Writing Contest

Navel gazing at its finest: The Blog Book

I have entered another writing contest-Sometimes Life Is Funny, which ends today for a book of stories that are funny in some way- to benefit Stephanie and Christian Nielson. Click on the site for more info on the contest and rules. When the book gets published I will let everyone know so you all can buy a copy for yourself to benefit Nie.

Don't forget to read below about Betty Boop- which I also blogged about today.

THE GRADUATE

Betty Boop is just so proud to have graduated from the 10 week Good Dog training program. She is now officially a therapy dog!! They gave her this hanker chief as a sort of graduation gown- isn't it cute??

Don't be afraid about the long training- we had to do basic as well as therapy training 'cause we could only sit on command..nothing else. It was so much fun and flew by-and we were lucky to have George -the best dog trainer.

I'm a proud mama that's for sure! Good dog Betty Boop. Good dog!

Go to The Good Dog Foundation to sign up to be a therapy team- if your doggy is as special as "Boopers". You know yours is now don't ya??

NieNie and Mr Nie

Can't get past NieNie and her Mr. Nielson. Read their story in the NY Times a few weeks ago.

If you want to bid on something, or donate (click on the link to the right of this blog to donate easily through PayPal, and special thanks to Nie Nie's friend Lyndsay for the generous surprise of a new banner for my blog in honor of Nie Nie-isn't it "loverly"?? )

Click HERE to see the benefit blog and bid on items etc or donate something if you wish. People have donated handmade sweaters,quits, pictures,dolls, and sports collectibles etc to help with their medical bills.

As her family has said- prayers are the Number 1 thing they need.A month before the crash she posted on her blog "I love my life" with a perfect picture of her family.

Keep up the prayers for grace,strength and recovery for these beautiful young parents and their children.

Cool Hand Luke

What will we do without those dreamy blue eyes ? Paul Newman was a true gentleman. He was what a movie star should be. The list of great movies goes on and on-some of my favorites were Cool Hand Luke, The Long Hot Summer, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ,The Sting, Absence of Malice and Our Town.

But more importantly than all of that was his dedication to his family and his philanthropy work. His Hole in the Wall Gang has brightened the lives of countless kids with cancer.The site states...

"He was a man of extraordinary generosity, vision, creativity and compassion. His selfless commitment to the welfare of children living with serious illnesses has been inspirational to people around the world. Twenty years ago, Paul Newman founded The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the first in what has grown to become the worlds largest family of camps serving children with serious illnesses. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is part of his living legacy, and for that we remain forever grateful. His leadership and spirit can never be replaced, but he has left us with a clear course for the future. Pauls dream lives on in the joy, magic and healing power of Camp. What an extraordinary privilege to have shared his friendship and affection." To read more about our founder's legacy of Hole in the Wall Camps click here To make a gift in support of our founder's dream click here

My favorite homemade popcorn is his of course. The pretzels, the cookies, the salad dressing ,the pasta sauce. It always makes me feel better when I buy his products, knowing the profits are helping other and that they have natural ingredients.And last but not least-what would my dogs do without their favorite dog food Newman's Own.

Bravo Mr. Newman. Bravo.

Update on NieNie

An update on Stephanie Nielson and her husband Christian was in the recent People Magazine. I went on the Nie Recovery Blog and Christian is out of the coma.He has so much to sink in now. Stephanie has been having skin grafts for her back, arms and legs. and is still in a drug induced coma She is still in critical condition.
Over $100,000 has been raised so far to help them with their medical expenses. From all the research, I found a blog by a wonderful artist Christine Alvarado who donated an exquisite doll for Nie Nie. Her site is Du Bu Duh Designs. It's worth checking out.

Lets keep the prayers going for them and their family as well as the pilot who lost his life ,Doug Kinneard.

Comfort Casserole

I made a yummy,easy casserole today that I found in this month's Real Simple magazine. It's a perfect recipe to bring to a friend who is under the weather, or having a baby, or for a culinary- challenged college kid.


^^Baby Welly in the tummy above^^


I'm afraid it might be pretty fattening- but it sure tastes good. This recipe filled 2 lasagna pans. Good idea to make one for now and freeze on for later. I added chicken to the recipe.

