True Colors

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Black?! I'm black! I thought for sure I'd get a nice yellow or pink! Now I feel all morbid. I will clearly retake this test.

Black again. Dang it.

Shout Outs

Today I can't think of anything particularly fascinating to write about. I could wait a few days until I wake up one morning with an insightful idea, but too many of you would suffer Mary's blog withdrawal. So, I've decided to give a shout out some of my favorite products in the stores today:

1. Swivel Sweeper

A fine product! Kiss your days of sweeping goodbye! This is one of my most prized cleaning tools. Works on tile, wood floor, carpet, the dog...and it swivels 360 degrees! Can be purchased at your local Linens and Things or online.

2. Bare Escentuals Make Up

Radiant and real. Make-up so pure you can sleep in it! Self-explanatory, folks. Not one to spend a lot on make-up, this was a favorite product from 2007. And well worth the money spent. Available at your local Sephora.

3. Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cones


YUM. These are wonderful especially if you need some guilt-free ice cream eating. And don't be silly, of course we still buy Blue Bell! But on those nights where you think you just might eat the entire carton...these might make you feel a little better.

4. Snickers Snack-Sized Ice Cream Bars

Enough said.

5. Tyler Candles

Unfortunately this website is under construction. But these candles are fabulous! Way better than Yankee Candles (except their pumpkin spice scent). They will provide a fresh aroma to your entire house instead of a 2 sq. inch radius around the base. We like "Mulled Cider" and "Cinnaman Buns"

6. DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Pizza

Yeah, better than delivery, people. We prefer three meat or supreme. This is almost always our Friday night meal, if we're in town...you need a break from cooking at least one night a week!

7. Downy Simple Pleasures Fabric Softener

Ahhhh....

8. Amazon.com (do I even NEED to include the link??)

Oh I could spend hours on Amazon. I especially love when I qualify for the free super saver shipping!

Other products that narrowly missed my top 8 (and maybe I'm just tired of including links) are:

- Cream of Wheat

- St. Ives facial cleanser

- Smart Ones Three Cheese Ziti & Marinara

- Cream cheese icing

- 3 in 1 Cake Carrying Caddies!

- Community Coffee (medium blend)

- Pringles Stix (thanks Kim!)

Hmmm...I'll save the rest for next time...

Boys will be boys...

Ok, so here are the pictures I didn't get to post earlier. Let's also keep it a secret that I am sharing these with the world (well the first few at least):

When we arrived in La Grange, Seth was frustrated with the condition of his parent's yard. So, like any man, he took things into his own hands. Who thinks he just wanted to have some fun on the riding lawn mower??

Seth: STOP TAKING PICTURES OF ME! You better not put these on the blog!

Mary: Oh no, honey, these are just for our personal family photo album! (crossing fingers)

Oh, another sidenote about La Grange. When we arrived on Friday night, we were put to work. My father-in-law was in charge of making his "famous beef stew" for the wedding shower on Saturday and needed help chopping the vegetables. Mary was assigned SEVEN onions to finely chop. Onions are not my favorite. I usually only chop 1/2 onion at a time...because sometimes it's just too much. Well, unbeknowest to me, chopping seven onions can leave a TERRIBLE stench on your skin. I thought washing my hands several times that night would be enough. Well, on Saturday morning when we wake, Seth goes nuts because he's positive Maggie has thrown up in the bedroom. Because our room smells. Our sheets smell. Use your context clues...I smelled. The onion stench had completely taken over my body. One measly hour of onion chopping was all it took to make me smell like a walking vomit farm. As of this evening, 72 hours after the smelly incident occured, my hands STILL smell like onion. Attempted remedies have been:

• Toothpaste (apparently this method is used for hunting/fishing smells)
• Lemon juice
• Bath & Body Works Pineapple Lotion (BAD idea)
• Dishwashing soap
• Clorox
• Stainless Steel

Now imagine what all those smell like mixed together and you have...my hands. It's getting fainter as the days go by, but as I was eating my 100 Calorie Cinna-Spins today at lunch, I still wanted to gag. Any other bright ideas? Baking soda and vinegar were also mentioned but if I even ATTEMPT to use vinegar and that smell stays on my hands...I will die.

In other news...

Here's a snapshot of how Maggie wakes us up every single morning. Nothing better than some nice fresh dog breath and a slobbery tongue licking your face when it's time to start the day.

