Keep smiling. Keep shining.

When I was in second grade, we sang “That’s What Friends Are For” in our music program. To this day, I still know all the words – and remember to pronounce “for sure” the way our teacher drilled into us: “for shoe-er.”

Anyway. I’ve been a little out of sorts this week.

On Friday, Smitty and I had a, well, I don’t know what to call it. It wasn’t a fight or even a disagreement. But we had a thing. And while we're not mad or anything, it left me feeling weird.

Then, on Saturday, I had dinner with friends of ours. Mark stayed home, because he had some flu or cold or something he didn’t want to pass on, so it was just the three of us and our kids. And for some reason, we didn’t have much to say to each other.

Normally, we talk each other’s ears off, trying to cram in all the latest from the weeks between visits. This time, though, it was awkward. And quiet.

And then there’s the fact that my friend Kevin really did go and move to stinking California. (Not that I actually think the Golden State smells bad. I’m just annoyed that it’s half a country away from here.)

Maybe all that is why I was so deeply touched when I read about 4tunate $4 Friends. [Okay, or maybe it's because I'm a big ol' sap. Whatev. I think it's great.] A group of my favorite bloggy girls have circled around Jen, also known as Quatro Mama, whose family has been going through some seriously hard times.

Jen is an amazing woman who is always giving to others. She recently raised more than $2,500 and gave away a laptop out of her own pocket to help support a March of Dimes campaign. I don’t know her personally, but it’s clear even to me that she is a sweet, funny, giving lady!

Recently, Jen’s family has had to deal with a lot of illness. Honestly, I can’t imagine taking care of quadruplets on a good day, much less on a less-good one.

Until midnight (tonight), Jen’s friends are collecting donations ($4 each. Get it? $4 Friends?) to fill her freezer, refrigerator and cupboards with food. ALL proceeds raised will go to that goal.

If you’d like to help out, you can donate through PayPal. Whether you can donate $4 or not, I hope you’ll join me in praying for Jen and her family.

And now I want to hear from you. When’s the last time a friend did something nice, something unexpected for you? OR, if you can’t think of something (yikes!), what’s your favorite way to help out or show your friends you care during a hard time?

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You didn't have to.

Last night I went to a goodbye dinner for my friend Kevin. Next week he’s moving to California for a new job. Between cell phones and e-mail (and Facebook, of course), it’s not like we won’t talk after he moves. But still. Halfway across the country is halfway across the country.

I bought a card on the way there and signed it in the restaurant parking lot. After speeding – and then, remembering my recent driving record, not speeding – down the highway and navigating downtown during rush hour, I wasn’t able to come up with anything sweet and touching for the card.

Apparently it’s harder than it sounds to transition from frantic to reflective.

Four of us enjoyed a delicious dinner at a Japanese steakhouse (Why haven't I eaten there before??) and then moved outside to the sidewalk. We spent a few minutes chatting and laughing, and then we hugged goodbye and left.

Just like that.

It was pretty much the most anticlimactic goodbye I’ve ever had.

It’s not like I needed tears and don’t forget to writes, but ending a farewell dinner like every other happy hour and lunch we’ve ever had felt wrong.

So today I’m writing my friend a letter. Because sappy, in-person goodbyes are highly overrated.

You didn’t have to return my e-mail six years ago.

And you certainly didn’t have to meet me for lunch and offer your advice on how to “break into” the public relations industry.

You didn’t have to interview – and then hire – me for the open position in your department.

And you didn’t have to teach me about clients and press releases and time management and reports and billing. You really didn’t have to teach me about billing. As in, you shouldn’t have.

You didn’t have to share your industry magazines with me, and you didn’t have to tell me about your days in “real” PR at your old agency.

You didn’t have to stand next to me when I got nervous at happy hours, and you didn’t have to hand me an empty to hold, so I didn’t stick out.

And then later, you didn’t have to forgive me for transferring out of your department.

You didn’t have to write reference letters and answer reference checks. You didn’t have to pass on job leads and listen to interview debriefs.

You didn’t have to get along with my husband, and you didn’t have to call my daughter adorable.

You didn’t have to keep in touch and go to lunch and read my blog and add me to your short list after surgery and tell me about your top-secret California interview.

You didn’t have to be my friend.

But you did, and I’m so glad. You have taught me so much about public relations, about business, about working – and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. Now, if you could only teach me how to land a swank dream job like the one you’re starting in a few days . . . !

You’ve made me laugh, you’ve listened to me whine, you’ve encouraged me and you’ve challenged me. You’re a true friend, and don’t think you’re getting out of that job description by heading west.

I can’t wait to hear all about the new job, the new home, the new life. Drive carefully. Talk to you soon.

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When blog friends become real friends

Last February, I almost got to meet one of my very first bloggy friends. We were both scheduled to be in Nashville – for two different conferences – the same weekend in February.

It didn’t work out.

Then, this February, the same thing happened. We were both in town (neither one of us lives in Nashville, by the way), but again, we weren’t able to connect.

And just last month, I visited Nashville with my parents. I e-mailed another blog friend who lives there as soon as I found out about the trip and asked if we could hang out while I was there. She said, “Sure!”

Can you guess what happened?

Or, more accurately, what didn’t happen?

[Seriously, what is up with Nashville and me?]

I was so disappointed each time I was unable to see my friends. That’s the thing about becoming friends with people you meet online: they probably don’t live in your town.

And while online friendships can be meaningful and genuine, there’s just something special about seeing someone in person and hugging her neck.

So last week, when I heard that my friend Alece – who normally lives in Africa – would be visiting my friend Sara – who can’t leave her house for health reasons – just five hours from my house, I didn’t hesitate.

I e-mailed them and invited myself up!

Read the rest of my post at (in)courage.

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6 friends + 6 salsas = One great [early] Cinco de Mayo!

