Alan's B'day Is On HALLOWEEN!

Hey Alan! PARTY like it's your birthday! Have THE best birthday ever and tell Christine I said Hi! :)

Haha, this picture is a tribute to both my brother and Halloween... well, sort of. Alan was wearing some AWESOME lederhosen when he celebrated Oktoberfest last year in Munich with his good friend, Jill... yep, I'm sure he would get a TON of candy from the ladies (single or married even) for wearing those to go trick-or-treating... nice legs! ;)

Recipe: Monster Cookies

Someone at work always brings in these DELICIOUS cookies that his wife makes... just perfect for Halloween, don't you think?!


Recipe courtesy Donna Haney as adapted by Paula Deen
Show: Paula's Home Cooking • Episode: Southern Holiday

Cook Time: 10 min.
Level: Easy
Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

OooOOOooohhh... S-C-A-R-Y!

Illinois State University campus is in the town where I live and there's a famous ghost named Angie Milner that is said to haunt Williams Hall! Pretty freaky, right?! You can read ALL about this real-life haunting right here! Even more interesting, the eerie sightings of the lonely ghost of Angie Milner was featured in 2004 in The Travel Channel's special "Haunted Campuses." You can get further information from this article published in ISU's newspaper, The Daily Vidette.

Heh, are you scared yet? Hm, if NOT, there's also a spooky ghost tour here called the Gangsters & Ghosts Tour through Spirits of Bloomington!

Ok, now, if THAT doesn't work to scare you either, then the only other thing I can tell you is that I really enjoy a TV show called "A Haunting" on The Discovery Channel... yep, yep, that should do the trick! ;)

On A Side Note...

Well, we're heading up to Mikey's parents house in Wisconsin tomorrow after work and won't be back until sometime Sunday. Uh, it's just about a 5-hour drive so I'm looking forward to it... whoo hoo! J/k... really, it's not so bad. ;) Mikey is in a wedding for one of his friends that he's known FOREVER and it's in Appleton, which is only about an hour from his parents.

Mikey's parents (Mike and Pat) have some special Halloween things planned for Gwen so she's really excited about that! AND, she'll be able to wear her little Super Girl costume (yep... Super Girl!) to go trick-or-treating there. So, she'll still be able to enjoy Halloween! Yay!

Ok, I hope you don't think I'm too much of a nerd, but, still be on the lookout for posts because I'll schedule some while I'm gone! Hah... what can I say?! ;) Oh, and have a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Great Gift Idea- Edible Arrangements®

What a great idea... you can give this for birthdays, other special occasions, or just because!

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Mikey and Gwen actually gave me an Edible Arrangements® Bouquet for Mother's Day! Awww... how sweet! :)

♫ ♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! ♫

(Click Image- You can personalize golfballs... cool!)

JUST A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON MY DAD:

NAME-
Alan Sr. (my brother is Alan Jr.)

BORN-
Colorado

JOBS- *retired*
High School Math Teacher
Air Force Captain
*** ******* *****
Internal Auditor for State Farm

*My dad has also had a really neat job for close to 30 years and it's very honorable, but, I don't think it would be the best idea to put it on here because he worked with some confidential and sensitive subject matter... so, just in case! :)

HOBBIES-
Golf!

Woot! Woot! Woot!

Mikey has ALOT of these hilarious shirts from shirt.woot!®



AND... they even have Halloween shirts like this FuNnY one!

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Voting Results: "Who Are You Going To Vote For?"

• Barack Obama / Joe Biden
• John McCain / Sarah Palin
• Tina Fey (SNL)
• I haven't decided yet!

RESULTS: Barack Obama



THANKS to everyone who voted! :)

Good Night!

VERY relaxing song by Portishead called "Roads"... enjoy!
(please pause playlist at bottom)

Tell Me About It...

Having a BAD day? :( Please feel free to comment here and tell me ALL about it!

Hi Gwen!

