It's Friday!

Last night I went to see the French film, Priceless, with my movie buddy and college roommate.
It was a fun movie, but this actress, Audrey Tautou, (starred in Amelie) is seriously too skinny! The scenery in Cannes was beautiful though. Made me want to pack my bags and hop on a plane there today! I love foreign films. They don't ever live up to Hollywood standards and they don't seem to care! Foreign films, for the most part, are just enjoyable fun that too many people overlook. I think it's the subtitles that scare most people away. French films especially have additional benefits to me. They help me brush up on my French. I need a lot of brushing up though! Anyway fun time and, before the movie, we went to a yummy Italian "Thursday nite hot spot". We tried a RED prosecco with our meal. It was cool, refreshing, different and it stained our lips and teeth! We looked like mini#2 after he got into magic markers a few months ago.

It looks like we're off to the beach for a few days. Mr. Pink's uncle has offered us his beach house for a few days (FREE!) so I've got to get back to packing so we can leave tomorrow. Two weekends away. What a treat! Have a nice weekend!

In the news...

Have you heard the following stories this week?






1- Boy George (this photo was circa 8th grade for me when I went to his concert with 5 other girls. BTW, I smelled pot for the very first time at this concert coming from seats behind us.) was denied a visa to come to the U.S. to start his first U.S. tour in years. Due to pending legal issues in UK. Poor Boy (girl, whatever he may be). Can he still sing "Karma Chameleon" with feeling? If Rick Springfield can still sing "Jessie's Girl" I guess anything is possible.

2- On the flip side, lovely Martha has been denied a visa to go across the pond to the UK for some function, opening, party...not sure. Should have researched further prior to posting. She's a convicted felon. And she can't vote! But, hey she still has a JOB and billions to entertain herself with this summer. Can't feel too sorry for her.

3- Amy Winehouse, aged 24 and so talented, has been told she has emphysema due to various smoking devices/substances she partakes of lately. 24! I think her "people" are trying to say this isn't true. If it is, girl get some help. Like yesterday. For years I kept waiting for the news to announce Robert Downey Jr.'s death. Now I think of her. If Robert can overcome his demons, anyone can.

That's all I've got today. Minis are acting normal for a change so no good stories to tell!

Summer sales...

I'm back. Hope you had a great weekend! We had a great time with the parents. Although, Pink's parents did have momentary mind lapses of what it's like to have two small [somewhat] loud kids in their house. Luckily, their neighbors graciously allowed the minis to use their play set when the loudness was getting a bit out of hand! I also packed their scooters to ride. Other than that we went to Discovery Place, a children's museum in downtown Charlotte on Friday and to Dilworth Park on Saturday for play and a picnic. The kids loved it. I wasn't super impressed with the museum. I hadn't been in years and seem to remember it having a little more pizazz. The pizazz has puttered out. Needs a renovation. Today.








Saturday afternoon my mom and I headed out to Southpark Mall by ourselves. If you are into Lacoste these days, check out their sale! I bought two shirts for me for a steal ($32.99 and $35.99), but come on they're simple short sleeve t-shirts. That's not that much of a steal is it? If you're looking for men's polos, they're on sale now for $55 (regular $80). Stock up or buy for Christmas. My mom and I were saying too bad we didn't save all of my brother's and my childhood Lacoste shirts when they were then IZOD.


Next, and I've seen several blogs post about this sale, we found some good deals at J. Crew.
I bought the minis some shorts and belts for next year. I don't feel bad at all about buying J. Crew clothes on sale. They're classic and won't go out of style. Of course, mini#1, who loves his GAP madras shorts, told me he didn't really like the madras belt I purchased. ?! He'll learn to like it. I promise. Here are the seersucker shorts I got:




So after these two stores and a couple others we needed to cut our shopping trip short. We were worried that Pop (my dad) might be a little frazzled with his two mini grandsons. We weren't too far off base. Ok, got to go. Big storm about to come through, but, more importantly, The Bachelorette will be coming on soon! Go Graham or Jeremy. Can't decide who I like best!

