Wednesday, November 28, 2007

KETV Comes To Pay Us A Visit











So, Monday was the big day we'd been preparing for over the last few weeks/couple of months. Jayne McClew and cameraman Warren arrived promptly at 2pm and stayed for over 3 1/2 hours. It was a lot of fun but very tiring!

They interviewed us each separately first and, of course, Tim sounded like quite the professional giving all the right answers and expanding on topics very well! My voice cracked a couple of times and Garden Kitty showed up in the middle of my taping jingling her Christmas bell collar she had donned just for the occasion! (I think she was hoping for a cameo)

She did fully inspect the camera equipment and the orange porch visitor tried to put his two cents worth in as well.

We took a lot of pictures of the whole videotaping experience. I especially liked the one of the headless cameraman in my den....note the picture with the kitchen cabinets in the background.

The show supposedly will air on Dec. 20th at 7:30pm on ch. 68 if you don't have cable. If you do, I'm not sure what channel it's on! We will get a confirmation on that date and time prior, however.

Our segment will be about 5-7 minutes of the 30 minute show.

Stay tuned!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Mexican Fiesta Birthday





My aunt's birthday today seemed like the perfect occasion for a Mexican Fiesta, complete with cute plates, bowls and glasses that I scored last year at Dollar Tree! Thanks to Raegan for letting me borrow the super cute table decorations and chili pepper lights!

Yummy new recipes and the tried and true mandarin orange cake were all a hit with the birthday girl and her party attendees.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner at Mom's House




After two days plus of preparation for Thankgiving Dinner, it finally arrived. I went over to mom's early and cooked two turkey breasts in the microwave (always juicy and perfect) after making my usual macaroni and cheese casserole at home in the morning. Dinner was delicious, consisting of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, a frozen cranberry salad, yeast rolls, homemade dressing (super yum!), macaroni casserole, noodles, shrub to drink, and then there was dessert- pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry trifle and red velvet cake. My aunt and uncle came down so the five of us had a very nice visit and dinner together. It was over too soon though and then there was clean up and lots of leftovers! At least we'll be eating well for the next few days! Hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

What a Nice Frito Lay Guy

I was at Target the other day getting my bargain Doritos (on sale for $2 a bag, $1 off printable coupon, making each bag $1) and I was chatting with the Frito Lay guy as he was restocking. I told him I was a kid in the 70s and specifically remembered Taco Doritos as well as Sour Cream and Onion Doritos in a green bag...he kept looking at me with a perplexed expression and finally confessed that if I hadn't told him I was a kid in the 70s he would have guessed I was about 22. I fessed up that I was 36 and he stated he was 39 and the whole conversation just made my day because 40 is coming around the corner.

If you remember those Doritos too, you might be interested in this link: http://www.sdreader.com/php/ma_show.php?id=853 and this old commercial on you tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ll3O96FQN4 for both kinds mentioned above.

Pretty interesting stuff!

And, while you are over ther at you tube, take time to watch this hilarious McD's commercial showing happy, jolly employees making sure their burger machines are super clean. It's great for a midmorning laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKR1ScQUpcA&feature=related

Monday, November 19, 2007

Quote of the Weekend

Tim: "Whoever said that artificial trees don't shed was completely wrong."

Me: "I know, I almost think they shed worse."

Saturday, November 17, 2007

We Interrupt The Christmas Dusting Season....





To bring you an evil picture frame, a bruise to follow, power tools for Christmas trees and loaded potato soup for supper.

Do these warrant some explanation?

Lessons learned...never pull the corner shelf out from the wall to dust the baseboard without removing the top picture frame first. Otherwise, it will fall and hit you right in the nose causing severe pain and bruising. Ice only helped a bit.

Tree stands need husbands with power tools to make them work. Every single year. There went an hour and a half. The bigger the tree, the more tools needed.

Loaded potato soup made in the microwave is no time saver. One hour in the kitchen. In the end, after the potatoes FINALLY got soft and mushy, it was pretty darned good soup.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Thanks Kiwanis!


A big thanks to our good friend Jamie who thought our quirky trips out west were worthy of a presentation before his Kiwanis group! We had a great time doing it and sharing our adventures although I have to admit, I was a bit nervous! It's been a LONG time since I took my public speaking class in college and overcame all that...I can still keep a steady voice for the most part but boy, the nerves were working overtime underneath it all! But a super fun evening none the less! And a great dinner and audience too!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

So I Made A Sorta Mistake

Let me say that we didn't have snipers on the rooftops.

