4 of 5 dentists...and my DOG...prefer Crest!

Look what Miss Naughty did while Mommy was at work!

Well, at least we know May Bee's favorite flavor. She raided the bathroom trash (now that the kitchen trash cans lock, she had to resort to a less interesting location), pulled both tubes out onto the floor, ignored the POP-TOP Pro-Health flavor completely...but ATE THE SCREW TOP off the Clean Mint Extra Whitening to get to the good stuff inside.

Bethany and Philip both insist that I bear part of the blame since I'm the one who got her addicted in the first place. (When Dr. Hoefer found out that May Bee gets her teeth brushed every night, he said, "You realize your DOG has better dental hygiene than many of your STUDENTS, right?")

Oh, and while I was in Virginia, I mentioned to Jori who was house & dog sitting that May Bee might want her teeth brushed at night. She laughed and laughed and said she was NOT doing that. The next day, I got a text that she actually HAD broken down and brushed May Bee's teeth...and that she expected Kathy Bates to play her in the movie.

P.S. Last Saturday, Jori & I walked 3 miles at Red Bud Park, and she finally told me why she'd relented. When Jori got in bed, she had a perfect view of May Bee sitting, lonely and silent and pitiful, by the bathroom sink...with those big puppy-dog eyes pleading, "Joh-wee! Pleez bwush my teef like my weal mommy!"

R.I.P., Mr. Rafferty.

P.S. Yes, kids, videos used to be insane. (That's why we liked them.)

If you think I was the only one...

...snapping this sunset with a cellphone camera in the gas station parking lot, then you would be MISTAKEN.

Nuthin' finah than to be in Carolina...

You would have cried, too.

Thanks to the Youngs for inviting all the members of TEAM FALISHA to her graduation...and special thanks to Mr. Young for packing tissues for Gladys and me! (Oh, and thanks to Andrea for bringing the AWESOME camera and mad photo skills.)

Congratulations, Falisha! Your hard work has paid off...and good luck in grad school.

P.S. Team Falisha, meet you again in 2 years when she receives her master's degree hood!

Actual conversations.

Overheard recently at my house...

Him: "I think you're the biggest girl I've ever dated."

Her: "That's fantastic news. Can't tell you how excited I am to hear that."

Him: "No, not FAT! I don't mean FAT! Just BIG! You're just BIG-BONED. Your legs are like twice the size of mine."

Her: "You're not making it better."

...and...

Him: "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something. You know that last Nantucket Cranberry Pie you made?"

Her: "Umm...yeah?"

Him: "Those pecans weren't from my tree, were they?"

Her (after a pause): "Oh. Umm...no, they weren't. Those were from Larry & Belva's trees in the Hill Country. How could you possibly KNOW that?"

Him: "I know my own pecans."

Her: "That's CRAZY! Are you some kind of connoisseur? Some kind of PECAN-oisseur? Pecanoisseur!!! Bwah-haaa-haa!!" (spluttering and laughter and snorting)

Him: (silence)

And here are TWO early Christmas gift for History nerds like me: Enjoy the comedy stylings at Historic LOLs, a site with old-timey photos captioned for your entertainment, at:

http://history.icanhascheezburger.com

and the first cinematic Alice in Wonderland:

 

Open your home...and your heart.

P.S. My birthday yesterday was fun-filled and fabulous--except for when May Bee sprayed the veterinarian like a skunk with her anal glands (!)...and then two hours later, when I was at the doctor myself, wishing humans had the same option.

P.P.S. The vet laughed out loud when he brought May Bee back to the little exam room after her shots and I gasped, "What is that horrible smell? Is it...umm...FEAR?" He explained that sometimes dogs who are afraid will express their anal glands. (I had no idea. None. When Karen called last night to wish me a happy birthday, I asked if she ever heard of dogs doing that, and she proposed that only dogs whose hearts are black and evil could pull off such a diabolical stunt.)

Oh, wait...don't let those two revolting postscripts keep you from adopting a pet.

