some facts...

I thought I'd share a few fun facts with you
on this lovely Tuesday.
"Why"? Because I like you...
and blogging about nothing or nonsense helps relieve stress.
Not that I'm stressed or anything.

So, here ya go...

1. I got up just before 4 AM today.

2. It's spirit week this week for my homies
for Homecoming, and today is "Western Day".

3. I will take my baby to the Dr. today for his "well" check...
I'm pretty sure he'll get a few immunizations...
and I'm pretty sure he'll cry... maybe even scream.

4. I should be editing photos instead of blogging.


5. I agonized over paint this past weekend.

6. The sprinklers are watering my lawn right now.

7. One month ago today I turned 41.

8. I spent my birthday weekend agonizing over faucets.

9. I'm in love with Olay products.


10. But just a little.
Hey, I need all the help I can get.


11. I had a sun spot removed over the summer.


12. Did I say that I'm in love with Olay products?
Well, this one is my new favorite.

13. I apply it at least three times a day.

14. I don't obsess much.


15. I want to make these soon... very soon.

16. My coffee is ready now...
Have a great day!

rolo

fall is here...

Two days into Fall...
Would someone please clue Mother Nature in.

That's it and that's all.
Have a great weekend y'all.

creamy, dreamy box mac & cheese...

I can say I never make box mac & cheese according to package directions.

Yes, I live on the edge.
I'm just keepin' it real here.

Hey, when you can't count (see previous blog post...
I'm too embarrassed to share the link here),
you might as well eat... and eat good. Right? I agree.

Here's what I do...

~ Cook pasta according to package directions.
~ Drain. Put back in pot.
~ Add 2 tablespoons butter.
~ 4 ounces cream cheese.
~ 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream.
~ A splash of milk.
~ Seasoned salt... to taste.
~ The packet of powdered cheese...
by the way, what the heck is that?
~ And sometimes I'll add extra cheese...
when I'm feeling extra risky.
~ Stir until well blended.
~ Eat.
~ Moan.

That's it!

Makes for a yummy side dish, after school snack or a Saturday lunch.

rolo

dress shopping...

This is the dress.
This is it people.

ha ha ha... No, just joking.
This isn't the dress my homegirl chose to wear to Homecoming.
But you have to agree, it's a pretty snazzy dress huh?

Remember I said we called in all forces.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 were lots of help.
They picked 'em and homegirl carried.

They'd say, "How 'bout this one homegirl"...
and homegirl would agree to try it on.

Even P Pie had some comments to make.

Really she was saying, "Hey mom, take me to sit in the big fancy chair"...
"YaaaaaaY", she says.

A perfectly poised princess.

Oh look, they saw the camera.

And there they go...

Dress 1.
Cute. Black.

Dress 2.
Colorful. Funky.

While we waited in between try ons
P Pie showed us her standing skills...

Then she went back to gotta-get-somewhere-fast skill.
Hey, she's got places to go and people to see.

Dress four.
Shiny. Pretty.

Dress five.
Cool. Fun. Flirty.

Dress six.
Pretty color. Delicate detail.
The lady who was helping us/her said she
looks like a little dolly in this dress.

Dress seven.
Well, who in tarnation can go shopping
with homegirl legs over there...
What dress?

Ok... dress seven.
Pretty. Champagne in color.

Dress eight.
Pretty color. Pretty detailing.
Super low cut in front and sides. Cool crisscross back.
Homegirl didn't keep it on for very long.

Dress nine.
Pretty blue. Flowy.

There were a few other that weren't even
worthy of a try on.

So, what's your vote?
Which one do you think my baby freshman homegirl chose
to wear to her very first formal dance?

I'll give you a little hint...


It wasn't this one.

Stayed tuned... a couple of weeks is the big day.

Peace out...
rolo

i apologize...

I've been slackin' on the blog again... I'm sorry.
I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again.

It's just that I've had a ton of stuff going on all at the same time.
And for some reason, the one thing... the thing that I love most...
well, aside from my family, of course... seems to always gets put aside. My blog.

Here, let me catch you up on a few things from the past week...

Our new bedroom furniture arrived.
Only there's one tiny problem...

our bedroom is not ready yet.

So, I had no choice but to stack and tuck in the pieces in the living room.
And this is just one corner in my house...
everything is in such disarray. Don't ya just hate that?
I do. It makes my heart rate go up when everything is in chaos.

After the last round of inspections and all was go again...
they got busy installing the insulation and sheetrock.
By the end of last week they were already tape and bedding.
Now we're cookin'!
This is the door and wall inside the bathroom looking into the bedroom.


And here's a not so great photo of the closet wall...
the lighting wasn't the best.

On Saturday, I shot my very first "real" event...
A baptism.
I think it went pretty good... for my first time anyway.

And wrapping up the weekend was an event in itself...
Homecoming dress shopping for my youngest homegirl.

We called in all forces. Here she is with Thing 1 and Thing 2.
ha ha ha...
Well, actually, they are her best buds, and their names are I and A.
A good group of young ladies I must say.

Look, there's P Pie! She and her mommy met us at the mall.
I told you we called in all forces...

After all, this homegirl of mine is the expert on fashion.

And there they go... with no less than ten dresses in hand.

I'll be back tomorrow with more photos of the event
and you can try to guess which one she chose.

I'm taking care of a sick JB and baby today...

rolo

wait, wait, wait...

Last week was full of wait.

We waited until the rain stopped...


until the water receded.


We waited on the plumbing inspector.
That there is the framing for the tub...
it's about 4-inches too wide.


And that there is the shower...
it needs to be about 4-inches wider.

We waited on the electrical inspector and the framing inspector.

It was a quiet week last week.

I hope this week we make a little more progress.

Living in disarray,
rolo

homemade croutons...

I needed croutons for dinner the other night.
I sent one of my homeboys into the grocery for milk,
croutons and something else... I can't remember now what it was.
He came out with milk and the something else...
said he couldn't find the croutons.
So, in that instant my mind played out a couple of choices I had.
1. Run back into the store for the croutons.
or
2. Use that old loaf of french bread I had at home instead
of tossing it out. I had been wanting to try making my own
croutons for a while now... and here was my chance.

And I must say, the roof of my mouth will never forgive me
because I couldn't stop eating the suckers... they also make a good
little snack... they were that good.
And... I'm not sure if I'll ever use store-bought croutons again.

Here's all you'll need...

1 loaf of day old bread
olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic salt
shredded or shaved parmesan cheese... optional

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grab your bread and bread knife...

Cut your bread into 1-inch squares/pieces.

Toss into a bowl.

Give a good coating of olive oil... stir...


coat some more... stir.

Sprinkle nicely with Kosher salt.

And fresh ground pepper.

Then, depending on your taste buds, coat well with some garlic salt...
or whatever other spice is your favorite.

Give them a good stir, and pour onto a baking sheet.


And here's the optional part... sprinkle shaved parmesan
cheese all over the little suckers.

Pop into your 350 degree preheated oven for about
20-30 minutes... until golden brown.

Take them out to cool and enjoy.

They keep nicely in a Ziploc at room temperature for about 2 weeks.

crunch, crunch,
rolo