The Christmas Card blog entry by Stella

Hi everyone! Since many of you are frustrated with mom because she is behind on the Christmas card blog, I thought I'd do one during the day while she was at work. Boy she's not going to be happy when she gets home and sees what I've done, but it serves her right for teaching me how to type and not password protecting the computer.

This year was my first full calendar on this earth and it was a blast. I am an expert car rider and love riding in my car seat. When mom doesn't have the car seat in properly, I look up expectantly at her until she has it situated. Safety first, mom!

I passed my intermediate dog training class with flying colors. My biting is almost non-existent, and I am much improved in the areas of "leave it" and "drop it." I am also able to do a lot of tricks, and mom is very proud that she taught me how to beg since it was especially difficult to get me to sit on my hind legs. I stay with my friends Sebastian and Toby when mom travels for work, and their parents say my behavior is much improved. I love it so much there with my "pack" that I hate it when mom makes me leave!

The big "Stella drama" this year was mom's extra efforts to have a dog door installed for me in the french door. Once everything got installed to perfection, I promptly learned how to jump the 4.5 feet retaining wall in the backyard. For several weeks I could prowl the neighborhood during the day, returning to my cozy bed when the sun reached a certain position. Mom never knew the difference. Until one day when she caught me. Whoops! I sheepishly came when she called me and returned home. Mom "hit the wall" when one morning I escaped and then ran to the front door, where I promptly barked to be let in.

Next, the "big one" as I call him, or Grandpa as mom calls him, loaded 40 8x18 bricks onto his dolly and added 18 inches to the top of the retaining wall. No more jumping for me! Mom is very pleased.

I am very excited about Christmas as I have smelled mom wrapping some of my presents. We are celebrating with Sebastian and Toby and their family and then meeting our fam in Florida. I hear that the Florida dog park is waiting for me to make an appearance!

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of neosporin, deodorant, bones and cheese (my favorite things to eat!)

Relax...take a deep breath...enjoy some eggnog...enjoy the season and get ready to enjoy reading the 2009 Year in Review by Mom!!!!!!!! Love, Stella

R.H.O.A.

It's time to post another entry regarding the ending of a "guilty pleasure" TV show as the finale episode has just aired. We'll start with the Real Housewives of Atlanta (R.H.O.A). If you've never seen this show, my apologies, because I can't stop laughing throughout most of the shows. Morals of the R.H.O.A. include: money can't buy you love, but it can allow you to spend $13,000 on wigs each month; high school antics never end; and when all else fails, watching DAwight and a bunch of others run down the street in high heels as a fundraising activity was, well, enough to cause me to double me over in laughter. The vanity, the drama, the needling of others...well...it never ceases to amaze. I also enjoy watching the girls running in and out of Atlanta landmarks I frequented when I lived in Atlanta. A few of the women even live right by my old office.

Anyway, here are the ladies, from left to right: NeNe, who is a stripper turned housewife/pot stirrer. For whatever reason she seems to kind of stir up the hornet's nest and then walk away as if she really had nothing to do with it in the first place. I relish it. Next is Kim, who sang (I use that term loosely) Tardy for the Party which apparently made it to iTunes #3. I am slightly ashamed to admit I used 99 cents of my own money to get the song there, thanks to a few friends who permanently imprinted the song in my head.

In the middle is Kandi, a new addition this season, but a welcome one as she rarely lets NeNe get the best of her. She has a new album coming out with the song "I Fly Above" acting as the first single to "drop."

Then there are the two future CoCo Chanels (slight cough here), Sheree (she by Sheree) and Lisa (Closet Freak). Neither of them really belong anywhere near clothes, fashion or designing if you want my honest opinion. But to each their own.

I was asked yesterday who my favorite housewife is and it's probably Lisa. Her husband is really cute, she seems to have a good head on her shoulders and stays pretty clear of the major drama.

Here are just a smattering of the irresistibly funny quotes from the season:

“Well, ex-stripper, that’s false. I’m still a stripper. I strip most nights for Gregg, Gregg has no problem with me stripping for him. " - NeNe

“Big Poppa proposed to me.” – Kim. Has anybody filled her in that Big Poppa is married?

