so right thanksgiving was last week

the babies, the games, the master chef, the siblings. ahhhh. so nice. and on to christmas. this year (for quite possibly the first time ever, er, since i was a child?) i am attempting to be excited for the holiday season. my first step in the right direction is to watch the tree lighting (on tv) at rock-a-fella center in nyc. i also have been dreaming up christmas card ideas and making christmas lists. karl and i are planning on getting a tree (only our second ever in our christmas history)(we'll see if it happens!) and i might try and (gasp) bake something this year. like cookies. TAKE THAT ST. NICK.

we saw snow flurries!

just got back from the holiday in stl. the drive back was LONG and MISERABLE. it was raining when we left st. louis and it raining all the way to little rock and it is still raining now! we left early to make sure we could get the dogs on time but weather and accidents delayed us - many thanks to eric for getting the doggies from the hotel. now we are cuddled up with some pizza and the amazing race. i have turkey day pictures - but they are still on my camera and i am too lazy to get them right now. i CAN say the food was DELICIOUS. i ate like a champ! food and family makes a delicious holiday. more to come.

thanksgiving makes me happy

How to make a turkey:
1. you get a gun
2. you shoot a turkey
3. you pull out the feathers
4. and put it in the microwave for four hours

(excerpts from an old class of my aunt jayne - recipes by 5 years olds).

Kat's Mashed Potatoes - exact science
1. get you some big brown potatoes (no red; too wet)
2. peel them
3. cube them
4. boil them (a lot till they are mushy; maybe 40-45 for a big batch)
(THESE THINGS DON't TAKE THAT LONG and you can actually make homemade mash more than once a year at thanksgiving)
5. drain them
6. put a lot of butter(real and salted), salt, and milk (2% or above preferably)
7. use a machine or mixer to whip the crap out of them. (periodically checking for more salt, butter, or milk)
8. when there are no more lumps and they are smooth and fluffy and you just know they are finished, you are ready to eat (though in my case, i have been taste testing the whole time).
9. serve (with or without gravy)
10. eat (at least one helping!)

karl and i got in a potato product arguement (it was very exciting). i just don't think thanksgiving is for any other potatoes other than mashed and sweet potato casserole. he says cheesy potatoes or other potato-ey casseroles are ok. (they are so not okay). what kind of taters do you have on turkey day?!

tailgating and resting

low key weekend. i slept till 11 and made sunday stew. i just ate said stew so i am kind of in a stew coma and my thoughts are all full and hazy and i want to sleep more. who is with me?

easing into the cold weather. need new clothes. excited for turkey and taters. eyes closing. can't form complete sentences. goooooooood night.

back to life, back to reality

so. being off for a week. well, it's great, but coming back? yea, that kind of sucks. i think that is the first week long vacation from a job i have ever taken (look ma i'm all growed up!). Things are crazy at work. I can't seem to catch up. Boo Peeka. (this too shall pass, right?). is it awful that i am already looking forward to the turkey day holiday?!!? (probably not). karl is in san fran all week for work (he will be out of the office for two weeks!!) for a conference and i am bored at home and browsing the internet. the internet is not interesting today. not so much. anyone have any good sites they have stumbled upon lately? i need entertainment and laughter (i just cried thru the entire hour and a half of the biggest loser - STUPID SHOW GETS ME EVERY TIME!).

what does one do when ones significant other is out of town?

• eats buttered noodles with lots of garlic salt and parmesean for dinner three nights in a row
• lets arlo sleep in the bed with me (also going on three nights in a row)
• accidentally on purpose forgets to take out the trash so i have something for him to do when he comes back (though it is starting to smell a bit so i might have to give in on this one!)
• turns the heat up at night (just a little! like i even need it anyway it was freaking 80 degrees here today!)
• watches all kinds of girly movies on the tube (like 'because i said so' - a movie featuring mandy moore and lorelie gilmore)
• breaks the husbands computer several times (curse it, fix it, don't ever tell) (WHAT? he stole my mac book!)
• sleeps with the lights (and maybe the tv) on.
• goes in a little late to work (normally karl and i carpool and he is a stickler for being there at 8; my office is like a freaking mourge at 8)
• gets ready for work in complete and utter silence. the way the morning time should be. ah, the joy. no tv, no lights, no doggies, no cereal crunching heard for miles, no cover ripping offing, no singing made up annoying good morning songs.
• and maybe miss him. and even those dang good morning songs. just a little.

on the homefront

i am so happy to announce a safe delivery of the cronin clan's newest addition: bridget and brian (and joe and isabel) welcome mylee jayne (making her first blog apperance here via camera phone! happy sigh!)

additionally i would like to extend special congratulations to our friends, elizabeth and jeremy, who just got engaged!! so happy for those two.

i don't think i can go to work tomorrow. seriously.

