Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Emily The Strange, I presume.

I dressed up :)

Laura.....uh....the one who does not like to be called senior, dressed up too. She was a 1950's babe. We ate lunch together and saw a few other people dressed up. One guy was Mr. Clean. He really looked like him! Then we saw a firefigher woman and she had a little dog with her that had a white t-shirt on with big black dots on it....like he was her dalmatian....it was *so* cute. The dog made her costume.

Hope you all have a spooky day!

Monday, October 30, 2006

Here we are....Halloween Eve....and I have no costume.

This isn't normal.

I usually plan my costumes out months in advance, but this year I just could not get in the mood. I had thought of being a fairy, but nothing ever came of it. I had then planned on being Emily The Strange, but I am less and less interested in that, too. No one at work is dressing up, so I don't see much of a point. Last year I wore a wig and cat ears and when I walked thru the parking lot, everyone looked at me like I was crazy. No one dresses up anymore. Pretty sad. And I work at a university and the young people don't even dress up. I have to say.....creative spirit in 2006 is dead....or dying at least.

Are any of you dressing up?

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Off topic....this is cool :) It's worth watching.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Apple Pickin' Season

Greg and I went to the mountains on Saturday and passed an apple orchard that was packed with people picking apples. No doubt there are lots of pies and tarts being made.

Given the season, I thought I'd post an apple recipe. I might even make it this weekend :)

Applesauce Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups *chunky* applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Beat in applesauce.

3. Generously coat a nonstick 9-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (but slightly wet), 50 to 60 minutes.

4. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a cutting board or baking sheet; invert cake onto rack, top side up. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Cooking

I've always liked cooking. And I like to be creative so I tend to try different things. This isn't always a good idea. A recipe might sound really interesting and yummy, but they don't always don't always turn out that way. I don't think test kitchens do a lot of testing.....or if they do, I'm doing something wrong a lot of the time. Uinque recipes just don't seem to be a hit like I think they will be. I should stick with the old faithful recipes.

I'm saying all this because my Mom asked me to make the turkey for Thanksgiving this year. I was amazed she asked me to do it. Usually I get to bring corn or green beans or something like that. But this year I am making the turkey, the stuffing and two pies! Goodness....my mind is going wild with all the options.

But I have to remember that this would not be a good time to go with a bunch of new recipes. Old faithfuls. Go with that.

Except I saw a recipe for maple-glazed turkey!

I really want to make that. But what if it's horrible? I will never be asked to make the turkey again. Everyone will remember the turkey that tasted like turkey breakfast sausage and I'll once again be corn and green beans girl.

*sighs*

Then there is the stuffing. I really have to go old faithful with that. Can't mess with the stuffing....uh....right? No one will want chestnut and apple stuffing?

And let's not forget the pies. Oh boy....this is where things get really tough. I want to make beautiful pies and taste divine. But I have don't have a good track record with pies because of the unique factor. The really interesting sounding ones always turn out to be....well....not very interesting. Sometimes even bad. So the pies have have to come from the old faithful file. Or maybe I could make 3 pies? Two old faithfuls and one interesting?

No, no....old faithfuls. That's best. Go with that. Right?

Monday, October 23, 2006

It Girl

So.....guess who's a "Juicy It Girl"?

Me!!

You may or may not recall my Juicy post back on 10/12. I had seen a Juicy brand purse at the mall and had not been able to forget about it. My post about the purse wasn't a hint that I wished Mr. KittenAtPlay would buy it for me....it was just what was on my mind at the time.

Skip forward to my birthday on 10/20 and see picture below.

MY Juicy Couture Equestrian "It Girl" Bag :)
IMG_7654

Seems my sweet husband has been reading my blog and went and got me that purse. Half of me was delighted and half of me could not get over the price tag.....but not enough to want to take it back. *chuckles*

He said he knew I'd never buy I'd never buy it for myself, so he got it for me. I just love him :)

So turning 39 wasn't all bad.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Declaration Of Love

Greg,

How do I start?