Kim said, “At the end of the day, it’s all about morals and values.” Really? Is that why she got engaged to a married man?

NeNe to Kim, “You and your wig need to get out of my life!"

At the Independence Party, Sheree reveals her new bangs and her ginormous portrait by Rossin. Her face must be 4 feet tall in the portrait and granted, Sheree IS beautiful, but NeNe nails it when she says “Is she going to hang that in her house?”

"It’s not He by Dwight, it’s She by Sheree, so I’m the head diva in charge” - Sheree

"Can we just put him on eBay?" - Gregg to NeNe, regarding NeNe's son Bryson

"Athens, eh. There are just so many trees. I can't hardly stand it." - NeNe

It's given me a chuckle just to recap these. If this is the real world, then what world do I live in? Happy Monday everyone.

Yum Yum Cake; Boo-runch recipe #2

I also caused quite a stir with this recipe on facebook and at Boo-runch. This recipe, most often compared a caramel brownie, is called "Yum Yum Cake" by those who lived at the IWU Kappa Delta house, and were lucky enough to have Ruthie as our cook. Somehow I have been able to piece together how she made this recipe, because all I could get out of her was "I use german chocolate mix." After a few years at work, one of my mentees brought in a very similiar dish to Yum Yum Cake for my birthday (but she had put walnuts in it - Yum Yum Cake blasphemy!) From her recipe I was able to recreate the Yum Yum Cake of yore. Be prepared for this to be a huge hit. It is my most "in demand" recipe and isn't too hard once you apply my shortcuts. The original recipe called for melting down caramels with evaporated milk but there is no way Ruthie did that, and my substitution seems to work fine. Who remembers eating these at about 1 AM studying for Accounting finals? I sure do.

Here we go!

Ingredients:
1) 2 packages german chocolate cake mix
2) 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
3) 2/3 cu skim milk (or evaporated milk, or water if you are desperate)
4) 1 pkg Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chunks (semi-sweet morsels work as well)
5) Caramel ice cream topping (I buy the Smuckers Caramel sundae syrup kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan (or slightly bigger works as well. I like to use a glass lasagna pan).

Melt butter in microwave. Add milk and cake mix. Note: Batter will be like play-doh. Sometimes (especially if I'm feeling lazy) I add a tad bit more milk to the batter mix because it can be hard to get it all to mix together.

Bake HALF of the cake mixture for ten minutes. Tip: you will have to "spread" the batter out in the pan. It is a good idea to make a little "lip" around the edges because you will be pouring the caramel on top of it. If the caramel hits the edge of the pan it burns, rendering it inedible.

When you pull the cake out of the oven it will be kind of puffy. Let it cool.

Pour the caramel on top of the cooled cake. I use about 3/4 of the caramel syrup which I am estimating is 12 ounces. Then, sprinkle the chocolate chunks on top. I use between 1/2 to 3/4 of the bag. Note: if you do not let the bottom of the cake cool enough, the chocolate will melt into the caramel and you will not have that "chunk" bite in the cake. Still tastes good.

Spoon the remaining half of the cake mixture on top. This is a little difficult. A lot of times I wash my hands really good, press the batter into "patties," and lay them on top of the cake. It is okay if some caramel seeps through - if you remember Ruthie's did as well.

Bake for 15-25 more minutes. How to tell if it's done: I usually jiggle the pan. If it jiggles a TON, it needs more time. If it's fairly firm, pull it out. Err on the side of pulling it out early than leaving it in too long. There are no eggs or anything in the mixture so nothing really needs to "cook." The cake will harden over time. If I need it to harden quickly I put it in the refrigerator.

Enjoy! Let me know if you make it!

