...while I still have my eyes open...

...but not betting on me being able to keep them open for much longer... ;)

Here's some shots of a few going on's in my world as of late...

I thought I already did a mention on this dish above...but I guess I didn't.  So, here ya go, guys! That is my Lemon battered and pan friend chicken atop a creamy, lemony, buttery, angel hair pasta.

Ryan wanted to do chicken piccata one night for dinner.  I do not like chicken piccata. I do however LOVE Lemon Pepper Chicken.  So, I fixed my chicken up the way I wanted and Ryan made his own.  (He ended up liking my dish more...oops :)

I don't know why, but I will buy a journal at the book store if it's in the clearance basket or sporting a decent price tag.  I might not have a use for it at the time...but I always end up finding a purpose for it!  Just like the one pictured above.  I started carrying it in my purse to keep for note taking, jotting down days I need to remember to take off from work, recipes I come across (so entirely handy to have on you when you are at the doctor's office and flipping through a magazine and end up coming across an awesome recipe but you don't have the guts to rip the page out...lol!), and keeping a record of when herb and flower seeds were planted in the last month.

Basically, I can use any "gardening" type notes to reference to when next year comes around.  It has been such a great little tool already.

One of my sisters was on a "crochet wash cloth" making spree.  I have always wanted to make a couple but never seem to have the time to do so.  I finally forced myself to sit down one morning and what is pictured above happened. :)

(Super easy pattern...but I can't link it at this time.  If anyone is interested, leave a comment and I'll link/comment back :)

FINALLY!!!

(Petunias, 10 different kinds of pepper plants, Strawberry plants, 

and various other flower/herb plants were picked up last Sunday!)

I got my flats of Petunias, ready and waiting...until the frost warnings dissipate...to be planted in the beds out front.  I did go ahead and plant a few pots today.  Lady Slippers and white/pink petunias are taking root as we speak.  My Moon Flower seedlings are in their own pot now too.

(I start the stubborn Moon seeds folded up in a paper towel, moisten it, and then slip into a sandwich baggy until the seeds crack open.)

Plus the Pineapple Sage and Lemon Balm herbs are planted next to the two foot high Catnip 

Perennial I have from last year.

I love Catnip/Lemon/Ginger tea.  

Have you ever had Catnip tea?

AMAZING stuff.  Instantly calms, soothes, and relaxes the body and spirit.    

I started these seeds over a week ago and still nothing has turned up.  I planted sunflower seeds the same day and those sprouted up with in three days!  I really hope something happens with my herb seeds.  I love being able to walk outside and grab fresh leaves to compliment a dish.

The Golden Doodle in my life.  Miss Sophie.  She's such a pretty girl, isn't she?  All 80 pounds of her! hahah. She loves, loves, LOVES her people.  And she's saying it's time for bed now...

I had something pretty awesome happen for me today...I will mention it soon in the next post.  Take care, everyone!  I have to finish my laundry for work tomorrow morning.

Take care,

Well hello there...

...I did not mean to be this absent!  So sorry, everyone!

Work.  Work has been such work!  I'm catching on quickly though so it's going pretty well.

Like, take this morning for example.  I get there right when the restaurant is suppose to open.  I look at the printer where the ticket orders come in and we have three of them already.  ALREADY...key word.

I look behind me and all five HUGE pieces of equipment...fryers, grills, ovens...are OFF.

Food needs to go down NOW.  But everything is cold to the touch.  Oh boy.

I get all the switches turned on and I start getting the plates set up.  I'm panicking...but not too bad.  Whatever that was going to happen was just going to happen because I still had to wait for the grills and fryers to warm up.  That kept me some what calm......ish.

I look over my shoulder after a few minutes and I see someone tying on an apron.

YES!  Thank the Lord...I have another cook to suffer through this with me! hahah.

Turned out to not be an absolute mess.  We managed to get all the orders out in a decent amount of time and all the guests were satisfied.  whew!

So...that's my most chaotic story from the work front so far.  This even topped the craziness of Mother's Day...so...that means things have been pretty super at the new job!

