Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip--YUM!

I'm interrupting my series of posts on my weekend at Creative Escape to participate in BooMama's Diptacular.

College Football -- and Fall, Y'all! -- is just around the corner. Let's face it...there's nothing better to go with a full day of college football viewing like a good appetizer (and a pot of some delicious soup simmering on the stove).

Therefore, I present to you...

WARM AND CREAMY BACON DIP

8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
3 ounces bacon bits
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped green onion

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and place in a 1-quart baking dish. Cover. Heat 25-30 minutes or until hot. Serve with sliced French bread, crackers, and/or chips. Makes 3 cups.

Serving option: Dip may also be placed in hollowed round sourdough loaf, wrapped in foil and heated in 400 oven for 30 minutes.

(I found this recipe on an ad for Daisy sour cream last fall. Just didn't want to take credit for it.)

And in the spirit of college football, might I also add "GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!"

Creative Escape 2011--Part 2

Before I really begin, let me tell you that Amelia is sitting next to me, watching "Agent Oso" on TV and playing "Dynamite" on the iPad, so if this post is a string of incoherent thoughts, just know that I'm not really working in an environment where I can focus very well. :-)

Back to Creative Escape...

Friday and Saturday were full of taking classes. Seriously. We got up, had breakfast, went to two classes, had lunch, then went to classes after lunch, then had dinner. CE really feels like both a marathon AND a sprint rolled into one. I'm not going to go over every class (because I'm not sure anyone -- scrapper or not -- would find that interesting), but I'm going to show just a few photos.






Another fun part of Creative Escape was all the little goodies we receive just randomly throughout the three days we were there.


I don't know how to create a smooth transition to this next part, so I'm just going to plunge forward...

Cathy, Blayne, and I really wanted to try In 'N Out while we were there, so our "plan" was to eat very little of our dinner (the food at the hotel was just so-so) and then go out Friday night and eat at In 'N Out. Well, after a day of classes with no snack in the afternoon, we were STARVING by dinnertime, so we ended up eating most of the hotel dinner. But we knew that was the only time we could go to In 'N Out, so we went anyway. So yes, we essentially ate two dinners Friday night. (Don't judge...and we didn't eat the WHOLE meal either time.)

(By the way...we are wearing matching red t-shirts because Blayne made them to advertise ScrapRoom software. We did not wear matching outfits every day.)

(Also, we were so grossly full after this In 'N Out experience. In 'N Out was good, but perhaps it would have been better if, say, we hadn't eaten another meal beforehand.)

Then on Saturday, Cathy and Blayne REALLY wanted to go to Del Taco for lunch, so we skipped out on the hotel lunch (again, it looked sub-par), and went to Del Taco. I had never eaten at one, but may I just say that the combination of a burrito and fries is delightful?

I'm going to do one more CE-related post tomorrow about the Saturday Night Celebration. I met another scrapbooking celebrity! I won a prize! So much to tell...

(And thanks for bearing with me through the CE posts.)

Creative Escape 2011 -- Part 1

Back in February (when I was still gainfully employed), I signed up to go to the final Creative Escape in Phoenix, Arizona. I went two years ago and figured I would probably never get a chance to go again, but when I heard that my favorite scrapbooking guru, Ali Edwards, was going to be teaching, I really, really, really wanted to go.

My friends Cathy and Blayne went as well, and we had such a blast. I think that this Creative Escape completely trumped the one we went to in 2009, although it was a fun time as well.

We flew to Phoenix on Wednesday and, after we checked in to our rooms and registered for the event, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant there.


Actually, we haven't tried any others, but this one is so good that we keep going back.

Thursday was the big Bazaar where different vendors and companies showcase their products at different booths. Both Blayne and Cathy had to work at the Bazaar (Blayne was debuting her ScrapRoom software, and Cathy works for Tombow). I was able to help them out a little and then browse the different booths.

Later that afternoon, though, I had the privilege of MEETING ALI EDWARDS. I was so nervous and excited that I was practically giddy.

