Happy Birthday Phelan!

Oops. One more thing I forgot to tell all of you.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHELAN!


Please go over there and wish Phelan a happy birthday. Tell her I sent you!

Have A Great Weekend!

Last night's dinner consisted of the recreation of the chicken and rice I had at Cracker Barrel. It was really good! This morning I woke up early and made Josh and the kid pancakes and bacon for breakfast. I have just been in such a cooking mood.

We are leaving for my parents' house today after I pick the kid up from school. We will be back tomorrow night for the hockey game. If I don't post right away tomorrow, you know why.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

I'm Going In!

Great morning! It's going to be an awesome day. I have plans to cook a great dinner and I am tackling the horrid rec room today. This is mainly Josh's domain, so ladies, wish me luck. I'm going in!

Blogs I Love - Welcome To The Family

I have added more blogs to the list of blogs I love. I visit them regularly - once a day usually. So, I would like to recognize some blogs I frequent which I may not talk about like others.

The first blog is ja's ramblings. Check out the blog. I love the way ja writes. The blog is unique and I love being able to take a sneak peek into ja's life. The dedication of time in caring for the parents makes ja a phenomenal person.

The next blog is Jamie from Everyone thinks I can fix it..... You want to talk about a strong woman. Every day she shows the world her strength. Jamie has the biggest heart and is so compassionate of others, despite what might be going on in her life. I look up to her.

Please take the time to visit both of these blogs. These are two of my new favorites. Ja is new and Jamie has been around for a little while. I am blessed to have found them both.

Cooking Mood

The reason I am in the cooking mood is because I actually have time off to do so and I was not able to cook for Thanksgiving. As you may have already guessed, I am cooking again this evening. Would you like to know what we are having?

I rubbed sage, sea salt, and black pepper all over a tender pork roast. This is going into the crock pot and will be done in seven hours. We are also having fresh green beans stir fried with shitake mushrooms, roasted gemstone potatoes with parsley and grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese, and oatmeal cookies for dessert. Oh, I almost forgot to add the stuffing. We are having that as well. I also bought a delicious wine to go with dinner. I won't be able to drink but a swig, cuz' I'm allergic to alcohol, but a little won't kill me.

Well, I am off to get the last two loads of laundry done. Hope you are all having an awesome day!

Dinner

For dinner tonight, we are having homemade chicken tenderloins, oven fried to perfection. I coated the chicken in salt and pepper, tossed them in Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan Reggiano cheese, then lightly grated very cold butter over them. I put them in the oven to bake at 350 degrees. I have potatoes on the stove top boiling to make my famous garlic mashed potatoes. We are also having brussel sprouts, the kid's favorite, and corn which is Josh's favorite.

I finally opened my bottle of olive oil from O & Co. O & Co. is this awesome little olive oil shop in Greenwich Village I fell in love with while in NYC. The flavor is light and fruity. It's going to taste awesome with any fish or chicken I cook. Yumm-O!

I don't have any dessert planned for the evening. I am so sick of desserts right now from the holidays. I need a break so I will be able to do my Christmas baking this year. I plan on using my brand new Kitchen Aid mixer I got last year. I haven't even touched it yet, but Cheryl has inspired me to get it out and use it.

Heroes and The Hills are on this evening. Both are shows I like to watch if I am home. One is completely different than the other. Heroes is about super natural abilities and The Hills are about superficial people. Great combination for a Monday night!

Hope you all had a grand Monday! Here's to a great day tomorrow!

This Past Weekend

It was an okay weekend. Both of our teams lost. KU lost to MU and the Chiefs lost to the Raiders. Enough about that.

We had Thanksgiving over at Josh's sister's house. It was fun.

We left Saturday for Kansas City, checked in to the Embassy Suites and headed for Josh's brother's house. We watched the KU game there.

