New Year? Yes. please.

I have really been sucking it up at my blogging.  So much for keeping you people that actually want to hear about my life up to date.

This year actually wasn't so bad.  I am very blessed, this I know.

To name a few events of the year:
My baby niece Cora was born, my family has become closer through hardships, new friends were made, and I ran my first half marathon.

I have dreams and aspirations for my life, and to be honest my life isn't where I thought it would be at this age.  It's been good though, and I know I shouldn't want more but that's my human heart I guess.
I know I am so blessed with my health, a healthy family and love.  I see people in my line of work that are just broken.  People are dying every day, some with no family by their side, and some with an abundance of family members filling the halls.  That's a part of the job, heck, it's part of life.

I had a hope of running a full marathon in the year 2012.  After my half marathon experience, I thought it would be possible.  However due to my hip issue, I don't think it's going to be possible.  I've researched and researched, and have diagnosed myself with piriformis syndrome.  Not a lot can be done with it, you just have to do a lot of strengthening, stretching, massage and sometimes chiropractic adjustments.  I hope to one day be able to do a full marathon, but this piriformis syndrome takes a loooong time to restore itself.  Taking it slow, shortening my runs, and doing tons of strengthening is in the cards for me for now.  As long as I can keep running some, it's better than not at all.  I never thought I would say that about running.

Running has saved me from myself.  Running isn't for some people, but I truly love it.  Some days it's hard to get up and do it, I will admit.  Most days it's a needed relief.  Popping on my headphones, listening to music, letting the endorphins flow, and thinking about nothing... it's the best.

I am ready for 2012.

I'm not planning on doing any New Year's Resolutions.  I just want to be happy and I want everyone that I love to be happy.  I want the world to be at peace, and I want people to be kind to one another.  I want lies to stop, and truths to be told.  I want people to stop hurting and using one another for selfish gain.

Only in a perfect world.  A girl can dream, can't she?

Route 66 Half Marathon

Once again I'm slacking when it comes to blogging.  I just wanted to give a summary of my very first half marathon.

Let me rewind back to January 2011.  I had decided that I was going to train for a 5k in March 2011.  I was not a runner, I could not run more than 5 minutes without almost dying.  I didn't follow a couch to 5k plan, I just built up my level of comfortability when it came to running until I could run 20 minutes straight, then 30 minutes... you get the point. I would have conversations with my friend Stacy about how I didn't think I could do it, that there was NO way I could run a 5k race.  I'm naturally athletic, but I'm not naturally a runner.  I'm not a fast runner, and I probably will never get below a 10 minute mile in a race but I'm okay with that.

I ran a few 5k races over the course of 5 months or so, then I ran a couple of 10k races here and there.  In June 2011, I decided I wanted to train and run my first half marathon in November.  13.1 miles.  This girl who started out almost passing out after running 2 minutes, is going to try to run a half marathon?  I must have gone insane.

The summer months were hard to train, in which I rarely ran since I DESPISE the treadmill.  I did some long runs, my highest being 11 miles.  It's funny that I now see 3 -6 miles as "short and easy runs".

The Route 66 Half Marathon in Tulsa started out as a cold and windy morning, and it ended that way.
My friend Stacy and I stayed at a hotel in Tulsa the night before, and maybe slept for 2 good hours, if that.  Stacy is a natural runner, and she is faster than I am and probably ever will be.

There were so many people there racing, and a lot of supporters along the road.  Total strangers cheering on other strangers as they ran.  Some of my favorite signs I saw were, "Be a honey badger, Don't give a S&*#"  "Run complete stranger that I don't know, Run"  and at the end "You're almost there" with a sign beside it that said, "That's what she said"

The first 6 miles were pretty hilly, and I have to say that I am never prepared for hills.  Mainly because I rarely train on them.  I've learned my lesson though, I have to get over my hill phobia.  The last 7 miles were pretty much a straight, flat way. After mile 9 or so, you had a straight, VERY cold wind coming at you.  In my experience, between mile 10 and mile 11 was the longest mile of my life.  My legs could not go any faster, my hips were getting incredibly tight, and my energy was depleting.

