It might be time for an intervention

So, I'm sitting in my empty house last Saturday afternoon as hubby & the kids had taken Roman to the dog park. I decided to check one of my seldom used email accounts and there sat a brand new email from my local scrapbooking shop. Seems innocent enough, right?

I'm the first to admit that I tend to be an email "skimmer" rather than "reader", especially when it's a sales solicitation. However, if something catches my attention, I'm usually pretty good about going back and re-reading to make sure that I understand everything. Usually.

I'm looking at the message from the scrapbooking shop and I see a sentence that reads (and yes, I'm paraphrasing) "Hey, we've got tons of new stuff this week, including the new Twilight line of papers, so come check it out fast before it's gone!" Click. Slam. Screech.

Approximately 7 minutes later, I was at the front door of the store. (and no, unfortunately, I'm NOT exaggerating) While the only other customer in the store was being helped, I am COMBING the walls in search of the Twilight papers. I have visions of Edward permanently adhered to the pages of my scrapbook. I'm looking everywhere and beginning to panic because there is no Edward to be found. I wasn't fast enough!

The salesgirl comes over and asks if she can help me. I casually say "oh, did I read correctly in your email that you guys have the Twilight papers now?" She excitedly says, "Yes, they're right there on the wall." I walk over. I see nothing. She says "they're right there." And so I grab a sheet and bring home the newest member of my scrapbooking collection.



You didn't really think I was going to walk out of there like an empty-handed idiot did you? I'm just glad I wasn't wearing my Team Edward shirt on this excursion.

(Note: The paper is from the new Twilight Collection from Pink Paislee. It's really cute Halloween paper, but not a vampire in sight. Sigh.)

"Trim the Fat" Thursday

Inspiration

This is a word that I think about a lot. What inspires me? What's my motivation behind this whole weight loss journey? The answers to these questions have been very tough for me, which I think is one of the reasons that I've had such a hard time staying on track.

This week, a new season of The Biggest Loser began and it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the show. The season opener always includes some back story on each contestant, which is usually interesting but never really grabs me. This time was different. There is a contestant this season named Abby. She's a 35 yr old teacher and has a lovely Texas drawl. She reminds me a lot of myself actually. When she told her story, I was brought to tears within seconds. Abby went from her happy life to tragedy in the blink of an eye 3 years ago, when her husband, 5 yr old daughter and newborn son were all killed in a car accident. I can't even imagine.

Towards the end of the episode, the infamously hard-ass trainer Jillian Michaels was even brought to tears by Abby's amazing resolve. And I think that Jillian said it best when she explained her tears. She said that she always thought that if something like that happened to her, she would commit suicide. However, to see Abby and how she has chosen to motor on despite this horrible tragedy makes Jillian want to be a stronger person. And I have to say that I feel much the same way.

I've been having a one woman pity party for a week now over feeling crappy and being under the weather. And beating myself up over the fact that I just can't seem to stop bringing home chocolate donuts from the grocery store. That's when my order for a dose of perspective arrived.

This week, my goal is simple. I'm going to sit and write some letters. Letters to the most important people in my life, including myself. Letters to remind myself of just how lucky I am to be surrounded by people who actually give a damn. Reminders of how fortunate I am at this moment in time.

What inspires you?

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

Let me start off this week by saying that I just read that Patrick Swayze passed away today. I don't know this news saddens me so much, but it does. Maybe it's because his movie "Dirty Dancing" had such a strong impact on my early teen years. Maybe it's because he just seemed like a regular guy who fell into a movie star role. Whatever the case, I hate that he's gone now, especially considering the disease that robbed him of a long life. RIP Johnny Castle. You'll be missed.

Well gang, it was a lean week. Between being sick, being without power for half a day, & having LOTS of work to do, there wasn't much time for anything else. Hubby & I managed to see 1 movie last night and here's my assessment.

