State of the Blog Address

Well, less an address than . . . a post. Or a disclaimer. Or announcements. Whatever you want to call it, I thought it was about time we talked about some bloggy issues.

If you visit my blog at all (rather than just catching up in a Feed Reader), you've probably noticed a few changes over the past couple of months.

I've placed ads in my left-hand column and spruced up my header and navigation bar. Nothing too fancy, but I like the look. Of the header and nav bar, that is. I'm hoping you like it better than my short-lived experiment with a gingham background.

The ads are through the BlogHer network. After learning about it at the Blissdom Conference, I applied back in March and just got approved over the summer. Believe me when I tell you that I'm not rolling in the dough. My small earnings do, however, cover some of the cost of shipping for giveaways, purchased graphics and other blog-related expenses.

Speaking of money, though - because speaking of money is oh-so-fun, right? - let's talk about affiliate links and product reviews.

First, the links. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn a small percentage - pennies - if you purchase items through the links I use to Amazon products. Based on the report I just got, my year's worth of Amazon links might buy me lunch at Panera.

Second, product reviews. Specifically, I should say book reviews, since that's all I've done. I participate in the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program and The Blog Tour Spot. That means I receive free books to review. Both programs want good reviews but do not in any way require it.

Maybe it goes without saying, but just in case it does not, I give you my word that I'll never be dishonest with you. If something stinks, more than likely I just won't talk about it. But if I say I liked something - or, even better, loved it - then you can rest assured that I truly do like it.

And now, on another, more comfortable bloggy topic: I would love to talk to you. And the best way to make that happen? Leave your e-mail address with your comment. That way I can e-mail you back! Hillary and Colleen have great posts on exactly how to do this. Check it out.

Okay, I think that's all, folks. Other than - oh yeah - make sure you come back tomorrow for some news about a special Halloween feature coming up.

Now - it's your turn. Do you have any bloggy questions for me? How do you feel about product reviews, affiliate links, blog ads and all that? Hit me with it.

Muffins and britches and tantrums. Oh my!

Every Thursday night, my parents come over for dinner and to watch Annalyn while I go to choir practice. For the first few months year and a half, they brought dinner with them.

But this fall, I decided that I can probably manage to make dinner one night a week, rather than my parents planning and cooking ahead, packing the meal and bringing it from their house 30 minutes away. Seriously.

So last week, I decided to make meatloaf, cheesy potatoes and green beans. I’d made the potatoes over the weekend, so all I had to do was defrost them during the day and pop them in the oven as soon as I got home. And how hard is it to dump a can of green beans on the stove and put a meatloaf together?

Harder than you’d think.

As we pulled into the driveway that evening, I told Annalyn that when we got inside, I’d have to work in the kitchen. (Normally, I spend my precious two hours with her just playing, leaving the chores for later . . . whenever that may be.)

She was fine for a little while, but when I was standing at the counter dumping breadcrumbs and ketchup into the bowl for the meatloaf, Annalyn decided she’d had enough of being neglected.

My smarty pants little girl got into the pantry and pulled out a packet of muffin mix, brought it over to me and said, “Muffins!”

I said, “Sure, baby, we can make muffins. After I finish the meatloaf.”

Well, my goodness. You would have thought I said, “No, sweetheart, you cannot have muffins. As a matter of fact, you can never eat bread again. And actually, I don’t think you can have dinner, either.”

Because her reaction? Pure meltdown. “Noooo! Muffin! Muffin! No wait! Muffin!!!”

This went on for a good 10-15 minutes. I kept telling her, calmly, that we could make the muffins, but she needed to be patient. I let her keep howling, because a) I needed to get the meatloaf cooking and b) I was kind of hoping my parents would arrive and catch her mid-fit.

And, oh, they did. After informing us (because I’m quite sure Annalyn cared as much as I did) that they could hear her racket in their car on the street, they distracted her and cheered her up. And gave her a bath.

So all was well then. But the good part of an hour leading up to their arrival? Not. Fun. And all over a little less attention than normal and MUFFINS.

Really?

I mean, I like my carbs, but that’s a little crazy!

It should not have surprised me when she had a meltdown the following night over wanting to push her stroller in the crowd, rather than ride in it. Clearly, logic is not at work here.

Even more bizarre than the Muffin Meltdown is the Britches Blow-up.

We cannot figure out where Annalyn has learned to call her pants “britches,” but she is a little sponge these days. So “britches” it is.

Of course, she’s not yet two years old, so her pronunciation of the letter “r” leaves something to be desired.

Especially when she’s insisting on wearing a different pair of pants by screaming, “Britches! Britches! Britches me! Britches!!!!”

Yep. That’s right. Just read that sentence without the “r” in “britches.”

This all reminds me of the time Mark and I went to marriage counseling. Though the counselor wisely kindly noted that Mark’s actions were causing many of our problems, he also told me that my reactions were part of the issue, too. I’ll never forget the valuable advice he gave me:

Keep your reaction in check with the level of the offense.

I wonder if that therapist sees toddlers?

Fall Reading List

Last week, I was inspired by Andrea’s fall reading list. Although, to be honest, I still can’t get over the fact that she organizes her reading lists.

Why don’t I do this??

Anyway, it seems that Katrina has a carnival for this sort of thing. I think it’s also supposed to keep us accountable for our reading goals. Does that make it an accountability carnival? Like there are clowns and ferris wheels along with the hard-hitting questions?

I don’t know what I’m saying. I really shouldn’t write my Monday posts on Sunday nights.

Anyway (again.), I’m going to share my fall reading list with you. But don’t judge me. It is quite possible – and probable, as you’ll see – that I read fluff, romance and keep-me-up-late mysteries. But hey, I’ve also got some uplifting fiction and potentially life-changing non-fiction. (A house that cleans itself? That would definitely be life-changing!)

I’m going to divide my list into categories. And I’m going to tell myself that it’s to share more information with you. But I know the truth. You may not be quite as intrigued by my reading choices as I am. It’s really just because I like complicated lists.

Books I’m reviewing (Yes, that means I got them for free.)

• The Hole in Our Gospel – Richard Stearns
• Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently – Marcus Buckingham

Books I've already read (but it was in September, so it counts)

• Deadlock – Iris Johansen

Books I'm hoping will change my life

• Have a New Kid by Friday – Kevin Leman
• The House That Cleans Itself – Mindy Starns Clark
• Becoming a Couple of Promise – Kevin Leman (This is what our small group is studying.)

Books I have on reserve at the library

• True Detectives – Jonathan Kellerman (Actually, it's already on my nightstand!)
  
• Leaving Carolina – Tamara Leigh
• Mischief Becomes Her – Kasey Michaels
• Mischief 24/7 – Kasey Michaels
• Blood Game – Iris Johansen
• Bitter is the New Black – Jen Lancaster
• True Blue – David Baldacci
• Under the Cajun Moon – Mindy Starns Clark
• Lonestar Secrets – Colleen Coble
  

Books on reserve that I've already checked out once and didn't read in time

• The Help – Kathryn Stockett
• Take One – Karen Kingsbury
• Take Two – Karen Kingsbury
• Crazy Love – Francis Chan
  

Is it weird, wrong, bad that I have books called "Blood Game" or books with long legs on the cover on my list? And I can't wait to read them?

