I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Hopefully the food will be good and the family will be pleasant company.

Hopefully you'll eat to your heart's content and didn't watch the Today Show and learn how much so little food can add up to (caloric wise). That way you may not be disgusted by the memories of what you ate during previous Thanksgiving meals and you won't need to consider boycotting dinner altogether this year.

Hopefully you'll take some time to reflect on this past year and give thanks to all things good.

Hopefully you'll get everything you're looking for if you're one of those insane idiots who decides to go shopping on Friday. (I was one of those idiots last year, standing outside in the cold waiting for Best Buy to open at 4am. I was far too lucky, I got everything I wanted in record time. So I won't be doing it again this year. I know how to quit while I'm ahead.)

Hopefully we can all take a moment this Thanksgiving and give thanks for the everyday things in life that we may take for granted.

And finally, just for fun...

In the comments...what are your holiday plans? Are you hosting dinner? Does your family have any strange traditions? Will you be traveling? Do you plan to go shopping on Black Friday?

And The Winner Is...

Michael Symon is the new Iron Chef! This is just so cool, I think! One thing is for sure, I'll never be able to afford to eat in his restaurants now, they probably raised all the prices last night as soon as the finale of The Next Iron Chef aired which declared Symon the winner. So if anyone is in the Cleveland area and ventures to either Lola or Lolita, let me know all about your experience!

IT'S A BOY!!!


There you have it, all this time of wishing for a baby girl is gone, it's a boy. I'm going to live in a house where I'm out-numbered 5 to 1 (that is counting my male dogs, of course). All in all, I'm happy and feeling fortunate, so far everything looks great and he's healthy. But I still haven't felt the baby move. So other than my ever expanding abdominal cavity, it's still somewhat of a foreign idea to me, I'm growing a tiny penis inside of me at this very second. CRAZY!!! Just blows my mind, really!

I must say that this pregnancy is flying by. I'm just shy of being 5 months pregnant but it seems like only yesterday I was peeing on a stick and looking wide eyed at the positive results. In another 5 months, I'll officially be a mother. Man, that is too freaky!

I was reading an article recently, 30 things that no one tells you will change once you've given birth. The one point that I can't stop thinking about is this...

"The dog that has always been "your baby" will become just a dog."

At first I'm thinking, not my dog, not my Scrappy Doo. He's my BABY BOY and he always will be. And then I started to feel guilty that I might not love him as much. What is it going to do to the little dog if he feels neglected?!?! He may just have to go on puppy prozac. I couldn't bear seeing him depressed. Jason says that Scrappy is going to have a really hard time when the baby comes, says he will be real jealous. Jason is also convinced that Scrappy is going to try and pull the baby off of the couch one day and try to eat him or play with him like he's a rag doll. He tells me it's all my fault because I baby him. But I don't think that it will be a problem. I babysat my girlfriend's 5 month old a couple of weeks ago and Scrappy just wanted to lick her death. That's all. He didn't even attempt to nip her cute little nose. (Halley, if you're reading this, I apologize if it seems like I turned your daughter into a lab rat. It wasn't like that, I promise!) He was a perfect angel, that Scrappy Doo. Once Jason witnessed that, he said maybe the little Scrapper will be okay with the new baby.

How I managed to turn my "It's a Boy" news into a story about my dog is beyond me. I suppose that is a sign that I need to get my priorities straight. NOW. In the comments..what else is going to change after I have the baby that most people aren't warned about. But please, try not to scare the crap out of me!

I've said before what a reality television junky I am, remember? Anyway, I've been watching The Next Iron Chef on Food Network for two reasons. One being that I absolutely adore cooking competition shows. I consider myself to be a pretty well acquainted with my kitchen and my culinary skills are quite nice (if I do say so myself). However, I am amazed each and every time I watch Iron Chef...whether it be the old Japanese shows or the newer American version. I'm left feeling awestruck every time. Why? Because I have no idea how anyone could be given some random ingredient, 1 hour and produce several top quality dishes. I'd be still peeling potatoes by the time my competitor was plating their 3rd dish. With that said...the second reason I'm watching the Next Iron Chef is because there is an extremely talented chef by the name of Michael Symon who hails from from Cleveland. How exciting is that! I'm sorry to admit that I've not eaten at any of his restaurants due to the inability to get a reservation several years ago and I've not ever tried again. And now that he's a budding television star on a national network, I don't even dare try. But it's all pretty cool just that same. The show airs on Sunday nights at 9pm eastern time on the food network. The final battle to decide whose cuisine reigns supreme and will get the coveted title of Iron Chef will take place next week. If you're interested, you can learn more about Micheal Symon here. Allez Cuisine!!!