Must See TV

Well, the "Dancing with the Stars" cast has officially been announced (although I've known for a few weeks a certain someone was going to be on), and I will force myself to watch this season. Why? Duh, he's going to be on it!

(The resemblance to my hubby is remarkable :-)

I might actually pick up the phone and vote this season. Since there are no Olympians this season, Kurt might have a shot at the Disco Ball Trophy or whatever that thing is. As for some of the other cast of characters, here are my thoughts...

Jennifer Grey... nobody puts Baby in the corner!

Carol Brady... is it bad if I don't vote for her even though she is my Aunt's cousin?

Bristol Palin... hopefully she is on long enough to rid herself of that last bit of baby weight. Not that I care, but most women that go on that show say they hope to lose a few pounds. I hope that Loser, Levi Johnston, doesn't show up in the crowd.

Audrina Patridge... I guess she needs work now that "The Hills" is over. Wasn't she on that? I really don't know because I never watched it. She probably won't last long because most people over 40 don't know who she is.

The Situation... Does he have a name? Something tells me he will be wearing his shirts unbuttoned. I guess I'd rather see him than Snookie, but I don't think they could extract her from the tanning booth long enough to practice. Again, most people over 40 won't know who he is. I'm sure my Dad is reading this right now saying, "Who is that reprobate?" Maybe Kurt will be a positive influence.

What An Embarrassment

I admit it. I was wrong. Miss USA didn't win the Miss Universe Pageant. Am I embarrassed? No. What is embarrassing is that she didn't even place in the top 15! Has that ever happened? Actually it has, but it is very unusual. Maybe that fasting for Ramadan took its toll on her.
Anyway, I thought overall the pageant was fairly entertaining. John Legend. Good. Hair styling tips and product advice. Good. Bret Michaels was acting like a 12 year old boy. Can you bring Bob Barker back, please??!!!??

Let's jump to the Final Five, but before I do, I have to say one thing to Miss Puerto Rico. Who picked out that Pepto pink evening gown with the bigger than ginormous bow on it? Ugh! That was why she didn't get top 5.

Top Five Final Question Breakdown

Question: How is unsupervised internet usage affecting teenagers?

Miss Mexico- (needs a translator) Blah blah blah porque blah blah que blah blah bueno momento blah blah (take a breath chicky, the translator can't keep up)

Don't know what she said even after it was translated, but she didn't answer the question. Judge Evan Lysecek had a dumbfounded look on his face when she finished. Apparently, it didn't matter. Kudos to me for also suggesting Miss Mexico had a chance to win.

Question: Something about countries passing laws about banning certain religious clothing

Miss Australia- (love the Aussie accent) Fashion is a freedom of choice and should not be controlled by the government. She also gave a plug to the swimsuit designer.

I thought the judges would have liked that a bit more than they did.

Question: Is the death penalty okay?

Miss Jamaica- Life was given to us by our Creator, God, and the only one who should decide is God, the one who created us.

When the judges are 90% Hollywood people who change religions faster than they change their underwear, mentioning we only have one God could have cost her the crown. They were looking for more of the "No, that is cruel and unusual punishment and Charles Manson should be freed immediately" type of answer.

Question: Do you think it is okay for airports to use full body security scanners?

Miss Ukraine- It's a matter of safety and security. If it will prevent future tragedies like the ones we have in the past, then I am for it.

So am I Miss Ukraine, unfortunately for you, most of the judges probably donate to the ACLU who are trying to have them banned.

Question: What is the biggest mistake you have made?

Miss Phillipines- I'm sorry, sir. I was raised well and don't think I have ever made a mistake.

What? That's a fast track to last place answer if I ever heard one. Couldn't you come up with something? Anything? Maybe, I ate a whole pumpkin pie once as a kid and puked my guts out so now I never eat pumpkin pie. (No, I didn't do that, but I know who did.)

Are You Ready for Some Football?

I am. With the Cardinals' chances of postseason play getting slimmer by the day, I figure it's time to turn my attention to more exciting stuff. Like Sunday football wears. Who knew Victoria's Secret sold NFL clothes? Quite the secret if you ask me. I was able to find a few of my favorite on the Boys' website...

