#CHRISFORBACHELOR

I interrupt these regularly scheduled Myrtle Beach posts for a very exciting announcement.

CHRIS IS THE NEXT BACHELOR!!!



Megan (my niece) and I have been running a behind the scenes campaign for Chris to be chosen as the next Bachelor. I have absolutely no doubt that the millions of text messages we sent back and forth to each other with #chrisforbachelor were the driving reason that ABC chose him. As Megan said, "We know how to get stuff done"!

Boom. Fist Bump.


I loved, loved, loved Chris last season. Next season should be a great one. He appeared to be such a nice gentleman when he was on Andi's season. Of course, there's always some type of drama or something on the show that I wish wasn't there, but I really think I will enjoy watching Chris as the next bachelor. If you haven't been watching, now's the time to start! I need people to watch, so we can chat about it!!! 

Dancing With The Stars: Week 2

Surprise! Double Elimination! They shocked us right at the beginning of the show. Oh my, I was really worried that one of my favorites might be sent home, especially after they declared Billy Dee safe. Love his heart.

Drew & Cheryl danced a fun jive. Drew is definitely a crowd pleaser and improved from week one. Does anybody else think that Cheryl's face looks different this season? Just one of my odd observations! Scores: 7, 7, 7

Danica & Val did a samba. Poor Winnie Cooper was crying from the stress. I'm worried about her because this is just week two. It's only going to get harder, Winnie. She did a good job, but the dance was a little too suggestive for my taste. Scores: 8, 8, 8

Billy Dee & Emma danced a tango next. He seemed to be having some difficulty during rehearsals. When he said he wanted to cry, it made me sad. Then, he had his sunglasses on inside. Why? To hide the tears maybe? They brought in some extra girls to dance with him, and that seemed to lift his spirits. I do think he did a little better this week, but I agree with the judges that he needs a lot more content in his dances. Scores: 5, 5, 5

Meryl & Maks did a swing dance. Y'all, she is seriously precious. It was a great dance with lots of lifts. Maks disagreed with a couple of the judges' negative comments. That's nothing new, he never agrees when they aren't all positive. I think Meryl reminds me of Snow White from the original movie. So, if the ice skating thing doesn't work out, maybe she can work at Disney World! Scores: 8, 9, 8

Diana & Henry are eliminated. She handles it so graciously. They get to do their dance anyway, and she is a very good sport about it.

Candace & Mark are next with a rumba. Again, she makes a statement about being a Christian. She also said, "My life revolves around my relationship with Jesus Christ." DOUBLE FIST BUMP! I am just so, so proud of her. I may have even cried a little. Ha! Anyway, her dance was absolutely breathtaking. Then, the judges were so hard on her. They scored her WAY lower than they should have. I was so mad that I actually voted (I hardly ever actually vote). Scores: 7, 7, 7

Amy & Derek do a swing dance. Again, she is amazes me. How is it even possible what she does? Scores: 8, 8, 8

James & Peta are ready for their salsa dance. I still think he is a cutie patooty, but I think he was playing the sexy card way too much. Just my opinion. Score: 9, 8, 8

Charlie & Sharna danced a tango. Wow! It was very good! I think he definitely has an advantage (like Meryl) since they are professional ice skaters. However, it was great no matter what! Scores: 9, 7, 9

Nene & Tony did the jive. I thought she did better than last week. She also looked very pink from head to foot! Scores: 7, 7, 7

Sean & Karina went next with a salsa. He seemed to be trying hard and actually smiling! That's improvement. Scores: 7, 7, 7

Cody & Whitney danced the tango in some light up costumes. I did like their performance better than last week, but I'm still just not sure how I feel about the dancing overall. Scores: 7, 7, 8

Uh oh, Sean & Karina are sent home. That just goes to show that it helps to smile and not be a "bad boy". And it also helps when people know who you are before the show starts. I didn't have a single clue who he was before last week.

To sum in up, most people improved. I'm mad as a hornet about the scores the judges gave Candace. The End.

Dancing With The Stars: The Premiere!