I took some Clif Shotbloks along the way and drank Gatorade every now and then.

I ended up finishing in 2 hours 32 minutes and 40 seconds.  It was a 13.3 mile course, which ends up being an 11:29 pace.  I am pleased with that considering I didn't train for 2 weeks prior due to life.  My goal was to finish and now I have a PR to build off of.

Right before we faced the cold weather.

All the people behind us that were racing.

Me and Stacy at the end. 13.1 finishers!

I have a marathon relay coming up in December at White Rock Marathon in Dallas.
I plan on running the half marathon in Ardmore and the half marathon for the OKC Memorial.

I have a goal to run a marathon in 2012.  I never thought I'd want to, and I never thought I'd say those words.   I may be crazy, but why not I say, why not?!

Warrior Dash Tulsa 2011

I had a request to blog about my experience at the Warrior Dash in Tulsa, and I thought that was a great idea.  Especially in a year when I look back and try to remember exactly what I thought.

This was the first year that Oklahoma had a Warrior Dash, so I was pretty pumped to participate in it.

Let me start off by saying that I WAAAAY underestimated how hard it was going to be and that I am NOT in as good of shape as I thought.

They donate your shoes at the end if you want so they encourage you to wear your older shoes.  (Big mistake on my part, and I'll show you why later.)

I ran the Warrior Dash with two of my best friends Stacy & David.  They are in way better shape, so they left me and had a much better time.  I ended up finishing around 55 minutes.
I'm okay with that because I didn't do it for time, I did it just to finish.  Also, next year I will be able to go under that time.

I went into this thinking, "Oh, I'm a runner, I don't really need to train for this too hard."  Yeah. Right.

It started off pretty good until about the 3/4 of a mile into it when it basically went into a straight up hill trail run with tons of little ditches, holes, rocks and what not.

The obstacles included:
-jumping over walls then going under bars x 4
 -stepping in tires and jumping over cars X 3
-running through tires
-climbing up a straight wall with tiny bars to step on that were very far apart and a  little wall (they had those a couple of times through the course.)
-climbing on nets flat
-climbing over a net wall which was SOOOO high that I had a miniature panic attack about plunging to my death.
-leaping into an ice cold river and having to roll over logs X 3 (apparently a lot of people peed in it..I found this out later),
- Climbing up multiple taaalll talll walls and worrying about falling and dying. (Yes, I'm a bit dramatic)
- Running down a straight downward trail hill, trying not to go too fast so that you run in a ditch and fall and roll to your death.
- Jumping over more walls.
-Crawling under barbed wire and nets
- Jumping and crawling in a mud pit
- Jumping over fire.

I'm sure there are more but that's all I can remember.

It was probably the hardest thing I've done physically, yet it was sooo much fun.
I wanted to die while doing it, but I felt so accomplished afterward.
If you know me well, you know I have basically no upper body strength.
That I was able to do those obstacles and climb up straight hills made me really proud and pumped up!

So obviously this is going to be a yearly thing!

Here are some photos from our little adventure:

Stacy, David, and I after

Me & Stacy

David & I

Me and my mud boogers

Next day. My bruised & cut legs (If you can see them)

...ANNNND this is why you do not wear old, too small running shoes in a race like this.

Notice the blisters on the left (sorry my feet are disgusting)

I encourage everyone to do this race at least once in your life!  You won't regret it!  (Well you might at the time you are running it, but afterward it's great!)  :)

My friend Sherrie found a video somebody had posted using their camera helmet.  It's long but you can fast forward through parts if you are interested to see what kind of obstacles there were.  Obviously this guy did it way faster than I did, and it doesn't truly capture how hard it really was.)

Love.

what happened?

What happened to me blogging more often?

I'll tell you what happened... I became a failure at living successfully these past couple of months.

What do I mean by that?

I have failed at doing anything really productive, being spiritually lazy, and even running consistently.

I'd like to blame the heat for all of these things, and I can sort of blame the running part on that.
However, it's not the case with the other parts of my being.
I know people go through seasons of things and what not, but this is getting old and tiresome.
I'm in a state of indifference and I'm not sure how to get out of it.

