Five Question Friday

It is snowing!

I mean, it WAS snowing.... Not anymore. There is no sign that snow was ever here, to be honest.

But, it DID! I have pictures to prove it! (To be posted later in a different blog, of course!)

Anyway, now it's onto Five Question Friday hosted by the fantabulous Mama M over at My Little Life!

Here are the questions and my exciting answers to them! (Ha!)

1) Favorite gift you are GIVING this year?

Well, I am giving Jason something absolutely spectacular! I am SOO excited about it I can barely contain myself. I want to tell him! I NEED to tell him! But, alas, I cannot. *sigh* I don't think he reads the ole' blog too often, but I don't want to chance it.... So, I'll share it with you all once he receives his gift! Yay!

2) How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas?

To be honest, that answer is a big, fat ZERO! I don't think my office or Jason's office will be having parties this year. You know, the economy.. yadda yadda yadda! (Thank you Seinfeld!) And nobody else I know is having a party, so we will be hanging out at home on our weekends. And to be honest, I could care less! We are not going to have much alone time once this little baby pops outta me in two months. So... Yea..! :) Plus, what's a Christmas party when you can't drink?!

3) What is your favorite Christmas song?

Oooh, that's a hard one! I actually love "Christmas Pipes" by Celtic Woman and "Wintersong" by Sarah McLachlan. I guess those would be my two "unconventional" Christmas songs. For classics I'd say "Carol of the Bells" and "Baby It's Cold Outside"... I just LOVE ALL Christmas music!

4) Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?

I do not know... Mmmm... Probably Mrs. Crichton in 5th grade. She put up with all of my antics in class even though I was constantly talking and being a "trouble maker". I was a GREAT student though, so she handled it well! She actually kept my name up on the board all of the time because she knew she'd have to write it on there atleast once a day anyway. But, she was a great teacher!

5) If you had a choice to live in any other period of time (other than now) what era would you choose and why?

This is a tough one! I'd love to experience so many different times in history.... I think a very exciting, yet turbulent time, would have been Ireland from 1910-1930. That would be pretty cool to see!

Well, that's all! Enjoy your evening!

~Emily

Last Night....

I settled down to watch myself some Biggest Loser. I love that show! It is very rare that I actually get to watch every episode of a show during the actual season it is on. I managed to watch almost every episode this season and was very proud of myself! I'm not a big TV person and neither is Jason. We don't even have cable!

Pick up your jaw! You heard me right...

NO CABLE!

Anyway, as the late night news came on (also known as "how many people were shot in East Houston today..") I began to ponder who I wanted to vote into the finale... Amanda or Liz?

What to do? What to do?

So, as I was thinking about this- as it is a BIG decision and I know my vote will be crucial to who wins! (Right?).... I began shutting down the house for the night.

Turn off the Christmas tree, blow out the candles, feed the cats, take the dogs out... You get the idea.

It had been raining for hours and thankfully stopped right before bedtime so the dogs could relieve themselves once more before tucking in for the night. Charlie came in and I started wiping off his feet, then it was Flippy's turn. I noticed he was REALLY wet, but Charlie wasn't. As I leaned in to get at his feet, I could smell it...

PEE!

URINE!

GROSS!!!

Flippy was saturated in pee- head to tail! Charlie must have peed on him while they were outside. This is NOT the first time it has happened.

Needless to say, I was NOT a happy girl. By this point it was after 10:30 pm and I had to be up at 5:30 am for work.

So, I threw Flippy in the shower and gave him a bath. Not something I had been wanting to do so late in the evening. Luckily he is very good about being bathed and it was done in no time at all. I even let him snuggle up with me that night (he was still a little damp!) because I felt bad for the poor little guy.

I mean, nobody likes to get peed on!

Would you?

~Emily

Truthful Tuesday

I know... I've been copping out. I've been joining in blog carnivals instead of actually writing a post of my own! I promise I'll write soon!

Anyway, today is Truthful Tuesday hosted by Elizabeth over at Confessions from a Working Mom. Her blog is refreshingly honest and I enjoy her Tuesday topics. Today's topic is:

Would you get a boob job?