 

It's back! One of my favorite shows, Dancing with the Stars, began it's new season last night.  When the case was first announced, I was a tiny bit disappointed.  There were just a lot of names that I didn't recognize.  So I approached last night's episode with cautious excitement.  It's just always better when you know who the stars are before the show.  In my humble opinion of course. 

First, we need to address Erin Andrews replacement of Brooke.  I have to admit I was a little shocked when I heard about the switch-a-roo.  Brooke seemed to do a good job, and I had no issues at all with her as co-host.  I should add, however, that I have always thought that the show made a mistake way back when they chose Brooke over Melissa Rycroft.  She would be fabulous! But as usual, ABC didn't ask little ol' me.

1. First to dance was Nene Leakes. I honestly may be the only person alive who didn't already know who she was, but I didn't. I had heard her name a few times, but that's it.  She looked like she was having so much fun.  I also couldn't help but notice that she looked beyond thankful to be done. She had so much relief on her face! One more thought...how in the world are her teeth that white?!?! WOW.  Scores: 7, 7, 7

2. James Maslow, the cutie patooty, came on next.  Again, no clue who he was.  However, Claire knew and filled me right in.  Apparently, he's from Big Time Rush.  I would assume that's a reality tv show being created to film live at the Murray house every morning before school.  Right out of the gate, the producers are trying to get us roped into a SHOWmance.  Apparently, James and his partner Peta went out on one date a while back, and now we will all be watching to see what unfolds in the weeks to come....I thought he did a great job dancing (and looking like a cutie patooty) and definitely has some potential.  I need to mention that Peta's dress looked like a pair of suspenders.  I could have used a little more coverage.  Ahem.  Scores: 7, 7, 7 (should have been higher)

3. Danica McKellar, otherwise known as Brian's teenage love of his life aka Winnie Cooper, was the third to dance. Seriously, Brian would list The Wonder Years in his top three favorite shows ever. I never really liked it. I did hope that he might agree to watch it with me this season since his old friend Winnie was dancing.  No such luck.  Even Winnie Cooper can't make him a DWTS viewer. So I give up. She did a great job and was just so excited to be there. Scores: 8, 8, 8

4. Sean Avery (WHO?) was fourth.  Never in my life have I even heard the name Sean Avery.  Granted, I do live under a rock at times, but who?!?! He didn't exactly impress me when he started talking and described himself as a "bad boy".  His voice was kind of monotone, but Karina says he's funny.  He did a lot of running, jumping, and catching Karina.  Scores: 7, 6, 7

5. Billy Dee Williams was next.  Because I was never much of a Star Wars fan, I really wasn't familiar with him either.  See above: I live under a rock.  Bless him.  He's 77 years old with arthritis and two hip replacements so I say, "You go boy"! He's a cute little fellow and seemed to be having fun.  Scores: 5, 5, 5

6. Meryl Davis, an Olympic ice skater, danced her way right into my heart.  She just seems so precious! I also thought she did a fantastic job dancing.  Scores: 8, 8, 8

7.  Candace Cameron Bure was one of the only people that I recognized.  She immediately made a statement about faith, family, and modesty. So I sent a fist bump through the tv screen. Then she did a wonderful job dancing, so I'm really excited and hopeful that she will stick around for a while. Scores: 9, 8, 8

.

8. Cody Simpson ~ I've at least heard the name. Ha! He's only 17 years old and full of energy for sure.  I love his Australian accent.  I'm not sure about his dancing style, but time will tell! Scores: 7, 7, 7

9. Now Drew Carey, I know! He was next to dance, and I couldn't get over how much weight he has lost.  Yay for him! He made a good effort. Scores: 7, 7, 7

10. I'm sad to say I didn't know who Amy Purcy was before, but she is amazing.  She is a snowboarder with two prosthetic legs.  I promise you that I couldn't snowboard with two natural, albeit chunky and wobbly, legs.  I was just so proud for her and her accomplishments. I'm definitely a fan already! I accidentally forgot to write down her scores probably due to my shock of what I just watched her do!

