Do you watch Entourage on HBO?

It is such a great show. I usually watch it via DVR on Mondays or Tuesdays because there is way too much essential TV on Sunday nights. Anyway - if you have never seen the show, you must seriously watch it as soon as possible. It's about Hollywood and agents and actors and all the people in an actor's posse and is seriously just hilarious.

My two favorite lines from this week's episode are( I will set these up for you, so you can at least semi-understand what is going on if you don't watch the show),

This is Ari Gold, who is a very cut throat agent and always has the BEST lines, he is at couples therapy with his wife, who has accused him of taking his job too personally, "I have hundreds of clients and they are all just numbers to me, just like you are WIFE #1 and you are THERAPIST #7!"

And then later in the show one of the posse members says,"Every man loves a woman filled with rage." For some reason I really connected with this line. Go figure!

Why on Earth???

There are some things I have been pondering lately. And of course - in my book, they are hilarious. You'll have to let me know if you agree.

First, if you were say about 70ish and drove a Buick and were the quintessential "old lady" type. Why would you have a bluetooth handsfree cell phone? I am not kidding, a little old lady driving a Buick almost backed into me the other day. And I wasn't even mad she almost hit me, I was more concerned about why she would have a bluetooth in her ear. Who knows - maybe she is a drug dealer. Meanwhile, back in Manitowoc, my grandma refuses to let go of her answer machine with the little tape in it from the 80s - because she doesn't want to learn about any new fangled answering machines without tapes.

Second, let's say you are at a bridal shower. You are asked to give sage advice on marriage. For the record my sage advice on marriage is to DEMAND what you want - it's the only way you will get it! Anyway, back to the bridal shower, you are asked to give advice and you say, "Marriage is all about being together with your husband and really enjoying things together. I know when my first marriage failed, it was because I really pulled away from my husband and was more concerned with my own self." Oh yes - this is almost verbatim. Where do these people come from?? Who brings up divorce at a bridal shower?

Other than that I have not a ton of news. We are continuing to settle into the new house. And planning a fabulous housewarming party for May. (If you haven't RSVPed yet - what are you waiting for??) I also have the hugest appetite ever that I am trying to keep under control- some times it works, sometimes it doesn't. Have a good week!

Where would I be without Oil of Olay AND Breathe Right Strips???

Kind of a strange combo - but these things are life savers! I will tell you why... I am pretty sure most everyone who reads this blog is aware that Jeff and I are expecting our first baby. I am due 10/11/07. Now if I haven't told you and you find out on the blog - I am sorry, but between moving, unpacking, painting, cleaning our old apartment, and continuing to work non stop I am a little frazzled these days.

Anyway on to the Oil of Olay. One of the pregnancy symptoms I have been afflicted with is BAD SKIN! First, I tried to stick with my fabulous Aveeno Pure Radiance - it not only completely dried my skin out, it caused some of the most disgusting zits I have seen in years. Then I tried to move to a different Aveeno cleanser because I love Aveeno - NO DICE, same problem. So...onto the classic Oil of Olay daily facial wipes and the fabulous pink beauty fluid. It is working like a charm!!! Now I can actually leave the house and not worry about scaring people.

And Breathe Rights - they are the only reason I am getting any sleep. My breathing sucks to begin with, and how wonderful, when you are pregnant one of the symptoms is having difficulty breathing and becoming permanently congested. So every night, Jeff slaps a breathe right on my nose and I can actually breathe. I have thought about wearing them all day everyday, but I am much too vain.

And really, being with child is not too bad - I could be hunched over the toilet right now:)

Happy Birthday Christine!

Today is a very important day - It is the birthday of Christine, one of my favorite people in the whole world. Christine is one of those special people that is so nice, I call her the nicest person in the world. And I really mean it - I can only hope to ever attain the level of niceness of Christine!

Besides being nice, Christine is hilarious! If I had to pick one thing I miss most about Milwaukee it would be being able to hang out with Christine anytime the mood struck. We used to workout together 4 days a week. And many of the most hilarious things happened in cardio boxing. There were some characters in there!

This has been quite a year for Christine - she got engaged to Kevin(whom I like to take personal credit for introducing her to at Kickball), and they bought their first house. VERY EXCITING! I hope this next year is just as wonderful, because if anyone deserves it - it is Christine!

