Bloggy Updates

I'm going to be doing some bloggy housekeeping over the weekend/early next week.  If you could do me a quick favor - I'd appreciate it!!

Just let me know if your button should be in my "favorite blogs" section!!  That's all.  :-)  Oh, if you feel so inclined - I've put my first poll up too.  A vote on what I should knit and list on Etsy next would be awesome.

A more substantive post tomorrow.  Or not.  Maybe Beckett will continue his "notes from the crate" series. :-)

Tuesdays At The Table - Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Bread

Happy (belated) Columbus Day, gang!  Did everyone get to have a long weekend?

I mentioned a few months ago that my anniversary of hosting TATT was coming up...and then I completely forgot about it!  It's been just over two years that I've been hosting now.  Boy, time flies!!!  Every week as I post, I think of sweet Andrea - the original host of TATT and one of my dear friends.  :-)  In honor of my bloggy anniversary, I'm re-posting the recipe from my first week as TATT host.

Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream

Topping

1/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt as well as the sour cream.

Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle two thirds over the batter. Pour in the remaining batter, then top with remaining topping. Press topping down lightly.

Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire cooling rack.


What's cooking in your kitchen?

2 on Tuesday - Fashion Faux Pas

The lovely Andrea has posed a really good topic this week.  Tell me your two biggest fashion mistakes.






Oh, lordy.  I think we all make some questionable fashion mistakes.  If you didn't....I'm really envious.  Or you're lying.  {No judging}While I'm not willing to show you pictures of my biggest fashion mistakes (sorry!), I will definitely share them with you.

The first one was perming my hair.  I always had nice, shiny hair. But it's stick straight and baby fine. So, my mom's hairdresser convinced me to perm my hair in 6th grade.  At first I loved it. It was new and different. I had the ringlets I'd coveted for years.  My mistake was letting that hairdresser keep perming my hair for 3 years! By the end, I was just a mop of frizzy grossness.  I felt a little like this...

{source}

My second ongoing faux pas was indulging in the leggings crazy of the mid 90's.  I'm a chubby girl...and hindsight is 20/20.  Though, I always kept everything covered up. Now that the leggings/jeggings craze is passing through again, I have some very strong feelings on them.

• No one above a single digit size should EVER been seen in public (this excludes the gym, where it's socially acceptable) wearing leggings/jeggings.
• If you must wear them - always make sure you're wearing a top that covers your private parts.  Camel toe isn't pretty, and it's sooo much more than I need to know if you happen to be wearing leggings.
• If they're so thin that you can see through them - you aren't wearing leggings.  You're wearing footless tights.  Go put on some pants, Princess!
• No stilettos.  Just, no. And no socks unless you're wearing boots so you won't see them.

They should look like this...

{source}

Not this...

{source}

If You Drunk Dial....

...I AM going to mess with you!!!

Friday night I had the distinct *honor* of being drunk dialed by the same person four times between 1:45 and 2:30 in the morning.  Luckily, I'm an insomniac and was wide awake.  Unluckily (for him), I found this really funny and decided that to have some fun.

1:48 (Number I don't recognize)
Me: Um...hello?
Him: Hi babeeeeee.
Me: Who is this?
Him: Oh, babyyyyy.  Youz zoooo funny. Iz yo man.
Me: Wrong number.  Kthanxbai.

1:59 (Same number)
Me: Yes?
Him: Ah you maaaad at me?
Me: Nope.  I just don't know who you are.  Who are you anyway?
Him: Iz Mike.  *hiccup*  Ya man!
Me: Nope. 
Him: But babyyyy.  I loooove you.
Me: Right.  Who are you looking for?
Him: Don't be like dat.  You know I'z looking fa you.
Me: What's my name?
Him: Zara.
Me: Sara?
Him: You know yo name, babyyyy.
Me: Nope.  Not me.  Bai.

2:08
Me: Hi, Mike.
Him: I loooove you baby.
Me: I'm STILL not Sara.
Him: Zara, you my woman.  I lub you zo, zo much.
Me: Mike?!  I'm not Sara.
Him: You the best woooman ev-ah.
Me: Really?  That's sweet.  Tell me why you love me so much.
Him: You haz the prettiest hairz.  Is red, but brown, but red.
Me: Auburn?
Him: Hmph.  Zo pretty. Like fi-ah.
Me: And?
Him: You so un-dumb
Me: Anything else?
Him: You haz the biggest boobies (he used a different word).
Me: Good to know.  But I'm still not Sara and I'm watching a movie. 

