OK, so this is WAY off the topic of my last post, but here's what I realized today...

1. Fat Free Vanilla Caramel Jello pudding tastes exactly like creme' brulee. (I should know, I had TWO of them!)

2. Crown and Diet Coke always tastes better with a friend. Even if that friend happens to be in another town. Whatever. We'll improvise!

3. Taking the cat to the vet, going to Weight Watchers for the first time since Thanksgiving, going to the eye dr, and going to the dentist should not be attempted all in one day. Tomorrow, I guarantee I will need another Crown and Coke after that day!

4. Long-distance relationships suck. I just had to tell my hubby goodnight over the phone. Won't see him for a month and I'm not at all happy about that. Anyone care to make a donation to the "Take Amy to See her Hubby Fund" ?

And the random quote of the day is...
"Life's too short. Wear your party pants!"
Got mine on now. (For the record, they're pale green flannel pajama pants with dogs on them. Very cute in my opinion, but sure not very sexy.)

What kind of pants are your party pants?

Update on the house-hunt.

When I was in VA, we found a house we liked and put a contract on it. We didn't get the house.

So, Mr. Crafty found another house that he just knew I would love. He went and looked at it the very first day it was on the market and put a contract on it. There were 3 contracts on that very same house! After only one day! We didn't get the house.

Mr. Crafty tried again. He looked at another house that was WAY out of our price range and found it seriously lacking. No go. He left VA to come home to OK for Turkey Day, so this puts a hold on the house-hunt.

Luckily, we just bought a new car. If I had known there was a possibility of living in my car, I would have bought a mini-van.

The search continues.

Note to all who are thinking about buying a house in VA: Don't.

Wow! 3rd post in one day. Aren't you lucky?

A recipe for the easiest Christmas gift I've ever made

1 bag chocolate chips
plastic spoons

Directions: Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Dip plastic spoons in melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper and let cool. May decorate with white chocolate, if desired. Wrap in cellophane. Use for stirring coffee or hot chocolate.
May use chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, Andes mint chips, or may add flavored extracts to suit your taste.

I made milk chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, and Andes mint flavors.

I also did one fork, just cause I didn't want to show the spoons favoritism. You know, can't have any angry forks.

Chocolate spoons...and one chocolate fork. 

Tonight I am
listening to: Now That's What I Call Christmas--The Signature Collection.
making: Chocolate Spoons to give as gifts.
wrapping: my honey's Christmas presents.
thankful that: it's almost Thanksgiving and I get to see HIM and my family.
wearing: my red sweater that Jenni and I bought together.
feeling: very Christmasy and happy.

OK, just having a lazy, lay around in my pajamas day. Listening to Christmas music and surfing the net. Boring day = boring post. Here's some stuff about me.

Have you ever:

