Crumb Cake Cupcakes

If you've been with me since the days of yesteryear, you know how I've been wanting to start a lil baking side business.  Since I didn't get into grad school I've once again had the idea cross my mind.  Remember how I struggled to come up with a name?  I found one and as far as I can tell, no one else has it!  Three cheers for that eh?  It's going to be called Sweet Sugar Love.  Now that I have a name, I need the sweets!  So I will be practicing a lot in the coming days.  If you are in Charleston watch out for me, because I am still taking a break from sugar, so that means I will be pawning these sweets on anyone who smiles at me!  Here is my first practice batch, they are light and flaky, almost more of a muffin than cupcake.

Crumb Cake Cupcakes

Recipe from A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes, by Dede Wilson

Streusel:

1 stick butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups flour

Mix together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add in the flour and stir until smooth. Mixture should clump and form crumbs when squeezed between fingertips. Set aside.

Cupcakes:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
optional - 1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries or 1.5 cups toasted finely chopped nuts

Preheat to 350. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder and soda, and salt together to aerate and combine, set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy, about 2 min. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in extracts. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition, allowing each egg to be absorbed before continuing. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternating with the sour cream. Begin and end with the flour mixture, stopping when there are a few streaks of flour. Fold in the fruit or nuts, if using, until just combined.

Divide batter in cupcake wells and place a generous amount of streusel topping on top of each cupcake, using your fingers to compress it into crumbs and scatter evenly. Bake for about 22 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Photojournal #60 Red

100 Moments Captured in Time #60 - Red.  I love how this red bridge contrasts all the green.  This image was captured at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, SC.

 I am brand spankin new to photography and this is taken with my brand spankin new Nikon D5000.  I hope, along with the 100 moments this year, to see my photography skills grow!

Shrimp and Grits

I was doing a little spring cleaning this weekend, and came to realize that I have stacks and stacks upon stacks of magazines laying around.  I went through a good lot of them, mostly Food and Wine, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, and Good Housekeeping, and tore out all the pages of the things I liked or was inspired by, and recycled the rest.  Now I have stacks and stacks upon stacks of loose magazine pages laying around, waiting for organization.

I do love organization!  Oh do I!  And since we've moved into this house a year ago, it's been severely lacking.  I've been quite out of sorts with piles of stuff all over.  Hubs wants to refinish 2 closets so in the meantime, he doesn't want me to start filling them, but once they are done (??? when) I will have so much organization your head will spin!  2 things I buy all the time are notebooks and binders.  Notebooks because I'm always coming up with the next great idea and need to write it down at once, and binders to put all my favorite magazine pages in.  I have about 6 food binders, each representing a different category - appetizers, vegetarian, soups and salads, etc etc, then I have binders for home design, fashion, and travel.  Not to mention all my binders for school.  It's ridiculous really how many binders I have!

One of the recipes I pulled out, which I just so happened to have all the ingredients for, is Shrimp and Grits.  I found this in the February 2010 Southern Living.  I couldn't find the recipe online but click here for Southern Living recipes.

Shrimp and Grits

1 1/2 lb unpeeled, large raw shrimp

1 lb fresh asparagus

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

1/2 cup half-and-half

4 Tbsp butter, divided

1 (8 oz) pkg sliced fresh mushrooms

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

Peel and devein shrimp.  Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus.  Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces.

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; whisk in grits and half-and-half.  Cook, whisking constantly, 7 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat. Stir in 2 Tbsp butter.  Truth be told, I threw in some cheese right now too.  Because I like to live on the edge. Keep warm.

Melt remaining 2 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add asparagus, mushrooms, green onions, and thyme and saute 3-4 minutes.

Is this what you meant when you said "Don't crowd the mushrooms, Julia?"

Ok, so Julia would be ashamed, I surely crowded the mushrooms.

Add shrimp, and cook 2-3 minutes.  Stir in salt, cook 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.  Serve immediately over warm grits.

What's doing

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You know those silly warnings at the start of movies, how they say the views and opinions expressed in this movie do not reflect those of this company, and then you watch a movie, something like The Hangover, and just when I start to think this production company is a bunch of drunken...oh no wait, the disclaimer!  It's not the production company it's the actors!  Duh!

