A little love for The Housewife?

I've submitted my blog to Top Momma. Why? I dunno...the same reason as every other momma blogger out there does? It's to see how long I can last! Here's how it works- it's a game- the more clicks you get, the longer you get to stay up. The picture with the least amount of clicks gets booted. Fun, right?

I could really use your help with this. I'll babysit your kids, I'll do your laundry, I'll clean your toilets. Okay... I wont do any of those things, but we can pretend.

Click here to go to Top Momma, and click on the #1 Housewife (that's me!) button. It'll just take you right back here anyway, so what have you got to lose? Nada! And I'll be able to stick around the site for another day.

While you're at it, add your own blog to the list and try it out for yourself. Once you're up on Top Momma, I'd be happy to click on your picture, too.

March of Dimes' Signature Chefs - The Auction

I'm on vacation in Denver this week (and damn, it's cold!), but I wanted to share some of the highlights from last week's March of Dimes charity auction and dinner. It's too much to tell in one blog entry, so stay tuned for more this coming week.

When we arrived at The Venetian, we followed the other people in tuxes and fancy dresses to an enormous ballroom towards the back of the casino. Ever been to a silent auction? Well, they're a little bit different than the humdidumhumdidumfiftyfivefityfivegoinoncegointwicesold! auctions I am familiar with. Instead, you log your assigned number onto a little sheet in front of the item you wish to bid on. That's the silent part....duh, right?

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They had everything from sculptures, to paintings, to dinner and show tickets. Good stuff!

The husband and I even mustered up the courage to bid on a very lovely painting of two glasses of bubbly. We didn't end up winning, but it was still fun to get involved. We drank champagne and mingled with the other bidders. I even got to meet my editors from Living-Las-Vegas.com!

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There were servers walking around with the cutest little hors'dourves. One of the the food dudes was even bold enough to agree to let me take his picture.

One thing I noticed was that the color of the night was PURPLE! Can you see it? I guess I wore the right color. Sweet.

Right before they invited the crowd into the dinning area (stay tuned for this blog!), Tom Moloney- the host chef of the night- introduced each and every chef to us. I think this is one of the few times during the year that we'll see this many signature chefs in the same room together! The site was absolutely amazing!

And, although we didn't win the painting we bid on, I know it went for a large amount of money. Which means that all that money went to a great cause- The March of Dimes.

Stay tuned to find out how the dinner portion of the night went (because I know that's what you want to see, right?).

I'm published....for the reals!

My very first article is being published today on Living-Las-Vegas.com. I'm official. It's been very exciting day for The Housewife.

Click here to read the article and help me celebrate!

Wordless Wednesday

I'd like to thank the academy....

I've been lucky enough to get not one, but two awards from my very dear friend Nicole at Reality, check one two... this week. This is extra nice because I've only been given 1 other bloggy award ever before this, and that was a long time ago.

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I was beginning to wonder if I needed to find a new day job...

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Anyway! Nicole is one of my closest friends. She and I have been buddies since we were 15 years old. Friends for 16 years! We went to high school together (so she knew me when I was really bad...), and we've been through thick and thin since then. From roommates, boyfriends and parties, to husbands and babies and blogging, we've pretty much been together through it all. She's even married to another dear friend of mine, who I've known for even longer than her. I've known her husband since we were 11...scary! Their first date was to my wedding.

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Now how cute is that?

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You cant find a more loyal friend than Nicole. So thanks for the awards, Nic, and for being such a good friend!

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Next week, I'll give out my own awards so keep a look out!

March of Dimes' Signature Chefs - PREVIEW!

I am recovering from last night's charity auction, so I wont be bloggin much today but, I just had to tell you guys....this was such an amazing event! I had a fan-freakin-tabulous time! Cant you see it in my face? I was as happy as a foodie can get......

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One of the highlights of my night was that I got to meet the 'host chef' of the night- Tom Moloney. He's the executive chef at Aquaknox in the Venetian. So if you're ever at the Venetian, and you like seafood, go eat there.

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He was very courteous and friendly. I'll give you more on his interview in the coming weeks. He gave me his email so I think I'm going to bug him some more and try to make friends. It never hurts to have a chef in your corner.


A special thanks goes out to Gary Fox (below), the director of communications for the March of Dimes Nevada Chapter. He hooked a girl UP. It was good to finally get to meet him in person, and he was an excellent host. I'm almost positive you'll be seeing more of him in the future, since I'm going to insist that we continue to work together on events like this. Who could resist? And it's all in the name of helping premature babies. Thanks again, Gary! You're the best!

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P.S. What's with my boob in this picture? It looks like a have a bra from the 1950s on in this pic. Pointy!

More updates coming. Stay tuned!

Do You Have A Momtourage?