I am so incredibly blessed that this opportunity found it's way to me. 

So very thankful!

Busy, busy week...

I was literally....so entirely productive on Wednesday that it felt like two days off in one.  When Thursday came...( my second day off for the week)...I blew it.  I had the hardest time getting anything done.  My mood was disgusting.  I was alone for the most part of the day and when Ryan finally got out of work I thought I was going to start crying.  I still don't know why I was so sour on Thursday but Ryan and I took a trip to the grocery store that evening and bought the fixings to make our first beef enchilada dinner.  (They turned out really good, by the way).

After our tummies were full we watched a bit of TV and my mood swung back upwards.  I managed to get some decent sleep before work yesterday...which helped out huge for a busy Friday morning shift.  After work, Ryan and I got together and watched the Detroit Red Wings put their fans through every single emotion possible to man.  The team was doing that whole thing where they play their hearts out and make you feel like they got the win in the bag.  Then, in the last few minutes of the 3rd period, the Ducks tied up the lead with two quick goals.

Another. Freaking. Overtime game...!!!

The broadcast cut out to commercial shortly after OT began and only seconds of returning back we saw the Wings Captain shoot the puck right into the Ducks net giving us the win to tie the series!  Ryan and I just stared at the TV.  Did we just see a replay? Or did THAT really just happen?

Yup.  We won!  Now we play the ultimate make it or break it game tomorrow night.  If we lose, we are done.  If we win...we face the Blackhawks.

Tomorrow night will be one heck of a nerve wracking night for us Wings fans.  Superstitious tendencies and other necessities we feel the need to incorporate into a game for a "win" will be running rampant as we all wait to see the outcome of our dearly loved team.

Anyways, I have four other posts in the works for publishing at this point.  It's been rough trying to keep my thoughts on a straight line while all this new job and hockey business has been taking over my life.  Prep yourselves for a couple photo dumping posts.  I took lots of pictures while life has been kind of crazy.

Take care,

Spring has sprung...

...see?!

I think it was Wednesday that we were looking at scattered thunderstorms through out the day.  The sun went away for a bit and then broke out in between the heavy, dark clouds.  I took a look out the front window and then booked it out the front door with my phone to take that shot above.  I love how the blossoms from the tree are touched by the sunlight while backed by the grey clouds.

Just a little share.  I have a Red Wings game on...and things keep happening...which is causing me to keep turning to the TV.  I'll catch y'all after the game!

...I think it's called a "hockey hangover"...

...yeah, sounds about right.

The Detroit Red Wings walked into last night's game tied 2 for 2 (in this first round of the playoffs)

 against the Ducks. 

(stupid....stupid ducks!)

((Sorry, don't mean to offend any Duck fans))

We lost in overtime and Twitter became a mass of pissy Wings fans...fighting not only the fans of the enemy...but Wings fans were fighting among themselves.  

Oh happy day!!!

(please note the use of heavy sarcasm in that last sentence)

I think we were all a bit "whip lashed" due to the previous game's conclusion.  Monday night's game went into overtime as well but we caught the win...LIKE WE WANTED IT.  Last night however, you could already feel the loss as soon as the puck dropped at the start of OT.

I knew it was going to happen...you know, waking up after a loss and feeling like you had the worse nightmare ever.  Especially when these games are so critical at this point.  The Red Wings have made the playoffs for 22 years straight.  They have a few cups won in those years...but...when you are right there...and you get nixed in the first round (not saying that that is what's going to happen!) ((fingers crossed))...it just sucks.  It makes your heart hurt.

Anyways...I will conclude this post on a some what happier note.  Today is the birthday of Steve Yzerman.  Stevie, now retired...(since 2006)...was the Red Wings longest standing captain.

Following the departure of the previous captain, Danny Gare, after the 1985-86 season, then-coach Jacques Demers named Yzerman captain of the team on October 7, 1986, making him the youngest captain in the team's history. Demers said he "wanted a guy with the Red Wings crest tattooed on his chest." The next season, Yzerman led the Wings to their first division title in 23 years.-wiki

His career began with the Wings the year I was born.  This was MY captain.  He is who defined the game of hockey to me.  He's the reason for the comradery I have for this team...that brewed in my heart through my younger years ;)

Happy birthday, "Captain"!