*ROCK ON!* I took this pic of Gwen after she got home from a Rock Star birthday party today (hence the rad makeup and pink stripe in her hair)! $



Au Naturale! I took this pic of Gwen being her sweet shy self about a week ago! Awww! ♡

Dark Colors Are The New Hype In Home Decorating

Pantagraph.com has alot of good articles, like this one about rich dark colors like chocolate brown, midnight blue, deep scarlet, and black being perfect for fall and winter; dark colors can be very welcoming and cozy according to many interior designers (click on the pic above to enlarge so you can read the detail). To view the article, you can go here!

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Here In Town

A couple from the nearby town of Pekin, IL had just been told on Tuesday they were chosen for a complete home makeover from the ABC TV reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" featuring the spunky Ty Pennington (hm... you might have seen him on another famous reality design show called Trading Spaces on TLC?). The pic is of Ty... he's a pretty good-looking guy, right?! ;)

Steve and Jean Grys' family are spending the week at Walt Disney World in Florida while their new home is being built. They were selected because of their generous work as foster parents. I also heard from "an insider" (aka Tiff) one of their boys has a brittle bone disease that makes it hard for him to get around so this new home will be wheelchair friendly... excellent! :) I believe the show is supposed to air sometime in December/January.

Another interesting tidbit: Stacy (who went with us to Oak Brook yesterday) is involved in a networking group called "Idea Net" through the company she works at, which is for employees with a special connection to someone with a disability (her son has Autism... just like Tiff's son, Cam). Her company (recognize the name State Farm?) is supposed to be one of the major sponsors so Stacy will get the opportunity to volunteer her time as an advocate for "Idea Net" to help out the Extreme Makeover team on Monday! Pretty cool or what?!
I thought it would be fun to share some great comments from local people on Pantagraph.com:

editorgirl62 wrote on Oct 22, 2008 5:21 AM:
" I was thrilled to learn I'd been selected as a volunteer for this project. Mr. Grys teaches at Willow Primary School, where my daughter is in 2nd grade and I serve as Co-President of the PTA. He is an amazing teacher, and he and Jean have given so much of theirselves over the years as they've fostered over 250 children. They deserve this home so much, and it will help their youngest, Jake, who suffers from brittle bone disease. I've been to the site and met Michael Moloney and am looking forward to working with the cast, crew and the many volunteers who have come forward to help with this amazing project.-Penny Pennell "

3J wrote on Oct 21, 2008 11:47 PM:
" Years ago, I was a student teacher in the school where Mr. Grys was a teacher. While he was struggling to raise his own family, he brought a box of food to me to make sure I was eating properly during a time I was unable to be employed and I had no income. I recall he and his wife only fostered children with significant health or developmental disabilities. I am happy they will receive this special gift after giving of themselves for many years. "

Shopping, Eating, And Having A GREAT Time!

Today was a really good day! First of all, I didn't have to work and, second of all, I got to go to Oak Brook, IL to have some much needed fun. There were four of us... myself, Tiff, Diane, and Stacy (Tiff works with Diane & Stacy). We left around 8:30am and didn't get back until maybe 7:30pm, but the time just flew by! Diane and Stacy had THE best stories to tell, which made the day all the more enjoyable. ;)

Unbelievable, but we really only went to three stores while we were there... Godiva (of course!), The Container Store, and spent most of our time in Macy's. We actually have Macy's here in town, but the selection is so much better in Oak Brook... swear!

Though, I think the best part would have to be lunch because I could never pass up a chance for some great food! We were originally going to some place called "Champs," which is supposed to be an upscale sports bar, but couldn't find it (oops!) so we went to a place called "Absolutely Delicious" instead (recommended by Diane btw). I'm not kidding you, it was wonderful!!! It is in a cute little area that reminded me a bit of Nyack, New York if you've ever been there. When you walked inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was chic and cozy. Heh, we all ordered the same chicken parmesan sandwich with waffle fries and everything was done perfectly. Then, for dessert, we had the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G fallen chocolate soufflé. Mmm mmm mmm! The service was outstanding too! I have nothing but positive things to say about Absolutely Delicious. I wish I had a picture to show you of how neat the place looked... but, did find one of Nyack that has the same type of flavor:

Crazy... on our way home, we saw the most odd-looking car apparently called the Smart Car, which was very similar to this picture (the couple inside looked a little cramped... ouch!):

ALL in all, it was a very nice and relaxing day... ahhh. Can't wait to do it again next year!!!

