Wednesday, July 28, 2010

foodies welcome (bring your own dinner)

As I type this, it is 5:10 p.m., we have no dinner and I can’t go to the grocery store (as planned) because we are in the midst of another thunderstorm. So, I decided to post pictures of food while I wait for the storm to pass. It was either that or start eating jam right out of the jar. After a brief deliberation, I decided to go for the blog.

I have been canning like a crazy person and I have banned commercial cereal from my house, resulting in the perfection of my homemade granola. Recipe to come. (That has nothing to do with these pictures. I am food focused at the moment.)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – the farmer’s market is open! (I wish I could go there now and get something for dinner…) Hit your local market and stock up while produce is in season. I am going to try my hand at freezing eggplant this year so I can have my low-fat-not-eggplant-parmesan whenever I want, which is often. Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for SAFE ways to preserve the harvest. I am all about avoiding botulism toxin.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

i can be centerfield

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Our city has what is arguably the most beautiful minor league ballpark in the country – from the entrance made from old mill brick to the “little” green monster in left field. While I love watching the Braves at Turner Field, nothing is quite like a minor league game. The players are working hard at something they love and just trying every day to catch a break. The fans generally aren’t rowdy (but I hear $1 beer night is a different atmosphere), parking and getting in and out are a piece of cake and it doesn’t break the bank to go and enjoy America’s game.

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silky sheets

I mentioned a while ago that CSN Stores had contacted me about reviewing their online shopping. I am in the midst of a bedroom redo (more to come on that – and you can tell me how close I came to my inspiration room) and I looked for something from CSN that would add to the new do. I landed on these 600-thread count sheets and I am happy to report that they are silky smooth and wash beautifully. They are 100 percent cotton so they wrinkle like nobody’s business but they have shown very little, if any, shrinkage and the quality seems to be excellent. CSN has almost anything, really, and I found their prices to be quite fair. Shipping is free on almost everything – and my sheets were delivered earlier than the projected delivery date. It was a flawless experience and I will definitely shop at CSN in the future. You will get a peek at the sheets once I get the walls painted! Coming soon… Until then, there is a cool feature on CSN’s site. The CEO’s home is featured in the July issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I am a sucker for BHG.

 

Though CSN did supply a review product at no charge, my opinions are my own.

Friday, July 9, 2010

despicable me

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If I had minions in my office…

I need minions – an army of them. I could finally clean off my desk and defrost the freezer. Dr. Gru (Steve Carell) already has his. :)

We attended a screening of “Despicable Me” last night and though it had a slow start (and was predictable), it was fun. I think the amount of laughter it creates is inversely proportional to age (my 11-year-old was cackling and a little girl in the theater was laughing so hard I thought she might hyperventilate), but parents, you won’t be covering your child’s ears or wishing for that hour and a half of your life back. (I’m talking to you, Shark Boy and Lava Girl.) There were actually a couple of times when I suspected people were staring at me, I laughed so hard. (I don’t want to give anything away, but read all signs. :) )

I’m a fan of “The Office,” so I found that I was picturing Michael Scott doing a funny voice, which makes it even more fun, I think. (FYI, Mindy Kaling – Kelly from the Office – has a small part as well.) Steve Carell brings a sweetness to Dr. Gru that makes him, well, not despicable, even when he tries to be. Agnes (Elsie Fisher) all but steals the show as the youngest orphan and Julie Andrews (Gru’s mom) is Julie Andrews. Who doesn’t love her?

Overall, everyone in my family enjoyed different parts of the movie, but we all laughed and had fun.

Spoilerish content alert for parents of wee littles: There were a couple of uses of “Oh, poop,” one “He’s gonna kick your butt,” and a couple of instances that were rude but not awful (a minion sits on a copier to copy his rear end, kids make a crayon drawing of Gru sitting on a potty). Just stuff to know, but it did pass my cleanliness test. YMMV. It is PG for rude humor and mild action. The movie is in 3-D, which bothered me a bit during a rollercoaster scene, but I am weird that way.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

new words

I have lots of new words out in the world. I hope you will read and enjoy.

 

Homeschoolers, how about adding MORE to your school day? Now, take back that thing you just said about me and head over to Heart of the Matter to read my thoughts on doing just that.

You can plan your child’s birthday on a budget.

If you need a birthday location, supplies, etc. and you are in the Midlands of South Carolina, please check out the birthday guide. I worked hard on it, really.

Hey, I love my husband, but that’s no surprise.

If you live in Columbia, S.C. or have even visited – you must know about Cromer’s, guaranteed worst in town.

In the Upstate of South Carolina, please pick a copy of Upstate Parent, available in Greenville, Spartanburg, Pickens, Anderson and Oconee counties – pretty much all of the Upstate, hence the name. Lots of good stuff for July, including the birthday guide. I can’t post links here because the stories are listed on greenvilleonline, which is now behind a paywall. If you have access, go to “news,” then “parent” for current stories. Gracias.

We are off to a screening of Despicable Me tonight. I will have a review up tomorrow. I already know I need my own minions. That’s what missing from my life --- minions.

(I will update with a link to WNC Parent stuff as well. I am tired of fist fighting my Internet connection at the moment.)

Friday, July 2, 2010

same bat time, same bat channel

 

I have bats in my attic. A bat man (as opposed to Batman) is evicting them today. This makes me deliriously happy.

That is all.