Jumer's Cinnamon Rolls - Boo-runch dish Part 1

Well, a facebook entry caused quite a stir regarding this recipe, so here we go. Many Central Illinoisans have found memories of family outings to Jumer's. For me, it was a treat for my sister and I, usually for straight "A's" on report cards. It was a trifecta - jumbo friend shrimp, a baked potato coupled with the BEST sour cream with chives, and cinnamon rolls. We never had seafood at home because my mom can't stand the smell of seafood. Around age 10 I discovered my mother had the recipe to the cinnamon rolls and I would beg for them at all times. In fact, I even entered the recipe in the Redeemer Lutheran Cookbook of the early 90s. My name remains forever immortalized in the cookbook as a contributor of this recipe.

I have altered the recipe and added some "best practices" because after a couple of disasters making this recipe I don't want anyone to have to run around the kitchen with dough stuck to themselves.

Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- water
- 3 cu. Bisquick
-1 1/2 sticks butter, unsalted (Note: the recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, which is 1 cup, but I never use that much. Otherwise you have a butter mess.)
-2 c. sugar
-2 tbsp. cinnamon
-flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry yeast with 1/4 cu warm water. Let stand 10 minutes.

While you wait, melt the butter in the microwave. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Grease a 9x13 pan.

Next, add 1/2 c. cold water. Add yeast mixture to 3 c. Bisquick.

Note: stirring in the Bisquick with the yeast mixture requires a little "Hans and Franz" arm strength. Resist the urge to add more than a pinch of more water for fear of serious ramifications.

Roll into ball, then divide into four balls.

Erin best practice: coat the four dough balls well with a layer of flour. Flour your rolling pin and your cutting board. In fact, flour everything possible that will come into contact with the dough because let me tell you, problems abound if it gets stuck somewhere. Flour early, flour often is the motto with this recipe.

Take one ball and roll into thin rectangle about 4 x 12 inches. Brush the rectangle with butter and cover with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll and cut into 1 inch thick pieces.

Note: Roll it horizontally (roll inward from the long side of the rectangle, not the short). Your rolled up dough should be between 12-15 inches long. If not you rolled the wrong way.

Lay the rolls side by side (tightly) in your greased pan. Repeat with your three other balls of dough.

You will have leftover sugar, cinnamon and butter - pour what's left over the top.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Catching up

Whew! Quite a lot to catch up on since my last post. Was my last post really June 29th? Really? If that's the case I am more behind than I thought. My sister Molly's wedding activities, Stella's intermediate dog training class, knitting projects, and most recently Boo-runch. Stay on me so I keep posting! Love you all. Erin

Surprises

Lots of surprises these days! Good surprises, bad surprises, we all love surprises.

Suprise #1: The Toro "guaranteed to start" lawnmower didn't start. Clearly Step #1 needs to be renaming the motto. Anyway, $25 later, a nice man I found on Craig's List came and mowed by overgrown lawn (I know it was overgrown because he said "there might be a little more dead grass left on the lawn then you want). However, this turned out to be a good surprise. Why? Because the man refused to use his push mower and mowed by lawn with a riding mower! No joke. This officially means I have not been dreaming for the past 2.5 years: my lawn is of above average size. Anyway, Surprise #1 also led me to discover I have the ability to hoist this lawnmower into the back of Scarlet the Camry without giving myself a hernia. Even the lawn shop guy was pretty impressed (he needed MY help getting it out of the trunk). So, Surprise #1 while a little stressful has reinforced my superpowers.

Surprise #2: Imagine this: 6:30 A.M., taking a nice brisk walk through the neighborhood, and BOOM! a car backfires. Stella makes a 180 degree turn so fast that she comes out of her harness and leaves me holding the bag, er, leash. I screamed as loud as I could, ran to her, and literally flung myself on top of her grabbing whatever I could. She was too scared to move. [For those of you who believe this is overreacting, YOU try to chase a schipperke. Let me know how that works out for you.] Anyway, I was bleeding, on the ground, clutching at Stella every which direction - when SURPRISE! My screams were heard and a fellow walker came running with her seemingly well behaved poodle. Were that not a big enough of a surprise, Stella started panicking and when she panics she sheds. I was sweating. Therefore I have black hair all over my arms, face, hair, legs...it wasn't a good sight. SURPRISE! The walk got cut short this morning!

