Friday, December 31, 2010

Best of 2010

I figure all the Phoenix Magazines and Newspapers have a Best of, so I wanted to do my own version! :-)

BEST BLOG ENTRY
The Spohrs Are Multiplying "Moving Violation" I must think about this blog like fifteen times a week and laugh to myself. I even told Pat about it. He doesn't care about blogs, but he laughed!

BEST FAMILY VACATION
Knott's Berry Farm, although Laughlin was a very very close second.

BEST NIGHT OUT
Lori, Katie, their high school religion teacher (who is now a friend because Lori worked with her) and two sisters Lori knows from soccer all went to the Arcadia Postino one night when Lori was in town over Thanksgiving. I learned that my abdominal muscles are SEVERELY out of shape because the laughter that night KILLED my stomach. I had to make my stop laughing because it hurt so bad.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT I TRIED THIS YEAR
DEFINITELY St. Francis, HANDS DOWN!

BEST HOLIDAY
Easter for sure, always so relaxed and fun.

BEST PICTURE
Pat doing the grass shot at Jamba Juice on Mother's Day!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Gets Better with Age


For those of you who don't hang out with Pat on a regular basis, you probably have not had the pleasure of hearing him talk about how he gets better looking with age. Seriously, he talks about it all the time! It is hysterical, and a constant source of entertainment (except maybe when I look in the mirror and don't share the same sentiment about myself, but I digress!). Since meeting him almost 12 years ago, I have heard about how he thinks he looks like Harrison Ford, that he is the white Denzel Washington, and his latest "twin" is Ryan Reynolds. It must be AMAZING to have the self confidence that Pat has.

Anyway, my grandma ADORES him, and if she happens to be over when he gets home from work, she oohs and aahs and gushes over how great he looks in his suit, shirt, tie, sweater, WHATEVER! It is really quite funny because we all know she will start talking about it the moment he walks in the door. This Christmas Eve, I had the kids in jeans and t-shirts, I was in jeans and a black shirt, and out walks Pat in his shirt, tie, sweater vest and dress slacks.

The moment we arrived at my grandma's house, she starts gushing about his outfit, and it was STILL GOING ON when we were on the dessert course of the meal. Just what Pat's ego needed, a little more hearing about how wonderful he looks.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Homemade Christmas

I tried REALLY hard to not buy gift cards this Christmas. Sure it is fun going to spend them after the holidays, and TRUST me, I appreciate gift cards, and I love to get them, I just wanted everyone to have a little something to play with or open on Christmas. For two special families in our lives, I made homemade freezer meals and gave it to them to take home and enjoy at their leisure. Some were Pioneer Woman (LASAGNA, MAC AND CHEESE, OATMEAL CRISPIES, PIZZA DOUGH), some were good ole stand bys (CHICKEN IN THE CROCK POT, TACO MEAT, SLOPPY JOE MEAT), and another was a new fav(GREEN CHICKEN)! I know I would love not having to cook for a week or so, so I really embraced giving people what I would want!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Loyalty

"Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a trustworthy man?" Proverbs 20:6

I am loyal to a fault. You know when you go on job interviews and people ask you what your best and worst quality is? I always say that I am loyal as my best quality. However, lately, I am beginning to wonder if it is one of my worst qualities. I only say this because I am loyal to those I love and cherish, and I am not so loyal to those that rub me the wrong way. I need to work on this. I also get very hurt and feel quite sorry for myself when people are not as loyal as I believe they should be to me. Instead, I need focus on my actions and not worry so much about others. It is wonderful that I am so loyal, but who am I to demand it in return. I think I will focus on this as the new year approaches.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

After the Party is the After Party!

When I read in the local newspaper that the hotel down the street from us was hosting a Christmas party for kids, I thought it would be the PERFECT way to get in the holiday spirit. As with most things, Pat was supposed to go with us, he was late, showed up as we were almost done, but I am trying not to let this bother me AS MUCH as it used to. HOWEVER, I will one hundred percent admit that this is one of those events where I could have used about 8 extra hands!!!! It was incredible, and I think I would have been a little more relaxed if I had another set of eyes, ears and HANDS!!!!!!!!

