Happy Birthday to my CCL!!!
I thought I'd bring back a fun little somethin' from the past....CHARACTER PROFILES! And, of course...this is the birthday edition!

Nicknames: Lisa, Kuriani (my sister's creation)

Character Traits: quick wit, brutal honesty, a touch of sarcasm, queen of exaggeration

Best known for: khaki pants, chocolate chip cookies, and that infamous punch in the gut

Favorite Food Items: vegetables and water

My birthday wish for her: Lis, I hope this year brings us closer....like the distance between OKC and Eulyss, Bedford. ;) Have a wonderful day...and enjoy that masala dosa!

So, let's talk reality TV!

Sunday...
K & K take New York- I'm not really sure what Kourtney sees in Scott Disick...but it's more than obvious the girl loves the guy. She is so happy around him...despite the fact that nearly all her family hates him. I love how layed back she is...never gets riled up like her sisters do. She's just even tempered. Usually you see Khloe and Kourtney and all their shenaningans...so it's interesting seeing Kim not being uptight and just hanging with her sister.

Monday...
Oh my gosh...the Bachelor! So, can I punch Michelle? She is so PSYCHO. I seriously can't wait for the day Brad dumps her. At first glance, I thought she was pretty and possibly the one for him. Until she opened her mouth, that is. Now I see her looking a lot like a chihauaha or some kind of rat terrier breed.

Tuesday...
Teen Mom 2- I am so glad Leah and Corey both decided to grow up and and get back together. It's terribly sad that they're so young and have to deal with the obstacles that they're going to have to face about their baby's health. Now, I do agree that Janelle needs to be more mature and responsible and take care of her baby instead of "we B clubbin" but her mom is more than annoying. She needs to back off and stop doing everything for the baby and making Janelle feel like she is incapable of doing simple tasks. Something tells me that Adam is going to burn Chelsea again....I just dont' trust that kid. Out of all these girls, I feel most sorry for Kailyn. I feel like smacking her mother who has no responsibility whatsoever for her daughter. It's horrible that she has to rely on her baby daddy's family for a roof over her head. Baby daddy is a total jerk...and she has no choice but to grin and bear it and live by their rules. I agree it's weird and inappropriate for her to date another guy and still live their....I just think it's so sad she has no other place to go.

Wednesday/Thursday- American Idol- I so love the addition of J-Lo and Steven Tyler. The trio is just so funny!!! I don't remember laughing this much in the past seasons!

Thursday...Joisey Shore!-WTF?!? Ok, I soooo didn't see this coming. I was all prepared for Sammi to pack her bags and get the hellz out of their....GOOD RIDDENS!!! Boy was I shocked when Ron forgave for poppin' him in his jaw for the terrible sin of talking to Jwow!! And then, I was left feeling shocked again when Jwow made amends with Sammi at the club. It was akward...because they hated each other so fiercely...but then it was kind of a relief too because that akward tension that's been building since last season is finally squashed.

And that's my reality TV wrap up, folks!

I tried to take a picture of it, but it just went too fast. I saw a commercial and I knew I had to try it...Sonic has a new Sonic blast. It consists of red velvet cake batter ice cream and strawberry cheesecake bites. I absolutely love red velvet, so I couldn't resist trying it despite the 30 degree weather.

It was UH-mazing! I usually get burned out after a few bites of ice cream or something really sweet...but nothing was burning me out on this. It was delish...and I have to stop myself from going back to Sonic for more!

If you haven't tried it...do so...but try at your own risk! It's addictive!

And.....I'm back. I had laryngitis for three weeks, blogosphere! I guess when I was forced to stop talking...I stopped writing too. But, Friday my voice came back, and I thought it was time to blog again. A life of silence is a lonely life...I relied on texting and emailing quite a bit. My fingertips are glad my voice is back so they can get a break.

A few funny things happened during my three weeks of silence....

One day I went to my mom's house. My aunt (a nurse) called my mom and asked her how I was recovering from the flu.
'Mom: She's feeling better, but now she has meninigitis.
Aunt: What?!?!?
Me: Noooo! Laryngitis!!
Mom: (who can't understand my hoarse voice) Yah, she has meningitis.
Aunt: What?!?
Me: Laryngitis!!!
Mom: Meningitis!!!
Aunt: What's wrong with her???
Mom: Sue, here talk to her.
Me: I can't talk!!!
Mom: She can't talk. She has no voice.
Aunt: Ohhhhh. Laryngitis. *** Sigh of relief***

Yep, that was a funny conversation...but even funnier was when my cousin SueTee called. To preface this story...I must tell you that I don't have a very emotional family. The most love I get from them are side hugs. Never do they utter those three sweet little words...and I do mean never....especially after that one time one cousin said "i love you" to another cousin on her wedding day and she punched him in the gut for showing too much emotion! So back to my story....
SueTee called. Matt picked up the phone. He told her I was still out of commission but if she wanted to say something to me she could....and then he proceeded to hand me my phone.

me: Hmm (Hi)
SueTee: Still no voice??
me: Mmmhmmm
SueTee: Well, ok I just wanted to know if you got your voice back yet. I'll let you go...
me: hmmhmmm (okay)
SueTee: I love you!
me: Hmmm???? (What the hell did you just say?!?!)
SueTee: laughing hysterically

After I hung up, I thought to myself....she only told me she loved me because I was struck mute and couldn't share the story with the rest of the cousins and reveal her moment of emotional weakness!!! Thus, I'm sharing the story with the blogosphere!....I'm sure I'll get a punch in the gut for this one!