Heading Home

I'm finally getting out of this house! I sound a little anxious don't I? These last seven weeks have been difficult to say the least. So I'm packing up the minis, freshly ironed polos, madras shorts, toys, books, movies, and whatever else will fit in the pinkmobile and heading to Charlotte to visit my parents for four days. We leave in a couple of hours. I hope the minis behave, I hope I relax and unwind a bit and I hope my parents treat me like a little girl again. Isn't it sometimes just nice to go HOME? MIL and Mr. Pink are going to venture back to her house as well for the weekend. She needs her friends and a little time under her own roof as well. Maybe, when we all reconvene at the White House on Sunday, we'll be refreshed with batteries recharged! I'll try to check in while we're there. I'm sure they'll be stories to tell.

Guilty Pleasure

I'll admit that after a day of chasing, disciplining and entertaining two boys, there isn't much I want to do that requires any thought after they go to bed. Instead of hitting the bottle (you can't do that EVERY night), I usually tune into mindless television. June usually marks the beginning of re-run summer, but I have found two shows I highly recommend if you're looking to be mildly to highly entertained. Both are on Tuesday nights.





Hell's Kitchen This show amazes me. One, because I love competition cooking shows, but two because I'm fascinated that chef Gordon Ramsay somehow manages to yell, scream, curse at the hopeful competitors and, amazingly, they never argue back and always acknowledge his requests with a polite,"Yes, chef". What's his secret? I, on occasion, have been known to scream, yell and not curse (yet!)at my minis, yet I rarely get an immediate "Yes, Mom" from either of them. And they always argue my requests! I will stay tuned to take careful notes from the great chef.





Tori and Dean- Home Sweet Hollywood Last night was the premiere of the new season of this Hollywood couple's reality show. They've left their Inn (B&B) and headed back to Hollywood. I probably shouldn't condone people leaving spouses to shack up, divorce, remarry and start a family. However, these two really seem happy. Who am I to question their pasts? It appears they made bad decisions and now have a second chance at happiness and it's evident. They have normal problems yet seem to truly enjoy each other and the lives they're creating for their family. She's funny. Likable, too. And, again, this show does not require me to exert any extra brain power to watch. I even sympathize with them...2 kids in 15 months. I guess it's yet to be determined if a 4th season will materialize. If so, I won't be surprised if it resembles the above mentioned show "Hell's Kitchen".

What mindless TV are you watching these days?

Eye Candy

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and Father's Day. We did! Since I am in a blog fog today I thought I'd act like a teenager and reveal my top five "crushes". I got this idea from Momx2 a few weeks ago. Tell me if you feel the same way I do about these fine men.



1- My chef crush- Aussie Curtis Stone. Love watching him on "Take Home Chef". I now dress up for the grocery store in hopes that he finds his way to NC and into my kitchen. He is so likable!




2- My news crush- Anderson Cooper. I almost named mini#2 Anderson. The reason I like this guy is because he is always impeccably dressed. His mama, Gloria Vanderbilt, taught him well.
Gotta love a man in a fine suit. Moreover, if you've ever seen him outside of his CNN comfort zone, he is surprisingly FUNNY. Really funny. I caught him co-hosting with Kelly Rippa one day and he was seriously cracking me up.



3- My music crush- John Mayer (or I could have said crush younger than me). I love this guy's voice and guitar playing ability. He's a little arrogant, but that's for Jennifer Aniston deal with, not me. He could sing "Your Body is a Wonderland" to me anytime.



4. My good daddy/husband crush - Tim Mcgraw. Mr. Pink started liking country music a few years back and I actually agreed to go to the Faith Hill/ Tim Mcgraw concert in ATL. Such a good concert. I almost felt like we were invading on their privacy though! True love and both were looking good.







5- Hot actor crush- Gerard Butler. Ouch. Too hot and has an accent (Scottish), too. Loved him in "PS I Love You" and couldn't wait to take mini#1 to see "Nim's Island" when I heard he played Abigail Breslin's dad.

Is this a good list? Who's your crush?

