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@jodycakes thanks for the TAG tip. i'm in denver in a few weeks and can't wait to check out those dumplings!4 minutes ago
@alisoncook Try Colt & Gray, great brunch. Wynkoop Brewery is my old standby in LoDo - try Chili Beer, & defo TAG. All 3 w/in a few miles13 minutes ago
LOVE LOVE LOVE TAG. Had French Onion Soup Dumplings last time. Great cocktail program too. “@alisoncook: @ruthiejsf tell me about Tag.”17 minutes ago
my sweet ol Denver!!! Will be sunny and 65 tomorrow. “@alisoncook: It's snowing big fat flakes in Denver. Yesterday it was like spring.”18 minutes ago
This isn’t a COOKING blog, is it?
Published September 23, 2009 | The other day my friend Leslie the Chef was coming over for dinner. Hubunit was making Chicken Fried Steak. Don’t ask. He watches alot of Man vs. Food.
I felt I needed to contribute something to the meal, so I popped open some Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and baked some of those bad boys up.
When the timer went off to indicate the cookies were done, Monkey came running from the other room as I opened the oven door. In a voice filled with awe, my wee son shouted ‘Look Mama, you opened the oven and there was no smoke coming out.’
Note to future daughter-in-law – You can thank me later for setting the bar so low. Anything you cook will be an improvement, so . . . you’re welcome.
Posted in Who's Spawn ARE you? | 
cooking, daily life, family, humor, husband, love, son | 
4 CommentsWhy I had to turn down the job at the Census Bureau.
Published September 22, 2009 | One of our esteemed readers, Stacy, submitted the following question:
How do you best recognize Unmarried and Single American’s Week?
According to the Census Bureau this is their week of recognition.
This was my reply:
Well, Stacy, I’m thinking, for sure, that celebration starts in a bar somewhere. It involves a pack of cigarettes, a few kamikazi shots and sex with a stranger. Dancing is optional.
Then, the celebration ends with watching a movie of your choice, in your own house, all the way thru, without any interruption from anyone, except for maybe a snuggle with your extremely jealous and possesive cat. Oh, and you get to eat some kind of sugary snack, like ice cream Dibs, without having to hide them or share them.
Plus, I think this kind of recognition can and should be used Internationally, not just be limited to American singles. In fact, I’ve heard the first part of that celebration becomes even easier when a member of the opposite sex has a foreign accent. Or a musical instrument in his hand. But that may be celebrated some other week.
I don’t know, did I nail it?
Mud Run.. AKA *ss Kicker
Published September 21, 2009 | As you all know by now a few weeks ago I challenged myself by joining an 8 week fitness boot camp called www.xbmchallenge.com and OH MY I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Its not crazy enough to roll my backside out of bed 3 mornings a week at 5:30 AM but A MUD RUN too.. Are you kidding me… A 5 Mile Mud Run, Crap what have I gotten myself into…. See for yourself what I looked like after crossing the finish line:
Me and Hubby
Boot-camp Partner!
Posted in Check This Out, I deserve a Medal | Castaic, Mud Run, www.xbmchallenge.com, www.xbmfitness.com | 6 CommentsSnicker and Cream Cheese Brownies..
Published September 18, 2009 | I ran across this recipe at http://bakepraylove.blogspot.com/ and knew I was love… This oh so simple recipe combines some of my favorites all into one! Not only was it so simple but the taste was incredible!!
Cream Cheese Snicker Brownie Explosion
1 brownie mix box
1 8-oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cup snickers cut up (I used 2 snickers big bars)
Prepare brownies according to the box. Do not “bake”, only put the batter into the pan. Beat cream cheese. Add egg and sugar, beat until smooth. Add chopped Snickers. Pour on top of batter, swirl with knife. Bake at 350 degrees and cook away. The originator of the recipe cooked them for 25 minutes because she like the fudgy center =) but my creation needed about 45- 50 minutes and will still plenty soft in the center!
Hubby Stole the crispy part of top!!
Extremely creative marketing – I love it.
Published September 15, 2009 | I’ve seen it mentioned a couple times before and thought I’d share it with our readers as well. I certainly won’t argue with them on this one – it’s an eye catching ad. As the wife of a drummer, anything with cymbals, grabs my attention. But I think you will agree that this is very clever.
It’s from the Sydney Morning Herald and it’s an ad to promote the CD give away in The Sydney Morning Herald of performances by The Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It was even awarded the Ad of Da Month award.
So if you saw this in your paper … would it make you stop and read the page to see what they were promoting?
I got a new attitude…
Published September 11, 2009 | Do you remember that old Pointer Sisters song? I sure do…but then again, I’m stuck in the ’80′s with a lot of really crap music trapped in this noggin of mine.
But I’m not here to discuss lyrics from a song that was on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack…I’m here to discuss what came up recently in my daily meditation, and how that actually affects me AND you.
