I can't believe it's almost November...

Look at me! I'm doing another blog post, haha. I've taken some pictures so I could have some stuff to post.

It's been a great birthday weekend! Friday I went with Sara to do some running around. We had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, and then I picked up my new charm. Check it out:




After that, we went to a new Target and Walmart. I bought some new makeup and a couple of books, and Sara bought a really cute new purse. It was a lot of fun, it was really great of her to take off the day from work to hang out with me!

Friday night was the Huey Lewis and the News concert. I have to say...even though they did NOT sing my favorite song (more on that in a second...) it was by far THE BEST concert I've seen of his. It was Andrew's first time to see him in concert, and I think he was pleasantly surprised at how awesome it was. We had really great seats, and it was a VERY late night. Huey Lewis and the News still know how to put on a show, though...and Huey is pretty hot! He doesn't look/sing/act like he's in his 60's. We had a lot of fun! Then TODAY, I got another Tweet from them saying thanks for coming out. So I asked how come they never sing "Stuck With You" in concert, and they responded right back and said that they DO perform it, but clearly just never when they've been in Dallas/Ft. Worth, and they will try to change that for next time. I said that I would be expecting to hear it next time they were in Texas, haha. So, it was SUPER COOL to be talking to someone from the band, even if I didn't get to hear my song. Hopefully I'll catch them singing it NEXT time around. =)

So anywho, we got home really late that night, and we ended up sleeping SUPER late Saturday: I woke up at 1pm, and Andrew got up at 2pm. We relaxed a little here, then we headed out to go over to my parents' house to celebrate my birthday with them. Andrew learned how to make my favorite childhood dish (cheese souffle, although it's not REALLY a souffle), and we had fun playing Scene It and visiting with my family. We got home after 1:00 in the morning again, so we were really tired when we got up on Sunday. Didn't sleep as late, Andrew got up at 7:30 and I got up at 9:45. But we were super tired and laid around all day before going over to my sister's for our Sunday visit. We picked up Chili's to go and ate at the Woods' house. The kids were so cute and we had so much fun visiting, as always.

Then today, we got up around 9:00 to get started on our day. I straightened my hair and did my makeup, and then we headed over to Pappadeaux for some yummy lunch. We managed to get some pictures of ourselves in the car, it had been so long since we'd posed for a picture together.




Then we went and saw In Time at the movie theater with some old gift cards I found when we moved. It was a decent movie, we liked it a lot. After that, we went to see my sister and her family before they went off for trick-or-treating. It was an absolute blast, those kids are hysterical!





Then it was time to get in their costumes. Andrew and Andrea had some fun trying them on before the kids...








Andrea Wood, normal stay-at-home mom:



And now she can fight crime with no one knowing her secret identity!



Oh my gosh...we were laughing so hard while she was being silly. Too funny! But she finally relinquished Jacob's costume to him so HE could do some poses...





Paige wasn't changing into her costume until she got to the Halloween party, but she jumped in to pose in front of Jacob while he was changing poses:



And Eli was going to go as a puppy, but he didn't wear it when he was leaving. Instead, we tried on a Buzz Lightyear costume that was too big for him, haha. He was distracted by how long the legs were, they affected him walking.




On the way home, we stopped at Walmart to pick up the photos we ordered. Andrew finally found a cute cat frame so we could put a picture of Dewey up in our house (are you shocked??? I've never had a picture of Dewey displayed in our home!), so we picked up the print and it looks great!!!



We also picked up a ton of candy for our first trick-or-treaters in our new house.



Andrew also remembered that I had wanted to pick up a jar of maraschino cherries for my birthday. See, when I was little, my grandmother that just passed away used to give me a 5 pound jar of maraschino cherries for my birthday. I loved it then, even though I probably always wanted a "real" present as well. But Liz knew that I loved those cherries, and she got me my own gigantic jar every year. So when she passed, I decided I wanted to bring back the tradition of having some on my birthday. But we forgot at Walmart, so Andrew pulled over to a liquor store on the way home and ran in and surprised me by coming back out with a bottle of cherries! They're chilling in the fridge right now, and we're going to have a few here soon. Thanks, babe, I'd have been crushed (when I remembered TOMORROW) that I'd forgotten.



And now, we're sitting here with some pizza, watching TV, and we're getting a slow trickle of trick-or-treaters. Looks like we'll definitely have some leftover candy. But it's been a really great couple of days celebrating turning the big 2-8. Feeling old, haha, but I'm super happy! Thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes! Thanks to Sara, Mom, Dad, Daniel, Connor, Andrea, Travis, Jacob, Eli, Paige, and my WONDERFUL husband Andrew for making this a truly fantastic birthday!

Hope all of you had a Happy Halloween!! =)

So I've been having a much-needed lazy day. These last two weeks have been probably the busiest since I was laid off. It's good practice, though, because starting a week from Monday, I am going to training for my NEW JOB. =)

That's right, I finally got a job!! I've been trying to get in with Andrew's company, Fidelity Investments, because they seem to be everything I'm looking for: they pay VERY well, good work is regularly recognized, advancement is easy if you prove yourself, and the benefits are amazing. I'd been hoping to get into the Westlake location so that Andrew and I could carpool to work, but I ended up getting hired at the Grapevine location. But that's okay. It's a job doing data entry, and not only am I going to be making more than I made after four raises at Sewell...I don't have to do the whole customer service thing anymore. No more swiping customers credit cards or calling customers to determine their satisfaction level. I'll be doing what I'm good at all day: typing. I cannot even BEGIN to describe how excited I am!!