casa de angela and the gang

at the aeropuerto leaving mexico...
i don't want to leave (and look possibly like an anorexic orphan)... jenny and jeff's wedding present from us: dinner at le kliff (literally built into a cliff overlooking the water. quite possibly the coolest dining atmosphere EVA. )
the bride and groom dance the dance.
luke looking cool with his shades and cigar - TAKING MORE PHOTOS!
the sun is setting - the sun saved the most beautiful set of our trip for the wedding night.
little island people lounging in the pool
the first group toast: TO MEXICO!!
we told karl to "suck it in"
the aforementioned mosquito netting on the beds! the whole villa was open air - showers, toilets, bedrooms, common areas, all of it!! i looooved showering with a view! the view from our bathroom shown below.... the only time i have ever enjoyed my small bladder! HA!

our first meal in puerto vallarta - karl blew us a little tune. un pacifico por favor.
so the trip was awesome as i am sure you have seen some of the pics already on both melissa and brooke's blogs!! they both did a much better picture taking job than me. oh well! the villa was, as stated, awesome on all accounts. we decided we are so spoiled now that we can never travel again with out a staff (the villa had a chef, TIMO whose food was AMAZING, our house man SAUL (sa-oool who took care of us on so many levels), and his assistant ONOFRE. they seriously took care of everything. food, drinks, problems, everything. the open air concept was awesome... no air conditioning or real private spots, just an amazing amount of fresh air, sunshine, and happy smiles. cabs were cheap! (like $4 to get from the villa to downtown where we did some shopping!) it was an experience like no other and karl and i still can't get over it or thank jenny and jeff and her family enough for including us.

sleeping in mosquito netting is as cool as it looks

the internet at the villa is pretty slow and it is taking too long to upload images so i think you are going to have to wait until we get back for more pics!

we miss you all. er.

today was an amazing day in PV!!

i took this picture with my camera!

hola como estas? Esta aqui.

goodnight moon

• i have heart burn. literally my heart is ON FIRE. (ever since i quit smoking, i swear IT BURNS ALL THE TIME!)
• beauty and the geek, ANTM, all RECAP shows. RECAPS = ANNOYING.
  
• so far we have had five trick or treaters. FIVE. why did i even make the effort to buy candy?
  
• karl and i went to "Boo at the Zoo" last night. While "Boo at the Zoo" in theory is good b/c it supports the zoo, it was a complete waste of time. maybe because there were 'candy stations' for the kiddos - each one sponsored by one corporation or another - i mean, candy wrapped in corporate logos? what is that even saying to a five year old? like we don't see enough advertising all day everyday. ANYWAY.
  
• tangent over.
  
• i am feeling uninspired to blog. truly.
  
• sorry.
  
• charlies.
  
• until next time (when i promise to be more entertaining!)
  

80. eight zero. 80.

my grandfather turned 80 0ver the weekend and both my sister and i made the trip to STL to surprise him! (there was a party and it couldn't be missed!) i can't even find all my pics right now so you get these few.

i am going to let go of my irrational anger towards the entertainment industry

i am cranky and stressed this Friday afternoon. i have to do lots of things. and i want to do nothing. grrr. such is life. to cheer myself up i am sharing a pic from the bachelorette party that is HILARIOUS. i have NOT A CLUE what we are laughing at but it makes me happy to look at this picture.

happy friday. have a good weekend. i intend to.

if you haven't watched ANTM please stop reading (and other oddities)

so, there is this thing i do with my seeester and her friends. it is called fantasy ANTM (americas next top model for all of you who live in a hole). AND the way it works is this: we pick our top three and get a point each week they stay in. As a BONUS point, we pick who gets kicked off each week. my pick last night: ambreal. WHO. TOTALLY. GOT. KICKED. OFF. by the judges and then STUPID EBONY (i know ambreal and ebony are somewhat ridiculous-ey modeley names - there is also a chantal, a saleisha, a bianca, a mila and a lisa - and yes i feel lisa is a ridiculous name.) ANYWAY, as I was saying, STUPID EBONY decides to throw in the towel, costing me my point and her her future. Tyra was NOT happy. I was NOT happy. A million other viewers hoping boring Ambreal was going to get kicked off were NOT happy. I'm not actually sure how the world is functioning today. Has anyone ever QUIT antm?

this too shall pass, right? (oh the drama!)

in more important news, i have lost three pounds.

i hate socks

it's true. and it is almost time to wear them, like, everyday.

i hate them all equally. wool socks, socks with seperate toes, tube socks, dress socks, NYLONS, the red sox (errr.. whatever), footie socks, argyle socks, smelly husband socks, pom-pom socks, novelty socks (dirty), cuffed socks, scrunched up socks, socks with characters on them, socks with lace on them, knee socks, crew socks, ankle socks, trouser socks, booties... all of em!

