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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Packed and Ready to Go!

Well folks, after 6 months of livin' the life in Morro Bay, CA El Guapo is just hours away from joining his family in Maui, Hawaii.

We got one of those Flip Video thingies so hopefully I get it figured out on the 5 hour plane ride and will have some video to post!

 Gunther: "Dude, I heard chicks wear coconut shells on their boobs in Hawaii!!"

El Guapo has accumulated quite a bit of stuff in 6 months..

No matter what, he's still not 100% sure about the 'jail bag'. At least he get's to fly with me and not in baggage. Try convincing him of that.

Gunther not too happy about letting me pack one of his tennis balls for Guapo, even though he has at least 20 floating around the house.

Guapo got the memo to take a nap since we're leaving at 2:30 a.m. Poor thing was so afraid we'd leave his tennis ball behind, he fell asleep with it in his mouth... LOL!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that our trip to Hawaii goes smoothly.
Stella & Gunther's mom - Shannon

The 'splorin' Wolfies said...

awwww--it is hard to see him go!! we adore the last picture of him. will his new family give updates?

Stella and Gunther said...

I'm taking my lap top so we can set up his own blog. Hopefully they'll be able to keep us all updated!

Salinger The Pug said...

OH NO! We just met El Guapo but miss him already!

YES...PLEASE tell his new family to blog blog blog to keep all of his fans and admirers updated!

Have a GREAT flight and we can't wait to hear that all went well!

Yoda and Brutus said...

Have a great flight, I am sure it will be smooth sailing. Looking forward to keeping up with him and his new family on their blog.

Pugs & Kisses,

Yoda & Brutus

BRUTUS said...

Oh, Guapo.... So sad to see you go. We just barely met you but will miss you dearly!! Mom is sorta teary while she's typing....

Our thoughts & prayers will be with you for a safe trip, hope that we get to see some more of you somehow! You are one lucky pup, and we know you forever family and you will live happily ever after ;)

Michelle (sniff) & Brutus (Frenchie Kisses)

Stella and Gunther said...

Michelle & Brutus, I can't even tell you the amount of tissue boxes I've gone through this week...

Fostering is very rewarding but it's also tough when they go to their family. Specially one as lovable as El Guapo.

Guapo's family (Scott & Andrea) promise to send a lot of pictures so one way or another we'll get regular updates of boy!

C.l.o.v.e.r. said...

Hi there new friends! I am sorry it has taken me so long to get over here. And now El Guapo is leaving! I am thinking good thoughts for a smooth trip. (And we are very jealous that he gets to live in Hawaii!!) I can tell you will all miss him a lot.
Sending puggy hugs and kisses!

Mango said...

Oh, do have a safe and uneventful trip. Good luck!

animal lover, quilt lover said...

Hi Stella and Gunther,
Thanks so much for becoming a follower of my blog. Welcome.
I am looking forward to getting to know you.
Hugs and wet kisses, Bambi and Fern (the animal lover)

Sequoia & Petunia said...

We hope you get there safely and enjoy the sun and beachs!

Puglette said...

i hope you had a safe flight and nice flight attendants that let you sneak a few pets in for el guapo. he sure is a charming fellow and i have enjoyed making his aquaintance. bless you for fostering!

Hank said...

El Guapo, amigo.....have a safe trip an' a great new life. I'm raisin' my PBR to ya, bud!

Gunther, buddy.....got my weiner in the mail today! Thanks, man! It is awesome.....I'll blog about it soon!

PS Ya know, it wouldn't kill ya tuh share one o' them balls with El Guapo. ;)

Smilingpug (aka Winston Wilbur) said...

Have a safe trip. We will be thinking of you.

pug hugs winston


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Adoption Agencies Monroe LA

When considering adoption, keep an open mind about whether to adopt domestically or internationally. There are children all around the world in need of good homes. Check below for related information, products and services.

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(318) 329-8161
Monroe, LA
Louisiana Office Of Community Services
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Terri Hoover Debnam
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Volunteers of America
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Adopted Child, Adopting an Older Child and Raising Adopted Children

Adopting an Older Child

Adoption is increasingly becoming an option for many parents. While it is a popular choice for single parents and same-sex couples who want to raise children, many opposite-sex couples are also making an active choice for adoption of older children.

Bringing home an older adopted child for the first time requires care. The first few weeks, especially, are crucial. Your approach during this time will significantly impact the relationship your adopted child will share with his or her new family. Here are some tips to help you:

  • Prepare your children in advance: If you already have children, it is important that you talk to them about the new arrival in advance. Prepare them on how they should interact with the adopted child.

  • Assert your role as parent: Establish your role as the parent right from day one. While this may seem difficult, it is important that you combine love with firmness and lay down rules for your child to follow. This is especially important with older kids.

  • Distribute chores and duties: Participating in household chores and duties will help your adopted child integrate with your family. It will also help prevent any resentment in your children.

  • Adapt to your adopted child's needs: Many older children who have been placed in foster care may have a history of neglect or abuse and may be averse to display of intimacy or touch. It is important that you respond sensitively...

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Running a business requires managing a number of operations, employees and your time. Get the best management system and style for your business in place so that everything runs well each day.

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The Internet is a huge part of the way we now do business. Learn the ins and outs of getting your business online and giving your customers easy access to you via the Internet.

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Any business owner wants to know how to keep more money coming into their company and less going out. Read on for some tips on how to do just that through investors, business accounts, taxes and much more.

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Your home office is the center of your home business or where you retreat to work away from the main office. Its importance to your operations necessitates that you have the right set up and equipment to keep everything running smoothly.

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In this section you'll find advice on how to get your sales up and turn possible customers into clients. So read on and make sure your sales are everything they should be.

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Mobile Home Warranties Aiea HI

It has always been a kind of puzzling thing to me why something should not be guaranteed to last at least as long as it takes to pay for it. Read on to learn more about warranties for mobile homes.

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It has always been a kind of puzzling thing to me why something should not be guaranteed to last at least as long as it takes to pay for it. If you bought a car and drove it 100,000 miles a year then it would be understandable that the thing would wear out long before you paid it off with a three-year loan.

But what if you spent a lot of money for something that just sits there? All it has to do is remain standing in one piece and not fall apart under its own weight at least until you pay off the loan. The product might become a little scuffed from normal wear and tear over the years but wouldn't you think that the place you got it from could guarantee you that the basic structure would remain in fairly good shape for as long as the payments lasted?

Do you think that a company in this industry that made such a guarantee would probably own the entire housing market wherever he was? Now I know what some of you are thinking right now. You are saying to yourself that this guy would have to be out of his mind to make such an offer on one of these homes. Guaranteeing a double-wide for 20 years would put you in the poorhouse and probably ought to be a reason to have you committed to the local mental hospital. The thing would eat you alive in service costs and who in their right mind would want a customer nagging them for 20 years. If this is your experience with the homes you are dealing with now then I suggest that you stay away from this warranty notion and save all the money you can to support yourself when the guy down the street does it! Someone will and it is not as hard as you might expect. In fact as a point of law, you guaranteed that the home is properly setup forever when you did the job!! There have been law suits brought against dealers for improper installation or anchoring years after the original manufacturers warranty was up.

So why do you think you can't do it? I hope you don't think this is not a good home and it won't last because it was made in a factory! Do you think that if it has wheels it is not as strong as a "sticks and bricks" house? If you feel this way you are in the wrong industry. Not only that, you must feel that you are taking money from people and giving them an inferior product! Now this is a great way to run a business!!

On the other hand, how many of you have seen a home 30, 40, or even 50 years old that is still in fine shape? It may be way out of style but it is still standing and folks are still living in it. These homes exist because they were lucky enough to be properly sited and setup. Usually these homes were installed on a full concrete slab long ago and that did a lot of good things for it, probably by accident. Please don't get excited and think that I believe all homes should be put on expensive masonry slabs, absolutely not! The point is, the slab did then what we can do now a lot more inexpensively.

For instance, most...

