April 8, 2009

So are you looking for a unique, meaningful Easter gift for your kiddos, or maybe another family member or a friend? Are they animal lovers?  I have the perfectest idea for you!  Sponsor a homeless bunny this Easter!

Eddie Rabbit 2

Best Friends is the most incredible animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, and they are one of my top 2 favorite charities (the SPCA is the other one).  If you don't know about the wonderful work they do, please check out their web site.  This Easter, you can sponsor a bunny who is at Best Friends waiting for a furever home.  For $25, you can sponsor one of these little bunbuns.  Your gift will go toward updating and expanding their Bunny House at Best Friends.

Ellie

A $25 gift sponsorship comes with a personalized e-card from you on Easter (or any other day you like), along with a photo and story of the bunny you’ve sponsored. How about printing out your sponsored bunny's photo, and placing it in your child's Easter basket?  How fun would that be?

Dakota

Thank you for considering a bunny sponsorship with Best Friends!

~BigSis

March 17, 2009

We've talked a lot this past week about St. Patrick's Day, but mostly related to food and parties. I was talking to the kids last night about wearing green on St. Patrick”s Day and it made me wonder what started the tradition of ‘wearing the green'.

So, of course, I started googling. What did we do before we had the internet? (Oh, I remember, we pulled out the encyclopedias!)

I found this on Wikipedia and thought it was pretty interesting:

St. Patrick's Blue, not green, was the color long-associated with St. Patrick. Green, the color most widely associated with Ireland, with Irish people, and with St. Patrick's Day in modern times, may have gained its prominence through the phrase “the wearing of the green” meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing. At many times in Irish history, to do so was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism or loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish. The wearing of and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the saint's holiday.  The change to Ireland's association with green rather than blue probably began around the 1750s.

So, I decided to find out a little more about where the leprechaun came from.  Again, this is from Wikipedia:

In Irish mythology, a leprechaun (Irish: leipreachán) is a type of male faerie said to inhabit the island of Ireland. They are a class of “faerie folk” associated in Irish folklore with the Tuatha Dé Danann and other quasi-historical peoples said to have inhabited Ireland before the arrival of the Celts.

Leprechauns and other creatures of Irish folklore are often associated with “faerie forts” or “faerie rings” — often the sites of ancient (Celtic or pre-Celtic) earthworks or drumlins.

Leprechauns usually take the form of old men who enjoy partaking in mischief. Their trade is that of a cobbler or shoemaker. They are said to be very rich, having many treasure crocks buried during war-time. According to legend, if anyone keeps an eye fixed upon one, he cannot escape, but the moment the gaze is withdrawn, he vanishes.

So, as we partake in all the fun of this St. Patrick's Day; we wear green, we eat green, and we even drink green. I think it's nice to know a little more about how it all  began.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~LilSis

March 11, 2009

St. Patrick's Day Party, anyone? I love St. Patrick's Day! I think it's because it's just another good excuse for me to have friends over for some party food and beverages. One of the best things about a party is that you can drink at home and don't need an ID to get into a bar. Although, you might need one of the best fake id cards you can find online to buy the alcohol in the first place. Still, it's better than spending all night in a crowded bar. Since St. Patrick's Day falls on a Tuesday this year, I'm undecided as to whether or not I'll have a party or just invite a couple of friends and neighbors over.

Are you hosting a party or maybe just serving up some great Irish food for a small group of family or friends? If so, hopefully you'll find something here that will help you plan your ‘get-together'.

I have a teensy bit of Irish in me, but SirHoney is half Irish, so I like to keep things festive for St. Patrick's Day.

I like doing just a few decorations, maybe some green and white balloons, cute cocktail napkins and plates, and a nice centerpiece. But, I really love having a selection of fun hats, tiaras, and boas for guests to choose from as they enter the party. I think it creates a fun mood, like at a New Year's Eve or Halloween Party. This year, I even considered having a fancy dress theme for my party. I found a cute yellow costume which would've been perfect, but I decided to stay with tradition and do my normal St Pat's day theme.

Here are a few sites that are loaded with ideas and party supplies.

• Party City has a good selection of St. Patrick's Day novelty items and decorations.

• Party411 has some fun St. Patrick's Day Party Games and Party Supplies.

• There are several party theme ideas here on Celebrations.com.

To get this party started, here are a few ideas for cocktails. How about this Glowing Gecko? I actually served this at a St. Patty's Day Party a few years ago and it was a big hit with those who like sweet drinks.

Fluorescent Green Gecko

If you're not a big fan of the sweet drinks, how about a green beer? You can actually brew your own green beer at home, but it takes two weeks, so there's not enough time to start that now. Supposedly, you can just add green food color to some light beer, but I don't think I want to drink green food coloring.