As many of you know, my grandmother passed away on October 13th. It was expected, so there was plenty of time to say goodbye and get lots of visiting time in. It didn't make things any less sad, though, because I had just kind of reconnected with my grandmother. It was better late than never, though, and I'm glad I got that time with her. She told me that she wanted me to have her piano that I loved and learned to sort of play on when I was a kid. I already have a perfect spot picked out for it, and I cannot WAIT to get it here (it's in storage at my aunt and uncle's house).

We had some friends over for a little bit this week. Brandi is a friend of mine I met working at Sewell, and her husband also used to work there. He is a very experienced technician/mechanic and recently did us the GIGANTIC favor of fixing Andrew's truck for a fraction of what a shop was going to charge us. So when they brought the truck back to us, they were able to see our house for the first time. They brought their three daughters and we all had a great time visiting! They couldn't stop raving about our house, and it really made me feel good about the choices we've made in our attempts to make our home as stylish as possible. In fact, when we were in our fabulous blue bathroom and I was describing the things that we still planned on doing over time to make the bathroom even more divine, her oldest daughter said that I was really good at decorating. Since interior design is kind of a secret hobby of mine and I never know if I'm any good at it, that comment completely made my year! So thank you, Miss Emma!! =)

We're hoping to get to church soon, hopefully we can go this weekend. We have a couple of churches in the area we're going to try out. We just really are wanting to meet a bunch of people who live near us and maybe get involved in a community group of sorts. I realized the other day after a talk with my sister that Andrew and I are starting a whole new chapter of our lives. I've found myself really missing normal human interactions lately, and it doesn't just have to do with not having a job. Our friends are all doing their thing, and it's made me realize that our "thing" isn't quite the same as our friends' "thing". And I'll admit, it's made me sad several times lately, but I've realized that it's normal. Life changes for people at different intervals and I just need to adjust. I feel kind of like the new kid at school, though, and the pressure to "make new friends" seems daunting. It's not my strong suit, haha. But!! It's something I know that we need to do, and I'm trying to look at it as something fun rather than something scary. Finding a new church is step one. Maybe that's why I've been putting it off for a few weekends, I'm kinda nervous about the whole thing. But I'm likeable enough, right? So why be nervous... ;)

Anywho! Looking forward to a great weekend! Tomorrow I'm having lunch and going shopping with a friend, and then Andrew and I are going to the Huey Lewis and the News concert at Billy Bob's. There's also a SLIGHT chance that I will finally get to hear my all-time favorite song live for the first time. I've been seeing them in concert almost every time they've been to Dallas since I graduated high school (almost ten years). I keep waiting to hear them sing that song: after all, I still hear it on the radio and it's on any greatest hits album they've ever put out. "Stuck With You" has been my favorite song since I was at least 4 years old. So I would REALLY love to hear it live, but never have. But I had the genius idea to reach out on Twitter. I read that they'd just joined, and so I sent them a Tweet, with the thought that I would Tweet them several times between then and the concert in hopes of convincing them to sing it. Well...anyone who saw my picture on Facebook knows that they responded to my very first Tweet to them!! I was SO EXCITED. They didn't make any promises to sing it, but it was still cool to get an answer. The concert is tomorrow night, so today I Tweeted AGAIN to kind of remind them that I was wanting to hear that song very badly. So I'm really, really, hoping that I get to hear it. I will positively FREAK OUT if I do! =)

At some point over the weekend we'll be going to my parents' house. My mom had surgery recently and is at home recovering, and it's tough to get over there during the week with Andrew having to work early the next morning and it being a good distance away. So we're going hoping to get some good time in this weekend.

Also, Monday is my birthday, and Andrew took the whole day off so that we can hang out. We have free movie passes so we'll be catching either 50/50 or Footloose that day (don't judge me, I think the remake actually looks really good!). I'm also thinking MAYBE bowling on the agenda?? We'll see...either way, it is going to be awesome to get to hang out on a weekday with my hubby, everything will be a lot less crowded. That night, we'll probably stay in because it will be our first year in our new house and we want to be there for trick-or-treaters. So excited!! It will probably be scary for Dewey with the doorbell ringing constantly, haha, but he'll survive. =)

The holidays are right around the corner, and I'm SUPER excited!! It's going to be fun to put our Christmas decorations up in our house and find new places for things. Plus I'm really wanting to hit the after-Christmas sales earlier this year to get some awesome stuff at a discounted price. Gotta build up our decoration collection. =)

Well, that's about all that's going on with me. I was just sitting around, curled up under a blanket with my kitty snuggling my feet and thought I'd do a little blog update. No pictures of anything, we haven't been up to anything overly interesting. But I had done a few X Factor blogs (my Aunt Donna apparently liked reading my American Idol blogs, so I started doing blogs for X Factor once I found out she watched that show, too!), and I figured I should do a personal update as well!

I hope all of you are having a great week!!

X Factor: From 17 to 12

Um, I almost missed this. I thought it wasn't going to be back on until November 2nd. But I randomly was checking something on the Guide and saw this two and a half hour X Factor episode. We had to cancel some other recordings and have them tape the next time they were on to catch this, but it was worth it.

Now, I checked Twitter last night, and one of the celebrities I follow told me which person from LA Reid's group went home: Phillip Lomax. I'm EXTREMELY disappointed, since Brian "Astro" Bradley is my least favorite from this group of performers.