About a year and a half ago, I had an idea. I thought it would be fun to plan and teach salsa tasting classes, demonstrating the difference between peppers and spices and tomatoes.

Or, at the least, I’d learn how to make salsa myself.

I know you’re going to find this shocking, but I have to confess: I haven’t done either. But last Saturday, I did have a small salsa tasting party at my house!

It was so fun. I got six different types of salsa – four from restaurants, two from the store (although they were restaurant brands) – and put them in matching bowls. I numbered each bowl and put the name on the bottom.

I wish I’d taken time to get the other two salsas fresh from the restaurant, but since I didn’t, I had enough time to clean the house well enough. (I’m not going to say it was sparkling or anything, but if one didn’t look closely, it looked pretty good.)

Because Saturday was not technically Cinco de Mayo, I thought it would be fun (or funny) to call it an “Uno de Mayo” party. And then we could play Uno.

But we didn’t. It turns out tasting salsa and pigging out on eating tacos and talking and laughing takes up a lot of time.

We started by passing each bowl around the table and getting a “taste.” We varied in our exact method; some scooped just enough for one chip, while others scooped a whole spoonful onto the plate. But we waited to taste it at the same time. (You know, like communion at church.)

Then we had a little discussion. Mainly that consisted of guessing which restaurant it came from and Josh trying to use the word, “bouquet,” to describe each sauce.

I had two different types of chips to use, because – as was pointed out on Facebook – chips make all the difference when eating salsa. I bought a bag of big, sturdy, salty Tostitos, and one of the restaurants gave me two greasy bags of thin, crispy chips.

I know you’re just dying to know, so here are our results:

• Abuelo’s - Smoky (like BBQ, according to some), spicy and delicious.
• Margarita’s - Definitely the most recognizable. Sweet with a bit of a bite.
• On the Border - Awful! I really like On the Border’s salsa, but I bought it at the store instead of the restaurant. (I KNOW.) The jar stuff tasted like marinara sauce, and we all hated it. Except Brittany, who got to take the whole bowl of it home.
• Jose Pepper’s - Mmm, garden fresh! I’m not kidding. That’s exactly what one of my friends said after we tried it. This is my favorite, and I’m pretty sure my friends liked it as much as I did. Because it was ALL GONE before the night was over!
• Chili’s - Mild, a little tomatoe-y, but pretty good. Which is a good thing, since I got 32 ounces of the stuff, thanks to a little miscommunication (a.k.a. Server who couldn’t get my order right.).
• Chipotle (tomatillo green-chili, medium) - Salty and onion-y with a spicy aftertaste. Also, delicious. I’m glad we had some of this left, as it’s one of my favorites.

We spent a couple hours sitting around the dinner table, dipping and tasting and eating and laughing. But the best part of the evening was definitely when we moved into the living room to relax.

And I’m not just saying that because it’s when I put Annalyn to bed and we got to eat Beci’s peanut butter bars.

See, Josh and Brittany are fairly new friends, and Alan and Beci are brand-new friends. And they wanted to hear about a time in my life that I haven’t shared with many people. They let me ramble for over an hour, listening and asking questions and listening some more.

I don’t think I can call any of them “new friends” anymore. These four people (even Alan, who I swear didn’t say more than a dozen words the whole night) are friends.

So, before I start tearing up (which I may or may not have done during our heart-to-heart in the living room), let’s get back to the salsa.

Aside from the fresh salsas from Jose Pepper’s and Chipotle, my favorite salsa – and what I buy every couple of weeks – is Sam’s Choice medium salsa from Walmart.

Yeah, I’m high class like that.

Before I ask about your favorite salsa (you know I was going there, right?), I’m going to, AHEM, strongly suggest you check out my other site for a special salsa giveaway.

And now – what’s your favorite salsa?

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Perspective on a Monday

I have not had a good week, you all. It seems that every aspect of my life - work, home, parenting, marriage, finances, blogging - is overwhelming, discouraging, frustrating or all of the above!

But instead of dwelling on all that (because, believe me, it's boring), I'm going to share the view I had last week as I left Cedar Falls, Iowa. I'd just been blessed to spend the afternoon with two amazing women, two blog friends who are real friends, and this is what I drove into for about 45 minutes.

I love it when rays come through the clouds like that. When I was a kid, I thought it was God pouring His love down on us.

Okay . . . I still think that.

A couple weeks ago, I was having a rotten morning. As I rushed down the hall of Annalyn's daycare, I barely glanced at the mom and son in the foyer. But as I walked back out, cringing at the screams I could still hear coming from my child's mouth (how much do I just love that separation anxiety comes and goes more than once?), that mom said, "Have a great day!"

I looked over at her, sitting there beside her son and smiling. And I remembered that I really don't have that much to complain about. See, she was sitting with her son, like she does every morning, waiting for the bus that takes him to his preschool. She sits next to him, and he sits in his wheelchair.

My daughter gets 60 minutes of physical therapy once a week. And she takes it upon herself to exert her strong-willed personality every single day by yelling, screaming, hitting, pulling and running away.

But that little boy? Can't do any of those things, despite therapy services much more extensive than Annalyn's. And yet, there's his mom, every morning: smiling and laughing and, I imagine, thankful for what she has.

It's good to have perspective, isn't it?

Has anything put life into perspective for you lately?

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An Interview with Hillary @ The Other Mama

From consignment sales to Girl Scout cookies to the many attributes of the state of Alabama, Hillary at The Other Mama can make just about anything laugh-your-head-off funny. She’s also sweet as can be and has the two cutest boys I’ve ever seen.

And now, she’s here to share her deepest secrets with us. Read on for a taste of her humor and heart and my interviewing skills (yes, this may explain why I only spent one semester as a journalism major).

Dogs or cats?
Dogs, but I’d love to get rid of them. Is that wrong to type out loud? I don’t care – any takers?