Surprise #3: Fun deliveries at work. Makes me realize what great friends/family/co-workers I have. Right before my birthday I received the most beautiful white themed flowers from some great partners I work with on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. All of my favorites were included! Then, Molly my sister sent me flowers after the NY trip. Then today I got a half bushel of fresh Clanton peaches! Tomorrow night they get cut up and frozen. It just doesn't get any better. These kind of surprises are welcome anytime and the more the better!

Surprise #4: Too many parents-to-be are keeping secrets! Two of you are refusing to tell me the sex of the baby, and one of you is refusing to tell me the name of the baby. This makes it very difficult for me to figure out what to knit the baby. Hopefully they come to their senses and at least give me a hit. Yellow hats do NOT look good on girls or boys.

Hope everyone is having a great week. It's a three paycheck month - SURPRISE!

Start spreading the quotes!

For the big "Thirtysomething" birthday, my mother, grandmother, and good friend Sue took a five night, six day trip to New York City. While the daily journals, shows, and events of each day will be covered in their own separate blog posts (per instruction-thanks Janelle), I did want to go ahead and list my favorite "Thirtysomething" quotes from the trip before I forget them. Hopefully if I miss any along the way I will swiftly be reminded of them and add them to the blog.

NYC to me embodies the American Dream. If you dream it, you can achieve it. Happy Friday!

1) "A construction worker standing on the second floor just spit tobacco juice on my arm, sleeve and into my soda can. Welcome to New York." ~ Grandma, on her first New York outing

2) "Where's the bus?" ~ Grandma, after quote #1

3) "I'll spring for a taxi." ~ Grandma, after quote 1 and 2

4) "Wow...were those purses sold in the back of the minivan real?" ~Mom

5) "It seems to me that wearing white rain ponchos on the upper level of the double decker bus, driving down the main street of Harlem MIGHT cause problems." ~ Jeff, the bus tour guide

6) "I'm going to go ahead and stop the meter now, since I have no idea where I'm going." ~ Cab driver

7) Top subjects discussed with EACH cab driver:
- "Are YOU the Cash Cab?"
- "Where are you from?"
- "How long have you been in New York?
-"What celebrities have ridden with you? What were they like?" (We got Peter Jennings and Barbara Walters as responses. Apparently Peter was a great tipper and Barbara would not speak to the cabbie and was a poor tipper. We have a hard time believing both of them did not have drivers, but I digress).
-"Were you driving during _____(insert NYC tragedy here)?"

8) "Yes, this is my first AND LAST time I am riding the Subway." ~ Grandma

9) "I understand the Carnegie Deli is famous and that Woody Allen eats there. But who cares where Woody Allen eats? Haven't you seen all of his movies? They're horrible. I wouldn't even say hi to him if he was in there. Couldn't care less." ~ Grandma

10) "Shakira's parents are over there." ~ Waiter
"Who's Shakira?" ~ Mom, Sue and Grandma

11) "Erin hit me with a pack of Becca matches once to stop snoring, then she got up and shook me. Quite a night." ~ Sue

12) "Do you have something you'd like to say to me?" ~ me
"Like what?" ~ Mom
"Forget it." ~ me
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!" ~ Mom
"It's about time you remembered." ~ me
"Oh, I knew the whole time...." ~ Mom

13) "These Ellis Island people don't have any more information than I do on immigrants. In fact they have LESS information!" ~ Grandma

14) "This hot dog is rank. Does it taste bad to you?" ~ Grandma
"It tastes like a hot dog." ~ me
"Don't eat it." ~ Mom

15) "I quite like not having a reservation and being able to people watch by sitting at the table in the foyer of the restaurant. It really is the best table in the house. People think we're important!" ~ Mom

16) "That man in the sweatpants is laughing at the lady in the blue dress. He just said, 'she may be thin but she is WAY too sunken and droopy to walk around in a dress with a slit down to her waist!' It was hilarious." ~ Mom (people watching at the foyer table)

17) "We agree." ~ Sue, to the sweatpants man

18) "I work in fashion, and it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen! Someone needs to TELL HER!" ~ Loudly spoken by sweatpants man

