PSYCH Me Out!

I know what you are thinking. Really. You are thinking....how good I look in my tight black jeans today! See. I knew it. Psych!

Seriously, have you seen this show? We love it! Not with the passionate love we reserve for some of our very favorite shows, but there is love. Some love. This is not what you would call a GREAT show, but it is cute and mildly funny. Actually, this is one of the few shows where we watch the whole introduction because we love watching the way Shawn acts when he is supposedly having a psychic episode.

Netflix and I had an issue when I put this show on our "kwee" and somehow we ended up missing the first disk. We dove right in anyway and enjoyed the shows, but it was not until we got Disk 1 that we actually understood how the two of them got involved in pretending to be psychic to solve crimes. Some of the shows are written better than others and they are really the best when they let Shawn act like a total idiot and when they showcase the true friendship between Shawn and Gus. But they are all enjoyable.

Do you watch? What do you think?

Deodorant And Bath Gel And New Shoes

I like Ebay. I buy stuff and I sell stuff and I think it's just about the most fabulous place for stuff IN THE WORLD. You can find ANYTHING on Ebay. So Tom needed some new deodorant recently. He has some seriously annoying important issues with deodorant - it has to be a certain brand and a certain smell and, OMG, it has to be a clear stick, not a clear gel or a clear solid but a clear stick, or THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT WILL COME TO AN END. Or his pits will break out. You know. Whichever comes first.

We had looked at several stores and come to the conclusion that they must have quit making the stuff. Isn't that just the most annoying thing in the world? When they quit making that stuff you like and you use and you really, really need? So, we thought. Hey, Ebay! And because Ebay has, like, everything that you might possibly want on God's green earth and then some extra stuff that nobody in their right mind would want, they had his deodorant. So we bought some. You may think I am kidding. So here's my evidence that we actually bought deodorant. On Ebay.

I have also found an elusive fragrance of bath gel from Bath and Body Works that they quit making - again, don't you hate that? And I might possibly have bought one three six pairs of shoes on Ebay one time. So you can see when I saw this youtube video, I could totally relate. Totally. Can't you?

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway - April 28, 2008

Barbara was the first one to make a comment about the little apple coasters from last week, so she wins them. I'll get them to you, Barb!

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway

White Elephant: Something of dubious or limited value (value being in the eye of the beholder)

For details about the FREE (Yes, FREE. No strings attached. Well. Except you do have to visit my blog.) White Elephant Blog Giveaway, just click here. Now, make a comment. You know you want to.

You know how your pudding gets that skin on it? Well, weep no more, my lady! Here's some great little Tupperware pudding cups WITH LIDS. They are perfect. There are six in the set, so if you need them, just make a comment. Good luck!

For Fun Friday April 25, 2008

Did you know there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? It's Arachibutyrophobia. I am not making that up. Now if only there was a fear of eating iced sugar cookies. I could obtain that fear somehow and I would be golden.

http://www.bored.com/phobiaguide/index.htm

How long would you survive in a horror movie? They said I would survive through 40% of the movie, which is ridiculous. I would survive through 1% because I would just sit and cry until I died.

http://www.gotoquiz.com/how_long_would_you_survive_in_a_horror_movie

Are you a Starbucks fan? Think you have a great idea that they should implement IMMEDIATELY? Well. Tell them. They actually use many of the ideas submitted.

http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/home/home.jsp

And, finally, this.

O lny srmat poelpe can raed this. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a word are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the first and last ltteer be in the rgh it pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this psas it on !!

You Say Tomato. I Say THAT IS INCORRECT.

I got a new bathing suit the other day. After trying on approximately four skillion bathing suits. You know how that is. Just when you think you are surely going to find the perfect suit because you have chosen about one skillon to bring in the dressing room and they are all DARLING ON THE HANGER, they all look awful and show your white, cellulite-y thighs in the worst possible way. So you have to get completely dressed and go out and choose about one skillion more and start all over again. I wish someone would invent a store where women could just walk around naked, choosing bathing suits and nobody would be the least bit inhibited. But that's probably not going to happen. It would be slightly difficult to keep the men out, for one thing.

But I found the perfect one. Finally. It has a black bottom half and the top is polka dot. Darling. Of course, I just found out the other day that Liz has purchased a brand new polka dot bikini which would, more than likely, just possibly fit on ONE of my thighs, so she is probably going to show me up on the beach. But as long as I am alone, I will look fabulous.

