Smart Shopper

So, after I finished watching Ellen while I was eating lunch today, I was just about to turn the TV off when I heard Bonnie Hunt talking about a new product, the Smart Shopper. So I went and looked it up and I am totally coveting this gadget! It's an electronic grocery list/organizer. It has a voice recognition system so all you have to do is speak the name of a grocery item and it adds it to your list (it comes with 2,500 items already entered and you can enter new items, as well). THEN, it will print your list, organized by item type, from the gadget's internal thermal printer! No ink required, just thermal paper rolls. I doubt that I will actually spend the money (close to $100--found it for $79.99 at Amazon) to get this but I really want it! This just shows you what a complete housewife I've turned into that I'm so excited about a product that would make grocery shopping easier, ha ha! You can check out the product here: Smart Shopper.

I'd better go practice--I'm playing a piano solo at our Relief Society Christmas party tonight. Wish me luck!

Thanksgiving

So I'm finally posting about Thanksgiving. Jared had to work that day so I met my mom and my brother, Tim, at my parents' house (Dad had to work, too) and we drove up to my Aunt Patty's house in Jackson, MS. We met up with Ben, Becky and the girls on the way there. We stopped at Wal-Mart on the way to get a few things. It started raining about halfway through the trip and I got a little freaked out from being scared (started crying) but we made it there safely (obviously). Besides our crew, there was Aunt Patty, Uncle Raymond, Katie, Raymond's mom and one of their neighbors. Here is the menu of the feast:

• Turkey
• Ham
• Homemade macaroni & cheese
• Oyster & shrimp stuffing
• Green bean casserole
  
• Another kind of casserole
• Ambrosia (made by me)
• Artichoke casserole
• Rolls
• Sweet potato souffle
• Pumpkin pie
• Pecan pie
• Cupcakes

We hung out, ate, and played a game of Pictionary--I was on a team with Ben, Becky and 13-year-old Katie. The other five adults were on a team and we beat them, heh heh! Here are some pics from the day:

{Mom chowing down}:

{Becky, Ben, Tim--notice Ben talking to his food, sweet-talking it, saying something like "no, I love you!" What a funny dork!}:

{Belle & Katie--this is the only pic I got of Belle the whole day. She was really tired and wouldn't take a nap so she was kind of grumpy the whole day and wouldn't cooperate for pictures}:

{Ben, Brenna, Tim}:

{Me, Brenna, Tim}:

{Here is everyone playing Pictionary}:

{Tim fell asleep on the couch with Roxie, one of Patty's really cute, sweet dogs}:

Ben & Becky left around 9:00 and Mom, Tim and I were supposed to leave shortly after but we kept talking and talking with Patty and Raymond and finally, when we went to leave, it was really foggy and Patty told us we should just spend the night there so we did. Tim fell asleep on the couch and Raymond and his mom had both gone to bed while my mom, Patty, Katie and I stayed up talking until after 2am. When we finally did go to bed, my mom and I kept each other up because we are both really light sleepers and every noise or movement the other made (even though were were in separate beds but in the same room only a few feet apart) woke each other up all night. I was still exhausted when I finally decided to just go ahead and get up at ~9am.

Patty made us breakfast and we kept saying we were going to leave soon to make it home in time for the LSU game but we kept chatting and didn't leave until after noon, I think. The game started while we were on our way back and we had to wait until we got closed enough for the LSU sports radio channel to come in so we could listen to until we got to my parents' house. I stayed there and watched the pathetic game, which we really should have won but gave it away to them in the last minute and lost by 1 POINT!!!! Aaaaah! What a sad ending to a disappointing season--at least it wasn't as bad as when I went to LSU, though! Anyway, after the game I headed home and pretty much just vegged the rest of the night.

Not much going on since then, just church, a couple of piano lessons, and helping out at Jared's office again today. The stake Primary president was called as our ward Relief Society president on Sunday so I'm wondering if I'll be released as stake Primary 2nd counselor. No one from the stake has even called and asked for an interview yet so I'm sure they are still deciding what to do. I'm kind of on pins and needles to find out if I'll be released or not. I just hope I get to continue teaching my class in my ward. Well, it is 1:20am here and it's getting a little chilly in the house, so I'm gonna go snuggle in bed with Jared now. I put him to bed a while ago (I always go lie down with him and read until he falls asleep, then I usually get up and come scrapbook and stuff unless I'm really tired and actually think I could fall asleep that early). OK, I'm just babbling now 'cause I'm tired so I'm really gonna go now....