Each department in the hotel had a booth set up. We made the HUGE mistake of going to the culinary department first, and they had GINORMOUS gingerbread cookies to decorate. They had tons of toppings and frosting, and the woman working there was darling, helping me with both of them. LOOK AT THESE COOKIES. . .





I say mistake of going to that booth first because GUESS WHO WAS STUCK CARRYING AROUND SAID CREATIONS!!!!!!!!!! I had no hands left to do anything, and at each booth they got prizes, stickers, reindeer food, etc. They had a Wii set up and a bowling game where you rolled the ball down the alley to elves. SOOOOOO FUN! Secretly I was hoping there would be some Candy Cane Martinis for the moms who were schlepping all the stuff around, but quite honestly, I would have had NO WHERE to put it! :-) They had hot chocolate and eggnog, popcorn, and Santa even made an appearance. All this for the grandiose price of two cans of food. TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY WORTH IT! As we were leaving Jackson told me that the Christmas Party was better than eating!!!! Those of you who know him, know that is saying A LOT!




Afterwards we went to Islands and had a great family dinner. By great I mean, we had dinner and listened to Tyler whine the entire time. She was one tired pup!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Polar Express

I got one item off my Christmas list for sure this year, and I definitely BELIEVE in Santa. What an AMAZING experience it was to head straight to the North Pole and see where the elves and Santa are hard at work preparing for Christmas.

The kids have talked for weeks about going to the North Pole and telling Santa what they want for Christmas, and would you believe it, you couldn't get a word out of them when they were sitting on his lap. They sat and stared at him in amazement. It was really sweet. I did find out that Jackson wants a clock and the Super Mario game for DS, while Tyler wants a Hannah Montana CD and DVD. Did you know Santa has a limit on how many things you can request? You can tell Santa TWO items you REALLY want, and then after that, Santa gets to pick more things he thinks you might like if you have been REALLY good! (The picture isn't the best because they made me turn off my flash, and my pictures are always so fuzzy without it, why is that?)




The train ride was super fun, though I thought I was going to toss my cookies watching everyone chow down on chocolate chip cookies and a hot chocolate chaser! If you don't know by now, I CANNOT really stand sweets, a Vanilla ice cream cone from McDonald's occasionally, but the sweet and sweet combination was leaving my mouth COATED in a sick film, and I didn't have a taste of either. The kids loved it and were PLENTY sugared up for all the Christmas singing fun that occurred on the ride. I have to admit that it was SUPER fun singing the songs along with the rest of the passengers on the train, and I liked all the hand motions and movements that went along with it. My most favorite part of the ride would DEFINITELY have to be the chefs that were on board leading the singing. None of them had super voices, and I think that was KEY to it being such an amazing success. You didn't have to have a great voice, it was just about having fun.

When Tyler heard Santa was on the train, her eyes didn't deviate from the door that he was going to come through. She was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to see him. She was a far cry from the terrified little girl that was Tyler. She is growing up so quickly and is much more willing to try things as long as mommy,daddy, or Jackson are nearby. I am pretty certain Jackson was in a food coma. He enjoyed himself, but he was much more reserved. He was so cute standing up and singing, "Five Golden Rings" in his "manly" voice with Patrick as requested by the chefs.






My recommendations if you go: bring your own copy of the Polar Express (I CANNOT STAND BEING READ ALOUD TO), DECK YOURSELF OUT (if you are the freakiest of freaky in your pajamas, you still won't be the most decked out), DECK YOURSELF OUT NO MATTER YOUR AGE, and bring ear plugs for when your kids receive their gift of a jingle bell from Santa on the train and ring it until it mysteriously disappears OR in our case is now sitting in a "treasured" spot on a HIGH shelf!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

FAVORITE Phoenix Area RESTAURANTS

After my blog the other day, I am surprised if anyone is still reading my blog-HELLO SCROOGE MUCH!!!!!!! Seriously, it is just the stress of the holiday season. I am dying to have that fresh cut tree smell in my house, snuggling up on the couch to watch some Christmas movies and a fire in the fireplace. I really do like this season!