11. Diana Nyad, the swimmer who swam from Cuba to Florida, danced next. The dance just seemed a little slow overall for me. I did love her motto though of  "Never, ever give up"! Scores: 6, 6, 6 

12. Charlie White, another Olympic ice skater, was the last to dance. He seemed like a very nice guy and danced really well. I'm anxious to see him dance more for sure. His scores were the best for the night: 9, 9, 9

So, after watching the new contestants dance and hearing some of their back stories, I'm very excited for the rest of the season. I just wish we didn't have to wait a whole week until it comes back on again! I'd love to know what you thought about the premiere!

 

What I Learned In February

1.  A bad sinus infection can flat knock you down.


2.  Antibiotics don't always work as quickly as I would like them to work.


3.  Little bits of warm weather make the cold and snow that much harder.


4.  All Pinterest recipes are NOT what they claim to be.


5.  Finding holes in otherwise good, newish children's clothes is not a good way to start a day.


6.  I really love Golden Grahams cereal, and I get irritated when someone eats the last of it.


7.  Steroids are not my friend.  They keep me awake all night.


8.  Not getting sufficient sleep makes me miserable.  And quite unpleasant to be around.


9.  Finding curtains in the style and color I want is completely impossible.


10.  I'm not a fan of The Bachelor this season.  Bye, bye Juan Pablo.


11.  Harry and Keith are a nice addition to American Idol.  Finally.


12.  Cadbury eggs are one of my love languages.  Bok, bok.

A Fun Father's Day Week

We had such a busy, fun week.  On Tuesday, we went to Cracker Barrel with family and to visit the graveyard on the third anniversary of Daddy's death.

 

 

 We spent some time doing our regular stuff like learning our weekly verse.

 There was a grilled chicken pizza made in this house.  Very delicious!

 We helped paint at church.

 I spent the other days getting ready for a garage sale.  Then Saturday was the big day.  I'm so glad we did it, but it just about did me in.  Saturday night, we went out to eat to celebrate Father's Day with Brian. 

 

(You may remember how Applebee's is dead to me, but I have to admit it was really good.  So I am cautiously considering a change of heart.)

 We also went to Books A Million.

 

(Wonder how many other kids have had those same hats on their heads? On second thought, let's not think about that.)

 Brian loved his Father's Day gifts.

 I made everybody take pictures at various times throughout the day.  Yeah...they love me for that.

 We had lunch and swam at the country club.

 

 Then last night, I went to a family viewing party for Miss USA.  We were crazy serious about it, too.  There were brackets filled out along the way, and Karen was declared the winner with 31 points. 

 

Fun times!

Just In Case You Were Wondering

Just in case you were wondering, we had a great weekend! The weather was beautiful, so we spent a lot of time outside.  

Friday night started by helping out with IHN  serving food, cleaning up, and visiting with the families.

 Then we had some free Krispy Kreme doughnut coupons that were burning a hole in our pocket (about to expire).  We made a vow to not eat any until Saturday morning though.  Oh, the agony of it all.

 After our delightful doughnut breakfast, we went to ride bikes and play on the playground for quite a while.

Later, we went to eat at Chili's ~

 and then over to Barnes and Noble.

(and a few more errands)

 After church on Sunday, it was time for tennis.  It had been a while since we'd been able to practice, but the kids remembered all that they had learned back in the fall.  They did very well, and then played on another playground while I tried to learn a little.  I seemed to remember my previous learning too, but I still looked about as graceful as a newborn Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to roller skate.  It ain't pretty folks.  

 

A little stop by Nana's house was fun.  Lucy Cate came down to visit.  Here are two cuties coloring:

Later that evening is when the fun really began.  I will spare you the details, but let's just say I was sick.  All night.  And part of Monday.  So I had an unexpected day off yesterday.  I'm sure one of my little buffalo was to blame.  

The highlight of the day was the Bachelor finale.  Sean picked Catherine (which I already knew).  He seems to really like her.  (Fingers crossed.) Today, the big announcement was made that he is joining Dancing With The Stars.  That's pretty exciting considering the upcoming season is really, REALLY lacking in dancers that I care to watch.  

