Today is my big sister's birthday. Please stop by and wish her a happy day! I know how much you love it when I call you my big sister, Jenn. Happy birthday!! Hope your day is fabulous!! Love you tons.

As some of you know from reading my blog, my husband and I purchased a house last August. The upstairs bedroom (the house is a bungalow) was not really suitable for living. You could move the walls with your hands because it wasn't drywalled - it was an old cork board type of thing that they used to do those upstairs bedrooms in. It was also bright purple with purple paint all over the hardwood floor and the half wall that stops you from falling down the stairs moved like it was going to fall over with very little effort (a death trap). So, we've been sleeping elsewhere in the house for almost 9 months now. It really sucks not having our own bedroom yet.

Well, my parents are home from Florida now and decided it was time to get this project started. We are getting the dumpster to go in our driveway at the end of this week and doing the destruction portion of it so we can start rebuilding. Woo hoo! I know that doesn't mean that we'll be sleeping in our bedroom any time soon, but at least something is getting done.

I've been looking forward to today since I got to work on Monday. It's been nice just hanging out with the kids this morning and not hearing Gabby cry when I have to leave for work. I have to get in the shower in the next hour so that Evan and I can go pick up my sister and niece for the Webkinz Extravaganza at our local Hallmark store. They are both so excited about it. Then tonight we'll all gather at my house (husbands included) for pizza and drinks and fun times. Ah.. how I love the weekend!

This day has gone by so slow. I feel like I'm never going to get out of work. To top it all off, the customers over the last hour have been extremely annoying. I can't believe I still have an hour and fifteen minutes left. Do you have any idea how many remaining irritating customers I have the potential of talking to? Far too many. Oh, look.. here comes one now. Calgon.. take me away!

The weekend if finally here! Thank the Lord. I'm hoping for a quick work day so I can start enjoying it. Who's got plans for this weekend? My sister and I are taking the kids to a Webkinz party at our local Hallmark-type store tomorrow afternoon and then in the evening she, my brother-in-law and my niece are coming over to hang out. Sunday I plan to do a whole lot of nothing. I have several recipes that I want to try out over the weekend too.

We had a great team meeting and there was a ton of Mexican food. I ate quite a bit, but not so much that I felt overly full. I don't plan on eating again today though. That was my breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'll be drinking water the rest of the day. I am, however, extremely tired and in desperate need of a nap! I still have four hours left here at work though so that isn't going to happen. I would trade my left arm for a little snooze though.

I don't mind Thursdays at work because we always have a team meeting. That means an hour off the phone and away from my customers. That's always good. Today we are having a Mexican Theme lunch for our meeting. I made a Mexican Chicken Lasagna which is oh, so good and the best part... it's Weight Watchers.

Here is the recipe:

3 Chicken breast Cooked and Cubed (I broil with Chipotle seasoning)
1 Can Black beans; drained
2 Cups Light sour cream
2 Cups Reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese
4 oz Green Chilies
2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
5 Large tortillas cut into strips
1/2 Cup Salsa

* Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray pan with Pam. Mix chicken, beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, salsa, and pepper. Mix well and arrange half of the tortillas overlapping in pan. Top with chicken mixture, then tortillas, then chicken again. Sprinkle with 1 Cup of cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

6 WW points per serving

One of my favorite new television shows is Eli Stone with Jonny Lee Miller

More Wordless Wednesday here

My husband and I have not always had the greatest credit. We did things in our past, when we were younger, prior to even knowing each other, that really hurt each of our credit reports. We have since fixed all of those problems over the years and now we get new credit card offers like there is no tomorrow. I am fairly certain that every day in the mail there is a new offer for one of us, if not both. As tempting as it is, I do not want to get in over my head again so I pay very close attention to all credit card reviews. It is so important to know what you are getting into when you sign up for things that have the potential of blemishing your credit report. I don't want to have any further dings on mine or my husbands. That is in the past and we intend to keep it there. I will never be careless with it again. I don't know what everyone else does when it comes to applying for new cards, but if anyone out there has questions about their credit cards or potential future cards, I would look into as much about it as possible. You can never be too cautious.