So, when he was first up for the evening, I truly expected for him to have been really good. I was wrong. I thought his performance was lacking SERIOUSLY. For starters, he SOUNDS like a kid, so it's hard to take him seriously as a rapper. He was throwing in too many references to the show and LA Reid, so it sounded even cornier there. The song also sounded like it was from the 1990's (I know it was, but it's not a good thing that it SOUNDS that way), not current at all. And then he got to the part where he had to rap really fast, and he had to stop and look down and it just wasn't coming very naturally to him, he had to concentrate too hard on the "best" part of the song. And he was extremely out of breath when he was done with that part. I just think this kid needs two or three more years of practice. Let his big-boy voice come in and see what he sounds like then. I just don't get it with this kid. Plus, I don't believe anyone calls him "Astronomical Boy, Astro for short". He just bugs me. (love that Simon called him "Brian" instead of "Astro", by the way)

Chris!!! Love this kid. I'm glad to see he's six months sober, hope he sticks with it. A real role model that shows people CAN come out on the other side of drugs and alcohol and be somebody. I have no idea what song he's singing, but it sounds like something that could be on the radio. I am really hoping America keeps this kid around for awhile. Love him! Yay Chris!!!! (Paula: "When you open up your mouth to sing, there is a genuine truthfulness that's authentic about you." Redundant much???)

Phillip is next...I'm sad to know he's singing for the last time on this show. But...that's the way it goes. I can see why LA didn't put him through, he did lose that crooner thing he had going. Terrible song choice, terrible dancing (dancers didn't add anything, in my opinion). This just didn't show off that beautiful voice he has. Such a shame. And to hear that LA picked that for him...he didn't make anyone else "step outside of the comfort zone", so why Phillip, and then turn around and punish him for it by getting rid of him??? I call B.S.! =(

My Marcus is up! I really like him, too. Song choice was really terrible...LA seriously stinks at this. However, I think Marcus made the most of the oldie. It sounded very current, and I just love him. So I'm glad he's staying.

Sidenote about the host: he needs to interact with the judges and the contestants more!! He's so stiff and boring and vanillla. He's cute as a button and he seems nice enough. He's just boring. LIVEN UP, STEVE!!

I still think Phillip should stay over Brian. I don't know why they aren't allowed to pick their own songs. I really feel like LA Reid screwed Phillip over. Very, very disappointed.

We've got Paula's groups up next. Stereo Hogzz are up first, and I like them. Hopefully Paula's doling out better songs for her contestants. These guys got a song that I freakishly love, haha. AND I LOVE WHAT THEY DID WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!! Choreography wasn't perfect, but these guys HAVE it. Paula's an idiot if she lets them go.

The Brewer Boys are next. They are just precious, I want to adopt them, haha!! They are so young, though, and I hope they can measure up against the other acts. They're given an oldie. I think they sounded good, but they didn't really change the song up much. I think they could've done a slightly slower acoustic version, and it would've sounded better. I DO think they deserve another chance, though, unless Intensity really blows me away. And, um, excuse me: LA Reid is lecturing Paula for putting these boys OUTSIDE of their comfort zone????? I don't think I like him much anymore. What a jerk.

Intensity is next. I really like a couple of the singers in this group. But I didn't like their performance enough at Paula's house to think they deserved a spot. Hopefully they've been working their butts off and have a better group now. Once they started singing, I decided that I was right initially. They just seem so childish and High School Musical. They maybe could be a hit on the Disney Channel or something. But I don't think these guys stand a chance. Love that they have my favorite in the group, Elonna, as their lead girl singer. She's a good little singer and I wish she'd been considered as a solo artist.

Lakoda Rayne is next. I think they could be the next pop/country girl group if they start down that road. They're singing "Come On Eileen"?? Um, not an appropriate song for a girl group to sing, haha. I think it was a bad song choice for them. Maybe give this one to the Brewer Boys and have Lakoda Rayne take their song?? Not sure which one of those two groups is going home. But they did the worst, it's tough to say who was better. Didn't like that performance at all. But I think these girls have mad potential.

The Brewer Boys are out of the competition. It's sad, but they just didn't do that well. They suffered from bad song choice, though, and not making the most of it by making it current.

Nicole's Over 30's are up next (I knew they'd leave Simon's girls for last). Dexter is first, and I want him to do well. And he was assigned a song by...Britney Spears and Katy Perry??? I think I might have gone Def Leppard with some "Pour Some Sugar On Me" or something like that. I think he made the most of the weird song combo he was given, but I think Nicole was high when she came up with this for him. Glad to see the other judges agreed with me.

Leroy Bell is next. This guy is a good singer, but I'm scared to see what Nicole chose for him...a song by Pink?? Another weird choice for sure, but this one actually works better than the last one did. I have to say, too...this man has the SECRET to looking young! I know he's 60-something, but the man is sexy and oh-so-cool looking. I think there was a better song for him somewhere, but I think he did enough to stay. And Paula was right!!! His voice IS like Michael Bolton!!

I hope Nicole is replaced next year: I really do not like her.

Stacy is up next. And I didn't want this girl through. I wanted Elaine instead. This lady has a great story, but she sings like her voice is better than it actually is. A George Michael song was assigned to her...I'm sorry. This may sound bad and I don't mean for it to...but there are SO many powerful, fantastic black women out there that have sung some amazing songs, and I personally think Aretha or Whitney would've been a better artist to take from for song choice. That being said...I think Stacy bombed again. I thought this was her worst performance yet, and it actually had NOTHING to do with the song choice. I'm just hoping that Simon is the voice of reason and points out the flaws in the performance...and he didn't let me down. He didn't like this performance, either, and I really do love Simon. And I love that he thinks Nicole is useless, haha.

Last but not least from the Over 30's is Josh. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this guy is my second favorite, and I think this guy NAILS IT every time. I will be so upset if he can't overcome whatever weird choice Nicole assigned him. He's got something I've never heard before...he sang his little heart out and I think he sounded good. But the song didn't suit him that well. I'm so over Nicole, I'm sorry.

So now it's the moment of truth. I have no idea who she'll be sending home. I know who I think should leave, but Nicole is unpredictable so...we'll see. First through is Stacy. I am just in shock. Wow. Josh is through, too (thank goodness) but I have to say Leroy was better. And she put him through, Dexter is leaving. I'm sad for him, I liked him.

