Texas On My Mind

Confession: I didn't realize that Easter was this weekend until Wednesday afternoon when we were driving home from Dallas.  I considered not telling my family and skipping it. Easter is my least favorite holiday but not because I don't like Jesus.  I love Jesus, it's the Easter bunny that I despise.  I haven't forgotten about my little tif with the Mall Bunny and his handler last year.  I wish we could just focus on Jesus and leave the bunny and the chocolate out of it.  But the show must go on!  I'll hide eggs and buy a couple tiny chocolate bunnies.  But I've decided to make Brunch and serve corn dogs for Easter dinner.  It was the kids idea....I'm going with it!

The truth is I'm in a bit of a funk.  I'm experiencing post-vacation blues and I miss my family.  We really had such a great time and my kids got to know my parents a little better.  My Mom and Dad are getting older and it hit me hard.  In my head they are still in their 40's and I'm only 25.  But the reality is that we all can't hear very well and we fall asleep before the news comes on. We've got aches and pains and grey hair.

The old home town looks the same as I step down from the murano,
and there to meet me is my Mama and Papa.
Down the road I look and there runs Bobbi hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green, grass of home.
The old house is still standing, tho' the paint is cracked and dry,
and there's that old oak tree that I used to play on.

Spring Break

We're having a great time in Dallas on Spring Break!  It's been 5 years since I've been home and I missed it so much.  The kids are loving all of the dogs and cats to play with.  Between my parents and I sister they have 5 cats and 5 dogs. Alex has been worn out every night after playing outside in the yard and throwing balls!

Grandpa even put the kids to work.

We drove straight here from Denver.  800 miles and 14 hours in the car.  We discovered that we're too old to do this and also eating Sonic at 8pm is a bad idea too.  We've changed our plans slightly and will be taking TWO days to come home.

I've got more to show you but that will have to wait until I get back.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

It's been a crazy day!  Keith and I were both selected to chaperone the Kindergarten field trip to the Mizel Art Center in Denver.  This was Keith's first time on a field trip and the teacher tried to break him!  He had two unruly kids in his group and he was extremely grumpy when we got home.

We saw Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.  It's a lovely play about a young mouse named Lilly that is a self proclaimed Queen of the World who likes everything.  Everything, except for her brand new baby brother.  Lilly makes a couple new friends, deals with a narcissistic cousin named Garland and misbehaves in class because she isn't getting attention at home.  In the end, Lilly learns a lesson and decides her brother isn't so bad after all.

This play is based on the books by Kevin Henkes, tickets are on sale now through April 28th.  Contact The Mizel Arts Center for ticket info.


 

Disclaimer: I was not paid to review this play and my daughter was not compensated for her interview. All thoughts are her own.  I might have bribed her with chocolate to get her to speak but that is it.  No other compensation.  Thank you.

Ramblings

I'm going through Bachelor withdrawal.  We have two months until we get to see Desiree as The Bachelorette!  In case you want to put it on your calendar, the premiere date is May 20th.

On Friday I volunteered in Alex's classroom and ran the contractions center.  I giggled to myself that it was appropriate because I had been having contractions 6 years earlier.  One of the kids decided I needed a nick name and is now calling me C-Bone.  Another told me that he has to do his own laundry because his Mom is too lazy to do it.

Alex has been having a heck of a time passing his sight word tests and told us that it was because his teacher is too attractive.  She's distracting him!  He's also scrounging up every coin and dollar he can get his hands on to bid on a date with her next month at a school fundraiser.  Keith told him if he passed his sight word test he'd give him $10 towards his goal.

Guess who has two thumbs and passed his sight word test on Friday.

THIS KID!

We had a great weekend celebrating Mallory's birthday.  We started off with a little tea party.  Now she wants all of her meals served with all of this pomp and circumstance.   Should I call her Mary and get her a butler?

We bought a cake at Rheinlander's Bakery in Old Town Arvada, had lunch at Texas Roadhouse, went to the LEGO store so she could pick out one of her presents and then went to get a balloon.

Alex and I practiced spending lots of time in the car.  We're headed out on another road trip in a few days, this time to Dallas to visit my family!  The kids are super excited and I have no idea what we're going to wear.

selfie in the car

We spent Sunday putting together legos and I made an traditional irish meal.  I'm so glad that it only comes around once a year because I'm not a fan of corned beef and cabbage.

