Today, I Feel Fortunate...

Yep, it's Monday. And, I have to admit, Monday's are growing on me. Much attributed to one of my newest favorite shows - "Castle" -

And, I have a really cool possibility/opportunity going on. I feel very fortunate. I'll share later.
Cheers to my first official follower - Megan! Yipee! And, to those of you who have been "lurking" as they call it in the blog world - don't be afraid! Follow me! I'd love to hear from you! I promise I won't bite!
Another "new" favorite show

Well, not totally new - but new to me. We rented the first season through netflix and we're loving it. I can't believe they make a whole season out of one day! That's crazy. And even crazier is the fact that Jack Bauer doesn't lose his voice with all that yelling. When did Keifer Sutherland become so dramatic?
Can't wait for Idol tomorrow. I don't know what the theme is, but I'm sure Adam Lambert is going to be, in the words of Randy Jackson, "molten hot lava baby!" He rocked it last week - even though he was a little more subdued - which I really enjoyed - he has many facets.
Crafty post coming up. Just finishing a couple of things!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"On the road between the homes of friends, grass does not grow."

-Norwegian Proverb

Idol's back on tonight and I can't wait to see what Adam has in store for us. But, it is Motown night - not too excited about that. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what the Top 10 can bring.

Monday's and Tuesday's Must-See Tv

We've got a new favorite show - atleast for Monday nights - It's called "Castle." It's on a 9pm (central) on ABC. Nathan Fillion plays Castle, a murder mystery writer, who has linked up with Cate Becket, a hot, lady detective, after he was consulted on a crime scene exactly like one in his book.

It's kind of like "Bones" (I've heard, although I don't watch that one) with a tense relationship between Castle and Becket. Makes for some entertaining writing.

Onto Tuesday night...American Idol is taking a breather and is going to be on tomorrow and Thursday. So, I guess I'll have to settle for the catfights on Bravo's Housewives of NYC - not as good as Orange County, but I do have my favorite gals on this one. 9pm - I'm tuning in.

Need a pick-me up?

Economy and state of the world got you down? Try reading this news story and watching this:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/story?id=7154760&page=1

And, if all else fails, I was at Wal-Mart last night and jeans with zippers at the ankles are back!

Can't wait to buy a pair of those! What a terrible idea!

No gift wrap or gift bags? No problem!

My brother's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I had the gift covered. I have to admit, it pains be to BUY wrapping paper or gift bags - only because there's a more crafty way to wrap and you can use something from your "home arsenal."

I take a brown paper shopping bag and a couple of 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper to make a customized gift bag. It is super handy when you are looking for a gender friendly bag - I always have a hard time finding bags for guys.

Just cover both sides with a little tacky glue and apply your paper. I usually do one side and then the other so that I am sure it sticks!

Then, I holepunch the top and tie it with ribbon. Ta-da!

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

Isn't it funny how attraction works? For example, this guy has been my #1 for quite a while. May I introduce, Brad Paisley...

And, I tend to be drawn to the darker featured guys. But, a new candidate has entered the race. May I introduce, American Idol and Wicked Star, Adam Lambert (and yes, this is him...)

My question is: How can I think that both these guys are totally hot? I mean, one takes the stage like a broadway star with "Wicked" awesome singing skills (ha! did you see what I did there? You see, Adam was in Wic...oh, never mind), has ever changing hair color, wears lots and lots of "guyliner" and is probably gay (FIGURES!!!). The other sings country music about guns, drinking beer and fishing, usually has a four o'clock shadow, and is never seen without a dogtag around his neck all while demonstrating the best guitar playing I have ever seen or heard. And, in person, he is 100 times better.
It's just funny how we are attracted to people who are EXACT opposites. Maybe it's the singing/musician thing.

This is a random thought, but it's Friday and I'm allowed. There are many blogs I follow (it's a wonder I have time for anything else). It's the human interest stories that get me everytime. This blog, Kelly's Korner, is one that tells a story of a couple that had fertility problems, finally conceived and just as they were about to celebrate the joyous birth of their daughter, discovered a major issue. But, their faith in God and the countless prayers of blog readers, family and friends provided a miracle. Here's Kelly's post from today, which I thought was great. She's leaving the working world for a way better gig - being a full-time mom.

