Modern Family

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Football and Potatoes

I'm looking for a red velvet cake recipe. I've got one and I made a bunch of cupcakes with it, but I don't think they were moist enough...so I'm trying to trouble shoot the recipe over at Food Network.com and I stumbled upon this...

aren't they adorable??

Ah, well...

My attire clearly has no effect on the outcome of a Bengals football game.

You're Welcome, Bengal Nation

If the Bengals had won any of their last two games, they would have clinched their spot in the play-offs and given the city that has supported their abysmal existence an early Christmas present. Instead, we had to wait for that to happen today against the Cheifs.

Because the Steelers ended up winning against the Ravens, the win wasn't even necessary at the end of the day, but it's always good to control our own destiny with a win - especially at home and in December.

I don't look for the Bengals to go very far in the play-offs this season. I'm honestly just thankful for a winning season this year. It was way more fun to watch and know the team actually had a shot at winning their games this season than the last four years. Usually, I'm a college football kind of girl, but that leaves me with little to watch in December when the Bengals suck patiently waiting for the Buckeyes to disappoint in whatever bowl game/national championship game they'll be playing in each year since 2002. So having the Bengals DO something and knowing they've got a shot at a post-season win or two has been refreshing to say the least.

Now, to explain the title of this post. As mentioned, the last two weeks, the Bengals needed a win to clinch their spot in the post-season and they fell short both weeks. Even with the emotions playing into last week's difficult loss on the west coast (RIP Henry), the Bengals weren't able to put together enough offense to outscore the Chargers.

I blame myself for this.

Pretty much each week of the season, I would come home from 11:30 mass and don my Carson Palmer jersey, my Bengals helmet earrings and either my orange and black striped knee socks or orange argyle footies. I wore this attire when they beat the Browns, Steelers and Ravens for all 6 wins. I didn't wear it when they lost to the Raiders. Coincidence...of course. My apparel has nothing to do with their ability to score, to defend, to intercept, to run back kick-offs...how could it?

I didn't wear this when they lost to the Chargers or to the Vikings the week before. I wasn't going to bear the responsibility of their losing this week. No. That guilt would not be mine. I was going to do what was needed on my part to make sure they won today. As I type, I am wearing the jersey, the earrings and the orange argyle footies and the Bengals are sporting a very respectable 10-5 record and are on their way to the play-offs.

So, you're welcome, Bengals nation. I'll do my part for the remainder of the season. Promise.

Play me, I'm Yours

Just got this little tidbit of info today from NPR. I've heard a couple of the stories they've done on the whole "Play me, I'm yours" tour. Basically, pianos are left on downtown city streets for the public to play. The pianos stay for a brief period of time and then they find permanent homes in the community. The artwork is the brainchild of Luke Jerram and I've been fascinated with the stories presented.

Today, my local npr station, WVXU, announced that it's sister station, WGUC will be bringing the exhibit to Cincinnati in August of 2010!

So...I am totally playing "Heart and Soul" as soon as I happen upon one of the pianos this summer.

just sayin'

So far, so good...

Just a quick little update after that last exasperating post...

1. Only 15 more IA's left to grade...and I've only had them for 4 days. I can breathe again.

2. Christmas cookies WILL be made on Saturday evening - the little one and I are hanging out together while the men are at the basketball game and we will be baking fools.

3. Christmas decorations will go up on Sunday - inside and out.

4. Everything I needed to do this week both at home and school got accomplished. I don't know where the energy came from, but it was there and mentally, I'm WAY better than I was on Sunday last week.

5. Just for fun, I've posted my favorite pic from last week's Thanksgiving festivities.

The Most Suffocating Time of the Year...

Damnit...it's happening again. I spent nearly every minute of Thanksgiving Break making sure it wouldn't it, but it's happening again. Yep. Three weeks of hell till Christmas Break. I got the senior IA's graded, finished the laundry, cleaned my entire house, cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my mom, got every chore I could think of finished, plus found time to hang with my kids and go to the museum and out to dinner and all that jazz only to have tonight come along and remind me of all the stuff I still have left to do before Christmas.

Every time I think about the fact that the junior's IA's need to be graded after tomorrow night, I start to hyperventilate.

I hate the fact that the entire semester is finished before Christmas. I hate it. I'm starting to hate Christmas more and more the older I get and adding the end of the semester to the fun that is a mom trying to pull Christmas out of her butt is no fun at all. The whole working mom thing is no fun at all. None.

I didn't want Christmas to shake down this way...but with school obligations, the oldest's basketball schedule, the little one and her ballet, and the husband's constant obligations at his school doing basketball stats and another 8 meetings he won't tell me about till the day of, I'm drowning...and Thanksgiving Break isn't even over yet.