I am not feeling uber silly at the moment, so, my disclaimer, if I may apologize ahead of time for the mellowness of the following posting..Mellowness, but not down!

After all the hubbub the past few weeks, I'd been feeling at the dirty south bottom and clammering my way out, I am now feeling so much better. (At long last) I spoke to several friends that I hadn't heard from in a while and that was really nice because, dang, I miss y'all!  I have been living in Charleston for a couple years now, but I really haven't had the girlfriend connections I had in every other place I've lived. (Chicago, Tampa, Detroit!  This girl gets around)  I am to blame for that too because between work and school, then spending time with my husband I just haven't had time to go out, either that or I'm exhausted.  But damn I miss mah girlfriends.

Here's the thing, for the past couple weeks I've been having some serious panic attacks.  I think I really need to find what's at the core, mostly it's my life's direction or lack thereof at the moment.  From not getting into grad school, to realizing my health flat out sucks and I need a change, to other assorted problems I shan't blog about, it felt like every which way I turned was horrid.  I went to a doctor to get some drugs but really, this is situational and I don't want to take anything, so I haven't.  Instead, I have decided to turn to fasting.  Maybe I'll post about fasting at another time, yeah?  Has anyone done a fast before?

So as I ponder a deeper meaning to life please gander over to these beautiful blogs about decorating that make me happy:

Southern Hospitality Blog                                          
Color Me Happy
La Dolce Vita

Photojournal

100 Moments Captured in Time

Here's a fun little thing to do!  A friend introduced me to a photojournal project she found on livejournal.com.
Link here.  It's called 100 moments captured in time.  The idea is to record 100 snapshots that relate to 100 random words.  At first I set out to create my own words, but after giving it some thought, it would be great to do the same words as others, just to see different perspectives of the same words.  And since I have my new nifty dslr camera, what better time for a photo project!

Here's the list:

1. Safety

2. Stale

3. Feathered

4. Hot

5. Open

6. Forever

7. Love

8. Touch

9. Colorless

10. Blue

11. Smell

12. Growth

13. Irony

14. Wrong

15. More

16. Feel

17. Muse

18. Child

19. Within

20. Pale

21. Earth

22. Torn

23. Scars

24. Stray

25. Drops

26. Against

27. Dry

28. Fresh

29. Covered

30. Bold

31. High

32. Shadow

33. Concrete

34. Vein

35. Rush

36. Yellow

37. Empty

38. Cliché

39. Central

40. Loss

41. Wonder

42. Sweet

43. Poetry

44. Heavy

45. Fall

46. Chair

47. Statue

48. Kool-Aid

49. Dark

50. Breath

51. Garbage

52. Silk

53. Teacher

54. Cream

55. Wash

56. Corner

57. Rose

58. Field

59. Two

60. Red

61. Music

62. Rope

63. Decrepit

64. Chase

65. Dream

66. Dance

67. Smile

68. Smirk

69. Reflection

70. Soul

71. Lock

72. Key

73. Rust

74. Find

75. Lose

76. Drag

77. Wind

78. Rest

79. Swing

80. Meeting

81. Vacant

82. Hazy

83. Release

84. Gather

85. Swarm

86. Road

87. Wait

88. Stand

89. Distance

90. Trapped

91. Desk

92. Detach

93. Shatter

94. Home

95. Shy

96. Tackle

97. Begin

98. End

99. Time

100. Life

If you want to play along I'd love to see your perspective on the same words too!

So Very Un-PC

Here's a random thing about me:  I love love love when labels are un-politically correct!  Like when I was a flight attendant, I loved so much when someone called me a "Stewardess."  I have no idea why people get so up in arms against it.  It's a word for crying out loud, get over it!  Then there's "stay at home mom" vs. "domestic engineer."  In this case, I have to admit, I love domestic engineer.  They're just words, I mean they really crack me up and either way you call someone, there is just NO NEED to get offended.  Label shmabel call your aunt Mabel and WHINE..You have to be able to laugh at yourself!

I also really enjoy someone who is quite BLUNT.  In the spectrum of opinion giving, I say in one far corner is ignorant and in the other is walking on eggshells.  Closer to ignorant is mean/rude and a fine line after..blunt.  As long as you stay on the side of the blunt line, boy do I love you. You amuse me endlessly..even though as for me, I'm probably in between blunt and eggshells.."honest" but not blunt if you will.

