Catching Up

17 January 2010 by

So. I haven’t been very bloggity this week. I have, on the other hand, been very CNN-y. Surely that counts for something.

And do you know what else? I haven’t watched “American Idol” this week. I mean, I know that there have only been two whole episodes, but normally I would be chomping at the bit to fire up the DVR and settle in for the audition shows. After all, I consider “Idol” a bit of a hobby for me. That and, you know, eating cheese.

I think the real-life goings-on in Haiti and the make-believe goings-on in Dillon, Texas have me off my “Idol” game (I’ve been watching season one of “FNL” on Netflix on-demand. Or maybe it’s not called on-demand. But it’s the Netflix that I can just watch on the computer without having to wait for a DVD to arrive.)

(And personally I think they should call it Netflix NOW!, but unfortunately I was not consulted during the marketing and/or branding stages of that particular product line.)

(SHOCKING, I know.)

This morning I decided that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to break out of my CNN fog, so we pretty much built our whole Saturday around the fact that State was playing Georgia at 2. After a morning of washing clothes and getting the six year-old to help me with decluttering and cleaning in his room, I served up some blackeyed peas and cornbread for lunch (GLORY), and then we settled in to watch the ball game.

The Bulldogs had a tough time of it for about 36 minutes, but those last four minutes will be forever etched on the Favorite Basketball Memories portion of my brain. We won 72-69, and I’m really okay with the fact that the game aged me 25 years over the course of an afternoon. I’ll just wear more concealer and go a few shades lighter with the blonde. And if somebody happens to call me “Mamaw,” I’ll pretend like I don’t hear them.

Also: when we were losing by 14 with about 6 minutes left in the game, I decided that a change of scenery was in order, so I moved to the TV in the kitchen and stood in one place for the remainder of the game. We went on a 14-3 run during those six minutes.

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT.

Anyway, I have a few links I’ve been meaning to share.

– If you are an SEC basketball who likes to re-watch games just for kicks, NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT, then I think this site will thrill and delight you.

– Do any of y’all Foursquare? I had never heard of it until I read this article. And for the record, I have all the social media I need in my life, but I still thought it was interesting.

– You can grab a Compassion banner for your blog if you’d like to encourage your readers to help the Haitian earthquake victims through Compassion. You can also change your Facebook and Twitter profile pics.

Hope y’all are having a great weekend!

Filed Under: Rambling

L’Bel Paris Giveaway Winner

9 January 2010 by

Congratulations, Erin K. – you’ll have an email from me very soon about how to claim your $500 L’Bel Paris prize package.

And thanks so much, everybody, for your great participation!

Filed Under: Rambling

Obligatory Snow Post ’10

7 January 2010 by

So, it snowed here today. Sort of. I mean, there were some flakes that fell from the sky, and occasionally they came down fast enough that we looked at them and said, “Oh, that’s pretty,” but in terms of anything that would enable us to make snowballs or snowmen or snow angels or snow creatures of any variety at all – well, um, NO.

But we had such a great day. Alex, our sweet neighbor B. (she’s not just four – she’s four AND A HALF) and I went for a huuuuuge walk, and the two young’uns ran up and rolled down every single hill. We had a blast. It was just one of those times when the gray weather was our friend, and it was hands-down my favorite day of 2010.

(Yes, I know that 2010 is only seven days old, but still. Big fun. I would share pictures except that I didn’t take any because our camera battery was dead. You’ll just have to trust me.)

Now earlier this week I was all set to make a bunch of tailgating food for tonight’s game, but when I started reading through your comments on yesterday’s post, I got a great idea from Gina. She mentioned that she was making sliders, and that immediately struck me as something David would love. So I shifted strategies, went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon, cooked everything late this afternoon, and may I just say? The sliders? HUGE BIG GIGANTOR HIT.

I had about a half a bag of frozen rolls leftover from Christmas (I prefer Rhodes, but this was some other kind), and this afternoon I put the rolls on cookie sheets so they could thaw and rise. I seasoned about a pound and a half of ground chuck, and after I mixed it up I made 12 small patties, then covered them and put them back in the refrigerator.

And since I recognize that reading a step-by-step, pictureless rundown of how I made sliders is only slightly more exciting than if I were to read you an instruction manual about food processor assembly, I’ll just cut to the chase and make a list of everything I put out on the counter for slider assemblage.