We had sharp shooters on the rooftops.

What the heck do I know? I just was going by what all the giddy women around me were saying today and they called them snipers.

I knew I'd flub up somewhere in that whole description because I'm not political. Just patriotic.

The President Comes To New Albany, Again
















So, a few days ago our little town gets wind that George W. is coming back to New Albany and will be appearing at the old Grand Theatre on Market St. today. Last night I scoped out Market St. and ran into a neighbor and a 32 News guy. Between the two of them I figured out that the last thing that was going to happen was for him to enter through the front entrance. Most likely it would be the back door near the alley.

I took my camera to work and about 11:30 the crowds began gathering on the corner right out from where I work. The bridge/interstate traffic had been stopped on 1-64, which you can see from the street, so everyone assumed that the motorcade was coming. Well, it was a bit of a false alarm as he went to eat at Sam's on Charlestown Rd. we found out later. So, we ended up standing out there until he finally showed up around 12:35/12:40.

It was all pretty exciting I have to say. I've never actually seen anything like this and his motorcade literally passed within feet of where I was standing attempting to get a picture. The police had side streets blocked off for quite sometime and finally got their call that the main streets were on a lockdown. The secret service had been in town since last Tuesday and were everywhere in dark black trenchcoats today. One was nice and told a bunch of us where we'd have the best "seats". There were snipers on the building roofs.

Anyway, it happened pretty fast. A motorcycle and police lights could be seen in the distance as he made his way down Main. There were two limos I guess you'd call them and I was trying so darn hard to look into the tinted windows and see him that I forgot to get a pictures close up when they came by!!! But I did get lots of pictures of all the activity and one of the motorcade at a distance.

There were protestors and supports at Market and Bank St. with signs, a drum and chants. News trucks were everywhere. It was all just pretty darn exciting. I have to admit, I'm not a political person but I'm patriotic and it was neat to have the President of the U.S. a few buildings away.

I finally went back to work, cold and hungry. They had said he'd only be there like 35-40 minutes. I couldn't make it back to the corner but I looked out my window just in time to see them go by and I tried to take a pic but only got the back end of the car. The others I work with said he was waving but I kinda missed that too! This was Tim's favorite picture of course! Ha ha.

Okay, there's just been too much excitement around here lately, with Paula Deen, the Extreme Home Makeover crew and now the President. I don't know if I can stand much more of it, I'm cringing at the thought of just how many more pictures I've taken lately and how many more scrapbook layouts that means...

Saturday, November 10, 2007

I Ain't No Paula Deen and Here's What Some Choco Pound Cake Will Get You
















Okay, last night I actually cooked dinner for Tim and I which is getting to be a rarity around here....lately it's been make do with whatever you can find in the freezer or let's go out again.

So, I got real fancy and decided to make brownies too. Now, not homemade or anything but I can't do any better than Duncan Hines. Quick sidenote: I made them a week or so ago and forgot they were in the oven, went upstairs and showered, never heard the timer and then went to dry my hair wondering who was grilling chicken outside...that was when it occurred to me that NO one was grilling chicken outside at 10:30 am and I remembered my brownies. Scorched. Yep, a whole 9 x 13 of 15-20 minute overcooked, scorched brownies. Trash.

So, back to last night's brownie attempt. I set the timer and stayed nearby so as not to dare overbake them again. All was well and out they came after 25 minutes. I set them on the stovetop to cool like I always do. We ate our dinner. 15-20 minutes later I came into the kitchen and smelled scorched brownies. I had forgotten to turn the burner off that I'd been cooking on and the brownies had been continuing to bake as they sat there.

WAH! One row was edible and the rest were trash. Again.

What in the heck is it with me and brownies lately?

So, now let's get to the reference of Paul Deen.

Mom is a SUPER HUGE fan of Paula's, has all her cookbooks and was beside herself with joy when I got her tickets to a show in the Cincy area for Mother's Day earlier this year. We went, we had a blast and I was suddenly a fan myself of Paula who is not the proper southern lady you might think she would be. Fact is, she's a little raunchy! But she's real and she's hilarious and she puts on a great show.

