just jill...

happy birthday baby...

Saturday was TL's birthday. He's officially on the other side of 40 now. Ha. Even though he'll never catch up with me, I can now call him old. Ha.

We decided to pretend we were on vacation and head down to La Jolla. Even though I lived in So. Cal for over 30 years, I'd never really been there before. Now that I've been there, I can say I understand what all the fuss is about. "Mama like..." I didn't get too many photos of the sights we saw, but just know that the little village, the cliffs, and the ocean views are all worth the mega mortgages those people pay. ...sigh...

All in all we had a very nice weekend... I love it when it's just sort of pack up and go! It was also a great time for me to make sure TL know how much I love him and appreciate all that he's done for me, especially the past few months. I love him and his big ole' goofy self. And the best part is, he loves me and my big ole' goofy self too. A match made in crazyland.

"Happy Birthday TL, I love you...!"
ps... but why you let me outta house with hair like that...?


The next day we "day tripped it" to Hodads...
Where we dined on "Wicked Killer Burgers, Dude..."




Don't ever doubt that we ate the whole thing...

we hang together...

That is the name of the company my mom and her friend, Sandy had back in the early 80's. They worked together side by side hanging wallpaper for all the up and comers of Orange County. I remember how much fun they had, going out and trying to build their business, then getting excited when they "landed" the cute little cottage down in Laguna Beach or the office building over in Newport. I think what they really liked most was that it was a creative outlet, and the fact that they got to make their own hours and wear shorts to work every day. I mean who wouldn't love that? Back in the day when wallpaper was popular, I think it was definitely a skill to have to be able to measure, cut and paste. In other words they were busy and sucessful. "We Hang Together..."

Those days are lone gone; wallpaper has come and gone, (and quite possibly back again...) my mom has passed on, and Sandy now lives in Hawaii. They were such good friends for a long time and I've tried hard to maintain contact with Sandy all these years since my mom passed. I know my mom would be pleased and it does make me smile. It just seems like when I get a nice card from her or an update on how she and her family are doing, it makes me feel closer to my mom. Sandy and her husband, Harry, like I said live in Hawaii now, but they also live near here in Dana Point. How lucky are they that they get to travel back and forth? They are retired and living the life for sure.

This past weekend, we spent a nice evening all together. TL and I went to their lovely home and got a "tour." We're talking GRAND. It's all nestled up on a hill surrounded by eucalyptus trees, with a 180 degree view of the Pacific ocean, gorgeous sleek asian decor and a Japanese garden that sits right in the middle of their U shaped house. I was in awe. And even though it occured to me that Sandy and Harry are pretty much everything we're not; clean, organized, well off, oh and not to mention cute tiny people, we really just had a fun night with plenty of laughs and giggles. We also enjoyed a wonderful evening out at the Salt Creek Grill where I enjoyed the King Salmon Steak stuffed with Crab and Scallops... (um, slurrrp....)

It meant the world to me to get to see them both, and spend time talking about the "old days," and getting caught up on the new. It was just a great night all around. Sandy and Harry are on their way back to Hawaii for a few months, but I look forward to seeing them again in the fall when they return.


"Thanks for a lovely evening guys...
I hope we can 'Hang Together' again real soon..!"

just another damn day at the beach...

"Wait, I actually live here...?"

This is pretty much what our weekends will be like from now until October...

"Don't be hate'n..."

a little foggy...

In the midst of my shock and awe last week... I failed to mention a couple things about AIdol... One: How I'm STILL annoyed that Kristy Cook is STILL on the show. Okay okay, so she can sing a little good, but my god people, not anywhere near as well as any one who is left. And she's definitely not better than Michael, who (for unknown reasons to myself and practically everyone else I've spoken to which is just about every person I've come in contact with in the past week, because I'm obsessed with the damn thing) was voted off by all of you lame ass people who DIDN'T vote for him. Whatever... And Two: I also forgot to mention my top performance of the week was by this boy...


"Jason, you're too cute and your voice is like mother's milk to my ears,
I could just suck on it all night long...
(ew, I guess that's kind of groce, but whatever, you get my drift)"

If Jason, Brooke or Carly get kicked off before any of the rest of them that are left, I'm done.

"I love you Jason... Call me!"

"just call me pap..."

