The greatest trick I ever pulled...

There will be no more blogging.  I just spent an hour trying to figure out Wordpress.  I give up.  I don't have the time or the patience for this.  It has been a fun 5 years of blogging.  But I kind of feel like I outgrew blogging.  Or maybe the blogging world outgrew me.  I have never been a fan of the blog "rules", the giveaways, the link ups and for the love of all things internet the mlm nonsense.  That stuff just rubs me the wrong way.  What I did like is being able to share funny stories and pictures.  And getting to know real people through blogging.  There are a few I will still keep up with.  So I am saying so long blog world.  You can find me on Twitter (@fabulousally) and Instagram (fabulousally).  I will be happy to fill you in on the wonderful world of Mr. & Mrs. Diamond Dave.  And let me tell you...there are some exciting things in the works!  You can also find me on Facebook if you know my real name.  That is if I really exist.

And like that...I'm gone.





Yes, Dave...that was for you.

Goodbye Blog

Apparently I have reached my limit on blog photos.  And deleting old photos does nothing.  So I am done for now.  I might consider another blogging site.  I will put a link on here if I do. But to be honest I am kind of over it.  Most everyone keeps up with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter anyways.  Blogging isn't what it used to be.  So long for now...

Product Placement

I love my 30 minute sitcoms. That is about all of the attention span I have for tv…even better if it is dvr’d. Then it is about 22 minutes. I have a tendency to watch reruns of the same shows over and over while cooking dinner or before going to sleep. It seems the new shows are only on between 8-11pm. I have noticed a disturbing trend recently…product placement. But not just in the new shows…in the reruns. 

I was watching How I Met Your Mother and it was an episode from few years ago. I cannot remember what the product was but it was painfully obvious that they had super imposed this thing on the coffee table. And then in a bar seen there was a banner hanging in the background with a logo on it that was obviously added later. I want to say it was for LA Fitness. But both placements looked horrible and you could easily tell they were done after the fact.

This brings me to last night. One of the funniest shows out there right now is Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23. I love me some Dawson. Anyways…last night it was all about People’s sexiest man alive. And they we arguing over why Channing Tatum should win. And what do you know…today People announced the winner. Any guesses as to who it is?

Once you realize this is going on it is hard to miss. Pay attention next time you watch tv. They are trying to trick you into buying something.

Checking In...

After being out of town for 2 weekends in a row it was nice to stay home. On Friday Dave and I went to the Magic game. They are pretty awful this year. But it was still a nice night out. On Saturday I started by holiday shopping. And by holiday shopping I mean shopping for holiday clothes for me. I desperately needed dark red skinny jeans and a leopard print Santa hat. There was no way to make it through the holiday season without it. The good news is my size 0 skinny jeans are a little big. And that was the smallest size they had. So I need to eat some cookies and brownies. This is a direct result of barre workouts. Seriously…go try it. And on Sunday Adaya and I went to see Sky Fall. It was a great movie…typical Bond, but fabulous. She even got me out to Downtown Disney to see it. And I did not run over any tourists. Even if I was tempted.

Now I am busy planning Thanksgiving. I did get some goodies from Williams and Sonoma this weekend. They had all items Thanksgiving 20% off so I stocked up. Dave has decided to deep fry a turkey this year. Should we alert the fire department now? I am also going to make a turkey breast in the crockpot…just in case. I am trying 2 new recipes this year: Butternut squash corn casserole and honey balsamic green beans, both courtesy of Paula Deen…lots of butter and bacon. I don’t think I know what a whole butternut squash looks like. But I am supposed to peel, seed and cube them. This does not sound easy. I may have to buy some extra just to practice. And I am trying something new with green beans because every time I make green bean casserole Dave tells me no one really likes it. Thanks Dave…he loves balsamic and honey so he better like this new recipe.

Smiley Riley

You're welcome.

Hi Sydney!!

Aunt Ally loves you!!

 

She reads my blog...so she gets a shout out.  

Thanksgiving Already??

Yes, Thanksgiving is 2 weeks from tomorrow. I will be spending some quality time at Williams and Sonoma this weekend trying to figure out what to do with my turkey this year. Our holiday plans have changed slightly. We are now home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. With a trip to Atlanta in the middle. I kind of like this idea. We get to attend my sister’s annual Christmas party. I love a good holiday party. Break out the sequins and red shoes! And I am still going to NYC in early December. Hopefully things are back to normal by then. We got our tickets to see the Rockettes! I love the holiday season. I am hoping Mom and Dad make it to Florida for Christmas. That would make my year!

I won’t pretend I am not disappointed today. I am. But let’s start fresh. I support my President no matter who he is. But he needs to get his act together and deliver. Enough with the empty promises. I have one piece of advice for you, Mr. President: If you give a man a fish he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish he will eat for the rest of his life. Stop handing out fish. Now go do your thing and get us out of this mess! 