1. Bought everyone in the pub a drink? No.
2. Swam with wild dolphins? No.
3. Climbed a mountain? Yes.
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive? No.
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid? No.
6. Held a tarantula? Are you out of your mind?! No way!
7. Taken a candlelit bath? Yes. With someone else? No.
8. Said “I love you” and meant it? Every single day to my husband.
9. Hugged a tree? Nope.
10. Done a striptease? Not that I would admit this if I had.
11. Bungee jumped? Absolutely not.
12. Visited Paris? No, but one day I will.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea? No.
14. Stayed up all night long to watch the sun rise? Yes.
15. Seen the Northern Lights? No.
16. Gone to a huge sports game? Not yet.
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning tower of Pisa? No.
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables? Yes. (tomatoes)
19. Touched an iceberg? No.
20. Slept under the stars? Yes.
21. Changed a baby’s diaper? Yes.
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon? No.
23. Watched a meteor shower? Yes.
24. Gotten drunk on champagne? Yes, on my honeymoon.
25. Given more than you can afford to charity? Yes.
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope? Yes.
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible time? Yes.
28. Had a food fight? Yes.
29. Bet on a winning horse? No.
30. Taken a sick day when you’re not sick. Yes, that’s when they’re the most fun!
31. Asked out a stranger? Yes.
32. Had a snowball fight? Yes.
33. Photocopied your butt? Uh, no.
34. Screamed as loud as you possibly can? Yes.
35. Held a lamb? Yes.
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy? Yes.
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip? No.
38. Taken an ice cold bath? Yes.
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar? No.
40. Seen a total eclipse? Yes.
41. Ridden a roller coaster? Yes.
42. Hit a home run? With my hand/eye coordination, no way.
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days? Yes.
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking? Yes.
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day? No way I could pull that one off. Unless you include my native Okie twang.
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors? Yes.
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment? Absolutely yes.
48. Had two hard drives for your computer? No.
49. Visited all 50 states? Not yet.
50. Loved your job for all accounts? Not yet.
51. Taken care of someone who was drunk? Too many times to count.
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied? Working on that.
53. Had amazing friends? Yes.
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country? No.
55. Watched wild whales? No, but manatees, yes.
56. Stolen a sign? No, but a menu, yes.
57. Backpacked in Europe? No.
58. Taken a road-trip? Yes.
59. Been rock climbing? Yes.
60. Lied to the government? What kind of question is that? NO.
61. Taken a midnight walk on the beach? Yes.
62. Been skydiving? Not a chance.
63. Visited Ireland? Maybe some day.
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love. Yes.
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them? Yes.
66. Visited Japan. No.
67. Benchpressed your own weight? Yeah right.
68. Milked a cow? No.
69. Alphabetized your records? No. CDs, yes.
70. Pretended to be a superhero? Yes. WonderWoman, when I was little.
71. Sung karaoke? Yes. Very badly.
72. Lounged around in bed all day? Yes.
73. Posed nude in front of strangers? Uh, have you seen me? I think not.
74. Been scuba diving? No.
75. Got it on to “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye? No.
76. Kissed in the rain? Yes.
77. Played in the mud? Yes.
78. Played in the rain? Yes.
79. Gone to a drive-in theater? No.
80. Done something you should regret, but don’t regret it? Yes.
81. Visited the Great Wall of China? No.
82. Discovered that someone who’s not supposed to know about your blog actually knows about your blog? Yes.
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better? Enough with the computer questions. BORING!
84. Started a business? Yes.
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken? Yes.
86. Toured ancient sites? Not yet.
87. Taken a martial arts class? No.
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman? Again, what kind of question is that? No.
89. Played the Sims for more than 6 hours straight? Yes.
90. Gotten married? Yes.
91. Been in a movie? No, but my dad was.
92. Crashed a party? Yes.
93. Loved someone you shouldn’t have? Yes.
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy? Yes.
95. Gotten divorced? Yes.
