"Brandi's going to be the best mom ever!!

That's what I overheard a co-worker say when she found out that I was the one who made the cupcakes for our holiday work party. She has no idea how happy that made me! My own mother worked nights and never showed interest in baking and whatnot (although she always makes my favorite dinner dishes when I go visit!!) So, I've always liked to think I would enjoy being the class mom and all that jazz!! Of course, that's a few years down the road right now so my lovely co-workers are enjoying being my guinea pigs!! haha I enjoy baking for them because they are always so appreciative, which makes me excited to make them something else...it's nice to have a good cycle in such a viscous cycle kind of world!

These were simple and fun to make! I already had most of the ingredients in my pantry, just needed the m&m's for the nose! The recipe called for redhots (which I did have on hand) but my husband thought they would taste gross on a cupcake and when I made him do a taste test on a redhot to see if it was still good...he about broke a tooth because he thought they were supposed to be soft! haha He didn't want the same thing to happen to my co-workers so we went with the m&m's.

This is another recipe from the cookbook my mother-in-law bought me, I really like this book! I've been having a hard time with the cake on the front cover...I've tried making it twice now and it looks NOTHING like their picture!! I know that's pretty common, but I can usually get pretty close with these recipe's! I think the next time I try at it, I'm just going to put it in a 13x9 inch pan so it can't melt as easy!



If you think these are cute then you should head over to Bakerella's website...snow globe cupcakes?! Is that possible?? For Bakerella it is!! Check out these adorable and festive cake pops she did here. mmmm I love Christmas, don't you?!

Speaking of Christmas...if I don't get back on here before then....

Merry Christmas to you and your loved one's!! I hope those who are traveling make it to their destination safely and have a wonderful holiday season!!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

If at first you don't succeed....

I stared at it for weeks. Waiting for the perfect time. When I get into a book...there's nooo getting me out of it until I'm done. That can take hours, days, or weeks even...and in this case it might take years! No, I'm not talking about the Twilight Saga!! Although, I did get sucked into that collection recently. Ha...pardon my pun, I'm not usually that witty! ;)

Recently my wonderful Mother in Law purchased a cookbook for me and it fueled my newest passion. Okay, so it's not really something new but it's something I have finally begun to invest time in! I'm no Martha Stewart though and I have NO desire whatsoever to begin making up my own recipes. Nope, I'll follow along...precisely along...with the ones the baking Diva's have already put out there for me to discover!

The perfect time finally came around Halloween...but since that's already past I'll move on to the second perfect time! haha After making the pumpkin cake, I decided that I then wanted to go back to the beginning of the book and start there and bake my way through! To my delight, the first one was an oreo cake...yummy! So here the baking begins...

*All the yummy ingredients needed to make a masterpiece for my mouth!*

I quickly discovered that this recipe called for two 9" round cake pans...so I went out and bought them along with the neat gadget that will slice off a thin layer to even out the top of your bottom layer. (yes, I was informed that a bread knife works just as well but where's the fun in that?!) I greased and floured my pans per instructions and baked them according to the box. Luckily, I checked them way earlier than I had planned because they were done sooner than the box said! Making a mental note for future reference, I gently took both out of the oven and noticed my first mess up. Since I didn't have the cakes in the middle of the oven, they baked lopsided. Oh well, I thought to myself...no biggie since I was going to cut off the top of one layer anyway and add icing to the other!

When it came time to take them out of the pan I noticed another mess up. Surely, I somehow didn't add enough cake mix because this layers were thin! I thought there was no way that I could cut the top off one layer because then there wouldn't be anything left! So I decided that I would just add extra icing in the middle and leave it be. Wrong! The gap that was created from the two layers not meeting perfectly caused me some trouble icing the cake! When I was trying to ice the sides, the icing would fall into the gap! I couldn't keep it just on the outside. So I decided to take a step back and cut off the top layer...with icing on it already.

I didn't even get that far since the top layer started falling apart when I tried to take it off...stupid moist cake! I gave up and decided I would just leave the layers be and keep trying to ice them. Well, that didn't work now either since I had cracked part of the top layer. Since it didn't have the support from the bottom layer directly beneath it and the icing wasn't thick enough...it began to fall.

In my disappointment, I almost just threw the whole thing away. Then I debated making cake balls out of it all! (mmmm cake balls, I need to try those again soon) But finally decided that my co-workers probably didn't care what it looked like...free cake is free cake after all!! So, in the end, I did manage to take off the top layer and I iced them both. Then I placed the cookie crumbs and poured them over the top rather than on the side like the picture in the cookbook. Here's my final result...

*moist cake!*

A few days later, my husband told me about "Pig out Friday" at his work and asked me if I would make him something to take. He wanted finger foods but I was already thinking about Round 2 with the Oreo cake!

