What A Long Strange Year Its Been

Trying to come up with something deep and philosophical as a Bon Voyage message to 2008. Although I know the value of time, I am going to say so glad to get this one behind me... for multiple reasons.

As precious as time is, I am happier about the changes that occurred and I do feel like 2009 will be like opening the long awaited sequel to the cliff hanger called 2008.

New characters? I hope so. Twists and turns? Oh yeah. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Maybe, no and always.

So Buh Bye, 2008, you made me wiser, which is good, older which I resist, and excited to put you behind me.

No resolutions, BTW, just going to keep on keepin on.

LYChampagne Guts

Bj

ps. Happy Birthday to my friend Alex, aka Daddio Rivers, who is aging like fine wine. Cheers, A! Since we can't run away together, I'll see you AND the redhead in 09

Feliz Navidad, Yall

Sneaking this in before M2 rises and we hit the ground running, to grab a few last minute things, meet Aunt T for lunch, pack for a trip, and be somewhere early evening. I'm gonna need some major coffee today....

I wanted to answer the Christmas Survey from Our Name is Mud, and also wish you all a great holiday with your family and friends. Although I don't know alot of you face to face, I feel like I have a whole new circle of wonderful friends that I can't live without.

So thanks for another addiction. I'll just add you to my others.....

Do you use Giftwrap or Giftbags?

Giftwrap! I'm tired of the bags, unless you have some strange shaped item (MT-Like a Liberator?) ...AND if you have a Container Store within 1000 miles at you at Christmas, stop by one. It is a Giftwrap Junkie paradise, and they probably have had to ask women to stop rubbing the peppermind swirl paper over their bodies, its that good....

At least they were nice about it.

Real or Artificial Tree?

We've done both, however, Super D is extremely allergic to fresh trees and she was coming to stay with us last Christmas so M2 and I went out and purchased a fake one. While I'm looking at the gorgeous, 8 ft Wisconsin Plastic Pines, she's over loading up one the color of Dr Seuss Green...as in lime. So I said, why the hell not and that is our tree. For now. Until the sled team decides they've had enough and stop eating the ornaments and go for the gold..or the lime green lower branches. Its a matter of minutes.

Whats on Top of your tree?

We have an empty Christmas Coke bottle upside down on it right now-Swear, I couldn't find the star.

Eggnog?

OMG Yes. But I do buy the Light version, what a joke, its probably 999 calories instead of 1000. And I like a little Jack Daniels in mine, thank you. And keep em coming.

Nativity Scene?

Yes, somewhere, in the attic, I stopped getting things down at about the 67% mark of the crap up there, so it didn't make the cut this year. I also asked M2 if she wanted to have a 'Living Nativity Scene' in our front yard, and the Sled Team could be the three wise dogs, but she said nope. What a Party Pooper.

Favorite Christmas Movie?

Home Alone & Elf. I could watch Home Alone daily. I don't know why, and it has actually slightly concerned Super D when I watched during the summer of pregnancy. While craving 1000 Island dressing and crying over AT&T commercials....

I forgot the rest of the questions, so that will have to do for now. I have been trying to get into the feeling of Christmas and I finally had my moment yesterday. Bought some Spiced Cider, lit some candles, and suddenly it felt like Christmas. Hope you have had your moment or you get it soon....

Merry Merry..

LY Mistletoe Guts,

Bj

A Very British Christmas Afternoon...

M2 and I spent a lovely afternoon/evening with the Brits doing a traditional British thing at Christmas. There is a play that is always a spin on a nursery rhyme or story, but men are women and women are men and there is always a ghost and people boo and hiss and get into it.

Sheila (yes our S) orchastrated us all getting together, many weeks ago and sent a note out about did we want to go see the Panto...thats the name of it. I asked what is it, she explained, I said we'd love to, and promptly wrote the word Panko on my calendar. Like breadcrumbs.

My Texas/Blonde hair interpretation of a Panto, yall....

Then, after a wonderful show, the two men veer off to the grocery store and pick up things for dinner, and Sheila and her DH, Chris, fix a gourmet dinner in the Barnes kitchen, while Alan and I tasted all the Chardonnays and Belle set a gorgeous table, complete with 'crackers' that you pop open before dinner and get out your prizes. Each cracker has a paper crown, which of course I adore, so we all put on our crowns and told the jokes and riddles that were in them and feasted on an impromptu dinner. Even M2 and Baby Barnes were enjoying themselves with the 'big kids' as we all toasted a great day and great friends.

So a Royal curtsey to my Brits (plus S) that I couldn't live without, especially when there's entertainment and food involved. Well Done!!!

And there was no marmite anywhere....

LY Tally Ho the Fox Guts, (that one's for Belle)

Bj

Things I don't want for Christmas

-another dog

-gas prices going back up

-an unexpected root canal

-forced conversation at any holiday party

-underwear from Walmart

-bad wine

-warm weather that makes it feel like spring

-service like we got the other night at Chili's

-crazy airport security lines

-fruitcake

Over on Our Name is Blog, she wants us to post what our worst gift ever was. Well, sorry Super D, it wasn't from you, but it was from Aunt R. She gave me a mismatched, tarnished, bundle of silver spoons that were bent, ugly, etc. tied up with used ribbon. Now the part that only my Sister A&B and SD will understand, she hands these things to you like you have won an award. And then gives you the all the background on how she got them. And would probably ask you if you got them out of your house if it was on fire.....

I will say, when I was younger, I got some good stuff from her too. So there. There is my tit for tat and tat for Miss Thystle.

LYdontgivemeadog or fruitcake guts,

Bj

CLASS ACT

Congrats to our QB, Sam Bradford winning the Heisman Trophy last night over Tim Tebow from Florida and Curt McCoy from Texas.