She's also very fascinated with bathtubs. For everyone's safety (and maybe to your disappointment?) I took the picture BEFORE I got in the bubble bath. She will stand there and stare at the water the whole time. Sometimes she barks. It's very weird.

All for now!

Lunchtime Soiree

Today I took a quick field trip to Market Street. More specifically, Borders bookstore. Oh how I LOVE bookstores! The smell of fresh books, the inviting aroma of coffee brewing, the hundreds of thousands pages just waiting to be turned...

What isn't there to like???

I made the quick stop to get Seth a study book for the...dum de dum dum...GMAT. Yes, he is taking the plunge and going back to school. You know, for purposes of furthering his career and making lots of money so I can be a SAHM and hang out on Market Street all day instead of just having to wait until lunch.

(We haven't completely discussed that part of the plan so do me a favor and don't really mention it to him...I want it to be a surprise!)

He has absolutely no business pre-reqs from college since he took all those boring engineering classes so instead of the standard 36 hours MBA program, he will have 60 hours to look forward to! Yea! According to his calculations, he'll probably finish up sometime in 2011 if he starts this summer. Um yeah. I can see it now. Ragged Mary sitting at home with Jake running rampant around the living room, throwing his toys, wanting to see his daddy, while the next Anderle-to-be is kicking her mommy's womb and making mommy want to vomit. All the while, Seth is sitting in a classroom, listening fervently, and soaking up all that business information.

Ah...just kidding. I do think it's funny to joke with him about that though.

Thankfully, Halliburton is footing the bill. This is how it went down:

Mary: Look here, HALLIBURTON. I want you to pay COLD HARD CASH for my husband's MBA. I don't care what it takes. I don't care how many additional wells you have to drill. Just MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Dave Lesar, CEO: Um, you are so scary, Mrs. Anderle. I totally agree. We will 100% pay for Seth's continuing education as long as he passes all his courses.

Mary: Well, GOOD! That's right. Because we are going to Hawaii and I eventually need a new car and I would like some new bedroom furniture that is not missing pieces because my dog chewed it up!

Dave Lesar, CEO: I will throw in an extra $100,000 just for good measure. And give your husband a 110% raise. Will that work?

Mary: That's what I'm talking about.


And that's how it happens, folks.

Of course I didn't walk out the door of Borders with only a GMAT book! Don't be silly! I also bought myself a new Bible. I know what you're saying...don't you have like 5 or 6? (Oh wait, that's what Seth said) But this one is DIFFERENT. It is the Bible in chronological order! It still has all the verse references but just makes it easier to put into perspective so you can make your own little timeline. I love perspective and can always use more.

This year has been a good year of reading...and it's barely even March! Here's my 2008 reading list, and so far all are recommended:

Playing for Pizza: John Grisham
Baby Proof: Emily Giffin
Eat Pray Love: Elizabeth Gilbert
Second Chance: Jane Green

Oh yeah...my bike ride. It was b-e-a-utiful outside! I hopped all sorts of hills for approximately 37 miles in less than 3 hours! Yesterday I felt great! I felt energized! I was on top of the world! Today, I can't feel my legs. I did take a couple of pictures but I'll have to add those when I get home. On Saturday, I ride 50 miles in and around Bastrop State Park. Last year this one was a killer. So wish me luck.

Oh Baby Baby!

Today at lunch a couple girls from work and I went to visit Erica (friend from work/church) and her new baby girl, Caroline Grace. Honestly, the last time I went to a hospital to see a new baby might have been when my sister Rachel was born in 1989. My how the times have changed! Thank goodness for the upgrade in hospital rooms. Memorial Hermann has a nice little set up, complete with rocking chairs, wood paneling, and a nice armoire for the TV. St. Luke's is rumored to be even nicer. I KNEW there was a reason we moved up here! She was just precious, as all little babies are. (Well, the ones that don't cry are precious) Don't get any bright ideas. Labor stories I've heard as of late have officially scared any and all baby desires away temporarily. I am counting on my pain tolerance of greater than zero to arrive in approx. 2010. I hope it comes on a white horse!

Bike ride #4 is this Sunday...we will be in La Grange for Ashley & Josh's wedding shower (still lots of weddings left for Seth's friends from home) this weekend and then the "Tri-County Hill Hopper" starts near there the next day. Lots o' hills to look forward to. The MS is in less than 50 days now!!

I've had a very blah week. Stayed home sick on Monday and still haven't felt 100% since. I don't know if it's the yucky weather or flu going around but I haven't been up for much of anything.