So I apologize if I've been less than my normal self... I'm sure things will get better.
That's a good thing and a bad thing about life.
The only guarantee is that everything changes, nothing stays the same.

busy business.

I have become a slacker again.  That's okay.

I have a week and 4 days off from work, but I have so much to catch up on I feel like it's going to go by fast.  I originally planned to go on a vacation but that didn't pan out.  I'm bitter happy that it worked out this way.

I'm in the process of finding a house to rent so my little Dexter boy will have a yard to play in and I can hopefully get another dog for him to keep him company.

My running has not been as good as I would like.  With the weather being 100+ degrees everyday, the only time I can effectively run is early in the morning.  There are two problems with that; one being that I'm NOT a morning person, and the second is that when I am up that early it's because I just finished a 12 hour shift and I'm pretty exhausted.  I'm hoping to still do the half marathon in September, but if not then the Route 66 Half is definitely on!

I have started rowing with my hospital's corporate rowing team.  My friend has done it for a few years now and she loves it.  It's a really good workout and you use your legs and back more than I thought.  I'm excited to really get into it... although there is a tiny part of me that fears I may be like this lady:

thighs.

I really don't like my thighs.  I'm sure I'm not the only woman who doesn't like their thighs, but they are really annoying.

As a runner, and I guess I can consider myself a runner, they are inconvenient.
In the summertime in Oklahoma it is hot. 105 degrees hot.
Mind you, I don't run in that heat, but in the morning and late evening it doesn't usually get really cool.

I would enjoy running in shorts, however no matter how much I work out and how much I try to eat well, I cannot get rid of the tops of my thighs touching.

Maybe this is TMI?

It's very uncomfortable running for a long distance in the heat and the tops of my thighs are rubbing together.  No matter how much body glide I put on (the exercise stuff, not the sexual stuff), it only helps for a mile then it wears off.

I've actually considered liposuction.  I know it's extreme, but for now I've decided against it.
Mainly because I'm too scared I'm going to develop some kind of blood clot or never wake up from anesthesia.
Also because you have to wear compression hoses for about a month and a half and I'm not about to wear those in this heat.

They say you can't spot reduce, but if anyone has any ideas... let me know.
Ahhhh the curse of being a lady.  ;-)

fine line.

I found there is a fine line between being a worry-wart people pleaser and a don't give a crap b-word.

I haven't really found the balance.

I lean more toward the worry-wart people pleaser and I wish I wasn't that way.

I feel as though I'm constantly trying to read people's faces and body language.  All the while I am trying to figure out if I've done something to them, or if this or that blah blah blah.
It's really tiring and I'm so exhausted from it.

I want to just be.

I know a few people who are on the other side of the spectrum.  Totally rude, b-words, and plainly awful to be around.  Although I feel like that's a mask as well and they are just trying not to be hurt.

Can't I just stay in the middle of those two?

If anyone knows how to get there, please let me know.  I'm worn out.

hobby lobby*

*this post has nothing to do with the store or being crafty


I have had 2 dreams that I post a blog with the title "hobby lobby"  I thought I'd better do it, so maybe I'd stop having this dream.

Dreams are strange, at least mine are...  As long as I can remember I've had vivid dreams.  It seems as if I dream all night long.  Sometimes I can even control them.

I dream a lot because I sleep a lot.

Last night/today I slept for 15 hours.
Last week there was a night/day that I slept for 15 hours.
There were potty breaks for me and my dog... you can't sleep that long without using the bathroom.
It seems as if I sleep a lot more these days, and I'm not sure if it's because night shift is starting to take a toll on my body?

I really love sleep though.  Some days when I don't get enough sleep, like when I watch Cora after a 12 hour night shift, and then she doesn't sleep... it wears me out.
After those days, my body is usually like, "Hey woman, what happened to the beautiful 15 hour sleep days we've been having?  They've been great, let's go back to that."

I'm not really complaining... I won't go to day shift for a reeeeeeaaaallly long time if I can help it.
I love my night shift crew.  We are a different kind of breed and you wouldn't understand unless you worked night shift, but we are really cool.

all the single ladies

People ask me on a daily basis, it seems like anyway, are you married or have a boyfriend?

