2008 Goes out with a SPLASH

It has been a while since I last blogged, and boy has a lot happened since then. Christmas went off without a hitch. It was really great getting to spend it with the family. And Layla got everything she could have ever wanted (and some things she might never have wanted) for Christmas. We went over there after Jeremy and I opened gifts at the apartment. I think Jeremy was happy with everything I got for him. We have to exchange two shirts I bought. They fit really funny. I bought him a remote-controlled helicopter. When it arrived at the house, I opened the box to make sure that it didn't require batteries, so he would be able to play with it Christmas morning. Of course, no where on the box did it say anything about needing batteries. Well when he opened it, the remote required 6-AA batteries! Oh well, we finally got batteries and it works okay for the $15 I paid for it. By the time we got to Jeremy's parents, Layla had opened all her gifts and was super excited to show us her 'jumpin' thing' Ever since her Halloween party at daycare where they had a bounce house, she has asked for and talked about was a 'jumpin' thing'. Well Santa came and brought her a minature trampoline with a safety net. After there, we went to my parents and had lunch with both sets of grandparents. We came home for a little bit and then headed to Jeremy's parents again for dinner. By that time, we figure, Layla had been opening gifts for 12 hours. Needless to say, she was gifted out and a VERY tired 2-year-old. That Saturday we went to the lake for Christmas with my aunt and uncle. That was a housefull! I think my grandparents were really happy to have that many people in their house. There were 13 people and 3 dogs. They had made the comment earlier in the week that they are now the only house on the block that lives at the lake full time. The remaining people have houses in other places.

Well, yesterday was eventful. I started the day with some returns and then went to hang out with my sister. We did some shopping. I came home, Jeremy came home. I made some nachos for dinner and Jeremy went to the garage to take some parts off a car he bought. I'm sitting on the couch watching tv and surfing the net. Then the power goes out. I sat there for a few seconds because the power has gone out before, but usually comes right back on. Well when it didn't come back on, I remembered Jeremy was in the garage with NO windows! He was in the midst of a bunch of parts in COMPLETE darkness. I couldn't find my phone. I took my laptop to the kitchen where I knew there was a flashlight under the sink. Well there were two, both of which the batteries were dead. So I opened the door, laptop in hand, and yelled down the stairs. Luckily, Jeremy had the flashlight he got for Christmas with him. I finally found a flashlight and had to change the batteries in it. The power was out for the entier complex for about 30 minutes. This is where the splash part comes in. Jeremy had finished working on the car and was going to take a shower. He walked into the bathroom and it was sitting in about an inch of water! We had both gone to the bathroom while it was dark and somehow the toilet overflowed and flooded the bathroom. I don't how many times I squeezed water out of the 5 towels we used to sop up the mess. Jeremy got the swiffer to squeegee the water out of the carpet. We went to bed late.

As I look back on 2008, we had our ups and downs. And we are currently experiencing a down right now with me not being employed and Jeremy only working part-time. 2008 was definitely a year for experiences. I graduated, twice. We added a new member to the family, Sophie. We lost a dear friend, Ubil. We went camping. We took a vacation to San Antonio. I had 4 cars this year. Two accidents. And my best friend got married. All in all, 2008 was a good year. We were healthy and we're alive, that's all I can ask for. Here are some pictures throughout the year. BRING on 2009!

R.I.P. Jonathan Ubil - We love you!

Week of Christmas

We had Christmas at my parents (Mom, Dad, Jeremy, Kelley and Travis) on Sunday. I don't know where I was when this was planned, I thought I was at the same table. All along I thought we were meeting betwee 4 and 5 and we were going to have somewhat of a traditional Christmas dinner. Well a couple of days before, I asked Mom, just to make sure, "We're meeting at 4ish right?" NOPE! Kelley had told Travis that it would be at like 1ish. And I thought he had stuff to do so he wouldn't be there. So, I got everything together to get there at 1ish. I found a recipe for Spinach-Artichoke Dip (like Chili's), I was going to make that but I didn't have a dish big enough to bake it in. So I got it all prepared to take over there and stick in a dish and bake. All week long I had been telling Jeremy that we were going to have Pork Tenderloin and mashed potatoes and Kelley was going to make stuffed jalapenos. We get all the stuff together and in the car, had to stop and get cards for Mom and Dad and get to my moms. I walk into the kitchen and low-and-behold there is a pot of chili on the stove. SO CONFUSED! Apparently, we are having the semi-traditional Christmas dinner on Christmas Day at lunchtime with my grandparents. Early-Christmas was great. I got Photoshop Elements 7.0 (now if I can get a tutorial from someone), a DVD recorder, a red peacoat, furry boots but in Texas I quickly learned these things are stupid, the last two seasons of Friends I needed to complete the set, 4 Cricut cartridges, a fuzzy blanket, jeans, and a Barnes and Noble gift card. I think that's it. Either way, I am really grateful for everything. Jeremy (and I) got a surround sound system, we spent yesterday hooking it up. And today I ran around finding the correct cables to get it to work right.

