Loving the Weather

Fall is paying us a little visit this week here in Florida. Tonight is going to get into the 40s. I love this weather!!!

As you can see, it's an exciting week for me since I am blogging about the weather. :) I guess I could tell you that Jacob is dressing up as a fireman for the Fall Festival on Friday. Or perhaps you want to know that I bought 100 pairs of scissors today for my boss to use at one of her upcoming speaking engagements. Maybe you would find it interesting that our early voting hours have been changed from 10 am to 6 pm to 7 am to 7 pm. Or then there is this little tid bit of information...if Cloris Leachman is not voted off of DWTS, then I am going to boycott the show until she is gone! :)

Perhaps...This is It?!?!

Thanks to everyone who gave me their advice on my dress dilemma. I appreciated the comments and the phone calls. I would like you all to know that I took your advice. Dreamlady, I tried on a purple dress...it wasn't me! :) Stuart and Michelle, I went to Nordstrom's. I tried on 7 different dresses there...one I tried on twice. I have tried on red dresses, blue dresses, lots of black dresses, and even a pink dress. Snow, I looked for a burgundy dress, but I haven't seen lots in that hue. :)

I can tell you that the style right now is short and low cut, but in spite of that, this is what I found today.

Looks like a very basic black dress.

Removing the jacket reveals the detail.

And a close up.

I think this is it. Any thoughts?

Quick Update

I have no desire to leave you all hanging on by a thread regarding my dress conundrum, so I thought I would give you a quick update.

The Dillard's that was having a 75% off sale ended up being a bust...well, when it came to a dress. However, I did find a cute pair of brown shoes and a pair of pants. Don't get me wrong, there were dresses and they were cheap. I even tried on four. Two weren't quite dressy enough, one was too short, and one...well, it just wasn't "the dress."

Today I went to Macy's were I did purchase "a dress." I don't think it is "the dress" either, but it has potential. I'm going to keep looking and don't worry I'm sure I'll keep you all posted. Maybe I'll even post a picture when I make my final decision.

Well, I am about to head out. I am having dinner with friends and then going to see "The Rock and The Rabbi." Hope you are all having a great weekend!!!

Conundrum

Four weeks from tonight is the annual gala for my work. Here's the deal...I have nothing to wear. I honestly haven't even begun looking so I have no idea what I'll find. Even worse, I have no idea what I want to wear. Last year I looked for a black dress because I hear every woman should have one. I ended up with this:

And while I think this is my all time favorite dress I've ever owned, I can't wear it again. Besides the fact that I wore it last year, it is too big. (In case you can't tell it is a sapphire blue with a black overlay, but not solid black. Sigh...maybe next year I'll have it altered and wear it again.)

So, I am coming to you, my blog readers, and giving you an opportunity to weigh in.

Should I go with something classic? Black?
Maybe bold and red?
Any suggestions on where to shop?

I'm going to sit here on the couch and watch the World Series and do a little looking online. If I find anything that I like I'll get back on and post some pictures. Until then, let me know what you think.

Sharpe Cookies

There is something about Fall that brings out the inner baker in me. If you know me at all, you most likely know that I really enjoy cooking and baking. While living overseas I really perfected my baking skills out of necessity. Now I have to get the "hankering"...well, that isn't entirely true, but I do try to limit the "goodies" that come out of the kitchen so I don't weigh 500 pounds!

This recipe is actually one that I was introduced to in college by one of my Sunday School teachers. Several months ago I ran across the blog of another one of my Sunday School teacher's daughter. She might have been in high school back then, but I'm thinking junior high. Well, she is in med school now and has quite the cooking blog. So Claire, thanks for putting the recipe on your blog so I could share it on mine!

Sharpe Cookies

2 sticks (one cup) softened unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

(Please ignore the remnants of the pot of coffee in this picture...It was from this morning and I did clean it out when the first batch was in the oven.)

Cream together butter and sugars until very smooth (the recommendation was for about 5 minutes).

That looks about right.

Then add the egg and the vanilla and mix. Here are my two cents...I love chocolate, but I also love vanilla. Especially that which hails from south of the border. Last year about this time my mom sent me a bottle of some Mexican vanilla which just makes everything better in life! I tend to overflow the measuring spoon when I add the vanilla...so I basically added a little over a teaspoon.

Mix together flour, salt, and soda. Add slowly to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips.

Spoon tablespoon sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet. Claire says you should use an air bake cookie sheet or a stone. I happened to have a stone so I used that. (However, when I pulled out the second batch and burned my thumb on the rack, I thought about chucking it across the kitchen!) Bake at 350 for 11 to 13 minutes. Here is where I made a mistake. I like my cookies not quite done. They need to be done for this recipe. Don't get me wrong, they were good, but a mess!

This was my second batch and was much better than the first since the were more well done.

Here's the tricky part...and I'm not talking about trying to take this picture...

Use the sides of two spoons to "smush" the sides in. The great thing is that you can't do it wrong. AND if you are like me an occasionally put a finger or thumb into the cookie when removing them from the oven, you can't tell after this step!

Voila! You're done and your cookies should resemble a Sharpe puppy!

Now, here is the crucial step...take the cookies to work or anywhere so that you are not tempted to consume the entire batch! Grab a glass of milk (in my case fat free, lactose free Smart Balance milk) and enjoy one or two or three or....Put some ice on that thumb and enjoy!

Things I Thought I Would Never Say

1. Is this shirt too low cut to wear to church? Okay so that wasn't the exact question, but you get the picture. AND I did grab a tank to put on underneath.
2. How old should you be when you stop wearing shorts/pants with words written across the bottom?
3. I'm really struggling to get into Dancing with the Stars this season.
4. This tangerine Diet Rite is actually pretty good.
5. The Bucs and the Rays both won yesterday!
6. No, I will not got to Dick's Sporting Goods at 6 am when they open to get a Rays shirt!
7. Stumpy is dead. (Sigh.)
8. I taught my brother to shave his legs. (For the record it was Roger and he had an ankle injury that required taping.)
9. No, Abbey, I do not want any funnel cake.
   
10. Who's that knocking on my door at 9:39 pm?..."Mr. Pizza Delivery Man, I'm sorry you have the wrong apartment."
    

Beautiful Morning!!!

It is an absolutely beautiful morning! It's 60 degrees outside. I think the Fall Fairy must have visited some point late yesterday afternoon or during the night. It made for the most pleasant run to date!

Oh and I thought I would let you all know that Jeff posted their Disney pictures over at their blog. Check out LandLife and you can see that I was actually there. ;0)