Happy Birthday, Chelleybutton!!!

Photoqueen is moving!

As you may have noticed, I made a few changes around here this week. I found this nifty new background and added a little picture of Photobaby and me to my profile. And if you really dig deep, you'll see that I added not just my favorite books and movies to my profile, but really, every book I've ever read and movie I've ever seen. Except for the ones I hated. I didn't include those.

And now, I've got one more big change. I'm changing my URL to reflect who I am and what this blog is about. Okay, not really. I'm changing it to something that doesn't make me cringe when I type it. I never liked my address but couldn't figure out a better one.

But starting tomorrow, I won't just be giving up on perfect, I'll be giving up on picture perfect. (Squish that together and you get my new address. I'm not linking it because it doesn't exist yet. And I'm afraid someone will steal it between now and tomorrow. I'm not a computer expert, people!)

I hope you'll join me at the new address. I've got a big project coming up for November, and I think you're going to like it. See you there!

Who Needs Zero Point Soup, anyway?

As you all know, I’ve been going to Weight Watchers. For the fifth time. For about three months. I won’t make you ask – I’ve lost 5.6 pounds. Please, let’s not do the math. I don’t want to know what that makes for a weekly average.

Anyway, during one of my rare and short-lived spurts of commitment to this weight loss thing, I looked up the infamous Zero Point Soup. If you’ve ever done WW, you know what I’m talking about. But for those of you blessed with skinny genes or willpower, let me fill you in.

Zero Point Soup is, depending on who you ask, anything from a tasty snack to the secret ingredient to losing your love handles. Because it’s made only from veggies, it has no points. And lots of fiber and water. Therefore, it fills you up (making you less likely to eat, you know, muffins and pizza and such).

But when I found the recipe (and there are dozens, possibly hundreds, of versions to be found), I realized it includes a large amount of cabbage. And while I don’t have anything against cabbage, the soup just didn’t sound good to me anymore.

So I decided to make do with chili (and the occasional can of Healthy Choice or Progresso). Here’s how I make it, as part of this blog carnival from BooMama.

Photo’s Phenomenal Chili
(Not really – I just liked the alliteration.)

1 ½ lbs. ground beef (browned, drained and rinsed)
½ packet hot chili seasoning
½ packet mild chili seasoning
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies)
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can chili beans
1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 can (medium or large) tomato sauce
1 can (small) tomato paste

Dump it all into the Crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Eat a big bowl. Sigh in contentment. (You can garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream or crackers. But that adds points, you know. Without all that, a bowl of this stuff is about 3-4 points. And way better than cabbage soup!)

Your turn: Do you like soup? Do you use the Crockpot to cook?

Funny guy. Priceless.

Peyton Manning keeps a pretty low profile, avoiding product endorsement and staying out of the public eye.

Just kidding! This guy is in so many commercials!

And they're funny ones, too. Manning has pushed everything from a TV to cookies, from cable to a credit card. My favorite is the Sprint commercial, if you like that sort of thing. I just read about his latest commercial, a 30-second promo for Mastercard in their Priceless campaign. You can see it here.

I thought I'd look up his other commercials to share with you, just in case you, too, appreciate a pretty boy with a dry sense of humor. Here they are:

Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (hair cut)
Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (football season)
Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (rock hard abs)
Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (minivan)
Mastercard Priceless (spa)
Mastercard Priceless (fans)
Mastercard Priceless (fans II)
Sprint (Peyton in disguise)
Oreo DSRL (with Eli)
Direct TV (NFL package)
ESPN SportsCenter (Manning family)
Sony Bravia (soccer)
Sony Bravia (no sports)

Toys are for playing.

When I was a child, I collected dolls. Not the fun kind. Not Barbies or Cabbage Patch dolls. No, I collected porcelain dolls. The kind you leave in the box - or at least, keep the box, in case you want to sell them in the future. (FYI, I've checked eBay - they aren't worth much at all. So, yes, they are still taking up room in my garage.)

I'm not sure how this collection started. I think it happened when a relative gave me a Madame Alexander doll. I do remember when it stopped, though. That year - I think I was 12 - I got a doll for my birthday and another one for Christmas. My parents thought I was disappointed because I wanted different dolls. Really, I was disappointed because I didn't want any dolls!

Flash forward a couple decades (well, almost), and here I am, thinking about starting a collection for Photobaby. How did that happen?! Well, I visited a specialty toy store in Nashville the other weekend, where they had several lines of toys and items to collect. I said to Mark, "Collections are so dumb. I don't want Annalyn to collect anything. It's just more stuff to dust, you know."

