I love "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network! They seem like the coolest group of people. Duff (the owner and head chef) has the greatest laugh and laid-back personality; he always makes me smile. The talent these guys possess never fails to amaze me. Every single cake they make is AMAZING!! I would love to work there, but alas, they'd never let me. Because for one thing, I'm not nearly cool or quirky enough to fit in with their crew. But mainly they wouldn't hire me because I would turn out cakes that look like this:
Have you ever seen this website? I discovered it the other day and it had me (literally) LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!! Basically it's a collection of "professional" cakes that are absolute botches. Some of them have ridiculous misspellings, some are the result of a miscommunication between baker and customer...and some are just poorly, tragically decorated. Go, you simply must! You will not regret it. Absolutely HILARIOUS! The cakes aren't the only funny thing...the writing is witty and sarcastic and sure to make you smile! Check it out! (Here's another favorite of mine! You won't believe!)
Is anyone else watching The Biggest Loser this season? I admit I missed last season, but I really do like this show when I get into it. And this season is really interesting because they have some of the heaviest contestants ever who are in need of more help than any others before. I'm psyched to see how much weight they'll be able to lose. Inspirational! If they can do it, anyone can do it! Right? I think that's probably the idea behind this show. It's either that or the heavier the contestant the more viewers they get, but I'd hate to be that skeptical. ;)
Last night one of the contestants (is her name Joelle? I don't know how to spell it) got her head ripped right off by trainer Bob. She was the one who almost dropped out of the competition when the $$$ temptation was offered so of course everyone was questioning how much she really wanted to be there. So then in the last-chance-workout, Bob wanted everyone to run 30 second increments and Joelle kept stopping after about 20. He got SOOOO mad at her! It was pretty crazy. If someone had yelled at me like that I probably (make that definitely) would have started bawling! But she kept pretty calm, telling him she was TOO pushing herself. But she almost struck me as aloof, like his anger wasn't even phasing her.
And though it was easy for me to jump on the bandwagon, thinking, "Wow, she's really pathetic. So many people would kill to be where she is, having that opportunity. How dare she not push herself harder?" But in reality, how many times have I started cooling down before a song is over? Or hopped off the elliptical with 1 minute or so left on the clock? I'm SO guilty of saying, "Eh, that's good enough," and calling it a day. And I'm in better shape than any of the contestants on that show, so who am I to judge them for being tired and wanting to quit?
So today at the gym I had that thought in my mind and even caught myself thinking, "Oh, I'll just do 45 minutes...what's that extra 15 minutes really gonna do?" But I stuck it out for the full 60 and felt really good about myself when I walked out of that gym. I've gotta get better at sticking with it and seeing it through to the end, not just settling for "good enough."
On the diet front, I've discovered something really yummy that I wanted to let y'all know about. The folks at Special K decided long ago that conquering the world of cereal just wasn't enough and have branched out into many other kinds of foods, much of which I've tried and enjoyed. At Wal-Mart the other day I picked up a box of their new crackers (so new, apparently, that the things aren't even listen on their website yet!). I got the multi-grain ones but they do have other flavors. These things are good! You can have 17 of them for 90 calories...which, if you're a carb-nut like me you know that this is a much larger portion than other crackers, even "light" Wheat Thins. And that's kinda what they taste like...a Wheat Thin. I had a handful today with my vegetable soup and they were extremely satisfying. Yummalicious! :)
One of the first thoughts that crossed my mind after losing my job with Scrapbook Garden was, "Aw crap, I'm gonna have to buy new clothes!!!" It's true, I was allowed to dress pretty casually there and I got to hide behind that apron. Let's be honest, I've turned into a shlub. (Yes a shlub. I'm ignoring the spellchecker and pretending it's a word anyway.)
Though I had great success earlier in the year with losing weight and dropping a size, I've gone back to bad habits and those clothes don't fit anymore. And I've kept telling myself, "Once I lose that weight again, I'll buy some clothes." Well if I've heard Stacey and Clinton say it once, I've heard it a thousand times: "Dress the body you're in NOW." I've seen a dozen women on that show who are walking around like slobs because they don't want to invest in a new wardrobe until they're at their perfect body size. Well let's be honest, how many of us actually have success with that? I hate shopping for clothes, not just because I have a poor body image, but also because I have no personal style. I'll look at clothes on the rack and think, "That looks like so-and-so." or "Oh that would be really cute on her..." But rarely do I see things and think, "Oh that's SO ME!" And if I do, it's usually in the toddler section so it's not in my size. *haha* You all know my love of bright colors, but I can't go around dressed like a piece of scrapbook paper. I'll look like a clown!