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Businesses, cities cashing in on total solar eclipse crowds

Millions of eyes will be fixed on the sky when a total solar eclipse crosses the U.S. in August, and it's likely many of them will be safely behind the special glasses churned out by a Tennessee company. (MGN Online)

BARTLETT, Tenn. (AP) - Millions of eyes will be fixed on the sky when a total solar eclipse crosses the U.S. in August, and it's likely many of them will be safely behind the special glasses churned out by a Tennessee company.

American Paper Optics ramped up production for this year's eclipse and expects to make 50 million paper and plastic eclipse glasses. John Jerit, the company's CEO and president, said they began preparing about two years ago. During his almost 27 years making safety glasses, he's only seen one total solar eclipse, in France in 1999, but will be going to Nashville for this one.

"It's a life experience," Jerit said during an interview at his company's office in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett. "When that two minutes is over, or however long you've got, the question that you really want to hear is, 'When is the next one?'"

His company is one of many businesses — hotels, campgrounds and stores — taking advantage of the total solar eclipse — when the moon passes between Earth and the sun. The moon's shadow will fall in a diagonal ribbon across the U.S., from Oregon to South Carolina. The rest of the U.S. will experience a partial eclipse, along with Canada, Central America and a bit of South America.

Cities and towns along the path of totality — where there will be about 2 ½ minutes of darkness — are gearing up for the crowds. St. Joseph, Missouri, population 76,000, is in a prime location and officials are bracing for tens of thousands of eclipse watchers to descend on the city, said Beth Conway, spokeswoman for the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The city's restaurants, gas stations and stores are preparing for the onslaught — the city's largest arts and music festival with the nickname "Total Eclipse of the Arts" is scheduled on the weekend leading up to the eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21.

"This is essentially our Super Bowl," Conway said. "If we see anywhere near the amount of people that they're telling us, it will probably be the biggest event in our history."

The city has gotten into the act as well, selling eclipse glasses, posters and blue and yellow T-shirts decorated with a drawing of the city's skyline and an iconic railroad bridge, and with the slogan "Right in the Middle of it All."

Conway said a benefactor donated 100,000 safety glasses designed for the city and proceeds are going to local museums and charities.

Sales have been "amazing, phenomenal," she said. "It's just blown our minds."

At the Tennessee factory, a constant whirring sound fills the factory as large sheets of paper are fed into machines. One cuts out the eyeholes in the pre-printed frames, another inserts the protective film lenses. Then the glasses are punched out of the sheets and packaged.

About 50,000 glasses can roll off the assembly line per hour, Jerit said. Paper glasses cost about 20 to 25 cents to make, and they are sold to distributors for about 45 cents, but prices vary depending on order size. They're sold retail for about $2. The plastic versions are about $15.

Staring at the sun during an eclipse — or anytime — can cause eye damage. The only safe way is to protect your eyes with special filters in glasses or other devices. NASA lists four companies, including American Paper Optics, whose glasses meet international standards.

"It's eye protection for enjoyment," said Jerit, whose main business is making 3-D glasses.

Besides retail outlets, the company sells the glasses to cities, universities and space-related entities like NASA and the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. Some are custom-designed, like the ones for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which are decorated with children's drawings. Under the wacky category: glasses to make the wearer look like an astronaut, space cowboy or a green alien.

Green Acres farm near Casper, Wyoming, is one of the many farms and parks welcoming eclipse watchers. The farm, which normally features a corn maze and other children's activities, has been turned into a campground with 300 campsites in prime eclipse viewing territory.

"We have people coming from Australia, Belgium, several from Canada. I have a guy from England coming that's seen 17 eclipses," said manager Dwain Romsa. "We're a little more remote than some areas. It takes more effort to travel here."


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• Editor's Note Fall 2013

    Editor's Note Fall 2013

    It’s a fulsome time to be an eater of local meat in Vermont—or simply a booster of its production. Compared with three years ago, when our last special issue on meat came out, you can now access more products from more farmers growing a wider variety of animals in more varying ways.

    Continue Reading

  • Putting the Garden to Bed

    Putting the Garden to Bed

    There are many distractions at this time of year, whether school or watching football or catching up on work and e-mail after an August vacation. But one thing’s for sure: autumn—and winter—are coming, and we need to put our gardens to bed. A little extra work now will help us garden even better next year.

    Continue Reading

  • How to Get Grounded

    How to Get Grounded

    On a road in Cabot, not far from the land that Laura Dale and Cyrus Pond bought this past March, you can look out to the west at a horizon dominated by the undulating spine of the Green Mountains. For many young farmers in Vermont, the cost of land can seem as daunting and insurmountable as the largest of those mountains in the dead of winter.

    Continue Reading

  • Set the Table with Local Meat for a Crowd

    Set the Table with Local Meat for a Crowd

    When you’re committed to eating humanely raised, local meat and you’re getting some friends together for some good eats, chances are you’re not going to throw 15 $20 steaks on your backyard barbecue. We all might like to pretend that we just won the lottery, but it’s no easy feat to blow a whole paycheck serving humane, sustainable food to our nearest and dearest.

    Continue Reading

  • Meet the Meat Hubs

    Meet the Meat Hubs

    A year ago, Bryce and Debbie Gonyea were operating a small hog farm in Danville, selling their pigs to Vermont Salumi and private customers, in addition to selling young piglets for families to raise for their own consumption. Bryce had recently retired from three-and-a-half decades in the agricultural insurance business and was creating a stream of retirement income through farming.

    Continue Reading

  • Pastured Poultry in Aisle 9

    Pastured Poultry in Aisle 9

    Whiz by it on Route 2 between Richmond and Bolton and you might think it was an abandoned rail car, a housing unit for migrant farm workers, or a storage shed. Bland and inconspicuous, the boxy structure doesn’t look like it has the potential to re-shape Vermont’s local food scene (or at least make it easier to purchase and cook pastured chicken).

    Continue Reading

  • Über-Pastured Pork

    Über-Pastured Pork

    There are 70 acres in West Topsham where about 400 pigs harvest their own kale (and garlic, when they’re feeling under the weather), go for rides in mini-vans, and bathe in mountain wallows. They’re about to stop that mini-van habit, but more on that later.

    Continue Reading

  • Randall Cattle

    Randall Cattle

    At the beginning of the 20th century, as Halley’s Comet graced Vermont skies, Samuel Randall could be found tending a herd of lineback cattle on his farm in Sunderland, Vermont. The type of cattle he kept had fallen out of favor as farmers began selectively breeding for specific traits and standardization. But over decades—until the 1980s—and in virtual isolation, Samuel and his son Everett unknowingly preserved this “landrace” herd.

    Continue Reading

  • Cannibalizing our Compatriots

    Cannibalizing our Compatriots

    Vermont has big farms and little farms, organic and conventional growers, pasture-based and feedlot operations, old farmers and young farmers, entrepreneurs and large agribusinesses. In these Green Mountains and across this country we have a complex food production system, with each agricultural business doing what it can to stay viable and profitable.

    Continue Reading

  • Farmers' Kitchen—Grass=Solar Energy=Good Meat

    Farmers' Kitchen—Grass=Solar Energy=Good Meat

    My husband, Bruce Hennessey, and I moved to an end-of-the-road, hilltop farm in Huntington in 1999 for a “close-to-the-mountains” farming opportunity. The hilltop nature of our 136 acres made it challenging for growing crops or making hay (steep, too many rocks, some wet areas), so grazing livestock seemed like the answer to keeping the pastures open, fertilized, and healthy.

    Continue Reading

  • Last Morsel—A Boost for On-Farm Slaughter

    Last Morsel—A Boost for On-Farm Slaughter

    Traditionally, farm animals in Vermont were slaughtered and butchered outside, in the open air. Today, all animals that are sold as meat must be slaughtered and processed in inspected facilities. But some Vermonters who raise animals for their own personal consumption prefer on-farm slaughter to taking their critters to an unfamiliar slaughterhouse.

    Continue Reading

Editor's Note Fall 2013

Apple press, Weathersfield; photo by Meg Lucas.

