The Famed Blueberry Coffee Cake

Okay, so it's not exactly famous. Yet. I don't know where I found it, but I found it. I'm by no means a chef so of course I didn't come up with it. But hey, I found it and so now I'm sharing it along with everyone else. Oh, and I'm including photos. Just to add a little extra motivation for you to go make it. There's a certain fulfillment in having made something instead of running out to the store. Try it. Especially with this recipe.

Cake
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C shortening
1 egg
1/2 C milk
2 C sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c blueberries

Mix the sugar, shortening and egg. Stir in milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder & salt. Combine dry ingredients with wet, then add the 2 C blueberries. (It's okay if it's a thick, sugar cookie dough like consistency. That's good.) Pour into a large round baking dish (8-9" round).

Crumb
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I usually "eyeball" it. Meaning, I go overboard.)
1/4 C butter

Mash all ingredients together with a fork. Large clumps are okay. Just do what you can. I'm sure a mixer would also work, but I never look for perfection. Oh, and it's okay to steal a finger or two of this yummy mix. Tastes good.

Dump the crumb stuff on top of the cake in the pan. Try to spread it evenly. Then... Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes - depending on your oven.

What's the end result? This.




Enjoy!

Gratitude, Gratitude, All Around

Recently, I took up yoga again. I've always been sort of off and on about it - it's always intrigued me, but of course, I never kept up with it. Over on Granola Chicks, we've been doing what we can to change our eating habits and lifestyles and get in shape together. So yoga has become a part of my life once more.

Enter @yoga_mama on Twitter. LaSara Firefox. She graciously began following me on Twitter. Her tweets about being grateful for yoga reminded me to do my yoga if I hadn't done any that day. And through her, I was introduced to this amazing thing called Gratitude Games. It started off with posting on Twitter what we're grateful for and turned into getting the Gratitude Games set.

I'm so in love. I know they've brought MarvMan and I closer. And I'm so grateful to be able to be teaching the concept of gratitude to my girls at such a young age. Especially Anaya. When you ask Breanne what she's grateful for, she tells you, "Bah, dan-dyuu, DAH!" Which, loosely translated, means something along the lines of cereal, thank you, DAD!! But Anaya?

The most touching words that ever came out of her mouth because of playing Gratitude Games were, "I'm grateful that you're you, Mommy." Coming from a three year old, who can be one of the harshest critics ever, I was brought to tears.

We've also played them in the truck when we were going to be in there for an extended period of time. Trust me, the cab of the truck is a cramped, uncomfortable space for any amount of time longer than, say, an hour. Or two. Maybe. But the truck became a space full of love and laughter while we played Gratitude Games with each other. A million times better than License Plate Alphabet or 20 Questions.

Let me tell you - if nothing else, get them for the artwork, which is amazing. (Highly recommend printing them out on cardstock. It's so amazingly worth it - they'll be a family heirloom for sure.) But once you've got them, you'll be so... well... grateful! Gratitude Games is not only fun, but can be life changing. There are games for children to adults, and games that can be played in the car, in the living room, in the kitchen, the bedroom, while MarvMan is in the shower - gratitude is everywhere.

And it is such a beautiful, beautiful thing.Why don't you start by giving @yoga_mama a follow on Twitter - trust me, you'll love what gratitude can do for you.

Rock Your Wire Rocks My World

Ever since I came across the vortex earrings in the Rock Your Wire Etsy shop, I knew I had to have them. It was the epitome of Wayne's World moments for me. "They will be mine. Oh, yes, they will be mine."

But I had to wait. And plot, and plan. Because money had been tight. Of course, once payday hit, there was no more cinching of the belt and I had spending money!! And I threw in a new nose ring, to boot. Why? Because I could. And that's the only reason anyone will ever need.

They're mine! They're all mine! (insert maniacal laughter here)


And yes, I've got quite the wish list for more stuff from her shop. You should go check it out. Amazing designs, fabulous customer service and efficient shipping!! Go on, go!!

(I'm totally aware of the blurriness of the photos. MarvMan doesn't do photo taking, apparently, and my hands were shaky.)

A Phenomenal Invitation

...to read some outrageously bad writing.

I did it. I read chapters three and four of Twilight. Just for you, my darling followers. I've been told it gets better, and I've been told eventually the story will pull me in.

Well, it hasn't gotten worse, so I suppose I could give it at least that. But even then, that's only in respect to the grammar, spelling, and formatting issues. It's remaining consistently cringe worthy.