Been out of commission, blogosphere. I was bitten by the flu bug last week. I've had the flu before...it's always nasty. But this time it was particularly nasty....even my scalp was in pain! I'm feeling much better, but I lost my voice and it's not back yet. I've tried everything...drinking hot things...resting my vocal cords...garling salt water...but nothing has worked. Going to work without a voice is not a possibility...so, I need it to come back quickly!!! If you have any tips for me on how to get it back...please let me know!

I'm not one to jump on the wagon of the latest fashion trends...but there's one that I just can't escape this winter!! Boots over jeans! Every time I go out, I see the entire town in them...no joke...atleast 98% of the female population! I tried to explain this to my sister before she came out to OKC for a visit, but she didn't get it until she got here. And then the next thing I knew, she was even wearing her damn boots over her jeans!!

So, seeing all these boot wearing folks made me want a pair too. Of course, I had some major obstacles to deal with. A. my almighty calves. B. my jeans are all baggy and excessively long, which makes it pretty challenging to fit in a boot with the almighty calves! So, I set out on my search...which took approximately 24 days. I searched high and searched low for the perfect boot. I can't get the almighty calves into a pair with a zipper, they just don't zip all the way. I don't like any with metal buckles cuz they look a little too rockerish for me. Uggs are cute on others but the whole round toe thing doesn't float my boat. And pointy toes don't either. Boots that are too long look a little hookerish. Boots with furry stuff on them just aren't me. And boots with heels are a hazard to my health because I know I'd be flat on my face in approximately 2.5 seconds.

I finally found the perfect pair in the most unexpected place at the most unexpected time. I was getting a few final Christmas goodies at Walmart on Christmas Eve morning...and lo and behold I found the perfect faux-suede, flat heeled, boots. They had a tinge of elastic at the top which made me smile because I knew it was exactly the little stretch I needed to get over my calves. I scooped them up. I was so happy!!

And then I came home. They are nothing but a pain in the posterior! It's an act of God getting them on. Unfortunately, my leg and the 10 yards of extra denim in my jeans makes it virtually impossible! I took the boots with me to my mom's on Christmas and asked my sister and cousins for advice. Cousin Les suggested jeggings. At first I scoffed...skin tight legging/jeans aren't exactly the best look on me. But then my sister and I went shopping the next day...our goal was to find ankle boots to solve the calf/jean leg problem...but no dice. So next, we looked for jeggings.

I gotta say...they're uh-mazing! I mean, they're almost as great as the elastic pants I wore when I was 8...And the best thing about them is they're not baggy so I can wear them with my boots. So, I've resigned to the fact that I bought shoes that only go with one pair of pants in my closet. I'm not happy about it...but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do for fashion!

I've had my eye on an ebelskiver pan since early November, and when Williams-Sonoma had them on sale for just $19.99, I jumped at the chance to buy one. I knew it would be a perfect treat for Christmas breakfast. Most the time I say "ebelskiver"...no one has a clue of what I'm talking about, so I thought I'd post a picture to explain...

They are perfect little golden, crispy pancake balls stuffed with your favorite filling and sprinkled with powdered sugar. So far I've made them with nutella (house favorite), caramel, and raspberry perserves. Williams-Sonoma has the recipe for the batter from scratch but to save time, I use regular ol' Aunt Jemima or Hungry Jack, and they're just as delightful!

So, if you're looking for something new to add to your brunch menu....try an ebelskiver!

I had work at 7 am, which is not really how I wanted to spend the first morning of the year. But it was a slow and painless work day, so I can't complain. After church, we had a most delicious New Year's meal at the maternal unit's and then headed off to church to meet a friend for New Year's service.

I love the first sermon of the year...it's always full of hope and leaves me feeling like I have a sense of spiritual direction for the next 365 days to come. This particular sermon was about "First"...seeking God first, in particular, and how everything will be added to you. Not just seeking Him at the beginning of the year...but at the beginning of every day in prayer and scripture reading...at the beginning of every week with corporate worship...and the beginning of every month with tithes.

It was a particularly a spiritually charged night for me because the friend we met at church tonight was not Christian. She's Hindu...and she's seeking the true God in her life. I feel like I've been on this journey with her since early summer and it's been really interesting to see how God is working in her life...to see the way He speaks to her...how He's revealing Himself to her. At times, I've been jealous, in a way. I see these little spiritual revelations happening in her life, and I've thought...Hey, I want that! But then I realize that it's the way in which she's pursuing Him...the passionate way she's seeking Him. And I realized that I need to seek the truth in the same manor...instead of taking for granted I was raised knowing the truth. I need to do more than just know it...I need to experience it.

So, in short, my verse for the year is ...."Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, Then all these things shall be added unto you."

What's your verse for the year?