I'm also kind of in between. I'm certainly no teenager, but I also don't feel like I should be dressing like a "mommy" yet since I'm NOT a mommy. I'm not really a professional sort of person, but I know my t-shirt and jeans selection isn't appropriate for all situations. As I type this, I'm thinking I've heard this exact argument out of many a guest on "What Not To Wear" and I'm trying to remember what Stacey and Clinton told THOSE whiners. (Seriously, if someone would just please set me up to be on that show, it would solve all of my problems. I can put up with the evil mirror and their cruel comments about my wardrobe. Heck, I'll join in! "You're right, these jeans ARE horrible. Let's get me some new ones!" It would be worth it for the shopping spree in NYC and the overall makeover. I could totally handle it.)
So today I'm embarking on a little shopping journey. I have to get some nicer things so I can begin applying for jobs and hopefully interviewing as well. I'm feeling optimistic this morning, but I know by mid-afternoon these hips will have knocked this Pollyanna right back into reality. Wish me luck. I'm gonna NEEEEED IT!
Sooo...I'm really bored. There's only so much sittin' around one can do without going completely stir crazy. I've spent so much time on the couch since last Friday, I think there's a permanent indention where my booty's been. I just haven't been able to get comfortable in any other position. Even sitting at the computer with my leg propped up beside me isn't great, but I've felt the need to see a different size of glowing screen from time to time. Today I am going to push past it and find some way to sit in my scrapbook room. I've been home for almost 2 weeks and haven't done a lick of scrapbooking! Mind you, the first week I wasn't exactly in the mood, if you get my drift, and then more recently I've been solely horizontal. But today I will find a way.
In the meantime, here are a few of the things I've run across that I might not have, had I been actually productive. (Hey, I DID run the vacuum yesterday because my friend Angie was coming over to watch movies with me. It wasn't the greatest attempt, but I'm still gimpy.)
I never knew we had so many television channels. It's really insane. But after a while, it becomes almost therapeutic to just surf up and down the lists of options telling yourself, "Look! You shouldn't be bored! Look at all of the adventures that await you!" Well, while doing this the other day I ran across a channel called "Fine Living," which I've never watched because I have no delusions of my "living" ever becoming "fine." But the show was called, "Whatever, Martha!" and it was these two women, watching OLD clips of Martha Stewart's TV show, making fun of her! I was hooked immediately! It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, except instead of dissecting bad Sci-fi films, they're picking on Martha's perfectionistic tendencies and unrealistic project ideas. The concept became even MORE exciting to me when I found out that one of the hosts is Martha's own daughter! Alexis Stewart! (I'd never heard of her, either.) What a great peek into what it must be like to live in the shadow of the world's super-homemaker! I imagined that they must have had a huge falling out and now Alexis had made it her life's mission to expose the lies behind the Martha empire. How scandalous! How intriguing! How about a clip? :)
Well, that whole theory fell apart when I discovered that their show is actually sponsored by Martha Stewart Living . Bleh. Not nearly as fun. But I guess that could just be another way Martha is trying to control her poor daughter's life, right? Yeah, that adds the scandal right back in there. We'll roll with that scenario. If you get the Fine Living channel, you should totally check it out.
Now for a couple of websites you absolutely must check out. This first one was sent to me on Facebook and I spent a good 15 minutes just laughing out loud. Click on it, you'll understand. Upside Down Dogs. Really, click on it.
Secondly, a website for my scrappy friends. It's possible you've already discovered this blog and if you have, I'm mad at you for never showing ME! You know how completely out of the loop I can be! Help a sister out! :) It's called Pencil Lines and it's fully dedicated to scrapbook sketches! You all know how much I loooove sketches!! It's fantastic. Lot's of different styles to show how much variety one sketch can bring. Enjoy!
