I'm Lost. You lost? ::Spoiler Alert!::

In an effort to not spend another hour blogging, (I obsess.  I read.  I reread.  I edit.  I correct every mistake.) I'm just bullet pointing my random thoughts while watching.  There's nothing earth shattering, or island moving about it.  If you're looking for that, scroll down to the next post.

My favorite quote of the night  - "Phil, Jack - Jack, Phil." - James

• So Daniel is concerned with getting back to the future, not off the island, right?

• How on earth does Widmore show up right when Daniel is boo-hooing about the plane crash that he staged?

• Poor Daniel has as many mommy issues as Ben has daddy issues.  Cryin' shame, I tell ya.

• The whole "this is our present, anything can happen to us" business really makes my head hurt.  It makes sense when I think about it, but my head still hurts.

• Desmond is a li-ive.  Desmond is a li-ive.

• And yes indeedy-do Widmore is Daniel's father.  Hubby says "I told you!"  Well, not you.  Me.

• Heavens to Betsy is he dead? 

And oh I could probably go on and on, but I won't.

See you in anotha life, brotha.

A Massage is a Terrible Thing to Waste....

But that's precisely what I did last week...  Well, if I'm being honest, it was all Chloe's fault.  I know better than to waste such a wonderful treat.  I had been saving that certificate since Christmas.  Finally, I got the chance to use it, and of all the nights Chloe could pick to pull an all nighter.... 

 Turkey.

Oh well, what can you do?  Oh - I know - get another one. 

Yeah, right.

In other exciting news, I FINALLY got a car!!!  Woo-hoo!  We were able to get a great deal on a Jeep Grand Cherokee, so I'm very happy.  I could kick myself in the hiney for letting my old one go, but as they say hiney sight is twenty-twenty.

Or something like that.

Has anyone else been following the bloggers that are in Kolkata (Calcutta)?  Well, I have.  Let's just say, I seem to have malfunctioning tear ducts...  They are most certainly on the fritz.  I'm unable to control them when reading things like this and this...

Angie, one of my very favoritist bloggers, is on the trip and I was so excited to follow her and see how India impacted her.  She doesn't love the flying, so between that, the heat and reading this post by Pete, I was fairly concerned about her.  I was so relieved to read this post and see that huge beautiful smile on her face.

I've been thinking about sponsoring another Compassion child for quite a while, and all this reading has really had it at the forefront of my mind this week.  Times are tough, in case you haven't heard, and it didn't seem like the best time to be asking my husband to commit to feeding anyone else.  It's funny how God works though...  Last night at dinner, my husband started a conversation that resulted in us deciding to sponsor at least one more Compassion child. 

Consider joining us, and sponsoring a sweet adorable little (or big) child yourself.  

Oh. My. Word.  Chloe is in her bed for the night and I can hear her through the wall blowing the loudest, wettest raspberries I've ever heard.  Do you see what I have to deal with?  She's not upset, and she'll eventually go to sleep, so it's really no big deal, but Daddy and I sure are getting a giggle out of it...

And on that silly note, I will say adios.  

American Idol Top 5

Let the games begin!  My prediction is that this is going to be....

AWESOME.

If I'm wrong, I'm going to shave my head.

Yeah - No, I'm not.

The Rat Pack Era, huh?  I guess I missed that.  Have they ever done this?  This could be good. Oooh - Allison looks so pretty!

Okay.  Best. Mentor. Ever.  

Jamie Fox is one cool cat, in my book.  I haven't listened to anything but K-Love in months, so I don't know what he's up to musically - but from what I've seen of him in real life (and by real life I mean on talk shows and the like, don't be misled, I don't know him IRL...) Love. Him.

Love you, Jamie.

Kris Allen - The Way You Look Tonight

And Jamie loves Kris.  How 'bout dat?  Oh, I love Jamie Fox.  He takes me back to the hood, like I never left... (I taught at an all black high school for two years, and when I wasn't busy hating it, I LOVED it!  Loved loved it. N-Dub, what what!)

Kris delivered a solid performance.  I wouldn't call it his best.  (I would say if he did enter the throat olympics, he'd get a gold for sure...)  I don't know why I can't love him.  He's a great singer.  He's consistent.  There's the cuteness...  I don't know.  I won't be mad if he wins.  I'll be shocked, but not mad.

I agree with Simon, in that, it wasn't incredible.  Nothing else he said made a bit of sense, though.  In fact, I think he has Pauler's script.

Allison I. -  Someone to Watch Over Me

Doesn't she look so pretty?  Oh - Happy Birthday!  What a way to celebrate.  You can tell Jamie has a little girl! He's not about to be authorizing no dating for Allison.  (See how fast the ghetto comes back?  You know what they say...  You can take the girl out the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out the girl.)

I'd say Allison nailed it.  But she pretty much always does, right?  Again - I just don't love her.  I don't know why.  I guess you just get your favorites and that's that.  

What about Glee?  I'm there.  Anyone else?  Just what I need.  Another TV show to watch.

Matt Giraud - My Funny Valentine

Hmmm....  I'm not sure about Jamie's last minute/after thought advice.  Is it just me or did it not sound like Matt?  I think it sounded great.  I think it was fairly flawless.  But.  I don't think I've ever heard Matt sing in his "full voice", if that's what we're calling it.  I can't wait to hear what the judges think.  Mixed bag, I guess.  Does anyone else hold their breath in anticipation of what Simon will say?  Especially when some love it and some hate it, I just wait to see what Simon says.

What?  Did you see that bread bowl pasta thing from Dominoes?  I don't think I've eaten at Dominoes in 14 years, but I could definitely eat me some pasta baked in the bread.  Oh yeah. Oh yum.  I want to.  Get some.

