August 23, 2009

You won't want to miss out on the September issue of Martha Stewart's whole living body + soul!  Out of all the magazines that I subscribe to, this is one of my favorites. I always find interesting articles, helpful health and fitness tips, and excellent recipes. There is an article in this issue titled “25 Fast, Healthy Recipes” that contains some easy, easy, nutritious recipes. The Heirloom Tomato Sandwich with Herbs and Tofu Spread is going to be the first one that I try!

I didn't realize it before I picked it up, but the September issue features a Going Greener Guidebook that is printed on the flip side of the magazine. It's like getting two magazines for the price of one. 🙂

The guidebook is sponsored by Stonyfield Farms and serves as a resource guide for achieving a greener lifestyle.  Inside the guidebook, you'll find a listing of the 20 best eco web sites and essential tips to live and shop greener.

This issue is jam packed with some awesome information. If you don't subscribe, it's definitely worth picking up!

~LilSis

August 9, 2009

Have you ever had such a totally random thought that immediately afterward you wonder where on earth it came from?

I had one today.  I was finishing up with my quick and dirty weekend makeup routine when I glanced down and saw a pair of small silver hoop earrings.  For some reason, I thought it would be fun to put the small hoops in next to my larger hoops.

As I pick them up to put them in, I realize that it's been a gazillion years since I've put an earring in my second piercing and they aren't even there anymore! No evidence in site of them ever existing.  I don't know why I thought of that today. I wonder how many years it takes for a piercing to close up?

Luckily, I've never haven't taken the little diamond stud out of my upper ear cartilage piercing that's been there for over 15 years or I certainly would have forgotten that it was there.  I got that piercing while in the midst of a ‘cabin fever' craze in the middle of winter in Upstate New York because I had to get out of the house. So, it's sentimental. 🙂

~LilSis

August 6, 2009

We have exciting news today!  We just added Comment Luv to our site, and Grace from “A Southern Grace” got served up with the first dish of Luv yesterday!

If you're not familiar with CommentLuv, here's how it works.  When you leave us a comment, you'll see a logo for CommentLuv with a checked box next to it.  If you have a blog, CommentLuv will run out and grab the title of the last post you published, and will link to it below your comment.  Cool, eh?  Using Grace's comment on our Food Face Plate post, here's what her Luv looked like immediately following her comment:

grace´s last blog post ..fingers, strips, tenders, what-have-you

Why would we do this, you ask?  Because we SO appreciate your comments, and want to show our appreciation in a tangible way that will mean something…links back to your posts!

So, let us know if you like the new feature.  We hope it'll show our commenters how much you mean to us!

~BigSis

August 4, 2009

IT'S HOT!

I know that there are people all over the country experiencing hotter temperatures than 100 degrees, but this was before noon in the shade! I know, I know, I've been told that I am now officially a ‘wimp' when it comes to weather because of living in Southern California for the past seven years. I'm heading back to CA in the morning and hopefully will get back some of the energy that this heat has literally sucked from my body.

For those who didn't read last week, we spent the weekend at Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas to celebrate our mom's birthday. We really had a fantastic weekend despite the temperatures.  These are a couple of photos that show the views we had from the home where we were staying. It was absolutely beautiful!

We did exactly as we had planned: boating, eating, and relaxing. And, LOTS of laughing!

We also managed to catch a couple of unexpected incidents on video, so as time allows we hope to share a couple of really fun videos with you real soon!

~LilSis

July 31, 2009

How about something a little uplifting today as we wrap up the week and fly into the weekend?  I first saw this video on Angie's blog Bring the Rain.  If you don't follow it, please check it out. I think you'll be encouraged every time you read it, as I am. What a sweet, kind spirit this woman has.

Back to the video. I fell in love with this adorable little girl and her enthusiasm as soon as the video started.  See if you do too.  Why do we lose that unrestrained joyful expression of our feelings, and replace it with inhibitions and worries about what people will think?  I want to be more like Zoe!

The song that Zoe is “enhancing” is The Blood Song by Selah; one of my very favorite Christian groups.  If you'd like to hear the song without Zoe's harmonies, here's a video of it:

We hope you've had a good week, and you're looking forward to a great weekend!

~BigSis

July 28, 2009

I'm not a very big ‘movie buff”. Don't get me wrong, I do love a good movie, but we rarely go to the movie theater. We would rather spend three hours doing something outdoors instead of sitting in a dark theater. I really can't even sit at home long enough to watch a movie; there's just always too much other stuff that I'd rather be doing.

The last “grown up” movie that I saw at the theater was “Sex in The City, The Movie” with BigSis and SisMama last year. And on my recent visit to Chicago, I took the little guys to see “Up” in 3D.

In all reality, there aren't that many movies that I'm excited enough about to want to go see at the theater. I love romantic comedies and I'm a real sap for a happy endings. I'm not into vampires and I can't stand horror flicks or violent films so that pretty much rules out a lot of new movies.

When I first heard that Meryl Streep was playing Julia Child in the upcoming movie, Julie and Julia, I knew that I wanted to go see it at the theater when it opens on August 7th.

We grew up watching Julia Child and I love Meryl Streep, so I can't wait to see this film. I love the story about Julie and her commitment to cook daily from Julia Child's cookbook.

I just recently ordered Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen so I could browse through the book before I see the movie.