I initially planned to just go ahead with my new gadget no matter how thin the cakes were this time, but then a co-worker told me how she turns the bottom layer upside down so that the flat side meets up evenly with the bottom of the top layer. Brilliant!! I baked the cakes separately this time to ensure they would be even. (a patient of mine has since told me that if you wrap a wet hand towel around the cake pan, it will bake evenly. I have not tried this yet!) The rest of the baking went smoothly without incident! The only thing I noticed was that I am in need of cute cake/round platters to serve my cakes on! Although, I wouldn't have wanted him to take a nice one to work anyway. (I bought a pretty platter 1/2 off at the Wishing Well during black Friday so I'm good to go now!)

*Soooooo much better than the first time right?!*

Devin did not get to try out the cake at "Pig our Friday" because it was gone already when he went to get some! He called me earlier in the day to tell me that he overheard a co-worker telling someone that it was the best cake he had had!! And he didn't know that Devin brought it so he wasn't trying to suck up, it was an honest opinion! That made all the hard effort well worth it...although I can't take too much credit since it's not my own recipe haha But I thought I would share that with you in case you are debating on whether to purchase the book yourself.

*Cell phone pic of the inside of the one I made for Thanksgiving*

For Thanksgiving we were in charge of two desserts so I had Round 3 with the Oreo cake and then attempted cake #2 in the book. The second one appeared to be a diaster and didn't make it to dinner that day. His family all said they liked the Oreo one though. Some mentioned it was really sweet...which was probably my fault. I got carried away with the Oreos you crush and put in the cake mix! haha His Dad really liked it with milk. Devin and I have yet to try it! I think I'm done with this one for now though. Since I "failed" at cake #2 it's time to try, try again! Stay tuned!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

p.s. If you are curious what cookbook I'm using...go back up to the second paragraph and click on the hyperlink associated with the word "cookbook"

Logan {Happy Birthday}

It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and after getting my hair done, I couldn't be in higher spirits. I mean, what girl doesn't walk with a little more confidence after a trip to the salon? However, within the next hour that confidence was shattered into pieces on the floor.

I had an hour to spare before the birthday party of a good friend's little boy. He was turning the BIG one soon and his mom asked me to photograph the party. Guess she didn't know yet that where ever you invite me...you also invite my camera ;) She kindly offered to pay, but as I would have taken pictures anyway I didn't feel comfortable taking her money. It was a nice gesture though! I had planned to have plenty of time to get ready but somewhere in my conversation with my Hubby about how the day was going to go...there was a misunderstanding. When finally making it back to his grandparents house, where we had left my camera, we quickly realized we were locked out...and they had gone to Lawton! After a very antsy 10 minutes, were were in the door with the camera in hand and I was feeling pretty good. Well, actually I was a little nervous. It was one thing for me to take pictures at my leisure for my own enjoyment...but now there was a little more pressure. But nothing I couldn't handle, or that my new camera couldn't handle that is ;)

I get to the location and immediately get my camera out, I didn't want to miss a thing. I turn it on to prep for some practice shots to check for lighting and whatnot. As soon as I took that first picture...that's when my heart dropped. There on the screen were the words "No CF card" WHAT?! Instantly I could see my CF card still in my computer, where I had left it after uploading pictures from our recent trip to San Antonio. My "spare" one was in my back up camera, at home. In Norman. Two hours away. I whispered to Devin that I needed his keys so I could go to Wal-Mart and buy another one. "Another one?! You just bought that one!" he whispered loudly back. Yep, I had just bought that one actually. When I was at my little nephew's birthday party and saw the SAME words on my screen actually. Ironically, Whitney, who is Logan's mom, went with me to buy THAT CF card. And now I had forgotten to check to make sure that card was in my camera before I came to take pictures at her son's party. Ugh, could I BE anymore silly?! Who doesn't check their equipment?! I was so dissapointed in myself. Whitney and Waylon were super cool about it though. They told me to just use her camera...and then mentioned that it might have the same card. I highly doubted that her digital camera had the same card...as most people's take an SD card. When I checked it, my heart lifted a bit when I saw it took a big chunky battery like mine. When I flipped it over to the card side, I about screamed with delight when I saw it had the same card!! What were the chances? My hot flash instanly left and my game was back on, time to rock it!

*He was excited about the hat, can you tell?*

*The Wigington family*

*Logan is ONE!!*

*He wasn't sure if he was going to get into trouble for this or not*

*So Daddy helped him out a little ;) *

*Time for presents!*

He was so much fun to photograph! He wasn't shy about my camera at all and I would often find him just staring at me...probably thinking I had a funny looking face since my camera was always there! I can't wait to photograph him again, he's a perfect model! Thanks for asking me to take pictures Whitney AND for saving my tail!

From now on, I'll make a check list! I'm glad this happened at something like this rather than a wedding! One of my former patients told me that now this meant I was a "real photographer" haha He said he has had worse happen through his years of photography. He was a photographer for OU for several decades as well as a wedding and portrait photographer...so I'll take his word for it ;)

Time for bed! Hope you guys all have a great night!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Chocolate Moist Cake

That's the name I gave a cake that I did not know the name to but wanted to post on here!! Since then I bought a cookbook and found a different name for it and then received a cookbook as gift and found a third name for it! I'm keeping my name this post even if it isn't as creative ;) Or I could always borrow JStar's title for her blog posted today. A warm, goopy mess is exactly what this cake is...well before I stick it in the fridge overnight and serve it the net day with a whip cream topping ;)

Dev's Aunt Tricia is the one responsible for giving me this recipe and I have made it almost 10 times now! When I was in clinicals for PTA school, I always made it for my clinical site on the last day that I was there. Now I have made it for my co-workers as well as Devin's and they all loved it! So now I'm sharing it with you guys!