If you want to skip the green beer, just serve up some authentic Irish beer like Guinness Stout or Murphy's. If you'd still like a few more ideas for cocktails, check out this site for more St. Patrick's Day Drinks.

When it comes to the menu, it obviously depends on how many people you're having over and whether or not you just want to serve appetizers or have a sit down meal. I would normally prefer to serve more appetizers, but I'm trying to keep with the Irish theme and you can only eat so many potatoes! I don't want anything else too heavy.

I found this Potted Beer and Cheddar recipe in the same Irish cookbook as the Potato Pancakes, but I discovered that the recipe came from Cabot Cheese. I haven't made it yet, but it might be an option. It looks easy and it's festive since it has beer and cheese in it!

For my last St. Patrick's Day Party, I had about ten people and this was my menu.

• Ham and Potato Pancakes – This recipe was in a special little Irish cookbook I bought called Irish Food, Fun, and Crafts.

• Beer Potato Soup – This soup turned out so good! I found the recipe on Fabulous Foods, but it originated from Tapp's Brewpub and Steakhouse in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.

• Reuben Sandwiches – This recipe was on Food Network, but it originally came from Gourmet Magazine. I loved how these could be put together a little bit before the party so all you had to do is pop them in the oven as the guests arrive. I actually cut some into smaller pieces and served as an appetizers. (Of course, the ‘manly men' can eat a whole one.)

• Corned Beef and Cabbage – I didn't follow a recipe when I made mine, but I like Martha Stewart's recipe for classic Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

For dessert at my party, I think we just ended up have a little Bailey's Irish Cream (I'm not real good about remembering to include a dessert).

If you want to include a dessert, here are a few that look great!

Check out this Irish Cream Bundt Cake from The Recipe Girl. I'd really want to try this recipe!

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

For the kids, I like these Shamrock Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Shamrock Ice Cream Sandwiches

And these St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes from Taste of Home are simple but very cute.

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

I hope this helps to jump start your St. Patrick's Day Party Planning!

Oh, and don't forget; no St. Patrick's Day Party is complete without some great Irish music! And one last thing, you've got to have a great Irish toast when raising your glasses to friends on St. Patrick's Day. I love this one.

“May your neighbors respect you,

trouble neglect you,

the angels protect you,

and Heaven accept you.”

~LilSis

February 14, 2009

Psyché et l’Amour (Cupid and Psyche). Painted 1798, Oil on canvas, exhibited at the 1798 Salon.

When you think of Valentine's Day, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Flowers, chocolates, and Valentine's cards? Probably. I think Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that most of us don't even think about how it actually originated.

The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian Martyrs named Valentine. The Roman Martyrology, however, only mentions one Saint Valentine and he was buried north of Rome on February 14th. If you're interested, here's more about Saint Valentine.

Modern Valentine symbols include hearts, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. In Roman Mythology, Cupid is known as the God of erotic love and beauty. For as long as I can remember, I've loved Cupids. I've had a print of this painting in my bedroom for many years.

Cupid and Psyche as Children (L'Amour et Psyche, enfants) William Adolphe Bouguereau

I've always admired the work of Michelangelo and have always had a fascination with Rome. This painting is one of my favorites. I have a huge print of The Creation of Adam hanging in my foyer.

Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam. 1508 - 1512. Fresco. The Sistine Chapel.

I've been wanting to go to Rome for many years, mainly to see the Sistine Chapel. I just have to see this in person!

Sistine Chapel (Flikr photo by vgm8383)

I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day. I'm not thinking about boxes of chocolates or a dozen roses this Valentines Day; I've got visions of cupids dancing in my head. I'm dreaming of the day BigSis and I are able to take our dream vacation to Italy.

~LilSis

February 13, 2009

Valentine's Day generates so much buzz, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to send these random last-minute ideas your way:

• Need a great gift idea for the animal-lover in your life? Sponsor a Snip in their honor…a neutering or spaying, that is!

Do it for the animals!

• Papa John's is making heart-shaped pizza this weekend. You get a thin crust pizza with one topping plus Chocolate Pastry Delights (whatever those are) for $14.99. PJ isn't my favorite pizza (I love you, my dear i Fratelli) but you can't beat this price!

How cute is this?

• Eggs on Sunday has a really cute Valentine's Day breakfast menu. Since the 14th is on Saturday, this is definitely doable!

Valentine's Day Breakfast

• This Green Rice Casserole from Lottie + Doof has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, I admit it, but I'm so dying to have it this weekend! Perhaps it would make an unusual unexpected side dish if you're cooking your Heart Day meal at home? You might serve it next to a crispy roasted chicken, but I'm imagining it piled into a nice tender portabella/portobello mushroom cap, and broiled with more cheese on top!

