Thursday, July 22, 2010
It's Time to Move
So I've decided to move the blog... I've explained everything over at the other site, which is www dot kellybird92 dot wordpress dot com. Anyways, if you're still interested, please come on over to the new blog. We'll have some tea....
Thursday, July 1, 2010
It's Raining
Which always makes me think of Ireland....
Actually before the rain came, Ireland was on my mind. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm reading a book by an Irish author, set in Ireland. Or maybe it's because I watched "Leap Year" a week ago. Or maybe it's because once you've been to Ireland, it periodically knocks on your heart's door and says, "Remember when you came to visit? It was so nice to have you here. Please come back and stay.... em, shall I put the kettle on?"
Actually before the rain came, Ireland was on my mind. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm reading a book by an Irish author, set in Ireland. Or maybe it's because I watched "Leap Year" a week ago. Or maybe it's because once you've been to Ireland, it periodically knocks on your heart's door and says, "Remember when you came to visit? It was so nice to have you here. Please come back and stay.... em, shall I put the kettle on?"
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Mini Spring Road-Trip Playlist
A friend and I decided to go on a mini road-trip this past weekend. We drove to a small town to visit another friend who was selling homemade granola at a farmer's market. The drive was a little over an hour and a half each way. The weather was a bit muggy, but the grass was so green and there were bluebonnets everywhere. Beautiful! It was an excellent trip and visit with both of my friends. Naturally, one needs a playlist for a road-trip. I didn't have this exact playlist with me, but man if I had, it would have taken the trip to another level!
1. Happy Days Are Here Again – Barbra Streisand. Who else?
2. Make You Crazy – Brett Dennen
3. Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken – Camera Obscura
4. Strawberry Swing – Coldplay
5. Lonelily – Damien Rice
6. Travelin' Soldier – Dixie Chicks
7. Come On Come Out – Fine Frenzy
8. Nothing To Say – Andrew Peterson
9. Me & Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
10. Sometimes It Be That Way – Jewel
11. Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
12. Nothin’ Better To Do – LeAnn Rimes
13. Where I Stood – Missy Higgins
14. You Belong To Me – Patsy Cline
15. I Don’t Want To Wait – Paula Cole
16. Goodbye – Patty Griffin
17. Achin’ All The Time – Ray LaMontagne
18. I Saw What I Saw – Sara Groves
19. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here – She & Him
20. Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
21. All I Want Is You – U2
22. Shotgun Suzy – Ben Mallott
23. Turpentine – Brandi Carlile
24. Your Hands – JJ Heller
25. You’ll Come - Hillsong
By the way, have I introduced you to JJ Heller? No? Well, an introduction simply must be made! She's wonderful.
1. Happy Days Are Here Again – Barbra Streisand. Who else?
2. Make You Crazy – Brett Dennen
3. Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken – Camera Obscura
4. Strawberry Swing – Coldplay
5. Lonelily – Damien Rice
6. Travelin' Soldier – Dixie Chicks
7. Come On Come Out – Fine Frenzy
8. Nothing To Say – Andrew Peterson
9. Me & Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
10. Sometimes It Be That Way – Jewel
11. Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
12. Nothin’ Better To Do – LeAnn Rimes
13. Where I Stood – Missy Higgins
14. You Belong To Me – Patsy Cline
15. I Don’t Want To Wait – Paula Cole
16. Goodbye – Patty Griffin
17. Achin’ All The Time – Ray LaMontagne
18. I Saw What I Saw – Sara Groves
19. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here – She & Him
20. Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
21. All I Want Is You – U2
22. Shotgun Suzy – Ben Mallott
23. Turpentine – Brandi Carlile
24. Your Hands – JJ Heller
25. You’ll Come - Hillsong
By the way, have I introduced you to JJ Heller? No? Well, an introduction simply must be made! She's wonderful.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
My Trip to the Big Apple
New York was an experience. There were good times and there were bad times. On one hand it was intimidating, dirty, loud, chaotic, rainy and smelly. On the other hand, it's history, resolve and reformation were able to seep past the negatives and capture my attention. It is a city unto itself and I want to go back. I could hear Simon & Garfunkel playing as we waited for the Subway. As we rode the ferry to Ellis Island, past the Statue of Liberty, I began to mentally sing "Don't Rain on My Parade". Have I mentioned my love for Barbra Streisand? She is New York City to me. Beautiful, but you have to really want to see the beauty.
The Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center was a major highlight. You could see the whole city and it's huge. I mean, really huge. On one side we have the Empire State Building...
And on the other side, Central Park.
And here we have 30 Rockefeller Center. The building I was on the roof of just moments before....
Being a huge fan of the show, "30 Rock"... I had to take a picture of the flags. I actually took lots of pictures. In reviewing the pictures, I'm not sure why I took so many... but anyway, here's one with a lovely golden statue and a glimpse of the ice rink.
We also did an NBC Studio Tour and it was great. No, Kenneth was not our tour guide but we were guided by two Page's for NBC. We saw the SNL stage and Jimmy Fallon's stage for his late night show. Being a big TV person, this was an excellent tour for me. Alas, pictures were not allowed. I absolutely loved 30 Rockefeller Center.
We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was fascinating! Art everywhere! So much to see and so little time. Luckily, we're thinkers and we decided which sections of the museum we most wanted to see and we saw them.
Here's my lovely sister with a lovely Monet.
We quickly stepped into Central Park upon exiting The Met and found this charming statue of bears. My sister decided to stand next to them and be Goldilocks.
Ellis Island was a bit of a disappointment. I'm not going to lie to you. Of all the historical sites in all the world that I have been to, this was not a good one. It was basically walking around an old building with pictures in each room. That's it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, I'm sure my expectations were way too high... but I was disappointed. Of course, in all fairness, I do not know of any family who came through Ellis Island so had I closer ties to Ellis Island, I might have had a better experience. Also, had this not been the worst day of the trip due to other reasons, oh... say like "donating" money for fake subway passes that landed us in Brooklyn (don't ask) and my hat flying off my head on the ferry ride, Ellis Island might have been better to me. But we did pass by the Statue of Liberty on our way out there....
We also visited the New York City Public Library for a minute.
We saw a precious little chocolate place we managed to walk away from, but not without taking a picture first. That's my mom & sister.
Coffee at Dean & DeLuca. I thought the coffee was good, but my sister was not impressed with the Lemon Poppy seed Muffin you see in the background.
We stopped to get cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. I had the flourless chocolate cake and loved it.
We shopped! At H&M! I also interpreted rap songs playing in the store for my mother while my sister tried on clothes. Good times had at H&M.
Overall, it was a good trip. We learned things about ourselves and each other. We learned things about New York City. Most importantly, I learned I am not cut out for the Big Apple... but I'll gladly visit once in awhile.
The Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center was a major highlight. You could see the whole city and it's huge. I mean, really huge. On one side we have the Empire State Building...
And on the other side, Central Park.
And here we have 30 Rockefeller Center. The building I was on the roof of just moments before....
Being a huge fan of the show, "30 Rock"... I had to take a picture of the flags. I actually took lots of pictures. In reviewing the pictures, I'm not sure why I took so many... but anyway, here's one with a lovely golden statue and a glimpse of the ice rink.
We also did an NBC Studio Tour and it was great. No, Kenneth was not our tour guide but we were guided by two Page's for NBC. We saw the SNL stage and Jimmy Fallon's stage for his late night show. Being a big TV person, this was an excellent tour for me. Alas, pictures were not allowed. I absolutely loved 30 Rockefeller Center.
We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was fascinating! Art everywhere! So much to see and so little time. Luckily, we're thinkers and we decided which sections of the museum we most wanted to see and we saw them.
Here's my lovely sister with a lovely Monet.
We quickly stepped into Central Park upon exiting The Met and found this charming statue of bears. My sister decided to stand next to them and be Goldilocks.
Ellis Island was a bit of a disappointment. I'm not going to lie to you. Of all the historical sites in all the world that I have been to, this was not a good one. It was basically walking around an old building with pictures in each room. That's it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, I'm sure my expectations were way too high... but I was disappointed. Of course, in all fairness, I do not know of any family who came through Ellis Island so had I closer ties to Ellis Island, I might have had a better experience. Also, had this not been the worst day of the trip due to other reasons, oh... say like "donating" money for fake subway passes that landed us in Brooklyn (don't ask) and my hat flying off my head on the ferry ride, Ellis Island might have been better to me. But we did pass by the Statue of Liberty on our way out there....
We also visited the New York City Public Library for a minute.
We saw a precious little chocolate place we managed to walk away from, but not without taking a picture first. That's my mom & sister.
Coffee at Dean & DeLuca. I thought the coffee was good, but my sister was not impressed with the Lemon Poppy seed Muffin you see in the background.