May Bee makes my day, every  single day! (What's a little fanny spray among friends, anyway?) People with pets live longer, happier lives...so share your home with a companion asap! Make a holiday wish come true for a homeless dog or cat...ADOPT!

First ornament on the tree...

The last person on Earth to know.

Bethany and Falisha failed to tell me about Har Mar, Superstar. (I rely on my girls to keep me informed about important trends and items of popular interest.) You really dropped the ball on this one, my dears!

Favorite line: "How long is this song? Girl, this can not be healthy!"

Sunday morning...

...while her mama typed up this week's puzzle segment (Weekend Edition Sunday always features a puzzler with Will Shortz), May Bee snoozed away in the sunshine. It was a three-cups-of-coffee, linger-in-your-flannel-pajamas sort of morning--complete with beautiful music, courtesy of Sunday Baroque. 

Oh, and that's one more reason to visit my church, HOPE Church of Christ...we meet at FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON. Just sayin'.

A week ago today...

...Philip took me to the Compton Family Thanksgiving. We had so much fun! (Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome.)

And two days before that, on Thanksgiving Day, Philip and I actually cooked together! Two of our favorite recipes of the day below.

"Everything Stuffing" 
(adapted from Taste of Home's recipe at

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/-Everything--Stuffing/Print )

You might want to use Bette Votral's original recipe at the link above. I used the low-sodium broth, omitted the shitake mushrooms, and left out the added sage since I used sage sausage. (I also added a little hot sausage to spice the recipe up a little!)

The great thing about this recipe, besides being yummy, is that you make it in the crock pot...which leaves your oven free to bake other things. Pretty handy, huh?

1 lb. sage sausage
1/2 lb. hot sausage
4 cups seasoned stuffing cubes
1 1/2 cups crushed corn bread stuffing
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans (some chopped, some quartered for aesthetic appeal)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. pepper


2 C. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer
pink; drain. Place in a large bowl. Stir in the stuffing cubes, corn
bread stuffing, pecans, parsley, salt and pepper.

In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion, apple and celery in
butter until tender. Stir into stuffing mixture. Add enough broth to
reach desired moistness. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and
cook on low for 3 hours, stirring once. Yield: 9 servings.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie 

See the Pioneer Woman demonstrate every step at:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/nantucket-cranberry-pie/ 

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful.

Ours sure was!

Fun and games CANCELLED.

Well, the fun and games I predicted on Monday did NOT happen. Not only did my cold get worse and worse during the day (HONK! sniffle, sniffle! COUGH! sniffle! HONK!), but the morning started with an unpleasant jolt.

"Oh, no! Someone dropped their Blistex as they left the library!"

"GAH! Wait!! That's NOT Blistex! Ugh...I have to go boil myself now!!!"

Fun and games

Today, as Kirsten plays "Tante Kirsten" to her new-born niece and nephew in Arizona, we'll be decorating the library for Christmas! (Three classes of speech students are on the schedule, but the rest of the day will be fun and games!)

Yeah.

I climbed that. (It was NOT my idea.)

We sat on top of the grain bin and ate wheat right out of the trap door on the top.

And then my favorite Blood Donor and I watched the sun set.

(Oh, and there may have been a smooch or two...)

Conan TOMORROW!

Can't wait! Can't WAIT! While I'm *not* looking forward to the 11 p.m. drive home from Philip's house afterward (since I can't make myself break down and pay for cable), the thought that we're gonna' be watching Conan TOMORROW makes me so happy!


Okay, so while I was in Fentress with Bethany last weekend, Philip sent a camera phone pic he snapped of the Conan blimp...right over ABILENE, of all places. Last night, though, we found out that Philip's son, Brandon, got to see the blimp touch down at the Eastland airport and refuel (who knew Eastland had an airport?)  just a few hours before Philip snapped it! Check out the photos he managed to get...

Thanks for the new desktop wallpaper, Brandon!

And in related Conan news...

Click HERE for today's NPR story about Conan's return to late night.

Or HERE for Yarn Blimp!



P.S. Feel free to call me at 9 p.m. tomorrow. Or even 11. (10 p.m. is NOT an option.)