I laughed when I saw this question! A job? As in implants? My answer has always been NO!

I have a larger chest, and it definitely gets in the way! And it has increased in size quite a bit since I became preggo! We're talking DD's here people!! Luckily you can't tell how big they ARE because my belly is so big now, too!

I plan on breastfeeding LBN (Little Baby Norris) for about a year, if all goes according to plan. So I'm sure they will stay large. I've heard and read other ladies comments that after breastfeeding their ladies became smaller and saggy. To be honest, I'd love mine to get smaller!

The possibility of a C cup?

Sign me up!

Now, as for the saggy part... I would have a problem with that! I have always talked about getting a breast lift. I think it's the only "surgery" I would have to alter my appearance. I don't mind if the girls are smaller, but saggy is never a good thing! I want my chest to look good for me! And I'm sure Jason will appreciate it, too.

But, you never know how I'll feel after I have the baby and my boobs are devoted to feeding a little one for a year! I may change my mind....

Happy Tuesday!

~Emily

Not Me Monday

Well, it's Monday all ready! I can't believe how fast the holiday weekend flew by! This also means it's time for another addition of Not Me Monday hosted by MckMama. Go check out her site and see who else is confessing all their "not mes"!

This week I definitely did NOT have some more "pregnancy follies" as Jason calls them. He did NOT suggest that we write a song about all the "stupid" things I have done while pregnant.

For instance, I did NOT put a large Yankee Candle on a candle burner and forget to take off the lid! No way! Luckily Jason saw the candle burning and took the lid off before it exploded. Whoops!

It was also definitely NOT me who, within five minutes, broke a glass while unloading the dishwasher because I missed the cupboard and then banged my head on said cupboard door.

Also, it was NOT me who was up at the crack of dawn on Wednesday morning making mashed potatoes... and during that mashed potato frenzy it was NOT me who burned her belly while pouring boiling hot water into the sink. It really hurt!

This pregnancy is NOT turning my mind to mush and causing me to be rather clumsy and forgetful!

And it was NOT me who got up early to go Black Friday shopping and scored some great deals, and then came home and decorated the WHOLE house and managed to wrap presents and put them under the tree. I'm NOT a Christmas nut!

It was also NOT me who lost her first Fantasy Football game in five weeks! I am NOT totally bummed about this!

And finally it is NOT me who is all ready 30 weeks pregnant as of today! Where did the time go?

~Emily

Five Question Friday

Well, I'm going to take some time off from my busy Black Friday and answer some questions from Mama M's Five Question Friday. Check out what all the other bloggers had to answer to these questions over at her blog!

1. Do you do a real or fake Christmas tree?
Well, usually we do a real tree. A Frasier Fir tree to be exact. We go and cut it down at this great Christmas Tree Farm in Doylestown, Ohio. Unfortunately they do not grow here in Texas. They import them pre-cut from North Carolina. I am not a big fan of pre-cut trees. They dry out so quickly!! So, last year I went out EARLY on Black Friday and bought a beautiful 7 1/2 foot pre-lit tree at Home Depot. So, that is what is up in our family room as I type.

2. What is your favorite Christmas tradition with your family?
It's the one holiday where all seven of my siblings make it home for the day. We all meet at my mom's around 9 am and she cooks a HUGE breakfast! We then all crowd into her living room and open presents. It's a mad house, as there are usually about 18 of us in the room. I love it!

3. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods? And, if so.... how many calories do you think you consumed yesterday?
We certainly did Thanksgiving up this year! I cooked enough food for 10, and there were only 2 of us! I don't even want to think about how much I ate. But, atleast I have an excuse since I am eating for two!

4. Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?
It's all done! After my shopping this morning I packed up the fall decor and pulled out my boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations! The stockings are hung, the tree is lit, the wreath is on the door... You get the idea. The only thing left to do is hang up our lights outside. Hopefully we'll get it done this weekend!

5. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?
Oooh.... That's a hard one! I love them all!! Jason's mom makes some FANTASTIC chocolates, and his grandma makes awesome anise cookies! I like to make an assortment myself. I don't think I can pick just one!

Well, that's it for this Five Question Friday. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving!

~Emily

So it's early. And I mean EARLY! What am I doing up at this wee hour? That time before dawn is even thinking about cracking...? Well, I am making mashed potatoes!


What?

Yep.

Mashed potatoes! They're boiling as I type. You see, we're having a Thanksgiving potluck at work today. I'm bringing in pretzel jell-o and mashed potatoes! And, I couldn't bear the thought of bringing in potatoes that were made yesterday! So, I set the alarm early, bribed the dogs to be quiet by letting them sleep on the bed with Jason and tiptoed into the kitchen to start on my spuds.

(See, they really ARE boiling!)

Jason chided me the other day, wondering why I was ONLY making mashed potatoes. They're too easy," he said. "You always make more difficult things than that." I know he was just joking around, but it's true. I love to experiment in the kitchen. Although, there are a few things that are tried, true and absolutely fabulous that I make. Things in which I will never alter the recipe. One is the aforementioned pretzel jell-o. It has become a staple in my family. A dessert that is made for EVERY occasion!

Molly hit a mailbox? Time to make pretzel jell-o!
Dad got out of work early? Pretzel jell-o it is!
The UPS package arrived on time? Well, you get the idea....

Well, would you like my recipe for this delicious dessert? I posted it below for you lucky readers. Try it out, let me know what you think!

Pretzel Jell-O

(Divinity!)

Ingredients:
1 stick melted butter
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (I smash mine with a rolling pin)
1 (8 oz. ) package cream cheese, softened
1 container cool whip (standard size, not the gigantic one)
1 cup sugar (divided)
1 (6 oz.) package strawberry Jell-O
1 regular package of frozen strawberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix melted butter, pretzels and 1/2 cup sugar together. Press into greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes.
3. Dissolve jell-o in two cups boiling water. Add frozen strawberries. Put in fridge to start to gel.
4. Combine cream cheese, cool whip and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat well with mixer. Pour over top of pretzel mixture.
5. When jell-o is starting to set, pour over cheese layer and refrigerate overnight.

Isn't that SOO easy?

Try it out, let me know what you think!

Now, you might be asking yourselves, where did this recipe come from?
Honestly, I have no idea! We just started making. It could easily be somebody else's recipe that we stole and call our own. Whoever DID create this masterpiece should be given a medal. Oh, and P.S.- I love you!
I'd like to present it to them. It would be the "Best Combination of Salty and Sweet Ever" Medal!

Anyway, back to my spuds. I'm sure they're boiling over by now. Have a great day everyone! Try not to get caught up in that last minute mad rush at the grocery store!

~Emily

Truthful Tuesday

This is my first time participating in Truthful Tuesday. Each week Elizabeth over at Confessions From A Working Mom posts a question for us to answer. This week's question is:

How early is too early to decorate for Christmas?

I love this question! I ALWAYS want to decorate before Thanksgiving. But, Jason and I have a deal that I cannot put up a single sprig of holly or snowman candle until Thanksgiving dinner is resting comfortably in our very full bellies! I really do not think it's ever TOO early to decorate for the best time of year... Although, I guess decorating in August may be a *little* crazy!
Also, I am a firm believer that when it's over, it's over people. There are some who leave up their tree until February. Although by that time it is nothing but a crispy, brown fire hazard. By then the holiday is DEFINITELY over and all things Christmas should be back in their rubbermaid containers until next year.
I can't wait for tomorrow! I begin my Thanksgiving baking... then on Thursday morning the parade will be on, the turkey cooking away in the oven and us sitting on the couch relaxing until we get to eat! After that my fall decorations are history and up go my MANY Christmas decorations! I will definitely be heading out on Black Friday to snag some great deals. Toys R Us at midnight, followed by Best Buy at 5 am. Okay, so maybe I am just a tiny bit holiday crazy!
Great question Elizabeth!

~Emily