the only socks i like are my workout socks. PERFORMANCE socks. (that have a purpose) (that barely peek out of my tennie-rubbers) (and that keep me from blisters) (kinda).

one time (high school!) i didn't wear socks to a football game at the Transworld Dome (Edward Jones Dome?) in January and had to walk eight blocks (it was snowing; shoes not waterproof) and my feet almost fell off (mom and i were literally climbed up in the sink and running my bare feet under water in the STL Rams stadium bathroom). it hurt. i cried. i have many other similar experiences. my husband during the winter time will often find me in agony on the edge of the bathtub with hot water running over ice cube toes. or trying to sneak my freezing feet under his warm legs as we watch tv on the couch. (we (i) call these 'feet warmies' and karl LOVES them.)

oh. and. also. i choked on a hairball *my own* at 4 am this morning and almost died. literally i swallowed some hair and it was all up in my throat until i vomited. GROSS.

life is rough in the big city. maybe someday it will stop raining!

Race for the Cure, Phase 10, and other relaxing happenings

race for the cure happened this weekend. i have a love/hate relationship with race for the cure. i love it because it is totally inspirational and AWESOME but i hate it because people who don't run races ever are REALLY good at getting in the way. there was a lot of pushing and shoving up front - seriously i almost got trampled - not a good place to feel claustrophobic (45,000 registered racers pushing forward!) they give 'stars' to those running under 27 minutes and coral them up front but crazy, slow people in big groups like to push in front despite the fact they are going to start walking less than a half mile in. though i guess i should admit it was kind of nice to pass like a hundred people. whatever. additionally, i made this pretty shirt naming the people i was racing for but next year i am going to make it in white with pink lettering.... there were other folks wearing pink and the survivor shirts are light pink - i think the dark pink is a little too close to the survivor shirts. eh, well, lesson learned. melissa and i had a blast making shirts friday night (pictures above). pretty much it was like we were in junior high - minus the puff paint, plus fabric paint and stencils.

saturday we had a loverly evening of mexican food, trivial pursuit, and phase ten with kristen and jr. today, even though it isn't THAT cold yet, i made my first sunday stew of the season (thick and delicious!) and am now watching game seven of the ALCS and relaxing before the work week begins.

this weekend: happiness is beef stew aroma lingering through the house, attic fan whirling, open windows, breast cancer ribbons, 3.99 t-shirts at the craft store, cheese dip (oops!), clean sheets, long showers, and the world series playoffs.

homecoming pics!

as promised. are we gonna do it again next year!?!?

this week is going by fast. i need it to SLOW down. i mean, seriously, how is it almost thursday!?!?!

la bachelorette - jennifer lenore

so homecoming pics will be tomorrow i suppose - here is a small showing of the bach party pics. we had a lovely gathering (beginning with the panty game of course!) and dinner at (edit: marys! franke's is in NYC) mary's (italian place on 15th in t-town; pretty much the only authentic italian in town i believe; it is GOOD), and on to Tin Dog. Yes, Tin Dog. my favorite bar in the ENTIRE world. call me lame, but i love it in all its seedy glory.

we passed on to jenny the bridal t-shirt (among other things!!) and had a great time. the parrot bra? it came from garden ridge. garden ridge. of all places. pierre is on the left. richard is on the right. they needed several reattachment surgeries throughout the night (clearly not perfect for any kinda party where you actually wear the thing)

this week i am trying to eat less calories - five pounds (ha!) and i will happily get on the plane to mexico. if i don't lose it i guess i'll have to stay home.

"we have to stop for hunting gloves"

ok. we spent the weekend in tulsa for two reasons: 1. jenny's bachelorette party on friday. 2. TU homecoming!

happy sunday night! i am settling in to watch the rainy d-back and rockies game (BASEBALL PEOPLE). it looks pretty cold at coors field!

i have many pictures. just not sure which to post. the weekend was fun. and exhasting. all at the same time. let's just say while i had a great time tailgating i am glad i am not in college anymore! it was really great to see everyone and i am looking forward to homecoming 08! (it will be YEAR FIVE in our spot!!)

i might be too tired to post and might want to drag it out over a few days. so here are some hawt pics of me and melissa at the bass pro shop on our way back! karl made us stop for hunting gloves. that's a mountain lion in the background of the glass elevator. yea it is.

good morning ohio

so i have been wanting to post this "match your candidate" thing for a few weeks but keep forgetting (blame it on the boob tube). My match at 82.35% in Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel (D). Other top matches: Dennis Kucinich (oh my!), Barack, and Businessman John Cox (oh dear an "R") ;)

It looks like more of the, um, prominent/popular hopefuls were in my middle of the pack. was muy interestante. Let me know who your candidate is.