One of the masters of being blunt, I must say, is Sharon Osbourne.  Did you watch The Apprentice last night?  Normally the winning team gets to return to their apartment and watch the losing team scratch each other's eyes out and throw their teammates to the wolves, or shall I say wolf that is The Trumpster:

The winning team will watch for cracks and exploit them when they can.  Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the losers.   And wait in anticipation to see which of their competitors will be given le axe or "Yah fiyerd"

Last night I was totally taken off guard, here the men, specifically that annoying former governor, (sorry, but he is) fighting for survival..

And they cut to Sharon Osbourne:

Who says - Do you think his eyes are too close together?  He looks half baked..

So Blunt.  So Random. 

And me, half asleep straining to keep awake to see the end, burst into a surprised fit of giggles.

That's the best.

Ramblings, links, and more ramblings

Today is one of those perfect spring days, the sun is shining, flowers beginning to bloom, it's just the perfect temperature for taking a walk.  Which is just what I did this morning.  I let my mind wander, so much has been going on lately, I just wanted to relax and breathe in the spring air.

Since I have been diligently trying to find the happy channel lately, I let the negative, panicked self behind on the sidewalk, walking further and further away from it, towards a fresh start, a happier, revived self.  Sorta like spring itself, you know?  After shedding itself of the dead leaves, trees are also revealing their fresh, revived selves.

Yesterday morning I had had yet another panic attack.  I was at work so I had to take a walk, find composure and get back as soon as possible.  After calming somewhat, I turned to some blogs to relax my mind.  The first I came across was The Notebook Journey.  The notebook is making a journey around the world, and each person who receives it contributes a page and passes it to the next person.  This sounds like great fun, a way to be creative as well as see what other creations people have made.  Check it out and if you feel so inclined, add your name to the list of people to add to the notebook.

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Then, I posted a motivational story to my other blog, A Million to One.  Right after doing that, I read another fabulous inspirational posting on The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous, and Newlywed.  Please go to her blog and read it, she writes so well and it is a very touching post.  I loved it so much, she generously allowed me to repost it on A Million to One.  At the same time, I received a few emails from the new blog and all of a sudden, my panic attack had all but disappeared as I comtemplated what I could do, how can I spread kindness and inspiration for others to do the same?

"For it is in giving that we receive." St. Francis of Assisi
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Mother Teresa
"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." Eleanor Roosevelt

Here's the thing.  I've noticed people as a whole seem to be having less patience with each other.  There is so much selfishness.  As for me, I spent so much time living alone that I closed myself down..for fear of being naive and getting taken advantage of or worse.  It's made me a much different person, but the thing is, I don't like being that way.  It's crossed over to other areas of my life too.  I've noticed I've been really bad with driving in particular, not letting people in, being an inconsiderate driver.  What's up with that I wonder? 

This morning while driving I told myself I was going to let anyone who wanted in, in.  I do dislike it so when you know someone wants to cut in but they don't turn on their signal.  I saw a van speed up to my right today and found myself stepping harder on the gas and had to remind myself to let the man in, even though he's not signaling.  To me, a turn signal says "Please may I come over to your lane?"  So polite, that signal is.  When someone doesn't use it, I think Hmph! Rude!  Anyway, I backed off a little to let him in, but you know what?  He didn't want in.  So there it is.  I will make an honest effort to be a more considerate driver from now on.

This is a little off, a little on subject but for the longest time, maybe since high school, I've really wanted to have one of those scrolling signs across my back windshield of my car.  Then up by the dashboard a small keyboard that I can change the messages as I drive.  I can type without looking see, this would be too dangerous for those who can't right?  Then I would be able to communicate with other drivers - "thanks dude" when they let me in or "your turn signal is on" for the person who drives for miles and miles with it on, you know stuff like that.  Right?  I'm sure it's very easy to make if you are so inclined, which I am not.  But sometimes in my mind, I will type out Thanks Dude and have it scrolling across the back of my car.  You should try it!

My thoughts for the day: Take a walk if you live in glorious weather such as myself, be kind, use your turn signal, check out the other blogs...and have a fabulous weekend!

If I were..