Got back to the hotel around 10 pm, went to bed and left the hotel around 6 am to head for the stadium. We were 3rd in line. I made breakfast sandwiches the day before and heated them up in the gas station. We ate these and drank coffee as we patiently waited for the pearly gates to open. The gates opened at 8:30, which was about a 2 hour wait. No biggie. We headed to our favorite spot and started unloading our tailgating stuff.

We always laugh when we see these people unloading tables and tents and all this crap. We get out our mini Webber grill, get the charcoal going, and wait oh so patiently. Then, we grab our marinated rib eye steaks and get to grilling. I brought pasta salad and baked beans for the sides this time. Many people always walk by and marvel at our steaks. We don't get all of the fancy tents and tables, we spend our money on the steaks. Yum! Nothing like biting into a medium rare steak at 9:30 in the morning.

My kid went with us. He had a pretty good time. It was a great game, but it didn't go our way at the end. Oh well.

We drove back after the game and got back around 6 pm. Let's just say I wasn't doing the speed limit. It took us only 2 hours and 25 minutes. It's usually almost a three hour drive.

Now, it's getting the house in shape for the holidays this week. I am cleaning from top to bottom and getting all of the decorations in order. I am thinking Josh's family might be coming over after Christmas for a get together. We usually rotate holidays. We had Easter at our house last year. There is one sister who has not hosted a holiday yet, so I am kind of waiting for her to volunteer. I will actually be at my parents house on Christmas. It's going to be so much fun!

Well, I am off now to get laundry going. The kitchen is halfway done. I also need to get the laundry room cleaned when I get done with the clothes.

Talk at you all later. Have a great day!

Back!

I'm Back! Lots of work to do tonight to get things in order. I will update tomorrow about the weekend because I will be oooooooofffff!

Vacation Time - One More Day

I have a headache this morning. Probably too much sleep. I got home from work around 10:30 am yesterday, prepared my share of the dinner, then took a nap. I slept for about two hours, got up, went to Josh's sister's house and ate dinner with his family. We came home and I went to bed about 11:00 pm and I just woke up at 7:30. Entirely too much sleep in two days.

Well, I am back to the daily grind for one more day. Then, VACATION time! I will be off Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I have to work on Wednesday, but not for a very long time.

I have plans to go to Kansas City this Saturday and Sunday. Monday and Tuesday I will be cleaning the house from top to bottom. Thursday I have no clue what I will be doing. Friday and Saturday I will be going to visit my parents.

Hope you all had your fill of turkey and stuffing. I will be going to the gym while I am off. I ate too much yesterday.

Have an awesome weekend!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Word Cloud

This is my new word cloud. It has some of my favorites. You might have to enlarge it to see it. better.

I Don't Understand Sometimes

Well, it was a long day. I may not be able to post tomorrow, so I am posting something tonight. I came home and read some blogs this evening. Now I am in a funky mood and should just go to bed.

I just don't understand why people are the way they are. Why? I don't understand sometimes, these people! Ugh! I am so frustrated at what I read.

Moving along...

Before I go, I promised Terri I would post this.

This tag involves taking your middle name and coming up with something that is relevant to you for each letter.
I will not be using my middle name, but will use my blogger name.

A - Affectionate (I love people)
B - Bold (I am not afraid to speak my mind)
B - Beautiful (I am no matter what people say)
A - Authentic (I am the real deal, take it or leave it)
G - Genuine (I say what I mean and I mean what I say)
I - Inspired (I want more out of life, I am driven)
R - Rambunctious (I have lots of energy)
L - Loyal (I don't forget where I came from, nor where I have been)

I will tag
Leann
Phelan
M
Sally
Kyrie
Becky

13 Hours and 116 Miles Later

Today was a long day. I hit so many stores, it's not even funny. Every one is ready for Thanksgiving. Produce is packed high and watching it fly. Meat has so many birds everywhere, you would think we were South for the winter. Deli has dinners up to their ears. And bakery has enough pies and rolls to feed a small country. The perishable departments are where the big sales will be at this year. Frozen foods and dairy will be next. Then the baking and veg aisles.