I've been at work for two hours and have had nothing but problems since I got here. Every call has been a difficult one - people complaining about things they know nothing about, banks calling on behalf of our customer regarding a financial problem, and on and on and on. I'm so ready to go home already. To top it all off, they started sending people home early again. I won't be able to go because I work the latest shift. Blah. Work sucks. I can't wait until the weekend!

I have never been a fan of drinking water. The only water I consumed was what I used to make my coffee with. Well, I bought some Crystal Light (only 5 calories per serving) and now I am drinking a lot of water. I bought the on-the-go packets so I fill a bottle at work and pour one of those in and I'm good to go. I understand that Weight Watchers works much better if you drink a lot of water, so that is my motivation. Plus, I know that drinking water is good for me and I should be doing it anyway.

We love our new bed! It's so nice having a King size bed instead of a Queen. There is so much room in that bed that both kids could crawl into bed with us and we'd hardly notice. It will be even nicer when our upstairs bedroom is done so we can sleep in our room instead of going to the basement to sleep.

My in-laws are wonderful people. My mother-in-law and I are great friends and I'm so happy about that. We had our rough patches in the past, but we've never been closer and I believe that we will continue to get closer as time goes on.

My mother-in-law's friend is moving to another state so she had a moving sale. Jeremy's mom immediately contacted us and asked if we would be interested in her king size guest bed with mattress cover and memory foam top. Hell, yeah.. we are interested. We have a queen size and have always wanted to get a king. My in-laws went in half with us and it's now all set up and ready to be slept in. I'm looking forward to going to bed tonight!

I had a candle party yesterday evening. I had such a good time. I hope everyone else did too. I made a bunch of food and bought cream puffs for dessert. I ate way too much, but most of what I made was Weight Watchers so I don't think I went that far over my points. Besides, there are 35 bonus points to be had each week and I rarely use them so having a party was a good reason to do so. I weighed myself at my mom's house yesterday morning and I've lost 16 pounds total since I started; about 2 months ago now, I think. Not bad.

Anyway, I did really good at my party. I ended up getting over $400 worth of Partylite stuff for only $59.00. I can't wait until it gets here! My mother-in-law booked a party from my party so I'll have $50 "fast cash" to spend at her party next month. Fun times.

A reminder that adult words are often taken literally....

Circumcised

A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch, and not paying attention. She went back to find out what was going on. He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy.The teacher told him to go down to the principal's office. He was to telephone his mother and ask her what he should do about it. He did and returned to his class.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room. She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his 'private part' hanging out. 'I thought I told you to call your mom!' she said. 'I did,' he said, 'And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school.

Gabby has started with the "terrible two's" already and she's only 17 months old. She is such a spoiled little princess with the highest pitch to her scream. If she doesn't get exactly what she wants she throws a total fit and the whole house goes deaf. Could someone remind me why I wanted a little girl again? *grin* I'm kidding. She's the smartest, cutest little girl ever and I totally adore her - which is why she is such a spoiled little princess.

I am so happy that Friday is finally here. Only six more hours (blah) until I'm out of work! No alarm will be scaring the crap out of me in the morning. I do have a lot to do tomorrow, but at least it will be at my house and at my own pace. I'm thinking about going to get a manicure and pedicure tomorrow. It's been a while since I've had someone else do my nails for me. It would be nice to have them looking their best with the warm weather now. I'll be wearing sandals very soon and I'd like to have some pretty toes to flaunt.

I filled up my tank today and noticed that the price of gas has jumped quite significantly the past few days! It had gone up slightly a few days ago and I was angry, but I can't even describe the feeling that came over me when I saw the price today as I was pulling into the station. I paid three dollars and sixty-five cents per gallon to fill up my gas tank today. It's a good thing I no longer have a seventy mile round trip for work. I wouldn't be able to afford the damn gas! This is totally ridiculous.

