The Answers...

I know you have been sitting at home, anxiously checking your Google Reader for this post. So without further ado, here are the answers to your questions.

What is your favorite movie and why?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I love everything about this movie: the characters, the way it's filmed, the story line, the emotion, the abstract nature. I triple love the ending.

The whole theme of discovering love through loss is brilliant.

If you could go back in time to any era, what would it be?

Easy. The 1950's.

The domestic arts were valued. The clothes, furniture, textiles, architecture, and housewares can't be beat. Life seemed more simple. There was a work ethic. People had a greater sense of pride. Children were polite.

I really think I was born in the wrong generation.

How do you fit all you do into 24 hours?

I don't get it all done. Let me dispel that myth right now.

But what I do accomplish, I give credit to good organizational skills. I'm a list maker. I plan out my week much like my menus. Each day I have things scheduled. I even plan the order in which I do things to be more efficient. This way, I know what the day holds and can stay focused.

I don't have a magical formula. I'm just a bit of an OCD-planner.

When will you move to Austin?

When we start the commune.

One day. One day I'll have a little get-away place in the city I love.

(As if you can't tell, this is Lia's question.)

Do you plan on having more children?

No. I don't plan on it.

And I say that with a bit of sadness.

There is a part of my heart that longs for a third baby. But I know how thin I'm currently spread...and that's with two that are somewhat self-sufficient. I can't imagine adding an infant to my current equation.

I just don't know if there is enough of me to be the kind of mommy I'd want to be to all my children. I don't know if it would be fair.

How did you come up with Little Fists?

It comes from a song called Little Drunk Fists by Slobberbone.

I dropped the "drunk" part. I didn't want folks to get the wrong impression.

For those of you just joining, Slobberbone is a band from Denton, TX. I have been a fan since college. I've seen them play numerous times. I met The Mr. at a Slobberbone show. Both of my children have heard them in utero.

I have a long history and a deep love for this band. So it seemed appropriate.

Plus, I would describe myself as feisty and stubborn. "Little Fists" sounds like me.

What cheesy, bad song will you listen to on the radio?

We have a classic country radio station here in Houston. I love it.

It plays all the old country tunes that I remember from my childhood. I go back to the days of riding in my Papa's truck, standing up on the bench seat with the windows down while George Jones and Conway Twitty played on a staticky radio station.

I'm amazed at how many lyrics I still remember.

If you could end one thing: world hunger, poverty, racism, AIDS, cancer, or ______, what would it be?

Geez. That's deep.

I actually gave this a lot of thought. Of course, I would love to end all of those things...and about a hundred others. This is the one question that I didn't have an answer for.

So, I'm going to lighten it up a bit.

I would wave my magic wand and ice cream would no longer make my jeans tight.

That is an example of a cop-out.

What 5 albums would you want to have on a deserted island?

Wilco...Sky Blue Sky
Death Cab For Cutie...Narrow Stairs
Neko Case...Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
The National...Alligator
Beulah...The Coast Is Never Clear
Chasmatic...Kicker Wisdom
a mix of random goodness

Yes. That's seven. And a mix is a bit of a cheat. But I've never been one to follow the rules.

What would you do with a million dollars?

I would sit in my little house on the lake in Austin and think about how to best use those funds as I shell black eyed peas picked fresh from my garden.

You asked. I answered.

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged.

My New Favorite Salad

Man alive! I'm in love with this salad.

Isn't it beautiful? It looks like spring in a bowl.

It's crazy-easy to make.

I chopped an onion and sautéd it along with a couple cloves of garlic.

Add a package of frozen corn. Cook until warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Chop three or four tomatoes and add to a large bowl.

Dice a couple of avocados. Add to the bowl.

Throw in a handful of cilantro, torn into smaller pieces.

Don't forget the lime. I used a few tablespoons.

Add the corn. Gently mix together.

Eat.

Get seconds.

Eat more.

Fight with your Mr. over who gets the leftovers for lunch the next day.

**I loosely followed the warm corn-tomato salad found in this book.

Here's Your Chance

Last week I was tagged by Kerry at Young Ones to share ten things about myself that you might not know. I consider myself a mostly open book. So, I thought about it and decided to leave it up to you.

What do you want to know? Ask away...

I'll choose ten and post the answers later in the week. And then I'll be tagging a few of you lucky folk. Because that's how this Blog Land tradition works.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm approving all comments before posting.

You never know who reads these things and what their twisted mind wonders. If you happen to be one of those people, don't waste your time. I will not answer questions of the kinky sort. At least not here.

Be nice or I'll sic Flame Ninja on you.

Thank You, Easter Bunny...

Some scenes from our Easter weekend...

Hard-boiled.

PAAS.

Technique.

Dyed.

Full of candy.

Cook-out.

Sides.

Chow.

Drink.

Relax.

Gather.

Gather more.

Basket-full.

Sneaky.

In Candy Heaven.

Got the most.

The chocolate bunny.

Mad that it's over.

Thank you Easter Bunny. You out-did yourself.

What's For Dinner?

The spring-inspired feasting will continue this week...

Sunday: The Mr. is bringing home some spicy Thai. It's been a couple of weeks and I'm going through withdrawals.

The Easter Bunny can keep his chocolate eggs, I 'll take some spicy Thai.

Monday: grilled shrimp, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, quinoa salad

Tuesday: grilled chicken, zucchini, warm tomato-corn salad, black beans

Wednesday: lemon-chicken soup with orzo, whole wheat bread

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: fish tacos, black beans, guacamole, fresh tomatoes

The chicken soup and fish tacos are from this book. I've posted about both of these dishes here and here. It's one of my favorite cookbooks and I turn to it often when creating a dinner plan. The warm tomato-corn salad is found in Ellie's newest book.