Maybe. But I have diverse tastes. Do you? What are you reading this fall?

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

4:30 Get off work.
5:00 Pick up Annalyn.
5:45 Meet parents for dinner.
6:45 Join family for Light the Night
7:45 Leave before Walk starts as Annalyn completely melts down.
8:45 Arrive home. Put Annalyn to bed.
9:00 Turn on computer. Start watching Grey's Anatomy season premiere.
9:20 Hear shouting and gunshots. Look out front window.
9:21 Watch SWAT team storm into the house across the street.
9:22 Frantically call Mark until he answers. Try to breathe normally.
9:30 Calm down when realize the two dozen law enforcement officials on street are not rushing.
9:35 Wonder if allowed to take pictures from my own front yard.
9:40 Call neighbor friends who are inconveniently not home.
9:45 Give play-by-play description of activities.
9:50 Close curtains. Resume watching Grey's Anatomy.

Just another Friday night in the suburbs, right?

Unreal. Just . . . I don't know. It's not that I'm surprised to learn that this particular neighbor is in trouble.

But to look out my front window and see men in vests and helmets storming into my neighbor's house? To hear shots fired and to see lights flashing and to lose count of all the official vehicles parking in front of my house? To watch two people be pulled from the house across the street and be pushed onto their knees in the grass?

Well, it's a little crazy.

How was your Friday night?

I do not heart HTML.

I have just spent the last 47 hours fixing the text on this blog. It involved spacing and fonts and HTML and I don’t even know what has happened.

Or, as Annalyn likes to say, “Hap. In?”

I had my first Weight Watchers weigh-in last Friday, and I was down 1.6 lbs. That’s not much, but it’s definitely a start.

And, umm, probably more than I’ve lost this last week. This week has not gone so well. I didn’t eat brownies at the family barbecue. And I had every intention of walking. And I used low-fat sour cream and mayo when I made up six dips for my party on Tuesday.

But this week may also have included pizza. And chips with that dip. And beer bread (oh, my goodness, the beer bread was sooo good!). And no walking, due to rain and crazy schedules. And did I mention the chips?

So. My second weigh-in may not be so hot. I know that. But I’m still looking forward and making goals and not quitting. My goal for next week is to write down everything I eat.

All of it.

Do you have a goal for next week?

I have a big weekend coming up. Tonight is Light the Night (and there’s still time to donate if you’d like to join my team in fighting cancer!). On Saturday, Chelleybutton is coming down for a visit. And on Sunday, we have nursery duty (yay.) and small group (yay!).

What are your weekend plans?

Lighting the night, fighting cancer and enjoying a little healthy competition

Grandpa and me, Christmas Day, 1978.
Also known as the day I came home from the hospital.

My grandpa smoked a pipe. And he was good at building things out of wood. He took me fishing at the park one time. I kind of remember going to a state fair…I think. And if we tried to sit in “his” chair, he’d sit on us.

When I think of my grandpa, those are the things that come to mind. I wish I had more memories; I wish I’d had more time to get to know him.

I'm not sure what we were doing here . . . but we were having fun!

Unfortunately, my dad’s dad died 15 years ago. Cancer was the culprit. In particular, a blood cancer, the exact kind of disease fought by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – my former employer and charity of choice.

Tomorrow I’ll join my grandma, my parents, my aunts and uncles, and my cousins in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. We’ll carry illuminated balloons, push strollers and wagons, and chat as we walk the two-mile route.

For several years now, we’ve worked together to raise money for research and patient services. And this year is no different.

Except . . . this year, I haven’t done any fundraising.

I got a message from my cousin Steve on Facebook yesterday, informing me that my former co-workers at the Society said hello – and shamed me for not raising any money to fight cancer.

Steve has raised hundreds of dollars.

I’m sure you can understand why my competitive side has started kicking in . . .

• Will you help me beat my cousin?
  
• Or, if you’re a more sentimental sort, honor my Grandpa?
  
• Or, if you’re practical yet giving, support the fight against cancer?

A donation to my Light the Night team will do all of those things and more.

Any amount donated truly does help. During the three years I worked for the Society, I learned that the five-year survival rate for someone diagnosed with leukemia is now more than 50% - it used to be just 14%. And while the survival rate for Hodgkin’s disease used to be just 40%, it’s now more than 85%!

Research – the very kind funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – made these things possible.

This progress is incredible, but there’s still so much work to be done. Because while those stats are encouraging, the fact remains that every ten minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes.

Will you help me fund the research that will end these deadly diseases once and for all? Will you help me provide services – like support groups, financial aid and educational programs – for those fighting cancer?

(Will you help me redeem myself with my family and friends by helping me meet my fundraising goal?)

It’s super easy to donate: just visit my fundraising page and click away.

(I’m linking to Things I Love Thursday this week – because I love online fundraising!)

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

When I was a senior in high school, our drama department chose to put on The Wizard of Oz for our spring musical. I knew my friend Nikki would get the part of Dorothy (and yes, I was jealous), so I decided that I should be the Scarecrow.

Determined to get the part, I tracked down sheet music so I could practice at home and even came up with a few dance moves to accompany my singing. The range was high for my alto voice, but I gave it the old college try. Or, the old high school senior try.

But it wasn’t enough. When parts were assigned, I found myself playing Glinda the Good Witch.

Hey - it might have been a small part, but I got into it!

I’d like to tell you that I got over that, but as I’m writing about it a dozen years later, that may not be true. Have I told you yet about Glinda’s costume?

It was pink. And poofy. And, if I remember correctly, glittery and shiny.

And did I mention that my lovely crown was too big?

But being a part of a musical or a play is always fun. That year was especially so, as some of my best friends had parts as well and my brother was the accompanist. I was also in drama class that year, so I got to help build the set, too. We had a blast.

Despite the costumes.

Smitty was the Cowardly Lion, and as usual, she stole the show!

Today marks the 70th anniversary of this great classic. And according to Chatting at the Sky (Oh, come on! You know I get my info from blogs.), The Wizard of Oz will be played in more than 400 theaters today in honor of that anniversary. You can check here to see a list of participating theaters.

Which character from The Wizard of Oz is your favorite?

Don't feel obligated to pick Glinda. Although . . . I could arrange for a house to drop on you. What? Glinda couldn’t do that? Okay, well, I’ll wave my glittery wand at you; you know it takes forever to get that stuff out of your hair.

Cleaning when the clock is ticking…

I’m having a Tastefully Simple party tonight.

It’s been on the calendar for about a month. Invitations went out a couple weeks ago. And yet, I left cleaning until the very last moment possible.

I don’t know what it is about procrastination. Is it stressful? Sure. Is it unnecessary? Absolutely. Do I do it all the darned time? Um, yeah.

So today I’m wondering how you get your house company-ready in a hurry. How do you make sure your home is presentable when people are coming over soon – perhaps already in their cars?