I've seen this on a few people's blogs, and being that I'm a thief of good ideas, here is mine!

If I were...

If I were a month, I’d be May.

If I were a day of the week, I’d be Sunday.

If I were a time of day, I'd be late morning.

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If I were a planet, I’d be Neptune.

If I were a sea animal, I'd be a Dolphin.

If I were a direction, I’d be South.

If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a lovely sofa.

photo

If I were a liquid, I'd be wine.

If I were a gemstone, I’d be turquoise.

If I were a tree, I’d be a palm.

If I were a tool, I’d be an immersion blender.

If I were a flower, I'd be an orchid.

photo

If I were a kind of weather, I'd be sunshine n' 78.

If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a lap steel guitar.

If I were a color, I'd be blue.

If I were an emotion, I’d be joy.

If I were a fruit, I’d be a coconut.

If I were an element, I’d be water.

photo

If I were a car, I'd be a Mustang.

If I were a food, I’d be tiramisu.

If I were a place, I’d be Greek Isles.

If I were a material, I’d be cotton.

If I were a scent, I’d be Ralph Lauren Blue.

If I were an animal, I'd be a polar bear.

If I were a facial expression, I’d be a cheesy grin.

If I were a song, I’d be 'Don't Let Me Get Me'

If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be kitten heeled sandals.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's wishing you the top o' life without a single tumble.

 Here's wishing you the smiles o' life and not a single grumble.

Here's wishing you the best o' life and not a claw about it.

Here's wishing you the joy in life and not a day without it.

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Orange Sesame Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

I found this recipe at A Pina Colada, and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since!  Tonight I made it and it was really tasty, a keeper for sure!

Find Recipe HERE and HERE.

I have a thing about meat and fish, I trim them to teeny pieces, making sure every little suspect looking vein or gristle or speck in it is removed.  I also didn't break out my grill for the season yet, so you will notice in my picture, the shrimp are carved to pieces and pan fried! 

Another of my favorite shrimp recipes, if you've got shrimp and a lil gusto, check out Pioneer Woman's Penne a la Betsy.  Goodness gracious that's good stuff.   

Shoe Addicts Anonymous

One of my favorite things to do is spend a couple hours at the Barnes and Noble.  I walk around the store, pick up about 5 books and 3 magazines, buy myself a grande skinny caramel macchiato (or cinnamon dolce when they have it...yummmm).  And then relax, read, people watch, chill.  Sadly for me, while some people can sit and read the book and put it back, I often end up buying one, often 2.  (Sadly for me = great for Barnes.)  I usually buy 1 book a week, or more depending on how much time spent there. 

Lately I've been going to study.  I need study breaks often, so I get up and look at more books.  Books make me so happy.  Right now, with school and studying, unfortunately most of the reading I do is those few minutes at the store before I buy the book.  I take it home, set it on my shelf and there they all sit, waiting to be read.  When I finally do have time to read, I have such a hard time deciding what I want to read..a thriller whodunit, light hearted chick book, motivational business book, motivational religious book, health, cookbook, economics, what??? I have them all.  I normally will decided on one, read the first chapter then since I have such little time to read, think well maybe I should be reading another.. so basically I've read the first chapter of all my books. 

Today, before going to Barnes I hit the GNC and they were giving away some sort of sample.  It was this chew that gives you energy.  I wish I looked at what it was because then I went to Barnes and I.was.focused!  I didn't even look at the books I brought to the table.. and there was one I really did want to look at too -  "The Gospel According to Coco Chanel" by Karen Karbo.  I even got out today without buying anything!  (Not to worry, dear book, I will still look for you, but used on amazon!) 

One thing I did flip through was the latest InStyle magazine.  I am now wishing I bought it.  But that's another story.  There was a little article on how mid-heels were "IN" this spring!  Now, I don't care about what's in or out, I like what I like.  And I like mid heels, Kitten heels if you will.  Since I got married I tend to stay away from the high heels so I don't tower over hubs.  I love shoes.  Like most gals.  I really really love shoes.  Since these are now in, know what that means?  R.e.a.d.i.l.y. A.v.a.i.l.a.b.l.e!!  Yahoo!

Check out these girls:

Buy here.

In purple too!  Loooooooooooove!

