Flipping Fairies

Have you paid any attention to children's television lately? I'll admit, we watch too much of it. And it's starting to get under my skin. Anything that's not marketed to the 3 and under set is ... well... kind of outrageous when you think about it. And I do think about it, sometimes. I know a lot has been written about this topic; I've read some of it over the years. It's really hitting home now, though, as I see what my girls are absorbing.

For example, what is wrong with this picture?



It's worse when you realize that the mythology of these fairies says that a fairy is born when a baby laughs. Then why the impractical, overly sexual clothing, folks? And why is there a focus on pairing up with the boys in the latest movie? They don't need to pair up.

Lately, NickJr has been promoting Winx dolls, which seemed cute, so we watched an episode tonight.



Egads! These are worse bodies than Barbie has! This show is marketed to the 7-10 year old crowd. I told DH that we won't be putting this into the regular rotation.

Since I don't see us curing ourselves of our TV addition any time soon, I would like to find some shows or movies that present somewhat normal looking girls who aren't looking -- or dressed -- for a hook up. Suggestions?

Happy Heart Day

Stampin Up! paper, ink, ribbon, sentiment

Passion Pink, Real Red, Creamy Caramel

Friskers heart punch

Retired Stamps Swap Cards

For February's card swap, the theme was retired stamps. I outdid myself. Instead on one retired stamp, I managed to use four. My design was based on this card. Sorry the card is so blurry; it didn't scan well.

All products: Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Friendship's Journey, Noteworthy, Canvas, and Bella Toile

Paper: White, Creamy Caramel

Ink: Creamy Caramel
Embellishment: Hodgepodge Hardware (antique brass)

Thank you cards from years past

Happy New Year!

I feel like I'm still catching up from the Christmas holidays. We travelled this year, going first to visit my BIL in Atlanta and then to see my sister in NC. A lot of time on the road, but it was worth it. The girls really liked seeing their relatives.

I'm slowly writing all the Thank You notes that need to be sent. I purchased the ones I'm sending this year, but here are a few I've made in years past, using all stamping up products.

I'm working on an exchange piece for stitching. It's been fun working on something small. I like the colors I'm using, but the number of thread changes is slowing me down. The back is a mess, sadly. Pictures once my partner receives the piece.

In other news, it snowed here yesterday enough for the girls to go out and make snow angels before school. They were delighted. We didn't get enough dry snow last year to do anything with it, so they're doubly excited.

20 Years Ago

20 years ago, in the aftermath of this nor'easter, and while the Bills were beating the Broncos on the way to their 3rd AFC Championship, this is what we were doing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving! We're going out for lunch in Annapolis with a friend and having guests over for dessert and drinks in the evening. It should be fun.

Hero Arts sentiment, all other images and supplies are Stampin' Up!. 

Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, So Saffron, Creamy Caramel. The DSP is from 2006.

My inspiration for the design came from Nadine's card. My inspiration for the colors came from ColourQ #59.

Apples! Apples! Apples!

Last weekend, we drove out to Homestead Farms to pick apples and pumpkins. We had a lot of fun, and it turned into quite the adventure. We came home via White's Ferry (yes, a real ferry) and stumbled across a carnival when we stopped for dinner.

We also came home with a half a bushel of apples and an assortment of decorative pumpkins. This week, I've been trying to use the apples in cooking.  Here are two recipes for things that I put together that are a bit different than the usual pies and such. I made the first one to go with our pancake supper tonight.

Pancake Apples (for spreading over pancakes or maybe ice cream)

1/2 stick of butter
1 medium apple, cored and sliced thinly; peel if you want
1/4 C. real maple syrup (substitute brown sugar if you don't have the real stuff)
water
cinnamon

Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Place the sliced apple in a single layer in the butter. After 1-2 minutes, flip the apple. After another minute, continue to saute for about 5 minutes. Add the maple syrup and enough water to cover the apples about 2/3 of the way. Mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Spread the apples back out into a single layer in the pan and give them a dusting of cinnamon (don't be skimpy on the cinnamon; you want it a bit strong here). Mix well, continue stirring, and cook until the sauce begins to bubble and carmelize. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. If it gets cold, reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds before serving.

Chicken Sausage with Apple Salsa

mild olive oil or canola oil
1/4 - 1/2 C. onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced (don't use green ones here; you want them to be sweet)
4-6 chicken sausages with good seasoning
1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

apple cider (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp. corn starch

In a large frying pan or skillet with a lid, heat 2 glugs of olive oil over medium heat, making sure there's enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Saute the onion in the olive oil. When the onion starts to be translucent, add the red pepper and continue cooking. After 5 minutes, add the sausage and try to brown on all sides. When browned, add the sliced apple. Mix thoroughly and then add enough apple cider to halfway cover the sausages. Cover and simmer until the apples and peppers are soft and the sausages are cooked, flipping the sausages and stirring the mix once or twice while it's cooking. Remove the lid and let the cider reduce a bit. Remove the sausages and keep warm. Mix the corn starch with a bit of cold water and then add to the pan. Continue stirring the mix and cook for a few more minutes. A gravy-like chunky apple salsa should form. Serve the salsa over the sausages (and rice or potatoes, if desired).

I served this with a side of broccoli, and then realized that I could have made this a one-pot dish by adding some shredded cabbage or broccoli slaw to cook with the onions.