The lady that sits across from me at work keeps singing, "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." That will be stuck in my head until next Tuesday, I'm sure.

I feel better today! Not 100% yet, but at least eighty-five. Much better than I have felt over the last week. It is absolutely gorgeous outside too. It's supposed to be seventy degrees out today! It's also pay day so that extra money in my bank account makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

Have a good day. Friday is just around the corner!

I can't believe it is only Wednesday. It's been one helluva week so far. I think I might be getting better, but it's hard to tell because it comes in waves. I left work early again, but I didn't end up leaving until 4:30 today. We were so completely dead at work that management was asking people if they wanted to go home. I, feeling like death, gladly volunteered. I feel a bit better this evening, but still very tired. I hope it's on it's way out now. Is it Friday yet?

I only made it about 45 minutes at work before having to come home. I am really feeling ill today. My head is killing me and my stomach is so upset. I couldn't even think straight when trying to assist customers. I hope this flu goes away soon! I am having a Partylite Candle party at my house on Saturday so it needs to be long gone by then. Cross your fingers for me.

It's gorgeous outside! Unfortunately, I still have this flu-like bug and I'm stuck at work for the next 8 hours so I won't be able to enjoy much of it. I spoke to my son's teacher yesterday and she said there is definitely a "bug" going around and it lasts a good week. Her whole family had it last week - which means my son probably carried it home from school with him and gave it to me. Nice. Here are the symptoms: headache, fatigue, nausea. I don't feel like I am going to be sick, but almost wish I could so that perhaps I would feel better.

I am at work and just got an email from my mom telling me that she and my dad put our dog, Kayla, to sleep this morning. She was 14 years old and was not doing well at all. She had been at our house all Winter while my parents were in Florida. I knew it was going to be soon, but it was such a shock to read that email while on the phone with a customer. I stopped talking and forgot what I was saying. It was hard to stop the tears while still on the phone. The man I was talking to probably thinks I'm a total freak. I had to go to the bathroom and let out a good cry after getting off the phone. I'm so sad that my Kayla dog is gone. I know it was the right thing to do for her sake, but it's still a very sad thing. I feel horrible for my mom and dad because they had to take her in to have it done.

Loud children and Blue's Clues blaring from the living room is enough to make anyone wish for nap time. Luckily, it has arrived and now I can spend some time on my computer without high pitched screaming and the word "mom" coming at me from all directions. Heck, I only got up three hours ago and I think I'm ready for a nap.

I wasn't feeling very well last night and went to bed early. I ended up sleeping twelve hours and now I'm not feeling so good again and ready to crawl back into bed. What is wrong with me? I think maybe I'll skip computer time and head for the couch with a pillow and blanket. Perhaps there is a good movie available On Demand that I can watch while I lounge.

I am obsessed with sitting at work, going through recipes online (especially weight watchers recipes) and making grocery lists. It really helps pass the time at work and I've made a lot of wonderful meals with the recipes I've found. The only problem with this routine is that I'm sitting at work very hungry now wishing I was at home making one of these meals. But I do have a wonderful grocery list going. Two hours and twenty minutes and I will be on my way to the store. I can't wait until dinner time!

I know I've mentioned this a thousand times, but I really hate when I have to work on Saturday. It's far too early for me to be awake, showered and out of my house. On a regular work day I'm still not awake yet! I've been logged in for 12 minutes and not a phone call yet. It would be lovely if the entire day went this way, but I know it won't. We're always busy on Saturdays. It just takes our customers a little longer to get going because normal people are sleeping in today.

It was so nice having three days off! Now I'm back at work and the day is going by so slow. We're having a rock, paper, scissors tournament at work today. How freaking stupid is that? I hope I get my ass kicked in the first round so I don't have to deal with any more than a few humiliating seconds of this nonsense. Fifteen minutes from now I'll be heading down there. Fun, fun. At least I won't be on the phone with a potentially annoying customer.

Update: I got knocked out in the 2nd round. No championship tournament for me next week - thank God.