Friday Tag

I was tagged by Momx2 to answer these questions. I had some of these questions a while back, but some answers have changed so here goes:

1. What were you doing ten years ago? I was working in Atlanta full-time, planning trip after trip with Mr. Pink when we had the time, the extra money, and zero minis. We were about to go to San Francisco and Napa Valley this month 10yrs ago.
2. What are five things on your to-do list today? Go to the pool. Go to the grocery story for the 15,000th time this week in attempt to buy something MIL will eat! Did that sound ugly? Read some of the giant book at right for book club. Rent dvd for tonight. Permanently separate my minis from being in the same room. Ever. Again.
3. Snacks you enjoy? Popcorn, hummus (I'm making my own now!) and pita chips, brie and reduced fat triskits, water (don't really enjoy, but it's replacing my chocolate these days), and I don't know what else. Trying NOT to snack.
4. Places you’ve lived: Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Smyrna, GA (Julia Roberts' hometown just north of downtown ATL), and NC city I'm in now.
5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire? Party like it's 1999 (wait that's over), buy more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw, travel, pay off my house, buy a vacation home somewhere in France (I'm thinking Brangelina-ish). Maybe I'll help a few relatives out, too.

I tag anyone who wants to play or, if you want, take one of the above and answer in my comments!

Five Random Things on Friday

1- I just read that Mr. Brit has moved out of Shayne's LA apartment, but "they are still engaged". Hmm. Seems like trouble may be brewing in paradise.

2-Is anyone else worried about the state of our country? We have had extreme heat, severe flooding, terrible tornadoes and forest fires lately. This is disturbing to me! We had to stay inside yesterday because smoke from fires 4 hours away had blown into our area!

3-Does anyone know a good way to stop a three year old from crying over just about anything that doesn't go his way? We've now started taking toys away. Helps a little.

4- I'm off to the pool today with a friend and her daughter. This should keep the minis happy for a nice chunk of the day. I will apply extra sunscreen to all of us!

5- I finally saw this movie last Sunday evening with friends. I didn't want it to end, but did anyone else miss "Big"? I thought he'd have a bigger role. Also, I could have done without the Jennifer Hudson role. Why bring a new character into the mix?

Have a nice weekend!

Beyond glistening.

I don't know about where you live, but down here in the south it has been MISERABLE these last few days. 100+ degrees. And so sticky humid. Being a lady, I don't usually sweat (slight exaggeration). However, I am beyond the glistening stage these last few days. This heat takes your breath away! Our friendly weathermen promise relief by tomorrow (think that means a cool 88 degrees), but, until then, I'll keep cool thoughts in my mind and a cool drink in my hand.

Stay cool! And wear sunscreen. I may or may not have gotten burned on Saturday at the pool! I bathe the minis in sunscreen and then forget parts of me!

National What Day?

Today is National Doughnut Day! Mr. Pink informed me of this tonight and wanted to surprise the minis after dinner with a treat. Free doughnuts I might add. So, even though gas is +$4/gallon, we loaded up the car, without telling the minis where we were going, and drove about 25 mins to downtown Raleigh to go to the legendary Krispy Kreme. The kids picked out their chocolate iced glazed doughnuts, a creme filled glazed and an original glazed. They were thrilled with their treat. Of course, the water, chocolate milk (were we crazy to give them this much sugar close to bedtime!!), and the apple juice box were not free. But going here is all about the experience. You get to stand with your noses pressed to the glass and watch the mega conveyor belts rolling freshly fried doughnuts through a shower of sugary glaze. I could watch for hours. It's a little frustrating though that you can't just run in there and stuff your face until you're sick.
Nothing beats a hot Krispy Kreme and I'm proud to say that Krispy Kreme originates in North Carolina! So Happy National Doughnut Day. Have a great weekend!

Tasty Thursday

I haven't posted a recipe in a while so I thought I'd post a good ole southern one today compliments of my Paula Deen cookbook. And, NO, it doesn't include her obligatory "stick of butter". Since, I'm still in healthy mode, I have adjusted her recipe slightly to cut out some of the fat and calories. If you haven't tried a pimento cheese sandwich, start with this recipe. It's a good one. It's actually her cute son's recipe, whom I saw in person in Savannah a few years ago. Anyway, I just made this a few minutes ago to take to mini#1's school picnic today from 1:30-3:30. Did I mention it's going to be 97 degrees today? Really looking forward to it (not), but at least I'll have a yummy sandwich.