Lisa... The Fashion Designer

Lisa has many talents! She works at a local coffee house à la "Friends" (what fun!)... has a business on the side as a medical illustrator (how cool!)... and even makes her own clothes (way too awesome!).

When I was at her house, she showed me some of the clothes she made and I was so impressed! She had a fun black short jumpsuit, a simple but flirty dress, and a fabulous taylored jacket which were all very well put together. She also mentioned she had made both her and her sister swimsuits... amazing!

Lisa even wore a too-cute fall jacket she made in less than two days when we went out the other night... can you believe it?! I'll have to take some pictures of her awesome clothes sometime to show you! But, for now, here is a pic of Lisa... remember this face because she will be famous one day and have her own clothing line! C'mon, how cute is she?! ;)

Night On The Town Outfit

Heh, here is my lame attempt at picking out an outfit if I had the effort, time, and money. (All from Victoria's Secret- I LOVE that store!)

Purse: Mondani pebble hobo (smoke)- $48

Blouse: Silk charmeuse (black)- $48

Necklace: Faux pearl layering (champagne pink & pewter gray)- $39

Bracelet: Sequin double-strand (black)- $24

Shoes: Colin Stuart® snake slingback (plum)- $98

Pants: The Christie Fit- seasonless stretch (winter white)- $69.50

Hey Gerard Butler... My Sister Thinks You're Hot!

Yep, it ALL started with this movie. I also have an older sister, Kandy, and she fell hard for Gerard Butler in P.S. I Love You. She had asked my mom and I to go see it with her when it first came out in the movie theater last year. I have to admit though, it was a pretty good movie (shhh, I even cried at a few parts)! So, warning, if you see it (ladies... and I'm sure some guy out there), you'd better have some kleenex handy. For the plot, you can go to Wikipedia under the search name P.S. I Love You (film).

Anyways, after that movie, Kandy rented many other Gerard Butler movies. Aw, isn't that cute?! ;) Hm, not sure where she is on her Gerard Butler movie list, but I think it might take her awhile to get through all of them! Just look at his IMDb.com profile... there's 36 listed currently.



Kandy, this pic of Gerry is for you... not sure if you've seen it yet, but if you need someone to call 911 for you, just let me know! ;) Love ya!

Voting Results: "Which Song Do You Like Better?"

• "Keeps Getting Better" by Christina Aguilera
• "Just Dance" by Lady GaGa
• "Hot 'N Cold" by Katy Perry
• "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil' Wayne

RESULTS: "Just Dance" by Lady GaGa

"Fun With Pretzel Sticks" by Gwen

Haha... I gave Gwen pretzels for a snack and she got kinda creative... ;)

Recipe: Loosemeat Sandwiches

Mmmm... Mikey made this the other night and it was so good! Here is the recipe in case you want to try it too (it comes from FoodNetwork.com):


Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: 30 Minute Meals • Episode: Pennywise And Clock Smart

Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 20 min.
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
1 cup chicken stock, eyeball it, 1/2 a 14-ounce can or box
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
4 burger buns, split, or kaiser rolls, split
1/2 yellow skinned onion, finely chopped

Directions:

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan and brown the meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add chicken stock to the meat. Season the meat with paprika, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. When the liquid comes to a bubble, reduce heat to simmer. Cook meat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pile meat into buns or rolls and top with raw finely chopped onions.

This Is My Brother...

My older brother, Alan, lives overseas in Heidelberg, Germany and travels all over Europe for his work at Bunge. I'm very proud of him because he has accomplished so much! FANTASTIC JOB Alan! ;) But, most importantly, he is such a great brother and uncle... I love him very much!

