Let's go Steelers!!

Well, for the third time this season, the Steelers will meet the Ravens tomorrow. 

First game we lost, second game we prevailed.

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This game is a very important Playoff Game.  The winner will advance to next week's game against the Patriots for the opportunity to play in Superbowl 45!

The Steelers' biggest division rival is none other than the Ravens and I was not a happy camper when the Chiefs couldn't pull off a win last week against the Ravens.

Tons of friends (who has cheered AGAINST ME the entire season) are actually pulling for the Steelers to win tomorrow, only because they want to see a
Steeler / Patriot match-up.

Personally, I do too!

So, Good Luck to the NFL team who has THE MOST SUPERBOWL WINS!!

Football, Baseball.. oh..and Duke Photos!!

It's been a crazy week this last week, and I'm emotionally exhausted!! My Steelers loss on Sunday was kinda the topping on the cake!!

However, boy do I love me some Hines Ward!!

Despite the fact that the Steelers lost on Sunday, they're still doing well without Big Ben! We're 3-1, not too shabby! Most predicted that we were going to be 0-4 without Ben!!!

I knew going into the game against the Ravens it was going to be a tough one for both teams. I represented my team!!

It was a great game and unfortunately, we lost. But that's okay...we'll be seeing the Ravens again in December! Hopefully we can get a win out of it!!

Let's not forget Baseball's 2010 National League West Champions!!!

The San Francisco Giants!!! Woot woot!!

And wow! Buster Posey?!? He's a phenomenal baseball player for such a youngster at 23 years old!! He's the same age as my son!! In such a short period of time playing in the Big Leagues, he's made a name for himself!! What a little cutie!!

He made his major league debut on September 11, 2009, and after playing a third of the 2010 season in the minors, was called up to the Giants on May 29, becoming the team's starting catcher on June 30. In July 2010 he earned both NL Player of the Month and NL Rookie of the Month honors.

But my FAVORITE, ALL TIME Giant's player is none other than.....

JT Snow!!

Wanna see some cute Duke photos?!? Here's a few from the last couple of days...

FOOTBALL SUNDAY!!!!!

I am all about FOOTBALL!! Especially the STEELERS. The 6 time Super Bowl Champion Steelers. The ONLY team to have won 6 Super Bowls. Seriously. I am a Steeler Fan Junkie!



However... I do have to say I like Football in general. I guess it's because I grew up watching NFL games every.single.week!



Growing up in the Bay Area of California, it was either the 49'ers or the Raiders. Despite the fact that we lived in a City two minutes away from Oakland....ten minutes from the Oakland Coliseum, you'd think my mom would be a Raider fan right?!? Nope. She was a DIE HARD 49'er fan through and through!

She was a petite, 4 ft., 9 inch Chinese/Filipino who could whoop and holler with the best of 'em. Cussing up a storm every few minutes... oh.. yes... how I miss those days!! We'd have BBQ Sticks like these:


And of course Won Tons like these homemade ones my daughter and I made:


Mmmm.. those were the days!!!

These days, my Sundays consists of spending it from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. (sometimes earlier if I get tired.. or later if my Steelers are still playing) at either Cool Hand Lukes (because you know, it's the Coolest Joint in Town)


Or this local Pizza Parlor that is most famous for their incredibly delicious Chicken Wings! This place has been open for 35+ years and still going strong! Quite honestly, I don't quite care for their pizza, but boy, those Chicken Wings are TO DIE FOR! I usually order them with some Fries and this is what I get:



Well, onto this week's Steeler's game. This is what I have to say about that!


Both teams are going into this game 2 - 0, so its going to be a good game. I think the Steeler's defense can hold the Bucs, but their offense (Steeler's) need to do some fancy dancing early on!!! I have faith! I have faith!

Now, here's an awesome photo to leave you all with.... this is a true Steeler Fan! I should have worn my Steeler Scarf, and had my Steeler Football with me in this picture. Ah... maybe next time! :)

My Week All Wrapped Up ~ and FOOTBALL!!!

While it was a beautiful week, weather wise, I must say it was a very 'unproductive' week for me. It was my first full week with Duke ~ and he was a joy!! I thought it was going to be a hellacious time sleeping at night....or having to wake up every two hours to take him out potty....or him going potty everywhere around the house. But it wasn't bad at all!!

Tuesday was Duke's first Vet's appointment. He did rather well for being so scared!! Of course, everyone was just tickled pink and fussy over how cute and small he is! He weighed in at 2.14 lbs, got his 2nd set of shots and his nails trimmed. So overwhelming for a new puppy.

Our Date Day Thursday was certainly different this week, You can read all about it HERE and I'm actually fine with changing it up from time to time. In fact, I think going for a walk mid-morning is not so bad after all. Especially when going for lunch is included in there!