I thought I would give everyone some restaurants I happen to love because I get texts and emails ALL THE TIME about where my favorite places are. I will also include a list of places I am dying to try in case you are in need of a Christmas gift for me, you can go get a gift card or two!

1. POSTINO-without a doubt my most favorite place in Phoenix to eat.

2. Cibo is a CLOSE second!

3. District Kitchen at the Sheraton in Downtown Phoenix

4. Lolo's Chicken and Waffles-just over all fun-good entertainment, people watching, etc.

5. Dilly's Deli

6. Gallo Blanco

7. Bomberos-I could seriously eat at a wine bar EVERY NIGHT!

8. Matt's Big Breakfast

9. Uncle Sam's

10. Valle Luna and Macayo's come in as a tie because I used to LOVE Valle Luna when they gave you bean dip as an appetizer, then they took that away, and now I chose Macayo's occasionally because I LOVE THEIR chimichangas.

Places I would like to try.

1. Beckett's Table-we saw Justin Beckett, the first year we went to Phoenix Cooks, participate in an Iron Chef like competition, and I have followed him on twitter through the whole opening and what not.

2. AZ88

3. The Mission

4. Culinary Dropout

5. Joe's Farm Grill

6. BLT Steak

7. FnB

8. Stingray Sushi

9. Geisha a Go Go

10. Nobuo at Teeter House

I would LOVE it if you would leave me your favorite restaurant or, if you have been to any of the ones that I want to go to, tell me about it!!!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. I sometimes think about becoming a Jehovah's Witness so that I can stop celebrating holidays and birthdays. I seriously LOVE all the kids in our life, and we are so blessed that Jackson and Tyler have so many friends and are so loved, that being said, we seriously haven't had a weekend without a birthday party since September, most weekends we have two. Now a lot of the parties are only for one child, so it isn't even something Pat and I can split up and benefit from because we are always with a child trying to do something entertaining with them since they weren't invited to the party, instead of taking turns having some time away from the children. Add in the holidays now, and I am about to lose my mind. Plus since we have to celebrate the holidays with different people, on different days, it is just exhausting trying to plan it all. Seriously, does the Jehovah Witness church allow you to drink???

2. I won tickets to The Nutcracker. SOOOOOOOO excited to take Tyler. I think she is going to LOVE IT! These are the types of activities I would like to have time to do throughout the holiday season.

3. I also want to draw names next year for our family Christmas. I think buying everyone something is exhausting and stupid since most of us just do gift cards, so it is pretty much like buying your own gift, blah blah blah! I will happily buy for the kids, but the adults, do we REALLY need that much stuff?

4. I bought a new nail polish at Target today, and it didn't make it home with me. SAD!

5. I want to make tamales. I think I am running out of days and time to do such a daunting task. BUT, instead of feeling like a failure, I will try next year, or maybe in the Spring when I have less to do.

6. I wrote a note to Jackson's teacher about him missing school on Monday because of the Polar Express, and I apologized profusely. I got an email back from him stating that it was fine if he missed school because he is a "stellar student" but that other kids are missing a week and they need it. I SERIOUSLY think Jackson has this woman wrapped around his little finger. She just gushes about him all the time.

7. We were at Borders the other day, Jackson sat down, opened If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, and read the whole thing. I had tears in my eyes. He did a better job than some of my fourth graders did. He never ceases to amaze me.

8. Tyler is currently obsessed with Victorious:Freak the Freak Out, Shake It Up, Hannah Montana, iCarly, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Sonny with a Chance. Please tell me where my little girl went??? How is she already watching shows where the stars are in rehab and posing for Playboy?

