Harper Valley

Feb CED Challenge: Words #3

So my beloved Uncle Greg offered up a divine idea!  He suggested I write a post on commonly mispronounced words.  Loving it!!  So let's include our favorite mispronounced words -AND- favorite misuse of grammar or misuse of words and sayings in general.

Let's see.  I'll start with these below. Feel free to comment and add your Words Gone Wrong pet peeves.  I know you have some!!  Yeah, I'm talkin' to you.  I know there are some grammar wordie buffs out there. 

*Supposebbly vs. supposedly

*Prostrate vs. prostate...which are actually both words, but often used incorrectly (this is my sister Janet's big nerve grinder)

*It drives me batty when people use "seen" instead of "saw".  Example: "I seen Betty down at the ball field today."  To me..there's nothing more redneck then saying I seen something.  Ugh.

*I have a really funny memory of my mom saying someone had "scoliosis of the liver."  Then she was like..."No, no.  I mean psoriasis of the liver." ...my sisters and I just about wet our pants!  What she meant was cirrhosis of the liver.  Too funny!

*My mom used to have a co-worker who got her sayings confused.  For example..when someone went too far or broke the rules, she would say that they "crossed the line of scrimmage." That lady always gave us a chuckle with her reinvented sayings. 

Feb CED Challenge: Words #2

Wow!  I am Big Mama Slack on the blogging this week.  Just haven't had much to say, I guess.  Ya, right!?!?  More like tired and full of allergy ridden nights. 

For my next Creative Every Day Words Challenge, I've been thinking of my favorite words.  Eventually, I'll create a collage that includes all of these words below.  But for now...check these out.  What are your favorite words?  Start using them more often if you can.  And teach those youngins good words too.  Fancy Nancy is a great place to start.  I just love her!  Wish she was around when I was a lil lady. 

My Favorite Words

• Moxie
• Juxtaposition
• Rad
• Spectabulous (made up)
• Smite
• Formulate
• Paraphernalia
• Transcend
• Decadent
• Glorious
• Malarky
• Gelatinous
• Trepidacious
• Apropos
• Effervescent
• Whimsical
• Erroneous

Deep Sea Fishing: A Valentine's First

 

This year, my Valentine's Day was full of firsts.  First time deep sea fishing.  First time catching a fish.  First time spending V-day with a bunch of dudes on a boat.  First time listening to country-rap music. Check out these shots of my fantastic day in the Gulf of Mexico!

Tarpon Springs is the official Sponge Capital of the World.

  

I wonder how old this anchor is?

   

Our fishing poles are lined up, waiting for their temporary owners.

 

I caught my first fish (ever) just a few minutes after I cast my line in the water!  Baiting the hook was no biggie, but prying the caught fishie off the hook was a different story.  It's really hard!  They flop around and they're covered in slime.  Plus, their fins cut your hands if you don't have the technique down pat.  So...Gus and Dad unhooked my catch all day.  Fishermen to the rescue!

 

Da boys.

A huge flock of birds followed us back to the dock.  Some of them were so close to the boat that we could almost touch them!  Our live bait died, so Mike threw it all out to the birds.  Can you spot the mini fish flying in the air??? 

 

Here's Gus and Dad with the loot.  We caught a whole mess of fish!  They were good eats with hush puppies and Mom's homemade coleslaw.

 

Strawberry Preserves Cupcakes

I made these Strawberry Preserves Cupcakes as a V-day gift for my work peeps.  This is actually a layer cake recipe, but I figured bite-sized morsels would be a more effective way to serve 60 sugar-lovin' cohorts.  Happy Valentine's Day!  xoxoxoxoxo

Strawberry Preserves Cupcakes

• 2-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1-1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup strawberry preserves
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Red food coloring
• 75 mini cupcake liners
• Baker's Joy cooking spray
• Fresh strawberries for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add cupcake liners to pans and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer for approximately 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add preserves and then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down sides of bowl and add vanilla extract and enough food coloring to achieve desired pink color.
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture, alternately with buttermilk, ending with flour mixture.  Fill liner cups 2/3 full with mixture.  A small ice cream scoop with a spring lever works very well for filling cups.
5. Bake on the middle rack of oven for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Let cool completely.
6. Spread or pipe Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing on each cupcake.  Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired.  Yields approximately 75 mini cupcakes.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup strawberry preserves
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• Red food coloring

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium-high speed with electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth.
2. Add strawberry preserves and and vanilla, beating until well combined. 
3. Add confectioner's sugar and salt, beating until smooth.
4. Add enough food coloring to achieve desired pink color.

Feb CED Challenge: Words #1

 

There are no words for Five Guys.

Creative Every Day Challenge 2009

   

Alrighty....who's ready to stir things up this month?  I'm joining a group called Creative Every Day 2009, by Leah Piken Kolidas.  Would anyone like to do it with me?  If so...click here to learn more and join the fun.  The best part is - you don't need a blog to participate!  You can join the CED Flickr group to post pictures of what you're doing and/or you can leave comments on Leah's blog with updates.

A few words from Leah....

"Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!

You do not have to post every day! I know for myself that having to post every day for a year would be too much. You can post about your creativity in whatever form you like, whether that be once a day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. Do what works for you! 

This is a low pressure challenge, with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives. I will not be the creativity police. I hope that we can all find ways, simple and grand to express our creative selves. Have fun with it!"

February's theme is: Words.  So my next post will be my first CED Word Challenge.  Leah gives you kewl ideas of how to be creative with words.  Check them out here!  Plus, you can draw inspiration from what other CED participants are doing.  I hope you'll come along with me.  =) 

Words are alive; cut them and they bleed. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

No TV Sundays

I started a new tradition today.  I'm calling it -- No TV Sunday.  Not too original, I know.  If you can think of a better name...drop me a note with your suggestion.   I usually keep the TV on all weekend for background noise, and convince myself that I won't watch it...."It's just background noise," I say.  But as I go about my day..I end up sitting down for 30 minutes here, a few hours there, etc.  And before I know it, I've wasted the whole day watching a bunch of garbage that I've already seen or that's totally mind numbing. 

Since I turned off the TV five hours ago, I've blown through all kinds of chores, and I still have four more hours left in the day.  So far, I made a big pot o' chili, made chicken salad, vacuumed, washed three loads of laundry, mopped the floors, took out the trash, reorganized my kitchen cabinets, and cleaned out my dresser drawers.  Whew.  I'm tuckered out just typing all that.  Ha!

Of course, I still need some ambiance, so I turned on my all time favorite weekend radio station...104.1.  They never disappoint with the 80s Alternative on Sunday afternoons! 

Now I have time for some chillaxin, reading, phone calls, or whatever my little heart feels like doing.  Hooray for No TV Sundays!!   What could you accomplish if you turned off the TV right now?   DO IT!!!!  (unless you're hungover...in that case, feel free to veg)

Chocolate Cookies

   

Check out this easy breezy recipe from my friend, Amy Brady.  It's so simple that even the baking-challenged cook can do it.  Promise! 

Chocolate Cookies

1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir cake mix, eggs and oil together to form a dough. Roll large teaspoon-sized dough into balls.  Then roll balls in powdered sugar. Place balls one inch apart on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes.  Cookies will appear under cooked, but take them out.  Let them cool completely on the pan. Then enjoy your sinful dessert with a big fat glass o' milk! 

**Chef's Note:  My cookies were extremely undercooked after 10 minutes, so I cooked them an extra 7 minutes.  You want them to be chewy, but still a bit firm.  Adjust cooking time based on your oven.  Mine is a POS!  Aaaargh.

What a great Valentimes Day treat!  Don't you think it's funny when grown folks say Valentimes????  Oh my gosh...drives me batty.  You can only say Valentimes if you're under the age of 10.  That's it people!  =)

 

Comment Crisis Averted

You may have noticed that I changed the Comments function on my blog.  There were a few technical issues at first, but all is A-OK now.  In fact...it should be easier than ever before to leave a comment.  The fields should pre-populate with your name/email and there is no word-verification section (TypePad has great spam blockers). 

So....is anyone up for being a guinea pig??  Would you mind leaving a quick comment on this post including your thoughts on the New & Improved Comments Function?  I value your feedback! 

Valentine's Flowers That Last

 

These beautiful flower broaches were designed by Bajalia Trading Company and hand made by the women of Godavari, who live in the small town of Narsapur, India.  Most of the rural and urban women in this area belong to poor communities, and seek a livelihood by lace making.  Over 100 years ago, an Irish missionary introduced a lace-making technique to the women.  This community has been famous for it's lace ever since!

Click here to find Valentine's flowers that last, and more gifts that will make a lasting impression on someone's life.  Flower Broaches are only $10.00 each.  Such a deal!

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of others.

 

Superbowl Sundaaaaay!

How was your Superbowl Sunday?  Did your team win?  Did you win any money in your office football pool?  I sure didn't.  My $20 investment got me a big fat ....goose egg!  Oh well.  That's what I get for trying to get rich quick. 

What a fantastic game though!!  I barely know what's going on when it comes to sports.  But I got into the game this year and that made the party even more fun.  Especially at the end..wow!  I was really cheering on the Cardinals to make their come back.  No matter who you rooted for, it was an exciting game.

What was your favorite commercial?  Maybe it's the recruiter in me, but I vote for CareerBuilder.com.  Their advertising peeps have quite a quirky sense of humor!  Remember their series with the mischievous monkies causing commotion around the office?   Classic.  They eventually got too many PETA protests, so they pulled the ads.  Total shame.  If you missed this year's CareerBuilder spot, check it out below.  An easy game day recipe follows the video.  A little late, I know.  =)

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PRETZEL BEER DIP

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 2 cups FINE shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup beer
• Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided Twists (2 bags)
• 2 stalks green onions, finely chopped (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and dressing mix. Stir in beer, and then Cheddar cheese. The mixture may appear mushy. Cover bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if possible.  Serve with pretzel sticks.  Garnish with green onions if desired.