The answer is no.

There are many reasons why I am still single and I am honestly okay with that.

Some people find it hard to believe that I am okay with being single.

I am.  

Every now and then I'll get a pity look when I answer no, and then a reply of, "Oh that's okay, it'll happen."

Yeah, I know it's okay, but thanks for validating that.

annnnnd

No, you don't know that it will happen.

A few reasons I'm single:

- I'm very independent, I don't handle the "where are you going? when will you be back?" sort of thing very well.

- Commitment scares me.

- 80% of single men are douche bags. (Not all... I did give 20% leeway)

- I've had some bad dating experiences.  (I know I can't let one ruin it all, and believe me, after some of the dates I've had it's amazing I haven't become a nun or something.)

It's very tiring explaining to people why you are single and I seriously get asked it all of the time.

I just smile and say, "Nope, it's just me and my dog."

I know I probably come off as a crazy dog lady, but it usually makes people stop asking questions.

I'll try to remember to share some bad dating stories every now and then on here... 

Hey. I can't give up all my tricks at once.

new.

I decided to jump back on the blogging wagon because a few people have inspired me to do it.

I wanted a change to my blog name.

I figured "sort of a woman" would be perfect for these reasons:

- I'm 25, so to a lot of people I'm still young... although I'm halfway to 50.
- I do not feel like a woman.
- I do not feel like a girl.
- This reminds me of the Britney Spears song, "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman"

Anyway, I'm embracing the new and not just in this blog.
Life is ever changing, that is something we can count on.
Nothing stays the same, which is good in some cases.

New things in my life that I have not updated on.

- Baby Cora is here! 

- I ran three 5k races, and one 10k race.

-I got a root canal that failed. (I'm not really sure why I'm sharing that, but it's new..)

- I changed to Float Pool at work, so that's a nice change of scenery at times.

Super exciting, right?  Yeah... this is why I don't blog much.  

Oh well, I'm going to continue to bore you with my single half-girl half-woman life.

I suck...

As I was posting a link to my blog for a friend, I realized that I haven't updated in a loooooong time.

I'm thinking about revamping this whole thing anyway.

I used to think my life was boring, but it's really not... it's just different.  I'd like to share the differences.  Maybe it's the same as everyone's, I just think I'm boring and different, when we're actually all just boring and different.  <---rambling.

I wanted to just let you know (whoever still reads this), that I'm not finished, just slow at blogging apparently.


Toodles.

Grace

I heard this song on Grey's Anatomy and I love it.

It makes me grieve and incredibly sad, but it's a good song.

I'm on my knees
only memories
are left for me to hold

Dont know how
but Ill get by
Slowly pull myself together

Theres no escape
So keep me safe
This feels so unreal

Nothing comes easily
Fill this empty space
Nothing is like it seems
Turn my grief to grace

I feel the cold
Loneliness unfold
Like from another world

Come what may
I wont fade away
But I know I might change

Nothing comes easily
Fill this empty space
Nothing is like it was
Turn my grief to grace

Nothing comes easily
Where do I begin?
Nothing can bring me peace
Ive lost everything
I just want to feel your embrace

Running and Thunder Games

So who has two thumbs and is a complete blogging slacker?  This girl.


I ran my first 5k in Ardmore.  There were a ton of hills, which threw me off because I always run on very little incline at the Lake.
However, I finished in 32:01!  
My next 5k is the Red Bud Classic on April 10, then I am running the YWCA 5k on April 16.
I am running the Memorial Marathon Relay on May 1st with a team from the hospital, and I am the 10k leg.  Eek!

          Me & Jodi after our race.

I also went to the OKC Thunder v. Jazz game and had pretty good seats.

I have a NBA crush on Kevin Durant.  haha.

                                                                   Harden & Durant

                                                                  Half-Time

                                                                  KD shooting a free throw

                                                          WUSSSEELLL  WESTBWOOK!

Showers & Birthdays

I know 8 pregnant girls right now, that are close to me.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Melissa had a baby shower and my friend Mandy had 

a birthday party for her baby boy all on the same day.