The host isn't letting the judges talk to their contestants, he seems like he's being rude. There's 41 minutes left and only five girls left to sing. I think there was a minute left for the judges to talk to their contestants.

BUT!!! My girls are finally singing. We lose TWO of them, and I'm nervous.

Simone is up first, and I'm curious to see how she does. Not one of my favorites in this group so up FRONT I think she should get booted off, but her performance may change my mind. I have NO idea what she's singing, but she looks and sounds like she belongs in the 90's with the likes of Salt and Peppa. This is the worst she has sounded yet. Hopefully Simon doesn't like it, either, because I already want Drew, Melanie, and Rachel as the top three. LA was rude with what he said, but I agreed with what he said to Simon.

Rachel is next. Love this little girl, she's too precious and has such a powerful voice in that bubbly little package. I'm not sure Simon did her any favors with song choice...she seemed nervous and she didn't do herself justice. I'm worried he'll chop her for this, and it's his fault. But we'll see.

Drew is up next. I STILL hum her first audition in my head, I LOOOOOOOVE her version of that song (I previously hated that song, haha). She's singing the Flashdance song?? I cannot get enough of what this girl does with a song. She still reminds me of Norah Jones/Sarah McLaughlin and I think she's fantastic. I want an album to buy now. I want these songs she's singing!!! She's my third favorite. Love, love, LOVE her.

Sidenote about Simon...when he shrugged with that smirk on his face and then winked at Drew, it made my heart flutter. Say what you will about Simon...but he's hot (sorry, babe!!), haha!!

Tiah is up next. This girl has had a rough time, two of the judges were just awful to her at the start of this. I'm torn. I like this girl, she's really good. But I like others betters. And I don't think there's anything that she could do to make Simon NOT put her through. His ego won't let him cut her after how hard he fought for her. So she's a guaranteed part of the top three girls...she looks great tonight. Don't dig the song choice. She sounded okay singing it, but I would've gone TLC or Destiny's Child with her, I think.

Last is my Melanie. Simon better have given her a song she can sink her teeth into, she's got a BIG voice. YES!!!!!!! She got Whitney. He used to say on American Idol that Whitney, Mariah, Celine...their songs needed to be avoided because no one does them good at all. But he clearly saw that she had potential. Her first big note broke and she blew it, but I think she recovered nicely and she hit the even BIGGER note correctly. She did sound like she was pushing a little too hard, if she'd backed off a bit it would've been better. She has a huge voice, and it felt like she was trying too hard to prove that. Plus she was crying because she knew she blew some notes big time. Hopefully Simon doesn't cut her for that. I felt for her when she was done singing, she looked crushed.

My stomach is actually in knots, haha. I think he'll put through Melanie, Drew, and Tiah. I think Rachel deserves a shot over Tiah, personally...Melanie and Drew are have-to-have's for me.

Drew is in! Yay!!! Oh snap...Rachel's through, too. There's no way he'll pick Melanie over Tiah. He can't do this...he just can't.

You could knock me over with a feather, he picked Melanie!!!!!!!! My favorite three girls went through!!! That even makes up for "Astro" going through, haha!

Whew. What a show. I hope the contestants are allowed to start picking their own songs next time, I think that would be best. ANYWHO! Until next time...

X Factor Judges' Homes Part 3

Results time...I know I'm bound to lose some that I think should've gone through, so let's just get to it...

Simone and Tora are up first, and I have a feeling Tora's going through. And that wouldn't upset me, I really like her. There ARE four girls I like better, though. I don't think Simone has what it takes, though. And the verdict is...Tora's out?? Kinda shocked, I have to say. I don't think Simone should've gone through. She's good, but I think there are better girls. =(

Drew is next, and I LOVE DREW. My feeling on HER is that Simon won't keep her. And that would be sad. She looks very much like any other pop singer would be. But what she's done with her two biggest performances has been NOT like other pop singers. And she is...IN!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness, this girl is SO TALENTED!! Yay Simon!!!!!!

Josh is up first from the Over 30's. I really, really, REALLY like this guy. Second favorite of the whole show. I don't get the impression that Nicole likes him, though, so hopefully I'm wrong. This group was tough because I only recently got attached to a couple of them. But Josh needs to be in there...AND HE'S IN!!!!! Thank you, Nicole, best thing you've done so far this season! I will buy this guy's album when it comes out. He's very, very good.

Dexter, James, and Christa are up next. That suggests to me that only one of them can make it through, and I know I don't think Christa was good enough. But the other two are tough. I like Dexter, I think he's a lost soul who's trying to be found again and this means more to him than I think it means to anyone else on the show. But James is someone I'm a recent fan of, and I really like him. So I have to say that, based on talent: James should go through. And Nicole's decision is...Christa is out. James is out???????? Oh wow. I was shocked. I teared up when she put Dexter through. Emotionally I'm glad she put him through. This means so much to him.

Time to hear about some groups. We get the Brewer Boys, Illusion Confusion, and 2 Squar'd. My vote is for the Brewer Boys. I feel like Paula will put through Illusion Confusion, though. I wasn't a big fan of them or 2 Squar'd. Her decision is...Illusion Confusion is out, which I agree with. 2 Squar'd is out, too. That means that the Brewer Boys get another chance!!!! Thank goodness, they were so cute and so good!

4Shore is next, and I really do like these boys. Paula's got to put them through, she'd be crazy not to...but she's not taking them??? I am absolutely floored.

The boys are finding out now...I do NOT like Brian. He's just not the kind of artist I like. I'm sure LA will put him through, though. And I was right. I think that was the wrong decision. But. Oh well. Now America gets to decide.