Get out and enjoy the weekend. Spring is upon us!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday - yes I know it's Thursday!

"Feelings are the connective tissue of true friendship" - Joel D. Block

(Better late than never!)

Is Your Couch Meowing?

This press release was put out by the AP...

Sofa surprise: Cat found inside $27 used couch
Homecoming for kitty who was accidentally donated along with furniture

SPOKANE, Washington - The mysterious mewing in Vickie Mendenhall's home started about the time she bought a used couch for $27.
After days of searching for the source of the noise, she found a very hungry calico cat living in her sofa.
The Spokesman-Review reported that her boyfriend, Chris Lund, was watching TV on Tuesday night and felt something move inside the couch. He pulled it away from the wall, lifted it up and found the cat, which apparently had crawled through a small hole on the underside.
Mendenhall contacted the store where she bought the couch, but it had no information on who donated it. So she took the cat to the animal shelter where she works, so it could recover, and contacted media outlets in hopes of finding the owner.
Sure enough, Bob Killion of Spokane showed up to claim the cat on Thursday after an acquaintance alerted him to a TV story about it.
Killion had donated a couch on Feb. 19, and his 9-year-old cat, Callie, disappeared at about the same time.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."

-Victor Hugo

Now THIS is good

These meals are fabulous! They are a little on the expensive side - about $7.00. But, compared to what you would spend going out, they are a deal! And, if you are tired of throwing out leftovers after the 3rd time you've had them, these are great because they are just about the right size for 2 people.

They are located in the freezer section. We like the lasagna one the best.

It's a rainy day. Again.

It's been raining for about two days. And grey and blah. See?

So, I have been doing some indoor projects, even though spring is almost here and it was actually "spring ahead" today and we lost an hour of sleep.

My project has something to do with this:

And this:

And this:

I'll share as soon as I am finished. But here's something I finished today:

It's an oldie but a goodie. And, most importantly, my husband's favorite dessert.
Yellow Streusel Cake:

-1 package yellow cake mix

-1 lrg. instant yellow pudding

-1/2 c. oil

-3/4 c. water

-4 eggs

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 tsp. butter flavor

Streusel:

-1/2 c. nuts

-1/4 c sugar

-2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bundt or 9 x 13 pan. In a large bowl, blend all ingredients (down to 1 tsp. butter flavor) for two minutes. Put half the batter in pan and top with half of streusel mix. Put rest of batter in pan and top with rest of streusel mix. Bake for about 40 minutes - or until knife comes out clean. Cool and, if using a bundt pan, turn out on cake plate. The cake can be topped with white icing (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and dash of salt.)

Spring has sprung...kind of.

Here in Illinois, it is 68 degrees today. You may be thinking..."Spring is here!" I know I am. But, hold your horses...the forecast for tomorrow and Sunday is 40 and rainy. Why is it that the best days are always those when you are stuck inside...working?

We are trying to plan a spring/summer vacation and boy, if you've got the money to spend right now, resorts are offering a heck of a deal. I've been poking around all inclusive resorts like Sandals and Club Med. 50% off TOTAL vacation packages. Folks - get them while they're hot. But, along with the warm destination is also another item dreaded by almost all American women...

Yep- shopping for a bathing suit. Subjected to the unkind mirrors and lighting of dressing rooms around the country, we shell out about $100 for torture. And, being that I'm not completely 100% back to normal yet, this should be fun (sarcasm, sarcasm, sarcasm.)

Switching gears, warmer weather also makes me think of outside activities - like gardening. I saw this idea in Martha Stewart's "Living" this month:

There's nothing better than a homegrown or garden tomato. But, seeing as our gargantuan septic field leaves virtually no room for a garden, I might just try my hand at this.

I've been working on some craft projects lately to try and preoccupy myself. I'll share as soon as they're finished.
Hope you are enjoying some warm weather where you are!