2013/11/29

Beyond Sick

Da Goddess @ 20:13

I’m at a for words. For the guy, it’s sicker than sick. For the mothers who participated? Beyond reprehensible.

TJH: Inspire – Holiday Shopping

Da Goddess @ 01:46

Don’t fall for that ol’ pile of donkey dung and spend more than you have on holiday gifts. No need to get super deep in debt this year. Look what happened to this guy who got in over his head.

No need to spend an arm and a leg

No overspending for this gal

This Black Friday crap kills me. There’s really no need to spend an arm and a leg on gifts. Small, meaningful presents are where it’s at.

2013/11/28

Merry Thanks Stuffed Turkey Day!

Da Goddess @ 04:55

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

May you be blessed with much, loved by many, and go hoarse from all the praises you sing today.

As I said last year:

Today I forgive the idiocy and cruelness. Today I focus on the kindness and love. And today I offer my thanks all those around me for being a part of my journey.

That should be my mantra each and every day. Maybe I need to start making Thanksgiving resolutions instead of waiting until January 1.

And it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without some form of this:

Monica with the turkey

2013/11/27

TJH: Inspire – The Passenger

Da Goddess @ 01:32

Not exactly the sort of hitchhiker I’d pick up.

hitchhiker

Found him at the flea market 10 days ago and took a photo of the unusual mode of transportation he chose. Personally, if I saw a spider THAT BIG wanting a ride, I’d put pedal to the metal and get the hell away from him.

2013/11/23

And There Was Much Rejoicing

Da Goddess @ 23:13

Yay!

LD, who missed his train and had to take the next one, arrived safely. We’ve had a good day.

We had game night. We played a new game called “Quick Wit”. Found it on Ebay while looking for Chinese Checkers. My particular version is dated 1938. And it’s FUN! At some point, there were tears, laughter, spontaneous belching and farting, and lots of shouting. I’m surprised the cops weren’t called. All that fun was loud and thoroughly enjoyable.

Quick Wit

The premise of the game is simple: there are 50-some cards with letters of the alphabet (excluding X and Z) with prompts for categories. The first person to shout out an answer that fits the category gets the card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins. I did okay. And I think I was the loudest. Imagine that.

Tons of fun for a couple bucks. Hours spent laughing with family and friends…PRICELESS.

All we need now is a regular table (we have bar-height and stools) so I don’t kill my back during game time and meals and we’re in the money!

Bonus: Garden Wife is in town and we’ll be meeting up tomorrow. Woo hoo!

Hope you’re all having a great weekend!

2013/11/22

Hours Away

Da Goddess @ 23:23

Little Dude will be here in less than 12 hours.

Woo hoo!

He’s here until Thanksgiving.

Happy happy happy!

2013/11/19

Go! Watch!

Da Goddess @ 12:40

You’ll thank me.

Totally cool video for Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone”.

I Got Mine

Da Goddess @ 12:23

Ready for the apocalypse

We’re off to battle Windows 8

What Does it Take??

Da Goddess @ 02:33

For the life of me, I cannot burn photos onto a CD. I finally got music burned to a disk, but I can’t get photos or docs to go.

Anyone?

Windows 8. The bane of my existence.

2013/11/18

15 x 30, the Second

Da Goddess @ 04:07

I’m setting a goal for myself once again this year.

Same as last year:

To sell 15 images for $30 each. Printable up to size 11×14 for the purchaser.

When: Now.

Why: Money, of course.

What: Any image you’ve seen on this site (or Flickr or Facebook if you follow me on either of those sites) is up for grabs.

How: Leave me a comment and tell me what image grabs you, what size you want, I then send you the paypal link, you send payment, I send full resolution digital file that 1) grants you authorization to print, and 2) gives you the chance to print as many copies as you’d like! In other words, if there’s an image you like so much you want to give a copy to Auntie, to Mom, to Grandma, and to the nice lady at the doctor’s office who always makes sure there’s an opening for you and your family, you can have prints made for all of them because you’ve already purchased the right to print that file!

