Quick excerpt

Because newwavegurly said to:

Instructions:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.v

"I smiled. I had totally misjudged Kelly, but I had learned my lesson. Maybe we could still hang out after I moved."

Excerpt from "Bundle of Joy" by Ariella Papa. My book of the month as decreed by chicklitbooks.com.

Wanna hear something really strange? Number 2 in the instructions state to open the book to page 123. Well, guess what page I am currently on and have my bookmark on?? 123!!!! SPOOKY!!!

'80s Music Trivia

'80s Music Trivia
By Joyce Philbeck and Ali Rand

No matter where you were in the '80s -- working as a waitress in a cocktail bar or just small town girl livin' in a lonely world -- the music and videos are as popular now as they were when leg warmers and big hair were in style. Find out how much you remember about the '80s without renting 16 Candles or The Breakfast Club.

Take the QUIZ.
______________________________________________________________________

Music Trivia Quiz: Level 2


Now that you've aced our Music Trivia Quiz: Level 1, it's time for you to prove your worth with Level 2. See if your music trivia knowledge is top-notch. Good luck!

Academy Award Losers

In honor of the Oscars last nite, I found this quiz:

Academy Award Losers
By Suzy Byrne


Jack Nicholson has three. Meryl Streep has two. Even Ben Affleck has one ‑- albeit not for his acting. We're talking about Oscars, folks ‑- those shiny little golden men awarded to the best of the best in the movie-making industry. But whether the best of the best have truly been recognized is up for discussion. Believe it or not, some top stars, like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant, have never won. Who else? Well, take our trivia challenge and find out...

Take the QUIZ.

Interesting Optical Illusion

optical-illusion-wheels-circles-rotating
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

Interesting optical illusion
Zack Lynch posted this fabulous optical illusion. [Converted from Word to HTML/PNG in the interest of portable standards]

If you take a look at the following picture , let me tell you ... it is not animated. Your eyes are making it move. To test this, stare at one spot for a couple seconds and everything will stop moving. Or look at the black center of each circle and it will stop moving. But move your eyes to the next black center and the previous will move after you take your eyes away from it.... Weird

Dog Blog Friday

DevilTonka
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. AMEN!

Retro Crush

For all you pop-culture junkies, courtesy of my brother:

RETRO CRUSH: The 100 Greatest TV Theme Songs

The Emperor's New Clothes

After 11.3 wks - 53 lbs Front 021705
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

For those of you out in Blog-land that are keeping up with my weight loss, thought you'd like to see a recent picture taken in new clothes that are 4..yes, count them....FOUR sizes smaller than just 3 short months ago. And if you want to follow the picture trail, then click here.

TTFN!!

Am I...HOT or NOT???

Please rate me!!! HOT OR NOT

The Fat Dutch Kid

Check out "The Fat Dutch Kid"...you'll laugh until your cry! Make sure you have the sound on. Thanks Ms. G for letting me steal it.

Dog Blog Friday

Tonka Yawn 020105
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

Shushy time for Tonka!

Chick Lit

For some time now, I have been a huge fan of Chick Lit. No not, Chicklet's the chewing gum (would you believe that I couldn't find a link to a Chicklet's website??), but CHIC- LIT...as in Chic Literature. It's a "new" genre of books defined as:

Chick lit is a genre comprised of books that are mainly written by women for women. The books range from having main characters in their early 20's to their late 60's. There is usually a personal, light, and humorous tone to the books. Sometimes they are written in first-person narrative; other time they are written from multiple viewpoints. The plots usually consist of women experiencing usual life issues, such as love, marriage, dating, relationships, friendships, roommates, corporate environments, weight issues, addiction, and much more. (taken from "What is Chic Lit?" as defined on http://chicklitbooks.com/)

So, as a Single woman in her 30's you can see why I can relate to these books and love reading them!

One of my favorite Chick Lit author's is Jennifer Weiner (pronounced Why-ner not Weeee-ner) whom I actually met at a book signing last year! Hi JEN! Remember me? We connected over TIVO! Ms. Weiner has 3 books: Good In Bed, which is not what is sounds like. (I will never forget when my mother saw this book in my car and raised an eyebrow at me!) This book is in the works of being made into a tv show for HBO! Move over Carrie (Sex and The City)...here comes Cannie!

Speaking of Sex and the City (which I miss terribly and watch reruns of every chance that I can get) this new show is being compared to it: Jake In Progress I for one can't wait to see a show based on the same premise told from the male point of view. And I don't care what anyone says, John Stamos has still got it! Forget about Uncle Jesse and Blackie...Jake is here! :-) J.I.P also stars one of my favorite actresses, Julie Bowen of "ED" fame. She will have a recurring role...hopefully as a love interest for Jake.