Home Stretch

That's actually a bit of an overstatement when it comes to how much we have actually accomplished when it comes to moving. BUT - I am writing this blog from my NEW and improved office, where I am confident a lot of magic will happen. So- my office is moved over to the new house and mostly unpacked. We have completed painting and in about 45 minutes I will be back over at the apartment frantically packing so Jeff has something to move tomorrow, while I continue to pack more and more and more!

And next week I promise to actually take some pictures(If Jeff remembers what he did with our camera) and give you a little tour of the new place.

Have a great weekend all!

I trick my husband because I can...



Sometimes, just for fun, I trick my darling husband Jeff. I don't do it to be mean, I do it because I can. And it's sort of funny, okay it's REALLY funny!

When I/We were picking out paint for our new house, there was a color I really enjoyed. It's called Blushed Cotton. Now I knew it was a very pale, almost white pink. I showed Jeff a picture where it looked more neutral than pink. So this past weekend, imagine his surprise when he opened that can of paint and discovered it was pale pink. He begrudgingly painted the guest room in Blushed Cotton while I innocently proclaimed I couldn't believe it was pink because it looked SO neutral.

Ha! Ha! I fooled you!

In other news, have you ever wanted to slap the person waiting on you at a restaurant. Jeff and I went to the Red Robin last week Sunday for dinner and we had the worst service ever there. Our server appeared to be extremely distracted or stoned or something. We had to ask for everything multiple times because her memory span was 5 seconds. Then finally at the end of our meal we were ready to go and she had stopped at the table right behind us to take their order. Well, they were clearly not ready to order, but instead of saying the standard,"I will give you a few minutes" she stood there and started randomly suggesting things off the menu and then reciting the ingredients. She did this for more than 5 minutes while we were waiting and waiting for our bill. It was hilarious, anyone who is literate can tell what is on all the burgers and what is in each salad, but she seriously recited almost the whole menu. We will never sit in her section again.

Another thing that is hilarious, at least to me is that while I was at Walmart last night, I saw these 2 guys, both of whom were super tall, like 6'4, and then were each standing on a different side of their cart and they both were grabbing the 2 liter bottles of Sam's Cola, 2 at a time and filling their cart. They were doing this very quickly, like on Supermarket Sweep. It was so funny, I almost took a picture, but, I stopped myself.

Have a great weekend all!

Happy Birthday to Heidi!!!!!

Today is my little sister's 25th birthday and I can't believe it. In my book, her turning 25 makes her older than me, since I have been 24.5 for the last 4 years. So it is a very special day. And Miss Heidi is having a wonderful week - she just got a new job working in the kitchen in the Kohler company. I believe it is in their Wisconsin Dining Room, but I don't remember - I know bad sister! But I am so proud that she is going to be working at such a fancy smancy place!

To celebrate we are going to the CourtHouse Pub in Manty tonight for dinner and then having a drink at the Linebacker. I am hoping that my mom and sister don't get too crazy, but you never know with them. They both like to stay out until bar close:)

Happy Birthday Heidi Esther and many more!!!!

Things that baffle me

I will limit myself to talking about 2 things that have baffled me lately.

First - why do people talk loudly about you when you are right there and can hear what they are saying? This past Saturday I was in line at Einstein Bros. bagel in Milwaukee and I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and these ladies behind me started talking about how my engagement ring had to be cubic zirconia. How dumb are they? I mean, I have a very nice sized ring, but no one is going to confuse me with Zsa Zsa Gabor or Elizabeth Taylor in the jewelry department. Usually I would have addressed them and let them know I knew exactly what they were talking about, but since we were on 27th & Oklahoma and they out weighed me by about 200#s I actually decided to let it go. But I am still baffled.

Second - if you are one of my customers, why on earth would you call me at 5:56am? I mean, don't get me wrong, I am in the office by roughly 7am each day and usually available until at least 5pm. But you call at 5:56am? Did you really think I would be here and answer the phone? BAFFLING!

Finally, a friend of mine recently posted about Penzey's Spices and just how wonderful they are. She specifically mentioned my addiction to the Salsa seasoning sprinkled on Mac & Cheese. Well I had this delicious combination yesterday and I can reconfirm, it is absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!!!! If you have never tried Penzey's spices, please, pick some up ASAP - you don't know what you are missing. And on my macaroni and cheese tangent, let me say that I really want to eat either mac & cheese or buttermilk pancakes every night for dinner - isn't that the most bizarre craving you have ever heard?

