This blog sucks.

Go ahead. You can say it. Blog suckage isnt a crime. Not really anyway. I dont know whats gotten into me! I love to write.. and I have a lot to say (just ask the people in my life). I just gotta get motivated. Maybe if I make a few interesting posts I will get more hits other than people trawling for naked pictures of Hugh Heffner’s Girlfriend Holly Madison.  I do not have a particular relationship to her other than I once blogged about her being from Alaska, and since I get about a gajillion hits a weekon that post. It cracks me up.

So I am now thinking about deep and interesting topics to 1. increase my readership (very narcasistic of me isnt it?) 2. entertain myself enough to not keep constantly thinking about our upcoming vacation that yall are sick to death of hearing about.. ( I will be posting about the current news pertaining to that though)

I could write about growing up in Alaska.. but ahem. I think, that there are people that are talking about that  lately that I would rather turn your attention to!  

Can you guess whom I will be voting for this next week when I cast my absentee ballot?

Where was I? oh yeah. Interesting blog posts.

Last night I went to bed early to watch The 60th Annual Emmy Awards Show.. love that Tina Fey.. and the political commentary was riveting. Also, who knew that orange was a color this year?

so anyway. I was laying there innocently enough watching said 60th Annual Emmy Awards Show and strrrrrrrrrrretched my arm wayyyy above my head.. whilst holding the huge directv remote in my hand.. You can see it coming cant you? ugh. dummy.

This weeks menu was SUPER easy.. seeing as I didnt end up cooking HALF of what I planned last week. Between working extra shifts, soccer practice and sheer laziness? I didnt do to well. We ate out once, and the kids fended for themselves twice. Poor babies. Maybe this week will be better… maybe

Monday- Blueberry pancakes w/ cool whip, turkey bacon and sausage

Tuesday- Tuna Casserole, sweet peas

Wednesday- BBQ chicken wings, mac and cheese, mized veggies

Thursday- Baked spaghetti, green salad, french bread

Friday- Eat out someplace…. maybe subway? or we havent actually made it out to eat BBQ at Schuler’s lately even though Ive been craving it.

Saturday- Roasted Chicken, potato wedges

Sunday- Salmon, roasted broccoli, brown rice

Yesterday was my Aunt Cindy’s birthday. I love to celebrate birthday’s (especially mine.. but that comes so rarely ) so of course we had to make a deal out HER day. My mom made a delicious dinner of braised BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, and salad (she always has that yummy ranch dressing you make at home. LOVE it. yet I never seem to remember to pick the stuff up to make it.. so we just use the bottled stuff) I made some deviled eggs.. and since PURPLE is Aunt Cindy’s signature color, I colored the “devil” part purple. Which I found was no easy feat since egg yolk is naturally yellow… making the color more grey-ish mauve than purple. but oh well. They tasted good anyway. I also made a cherry cheesecake for desert… This dinner has become an Aunt Cindy’s birthday tradition, so it was really fun.

Paisley got into the spirit and wore Aunt Cindy’s favorite purple.

Thing Two was pretty excited about opening presents.

Im not sure what was so interesting.. but its the only picture that included Thing One..

Who doesnt love PRESENTS?

CHEESEY

mmmmmmmmmmmcheesecake.

We are really getting close to our vacation! I am of course over the MOON excited. But one thing has been bugging me. In order to cruise you have to have US citizenship documentation… Its suggested that you have US Passport books,($100 a pop) but you CAN still cruise with a US Birth certificate and a picture ID… and being that I am CHEAP. I made the decision, that we would be fine with just the birth certificates.. months ago.

NOW? I am wishing Id have bit the bullet and gotten the passports. Because of course EVEN though I have been assured that I will be FINE with the birth certificates by Disney Cruise Line. and friends, and my Dad (who’s advice I usually trust implicitly) . In my head I am creating all these terrible scenarios that include INS and customs police at the port.. I have no idea WHY since of course Steven and I are both legal US citizens with no felony records or child support warrents. Im just neurotic. 

Since time is getting short (we have about 7 weeks till we leave) I have begun getting things that we need gathered up. Every week I buy one of two things.. like extra razors and a small can of shaving cream, a fresh bottle of sunblock, new bathing suits ect. Ya know all that vacation stuff you usually drop $50 on the day before you go away? Yesterday afternoon, I asked Steven for his birth certificate to put in the folder I am compiling with all of our vacation paperwork in it.. and just to hold for safekeeping (just so I knew I HAD it.. and it wasnt floating around in HIS stuff) and … it is LAMINATED. ugh. Who does that? AND it’s the short form CARD version without parentage and the state seal.. that obviously you would need to travel outside the states with! I am SO SO SO glad I asked him for it!