We ALL know negative people. Let’s face it…80% of the population walks around with a cloud over their head.
You ask someone how their day is going and they piss and moan. Not that one has to lie about how they feel, but c’mon folks. Think about the coworker, the friend, the guy in the elevator that made you want to slit your wrists the minute you walked away….we’ve all been there. It’s ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE & APPROACH. If you have a good healthy attitude, it can rub off – even on the most cantankerous, negative people. Try it sometime.
In my book, Ayamanatara, it states, “…When you are cheerful, you lift people up out of their doldrums and offer them an opportunity to be cheerful as well. You shine light into the lives of others. You can literally change their reality.” This is SO powerful.
My Dad, who I talk about all the time…used to say, when asked how he was “If I got any better, I couldn’t stand myself.” This little bit of humor almost always diffused a hard ass. Not always, but almost always. I find myself saying exactly what he used to say. I don’t know why, but I just LOVE to do this.
Which of these conversations would you rather have?
SCENARIO 1 -
Driver, pulling up to toll booth in parking garage, cranky “How are you? How much do I owe ya?”
Attendant, glares “Well…I got 4 more hours in this hot ass booth…that’ll be $2.00″
Driver, feeling irritated “Well, here you go…”
SCENARIO 2 -
Driver pulls up to pay booth in parking garage “Hey there! How’s it going today?” (chipper with a genuine smile, not just shoving money at the guy/gal)
Attendent, shocked by cheerfulness “Uh, okay…how are you?”
Driver: “If I got any better I couldn’t stand myself!”
Attendent, laughing, smiling “Is that so….well, I like that. That’ll $2.00″ Cash exchanged -
Driver “You have a GREAT day”
Attendent “You too!”
I know what you guys are thinking…yeah right, you Pollyanna Crackhead…but it’s true. You can ask Mr. G. I do it all the time…(except while driving on I-10 and I’ve been cut off umpteen times…) But I do try to maintain a very cheerful attitude – it can manifest itself in so many different ways.
So…back to my meditation…It started with this quote:
“You find yourself refereshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy.” Lydia M. Child
Don’t be the Debbie Downer or the Negative Nelly…with nothing nice never coming outta your mouth. Just pretend…seriously, nobody likes a pessimist.
Now snarky is a whole other ball of wax…that we’ll save for another day!
I’m shrinking …
Published September 10, 2009 | So as with most women in their 40′s in America, I have been trying to lose weight. *gasp* No surprise there huh?
I lost quite a bit of weight a few years ago when LA Weightloss was around – 42 pounds to be exact. They closed and then eventually, pound by pound they started creeping back onto my body. I started feeling … well I guess I was just feeling Ugh all over again.
Jeri Serrati Goldman mentioned that she was going to VO2 in Newhall and I was intrigued. A four minute workout? Seriously … how much benefit can you get from four minutes? Really?
Cathy and I decided to go check it out and when I met Rae, the owner of VO2, I knew we’d be fast friends. Truly, in the beginning, that was what kept bringing me back. I would go endure four minutes on my upper and four minutes on my lower and then we’d sit chatting for an hour or so about projects we had going on, how we could do THIS or THAT better, etc.
That was in February I think. We have tracked my progress along the way and I am proud to tell you that I have lost 41″ total from my body, I have brought my BMI down, decreasted my body fat, increased my endurance/strength, increased my muscle, and dropped my “physical age”. All while hanging with Rae at the VO2 club.
What’s the catch … or secret you might ask? I think it’s a combination of things for me because I’ve also been doing pilates once a week, been watching what I eat, etc. But my body is changing and I dig the changes I see.
At VO2 they have a machine called the ROM. You can see a picture of it on the VO2 website. You can also go HERE to learn more about how/why it works, but in a nutshell, I believe it works so well because it engages all the core muscles with different exercises. I go there four days a week in the morning – two of those days I do the 4 minute upper and lower workout, the other two I do 2 minutes bursts in three different exercises.
To me, it’s the perfect way to start my day. It gets the juices pumping but doesn’t suck away hours of my day. Even when I sit and visit for a bit, I’m still in and out of there within about 45 min – hour. I have been telling all my Mom friends to check it out because seriously … what a time saver. If you are local – I think you should go check it out too. They are located in Old Town Newhall and there will be a second location opening soon in Canyon Country too.
You will love the workout you get on the ROM … and … you’ll love Rae even more!
How did I get here, again?
Published September 9, 2009 | While I am brushing my teeth, my mind has a tendency to wander until that vibrating thing in my mouth turns itself off. It’s a Sonicare, not a part of hubunit’s anatomy.