The plot itself continues to be flat and stale, even though in the third chapter Bella is almost hit by a van. It amazes me that absolutely no one milling around in the school parking lot noticed that Edward!god (just in case we forget the comparison) magically moved four parking spaces in a split second.

Quite frankly, I was actually grateful for the almost roadkill Bella. It was a refreshing break from the Bella that was stumbling, fumbling and tripping her way through school. Unfortunately, Meyer manages to make Bella stumble right there in the emergency room. Honestly, this little quirk, plot device, or whatever you'd like to call it, is quite irritating. There's at least one incident per chapter where this girl falls, stumbles, trips - something.

And let me say it here and now - I am not the most graceful person on the face of the planet by any means. Baby gates continually trip me up, my own two feet plot against me, and I've spilled my fair share (plus a couple) of drinks and other assorted foodstuffs. Perhaps I've met my klutz match in Bella Swan, but even in my most awkward of teen phases I have never, nor have I ever seen anyone, fall quite so much as this girl. Makes you wonder what kind of health care plan her parents have. Insurance? Liability? Is she a fully insured pedestrian?

Enough about klutz-hood. There are other issues to tackle. We're only in chapter three and already Bella is dreaming about Edward. And she can see in her dreams that he glows. Glitters. Flashes. Sparkles. Whatever. Either he's a long lost member of the BeeGees or Bella's personifying him as a god in her mind. I say mind instead of subconscious because, well, the only adjectives Meyer could come up with to describe Edward revolve around the words glorious, various references to angels and other sanctified beings. If you're going to compare a member of the undead, try something not related to the righteously holy.

All in all, three and four weren't remarkable in any way except for a continuation of Bella's utterly unhealthy infatuation and glimpses into Edward's bi-polar attitude. When you save someone's life, it had better be because you at least like the person. Instead, he saves her and then we're back to Edward might semi-hate her.

And didn't you know it's because she's not good enough for him? There's at least a good half a page of emo swill about how she's so undeserving because he's just so handsome and beautiful and just... ahhh, perfect.

Gag me.

I think the thing that gets me the most is that I could easily write this off as teen swill. Something to appease the masses. But already the book is promoting unhealthy semi-romantic relationships, poor decision making - are you really going to let a seventeen year old go to Seattle by herself? If you answer yes, I have a skillet with your name on it - and a disparaging self-image in the name of a crush without any hope of improvement. If there is any improvement in Bella's self-image, the only vehicle I can see Meyer using to get there is Edward, and what sort of thought process is that? The only way to feel good about yourself is to fall hopelessly and mindlessly in love with someone who has to restrain himself from killing you on a daily basis?

The other aspect that confounds me - take it for what you will as I'm only four chapters in - is that grown women read this. And love it. Singing its praises and defending it all over the interwebz with all the comprehensiveness of their teenage counterparts. I, for one and as a twenty-something reader, am decidedly unimpressed.

Caught in the Middle

Some friends of mine on Twitter were asking me to blog about my opinion on the inauguration. And I figured that here, at least, is an open forum where I can combine both my political and emotional facets and things won't get too mixed up. This could take awhile, so I hope you're comfortable.

Before I get into anything too politically related, I should probably explain my "alignment", so to speak. My views fit most closely with the Libertarian Party, and so I wholeheartedly support them. I am a Christian per my belief set, however because I am not a "fanatical" Christian I prefer to call myself "spiritual". So there you have it. I am a spiritual Libertarian. On to my commentary about the inauguration.

~

Yesterday, as we swore in our 44th President, I have never been more proud of and disappointed in the American people. The reasons I was proud were obvious. We overcame barriers of all kinds - not just race - and elected an African American President. It's an amazing moment, and one we should be very proud of.

What disappointed me, however, was the way former President Bush was received when he came out. And how everyone acted when he left. Some were saying that BBC made the booing sound louder and I beg to differ. I was watching CNN's live stream and I heard it. I cringed for us as a people.

How dare we disrespect the man who held that office. Of course he wasn't the greatest president we've ever had, but he certainly wasn't the worst. How could he be when he quadrupled our foreign aid money and kept our soil free of a terrorist attack for seven years after 9/11? That's not all he's done for the good of the country and the world, but the only things we remember are the bad decisions he's made - or the decisions he didn't make, however you choose to look at it. I dare anyone who booed the former president yesterday to do better than Mr. Bush did while in office.

I suppose the more upsetting thing is that for those who paid attention to the media outlets yesterday, there were articles about the good things Mr. Bush did while in office. They weren't nearly as publicized as the inauguration, of course, but there they were. Articles with information about things the former president was doing as far back as 2001. Where were these articles when we were busy tearing him down for "non-action" and "stupidity"? The media is a powerful tool, and I think we were fleeced more than a little over the past eight years.