Over HERE they are having a semi-annual shoe-a-thon.  Where these girls are $20.  I want them in yellow.

Gosh, maybe I need shoe addicts anonymous.  I could go on, but this would be quite lengthy!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some shoe browsing to do.

Have a great week everyone!

Passion

Last week I went to Blockbuster intending on renting 500 Days of Summer.  Hubs was out of town so I was free to rent any chick flick my heart desired.  I walked around the store twice and didn't see it, first at the end of the alphabet section, then the start, then maybe by the "F" section (for Five hundred?) All the while I kept walking by the movie Coco Before Chanel and it was calling my name, pulling me to it.  I tried to walk away but would only get about a step away before turning back and picking it up again.  I didn't understand why but I knew I would not be able to get it off my mind unless I rented it, so for peace of mind's sake, I carried it to the register.  Wouldn't you know as soon as the decision was made, there was 500 Days of Summer, at the beginning of the alphabet..someone had been standing in front of it the first time around the store so I had missed it.  But there was no turning back at this point, Coco it was!

There's nothing like a night in, a glass of wine, and a good chick flick don't you think?

It was glorious!  I fell in love with the movie and watched it twice.  I haven't returned it yet and I may just watch it one more time before returning it..and really I am sure I will end up buying it too.  The movie is French with subtitles but to be honest I didn't even think twice about it when watching it, it draws you in so. 

The movie is in France and of course, (naturally), I wanted to go to there immediately.  I am enthralled with Europe, and all it's history and charm. Most of the movie takes place in the French countryside and how could you not fall in love, rolling meadows, forests, sprawling estates, riding horseback until you are in the middle of nowhere, in a beautiful field of green grass and wildflowers and stopping for a picnic!  I only wished I could breathe in the air..I love the smell of spring and nature.

Then there is the story, Coco was an orphan and it was only by sheer determination, persistance, and ambition that she made her way into the fashion world.

To compare with another favorite movie, Julie and Julia, didn't Julia's journey seem so glorious too?   Maybe that's just the magic of movies. Both Julia and Coco were filled with such passion.  I laughed at Julia because she was bored and didn't know what to do, tried hat making, playing cards, finally ending up in culinary school.  That's so me!  So many things I want to try, but what should I do?!

It seems, after watching Julia and Julia and Coco Before Chanel, the answer is move to France!  But what will I do there?  I could totally get immersed in cooking or hat making, or fashion!

I have been waiting, anticipating, desperately seeking passion for a long time now.  In the mean time, I've been a dabbler.  Sticking my toe into everything but never fully immersing my self or taking a leap of faith.

The thing about writing, wow it really makes you figure things out.  The answer bonked me on the head, just as I was waiting for passion to bonk me on the head..but duh, me, I've got to chase that sucker down.  You can't have passion sitting on the couch watching tv, you've got to have your own reality instead of watching other people.  I totally didn't start out even thinking about writing about my journey, but now I sit, stunned, as I've been smacked with a reality check.

The old me would have impulsively sold all my belongings and moved to France.

The new me?

Stay tuned.

That's code for I don't know what to do with this knowledge but I'm sitting here pondering, scheming, planning, contemplating.

Black Bottomed Banana Bars

I'm in banana heaven!  Ok, so I broke the no baking thing I had going on, but not to worry, these are leaving the house tomorrow.  Don't you love the alliteration?  These bars are heavenly and really, the easiest things ever to make..hope you enjoy!

Black Bottomed Banana Bars

Recipe from Taste of Home

1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 -1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla;beat until thorougly combined.  Blend in the bananas.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Divide batter in half.  Add cocoa to half; spread into a greased 8x8 in baking pan.  Spoon remaining batter on top.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.  Scarf.

Sicilian Supper

Sicilian Supper

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Prize Winning Recipes

2 cups egg noodles, cooked
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1-1/2 tsp sugar, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper, divided
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 package (8oz) cream cheese (I used fat free)
3/4 cup milk (again, fat free)
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided

In a large skillet, cook the chicken, onion, and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain.  Stir in the tomato paste, water, 1 tsp sugar, salt, basil, garlic powder, chili powder, and 1/8 tsp pepper.

In a large medium or small saucepan, whichever size of your liking, saute green onion in oil until tender.  Add cream cheese and milk, stir until blended.  Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and remaining sugar and pepper.  Stir noodles into cheese mixture.