The Top 10 Things That Must Be Done When Cleaning My House in a Hurry

1. Turn on the attic fan. (Obviously, this only works if I don’t have the heater or A/C on. But it works best when a neighbor is grilling or I’m drying a load of laundry. Don’t ask me to explain. I just know that the clean laundry smell magically makes it way into my house when we turn on the attic fan.)
2. Assuming the stars have not aligned and provided natural home fragrance, light some candles.
3. Put away things that have places – toys, dishes, dirty clothes. (Please note: I am not saying, nor would I ever say that dirty clothes don’t immediately go into hampers at my house. Nope. Not me.)
4. Pick up extra junk that’s laying around the house. Drop it into a laundry basket and stick it in the garage. Wonder why everything can’t just have a place in this tiny, storage-deficient house.
5. Get out the Clorox wipes and go to town. Clean the table, the kitchen counters, the bathroom floor, the bathroom sink, and anything else that might be sticky or dusty. Yes, this may include dining room chairs, living room side tables and door knobs.
6. Get out the lint roller and go to town. (Especially important during the winter. When people wear coats. And you want to put them on your bed. Where the cats sleep.) Wonder why I have cats.
7. Fold up blankets and arrange on couches to cover scratches. Wonder about the cats again.
8. Look around for obvious messes – Cheerios in the couch, cat hair under the couch, milk spills, cobwebs in the corners, smudges on the white trim. Deal with them.
9. Vacuum if I have time. Yes, using a Dustbuster qualifies.
10. Stop at least 10 minutes before expected arrival time. Stop sweating. Reapply deodorant and lipstick. Get a drink. Answer the door. (Wonder why some people still think it’s acceptable to arrive early?)

So, let me have it. What’s your last-minute cleaning routine? (Readers who routinely deep clean their houses and actually do have a place for everything need not apply. Thank you.)

Gotta run. There are candles to light and blankets to toss artfully arrange on the couches.

This post is linked to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday, and the lovely candle photo is by FotoDawg.

With no apologies to Sheryl Crow.

After I picked Annalyn up on Friday afternoon, we drove to the library to pick up a few things I’d reserved. My stack was pretty varied: season one of Veronica Mars, two mysteries and a book about disciplining your child.

I’d like to say that the discipline book was apropos of nothing (not because I like that song, because I actually can’t stand it, but for some reason that phrase has been running through my head all weekend). But in fact, it was quite appropriate. Because as soon as I set Annalyn down on the floor, she started toddling away from me.

This may be what they meant when they said, “Oh, just wait. You don’t want her to start walking!”

Anyway. Despite the short conversation we’d had in the car about how I wanted her to behave nicely and stay with Mommy and do you understand and yes, Mommy, the little darling wouldn’t stop wandering off.

No problem. I grabbed my books and then grabbed her.

Of course, that’s when she started shrieking and hollering. In the library. Did I mention that we were in the library?

I really wanted to hold that book about discipline in front of her face as we did the Toddler Walk of Shame out the door.

The situation was defused quickly, though. And we headed home.

On Saturday afternoon, we pretty much did it all over again. In the Carter’s outlet store this time, shopping for the very child who threw a fit, yelling, “Help! Help me!” for all to hear.

Nope. I’m not kidding.

What? Did you think I’d read the discipline book before watching season one of Veronica Mars?

The rest of the weekend, I must say, was great. Annalyn was super sweet on Sunday, while Mark watched the Chiefs lose with a friend from work. Then we met up at a family barbecue, enjoyed some hot dogs while Annalyn mooched watermelon from my dad, her Papa. (We call him Grandpa every time, but she’s only agreed to call him Papa instead of Bompa. We’re working on it.)

How was your weekend?

What’s the point?

Last Friday was The Big Day. The day I joined Weight Watchers . . . for the sixth time.

I know.

I’d like to say that this time it’s going to work, that this time will be different, that I’m tired of worrying about my weight and my health, and I’m ready to make a change.

But I’ve said that before.

So I think I’ll stick with this instead: I’m going to do my best today.

In case you don’t know how Weight Watchers works, the basic plan helps you manage your diet by giving you a set number of points you can eat each day. Your number of points is determined by age, gender, typical day’s activity and starting weight.

That means the heavier you are, the more points you get. Yay.

But back to Friday. My co-worker and I went to a meeting over our lunch break, where we signed up and weighed in. It’s a necessary evil, that scale.

The meeting was inspiring, if only because it put me back in the lose weight mindset. I get off track easily – yes, I realize this is shocking information – and I need the weekly reminder meetings provide.

I also won’t turn down the free samples of Weight Watchers snacks. And that is unfortunate, because those pizza pretzel thins were disgusting.

Not even worth the two points. Good thing I only ate one before pitching them in the trash. (I know, I know – wasting food is bad. But you know what’s worse? Eating a bag of pizza pretzel thins, thinking they’re going to get better and knowing they’re going to leave one nasty aftertaste.)

The best moment of our first meeting? When our leader, trying to prompt us, asked, “What’s a good appetizer to order at a restaurant?” That girl sitting across the room who answered, “Mozzarella sticks!” – I want to be her friend.

I suppose I should tell you how I did in my first week back on plan (or, OP, as we like to say). The bad news is that the weekend kicked my butt. I fixed my chocolate éclair dessert for my day o’ scrapping – and then finished it off myself. (NO, not all in one day. Thank you.) I didn’t even end up counting points on Saturday and Sunday.

But I did make some good decisions! I walked with my friend Brittany (and Annalyn, who likes to call Brittany “Bernie”) on Monday and Wednesday. I ordered soup and salad at On the Border and the TenderGrill Chicken Sandwich at Burger King (no mayo, even!). And when I “needed” to pig out one night after Annalyn went to bed, I ate chips and salsa (That’s a veggie! Really!) and a cheese sandwich (on whole wheat bread with low-fat cheese). Sure, I overindulged, but it only cost me 12 points.

Believe me, even if that sounds like a lot, it could have – and has been, many times – way worse.

So, I’m making progress. Wednesday was the first day that I actually stuck to my points allowance, but I’ll get better. I’m looking up every little thing, even when I think I remember the nutritional value. That’s a good thing, because even though I actually do remember most things (like I said, I’ve done this five times before), it’s good to be reminded that honey mustard is not fat-free. Or point-free.

But it is tasty . . .

Overall, my first week has gone pretty well. I’ll weigh in over lunch today, but even if I haven’t lost a pound (oh, please say I’ve lost a pound!), I know I’m back on track.

And that feels good.

My goal for this next week is to write down everything I eat; that habit really keeps me accountable and mindful of my choices.

What’s your goal for this week?

We interrupt this broadcast for an announcement…

I’ve created a schedule for my fall TV viewing.

Not because I have a problem. Not because I watch way too much television. No way, Jose! I did this for you. Only for you, dear readers, would I research the premiere dates and place them into a spreadsheet. I would never do this for my own entertainment.

Right.

Okay, to be honest, I was really tempted to pick up a pen and write down when I plan to watch what show. But I know – I know how crazy that is. So I refrained.

But then I started thinking that maybe you all want to know what I’m planning to watch this fall. I don’t know why. But it’s possible.

And I really don’t want to let you down. So I have created a schedule. You can see it in all its row and column glory here. Or you can read all about my plans in this post. No clicking. No spreadsheets. Just words. About TV.

It’s important, what we have here, isn’t it?

