The Biggest Loser - April 8th

Okay, so last night was the next to final episode of The Biggest Loser, and guess what, they did something new again! They weighed the final four, and just when the top two thought it was over and everything was going exactly as they wanted, wrench! No, they don't get to vote to eliminate, Amreica does....yep, we get to vote.

So here's the link to vote.....http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/vote/register.shtml You can vote as many times as you like, as far as I can tell from the FAQ pages, and voting opened at 10pm ET on April 8th and runs through 10pm ET on April 10th. So VOTE!

Now, let me talk about who you can vote for....


Roger:

Okay, so this guy is the biggest teddy-bear of a guy I have ever seen, and I have loved him since day one!

He lost 15 pounds this week, which at this point in the competition is almost unheard of. The 15 pounds was his personal goal for this week, because by losing 15 pounds, that put his total weight loss while on campus at 144 pounds, which is one pound more than anyone else in Biggest Loser history! He has the record, at least until next season!

15 pounds, when you lose that much, there is no way you should be below the yellow line, but he is. So vote for Roger. I really think he deserves to go to the final and to win it all. Also, he actually can lose a little more weight and still be within the healthy range for himself.



Mark:

Okay, so Mark get's kicked off and then gets back on campus and manages to wreck his numbers and his brothers while he is on campus enough to get his brother kicked off and then when we only has Roger to work out with, he manages to step it up and lose 12 pounds, but it still puts him below the yellow line.

Okay...so you can vote for Mark if you really want, but I don't see it. Mark is pretty much at his healthy weight range, and I can't see him losing anymore weight. In fact I was a little shocked that he lost this much this week. I don't think he has any weight loss left in him.
Besides that, I just don't care for the guy, and then there are the girls. They were so sure they had thisin the bag, they were pretty cocky in the interviews, that they were sending Roger home, Mark was a friend and they could beat Mark in the end, so they were excited, only to have the wrench thrown in, and now they might not win.

Now, a little on the girls.
Ali has lost more weight than any woman on Biggest Loser, at a total of 99 pounds, but I think she is maxed out, she actually looks a little too thin right now, so I am thinking she has nothing left to lose for the finale.

Kelly, well, she has lost 93 pounds, and she probably has more to lose still than Ali, but I am think not more than maybe 10 pounds.

For Ali and Kelly to have a chance to win this, they have to go up against Mark, who has little to nothing left to lose either. If they go up again Roger, who can still lose another 20 pounds or more, they lose. Personally, I know everyone thinks it's time for a woman to win Biggest Loser, but I would rather see Roger win.

In a perfect world....Roger would win the finale, and Trent (his original partner) would win the at home Biggest Loser part. That would just be perfect for me. They were wonderful, stand-up men and they never played dirty and they were just honest, good old boys and I loved them both.

So now, I've made my plea for Roger....I'm headed back to the NBC site to vote some more, how about joining me? What do you think?

The Bachelor: London Calling - April 7th

So last night was another episode of The Bachelor: London Calling. Of course I watched it, even though I had to get up early this morning and have my son at the dentist at 7am. What I thought I would tell you this morning, was about the three ladies that left last night. Before you say anything, photos from last night's show are not up on the website yet, so these are pictures taken from the week before.

Kellie:
Oh heavens, what can I say about this girl! I mean really. What did we get to know about her besides the fact that she drinks like a fish and apparently thinks she can hold her liquor but really can't!

Last night was great, Matt sat her down and said, let's talk. He told her she was the life ofthe party but he felt like she liked being with the other girls and drinking more than she liked being with him, so what did she do? She flashed her boobs at him! I mean really?!?! Did she not learning anything from Stacy on the first night? Drinking too much and slipping your panties is not good thing, what would make you think drinking too much and flashing your boobs would be agood thing. The problem is that I don't think she could think!

Everytime she was shown, no matter what date or where at the house they were, she alwasy seemed about three sheets to the wind. All I could think was, her poor mom, what must she be thinking, and then I hope she realizes what a foold she made of herslef when she sees this on tv, and the obvious question, why did he keep her around so long? That one I still can't answer.


Ashlee:

Okay, so we know you can sing, although I wasn't all that impressed with her voice. She seemed so shocked to go home, but Matt had asked her point blank, is there anything more to us than your singing? I mean he was impressed with her singing, and everytime she sang it did things to him, he admitted, but he wondered if there was more to her. And so what did she do? She sang to him again, then when he pulled her aside right before the Rose Ceremony last night and asked about it, she just really had no answers for him. To me, it seemed like she has been able to use her singing to get her places in the past. In the end she said she wantedto be know as more than just the singer, but that is exactly what she put out to Matt, Ashlee the singer, she sang for him every chance she got and when asked hard questions all she could do was smile and sing again.

Holly:
Well, I think this one had some people surprised. She had a one-on-one date with Matt last week, and yet during that date, Matt specifically mentioned at times there were voids in their conversations, that they seemed too comfortable with each other. Okay, now I am all for being comfortable with someone and not having to talk, but this is speed dating, at this point there really can't be the voids in conversation. Then last night when he asked if there were any challengeing questions she had of him, she said no....think of something, anything, it just made her look uninterested in him.