Hint for those of you still having to shop. Go between 9 and 10 am. It's the best time. Not too busy, but late enough for the night stockers to have thrown all of their stock and the shelves be filled.

Tomorrow should be a little slower. I wanted to get certain stores out of the way today so I could concentrate on specific ones tomorrow. I am not going to lie, I am beat. My feet, neck, shoulders, and back hurt. I am planning on reading a couple of blogs, taking a nice hot shower, and then calling it a night.

I leave you with this question.

What is one thing you would personally love to see under the Christmas tree this year?

Leave your answers in the comments.

My answer - new cookware (pots and pans).

Painted Eyebrows and Needle Nose Pliers

Have you ever been indecisive about where to eat for dinner? You know you don't want to cook, but you can't for the life of you make a decision about where to go out to eat. This happened last night. Josh and I decided around 8:00 that we were hungry, but didn't want to cook. We decided to eat at Cracker Barrel. I have never eaten there before, so this was going to be a first for me. I always thought this restaurant was sort of weird, with the establishment being half store, half restaurant, all country. However, the place is always packed full of people whenever I drive by and seem to notice.

So we set out on our way. It is about a 15 minute drive from our house. We live about two blocks from the highway. When we get there, it's packed. The thing I notice first is most cars leaving held about four or five people. WOW. They must really like the food here. Large families were seated together and looked like they were having a fine time from the window outside.

As we walk into the store side, I notice all of the holiday items they have. Okay, I can live with this. Cute stuff! As we walk up to the Hostess stand, I notice the girl who is going to seat us. Um... She had painted eyebrows. Not the type of eyebrows that you naturally shade in with an eyebrow pencil if you are missing some hair growth. No, she had on painted eyebrows with a black liner. Ew.

I kept poking Josh immaturely as we were walking to our seats. I passed a wood burning fire place and a deer head mounted on the wall. Okay, I was officially out of my comfort zone. I decided to face the windows and make Josh look at the deer head with the beady eyes.

As we decided what to have for dinner, Josh started playing that stupid peg game where you jump pegs and try to only have one peg left. He did so, crowning himself supreme genius. I could only get two pegs and was deemed purdy smart. While waiting for our plates to arrive, I started outlining my eyebrows with my fingers and belted out "I'm so pretty, I'm so pretty". He laughed out loud and we were hysterical after that point.

When our dinner arrived, it looked so good. I got the Saturday night special, chicken and rice with turnip greens and fried apples. I dedicated the dinner to my dear friend, Andrew, who lives in the South. Josh got the same thing he always gets when we go to places like this - Chicken Fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, steak fries and green beans. Yes, the boy can eat. As we are enjoying the wonderful plate of food, we get on the subject of plucking eyebrows. lol... that poor girl. Anyway, he proudly states to me that once he pulled some hairs out of his nose with a pair of needle nose pliers. I roared with laughter, almost causing the iced tea to squirt out of my nose. I couldn't stop picturing it. Of course, this could only be something he would do. What a riot! No wonder they call them needle NOSE pliers.

Now, you are probably thinking we were causing a ruckus and being disruptive, but actually we were pretty quiet. On our way out, I left our waiter a nice holiday tip, since he is new from Nebraska and didn't seem to like Kansas all that well. We passed the painted eyebrow girl and made a run for it after paying our bill. I laughed all the way home, vowing I would write about every little thing that happened. Josh was mortified when I told him what I was going to title the post.

"You can't tell them about what I did with the pliers!" he exclaimed.
"Oh yes I can."

As If You Care... It Was A Perfect Day

Yes, it was a good day. It was a damn good day. I came home, threw my house clothes on, grabbed a chunk of Robiola Bosina Cheese to warm at room temperature, grabbed my Larzaroni Bruschette with rosemary and sage and headed to read the blogs - you, my favorites. As I put a yummy piece of this creamy Italian cheese on my crusty Italian bread (Larzaroni Bruschette), I start to read M's blog - As If You Care...