I’m going to start with Monday. Mainly because I don’t watch TV on Sunday. Not live, anyway. (Please note: This is not because I’m all sorts of holy. This is because I don’t watch any shows that air on Sundays. Feel free now to sing the praises of Brothers & Sisters. I know. I hear it’s great. I just don’t watch it.)

On Mondays, I will watch How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and Castle. Until NBC finally comes to its senses and Chuck returns. Then I will also watch Chuck. HIMYM is a must, as is Chuck (do I have to explain that?). BBT is only if I have time, while Castle is one that I’ll record if I don’t have time.

Sidebar: If you’re just now tuning in (get it – the TV humor?), you should note that I watch my television programs old school. As in, on a low-def TV. Sometimes with a VCR. It pains my husband to no end that we don’t have a fancy-schmancy TV. Such is life. Or something.

Back to our regular programming now. (No, I will not stop with the punny-pun-puns. I can’t. I can’t stop.)

On Tuesdays, I have quite the dilemma. And I blame the networks.

See, those networks, they just can’t get enough of a good thing. And they know – oh, they know that I can’t either. So FOX decided to bring So You Think You Can Dance into the fall schedule, and CBS decided to make a franchise out of NCIS.

I can’t really protest. I mean, what am I going to do – not watch?

My plan is to tape NCIS: The Original and NCIS: Los Angeles and watch them later. That way, I can watch SYTYCD live.

Wednesdays are pretty straightforward. Glee is the only show I’ll definitely watch. Depending on my own schedule (yes, Virginia, there is life outside of TV), I might watch the SYTYCD results show. Or I might not. Also, I’ve read good things about ABC’s new show, Modern Family, so I’ll probably check that out online.

Don’t even ask me when. I have no idea.

Thursdays are complicated, and for this, I blame the church. I’m kidding! I kid; I’m a kidder. But seriously, I have choir practice on Thursday nights, so I have to be real strategic-like about my TV viewing. Throwing another wrench into this mess is the fact that I’m just not sure I can handle another season of Grey’s Anatomy.

So, my plan is now to tape Bones and watch it after choir. I’ll watch The Office and Community (a new show starring Chevy Chase and Joel McHale from E’s The Soup. Seriously.) online. Sometime. Later.

And I just don’t know about Grey’s. I just don’t.

Fridays are a VCR night. I originally planned to watch two hours of (recorded) NCIS here, but then I realized two things. First, I’ll need to tape Psych (and White Collar, when it takes over that time slot). Second, Smitty comes over to hang out on a lot of Fridays. And while I do blame her mother for my love of NCIS, Smitty may not actually want to spend her Friday watching my favorite Navy procedural.

I don’t know what I’m going to do about NCIS. It is a problem.

And that’s it. Although saying “that’s it” seems to imply that “it” isn’t a lot. And I think we can all agree that is A Lot.

So – what shows are you watching this fall?

If you need help deciding, you can check out a full schedule at TVGuide.com, and you can watch previews for all your options on YouTube.

And to state the obvious, this post illustrates my love of the television and will, therefore, be linked to Things I Love Thursday.

And if he still doesn’t answer, I simply say . . .

It’s no secret around these parts that Dirty Dancing is one of my absolute favorite movies. But I’m not alone.

Just take a look around the internet today for proof of that.

I remember one particular viewing of the movie, back when all the cool kids had VCRs. Also known as, when I was in college. A bunch of us girls, including Chelleybutton and Triplesalchow, had piled into one of our dorm rooms and crowded around the TV to watch Dirty Dancing.

As the movie drew to a close, with Johnny and Baby dancing their hearts out in the final scene, one of our guy friends happened to stop by. He could not understand for one minute why each one of us was staring at the television, heads angled to the side, eyes fuzzy and smiles dreamy.

He could not understand how we could be so in love with a movie.

But we were! And, though I can’t speak for all those girls, I can say that I still am.

I realize everyone and their sister is quoting Patrick Swayze movies today. But since Chelleybutton has so kindly requested it, I’ll share my favorite Dirty Dancing quotes. Most will come as no surprise, since I use them so often that at least four of them have ended up in this blog. But here they are:

• I carried a watermelon. [I carried a watermelon?]
• I won't tell your mother about this. Right now, I'm going to bed. And take that stuff off your face before your mother sees you.
• No, the way he saved her. I mean, I could never do anything like that. That was somethin'. I mean, the reason people treat me like I'm nothin' is because I'm nothin'.
• Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you.
• I've never known anyone like you, you look at the world and you think you can make it better.
• Fight harder, huh? I don't see you fighting so hard, Baby. I don't see you running up to daddy telling him I'm your guy.
• I feel pretty. Or what do the simple folk do. Or I feel pretty. What do you think daddy?
• Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
• When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong.
• I think she gets this from me.

And last, but not least, the monologue when Baby faces her father after revealing her, ahem, relationship with Johnny. My friend Kimi performed this during drama class in high school, and since then, I’ve always remembered these emotional words:

I'm sorry I lied to you. But you lied too. You told me everyone was alike and deserved a fair break. But you meant everyone who is like you. You told me you wanted me to change the world, to make it better. But you meant by becoming a lawyer or an economist...and marrying someone from Harvard.

I'm not proud of myself. But I'm in this family too. You can't keep giving me the silent treatment.

There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me.

And I love you.

I'm sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry, Daddy. But you let me down too.

From Ghost to Dirty Dancing, from Road House to Saturday Night Live and even that strange dance movie you starred in with your wife, you never let me down, Mr. Swayze.

(Please, don’t mention Red Dawn. We just won’t go there today.)

What’s your go-to meal?

Last week, Kelly planned to hold a carnival focusing on your go-to meal. What meal do you fall back on in a pinch, or what is the easiest or favorite or best meal you make?

She ended up postponing the carnival for this week (it’s part of her series, Show Us Your Life, and anyone can join), but it got me thinking.

Not a lot of thinking. I mean, it’s not like I sat down with my cookbooks and recipe binder, my monthly meal plan and permanent grocery list. No, that would not have been me. (That would require I have an organized binder, meal plan or grocery list. Ha!) But I did think for a minute – What is my go-to meal?

I decided that my cheesy chicken recipe worked well for this category. After all, I do make it a lot (although not lately . . . hmmm . . . perhaps I’ll make this tonight!), and it’s pretty easy and typically a crowd-pleaser.

Done and done.

But then last Thursday, as I wracked my brain to figure out what I could make for my dad (who was coming over for dinner and to watch Annalyn), I realized that my go-to meal is even simpler than cheesy chicken.

And its name is pizza.

I make homemade pizza at least every two weeks and sometimes, more often. It’s just so easy! And tasty. And flexible. Here’s how I do it:

Ingredients:

1 can pizza dough
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup (or so?) spaghetti sauce
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella

I’m serious. That’s it. Now, you can add anything you want. I usually add some green peppers and onion. (I sauté the onion with the ground beef as it’s browning, but I drop the peppers on top without cooking first.) I also add shredded Parmesan to the mozzarella, if I happen to have it on hand.

Sometimes I get really crazy and mix it up, using chicken instead of beef (make sure you cook it first). Then I add red onion and sliced mushrooms (from a can, because I’m ambitious like that). And before you start thinking I’m some sort of gourmet cook here, I should tell you that the chicken combo was Smitty’s idea and influence.

