The Obligatory 100

I've never done one of these, but have noticed it's somewhat of a blog orientation , so here goes.

A list of 100 things I've been doing this week when I should have been blogging:
In random order...

1. Listening to my Barenaked Ladies' Christmas CD.

2. Trying my hardest to make my house look like the inside of a snow globe.

3. Wishing KYIS 98.9 would play non-stop Christmas music on the radio like last year.

4. Wishing Delilah on Magic 104.1 would get a life. And a better Christmas play-list.

5. Obsessing over a way to get to see Trans Siberian Orchestra in concert w/out spending $120.

6. Falling in love with the NONFAT Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks.

7. Discovering the NONFAT Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks has 2 grams of fat.

8. Tasting the NONFAT Eggnog Latte at Starbucks.

9. Discovering the NONFAT Eggnog Latte at Starbucks has 15! grams of fat. Hmmm...

10. Considering becoming Jewish just so I could make a dreidel out of clay.

11.Realizing that all of my Church of Christ friends already think I'm going to hell for being Catholic.

12.Considering becoming Church of Christ.

13.Realizing that being Catholic is way more fun. We have wine IN church, people!

14.Considering that some of my Church of Christ readers may be offended by what I just typed.

15.Realizing that the Church of Christ readers that know the inside joke behind this comment would think it was funny.

16. Considering that I should move on from this topic.

17. Determining that one Thanksgiving dinner doesn't ruin your Weight Watcher goals.

18. Determining that 3 Thanksgiving dinners and 2 birthday celebrations in one week DOES!

19. Making green bean casserole, twice in two days.

20. Making WW pumpkin cheesecake fluff.

21. Wishing WW pumpkin cheesecake fluff tasted more like pumpkin cheesecake.

22. Getting excited over my birthday gifts.

23. Getting excited over my gifts even though I knew what they were in advance.

24. Gaining a new respect for my husband's party planning.

25. Gaining a big head thinking that I had the biggest influence on that.

26. Learning more about myself from Nathan's party game.

27. Learning more about what my family thinks of me from Nathan's party game.

28. Spending most of my birthday party looking at Black Friday ads.

29. Convincing my husband that Black Friday shopping will be fun.

30. Going to bed convinced I would go shopping alone.

31. Being shocked when I had a shopping buddy in the car with me.

32. Being shocked I made it to Kohl's at 3:30 in the morning.

33. Wishing I hadn't left my coat at my brother's house the day before.

34. Being the first to check out at Kohl's on Black Friday.

35. Hoping these people will think their gift was worth the above 3 items.

36. Not being the first to check out at JC Penny's on Black Friday.

37. Hoping my nephew will appreciate his telescope from the above item.

38. Standing in line at 4:45 a.m. for Toy's R Us to open.

39. Wishing AGAIN I hadn't left my coat at my brother's the day before.

40. Racing through cart-pushing slow pokes to get an ultra-cool Hot Wheels Radar Gun for my nephew.

41. Laughing that others started to grab the same radar gun only after they saw me get it.

42. Laughing harder that Nathan was upset that I didn't buy one for him.

43. Not laughing when I raced to an empty pallet of DVD players at WalMart at 5:20 a.m.

44. Rejoicing upon noticing a DVD player abandoned on the Battery Center at WalMart.

45. Containing my excitement and desire to call my sister at 5:25 in the morning to tell her that I did the above 2 just for her.

46. Drove past a Starbucks to be one of the first in line for Home Depot's opening on Black Friday.

47. Staying in my car until I saw someone approaching Home Depot's door.

48. Saw someone heading to H.D.'s front door.

49. Grabbed my purse and raced to H.D's door.

50. Realized that it was an associate not a shopper.

51. Stood in line anyway.

52. Handed Nathan his box at Home Depot and exclaimed, "Merry Christmas!"

53. Headed to Jimmy's Egg and waited for it to open.

54. Headed to the tile store.

55. Got disappointed that I didn't have to wait in line.

56. Went home to take a 3 hour nap.

57-78: I'm taking the liberty to skip these because I just wasted the past 45 minutes in which I could have completed these numbers arguing with my husband on the topic of requiring interviews for African American coaches in college football. I'll save both of our opinions for another post another day.

