Scribbit | A Blog About Motherhood in Alaska

Perfect Thanksgiving Stuffing

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I've been saving this recipe to share for over a year now. Stuffing is my very most favorite part of the whole entire Thanksgiving feast. It is what I save my precious stomach space for each year and what I cannot get in adequate quantities the other 364 days.

But . . . there is a downside to the whole issue. Stuffing is not as popular with the heathen dogs I live with. Good news is that I get to gorge unfettered until I've eaten enough stuffing to be properly considered stuffed in my own right. The bad news is that I don't get to do it very often because of the objections I meet when it's on the table--they'll tolerate it only when there are other things like mashed potatoes on the menu. As if you can't get dumb ol' mashed potatoes anywhere.

Rotten, I know, but what are you going to do?

Well at least I can share this recipe with you. Stuffing is the most highly personal part of the whole Thanksgiving meal and here I am, opening up to share it with you. I couldn't offer any more, it's like handing over a piece of me.

5 tablespoons butter
2 large sweet onions such as vidalia or Maui onions
1 pound sliced crimini mushrooms
2 cups VERY finely chopped celery (I despise large chunks)
1/4 cup minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon sage
dash of summer savory
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
10 cups dried bread cubes (I like rye or sourdough myself)
5 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, diced
1 pound browned pork sausage, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Saute the onions, mushrooms, celery and garlic in the butter over a medium heat until golden brown and soft (about 20-25 minutes). Don't cook on high heat to cheat.

Add 1/2 cup broth and deglaze pan, stirring up browned bits and reducing slightly. Add the sage, savory, rosemary salt and pepper and stir another five minutes.

In a large bowl add the veggie/broth mix to the bread crumbs followed by the artichokes and Parmesan. Stir to combine and, with a gentle hand, add the broth little by little until it's the proper consistency--not too wet and clumpy, not too dry. Just enough to wet down the whole mix. At this point you can refrigerate the mix overnight if you choose (and I usually choose, it's much more convenient that way).

Use it to stuff a 15-20 pound turkey and if there is leftover stuffing, cook in a greased casserole dish separately for about 30 minutes, covered. Then when the turkey comes out and sits for 15 minutes (make sure your turkey sits for 15 minutes before carving to set the juices) take off the cover and brown it up for 15 minutes.

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Have you entered this month's Write-Away Contest? It goes perfectly with a side of stuffing--the topic is "Grateful" and time is ticking away . . .

Sponsored by Forty Fish Eggs

Ann Clark Cookie Cutters and BearHands Mittens Giveaway

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I've got a great snowy-day prize package here for you today, first Ann Clark, Ltd. has sweet little cookie cutters in all sorts of shapes--tea cups, dragonflies, high heel shoes, and--of course--holiday cutters. Copper and stainless steel.

This prize, courtesy of Ann Clark, has a set of six holiday cutters in a pretty little gift box like you see here. Love that moose!

Second, BearHands makes the cutest kid-warming mittens shaped like bear hands--get it? Bare hands? Anyway, in all colors and so many sizes they promise to be the "it" thing to cover those precious paws.

Cookies? Mittens? Now all we need is some snow!

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!

Winter Activities in Anchorage 2009

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

It's been cold this past week but still . . . no snow. Though I'm preparing and sending out my annual winter activities list because you know it can't hold off forever. One of these days we're going to get some of the white stuff.

Never had a green Christmas yet.

Here, in no particular order, are some of our favorite winter activities which we'll be sure to partake of this year. See you on the ski trails!

1. Go ice fishing. The 23rd Annual Ice Fishing Jamboree out at Jewel Lake is free with poles, warm-up tents and all equipment provided--perfect for kids and adults alike. My own children love it. The event is usually held the second week of December though it can be been pushed back into January if weather isn't cooperating. This year it's scheduled for December 12 and 13 at Jewel Lake.

2. Look at rocks. The annual Rocks and Mineral Show will be held November 6-8th at the Sheraton. Admission is free and kids can look at dinosaurs, metal detectors and all sorts of things about geology and rocks. See the website for hours of operation.

3. Ice skate at Westchester Lagoon. Once the ice is declared thick enough it will be maintained for skating all winter and on Friday nights there are fire-barrels for added fun. Also, the Town Square ice rink in front of the Performing Arts Center for free skating fun. We did this last year and had a great time--see for yourself.

4. Tour Williams Reindeer Farm in Palmer (907) 745-4000 at 125 Bodenburg Road Palmer, Alaska. They're open for regular tours in the summer but will do tours by appointment only during the winter if you call and schedule one. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children over 3 and that includes a cup of feed for the animals. You can also drive to the farm and watch the reindeer for free. Oh, and please note that when in the wild they are called caribou, the domesticated version is the reindeer. For an account of one of our visits read my post: Rudolph with Your Nose So Bright.

5. Tour the Musk Ox farm (907) 745-4151. Also in Palmer, the farm offers a view of musk ox, an Alaskan animal that looks like a long-haired bison with the horns of a yak whose soft under wool (qiviut) is valued for its warmth. Winter tours are by appointment and run 10am-6pm October 1, 2008-Mother's Day 2009. Admission prices are rather detailed so go to their website for more information.

6. Go Sledding. Here's a link that describes the best sledding hills in Anchorage--but for the hardy sledder you can't beat the old Arctic Valley road's winding 1-mile course where my little brother lost his glasses (if you find them give him a call). To get there go up Arctic Valley Road and just past the power house on the left is a turnoff where you can park at the end of the trail and wait for sledders to come down. It's the best sledding hill on the planet guaranteed. My post here proves it.

7. See the Town Square Tree Lighting. Friday November 27th 5:30-7:30. There'll be cookies, music, stories, a visit from Santa and his reindeer and (of course) the tree lighting itself. Lots of fun.

8. Celebrate New Year's Eve at town square. With free events for families and children all evening long it's a great way to ring in the new year. Likewise, at Alyeska they'll be holding a "torchlight parade and fireworks display" starting at 8pm.

4-6 p.m. - Children’s Ice Skating Parties
6-8 p.m. - Fire & Ice Celebration
8 p.m. - Fireworks

9. Swimming at H 2Oasis. On Mondays through Fridays when school is in session the water park opens at 11am-2pm for preschool children and their parents for $6 a child (adults are free). The large slides, wave machine, and river walk are not available though some days you can get lucky and they’ll be running for special occasions.

10. See the Christmas lights. Every year during the week before Christmas the Anchorage Daily News publishes their list of best house lights accompanied by a map. You can't beat free.

11. Snowshoe at Campbell Creek Science Center. (907) 267-1247. Tucked away on the west end of Dowling Road is the city's best place to see wildlife (I've seen eagles and rabbits and even eagles eating rabbits). Get away from it all without getting out of the city. Bring your snow shoes, cross country skis or sleds and enjoy a hike to the beaver dam or break your own snow shoe trail. The trails are free but they also have educational programs listed at their site for a small fee. Do remember that it's in a cold spot where the temperature is usually a few degrees colder than the rest of the surrounding area.

They also have adult astronomy lectures once a month starting in November and running through February starting at 7pm. Check the site for information.

12. See live dolls. At the annual Christmas Village celebration kids can see "dolls" from around the world where performers dress in authentic clothing and stand . . . very . . . still. December 12 and 13 at the Dena'ina Center, admission is free.

13. Enjoy some folk music. The Anchorage Folk Festival runs January 21-31 with more than 120 acts from around the world. All workshops and concerts are free to the public, see the site for more details.

14. Ride a train with Santa. Okay this one is expensive but it was so cool that I had to include it anyway. Ride the Alaska Railroad to Seward December 5th. Price is $115 for adults, $57 for children 11 but more if you want breakfast with the trip. see this site for details.

15. See some art. Every Friday from 5-8pm local galleries stay open late to highlight new artists--usually with h'ors doeuvres. They call it "First Friday Art Walk" and it's a fun way to explore the downtown area, see this site for more details.

16. Catch some hoops. The Great Alaska Shootout is November 25-28, 2009 and features some of the top teams in college basketball. This one will cost you but for the money you get some good basketball. For more information see GoSeawolves.com.

17. See a crafts fair. The Christmas Arts and Crafts Emporium is November 21st and 22ndd 10am-6pm and 11am-6pm and the Alaskan Christmas Bazaar is November 7 9am-4pm.

18. See some Alaska Native culture. November 7 is the Intertribal Gathering and December 5 is the Holiday Bazaar, both free to the public. December 12 is the Make and Take Native Art Workshop which I've wanted to do--you can learn all sorts of fun Native crafts. See their calender for even more events.

19. Catch a sleigh ride. The Horse Drawn Carriage Co. offers sleigh rides through Birchwood, just outside of Anchorage for small groups of 2-4 or for large groups of up to 20. My own family did this several years ago and had a great time riding through the forests and enjoying a bonfire and cocoa at the end. They charge $130/hour for a 20-person sleigh ride with extra for the bonfire at the end but for an afternoon of sleighing it's a great deal.

Also, every Friday and Saturday night 8pm-midnight in front of the Captain Cook Hotel this same company offers carriage rides through downtown, $35 for two people for 15 minutes, $5 for each extra person which is a little more but for a special event it would be fun.

20. Visit Stargate Observatory in Wasilla. Burchell High School's 26-inch Newtonian telescope is the largest in the state and the third largest telescope owned by a an American high school. Just north of Wasilla at 1775 West Parks Hwy it will be open Saturday February 24th and Saturday March 10th 7-11pm for $5 per person. Call (907) 355-9055 for more details.

21. Visit the Port of Anchorage. Not exciting? Oh just find a day when a ship is in and they're unloading or loading and it's something any child would enjoy. Inside is the biggest pile of sand in the Free World, used for winter road maintenance and lots of fun to climb.

22. Join a bookstore reading club. Most bookstores in town have a reading hour for kids, some with crafts and other things. Barnes and Noble has Storytime for preschoolers at 1pm on Saturdays and 11 am Wednesday and an American Girl club that meets Tuesdays at 6:30pm. Borders has Storytime with Gracie at 11am on Saturdays, repeating at 11 am and 1pm on Tuesdays. Go to the stores' home pages, search for a store nearest you and view their calendar of events.

23. Visit the Alaska Zoo. Though summer viewing is more popular, the animals are more active in the winter and the Zoo has educational programs scheduled regularly throughout the winter. Visit their web page for details, admission is $10/adult, children 3 and over $6--the Storytime At the Zoo program costs $2 after regular admission.

Also, there are art classes October 12-December 10 where for $20 you can get art supplies and an art lesson at the zoo where children can sketch the animals. Wildlife Wednesdays run through winter and feature behind-the-scenes lectures about the animals.

24. Check out the Home Depot and Lowe’s kid clubs. They're free and children are provided aprons, tools and kits to build various projects. Home Depot on Abbott’s is the first Saturday of every month 9am-12pm while supplies last (I've never had supplies not last). Lowe’s on Old Seward and O’Malley is the second Saturday 10am.

25. Attend Fur Rendezvous. Two week's worth of winter celebrations including snow sculpture competitions, a blanket toss, art exhibits, amusement park rides, an antique car show, a Native crafts bazaar and so many other things--some free and some not. Dates are February 26-March 7, 2010. For more about this annual festival read my post: Fur Rendezvous 2007.

26. Go to the theater. With many small theater companies in town performing all winter, what's not to like?

Training Better Artists Theatre Company
This theater company's ticket prices and productions are perfect for families with small children and are a great introduction to the dramatic arts--of all the troupes in town they're definitely the best for introducing children to the dramatic arts. We'll be going to most of these this season.