Have a good day everyone!!!!

What a Weekend!

What a fabulous busy weekend - I am still recovering, let me tell you!

Friday I was in Milwaukee for work and then had the pleasure of getting to stay over at Kim & Creighton's House. And also go and see Connor at the hospital. Connor is currently tipping the scales at almost 5 pounds. He is adorable and very curious about everything going on around him, he loves it when his mom and dad hold him and is quite a cuddler. Let's all say a prayer that his lungs will improve and he will be home with his mommy & daddy really soon. I know they can't wait. And the nursery they have all decked out for Connor is filled with sports stuff and teddy bears and lots of books.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early and on the road back to Green Bay - I had to get to our new house and get ready for the washer and dryer to be delivered. They showed up about noon. I then headed to lunch with Angie and Barb. After lunch we crafted for about 6 straight hours on a beautiful project that I am so excited about. Let me tell you, though - Angie & Barb are the real crafters, I just do what they tell me. This way, nothing gets ruined!

Saturday night, Barb's husband Brad came over from Appleton and Jeff and I went out to dinner with Barb & Brad and Ang & Mike to Titletown Brewery - it was a hilarious time. I am really looking forward to some BBQ's with the 6 of us this summer.

Sunday was the start of painting at our new house. We are so lucky to have such nice friends, as Ang and Mike were over and literally taped off the entire bottom level of our house. Angie is seriously full of tips on painting and she knows exactly what she is talking about. Ang & Mike are so great and saved us so much time. While they were over, my mom & cousin Patrick came up to help also. Patrick dove right into painting and is a pro, he is also taller than any of the rest of us and it was great to have him for rolling whole walls. He pretty much painted my office single handedly. My Mom taped off the entire upstairs by herself and also brought some yummy chicken wings and her now famous brownies that are like eating a brownie with a candy bar in the middle. AMAZING! Later in the day, my good friend Korey drove up from Manty and we discovered that she is an amazing edger, so she was in charge of all the detailing and evening out as we painted. We still have a long way to go, but it's getting there. Jeff is going over pretty much all day today, and I am heading over at 4pm to hopefully paint the entire upstairs tonight. Then, we have the monstrous kitchen, dining room, & living room left, which has the SCARY high ceilings and a TON of wall space.

That's all for now - have a great week everyone! And I promise to replace the batteries in my camera and take some pictures of our beautifully painted rooms!

A little Inspiration for today....

I saw this quote the other day reading O magazine, which was my holiday gift from Christine - thanks sista!

"Be what you are. Give what is yours to give. Have Style. Dare." -Stanley Kunitz

I love this quote - it is just so inspiring yet not too fluffy.

Doesn't it make it sound so easy? Just be who/what you are, give what you can, be stylish and take some risks along the way. Isn't that what life is all about?

And I wish I could remember to be more daring sometimes. It's funny, I used to be a lot more daring than I am now. Nothing used to scare me, now it seems like sometimes everything scares me. For example when we were in Hawaii, Jeff was absolutely fearless when it came to hiking anywhere, out into the ocean on lava rocks, through lava tubes on the way to Hana, into deep dark caves. I was just not into it. Most of the time, I just sent him in by himself, as really I like to look at scenery, I don't need to crawl around in it. There was one beautiful cave that we hiked down into and it had a pool at the bottom of it, of course, I was content to stare at the pool from the safe upper ledge, not Jeff, he was seriously scaling down the walls of this cave. So, the moral of this story is, I need to be more daring and Jeff needs to be less dangerous!!!

What about you - do you feel more or less daring now that you are a "grown-up"? And what does this quote mean to you?

THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!!!!

Literally - we returned from our honeymoon about a week ago. We took a wonderful vacation to Hawaii, spending about 4 days in Oahu, mostly Waikiki Beach and 4 days in Maui, where we were all over the place from Wailea to Lahaina, to Hana - it was great!!!

My very favorite things we did were whale watching in Maui and visiting Pearl Harbor in Oahu. Overall the trip was just pure bliss, beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, romantic dinners and tropical drinks.