Written By

Caroline Abels

Written on

August 19 , 2013

It’s a fulsome time to be an eater of local meat in Vermont—or simply a booster of its production. Compared with three years ago, when our last special issue on meat came out, you can now access more products from more farmers growing a wider variety of animals in more varying ways. The meat is almost always raised differently from the industrial model, you can almost always visit the farm if you want to, and what is sold is pretty much always tastier than what emerges from factory farms.

At my local food co-op, for instance, I can now buy two kinds of hot dogs from regional farmers, one of whom is profiled in this issue (Walter Jeffries of Sugar Mountain Farm, page 18). There’s Certified Humane bacon sourced from Quebec and New Hampshire, a slew of local beef options, and Vermont-pastured chicken sold in parts (see story on page 16).

Elsewhere, farmers are selling rabbits, goats, Guinea hens, lamb, pastured veal, and even alpaca meat. Although the numbers are still small, Vermont poultry and livestock farmers have created a solid foundation on which to grow.
What’s more, the number of people putting their minds to the nagging, thorny bottlenecks in local meat production has grown. One of the most active steering committees to emerge from the Farm to Plate initiative is the Meat Processing Task Force, which meets regularly. Individual foundations and donors are looking into how to fund new or existing slaughter facilities. A highly successful New England Meat Conference was organized this year by Vermont’s own Chelsea Bardot Lewis of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and Sam Fuller of NOFA-VT. Important and practical research on grazing and livestock management is being undertaken by the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture’s Pasture Program. And membership in the Vermont Meat and Poultry Processors’ Association is on the upswing.

We still have a long way to go if we’re going to “displace” commodity meat on store shelves (to use a term favored by local food problem-solver Sean Buchanan, who writes a thought-provoking essay on page 22). But we should be encouraged by the fact that a couple of years ago, places like the Mad River Food Hub and Black River Produce’s new meat-processing facility didn’t even exist (see story on page 14.) Who knows what’s around the bend?

As we head down that road, we should all enjoy the emerging bounty. In these early days of fall (or waning days of summer, depending on your perspective), fire up the grill a few last times, gather up some friends, and cook up some beautiful local meat (perhaps using the recipes on page 12)! Be thankful we can be nourished by animals who were raised well, on land tended with respect, by farmers who truly care.

 —Caroline Abels

About the Author

Caroline Abels

Caroline Abels

Caroline Abels is the editor of Local Banquet and the founder-editor of Humaneitarian.org, a website that inspires people to buy and eat humanely raised meat.

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Feasting feathered friends

The first hint of sun and I’m feeling inspired. I woke up and thought: I want to make a birdfeeder. So, a birdfeeder I shall make.

Apparently urban areas, especially suburbs, have a much higher proportion of birds than rural areas. I’m sure the robin that sings outside my window at all hours of the night is not the only one confused by the nocturnal activity of Oxford, and if our feathered friends are up at the crack of sparrow’s wotsit, they must be getting pretty peckish.

I’ve had a look on the RSPB website and have bought birdseed, lard and have emptied a bottle, which, combined, should make me the Lloyd Grossman of the bird world. The plan is to hang it from outside my bedroom window and to watch the sparrows, starlings, blackbirds and wrens come fluttering over. My balcony shall become the chic place to be; the hangout for hungry birds, a place for a first date, and the chicks’ first real food joint when they’ve left the nest.

I’ll keep you updated on my visitors.

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

3 1/2 Month Pictures

I found a lady that only does baby and kids pictures. I had her take Logans 3 1/2 month pictures. She sent me a preview picture and I cant wait to see the rest of them. Her name is Michele Reyes. If you are looking to get your kids pictures taken I highly recommend her. She has changed one of the bedrooms in her home to a photo studio and does an awesome job! She has tons of patience witch is perfect for taking kids pictures! Her website is Check her out! I will post some more when I get the high rez CD from her. She includes one with the sitting cost!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Finding his toes

The other day I was doing the dishes and looked over and logan had found his toes. I loved this picture and thought it was so cute! It's fun to see all the new things that he does from day to day.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter!

We had such a great Easter! We dyed eggs, went on easter egg hunts, saw the Easter bunny, at dinner and both grandparents, and Logan got a Easter basket three times bigger than himself! Easter snuck up on me a bit, I didnt get all the grandbabies Easter treats done. Oh well, life moves on...Hopefully next Easter.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Bath, Bum, Bumbo, and Boobs

Lately Logan is showing off his cute little personality. Every time I get him in the bath or when I am changing his diaper he will smile, giggle and coo at you. He loves it! He loves to be involved in everything when he is awake and loves to look around. I sit him in his bumbo and he entertains himself staring at his hands or looking around the room.

Today I was getting ready to feed Logan. Trent and Logan were talking back and forth and in the middle of his coos all the sudden he said boob! Trent looked at him shocked and we both started laughing and couldn't believe that he actually said that. I am sure Logan will get teased the rest of his life about his first word being boob.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Baby Blessing

Today we blessed Logan. It was such a great day! Trent did a great job and Logan looked so darling in his blessing outfit. We had tons of our family and friends over to celebrate Logans special day. Squishing everyone in our front living room was a bit tight but we figured everyone could get to know each other a little better. Logan is such a sweet baby, we are very lucky to have him in our home. We love you baby!


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Click here for other London Underground guidance. Contact me here

Going Underground's Blog
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Annie Mole's, webmaster of Going Underground, daily web log (blog).
If you like this you'll LURVE One Stop Short of Barking, THE fun and informative BOOK about travelling
on the London Underground.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Tube stations not on the London Underground - Part 2

Following on from the post on
Denton Tube station in Gravesend, James Cridland spotted part of a Tube station on Bournemouth!

St Paul's Station  by James Cridland

He said "An completely incongruous bit of underground station in the Bournemouth Oceanarium. I have little idea what it's doing here, other than perhaps to convey that we are "underground" - except why would there be an Underground roundel like this?

Also of note: the Underground roundel and the sign both use Arial and not Johnston. Not that I'm a font geek or anything

If anyone has any theories on why a bit of the London Underground has been transported to the Oceanarium, please let us know.

Also if you have photographs of any other parts of Tube stations which aren't in London, please send them my way. It makes an interesting addition to the Roundels not on the Tube set.

; Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, April 07, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE Add to Stumble Upon


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Study reveals exact moment workers 'hit the wall' each day

The time at which most workers ‘hit the wall’ has been pinpointed – to 2.22pm.

That’s the moment when the post-lunch slump is most likely to kick in, triggering a lull in concentration and productivity, according to a survey of 2,000 workers.

The study also found that most people find themselves struggling at this point up to three days a week.

A warm working environment and not enough sleep emerged as the most common reasons for the slump.

Dehydration and eating too much at lunch were also found to contribute to British workers ‘hitting the wall’ in the afternoon.

Chris Arrigoni [corr], Director of Get More Vitamin Drinks, which commissioned the study, said: “Your working environment really will contribute to your productivity.

“So it maybe isn’t too much of a surprise that a warm office sends many workers into a downward spiral after they’ve eaten their lunch.

“However it’s also down to diet. If you don’t eat properly at lunch and don’t keep yourself hydrated then you’re sure to lost concentration as the afternoon rolls on.

“If you can make sure you’re drinking enough liquids then you’ll feel more awake and ready to tackle your workload.”

More than three quarters of office workers noticed their colleagues 'crashing' at around the same time as them.

Three in 10 have been caught shirking and a quarter of those have been reprimanded for it.

The most common effect of hitting the wall was people sending an email to the wrong person.

Others admitted to drifting off in meetings only to 'come round' and not have a clue what anyone is talking about.

Dozy workers have called colleagues by the wrong name, made mistakes on important documents and even taken their phone off the hook to avoid calls.

The study revealed that one in seven thinks a change in diet would help prevent them from hitting the wall.

Half of respondents admitted their diet is worse at work than at home and one in seven said they eat too much junk food during office hours.

