Archives for 2012

American Idol Top 24 Review

February 24, 2012 by Amy 4 Comments

Alrighty, folks, I can’t help it. I’m going to be blogging American Idol this season. Have you heard the Top 24? I honestly think this is the most talented group we’ve seen yet. It’s pretty unbelievable.

I thought I’d pick a Top 10 from the 24. It’s not 100% voice on these votes. As you know, people vote for personality too so I’m doing the same.

The Guys

Phil Phillips – Here’s my thing with Phil. Every time he goes up to sing, you’re not entirely sure he’s going to pull the thing off. He’s inconsistent. But. You can tell he’s made to sing. I love how the music just explodes from him. And he’s as cute as he can be. Confident yet humble. He really is a contender if he can pull off his best every week.

Joshua Ledet- Joshua is not my normal pick but every time he sings, I’m enthralled. I’m sure it’s the gospel vibe I’m connecting with but really? Have you ever heard someone sing a Hallelujah that pretty?

Heejun Han – I think I have a little crush on Heejun. He. is. hilarious. Between his crush on Jennifer Lopez and his hatred of the cowboy, I’m just not sure I could take anymore. What I love most is he has no clue how good he is. Wait, wait. I love, love that he works with special needs kids. Oh my word, he might not be an American Idol but I think I want to be his friend.

Deandre – His falsetto is to die for and if he can just pick the right songs every time, he’s golden.

Creighton – Creighton loves himself a little too much or maybe he overcompensates because he doesn’t but I can’t deny his performance ability and voice. He’s got the gig down already.

The Girls

Shannon Magrane – She’s got the look and wowed me with her final audition song.

Baylie Brown – She’s like cookie cutter American Idol. I mean, seriously, if you had an American Idol machine, I think she’s what would pop out.

Elise Testone – Elise is another professional. She’s not afraid of the stage and knows how to work it. I think she’ll do really well in on the big stage. She’s just not American Idol cookie cutter material. Not really sure the voters will take to her.

Jessica Sanchez – Her voice as a lot of power and I may as well say it since we’ll hear it all season…and she’s only 16!

Jen Hirsh – Jen is amazing. I’m just afraid her personality doesn’t have the IT factor. I’m not saying she’s not super sweet. I’m just not sure it will take her all the way.

Honorable mentions go to Brielle and Hollie. Brielle has way too much attitude and Hollie I’m not sure has enough.

OK, anything can happen on that Idol stage but those are the ones I’m keeping my eye on. Which do you like?

A TV Update

February 23, 2012 by Amy 17 Comments

Back in the fall, I blogged about what I was watching. My TV watching completely changed this season. I’m a 100% DVR watcher now. Actually. I’m 100% Hulu watcher even though it is also recorded on my DVR too (other than Big Bang Theory which is DVD). It’s just easier to watch it on my computer while I’m working on my laptop. I would love to cancel our DirecTV and Netflix but alas, the family would not be happy.

OK so here is what I actually ended up watching. And before you read this, there are spoilers so don’t read if you’re not up to date!

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Revenge – This is another one I’d watch and say I was done but kept coming back. I just couldn’t handle not knowing what happened to Daniel in that first episode. And ya’ll! I was SO HAPPY that it wasn’t Daniel!! So happy! And so happy it WAS Tyler. AND so happy that Amanda figured out that Emily was getting it because of something she had done (I did interpret that right, right?).

Parenthood – This week’s episode totally paid off for the rest of an otherwise lackluster season. I think I cried at nearly every storyline. So. not. fair. that they’re not getting their baby. Not fair. I’m hoping she changes her mind. I think Amber should just go for Bill already and her aunt freaked out too much. I can’t decide whether I want Jasmine and Crosby together or not. I was finally getting used to the idea of them with their significant others but I do like the idea of their family being together again. I’m going to totally blank on names but I’m missing the little brothers. Also, I heard Jason Ritter’s new show got a green light and I’m PSYCHED. I love him!

Downton Abbey – Holy cow. That was the besttt season finale ever. I could watch the proposal like a zillion times over. They seriously need to patch things up with Bates’ storyline. We cannot have him in prison for the rest of our lives. Cannot! My favorite line of the entire series was delivered in that episode and to no one’s surprise came from Dowager Countess “Do you promise?” If you don’t know what scene I’m talking about, you need to rewatch that final episode immediately.

