Our Mush Push

TV Addictions

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:46:00 +0000

I know it's well into the new TV season, but I'm finally ready to share my current list of addictions.

1. Smash - This has to be my favorite. I don't care how implausible the situation in which they breakout in song. I love it. Especially anything to do with the show within the show. Not to say there haven't been moments that make me go "Eww". The whole Julia and Michael affair was a giant "Ewwwww" moment, but they did end it quickly and put me out of my misery.

I love Tom, Julia, Karen, Ivy, Derek and of course, Eileen. How wonderful to see the glorious Angelica Houston on my screen each week. I love every time Eileen tosses a drink in her Ex's face. Wonderful moment.

They even made a brilliant evil character that you love to hate. Ellis is just so creepy and transparent. I'm sure he's going to create a lot of havoc in the new season.

2. Revenge - This is so Dallas/Dynasty moved to the Hamptons, that I have to apologize to anyone who catches me watching this, but the storyline had me hooked from the beginning. And such an amazing cast of characters. Madeleine Stowe is perfect as the evil/misunderstood Victoria Grayson. And Emily VanCamp is equally as good as the revenge obsessed Emily Thorne. No one is exactly what they pretend to be, which just adds to each weekly installment.

3. Grimm - This modern day adaption of the fairy tale cast of evil characters and monsters is creepily addictive. Having the hero character cast as a police detective and monster hunter (a Grimm), is very clever. He solves crimes as he rids the world of goblins and ghouls. There are times when I seriously can't look at the TV as I am easily creeped out, but that doesn't stop the need to watch.

Best part...hands down is Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe. Monroe is a recovering blutbad (werewolf) and the shows brilliant comic relief as he helps our hero, Nick Burkhardt decipher the mysteries and dangers of the supernatural world.

4. Fashion Star - This is Project Runway without all the bitchy backstories. This show to me, is all about the clothes. Each week, the contestants create 3 version of the same look or concept and without much delay, there is a stream of fashion shows and some amazing clothing. And here is the best part. Each week, buyers from Macy's, Saks and H&M can bid on the clothes they want to sell in the their stores. So you don't have to be the actual winner to win some sales. The clothes are then available on line and at the stores.

I LOVE Kara's clothing and did finally order some online this morning. Something from H&M and something from Macy's. (Would have loved something from Saks, but they are just out of my price range.)

Caity was all concerned that Jessica Simpson was one of the mentors, but she has proven herself to be far less annoying then her persona. And Nicole Ritchie is one very savvy young women. I am very impressed with her style and talents. There is definitely something there.

5. The Voice - This show didn't hook me in it's first season, but it got me this season. I think the big draw is Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. Blake, besides being wonderful to look at, he is also very down to earth and hilarious. His bromance with Adam just cracks me up.

The final four singers were all incredibly talented. We aren't dealing with untried talent on this program. All of the final four performers are established and well trained. The winner of this season, Jermaine Paul, is just a wonderful singer and performer.

I will take a second here to mention that Christina Aguilera is such an annoying person (I am refraining from saying the "B" word here), that there were times I wanted to throw something at the TV. Between her not so subtle slams of her former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Tony Lucca and her proturding out-of-control iron orbs, she just comes off as the typical spoiled diva. But don't let that stop you from watching, the rest of the show is very entertaining. (OK...not that chick doing the backstage interviews. I don't ever want to hear "you're trending across the country" ever again. WTF does that mean anyway!!)

6. Once Upon A Time - This is a more traditional spin on the fairy tale stories, bringing all the characters to life in a the modern day fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine. Each episode moves back and forth between the days of yore and current day, with all the characters stuck in the future not knowing who they really are. When the mysterious Emma Swan comes to town, it turns out she is the secret to breaking the spell that holds them locked in time.

Are the special effects awful...yes. Can you tell that it's shot in front of a green screen...yes. But don't let that stop you from just enjoying a good story.

Do you watch any of these? What are your favs.

In Honor of the White Tee

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Spent some time shopping with Mom yesterday. We had some great successes and since she hates shopping, this makes her day.

As I shopped, it brought to mind my mild obsession with white tees. I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame. They draw me in and I can't turn my gaze.

Crew neck, V-neck, short sleeve, long sleeve. Doesn't matter the style (OK...I'm not a scoop neck fan), I just love them. I have a decent size collection. I frequently have to make myself NOT by the white version. Get a blue tee or a red tee. You need to have some variety.

I love a great white tee.

What's your obsession? Shoes, dishes, socks, books. What can't you resist? I really want to know. Please share so I feel more normal.

