Product Placements

So, I'm not sure if the makers of these products are going to pay me for advertising on my blog, but I think they should. I mean honestly, I am giving a testimonial on how much I love all of these things on a blog that is visited by 1 person per hour. YOU'RE WELCOME, MANUFACTURERS.

I can't remember if I've ever blogged about this, but a few months back by Grantley came home with a surprise. It was the Sprint HTC Evo 4G, also known as THE PRECIOUS.

I loooooove my phone and all its features and apps and internet convenience. It really is a great, great phone and I have zero complaints!!

This is my new best friend at work. We spend every morning together.

When I was in the grocery store and saw that International Delight had come up with a fat free "Skinny Vanilla Latte" creamer I said HECK TO THE YES. It is tasty tasty deliciousness and I am forever changed.

Okay, so these aren't my ultimate favorite... but really, y'all they aren't that bad.

I have an Eggo Nutri-grain Whole Wheat waffle every morning at work with a little bit of peanut butter on it. It really tastes just fine and I thoroughly enjoy a good waffle.

We finally caved. Everyone has told us for a year now that we just HAVE to start watching Modern Family because we would just LOVE it. So We got Season 1 on DVD for Christmas and oh my good gracious..... HILARITY.



We are already addicted to this show. It is SO FUNNY. It's one of those shows where I have to press pause to finish my laughing. Ohhhh so good.

I think I've blogged before about how much I love Lash Blast Fusion mascara by Covergirl. It makes your lashes very voluminous and fluffy.

But now I'm doing this thing where I'm putting a layer of Define-a-lash by Maybelline on top of the Lash Blast.

My lashes are now looking very defined. That's a clever name you came up with, Maybelline. A very clever name.

I don't know how I made it through 3.75 years of marriage without a vegetable steamer basket. But sometime in October I decided I needed one while at Target.

UM, I LOVE STEAMING VEGETABLES. We eat steamed broccoli and carrots all the time and I drizzle olive oil and butter over them while they are steaming to take out some of the healthy.

Okay, so, I got adventurous one day in the laundry aisle and decided to be rebellious and try a new dryer sheet. So I tried these Arm & Hammer Total dryer sheets (they are moist) and all of my clothes are soft and smell like a summer breeze.

Lastly, I just have to do a Product Placement for THIS BOOK!! Our pastor, Gregg Matte, just got his very first book published. This is a fantastic book for any person of any age who is looking for direction. So, if you know someone who has got it all together and has their life entirely figured out and needs no guidance in any area, than they do not need to read this book. But everybody else does.


There is so much meat, so much truth, so much Scripture..... I really am so proud of our pastor and highly highly highly recommend this book!

Alright, I'm expecting to get a check in the mail from one of these companies in the next two weeks or so. I mean, I have helped them advertise to TENS of people. It's only fair.

I'm Feeling Chatty Which Is A Totally New Experience For Me

As referenced in my previous post, I'm feeling sicky lately.

However, I have far too much to do so I'm just ignoring the sickness and powering through.

I'd also like to mention that this nightly thing that's been happening where I wake up at 4:17am has got to stop. There is no reason for me to be awake at that hour and I'd like for it to not happen anymore.

My mom is a gem. She is on her way over here right now to bring me an extra crock pot since I'm having a party. She's also bringing me some fall decor since I've only been a home owner for 10 months and I don't own much in the autumn category. She knows that it's important for a fall party to have fall decor. She's a good woman.

I'm watching Biggest Loser right now and therefore I hold my 5lb dumbbells in my hand while I sit here on the couch. It makes me feel better.

Today someone in the office was taking a video of me with their cellphone and I thought she was taking a picture so I just sat there frozen with this goofy look on my face for a good ten seconds until I realized that she was taking a video. I felt super cool.

We celebrated bosses day at the office today since the bosses will be out of town on actual bosses day. We gave them a chocolate cake with a cherry on top. The girls and I wrote "Please Don't Fire Us" on the cake.

Today Grant emailed me and asked me to let him know what weekends are free in the next few weeks. I went through my calendar from now till the end of 2010. Not one free weekend between now and then. And as the year comes to a close, my weekdays get busier and busier as well. It is realizations like this that make me want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head and stay there for a few hours or months.

