TUESDAY MORNING

"let's watch the old year die with a fond good-bye...and our hopes as high as a kite...how can our love go wrong if we start the new year right?"

it's new year's eve. time to bid adieu to the old and welcome the new. so, how do you make sure the new year will be more amazing than the last one? by following ancient superstitions, duh doy! these superstitions say what you do on new year's day, you will do all year long. be sure to do only things that make you happy and follow cardinal's rules for an awesome 2014:

• make sure all your laundry and housecleaning are done new year's eve day. who wants to be washing clothes and cleaning house all year?!
• do your cooking the day before, and be sure to cook the following: black~eyed peas (for luck), greens (for financial prosperity), and pork (because chickens scratch backwards, cows stand still, but pigs root forward guaranteeing you will move forward thru the new year).

                      

• nothing goes out of the house on new year's day, or you will be losing things all year long.
• fill up the cupboards, fridge, and freezer the day before. if the cupboards are bare you'll be starving all year.
• kiss someone you love at midnight to ensure affection all year long.
• set a dollar bill outside on new year's eve and bring it in new year's day. this will ensure you have money coming in all year.
• the first person that enters your home, on new year's, should be tall, dark, and good looking. no joke. so i will be sending the bk out the door at 11:59 and letting him walk in at midnight...

• open your doors at midnight, to let out all the bad from the past year. and noise. make a lot of loud noise to scare off evil spirits.

so. spend today doing all these things, while you watch the walking dead marathon on amc, and you will have a bright and shiny 2014!

happy new year!!

FLASHBACK 1988

REPEAT
"so help me if you can, i've got to get back to the house at pooh corner by one. you'd be surprised, there's so much to be done..." 

every morning dustin sees the commercial. a teddy bear that talks to you. a teddy bear that reads you stories. he wants one for christmas this year. the grandparents are looking for a great gift, so i tell them about teddy ruxpin. they rush out and buy one just for dustin. everyone is so excited for him to open his gift. he rips open the paper. he's so excited to see teddy. SO EXCITED!! until. he's so excited until teddy opens his mouth and talks. excitement immediately turns to terror. he will never turn teddy ruxpin on again.
FLASH FORWARD today
the teddy bear phenomenon goes back to teddy roosevelt. turns out old teddy was out hunting and was brought a bear cub. he just couldn't shoot the cub and it became known as "teddy's bear". of course, toy companies jumped on it, and the teddy bear became a staple in children's bedrooms. we all had a favorite. from winnie the pooh to paddington bear to care bears to teddy ruxpin. and, now, kids can even build their own bear at malls all over the country. teddy bears are also a source of comfort.  there are programs that provide teddy bears for kids in crisis, kids with cancer, and other worthy causes.
november 14 is national american teddy bear day. celebrate by donating a teddy bear to teddy bear cops program, stuffed animals for emergencies, toys for tots, or your local hospitals, churches, and homeless shelters.

              

 

                

                                      

SUNDAY COMICS

"do your boobs hang low? do they wobble to and fro? can you tie 'em in a knot? can you tie 'em in a bow?"

FLASHBACK 2007/08 (my sources are a little sketchy here because...well...they're raelians and that's just weird)

claude vorilhon...who prefers to be called rael because he is, in fact, the leader of the raelians (which are members of the ufo religion called the raelian movement...which, i think, requires a whole other blog post)...starts an annual event called "go topless". the idea is simple. women are being oppressed because it's illegal for them to walk around town topless even though they're male counterparts can do as they please. never-mind that women really don't want to see moobies. 

FLASH FORWARD today

tomorrow is women's equality day, celebrating the day women earned the right to do something ACTUALLY worth while...vote. so, today, there will be protests all over the country, in an attempt to get women another right. the right to bare breasts. women will be topless (although most will wear pasties because the don't want to get arrested) and men are encouraged to cover their moobs with pasties or bras. i will be at a baseball game. with my top on. why? because great american ballpark is NOT st tropez. 

now, if you are interested in going around your city showing off your tatas, you can check out gotopless.org for more information. personally, i believe we should protest men's right to bare chests because...let's face it...unless you're channing tatum, you should probably keep your shirt on. 

ps...if you choose to go topless today understand that i'm not judging you. unless you have disgusting moobies. then, i am. i am totally judging you. 

TUESDAY TREASURES

"these are a few of my favorite things..."



