How cute is this?
I got this photo from How About Orange (which is a great blog that deserves further exploration, BTW). The pattern for this adorable little robe (made from a bath towel) can be found on Sew, Mama, Sew!
If I knew how to sew better, I would come up with a design for an adult robe that would include a hood and maybe some additional detail, like pockets. You'd need more than one towel, which introduces additional design possibilities. Fun!
One of the few things I remember from university is a screenwriting teacher telling us that there were only seven stories in the world and that every story was modeled after or was a variation of these seven.
Of these seven stories, I could only ever remember one: Romeo & Juliet, the tragic story of star-crossed lovers.
I guess Mick got tired of me repeating this little tidbit from my past because this morning I woke up to an email from him giving me this link:
The Seven Stories that Rule the World
What's funny is that "Romeo & Juliet" isn't even on the list–although we surmise that it counts as "tragedy."
Speaking of which:
Have I mentioned how much I love the Bee Gees?
Back in "The Day," I used to go to a restaurant called Palermo on Vermont in Los Angeles. I'd still go there, except it is far away from Santa Monica and Mick and I rarely go to any restaurant we can't walk to (I know, it's a problem). In those days, I could barely afford dinner, let alone wine to go with it, and they served free wine in plastic glasses out of boxes while you waited to be seated. That made me happy, especially since it always took awhile to get seated.
My favorite item on the menu was a dish called "Chicken Diane." As described on the menu, it is "a tender boneless breast of chicken lightly coated with seasonal bread crumbs, served with fresh mushrooms and white cream sauce." As described by me, it is yummy, decadent, and addictive.
I was recently reading a novel in which the characters go to Palermo for dinner and I was immediately transported back to my wine-from-a-box-chicken-diane days. I decided to try to come up with a lower calorie version of the dish, and this is what I came up with.
Oh, and by the way, I will still drink wine from a box if it's free, just so you know.
Chicken Diane (ala Holly)
Cook Time: 25 mins.
Level: Easy
Yield: 4
Ingredients:
1 package chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup light or regular alfredo sauce
1 cup pasta of your choice
1 cup chopped brocolli
2 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbs freshly grated parmesan
To make the pasta:
This is a trick I use often to maximize nutrition and minimize calories, and it works particularly well with this recipe.
Set water for pasta to boil with a handful of salt. When it boils, add your pasta and set your timer to cook it 3 minutes less than the directions say for al dente. When the time is up, add your brocolli and set the timer for the remaining 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Mix bread crumbs with salt and pepper. Dip chicken chunks into egg and dredge lightly in the bread crumbs.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add garlic and sautee for a 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the breaded chicken to the mix and sautee until browned and cooked through.
Add the alfredo sauce to the chicken and mushrooms and stir to coat them, keeping it on the heat for 1 more minute to heat the sauce. Remove from heat and add the pasta and brocolli. Mix well.
Serve on plates or in bowls. Garnish with the parsley and parmesan.
As many of you know I've been a volunteer for PAWS/LA since 2001. Since that time, the staff and volunteers of PAWS/LA have worked hard to grow the organization and I am so proud of it.
PAWS/LA clients, which includes people with life-threatening illnesses, seniors, and other disenfranchised pet owners, have numerous challenges in their lives. PAWS/LA helps ensure that losing their beloved pet(s) isn't one of them.
I am passionate about PAWS/LA's mission for a couple of reasons. First, anyone who has ever owned a pet knows what a great source of love and support they are and how much they enhance the quality of life. Keeping pets with their owners at their "hour of need" is tremendously important in aiding their recovery. Second, many animals end up in shelters when their owners are no longer able to care for them because of illness or financial hardship. PAWS/LA is dedicated to keeping these animals with their owners and out of shelters.
All of this to say that PAWS/LA asked me to help them set up a presence on Facebook, which I have gladly done.
PAWS/LA Cause Page – You can donate to PAWS/LA via the donation link on this page as well as actively participate in promoting PAWS/LA by asking friends to join the cause, posting a box to your profile, and donating your status to the cause.
PAWS/LA Group Page and PAWS/LA Fan Page – Joining either of these pages helps promote PAWS/LA to your friends and keeps you updated on special events, volunteer opportunities, and news about PAWS/LA.