At least Rodeo time is right around the corner! We'll be seeing both Alan Jackson and Rascal Flatts this year. We were SUPPOSED to go see RF last year but they all got "sick" and cancelled. So disappointed that our good friend, George will not be making an appearance. We have seen him perform in some form or fashion the past few years and love him!!

That's it. I apologize for the boring post. See Paula's blog for a nice prayer to take you into the weekend!

Recipe Fun

Sorry it has taken so long. Below I will include 2 Anderle Favorites:

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33524,00.html

LOVE this! Mostly because I love all the vegetables in it...and baking them beforehand with the Italian herbs is y-u-m! It makes a lot so plan on having leftovers for a few days (with 2) or it's the perfect size for 4-6! Thanks Giada :)

oh, and p.s. i do not use the mushrooms or peas when i make it. sick.

Shrimp Creole

1 1/2 lbs. medium size shrimp
1/2 c green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16 oz) can tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 c red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp Creole seasoning
2 bay leaves

Peel and devein shrimp; set aside. (NOTE: please buy the pre-peeled and deveined shrimp...makes it so much easier) Saute onion, bell peppers, celery, and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, Creole seasoning, salt, pepper and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 15 more minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4 to 6.

This one came from my mother-in-law. I don't like to cook shrimp a lot, but this is pretty darn good. I don't use bay leaves, simply because I think it's a waste of money to buy leaves at the grocery store. You cannot tell a difference. It takes a bit of preparation with all the chopping but worth it! Would be excellent on a cold day.

Happy cooking!

Guessing Game

One of these things is not like the other.....

That's right. You guessed it. Anderle/Bayles Hawaii 2008 Tour!!! Chi Chi's & Choo Choo's unite! Maui, Oahu, hula dancers, luaus, beaches, surfing, hiking, pineapple eatin' are all much more fun than work!

After many many hours of research, interviewing, and second-guessing the necessity of our children's college educations, our vacation is booked! We will be Melikalikimaka-ing all over the Hawaiian islands (I actually think that might mean Merry Christmas...but I promise, we will still do that!) on May 5-12. Aloha!

Randomness

Today is one of those days where I am just going to talk about things I am thinking. Uh oh, I know, right? Pop some popcorn, get comfy at your computer, and get ready for a looong day of reading. Just kidding :)

1) Sing Song was, as always, an experience. We picked up Rachel & Michael in Aggieland and had a lovely road trip through the middle of nowhere. For those of you who don't know what Sing Song is...here's a picture that can't even begin to describe the activities:

It leaves more to be desired, I know. Emily & Kyle did a great job...we spent a total of approx. 14 hours on the road in 2 days...and we are wiped. We also had a mini-celebrity sighting at church on Sunday. Colt McCoy was in attendance. I know, not that exciting, but it's not everyday you worship with your rival college football quarterback either. Wasn't anything extra special about him except for his fancy Nikes and way too fancy Tahoe in the parking lot. Sources have confirmed that he is, indeed, Church of Christ and was probably visiting some hometown friends.

2) Starburst Jellybeans are in the stores. Yea! Finally, it's time to eat them! (I do realize that you can almost always find them in the stores, but it's so much easier to spot them near Easter)Seth likes to think I make excuses to eat certain candies because of their associated holidays. But I think most of you know it's not an excuse...it's my DUTY. And some of my favorite types of candy actually go right along with our favorite celebrations. Candy Corn, conversation hearts, jelly beans, candy canes (the fruit ones, not peppermint - blech), etc. Especially candy corn. Love it with all my heart. I've even been known to purchase it out of season. I also love Take 5 although they don't have a holiday. But they SHOULD have one. How about...President's Day. That's appropriate seeing as today is the grand celebration.

3) President's Day. My salute to the great presidents of the past. I'm currently not seeing any great presidents for the future. How unfortunate. I will not go any further into the 2008 presidential election because I do not think it's worth my time. Or anyone elses.

4) Pictures. I realize I need to post more. I used to take millions. For some reason that stopped when I got married. Maybe because I finally realized we had millions of pictures? I'll work on this.

5) Multiple Sclerosis. I will be riding to Austin in less than 2 months to support this fantastic cause! As of today, I have already raised $835 toward my $1,000 goal!!! Praise God! So far, the National MS Society has raised approx. $3M which is 22% of our $14M goal for 2008. Let's blow that out of the water this year. Last year this was just a really long bike ride. This year, I am not riding for good ol' fun on the comfy bike seat. I am riding for the hundreds of thousands of people in our nation affected by MS. I have been blessed by friendships of those that deal with this daily in some form or fashion. So right now, this is my purpose.