The Little Magic Snowman Dec 11-13, 18-20
Mother Goose Feb 19-21, 26-28
Illusions; Wild Things Mar 19-21
The Sound of Music May 7-9, 14-16

Showtimes: Fri & Sat at 7pm, Sat & Sun at 3pm.
Special Halloween Performance 7pm and 10pm
Location: APU's Grant Hall
Tickets: $7 general $5 kids

Anchorage Theater of Youth
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Into the Woods, Jr.
Seussical, the Musical
Winnie-the-Pooh
Hamlet

Location: Sydney Lawrence Theater, Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts
Showtimes: Thursday-Saturday 7pm, Saturday & Sunday 3pm
Tickets: $18.75 general admission, $16.25 (including all taxes) 18 and under

Alaska Junior Theater
Jason and the Argonauts Dec 1-8
Tap Kids Feb 2-5
Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of Terror Mar 15-16
Borders of the Mind Mar 18-20
Stone Soup Apr 12-17

Location: Discovery Theater, Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts
Showtimes: 10 am and noon for childrens' performances, 7:30 pm for public performance
Tickets: $14-16

Anchorage Community Theater
Miracle on 34th Street Nov 27-Dec 20

Showtimes: Wednesday-Saturday 7pm, Sundays 3pm
Tickets: $12 adult, $8 children 12 and under, students $10

27. Go dog sledding. We've taken rides with the Lucky Husky Sled Dog Kennel near Willow and had a wonderful time charging through the snowy wilderness with only our Trusty Guide and eight animal friends but they appear to be out of business. Susitna Dog Tours is another operation in Willow that offers dog sled tours, and though they can be expensive at $85/person the experience is certainly something that you'll remember. Here is another site that lists other companies that offer dog tours in Anchorage, Willow or Girdwood and Chugach Express operates in Girdwood. And speaking of sled dogs, don't miss opening day of the Iditarod on March 7 at 10am on 4th and D Street in downtown Anchorage. Pray for snow and take the kids, they'll be almost as excited as the dogs.

If you want a bit of dog sledding fun with a better price tag you could check out the downtown dog sled show that runs each day. Tickets are around $19 for adults. See their website.

28. Go to the Anchorage Museum of Art. (907) 343-4326 Check their web page for exhibits and concerts such as "Science of Toys" runs October 9-December 31. Admission is $8 adults, $5 kids unless you have a membership. December 13th is a holiday concert 1:30-4:30 and Wells Fargo Free Day and there are also concerts on December 6 and 20th free with admission.

29. See the gingerbread village at the Captain Cook Hotel. Every year the chefs at Anchorage's finest hotel create a gingerbread village--complete with an electric toy train--that is guaranteed to delight.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

How to Make Corn Husk Dolls

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

We made these old-fashioned dolls this weekend and they were a big hit.

I keep thinking this one needs a cute little bonnet and she'd be perfect . . . she's been christened "Rosie" by our friend Emily across the street.

Here are step-by-step instructions on making your own, the only thing you need is some twine and some corn husks. If you're like me, you don't exactly have corn growing out back so the easiest thing to do is to go to the Mexican section of the supermarket and get a packet of dried corn husks for about two dollars.

Remember the tamales from last week? Well one package of corn husks makes more than enough so we used the leftover husks for the dolls.

You'll need about a dozen husks per doll, more or less, and several feet of twine. Soak the husks in warm water for about ten minutes then pat them dry and go to work.

1. Take about six or so corn husks and tie them together like you see here at the left.

Make sure the twine pulls together nice and tight.

Once you've got the knot tight, flip the corn husks down over the string and the knot then tie them with another string just below where the knot is hidden underneath so that it forms a head.

See? It's already starting to come together.

2. Next, take three strips (and I trimmed the husks so that the strips were thin and of an even width as much as possible) and braid one set of three into what will be a set of arms, then braid two more sets of three strips into what will be two legs.

So now you have a head and some limbs.

3. Now, to make the body, divide the husks under the head/neck into two sections cross-wise.

Lay one of the braided pieces in the middle, across the body as if to make a cross shape but what you're doing is forming arms off of the body.

Then lay the two leg pieces right underneath where the arms cross like you see in the picture here. Then, let the husks down again and tie a piece of string around the body under the braids and catching them into the body to form a waist.

4. Now that your doll has a head, arms, legs and a waist gather another four or five corn husks around the waist, but this time tie them on upside down like you see here in the picture, so that they're covering up the torso.

Tie the bundle with twine and secure.

Once it's tight, trim the twine and pull the husks back down so that they form a skirt for your doll. Hide those scrawny legs.

5. Finally, now that you've got head, torso and skirt formed you can take a two long sections of husks (and if you don't have a long enough piece you can always knot two together as I did here).

Cross the length of corn husk over the doll's chest, going up from the waist on the right side then over the left shoulder, then back to the waist in the back on the right side.

Repeat using the other section of husk but going from the opposite side (left side of waist, over the right shoulder, then back down to the left side of the waist) so that it cross like you see in the top picture.

Secure it by tying another piece of twine around the waist, catching the ends of husk. If you'd like you can then cover that twine with another piece of husk that you wrap around the waist and tie in the back.

And you're done! A perfect little corn husk doll perfect for play or decoration. A garland of these would be pretty for fall.

Sponsored by K & M Studios and photographer Megan Burgess

November's Write-Away Contest

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Heading into the holidays here (notice my smooooth alliteration) and we've got a new month's contest. Our guest judge will be Amanda from Oh, Amanda (who I'm hoping to meet at Blissdom in February) and the topic will be "Grateful." I'm leaving it rather open but there is a slight change in the rules this time. Because it's so open I will only take new posts this month. Nothing from the archives, only new material.

As for the prize, this month it will be a selection of goodies from Bath and Body Works suitable for the occasion.

So if that gets you thinking all you need to do to enter is to follow the directions below:

1. Write a post on this month's theme then email your post's permalink to me at scribbit at gmail.com. The permalink is the URL of the individual post--not the URL of your blog--usually found by clicking on the post title or time stamp and copying the URL that appears in the address field. I will accept entries through Sunday November 22nd. If you fail to meet that deadline I will still happily publish your link with the list of entries but it will not be judged. I reserve the right to reject submissions if they fail to meet the topic or if they contain objectionable content. Please look for a confirmation email from me within hours saying I received your entry--just to be safe.

2. Publish a link to this contest page here at Scribbit in either your entry post or in a separate post. I'm not picky how you do this, just give the contest a little mention as a courtesy and nod back. Don't stress over it because I won't.

3. Check back here on Tuesday November 24th when I will post a complete list of the entries along with the Write-Away Winner and three Honorable Mentions.

4. Please remember: I will list the entries along with a small teaser for each. Just the first sentence or two of each post to give people an idea what they might expect if they should be so bold as to click on the entry.

Also, please be aware that while you are welcome to include graphics or photographs with your entries the judge will only see the text of your post. No links, no pictures, no name of your blog, nothing that might identify it to the judge. While visual posts are always beautiful to see on your blog I will only send the text to the judge and your entry will not be able to rely on visuals to influence his or her judgment.

As always, all Winners and Honorable Mentions will get to take home this attractive Write-Away Winner button which he or she may display if they wish.

***

Oops! Forgot to add--Jennifer at Family Musings was the winner of the Timberland giveaway from this weekend. Those shoes are made for walking.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Are You Prepared for an Emergency?

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

When my husband was attending his last semester of law school in Grand Forks, North Dakota the Red River flooded. Then the downtown area caught fire, burning thirteen buildings (one of which held his office) and the town had to be evacuated while the National Guard mobilized. The last thing we saw was a pillar of smoke rising in the review mirror as we fled the city.

That's one story. Another is what has happened the past three months since Andrew lost his job. It takes quite a bit to start up a business and going without a paycheck, either through economics or sickness, can be nearly as devastating to a family as having a hurricane rip through your house.

A little preparation can make the difference in surviving what life throws at you and a few simple steps can mean the difference in how you and your family handle everything from a weekend blizzard to a personal disaster.

1. Stock up on food.
Find a spot in your home where you can store non-perishable food and start with the basics such as beans, rice, flour, powdered milk, salt, oil, and honey then add things that make the food edible like spices, baking supplies, dried fruits, canned vegetables and chocolate chips. It’s wise to have a year’s supply of staples but even a month or two of food could mean a great deal to a family facing hard times.

Don’t go into debt to prepare and don’t hoard compulsively but set aside five or ten dollars every time you go shopping to buy a few extra cans of something for a rainy day—even a week’s worth of food can get you through an emergency, even basic toiletries like shampoo and toothpaste.

With food prices rising doesn’t it seem like a prudent thing to do? With our own current situation we've been very glad to have those supplies on hand which we've been living off of for the past three months.

2. Store some water.
Have an emergency supply of water. Two week’s worth is recommended, with a normal adult using two gallons per day, but even a few days worth is a smart thing to have around. You can use empty milk jugs that have been properly cleaned with a mild bleach solution (be careful though because if you store them for long periods of time they can leak) or you can buy fancy 50-gallon drums that sit under your back deck but having some water on hand makes a lot of sense when you remember that in a natural disaster often the water supply is the first thing compromised.

When we faced the floods in North Dakota the first thing to go was the water supply and while the Red Cross came in quickly and set up potable water stations you don't want to have to panic if your supply is disrupted.

3. Stock up on bedding, fuel, clothing, medicine.
Living in Alaska I worry that if anything were to happen to our electricity during the six months of winter we could be in a bad place so having heavy duty sleeping bags, warm clothing, blankets and a gas fireplace that can still be lighted without electricity is important to me.

If you have someone in the family on medication think of having an emergency medical reserve—speak to your family doctor about how to get extras—if you were ever in a disaster situation running around to get a prescription filled isn’t going to help your life any.

4. Have some cash around.
You can never tell when you’re going to need several hundred dollars but when you need it you’ll really need it. In addition, it's advisable to have three months of cash reserves but I'm guessing that the average American household is in debt for that same amount if the truth were known. Once you get out of debt start saving and having some cash reserves to pay those bills if you don't have a paycheck.

So think of this whole list as being prefaced by the number one rule of "get out of debt" then take a look at saving something for that rainy day.

5. Have important documents in a safe place.
Keep copies of important documents in one place that is easily accessible in an emergency. I keep copies of birth certificates, social security cards, names and birthdays, immunization records and our marriage license in a large manila envelope. Once you’ve got the essentials consider copies of financial records such as insurance policies, bank statements, credit card numbers, deeds to vehicles and home, and any other paper that proves your financial situation.
Then you might think of adding CDs with visual records of your home and possessions, family photos and history and other family records. Don’t get too carried away—there are always things you can add that you’ll think you can’t live without—just stick with the things that are either irreplaceable or that will help you replace the things that aren’t.

6. Have a contact plan.
Establish a contact plan with family members so that if there were ever an emergency where you were separated and couldn’t get in contact with each other you’d have a designated person whom people could contact to find out information and determine everyone’s safety.

This might be an extended family member or friend but let your children know that if there ever were an emergency where they couldn’t get in touch with you that this other point of contact is the one they should call.

7. Be familiar with area threats.
Do you know what the weather is like in your neighborhood? Do you get tornadoes or brush fires? Do you know what the procedure is for dealing with such dangers? Do you know what a tsunami warning sounds like? Study up on the threats that your area faces and find out what local authorities have to say about how to prepare.

Most cooperative extensions have information as well as your local Red Cross chapter. Don’t wait for the emergency to learn how to handle things—once you’re prepared the fear of facing such a situation is dramatically reduced.

8. Have insurance.
If you live in a flood plain make sure you have insurance and that you know the terms of your coverage. If you live in earthquake country get the proper protection and keep it current with the value of your home. Life insurance, health insurance, disability and property insurance give great peace of mind when life throws a wrench in your plans.

Don’t worry about fancy, expensive plans that try to cover all sorts of cute little perks like orthodontics and vision and such just get basic “catastrophic” coverage with a high deductible and lower premium so that the big troubles won’t wipe you out. You’re trying to prepare for emergencies, not eventualities like dental cleanings. With Andrew out of work we were able to buy a basic catastrophic plan for just under $200 per month through Fortis on ePolicy.com that covers all six of us. It's got a very high deductible which makes it so affordable.

9. Have an escape plan.
Be aware of what to do and where to go in an emergency. Do you know where the gas shut off valve is in your home? Do you know how to turn off the water main? Do you have the numbers to utility companies in a safe place should you ever need them?

Do you have a place to go if you had to leave town? Do you know which paths to take if your main street were blocked? Do you have extra gas saved to get your SUV out of town? Does your family have a meeting plan for where to meet should anything happen during the work or school day?