I've got a couple of baking tasks at the top of my list. One involves some dark chocolate, the other is fruit based. I think I'll take votes from the brood to see which gets made first.

I hope you had a fun, relaxing, mindful, and tasty Easter weekend. I'll be posting about ours in the next couple of days.

From my corner of Blog Land to yours, Happy Easter!

I Dig This...

My current list of faves include:

*The Mossimo boyfriend jeans at Target.

I love how they are loose without being too baggy. They have a nice straight cut and there is enough length to allow for a wide cuff at the bottom.

And at less than $30 they won't break the bank.

*Iced green tea.

I'm really liking this tea. The flavor of their Lotus Green Tea is very light and delicate.

It's spring. It seems so fitting.

*Family tea time.

Although spring has arrived, The Offspring are still fond of having a cup of hot tea on Friday or Saturday night. We are up a little later, watching movies or listening to music. It's a good way to start winding down.

We each have our own cup. They were all bought by Papa at a yard sale. They are all vintage. They all suit us perfectly.

Maybe those are the reasons that I love this little tradition that's come to be.

*Grilling outside.

I love the ease. The smell. The result.

*This menu.

Since we are on the topic of grilling, this menu is my current favorite. If you follow the weekly What's For Dinner posts it will be familiar:

grilled barbecued chicken thighs, grilled vegetable salad, black eyed peas, fresh tomatoes

It's so easy. And healthy. And screams SPRING.

For the salad: Grill your favorite mix of veggies. I favor asparagus, squash, zucchini, and portabellas. Season with salt, pepper, and a little garlic. Grill until done. Top with feta.

My mouth waters just thinking about it.

*Stubb's Bar-B-Q Sauce.

Stubb's is located in Austin, TX. On any given night you can see some live music and eat a fine meal.

This particular sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Just like I like it.

*Listening to The Boy sing Spoon's You Got Yr Cherry Bomb.

In the kitchen, at the top of his lungs.

He channels Brit quite well.

Must be the hair.

*Tzatziki dip with grape tomatoes.

So much better than grabbing a handful of chips.

*Dr. Kracker crackers.

If grape tomatoes aren't cutting it, try these dipped into some of that tzatziki or your favorite hummus.

They are filling! Having 4 or 5 of these will give me a boost before a run. And a boost is often needed.

*Greek yogurt with fresh berries, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of honey.

Breathtaking. In both looks and flavor.

*Miles Kurosky, live.

Yowza.

The Mr.'s band opened. My favorite peeps were with me. It set the stage for a perfect night.

And it was. Miles performed an amazing show. He played songs new and old. He interacted with the crowd. He stuck around afterwards to thank his fans.

I had entirely too much fun. I awoke the next morning fully clothed, including my shoes and quickly grabbed a bottle of Bayer. All the while, smiling.

If you get a chance, pick up tickets. We seriously tried to scheme a way up to Minneapolis for his show this weekend. Minneapolis...Minnesota. It would be worth it.

Speaking of Mr. Kurosky, if you aren't familiar with his old band Beulah then let me introduce you to this album...

*The Coast Is Never Clear.

I will admit to being a tad behind the whole Beulah scene. I'm going to blame the fact that I was busy having babies and deep in the mommy fog when they were on the hot-list.

I've since caught up and this album makes me so dang happy. I listened to it for four hours straight one night.

Just go download it. If you don't get into it then I'm concerned about your mental health.

*Mrs. Meyer's candles and hand soaps.

Me and The Mr. are suckers for basic packaging with a retro feel. So our eye was naturally drawn to these products. They are all natural and don't have a heavy perfume scent.

We light the candles every night. Not so much for romance, but to cover the methane that emits from our dog.

I find myself washing my hands more than usual as well. I wish The Offspring were just as enamoured with Mrs. Meyer and her lovely soap.

*Talking ball with Pops.

The playoffs will begin soon. Nail biting season.

We spent over two hours on the phone yesterday discussing the subtle nuances that is Spurs basketball. Player stats were discussed, teams were compared, point differentials examined, and so on and so forth.

We often take trips down basketball memory lane. In fact, a good portion of our conversation centered around this.

I love the fact that I have someone that can discuss not only specific games, but specific plays, and specific calls...from two years ago.

Pops is my best guy friend. And I am pretty sure that I'm his.

*The Hipstamatic app for the iPhone.

I love the various filter apps that iPhone has available. Some are better than others. This is my newest find and I was instantly smitten.

It's made to mimic the plastic toy cameras from days past. You can switch up the type of film, flash, and lens used for each shot to give you all sorts of effects. They even have a Hipstamatic Shop where you can purchase additional "equipment".

I've had a lot of fun experimenting. You would too.

That's my list.

I hope you can find something you dig as well.

They Can Make A Grown Man Cry

The Mr. told me that these cookies were good enough to make a grown man cry.

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies:

I found the recipe in Cooking Light.

Yet another example of their food make-over magic.

I was able to reduce calories even further by cutting the amount of butter in half and subbing unsweetened applesauce.

The magic ingredients.

The apple and caramel give these cookies a gourmet flair.

Warning: You could eat two cookies worth of dough easily.

Those don't count, do they?

Do not...repeat...do not forget the parchment paper.

Unless you are into recycling your baking sheets.

These are messy cookies. If (when) I make them again I'll be sure to chop the caramel into smaller bits.

I might even use less than called for. They are quite gooey. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Next time I'll also try using half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour. I think they have a strong enough flavor to work with the whole wheat.

These pictures are all that remain.

We are now shedding tears for a different reason.