Danny Gokey - Come Rain or Come Shine

That was incredible.  INcredible.  Wow.  Pure Danny.  Danny at his finest.  That ending?  Oh my my.... Some might say he was hollerin' in parts, but if that's the case then I like hollerin'. If you can stay on pitch while yell-singing and it sounds good?  Than I'm all for it. Wanna know what else I love besides the OFF THE CHAIN vocals?  He stood still.  Thank you, Danny, for standing still.  Please don't dance, because - well, you can't.  Or as we say in the hood.  You cain't.  

Simon reads my mind.  He steals my ideas.  I think he should give me some money.

Adam Lambert - Feeling Good

Awesome.  My dog is doing that obnoxious snorting thing while Adam is singing.  She is off the charts for annoying this week...  If I wasn't watching this on the Tivo, I'd be putting a stamp on her head and mailing her to the glue factory.  Don't worry she's earned it.

Wow - that was definitely over the top.  Adam, through and through.  I had a thought while I was waiting for him to finish that amazing 4 minute note...  The point of winning AI is to propel you into what you want to do, right?  Well, Adam was already doing what he wants to do, wasn't he?  Will he give up theater?  Will he just get better gigs?  I love him and I still think he very well may win, but in a way - I hope someone who needs the break gets it.  We'll see, I guess.  That performance was great, not my favorite, but very good.  Like every week.  I'm almost getting bored with him.  It's like, you know what he's going to do, you don't even have to watch.  He's going to do something crazy and unexpected (except I know that, so that makes it somehow expected...) and he's going to do it really well.

My favorite of the night?  I'd have to say Danny followed closely by Kris.  I really want to worship with them. Really really.  Now for that, I'd buy a ticket.  With what money, I don't know - but maybe I could sell some of my clothes that don't fit.  Yes.  That's what I'll do.

Who's in trouble?  If history is any indicator, I'd say Allison and Matt will be on the stools.  I just don't think they have the fan base the other boys do.  Although, losing 2 contestants (contestants, Simon - that was the word you were looking for.  If only you'd been reading my mind at that moment.) may very well cause a shift in this weeks voting.  I'll be tuning in tomorrow to find out.

Click on over to BooMama for what er'body's sayin'.  

Links

I'm up at the CRACK, so of course, I'm glued to my crack top, aka my lap top...

Very few people, apparently, are parked on their computers on the weekend... So I have to branch out beyond the 10,000 blogs that I already read to find some morning crack...

Sometimes when I'm in search of a good new blog to read, I go to one of the better known blogs and view their blogroll...  Today I clicked on over to one of my faves, BooMama.  She has a lot of great bloggers on her blog roll, and I will be linking to lots of them this very fine morning.

The end of this post really spoke to me.  One of my absolute favorite things about blogging is finding a person who is in a similar stage of life, who is able to articulate something I've not been able to.  The end of this post is so true of where I am.  Right. Now.

I should know better than to go to Shaun Groves' blog...  It's one of those things, once you do know about it, you can't pretend that you don't anymore.  Makes me wonder how many more things I'm missing...

More challenges over here.  I hope the Lord isn't trying to tell me something...  I'm not ready to give up any more food right now.  I know some day it will probably come to this, but I don't want it to be today...

Well - I guess that'll do for today!  Have a blessed weekend, friends.

Back when I was a kid...

Things just aren't like they used to be...  The price of gas, the fact that sense is no longer common, the amount of gray hair on my head.  Just to name a few...

I recently reconnected with a friend from elementary school on facebook.  It's had me thinking about those days, and while it's been a very long time, I have a pretty good memory.  I was thinking about a slumber party that I went to at this particular friend's house and remembered something hilarious that took place at said party. 

I don't know if we snuck out or if we had permission to be hiking down the road late at night, but someone had the grand idea to moon a car that was going down the road.  (I said it was hilarious, not wise or legal or sane...)  Anyway, there were probably 4 or 5 of us and we all (I think, I don't know - it's been a long time.) turned around, bent over and went for it. 

It was a police car.

Yeah.  I'm pretty sure we ran all the way home after that.

All lunacy aside, I've been thinking about how much we ran the roads back in those days.  I probably had 50, 000 miles on that pink and gray ten speed bike of mine...  Okay, probably less than that.  Seriously though, we rode our bikes all over the place.  I'm pretty sure I would go out to play in the morning and never show my face again until dark.  We lived in a small town, and it was totally safe.  

My dad and step-mom still live in that same town today, and I just don't think I would feel comfortable with Chloe having that kind of freedom, even if she was 10.  Our world is so different.

As it is, we live in the Middle of Nowhere, and I still don't know if I would trust her to be alone outside for long.  I suspect I'll trust her just fine, it's the crazy world we live in that I'm not so sure about.

It saddens me on many levels.  Of course, I wish we could have more faith in the goodness of people, but it's mainly sad to me because we had so much fun! Sure, she'll have fun too, but I will have no choice but to instill a small amount of fear in her.  At the mall, the grocery store, the zoo, for crying out loud.

I have no plans to live my life in fear, nor to teach my daughter to.  But let's be real.  There is a call for safety and precaution more now than ever before.

The only thing I had to worry about was getting run over by cars on my pink and grey ten speed bike.... 

Those were the days.  Back when I was a kid...

American Idol Top 6, wait make that Top 7. Again.

Disco night.  Heaven help us.

I don't see how anything can be worse than last week's song choices, so I guess we'll just see how disco night goes...  

I love how Pauler is always dressed to impress and Simon appears to have rolled out of bed and donned an undershirt.  

Lil Rounds - I'm Every Woman

Oi.  Make it stop.  I'm sorry, Lil - but I'm officially over it and I swear if you say "if they keep me around I'll do better" I may wake my daughter up.  What with all the screaming.  Please just don't say it, okay?  Oh boy, it looks like she's going to cry.  Sorry, Lil - didn't mean to make you cry.  Oh, and hush.  Simon - I hope you're right and that's truly the last time we have to endure "the could have been great" Lil.  