Pretty much the week was just blah. Nothing exciting planned, nothing exciting happened. Just another 7 days all rolling into one.

HOWEVER.... do you know what's coming up?!? What is the one thing I'm most passionate about in the Fall?!? Come on now!! Here's a hint.....................

That's right! FOOTBALL Season is coming!! Pre-Season starts in a couple of weeks and I AM OVER THE TOP EXCITED!!!

Yes, for those of you who don't know already, I am a DIE HARD Pittsburgh Steeler Fan! That's right.... I am . No if's ands, or butts about it.

It can get pretty hairy in our household, what... with Brian being a Vikings fan and all... and last season, it got pretty intense. If ya'll remember.... these two teams met in the playoffs. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. If there's anyone interested in reading about the outcome of the game, you can read about it HERE. Or I can just remind you guys:

Steelers defeat Vikings, 27-17

I'll leave you guys with a little bit of Football SuperBowl Facts!!
(NOTICE WHO'S ON THE TOP OF THE LIST?!?)

Most Super Bowl Wins!!

Pittsburgh Steelers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 5-0
Dallas Cowboys 3
Green Bay Packers 3-1
New York Giants 3-1
Oakland/LA Raiders 3-2
Washington Redskins 3-2
New England Patriots 3-3
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts 2-2
Miami Dolphins 2-3
Denver Broncos 2-4
Baltimore Ravens 1-0
New York Jets III 1-0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-0
New Orleans Saints 1-0
Chicago Bears 1-1
Kansas City Chiefs 1-1
St. Louis/LA Rams 1-2

Minnesota Vikings 0-4
Buffalo Bills 0-4
Philadelphia Eagles 0-2
Cincinnati Bengals 0-2
Tennessee Titans 0-1
Seattle Seahawks 0-1
San Diego Chargers 0-1
Carolina Panthers 0-1
Atlanta Falcons 0-1
Arizona Cardinals 0-1

(You notice who's on the top of the list of those with ZERO wins with 4 appearances?!?)

Interesting Evening!!!

So, the Vikings lost to the Saints. At least they went into OT, so it was a very close game. There was, of course, two very questionable calls at the end of the game which would have made a difference in the outcome, but it is what it is.

It's the Saints vs. the Colts in the SuperBowl. I'm not really a fan of either team to be quite honest, so I really don't care who wins. I have tons friends who are Colts fans, and some who are Saints fans so, may the best team win.

We had a great day at our favorite joint in town, Cool Hand Lukes watching both games today. I made some home made Cinnamon Rolls again and brought them to the restaurant for all to enjoy. Today was Brian's day. It was his team playing so it was all about him. Needless to say, all of our friends were quick to buy Brian rounds of beer. And so despite the fact that Brian doesn't usually drink more than a couple of beers, he tied one on this evening!!! Well, why not?!? His Vikings were playing for a spot in the Super Bowl!!! I am grateful for the fact that #1) this doesn't happen very often; #2) Brian is a FUNNY drunk; #3) we had a great time with friends!!!!!

A Cat named "Mo-Mo"

We have a stray cat that the entire neighborhood adores. He belongs to nobody in particular, yet everyone feeds him and looks out for him. Brian and I have named him "Mo Mo", short for Maury...which is a nick name for Maury. :) Well, since it's been raining the last week, poor Mo Mo has been taking refuge underneath cars to keep dry and out of the elements. Three days ago, Mo Mo curled up into a little ball and plopped his happy little butt at our front door. Brian literally has had to step over him on his way out the door every morning. Well, with the weather being as bad as it is, I made a little shelter for Mo Mo. I took a large Rubber Maid storage conatiner, set it on it's side, put a rug in it along with a few American Airlines blankets in it and placed it outside our front door, to the left. Sure enough, Mo Mo took refuge in there to keep warm. Well, for the last three days, he didn't budge. I really didn't think anything was very odd because I figured that I just happened to check on him at the right times... I never saw him leave or anything...he was always in his little home.

Well tonight, with Brian being a little intoxicated, he decided something is wrong with Mo Mo because he hasn't moved from the shelter I made for three days. Brian wants to keep Mo Mo in the house for the night because it's expected to rain overnight and it's obvious there's something wrong with him. After discussing it for a few minutes I relent and gave permission to have this cat brought into our home. BUT.... the RubberMaid home along with the cat has to stay in the bathroom with the door shut! Ya think that worked?!? Nope.

Intoxicated Brian + Stray Cat =

After approximately 15 minutes later..................