1. i always look forward to late night with jimmy fallon because i might get to see this:

 2. edy's slow churned ice cream ...slow churned is naturally half the fat, so i can feel slightly less guilty. and this flavor is uh~mazing! but it's only available thru the end of august:

3. i can't say, for sure, it's my favorite...yet...but my love of everything simon peg (shaun of the dead, hot fuzz) tells me i am going to totally love this:

4. i'm in love with this:

5. i can't stop listening to this:

6. really liked reading this:

7. i totally love playing on vine because i can do this:

what are some of your favorite things?

not so MANIC MONDAY

repeat :)
"a little less conversation a little more action baby..."
FLASHBACK july 2009
one of the first things i notice about jamie, he has an amazing tattoo of elvis on his right ankle. yep. he's an elvis fan. i am a closet elvis fan. i watch his movies when no one is looking. i have a cd with all of his greats. i only listen to it when no one is in the car with me.
FLASH FORWARD today
i am no longer a closet fan. i love elvis. i sing along with jamie every time he comes on the radio (which can happen a lot with sirius xm). not too long ago we watched "clambake"...an elvis great as long as he wasn't singing about "goop". okay. i admit it. sometimes his movies made him look like a dork. but we all know he was the coolest person in the history of ever. even my beloved beatles thought so.
saturday marked the beginning of elvis week. so from today thru the 17th, take some time to unleash your inner hound dog. HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!

                   

FLASH BACK 1982

repeat!!

"the reflex is an only child, who's waiting by the park"

my friend mikki goes to ireland to visit family. she comes home with a new record in tow. duran duran. no one here has ever heard of them. we jump on her bed and sing every song on that album every day. me, kat, mikki, beth. the girls of joyce court. JOYCE COURT GIRLS RULE!!! 
FLASH FORWARD august 10, 2013
today is national duran duran appreciation day.  so get out there and unleash your inner simon, nick, john, or roger...be no no notorious!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

   

^john mayer on vine"

"i read the news today oh boy...about a lucky man who made the grade...and though the news was rather sad...well i just had to laugh...i saw the photograph..."

i hope everyone has been enjoying their summer as much as i have...vacation and the "summer of music 2013" have been the highlight of the season, so far...check out what we've been up to thru the magic of instagram (and a little vine)!!

1. beating the heat with a napping kitty

2. when it's 45000 degrees at an outdoor concert, this is as good as it gets, john mayer don't care!

3. a tad cooler at concert number 2..dave matthews

4. clear skies and beautiful music

5. crash into me

6. lazy sunday because it's just too hot outside...jesus be a raindrop!!

7. delicious summer snack: cucumbers and hummus!!

and because instagram decided to add video: 

SATURDAY STUDIES

"what's this? what's this? i can't believe my eyes!"
FLASHBACK may 16, 2013 (i know...i know...just a few short days ago)
i am crazy busy! i'm cleaning house...i'm paying bills...i'm getting all dolled up! why? because tonight is the inaugural concert at the horseshoe casino...AND it's the killers, one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE bands EVER!!...AND it's raining, so i have to be super cute whether i'm wet or dry...ugh! so, with all this going on i totally forget to sit down and write my blog. which means i totally don't look up any fun and exciting tidbits of information to share with you. which means i totally miss the best holiday we never knew about: national sea monkey day!!!

            

and so i have to:
FLASHBACK 1970 something
you see these ads in the back of comic books and teen magazines. "enter the wonderful world of amazing live sea monkeys", "own a bowl full of happiness", "instant pets". everybody tried them. few had success. i remember trying them. i just remember a bowl full of dust. or, maybe, my dad got them to live but i got bored before it happened. besides, we had a REAL aquarium with the most amazing lion fish that my dad had to save from a tragic goldfish choking...but that's a story for another time.
FLASH FORWARD 2007(ish)
i find sea monkeys at cracker barrel. nostalgia takes over and i totally forget that you only get a bowl full of dust, so i buy one. 7 days later...WE HAVE SEA MONKEYS!!!!
what are sea monkeys, you ask? just brine shrimp. some dude (harold von braunhut) decided to make his own version of an ant farm. BOOM! we have sea monkeys. the ad is a tad misleading. i was really disappointed that my monkeys didn't look like mer~people and build a community in their tank. but, still, it was fun to watch them grow.
so, now, you want your own sea monkeys but not a bowl of dust? here are some helpful tips:

• follow the instructions that come with your sea monkeys (amazing how that works, right?).
• keep the water around 70 degrees. i would not set my tank near an air conditioner vent or in a window that gets direct sun. 
• feed them 5 days after hatching...then, again a week later. feed weekly...if the water gets cloudy you're feeding too much and should wait until the water clears.
• set their tank in an area that will get plenty of indirect sunlight. direct sunlight will get the water too hot, but indirect sun will help algae grow. algae will provide food and oxygen for your monkeys.
• you need to aerate your tank. you can stir it, pour the water back and forth between the tank and a large bowl a few times, or purchase the available "million bubble air pump".
• watch for water evaporation. when the water level drops 2" fill it immediately. if you let it drop lower, you might affect the salt levels and shock your monkeys! no bueno!!

hears to your happy, healthy sea monkeys!!!