{RYAN - I am going to pummel you if you keep encouraging the back talk.}

Kris Allen - She Works Hard For The Money

Oh dear, what in the world?  I have this feeling a lot of people are going to frown on this choice... He's definitely doing something original with it.  Yikes on the pants, by the way. Vocally, I think he did pretty good.  I'm not blown away, but mainly because my eyebrow is stuck dangerously close to my hairline due to the song choice.  Well, the judges are blown away so I suspect everyone else on planet earth will be too.  Pauler did mean he shopped in the women's section because he sang a song by a girl, right?  Simon either does need to get an interpreter, a sense of humor or the sense to not say anything about underwear to or about Kris.  Honestly.

Danny Gokey - September

Wow - Danny is tearing this up.  His vocals are ON! I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with what Danny did with disco night!  He was my FAVORITE from day one, but I haven't been blown away by him in awhile.  I agree with Kara, his pitch is always dead on.  Can't argue with the truth.  I do see Simon's point, too though...  

Allison Irah(whatever her last name is...) Hot Stuff

Not my favorite song, but I do dig the outfit!  Blingy.  What is this ending?  I don't know about the arrangement but her vocals were pretty hot.  Yes - Randy - super over indulgent.

{Oh, and yay for all the judges getting to say their piece.  Let's hope this thing ends before midnight, though.}

Adam Lambert - If I Can't Have You

Hmm,  I don't like what he's done with this song, arrangement-wise, but vocally?  Not only did he kill it, but Pauler has sprung a leak.  He is so freaking amazing, I can't even believe it.

{I wonder how the other 5 contestants feel when Pauler already has the finals figured out....  I agree with her completely, but I kind of feel sorry for the rest of the folks.}

Matt Giraud - Staying Alive

Whew!  I can tell by the first line this is going to be fantstic!  Yes, Matt - this is what you need!!!!!  Show 'em you do belong in this competition!  He's an awesome dancer, his vocals are smokin' and I LOVE THE HAT!  That was HAWT!  

Cowell.  Open your ears!  How did you not hear any originality?

Whatever, dude.

Anoop Desai - 

I'm bored.  I don't know this song and I also don't like it, now that I have heard it.  Eek!  His last note was scury.  What a shame after how solid his vocals were the whole way through. That being said, I just don't love Anoop and I want him to go now.  Bye bye.

Is it me or does Simon seem extra grouchy tonight?  

Danny and Matt were my favorites, and I really think Lil and Anoop need to go home.  Bad.

Tomorrow should be interesting.  It might require a second AI post like last week.

Check out BooMama for what everyone is saying.

We rocked our orange today and prayed for Stellan!

The Mommy Gasp...

I guess it's not reserved just for mommies, but if I was a betting man, I'd say mommies hog it most of the time.  You know the gasp I'm talking about, right?  The one that you can't help yourself from doing when something unexpectedly jumps out in front of your car.  The 'my life and the lives of all of my friends and family members that are traveling with me just flashed before my very eyes, no time for the montage, just a flash' sort of gasp.  Are you with me?  

Well, despite the fact that I try real hard not to do that gasp in front of Chloe, for fear of making her, well, a basket case, I had occasion to do it twice today.

She almost took a header off the changing table this afternoon.  The only reason she didn't is because I caught her by the legs, in mid air, thankyouverymuch.  While gasping.  Turns out I can multi-task.  Who knew?   The funny part is after she had a brief 'that scared the bejeepers out of me' cry, she leaned toward the edge she had just very nearly plummeted off, and gave it a "ah na na!"  As if to say, how dare!?  

Gravity is a fickle friend.

Then, just an hour later we were upstairs playing.  Sidney, the ball obsessed English Setter of the family, was pestering us with the tennis ball.  Lately, Chloe has been playing with Sid, and while she isn't the best fetch partner, Sidney has been tolerating it as she is better than no fetch partner.  Chloe had lost interest so she was in the middle of the living room floor and I had thrown the ball for Sid.  She spun the opposite way I anticipated, and not watching where she was going, proceeded to plow Chloe over like a lone bowling pin...  

GASP!

WAIL! 

She wasn't hurt, and honestly had I not gasped, she may have shook it off a little easier.  She was fine and within about five seconds had forgotten all about it.  

Gracious.

I firmly believe that making a habit of that gasp teaches kids to cry when they fall or trip or whatever else.  I think the gasping scares them way more than whatever caused the gasp in the first place.  Sometimes it's easy to control and sometimes, there's just no stopping it.  

Here's hoping for a gasp free day tomorrow.

Who, me? Speechless?

There is nothing more annoying than wanting to blog and not having anything intelligent, witty or of any particular use to say...  I'm not speechless often, but so many days I haven't a clue what to write.  It wouldn't be annoying, except that on any given day, I have at least three or four great ideas for a brilliant post.  Even if I do think to jot it down, when I go back to it, it's some obscure chicken scratch that is no funnier than a stack of wood or the pen I used to jot it down with.

Grrrr...

So today, I will direct you to some wonderful bloggers who have something intelligent, witty or of particular use to say.  Hopefully, I'll make my own list one of these days.

Intelligent

This post by Angie at Bring the Rain is possibly one of her best ever.  If you read her site, you'd know, that's saying something.  She references The Jesus Story Book Bible a lot, and for that very reason I bought it for Chloe for Christmas, but she's not ready for it yet.  After reading the excerpt that Angie blogged about, I think I'll be putting it on my night stand.

This post by Lindsay at Not2us, is fantastic and stirred something in my soul.  She talks about a sermon her brother preached on sin, and letmejusttellyou, it's good stuff.  Flipped the script on how I think about sin.

Amber at the Run a Muck is an absolute genius.  This post spoke directly to me, like many of hers do.  I'm telling you, this woman bleeds poetry.

