Why, Walmart, why?

Almost every time I'm in Walmart and I happen to pass by the clothing section (or notice it), one particular brand catches my eye: Faded Glory. I first noticed this in the lingerie section--I was passing, not purchasing--and I was struck by how utterly awful that name was for lingerie. Seriously? Faded Glory? Isn't that just a bit of a downer? I mean, why put on lingerie at all if you're planning to wear Faded Glory? I just can't wrap my head around it--it bugs me every time I see it.

And I don't know if I just didn't notice it before, but now there is Faded Glory apparel for teenagers. That's just sending the wrong message. But at least the clothes had some color, as opposed to the Young Adult section in books, which may as well have been a Goth display. Apparently YA is the new black.



I myself am reading the Sarah Laurence-recommended, black-covered Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. And loving it! And its funky, swirly purple font.

Food Network Junkie

I admit to having a little bit of a Food Network obsession. I don't watch much TV, and most of the TV I do watch is typically mutually agreed upon recorded programs I watch with my husband. When he's not home and I feel like watching, I invariably turn to the Food Network. And, really, I could sit there and watch just about any of those shows, because despite my MIL's reason for not watching (she can already cook), I feel like I learn a little something with almost every show I watch (even though, no matter what she'll tell you, I can cook too). Whether it's not to wash mushrooms and raspberries or the fact that cold butter is the key to flaky pastry.

Of course I have my favorites, and these change with my moods. If I'm in the mood for fantasy, I go for Barefoot Contessa. If I'm feeling competitive, Iron Chef is perfect, and if I'm feeling a bit cosmopolitan, I love to watch Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives. Its appeal is actually two-fold, as they highlight unique and excellent restaurants around the U.S. and they get the chefs to give quick tutorials on how to make a couple of the restaurant's specialty items.

I'd been trying to keep track of some of these spots, in the event that I ever visited the city in question, but I'm getting overloaded with must-visits. So, I'm thinking of dedicating one of my many currently blank journals to future culinary vacation spots and roadtrip stops. I do occasionally get the urge to try out one of the featured recipes myself (after cutting a couple ingredients, substituting a few more, simplifying and generally trying to cut fat and calories), so it's a win-win, even if the final product only vaguely resembles its inspiration.

A new favorite is The Best Thing I Ever Ate, where celebrity chefs and restaurant owners highlight their favorite foods in a given category. On Friday's episode, one of the guys' favorite snacks was a particular pickle, so they did a little piece on this homemade pickle company...and I think, just maybe, I can adjust my own delicious pickle recipe (a la Emeril) to make it a little easier. Awesome!

I will tell you that I'm sort a cooking celebrity in my house too. For years, while my boys were eating lunch or dinner, I'd stand at the kitchen island cooking and pretend I was doing a cooking show--my mom even made me a stand-up sign. The boys loved being 'audience members' and insisted on seeing into the bowl after ever step. I really could have used one of those overhead mirrors hanging from the ceiling in my kitchen... Maybe someday.

Breakfast Food

Until recently, I'd never made a fried egg in my life. But then, over Thanksgiving, I found out that my sister makes herself eggs of breakfast occasionally. Then I promptly forgot that information. Then over Christmas I was reminded, when my sister received a tiny spatula for flipping her eggs. It must have tickled something in my brain, because since then, I've made myself a modified version of huevos rancheros three separate times.

Never made an egg before, now I'm making huevos rancheros for breakfast. Just needed a little sisterly motivation I guess. Go figure.

This past weekend I also tried my hand at baked doughnuts--they were more like slightly tough yeast rolls dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar. None of my boys were particularly interested when they were fresh, but then the next day, the two kids came asking about them. I had to break the news that I'd tossed them. They seemed disappointed. I can't win.

Book Review Club ~ February 2010

It seems that I'm lagging behind in my book posts, so lucky for you, it's time for another installment of Barrie Summy's Book Review Club!

Click icon for more
book review blogs
@Barrie Summy

This month I'm reviewing, The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival, Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low, a trim little book but a definite mouthful.
If you follow this blog at all, or even just visit every month for the Book Review Club, you probably know that I, most definitely, judge books by their covers. And this one was no different. I love the uniqueness of this cover, and all the careful little details: the line of buttons on Petronella's skirt, the arch of flies behind her, and the plethora of little bugs tucked into all sorts of places. It had me glancing at it again and again.

This middle grade novel is just the right combination of silly and serious. Set in the spring of 1903, it is a cozy (and innocent) peek into turn-of-the-century England. Two events happen almost simultaneously on the cusp of Petronella Arbuthnot's sixteenth birthday: her Uncle Percival accidentally swallows an exotic beetle, giving him a taste for insects (and nothing else), not to mention an inexplicable spryness, and a London actress and a Panamanian Generalissimo are abducted from her coming-out party (despite not having been invited).

In the interest of averting the embarrassment that would surely result were it to get about that her uncle enjoys consuming insects at every opportunity, Petronella consults with an entomologist and subsequently finds that the fateful beetle (and a strange and colorful species of butterfly that's been fluttering about) hints at the dangerous plot behind the kidnappings. It is up to Petronella to do what she can for Mother England.

The storyline itself is clever, and its humor and quirkiness are the perfect foil for a psuedo-serious mystery. Petronella most definitely has her hands full dealing with her ridiculous relatives, her crazily-cavorting, insect-devouring uncle, the bungling detectives of Scotland Yard, and her ever-so-distracting crush on her best-friend's brother. And she handles everything with aplomb!

Perfectly charming! I look forward to more installments in the adventures of Petronella!

Can I get an opinion?

Okay, so my agent is asking for a few more adjustments, and she gave me a few more comments on various things, one of which I'd like a wider opinion on. So, if you feel like giving your two cents, I'd be much obliged...

In the book, I make reference to Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in passing conversation--and it's understood (and I think actually mentioned) that they are cool. My agent thinks this is a dated allusion. What do you think?

And while you're freely giving your opinion, what well-known sleuth would you recommend as a counterpoint to a first-time sleuth, keeping in mind that this is a light-hearted book? Originally I had Veronica Mars, but that was a no-go as the show's been cancelled. Then I went with Sean Spenser (from Psych), but my agent didn't think the show had wide enough appeal. She suggested someone from CSI or Law & Order, but the strait-laced detectives on those shows just don't seem quite right. I'm tempted to go with Nancy Drew.

Thoughts?

This, I find hilarious...

From Sycamore Street Press

Although I suppose I might not if I was one of the two... Then again, I might still.

Another Eye-poppin' Birthday

My baby is eight today! And these are his take-to-school goodies...



I wish I was going to see all the turquoise mustaches these are going to cause...