79. Preserving and admiring my cake made of flowers that my husband brought to my work for my birthday three days ago.

80. Realizing that sushi restaurants aren't open on Sundays, even if it is your birthday.

81. Skipping a chance at a new restaurant for a "sure thing" at a favorite.

82. Getting excited about buying pants that actually aren't falling off of me.

83. Cleaning out my purse.

84. Trying to arrange the entire bathroom cabinet of stuff in my old purse into my new purse.

85. Scrolling up through this post to see if I had already mentioned the purse.

86. Wishing the batteries in my digital camera were juiced so I could take a picture of my new purse.

87. Getting a new mixer with...wait for it...ejectable blades!! from the girls at work.

88. Using it the next night to make a "questionable" cake for a friend.

89. Actually jogging 4.0 miles per hour on the treadmill for an ENTIRE song.

90. Subsequently having to pull the plug on the treadmill before dying.

91. Purchasing my Christmas cards to mail out.

92. Wishing I could pay someone to write our Christmas newsletter to go in them.

93. Budgeting half my pay check to cover the cost to actually mail them.

94. Contemplating what I want to ask "Santa" for for Christmas.

95. Snarfing at the $60 limit that "Santa" put on my request.

96. Snarfing at the countertop shop that won't tell me when I get new countertops.

97. Day-dreaming about wiping down my new countertops.

98. Not day-dreaming about using all of my certification bonus from work to pay for the countertops.

99. Hoping that I will be a better blogger in the upcoming weeks.

100. Hoping that the time I spent on this blog will suffice my readers and prove that I really have been busy the past week.

NaBloPoMo Mercy post

Thought I'd check in for a moment only to selfishly point out to Jessica and Charly that my little blog has offically been visited and commented on by the renowned Friday Playdate twice now. I do believe that brings the tally to: 2 for Liz , 1 for Jess, and 0 for Charly. Just sayin'...

What A Difference A Rake Makes

Is it all for nothing to rake your leaves when all your neighbor's yards are covered in brown and orange crumblies? I think every neighborhood association should have assigned days in which all home owners should have to rake their yard on the same day. My yard shouldn't be punished for everyone else's lack of love for their yard.

I imagine a fabulous neighborhood where every weekend before Thanksgiving all neighbors celebrate the annual "Rake, Rooftop,Rub and Roast ." Everyone would rake their yard and then decorate for Christmas. After decking the lawn with red and green, the neighbors would gather together for massages to ease their sore muscles. All massages would be fully clothed ones though. Let's be honest. It's all I can handle to see you getting your morning newspaper in your robe.

After the massage, everyone could gather around a big bonfire and feast on seasonal goodies and drink egg-nog lattes. The bonfire would be an open forum for all the neighbors to apologize for the World War III that they overheard while you were "discussing" the layout for all 93 extension cords to be plugged into 2 working outlets. The best part is that The Blais' would never have to stand up to apologize for anything. We could just sit back and listen to all the other bickering neighbors and then go home and talk about them. Thank goodness Nathan and I NEVER argue about silly things like extension cords. It's much easier to stomp around the yard declaring "JESUS is the reason for the season! Merry freakin' Christmas."

Yeah, that would be a nice neighborhood. I think it would be called Lizville. Because perfect neighborhoods need perfect names.

A Note To My Book Club

Rant-let. Defined as a small, completely insignificant, mini-rant to only be used in the context of lighthearted poking fun; guilt-trip.

Dear Book Club,
How I look so fondly on our many great laughs and reads together. The times we have shared will always hold a special place in my heart. I look forward to our dinners, book conversing, and mostly the wonderful life stories we share as a group. I have gained many friendships from our gatherings and I look forward to many years of growing closer. I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to spend my time with.


Now as for the "book" part of our book club. Your behavior over the past couple of months is deplorable. I would say that I am a pretty lenient book picker and I allow plenty of time to complete the assigned book. I do believe I have allowed a good number of opportunities in which to purchase, actually read, and then discuss the last book of my choice.


