Netflix Stars - The Secret Life of Bees

4.5/5.0 - A wonderful movie! Add it to your queue. Dakota Fanning is absolutely charming, with excellent performances by everyone in the cast. But be sure you have a box of Kleenex handy when you watch it. I haven't read the book by Sue Monk Kidd yet, but after seeing the movie, I can't wait to reserve it at the library.

Sea Sew

I caught the repeat of Lisa Hannigan peforming "I Don't Know"from her CD, "Sea Sew" on The Colbert Report. You gotta love the fact she sewed the cover art! Not only can she sew well, but also sing! It made for great background sewing music while I was beginning Vogue 1085. I especially like "Lille", "An Ocean and a Rock", and "Keep It All". The other songs are good, too, with interesting titles such as "Teeth", "Splishy Splashy" and "Pistachio" ! Give it a listen, iTunes has it at a good price of $7.99 for all ten songs on the album.

Penzeys One Coupon - Basil!

The new Spring issue (Volume 3, Issue 6) of Penzeys One magazine has a coupon for a free 1/2 cup jar of California Sweet Basil, a $3.25 value. Good thing, I go through my basil by handfuls, this is good stuff. Online orders, use product code 30159C. Offer expires May 17, 2009. (The link will also take you to a list of 16 basil recipes on the Penzeys website)

Tomato, Tomahto

This year instead of starting from seeds, we are trying the seedlings from Another Place in Time, "Celebrity" and "Black Plum" We followed their advice and buried them extra deep to develop a strong root system.

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

Gabriella Cilmi, "Sweet About Me" 3:24

Signs of Spring

One word for this - AH-CHOO! I think the red oak will be finished leafing and pollinating by the end of the week. Relief!


My Indian Hawthorne bloomed! Proof. I call it my "Charlie Brown" bush. It's over 22 years old and doesn't look it. Except old. It also got pretty beat up by Ike (the salty wind turned the remaining leaves bag brown), but it's a survivor. Other Hawthornes may grow faster, be bigger, greener, have more leaves and blooms, but I just can't pull the root on this guy.

Outside the kitchen, Oxalis clover - third generation! Another trooper, it was hiding under leaf and roof debris. T uncovered it when he trimmed the Thraylis to make room for the basil.

Cherry Blossom Salvias. I first planted it over ten years ago! To say it is gorgeous, prolific and a reseeder would be an understatement. It is disease-resistant, can take the heat and gumbo soil and keep on blooming at least 10 months of the year in Houston. If you would like some of the seeds in the next few weeks, drop me an email and I'll send you some (US addresses only because of postage and the Department of Agriculture and Customs).

Money Monday - Buy Down to Save Up

(With apologies to my dad, the English teacher). Despite the economy, we still need our SPF moisturizer and dishwasher detergent. After many trials and errors, I found two products that worked well for me - Bobbi Brown and Cascade. But looking to save some money, I thought I would try these for funsies. Because of Costco's product guarantee, especially those endorsed with the Kirkland Signature label and their friendly return policy, it was worth the potential savings attempt.

After hearing horror stories about the "environmentally friendly" dishwashing detergents, I was a bit skeptical about Costco's - but the $5.49 price for a 7.81 pound box was a good gamble bet. Even the box itself doesn't have the metal spout. Verdict: It washed the dishes quite well. No difference other than I think it actually cleans better than Cascade.

Bobbi Brown vs. Kirkland Borghese Protective Face Lotion. For starters, the size difference - 50 ml versus 100 ml. And price - $45 versus $16.99 abouts. Both have SPF 15 and same percentage of Octinoxate (7.5%). I like the fragrance of BB's a little bit better, but the Costco one is pleasant. It smells fresh and a little more like summer. That's OK. Saving more than 60%, I'll adjust!

Be willing to try different versions of the products you use. You may be surprised how much you like them and how much money you can save.

Send 'em Some Spring!

This is the latest campaign of Give2TheTroops.org for our soldiers overseas. Deadline is April 4. Click this link for a list of suggested items - including marshmallow Peeps and Girl Scout Cookies!

Who are these people and what are they doing here?

As you can obviously tell, I have a rather eclectic group of friends and fellow bloggers in the right alley. I thought each week on Sunday I would randomly showcase one from the list and why they are there. I love to discover new blogs, and I think you will enjoy the introduction for new places to visit in Bloggy Land.

This week - Mad About Martha A blog devoted to everything Martha. I love the links to other Martha blogs, news about her upcoming books, television show, crafts, recipes tried from Everyday Food and more. If you need a little Martha inspirational boost, this is the blog to cheer you on.

Apple Pancakes

I found the recipe in the latest Spring 2009 Penzeys catalog on page 13. (Click here for the online link). It went together really easily - loved the tip to mix the ingredients in a 4 cup measuring cup, less dirty dishes!

