Or you could get cocky when things go smoothly...
...and try taking it to the next level.
But we know that never works...
Nope, looks like Brett bit off more than he could chew...
Annnnnnnd....
...we have a winner!
Friday, October 31, 2008
How To Pose With A Pootch
You could go the nice vanilla route, and do it with style and charm...
Or you could get cocky when things go smoothly...
...and try taking it to the next level.
But we know that never works...
Nope, looks like Brett bit off more than he could chew...
Annnnnnnd....
...we have a winner!
Or you could get cocky when things go smoothly...
...and try taking it to the next level.
But we know that never works...
Nope, looks like Brett bit off more than he could chew...
Annnnnnnd....
...we have a winner!
Happy Halloween!
Oh hey - guess what? It's Halloween! HAAAAAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Yes, I know - the year is wrong. But rather than use some image I already had at home, I decided to look out there on the internets and see if I could find something fun for today...and gee, this sorta sums it up nicely!
Brett and I were just talking this morning about how it doesn't SEEM like Halloween - we had our party Saturday, the Trick-or-Treat'er kids came around Sunday afternoon, and even though there's still Halloween decorations all over the place (not being lazy - Halloween hadn't happened yet!), it really feels like the holiday has come and went. Weird. Hm....maybe I'll tap into the last of our Halloween candy (there's maybe a half dozen Laffy Taffies and maybe some Nerds boxes left out of a cauldron FULL of candy!) tonite and see if that doesn't make things feel more Halloweeny. I was tempted to watch It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown this year, but missed it. Haven't seen that since I was a kid. I have some spooky music I could try listening to today...
What do you folks do on Halloween? Anyone dressing up for work? (NOT me!)
Yes, I know - the year is wrong. But rather than use some image I already had at home, I decided to look out there on the internets and see if I could find something fun for today...and gee, this sorta sums it up nicely!
Brett and I were just talking this morning about how it doesn't SEEM like Halloween - we had our party Saturday, the Trick-or-Treat'er kids came around Sunday afternoon, and even though there's still Halloween decorations all over the place (not being lazy - Halloween hadn't happened yet!), it really feels like the holiday has come and went. Weird. Hm....maybe I'll tap into the last of our Halloween candy (there's maybe a half dozen Laffy Taffies and maybe some Nerds boxes left out of a cauldron FULL of candy!) tonite and see if that doesn't make things feel more Halloweeny. I was tempted to watch It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown this year, but missed it. Haven't seen that since I was a kid. I have some spooky music I could try listening to today...
What do you folks do on Halloween? Anyone dressing up for work? (NOT me!)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Who's Hungry?
Here was a fun new addition for the Halloween party this year...
What you see above was actually the "test run", made a week before the party. I got a brain mold (they're super cheap!), and found a recipe online calling for 3 large (or 6 small) packs of watermelon Jello combined with 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. You then add one can of evaporated milk, a cup of cold water, and 5 drops of green food dye. You get that NASTY brain color real quick. Then pour the mix into the brain, WHICH YOU'VE COATED WITH NON-STICK SPRAY, and chill.
For fun with the dry run (but I wasn't able to do it on the party version), I dumped in some Nerds candy once it had set a little - just to see what they'd do. Sure enough - they looked like blood clots! Which I'd been able to add them to the party brain! Oh well - next year! ;-)
What you see above was actually the "test run", made a week before the party. I got a brain mold (they're super cheap!), and found a recipe online calling for 3 large (or 6 small) packs of watermelon Jello combined with 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. You then add one can of evaporated milk, a cup of cold water, and 5 drops of green food dye. You get that NASTY brain color real quick. Then pour the mix into the brain, WHICH YOU'VE COATED WITH NON-STICK SPRAY, and chill.
For fun with the dry run (but I wasn't able to do it on the party version), I dumped in some Nerds candy once it had set a little - just to see what they'd do. Sure enough - they looked like blood clots! Which I'd been able to add them to the party brain! Oh well - next year! ;-)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Mighty...
Awwwww yeah!