2:24
Me: Hi Mike.  I'm still not Sara and if you keep calling, I'm going to keep laughing.
Him: But I loooove you.  Why can't I callz you?
Me: Mike, if you keep calling me I'm going to track down your girlfriend and make her break up with you.  Or maybe I'll just tell her that you love her flaming auburn hair and her big rack.
Him:You reallly not Zara????
Me: No, I'm really not Sara.  Adios!

He is now saved on my phone as "Mike the drunk dialer". I'm presuming that his girlfriend's number should have been programmed into his phone.  So what I really want to know...is how did he get me to begin with?!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As everyone is aware - October is breast cancer awareness month. 

Most of you know that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2009 (even though I didn't tell you all about until January).  Well, two years have passed.  She's lost a breast.  Had a port put in...and subsequently taken back out.  Gone through chemo, HER2 treatments, nausea, exhaustion and a week long hospital stay for a pulmonary embolism.  But, SHE'S HEALTHY!!!!

Breast cancer runs in my family.  Mom had it, grandma had it, multiple great aunts, my second cousin and based on geneological research - a whole crap-load (yep, technical term) of other women in my family have had it.  Most beat it.  Some didn't. 

That makes me and other women that I love a whole lot high risk.  But here's the good news...I go to all my mom's check ups with her at the Dana Farber Cancer Center. Heck, I even tweeted how much I want to steal one of the love seats in the radiology waiting room!!  I have a great relationship with the doctor who I'd choose to be my oncologist.  Hopefully, I'll never need to use that info!  But it's a comfort to know that I have it.

In the meantime, I'm adamant that people try to find a better cure.  Something that doesn't involve the over a year and a half of active medical treatment that my mom went through.  But that takes money.  I'll never have the millions that it takes to fund research.  But I can do my part to support the cause.

I'm happy to announce that anything in the "THINK PINK" section of my Etsy store has an associated donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  It's not a lot...but it helps!! And every woman needs a little pink in her life.  Right?! :-)

Tuesdays At The Table - Banana Biscotti (Dog Treats)

Know how I mentioned last week that my fabulous friend Andrea would be hosting a giveaway of one of my hats?  Well, it started!  Head on over and enter!!

This week, we're going to the dogs!  I love to bake.  Why shouldn't the pups reap the benefits?!?!  They're just as deserving (if not more so) as everyone else I cook for.  :-)

Banana Biscotti

5 cups flour
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups banana, pureed
2 teaspoons vanilla
water

Place dry ingredients in large bowl. Make a well in the center. Blend egg, oil and banana together. Add into the well in your dry ingredients, and start combining together. Add water, one teaspoon at a time as needed (you want a thick bready consistency). Knead by hand on a well floured table until mixed thoroughly. Form into logs approximately 2" - 2 1/2" high. Flatten, so that log is 3" - 4" wide by 1" high. Place on non-stick baking sheets or lightly greased ones. Bake 30 - 35 minutes at 325. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2" - 3/4" slices. Place on baking sheets and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Store in airtight container.

Beckett tested.  Meadow approved.  :-)

What's cooking in your kitchen?

2 on Tuesday - Childhood Toys

I love Andrea's linky party.  Almost as much as I love mine! :-) And she is such an amazing friend!!!  She's hosting a giveaway of one of hats this week!  Go visit her!

 This week, the brilliant and adorable Andrea is asking:

What were your two favorite childhood toys?

Sit N' Spin.  Fun toy!!!  When else is it funny to get your small child dizzy? (Just kidding.  Kinda.) Really, I think that this toy was the beginning of my love of roller coasters.  The exhilirated, slightly fuzzy feeling is still fun today.  :-)

Sweetheart Barbie.  Marketed for Valentine's Day...but oddly enough, I got this Barbie for my birthday when I was seven.  Yes, my memory is that good!  She has the traditional flowing blonde Barbie hair, super pretty dress and she made kissy noises. 

And now...I'm going to show you one of my favorite playmates.  This is Munchkin.  Her real name is Miscotobe - a completely made up name that originated as Misty, Scottie and Toby; the three boy dogs that family members had recently added.  I'd show you my other favorite playmate, Misty...but I can't find a picture of him at the moment.
Anyway...BEST playmates EVER!!!! They let me dress them up, do horsy rides when I was really little and they would actually go down the slide of my swing set with me.  As you can see, I've ALWAYS been a dog person.  Hahahaha!