If you aren't into scrapbooking, you have no idea who she is. But think of something you truly enjoy -- reading, watching football, cooking, whatever -- and think of "the" person you look up to in your area of interest. Well, Ali is that for me. When I first started scrapbooking a few years ago, I got caught up in embellishments and making my pages look fancy. When I discovered Ali's philosophy and her approach -- which is simple and classic -- I was impressed at how she was able to create albums that put the focus on the story, not so much on the "glitz."

So meeting her was a thrill. And she was so nice and laid back.

After the Bazaar and the "meet and greet" with the teachers were over, we went back to Abuelo's. Why mess with a good thing, right??

I'll write more about the event tomorrow...

An Update

I know everyone must be chomping at the bit for an update on the $89 face cream.

Y'all, my skin has never been this soft and moisturized. It's practically dewy.

But I'm still not paying $89, so I hope my skin enjoys this respite for as long as I can make my sample last. :-)

I'll be back Monday. See you then!

A Story from Amelia's First Day of Pre-K

As I mentioned, Amelia had a good day Monday at Pre-K, but I did get at least this little nugget of information.

ME: So what did you do in your new class today?

A: The letter N.

ME: What else?

A: I had to go to time-out. On the playground.

ME: Why did you go to time-out?

A: Miss M____ said bad words to me.

(Note: "Bad words" for Amelia are words she doesn't want to hear.)

ME: What bad words did she say?

A: She said, "You don't hit your friends."

ME: Did you hit one of your friends?

A: No. I hit one of Miss T_____'s friends.


(Translation: Amelia hit one of the other teacher's students on the playground and had to go to time-out. Sigh.)

But other than that...a good day!

Yesterday: The List Version

1. I ended my evening by standing in the kitchen and eating 5 sugar cookies from Publix back to back. Yesterday was really a dieting FAIL.

2. But...I had lost .6 pound this past week, resulting in 3 pounds total.

3. I have a feeling I gained back that .6 pound yesterday.

4. My cousin and I had lunch yesterday and spotted Constantine from The Bachelorette in the parking lot.


(We both decided he's cuter in person.)

5. Amelia started a Pre-K class yesterday and really seemed to enjoy it. She still has two years before kindergarten, but she'll be four soon so they moved her on to Pre-K. Woot.

6. I went to the gym yesterday around five in the afternoon. It was crowded, as in no parking spots available, so Amelia and I went to Cracker Barrel instead, picked up some photos from Costco, and then went back to the gym. Note to self: It is not smart to run on the treadmill after a large meal from Cracker Barrel. 'Twas painful.

7. The End.

This Weekend Kicked My Rear

Darryl was gone all of last week. He came in for about three hours Friday and then had to leave for a church retreat with his small group of 6th grade boys.

So Amelia and I have had LOTS of together time. LOTS. And I had LITTLE adult conversation. LITTLE, I tell you.

I think you all know I love my girl more than life itself, but the combination of mess, kids' tv shows, defiant attitudes, and cabin fever about did me in. :-) (Part of the problem, I think, is that we didn't get out much yesterday except for a swim lessons and a trip to Publix.) She also enjoys emptying containers that contain her toys. Fun!

I did make a new recipe -- and it wasn't a Pioneer Woman recipe! -- for a low-cal fettuccine alfredo. (Granted, a low-cal alfredo is still in the 400-500 calorie range, but still...) It was really good.

Yep. That's about all I have to report about this weekend. Oh, I did watch Date Night with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey and thought it was really funny. I recommend it if you haven't seen it.

(By the way, Amelia's shirtless in these photos because she had just just spilled her juice ALL OVER herself...and the floor I had mopped two days before.)

The Next Sherri

My friend Tim and I have a former student (he taught her in 11th grade; I taught her in 12th) who is a mutual Facebook friend. She's now about 23 or 24 years old, and she shares some very interesting tidbits about her life through her Facebook statuses. She's 30-something weeks pregnant -- and her relationship with her baby daddy is on and off again, apparently.

