Video Reviews

I know I said I was going to review some of the videos from the BlogHer Bar above.  Well, there is bad news about that and there is good news. I'll let you pick which one you want to hear first....

The bad news? Ok. (I always pick that one first, too!)

The Mandarin Salad that I tried from the video selection was the pits. I am not even going to link to it. Here is my advice if you are interested in a mandarin salad: buy a bag of baby spinach, some mandarin oranges, some pre-made candied, sliced almonds, some oil and vinegar and done. Don't jump through hoops to make your own candied almonds because the first batch will burn your spoon like this:

 and the second batch will clump up into little brown clusters of sugar and you will be so pissed off. 

Better yet? Go to the farmers market and make a salad out of the seasonable veggies they have there.  Put a handful of pistachios on top with some olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper? You're welcome.

Now for the good news. This is really good news.
The video up there about the "movable dinner party" is stinking hilarious.  Go watch it. And afterward, go check out the blog Bon Appetempt. She is the genius behind the video and her blog is a food-find, to be certain.

Me watching Bon Appetempt watching Ina. 

There you have it. And in case you are have low-level-cuteness disorder, this should fix the problem:

Pippi on Day 2

Don't Take This the Wrong Way

There is someone in my household, who shall remain nameless, who hates blogging so much. He or she thinks it is self-important and vain.  This person thinks that the whole onset of push-button publishing is too easy and lend itself to loads of misinformation clogging the arteries of the information superhighway.  And mixed-metaphors and other sorts of logical atrocities. If I am honest, I agree with him. Or her. You know what I mean.

Call me a simpleton, (you won't be the first) but voyeurism is one of my most favorite pastimes. If you leave your windows open, be sure that I am going to look in and check out your place. I like to see what people are wearing, how they style their life (hair, clothes, makeup, furniture, walls, etc.) and that is why I love blogs and social networking so much. There is a fine line, however. Being the author, editor, stylist, photographer, model and star of one's own blog puts a bit too much emphasis on the weight of one's self, doesn't it.

"So there I was in my tangerine cowl neck sweater wondering, Does Gun Control really work?"

It is probably a good idea when approaching blogging to remember to keep the "self" in check. I can lend my voice or opinion to an idea or a story, but the idea has to stand for itself. Having a good in-house critic can help to keep you in check, too. Let it never be said that I am not super lucky.

Changes of Heart

Last year I wrote an article for an online Catholic magazine entitled I'm Not Wearing Pants. It was a fun article to write, but the response to it was even more fun. It garnered a lot of attention (for me!) and was even given a tip of the hat by the book author who I referenced in the essay. Here's the kicker: I take it (well, most of it) back.

It has become very obvious to me lately that one's outward appearance has almost nothing to do with the inward state of one's soul. Everyone is on his or her own journey toward God and the costume that we put on the outside is representative only of how we want others to perceive us.

These thoughts have been percolating around in my head for a few months now. They have come to a full boil recently as I have watched some of the most perfect looking people be exposed as duplicitous - while nearly simultaneously realizing that some of the most unassuming, quiet, under-dressed, plain people I knew were such deep well-springs of holiness that had I not been seeking, I would have missed out on their intrinsic wealth completely.

Deep Breath.

All of this was forming into conscious thought in my head when this came about. One of my favorite bloggers C Jane Kendrick has recently written a series of essays where she has realized that she is indeed a feminist. A practicing member of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS), Kendrick is on the cutting edge of Mormon bloggers who traditionally display an almost unanimously united front when it comes to motherhood: Traditional is Best. Kendrick's latest essays have underscored a level of restlessness with the availability of opportunities for women in the Mormon church, outside of young marriage and motherhood. And apparently she is not alone.

In order to demonstrate their discontent, a band of likeminded LDS feminists staged a "Pants In" of sorts. In breaking with societal norm, but not necessarily church teaching, many women came to church on Sunday wearing...
PANTS!

Feminism. Hmm. It sure took them long enough.

You see, feminism and Catholicism have a long, ugly history together and part of my Pants piece was in revolt to what feminism has done to Catholic motherhood. It takes that flame of discontent that is part of the human condition, and it fans it with, "You are better than this! You are smarter and more capable than this dirty work of raising kids" and the fires of inequality rage. But here is what I know now to be true: Life will never be equal nor fair. There is no fairness when it comes to infidelity. There is no fairness when it comes to infertility. There is no fairness when it comes to the early onset of a terminal disease, to discontent, to depression. We are all on our own road. We are all called to our own level of holiness - and nobody else's. One's decision on how to dress should be a matter of holiness rather than defiance. Because defiance will take you down a bitter and ugly road.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and it's righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. 
There is inherent beauty in being a woman, that I will never recant. I do believe that women are called to accept their femininity with grace and ownership - but there are so many ways to do that. Some of them may not look on the surface like I might expect them to look, and who am I to decide what is feminine or not? There is only one thing I do know for sure - a woman is at her worst when she is trying to be a man.

Wanna see Peru?

Then check this out:

http://wherearebradandkaren.blogspot.com

I love these crazy kids.

Me, Animals and PWCMoms

Here's the dilly, folks.  I am a guest poster this week on PWC Moms.  I went out and reviewed the Prince William County Animal Shelter's Children's Barnyard.  It's a quirky little place in back of the animal shelter... and well.... read it yourself!

http://www.pwcmoms.com/?id=5656873257077972356

What I'm Thinking About...

Chocolate Covered Katie.

I made her pumpkin baked oatmeal tonight and as I ate it out of my new celery colored stoneware ramekins, with it's toasty little baked crust on the top, all drizzled with maple syrup (no white sugar at all!), and warmy, cinnamony, deliciousness - I was transported into some kind of dreamlike, swirling, hazy state of euphoria.  It was that good.

Check her out.
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/11/10/baked-pumpkin-oatmeal-for-one/

(photo courtesy of Chocolate Covered Katie - link above)

What I am Thinking About

H.W. Crocker III

An Open Letter to Mr. Crocker.
Dear Sir.
This evening I read an article you wrote entitled "Use NFP, It Doesn't Work" and I want you to know that I loved it.  I found your article while doing research for an article that I am writing about NFP.  I put in the Google search function "NFP Doesn't Work" and your article was delivered from cyber-Heaven.  The part where you quoted the tearful NFP-lover with her "wonderfully made" body made me laugh so hard that I woke one of the children sleeping on my floor. 

I have spent the last hour trying to find contact information for you - but to no avail.  That is why I am writing you this letter on my own blog.  Fat chance you are going to see it.

So my research changed from NFP to contact info for HW Crocker III, and to my surprise I discovered that you also authored "Triumph".  Sir, If I were anywhere near you I would pat you on the back, or give you a hug, or something like that.  I like the way you think.

So please accept this letter with a hefty dose of praise.  I thoroughly enjoy your work.
God Bless You,
Sharon Kieffer Steele

If you'd like to read "Use NFP: It Doesn't Work" here you go.
You're welcome.
http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/crocker/04828.html

For Your Enjoyment...

So I confess, I am on blogging strike. I want to write - and once in a while I have a fleeting funny thought - but the truth is that I am uninspired and of no use to the blog-o-sphere right now. And while I am not contributing, I have stumbled on a blog that promised to provide me with endless amounts of daydreaming and voyeurism. Want to take a looksee?

http://wherearebradandkaren.blogspot.com/

My uncle and his lovely wife are on holiday in Australia and it looks glorious. I am envious of their travel style. It is off the beaten path, meet the locals, see the sights, keep it under the radar type of travelling and I aspire to it. I want to lap it up out of a bowl.

But for now, I will have to satisfy myself with pictures.