Alright...I have other business to attend to in the blogging world.  This is my last day off of work till...who knows when.  hahah...

See ya soon!

"Flash through Friday"...

Since the work week can sometimes come and go quickly, and since we may not always have a chance to keep everyone in the loop with what is going on in our day to day's...

...I would like to implement into this blog of mine "Flash through Friday"...which is essentially a photo/fact dump from the week coming to a close.

I will begin tonight! Why not?

A fun little fact about me:  I can NOT turn down a free book.  Even if I already have a copy of it.  My mom did not desire to keep all of the books pictured above so she passed them on to me.  She had them in a bag all set and ready for me saying "I know you'll take them". (hah!  I officially need another book shelf ;)   Looks like I am stocked for my summer reading this year.

After a long and exhausting day at work on Thursday I got home and immediately changed into some comfy clothes.  Comfort food was made for dinner which was followed by some snuggle time with Bailey.  Doesn't he look thrilled?  He really is very passive with me.  He primarily wants attention.  That keeps him happy.

The chef training me this week has passed on a few tips and tricks she's learned over the years.  This has been inspiring...so inspiring that even though the last thing I wanted to was stand in my kitchen at home after being on the clock in a kitchen all day...I still managed to whip up some fresh baked goods.

I do not have a recipe for the Lemon Bunt Cake above...because I just kind of threw all the ingredients together.  Figures that it turned out beautifully and I didn't think to write down the amounts as I went... :\
It is officially the best cake I have ever made when it comes to texture and sweetness.  All sorts of "light and fluffy" with just the right amount of lemon flavor.

Picture above was found on Pinterest while I was in bed and trying my hardest to fall asleep the other night.  I'm pretty sure this is going on my project "bucket list".  It might not turn out as sleek as the one above, but I think I could make it happen with some help.

In all seriousness...I'm being completely serious about wanting to attempt building one.  It would be a dream come true to haul something like this up north and use it during my camping trips.