9. Holly Robinson Peete and Hugh Hefner tweeted me this week! By far my most famous shout outs so far. Well, Howie Mandel might be a little more famous????

10. I am officially addicted to twitter. ADDICTED!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Ten Eight on Tuesday Wednesday

*While I began this yesterday, I just ran out of time!*

1. I don't claim to be crafty, but I would like to be. On Thanksgiving, we did a family craft project. I found a new blog I love Tatertots and Jello. Seriously, with a name like that, it can't be bad. She obviously has fantastic photo abilities as well, some people have all the luck, so her wreath looks super bright and lovely, but I think ours turned out pretty darn cute too (picture from my cell phone because I am too lazy to get up and find my camera)!




2. My DVR is just about to send me over the edge. Didn't record any of my shows Monday night while I was watching football. UGH, that is the WORST feeling to me!

3. I am REALLY anxious right now, and I am trying to tell myself that everything happens for a reason, but seriously,I don't know that I believe that! Ha!

4. I have this FANTASTIC opportunity to go to New York with my friend, Alissa, in April. She works for Step Up Women's Network, and they are having an event. A shoe event where designers donate shoes, and you can buy them at a discounted price, but the funds go to her non profit. It is said that there will be celebrities there, celebs I happen to LOVE, but I can't bring myself to buy the ticket because I am SUPER nervous about traveling there by myself (Alissa would already be there for work!)! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO disappointed in myself, because I like to think that I am super savvy, but I am so clearly NOT!

5. My only purchase on Black Friday was a $4 Hannah Montana sweatshirt from Walmart. Tyler wore it to school on Tuesday, and you would have thought she MET Hannah Montana. She looked so cute in it, but like complete TRASH at the same time. How is that possible????

6. I am freezing, it might be time to turn on a little heat to get the chill out.

7. I spend WAY too much time on the computer when the kids are at school.

8. Today I am going to record a Z'Tejas radio commercial at a music studio! Watch out world, next up Disney and Dreamworks is going to be knocking down my door to star in my very own movie!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Petz Fantasy Review by Tyler

Jackson and I woke up one morning, and we saw a new DS game sitting on the counter. We knew Christmas was coming, and it is very uncommon for us to get any sort of toys after the month of July because our mommy says, "Put it on your list for Christmas," from about July 1st on. BUT we found out that we get to play this game and tell Mommy how much we like it. When we saw it was a Petz Fantasy Moonlight Magic game we were thrilled because much to our dismay, mommy will NOT let us have a real pet. Mainly because she tells daddy that when he stays home with the kids and pets he may bring another thing for mommy to care for into the house.




Our favorite thing about this game is that it is AGE APPROPRIATE. Being 4 and 5, sometimes the games aren't easy enough for us to play, and we end up asking Mommy for help, and then she ends up playing WAY LONGER than she should-trying just one more time because she LOVES video games too. We also love that even though we aren't both boys or girls, we both love the game. There is something for everyone, no matter what the gender. Since I am a girl, I LOVED being able to dress up the "petz" and change their outfits as often as possible. Jackson, being a boy, liked the mini games and trying to guess which toy, food, cleaning tool was the "petz" favorite!

We usually fight a lot when we are at home, but this game really promoted "working together", and we found ourselves helping each other to try and beat the mini games or remembering which foods, toys, cleaning tools we had already tried. As you increase in Level, it becomes more and more difficult trying to find the favorite. As of the time we wrote this blog, we were only on Level 3, and there were already so many choices of food. It kinds of makes us hungry playing it!

Sometimes Jackson has to try several times before he is to get a Gold Medal in the Magic World and release a new pet, but when he does it is sooooooo exciting. The goal of the game is to unlock 20 "petz". I wonder how long it will take us to unlock them all. Some games, when we turn the game off, we lose all the progress we have made, but this one has an AUTOSAVE feature, and I am telling you, it is genius for kids like us. I think all games should have this feature!