6) I feel that I am also being called to a higher purpose. I just don't know what yet. God has done some incredible things for the Anderle family this past year. We have been blessed beyond belief. A wonderful home, a loving pet, fantastic jobs, and awesome friends and family. An incredible church home, an inspiring Sunday School class, a blessed marriage, a healthier working environment, and a good bill of health. (Maybe this should be a preview of my Thanksgiving 2008 post) I guess I just have to trust that we'll be led to where we need to be.

7) I will post more recipes soon, I promise.

By Faith...

When my Bible Study group began one of Beth Moore's studies at the beginning of this year, I will admit I was a bit skeptical. It is a different method of study than what we've done in the past but one that has become so beneficial and has touched my life and my walk with God greatly. What I love about Beth is that she uses the Bible as her primary source (the way it should be) and makes us constantly delve into the scriptures to see what God has said for ourselves. I've heard several preachers go through an entire sermon without mentioning scripture once. The scripture that is the reason we live, breathe, and serve our Lord! I think so often we forget that the answers we really need in our life are found somewhere (possibly multiple times) in God's 66 books.

Our most recent discussions have been based on faith. Our faith relationships with God and His work in the life of believers. We've gone though the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11...discussing the "greats" (if you will) of the Bible. One story that particularly touches me is Noah and the Ark. Probably one of the first Bible stories I remember as a child. And as I mentioned in study last week...the movie Evan Almighty actually helped me put it into perspective!! Now I'm not saying that ol' Evan is by any means a replacement for Noah. But I'm a very visual person and sometimes it's easier for me to understand when I see things instead of read them.

"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family" Hebrews 11:7

It's unfortunate that Steve Carrell had to be the one to do this for me...but I actually had chills when we saw the movie awhile back. And I was so excited for Noah's faith!! How he stood up to ridicule and scorn to follow his Lord. How humbled he must have felt to be the one man (and family) that God actually wanted to save out of all the other sinners on the Earth at the time.

Something else I think is cool is from Genesis 6:14: "So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out." Not a particularly exciting verse. Probably not one I ever gave a second thought to, but check this out. The word "pitch" comes from the Hebrew word "kaphar". Kaphar means "to cover, to purge, to make atonement or reconciliation with sin". How cool is that! This pitch that Noah had to cover the inside of the ark with was representative of their protection from sin and evil in the Ark.

Props to Noah. A great man of faith who still influences lives today. I strive each day to live a life with a Noah-like faith.

I will close with this. The next part of our study was based on Joshua 1 (Be strong and courageous) and Ephesians 6:10-18.

Ephesians says:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one..."

I won't type the entire thing, but you get the point. Beth summarizes this idea with a statement I thought was so powerful.

God is in the process of raising mighty warriors among His people. The common denominator will NOT be human leadership, denomination, ethnicity, or giftedness. The common denominators will be consistent with those throughout biblical history - the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, and communication with the Commander. ONLY the Lord knows who is His.

I love love love that. There is so much discrimination, so much strife among religious organizations/denominations in and around the world. Arguments spurred over silly concepts, un-important to our Father, that have destroyed church families, separated people who worship together, and caused us to raise barriers around ourselves...who are we to judge someone else's walk with God! We were not called to uniformity, we were called to unity.

Amen.

Have a fabulous weekend! We'll be trekking to Abilene with Rachel & Michael to see the rest of the family and watch Emily perform in ACU's Sing Song. Good times, folks, good times.

Hallelujah!

Something has moved me so greatly, that I feel it must be addressed immediately.

The writer’s strike is over!

Wahoo!

I’m beginning to wonder however, if this will actually be a good thing for the Anderle’s.

