Placenta Poll

When it comes to primal instinct and hormones, there's only so much we can mentally override.

Like, for instance, there's something about babies that gets me all maternal........even when it comes to the non-human kind.......

If it was up to me I'd have brought home every puppy and miniature piglet I saw at Trade Days a couple of weekends ago and stolen this puppy from a friend that we recently visited..........as if I don't have enough responsibilities.

I mean seriously......how cute are our doggies in the little outfits their great grandmother sent for them? The holiday one's are great, but I think the leopard is my favorite.

 I can't decide if they look more like they walked off the set of Bedrock or the stage of a strip club.

 Something about my instinct also tells me this man running himself ragged with the fur babies, just to make them happy, is super sexy. 

I'm taking a poll. 

Just out of morbid curiosity.....does the following scenario trigger some sort of deep primal instinct in your body to get all hot and heavy or is this just plain disgusting?

Scene set: You're all sweaty and ragged after delivering your newborn infant just a few short moments ago. Your new love is cuddling on your chest and your old love is leaning over your shoulder, all smiles. 

You: So, what did you do with the placenta?

Nurse: I disposed of it.

You: Oh darn! I was going to save it and make soup with it!

Nurse: ??

You: No, I'm just kidding. Besides.....my husband probably wouldn't want to eat it after everything he just saw.

Husband: (Says this with silk in his voice like he'd been saying it for years as his #1 pick-up line.) Baby, I'd eat your placenta any day, any way. 

I couldn't make this stuff up.

P.S. Thanks a million, Nana and Patrick, for my amazing Oakley Radarlock's, a.k.a one of the most difficult purchase decisions I've ever made. (Nana could totally be a Oakley's model with the way she's rockin' that pair!)

I tested them out this weekend and they were the definition of perfect; totally worth all the driving around town drama, multiple store visits, and minor meltdowns.

P.P.S. Happy New Year, and be safe out there!

So......would you like to know your man thinks you're sexy inside and out (literally)?

Birthday Boy

For the man that fills my heart with joy and makes me feel like the most special girl in the world. 

For the man that has one of the kindest souls and warmest smiles.

For the man that possesses more talent than he ever lets on. 

The one with the perfect crevice in his shoulder for my head to rest and ideally placed lips for me to reach on my tip toes. 

The one who when his arms wrap around me, make me feel like he was made by God with me in mind. 

You are superbly, exceptionally, extraordinary.

You are my prince, my knight in shining armor, who deserves nothing less than a happily ever after kind of fairy tale. 

And I hope you have a outstandingly blissful birthday. 

Love, 

Your Favorite. 

White Christmas

Homemade warm apple cider at Nana's, fresh out of the oven cookies at Memma's, wine with ham and pot roast at Patrick's parent's, philly cheese steak sandwiches and margaritas at my parent's.........'tis the season to grow a pot belly, needlessly fueling our bodies for a marathon of opening presents and laying on the couch watching all our favorite holiday movies......

.......and catnapping......

After 4 different Christmas celebrations over the weekend, we came home on Christmas Eve night just in time to sip on some HoCho, snuggle up, and fall asleep watching A Christmas Story. 

It thundered like a world war was going on outside all night and I slept like a baby, glad to be back in our own cozy bed. Patrick woke me up in the afternoon to a wonderfully cooked breakfast warming my belly as the temperatures started to drop outside, turning the constant down pour of rain into sleet, then eventually that white fluffy stuff some people call snow. It started off sparse, but kept growing more dense until it looked like a Texas blizzard outside (about 5 or 6 inches on our side of town).

Sumo excitedly ran around biting at the strange substance and we were so thrilled to have a white Christmas we kept the front door open to allow a constant view for admiration, with the space heater oscillating on high to keep the chill from nipping our toes. 

Besides a few family photos, some pretty fun stuff happened.......

......Like Patrick's dad singing the socks off a pretty intense Christmas song at church. We were all so proud of him.

Other memories to be noted:

1. Patrick got some "fartless" beer bread mix and a meat slicer (which he used to make me the best homemade potato chips on Christmas Day)

2. Nana was on a roll with her hilarious insults. "Some people are just so dense," she teased me when I couldn't figure out what one of her "newest 'in-thing'" presents was suppose to be used for. It actually makes my 4loco look classy, no?

3. Getting illegally altered money stapled into the shape of a t-shirt and tie with buttons sewn on.....from the lady that apparently enjoys breaking the rules in the sake of fun as much as me (Nana).

4. Creative wrappings.......Patrick got a much needed non-stick pan wrapped in the shape of a carrot; I unwrapped things Patrick stole from my closet because I'm a spoiled brat and got my presents (Oakely's Radar Lock's for running, Ray Ban's for casual wear, and my new running shoes) early, but he wanted me to have surpises to open with the family. 

5. I also unwrapped a movie Patrick wanted (Ted).........hmm.....

6. Dusty almost broke his foot on a bear trap in the living room, but his biggest complaint was spilling his beer and splashing it in his eye in the process. 