If you want to buy this game for your little ones, mommy says you can go to amazon or Toys R Us to purchase it today.


While Ubisoft provided me with this game to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Gwyneth on GLEE!

I know a lot of you watch GLEE, but some may not, and this performance was BY FAR my most favorite of the season. I was getting pretty close to dropping them from my watch list because I wasn't digging it, but after this I remembered just how great the guest stars could be! I wish I could have legs like her. I swear it seems like they go on for miles! It also makes me smile because it seems as though she is so shy in real life, but she is so INCREDIBLY talented!



And then I saw this clip of her on Chelsea's Big Interview Special, and I fell even more in love!

Monday, November 22, 2010

60th Anniversary Party

Was a fantastic success!

We had a lot of fun, the kids were sooooooooooooo well behaved, and the sound of laughter was EVERYWHERE!

I would say the food was the only disappointing thing. Alexi's Grill is where Pat and I had our Rehearsal Dinner, and I LOVED IT! The food was amazing, the owner is super accomodating, and it is a great central location. Now, 7 and a half years later, I would have to say the food was VERY DISAPPOINTING. I heard the lamb was AMAZING, but the trout and chicken were not causing anyone to do cartwheels. Pat, Mr. BLAH Eater Himself, said that he thought the chicken and vegetables reminded him of something he would get at Luby's!

Anyway, I won't continue on about the food, I will let the pictures speak for themselves!





Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Ten on Tuesday-My Christmas List

1. A new battery for my car. Very excited I know!

2. Coach perfume-I think I liked the one in the square/rectangle bottle better.

3. A mandolin.

4. Crazy Monkey Lady to stop appearing in the hall every time I bring Tyler to school. Seriously, it is getting a little old trying to find something else to look at when we pass one another. This morning she opened the door for me, I said thank you, and she didn't respond! Class act that woman is!

5. MAID!

6. Dreamworks Royal Carribean cruise (I was planning on never going on another Royal Carribean cruise because they didn't have any ranch the last time we went, but I will suffer-OR check to make sure they have ranch before boarding-what if I brought my own bottle on board-HA)!

7. A DVR that doesn't randomly shut off and restart fifteen times a day-which I could easily get, but there is the whole hating people in my house thing, so I suffer through it!

8. Charming Charlie gift card.

9. Target gift card.

10. To believe in Santa!

I just remembered the Glee Christmas CD comes out today-how am I going to fit a trip to Target in to my day? I am feeling completely overwhelmed, and I think it is starting to spiral out of control! :-p

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Christmas Comes EARLY!

I know I will be using Shutterfly for my Christmas cards because it is designed and ready to go in my cart, and while I won't show you which one I chose! I will let you know that I have used Shutterfly to print my Christmas cards since Pat and I were married. I have NEVER had a problem, and I absolutely LOVE how easy it is!

If I could get a picture of my kids together that I like, I would most DEFINITELY use this card because the colors and black are the PERFECT combination in my opinion!



This card is awesome and needs no words on the front because it is a FOLDED card which means you can put your entire message on the inside leaving LOTS of room for pictures. Best part of this card is that 10% of your purchase will go to the American Lung Association!



And there is something whimsical about this final card!




As a bonus I included some of my favorite photo gifts for this holiday season:

What if my little Tyler Gracie got a poster of HER standing next to her favorite Superstar for Christmas. . .that would be QUITE the treat!



Jackson loves to play an sort of sport, what if he could have big wall decals of himself for his bedroom, he would think he was QUITE the superstar!



Now, it's your turn: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Saturday, November 13, 2010

The Great Pumpkin Smash

We decided to do something different with our painted pumpkins this year, and I have to admit, this Family Fun night was the best one we had in awhile. We loaded up our pumpkins and went over to a little bridge in our neighborhood. Each of the kids got to drop their pumpkins off the bridge until they broke. The first time they dropped them, they just kind of bounced and got a crack, but the second time, WATCH OUT! Splatter, seeds, FUN! We put a sheet down and dropped them on the sheet, so when we were done, we just scooped up the sheet and put it back in the wagon and dropped the whole thing in the garbage!