Advantages for Mary: fun shows back on TV, less time spent as Guitar Hero groupie, hopefully no more puzzles (to me, they are synonomous with arts and crafts), better quality entertainment

Disadvantages for Mary: less time to read, evenings become more stressful to manage (cook, clean up, walk the dog, tv, bible study, etc), and the TV will actually be turned on more (we were doing good for awhile)

Advantages for Seth: prospect of 24 coming back to TV eventually (although it’s rumored not to start until jan 2009 now?)...and not much else

Disadvantages for Seth: see above “Advantages for Mary”

10 Random Facts

To save everyone from reading a lengthy post, let's go with 10 random, maybe little-known, interesting facts about Mary:

1. I try to have ice cream, if only a small spoonful, each day. I justify this by claiming it cleans my palate.
2. I'm not a fan of arts-and-crafts. Least favorite part of church camp growing up. I don't really enjoy making things, painting, scrapbooking, etc. They all take too much time.
3. All-time favorite fast food chains are Sonic and Arby's. My husband hadn't heard of either until he went to college.
4. I love love love to read. I wouldn't miss TV (OK...most TV) if I had a good stack of fun literature.
5. Seth and I have birthdays within 4 days of each other and I share the same birthday as his younger brother.
6. Growing up, I dreamed of becoming an author, FBI agent, or Olympic figure skater.
7. Never did I dream of becoming an accountant. No child should have a dream like that.
8. I love to bake. This works out well in my family because my mother does not. So at family functions she handles the meal...I handle dessert and bread.
9. I don't do well in crowds (I think we all know this from previous post)
10. My dream is to live in Colorado...and hopefully in a few years we can make that come true!

And to top it off, how about a random recipe to share as well. Kim gave me the recipe which I'm sure has been passed along from many others:

Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

12 oz beer (your choice)

2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, and beer; batter will be a bit lumpy. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes. When 3 minutes are left, take bread out and brush with melted butter. Bake remaining 3 minutes.

Make sure and eat fresh from the oven - it's sooo yummy!

Talk about a semi-successful/failure of a weekend. The attic door project was temporarily postponed because of a pesky gas line that was in the way. I told Seth, "Well, pick it up and move it then!". Apparently it doesn't work that way. So the Christmas tree remains in our extra bedroom. Curtains were not hung either. HOWEVER...curtain rod was purchased and curtains were (sadly) on backorder. So you can't say I didn't try. They will be up by the end of the week though! Hooray! We have almost completed all our "Anderle Spring Goals"! (Don't ask) I am still sore from Saturday's ride though. You'd think all the ice cream and pudding we've snacked on this weekend would fix that problem right up.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything that fascinating to update you on. Which probably comes as a shock to most of you. I am about ready for V-Day decorations to leave the stores!!! How cheesy can they possibly make this holiday??! Valentine's Day to me means: get some flowers, have a decent dinner. I don't want any 5 ft tall teddy bears, boxes of chocolates (well I wouldn't refuse them), or mylar balloons that say "Be Mine". You have to draw the line somewhere people. But don't worry...HEB already has Easter out in full force. I just wish it were time for candy corn again...ahh fall.

Ok, I did think of something. Today I had to run a few errands at the mall. And I HATE the mall. I always think I'll get over it. I always think "this time will be different", but the older I get, the more I can't stand the place. Now don't get me wrong...I enjoy shopping. Just not in a massive building with a million stores and a million people. It's really the crowds. It's the noise. It's all the smells. It's much too overwhelming for me and I nearly always find myself in a cold sweat or a panic. Not even joking. This is why we had to have our Christmas shopping finished by mid-November because there was no way I'd be able to handle the stores, come Christmastime. It's bad I know. The same panic also happens in long lines at the grocery store and that other place I used to shop for my multi-purpose needs (WM). I realize this is pretty abnormal woman behavior. But I can't think of a worse way to spend my day. Unless it's a quick run-in to grab a cinnamon pretzel from Auntie Anne's. That store alone redeems the mall just a little.

Dinner meeting tomorrow night w/ the Bayles'. We always have important things to discuss (i.e. celebrity gossip, Aggie athletics, who's who in Houston, etc). We have an excellent dinner menu in store if I may say so myself. Oh, and that reminds me...be on the lookout for a fun recipe and 10 little known facts about Mary on the next blog!! I can't even stand the anticipation!

Friday again! Where does the time go? I feel like only older people say that, but life really does move fast. And for someone who lives by her calendar, there's never enough time. I would take a screen shot of my Outlook calendar and post it here for your shock and amazement, but I'll save myself the embarassment. I don't understand why I love looking at my calendar so much. I really don't even need one because I have it all memorized anyway. Yes, you SHOULD be sad for me. I just have this ridiculous memory. And I'm way better at memorizing semi-useless things. If I've called you once, I have your phone number memorized. If I've been to your house, your address is engrained in my brain. Zipcodes, birthdays, SSN's (ok just kidding...sorta. I know my entire family's, including Seth's), passwords, random dates bank accounts, email addresses, etc. It's sick. People would come up to me at my wedding and introduce themselves and I'd say, "Oh...Mrs. Jones! You live on Chesnut Lane, right?" (It was so fun to address 300 wedding invitations by myself)

I guess it can always be the talent part of my act when I'm in the running for Mrs. America (can't be "Miss" anymore!)

