Before and After

It is almost the anniversary of when I bought a pair of old ottomans from the church garage sale and and I finally got around to recovering them this weekend. Here is what they looked like before:

And here is what they look like now:

Jack is modeling it for me with his mad-camera-flash eyes!!

I was thinking about putting some fringe-like stuff on the bottom that is similar in design to the cording on the top and the same color. What is your opinion? I cant decide...

Doggie Slumber Party!!

WooHoo....last weekend Charlie (dog-daughter of Ryan and Katie and Lucy's BFF) spent the weekend with us and we had loads of fun! Here is the story of the weekend hoopla:

This time they were only semi-onry. I didnt take any pictures of the carnage outside but they destroyed a towel from Lucy's dog house and tried to dig to China a little but otherwise they were pretty good. The towel was old and the backyard doesnt have much grass right now so it wasnt a big deal. Inside, they rebelled against us wanting to sleep in on Saturday and Lucy got the dog pill pocket things down from the counter and then they both ate all of the them (which was about 30 little treat things) and the tore up the whole bag. Then she started to pull out dirty dishes from the sink and licked them. They dont like to be locked in the kitchen when we want to sleep aparently and it was too cold to kick them outside. We eventually got up and all was well. It is weird that they act that way sometimes because they are locked in the kitchen every Wednesday and never do any of those things. They usually do ornery things outside. AND, seperate and apart from one another, they dont do ANY of those things. It is only when they are together that they act like wild monkeys!!! Oh well, we survived.

This is a picture of the doggies being sweet and keeping me warm before we kicked them off the bed into their own bed :) They are always so cute when they are sleepy and cuddly. Then they turn into little devils when they wake up early and dont let you finish sleeping (just kidding)!!

This is just a picture of Lucy chewing her bone really weirdly...half way on the couch and half way off. Sometimes it is the reverse too.

And below are some videos of Charlie and Jack playing (or bickering) whatever you want to call it. For some reason, Charlie is scared of Jack and always backs away from him and Jack doesnt seem to be too scarred of Charlie because he always puts up a fight. It is pretty hilarious and this time I got a couple of videos. The second one is better than the first but I thought I would post both of them since Katie hasnt seen them yet.

It was fun and Lucy already told me she cant wait for Charlie to spend the night again!

Funny Video!

Since I am not an SNL watcher, I only just saw this video today. So I am sure most of you all have seen this but in case you haven't you should watch this. It is pretty hilarious!

justin timberlake snl beyonce single ladies video

Once in a while, SNL has a good skit or two but it is just not as funny as it used to be in the 80s and 90s,

Dinner and a Movie

On Saturday, we got an unexpected offer to use our friends tickets to the Warren for dinner and a movie. They had something come up unexpectedly and we were the beneficiaries! We went to the Warren Theatre were you can sit in the balcony and enjoy dinner and a movie on their gigantic digital movie screen. First, you walk up the stairs and are greeted and then they personally take you to your reserved seats. Once you get comfortable in your heated seats (one of my favorite parts), you can place your order for dinner with your own personal server. The food is served to you as well as anything else you would like. They are at your becon call with just a push of a button. And when it is time for the movie, the huge red curtain is raised and the previews begin. Our friends had already purchased the movie tickets and chose "The International." We both wanted to see that movie so it worked out well. And it turned out to be a good movie. The only thing I wished I could change is the opening scene following my dinner. I had just finished eating when the movie began and one of the first things that happened is that this guy was stabbed in the neck with a syringe filled with cyanide (not important to the movie) and then started puking everywhere and died. AND they showed it for what seemed like eternity so I had to look away and push on my ears to avoid throwing up myself since unfortunately, I start gaging and feeling like throwing up myself at the sound, sight or smell of vomit!!! Other than that part though, the movie was entertaining as well as the evening. I am sorry for the circumstances of which we obtained the tickets but thanks for thinking of us Carl and Joanne. We had a great date night!!Matt had to take our picture because our first waitress was a little bit moody so we didnt want to ask her to take our picture. Too bad his arm shadow is cast upon me. Later we had another server that was really nice so I was glad when the first girl left!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Time to brag on my hubby a little! But not so much that it will make you sick and stuff :) Last Friday, Matt started off the Valentine's Day celebration early by surprising me with 2 dozen beautiful roses and chocolate sent to my work!

However, I think he just ordered the chocolate along with the flowers because he knows that (1) at least half of the candy is dark chocolate (which I dont like) and (2) I dont get around to eating chocolate candy very fast and he can just eat it all for me before I usually eat 1 piece! I still have Christmas chocolate that he probably steals and eats when I am not looking!! And later that evening, we went to dinner with my mom at Alfredo's in Moore and he had bought her some Valentine's flowers as well (double points)!!