APPLE PANCAKES

1/4 Cup butter (1/2 stick), divided
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup milk*
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium baking apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 TB. CINNAMON SUGAR, divided

Preheat oven to 400°. Divide butter evenly between two 9 inch pie plates and put them in the oven to melt the butter. Rotate the pie plates until the butter coats the bottom and the sides. To make dividing the ingredients between the two plates easier, we used a 4-Cup measuring cup as our mixing bowl. Beat eggs, vanilla extract, flour, milk, and salt on medium speed for 1 minute. Toss the sliced apples with 2 TB. of the cinnamon sugar. Arrange 1/2 of the apple slices in each pan so they cover the bottom in pretty much a single layer. Pour 1/2 the egg mixture over the apple slices in each pan. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the batter in each pan. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve right away, while still puffy, with warm syrup. Prep time: 10 minutes Baking time: 20-25 minutes Serves: 4-6

*I used skim milk. Next time I'll try using just a smidge less butter and substituting an egg white for one of the whole eggs. Every little bit helps!

A darker shade of pink

Yes, that's what it is - my newest bluebonnet. "This is one of those maroon ones, isn't it?" grumbled Longhorn T as he helped dig a space for it in the garden. It is pretty in pink though!

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

March 19/21 --
$1.99 McCalls
$3.99 Vogue

Coupon Commotion Week, March 8/14 --
$1.99 Simplicity
and lots of 40% coupons in the newest mailer

Penzeys Spring Catalog coupons!

A coupon for a free 1/4 cup jar of Chili 3000 or Chili 9000 is on the mailing label wrapper of their Spring 2009 catalog. The online codes are 11439C and 11434C, respectively. Visit their website www.penzeys.com to get on the catalog mailing list! They always have good recipes in the catalog and this particular one has lots for the chili's. (Ham chili?! Whoda thunk?)

Netflix Stars - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

1/5. L commented that Michael Cera is just plain creepy now. Agreed. And the only thing I like about N & N are the Nick and Nora PJ's at Target. Seriously, they are really cute. The PJ's, not the movie characters.

Peanut Butter Crumb Cakes

This is from the Spring 2009 Taste of Home Cooking for 2 magazine, currently on the newsstands. Normally I don't buy nor subscribe to this particular TOH publication, but when flipping through it, this recipe caught my eye, amongst others.

I used skim milk instead of 2% milk and cut the butter by a tablespoon (2 instead of 3 tablespoons) for a still tasty and healthier result.

Peanut Butter Crumb Cakes

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cold butter
1 egg
1/3 cup 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream peanut butter and brown sugar until crumbly; stir in flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1/3 cup for topping. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk and vanilla. Add baking powder and baking soda to the remaining peanut butter mixture; stir in milk mixture just until moistened. Transfer to four 6-oz. ramekins coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with reserved topping and chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from ramekins to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 4 servings.

Hey

Act One: A Central Texas university parking garage booth. Dad is paying the parking garage fee.

Cashier (a good looking guy, catching L's eye): "Hey"
L: "Hey"
Dad: "HEY!"

* * *

Act Two: Driving away...

L: "I really like this school!"

(New) Moon over Lockhart

From the Kreutz' parking lot. . .

Chocolate Bliss Bites

This recipe is from the Prevention "Desserts" magazine booklet, on page 57.
The cookies turned out yummy, but I had difficulty folding the cocoa into the beaten egg whites without deflating. Was it too much dry stuff (3/4 cup with the cocoa and sugar)? It was hard to get it all mixed so the cookies were a little streaky. Good, but not picture perfect. And very chocolatey. My grade: B I think there are better and easier chocolate meringue recipes out there.

Netflix Stars - Nights in Rodanthe and The Pink Panther

We are switching back to 3 at a time instead of 4 until summer again. Not only will the extra money stay in our pocket, but with the March madness and spring activities, there's just not enough time. And with dogs like these, no time to waste. L's classmates nicknamed "Nights in Rodanthe" the "menopause movie" but they loved it. Go figure. It wasn't that bad, but just didn't live up to the hype for us. We give it a 2.5. The "Pink Panther" was just dumb. We let it ride for almost 45 minutes before we tossed it back, too. And that mustache on Steve Martin was just creepy - shudder!

New addition to the family!

An early birthday present. And yes, I got it "vaccinated" right away with Norton! It's on sale on their website and I found a 20% off coupon code that worked - 20offNIS09. Definitely worth every penny. It was the first thing I did once I got it set up. I bought the Mini at Costco.com ...and as an extra bonus you get 2 year warranty and free concierge tech support! LOVE it! It's cute and zippy. (And bug free!). The battery lasts longer than its larger siblings - almost 3 hours! The Wi-Fi dowser browser is powerful strong. Imagine my surprise when I turned it on and it found not the usual 3 but 8 signals near my house. It scoots and loads pages quickly. And so far has taken everything I've loaded on it - Norton, Picasa, iTunes...and they all run great. T keeps calling it a "Kindle" I think it is one Hello Kitty decal shy of being a Sanrio product!