In a greased 8 in square baking dish, place meat on bottom and top with noodle mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.  Cover and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

I typed this up during the 25 minutes it was in the oven; we just got done eating it and may I say, yum!  However, we liked it all better mixed up like so:

Before:                                                                                 After:

Caught in a Bad Romance

Pas-ta-ah-ah-ah

Ragu-Ragu-Gu

Kaloula-ooh la la

Want your bad romance.

I want your pasta, I want your cookies

I want your everything as long as it's fat free

I want your love, love, love, love

I want your love.

That's my Weird Al, Weird Kaloula style.  Or Lady Kaloula!  Ha.

Except I'd never wear a lobster on my head.  Ever.

I'm not going to lie, I've been having a real tough time this past week.  It's taking a lotta lotta effort to stay up.  And by "up" I mean cheerful, not falling in the funk, and literally upright.  For all I want to do is stay in bed, sleep, read, and EAT.  Today was full on comfort food fest, as evidenced by above big bowl o' bacon spaghetti.

You all know this already and have offered encouraging words, which I am so grateful for.  Please, I will be embarassed if I were to get anymore.  I am merely writing it out right now, not for sympathy, just to get a grip.  A bit o thee therapy in writing.  I know I need to snap out of it, move on, stay away from the cookies.  I haven't had any cookies by the way.

So to distract myself from, well, me, a few words on fluff:

Did you see Michelle got booted off Idol last week?  See what I mean about being a jinx?  At least with Project Runway it's pretaped, not live, already finished, so no jinxing involved.  I can't even think about that show without pining for a sewing machine.  I really want to create clothes.  And you know who's clothes I love and would totally try to recreate?  You'd probably never in a million years guess!

My Hubs is a big fan of Smallville, he owns every season.  From time to time, if I happen to walk by when he's watching it, I can't get past Lana's wardrobe!  I want it!  I can't find good pictures on the net of examples, except for this dress:

And some link love:

If you love Project Runway like I love Project Runway, or even if you just love fashion, you have to check out the Project Rungay blog.  These guys are hilarious, honest, and at times brutal. 

Also when I am in need of a little giggle, I like to check out http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/, or Cake Wrecks.

If you know of some great hilarity on the web please please share because I need lots of laughter right now! (Before I break out the Cadbury Eggs)

Can't wait.

Reality tv, my obsession

A few obsessions of mine:

Sigh. The Runway.  PR.  Project Runway, my #1 obsession of the moment.  I seriously want to go to Mood, pick out my fabric and design my heart out.  One of these days, I will buy a sewing machine, ya hear?  And I am going to make me a new wardrobe.  And I will make my pup a sweater to humiliate him, only he won't be humiliated see cause it's going to be the niftiest sweater on the block.  One day.  It's going to be Fa-abulous!

My favorites are Amy, Seth Aaron, and Jay.  Who are yours?

Obsession #2

I do, I love the Idol.  But I have to watch it by pausing live tv via dvr and start watching a half hour after the rest of the world.  Why?  Because, I just can't stand to watch them commercials.  And you know what else, I really don't care to watch them talking before their performance.  I want to judge them solely on their singing and song choice.  I don't care if you just had a baby, if you were sick last week, or stubbed your toe on the way to the stage, I just want to hear you sing!  And boy do I get up in arms when people get through based on being "cute" if they "can't sing." 

Now will someone please tell me why is Kara sitting on top of Simon this season?  Is she trying to get away from Ellen or sit on Simon's lap and whisper sweet nothings in his ear?

My favorites this season, oh and you know what else?  My favorites in the beginning usually don't get very far so I may be jinxing here, but I like Lee, Mike, Siobhan, and Michelle. 

I really do actually like it though when one of the ones getting by on "cute" in the beginning get a lot lot better by the end, then I root for them. 

But I wouldn't have voted for them.

And I do vote.  Sad right?

Come to think of it, those are the only 2 I'm obsessed with right now.  When they are on, and thank goodness they are not right now because I would be such a couch potato, but I also get hooked on Top Chef and Design Star.  Oh dang and Survivor too, I just keep remembering more.  And all 3 - Survivor, Idol, and Project Runway are all on TONIGHT.  That's 3 hours of quality tv watching time ahead of me.