She also likes to post things like "Some people need to keep their noses in their own damn business and keep their drama out of MY LIFE." Or sometimes she'll post things like, "I just had turnip greens for breakfast! My baby loves turnip greens!"

Anyway, she keeps me highly entertained. (On a more serious note...Tim and I both really liked her as a student, wish her well, and think she probably will be a very loving mother, with or without Baby Daddy.)

(She also has a friend whose name is so hilarious it makes me laugh every time she comments, but I don't think I should write it here, lest she Google herself and find this post. And maybe for privacy reasons.)

ANYWAY. The other night I texted Tim that I think I could make a reality show of this student's life, and she and her hilariously-named friend would be stars. STARS, I tell you.

Then Tim suggested I pitch it to OWN, and that my next career could be as a producer at HARPO.

And then I got quite giddy because if I did that, I could be the next SHERRI SALATA.


You don't know who Sherri Salata is? No? She was only the Executive Producer for this person's show:


And I would argue that Sherri is the real star of one of my latest TV obsessions, Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes.

I'm contemplating inviting her to my 40th Birthday Bash. That's how cool Sherri Salata is.

Or, Tim says, if the producer-of-a-reality-show doesn't work out, I could always make crystal meth.* Either career choice has the potential to be lucrative, I think.


*I want to say for the record that I would NEVER make or sell drugs. Nor was Tim serious about that. I also realize that I might have to erase that if my blog starts showing up in searches for "How to make c------ m---."

Iced Coffee and Impending Wrinkles

If this week has a theme, it should be "Pioneer Woman."

Because y'all...I made another Pioneer Woman recipe: Iced Coffee.

I love coffee. I really do. But I don't enjoy drinking a hot beverage in summertime. I've made several homemade iced coffee attempts in the past, but they failed miserably. (Don't even get me started on the Keurig's iced coffee, which is basically a weak, watery mess.)

But this? This is the most successful attempt by far, and it is really delicious.

I also suggest you click on the link provided above to see PW's "professional" photos because my iced coffee pictured above? It looks like sludge in a glass.

In other news...this afternoon I had a much-needed eyebrow wax. I go to a spa to have this done. Don't judge me for that; I realize I could get it done for less at a nail salon, but I had a negative experience once, and it involved a rickety table, scalding hot wax, and uneven brows. And there might have been a cut-up orange with a couple of flies on it on the table next to me.

So anyway, back to the spa...the woman who did my brows was obsessed with my dry skin. Already this was a bit of an ego squasher because I was feeling pretty confident about my at-this-moment-breakout-free skin. She then said that I needed to take care of this immediately because dry skin wrinkles badly. BADLY.

She gave me a sample of some cream that she wants me to try, made a note in my file, and said, "It's a little pricey, but if you like how it feels on your skin, you might consider making the investment because you do not want this dry skin to get out of control before winter."

Wow.

So I took my sample, and after I checked out and she left the room, I took a peek at how "pricey" this nectar of the gods is.


That would be $89.

Yes, $89.

I'm already predicting that it is going to make my face feel like a baby's behind. Because my skin? It likes expensive things.

Well, I better go so I can search the web for some Black Market Jurlique...or a job to finance it.

Mr. Longface

These days, Amelia tends to get very caught up with whatever movie/character/princess she is "into" at the moment and then acts it out in everyday life. Some days she is Princess Belle; some days she is Dora. She usually dubs us as characters as well. Darryl is usually the prince, and, unfortunately for me, I am sometimes the witch. When she is Rapunzel, I am the mother, and if you have seen Tangled or are familiar with the story of Rapunzel, you know that being the mother is not really a compliment.

Recently Amelia has gotten into Strawberry Shortcake. (Secretly, this elates me to no end because I, too, used to have an obsession with Strawberry Shortcake. However, Strawberry's image has been a bit updated, but she's still cute as ever.) When Amelia takes on the Strawberry Shortcake persona, she dubs me "Blueberry." Because of my previous knowledge of SS, I know that "Blueberry" is Strawberry's good friend Blueberry Muffin. I'm okay with that.