It happened to be on the same day as my Dad's birthday, so you can imagine it

was a tough day to begin with.

I'm blessed to have been able to spend time with my friends from nursing school.

I consider these girls to be some of my best friends.

Mandy & her prince Brock

He wasn't too sure about the cake.

Unfortunately, Mandy wasn't able to come to the shower so we didn't get a picture of all 4 of us.

Melissa had a great shower with a ton of wonderful gifts for Baby Brody.

Two of my cute & pregnant friends (Ashley & Melissa) and me.

In a couple of weeks, we will be having a shower for Baby Cora which I am so excited about.

She is going to be so spoiled... I cannot wait until she gets here.

Now I leave you with pictures of Dexter and his cousin Cosby.

Update

I just realized it's been about 3 weeks since I've updated.

Quick update:

- I've been running and I've become quite addicted to it.  I live near Lake Hefner, so it's convenient and I love going there to run.  I am doing two 5ks so far this year, and I'm sure I'll be doing many more.

- I got a new camera finally.  It takes much better pictures than my other one.  It's a Panasonic Lumix 12.1 Megapixel.  I don't really know what all the features it has, I just care that it takes good pictures.  It also doesn't make everyone look like ghosts.

- I haven't been home in about a month, which is mostly because of the snow.  I miss everyone.

- Dexter is still silly.

Saving Money

One of my goals is to be more mindful of where my money goes.

I have been really watching my diet and focusing on eating healthy this past month.
I don't really want to bother with extra calories going out to eat, so I haven't been going out to eat as much.

I know it gets expensive going out, and I could really save money.
I decided to tally up the month before this past month to see how much I've spent and saved.

This is brutal honesty and kind of embarrassing considering I'm only buying for one person. (This does not include groceries, just strictly going out to eat.)

From November to December I spent:  $313.32 (I know... I know.)
The first of December to January I spent: $213.39 going out to eat.  (This is even a month where I was being a little mindful of spending money.)
From January to February I spent only:  $166.10  (Which is still a lot, but it's a $47.29 savings from last month and a whopping $147.22 savings from the month before that.)

Maybe this month I can get it down to $100.00?

The thing is, I'm not going to stop going out to eat with my friends.  I just have to quit doing an easy fix by stopping by Interurban or Starbucks and just make something at home.

I also tallied my grocery bills and there isn't a significant difference that I'm spending on them... just around $10 more a month.

It's amazing when you make a plan and actually stick to it, you can reap the benefits.

Perhaps with all the savings, I can finally buy a better camera?

We shall see.


Oh.... in other news:  I've lost 9.8 lbs in 3 weeks.

Seeeeecrets.

It's a blizzard in Oklahoma.  I am supposed to work tonight, but since I can't drive in or out of my apartment complex and nobody is able to pick me up... I'm calling in for the night.

I figured today would be a perfect day to share some of my favorite Post Secrets.  I don't know if this is illegal and if for some reason it is, then I'll take them down.
For now, these are some I saved throughout the years because I either found them funny or I related to them one way or another.

Please enjoy.

My Top 25 Workout Songs

When I'm listening to music to workout I am either running or on the elliptical.

For me, it has to have a crazy good beat for me to workout and not get bored.

Some of these songs I don't really listen to unless I'm working out.

Don't judge me.  I will definitely have a guilty pleasure songs list coming up, so there will be enough judgment to go around there. I also included the time just in case you wanted to download any of these to add to your playlist.