It’s a good deal. And if you don’t see a photo on this site or on Flickr or Facebook or Twitter, ask me. I have so many photos I’ve never published ANYWHERE and with a simple email exchange, we can figure out if I have something that fits the bill for your gifting needs. If not, I can always go shoot something just.for.you. I would really and truly do that.

Again, it’s a good deal. Cheaper than if I made a single print and mailed it to you. I’m even willing to bundle* if you’d like several different images. All you gotta do is ask.

* Frank Fritz, eat your heart out. I can do it, too.

2013/11/17

Good Day, Bad Day

Da Goddess @ 19:03

I should not let computer issues and a missing DVD ruin my good day, but guess what? Yeah. That happened.

Can’t find my Hurricane on the Bayou DVD. I have the case, but no DVD.

And now I’m attempting to transfer all my backup files from my external hard drive to my computer and the way this thing set itself up is ridiculous. Then, I was trying to burn a CD for a friend and I can’t get the flipping files to go where they need to go.

Grumble grumble, mutiny mutiny.

Other than that, and losing a game of Zips, it’s been a great day! I actually.went.outside. For most of the day. We went to the flea market and I did most of my Christmas shopping. Still have a bit to go, but the majority is done. (Yay!)

Also, took a LOT of photos and met some truly amazing people. I dig that kinda stuff.

Okay, back to figure out what the hell is going on with the external. Grrrr.

2013/11/16

Damn Straight, Skippy

Da Goddess @ 04:02

It’s that time of year again. I end up digging through archives to find something and stumble on something else, which distracts me from my first task, but I don’t really care because I’m so thoroughly entertained that NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. Whew. I love run on sentences, don’t you?

Anyway, as I was looking for link from this post, I ran across my link to Random Penguins and got lost. But when I saw this post, I laughed long and hard. Sounds exactly like me these past couple weeks (fighting the sinus/bronchial crud and rankling King Arthur on a regular basis with my sheer volume of honking and barking). “Also, too, as well,” this one had me in stitches because Little Dude once said something similar about a guy in a Hummer.

Oh, and just so you know: I don’t think I’m going to do 25 Days of Holiday Music Videos this year. Or, should I? Do you like when I post the videos? Do you? DO YOU?

Listen, it’s been a weird few days here. Especially upon realizing that we have A WHOLE EXTRA WEEK before Thanksgiving. My entire family, including King Arthur, thought we had merely a week to go. WHEW! Gives me a little more time to recover and get down to serious baking and planning.

2013/11/15

You Know What Day It Is, Right? Steve Irwin Day!

Da Goddess @ 15:15

Repost from last year:

“Steve Irwin Day, celebrated each year on 15 November, is an annual international event honouring the life and legacy of the one and only Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin!”

Yep, that’s what today is about. Celebrating the life and legacy of a man who put his heart, soul, and body into wildlife conservation. Why not don some duds and find a way to volunteer with a wildlife rescue group or at least donate some money to help such a group out. Let’s all join in and honor Steve’s memory in a fitting way!

Steve Irwin Day

Photo courtesy Australia Zoo Steve Irwin Day email

We still miss Steve around these parts.

Quiche Recipe

Da Goddess @ 00:46

I’d include photos, but we ate the quiche too quickly for me to get around to shooting.

First: the crust

Crisco pie crust
1/2 c Crisco
1/4 c butter (not melted, but relatively soft)
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
4 TBS ice cold water

Cut together Crisco, butter, salt, and flour until small clumps form. Slowly add in 1 TBS of water at a time, cutting as you go. Once you achieve a fully mixed ball of dough, break into two sections. Roll out one section on lightly floured surface and place into 10in pie plate. (9in plates work fine, but you’ll have to adjust down in terms of eggs when you get to the filling part.) Repeat step for your second crust.

Blind bake crusts for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Be sure to lightly pierce crusts before baking and use waxed paper with dry beans to hold crust down as it bakes.