Here's what you need:

- 1 Chocolate cake mix
*Plus the ingredients on the box to make this cake
- 1 tub of whip cream
- 1 jar of carmel...the kind you top ice cream with
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- a topping of your choice I used heath bar candy bits

Now here's what you do:

- Bake the cake according to the directions on the box
- As soon as the cake is done, remove from oven and make holes in the cake. I don't think there is a system to this it just depends on how many and how big you want!
- Pour the condensed milk over the cake, it will try to fall down the sides so I have a spatula handy to keep putting it back up on the top.
- Pour carmel...same as the above
- Let the cake sit and cool.
- After a few hours I place it in the fridge and top it before I serve it.
- Add whip cream and topping of choice.

*Here's what it looked like after I added the hole and poured the carmel and condensed milk.*

*The very yummy finished product!*

There is a strawberry and coconut version to this cake that I plan on making as well...so stay tuned to those recipes soon!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

The "real" reason behind...a few sentences

Last week I talked about how I ran across a few sentences that really bothered me on a photographer's blog. As a recap...on the surface it bothered me because I felt bad for the people who had done what the photographer was talking about. My defenses went up for them and I wanted to ask that person, "Ummmm...didn't YOU have to start out from somewhere yourself?!" I also wanted to ask if THEY had ever e-mailed a photographer that they looked up to and asked for advice. How would they feel if they ran across those words on the photographer's page? Basically, just wanted to ask what made them feel like they were so different from the people they mentioned in those few sentences! I won't even go into the "copying" part...mainly because I don't really know how to express how I feel on that subject. But, like I said in the last blog, as I did not e-mail and have not copied said photographer those few sentences didn't really bother me personally. However, the words did.

Ever since highschool, I have carried some sort of camera on me everywhere I go! (it would have been sooner but I couldn't afford one before then!) I received a digital camera in 2006 and the number of pictures on my computer tripled! When I decided to buy my first SLR camera, it was because I wanted better pictures of the things I was documenting in my life. Family get togethers, vacations, and just random things that caught my eye were made so much better with the quality of that camera! I was so excited to document EVERYTHING!! When I would hang out with my little nephew...I snapped pictures. When my friend Missena and I would take her kids to the park...I brought my camera along too! It was so much fun and the pictures were so adorable! Soon, my friends began asking me to take their pictures. As I didn't classify myself as a photographer (just someone with a nice camera) I would take their pictures, edit them, and make them a c.d. for FREE. I was 100% fine with that and wouldn't have it any other way! When a few actually offered to pay, I told them it was good practice for me and turned the money down. That was half the truth...the other half was me shouting in my head, "Pay me?! A REAL photographer could have captured waaaay better pictures! I just happen to have a good camera and got lucky with a few shots. Silly person." Although I loved the quality and felt that they were better pictures than they might have been able to take, I didn't think I deserved to be paid for it. *Note...When I say they were better than what they may have been able to take...I mean that as I had a SLR camera I was able to capture things quicker and was able to work in bad lighting easier than what their digital camera could do. It's no offense to anyone*

Then, one day, I got paid! I met Holly through Missena and after looking at my pictures she asked me to take some of her kids. This was someone who was not a direct friend, who thought I did a great job and wanted ME to take pictures! I didn't create the opportunity or anything! I was so excited! Then it HIT me...I have to really ROCK this, this lady is paying me!! Not only do I need to do great with the kiddos, but I have to edit and turn the pictures back to her in a timely manner...whoa! Lucky for me, she wanted to shoot outdoors AND I had learned some tricks in photoshop...just in case ;) I was going to describe the shoot some more but then I remembered that I have a blog about it so check it out if you missed it before! Click here for the link.

That was my first...and last...paying gig. Say WHAT?! haha nothing bad happened, but thanks for the sympathy ;) That session was in November and shortly after I changed jobs, and shortly after that I moved to Norman, and shortly after that I got married!! So things got busy and I never pushed my photography in a business direction. Although, I was asked to do 2 weddings and 1 engagement session!! While it was a HUGE compliment, there was no way I felt comfortable doing a wedding! Pictures mean SOOOOO much to me and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I messed things up for whatever reason. And also, because I didn't consider myself to be a "photographer"...just a person with a nice camera ;) I would have done the engagement session but things came up and we weren't able to schedule it.

Now that things have slown down a bit and with my recent SLR upgrade (I bought a Cannon 50D) my mind is pondering the "what if." What if...I began letting people know I'm for hire. What if...I did start booking sessions. What if... In the back of my mind, I wonder what the other photographers would think. Would they think, "Who does she think she is? She has no schooling, no background, and no experience. She is JUST a girl with a nice camera!" That was my main reason for not pursing it. Deep down, I feard these things and just couldn't take the next step. Deep down, I didn't think I was good enough for strangers to hire me to record their life. Deep down, I didn't want to be judged. People can be so mean and heartless sometimes and I just didn't want to put myself out there.