But here's where I'm going with this. I was reading this post by Antique Mommy the other day and my first reaction was "Cool! I might win a new bathing suit!" and my second reaction was "Who calls them swimming suits??" I have always said bathing suit. Which, in hindsight, doesn't make as much sense as swimming suit because, really, you are not BATHING, you are SWIMMING.

Bathing sounds like something a delicate Southern flower did when they wore those old-fashioned wool bathing suits with the long legs and the matching ruffled caps. But of course, I AM a delicate Southern flower, so it TOTALLY makes sense to call it a bathing suit. My mom always called it a bathing suit. And she actually IS a delicate Southern flower, so maybe that's why we all call them that in my family.

So I started wondering. Always a dangerous thing. This can result in posts about buttered Pop-Tarts. I wondered who called it a swimming suit. And who calls it a bathing suit. And then I realized. I could TOTALLY create an online poll. Something I have been dying to do. But I never had an issue I thought was silly enough quite enough of a time-waster vitally important. So here it is. Let's just see how many people call it a swimming suit. And how many call it a bathing suit. What about you?

NOT A Domestic Goddess

Although I can't claim to be a domestic goddess like some people in my family, I do have my moments. One of the dishes I make that is a favorite of my family, also happens to be one of the easiest things I make. Settle in, my faithful readers, and let me share my old, treasured family recipe for meat loaf.

Here it is.



Seriously. Adolph's Meat Loaf Mix. For years when we were first married, I painstakingly put together meat loafs (loaves?) with oatmeal and various other ingredients and they were good. Acceptable. OK, edible. But not exceptional.

This mix makes your meat loaf exceptional. When I make it for the whole family, I make a large meatloaf with 2 pounds of ground chuck. But I finally figured out when I make that for just Tom and me, a lot is wasted. I got smart one time and made the whole mixture, but then divided it into two meat loafs. I prepared one and froze one.


There is nothing quite like taking a completely prepared meal out of the freezer and popping it into the oven to make you feel like you have a nice, relaxing evening. I mix up the little sauce packet and divide that in half as well, since we all love the sauce.

This meat loaf is truly delicious, moist and tender and flavorful. Of course, there has to be a catch. This mix is really hard to find. When I locate it, I usually grab three or four packages and stow them away like a miser with his gold coins. I probably shouldn't even be telling you about it. Because you might buy them all. But I am a good, generous blogger friend. Just don't buy them all. I might have to come and find you to get one back.If you can find some, buy it. (one. Don't be a pig.) Make a meat loaf. And let me know what you think.

Defeet And DeBabyFeet

Another post from my feet. I just can't shut them up. I'm sorry.

Hey, mon! It finally be spring and defeet be so happy to be wearin' de open-toe shoes. Life be good. Life by VERRA good 'cause know what? DEBABYFEET,

dey come over to play! Mon. We LOVE when debabyfeet come to play!

First thing we do is get rid of those shoes, mon! Defeet and debabyfeet like de bare feet best.

Den we like to fly! Debabyfeet like defeet to make dem fly, fly, fly. It be fun, mon.

Den we get out de bowling game. Defeet bought dis for debabyfeet and debabyfeet love it. Dey are verra good at dis game. First, dey hold de ball.

Den debabyfeet roll de ball.

Den we get out de blocks. We like to make de tower verra high, mon. Cause dat be fun!

Now, it's time for some dinner, mon. Debabyfeet like de hot dog and de macaroni and cheese. And de cookie, of course. He like de cookie verra much. Defeet might like de cookie too. I'm just sayin.

Dis be one precious foot, mon. Debabyfeet be verra, verra precious to defeet.

When debabyfeet went home, defeet had to take a little rest. Debabyfeet full of energy, mon. Dey be FULL of energy.

And in case you think debabyfeet had an issue with being photographed, this is basically what he thought of it. He thought it was HILARIOUS.

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway - April 21, 2008

The winner of the cute milkshake glasses from last week is Jessica from Don't Give Him Crackers. Jessica, if you will email me your address, I'll get them in the mail to you.

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway

White Elephant: Something of dubious or limited value (value being in the eye of the beholder)

For details about the FREE (Yes, FREE. No strings attached. Well. Except you do have to visit my blog.) White Elephant Blog Giveaway, just click here. Now, make a comment. You know you want to.