Like a Rhinestone Cowboy

I like this one, but stark white washes me out. Bummer!

I can't think of any other bottoms to lounge around in on Sunday afternoons this fall... although I did see a pair on ebay that I can't find anywhere else.

Cute little raglan waffle tee for when the weather gets chilly.

All clothing can be found at DallasCowboys.com.

The Whole World Will Be Watching

It's that time of year again when the whole world joins together in front of their television sets. The Olympics? No. The World Cup? Been there done that. The Miss Universe Pageant of course! As a pageant watcher since I was 8 years old (gasp!), I have seen these things (pageants in the Miss Universe Organization--NOT to be confused with the Miss America Organization) go from classy entertainment with mostly intelligent, articulate women to basically a glorified America's Next Top Model competition with raunchy entertainment, complete dingbats vying for the crown, and political correctness gone WAY overboard condensed into a 2 hour timeframe.

I will say a lot of the women competing in the Miss Universe Pageant are not "dingbats". They are some of the most educated and professional women that can be found in their country. Many hope that by winning Miss Universe, they can encourage other girls in their country to go for their dreams, be inspired to be the best they can be, and all that other pageant talk mumbo jumbo. Unfortunately, for these 82 foreigners spending two weeks in Las Vegas, the pageant was already decided back when Miss USA was crowned in May.




How can the pageant already be decided when it isn't until Monday night? Well, Miss USA is a Muslim. In case you haven't heard all the Ground Zero/Mosque controversy, that pretty much should make it a cakewalk for her. As long as she doesn't say anything too outlandish like "birth control is a controlled substance" (like she did in Miss USA), or trip on her evening gown and nearly fall on her rear end (like she did in Miss USA), it's hers to lose.

I'm not against Miss USA winning. I think it's great that she lives in a country where she can strip down to her skivvies and pose semi-nude with body paint and not get beheaded for it. It's just unfortunate that these things can be predicted before they even happen based on politics. I hope I am wrong and some other country wins, just so the MUO can prove to me their pageants are not politically driven. Happy watching!!

Here are some other hopefuls that have a chance...

Miss Phillipines- the front runner in online polling. Her downfall could be that she is a professing Christian.

Miss India- This girl really needs a cheeseburger, maybe two. Check out her bikini photo shoot here. If her waist is over 18", I would be shocked!

Miss Puerto Rico- I am just always partial to the Puerto Ricans. She's pretty, no?

Miss Mexico- Her winning could help appease Mexico over the whole Arizona immigration controversy.

Miss Venezuela- Really? Could they win it 3 years in a row? If Hugo Chavez has anything to say about it she will. She's really cute! Love the dress!!

Miss Russia- There is usually an Eastern European somewhere in the mix, and I thought she was the prettiest. Could have rocks for brains, but this contest isn't really about that.

All photos are from MissUniverse.com

First Day of School

Carlie had her first day of school today. I can't believe she is already in 1st grade! I wish I would have brought my camera in when we dropped her off, but there will be many photo opportunities, I'm sure. She was so sweet... there was another little girl crying and not wanting her mom to leave. Carlie bravely went up to her, took her hand, and led her over to the line where their class was sitting. Looks like she made a new friend.

Not to be excluded, Noah also had his first day of school at the Dobbins Institute for Advanced Preschool Studies.

Bartering is Fun!

You never know what items you have in your house that others would find useful. We were wanting to get Noah a new bike because he has outgrown the tricycle. Sticking to our goal and conviction of evicting Sallie Mae by year's end, we didn't really have the money to buy a new one. Enter Mike's friend from work who has a son that loves Star Wars. Mike was able (and selflessly willing) to trade his paperback Star Wars books (yes we had a lot) ...



... for a "new" bike for Noah!





And, we still have at least 20 hardcover Star Wars books for future deals! Ha!

sTORI TELLING

To be truthful I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book. Tori Spelling (and her ghost writer) spells out her childhood and life in a very entertaining way. If you ever watched 90210, you will like reading about all of her former castmates, which ones she dated and which ones she hated.