CHEAP EASY FUN! Here are some pictures!!!














Saturday, November 6, 2010

La Piazza al Forno

SUCKED!

I have HUGE remorse paying forty dollars to have eaten there. Our server was FANTASTIC, she was sweet as pie, but the food. . .NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am grief stricken tonight that the place that looked sooooooooo good on Diners Drive Ins and Dives was TERRIBLE! (IN MY OPINION, he is 25% with me: Chino Bandido-NO, the Mexican food restaurant in the gas station around 7th or 19th ave and Union Hills-NO, La Piazza al Forno-NO, Matt's Big Breakfast-YES)

I will watch Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, but I will no longer put forth any credibility in what he says-we do not have the same taste buds-OBVIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

To My New Readers

SOME of you, I have met since the birth of my kids. Some of you have not seen Jackson's hospital picture. Some of you do not believe me when I talk about how he looked when he was born. . .take a look for yourself. This is his hospital picture. He was 9 lbs 9 oz when he was born. I pushed for four hours before he UNFOLDED out of me! This picture makes me smile even on the darkest of days!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Cupcakes

I am a little OBSESSED with the ABC Cake Decorating Supplies! I made these for Tyler's teacher's birthday on Wednesday! I only chose Mickey and Minnie Mouse because there were sooooooooooo many options and I was overwhelmed! I didn't know what to pick!

Christmas Pajamas


Christmas is about the only time of year we get new pajamas around here. We all get matching pajamas pants, it is fun and ONE of the very few constants around these parts. I ordered the pattern for this year, but I don't know where I am going to put them because we are kind of on Christmas pajama overload! I have recently cleaned out my closet, but I can't bring myself to get rid of the Christmas pajamas. Chances are if you come to my house in July, I will still be wearing Christmas pajamas! Why doesn't anyone want me to be on Real Housewives of Phoenix-I am a CLASS ACT I tell you!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. The thought of traveling to The Lodge and learning to cook Holiday Treats with The Pioneer Woman leads me to hyperventilate! Seriously, even entering to win makes me giddy! I don't even have to win, just the thought!

2. I got The Pioneer Woman cookbook for both of Tyler's teachers this year for their birthday, I think I may get it for Jackson's teacher for Christmas. Seriously, is there anyone MORE obsessed with her than I am out there! I guess I just like giving gifts I believe in!

3. I want to try a new restaurant this weekend for Pat's birthday. . .any suggestions? The current ones I want to try are. . .Beckett's Kitchen Table and La Piazza al Forno.

4. I went on a rant on facebook about people not RSVPing, and people who I wasn't even REFERRING to replied! Thank you for your response, but I was talking to the 12 kids I invited in Jackson's class of which ONE has replied so far! WHY IS IT SOOOOOOOOO HARD!!????????????

5. I have big plans for Family Fun night tomorrow, I hope it works out!
6. Shannon and I have a favorite dive bar, I think it should be everyone's favorite dive bar!!! The food is so good, and I think about their nachos once a week!

7. I want a nanny and sushi!

8. Bought some hamburgers from Fresh and Easy-you know, my favorite place-bought the Angus burgers, SOOOOOOOOOOO worth the extra $$$, SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!

9. What is everyone getting their kids for Christmas this year? Does anyone actually NEED another toy in their house!?

10. I locked Jackson's and Tyler's room during the Halloween party because we have TOO MANY toys, and I cannot stand to possibly clean them all up, the Barbie Dream House was enough!! UGH, why do toys have so many small pieces!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Happy Halloween!

What a fantastic Halloween we had!

The kids dressed up (Hannah Montana and Shadow Ninja). . .