Now, one more thing before I end this post that has certainly been all kinds of helpful: read the directions on your pizza dough carefully.

I typically buy the generic brand pizza dough, which does not require you to cook it before adding sauce and toppings. It’s press into the pan, top with toppings (sauce, meat, veggies, cheese – that’s my order or choice), pop in the oven, cook and eat.

But as I found one Friday night when Smitty and I made my go-to meal, other brands require you to bake the dough first. I know that, because Smitty said so and I disagreed, then we checked the directions on the can. Pillsbury had been on sale that week, and I was wrong that night.

I don’t like being wrong. But look – look how it helped me help you. Now you’ll never go astray when making easy-peasy pizza!

And when I say “easy-peasy,” don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting you add peas to this pizza. But here’s the beauty of it: you can if you want to!

It would just be gross. That’s all I’m saying.

So, that’s my go-to meal of choice. What’s yours?

Wha’ happened?

Where does the weekend go?

Last Thursday was what the kids call a no good, awful, terrible, very bad day. Or however that goes. And so Friday found me in a bad mood, too.

Funny how starting your day with a crying hangover can do that to a person.

So despite signing up for Weight Watchers over my lunch break, I was all for some comfort food when Smitty came over for dinner that night.

I have to say we didn’t do as much damage as we may have possibly done in the past. But I’m not saying it was pretty, either.

I’m not sure if it was the Chinese food (mmmm…crab rangoon…mmmm), the chocolate chip cookies or the company – I’m KIDDING. Of course it was the company. And the crab rangoon. – but Friday evening was just what I needed.

And Saturday didn’t hurt, either. While Mark and Annalyn went to my parents’ house to help fix siding and play (guess who got to do what), I spent the day scrapbooking with some friends.

There’s something about those friends – I just love them. Maybe it’s because they read my blog. (Except Kris. Everyone say hello to Kris, who I believe is joining us today.) Or maybe it’s just because they get me. They’re my type of people. I might even be tempted to call them my peeps.

Tempted, I said. Let’s not go crazy.

As usual, we talked about everything under the sun, from husbands to kids to jobs to the scrapbooks we were working on to movies to TV. You know – the important stuff.

Actually, my favorite line of the whole day came from a discussion about the ever-important television and, in particular, my favorite new show, Glee. (By the way, you can see my review of Glee’s first episode at Blissfully Domestic.)

Heather and I were discussing how part of what makes us love the show is our background in high school choirs. And Melanie said: “Wait, what? You mean your school had a singing and dancing group??”

Oh, I laughed. Of course, with those girls, I laughed all day anyway. We had a good time.

Sunday morning brought a bad back for Mark (as you may have guessed, he was at my parents to work, not to play), choir – and spending time with my choir friends – for me, and a fine display of bipolar emotions from Annalyn.

How that girl can go from crying her head off like it’s the end of the world to the best, happiest, cutest mood I’ve ever seen is a mystery.

Because you know she does not get that from me.

(Perhaps I should take this moment to tell you my second favorite line from Saturday. Heather said – and I’m not even sure what brought this on – “Mary, you do have a flair for the dramatic.”)

Who – me?

Anyway. Annalyn also practically licked a bowl of ice cream that she shared with her father and completely peed through the bloomers she wore under her dress. I bought some store brand salsa at Price Chopper that was a huge hit at tonight’s no-study Bible study. Mark helped a friend fix his lawn mower, and now he’s gone to pick up our pizza (for tomorrow I start counting points. For real.).

All in all, a good couple of days. So where did your weekend go?

(And super smart extra credit bonus points to anyone who can tell me what hilarious movie the title of this post is from.)

Saturday Review: Flashdance

What a feeling! That’s what I should have been saying after finally watching Flashdance, one of the most famous dance movies of all, right?

Um, not quite.

For all my professed love of dance movies great and . . . not so great, I haven’t actually seen some of the earlier films in this oft-neglected (and mocked) genre.

[Yes, I do realize that we’re using the term “genre” loosely here. Just deal.]

Of course, given my lack of classic movie understanding and, Goonies fans some would say, appreciation, this may not be so surprising.

Either way, I finally got around to watching Jennifer Beals in the 1983 movie about a young girl trying to make it in the city and in the dance world. In other words, pretty young thing welds by day and dances, ahem, exotically by night.

So what did I think? Well, as it turns out, my response wasn’t much different (although not quite as harsh) as the critics of the day. The reviews were, as they say on Metacritic.com, generally unfavorable. In short, the plot is ridiculous and hole-y (not to be confused with holy, which it is most definitely not), the actors are fine but don’t get much to work with, and the dance scenes are comparable to MTV videos, circa 1983.

And there’s the fact that Jennifer Beals had more than one dance double working for her. That fact kinda bummed me out.

But, the plot is really no sillier than that of today’s movies. And the soundtrack did include “Gloria,” “What a Feeling,” and “Maniac,” so it has that going for it.

All in all? I didn’t mind it. And now I can say that I’ve seen it. But if given the choice, I’m still going to pick Dirty Dancing (or, okay, Step Up or Save the Last Dance) any day.

Have you seen Flashdance?

A guest post and a birthday wish from the DMV.

Today's post comes to you live (well, not really) from Hillary at The Other Mama. I met Hillary at SheSpeaks, and it was bloggy love at first sight. Or, at least, bloggy love at first hug. She is sweet and sassy and Southern - three of my fav-o-rite things!

I'm so glad Jessie from The Vanderbilt Wife instructed us, her two mutual bloggy friends, to meet!

So, today, you get the pleasure of hearing from Hillary . . . and as you might have guessed, I'm over at her place. Please be kind and rewind.

Wait. That doesn't make sense. Just be kind. And welcoming. And you know, nice.

Also - because I like to draw things out as much as possible - if you'd like another chance to read my 9/11 post from last year, here's your chance: Where Were You?

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No one should have to go to the DMV on their birthday. Unfortunately, for us Alabamians, our driver’s licenses expire on our birthdays every 4 years and each time this blessed event occurs you have to show up at the DMV- in person {none of this pansy online or mail in business}-to renew our licenses. You’d think they’d have a permanent “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” sign in that area or at least one of those fake cakes that you can’t eat. But, alas, it’s just littered with white pieces of paper scotch taped to the wall, each bearing one small piece of information that answers a question that must have been asked 20 times one day. {e.g. LOOK HERE FOR PICTURE and LICENSES WILL ARRIVE IN 2-3 WEEKS}

On my birthday last week, I thought it would be wise to visit the smaller mall branch of the DMV to quickly breeze in and out.

It was about as “quick” as Michael Jackson’s funeral: painfully slow.

About 50 other brilliant people had the same idea, so I settled into line with my new friends; there were about 15 people in front of me.

Soon I met the first character: and older woman who had appointed herself “Head Informant of All Citizens at the DMV”. She was stationed 2 people in front of me, but quickly turned around to tell me which line was which and wanted to make sure I knew where I was supposed to be. You’d think was a kind gesture if it weren’t for all the 8 ½ x 11 sheets pointing to the appropriate line. She was bossy and wanted to make sure you knew she was in charge of this here line.