I was very productive yesterday. I spent most of the day on the go. Today is another story. I have done nothing but lay around. I just woke up from a several hour nap while my daughter napped. It's almost 4pm and I feel like the laziest person ever.

My mini-vacation is now half over. I go back to work on Friday. I'm totally enjoying myself though. I needed this time at home with my family. My son is on break from school and it's nice to actually get more than an hour or so with him each day. It would be nice if we could just win the lottery and not have to deal with work anymore. Oh, yeah.. we'd have to actually play to win though and we just don't waste money on that.

The Channel 4 News truck is down the street again at that house where the guy murdered his parents. It's been days. What are they doing down there again? Maybe they are going to talk about the memorial that the neighbors set up and the flowers all over the porch? Who knows?

This is what I am making for dinner:

Weight Watchers Grilled Pork and Apples
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
4 pork chops, 1 inch thick
1 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 onion, minced
2-3 firm apples
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Place meat in a plastic bag.
2. In a small bowl, mix apple and lemon juices, sage, brown sugar and onion and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour over meat.
4. Close bag tightly and turn to coat chops well.
5. Place in a bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
6. Remove chops from marinade and drain well.
7. Place marinade in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and continue to boil for one full minute.
8. Grill chops over hot coals for 20 minutes, turning and basting with marinade occasionally.
9. Core apples but do not peel.
10. Cut into thick rings.
11. Brush apples with marinade and place on grill around pork.
12. Continue grilling pork and apples until pork is done as desired and apples are tender, about 15 minutes.
13. Remove from grill and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

WW POINTS per serving: 7
Nutritional information per serving: 329 calories, 14.4g fat, 2.2g fiber

Weight Watchers Grilled Spicy New Potatoes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs small potatoes (washed and cut into bite size pieces)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes and 1/2 tablespoon oil.
2. In a separate small bowl, mix the ground cumin, ginger, fennel, paprika, chili powder and salt.
3. Add the spice mix to the potatoes and toss well to coat.
4. Transfer the potatoes to an aluminum foil and seal the packet.
5. Grill the potatoes in foil for about 15-20 minutes (or until just tender).
6. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and drizzle with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.

WW POINTS per serving: 3
Nutritional information per serving: 177 calories, 4.9g fat, 5g fiber

And this is what I am making for dessert:

Weight Watchers Apple Fritters
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
2 apples (peeled, cored and sliced into rings)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 quarts oil (for deep frying)

Preparation
1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in the milk.
3. Combine with the dry ingredients.
4 Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) in a deep fryer or heavy bottomed deep pot or skillet.
5. Dip the apple slices in batter and fry, a few at a time, turning once, until they turn golden.
6. Drain the apple rings on paper towels, and serve sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

WW POINTS per serving: 1
Nutritional information per serving: 68 calories, 1.3g fat, 0.9g fiber

All recipes are from my favorite Weight Watchers Blog. Thank you!

I am thrilled. I have the next three days off! My manager pushed through Wednesday for me even though there was no time available so now I don't have to go back to work until Friday. It's been nice already being at home. I slept in, went to the park with my husband and kids this morning, made a delicious lunch and have been working on my computer now for the last couple of hours while my daughter is napping.

A very sad thing happened down the street from my house. Every time I look down the street I feel a horrible twinge in my chest. Yesterday afternoon a 27 year old shot his mom and dad on their front porch from inside the house. Apparently the son was in the middle of a heated argument with his dad and from what I understand, has a history of mental illness. My son was outside in our driveway at the time and heard the shots before running into the house to get my husband. He claims he didn't see anything and thought that perhaps it was fireworks. I thank God for that. The scary thing is that he had raced me down to that corner only a few short moments before it happened. I was going back to work after lunch and he was on the sidewalk trying to "out run" my car. As I turned the corner I sent him back to the house and told him to stay away from the corner because of all the passing cars. Little did I know that had I not sent him back, he would have seen the whole thing and been in harms way. So disturbing.