But...what if...? I mean, my friends all tell me I do a good job. My husband has been trying to talk me into it for the last year. He was the one saying, "Just because they are your friend's doesn't mean you can't charge them!" If they all believed in me...then why not just give it a try? With that all being said...I began to feel pretty confidant about it. I knew I wouldn't accept a wedding, but anything else I could handle. After all, if for some reason the pictures didn't turn out the way I thought they should...I could just refund the money. Let's do this thing, I thought!

Not a week later...I ran across those few sentences on a photographer's blog. And my heart SANK. The words and the judgement I had feard...were there in black font. Taunting me and clouding the confidance I had in myself. So there you have it. That's the REAL reason that those few sentences had bothered me so much. Why I couldn't get them out of my head and off my heart. I know, that had my circumstances been different, had I not been a "budding photographer." I still would have been bothered by those sentences, on behalf of the people they were talking about. But given the circumstances of what all has happened in the last year, how much I have grown, and what I had been dreaming...those words cut me deep.

I'm 100% positive that the photographer has NO idea about my story or my dreams. They don't know me from Adam. They themselves are young photographers like me, just with more experience. When I read the blog it is usually full of happy bright images and exciting new things going on with their studio and the connections they have. I'm 100% sure when those words were typed they didn't know how it would have hurt me personally. But I'm also 100% sure they knew it would hurt someone's feelings. I mean, seriously...if someone is sending you an e-mail asking for advice, wouldn't you assume they are following your work? So maybe it wouldn't have bothered me as much if they would have stopped typing after saying, "Doesn't it seem like everyone is a photographer these days?" That's not so much of a personal attack. Although, I still would have been a little hurt at those words too haha

Ugh, I dunno...maybe I'm just extra sensitive since I had been fearing a photographer might say that only to have them say it JUST as I am deciding to take a leap into something I care so much about ;) For the record, I'm not letting this stop me...although I'm going to take baby steps rather than leap ;)

Thanks for listening to me vent! I hope you all had a great weekend!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

A few sentences...Part I

I have thought about it all night and all day long. Even with the distractions of the day, it's been on my heart and I can't lay it to rest. I went back and forth on if I even wanted to write about it. Then I decided that if it bothered me that much, I should. It's my blog after all right? *Standing up to the soapbox*

As if you can't tell, pictures are my passion. Not just pictures I take or even pictures of people I know...just pictures in general. I spend at least 1-2 hours every night looking at people pictures on my social network sites, checking out my fave photogs blogs (that doesn't take as long since they don't all post everyday), and editing my own pictures. It's something I really enjoy for various reasons. I love the story that's told, I love the pretty colors, I love the beautiful scenes, I love the fashion, and I love the ones with none of the above. So...you are getting the point right? haha

I came across a blog that was fairly long *yay jackpot* and was enjoying looking at the different pictures and reading the ramblings of the photog...when I came across the few sentences. This particular photog made the comment about how they think it seems like everyone is a photographer these days. They went on to say how they get several e-mails a day wondering how to start up their business and that they have seen their work copied.

Now, it's hard to tell what the "tone" was in those sentences but they ended with "What's up with that?" So...I don't think it's hard to take a guess. I personally, take little to no offense to those few sentences because I have never asked that photog about advice (although I have left positive comments before) and I can't recall every copying said photographer.

With this being said, my heart hurts for the ones who have. Placing myself in their shoes here's what I would feel like... I obviously am a fan of their work or I wouldn't be asking for their advice. Now, who knows how or even IF this photographer (I should have made up a name so it would have been easier to follow along haha) responded to their e-mail. I hope for their sake and for their business, they replied back positively. Because, again placing myself in their shoes, if they had not responded and had I read those sentences...I would never hire that photographer or recommend them. Who wants someone with that attitude? What an opportunity missed to be a leader, to be a role model, and to be a friend. Let me remind you though, I have NO idea if they did respond (or the tone)...I'm totally going off those few sentences!!

Which brings up another point. Words are so tricky. They can be taken in so many different ways especially when lacking the tone of voice and expression on the face. So many people tease me for putting :) ;) or haha in my e-mails, texts, blog, and/or instant messages...and it's because I have seen what a mess "just words" can make! haha So, I try to prevent it. In a perfect world, people would already know that I'm a happy sunshiny person 99% of the time and wouldn't take things I write the wrong way. But it happens. But this post isn't about me...it's about the few sentences said photographer wrote. Those few sentences that made my heart heavy. Those few sentences that could potentially cost that photographer clients! Out of a post full of pictures and ramblings...all I recall are those few sentences. THAT'S what I took from the blog. Not what a great job they did, not about how interesting their day/life was, but those few sentences. I'm about 100% sure that's not what they wanted to happen.