SIDE NOTE: On the note of "ED", I didn't get into that show until the last 2 seasons. But luckily they are showing it from the beginning on TBS...wooohoo!!

OK, so back to Jennifer Weiner's Chick Lit books. Her second book, In Her Shoes, has already been made into a movie starring Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine. I listed Toni first before Cameron even though IMDB listed Cameron first and she is the bigger star. But Toni's role as Rose is the staring role . Granted, the book is told from all 3 people's point of view. But the main character is Rose. At least in my opinion. Plus she gained some weight to play the plus-sized role. This is the second time that she has done that, once before for an all time favorite movie of mine: Muriel's Wedding. The movie version of In Her Shoes also stars Mark Feuerstein of TV's Good Morning, Miami which I actually enjoyed for the first season. Of course once the guy got the girl and the other guy the other girl who didn't even want to begin with, the show went to hell in a handbasket. But I have always liked Mark Feuerstein and have been rooting for him to get a show that lasts. Not many people remember him in Conrad Bloom...but I do! And of course he was adorable in Caroline In The City.

But I digress...yet again! The topic at hand is Chic Lit, specifically Jennifer Weiner's books. Her third, and last book to date is Little Earthquakes. This is the book that I have an autographed copy of. I also have a picture of Ms. Weiner and myself from this signing:

This picture, along with my pix w/ Carnie Wilson, is one of my most prized photographs! I only wish that more of my favorite authors would have book signing in South Florida.

A LIST: Of some of my favorite Chic Lit Authors:

Jennifer Weiner

Sophie Kinsella

Jane Green

Marian Keyes

Melissa Senate

Anna Maxted

Sarah Mlynowski

One of my favorite things about Jennifer Weiner is that she BLOGS! In fact, her Blog was the very 1st one that I ever read! Not only did I read it and check it every day diligently, I went back and read her 3 years of archived blogs! She writes her blog like her books. So since she doesn't have a new book out and her movies/tv shows are coming out for a while....I can get a taste of Ms Weiner on an almost daily basis!

And that is the whole point of my blog entry for today! What a long way around to getting to that point? Guess I blog like I talk, eh?

TTFN!!

AMAZING...

Amazing how a little thing like losing 53 lbs of fat and getting some new clothes can make you feel. Amazing how it boosts your self confidence and gives you energy that you haven't had in at least 10 years. Imagine how I will feel after loosing 100 lbs?! And 130??? I think that I am going to become even more of a shopoholic than I already am. For several years now, I concentrated my shopping efforts on purses, jewelry, home goods and presents. But NOW...watch out...it's all about the CLOTHES and the SHOES! Oh my god...THE SHOES!! What I've been missing all these years! I am down from an 8 1/2 or 9 wide to an 8 regular. I have already given away at least 20 pairs of my old shoes and am sorely missing having the selection to chose from. I am trying to not buy too many pairs of shoes in my new size. Several people have warned me that I could either go down to a smaller size or even possibly bounce back up...god forbid! In the meantime, I am trying to buy inexpensive shoes. I've bought several pair at Payless and even hit DSW and got a pair of gorgeous MODA shoes for less than $30! Such a bargain! Tonite, I am hitting my 5th Payless in 2 weeks time and finally buying these beauties in black:

One of my other favorite places to buy expensive shoes at discount prices is Shoe Buffet. Dontcha just lurv the name?? Unfortunately, every time I've gone recently they don't have anything for me in my size. :-( But alas...they get new shipments every week...I believe it is time for a lil visit. Hey, I figure if I can't go to All-You-Can-Eat Buffets anymore, at the very least I can go to an All-You-Can-Shop Shoe Buffet!!

Safer Than Michael Jackson's

SaferThanMichaelJacksons
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

Courtesy of my friend Ila.

Gorgonzola Pork Chops

Delicous and SUPER eaasy recipe from my B-Fri:

Gorgonzola Pork Chops

Instructions

Gorgonzola Topped Pork Chops
From Cooking Light, January 03 issue

Ingredients:
1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced into 4 portions (or you can just use 4 boneless pork chops at 4 ounces each - see step 1 of instructions)
1 teaspoon oil
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons minced bottled garlic
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup beef broth
¼ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese

1. Place the pork between 2 sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap; pound to 1 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin (this was for tenderloin- I buy chops to skip this step).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Combine garlic, pepper, and salt; rub over both sides of pork. Add pork to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan and keep warm.
3. Add broth and wine to skillet, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Increase the heat to high, and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 6 minutes). Spoon sauce over pork, sprinkle with cheese.