It was all over the news last night. The street was blocked off for several hours. Even after I got home from work last night the news trucks were down there broadcasting live at the corner of my street. It's such a sad thing. I can't understand why people do the things they do. How could someone kill their own parents? or children? or anyone, for that matter? It just puzzles the hell out of me. It's sad to look down there and see all the flowers and balloons on the porch and the memorial wall that was put up over the boarded up window. To think that yesterday morning those nice folks were alive and well. Today they have people passing by, stopping and leaving flowers because they are gone. Friends and neighbors are crying and wondering how this could happen. The other two kids (daughters) are trying to mourn and pick up the pieces. It's such a tragedy.

I had a fabulous weekend! I went to Twelve Oaks Mall on Saturday to meet up with a handful of the girls from my message board and their toddlers. We had a wonderful time. It was great seeing them in person after sharing so much with them over the last two years! The kids played hard in the play center area. I will have to post pictures at some point this week. Here is one of my daughter that I have with me. She looks so grown up in this picture!

Saturday night I made the most wonderful Chicken Quesadillas and homemade Salsa for dinner. I got the recipe from my favorite Weight Watchers Blog. The salsa recipe is actually in a recipe for Salsa Burgers. It's the best salsa I've ever had - restaurant style! I will be making that again soon. Yesterday my family and I took it easy - lounged around the house all day. We made Shrimp Scampi (WW recipe) for lunch and a salsa meatloaf and baked fries for dinner. It was all very yummy. My husband and I watched several movies this weekend too. I will probably write a review here later today.

I am work now, but I took a vacation day tomorrow and I have Thursday off because I work on Saturday. It'll be nice to work every other day this week (other than Saturday). It's beautiful outside and my son is home this week for "spring break." I'm really looking forward to being at home!

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of you who sometimes get flustered by your computer, please read on...

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

Costello calls to buy a computer from Abbott

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT : Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOT T: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Window's.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say 'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'

Every day this week they have put out a "leave work early" email for anyone that works until 4:30, 5:00 or 5:30 pm. So they take the first however many people that respond and let them go home early (because we are so slow). Then the people who are left here get totally SLAMMED because half the people left. I will never be able to leave early because I work until 8pm. One of the managers said that once in a while they let people who work until 8pm leave early, but it's rare. I'm fucking tired of it, not to mention highly jealous. They just sent out a 2nd email saying any more people that normally leave up until 6pm can go too. Fucking bullshit! I feel like crap and would love to go home.

I feel like shit today. I don't know what's wrong. It kind of feels like a stomach bug coming on or something. I'm not sick with a cold. I feel very weak and my stomach feels very blah. I really hope I'm not coming down with something! I am supposed to be meeting a group of girls that I have been talking to online since April of 2006 (a pregnancy message board I joined when I was pregnant with Gabby) tomorrow at noon. Obviously I can't meet them all because we're spread out across the country and some even in different countries, but a bunch of us from Michigan and a few from Ohio are meeting at a mall that has a large play center in it. It will be so much fun meeting them and having our toddlers play together. Cross your fingers that I don't get sick!

The Vans Warped Tour has really gone down hill. I'm not talking about the DTE Energy Theater either. I mean the line up totally sucks. It's been getting worse every year. I used to love going with my husband and my oldest son, but we haven't gone since they moved it to Comerica Park's parking lot. Ever since the move it's held on a weekday instead of the weekend. How dumb is that? It's an all day event. I sure as hell won't take a day off work to go sweat my ass off in the middle of July to listen to lousy bands. Sure there are still a handful of hot bands that I want to see, but not enough to go to the Warped Tour.

I can't wait for this game to come out!

More Wordless Wednesday here

My sister introduced me to Entrecard today and I am completely addicted. I can't stop dropping mine on other blogs! I wasn't so sure about it at first. It seemed very similar to the last widget I put on my blog which did nothing for me and ultimately just pissed me off. After a little more investigating and research, Entrecard seems like a pretty cool set up.