Although I certainly do not agree morally with a lot of the life choices she has made, I do think she has definitely learned (and she explains in great detail) that money does not buy happiness. Her descriptions of her birthday parties are just unreal. You will be thinking, Who does that? Despite all the money spent (blown) on all the extravagant parties (trust me, these are over the top), her greatest memories and contentment came from being outside in the yard with her dad picking up dog poop.

She also delves into the relationship with her mother, and they have now reconciled (for the most part.)

I am looking forward to reading her next book after I finish my current read, The Overton Window.

Thanks A Lot!

I just wanted to send a personal thank you to Giants Pitcher Tim Lincecum for single-handedly BLOWING my week in fantasy baseball. Thanks a lot, Tim! Anyone who pitches a 13.00 ERA two games in a row deserves a big shout out. How in the world did you EVER beat Cards Pitcher Adam Wainwright for the Cy Young last year? Tell me again why you were my first pick in the draft??!! One more thing, get a haircut! (Soooo looking forward to fantasy football)

Challenge of Money-Savings Proportions

We got our electric bill in the mail several weeks ago, and my heart skipped a few beats and not in a good way. This is getting to be ridiculous. Honestly, most people probably pay considerably more than we do, but I am still doing what I can do keep the bill as low as possible. $200 is where I draw the line. The goal is to keep it from reaching that number.

The challenge to achieve that goal is to do anything possible we aren't already doing. Because we do all the "energy-saving recommendations" like the light bulbs, using a programmable thermostat, etc., the only other things we can do are to shut off the power supplies to the television and computer each evening and dry the laundry outside. (Have you ever watched your electric meter spin when the dryer is on? It gets me dizzy.) One consolation of the extreme heat is the clothes actually dry faster outside than they do in the dryer.

Hopefully this will make at least some difference. I will let you know. Time to go hang the laundry in all its glory...

Perfectly Peach Cobbler

Sewer Update

So here is what our front yard looks like now. The contractors will come out a few times a week to water the dirt. (I took this picture after the first watering.) This will allow it to settle properly so we don't have a big sink hole. Once the dirt is level, they will cut off the sewer access pipe so it is level with the ground. That way we can mow over it. Then, they will put down sod. They estimate the yard to be back to normal by late September or early October. No worries, except for when we get our next water bill, since they are using our faucet to water the dirt.

Captain Cowlick

Before

After

Hey 100 degrees- We're ready for ya!!

We Can Flush Toilet Paper Again

**First of all, this post does not qualify for "August Break".** The city contractors were out yesterday to fix the tree root blockage in our sewer line. We haven't been able to flush toilet paper for over a week. Luckily, they were able to dig up the clay pipe line and replace it with PVC. We are now back in business. They also replaced another section where the clay was cracked and broken. Upon completion they ran a video through and the line is clear all the way to the street. Hallelujah!

Getting ready to dig

Wow... that was fast!

So much for 6 feet under... this was 12 feet under.

Looking on with curious eyes

I don't know what that is, but it's going in!

They even added outdoor access (that long white tube), so in the future, if rodding is ever needed, plumbers won't have to come in our house. Nicely done, fellas, nicely done.

Another Prayer Request

Please pray for my KD sister and friend, Adrienne, as well as her dad, mother and family. Her dad has been battling leukemia and has taken a downward turn. You can follow the updates over at Adrienne's Spot.

Writing Break

Since I don't like writing that much, and what I do write is not so eloquent, I am participating in the August Break. Thanks to She's Starcrossed for the heads up. So, for the whole month of August, our life will be in pictures.

To participate in the August Break, go here.

Buying Local

Prayer Request

Please pray for the 2 victims, families and friends of this horrible crash near Six Flags. There is a fatal accident every year on I-44 by Six Flags. Every Year. Construction is ongoing in that area, so traffic is always stop and go. One victim was a student on the school bus. The other victim was the driver of the pickup truck which was sandwiched between the bus and the semi.



This is so tragic. Like I said, it happens every year. Something has to be done about that stretch of highway.