We stopped to get cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. I had the flourless chocolate cake and loved it.
We shopped! At H&M! I also interpreted rap songs playing in the store for my mother while my sister tried on clothes. Good times had at H&M.
Overall, it was a good trip. We learned things about ourselves and each other. We learned things about New York City. Most importantly, I learned I am not cut out for the Big Apple... but I'll gladly visit once in awhile.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients for filling:
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
juice & zest of half a lemon
12 oz to 1 lb fresh blackberries
Stir everything together and set to the side. Let the sugar pull out the beautiful blackberry juices. Yum! And preheat the oven to 350. Place 1 stick of butter in pie plate and throw in the oven to melt while oven preheats. Well, don't throw. Place, is more like it.
Ingredients for crust/batter/topping/whatever-you-want-to-call-the-breading-for-cobbler:
3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup (+ maybe a tablespoon) milk
Mix all of the dry ingredients together. When everything's good and mixed, add the milk. Stir the batter and if it seems a bit too thick, add a bit more milk. The batter shouldn't be runny, but it shouldn't be dough either.
Pull out your melted butter and set down. Pour or spoon your batter over the melted butter. Try to be as even as you can and I know this seems weird but trust me, it'll all work out in the end. Now pour or spoon your blackberry mixture over the batter and butter. Again, try to make it as even as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just well distributed. Place in the oven and cook for about an hour. Check it after 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour. Once the center looks firm, take out your cobbler.
Place cobbler in your window sill for about 10 minutes and just wait for the neighbors to come a callin'.
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
juice & zest of half a lemon
12 oz to 1 lb fresh blackberries
Stir everything together and set to the side. Let the sugar pull out the beautiful blackberry juices. Yum! And preheat the oven to 350. Place 1 stick of butter in pie plate and throw in the oven to melt while oven preheats. Well, don't throw. Place, is more like it.
Ingredients for crust/batter/topping/whatever-you-want-to-call-the-breading-for-cobbler:
3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup (+ maybe a tablespoon) milk
Mix all of the dry ingredients together. When everything's good and mixed, add the milk. Stir the batter and if it seems a bit too thick, add a bit more milk. The batter shouldn't be runny, but it shouldn't be dough either.
Pull out your melted butter and set down. Pour or spoon your batter over the melted butter. Try to be as even as you can and I know this seems weird but trust me, it'll all work out in the end. Now pour or spoon your blackberry mixture over the batter and butter. Again, try to make it as even as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just well distributed. Place in the oven and cook for about an hour. Check it after 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour. Once the center looks firm, take out your cobbler.
Place cobbler in your window sill for about 10 minutes and just wait for the neighbors to come a callin'.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
What the WHAT?!?!??
So it's March. Really? Seriously. It's March of 2010. Where did January and February go? Ah yes.... Work. But busy season is officially over and life as I like it can resume. I can update my blog. Speaking of updates, I guess an update on life for the past few months is in order. Let the updating begin!
*************************************************************************************
First and foremost, I leave for New York City with my mom and sister on Saturday. This Saturday! Girl trip! I'm super excited and have been looking forward to this trip for months. We're doing all of the touristy things you do in NYC including going to see Wicked. I'm so excited! And we're going to the MET. Have I mentioned I'm excited?!?!!?? Because I totally am.
*************************************************************************************
Back in August, my precious pet, Stella, ruptured a disc in her back. After a few months of pain killers and muscle relaxers and many tears (not to mention money), the vet recommended surgery. Deep in my heart, I knew surgery just wasn't an option. I also couldn't imagine Stella spending the rest of her life doped up. As I was crying about the situation to a friend, she mentioned a friend of hers whose dog was also experiencing back problems. The friend of my friend was taking her dog to a vet who practiced Chiropractic and Acupuncture treatments. After much prayer and consideration, I decided to take Stella to the Chiro/Acupuncture vet. Our first appointment was right before Christmas and now, 2 1/2 months later, Stella is 100% medicine free. Not only is she medicine free, but she's running around like a 3 year old! And another plus is that the treatments actually cost less than a month's supply of medicine. I'm so thankful for being steered in this direction.
*************************************************************************************
At the end of February, my Mimi had her 80th birthday. Most of the family gathered at my parents house to make a big deal of her birthday. She was smiling, joined in conversations and genuinely seemed to enjoy herself. I mean, who wouldn't when the day is about you? It was good to see her smile and to have her interact with us. I saw glimpses of the Mimi that used to be. Overall, it was a good day.