Decadent Broccoli, Cheese and Chicken Casserole
Time 25 minutes(if you buy a pre- cooked chicken)

2 lbs rotini pasta
2 cups milk
flour
2 tbl butter
salt and pepper to taste
3 packages Shredded Cheddar Cheese( I used 3 cheese Mexican)
2 1lb bags frozen broccoli florets
1 roasted chicken( I baked it myself- you could get a rotisserie one for the grocery store)

Boil pasta according to directions on box. Add frozen broccoli 4 minutes into the boiling process.
in the mean time, make a rue by melting the butter and adding flour till thickened- about 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly add the 2 cups of milk, stirring frequently. Add two packets of the cheese and stir till melted. Remove from stove.

Remove and shred chicken into bite size pieces. Drain the pasta and broccoli . Put in casserole dish along with the chicken .Add the cheese sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the final shredded cheese on top. Broil for 3 minutes till browned on top, or put in fridge till dinner, put in oven at 375 f till bubbly and crispy on top

Out of the Closet

I love the quote from the movie " An American Carol" coming out next week, where they say being Republican is the new "gay". Though I don't want to diminish in any way the centuries of persecution of gay men and women out there, this is not an easy time to be a Republican and sometimes I feel like I have to keep my mouth shut or a Democrat will want to eat me alive.

Living in New York, and having just visited LA, I certainly feel that I should be hiding my allegiance in the closet-those two places make you feel like an idiot and and oddball- even though you know you're not. Watching the Emmy's last night didn't help any. Actor after actor after actor went on and on digging at McCain and Palin- any digs for Obama?Of course not.This coming from the high and mighty powers that be of Hollywood who have gotten rid of the Family Hour in television and have helped teens,'tweens and young boys and girls so much with the toilet water programming aimed at them.

But Darn-it, I'm not going to take it any more . I'm Republican. I'm Catholic. I believe life begins at conception. I believe all children when delivered, whether at 21 weeks or 40 weeks, deserve the right to be given all the means medically necessary to be kept alive and treated with dignity.

I'm voting for McCain /Palin and I don't care who knows it or what people think about me because of it. I'm proud , mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

So those of you out there like me- you know who you are. Get out of the closet.Wear your McCain/Palin button . Put on the bumper sticker. Don't be afraid just because you live in the most liberal state in the nation.

Oh and you liberal neighbors of mine, be kind, don't key my car because of the McCain /Palin sticker on my bumper.It's a fear of mine- much more so than Palin being a heart beat away from the presidency.

LA LA LAND

Im off on vacation. See you next week!

Martha Martha Martha

I was in the audience for Martha's premiere show for this season, which was held at her farm in Bedford.The show will air this Monday Sept 15th. It was a long day, but a fun one.Thanks to my friend Kim for including me in this special day.Kim got some one on one camera time with Martha- I can't wait to see how it turns out- I was busy picking purple pole beans in the background.

The place is spectacular. Any one would want to nestle in there forever. She was a gracious host- funny and welcoming.

The highlight for me was the lunch we had together- one long table, where we ate what the three chef's had prepared on the show. We sat on a carriage path in between two fields- with her 4 black Friesian horses running in one of them, the donkeys hee- hawing in the other. It was a pure delight.

A fellow blogger, Stephanie Nielson, whose blog is called the Nie Nie Dialogues, was in a horrific plane crash a few weeks ago along with her husband Christian. The pilot died. They are both in the hospital, Stephanie- with burns over 80% of her body, and Christian, with burns covering 30%. He has pneumonia.Their four young children range in age from six to twenty three months in age. They need all of our prayers,and I believe in the power of prayer. They could also use our money. You can donate to them by clicking on the icon on the right . Click here for the Today Show link.There are also online auctions to benefit them as well Click here for that. I'm sure any small amount will help,even $5. And they take paypal. Spread the love, the news and the prayers.

The Devil Wears Prada

Went to the Peter Som Spring 2009 show at Fashion Week in NYC. First off, we entered through the dressing room- with all the models getting dressed and primped in hair and makeup. Peter himself came up to us and was as cool as a cucumber-don't know how he was so relaxed with all the buzzing around him but he was indeed.