How do I tell you how lucky I am to have you in my life?

I'm lucky to have met you that night...October 22nd, 1988.
I'm lucky you picked me to be your wife.
I'm lucky you love me and no other.
I'm....lucky.

You’re my best friend.
You're the only one I want to see every day.
You rocked my yesterdays and are my promise for tomorrow.

Happy 15th Anniversary, my love.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The Star-Spangled Banner

It's my favorite song.....for all time. I have it on my iTunes list. LeAnn Rimes can really belt it out. Whenever I hear it, I get chills. Corney? No. Patriotic? Yes.

Do you know what it means? What the lyrics are about? Yeah, it's about our flag, that's obvious. I mean do you know where it came from? What event it commemorates? Do you know what a rampart is?

I do.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” lyrics were written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. He wrote it after witnessing the attack of Fort McHenry by British ships in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. Officialy it was used by the Navy in 1889 and then by the White House in 1916. It was made the national anthem by a Congressional resolution on 3 March 1931. Although the song has four stanzas, only the first is sung today.

O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen thro’ the mist of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep.
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
’Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation,
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto—“In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.


Next time you hear it, really listen it to. Maybe you'll get a chill, too.

Oh, and a rampart. It's a wall.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

RED

I watched an episode of Oprah last night that really touced me. She has been doing a lot of work in Africa and some of her shows are about what she has done to make life better for the people there and to make us aware of the problems they face. Most of those shows are hard to watch. It's heartbreaking really. In the year 2006, people are starving and have no where to go to get medical treatment. That's pretty sad.

So the episode I watched last night was about a new program called (PROJECT) RED. It was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver to empower us to shop and do good at the same time. A portion of profits (50%) from the sale of (RED) branded products goes to The Global Fund to help women and children affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Also providing access to food, education, counseling and the much needed medical services.

I know it's kind of hard to understand if you didn't see the show, but I think this will be catching on like wildfire. If you go to the GAP, you will see the t-shirts. The Apple Store has a new iPod that is just for this. You can see all of it at (RED) website.

Buy RED.

And check out the (RED) timeline at the bottom of that page....to see what they have been doing.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Weekend Review

It was a good weekend. Saturday we went o Laura Senior's for a yummy beef stroganoff dinner and cards. Greg beat us both rounds. Thinks he's hot stuff in the card world.

Sunday I was on a quest for a green felt pen.....Army green. I need special pens, so it was hard to find...but I finally found one. Then it was off to the grocery store. I had my camera with me, so I did some picture takin'. Got some very strange looks when I was taking the pictures of the coffee beans. People just don't understand artistic photography.

coffee beans

orange bell peppers

Then, on Sunday, there was a funeral service for a co-workers Mom. I sent her a huge bouquet of yellow roses last week and she said they still look as pretty as the day they arrived...the first bouquet she got. I was glad I sent them since I didn't go to the service. But she knew I was thinking of her yesterday....and I really was. This is the online conversation I had with her about the service:

Janice: It was beautiful. The church was full to capacity. I think there were over 500 people in attendance. Mama looked so beautiful in all her pink and flowers were everywhere. I have a bookmarker for you that I had made with her picture on it.
Me: Goodness! 500 people....wow.
Janice: People were everywhere! They had to seat people in the choir stand and put up extra chairs in the aisle. I even got up and sang one last time for my Mama. No one knew I was going to sing because I didn't put my name on the program...just in case I didn't feel that I could do it, but I did and I'm glad I did.
Me: Oh dear....I would have cried my eyes out the minute you started to sing. What song did you sing?
Janice: I sung "Soon I Will Be Done With the Troubles of the World". Mahalia Jackson used to sing it. She sang this in the movie 'Imitation of Life". Did you ever see that? Everyone said that they have never heard me sing like I sang on Saturday.
Me: I'm sure you went really deep inside for that one.
Janice: I did.
Me: I'm sorry I missed it :( I was thinking about you.....I was there in spirit.
Janice: I know you were, my friend.