I got to see-ee Twiiiilight

I got to see-ee Twiiiilight! Tonight for free! It was an early private viewing--only ~25 of us in the audience. This guy from my church is in the theater business and has a buddy that owns a theater. Not sure why the theater owner decided to do it but he told his friend to have his wife invite 25 people to see the movie for free, early. I was one of those lucky friends, woohoo!!! I don't want to say anything just yet as to whether I liked it or not because I don't want to set any expectations either way for those of you who are planning to see it. If you really want to know, however, email or IM me! :)

{Me and my friend, Sarah, after the movie tonight}:

I just noticed that the premiere date on the movie poster is way off--that must be an old poster.
I can't wait for all my other friends to see it to hear what they think...

I survived it!

The epidural injection on my back was yesterday morning. I got up at 5:30 and we left the house at 6:15 to be there by 6:45. We had to wait in the waiting room for a while, then they sent me into the pre-op room. They asked me a bunch of health-related questions and took my blood pressure--it was really high from being nervous, so they calmed me down a bit and took again and was much lower then. They were waiting for the doctor to get ready so they sent me back into the waiting room to sit with Jared because I was so nervous. Once they were ready, they took me into the operating room. I didn't even have to take off my tennis shoes or any of my clothing--they just had me lie on my stomach with a pillow under my belly and they pulled up the back of my t-shirt and pulled down the top of my jeans. The local anisthetic was the worst part--it hurt and burned just for a bit, no more than what you get at the dentist. I squirmed a tiny bit, though, and they told me I had to stay very still. Immediately after he administered the anisthetic, he inserted the epidural needle. I could feel pressure as he moved it around to find the right spot to inject the steroid--felt really weird! Of course, I could not see any of this and never saw either of the needles or--you know me--I would have run out of there screaming, ha ha! The actual procedure took literally about 2 minutes. Then, they had me roll over to a guerney and rolled me into a post-op recovery room where I had to just lie there and drink some Dr. Pepper for 15 min. Then, a nurse walked me out to the front where Jared met us with his truck. Voila!

I took it really easy all day yesterday, I just lay in bed watching TV almost the entire day and night. I'm taking it easy again today but my back still hurts. That spot just feels sore, probably from the needle poking around to find the right spot. I hope that goes away soon. And I am praying that this will work and that I will have a lot less pain in my back at least for a while. I have a follow-up visit with the doctor in two weeks and he'll decide if I have to do another injection in my back. I'm still waiting to hear about my appt. to get an injection in my neck. I'm still nervous about it but at least now I know what to expect! Please pray that these injections will help me. Thanks!

Tigerama

I attended Tigerama (a concert by the LSU Wind Ensemble and the Golden Band from Tigerland) Monday night with a 15-year-old girl from my ward (she is a drum major at her high school). Both groups sounded GREAT. The concert was held at the PMAC (Pete Maravich Assemble Center, the LSU basketball arena). Since I was in the band for 5 years, the concert brought back lots of great memories. The concert has changed a little bit, though--when I was in the band we did this concert either at the LSU Union Theatre or the Baton Rouge Centroplex Theatre. The other difference was the LSU Jazz Band always performed when I was there but I guess they don't anymore. Also, they dropped a ton of purple and gold balloons onto the audience during the last fight song, something they didn't do when I was there. Here are a few pics of the concert:

{The wind ensemble played first}:

{Mr. Wickes conducting "Let Us Break Bread Together"--he's facing the audience because the Tigerband brass come down into the aisles of the audience and play part of the song with the wind ensemble}:

{Here's the Tigerband, color guard and Golden Girls included--~324 people total}:

{The band played the Indiana Jones theme, the song they played to win the ESPN Battle of the Bands this year}:

{Indiana Mike}:

{And here are me and Ashlee, the cute girl I took to the concert}:

We had a great time at the concert and beforehand--we went and ate at Louie's Cafe, which is right off the LSU campus. That brought back tons of memories, as well, because I ate there often since it was so close to the School of Music. I even got Shaq's autograph there one night at 3am! The only bad thing about the concert was it didn't start until 8:00 and ended at 10:30 and I had to get up the next morning at 5:30 for my epidural injection. I'll post about that later...