Yes Man - Ok, let me begin by saying that I'm not a Jim Carrey fan. I think he tries way too hard to be funny. And this movie was no exception. The redeeming qualities of this flick include an adorable performance by Zooey Deschanel and a decent amount of screen time from the delicious Bradley Cooper. Past that, this one just didn't do that much for me.

Now, here's where you all can help me with some upcoming entertainment choices. I'm thinking of checking out something in theaters at some point this week. Which one would be your choice?

All About Steve

Julie & Julia

The September Issue (this one I would actually have to travel to Atlanta to see because the hick town movie theaters here rarely ever show scarcely heard of independent films. Sigh.)

I did manage to make progress on one of the books that I've been reading for, ahem, 6 weeks. Sad thing is that I'm a fast reader. That should tell you how hard it is to get a couple of hours of uninterrupted quiet time around here! I'm REALLY hoping to finish at least 1 of the books this week. Until next Tuesday...

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Welcome back to Monday Morning Eye Candy!

My many thanks to Shannon for this week's very inspired list. And we present, the hotties of the U.S. Open Tennis tournament!

Andy Murray

Andy Roddick
(my personal fave)

Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic
(Shannon's fave)

Rafael Nadal

If you have a list of cuties that you would like to see here, please send it here.

Have a great week everyone!

It's My Life

Have you ever had a day like this?

Ever felt like this?

How about this one?

And this one, well, it's my favorite.

It's been a tough few weeks around here and this one especially has been a challenge.

Thanks for checking in on me and sorry I've been absent on emails and responding to comments!

I'm hoping that after this weekend, things will ease up a bit. Until then, I'll just have to rely on this to get me through.

Sigh. I feel better already.

You can call me Al - Part 2

As I've told you previously, Little A has quite the talent for giving her toys names that she prefers.

Here's the setup. I'm driving myself and the girls to dinner a couple of weeks ago and suddenly I hear a gasp in the backseat.

Little A: Mommy! Oh no! Mabel fell down. Can you please get him?

Me: Who is Mabel?

Big A: You know, the one that is black and red and white and has yellow on it.

Me: ???

When I arrived at the next red light, I turned around and found Mabel in the floorboard.

Meet Mabel.

After laughing hysterically, I informed the girls that this is a vulture.

Immediately after my proclamation, I was informed that HIS name is Mabel. End of story.

Darn these cute kids and their active imaginations.

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

It's been a week full of movies. See Netflix, I told ya. Let's recap.

I Love You, Man - I thought there were several great scenes in this flick. Ordinarily, Paul Rudd is one of my favorites, but his performance was just not good at times. Overall, I'm glad I waited until it went to video. Definitely hilarious moments.

Gran Torino - This was a good movie. Clint Eastwood proves yet again that he's one of the best in Hollywood. I'm not sure I've ever heard quite this many racial slurs in one movie (especially spouted off by a single character), but it all seemed to work. It starts out kind of slow, but the ending is worth it.

Get Smart - I had such high hopes for this one. I think Steve Carrell is HILARIOUS. This movie...wasn't. I had a few chuckles, but only made it about half-way through the film before I just couldn't take anymore and turned it off. This is probably the same reason that I never watched the original tv show. I just don't get it.

Swing Vote - Wow, this one wasn't what I expected at all. Kevin Costner plays an ignorant drunk redneck (eerily well) who holds the single vote to decide a presidential election. I was expecting more comedy and less political satire drama, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. It's not for everyone, but there's some good stuff here.

Extract - It's not often that I see a movie on opening weekend, but I know when I'm 1 of 4 people in the theater, that it's probably not a good sign. Jason Bateman is just adorable and funny with his dry delivery. Ben Affleck gives a surprisingly hilarious performance as the idiot best friend. And there's a whole host of supporting characters who have several shining moments. Overall, I wish I had waited until this one hit Netflix. Not a bad movie, just not big screen worthy.

Push - Ok, let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a big sci-fi fan. I'm more the romantic comedy or drama genre kind of gal. Having said that, this movie was a bit of a snooze-fest for me. I knew hubby would like it though. And I was right. I thought it interesting how the ending was set up. And I think Chris Evans is a major hottie. Yeah, that's about it.

For t.v. this last week, here's what things looked like.

Top Chef: Las Vegas - I love the Top Chef franchise. It's so much classier than Hell's Kitchen and way more interesting than most of the Food Network stuff. There's some great chefs competing this season! And some food this time around that I would actually try. It's a miracle.

Project Runway - Hallelujah, my man Tim Gunn is back! I adore this show.

I think that's it for this week. I've added a widget on the left hand sidebar that links to my Library List of books that I keep in my faves category. If you're interested in what I love, check it out. As I continue to tackle the 7 15 29 books that are covering my nightstand currently, I'll hopefully have more to report this Fall. And can I get an "amen" that Fall has finally arrived!

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Sorry for the lack of eye candy for the past few weeks. I've been uninspired lately (and extremely busy), but hopefully the dry spell is now over.

First, there was Jake Ryan. Oh, how I loved Sixteen Candles and all the teen angst that it delivered. And Jake, well, SWOON! I think every teen girl of that era wanted to be Molly Ringwald, sitting on that table, enjoying that birthday cake.

And then I grew up a little and moved onto some bad boys. Jake Hanson fit the bill nicely. First he stole the heart of Kelly Taylor and then he stole mine. Jake, you bad, bad boy.

A few years after that, I was innocently working in the children's department of a store, when in walked THIS Jake. And I knew pretty early on that he would be the last Jake that stole my heart. And today, I send him big birthday wishes.

Happy Birthday Honey!

See you all next week!

Wreck This Journal

Good morning ladies! I am finally back to my normal routine after one busy week last week. I am officially Mrs. Tonya Riggs...yay!!! Anywho...this is what's going on in my journal lately...

This was a very hard task for me. My left hand doesn't work so good.

I had to get creative with drawing around me hand!

This was just fun...but a big part of me wanted to stay INSIDE the lines. :)

I had to use my scrapbooking scissors for this one.

I don't have a stapler at home...I think that was the only thing that was missing.

I hope you guys are having a great week and I look forward to seeing your journey and Angie's next week! Don't forget to link up if you are participating!

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

It was a busy week and a lot of multi-tasking. Where multi-tasking means working and trying watch a movie/tv at the same time. Not easy to do, mind you.

Flipping Out - Am I the only person out there who loves this show? Jeff Lewis is CRAZY and I just love him. I seriously can't get enough of his outlandish behavior. The new season on Bravo just began. Yay!!

In Her Shoes - This movie was WAY too long. Overall, I liked the story, but if I hadn't had something to do while watching, I wouldn't have made it. My assessment...meh.

Knowing - Several people had told me that I should watch this movie. And to those people I say "WHY?" This movie was NOT good. I enjoy Nicolas Cage, but this movie was just wrong. The writing was wrong. The acting was "meh" at best. The aliens were wrong. Ok yes, I just ruined it for anyone who still thinks they want to see this movie. Trust me, you don't.

The Hangover - Two words...Bradley Cooper. Oh.My...thud. Admittedly, I had been avoiding this flick despite the favorable recommendations from EVERYONE I know. It just didn't seem like my kind of movie based on the previews. Thankfully, Kat kidnapped me and forced me into the theater, where I proceeded to laugh my arse off for 90 minutes. GREAT MOVIE! HYSTERICAL! Oh yeah, and Bradley Cooper is freaking hot.

The Time Traveler's Wife - Two words...Eric Bana. Oh.My...thud. I did not read the book before seeing the movie, but I'm DEFINITELY going back to read it now. I really enjoyed the movie even though I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending. There was some beautiful cinematography and the story was intriguing. And I cried 3 times. Yep, this one's a winner.

Note to Netflix: I'm coming for you. Get those postage paid envelopes ready en mass!