We played a FANTASTIC pop the pumpkin balloon game. . .








We got A LOT of candy. . .

AND HAD A GREAT TIME OVERALL!

Thanks to all who came, definitely think this year was better than last, and next year, it can only get better when I get name tags and organize a "GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER TYPE GAME"!

And this morning, the Halloween witch came, we ate some cold pizza for breakfast, Tyler is back in her costume, and will probably lie on the floor and watch TV until it is time for a nap because she is so tired! Jackson-THANK GOD-went to school for a fun filled day!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. DUMB TONY ROMO screwed me. I hate him, I hate the Cowboys, the end! I lost to my mom in Fantasy Football this week, MY MOM!

2. We had Jackson's parent-teacher conference this morning, and the words, "He is my star!" seriously crossed the teacher's lips. She gave this glowing review about how bright he is, but more importantly she said that she has never heard a mean word cross his lips! WHAT KIND OF FREAKING drugs do these teachers who have him take!!!???? I am convinced I need to record him at home so they can see him here! OMG! I love him, and I know he is bright and well behaved at school, but could I get a little of that at home!

3. The love of Tyler's life is coming home with us after school today! Please take a moment to visualize all three of us walking to the bus stop and then all four of us walking home. Do I have to wait for him to go home before I start drinking!?

4. Our pumpkins are growing mold, and as with most things that have mold, I want to throw them out, but really, they should be ok until Sunday night, RIGHT??????

5. Do you think all the Vaseline we slathered on them to preserve the carving added to the mold growth? We have the shiniest pumpkins on the planet right now!

6. I have decided that this will be the last season I watch America's Next Top Model. I don't really get the whole posing thing, and I don't really care if you had a baby when you were twelve, and you are doing this so that they are proud of you. Honestly, I feel old stating the above, but it is just NOT ENTERTAINING TO ME ANYMORE. Tyra and her circus clowns are no longer entertaining.

7. It is soooooooooo hard to get a doctor's appointment between the hours of 9:30 and 12:30 in a timely manner.

8. Pat has six days in a row off at Christmas. Since Tyler has been born, the four of us have NEVER spent six days in a row together. We are certain to kill one another. CERTAIN. AND, if we have spent more than two days together, we have been on some sort of trip-time to start planning some activities.

9. Took Tyler to breakfast this morning. . .Scramble was NOT GOOD! I had a terrible experience there, SAD!

10. Finally, number 10, I have been struggling with what to write, so needless to say, I am VERY happy to see #10!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Gallo Blanco

A GEM! A true gem right in the middle of the business district on Central! Just a little south of Indian School is a street called Clarendon, at Clarendon and 4th Ave, there is a TREAT! The Clarendon Hotel has a restaurant in it that is called Gallo Blanco. If you get Phoenix Magazine, (which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GET IF YOU LIVE IN PHOENIX-MY FAVORITE), you have stared at the Gallo Blanco tacos since their Best of Phoenix issue came out in early September! The picture is worth ONE THOUSAND WORDS!



So thankful that B Mok Revealed had a picture of the appetizer we started with-ChicharrĂ³n de Queso!



IT WAS AMAZING! The cheese was like the cheese that oozes out of the side of a quesadilla and browns, then they roll it into this tower and serve it with the jalapeno dipping sauce (also known as Aji aioli sauce, but since most of us don't really get a clear picture from that title, I like mine better!)-TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!!!!

Then, we should talk about their ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. . .we all enjoyed their FABULOUS margaritas, made with fresh fruit juices and fabulous tequila, but what should REALLY be talked about is the sangria with all sorts of fresh fruit cut up and marinated in the delicious concoction!!! YUM!

So I was finally given the chance to taste the tacos! HEAVENLY, and I love their presentation, they just put them in these taco holders, and the table has to remember what they ordered and divide them up! So cute and fun, very sushi like! I tried the carne asada, pork and fresh fish (ahi tuna)! They each had a VERY unique flavor, and I don't think I could pick a favorite. I am disappointed I didn't try the shrimp because my friend Andrea stated it was her favorite, but now it just means I need to go back!

