Things Thursday: Things You Could Buy Me as a Happy Thursday Present

1. The following DVDs: Glee Season 2, How I Met Your Mother Season 1 and all subsequent seasons, Mermaids (have you ever seen this Cher movie?  It freaking rocks), The Perfect Husband (a movie on Scott Peterson - all this Casey Anthony drama has me totally interested in his case).

2. Sparkly things.

3. A monogrammed big floppy beach hat

from here

3. A cute case for my camera.

4. A curling iron - love doing the flat iron curl and all, but I'm ready to step it up a notch!

5. Nail polish - I've started a minor obsession...I blame Fashionista and Swagger.

6. One of those cute stickers that go on your computer.

7. Gift cards to restaurants - we love a good (free!) date night around here!

8. Flow-y summer dresses...would be perfect for this heat we've got going on in SoCal lately.

9. Make-up.

10. Scrubs...seriously, I'm so over my pairs.

Right?

Quotable Tuesdays

My Biggest Fears: Big Dogs

I have actually made huge strides in getting over this fear, and have found a love for huge puppies…but still, every time a extra large dog comes running towards me, I get a small sinking feeling of pure fear in my stomach.

I’m not sure where this fear came from – I don’t have any traumatic experiences in my past involving dogs of any size, unlike Sister Singer who was bit right on the face by a big scary dog.  Maybe it’s sympathetic fear?

Regardless of where it came from, this little fear used to bad – I would get very very nervous around all dogs bigger than a chihuahua. 

I am pretty sure a visit at Aunt Delaware’s house with her Boxer named Sweet Andie (or just Andie, but I can’t say it without the Sweet in front) was what made me significantly more comfortable with big dogs.  Sweet Andie was so affectionate, and even though she was genuinely stronger than me – she was not aggressive, and didn’t hurt me (okay, she did actually leave a huge bruise on my leg from jumping on me – but it wasn’t malicious!).  I think all I needed was to actually spend some time with a big dog to move past my paralyzing fear.

It’s a good thing I have made peace with puppies of all sizes, because I’m pretty sure this is Handsome Husband’s vision of the future:

We’ll see about that.

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Happy Hour

Today I am sipping on water during Happy Hour, in a sad attempt to pre-hydrate myself because in less than 4 hours, we are off for a fun-filled weekend in ARIZONA!

This is the marina in the neighborhood where my parents' house is!

My parents have a sweet little vacation home (seriously, Gardening Mom has decorated it so cute!) in Willow Valley, Arizona and they are gracious enough to allow Handsome Husband and I to take some friends out for a weekend during the hot Arizona summer.

We have been going annually with a group of friends for 4 summers now (okay, we missed last summer), and it is so fun!  

I have been looking forward to this trip for months, but especially the last week.  I am excited to spend some time with girlfriends that I rarely get to see due to our busy lives (I hate being a grown-up sometimes), and just relax in the heat and float in the river!

Posting will be pretty non-existant this weekend - I think it will be the first time I've gone more than one day without posting since I started Stress Case!

What are you doing for the holiday weekend?

It's Definitely Summer...Bye June!

In June,

My sweet little sisters stopped being so little and turned 17 years old – can’t believe only one more year before they are ADULTS. 

Sister Singer went rocker chic and performed at her last choir concert of the year.

Gardening Mom celebrated her birthday and got a big birthday surprise – the newest member of our family, Little Diego!

Handsome Husband’s family hosted another one of their annual Golf Tournaments.

Gardening Mom took me as her hot date to a benefit for TACA: Talk About Curing Autism, and I had a little chat with a Real Housewife (from the franchise television series…not like, a real housewife – post to come!)

Best Friend Cute Apartment graduated with her (second!) degree in interior design, and will definitely be helping me decorate our future place (whether she likes it or not!).

Handsome Husband and I celebrated the engagement of my dear coworker and friend, Nurse Vegas and her very sweet fiancé.

Hat Dad got some presents, and an awesome dinner celebration for Father’s Day.

Handsome Husband and I went on a date!  This shouldn’t be noteworthy, but we don’t go on them too often these days, so it totally was – we should work on this.

We celebrated Lil C turning 1!  His real birthday is the 4^th of July – Happy Birthday, Lil C!

Best Friend Cute Apartment joined the blogosphere officially, and started her own blog!  If you like cute blondes with lots of sass and an eye for interior design, do yourself a favor and check out her new blog, Diary of a Blonde.

Quotable Tuesdays

Grateful Sundays

This week I am grateful that my family loves Handsome Husband.

I tweeted about this yesterday, and have been thinking about it lately.

I am so very grateful that my family loves HH nearly as much (maybe more sometimes) as they love me! It has not always been this way with exes - Hat Dad hasn't really been a fan of any boy I introduced him to until Handsome Husband.  It took my family a little while to warm up, but since they have, it's been all love in this family!

