Watch Out Matt Lauer-He's Coming After You!

Watch. Wait for it, wait for it...

How do I love thee? Let me count the bites...

No, I am not getting paid for this endorsement, but I have to tell everyone about this website. It's my civic duty. You'd think for the amount of recruiting I do for them on the East coast, I'd get something out it...but I guess I do get something: killer recipes.

I absolutely love all of their recipes. I have not made one thing from their site that the fam doesn't love and that is not, for the most part, pretty darn easy to put together. Some of our all-time faves:
Mango Pico
Chunky Monkey Pancakes
Creamy Cilantro dressing
Thai Noodles (we like using shrimp the best)

I think their recently released cookbook is going to be everyone's Christmas gift this year.

Go figure-old country store has old country ways (no more)

I was out shopping with a friend today and she told me that Cracker Barrel had a hiring policy that allowed black and homosexual employees to only work in the kitchen...
WHA? I hate hearing things like that. I feel like the list of places I boycott gets longer and longer, to the point I forget what and where I am boycotting.
SO I had to look it up. Turns out, in 2002, at the annual stockholders meeting, they rescinded the policy. Ok-how is that policy just get rescinded in 2002?

No matter what your personal beliefs, how is that not totally illegal, and just plain wrong? Nevertheless, while I know many still boycott because it ever had the policy, I am glad to know they have "changed their ways" so I can order a chicken tenderloin dinner platter while we are just passing through Oklahoma and it is the only restaurant in town.
(and no, we are not headed to OK any time soon-it's just a notion)

THE question, as of late.

People seem to always be asking me THE question. At different times in my life, THE question has varied. "Are you going to marry him?" "When are you going to have children?" "When are you going to have more children?" (especially w 5 years in between the first two, this was popular for awhile) Not all the time, but often, people ask some version of the question, "So, any new on the adoption front?" No. But we did have to recently renew all our paperwork, medical forms, tax information, and pay our renewal fee. But that is not shiny and glossy and fun, nor is it "news," so I just say "No." But since I have been busy with adoption stuff lately, the answer to me is "sort of." So I thought I would at least put our updated collage on here (since you don't want to see the rest of our paperwork) just to prove we are still moving forward, even though everytime you ask me if we "Have heard anything...," the answer will be "No." Of course, it will be "No," until the ONE day when it will be "Yes." But I imagine you won't have to ask because the couple of you who still read blogs will already know :)

So when did 34 become old?

I feel like I am this person... But lately I feel like the world sees me as this person... It started at kindergarten registration. I was there to get S all signed up and an acquaintance (you know, one of those moms who you know, but you don't really "know" or hang with, but always say hello to in passing) said something that threw me. She said, "Oh, you have a kindergartner? I didn't know you had one that YOUNG." That young? Wha? Now the, "I didn't know you had one that old..." statement I used to get a lot when parents did not know about F because he was so much older than the little boys. The worst part? I'd bet money the woman is 2-4 years older than I am. Then to boot, at my routine physical yesterday the doctor said that due to my family history of heart disease, I needed to get a full cholesterol work up. Blah. For the record, my numbers are excellent and I was given an excellent bill of health, all things considered. Well, as healthy as you can be for being (gasp!) 34!