Once Upon a Time – I’ve given up on this show no less than 4 times this season. However, something keeps me coming back. My favorite episode was Snow White and Prince Charming’s episode and I hate, hate how they have Charming cheating on his wife but at the same time, I really, really want Snow and him back together. It was fantastic when Rumpelstiltskin admitted who he was. Can’t wait until this unravels.

Modern Family – I think this season has been kind of weak to be honest. Funny at times but not as good as it once was.

Big Bang Theory – OK, so we’re only on season 2 but I LOVE THIS SHOW. Sheldon is like a mix of me and Scott and we both find him to be HILARIOUS for different reasons. I will not be surprised at all if Scott starts doing acoustic tests next time we visit the theater.

Which of these do you watch? What’d you think of the season? Come on, let’s talk TV!

What I Wore Wednesday: How to Wear Royal Blue Shoes

February 22, 2012 by Amy 6 Comments

I’m pretty sure this is the first What I Wore Wednesday. If you’re not familiar, folks take pictures of their outfits through the week and post them on Wednesdays. I’m usually not inspiring, too forgetful or self-conscious to participate but I recently got these royal blue suede shoes (Elvis!) at the behest of the Mother of Fashion herself. I mentioned them briefly in this post.

But royal blue is a great Spring 2012 color and she insisted the blue shoes were “basically a neutral”. Ha! Well, as it turns out she was right and I’ve been able to wear them with many different outfits. In fact, I’m having to convince myself not to wear them every single day since they’re so comfortable. I thought I’d share a few outfits I’ve worn in the past week as well as a few bonus ones just in case you want a few tips. Here are eight ways to wear royal blue shoes:

Apologies for the busy background and cell phone snapshots. Another good reason I don’t do WIWW often. In any case:

Yellow striped shirt, black blazer and royal/navy blue necklace. This is my favorite out of all of them.
Kelly green long sleeve tee and a navy and white scarf. I could live in long-sleeved tees but this is a fun way to make them interesting!
Orange tank, royal blue cardigan and royal/navy blue necklace. Cardigans don’t have to be matronly!
Royal blue stripes and orange tank. And in other words, what I’m wearing today.
Navy striped shirt. Mother of Fashion tells me navy and royal blue are popular together this year. I think I wish I had a little yellow jacket for this outfit.
Orange tank and grey crop sweater. This is my ultimate work from home cozy outfit.
Black and royal blue dress. Wears like a shirt and skirt. I usually wear black shoes with this but the blue is fun!
Yellow striped shirt. Again, you could do a third color in a jacket or scarf here or even a cute belt if you can pull it off.

You’ll notice in only a few of them am I actually wearing royal blue in the outfit and when I am, it’s with another color. I actually prefer the shoes not to match exactly. In fact, I think Mother of Fashion would probably suggest that’s the only way to wear them.

I hope this inspired you a little. If so, don’t forget to pin it! If not, let’s just forget this post exist, k? Hope you’re having a great Wednesday either way!

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How We’re Coping Going Gluten and Dairy Free

February 21, 2012 by Amy 12 Comments

I know we’re only 3 days into this gluten/milk free thing. Perhaps I should rewrite this post in 3 or 4 weeks but I have to be honest and say so far it just hasn’t been that big of a deal. Let me show you through Emma’s meals yesterday since she has the most restricted diet of the four of us:

Breakfast: Emma ate bacon, two gluten free (GF) waffles, and chocolate almond milk. On a day off school like yesterday, I normally make her pancakes, bacon and make chocolate milk. It was super easy (albeit more expensive) to substitute with a waffle. I also bought GF pancake mix I could have used but it’s easier to pop a waffle in a toaster.

Morning snack: Apple. No different than any other day. So thankful for a teacher at school that really pushes healthy snacks.

Lunch: I fixed her a PB&J on GF bread and she ate strawberries, grapes and carrots. Again, just the bread substitution.

Afternoon snack: She had a GF cookie at one point and then I fixed deviled eggs with non dairy mayonnaise. I don’t normally have cookies in the house so the cookie was an extra treat. Normally, she would have probably eaten a piece of her Valentine’s Day candy but we all love the GF cookies from Earth Fare so she didn’t even miss it. As for the deviled eggs, she couldn’t even tell I used a different mayonnaise.

Dinner: I made spaghetti with rice noodles. She ate them like a champ. She did balk a little at not being able to use Parmesan Cheese but it wasn’t a deal breaker.

Evening snack: I think she might have eaten one more GF cookie.

