Wise words from some wise men (and a couple of gals as well):

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries. ~W.J. Cameron

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas


Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C. Farley

Even as an adult I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age. ~Carrie Latet

Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer.... Who'd have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton

Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space. ~Dave Barry

Roses are reddishViolets are bluishIf it weren't for ChristmasWe'd all be Jewish.~Benny Hill

At Christmas
A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season's here;
Then he's thinking more of others than he's thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime...~Edgar Guest

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin. ~Jay Leno


There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. ~Erma Bombeck, I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression

Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live. ~Dennis Miller

We hear the beating of wings over Bethlehem and a light that is not of the sun or of the stars shines in the midnight sky. Let the beauty of the story take away all narrowness, all thought of formal creeds. Let it be remembered as a story that has happened again and again, to men of many different races, that has been expressed through many religions, that has been called by many different names. Time and space and language lay no limitations upon human brotherhood. ~New York Times, 25 December 1937, quoted in Quotations for Special Occasions by Maud van Buren, 1938, published by The H.W. Wilson Company, New York

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND / OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Lofty New Years Goals

Every year I make resolutions and by January 1, around 5 pm I have managed to break every resolution I have made. So I just give up. Not this year. This year will be carefully planned and well executed. My life has changes SO drastically in the past 3 years; yet, my mannerisms and habits have not. Now that I am 25, married with 2 children I need to re-evaluate some of my priorities. So with the start of this new year I will officially start my "adult" life. Yes, I am just as afraid as you are but it is time and I am ready. So here is the plan:

HEALTH

HOLINESS

HABITAT

HAPPINESS

The year 2008 will be a 4-H year. I will go into details on each of these "H's" before January 1, 2008 but just to get you thinking.

These are a few of my favorite things

Since Allthingsfly FINALLY updated her blog I will now steal it and make it my own. Now some I could not answer because I truly did not know the answers and I added some of my own at the end.

Favorite Number: 23

Favorite Fruit: Mandarin Oranges

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite City: Austin, TX (nationally) Florance, Italy (internationally)

Favorite Movie: Sabrina (the one with Harrison Ford)

Favorite Tennis Shoe Brand: Adidas

Favorite Place to Chill: My backyard

Favorite Magazine: Simple, Martha Stewart Living (it is really a tie!!!)

Favorite Store: Anne Taylor Loft

Favorite Author: Louis Lowery

Favorite Lip Gloss: Original Chap Stick

Favorite Creative Pastime: Writing

Favorite Accessory: Head Bands

Favorite Luxury: Pedicures

Favorite Clothing Article: Old MCA t-shirts

Favorite Challenge: Parenting

Favorite Guitarist: Tie between Eric Clapton and The Edge

Favorite Graphic Artist: ?????

Favorite Brand Loyalty: Target....I know it is not really a "brand" but I do love buying things from Target.

Favorite Newspaper: Gambit

Favorite New Collection: All things New Orleans

Favorite Old Collection: Dragonflies

Favorite Fetish: S & M, Whips and Chains, just joking I do not have a favorite fetish....I like them all....okay, okay no seriously my favorite fetish is...well I have no clue. I can not think of anything right now.

Favorite Culture: A little mix of Punk, Old Skoll Hip Hop, and a pinch of Emu (I am kinda eclectic)

Favorite Jazz Musician: Sarah Vaughn, Etta James

Favorite Meal to Prepare: Soup. I love to make soup!!!

Favorite Comfort Item: My body pillow

Favorite Necessity: My ipod

Favorite Book Sack Brand: LL Bean (Monogrammed with initials)

Favorite Art Supply Store: Michael's

Favorite Toothpaste: ??????

Favorite Tooth Floss: ??????

Favorite Pattern: Paisley

Favorite Brand of Water: Equios

Favorite Beer: Dos Equis Amber

Favorite Color Family: Neutrals

Favorite Perfume: Vera Wang by Vera Wang, Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana, Black by Kenneth Cole. I am listing all three because I usually mix them.

MeFavorite Mantra: P.L.U.R. (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect)

Favorite Quote: "I am a little rough around the edges"
"Don't worry we will sand your ass down"

Favorite Song: Stellar by Incubus

Favorite Deodorant: Prescription strength Secret (thanks Britt!)

Favorite TV Show: Project Runway, although House and Criminal Minds are staples!!!

