Quiz Me

My Grandaddy sent me this quiz, I'm sure because he knew it would be close to my heart. It has gone around for a while and I took it a few years ago and scored pure Dixie (as you would expect!). Since it has been a while and these Kansans have a way of wearing on a girl, I decided to take it again.

Don't you worry for one bit - I'm (used to be) in the heart of Dixie and Dixie's in the heart of me! My results: 92% Dixie - Is General Lee your father?

Give it a shot and let me know what kind of people I am friends with!

Yankee or Dixie Quiz

Bacio

Inside the Bacio chocolate that I was given today was this little piece of paper. It is akin to the fortune in a fortune cookie, but this is Italian chocolate, y'all, so of course they are all related to love and romance.

So heavy is the bond of marriage that it takes two, and often three, to bear it.

Umm, what?

The chocolate was rather tasty so I sure would hate to have some negative connotation with it. I'm going to assume that this is referring to childen... in which case we are set!

Addict

The scent of Baby Magic lotion is like crack to me.

Bath Time

How great are these?

************************************

Overheard from David giving Ella her bath last night:

David: "Sweetie! Get your hand out of your crotch! It's not a toy!"

I guess it's not just boys, huh?

Bappy Hirthday (a la Bill McG)

Today is my birthday, Happy Birthday to me! The big 2-9. Ugh. I'm on my way to denying my 30's, but I plan to make the most of the last year of my carefree, youthful 20's, by gosh. Mom sent me this card which I thought was so funny. If you really think about it, it is quite nice to be able to do whatever in the hell you want to. So no green beans for me, thankyouverymuch!

Since I know all y'all had my birthday right there on your calendar but oh boy it's so early in the year and really slips up on you :), I'm going to give you an out. I would like for you to please search the internet far and wide for something that you would like to buy me. (Note the 'would', not 'will'!) Money is no object, of course, so I expect some pretty far out stuff! Just find me the best present ever and put the link to it in the comments. If I can't actually have that two week cruise to the Virgin Islands that I know someone would buy me, at least I can dream about it.

Now get clickin'! I can boss you around like this because I'm an adult and can do whatever in the hell I want. And it's my birthday.

**It works best if you use the 'nickname' and 'URL' feature in the comment box. Just write me a little blurb, put your name in the nickname box and paste the web address in the URL box. Your name will become the link. **

Advertising Works

I am living proof that advertisers know what they're doing. I have forever been, and probably forever will be, a sucker for a new product. Unfortunately, most of the time I will plunk down my money for something that promises to be better working or better tasting only to be sadly disappointed.

Which brings me to Dove deoderant. I saw a commercial for Dove where all these women are running around in tank tops, raising their arms up high because ! Dove works! In addition to keeping us girls dry and fresh smelling, it also makes your underarms clear and beautiful! Beautiful enough to wear a tank top and wave to your friends, reach for stuff on a high shelf and kick back with your hands behind your head! That's what they tell me. And I want to be able to do all of those things with reckless abandon (since sometimes things aren't the most beautiful under there) so I rush right out to purchase some Dove deo. Even though I have a fairly full thing of Lady Speed Stick at home. Because that's what I do. And I'll be john brown, the stuff works! I am a dry, smelling of powder, clear and beautiful underarm girl.

Somebody get me a tank top, STAT!

(Anyone want to 'fess up on something that you purely bought because of the advertising? Even if you didn't need it or would have never realized that you wanted it? Don't leave me out here in Sucker World alone!)

PBF

If you recall, I was on the search for a good peanut butter fudge recipe. I had given two recipes a shot and wasn't happy with the outcome of either one. Until now!

May I present to you the fudge recipe that wins the award at my house (and keep in mind that David is a fudge connoisseur). I stole it from my favorite show on Food Network, Good Eats, and Alton Brown. You may even have all of the ingredients in your cupboards right now. Go take a peek and then see if you can stop yourself from trying this super easy recipe!