White bread or wheat bread?
Wheat.

Over or under (toilet paper roll)?
Um, over – the way God and gravity intended it.

Books or movies?
Both!

Pop or soda?
Coke – we call everything Coke in Alabama. (Like, “What kind of Coke would you like?”)

Seriously, though . . .

What’s your blog about?
My blog is about my imperfect quest as a mom, wife and child of God. I never quite hit my goals in any of those areas, but at least I can laugh at the situation.

Why did you start blogging?
We live five hours away from my parents, and I wanted them to see pictures of my boys. (I think that’s pretty much the reason that most people start blogging, right?) Then it morphed into me telling their stories and enjoying writing all over again. I’m a trained writer (but please don’t show any college professors my blog!), but I don’t get to do it professionally. So, this is a creative outlet for me and has turned into a wonderful part of my life.

What’s your favorite part of the day?
That glorious hour(s) in between putting the kids to bed and accidentally falling asleep on the sofa.

If you were stuck in an elevator for an hour, who would you want to be with? (And no, you can’t pick your husband, your kids or Harry. Because I’m mean, that’s why.)
Good question! Can they be alive or dead? What about my grandmother (Other Mama), Kirk Cameron and The Duggars. (If all the Duggars couldn’t fit in there, I would choose Michelle.)

Favorite quote?
“Name your child something that you really like because you are going to be yelling it a LOT.” – My mom

Oh, you want a serious one? I think Psalm 121 is my favorite quote/verses today. It just plain made my morning.

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Favorite blog (other than your own and mine, of course)?
There are so many! I love (In)Courage, Stuff Christians Like, Cakewrecks, The Nester, MckMama and Pioneer Woman (of course). I love following all the Compassion bloggers on their trips, and I have dozens of personal friends who blog and I love keeping up with them that way. There are too many to name!

Salty or sweet?
Yes – I’m pregnant. So, yes. Both.

Mac or PC?
Both – we have a mixed marriage.

Zack or Slater?
Is this question even real?
Did Slater sing lead in the Zack Attack? No.
Was Zack cheesy enough to call Kelly “Mama”? NO.
Who else could call a time out? That would be Zack.
This is a no-brainer. Oh – and I prefer blondes.

See, I told you. One funny girl, right? Now head over to her blog and read her interview with me!

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I'm here to make friends.

In my first “real” job, I had a difficult manager. She micromanaged my coworkers and me, she took credit for our work and she loved reminding us often that her husband was an attorney.

She said it so often that a few times, we played our own version of buzzword bingo during staff meetings.

Because I was young and still had a healthy dose of know-it-all in my system, her intensity and management style didn’t sit well with me. Once, during a meeting with our boss, we practically shouted at each other over whether or not “agreeance” is actually a word.

(It’s not. Like I said. She insisted on looking it up in the dictionary, and just proved that I was right.)

Looking back, I realize that I was part of the problem. Ugh. That’s so hard to admit. But it’s true. And while I still don’t think I’d enjoy working under her, I will tell you that she taught me a lot in the two and a half years we worked together.

One thing I learned is that for me, work is a lot more enjoyable when I can be friends with my colleagues.

After being hurt by a co-worker/friend several years ago, I went into my next job carefully. I smiled, I was polite, a good team player, but I didn’t reach out to anyone. Not for several months. But eventually my outgoing tendencies (also known as “I like to talk. A lot.”) got the best of me, and I found myself becoming close to several co-workers, some of whom I’m still close to despite us all having moved on to different companies.

The same thing happened at my current job. For the first year and a half, I was stuck at a corner desk – not to be confused with a corner office, which it was not – where I was basically told to sit down and shut up. But about seven months ago, I moved into a space with my manager and two other women.

It has made the biggest difference in my work life! I feel like a PERSON again. We brainstorm ideas, we vent about difficult situations, and we debate the best contestant on American Idol. Though my workload and job description didn’t change, a different physical location allowed me to connect with my coworkers and enjoy my days so much more.

So when I saw a video a couple weeks ago on Rachelle Gardner’s blog, I had to laugh. The video is a compilation of reality show contestants claiming that they’re not on the show to make friends.

Guess what phrase my old manager said even more often than, “Well, you know my husband is an attorney”? Yep, that’s right. She told us soooo many times, “I’m not here to make friends.”

And she didn’t.

But I’m glad I did. Besides, as Rachelle put it, “'I'm not here to make friends’ is a common attempt to justify being a total jerk.”

So true. And now that I think about it, it’s true for so many situations: work, church, blogging.

I've made so many good friends - most of my best friends, really - in places I never expected. In a Sunday school class with people who seemed so different than us. By blogging about the random things that run through my head on any given day. At a job that I never really wanted.

Unexpected friendships are kind of a double blessing, and I'm so thankful for mine.

Here’s the video if you haven’t seen it. (Warning: I don’t think this is necessarily rated PG. It is a montage of reality show clips, after all.)



Have you ever made a friend in an unexpected place?

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I just can't get enough.

When I was in high school, I had six really close girlfriends. Looking back, it's too bad we didn't have a name, like the Pink Ladies or something. But we weren't a club or a clique; we were just a group of friends.

Since graduation, we've only been together - all of us - a few times. But about once a year, a few of us usually manage to make a date and stick to it. (We make more plans than that, but somehow those plans don't always work out.) It never fails that we laugh until our eyes water and our heads hurt, and we leave the night promising to do it more often.

I hope we stick to our promise this time.

On Saturday night four of us met for a drink. Then Smitty hit us with what would turn out to be great news: one of her co-workers is in an 80s cover band, and they were playing at a bar downtown. She wanted to know if we thought it would be fun to go see their show.

I'd like to say we all jumped on the idea immediately. Because we're wild and crazy and fun and spontaneous like that. That's what I'd like to say.