Their green salsa is delicious and the closest thing I have found to my favorite breakfast taco place in San Antonio.

My friend, Tamara, had Ensalada Cortada which was the tossed salad with many ingredients, but the most important being the corn nuts. She gushed about the corn nuts with each and every bite. She said the corn nuts MADE the salad, and in my opinion, corn nuts are a GREAT addition to each and every dish! I LOVE CORN NUTS!

My friend, Shannon, had the Arroz Verde, and when I asked her to review it for me, this is what she had to say:

"The salsa had some kick to it so I don't think I finished all of it. It was
soooooo good balanced with the rice though. People who like a little more spice
than I do would truly enjoy it. Nice side item to go along with all the flavors
of the tacos. Yum!"

She also reviewed the lime tart she and Andrea shared for their birthday:

"The Lime tart was DELICIOUS. It was not too tart and just the right amount of
sweet. The fresh lime taste was so good. The whipped cream on top was homemade
and very light, and the graham crust was not overpowering. A bit different from
the key lime pie that I love so much. Presentation wasn't too exciting - almost
like I had baked it myself at home and plopped a square of it on a plate with a
dollop of whipped cream on top."

BUT WAIT, the review doesn't stop there, we happened to go on a Wednesday night, and the place was PACKED. That's because on Wednesday from 7-9 they have Flamenco dancers come and perform. It was great fun, and the dancers really have a lot of talent.

I know I will definitely need to go back because this place serves breakfast ALL DAY, and in my opinion, breakfast is the best meal of the day! Can't wait for my return trip!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Wacky Saturday Fun!

We had sooooooooo much fun yesterday, and it was TOTALLY unexpected fun! Jackson had a BINGO night at his school Friday night, and he didn't go to bed until TEN! So, needless to say, he was EXHAUSTED on Saturday. We had plans to go to Ocktoberfest downtown at Cityscape, but there is no way he would have made it and been pleasant, so we altered our plans and carved/painted pumpkins after a short nap. I had big plans to do a Hannah Montana pumpkin for Tyler, but I was not a fan of any of the patterns, so I chose a Hello Kitty pumpkin instead. Jackson's was a Mario pumpkin all the way! I like to think that Pat and I have MAD pumpkin carving skills, but once you've carved one pumpkin, you can pretty much do anything!






While Pat and I carved, the kids painted their pumpkins!






After all the Halloween fun, Pat and I headed off to the AZ State Fair to see Bret Michaels in concert. You may remember that I developed a little crush on him while he was on Celebrity Apprentice! There is just something so soothing about his talking voice. I had never really heard any of his earlier LOUD HEAVY ROCK MUSIC! OMG, the people watching at the concert was amazing. Pat and I tried DESPERATELY to get pictures of the outfits these people were wearing. I will include a picture of what I wore, just so you know I wasn't wearing a bedazzled half top and a tiny skirt with knee high boots (NO JOKE WHEN I SAY SOME SIXTY YEAR OLD THERE WAS WEARING THAT!)




I think I was prepared for the girls to have on crazy outfits, but the MEN were EQUALLY as crazy. I don't know how many blond hair men with bandannas and straw cowboy hats were there! Seriously! It was PRICELESS! I will completely admit that I had tears in my eyes when he hit the stage. It was just so amazing to see him rocking out after having a stroke! Medicine at its very finest! I will also admit that I was scared I was going to get beat up in the bathroom because I don't think a lot of the people attending the concert had fallen in love with him on Celebrity Apprentice like I did! HA!



I have never been to such a RIDICULOUSLY loud concert before. My ears are still bleeding today! The drum was seriously like jiggling my belly fat! And the couple who was making out in front of us! OH MY GOD, I could just seriously go on for days about the people watching!