Tempting Tuesday

Welcome to my inaugural Tempting Tuesday post! According to my poll, you guys are interested in a food segment, and heaven knows, I.LOVE.FOOD. So, each Tuesday, my plan is to bring you a photo essay and recipe of something yummy that I've cooked recently. Let me preface this by saying that I am a)not a professional chef and b)not a professional food photographer. Both of these points will be heavily evidenced momentarily.

This week, we're cooking a Rachael Ray recipe that I stumbled upon in her magazine, several months ago. The dish is called Chicken, Biscuits 'n' Gravy Casserole. If this doesn't sound like true Southern cooking, then I don't know what does.

Here's our cast of characters.

First, hubby made the mistake of asking if I needed any help. Um, yeah. So, I put him to work pulling all the chicken off the bones and shredding it into my 9x13 baking dish.

Then, I set to work cutting up all my veggies. Allow me to introduce you to my little friend. This is my new Santoku knife that I received for my bday last month. If I wasn't afraid of a mortal wound, I would let it sleep on my pillow at night. Anyway, my knife made very quick work of cutting up all the veggies and garlic.

Next, we melt some butter and saute the lovely veggies.

We add some flour to thicken things up and then add some chicken broth. Once that's good and thick, we add a bit of milk and let it do a final bit of thickening. Is that even a word? Once it's reached thick gravy consistency, remove from heat and add the fresh lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste.

Next, you take the gravy veggies and put them on top of the chicken in the dish. Spread it all over the chicken so that everything is covered. Meanwhile, I melt the rest of the butter and saute my minced garlic. We'll use this mixture in a moment. Then, you mix up your Bisquick, milk and shredded cheese and make a wonderful topping for our casserole. Drop them in tablespoons on top of your mixture. Now, take your garlic butter mix and brush your biscuit drops. There will be a lot left over that you can use to brush the biscuits as they cook. Now, it's ready to go into the oven.

After baking for 25 minutes, it comes out of the oven and voila! Please ignore the section that's missing. See, I told you that food photography isn't my thing. Looks like we're ready to eat!

And here's our meal ready to enjoy. Hubby cut up some tomatoes and cucumbers that are fresh from our garden and here's a great Fall meal sure to satisfy even picky eaters, like me. Yep, the cat's out of the bag. Enjoy!

Rachael Ray's Chicken, Biscuits & Gravy Casserole recipe can be found by clicking here.

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Is it that time again? You know it is! Welcome back to Monday Morning Eye Candy! And I hope you brought a cool glass of water with you because this week's guys are smokin'!




Carlos Ponce - This Puerto Rican hunk has got eyes that are mesmerizing and an accent that makes me swoon!






Henry Cavill - Finding out that he's in The Tudors made me bump it up to the top of my Netflix queue. And he's a Brit, which might possibly contribute to the hunk factor in my humble opinion.




Jason Bateman - Fell for him first in Little House on the Prairie and then on Silver Spoons. Such a cutie. My interest was renewed when I saw the movie Juno. He's definitely gotten even better with age!





Kevin Costner - This guy falls into the classics category. I've loved quite a few of his films, especially the cheesy Robin Hood flick, where he refused to use a British accent. Yum!





Taye Diggs - I had never really seen anything that he had done until I started watching Private Practice last season. And can I just say, wow! This guy's 6-pack is a thing of beauty alone. Hot!




And that wraps up this week's batch of gorgeous guys. Get a cool rag. It'll be ok. I'll be here next week with another round of cuties.

Spot's Sunday Entertainment Roundup

It's been a very busy week around here. I'm surprised the t.v. is still functioning after the amount of activity that it's been subjected to this week. Let's recap, shall we?

The Book Roundup
I have nothing new to report here. Due to the sheer volume of season premieres on t.v. this week, I didn't make any headway on the 2 books I started. I'm planning to finish both of them this week and have a full report next week.

The Movie Roundup
Netflix delivered a movie this week, that I saw a few months ago and really enjoyed. It's called Definitely, Maybe and it stars the delicious Ryan Reynolds. It's a great romantic comedy and I might even talk hubby into watching it with me before I send it back. Two thumbs up!