Back to happier thoughts…

I have the most amazing ideas for Christmas gifts this year. But I can’t tell you more than that. Even though I want to tell you everything. It will be awesome. The ideas for gifts are just flowing this year! 

You like that? I sandwiched my sad thought in between two happy ones.

Some Random Halloween Thoughts

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! I love handing out candy to the kids. I was out of town this past weekend so I did not dress up and go out then. And I did a 6am barre class this morning so I was not about to go out last night. Eventually I will dress up and do something for Halloween. It feels like it has been forever. Here are my random Halloween thoughts:

Every year at least one kid walks right in my house…every year.

Apparently white kit kats are all the rage. You would have thought I was handing diamonds based on the reactions I got.

I personally think you should be able to walk before you go trick or treating. We all know your 6 month old baby is not going to eat that candy.

I have no issue with the older kids trick or treating. As long as they are dressed up. I did it until I was 18. But I had some fabulous costumes.

Someone in my neighborhood was giving out bags of chips. I don’t know what to think about that.

I love seeing pictures online of everyone’s costumes. But the pictures of your kids with chocolate all over their faces makes me want to vomit. Please stop that nonsense. Seriously, I gag when I see stuff like that.

Why do people give out the cheap crappy candy that no one eats? For real…you know the kids just throw that stuff away. This year I did reeces peanut butter cups and pieces, kit kats, snickers, and York peppermint patties (because they are my favorite). I feel bad for the kid that came to my house with peanut allergies.

How many piece of candy do you give each kid? I give them 2…unless they have a great costume or are just really cute. Then I might give them a handful. I think it is just stingy if you give them one. Walking up to the door is worth at least 2 pieces….right? The later it gets the more they get. I don’t want to have a lot left over. Because I will eat it.

How crazy is this Superstorm Sandy madness??? Those poor people in NY and NJ. At least here in Florida we know what to do to prepare for these things. I don’t think those people know what hit them…let along that they needed to take out cash and fill up their cars with gas before the storm. And the fires…that is just insane. I hope they all recover quickly and safely. I am sure canceling Halloween was the last thing on their minds.

Sunset on Amelia River

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

With a baseball bat.

Friday Night on Amelia Island

The best part of a weekend away...the food

Beach Fun

Hi There!!

Still busy!  But I think I have time for a quick update. 

On Thursday I went to Halloween Horror Nights with Jenny and Justin who are in town vacationing from Chattanooga.  I was so excited to take them.  When we were kids Jenny and I loved horror movies.  And this is the first time she has visited me in Florida in the 11.5 years I have lived here.  Okay...so she was not really visiting me as much as the mouse.  But still...

To say we were disappointed in HHN would be an understatement.  It was the most crowded I have ever seen it.  We waited in line an hour just to get through the front gate!  We did ONE haunted house.  We waited 75 minutes to get in the Walking Dead house.  It was okay but I have seen far better.  Then we went to ride Krustyland simply for Back to the Future flashbacks.  Then we went to see the Bill and Ted Show Vote for Obama Show.  It was no where as funny as it has been in the past.  And they did all they could to make Romney look bad.  An odd choice since over half the people in the audience were under 18.  I had no idea Universal was on the Obama payroll.  After that there was a TWO AND A HALF HOUR wait for each haunted house.  The event only lasted 6.5 hours.  So that long of a wait is insane.  There is no way anyone could see all 7 haunted houses.

But it was still great to spend the night with them.  We did get to have dinner at Margaritaville before being herded around like cattle for the rest of the night.

And in true Diamond Dave fashion I called Universal to complain.  They gave me 15 (5 for each of us) express passes to go back.  Unfortunately Jenny and Justin will be back in TN and can't go again.  But Dave's niece Cheri is in town this week and they are going on Wednesday.  So I will give them the express passes so they can enjoy their experience.  I am contemplating going again.  But I have to buy a ticket to get it.  It is only 36.99 with my pass.  But I am still not sold on the idea. 

We are going to the Blue Man Group on Tuesday.  I have not seen it since they took up permanent residency at Universal.  Hopefully it is a good show.  We get 1/2 off with our annual passes.  So it is worth checking out.

And Captain Adaya is officially back on land.  Yay!!  We are off to Sarasota and Siesta Key on Friday. 

Dave and Cheri are in Gainesville right now watching the Gators crush Carolina.  Let's hope that ends well. 

Wedding Weekend Fun!

Because they are the most precious things ever!!

And you thought getting the baby to look at the camera was difficult.

The bride and groom cutting the zombie cake.

This is what happens when you get married.  People throw babies at you.

I promise to share some content with you soon.  It was a lovely weekend.  I miss my babies so much.  And Greg and Sam are currently honeymooning in the mountains of Ashville.  Can you imagine how pretty it is up there right now?