96. Had sex at the office? Are you kidding? No.
97. Gone without food for 5 days? No.
98. Made cookies from scratch? My nickname wasn’t “Cookies” for nothing.
99. Won first prize in a costume contest? No.
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice? Not yet.
101. Gotten a tattoo? Yes.
102. Been taken care of because you’re drunk? Yes.
103. Rafted the Snake River? Nope. The Illinois, yes.
104. Been on a television news program as an “expert”. No.
105. Got flowers for no reason? Yes.
106. Kissed in a public place? Yes.
107. Got so drunk you don’t remember anything? No.
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug? No.
109. Performed on stage? Yes.
110. Been to Las Vegas? Yes. Been married there? Yes.
111. Recorded music? Yes.
112. Eaten shark? No.
113. Had a one-night stand? Yes. Hope my mom doesn’t read this.
114. Gone to Thailand? No.
115. Been to a rock concert? Yes.
116. Bought a house? Yes.
117. Been in a combat zone? No.
118. Buried a parent? Thankfully, no.
119. Shaved your head? No.
120. Been on a cruise ship? Yes.
121. Spoken more than one language fluently? After 5 years of Spanish, you’d think so, but no.
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone? Yes.
123. Bounced a check? Yes. Not recently.
124. Performed in a play? Does it count if it was in 6th grade?
125. Read and understood your credit report? Yes.
126. Raised children? One day, I will.
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy? Yes. Silly Putty and Play-Dough.
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour? No.
129. Created and named your own constellation? No.
130. Taken a bicycle tour through a foreign country? No.
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did? No.
132. Called or written your Congress person? No.
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over? No.
134. Moved more than 10 times in your life? Yes. Almost 20.
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge? No.
136. Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was watching? Yes.
137. Had an abortion? Absolutely not.
138. Had plastic surgery? No.
139. Survived an accident you shouldn’t have survived? Thankfully, no.
140. Wrote articles for a large publication? No.
141. Lost over 100 pounds? No.
142. Held someone while they cried? Yes.
143. Piloted an airplane? Yes, but only for a few seconds.
144. Petted a stingray? No.
145. Broken someone’s heart? Yes.
146. Helped an animal give birth? No.
147. Been fired or laid off from a job? Yes.
148. Won money on a T.V. game show? No.
149. Broken a bone? Yes. My arm.
150. Killed someone? Uh, no.
151. Gone on an African safari? No.
152. Ridden a motorcycle? Yes.
153. Driven over 100 mph? Yes.
154. Had a body part (other than ears) pierced? No.
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol? Yes.
156. Eaten wild mushrooms? No.
157. Ridden a horse? Yes.
158. Had major surgery? No.
159. Had sex on a train? No.
160. Had a snake as a pet? Ugh! No!
161. Seen the Grand Canyon? Yes.
162. Slept on a plane? Yes.
163. Slept for more than 30 hours in the course of 48 hours? Yes.
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states? No.
165. Visited all 7 continents? No.
166. Taken a canoe trip? Yes.
167. Eaten kangaroo? No.
168. Fallen in love? Yes.
169. Been a sperm or egg donor? No.
170. Eaten sushi? Yes.
171. Had your picture in the newspaper? No.
172. Had a romantic relationship for over a year? Yes.
173. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about? Yes.
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions? No.
175. Gone back to school? Yes. Several times.
176. Parasailed? No.
177. Changed your name? When I got married.
178. Petted a cockroach? Why???
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes? Yes.
180. Read The Iliad? Yes.
181. Selected one important author you missed in school and read their work? Yes.
182. Taken something from a restaurant? Yes.
183. Been caught stealing? No.
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch? Yes.
185. Killed an animal and ate it? Yes, a fish.
186. Apologized to someone years later? Yes.
187. Skipped your school reunion? Haven’t had one yet, but I won’t miss it.
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language? No.
189. Been elected to public office? No.
190. Written your own computer language? No.
191. Lived a dream? Yes.
192. Been to a funeral? Yes.
193. Built your own PC? No.
194. Sold your art? Yes.
195. Had a booth at a street fair? No. Craft show, yes.
196. Dyed your hair? Yes.
197. Been a DJ? No.
198. Found out someone was going to dump you and dumped them first? Yes.
199. Made up your own game? Yes.
200. Been arrested? No.