Next are Nick, Skyelor, Brennin, and Phillip. If I had to pick one of them, it would be Phillip. I do really like Skyelor, and I am on the fence about Nick. I just don't care for Brennin. Let's see what LA thinks...Nick's out, and I'm surprised. I thought LA would pick him. Skyelor's out, too. I'm getting a bad feeling that my Phillip is out, too...but he's taking a chance on him!!!!!! Brennin is out. Right choice, LA!!

Next to find out from Simon is Jazzlyn. I like this girl. She's so much better than she realizes that she is. There were more than four girls I wanted through, and I will NOT be upset if she's in the top four girls. She's got what it takes. Oh no...she didn't make it. And my heart just broke for her.

Tiger and Leroy are getting their news next. Totally torn. I like both of them very much. I feel like I haven't liked as many of Tiger's performances as I have of Leroy's. So I think I would go Leroy if I had to pick between the two. Tiger has potential, though, so it won't be bad if he goes through. And I feel like she's leaning towards Tiger...but I was wrong. Leroy's been put through.

Chris is getting the verdict next. I want this kid through, LA just cannot NOT put this kid through. Love this guy's sound, he could sing non-rap songs as well as rap songs. Love this guy's story. I juts love this guy. He is...IN. Whew, I was holding my breath a little on that one!

Intensity and Lakoda Rayne are next. I don't overly care for either one, really. But Lakoda Rayne makes more sense as a group. Their sound is a modern-day Dixie Chicks/SheDaisy kinda sound. There are some really good singers in Intensity, but there are too many singers and I think it detracts from the group. Paula picks...Lakoda Rayne. I think that between the two, it was the right choice. But wait...she picks Intensity, too?? Hmmm. Don't agree, but hopefully they prove me wrong.

We find out about Tiah and Caitlin next. C'mon...there's no way Simon's NOT putting Tiah through. He fought too hard for her to let her go, she's definitely his favorite. Caitlin's another one I like, though. They both are good. Simon's putting through...Tiah. Big shock. Caitlin was good, she could've done really well. But Tiah is good, she is. So. There you go. =)

One spot left each category now...

Left for the boys group is Tim and Marcus. For me, it HAS to be Marcus. He's just flippin' amazing. Tim is okay, and he seems nice. But Marcus has "it", in my opinion. LA's choice is...Marcus!!!!!!

So we have Brian, Phillip, Chris, and Marcus in LA's group. I agree with three of the four, so I'm a happy girl!! (I would've replaced Brian with probably Nick, maybe Skyelor)

Oh wow...Stereo Hogzz and The Anser are left from the groups category. I have been a fan of The Answer since the beginning. But I think that the Stereo Hogzz have what it takes, too. Tough call, but I think it should be The Anser. I wish they BOTH could be in and we could take out Intensity, but it's not my choice. Paula's final decision is...Stereo Hogzz. I'm crushed about The Anser. I think Stereo Hogzz are really good, though. I'm not sad they made it.

So we have Intensity, Lakoda Rayne, Stereo Hogzz, and The Brewer Boys. This time, two out of four I agree with. (I would've replaced Intensity and Lakoda Rayne with The Anser and 4Shore)

It's down to Elaine and Stacy. While there's definitely some talent with Stacy (and her story will speak to so many), but I think Elaine is better. She's my pick. Everyone seems to think Stacy is better than I think she is, so I have a feeling that Nicole is putting her through. But I'm hoping for Elaine. Nicole's last spot goes to...Stacy. I knew it. I think that Stacy over-sings and pushes her voice past what it can do. Elaine had much better control. I liked Stacy at the start, but I like her less and less.

So we've got Stacy, Josh, Leroy, and Dexter in the final. I like three of the four. (I would take out Stacy and put in either James or Elaine)

We're down to the last of the girls. My Melanie is in this category, and all I can remember is Simon talking to people making his decision, and he said something like, "Everyone thought she was a yes, and now she's out" and I'm praying he wasn't talking about Melanie. But Rachel is the other girl left...and I liked her very, very much. Rachel's last performance was REALLY, REALLY good. She needed to smile a bit more, but MAN can that girl sing. I will be happy for her if she gets in. But Melanie is just unbelievably amazing. She can't go home. But. Simon says...Melanie is out. I am in such shock. How the hell can that be true???? I'm happy Rachel's in. But I am so, so, SO disappointed in Simon. Melanie was HANDS DOWN the best singer in the competition.

They're flashing to Simon. Holy cow. He's adding someone else. Can we PLEASE get Melanie back??? Oh my gosh...she's back in. I can't believe it. THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The girls are Drew, Simone, Tiah, Rachel, and MELANIE!!!!!!!!! I agree with three of the five. (I would take out Simone and Tiah and put in Jazzlyn and maybe Caitlin)

Okay. Well that's it, looking VERY MUCH forward to the live shows. Whenever they get around to putting them on. I know this makes me sound like a bad person to my friends that are Rangers fans...but I could not care less about baseball. I would rather watch X Factor. But oh well.

X Factor: Judges' Homes Part 2

Alright, it's time for my opinions on the second part of the judges' homes. I've been VERY careful to stay off of social media for the most part and avoid watching anything that might mention who is through. I have two episodes on my DVR to get to, and apparently the show is then off the air until November 2nd (thank you, baseball...they couldn't pick another channel???).

So, let's jump right into the second part of this three-part section:

First up this episode is Jazzlyn. This girl has absolutely NO confidence and I thought she was SO GOOD in her first audition. I liked her very, very much. Interesting arrangement of "I Will Survive", and I wasn't sure if it was hers or someone else had remade the song before. Poor thing hadn't lost her nerves between rehearsal and her big moment. I think she's got potential. Hopefully she gets a chance.

