Dumb Mac thats not working!!

Unfortunately, our prized Macbook Pro is broken! :( Oh yes friends, the unthinkable has happened. I am only managing to write this quick update from the library on base. So for now this is just to say that I will soon put up another post....Favorite Things to look forward to....my new iPod Nano, the Christmas tree adventure (which has NOT technically begun yet) and where we'll be going next in our great Air Force adventure (we'll find out Friday night). So don't give up on me. I promise I will make the next few blogs worth your time, which means LOTS of pictures. :) Until then...

Black Friday

Black Friday. Normally known for the mad shopping people (or is it mad people going shopping?) are doing today. Although I think that for some people it refers to the day of recovery after the stress of family, too much food and travel. But for us, none of the above applies.

This year was the first Thanksgiving that Cameron and I hosted. Our friends James and Sara Martin came from Colorado to spend the holiday with us. Its been a great few days, filled with lots of blogging (the boys are obsessed with the latest blogging technology, such as Google Analytics and Adsense), food and relaxing. I made my first turkey yesterday. I think it was a success. Unfortunately, I don't have any turkey leftovers...those were obliterated last night. Its also the last Thanksgiving without any children. I was trying to imagine yesterday as I was scurrying around making making turkey, stuffing and all the random fixings what it will be like next year with Baby Malone finally being with us. By then, she might be walking, and if Cameron's educational plan is working, she'll be reading Shakespeare as well. Oh, how different our lives are going to be?

Today, I think we're just going to continue relaxing. The boys are about to go play racquetball. Sara and I might go get a movie. Our goal is to definitely stay clear of any kind of mall, shop or crowd, not that there really is any of that here in the grand metropolis of Enid, OK.

Here's some pictures of our Thanksgiving escapades so far:


The turkey before it was cooked. Doesn't it look fabulous?



Our Thanksgiving table


The typical snapshot of what Cameron and James are doing all weekend long...working on their crazy blogs (I'm just a novice compared to them)



All the leftovers that is STILL in my kitchen. When you're hungry, you can just graze...how fun?



Happy Thanksgiving all! I'll continue with my favorite things later this weekend...ps: I think I'm going to put up the Christmas tree Saturday....I love it!!! It is my favorite thing this time of year. YAY!

Favorite Things #2: Oh Sweet Citrus

Oranges. Sweet, fruit from heaven, oranges. This, my friends, is another one of my favorite things...probably my absolute favorite right now. I've enjoyed oranges since I was a child growing up in the jungles of Africa (just kidding about the jungles). We like oranges so much in my family that we used to buy those enormous bags of oranges and every night after dinner my dad would carve the orange flesh out of the skin and the white bitter stuff (I'm sure there's a name for it) with skill.

Needless to say, I loved oranges then, but lately my love affair with this orange fruit has gone to a new level, obsession. You see, I'm about 8 months pregnant. Instead of craving crazy things like pickles with peanut butter smeared all over them, I crave oranges. I wake up thinking about how I'm going to peel it, make sure all the gross white stuff is carefully scraped off, pick each slice apart and take the thin skin off, and eat the nodules, one by one. I have to limit myself to only a few a day....either a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack and one after dinner. Otherwise, I would spend my entire day picking orange nodules apart like some lunatic. I even made Cameron run to Walmart (the base Commissary, where I prefer to get my drug...aka oranges, was closed at 9pm) the other night, because we were out. Is this not a sick obsession?

Oprah's favorite things include things like TiVo, Cashmere pajamas, and diamond encrusted watches but my favorite things so far is limited to Starbucks and oranges. I'm pretty cool.

Here's some pictures of latest victim:








I promise the next post will not be nearly as creepy :)

Belly Update

Here's just a quick update on the pregnancy:


Here I am in all of my glory at 30 weeks pregnant. Weird to think that we can now do the countdown, old-fashioned style....on our fingers!