Bob from the Biggest Loser just told the contestants that he thinks that the food in your home should have a shelf life of no longer than two weeks. Um, what about my rice and pasta and fritos and cereal and velveeta? WHAT ABOUT THE VELVEETA, BOB!? And the girl scout cookies?! Girl, please. He also just said that you need to have color on your plate. Um, yeah. I do. Macaroni and cheese is YELLOW. There's your color. Boo-yah.

Okay I'm gonna wrap this up.

Peace out. Eat something yellow or beige. That's my health tip for the day. You're welcome.

Currently

As soon as I finish this blog post, I am starting page one of Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers. This is the sequel to A Mother's Hope which I finished this summer and I have been anxiously awaiting the continued story of Marta and Hildie. I can't wait to start it! But first I am going to share with you people what is going on in my life currently.

Around the House:

As referenced in my previous post, there are alot of fall happenings going on around here. Lots of gourds and pumpkins and Wall Flowers from Bath & Body Works in the "Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin" scent. There was also alot of fall cleaning this weekend. And alot of laundry. I feel like a new woman.

At work:

I'm busy busy busy all the time. My job description is ever expanding. The end.

At church:

Oooh fall is a busy season at church, is it not? This coming Sunday the Kids Choir that I help with is singing in all 3 services so we have a very busy weekend coming up. I'm also rehearsing with the adult choir at church to perform in the big Christmas Celebration. We've been rehearsing since late August. But it is so fun and I am such a choir nerd. Our Sunday school class is also quite active and I'm hosting a girls' night here at my house in a few weeks. We will also be in costumes. I'm thinking about wearing a blonde wig and an orange jumpsuit. I'd be Lindsay Lohan.

In Houston:

The weather makes me want to burst into a Disney-style song that I've titled "The WEATHER makes me SING with GLEE and dance around and LEAP with GLEE and sing a song with HARMONY and spin and twirl I'M SO HAPPY!!". It's an excellent song. A work in progress. GRANT LOVES IT. I'm sorry but I just start behaving strangely when it dips below 80 degrees. Just so you know.

With Grant:

Gosh, I love him. And he gets cuter and cuter all the time. And funnier. He makes me laugh. Alot. I'm also super proud of him since he made the cut for the Houston Amateur Golf tournament. It's happening this weekend. I'm going to watch him play. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WEAR. I just can't pull off sporty y'all. I can't do it.

In Regards to Food:

I have a big bowl of fruit on my counter right now and my goal is to finish it by Friday. I'm not sure if I can do that. I can tell you with 100% certainty that I could finish off a bag of chips in 30 minutes. Grant opened a bag of chips earlier and then left it by me. I hollered out to him "I NEED YOU TO GET THESE CHIPS AWAY FROM ME!! I WILL EAT THEM. ALL OF THEM" so he rushed back and hid them. Sigh of relief. I am still thinking about them. But yeah, I'm not making any promises about the fruit.

In Regards to Fitness:

Thanks to a tip from my friend Jessica, I am now super obsessed with Pilates. I do it everyday. My U-verse has a channel on OnDemand called Exercise TV that has short workouts on them. I'm loving it and I really really feel it working. I am on my way to getting toned. As long as the chips stay away. I heart carbs.

What's Happening on the Television:

Well, it finally happened. For over a year now we've been playing catch-up with How I Met Your Mother. As of last night, we caught up with the season DVD's and tonight we watched the show on the night it aired for the first time. It feels so good to be caught up! Otherwise, I'm watching alot of Hoarders which has given me a new-found motivation to keep my house in utter perfection. Those people are wacky. And they have a few cats.

Other things I want to share:

I've really been hearing alot about OBEDIENCE lately. Whether I'm reading a book, listening to the radio, sitting in church or praying, I'm getting a strong message that I need to obey. Pastor Gregg said this Sunday that "50% obedience is called disobedience". GOOD STUFF. Anyways, last night I was reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot called Be Still My Soul and there was a nugget that overwhelmed me. I read it three times and then underlined it and then I starred it and then I highlighted it and then I drew arrows by it and then I put a post-it note in the page. Okay I'm exaggerating but I LOVE IT. She said:

"What a joy it is to obey this Lord, who provides us with His Spirit to counsel and empower us and who ensures that everything that happens to us, even the cyclone that brings nothing but destruction, has come through the hedge of his love before it reaches us". -Elisabeth Elliot

Alright, dear blog readers. Wherever you are. Whoever you are. I'm off to read my book.

