My aunt Shannon in Vegas sent me this little accessory. I dig it. It brings out the caramel in my fur, don’t you think?
Penny in her birthday suit and red collar, poolside.
Want it? Check it out at Red Envelope.
Let’s start out with a black bean burger
What better way to start out 2014 than with a quick post on black bean burgers.
I’ve been a pescatarian for the last 6 years. A should say a strict pescatarian for the last 5 but have dipped my toe into the fowl world in the last year (I blame it on my allowing myself to “cheat” with turkey on Thanksgiving Day 2012… it was all downhill after that). I still don’t eat a lot of chicken or turkey, but find that I crave it after not having it for a few days. So, I don’t deprive myself of it because I believe the body craves what it needs.
Anyway, I’ve had two delicious black bean burgers of late. One that my husband made out of the Isa Chandra Moskowitz vegan cookbook called the Island Black Bean Burger (though we went with the alternate route just using black beans, no black-eyed peas, and mild chili powder and cumin instead of the Jamaican curry powder). Yum!! Even the kiddoes loved it!! A much healthier alternative to beef and pretty easy to throw together.
The second is the Spicy Baja burger from Smashburger here in Austin, TX.
Delicious on both counts!! Seriously, you forget that you ever ate beef. Give ’em a try and let me know what you think! Or, if you have a black bean burger recipe that you love, please share!
HAPPY 2014! Make it a healthy and deliciously happy year!
The Kardashian divorce
One word for you … sham.
72 days. That’s all it lasted. Even by Hollywood standards that was short.
Glad I’m not a fan, and now never will be.
Egg-on-the-face of tabloids that paid top dollar for the wedding. What was it $20M?? Shameful all around.
Everybody needs a Rosie
Sophia Grace and Rosie on Ellen / Image rights - warnerbros.com
Have you seen Sophia, the little 8 year old Nicki Minaj wanna-be sensation? And her quiet little back-up-dancer-cousin Rosie (age 5)?
Cutest little tiara-wearing-tutu-sporting-sprites ever. Sophia is hard to miss, but how ’bout that Rosie?
Aren’t we all Rosies? The ones in the background, the back-up singers, adding a little more umph to the show, helping the Sophia’s of the world really shine? Without Rosie, Sophia wouldn’t be as confident, perhaps. Rosie is very likely the voice of reason, in fact at one point she tries to settle Sophia down, perhaps in a quiet whisper saying, “Easy cousin. Tone it down. We’re on ELLEN!!”
Adorable.
Go out there and have a great day blog readers. Be a Sophia today, or a Rosie. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
When is it too old to run?
Image rights - AP Photo / The Canadian Press
I enjoy running.
Am I a fast runner? No. A long distance runner? Not really, my longest run was a half marathon, twice, and not without injuries. Does it come easily? I wouldn’t say so. But nonetheless, I enjoy it.
Every now and again I toy with the idea of running a marathon, but then I think about the time required to train, the injuries, and the … injuries. If I recovered quickly I wouldn’t mind them as much, but they often sideline me for extended periods of time, months, and it’s not worth it to me.
And then someone like Fauja Singh comes along and it makes me wonder if it’s in me. I mean, if he can do it at 100 years old, why couldn’t I??? (Don’t you just love his smile?!)
He ran his last marathon in 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 1 second … 8 years ago at the age of 92.
Mr. Singh is my hero. I love his story and youthfulness. The marathon may not be for me, but I love that he will motivate someone to lace up their running shoes and get out there.
Maybe it’s you.
UPDATE:
Mr. Singh completed his marathon yesterday at 8 hours, 25 minutes and 18 seconds. Pretty darn impressive.
“The Help” after 60 rejections
Image rights - LATimes.com
By now, I have to believe you’ve read Kathryn Stockett’s, “The Help”. I loved this book. And when I sold it for $1 at our twice-annual garage sale, I almost told the buyer that I’d changed my mind and I wouldn’t be selling that book.
What’s even more wonderful than the book is the author’s resolve to get it published. She was rejected 60 times before finally getting it published. SIXTY TIMES!!!! She’s my reminder for the day to never give up. If you’re that passionate about something and truly believe in it, it’ll come to fruition. Believe in it and yourself.
My favorite quotes if you don’t get a chance to read this article (but you should):
- Her first rejection, “Story did not sustain my interest.”
- 4oth rejection letter, “There is no market for this kind of tiring writing.”
- After rejection #45 she’s rewriting the last chapter WHILE in labor with her daughter, “…nurse looked at me like I wasn’t human and said in a New Jersey accent, ‘Put the book down, you nut job—you’re crowning.'”
And my favorite…
“The point is, I can’t tell you how to succeed. But I can tell you how not to: Give in to the shame of being rejected and put your manuscript—or painting, song, voice, dance moves, [insert passion here]—in the coffin that is your bedside drawer and close it for good. I guarantee you that it won’t take you anywhere. Or you could do what this writer did: Give in to your obsession instead.”
I’m looking forward to seeing this movie very soon. Let me know what you think of either (the book or movie)!
Tacky celebrities – Arnold Schwarzenneger
Image rights TMZ
Arnold, Arnold, Arnold … just a gentle reminder … she’s still the mother of your children.
Regardless of how poorly those divorce negotiations might be going, this t-shirt is in poor taste.
What do you think, dear reader?
Artists paying tribute to Harry
I love this!!! I may have to break open the kids’ piggy banks and buy me one.
Forbidden Forest by Seb Mesnard
- The Boy Who Lived by Kei Acedera
Check out more of these amazing images at MyModernMet.com.
Things that make me smile
Image rights - babylifetime.com
- Skinny girls with cellulite
- Cool-as-a-cucumber people who experience moments of insanity
- Spotting bunnies on my morning run
- Watching Penny get yanked back on her leash when attempting to chase said bunnies
- Babies laughing
- Babies sleeping
- Quiet mornings with my cup of coffee, just before the rest of the house wakes up
- Brilliant people who can’t spell
- Friends who clean up after dinner when I’ve asked them not to
- BFF (big fat friend)
- Jillian Michaels who after 20 days of her 30-day Shred tells me that by now I should be seeing a 6-pack
- A young couple going on vacation alone without their 6 children
- Birthdays, especially mine
- Scoring 102 points on a 4- letter word on Words with Friends
- Harry Potter July 15
Appreciating the little things ….
All Things Ana Blog 