The history of Hawaii and the Hawaiian people is so interesting and we learned so much on our trip. I loved the laidback attitude of most everyone we encountered, "How's it Brah?", however I will say the waiters and waitresses that we ran into who were potheads took it a little far, but were entertaining nonetheless. We also had some very interesting celebrity sightings on this trip. We started with Alison Sweeney, AKA Sami Brady at the GB airport, since it was 7:30 am, she was not very pleasant looking. Then in Maui we were seated at the gorgeous restaurant Sorrento's across from the actor Richard Chamberlain, he was the priest in the Thornbirds, he was also in Shogun. And we are pretty sure Barbara Billingsley, who was June Cleaver on Leave it to Beaver was at Sorrento's also, but we couldn't get a good look at her.

I would say everyone needs to go to Hawaii at least once in their life, I plan on going back as soon as possible.

Milestone Day

Well kids - today is a fabulous day in the history of Ang & Jeff. 3 years ago today Jeff and I started dating. It has been a wonderful 3 years and so much has happened since we got together. Obviously we got married last July, we moved to Green Bay from Milwaukee last May, we both have made major career changes since we got together. And now we are busy living happily ever after.

Jeff was a wonderful boyfriend right from the very start. On our first date he took me to the Hi-Hat AND Eddie Martini's. And I have been over the moon and impressed with him ever since. Sometimes I wonder how on earth he can put up with me, his fortitude is obviously off the charts. Then there are the times I wonder how on earth I can put up with him. Somehow I know we will never be able to live without each other, because at the end of the day, he's the only one in the world for me.

To commemorate this special day, we may put in our first offer on our first home. We went to look at it last night and it is SOOOO gorgeous, we would be ecstatic to live there. However, since it is a hot property, there is a good change we will not get it, which is fine with us, it is a little early for us to be closing, but this house could be where we live for MANY years. I would put a link to it up, but I am too paranoid some one might see it and put an offer in.With that being said, I need to hit the ground running today, because I have to call some mortgage brokers, our accountant, workout, and determine what we are going to offer on this home all before Jeff leaves at 2:30pm.Did I mention that I am going to also try and get my laundry done today, while I am working? Yes - things are nuts here. Hope you have a nice Tuesday - love Ang.

More Domination, Less Indulgence

Well friends, I have had an epiphany over the weekend. I need to dominate more and indulge myself less. How did I learn this you ask? Well I was at our Sales Award banquet on Thursday in Milwaukee and it was one of the most Amazing nights of my LIFE!

First, I won a Platinum Award for my sales this year(Last year I received a Bronze award, so I jumped over 2 levels of awards in one year - that was great)

Then I won an award for exceeding budgetary goals - also very good, at our company, 100% is good, however in our little land of over achievers, you're not anyone until you are well over 100%. I finished the year at 130%. Last year I was at 106%.

Third, I won an award for earning the most margin in our division from closing large sales. This one was a shocker for me, to have closed the most large business out of more than 100 people - that was really neat.

Finally, I won an award for being in the top 10 in our division for 2006. I was #2 - can you believe it???? I almost fainted, then I immediately started kicking myself because to be that close to #1 YIKES! I am determined to be #1 someday, I am completely remotivated to work harder.

So - that is where the domination comes in, I dominated at the awards banquet - it was really cool, I feel very proud of my accomplishments and am excited for my career future.

Now let's move onto the indulgence...I think I drank 2 bottles of red wine at the Sales Awards celebration. I am not kidding. I could have filled a kiddy pool with the red wine I drank. I was just so jubilant and everyone was congratulating me and our VP of sales hugged me and our directors all congratulated me and the VP of operations who I used to work for came over and said I had made a great decision when I moved to sales and that he was so proud of me. It was totally surreal. Which may be why I didn't recall how much wine I was drinking.

And after the banquet, Jamie, the fabulous friend on my team who lets me crash at her house after work events, and I decided to go to Trysting Place, the hangout bar for our office. I think it was already midnight when we rolled in. And how nice, everyone wanted to buy us both drinks. Suddenly it was 1:30 and they were turning the lights on. Uh-oh, Jamie and I thought as we drove home. Getting to the office by 7am tomorrow won't be easy.

And it wasn't easy at all, especially since we both overslept. Luckily we have an ultra cool boss who laughed when we showed up at 8:30.