We ordered some stuff off of our registries. Really boring stuff like a baby bath tub, bottles and the cutest little diapers EVER! Look how TINY they are!


We also got the pack 'n play from our friends Phil and Jill last weekend. It was one of the highlights of the weekend to set it up. Isn't it cute?



I'll continue my "Favorite Things" tomorrow. Time for dinner....Baby Malone needs some food!

My Favorite Things---Aahhhh !!!!!! (read: Crying and Screaming)

Yesterday, I saw a commercial for Oprah's upcoming "Favorite Things" Christmas show. Although I love seeing what Oprah deems worthy of the "Favorite" title, I can't stand the screaming, crying masses women in the audience. How do they all maintain that level of surprise and excitement through the whole show? Don't they get tired? Oh, wait....they are getting all that new, expensive, "favorite" stuff for the enormous price of $0--absolutely FREE! Plus, Oprah does this annoying yell when she announces every item. Oh, my friends, I'm sure you can hear her now. Its just all a little much for me.

So here I embark on a series of blogs entitled, "My Favorite Things....AHHHH!!". This list is sure to rival that of Oprah, except that most of you will actually be able to enjoy some of my favorite things. Oh and its in no specific order. Without further adieu,

My Favorite Things....AHHHH #1:



1. Starbucks. Cameron and I luuuuv Starbucks. We call it our faithful friend. Why? Although there's nothing quite as satisfying as an Upside-down Caramel Macchiato, we love Starbucks for more than the sweet coffee mixers they make. Somehow the atmosphere always makes me think of Christmastime, warm and cozy. They're always playing the best coffee house music, just loud enough to make you wonder who it is, but not loud enough to break conversation. The service is always good and the employees always happy. I have never met a Starbucks employee that hates their job. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they get awesome benefits (coffee, insurance and more!) and they get to be part of making my life better.

But most of all, we love that no matter what town we are in, we can walk into a Starbucks and have the comfort of home. When we are depressed about having nothing to do in the town we're in or feeling lonely with no friends, we know that Starbucks will be the faithful reminder of what we once had and what is still possible for us to have. Starbucks is reminiscent of the outside world, where there's cool music, smart people and intelligent conversation. It is our ever faithful friend.

Here's a few random facts about Starbucks:

- My favorite drink at Starbucks is a Upside- down Caramel Macchiato. Although, my friend Micky recently introduced me to the Peppermint White Mocha. It tastes just like a Andes Mint Chocolate! But for me, the Caramel Macchiato is where it is at.

- Starbucks was named after the first mate in the novel Moby Dick

- During the 1990's and into the 2000's, a new Starbucks store opened up every single work day domestically

- By November 2005, there were more Starbucks stores in London than Manhattan

- A Grande Caramel Macchiato has 270 calories. That means all I have to do is drink one of these puppies and I will fulfill my extra 300 calories to completely sustain the growth of my unborn child. Is that not crazy??




Here's my friends, Yami and Jill. We had a coffee date at STARBUCKS yesterday. It was fun.



Here is Ephrem and I. He didn't really want to take a picture with me. So we bought him some cookies and he was ok to take a picture. Don't I look weird in this picture?

My very first blog

Friends,

At the urging of my Uber Hot husband, I am starting this blog. See, he started this incredible blog about all the things that interests him (www.schaefersblog.com), like the latest pop-punk band, musings on his favorite financial tips, and his ponderings on the concepts like "Sunk Cost". So in an effort to not be bored while he is working on his work of art, and maintaining that I am just as smart as my husband (just in different areas) I am writing this blog.

As it is customary to make promises at the beginning of things (with all the intentions in the world of keeping, but probably won't), here are a few things to look forward to with my new blog:

1. Lots of updates on the preggo belly and baby Malone

2. All the research on new and interesting things mostly to be done by my Uber Hot Pilot husband and passed on to me

3. My favorite old and new recipes

4. Lots of pictures! Everyone always likes pictures, right?

So sit back and enjoy!