Fast forward and Paula is coming to Louisville Sat., November 10th. Okay, this time it's not an hour and a half away, it's right in our own backyard. So, we get tickets and off we go this morning bright and early. We got to take part in a meet and greet that started 40 minutes before the show and we weren't quite sure what to expect. They announced that she wouldn't be doing autographs or individual photos but she would like to chit chat with some of her nearest and dearest fans. All 70 of us.

I'm racking my brain trying to think up a good story to get my mom up there in Paula's loving arms as she wanted nothing else but a picture with her for her kitchen and scrapbook! She wouldn't let me lie and say it was her birthday. So, I rack my brain and rack my brain and the chocolate pound cake comes to me. Mom just tasted it at a church turkey dinner and hasn't stopped talking about it since. I practice my speech, start shaking all over (it's been WAY too many years since I overcame that in my Public Speaking course in college...sigh...), and wait for the opportunity to get her attention. I knew she wouldn't say no if I could get to her.

So, after the two cute little girls asked about her children's cookbook and got to go up and have their picture taken with Paula, I catch her attention and begin my story that hopefully will sound good enough to get the job done. It went something like this: "Paula, if my mom makes your chocolate pound cake for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, which is her new favorite recipe, could she come up there and shake your hand?" Paula, ever the gracious celebrity, beckons her up and mom heads up in complete disbelief. I have somehow maintained composure and not shaken to my death and follow her with my camera armed and ready. I snap away and they hug and hug and talk and talk and I finally have to ask them to turn around so I can get a picture that isn't of just Paula's hind portion.

They pose and mom is teary eyed from the whole experience which is kinda cool and I take two shots. I shake Paula's hand quickly as I head back to my seat and thank her and know that I just won the World's Most Awesome Daughter Award this year.

A few others got to go up there too and a photographer from the Courier Journal was there and gave us a number to call to see about getting the photo he took of mom and Paula too.

After that was all over, we took some more random pictures by blown up magazine covers and headed downstairs for the show. The set was beautiful, much more impressive than the stage and venue of the 4-H sponsored show we saw last time. Her husband Michael was there, she introduced many of her staff members and entourage, crowned a most deserving Queen for the Day, threw in a little bit of cooking with the help of more staff and Michael and made the day of a little multi-handicapped boy named Noah. (that was totally awesome and unexpected and even Paula was teary) Go Noah! AND, I literally almost ran into his mom and him in the parking garage and told her that I had taken a bunch of pictures of him up there and even though I was sure they'd get some professional pictures would she want me to send them to her? She was thrilled and gave me her email addy. Okay, can we say, that was meant to be? Us cutting down the alley to the parking garage and coming out at the same time she was walking by AND we saw them leave the theatre way before we even started moving? WOW! Super cool!

So, it was like the best day ever and so much fun and we took lots of photos, got some free magazines, bought matching pink t-shirts, an apron and have some great memories!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Latest Scrapbooking Projects




















Well, it's either discuss the ongoing Christmas decorating and present wrapping, and frankly even I am getting tired of it and it's not even mid November, Garden Kitty's teeth or I can share some projects I've done lately in the scrapbooking arena. Okay, I vote for the scrapbooking stuff!

First off, we have the tag accordian kit that I got at Hobby Lobby after Christmas last year dirt cheap. I actually got three of them and figured if I only wanted to do one Retro Christmas I could use my own paper and embellishments on the others. So, I sat down one morning at like 6am when I woke up early and did most of the little kit. Finished it up at the crop last Fri night. It was fun, super fast and yep, that's me with the bowl cut. Cute little thing huh?

Okay, then we move on to a layout I whipped up one night featuring the little Easter bunny that showed up in our yard in the spring of 2006. I make up all these little scrapbook "kits" with coordinating products and then hoard them and never use them. So, there's one down.

Finally we have the chalkboard album that I totally scraplifted from the Scrapbook Oasis blog! Well, I scraplifted the chalkboard idea of it and did my own thing on the inside. It's all about the litte school my mom opened when I was in preschool/kindergarten. It's not completely finished and there are some empty spots where I still need to fill in things in like the playdoh recipe and I need to do something on the inside and back covers where the burlap stuff is.

So, there ya have it. Scrapbook stuff.