Bobby's Pimento Cheese

4-oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 mayonnaise (I used Hellman's Light)
1/2 tsp House seasoning (equal parts salt, pepper, garlic powder to make 1/2 tsp)
2 to 3 tablespoons mashed pimentos (approx all of 4 oz jar)
1 teaspoon grated onion (don't skip this part. I used my zester to grate.)
cracked black pepper to taste

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients
and beat until well blended. Yield: 2 1/2 to 3 cups.

I'm a whole grain bread girl these days, but you can't beat pimento cheese on white bread.
Enjoy! And pray I don't melt my southern self in the heat today!

Three is the new Two

Love this picture I found. Is it just me or do the 3's seem a lot more challenging than the 2's? This is the general consensus around my neighborhood. Mini#2 is wearing out our dining room time-out chair. He may be spending more time there than in his bedroom these days. And where are his angry responses coming from? Yesterday I told him it was time to go inside from playing so we could have lunch. His response: (loudly) "I'M COMING MOM!" I was appalled! Last time I checked he was only 3, not 13! He's started telling his neighbor friend "you're not my friend." Last week at the park I made the mistake of trying to open his water bottle when he wanted to do it. He burst into tears, ran across a field and threw himself on the ground all for my friends to enjoy. Actually that's what prompted the 3's versus 2's conversation. The earth stops revolving if I pour milk into a glass that is not of his choice. I could go on and on, but why further throw out all of this unpleasantness I experience day after day. I swear he's starting to grow horns of the devil variety. Surely this isn't just at the White House is it? What are your "angels" doing these days?

Holding on to childhood as tightly as I can...

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. We had visitors come see MIL Sunday. Of course I was only told by husband late Saturday night and we had church yesterday morning. Good thing I cleaned house Friday and all was not in total disarray yet. Is it just my husband or do others' husbands "forget" to mention upcoming events to their wives. That really gets me fired up.

Today was uneventful, but I did have to pick up mini#1 so he and I could go to the dermatologist. In hind sight not the best idea to schedule our appointments simultaneously. However, it was a good idea to drop mini#2 off at the pay-by-the-hour daycare center in our town before these appointments. MIL is just not able to watch him yet. Anyway, mini#1 has a mole in a very strange place that appeared to be growing. I'll spare further details. Being the worry wart, we went 8 weeks ago to have examined. We went for his recheck today and I had my yearly all over check. In the examination room Mini#1 exclaimed "I don't want to see you naked!" I exclaimed, just as excitedly, "Don't worry! You won't!" I covered myself (clad in underwear) with the paper sheet and waited for my turn with the doc. It went ok for both of us. Mini#1 busied himself with a magazine so as not to be embarrassed by his mother. Let's just say next year I'll make separate appointments. He's getting too big for joint appointments. That was our first and our last. It's kind of ironic. I had just noticed in the waiting room a mother and her teenage son walk in after us. I was happily chatting to mini#1, wearing his mouse ears he had made for a class play today, when I saw this teenager quickly sit in a single chair without a nearby chair for his mother. She sat across the room without exchanging any dialogue with her son. I was so sad for her. I was sad for me and for what may come. I almost whispered to her "Is this what I have to look forward to?" but I remained silent. I didn't want to disturb them or give any ideas to mini#1. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough that mom isn't always going to be his buddy. I'll enjoy this time now and hope that it doesn't happen to me any time soon. Mini#1, I think will remain my buddy. Mini#2, I see rough times ahead! He's stubborn! Do others mothers worry about this change in parent/son relationship?

Just now mini#1 and I went on a walk and he talked NON STOP about this story they read today in class about the Titanic. It was precious. He was so excited to share with me. I think I was smiling the entire walk! I hope he never stops sharing his days with me. I wish days like this would last forever and ever and ever.