The T.V. Roundup
I can promise no spoilers here for those who have DVR'd shows and not watched them yet. Here's a few of the highlights from my marathon viewing this past week.
1. Two & a Half Men is back and I absolutely LOVE this show. The writing is hilarious and the delivery from every actor on the series is spot on. I'm so glad it's back!
2. Boston Legal began their final season and I'm so delighted to see James Spader each week again.
3. Biggest Loser: Families continued the new season with more misery and challenges that brought the contestants and viewers to tears.
4. Criminal Minds returned to resolve the fierce cliffhanger from last season. Phew! This is a great psychological thriller show that usually does without the gore that CSI now favors. Yuck.
5. Lipstick Jungle is a show that I kind of got cozy with last season. I'm not broken up if I miss it, but I do try to catch it. They went in a direction that I wasn't expecting in the season premiere, so I might try to watch a little more fervently this season.
6. Survivor: Gabon is the 17th installment of this show. And I'm completely embarrassed to say that I have seen EVERY.SINGLE.SEASON. See, I told you I have a t.v. addiction. This new season looks pretty darn good. I already have a couple of contestants that I'm rooting against.
7. Grey's Anatomy is back and I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. I've watched since day 1 and I'm glad that the writing is finally moving back into the smart and sassy style that I fell in love with 3 seasons ago. Oh, and they added a new hunky doctor. That gets high marks in my book too.

And there you have it. I wish I could say that this was all of the t.v. that I watched this week, but it's nowhere close. I'm a rerun whore and am watching Cosby Show reruns as I write this. Fall t.v. season is in full swing and I love it. Fall is THE BEST!

Animal Farm

We had a VERY busy Saturday here. I'm sure Fall is like this all over the place, but I really love it around the South. There are tons of events and festivals that occur during this time of year and frequently, events overlap each other because there are just too many things going on and very few weekends. This weekend was one of those times.

We set out early this morning to attend the Hyperflite Skyhoundz Disc Dog World Championships. This was an event new to our city, but we're hoping they'll return each year. It was amazing seeing all these dogs that jumped, flew and snatched the discs that their partners threw. Here are a few pics that I snapped of the action.



Here's the family & I. The girls were less than enthused to be here, until the action began. And even then, they lost interest pretty quickly. Hopefully that will change in a couple of years.









This was the first competitor of the day. He was from Florida (I think). This Border Collie was AMAZING!










Here's another of his tricks. He was balancing on his partner's feet. Awesome!











This dog was from Houston. He had some pretty cool tricks with his female partner. It was nice to see a lot of female handlers out here in a sport that I thought was male dominated.









This dog & handler team was from Antwerp, Belgium. See, it really was a WORLD championship. We're pretty sure this was a Belgion Malinois dog and she was extremely fast and sharp. A real joy to watch.








One last shot of the Belgian contenders.












So, after the dog show, we hopped on a bus and headed to the County Fair. This is a huge event here each year and now that the girls are getting older, it's so much fun to attend. Both girls were adamant about riding the ponies, so we headed there first. Here's Big A with all smiles.

And Little A, who wasn't really enthused at first, but that quickly changed!

One of the cool things about the fair is being able to see lots of different farm animals that we don't get to see very often. The duck tent had ducklings that were 8 days old. Too cute! Big A wanted to bring this one home I think.

Little A wasn't too sure about this fowl. I think it actually nibbled her finger a bit.

After checking out lots of livestock, we ate a yummy lunch. Little A is a more adventurous eater than Big A, so she was all about trying some of the things that hubby & I were enjoying. She now thoroughly enjoys sweet tea and fresh squeezed lemonade. Here she is scamming some of my drink.

After lunch, we headed to the "Pickin' Porch" where local talent takes the stage. There's a variety of acts that perform here. You can hear everything from folk, country, bluegrass and rock. This was Big A's favorite thing. I think we have a budding musician (or music snob) in the works. Here's Daddy and the A's enjoying the sounds from the stage. After taking a little train ride around the park, we went back to the car and drove home, all very tired, but marking this day a success!

Stop the Presses! It's Friday Morning Eye Candy.

Alright, I know I said I was going to do Carrie's Fx4 today, but first things first here.

As I've mentioned a handful of times here, I am a HUGE fan of Grey's Anatomy. I've seen every episode since the beginning and I've long admired some of the hunky doctors that have walked Seattle Grace's operating rooms. However, after tonight's season premiere, I must say, THEY'RE BACK! All is forgiven. Thank you for my newest hottie.