Sooo yesterday we chased around all over town getting copies of his ID and a money order to send off to DHEC in Columbia SC to get a long form certified birth certificate. It took some time finding out where to write away, because 1. this IS Dillon after all. and 2. I kept asking about the “original birth certificate” because that’s what Disney Cruise Line said I’d need… but umm you cant have the original. Its filed with the state. You can only have a “certified copy”.. which is what customs requires. UGH.

So anyway. Thats all done. They have a quick turn around.. the lady in the office said it usually takes about a week or two to get it back. Thank GOD I noticed this before it got to close to the date.. or we’d have had to make a detour to Columbia when we left for Florida!

And another week down! My husband and I are keeping a little countdown chart counting down our weeks until our vacation… and we are ticking the weeks off pretty quickly! I can hardly believe that its already time to publish this weeks menu plans again!

Monday- Caribean Jerk Salmon with pineapple salsa, rice pilaf, steamed veggies

Tuesday- Chili Goulash, corn muffins, salad

Wednesday- Turkey sausage biscuits, scrambled eggs, fruit cocktail

Thursday- Fish sticks, maccaroni and cheese, peas

Friday-Pork Chops, sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli

Saturday- Grilled chicken tacos, guacamole salad, mexican rice casserole

Sunday- braised BBQ ribs, rice, corn on the cob, slaw

What’s the difference between a soccer mom and a hockey mom? If you google that question (and I did.. just out of curiosity) there is a huge debate. Refering of course to Gov. Palin’s comment and really funny joke. Q. ”Whats the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? A. Lipstick. UGH will it never stop? I have been though several presidential elections and I dont EVER remember a VP candidate being put through the winger like Sarah Palin has. GOOD GRIEF! Give it a rest people. IT WAS A JOKE.. an ice breaker. Something with which to connect to her audience. Not a commentary on the socio-economic differences between women who’s children play soccer v/s women who’s children play hockey. GIVE IT UP.

Speaking of soccer, tonight is Thing Two’s first practice of the season.For the next two months our schedule goes into overdrive. With practices or games two or three nites a week in addition to church on wednesday nights.  I have a love/hate relationship with the soccer season. However, I prefer it to the softball season. There is so much individual pressure on the kids in softball. Soccer seems easier on the self esteem. It is also less hot outside.  Soccer is where Thing Two really shines. I love the look on her face when she faces down an opponent. I rarely see her so focused on anything else! Sooo for the next couple of months if youre looking for me? Im on the feild!

well.. a few months late anyway. Today my Aunt Cindy gave me my birthday present! (my birthday is June 16th) It was totally unexpected which made it all the sweeter.. I was so tickled!

 Everyone knows that I am a Disney nut.. and she got me this sweet diamonique and sterling silver Mickey ring! It is so sweet. It has little hidden mickeys inset in the sides and “Dreams Do Come True” is engraved on the inside. I just love it!

YAY. Today I FINALLY found the two things that I needed for our upcoming cruise.

1. I needed some dressy sandle-ish shoes. These look kind of gold in this picture, but they are actually silver. I needed something that was dressy, yet versatile enough to go with all 4 of my dinner outfits.I also needed something that would pack easily and be comfy enough to walk a ways in since we might have to walk a little ways to get to  Lisa and Pete’s wedding on Castaway Cay! (so excited!)

2. When we went on our little “mini vay-cay” I noticed how stretched out the top of my bathing suit was getting.. Ive had it for ohhhh 4 years. Definatly got my $15 bucks worth out of THAT out of season Wal-mart deal!  Normally I would wait a little and probably deal with it for one more season… but since we are going on a trip where I will likely spend some serious time in a bathing suit? I decided to look for one. I found THE one at www.oldnavy.com! They are having a fantastic sale! You cant beat $9.99 for a plus size bathing suit! YAHOO.. and this one is pretty cute to boot!Its a neat jewel colored print.  I’m not to sure about the bottoms..as they SAY they are skirted.. and Im not wild about that. The picture looks more like a cheerleader type skirt than a flouncy ruffled one..Either way I have a navy blue tankini bottom that will match it if I dont like the one that comes with it.For $9.99 if I just use the top part Id STILL be getting a fantastic deal.