10. Don’t panic.
Most importantly, don’t panic. If you take some prudent steps ahead of time, educate yourself to the reasonable dangers you might face and prepare accordingly when that blizzard hits and you can’t make it to the store for milk or when you’re facing six months of partial pay from Disability you can make it through intact. Most of life is smooth sailing but it’s how you deal with the crazy times that can make all the difference.

This list can seem rather overwhelming I'm sure but by picking away at one thing ts a time you can get yourself and your family in a safe spot no matter what the economics or weather look like. It's saved us these past three months.

Sponsored by Forty Fish Eggs

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Ah, cakes are beautiful things. Especially double layer cakes smothered in luscious caramel frosting. Have I got your attention now?

This one has a light and fluffy texture inside with rich creamy frosting on the outside. I like it.

I also like it because most of these ingredients are things I typically have on hand and it goes together quickly.

Cake:
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
1 egg white
2 ¼ cup flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup teaspoons butter
4 teaspoons corn syrup
dash of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla

For cake, grease and flour two round cake pans. Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mix to sugar mix alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mix. Stir in vanilla.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

For frosting, combine brown sugar and next four ingredients in medium saucepan and boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thick (5 min). Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Frost cake and garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Timberland PRO Renova Giveaway

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Before I was contacted last month by Timberland to do a review of their shoes I'll admit I was a fan. My husband and I both have owned pairs and not only are they comfortable and good for work and play but they are shoes that will last longer than you will. For many years we've worn Timberlands as we've camped and hiked our way across this great state.

In fact I had a pair of sturdy maroon loafers that I wore so much I finally dissolved the sole and had to get them resoled because they still looked so good and were that comfortable. Then--I think it was at about the seven year mark--I wore out the lacing stitches on the toe and replaced it myself and got another several years of wear out of them. Great pair of shoes. We had some good times, those shoes and I.

Anyway, Timberland asked if I'd try a pair from their PRO Reneva series and I said "I'm your gal." They sent me a complimentary pair like the one you see above and they're terrific. I have particularly high arches and this shoe has a nice, high arch that feels so comfortable I'm tempted to wear them to bed. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating that part a little but I do love the high arch and every indication is that this pair is as well-made and comfortable as the other pairs we've had. Even Andrew was kind of excited to see them on my feet--he's kind of a Timberland groupie.

Their PRO Renova series is designed for people on their feet and they have a whole page of styles to choose from (check out the cute Mary Janes that are on sale). This weekend's winner will get to pick their favorite pair from the Timberland PRO Renova series and will receive it, along with this cute little bag you see below in 100% recycled PET (and I had to look that up, it stands for polyethylene terephthalate. Not pets. Have no fear, no bunnies or kittens were harmed in the making of this bag.)

So do you have a pair of shoes you've lived with forever? A pair that's stood the test of time? Give your best reason why you need a pair like this and then follow the directions below to get your name in the running for the prize. Good luck!

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!

Someone I'd Like You to Meet: Allysha from Bells on Their Toes

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

This month's Write-Away Contest judge was Allysha from Bells on Their Toes--which I've subscribed to for years and read whenever I want valuable thoughts on motherhood or life. About a year and a half ago she started a second blog, Just an Orange, where she publishes her artistic endeavors. Allysha is the mother of three and I asked her questions about her thoughts on art, writing, blogging and creativity and her answers are wonderful, just take a peak.

***

Why did you decide to start your second blog, Just an Orange. What was lacking from Bells on Their Toes that you were looking for in a new blog?

This first question is ironic in that I checked on Just an Orange the other day and realized it has been a year (a year!) since I posted anything there. Bells on Their Toes started out more as a focus on my kids and is more about my domestic life, if you want to call it that, and Just an Orange is more about ideas.

Blogs, like any creative endeavor, can take on their own personality, which is in part why I started a second blog. While I wrote about the humanities some on Bells on Their Toes, I wanted to share more poetry and thoughts on art and music etc. It seemed like more information than could fit onto just one blog. However, as my kids get a bit older I write less about them. I have thought for a long time about starting an entirely new blog that would incorporate some ideas from both blogs, but we'll see. I have a hard time saying goodbye to something and Bells on Their Toes has been a really great outlet for me.

I did get really sick a few months after launching Just an Orange and unfortunately that eventually did me (and it!) in. I have four small children, a husband who teaches at a university full-time while also getting his PhD, so when something had to give, that did. Despite the accidental hiatus, I really love Just an Orange, especially the guest essays I was able to post (check them out!). Hopefully I'll be able to resurrect it in some form or another one of these days.

Which do you feel is more important to you and your creativity?

Bells On Their Toes is more personal than Just an Orange, and it's obviously the blog I am most consistent with, but both are important for me from a creative standpoint. Posts for Just an Orange were more like mini college essays, so they usually took more time to compose. Bells on Their Toes is so much about my life it's easy to just sit down and plunk something out.

I am the first to admit that sometimes my posts are simply a way of saying “I'm still alive!” They aren't all great compositions. But I write for myself and I enjoy the blog format because it gives me an audience, albeit a smallish one. Once upon a time I worried more about building my readership and always having something new for them to read, but with my kids (ages 2-7) I decided I didn't want to spend the kind of time and energy needed to launch that sort of blog right now. It was then I realized that for me the most important thing is my own creative release. I so appreciate my readers and their comments however, because it is really nice to feel like I have connected with someone else. Bells on Their Toes has been a great outlet in that way.

You’ve come from an artistic parentage, do you have siblings and how did they find their creative outlet? What has passed onto your children?

All of my siblings are creative but I don't consider my family really artsy, maybe because most of us have a hefty dose of analytical fervor that keeps us grounded. That said, in the mix are writers, artists, musicians, dancers and designers of all kinds (graphic, interior, and a landscape architect). Everyone does at least one of these. But sports and the outdoors also plays a prominent role. More for some than others.

My kids love art, and books and are very musical. One of my daughters has been putting on her own solo production of the Nutcracker the past few nights and her sister designed the set. So I guess it's just naturally passed on.

You’re interested in so many things: dance, literature, poetry, painting, drawing, music—which is your favorite of the fine arts and why?

Oh, that's hard to answer. It may be that words are my first love, or at least the most accessible, but the fine arts all sort of move around inside each other, don't they? I guess I consider the paintings on the Sistine Chapel a kind of music and the movement of a dancer a kind of poetry, just as the words of a poem laid down on the page is a careful kind of dance, or more particularly, a kind of music. They all give me the same kind of thrill. I'm not sure what it is.

I've been able to participate in some form in all of these things, nothing earth shattering, mind you. The culmination of my musical career was perhaps my experience in the jr high band, but I loved the synergy of performing a piece of music in a big group. Growing up both of my parents, but especially my father, taught me to have a great appreciation for wonderful art in all it's forms. I'm really grateful for that.

What projects are you currently working on? What’s on the workbench now?

I have a few short stories I'm quite fond of (of which I am quite fond? That sounds pretentious) that need to be revised and a book that is in the beginning stages (doesn't everyone?) but these days they sit on the back burner of my consciousness slowly simmering while I finish tiling the backsplash in my kitchen.

What are your favorites: book, poet, composer, painting?

I don't have absolute favorites (too many!) but here is what comes to mind at the moment:

Book: The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone

Writer: Edith Wharton's short stories are what I've been reading lately. She is amazing.

Composer: Ralph Vaughn Williams has some really nice stuff. (Also the standbys Beethoven and Mozart. Really.)

Painting: Hmmm. Let's go with work of art and I'll say Michelangelo's Moses.

How can mothers find time for creativity in their own lives? What are ways they can make time in small ways? What has worked for you?

It's always a trick isn't it? You can't have it all at the same time. Given the ages and needs of my children there are things I'd love to do (regular writing time) but I don't. With my personality and the demands on my time these days most of my creative endeavors are participatory; I read, I watercolor with the kids, I listen to good music in the car while shuttling people around. If I'm lucky I get out to see an art exhibit at the local museum. But honestly, I have simply chosen to not do a lot of things I'd like to do. I trust there will be time in the coming years as my kids get older when my energy level, their demands, and my ability to juggle it all will become, not less demanding because come on, this is motherhood, but maybe more compliant with one another.

What can mothers do to inspire this creativity in their children (or husbands?) How have you approached this?

I don't really have a grand plan. I suppose that just as my parents shared different experiences and opportunities with me, I in turn share them with my children. It's not calculated. I have memories of looking though my mom's art books and being fascinated, especially by Van Gogh. My dad always had some interesting classical piece playing on the record player. And he took me to the ballet a lot.

It seems to me that if I truly love something, it will be natural that my children are exposed to it, if I am interacting with them in any meaningful way. And so far, that seems to be working!

How do you see the marriage between technology and creativity? Do they compete or compliment and why?

The trick with technology, especially as involves the internet, is that it makes things so immediate, it almost demands an immediate creative process and I think it's easy for quality to get lost in the bid to get something out there. Also it's very easy for the technology to become The Thing, as opposed to the creative work. Am I blogging? Or am I writing and posting it on a blog? I can tell the difference. Is one better than the other? Depends on what you're going for. However, I have read some rather interesting stories in 140 characters or less.

What is your favorite poem you’ve written (if you don’t mind sharing)

I don't think I'll share my favorite poem, the internet sometimes being a vast black hole into which certain things can fall and never return (too melodramatic?) But I will share a rather facetious poem I wrote at the end of a poetry class in college entitled The End (Someday you can read my work in The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker – ha!)

When the last word has been written
I will take this tired body to the water
and lay it down. Though my fingers rest
upon the shore they will still try
to wrap around pencils the same way
that my mind will spend the next week
walking around on a metaphor, forgetting
that it isn't real.
I’ve wondered if it’s as easy to be creative nowadays—that so much has already been done and what’s often produced is mimicry and not original. What do you think? Have all the best stories been written? Are there great things still left to do?

I'm sure there are still great things left to do. The question is, who will do them? I'm not sure our culture nurtures or even appreciates great art or the process needed to create great art. We saturate ourselves with easy entertainment full of gratuitous sex and violence. We are a culture that tries to avoid consequences and hand out lavish rewards for doing just about anything.

Great art must tell the truth. For a lot of people this means telling only about the dark side of life. But I don't think a great work can wallow in the muck the entire time any more than such art can simply be a didactic morality tale. Great art is about redemption in some form. But we seem to be afraid of saying that we need redemption. Either we are too comfortable in our sad states, or too afraid of the glorious possibilities.

Obviously I am not speaking individually, but collectively. I think there are some wonderfully talented people out there and I expect that they will be able to produce wonderful things if they can see their way to do it.

Sponsored by K & M Studios and photographer Megan Burgess

Most Haunted Houses (Plus a Few Other Haunted Places Too)

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I don't really believe in ghosts, that's my youngest son's department (he used to swear that the Loch Ness Monster was out there and it provided hours of family entertainment) and with today's list it's all about places you could go if you wanted to play ghost buster.

And notice that Alaska makes a nice little showing in the rankings? Shows how cool we are.

1. Myrtles Plantation
This historic home was built in the late 18th century and rumors have built up over the years to give it more ghosts than you can shake a stick at *shake shake*. These include a former slave who was hung in the yard for killing two little girls (though evidence that he existed, let alone terrorized in a murderous rage, is tenuous at best).

While he himself spends his holidays haunting the place he's joined, of course, by the the ghosts of the two children he supposedly got rid of. Of course.

However, the only confirmed murder to happen on the premises was that of William Drew Winter, an attorney who lived at Myrtles from 1860 to 1871. He was shot on the side porch by a stranger then staggered into the house and began to climb the stairs to the second floor (isn't this all very dramatic?) but collapsed and died and his dying footsteps can be heard on the staircase to this very day!

The great part about this house though is that besides these happy occurrences it is said that the ghosts of other slaves occasionally show up to mournfully ask if they can do any chores. Can you imagine something so wonderful? I can only guess at how that improves the property value, having built-in maid service. Man, how much would I'd love to have people wafting through my home, saying nothing but "Ma'am, are there any other chores I can do?" Sweet.

In addition to this it's said that the grand piano will sometimes play by itself, repeating one haunting chord. Now that does sound like my house. The piano is going all the time and it's the same stuff over and over and over . . . Bon Jovi, Journey, Green Day, Cold Play . . . definitely haunting and distressing.