And then I saw the greatest stuffed animals.

They weren't fluffy or furry, and they had kind of a classic look to them. Once I got home I had to look up the company. The Grannimals are colorful sock dolls made by Latitude Enfant, a French company. And while they are adorable, they're also made to be played with. So they don't need to be kept in boxes or on a shelf.

I think I've found Photobaby's collection, and we'll start with Sascha the Cat for Christmas. A collection of toys that Photobaby can actually play with? That works for me.

To see more tips from Works For Me Wednesday, visit Rocks in my Dryer.

Another one. (and you thought I was finished...)

Unlike some of my readers and friends, I haven't been able to stomach the new 90210. But I have caught most the episodes of Privileged and for the most part, like it. I watched at first because it stars the girl from Reba, a show I loved. And okay, because it was compared to my beloved Gilmore Girls. (You can watch it tonight at 8pm CST on the CW. If you like that sort of thing.)

Anyway, as I was clicking through a slide show of MSN's worst actors ever, I saw the picture above. And I thought that girl really looks like the girl on Privileged! Take a look - what do you think?

Jessica Stroup from 90210
Ashley Newbrough from Privileged

Kinda sorta? Well, you tell me - what new TV shows are you liking this fall? Also, does anyone else have a darned hard time spelling "privileged"?

Regrets, she’s had a few.

Book Review: Lynne Spears' Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World

How many times have I thought when seeing the latest report of a Britney Spears disaster, "Where is that girl's mother?" Or even, "How does someone so talented get so crazy?" Reading this book answered the first question thoroughly and the second question briefly.

If you’re looking for a tell-all about Britney the pop princess, look elsewhere. If you’re expecting advice from a mother of three, buy another book. But if you’re intrigued by a family whose lives have been drastically changed, repeatedly, by circumstances and by choices, this might be the book for you. And if you’d like to know what place God and faith have in the Spears family, this book is for you.

I really think Lynne Spears wrote this book to get her side of the Spears Family Story into the mainstream press. After watching her daughters, her husband and herself be torn to pieces in ink, Lynne has spoken up about who the Spears family truly is - where they came from, what they've dealt with, and in many ways, how they came to the point we see today in the tabloids.

I thought this book was interesting, showing how a child from a small town could rise to stardom, despite her parents’ humble beginnings and very human frailties. And showing how, incredible as it is, a person could completely shut out her own parents, despite needing them more than ever.

Even though Lynne tells the story of Britney’s rise and decline, as well as Jamie Lynn’s teen pregnancy, she’s telling it from her perspective. So if gritty details are what you’re after, you’ll be disappointed. (To be honest, I was as curious as the next person who watches The Soup but refuses to buy People magazine unless I’m taking a flight somewhere – yes, those are my anti-celebrity gossip standards.) This book is more about Lynne and who she is – not a bad mom, not a “stage mom,” not a neglectful parent. But a naïve, nurturing Christian mother and teacher who loves her kids no matter what’s going on in their lives.

Is Lynne Spears a little defensive in this book? Sure, but I can't blame her if she goes a little overboard describing both the great parts of her life and the hard parts. Was Lynne Spears naive? Absolutely, but she's the first to admit it. Does this book humanize each member of the Spears family? Yes, it does that, too. And maybe THAT is what Lynne was after all along.

A few things that I found most intriguing/interesting/striking/thought-provoking in this book:

• Lynne’s insistence that Britney pushed herself to succeed, despite her parents’ concerns she needed to just relax. I might have dismissed this claim as after-the-fact denial of leading her daughter into what has caused as much trouble and heartache as reward and excitement…if I hadn’t heard my mom say the same thing about me. (Not that I’m pop star material, just driven as a child and teenager.)
• Lynne’s comments that Kevin Federline is a good man. She writes (p. 126), “I’ve often thought that if the Lord got hold of Kevin, he could do great things with him.” Interesting…and probably true. I think the Lord can do big things with any number of celebrities. It’s just a matter of getting hold of them, I suppose. Why do you think God doesn’t resort to more extreme measures to get hold of those people with the influence? Or is it just that those in His grip aren’t attracted to that kind of career?
• Lynne’s description (p. 155) of the “angels” in Britney’s life: her bodyguard, Lonnie, and her maid, Lourdes, two Christians watching out for her daughter. It's cool to see how God's working in the life of someone so famous and so troubled.
• Lynne’s regret that she quit her teaching job in 2000 to tour with Britney. Interesting that this woman who regrets the turns her daughters’ lives have taken so deeply wishes she could have stayed home to teach. I don’t question her devotion to her kids, and I don’t mean that it’s interesting in that I judge her decision or her feelings. I just find it interesting that none of us women are immune to wanting to be in two (or more) places at once, wanting to do two (or more) things at once.