I had accepted that maybe no one really wanted to read my last selection because I had not been the best book-picker in the past. But, after reading this post about our current book choice that was written by someone I would consider well-versed in literature and then subsequently receiving a phone call noting that this said post encouraged one of you to ACTUALLY start reading the book, and then subsequently informing me that "yeah this book is pretty darn good," I started to become a wee bit annoyed at your behavior.


This note, however, does not come to you by the aforementioned phone call alone. This comes to you as a combination of the phone call from one of you and this blog entry by another one of you stating that you are reading/listening to other books that have not been selected by our group. This is unacceptable behavior. Our book club comes first. No babies, work trips, incompetent spouses, holidays, or even hospital visits should come between the members and the selected reading.


Now, I am not one to hold a grudge. So I leave you with this. READ the darn book!! It's good. I promise. I'm sure that with a little time and a few homemade weight watcher treats, I can be bribed into forgiving you for your long delay of book club etiquette - reading. Now, I must be on my way. I'm only halfway through the book myself. Which is totally why I can be bribed. But, I'm still upset. But, not really. But, I'm still going to monitor your progress. But not really.

Truly yours,
Liz


P.S. For the member that stated she likes to judge a book by its cover and therefore had not picked it up, I leave you this. Another cover I found of the EXACT SAME BOOK. Read it!

=

Christmas Update #1 (and quite possibly the only)

Mission Accomplished: Ding Dong The Grinch Is Dead!!

I am super-stoked that I convinced Nathan that we absolutely HAVE to start decorating for Christmas this coming weekend. I am so ready this year. I can't wait to get all my cute color coordinated stuff from last year out.

My theory: Starbucks is decorated for Christmas, so I should be too. I should do everything Starbucks does. I should live in a Starbucks and then Britney Spears (I think that makes 6, Jess) would come over and she and I could chat about how I am so proud that she has turned so much into a complete nutcase that even my husband who obsessed over her many years ago can't even tolerate her. I figure the more I can cross off of "his list" the better.


Anyway, I can't wait to put up my Christmas tree. I can't wait to go shopping to put stuff under the tree. I can't wait to place cayenne pepper around the edges in attempt to keep my sweet Enid out of the tree. I've already purchased my first Christmas gift to be wrapped (lovingly by my freakishly perfect wrapping husband) to go under the tree first thing. One guess as to who it's for. He's small, smells like fresh laundry, and his name rhymes with "tan." Anyone who guesses incorrectly gets to come over and help Nathan put lights on the roof.

NaNoBloWhatever

I know. I failed you. I failed myself too. I tried. I really did. But, I've been busy. I've been playing host for nearly 6 days and I'm pooped. I had a great time though. It was a much needed break from the everyday. My brother-in-law, Brandon visited us from Maine and the days and nights were filled with lots of to-do's and eating. Good god! The eating! I'm so sick of eating.


The upside: I haven't cooked one meal since last Wednesday. That part was awesome. The downside: I haven't cooked one meal since last Wednesday. That means I've eaten out every meal for a week. Not exactly a Weight Watcher's shining moment. I stuck to my guns, though, and have managed to stay within acceptable scale fluctuation for being "on vacation" at home. Now my husband on the other hand, I'm pretty sure he could skip a couple six meals or so to recoup.

I decided instead of chronicling (is that a word?) all that we've done the past few days, it would be much more comical to see all that Nathan and Brandon conquered in the amazing culinary world of OKC. I would note what I ate at all these places, but listing grilled chicken and salad gets pretty boring after the first three meals.


Saturday: Pop from Pops in Arcadia, Johnnie's Charbroil, Papa Murphy's, (chips, cookies)

Sunday: Sonic, (Super Chunky Choc. hip cookie dough ice cream and popcorn), Shoguns, Starbucks

Monday: (waffles, bacon), Louie's, (veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, cookies), Old Chicago
(revisit the ice cream)

Tuesday: City Bites,(wine tasting with cheesecake Hershey Kisses),Cheesecake Factory,
(left-over Old Chicago)

Wednesday:Krispy Kreme before the plane ride home.