I am enjoying the silky blend of cow's and sheep's milk cheese with the savory Bruschette when all of a sudden I am reading about grooming a dog's anal gland. Gulk! Throw up in my mouth.

LOL....

You just have to laugh about it. This really was a good day. Perfect ending to a perfect day.

Work, Marriage, and Children - All In A Day's Work

Good morning!!!!!!

It's a great morning, isn't it? The only thing to mess up my morning is a bad afternoon. But I am going to try my hardest to keep that from happening. It will be a long day at work today. I have to try and get to as many stores as possible. I won't have a full day off until next Saturday. I only work half a day on Thursday, only till noon.

I have been contemplating on plans for Thanksgiving. We usually go over to Josh's relatives house, whomever has been chosen. This year it is my favorite of his sisters. The only problem is that I don't usually feel comfortable. I mean, I can adapt to anything, but as soon as I get there, I don't want to stay long. Maybe it's because they are always asking when Josh and I are going to get married and if we are planning on having a child together. Problem with that is, I already have a kid. He's 12. I am not looking to have any more. Josh doesn't have any kids. He does want one. What's a girl to do? That is one major life changing decision, which is why I avoid it, especially at his family gatherings.

Who knows what will happen. Anyway, it's going to be a great day. And if it's not, you will hear about it. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Milk and Cereal, Cereal and Milk!

I am anxiously waiting for my coffee to get done. Percolate faster!!! I am scheduled off today, but have a conference call I need to "attend". We have visits coming up next week from a bunch of suits. Regional presidents and vice presidents will be here mid-week and the CEO will be here all next week. woo.hoo. (sense the excitement here).

My friend, Meloncutter, is probably getting his beautiful department ready for the rush this weekend. Poor guy. He works his ass off and doesn't complain about it. Oh wait, yes he does. He also talks about farting, Twinkies, Poot, and gas. If this sounds strange on my blog, then you must go and check him out to see what I am talking about. He always makes me laugh.

Okay, gotta get the coffee. Hold on a minute...

Aaaah. Sweet flavors of hazelnut in the morning make the rest of the day perfect. Mmhmmm. Yumm-O! As only Rachel Ray would say.

Okay, so I want to tell you about another blog I visit regularly. I visit every day almost. It's NYC Watchdog. He has a video every Wednesday called Cereal Wednesday. I am totally addicted. He is an interesting individual and I find him fascinating. He's 33, same age as me. He lives in New York, Middle Village and he is an EMT. AND he loves cereal. I love the theme song for his video- "Milk and Cereal". Do check him out.

Well, I am off to get ready for this lovely conference call. Have a wonderful day.

4 a.m.!!!

I have been up since 4 am. Gotta be at work by 5:15. We have major construction going on in another store. This next year is going to suck. We have three remodels happening at one time. This should be fun.

So, I went to bed angry last night. Something I don't like doing. Becky, you are right when you say this is something I can't speak for the both of us. But, he's just not a talker. Never has been. It's something that isn't going to change about him. So, I need to take that into consideration when things like this happen. I guess I could just easily dismiss him. But, I don't want to. I love him and need to work through this. I do have a feeling that little Ms. Hockey (thanks for the name Becky) won't be having too much fun at the game with me there. Hmmph!

Well, I better get ready and get out of here. Work beckons. Have a super day!

Annoying

You know something is up when I post more than twice a day. Remember that communication thing I was talking about? Well, right now I am pissed!

Ugh! Boyfriends can be soooo freaking annoying sometimes. And Josh, if you are reading this, YES! I find you annoying! Especially today.

I hate it that you don't talk to me about stuff. It's really annoying. I can't seem to stop saying that word! Annoying!!!!