My boyfriends back and I'm gonna love my summer...
Hey ya, my boyfriends BACK..!

Gotta love that he tries to convince us that his dog ATE the World Series ball... "Riiight..."

"I love you Jonathan... Call me!!"

timing is everything...

The Bad News: Because of my "little accident" I lost my job. Apparently, even though the position remained empty for 2 years prior to hiring me, they couldn't be without someone for 8 weeks. "Whavever.."

The Good News: I got a better job. This "little accident" got me a 5K raise, a shorter commute equaling 2.5 hours shaved off each work day AND my own office. I'm now working for a wonderful and respectable little charity and that just makes me smile!

Go figure...

overheard at my house last night...

Jill:

"WHAT...?
"NOOOO..."
"You've got to be kidding me...!"
"NO f'n WAY...!"
"WTF..?"
"You's people are crazy..."
"Unbeeeelievable..."
"I'm in total shock right now..."
"How on earth did America think that F'n Kristy Cook is a better singer than my boyfriend?"
"Uhhh... hello, people, he's supposed to win the whole thing!"
"Insane..."

TL:

"That's what he gets for wearing that gay ascott thingy"...

This is what complete and udder shock looks like.

I love you Michael... call me!

my name is jill, and i watch tv...

Well, I'm back. Let's see... We managed to keep our TV off. And honestly it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I really didn't miss finding out who was the "Next NOT Big Giver," or who was the "Next Celebrity to get Booted for having 3 Left Feet," I really didn't mind not watching all the excess crap that I usually watch. We made time to cook together, we started a Gin Rummy tournament that will hopefully take us till we're 80 to finish, we went to the beach a few times, we even cleaned out a few closets. Things just got done. It feels so great. The main thing I think we accomplished is that we came together like a team and just communicated better. We were able to both speak and the other listen. And we managed to agree that planning a whole evening around what time this show or that show is on is not the way we both want to live. We didn't decide to throw our TV away, but we have decided to cut back, way back.

Now, I have to admit I did have one issue during the week and it was when I knew that American Idol was actually ON, like on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm. During that hour I seemed to be squirming in my seat a little more. I found myself being restless, very distracted and maybe even a little sweaty. Do you think there are meetings out there for people like me? This mostly stemmed from the knowledge that Dolly Parton was on as a guest. How did I not find this out before I made the commitment NOT to watch? What was I thinking? All I could think about during that hour was, is one of them singing my all time favorite Dolly song, and who might be butchering up her classics? This is knowledge I needed to know. But, I stuck true to the commitment with the exception that TL allowed me to TiVo it so I could watch at a later date. Sorry to those of you who are rooting for me to "just turn it off." But sometimes a girls just gotta watch.

The results are in and we already know who was let go, but just to stay true to my long-standing distaste of this girl... Kristy's still gotta go.


Don't you know she's still doing that weird knee thing under that dress...

I guess it doesn't matter much anymore as enough of them have to go to get to the top, so she'll eventually be gone as I know in my heart she won't be the last one standing. (I mean, the knee thing alone should be a reason to vote her out people!) I was pleasantly surprised when one of my favorites, Brooke did sing my all time favorite Dolly song, Jolene. I loved it. (Didn't understand why she was in the bottom 3 at all, but I think that was a curse of performing first.)

My top performance of the night was my favorite male... Yum.

Michael Johns... My pick for this year's winner!

breaking up is hard to do...

TL and I have decided to "break up."

No... not us, not with each other. We're breaking up with our Television. Just for one week. (to start...) This all began when I read how Andrea and her family had done it. She described so beautifully how it changed them, how it delightfully gave them an awakening. TL and I had been discussing it ourselves, in fact he's been actually trying to get us to do this for a long time... We realize it's definitely going to be harder for us than for most people. We watch a lot of TV. A lot. Way too much. And, after being cooped up in this house for the past few months, I'm just sick of it. I'm sick of the addiction. I want more.

Then this past Saturday night we went to church, and lo and behold the new series just beginning was right along these lines. It's no accident we showed up on that night. "What would you do if you only had 1 month to live?" There are all kinds of cliche answers, right...? Quit our jobs, travel, spend time with friends and family, eat all the junk food we want... But, if we want to get real serious about it and truly begin living a quality of life, we have to come up with better and more realistic things to do. And not watching TV is right on top of the list!