I try not to cry at work.....crying at work is a bad policy. But I lost it when I read that last line. Janice and I have had an interesting friendship. And by interesting, I mean not always the best. But in the depths of our hearts, there is always room for compassion and goodwill.

Okay, enough sap. I'll leave you with the lyrics to one of my new favorite songs :)

Nothing Left to Lose ~ Mat Kearney

Something’s in the air tonight
the sky's alive with a burning light
you can mark my words something's about to break

and i found myself in a bitter fight
while i've held your hand through the darkest night
don't know where your coming from but your coming soon

to a kid from oregon by way of california
all of this is more than i've ever known or seen

come on and we'll sing, like we were free
push the pedal down watch the world around fly by us
come on and we'll try, one last time
i'm off of the floor one more time to find you

and here we go there's nothing left to choose
and here we go there's nothing left to lose

so i packed my car and headed east
where i felt your fire and a sweet release
there's a fire in these hills thats coming down

and i don't know much but i found you here
and i can not wait another year
don't know where your coming from but you coming soon

to a kid from oregon by way of california
all of this is more than i’ve ever known or seen

come on and we'll sing, like we were free
push the pedal down watch the world around fly by us
come on and we'll try, one last time
i'm off of the floor one more time to find you

and here we go there's nothing left to choose
and here we go there's nothing left to lose

i can still hear the trains out my window
from hobart street to here in nashville
i can still smell the pomegranates grow
and i don't know how hard this wind will blow
or where we'll go

come on and we'll sing, like we were free
push the pedal down watch the world around fly by us
come on and we'll try, one last time
i'm off of the floor one more time to find you

and here we go there's nothing left to choose
and here we go there's nothing left to lose

Saturday, October 14, 2006

owie


burn
Originally uploaded by photo kitten.
This is what 180 degree water will do to your skin.

Greg got burned by boling water just above the waist band of his pants (water from a counter top). He had to get a tetanus shot and is taking antibiotics 4 times a day :(

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Juicy

I've got some seriously expensive taste in purses. Seriously.

I have a feeling everyone reading this blog will think these purses are ugly, but I am just in love with them. The first one is my favorite by far. SOOOO CUTE! Oh....plaid is my thing. Always has been. I bought a car because it had plaid seats. Didn't have a raido, but it had plaid seats so I had to have it. That must sound really weird....a car with plaid seats. I guess you had to see it to understand how cool it was. Anyway, back to the purse....not only is it really cute and plaid, it's also $350 bucks. So...I'll just be dreaming of it. The second one....that one is $650. It's suede, so that's where the extra $300 comes in.

*sighs*

I wanna be an "it girl".

Juicy Couture Equestrian "It Girl" Bag
juicy2

Juicy Couture 'It Girl' Multi Suede Frame Handbag
juicy1

Thursday, October 05, 2006

1986 vs. 2006

High waist jeans were in style....now those are considered "Mom jeans".

Guys who listened to Tears For Fears and wore pink Izod polo shirts were not instantly thought of as being gay.

A VCR was all the rage and expensive. Now people sell them for $20 at garage sales.

Back in 1986, you could only buy Guess jeans at Bullocks or the Guess store in Beverly Hills.

Big puffy permed hair drenced in Paul Mitchell hair products was the only way to go back then.

Girls smelled of Poision (perfume) and guys smelled of Drakkar. Both of which can be found in discount bins now.

"Dynasty" was a dynasty.

MTV was just that....music television.

Cell phones? They were the size of bricks.

Movie ticktes were $5 bucks.

In 1986, leg warmers were not just worn by ballerinas....unfortunately.

Miami Vice and Magnum PI were were hit TV shows and made the girls swoon.

Michael Jackson wasn't a weirdo.....or if he was, we didn't know yet.

Those are the only ones I can think of.....add yours in the comments :)

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Start your shopping early

If you have never looked at the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog, you have to check it out. Click on the pages and it will take you to a clear description of what it is and the price tag for this stuff. Just wait until you get to page 92...

Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog

 Hello, I'm still here!