Witches, magic and candy, Oh My!

Its official, Halloween is here! Though I won’t be home for Halloween this year, its fun to think of what all the little kids on my street will be dressed up as. Last year we had quite a variety of costumes. From kids still keeping the “Scream” mask alive, to Bob the Builder, we had it all. I remember as a kid preparing for Halloween weeks in advance. I would plan a costume for school, a costume for Trick or Treat and if need be, a costume for the “Halloween Dance” at school. Ah, those were the days. Hours and hours spent trying to find just the right type of glitter and the ugliest prom dress I could find…pure bliss. This year, I’m stepping it up a notch and going to OU for Halloween. I’m a little terrified, but horribly excited at the same time. My two best friends live in an apartment on Court Street, apparently the party stretches down Court (the roads are closed) for a few miles and people walk back and forth showing off their costumes and visiting with friends. It sounds so simple to be so chaotic and trouble causing…oh well, we will have to see! One thing Halloween always reminds me of…the child inside my heart is still there. Itching to go and find just the right glitter…But really, I’m going as a fairy…I’ve got to get to the store and pick up some glitter! HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GO WATCH HOCUS POCUS!!

Sunday Dinner: Ladies Fingers

Happy early Halloween everyone!! This weeks Sunday Dinner post is…dun dun dun…Ladies Fingers!

Brought to you by the ever creative Martha Stewart, this fun treat is sure to add some flair to any Halloween table…and maybe some hesitation from your guests…However, you can assure them that there were no real ladies harmed in the making of this dish!

Here is the link to Martha Stewart’s website, check out her other Halloween treats while you’re there!

Martha’s Lady Fingers

As a treat I’ve also included a few of her previous Halloween costumes, they’re pretty fun.

Sunday Dinner: Cookiessssss

Everyone go buy these cook books! Technically, they’re baking, but oh well. 1 Mix, 100 Muffins and 1 Dough, 100 Cookies use 1 basic recipe that is altered to create 100 different types of muffins or cookies. Sounds like a terrible idea, right? Wrong! These books can produce some of the most amazing desserts. I have them sitting here on my bed as I type this and I’m thinking of all the different recipes I’ve tried and how good they all are. Now, when I say tried, I mean eaten. Unfortunately, I have little interest in cooking myself, but I’m REALLY good at finding recipes for my friends who do! (My step-mom introduced me to these books) We’ve had the muffins the most and one of my favorites is the cornbread muffin. It has actual corn in it…truly great. Below is the link to Amazon, but I found my muffin book at T.J. Max. People don’t realize how great they are, so the books are usually discounted. (extra plus!) I was in a boutique the other day and found 1 Mix, 100 cookies. I’ve even seen them discounted at Walgreens…So if you happen to see one on the shelf, grab it! They’re totally worth every penny.  
1 Mix, 100 Muffins on Amazon  1 Dough, 100 Cookies on Amazon

Quizmaster Extraordinaire

AHHHHH I’m obsessed! Everyone go visit Sporcle.com. My friend Angie sent me the link to a quiz on the 6 wives of Henry VIII (I have a slightly ridiculous obsession with the Tudor family) and I became…an addict. I didn’t even see it coming. But there are so many quizes on so many different topics! I can quiz myself on the Harry Potter books, movies, history, literature, music and a million other topics! I admit, I’ve wasted a considerable amount of my life away, but  I think of it as exercise for my brain instead of pointless fun. The brain functions the same way that muscles do, so the more you challenge it the stronger it becomes. Thats what I’m telling myself anyway. With a time clock and questions to answer, it can be the perfect addiction for anyone!

Here is the link to my favorite Harry Potter Quiz. Can you name 200 HP characters in under 20 minutes? I couldn’t actually. GO TAKE THE QUIZ!