Marvel Studios has announced that, as part of his four-picture deal with the studio, Iron Man star Robert Downey will appear in The Avengers, as well as Iron Man 2.
Marvel's description of The Avengers also mentions that the film will include "Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they've ever faced."
Iron Man 2 is scheduled for a May 7, 2010 release, with The Avengers on July 15, 2011. Both films will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Marvel Studios has announced that, as part of his four-picture deal with the studio, Iron Man star Robert Downey will appear in The Avengers, as well as Iron Man 2.
Marvel's description of The Avengers also mentions that the film will include "Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they've ever faced."
Iron Man 2 is scheduled for a May 7, 2010 release, with The Avengers on July 15, 2011. Both films will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Brave & the Bold
OMG I'm such a comic book nerd!
The new Brave & The Bold cartoon, debuting at 7:30pm, November 14th on Cartoon Network, is gonna ROCK! I don't know that I loooove the art style, but check out some of these guest stars!!
I have to admit, I was NEVER a Batman fan growing up - NOR am I one now!
But I LOVED DC Comics Presents and Brave & The Bold when I was growing up. Both were team up comics from DC Comics. DC Comics Presents was always Superman and some other hero, and Brave & The Bold was always Batman and some other hero. Oh yeah...I also wasn't a Superman fan.
But the variety of heroes, with an always changing guest star, offered so much hero-bang-for-your-buck! I LOVED IT! Sure, it was no Super Friends, no Teen Titans, no Justice League of America, nor Legion of Super-Heroes, which all offered more than just two heroes, but with DC Comics Presents and Brave & The Bold, you were introduced to comic books characters you never would've known otherwise!! After reading these two titles for years, and then later, when DC Comics Who's Who came out (listing all the different heroes of the DC Universe), I already knew who most of the characters were!
I'm thinking I should maybe go bow my head in shame now. Well...that, and get ready for the new cartoon starting up in just a few weeks! YEEEEEE!!!! Hello! Here's a list of just some of the characters (some good, some bad), and including some of their voice actors, that'll be on the show.
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Dietrich Bader
Aquaman: Jon DiMaggio
The Atom
Black Manta
Black Canary
Blue Beetle: Will Friedle
Booster Gold: Thomas Everett Scott
Bronze Tiger
Calendar Man: Jim Piddock
Cavalier: Greg Ellis
Clock King
Deadman
The Demon
Despero
Dr. Fate
Fire
Firestorm
The Flash
Gentleman Ghost
Gorilla Grodd
Green Arrow: James Arnold Taylor
Green Lantern Corp.
Guy Gardener: James Arnold Taylor
Jonah Hex
Huntress
Justice Society of America
Kamandi
Kanjar-Ro
Kite Man
Metamorpho
Ocean Master
Plastic Man: Tom Kenny
Red Tornado: Corey Burton
Skeets: Billy West
Sportsmaster
Adam Strange
Wildcat: R. Lee Ermey
Zebra Man
Seriously? Firestorm? One of my all time favorite characters! Add Red Tornado, Metamorpho, Fire, Atom, Booster Gold...hell, the whole JSA!? I'm in!
The new Brave & The Bold cartoon, debuting at 7:30pm, November 14th on Cartoon Network, is gonna ROCK! I don't know that I loooove the art style, but check out some of these guest stars!!
I have to admit, I was NEVER a Batman fan growing up - NOR am I one now!
But I LOVED DC Comics Presents and Brave & The Bold when I was growing up. Both were team up comics from DC Comics. DC Comics Presents was always Superman and some other hero, and Brave & The Bold was always Batman and some other hero. Oh yeah...I also wasn't a Superman fan.
But the variety of heroes, with an always changing guest star, offered so much hero-bang-for-your-buck! I LOVED IT! Sure, it was no Super Friends, no Teen Titans, no Justice League of America, nor Legion of Super-Heroes, which all offered more than just two heroes, but with DC Comics Presents and Brave & The Bold, you were introduced to comic books characters you never would've known otherwise!! After reading these two titles for years, and then later, when DC Comics Who's Who came out (listing all the different heroes of the DC Universe), I already knew who most of the characters were!