Witty

Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer is one of my faves...  Her Open Letter to the Fashion People is hilarious and I couldn't agree with it more.

This post at We Are THAT Family will make you giggle, if not snort.  I read it to multiple people and emailed it to my husband in hopes that we could get one.  I really want one.

Of Particular Use

One of my favorite sites for go to meals, is Cooking During Stolen Moments.  This recipe for breadsticks?  Made me want to drop what I was doing and bake.  I didn't, but you can bet your bottom dollar they will be coming to a pizza night near me THIS WEEK!  

I really like this dress, from BigMama's Fashion Friday post. I may have to get me one.

Well, there you go.  I guess my theme this week is stealing other people's material.  Here's hoping for better ideas in the near future.  Either way, I'll be picking on Pauler on Tuesday night. 

Original, I know.

One of those days...

I'm so tired of being stuck at the house...  My husband has been working more than usual the past few weeks, and it leaves me here with the Chlo-ster with no vehicle.  We're working on getting a second vehicle, but not fast enough for me...

Today I was planning to venture out for a few hours By. My. Self.  Then I got sucked in to the blogosphere, couldn't tear myself away and ended up sitting on the couch instead.  I squandered my opportunity to flit about in the sunshine while Chloe was taking her nap.  Big mistake.

I opted to drag her along in the afternoon instead.  Another big mistake.

When will I learn?

You see, I don't seem to possess the ability to get myself out the door in a timely fashion, let alone the both of us.  Long story short, I was just a ball of stress by the time I did make it out the door.  As I'm pulling away, I realize, it took me so long to get ready that I could have put her down for an afternoon nap and then left.  Since I thought of that once we were already packed up and on our way, I decided to just go.  After all, I'm sure Chloe is as sick of being pent up in the house as I am.

We had an enjoyable time shopping and managed to accomplish what we needed to do with little incident.  I can't say no incident, because there was the one small incident.

We were trying to find some shoes, so I had one of hers off.  I thought I had put it back on, but apparently I hadn't.  I must have left it in the cart with her, because I suddenly noticed it wasn't on her foot, it wasn't in the cart and I had no idea where it was.  I think she probably hucked it overboard, when I was ogling all the cute jammies...  Now, we were shopping for shoes (and having no luck finding anything, I should add) because she only has one pair that fit her.  The ones, make that one, that is on her foot.  So we took about 4 laps of Babies R Us, canvassing the store for the lost shoe.

We found it.  Thanks be to God.

And that was the only pair of shoes we left with.  Humpf.

By the time I got home, my lower back was killing me.  I need a massage, 911.  When hubby was helping us into the house, he let Kiley (our rebel without a cause 11 year old English Setter) out and we forgot about her.  This is a mistake.  Two hours later, she showed up in dire need of a bath.  Poor hubby had to give his 3rd dog bath of the week.  Sidney, (our sweeter than pie 10 year old English Setter) has been finding plenty of smelly stuff to roll in...  She's had two of the three baths.

I think I'm going to bed early tonight.  Maybe right now.

Nighty night!

Lost - Some Like it Hoth

Spoiler Alert - Don't read any further if you haven't seen the latest installment of mind boggling Lost intrigue....

First, does everyone know that Hoth is the cold planet from Empire Strikes Back?  Watching Lost with my husband has proven useful on so many levels...  He said, "Haven't you ever heard me say -  it's colder than Hoth out there!"  Can't say that I have, dear...  Can't say that I have.

I thought this episode was pretty good, but I wasn't nearly as excited as last week.  It was very interesting seeing more about Miles, and having some random, mainly unimportant (or so it seems at this moment) things confirmed about him.  I can't wait to see where and when Danny boy has been.  When I saw him, I too, said - Shannon is going to be so excited!  My husband, of course says, "Who's Shannon?"  Oh, just one of the people I virtually stalk, dear.  No one you know...

Things that make you go hmmm....

Miles' light socket hair do from the teen years!  That was awesome.

Hurley's oh so lucky numbers are back.  This, my friends, is one of the questions I very much look forward to having answered.  What is with those numbers?

Oh - and poor Jack, erasing chalk boards.  My how things have changed.  The interactions between Jack and Sawyer are so good, I think.   I seriously love this show.

Best lines of the night:

You're just jealous my powers are better than your powers. - Hurley

That ditch had a gun. - Miles

How awesome would that be? - Hurley

What's going on in that block of granite you call a head? - Miles

One final question.  

Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue?  Because, frankly, my curiosity is peaked.

Idol History Has Been Made....

And I'm not about to miss a chance to be a part of this historic moment.

First, let me just say - this wasn't how I expected the save to go down, but that being said....

Yay!  They saved Matt!  I think it was a smart move, honestly.  I think Lil should have been the one to go.  I know Matt has lacked consistency, and I agree that he can't win the competition. But if they keep him around longer, he may have a better chance of having a successful career.

I'll just say it now.  I'll be pretty shocked if Adam doesn't win it.  If you're looking for the best singer?  It's Adam.  If you're looking for the best performer?  It's Adam.  I think he is the most consistent contestant, and well, I love him.  Like a brother.  A super talented, make-up wearing brother who I love unconditionally.

Now - I won't be mad if Danny wins, in fact I was under the impression he was my favorite when this whole thing started.  But now, for reasons listed in the previous paragraph, I have to say Adam, my brother, is my favorite.

Kris is another one to look out for.  I thought he was inconsequential at the beginning, probably because American Idol, for some strange reason, wanted us to think he was inconsequential.  Isn't he the one that was never featured in the auditions until he made it to the top 36?  Either way, I don't remember him.   I didn't love him at first, but I'll admit he is growing on me like a very persistent fungus.  (I mean that in the most endearing way, Kris.  You'd have to know me....)  So if he wins, I won't cry.