You see ladies and gentleman, Josh has a brother-in-law who has a step sister-in-law. Did that make sense? Anyway, she always calls him when she is coming into town for a hockey game. What drives me batty is that this drives me insanely jealous. I hate it that she calls him and wants to know if he is going to the game. Why doesn't she ask her ex brother-in-law to go? Why does she have to ask my boyfriend? And to top it all off, I have never met her. She is from Ok. City of all places and drives over two hours to come to the game. Die hard for hockey or die hard for attention?

Breath...

Okay, so I know I shouldn't be jealous. But ladies! How many of you would be jealous if you were in my shoes? It just pisses me off I guess. F** B!!!!

Today I have learned that some people are cowards. Many of us are, in fact. There are those who perceive themselves as being a wise-ass or crack up, but the truth is, most of them are cowards.

Anyway, work is dragging by so slow. I am home for now, but will be venturing out again after I post this. The days are getting shorter. I can't wait for Thanksgiving. It only means Christmas is around the corner. WooHoo! I love giving presents! I can't wait for this one.

I asked Josh some questions I put on the blog the other day. I asked him about the relationship. He of course did not answer. I mentioned that communication is one of the struggles. Well, I stand correct. Oh well, he's not a talker. I am fine with that. I talk enough for the both of us I guess. lol...

Well, gotta get going. Hope you are all having a good day.

The Internet is slow going this morning. Wonder what's wrong. Anyway, just thought I would check in and say hi.

A friend of mine is going through some life changes right now. Her mom just passed away on Monday. I couldn't imagine the pain and sorrow she must feel. I dread the day it happens to me.

Not much going on today. I have just been busy at work, mostly having to do "office" type work the last two days. Today will be different. Stores are all geared up for the holidays. I need to get in to see everyone this week before Thanksgiving.

Have an awesome day!

Meme From This Journey

This meme is from Not Fainthearted at This Journey.

1. What were you afraid of as a child?
I was afraid of clowns and still am.

2. When have you been most courageous?
I don't really know when I have been courageous. This one is hard. I think I was more courageous as a child. Now as a grown up, I am just a big fraidy cat.

3. What sound most disturbs you?
Car tires screeching right before an accident.

4. What is the greatest amount of pain you have been in?
Gall stones for sure. I agree with Beck on this one. Way worse than labor. I blacked out it was so painful.

5. What's your biggest fear for your own children (or children in general if you don't have children of your own)?
My biggest fear for my child is that I will die and no one can love him as much as I can.

6. What is the hardest physical challenge you have achieved?
I really don't get out much now, but back in college, I had to touch every single step in the sports arena where we played basketball. It was 6:00 am and we were out drinking the night before, got caught by our coach, and he made us run stairs the next day. I did about 25 sets of stairs before I puked. Since I didn't drink, I outlasted everyone. They started puking after 10 sets of stairs. There are over 60 sets of stairs in that arena.

7. Which do you prefer: Mountains or oceans/big water?
I guess I prefer to look at both, but also prefer to live near neither. I am from Kansas, so I like it nice and flat/hilly.

8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together?
I think about my kid every single day. He keeps me grounded.

9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer?
My grandfather died of prostate/colon cancer.

10. What are the things your friends count on you for?
Laughter, support, and to help boost their confidence. I called a friend of mine to ask her about this question. This was her reply.

11. What is the best part about being in a committed relationship?
Sex...kidding. I bet I am the only one who started off the answer like that. Seriously though, the best part about being in a committed relationship is that there is someone there to help live life to the fullest.

12. What is the hardest part about being in a committed relationship?
Communication.

13. Summer or Winter? Why?
Neither. I am an in-between girl. My favorites are 1. Fall and 2. Spring.

14. Have you ever been in a school yard fight? Why and what happened?
Yes! When I was in grade school, I was made fun of all the time because I was half Korean. Kids used to call me flat face, chink, all sorts of names. When I was in the fifth grade, there were some guys in the sixth grade who were terrible. They would always tease me. These guys got the bully in my class to pick a fight with me after school one day. They all knew I walked home ( I only lived a block away). This girl was waiting for me outside. The sixth graders were all around. I remember her grabbing my hair. I kept thinking back to all of the times my dad made us watch those stupid boxing matches on t.v. I took a swing and landed a punch on her nose. It started bleeding and she started crying. I walked home with my sister and next door neighbor kids. They were all telling me how great I did. Then, my principal showed up at the door. I had to go back to school and have a discussion about what happened. I did not get expelled because I explained all of the teasing I had endured. It helped that my mom was there. The girl apologized and I didn't get teased at that school again.