But she started calling Darryl "Mr. Longface." Mr. Longface was new to me, and I had no idea who that was. If my memory is serving me correctly, he did not exist in 1980.

So one day, Darryl decided to google "Mr. Longface." And this is what he found.

This delights me to no end.

Amelia and Her Many Friends

This afternoon I was cleaning up the kitchen, and Amelia told me that some of her friends had come over and that they wanted to watch Tinkerbell. When I walked in the living room to see what she was up to, this is what I saw:


We had a pretty good day today. One thing I realized the other day is that something I miss very much -- something that comes with a job -- is routine, so this week I'm trying to establish more of a routine...consistent bed times, consistent waking up times, consistent tasks for certain days, and so on. I'm not really sure why I mentioned that, but it's a slow news day.

I did take Amelia swimming late this afternoon. I picked up a pizza for dinner on our way home because it was already about 7:00, and we decided to eat outside. Amelia REALLY wanted to have a picnic. Little did I know that this is her idea of a picnic:

Yep. Sitting in a chair on top of the picnic blanket, feet propped up. That's a picnic, all right.

The Weekend, Good Food, Good Movie...and Weight Loss

The Weekend
We had a really good weekend that included some good food, some down time with the family, and errands to places like Costco and such.

Saturday morning, I made the Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Toast--The Right Way. Yep, another PW recipe. It was really good, but neither Darryl nor I cared for the bread I had used, which was very "hearty" and "grainy." But I will definitely try it again because I think the right bread will make it heavenly.

{I am going to pause here to say that I have the show Bachelor Pad on in the background, and I am mourning America's taste in television.}

{Let me also add that I didn't intend for this to be on my TV. I turned on the TV and that was what was on. I refuse to get sucked in. This is a low, even for me.}

We grilled steaks Saturday night (yum) and enjoyed just hanging out. Sunday involved some church activities, but overall, it was a good, low-key weekend.

Today
I got up bright and early to go to a career networking group. It was actually somewhat encouraging and enjoyable. (Sometimes those things can be depressing because oh my word at the people who are searching for jobs.)

After that, in a total "tennis wife" move, I met my friend Blayne for lunch, and then we went to see The Help. I have already talked on this blog about how much I loved the book, and the movie did NOT disappoint.


Y'all, it was so good. See it. Now. (And Emma Stone is quickly becoming one of my favorite young actresses!)

Weight Loss
In spite of the good food I had over the weekend, I somehow managed to lose 2.4 pounds! I'm hoping to keep plugging away at it...

Food and Stuff

I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately, so I decided today to try a new recipe: The Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese sauce. (That's Pioneer Woman's photo, not mine.)


'Twas GOOD, y'all.

Even if you don't like blue cheese, I think you would still like this pasta. It is just very flavorful, but not with a strong blue cheese taste.

I also made some chocolate pecan pie bars, and while they are good, I don't think I'll make them again.

And yes, the desire to lose 20 pounds is still there. I have been to the gym FIVE days this week, y'all. That is not a typo.

Also, the job search is still on. I was feeling a little defeated yesterday. I've chosen not to think about it as much today.

Anyone want to hire me? I'll make you some delicious pasta. :-)

My 40th Birthday Party...in Two Years

I was watching Oprah's Behind the Scenes the other day as her production team was discussing how they pulled off the big next-to-last-show surprise extravaganza with 100+ celebrities. It took months and months of planning to get everyone booked and where they were supposed to be, and it got me thinking...

My peeps better start NOW with my 40th Birthday Bash. They better start now, because I have quite the impressive guest list.

I don't even need the big arena. I'm fine with my house, chips and salsa, chocolate cake, and the company of these fine ladies, featured in no particular order.

Robin Roberts, formerly of ESPN, presently of Good Morning America. I'm not going to lie. She might be my girl crush. (I. Love. Her.) She's funny. She's classy. She's a hoot on Twitter. What's not to love?

