Random Thoughts....

Remember the memory trick of tying a string around your finger?  

I thought this might be a little easier (and a little cuter).

It has done nothing for my memory however!  

As a matter of fact, I have no idea where I was going with this story!!!!

Go figure!

As I've told you before, I have a small fetish over gnomes, trolls, elves, and such.

My Aunt P. feeds my fetish.  Therefore, they are multiplying at an alarming rate.  

The big guy might be my secret boyfriend.  (I will deny it if you tell Rick, just saying.)

 My lazy cat.

The lazy cat who can think of nothing better to do than stalk me!

It's starting to creep me out!

Isn't he pretty though?  He's too pretty to be annoyed with, so I shall photograph him.

Then, my daughter, painted this work of art.

She brought it home in her zebra striped backpack (with a matching zebra striped hairbrush and umbrella).

I'm thinking this must somehow end up in a frame and hung on my wall.  

I promise my next post will have more substance.  My creativity comes in waves, my dear friends.  Often times,  waves carry in a little seaweed (or yucky salad as Gracie used to say).

Papertrey Blog Hop (scallop challenge)

It snowed........

Again.............

I could wallow in self pity, or create a scrapbooking project.  

I did the latter.

My favorite stamping company, Papertrey Ink, challenged their fans to use scallops.  

This is my interpretation.

I found a picture of Ian from 2006.  If I do the math, that means 5 years have past.  That is crazy!  

My hidden journaling says,
"In my eyes....
You're still 7 years old playing in the snow".

"In my eyes....
You still watch Rugrats and Dora the Explorer".

"In my eyes....
You get most of your clothes from GapKids, Children's Place and Old Navy".

"In my eyes....
You will always be my baby.  Always.  Always".

Lights Out!!

What to do when you lose power for THREE HOURS at night?

What to do with THREE MONKEYS for THREE HOURS at night?

What to do without T.V for THREE HOURS at night?

You light a million or so candles.

You play 20 questions and catergories (a game that almost always leads to multiple arguements) and you read short murder mysteries.

  Then you make scary faces with a flashlight.

Eat ice-cream cake from D.Q..

Thank the Lord that you don't have to live this way every day.

After the excitement wore off, we were all grabbing our cell phones to check status updates, play solitare and play scary noises with a Halloween app.

The Smith's don't "rough it" well!

Permit Driver

I prolonged it long enough.  Ryan turned 15 on January 22nd.  Now it's the third week of February and I just now took him to get his permit.  

Me: "Ryan, it's snowing, can't take you to get your permit today".

Me: "Ryan, it's not a good day, I'm really busy (doing laundry and washing my hair and scrimming through catalogs)".

Me: "Well I would have taken you tonight but you have a basketball game".

I finally ran out of excuses.
I bit the bullet and took my eldest child, my baby, to take "the test".
"The test" that says, you're not a baby anymore.
"The test" that says, you're soon not going to need momma so much.
"The test" that says, you're about to fly the coop, leave me with no ball games, marry some girl that I will have to share you with, and have five babies.   All the while, I'm getting old and wrinkled and achy and tired and CRANKY!

When Dad took you and Grandpa Larry on a fishing trip to Canada several years ago, we got this photo ID of you.  (Just in case a Canadian thought you would make good fish bait)  Dad would have proof that you belonged to him.  Anywhoo, you pulled this out of your Winchester black leather wallet today, then replaced it with the current one.  The one that says you aren't 5'02" and 85 lbs.  The one that says you now tower over your momma and you shave and you talk in a deep voice and you have a girlfriend.
The signature on the old one reminds me of millions of school papers that you brought home in your dinosaur backpack.  The signature proves to me that you really were small enough for me to wrap in my arms and snuggle (and you weren't too cool to do so).

When you handed me the pink slip of paper that said you passed, my heart fluttered.
Then you said...........

Ryan: "Can I drive back to school now"?
Me:   "Ummm... no, we have to go to the license bureau first".

after going to the license bureau


Ryan: "Can I drive now"?
Me: "Uhhhh, let me think.  (then he grabs the keys from my hands and gets in the drivers seat.)

The whole time he drives my jaw is clenched and my butt cheeks are squeezed together (I know, too much information).  Then I start shouting out orders.  It's instinct.

"Stay between the lines", "Go faster", "Go slower", "Adjust your mirrors", "Both hands on the wheel",

You know...... all those things that I don't do myself!!!

So now it's official.  He is permitted to drive on paved roads.  He is permitted to control a one ton machine that reaches speeds of 100+.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME!!!!!!  (AND HIM....... AND WHOEVER MIGHT BE SHARING THE ROAD WITH HIM...... OR RIDING WITH HIM!!!!!!

I Know Better

Please pardon my mess on the blog this week.  I'm doing some revamping...... some technical stuff that I have NO IDEA how to do!!!!!  I'm changing things around a bit here because I cannot move the furniture in my house.  I like things to change things up a bit.  

Besides..........

I've just not felt very "bloggie" lately and I'm hoping a change of scenery might help.

I wanted to throw that out there in case you were wondering why my posts are so sparse lately.  (which I'm sure you weren't).

I compiled a TOP 5 reasons why I haven't felt bloggie (humor me)

#1. All we do is go to basketball games and basketball practices.  I could bore you to death with photos from every game, but really, I know better.

#2. It's usually nearing dark when everyone is home.  I hate artificial lighting!!  I love natural lighting.  I could take pictures of Gus and Congo, but really, I know better.

#3. I'm on the verge of maxing this mac out on pictures.  Rick bought me a sizzling photoshop program for Christmas.  I embarrassingly do not have enough memory storage to load it though.  So, long story short........ we have an external hard drive.  I have managed to load all my music and videos on it.  However, I'm not sure how to delete them off the main computer.  I can pretend to be a computer genius, but really, I know better.