But honestly, we had to debate the many pros and cons pretty thoroughly before deciding that three of us would venture downtown to the Young & Pretty District, where parking isn't free and sensible shoes are scarce.

[For the record, I was actually the one in our group wearing cute shoes this time. I'm not saying you need to mark that on any calendar, but I probably should.]

After more debate - take our purses in or not, wear our coats or not, try the cider beer or not, get a table or sit at the bar - we finally settled in (at the bar) just in time for the show.

And oh, what a show it was!

We laughed so very hard! I seriously had a headache the next morning - not from the half a cider beer I choked down because Smitty was kind enough to buy it, but because I laughed that hard!

The band was good. And they played fun songs - Bon Jovi, Paula Abdul, Rick Springfield, whoever sings Play That Funky Music. But their costumes? And the dancing? And the people watching? And the engaged guy who had the nerve to ask Mindy to dance? And the lead singer who thought I would be a good sport when he grabbed my scarf and tried to make me dance?

Oh, my. It was a good time. I've laughed recently, I have. But not that hard and not that long. I seriously laughed for almost two hours straight. Smitty laughed so hard (at me and the lead singer/scarf incident) that she fell off her chair!

Old (longevity, not age, of course) friends are so fun: those women who know the real me and love me anyway, the girls who grew up beside me in our small town, the people who can always make me laugh.

Who are the people who can always make you laugh?

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Top 10 Highlights of Our Merry Christmas Marathon

Whew! Three weeks of hectic holidays is a bit much! But we are blessed with lots of family nearby and a month full of celebration. And so the season tends to go on . . . and on . . . and on for us.

I have tried to write this holiday recap so many times. But for some reason, I just can’t quite get my brain organized. I think it’s a victim of too much holiday cheer.

And so I must rely on the old standby: A LIST. I’ll try to make this an abridged version, but let’s be honest: I don’t do short. So sit back, get comfy and take a tour of our crazy Christmas! (And then, please, tell me all about yours, too!)

1. Visiting Iowa for my brother’s Christmas program. We also got to spend the night with Chelley (and meet her kitty, Dinah) and hang out with Triple and Cory. The trip was too short, but the good news is we headed north after the state was hit with a blizzard.
   
   
2. My 31st birthday fell on a Friday this year, which if you know me at all, you know that means perfect timing for a wild and crazy night on the town. Unfortunately, I’m a little old for that. Mark helped Annalyn learn to say, “Happy birthday, Mommy.” Then Smitty and I went to dinner, walked around Barnes & Noble and realized that we are too old for anything wild or crazy.
   
   The following night, Mark and I enjoyed way more cheese, garlic and bread than we really needed, thanks to an Olive Garden gift card from my parents.
   
   
3. You may recall that I auditioned for a solo at church a while back. It turns out I was part of our Christmas program, and it went great. Well, I don’t know for sure. Because I forgot to have Mark bring the video camera. But lots of people said it was good, so I’m going to just go with that. Plus I got the chance to wear my super cute, found it in less than 30 minutes, got in for less than $30 on sale new dress.
   
   
4. Christmas Eve was spent with my parents, and the most exciting part of the night was when they gave Annalyn fuzzy pink slippers. You’d have thought they were Cinderella’s glass slippers! That girl LOVES her slippers!
   
   
   
   
   
5. Santa didn’t bring too much for Annalyn this year (trying to stick to the budget and all that), but our sweet girl loved each and every present. From her Minnie Mouse bowl and plate to her new sweater and jeans to a new Veggie Tales video to the Laugh ‘N Learn Playhouse she decided is actually Mickey Mouse’s clubhouse, she was thrilled with them all.
   
   Aside from the playhouse, though, I think she enjoyed watching Mark shovel the driveway most of all. (Based on the two days of heating pad and Aleve that followed, I don’t think that was the highlight of Mark’s morning.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. On the Saturday after Christmas, we had the chance to visit with our friends, John and Katie. Since they moved across the country three years ago, we only see each other about once a year. And that is not nearly often enough! Thanks to the snow, our short visit was even shorter, but we were so thankful for the time we got to spend with our dear friends. I’m not sure what the boys talked about, but Katie and I covered potty training, discipline, whining, jobs, church and in-laws in short order. I’m really hoping we can see them for more than an hour or so later this year.
   
   
7. For months now, Smitty, Mark and I have been looking forward to The Big Day. While you might think I’m referring to Christmas – and while that would be nice of us – I’m actually talking about the release of Sherlock Holmes. We were bummed out that it didn’t come out until after my birthday, but it worked out after all, because I got movie passes for that birthday! So, the day after Christmas, Mark’s brother was kind enough to watch Annalyn so the three of us could head to the theater. The movie was great, and the company was the best. It was one great night.
   
   
8. As I mentioned yesterday, New Year’s Eve was a quiet affair. During a heated game of Taboo, I got “sweltering” after just a word or two from Smitty. We were on fire! (Ha. Get it? Heated . . . sweltering . . . on fire?! I know. This may be why my New Year’s Eve party was a small one.)
   
   
9. On New Year’s Day, we hung out at my parents’ house. My brother and sister-in-law couldn’t make it down on actual Christmas Day, so we moved our celebration back a week. There was a delicious glazed pork loin, some au gratin potatoes from a box that were much tastier than they should have been, presents (Yyay for new rugs! And a George Foreman grill! And a play kitchen for Annalyn!), board games, snacks and sandwiches. And then, even though I wasn’t sure the day could get better, my parents generously let me talk them into keeping Annalyn for the night.
   
   Which allowed Mark and me to do one of the things young parents crave most: take a quiet, leisurely trip to Target.
   