Okay, so if I'm being honest...now that I think about it...I can recall a few pictures but I don't want to mention them and someone now figure out who I am talking about because I do NOT want to diss on this person or have drama (totally don't think they read my blog so I'm not too worried) I just...well I don't know what I am trying to accomplish by this post but I felt the desire to write about it. And maybe that's how they felt. It was their blog after all and they have every right to post what they want! But I just feel bad for the people who had previously written to that person with excitement and passion for what they were wanting to do in their life only to later read those few sentences and know what the photographer was thinking..."Oh, here's another Joe who thinks they have what it takes. Thinks that just because they have a fancy camera (or whatever) they all of a sudden they can take pictures!" Okay...so maybe that's not what they were saying...but that's what I took from it. ;) Which brings me to the REAL reason this bothers me...

***I intended to continue writting but obviously it takes me FOREVER to explain something and get to the point and I'm soooo tired! This is something that has been on my heart though and I'd like to share so bare with me and I'll get back to you later on this! I think it's best for me to take a step back anyway to gather my thoughts rather than type as I'm feeling and thinking ;)**

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

P.S. I don't want you to walk away from this and also be upset with said photographer because when it's all said and done, (which is taking me forever) it's not what this is really about. Those few sentences were just the "straw that broke the camels back" for me...or whatever analogy goes there ;)

P.P.S. According to Microsoft word and spell check...I would get an "F" on this novel for bad spelling and grammer! But it's late and I'm so very tired so please forgive me for not fixing it! It comes with the territory of writing as you think!

Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti

Prep Time: 15 Mins
Start to Finish: 1 hour 20 Mins
Servings: 7


1 Jar (26 to 30 oz) tomato pasta sauce
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (no breaded) (14 tenders)
14 uncooked manicotti pasta shells (8 oz)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
chopped fresh basil leaves, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350*F. In medium bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Spread about one-third of the pasta sauce in ungreased 13x9-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish.

2. Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Cover tightly with foil.

3. Bake about 1 hour or until shells are tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with basil.

*Betty Crocker Most requested recipes*

This one tasted better than I thought it would!! Although, it didn't look the same as theirs haha. Mine still had a lot of the sauce in the pan and I didn't buy fresh basil. Oh, and then there's how I asked Devin to add the cheese to it for me while I was cleaning up...and I caught him *too late* putting the fiesta blend cheese that I had bought for some other meal instead of the mozzarella cheese!! haha He hadn't put much on it actually and the only reason why I cared was because I needed it for another meal and wanted my picture to match ;) Also, I soooo did NOT use all 14 shells!! I also only used 2 chicken breasts...I saved the other one for another meal. I didn't find them as easy to put in the shells but once I cut them smaller and stuffed them from each end it worked better. There's not 14 in their picture either so I don't know where that went. The cooking time went by fast, I used the time to clean up and wash my kitchen counters! haha I love not having a big mess to clean up after I'm done eating!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Home-Style Chicken Dinner

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 4

2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
3 to 3 1/2 lb cut-up broiler fryer chicken, skin removed if desired
6 small unpeeled red potatoes, cut into fourths (2 cups)
2 medium dark-orange sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
3 roma (plum) tomatoes, cut into fourths

1. Heat oven to 400*F. Spray 13x9-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix basil, seasoned salt, garlic pepper and oil. Brush about half of the mixture on chicken. Add remaining ingredients to bowl; toss to coat.

2. Place vegetables in baking dish. Place chicken on vegetables. Brush with any remaining oil mixture.

3. Bake uncovered 45 to 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Serve with pan juices.

*From Betty Crocker Most Requested Recipes

We invited Alex over for dinner for this meal and it turned out pretty good! I didn't get the veggies cooked through as much as I would have liked but it worked out ok. I didn't have garlic pepper blend and so I used garlic powder and coarse pepper like suggested and it worked fine as well! It didn't take a lot of time to put this together and I cleaned up my kitchen mess while I waited and even had left over time to tidy up the rest of the kitchen. So, for you Mom's out there, that means you have time to chase down kids and make them clean up before dinner ;) If any of you try this recipe, let me know what you think!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Cooking for two

For the last few years, it's been a running joke that once Devin and I get married...he will...starve! They had reason to joke as I never really cooked while we dated haha. When I would cook it was some box meal or I would cook the veggies while he cooked the meat. I enjoyed us both being in the kitchen anyway. As I like to bake, I always joked that we could just live off cookie dough batter instead ;) You're a vegetarian if you don't eat meat so it there a name for people who only eat sweets?!

Bobby, my Father in Law, always came to my rescue by letting me know that his wife didn't always know how to cook ;) She's all gourmet on us now though!! When I lived with her she made me home cooked meals almost every night! Who needs to cook when you're spoiled like that!?! I'm officially an addict now. of fried squash. it's delicious!