So - I have figured it out, I am great at dominating, I am BAD at celebrating. I plan to reign it in - I promise.

The Weekend Update

WOW - this year is off to a great start! Work has been busy, we leave for Hawaii in 20 days and things are just wonderful.

Last Friday night, I had a fab little girls night with Barb & Angie O. First we went to A-Bravo for dinner. It is this adorable little bistro about 3 minutes from my house. It was such a good time, I can't say enough wonderful things about Angie & Barb, they are hilarious. It was one of the funnest Fridays I have had in a long time.

After dinner, we went back to Angie's where we did some SCRAPPING! Yes, it's official, I am a scrapper. And I have to tell you, although my first attempt is a little elementary, I am HOOKED. I am enthusiastically looking forward to spending hours dressing up my memories. You will see my first attempt here. I promise to show off more of my creations in the weeks to come. And big ups to Barb and Angie for guiding me in my pursuit of scrapping, they are both generous teachers who have HUGE scrapping paper and embellishment collections that make it so much more fun for a beginner like myself. I loved every minute of it. Although I think Angie was getting a little irritated, as Barb and I are both major story tellers and babblers and Ang just wanted to get out brainstorming done.

One of the fun things Angie and Barb are up to this year is this fun little journaling project this year. Check out this link: http://fancysimple.blogspot.com/. My first scrapping project involves their Trendy Tuesday project, which I know I am posting early, but...I am super busy this week.

What you do is journal your favorites/trends and either post them on Angie & Barb's journaling site, or just put them on your own blog, or feel free to make your own list and comment on my blog.
Here is my list:
A-Aphrodisiac - Whiskey
B-Best Friend - Angie O., Kim & Christine
C-Celebrity - Beyonce
D-Drink of Choice - 7 & 7 with cherries and cherry juice
E-Essential Items - Lip Gloss & Nail File
F- Favorite Color - Green
G-Groove Tunes - "Mo Money/Mo Problems" -Notorious BIG& Diddy
H-Hot? - Bright Colors are hip for spring
I-Indulgence?-Chocolate & Shoes
J-Job of Dreams?-Real Estate Mogul
K- Kitchen Companion?-SpoonRest & Cookbook Holder
L-Life is incomplete without? Good Food, Good Friends, & Good Shoes
M- Mc? - McJeffy(he's better than Mc Dreamy or McSteamy)
N-Natural or Dyed? - Dyed, I have no idea what my real hair color really is anymore.
O-Outrageous Outfit?-It is definitely the outfit I wore to the headbanger's ball last year, orange babydoll dress, black leggings, side ponytail, large cross necklace. YIKES!
P-Pet Peeve?-Slow Movers, drivers or walkers
Q-Quote?-"Each of us has the opportunity to change and grow until our very last breath. Happy Creating!"-M.J. Ryan
R-Restaurant?-Elsa's on The Park
S-Starbucks order?-Carmel Macchiato skim no whip
T-T.V.?-I still miss Sex and the City
U-Ultimate Vacation?-Hawaii(at least we're hoping it is)
V-Virtual Name?-lauxang
W-Wonder Woman?-Oprah
X-EX? For some reason I just think of the Gwen Stefani song, "kinda always knew I would end up your ex girlfriend."
Y-Youth in a bottle? Lambrusco
Z-Zodiac?-Virgo

I think filling out this list as the start of every year is the perfect way to take inventory of what the trends are and what we are into.

The holidays are OVER!!!!!!

Well, December was a blur. Of course, no excuse for not blogging, but I just came up with so many better things to do with my time, like work. I was so busy with year end projects for my customers that I felt like I lived at my desk for most of December, which I will say was worth it. I finished the month at 160% to budget. Woo-Hoo. Hopefully 2007 will be a successful year also. You never know when you are in sales.

We had an action packed holiday visiting schedule. On the 23rd we went to both Jeff's mom and dad's houses. It was the usual mix of boredom and guilt trips from them. I am still hopeful that eventually we won't have to go at all. I am pretty sure that will never happen, but do me a favor and cross your fingers. I did comment that the only way to avoid a visit next year would be to have food poisoning or be knocked up. And don't worry friends I will poison myself!

Our holiday trip did have some highlights...

