Hossenfeffer

WARNING: This post may be offensive to those with squeamish stomachs, IBS, sensitive gag reflexes, aversions to real life in the country, and direct connections to PETA. Should you choose to read this post, Casa de Envy is not responsible for any damage caused to you or your clothing/shoes/furniture as a result of the above listed conditions, or any other conditions not mentioned herein.

Do you see the innocent dog in this picture? The one who is in dire need of a good brushing, and a Slim-Fast additional food because his owners don't feed him quite enough? Do you see those eyes, pleading for just ONE MORE treat?

This morning, he was forced to take matters into his own paws, mouth hands. Bless his emaciated heart!


When I first saw him on the porch, it didn't appear that anything was amiss. He was in his usual spot near the doormat. I walked over to let him into the house, and that's when I saw IT. A baby rabbit. ( Poor thing...it didn't stand a chance with that nearly-starved beast lurking about the property. ) My dog thought he was going to be allowed to bring IT into the house with him...I guess he was going to save it for a mid-morning snack. As I shooed him away from the door, he snatched his prize from the doormat and tossed it into the air. Taunting me. He then ate it. Whole. Fur and all. I threw up in my mouth a little.

MY appetite has just returned within the last half hour. I'm sure HIS appetite returned within 15 minutes of gulping down one small serving of hossenfeffer.

I can't imagine what tomorrow's fresh catch will be. I'm hoping for wild turkey.

Barbie At 50

Once in a while, I am reminded that there is justice in this world. Or, perhaps, that there is a genius someone out there with a really sick sense of humor!!!


I received this via email. Origin unknown.


I wonder if Barbie wants to participate in the Blogger Butt Smackdown.

Did Someone Say "Free Chocolate"?

Photo borrowed from here.

If you like free chocolate, AND free $50.00 Visa gift cards, you better hustle on over to The Barking Mad Asylum and enter the contest!!! Time is running out!

GO! NOW! What are you waiting for?? Time is money...and chocolate!

Good luck:)

You have to share with me if you win.

Just kidding.

Maybe.

Easter Peeps

Evidently, my pea brain once again went off on some other-worldly tangent Oh, look! Shiny things!!, and I neglected to post photos from Easter. We went to Cool Breeze's sister's house after church, and these little peeps were there to greet us:


AC says, "Happy Easter, Y'all"!! She's a REAL southern lady...in training!

AC & AP checking each other out! "Haven't I seen you here at Nanny's before?"

AP was SO excited about her basket full of Easter eggs! Poor duck got kicked to the curb.

I could never get her to look directly into the camera for me....she was too busy:)

Miss M takes dessert VERY seriously. (Wouldn't I just DIE for THAT HAIR?)

Little C always finds a way to make us laugh! Can't you just SEE the mischief in those eyes?! His brother, Big C, wouldn't let me get near him with the camera:(

AC with Great Grandma. I'm not sure which one is cuter!!! ( I love my MIL!)

Easter. Spring. Babies. They all make my heart swell with joy.

Flashback Friday

Photo courtesy of these guys. What? You thought that was MY tape? Don't be silly! I couldn't find mine.

Nothing SCREAMS says "I'M A 42 YEAR OLD CHORUS MOM WHO NEEDS TO GET A LIFE" "I'm cool" like blasting Funky Cold Medina on your stereo while waiting in line at the bank.

Not that I will admit that I did that.

I couldn't help myself.

What are YOU doing this weekend to celebrate your youth?

New 'Do

You like?

The Met

There's really no need for commentary. These pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy your mini-tour of the Met:)

Happy Wednesday!

Juilliard & Celebrities

Evidently, I made up for NOT taking pictures on day two of our NYC trip by taking WAY too many on day three! As a result, I am breaking day three down into two separate posts.

We began the day with a tour of Juilliard. I could ramble on for days about how amazing the facility is, but suffice it to say that we were IMPRESSED! Did I mention that they only accept 6% of all applicants??