THAT! people, is what you call a vacation!! Luckily, I managed to have some sort of motivation to workout everyday on that list. AND! I managed to subside the urge for cheesecake with a very large cup of decaf. You can pull a Tiger Woods and pump your fist in the air if you want. I did. You can also send gifts. I like gifts.

I'm sorry I didn't keep my end of the bargain to blog everyday. But, hopefully, the extra blogging in the next couple of days will allow you to forgive me. So all the guilt-fest comments and phone calls may cease. I'm busy living my life over here!

Get a Life! ... at least an exciting one

What does it say about a couple that has an entire conversation about looking forward to walking on the moving walkway at the airport? Yeah, we need to get out more. Help Us! Invite us somewhere!

No-Harm Chicken Parm

No. No. Don't over-react! You're in the right place. This is still my blog. I know that I don't normally post about things that I have cooked; mainly because I don't usually cook anything other than spaghetti or some sort of casserole dish. But this wonder-wife keeps making me feel bad.

I used to go to her blog to day-dream about the warm chocolate chips cookies at the top of her page, but once I started actually READING versus drooling, it inspired me to maybe actually try something new. She always blogs about wonderful dishes she's made her husband for dinner. The girl threw a Halloween party for just the two of them! I just threw a bag of fun-size snickers at Nathan and told him "Happy Pumpkin Day".

So I've been taking copious notes and decided I too was going to test out a new recipe. I settled on the No-Harm Chicken-Parm I found on the Hungry-Girl website. Some WW friendly recipes are a little sketchy the first time you do them. I know that it can either turn out as a "repeat" or a disaster (i.e. fat free tuna-noodle casserole. ick.). After dinner though, I asked the required questions: " Did you like it? Is it a repeat? Did it taste like cereal?" Nathan responded with, "It's pretty good. Yeah, we could have it again. No." The last question was a little odd, I know. But the recipe was odd when I heard it at first. Who uses Fiber-One cereal as a substitute for frying something?! The answer: I do...now.

If you're in the mood for chicken parmesan but are either 1. out of WW points or 2. can't afford to go to the place with the best version, Johnny Carino's, it could be a worthy substitute. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Notes to a few of my readers:
Brooke: They have a similar recipe for cheese sticks here. I know they're your fave.
Derek: You'll eat anything...go for it.
John: This is in NO WAY a replacement for J.C. It's coated in cereal for gods sake.
Jessica: This may only be good with the sauce on top. I know you're not really into red sauce, so I would use caution. WHAT! am I talking about?! You don't cook. Ignore this whole post.
Charly: You're married now! You have to use that new food processor. Get to it girl.
Nathan: Thanks for being my food guinea pig. I love you for being supportive and trying everything at least once.
Aubrey: I hope you don't take offense. I love your blog and all the wonderful things you write about. That's why I read it E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y.

No-Harm Chicken Parm

Ingredients:

5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast (raw) (Add additional chicken for each person)
1/3 cup Fiber One cereal
1/4 cup Egg Beaters, Original
3/4 tsp. reduced fat grated parmesan cheese
1 oz. (approx. 1/4 cup) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup canned tomato sauce (I used some jar sauce and then used the rest to coat addtl. noodles I made)
Optional: garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. 3.Add parmesan to crumbs (if desired, season crumbs with optional spices, as well).
4.Place crumbs in one small dish and Egg Beaters in another.
5.Next, pound your chicken so it's a bit flattened.
6.Coat raw chicken on both sides with Egg Beaters, and then coat with crumb mixture.
7.Place chicken on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray.
8.Spray a light mist of nonstick spray on top of chicken and place in oven.
9.Cook for 10 minutes, and then turn chicken over.
10.Add another light mist of nonstick spray and cook for an additional 10 - 12 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked and coating looks crispy).
11.Meanwhile, if desired, mix tomato sauce with your seasonings of choice.
12.Remove chicken from oven, top with sauce and then cheese, and return chicken to oven until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1 chicken breast Calories: 295 Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 890mg Carbs: 27g Fiber: 11g Sugars: 3.5g Protein: 46.5g WW: 5 Points