So, we are down to six gals, and they are all going skiing next week, and from the previews looks like a couple of good cat fights are on the way.....

My predictions.....the next two to leave will be Chelsea and Marshanna. Sorry, just don't see it working on those levels. What do you think?

Happy Birthday Maeve

Happy Birthday Maeve!!!

Saturday, April 5th, 2008.

Miss Maeve turns SEVEN years old!!

Oh how I remember the day you were born.....

I went to the Doctor on Friday, and Dr Weiler said I wasn't looking too good, and my blood presure was starting to creep up, so if anything funny happened before my appointment the next Friday to call the office, and she gave me a list of things to start looking for, one was throwing up. So Tuesday, Tiernan and I drove over to Mom's house and spent the day, and Grandma Imogene came up and trimmed my hair for me, and we had agreat day. Mom made meatloaf for dinner, then Tiernan and I headed home. All was fine until about 4am, when I woke up and starting throwing up. I wanted until Brad work about 8am to say anything to him and he made me call Dr Weiler, which I did as soon as the office opened at 8:30am. Well, of course she told me to get my little bottom into the office, and so Brad and I loaded up Tiernan in the care seat and headed to the doctor's office, and which point she took one look at me and sent me straight to the hospital. Yep, my blood pressure was way up, and I was having small but constant contractions, so at the hospital they put me on an IV and we called Mom and she came down and I rested that day in the hospital and they did your c-section the first thing the next morning. April 5th, 2001 you were born, weighing in at a healthy 7 lbs 3 ozs.

Now you are SEVEN. I can hardly believe so much time has passed, but it hasm and here you are, growing up so fast.

Happy Birthday Maeve, my wonderful and beautiful daughter.

Dearly Depotted

Dearly Depotted
By:Kate Collins
A Flower Shop Mystery, book 3

Dearly Depotted starts on July 4th, the day of the big party that Abby is doing the flowers for at Trudee DeWitt's and also her cousin Jillian's wedding. Which happens to be about three weeks after the end of book two, Slay it with Flowers, which is probably one of my favorite things about this series, one book is just a continuation of the previous without long gaps between the events.

So you know, with Jiilian's history, this is not going to be smooth. Jillian's calls many times throughout the day threathening to run away, to call off the wedding, and Abby can't let that happen, Bloomers needs the money that the wedding is bring in bigtime!

Of course, it wouldn't be a Flower Shop Mystery without a death and an investigation, which of course will have to involve Abby and Marco, who gets roped into standing in at the wedding for a fallen groomsman, who happend to sprain his ankle the day before the wedding playing tennis.

You know, the character development is great. Abby and Marco have been trying to build a possible relationship since book one, they know they are attracted to each other, and they tend to do things together, but is it enought to build a relationship one. This is great, it is not a hop into bed on first sit kind of relationship, it's a slow growing thing, and that is great. Too many books anymore have the romantic characters hopping into bed together at first chance and it dooms the story and relationship for me.

i am enjoying this series, and Abby's playful yet tough, smartass attitude is great, it sounds like me when I was younger, read before kids here, and so I think that is part of the draw of the books. That and there is is humor in everything, it might be a murder mystery but it is done with humor overall, and so that makes it a great light read, and right now during tax season, that is just what I can use!

Take a look, and if you read the book, please let me know what you think!!

12 days to file your taxes

It's Tax Season, that means, for those of us who work in an industry that deals with tas returns, we are so busy it's not funny, and for those of you who keep forgetting about them, you only have 12 days left to file your returns!

This is my third tax season working for a local CPA office. We have one CPA, one full-time staff accountant and two part-time staff accountants, which doesn't seem like alot, but we get out about 125-150 personal tax returns a year. It's busy!

The first year, it was all new, and I was fresh back into the working world after being at home for seven years to have my kids. So I was excited and enjoying the new role and the praise of being a workign person again, and the adult contact.

The second year was a little rougher, and it wasn't as smooth and I worked more hours over and above my schedule than the first year and so it was losing some of the luster and shine already.

This year, well, it really started losing the luster in the summer. See, I have a nice job, in that I work 30 hours, then in the summer, I drop down to only four days a week, which is great and we are realyl slow around here anyway. Well, this year, about October, the boss told me he wanted me to come back to five days, and I wanted to ask him what he was thinking, because we were slow and I was having to invent jobs to keep myself busy working FOUR days, how was I ever going to fill FIVE days. But he seemed to have no clue! The full-time gal was using personal hours everyday to fill her time, and he saw it on the time sheets week after week, but he refused to let me keep my four days, he wanted me there five days whether I had work or not. Well, that really started to wear on me, and this year it's worse.

I have alot on my plate to do, and I will be told to point one project in the front, then when I get behind on the others, because I did what was told, I get yelled at for being behind. I was told last week that I am "required" to work extra hours each day, and weekends, but there is no such thing as overtime pay around here. I have a family and a life outside of this place, but sometimes I think my boss forgets, because he has no live and practically lives in the office, he thinks we all can too.