Diane Sawyer, formerly of Good Morning America, presently of ABC Nightly News. I know she got all serious on us and is now a hot-shot news anchor who interviews world leaders, but she proved on GMA that she is a fun gal. I'm sure she'll bring it at my chips and salsa party.

Tina Fey, formerly of SNL, presently of 30 Rock. She just got added to my guest list because I'm reading her book Bossypants, and y'all, it is pee-in-your-pants funny. I might just get her to read aloud from her book at my party. Why not?


Bonnie Hunt, formerly of The Bonnie Hunt Show, Bonnie, and some other shows/movies I can't remember the name of. She's cute. She's funny. She's self-deprecating. I can't fully 'splain it, but I adore her.


Gayle King, Oprah's BFF. I used to love listening to her talk show when I had satellite radio, and now that same show -- but with video -- is on, you guessed it, OWN. And if I were on a desert island and had to choose between Gayle and Oprah as my island-mate for a long period of time, I'd choose Gayle. Yeah, I said it.

Lauren Graham, formerly of one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Gilmore Girls. And now she is on Parenthood, which I started watching last season. I've seen her in interviews and she seems like a fun gal. C'mon down to the ATL, Lauren. You're invited!


And last, but not least, Connie Britton, formerly of my recently and dearly departed Friday Night Lights. But with Connie, there is a string attached: I want her to come as her FNL character, Tammy Taylor. I'm sure Connie is a lovely woman, but I think Tammy and I could be best friends. If she really existed. Connie/Tammy can also bring her favorite white wine.


Would that be a rockin' 40th Birthday Party or what? Another plus? I think all these women are older than I am, and it would help my self-esteem to be the youngest gal at the party.

Okay, peeps...get on it.

(Wait...who are my peeps? I need peeps!!)

A Week in the Life--The Finished Product

A couple of weeks ago, I told you that I was doing a photography/scrapbooking project called "A Week in the Life." Well, today, I finally finished putting that album together, and I thought I would show you how it turned out.

You might be thinking, Why take the time to document the heck out of a normal week in your life? Here's my answer: How interesting would it be to find something that documented a week in your life from five, ten, twenty years ago? What you ate for dinner, what your routine was, what your appliances/technology looked like. What if you could find lists made in the handwriting of someone you love, or maybe someone who has passed away? The whole point of this project is to find the extraordinary in the ordinary (that's deep, huh?). No matter how many people might put a project like this together, no two projects will be the same.

I put my project together in a red 8.5 x 11 We R Memory Keepers album.

Here is my opening page.


I'm not going to show you the entire album, but I will show you a couple of days just so you can get the idea of the concept and layout. (I borrowed very heavily from Ali Edwards's layout from her 2010 album, which you can find here.)

Each day's layout consists of three parts: a day's opening page with an 8 x 8 photo from that day; a page (front and back) that has little pockets for small photos, memorabilia, and journal cards (this page is really a baseball card protector page, and I purchased Ali Edwards's journal cards); and a page that consisted of a photo collage I put together in Photoshop Elements.

Here's Monday:




I'm skipping a few days here and going to Thursday:




The format is exactly the same for all the days.

Here's my final page:


The paper I used was primarily from Cosmo Cricket's "Circa 1934" line and "Social Club" collection. (I didn't buy the kits that I linked to; instead, I was able to purchase individual papers from my friend Mary's store, Altered Angel.)


What I Did That I Liked:
This was my first time doing this project, so I made myself accept that it wasn't going to be "perfect." It was really a learning experience for me.

First, I'm going to give myself a pat on the back for taking on Photoshop Elements. It has always intimidated me, but I watched some good tutorial videos and learned a lot.