– sliced rolls
– hamburger patties (adorably small-ish)
– ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard
– Provolone (oh wait – I forgot to put out the Provolone, but I’ll still leave it on the list because it would have been delicious)
– Ranch dressing (made from the little Hidden Valley packet)
– grilled onions (I used 1/2 sweet onion)
– bacon (I cut six slices in half, then fried them)
– sandwich stacker pickles (cut in half)
– salsa (this brand is our current favorite, and MY WORD it’s tasty)
– avocado (I don’t really have anything else to say about the avocado, but I seem to be on a roll with the parenthetical additions, so I thought I’d write something extra in the interest of consistency)

So there was all of that stuff, and then I made homemade French fries (the kind where I put about two inches of oil in a Dutch oven on the stove and then COOK UP SOME SLICED TATERS), and I think it was one of my fellas’ favorite meals ever. D loved being able to fix different kinds of burgers, and I loved that I found a new way to use frozen rolls. Alex loved that we had hamburger patties AND bacon. He’s sort of a fan of meat.

Okay – I need to give the game my full attention. Bama’s up 24-21 with three minutes left, and they just recovered a fumble on UT’s three yard line. So clearly it’s time to do some yelling because remember, I THINK THE PLAYERS INSIDE THE TV CAN HEAR ME.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

And for at least the next three minutes: Roll Tide.

Edited to add: today is the last day to enter the $500 L’Bel Paris giveaway – don’t forget to enter!

Filed Under: Cooking, Rambling

Just Like The Snow When A Ray Of Sun Is Felt

6 January 2010 by

It’s the strangest thing, but this song has been on my mind all day long.

The strangest thing.

Not to mention that this little nugget-o-wisdom is still running on repeat in my brain: “Love is more powerful than flying.”

Yes. Yes it is.

Anyway, I’ve decided to hold off on any sort of regular “Bachelor” re-caps for now. Don’t get me wrong: I want to write VERY LONG posts about it – but I feel like I need to see how the season pans out. And I’ll just leave it at that.

In other news, it’s supposed to snow in Birmingham Thursday, so I have been furiously checking our ABC station’s weather blog to see if they’ve gotten the graphics department in on the action yet. I’m thinking that by midday tomorrow we’ll be seeing either WINTER STORM ALERT ’10 or WINTER STORM WATCH ’10 all over our local news. Maybe even WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ’10 – with a big piece of cracking ice in the background. IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY.

Since Alabama is playing Texas for the National Championship Thursday night, some people on one of our local sports radio shows have been VERY VOCAL INDEED that they will not – WILL NOT – tolerate any sort of local weather bulletin that interrupts the football game. They’re not kidding around. Because why does it matter if the roads are icy if the Tide is rollin’? I’d go so far as to say that if even a half a centimeter of the WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ’10 graphic partially obscures the logo on Nick Saban’s shirt, ABC had better run for cover.

I mean, would Bear Bryant tolerate any sort of weather-related game-watching distractions? I THINK NOT.

Of course I’m cheering for Alabama in the game – it’s an SEC school playing for the National Championship, for heaven’s sake – and I’m curious: will you be cheering for either team? Or will you be hoping and praying for a “House Hunters” marathon on HGTV? And are any of y’all cooking a special menu for the game? We’ll definitely be eating tailgate food for supper at our house Thursday night.

IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

Filed Under: Rambling, TV Is My Friend

Assorted Variety Of Random

4 January 2010 by

1. Garden Salsa Sun Chips are delicious.
2. “The Sing-Off” could have been so much more.
3. I’m totally in love with the color turquoise right now.
4. The state of Alabama is a little fired up about football right now. This is one of many reasons I am so thankful to live here.
5. I have never seen Titanic. And yet my heart still goes on.
6. I will watch any television show about people buying a home.
7. Oatmeal cookies are underrated.
8. Current fashion obsession: Sandra Bullock’s orange sweater / navy pants / gray & white striped scarf outfit in The Proposal.
9. I have no desire to see Avatar.
10. I feel like I have no idea how to successfully put on eye make-up. Still. And I’ve been wearing make-up for A LOT OF YEARS.
11. The new season of “The Bachelor” is supposedly more family-friendly than previous seasons, but hopefully it’ll be just as cheesy (FINGERS CROSSED).
12. Watched Duplicity. Thought it was two different movies in one. Which, I guess, is consistent with its title.
13. Why has nobody made a reality show about women who genuinely like each other and enjoy each other’s company and are, you know, FRIENDS?
14. Just a little more than a week until the new season of “American Idol” begins. Feels like the last one just ended.
15. The other day I watched the last few minutes of the “90210” where they change the Hollywood sign to “W Bev Hi ’93,” and I had the sobering realization that THAT WAS OVER FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Time stops for no man, y’all. Not even Brandon Walsh.