Maybe my house is haunted too.

2. The White House
Yes, that White House. Apparently Mr. Obama has house guests that he may not even be aware of. They say (whoever "they" may be) that former president Harrison can be heard digging through the attic--did you even know the White House had an attic?--and the ghost of Abigail Adams has been seen in the hallways. Seems like I remember the Clintons having a hard time saying goodbye to the place as well and hanging around long after the party was over . . .

But the most common ghost is, of course, Mr. Lincoln himself. That's right, get this: Eleanor Roosevelt once said she felt the presence of Lincoln watching her as she worked in the Lincoln bedroom. (That proves he's haunting the place right there). But then a clerk claimed to have seen the ghost of Lincoln sitting on a bed pulling off his boots. But the funniest one is when Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. Answering it, she was allegedly met with the ghost of Abe Lincoln staring at her from the hallway.

Because if you're queen you're used to getting strange knocks on your bedroom door in the middle of the night and it's oh-so-normal to get out of bed and answer it yourself. I can just picture her there in her nighty with night cream on her face and the tiara on her head coming to the bedroom door. Somehow I'm doubting the old girl's story.

But then Calvin Coolidge's wife reported seeing the ghost of Lincoln on several occasions, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, at a window in the Oval Office, staring out in deep contemplation toward the battlefields across the Potomac. So there.

3. The Whaley House
In old town San Diego stands the Whaley House which was converted into a museum after earning the title of "Most Haunted House in America." I guess that fits if you consider that the house was haunted even before it was finished--they had used the property as a site for hanging and a man was executed there in 1852 so it was just asking for trouble to put a house on that spot.

Kind of like building your swimming pool on top of an relocated Indian burial site, huh?

I'd go through the long list of ghosts that make an appearance there but it's not that exciting--the Whaley family lived there so long that all sorts of people ended up dying there so it's kind of obvious that it was voted as "most likely to be a ghost house" but I'm extremely skeptical. They say that a ghost is present when a room has a cold spot. If that were the case then it would seem that Alaska would have more than its fair share of ghosts but we don't seem to get that many around here.

Maybe ghosts don't like snow either.

4. The LaLaurie House
Delphine LaLaurie (and I'll say right here that regardless of what I'm about to reveal about her her name is simply smashing) was twice widowed and she was caught mistreating her slaves which was all it took for rumors to run wild. By all accounts she was a very nasty lady who whipped slave girls for minor infractions (as if it's acceptable to whip slaves for major infractions, or to have slaves at all?) and when neighbors began to complain she ended up fleeing the country, eventually dying in France I believe.

But still, her victims' ghosts remain to remind us of her cruelty and her house remains as a tribute to the times. As an interesting side note Nicholas Cage bought the place and then sold it a year or two ago. Apparently he liked the stories about it too.

5. The Queen Mary
This famous ship was permanently docked and made into a hotel which I would very much like to visit because in World War II my grandfather traveled to Europe as a GI, sleeping on its deck, back in 1943.

I'll have to ask him if he saw any ghosts. Supposedly the ghost of a sailor who was crushed while trying to escape a fire haunts regularly and the ghost of a child who drown in the pool makes appearances, as if there'd be any room for ghosts with all those soldiers crawling the place.

6. The Bell House
Somewhere in Tennessee (not sure where) back in the 1860s there lived the Bell family who had their lives inconvenienced by a ghost that came to be known as Kate (why are ghosts never named Lateesha, Zoey or Jasmine?) Claiming she was a witch (not sure how this communication was received or if it was just a given based on circumstances) she began to harass the farmer until he grew so sick he took to his bed.

He eventually died and--get this--next to his bed was a suspicious bottle containing black liquid. Bell's breath also had the same smell as the liquid and when they gave a drop to the cat he died instantly. Potent stuff, no? Anyway, investigators made the completely logical deduction that Bell must have had the bottle of poison administered to him by a spirit--probably that Kate person who'd been haunting him.

Makes sense. A lot more sense than, say, his WIFE tried to get rid of him, right? Because why would she want him dead? It makes so much more sense that it was a mysterious disembodied spirit that had at one time taken the form of a half-rabbit-half-dog creature leaping through the corn fields which he supposedly saw one day. Lots more sense.

Whatever. It makes for a good story I guess because it's been made into books and movies.

7. Eastern State Penitentiary
I bet if you took every state in the country and added up all the ghost stories, Pennsylvania--specifically Philadelphia--would have more ghosts per capita than any other place in the U.S. It's true.

I guess if you're famous enough to have housed Al Capone within your walls then you're due for a few ghosts. Rumor has it that Al Capone was haunted by the ghost of someone he offed during the St. Valentine's Day massacre though somehow I'm doubting this. I have a hard time seeing Capone with a conscience--even with so selective a conscience.

Other apparitions include a shadow-like figure that scoots quickly away when approached, a figure that stands in the guard tower, an evil cackling coming from cellblock 12 and another shadowy figure who has been seen sliding down the wall. Yup, none of those things sound like they fit in in a prison. It must be ghosts.

8. The Anchorage Hotel
I'm including this for hometown sentimentality. This fun little place is in downtown Anchorage (yes I've been there) and in the guest register they have a place where people can share their encounters.

Um, with spirits that is.

The city's first police chief, John Sturgis, was shot in the alleyway outside the hotel and died shortly thereafter and his ghost is said to roam around. There have also been reports of an unnamed female ghost who was jilted at the alter because her fiance left to look for gold. She hanged herself in her wedding dress (so the story goes) and now hangs out at the hotel in an eternal honeymoon.

9. The Congelier House
This used to carry the title of Most Haunted House in America (one has to wonder how the award is given out--and is there a medal or monetary prize that accompanies the title?) and I have to say that if you judged it solely on violence and rumor, this one beats the Whaley House all to pieces.

Built by a Yankee carpetbagger in Pittsburg (see? What did I tell you--it's always Pennsylvania. Maybe because it rhymes with "Transylvania"?) it got its reputation when the lady of the house found the master dabbling with the maid whereupon she got him with a knife and whacked off the poor girl's head. Yes, that's bloody I know. True? I don't know. But it's got ghosts with a vengeance.

It was said Thomas Edison built some kind of contraption to facilitate conversation with the dead (apparently he wanted to one up that dumb Alexander Graham Bell for beating him to the telephone) all because of what he saw on a visit to the Congelier house.

10. The Winchester House
Saving the best for last this is the only house that seems to be actually and legitimately odd for a plausible reason.

Sarah Winchester was the widow of William Winchester of Winchester rifle fame and when her husband and baby daughter died suddenly, leaving her with 40 million dollars and too much time by herself she went west and built this strange 160-room mansion from the depths of her grief.

Rumor was that she was told by a medium or by the ghost of her husband, whichever angle makes you happier, that she was being punished for all the people the Winchester guns had killed and that the house she built needed to be under continual construction or she would die. And anyone who has been through a remodel knows exactly how she feels.

At any rate she took the ghost as his word and the house is this crazy concoction of halls and stairways and tributes to the number thirteen. Chandeliers were modified to hold thirteen candles, some hallways and stairways lead nowhere and there are spiderweb motifs around the grounds. I think I'd be interested in seeing the place just for kicks.

What else are you going to do on Halloween?

Sponsored by Forty Fish Eggs

I'm Out and About Today

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I'm on hiatus today, I'll be speaking at the Twitter conference here in Anchorage at 10:15 am so if you happen to be downtown this morning drop on by the Snow Goose restaurant and say hello. But catch me quick because it's also parent-teacher conferences this afternoon so I'll be on the road again by lunch.

Which reminds me . . . if you're not doing anything in February I'll also be speaking at Blissdom 2010 the first week of the month in Nashville--I believe the topic they asked me to hit is "Modern Mommy Blogging" which will be a great one. Never been to Nashville and I cannot wait, I have always wanted to go to Tennessee. See you there!

And besides this, I've got a few items for your attention:

It still hasn't snowed . . . just in case you were wondering, so the snow contest marches on without a winner yet.

What do you think about the new Speed-Writing Craze? (Or should I say "Crazy" and give away my own opinion on the matter?)

Think it's expensive to get married? Check out the list of all-time Most Expensive Weddings. Then laugh.

Check out the instructions on making your own bath tub paint--we used to do this ages ago.

I know it's not anywhere near Christmas yet but I love the simplicity of this wooden block Nativity set. I imagine I could try and make one myself if I had some patience.

Check out this two-in-one desk/bed that I covet.

Make up a batch of this Rhubarb Nut Bread or these Grasshopper Squares . . . thank you . . . don't mind if I do!

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Making Tamales

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

When Grace was about ten she was into the American Girl books and discovered their line of matching cook books, each one with instructions for making food suitable for each character's heritage. How glad I was that one of the girls had Mexican ancestors because otherwise we would have been stuck eating things like hasty pudding. Hmmmm . . .

But as it was Grace wanted to make all the Mexican food Josephina ate and that meant tamales. I'd never made them before and I had this vague notion that they were really, really hard and time consuming because I'd heard about little old women standing in hot kitchens, making tamales all day long for the evening meal.

Apparently I was misinformed because they're really, really easy. As in pie. Grace makes them up and we slurp them right down and we're all very happy about the situation.

Anyway, all a tamale is is a batch of cornmeal dough, usually a combination of masa, lard and water, wrapped around a bit of slow cooked and savory meat spiced with chilies which is tied up inside a dried corn husk just like a little Christmas package and steamed to perfection.

When you unwrap them the cornmeal dough has cooked around the meat and it's oh so tasty. I cook them in my vegetable steamer but you can use any kind of steamer to do the job. I've seen all sorts of recipe variations too--some using mushrooms and some using vegetables--I've actually got this theory that you could make sweet versions, maybe with a bit of cinnamon sprinkled in the dough and a bit of caramel or jam or sliced apples in the middle. I don't see why you'd be limited to just beef and chilies--cornmeal has a certain amount of sweetness as it is so putting applesauce or even some chocolate in there shouldn't be too off-putting.

Anyway, here's Grace's recipe.

For the dough:
6 cups masa harina
5 cups warm water or chicken broth
2 cups lard or shortening
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix masa with water or broth and let set for 20 minutes to soften. Then with mixer mix in the rest of the ingredients until it's a dough consistency.

For filling:
3 cups shredded beef
8 large roasted chiles- skin, seeds and veins removed and coarsely chopped.
1 white onion- peeled and coarsely chopped.
6 cloves of garlic- peeled and crushed.
1 jalapeno- seeded and diced
1 cup homemade chile sauce or store bought.

Roast the above ingredients in a casserole dish at about 300 degrees for several hours until nice and fragrant.

To prepare the tamales, soak dried corn husks (you can get them at the Mexican section of the supermarket) in warm water for about ten minutes. Then dry them and put a couple tablespoons of the masa dough in the husk. Spread it out a bit then put a spoonful of filling in the middle and cover it with the dough. Wrap the corn husk around the package as you see here and tie with a strip of corn husk.

Steam them for about 90 minutes. To eat, you unwrap them and enjoy the treat inside. Serve with a bit of reserved sauce or you can freeze them for later.

***

I had this awful moment yesterday when I realized that I completely spaced drawing a winner for last weekend's Sugarhouse Ink giveaway. So today I've got two winners to announce. First, Norma was the winner of the $50 gift certificate to Sugarhouse Ink and then Sondra was the winner of the $60 Mikarose gift certificate. So sorry to have slacked off.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Brought to You by the Trolls of the World

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Two and a half years ago my nephew Alex who was autistic ran away from his home and drowned in a lake in his neighborhood. I've mentioned in two different posts that he passed away but I didn't really talk about it out of respect to my sister, Carinne, and her family's privacy.

But I'm afraid my wanting to spare her further pain wasn't shared by everyone here in our little community--the local media covered the tragedy by leaving out important facts and then using words which hinted at parental negligence. They even went so far as to say that police were investigating and were thinking of pressing charges--none of it true.

Of course those of us who knew the family were shocked. The news didn't mention that he was severely autistic and generally incapable of communication, that he was a very strong and large seven year old boy who was attracted to water and repeatedly escaped from his house so he wore an electronic monitoring bracelet because of his parents' fears of just such an event occurring. Anyone who knew them knew of their love and care, it was an accident and the family deserved compassion and comfort but instead they were being accused of being bad parents.