Allow me to introduce, Kevin McKidd. I saw him in Made of Honor this summer and thought he was good looking, but almost passed out when he popped on the screen this evening. WOW. If this guy isn't a recurring character, then I'm boycotting Grey's forever. Ok, maybe not forever, but at the very least, they'll get a major pouty face from me. (Did I mention that Kevin is Scottish? Swoon.)



And seeing Kevin, reminded me of another fine actor from the British Isles. I saw the new trailer for Quantum of Solace. Man, that Daniel Craig is one FINE actor. Wink wink.





Take it easy Patrick, you're still my main doctor. I'll always need my McDreamy fix. I've stuck with you since Can't Buy Me Love. I'm a true fan. Despite the fact that you've been replaced as my #1 celebrity hubby.






Oh, hi James! My, you're looking very cute this evening. Did it just get warm in here?







And since I'm on the British actor roll tonight, let's throw in a little Hugh Dancy to wrap this peep show up.






Alright, pardon me while I go have sweet dreams and ponder what entry I'll post for Carrie's linkapalooza. Do you think this one would fly? Probably not. Oh well.

Thursday Thirteen

I am a child of the computer age. I can remember sitting in my dad's office on the weekends and playing with the most basic AutoCad programs on the largest desktop pc EVER. I loved my Atari system and coveted the first Apple IIE that ever landed in my home. Computers have been an integral part of my life since early on.

As a result, it's no surprise to me that I ended up in a job that required me to be on a computer for long periods of time. And now that I have left that job, I still manage to necessitate hours each day on the computer while finding recipes, checking email, researching activities, blogging, checking email, shopping, checking email, working and oh yeah, checking email.

All of this time on the computer has given me pause to ponder what sites I visit on a regular basis. So, let's check out "THIRTEEN WEBSITES THAT ARE GRACED WITH ANGIE'S PRESENCE EACH DAY".

1. Gmail - And many other members of the Google family, including but not limited to, Google Reader, Google Images, Google Calendar, Google Maps, etc...

2. Perez Hilton - I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this one, but I'm trying to keep it real here. I'm a celebrity gossip nut and this site is a fave of mine. The ads are pretty annoying and some of the content is stupid, but every now and then, a real gem pops up.

3. Pogo - I'm not much of a video gamer, but this site gets traffic from me pretty often because I am officially addicted to their Bingo Luau. I'm just 2 steps away from one of those ladies that you see in the movies with 30 cards, 15 good luck charms and 6 different ink daubers trying to keep up with the caller. The good news here is that pogo is 100% free. Phew.

4. Netflix - To say that I manage my queue obsessively would be an understatement. Anytime I see a movie or t.v. show that I know I will not catch on first run, off I run to Netflix to save it for future viewing. And for anyone out there who has never tried Netflix, but would like a month's free trial, comment here or email me. I can hook you up.

5. Amazon - What did we do before Amazon existed? How did I live without constant suggestions based on my buying patterns? How did I function before the wishlist was a part of my life? Amazon is a gift...from the shopping gods.

6. MyPoints - This is an affiliate site that gateways to many of the mainstream shopping retailers that do online sales. You earn points based on your shopping and email reading habits and then earn giftcards to some great retailers! To date, I've earned g.c.'s to Old Navy twice and Barnes & Noble.

7. Disney - Since we are planning this big trip, I've been spending a lot of time at this site. Thanks to my readers though, I was informed about a few other "can't miss" sites also. And they are: Disboards, MouseSavers, and AllEars. Despite my entry on Tuesday, I'm really very excited about our trip. I just wish I wasn't so obsessive about planning this trip to death.

8. PDGA - My hubby will probably be stunned to find out that I visit this site regularly. This is the Professional Disc Golf Association. My hubby is a pro disc golfer and it's a hobby that he's trying to drag me into, while I kick & scream. (I'm not an athletic gal and I don't enjoy the outdoors) For his bday this month, my gift to him was agreeing to play golf with him 1-2 times a week. I'm into week 2 so far and it's going ok. It's not quite as miserable as I expected it to be.

9. Scrap Your Trip - This online scrapbooking mecca is paradise to me. Anything travel (and then some) related that I could possibly dream up, can be found here. And they send out a bi-weekly email to apprise me of any new items that I possibly missed. Yippee!