Card of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:48:00 +0000

I have managed to make a few cards in the last couple weeks. These first two were create based upon this week's CPS sketch.

And I think I got them done just in time.

A couple weeks ago I was able to complete the following couple of cards. They were originally based upon a CPS sketch, but I missed the posting date and I played quite liberally with the design so I don't think anyone would have recognized them.

Feels good to see them all compiled together. Makes me feel somewhat accomplished.

The Avengers Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:55:00 +0000

The Avengers

Garde: A+

I've been off my movie reviewing game for a bit now. Might have overdone it leading up to the Academy Awards and worn myself out. Or it could be that the early part of the year is usually a little on the slow side as movies go.

Anyway, the season is surely heating up with the highly anticipated release of The Avengers. The movie unites Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and The Hulk under the guidance and direction of Nick Fury.

This movie is exciting, intelligent and visually spectacular. The story is great focusing on Lokey's (Thor's brother) and his plan to destroy earth. Despite a plethora of characters, each is well defined and each plays a significant role in the movie.

The special effects are some of the best I've seen. The Hulk no longer looks like a cartoon character. He looks real and even a bit like Mark Ruffalo, who plays Dr. Banner.

Some of the best moments are the subtle comedic ones. I wish I could remember them all. The $10 scene between Captain America and Nick Fury is brilliant and the scene between The Hulk and Lokey echos the Indiana Jones scene where he pulls out a gun to shoot the big huge guy with the big huge sword.

You can also tell that Robert Downey Jr. was born to play Tony Stark/Iron Man. He's just great and having so much fun with this character.

I would recommend going to see this with a big audience. The exuberance of the audience only adds to the overall effect of the movie. So many people are so excited about this movie. You can just feel it pulsing through the theater. It's a real feel good movie, reminiscent of days past when we could just let our little kid out.

And...even though I'm not a 3D fan and we did not see the 3D version, the big conflict scenes would have been enhanced by this special effect.

I have to be honest, I am not a Marvel Comics person. In fact my only exposure to these Super Heroes is through each of their movies. That said, prior to this movie I did not know anything about Hawkeye and Black Widow. I plan to sit down soon with my SIL to get the lowdown on each of these characters, but you don't need to really understand these two to enjoy the movie.

That doesn't mean you don't have to do your homework. I would highly recommend that you see Iron Man (just the first one), Captain America and Thor prior to seeing The Avengers. There is a lot of background that will add to the storyline and your enjoyment of the movie.

Get your summer started right and go see this movie. Maybe with a group so you can talk about it after and hopefully remember all the comedic zinger moments.

Ten Best Things About Breslyn

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:10:00 +0000

She's perfect
She's so tiny. You forget how little they are when they are brand new. It's so much fun to get this reminder.
We finally get to buy pink clothes and dresses!
Every time I see her, she made new changes. She's awake much more and able to hold her neck a bit more.
This is the sleep stage where we can go out to lunch and she sleeps through the whole thing.
We've been wondering if she would look like either of the boys and we can all see Ryan in her eyes.
She smells like a baby.
She's a good sleeper
She's a good eater
She helps complete a perfect family.

He Says the Darnedest Things

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Last Sunday was Austin's 4th Birthday. It was also the day Breslyn came home from the hospital, so we all went over to make sure he had a special day.

I think we succeeded.

Later that week, on Wednesday night, I went over to help out with the kids and to make a good dinner for Krissy. While I was out in the kitchen, Krissy was nursing Breslyn and Austin finally noticed. (The fact that she's been home for 4 days, feeding her every 2-4 hours, seems to have gone un-noticed.) Here is their conversation:

Austin: "Is that your boob?

Krissy: "Yes, this is how I feed Breslyn."

Austin: "Chewing on your boob. Dross!" (That's how he says Gross. It adds something to the story.)

Krissy: "Well, this is how you feed new babies. I feed you and Ryan like this when you were babies."

Austin: "Dross"

I missed the rest of her very mature response as I was running from the room laughing.

Ya got to love him.

She's Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:52:00 +0000

Welcome Breslyn Marie.

Born April 19.

She is beautiful and so are her parents.

Congrats Krissy and Jay.

What's in a Word

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:45:00 +0000

You know how sometimes you get a song in your head and you can't get it out? Well, this week, I've had a word in my head and I can't seem to get rid of it. It"s been bouncing around in there since Monday.

And strangely enough...I'm not even sure if it's a real word.

Kerfuffle

That's the word I can't get out of my head. I think this is really strange and I don't understand it. Has anyone ever had a word stuck in their head or is it just me?

This is such kerfuffle.

Update: This word finally left my brain. Thank goodness.