I found these darling glass apple coasters the other day. There is a set of four. If you like them and want them and can't live without them, make a comment. Good luck!

For Fun Friday April 18, 2008

Want to destroy a website?? OK, not really, but it looks really cool. Just copy and paste a web site address and choose how you want it destroyed. It's strangely satisfying.

http://www.bored.com/destroysites/go.php

I'm pretty succinct but I don't think I can tell a story in one sentence.

http://www.onesentence.org/


This is kind of fun to see how you would look with a makeover. The picture of your face has to be straight up and down, though, or it won't work right.

http://www.getmakeovers.com/

I'm a golden falcon, even though I probably chose an arrow as my symbol because I'm into Robin Hood lately.

http://www.gotoquiz.com/animology_what_animal_are_you

World's Most FABULOUS Gardener

What do you think of my garden? My lovely, lovely spring flowers which tell us that we are on the cusp of change, on the verge of warm weather springing forth to remind us of the constant evolution of the seasons...oh, OK. OK!

They are my neighbor's flowers. But they could TOTALLY be mine. If, you know. I would get up OUT of my recliner and go work in the yard. But that's probably not going to happen. Probably.

Oh, THAT? That's Just Homemade Bread.

This is the kind of thing that happens when I don't spend all my free time curled in the recliner with my eyes glued to the TV screen, completely involved in the lives of FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. I'm not saying that TV viewing does not have it's important place in my life because it TOTALLY does. But it's amazing what I can get done when I, for example, TURN OF THE TV. Like homemade bread.

I bought a breadmaker a few years ago and use it intermittently but what I really didn't like about it was 1. it made the bread a weird shape and 2. the bread was never really that good, no matter how many recipes I tried. So I was browsing through some gourmet recipe sites the other day looking for some gourmet recipes to prepare for dinner...OK, I just happened to stumble on the website, OK? And this woman who seems to be, like a GODDESS of breadmaking, mentioned that it was actually best if you used your breadmaker to just make DOUGH, then take it out and bake it in a bread pan.

Huh. So that's what that dough setting is for. I liked this idea, so I printed out one of her recipes for oatmeal bread and made it. It was easy. The bread machine does the hard work so, basically, you just plump the bread in the pan and let it rise and bake it. Done. Now, just fluff a little flour on your nose, stagger in the living room and announce that you have made HOMEMADE BREAD and, OMG, are you fabulous or what?

I would give you the recipe but I have made the bread three times now and, each time, I make it a little different. It's good but I want it to be sweeter, chewier and denser. So I keep adding things like maple syrup and brown sugar and more oatmeal and messing with it and it gets better and better. And, I guess I added a lot of ingredients this last time because it's technically supposed to make one loaf and it ballooned out into two. No problem. More bread for us! Once I have it perfected, I'll share the recipe. In between nomming down on bread smeared with butter. Oh, the diet? Oh, yeah. I'll have an apple with it. And that will balance out the calories. Right? Right?

Dinner And A Show And Kegels. Oh My.

I had the BEST TIME last weekend! There is nothing quite like a day spent with your girlfriends. A day where you have the best marinara YOU HAVE EVER TASTED and seen a show so hilariously funny you could possibly have wet your pants if you had not been forewarned there was no intermission so you limited yourself to one Diet Pepsi at lunch. If you are a female and have not seen "Menopause - The Musical" - you should. It is that good. The food was good. The play was good. But really. The highlight of the day was the demonstration by Agnes* of kegel exercises.

Agnes: So, I told her I could show her how to do kegels.


Us: ........ Uh. You said you could SHOW her?


Agnes: Sure no problem. Like this. (proceeds to gyrate rather alarmingly in her chair)


Us: ........ Uh. You know. You can't actually SEE someone doing kegels.


Agnes: Yes, you can! (slightly exasperated) I'll show you later.


Later.


Agnes proceeds to lie down on a couch in the lounge area of the restaurant, which, Thank God, was deserted, and began some rather interesting pelvic thrusts. Really. She could seriously get a job as a pole dancer.


Us: .........Uh. I don't think those are actually kegels.


Agnes: Yes! They are! Definitely! I'll fax you the paper! They ARE kegels!


Us: ..........Uh. OK. Fax 'em on over.

Girlfriend. Did you look up kegels in the Internet yet? No, really. That's OK. You don't have to show me. Really.

*Names changed to protect the innocent.

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway - April 14, 2008

Vicki is the winner of the little bunny box from last week.


Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway

White Elephant: Something of dubious or limited value (value being in the eye of the beholder)

For details about the FREE (Yes, FREE. No strings attached. Well. Except you do have to visit my blog.) White Elephant Blog Giveaway, just click here. Now, make a comment. You know you want to.

I found these darling, vintage milkshake or parfait glasses the other day. They are thick glass and about 7" tall. Make a comment if you have room for them. Good luck!

Hola! Mojito. Taco. OK, I'm Tapped Out.

Several years ago, I had decided I was not going to wear capris. Although I never say never when it comes to fashion, because God knows, I might have to eat my words when I find I can't live without the very fashion item I have vehemently defiled, I did not think capris were a good fashion statement for me.
And then my friend Vicki strolled into school in a pair of khaki capris. Now, you have to understand that Vicki and I are practically IDENTICAL TWINS. Well. Except for the fact that Vicki has naturally curly strawberry blonde hair and keeps her trim figure by exercising regularly. But still. Practically IDENTICAL TWINS. We are exactly the SAME HEIGHT. See? Practically identical.

And I thought, huh. Those capris look pretty good. Pretty cute. Even though I don't have naturally curly strawberry blonde hair and a trim, girlish figure, I do have long legs! They might have a little cellulite on the thighs, but they are long! Besides, those capris would totally cover that cellulite right up. So. I went and bought some capris. Some silky gold and brown flowered ones with a matching silky tunic top. Actually, I bought two sets that were very similar.

And, I'm here to tell you, that was the BEST INVESTMENT I ever made. Because not only do I still have those two outfits and they look like the day I bought them (and I still kick myself that I didn't buy the blue and black set - what WAS I THINKING?), they opened up a whole new world for me. The world of capris.

See? Just like new!

Once the world of capris (and that should totally be the name of a store) opened up, I purchased quite a few pairs of capris. In fact, I went shopping just the other day and found some darling, checked seersucker capris and, because I have been burned ( I REALLY should have bought that blue and black set), I bought every color they had. Now, I have to confess, when I bought them, they looked a little familiar. But I thought that was just because I had tried on every color. Just to be sure.

See how cute? You know you would have bought them too.

But then when I got home, I found these in my closet.

But you know what? I don't care. For two reasons. First, they are TOTALLY different from the others. Don't you see that flower on there? TOTALLY different. And second. Because I remember when I bought those white shorts and those slate blue shorts and I didn't buy the navy shorts because I had a navy pair at home and then the elastic broke in that navy pair and if I had bought the OTHER navy pair, I totally would have had a back up pair.

So, I now have back up capris. In case of another elastic emergency. I believe in being prepared, fashion-wise. I also may have gotten slightly carried away on the whole white capri front.

But really. They are ALSO totally different. See the turquoise blue trim on that pair? And the green on the other? And the yellow and green flowers on the other pair? Those have matching tops to go with them. So I had to buy them. Buy them ALL. You understand, right?

Just look how cute those matching tops look. You KNOW you would have bought them too. Even though you had white capris at home. And didn't TECHNICALLY need more white capris. It's all a matter of defining need. Isn't it?

Once I actually got all my capris out of the closet and spread them out and photographed them, I thought. Man. I have a lot of capris. Maybe I have too many?

And then I slapped myself upside the head. Because I realized. That would mean I had too many clothes. That I had shopped too much. And we all know that is just not possible.

Right?

Take A Torch To Torchwood

I may make a few enemies with this post. Bring on the "Torchwood" fans! Bring on the comments! Bring on the controversy! I am ready for you.

Because, based on the research I did about "Torchwood" to find out if there are others who..let's see how to put this diplomatically..find this the most boring, insipid show they HAVE EVER SEEN, most of the viewers of this show are pretty rabidly enthusiastic about it.

I don't get it. Really I don't.

We have learned to be fair when we start a series. After I gave up on "Buffy" after a couple of episodes and decided it was the stupidest, campiest, boringest, most ridiculous show I had ever seen and Tom had to come upstairs to drag me back down, saying "You won't believe what just happened! You HAVE to come watch it again", and we discovered this was the BEST SHOW WE HAVE EVER SEEN, we now give them at least a few episodes before we give up. So, even though we looked at each after episode one of "Torchwood" and said "What the heck? That was AWFUL. Terrible story, terrible acting, terrible special effects...just...terrible." We persevered. Because we are nothing if not fair to our (slightly) fanatical TV viewing.