This Brennin guy...I don't like his whole look. The V-neck tee was TOO V-neck, the big necklace charm, the Dwight Yoakum skinny-jeans: it just doesn't appeal to me. But his voice isn't bad. He just reminds me of a member of a boy band that got put in the wrong decade, haha. I don't know the song he sang (I have hated almost every song choice by the judges so far...shouldn't the contestants be picking the songs that represent who they are wanting to be??), but it seemed okay. OH MY GOSH!!! Rihanna just said "90's boy band" after I'd already typed that, TOO FUNNY!!! But it's just too true...

Stereo Hogzz...I kinda like their name, it's clever. They seem like nice boys, and I like everything they've done so far. I was sort of laughing at their choreography, but MAN I liked their song and the way they sang it! That's not a song you think of as being able to be current, but you could hear that version of "Heard It Through the Grapevine" on the radio today, easily. Like them!!!

JOSH!!!! One of my favorites of the season so far...his rendition of "At Last" in his audition had me falling madly in love with the tone of his voice! I was shocked to see he had a 13-year old daughter, he doesn't look old enough. But Nicole better put this guy through...but she gave him Roberta Flack's "The First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)"??? Not a bad song, but doesn't show off that gutteral tone to his voice we have heard before. He did the best he could, but that kind of song isn't what he'd be doing, so I have no idea why he's having to sing it. Seriously...love this guy, he needs to be top on her list to put through.

Next group up is 2 Squar'd. I don't remember them, really, so I'm ready to hear them sing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Because, c'mon...could it be a harder song to SING and show off your ability??? I swear the judges picked THE worst songs for the most part. Not impressed with this group, but it could just be the song...unfortunate for them if they don't make it through. I'd be so angry at this part of the process if I didn't get to show what I was about.

Got another country singer, this Tim guy. I vaguely remember him, and I recall thinking he was a decent country singer, but he's not someone I would listen to. He seems like a really nice guy, though. So this country singer is given a Luther Vandross song?? "Dance With My Father" might be able to be turned into a country song...but this isn't the guy to do it. In my opinion. Don't think he'll make it through.

Sidenote here...the host (Steve??) suddenly sounded Irish when he was talking to Tim after the performance. I need to Google this guy, I don't know anything about him.

It's Rachel's turn!!! I think this little girl is SO PRECIOUS, I just love her! Bubbly personality, strong voice, super likable: total package! She's singing a Backstreet Boys song, and I like what she's doing to it! She should've smiled a bit during her performance, though, she looked so serious! This little girl has so much passion and she WANTS this. I just love her. =)

Leroy is someone I liked towards the end of Boot Camp. I think he's got a GREAT voice, and he absolutely does NOT look like the old man he's saying he is. He's got a cool look, a voice that is really good. I like this guy very much, so hopefully his performance impresses Nicole and Enrique. I think he could've done a bit better, he started off a little shaky and it sounded like he was letting his nerves affect him a little bit. But I think he deserves a spot.

Why does Nicole look like she's in pain and is about to cry while every contestant is singing? I really wish there was a different judge in her place this year. She bugs me.

Next group is Illusion Confusion. Not sure I remember these guys, either. More bad choreography, though, haha. It didn't sound like they were singing, it sounded like a track was playing. And they sound like they're from the 80's. Didn't like them at ALL.

Tiger is next. I didn't like his first audition, but I liked him and his voice by the end of Boot Camp. So I'm on the fence with him. Not sure what song Nicole picked for him, but it was terrible and I hated the performance. But I think I still might want him to get a shot.

Oh my gosh, I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Marcus!! Another of my favorites! His first audition blew me away, he SOUNDED a bit like Stevie Wonder. And here we go: FINALLY!!!! A great song choice!! He nailed it, too! This kid HAS to make it through!!!

Tiah. Nicole and Paula were SO RUDE to this girl. I liked her sound, and I am glad that Simon fought for her. She seems so sweet, too. I have to say...I like her version of "No Diggity", haha. I think she totally brought it, and I'm glad that Nicole and Paula weren't there to be catty.

Next Over 30's person to perform is Christa, I barely remember her. She has a cartoon character speaking voice, but I think I liked her singing voice. Had no idea what she was singing, and I didn't like the sound of her voice while she was singing it. She's out, in my opinion. Some of her bigger notes weren't horrible, but every other note was bad.

Next group is the second last-minute group. There was an Asian girl (Elonna, or something) that I really liked as a solo artist. To me, there are too many people in there to be a group. They're called Intensity. I don't think they stand much of a chance...a shame, because one of two of them I think are good and the group would've been better with half of them NOT in it.

Okay. I am super critical of rap singers, but I LOOOOOOOOVE Chris. He sang an original song at his first audition, and it was damn good. The judges loved him, I loved him. I would be so sad if this kid didn't make it through. I thought the track was WAAAAAY too loud, it sort of drowned out his voice a bit. But it sounded like he was still doing a good job!

Last, but CERTAINLY not least...my favorite of the whole season so far. THIS GIRL CAN SING!!!!! I will positively PROTEST if she doesn't get in. She's SO GOOD. There are just no words...Her song is a Michael Jackson song...I really and truly think that this girl is one of THE best singers I've EVER heard. She's up there with Whitney and Mariah and Celine. Un-flippin'-believable.

So!! As soon as I get the third part watched, I will blog about it. Can't wait to see who the finalists are!

X Factor: Judges' Homes Part 1

Okay, so I think I found an online way to watch the first part of the three-part thing they're doing to go from 32 to 16. We'll see, I'm watching it now...

Is it mean of me to say I still have no idea what the host's name is? Do they ever really introduce him, or am I missing it? He's obviously not ever going to be Ryan Seacrest, but he's not very memorable at all. He is kinda cute, but...not much in the "charismatic host" department.

I'm so excited that the group with my favorite singer is paired with my favorite of the mentors!!! There are so many great singers and likable girls in that category, so I'm HOPING that Simon keeps my favorites! Fingers crossed!