4 servings

Kissing Horoscope

What will they think of next?

Scorpio Kissing Horoscope

You skip the kiss and get to straight to … whatever comes next for you. Your Relationship Potential: It could be a fun fling, or it could be the love of your life. Sample'>http://www.tkqlhce.com/pr83r09608OQQXQYYTOXXPYTWS?sid=vday">Sample your free reading for more details.

What's" Your Kissing Horoscope?.

Are you Romantic or Realistic?

You Are A Realistic Romantic

You are more romantic than 70% of the population. It's easy for you to get swept away by romance...But you've done a pretty good job keeping perspective.You're still taken in by love poems and sunsetsYou just don't fall for every dreamy pick up line!

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Dog Blog Friday

BathTime2
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

Tonka had a bath last nite. Boy does he love to get in the tub! He especially likes to drink the water from the tub as he is bathing in it.

Unbelievable Photo of Tsunami

TSUNAMI
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

My friend Randy sent me this:

This may be the most impressive picture I've seen. It gives me a better understanding of how 150,000 people perished in this disaster. I don't think any of us really understand how big or how bad this wave was. If you look at this picture that was taken right before the wave hit, it will send a chill down your spine. Just look at the top of the wave compared to the top of the building it is about to hit.

This picture was taken by an employee of Kelloggs.

Dog Blog Friday

Tonka Yawn 020105
Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

After another hard night of Tonka Training, we are shushy!!

I'm Melting....

At least the weight is melting off of me!!

Originally uploaded by Deblyn71.

WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

Well, almost 50...49.5 lbs to be exact. But I got my period last nite and am bloated as heck, so I am sure it's probablay over 50 lbs! Regardless, mom is taking me shopping. Just gonna get the basics cause I will be shrinking out of those in a few weeks or so and will have to go again. Oh darn! To HAVE to go shopping cause everything is too big! What a shame! Heeheehee. :-)

I think we are going to go to Sawgrass. I need new pants, shirts and shoes. And maybe one or two new bras. I can make do with everything else. Plus, I am doing a clothing exchange soon with my new friends from USB. And rockinteach dropped off a huge bag of her old clothes last week. Not sure that I can get into those just yet...maybe another 15 lbs or so.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TONKA!!

Today is my puppy's 1st birthday! Oh how I wish I had gotten him shortly after he was born instead of 7 months later, when he was fully grown. How adorable he must have been when he was tinier. I took him to PetSmart for a new leash, some treats and a new toy. The toy that I bought him is called Molecule Ball. So I bring it home and fill it with all sorts of Tonka's favorite treats. He LOVES it...played with it the rest of the night. Unfortunately, a few of the larger sized treats got stuck inside and won't come out the opening. Needless to say, Tonka was going nuts trying to get those last 2 treats out. He even brought the Molecule Ball to bed with us! I couldn't get those treats out either. It got so bad that Tonka started chewing through the Ball to get to those treats! I finally had to take it away from so I could go to sleep. This of course was not an easy task. I wound up having to throw a treat (from the stash that I keep in my nite stand) across the room and taking the Ball and putting in a drawer. Tonka was looking all over for it when he came back to bed. He kept looking under the covers and the pillow. He finally gave up and forgot about it and went to sleep.


TTFN!

Recipe

Was talking to my Best Friend (B.F.) today about recipes. She is doing Weight Watchers and I am on the post-op diet, Stage 4 from my surgery and we are both cooking a lot. We started talking about Shephard's Pie. She remembers the one that I have been making for years that I grew up eating on the rare occassion that Mom cooked. Of course we always call it simply Meat Pie. It's funny, when she use to make it, I didn't like cheeseburgers and flat out refused to eat it if there was any cheese on it. Now, I love it with cheese so much, that I put twice as much more then she use to! Anyway, my B.F. asked me to send her the recipe. I've been making it for so long that I don't even have the recipe! I wrote it out and sent it to her and thought that I'd share it here as well. Hope you enjoy!!

Mom’s Meat Pie (also known as Shephard’s Pie)

1 – 1.5 lbs Ground Beef (or ground Turkey)
1 Can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup
1 Can of LeSeur Baby Peas
3 Pkgs of Idaho Instant Potatos
2 slices of Kraft American Cheese
Paprika to taste (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350. On the stovetop, brown the ground beef and drain. Poor into a casserole dish, add peas and tomato soup; mix well. Add a layer of instant potatos (already made) and then break of medium sizes pieces of the american cheese and place on sparatically on top of the mashed potatos. Sprinkle paprika on top for taste. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese and soup bubble.
Yield 4-6 servings.