I'm thinking I should maybe go bow my head in shame now. Well...that, and get ready for the new cartoon starting up in just a few weeks! YEEEEEE!!!! Hello! Here's a list of just some of the characters (some good, some bad), and including some of their voice actors, that'll be on the show.
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Dietrich Bader
Aquaman: Jon DiMaggio
The Atom
Black Manta
Black Canary
Blue Beetle: Will Friedle
Booster Gold: Thomas Everett Scott
Bronze Tiger
Calendar Man: Jim Piddock
Cavalier: Greg Ellis
Clock King
Deadman
The Demon
Despero
Dr. Fate
Fire
Firestorm
The Flash
Gentleman Ghost
Gorilla Grodd
Green Arrow: James Arnold Taylor
Green Lantern Corp.
Guy Gardener: James Arnold Taylor
Jonah Hex
Huntress
Justice Society of America
Kamandi
Kanjar-Ro
Kite Man
Metamorpho
Ocean Master
Plastic Man: Tom Kenny
Red Tornado: Corey Burton
Skeets: Billy West
Sportsmaster
Adam Strange
Wildcat: R. Lee Ermey
Zebra Man
Seriously? Firestorm? One of my all time favorite characters! Add Red Tornado, Metamorpho, Fire, Atom, Booster Gold...hell, the whole JSA!? I'm in!
Feels Like Fall
...which means it's time to start rearranging the sweaters to accommodate chilly kitties!
I don't think that look on her face is upset (at the dog?) so much as "why'd you wake me up?". Moxie's about chest high in this picture - she's really good at jumping and climbing her way up the shelving in the closet to get to her perfect spot. We've also found the colder weather makes kitties so much more cuddly! ;-)
I don't think that look on her face is upset (at the dog?) so much as "why'd you wake me up?". Moxie's about chest high in this picture - she's really good at jumping and climbing her way up the shelving in the closet to get to her perfect spot. We've also found the colder weather makes kitties so much more cuddly! ;-)
Tastes Like Fall
You might recall we recently got a ton of apples, and I figured it was time to find something that would use up a bunch of them, plus try something different, AND something that would stretch out the harvest by preserving them. I'd come across a recipe for slow cooker apple butter, and decided to give it a try. Never having had/made apple butter, this was one of those risky recipes...it's gonna make a lot of something I just might not like! Aw heck - let's go for it!
The first part is to peel and cut up 5 1/2 pounds of apples - you know that's gonna take awhile! Once done, the apples are combined with 4 cups of sugar (yes, I know, it's alot), cinnamon, cloves and salt, and dumped into the slow cooker.
Easy can do!
The next part was to let them cook on high for an hour, then low for 9-11 hours, and then uncovered for another hour. Ok, too complicated - things have been too hectic and busy lately, so they basically got put on low and left to go for about 12 hours. After most of that time they were looking like this:
...and smelling SO GOOOOOD! You'll notice they've still retained their shape. Folks on line recommended hitting them with an immersion blender, rather than the whisking listed in the recipe. COOL! Any excuse to use my kick-ass Bamix immersion blender
(gifted to me by my honey years ago!) is fine by me!
Whizz whizz...
Over all it looked a bit more red than I expected, but was looking and tasting good! It was definitely THINNER than I expected - perhaps because I didn't stir it frequently while cooking the pectins weren't developed as a thickening agent? Or maybe I just had particularly wet apples? No problem - I let it cook a few more hours, which also reduced it a little.
Folks commenting on the recipe said they hot-bath canned it...which sounded better to me than taking up valuable freezer space. Here's the end result:
Mmmm...tastes like fall!
The first part is to peel and cut up 5 1/2 pounds of apples - you know that's gonna take awhile! Once done, the apples are combined with 4 cups of sugar (yes, I know, it's alot), cinnamon, cloves and salt, and dumped into the slow cooker.
Easy can do!