Paula's got the groups, and I really thought she would be better suited to the Over 30's group. But we'll see how she does...

Nicole has the Over 30's...and I just can't stand her. Her attitude towards the girls in the audition rounds really turned me off, and watching her be interviewed by Conan O'Brien, I really just wasn't impressed. So, not thrilled that she's part of the show. But it's whatever.

I'm excited about the boys having LA Reid, he's tough and has some really good singers. Hopefully he picks the right 4.

Enrique Iglesias is guest judging on this episode???? "Baby I Like It"!!!!!!! Always have adored him, even when his music has been kinda bad. ;)

Who the heck is Pharrell?? Guess I'm getting old, he looks so young and I've NEVER heard of him.

No Mariah Carey to guest star, guess that's alright. She's a bit much, but she IS talented and I just adore her husband, Nick Cannon.

LA Reid has Rihanna. I like her music a lot, I love the sound of her voice, and I don't think I've ever really seen her in any kind of interview or anything, so I'm curious to see what she's like.

First up to sing is Brian, or "Astro". I haven't cared for him since his first audition. He's too slow for rap, he's young, his first rap song was called "Stop Looking At My Mom"...this kid just hasn't cut it so far when compared to other contestants in both his category and the competition as a whole. In front of LA and Rihanna he did speed up a bit. But he didn't change my mind about him. I still say he's many years away from being ready. Maybe his voice will not be so obnoxious by then.

First up in the girl category is Simone. I'm torn on this girl. She's had an okay voice so far, but she's forgotten lyrics, she dresses kind of skanky, and she's cocky to the point of being annoying. She did okay this time, but she's not as strong (in my opinion) as other contestants. So I wouldn't be sorry if this was the last time she performed on the show. Sounds like the people Simon were talking to agreed with me, but Simon seems to like her.

First group up is The Anser, and they are my favorite group. There are too many of the groups that I don't know much about, and then there are the two groups that were hastily put together last minute so I have NO idea what they sound like. So at this point, The Anser is my favorite. They're cute in a quirky way, they harmonize REALLY well...they each have to work on their solo parts a bit, though. I agree with Pharrell, I like the red glasses on that one kid. And this was BY FAR their best performance. Everyone had worked hard, and I hope they go through.

Dexter Haygood is the first from the Over 30's. I didn't like his voice in his first audition, although he won my heart with his story. I actually liked him better in Boot Camp, I heard the potential in his voice. So I'm curious to see how he does, because I think he could pull it off if he's careful. Totally terrible and weird song choice for him...but I think this guy might be my guilty pleasure contestant. He's certainly not the best. But something about him keeps growing on me. Enrique seemed to like him, haha. This guy just makes me want to give him a hug.

Skyelor is next from the boys' group. I love this country singer, he seems like SUCH a sweet kid and his voice is very good. Needs some practice, but I think he's worth putting the time into. He tends to sound a bit monotonous when he sings, and he needs to work on that BIG time. But I like this kid a LOT.

Tora, Tora, Tora...she's TOO quirky-looking for my tastes. I do, however, love her energy and I think her voice is good. She seems sweet. And the fact that she gets dirty and fixes cars is kinda awesome, haha. I feel for her, though, I hate the song she was assigned. Shows off her rocker-style but not her voice so much. Not sure why she was worried about the lyrics...they're pretty much the same through the whole song. And she did an okay job, all things considered.

Lakoda Rayne...the last-minute group created by the judges. I wasn't overly attached to any of these girls, but they weren't horrible, so they very well could end up being a great group. They definitely need help with their choreography, but they sound pretty decent.

Stacy from the Over 30's just for some reason is someone I don't like. I actually LOVE her story, she seems like a super nice lady. But she thinks her voice is bigger than it is most of the time. And I think she has an okay voice, and she'd definitely tear it up at a karaoke bar. But as a recording artist, I'm not interested in hearing her. She takes too many liberties (or has so far) with songs and tries to go too big and hold notes too long. And get ready to yell at me, Prince fans: I hate the song "Purple Rain", haha. I am tired of this girl's tears, too...

Okay, I love the Brewer Boys. I don't remember seeing them until the end of Boot Camp, but I thought they were adorable and had good voices. They got assigned a TERRIBLE song for them, and you could tell they were trying and all that...but they just fell majorly flat, and I was sad. They were okay on the verses, but the chorus sounded just awful.

Poor Phillip has to sing a Rihanna song in front of the woman herself, haha. I love this kid, though, he's got a really interesting voice. I LOOOOOOOVED what he did to "Please Don't Stop the Music"! This guy is interesting and different. And I'm diggin' it.

I love Ms Elaine!! Hopefully Nicole and Enrique will put her through, she's just fabulous! She hit her stride, and I said out loud, "GET IT GIRL!" Love this lady!!

Caitlin's next to sing to Simon. She's a pretty girl, has a decent voice. To me, I don't see much of a "wow factor" with this girl. I think it's just that she sounds kind of old-fashioned. But she's good enough, I guess. She has a pretty voice with a nice tone. The fact that she plays rugby makes her a little interesting, as well.

Nick Voss is another one I am not convinced about, yet. His whole Vanilla-Ice-looking-Elvis-Presley-copycat style doesn't make sense to me. He wasn't given a great song for LA and Rihanna, either. Overall, song choices have really been atrocious for the contestants. I don't know that Nick will stay.

4Shore is another group that harmonizes really well but don't sound AS great when they're singing solo parts. I think they have mad potential, though, so I am hopeful that they'll be in the top 4 groups. I think they could be a new version of Boyz II Men, and I think as long as they attempt to go down that path they'll be successful. The two shorter dudes were adorable and animated, and I agreed with Paula: I wanted them to sing more.

