It Is What It Is

I didn't want to like it....

Just saw this today.  I have to be honest I have been feeling pretty negative toward Miss Janet Evanovich and the direction the Stephanie Plum series has been going.  I haven't read the latest novel and the next one is due out in November. 

I've been a naysayer about the movie, "One for the Money."  I couldn't see the actors that were cast in in their perspective roles.  Well, I can admit when I need to eat some crow.  And crow I will eat.  Watch this trailer and tell me you aren't excited to see this film.  (Only if you are a true Evanovich fan...)

I'm feeling warm, happy thoughts again.  I think I should go and read the novel again.  Watching this clip reminded me of the Stephanie Plum and crew that I knew and loved! 

Who's with me on opening night?  I'll even buy the popcorn!

 

Hey Everybody- We've Got a New Podcast Up!

I know, subtle right?  I was going to go all literary and be creative and then I thought, what the heck.  Just say it outright.  So- I am.  Go on over to Undercover with Deb and Beth or go to iTunes to download to your iPod or MP3 player- key word search-Deb and Beth or Check it out here!

How easy is that?  I mean, seriously, I've given you two direct links and a search mechanism.  So, really there's no excuse.  Why wouldn't you listen? 

By the way- we discuss James Patterson novels, programming Pandora and the new fall television series.  It's a can't miss.

If you do listen, (and I'm counting on you to) come back here and leave a comment about what you enjoyed about this episode.  Every person who leaves a comment will be entered to win a grab bag full of really cool stuff.  (and by cool- I mean stuff that you'd love to have but maybe would have never thought to buy yourself.)  I'll give you a week to do it- enjoy!

P.S.  I apologize in advance- the audio quality  is a bit remiss on this one.  We've been trying to even both of our voices out- and unfortunately- one of us quite easy to hear and the other- you need to turn up the volume.  We would like to blame our audio issues on this past weekend's Hurricane Irene, but unfortunately, we recorded it before she hit land.

 

Sweet Tea and Summer Reads

I know, you're thinking, didn't you just talk about what you've been reading?  Why, yes I did.  But there are always  books to be read and discussed.  DISCUSSED being the key word.  We have a new podcast up over here.  You can also find it on iTunes, key word Deb and Beth.  We are discussing our summer beach reads, among other things.  Check it out....

One thing we do share is our love of ice tea/sweet tea.  I'm going to share a new recipe for making a refreshing sweet tea with mint and ginger. 

 
Start with green tea.  Beloved bought a box of green tea from Costco a while ago and we are set for life.  This actually is a very nice tea- even the tea bags are made of silk.

Brew the tea however you like.  In a pot, with a tea kettle, ice tea maker, I use my coffee maker. 

While the tea is brewing, make a simple syrup using equal parts sugar and water.  I was making enough for 2 gallons, so I used 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water.  Sweetness is purely up to your own tastes.  Into the simple syrup mixture, I throw in mint leaves and sliced ginger.

 
 
Keep stirring until sugar dissolves and then keep it on a simmer for about 15 minutes to let all the flavors infuse.  Once tea is brewed, mix in syrup portion (after straining mint and ginger, of course.)  Pour over ice and enjoy.  This truly is refreshing and a twist on your normal sweet tea.

Glass on the left is the green sweet tea and the right  is normal sweet tea. (just to show you the difference.)   

Be sure to check out my other blog where you can find a library of all our podcasts. 

 

Taking it Easy

Well, I know it's not a Wednesday and no this isn't a words of wisdom post...just a little sumpn' sumpn' I found funny.  And also I wanted to let you know that I have a new podcast up.  A little blatant self promotion never hurt anyone, I always like to say.

So- click HERE or go on over to iTunes and download Epidsode 9- find us under search key words- Deb and Beth. 

As always, don't be afraid to let us know what you think. 
 

Watcha Reading?

So, my audio selections have been quite interesting and eclectic these days.  Let me share what I've been listening to while driving around throughout the days-  One thing that all of these novels have in common is GREAT NARRATION.  The narrator can make or break an audio book and I've been known to stop listening just because I didn't like the narrator, not the story.

 

This is the story of Dex and Em.  They meet on the day of their graduation from University and we then revisit with them on the same day for the next few decades.  It's a story of love and friendship, growing up and growing apart and together again.  Dex is a character you want to dislike, but somehow he worms his way into your heart.  Em is the underdog woman you root to finally find herself and become who she was meant to be.   I truly enjoyed this author's style of writing- the story was sometimes comedy and sometimes tragedy, but always true to life.  Additionally, I felt a real kinship to the characters as the story begins in the 80's and I felt like I was aging right along with them.

 

 

Have I mentioned my love for Philippa Gregory and her Tudor series?  This story takes place before the Tudors and explains how they came to be in power. Margaret Beaufort is the central character in this historical fictional account of how her son, believed to be the true heir to the throne of England, fights his way there.  He, being the father of Henry VIII.   Always rich in description and intrigue-Philippa never disappoints.     
 

I have to admit, I did not know very much about Frank Lloyd Wright apart from knowing about some of the buildings he had designed.  I knew nothing of his personal life and his eccentric lifestyle.  Although this is a fictional account of Frank's life with the Four Women he's involved with over his lifetime, it's based on true accounts.  The real fiction coming from the perspective of one of Frank's apprentices, who's telling the story.   
Although it did drag a bit sometimes- The Women is quite a fascinating story and holds up to the idea that you can like a person's work and just not like the person.  Although I liked this book, I found this version of Frank Lloyd Wright very unlikeable. 

 

Currently on deck-

This story starts out with 13 year old, Petra who along with her best friend, Sharon share a love for all things David Cassidy.  Twenty-five years later, while dealing with the death of her mother and the end of her marriage, Petra finds out she had actually won a contest to meet David Cassidy and her mother hid it from her.  In a twist, the original magazine editor who sponsored the contest, finds out and arranges for Petra and Sharon to meet their former teen idol today. 

Being a child during this time period and owning every David Cassidy record ever produced, I so am connecting to Petra and her 13 year old self as she deals with growing up and learning to deal with boys, friendships, etc...I'm hopeful for the how this books ends up.  So far, so good. 

 

Hopefully, I've given you some audio books for thought, should you be in the mood to listen, if not, content wise these are all great reads, so pick up a copy and read them. 

If you're still in the mood to listen, check out my other blog, where Beth and I compare and contrast the Nook vs Kindle.  You can also find us on iTunes, key words- Deb and Beth.
 
 

Valentine Greetings

Wishing you a day filled with blessings from the ones you love.  It doesn't have to be a significant other- just anyone that fills your life with joy abundant.  I wish that for all of you my fine friends.

 

 

 

If romance is on your mind- be sure to check out Undercover With Deb and Beth for our newest podcast where we discuss Contemporary Romance Authors.  You can also find us on iTunes- key word -Deb and Beth.

 

 

That's All I'm Sayin'

Alright, who has it bad?  Bad as in if we really do have 6 more weeks of winter it may mean the death of something or someone? 

So-let's do something about our Cabin Fever together, shall we?  Let's all play along....

It's called the Random Game- just whatever pops into your head- blurt it out....(for you playing along at home, that means please leave a comment.) 

Let's begin-

Is it just me or is Facebook making you crazy?  It seems to me that most of the time it should be called "FAKE-BOOK."  Mostly because it seems that everyone is being overly sweet and nice with their posts about how their lives are all sunshine, rainbow and lollipops.  As a matter of fact, there is a new psychological phenomenon now called the Facebook Effect.  Folks are being pushed into dark depressions thinking that everyone else's lives are so freaking fantastic and theirs actually sucks. 

I say for every "My child is a prodigy post" you have to post two "I woke up this morning to the sound of the dog puking next to my bed posts."  That should balance things out quite nicely. 

And on the same subject- people, Facebook is not the place to post that your wife left you for the guy she met while having internet affairs...(true post on Beloved's wall- can you say AWKWARD?)  Seriously, I'm all about sharing- but do all 349 of your Facebook friends need to know this?  Need to know basis, is all I'm saying.

I miss my cute shoes.  I'm tired of wearing  boots and heavy clogs to trudge through the snow.  I want to wear a a pair of cute, peep-toe wedges.  It broke my heart today while in a shoe store looking at all the sandals and other spring shoes.  It's cruel, that's all I'm saying.

I love my new Droid (most of the time) however, sometimes it  does crazy things like- switches the contact I'm calling, emailing or texting- unbeknown to me until after the fact.  Listen to today's mess up. 

I'm texting back and forth with a friend just, fun watcha doin' stuff.  We get on the subject of Paczki's (for those who don't know, a paczki is a fruit or cream filled donut type pastry made with lots of lard and sugar.)  In a word- delicious and only available right before the Season of Lent and a huge part of Fat Tuesday celebrating among these parts.  My friend has been craving them and I texted her that I just saw our local bakery had the sign up that the Paczki's are in....We celebrate and then begin to discuss our favorite flavors.

Here's the text I sent back-

I LIKE PRUNE.  WEIRD I KNOW.

 Only it didn't go to my friend- for some reason that damn touch screen pulled a fast one- and I ended up texting a person that I know through business.  I've known her for several years, but we are more professional acquaintances not-personal.  So, once I discovered my error, I was totally embarrassed.  Instead of just ignoring it and letting it go....oh  know....I couldn't do that...I began a diatribe to explain my mistake, and please don't think it's weird and this is why I"m discussing prunes and not because I need to be more regular...and so on and so on. 

Literally, somebody stop me.  I'm texting and I can't stop....I made it 100x more embarrassing.  Oh well, it's my new saying now- I'm just going to own it....I LIKE PRUNE.  WEIRD I KNOW...

Will you be celebrating Valentine's Day this weekend?  OR are you a traditionalist and will wait until the actual date?  I have no plans nor do I think Beloved's cooked up anything.  He was vacuuming the whole house when I came home from work today- that's just about the best Valentine's Day present I could ask for....

If you're feeling like you could use a little romance or just want to read some romance- check out my other blog- Undercover with Deb and Beth and download our new podcast or go to iTunes (keyword Deb and Beth) to download.  We're discussing Contemporary Romance Authors this month. 

Join the fun, that's all I'm sayin'....

 

 

It's Beginning to Look A lot Like....

Couple of things as we begin the week of Christmas- I've already started thinking about the review of this past year.  Buddy B and I did a podcast on our Year in Books- a review.  Check it out here or go to iTunes, key search under podcasts- Deb and Beth.  You might be surprised to hear our biggest hits and misses for the year. 

Next, I normally don't pass these along, but gosh darn it- they're just so fun...

http://videos.jibjab.com/8n5/1vv/hss/y7d/i7h/n72/o5o/676.mpg

Click on the above link and you'll see a holiday greeting from my family! 
Enjoy and be sure to check back often this week as I have lots of holiday fun stuff to share!

Recipes

It's official, the holiday season is upon us.  I can attest to this because my living room is a mess of storage boxes that house my Christmas decor.  They have been brought down from the attic and this is the official start of holiday mayhem at my house. 

I decided to go for broke and have the Christmas tree and all the other decorations on display for Thanksgiving dinner.  This is again because we will be celebrating a 2 for 1 holiday this year with the visitation of my parents from Florida. 

The bad news is that my house will be tore up for the next week but the good news is that I won't be spending the entire after Thanksgiving weekend setting up for Christmas.  I figure that's a win- win for all. 

So, thinking about the holidays and Thanksgiving in particular, I pulled out my recipes and started making my to-do and shopping list.  (Note- if you're planning on brining your bird, order a fresh turkey and if you haven't already done this, be sure to do it sooner rather later.  Mine's in the book.) 

While I was looking for my recipes, I happened upon my old recipe box.  It was bridal shower gift.  It's a small Longaberger basket with a lid that had been hand painted with flowers and "Debbie's Recipes" on it.   I haven't had that recipe box out in years.  I used to have it sitting proudly on my counter on display.  As the years have gone by it got designated to a different home.  The lid doesn't shut very well any more, primarily since it is stuffed with so many recipes.  They really are stuffed into this box pretty tight.  Tight enough that when I start to pull one out, I get about a dozen more with it. 

 
 

These are the tried and true recipes.  The main dishes, desserts and appetizers that I have been making for my entire married life and most of these recipes are known by heart these days.  I decided to pull all of them out for a walk down memory lane.  I smile to myself as I look at the scraps of papers that were used to jot down a favorite.  Things are written on the backs of invitations, envelopes, business stationary and ripped out of the newspapers.  My favorites are the ones written in dear friends and family's handwriting and I remember them and that time fondly.  Many of them are stained with the remnants of their ingredients. 

Ironically, I found a few of meals that I used to make all the time and then for some reason or another, just stopped making.  I pulled a few of those out and have been mixing up my current repetoire.  Only one real complaint and then I remembered why it went out of rotation....

This made me think of where I get my recipes now.  Although I have a huge cookbook collection, I really do find most of my new stuff off the internet.  Either through blogs I follow or just searches I start.  Where do you get your recipes from these days?  Do you stay with your old favorites or do you try to mix it up? 

Check out our new podcast at Undercover with Deb and Beth where we dish about our favorite holiday and cooking blogs.  Check it out and you might find a new hot spot.  We'd love it if you'd share your favorite recipes or recipe searching spots. 

 

10 Things I'm Digging

1.  Fall Weather and Colors

This past week has been absolutely gorgeous.  Bright, sunny days with a bit of crispness in the air.  Cool evenings, perfect for sweaters and hot cups of something to snuggle down with. 

 

2.  Friday Night Football Games

This goes hand in hand with the fall weather.  There is something about sitting in a stadium when the weather is perfect and cheering for your favorite team.  Catching up with friends before and then after the game as you go to your favorite pizza joint and celebrate the evening's  events.

 

3.  Volleyball and Cheerleading Season

As much as I enjoy Friday nights, there are always a few volleyball matches to take in on Saturday and a football  game to cheer for the younger guys on Sunday.  It's a busy time for sure, but very fun to watch.  I'm continually impressed by the effort and teamwork these teams put forth.  Both seasons are wrapping up.  Regular season play for volleyball ended this weekend and the tournament begins next.  Our football team is currently undefeated and looks to be going to a championship game.  The cheerleaders recently performed at an all school pep rally and did an outstanding job. 

 

4.  Planning Thanksgiving

This year my parents are coming for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas.  So this holiday gets to be a 2 for 1 celebration.  We will have our traditional Thanksgiving dinner and then we will celebrate Christmas before dessert.  My sister and her family will be joining us, making for a enjoyable family time. 

One week later, we will celebrate Christmas with Beloved's side of the family.  This makes for an early holiday season and a quiet Christmas with just our immediate family.  Sounds pretty nice.

 

5.  Prayer Group

Recently I began attending a newly formed Prayer group at church.  This prayer group is introducing a workshop called "A Way to God" by Anthony deMello.  Anthony deMello was a  a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality.  I'm only about half way through the series but I am enjoying the program immensely.  It's giving me a new found awareness regarding my prayer life as well as internal peace and for that I am gratified. 

 

6.  New Fall TV Season

On a completely different note, I'm totally digging my old favorites in their new season.  Love, love, love still- Cougar Town, Modern Family and The Middle.  Loving the Real Housewives - regardless of the city and the follow up show, "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen.  Enjoying the new season of "The Office" and can't believe that Michael will be leaving at the end of this season.  Can't imagine the show without him. 

 

7.  Pumpkin Food

Yum- pumpkin ice cream is back at Handel's (my favorite ice cream store and all the grocery store brands have their version on the shelves too.)   Plus all my favorite  recipe haunts are chock full of pumpkin recipes I'm jonesing to try- like how does this sound?  Pumpkin Bars with Caramel frosting and Bacon... come on- you know you'd love to try that.  Everything's better with bacon. 

 

8.  Bathroom Cleaning

After 21 years of marriage, Beloved has started cleaning the bathroom.  (Moment of silence everyone...because really, there are no words for this deed.)  What's even more awesome, he can't believe the amount of urine that can accumulate on the toilet basin or on the floor with just two males using that toilet.  This is making him appreciate the past 21 years of clean toilets so much more. 

The best part, I didn't even nag or ask him to pick up this chore-HE JUST STARTED DOING IT.  (Again, a moment of silence....)  This is double dig worthy. 

 

9.  Shoe Changing Season and Sweater Weather

Although, I'm never happy to have to start wearing socks, hosiery, knee highs, tights, etc...I am happy that I can pull out my favorite Dansko clogs.   I'm pretty jazzed about being able to pull out the sweaters and scarves again, too. 

 

10.  Book Lists

Go on over HERE  to check out  Undercover with Deb and Beth's version of Top 10 Favorite Books.  You can also go directly to iTunes, key word Deb & Beth to download this podcast for later listening.  Drop us a line and let us know some of your favorites.

 

Leave me a comment here and tell me what you've been digging.....and I'll dig up some random fun items as a prize pack.   Contest ends Wednesday, October 20 at midnight.