I would say hahaha, or suck it to the losers, but I won't be like that right now. See you swamp animals on Jan 8th, and boo hoo, we won't see Texas in Miami at all....Go Bucks on that one......

Boomer Sooner....

LY its almost over just put up with this a little longer Guts,

Bj

You Know You Want It...

ok... stay with me...

this blog is about Butternut Squash. No kidding. I actually feel inclined to write about this because I've never had to expand so much effort gettting a vegetable to my dinner table. Here's the deal;

I go to dinner at a new Italian place (Brio-Allen, TX) with my friend Kelly (hey Kelly Kelly) and she orders Chicken & BNS Risotto. It was divine. So I think I'd like to make it at home, start looking for recipes, etc. And then I see the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network roasting it one day. Then I see someone else making soup. Then I see someone making hummus. I think damn, I need to branch out a little and check this most popular little squash out. So M2 and I head to Farmers Market one day and no one has any, except one lady and she wants 2.50 for a little one. No thanks! I'll get one at Wally World for about half that. No wonder she snickered at me and said something in Spanish to her friend. As Scandalous Housewife says, "QLF?" (spanish for WTF?)

So, next trip to WW, they are out of it. So next trip to Tom Thumb, they have plenty. I pay no attention to the price, throw it in the basket and as I'm checking out, I see on the register that this humble, ugly pale yellow tube with a bulb on the end just rang up for 8.87. Insert another QLF?and promptly took it out of the cart to return it back to its people in the produce section. Did I miss BNS in the Neimans Catalog?? Come on, its good, but $9 ?? Then I flash back to the woman at Farmers Market. She's probably STILL smirking about that one. It momentarily comes off the must have list, but damn. now I really want one. So next trip to WW, I get one, 3.60, bring it home, stare at it, and think of carving my initials into the side of it before I peel, cube and roast. It was almost like I had brought someone or something home and laid it on my kitchen counter and I was staring at it and it was smirking at me. It had truly become a mission I had to accomplish. So, I peel the damn thing and that is not an easy task. Note- I need a new peeler. THEN, I seed it cube it oil it salt it pepper it massage it name it drive it around the block to see Christmas lights and then pop it in my oven for 30 mins at 325. I can hardly wait. Then, the time has arrived, take it out let it cool, and put one in my mouth.

Mmm, but wait a minute...THAT TASTES LIKE A SWEET POTATO AND I MAKE THOSE ALL THE TIME. QLF???

Just like a good date gone bad, the romance was over right at that moment with Bill, the Butternut Squash.

I think I'll caller ID him if he calls again. I'm going out with Steve Sweet Potato. He's cheap and easy.

Love your gourd family guts,

Bj

Alligator Boots for Christmas??? I'd Love Some..

WELL, WELL WELL.....

Sorry this is still about football, but man, this has been a great football season for my SOONERS. And would you look at that, we are going to Miami for the BCS Championship game against Florida. Even better is I have a friend that is a huge Gator fan (sucks for him), but we will have the smack talk going until Jan 8 around 8 pm. And then, there is the Ohio State vs Texas in the Fiesta Bowl . I've never muttered these words, but I have to say GO BUCKS! Send those LHorns home to Austin and make them sit in a corner until next year for being such whiners. How about this banner you babies....

Are You Ready for a Buckeye Ass Whipping??

I'd chip in for that one.......

After January, and a little gloating, this blog will resume its kind hearted public service type announcements that you have all grown used to. But until then, game on........

LYSoonerBig12Champion Guts,

Bj

Its hard to be a SOONER FAN among all of these bitter Longhorns......

This subject matter is probably regional because being an OU fan living in Dallas, that is like hmm.....driving your car the wrong way down the street during the middle of the Macy's Day Parade shooting at the balloons with a BB gun (just trying to relate to current events~) - you're just not popular, and you don't care, you just keep on driving......



So, there is some BITTERNESS being tossed around by Texas (wah wah wah) that they didn't make it to the Big 12 game this weekend. First there was a banner being flown over the stadium in Stillwater during the OU-OSU game. I mean really, that is so like showing up at a party that you are not invited to. With a tacky outfit and a bad gift. Then there was a rumor that Texas Tech was going to fly something over the campus in Norman, but guess they couldn't get enough change gathered up. So, someone in Oklahoma flies a banner over UT that says 'Quit whining Mac, you knew the rules'...Meaning their coach Mac Brown, and the BCS rules to determine the playoffs.

One reporter in Oklahoma says this BCS controversy is good for the airplane banner business/economy.

I say suck it up. This is how the cookie crumbles, and hey, we're OU.
You're not.

LY Big 12 Guts,
Bj

Looking for a new hobby? I can hook you up...

While looking for any remedy for dealing with mountains of dog hair, I kept reading down the list that Google had provided. There are brushes, dog oils, $100 shampoos, vitamins, you name it, someone has created something to rid your life of it.

However, this is the one that caught my eye:

What to do with the Dog Hair?
If you groom your dog regularly, you can always make good use of your dogs fur coat by making something warm for yourself! Some people might have a problem wearing the fur of their loved one, why not make a special keepsake or memento out of it?
Remarkably, spinning dog hair into yarn makes an incredible material! Dog fur can be up to 80% warmer than wool, it is extremely durable, and fluffs over time to a soft cashmere like touch. People make all sorts of things out of their dogs fur, from sweaters and scarf’s, to socks and mittens.

So don't be surprised when that Colonel Sanders album shows up, there's a little scarf wrapped around it in the multi-colors of Scottie, Lab/Healer, and Basset Hound.

Wucky u......

L Y 80% warmer guts,

Bj