The Bachelor: Montana Edition

In the words of Chris Harrison, "Welcome back, ladies".  It looks like we are headed to Montana for tonight's Bachelor.  Montana looks really beautiful from that itty bitty airplane on which Sean is arriving.  Oh my, the plane just landed on the water.

Lindsay just found out she's going on the one-on-one date.  She cried a little.  Of course, all of the other girls are jealous.

Enter helicopter.

Montana is absolutely gorgeous! I need to add that I would be throwing up from fear if I was in that helicopter.

Sean told Lindsay that he likes her because she isn't high maintenance.  For the record, I'm pretty sure that's why Brian Murray fell in love with me too.

Now Sean and Lindsay are in a lovely lodge looking building.  There is a fire.  Quite romantic.  He likes her a lot by the looks of these kisses.  And Lindsay gets the first rose of the night.  She thinks the night is over, but she is wrong.  There is a concert going on down the street just for them.  So they dance in front of everybody.  I don't know which is worse...that helicopter ride or dancing in front of everybody.  She's obviously a cooler cat than I am.

Back at the girl's house, the group date card has just been delivered.  The girls who have their names on the card are relieved because everybody knows they don't want to go on the upcoming two-on-one date where somebody WILL go home.

Group date time! The girls are instructed about a relay race including a canoe race, hay, sawing logs, and milking goats.  You have to be kidding me.  So the competition begins.  Those canoes are all over the place. Oh, bless their hearts.  Now they are milking the goat.  And the goat just kicked over the milk they worked so hard to get.  That would SO be my luck.  And now Desiree is drinking the milk.  Grody!!!

So the blue team are the losers and off they go back to the house.  The red teams wins and gets to hang around with Sean for the evening.  Lucky them.  Apparently, drinking goat milk makes one lucky.

Sean just invited the blue team to come back to the party.  Oh, those red girls are going to be so mad! They just drank goat's milk for crying out loud to win the time with him!!! And now the others get to come back.  Big mistake Sean.

Addendum: Drinking goat's milk does not in fact make one lucky.

Oh, they are mad!

And now, Tierra is headed that way too.  And she wasn't even part of the blue or red team.  What is she doing? That girl is cray cray.  Bless her heart.  If those other girl's see her, she is dead meat.

So now she's questioning why she is having to go on a two-on-one date.  She thinks she deserves all of his time.  But unfortunately, that just isn't what she signed up for!  Lucky for her, none of the other girls saw her. I bet she had some goat's milk before she went over there.

Now, the game of "It's my turn, no it's my turn" begins.  The girls are stealing him away left and right.

My viewing partner, Max, is very asleep right now.  He's totally over all of this drama.

Daniella cries to Sean, but she gets the rose.

Now it's finally time for the date with Tierra and Jackie.  They are going horse back riding.  I'm very afraid that Jackie is going to try to talk to Sean about Tierra.  He doesn't like that kind of thing.  Oh no, I was right.  She's talking.  About Tierra.  To Sean.  I really think that's a mistake.  See: Kacie B.

There is awkward silence at dinner.  Now Tierra is spending some alone time with Sean.  I think he will send Jackie home.  I was right.  Poor Jackie.  Tierra is very happy.  Fireworks.  Of course.

So it's the night of the rose ceremony.  Sean reassures Desiree.  Tierra storms out of the room so she doesn't have to be around the other girls.  She says she wants to fight them all.  Two girls decide to confront her.  This could be bad.  Sean walked by and saw Tierra fussing at Robyn.  So he's going to talk to her.  She tells him she's not a drama person at all and that all of the other girls are attacking her.

Sean asks Lesley for specific information about Tierra.  She tells him the truth without being too ugly.  He really put her in a difficult situation.

Sean is very frustrated.  Time for the roses.  Selma gets a rose.  Katherine, Lesley, AshLee, Sarah, and Desiree all get roses.  Goodbye Robyn.