I'm think that this movie is going to inspire me to cook something from Julia Child's cookbook. 🙂

~LilSis

July 25, 2009

Do you read the Huffington Post?  I guess I'm late to this party, because I've heard about it for a while but just now started reading it every day and now I'm hooked.  I love their mix of news and smart bloggy posts on this and that.

Paula Abdul photo by Alan Light

So I found this bombshell on Huffington Post last weekend.  Paula Abdul may not return for the next season of American Idol.  I know, it's devastating and earth-shattering, but I have to report it to you.  Don't kill the messenger.  HuffPo links to an LA Times article that says Paula's new manager claims she'll leave if the “rude” producers don't deal with her.  We know that this kind of public posturing is part of the whole deal-negotiating game, but what if Paula really DID leave the show?

Would you care if Paula didn't come back for another season of Idol?  Do you enjoy her wacky comments?  Do you think Paula is part of what makes Idol so fun to watch?  Or do you think the show would be better off without her?

~BigSis

July 20, 2009

I always dread Monday mornings! I'm usually overwhelmed with a long task list and playing “catch-up” with stuff that didn't get done over the weekend. So, instead of being grouchy and grumble about all there is to do, I thought it would be fun to start off this week with something really funny. I may have a warped sense of humor, but I thought this was hilarious! I hope it makes you laugh out loud! I did! 🙂

Do you know anyone that spends hours on end playing World of Warcraft? I've heard stories about not only children being addicted to this game but adults as well. I even heard about a woman that used to play this game while at work! One of my colleagues likes playing this game too so he told me a lot about it. It seems like it's a popular option for gaming lovers. How much is the world of warcraft player count you find yourself asking? It must be a large number. He told me about the different types of games that emerged from World of Warcraft and its parent game Warcraft. He even told me about gaming tournaments based on these games and how much Gamers are paid to compete. It was pretty interesting to learn about a whole other side of video games and how many games there were in these competitions, such as Smite, League of Legends, and Dota 2. I even discovered that you could use dota 2 boost guides in order to reach higher levels and improve your skills.

I've never played these games myself but I do know how popular they are now. Moreover, thanks to gaming forums like Warcraft Tavern for example, WoW players can communicate with other gamers about everything to do with the game. Anyway, all I know is that I'm so glad that my son is very sensible when it comes to playing video games. I've always had pretty strict rules about how long I allow HayHay to play any kind of video or computer games. I'm lucky that he'd rather be out surfing, golfing or skateboarding instead of sitting at a computer playing a game.

Watch how this 15 year old reacts when he discovers that his mom canceled his World of Warcraft account.

Wow! A little dramatic; wouldn't you say?

~LilSis

July 19, 2009

When I take the time to watch TV, I do love me a reality show.  So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol and Top Chef are my favorites.  Top Chef is a Bravo show, but the other two are Fox productions.  I'm really curious about how the public is going to react to Fox's newest show, which premiers Tuesday, July 28.  It's called “More to Love”, and I'm just wondering if this show already rubs anyone else the wrong way, as it does me.  I've only seen the promos, but it screams exploitation to me.

Here's what Fox's web site has to say about “More to Love”:

~BigSis

July 17, 2009

flickr photo by paulotavio

Well, LilSis, the horse races sound like a lot of fun.  Unless of course, you're here in Texas where it's AFRICA HOT!  We have horse races here too, but there's no ding dang way I'm going to the track when it's 104 degrees like it has been this week.  Sure, you can watch the horses from the air-conditioned indoor area, but where's the fun in that?  I like to be down on the rail where you can feel the dirt flying and hear the horses breathing.

Surely, surely, there is no-sweat summer fun to be had in Texas (and other sizzling places) that won't involve a call to the paramedics and a trip to the hospital for heat stroke!  Surely!  You can only sit in the house playing Wii and watching the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” for so long.

Here's what I came up with.  If you have other ideas, please share them!  We're desperate out here, folks!

• Check out one of the blockbuster summer movies.

• Hang out at the pool IN the water, not just near it.

• Spend the day at a water park.  Don't forget the sunscreen!

• Go to the mall and shop the summer sales.  Don't go in any store that has winter clothes displayed already!

• Investigate your local museums – besides art, you may have a science and history museum or something else interesting that you never think of visiting.

• Whip out the Slip N Slide.

• Play in the sprinkler – do kids even do that any more?

• Make homemade ice cream.  We used to love homemade banana and homemade coke ice cream.  And vanilla, of course, with chocolate syrup.

• If your car has working a/c, drive to Starbuck's and get a frappucino.

• Go to a restaurant where you aren't sad to not be dining al fresco.  Have a cold beer or an iced tea with a cool salad, and some sherbet.

• Visit the library…you remember the library, right?  That's what we had before Barnes & Noble and Amazon hit the scene.

• Shop at the farmer's market for all of the season's bounty…but go early, early, early before it gets hot, hot, hot!

• Make a big bowl of guacamole and eat it with the crispiest chips you can find and the iciest margarita you can blend up.

• Watch movies with lots of snow.  How about “Snow Dogs”?

• Get a frosty fruit smoothie for breakfast from your local smoothie shop.  What the heck; have one for lunch!

That's it for me.  If you've got a cool idea, let me know.  We're melting out here!

~BigSis