See, told you this would be a boring post. :)

I have just been reading other people's blogs on Blogger and I am truly amazed at what some people think is worthy of taking up space on the internet. Yes, I realize this seems judgmental and snobbish of me, but I have also just spent the last 30 minutes reading numerous blogs that were absolutely not worth my time. So, I have composed the following helpful hints for those wanting to start their own blog.

CraftyLilDevil's Blogging Hints

1. Please know how to spell and follow basic grammar and punctuation rules.

2. Refrain from using so much shorthand that your sentence looks like a foreign language. (Even I say "lol" and the like, but not EVERY STINKING SENTENCE!)

3. Do not have annoying, cutesy little cursors or music of any kind. This only serves to be, well, annoying and disgustingly bothersome.

4. Do have something positive to say. At least every once in a while. I'm no Pollyanna myself, but 6 months of angsty, tormented blog entries should be reason enough to seek medical attention.

And finally,

5. Never, under any circumstances, does anyone want to see a photoblog of your dusty old collectibles. I'm talking salt and pepper shakers here, folks. Yes, that is a new one for me. Never seen so many types of salt and pepper shakers in my life and that is certainly something I could live without. Unless it's very interesting and/or funny, please use your digital camera and photoblog space for something else.

OK, yes, I know, I am a snob. No, I do not find my blog to be particularly spectacular or even all that funny, but at least I try. Which is more than I can say for the salt and pepper and pain and angst folks.

Note to self: Do not use that "Next Blog" button again. Ever. Read your hand-selected and truly exemplary blogs and remain blissfully ignorant of the drivel that is out there.

Anyone have any other suggestions that I should add to my list?

Those of you who know me will think this is pretty funny... :) Amy



You're Brigitte Bardot!


What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Aw, Elvis. Sing it to me, darlin'! :)

I've got Elvis singing Blue Christmas, 24 Christmas presents made this weekend, a Chai Latte (a.k.a. Christmas in a Cup) by my keyboard. Life doesn't get much sweeter.

Only thing that would make it better is if my sweetie was here with me. :(

See you on Tuesday, honey!

All I wanted was a relaxing, hot bath tonight...yeah right! Relaxing, my foot!

It started out well.I put in the stopper, turned on the water, and poured in my favorite bubble bath. Then, while the tub was filling, I decided to make myself something nice and warm to drink. I just bought a new Chai latte mix that I'd been wanting to try and thought it would feel good on my newly scratchy throat. I made my drink in my favorite mug, grabbed a Glamour magazine and hopped in the tub.

(insert peaceful sigh here.)

While soaking in my wonderful bath, sipping my yummy latte, I happened to notice that I left the bathroom door open. No big deal, I thought, as I am the only one in the house right now, with the exception of my lovely, playful kitty. BIG. MISTAKE.

Said kitty decides she wants to drink my latte, jumps on the side of the tub and tries to stick her furry little face in my favorite coffee mug. Not wanting to share, I yelled at her to get down. Big mistake number 2. I scared her and in trying to escape her mean, yelling mommy, she fell into my nice bubble bath. Now, I have a magazine in one hand, a hot latte in the other, and one very pissed off kitty in the bathtub with me!

Now, she's scrambling to get out, I'm sloshing over to the other side of the tub to avoid getting clawed, and trying to help her out at the same time. She makes it out of the tub and streaks off under my bed to sulk. Meanwhile, the peace and quiet of my bath time is over and I'm left with a half soggy magazine.

And I thought cats were supposed to be easier than dogs!

Lessons learned:
1) Do not attempt to drink a hot beverage and read a magazine at the same time while taking a bath.
2) If you do attempt this, for heaven's sake "SHUT THE DOOR!!!!"

Oh yeah, and when I went to rinse out my cup and put it in the sink, my cat had knocked the bag of latte mix on the floor and chewed holes in the bag, leaving me with a ruined bag of latte mix (that I had to transfer to another container in order to keep it fresh) and a mess to clean up in the kitchen floor! Damn cat!

Well, hubby went and looked at the house that just came on the market today. He said he thinks I'll really like it and I told him if he's POSITIVE I will like it, put a contract on that bad boy and let's wait to see if we're homeowners.
Ugh! I hate waiting!
"I am patient, but could you HURRY UP ALREADY!" is one of my favorite sayings and it will certainly apply to waiting to hear if we get this house or not.
Man, I hope I like this house or Mr. Crafty will SO be in the proverbial doghouse!

Well, we didn't get that house I looked at last week, but that's OK. Paying that kind of money for the house would have required me to lose an arm and a leg (maybe two), so it's actually kind of a relief. Hubby has an appointment to look at another house tonight.

Now, I'm not sure how many people read this blog, but if there is anyone out there reading this now, let me ask you this...

How many of you would trust your spouse to buy a house for you?

Think about that for a minute.

Now think about this: How many of you would trust your spouse to buy a house for you after you've only been married a grand total of 6 months??!!!

Dear Mr. Crafty,
If you are reading this, you'd better pick a darn good house. Otherwise, you'd better like sleeping on the couch and fixing your own meals.
Love,
Mrs. Crafty

P.S. Here's a nice little checklist for you, my dear. Because I rather like sleeping with your cute self in my bed. (Rather than on the couch.)