Our inspiration...
*Superhero's Media Diet...
*Pastor Doug's 1 Month to Live Series...

Our plan of action...
Determining what matters most...
Define values...
Determine plan of action to pursue these values...
Decide on what changes need to be made to acheive these values...
Depend on God's Power to live out these values...

So... over the rest of the weekend TL and I sat down and created some lists... It's a start! The TV is off. And, I am also going to limit my computer time as well. I do have some necessity type things that requires me to be on the computer, but I will be cutting down on all the non-sense lolly-gagging and self indulgent reading that I do on a daily basis, usually when I'm not watching TV. For now, I see time spent outdoors, time spent reading good books and just wholesome quality time spent with each other in our near future.

I'll report back on our success... stay tuned! (hee... irony!)

a spring weekend... postponed...

Ohhh, TL just called and said to "Pack a bag..." He'll be here by 3:00pm to pick me up! After the past two months of being cooped up, I can't tell you how excited I am! Hopefully I'll be back in one piece and with pictures to share!

Ciao...

Plans change. That is life. But now I have a week to plan something tailored made just for ME. Look out, I'm on a mission! Next weekend is all mine...

just get on with it already...

American Idol. This is about time of the competition where everything starts to annoy me. The judges might as well have cardboard cutouts of themselves sitting in for them on performance night, as they say the SAME THINGS every week. Take Randy, "Yo Dawg, that was hot... It's smoken in here to-night!" Come on Randy, it wasn't that great. She was actually very boring and quite pitchy at times. Then we have Paula, the Queen of saying the same things... "You are just so good at being who you are..." Who the hell else would they be? Gah! Annoying...

As you all know, for weeks now I've wanted Kristy Cook (I refuse to call her by all THREE names) to get the boot. To be perfectly honest with you, she actually doesn't have that bad of a voice, but it's more her personality combined with her song choices is why I destest her so. She also started the competition thinking she was "all that" and I immediately didn't like her. I will admit that she has seemed to humble up a bit in the past few weeks, but only due to the fact that she's been in the bottom 2 or 3 each and every week. This week should be no different, but I doubt she'll be the one to go home. She was very smart to sing the song she did. Seeing as there is a WAR going on, an election in mid-process and it's all about how much all of us can prove how much we love our country, her singing "GOD Bless the USA," was by far the smartest thing she could have done to save herself. I just don't get it though. That song has nothing to do with American Idol. It belongs at Fenway Park or any sports arena, just not on the stage in Hollywood, California. I feel that her singing that song was just her being manipulative. It was her saying, "I dare you America, I dare you to vote me off after I just sang the most inspirational songs of our time!" I trust that no on in America other than myself will take that dare. Gah! Annoying...

And just so I don't lose my dignity and go off course of what I believe to be what is RIGHT for America, I must repeat my prediction as such...

"Uhh, Bah Bye..."


"What's with the whole weird bent knee thing? Gah!"

My favorite performance of the night...


David Cook's not my favorite, but this was pretty fantastic...

invincible...

Welcome to my Happy Place...

Being inside a swimming pool is a dream come true... For the last 63 days I've been laid up, not able to walk with my own two feet, and just all around miserable. But here, in this pool, I'm FREE. I can walk, run, skip and jump! It's amazing. I have no fear of the pain, and I have no fear of slipping or possibly falling down and rehurting myself. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have discovered this place.

I love it so much, all I want to do is make love to it.

i hate to repeat myself...

"Uhh, Bah Bye..."


Kristy didn't go last like week like I'd hoped...
But this week, this week it's a must.
Otherwise I'm going to be in need of some serious ear plugs. Enough already!

My favorite performance of the week...


Carly Smithson singing Blackbird... I got chills.

a new road...

Just checking in... Yesterday was a good day. I visited with my surgeon, got my cast off and was set free to walk the earth. Walk? Well, I wouldn't quite call it walking. More like tapping. I was was given an ankle brace and advised to still use my crutches as needed. I don't remember having to do that 20 years ago, I remember I hobbled back out to the car, stopping just long enough to pose for the photo I shared earlier, but other than that, my memory serves that I was quick to get right back. This time? Not gonna be so quick. I guess that is what 20 years and 50 lbs does to a gal. Damn. Just count yourselves lucky that I didn't take a picture this time, as seeing a photo of all the dead skin piled up on my now healed leg would be enough to crash anyone's hard drive. Can you say disgusting? I can.