Quiche filling
2 green onions (or scallions, if you’re the fancy sort)
1-2 clove garlic (I do NOT recommend garlic salt or powder. In this instance, fresh is best! You can totally taste the difference)
1 TBS butter (optional – I let it soften until it’s barely “solid”)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 c ham (cooked, diced. Hamsteaks work really well for this)
1-2 c spinach (I used frozen spinach and cut while it’s still frozen. It’s super easy this way)
1-2 c broccoli (Again, frozen florets are perfect and easy to cut. I love love love broccoli and spinach together)
8-12 eggs (depending on egg size. I recommend erring on the side of using too many as opposed to too few as it’s really a pain in the butt to go back and add in more. Too much? Just fill a small ramekin with remainder, bake, and you’ll have a quick breakfast on hand.)
3/4 tsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 c cream or milk (your choice and completely optional. If the egg mixture looks nice and fluffy as is, I will hold back on the milk)
1 lb shredded cheese (I prefer Jack cheese. For some reason, Swiss is totally unappealing to me. Use a white cheese for that classic quiche look and then add a little shredded cheddar for extra color and flavor. It works. I promise.)

I mince the garlic until it’s super tiny. Then, I cut the green onion almost all the way to the tippy top of the greens. I dice and cut and cut and dice until it’s almost as miniscule as the garlic. I think it helps to disperse the flavor through the quiche. These two ingredients are the first things I put on the crust once they’re out of the oven.

I then add the spinach and broccoli. Over those, I sprinkle the ham and then the bacon.

Before anything else: place the pie plates on cookie sheets to catch any spillover during baking. It’ll save you from having to clean the oven later.

Now, the eggs, salt, pepper, flour, baking powder, milk, and butter. Beat until nice and fluffy and happy looking. Pour into pie plates. Then, add cheese. If you want to be super “fancy”, add a little parsley to the top of each one before you pop them into the oven. This is also the point where I usually throw a little more salt and pepper at the pies. Not a lot. Just enough to make you feel like you’re enhancing the flavors.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. If there’s not jiggle in the middle, pull the quiches out of the oven. If there still seems to be a little jiggle (or, if you stick a knife in the center and it doesn’t come out relatively clean and dry), bake another 15 minutes.

Let cool for at least 20 minutes, allowing everything to set nicely.

Note #1: Pair with fresh fruit or salad and you’re set! Or, eat alone because it’s plenty filling by itself.

Note #2: Obviously the butter in the egg mixture will add calories to your meal, but a tablespoon isn’t really all the many calories and seems to make the mixture a bit more decadent. Completely up to you whether or not those calories. Same with the milk/cream. And, of course, fillings are subjective. I just happen to think these ingredients work really well together.

Note #3: Please let me know how everything turns out! I’ve been making this (and adjusting the recipe) since I was 10. I’d like to think 37 years of baking this particular dish would mean it’s worth sharing with you. And you know I love feedback! So, tell me, is it worth sharing?

2013/11/11

Honoring Veterans and Their Families

Da Goddess @ 04:03

Originally known as Armistice Day:

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” ~ Woodrow Wilson

Today is Veterans Day and what better way to honor those who serve, have served, and provide love and support on the homefront while their loved ones are away than to support charities that make veterans’ lives better.


Here are a list of some of the best legitimate charities around:

Services YMCA

Homes for Our Troops

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

Semper Fi Fund

National Military Family Organization

Operation Homefront

Soldiers’ Angels

Wounded Warrior Project

Various quotes collected from around the web:

When Our Perils Are Past,
Shall Our Gratitude Sleep?
~ George Canning

Courage Is Almost A Contradiction In Terms.
It Means A Strong Desire
To Live Taking The Form Of Readiness To Die.

~ G.K. Chesterton

But The Freedom That They Fought For,
And The Country Grand They Wrought For,
Is Their Monument To-Day, And For Aye.
~ Thomas Dunn English

As We Express Our Gratitude,
We Must Never Forget That The Highest Appreciation
Is Not To Utter Words, But To Live By Them.

~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Valor Is Stability,
Not Of Legs And Arms,
But Of Courage And The Soul.

~ Michel De Montaigne

Remember, it’s easy to take Liberty for granted when you’ve never had it taken from you. For that reason alone, let’s honor our Veterans and their families every day.