There are a few tricks ‘serial slumpers’ are currently using to try and combat the problem, the most popular being making sure they always get fresh air on their lunch break.

Drinking lots of coffee is another trick, as well as always making sure they take a full hour at lunchtime.

Chris Arrigoni added: “While caffeine seems like an obvious choice for avoiding a crash in the afternoon, in reality it will probably make you feel worse as the day goes on.

1. Warm office
2. Not enough sleep the night before
3. Big workload
4. Not enjoying work
5. Hot weather outside
6. Eating too much for lunch
7. A particularly busy morning
8. Dehydration
9. Money problems on the mind
10. Eating unhealthy food for lunch

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Friday, April 14, 2006

Daniel Powter's 'Bad Day' Is Giving Me a Bad Day

So the horrible Bucky was finally ousted from the list of American Idol finalists on Wednesday, and I couldn't be happier...except for one thing: What is up with that horrible Daniel Powter song that always has to play when a contestant gets offed? Seriously, the song is not only horrible, but also doesn't make any sense.

"So you had a bad day?" Trust me---having a bad day doesn't consist of making it to the top 8 of American Idol out of thousands of contestants and finally getting voted off after tons of national exposure. No, having a bad day consists of finding out you lost your job when you have a family of four to feed. Or finding out that you have cancer on the day you receive your acceptance letter to law school. In fact, refer to
Alanis Morrisette's 'Ironic' for a number of countless 'bad day' scenarios.

You know, it would be more humane if American Idol gave each losing contestant his/her own favorite song as its parting gift---kind of like how a
death row inmate gets to dictate his/her last meal. Bucky could have had a Toby Keith song, and Mandisa could have had Aretha Franklin. I'm not sure what Chicken Little look-alike Kevin Covais would have picked. Maybe a song off of the soundtrack to Rent? Either way, at least the losing contestants could go out with dignity, rather than be subjected to that abhorable song by the guy who shares a last name with that stupid movie about albinos.

Would this song have gained as much airplay had it not been featured on a show that garners a combined forty million viewers every Tuesday and Wednesday night? I think not.

But then again, maybe the song is what it takes to beat Desperate Housewifes?

1 comment:

888 said...

Have not watched it yet. But I was told it is not that good.


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Commence the screenprinting!

photo (3)

When we opened the doors for Long Street Collective Tattoo Studio & Gallery just this past March, the plan was to create an inspiring space where we could create artwork in a variety of mediums. We’ve been fortunate enough to do just that, adding screenprinting materials in the basement. In addition to the monthly collaborative tees we’ve done since June, we’ve now moved on to posters! Behold!

The guys are also building machines in the basement, we hold Art Night the first Weds of every month, and we’re constantly looking for and drawing/painting/screenprinting up new inspiration.

So if you haven’t yet, come by to check it out, book an appointment, or just check out the artist’s work.

Screen Shot 2013-08-05 at 9.55.01 PM

1st Weds of every month LSC keeps the doors open late to let the creative juices flow. And guess what lucky ducks, that’s THIS WEDS! So just show up, grab a chair, and let it rip. Feel free to work on anything you already have going on, set up a still life with any of the great antiques we have around the shop, or draw the nude models. Just kidding, the guys aren’t models.

BYOB and BYOS (supplies). Hope you can make it.

Thanks again, Adam!

Last week Phil’s long-standing client came to our new shop all the way from PA. Adam’s been a big supporter of the shop and Phil, and we had to post this shout-out. Can’t wait to see him next month at NEPA.

Pictured: Badass insects and LSC eye logo. Thanks again, Adam!

The 6x6x6 Project

For 6 consecutive days, the crew created 6×6 drawings of any subject matter. Andy’s  prints are now available in the store. This project was so much fun we plan to do it again!

Andy’s 6x6x6:

Screen Shot 2013-07-24 at 8.46.42 AM

Greg’s 6x6x6:


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Lead – Grow – Share Videos

12 Nov

I created these three videos to highlight some of the initiatives started in the Diocese of Georgia in recent years. Some great ministries helping us to lead, grow, and share the Gospel.

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Glad Tidings of Joy!

"'8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'" Luke: 8-14 from the King James Version

Just popping in to wish everyone a very Blessed Christmas and hope that your morning was filled with fun suprises, laughter, and much love!

For me, the days leading up to this special day were filled with a lot of chaos and stress—not at all the peaceful days of Advent that I had been looking forward to. But in the end, everything worked out… the house is clean (relatively speaking), my roots are no longer gray, and the kids and hubby were thrilled with their gifts (as was I!)—so I can finally breath a big sigh of relief and meditate better on the REAL reason for the season, which is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I'm hoping and praying that you will be able to do the same and that you'll join me in celebrating today and the rest of this special season with much JOY! *Ü*

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Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I love hearing from you and hope you will stop by again! *Ü*

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Saturday, August 18, 2012

Weekend of "firsts"

It's been a weekends of "first's" for Young Lee!  School, Starbucks, Football, and Horses.

That's right....  Friday was the first day of school and as you all know from my last entry I was freaked out and worried the entire day.  Of course the day went well. I asked Young how his day was and he said "Pre calculus is very easy.  Literature (English) and History were difficult to understand what the teacher was saying".  So I assured him that as he speaks more English and is here more that it will become easier.  I also volunteered to help him however I could.  Since I'm good at English and I would be lost just opening a pre calculus book, this may work out well.  If he can handle the math class I know I can assist with the English and History.

When I got home from work on Friday the neighbor kid (as we all lovingly call him), Adam, along with Drew and Young were just returning from Starbucks.  Now Young has made it very clear that he only likes to drink water so imagine my surprise when I saw him sporting a venti frappuchino.  This was his first time to try Starbucks.  I yelled at Drew and Adam for corrupting him and then they explained to me that it is just a chai tea kind of drink and it's ok.   Whatever.  I still yelled at them and I told Young that he didn't have to finish the drink which seemed to make him relieved because it was HUGE.  And  then I bitched at Drew and Adam some more as to why they couldn't have even started him off with a SMALL drink?  Blank stares and shrugging shoulders....

Another "first", we went to the St. Joes/Morro Bay football scrimmage.  Now this wasn't probably the best first football experience since it was only a scrimmage, but it was the first time Young has ever seen the game played except for watching John yell at the Rams while he watches them on TV.  Drew tried to explain who was offense, who was defense, and what each team was trying to do. I think Drew was also having to explain this to Adam who although he graduated from St. Joes and attended football games and grew up in the USA, still needs schooling on football.  Young might actually understand more than Adam. (Sorry Adam, love ya son....)

Saturday morning I was running around like a crazy insane woman since my son had invited like 40 of his closest friends over for a bbq to celebrate his 18th birthday.  So... as usual Stefanie and the kids showed up and I gave Stef and the kids the evil death glare for messing up my newly cleaned house (for like the 10th time) so she took the kids and Young and went to see a friend of hers who has horses.  You guessed it, another "first" for Young.  He has never seen a horse before except on TV.  So anyways, Young was able to pet some horses and he really liked them.   Since my BFF Julie has recently moved to a horse ranch in Atascadero, I can assure Young of many more encounters with horses! Very cool :)

I pulled everything together and we had the BBQ for Drew's 18th birtday.  It was a lot of fun.  Young went outside to eat with the other teenagers but seemed a little uncomfortable since he didn't really know them and he ended up coming in and playing the wii with John for a while and hang with the family.

I heard a basketball and I noticed Young disappearing out to the driveway to go shoot baskets with Drew and his friends.  He stayed out there for a couple of hours and seemed like he was having a great time.  He also had his very first piece of birthday cake and I assume he really liked it because he ate all of it.

Drew thought since we are all 18 or older now we should go to the casino at midnight when he officially will be 18.  I really don't think that is an appropriate "first" for Young Lee and not so sure Young's parents would appreciate us taking him I'll take Drew to do that one another day without dragging Young with us.  After all, Young Lee has already been corrupted by Starbucks and junk food, let's not get carried away....