If like me, you believe in PAWS/LA's mission and are a member of Facebook, please consider joining any of these pages, volunteering, or making a donation.
I don't crochet, but this is pretty darned cute:
Boomer the Sumo Westler @ FreshStitches.com
Actually, the entire site is pretty great, and a good argument for adding crochet to my list of hobbies.
Just what I need. Another hobby.
This is Stuart right after climbing out of a snow drift he fell into. He was a good sport about it though, and continued on his walk as though nothing at all had happened.
The nurseries here still don't seem to have much in the way of herbs, so I guess I will just have to be patient. In the meantime, I found some good ideas for making my herb garden more successful:
How to Make Herb Garden Markers
How to Make a One Pot Herb Garden
Lest you think I've forgotten about my vertical garden, I did a little browsing at the nursery this morning for possible ideas.
There were a lot of different trellises available, and one I liked in particular had asian lines reminiscent of a shinto shrine (my apologies for the photos–they were hanging up and my iPhone doesn't do it justice):
My thought was that I could hang rectangular planters equidistantly on this trellis, kind of like this:
Three of these would fit quite nicely and allow for plants to grow.
The trellis was $49.99 and the planters $8.99 each. Still a long way from the $399 price tag on the vertical garden from Smith & Hawken, but also still a little pricey. I'm gonna continue looking around.
I don’t remember being into mysteries or murder or the macabre when I was younger.
Although now that I think of it, I did rather enjoy the novels written by Lois Duncan, who writes some pretty amazing books for teens and young adults. Some of my favorites were Daughters of Eve
So maybe that’s when my fascination with murder, crime, and death in general started.
Which brings me to the reason for this post. One of my favorite websites is called Find a Death and I find it utterly compelling. It is basically a compilation of the “death stories” of celebrities and not-so-celebrities, complete with photos, death certificates, gossip, and sometimes, mementos.
The creator is a guy named Scott Michaels who has what I think is a pretty interesting story of his own. Scott also has a business called Dearly Departed Tours, which I’ve never been on but wouldn’t mind seeing. Maybe a good sightseeing trip for the English relatives?
Some of my favorite profiles are:
Desi Arnaz (some good gossip here)
Jackie Coogan and the Addams Family Cast
Sam Cooke
Grace Kelly
A word of warning: Some (maybe most) of the content on Findadeath.com is not work-appropriate. Some content on it is not for the squeamish. Finally, while I don’t personally find it disrespectful, there is the occasional hint of irreverence about death and celebrity on this site and if you think you might be easily offended, perhaps it isn’t the website for you.
Otherwise, have at it.
The new and improved Amazon Kindle 2 comes out today. Correction: You can pre-order one starting today for shipment on February 24.
I got my Kindle about a year ago and it is my favorite electronic gadget of all time. That includes my iPod, my iPhone, my Garmin, and pretty much anything else I can think of.
If you're a reader and you have the price, I'd highly recommend getting one of these babies.
I have shared this idea with many people, but for some reason, I never thought of posting it here.
My original concept for speed cleaning came when I was trying to think of ideas for exercising whilst getting something done. The idea is to get your heart rate up, keep it up, and have a sparkly clean house at the end of it.
Basically, you just need to clean as fast as you can without stopping and if possible, without going into another room while you are doing it. Here's some tips:
1) Gather everything you need before you begin. It helps if you have all your cleaning materials in container that you can just take from room to room. If you need a vacuum, a mop, or a broom to complete the room, make sure they are there and easy to access.
2) Get a box or a laundry basket to put all items in the room that belong in other rooms. Toss anything that doesn't belong into that basket, which you will then carry from room to room as you clean, removing and putting items away as necessary.
3) Put a garbage bag within easy reach. This will also be taken from room to room as you clean.
4) It helps to have a time goal in mind. Assess the room–can you do it in ten minutes? Twenty? Set a time and then try to meet it.
5) Speed cleaning is not about organizing, it's about maintenance. There is no time for reflection on what things to keep or toss (aside from the obvious, like junk mail). If what your home really needs is organization, take a weekend to do it. I actually recommend pretending like you're moving house about twice a year–be brutal in determining what stays and what goes. Not only will this make speed cleaning much easier, but it will help you live a clutter free life.
Voila! Less than 15 minutes later, I have a lovely dining area. On to the rest of the house!