I can just picture it...laying in this little nook...all wrapped up in a thick, heavy comforter with several pillows surrounding me...waking up to the smell of the fire from the night before that is lingering in the morning mist...

~~~

That will do it for now.  I am mentally strapped.  Auto correct has been flagging darn near every other word I've typed so far....hahah! ;)  I am off of work for the weekend (I know, right!) sooooo........I will get much needed time with my computer then.

Good night, sleep tight...and have a great weekend, everyone!

Blogging from my phone is pretty unpleasant but it's the way I must go about it at this time...(as I am suppose to be asleep right now!).

The new job couldn't have happened at a more opportune time, what with the A-Z Challenge finished up. As soon as I get on a regular schedule at work, hopefully consistency will take place in my world a bit :)

I should be able to get some time with my computer tomorrow evening though so I will see you all then!        

...and finally, Z is for....

"This is the best love theme I've ever written, I keep telling everyone this is a romantic comedy, but nobody believes me." - [on Hannibal (2001)]

-Hans Zimmer

...Zimmer, Hans Zimmer.  This is what my final A-Z Challenge post will focus on.  I unloaded a TON of videos...have fun!  They are some of my favorites from the most talented composer.

(And yes, I am a heavy "film score" listener...I could play the musical score to the several Harry Potter films ALL DAY... ;)

"German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood's most innovative musical talents, having first enjoyed success in the world of pop music as a member of The Buggles. The group's single Video Killed the Radio Star became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be aired on MTV."

(I just learned something new!)

IMDb

Hans and the "Gladiator"....

(2000)

Lisa Gerrard, an amazing vocalist, teamed up with Zimmer to create some of the prettiest music around.  This song was used for the following trailer...(goosebumps, Every. Single. Time I watch it!)

"Man of Steel"
2013

"Zimmer also composed the score for The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy. The film was released in July 2012.  Zimmer described himself as "devastated" in the aftermath of the 2012 Aurora shooting, which occurred at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, commenting "I just feel so incredibly sad for these people." He recorded a track entitled "Aurora", a choral arrangement of a theme from the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, to raise money for the victims of the shooting."-Wikipedia

It totally helps that all of the movies he has worked are some of, (what I consider), the most epic films ever...

"Inception"

(2010)

Zimmer did not compose the score, but produced the soundtrack album...-Wiki

...for one of my all time favorite films,

 "White Squall".

(1996)

I hope you found something pleasing to the ears in this post.  

Good luck, all you A-Z'ers, on your final post in this challenge!

Take care,

Y is for "YAY!"...

Today's A-Z post is going to be a mushed up ramble of a few celebrations I had these last couple of days.

First, I will start off with the biggest deal to me...

Today was my first day of work at the new job!  woohoo!

I was sooo incredibly nervous about my first day that I got maybe an hour of sleep last night.  Verdict of said first day:  awesome.  The chef who trained me in the kitchen reminded me of me from five years ago when I was cooking at my previous restaurant   She was very simple, direct, laughed, and still joked a bit here and there.  Just great.  She caught on quickly that I was a little freaked out because one of the first things she said to me was "don't worry! It's going to be alright".  hah.  

I work mornings the rest of this week (with the weekend off! yay!) and then next week I will start my solo schedule which will be primarily nights.  This means I will have to change my personal schedule around a bit since I do most of my "me" stuff in the afternoon/evening.  When this A-Z challenge ends I am going to stick to, as best I can, blogging at least three days a week.  I'm shooting for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  (Just a little heads up for you wonderful followers of mine :)

Next on the "yay!" list:

This little can of magic is some of what saved me through this stomach bug battle.  (This bug is still lingering.  Very frustrating!  I just want it to go away.)  Ryan went up to the grocery store this evening and picked up a special treat for me...

Vanilla ice cream + Vernors Ginger Ale =

BOSTON COOLER

Guys.  In all seriousness...this soda/shake is a gift from the angels above!

When I was a little girl my mom would order one every time we would go out for ice cream.  I never understood why she would choose this over an ice cream cone or sundae.  I never really tried it until last Friday when I was at a Coney Island with Ryan for dinner.  I finished my cooler in no time.  Over the weekend I've probably had a handful more at my parents house. 

My mom thought it was the funniest thing.

Some laughs, just because...

...these were the photos floating around the chat room my siblings and I share on our smart phones...

(when you find him below, that's exactly what my cat "Bailey" looked like when he was a baby)

This is Mr. Bailey now-a-days...

 ...he is the most laid back kitty I've ever come across...(lol)...

 ...and he loves yarn...LOVES IT.

My brothers, sisters, and I all love to "kid" around in our chat room via our phones.  Becky, the youngest of us, does not have a phone (*yet*) so she will hijack one of ours if she catches it unattended.  Below, she picked up our sister Jenny's phone and the following took place:

(The order of us "kids" goes like so...me, Missy, Jenny, Cassie, Matt, Joe, Jeremy, and Becky.  Ages range from 29 to 13. Just to give you a little idea ;)

Well, that'll do it for now.  Since I have to work tomorrow morning and then go to Ryan's hockey game afterwards I am going to get started on the last post of this challenge.  I am so excited that it's about to be complete, this A-Z Challenge...but I am sad at the same time.  Some pretty awesome things have happened during this challenge and I am going to miss it for sure.

Thanks for the read...

Take care,

Hah! I found my "X"...

Better late than never...

(I have 45 minutes to hit "post" :)

I had to acquire help on this one.  I'm racing the clock but I think my little 13 year old sister whipped up a pretty good topic for the letter X.  Becky, by the way, is a huge fan of several gaming systems but has her heart set on one in particular.  That would be the "Xbox 360".  My siblings and I have always been heavy gamer type kids...I've fallen away from the controllers and "joysticks" for the most part though.  Except for Mario Kart.  I will forever be a sucker for Mario Kart!

Anyways...please enjoy the following...and be sure to leave Miss Becky a kind word or two!  This is her VERY FIRST blog post!  (I've got a little blogger in the works now!  I'm so proud :)

X if for Xbox 360

by Becky P. 

Hello y'all! I think my favorite gaming system would be the Xbox 360. 

The biggest reason that sticks to mind would be that I can play this fantastic game below:

Minecraft! Now, my favorite part of this game is the ability to express creativity not only by simply placing block on top of block, but by collecting and harvesting different types of earth to build whatever you would like. For example, I can go ahead and build a farm, a beautiful mansion, heck, I could even build Detroit if I wanted to. Of course a life in this world alone would get lonely. So here's another reason I play it. With this game you can connect and play with friends and family. In several duration's of play time with my brothers we have built villages. One more thing-which I believe to be one of the greatest aspects of the game-is not being limited to building. Sure, you build your cabin in a snowy wooded area, but you are more than welcome to craft a sword and bow to go hunt down some game (or even creatures of the dark). There are many, many more points that I could make, but overall, this game has a simplicity about it that makes it so enjoyable and yet so varying that there's always something fun you can find to do whether by yourself or with someone else.

Secondly:    

Call of Duty: Black Ops. I played several Call of Duty games, but this one sticks to me the most and I'll tell you why. First, it has a game mode that involves wagers and gambling called "Sticks & Stones". Just as I said, it's a game where you gamble "money" before the game and earn your reward depending on where you place on the scoreboard at the end of the game. The twist is that instead of the classic battle of guns, it's a free-for-all where you only have a ballistic knife, crossbow, and tomahawk to kill with. The second is a lovely game, Zombies. Zombies is a cooperative game that you, well, kill zombies in. I personally enjoy playing this with my brothers. Once you develop a strategy (and ultimately overcome the creepiness) it becomes a great fight against the virtual un-dead. 

These are just two of the games I'm intrigued by. The Xbox has much more to offer; even outside of the gaming aspect, and I'm glad to say I own one.

The end!