So we watched the next one. And the next. And the next. We watched almost half the season before we decided we were not wasting one more minute of our lives on this show.

The stories, they are terrible! The acting, it is awful! The special effects, they make us cringe! And I thought I was the only one who was mesmerized by the terribleness of Gwen's teeth until Tom said he could NOT look at the rest of her face. Every time she came on the screen, his eyes zeroed in on her terrible teeth. It wasn't just me.

This is absolutely not the only reason we will not EVER watch this show again. In all fairness, I have an issue with the main character's teeth in "Robin Hood" as well (although I either got used to them or he had some work done between Season 1 and 2) AND I think he is a little skinny for the role AND I try to avoid thinking about the fact that I am pretty sure there is some kind of comb-over going on with his hair. But all of that fades away when the story begins and you are lost in their fantastical, romantic world.

That never happens with "Torchwood". You are too busy concentrating on the flaws to enjoy the few good things in this series. I'm sure there are some good things. I just can't think of any offhand.

So, what do you say? Did you hate it? Love it? Why? I truly want to know.

Lookin' Good

You think you look good when you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning and you are having a good hair/good face day. You know? When you hair lays just right and your face doesn't have any of those blotchy spots/dark circles, weird lines? When you have on your tight black jeans and your belly is not smooshing over the waistband and you have on your hot yellow wool, double breasted blazer with the brass buttons, and your little black boots and your matching yellow and black earrings. You think you look pretty good.

You are pretty sure you look good when two of your elementary age students comment on your earrings and tell you how pretty you look today.

You are sure you look good when several people you work with tell you how good you look.

But.

You are positive you look absolutely, state-of-the-art fabulous when you are in the parking lot of the public library and some total stranger rolls down her window and tells you how great you look in that blazer. A total stranger.

Dude.

I look good.

The Agony of DEFEET

My feet have been begging to write their own post for quite some time now. For a while, I ignored them but they kept clamoring and whining and trying to get into my brain until, finally, I just gave in and let them write. Figuratively, of course, not literally. Because. You know. They can't actually type. And when I finally let them speak, it was with a Jamaican accent. I am so very sorry.

Mon. We do NOT like dis Winter. Dis Winter, she is very bad. Dis Winter, she is cold and wet and uncomfortable. Dis Winter make us very unhappy.

We been stuffed into snow boots.

We been smothered in hot slippers.

We been covered in de socks every single day.

Dis not make us happy, mon. Defeet like de Summer much better. De Summer, she is warm and sunny and happy. Defeet like de Summer. Defeet like to swing from the de side of de pool in de turquoise pool water and walk on de squeaky white sand. Defeet like to have no shoes on. Shoes be bad. Boots be bad. Sandals be good. Bare is de best. Bare be heaven, mon. Heaven.

We been tellin' her we need de pedicure. But she don' lissen. Our polish be chippin' mon. We got de dry, crusty patches. Defeet do NOT like de dry crusty patches. Defeet like to be smooth and pink and pretty. And defeet like de peoples to look at us and think we is pretty. We is a little vain, mon. Yes we is.

Good morning, mon! Wake up! Today be de pedicure day.

It be Spring, mon. Spring! Dis be very good time to have de pedicure. Time for de bath. De shower be quick, but de shower not be good for taking pictures of defeet, mon. And we do like to have our pictures taken. Yes, we do.

Aaaaah, we like de hot bath.

Now de pedicure. Thass what we talkin' about, mon.

Scrubby scrubby scrubby on defeet be very good, mon.

And lotion. Yes, mon. Defeet like de lotion. And de massage. Yes, mon. Dat be verrah good.

Now de polish. Orange, mon. Orange be good for Spring. Don't we look verrah good? Yes, we do.

Now we be happy, mon. We be verrah happy. If she would just take us shoe shoppin'. Dat would be de best.

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway - April 7, 2008

Mrs. Who's White Elephant Blog Giveaway

White Elephant: Something of dubious or limited value (value being in the eye of the beholder)

For details about the FREE (Yes, FREE. No strings attached. Well. Except you do have to visit my blog.) White Elephant Blog Giveaway, just click here. Now, make a comment. You know you want to.

Today, I have a little wooden bunny box. It looks kind of rustic or possibly, if you are incredibly yuppie about it, shabby chic. Whatever you call it, it's kinda cute. It's about 4" tall and 6" wide, with a hinged lid. Do you have room for it? If so, make a comment. Good luck!