http://www.sporcle.com/games/GeoGod/allharrypotter

It Gets Better

I am SO inspired by the support going out to bullied gay teens right now. Gay Rights is a cause to which I am deeply dedicated since a large majority of my friends are gay. I can’t imagine my life without them and I can’t imagine their live’s without each other. The love they bring to the world is absolutely wonderful. Regardless of who is being bullied, it is wrong on every level and I am glad that this campaign has brought it to people’s attention. The more negative press it gets and the more we suppress it the harder it is for it to survive. People are bullied for a variety of reasons, but I love how this campaign is approaching it. The point of “It Gets Better” is obviously to speak out against gay bullying, but its doing something else in the process. Its focusing on why kids are being bullied, not the bullying itself. Its like a face to a name. When you take away the reason for the bullying and turn the tables on a bully, it makes it harder to continue the bullying. (though not impossible) I think this has happened more by accident than on purpose with a few things in today’s society. For example, The Civil Rights Movement wasn’t started as an “anti-bullying campaign,” it was started to give all races, creeds and colors equal rights. In the end, it helped to crack down on bullies because it made being from a different culture or race normal rather than different. Likewise, society has also made being a “nerd” cool instead of weird. Though like the Civil Rights Movement this probably has more to do with the evolution of society and (quite frankly) fashion than it does with an anti-bullying campaign. So, in the end, I thank “It Gets Better” for making a difference in the lives of gay teens and giving them strength when they feel that no one around them has support or love to share with them. However, I alsothank the campaign for giving bullying yet another face that we can relate to and working to eliminate it directly, but also indirectly. With so many people sharing so much love, how could it NOT get better?!

Please, please, please visit TheTrevorProject.org for more details!!

The Beauty of Art

Sunday Dinner: Rosemary Red Potatoes

I’ve been thinking of more ways to add structure to this silly blog of mine, so I’ve decided to have certain days signify certain types of posts. For example! I have a friend who loves cooking. Her dream is to own a pastry shop in Paris one day. Which means She is always looking for new recipes or fun experiments to try out. I’ve thought about posting the ones I like for her to read. Except, I didn’t want to have 5 recipe posts in a row or random posts here and there that she would have to sort through.

My solution to this problem then, is Sunday Dinner! Every Sunday, I will post new recipes and fun ideas I have heard about for all of those quirky cooks and aspiring pastry chefs, like my friend Karissa. They will be in honor of that family filled day that always includes a good meal at home or with friends. Perhaps, its even a day you have some free time to try one of these recipes!

Therefore, to inaugurate Sunday Dinner, I’ve picked one of the first things I learned to cook. (and one of the last, woops!):

Bella's Rosemary Red Potatoes

from Allrecipes.com

FYI: Last time I substituted italian seasoning, salt and pepper for the rosemary. It was DELICIOUS!

DIY Dry Erase Board

Make and Takes.com, a website devoted to “craft. food. fun.” recently posted this classy little dry erase board project. Maybe it was the DIY, adorable and affordable aspects of it that appealed to me…or maybe it was just the reminder of my step-mom’s amazing tortilla soup (pictured on the final product) that made this little project catch my eye! Either way, I love finding innovative ways to use the things sitting around my house. As a college student, that really means a lot. So, follow the steps below or visit the  site!

Supplies:

• Picture frame with glass front (This one is a 12×12 frame) 
• Piece of patterned scrapbook paper to fit in your frame 
• Optional: Vinyl cut letters for each day of the week (you could always just hand write them)
• Dry-erase marker

1. Put your patterned paper inside the frame. Replace the back. That’s pretty much it. 

2. If you wanted to stop here, you could hand-write your days of the week on the glass, or use it as a message board/to-do list. I love that these frames can stand or hang on the wall so you can do whatever works best in your space!

3. Use a paper towel or cloth to easily erase dry-erase marker off the glass.

4. If you want to get fancy and go a step further, you can add vinyl lettering for the days of the week. I cut these letters with my Silhouette machine, using Creating Keepsakes “Woodbine Swashes” font. (Try not to notice how crooked “Sunday” is. I didn’t notice until after the picture was taken. Luckily, it’s easy to fix!)

Now everyone in the family knows what’s for dinner each week!

If you’re not a fan of white frames, here it is spray painted black, as well. The best part about this project is that it is SO easy to change the paper if you decide to change your decor, or if you just get tired of it. So you’ll really use it for years to come!

Gleeful for Glee

On May 19, 2009 the world changed. In reality, the pilot of a tv show aired for the first time. But, the laughter, crying, smiles and ecstatic people around the world were changed forever. They were experiencing glee. (Which also happened to be the name of the show.) Glee hit FOX out of nowhere and it couldn't have been more different from its fellow FOX shows. Since when has there been a show about singing, high school, theatre nerds (which might be the biggest kind of nerd, don't worry I'm a college theatre major so I'm a high school theatre nerd alum) that actually turned out sensational music and cast some of the hottest young stars around?


But I digress. The most exciting thing about Glee is not the revolution of the high school theatre nerd (unfortunately, High School Musical has been there, done that...no comment.) or the catchy musical remakes and hysterical routines, its the evolution of the high school individual. I say "individual" very specifically because Glee has been so fantastically un-specific. Glee hasn't just innovated the nerd, theatre nerd, or high school oddball. It has resurrected them along with thousands of other "lamely titled people." How about teen mom? Got one. Wheel chair kid? Yep. Misunderstood teacher? Definitely. Jewish girl? Wow, even that. I could go on for years! African American, football player, OCD case, gay kid, struggling parent, cheerleader, Asian kid, down syndrome kid, hs band member, Latino, alcoholic, the excessively masculine woman...etc.