I couldn't help taking these inappropriate pictures because on the inside...I'm really a 12 year old boy.

Mia had too much Guinness.

How was your weekend?

and then she was six

As I pulled into our parking spot on Friday I realized that the little girl in the back seat had been awfully quiet.  I turned off the car and turned in my seat to see a quivering lip and tears about to spill out of two beautiful blue-grey eyes.

'What's wrong sweetie?' I asked.

In a small little voice she answered me.  'It's my last day being five and I'm just so sad!'

I crawled into the backseat, unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her into my arms.  As soon as her head touched my chest, she began to sob.  We stayed like this for about 20 minutes while I told her how great being six is going to be.  Soon....she'll be competing in her first science fair, we've got a whole summer to perfect swimming underwater and since she just learned to read, there are so many books to be devoured.  She'll be a 1st grader before you know it and I bet she'll lose some teeth this year.  There's ice cream to eat, pictures to draw and new friends to make!

Being five was nice, but being six is better.

As much as I'd love to keep her little and hold her in my lap forever....she's has to grow up.

This morning I served her Lucky Charms (a birthday tradition since it's always right before St. Patrick's Day) in fine china and her milk in her favorite Alice in Wonderland cup that her Grandpa gave her.  She's decided that she'd like to eat all of her meals this way and she'd like her Dad to be her personal butler.

I love you Princess!

Replacing Google Reader with Feedly

Note: Last night there was a mass exodus to Feedly and they are having a few technical difficulties.  Give it a few days and I'm sure everything will work fine.  As you can imagine, their servers and staff are under an enormous amount of pressure right now.  Be Patient!

You guys know that I love to research things and I really had fun with this one.  I know what I like and to tell you the truth, I didn't really like Google Reader.  Perhaps this is all for the best and now I have the chance to be truly happy with my reader experience.

Let's get started!

You need to connect Feedly to your existing Google Reader.  They will do all of the work for you...just click on the button.  Feedly also tells us that when Google Reader shuts down, they will have a program in place that will retain all of our information.  No Worries!

All of your categories are on the left.  You are putting your blogs into lists right?  I've been sorting blogs like this for years and it makes it so much easier to read.  Feedly has several different ways for you to view your blogs.  Let's go over them now.

If you want it to look something like your old reader then you will want to select the Titles view.  When you click on the little wheel, the list will come up.  Experiment with the different views until you find something you like.

When you click on a title, it will open the post up in the reader....like this.

To go to the blog so that you can comment, which you totally should because we all love to hear from our readers and it helps us sleep at night when we get comments, click on the title again.

Just a note here that this is also where you can share this wonderful post with YOUR friends.  You can google+, tweet, Facebook and email.  You will find those options right under the post title.  See that little +tag up there?  This is where you can tag a post that you want to save for future reference.  Those tags will appear under your lists on the left hand side.

There is one little button I need to warn you about.  The check mark.

If you want to mark your entire list as READ.  Go ahead and click that.  It will ask you (unless you turn that notification off) if you REALLY want to mark all as read.  I've hit it a few times already and panicked.     

If you want to go directly to a blog (so you can comment), there is an option under the Organize tab that is located right next to your pretty face on the left hand side.  

This is also where you can move blogs to a different list, and remove from your reader. 

If you have any question please ask them in the comments and I'll respond.  If I come up with anymore tips, I'll share them on my facebook page. 

Google Reader Retired!

Crap!

Now what? I'm looking into two alternatives. Feedly and NewsBlur. Both have mobile apps so that's nice. I'm researching and testing them now and I'll let you know what I find out.

 Stay Tuned.

 Okay. I just spent some time check out the two options that I found and I'm putting my money and my blog favorites in.....FEEDLY! Now only is it super easy to use and import your old google reader, but it has a mobile app that is easy to use. AND they have already addressed the problem on their blog. WINNING!

Go to their blog here to find out how to seamlessly change over your reader.

I just posted a tutorial about how to use Feedly.  

Bachelor Sean: Silver and Gold

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!  Lots and lots of spoilers.  Proceed at your own risk!

Every season that I blog The Bachelor, I feel like I've run a marathon!  I take exhaustive notes during the show and drink wine every single Monday.  It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it!

Sean and the ladies are still in Thailand but now they are joined by Seans parents, his sister Shay and her husband and children.  The kids are so cute!  They explain that they're here to help Uncle Seanie pick a girl and little Smith says, 'Emily didn't pick you!'  So funny!