15. Why blog?
Because I love the interaction I have with all of my blogging friends. I love to read. I love reading about people's lives who live far away and close to me.

16. Did you learn about sex, and/or sex safety from your parents?
I learned about sex from my parents and sex safety from school.

17. How do you plan to talk to your kids about sex, and/or sex safety?
In stages. We have already discussed how a woman becomes pregnant.

18. What are you most thankful for this year?
I am most thankful that I have a wonderful family and supportive friends. My family is healthy and happy. That is all that matters to me.


Okay, enough about me. More about six of you! I am tagging Bonnie, Crusty, Portia, Cheryl, Annabel, and Terri. Let me know when you have posted this on your blog.

Leaves

Remember that beautiful tree I posted about? Well, the wind has been blowing and those beautiful yellow leaves are falling all over the yard. Josh was cussing under his breath this morning when he opened the front door. Looks like we will be doing a lot of raking this week. Another one of my favorite things to do.

I have been tagged. I will post it on the next post.

Why Wait

I just love this video. It shows NYC and beautiful people. This video and song make me think. Why wait.

Front Yard Tree

Here are the pictures I promised. Please click on the photo to get a better look. I captured the tree over a three day period. It changes so fast. Well, I am off to work. Hope you all have a good day.

Car Day

Yeah! I have today off. WooHoo!

The meeting went well. Crusty put it well when she mentioned too many chiefs, not enough Indians. But, I did well with my presentations, so I am happy. I took some pictures of my tree in the front yard. I will upload them later. Right now I need to get my tags renewed, car washed and detailed, oil changed, and I need to watch my missed episodes from this week. I'll catch you all later.

Daily Grind

Agh! It's been such a busy week so far! I am so sorry I have not been by to read since Monday. Hope you are all doing great.

I will try and catch up this evening, depending on how long I am at work. We are having a walk-thru tomorrow afternoon at the newly remodeled store. There will be about 50 store managers there. Great.

Well, here's to the daily grind.

Good morning. We had a wonderful time at my parents' house. My mom made her wonderful Korean BBQ pork riblets. We also had Kimchi and kimchi/pork soup. Yum-O!

Today is a start of a brand new week. I am excited. We have some major events going on at work. Should be great!

Here's to a wonderful week for everyone!

Off To See Mom And Dad

I am headed to my parents house today. I plan on staying until tomorrow. The kid and I are getting away from the city and going "home" to enjoy the low-key life of my parents. They live about a mile outside of Great Bend. Can't wait.

I know my mom is probably cooking up a storm. My sister and my nephew will be there. I can't wait to see everyone. My brother will probably stay home or hang out with his girlfriend.

Anyway, if I don't post until tomorrow evening or Monday morning, you know why. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Healthier Halloween

I am getting a late start to work today. Considering I worked both of my days off, I feel I deserve it. Halloween was all messed up. I decided to stay at my house and pass out treats with my kid. But, if you happened to stop by hoping for candy, you didn't really get any. I bought granola bars, fruit roll-ups, and mini peanut butter crackers. It's great. I found these Halloween treat bags on the candy aisle. I opted for a little healthier versions of candy. It turned out great. I bought 22 bags. That's right, 22 bags. We went through half. The best part about having leftover treats is that it's not candy. I have leftover snacks for the kid to have when he gets home from school. How cool is that?

Well, I need to get ready for work. Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was t.v. night and I had to get caught up. Have an awesome day!