Dr. Oz

Those of you who watch Oprah regularly know who he is. I love when he is on her show. He is so informative and will talk about anything health-related (I could never go on her show and discuss some of the embarrassing things people do but I'm glad other people do it, hee hee!). This week, he was on her show talking about anti-aging tips. Here are some of the things he shared that I thought we could all use:

Dry, cracked heels (I'm posting this for someone in particular--you know who you are, ha ha! Love you!):

• Rub heels with Stridex pads (yes the acne pads)--the salicylic acid is a great exfoliator
• Apply a thick layer of 100% cocoa butter, Vaseline or a great lotion like Eucerin to the heels
• Put socks on and go to bed

To prevent wrinkles:

• Use creams with vitamins A, C & E
• Put niacin cream on
• Exfoliate

To prevent age spots:

• Use creams with vitams C & A or licorice extract
• Apply niacin cream

For younger-looking skin or to help with dry skin, eat lots of the following:

• Legumes, avocados, soybeans and nuts (they all contain biotin)
• Salmon (contains carotenoids that keep the skin's elasticity)
• Tomatoes--best when combined with olive oil, which helps to absorb the lycopene

If you have dry/frizzy hair, get a charcoal water filter shower head--it filters out the chlorine, which obviously damages your hair.

I hope you find this info helpful. Love you all!

My new favorite album is...

David Archuleta's first album! I LOVE it! I've listened to it every day since Tuesday. I like every song on it. My favorites, though, are "My Hands", "To Be With You", "You Can", "Your Eyes Don't Lie" and "Angels" (which he sang on American Idol). Here's a review of the album that's on Rhapsody:

For an artist who won over audiences with a platform of preternatural talent, endearing naivete, and a baby face just asking to be pinched, David Archuleta's ability to sound so ... adult always comes as a surprise. Here and there on his debut, a lack of depth and dimension -- musically and emotionally --hints at the Idol runner-up's youth. But for the most part, the vocals are rich and mature, and the tracks are sensitive and even a litle all-grown-up sexy ("My Hands"). In other words, just what the man-voiced baby-faced crooner's devotees (tween girls and their middle-aged moms) ordered. -Rachel Devill

If you liked him on American Idol, you will love this CD and must buy it! :)

I also like Taylor Swift's new CD that also came out this week. I'm not sure I like it as much as her first one but it is good.

LSU vs. Bama

I don't even want to talk about the game but here are some pictures from Saturday--we went to my parents' house to watch it, along with Ben and the girls, Tim, Greg, and Chad (and Hanson showed up later). My mom wasn't there because she had gone to Mississippi to watch the Little River Band with a friend. My dad made hot wings (and boy were they hot!), Greg brought Velveeta and Rotel and I made the dip, and I brought brownies. Lots of yummy stuff and we had fun, even if we lost:

{Little Miss Brenna}

{Look what her dad did to her hair!}

{Paw-paw & Brenna}

{Chad & Greg}

{Ben & Tim}

{Belle had fun playing on Maw-maw & Paw-paw's computer and with lots of toys during the game.}

{Jared & Hanson}

I just realized that I had forgotten to post these pics a couple of weeks ago. These are from the Sat. before Halloween (10/25). I had gone to my parents to watch the game with my dad, brothers, Greg and Chad. Ben had the girls with him since Becky was working. We had BBQ hamburgers and lots of snacks. Ben and the girls went to a Halloween party after the game; here are the girls' costumes:

{Brenna as a cat}

{Belle as a witch}

Aren't they adorable?!

My voice is still hoarse from screaming Sat. (all for nothing, since we lost in overtime). I made it worse by singing a lot at church yesterday because we had our Primary program and, since I am a teacher, I sat up there with the kids and sang with them (although I wouldn't really call it singing--more like croaking). Plus, we went on a drive to visit Jared's boss and a co-worker so I chatted a lot with them and their wives. It sounds pretty bad today. At least it doesn't hurt, though.

My back and neck MRIs

So the verdict on my back is I have several bulging discs, one of them protruding into my spinal cord. The next step is to get epidural steroid injections on both my back and my neck to try and shrink the discs. My dr. can only do the one on my back so I have to go to another dr. for the one on my neck (the one on my neck will probably be three different injections over a period of three months--yikes!).

Y'all know that I have a MAJOR needle phobia, right? I am already freaking out. I have no idea how I will be able to go through with it but I have to make myself because I just can't handle the constant pain. The good news is I no longer have to go to physical therapy three times a week! But the sad thing is I went for three months and it didn't help that much. I hope, hope, hope that these injections will help me be in a lot less pain! That would be so wonderful!