10. FlyLady - This team of women are my heroes. I knew when I popped on their site and saw the tagline, that I was home. It says, "Are you suffering from CHAOS? Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome?" Yep, that's me alright. Flylady is slowly helping me recover from CHAOS and move into a semi-regular entertaining diva. Or, at the very least, someone who isn't mortified to have unannounced company show up.

11. CopyKat - This site is a GREAT recipe database, especially if you're looking to duplicate a recipe from a favorite restaurant. Just put in the restaurant's name or some keywords and voila, instant recipe. And many of the ones I have tried have come out pretty darn close if not spot on.

12. Australia - I know this is an obscure one, but there is a reason. My BFF & I are in the early stages of planning a BIG trip for our 20th high school reunion. (Which is a few years off) So far, Australia and New Zealand are on the itinerary, but we're also considering Japan on our adventure. Anyone with travel advice, I welcome your comments!

13. My blogroll homies - I currently track 63 blogs on Google Reader. And the number changes daily because I often remove and add blogs like the wind blows. So, if you're looking for a new read, check out my blogroll on the left side of the page. There's something for everyone there.

And there you have it, some insight into my internet habits. Hope you weren't too frightened. Tomorrow I'll be back on the Friday Foto Fiesta bandwagon, so come on back for a photo (or 2 or 10) from the archives.

Weigh In Wednesday

Another week, another weigh in. I waited a while to post this today because my morning didn't exactly get started off in a good way. Suffice it to say, my attitude wasn't stellar and I didn't want that to affect the tone of my report.

So, I was a little startled to realize that I have now gained back all but .2 lbs that I lost from my illness 2 weeks ago. Now, if that isn't a talent, well, I don't know what is. But, I'm not beating myself up too much.

I haven't gotten back into exercise mode and my sweet tooth has been a little crazy lately. And I know that my body was REALLY dehydrated from being sick and that my monthly visitor plays a supporting role in this little drama, so it's been a roller-coaster week around here.

I've decided to scale back this week (no pun intended) and try to focus on a couple of smaller goals, that should be more attainable. I'm going to a) write down everything I eat and b) make every effort to work out at least 3 times before next Wednesday morning. Come back next week to see the results. For more weight loss adventures, check out OSB.

The Happiest Place on Earth?

Mickey Mouse is out to get me. Or at the very least, have me checking in to my nearest mental health facility. "Why?" you ask.

As I've mentioned casually over the last couple of months, we are planning a trip to Disney World for later this year. This trip has been in the planning stages for over 18 months now and I'm about ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat against the glorious cast members that so cheerily tell me bad news repeatedly.

I have spent the better part of an hour today, on the phone with Disney Dining Reservations, trying to get many of our meals booked for our stay. Boy, that sounds so easy, right? Wrong. Stupid me didn't heed the warning that Birnbaum's reiterates all throughout their book: Call 180 days prior to your visit to make reservations! No, I foolishly decided that surely the most popular character dining experiences restaurants wouldn't be filled during one of the slowest times of the year. Wrong. I have now conceded to dining at strange hours and at restaurants that I had no intention of trying. This should be interesting.

And now I have made the commitment to myself to call the hotline every day until we leave to see if maybe some poor schlub had to cancel a coveted reservation, so I can slip in and snatch it up. Wish me luck.

So, do any of your Disney World veterans out there have any sage advice for me? Places not to be missed? Inside info? I'm all ears! Mickey Mouse ears, that is.

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Greetings, you seekers of cute guys! Welcome back to Monday Morning Eye Candy! This is your one stop shopping for the jolt to get your week started off right. This week's cuties are some of my all-time faves from tv and movies. Classics in many ways.


Bill Paxton - My adoration for this guy has been renewed with my new obsession for the show Big Love. Bill just gets better with age.






Ewan McGregor - It's no secret that I love the Brits and his accent alone is almost enough to seal the deal for me. However, I loved him in Big Fish (if you've not seen this, walk don't run to the nearest video retailer) and I loved him in the Star Wars flicks.





James Spader - This guy is the one you love to hate in many roles. Especially on Boston Legal as the slimy, Alan Shore. He was a jerk as Blaine in Pretty in Pink, but he's hot nonetheless. Another guy that gets better with age.




Judd Nelson - I use this classic pic of him from The Breakfast Club because Judd is one that hasn't exactly aged gracefully. Or, no one has posted one of his great recent pics that Google Images has picked up. I will always remember him as that rebel, John Bender or the confused conservative, Alec Newbary. Sigh.