#4. I've been taking lots of photos with my cell phone instead of my SLR.  That means..... not such good pictures!!!  Since I am borderline type A, not such good pictures aren't good enough for the blog.  (I completely threw that rule out of the window when I posted Vegas pictures, in case you couldn't tell.  But really, I know better)  Cell phone photos pretty much SUCK!

#5. And the top reason that I am not bloggie is............... 

I flitter between reading everything in sight (including cereal boxes and nutrition labels) to not reading ANYTHING (including "How to Train Your Dog, Your Children and Your Husband"..... obviously!!!)

And now.......... I'm reading everything in my sight.  

                               I've gobbled this up........                              and I've almost gobbled this up.

Soooooooo, I'm applying this mantra from Mrs. Ali.......

and I'm gonna learn the word NOOOOOO (but really, I know better)

It's bittersweet to me that last night was Ryan's last Freshman basketball game.  They won!!!  Ryan played tough!!!  He only had two fouls (that's good for him)!!!  I'm gonna miss the squeaks, buzzers, and bouncing.  WAIT..... did I just say that?  Holy Moley, have I lost my marbles?   Have I grown to love the game of basketball?  I do believe that I have.  

People, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!

It is also bittersweet to me that Ian is playing his very last YMCA basketball game this Saturday.  (sniff sniff)

It is also bittersweet to me that Gracie finished her last basketball game Saturday (and her idiot mother forgot the camera)  Jeez!

Lastly, I hope your Valentine's Day was filled with love, smooches, and chocolate.  

Our Valentine's day was filled with sugar.

and my favorite bulldog candy dish.  

I made some of these.

I wanted to make some of these, but ran of of time (which means, I got to a good part in my book).

Before I log off, I wanted to share a recipe.  It may be the best chocolatie goodness I've ever sunk my teeth into.  REALLY!!

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 cup powdered sugar

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease muffin tin.  (I used a jumbo muffin tin, it is double the size of a normal muffin)  In a large microwavable bowl, melt butter and chocolate.  Stir well.

Stir in powdered sugar until well blended.  Whisk in eggs and egg yolks, then stir in flour.  Spoon batter into muffin pan.  Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft.  Let stand for one minute.

Run a small knife around the cakes to loosen.  Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.  Serve immediately.

I doubled the recipe because I have am feeding five very hungry people.  I am going to try placing them in a oven-safe coffee cup next time.  Or a small oven-safe bowl.  

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for giving us chocolate.  Thank you for Molten Lava Cake.

Amen

HAPPY HEART DAY  a smidge late.  

Bad, bad dog

 Our sweet little Gus Bus is 2 and a half years old.  For the most part, he is a very well behaved doggie.  Occasionally he has fits of gas and he is a bit on the stubborn side.  But all-in-all, he's a good pooch!

That is........ until recently.  

Gus has discovered that couches, chairs, and beds are comfy. 

Gus never knew that he could hoist his nearly 80 pound body onto anything.  So, he has stayed pretty low to the ground.  As a matter of fact, when he goes on car rides with me, he will put his front two legs on the running board, then I, his idiot mother, gets to lift the back end.  I've done this for so long, I never knew that I was being deceived.  Oh...... but I was!!!!

My hottie hubs adores our pooch with a smooched up nose.  He thinks the snoring is charming.  He gets on the floor and "wrassels" him.  One day, he asked Gus to join him on the couch while Rick watched basketball.  Gus said, "OK"!
That, my friends, was the beginning of a very bad habit!!!  Now we find the Guster on everything 4ft. and lower.  THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!!!!
Congo's only refuge was high up places.  Now, what is he supposed to do?

Besides, chasing Gus out of my furniture, I thought I would share a few photos of last week.
Have a great weekend!!!

Viva Las Vegas

Rick and I are still trying to recoop after a short little trip to Vegas.  The laundry didn't do itself while I was gone ( I always wonder if it will for some reason ).  

We had a grand time together.  I always think it's important for Rick and I to do things that do not involve bouncing a ball, kicking a ball, throwing a ball or hitting a ball.

We stayed at the Plazzo, which is attached and co-owned by the Venetian.  Our room was spacious and comfy.  We were 44 floors up and overlooked the Wynn, a golf course and lots of twinkling lights.  It was so pretty at night.  

It wasn't too shabby by day either.

 We did lots of walking, shopping, eating, visiting and people watching.  There are some strange specimens that crawl out of the woodwork  (especially at night).  Lordy bees, some of these folk were a card short of a full deck!!!

February 3rd was the first day of the Chinese New Year.  2011 is the year of the rabbit.  Therefore, this was in a foyer of our hotel. 

It's a 16 foot, one thousand pound, animated rabbit.  

 I made Rick pay $50.00 in cab fees to go to Pawn Stars for three reasons.  

#1. I wanted to see if Chumlee really is as dumb as he appears.

#2. I wanted to take a picture of Chumlee and I together.  

#3. I wanted to make Rick jealous with my strange fascination with Chumlee.  

Didn't work!!!

This Evel Knievel pinball machine was tucked away in the back of the store.  It had a sign on the top that said "To be seen on Pawn Stars".  

 We walked past Dick Butkus and snapped a picture with our camera phones.

 

 I shared a laugh or two with my buddy Harrison.  

 Then Joe and I went to dinner and a movie.

 We went to see Cirque De Soleil's "Beatles Love".  It was amazing!  

The soundtrack is available on itunes starting today.  

I'm glad to be home.  Well........ except for the laundry.