~~~

I hope you enjoyed this post...as I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  

Take care,

                 

W is for...

"Winning"

and what does "winning" mean to you?

"That's so totally a win".

"You are winning with that".

...and so on and so forth.  These statements, phrases....have caught themselves up in normal, every day conversations.  Like, a new "lingo trend".  Winning, as I understand it, seems to suggest that a remarkable occurrence has taken place...and this makes it a "win".  But it's usually celebrated on quirky and out-of-the-norm type happenings. (my thoughts.)

If I were to consider something a "win"...(a fantastic happening or circumstance from a not so extremely fascinating situation)...it would be from the creators of this video below.  Had me to tears!  So cute.

It will make a whole lot more sense to those of you who have heard the original version of "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore.  The folks who made this video below created their own version of this song...and centered it around the mucho amounts of money that gets spent on babies and toddlers.

Enjoy, if you will!

So, to these folks...I say loud and clear...:  "YOU ARE WINNING".

yes.....hah


In other news, I've been so unwell...so ill...that I haven't had to charge my laptop for four days!  Usually it gets charged at least once a day.  Tells you how absent I have been in the blogging world!

I feel a significant difference in my body today though.  Still pretty queasy but I have been able to keep fluids and a little bit of food down.  Last night Ryan went up to the gas station for me and picked up a bottle of "Vernors" ginger ale.  I took a few sips and immediately felt a difference.  This is after not being able to keep water down for almost six hours!  After a hour of sipping on the Vernors I decided to kick things up a notch and made a cup of mint and ginger tea.  I usually sip slowly on my cup of tea but last night my cup was empty in about ten minutes!  It did the trick and I was finally out like a light at 6am this morning.

Hopefully I get all of this worked out by Sunday night...

...I start my new job on Monday morning...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yay!

Thanks for the read.

Take care!

V is for...

...sorry guys...but here it is...

Vomit.

Yup.  I've had the worse kind of stomach bug the last two days.  It's horrendous!  I'm having the hardest time getting around.  So much so that I texted my mom and said "I need my mom". :(

Any tips for a sour stomach?  I am trying to keep down water at this time.  I had crackers today...but that's not working out too well for me right now.