They meet Catherine first.  She explains to Sean's Mother that Sean has taught her a lot about herself and she can actually be herself with him.  She wants great love! Her talk with Sean's Dad was very touching.  You can tell that he is a very sweet man and he asks thoughtful questions.  She tells him she wants a best friend for life and he tells her that she will have a family for life and that he'll treat her like his own daughter.  This was really a moving moment since we know that Catherine doesn't have a relationship with her own Dad right now.

Next is Lindsay, her hair looks darker to me.  The parents ask her the same questions but I don't feel like the answers are as deep or sincere as Catherine's were.  Lindsay plays the church card and tells Sean's Dad that she's been praying.  He tells her that they have been praying for Sean's wife since he was born and this makes all of us cry. I mean Lindsay, it makes Lindsay cry!  Lindsay breaks the mood by asking for Sean's hand in marriage.   Everyone is reunited and Sean's Dad jokingly says, 'okay, let's vote!'  He is a funny guy!

Sean talks to his Mom and explains that he's in love with both women and he doesn't know who to pick.  She encourages him NOT to propose if he doesn't know and that he can take more time.  She cries and Sean tells her that he is under contract by ABC to give a ring to someone will figure it out.  I wonder if he will go to Jared?

Sean ponders the dilemma he is in and wonders where his heart is going to tell him to go.  I think it's telling him to go to Jared.   BREAKING NEWS from Chris Harrison!  He has news from Sean that they have just learned in the last 24 hours!  Oh my gosh, what could it be?

Lindsay and Catherine get one more date each with Sean.  Lindsay gets a river rafting booze cruise and they light lanterns that say Love, Happiness and Family on them.  Catherine rides elephants and cuddles with Sean. They have a very hard time saying goodbye to each other and it's so painful not know what the next day brings.

Sean has made up his mind and is visited by Neil Lane NOT Jared.  He picks an amazing ring!

The ladies are getting ready for the big proposal.  One in Silver, one in Gold.  My husband breaks into song...Silver and Gold, Silver and Gold, everyone wishes for Silver and Gold.  Meanwhile, back in California....Chris Harrison is interviewing the losers and asking them who they think is going to be The One?  He talks to Bitter AshLee and all I hear is Blah, blah, blah.

Lindsay is the first to arrive and says this is the best day of her life.  She reaches Sean and he tells her that she is amazing and wonderful and he wants to give her his heart but it's leading him somewhere else.  But...he loves her.  WHAT?  Don't tell her that!  Lindsay whips her high-heeled shoes off and walks off but not before telling him that it's okay.  She's very gracious.  Sean runs after her and tries again to explain.

Sean goes back to the dock and waits.  Chris brings him a letter!  Who could it be from?  It's from Catherine and now he's scared thinking that she isn't coming but she is....she just wanted to make her feelings know to him one more time.

Catherine arrives and Sean doesn't waste any time telling her that she's the one for him.  They have had may unexpected, wonderful moments and she never ceases to amaze him.  He doesn't want to say goodbye to her anymore! He gets on one knee and pops the question....she says YES!  I'm crying.  Catherine is not.  I believe she is in shock!  He asks her if she's prepared to spend the rest of her life with him.  She says YES!  This feels like a Disney movie!  They ride off into the sunset on the back of an elephant.

The good news, that we learned at After The Final Rose is that these two are still going strong and she is moving to Dallas.  The big breaking news is that they are going to have their wedding on ABC!  YAY!!

I am now pleased to announce that the next Bachelorette is......Desiree!!  I'm so excited and happy for her.  I loved her since day one and if she can't be with Sean that I can't wait to see her as The Bachelorette!

I'm going to Dallas in a few weeks and I'm going to look for Sean!  Stay tuned....

EDITED:  Crap.  I guess I won't be stalking looking for Sean.  He's going on Dancing with the Stars which I PREDICTED on February 26th!!

Be A Blessing

I filled in for iKeith at school on Thursday.  He is the morning crossing guard and due to a parking snafu at work, he couldn't make it.  I was a little nervous but I wore my orange vest with pride.  I treated this job like all parts of my life....with passion and energy!

I greeted everyone with a Good Morning and a Have a Great Day!  When I encountered a child from one of my kids' classes, I yelled their name and high fived them.   I smiled and waved at the cars that went by at my direction and when I stopped my friend Debbie with my little stop sign, I did a little booty shake in the crosswalk for her benefit.