The Comeback Kids

The announcement of one of my many favorite shows making a return to the screen after a long hiatus has sent me into a spiralling search for others making their comeback. I hate committing to new shows for fear that they will be cancelled after one or two seasons. Here's what I've found so far:

One/Two Hit Wonders No More

Show Title: Notes From the Underbelly
Who would like it: A staple for anyone thinking about getting pregnant, has friends who are pregnant, or likes to hear the word "mucus" alot.
Premier Date/Time: Monday, November 26 8:30pm on ABC

Show Title: The Real Housewives of Orange County 3
Who would like it: Anyone who loves trashy, scripted reality shows about silver-platter spoiled middle aged women. ME!
Premier Date/Time: Tuesday, November 6 9:00pm on BRAVO (if you missed it, they re-run it ALL THE TIME!)

Mega Star With A Mega Late Premier Date
(Hurry up already!)

Show Title: Project Runway Season 4
Who would like it: Anyone with any since of style, need for clothing, or really into blond bombshells. Tim Gunn is one classy man. Also entertaining for those with an obsession for the phrase "in or out."
Premier Date/Time: Wednesday, November 14 9:00pm on BRAVO

No Show for the Ti-Vo (YET!)

Show Title: Deadliest Catch Season 4

Who would like it: Any fan of crab, cold, or close quarters for weeks at a time. Anyone needing a great idea to earn a quick $30,000.

Premier Date/Time: Unknown. But Discovery Channel has a few substitutes in the mean time: Lobster Wars and Ice Road Truckers. The latter wasn't half-bad, but it's no King. Crab that is.

Show Title: Work Out Season 3

Who would like it: Anyone craving some gym drama or anyone needing a visual confirmation of what exercise really looks like.

Premier Date/Time: Unknown. But according to a BRAVO cast member's MySpace, Season 3 started filming in October. If it's on MySpace, it HAS to be true!

Call Me Columbus

A list of things I wish I would have discovered sooner...

1. Ikea has a winter collection. (Hmmm... can we say "Roadtrip!"?)
2. Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookies
3. The 3 pairs of smaller size jeans buried in my closet.
4. The almighty power that is the DVR.
5. The stockpile of pricey play mice for Enid under my bed.
6. The warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from an organized hair product drawer.
7. "Blackened," as in blackened chicken, actually means lightly coated then FRIED! (No wonder it's yummy.)
8. Just because you BUY a treadmill, doesn't mean you USE the treadmill.
9. The Hungry-Girl website.
10. At our age, "going on an adventure" is defined by a last minute dinner with friends at POPS on! a! work! night! Can you imagine?!
11. Burger joints may surprise you with fresh strawberries and fantastic green beans.

Yeah, the goal was at least 20 discoveries, but the Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin Ice Cream is calling my name. 2 WW points of heaven.

BeerFest 2007...Birthday of Champions

For over seven years and for as long as we have been dating, Nathan has always noted that my family takes birthdays to a whole new level. What can I say? Bradshaws do birthdays BIG! I'm pretty partial to big birthdays. No one's special day should go by without crepe paper, cake, dinner of your choice, presents and party games. Oh yes! There are party games.

My bro-in-law, Jim, can be blamed for the elaborate expectations for party games. It's a new staple in all of our b-day celebrations. That, and our special version of the birthday song. Those lucky enough have been able to hear the song in person. Others, well, they'll have to use their imagination. To help them out here's a hint: It sounds an awful like a certain bday song at the home of THE BEST! Mexican food in OKC. Now imagine it being sung by a bunch of cake-craving, koozie-toting, party rejects. THAT is what the Bradshaws and the Faux-shaws call a birthday.

One of my favorite birthdays to celebrate is my brother's. It's not that I favor Mark over any of my other family members; I leave that to my Mom and her inconsistent declaration of the #1 child. It really comes down to the fact that once HIS birthday is over, MY birthday season is underway. I like to say that I deserve a whole month of birthday attention, since I often have to share my birthday with a wobbly-necked, giblet-producing butterball.