Physical Therapy is going to be a bitch. But at least I had the best night's sleep I've had in over 8 weeks. It was just glorious to not have to lug that heavy cast from side to side and it's the first time I've felt my pinky toe since this whole thing began. Ahhh...

when it's bad, it's so so bad...

"Uhhh, Bah Bye..."


It's Kristy's time to go.
And, not a moment too soon.

My top performance of the night was:


Brooke is definitely my favorite girl, bare feet and all...

At this point it doesn't take much to entertain me...

so close, but yet so far...

This is a picture of me 20 years ago... I keep staring at it over and over because in less than 6 days it will be me again!


Circa: 1987...
When wearing mock turtlenecks, living at home with my parents, and falling down stairs drunk were my thing!"

I'm longing to...

Stand on my own two feet... (in more ways than one!)
Take a step...
Drive a car...
NOT watch TV...
Walk around Target...
Get a pedicure...
Climb some stairs...
Take a "real" shower...

I'm sure there is more, but that'll do for now!!

gosh darn it...

Bret Favre is retiring from Football...



One of my all time favorites to watch...
Good man!

broken record...

I'm tired. It was just one of those nights last night. You know, the type of night when you can't sleep because you keep singing a certain song over and over (and over) in your head...

"Apple-Bottom Jeeeans, Boots with the Furrr, the whole Club was lookin' at herrrr, She hit the Flo, next thang you know, Shorty got low low low low low low low low...

Them Baggy Sweat Pants and the Reebok's with the straaps, she turned around and gave that big booty a slap, She hit the Flo, next thang you know, Shorty got low low low low low low low low..."

And because I like y'all so much, I thought you might want to get stuck on it too...


"You're Welcome..."

my world is flat...

It occurred to me the other day that I won't be wearing any of these pretty Anne Klien shoes anytime soon...


even though I don't own a pair,
it still sucks...

So in (all) my spare time I've been doing a little online "shoe shopping..." yeah for me. I'm thinking "low to the ground" is the way to go for me for awhile. The visions of my "crash" (bicycle, street pole, entire left foot dangling from it's ankle point) are still quite vivid. I still can hardly close my eyes at night without all of those pretty little pictures rushing in... eek.
Sorry, I digress. Let's get back to the shoe shopping...

So far, I have these all on their way. I love getting mail. Especially when it comes in a box and has my name on it.


2 pairs of cute flats; Gap & Old Navy...


and 2 more for comfort... Hushpuppies and good ole' Converse...

I'm all set. Oh, and just because, I also got from Old Navy a couple of tops, a pair of jeans, a little dress and 2 cute bags. I've been cooped up in this house for 5 F'n weeks now, mama needs some fun.

3 weeks and counting...

american idol 08...

Paula and Randy are dead to me...

Kyle Ensley is a good singer. Below you will see them all agree on that, but in the end he was cut by the two of them. Only Simon believed him not to be the "best singer," but good enough to make the show. How on earth could they not agree with Simon on this guy?


This guy will be Govenor of Oklahoma one day, watch...

Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter much anyway... I am claiming here and now (some 3 months early) that this guy and only this guy will be the winner of this year's competition. And, if he doesn't win, that means you didn't vote for him and if you don't vote for him then you all are dead to me as well.

Michael Johns... Hands down he's my number 1...

It all begins next week...

love me sexy...

Cast on my leg or not, I'll be at the very first showing of this new movie... Semi-Pro.
Will Ferrell to me, is the best at doing "over the top" without it being TOO over the top.


"Take off your shoes and suck me sexy..."


"What, what'd I do?"

"I love you Will, call me..."

wii so fun...

My leg may be broken, or as my Dr. Yee put it, "Severly dislocated, like completely," (trust me it's never a good thing when a surgeon uses the word "severe" or "like completely") but I can still get my Wii on. I've been able to perfect the Wii Tennis WHILE SITTING DOWN! Oh yea. In fact my game has improved quite a bit. Who knew I didn't have to jump up and down and run around the living room looking like a fool, to be good at it. All I need is a good barker lounger and I'll be set for life. Here are just a few of the Wii-Mii's we created over the holidays...