The first would be meeting the adorable Connor Creighton Petkovich who was born on 12/23. Connor's mom is my best friend from college, Kim(Czarnecki) Petkovich. Kim had some complications with high blood pressure and was on bed rest for a few weeks, then hospitalized for about a week and then they had to induce her and Ta-DAH! We had a little tiny 2# Connor. Jeff and I lucked out and got to see the whole family about 4 hours after Connor was born. It was amazing to see Connor and think that someday he will be all grown up. He is still on a ventilator, however getting a little stronger everyday. Please keep Creighton, Kim & Connor in your prayers and I promise to take pictures as soon as Connor is up to making a blog debut!

The second would be getting to see our adorable pals Christine and Kevin. It ended up that all of us were staying at the Washington House Inn on 12/23. (www.washingtonhouseinn.com) So we got to meet them for a drink to celebrate Kevin's birthday which is 12/24 and it made both Jeff and I miss getting to see them as often as we used to when we were in Milwaukee. There is just something about these two that is so wonderful! They are fun, trendy, and great friends, Kevin was the photographer at our wedding and made our entire wedding weekend so special by capturing each moment. I can't say enough about them. I will say that I will be devoting an entire blog to them in the VERY near future.

The third highlight of our trip was spending Christmas Eve at the Caytano Club(aka Uncle Kenny and Auntie Jeanne's basement martini bar). We had such a wonderful time. Aunt Jeanne gives many of her homemade creations as gifts, which the whole family looks forward too. This year she & Kenny even made homemade BBQ sauce, which I am just dying to try, we received that with some salsa and red pepper jelly. As well as a fresh rosemary tree. SCRUMPTIOUS! If you would like to try Aunt Jeanne's home made products, she is currently selling them for $4 per jar:) Just say the word and we can ship some to you:)

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and wish you a very Happy New Year!

19 MPH & Cell phone etiquette

Lately I have noticed something....other people are really stupid. Here are my examples:

#1)In our apartment complex recently some new speed limit signs have been posted. They read: 19MPH. Now I don't know about you, but this makes me crack up every time I see these signs. Plus - since they don't have a real speed limit on them, like 25MPH I know that no one is ever going to give me a ticket if I am going more than 19. You'd think that if there was truly a speeding problem in the complex, that the morons in charge would put up a sign that at least seemed real. AND any of you who have visited me at our apartment know there are about a million speed bumps so you can only ever go about 20 MPH between them anyway.

#2)I called some one the other day on their mobile phone to ask them a quick question. After we exchanged pleasantries, I was about to blurt out my question when I was told to: "Hold On!" I could then hear this person randomly chit chatting with some one else. Finally they made it back to the line and said, "Are you still there?" I wanted to say,"YES I AM STILL HERE - YOU TOLD ME TO HOLD!" Then just as I was about to get to my question again, the person started talking to whomever in the background about basically nothing. This is a pet peeve of mine. If you don' have time to talk - don't answer your cell phone. And if you need to talk to some one else when you are on your cell phone, why not say to the person that called you, now's not a great time, could I call you back. People have no idea how rude(and stupid) they seem when they do crap like this.

I will let you know if anything else that is totally stupid comes to mind.

Cheers everyone - have a great day!!!

The new edition to the family...I-PODS!

You may or may not know that recently we have added 1 I-Pod to our family with another to come very soon. I am spending every spare second loading my CDs onto the i-POD, I want to buy pink sparkly things to bedazzle my i-POD, I have never been this obsessed with something, it is the love at first sight feeling I imagine parenthood to be like. Maybe I could be a parent.... that's another post I guess.

Recently the fabulous Angie O.(angiebecause.blogspot.com) posted a very fun i-POD post which I would like to do with my own little i-Pod now. I will preface this by saying I am sure when you compare my soundtrack to Angie's you will find that she has more classics and I have more hip hop. I need to be able to shake it at all times and my i-Pod reflects that:)

soundtrack of my life:
here's how it works: Open your iPod. Put it on shuffle. Press play. For every question, type the song that's playing. When you go to a new question press the next button. Some songs fit perfectly.