The Housewife's Weekend

Ya wanna know what I'm doing this weekend?

First thing on Saturday morning I'm going to vote. I vote early every election- it's the only way to go! No lines, friendly volunteers, and early "projected" results! Will you be voting this year?

Next, my husband and I are going to clean our very dirty house. It's in need of some heavy-duty TLC. Floors, bathrooms, dusting (I hate that part), windows and mirrors....the whole shebang.

And last but not least, the evening's activities are the best of the whole day. I get to go to this. It's a charity dinner and silent auction to benefit The March of Dimes. The Venetian is hosting. I'm going to write about the event in my new column, too, and thanks to some very helpful PR people (thanks, Gary!) at the March of Dimes, I get to meet some of the participating chefs that will be cooking all of our scrumptious food that night. I also invited my bosses, who are also my editors, from Living-Las-Vegas.com. They are celebrating 18 years of marriage this week! I'm looking forward to meeting them. I'm excited beyond words, and a tad nervous. So, to ease my nerves, I have been making rules for myself all week to abide by that night....

Rule #1: Don't drink too much. A tipsy columnist is never a good thing. I wouldn't want to spit/slobber/trip/say something stupid while I'm there. Nope. No good. Even though, since I never get to, I will probably let loose a little bit.

Rule #2: Even though I want to, dont eat too much. I don't want to walk around like a bloated cow for the last half of night. There will be so much incredible food there, this is going to be a hard one.

Rule #3: Practice discretion. Sometimes I will say something really crazy, just because I'm crazy like that. I don't want people to think I'm a freak....at least not yet. I'll save the freak talk for another night.

Rule #4: Buy something at the silent auction. This event for a wonderful cause! Who wouldn't want to help premature babies? Anyone whose a parent can sympathize with this cause.

Rule #5: Dont pee my pants. I know I'm going to be really excited, and really nervous....


So far, that's all I have. I'm sure I'll have 20 more by the time I get to the Venetian. I plan to take lots of pictures and blog all about it. Stay tuned and wish me luck!

Dressing room woes

Ladies, have you ever been shopping, and picked a shirt that was incredibly cute, but you weren't sure if it was going to fit? You excitedly took it to the dressing room.....only to GET STUCK inside of it?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's gotten stuck inside of a shirt?

Women's shirts can be tricky. Some have layers upon attached layers. A camisole- attached. An under layer- attached. A top layer- attached. It all goes together. Somehow, you have to figure out which layer goes first, and then dig your way through to the head hole at the top. It's like you're buried, and you must dig your way to the sunlight....

And then, once you get it on, it looks cute. Really cute!

But... then you try to take it off. Ha.

Maybe it's my newly-acquired big boobs but, I seem to have a major problem with getting the shirt back off.

I was in the dressing room the other day, in this very stuck-in-my-shirt predicament, wondering what the hell would I do if I actually got STUCK in a shirt? Would I leave the safety of my curtained privacy to ask for help? Would my helper think I was a total freak? How would they help me, anyway? Pull out their handy, purse scissors? Ummm, no, I don't think so.

So.....have you ever been stuck in a shirt?

So let's band together, and say that YES, we will help our fellow stuck-in-their-shirt victims!!!!!

I feel a blinkie coming on.....

A Las Vegas fall

Fall has finally arrived in Las Vegas. I hear the angels singing! The high today was only 77 degrees! This may not seem like much to the average person but, for the last six months it hasn't gotten below 90. Do ya feel that? Toasty! This cooler weather is huge, and it's what I've been waiting for since I got sick of the scorching heat in June....which is how it is every year for me.

Ya know how I celebrated the cool weather? I made some comfort food: beef stew. I do not claim to be a good cook, but this is something that I can make pretty well. It's simple, and as long as you cook it all day, you're gold.

Want my recipe? Email me at Tasha@thehousewifediaries.com.

I cooked my stew all day, with my 20 pound kitty, Nemo, begging for a taste by rubbing at my feet each time I stopped to stir the pot. Like he needs any more food!

I even splurged and bought Ava her first pumpkin of the season. It's a small "pumkin pie" one, but with how sweet this one is, who could make it into a pie?

Happy fall!

The Housewife's (mini) Vacation Update- Day 2

As I said before, on my second day visiting them, my family took me to a charming little town just north of them called Solvang. It just happened to be "Danish Day", so when we arrived there was a parade going on full of old cars, balloons, and people. California weather is so amazing- it wasn't too hot, or too cold. There was a slight breeze, which just picked up the glorious smells that wafted out of each candy shop and restaurant. Window shopping, it was almost like we got to smell the shop before we entered.

I went all-out touristy. I looked at postcards, little trinkets, and made my brother wear funny hats so I could take his picture. I thought the Viking hat looked particularly good on him. By the way, he turns 24 this week- happy birthday, baby brother!
