Today, I happened to glance at the antique blue mason jar on my bathroom counter that is filled with white seashells. And here’s the train wreck that happens between the vibrating thing turning on and the vibrating thing turning off:
Hmm. I wonder where those particular shells came from. Maine? No, those were mostly rocks. New Hampshire? No. Those are mostly black shells. Florida? No, those mostly looked like actual shells. And actually, those shells from our Florida trip were really kind of big. And fragile. How did we ever get them back here to California in one piece? I guess we wrapped them up really good and tucked them into our clothes in the suitcase. But what if our luggage was checked by security at the airport? When those guys in the gray suits and rubber gloves paw thru your luggage, do they re-wrap fragile stuff? I’m actually indignant at the thought that they possibly might not re-wrap the fragile stuff as well as they should and something might BREAK and then where would we be? Huh. Plus, on the way back from vacation, I have DIRTY UNDERWEAR in my suitcase, which I have never thought to put in one of those cute little zipper bags that they sell at places like Steinmart, where all things shiny live. Why don’t I have one of those things? Do the baggage checkers make fun of people’s dirty underwear? Pull them out and screech ‘ewwwwww’ like I would? Note to self – definitely get one of those cute, bedazzled bags from Steinmart. Now, wait. What was I thinking about? Oh yeah, the shells. Doesn’t that blue glass of the mason jar look pretty against that black & white photo? I love that picture. I loved that house. We had our wedding shower there and our friends did a salsa dance in our living room. I still smoked then. Drinking and smoking was fun. Why did we . . .
Beep. Vibrating thing stopped.
Stuff like that ever happen to anyone else?
Found in Alaska – Amazing product
Published September 8, 2009 | Glacier Smoothie from Juneau Alaska
While on vacation I ran across this incredible little gem of a place that specializes bath yummies!! OMG right when I walked in the door of this little place and I mean little (maybe 8 x 12 ft cabin, Picture below) I knew I was in love. The products are incredible unique and I could not wait to get my hands on a few things!! What makes them unique is that they use “Glacier Silt” in the products which little did they know would produce such incredible results..(They also hold a patent for this as well)
Here is a more little info direct from their website (http://glaciersmoothie.com/index.html) : The Amazing Silt Soap is made only in Juneau, Alaska, where glaciers abound. As these rivers of ice, relics of the ice age, slip and slide their way to the sea, a super fine powder of mineral-rich clay is produced. Every bar of Glacier Smoothie soap contains this silt which has been carefully harvested, heated thoroughly, and sifted by hand Glacier silt added to a quality combination of ingredients has a skin polishing, very mild exfoliating effect. Exfoliation is great for the skin as it removes bacteria and dead skin cells for a more radiant appearance. Fine Alaskan glacial silt combined with glycerin’s ability to draw and retain moisture results in a refreshing bathing experience you will not soon forget.
I quickly grabbed a bag of the bath salts as well as a few bars of soaps. The hard part was deciding which ones to get as they all smelled so incredible. I finally decided on the Glacier Girl bath salts and could not wait to get back to the cruise ship to try these out. Let me tell you I was amazed.. The scent was yummy and my skin felt so soft. I will re-ordering sooner than later!!
** Side note they have a great selection of products for men as well!!
Posted in Check This Out | Alaska, bath salts, http://glaciersmoothie.com/index.html, Juneau | 1 CommentHow to swim without getting your hair wet
Published September 7, 2009 | 
Swimming Pool by Leandro Elrich is an art exhibit. I actually came across the exhibit at Black Eeifel when I was playing catch up in my Google Reader and was intrigued so I did a little more research on it. I found this little bit about Leandro Erlich from a press release about the opening:
“Leandro Erlich is known for installations that seem to defy the basic laws of physics and befuddle the viewer, who is introduced into jarring environments that momentarily threaten a sense of balance or space. For this exhibition, Erlich presents one of his most well-known and critically acclaimed pieces, Swimming Pool. Speaking about the project, Erlich says: “When I first visited P.S.1, I remember thinking how perfect the Duplex space would be for the installation of Swimming Pool. This space divided the experience of seeing the work perfectly, and in the correct order. Almost ten years since its creation, Swimming Pool is finally in the exhibition space for which I have always felt is so perfectly suited.”
Erlich has constructed a full-size pool, complete with all its trappings, including a deck and a ladder. When approached from the first floor, visitors are confronted with a surreal scene: people, fully clothed, can be seen standing, walking, and breathing beneath the surface of the water. It is only when visitors enter the Duplex gallery from the basement that they recognize that the pool is empty, its construction a visual trick fashioned by the artist. A large, continuous piece of acrylic spans the pool and suspends water above it, creating the illusion of a standard swimming pool that is both disorienting and humorous.”
Here is a video of it with people moving in and out of it as well …
I would love to sit and watch people coming in and out of the room to see their reactions for a few hours. It’s no secret that I love people watching and I think it would be truly awesome to see the sense of wonder on people’s faces when they saw this. In the video I just LOVE the older gentleman who’s swimming … what a priceless moment.
Posted in Check This Out | art, art exhibit, artist, Contemporary Art, Leandro Elrich, New York, swimming pool | Leave a comment
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