Opening Credits: "Baby-Baby-Baby" -TLC
Waking Up: "Keep Ya Head Up" - 2Pac
Falling in Love: "Miss You Most(At Christmas Time)-Mariah Carey
Fight Scene: "Summer Wind" -Michael Buble
Breaking Up: "My Special Angel"-Bobby Helms
Getting Back Together: "Only You" - The Platters
Secret Love: "Beautiful Goodbye" - Jennifer Campbell
Life's Okay: "Everywhere" -Fleetwood Mac
Metal Breakdown: "Walk Away Renee" - Vonda Shepard
Driving Flashback: "O Holy Night" - Mariah Carey (apparently my life is a holiday movie)
Partying: "Willie & The Hand Jive" - Johnny Otis (make that a 50s Christmas movie)
Happy Dance: "Gold Digger" -Kanye West Feat. Jamie Foxx (Ah the joys of the holiday season, I am totally playing this on Christmas Eve at Aunt Jeanne's this year)
Regretting: "Love Takes Time" - Mariah Carey
Long Night Alone: "Evergreen" - Barbara Streisand (I am laughing so hard)
Final Battle: "4 Seasons of Loneliness"- Boyz II Men
Death Scene: "Unfoolish Remix" - Ashanti
Ending Credits: "Always Be My Baby" - Mariah Carey (I promise that Mariah is not the only thing on my I-Pod)

I hope everyone else has as much fun with this as I have!

The debut of the Barb-tini

Some of you may know that martinis are one of my very favorite splurges, I have recently come to find out that the FABULOUS Barb(http://babssbabble.blogspot.com), friend of Angie O.( http://angiebecause.blogspot.com) and pal of mine is also a martini connoisseur . In honor of Barb's birthday, December 3rd, I would like to talk about martinis and why they are important and also debut a tribute martini for Barb:

The Barb-tini!

Let's take note of the definition & origin of martinis

mar-ti-ni Pronunciation Key - [mahr-tee-nee]
–noun, plural -nis.
a cocktail made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth, usually served with a green olive or a twist of lemon peel.
[Origin: 1885–90; perh. alter. of Martinez (an earlier alternate name of the drink, of disputed orig.), by back formation (taking it as pl.), or by assoc. with the vermouth manufacturer Martini, Sola &amp; Co. (later Martini & Rossi)] </DIV>

Now that we know exactly where the Martini comes from, I think it is important to talk about why this modern convenience is so important to us ladies.

Martinis are a decadent form of comfort and joy. They come in many varieties and flavors and there is always a new hot martini on the scene to try. When you are a martini drinker everything about holding onto the elegant martini glass sets you apart from the "normal" drinkers with wine glasses and pint glasses. When you are a martini drinker, you epitomize class, sophistication, and intrigue. You are the Bond girl in the room, you are the Audrey Hepburn in the room, you are the Jackie O. among the Ladybird Johnson's drinking vodka seltzers. Martini drinkers are hip, yet the standard for classic. And how this describes BARB, our birthday girl, the inspiration for the Barb-tini!

I have to tell you that I liked Barb from the moment I met her. She is hilarious! Full of stories, extremely talented, and just a great person overall. And this is usually uncommon when you meet your good friend's friends. Barb is the exception to the rule! I hope she has a fabulous birthday and enjoys her new signature drink:

Let's start with the Rim:

1)Pour 5-6 tablespoons sweetened cocoa into a small plate or shallow wide rimmed bowl
2)Grate a little fresh nutmeg or sprinkle a dash of nutmeg into the cocoa and blend well.
3)Place rim firmly in the coating ingredients. Gently turn the glass back and forth once to coat, shaking off any excess to form a light or heavy coating as preferred.
4) Pour the cocktail carefully into the glass to avoid disturbing the rim
The Barbtini:
ingredients:
1.5 cups cracked ice(or 6 ice cubes)
1.5 oz chilled mandarin vodka
1 oz godiva liqueur
splash of Grand Marnier
Instructions:
1)Rim the glass with the cocoa rim and chill
2)Fill cocktail shaker with ice, add vodka, godiva, and grand marnier. Shake vigorously to blend and chill
3)strain mixture into the prepared glass and serve.

Happy Birthday Barb, I think from now on, I may call you Barb-tini!

Yet another delicious dish!
Seriously - cooking is my most favorite pastime lately. Well that and knitting! I am really turning into a grandma. If only my own Grandma was this fun! Here is yet another recipe that is so simple and easy and scrumptious. We cut it in half to 5 servings, the recipe below is for 10, however if you are ever entertaining, this would be the perfect soup to have on hand - it is very filling.