No one from the media made any attempt to find out their story, reports kept being broadcast that hinted that there was some kind of a police investigation going on. Of course it was all untrue, it was just a high-tech rumor mill, but then the letters to the editor started coming. People who had heard the news reports made assumptions and judgments then began making accusations. A few wrote scathing letters demanding that the police press charges and saying horrible things which we desperately tried to keep from my sister and her family while they were planning for Alex's funeral.

It was bad enough that the newspaper printed these inflammatory letters in an effort to sell papers (which is one of the main reasons I cannot tolerate the Anchorage Daily News and will hold a vicious grudge against them until the day I die) but we were completely shocked that people in our community would say such horrid things and jump to such conclusions without giving another human being the benefit of the doubt.

I've seen this happen a couple of times to other unfortunate families, my sister's situation wasn't an isolated case. A single African American mother who worked full time reported her two sons missing. People thought they knew all about her, some started pointing fingers, making suggestions about what had happened until the two little boys were found in a nearby pond and it was determined it had all been an accident. About the same time Alex died a single father dropped his teenage daughter off at a party where she was shot and killed. Again, letters to the editor came out condemning this man for his bad parenting and holding him responsible for what had happened to his daughter.

I've been thinking about these things after the post I wrote last Monday. I had worried that writing about my son and our worries was a little too personal but then I thought that it might be a good thing to share if it helped others going through the same thing and to let people know we're certainly not perfect over here and I have all sorts of struggles. So I published and held my breath and I was touched by how kind the responses were.

But then I got a comment that was like a sock in the gut. Instead of merely disagreeing with my points on parenting an anonymous commenter attacked my son and then us as parents. At first I let the comment stand for a while out of shock and there were some of you who were very kind about supporting us (thanks Carinne for sticking up for me) but I finally decided it was better to take the post down. I didn't want my son to read what had been written about him and I decided that maybe I'd been too open with things--that by being too open I was now being punished.

Carinne and I spoke about the experience and we both wondered why people do this kind of thing? Even if people think these nasty things what propels them to put pen to paper and air their opinions to the world? I've never been attacked face-to-face so why is it that people feel free to write things that they'd never say in person?

My personal opinion is that somewhere in them is a bit of common decency that holds them back from saying things like this to someone's face but once that face-to-face contact is removed the person on the other end is just an anonymous, amorphous entity without feelings and suddenly they're free to take their best shot. It's like being in a car, separated from the other cars you are free to say things to the other drivers you'd never say to them if they were standing in front of you though even that bit of social courtesy is being eroded as well.

Of course I still think there's a bit of something there that tells them that what they're doing is wrong because why else would they be so cowardly as to remain anonymous? If they thought that they were helping or serving or constructively criticizing they'd leave their name as proof but none of them ever do. They leave the note and slink away, finding satisfaction in throwing the rock then hiding like some truant schoolchild.

What is wrong with people that they can't feel sympathy for another person, especially one who is struggling with a child or who has lost a child? Are they so scared that something might happen to their own children that they search around for ways to show how the other parents did something wrong that caused events to turn out badly? Maybe they think that if they can find a reason why another mother messed up, that it's somehow her fault, then it can't happen to them.

I've had plenty of nasty comments here over the years and each one kind of shocks me. Being judgmental and critical may be a natural human trait but how did we come so far as to lose that little voice inside that says, "Keep your feelings to yourself. Not only is that other person a human being with feelings who deserves compassion but it's wrong to say hurtful things. It doesn't matter that you think you're right."

Well whatever prompts these people to act that way, the problem is just getting worse. There are so many online venues available now that trolls don't need to hide under bridges any more, they're coming out into the daylight to feed which means that it's just going to be that much more important for the rest of us to do everything we can to make sure courtesy and compassion still have a place in the world--it's going to be up to us to make the difference.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Ragu a la Bolognese

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

My very favorite food in the whole entire world is spaghetti. I love pasta of any kind, but if I had to choose which pasta I loved the most it would be spaghetti--or at least what we Americans call "spaghetti." In actuality what I'm talking about is probably this dish. Ragu bolognese.

Whenever I had a birthday I'd ask Mom to make spaghetti and on the few times we went out to dinner I'd find it on the menu and eagerly anticipate. Of course I never found it to be quite as good as the homemade variety (darn Denny's) and I'd always go home every-so-slightly disappointed.

It surprises me how few people make homemade sauce because it is so easy and such a staple in our house.

The trick is low temperatures. You never want to cook onions on high heat, that makes them bitter, you want it low to medium, slow cooking makes all the flavors meld better. And if you're like me you want those pieces of celery and carrot chopped very fine. Flavor is good but pieces of celery staring up at you from your fork isn't.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 finely minced celery
½ cup finely minced carrot
1 pound mild Italian sausage
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken broth
1 10 oz can tomato puree
3 tablespoons capers

Saute onion, celery and carrot in oil on medium-low heat for 8 min. Remove, then add sausage and cook until brown and broken up. Add the nest six ingredients through bay leaf, simmer for fifteen minutes, then add the onion/celery/carrot mix, broth and tomato puree and capers, simmer 1 hour. Discard bay leaf, toss with pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan.

Sponsored by Forty Fish Eggs

Mikarose Giveaway

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I've reviewed Mikarose before and gave it glowing reports, in fact I liked it so much I ended up buying a dress there for my daughter (loved it) and now they're back again to offer another gift certificate to another winner this weekend.

Since my first review they've added more dresses like this Asian inspired "Christine" dress and a small children's line, an example of which you see below. And I still think they're one of the best deals in dresses you're going to find.

Grace loved her pink dress--and they didn't pay me to say that--which you can now find on the clearance page of their site. You should check out the deals there, the one Grace has is marked down to $12.99. You can't beat a deal like that, not with a stick.

Mikarose is providing a $60 gift certificate for this weekend's winner and if you can use what's on the clearance page you could get two dresses for that price.

And good news for everyone--you can enter "scribbit" at checkout and receive a 10% discount off your order.

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!

Our Fearsome Write-Away Winner

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Thank you to Allysha at Bells on Their Toes for judging this month's Halloweenish writing contest (you'll get to hear more about her next week) and thank you to jaC Jewelry for providing the gorgeous Chocolate Cherry Swirl pendant as the prize for the best entry on the topic of "Fear."

If you didn't win this gorgeous pendant don't worry, jaC has giveaways here and there and to find out when sign up for the newsletter which will give you all the upcoming events.

And of course thank you to all who entered, there's nothing so fearful as putting up your writing for someone else to judge!

Anyone want to suggest a topic for next month's contest? I'm wide open . . .

. . . And the winner is:

Wonder Years with Fear a la Edgar Allan Poe

Sonja is a wonderful writer, photographer and mother with a house full of beautiful little blondies. I've subscribed to her blog for about a year now and highly recommend it--you'll love this creative post. I do believe it's the first time a poem has won the Write-Away Contest.

Honorable Mentions

Stories to Cheer People Up with To Catch a Thief
My Neurotic Spot with Description of a Night Terror
Glacier Racing with Floyd the Coward

***

Here are a list of the entries in the order they were received:

1. Babysteps with Flying Away
Last night Zaya said, “Mom, I don't want to ever fly a kite again, because it might fly away.”
He said this with tears barely restrained and his voice cracking a bit, as if we were discussing something truly terrifying, like tornadoes or spiders or newborn babies. (Hey, we're all afraid of something.)

2. All Stace, All the Time with Childhood Phobias That Linger On
Okay so I know nothing is sleeping under my bed. I never have to check the closet for the boogie man. These are things that I outgrew YEARS ago. I'm not afraid of the dark. Thunderstorms don't scare me. I can watch a scary movie, most of the time, without lingering effects.

3. Warm Chocolate Milk with I'm Back
It took going away last weekend, driving up north to my friend Sarah's remote cabin in the woods where there was no Internet access, and I could only get a signal on my phone by standing on my tiptoes in the middle of a field with my arms reached out high above my head, removing myself from my life was required, for me to see the possibilities in the center of it.

4. Flea's World with Posthumously
Many a book and screenplay are written by shrinks – excuse me, licensed therapists – who think they’ve cornered the market on crazy. I’ve read quite a few – in my profession I’d go nuts if I couldn’t laugh at myself. They’d lock me away if I couldn’t laugh at my patients. Privately, of course.

5. Momish with Home Base
Our house was one of the few row homes left that still had a wall separating the living room from the staircase. In most of the houses, the wall was taken down so the staircase stood open, overlooking the living room. But not our house, our house still had the wall. And boy do I remember that wall.

6. I Most Definitely Control the Spice with Tortoiseshell
I am typing this currently in very small, very unassuming font into a Word document at work. After lunch, after the morning tumult and the relaxing walk outside after sharing a packed lunch at the library with Gary, my stomach begins this horrible decline, this needful feeling of want and regret and envy. Of lonesome feeling for my son.

7. Flip Flop Mama with Conquering Half Dome
Yosemite has to be one of my all time favorite places--right up there with the Big Sur coast and North Shore, Oahu. The first time I visited Yosemite was about 11 years ago. My family--with the exception of my sister who was on her mission in Spain--and another family from my home town took a vacation there. We went in August and our plan was to backpack throughout the valley.

8. Fear Realized with Fear #045 Drown Deep
For a long time, I couldn’t swim. There were a myriad of reasons why and they varied in legend: I couldn’t get my hair wet (I’m black. It’s a long story.); my eyes couldn’t take the chlorine; my mother never continued lessons for me as a baby since, back in those days, they threw you in and said “swim”, and it freaked her out. This is how the legends go. Some I’m told, some I’ve lived.

9. Confessions of a Narcoleptic with Faith
Let me start at the beginning. Being pregnant, all of my emotions are heightened. A lot. I am normally a worrier, and lately, I think my worrying has kind of gotten out of control. Mostly about my children. I worry that something, anything, will happen to them. I would lie awake at night, my stomach twisting in knots over the thousands of ways my children can be harmed.

10. Wonder Years with Fear a la Edgar Allan Poe
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over all the fears that make me tremble to my core.
(I thought of wars, I pondered needles and those freaky little beetles,
that I hear will nearly always crawl by hundreds on the floor.)

11.Emzeegee and the Hungry Three with Don't Let Go
The spokes of my new $99 blue Sears bike gleam in the sunshine as they wobble back and forth. "Dad?" "Dad?! You're still holding on, right Dad?" I asked with a waver in my voice. "I don't want to fall off! I'm scared!" "I'm holding, I'm holding!" he pants, as he runs along behind me, one hand on the back of the bike and the other helping him keep his balance.

12. Warm Chocolate Milk with Calming His Greatest Fear and Mine
My son Weston screams out in the night. Visions of hungry wolves terrorize him as he sleeps. I leap out of bed when I hear his panic-stricken cry, I come running from down the hall and into his room to hold him, to awaken him from his nightmare and bring him back to the warm, tranquil setting of his bedroom. "You're safe," I whisper as we rock.

13. Stories to Cheer People Up with To Catch a Thief
We had just gone out and had one last family dinner and were now stopping to buy some groceries to decorate our empty cupboards and refrigerator with. It had been a long day and I had decided to stay in the car at this last stop so I wouldn’t have to hurt my back any more by stooping and bending to get in and out of the vehicle.

14. Gritty City Woman with Hapuna Drowning: Reflections, Revelations and Respect
Hapuna Beach on the Big Island is a life altering experience. Fantastic waves, warm waters, cool, soft sand, whales breaching on the horizon, and warm tropical sun ease the body, mind, and soul. My family and I have been coming to this beach for years and we eagerly anticipated our homecoming, Sunday morning, February 8th. Little did we understand that our beach routine would change dramatically this day and that our eyes would see too much.

15. Short Stop with Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie
The day my first son was born, I was sitting in my hospital bed blissfully staring at the tiny wonder that was my new baby when my husband returned to our room from dinner. All smiles. “Guess what? Mom and Dad wanna go to our house and clean it for us while we’re here in the hospital. Cool, huh?”