Labor Day Lounging

Let me tell you what kind of weekend I have had.

I HAVE HAD A PERFECT WEEKEND.

It has been like a vacation!

This is largely due to the fact that I have been relaxing and napping and laying on couches and laying in beds with big comfy blankets. My soul is happy.

Let me break the weekend down for you:

Friday night the husband and I had a very fancy date night at Chili's. There's not much I love in life more than the queso at Chili's. I have a very close relationship with queso and Chili's queso and I may be the closest. We had a very special moment when our precious waiter was putting my plate down in front of me and he did the "accidental boob graze" and it was just all kinds of awkward.

Saturday morning we woke up and I made pancakes. I wish they were fluffier but, oh well. Then my dad came over and took my Grant away. They went hunting for 2 days with my uncles because they enjoy guns and camoflauge and things like that. So after I hugged and kissed him goodbye, I headed out to Cypress to spend some quality time with my mom. We had lunch at Newk's (HELLO POTATO SOUP) and then drove out to the outlet mall.

I got TWO pairs of shoes at Nine West. Both are great for work. And I found my black pumps! They are not pointy-toed but they are super cute and I think they'll work. I also went to Ann Taylor Loft (GLORY) and used the gift card Lindsee gave me for my birthday. I got a shirt and a pair of earrings for free :) Thanks for my Happy Birthday, Lou!

After we conquered the outlet mall, we went and picked up my sister Jaclyn and my niece Grace to get our toes down. Jaclyn and I got a pedicure. Grace got her toes painted and she was very intense and took the whole thing very seriously. She got her toes painted pink and also got a white flower.... she was so excited. A woman in the nail salon told Jaclyn that we were creating a monster.

I got my toes painted in my favorite OPI color called "I'm Not Really A Waitress". I am just ever so classy.

I left my mom's house and met Lindsee, Missy, and Amanda in the HEB parking lot where we witnessed a crime and became detectives. A tow truck was backing up and hit another pickup truck, causing alot of damage. He continued on with this business and we sat in that parking lot and stared at him until he finally did the right thing and wrote a note for the driver of the car he hit.

After we had done our civic duty, we went a-bowling. I was very impressed by Missy and Amanda's bowling skills. They have the spiritual gift of bowling. I bowled 2 strikes for the first time in the history of my bowling career. I also witnessed Amanda giving Lindsee a bowling lesson which was a highlight of the night for me. "It's LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT".

Then Missy met us for dinner at Texas Roadhouse (a typical choice for a girls' night dinner) and WE PUT DOWN SOME ROLLS. God bless the cinnamon butter. Being the grown-ups that we are, we all decided to get salads and steaks. Or, not. We all got Chicken Critters. Grown-ups, y'all. Grown-ups.

Missy took some fabulous pictures! I stole them off of her blog. Isn't she a great photographer?

I had such a great time with the girls! Then I came home and stayed up as late as I can which is what I do when I'm home alone without Grant. The later I stay up, the more tired I get and the easier it is for me to fall asleep. Sadly, I woke up several times throughout the night with bad dreams. :( I HATE that.

Sunday morning I got up and went to church all by my lonesome. Pastor Gregg preached a GREAT sermon and then I came home and got in comfy clothes. I ate Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (may His name be praised) took a nap, and lounged on my couch all afternoon. I watched a lifetime movie starring Kelly Preston. I watched The Holiday (see the blog post below about that movie) and I also got sucked into a marathon of The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo. OH MY GOODNESS. I am now obsessed with that show. I love how she says things like "Ohmigod I am totally obsessed with this cape. This is the best cape ever. I can't handle it. Something just happened" with ZERO expression or enthusiasm in her voice. It's hi-larious.

And then I went over to see Jim, Liz and baby Lily girl. We ate Subway and went and got frozen yogurt and solved all the world's problems.

And then I came home. And then around midnight my husband came home in all his hunting gear and I made him take a shower.

And then this morning we had a breakfast date at Cracker Barrel. GOD BLESS OATMEAL AND BROWN SUGAR.