It's not pink, but still looks delicious!

• And, last of all, in the spirit of loving your neighbor, check out this video!

Bonus Tip : Arrange for a small wine and dine at your place, followed by some adventurous, amorous trysts of lovemaking! Getting in the mood will be the relatively easy part, considering it's Valentines'! You could watch some porn to get the ball rolling. However, it must be understood that few countries do have a ban in place for streaming, or watching porn. But fear not, search online for the best VPN to watch porn, and you might just get a solution to your problems! Also, did I tell you, the watching porn on Valentines' day could apply for singles as well? Self-love is just as important you know!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! If you're missing your sweetheart this year for whatever reason, we send you our love. God bless you!

~BigSis

February 12, 2009

Some people think Valentine's Day was dreamed up by Hallmark or Russell Stover.  That's a pretty cynical view though, don't you think?  Most people do think Valentine's Day is just for people who currently have a sweetheart, but I don't buy that either.  I don't have a Valentine this year, but it's ok, really.  Don't cry for me.  For me, Valentine's Day is a genuine, validated, honest-to-goodness reason to celebrate my favorite color…pink!   It's a beautiful thing.  Let me count the ways I love pink pink and more pink!

• Pink – in some shade – looks good on everyone, whether it's clothes or makeup.
• Pink goes with every other color.  Think about it. Pink with neutrals: brown, gray, black, white.  Pink with brights like orange and yellow sends you off on a crazy fun 60s trip.  Pink with green is fresh, pink with blue is sweet, and pink with red is beyond fun and cheerful.  What have we missed?  Pink with purple?  With aqua?  It all goes together.  Can you say that about any color?  I think not!  Pink rules!
• Pink works in unexpected ways in decor.  It doesn't have to be Barbie or Strawberry Shortcake.  It can be a subtle accent shade, or it can be a strong punch of unexpected color.  How brave are you?  I'm pretty brave…the condo I lived in for 10 years had pink living room walls.  I mean pink!  Ralph Lauren Duchesse Satin metallic luminescent pink walls!  Sadly, they discontinued this paint, so I can never recreate that room that I loved.
• Pink‘s music is a great choice for your iPod cardio playlist!

Pink being Pink!

• Pink food is almost always delicious!  Think about strawberry ice cream, raspberry mousse, pink lemonade, cranberry applesauce, that strawberry jello cake we used to make, vodka pasta sauce, and salsa cream cheese dip.  Oh, and then there's the goat cheese roasted beet tortellini at Stephen Pyles in downtown Dallas.  Can you think of any yukky pink food?
• Pink is an awesome happy color in kitchen appliances.  Case in point, my pink Kitchenaid beauties!
• Pink is the universal favorite color of 90% of all little girls under the age of 10.  Want to make a friend with a little girl?  Admire her pink Dora the Explorer sandals!
• Pink is a gorgeous color in nature…roses, azaleas, fuschia, tulips, hydrangea, you name it.  And sunsets!
• Pink is so fabulous that it can be a project!  Check out JeongMee Yoon's Pink Project!

So much perfect pink!

The next time you think about Valentine's Day, remember it isn't just about candy and jewelery and a dozen roses…it's an excuse to celebrate the pinkness!

~BigSis

January 5, 2009

So, you want more Cats In Hats, Big Sis? Here's a

Happy New Year Wish from TomTom!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"I SO SHY!"

~LilSis

January 4, 2009

Once again, I think we're on the same page, BigSis!  Those are all favorite topics of mine.

• MAC is definitely one of my favorite topics to discuss. I can't get enough MAC! I'm not sure if anyone enjoys reading about our little obsession as much as we like talking about it, but I hope so, because we will keep talking about MAC Cosmetics in 2009!

• Maybe in 2009, we can share some great ideas on color combinations and more instructional videos. I loved the videos that you shared from MissChevious. And I definitely think most women our age are looking for good skin care and beauty products that actually work! We need to continue on our quest to discover the best anti-cellulite product!

• For 2009, I can't decide if I'm going to leave all the baking to you, or if I'm going to challenge myself to improve on my baking skills. I do get inspired when I read some of our favorite food blogs like  Cookie Madness, Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, The Recipe Girl, Baking Blonde, Bakerella, and Martha but baking doesn't come natural to me. I need to decide if I'm up for the challenge! (Oh, by the way, is a bee in the bonnet kind of like ants in your pants?) tee hee

• But seriously, I am on a mission to find lots and lots of healthy, low fat, tasty recipes to start off this New Year. I'm much better at substituting and revising recipes in cooking versus baking!  I also need to make sure that I'm not trying to take the photos with HayHay standing over me with a plate and fork in hand! It doesn't make for good photography when you're in a rush!