1. Satisfaction - Benny Benassi: It has a great techno beat.  Kinda makes me want to do the robot on the treadmill and then break out my glow sitcks. (I'm just joking, I don't have any glow sticks.... at the gym.) (06:31)

2. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas: It has a lot of energy, and a catchy chorus.(04:12)

3. Jawbreaker - The Dead Weather:  This is a different type of workout song.  This is a band with Jack White and while it's not a typical workout song, it keeps me energized.(02:58)

4. Like a G6 - Far East Movement:  You can bet you will hear this song on the radio, as it is overplayed.  That being said, it has the ideal workout beat. (03:38)

5. Power - Kanye West:  I am not Kanye's biggest fan, but my dislike for him does not take away the fact that he does put out some pretty good songs.  This song is not kid friendly. It is a motivating song with a constant beat. (04:52)

6. Bulletproof - La Roux: I don't know how to describe this song.  It's pop-ish but also has a mechanical background beat.(03:26)

7. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga:  Rah Rah Ah Ah Ahh I can't deny that I'm a Lady Gaga fan.  She puts on a great show and has catchy music.  This is one of many songs of hers I workout to.(04:54)

8. Telephone - Lady Gaga & Beyonce:  Between the fun tempo and Beyonce's ghetto rap, this song keeps my stride fast. (03:41)

9. Buzzin' - Mann:  This is a newer song with an old school beat.  I can't place it, it's either from the late 80's/early 90's but I recognize it. (03:16)

10. Pass That Dutch - Missy Elliott:  Also not kid friendly.  This brings out the gangsta side of me, I just like it. (03:48)

11. The Way You Move - Outkast:  I think most people know this song.  I think this song or at least the beat has been in multiple movie soundtracks. (03:54)

12. Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna: I am also a Rihanna fan.  She's one of those girls that doesn't use Auto-Tune and if she does it's rare.  She also doesn't make me want to punch my eardrums out when she tries to sing live.  (04:27)

13. Rude Boy - Rihanna: NOT kid friendly.  I just love this beat.  It has a memory to it as well, (nothing to do with the actual lyrics), just a funny time.  (03:43)

14. Music is The Victim - Scissor Sisters:  Not kid friendly.  I love the Scissor Sisters, they always the most interesting rhythms and fun lyrics (usually not kid friendly as well) (02:58)

15. She Wolf- Shakira:  I wish I could dance like her.  Sometimes I try to.  On the treadmill.  It doesn't work out too well. (03:08)

16. Back In Your Head - Tegan and Sara: Not really a typical workout song, but I just love this song that it keeps me going.  It does have a beat to it, not that fast so I use it during my "taking it easier" periods. (03:01)

17. OMG - Usher: Another song you'll hear on the radio 8 times in a hour.  However, it's good stuff.  Best believe. (unsure)

18. Check It Out - will.i.am & Nicki Minaj: Not kid friendly. Despite the fact they both use auto-tune, it's a tolerable auto-tuned song.  It's a great song as far as workout rhythm. I only like the songs she does with other people, not her own songs.  (04:12)

19. Ugly - Bubba Sparxxx - Not kid friendly.  My friend once played this 3 times in a row accidentally because it has the same beat all the way through.  It's definitely a one time a workout song. (04:30)

20.  Acceptable in the 80's - Calvin Harris:  Calvin who, you ask?  This song is off of the first Just Dance for Wii.  I liked it so much that I downloaded it and workout to it on a regular basis.(05:33)

21.  I Like That - Richard Visson & Static Revenger: All around a good beat, I'm not even sure what they are talking about.  Every now and then it cuts in a futuristic slow motion pace.  I'll take it. (02:23)

22. It's Tricky - Run D.M.C.:  I'm bringing it old school. (03:05)

23. Spin Spin Sugar - Sneaker Pimps:  This is a Techno song, but I absolutely love everything about it. (04:41)

24. Canned Heat - Jamiroquai:  The song that Napoleon Dynamite danced to.  You know you love it. (05:33)

25. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake:  He's last on the least, but you can't deny that Justin Timberlake is talented, although I tend to prefer him on SNL than anything else.  (03:56)

In case you didn't know...

It's cold outside... at least it is in Oklahoma.


It reminds me of that creepy Christmas song, "Baby it's cold outside". 
Have you ever REALLY listened to the song?  It's basically a poor woman held hostage by this man, and probably drugged.