Back on to the inauguration, however. I've taken enough of a look at the past and should continue moving forward. I'm not one for all the frippery that goes along with ceremonies like this, but my goodness it was everywhere yesterday. And not in a good way. It was more like a media circus than a ceremony. Celebrities everywhere, TMZ and other celebrity gossip websites were making commentary about everyone's outfits, who was where and with whom.

And, hey, maybe it's a good thing. Maybe bringing politics to these highly trafficked websites will help in bringing political awareness to the forefront of our minds. But if it never goes beyond the shallow end of the pool, I don't see it happening.

There were two things about the inauguration that stood out to me and one that was quite unremarkable. The two things that stood out were Rick Warren's opening prayer and Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction.

The opening prayer was wonderful. Despite the outrage that Warren had been invited to give the invocation, he was incredibly PC. Praying to a God of many understandings, praising our nation for having come so far, and overall giving joy and glory to the Higher Power for such a momentous occasion.

During the benediction, however, I couldn't help but feel a bit of a dividing curtain slowly coming down.

...we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around... when red can get ahead, man... and when white will embrace what is right.

Maybe it's just me being sensitive, but wow. Talk about a jab at those of us lacking in the pigmentation department. I mean, I understand it went with the rhyming scheme, but if there's a more thinly veiled accusation, I would love to see one. It just didn't sit right with me. White people don't embrace what is right already? Are we the only ones who do wrong in the world? The last I can recall, we have to walk on eggshells so as not to offend anyone, but must take it with a grain of salt when we're marginalized. Interesting way of putting things, I suppose.

The unremarkable part of the inauguration was, unfortunately, Obama's speech. Anyone could have given that speech and it honestly could have been cobbled together from prior inaugural speeches. Liberally sprinkled with campaign trail slogans. He's a great public speaker, but for his first speech, I was expecting something with more passion and gratitude.

What it always comes down to, though, is that it's not about the clothes. It's not about who said what and where, regardless of how it makes me or anyone else feel. It's not about who was where or when or why, and it's certainly not about the paparazzi-infested government we have become. It's about Barack Obama and it's about what he will do.

Am I disappointed and somewhat embittered because my guy didn't win? You bet the "In God We Trust" on your dollar I am. Am I concerned about the man we elected into office? Like no other. He's inexperienced, and while that can lend a fresh perspective, it can also lead to an eagerness to please the people, rash decisions, and floundering when we need a firm, experienced hand to lead us.

But he's my president now, by the grace of the freedom so many men and women have fought and died for my right to have. And so I support him, wish him the best of luck and pray for him daily.

Because, Mr. President, it's no longer "Yes, we can!", it needs to be "Yes, we will" and "Yes, we are". It's time to put away pomp and circumstance and get down to business.

Le gasp!

No, I didn't forget about blogging. More like I've been so busy I'm surprised my head hasn't spun around in three hundred sixty degree circles on my shoulders.

For those following along, I promise I'll get to the third chapter of Twilight. Soon. It's just pure torture at the moment and I'm already plodding through dull school work.

Well, it's not exactly dull, it's more like I've done these things in the past and am ready to move on to the next. But, in a way, it's helping. If only so I have this month of random, semi-meaningless classwork to plod through and reorganize my time.

Which is funny. I've never really been one for strict time management. I squeeze in what I can when I can and by whatever's highest on the priority list. The only ones in my life on a set time schedule are my girls. But now I'm starting to rethink that mentality.

Of course, sitting here at almost 9 pm on my kitchen counter with my feet propped up and enjoying the silence of the house... It might be difficult to persuade me otherwise. We'll have to see what's what when the more important classes start up.

But this is me, checking in. I'll do my best to write up a review of Twilight's third chapter by tomorrow. I've been so tempted so many times to just call the whole thing off. But for you, my dear readers, I will torture myself.

Caffeination Station Is My Destination

Today was my first official day of college. How strange is that? I'm twenty four. I've done an enlistment in the Navy. I've spent the past two years staying at home with my daughters.

And now I'm a college student.

The best part? The excuse to stay in my pajamas all day and drink a pot of coffee.

I submitted my first assignment yesterday and have two more due tomorrow. It's just an introductory course, but it should be interesting if it's indicative of the pace I need to keep up throughout the journey to get my degree.