I'd say any or all three of these boys could be coming to an event center near you.  Once they're done with that pesky American Idol tour.  You know, the one that they hopefully get paid A TON OF MONEY to go on, since it no doubt costs them A TON OF MONEY to go on, since over half of the 18 trillion people who voted for the winner can't remember where they know that name from once they finally get a chance to cut and sell their album.  I mean , seriously, people. Someone should do something about that.  I think getting out of the tour should be part of the prize pack they get for winning the whole shootin' match.  I'm just sayin'.

Next week, in case you missed it, is Disco Week.  Oh, the humanity.

And does anyone else have a headache after that Miley Cyrus or Hannah Whoever performance?  I think if I'd closed my eyes, it would have been fine.  But her attempt to remove her bobby pins just from shaking her head?  Great Scott.  I thought I had been teleported back to the 80's. Good Glavin.

So there you go.  Two Idol posts for the price of one this week.

This was American Idol.   

Again.

Rachel, out.

American Idol Top 7

Idol goes to the movies...  With Quentin Tarantino.  I don't quite get how he's qualified, but oh - kay...  I mean, really, I'm passionate about music.  Can I be the mentor?  I've directed no fewer than zero movies, but otherwise I'm every bit as cool as he is.  My face is less shiny and my high tops aren't black, but I'm cool.

Help me understand why they can't get control over the excessive blather running out of Pauler's mouth, instead of cutting out two of the four judges?  Are they regretting adding a judge?  I can see having this as a fail safe, if halfway through the show they're way behind.  Do they realize they have one less singer tonight?

Allison - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

Is it just me or is this one of her worst performances to date?  I'm not impressed.  And I get really tired of hearing the same songs year in and year out.  Yeah, based on the judges reaction, I guess it was just me.  As per usual, I don't understand what Pauler is trying to say.  I have to wonder if Pauler understands what Pauler is trying to say...  If by the whole sauce thing she means Adam and Allison are both good?  Then I suppose I get it.  Allison has nothing on Adam's authenticity.  Cool belt, though. 

Anoop - Everything I Do I Do It For You

He is kicking this off well.  Every week, I'm more impressed with him.  He really can sing.  It's amazing what can happen when you don't sing Beat It.  He's doing some really original things with this song.  Thank heavens, as this is another one that has to have been done a minimum of 234 times.

Adam - Born to be Wild

The guyliner is back, and Adam, I ain't mad 'atcha.  This isn't my favorite performance from him...  His vocals rocked the casa, he was a massive ball of energy, but it just wasn't my fave.  Quentin was right though, he is the real deal.  It's a big deal to be able to {You dare to dance in the path of greatness?  Pauler is scaring me.  Does she have a book of jacked up quotes she's reading from?} dance around like a maniac and maintain control of the vocals.  There are a good number of professionals who couldn't do that if their life depended upon it.  That's why the Milli Vanilli's of the world exist.  Sometimes, the right thing to say when a singer lip syncs is thank you.  

Oh, good - Ryan is going to be talking really slow to make up for all the extra time this week. Awesome.

Matt - To Really Love A Woman

Oh good, more Bryan Adams.  One of my least favorite singers of all time.  ACK!  Is he out of tune? Oh my stars, I really hate this song.  What were you thinking Matt?  Oh no!  It's terrible.  Do you want to go home, Matt?  Watch the judges say it's amazing.  Randy's laugh gave it away - not so good.  Yeeeaaahhhhh...  Matt fell down.  No doubt. 

Ha!  Did you see Simon make a spit it out face?  I wonder if he knew he was in the shot.  He's probably real sad he's only getting half of the attention tonight.

Danny - Endless Love

Where are his glasses?  Did he lose all 41 pair?  Is he out of tune, too?  What the what?  I want my money back. He seems to have recovered, and I almost have.  There he is.  Whew, Gokey. Don't scare me like that!  Alright, Simon, keep it real. Not a fan of the harp, eh?  No one wants to say, "Hi.  You were out of tune."  Or pitchy, or whatever it is they say.  Maybe I need a Qtip.

I definitely need ice cream.   Better run, not relying on the Tivo tonight.  Nosiree, Bob.

Made it.  Yesssss!

Kris - I already forgot the name of the song.

My first thought is of course, what is this song?  And my second thought is, is it too low for him?  Oh - there he goes with it.  Okay.  Wow.  Slayed the ending.  I don't know how much I loved the beginning and the middle.  Never quite caught on for me either, Randy.  Seriously, Kara?  I guess it's possible for it to be pitchy for one, and amazing for the next.  I do wonder what Simon thought.  I'm not loving the tag team judging.  Not one bit.

Did you see the Burger King "I like Square Butts" commercial?  Oh, the hilarity!

Lil is closing us out?  Oh, good!

Lil - The Rose

I have goose bumps, and while I'm fairly certain it's from the ice cream, I have to say - she is doing very well tonight.  Whew.  Okay, now they are bigger and it's all her.  Nice work, Lil! Biggest eyeroll I've ever seen, Simon.  Oh - he didn't like it?  Gah!  That was quite the exchange. Interesting.

Miley Cyrus is on tomorrow?  I don't know about all that.

The bottom three?  Dun dun dun...

Maybe Matt, Allison and Kris?  I have no idea.  I think the judges could start seriously considering that save sooner than later.  It really is getting down to the wire.

Swing by BooMama to see what everyone is saying about tonight.  I love me some American Idol banter!

Oh!  And I had another American Idol nightmare last night.  This time I made my own flannel skirt and I was so mortified at the result that I refused to sing.  Yeah, I'm sure my skirt would have been the most embarrassing part of the performance.  For sure. (giggle, giggle, snort)

Works for Me Wednesday

What has been working for me is my crock pot.  No brainer, I know.  But, wait.  I've been using it to defrost meat.  I put frozen chicken breasts or thighs in and within a couple of hours they are defrosted, not cooked. A couple more hours and they would be, so by all means feel free to leave it in there.  If you wanted to fling a jar of spaghetti sauce in there and let it continue to cook, you would find yourself with the beginnings of the easiest Chicken Parm West of the Mississippi.  Unless of course, you're like me and are East of the Mississippi.