Lyrics, just for you:
I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice
My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry
My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour

The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there
I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight
To break the spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell
I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move closer
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out
Ahh, but it's cold outside

C'mon baby

I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside
The answer is no - Ooh darling, it's cold outside
This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in
So nice and warm - Look out the window at that storm
My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look delicious
My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips are delicious
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before

I've got to go home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there
Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there
You've really been grand - I thrill when you touch my hand
But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?
There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow
At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died
I really can't stay - Get over that hold out
Ahh, but it's cold outside

Baby it's cold outside

Brr its cold.
It's cold out there
Cant you stay awhile longer baby
Well..I really shouldn't...alright

Make it worth your while baby
Ahh, do that again
-------------------
Anyway, since it's so cold and my baby dachshund is so little, I've started making him wear his sweater.  He's getting bigger so his other cute sweater looks like "fat guy in a little coat"

His new sweater is sort of Christmas-y, but it's all I have now.
He hates it.
I was never one for dressing up dogs, but now that I have one.... I do.

I thought I'd share a 40 second clip of Dexter trying to take off his sweater.  Keep in mind this is a 40 second clip of at least 10 minutes trying to take it off.  He finally succeeded.  (Sorry, it's kind of dark) 

 

Friday's Faves & Flops: Eskridge Honda

If you are in the Oklahoma City area and need to find a good car dealership, Eskridge Honda is an excellent place.

When it comes to car dealerships, it's a pretty tough time to find a good, trustworthy, and reliable place.

I've dealt with Eskridge Honda since 2006 when I bought my Honda Civic.  They always followed up, and I got a lot of service done there over the years.  It's not too pricey and the customer service is great.

In 2010 I bought my second vehicle from there.  A Honda CR-V.  

They gave me a great deal and the funny thing is that the same guy that sold me the Civic, was the exact same guy who sold the CR-V.  We didn't even request him, he was just the first one out there.

If you buy the vehicle and get services done there, your engine is guaranteed for life, which is nice.

I was very pleased the other day when I went to get my first oil change.  I was expecting to pay, and the first one was free.  They also informed me that with my vehicle I didn't have to bring it in every 3000 miles, it's going to be every 5,000 miles for an oil change. Saaaweeeet.

A couple of my friends have gone there and bought cars.  They have nothing but good things to say about them.

Just passing on another friendly review for those who want to know.  

Strawberry Banana Cupcakes

*Once again, I apologize for my crappy camera... a better one is in my near future.  Perhaps after my tax refund?

I wanted to try something different when it came to cupcakes… well different for me.

                      I decided to do Strawberry Banana Cupcakes.

I wasn’t really that happy with the result.  The batter was heavy so I knew it was going to be a dense “cupcake” (it basically turned into a muffin) 

I think it had too much flour to it and it wasn’t that sweet, so the second batch I added a little extra buttermilk and sugar to the mix.  The second batch was slightly better.

I’ll give you the recipe that I used anyway.  This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

½ cup butter softened

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 large ripe bananas, mashed

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 ¼ cups of flour (Like I said, I would reduce it by at least ½ cup)

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ cp buttermilk

½ cup strawberry preserves

1 cup milk chocolate chips_

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Place paper baking cups in 24 muffin cups.  Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar in bowl until light & fluffy.  Beat in bananas, eggs, and vanilla.

*In separate bowl, sift flour, baking power, baking soda, and pinch of salt. 

*Alternately add one third flour mix and half of buttermilk to butter mixture and end with flour mixture. 

*Stir in strawberry preserves and chocolate chips.

*Divide batter into cups and bake for approx 23 minutes.

Sprinkles Strawberry Frosting (I had to double it to fit 24 cupcakes, but I made a little more than used, so I froze it)

1 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

2 cups unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

Pinch of coarse salt

6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed.

* In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy.

* Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined.

*Add vanilla and 6 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended.

Since I didn’t like the way my cupcakes turned out.  I poked a hole in the middle and added strawberry preserves to the middle.  I put some strawberry preserves into a ziplock bag, cut a small hole on the edge and put it into the middle.

I didn’t do any fancy design with these cupcakes, mainly because I was so frustrated with the end result.  I just used a cake spatula to spread the frosting over the cupcake (muffins).

I give this recipe a 2 ½ sprinkles  out of 5 sprinkles.  Maybe I’m being a bit too harsh, but I’m usually critical about my work.