Rick Schroeder - I seriously debated if I would list him as Rick or Ricky. He will always be Ricky to me. I can remember watching episodes of Silver Spoon and just praying that his little choo-choo train would chug it's way into my living room. Swoon!



And that wraps up this week's guys. Back to work y'all. Until next week that is. Or until later today. Whatever works best for you!

Spot's Sunday Entertainment Roundup

This has been a great week for entertainment! So, without further ado, let's dish.

The Movie Roundup

1. The Jane Austen Book Club - I give this one 2 big thumbs up! Great chick flick and a wonderful ensemble cast. And a hottie named Hugh Dancy. For those who have read the book, you'll have to tell me if the book was great, because I won't read it now that I've seen the movie. I'm silly like that. These female characters are easy to identify with and it's wonderful how they highlight the literature of Austen to profile how very applicable her writing is to current times.

2. Charlie Bartlett - This is an indy film that a friend recommended and I'm so glad that I took his advice. GREAT film! The only actor I knew was Robert Downey Jr. and this role suited him well. He plays a high school principal who's daughter falls for the school misfit, played by a wonderful young actor named Anton Yelchin. This kid is very talented and I would expect to see big things from him in the future.

The T.V. Roundup

The only show that I really watched this week was the season premiere of The Biggest Loser. This season is highlighting families. One side features teams of husbands & wives, while the other features parent/child teams. So far, I haven't really found a team that I love to hate, nor have I found a team that I'm really rooting for, but I'm always amazed at how thin I feel after seeing some of the contestants. Is that a bad thing?

The Book Roundup

1. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore - This novel was recommended to me by my literary blogging pal, Kat. And since we have very similar tastes in books, I took her advice. So far, this book is hilarious! I'll have a more thorough response next week.

2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - I started this one a couple of days ago and I'm officially wrapped up in it. I'm a bit behind in my reading this week, so I'll have a more indepth update next week. So far, so good.

And that's it for this week. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your Sunday and if I get home in time this afternoon, I'll have that award post up for ya. I'm just running behind on everything. The good news is that I finished another scrapbook this weekend. Woo hoo!!

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

That title really has nothing to do with this post other than I CANNOT get that stupid song out of my head at the moment. I am a Youtube enthusiast and they have several songs animated for kids there that my girls love to watch while we eat breakfast each morning. This is one that's been played ad nauseum. (And Kat, I STILL cannot get that Mesopotamian song out of my head. And now Big A is obsessed with it also.)

Anyway, for anyone who is looking for my award winning post that was here 15 minutes ago, well, it's gone now! Auto-scheduler is a beautiful thing until you have an in-process post that needs finishing but cannot log on to the internet to finish it because you're not at home. That was my situation last night. Oh well! I'll finish that post later today and have it ready for you. K?

Meanwhile, I'm having a lovely visit to Atlanta this weekend. Kat & I had a mini-blogging summit and laughed and laughed and laughed. She's a trip and I can't wait to get together again. Then I headed to my BFF's house to enjoy an awesome dinner and lots of scrapbooking. I'm in heaven!

So, until I can get back here later today, take this time to vote on my poll (you guys in reader will have to click over...sorry) And for those who have already voted, I thank you for your support. Have a great Saturday y'all!

Hodge-Podge Friday

Today, I have a little to say about a couple of things, so rather than bombarding you with several really small entries today, you get this. Holly calls her entry the "Potluck" on Mondays (and I highly recommend it), but I don't have a clever term for this non-regular feature. So we'll just stick with the non-imaginative Hodge-Podge.

First, I have to point out the picture to the left here. If you're not familiar with Despair.com, you need to go there now. A former co-worker of mine introduced it to me and I laugh HYSTERICALLY everytime I visit this website. This demotivator in particular is my favorite. Enjoy.

I want to send a big THANK YOU shout out to my bloggy buddy Kat. I was the big winner in her giveaway last week and my $50 Office Depot giftcard arrived this week. Hubby keeps asking me what I'm going to spend it on. The only thing I know for sure is that the giftcard is now in hiding for fear that hubby will decide what to spend it on.

