BCS, Baby!!!

WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Kansas City, here we come!

BCS RANKINGS

1. ALABAMA

2. OU

3. TEXAS

4. FLORIDA

5. USC

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

DECEMBER 6, 2008

7:00 PM

MIZZOU VS OU

BOOMER SOONER!!!

It's Game Day *Bedlam*

BOOMER SOONER!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

Thoughtful Thursday

"The greatest thing in the world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wordless Wednesday

Bounce, Bounce

BYE, BYE PACI *TAKE 2* **UPDATED**

The time has come that Cole is becoming more attached to his pacifier. He used to only have it at night when he went to bed, but lately has started asking for it alot more. He even tried to crawl into his crib on Saturday to get it. He slipped and hit his mouth on the rail. That was when I realized, we probably needed to do something. So I looked in the Farmer's Almanac and according to the moon (or maybe it's the sun...or whatever the Almanac uses), the 23rd of this month(October) is the best day to wean animals and children. So as of 12:01 am this morning, paci went bye, bye. I snuck into Cole's room and took it like a thief in the night. Every paci we have went into the trash, so there is no turning back now. He woke up a little before 6:00am (he normally sleeps til 7:30am) and played in his bed til about 6:30am before he started yelling for me to come get him. Hopefully he will take a good nap today for Mrs. Kim. I am so worried he is going to have a breakdown tonight when he figures out his paci is gone.

Keep your fingers crossed...

********************UPDATED********************

We are officially paci-free in our house. It only took Cole about 2 weeks to really forget about his paci. The 1st weekend without it was HELL, though. I was home by myself with him and it wore me completely out. Faron and I have been very spoiled...Cole has slept through the night (8:00pm-7:30am) since he was 8 weeks old, and by biggest fear in taking away his paci was that he would start waking up at the crack of dawn. I know I was being selfish, but I like my sleep. He did start waking up between 5:00am-6:00am, but has gradually gotten back on track and now sleeps until 7:00am. The 1st weekend we really struggled...there were early, early mornings and ALOT of screaming at nap time, both before and after. On that Sunday afternoon he woke up from his nap and was SO VERY angry. He just cried and cried for really no reason that I could figure out. After about 30 minutes, I just walked away and left him in his room. If I hadn't thrown the paci's away, I would have caved and given it back right then. After another 10-15 minutes he finally stopped crying and came out of his room just fine. I guess he just needed some time to himself. I am very glad we did this when we did. If we had waited any longer, this experience would have been MUCH worse. I am having second thoughts about giving any future babies a paci now. As for the Farmer's Almanac...it might just be full of, well, you know.

Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Jiminy Cricket

It's Game Day **Updated**

BOOMER SOONER!!!

**********************UPDATED**********************

My mom chickened out of going to the game Saturday, so I went with my Dad for some Father-Daughter bonding time. My Dad and I have never been to an OU game together, and we are both huge fans. IT WAS A BLAST!!! I haven't seen so many people at an OU game since the OU-Nebraska game in 2000. And I haven't heard the crowd so loud and motivated ever. It was so much fun, and oh, we beat the CRAP out of Texas Tech too.

Dad and I before it got CRAZY.

Helloooooooo, Herbie! (Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN) Yes, he IS just as HOT in person. Our seats were 11 rows from the field, so I got a good view to make sure.

Hellooooooo, Bobby. (Most people call him Coach Stoops). Yes, he IS just as HOT in person, too!

FREAK...This guy was an idiot. He came out of the Texas Tech locker room for warm-ups looking like this and talking some MAJOR SMACK as he walked in front of the OU fans. BIG MISTAKE, Freak-Guy! He lost all self-control in the 2nd quarter, when our defense intercepted the ball and ran it back to the 2 yard line, and got himself a unsportsman-like conduct personal foul. Oh, how I wish he would have taken off his helmet on the field, like he was threatening to do. I so wanted to see him get kicked out of the game. TIP: If you're gonna talk trash, be prepared to back it up...

BOOMER SOONER!

I love watching this guy...I think I secretly watch for him to run into someone. As usual, he didn't.

Final score

OU 65

TX Tech 21

Thanks again, Dad!

I LOVE YOU!!!

(maybe we should make this a yearly thing)

Mom, Thank You too for watching Cole and doing my laundry.

Backyard Fun

These are from a few weeks ago, I'm still playing catch-up...

No one is safe from the sand...not even his buddy, Wheeler.

Fish

I made a request with Nana and Papa for Halloween this year, that Cole didn't need alot of candy. Well, Nana honored my request by getting Cole an aquarium and 3 goldfish. Cole loved the fish. We had to move a stool over to the counter so he could get his little face right up close to the glass. He would point and say, "ish, ish", and laugh his little head off. It was fun while it lasted...the poor little fish have parted from this world one-by-one. They last about 2 1/2 weeks total. Luckily, Cole has completely forgotten about them...

Be careful what you wish for...

Halloween 2008

As you can see, Cole was a Fisherman...he had a hat, but wouldn't leave it on...the fishing pole became a weapon at Mrs. Kim's, so that got put away too...