Let's move away from psycho Mary topics.

Tomorrow is bike ride #3...'Puddle for the Ducks'...out in Katy. Least favorite Houston suburb. Found along one of 2 least favorite Houston freeways (I10 and 290) I can guarantee you 5 things.

• It will be cold
• It will be crazy windy
• I will complain a lot in my head
• I will take a bubble bath immediately upon arrival back home
• I will want chips & queso the rest of the day (and ice cream that night)

Seth will also be installing an attic door in our garage this weekend. This has been on our list of goals since...oh, last April. We have a door in our hallway but there is no storage for important things like the Christmas tree or moving boxes, so we're taking matters into our own hands. I also plan on hanging curtains. I realize I say this every weekend and some of you are shaking your heads and "tsk tsk"ing me, but I can almost guarantee it will happen this weekend. As soon as I ride 50 miles, clean the house, use my coupons at Express & Ann Taylor, and finish our tax return :)

Happy Friday!

Family Fun

Oh yeah. The Anderles (note missing apostrophe) know how to have a good time. Maggie had an AWESOME first birthday. I made sure to note the "1 year" in the picture so that we'll be able to distinguish between 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th....50th birthday celebration pictures down the road. And before you do anything else, please take that look of disgust off your face. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "She STILL wears those pj pants???" As Dabney nicely suggested earlier today, "How about just some solid gray or black ones...some not so 'middle school'". And she's supposed to be on of my oldest BFF. Hmph. I happen to like my halloween-ish pj pants from high school. And I'll wear them whenever I want to. Whether or not they happen to match my shirt of choosing.

But we had a grand old time. All the while I was trying to frantically make this Amish Friendship bread dough I had thrown at me last week. I'm sure some of you are familiar with this. Basically it's dough that you receive from a "friend" and gingerly knead and care for during a 10 day period, and then bake...and at the same time creating additional bags of dough to help you gain more friends. Neat idea but I have never used so much flour or sugar in one night. And for some reason I thought flour was really healthy. Probably just like I thought wine and liquor had no nutritional content. I think I just always assumed they were like natural tea or coffee...essentially nothing. Boy was I wrong. 2 tbsp of flour is already 110 calories! Multiply that by the probably 5 or 6 cups I ended up using in all the dough - yikes! I don't even know how many tbsp are in one cup! But I bet I could tell you if I looked at the measurement magnet on the fridge. Anyway. This is getting more random and I need ice cream. Homemade vanilla with a few sprinkles of powdered Nestle quick should do the trick!

Apostrophe, Smpostrophe

Today’s discussion practically created itself. At approximately 8:45am, I received some constructive criticism from a fellow reader, who shall remain anonymous. Let’s call her Allison W, ITS Analyst II, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Her email stated the following:

“When a family name (a proper noun) is pluralized, we almost always simply add an "s." So we go to visit the Smiths, the Kennedys, the Grays, etc.When a family name ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z, however, we form the plural by added -es, as in the Marches, the Joneses, the Maddoxes, the Bushes, the Rodriguezes. Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms.”

Wow. Someone is touchy with their grammer. This particular blog stalker disagrees with the title of my blog, preferring the rather confusing “Anderles” opposed to the more sensible “Anderle’s”. Let me explain.

If I just said “Anderles” that creates the misconception that our last name is just that. Anderles. Similar to “Bayles” (thanks for letting me use you for example, Paula). Now, since I don’t want people going around referring to “Mary Anderles’s blog”, I decided to make it easier for all by inserting the formerly referenced, elusive apostrophe. Anyone else have a problem with this? Please speak up.

Today is our dear Maggie’s first birthday! She could not wait to begin the festivities! Her big day started with a nice birthday walk. She also got a pre-birthday scrub-down and haircut last night. Poor thing…the haircut started out as a simple trim to get out some knots behind her ears. Then Seth just started shearing the hair off the back of her legs and nearly got part of her tail before I put a stop to it. Good grief, it’s her birthday, not the prom! Celebration will commence with a peanut butter carrot cake this evening and perhaps a small party with some of her closest neighbor dog friends. Of course I will take pictures! Be on the lookout for those in the next couple days.

