I just want to make my readers aware that care needs to be taken when blogging...and, even if you are careful about your children's information, other people may not be.

Thank you for letting me get this off my chest. I know I sound like a broken record with this blog safety thing!!

Anyone know when the next Bachelor starts up??? ;)

My Babies

2009-09-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Have a look at my oldest baby. Isn't she sweet?
(photos removed)

Now take a look at my newest baby. Beautiful, right??

(photos removed)

(youngest baby was sleeping. :) )

If you can't reach me....it's because I am honeymooning with my newest love.

Shoo Fly.

2009-09-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from vacation to a house SWARMING with fruit flies. I don't know where the little nuisances came from or even bred while we were away, since I was SOOOO careful to throw all the food out and take out all the garbage...but alas, they are all over the place.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

So I did some asking around and found out that you can lure them to their death by drowning them in vinegar. You put vinegar in a jar, place foil with holes tightly over the top, and when they come to investigate, they drown.

Well APARENTLY no one informed the fruit flies in our household that this is the plan. They have been hanging out on top of the foil, having a little party and laughing at me.

I hate them. I really do.

So, I came up with a plan- a genius plan. I found a different way to trap them.

Pretty crafty, right? They fly up in there and then I trap them and take them waaaaaaaay outside and release them. I would like to squish them all but I really can't.

I took this after I emptied it once- there are a few in there and some that actually drowned. Mission accomplished.

Pray for me that they all fall for my genius trap. I am so creeped out by these things I can hardly stand it.

Here Comes the Anxiety Attack.

2009-08-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Okay so nothing gives me the creeps more than to look out my window at noon and see this:

I would just like to point out that the sun was actually shining on my house. I was priviliged enough to look out my window just in time to watch the horrendous storm overtake us.

It didn't help that I had watched The Day After Tomorrow the night before. I think that movie scares me more than any slasher movie ever could. I have this wierd phobia of things being submerged unnaturally. Like cities covered in water scare the pants off me. Think about it for awhile, the creepiness will come to you.

Anyway, I just thought I would share what a loud thunder, lightening, and hail filled storm looks like when it's approaching.

ALSO! I updated our family blog. I have been bad about posting it over here. Head on over if you like. :)

Brownie Bites

2009-08-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

I know I am not so good at posting now that I don't have my weekly fix. I have had a lot of requests for more info about those brownie bites, so I prepared a post for you. WARNING! I am not a food photographer- not even close. So bare with me!!

This recipe found HERE.

Brownie cups with Pretzel Crumble, Caramel and Milk Chocolate

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg and butter until smooth.

In

Scoop batter 2/3rds full into a muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray.

Pretzel crumble

1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup crushed pretzels

Scoop 1 tablespoon pretzel crumble on top of brownie batter. Pat down lightly.

NOTE: I made about 3 times as much as this recipe calls for as far as the pretzel crumble goes. I generously patted it onto the top, so it was about 1/3 pretzel, 2/3 cake mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set.

1/3 bag of caramels- melt in a saucepan until creamy.

NOTE: I added LOTS of sweetened condensed milk to the carmel. If you don't, they will harden to a tooth-chipping consistancy when they cool. These were eight MILLION times better with the sweetened condensed milk added.

Immediately after taking the brownie cups out of the oven, pour caramel over the cups, and then sprinkle with chocolate chip.

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Here are the lovies after they are all decorated and cooling in the pan.

Stacked up and ready to serve.

The verdict??

(photo removed)

Standouts

2009-08-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

Okay so there isn't much for me to say now that my Jillian drama is over, I did watch After the Rose but found it really boring...yawn!! I am interested to see who they choose for the new Bachelor, I guess it's not one of Jillian's cast-offs, usually they announce it at After the Rose if it is. So...we'll see!!

Okay, so I have to show you these a-mazing standouts I just ordered for my living room!! You can see them in the pictures of my Bachelorette party below, that gives you a better idea of their size. They are 20x24 and I looooooooooooove them. LOVE them!! I am in love. Yeah, I like them A LOT.
(picture removed)

*pictures by the fabulous Heather Mickey (link on the right).

I am also really loving my wall color, I stole it from my sister's dining room and it has seriously turned out so fabulous!! We have had a million compliments on it, so Ad...you did good!! In the pictures above it looks really gray, because I took those pictures on a stormy day. But this picture shows it's true color. LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE it!!

(picture removed)

And So She Chooses....

2009-07-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

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....
.
.
.
.
.
.

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

2009-07-25T08:29:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2009-07-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-13T19:32:00.001-07:00

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!!