16. I'm (Not) Crazy Mommy with Waking Nightmare
When I was in high school, one of my best friends (we'll call him Skippy) was the son of a rose grower. His dad and grandfather owned a huge compound of greenhouses that grew the most beautiful and fragrant of flowers in every variety and color imaginable. The facility was composed of two long rows of greenhouses, stacked like the rungs of a ladder with access at the ends.

17. Parent Club with Mourning a Baby
I wasn't going to write this. I thought it too raw, too personal, too painful to put out into the blogosphere...but it was actually my prince who said I should blog about it. We have both received so much support from friends (twitter & non-twits alike), family and co-workers.

18. Baby Makin(g) Machine with The Selfish Fear
This is a very difficult, extremely sensitive topic to blog about. I'm almost ashamed to write it. It's something I've been thinking about, pondering over, dwelling on for the last couple of years.

19. Notes of Jubilee with I Was Ratted out by My Five Year-old Son
My kids' love the library. Whirling Dervish and I haunt the library frequently during the school week. With all the neat toys, story time, and enough picture books to claim sensory overload as a medical condition, it's a big draw.

20. Glacier Racing with Floyd the Coward
Foolhardy, that's what it was. We were stopped at the light on Old Lake Road behind a whiny piped pickup full of side-hatted teenagers when a wadded Lota-Burger bag flew from the truck window. Floyd muttered from my passenger seat. He threw his door open, strode purposefully to the opposite lane, gathered the grease stained paper, and tossed it back into the truck bed.

21. Ad Libitum with False Evidence Appearing Real
I read somewhere once that FEAR stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real”. I have to agree with that, in retrospect, that is. But when you are lying on your bed, staring at the ceiling, heart pounding at the very thought of that awful thing you fear so much, the evidence you dig up from the recesses of your mind seem anything but false…. You know what I mean, right?

22. My Neurotic Spot with Description of a Night Terror
Her sleep is a portal. She’s not known a full night’s peaceful sleep since that moment in childhood when they first found her and filled her with visions of her bed crawling with spiders and other such creepy crawlies to taunt a small girls mind. She’s an adult now, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less immune to them when they choose to approach. When she sleeps, somewhere within a dusty window into another dimension opens, and things cross over.

23. Life with Boys with A Fright in the Night
It was a quarter 'til midnight and I was lying in bed, trying to go to sleep. Then I heard it ... the sound that could be innocuous, or could be the beginning of a long, scary night. I waited with baited breath for more clues as to what my night would hold. The rustling continued, but on its own that was still innocuous.

24. Just Mom's Musings with In Which I Owe My Newfound Courage to Pooh
I have a theory. You know those cute little stories we read at bedtime to our children? I think they're actually written for "grown-ups." No, don't laugh. You see, just recently I was plagued with making a decision that would have life altering consequences based on what I decided.

25. Adventures of Howler and Toad with Fear
Growing up, I was afraid of the dark. My sister, brother, and cousins made fun of me. There was nothing that was more terrifying to me than the deep darkness that was bedtime at my house.

26. Shelly Munro with Fear
Fear–it’s the gut-wrenching anxiety that strikes us all in moments of extreme stress, when our limbs tremble, our face goes pale, and we scream until we’re hoarse.

27. My Left Hook with He's Gay or Weird or Weirdly Gay or Whatever
The Pterodactyl wants me to buy him a purse. Obviously he’s gay. Which would explain his fascination with the hair dryer, his weird attachment to anything fuzzy, and his tendency to sing along to Taylor Swift songs. He’s almost five years old and he loves rainbows. Can there possibly be a gayer sign?

28. Army Wife Quilter with Fear
OK! So here is the thing. "Fear!" It is the time of year when we pull out all the stuff that makes us scream, laugh, and say wow how did they do that. It's Halloween the one time of year when the fears of others are displayed on the lawn to scare us all. I have one big huge fear that drives my family crazy all summer. I don't need to go to a haunted house to be scared.

29. Mozi Esmé with Filling the Gap: Time
I am not a fearful person, I don't think. I like heights, I'm fascinated with snakes, and I still want to skydive some day. Even goblin masks and pumpkin guts don't scare me. But I fear one significant thing.

30. Divergent Pathways with The Bogeyman of Edingurgh
The idea came to us in the hallowed halls of Cambridge, where I totally imagined Fagin to be collecting orphan boys, and Macbeth lurking in the next cloister. Just as our semester was coming to a close, my friend Dottie and I stuffed our Sidney Sussex towels into our duffels, and conspired to tour the UK for a few weeks on a Brit-Rail pass. (It’s a great way to travel when you’re young and foolish.)

31. Just Mom's Musings with The Night I Saw a Spookable
JS asked me the other day if ghosts are real. I knew it was only a matter time before I was asked that question. After all, it is almost Halloween and we have been watching Winnie-the-Pooh's "Heffalump Halloween," complete with "spookables." But I didn't know how to answer and simply came back with, "Well, what do you think?"

32. Dancing with the Daffodils with Fear Is Just a Bad Dream
I’ve had my share of bad dreams. As a child, I remember having dreams of a steamroller overtaking me - leaving me flat as Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons. (No doubt that’s where that dream originated!) Later my bad dreams were not of falling or monsters or things that go BUMP in the night.

33. Lifepoint with Beverly Dru with False Evidence Appearing Real
Fear is a thief; stealing your energy and creativity and leaving you despondent. Conversely, it can be the tool that sharpens your perception and propels you to success as you use the edge of fear to sharpen the blade of faith.

34. Merge with My Best Friend's Dog
My best friend, Nova and I met in college. We weren't exactly friends from the start, rather our friendship evolved over time once we realized how much we had in common. We both had birthdays in June, this made us Cancers, which, we both agreed, was the best astrological sign out there. We both also agreed that anyone who wasn't a Cancer was not someone to be mocked, but rather pitied.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Craziest Deaths in History

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Maybe this is a little morbid but honestly? It's really kind of fascinating. And while I'm doing a month of Halloween lists it fits right in with the general theme.

Are they all legit? As far as I can tell they're as real as imagination and urban legend meeting with the 6 o'clock news can be real but you never know . . . and if you notice, you get more entries as the years roll by, I'm not sure if that means as a race we're getting stupider or just unluckier?

I hereby present the oddest and strangest deaths in history . . .

1. 430 B.C. - Empedocles
According to the legends this Greek philosopher jumped into Mt. Etna, an active volcano, to let people think he'd been taken up by the gods. Right. I have to think this is probably just a legend because really, there are so many better ways to make people think you've been carried off . . . like pretending you were caught up in a hot air balloon when you were really hiding in the garage. Just hypothetically speaking of course.

2. 892 A.D. - Sigurd the Mighty
Sigurd Eysteinsson of Orkney killed one of his enemies then strapped the guy's head to his leg (it was all the rage with the Viking raiders that year). However, one of the teeth jabbed him as he rode along on his horse, infecting his leg and eventually killing him.

Which is why the fashion of strapping vanquished foes' head to one's leg went out of fashion the next year.

3. 1219 - Inalchuk
This Muslim governor of the Central Asian town of Otrar was captured and killed by the invading Mongols, who poured molten silver in his eyes, ears, and throat. Ew. But boy isn't that a vivid picture? Ew again. As I said, it's a bit of a legend so I don't know that it really happened, sometimes all it takes is a really fierce PR campaign where some good and bloody myths about public executions get circulated and other countries start to steer clear of your borders. This could have been such a move.

Maybe Obama ought to consider such a tactic. Forget nuclear warheads, just spread rumors that Noreiga was drowned in a giant-sized bowl of molé and suddenly Chavez is minding his Ps and Qs.

4. 1794 - John Kendrick
This American sea captain and explorer was killed in the Hawaiian Islands when a British ship accidentally used a loaded cannon to fire a salute to Kendrick's vessel.

They weren't supposed to have done that. I'm guessing they felt really, really stupid once they did--how's that going too look in the log book? "Met The Lady Washington. Fired happy salute. Accidentally took out captain."

5. 1862 Jim Creighton
The professional ballplayer who threw the first fastball, completed the first recorded triple play and is generally considered to be the game's first star player but he died when he swung a bat too hard and ruptured his bladder. What a way to go. I didn't know rupturing a bladder was even possible.

6. 1871 - Clement Vallandigham
This U.S. Congressman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in court while representing the defendant in a murder case. Demonstrating how the murder victim could have inadvertently shot himself he fired the gun, thinking it was unloaded, and it discharged and mortally wounded him.

His demonstration was so successful the defendant was acquitted. Tough way to win a case.

7. 1912 - Franz Reichelt
Known as "The Flying Tailor," (which really should be amended) he was the inventor of the "coat parachute" which was supposed to float its wearer gently to the ground.

To demonstrate, he jumped 60 meters from the first deck of the Eiffel Tower. The uh . . . parachute . . . didn't work. The jump was recorded by the cameras of the gathered press which must have been truly horrifying.

I can't help but think of all the times that as a kid I jumped off of things with my open umbrella expecting it to catch me like Mary Poppins. Obviously we are kindred spirits.

8. 1923 - George Herbert
The Fifth Earl of Carnarvon became the first person to die from King Tut's Curse after a mosquito bit his face and the bite became infected with erysipelas which he then cut while shaving, leading to blood poisoning and eventually pneumonia. Holy highly improbable! That's a vicious chain of events that could never possibly be duplicated.

You open a tomb, then get bit by a crazy rabid mosquito which gives you some rare disease and you accidntally open the wound while shaving which leads to poisoning and death. You can't write stuff like that, it has to be true.

9. 1930 - William Kogut
This death-row prisoner at San Quentin decided to commit suicide using what he had on hand--and let me say here you must admire his determination and resourcefulness. If only he'd used his super powers for good . . .

He tore up several packs of playing cards, saving pieces with red ink (at the time, the ink in red playing cards contained nitrocellulose, which is flammable when wet) and stuffed them into a pipe. He plugged the end with a broom handle then poured water into the other end to soak the card pieces. Then he put the pipe on a heater next to his bed and placed the open end firmly against his head. The heat turned the water to steam and the resulting pressure burst the pipe, shooting out bits of playing cards with enough force to kill him. Now that's determination.

It sounds like something from CSI.

10. 1947 - The Collyer brothers
Homer and Langley Collyer were compulsive hoarders who were found dead in their home in New York. The younger brother, Langley, died from a booby trap he'd set up, causing an avalanche of stuff to crush him to death. His blind brother, Homer, who had depended on Langley for care, died of starvation a few days later. Authorities found their bodies when they tried to remove the debris. Wow.

11. 1959 - the Dyatlov Pass incident
Nine skiing hikers in the Ural Mountains abandoned their camp in the middle of the night, some wearing only their underwear despite freezing temperatures. Six died of hypothermia and three by unexplained injuries. Though the bodies showed no signs of struggle, one victim had a fatal skull fracture, two had major chest fractures, and one was missing her tongue. Their clothing also contained high levels of radiation.

Soviet investigators ruled that "a compelling unknown force" had caused the deaths, barring entry to the area for years thereafter. D'uh. Not funny, just spooky. As in X-files spooky. Maybe they were all KGB agents or something.

12. 1978 - Janet Parker
The last person to have died of smallpox, ten months after it was officially eradicated. A coworker at the lab where she worked accidentally released some of the home-grown virus into the air of the lab and she caught it. Horrible, isn't it? What are the odds?

13. 1979 - Robert Williams
This Ford Motor Co.worker was the first known human to be killed by a robot after the arm of a one-ton factory robot hit him in the head. You know you're thinking of 2001: a Space Odyssey. They're organizing I tell you.

14. 1981 - David Allen Kirwan
This is really sad, but it's so unusual . . . this 24 year-old male (and right there that's going to set up the story) apparently jumped into the Celestine Pool at Yellowstone National Park when his friend's dog fell into the water.

He jumped in head first to save the dog and the 200-degree temperature of the water overcame him, killing both the dog and Mr. Kirwan. The only time someone has jumped in on purpose though a few have fallen in accidentally.

You feel so sorry for the guy when he was trying to be so heroic. Stupid, but heroic.

15. 1981 - Jeff Dailey
This 19 year-old male (Again with the young males. How many accidents involve males under the age of 25?) scored 16,660 in Berzerk (as in the arcade game) then promptly had a heart attack and died.