*It's a two episode week for Bachelor.  More drama tomorrow night.  Bring it on.

100th and 101st Day!

This week has been very exciting so far.  It started on Sunday with lunch at Arby's where we promptly spent $20 for three french fries and two ounces of roast beef to share between the four of us.  But the company was nice.

Parker and Claire went to the dentist this morning.  I'm happy to report that they are both in the "No Cavity" Club! I'm so thankful that they have never had any cavities.  I didn't either until I married Brian.  My tooth troubles started two days after we got married.  Literally.  I totally blame him.
(Someday I'll tell you the whole story.)

 The Pinewood Derby car is well underway.  It's final reveal will be Thursday night at the race.  

 Monday, we celebrated the 100th day of school!

 

 We made some mighty fine 100 year olds if I do say so myself.

 This little old man can barely stand up bless his heart.

 Lots of fun 100 day activities

 He seriously put on these glasses, looked at me, and said, "Call me".

 That made today the 101st day of school, and this lady has never turned down an opportunity to celebrate! So we had ourselves a little Dalmatian Celebration! 

(Get it? 101 Dalamatians)

 We had some fun activities with the number 101.  We also made dog ears with 50 spots on one ear and 51 spots on the other ear.  They all looked so cute, but I could have done without the expected barking and howling.  

Tomorrow, I will be in a workshop all day.  I guess they will have to celebrate "Mrs. Murray's Not Here" Day.  

And I leave you with this...

You know I love me some ponies, but what's even better? Ponies wearing sweaters.

If that doesn't make you smile, then you must be a sad, sad person.

*Bachelor News ~ Two girls went home, everybody still dislikes Tierra, Sean likes everybody, and more drama is promised for next week.  So, in other words, the usual.

The Bachelor Week 3

I'm a little behind with this post! I typed out my notes as I watched The Bachelor the other night, but I was too tired to post them Monday night and too busy Tuesday night.  So here we are on Wednesday night, two nights behind.  Better late than never I guess.  If you have no interest in The Bachelor, stop reading.  If you continue, prepare for lack of sentence structure as you try to decode my notes from the show.

The show started with Sean and Lesley going on a one on one date where they attempted and succeeded to set a new world record for the longest on screen kiss. Here were my thoughts:
Lesley seems young
Keep your tongue in your mouth for crying out loud
Awkward/nervous ~ bless her heart
Doesn't really look him in the eye
Hmmmm

Then there was a group date with twelve girls.  They played some pitiful beach volleyball.  I should add that they were way better than I would have been but still pitiful.  The losing team had to go back to the house and they were "super bummed out" and had some serious tears.  Desiree (Des) spent some time telling Sean that she "enjoys the beauty of life".  He seems to like her still.

Amanda talks to Sean while Desiree listens. Desiree thinks Amanda is creepy and dark. Tension between the two.  Oh no.

Kacie B. tells Sean about the drama between the other girls. I don't think that's a good idea, Kacie B. Don't you see that is putting you back in the friend spot? He doesn't seem happy that she's telling him. She says  she's "not a drama person".  He asks, "Why are you involving yourself?" I think Kacie B. might just be headed back home to Friendville.

(Sidenote: Max is beside me and he did a little doggy huff at the drama. For real.)

There is a big bang. Tierra fell down the stairs. Imagine that.  Cue ambulance. She doesn't want to go. She is adamant about it. Others think she's just trying to get attention. As one girl put it ~ "Clearly nothing really wrong with you little doll".  Sean is giving Tierra some of  Ashlee's time. Ashlee is not happy.  Oh no, she's not.

Finally Ashlee and Sean start their date.  They have Six Flags all to themselves. That is my kind of date. Please don't make me play beach volleyball or jump off a building. I'll take Six Flags any time! They are sharing the date with chronically ill kids. Sean seems so sweet about it and so kind to the young girls.

Enter Eli young band. Sean likes country music. As if I needed another reason to like him.