   
10. Mark’s birthday landed on a Tuesday this year, so it wasn’t quite as exciting as mine. But one Outback Steakhouse lunch, one bacon shirt and one Jim Gaffigan DVD later, I’m pretty sure he was as happy as anyone going to work on his birthday can be.

Okay, I’m stopping at 10. But honorable mentions definitely go to Christmas at Grandma’s (with green punch and a cousin for Annalyn to play with/fight with), Christmas with Mark’s family (with delicious Pioneer Woman lasagna and Blissfully Domestic bread – yum!), and Christmas with my extended family (with a jam session, three kinds of corn and my cousin’s husband Chad sitting on Mark’s lap and calling him Santa).

And did I mention our most exciting gifts: big girl panties and a Mizzou Snuggie?!

This list that lasted longer than the actual Christmas season will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.

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You know, that show with the girl with the dark hair?

We had a small gathering for New Year's Eve: Smitty, my brother and sister-in-law, and Mark and me. It was an exciting night.

We spent more time than makes sense trying to figure out exactly what TV show Smitty was talking about when she said, "You know, it's that show with the girl with the dark hair and the light blue eyes. I think it was on NBC. She was pregnant. Or something? You know which show I'm talking about, right?"

It was Studio 60. I cannot begin to tell you how relieved we were to put that to rest.

After eating enchiladas and way too much junk food than we should, we finished the night with a couple board games. Smitty and I beat James and Lauren pretty badly at Taboo, but in their defense, they've only been married for a year and a half.

And Smitty and I have pretty much been married for a decade and a half.

All in all, it was a great night spent with some of my very favorite people. Mark wandered across the street to hang out with the neighbors for a little while, but when he came back, we closed the night by laughing our heads off (I'm talking the silent, shaking laughter with tears running down our faces.) at Jim Gaffigan.

Though I'd had big dreams of a fancy party with fancy appetizers hors d'oeuvres, keeping it simple ended up being better than I would have guessed. And I did get to try a new recipe.

After reading about Southwest Corn Dip on the Pioneer Woman's blog, I decided that sounded exactly like something we would enjoy.

And we did, but oh my goodness, did it make a lot?! I guess I should have known when the recipe called for four cans of corn, but good grief! It made two HUGE bowls of dip, and we barely made a dent in one! (Luckily, I had two family gatherings the following two days to go to, so the dip went to both events. But I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you I STILL brought home one almost-full bowl!)

Moral of the story? Half the recipe. Unless you are actually feeding an army. Specifically, an army that loves corn. In that case, make the whole thing.

Here's the recipe, but you can also see it at Tasty Kitchen.

Southwest Corn Dip

• 4 cans corn (15 oz.), drained
• 1 can chopped chilies (4 oz.), drained
• 1 can chopped jalapenos (4 oz.), drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 whole red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 bunch(es) scallions, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 bag finely grated Mexican cheese (8 oz.)
• ½ bunch(es) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (or to taste)

Mix it all together, adding the sour cream and cheese last. Refrigerate for an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

This post will also be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

How did you spend your New Year's Eve?

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Making a list and checking it twice.

It’s the end of a year and the end of a decade. You know what that means: best-of lists, and lots of them. Before we make it to New Year’s Eve, I’ll probably break down and share a few of my favorite lists with you. But for now, I’m just going to play along with Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. (Hat tip: George from Crocs)

Gwen has a question for each day of the month, asking about one “best” from your year. I’m going to answer a few each week. If you want to play along, too – whether every day, once a week or one time only – check out the full list of questions.

#1 What was your best trip in 2009?
I took several trips this last year, more than normal. Two blogging conferences (Blissdom and SheSpeaks), two scrapbooking weekends with my cousins, a day trip to Columbia for my anniversary with Mark, a long weekend to Branson to visit college friends, and a weeklong Florida vacation.

How can I choose just one? I mean, I could go through a list of pros and cons for each, tally them up and then announce a winner. That might take a while, though.

I think I’ll do this instead. I’m going to call each of the trips a winner. A winner in my heart.

• Blogging conferences were amazing for meeting friends and learning about some amazing opportunities God has placed in my life.
• Scrapbooking weekends were great because I accomplished a lot and got to spend time with my cousins.
• Columbia was a nice break and gave Mark and me some much-needed time together.
• And it was so much fun to catch up with our friends from college over Labor Day weekend.

But, okay, you’re going to make me do it. Fine. I’ll pick a winner. The best trip I took in 2009 was our Florida vacation.

Mark and I got four long days alone, we swam with a dolphin, we stayed in a really nice hotel (that overlooked a really cheesy souvenir shop, but I’m not picky), and we drove through a torrential downpour to see the ocean. And then Annalyn flew down with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. We hung out with family, played in the pool and at the beach, and generally had a lot of fun.

#2 What was the best restaurant experience you had this year?
I’ve got three. First would be the first time we visited Five Guys. Those greasy delicious burgers are soooo good! And the fries? I don’t even care that you can see the grease spots on the brown bag they hand you at the counter. They. Are. Good.

Second restaurant experience I loved this last year was when our favorite waitress at our favorite restaurant actually recited Mark’s “usual” back to him. She even remembered, “Substitute CCQ for the red sauce.”

Last but best is eating at Shakespeare’s Pizza with Mark. During our anniversary road trip to Columbia, we ate dinner at our old fave. We discussed and debated, but we just couldn’t decide: Is the pizza really that good, or does novelty and nostalgia just convince us it’s good? It’s hard to tell, but either way, the pizza was great and we had so much fun.

#3 What article did you read this last year that blew you away?
Just one? Seriously? Okay, I cannot possibly list every article that taught me something, touched my heart, influenced my behavior or just plain cracked me up. But the most life-changing articles I read were, by far, the posts written by the Compassion bloggers who traveled to India.