Gardening Mom and HH work for the same company, and love to bore me talk about work all.  the.  time.

Hat Dad and Handsome Husband talk sports, shooting, and other guy stuff that Hat Dad never had a son to talk to about (although I'd like some credit for being pretty into shooting and off-roading for a girly girl).

My sisters and Handsome Husband relationship continues to make me smile constantly.  I just love that they love him.  Sister Swimmer chats with us, and likes to go to eat out with us, and I'm pretty sure Sister Singer texts HH more than she texts me (I might be slightly jealous).

I am so grateful that I found a man that not only do I love and adore, but that my family also began to love and adore.  I truly believe that Handsome Husband was just what our family was missing to make it complete - that is until my sisters get married (which better not be for a long time, little girls!!), and our family gets to grow to perfection again.

Early on in the love affair between HH and the family - Summer 2009

 On our wedding day - February 2011

I have gained a few more followers (thank you!) since I last tried to make Grateful Sundays a link-up party, so I thought I'd take this chance to ask again if anyone would be interested in linking up if I opened Grateful Sundays up.  Would you like a weekly reminder to be grateful for something, even if it's just a quick blog post to honor something (or someone, or some place!) in your life?  Please let me know in the comments if you'd be interested!

Happy Hour

I am sipping on lemonade during Happy Hour today (but looking forward to sipping on cocktails at real-live Happy Hour later tonight!).

Lately, I have been having some down days at work - you know how it is, there are ups and downs with everything.  So, because I am really making an effort to be more positive lately (I may or may not be known to be a bit of a whiner), I'd like to talk about some of the things I love about my job at the Pediatrician's Office.

I love new babies.  They have that new baby smell (way better than new car), and are so so so small.  And until you make Mommy and Daddy undress them, they look so peaceful and adorable.  It's also so sweet to see both parents at the appointments, as it is not very common past the first few months.

I love the continuity, and watching the kids grow and change with each appointment.

I love getting pictures that the little ones have drawn for me, stickers that they want to share, when the ones just learning to talk say my name, and hugs from our miniature patients.

I love looking out the window and seeing an ocean view.

I love meeting parents who are so friendly, and interested in my life - there are really people out there who care about what you have to say and who you are even if you are in a service position for them.

I don't love giving shots, but to be honest I don't really mind it.  And I love knowing that a few seconds of pain and a couple tears is all it takes for me to help to protect children from some really awful diseases.

I love doing lab-work - it makes me feel like a little scientist girl!

So that's what I'm thinking about and loving during Happy Hour today.

Things Thursday: Things I Would Like To Be Doing Right Now

1. Lying on a beach in a fun tropical destination.

2. Eating pizza (I have been having insane pizza cravings lately - but holding out until Lil C's birthday party on Saturday!).

3. Shopping for cute summer dresses and fun sandals.

4. Taking a nap.

5. Working a fun super top-secret project for our upcoming Arizona trip!

6. Swimming - I can't even remember the last time I was in a pool.

7. Floating around in the river in an innertube - which I will be doing in just over one week from today!  Arizona cannot come sooner!

Or this could work - you'd never lose it down the river!

8. Taking a bath in this bathtub:

9. Laughing with Handsome Husband.

10. Drinking a glass bottle of wine with Nurse Sarcasm.

Quick and Easy AMAZING Fruit Dip Recipe

Over Memorial Day weekend last month, we went to a BBQ at the Lake to celebrate Twin Unicorn's Homecoming.  It was potluck-style, and Handsome Husband and I brought a few things - one of which being this awesome fruit dip.

The first time I ever had this dip was when my Aunt Kathy* made it.  My Aunt Kathy passed away nearly two years ago now after a brave long battle with cancer, and I think that has a little to do why I love this dip so much.  I also just love it because it is seriously AMAZING - just like everything Aunt Kathy made.

This dip is so quick and easy, and so tasty!  I could (who am I kidding?  I do) eat this shizz by the spoonful!

Sweet Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Yields ... uh, about the amount you see in the photo above.  

This recipe isn't about exact measurements.

2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese

1 large size jar marshmallow creme or fluff

1/2 regular size container of whipped topping (I use generic instead of cool whip...dare you to taste the difference)

Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature.

With hand or stand mixer, blend cream cheese and marshmallow creme.

Slowly fold in cool whip.

Voila!  SO easy - the time consuming part is cutting up the fruit.  Which is why, if you're me, you make the dip and you make your husband cut up the fruit.  Teamwork = dreamwork.

*My Aunt Kathy was not even a blood relative of mine, but from the moment I met her she felt like family and I couldn't help but claim her as part of my family.  More on her, and my other Delaware family another time.