After touring Juilliard, we had a couple of hours before we were scheduled to tour the Metropolitan Opera. There were not many places to eat in that immediate area, but we were fortunate enough to stumble across THIS gem...




Snow White, Cool Breeze and I were munching away on our burgers and onion straws when we realized that we were sitting next to a couple of celebrities...



Hoda Kotb, Cool Breeze, Kathie Lee Gifford


Hoda Kotb & Kathie Lee Gifford were kind enough to pose for a couple of photos with us. I'm confident it's because I shared my onion straws with them. Nothin' says lovin' like onion straws!!

Hoda Kotb, BHE, Cool Breeze, Snow White, Kathie Lee Gifford

Those two ladies could NOT have been any nicer!!! Our server commented that most celebrities are NOT that willing to mingle with the peons!! Must have been our lucky day:)

The three of us sat back and basked in the celebrity glow until it was time to head to The Met. My next post will be nothing but photos from that tour!

Happy Monday!

Tea For Five Thousand

The Richmond Tax Day Tea Party was held despite the pouring rain and plummeting temperatures. It was estimated that 1,500 would attend - the actual attendance was close to 5,000.

We were packed in like sardines, but the atmosphere remained patriotic and upbeat. There WAS a little mudslinging....off of everyone's shoes!

If Grandma J had been with me, I'm sure I would have gotten this man's name. And she would have gotten his phone number...

Pork, anyone?

Colleges & Nursery School

I started to post about day two of our New York trip, and realized that we did not take any pictures on day two!! GAH! Soooooo, I'll tease you with a shot that should have been on the post of day three. Confused? I sure am.

This is a model of one of the sets at the Metropolitan Opera. It shows the versatility of the stage, and the many ways it can be configured.

Reflection, Left to Right: PJ, our amazing "tour guide", BHE, Snow White

Day two had us running all over the city. We started out at West 85th with a tour of Mannes School of Music...a very tiny conservatory, with a 2:1 student-teacher ratio. There were three students on the tour.

We then ventured across town to East 4th tour NYU...a very large university, with a student population triple that of the county in which I reside. There were so many students on the tour that they were divided into eight groups.

Later that evening, we met a friend and his wife for dinner at Blue Ribbon. He has been my friend since we attended nursery school. I have only visited New York City twice, and BOTH times he has rearranged his schedule to join me for a meal. He may have lived in NYC for 25 years, but he hasn't forgotten what his mama taught him about southern hospitality:)

Dinner was fantastic, Ed's wife was adorable, and, as usual, the evening ended sooner than we would have liked. We said our good-byes, and headed back to the hotel. No one had ANY trouble falling asleep after such a busy day!

Are you beginning to get the idea that we LOVED our trip to the city???

Bloggers & The Red Cat

Early last Monday morning, Casa de Envy was abuzz with activity. Throwing last minute items into suitcases, jotting down notes for the house sitter (Thanks Middle Sis!!!), gulping down lethal amounts of coffee , and ensuring that all of the tickets had been packed. By 6:15 we were on our way to the train station. When 7:45 rolled around, we were settled into our seats and anxious to get moving.


One of the train stops took us through Quantico, VA. I tried to find a Marine for my Sometimes Serendipitous friend, but the base looked deserted. I'm sure they were off doing push ups, or lifting weights, or whatever it is that they do to stay in such great shape. Sorry, SSG. I tried. You'll just have to imagine that you can see those sexy jar heads through all of that fog.




When we arrived in New York, Penn Station was bustling. Big surprise there, huh? It was also pouring down rain. We were not about to let a little rain dampen our spirits! We hopped into a cab, and directed the driver to our hotel. All three of us were anxious to get the formalities out of the way, so we could get ready to meet our bloggy friends for dinner!!!