How am I supposed to get anything done when they're bringing all of my favorite shows back at once?!? Well, "all" is an exaggeration, of course, but there are quite a few series starting back up that I don't feel I can miss out on. I'm trying to decide what the better time management method would be; watch one each night or watch them ALL at once in one huge slot of wasted time. Fiddlesticks. Whatever the case, my DVR (and my poor husband) are going to be wondering what the heck is going on. And BOTH of them will probably be deleting things before I'm ready to! *haha*
The Amazing Race Wednesdays @ 7:00pm The Travel Channel (used to be on CBS but they've moved it this year)
Yes it's the 12th season and no there probably isn't any place left on the globe that this show HASN'T traveled to, but I still absolutely love it. I certainly haven't watched all 12 seasons, but each one that I have gotten into has been completely engrossing. I love the drama between teams and the craaaaazy challenges they have to complete. And I just plain love the constant motion and excitement of all the traveling they do! If I didn't think Jeremy and I would completely eat each other alive, I would try out for this show. But there is no way, no how, that the two of us could handle the stress and not make complete jerks out of ourselves...ON national tv for everyone to see. No no no, I'm not that stupid. I'll keep our petty arguments behind closed doors, thank you very much. And in the meantime I'll enjoy watching OTHER people break down due to the pressure! What fun! ;)
This falls into the "reality-design-competition" category of television that I can't seem to get enough of. Project Runway is clothes, Sheer Genius is hair, and here is Top Design, which is all about interior decorating! What's not fun about that? Yes, most of the contestants need a major ego deflation and the judges are so posh they're prissy, but I just love to see what these designers can come up with on a whim and throw together in a matter of hours!! I rarely get inspired by anything they DO, however, and spend most of my time critiquing their work. *haha* But it's still a lot of fun.
Dog Town Fridays @ 7:00pm National Geographic Channel
This is the show I am hands-down, flat-out MOST excited about coming back! I thought it had been cancelled because it's been off the air for a while, turns out it was just in between seasons I guess. The show is about this amazing dog rescue center in New Mexico called Dog Town. They take dogs that no one else wants, either because they're too old, too sick, or too aggressive to be adopted. Most of them are rehabilitated and given good homes, but the ones that aren't adopted are allowed to stay there on the ranch with people who take care of them and give them affection. (There's a "senior center" for older dogs. It has soft doggie beds and couches and air conditioning, so they can live out their final days in peace and comfort.) I was SO thrilled to see that this center is where many of the pitt bulls from the Michael Vick case were sent! Apparently, this new season centers around their rehabilitation. (The dog in the picture on the right is one of these pitt bulls. Looks like an amazing transformation already!) The show premiers tomorrow night. You really should check it out. The stories are amazingly touching. Of course, I do kinda have a thing for dogs. You might not have noticed. *hehe*
*sigh* How could I forget to mention Prison Break? This is a show that we got in on kinda late. Much like with Lost, we had to get caught up by watching DVD's of the early seasons. Once we watched those first few episodes, Jeremy and I were both hooked. And I can't even begin to express how PSYCHED I am that they're bringing Dr. Sarah Tancredi BACK from the DEAD! *haha* Yes, from the dead, for those of you who don't watch. Do I care that it is completely implausible that they could have faked her death (seeing as how her decapitated head was in a box)? NO! I will accept whatever ridiculous scenario they give me, as long as it means that Sarah and Michael can be together again. *dramatic sigh* Either I'm a hopeless romantic or a complete idiot. ;)
So folks, if you start to notice that my blog is being neglected, it's because I'm trying to get caught up on all of my favorite tv shows! Gimme a break, they'll be over in like three months. *hehe*
Does anyone else watch Project Runway? I LOVE this show! I, who can't even sew a button on properly without trying three times, am obsessed with this show that is 95% watching people construct garmets to send down the runway. It is beyond fascinating to me. Not only do they work under crazy time restrictions (usually 12 hrs or so) but they're usually given some kind of difficult fabric to work with. Or something that's not even fabric at all. They've had to make fashion from grocery store purchases, candy products (including the wrappers, thank goodness or that would have been a melty mess!) and last night, the nuttiest one yet, car parts. Yes, they had to use things like seatbelts, floor mats, seat covers, air filters, etc...and make something WEARABLE out of them! It blew my mind. And what's even more amazing is that most of the stuff didn't look half-bad!!
This coat was made entirely from seatbelts woven together. Isn't it gorgeous? It looks like some kind of incredibly expensive fabric. I felt sorry for the model, though. They said it was incredibly heavy to wear. Bet she was wishing she ate Wheaties instead of air for breakfast. ;)
I'm a happily married dog-mom of three. I'm also "Auntie Sarah" to two beautiful children, Olivia and Jackson. I am lucky to live close to my wonderful family! I love Jesus and am blessed with amazing church friends. I work as a Customer Care Assistant at a vet clinic, which is always offering its share of challenges and hard moments, but I've never loved any job more.
But basically, my life's pretty simple and I like it that way. :)