By the way, I was happy when Stefanie turned 18, and it didn't bother me when Jon and Jordan turned 18, but with Drew being the baby and turning 18 I'm just not ready! I feel emotional and I don't like it. Where did my little boy go?

Even though I don't like it at all,   Happy 18th  Birthday DREW!

Imagine being 18 years old and never have seen a horse before except on TV.  As I am learning more and more about Young and his culture, I find myself  appreciating more and more all of what we have here in the USA and all of the opportunities that we have that other people may not have.    When I returned from 2 years of living in the Azores, Portugal in about 1992 I had a new appreciation of the USA and all we have here.  This kind of reminds me of that time...and it's a good thing. This experience is teaching me to be more aware and more thankful for things that I just take advantage of.

Enough deep stuff....   Tomorrow we may go to the beach and see seals and I hear there are whales being spotted every day too. Imagine, if seeing a horse was such an amazing experience, wait till he sees seals and whales!!

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Online lotto betting operator Lottoland have announced a third two-year long-term agreement for their Insurance Linked Security (“ILS”) jackpot insurance (“Fortuna 3”). The new insurance deal provides € 120 million, of ILS coverage alone – €20 million more than the previous transaction. It is a cornerstone of Lottoland’s advanced risk management system which is now providing total cover in the hundreds of millions and over 50% more than last year.

The two previous deals (“Fortuna 1 and Fortuna 2”), which triggered a renewal option after one year due to Lottoland’s strong growth respectively were completed in April 2015 and June 2016, providing Lottoland with a lottery winning risk collateralized reinsurance transaction – the first ILS to be domiciled in Gibraltar. This third, two year, transaction – Fortuna 3, again fully collateralized through cash trust accounts and letters of credit, is the largest ever reinsurance transaction in the Gambling industry. All previous investors have shown their confidence in Lottoland by participating in the new transaction, and new leading investors have come on-board.

Lottoland’s risk management structure has already proven its reliability, covering a number of major winnings. The largest win paid out by Lottoland’s ILS so far was €22 million and was won by a player from Berlin in 2016. So far, Lottoland has returned over €838 million in total winnings across its business portfolio. Fortuna 3 provides Lottoland with even more flexibility to innovate and offer new games to players.

Other operators form sports-betting and casino can also benefit from Lottoland’s proven lottery insurance solution thanks to Lottoland’s B2B arm Lottoland Solutions and add lottery bets to their product portfolio. Lottoland Solutions guarantees all winnings pay outs with their collateralized jackpot insurance and offers a lottery betting interface that is easy to integrate into existing websites. Customers of William Hill Australia, Kindred Group plc and Gaming Innovation Group plc, are already benefitting from a partnership with Lottoland Solutions.

Lottoland CEO, Nigel Birrell, said, “Our innovative approach to this market is really paying off. The ILS provides a fully reliable way to reinsure against big wins and we’re delighted to have this second two year agreement in place which we have taken to the next level – the only solution in the industry which has proven fast and reliable pay-out of winnings.”

Gibraltar’s Minster for Commerce, Albert Isola MP, also commented on the Lottoland transaction saying “Let me congratulate Lottoland and its investors for leading the way with the launch of their third successive ILS transaction. Their success to date and their future plans for innovative ILS structures that will be offered to other participants in the gaming community are very exciting.

The investors’ confidence in both the Lottoland transactions and Gibraltar as the domicile of choice is very gratifying.”


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Louisville’s Behanan Named Co-Big East Rookie of the Week

Posted on Feb 6 2012 - 1:45pm by Brent Lepping

From UofLsports.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville men’s basketball player Chane Behanan was named the BIG EAST co-Rookie of the Week after his performance in the team’s win over Rutgers, league officials announced on Monday.

In the Cardinals’ only game of the week, Behanan tallied a season best and team-high 23 points, while collecting 11 rebounds and two steals in Louisville’s 78-66 win over Rutgers. Behanan, who was 11-of-12 from the field, guided the Cardinals to their fourth-straight victory and helped lift the team’s record to 18-5 overall, with a 6-4 league mark. It was Behanan’s sixth double-double of the season and, among freshmen in the BIG EAST, he is one of four who ranks in the top 10 in scoring and top five in rebounding in the BIG EAST concurrently (others: St. Johns: Moe Harkless; Providence: LaDontae Henton; and Connecticut: Andre Dummond).

Over the last five games, Behanan is averaging 14.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, while shooting a remarkable 65.2 percent (30-of-45) from the field.

The No. 25 Cardinals have a quick turnaround game, playing Monday evening against Connecticut at the KFC Yum! Center in an ESPN Big Monday showdown. Tip for the ESPN broadcast is set for 7:07 p.m. and, at halftime, Louisville will honor former All-American guard, Lancaster Gordon, by adding his name to the list of honored jersey names displayed in the KFC Yum! Center.

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Lar Veale presents Pennautier and the Cabardes

Lots of things going on in the Languedoc of late. A lot of good videos in queue, but you’re going to have to wait a bit more. In the meantime, I found this post from Lar Veale’s site Sour Grapes. On a recent visit to the region sponsored by Chateau Pennautier he made a video that describes the qualities of the terroir in the Cabardes.

Watching this, you can understand how the Cabardès earned a spot in the Grands Vins du Languedoc.  Although I don’t know if the climate here is quite as lush as the Pennautier lawn makes us out to be, provoking Lar to compare our soil to the green glens of Ireland. :D  But either way, the sentiment is good and you can tell that the terroir has really inspired him on his visit.

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Sunday, June 03, 2007

Heartfelt Thanks

This ties in with my other obsession of late, knitting. The owner of Mosaic Yarn Shop in Blacksburg, VA, came up with the idea of knitting blankets for the victims of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech. I knitted some squares for it, collected a few from some other knitters, and sent them along. Of course I had to send a thank you card to her for collecting the squares and organizing everything. This is the card I made:

stamps: Heartfelt Thanks
ink: Pumpkin Pie, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Mellow Moss
paper: Pumpkin Pie, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
accessories: neutral buttons (color applied from ink pad, and distressed with a sanding block), linen thread, natural hemp (colored with burgundy pad)

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Thursday, 1 May 2014

Food Blog: My Mouth is Full

Food blogs are my guilty pleasure; devouring dishes with my eyes and reading recipes quickly pass the time and give me some much needed kitchen inspiration. I talked before about some of my favourite food blogs, but a new one has recently caught my eye and has left me salivating.

My Mouth is Full has some fantastic food photography and follows Sayana's food journey in the UAE and throughout her travels. The blog also chronicles her tried and tested recipes and has a range of food inspired by visits, travels and festivals like Ramadan.

If I was a more seasoned chef I would definitely want to try her Falooda, Prawn Roast and the Halloumi Stuffed Garlic Whole Wheat Bread

Prawn Roast

Halloumi Garlic Stuffed Whole Wheat Bread

For you foodies out there, this blog is a must visit!

  1. The perfect inspiration to get you through the mid-week hump and across the line to the weekend!

    1. I know Vanisha! Super yummy looking recipes. I wish I was better in the kitchen and could rustle up these ones :)

comments are greatly appreciated!!


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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Today Sam started gymnastics. She was so excited! Here she is in her leotard...I just can't get her to pose and smile these days, she is so serious about everything. LOL
Of course, Anaïs and I were right there with her!

We got there a little early so we had to wait about 20 min before her class started...she couldn't wait to get in there and get started!
On Thursday she starts ice skating lessons again...yep, we're busy!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Big girls.

yep...my girls are getting big.
Seriously, I am SO thankful I get to be a stay at home mom and enjoy every single moment of their lives...couldn't imagine being anywhere else than with them!
This morning Sam was excited to wear this outfit, she's been telling us that this is the best shirt she's ever had in her entire life...LOL

When Anaïs saw me taking pictures of Sam she started posing too.
Love them!

Friday, August 27, 2010

I want to remember...

the adorable way Sam sees herself right now...
Je t'aime ma belle!!!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

First grade!