Key things to look for when buying our house:

1) a big, easy to use kitchen (hopefully without avocado green or harvest gold appliances.)
2) a nice bathroom with a bath tub so I can take baths at night to warm up when I'm cold. (you know you like to snuggle with me when I'm nice and toasty from a hot bath. Come on, admit it!)
3) at least 3 bedrooms. We have to have room for the in-laws to come visit.
4) a fenced in yard. I want a dog!

See, I don't want much. Really. No pressure. (yeah right!)

I've been a busy girl since my last post! The trip to VA was fun, but tiring. Hubby and I didn't actually get to spend much time together while I was there. He had a super busy week with a few dinner meetings and I had meetings all week with real estate agents and we took several trips to schools in the VA/WV areas. I finally settled on Shepherd University in WV.

After deciding on a school, I was able to start looking for us a house to buy. We were in for quite a rude awakening when we found out the cost of real estate there! Modest 3 bedroom homes are usually in the $160,000 to $185,000 range!!! And we're not talking anything really fancy here, just something that is in good shape and has been well-taken care of...not mansions or great big fancy houses by any means!
And to think we were hesitant to buy the house for $95,000 here in Muskogee because it seemed like such a huge amount of money!

Yes, my hubby is getting a raise with this move, but it's not THAT much! But we did decide to put a contract on a cute little house yesterday. There is another couple with a contract on it too, so we'll have to wait and see which of them the seller accepts. If we get the house, at least we'll have plenty of room for guests to come visit! (AHEM! Hear that, folks! Come visit me!)

Also, I went to Lawton Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for a visit. I went to a poetry reading with one of my very best friends on Saturday. Afterwards, we had champagne and chocolate and a really nice visit. (If you're reading this, MC, call me! I miss you!) My sister had a really nice baby shower on Sunday and I got to visit with friends and family I hadn't seen in a while. It was nice.

Now I have a week's worth of playing catch-up to do with school assignments. YUCK! But at least it will make the time go by quickly and it will be Thanksgiving before I know it and time for another visit w/my honey! :)

WOOHOO! I'm going to Virginia! I'm going to Virginia!
Just bought a plane ticket and reserved a rental car so I can see my hubby!
My MIL is calling me a wimp (jokingly, of course) for not being able to even go a week without seeing her son. But hey, what do you expect??!! We're NEWLYWEDS!!!
As a matter of fact, we'll be having our 6 month anniversary while I'm there for a visit. And hopefully I can find us a house (to rent or buy either one) while I'm there. That would sure be a load off my mind if we had that figured out sooner rather than later. Plus, this way I'd actually have a say in which house we end up in. Not that I don't trust my hubby, but well...let's just say I will be working fast and furiously trying to get a house rented/start the buying process while I'm there!!!!
No blog for a week, as I won't have access to a computer.
I'll be sure to update when I get home!

Hmm...let's see if this works.

Do I really like the fact that I am a pig? Yes. And that's Miss Piggy to you!


You are Miss Piggy.
You are talented and the center of attention. At
least you'd like to think you are. You're
really just a pig.

FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS:
"Moi", "Moi" and
"Moi!"
LAST BOOK READ:
"Women Who Run With Frogs And The Frogs Who
Better Wise Up Quick"

FAVORITE MOVIE:
"To Have and Have More"

DRESS SIZE:
If it's expensive, it fits.

BEST FEATURES:
Eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes, nose, cheeks, hair,
ears, neck, shoulders, arms, elbows, hands,
fingers, legs, knees, ankles, feet, toes and so
on and so forth.

SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Singing, Dancing, Directing, Producing, Writing,
Starring, and Being Famous.


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, at the age of 26, I finally voted for the first time. Yay me for finally getting my act together and getting to the poll. I'm so glad this election day is finally here! I am sick to death of all the ads on tv and the radio! It's everywhere you turn! Finally, some peace and quiet. I hope.