Mysterious Package

To my SURPRISE the other day, I got a strange looking package in the mail.  I came home, and a package shaped like a can of pick-up-sticks was handed to me (with a huge grin) from Steven, my hubby.  Of course, it since it had gone through the mail, I didn't think it was from him, but then again...you NEVER know with him!

So, I start to shake the box (thinking it was a game) and I got yelled at....

S:  "BABE...don't shake it, you could break whatever is inside."  

ME:  "How do you know what's inside?"

S:  "Uhhhh, well....I got the mail this morning, and was curious as to what was inside, so I called Elise & she told me."  

UGH!  What a way to RUIN the surprise!  What ever happened to ME being the first to know what was in the unknown package????  ANYWAYS...I was still curious, so I unwrapped it ever-so-carefully, and I saw something that looked like a can of PRINGLES.  I thought WHAT?  I'm on a diet (or trying to, anyway)...why is someone tempting me like this?  

To my surprise, and astonishment, my ever-so-thoughtful sister-in-law had been to the store and remembered how much I enjoyed the Bloomin' Onion from Outback.  So, this is what she sent me:

Wasn't that SWEET?  Well, you know I had to try them out!  So I did.  So, they don't come CLOSE to the real thing.  Sorry, Elise!  They are very fattening (I'd almost rather just indulge in the real thing...at least you're getting somewhat of a serving of veggie somewhere in all the grease & batter, right?)  However, once you make it past the initial Whoah of the ever-so-pungent-fake-sort-of-Horsey sauce, they are kinda addicting.  That's why I ate 1/3 of them the first night and I haven't touched them since. 

Maybe next week.  12 grams of fat for 10 crisps just isn't worth another hour-long workout.  At least for THIS week....

Thanks, Elise!

A Few Home Videos

One of the things Steven game me for Christmas is a FLIP Video Camera.  It is just GREAT!!  I'd never even seen or heard of these lil gadgets, so I was in for a real SURPRISE!!!  Anyway, it holds up to 30 minutes of video, and is pocket-sized, so you can take it anywhere!  Everything is included, and it has endless possibilities.  It has a USB connection built-in, so you can plug it in to the computer and upload video ANYTIME.  It has a Cable converter so you can plug it into the TV and watch it on the big screen!  And when you fill up your 30 minutes, save it to your computer (if it's worth keeping) and you're ready to keep on recording! 

Here are a few videos for your enjoyment!

Video #1:  PICKLE GOLF

Steven & I had this HUGE jar of pickles, and every now and then you'd bite down on something that felt like crystal.  It was terrible, so when I'd finally had enough...here's what we did with the rest... (sorry that part of the video is sideways...oops!)

Video #2: Birthday Songs

This one is mainly for relatives, and for Mary, too!  (Hey- we are somewhat related, right?)  Steven's dad and lil sister both have birthdays on the same day.  We thought we'd capture the moment through song best.  Mary, you can see how long Max's hair is...& he's naked!  YIKES!!!  ha ha ha

Video #3:  Gift Time!

This one, too, is for the family.  It was fun to be there while presents were opened, and so we wanted to feel like you didn't miss out on anything...so here you go!  We only taped the part where they opened our gifts (didn't want you to get TOO bored...).  We didn't tape dinner, but it was DE-LISH.  Jeanne fixed a heck-a meal this time!  One night was pork steaks (Mmmmm good!), and the next was sesame chicken & crab rangoon!  It was luscious, for real!!!  Sorry you missed out...we ate enough for you, though (don't worry!)

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(well...I guess I will have to upload these at a later time, but probably NOT...I have been sitting here ALL DAY, and my internet is so CrAzY that it stopped in the middle of it, b/c my connection was lost, and I REFUSE to sit here another day if this is what it's gonna be like!).

My weekend

Nothing too exciting to share, really.  I am enjoying my last weekend of sanity (my last "free" weekend before Saturday classes start back up again).  *sigh*

So, what did I do this weekend?

- took down Christmas decorations and boxed them up

- put my living room back to order (looks kinda bare now)

- sat around in my pjs for a bit longer than usual

- went shopping with my mom at the mall.  i helped her pick out some cute outfits (always nice when your mother gets some newer clothing and lets you pick out things she'd never pick out for herself).  Everything we purchased was off the *extra 50%* rack...kinda nice getting a bargain!

- ate the best Bloomin' Onion I've had in years (I adore Outback Steakhouse)

- watched several movies from Netflix (not really great that I care to share)

- laughed along with Steven while he's been in back pain.  Some of his most recent nicknames were: crippled (he says he's crippled, not handicaped), crooked (he walked rather funny w/ an aching back), and this morning BUTLER (ha ha ha...his family's old, senile, slow, blind, kinda-deaf, OLD, and rather crochety dog).

What did YOU do this weekend?

A lil update

Happy New Year, ya'll!!!

Since Christmas, I have just been relaxing.  It feels so good to relax and not have a lot to do.  Sleeping in is one of my favorite things to do, and lately I've been taking FULL advantage of it!  Other than that, time has been spent with family members who have come in from out-of-town, both on Steven's side of the family and on mine.  It's been nice to play a few games, watch several movies, eat good food, and just laugh together. This year, we were only missing two--Beckie and Marlena.  Life is never quite the same around the holidays w/o everyone present, but I think we all did okay.  Maybe next year we'll get 100%!

Anyway, among my holiday favorites were: a string of unique/crafty holiday bells, Steven's chocolate mint cookies, a handmade shelf that will come in handy in the kitchen, watching all three LOTR movies while sewing ridiculously loud I'm sure, MP3 players, VideoFlip camera (which I'll have to debut here in the future), and of course.... (dun, dun, dun, DUN)....a new electric toothbrush!

Now, as I mentioned before, I've been sewing (again) on my break.  I really do need something to do when I have a long break from school, or else I get totally and utterly bored.  I'm one who always has to be doing something.  So, I decided to sew some cute curtains to match my new bed ensemble that is super duper comfy-cozy! (I just LOVE Overstock.com!!):  

So, off I went to Hobby Lobby & JoAnn fabric to find the essentials.  I found great fabric at a GREAT price (on sale, of course), and all the notions that went with it.  Each year, when we go to St. Charles with Steven's family I try to find a unique treasure to add to our home.  This year, I wanted to buy buttons to adorn the curtains I would make.  Having found 30 buttons at my favorite lil shop, the perfect fabric, and having lots of spare time, this is how it all turned out:

Up close at some of the buttons I bought.  They are all shades of creams & browns:

Here is the top of about 2/3 of the first panel once it was hung.  And yes, I had to stitch every single loop (that was very tedious) and finally got the hang of the buttonholes.  UGH...very frustrating, indeed!

With some of the extra fabric, I made matching tie-backs.  I was going to put the extra buttons I had on them, but when I placed them on top, it made it look extremely tacky, so I just decided to use the extra buttons somewhere else on a future sewing job.

Here's the completed curtains, right behind our lil TV.  

Ta-dah!

And...I even had a couple extra scraps laying around, so I decided to make some cute little ties for the spare bedroom windows.  That is where we decided to put the old curtains.  Doesn't really match much in that room, but it adds some funk to the curtains (in a good way, I think).

So...what do you think?  Should I quit my day job and go into the sewing business or WHAT? :)