I was able to get Brian in bed and the cat back outside where he belongs! It was difficult convincing Brian that Mo Mo would be fine outside. I even put used an extra blanket to drape over the RubberMaid container to keep it a little warmer for him. He'll be okay. He's a cat. Cat's can survive in nature! :)

Off to bed I go now ~ it was a long day!!!! Hope everyone had a great Sunday!!!

P.S. ~ I finished my 9th book of the year this morning! Woo Hoo!! :)

Are you ready for some Football?!?!?!?!

GO VIKINGS!!!

If the Vikings pull off a win against the New Orleans Saints tomorrow I will be estatic! So will Brian!!

We're talking

SUPERBOWL BOUND

But, they have to get past this one game before that can happen. So, I wish them lots of luck!!

I will be making some cookies and Eclairs for our football group.

Today was a very nice and relaxing day for Brian and I. I woke up early in the morning, got a lot of computer wedding related tasks done. I even printed all of our Cruise Cabin Door Hangers that I had saved as a Word Document. I'll cut them to size, mount them onto Card Stock, have them laminated then hole punch the door knob hole. I'll be sure to post a photo when it's done!!

Happy Saturday Night!!!

Late night randomness

This is the results of the cake I did yesterday (Saturday). Through the stuffy head, congested chest, hacking lungs and as previously mentioned, about a gazillion frogs in my throat, I was able to push through it and complete this cake! I did illicit the help of one of my former students who was so kind enough to make the Royal Icing Roses. What a tremendous help that was!

One of the things that was difficult with this cake is the fact that the bride changed her mind last week and decided that she'd prefer to have whipped topping versus buttercream. In my contract, it clearly states that changes cannot be made within two weeks of the event. In this particular case, she advised that there were a number of her family members who are diabetic and the buttercream is out of the question for them. So, I agreed to allow the change. The only problem with whipped topping is the fact that you can't do as many techniques and/or decorations as you would be able to with buttercream, along with the fact that the whipped topping needs to be kept refrigerated until approximately an hour before serving (unless it's in the dead heat of summer ~ then you'd have to keep it refrigerated period!) The original decorations for this cake had to be scaled down quite a bit to accommodate the fact that the bride changed her choice of icing. Also, if you look carefully, you'll notice that the cake topper is sitting on the table verses the cake ~ reason being is that it was HEAVY. In fact, it wasn't a cake topper at all ~ it was more like a paper weight or something of the sort, and there was no way it would have set on the cake. It would have sunk through all of the whipped topping!!! Nonetheless, I think it came out beautifully, all things considered! :)

How about those Vikings?!?

You all know how much of a die hard Pittsburgh Steeler's fan I am right?!? However, since their hopes of defending their SuperBowl Championship was shattered last week, I am rooting for the Vikings!!! I have to support Brian's team since he was so very supportive of my Steeler's last year and stuck with me through this devastating year as well. :) I'm wondering if the Vikings can hold off against the Saints next Sunday?!? I'm hoping so, and if it happens, they'll be SUPERBOWL BOUND!!!

How wonderful would that be to have the Vikings win this year right after my Steelers! Back to back wins for this household!! :)

Ahh....Football Sunday 2010 ~ Do or Die Games

Yes I represent the Pittsburgh Steelers! :)

How does a gal raised in Hawaii who ventured out to California become a Steeler fan?!? Um...good question. All I know is that while I was growing up, my mother was a DIE HARD football fan. Her team was the San Francisco 49er's. We spent many a Sundays watching 49er football and eating some wonderful food. Many times it was just her and I. I think know this is where I get my knack for whooping and hollering with the best of them!

For those of you who don't know me, I am the ultimate football fan! I get totally into it ~ it never siezes to amaze even some of my closest friends! You know...when we're at our local Sunday hangout and there's 'newbies' around, they tend to look at me in the weirdest way when I'm yelling out "GET 'EM, GET 'EM" or "WOO HOO". And believe me when I say that I'm yelling out. I have no shame! I love Football and I love my Steelers.

I have to admit ~ I did cheer on the 49er's in my Junior High / High School days. Come on.... I lived in the Bay Area. It was either the Oakland Raiders or the San Francisco 49er's. Although I lived in a City right next door to Oakland, the 49er's were a better team back then. But then, for some unknown reason I became of fan of the Pittsburgh Steeler's. I've never looked back. 23 years later I am still a devoted Steeler fan!! And darn proud of it!!!

Today is the last regular season game for all teams. Today is the "big" day ~ do or die ~ so to speak for not only the Steeler's but many other teams who are hoping to gain a spot in the post season play offs. It may be slim pickin's for the reigning Super Bowl Champs, but pulling off a win today with the help of a couple of other teams losing, we could untimately pull it out!

