"Pitchers"

I'm not a photographer. I wouldn't even call myself an amateur photographer. Furthermore, I'm even a little bit embarrassed to list "photography" as a hobby on online profile forms. I just like taking pictures with my simple point and shoot camera. That's all.

All of my pictures tend to be too yellow or too grainy--and I tend to get carried away with saturation and contrast during editing. I don't know anything about lighting, composition or apa apu aperture. But I do know one thing. A border and watermark can turn an okay picture into one that's not so bad.

Thank goodness for photoshop.

Taco Soup

That's Taco Soup. It's delicious. And I'd love to share the recipe but it's a long road to get there, so hang with me.

When I was around 12 or 13 years old my mom joined a bowling league. Every Tuesday night she had to leave the house around 5 p.m. to head to the local bowling alley. She had to get dinner on the table for our family of 5, fast. So Tuesday nights became pizza night. As a result, Tuesday nights became my favorite night of the week. You have to understand that my family just did not do fast food back then. We went to Western Sizzlin' for mother's day but that was about it. This whole take out thing was new and exciting and Pizza Hut secured a place in my heart forever.

But back to bowling. Each year the ladies would have a party and everyone would bring food. One year, one of the other bowlers brought Taco Soup and my mom got the recipe. It's more like a chili than a soup. Thick, hearty, beany, delicious. It also has half a pound of Velveeta in it, which, coincidentally, has a permanent place in my heart, too.

Taco Soup (from the Tuesday Night Ladies Bowling league potluck)

2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can white hominy
1 can pinto beans
1 can southern ranch beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can Rotel
8 oz Velveeta
Corn chips

Add everything to a slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours. Don't worry about draining and rinsing the beans, just dump everything in. Serve over corn chips.

Wordless Wednesday: Naptime

Sunny Day...

...Sweepin' the clouds away!

It's Sesame Street's 40th anniversary today. I love Sesame Street. Grover was my favorite. Remember the Pointer Sisters 1-12 song with the pinball machine? Classic. And what about the mahna mahna song? That one's gonna be stuck in my head all day. Oh, and remember the time Gonzo tried to sell his soul to Alice Cooper in exchange for fame and fortune? Wait...that was The Muppet Show. Another favorite.

Big pup has been carrying Elmo around with him for most of his 7 years. He has tons of stuffed animals--a monkey, a couple of teddy bears, all of the inhabitants of Hundred Acre Wood--but his favorite has always been Elmo. I can remember when they used to be the same size! Elmo still sleeps with Big pup at night, travels on vacations with us, and rides to school with us every morning. I even tucked him into my purse just in case my son needed him when he got his flu shots a couple of weeks ago (and he did).

But Elmo hasn't always been "Elmo." He first appeared as Little Monster in 1979 and his character wasn't really developed until 1984, the year Kevin Clash took over as puppeteer, er, muppeteer.

Happy Anniversary, Sesame Street!

I Hope They Remember

I hope they remember having blueberry muffins every Friday morning.
And spending Friday nights with their grandparents who are willing to take them to McDonalds every single Friday.
I hope they remember how I put their clothes in the dryer on cold mornings so they'll be warm when they get dressed for school.
Baking cookies and watching holiday cartoons is one of my favorite memories from my childhood. I hope it will become one of their favorite memories, too.
I hope they remember carefree summers full of fun activities like playing in the pool and going to movies. I'm sure they'll forget the trips to the library.
I hope they remember making s'mores and carving pumpkins for Halloween. I never did that growing up--why didn't someone tell me that it's so much fun?
I hope they remember the happy times playing with Indie and the Huskies. There's no better friend than a dog and I hope they'll always be able to experience that friendship.

I hope they remember that above all else, they are brothers. And they'll always be able to count on each other. Because--to borrow a quote from Antisthenes--when brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life.

I really hope they remember that.

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Memories

Web Surfing Part 3

I'm drawing a blank on a blog post today. I asked WD what I should write about and he suggested I drum up support for Obama's healthcare plan so he can get out of the National Guard without having to worry about health insurance.

But I think I'd rather talk about makeup. You know, FUN stuff.

Makeup Alley is my favorite place on the web for makeup tips and reviews. You do have to login to use it but it's not a hassle. Want to know if NARS lipgloss is really worth the big bucks? Want to know if the kabuki brush that comes with Maybelline's mineral powder foundation holds up after cleaning? I can spend hours on this site.

I love watching Michelle Phan's makeup tutorials on youtube. She makes putting on makeup look so easy. I'm always making mistakes with my mascara wand and getting my blush uneven.

More fun stuff on the web: Hulu. During the week my tv is tuned to Spongebob, CNN, video games, and sports. So on Fridays, I park myself in front of the computer and get caught up on my favorite shows--The Office, Glee, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc. And there's usually chocolate involved, as well. It's a good day.

And speaking of tv, I love reading the recaps on Television Without Pity. A lot of times, the recaps are even funnier than the shows.

Just in case you missed it, here's Web Surfing Part 1 and Part 2. Happy Surfing!