Throughout my 45 minute wait, she informed our small group that you can NOT get your license renewed early- she has tried. And that it is valid for 60 days after the expiration date; she was full of fun facts. Just a wealth of information, I tell you. I’m sure she gives her correct weight, when asked, too.

She was not the only character there, though. There was overly-tattooed guy, really old grumpy guy, mommy with stroller {praying her infant would stay asleep and not be touched by afore mentioned tattoo guy}, guy who looked like he stopped by during halftime of a gang fight, girl who would not stop texting, etc. The employees did not want to be there and were openly discussing their upcoming breaks and who would bum a smoke from whom. It was a perfect slice of Americana: a cross section of our city, all schlepping down to the DMV for the same silly reasons.

I finally made it to the counter and entered into my discussion with the attendant {she had 10 more minutes until her break, I had learned, so I was lucky to make it}. Here’s a bit of our conversation:

DMV Employee: Is everything still the same on your license?
Me: No, we have a new address {gave her address}
DMV: Height and weight still the same?
Me: No, I’m actually 5’ 7” and you can add 30 pounds to the weight.
DMV: {insert look of shock and awe} What? You want to ADD 30 pounds?
Me: Yes. That’s closer to what I actually weight {please note: STILL not what I weigh} and they wouldn’t be able to recognize me if I was a missing person at that current weight.
DMV: Nobody adds weight lady, but okay.

Yes. I did it. I’m not 15 any more and decided to adjust my weight from 1994- the last {and first} time I had given it.
What I did not ask her to do is add 30 pounds to my face for the picture, but apparently that service comes with no charge.

So, I made my way out of the DMV with this temporary license; the permanent double chin should arrive within 2-3 weeks.

Sayonara, DMV. Until 2013 when we meet again.

And Happy Birthday.

There is no spoon.

Two of the blogs I read – This Mom’s Wired and Dinkypops No More – have made Thursdays their official day for listing random thoughts from the week.

I say if it’s good enough for Sarah and Brooke, then it’s good enough for me.

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• Over the three-day weekend, we took a little road trip to visit friends from college who we hadn’t seen in a few years. It was so much fun catching up and just hanging out. Not so much fun? The four-hour drive with our kiddo. And so we learned that given the choice between a whining toddler and listening to “Five Little Monkeys” over and over and over, these two parents will choose the monkeys.
• Something about having four new friends to play with this weekend gave Annalyn the nudge she needed to let go and walk on her own all weekend. She even stood up in the middle of the room – something she’s been trying but unable to accomplish for several weeks now. Yay!!!
• It’s really cute when Annalyn adds a “y” to random words. In particular, I couldn’t help but laugh when she sobbed about wanting to go “homey” when we put her to bed in a strange (to her) crib Sunday night. She also occasionally says “uppy” when she wants to get up on my lap and “trashy” when she decides any piece of paper belongs in the garbage.
• Some friends really are friends forever (yes, I really am channeling Michael W. Smith right now). We hadn’t seen our friends in a long time, but it really only took a few minutes to pick up where we left off. And we didn’t even have to spend all our time together reminiscing. (You know how it is with some old friends: all you have to talk about is the good ol’ times, right?) Not us. We talked friends and church and jobs and parenting and politics and swine flu and pregnancy and movies, and even though Annalyn wasn’t the only one ready to sleep in her own bed, we could have spent another two or 10 days hanging out.
• On Sunday night, I finally watched The Matrix – a mere 10 years after it was released. Mark watched it for the first time with our friends, and I still remember the night they all went to see the second one in the theater and returned slightly stunned from an unexpectedly graphic scene. As we sat on the couch, watching this movie that they’d all scene numerous times, I couldn’t believe I’d missed it! This is definitely an example of a classic (or at least, very popular) movie that I somehow hadn’t seen. At least I don’t have to put it on my list with Goonies.
• On our way home on Monday, I had the best lunch EVER. Maybe not ever, but seriously, it was good. I wish I had a picture to share, but sadly, I could only manage carrying my purse and the diaper bag into the restaurant. So just take my word for it – that buttery roll? The bacon-infused green beans? The ginormous chicken strips? Dee-lish.
• And yes, I’ll be re-joining Weight Watchers tomorrow.

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Have you caught up with any old friends lately?

All tuckered out

Our long weekend was great - but a little tiring. So please tell me about your Labor Day weekend. Was it fun? Did you do anything special? Tell me all about it!

For more Wordless Wednesday posts, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Can you imagine a life without fear?

Five years ago, I coordinated an eight-week fundraising campaign, including the semi-formal, catered dinner and auction that capped it off. A project that had previously raised around $100,000 to help fight cancer had grown to raise nearly $275,000. I name that campaign as one of the top two accomplishments of my entire life.

At the close of that final event, the script I’d written called for someone to walk up on stage, take the microphone and announce the final total we had raised. After working my tail off for months and pouring my heart and soul into the whole thing, I was – what I call understandably – pretty darned proud of our success.

So you can imagine how excited I was to hop up on stage and announce what we’d done.

But before I could do just that, my manager speed-walked through the room and stomped up the stairs to make the announcement – and, presumably, take credit for what had been accomplished.

Immediately, my eyes welled with tears. I think I even turned away, not able to watch what I perceived to be an incredible injustice. In less than one minute, I went from a completely confident professional practically vibrating with excitement to a shaking, angry, devastated girl who just wanted to hide in the bathroom.

What on earth? What happened in that moment?

As I stood there with my curled hair and made-up eyes, in the beautiful ballroom packed with generous guests, I was overcome by fear. I was afraid that all my work would go unnoticed. I was afraid that nobody would realize who was truly responsible for the campaign’s success. I was afraid that nothing I did really mattered.

I was afraid of being insignificant.

It turns out I’m not the only one afraid of insignificance. At least, I think I must not be, because Max Lucado addresses that very topic first in his latest book, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear.

We’re all afraid of something. For me, the list includes trains, bugs that sting, losing someone else I love in a car accident, something bad happening to my daughter, my husband dying and not living up to my potential. And that’s just the Cliff Notes version.

With Fearless, Lucado asks us to imagine a life without fear. Addressing 12 types of fears, including insignificance, violence, change, poverty, death and being unforgivable, Lucado uses Scripture to illustrate just how God can eliminate each of those fears and ends with a chapter about the one legitimate fear: the fear of the Lord.

Written with light self-deprecating humor and a casual, friendly tone, Fearless is an easy, encouraging and sometimes even entertaining read. On the other hand, Lucado’s quiet confidence backed by solid Scripture references allows the book to carry more weight, more substance than any oversimplified reminder that God is in control and everything will be all right.

I kept waiting to be disappointed by this book. You might find this shocking, but before “Fearless,” I hadn’t read any books by Max Lucado. I own books by Max Lucado, but I hadn’t read any. [Sorry, Mr. Lucado.]

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Some Christian books glaze over the hard questions, skimming the surface of real life and offering pleasant platitudes to ease our pain and dispel our fears.

Lucado didn’t get off that easily. Sure, I finished a couple chapters and wished I’d gotten more answers. But not because Lucado ignored the fact that sometimes bad things do happen – even to those with enormous faith. No, he fully acknowledges that fact of life.

