I have made two recipes of Ree's (PW) this past week, and OH MY was I surprised at the deliciousness.  I made her Chicken Spaghetti, which received accolades from both Husband and Anja.  The only things I changed were:

1. I didn't have two cans of cream of mushroom soup, so I substituted one cream of celery, both Campbell's Healthy Request*.

2. I don't often have a fryer chicken on hand, and I certainly don't enjoy handling chicken skin unless I really have to, so I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  And I'm pretty sure this is the first time in my life I've ever bought pimientos by themselves.  Southern thing.

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The second recipe I just finished devouring right now is a surefire way to become a glutton.   I had my serious doubts about this dish, since it uses primarily processed ingredients (For a dessert?  No way!  Must be from scratch!), but OH. MY. STARS. was it good.  So go gather up the ingredients and make Ree's Apple Dumplings right away!

* Does not in any way make this dish healthy.  Maybe slightly healthiER, but not healthy.

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The Republican Party has been the party of conservatism and liberty. Conservatism is an ideal that says limited government, personal rights and responsibility, and freedom of choice, among other ideas, are what made this nation stand out in an exceptional way against the tide of history. The idea that the individual knows better how to spend their time and resources than the few in power. The idea that man should be allowed to keep the fruits of his labor. The idea that the government should be kept on a short leash, having only those powers explicitly given to it by the people. The idea that the power of force should be distributed among states, not centrally focused. The idea that everyday citizens should be elected to represent the various states, not an aristocratic ruling class like was seen in the British Empire that we threw off. These are ideas that can work and have worked wonderfully in our past.

The sad thing is that we have been sliding away from these ideas that made America stand out and ever more so in the last half century. The federal government has stepped way beyond its constitutional leash in every area imaginable. We are constantly hearing that the solution to every problem is more government. We’ve got an out of control federal government that wants to take more and more of our money, take our freedoms, and solidify its power of force over every aspect of our lives. It is full to the brim with corruption, ignorance, deception and hubris. What is needed to stem government is a strong voice of reason to counter the ideas of socialism and government first thinking.

That voice of reason is pretty faint right now, though, and the one of the big reasons why is that the Republican Party has lost its voice. By and large, we no longer have statesmen presenting and defending their ideals, we have politicians whose desire is to get and hold office no matter what. There is less and less of a difference between Republicans and Democrats, with the Republicans over the last decade capitulating on conservative ideas and pursuing bigger government more and more. Now is the time that we need them to be a strong voice for freedom against the interventionist monstrosity government.

The recent bank and financial institution “crisis” is a good example of the Republicans’ lost voice. The economic problems we are seeing right now are the direct result of government intervention in the form of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I won’t get into it here, but the Democrats and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy are directly responsible for this situation via Freddie and Fannie, whose criminal practices they allowed, promoted and fought to defend. It isn’t even a question that the government is at fault yet the same Democrats who brought this mess are decrying the “failure of the free markets” and calling for more government intervention in the form of a bailout with more “regulation”. Now, you would think that Republican presidential candidate would be exposing the Democratic scandal, the destruction that the strong hand government has wrought messing with the markets. If there was any situation to show why we need conservative ideas this is it. But, nope, John McCain isn’t talking about what caused this mess, and not only isn’t he talking about is he is aggressively promoting more of what got us into it, the bailout! This isn’t a real surprise though. John McCain is a total politician. He’s a “maverick” who reaches “across the aisle,” but all that really means is that he has positioned himself in the mush middle to try and gather as many votes as he can. McCain is not a conservative and cannot be trusted to forward conservative ideas.

The worst part, though, is that he and those in the Republican party like him are diluting and killing the conservative voice. By following the liberals over to the left but just not quite as far, they can say “well vote for me ‘cause I’m not as bad as the other guy.” Well, I, for one, am done with that. No more voting for the lesser of two evils. What we are ending up with by voting in liberal Republicans is two liberal parties and no voice for liberty and freedom. And that is something of which I am not going to be a part. They say we had to have a Carter to get a Reagan. We may need an Obama to save the Republican Party.

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Husband also asked me to link to THIS POST if you want to hear what's really happening regarding the bail-out.

Ahh...settling down.  Here's a photo to remind me that the crabbiness doesn't last long.