Now Ashley and Sean are alone. Adoption discussion. He tells her does want to adopt.  I'm crying listening to her adoption story. Now Sean's crying. Oh my. And Ashlee gets the rose. Dancing and kissing commence.

Party time. Sean has a surprise for Sarah. He brought Leo the dog to cheer her up since she didn't get a date this week. Awwww!

Alone time with Tierra. Desiree interrupts. Tierra goes and gets him back. Oh no. Oh no. Now Lesley steals him.  Desiree hates the game. Don't we all Desiree? Don't we all. Insanity!!!

Talking to Kacie. He's shooting straight. Two steps back for Kacie.

Rose ceremony time!
Oh the formality of it all.

First rose. Stop everything. He asks to talk to Kacie. He's sending her home. "Better off as friends" speech. As I predicted. Goodbye Kacie.

Ok, back to the roses. Tierra. Eyes rolling all around the room. Lesley H. Kathryn. Daniella. (I don't even know who Kathryn and Daniella are). Robin. (Don't know her either.) Selma. (Nope. No connection.) Sarah. (Sweetie pie.) Jackie. Amanda.
 Des. (Yes Des.) That was a close one for her.

Goodbye Taryn.
Goodbye Kristy.

Bless their hearts.

Previews showing roller derby. That cannot end well. Tierra causing more drama. Lots to look forward to!  Rock on!

Some Events That Must Be Discussed

There have been a few events around here that must be discussed.

1. A Stuffed Animal Pageant

Claire orchestrated a pageant for several of her beloved animals.  The contestants were: Blue Bunny, Pink Poodle, Yellow Sun, White Rose, Plush Appeal (seriously), and Marley Monkey.  Each animal came out on "stage" and posed several times.  There was music playing in the background, and Claire introduced each one using a (drumstick) microphone.  Brian and I were each distributed ballots on which to vote.  It was very well thought out.

Marley Monkey tap danced for her talent

All lined up waiting for the winner to be called

The contestants gathered around the winner ~ White Rose!

It's funny because I can't recall Claire actually seeing a beauty pageant.  So either I have forgotten (which is more than possible with the state of my memory lately) OR it's true that pageants are just in our southern girl blood from birth.  I spent many evenings watching various beauty pageants with my Mama when I was a little girl.  We used to get out our notepads and write down our favorites at the beginning of the show.  Then proudly declared when one of our favorites was picked as a winner or finalist.  I even went over to watch Miss America with her the other night.  Now don't start judging and saying that they are disrespectful to women, etc.  If you feel that way, I understand.  But I still love them.  And this is my blog. Long live the pageant!

2. Naked Barbies Doing Splits On The StoveTop

If this is the direction the pageants are headed around here then we are in trouble...

 Put some clothes on Barbie (and friends)!!!! This is a family pageant! For the love!

Actually, this wasn't a pageant at all.  Just Barbie and nine of her closest friends doing splits on the stove top. No biggee.

3. The Bachelor Week 2

In Week 2, Sean did his best to be as cute and charming as ever. So far, he hasn't let me down.  I am totally confused on which girl(s) I really like and would be best for him.  There was sweet Sarah who went for a ride in a helicopter and then jumped off the side of a building with Sean.  I still can't figure out how those Bachelor producers created an exact reproduction of my first date with Brian way back in the day. He still picks me up in his helicopter occasionally, but we gave up jumping off buildings a while back.

Then there was that whole romance novel photo shoot.  Tierra is still acting strangely which is such a shame because she is so cute.  Kristy won the contest with her "skills".  Let's move on.

I think Kacie B. is going to have some struggles.  Even though Sean says he wants to try to get to know her as more than a friend, I think she is going to have a hard time climbing out of that "just a friend" category.  Time will tell.

And then there's Desiree.  Or Des as Sean likes to call her.  I seriously cringed every. single. time. he said Des.  I actually really like her.  She's pretty, sweet, and funny.  She took that practical joke like a champ.  I would have died if I had been in that room alone when that art broke.  She has nothing going against her at all in my opinion.  Except that he calls her Des.  Stop it, Sean.  Her name is Desiree.  Thank you.