I guess part of me was just hoping this book would provide a step-by-step, money-back guaranteed list of instructions on how to get rid of every fear. In 30 days or less, of course.

With or without an infomercial-style solution, Fearless is a good book. It was a quick and easy read, but it also offers the possibility for more with a 37-page discussion guide that can be used by individuals or groups. I read some of the book’s chapters in-depth, but I skimmed others. And I think using a guide like this one would be helpful.

Are you wondering how my big fancy event ended? Well, I was blessed to have amazing friends at that job, and one of those women saw what was happening. And before I could allow those tears to spill down my cheeks and completely shrink into myself, she grabbed my arm and pulled me up to the stage.

I took the microphone. I made the announcement. The crowd clapped. And then I cried.

Since then I’ve realized that applause and microphones and spotlights don’t make me significant. Only God does that. But it’s still something I struggle with every single day. And I’m thankful for Lucado’s reminder in Fearless: “Courage is always a possibility.”

What are you afraid of?

I love the smell of erasers in the fall.

Can you smell it? The erasers, the crayons, the multi-colored pack of Sharpies. Ahhh, breathe it in.

Well, maybe not the Sharpies. I don’t think that’s recommended by the surgeon general.

It’s that time of year again. The time when my teacher friends try – often unsuccessfully – to hold back their tears at the thought of their summer breaks ending. (This is also known as the time when I try to be supportive while silently regretting my decision not to become a teacher.)

It’s the time of year that many of my mom friends try – again, sometimes unsuccessfully – to hold back their tears as they send their children off to a new grade, a new adventure, a new life.

And it’s the time of year that finds me with an urge to head straight to Walmart, to not pass go and to buy myself a backpack, some Lisa Frank folders or, at the very least, a Big Chief tablet.

To read the rest of this post, head over to (in)courage. I’m there today.

Saturday Review: Royal Pains & 10 Things

In hindsight I probably should have accomplished more this summer. After May sweeps came and went, I was left with little reason to sit on the couch, hypnotized by the black box in the corner.

I should have spent this abundance of free time cleaning. Or cooking healthy meals. Or – oh, speaking of health – working out. Or organizing my pantry. Or reading good books. Or something.

Now that I think about it . . . seriously, where did my summer go?

I’m not sure. I do know I’ve watched a lot of NCIS reruns, and I’m almost finished with season two of Arrested Development (thank you, Mr. Hulu). And, of course, there was my summer favorite: So You Think You Can Dance.

And, okay, so I spent plenty of time playing with Annalyn, reading a few of those good books and this little hobby I’ve found called blogging.

But I also found a couple of new shows to watch this summer. One is an hour-long medial dramedy and the other is a half-hour teen program. Both are funny, and both got decent reviews.

Royals Pains is about a New York City doctor who lost his job after making a choice the hospital board disagreed with. Somehow he ends up in the Hamptons, with his accountant brother, a beautiful and mysterious physician’s assistant, and a romantic prospect who works at the local hospital.

This show was on USA and scheduled right after Burn Notice (an all-time favorite at our house), but I didn’t watch it at first.

You know why? Because I didn’t need another show to watch. Hush.

I don’t remember when or why I started watching it, but I did and it turns out – I really liked it. The reviews I read were all based on the pilot, and many of them mentioned a great supporting cast but a weak lead. All I know is that in the later episodes, the entire cast was funny, quirky and interesting. And I wish I didn’t have to wait until next summer to see more.

(Although, honestly, I’m perfectly happy waiting, because the last thing I need is another Thursday night show in the rotation!)

10 Things I Hate About You, the TV show on ABC Family, is based on the movie of the same name. Which was based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. And which starred Julia Stiles – who I love – and Heath Ledger – who the whole world seems to love. The show revolves around two very different sisters entering a new high school. Bianca is shallow and wishes only for popularity; Kat is headstrong and wishes for world peace.

You might not expect that a teeny bopper show on ABC Family would get good reviews, but it did. This show – which is too short at half an hour, if you ask me – has snappy dialogue, smart pop culture references and some more realistic elements than other fluffy teen shows. For example, when the girls throw a clichéd party when their dad goes out of town, they actually get caught by said dad.

[Side note: That really makes me think of Right Said Fred. You know the ones. What ever happened to them?]

Anyway. That snappy dialogue of which I speak? Well, you know it reminds me of my beloved Gilmore Girls. My favorite bit so far was when one sister said to the other (I’ll let you guess who said what to who): “Wow, you know this isn’t Sweet Valley High, right?”

Love it!

Royals Pains is over for the season, and 10 Things airs its final episode next Tuesday. And while I’m sad to see them go, it’s kind of like saying goodbye to the carnival. It was fun while it lasted and you hope to see it again, but until then you might just have better things to do.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m sure I have a pantry to organize. Or something.

Not-so-skinny dipping.

Awww, look at those chips. So bare, so naked, so in need of a good dip.

It was pretty much unanimous yesterday: blogging about healthy stuff is good.

I believe I’ll start next week.

Today, on the other hand, I want to talk about dips. I suppose healthy dips do exist. I’ve heard rumors of something called hummus. But for me, dips are heavy, creamy, cheesy things that give chips and crackers a reason to live.

Now, there are categories of dips. My favorite, you might be surprised to learn, is not the fruit dip or even the sweet dip. Now, I enjoy the fluffy cinnamony apple dip, and the cheese ball covered in chocolate chips served with graham crackers is delicious.

But – hold on tight, because this will be a shocker – I am most fond of the cheese dips.

You know I love me some espinaca from “my” restaurant, Jose Peppers. But I also love regular old chile con queso, spinach and artichoke dip (“spin dip,” for those of you in the know), my cousin’s Mexidip and some concoction my friend Teresa makes with chipped beef and cheese (I know how that sounds, but I’m telling you I could eat an entire bowl).

I don’t only eat cheesy dips, though. I mean, I don’t mind veggie dip. It’s actually the only way I can eat carrots, the hateful veggie. (Hateful because they don’t taste good.) Normally I eat ranch-type dip with veggies, but sometimes I branch out to dill dip. Mmmm…you know what’s good with that dilly dip? Bread. Bread is good with dill dip.

And then there are the foods that aren’t technically dips but are good enough for an honorable mention. I’m talking about crab rangoon here. Or a block of cream cheese, covered with jalapeno jelly and served with Wheat Thins.

Could there be an appetizer easier than that?

Velveeta and salsa (or Ro-tel) is a pretty close second, I suppose, when it comes to easy. And I have been known to have some of that. For dinner. Or a snack. Of course, just for a snack.

Dips are a wondrous thing. They can be hot or cold, spicy or sweet, cheesy or bad – they can be anything you want! And in honor of this magical food group, BooMama is holding a dip carnival today – a Diptacular, if you will. (Oh yes, yes I will.) So if you’re looking for a dip recipe or if you’d like to link up one of your own, head over there and tell her I sent you.

You don’t really have to tell her that. But you totally could. I wouldn’t mind.

But I'm on my feet four hours a day, three days a week!

What's that? You thought that because I watched the GLEE premiere the first time around that I wouldn't watch it again last night?

Wrong!

I couldn't do much more than that. After all, I did walk an entire mile last night. Oh, I didn't tell you? That's right - I've started exercising. Again.

