Let’s Catch Up

My good friend Tiffany is having an auction to raise money to bring home baby Esther from Haiti. If you'd like to check out the goods, especially if you live in Arkansas or the Dallas area, please click HERE. No matter where you live, I'm giving away a copy of my first series, A Katie Parker Production, appropriate because Katie is of course a foster child. Tiffany and her family are such an inspiration. They have worked with underprivileged children for years, including adopting two foster children. When the opportunity was presented to this family to adopt Esther, they said, “She has a home with us.” It's a special situation, and the family has been given a month to raise the money. Many families have a year. They would love to have your prayers for sweet Esther.

In other inspirational news, I am totally geeked out by this preview of Dallas 2.0.
Larry Hagman's eyebrows are all pointing to heaven and stuff.

My lovely Aussie pal Rel is giving away a copy of There You'll Find Me HERE.

So did anyone do Black Thursday/Friday? It is our family tradition to do BF, so of course we did. I hate that stores open on Thanksgiving. I hate that we can't resist stores that open on Thanksgiving.
We were at Wal-Mart by 8:30, where my mom, sister-in-law, and I each got in line for computers.
Total success.
The hot items at Wal-Mart were games and videos. When they turned those things loose, you could hear the crowd from across the store. Sounded like a warehouse of feral cats.
After leaving the crazy that was Wal-Mart, we continued to other stores.
And shopped.
And shopped.
By about five a.m., I was fried. No mas. Please, no more shoppie. No ore shoppie!
So wedged in between two Hewlett Packards and the car door, I finally passed out in the back seat while Mom and SIL stormed two final stores.
I am the weak shopping link in this family.

I know we're all maxed out on flash mobs. And some of us are a little bitter that we haven't gotten to be in one. But I thought this one was pretty clever.

Look at this smart cat.
Speaking of smarties, Sully has way surpassed Miller the Barfer in the intellect department. This kitten has figured out how to turn my alarm off. At first I thought it was a fluke. A fluke that made me late for work Monday morning. (And by the way, “My cat turned off my alarm” does not sound that convincing when said aloud.) But that freak show has done it every morning this week. As for an update on Sully's health, it is still not so hot. There are some serious neurological issues, but aside from his disdain for some 6 a.m. country music, his quality of life is really good right now. So thanks for the sweet animal prayers.

Did you guys watch the AMAs a few weeks ago? My favorite performance was Kelly Clarkson. I see she has a new stylist. Or finally got one. Whatever she did, do it again. She's a cute girl, but she always looks like she picked her clothes from an inner city K-Mart. I love, love to see twists on pop songs. Like this.

Good, eh? Okay, the stage is a little busy. Kel, it's the America Music Awards. Not Dollywood.
Kelly Clarkson, like Adele, sounds best when it's really pared down and more organic, acoustic. You know. Like me and my car solos.

Moving on to other super stars, I have YET to see the Muppets movie, but I am. I sure am. I LOVED the Muppets back in the day. “Piiiiigs innnn Spaaace!”
The Muppets have been everywhere, even showing up at the Country Music Awards. It worried me to see Kermit on SNL, but Kermie held his own. And in fact–did well.

This lady's moves on the treadmill totally impress me. (Warning: there's language; mute if you don't want to hear.)

You KNOW she has a pair of roller skates somewhere at home in her closet straight out of 1984.

Tuesday I asked each of my students what they did over the Thanksgiving break.
Hailey: I saw Breaking Dawn
Me: Did you like it?
Hailey: Yeah!
Jonathan: You mean you liked the first five seconds.
Me: What happens in the first five seconds?
Jonathan: Jacob takes his shirt off.
Jacob: No I didn't!

Have a great weekend. Be careful shopping and send some snow my way.