^living sea monkeys...nothing like the ad!^

^million bubble air pump^

FLASHBACK 1970 somethin

 

these are a few of my favorite things~

the brady bunch
candy cigarettes
alice in wonderland
michael jackson~ben
tee shirt, shorts, and bare feet

  

flash forward today:

these are a few of my favorite things~

the big bang theory
candy cane tootsie pops
to kill a mockingbird
dave matthews~mercy
tee shirt, skirt, and bare feet

          

look back on your own life...what were your favorite things when you were a kid? and what are your favorite things now? i bet you haven't changed as much as you think :)

FLASHBACK january 8, 1935

 "it's down at the end of lonely street at heartbreak hotel"

elvis aaron presley is born. in tupelo, mississippi. to vernon and gladys. his identical twin brother, jesse, was delivered 35 minutes before...stillborn...he was considered "average" while growing up in tupelo. he received his first guitar at 10 years old. in august of 1953, he walked into sun records to pay for studio time. sam phillips liked what he heard. after that meeting, elvis would release18 number one hits (the first being "heartbreak hotel")...would be declared "unfit for family viewing" by the ed sullivan show...would star in 31 movies...would serve his country for 2 years...would influence other artists, such as the beatles...would marry and divorce only once...and would produce one child. elvis passed on august 16, 1977 at 42 years old...in a statement, president jimmy carter credited elvis with "permanently changing the face of american pop culture"...since his death he has been inducted into FOUR music hall of fames (rock and roll hall of fame, country music hall of fame, gospel music hall of fame, and rockabilly hall of fame)...graceland was opened to the public and welcomes over 600,000 people a year...had countless reissues and remixes top the charts...
HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!

                

NO FLASHBACK just a great cold weather recipe

"beans beans...the musical fruit...the more you eat the more you..."
i look at all the amazing things that happen(ed) today...elvis week begins (in honor of the king's upcoming birthday on january 8), but i've already told you what big fans the bk and i are...it's national bird day, and we all know the importance of birds, but i just talked about the christmas bird count...marilyn manson turns 43 today but, somehow, i feel like i'm the only person that isn't scared by that...the sex pistols performed in the states for the first time, ditto what i said about marilyn manson...and, in 1956, snoopy walked on 2 legs for the first time (what?)...but, why would we want to celebrate ALL these things when we could celebrate one of the oldest forms of protein known to man. the bean. 
BONUS!!! it's such an easy, AND inexpensive, day to celebrate. how DO you celebrate national bean day, pray tell? you simply eat a bean dish! lima beans. baked beans. bean dips. fava beans. refried beans. kidney beans. green beans. garbanzo beans. navy beans. pinto beans. three bean salads. bean soups. green bean casserole. seriously? do i need to go on...and on...and on...and on? here are a couple recipes to get you started:

WHITE BEAN CHILI

ingredients:
2~15 oz cans great northern beans, drained 
4 c chicken broth
1 tbs olive oil
3 lb chicken breast (bone in)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion chopped
2~4oz cans roasted green chiles, drained
1 c water
1tbs ground cumin

warm oil in skillet...season chicken with salt and pepper...place chicken, skin side down, in skillet and brown (4 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on other)...transfer chicken to plate and remove skin...in remaining chicken fat, cook onions and garlic until softened. in slow~cooker, combine beans, broth, garlic/onion mixture, chiles, water, and cumin...add chicken. cook on low about 4 hours. remove chicken, shred and add shredded chicken back to slow~cooker. serve.

BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALSA

ingredients:
1/4 c. sour cream
1~15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1~15 1/4 oz whole kernel corn, drained
1 packet hidden valley fiesta ranch dip mix
2 c. fresh diced tomato (3 med)

prepare dip mix according to package directions. combine with sour cream, black beans, corn, and tomato. refrigerate 1 hour. serve with tortilla chips.

DOUBLE BONUS!! eating beans may reduce your risk of certain cancers...AND they are good for your heart...
and, if you have a certain little tune playing in your head and are concerned about that last line(?)...no worries...tomorrow is national pass gas day!
HAPPY EATING!!

                                            

^happy birthday elvis^

^happy birthday marilyn manson?^

^dance snoopy dance!^