Here are some pics of his travels (heh, and I even snuck one in there of him and his girlfriend, Christine):

Alan in Sweden...

Alan in Russia...

Alan & Christine in Spain...

FYI... you can click on the pics to enlarge!

Weekend Recap

Let's see... it's been a nice weekend!

On Friday, Tiff and I did our usual fun night out thing and ate at Applebees (was alright... the food just isn't what it used to be), did some shopping (got the cute sweater in the pic at Macy's) and then saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist at Palace Theater. I thought this movie was just ok... it probably would've been better if I saw it on DVD at home. There were some really good parts and some really cheesy parts. However, I did really like Michael Cera (played Nick) and Kat Dennings (played Norah)... they did a pretty good job with what they had. I have never seen any of Michael's other movies (Juno or Superbad), but he has a really sweet way about himself that you just have to love him. Some of the best parts of the movie I think were with Norah's best friend, Caroline (played by Ari Graynor), because she was hilarious. One hint... she really loves her gum! I realize this is an indie film so it's supposed to be a little raw, but I think if they smoothed out the story line a little more and shortened the movie a bit, it would've been alot better.

Saturday was alot of fun because I got to see my friend Lisa! I really appreciate having a friend like her... we can talk about anything and she's the sweetest person you'll ever meet! She came over so she could see Gwen since the last time she saw her, I think Gwen was two. Then, we went to TGIFriday's and had a good time catching up... we stayed there for a long time! Afterwards, we headed to The Loft for a drink and each had a mint chocolatini, which was to die for... delicious!!! Then, we tried out a new place called Reality Bites. There was some sorority barn dance being held there so it was kinda crazy, but I really liked the place... very nicely decorated. There was exposed brick (which I love) and pictures by local artists hanging that you could purchase (neat idea). Lisa mentioned she heard it's also supposed to be a restaurant so I think I'm going to go back sometime during the day to check it out! It was just a GREAT night!! :D

Now, it's Sunday! Gwen and I have been hanging out all day. We went to the grocery store and I have to say she was really good. (Thanks Gwennie!) For a fun memory, I also took a picture of her hands with love:

We're actually going to the park now so gotta go! Hope you had a good weekend too! :)

For Gwen:

Heh, Gwen keeps asking how many days left until Halloween...

Spiderbait - "Black Betty"

Wow, this is completely and utterly cool! (you can pause my playlist at the bottom...)

Believe It Or Not

We were at Meijer's the other night getting some Halloween candy and, believe it or not, there were ghost and pumpkin PEEPS! No joke... here are some pics to prove it.

I love Peeps (and Halloween)!!!

Kids Say The Funniest Things!

Ok... I was watching the presidental debate on Wednesday night and Gwen (six yrs. old) was drawing but left that to come watch with me. Here is a little something of how the conversation went:

GWEN- (pointing correctly) That's John McCain and that's Barack Obama.
MOM (aka me!)- Yeah... how did you know that? (We've never really talked about this before.)
GWEN- I dunno... [pause] I'm changing my vote.
MOM- (chuckling) Ok, so who are you voting for now?
GWEN- I was going to vote for Barack Obama but now I want John McCain to win.
MOM- Mmm hmm... why is that?
GWEN- Because I think he's cute!
MOM- (laughing) Oh, so you think so?!
GWEN- Yep... do you think Barack Obama is cute?
MOM- Um, yeah, I think he's cute.
GWEN- Ooooh, mama has a boyfriend!
MOM- (still laughing) No, I just think he's cute.
GWEN- Are ya gonna vote for him?
MOM- Yep.
GWEN- That's ok because we can be different if we want.
MOM- That's true.
GWEN- Well, I'm going to vote for John McCain because I think he's cute.
MOM- Ok, Gwennie, you do that.