The schedule for the rest of the week:
Tuesday: Clean house
Wednesday (Christmas Eve): Make sure all gifts are ready to go, play with Photoshop, go to dinner with Jeremy's parents
Thursday (Christmas Day): Make breakfast Hootenany, Open presents here, Go to Jeremy's parents to open presents there, Lunch at my parents with my grandparents, Dinner with Jeremy's parents
Friday: NOT A DARN THING!
Saturday: Take Jeremy to work, Get everything in car and ready to go, Pick Jeremy up from work, Head to the lake for Christmas with the Cooksey's.
Sunday: SLEEP!

I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Well for the most part. Going anywhere near Town East Mall should not be on your list of things to do the weekend before Christmas, that's for sure. I thought for sure Target was going to be packed this morning, it wasn't too bad. I picked up groceries for the week and a couple of last minute stocking stuffers for Jeremy.

I guess that's about it. I've laundry to finish and then I have a gift to deliver to Jeremy's parents for Layla. Assembly was required and I offered to put it together. It is a Disney Fairy Treehouse Kitchen. Jeremy and I also got her a dress-up fairy outfit to go with it.

Here's the recipe for the Spinach-Artichoke Dip:

-4 cloves of garlic
-1 10oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
-1 14oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
-1 10oz. container of Alfredo-style pasta sauce
-1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
-1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-4 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place garlic in small baking dish. Bake in preheated oven 20 -30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze garlic from skins.
3. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, spread the roasted garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese.
4. Cover and bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly.

My tips:
-My mother told me this: Sometimes when you thaw spinach all the water isn't released and it has the potential to ruin the dish. So if you take an old dish towel you don't mind getting stained, place the spinach in the towel and wring it dry. It is AMAZING how much water comes out.
-I didn't find chopped artichoke hearts. So I drained the ones I found, left them in the can and took a knife and chopped them in there. They are kind of slimy.
-Serve it warm. I used tortilla chips but other restaurants pair it with a small loaf of toasted bread which is also good with it.

Christmas Shopping

So, today, yes 9 days before Christmas. Jeremy and I decided to brave North Park. I've always loved North Park at Christmastime. Murr C used to take me on mental health days to that mall. I'd skip school and we'd spend the day there. But I don't ever remember it being as busy as it was today. Who would have thought that in the middle of the week, middle of the day we would have a hard time finding a parking spot?? I'd hate to see what that place looked like on a Saturday. I mainly wanted to go to North Park to see the trains. I've never seen them, but have always heard people rant and rave about them. Now, I know why. They were AMAZING! I felt like a kid again. I caught myself once with the biggest smile on my face. It was amazing to see all the detail that went into the display. The other great thing, you can buy a train car and they have a lady who paints them with whatever you want on them. Granted a train car was $175 to purchase and if you wanted a caboose it was $225. Just not an expense we can justify right now (or in the near future, for that matter). We only made one purchase at North Park at James Avery. We got her a necklace I really think she is going to love! After North Park we made our way to Freebirds! Great burritos! After lunch, we walked to Wolfe Camera, while there were a bagillion things I couldn't live without, there were also a bagillion things I couldn't afford. We also made a stop at Toys R Us, who would have thought picking out a puppy for a 2 year old would be so darn difficult? And then off to Super Target. We got most of our shopping done today. We are planning to brave the Frisco area tomorrow. His dad, my parents, and each other are all we have to buy for. Luckily, one of those stops is Sam Moon!