I'm about to go to bed and I'm still nursing a cup of coffee. It won't keep me from sleep, though. I have an uncanny ability to go straight to sleep even after coffee. Besides, I can feel sleep tugging at my eyelids. I think it's time to put my head to the pillow.

Overwhelmingly Loved

I've been working on some novel planning lately. In a notebook. You remember what that's like, don't you? Putting pen to paper? It is such an amazing feeling. More of a sense of creation going on there than when typing. Of course, typing can actually keep up with my scattered, mile a minute brain, so I suppose there's pros and cons to even that.

And college, essentially, started today. Sure, my first assignment isn't due til tomorrow, but I finished it early and submitted it anyway. I'm an overachiever like that sometimes. It's one of those introductory sort of classes. A "get to know you" and "let's teach you how to study and how to write; again" course. Part of me wishes I could have submitted my blog or perhaps some other writing samples by way of testing out. I do know it's necessary, but an inconvenience none the less.

I'm very excited about Psychology, which is next after this. It's also coinciding with a trip to South Dakota, so that should be interesting.

Anyway, I'm posting this because I said I'd blog every day, adn I almost forgot. The talons of exhaustion are creeping into my brain and pushing my eyelids closed. I'm losing the fight and must go wallow in my loss.

Until morning...

Can I please close this "Open Book"?

Those of you following this blog should be aware - I love you all. Immensely. This book is going to drive me nuts.

For those just joining, I'm reading (or trying to read) Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's apparently the stuff of dreams for everyone from 12 year old girls to 40 year old women.

I made it through chapter one with only a few issues, bumps and bruises. Now I've finished chapter two. The "it doesn't look promising" from last post? It only heightens in this one. I'll start with the grammar issues first.

Citing an example: "... with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering." Nattering? Woman, do you even know the definition of the word "nattering"? It's a verb. Which means it is an action word, Mrs. Meyer, in case you forgot your basic English classes. The feeble attempt at the useage of what might be considered a "complex" word has failed. Horribly.

I'd also like to take a moment to express my severe dislike for whoever has worked with Meyer on this book. Obviously, they were paid to do nothing. Therefore, I am jealous and in a state of severe dislike for them.

Grammar issues aside, the book is proving to be a quick read, if only becaue the prose and storytelling is so very lacking in anything that would make it worth actually reading. Instead, I'm finding myself skipping the sentences that don't make sense. By the time I've read two to three sentences further, either I've been able to figure out what in the world this insane woman was trying to say, or it just doesn't matter anymore.

Besides that, the author's main character is so devoid of passion for anything - let alone a full and complete personality - that I would much rather read an emo kid's journal than what Meyer put in for, what I can only assume is, filler.

Since we're on subject, let's talk about the plot for this chapter. Of which there isn't much to speak, but I'll try anyway. Bella's mother is obviously overattached and Charlie (her father) doesn't know how to cook - no one can live without our precious Bella, didn't you know.

Neither, it seems, can Edward, who is missing from school for a week. I know what you're thinking. Since Edward isn't there, why was this chapter written? After only having spent one class together, without having spoken a word to each other, and Edward doing all but run screaming away from Bella- he disappears for a week and Bella is convinced it's because of her. Don't worry, the day is quickly saved. Edward shows up. Apparently he was gone getting a personality adjustment.

Don't let Edward's smiling fool you, though. We next see him out in the parking lot, staring at Bella as she pulls out. I don't know, personally, if I would find that attractive in the least. Someone's staring at you while you're pulling out of a parking lot? Creepy.

I think the most frustrating thing of all is the fact that there's a perfectly nice boy that's interested in Bella. Add to that the possibility that he's one of few characters in this book so far with a personality, and I'm left banging my head against my desk, wondering why a girl would ignore a guy who's obviously interested for the one who's probably plotting to kill her? But hey, I'm older now and am out of touch with kids these days.

Worst line of the chapter award goes to Edward. In the category of "omfg that was so emo". The line?

"You put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

Because suffering is how we describe the whinings of a teenager these days. We can't bruise their little personalities. It's not whining. It's suffering.

Another Round With Dye

Some were able to see the photos of the hair yesterday, others weren't. So here's one of the photos.

I actually quite like it, which was a pretty big surprise because I was going for the "Toasted Coconut" color the box said.

Mm, that reminds me. I am really diggin on the scent of coconuts right now. No clue why. It's just awesome like that, I suppose. That and, well, when you're in the desert, something to remind you of the beach is extremely helpful. Mm, now of course I'm daydreaming of hammocks and white sand and sapphire blue water.

Then, of course, comes the interruption as my girls go screaming by. Ah, I love motherhood. I really, really do.