His love story is actually a pretty interesting story. As you all should know, Bi Rain and I had something going on a couple of weeks ago .. I just kidding, me and my bad humor.
"Love Story" is actually going to be the name for the hit song in Bi Rain's 5th Album "Rainism". The preview was released today and Ha Ji Won is starring in the music video.
Bi Rain was going take on the challenge to play the 'Bad Boy' in the video (as he has before, RAWR that Bad Guy MV) , but from I saw he looked as adorable and lovable as always! His insecure yells to whomever made him look so handsome and it all reminded me of the drama Full House. And from my point of view, Ha Ji Won looked more like the one to be bad, because her role in that video was like the girl you always hate from dramas.

Watch the preview for Bi Rain's Love Story HERE.
And I shouldn't be allowed to watch things without subtitles, the things I thought they were talking about was so R-rated. Bi Rain does whatever his mistress tells him to! o:

I just want to spread the love! - iRapeHellokitty

Question for you mommies out there--did you notice a change in your devotional life after you had kids? I used to look at the "old" stodgy people in my church and say, "Never. Not me." And now I feel like I AM THAT GUY. I am very surprised and alarmed at the level of stagnation in my faith that seems to have arrived with my firstborn. I never used to miss a day of time in the Word. Now I still go through the motion of reading most days, but I feel like nothing "sticks."

I've been reading the book of John and studying James (MacArthur study) and am determined to begin some sort of focused topical study, as the "reading through the Bible and just seeing what God has for me today" thing has been less than meaty lately. I read the word and then forget what I read by lunch. This morning I began the book Believing God by Beth Moore, hoping it will kick my rear into gear. If God brings me and my struggles to mind throughout the day, could you pray that He will give me a freshened spirit, renewed desire for Him (and not just His blessings), and increased vigor to reach out to the lost in my life?

As a friend of mine pointed out last Sunday, God wants me to have the fruit of the spirit I desire. I just need to not be frightened about what the cost might be to achieve such fruit.

We had a small bit of brownies left in the house that he and I were splitting.  I gave her a taste, and of course she wanted more.  She ran down the hallway to Husband, who offered her a taste as well.  She came back to me and when I told her it was all gone, she ran back to him.  He told her the same, and she promptly sat down, gave him a look that could freeze lava, and threw a head shaking ("no" motion), wailing fit.  You would have thunk we told her she could never eat again.  After making several more trips between us and ascertaining that the brownies were, indeed, gone, she spent the rest of the night whining and moping.

Even I was surprised at the amount of happiness chocolate seemed to bring to a 13-month-old!

This week...I certainly did not wash ANOTHER load of laundry with no clothes in it.  That would be silly and forgetful!  Thanks to all of you who offered comfort on that, though.  :)

Also, I definitely did not eat 1/2 a pan of brownies in less than 24 hours.  Not me, not me, not me!

And who left her Bible Study workbook assignment until Sunday night at midnight to do?  Not me, most assuredly!

That girl who thought of a friend she lost contact with YEARS ago and got up at 2:30 a.m. to search for her on Facebook?  Not me, either.  :)

These probably don't seem like very bad "not me's," but I wanted to join the fun anyway.  :)

NOT on purpose.

L'Afgan est un architecte de Kaboul qui a fui la guerre avec sa femme et son fils. Ceux-ci sont mort en cours de route. Arrivé à Canton, il s'est retrouvé un peu par hasard dans les milieux mafieux. C'est un homme raffiné et intelligent qui vit désormais sa vie un peu comme on joue une partie d'échec dont l'enjeu est la mainmise sur les docks de Canton (partie sud de la ville). Il est intraitable mais malgré le tag que j'ai mis, il n'est pas complètement méchant - il a longtemps temporisé avant de se décider à faire éliminer Tête-de-feu.

I had a conversation with a friend about this the other day, because it's one of the things about Minnesota (see that, I said Minnesota instead of MinnesotANS...classic example) that really bothers her (a non-native Minnesotan) and me (born and raised here).  And, I'm guilty of it myself at times.  I'll admit it.

Overall, though, I'm kind of an honest person.  Translation: I'm not always popular.  I try to squarsh my bluntness, but at the same time I don't want to lie to people.  This doesn't always go over well here.  I think lying is often expected, if not appreciated.  People want to hear what they want to hear. Being polite and considerate is good, don't get me wrong.  But harboring aggression while acting in a passive (or "woe is me") manner is not good.

So tell me, what is something equivalent to "Minnesota Nice" in your state/area? Maybe Minnesota isn't alone...

1. The Fridge

Notes on The Fridge: no semblance of order to how I "file" in the fridge, and bags and containers of leftovers galore...