I did it!

I went and got my hair chopped! I didn't get it cut as short as I had originally planned. The hairdresser thought this length was better for the shape of my face. Plus, she thought it would be best to let my hair train itself to this cut for a few weeks, then cut it a bit shorter. I already have an appt. to get it cut again the first week of Dec. Anyway, here's the new "do":

So tell me--do you think I should have it cut shorter? Any other suggestions??

Help me pick a new hairdo!

So I found this site, http://www.taaz.com/, and did a few make-overs on myself. I really need to and want to cut my hair (get rid of some of the weight that my neck has to hold up, as my hair is getting way too long and heavy). So here's some of the hairstyles I played with; let me know which one you think I should really do (I am honestly looking for some input here):

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

I'll tell you later which one Jared and I like the most and which one Jared said "no way!" to. :)

Another new nephew!

My sister, Kiki, had her third child Thursday morning--Wyatt Eli at 8 lbs. 5 oz., 20 in. A friend of mine and Kiki's, Jamie Garner, took these pictures at the hospital:
I am very sad that I wasn't able to be there for the birth and that I can't hold him and see him in person. I'll see him in December, though, which won't come fast enough! :)

Home decor advice needed

My mom and I have been talking about doing a painting for my dining room. I finally bought a huge canvas (3' x 4') from Hobby Lobby last week--used a 40% off coupon, woohoo! The idea I have is to just add some color (I'm thinking orange) in there by doing some sort of abstract art piece. Something like these, maybe:

I really want something more like layers of color, all blended into each other. I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for online, so I just went and painted this on cardstock with acrylic paint:

So tell me what you think. Keep in mind that this was done in about 2 min.--the real one would have more depth of colors and shading. Is it too bland? What else do you think it would need? Or should I just leave it simple like that? Or do you think I should use shapes (squares or circle)? Do you like any of the ones above better? Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Civility

I watched a show last week that Oprah did on civility and it has really made me think. It does seem that civility has all but gone out the window these days. They had a list of questions that the audience answered with one of those hand-held voting mechanisms. Here are the questions to show whether you are a rude person or not:

• Are you chronically late? This is rude! They mentioned that someone else's time is just as important as yours so why would you make someone else wait on you?
• Have you ever typed an email while on the phone with someone? I used to do that all the time when I worked (multi-tasking) and I've done it from time to time here at home but I will try not to do it anymore.
• Have you ever interrupted a face-to-face conversation to take a non-urgent cell phone call? I don't think I do this but I will definitely make sure I don't now.
• Have you ever gone through the supermarket 10 item express lane with more than 10 items? Nope, I always count my items and make sure I don't have over 10 if I want to use the express lane.
• Have you ever let your dog "go" on your neighbor's lawn? No. We hate when other people do that to use so we don't let our dog do that to others.
• Have you ever stolen a parking spot from someone? No, I'm pretty patient and would rather just go and look for another one than make someone else mad at me.
• Have you ever gossiped? Uh, yeah, and I don't personally know of anyone who hasn't. The audience poll showed that 97% of them had gossiped and one of the people who answered no said she hit the wrong button so really 98% of the audience has gossiped. This is something that I really try not to do but it is very hard!
• Have you ever taken someone else's food or drink from the office fridge? No, I never did that when I worked. I wouldn't have the heart, plus that is stealing.

A really cool quote they stated on the show is: "We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace." --Peggy Tabor Millin

This is so true! We really need to think about the way we treat others. Think about how you feel when people do things to you, like in the list above. Why would you want to make someone else feel that way--whether you know them or don't know them? Even if it's just a 2-minute interaction with someone at the check-out counter, we can make an impact on that checker for either good or bad. There's just no excuse to be rude to others just because we're in a bad mood or whatever. Just food for thought.

Some pics of Brenna

Here are some pics of Brenna that I took when I babysat her on Tuesday:

{Such a smiley girl!}

{Ya gotta love a chubby baby! :) }
{I could look at this beautiful, angelic face all day.}

LSU beat South Carolina last night, yay! I went and watched the game at my brother's house after going to a wedding reception. The first half was a little nerve-racking but the 2nd half we did much better and pulled off the win. We're at #11 now. I'm hoping we don't lose anymore games but that would be EXTREMELY tough with Georgia next and Alabama a couple weeks after that. I'll be pulling hard for my Tigers!!