I’ve been thinking of posting some of my favorite recipes on here occasionally. Just to share some of my culinary wealth. Thoughts?

Useless Info

I saw a random post as I was "archiving" through Cara's blog the other week and thought I'd take a shot at this myself:

#1 Song on this Date in History (http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/05/0525.htm)

October 14, 1983 (the day I turned the world upside down)
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler

May 25, 1995 (5th grade graduation? This date is a bit of a guess...I can't remember when school used to end for summer)

"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan

YES! Totally had this CD! "This is how we do it...it's Friday night..."

June 2, 2002 (high school graduation)
"Foolish" by Ashanti

May 12, 2006 (my farewell to Texas A&M...at least I think this is the right date)
"SOS" by Rihanna

pause: what? what kind of signs are these? I graduate high school and we're singing "Foolish"...I graduate college and we're onto "SOS"...I told you I wasn't meant for school or work.

July 10, 2006 (foolish Mary joins a big 4 accounting firm)
"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland

well that only makes sense

December 30, 2006 (Day I made Seth the happiest man alive)
"Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé

sweet!

And just for kicks...

January 16, 2008 (day I started my blog, of course)
"Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain

Shoot. I was hoping it'd be Soulja Boy!

I think I need to stop changing our blog template because everytime I do, it messes up all the other posts. So now some of them look stupid. But I really don't want to go back and change them all so please forgive.

Today is my Friday off work. I've come to the conclusion that I really need TWO days off work during the week, plus the weekend. There's never enough time to get anything done! How am I supposed to maintain a super-clean house, cook breakfast and dinner, have time to watch all my shows (non-existent they may be right now), read my books, have hobbies, spend quality time with my husband, run all my errands (not at Wal-Mart though), etc etc etc with only 3 non-work days a week to prepare! I know what you're thinking. And it's the same thing I've been thinking for YEARS. I've known this next fact way down deep in the bottom of my heart since I was a small girl. Mary does not have time to work.

I tried to convince my dad when he suggested I go to college. "It's just going to be a waste of our money because I don't like to work!" (Can't say I didn't tell him so) I TRIED to convince Seth when he told me a stay-at-home wife is lazy. When is anyone going to start listening to me!!

Let's move to Seth. Seth LOVES to work! He loves designing drill bits and working on engineering programs and seeing his design become a tangible creation. B-o-r-i-n-g. So shouldn't his extreme love of work balance out my extreme un-love of work? And to clarify, this is ANY sort of work. Whether I am a CPA or a HEB checker...I still hold the same feelings. Yet, it's something I've done since the second I turned 16. Maybe this is why God brought us together. Because he KNEW only someone like Seth, someone with the incredible patience of Seth, and someone with the inability to lose his temper would suit me. Am I making myself sound difficult? Hopefully not :)

Now that I think about it, it isn't just work I'm not suited for. I was never suited for school. How un-fun of school to take up our ENTIRE DAY, every day, for 12+ years! I hated going to school! But I never wanted to stay home sick (I think I'm making myself sound crazy). I despised homework, I loathed school projects, and wanted to hide from group-work. HATE GROUP WORK. What happened to just waking up and having fun from sunrise to sundown? I can already imagine Seth's face as he is reading this. It's a face I know all too well...

I think I've just come to the conclusion that I don't like thing interfering with my time. That's it! That's my problem! If I so CHOOSE to go to school, then that's great. If I'd like to go to work...fantastic! But if you command me to participate in either...automatic dislike.

Yeah, women are complicated.

Bike ride #2 tomorrow and a busy weekend ahead! I'll try to get some pictures time time.

I don't have much time today so I have prepared a short list of thoughts (if you can't tell, I heart lists)

1. My hair is finally cut
2. Still on the lookout for a puppy
3. The imitation four-cheese pizza that SmartOnes mass-produces is disgusting
4. Oh yeah, back to the puppy. I am CONVINCED that God is sending us signs because in the past 3 days I have met FOUR women who work for animal rescue organizations (including the girl at the hairdresser I was recommended to!). Why else would God torture me with all the dogs if he didn't want Maggie to have a bff/soulmate (besides me of course)
5. NKOTB is finally making their comeback! Have you heard?! www.nkotb.com
6. I miss Stephanie Leigh's cinnamon pecan cookies

What's the return policy for a dog?