So yes, lots of substutions but nothing overwhelming or yucky or any drama. Her tummy hurt a few times but that isn’t to say her body wasn’t reacting to the change to the new GF flours. GF bread, waffles, noodles, cookies and almond milk certainly aren’t the cheapest things ever. BUT. It’s not hard. Just different. And I found a great deal site for gluten free products that I definitely plan on visiting regularly.

And, finally, drumroll….we can definitely tell a difference in her uh, movements, since just Sunday. Yayyyy!! Can you believe within 48 hours we’re seeing a change?

Mountains, BBQ and American Girl

February 20, 2012 by Amy 4 Comments

If you haven’t read yesterday’s post, please do! It will explain why we made a trip to Northern Georgia this past weekend. There were a few non-medical related tidbits I thought I’d share.

First off, I had no clue Georgia had mountains. Although if I’d stop and thought about the fact I’ve been to Stone MOUNTAIN twice I would have put two and two together. I struggle with the common sense sometimes. So I guess I was kind of shocked when we got off I-85 in Georgia and started heading deep into the mountains. By the time the GPS said we were just 15 minutes away and nearly dizzy from the hair pin curves, we found ourselves atop a mountain with the Appalachian Trail somewhere nearby. We stopped at this little store perched on the top of the mountain.

While it looks like it might just be a rest stop, it was packed with high quality hiking gear and local art to buy. We loved the views.

Blairsville, GA turned out to be a tiny little town. They did boast a Zaxby’s, Fatz Cafe, Bi-Lo, Ingles and WalMart but overall, this was a small mountain town still teeming with local businesses. The hotel I had chosen was family owned. In fact, the owners live on site. The decorations were humble but it was super clean, the staff was more than nice and more importantly, cheap.

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The funniest moment was Emma trying to work the TV and saying, “It won’t go to 2-9-9!” Those with DirecTV and kids will appreciate that joke.

Since we didn’t stop once other than the little mountain store, we were all ready to get out and get some dinner as soon as we got there. We decided on a local BBQ place. I was hesitant but Scott said you know if you go to these local places, they do it right.

This particular restaurant had recently moved to a new location. Don’t those roosters crack you up with Scott sitting there? Well, dinner was no laughing matter. It was DELICIOUS. Honestly, some of the best BBQ and baked beans I’ve ever had.

After dinner, we made a quick loop around town. Speaking of, on the trip we ran into all these small towns that had one huge building in the center of town with a round-about Here is the picture from our hotel parking lot of the center of Blairsville. Do you have these in your town? I think there might be some here in South Carolina but ours isn’t like that.

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We realized that this little town was still holding up many locally owned business. Isn’t this little grocery store Foodland a hoot? The last thing our town had like that was Piggly Wiggly and they closed probably 20 years ago.

We realized quickly that most of the town shut down about 6pm. Scott couldn’t talk the girls into strolling the aisles of Home Depot for the evening so we settled in to our hotel room and watched American’s Funniest Home Videos on Netflix on the laptop.

Saturday morning I was happy to eat at the nearby restaurant Cook’s. If the town’s BBQ was any indication, breakfast was going to be good.

And it was. I tried to stay healthy and only ordered one egg and grits with orange juice. Emma got toast and you could literally squeeze the butter out of it. So bad but so good! We were drooling over the biscuits and gravy at the next table.

After the doctor’s appointment which ended about lunchtime Saturday, we headed south 90 minutes to Alpharetta, GA, the home of one of the American Girl stores. We nearly took the girls at the beginning of January. I had the hotel booked and everything but decided against it last minute. I’m so glad we were able to bundle all this together!

The girls had an amazing time. Lexi was beside herself driving up to it. She had her hands over her mouth and I said, "Lexi, where are we?” She just said, “I can’t even say it,” through her hands. Cutest thing ever.

The store was an absolute mad house even given the size. This is only about a third of the store.

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What I loved though is that every single outfit they had was on display on a girl. No more looking at catalogs and the Internet! We tried to get into the doll salon to have their hair fixed and the bistro but they were booked solid. The girls ended up with two really cute outfits.

I had the girls pick out the outfits online before we went so we wouldn’t be there too long. Emma is so indecisive. Well, they were done in less than 20 minutes and that included a potty break. We got done and had plans to explore the mall. We spotted a carousel and a sign for the Cheesecake Factory but we were all so ready to go home we hit the road right away. Well, with Starbucks in hand. So yes, we drove 90 minutes for a 20 minute excursion. Whatever. The kids were satisfied and Scott and I in a mall are dangerous anyway. One day we might get back to Atlanta to visit the Coke Museum and Aquarium.