For lunch, we stopped at a local restaurant. We had homemade meatballs and red cabbage.

I washed my lunch down with a beer I had never tried before. My brother recommended it to me. It's a California-brewed ale called Firestone. I have one word: YUM.
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I am a big beer person (in case you didn't already know), and I've tasted A LOT of beers. To give you an idea, when I was bartending, one of my bars had 120 different kind of beers. I happily tasted every single one. Even now, when I see a new beer, I buy a six pack.
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Most of the beers I try aren't very good. This one, however, was spectacular. Smooth, light but not too, and flavorful. This beer comes from the Firestone family, AKA, Andrew Firestone The Bachelor (yuk yuk yuk!). Apparently, they makes beer as well as they do wine and tires.

It was a great day. We stayed as long as we felt like it. No schedules, no kids, no strollers. Just me and my shoes. I had an amazing time.

This is my life. BEEP!

You know those check-out people who have ZERO sense of urgency? How is it that I always pick their lane? While I'm standing there, three people behind the lead person watching them, this is how it goes.......

..........BEEP!...........

.............five minutes later............................BEEP!...............

................stops to fix the plastic bag holder thingie that doesn't really need fixing......okay fixed

..................BEEP!...............

................................BEEP!............my feet are starting to hurt...........

................BEEP..................................

...................Did I remember to close the garage?

............................BEEP!..............

.........................only 40 more things to beep before we're on to the next customer...................

.............BEEP!....................I wonder who killed J.R?......................................BEEP!......

......................for the love of GOD please go faster.......................

..........breathe..............

............................BEEP!............................BEEP!.....................................

Oh yea, now we're movin!....................and just when I think I might get out of there before I start menopause.....

.........................................Uh oh, some thing's wrong.

They cant scan an item. Dun dun dun!

This is where they look up like a deer in headlights. What now? There must be a manager around here..... somewhere? What? The manager is at lunch? Oh crap, what does that mean?

Please remember that, while this is going on, my two kids are fighting, whining, screaming, burping, barfing, farting, picking their nose, pulling crap off the shelves (dear god why do the stores put crap right inside the check-out aisle?)...and anything else you can think of that's offensive when you're packed into a little space with 10 other people. If I'm lucky, someone will be giving me really dirty looks because how dare I ....whatever I'm doing. Half the time I don't even know what I'm doing.

Anyway...

This is my life.

Dramatic Chipmunk

Have you seen this clip? I'm sure you have. For fun, here's a few more...

Dramatic Tasha

Here's my own version of the dramatic chipmunk (although I know now it's a prairie dog)! Don't you love my husband's "dun dah duhhhhh!" and then his old man wheezy laugh? I love it!

This is the kind of crap my hubby and I do when we're bored, in our PJs, and the kids are asleep...and yes, we did it more than once.

Dramatic Cat

And for my most favorite dramatic clip, click below to watch the

Dramatic Cat




Enjoy it and happy Friday!

The Little Mermaid...are you kidding me?

So we all know the story The Little Mermaid, right? The story of sweet, innocent Ariel, and her friend Flounder, and how she charmed the prince into marrying her- even though she had no voice. Remember? I love that movie. Yes, I'll admit it. "Kiss the Girl" is my favorite part.

Anyway, my daughter, Ava, is into mermaids right now. We were at the library checking out books like we do every week -after I paid my ridiculous late fee. I swear the librarians that work there sneak into my house at night and hide my rented books under the bed, just so I will forget about them and then have to pay an unheard of amount of late charges.

Wanna know how much my last late charge was?

$22.00. Yep. Twenty two dollars.

Anyway, back to the story.

My kids and I were at the library, renting books, when I came upon The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. I thought "wow, this is a children's classic- Ava will love it" Apparently, I am ignorant and didn't know that this classic tale is NOT the same story as the Disney version. Yikes.

Did you know?

In this version, the mermaid doesn't get to marry her prince- he marries another. In order for her to get her voice back and turn back into a mermaid, she has to KILL the newly married prince.

Um, excuse me......what?

Kill?

Did I just read that paragraph to my 2-year-old?

Yep, I did.

So she has to kill her prince, and her sisters- who have come to the surface- to coach her on. Nice. But, alas, the mermaid can not bear to kill him, and so instead she jumps in the ocean and drowns herself.

Is this seriously a kid's story?

I can just see and 8 year old asking her mom "mom, why did the mermaid kill herself for a dumb boy?"

After I read that book and put Ava to bed, I was kind of traumatized by the whole experience. I'm 31 and I couldn't handle it, so how on earth could Ava? Thank god she's 2, and not old enough to realize what just happened. The Little Mermaid offed herself.

I need to be more careful about my kid's selected reading. And mine, too, apparently.