For Fun Friday April 4, 2008

Well, I have already told you that I am a geek, and apparently I am a nerd as well. A literature nerd. What about you?

http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_be_your_nerd_type

Do you ever sit at your computer and just scroll aimlessly through web sites, trying to find something interesting? Me too! Check this site that will match up web sites to your current mood.

http://www.bored.com/moodsurfer/index.php

Since I would basically draw stick figures, I decided to go with the handwriting analysis on this site and it was surprisingly accurate. If you are artistic, try drawing. Let me know how it works out.

http://www.bored.com/drawthings/index.php

Have you ever wanted to find out the recipe for that fabulous dish you just ate at a restaurant? Here you go.

http://topsecretrecipes.com/home.asp

Get unlimited music downloads here for only $6 a month. They have over 2 million choices.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/

Let The Day Begin!

So, tomorrow's Friday. Last day of the week, date night, and, to my GREAT sorrow, my spring break is coming dangerously close to ending but that's OK, because..."Battlestar Galactica" is back tomorrow.

In looking over my previous blog posts, I realize I have raved about several different TV shows (and that reminds me that we just finished Season One of "Friday Night Lights" - OMG, I will totally LISTEN when you say a show is really good from now on, I swear) but I haven't mentioned our deep and abiding love for "Battlestar Galactica". I thought it was coming to an end and, unfortunately, it is, but not right away. They are showing 10 episodes now and will show the rest at a later date. Frak, I can't believe it's ending. And I bet you thought, like me, that was spelled Frack. But no. It's frak. And if you don't know what I am talking about, watch this.*






Now go back and rent all the seasons from Netflix and immerse yourself in a world where the vast majority of the human race has been exterminated by the robots they themselves created, a world where life and death choices must be made every day for the good of those who survive, a world where heroes shine through blood-stained faces and friendship and love triumph over evil, a world where they are desperately trying to get back to a place called Earth. And let me know what you think.

*Thanks to Heather, a fellow Battlestar geek, for sharing this video with me.

Pig Out On Pineapple Cake

Several people asked for the pineapple cake recipe I talked about the other day, so here ya go. It freezes really well. You might even be even able to freeze it for more than two days if you are not hogs. Like us.

Pineapple Cake

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups White Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Can crushed pineapple (with juice)

1/2 Cup crushed pecans

Combine all ingredients except the nuts and pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Icing
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter

Cream together and ice cake while still hot. Top with pecans. Should look sorta like this.

Eat until you are satisfied. Or feel slightly sick. Not that I would EVER do that.

Hallelujah, I Can READ!

(And you better believe I had to look up how to spell "hallelujah".) I had almost forgotten how enjoyable reading books can be while I was immersed in my "Gilmore Girls" obsession. Now, when I get home from school, I actually have a couple of hours to read. It's fabulous. I may have gotten a trifle carried away when I went to the library.

But I will struggle though. I'm working my way through them. Also, what I find amazing, is how many truly crappy books are out there. I often start two or three books and give up on them before I find something good to read. But I have found a few.

"Switchcraft", by Mary Castillo is about two women who magically switch bodies and lives and is cute, light entertainment.

"The Immortal Highlander", by Karen Marie Moning is a cool fantasy story about elves (think macho elves like Legolas in "Lord of the Rings") and their contact with humans. There is a LOT of, uh, contact, so beware if you don't like that kind of thing. I didn't realize I was starting in the middle of the series until I checked on amazon, but this can be read on it's own. She has written several books about these characters and this world, so check them out.

Duma Key, by Stephen King is about a guy who is badly hurt in an accident and goes to live in Florida where his painting begins to take a creepy turn and his pictures start to show the future. It's typical Stephen King and is definitely a good read.

Blaze, by Richard Bachman (pen name for Stephen King) is one that King wrote years ago but never published. He dug it out of storage, decided it was pretty good, and released it and it is heart-wrenchingly good. It's a story about a kidnapping, but it's not quite that simple.

Up Close And Dangerous, by Linda Howard is an action/adventure story combined with a romance and I just loved it. A couple crash-lands in the wilderness and has to survive on their own. I love a story with a tough, gutsy woman and this one definitely have one.

I'm in the middle of a couple of others and will keep you updated.

What about you? What are you reading?