#4 What book – fiction or non – touched you most in 2009?
I've read so many!! Here’s what I really need: a list of books I’ve read. I signed up for GoodReads, but darned if I remember to log back in and update my list! The library won’t tell me what books I’ve checked out. Something about privacy laws or something. Thankfully, I know what book rocked me this year. And that is Mark Batterson’s In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. If you missed my review, you can read about it here.

All right. Now it’s your turn. Tell me about your best trip, restaurant, article or book!

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Happy Christmas: I wrapped it up and sent it.

I used to work at an ad agency. It was very glamorous. We promoted dog food.

Okay, so it wasn’t that glamorous. But we did have a ping pong table. And shiny concrete floors. And a movie theater downstairs with a lobby full of couches and the lingering aroma of buttery popcorn.

I also learned a whole heck of a lot while I worked there. And had the privilege of working with some amazingly talented folks. But you know what I remember most?

The parties.

While you shouldn’t believe everything you hear/read/see about advertising being a glamorous career, the stories about the cavorting and carousing aren’t quite as exaggerated. At least in my experience.

I’m not saying I remember fondly the time my co-worker puked in a champagne bucket as we celebrated finishing a long campaign. Or that I cherish the memory of standing beside a co-worker’s desk to ensure he stayed on task and met our deadline instead of falling back into his drunken rant about holiday movies. And I certainly don’t long for happy hours that go well into the night, leaving a sober me to face down a drunk VP who did not care for the fact that I did not care for his sacrilegious jokes.

But the part that came before that mess? The hanging out with the people on my team, the getting to know them on a personal level, the having fun with those I spent most of my time with? That was a good time.

I don’t really hang out with my current co-workers. Really, I haven’t spent much out-of-the-office time with any co-workers since the ad agency. I meet my agency friends for lunch now and then, and I catch up with my friends and former co-workers at the non-profit whenever I can. But these days, work stays at work.

And that’s okay. But this time of year, when Bing Crosby and Harry Connick, Jr. are blaring from every speaker in the world, I can’t help but reminisce a bit . . .

[Insert blurry vision and twinkling music here, as we flash back to 2005.]

My favorite ad agency party memory – and seriously, there are more than a few – is my friend Brent’s rendition of Wham’s Last Christmas, courtesy of a karaoke machine and more than a few bottles of something. Brent sang his heart out to that silly song, and every time I hear it, I can’t help cracking up.

Even now, four years later. Even if I’m at Target. Doesn't matter. I still laugh. Every single time.

It turns out my friend Brent isn’t the only big fan of Wham’s biggest hit. (Really? You thought it would be Careless Whisper or Wake Me Up Before You Go Go?)

According to Pop Candy, USA Today’s pop culture blog, 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the song. I don’t know that this calls for any real celebration, but there is a site dedicated to the almost 400 covers of Last Christmas. You really should go there and, at the least, check out the header image. In the words of Napoleon, it’s pretty sweet.

I usually prefer the original myself (No offense, Taylor.), but the GLEE version might just be my new favorite. Even better? If you buy it on iTunes, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Grammy Foundation’s music education programs.

As for me, I just don’t know that I’ll ever hear, “Once bitten and twice shy, I keep my distance but you still catch my eye. Tell me, baby, do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year; it doesn't surprise me.” without snickering and thinking back to those crazy days of ad agency life yore.

Have you ever mixed karaoke and Christmas carols? Do you hang out with co-workers outside the office? What would happen if you added Christmas karaoke to your office holiday party?

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What's the name of his other leg?

I laughed so hard this weekend.

On Friday, I emailed Smitty to let her know that Annalyn had been requesting her presence. More specifically, she’d been saying her name and calling her silly. Repeatedly. Unprovoked.

I figured that was the same as an invite to come hang out.

Mark also reminded me that I’d agreed to watch our 12-year-old nephew on Friday night. I decided the more, the merrier and rented a movie for all of us to watch.

[Unfortunately, it was a chick flick that Michael wasn’t impressed with – and, honestly, neither were we. But, as tends to happen with cheesy, unrealistic rom-coms, we still found plenty to mock and laugh about.]

So we watched the movie and munched on chocolate chip cookies, but the big fun came later. When we broke out the Uno cards.

See, the cable went out Friday night. And since we have cable internet access, that meant no Facebook stalking and no looking up meaningless details on IMDB. Playing cards was a last resort activity.

But oh, how we laughed! I don’t even know what was funny. I, for one, was not laughing at the score, that’s for sure. Because out of four games (one that lasted longer than the movie, it seemed!), I won ZERO. That’s right. I lost. Every single time.

And on top of that? Smitty called me old. Sure, she said that she meant to say something else. But my younger-by-six-months best friend called me old. And beat me at Uno.

And yet . . . we laughed our heads off! Both Smitty and Michael said they laughed harder than they had in a very long time. And we all had aching cheeks and sides from it.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mark and I had some friends over for dinner on Saturday night and we had such a good time! We ate a lot (a LOT) of cheesy Mexican food and some of us (ahem, boys, ahem) drank an entire two-liter of Dr. Pepper. And then we broke out the Trivial Pursuit.

And again, I lost.

But still, we laughed. We talked about our favorite TV shows (of course), my ridiculous blog (yes, this one), how Brittany and I will never be good Baptist wives (sorry), and many other possibly inappropriate hilarious topics.

The game of Trivial Pursuit may have lasted too long (You would not believe how long it took the girls to come up with Terri Hatcher or how long it took the guys to not come up with Moscow!), but the night ended too soon.

We’re going through Genesis at church, and this week we were reminded that Sunday is a day of rest. We took that to heart, so other than church, we didn’t leave the house. We took rainy afternoon naps, watched some football and some Mickey Mouse Playhouse, and ate leftovers and chili.

Nothing too funny about all that relaxing, I suppose, but the rest of the weekend was full of laughter. Just like the old man in Mary Poppins, I love to laugh. Don’t you? I know I don’t do it enough. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt?