I just have to share one pet peeve. I've been applying for multiple jobs wherever I can find them. I applied for one this morning around 8:45. Once we got home this evening around 6:00, I check my e-mail and see that I received an e-mail from one of the places I have applied to. This e-mail was sent at 3:30ish, saying that he was able to meet with me today for an interview. Well, I e-mailed him back and informed him that I was out of the house all day and I would be available anytime on Friday. He e-mails back almost immediately and says that Friday could work, but tomorrow would be better. So I reply, I can meet tomorrow early morning. I haven't heard from him. First of all, why at 3:30 didn't he pick up the phone and call, especially if he was wanting to interview today? 3:30 is a little late to e-mail and expect a response in time for an interview. Secondly, Do I assume he got my last e-mail about meeting in the morning and show up tomorrow? Or if he doesn't e-mail back before then, do I just wait?

On a happier note, here is a picture of that lovely face, Layla. This is from last Christmas. She has grown alot since then and I can't wait to see her face when she opens her gifts this year. She has learned a lot of words since then and has such a personality.

A little confused

So I'm going to start this blogging thing, but I see all these GREAT blogs with really cool backgrounds and borders and such. I have no clue how to do those. I guess I'll have to start researching.

Today was just another Monday. I called the vet to schedule a time to take Sophie in to get her stitches out from her surgery the week before last. No little Sophie-dogs running around here. Now that I think about it though, maybe we should have. I mean she is the perfect combination of Yorkie and Chihuahua. She looks just like a Yorkie, but the size of a small Chihuahua. Her hair is soooo soft and just the right color. I think she'll stay black for the rest of her life. She has the littlest bit of grey on top of her head. So I took her to the vet, they took the stitches out. I bought 2 cans of this chicken and rice wet dog food that makes her go CRAZY! They brought her back out and let her run around the office. Tanner, the cat at the vet, wanted to play. Sophie is used to it, we have two cats and she terrorizes them all the time. I then took her to Petsmart. I feel like after the week and a half she has had; getting fixed, having all her baby teeth pulled, forcing antibiotics down her throat....she needed a little treat. She loves going to Petsmart, everyone there oooo's and ahh's over her.

And then after I got home, I started laundry and then went to the grocery store. I will be glad when the holiday season is over, so I can go grocery shopping on Monday mornings with barely anyone there. Target has been packed with people since the day after Thanksgiving. Today I did something good though. I have a bad habit of talking to myself outloud and I also have a bad habit of listening to other people's conversations. Well this lady and I crossed paths on the isle with holiday ribbon and garland (not the sparkly stuff, the greenery) and she said to herself, "Ooo, maybe this is it. Oh, no. There aren't any lights." I didn't think anything of it and went on trying to decide if I needed to spend $5 on some red ribbon. I decided not to. I looked to my right, and there in a box on the bottom shelf was the lighted-garland the lady was looking for. I found her on the next isle and let her know it was there. She was so happy that I stopped her.

I also made some Not-Out-Of-The-Box Mac and Cheese. It was not as good as I wanted it to be, so I am still on the search for some real good Mac and Cheese.

The Christmas festivities started yesterday. Jeremy and I went to his aunt's house near Cedar Creek Lake for Christmas. Layla was so happy to see us when we pulled in the driveway. I should have stepped it up a notch. I made real simple sugar cookies, I could have done way better and I should have. The girlfriends' of Chad and Shawn (Jeremy's cousins) both made crafty things. Christy made a peppermint wreath. It was FREAKIN' cool. I'll have to see if I can make one soon. She took a wire coat hanger, bent it into a circle. Then took floral tape and would wrap one end of the peppermint under the tape and kept going until the circle was complete. Then Rachel (I think that's her name) made a lemon pie that looked like it came from a bakery. She also made little bags with chocolate covered pretzels and puppy chow type stuff with candy canes decorated as reindeer. Does that make any sense? We'll celebrate Christmas with Mom, Dad and Kelley on Sunday. Wednesday (Christmas Eve) we'll go to dinner with Jeremy's parents, and if I can convince Jeremy, we'll go to Frisco to see the Christmas lights. Christmas morning we'll open presents here, head to Jeremy's parents to open presents there, then we'll go to my parents for lunch with both sets of grandparents. And then, on Saturday we'll go to the lake to celebrate with Murr C and Poppa, Andrew, Laurie and their kids. As of right now, the only thing I have to make is a Spinach-Artichoke dip (like Chili's). If it goes well I'll probably make two-three more of them. I have two frozen Pumpkin Rolls ready to be thawed and taken to wherever we go.

This is my little Sophie in the Christmas jacket my grandmother made: