Month: August 2009

I Deserve Underwear Too.

kanniduba9 Comments

Gentlemen Readers…you may want to skip this one.  😉

 

So, I went shopping with the kids today to do the obligatory back to school underwear/cami/bra shopping so that my darlings are well-outfitted under as well as over.  And I’m home and taking labels off and thinking, “When is the last time I got new underwear?”  I couldn’t remember.  I remember throwing away a pair of holey undies last week because “God Forbid” I had to go to the hospital unexpectedly, I wouldn’t want to be embarrassed.  I remember snipping a chunk of mangled, knotted up elastic that was hanging down and tickling my leg and making me think I had a spider crawling in my pants.  I remember that some of my undies used to be pretty with lovely little prints on them  before the color was Cloroxed out of them.  But I don’t remember the last time I actually took the time to buy myself a new supply of underwear.  Wait…wait…..yes I do.  I bought those big ol’ ugly cotton preggo underwear back when I was pregnant for Little Girl.  Does that count?  Maybe I’m alone in this…unusual in the world of women, but somehow I doubt it.

So, when did I stop caring?  I deserve new underwear too, don’t I?  It’s not like I can’t afford them….I guess I just haven’t made it a priority in a very, very long time.

So, here’s a new challenge Ladies….and this one has nothing to do with photos.  (In fact, please do NOT send us photos of your purchases!  lol)  Go out this weekend and splurge on some new undergarments for yourselves.  Buy pretty ones, silky ones, sexy ones.  I’m going to…I bet it will make us feel good all under.  Might even do our souls a little bit of good.  A little bit of new and pretty that we need not share with anyone (*ahem* unless you want to of course.)  Consider it  a symbolic gesture—a reminder to care for yourselves as much as you care for others.  So enjoy your little personal excursion, and may the lace be with you.

Forget Cake Boss—Buddy Valastro is a Cake God!

kanniduba3 Comments

Sick of Disney Channel, my girls have  gone in search of other things to watch this summer.   TLC, The Travel Channel, The History Channel, and HGTV have become some of their favorite places to land. 

Among other shows, they discovered “The Cake Boss” and it has fast become a favorite in our house.  For those of you who haven’t seen this show on TLC, it is a reality show following the behind-the-scenes project work at a family owned and operated bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey.  Buddy Valastro, the owner, learned the trade from his Dad, and is an incredible artist.  The things he and his team creates out of cake are absolutely extraordinary, and he always claims that his cakes taste as good as they look.  Well, after watching all summer long, the Zanduba family has been dying to test this claim, ooing and ahhing at their creations with growling stomachs.  (Check out some gorgeous creations on Flickr in tineypic’s photostream—she is a cake decorator at the bakery and has pages of photos of their work.)

So, yesterday while he was on his weekly trip to work in NYC, Zan took a detour to Hoboken on his way back to Jersey City from Manhattan.  He brought home love in a box…or “THE PRECIOUS” as we now prefer to call it.  We have a gorgeous cake, four brownie-like fudgie yummies, (well, now two) and six loaded cupcakes to sample from Carlo’s City Hall Bakery. 

You know when you have really high expectations that something is going to be wonderful, but all the time you are preparing yourself because nothing is ever as good as you think it’s going to be???  Well that was SO NOT the case here!  Big Girl and I tried the chocolate fudgie Yum last night and just about melted on the floor in ecstasy with the first bite!  Both of us agreed that we had never ever tasted anything so divine in our lives.  Later today we’ll see if the cupcakes and cake also surpass our expectations…I’ll let you know! 

If you live in New Jersey, all I can say is lucky you!!!  Take the day off and drive to Hoboken and visit Carlo’s Bakery…it will do your soul good.  Everyone else, next time you’re passing through NJ, take a detour.  It’s worth every out of the way mile!  As for me, I will beg now and then for Zan to make a little side trip for The Precious, and will hope that even when I don’t beg, he’ll decide to surprise me once in awhile.  🙂

A photo of The Precious:

And the German chocolate cupcakes:

Addendum:  Okay, so the German chocolate cupcakes with their coconutty, walnutty (I think) frosting weren’t my cup of tea…however, even though I am not a fan of German chocolate cupcakes, these were the best ones I’ve ever had.  And the cake????  OH MY GAWD!!!  A white layer and a chocolate layer (fabulous texture…dense, and yet soft at the same time) with some of that divine creamy chocolate frosting in the center, with white frosting and cherry flavored fondant over the top….Heavenly!!!

Get Thinking…

kanniduba4 Comments

I was going to wait until September to get started, however the deadline for this International Contest is October 31st and I wanted to give you all enough time.  Okay, so, yes the competition is fierce.  And I know many of you are thinking, “No WAY can I enter this contest.”  However, I would encourage you all to take a look at some of your best work…especially the people shots you have already taken.  I believe some of the work I’ve seen within our little community could indeed compete quite honorably.  So, what if you were actually working toward “the shot?”  Imagine what you could do!!  And what the heck…if you’re going to go for it, you might as well GO FOR IT!  What have any of us got to lose?  On the other hand, what have we got to gain?  The quest for inspiration begins.

I challenge each of you to enter just one photo in one category…People, Landscapes, or Animals.  And I also encourage you to create a new photograph specifically for entering this contest.  No oldies-but-goodies allowed (unless you want to enter more than one photo.)  The deadline is October 31st and all the rules are available here.  Link to your entries here in the comments.  I will add a page over there————–> to keep this visible.  Good luck and happy growing!

Note:  There is a $.12 entry fee for each photo received before October 15th, and then it jumps to $10.00 afterwards.  So let’s all shoot (no pun intended) for that October 15th date.  I hate spending money for this sort of thing and I’m sure I’m not alone…12 cents I can handle.

 

Scratch that idea.  Thanks Karma for pointing out my error. Crappy Crap.  Oh, well.  Screw inspiration.  I’m selling my bloody camera.   Who’s with me?