The End (of the challenge)

Day 31 - The last day.  I made it all the way through.  I am very proud of myself (I didn't think I would have interest that long).

When I started this challenge, I didn't know what to expect.  Heck, I didn't even know how to do the challenge.  But, with a little guidance, here I am at the finish line with my cute little badge (thanks Tiffany.  I have met some wonderful, awesome, fantastic ladies that I will definitely be stalking  commenting on for a very long time.  It was great to see how diverse yet so very similar we are, even though we are spread out all over the country.  I really have enjoyed learning about their lives and opening up my life for them to see.  For my self portrait, I decided to include my family.  We went ice skating a couple of days ago. Side note: I didn't fall.  Even though I haven't been ice skating in 17 years and this was only my second time to ice skate! Small victories!!

Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see other final thoughts.  

My Favorite Ice Cream

Day 30 - <sniff> There is only one more day.

My favorite ice cream.  Here in Oklahoma, we have one Baskin-Robbins and zero Ben and Jerry's.  I didn't even know Ben & Jerry's had stand alone stores until we were in an airport.  But, what we do have is Braums.  Braums is an ice cream store that originated here in Oklahoma (the town where my mom lives).  You walk in and there is a huge counter that has tons and tons of ice cream.  My favorite ice cream there is the soft serve twist in a cup.  It is so creamy and delicious.

I like my ice cream creamy.  I love gelato for this very reason.  I like the funky flavors like twinkie and strawberry pineapple (they also have popcorn flavor, but I am too chicken to try it).  I like sherbets too.  My favorites are orange and pineapple.  I also like all of the frozen yogurt places that are everywhere now too.  I get a little of the ice cream and a whole lotta toppings.

I shouldn't have wrote this post in the morning.  Now, all I can think about is ice cream.  Ice cream is a breakfast food, right??

Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see what others have to say about ice cream.

My favorite season

Day 29

My favorite season.  Here in Oklahoma, we usually get all four seasons.  Though, autumn and spring generally only last about a week (probably a little longer, but it sure doesn't feel like it).  My least favorite seasons are bitter cold (this year it happen to fall during so called spring) and blistering hot (last year's highs 110-114 for 2 or 3 weeks in a row).  I can't decide if it is autumn or spring that is my favorite.  Here is a pros and cons list

Spring:
Pro - Warmer temperatures after a really cold winter.  Everything is starting to bloom and there are lots of colors.  Baseball season starts back up.  Kids are playing outside again.  School is coming to an end (here we end around the middle of May).  Days are longer.  The smells of rain and fresh cut grass are in the air.  I can break out capris.

Cons - Everything is blooming making it allergy season.  My dogs and cat shed like crazy.  When the trees start to bloom, there is sap all over the driveway.  All the good shows are having their season finales.

Autumn:
Pro - Halloween (I dress as Minnie Mouse every year).  It's time to break out the jeans and hoodies.  Football season starts.  Cool mornings mean warm beverages.  School starts again!  School supplies are cheap (I have a slight obsession).  No more mowing.  The extremely pretty colors of the trees and autumn flowers.  Thanksgiving!

Cons - Closing the pool down.   Raking the leaves.  It gets dark earlier.

I'm not that fond of winter even though I do love me a good snow day.  I don't like summer because I am not a big fan of being hot.

So those are my favorite things about my favorite seasons.  Usually I will welcome both with open arms.

What about you?  Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see what others are saying.

And I end with Halloween pictures.  

Me as Minnie Mouse.  I love my Minnie shoes.  My pug as a blowfish (with creepy eyes). 

My guilty pleasures

Day 28 - I can't believe this is almost over <sniff>

My guilty pleasure...hmmm.  I could probably go with a few things.  I love kid movies.  I will go watch them in the theater and then buy them again on Bluray when they come out.  I love animated movies.  I have been known to go to these types of movies without my kid.  When Monsters Inc. came out the first time in the theatre, my husband and I were the only ones in the theater without a kid.  We thought it might be too scary for her to watch (she was 3) so we had to screen it beforehand (yeah, we will go with that excuse...ha).  Most of the time though, we will either go together as a family or just my daughter and I.  I will watch Disney movies during the day, without anyone being home.