With that being said....I'm off to go bake some goodies for my Football Buddies! Today I think I'll do some cupcakes and ice them in Black and Yellow! :) I'll definitely post a follow-up with pictures of said cupcakes along with the results of todays games...... *keep your fingers crossed for my team*

Sixteen

Sixteen Mondays. ~ For those of you new readers out there who haven't been following me very long, let me share a little tid bit about myself! I am engaged and will be getting married in April of 2010. "Sixteen" signifies that there is 16 Mondays left before our Wedding Cruise!! I've been counting down the Mondays for awhile now to help me put in perspective just how much planning time I have. And boy can I tell you, it scares me to think that I'm actually down to 4 months! Wow!

I've been in such a Wedding Rut for the past month or two, and I think just knowing that my time is getting shorter and shorter as each day passes, I need to dig down deep inside and find my MOTIVATION!!! It will come ~ trust me ~ it will come!!!

Christmastime Pretties

With Christmas already here, it's nice to see all the decorated homes throughout the neighborhoods! In the City of Ceres here in the Central Valley of California there's a hoppin' spot during the Holiday Season called "Christmas Tree Lane". It's a neighborhood where everyone decorates their homes with tons of lights and giant Santa's or Snowmen, or anything Christmas related. Last night we took a drive thru Christmas Tree Lane and it was beautiful!! I wasn't able to capture many photos as #1) I was the driver and #2) I didn't think to take any pictures until half way thru the fun!!! Nonetheless, here are a few photos I was able to shoot, making sure not to hit any pedestrians and/or the car in front of me! :)

I also forgot to mention here that I didn't realize that the pictures would look so much better had I turned off the flash on the camera! Hey...I'm not a professional photographer ~ I barely know how to work the darn camera! :)

Yay for Football

Now, on to Fooball!!! Did you guys see the Steelers game yesterday?!? What a comeback! Can you just believe it?!? As I mentioned in a previous post, there is no way that the Steelers can provide all of us with a repeat SuperBowl win this year, however they played with such determination last night that got them the win over the Green Bay Packers! YES! With 3 seconds left in the game, Big Ben pulls it off!! I actually didn't think it was gonna happen, but so excited that it did! Needless to say, I was one happy camper!!!!

My Christmas Wish List!

So, back to the topic of Christmas!! I don't usually ask for anything specifically for Christmas. I'm 41 years old and I've been focusing Christmas on my children and family for the last 22 years of my life! I enjoy giving to others tremendously and don't ever, ever, expect anything in return. It's just not my nature!! This is the first year where I've received some wonderful Ornaments and several other gifts from friends I've met online in different "Communities". I will treasure these forever! (If you want to see some of the wonderful ornaments, you can see the Cupcake Ornaments here, the Personalized Catalina Ornament here, or the awesome Personalized Hanger here!)

This year, I've been wanting a new phone! Don't ask me why, but in the last few weeks, I've been looking and doing research on different phones. Originally, I've always wanted an iPhone! Afterall, I've been told those phones are the "phone of all phones". We go to the Verizon store (because that's who Brian has for his phone and we're thinking on adding me and go with the Family Plan) and browse around.

The first time we go, I see and fall in love with the Blackberry Storm. I play around with it for about 5 minutes and see what all the features they have available are. I ask questions about the pricing...the touch screen....everything I could possibly think of asking.

We decide to wait and see what they have to offer at Target thru their MobileSolutions Kiosk they have in store since Brian would be able to get 10% off of any equipment we purchase, plus an additional 20% off our monthly bill on the primary line. What do I find there?!? A Blackberry Tour ~ Free with upgrade.

We go back to the Verizon store just to see if they have anything new to offer. What do I find there?!? The NEW DROID HTC.

I am now thoroughly confused as to what phone I want. So...... what it all comes down to is this.... I would like a phone that has the capability to access the internet so I can check my email (personal and work), access my WP Blog, text, take pictures and all that good stuff! :) I think I'm allowed to have ONE toy right?!? I have my Kitchen Aid Mixer that I've wanted for years which I received from one of my students years ago. Besides the Kitchen Aid, the only other thing I want is a phone. I think I'm going to splurge and actually buy something for ME this year! I don't think there is anything wrong with that! After all the children and grandchildren are taken care of, I think I will pick up a little something something for little 'ole me! (Ha! I say this now, but I probably won't do it.....I have a wedding coming up in 4 months!!!) But it sounds good to share this with you guys!!

Well guys ~ here's to hoping you have an awesome Monday! As always, don't forget to check out my GiveAway here and enter as many times as you can!!! I'll be picking the winners tomorrow night!! Good luck to you all!!

I'll leave you with some random pictures of friends and family that were taken yesterday during Football Sunday!!