I also want to send out a huge THANK YOU for all the awards that I've received in the last month. I'm a total slacker who has yet to sit down and craft the stellar and proper acceptance entry that passes along the love. I promise to get that done this weekend. In between sunning, scrapbooking and feeding my face that is. I'm going to my BFF's house for the weekend. Woo hoo! It's a kid-free weekend!

I want to send a shout out to my friend Julianne who interviewed me for an article that was published in a local parenting magazine. It was pretty cool to see my name in print, even if it wasn't on the byline, LOL! Congrats on a writing career that's taking off J! And check out her blog, that is one of the first that I started following. Funny stuff!

I'm thinking of adding a new weekly feature to the mix. And I need your opinion on this. If you haven't already, check out the poll on the left to vote for your choice. Or, if you have other feedback, leave it here.

I'm coming up on my 200th post! I simply cannot believe it. Wait, yes I can. I'm pretty wordy and given the chance, I do not shut my mouth. You all are my captive audience, and for that, I thank you. Actually, I thank you for coming back regularly to read the ramblings of my mind. So, any ideas for my momentous 200th post?

Alright, I think that's all I'm going to subject you guys to today. Have a great Friday!

Thursday Thirteen

Next Monday marks one of my very favorite days of every year. The First Day of Fall! This day marks the beginning of my absolute favorite time of year. I'm lucky to live in a part of the country where we actually have 4 seasons. Fall beats them all, hands down. And so, let's take a look at:

Thirteen Reasons That Angie Loves Fall

1. The weather finally migrates from a miserable hot & humid to a manageable cool & breezy.

2. Going to the apple orchard to pick apples and drink fresh apple cider.

3. Hayrides with the ones I love. There's nothing like the smell of straw and the hum of a tractor.

4. Getting lost in corn mazes. This city boasts several GREAT corn mazes within easy driving distance.

5. Fall festivals and craft fairs. This city has an enormous number of church bazaars, craft fairs and fall festivals celebrating everything from cornbread to an old mill. I love the South.

6. Traipsing through the pumpkin patch, looking for the perfect pumpkin. We discovered an AWESOME pumpkin patch in Georgia last year, that we will be returning to. The kids had a ball climbing on pumpkins bigger than them!

7. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Classic cartoon that my girls will watch every year from now on.

8. Jeans and sweaters...the staples of my wardrobe. I really need to move to a colder climate.

9. The gorgeous palate of colors that the trees produce. The verdant greens turn to rich reds, fiery oranges and buttery yellows.

10. Pumpkin Bread...all day, every day. This is the only time of year that I can get away with having pumpkin bread in the house. Hubby's not a fan and I don't think he cares for the smell. My girls are already big fans!

11. Harvest scented candles from Yankee Candle. This is the only scent of candle that I absolutely cannot live without. One whiff takes me to Fall every time. It smells divine!

12. Halloween candy in earnest. Again, the only time of year that I can get away with having candy in the house. Ok, maybe not really, but it sounded good anyway.

13. Rich food, college football and spending lots of time with the ones you love the most. Fall is the best!

Weigh In Wednesday

Well, it's a disappointing Wednesday morning. I have to leave for work in 30 minutes, which is a bummer. And then to add insult to injury, I discovered that I've gained 3lbs since last week. Yikes. I'm down 3.2lbs overall, but this gain sucks.

However, this gain should not be remotely unexpected. I haven't exercised one little bit and my food was going ok until dinner last Saturday night and Sunday night. And I've had 2 HUGE bowls of ice cream this week. And the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Candy Corn that jumped into my buggy at Target a few days ago probably haven't been friendly to my hips. So, there's my list of how I managed to accomplish this feat. Now, what am I going to do about it?

Well, I've got to get back on my exercise schedule. Check.
I'm going to try the Weight Watchers point system again. Check.
I've got to practice better self control around candy. Check.

Tune in next week to see how if my persistence pays off! And see other weight loss stories here.

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Welcome back for your weekly dose of cute guys! It's Monday Morning Eye Candy and this week's edition features some familiar favorites and some newcomers. Enjoy!


Alex O'Loughlin - This hottie is the star of the wildly popular Moonlight on CBS. If vampires were all this cute, we would be in serious trouble.






Chris O'Donnell - Totally fell for this cutie in Scent of a Woman and The Three Musketeers. My spirit was renewed when he guest starred as the HOT veterinarian on Grey's Anatomy. This sexy dad has got it going on.





Hugh Jackman - This Aussie hunk can sing, dance & act! And he plays a great superhero.