• I definitely want to talk about fitness and getting healthy for 2009! I want to eat as healthy as possible, kick up the exercise a notch or two and take my vitamins and supplements every day. I really want to continue to look for new ways to work on improving brain health. Anything we can do as “forty somethings” to keep our ‘mind' alert and the ‘ole bod' from going south is a good thing.

Oh, and we can't forget that we'll be talking about BlogWorld 2009 since we WILL be attending this year!

I'm really happy with what we've accomplished with our blog during the short time we were “live” in 2008 and I'm very excited about 2009.  I know we would both love to hear comments from any of our readers about their favorite topics.

~LilSis

January 3, 2009

Hey LilSis, and Happy New Year!  How funny that many of your resolutions were mirrors of my thoughts.  Not so surprising after all though, I suppose.  We do have a lot of similar experiences with similar responses to them.

We haven't talked about this offline, but I can give you some of my thoughts on what I'd love to talk about in BigSisLilSis in 2009.

• More MAC, more skin care, more beauty product info! I think we're all looking for the thing that works best for us, and if we put our heads together, we can compare notes and maybe save each other some time and money,  I have some leads on some interesting products that I'm working on already.
• More food and more recipes! I've got a bee in my bonnet to try some baked goods using agave nectar and coconut oil, since these two are touted as healthier alternatives to traditional ingredients.  Overall, I want to bake more and post more recipes and photos.  I have a whole bunch of new baking cookbooks that I need to break in, and baking just makes me happy!
• More tips and thoughts on achieving the healthiest state we can reasonably attain, as opposed to just trying to look good. Not that there is anything wrong with looking our best; I'm just focusing like a laser beam on getting healthy healthy healthy this year, God willing.
• More cats in hats, of course! My furkids didn't get a new chapeau this Christmas since their Meowmy was busy with the SPCA bake sale (sorry, kitty pies, sometimes you have to sacrifice for the good of your fellow felines).  But I promise more hats on more cats in 2009!  And that isn't just an empty campaign promise!  Since we agree that we need to laugh more, one of the best ways I know of is cats in hats!
• In the category of “materialistic”, I'd like to talk more about shoes! Buying shoes, organizing shoes, wearing shoes…you know, just talk about shoes.  I REALLY want to share my love (obsession or fetish may be better terms) for t-strap shoes!
• Last but not least, I'd love to do more Sister Showdowns, Sunday Suppers, and What the “L”s. I get a kick out of doing those, and I hope I'm not the only one who does.

Those are my off-the-cuff thoughts, LilSis.  What are your thoughts for the year ahead?

~BigSis

January 2, 2009

Do you make New Year's Resolutions or not? I happen to like making New Year's Resolutions. In my mind, it's more of a goal, than a ‘promise carved in stone' that I'll feel bad about if I don't succeed. I want to reflect on the past year, say goodbye to it, and say hello to the New Year with some short term and long term goals.

It's funny that several things BigSis mentioned are exactly the same as some of mine. Of course, after everything that has happened in our family these past couple of years, we've come to the same realizations on what we feel is most important. I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet so we can move on.

• Decide between the two churches that I've been visiting this past year and join one. (This is a top priority for me this year, so I couldn't leave it off of this list, but that's all that needs to be said. I don't want to discuss religion or politics on this blog.)
  

• Spend more quality time with family. (I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I worked at times when I should have stopped for a few hours to spend some quality time with family.)

• Laugh more. (I just told SirHoney yesterday that was one thing we need to make sure that we do more in this upcoming year. The daily stresses of the business should not consume our lives so much that we can't make time to laugh more!)

• Make a commitment to go to yoga class three times a week. (I just feel better physically and mentally when I stick to this schedule)

• Lose 5 pounds this month. (I've got to kick start the year by being focused on increasing my cardio and adding some weight resistance training to boost my metabolism and lose a few pounds.)

• Eat better. (I have to make the time to get back to weekly meal planning and shopping so we aren't going out or picking something up during the week. And, I want to substitute a fruit for an afternoon snack instead of breaking out the Triscuit and cheese!)

• Be more forgiving, more patient and worry less. (I've been working very hard on this for over a year and will continue to make it a priority. I want to forgive things that have happened in the past, not worry about the future and just enjoy today!)

• Work smarter. (I have to multi-task less and follow my daily Time Map more closely in order to be more efficient.  I need to set aside specific time for blogging, emailing, and commenting and designated time for accounting and paperwork. I'm going to TRY really hard to not toggle back and forth throughout the day.)

That's it in a nutshell. I think we've officially said goodbye to 2008 , so let's say hello to 2009!

BigSis, maybe we should talk about what's in store for the future of BigSisLilSis for 2009?

~LilSis