We went to a Texas Ranger baseball game last night. My brother had 4 tickets he couldn't use and graciously gave them to us. Our son and his girlfriend went with us. The seats were in a cool section called the "All You Can Eat Porch" and it included a buffet with Chicken Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Nachos, Popcorn, Peanuts and soft drinks. We definitely ate our fill. :)

We had a lot of fun and the Rangers won 14-1. Thank you Darren!

Courtnie told Stephen to act excited the Rangers won. He is not very convincing.

Acting silly.

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It’s giveaway time over at Saving with Shellie! She’s giving away a KeyRingThing which is a service that consolidates up to six of your reward cards into one easy to carry card. What a cool idea!

You can find the giveaway here: Saving with Shellie giveaway

Good luck!

My mother-in-law passed away last Thursday after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

She is deeply missed.

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Diane Mertens Bybee joined our Lord on Thursday, April 16, 2009

A memorial service was held at 3 pm Sunday at First Christian Church of Cleburne. The graveside service was held at 10 am Monday at the Dallas-Ft Worth National Cemetery in Dallas.

She was born December 10, 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Don and Ruth Mertens. Diane raised three boys, received a masters degree from the University of North Texas and retired from Texas Child Protective Services. Everyone loved Diane and she will be dearly missed by all.

She is survived by her husband of 46 years, William (Bill) Nevill of Cleburne, sons James Donald and wife Shelia of Palo Pinto, John David and wife Rheba of Seagoville, Joseph Daniel and wife Beverly of Houston. She was blessed with three grandchildren, Stacey Renee, Jeffery Allen, Jarrett David, one step-grandson, Stephen Keith and numerous family and friends.

We went to see Monsters vs Aliens today. John had never seen a 3D movie so he was excited to see one. It was a cute movie but definitely needed the 3D gimmick to make it that way. We could hear some of the little kids in the theater that had some questions about a couple of the scenes, at one point it looked like one of the characters was dead.

Since this has been an incredibly stressful week it was a good no-brainer way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Well, seems I've fallen down on the job when it comes to blog posts. I'm terrible about thinking about something to post but never actually posting. So, I thought I'd review the movie we went to today. Just a warning, there might be spoilers contained here.

I enjoyed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". I had prepared myself, as I usually do, by reading the book (or rather short story in this case). The short story is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and is absolutely nothing like the movie. The only thing they have in common is the fact that the hero ages backward and they have the same name. It actually took me less time to read the story than watch the movie.

The movie was touching and acting quite good. I am not a fan of Brad Pitt personally, but his portrayal of Benjamin was well done and convincing. I loved his mannerisms as a child in an old man's body. The makeup done on him was excellent although there is a definite feeling of CG in his growing years shots. Brad Pitt is my age and I would love to figure out how they made him look like a teenager again, I would love to employ some of those techniques. :)

Cate Blancett was outstanding. Her deathbed scenes were some of the best in the movie and her makeup flawless. It was easy to suspend disbelief and imagine her so elderly. I think I actually enjoyed her role the most.

There were a couple of things I was confused about. I'm not sure why Hurricane Katrina was needed. Frankly I think if a daughter is reading her unknown father's diary at her mother's deathbed that's quite dramatic enough without the need for a hurricane. I found warning bells and sirens quite jarring during the last tender scenes. Secondly, why the hummingbird out the window as Daisy died? The hummingbird represented Captain Mike, not Benjamin. Maybe I missed something there.

All in all a good film and one that I would gladly see again.

I was so pleased that my sister asked me and our mother to join her and her friends at the American Idol concert when it was in Dallas on August 25th. We had a great time!

We've watched AI every season in our house. John and I are not crazy about the audition portion of the show, by the time it's over we just want the show to get on with it! I personally would be terrified to audition for the show because they can really be cruel in their portrayal of the singers. It's fun to watch those kids dreams come true though, even if they don't win.

Back to the concert. We had a birds-eye view of the stage. I had never been to the top level of the American Airlines Center auditorium. It was quite something.

The top 1o performances were:

Chikezie Eze - He really came into his own during his last couple of times on the show and it definitely showed during the concert! He was very good with the crowd and seemed at ease.

Ramiele Malubay - Poor girl, I could never figure out how she made it as far as she did on the show. The concert was no different.

Michael Johns - Excellent! Besides David Cook he was definitely my favorite of the night. Just great with the audience and good vocals too. I could have listened to him longer.



Kristy Lee Cook - Would she be in the top 1o if Carrie Underwood hadn't blazed the trail for country singers? Her rendition of "God Bless the USA" was a hit with the audience.

Carly Smithson - Nice performance

Brooke White - Very nice. She is very personable onstage

Jason Castro - Definitely a crowd favorite because he is from the Dallas area. He seemed so happy to be home and even brought a Texas flag on stage. He's got his own style and it was fun to watch him.



Syesha Mercado - She may have been sick because her voice was not up to par. She seemed to be screaming most of her performance. I hope she hasn't blown her voice!



David Archuleta - The screams for him were very loud from the teenage girls. He has always been a little too Disney for my tastes, but he has an excellent voice. Now if only he would stop acting so surprised when someone tells him he can sing!



and finally....

David Cook - He's the real reason we went to this concert. My sister was VERY excited to see him, as you can tell.



What can I say about David Cook? He was great! He was very comfortable on stage, seemed very grateful to be there. He even took video of the audience from the stage. Very cute.



My sister. Tiffeny, couldn't take her eyes off of him even while her picture was being taken. :)





The whole group came out for a final song. That's David Cook in the center with the cowboy hat on.



It was a great evening. Thank you Tiffeny, I love you.

I FINALLY finished my swap apron!  I'm so excited (and relieved).  As you know, these last couple of weeks have been interesting.  It's difficult to sew with a broken toe on your sewing foot.  :)  I hope my swap partner (and the organizer) forgives me!