Today was the big day...my baby started 1st grade!!! I can't believe it!!!
Sam was very excited to go to her new school and make new friends, she was SO ready! I was the nervous one today, I get all emotional when I think how fast these last 6 years went by. I still remember being home with my brand new baby 6 years ago like it was yesterday.
I took a picture of her before we left the house but she was so eager to get going that I couldn't really get her to pose... LOL
Once we were in the car and on our way she was much more relaxed.
I just had to try for more pictures when we got out of the car.
Walking to her classroom:
In front of her classroom:
I love the fact that there are only 19 kids in her class, this school is great!
Sitting at her desk:

She said her first day was great and she was already invited to a playdate tomorrow.
We love you Sam and we are so proud of you for who you are!!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Summer treat...

Sam loves snow cones more than anything, so the other night we bought her one. She was excited and was pretty good at sharing with Anaïs who attacked her when she saw the snow cone! LOLLook at Anaïs' face, she was trying to pull the cup away from Sam. She knows what she wants... lol

Friday, August 20, 2010

The aquarium.

Today, the girls and I went to the Aquarium with Jeff's sister and her kids. Sam and Anaïs got to have fun with their cousins. I was actually surprised by how much fun Anaïs had there, she was so into it! She loved the penguins! They were so active and huge, I swear they were bigger than her.

Sam enjoyed looking at the sting rays but didn't want to touch them and Anaïs just had fun dipping her hands in the water.

Sam was grossed out by the octopus...look at her face! lol

They had a great time and afterwards Anaïs was so tired!
Sam on the other hand...still full of energy!
It was fun, we'll definitely go back!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Nothing like...

...spending a summer evening enjoying a free outdoor concert! I love that about Park City. During the summer, there are so many outdoor concerts. Tonight we went to the beautiful ski resort The Canyons. They do concerts every Saturday night in the summer. It was pretty cool because you had to take the lift to get up there.

Anaïs is starting to want to walk more and go explore. But even with all the fun she's having walking, there nothing like being with her dad... And sometimes she'll come to her mom too...lol

Sam got a snow cone, I think she was more excited about that than the whole concert thing.

I tried to take a picture of the four of us so many times but I couldn't Anaïs in it...I gave up after about the 5th time. LOL


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A Paper Update

Hi Everyone,
 Its getting to be that time of the year where I start thinking about buying paper. Why around this time of year you ask…. well lots of new paper come out for the fall, there is new Christmas paper that hits stores and then we have black Friday coming up.
Last year for Black Friday I scored BIG at Michaels. I went at 6pm on Thanksgiving Night because they had 30 % off coupon that included sale items!
 They had paper packs on sale for $9.99 and with the coupon I got them for $7.99
 I ended up buying 8 paper packs!
 Here are some of the ones that I want this year!
 Simple Autum
 Jingle Bells
 Sugar Plum
 Stitch In Time
I think that is pretty good, there are only 4 ……… until I get to the store and see the others I will for sure fall in love with!
So with all that said I thought I would do a video about my paper and what I’ve done recently.
I always hear people in the “Craft” world” talking about what to do with all the paper have, and how the keep buying it and how out of control it all feels.
I buy paper ALL THE TIME…. and I mean ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! I love paper and I don’t think you can really ever have enough of it, however I do know that if I don’t do something once in awhile with my paper it really will be TOO much.
 And often times I forget  about some amazing paper I have because “out of sight out of mind”
 So here is my solution to the problem!
 Episode 115
Remember its always okay to get purge your paper! Get together with a friend and purge together, swab some paper, have a crop night and set your paper out and put 10cents a sheet on it, give it your kids to play with , donate it to a local nursing home that does crafts, or your kids school.
Then you won’t feel bad when you buy paper!
Everyone’s style changes and sometimes paper goes out of date, so its fine to purge!
I try and do this every 6 months or so!

, ,

2 Responses to A Paper Update

  1. Love That Bug October 4, 2011 at 12:48 pm #

    You sure do have a lot of paper. LOL
    I donate all of my scraps to the local elementary school or the Ronald McDonald house.
    I love the tip about blaming the paper company, I will definitely tell that one to hubby when I buy more paper
    Hugs, Stacy

  2. Natasha October 4, 2011 at 2:48 pm #

    That's a lot of paper. Great system. I'm still trying to find one that works for me.

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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Happy Anniversary

Today marks 21 years of marriage for my parents.....I can have learned so much from yall about marriage:)
And I can not wait to get married because of  yalls example!!

I love you Mom and Dad:-)
Day of Wedding and the preacher who married them...
I now, just used this pic but I like it a lot!!
Happy Anniversary
"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.."
1 Cor. 13:4-8

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  2. Happy Anniversary! Love the photos!

I am so happy you stopped by. I hope my blog encouraged you in some small way! If you would like to leave a comment, I would love to read them...They bring so much joy and sunshine into my day!

May we seek to follow Him with all that we have!


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Friday, February 4, 2011

Mexican Dinner

When The Hubby bought a new oven we both agreed that it was the best oven we ever owned. It had five stove top burners, a large oven that I can fit 24 cupcakes in at a time (big whoop!) and most of all it came with a rotisserie and drip pan. We love to cook so this oven was really worth it.

However we haven't really used the rotisserie yet and over a year later we finally did. He just rubbed oil on two whole chickens and salted and peppered them, stuck them into the rotisserie and two hours later we had roasted chicken. It was very good and the skin was crispy delicious. We had tons of leftover chicken though so I asked on Twitter what I could make with leftover chicken. Chicken soup, chicken stir fry, chicken salad, these were just a few of the suggestions I got. But when Jamie of Your Lighter Side suggested her recipe for Chipotle Burrito Bowl I got a Mexican bee in my bonnet that I couldn't shake. I had to have something Mexican!

Hubby LOVES Mexican food. When we went to Boracay we stayed at this lovely hotel and they had pretty good Mexican food. If there's one thing he misses about the US the most, it's Taco Bell and he can only get it when we go to Manila. So I looked for recipes and researched high and low and finally decided on my Mexican Dinner : Chicken Enchilada with Spanish Rice.

It took a lot of prep work since there's basically three phases of this dinner: the Enchilada Sauce, making the Chicken Enchilada and then making the Spanish Rice. I did it all in three hours, not my best day in the kitchen. But everything turned out so well. Hubby made his own Spanish rice using Jasmine rice but I made cauli rice and it tasted wonderful.

Phase One: Enchilada Sauce

I looked for a good recipe and didn't have to look far. Linda Sue took care of that for me with her easy Red Enchilada Sauce.

Phase Two: Chicken Enchilada

Saute onions, red and green bell pepers in butter. Then add shredded chicken. I had about four cups of chicken. Then mix in a cup of the enchilada sauce. Pour into a baking dish, grate cheddar cheese on top and broil until cheese has melted. Top with sliced green onions if preferred.

Phase Three: Spanish Rice

Prepare cauliflower rice as usual. Saute a cup of "rice" in butter and add half a cup of Enchilada Sauce.

This dinner was very delicious. We still have leftovers which I am sure we will take care of. It definitely curbed that Mexican  craving. So if you love Mexican food, why not give this meal a try? Let me know what you think of it.

Layla said...

This looks amazing! I haven't made cauliflower rice yet but this definitely makes me want to try it. Mexican food is one of my high carb downfalls. :/ I love it so much! I'm always looking for low carb Mexican alternatives, so I really appreciate this!

Regay said...

Ok, I am going to try it. So you didn't try to make low carb tortillas? I have been thinking about it lately. What is the link to Linda Sue's Enchilada Sauce?
Your dish looks great!!

Adriana said...

I <3 it Dee! The enchilada bake looks soooooo cheesy, comforting and delish! I was raised eating Mexican foods and of course it is my favorite cuisine to eat! Keep up the great work in the kitchen my low carb friend! :)

Dee said...