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?

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?

It was a napping kind of weekend.

You know what I wonder? Why do I have a calendar? I mean, I occasionally write things in it, but then I close it up, stick it in my stack of stuff that I tote back and forth every day, and never look at it again.

Case in point: last Friday. Though just two days before, I’d sent my friend Christelle a note on Facebook saying how much I was looking forward to our scrapbooking date on Friday, I sat at my desk that afternoon and thought, “Hmmm, what am I going to do tonight?”

And then, because my life is so very exciting, I logged onto TVGuide.com to see what was playing on the old boob tube.

Thankfully I had an occasion later on to open my calendar, where I saw “Scrapbook with Christelle” written on my Friday box. I say thankfully, because a) it would have been quite embarrassing to have Christelle find me in my usual Friday routine (you know, lounging on the couch in my stretchy pants watching Wife Swap), and b) it was pretty slim pickings on TV and I had decided I’d just watch Kate & Leopold again.

I didn’t even like it that much the first time. Mainly because Meg Ryan has her weird fish lips in that one, and it’s just too distracting for me.

Let’s pause for an important disclaimer: Yes, Pysch is on Friday nights, but I tape it, so Mark and I can watch it together over the weekend. Now, carry on.

So, I remembered my scrapbooking date in time to order pizza and pick up the toys decorating our floors. And more important than organizing my photos and picking out the perfect rub-on or brad, I had a great time catching up with my friend.

Which is a good thing, because I wasn’t so successful in the scrapbooking part of our evening. I am either on or off with that stuff, and I was off.

I don’t really remember what we did on Saturday, although I distinctly recall it involved an extremely pleasant afternoon nap.

Oh yes, we also went to the park – for 15 minutes. Because by the time we got there, somebody was getting cranky and needed a nap.

No, I don’t mean me.

But kind of.

Anyway, Saturday night was a big deal: Mark’s dad watched Annalyn for the first time, while we went with Smitty to a birthday party. I could bore you with details about how the restaurant we went to used to be called Johnny O’Quigley’s but now it’s Paddy O’Quigley’s but I didn’t know that and assumed the invitation had the wrong name but then I saw it was right but still Smitty wanted to mock me and assume that I was crazy.

But really, all you need to know is that they served green tortilla chips – because dying the Mexican food green makes it Irish. And Annalyn had a great time with her Grandpa Jim.

We wrapped up Sunday with choir practice and church, the longest 90 minutes ever (also known as our monthly service in the toddler nursery), another nap for the whole family, lots of giggles and Mark’s awesome grilled chicken.

How was your weekend?

She Learns

After getting a little bit of sleep and reading a few recap posts and uploading my photos, I’m still not sure how best to tell you about my weekend (at SheSpeaks in Charlotte, N.C.).

I guess I’m just going to have to resort to that old standby: the list.

First, the real fun part – a list of the awesome ladies I got to meet and hang out with!

Stephanie Bryant and Holley Gerth from Dayspring

Sisters Emily from Chatting at the Sky and The Nester
(I love these girls and wanted to bring them home. They declined. But they did give a great presentation about the purpose of your blog. Love them!)

Jen from Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, Dawn from My Home Sweet Home and Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife

Annie Downs from Annie Blogs

Hillary from The Other Mama, also known as my bloggy soul mate. Or, at least the most sarcastic and hilarious person I met all weekend. In sum, she's just precious.

Melanie from Big Mama and Sophie from Boo Mama (No, we’re still not BFFs. And yes, I acted like a complete fangirl. At least I can report that I didn't cry this time.)

I also got to meet and/or spend some time with the very sweet Especially Heather, the technical guru Lisa Boyd from Simply His, my new friend Shelly from My Life on the Wild Side and the amazing Lysa Terkeurst. (I didn’t so much spend time with Lysa, of course, as introduce myself and eavesdrop as she talked with some of the other girls.)

I hope I’m not forgetting anyone. If I got to meet you and didn’t link to you, please yell at me! (But you know, nicely. I don’t like mean yelling.)

Now, for the tougher part: what I learned at She Speaks.

1. I am not a beginner blogger. I loved hearing my online friends present information and I certainly walked away with a few new tips, but I wish I could have learned more about blogging. I think I might have actually been better off taking the writing classes instead. Maybe next year!
2. When it comes to blogging and ministry, it’s not about me. It’s not about the numbers. And it’s not a competition. (Rinse and repeat.)
3. Crying just may be my love language. Or I get weepy when I’m overly tired. Possibly a combination of both.
4. I am not a good traveler. I won’t bore you with the details, but it started with getting up before the sun; continued with a missed flight, missed shuttle and traffic jam; and ended with a three-hour layover in Detroit, a head-poundingly loud late-night flight and news of a bomb scare. Does it count as a red-eye flight if my eyes are red?
5. Proverbs 31 is an amazing group of Christ-centered, smart, talented women who are organized, compassionate and just all-around awesome. Exhibit A: The organization’s executive director and her assistant let me join them for dinner when I (finally) got to the hotel on Friday night, welcoming me into their small group and immediately making the weariness of my day begin to fade.
6. God will not place a dream in your heart with no plan to make it come true, no matter how improbable or complicated or even insane that dream may be.
7. And lastly, four days is way, way too long to go without seeing this sweet face and giving it a kiss.

Two more things that didn’t fit in the list, and then I promise to let you move on. To my next post. (Right?)

First – Lysa Terkeurst said that I should write a book. Well, more accurately, she said that my blog title would make a great book title. But I’m pretty sure that means she can’t wait to read my life story.

Second – No, I’m not finished with the cutesy “she” titles yet. And yes, I will try to contain them to this week. But no, I cannot make any promises.

The end. (Except . . . have you taken my survey yet?)

Play on, playa.