Then on Saturday, we messed around here at the house and had planned to go to Pop's in Arcadia for lunch. We got there at 1:30 and there was an hour wait for just 2 people so we ended up getting some "pop" and leaving. Here are the crazy flavors we chose:
From left to right: Orange Cream Soda, Key Lime Soda, ChocoFizz, Honey Kola, Bug Barf, Root Beer, Cream Soda, another Choco Fizz and Pineapple Soda.

We actually tried the Choco Fizz a couple of weeks ago at Chocolate Decadence and it was delicious so we got a couple this time. It takes like liquid tootsie rolls! The Key Lime one was not so good, the Orange Cream Soda was really good and tastes like a push pop and the rootbeer was good too. The rest have yet to be opened. We will see how Bug Barf goes...it wasnt my selection if you can believe that :)

But since we were out of luck for lunch at Pop's, we ended up going to 501 cafe in Edmond. I havent been there in like 5 years and Matt has never been at all. It was as good as I remember and thankfully they still had the delicious Passion Fruit Tea. I love it more than regular tea but it is really expensive to buy online. Maybe I will ask for it for my birthday.

And for dinner, Matt made me some Mediterranean Chicken, Brussel Sprouts and I helped him make Southwest Egg Rolls (like the ones from Chili's but healthier). It was a really good dinner and I always enjoy it when he cooks for me! I had made another Chocolate Torte for us and to share with work for dessert which was really good but very rich.

It case you are wondering what the computer is doing at my place setting, it is the card Matt made for me. He always makes silly cards in Microsoft Paint for me for most occasions. I think they are so cute and love them more than getting a card from the store! Our printer was broken so he couldnt print this one out for me yet.

Here is a close up of it. He even included Lucy and her best friend dottie (the laser dot in the grass). And he had two toned colored grass which is starting to get a little fancy :) Maybe next time though he will draw some clothes. Lets keep it G-rated!!!

I didnt even take off my apron...what a loser!

Here is Jack...he looks really mean in this picture but it is just the flash. He always squints his eyes when the flash goes off and looks PO'd in all his pictures. He recently has started sitting by us at the table begging and meowing for food while we eat for dinner. Lucy doesnt even do that. It is totally backwards.

Lucy sat on her blanket and pouted about not getting attention during dinner.

And this is the torte we had for dessert. I only saved one piece for each of us because it had a million calories in it I am sure. It is made up of lady fingers or angel food cake on the bottom and outside, nutella for the bottom layer, then caramel & pecans, then a big section of chocolate cheesecake mousse stuff and topped with chocolate chunks and drizzled chocolate. It looks hard to make but it really isnt.

And lastly, here is Matt showing us his food baby. After Valentine's Day, it probably gained like 10 pounds :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing Valentine's weekend with your spouses and families!

Announcement!!!

If you live here and I see you often, you have already probably figured this out by now but if not, this update is for you. Nothing big like a baby announcement or anything (and dont get any ideas...my five year plan renews itself every year as of now ), I just wanted to say that I got my hair cut. I am really bad about keeping up with getting my hair cut often so it is kind of a big deal when I do. Unfortunately, I made the appointment weeks in advance and forgot to consult God about his weather plans for the day. Because on the evening of my haircut appointment, we were in the middle of tornadic activity and heavy torrential rains! So as you can imagine, that didnt bode well with my newly cut and styled hair. However, I made the 45 minute trek to and from the salon and made it home with no issues. Here is what it looks like now:

Unfortunately, it doesnt look as good here as it did when she first fixed it before I tried to make it to the car in the rain. They gave me a plastic trash bag to cover me whole head including my face but that still didnt work! Too bad I didnt get a picture of that :)

And just for fun, here is a picture of Matt and Lucy from the other day. Lucy was cuddling with Matt before he had to get ready for work.

Lunch bag mania

Recently, Shay (my sister), introduced me to a blog called Design Sponge (link is below) with a request to make one of their crafty ideas for her. I tried to make it (with my own modifications because I didnt like their pattern) and it turned out really well. As mentioned previously, I am going to start a store on Etsy soon and this will be one of the things I am going to make and attempt to sell. This is just the protoype design but I plan to make at least 3 different styles to start out with. I dont have any good names for it so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

This is the front. The buttons are purely decoration on this side.

Then you open it up and this is what the inside looks like. It is held together by the inside buttons. The loops on the top half are for your silverware or plastic ware.

And you can fold it in half and have a place setting for your lunch. I realize that not everyone takes their lunch to work and eats with a place setting but it sure jazzes up your lunch some if you do! And it is cuter than most lunch bags you can buy at Walmart. Thanks Design Sponge and Shay for the great idea!