When we got home at 8pm, we couldn’t believe that we had been home at lunch time just the day before. It certainly was a whirlwind 30 hours. As hoped though, very productive and full of great memories.

How This Weekend Changed Our Lives

February 19, 2012 by Amy 11 Comments

This weekend in Northern Georgia

Let me be as dramatic as I possibly can and say this weekend was life-changing. I do mean that in the most practical sense and it could be life-changing temporarily or perhaps, long-term.

The thing about life-changing events is it requires a story. And unfortunately, this story is not one I’ve even begun to tell here. Which means this post is gonna be a long one. If you or a loved one suffer from allergies or stomach “issues”, you’re going to want to stay tuned. Well, I’d love for you to stay-tuned anyway because you know, life-changing and all that. Click Read More below to continue….

Word of the Day: Unctuous

February 17, 2012 by Amy 1 Comment

Today’s word came in an interesting way. I was ruminating on what to post today and it all came together when I was browsing through the book The Life You Always Wanted by John Ortberg. I came across a word with which I wasn’t entirely clear: unctuous.

The section I was reading from was “The Power of Prayer”. I first underlined the phrase “Prayer changes things.” And those three words resonated with me when I highlighted and again today as I reread the phrase. Prayer changes things. Is that not a humbling thought? Does that not make you want to hit your knees in the prayer closet? If I could just read those three words each morning I think it might do us all quite a bit of good.

Further down in the section, Ortberg quotes Walter Wink and herein we find our word of the day:

“The fawning etiquette of unctuous prayer is utterly foreign to the Bible. Biblical prayer is impertinent, persistent, shameless, indecorous. It is more like haggling in an oriental bazaar than the polite monologues of the churches.”

I got the general meaning but what is this unctuous prayer that is foreign to the Bible exactly?

Fatty and oily don’t seem to fit the meaning. Plastic either. And full of unction is probably it but what does unction mean exactly?

3b I think hits what Wink was after: “exaggerated, assumed, superficial.” In other words, prayer isn’t superficial. It’s not the fancy, ornate, empty prayer from the stage. Neither is it a handful of flippant phrases thrown at the ceiling from the bed in hopes of checking the task off for the day. It’s real. And it changes things.

So let us hit our knees today and let our prayers not be unctuous, but fervent and expectant.

A Little Thursday Random

February 16, 2012 by Amy 3 Comments

Source: someecards.com via Amy on Pinterest

Feels like a list day today.

Our adoption home study got turned in this week. Yay! Now we wait for a review and approvals.
In full disclosure I feel like I should tell you the alarm clock thing lost it’s magic. The girls have spent the last two mornings sleeping until I get them up. Now, they are getting up and getting dressed but no more helping with lunch and breakfast without us asking. Phooey.
And in full, full disclosure, I haven’t been doing the early morning thing that I was back at the end of the year. A big reason I was getting up early was to get done with my eBook and also because I was working at the office a lot more. Now that I’m home and can do things more on my lunch break and don’t have any extra projects going on, I’ve reverted back to late to bed, late to rise. Also some Big Bang Theory DVDs might have something to do with that. I really do miss it though. I wish I could at least get myself up and get fully ready so I could run a few errands after I drop the girls off.
I have been eating healthy since this post. Not quite as strict as the Daniel Fast but it reminds me quite a bit of it. I feel so much better, stay full most of the day and have lost a few pounds to boot. It’s odd, when I eat and feel full I have a temptation to feel guilty but I remind myself I’m eating healthy vegetables and fruit and it makes it even easier to make a good choice the next time. HOWEVER. Girl Scout Cookies are getting delivered to me today so we’ll see if I don’t have to do another update on this update soon.
In that vein, I’ve been swirling with plans to make a vegetable garden this year. I can’t keep the small flower in my kitchen alive (or any other plant that has ever come into my house) but for some reason I think it’s a good idea to have an entire garden of plants that we’re required to eat. We’ll see how that goes.
We have big plans this weekend. We have to travel out of town for a doctor visit (nothing to worry over) and we’re taking the girls to the American Girl store while we’re nearby. It’s going to be a whirlwind visit but hopefully some good memories.

And finally, I’ve gotten a few messages lately from readers that have really been touching. But all I really want to do is just fall at their feet and thank them profusely for even reading in the first place. For whatever reason, God keeps letting me write for you and I’m so thankful because I love coming here and sharing. So I need to say THANK YOU for reading.