Saturday is my daughter's seventh birthday, and he wants me to work. Well, the bigger problem is that other than some leftover filing, I have nothing to do on Saturday. I guess I could come in and play on the computer and let him pay me for it, but that is just not my style. Right now, I am using my lunch hour to blog, because I just need to vent it all out and get it off my chest.

So.....12 days to file you taxes!!

Top Chef Chicago - April 2nd

Last night was another episode of Top Chef Chicago, and I actually stayed up to watch it, although I was tired, this stupid tax season is realyl taking it out of me this year, and Top Chef isn't on in my area until 10pm.

So the Quickfire is on technique, and you know I think some of them got it and others have no idea what he meant by technique. I liked Dale's, which ended up winning and I like Richard's, but knowing that Richard and one of the other guys whose name completely is lost to me at this moment, have worked for the guest chef before, well I didn't like that, and I was glad that the challenge was won by someone other than someone who had worked for the guest chef before.

The Elimination Challenge was to base one course of a meal on a movie. Well....I had a ton of ideas for that, and I think some of them were great! I was not sure about the first course...Willy Wonka, okay so chocolate and wasbi? But the judges all claimed that it worked at tasted good, although some of the other chefs claimed that it did not. I think they need to taste it before they complain so loudly. Most of the dishes were not that memorable. I think the one I like the best was the one that when teams were picked they thought they wouldn't have a clue together...the one with Mark and the other guy that worked at one time for the guest chef, they ended up picking a Christmas Story, which I personally just can't stand as a movie, sorry, I have just never liked it, but not only did they pick that movie, but they picked a specfic scene, and built the course around that, and it looked good! Ted Allen was even heard saying, I have a never favorite dish, after eating their dish. I was a little surprised that they were not called in the top dishes, I kinda wish they could have known who well they actually did, I think that would benefit them both and encourage them a little.

Yeah, that is an issue for me. I wish that all the teams would get called to judges table and that they would all get comments from the judges on what was good, what was bad and why they were in the top, bottom or middle. I think it would make it easier on them to understand what they are or are not doing. But I know that time doesn't allow them to show that, but I realyl hope that even though we don't see it on the show, that the judges are actually talking to them all.

Anyway, Spike and Manuel end up in the bottom. Okay, so Spike over-rules Manuel and says his style of cooking, well Manuel being a good guy say, hum, I don't know this sytle, but this is a good change for me to learn something about it and so okay....well, Spike can't cook worth crap, the course tanks. In the end, the judges sent Manuel home, but I really think they should have sent Spike. They claimed the Manuel should have stood up to Spike more, but Manuel was very up front about using this as a chance to learn something new, and I think he should be appauled for that. Spike knew how to cook it, and does it all the time, and it failed, so I think the blame should have fallen squarely on him and he should have went home, not Manuel who confessed to not knowing the style.

Sorry, but I think I am over Spike. He can just move on to something else, because he is not as good as he thinks he is and he doesn't take repsonsiblity for the meal. When asked who should go home, he refused to stand up and say, me, it was my idea and my style. He insted said I don't play that game, which meant that he wanted to throw Manuel under the bus and save himself, that alone should have gotten him booted. Oh well, maybe next week!

There are still just too many of them for me to really be able to tell anything about them right now, although I am not liking the couple in the kitchen anymore. I think it is distracting to the others and in poor taste. Just my humble opinion, I would like to hear yours!!! Leave me a comment, let me know what you think and who is your favorite!

The Quilter's Legacy

The Quilter's Legacy
by: Jennifer Chiaverini
Elm Creek Quilts Novel Series, book five

Sylvia has finally decided to marry Andrew, and when Sarah mentions making her wedding quilt, Sylvia decides to find her mother's quilts, they should be in the attic. Only once she starts looking, Agnes, her former sister-in-law tells her that they aren't there, that her sister Claudia sold them all off. With the help of the Elm Creek Quilters, Sylvia starts looking for them.

This is written as two novels in one, you will get Sylvia in her search and then we switch over to her mother as she grows and learns to quilt. As Sylvia searches for the quilts, we learn the real history behind them from her mother's own story. It is amazing to read, and then the details that didn't get passed down, because we all know that there are just some things about our families that we just don't pass on down to the kids!
I found myself wanting to tell Sylvia what her mother did or said and how much a quilt meant to her, or why she started it or what she did and why she did it! It was an amazing read, and although we follow Sylvia on the journey to find the quilts, we also find out more about Sylvia and her relationship with Andrew grows as well as the relationship of the other ElmCreek Quilters.

Jennifer is an amazing writer, and to be able to tell two intertwined, yet still seperate stories so well, that you never feel one is more important than the other, is amazing and I enjoyed it so much. The first time that she really did this two in one storyline with the Elm Creek Series was the last book, Runaway Quilt, and she does it again in this book, but it fits with the stories that are being told, and just seems to be the perfect way to tell the stories.

If you love a good book, this is for you, and if you are a quilter or just love the history of quiliting, this is a great book. I look forward to reading more and more in this series!