Filed Under: Rambling

2009 Favorites

31 December 2009 by

So I spent a chunk of the day writing this long, reflective post about 2009. And I’m really glad I wrote it, because “remembering” has been a little bit of a theme in 2009. But the more I read over what I wrote, the more I think it’s one of those posts I need to keep close to my heart. It might be a wee bit thoughtful for a blog where the focus is usually on reality television and bacon.

However.

Writing the post made me think about a whole bunch of fun stuff that happened this past year. Here are a few of my favorite moments of 2009.

January – Travis recorded a live CD in Woodstock, Georgia. David and I drove over for it, and Melanie was there, too. Before the concert Rich snapped a picture of Travis, Melanie and me that I absolutely adore, mainly because it makes it look like Melanie’s about to go live on the local news.

I cannot tell you how much I love those two people and their families. So many fun memories with them in 2009.

February – Alex and I went to Memphis for my sister-in-law Janie‘s 40th birthday party. I developed a huge crush on the centerpieces on Janie’s mama’s dining room table. I also got to meet Emma Kate’s orange chairs for the very first time. It was love at first sight.

March – I made a quick trip to Nashville to watch State’s NCAA tourney game with Sister, and I got to see my friends Angie, Annie and Angela while I was there. I don’t know when I’ve ever had so many meaningful conversations packed into 24 hours. I cried the whole way home. So grateful.

Also: Alex turned 6!

April – Melanie and I went to New Orleans for Living Proof Live and were alternately terrified and fascinated when we spent a solid hour waiting for pizza inside a Domino’s that was filled with such an eclectic array of VERY VOCAL people that I was certain we were being filmed by some sort of hidden camera. I returned home to find that Star Wars action figures had taken over my house. They have yet to surrender.

May – Alex’s last day of school was one of my most treasured “mama moments” to date. His teacher called each student to the front of the room, and then she looked each child straight in the eyes and told him or her what she loved about them. She prayed for the group when she was finished, and I cannot tell you how encouraging it was for the kids and for the parents. She spoke Truth into each one of their lives. I will never forget it.

June – I went to Oklahoma to see Melanie, Shannon and Ree. Mel rode A Horse Named Cheese while Shannon and I tried to figure out how to respond to a cantankerous cow. Ree made garlic bread and angels sang. It was one of the most fun trips of my whole life. We even got to see Kelly, Harper and Judy on the way home. THE INTERNET IS A WONDER.

July – We swam and swam and swam and swam. We made two separate trips to the beach and had loads of family fun – not to mention approximately 4,892 trips up and down water slides. Alex decided that “Oh, picklenuts” was his new favorite phrase. It made me laugh.

August – Alex started back to school, I got re-adjusted to a schedule that involves, you know, WORK, and the rest is sort of a blur. I’m sure I cooked some things and watched some TV and talked to some people. But that’s about as much as I can remember.

September – Alex’s buddy C came to visit from Texas, and oh, what a happy day it was – we had all missed him so much. We went to Memphis for Labor Day and to celebrate Sister’s birthday, then came home for more time with C. We fell into the routine of all things fall – football season, Sunday School, Wednesday night church stuff, choir, soccer – and the month flew by.

October – I was sort of weird about my birthday this year – it felt like a turning point and I didn’t really have a mind to turn. Plus, I had this dream in my head of being with all my friends and family on my birthday, and for about sixteen different reasons, it didn’t happen. I was a little sad about that. BUT, my birthday ended up being great. Loved it.

November – We celebrated my brother’s birthday in Memphis at a beee-yooo-teeee-ful party that Janie put together, and then we drove to Starkville for the State/Ole Miss game and a fun time with my sweet friend Daphne and her family. That day is one of my favorite memories.

December – Christmas night Alex opened an MSU football jersey from my parents. When he saw #24 on the front of it, he screamed, “ANTHONY DIXON! I LOVE ANTHONY DIXON!”

That’s a boy in touch with his football heritage, my friends.

All that to say: it was a great year even if it wasn’t always an easy year. I’ve been reminded over and over again that people are God’s greatest earthly gift to us, and He is so gracious to put just the right people in our lives at just the right times.

I am so thankful for each one of y’all – you have added something special to every single day of 2009, and our family is better for it.

Happy New Year!

Filed Under: Rambling
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