Daryl was gracious enough to make all of the arrangements, and was the first one there. Upon our arrival, she presented Snow White and me with the cutest gifts! (THANK YOU, DARYL!) Snow White LOVED her bracelets, and I LOVED my clever kitchen tile!! Be sure to click to enlarge the photo - it's covered with a map of a portion of New York City:) TOO CUTE!










A few minutes later, Mental P Mama and Annie arrived. For some reason, we all appear to have been drinking heavily. I assure you, that was NOT the case until later when this photo was taken.

Mental P Mama, Daryl, Annie & BHE

Mama forced invited her children to come along, and it was great to meet them as well! Snow White was thrilled to have some other teenagers around for the evening!!

Snow White, Augie & The Bird

(Notice the woman in background to the left (looks like blonde Olive Oyl), and the man to the right (scratching his head). Can you come up with clever captions for these two?? Heehee!)

The food was amazing!! I had the salmon.

Cool Breeze had the filet, but no one really noticed because we couldn't keep our hands off of his lightly fried asparagus...

We made sure that every glass on the table was empty...

...and we ventured out into the night for one last group photo.

Daryl, BHE, Annie, & Mama (saying something about prunes...)

The night ended MUCH too quickly, and we headed back to our hotel to get some rest. Day 2 of our big adventure would begin in just a few short hours!!

If you are not registered for Blog Fest, REGISTER NOW!! You DO NOT want to miss the opportunity to meet these ladies.......or any of the others who will be attending. You will laugh until you pee in your pants cry!!!

Blogger's Most Wanted

Last night, I returned home from a wonderful trip to the big city. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I was being featured on Blogger's Most Wanted over at Noe-Noe Girl's! (Click the link to see my mug shot, then come back and tell me if you like my new hairstyle!!!)

It's in the upper 70's here today, so I refuse to sit at this computer......I'm going to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!! I will have trip highlights posted over the next few days. Please come back and join me as I reminisce about my New York City adventures!!!

I've missed you guys:)

The New Bank Teller

So, I went to the bank today, and there was a new teller at the window.

Her name?

Shiney Sharma.

True story.

Is it wrong that I giggled a little?

Have a great weekend!!!

Spring Serenade

When I arrived home from work Monday evening, these three beauties were waiting in the field to greet me. Don't tell anyone though. Spring gobbler season is only a couple of weeks away...

At first glance, this morning was dismal. Clouds, fog, light rain....the only saving grace was that it wasn't cold. Just chilly.

As I stepped out onto the porch, coffee in hand, I sighed and wondered when my beloved sunshine would decide to make another appearance. Just as I was melting into a pity pile, I heard something that immediately turned my day around. Birds.

To my left, I could hear a gobbler gobbling. Most likely coming off of the roost to begin his day. To my right, a whippoorwill returned the greeting. Most likely heading to bed after completing his nocturnal rounds. Never before have I encountered this sort of bird duet! Completing the serenade were the hundreds of small birds chirping in the trees between the two soloists. The chorus, if you will!

God certainly had a message for me this morning. I believe he was telling me to get out there and make it a good one. So that's what I did.

I haven't been disappointed!

Go ME!

Next week is Snow White's spring break. My family is heading off to New York City for a whirlwind week of touring colleges, eating dinner with good friends (more on that later.....Mental P Mama and Daryl will be there. Jealous??), enjoying an opera at The Met, and soaking up all of the sights and sounds of the city. Quite a change for these country bumpkins who typically head for the beach!!

I made the arrangements for our trip about six weeks ago. Today, I was able to cash in credit card miles and get a $655.00 travel reimbursement!!! The beauty of it is that I pay my credit card off every month, so this was FREE MONEY!! Icing on the cake...

Although not quite as impressive, I have saved enough receipts to get a $20.00 rebate at my local grocery store. They have a promotion once or twice a year, and all you have to do is save your receipts ($50.00 or more) for six of the eight promotion weeks. You take the receipts to Customer Service, and they give you a $20.00 voucher. Again, FREE MONEY!!!

Now it's your turn. Tell me what you do to save, or to get FREE MONEY!