In other words.....I had a blast!

As I walked back to my car, I couldn't stop smiling.  What a wonderful feeling to spread joy and happiness everywhere you go.  I hope my attitude helped someone have a better day.  I hope I was a blessing to someone.

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.

 Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. 

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

 ~Tecumseh

Old School

Jennifer from Momma Made it Look Easy told me about a couple bloggers that are bringing back the meme.  Elaine and Heather will throw out monthly questions for you to answer.



1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

March 2003?  I was in the process of eradicating myself from a really bad relationship with a 40 Year Old Greek Virgin.  I was also living on my own for the first time in my life and working for a collection agency. I was looking forward to being single for a while but hopeful that Mr. Right was out there somewhere.

2. What 5 Things are on your To Do List?

Buy my daughter a cake and a birthday present.
Plan an Easter Egg Hunt for all 90 Kindergarteners with my friend Jill.
Go to Dallas for Spring Break.
Plan a Tea Party for my pregnant friend Jennifer.
Buy new jeans.

3. What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

Cookies
Ice Cream
Raw Macadamia Nuts
Cheese
Wine...it's made from FRUIT

4. Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire.

If I was a millionaire, I would buy a little house that needed some work and I'd take all of the cool ideas I've pinned on Pinterest and turn it into the most amazing house.  And I'd go to Sedona on vacation all by myself. 
 
5. Name some places you have lived.

I was born in Denver but moved to a little cow town called Greeley when i was 4.  I briefly lived on a 660 acre cattle ranch and I still need to blog about that.   I returned to Denver when I was 30 which was a good thing because my future husband was here.  We lived in UTAH for 4 years.  A hardship tour....and now we're back home in Denver.

6. Name some bad habits you have.

I have a bad habit of not folding or putting away....socks.  They live on my bed.  I have a really bad habit of hiding candy from my family. iKeith thinks I have a bad habit of leaving pans soaking in the sink. 

7. Name some jobs you have had

My very first job was the summer of my 16th year when I painted gas meters for Greeley Gas Co.  Me and two gals who became great friends walked all over Greeley, from house to house...painting the meters.  I was skinny and tan when the summer was over.   On my 18th birthday, I began my auto parts career.  I started as a parts delivery driver and 5 years later I managed the store.  I've also worked as a manager of an auto repair shop and a gas station.  Now, I have the best job in the world....MOM and WIFE.

My friend Mimi tagged me.  How old school is that?  I decided to oblige her but I'm not tagging anyone.  Feel free to take the questions and answer them yourself.  

1. Display the award logo on your blog. What logo?
2. Link back to the person(s) who nominated you. Okey Dokey
3. State 7 things about yourself. 
4. Nominate 15 bloggers for this award. For Real?
5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination by linking to one of their specific posts so that they get notified by pingback. 

Here goes: Seven things about me right now:

1. I can not have ice cream in my freezer or I will eat it.  All of it.

2. Mallory's 6th birthday is in 9 days and I didn't plan a party this year.  I'm regretting it.  :(

3.  I bought an exercise ball and my husband stole it from me to sit on at his desk. Now my ball smells like balls. 

4. I can't stop volunteering for PTA.  I think I might have volunteered to be the president. 

5. I love corndogs

6. I'm watching Days while I type this and I wish my name was Chole Lane.

7. My husband just commented on my blog!!!!!  

Smash Your Year: February

To see January's Smash Your Year pages, click here. 

My goodness, February was busy!

We went to see Phineas and Ferb Live,  we had Kindergarten Valentine's Parties, Dr Seuss's Birthday/Jammie Day and it was Denver Restaurant Week.  We had a very full calendar and we had a blast!

Other notable items on the list.  Mallory learned to read and Alex had a double ear infection, but it didn't keep him down....in fact I think he rather enjoyed the extra pampering from me.

I love the idea that Jessica shared with us last month about lifting the picture and writing underneath it!  Brilliant!  Mallory and I experimented with cutting out the background on a picture in her Hello Kitty Smash Book and I like it.

I like stacking the pictures, because I have so many there wouldn't be room to put them all on the page. I tried another new trick and attached the kids valentines to paper clips and attached them to the spiral.  This way they are floating and can be moved to see more.  That is actually pictures of the valenties...to make them extra sturdy.