Joe Anderson - If you haven't seen Becoming Jane, stop now and go put it in your Netflix queue. He plays Jane's incredibly hot brother who falls for the older woman. Yummy!




Matt Cedeno - You soap opera fans out there might recognize this hottie as the ex-Brandon from Days of Our Lives. Now there's a character I support bringing back!





And there's your Monday morning hotness! Have a great day and come back next week for another batch of cuties!

Spot's Sunday Entertainment Roundup

This week has been a little erratic with my entertainment quota. I've been swamped with work and consequently, things took a bit of a hit this week. However, I'm not going to let you down, so let's get this party started!

The Book Roundup
I finished Such A Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster and all I can say now is FINISH THE NEXT BOOK JEN. She's currently running behind on the deadline for her 4th book, but she posted a list of recommended reading on her blog this week. Which means that my desired reading list just got a WHOLE LOT LONGER. I currently have about 15 books on my bedside table that I want to read. However, I have now decided that this week I am tackling, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Check back next week to see if I got sucked in like the rest of my homies.

The T.V. Roundup
I finished up Seasons 1 & 2 of Big Love and I am thoroughly hooked. Season 3 doesn't start on HBO until January, which is a good thing. Most of my Fall T.V. line up starts in 2 weeks, so I'll be knee deep in reviewing a LOT of t.v. in the upcoming weeks. Too much I'm sure.

The Movie Roundup
I'm heading out to the theaters to catch some new releases this week, but I caught the following flicks on Starz this week.
1. The Hoax - This is the Richard Gere film where he plays Clifford Irving, the guy who wrote the "authorized" auto-biography of Howard Hughes. Pretty decent film and it's based on a true story.
2. Superbad - I end up watching movies like this when hubby & I are home on a Friday night and he has the remote. I do not consider myself to be easily offended in any way, but this movie pushed the limit on what I'll watch. Excessive bad language and derogatory depictions of women are just the beginning of what I despised about this film. I'll not see it again and I encourage you not to waste your time. And let me further say that I have enjoyed several of Judd Apatow's other films. This one just sucked.
3. Sixteen Candles - Ah, a trip down memory lane. Jake Ryan is so hunky. If you've never seen this movie, what are you waiting for?

And that wraps up this week's roundup. Do you have any recommendations for me? Is there something out there that you've discovered that I need to know about? Please share. Unless it's a book, because my list runneth over. Well, ok, I might have room for a few more book suggestions.

It's raining cats and dogs

We decided to take in our local kennel club's all-breed dog show today. As we arrived and saw the onslaught of RV's, I suddenly had horrible flashbacks to that hilarious movie, Best In Show. These people weren't playing around.




We made our way to the first ring of the day. The only one I insisted on seeing completely. The German Shepherds. And there were some ADORABLE dogs here. It made me misty seeing all these cute furballs.




And then we made our way around to check out some of the other cuties. Here's a French Bulldog. Those ears get me every time. How could you not love that face?





Moving on to the English Bulldogs. These guys are cute too, despite their affiliation with a certain school that shall remain nameless. Ahem.





And then a horse show broke out. No, my bad, it's just the Great Danes. And these guys were enormous. And way cute in that gangly, goofy sort of way.





We made our way up to the bleachers, where we found a loving bond between a gal and her dog. I've never considered Dobermans as lap dogs, but these 2 proved me wrong.





Here's hubby and Big A. She asked me to take this pic. She was a bit jealous of all the camera time that the dogs got prior to this.






And of course we now have hubby with Little A. My little ham.







After watching some of the show from the bleachers, we made our way outside, where Little A made a new friend. This Bloodhound was completely enamored with the girls. And they thought he was pretty cool too.




I've always had a thing for Borzois. They used to be called Russian Wolfhounds. I call them cute.






This, I don't get. And I think that stupid haircut is a lot of why I don't care for Standard Poodles. Or any Poodle for that matter.






But this, well, I could eat this up all day. Pembroke Welsh Corgis are cute all on their own, but puppies are a whole new level of cute!





And so, after a full morning of fun at the dog show, we made a big decision. It is time to finally add some pets back into our home. The question is, what kind? And so we decided on these 2 fiesty ones. Allow me to introduce...

Our new little girl, Leaf








And our new little boy, Percy







Yeah, we'll see how long this lasts. Meow.