Post Easter Pea Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:13:00 +0000

If you had ham for Easter dinner, what did you do with the ham bone?

I made mine into pea soup.

(Pea Soup is very hard to photograph)

Half the audience just groaned, I know. Pea soup is one of those things that you either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground here. As you probably guessed, I'm in the love it category, as is my mom, Caitlin, BW and now Rick.

Here's how I made it:

Broth:
Ham bone (with any usable meat removed)
32 ounces chicen broth
1 large scrubbed carrot (cut into 3 chunks)
1 large stalk of celery (cut into 3 chunks)
1 quater onion (skin included)
64 ounces of water
3 bay leaves

Put the ham bone in a large soup pot and add chicken broth and 64 ounces of water. Add the carrot, celery, onion wedge and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and let cook for two hours.

After two hours, remove ham bone and let it cool. Strain broth to remove everything but the broth. Discard all the bits and veggies that were left.

Soup:
2 large carrots, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbl olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbl butter
1 pound dried peas
1 Tsp dried thyme
6-7 diced red skin or new potatoes

Return the broth to the soup pan and cook on medium heat. Add the dried peas and thyme. Cook for 45 minutes until peas are tender, but still formed.

In a separate pan, saute the carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and 2 Tbl butter. Continue to sauté on low heat until nicely browned. (15 mintues).

Add the carrot mixture and potatoes to the broth. Cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

When the ham bone is cool enough to handle, pull off and chop up ham. Add back into soup. Season with pepper.

The soup is done. If you would like, you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth mixture which is what I did.

This is one of those soups that is actually better the next day.

It's All in the Details

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Easter was very special the year. We got the families together this year to celebrate Easter and also Luke's 2nd Birthday.

Caity hosted the party and she made it very special with little touches that only she can do. First off, she made these:

She did it with balloons, embroidery thread and glue. So cute.

And this was how she did the flowers:

What a great way to use peeps.

Here was Luke's Birthday cake:

She had this made by "That's Just Delish". Adorable isn't it.

And than my personal favorite. Raspberry and peach trifle. Thank you for making this Cait. It was sooooo good.

And family events are always made more special by these monkeys:

"Please note daddy has to hold my hands down or I would so be grabbing this cake."

Card of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:19:00 +0000

I am so happy with how this card turned out, especially because it's for my sister.

It feels like all the elements aligned to help inspire me to new heights. A unique sketch, a great paper combo and a little bit of luck.

Here is the CPS Sketch:

And here is my interpretation:

Thanks CPS as always for getting me going.

Can't wait to give it to my sis.

Good Intentions

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:04:00 +0000

I've been "Pinning" all sorts of Spring and Easter wreaths, with every intention of making one. But by the time I checked out all the goodies at Michael's and Joann's, I kind of gave up.

Trying to figure out all the supplies I would need (I am not a regular wreath maker) and add that to the high probability that it wouldn't turn out how I envisioned it, I opted for a pre-made wreath that was 40% off at Joann's.

Lame...absolutely. Done...yep!

Card of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:56:00 +0000

My brother's birthday is coming up next week and it is a BIG one!

I just loved the CPS card sketch this week and I figured out a way to combine the two.

Here's the CPS sketch:

And here is my interpretation:

I really enjoyed the simplicity of the design, yet I was able to also mark the milestone.

How is it possible that I have a brother who is turning 60? I can only placate my stress level by telling myself he's much older than I am. (If that were only true.)

Have a great week-end.

Welcome Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:27:00 +0000

To welcome Spring, I wanted to take some photos of what's already growing or blooming around my house. The plan was to have that to post for the first day of Spring.

As is my style, so to speak...that didn't happen.

But better late than never, I did manage to take some photos of my flowering tree. I think it is a weeping cherry, but I'm not sure. I know I should know what it is and I think I did at one time, but I forgot.

I'd welcome any comments letting me know what type of tree this might be. (I probably should have taken a photo of the whole tree. That would probably be helpful.)

Happy Spring Everyone.

Card of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 01:41:00 +0000

To fight off the feelings of a very stressful day at work, I decided to release through carding. I've made two today as the boys have upcoming birthdays. I used the CPS card sketch for one and just my own idea for the second.

Here is the CPS sketch:

And here is Luke's card:

And here is Ryan's:

I'm so pleased with the colors.

It was very good therapy. I hardly remember my stress of the day. (The two beers probably didn't hurt either.)

Chicken Piccata ala Wonderful

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Anyone who visits here regularly knows I love Ina Garten. I watch Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network all the time and yesterday, I even watched some of her videos online.