The clothes were feminine and colorful.There was lots of bright blues and pinks as well as black and white and grays. Jewels sewn on the clothes were prominent. I've never been to a show before. It was quite something. There was a whole wall of photographers. It lasted only about 12 minutes. Anna Wintour was the first to leave, and flew out with her entourage as soon as the show ended. I wanted everything!


Peter Som is a man who is a genius at what he does and a gentleman to boot. Bravo!

Mama Mia

I'm a little overwhelmed this week with three grand dogs visiting and one houseguest-dog so I'm gonna jut slack off and add a tiny bit about two of my favorite things-

This just in from a fan, other than me, of Sarah Palin ...Sorry
Col and Trish, I love this..


My taters are growing strong again-Im looking forward to many nights of mashed potatoes- my drug of choice.I found this recipe on the More than Burnt Toast blogspot (click here)- which is really good. I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.

Yummy Potatoe Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated red Leicester cheese (I use old Cheddar)
2 cups cooked, mashed potatoes
3/4 cup water
1 T oil

*************************
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Sift the flour, salt, mustard powder and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Reserve 2 T of the grated cheese and stir the rest into the bowl with the mashed potatoes. Mix until well combined.
Pour in the water and the oil, and stir in all the ingredients together (the mixture will be wet at this stage). Mix them all to make a soft dough.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into an 8-inch round loaf.
Place the loaf on the cookie sheet and mark it into 4 portions with a knife, without cutting through. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese.
Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 425F degrees for approximately 25 - 30 minutes.
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool. This bread should be served as fresh as possible or toasted.

Knock Out

I'm going to just enjoy this while it lasts. I know the media will drag Sarah Palin through the mud but last night was fantastic for PTA members, hockey moms and the United States of America.

She may be a rip roaring pit bull, but she has to be.

McCain may be 72, but he is a pit bull himself.

He may look crooked and stiff, but that is not from age-it is from hanging from his arms between two trees for hours at a time in Hanoi.Since he was a young man, because of the torture, he cannot lift his arms past a certain height.

He is a true American hero.

I can't remember when I've been this excited about an election- I know the Democrats feel the same about their candidates .Maybe this will get people to actually go out and vote this time around.!! So for all of you who aren't registered, or weren't going to vote because their vote doesn't count- Get out and vote-get an absentee ballot if you have to, but do it. It is not only a duty but a tribute to all those men and women who have sacrificed it all throughout history so that our voices can be heard.

Click here to register.

The deadline for the State of New York is October 10th.

I Am Woman Here Me Roar

I cant help it. I am excited with the prospect of a woman and mother of five being our next vice president, and yes, maybe president down the road.
Both sides have been doing their spin doctoring.
But no matter, I am rooting for her.
I have my concerns as to how she can handle it all, but she is obviously an exceptionally energetic and smart woman and has a big support group,in her big family. People complain and say how can she do it with 5 children- but her eldest is in the army- he is an adult on his own now. Sure he still needs her, but not in the same way that her 7 year old does. Now her eldest daughter is pregnant and about to get married- and she will need her mom (we never stop needing our mom) but she is starting a new life as an adult as well.It looks like she's had a good foundation from her own parents.


CLICK HERE TO GET TSHIRT ETC

There are remarkable people in this world- people who adopt 12 kids with special needs, hold a full time job, and the family thrives. I'm hoping she is one of those exceptional people. She really could be!

No matter how it turns out, this will be a historic election. And there are worse things that could happen than a wife,mother and grandmother running this country of ours. I say bravo Sarah- I'm pulling for you!

Brace Yourselves

This is what I have had to deal with this morning........
I am starting to hate living in the country.My yard has been infiltrated with moles. I have tried traps , gum and chemicals- yes chemicals, because all else has failed. And now Baby Oskar, the monkey dog, found a dead one and I have to touch it and get rid of it.
Can you see his long nails and pink skin colored spouty nose and flipper hands? I cant get a good shot but Im sure you get the picture.
Gross.Gross.Gross.
Help!!!!