FASTEST BASEBALL PLAYOFFS. EVAR.

GET THIS. I had to ('we got to' karl says) CALL THE HOGS on camera at the tailgate and we're (once again!) famous on the internet! Click HERE to check it out - you will have to click on the "tailgating fun" video. (dear democrat-gazette, please provide individual links to your individual videos if you would like more people to view them. ugh.) ANYWAY you can see me one arm hog-calling (that makes it okay!) with our group!

we spent some time at the Arkansas Razorbacks Tailgate this Saturday (they played in Little Rock at War Memorial Stadium) with friends and family. i think i lost a pound b/c of the sauna that is the outdoors. good god it was warm but NO COMPLAIN' from me! i like losing pounds. Check out the rockin' camo (Did you know there are different TYPES of camo based on where you hunt?!!? who knew!?) hat - i bought one for rea and one for karl at a gas station in the ozarks for hunting this year. it makes me giggle. a camo razorback hat. hehe. too funny to pass up. it's almost as funny as karl's dirt smelling dryer sheets. i decided to steal it (INDIAN GIVER) and wear it to the tailgate.

in baseball news (i know you care):
red sox SWEEP the angels.
rockies SWEEP the phillies.
d-backs SWEEP the cubbies (thank GOD!)
indians are in progress right now SWEEPing the yanks. (sa-weet stuff. i'm listening to the game right now like an old lady on the radio. c'mon a-roddy rod... hit the BALL! ha! rumor has it joe torre's job might be on the line after this season which is just nutso)

the quickness is kind of freaking me out BUT whatever - come on indians - on to the race for the Pennant!

f star star star. i am jinxing the indians yankee game. the yanks are coming back.
i gotta go stress out about it now. COME ON CLEVELAND. UGH. JOHNNY DAMON I HATE YOU!! (though i hope you aren't a terrible human being). OH MY. looks like this series might not be a clean sweep after all. i guess someone had to make the post season exciting. who can concentrate on football when BASEBALL IS STILL HAPPENING? (oh. wait. what? i can't hear you. what? oh, that's right. EVERYONE else in america. daaaaaang.)

negative nancy begone!!

today will be my listing of all things positive (positive patsy? there seem to be many negative nancys and nellies (carrie!!) out there so here is my positive side shining through:

A#1. BABY Daniel Patrick is here safely!! 9 lbs 11 oz, 20 inches long with a full head of black hair. Isn't that great?!?!?! It is.
b#2. my husband took me out for cheese dip and a LARGE margarita tonight AND on the way home he let me bust out my old erykah badu cd and sing very loudly - (you've got to pick your afro baby b/c it's flaaaaaat on one side). and if you know what cd i am talking about we are, in fact, kindered spirits.
c#3. one of the the geeks (on beauty and the geek) used pipe cleaners to decorate his "romantic gift basket" if thats not love i don't know what is! AND the basket that almost WON had stuffed animals unicorns and coloring books in it. that guy deserves many, many ladies, am i right? i am right.
d#4. this week at work is much less stressful. yea. big sigh of relief.
e#5. tomorrow is ONE MONTH TILL MEXICO. eeeeeeek.
f#6. so far the illness fairy has not cursed me for my horrid comments from yesterday. crossing fingers.
g#7. i have friends i can laugh with like this!! (see above picture! appropriate domestic beverage and camera in foreground; and, i think, brooke's grownup cranberryvodkawithlimedrink.)
h#8. two more babies due before family thanksgiving this year. that makes THREE new sweet heads for me to kiss on.

bendy wendy's gonna be a big sister

everyone send a little love to baby daniel - making his way into the world tomorrow via scheduled c. this little lady is going to be a fabulous big sister. (he might even be here by the time some of you read this. eek. i want to meet him NOW. sigh.)

i've been a little down and sluggish (ew - sluggish?) lately. you know why?!!? (AND i know you guys are going to slaughter me) BUT it's because summer is escaping. AND i know everyone is happy it isn't 900 degrees and blah blah we love fall and leaves and blah blah the outside BUT i always get depressed around season changing time. it's that much closer to winter. when. i. hibernate. it's true - i am a bad friend from december to february.

AND if i hear the word allergies OR see one more sick, sneezy person i am going to go batty. is that mean?! it is, i know. i'm sorry. AND i am right now jinxing myself with a cold or illnesss of some sort. i'll probably actually (probably actually?!?! what?) contract something fatal and die. er, too far? yeah. ANYWAY i promise i will bring all you sickies chicken noodles soup and sprite/7up just please GET BETTER SOON. thank you.

negative nancy signing out. i'm going for a jog to cheer myself up! (and by jog i PROBABLY mean watching my dvr'ed tv shows in dark room under my favorite fleecy blanket. hahaha.)