Yes, that is the "Puppy Movie"...we don't leave home without it. I have seen that movie more times than I can count. He has MANY different movies, but always picks a "Puppy Movie"...help!

At the zoo

After work, we took Cole to Haunt the Zoo. Let's just say, it will be a few years before we go back for that. I have never seen sooooo many kids in my life.

Cole was not crazy about sitting beside a bunch of scarecrow's

Cupcakes I made for the Halloween party at Mrs. Kim's (daycare)

Thoughtful Thursday

"The world is full of riches, but none of them compare with the treasures that lie within a mother's heart." - Patricia A Rushford

Wordless Wednesday

YUM-O!!! *Strawberry-Banana Muffins*

*Strawberry-Banana Muffins*

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries/strawberries (cut into small pieces)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Position rack in center of oven. Line muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Add the melted butter to the brown sugar mixture and stir to combine.

In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Do not over mix or the blueberries will end up coloring the batter blue. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full of batter. Fill any unused muffin cups halfway with water to prevent warping of the pan and/or over browning of the muffins. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

I also made some icing with powdered sugar and a little milk and drizzled over the top of the muffins after they cooled.

This recipe courtesy of joyofbaking.com

TIP:

For times when you have overripe bananas and don't want to bake them right away, you can freeze them whole (in the peels), wrapped airtight, for up to 6 months. Or you can peel and mash them, stir in 1 tsp of lemon juice for each banana, and freeze in an airtight container or bag. Then you are ready to make muffins anytime.

My Buddy *Part 2*

YUM-O!!! *Easy Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas*

* Easy Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas*

1 (10 oz) can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream (I used 1 cup because I like it more sour creamy)

1 cup picante sauce (I used Pace)

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

2 cup chopped cooked chicken (I bought a Rotisserie chicken from Sam's and used the meat from that...super easy)

2 cup shredded cheese, divided (I used Mexican blend)

6-8 tortillas, corn or flour (I used corn)

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup) (Optional)

1 green onion, sliced (about 2 Tbsp) (Optional)

Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir 1 cup soup mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side up in 11x8 (I used 9x13) shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

Tip: Stir 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed, into the chicken mixture before filling the tortillas.

This recipe courtesy of Campbell's.

These were great and super easy.

YUM-O!!! *Creamy Italian Chicken*

*Creamy Italian Chicken*

1 block of cream cheese, softened

1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast

additional seasonings/spices if you like more zest

splash or so of milk (optional)

Baked: Mix cream cheese, soup and dressing mix. Add some milk if you like it a little thinner. Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with additional seasoning/spices if desired. Pour mixture over chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Crock-pot: Put chicken, 1/2 cup water and Italian dressing mix and other spices in crock-pot. Cook until chicken is done, adding water as necessary. Mix cream cheese and soup and pour into crock-pot. Cook another 30 minutes or so with lid off to thicken mixture.

Here is how I adapted this recipe:

I used 2 split fryer breasts and browned them in a skillet before putting them in the crock-pot. I cooked the chicken all night, then pulled it off the bone the next morning, and added the other ingredients to the crock-pot. Next time, I will probably only use 1/2 the amount of cream cheese. This dish was very good, but very rich from the cream cheese. I also made some egg noodles and added them right in the crock-pot for about the last 30 minutes.

This recipe is courtesy of Bargin Hunting Wife.

Thoughtful Thursday

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have." - Author Unknown

Things I Love *Superwoman*

I saw Alicia Keys this morning on The View and I loved the song she performed.

We are all

SUPERWOMEN!!!

Enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday

Veteran's Day

To those who are serving, or have served, our country and sacrificing for our freedom...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

A couple of years ago at the 1st OU home football game of the season, I got really teary eyed when they played the National Anthem. I had heard the National Anthem thousands of times before, so why was that one so different. Well, it was the 1st time I heard it after someone I knew personally went overseas to fight for our country. My brother's best friend, Stephen Brosh (or Dimples as I like to call him), left for Iraq a short time before, and it was the 1st time that song really hit home for me. Now, Julie's brother's, Mike and Jeff, are both serving. Both my Grandpa's, my Great Uncle and, I'm sure, many more have served this country. The times have changed, but I'm sure the reason's they fought are still the same. We all need to take this day to THANK them and all the others who are fighting for our freedoms.

Please click here to send a Thank You postcard to a soldier overseas for free.

"We will always remember.

We will always be proud.

We will always be prepared, so we may always be free."

Ronald Reagan on the 40th anniversary of D-Day

My Buddy

Cole loves Wheeler.

It's Game Day

BOOMER SOONER!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain." - Author Unknown

Wordless Wednesday

"Where did you go?"

Well, it's happened...

This morning I got up early to go vote and left Cole asleep with Daddy in charge. I was gone a little longer than I expected because of the long lines. When I got home Cole came running down the hall saying, "Mamaaaa, Mamaaaa, where did you go?". It was clear as a bell. I knew the day would come where he would go from speaking in just words to phrases and sentences, but I have to admit, I teared up a little this morning when I heard him sound like such a little man.

One more thing...

Breakfast by Daddy this morning consisted of very nutritious Oreo's and Frito's.

ELECTION DAY 2008

HAVE YOU VOTED TODAY???