2. The Closet

Notes on The Closet: Yes, I am storing things in plastic and paper bags on the top shelf. I can't afford fancy labeled cedar-lined boxes. Feel free to send me some if you take issue! Nobody gets to see this closet during house tours.

3. The Kitchen Sink

Notes on The Kitchen Sink: No one said how close we had to be to the sink...so that's it off in the background. Please excuse the clutter around said sink and the fact that we haven't yet taken down Anja's birthday garland.

4. The Bathroom

Notes on the Bathroom: Fancy-schmancy childproofer = big rubber band. So far, it works! And it's cheap, too.

5. My Favorite Shoes

Notes on My Favorite Shoes: This category produced a tie. The sandals that look like they've seen better days? I would all but KILL for another pair. They are Axcess brand from Kohl's, so if anyone has a size 10 lying around...gimme gimme! I probably bought them 3 years ago, so they're obviously not on shelves anymore, but they're my favorite sandals I've ever had. I always have a hard time transitioning to my new running shoes, but these babies are now a few months old, and I like them a great deal.

6. My Favorite Room

Notes on My Favorite Room: It's the family/living room, complete with lots of toys and baby books (and even a nose bulb...in the foreground). Anja and I spend a lot of time playing and reading here. I'm taking suggestions on the window treatment. Being Scandinavian, I tend to favor sparse "decorating," somewhere between modern and cottage. But seeing this photo has made me think that I could use something on/above that window...I usually have a wreath or garland hanging on the balustrade above the piano, so I'm not worried about that (fall wreath in progress), but if you have an idea for the window, do tell! There's a sliding door not visible in this photo off to the right of it that has a golden flax-colored set of floor-length curtains, and the general palette in the room is a sage and brown (I change accents based on season).

7. Me (the scariest part)

Notes on Me: I couldn't bear to be alone in the photo, so here's one of me cheering on Anja while she brushes her teeth (she LOVES brushing her teeth). I had just gotten home from a 7-hr wedding shoot, partly in the rain, so be kind...

Now I am supposed to tag someone else, but I don't know that I can single out anyone in particular, so...I pick ALL of you! If you play along, please leave a link in the comment section so we can all see!

Avand in vedere scenariul axat pe violenta si exploatare sexuala filmul este unul destul de controversat. Pe de alta parte acesta are o frumusete aparte. Viata tinerei studente se schimba treptat si pe masura ce se obisnuieste cu asta lucrurile nu i se mai par atat de negre. Astfel desi initial astepta orice ocazie ca sa fuga mai tarziu refuza sa o faca cand oportunitatea apare. Personajul principal, pestele, este la randul sau foarte interesant. Fiind incapabil sa vorbeasca singura lui modalitate de exprimare ramane violenta dar in pofida aspectului si atitudinii de borfas exista si o parte buna in el ce se manifesta in mai multe secvente ale filmului.

Din punct de vedere al filmarii Bad Guy este un film destul de banal si poate tocmai de aceea are o frumusete aparte. Nu avem efecte speciale, decoruri spectaculoase, sau secvente memorabile. Nu avem nici macar replici memorabile. Totul este trist si cenusiu la fel ca si viata personajelor. Dar tocmai asta este farmecul, aparenta banalitate ascunde multe surprize placute.

Recomandat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmH1c_LheuI

As we all caught the glimpse of the article where the Associated Press said, "it's true the rich keep getting richer" ~ our Presidential candidates have the nerve to say they understand.  Umm.. I know people who have saved, scrimped, and pulled the rabbit out of there hat"s" to try and save the material stuff and then the home they live in ~~~ instead of the home they live in, then the material stuff.  Now, that is neither here nor there. 

How about this for our Presidential candidates ~~ let's find out who reallly is for the people and to turn America around ~~ there is still time before November to really find this out. 

For one month, they live on the salary of a blue-collared worker, working the hours and trying to buy food and do the "normal" things they have taken for granted. 

If both of these guys really have a "pulse of America and the American people" ~ both will succeed ~ without hoopla from the press.  The press will have to back off and let them be ~

Rules are simple: You accept no help ~ no cameras to follow you at all (even the little pin ones) ~ you are put into a situation where you have to deal with credit collectors ~ you have to figure out food & gas ~ you are given just enough as if you had been living this fabricated life all along.  Ha! LOL! I am humoring myself on that --- I'll save it though.  See what happens.  In the next month ~ your report will be given the day you have come out it, within 20 minutes.  If you really think quick on your feet and you know the American people and the situations that everyone is dealing with ~ it won't be difficult to see how well you adjusted and just how thankful you are/have become.  AND NO, NO PREP'D CRAP AT ALL ~ Trust me the people would know.