19) "See, I told you. He may work in fashion but HE'S the one in the sweatpants." ~ Mom exiting the restaurant

20) "Oooh....they are in a bad fight...look at that! Well no wonder they had to wait for their reservation. They only have a party of 35." ~ Mom

21) "I am wet." ~ Grandma after riding around on the top of the double decker bus during a monsoon
"It's still better than being hot." ~ me

22) "Can we at least make time to shop at the DSW in our hotel? GEEZ you'd think we could at least shop there." ~ Mom

23) "Grandma just tripped on the sidewalk but you missed it. She was checking out the men in the restaurant." ~ me

24) "I swear those steps were moving sideways." ~ Grandma
"No, the steps were not moving sideways, but you were." ~ Sue

25) "Work with me Alabama." ~ Jeff the bus tour guide, after I answered too many of his New York questions correctly

26) "Look grandma they have potatoes." ~ Me
"She thinks I can only eat potatoes. I eat MANY things other than potatoes. But I probably will have a potato." ~ Grandma to the waiter

27) "Sure you know 9 to 5! You know Dolly Parton with the big...I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was only 14." ~ Sue

28) "Of the five burroughs of New York City, which one is not an island?" ~Jeff
"Staten Island?" ~ Bus passenger
"Excuse me? IT'S AN ISLAND!" ~ Jeff

29) "I have got to find a pair of clean underwear and then I'll be set." ~ Me
"I've got an extra pair, but they are granny like and I'm not sure they would work." ~ Grandma

30) "Not sure who made the biggest mess...Sue with the tomato sauce and coffee down her shirt, or Grandma with the tobacco and then Ellis Island mustard all over herself. It's a draw." ~ Me

Thirtysomething

Before Friends and Grey's Anatomy, there was a little known show called 30 Something. I only know about it because one of the leads (red hair on the left) of the TV series also starred in the West Wing series, and I work hard to know as much about West Wing stars as possible.

After last Tuesday, I will officially be referring to my age as "Thirtysomething" for the rest of my life! What a relief to not have to count the age on birthday cakes anymore. I'm planning on buying one big 3 and one big 0 and using them year after year.

People asked me this past week if I feel older. Hell yes I feel older! Things sag, creak, give me heartburn and most of all the dry skin parallels an alligator. But let's face it everyone, if these are my chief complaints, I'll take it, God willing and if the creek don't rise. Here's to the next 30 years!

Invites, shoes and armadillos OH MY!

Before anyone gets too excited, I am not planning MY wedding. However, I am hard at work at my MOH (Maid of Honor: pronounced MWAH) duties for my sister Molly who is getting married in August. Don't get me wrong: according to the "Discover your Strengths" book, my three of my five top strengths include maximizer, activator, and organizer. I'm now realizing I am the only person in my family with these strengths (no offense intended). And so we find ourselves at the crux of shower, wedding, bachelorette, and bridesmaid luncheon invitations. BREAKING NEWS: got mail merge to work on my IMAC from 2007 Excel spreadsheet to a Word envelope - and what's more, it was a CUSTOM set up to be a a 6x9 envelope. Everyone, pick yourselves up off of the floor at this accomplishment. If you persevere, you too can figure out Office 2007.

Now that I have successfully tackled invites, envelopes, complete with the X-Large 61 cent postage stamp (the price you pay for custom envelopes), it is on to shoes. I've got to find some silver shoes with a back on them for the wedding. I need the widest shoe possible but preferably something still cute.

Third, and secretly my favorite item to post: I secretly wish there was an armadillo cake for the groom's cake. I don't even know if there is a groom's cake, but if there is, I'd do anything possible to convince my future husband we should have something ridiculous (like an armadillo) as the groom's cake. Just like Steel Magnolias! Funny...Southern folk don't think it's quite as hilarious. My neighbor Jan is a wedding coordinator/cake maker and I told her that if I ever got married, I really wanted an armadillo cake. Her response was a curt "I don't think so." Whoops...

Again, what a great movie. Here's a quote for you to enjoy on this lovely Monday...