The other thing you could do is make Apricot Chicken.  There are no words.

I'm getting off topic.  Why does that always happen to me?

The last time I bought 20 lbs of ground beef I browned most of it and froze it.  I have been putting that into the crock pot to defrost, too.  It's fast, yo.  Again with the spaghetti sauce or you could then add it to whatever recipe calls for browned ground beef.  It's so easy a cave woman could do it.  Except for the no electricity part.  Yeah, scratch the cave woman thing.

For more great Works for me Wednesday tips go to We Are THAT Family.

Welcome Virtual Great American Bake Sale Visitors!

Welcome to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs--food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.

The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. The ebooks are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

My contribution is a delicious breakfast item.  It would be great for your family any day, or would be a wonderful option for a breakfast or brunch potluck.  

Orange Baked Oatmeal

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter melted

2 eggs

2 cups milk

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

the zest and juice of 1 orange

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract (you could use 2 tsp. of vanilla if you don't like/have almond)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish. (I use the butter wrapper to grease the pan.)

Melt and cool the butter.

While that's cooling, combine all other ingredients except for oats.

Once butter is cooled, add that to the mixture.

Add oats.

Pour into 9 X 13.

Bake for approximately 1 hour.

Enjoy!

I would like to say thank you to Kate at Cooking During Stolen Moments for the invitation to be a part of the Virtual Great American Bake Sale, be sure to head over there to see a listing of all the other VCABS participants.

Cookies, Candy, Cakes, Bars & Brownies

Features 50 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Desserts

Features 49 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Beyond Baked Goods (Appetizers, Breakfast, Main Dishes, etc.)

Features 47 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

The Complete 2009 VGABS Recipes Ebook

Features all 170 of the submitted recipes. Many of the recipes include pictures.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

That, my friends, changes everything.

The God that created you, came to rescue you, set you free by His work on the cross?  Yes, HE is Risen.

He died for us, but that wasn't where the story ended.  He rose again, defeated death.  He redeemed us.

That's cause for celebration.  Put on your fancy dress, or not.  Go to church, or not.  Eat a lot of chocolate, or in my case, not.  ::sigh::

However you choose to celebrate?  Take this seriously.  No one has ever, will ever, or could ever give you a greater gift than Jesus has.

DO NOT, I repeat, do not leave it sitting on the table.  Dance with the Creator of the Universe. He wants to dance with you.

Friday Funnies - Picture Edition...

Golfing makes Chloe crazy. I feel ya, sister. I feel ya...

Another one of Chloe's quirks: She doesn't like to wear socks, but she loves how they taste!

Speaking of taste, peas are not her favorite.  Sidney, however, is a fan.

This is what Chloe wore to the Oscars.  It's by Houdini.

I had to include one that wasn't silly to emphasize the cuteness.....

I mean, seriously, right?

My Spiritual Gift is Randomness....

I just had a random Must Share moment, and no one to celebrate with. It might be more of a miracle. Are you ready?

I just folded a huge load of laundry and all the socks matched up perfectly! 

And there was no one to high five. 

We also ran out of propane today, so I've been boiling water to do dishes. Awesome, right? 

Yeeeah.

Why is it when you are the most motivated, there are obstacles that try to take you down?  Well it didn't work today.  I did a ton of dishes, lots of laundry (on cold...) and even had dinner made and in the fridge by 1, Stolen Moments Style.  I'm making Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole, and I think it's going to be fantastic!  The last time I made a recipe from Kate's site it certainly was!

I also Must Share how much fun I'm having recapping American Idol!  I LOVE the show and it has been so much fun finding other fans and reading other fun recaps by linking through BooMama.  Oh, and Praise the Lord, Scott finally went home.  I'm very happy that he was able to have such an amazing experience.  I'm sure he has more ahead of him, I'm just glad he went out when he should!  Now I feel like it's kind of anyone's ball game.  Adam is far and away the most consistent, and probably my all time favorite based on my reaction to the Tivo cutting his performance off, but I do think everyone has it in them.  If only they could find their groove and get consistent.    T minus 5 days....

Last night, I blogged about Lost for the first time, since it was SO SO SO GOOD!  I posted my link in comments at Rocks In My Dryer, and again - made some new friends!  I definitely think I'll make the Lost post a weekly thing.  I wonder how many weeks we have left?  I don't even want to think about it.  Never mind.  Don't tell me.

I better scram.  The To-Do list isn't done with me yet.

Happy Thursday!

Never Better!

LOST SPOILER ALERT!  DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE 4/8/09 EPISODE!!!!

I think that's what the title of tonight's Lost episode should have been. I know that's how I'm feeling about Lost right now! Never better!

The moment we finally saw who most recently beat the mess out of Ben, the moment my suspicions were confirmed that it was, in fact, Desmond who beat the mess out of Ben, the moment I could sigh my big sigh of relief that Penny was, in fact, alive, thanks to Desmond being the one who beat the mess out of Ben, that is when I said:

I could be done watching Lost right now and be totally fine with it. With all the mystery that remains, and oh, you know there's plenty of mystery that remains. I don't care 1.)Who/what the smoke monster is. 2.) What all the whispering is. 3.) If they ever get back to the future. And so many other things.... I'm just so happy that Desmond and Penny are both still alive and that for once Ben was unsuccessful in carrying out his RUTHLESS mission.

Never better.