Favorite Food: Fried Pickles from Walk Ons (thanks Britt)

Favorite Bar: Evangeline's, Pat O's and the Gold Mine (I list all three because in my mind this would constitute the perfect outing)

Favorite Mixed Drink: 7 & 7 with extra lime

Favorite Dessert: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake form the Bistro

Favorite Non-Alch Beverage: Bloody Mary hold the vodka

Favorite Season: Fall

Vegtable Soup for the Soul

I truly LOVE making soups. It is easy and affordable and delicious especially now that the weather is getting a little cooler. My favorite is chicken and veggie soup but due to my experimentation with a new diet that does not include meat I had to alter the recipe a bit.

What You need:

1. I buy chicken broth in bulk and when I switched to a semi-vegetarian life style I had to switch broths. I found a veggie broth (made by Emeril) and decided to give it a try.

2. I purchased a "soup package" from my local grocery. They usually have these little packages by the Produce section. They contain an assortment of produce that would work perfectly for a stew or soup. It is usually about $3. This one contained an onion, some fresh parsley, half a head of cabbage, carrots, a turnip, three celery stalks and some red potatoes. But they differ depending on season and availability.

3. I usually use "soup making" as an opportunity to clean out my pantry and freezer so this soup also contained frozen peas, lima beans, canned corn and green beans.

4. I also use every spice in my cabinets, including but not limited to, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, creole seasoning, basil, Lipton Onion Soup Mix and celery salt.

Note: You can put anything in a soup. It can be fresh, frozen or canned. So if you really would like to add to the list above DO IT!!!!! If there are things on the list you despise don't use them. I for one hate bell peppers and pieces of tomatoes. Yet, if you were asking my mom for a veggie soup recipe these would be on the top of her ingredients list.

What You Do:

Now that you have all your ingredients, clean them, cut them, and through them into a big pot. Add a box of the veggie broth, and a bottle of tomato juice (or if you want to spicy it up a bottle of your favorite bloody mary mix) and let it cook over a low to medium heat for as long as you can stand it (but at least 2 hours) . Check and stir occasionally and add spices throughout the cooking process. If you like your soup thick do not add water. I prefer mine to be slightly watered down so I add a little water when I stir.

To Blog or not to blog...that is the question

Today was the weirdest day I have had in a long time. Before I was married and had children my friends were like my underwear I changed them often, lost them, threw them away and went to Wally World (or the closest bar) to get new ones.

I have had friends that I have kept, kind of like the nice panties I have from Victoria Secret. Okay, enough with this undergarment analogy; seriously, today I realized what my friends really mean to me.

When I was younger, and trying to figure out who I was, I often played the chameleon to build friendships. I would change who I was to blend in. Now that I no longer have the energy to do such preposterous things I realize what true friendship really is.

But today I was empowered to know that the friends I have love me despite who I am. I know that does not sound right but I feel like when you see someones flaws and can overlook them that is real friendship.

I got in a conversation earlier this evening and tried to dispel the myth of "true love". My point was true love is synonymous with respect and I believe the same holds true for friendship. Of course when you meet someone new you may become infatuated with them but when you can still love them when they are the most horrid person in the world that is love.

DJ Brookie Brook, I think you have known this fact for longer then I have or you would have gotten rid of me a LONG time ago.

I guess the point of this whole rambling is that I may not be happy with what happened today but if it came down to the wire I would rather lose my job then lose my friends.

Keep your hands to yourself....

I do not like to be touched by strangers. I never have. I can remember hating holiday gatherings because old-ass Aunt Whatever Her Name Is was going to want a hug and a kiss. In high school I was "that girl" who refused to do the hello/good bye hugs and opted for the air kiss instead.

Now, I am not a total compulsive. Obviously I do not mind when my hubby touches me (hello we have 2 kids) or a close family member or a friend (in an appropriate situation) but, in general, and as a rule I would rather not be touched. This was the most painful part of both my pregnancies. As soon as some one knows you are pregnant they think they are automatically entitled to a rub. I wanted to have a t-shirt made that said "I am not Buddha....Keep you hands to yourself". (Dante' I am not talking about you daily rubs. I really think that is why D-Bug came out to be such a chill baby....you gave him all your positive, happy energy.)

I have co-workers who refuse to stop touching me. First, my head was molested at lunch one day while I was eating and I almost vomited. Then today, our receptionist spent at least 5 minutes playing with my hair because it looked "wind blown". I kept trying to swat her hand away and she just kept grooming. All I could think of is monkeys who groom one another.

It is gross. I do not want to be touched and I want people to start respecting this decision.