Trying to Understand Twilight

I'm really not sure what possessed me to start this. After all the hype, the fuss, the movie and the rabidly obsessed fans, I broke one of my book buying caveats. I broke down and acquired Twilight. Normally, I make it a point to avoid books like this that receive so much attention.

And now that I've read the first chapter, I'm realizing it really all was just a bunch of hype. Welcome to Twilight Hatefest: A Chapter by Chapter Breakdown.

For this first chapter, I'm also including the Preface, simply because it's so short it doesn't deserve a posting all its own.

And since we're on the subject of prefaces - that is not a preface. It's actually a prologue. A preface would explain what the book is going to be about, or perhaps an introduction by a collaborating author. The preface found in Twilight is actually a lesson in all the poor grammar about to be seen by the reader as the book progresses.

A grand majority of the first chapter of the book is our heroine [Bella Swan] bemoaning the fact that she's moving to Forks. Because Washington is a horrible place, you know. I lived there for a few years, whereas the author [Stephenie Meyer] didn't bother to even visit until after she'd published the book. Even for a whiny wanna-be emo teen, Washington is not that horrible.

Even so, I could have let the constant complaints slide had we been given the reason for Bella's moving to Forks right up front. I'm sure it's a plot vehicle for later in the book, but at this point it's a poor one at that. An author can't expect their reader to feel empathy for a character unless there is reason to.

The other parts of the chapter include Bella being quite possibly the biggest klutz on the face of the known planet. There were at least four incidents within the first chapter alone where Bella fell, stumbled, tripped, or otherwise did something to indicate that she's a klutz. Let it be known now, my middle name is certainly not grace, but even I in my most awkward of teenage years did not trip nearly as much as Bella does in one day.

And then, of course, we're introduced to the object of many women's fantasies - even adult, happily married women. Edward Cullen. There were plenty of other people who actually wanted to talk to Bella on her first day of school. But who are we drawn to? The one who leaned away from us during Biology. The one who spent almost one hundred per cent of the wordage he's allotted in the first chapter glaring at Bella.

Because men who glare at us and try to stay as far away from us as possible are huge turn ons.

Also, as a bit of a jab at Meyer's technique, I would love to know who her editor is and draft a letter to that person. Because apparently, they were paid to do absolutely nothing. The sentence structure is such that there were multiple times I had to reread the sentence to be sure I was getting the proper meaning, which is not good. If I'm rereading a sentence or a portion of the book, I prefer it to be because I enjoyed a particular scene or turn of phrase.

For example, in one sentence, Bella dropped her eyes. Really? She dropped her eyes? That seems like a medical problem requiring immediate attention. Of course, we're supposed to smile, nod, and go along with it because it's that author's particular style. However, if that were caught by even a half decent copy editor, she would have dropped her gaze to the table, which would have made more sense.

This is not looking promising.

The City Girl in Me Made a Break For It

For Christmas, MarvMan and I got gift cards to our favorite stores from his Dad and wonderful wife, Joan. MarvMan's gift card was to Cabela's. Mine was to Victoria's Secret. This trip involved going to Reno and oh, my goodness gracious.

Out here in Fallon, there's no getting around it. You've got to adapt to the "you're living in the middle of nowhere" lifestyle. Lots of outdoor activities and the biggest place to shop here is the Wal-Mart Super Center.

Now, mind you, I don't mind it one bit. I'm a bargain shopper, love the thrift store anyway, and MarvMan's rubbed off on me enough that I really enjoy the outdoors-y stuff. But getting to go shopping in Reno? Ohhhh, good grief on a cracker it was beautiful.

Because of the kids, we didn't get to go around to too many stores, but ah, to walk into Victoria's Secret with the intent to purchase! Lovely and wonderful and oh, so very therapeutic. And of course, what do I come out of there with? Pajama pants and a new shirt.

All of this is fabulously justifiable, though. I'm starting college on Tuesday! I need the appropriate dorm wear, even if I'm not living in a dorm! (I'm attending school online.) One must follow suit and trust me, these boyfriend fit Pink pants? Fricking awesome. If I could get MarvMan off his butt to take a photo, I would add it.

It also makes me feel super fab because when I shop at VS, I'm actually in a medium like I know I am. Not in a large like other brands are. VS actually takes into account the fact that a medium woman might actually have a rack up top and still be slim in the torso and waist area.

Though I've actually got the curves to match the rack. I'm feeling quite in love with myself since slipping into these VS jams and they're not even the super sexy ones! I need to go look at myself in the mirror again...