I did get a bunch of sleep today...so much so that I might be up all night now.  If you've any ideas/tips to share with me, I'd really appreciate it!  Thanks so much.  Hopefully I can get to stopping by your blogs and say "hi" soon.  For now...I need to hold still and rest before I run back to the bathroom....

Take care...

U is for...

...Unstoppable, the movie!

(which I am watching right now)

From IMDb: "With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe."

The only thing super quirky about this film is the animal like roaring sound coming from the runaway freight train... It's a suspenseful action movie about trains...I guess they needed the added roar to maximize effect... ;)

Rotten Tomatoes: In this action thriller from director Tony Scott, rookie train operator Will (Chris Pine) and grizzled veteran engineer Frank (Denzel Washington) learn that a runaway locomotive carrying carloads of dangerous chemicals is headed for Will's small Pennsylvania hometown, where his wife and child live. In order to save the day, they must figure out how to catch up to the rogue engine, and stop it before harm comes to the town. Standing in their way is Galvin (Kevin Dunn), the head of the company who is more interested in saving the stock price than lives. On the plus side, the duo have competent corporate employee Connie (Rosario Dawson) on the radio, talking them through their various attempts to corral and then stop the potentially lethal locomotive. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi



It's an interesting plot.  Not something I would consider "overly done".  The only reason I would watch it more than once however...

...is because this man below stars in the film...

Who doesn't absolutely adore Denzel Washington?  Seriously.  He. Is. The. Man!

I've found that, even if it's not a movie I would normally set myself to watch, if he is in it...I end up planting my butt and become completely memorized.  His skill as an actor is unbelievable.  That's, of course, my opinion.

If you have seen this movie in the past, what did you think?  Did it capture you?  And why?

Thanks for the read!

T is for...

"Twilight",

and why I said "no".

I had no qualms when it came to Harry Potter (movies or literature) because I knew nothing of it.  I watched the movies as they came out in theaters and enjoyed this "magical" world because, even though I am ten years their senior, I was able to watch these kids grow into adults from movie to movie.  Nothing but time has been the reason why I haven't dived into the reading yet.  That's going to take quite a bit of commitment!  My youngest sister did just finish reading all the books and gave me her reviews too.  They sound amazing!  Still, I have no time to dedicate myself to such a lengthy series!

When Twilight hit the theaters I made a promise to myself to not get caught up in that "trend".  Harry Potter never came across to me as "the new hip thing".  Rather, Potter revealed an entirely unknown world and exciting discoveries.  Twilight......it's vampires and werewolves.  Too typical to me.  I was the girl who grew up with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on television.  I watched all seven seasons from beginning to end.  She was my hero in so many ways.  She was much more than the stake wielding blond in high school.  I read Dracula by Bram Stoker.  I read and reread The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  

You would think that vampires would be my thing, right?

Twilight spares the reader from provoking literary intellectualism and, rather, shoves "I want" and "I need" into the laps of those paying attention.  

To get right down to it...read Dracula and then tell me I have no right saying that the literature in the Twilight series sucked.  I couldn't even get past the halfway point in the second book.  If I tried anymore, I thought I was going to jump off of a bridge.  I get it.  Bella was NOTHING with out her true love, the vampire.  (This is NOT a moral point...and I wouldn't want that idea expressed to my daughter from chapter to chapter to chapter...etc...).  My sister read and reread the entire series.  She loved it.  She explained to me why she loved it.  My rebuttals were too many to try to connect with her on this topic...plus, she did not have Vlad the Impaler constantly standing within sight, in the back of her mind, while she was watching a love story unfold between a mortal and non mortal...meaning, this was her first visit to vampire land.

Maybe I've too much history with the legend though, too much respect, to be able to fall head over heals in love with the Twilight series.  I finally did watch all of the movies...last year.  I will say this...between the Hunger Games and Twilight and which I would and would not allow my own kid to read...I would nix Twilight in a heart beat.  Maybe not nix it.  But I definitely wouldn't recommend it.  I'm a history buff, I would instead say "try out The Historian.  It's an entire history lesson on Vlad himself!"  Or, "you must read Dracula first before you can read Twilight"...just so that the basis of the subject is met and understood before a visit to "never never land" (Twilight Saga ;)  is made.  