Today was a sad day. I've always been a fan of making returns. A victim of extreme buyer's remorse, I tend to buy a lot of wonderful fantastic things at one time...going back only a few days later to return all things but one. Or sometimes I will eventually talk myself out of everything I've bought. Why do we get such satisfaction out of buying "things"? Silly, material things that really won't matter when everything is all said and done. But I digress. Point being...I am one with customer service and the return counter.

I never thought I would have to return a dog though. Luckily we did not buy this one, but nevertheless, we had to take sweet Trudi back downtown to her old foster family this evening. It's a hard battle when 2 dogs both want to be the boss. When 2 generally well-behaved and fun friendly dogs are good separate but not together. When 2 dogs both want all attention. When 2 dogs start fighting and bite each other. :( Maggie and Trudi clearly were not a good match and so we had to say goodbye. Why do we want 2 dogs so badly? Is Maggie just the best ever and we're selfish and think we can find Maggie x 2? I have a feeling she is irreplacable. Just like my old friend, Toby was until a couple years ago. (Emily would kill me for posting this old picture!) We miss you, Toby!

No clue why I am being so sentimental. Guess I just don't like having to say bye to our four-legged friends!

This will obviously be more upbeat tomorrow. I'm just running late for Guitar Hero practice.

Frost Bike and 12 Legs

Wow. Let's talk about today.

I rode 45 miles for my first MS150 training ride of the year. It was appropriately called the "Frost Bike 50" because I felt like I was riding in sub-zero temperatures. (Catch the play-on words? Frost Bike, Frostbite!) I literally could not feel any of my appendages. I think that means fingers and toes. Or maybe that means arms and legs. I really couldn't feel those either. I finished in a record time but only because I kept pedaling faster to create more body warmth. The following thoughts ran through my head at least once or twice during the ride: "It is freaking cold. I hate riding my bike. I love riding my bike. How will I describe this in my blog? This sucks. This isn't thaat bad! I wonder if I'll find a dog. Seth is an idiot for golfing in this weather today. My back hurts. WHY ARE WE ON THE FRONTAGE ROAD FOR 290. Idiot drivers! I hate my bike! I love my bike!" And so on. To top things off, my mile counter...let's call it my bike-ometer broke. So I had no clue how fast I was going or how many miles I'd ridden the entire time. And that is very bad for someone with no sense of direction, speed, or time. I knew the first rest stop was at 17 miles. And for awhile there, I was convinced they must've forgotten the first rest stop because I KNEW I'd ridden at least 30 or 35 miles. So I slowed down to ask one of the many bikers I'd passed. Apparently their bikeometer was broken as well because they said we'd only gone 6 miles.

So anyway. I successfully survived. And it actually was kinda fun even though my skin had turned blue. Next ride is Saturday around Lake Windcrest in Magnolia. Maybe I can even make time for a small photo shoot in all my gear!

Next up. I know you are all anticipating the news of the canine. We are "temporarily fostering" Trudie/Sadie/Annie/Mazie (yeah, I know....Kim's idea), the dog, to see how she gets along with Maggie. Our sweet Maggie. Our quaint little family has grown from 8 to 12 legs for the time being.

Seth immediately started Caesar-izing her (seen the Dog Whisperer?) He was all about "I'm master, you're dog". She is also sweet, in a different way than Maggie, but we are testing them out to see how they act around each other. They both enjoy playing but we've had T/S/A/M home for 3 hours and their clean-freak mother has already vacuumed twice. Is this something I can do every day, I ask myself?

We do take a decent photo though. And I know this photo really doesn't do justice to my fashion. I KNOW some of you think we only own Texas A&M apparel (I wore one of the few non-A&M shirts today in honor of my KPMG crew). I know some of you think I am a slob. But I'm sorry. I wear business casual all day long and the last thing I want to do when I get home is put on jeans. Please. I would live in pjs, sweatpants, and windsuits if I could. And this isn't just something that has happened since I've been married. So stop thinking "poor Seth, his wife can't even look hot for him anymore". He married into this. He was forewarned. Yet he loves me anyway :) And that is why he's my best friend and the love of my life. Because he likes to wear his pjs at home too.

This is getting too long. I already have a fantastic topic in my head for the next blog, by the way. We'll keep you updated on the progress of our foster dog (we have to decide by next Saturday) and her name situation. She has definitely already established herself as alpha-dog though so we're not sure how this will go over with Miss Maggie May.