*************************************************************************************
I can't believe it's been a year since I went to Ireland. I feel another trip is in order, especially after seeing this movie, which I don't care what critics say. I loved it and will buy it. So there.
I'm hoping to talk a few girlfriends into buying plane tickets for next spring and renting a car and spending a week driving around. Should be grand!
*************************************************************************************
One last thing. I simply love "Lord of Lords" by Hillsong. I pretty much cry every time I listen to this song. It might have something to do with the fact I found this song the day my Grandad died and so now, I find it describes his life and how I aspire my life to be.
*************************************************************************************
That's it for updates. I'll post pictures of NYC when I get back.
*************************************************************************************
First and foremost, I leave for New York City with my mom and sister on Saturday. This Saturday! Girl trip! I'm super excited and have been looking forward to this trip for months. We're doing all of the touristy things you do in NYC including going to see Wicked. I'm so excited! And we're going to the MET. Have I mentioned I'm excited?!?!!?? Because I totally am.
*************************************************************************************
Back in August, my precious pet, Stella, ruptured a disc in her back. After a few months of pain killers and muscle relaxers and many tears (not to mention money), the vet recommended surgery. Deep in my heart, I knew surgery just wasn't an option. I also couldn't imagine Stella spending the rest of her life doped up. As I was crying about the situation to a friend, she mentioned a friend of hers whose dog was also experiencing back problems. The friend of my friend was taking her dog to a vet who practiced Chiropractic and Acupuncture treatments. After much prayer and consideration, I decided to take Stella to the Chiro/Acupuncture vet. Our first appointment was right before Christmas and now, 2 1/2 months later, Stella is 100% medicine free. Not only is she medicine free, but she's running around like a 3 year old! And another plus is that the treatments actually cost less than a month's supply of medicine. I'm so thankful for being steered in this direction.
*************************************************************************************
At the end of February, my Mimi had her 80th birthday. Most of the family gathered at my parents house to make a big deal of her birthday. She was smiling, joined in conversations and genuinely seemed to enjoy herself. I mean, who wouldn't when the day is about you? It was good to see her smile and to have her interact with us. I saw glimpses of the Mimi that used to be. Overall, it was a good day.
*************************************************************************************
I can't believe it's been a year since I went to Ireland. I feel another trip is in order, especially after seeing this movie, which I don't care what critics say. I loved it and will buy it. So there.
I'm hoping to talk a few girlfriends into buying plane tickets for next spring and renting a car and spending a week driving around. Should be grand!
*************************************************************************************
One last thing. I simply love "Lord of Lords" by Hillsong. I pretty much cry every time I listen to this song. It might have something to do with the fact I found this song the day my Grandad died and so now, I find it describes his life and how I aspire my life to be.
*************************************************************************************
That's it for updates. I'll post pictures of NYC when I get back.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Top Ten Politically Correct Christmas Carols
A friend sent me a Christmas card that listed the top 10 politically correct Christmas carols that I thought I'd share. So funny. And so that I give credit where credit is due, this list if from Carlton Cards in Cleveland, Ohio. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
10. O Holiday Tree
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Day of Winter
8. Frosty the Snowperson
7. Chestnuts Roasting on a Safely Contained, Continuously Monitored, Eco-Friendly, Nontoxic Outdoor Fire (For Which I Do Have a Permit)
6. Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5. Grandma Allegedly Got Run Over By an Unidentified Non-Human Perpetrator
4. Deck the Halls with Boughs of Unendangered Foliage (If Office Policy Permits)
3. Hark! The Herald Mythical Winged Creature Sings
2. I Saw Mommy Greeting Santa Claus with a Purely Platonic Expression of Inoffencsive Affection
1. I'll Be Home for a Short Period of Time in December
10. O Holiday Tree
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Day of Winter
8. Frosty the Snowperson
7. Chestnuts Roasting on a Safely Contained, Continuously Monitored, Eco-Friendly, Nontoxic Outdoor Fire (For Which I Do Have a Permit)
6. Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5. Grandma Allegedly Got Run Over By an Unidentified Non-Human Perpetrator
4. Deck the Halls with Boughs of Unendangered Foliage (If Office Policy Permits)
3. Hark! The Herald Mythical Winged Creature Sings
2. I Saw Mommy Greeting Santa Claus with a Purely Platonic Expression of Inoffencsive Affection
1. I'll Be Home for a Short Period of Time in December
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