Drum: Ouiser, can we call a truce long enough for me to get a piece of cake?
[Ouiser slices him the tail piece of an armadillo cake]
Drum: Aww, thanks Ouiser. Nothin' like a good piece of a$$.

Love it!

Guilty Pleasure TV Show #1 - Snapped

At the top of all of the things I could be choosing to do (play with Stella, brave the tornado force winds to workout, read, knit, clean, pack for NY, etc.) I have spent the last hour searching the Internet for a clip of Whitney Houston screaming "Bobaayyyyyy" at the top of her lungs beckoning for her husband. YouTube, Nothing. Google Images, nothing. BravoTv.com, nothing. So, I will continue to lead the charge that she did indeed scream that over and over at the top of her lungs during "Being Bobby Brown" with no proof to corroborate my story.

Thinking of how awesomely bad that show was (and I was ridiculously led astray that a second season would exist - sort of like how I've been led astray for five years that Marky Mark was going to reprise his Italian Job role in a movie titled "The Brazilian job" that is seemingly a no-go), I am turning to another show that is a guilty pleasure, and that is the Oxygen show "Snapped." While it is not even close to being in the top ten of favorite past or present TV series, it is something I have started to tape and watch just because it makes me feel way better about myself.

The fact that I even watch the Oxygen channel is something I never thought possible. Here's the premise of the show: Who are these women and what drives them to kill? Oxygen's hit true crime series, Snapped, in its 7th season, profiles the fascinating cases of women accused of murder. Did they really do it? And, if they did, why? From socialites to secretaries, female killers share one thing in common: at some point, they all snapped.

The best parts of the show: The awesome heart thumping theme music coupled with the easy mystery to solve: you always know who did it (yes, that's right, it's the crazy lady!) I like to watch this right before bed, it lulls me to sleep but I'm afraid might lead to my insane dreams I have from time to time.

It's also pretty funny to watch them interview the real people who were involved with the case.
A lot of them are still in shock about what happened (and for some reason there's always a Sheriff "Uncle Bubba" involved).



Snapped. WOW!

Breakfast casserole

If you have ever stayed the night at my house, chances are that you've eaten my breakfast casserole. Or, if you have ever turned to page 30 in the 1980something Redeemer Lutheran Church cookbook (the best cookbook next to Betty Crocker). I do make it a little different than RLC recommends and I will point that out in the recipe.

1 tube sausage (see below for the non-porkers)
9 eggs whipped
3 cu milk
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
3 slices bread torn (the recipe says to cut in cubes but let's face it that is exerting unnecessary energy)
2 cu grated cheese (recipe calls for 1.5 cu cheese but I dump the whole 2 cu packet in as I'm too lazy to measure it out, plus the cheese will mold in the fridge most likely anyway).

Brown sausage (sometimes I throw in onions if I have them). Drain grease from sausage (if you are a fat freak, you can boil the sausage in hot water and it will pull out all of the grease possible). Mix eggs, milk, mustard and salt. Stir in bread, sausage and cheese. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Now, we've got some folks who don't eat pork (referred to above as the non-porkers - all judging aside). At the hands of a lesser breakfast casserole chef that would be a problem. Here is a substitute you can use comprised mainly of ground turkey. It is not AS good but not too bad of a substitute.

GROUND TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
1 lb. ground turkey 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. Hickory Smoke Liquid 1/4 tsp. sage 1/4 tsp. tarragon 1/4 tsp. thyme Mix all ingredients well. (Do not add additional Hickory Smoke Liquid.) Form into small to medium patty sizes. Use spray Pam in frying pan for less calories. Fry until brown.

Mamma Mia!

I very much understand now why some people either a) slack off on updating their blog or b) update it every day. I had previously categorized these people as slackers or obsessors. I rationalized that the slackers were too unorganized to be able to actually update their blogs as they said they would or that their life just wasn't interesting enough. I categorized the obsessors as people who just had nothing better to do, or people that thrived on getting feedback from other people. Now I realize it is almost impossible to find a healthy medium. I was trying to save everything up for a once a week post, but things are just too exciting this summer as the once a week post is seemingly too overwhelming. However, I'd go nuts at a once a day post (although I think it would be much easier). Anyway, I am still being harassed by non-bloggers for not blogging in an adequate timeframe per their standards; I will try to do better. Too bad I can't just dictate to the computer.