I added another word to my cover.  Do you agree?

Are you SMASHing YOUR YEAR?  We want to see your pages!

Leave the link in the comments or share it on my facebook page.

March Goals

February was a whirlwind of activity!  We had lots of plans and I became the PTA Summer Education Chair that resulted in tons of research and many meetings.  I'm excited for what we're planning and I think the kids will love it!

You will notice that many of my goals revolve around Dallas.  I'm going to the Big D and I mean Dallas for Spring Break.  My parents and my sister live there and my kids have never been to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We are all super excited!



 February Goals:

[  ]Lose 4 pounds  Lost inches, but no weight
[X]Make Bread  Made over my Mom's Banana Bread recipe
[X]Post Smash Your Life pages  Done!
[X]Read 3 Books  A Good American, The End of Your Life Book Club, Here I Go Again
[X]Write in my food journal Done!
[  ]Run 10 times  Ran Two Times 

 March Goals:

[ ] Go Shopping with my Sister in Dallas
[ ] Have a blogger meet up in Dallas
[ ] Go to Fort Worth
[ ] Touch a cow
[ ] Lose 2 pounds
[ ] Complete Lose a Jean Size Workout 9 times
[ ] Run 7 Times
[ ] Make Pasta
[ ] Have Breakfast with Mom's from Mallory's Kindergarten Class
[ ] Become the PTA President

What are your goals this month?  

Bachelor Sean: Women Tell All

I'm not going to really  re-cap the show.  It's hard to do because there is so much back and forth.  It was an interesting show because Tierra was there and AshLee got to get some closure with Sean and I think she officially put the nail in the coffin of any hope that she'd be the next Bachelorette.

Tierra

Tierra says that it's really hard to be her, because she lights up a room with her sparkle and bitches be hatin because they don't accept her for the shining star that she is.  She claims that she never said a bad word about anyone, to the best of her knowledge.  She did all of this with a straight face.  Her eyebrow backed her up and her forehead dent didn't show up. She has NO COMMENT about her fake/pretend fiance that she became engaged to in January.   I think she should win an emmy for best 'reality show acting'.

Desiree

Sitting ten feet away from each other, you could still feel the chemistry between Des and Sean.  I was bummed to see that she's growing out her bangs because I just cut my bangs last week because of her.  I think ABC should make Desiree the next Bachelorette!

Sarah

I realize that Sarah is the first handi-capable contestant on the show and breaking up is hard but I don't really know why she was on the hot seat.

AshLee

AshLee is blonde now and is no longer in love with Sean because turned those feelings off....like a light switch. However, she is super confused about why Sean would tell her that he didn't have feelings for Lindsay and Catherine and that he only had eyes for her.  She thought she had this in the bag!  Sean, claimed that he NEVER said such a thing and that he would NEVER say such a thing because it simply isn't true.  When asked WHY he sent her home, he spoken the truth in the most delicate way he could.  AshLee has too much bagage.  Airlines, have less bagage then AshLee.  And he just couldn't see having a happy home/family while dragging all this sadness and neediness around. This is why AshLee should not be the next Bachelorette....because no man in his right mind wants a piece of that drama.

As for the final two ladies.....ABC gave Catherine the romantic, loving edit.  And they made Lindsay look like a loon.  Now, the big question is....who wrote the letter and does Sean get down on one knee?

What do you think?  Is AshLee telling the truth or is she living another life with the voices in her head? Does Tierra really sparkle and does she really have a fiance?  Will Sarah find love?

Date Night Scavenger Hunt

Keith and I went on a date Saturday night.  We don't get out much so it was a big deal.  My dear friend Heather watched our kids for us and we were off!   My friend Bridget was also going on a date with her husband so we challenged them to a Date Night Scavenger Hunt!  We came up with a list of things for each other to do and take pictures of.  Here was our list for Bridget:

Here is their list for us:

  You can see our pictures on Instagram under the hashtag #denverdatenight.  We had a great time and Keith loved doing all of these silly things! I'm bummed that we couldn't find a dog or a bike.  Thank you Bridget and Chris for helping to make our date night fun.

Here are my favorites!

Keith outside of our friends' business

This is my new PTA President campaign poster.
Vote for me...or else!

I wrote our names on the wall in the bathroom.

1 Tequila, 2 Tequila, 3 Tequila...FLOOR!

Me.  On the slide at Little Man Ice Cream. Valet asked me how much Tequila I'd had.