I also love days where I do not have to get out of my yoga pants and can just be at home all day playing on the internet and watch movies.  I love do nothing days. I just need to recharge my batteries sometimes and those of kind of days help.

What are your guilty pleasures?  Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see what other guilty pleasures are out there.

Day 27 - Online Friends

Day 27 - Online friends that I would like to meet in person.

Since I just started my blog and started commenting on blogs at the start of the year, I don't really have many online friends.  But, since doing this challenge, there are definitely some girls in the challenge that I would love to meet.  There are more than just three of them though.

Onward to the challenge - my interpretation.

I really want to craft cake pops with Angie Dudley.  I want to see what all tools she works with and learn her techniques.  Her ideas are really cute and I am into all things cake pop right now.  I am going to do bowling balls for my daughter's upcoming 13th birthday.

I want Kimberley Hasselbrink to teach me all things food photography.  My passion lies with food and taking glorious sweet pictures of it.

I want to bump into Ree Drummond at the grocery store (she lives in my state, it could happen...) and invite myself over to cook with her.  I would love to see how she gets inspiration and just talk with her about life.

These people are not my friends.  I have never even commented on their blogs (even though I should).  I still would just like to sit down and talk about all things life.


I am definitely looking forward to the online friendships that have started with this blog challenge.  So, girls be ready for a lot of comments from me...you have all been warned. :)

Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see who others want to meet.

My Favorite Food

Day 26

My favorite food.  I love food.  Food loves me back, usually in my stomach area.  I would probably have to say my favorite is chicken and a baked potato.  I love fresh veggies too.  Oh, and can't forget spaghetti.  Chicken fajitas would feel left out, if I didn't include them.  My favorite food changes...a lot.  Right now I am going with grilled chicken and a baked potato doused in salsa with some steamed veggies on the side.  I love that meal.  I could eat it 4 or 5 times a week.  My family gets sick of chicken, so I will make them something else.  Grilled chicken is my favorite meat.  My mom ruined me as a kid, on fried chicken (or really even breaded chicken) by giving me a piece of liver when she was frying chicken.  I'm not a big steak lover or beef in general (occasionally I will eat roast).  I do love some pork chops or roasted pork loin.  Ok, now I am hungry, and I just made cookies...


Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see what other people's favorite foods are.

My Location

Yay!  Day 25.

My location.

I live in a suburb of Oklahoma City.  A suburb I didn't even know existed until I met my husband.  I grew up in a small town about an hour south of OKC.  I spent my teen years living in Norman.  It is a major college town.  I always thought I wanted to live in a big city, until we moved to Houston right after my husband graduated college.  Then, I couldn't wait to get home to my little big city.

We have lived in our house since Feb 2000.  I love my house.  It has a very cabin feel too it.  I have a 25 ft vaulted ceiling in the living room with a dual fireplace that heats both the kitchen and living room. My front entry is a rock floor.  I wish my house were just a tiny bit bigger, but then I would have to clean more.  I definitely wish my kitchen were bigger or arranged differently.  I think that will be our next major home renovation.  We recently redid one of our living room walls.  It is actually a wall of windows.  I need to post on it, because I love my new windows.

My neighborhood  is great.  When we moved here, most of my neighbors were elderly retired people.  Slowly they have been replaced with people around our age.  Finally after 11 long years, there are kids my daughter's age on our block.  All of them moved here within 3 months.  Unfortunately, they are all boys...oh well.  My neighbors are the best neighbors.  He is a retired policeman.  She plants flowers for me in the spring.  We put up their Christmas lights, so its a really good trade off.  I have borrowed a loaf of bread from her once (and brought her a new loaf the next day).

There are some things I wish I could change about my location, but for the most part; I love it.

What about you?  Head over to Fabulous Finds by Tiffany to see where other people live.

I will upload a picture of my house later this evening.

**Edit** My house this past Feb.  My garage is two car, it just looks one car.