This weekend was a whirlwind weekend but a lot of fun. Three friends from Atlanta came to visit. We snacked and played Euchre on Friday night. It brought back my freshman year of college where we would come back from SAGA and sit in the dorm and play Euchre for at least an hour. How awesome to be able to play Euchre five times a week! Those were the days.

Saturday morning I was up early (thanks Stella) and trying to be quiet to let the guests sleep in. Stella does enjoy a morning bark or too and hasn't figured out good manners when guests are in the house. I took Chris to his church and then Toni and Pura and I met Cynthia at Pepper Place, which is a big Saturday morning fresh market. We shopped a little and had drinks. Then, we got Chris, ate lunch at Newk's and then shopped in downtown Homewood. I think all were pleased with the purchases! After a little break, we headed down to the Mamma Mia sing a long at the Alabama theater. What fun it was! Imagine a whole theater singing "take a chance on me"....it was pretty funny. We hit the bars afterwards in Lakeview, and then called it a night. I put my culinary skills to use and made cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole, fruit salad, etc. It was kind of fun to cook for a group.

Yesterday Stella and I napped and I tried to get some things down around the house but had a hard time...nice weather outside but a little humid. Stel and I were up early yesterday and she was a bundle of energy, that is for sure!

This week will be very busy...looking forward to a trip to see friends AND Stella's first birthday on Sunday.

What's next?

It started off very slowly. Once graduation from Samford's MBA program occurred on May 15, the common question I received was "What's next?" followed by "What will you do with all of your free time?" To be honest, I have about 1.5 years of shtuff that has gone undone so I'm estimating it will be at least 1.5 years before I actually see any free time. So by then maybe I'll figure out what spare time is and what you do with it. The initial two questions were followed by a statement of opinion, or wish, and it typically went like this: "Why don't you take some time and update that stupid blog of yours. You know I subscribed to being a follower of it once you promised you were going to continue it and then NOTHING. I don't just follow people around for nothing, you know." I am amazed at the exact three questions asked in a row by more than 20 of my friends (I didn't realize 20 people even read the first 2 posts)! Let's see.....what will Erin do with her free time...I know! She can update that freaking blog. Not volunteer, work on knitting, but UPDATE THE BLOG. NOW. I have two friends that have even gone as far to suggest specific topics to be addressed on the blog; I was also given the instruction that it wasn't good enough to string them all together, each topic needed to have it's own entry on the blog. I would also like to point out that of the 20 friends that have hounded me over the past two weeks to update the blog, only ONE of them actually has her own blog. Hmmm....somewhat hypocritical...yes?

So, graduate school is over, I'm giving in to peer pressure, and will be resurrecting the blog with at least a weekly post. I realize I have just made the day of at least 20 people. So kick back, and enjoy the past few months of my life. Apparently you die hards crave information!!!

25 Random Ruminations

Happy Tuesday! The blogs have it. I will be continuing the blog past the Christmas newsletter. I am very surprised that I received so many comments because there are a couple of blogs I read and the poor guy never has any comments, and he writes some very funny things. Oh well.

Well, the requests are also pouring in for blog topics. Some are requesting Stella updates. Others want me to devote a section to life in B'ham. Others wanted movie reviews, music reviews, travel reviews, tips with puppies, and my personal favorite was "random ruminations."

I thought I would start there. For the next week I will be posting random ruminations. I will start with 25 random little-known things about me.

1. I do not like bright lights. I'd much rather read in the dark then in light that is too bright. Consequently almost all the lights I use most often in my house have dimmer switches (installed by Perfect Solutions - my friend Sue and my mother's "pretend" fix-it-up company).

2. I despise writing in pen, yet apparently when you are an adult it's expected you should write in pen. Even the pencils we have at work are substandard because they are not the thick No. 2 kind. The mechanical pencil is a compromise.