HAH... I'm sure John McCain would really love to know that my daughter (even though she's only six) will be voting for him because he's cute!!! ;)

ANOTHER GREAT STORY:

Gwen was watching PBS KIDS Sprout on TV yesterday when we got home and Nina & Star were on. Gwen says, "Star's creepy." I just had to laugh because I thought it was pretty funny for that to just come completely out of nowhere! But, there's more... she continued to say, "He (Star) would make a good Halloween costume because he would scare alot of kids!" Whew, I think I was laughing for 5 min. straight! Ahh, good times. :)

Haha, you know what's even funnier though? Here's a pic of Star (second one from top):

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BTW... Carlos O'Kelly's Is Really Good!

We went out to eat tonight at Carlos O'Kelly's, which is a Mexican restaurant here in town. I don't really like Mexican much and Mikey already has his favorite Mexican place picked out (Fiesta Ranchera anyone?), BUT Carlos O'Kelly's is a place we can both agree on... it has really good food (I had the #1 Combo Dinner and Mikey had an enchilada special)! If that doesn't convince you, then get this... Gwen doesn't care for Mexican either but she said she loved it. Ok, truth be told, she got chicken fingers (I know, THAT at a Mexican restaurant?!), but she just couldn't get enough of the chips and salsa (we had to stop her after she practically finished one bowl of chips all by herself) and she really enjoyed the atmosphere (uh, even though she kept pointing out all the neat Halloween decorations they had). Seriously though, I took a couple bites of Gwen's chicken fingers and they were even pretty darn good. And, I can't forget about the great service too... our waiter was excellent! He got a good tip. :)

Carlos O'Kelly's gets 5 stars from me: ☆☆☆☆☆

Mikey's Eye

I took a picture of Mikey's eye with my digital camera and was just messing around with trying to enhance it and this is what I came up with... I thought it would be cool to add a blue color to his iris but I didn't have the right software for that... ah well, sounded like a good idea anyways! Heh, just having some fun! :)

Note: Don't Forget!

"To Mikey- Your dad's birthday is on the 6th"

Haha, just kidding Mikey... love ya!

Happy Birthday to Joan!

Just wanted to wish Joan an AWESOME birthday today... hope it was extra special with Austin, Ezra and Mandarin Garden. ;)

PS- Austin, the flowers you sent Joan were beautiful... you have great taste!!!

Love This!

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I'm addicted to Burt's Bees!

Voting Results: "Who Would You Rather Have A Night Out With?"

• Carter Oosterhouse (aka sexy carpenter from Carter Can)
• Curtis Stone (aka sexy chef from Take Home Chef)
• I already have my own sexy man at home!

RESULTS: Carter!

Hey Mikey... This One's For You!

This post is dedicated to Mikey... thought it would be fun for you to get to know him a little! ;)

Well, here's my 6'4", 180 lbs, dark-blonde, blue eyed stud muffin drinkin' some coffee!

Actually, haha, I just wanted to let you know he has a HUGE crush on Emily Perkins from the "Ginger Snaps" Trilogy (don't worry, he knows I'm doing this so it's a-ok). These movies are basically centered around two teenage sisters, Ginger and Brigitte Fitzgerald (Emily plays Brigitte), who are obsessed with death and eventually become werewolves. The plot sounds kind of out-there, but I've watched all three movies and they are actually good (but, please be aware there is alot of objectionable content). The other two movies are Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed and Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning.

Emily looks very different in the movie (she's on the left)!

But, here is a great pic of her from her website (you can click on the pic to go directly there!)

Nostalgia: Madonna & Sean Penn

Madonna's "Live to Tell" has to be one of the greatest songs of the 80's... the video brings back alot of memories too... remember when Madonna and Sean Penn were still together? (you can pause my playlist at the bottom so you can hear this song from YouTube!)

It's A PERFECT Day!

Wow, the weather is so nice outside... what a perfect day! I even took some pictures (the last one is of a cute bee made out of pipe cleaners that Gwen gave me... I love it!).

Ed Hardy® By Christian Audigier

(click on icon to follow link!)