Some things I am glad I featured in my album:
--snapshots of text messages and Facebook posts (I think we might get a kick out of Facebook in the year 2032 when we can communicate telepathically or something crazy like that)
--snapshots of the books on my nightstands
--photos that might not have been pretty but are "real"
--receipts from meals
--grocery lists
--bits of packaging from different items
--a photo of Amelia's handwriting
--a simple layout

What I Will Do Differently Next Time:
--use some black-and-white photos
--figure out how to use the self-timer on my camera so I can include more photos of me (at the risk of sounding self-absorbed, ha!)
--vary the subject of my "big" opening photos. Amelia was in most of them, and while I think she is precious, I felt that those photos were a bit Amelia-centric. HOWEVER, I'm okay with that this time around because our lives are a bit Amelia-centric right now. Haha!

Final Thoughts:
I loved this project and will definitely do it again. It gets a bit cumbersome to try to document everything, but when it is all said and done, the project itself isn't difficult at all. I think a simple layout is key. Honestly, what took me the most time was figuring out some stuff with Photoshop Elements, but now that I have those tasks figured out, I think the project will take less time in the future. (And also...it didn't even take me a month to do this project from start to finish. In the scrapbooking world, that is practically unheard of!)

So yes, yes, yes to A Week in the Life!

Just Putting It Out There

On The Doctors yesterday, (don't judge me because I watched it), trainer Jilli@n Michaels said that one of the best things to do if you want to lose weight is to let everyone around you know, to "put it out there" that you want to lose weight. I want to lose 20 pounds. So there. I put it out there.

(I'm also trying something new and crazy: keeping track of what I eat, attempting to eat healthy and control my portions, and exercising. Novel idea, huh?)

I'm also putting out there -- because what good is a blog if you can't vent once in a while -- that today has been a frustrating day. First, why can't people simply respond to emails? (As I typed that, I remembered I didn't respond to my mom's email from last night. Oops!) I've also been running in circles trying to get in my application materials for a job I really want. However, I was really hoping I would have a contact/connection for this job, and those hopes have been deflated like a balloon. So now I realize my chances are...well, probably not good. Because we all know it's all about "who you know." And while I have been putting all my job materials together, Amelia has been destroying the house. At least she's had fun, huh?

But on a more positive note that I'll just "put out there," I had a good visit with my parents Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We went to the aquarium (which was crowded, yo), and we also enjoyed some good food. My parents were also celebrating 45 years of marriage. Darryl and I had a date night Friday. Also good.

ALSO, in a note completely related to nothing...if you get a chance to see the movie Crazy, Stupid Love, do it. My friend Blayne and I went out last week and saw it, and it was so insanely good and funny. It was the best romantic comedy I've seen in a long time.

It also features Ryan Gosling and his ABS.

You're welcome.

Back to this weekend...Saturday night I joined Tim, Max, and Anna for our annual trip to the Miss Cobb pageant. We love this tradition. So much fun!


Don't we all look happy???

The First Day of School...But Not For Me

When I quit my job, I knew there would be days ahead when I would feel relieved (I've had those); days when I panicked and thought, "Oh crap! What have I done?" (and I've had those); and days when I would be scared and unsure what my next step will be (and I've had those). Today, though, is day that has been looming on the horizon for quite some time, and I wasn't quite sure how I would feel.

It's the First Day of School. And I'm not there.

This is only one of two times I wasn't part of a first day of school since I started school myself. The other time was after we moved to Atlanta and I worked for a year as a paralegal, but that was different because I didn't know any teachers here yet, so there wasn't this feeling of "life continuing without me" like there is today.

This week HAS felt weird. My teacher-friends all started back on Monday for pre-planning. Several of them texted me, and it felt good to be missed. Who doesn't want to be missed? I miss them tremendously. I'm hopeful, though, that they will continue to be a strong presence in my life, even thought it won't be the same as seeing them every day.

At the same time, though, I don't feel panicked. I don't even feel sad that I'm not teaching. (Sad I'm not seeing my friends? Yes. Sad I'm not going through the first-day spiel? No.) I feel a sense of peace that I made the right decision.

In a few minutes, Amelia is going to wake up, and we'll have breakfast together. And I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now.