3. My favorite gift is an Itunes gift certificate. I can have that thing spent in less than 10 minutes. And enjoy every minute of what I spent it on. The gift that just keeps on giving....what could be better?

4. I wear Mary Kay powder and foundation. But I don't pay full price for it, I just buy it on eBay. I realize MK is sort of old ladish, but I have tried all of the new fangled bare minerals business and a) it makes me sneeze and b) it makes me break out. For whatever reason the MK makeup is the only kind that doesn't react to my skin and it a perfect color match. I don't even try new foundation anymore.

5. While TIVO has been life changing, there are times I want to throw it out the window. If a program runs over into the next hour, shouldn't TIVO just KNOW that and tape it until it ends? Also, one TIVO should theoretically be able to run in the entire house. Many times I have been in the bedroom watching TV and tried to fast forward....whoops! (Update: I NOW have TIVO in the bedroom and it is breathtaking....really no need to ever leave the bedroom!)

6. The answer to the top question I receive: Yes, my hair is naturally curly. Though the older I get, the more it is wavy than curly.

7. The answer to the second question I receive: My last name is pronounced R-O-N. It is German. If it helps you to remember, my dad's name is John R-O-N. Not sure what my grandparents were thinking.

8. The answer to the third question I receive: My first name is spelled E-R-I-N, even though I was named for my grandfather, whose name was spelled A-A-R-O-N. We were little Erin and big Aaron, or EJ and AJ when I was growing up. It was really fun. I miss him a ton.

9. I have dreamt up many perfect jobs if money was no object. Ideally I would like to be involved in some sort of touring band, like the tour manager for James Taylor. That would be a blast.

10. I gave blood once, and only once. I really want to give blood, but I felt crappy for 6 weeks afterwards. I couldn't even move off the couch - it was crazy. I think they took too much.

11. If I have a coupon for the store, and go there, and can't find anything to buy, I like to find someone to give the coupon to for them to use. It really bothers me to see a coupon go unused.

12. It has to be completely dark for me to sleep without some sort of sleep aid. My sister and I both inherited this from my mother.

13. Even though I am taller, my mom, my sister and I have identical calf muscles. It is very weird.

14. I really don't like to eat red meat, mostly because the thought of eating a cow is sort of disturbing. However, I don't feel bad at all about eating chicken or a turkey because those animals are mean and will peck you.

15. I am slightly scared of dwarfs, mainly because I feel self-conscious because I am looking down at them, and I feel bad at avoiding them because I feel like they know I am avoiding them because I don't want to look down at them and feel self-conscious. It is a lose-lose situation.

16. I cannot find a deodorant that I really like. Neither can my sister. For some reason they always discontinue the one I start to like.

17. I am slightly scared of people who own birds or snakes. Who wants to have a snake in their house? Gross.

18. For some reason people always repeat stories to me when they don't know they are repeating them, and usually I feel bad telling them I have already heard the story. I draw the line when they start repeating it for the third time. Then I tell them.

19. I despise painting. I have spots in my house that have needed a touch up ever since I have moved in and I still haven't done it. I'd rather change out the insides of a toilet or install a dishwasher (both of which I can do).

20. I don't understand how people live without a keyless entry pad on their garage door. I therefore have a hard time feeling bad for people who get locked out of their house and either a) do not have a keyless entry system or b) didn't think enough to have a key at a neighbor's or hidden somewhere around the house.

21. My favorite time of the day starts about 6:30 PM and runs until 10. If it's a weekend, it's 7 AM to noon. I am worthless in the afternoon.

22. I don't really like to be outside. I don't really like to be outside because I don't like to be too hot, or too cold.

23. I love to be at a restaurant and have someone order for me. I really love it when they are able to order what I wanted. Strange, I know, but I love it.

24. I don't like my laundry to pile up. It rarely does.

25. After watching an Oprah show, I threw out all of my dishtowels and rags. I only use paper towels. All of those germs being swirled around. Yikes.

Stay tuned for more random ruminations...and have a great week!