Lick Your Fingers Peanut Butter Fudge

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

Put peanut butter and butter in a microwaveable bowl and nuke on high for two minutes. Stir and cook for two minutes more. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix with a wooden spoon. Turn out into a 8 x 8 pan lined with wax paper. Press down until even then place a piece of wax paper on the surface of the fudge. Cool in refrigerator. Cut into pieces and store in an airtight container.

I think we will keep ours in the fridge but let it sit out for a few minutes before eating and the licking of fingers. Delish!

Pudge

I realize that the blog has turned into a shameless parade of pictures of and stories about my two beautiful girls. And I'm OK with that. What else can you expect from a new mother with a veritable gold mine of her own?

As the thigh photo displayed, Ashley Kate is a growing girl. (Growing at a great, speedy clip, she is.) In addition to the doughy goodness of her thighs, Ashley is pudging up everywhere else too. One of the cutest places to see baby fat, in my opinion, is at the writsts. Sweet baby girl does not disappoint her mama! Check out the wrist creases so far! (Since Ella was such a string bean, I am having all kinds of fun with Ashley and her squishy-ness. Poor girl gets hugged and kissed all the damn time!)

Wouldn't you want to hug and kiss Miss Pudgy McPudge?

That's what we thought!

Biker Babe

Santa Baby was one smart cookie when he decided to bring Ella Grace a big girl bike for Christmas. After some initial hesitation on her part (and some general miffed-ness on mine) she has deemed the bike her favorite gift. She has already figured out how to pedal standing up and to turn sharp, hit the brakes and slide across the floor! I'm thinking it's a dang good thing Santa gave her a helmet with it!

E, in full protection mode

Rock Chalk...Whatever

In light of KU winning the Orange Bowl, I'll be nasty and repeat two comments made about Mangino. All is fair in love and football, right?

These are two comments made to K-State's Campus Fourum (a voicemail set up for students to call and leave random messages that then get printed in the campus newspaper).

"And God said 'Let there be light' and Mark Mangino had to move."

(In Kansas there are signs by the road that say 'One Kansas farmer feeds 147 people and YOU!') "One Kansas farmer feeds one hungry Mark Mangino."

When I read these I just laughed and laughed like any good KSU graduate would!

Sugar Sugar

Ashley is ready for the big game.

Go Dawgs!!

Jan. 2nd

By the time I sit down at my desk on January 2nd to officially come back to work the following things might have happened:

*the mouse who has taken up residence in my house will have nosed his way into the trap we set

*I will have partied like a rock star at New Year's Eve

*permanent daycare for Ashley will have been found

*all of the quickly growing grey hair will have been plucked from my head

*cell phone contract will be renewed and we will sport new phones

*two things that I have been meaning to do will finally get done

*emotional breakdowns at the thought/act of leaving Ashley at daycare will have occurred

*the avalanche of telemarketing phone calls received on our new home number will have slowed (seriously, I got 3 of them the first day it was connected)

*a good recipe for peanut butter fudge will have been found

*my house will be clean

*collard greens, black eyed peas, pork and corn bread will have been consumed on New Year's Day - gotta start the new year off right!

*my savings account will be drained

*I will be back in full blogger mode, ready to pummel you with all sorts of posts and pics

See you then!

Payback

When Andria had her little girl Dellaina almost two years to the day that I had Ella, I knew I would be able to shower her with all kinds of clothes. Since then she and I have been keeping the USPS and UPS in business by shipping boxes of clothes back and forth. Now that Ashley is here, Andria is returning the favor and sent me some of Dellaina's clothes. Boy are they cute! I haven't even skimmed the surface of the enormous box she sent but I did happen upon this adorable outfit and made sure to put Miss Ashley in it pronto.

Thanks, Andria! Ashley now has two wardrobes to be outfitted from! (Unfortunately neither one is her own, but such is the plight of the second born...)

Thunder what?

Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. Sweet baby Ashley.

You have got some serious thighs going on. I knew when we weighed you at the doctors office and you had gained two pounds in two weeks that there would be evidence. Is there ever! But I love love all of your big chunky monkey pudge. You are so fun to squeeze and hug and those big cheeks are great for kissing. So what if you weigh now what Ella weighed at 3 months?