Home!

A Little Story...About Bob and Diane

It was the summer of 1964 and Diane had just turned fourteen.  Her older sister had started dating a bad boy from the next town over and she was head over heels in love!  It was a hot  day in Northern Minnesota and the mosquitos were thick. Diane looked out the window and saw her sister Sandy standing in the yard with her new boyfriend, and another boy that she'd never seen before.

He was tall and thin, with slicked back brown hair.  He leaned against a 1950 Ford, a lit cigarette in his hand.  Diane quietly left the house and walked up to the lovebirds.  She snuck glances at the strange boy and noticed how cute he was; she hoped that her sister would introduce them.

Sandy went into the house to get permission to go to town with the boys and when she came back Diane was surprised to learn that she'd gotten the go ahead but she had to bring....her little sister.  That's when she learned the young man's name.

Bob thought that Diane was a kid and sat in the front seat with Sandy in the middle. Poor Diane sat in the backseat all by herself, listening to them laugh and carry on like she wasn't even there.  A few weeks later Bob left for basic training....and then Vietnam.

Diane saw Bob again three years later at Sandy's wedding to the bad boy from the next town over. The young girl from the back seat had grown up and he noticed her now.   Six months later they were married.

And that's how my parents met.....

Linking up with MamaKat for Writing Prompt Thursday

Bachelor Sean: BFF

ABC was nice enough to do a bit of a recap of all three ladies and their interactions with Sean.  I think I've figured out that some people don't start watching this show until it's down to the final three.

Lindsay is the first one to spend the day with Sean.  Last week she told him that she was falling in love and she is now prepared to tell him that she really is falling in love. They take a open-air motorcycle taxi thing to a market. Lindsay is in culture shock!  Sean convinces her to eat some deep fried bugs and then labels her adventurous.  I think this is a test to see if she'll eat gross things and is the kiss of death in Sean's relationships.  Look what happened to Des after she drank goats milk!   Sean says that he feels like they are high school sweethearts.  I don't know about you, but i made some shitty choices in high school.  Lindsay is the best friend that Sean has been looking for! YAY for best friends!

Sean takes Lindsay to Monkey Beach and they feed adorable little monkeys.  I was afraid this was going to be another test to get Lindsay to do something crazy. Sean tells us that Lindsay has it all and he takes her to dinner at a float park.  They are surrounded my floats made by temples for a parade.  Lindsay is about to finally tell Sean how she feels when the solid gold dancers come out and do a performance for them. Lindsay tells Sean that she's open to moving to Dallas and having his babies, she's excited for their life together to start...right after he's done appearing on Dancing with the Stars as a Faux-Celebrity. 

Lindsay get the fantasy suite card and races Sean to the room. Finally, she gets to tell him how she feels.

AshLee is in LOVE with Sean.  Her love for him is overwhelming and she's filled with joy.   Sean takes her on a boat ride that again, makes her step out of her comfort zone. He forces her to jump into the water and swim into a very dark cave while she says Oh My God ten times.  She is terrified.  Very, Very terrified.  She is also a back seat swimmer and questions whether or not Sean is going the right way.  They make it through and arrive in a beautiful lagoon.  AshLee tells us that it felt good to completely let go.  I call bullshit and I'm annoyed by her freakishly small calves.

Every single part of AshLee's being wants to be engaged. She tells Sean that she takes being engaged very seriously but she married her high school boyfriend at 17, so what's that all about?  Sean tries to find out why she's still single by telling her why he still is.  He explains that he was chasing his career.  She doesn't answer the question and instead reads the over night date card.  She tells him that she's a classy broad and that she doesn't want him crossing her boundaries.  Then she tells him what kind and size of ring she wants.   Sean also possesses magical powers and has healed her broken heart.

Sean meets up with Catherine on the beach and then leads her to a boat to sail around and drink wine.  I think this date is to make up for trying to freeze her to death in Canada.  Sean wonders if they have the same life goals. Catherine tells Sean that she can really be herself with him, they both agree that they compliment each other. They go snorkeling and then kiss in the rain.   They have dinner and Sean tells us that Catherine gets him more than anyone and he can see himself married to her.

He asks her where she sees them in 5 years and she says, married with a child and happy. He gives her the fantasy suite card and she's nervous about it.  He explains that he just wants to spend time alone with her.  She really, really wants to be with Sean.  I'm thinking Sean must be feeling really moist by now.  BECAUSE they swim in a pool together.