So anyway, back to poor starving Devin... My retort was that I could just pick up a cook book and start at page one and work my way through! After we were married I did just that! I was so proud of my first official meal, that I took pictures haha...well you know me and pictures anyway right?! Several successes and pictures later, I thought it would be fun to post them on here, in case anyone else wanted to make the meals. We have really liked all but two of them! *those will not be posted as I didn't take pictures of them haha* Devin likes to tease that he always has to eat his dinners cold because I hold it hostage for pictures first. He is exaggerating...a little. ;)

Here's a picture of the calzones that he and I made with his Mother's help. They were huge!! and oh so YUMMY!!!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Life is short

As Devin and I were honeymooning in Hawaii, I would frequently send updates via facebook on what we were doing or whatnot. On our way out the door one afternoon, I got on to see what all was going on back home. I was surprised to see a "RIP Michael Jackson" as someones status update...and honestly thought it was a joke. So we flipped on the t.v. real quick, knowing that if it were true, it would be plastered all over non-stop. Sadly, it wasn't a joke. I was so shocked! I'm sure many of you were as well. It's an odd feeling...I didn't really KNOW the guy but it feels like someone I know passed away. But really, I only know the Michael Jackson that the media wanted me to know. None the less, I'm still sad that he passed away.

With that being said, I am so annoyed with this whole (for lack of a better word) situation. What is annoying me you ask? His so called "fans" and their behavior. They are all gathering around now, supporting one another through their grief. They are telling the family how sorry they are and how they are praying for them. They are talking about how great MJ was and all the good things he did for the world. That's all fine and dandy, I'm sure the family appreciates that. What I want to know is...where were they one month ago? 6 months ago? a year ago? Were they the same people buying the trashy tabloids and magazines? Were they the same people forwarding YouTube videos of his latest slip up? Were they the same people chasing him trying to catch a glimpse of him without his mask on...so they could sell it to one of the tabloids? While I was watching the media go on and on about him this last week, they showed a clip where MJ was being booed at a performance where he was trying to promote a comeback. What?! I can't remember where it was, but what was that all about? Are they the same people claiming to be huge fans? And anytime the media talked about him over the last several years, it seemed they were only trying to tear him down. But now that he is gone, they are flashing all his greatest achievements (along with some of the not so great moments still...they are relentless).

Why does it always seem to take a death to get people to realize that life is short? I see it happen all the time. I'm from a small town, several of them really since my family moved around a lot. In each of those towns I lived in there would always be a case or two of a young person passing away too soon. The town would all grieve, they forward e-mails of positive encouragement, and tell one another to appreciate those you love right now because you might not have the chance tomorrow. I could go to countless Myspace accounts and pull quotes of remembrance for those people they loved and advice to other people out there. I could show where they have proclaimed to never drink again because that's what caused their loved one to pass away. Or maybe they are going to wear their seatbelt all the time now because it could have saved their loved one. Yet, the pain dulls after awhile. People move on with their life and though they still remember their loved one or whoever they were to them...they seem to forget the lesson. Soon they are gossiping about one another again, they aren't taking the time to enjoy each other's company, and they aren't sharing their love for one another. Until someone else dies...then it starts all over again.

I use the word "they" as a general term. I'm not pointing fingers...you know where you stand. I'm also not saying any of this is wrong, it's natural. It has been something that has been bothering me for awhile now and seeing how people have reacted with Michael Jackson motivated me to finally write about it. Just a rant on my personal blog ;) It's so hard for me to understand why people can be like that when I am not. I tell people I love them. I send cards. I write letters. I try to spend time with those I love. I hug you when I see you because I am happy you're my friend, and I hug you before I leave because I don't know when I will see you again if at all. I never want to be that person who says, "I never got to say goodbye" or "I never told them how much they meant to me". I will tell you :) I know it makes me mushy and I know sometimes there are people who think I'm silly, but it's who I am and it makes me happy. I try my best to let the bad roll off my shoulders because, as I have said before, life is too short to hold a grudge. Life is too short to be angry and to hold pain inside. It makes my life happier and better to be happy, I'm a better person when I'm happy.

I have been watching MJ's memorial as I typed this...what a great memorial! It was heartfelt and sweet. How nice would it have been for Michael to have seen that kind of support (from the public who said they were fans) these past few years?! I bet it would have made him feel a lot better than that crowd booing him.

If you haven't already tonight, kiss your loved ones goodnight. Call that someone you haven't talked to in forever. And tell those who mean something to you how you feel, it just might brighten their day :) Just like the cliches say...Don't wait until it's too late. With that being said, I'm going to go cuddle with my honey.

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

P.S. I'm a Michael Jackson fan...then and now :)

Flip Flop...continued

On Valentine's Day 2005 my present was a baby ferret and I couldn't have been more excited! I am such an animal lover and ever since I was little I have wanted one. So Devin and I went to Petco and picked out a cuddly boy and took him home. We chose the one we did because he was more calm than the others and seemed to have a sweet personality. Now we had to come up with a name!