I do like Biggest Loser too but I catch that only when I can.  I like when at the end they always have a challenge where they have to "put on" their old weight to see just what they were carrying around.  I think about that all the time.  Can I lift 50 pounds?  Maybe, with a slight girlish struggle.  So then, why do I carry it around every day?  Which suddenly makes me remember:

Ooh, here's another.

So, he wears his scrubs a little snug, I enjoy the man's show.  Informative, humorous, honest.  Everything you never knew you always wanted to know about your body.  Did you ever see him lift up what 5 lbs of body fat looks like?  Eeeeew! 

I wonder what's with that photo?  I found it here.  Clearly, this is set up as a photo shoot, but this shot seems to be saying, "Haha! Dr. Oz, you think you are so cute but I will post this picture of you when you didn't know I was snapping, just when you were asking - Where's the beef?!"  This spoken by a snurly camera, clearly jealous of the good Dr.'s success.  Dr. Snug Scrubs.  Try to say that 10 times fast with your eyes closed and one hand in the air.

Do YOU like reality tv?

Hello, Random Winner!

Amber said...
Entry #1 - Just became a follower. Absolutely adore your blog. Thanks for stopping by mine as well.

Yay!  A winner, Amber, I hope you enjoy the Zoe Saldana perfume!  I will send you an email to get your address.

Didn't win?  If you are still interested in trying Eternal Magic before it's offered in Avon catalogs, I have the entire set - perfume, lotion, and shower gel, available for $24.  If you are interested please email me at Siestacupcakes@aol.com.

Thanks for entering!

Keeping On

Wow is it Monday already?  Dyou wanna know what I did this weekend?  Not a whole lot of anything friends.  I've been feeling pretty ok about not getting into grad school, and thank you for your encouraging comments.  I keep thinking it's meant to be this way, and trying to figure out why. 

For sure..the health bit.  I haven't been updating on the health and exercising as I'd like.  But I also haven't been doing the health and exercising as I'd like.  I haven't been doing nothing, and that's a start (I keep telling myself), but I really like to get to the point of "athlete" and I'm so far from it that I just don't know where to begin.  This is how I'm used to working out, see, and when I stopped and packed on the weight, I wasn't exercising at all.  Now I'm trying to do what I once did and it hurts, it really really hurts.  That said, I have been trying to do a little something every day, walking or a workout dvd.  Not going to grad school, I can focus just on the weight loss.  I hope to lose 60 pounds this year.  Hold me to that now!  I have lost only 10 thus far, that doesn't include the 60 I still want to lose.

No more waffling, good people.  I have been quite introspective all weekend.  I started reading this book:

Find it here.  It's about meditation..something I've always wanted to know how to do but couldn't grasp until now.  It's about looking at yourself in each moment, not for ways to improve, just plain observing yourself from a perspective as if you are "dead" and viewing this moment in your life from outside yourself.  Sometimes I can do it and other times my heart starts racing and I don't know if I want to see myself in that way.  Telling right?  Yeah.  I know.

For yesterday's church service we had a guest pastor, Steve Reynolds, who wrote the book "Bod 4 God."  He came with all sorts of inspirational weight loss stories.  Whoa, the timing right? 

After hearing that, I decided we needed to become one with nature so I dragged Hubs to Magnolia Plantation.  I also brought my new camera, and for the first time, I fell in loooove with it!  Oh dear, what fabulous photos you take, **swoon!**  And guess what?  I can't figure out how to download them yet, so I have but 1 picture I took when we first got there with the old camera.

First thing we see when we walked in?  This horse:

 

Check out that mane!  Isn't she sassy?  I like to call her Lindsay Lohorse. 

After becoming one with nature, photos to come at a later time, I came home and went into the great hibernation.  I slept about 15 hours!  Part of me just wants to plain shut down, but I know I must keep keeping on. 

I am always always in need of constant inspiration, so I turned my other blog into a way to not only inspire myself but everyone who hopefully reads it.  If you have an inspiring story to share or have gived or received random acts of kindness please email me and check out my blog A Million to One.

And don't forget my giveaway!  I will pick a winner at random tonight!

Can you get over all this self promotion?