This year though, Mark's birthday was one for the books. It marked the first annual BraHamBla BeerFest. BraHamBla is not only funny because it has the word bra in it (I'm so mature, I know); it's funny because, I don't even drink beer. It was still a blast. And, it was very ummmm ... Mark.

We each had a sampler-cup of 21 hand selected beers from around the world. Then all 9 party-goers ranked them on a scale of 1 to 10. I don't think I gave any of them over a 5. Let's be honest, the 3 of 21 tasters that I didn't pour out into the yard, still weren't as good as my drink of choice. What can I say? I'm an Arbor-Mist type of gal. I like it sweet, cheap and as close to water as possible.

The BraHamBla Beefest 2007 lineup: The Birthday Boy and his brews:

BeerFest attendees minus one taking the picture, and two who never made it to the "beer" part of Beerfest:
Yeah, we're a pretty scary looking bunch after 21 beers. Or before, for that matter. As you can see, Nathan had a good time. The random guy in the back, B, is a neighbor who joined in on the fun. Jane and I decided that he and his wife, A (taking the picture), were very nice; but the wife is too freakin' cute to be invited to future parties.

And for those interested, the winner was:
Erdinger Hefe-Weizen Dark
AKA
Foamy motor-oil.

Nate's Sports Bites

In case you missed it, Adrian Peterson broke the single-game NFL record for rushing yards with 296.....AS A ROOKIE! I'm not ashamed to admit a tear formed in my eye as I watched the following highlight video. If he stays healthy, I think he could become one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Enjoy the highlights!


In other news, Kelvin Sampson appears to be in trouble again for making inappropriate phone calls, only one year after getting his dream job at Indiana. You would think that getting in trouble once would be enough for him to get the point. Maybe him leaving Oklahoma was a god-send after all. He took us to a Final Four and two Elite Eights, but might have also taken us to probation if he would have stuck around. Thanks for leaving, Kelvin.

How much is that kitty in the window? ...

The Principal of the Matter

For the most part, I love my job. I love the 8-5 schedule. I love the ridiculous amount of paid holidays and vacation time. I love my coworkers. Heck, I have even gotten used to the stale air and lack of vitamin D that comes from working two floors underground. Overall, its a pretty good set up for me.

Finding jobs for people can be a very rewarding career, for both me and the person actually getting the job. But for every person who gets the job, there is a long list of people who don't. Imagine telling someone that you cannot approve their application for them to be able to have a chance at a position. Imagine having to tell a person that the college degree that they spent four years to complete, is not from an accredited college. Imagine telling someone that even though they have been unemployed for a year and a half, that their experience is not actually what you are looking for and there is nothing you can do to approve them. Imagine doing this all day -every day.

Now, imagine telling any one of these things to your elementary school principal. Seems like a great opportunity right? Stick one to the old fart! Make 'em pay for all they did to torment you! Let THEM right on the board 100 times that they are not worthy for your position! While it seemed slightly ironic at the beginning, this real-life scenario, played out today, was actually pretty uncomfortable for me.

I would have thought that it would make me feel good to be in a position of power over someone who I had no choice but to obey many (many) years ago. I guess I would have felt much more successful to have been able to actually show off what I have become and find him a job, rather than disappointing him and ending it there. I guess I can only do what my new "principals" allow me to do.

Some days, you're just thankful that YOU'RE the only half of a "couple" that remembers the other half from a time long before. Some days, you're just thankful for sloughing your maiden name from your business card.

Up For The Challenge

Apparently, November has been designated as the month for bloggers to strive to make an entry every day. E-V-E-R-Y freakin' day?! Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not that interesting. But, the Blais' have joined together in pinky-swear that one of us will make a new post at least once a day for the whole month. Good thing I found out about this challenge today, huh. Thanks, Jess.

November should present lots of activities for our house and therefore for our blog. Not only is November the host to my absolute favorite holiday, Turkey-day, I'm "thankful" that it's also the month of my favorite day : MY birthday!! This November also includes a visit from an out-of-town guest, Black Friday bargain hunting, and 4-count them- 4! paid holidays off work.

So strap-in! This ought to be interesting...