Layla, the cauli rice is crazy fast and easy to make if you have a food processor. I used to use a cheese grater but I am so challenged with things like graters and vegetable peelers that I hurt myself when I use them LOL So now I use my hand blender and it worked fine. Give it a try and see if you like it. I've seen so many different variations like curry rice, deluxe fried rice from Adriana. I wanna make lemon and cilantro rice soon once I finish my Spanish rice. :)

Regay, hello! No I didn't make low carb tortillas because the ingredients are unavailable where I am. The link to the enchilada sauce is right there on the post, just click on the name of the recipe. :)

Adriana, Thanks! You're a great low carb recipe goddess yourself. I love Mexican food but there are no Mexican restaurants here! Seriously! Well, maybe that's a good thing. No temptation. I do love burritos and tacos and huevos rancheros... Yum! :)

Eileen said...

This looks awesome! I love making enchiladas and I'd make it with low carb tortillas on occasion. I never thought to try it without tortillas but it looks so delicious! I've tried cauliflower puree in place of mashed potatoes and wasn't a fan but this rice looks pretty good too.

Dee said...

Hi Eileen! Just skipping the tortillas and turning it into a casserole worked :) My husband loves loves Mexican food and he couldn't get enough of this. He didn't even miss the tortilla (he's not LC like me but I cook so he has no choice LOL) I like cauliflower mashed and riced, it's not the same as the real high carb things but when you think about it rice and potatoes are just extenders sometimes. So when I drench the "rice" with the enchilada sauce, it tastes so good I forget. :)

Worker Bee said...

Try these low carb enchiladas I stumbled across! The "tortilla" is actually an egg crepe.. no flour of any kind.. only eggs and cream. They roll up and everything!

Anonymous said...

How many peppers/onions and what size casserole dish did you use? Thanks!

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

This Week ~~~~~ Christmas Week!

Now that there's no school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, I hope to do some extra easy running.  Troubled though by a painful left hamstring ...who'd believe it, just when I have the time available!  Anyhow, so far ~~~~~

Monday : an easy 5km along Diamond Fields Road; few strides at finish.
Tuesday: Chev. track: 6 x 400m (400mRI) in 2:40 ..... my times 3:03; 2:42; 2:56; 2:53; 2:40; TE minor!!

Wednesday: Magill Drills/Strides  (school soccer field)  +  6 x 12 sec. short hill repeats ( Bong Bong Rd), 1 min RI.  Hamstring taped!  So far, so good!
Thursday:  Easy 5km from school to Diamond Fields Road and back. Lovely misty rain helped on this hilly course.  Took 45 min.  AHR 66-78%;  TE 2.5 Maintaining!

Friday, Christmas Day ~~~~~  OFF!

Boxing Day/Bowral Parkrun ~~~~
 Disaster!  Running downhill at the start, left leg hamstring gave way!  Struggled for a while on the cycle path but forced by extreme pain to turn back!   A sad and sorry sight I was climbing back up the hill for a Parkrun DNF! No idea how long this is going to take to heal but, for now, it's Goodbye to running!  Damn!!  And Hello to volunteering!!

....   and that's it for Christmas 2015!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Bowral Parkrun ~~~~~

Oh dear me!  I wasn't expecting it to be this bad, but it was.... and worse!  The slowest park run ever!  It was very hot, but given that heat always slows me down, I still wasn't expecting this result :

Time 40:34
AHR 79-88%

7:34;  7:47;  7:55;  8:11,  9:05

TE 4.1 Highly Improving!   WHAT?!!

And to add insult to injury, I've slipped in the age graded percentage to 79.13.... first time below 80+ in over 12 months!

Looking for something to blame : weight of Christmas tinsel and reindeer horns!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Chev Track ~~~~~

Returned to Chevalier College track instead of parkrun hills and probably achieved little in doing so!  It was simply too hot!

Instead of 6x 800m I did 3  (5:52;  6:00;  6:01) ....... quite a bit slower than VP!
400m RI

 No lanes marked so ran just inside oval fence which is a bit more than 400m.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Long Run ~~~~

With Leah, 10km .... hilly Diamond Fields Road.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Bowral Parkrun ~~~~~

Time 35:16 ......   Age graded 90.68%..Phew! Just made it into the 90%!!  Lost a few seconds by falling over near the finish!

Avg. 7:07m/k
AHR 83-92% of max.
6:51;   6:55;  6:59;  7:07;  7:22 .......steady decline!
TE 4.5 = Highly Improving ... well, that's encouraging!

Always enjoy park run days!

Friday, December 11, 2015

Tempo Run ~~~ Thursday

Parkrun course, Bowral.
TE 2.6 .....Maintaining.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Hills @ Bowral Parkrun ~~~~~

Drove across to our park run course for some hill repeats :

Warm-up + few drills
6 x 300m uphill reps.
Jog down

Far from being an easy session but I was glad to be back into the swing of things again!  Few raindrops falling on my head to finish with!

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Starting back ~~~~

A full week+ off with nasty, re-occurring Post Shingles Neuralgia!

10km easy with Leah out and back on Diamond Fields Road.  Forgot to start Garmin!


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2009 Chevrolet Silverado Owners Manual

Robust, comfortable and introduced in a ample collection of body styles and designs, the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a primary option for a complete-dimension pickup.

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 will become a new V8 decision (a 6.2-liter powerhouse with 403 horse power), a new half a dozen-performance automated transmission and a selection of new remedies, together with Bluetooth, XM traffic confirming and a to come back-up camera approach that doesn't will need the recommended menu method. Aside from that, selection services are shuffled plus an "XFE" (extra petrol economy) package for the crew cab debuts.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 whole-volume pickup van is for sale in 3 or more body styles: regular cab, lengthy cab and crew cab. Regular cabs can certainly be possessed with both a conventional bed (6-ft ., 6-inches) or a extensive bed furniture (8-foot). Lengthy cabs will offer a small (5-foot, 8-in .), standard or prolonged your bed. In the curiosity of maneuverability, staff cabs are available only with the fairly short bed furniture.

Standard cabs can certainly be enjoyed in base Operate or midlevel LT trims, when the lengthy and team cabs are made available in the deluxe LTZ cut. There's also an LS trim for crew taxi cabs only. The Perform cut features the tips, among them surroundings-conditioning (long- and team-cab variants), a experience laptop, OnStar telematics, vinyl chairs, a 40/20/40-split front counter seat, a Disc/Music player which has an auxiliary sound jack, satellite broadcast and a tilting steering wheel. The LS adds total strength gadgets, keyless admission, cruise vacation control and modifiable lumbar assistance for the car owner.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Powertrains and Performance

There are four diverse engines accessible to the 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500. Do the job trucks have a 4.3-liter V6 (195 hp, 260 pound-feet of torque) as quality. Sometimes it is enhanced to a 4.8-liter V8 (295 hp, 305 lb-ft) or a 5.3-liter V8 (315 hp, 338 lb-feet).

The LT cut, based on body pattern, will likely have an individual of both of these V8s as standard, at the same time the LTZ has the 5.3-liter engine as conventional.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Safety

Antilock brakes (forefront disc, rear drum) are conventional, with an all-disc installation offered using the Maximum Trailering here Package. A stability manage model with roll-mitigating concept is traditional on V8-outfitted trucks. Facet curtain airbags and modifiable pedals are recommended of all models.

In federal government accident tests, the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado attained top 5-star scores for their safeguard of all people in head-on and facet-results collisions.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Interior Design and Special Features

Snug construction, a stunning dash design and comfortable entrance seats integrate with audio ergonomics to generate the Silverado's interior fulfilling on in length street visits. The rear seat in team-cab models is also rather secure, and the seat pillows are generally flattened up for a just about ripped download carpet. Interior storage space is ample, however, many can undertake issue with the cupholders (too small) or the company of the centre gaming system pack. Silverado LTZ trims feature a completely unique trendy dash and home solar panel treatment methods with lustrous lumber grain and metal decorations.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Driving Impressions

The ongoing Chevrolet Silverado's directing truly feel is a great deal of improved upon over aged generations', that were affected by a huge on-core lifeless location. The potential support can feel about suitable for a truck, but the vehicle's turning group of friends is a bit bigger than that of many other trucks. On prolonged excursions, the supple revocation and secluded cabin enter into have fun with to generate the Silverado a desirable companion. Velocity is clearly tolerable with sometimes the 4.8- or 5.3-liter V8. The optionally available wider V8s and related transmissions make the Silverado really quickly for a filled-capacity truck, and are a great deal more suited to the to whom big transporting and trailering functions are a factor of lifespan.