I don't remember the next Over 30 guy, James. So this is basically my first impression of him. He seems like a really nice guy. And then he started to sing...I'm a big fan off of that performance! He sounds almost kinda Gavin DeGraw-ish. I think he was great, so my fingers are crossed that he makes it through.

Little Drew sings next for Simon. Her version of that Justin Beiber song was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, I was blown away by her. I think she's precious and talented. Took me a minute to figure out what she was singing before I realized it was a Roxette song. Stunning arrangement, this girl has "it" and there is just NO way she can't make it through. She's like Norah Jones and Sarah McLaughlin all rolled into one. I already want to buy this song and her Justin Beiber cover. Seriously: I. Love. This. Girl.

SO!!! That's it for the first part of the Judges' Houses. My top favorites are still to come so I'm hoping my TV Guide channel is wrong about Sunday, because I don't see that the X Factor is replaying that day. Hopefully I can find it on YouTube if it's not, like I was able to with this.

Until next time...

I know, I know...I've been slacking!!

Hello, everybody! I know it's been awhile since I updated the blog, but to be fair not much has been going on. We did some updating here recently to the house, so I figured it was time for a new blog post. =)

For starters, I'm still unemployed. Not having a ton of luck finding a job, but I've had some interviews and I'm hopeful that something will turn up soon. Until then, I've had plenty of time to catch up on my reading, haha. Plus Dewey is loving having me at home during the day, so we're bonding.

Speaking of Dewey, he's doing so great! It took some time to adjust, but he's really been such a good boy. We figured out how to get him to let us sleep through the night, so Andrew and I are waking up every morning having gotten more sleep than we were getting a month ago: it's awesome!! =)

Naturally, we look around our house and have so many little (and big) projects that we wants to do around the house over the next several years. We have plans to turn the guest bathroom into a Bahamas-themes oasis, we want to paint the two guest bedrooms at some point, we need to RE-paint our bedroom (the color is NOT the same as the swatch or the tester we used before moving), we want to ultimately re-do the wood floors to make them darker, we want to change up the landscaping in the backyard and get a new fence, we want to do new counter tops and cabinets in the kitchen...we even have grand plans to add on to the back of the house to build a nice little sunroom (that one is way down the road). Lots of things we want to do to turn this into our little dream home, and it's exciting to know that we have nothing but time to get all of these things done.

Also something that WAS on that list was giving the master bath a little makeover. That had been something I didn't think was going to happen anytime soon purely because the thought of painting made me want to throw a temper tantrum, haha. But Andrew recently went, "Hey, let's go pick out paint and do our bathroom!" So we did, Andrew did 99% of the work and it looks exactly like I pictured it would! We were going for a nice, soft blue that would be soothing and sort of spa-like. We also found a great deal on one of those standing cabinets that go behind toilets, and it really filled in that little nook nicely! Here are the before pictures:






Andrew worked so hard, and Dewey and I were there for some moral support (I did help a little, haha)...





And here is the finished product, complete with brown cabinet!






I absolutely LOVE IT, it looks even better in person than it does in the pictures! We did change the knobs on the cabinet doors, they were so boring and it costs so little to change them out.

Before...



And after!



We still have decorating plans for the bathroom: hand towels and some monogrammed decorative towels for the towel racks, we want to change the light fixtures above the mirrors, we want to stain the cabinets a rich, espresso color, and we want to buy one of those cute little pictures of a bathtub you see at Hobby Lobby and Michael's and places like that. A few touches here and there, and it'll be done. We do want to change out the switchplates as well: they don't match our pretty towel racks, they're bright and shiny silver. We would much rather have a brushed silver look (that is proving tough to find, so that will be a project within itself). But the coat of paint and the cabinet really do transform the bathroom dramatically, and we are super happy with it!

Many of you know we changed our living room rug, but here are the before and after pictures of that as well:

Before...



After!



We also changed out the cushions on the couch. Instead of the red/orange/goldish ones we had, we bought some at Kohl's that really complement the rug:



We also bought a really cute small, long rectangular pillow that has the same color scheme and geometric design for our cute little curvy brown leather chair (no picture). I do have to say, we have found some GREAT stuff at even GREATER prices for our living room!

We haven't done our mantle up the way we want to, yet, but we did put up a bunch of pictures to make the living room look a lot less bare.



We also finally got around to changing the light fixture in our front hallway! We had bought the two matching pieces to go in the dining room and the entry way before we moved in. I blogged about the one in the dining room already, but we put up the other one several weeks ago and I have those before and after pictures for you as well!

Before:





Not HORRIBLE, it was actually quite pretty when it was on. But it was trimmed in that brassy-gold color, and it had to go. Haha. I just want everything with that color out of our house. SO! This replaced it:




I think that's it as far as pictures. Lots of updating going on, we just love the house and are loving having things to make our own!

Not much else has been going on. I went to Ladies' Night Out at The Melting Pot with my friends Robyn, Sara, and Alison last week. It was SO MUCH FUN, and I am looking forward to doing that again! I also recently reconnected with some family members that I never really have had a relationship with. I'm not going to go into the details here, those involved know everything and that is all that matters about that. But I am so grateful that the Lord brought my Uncle Scott, Aunt Donna, and my grandmother back into my life. They have been gracious and forgiving and understanding and so incredibly loving and supportive. Andrew and I are so happy that we have them in our lives. I missed out on a lot of years with them, but better late than never, right? Scott, Donna, Liz...we love you so much and are so blessed to have you!! We definitely still need to have you guys up to our house for some of Andrew's BBQ and more catching up! I know that you three know how touched I was to hear everything you had to say, but I can't thank you enough anyways for having open arms after all these years. I love you guys.

And that about wraps it up! I will do my best to update the blog more often, as long as I have something remotely interesting to talk about, haha! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, love you all! =)