*This is my all time fave pic of him...shortly after we bought him*

Our stories for how we chose the name are different but in the end it was the same name...Flip-Flop. I came to that name because of how clumsy he was, he would run into everything...kinda "flip-flop" around. Dev said he liked it for some electronic reason...a component or something. (I like my story better ;) )

*One of his many fave sleeping positions*

Since I never had a ferret before and had only been around a few for a short period of time...I had no idea what to expect. I was worried about how much he slept and felt like I wasn't giving him enough attention (found out later that they sleep a lot and it's normal!) I bought the Ferrets for Dummies Book and read it cover to cover that night. I'm really impressed with the information on it and it also helped me confirm that Flip was deaf. (Which explains his clumsiness when he was a baby) I had noticed that he wouldn't react to the sound of me walking into the room but would react to the light change. He also didn't show any interest in the toys that had all the bells and whatnot on them like the others in the store had. According to the book, it was the type of ferret that he was. Apparently the "Blaze", named for the markings on their head, was prone to deafness. Not a problem though, just meant I had to work harder at keeping him entertained.

*Christmas 2009...he lightened up a lot over the years*

Over the years, I learned a lot about ferrets and about him in particular. I was kind of surprised about how much of a personality these little animals could have! He was so different from the ferret we got a little while later. He was such a little lover while she on the other hand was all fighter!! and still is! haha Most nights, I would leave his cage door opened and, while she would stay in the cage and sleep, Flip would often crawl up in bed with me and sleep. I would expect that from a dog or cat but was surprised a ferret would develop that kind of attachment. When he wanted my attention or wanted to be held, he would scratch my foot. I think that's the thing I miss about him the most actually.

*catching some zzzzz's*

When I tell people I have a ferret I always think it's funny how the first thing they say is, "Don't they stink?" That is definitely NOT the main thing I remember about him haha. No, not all ferrets stink. Flip smelled a little musky around his neck but that's it and his litter box never smelled until we bought the other ferret. In my opinion, they do not smell any more than a dog or cat do...if anything...they smell less. It really just comes down to how well you take care of them as with any animal.

*They always yawn a lot when they wake up*

The toys in the above picture never attracted his attention. Until the day I placed them in this pot and put water in it!! He loved dipping his head in the water and retrieving them. I would keep the balls in the pot even when there wasn't any water in it and when I heard them jingling one day I figured it was our other ferret playing with them. I went in there to get a picture and here was my baby boy having a ball! He was so cute to watch. His favorite toy was a tennis ball! It was the only toy that he would hide in his cage. All the others he took under the bed. I would randomly hide it to give him something to do. One day I noticed that if I went and played with him right after handling the tennis ball...he would immediately run to his cage to look for it. If it wasn't there he would go on the hunt until he found it and brought it back to the cage. He smelled the ball on my hands and would immediately know something was wrong in his world! haha

*He really slept like that...no posing necessary! Okay, I put him up there but he stayed long after!*


*The last pic I have with him*

So, if you haven't noticed already, our little Flipper didn't make it from the story in the last blog. I stayed up all night that Sunday night and stayed with him Monday morning while Devin went to work. I tried to keep him hydrated and still tried to get some kind of nutrition in his system. Devin came home at noon and stayed with him while I tried to go see some of my patients. I called shortly after to tell Devin that it was time to try and give him more fluids. He said he would try and hung up. Soon after though, he called to say that Flip didn't fight him when he tried to give him water...not a good sign. He had been fighting it the whole time so now it seemed like he had given up. Devin called the ER vet at his daytime clinic and got an appt. Sadly, Devin called me right after he got there and told me the vet said it was time to let him go. So I drive to the clinic and kissed my baby goodbye. He had been my best friend and companion while I lived alone over the last 4 years. Seemed like a short time to get attached to an animal...be he was special :)

The Vet called awhile later after we had left and said that in the end...it was a hairball that had caused all this. My poor little baby died from a preventable hairball that could have been removed with a $1,000 surgery. Of course, we don't just have an extra grand sitting around but I wish we would have. I had even called the OSU Vet school and asked if they had any kind of discounted surgery prices if a student did the surgery (like with hair stylists haha) but I was told that they do not. :( I wasn't all that impressed with our Vet even though he had been one of the better ones we had been to. But what sealed the deal (on me not liking him as much) was how he told me (after the fact) a mixture I could make in the future that would help eat at a hairball and yet still be safe on the ferret's tummy. hmmmm a lot of good that does me now.

It's all said and done now though. I didn't think it would be all that hard since I didn't have him very long and because he was "just a ferret" but it was really hard coming home and not getting to play with him. That was my daily routine before. Of course, I still get Back Spin out but she doesn't like to play like he did haha. He was the first animal that I have had from begining to end, I can't imagine how I will be with an animal I've owned 10 years! haha I'm happy that we picked him out of all the others he made me so happy and was great company. In a way, I think it's ironic that he passed away when he did. He had been my companion for all those years that I lived alone and he passed away just a few short weeks before Devin became my life long companion. Yeah, kinda cheesy I know ;) And with that I will say.... goodnight!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Flip Flop

Wow! It's been forever since my last post!! A lot has been going on and so I'm so far behind my editing and posting! :)

Currently, we are going through a semi-rough time. I say "semi" because it's about an animal and I know there are people out there going through worse...but this is MY animal...so it's still rough ;) Anyway, Flip has been going through his shedding season the last few weeks. Which means that I have to chase him down with a brush and lint roller everyday! (the lint roller is for me because when I am done I am COVERED in hair! haha) I also take a lint roller to their hammock once a day and change the whole thing out at least every two weeks. On top of that, they are fed ferret lax to help pass any hair balls starting to form. That doesn't always keep it from happening, but usually I can catch the signs in time and just give him extra ferret lax.