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Browsing articles tagged with " L.Fauna Archive – Luna Jubilee"

52 Weeks of Color Challenge – Electric Indigo

Electric Indigo is Week 3 of my 52 Weeks of Color Challenge – Part Deux! At first I was kinda nervous about this color. Its a tough color to have in the beginning phase of the challenge. Of course, since the first round of this color challenge we covered a ton of the basics, not many left for this round. Shopping or finding inventory items will be tough. (Thankfully more and more designers are requesting the color list.)

Week Three: Electric Indigo
January 15 – January 21

Week 3 - Electric Indigo

Week Four: Iron
January 22 – January 29

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Since one of the first mesh hair releases from Wasabi Hair, I’ve kept a close watch on this brand. So much mesh hair goodness. I really didn’t think I would enjoy mesh as much has I have!

This hair is reminiscent to the beloved ETD Chel hair from yesteryear. Its a welcomed update with a twist!

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Luna Jubilee’s Windlight Setting: Bright Sparkly

Its been some time since I’ve done a Blog Boot Camp post. My last post showcases the windlight option I used most then. With a few viewer changes since, here’s my newly updated setting. I use this for pretty much all my photos and singles vendors.

Newly Updated WL setting

Since I use photoshop to boost colors be sure to see the before and after photo on flickr. This will show the original photo coloring.

To download this Windlight Setting, click here: Luna Jubilee – Bright Sparkly

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Weeks of Color Challenge: Mulberry

This is Week 50 of my 52 Weeks of Color Challenge. Not including this week, there are are only two weeks and two color remain. I’m not going to say goodbye to the challenge or all the friends I’ve made. I will; however, close this part of the challenge.

To pay homage to this first round of the Color Challenge, I’d like to pose an extra post after the 52 colors are completed. This one will be 15 of your favorite colors. After the 52nd color post, I’ll do “15 favorite” post, like I’ve done for past week’s, and you can add your blog link in the comments. Don’t worry, it will be easy to make a mosaic of the 15 photos so you don’t flood the feeds or have this endless stream of photos on your blog.

Can you believe we can say “Week Fifty”?!

Oh btw, this is my first post in awhile that I”m fully dressed. Aren’t you proud! lol

Week Fifty: Mulberry
October 15 – October 21

50 of 52: Mulberry

Week Fifty-One: Cream
October 22 – October 28

The color swatches don’t syndicate to the feeds so be sure to check my blog for them.

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52 Weeks of Color Challenge: Mahogany

oh week 33 how I love you. My 52 Weeks of Color Challenge is flying! We are now in the “less than 20 week” range. Simply amazing.

This is one of those rare weeks where I had the outfit picked out sometime earlier in the week. Aren’t you proud?! I will admit I always try to say something really epic or something in these posts. Sorry, there just isn’t anything coming to mind. Its more backspace and delete than me really composing thought.

Since I can’t think of anything to say that’s so momentous, I’ll give the first 15 commenters with blog links back to their Mahogany post/photos a gift card to !bang poses. Oh, and before you all race, I’ll give out 10 additional random gift cards during the week too. So 25 gift cards in total for the next 7 days. That’s fair right? <3

Week Thirty-Three: Mahogany
June 18 – June 24

33 of 52: Mahogany

Week Thirty-Four: Mauve
June 25 – July 1 24

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Thursday, August 19, 2004

A Trip To The Big City...
I've been on hiatus recently, taking a trip back to my native New York City to visit family and friends.

I'm not sure if it's me or not, but, New York has changed. Radically. Perhaps three months in the relative quiet of Charlotte, NC has changed me, and New York is the same place, albeit somewhat skewed in my eyes due to absence. Then again, maybe the character of the city has changed so much that based on my 37 years there, I no longer recognize it as my home. This is a preocess, I belive, that started soon after September 11th, and now it's coming to it's completion.
New York will be unrecognizable to it's natives within 10 years, I believe.

I no longer feel comfortable there. I felt like an alien. Everything is pretty much in the same place as it was before, but it seems subtly different, somehow. The same stores, churches, office buildings, etc., no longer have the feel of familiarity to me that should be second nature to someone who has been in them thousands of times.

The crowds are still there. A vast sea of millions of people, each living in his own little universe oblivious to everyone else, rushing headlong into an early death from stress and aggravation. However, the crowd has accoutrements now: police officers, in flak jackets armed with sub-machine guns and walking bomb-sniffing dogs. There was a time, even in New York, when such things would have drawn spectators, or at least raised an eyebrow. But now, this is part of the scenery. Just one more guy to push past on the sidewalk.

The subway has changed, somewhat for the better. I found it cleaner than I remembered it and I don't recall seeing any of the usual vermin that manage to survive there: the 4' long rats, the vagrants. But when you look at the advertisements in the station, or on the train, you'll see they're written in Spanish, Creole, Polish, Russian, Chinese, in short, usually anything but English. Did the English speakers all suddenly move away, like I did? There were not massive crowds on the trains either, like there normally are. Even places like Penn Station or Union Square stations, which are usually wall-to-wall people, seemed empty.

I was only in NYC for four days, and granted, I spent the majority of them on Staten Island which is sort of like being stranded in the desert between Phoenix and Las Vegas -- there's not much there, and it never changes. But I was amazed at how quickly I was able to pick up on the subtle changes that quickly, and even more dumbfounded by how incomprehensible I found most of them to be. It's not my New York anymore, and I'd better get used to the idea.

And by the way, still no smoking in bars. I guess one thing hasn't changed: the perpetually panty-bunched always get their way.
They EU-rinate Sitting Down...
From the August 18th, 2004 edition of Best of the Web (Wall Street Journal):

Germany's Last Stand --- EU-niks are taking a stand against standing. "German men are being shamed into urinating while sitting down by a gadget which is saving millions of women from cleaning up in the bathroom after them," reports London's Daily Telegraph:
The WC ghost, a £6 voice-alarm, reprimands men for standing at the lavatory pan. It is triggered when the seat is lifted. The battery-operated devices are attached to the seats and deliver stern warnings to those who attempt to stand and urinate (known as "Stehpinkeln").
"Hey, stand-peeing is not allowed here and will be punished with fines, so if you don't want any trouble, you'd best sit down," one of the devices orders in a voice impersonating the German leader, Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Another has a voice similar to that of his predecessor, Helmut Kohl.

The manufacturer plans to market an English-speaking version in the United Kingdom:
Their prototype English-speaking WC ghost says in an American drawl: "Don't you go wetting this floor cowboy, you never know who's behind you. So sit down, get your water pistol in the bowl where it belongs. Ha, ha, ha."

So that's what Europeans mean when they criticize Americans as "cowboys."
The Telegraph notes that "in German, the phrase for someone who sits and urinates, a 'Sitzpinkler,' is equivalent to 'wimp,' " The paper also cites an expert called Klaus Schwerma, author of "Stehpinkeln: Die Letzte Bastion der Männlichkeit?"--an actual book, the title of which which translates as "Standing Urinators: The Last Bastion of Masculinity?"

This makes all the more unsettling the New York Times' observation, when, in that editorial blasting President Bush's military reorganization plan, that an "advantage" of stationing U.S. soldiers in Germany is that it gives them "the experience of living in other cultures." Pulling out of Germany may prove beneficial to America's defensive posture in more ways than one.
These are the serious, nuanced "allies" that John Kerry would have us grovel before? Any country that a) engages in such stupidity and b) uses tax dollars to fund such stupidity, is an ally I could do without.

I wonder, will the Germans make it mandatory for all them EU nations to buy these things for their public restrooms?