Such a full of shit idea ~ I know. But damn it ~ don't tell me how I feel, I know.  I know there are soo many out there that feel they are not listened too or even given a chance.  I get to listen to it everyday and make tough decisions everyday ~~ not once in a while ~~ everyday.  Not only is it my job ~ but it is dealing with people who have been running for years and the piper has caught up with them.  Even if their life style has changed ~ I am the one who is either the good guy or the bad guy to them depending on exactly what concocted story is present.  I would really like to see and hear a hell of a lot more truth.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Can't sleep?"

"Nope," he said. He was on the eve of earning his 9th (yes, 9th) gold medal and he was nervous. And he was dressed in his swim gear (minus the goggles).

I offered to help him out, rubbing his muscles and stuff like a trainer would do (that sounds weird, but it was completely platonic). Then, since he still couldn't sleep, we started out on a walking tour of Minneapolis (wearing normal clothes). We covered a LOT of ground. I remember going through a tunnel underground and narrowly escaping some sort of machine that was sweeping gravel in a circular pattern.

Then we ended up at some sort of club, where Michael started being REALLY fakey and using strange pick-up lines on women. I told him we needed to go back and get some sleep, and on the way back I asked him why he acted the way he did around those women. He didn't have much of an answer, and then, all of a sudden we passed a baby and a pink bunny on the frozen road (yeah, it was winter, too...during the Summer Olympics), a dozen or so feet apart from each other. The baby said, "Maaaaaaaaaa..." weakly as we passed it, but it wasn't until I passed the pink bunny that I realized the baby was Anja. I turned back toward her quickly and saw her attempting to turn around. I realized she must have been out for hours, and I saw her frost-bitten hands and face and almost started crying. In typical dream fashion, I couldn't move or reach out to her. Then I woke up.

It was slightly disturbing.

So here's my question for you...if you were Michael Phelps, what would YOUR pick-up line be?

Also, I was given a "you MAY NOT nag me about the amount of money I will be spending on food" ultimatum by Husband before we left, so you will see lots and lots of food-tasting photos going on. According to him, that's what the fair is about.

Here's Anja watching the parade, which was ending as we arrived.

Me eating a Belgian waffle on a stick. It's covered in fudge and whipped cream.

And a crepe from the French Creperie. I got peaches and cream. Probably my favorite food of the day.

Anja got some peaches and cream, too.

A general atmosphere shot:

Considering around 125,000 people visit each day, this is a rather uncrowded area.

A covered wagon and some laundry in Heritage Square:

Husband having a cheese curd here. We'd already missed his Pronto Pup by this time (didn't get a photo).

You can imagine my disgust when three of the four animal barns were closed for the day, the sole purpose we were there being to let Anja see the cows and chickens and pigs and stuff. She did get to see horses and llamas, though. Here's one in her "show clothes." Disturbingly enough, she has arms.

Here's another llama cooling off in front of his own personal fan.

Husband eating a Big Fat Bacon:

Anja trying a bite of our blackberry malt:

Husband and Anja near the Horticulture Building:

Milkshake mustache!

Deep-fried stuffed tater tot on a stick:

Deep-fried pickles in ranch dip:

Husband likes this one, though--says it looks like I'm talking to the pickle:

The angle at which these photos were taken make it look like my noggin is proportionately MUCH larger than it is, I'll have you know. :)

Anja's favorite thing, which I didn't get a photo of, unfortunately, was the Butterfly House. Those little buggers just fly around and latch onto you. Mommy was a bit scared of them, but I held a few for my daughter's sake.

If you get tired of walking at the Fair, they have a few of these:

We watched a lumberjack show:

And saw some great art. This experiential piece was a bunch of rolled up dollars (removable). Interesting concept, huh?

Eating some cinnamon-roasted nuts on the Kidway:

The kiddie ferris wheel:

Holding her bunny with Daddy:

Husband and his Chicago Dog:

All in all, a pretty fun day!

Dear Agnes,

I am a henchman for an international businessman in the import/export business. It's a great job and I get a lot of exercise, but lately I've been wondering if maybe my boss is a bad guy. And I don't just mean a grumpy fellow or whatever, I mean a BAD guy, if you catch my drift. Short of asking him to his face (that would make him grumpy!), how can I know for sure?