(This photo is totally G rated.)

Big 4

Yesterday was Ella's 4th birthday! Happy Birthday to her and her big 4 year old self!

Preschool was closed yesterday (due to the power outages everywhere) so she got to celebrate at home with us. David took her to feed with him and then she watched her new movie, Ratatouille, that Marisa gave her. After gymnastics we went out to eat with Aunt Jamie and Angie, Scott and Mallory and I got to have my first margarita since Ashley's arrival. Yippee!

Ella in the new snow suit that Grandma and Grandpa gave her and new snow boots that we gave her.

Ice, Ice Baby, part 2

So the ice came. And came.

The trees all looked so beautiful encased in the ice but that beauty comes with a price, unfortunately. The limbs got so heavy that they just snapped right off, all over the power lines. We were one of the lucky ones and never lost power, thank goodness!

That is some thick stuff!

I thought this looked kind of cool.

Now the forcast is calling for 3-6" of snow on top of the ice. Yikes! Is there a song called Snow, Snow Baby?

Ice Ice Baby

Last week we got a minimal amount of snow (1-1.5"). Usually this would cause all sorts of discombobulation for us Southerners... but, David and I overcame our Georgian ways long ago and don't hardly blink an eye at such a small amount. No rushing off to the grocery store for bread and milk for us!

The snow is still on the ground since it has remained pretty cold for the past few days. Guess what the good ol' weatherman is saying that we are going to get on top of our 1-1.5" of snow tonight? ICE. The same amount of ICE. An inch to an inch and a half. Oh. No.

If you will excuse me, I'm heading off to the grocery store. (I may be a Southerner hardened to Kansas winters but I'm no fool!)

Getting to Know You

Another altered email, but hey, it's all I got!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper

2. Tree--Real or Artificial? Fo' real, fo' sho!

3. When do you put Christmas tree up? Generally two weeks before Christmas, to enjoy it as long as pissible but not so long that the needles get everywhere

4. When do you take the tree down? Before New Year's Day (or else it's bad luck!)

5. Like egg nog? Yes, especially if it's spiked

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes - Reason for the season

7. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't know... I was pretty pumped about getting Keds once

8. Hardest person to buy for? Jamie

9. Easiest person to buy for? David

10. Worst Christmas gift? ?

11. Mail or email a Christmas Card? Mail

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation - So. Effing. Funny.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Beginning of December, unfortunately

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Mimosas and quiche, a la Mom

16. Clear or colored tree lights? Colored, although clear are very nice

17. Favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night

18. Travel during Christmas or Stay home? We seem to alternate

19. Can you name Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donner, Comet, Blitzen, Cupid, Rudolph

20. Angel or Star on Tree top? Angel

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? crowded stores

23. What are you most looking forward to at Christmas? Ella's wide eyed belief and watching her open gifts

24. What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year? She's already here

25. How did you find out about Santa Clause not being real? I asked Mom if he was real and she said no (after a kid at school told me he wasn't)

Little One

Who says that second children don't get as many pictures taken of them as the first one did? Obviously not me!

Name Game

Susan sent this to me and I got a pretty good kick out of it. Her names were pretty funny, mine are kind of blah. (I was a little free with some of mine. It doesn't help that my last name starts with three consenants!)

If you come up with something good for one of your names, leave it in the comments!


10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name) Anna Thomas

9. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, fathers dad) Carl Charles

8. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, 2 letters of your first) Mccme

7. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, fav animal) Red Dog

6. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Elizabeth Athens

5. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginng) The Pink Beer

4. FLY GIRL/GUY NAME: (1st letter of 1st name, 1st 3 letters of your last name) Mmcc (how about M.C.?)

3. GANGSTA NAME: ( fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie) Vanilla Peanut Butter

2. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pets name, current street name) Lily College

1. STRIPPER NAME: (first pets name, street name you grew up on) Gypsy Mars Hill