The next part was to let them cook on high for an hour, then low for 9-11 hours, and then uncovered for another hour. Ok, too complicated - things have been too hectic and busy lately, so they basically got put on low and left to go for about 12 hours. After most of that time they were looking like this:
...and smelling SO GOOOOOD! You'll notice they've still retained their shape. Folks on line recommended hitting them with an immersion blender, rather than the whisking listed in the recipe. COOL! Any excuse to use my kick-ass Bamix immersion blender
(gifted to me by my honey years ago!) is fine by me!Whizz whizz...
Over all it looked a bit more red than I expected, but was looking and tasting good! It was definitely THINNER than I expected - perhaps because I didn't stir it frequently while cooking the pectins weren't developed as a thickening agent? Or maybe I just had particularly wet apples? No problem - I let it cook a few more hours, which also reduced it a little.
Folks commenting on the recipe said they hot-bath canned it...which sounded better to me than taking up valuable freezer space. Here's the end result:
Mmmm...tastes like fall!
Barbie's Dream House
Rick sent me a picture of his trophy for best costume at the Halloween party... Here's Barbie in her new Dream House (aka Condo) - although she's not looking like she's having the best of times.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Seriously?
Sometimes one's having a delicate moment and one would rather NOT have a camera around...
You decide - am I talking about Doogie or myself, aka Strawberry Tart?
You decide - am I talking about Doogie or myself, aka Strawberry Tart?
The Morning After...
After you have a big party like this past Saturday nite...
...and perhaps had a little too much of the vodka-loaded punch...
...or perhaps too much of all that really good food...
...you need a day of recovery!
"We won't tell anyone..."
Please come back later... ;-)
...and perhaps had a little too much of the vodka-loaded punch...
...or perhaps too much of all that really good food...
...you need a day of recovery!
"We won't tell anyone..."
Please come back later... ;-)
Halloween Party 2008
This year's Halloween party was a success! Lots of people (including a bunch of new folks), fun costumes, great food, good times, and loads of laughs.
Click our first place costume contest winner, Rick the Car Accident Man, below to see the full gallery! (Or this link will work...)
Click our first place costume contest winner, Rick the Car Accident Man, below to see the full gallery! (Or this link will work...)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Getting ready for Halloween V
Getting ready for a party this scale, and with this many decorations, takes a lot of work. Brett and I worked all week (with me starting some decorations WEEKS ago), but there's still no way - NO WAY - we could've pulled it off without Sharon and Andy!!! Seriously, these two worked their ASSES off, and they were completely good spirited about everything that was asked of them!
Here's a picture I took after grabbing the freshly-recharged camera showing them each working on a different project - and this was after they'd each already completed a couple of other projects!
I'd started work on fixing up Brett's store-bought mad scientist costume last week, but to make it more Dr Horrible, it needed some touch ups. Sharon, who's getting all domestic these days, finished hemming (with iron-on adhesive) the bottom of Brett's "lab coat".
And while that was going on, Andy worked on the chemistry lab stuff I either bought on eBay or borrowed from the chemistry stock room on campus (BIG thanks to Lisa Stamper for that!!). Andy worked like a pro on this, asking "gee, do you happen to have any tubing?", and when I came back in with an air pump and tubing for a fish tank (used last summer to make compost tea, which I never got around to this summer), he whipped up a kiss ass display. More on that in a bit...
Brett's annual task is to create the first place prize/trophy for the costume contest - it's the Tortured Barbie Award, simply because you can find used Barbie dolls for dirt cheap at the thrift store, and Brett has a sick sense of humor when it comes to mauling them! This year he felt a bit more rushed for time, and ran into some last minute complications, but the Tortured Barbie was as good as ever!
Barbie: "Oh no! It's just like a horror flic! I can't move - did you slip me something? Why do you have a saw and chains?! Help! And just because I'm lying here looking SO provocative, that doesn't mean you have to maim me!"
Sharon using her new-found domestic seamstress skills...
Andy having fun with phosphorescent paint, black lights, and the chemistry gear...
And just so you don't think I was just walking around taking pictures and not doing any work - I was whipping up an 8.5 lb pork roast, tortilla strips, pumpkin seeds, rice, clearing off the deck (with Sharon's help) and sprucing it up, and more! Trust me, it was a looooong day before the party even started!