This is where I found her making Chicken Piccata. She was making it for Jeffrey on his Friday night return from the city. So I knew it would be special. She also mentioned pairing it with the Herb Roasted Onions.

Suddenly I had found my inspiration for dinner.

Oh my goodness. This was all kinds of wonderful. Both were very easy to make so I had to pass them on to you.

Here is her Chicken Piccata recipe.

I unfortunately did not take any photos of my own, for which I am so sorry. My plate looked magnificent.

Here is the recipe for the Herb Roasted Onions .

Seriously, if you are at a loss for what to make for dinner, please I beg you...make both of these.

And then let me know how it turned out.

I Think it's Fixed

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:23:00 +0000

I finally found someone at Go Daddy who helped my correct my problem. Still don't understand how it got changed or why it worked sometimes and sometime not. But we finally updated the IP address that I got from Blogger.

So, hopefully...I'm back.

Blog Troubles

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:46:00 +0000

Is any one else having issues with their blog.

Yesterday, out of the blue, I couldn't get to my blog, but got the generic "Go Daddy" message screen asking if you want to register this name.

I called Go Daddy and they said everything was OK. I'm paid up and it's CNAME is set up and it's pointing to Blogger. I set this all up so long ago, I am sure I have no memory of what I did.

I that asked a question on Blogger help. They basically told me that Go Daddy lied to me and there must be a problem with the DNS/CNAMES.

I then went to my blog again and everything was back to normal.

Just went and checked it again today...Go Daddy message again. Waited 5 minutes, checked again and it's now back.

Which brings me to ask...any one else having any blog weirdness?

Thanks

DIY Croutons

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:53:00 +0000

I am completely addicted to making my own croutons. They are so tasty and all you need to do is dice up some herby bread and bake it in a 250 degree oven for about an hour.

I found this wonderful bread at Papa Joe's (our local specialty produce, meat, fish, wine etc shop).

It's called Grissini Torinesi. I have no idea what it means, but it's a skinny loaf filled with lots of herbs.

I just cut it up and bake.

I've been making Caesar Salads with these every other day. Have croutons, will have salad.

Also if you haven't tried Cardini's Caesar Salad Dressing, you have got to give it a try. It's delicious and makes life so much easier.

What Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:17:00 +0000

I recently received an email from the folks at Be @ Home. They wanted to feature my little blog on their Best of the Web Feature. I've not had anything like this happen before and I'm excited by the possibility of making new blogging buddies.

Be @ Home is part of Pocket Change, which was started by a group of bloggers who were passionate about writing about products and shopping. There are several different branches under the Pocket Change blog including Be in Style, Be in the Game, and Be @ Home. Pocket Change has been around for a few years.

Here is the link for their Best of the Web post and make sure you visit the other blogs featured. I'm in with some really great company.

Number 3

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:47:00 +0000

I haven't mentioned it here yet, but Krissy is expecting here 3rd child in about 7 weeks. Her delivery date is scheduled for April 27th. We are all so excited to have a new baby around again. And to add to the good news, she is having a girl.

I see lots of pink in her future.

Card of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Here's my card for the CPC Card Challenge this week. This is one of the cards I made for the February Birthday Brunch.

This is the CPS Sketch:

And here is my interpretation.

I opted to turn the design horizontally...for no particular reason. Just because.

Have a great week.

Birthday Brunch

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:52:00 +0000

We had our annual Birthday Brunch where we celebrate 5 birthdays. With so many birthday's in a row, it's jus easier celebrating all at once than trying to do them one at a time.

It is now Sunday morning and I just had Birthday Brunch leftovers and it was spectacularly delicious. I had a Sausage Strata, Raspberry and Marscarpone French Toast Bake, a slice of a slice of Kathy's Apple Bread. How wonderful to have all these goodies in my fridge.

Sausage & Monterrey Jack Strata

Raspberry & Marscarpone French Toast Bake

Apple Bread

So yummy. Happy Birthday BW, Krissy, Jay, Rick and Mom. What a wonderful reason to get the family together.

(Next up....Austin, Ryan and Luke's birthday. Plus a little surprise.)

Welcoming Home the Prodigal Son

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Yum

And the Oscar Goes To...

noreply@blogger.com (Lindalou) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:08:00 +0000

I have actually seen 5 of the nine nominated Best Pictures. I've seen The Help, War Horse, The Descendants, The Artist and Hugo. I have not seen Moneyball, Midnight in Paris, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Tree of Life.

Not seeing all of them does limit my ability to pick a winner but, I do feel better equipped than most years.

So for what's worth, I think the Oscar should to:

The Artist

I just loved it.