H. Smith

Read Agnes' response, HERE.

What is the anime freak listening to now? Other than that? No Good Deed from Wicked the Musical

Dream Diary: Can't remember. Although I recently dreamed about a massive set of headphones.

When I created the bad guy for my novel, Dravvind, I had no idea how deep and dynamic a character he would become. I always hoped he would evolve into something memorable, something truly terrifying, but back when I tried to make him those things, I pretty much failed.

Lately, however, he has evolved all on his own. He has thematic significance, beyond simple "power corrupts." The themes of insanity, obsessive love, family, and sacrifice are all inextricably bound to his character, and they are all themes I wanted in my book. His biggest theme, however, is the theme of human goodness. He is not pure evil, and he will profoundly prove that before the end.

Do other others get this fascinated by their bad guys? Their villains?

I know of quite a few works in which the villain is obviously dynamic and powerful in terms of impact. Wicked the Musical, for one. (I'm addicted to the soundtrack to that, and I'm dying to see it!) Star Wars, The Godfather, All the King's Men, Nineteen Minutes, Macbeth, nana nana na.... Yeah, bad guys are everywhere.

But which bad guys do you love?

Obviously, I have to kill my bad guy. I tried to get out of it, but one of my readers said "No way. He must die." Okay, I'll kill him. But I will make you cry when he dies. xP

Anyway, here's what happened. I went to a bonfire at a classmate's parents' home that was dubbed "family friendly" (we later decided that people without kids might have felt left out), but it was basically a nicer way of saying "minimal alcohol," for which I was thankful. Anja played with some babies of my classmates, while Husband sat in a chair and tried not to act awkward (Because seriously, how awkward is it for spouses? Very.). I visited with people who looked like older versions of my classmates about their TODAY lives. It was weird. The whole weekend felt like a time warp, I kept saying. Here's some babies:

After that we all dropped off our babies and went to a bar, where about 4 times the amount of classmates showed up. I sat by the door, talked with a couple friends, drank a water (they didn't make mojitos, pretty much the only alcoholic drink I like), and left before 11:00 to go watch the Olympics. :)

The next evening was a class photograph at our high school, dinner, a parade and a dance (at which very few people actually danced. It was like 8th grade all over again.). Here's my class (well, about 1/4 of us) at the Eagle's, a very classy place. As you can see in the second photo, they have Christmas lights up YEAR ROUND! And despite having lived in said town for 18 years of my life, I had to ask my mom for directions to the Eagle's.

These are some of my closer friends from HS. I just noted now that we all have blue eyes. Lotta Swedes and Norwegians up der in nordern Minnesoda.

Sunday my guy friends took me golfing with them, which was very nice. Even though there was a softball game and picnic scheduled, I happily accepted their invitation. I didn't know how much more mingling I could handle. See, I've changed since high school. I'm not the confident, outgoing person I once was. Sometimes that makes me sad.

The new owners of the Sea World franchise is none other than Belgian/European beer and spirits giant InBev...the same company that recently bought out American business icon Anheuser-Busch in a multi-billion dollar transaction.

It is said that InBev would like to get rid of the Sea World franchise to the highest bidder in order for the company to better focus its operations in what it does best: make alcoholic beverages.

PETA's motivation is obviously to "set free" the "enslaved" animals that they perceive as having been abused and altogether wrongly-treated throughout the animals' journey and stay at Sea World.

CLICK HERE TO READ A COPY OF THE LETTER THAT WAS SENT BY PETA TO THE CEO OF INBEV...WHO NOW OWNS SEA WORLD.

So I guess the moral of this story is really...make sure that your kids are able to go and see Sea World if they haven't been able to do so already.

I would really hate to see what a PETA-owned Sea World would look like...perhaps just filled with computer animated sea life or humans dressed as seals, whales and dolphins...doing all they can to convince those who paid $50.00 for their tickets that Sea World is way cooler than it was when it had real animals...

Afterwards, the two highly competitive racers bumped, scraped and rammed each other's cars as they both let out a lot of frustration and stored-up energy that came from the intense race.

Busch still leads Edwards in the Chase standings, but with his latest victory, Carl Edwards narrowed the margin to 212 points.

With superstars like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart having relatively-off years up till now, fans and NASCAR itself is probably excited to have these two guys start a legitimate rivalry.

The words after the race didn't do anything to cool off the tension between the two...TO WATCH A VIDEO OF CARL EDWARDS AND KYLE BUSCH EXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES, CLICK HERE...