Clearly, I've always known good music. Here I am, playing the bass clarinet, circa 1990. No, it's not a saxophone. Yes, my pants are tight-rolled.

Mark said it doesn’t count as “knowing the words” if I can only say things like “play on, playa” and “hey-ah, hey-ah, hey-AHHH” in rhythm.

Whatev. You know I’m down with Dre.

What? You didn’t? Huh. Well, as a little party favor for our 30th birthday party slash reunion, Smitty and I decided to make mix tapes. On CDs.

I was all for a mix of top hits from 1978 and 1979. But Smitty overruled me and said songs from 1997 (the year we graduated) would be better.

That was until she discovered ’97 was the year of both MMMBop and the Spice Girls. It was also before I discovered that that catchy ditty, “Mouth,” is actually a dirty song.

However, we persevered. Because for our friends, only the best.

And by “the best,” I mean lots of cream cheese and pop tunes from the late 90s.

Now that I’ve whipped you into a frenzy of curiosity, I’ll reveal the songs that made Saturday’s playlist. Don’t even tell me these don’t take you back. Back all the way to . . . 1997.

• No Diggity (Blackstreet & Dr. Dre)
• You Make Me Wanna… (Usher)
• I’ll Be Missing You (Puffy Daddy & Faith Evans)
• Return of the Mack (Mark Morrison)
• How Bizarre (OMC)
• MMMBop (Hanson)
• Where Do You Go (No Mercy)
• The Impression That I Get (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
• B*tch (Meredith Brooks)
• Criminal (Fiona Apple)
• The Freshmen (The Verve Pipe)
• Semi-Charmed Life (Third Eye Blind)
• If You Could Only See (Tonic)
• One Headlight (The Wallflowers)
• All For You (Sister Hazel)
• Building a Mystery (Sarah McLachlan)
• Secret Garden (Bruce Springsteen)

After we put together this tape CD – but before I realized I’d exhausted my iTunes budget – we looked up top songs of 1978. Just for kicks.

Because when you get to the ripe old age of 30, that’s what you do on a Friday night for kicks.

It was a good year for music. But what I found later that night was that the real year for good tunes was 1989. As I said to Mark, “Your brother is so lucky! He graduated in the year that has all my favorite songs!”

Because I’m pretty sure my brother-in-law jammed to Paula Abdul, Tiffany and yes, New Kids on the Block.

Not really. But maybe Big Mama can appreciate this list, as she, too, apparently came of age in that wonderful musical year.

In case you aren’t as familiar with the sounds of ’89, here are my top 20 faves (in no particular order, because I’m writing this late at night and I have no brain power left for that sort of thing). And yes, I am cheating and linking this up to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday.

• Look Away (Chicago)
• My Prerogative (Bobby Brown)
• Straight Up (Paula Abdul)
• Miss You Much (Janet Jackson)
• Girl You Know Its True (Milli Vanilli)
• Right Here Waiting (Richard Marx)
• Lost In Your Eyes (Debbie Gibson)
• The Look (Roxette)
• I'll Be There For You (Bon Jovi)
• You Got It (The Right Stuff) (New Kids On The Block)
• Eternal Flame (The Bangles)
• Wild Thing (Tone Loc)
• When I See You Smile (Bad English)
• If I Could Turn Back Time (Cher)
• Buffalo Stance (Neneh Cherry)
• Bust A Move (Young M.C.)
• Love Shack (B-52's)
• Cherish (Madonna)
• Heaven (Warrant)
• She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals)

What’s your favorite year for music?

Have I mentioned that Lee Greenwood makes me cry?

A few years ago, my good friend Triple's husband was sent to Iraq with the Army National Guard. I'm not sure I really breathed the whole time he was gone, so I'm not sure how she managed it.

He came home safely. And he came home a hero.

I didn't have a blog back then, or believe you me, I'd have told you all about it. So I'm telling you today: My friend Cory served our country, and he is a hero. Thank you, Cory, from the bottom of my heart.

And thank you to all the men and women who serve, and everyone who waits for them at home. When I think about the sacrifices that are made every day, well, I just can't get over it. And really, I shouldn't get over it. Our armed forces and their families are incredible, and I'm so very thankful for what they do.

Which explains why I tear up every time I hear those words ("If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife . . .").

Indeed, Lee Greenwood, God bless the USA. And happy 4th of July!

Well, I guess I could just go to bed...

We've had a lot of storms around these parts lately. And apparently they knocked out our cable last week. I say "apparently," because the cable stopped working.

And our internet is through our cable.

So on Thursday night, when it wasn't fixed, despite Time Warner's assurance seven hours earlier that "we have someone out there working on it right now," I didn't have cable TV or internet.

I really wasn't quite sure what to do with myself.

No need to panic. The local ABC channel came in well enough that I could watch the season finale of Grey's.

Thank goodness. I'd have hated to have missed that cry fest.

Needless to say, when we turned on the TV and computer last night and found that all had been returned to normal, I sighed with joy. And I patted my laptop lovingly and tell it how glad I was to have it back. Just like I'd do with any old friend.

And that story most definitely does not lead into today's post or relate to it at all. But there it is anyway.

Last night we had our small group over for a BBQ. We keep joking that we might be better suited for a supper club anyway, and last night's get-together chalked up another point in that idea's favor.

The best part of a BBQ at our house? Mark insists on doing most the work. He is a master griller and a baked bean connoisseur. (I'm not allowed to give you a recipe, but I'll tell you that there's bacon, onion, ketchup, mustard and brown sugar involved. Mmmmm...)

In other words, I'm not allowed to help. Vacuum and empty the dishwasher, yes. Touched the hamburger patties, no.

And who I am to argue? Check out this spread we had tonight:

For more good stuff in the kitchen, check out Balancing Beauty & Bedlam. Who grills at your house?