Update on the new pups!

Here are some new pics of my mom's new puppies at about 4 weeks of age. Now they are about two handfuls in size rather than just one!! There are still a few that need homes if any of you all are interested. Joanne, this means you!!

This is the one I call Chubawuba. He is the biggest one.

I havent named this one but it is the only one that is going to be long haired out of this litter.

This picture is just plain precious!! One of the puppies isnt in there though. I think I had taken him out for a picture and not put him back in yet.

And here is the proud mommy! Her name is Callie. She is always worried when you take one out of the cage and has to count them when you put the puppy back in and make sure they are all there. She isnt normally this skinny but she can hardly keep up with all the milk the little puppies need. She eats like a pig but still looks skinny. She will gain it all back in a few weeks though when they start eating real food.

Iron Chef Shannon

Last week, our church had an event called Mayfair Live!. It is an evening of entertainment in which several members of the church showcase their talents and this year, instead of dinner they had a dessert and coffee bar. We ended up not being able to go but I made several fancy desserts for it though and like the show "Iron Chef," I was given the secret ingredient of chocolate to be used to prepare my all my desserts with!!! Here are the desserts I made:

Chocolate Carmel Pecan Tartlets (the easiest to make).

It is just phyllo dough shells with caramel and chocolate in it and sprinkled with chopped pecans.

Chocolate Cinnamon Meringue Kisses

These cinnamon meringues and just sandwiched together with a dab of this chocolate mixture. The ones for the church were fine, however, I have never made meringues before and didnt know they absorb all the water in the air unless they are in an airtight container. I had planned to take some to my mom until I realized they turned to mush after a few hours on a plate in the kitchen. Foil isnt good enough to keep the air out :)

Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cups
(the picture below shows what they should have looked like)

*These were very hard and detailed to make but I think I have the bugs worked out for the next time. Just to give you a hint, it involved using little pieces of overhead projector transparencies to make the outer shell!!


And lastly, this is the Triple Chocolate Cake.

It is made of 3 layers of chocolate cake with chocolate ganache in between the layers and decorated with Necco candies on top.


Doesn't this look like a pattern I would do :) Concentric circles!

*As you can see, I often go overboard when I am given a task! But it was fun and I am glad they all turned out well and were delicious even though it was a lot of work! Join me next time at Kitchen Stadium for more adventures in cooking!

New job with a new office :)

Well as most of you know by now, I started a new job in January. Although it isnt as laid back as the church job is it has been fun and interesting so far! I made some new friends that make the day entertaining but I miss everyone from the church staff alot though. At least we still get together for lunch and we get to visit every week at church. Anyway, after being at the office for a few weeks, I finally got my office semi-decorated. And just as I did, I started working in the Pharmacy full time :) So now, I am rarely in my office to enjoy the ambiance. AND I haven't gotten around to finishing the decorating either because I forget about it until it is time to go home every day! Maybe sometime I will finish decorating. But for now, this is what it looks like:

I brought a whole bunch of stuff from home that was taking up a bunch of space or being stored and not used. This plant is no longer in there and replaced with a different one because it was not doing well at all.

I just bought this chair recently at the Rink! I love it!

Jack-In-The-Box & Lucy-Goosy!

Just because we don't have kids, doesn't mean we don't have a lot of fun with our furry-kids!! We have had Jack for about 4 years and he has always been really entertaining. When we first got Lucy he ran and hid all the time for almost a year. Finally, he realized that she wasn't going to eat him and started being a part of the fam again. Last week, I was getting the mailings together for the church and caught him playing in this tiny box. He loves to hid in spots that are too tiny for him or behind things. And he spazes out and runs all over the house sometimes too (among other silly things that he does). And if you are thinking that he looks like a big cat...you're right. He weighs about 18 pounds! Although this sounds horendous, he is only about 3 pounds overweight. He is supposed to be about 15 pounds normally, according to the vet. This picture doesnt pictate his fangs, but he has some big ones. We think he is a tiny panther, not a house cat :) Matt and his friends used to call him Slayer for a long time.

And as always, Lucy tries to command all the attention when she is not sleeping. Especially when we are playing with Jack! She is super jealous of any attention he gets. As I am writing this, she is trying to get me to pet her instead of writing this blog :) A few weeks ago, Rob and Matt were playing Mario cart and she would not leave them alone because she wanted them to play with her.

She tried to get Matt to play first...