Andy's finished work with the chem gear. We had even more stuff he could've used, but I think this is a less-is-more situation, plus there were space limitations. The bubbler he added was really cool. We've discovered purple is not a very uv-reactive color!
Oh, btw - did I mention my cool work on the chandelier in the dining room? I should get some close-ups of this before I dismantle it!
Here's a picture I took after grabbing the freshly-recharged camera showing them each working on a different project - and this was after they'd each already completed a couple of other projects!
I'd started work on fixing up Brett's store-bought mad scientist costume last week, but to make it more Dr Horrible, it needed some touch ups. Sharon, who's getting all domestic these days, finished hemming (with iron-on adhesive) the bottom of Brett's "lab coat".
And while that was going on, Andy worked on the chemistry lab stuff I either bought on eBay or borrowed from the chemistry stock room on campus (BIG thanks to Lisa Stamper for that!!). Andy worked like a pro on this, asking "gee, do you happen to have any tubing?", and when I came back in with an air pump and tubing for a fish tank (used last summer to make compost tea, which I never got around to this summer), he whipped up a kiss ass display. More on that in a bit...
Brett's annual task is to create the first place prize/trophy for the costume contest - it's the Tortured Barbie Award, simply because you can find used Barbie dolls for dirt cheap at the thrift store, and Brett has a sick sense of humor when it comes to mauling them! This year he felt a bit more rushed for time, and ran into some last minute complications, but the Tortured Barbie was as good as ever!
Barbie: "Oh no! It's just like a horror flic! I can't move - did you slip me something? Why do you have a saw and chains?! Help! And just because I'm lying here looking SO provocative, that doesn't mean you have to maim me!"
Sharon using her new-found domestic seamstress skills...
Andy having fun with phosphorescent paint, black lights, and the chemistry gear...
And just so you don't think I was just walking around taking pictures and not doing any work - I was whipping up an 8.5 lb pork roast, tortilla strips, pumpkin seeds, rice, clearing off the deck (with Sharon's help) and sprucing it up, and more! Trust me, it was a looooong day before the party even started!
Andy's finished work with the chem gear. We had even more stuff he could've used, but I think this is a less-is-more situation, plus there were space limitations. The bubbler he added was really cool. We've discovered purple is not a very uv-reactive color!
Oh, btw - did I mention my cool work on the chandelier in the dining room? I should get some close-ups of this before I dismantle it!
Getting ready for Halloween IV
Last year's Halloween party included a cheap mask hanging on the bird feeder hook outside the living room window - made for some fun times. Tried the same thing this year - and well, Simon wasn't suspecting someone out there to be looking in at him...
"Hey - who the hell are you!? I'm the guard cat around here..."
Unfortunately, lightning, positioning and distracting indoor decorations meant the mask didn't work out so fun this year - but that's ok. Something to take note of for next year!
"Hey - who the hell are you!? I'm the guard cat around here..."
Unfortunately, lightning, positioning and distracting indoor decorations meant the mask didn't work out so fun this year - but that's ok. Something to take note of for next year!
Getting ready for Halloween III
So what does one do when they bring home lots of bails of straw? Well, it's double duty. The long-term plans are for garden improvement - I'll put some on the garden in a week or two (after manure and before tilling?) to improve the soil quality over winter. And some will sit over winter to just rot and be tilled in in the spring (I think that's how dad recommends it?). And the short term usage? Well - Doogie helped with that...
After piling the bails of straw up for fall decorating before the Halloween party, and putting some out on the back deck for seating, I scattered pumpkins, mums, etc around just to look more inviting and fall-festive. (Need some pics of the deck!) Oh, and because they make such a nice photo op, I convince Doogie he needed a fall picture outside...
"Ok, I did my part...now where are the trick-or-treaters with all the candy!?"
After piling the bails of straw up for fall decorating before the Halloween party, and putting some out on the back deck for seating, I scattered pumpkins, mums, etc around just to look more inviting and fall-festive. (Need some pics of the deck!) Oh, and because they make such a nice photo op, I convince Doogie he needed a fall picture outside...