Ironically enough a year later, an 18-year-old gamer died after high scores in the same game. And that, my friends, is only one of the many reasons I don't have video games.

16. 1982 - James Joseph Suchochi
I don't know how old this guy was but my money is on the door that says "under 25." After firing several shots at an eight-foot tall saguaro cactus with his shotgun at extremely close range, a four-foot limb detached and fell on him with enough force to cause lethal injuries.

I swear I saw that same thing happen to Wile E. Coyote.

17. 1983 - Tennessee Williams
Surely you remember the famous playwright? Well he died from an eye drops bottle cap. No information on which brand. Apparently he put the cap in his mouth while he tilted his head back to administer the drops . . . and it was gone. He choked to death, possibly from the contents of other bottles in the room slowing his gag reflex, if you know what I mean. Aye carumba!

What a way to go. You get to the other side and everyone asks, "So how did you die?" and you have to say, "Uh, I choked on the cap to my eye drops." Not cool.

18. 1993 - Garry Hoy
This 38-year old lawyer fell to his death after he threw himself against a window on the 24th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Centre in an attempt to prove to some visiting law students that the glass was unbreakable. His first try did nothing so he pushed again and the glass didn't break but it popped out of the frame and he fell.

Great. I guess he made his point. Second lawyer on the list who died trying to prove he was right. That says something.

19. 2007 - Jennifer Strange
One of only three women to make this list, she died while trying to win a Nintendo Wii game on a radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest, which involved drinking large quantities of water without urinating.

I'm kidding, right? Nope. I'm totally serious. They called it death by "water intoxication" or "water poisoning." Who knew? I thought males had cornered the market on this kind of thing. Again with the video games.

20. 2009 - Diana Durre
Died after a 75-foot high Taco Bell sign fell on top of the truck she was in. Diana was meeting a Wyoming couple to sell them some dogs and official reports said they had agreed to meet “right underneath the big Taco Bell sign.” Now I know that's really, really sad and I'm obviously an ogre but that line jerked a chuckle from me and I'm ashamed.

I hope it was quick and painless because that's just horrible. Who says there's no such thing as bad PR? Poor woman.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Homemade Halloween Window Clings

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Here's a terrific Halloween craft idea in plenty of time for the holidays and credit goes to my sister Carinne for the picture and for the idea.

That is her front porch you see, her pumpkins and her homemade Halloween window clings, don't they look great?

I love the spooky, ghosty look.

Here's how you do it: take a packet of those SunShade Travel Clings (that's the brand name for those removable tinted plastic pieces you can put in your car windows for shade) and with an Exacto knife and a fun Halloween pattern underneath you cut the film out and *poof* you have a wonderfully spooky Halloween decoration.

Here's a piece of clip art I pulled off the internet which would work well, just do a search for "Halloween Clip Art" and find a template you like and you're set.

The window cling film can also be purchased in solid white which would make fun snowflakes or white ghosts, you could change it to fit all sorts of occasions.

Sponsored by Forty Fish Eggs

Leaping Leipzig!

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've hosted any guest posters, but today I'm taking you to Leipzig, Germany where our host will be Michelle from Circles and Dots and Other Distractions who (in her own words) "wrote a thesis on American mommy blogs, speaks German, is learning to live healthier, reads lots of books and blogs, plays the piano, fights her never-ending to-do list, cooks, rides her junky but charming 30-Euro bike over cobblestones, makes random trips, writes and sleeps." A frequent contributor to the Write-Away Con test with excellent entries (hint, hint--have you entered yet?) make her feel welcome.

***

Although when most people think of visiting Germany, they think of either the big cities like Berlin or Münich or the tiny towns with tudor-style chalets tucked into green hills and dark forests, I’m here today to tell you about one of my favorite cities in Germany: Leipzig. I also happen to live there.

Leipzig is an old city, boasting nearly a thousand years of recorded history. As a fairly small city with a compact but charming city center, it has a surprising amount of famous figures, historical events, and places of interest.

So let me tell you about some of my favorites. The very first place I would take you if you came to visit would be the St. Thomas Church, or the Thomaskirche. Not only do European churches inspire awe in Americans, this church has two things to make it especially dazzling. The first is that Bach was the cantor there for years (and the city records show that when they were looking for a new cantor, they were a little put-out that the best man for the job took a different job, so they settled with Bach), and what are thought to be his remains are buried in the church.

The other reason this church needs a visit is because the famous Thomas Boys’ Choir sings there twice a week. These boys have a knowledge of music that I could never measure up to as they go to a special school for music. Hearing them sing with the acoustics of a historical church is simply not to be passed up. Plus, entrance to one of their concerts, held on Fridays at 6 PM and Saturdays at 3 PM is only 2 Euros.

You can also visit the nearby Bach Museum, which presents his life with 20 children (10 survived to adulthood) and the responsibility to write weekly new music for the two main churches of Leipzig. Some of his handwritten music is on display.

Bach isn’t the only one who gives Leipzig its reputation as “The City of Music.” Leipzig is also famous because Mendelssohn and Schumann lived here. The city has a famous opera, many orchestra concerts at the Gewandhaus, and smaller independent concerts spread out all over the city.

Walking over cobblestone streets and past the impressive old city hall would take us to our next stop: The Forum of Contemporary History. This is a free museum with one of the best exhibits I’ve ever seen. It is a collection of the simplest facts and the most interesting occurrences in the history of East Germany, with videos, postcards sent across the wall, the famous “Trabi” car, etc.

To come to a more local level in the history of East Germany, our next stop would be the St. Nicholas Church, or the Nikolaikirche. This church, though also really old and very pretty inside, is most famous for the peace prayers offered there before the Berlin Wall came down. After ten years of these prayers, more and more people began to gather until 100,000 people crowded the streets of Leipzig, peacefully holding candles and signs protesting the government that was holding them back. Though a protest behind the wall was dangerous and could prove fatal to some, a miracle occurred and no one was harmed. A month later, the Wall fell.

For those who are still thirsting to hear about East Germany, the free Stasi Museum is a place where you can see how the government spied on people. Fascinating and unbelievable.

Another detail that makes me love Leipzig is the varied architecture. I love to see classy old buildings next to modern glass and steel buildings. The University of Leipzig, which turns 600 years old this year, has many of these lovely contrasting buildings, especially in the area of the main library, the Bibliotheca Albertina. You also won’t want to miss the enormous Hauptbahnhof, or train station, which acts as the city’s main shopping center.

From there, you can take the tram to one of Leipzig’s many green areas. Unlike where I am originally from, plants grow by themselves in Germany, and here the attitude is that natural growth is beautiful, unlike the well-trimmed parks of the U.S. And beautiful it is with a special kind of green only to be found in Germany. I would suggest going to the park where you can find the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, known as the Völkerschlachtdenkmal in German. This monument is the largest in Europe and was built for the 100th anniversary of a battle where many nationalities joined together against Napoleon, with upwards of 100,000 deaths. Although the monument was supposed to symbolize peace and brotherhood, its massive freemason design made it a prime spot for Hitler’s misuse; he gave several speeches there about the expanding power of Germany. Don’t miss out on climbing the stairs to see the view from the top and the exciting headphones tour.

There are many other museums of interest in the Leipzig area, and if you’re lucky, your trip will coincide with the annual Museum Night, where you can pay 5 Euros to have access to all the museums until midnight.

And finally, if you're thinking of a Christmas trip, December is especially charming in Leipzig because of the Christmas market, with lights and decorations and hand-carved toys, and amazing food . . . a perfect place for the holidays.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Pardon my photo, the light here up north is fading fast and when I'm serving up breakfast it's by the light of the moon which means my photos are usually by the light of the bulb.

Not so pretty but very tasty. You can make up a bread pudding the night before (actually you're required to, it needs to set for a while) then while everyone's getting ready the next day you just pop it in the oven and watch them respond to the smell.

It's healthy, it's easy to fix and it uses up old bread.

2 apples (anything but Delicious will work)
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
½ c brown sugar
2 T corn syrup
2 T butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 eggs
1 ¼ c milk
1 t vanilla
¼ t nutmeg
12 slices of stale bread, cubed

In a small saucepan cook apples with water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and cook 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain. Stir in ¾ t cinnamon. In a separate pan combine brown sugar, syrup and butter then cook till boiling. Pour into 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle walnuts over top.

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Arrange a layer of bread cubes over caramel nut mix, then top with apple mix and remaining bread cubes. Pour egg mix over top and chill. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes to an hour, until it's browned and the egg is cooked through.

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Don't forget to enter the Write-Away Contest--it ends on Wednesday!

Sponsored by Forty Fish Eggs

Sugarhouse Ink Giveaway

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Birthdays are always fun (we happen to be having one at our house this week) and Sugarhouse Ink is celebrating it's birthday this October with giveaways all month long and we get to in on the fun!

Sugarhouse can create all the custom card designs you'd need throughout the year--birth announcements, graduation or wedding announcements, birthday invites and of course Christmas cards which some of you may already be starting to think about.

I thought their autumn/Halloween cards were timely and cute--the process for ordering is quick and easy, you fill out an online order form and within 48 hours you get a proof of your card and if you approve it you'll get the invoice for payment. Pretty slick.

Sugarhouse Ink is giving out a $50 gift card to a random lucky guy (or gal) this weekend, if you'd like a sweet set of fall cards for yourself (or any other styles they have on hand for your for your immediate happiness).

To be eligible please follow the directions below and then cross your fingers.

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!

Best Urban Legends

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

More Halloween lists! If best/worst villains didn't get you, how about the best urban legends?

The thing is . . . these are actual, urban legends and it's going to be kind of like that game where you tell two true things about yourself and one thing that isn't true and everyone has to guess what is false. One of these things is true and the rest aren't. Which one is it??

And no fair Googling! Goolgers will be flogged.

1. Mr. Rogers used to be a Navy Seal with a long kill record
Fred Rogers of PBS and sweater fame, was at one point in his life a sniper for the U.S. Marines. Yes, the man who zipped up his sweater and played with puppets was a whole different guy with a scope and a weapon and rumor has it he had 150 kills. True or untrue?

2. Putting sugar in your gas tank will ruin the engine.
Speaking of killing . . . this one says that if you put sugar into a gas tank it will dissolve in the gasoline, head into the engine then the heat will cause the sugar to caramelize, completely clogging the system.

I know I've heard this one before. But is it true or false?

3. Chicago man dies of African spider bite in airplane lavatory.
A rare species of poisonous African spiders caught a ride in an airplane lavatory and bit an unsuspecting man on the bottom when he sat down. The spiders have spread and citizens are encouraged to check under toilet seats before sitting down. Believe it?

Will you be checking for little black buddies the next time you're in a public restroom?

4. Little boy needs transplant to replace the burlap sack that now serves as his trunk.
The family of William (Billy) Evans sent out a nationwide plea for help because they were too poor to afford the operation that would replace the artificial body his doctors created for him--a burlap sack full of leaves--with a real torso.

It's heart-rending, yes, but is it true? Oh come on--do you really believe this?

5. Ground glass is a deadly poison.
I don't know that this needs any further explanation--you understand ground glass and you understand poison. What more is there?

So is it true? Anyone care to ingest some of the stuff to test it out?

6. If a bank fails the FDIC pays depositors for their losses.
You're aware that since the 1929 crash and the Depression that the FDIC insures its banks against failure which means--in a nutshell-- that if a bank should go bust then the FDIC will step in and pay back the money you've deposited, up to the sum of $100,000 per depositor. Yes or no? How much are you willing to bet?

7. "Mikey" from the Life cereal commercials choked to death.
Ingesting a deadly combination of soda and pop rocks (or perhaps ground glass??) he choked on the subsequent fumes of carbon dioxide and asphyxiated.

True or no?

So many legends, so little truth . . . is this one of them?

8. Fingernails and hair continue to grow after death.
Because fingernails and hair are produced from dead skin cells they continue to grow for a period after death as seen in interred bodies where the nails and hair have become longer.

Yes or no? Who wants to dig around and find out if it's true?