This is my dad... He's too cool.


This is my nephew... He's my touchstone.


This is my niece... Don't let her cuteness fool you, she's one tough cookie.


This is my nephew... He's a Sage.


And lastly, this is TL and me...
Just living happily ever after!

i just need a good fork...

It's Super Bowl time...

I may be "laid up," but I can still watch football. And eat. Fo' show! TL and I are cooking up some goodies for the big game. Personally, I don't care for either team, as if you know me at all, you know that I am a Dallas Cowboy Fan all the way. But, since they lost, not much else I can do. My dilemma is, I just can't vote for the Giants, I mean they're from New York, gah. Plus they are the reason why my beloved Cowboys aren't there. Now with the Patriots being from Boston, I SHOULD be rooting for them, it would be great for an all Boston year, but for some reason I just can't. I can't get behind that Tom Brady guy. He just annoys me to no end. Whether he dumped Bridget pregnant or not, I just don't think he's square. There is just something about him, and those eyebrows I don't trust. eek. So, not much fan fare from me, but what I can get behind is the menue. Trust me, my leg may be all banged up, but I can still eat.

Our menu is not eccentric in anyway but is also not for the weak... Sometimes you just need to over-indulge. And with the chaos of the past 2 weeks, I'm all about the comfort food.

Homemade Guacamole w/ chips... (via my standard recipe...)
Homemade Buffalo Wings w/ assorted Veggies and Blue Cheese Dressing... (via Martha...)
Bacon wrapped Scallops...
Crabbies... (via Paula...)
Spinich Salad w/ Blue Cheese Dressing...
Berry Cobbler w/ Vanilla Bean Ice Cream... (via Vons, sorry.)

Now, some of you might be wondering why the ole' classic, Pigs in a Blanket, isn't on our menu, I mean minus the Scallops it's pretty close to an all white trash buffet... I was actually wondering this myself. So, this past week while I was, "just laying around because I had nothing else better to do..." I was pretty much glued to the Food Network channel. I watched all the pros come up with their personal favorite Super Bowl Recipes, but there was one and only one that stood out and made me think, "OH Hell Yea." My lover personal favorite Paula Dean doesn't just make Pigs in a Blanket, she takes it one step further... "Hogs in a Sleeping Bag!" (say that in her funny accent, it's really fun...) These puppies are not just hot-dogs, but Polska Kielbasa, and she doesn't just get some cheap ass can of croissants, she uses actual Puff Pastry. Can you say YUM? I'm so on it. If you think you want to try them too, here's the recipe...

1 (16-ounce) package Polska Kielbasa
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed and lightly rolled out
1 egg
Honey mustard, barbeque sauce or apricot jam, for serving, optional
(I'm making a concoction of: Spicy mustard mixed with just a tad of Mayonaise. In honor of my dear lover friend ole' Paula herself. Oh, how we do love our Mayo)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut kielbasa into 6 (4-inch) pieces.
Cut puff pastry sheets into thirds (6 strips).
Roll each piece of kielbasa in puff pastry and place on a baking sheet.

Beat egg in a small dish and brush generously over pastry.
Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes.
Serve with mustard, barbeque sauce, or jam, if desired.

Go Cowboys!

(Rah...!)

just broken...

THIS...


+ THIS...


= THIS...

Yep. Broken ankle, surgery, the works... But, only 6 more weeks to go!
(That is my bike, but not the actual street sign I ran into, or the actual image of my leg...)

i give a whoot...

The Lone Owl... Instead of being sad any longer about not keeping all of my mom's owls, I've just decided to start collecting some myself... Turns out they're everywhere and real cheap too. I'm on the hunt for the unusual, odd little critters. Turns out, I don't really like the looks of the "real" looking ones, I much prefer them to be round and arty, sorta like me.

These guys are making me smile...

Sandy Vohr Leather Zoo Owl...

Boxwood Japanese Owl...

Porceline Cream Figurine Owl...

Hand Painted Mexican Pottery Owl...

Carlton Retro Owl...

Ohhh, and I can't decide on which Belt Buckle...

Vintage Silver Buckle...

Or... Vintage Green and Gold Buckle...