Before that happened, I was super excited about all the information that was being revealed!  The Smoke Monster potentially being the judge?  That's cool, right?  Except at that moment, we are faced with the decision of whether or not to believe Benjamin Linus.  I mean, really, has the man ever uttered an ounce of truth?  Maybe by accident.  For a minute, I was thinking that the smoke monster was responsible for removing people who are not supposed to be on the island, and that that was why Ben was unleashing the beast, so it could get rid of the random people on the other island.  But then moments later, I realize it is within the realm of possibility for Ben to speak the truth.  Now the question remains, will he do what he promised?  One other question.  What is with this sociopath's weakness for children?  I mean thank heaven he has a compassionate bone in his body, but really - who knew?

Speaking of bones in his body, I thought it was hilarious when he fell and John asked him if he was alright and he, of course said, 

Never Better!

Love it.

I definitely think tonight's episode was one of the best.  Maybe ever.

What did you think?

Works For Me Wednesday - Birthday Edition

As of yesterday, I'm the proud momma of a beautiful 1 year old girl.  How exactly did that happen?  No, I know how that happened, I mean how did the year fly by so fast?  

Mind Boggling.

We celebrated on Sunday and there was lots of cake and ice cream.   And a frazzled mommy.  I didn't plan ahead as much as I should have, and spent a good part of the party running around. As I got the ice cream out of the deep freeze, I realized scooping wasn't going to be an option. At least, not one I was interested in.  I flashed back to the church potluck days and cutting the ice cream.  Yes.  That's what I would do.  "Do you have anymore cupcake wrappers?" Ginger asked.  Yes, I did.  "Put the ice cream on those."  She suggested.  So we did.  Then she shared the best birthday advice I've ever gotten.  (Which isn't saying much since I have one child who is 1 year old, so I'm not exactly an old pro or anything....)  She told me that her aunt scoops the ice cream before the party, puts it into the cup cake wrappers, puts it back in the freezer and when it's cake and ice cream time?  Pull out the ice cream, put it out with the cake and there you have it.  No mess, no fuss, no asking 20 people chocolate, vanilla or cherry?

Her aunt is obviously some kind of party genius.

This will be working for me from here forward.  I hope it works for you!

For more great tips, visit We are THAT Family for Works for Me Wednesday.

American Idol Top 8 - Updated

*See bottom for update....
I must say first - was or was not Megan Joy's exit the most obnoxious in Idol history?  I will not be missing her tonight.  At all.  

And don't even get me started on Lady Gaga.  Seriously, what?  I don't know what was more shocking, the atrocious singing or the atrocious attire. 

Alright, maybe I shouldn't hand out fashion advice, since I didn't even bother to dress myself until 5:00 PM.  

Moving on.

The oldest contestant was born in 1980?  So this is the view from the other side of the hill, huh?

Awesome.

Danny Gokey - Stand By Me

I'm feeling a little underwhelmed by this one.  I've never heard this version of the song.  I don't know what it is, but familiarity makes  a huge difference for me.  Yes, Randy - I'm not a fan of the arrangement either.

Kris Allen - All She Wants To Do is Dance

What is this song choice?  I see he stole Matt's idea of being in the crowd from last week.  Zero points for originality.  I'm totally bored with this performance.  I wish he didn't do such strange things with his mouth.  That is muy annoying.  I was going to say that he's a new favorite of mine, but after that - I won't be saying that.  You were this close, Kris.  This. Close.

Did Paula just say that his quiet faith is heartfelt and genuine?  I had heard he was a worship leader.  Okay - I do like that...  

Indulgent, boring, forgettable and stupid song choice.  I don't know about indulgent, but the rest I would have to agree with 100%.

Oh good, the real story behind Lil's name.  Ha!  Take that Simon.  Get a clue.  Just because other black people use lil in their names as slang for little, doesn't mean you should assume anything about Lil Rounds.  You do know what they say about assuming, right?  I'd say you confirmed that.  Turkey.

Lil Rounds (short for.... nothing.  Her name is Lil.  Named to honor her grandmother. Love that!) What's Love Got To Do With It

This could be good, folks.  Come on, Lil.  Show us what you got!  Did she forget the words?  The chorus is redeeming that first verse.  Hmm...  I'll tell ya, she had the opportunity to blow me away with this one, and she didn't.  What is going on?  Uh oh - Paula is starting with the outfit. Not good.  Wrap it up, Paula.  I agree, Simon.  Where did Lil go?  I suppose this happens sometimes, people come off as AMAZING during Hollywood week, but when it really matters they fall short.  Lil has fallen and she can't get up.  Shame.  Every week she says "If America, bla bla bla.  I'm over it.  No more second chances, Lil.

Anoop (You little cutie, you!) True Colors

Seriously?  Oi.  I wonder if he had to thumb wrestle Scott for it?  Okay - it's not horrible.  He's actually doing some nice stuff with it.  Nice falsetto.  I wonder if contestants take it as a compliment when Randy says, "dude, you can actually sing!";  as if he's yet to hear him carry a tune or something?  I'm guessing, ah - no.  Oh Simon, I don't know that you should have encouraged the rudeness.  I thought his little apology was nice.

Scott McIntyre - The Search Is Over

First, the hair looks much better.  Good thing because the singing?  Well, let's be real.  The singing was horrendous.  Neat trick, Kara.  Using the abbreviated form of awful.  Off.  Well - at least Simon will say it how it is.  You just wait.  Screechy, yes.  And don't forget - out of tune. Thank you, Simon.  He needed to hear it, so if given the choice, he doesn't do it again.  Eek. And thank you music for cutting off the talk back. Gah!

Allison - I Can't Make You Love Me  (aka the most over sung song in Idol history.  Retire it already.  Please.)

She is doing a bang up job,  I gotta say.  I love the richness of her voice.  The maturity of her voice blows me away every time I hear her.  Crazy good.  Thank you, Randy, for finally saying what has been obvious from day 1!  The similarities between her and Kelly Clarkson are almost eerie.  