And next week, I'll be joining Weight Watchers. Again.

I'd love nothing more than to never say those words again. So I'm thinking about starting some sort of weekly fitness / weight loss / dieting / accountability THING on this blog.

What do you all think? Would you be interested in something like that? Would you be bored by that? Annoyed? Excited? Love it so much you want to marry it?

Let me know.

Until then, I'll be stretching my legs. When you're used to an exercise routine that consists only of lifting a gallon of milk out of the fridge and shuffling down the hall behind a slowly walking baby girl, a short mile feels like a 5K.

Someday . . .

Someday, little girl, you won't want to hold our hands anymore. We'll have to grab you before crossing the street or walking across the parking lot; we'll have to holler, "Wait for me!"

Someday, sweet baby, you will be so adept at walking that it would not occur to you to drop to your knees and crawl. We'll have to run after you and shout, "Slow down! Be careful!"

Someday you won't need us nearly as much as you do now.

We won't have to serve ketchup with every meal and change diapers and run bubble baths and pick up toys and walk slowly and put socks on your feet and cook chicken nuggets.

And we won't get to hear, "Mommy! Help! Buckle me! Milk! Walk, walk, walk, walk! Daddy! Do that! Toys! Out! Up!"

Someday you won't want to hold our hands. Someday . . . but today, I'm glad you still want us to hold your hand and help you walk.

Movie Reviews - a bunch of 'em

I really don’t see a whole lot of movies. Now Smitty – she’s the movie buff. And I never fail to shock her by my lack of movie experience.

Like when she makes a reference to a classic – say, Goonies or Pulp Fiction or Casablanca – and I hang my head and say, “Ummm . . . yeah . . . I haven’t seen that one either.”

And it happens. A lot.

I don’t know why I feel the need to say all that. I’m sure when you see the quality of movies I’m about to review, you’ll realize – without my over explaining and rambling – that I’m not really a movie expert.

And because I haven’t put off my actual list long enough, I also feel compelled to tell you that at one point I thought I’d be real clever and give you a Twitter-esque movie review. You know, writing a review in 140 characters or less?

But then I remembered how much I like to talk. With lots of characters.

[However, if you’d like to mock me watch as I attempt brevity and some level of hip-ness, please follow me on Twitter. I’m @givingupperfect.]

Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. I present to you The Last 10 Movies I’ve Watched and my not-so-expert opinion on each one:

1. The Proposal – Mark and I watched this movie on vacation, and I loved it. Starring Sandra Bullock (who I love) and Ryan Reynolds (who I like more every time I see him in something), it’s a clichéd chick flick about the uptight woman who needs a guy to help her loosen up and enjoy life. But I loved the transformation of Reynolds’ character from beaten down yes-man who hates his job to a guy who could stand firm, speak up and finally take charge of his life. Watching him begin to open up and be himself was inspiring to me, as I currently have a job where I’m not myself at all.

So yes, I may have gotten a little too deep with this light-hearted movie. But what can I say? It got to me. And it made me laugh out loud a lot. And if you haven’t seen it, you should.

2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop – Yes, I paid money to see this movie. But honestly, it was a cute movie. As the Philadelphia Inquirer so eloquently put it: “The film is completely forgettable, frequently funny and weirdly satisfying in a Jersey Loser Gets Respect kind of way.” And for me, it was nice to enjoy Kevin James in a Hitch sort of way (bumbling, sweet and still pretty funny), as opposed to his stand-up comedy routine sort of way (loud and obnoxious and not all that funny).

3. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – I’m not sure I really got this movie. It was fun to look at and fun in a light, fluffy sort of way. Plus it had Amy Adams and that guy from Pushing Daisies, which I liked. But it was pretty slow. Mark especially didn’t like it. So, while USA Today called it a good farce, engrossing and cheeky, I can’t quite give this one two thumbs up.

4. Transformers – I am talking about the first one here. I realize most of you saw this a good two years ago, but I didn’t. And I don’t know who I think I am, but when I saw that the second movie was coming out, I was just sure I’d go see it. So, of course, I needed to watch the original first. I thought it was a lot of fun! The more cartoony stuff was silly, but if you take it for what it is, it’s a fun, fast-paced movie. About robots that turn into cars.

5. The International – This movie starred Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, and it’s rated R. I only mention that because we don’t watch a lot of R-rated movies, mainly because I’m opposed to graphic anything. So I read a couple reviews of this movie, trying to figure out why the international spy story needed an R rating. Supposedly, the movie has one extended scene of graphic violence. But I didn’t see it. Not because I watched with my hands over my eyes, Grey’s Anatomy-style, but because we were so bored by this movie that we turned it off after about an hour. The end.

6. The Ugly Truth – And speaking of rated R movies. Smitty is in celebrity love with Gerard Butler, so seeing this was a must. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t turn down a chance to watch a romantic comedy, so it’s not like this was purely selfless on my part. The Ugly Truth wasn’t the best movie, though. It was funny, and had an interesting/annoying idea about what men and women want from relationships. To summarize, if you don’t mind locker-room talk and a possibly disturbing philosophy of romantic relationships, then you might like this movie. Me? I found it funny and fairly entertaining, although I was shocked to end up liking the chauvinistic male lead better than the romantic female character. Weird, huh?

7. 17 Again – Cute movie, reminiscent of Big and Back to the Future. I did have to look up Zac Efron’s birthday, though, to determine just how icky it was. Turns out he’s almost 22, so I guess it’s okay if his future wife – as in, 20 years future – has the hots for him. Right? I don’t know. Just don’t go there and enjoy the fluff.

8. My Fake Fiance – I realize this may be stretching it in the movie department. But this ABC Family movie (starring Sabrina the teenaged witch and Whoa! Joey) has been on my to-watch list ever since I saw a commercial for it four months ago. Because I like ABC Family movies. There. I said it. Anyway, I missed the movie when it originally aired and still have not joined the rest of civilization with DVR, so I’ve been keeping an eye on the TV listings for when it aired again. I finally caught it a couple weeks ago, and it was a typical ABC Family movie. Which is to say it was cute, kinda funny, pretty predictable and slightly more contemporary than a Hallmark movie.

9. Honey – Because we have entered that late-summer vacuum of TV programming, I stumbled onto this one last week. Honey – yes, with Jessica Alba; yes, from 2003 – was yet another dance movie. Not to be confused with Another Teen Movie. Because I’m pretty sure Alba’s character was supposed to be 22. No matter, because it was cute, sappy and predictable – exactly how I like my dance movies.

10. Duplicity – Finally! No, I don’t mean that I’m finally at #10. Although that’s a good thing, too. No, I mean we finally got to see this movie. Mark and I both thought this spy caper with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen looked good, but we just missed it in the theater. It was worth the wait, though. Not quite as fun as Ocean’s Eleven or as action-packed as The Italian Job, but it was fun, smart and overall good.

Whew! That was a lot of talking. I think we’re both wishing I’d opted for the Twitter version now. So now that I’ve used up my words for the day, you tell me: what’s the best movie you’ve seen this summer?

Oh yes, for more - and, I'm sure, shorter - top 10 posts, visit Top 10 Tuesday at OhAmanda's blog.