7. My dad thought he would be sneaky and started unwrapping his presents early while we were still preoccupied with passing everyone else's out. Little did he know the joke was on him; he got a bundle of switches and a reused card about being naughty.......after that he decided play nice and wait his turn.

8. Apparently the best gift you can give a kid these days is cash money, so I got creative and practiced my hand in bill origami for our oldest niece.

Haley loved it and as she admired the shapes, over her shoulder was an envious cry from her sister, "I want money for Christmas!!"

As soon as Emily opened the box as big as she (if not a little bigger), her shoulders slumped with skeptism when she saw it was merely filled with balloons. But the mood quickly changed when she figured out what was inside them!

She spent the rest of the night submerged in her box, doing everything from acting out "pop goes the weasel", to taking a nap and playing games on the iPhone.......

9. Teaching Patrick's parents how to Skype.

10. Taking awkward Olan Mills style pictures by the Christmas tree.

"Y'all just don't know how proud I was when I got that doll for Christmas as a little girl," Nana said in reference to Allison and I jokingly posing with the creepy plastic baby we found lurking behind our presents under the tree.

11. Sumo and his cousin Coco playing so hard together in the middle of all the caos.

12. Seeing my mom get so excited about Santa "Ho Ho" bringing her an industrial pecan picker-upper that she had to test it out before dinner.......

11. Getting to enjoy a quiet WHITE Christmas at home with my husband before heading to work!!

We are already the coolest house on our street, since we're the only one with Christmas lights, but Patrick upped the scale by personalizing the driveway with our alias. 

Hows that for 4 jam packed days in a nutshell?

What was your favorite part about Christmas this year?

Too Many Pictures? No Such Thing!!!

When Nana's in town, we've got to do things picture worthy, so what better place to eat than amongst the tree lit Shops of Legacy, where we used to live back in our apartment days? Multitask, multitask, multitask.....

I always loved taking our dogs for a walk during the holidays when we lived here.

With the magical ease of pre-lit trees we've become accustomed to these days, I especially appreciate the manual effort put forth to make every branch of every tree twinkle to the tip top.

We went to Taco Diner for a Mambo Taxi (their famous Margaritas) and to pre-fill our bellies with some free chips and salsa. We broke down and ordered some white queso with brisket , which was probably the best I ever had.

Patrick acted out the story of his excuse for kissing a lady at work last week.........judging by this picture, I feel really bad for that poor unsuspecting lady who thought she was being cute by hanging misltoe over my husband's head (little did she know how crazy he is).  

It was actually one of the most ridiculous nights I've ever experienced. Even though we got to the shops well before 6, by the time we all agreed on a place to eat dinner, the resturaunts were swarmed with people and there was a wait everywhere.  

We walked back and forth from South Side and North Side unable to make a commitment, then stopped at the gigantic Christmas tree by the pond for a mini-photo-shoot, prolonging dinner once again.

It's times like these (and several others) I really wish I had a DSLR.........maybe one day......

We tried to do the wheel-barrel, but turns out, Patrick's scrawny legs are way heavier than they look.

Eventually my mom got extremely bored at watching our shenanigans, probably realizing we could go on being silly a day longer than forever, so we abandoned the tree to resume our food quest, once again.

.......But not before we got lil' ol' Nana posing at the feet of the massive tribute........ 

A few mis-communications later and we finally gathered at a picnic table by a space heater on the patio of Ringo's Pub for some good old fashioned English food and beer.

Fish and chips with a side a beer for everyone.......and a couple of Ruben's!!!

I wonder what those boys are smiling so big about?

What's your favorite Pub food?

 

Culturalizing the Relatives

Last year I was so impressed by the Prestonwood Miracle of Christmas play, I decided to come back and bring my family this time.  

Word must have got around, because only a week after tickets went on sale, it was almost completely sold out, making it a Christmas miracle we even got to go at all. Luckily I found the last 4 seats grouped together, but was eerie about them being so close to the stage. 

Although the balcony definitely has it's perks by allowing a solid visual of the whole stage as a big picture (the huge back screens are used quite a bit for scenery depth), sitting up close had it's own advantages.

When it snowed the flakes literally come down and landed in our laps, we got to see all the expressive faces of the performers, and being feet from the live orchestra was pretty cool.  

After Santa flew in from out of no where, he walked to our side of the stage and gave each child by us in the audience a high five, which magically lit up their faces, filling my own heart with joy as much as it did theirs.

The second half of the play was the story of Jesus' birth and when the angels descended from the sky they danced right over our heads.

I absolutely loved the hip kid version of the Nativity scene, but the adult rendition was especially moving.

When the villagers flooded through the audience with their lit candles singing praise to baby Jesus everyone's jaw dropped.

The three Kings made grand appearances in elaborate costumes, arriving on camels and being carried in on litters or sedans (who knows the difference??).

While impressed by the realism, all I could think about is, "What would they do if the camel/horse/sheep peed or pooped on the stage?!?!?"

Luckily the stage remained free of incontinent episodes (unless baby Jesus did something we were unaware of), and my family was super impressed. Dusty even stayed awake for the whole event, which speaks volumes!!

And then it was time for our next big adventure of the day.........


What/where is your favorite Christmas show and why???