When he didnt comply, she moved on to Rob. She tries to lick their faces because they are scratchy!! After a while, they finally gave in and played with her. Jack and Lucy are always entertaining...and like children, always love attention :)

Chocolate Decadence

Last Thursday, Matt and I went to Historic Automobile Alley to enjoy an evening of unlimited gourmet chocolate at Oklahoma City's annual Chocolate Decadence celebration! I have never heard of this event before until earlier that week but apparently it occurs every year. This year it was held here in the Hudson-Essex Loft and was filled with both after both of delicious chocolate creations. I am not a huge chocolate lover in the first place but I thought it would be fun to go to and that Matt would especially enjoy it a lot because he L-O-V-E-S chocolate anything. There were several chocolate fountains, numerous handmade truffles, chocolate soda, hot chocolate drinks, cold chocolate drinks, chocolate cakes, pumpkin tortellini with white chocolate sauce and other interesting chocolate delicacies!! I didn't take any pictures because I thought it might be frowned upon but you can bet it was unbelievable. I had enough chocolate for about a year that night! There was also several kinds of wine and champagne, a silent auction, a jazz trio and unfortunately Jack and Ron from the radio were the MC's for the night. I really cant stand them so I wasn't so excited about them being there but we were leaving when their part started so it was okay. It really was a wonderful evening and I am looking forward to going next year. If you would like more information about it, click on the link above!

Matt enjoys some truffles from Tom and Jerry's

Here we are posed in front of the car we won! (just kidding)

Gimme a P....gimme an A....gimme an M....

What does that spell?

PAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

For several months, we have been scheming to plan two special surprises for Pam (she is the superwoman of the church and has just celebrated her 20th year working at the church). So around her actual anniversary, the elders presented her with a surprise trip at the end of church one day (which she had no idea about). And after that, Pam thought that was the end of the surprises...but little did she know that we had another trick up our sleeves.

Since November, the staff, along with Mary (Pam's mom) have been planning a secret surprise celebration to honor Pam for all her hard work. She would never let us have a dinner in her honor if she knew about it so we had to sneak around her. Mary had the great idea for the cover story. They pretended to have a family party for Brian (Pam's son) to get her to Mary's hours where the dinner was without suspicion. One of her favorite places to eat is Ironn Starr so we had that catered. Pam was totally shocked, and a little mad at Paul for not telling her to dress up more :)

The dinner was great, almost everyone was able to come, the desserts were delicious and Katie came up with some great 1989 trivia for our prizes and made a cute scrapbook for Pam with letters from us and pictures from the past years. I am also glad that the surprise is over because I was having a hard time keeping the secret towards the end!! All in all, it was a wonderful evening and I am glad that we were able to surprise Pam. She is a great person and a hard worker. We wouldn't know what to do without her :) Thanks for all you do Pam!!

Unfortunately, I didnt get ANY good pictures so I decided to share some funny ones of Pam at church from a long time ago....

This is a cute one of Pam, Brian and Tom.

And here is Matt helping me with the dessert I made. I forgot to take a picture of it but I am going to make another one tomorrow so I will take a picture of it then.

More Beanies

If you didnt know already, I like to do lots of crafty things and recently knitting has been my obsession! As with most crafts I make or food I make, I find all the flaws and rarely am I totally satisfied with the finishes product...it is a disease I have :)

I made Matt the yellow and blue beanie prototype recently and immediately started finding ways I could make the beanies better. I have made a few beanies since then and with the exception of one, they have turned out pretty well. Matt has been telling me for a while that I should sell some of the crafty things I make and I think I am going to start that soon. First, I want to make a stock of some different things and make them sell-able quality but soon, I am going to start selling some of my crafty things on Etsy. I will keep you updated and post the link once I am ready to start selling!!

This one is my favorite...it is just a little but tall but it is the best one so far!!

This one is okay but a little big...


This one was a cool pattern but WAY to big :) I guess it is a learning process!

Remember when it was THIS COLD!!!

For those of you who dont live in Oklahoma, you missed out on the frigidness from about a week ago!! Monday afternoon it started coming down and this is what it looked like on Tuesday when Matt was driving me to work. I was really missing working at the church that week because we wouldnt have had to go in. At least I had my sweet hubby to chauffeur me to and from work and I got to leave early a couple of days.

The white flecs in this picture was the sleet falling.

The church parking lot is always a fun place in the snow and ice. People are always doing donuts with their cars and luckily not sliding into the light poles. However, this year, we saw some kids with snowboards attached to trucks that were pulling them around the neighborhood and in the parking lot. It looked fun but dangerous!!

Obviously no one wanted to go to the mall.


Lucy loves, loves the snow!! She loves to lick it and run all in it.

Everyday she pushes her frisbee around the yard and today was no different only it was easier because of all the ice and double the fun I am sure!! It was a fun week in the snow and I am glad and thankful that we didnt loose our power!