What about you? Read any good books lately? Got any insights on life of the rich, famous and tragic?

Does Anyone Care That the McRib is Back?

Every time it happens, I wonder, "Does anyone really care?" I'm talking about the return of the McRib. The commercials - and some of my Google finds - make it look like hundreds of people live for the day the McRib is brought of the McDonald's vault.

I've never had a McRib. I'm more of a Quarter Pounder girl myself. Or lately, a Grilled Chicken sandwich girl. Have you all eaten the McRib? Do you love it? Do you stand in line the minute you hear it's back? Am I alone in thinking this is all a little crazy?

Let's get the facts straight.

(Alternate title: School pride rears its ugly head.)

I did not attend Northwest Missouri State University (NMSU). Not that there's anything wrong with going to NMSU. But I didn't.

I am a proud graduate of Truman State University, also known (at least to its proud graduates) as the Harvard of the Midwest.

[Unfortunate side note: Yes, I am aware - and have been since returning to the real world after graduation - that many, many other colleges between the coasts claim this title. Read here for a humorous article that not only references Truman's desire to hold this honor, but also points out that, strangely enough, most schools in Missouri think they are the Midwest's answer to Ivy League.]

So, admittedly, I may have not attended the official Harvard of the Midwest. But I also did not attend NMSU. I did not go to college in Maryville!

See, many people confuse NMSU with Truman, probably because one is located in Maryville, while the other is located in Kirksville. But is it really that difficult to see the difference? As difficult as the difference between Memorial Day and Labor Day, I suppose.

I don't know why I get so riled up when people make this mistake. Maybe it's because I worked for the Kirksville Chamber of Commerce and appreciate the community with all its quirks and middle-of-nowhereness. Maybe it's because I'm a big proponent of accuracy. Or maybe, it's because I have a problem with pride. I want everyone to know that I'm smart. I'm so smart I had to go to the smart school. And that's Truman! In Kirksville! So there!

Uh, yeah. Definite pride. I think some school pride is okay (check this out if you want to know why I'd be proud of Truman), but pride in myself is not okay. So, let's get the facts straight, people.

1. I graduated from Truman State University.

2. Truman is located in Kirksville, Missouri.

3. It may or may not be the Harvard of the Midwest.

4. I have a big issue with pride.

What about you? Do you have pride? School pride? School spirit? (Yes, we do. We have spirit, how 'bout you?)

Raccoons are not cute.

I used to think raccoons were cute. They were the funniest part of Great Outdoors, and their little black and white faces are just adorable. Sure, sure, I'd heard that they're mean animals, dirty and sneaky. But I didn't believe it.

And then, just like this guy with the squirrels, I changed my mind.

Sixteen days after she was born, we brought Annalyn home from the hospital. I was so scared – what did I know about taking care of a baby? Especially one so small and fragile? Were they certain she didn’t need the monitors and 24-hour nurses anymore?

Little did I know that would not be the scariest thing I faced that day.

After Mark went to work that night and Annalyn was safe and sound in her crib, I went to bed. And woke up to a horrible, terrifying sound – something was climbing through the walls of our house!

Well, not quite. It turns out that on the same day Annalyn came to live at our house, so did a raccoon. As my baby lay in her crib, all bundled up and supposedly safe, a sneaky and possibly vicious raccoon climbed into our attic through a hole in our siding.

The resulting drama was at times amusing and at times frustrating. And it lasted much too long for anyone’s taste. It drove me to call a company called Critter Killer or something like that, and it motivated Mark to finish repairing the siding on our porch. It also explained the hole in the bag of cat food I’d had in the garage, and then prompted me to carry a baseball bat each time I ventured into the garage for the next several nights.

I never saw the raccoon, though I heard her, off and on, for several nights. And we didn’t use any company with the words, “critter” or “killer,” in its name. We didn’t even trap her in the cage we borrowed from my father-in-law. Somehow, though, our furry upstairs neighbor realized she was not welcome and left our attic and our lives for good.

Your turn: What's the scariest - or funniest - encounter you've had with wildlife, or as my brother calls them, woodland creatures?