Twilight is a whimsical idea given by an author I do not respect.  I respect literary work from those who make the reader learn with out them even knowing at first.  I like to finish a novel and reflect on the theme of the story as a whole.  I want to get as in depth in the thought or idea that is suppose to be the reason for the book's existence.

What was the theme of the Twilight series?

What is the reason for it's "being"?

It's a darn Vampire/high school/soap opera.

I'm so sorry to fans I may have offended but I would think it to be a greater offence to not fully explain myself while I voice an unfavorable opinion on a matter.

Thanks for the read! 

S is for "Suddenly!, Selena and Several Stitches"...

My music interest scares me at times.  Out of nowhere there will be a new hit slamming the airwaves and I will fall completely in love.

I heard this track from Selena Gomez while watching the MTV Movie awards a few weeks ago.  There were quite a few "oooh!'s" and plenty of goose bumps.  I don't even like this girl's music...but this song caught me...and pretty hard...

(that was this afternoon ;)

So, that was the "Selena" portion of this post.  Here is the "Suddenly" part...

"and then suddenly...CRAP! Oops!"

(Ryan will not be very happy that I posted this, but oh well!) 

He was doing his mother a favor yesterday by aerating her yard.  There is a steep hill by the little creek behind her house.  The unit started fish tailing a bit and it slid down towards the water! Eek!!!

Ryan and a friend will try to recover it this evening.  Fingers crossed!  Hopefully the ground is a bit more dry today.  All that rain we received over the weekend didn't help him a bit!

And now, the "Several Stitches" portion...

I have accumulated a TON of "baby soft" yarn in the last year.  I get leftovers from my sister and my mother all the time.  I had some free time yesterday and started the piece above with my size G crochet hook.  That is the center of the blanket so far.  No pattern.  I'm being quite "whimsical" with it and it's been so much fun thus far!  I'm very excited to see how it turns out when it's finished. 

So, that'll wrap this Challenge post up for today.  Ryan will be done with work soon and I will be going with him over to his mother's to retrieve the beast that is trying to go for an early summer swim... hahah!

Take care.  I'll be hopping through the blog world when I get back home tonight!

R is for....

...I was not prepared for the letter R.  I looked at my fiance today and said "what should I write about?"

He gave me this "duh" look and then said "um, RYAN!"

(His name is Ryan, if you missed that from prior posts ;)

So, here we go.  I'll give y'all the low down on my soon to be hubby:

Ryan is a HUGE hockey fan.  He has been playing roller hockey for 8 plus years.  No ice hockey yet though.  He is 24, a September baby....(which means after I turn 30 in August I will be 6 years older than him until his birthday the following month!)

He was born and raised in Michigan, about a hour south of where I grew up.  He is a devout Michigan State fan.  Both of his parents graduated from the school.  That mixed with my family of U of M fans....it can be a fun rivalry...(at times ;)

Pictures!!!

Ryan and I at a Red Wings game on St. Valentine's day this year.

(He won suite tickets...lots of fun!)

Because of him, I've gone to a ton of Wings games since we started dating almost 3 years ago.

Ryan and I, watching Aladdin on St. Patrick's day....

Us again below...we tend to match without even trying...a lot...

My nephews and niece take to him just fine...

:)

And, as a special treat for my Mr. Ryan...this is the dinner I fixed up for him tonight.

Spicy kielbasa, pasta, jalapeno sauce, and "roll" dough braided to make the plate look pretty.

(He really likes spicy food)

((& I really like to cook for him!))

That'll do it for today's Challenge post, as I only have a couple more hours to post it! 

ah!

Have a wonderful day off tomorrow.  We'll be outside enjoying the weather...we are looking at 50 degrees here, in southern Michigan......................(hopefully)

At least we aren't suppose to get snow.  I saw a few flurries today and my heart sank!  Come on spring...

Take care,