Unfortunately, hairballs aren't the only things that can obstruct these little guys up and we have also been through that. About three years ago, he became very sick. Devin and I knew he wasn't feeling good when we left for Kansas, but we told his mom what to do and figured he would be okay. Well, he just got worse. So we rushed home to Olustee, made an appt with a ferret vet in the city, and left early the next morning to take him. He was so pitiful looking. I had a friend who had to put her ferret to sleep because the surgery was too expensive and we were in the same boat as her. I couldn't make the decision to end a life...even an animal's (ummm not counting fishing haha) so that night...I prayed that my little guy would either pass away in his sleep or would pass whatever was in his tummy.

I checked his litter box first thing in the morning and was never so happy to see poop in my life! haha I could tell that it definitely had something in it as well so I scooped it up and put it in a baggie for the vet. (That's what the Ferrets for Dummies book said to do)

I was happy to find that the Vet was an OSU grad because I had read that they have a little more training on ferrets...and I was even more happy to learn that he was also a ferret owner!! So...long story short...he examined what I brought him and found that it contained the rubber piece that covers the earpiece on headphones!! A few weeks later, when I was cleaning behind the bed, I found the rest of headphones. Evidently, Flip had eaten more of it but it passed through without much problem. The rubber piece sat in his stomach for awhile and then once it finally decided to make an exit...it became stuck in the intestines and stayed there for awhile. We didn't notice anything wrong for several weeks until it became stuck in the intestines. When he recovered from all that...he was like a brand new ferret. He was more lively that he had been since we first got him. We never had a clue that a time bomb was inside him :( But, that story ended happily.

Fast forward several years. Friday, Devin and I were once again packing to leave for Kansas. Once again, I could tell something was up. But he ate his ferret lax just fine, had a healthy sized accident on the floor, and was playing some....so we continued with our trip. We were only going to be gone for a day anyway. Well, why we were up there we heard that he was looking worse. Sigh.

As soon as we got home we knew it was happening all over again. Only this time we knew better and we had been so careful!! We haven't lived in this house long so we don't have anything out for him to be able to get into! He only has free roam in the living room, kitchen, and office so we felt pretty sure he had a hairball gone wrong. By now he wasn't eating or drinking and since we had both ferrets in the same cage, we couldn't tell if he was using the bathroom. Ferrets have a short digestive tract...approximately 2-3 hours long...so it's important for them to eat and drink often. Unfortunately, being "backed up" was also contributing to him being dehydrated. Just like with humans, the longer your BM stays inside you, the harder it gets. The intestines soak up the fluid which makes it hard for the BM to pass...no fun. So after giving him fluids with a syringe, we left to find an emergency clinic that had some experience with ferrets.

Luckily, we found one! The COVE, here in Norman, has a Vet who is also a ferret owner! Score! So after some x-rays, he confirmed our thoughts. Flip had an obstruction. However, the Vet wasn't sure it was just a hairball. Which means bad news because...a hairball would likely pass given time and ferret lax/pumpkin pie filling. An obstruction has less of a chance of passing and if it does there is most likely damage done inside. Lucky for us, the first time he had an obstruction it was soft and round. We couldn't tell what it was in the x-ray, or even if it was anything at all. So he gave us some medicine for his gas and gave him fluids. He instructed us to continue giving him fluids throughout the night and try the pie filling in the morning.

When we got home, Flip and I made ourselves comfy on the couch and put in a season 2 Grey's Anatomy DVD. It was the only way I'd stay awake! You can't fall asleep while watching Grey's ;) Every hour or so, I'd give him water or powerade...much to his dislike. But him putting up a fight was a good sign to me. He had a few messy BM's throughout the night that didn't contain much and by this afternoon he had stopped going again. Plus his gas wasn't going away.

So this evening, we went off to the Vets again. Only this time a little less hopeful. We both don't want him to suffer but we don't want to give up on him too soon. So we had no idea what to tell the Vet. We decided that we would ask for another x-ray (another $50) and see if the possible obstruction had moved any. This time, the Vet couldn't see it. Flip definitely had more gas, but all he could see was the BM stuck inside. We didn't know if that was good or bad. I asked him what he would do if it were his ferret. (surgery vs conservative methods) He answered by saying that it wasn't a fair question for him since the surgery would be free for him. Sigh. He told us to continue with what we had been doing and see if he made any improvements by the morning. The fact that he was holding down everything I gave him was a good sign.

I'm on baby sitting duty right now while Devin sleeps and unfortunately, I'm finished with my Grey's Anatomy. So I'm going through pictures and ran across these. One day I noticed him moving around a lot while he slept so I grabbed my point and shoot camera for some pics.






He is such a sweet boy and I really hope he gets better!! Sorry for the long post, hope it makes up for the weeks I went without posting haha.

xoxo
Brandi Sue