Matt - Part Time Lover

How does he think it's a good idea to sing Stevie and not play piano?  This better be good. Whew.  Matt's got some dance skillz!    Guess you can't show case that from behind the piano. Incredible.  Wow, the judges are falling all over themselves.  

Which means, Adam must be amazing if he's even better than that.  I'm so excited!

AND MY TIVO CUT IT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT?????????????????????????????????????

I can't get my mouth to close.  

Note to self.

Self, 

Never watch American Idol on the TiVo again.  It is technology and cannot be trusted. Watch it live. 

Much love, 

Self

In my frantic search of the Internet for some small sampling of Adam's performance I find this:

Oh snap, standing O from Simon!!!!!!!!! That's riiiighhttt.

Here.

The good news is my mouth finally closed.  Good thing, so I can sob silently.

Sniff.

Click here to find more Idol recaps.  But BooMama missed Adam, too.  My guess is she cried less than me.

PS - Let the record state that I didn't really cry.  Adam and I have one thing in common, we are both shameless drama queens.  There, I said it.

*Update -

Thanks to an Angel by the name of Jeannie, I was able to see Adam's performance. In an unforeseen twist of fate, I didn't love it. It was amazing, but I didn't know the song and well, you know how that goes.  Simon loved it, though.  And we all know that's really all that matters.

Thanks again, Jeannie!  If I had anything of value, I'd put you in my will!  ;)

Some Random Catch Up and a Prayer Request...

I didn't wear the leggings. I found a shirt that was pretty much exactly what I wanted, and I wore it with jeans. I'm a bit of the type that gets a little crazy when hosting a party, so it's important to be comfortable. The party went really well, and while I loved celebrating my daughter - I'm glad it's over. Whew. I feel like I thought of nothing else for two weeks straight. Tomorrow I will be the proud momma of a beautiful one year old girl. Soon I will update my picture blog, where I keep my friends and family up to speed on Chloe's latest antics....  I'll let you know when I do.

We bought her a Baby Be Blessed Doll for her birthday.  You may recognize the name from Angie's blog, Bring the Rain.  That's where I found out about them, and really wanted Chloe to have one.  She isn't terribly interested in it yet, but I'm fine with it being on the shelf, for now. This is what is on the scripture patch: Chloe Earlene "Blooming Noble Woman" (that's the meaning of her name, isn't that so cool???  She's named after my great-grandma (mom's mom's mom) and my grandma (dad's mom).  I love it!) The verse we chose is Luke 18:16 Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  I just love the doll and the whole concept behind them.  Check them out if you haven't.  

Speaking of Angie, tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Audrey's birth and death.  I know she would greatly appreciate any and all prayers you would lift up for her family.  Chloe shares a birthday with Audrey.  It's so sobering for me.  It has made me check many of my frustrations and difficulties at the door.  More than once I've sat in my grandma Earlene's chair (which I inherited when she died) at ridiculous hours of the night and morning, rocking Chloe and trying to comfort a baby that couldn't be comforted, and I would think of Angie and Audrey and realize that she would no doubt give every one of her earthly possesions, to pull an all nighter with a fussy baby.  It has really helped remind me to be thankful at times when I would otherwise be quite frustrated.  I'm honored to have been able to follow Angie's blog as she has navigated through this difficult time, all the while being so real about her brokenness, and extreme pursuit of her Savior through this journey.  It has been an amazing sight to behold and I thank God for her and for all He is to her and all He is doing through her. Please lift her up with me this week.

On a lighter note, I made Apricot Chicken in the crock pot for dinner tonight.  YUM.  Very easy and delicious.  It wasn't nearly as sweet as I thought it was going to be.  It was positively fantastic with brown rice.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great night.  See you tomorrow for the Idol recap.  I can't wait!!!!

To wear, or not to wear... That is the question.

I want to be trendy.  I do.

I'll be celebrating My Double Sweet Sixteen this summer.  Do you think MTV will send their crews?  Yeah, me neither.  

Whatever.

Since my mid twenties, I've questioned myself every time I've attempted to wedge my thighs into jeans from the Junior section.  Ever since low rise swept the nation, I can't look back.  Let's face it, you are not finding low rise in the Misses section and certainly not in the Women's. They might say they're low rise, but they are not.  So, Juniors it is.  I just always wonder, what's the cut off age?  Some people think that if you can fit into it and look half way decent, that's all that matters.  I'm not gonna lie.  I'm as skinny as I've been in my adult life, and my legs look pretty hot in leggings.

Is that really enough reason to actually wear them, though?

Well, I bought some.  And when I put them on, I feel like a 12 year old.  At first, I didn't understand why, but finally, I realized that it's because the last time I wore leggings, I was 12 years old.  A ha!  Makes tons of sense to me now....

In addition to that, I remember how silly Madonna looked, despite the fact that she wasn't 12.

I guess I understand why my mom was always horrified when the 70's styles were all the rage. 

The best part about all of this is that I go over to Big Mama's for Fashion Friday today, and lo and behold - someone by the name of Rachel, not me, asks this exact question!  I love it.

According to Big Mama?  I should go for it.

I don't know.  I figure if I can't wear them with confidence, I shouldn't wear them at all.

There's no confidence in feeling like a 12 year old at my daughter's 1st birthday party.  I'm guessing it'll be a leggings-free party.  Unless my 16 year old sister wears hers. 

This is Uh-Mare-Ih-Can Nightmare....

Oh yes, I dreamt I was on the show last night. Not as a contestant, which would have at least made a smidgie of sense circa 1994, what with all the church solos I used to sing...  {Coughs}

No, I was a back up dancer. For Kris.

It didn't go well.

I think the problems got started when our helicopter dropped us in the wrong location on that big ol' stage. When I looked over my shoulder, Kris was going this way and I was going that way, and well - we should have been going the same way.

It was disastrous. And now that I'm awake, and not responsible for poor, sweet, cute Kris's early exit from the show, hilarious.