Rich French Onion Soup
6 large onions chopped
1/2 cup butter or margarine
6 cans(10.5 ounces each) condensed beef broth, undiluted
1.5 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
10 slices french bread toasted
shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses

In a large skillet, sauté onions in butter until crisp-tender. Transfer to an ungreased 5 qt slow cooker. Add the broth, worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until the onions are tender. Discard bay leaves. Top each serving with French bread and cheeses.

Seriously - that is it! If I had realized that french onion soup was this easy, I would have been making it years ago!

Thanksgiving....and the award goes to:

Hello kids - I have been slacking again on posting, no excuses really, except for being gone Wednesday & Thursday and then spending the rest of the weekend dragging Christmas decorations up the stairs and then assembling them. I will post some pictures of the Hoisington Christmas Haus in the coming weeks. Jeff is actually outside right now getting the balcony ready for Christmas. I am sure he will do the most awesome job, because he is the most awesome husband. (Yes - Jeff checks on my blogging from time to time)

So Thanksgiving, I was going to title this post, the good, the bad, & the ugly, but I then realized that I had more awards to give to the family than 3. So - without further ado:

BEST DRESSED: Is it bad that I want to give the award to myself?!?!? Wait - I will explain...I went for a totally fall look, brown sweater coat, dream t-shirt, brown tweed short pants with a big leather belt and boots. Although, I was no match for the Audrey Hepburn-esque Aunt Doris. Aunt Doris is going to be 85 in a few weeks. So she had on some slick black pants, and a velvety black sweater with a white collared short underneath and some very flashy silver jewelry and black high heels. She is such a babe, I hope all of us are in the kind of shape Aunt Doris is in when we are 85.

BEST FOOD: I am sure the turkey was nice, although I didn't have any. What the best part of the 20 odd dishes we had to choose from was the following dishes, both prepared by my mom - huge shock- Cranberry Chicken & Her very famous homemade mashed potatoes, now my mom doesn't just boil up potatoes and mash them, she adds butter and sour cream and cheese and whips them into the smoothest yummiest mashed potatoes ever. They are unbelievable!

BEST INAPPROPRIATE, BUT TOTALLY NECESSARY COMMENT: Leave it to Aunt Doris to win in this category. She is ULTRA conservative and maybe even borders a little on being a white supremacist, so forgetting all of the very horrendous things she said about the football game, the best thing she said was to my cousin Johnny's new girlfriend, Shurin(pronounced SureIN). "You may want to pull your skirt down, I am not sure the entire family is interested in seeing up it." HILARIOUS - in Aunt Doris' defense, Shurin would win the award for worst dressed if there was one, as she is a junior in high school and was beyond trended out in an ULTRA short skirt and very skimpy top. SOOOO she had it coming.

BEST DESSERT: Aunt Jeanne's Apple Praline Cheesecake - truly scrumptious, everyone was fighting over it.

MOST RUDE: I won't name names but I will say that a few folks really screwed up the menu. There was the person who was supposed to bring a cake & a pie who showed up with Cheesy Potatoes and there was the other person who was supposed to bring fruit salad, but showed up with some sort of torte(which was good, just not the fruit salad.) Duh people, when a menu is being planned for a group of 30+, you need to stick to the plan.

MOST RUDE PART 2: The people who said things in the food line like, "Where is the Green Bean Casserole?" AND "Why don't we have dinner rolls" I wanted to say, look people, my mom made a turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes and had some appetizers out - if you idiots would volunteer to make things like dinner rolls or green bean casserole, instead of pasta salad, I have a feeling we would have a better selection.

BEST IMPROMPTU DISH: White wine gravy by Mom & Aunt Jeanne....it was hilarious to watch and I am pretty sure they used a whole bottle of wine. They were laughing their butts off the whole time. I am not a big gravy aficionado, BUT I cracked up when my cousin, Helena said, "There is something off about this gravy. The spice is off" I said, "It's not spice, it is wine!"

I will say I am very very thankful to have such a wonderful family full of good cooks who love to get together and have a good time. I am also thankful for all of you - my close friends who I appreciate each day.