But, they are cool.  


These lame titles ("labels" might be a better term,) are no longer  ways to identify people when you are being less than PC or rude. They have turned into objects of pride. Now a days, who doesn't want to belt like only Mercedes can and pull off fantastic fashion faux pas' like Kurt? Who honestly denies that they love Sue Sylvester's assortment of workout suits or Rachel's gay dads? (Though we have yet to meet them, why?!) These labels are what have brought these kids together (and gotten them a slushie or two in the face) but what has also kept them together. It is why we love them and why we relate to them. Glee shows us that these kids have come together because they  are all labeled, not because they are labeled the same thing. Their labels are what bring them together as one solid whole and what makes them extraordinary individuals within that whole.


The world will always have labels. But why not embrace them and make them the stepping stones to our very unification? After all, everyone has one, so we already have it in common! But most importantly, its what we have in Glee. Its what Glee shows we have in those around us. Its what after grasping about those around us, we can learn to appreciate in them, and in ourselves.

Chivalry?

I recently took on the magnificent task (both in size and excellence) of reading Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. I’ve grown up hearing the heroic and romantic tales that Malory so masterfully wrote about, so I decided to read them for myself!

But something occurred to me as I was reading the stories of Knights and their ladies, sacrificial deaths, heart throbbing betrayal and undeniable majesty…does this chivalry still exist? Is the “honor code,” as it is referred to in the book, still upheld amongst today’s men and equally expected from women?

I started to watch those around me and take notice of the interactions between not only my friends, but people passing me on the street. What did men and women do when going through doors or how did they act when on a date at a restaurant now a days? I wanted to see if their actions would tell me anything about the presence of the honor code in today’s society and if, depending on their surroundings, it still existed.

RESULTS: I am pleased to say that, (though it was more of a glimmer than a light of hope) I saw it! I saw men opening doors for women or stopping to allow her to walk through the door first. Not every time, but I did see it. I also saw a man stop what he was doing to help a young girl carry a box that was too heavy for her. Though some women reacted politely to these “chivalric” acts, some acted indifferent.

Most of the people I observed were college students, but this might be the biggest testament that chivalry still exists. People assume that acts based on honour are “dying out” or getting less and less prominent in the lives of the younger generations, but seeing these actions amongst my peers is very reassuring!

Lastly, there are certain parts of the code that (I believe) go in and out of style. For example, opening the car door or pulling out a lady’s chair…these things are great! However, in today’s society they can sometimes seem SO chivalric that its over the top. Chivalry can be displayed in many different ways, but trying to hit every point on a first date is not a necessity, more importantly, its the thought that counts, even with the smallest act. I think maybe thats the point society has begun to strive for. Perhaps chivalry died out for a while because it is coming back in a whole new way, its no longer about social protocol, its about wanting to do or accept a kind act for another! So, ladies and genteman, keep at it, because Sir Thomas Malory would be proud.

"The Most Happy"

This week Dr. Retha Warnicke, Historian and professor of history at Arizona State University, will be on my college campus giving a lecture called:

"Anne Boleyn, the Countess of Leicester, and Diplomatic Libels: A Whore and a She-Wolf." 

I will DEFINITELY be attending. (You know how some people say they have been dancing since before they could walk? I have been obsessed with The Tudors since I was born) Dr. Warnicke is said to have controversial theories about one of my favorite Tudor women, Anne Boleyn and whether or not she is actually the whorish, disfigured, truly terrible woman history has made her out to be.

A few of Dr. Warnicke's theories on Anne Boleyn:

• Believes Anne was born in 1507, not 1501 as commonly believed.
• Anne did not have deformities such as an extra fingernail or mole as those rumors did not start until after her death and no living person confirmed them while she was alive.
• Anne miscarried a deformed fetus in 1536. Dr. Warnicke believes this is what gave way to the accusations of witchcraft, adultery and unfaithfulness that have given Anne the reputation of participant rather than victim in her death.

“As long as the lurid charges against the Queen exist only in unsubstantiated indictments and contradictory diplomatic writings, historians ought to remain sceptical about factional theories of her adulterous guilt or of factional politics. At the least, they owe it to the past not to further obscure the facts.-Dr. Retha Warnicke

I will be interested in hearing the evidence she has compiled to support her theories. History is often hard to prove, but I never tire of hearing another way it might have happened!