9. Prostitutes can avoid being arrested by asking johns "Are you a cop?"
According to state laws cops are required to truthfully state that they are law enforcement officers (like you see on cop shows, the police bust into a house and yell, "POLICE!") and therefore if they are confronted by the question "are you a cop?" they must answer in the affirmative or risk being sacked.

True or false?

10. Disney's Tinkerbell was modeled after Marilyn Monroe.
We've heard it before, the hips are familiar, nothing more to add here. It pretty much speaks for itself. True or false?

11. The Army uses "Stress Cards" to help with new recruits.
In an effort to help prevent PTSD and other mental stresses of combat new recruits are now being issued "Stress Cards" at boot camp which are to be shown to commanding officers and drill sergeants and, when shown, require that soldiers be given gentler treatment. I really hope this one is true . . . for the sake of the soldiers.

Maybe they'll start issuing these things to the guys at Git-Mo too. If it's good for the troops maybe it's good for Al-Quaida? Are you stressed? Then flash that card.

12. A freighter carrying a load of tapioca nearly sank when a fire broke out, cooking the cargo.
A fire broke out aboard the freighter and when crews worked to put out the fire with lots of water the resulting mixture heated quite nicely and nearly burst through the walls of the hold. Mmmmm . . . tapioca . . . yes or no?

13. Flashing your lights at a traffic signal will cause the light to turn from red to green.
If you approach an intersection and flash your lights the electronic sensors on the traffic lights will see the flash, assume you are an emergency vehicle and change to green to allow you to pass.

You know you're going to try it.

14. Cabbage patch dolls were designed in preparation for a nuclear holocaust.
Cabbage Patch Dolls, with their unusually puckered and bizarre faces, were specifically designed to get people accustomed to the appearance of mutants following a nuclear disaster.

I'd believe it.

15. Woman dies of spiders housed in hair.
When a woman in New York died and doctors preformed the autopsy it was determined that she'd been killed by multiple spider bites coming from a nest of spiders in her bouffant hair style.

Next time your scalp itches and you reach up to scratch you're going to think of this. Is it true?

***

No snow yet . . . but you can still enter this month's Write-Away Contest. It's going to leave you shaking in your boots.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Printable Disney Haunted Mansion Game

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I'm giving you this in plenty of time for Halloween, because you might need it. Remember the Haunted House ride at the Disneyland park? One of my favorites.

Well, this is a printable game that you can make up yourself--or better yet, put your ten year old Webelos scout on the project. That'll keep him busy for the weekend.

Instead of reposting the pdf links here you can find them at this site here. I would suggest downloading the files onto your computer and just saving them, even if you're not interested in putting it all together right this minute. Or this year. Because it may come in handy when your kids are a bit bigger, you never can tell when you'll need a good weekend project like this.

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And here are a few other cute ideas for the upcoming holidays if you'd like more tricks and treats.

Here are a couple fun little pins for the season you can knit up from Lion Brand.

Lion Brand also has these stripy Halloween bags to knit.

Whip Up has a fun Halloween advent calendar.

Waxing leaves is a great way to save the fall colors.

I've wanted to try this styrofoam Halloween shack for several years now. Maybe this is the year.

Going as Voldemort? Then make your own snake for the event.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Are Product Reviews and Blogging a Rotten Mix?

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I don't want to go back and talk about the FTC's new rules about blogging, it seems pretty cut and dried that if you're going to do product reviews on your blog you'll have to make sure you tell everyone what you're doing. Not a big deal, most of the people I know are doing this already and are doing it honestly.

But what I've been thinking about more and more is product reviews in general. I've been doing them for two and a half years now and my feelings over that period have changed quite a bit.

At first I was all giggly that someone would send me something and ask my opinion on it. Me! Who can't get anyone to listen to me when I say something as simple as "Where is your coat?" or "Did you make your bed?"

I decided that I wanted not to do reviews so much as giveaways (though that may just semantics) where instead of offering an opinion on how it worked for me I would be able to give stuff away. It just seemed more fun that way and frankly I don't need that much "stuff." But the biggest reason I did it was to boost my traffic on weekends, which are traditionally the slowest time for blog traffic. It worked like a charm, that first summer I went from getting three or four hundred visitors a day to thirteen or fourteen hundred. [Said in a squeaky old man voice] "Back in those days that was a lot of traffic!"

Weekends were my biggest draw and I thought my evil plan was working very well, thank you very much, but then things began to happen. Other people started asking how to get into the racket (which I was happy to share info on, plenty of fun to go around) and then I started getting a little pickier. I didn't want to do just any giveaways and I began turning people down. I started to worry about what to do if I didn't like something that was offered and I started getting stuck in the middle between making sure the sponsors shipped out their stuff on time and the winners who would sometimes say "Where is my stuff? I haven't got it yet."

With all this talk about the new FTC rules I've heard a lot of people say, "But I already let people know when I get free stuff and mombloggers are already an honest group--why is the FTC getting involved?" and while I agree I've noticed a few disturbing trends that I'm not entirely comfortable with.

1. Product reviews are becoming ineffective.
I've wondered if the days of blogging product reviews are limited--or at least limited for all but the very highest tier of bloggers, i.e. those that see enough traffic to make the whole thing cost-effective because product reviews are becoming so common their power is diluted. You know how I said that I got such a burst of traffic when I first did giveaways? Well while after a year my overall traffic had increased and caught up to what it was on weekends but the weekend giveaways didn't grow likewise, that traffic stayed stagnant and now my week day posts are by far more popular (which is typical of blogging traffic).

Readers have so many things pitched to them that they're starting to tune a lot of it all out the way you tune out commercials on television and radio or ads in a newspaper. They're demanding better and better stuff and some have stopped entering giveaways all together because they've entered every contest they've seen for a year and still haven't won one stinkin' thing so why bother to continue?

Right now companies are experimenting with reaching out to mombloggers but I think that it won't take too many years before they figure out how to do it smarter--i.e. demand that momblogs tell them specifics about their readership and traffic and limit their offers to those that make it cost effective. That doesn't necessarily mean those with the biggest reader base, someone might have a very loyal following that is smaller but more focused on a particular topic, but I do think they're going to figure things out in another year or two or five and the market will naturally adjust.

Which leads me to point number two . . .

2. Blogs should not be judged by what they review or give away.
In fact that's completely backwards of how it's supposed to work--blogs judging products.

Now that I'm working on the marketing end of things and reaching out to bloggers the same way marketing people have reached out to me I'm a little more cognizant of blog statistics. I've seen how blogs can be selected for product reviews and frankly, just because you're giving things away doesn't mean you have good content, a large readership or a blog that will be around for the long haul. It just means that you got someone's notice for one reason or another.

Maybe your content fit the product, maybe they found you through dumb luck, maybe through the friend of a friend, whatever, but I don't like the way that product reviews have become a blogging status symbol as if you're only a quality blog or a blog worthy of notice if you've got products flowing to your door. In fact, I find that often the exact opposite is true, that those blogs who have the best writing and quality content are usually those who shy away from reviews. Doesn't mean they never do them, it's just not their bread and butter. Or Wonder Bread and Land o' Lakes in product placement terms.

I've had readers tell me specifically that they skip my giveaways (even my husband has told me that) and I have to say I don't like reading reviews myself. They're usually boring. They're usually very flat copy wrapped up as a glorified advertisement--not that there's anything wrong with advertising, which is one of the major arteries of capitalism (Long live capitalism!)

But the blogs I love the most generally don't do reviews and don't need to--they've got other things to say.

3. Product reviews are inherently biased.
I've said it too. "My reviews are completely my own opinion, nobody has got me in their pocket and I'm open and above-board." However . . . I have seen things that make me think otherwise and even make me question my own integrity.

Oh not that I think anyone is guilty of any great sham out there, mombloggers are generally great and good and nice, but here's an example: I got some toys from a company about a year ago, some paint-ball guns. I gave them to my boys to try them out and within five minutes they came back saying the guns were junk. They didn't shoot properly, they were weak and generally poor quality.

I emailed the company telling them my objections and they thanked me for my opinion and I never wrote the post. I didn't give away any of their guns because I couldn't in good conscience encourage people to buy the product. So I guess I got points for not scamming you all but then was it wrong not to write about my experience? My policy has been not to write about stuff I don't like but then I go to the other extreme and only post on products I do like--like that quilt company I mentioned this weekend. Them I liked.

But the crux of the issue is that mombloggers (including me) are too nice to want to crush a company with a bad review so instead we don't write them at all. There's a whole mountain of negative posts on rejected products out there that you'll never read because we don't want to make someone cry by saying that they're selling junk.

Do readers deserve to find out what they should avoid? I think so. That's what Consumer Reports offers and it seems pretty honest. Me? I don't know that I'm at that level and I don't know that any momblogger can be until we're doing the same thing Consumer Reports does: buying all of the products we review ourselves rather than receiving them for free. Bias gone, problem solved. But is there bias? You bet there is.

I subscribed to one particular blog that I liked quite a bit (no names, thank you) and I saw that on her own in a post she slammed Crocs. She said they were ugly and a definite fashion "don't." I chuckled because, frankly, I too dislike the shoes and I gave her the mental thumbs up. But wouldn't you know it, just a month or two later there she was on her blog, pushing Crocs, because the company had offered her the shoes and now she was a spokesman. Forget that she'd said she didn't like them before, forget that the shoes she was selling were completely hideous (one of their uglier styles), the point is she was there with a smile saying in a very ambiguous way how comfortable they were, skirting all around the issue of her real opinion that that those shoes should never come in contact with anyone's feet unless it was a choice between wearing those plastic "Holy Mary Jane Monsters, Batman!" and a pair of trash bags.

I unsubscribed and stopped visiting which may seem unfair but the obvious bias turned me off. Maybe she legitimately changed her mind or had a reason why things were now different but I had a hard time reconciling the change in position enough to continue reading.

And while that's a bit extreme I see a lot of bloggers pushing products and we're generally doing it because we're being offered free stuff, not because we bought the products ourselves and want to share our happiness with you. There's nothing wrong with making money or getting something for free but I'm human and it will always influence my opinion. Anything I get for free I feel more favorable toward than something I have to pay for, right?

I've seen the Frigidaire campaign offering moms new appliances and I can't agree with it because not only has my experience with Frigidaire been anything but happy, but when I posted about my dissatisfaction I got enough comments from readers sharing their experiences with the company that led me to believe I'm not alone and that the only reason I got my money refunded in the end was because I had a platform on which to rant.

But boy . . . if they came knocking on my door to offer me all new Frigidaire appliances the temptation to put all my experience aside and "give them another chance" would perhaps be more than I could bear. I'm glad they didn't come knocking. (What would have kept me strong is remembering how the Frigidaire stuff broke down . . . I've had good luck with my Amanas and wouldn't want to trade them in).

Try as we might, we mombloggers are too nice to give readers the bad reviews and we're such novices and amateurs in the media that the thrill of getting something for free makes us cut companies all sorts of slack. We end up pushing all sorts of things we'd probably never push to our friends in real life on our own.

So maybe the FTC is smarter than us all and is trying to give us a hint that we need to start looking at ourselves a bit more closely and thinking about that undercurrent of motives. I know I am and I'm seriously considering getting out of the giveaway business for good.

But then it's hard to stop . . . I love getting so much free stuff!

***

No snow yet . . . but you can still enter this month's Write-Away Contest. It's going to leave you shaking in your boots.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Cherry Oat Muffins

scribbit@gmail.com (Scribbit) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Ah there's nothing like a good muffin for breakfast--because they're really just glorified cake without the frosting and I'm not that big on frosting anyway unless it's that cheap-o, made-from-pure-lard bakery stuff which I adore.

Muffins are the way you can eat cake and feel good about yourself.

This one uses cherry puree but don't despair if you don't have cherry puree, you can use any fruit puree you desire, I just used cherry puree because I was trying to get rid of some old canned cherries that were past their expiration. Apricots, peaches, applesauce, mangoes, pears, pineapple--it would all be good.

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 cup cherry puree
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
rolled oats for sprinkling on top

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add buttermilk (and you can substitute a cup of milk that has set with a tablespoon of vinegar for buttermilk or sour milk), puree, margarine or butter, shortening and vanilla.

Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and beat a bit more. Pour into greased muffin cups, sprinkle with rolled oats and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until nicely browned.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!