And then Grant went to play golf and I came and laid in bed and it's raining and it's perfect and peaceful. We've been doing absolutely nothing all day. I love me some rain.

I totally feel like I've had a vacation!!

I Just Started Typing and This is What Came Out

I have a heck of alot going on right now and I love it.

Kids' Choir started again last night at church! Oh my goodness... we had SO many kids... I was overwhelmed and excited and tired when it was all over. One little one ran to me and hugged me and said "Mrs. Judy, I missed you sooooooooooo much!". She called me Judy all year last year. Fine by me ;)

I'm also singing with the "big choir" for the big Christmas program in December. We've already started rehearsals and y'all I am having so much fun. I've always known I was a nerd but it was confirmed to me again when I got home from rehearsal on Saturday and Grant asked me if I had fun... my response was "YES! I had SO MUCH FUN! I LOVE to SIGHTREAD!!". Grant just stared at me and said "Wow, babe....". The big choir taps into a musical part of me that has been buried for a long time but I am just having a ball! I'm always up for spending the day singing Christmas music!

Although, I had a very embarassing situation on Saturday during rehearsal that involves a horrifying experience that took place when I unexpectedly had to change clothes in the same room as 9 women who were 65 and older. It is a bit "blog inappropriate" but let's just say that these women probably have now labeled me the hussy of the choir. I told Grant about it and he had another classic Grant response. "Nice, babe...."

Work is going well. For awhile there it was going not so well.. but things are on the upswing and I'm very happy. We have alot going on and I am busier than I've ever been but all in a good way.

Also on the horizon is the fall television season. For those of you that have been reading my blog since the early days, you know that television in our household is practically an event. However, this summer we have had nothing to watch except for "Bachelor Pad" and we all know that that is quality television. Elizabeth is a wack-a-doo. Straight up crazy. But I am greatly looking forward to the return of The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Community, Ellen, Oprah and How I Met Your Mother. This is going to be a good year for my shows, I can just feel it!!

I am also currently watching "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta" and that just makes me laugh so hard I can hardly stand it. I love Southern women. We just have a different way of saying things. "I can't believe I just found my dress, y'all. This is a big moment". Cracks me up.

God is good. He's been showing off lately. Our sweet Olivia Claire, our niece who is just over 2 months old, was hospitalized this weekend with Viral Meningitis. Poor baby girl.... thankfully the Lord has healed her and our prayers were answered. She left the hospital on Monday night and we are so thankful.

Alright this blog doesn't seem to have a direction or a purpose so I'm just gonna cut it off here. This was not one of my bests, y'all. Not one of my bests.

I leave you today with this nugget of ever-important wisdom from Jerry Seinfeld:

"Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end".

Chew on that. Memorize it. Hide it in your heart.

Ali + Roberto = Love (atleast for the next few months)

My thoughts from the finale:

1. I feel like everyone involved in the show needed to make a collective decision on how they were going to pronounce Roberto's name. Is it Rober-do? Rober-Toe? RoBEARto? Are we rolling the R?

2. Cape Cod Chris was a classy, classy guy the entire time. He can hold his head high. What a precious boy.

3. Kudos to Ali for not dragging it out for a sweet forever. She sent him home as soon as she knew.

4. I heart her engagement ring. And the earrings she was wearing too.

5. I have no idea why she woke up that morning and said "Hey, when I get engaged I want to be wearing a dress the color of mustard".

6. Poor Roberto was so sweaty when he proposed.

7. Between "On the Wings of Love" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", ABC needs to fire the dude who picks the music.

8. Um, I am just gonna come right out and say it. At the "After the Final Rose" special, Roberto all of a sudden became all kinds of adorable to me.

9. Her hair finally looked good last night.

10. They look super cute together

11. Our Host Chris Harrison is my favorite.

12. Frank not showing up = coward.

13. Really, ABC? A helicopter?? How ORIGINAL. That is something you've NEVER done before!!

I think that's all.

Your thoughts? Opinions?

Um.... Seriously?

I've just had my first experience with the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Are these crazy ladies for real?

Are we seriously pulling other people's hair out?

Again, this is my very first episode ever to watch but some of these people seem, um, INSANE.

Okay, I'm done.