"Ok, I did my part...now where are the trick-or-treaters with all the candy!?"
7
For all you 2003 CR-V owners, THAT'S the number of bails of straw you can jam-pack into the back of your car:
Sounds like more than you'd expect, doesn't it? I think this was the most I've gotten in there, with just a bit of strategic placement (usually I've stopped at 6). I found a farm nearby (not too far from my new egg place!) that had a sign out saying bails of straw for sale. And they were only $3 a bail - unlike the $5 a bail at the local garden centers. Nice! The farmer was just pulling up to the house to swap out tractors or something, and entrusted me to go help myself in the barn, which was packed higher than my house with bales of straw, plus it was on a sloped hill, so there was a lower level I could see down to with more straw. Boy, I tell ya, that, plus the cows mooing all around, and the field the farmer was working on - it made me homesick for my grandparents farm-life out in Kansas!!
Now I said I packed all this straw in my car... That's not to say you won't make a mess of the car - a REAL mess. But I've done this every year now, and this time I had the best luck in cleaning it out (I don't have pics, you'll have to trust me) thanks to the leaf blower my folks got us awhile back. Fire that puppy up and blow alllll the straw out!!
Sounds like more than you'd expect, doesn't it? I think this was the most I've gotten in there, with just a bit of strategic placement (usually I've stopped at 6). I found a farm nearby (not too far from my new egg place!) that had a sign out saying bails of straw for sale. And they were only $3 a bail - unlike the $5 a bail at the local garden centers. Nice! The farmer was just pulling up to the house to swap out tractors or something, and entrusted me to go help myself in the barn, which was packed higher than my house with bales of straw, plus it was on a sloped hill, so there was a lower level I could see down to with more straw. Boy, I tell ya, that, plus the cows mooing all around, and the field the farmer was working on - it made me homesick for my grandparents farm-life out in Kansas!!
Now I said I packed all this straw in my car... That's not to say you won't make a mess of the car - a REAL mess. But I've done this every year now, and this time I had the best luck in cleaning it out (I don't have pics, you'll have to trust me) thanks to the leaf blower my folks got us awhile back. Fire that puppy up and blow alllll the straw out!!
Thanks "grandma!"
Mom was really cool and sent us a "welcoming your new puppy" check a couple weeks ago - so we needed to go out and buy Doogie some new toys (because you KNOW a puppy can NEVER have enough toys!). Unfortunately, most pictures of a puppy turn out a bit like this:
Bluuuuur! ZOOM!
Luckily, I managed to get one of him with ONE of his toys (I should've gotten pics of all the other loot WITHOUT Doogie in them - we got some new greatly-compressed rawhides that last A LOT longer and give us some peaceful TV time with dinner, plus a squeaky octopus-ball and some milkbones. Here's that rare standing-still photo:
What you see in the background is the board Brett put up (painted to match the rest of the walls) so we can section Doogie off on the vinyl-tiled floor when he can't be supervised (and there's a babygate between the dinette and dining room) - JUST IN CASE! The board's a HEAVY sucker - so there's no way he can knock it over. And you see the rags Brett stapled on just so we don't damage the walls. Hopefully we won't need this TOO much longer - just til we feel REAL secure with his potty training!
Bluuuuur! ZOOM!
Luckily, I managed to get one of him with ONE of his toys (I should've gotten pics of all the other loot WITHOUT Doogie in them - we got some new greatly-compressed rawhides that last A LOT longer and give us some peaceful TV time with dinner, plus a squeaky octopus-ball and some milkbones. Here's that rare standing-still photo:
What you see in the background is the board Brett put up (painted to match the rest of the walls) so we can section Doogie off on the vinyl-tiled floor when he can't be supervised (and there's a babygate between the dinette and dining room) - JUST IN CASE! The board's a HEAVY sucker - so there's no way he can knock it over. And you see the rags Brett stapled on just so we don't damage the walls. Hopefully we won't need this TOO much longer - just til we feel REAL secure with his potty training!
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