We see Sean getting ready for the rose ceremony and the camera has settled on his unzipped pants.  I cover my eyes!!  Sean has a talk with Chris and says he never pictured sending this person home.  Chris says this is the toughest week to go home.  I disagree.  Being left at the column thingy and told you are not the one is the toughest.  This is the week that the Bachelorette is chosen but GOOD LUCK with this one ABC.

Each woman has left Sean a final video message.  Lindsay and Catherine's are sweet and carefree, reminding him of their dates.  AshLee's message is the one you send right before you cook the bunny.

The rose ceremony is tense.  All of the ladies look amazing and AshLee brought out the big guns, her poor straps are straining to hold up her  boobs.  Lindsay gets the first rose.  Then....stressful music plays for 1 minute and 10 seconds (yes, i timed it) while Sean looks like he's passing another kidney stone.  He looks at the ceiling, he looks at the floor, he stars at the rose....and then says the name:  Catherine.

AshLee is glaring at Sean.  She walks away, toward the waiting SUV.  The girls look at each other and say, 'She didn't say goodbye.' Well, duh!  In the words of Tierra, she's not here to make friends!  She doesn't want to talk to Sean or hear his explanation.  She gets in the vehicle and it drives away while Sean sits on a bench with his head in his hands.

She says very little in her getaway car interview.  She mutters something about being a reject and she turns from the camera and cries.

Next week: The Women Tell All!  

10 Happy List Things to Smile About in February!

I'm linking up with Emmy Mom for 10 Things to Smile About in February AND Ricki at Art @ Home because this is also a Happy List. We had a great month and I really can't believe that it's almost over.



1.  Mallory is devouring all kinds of reading material.  A whole wide world has opened up to her....and an atlas.

2.  Coffee with my kid.  He had a lot he needed to get off from his mind.

3.Stacks of Magazines because I have a problem and can't stop buying them.  Better Homes and Gardens wins for best cover because I put Martha Stewart back and grabbed theirs instead.  I bought that one on top because it said BEER on it.  Who am I, Homer Simpson?

4. Funny stickers on cars that aren't political.

5.  Good Quotes.

6.  Being funky and cool like my daughter!

7.  Looking at old pictures of the kids.  This was taken during the 'I can only crawl backwards' phase.

8.  Staples Dollar Section

9.  No Risk, Guilt-Free Pancakes.  Made with Cottage Cheese.  No joke!

10. Jennifer Lawrence. She's a great actress and someone I'd love to have a beer with.  BEER!

 

Never fear.....my Bachelor re-cap will be here this afternoon!

Bachelor Sean Drinking Game: Week Eight

Welcome to week 8, episode 9 of The Bachelor!

Week Eight Drinking Game!

Take a small sip of your drink when someone says:

• Journey
• Amazing
• Wife
• Chemistry
• Forever
• Future
• Engaged
• Crazy
• Ring





source

Take a small sip of your drink when:

• Sean's shirt is missing
• Someone kisses Sean
• Someone kisses Sean in water
• Someone cries
• AshLee cries
• AshLee is scared
• AshLee throws her arms in the air like she just don't care
• Someone tells Sean that they love him
• Someone acts surprised to get the Fantasy Suite Card
• Someone accepts the Fantasy Suite Card

Finish your drink when:

• Chris Harrison announces that this is the final rose tonight

A Good American by Alex George

In the early 1900's my great grandparents moved to Northern Minnesota from Sweden.  I've always wanted to know what would bring a newly married couple to America to start a brand new life.  As it is there are very few pictures and even fewer documents.  Just old stories and a couple acres of land that are still the family today.

A Good American by Alex George is about a young newly married and pregnant couple that run away from Germany to America to start a new life and be a family. They find themselves in a German settlement in Missouri that accidentally becomes their home for the rest of their lives.

The narrator of this story is Jette and Frederick's grandson.  He tells their story and then his own.  Spanning over a hundred years, there are hard times and good times, love, loss and tragedy and a plot twist at the end that I didn't see coming. You will want to immediately re-read the book with the information you have just learned.  Mostly, you will want to loan your copy of this book to a friend so you can discuss it with them.

Join me and my friends at the BlogHer Book Club where we'll be discussing A Good American all this month.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.