tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15141599673956084482024-03-19T06:10:55.521-05:00Your Mom Goes To CollegeA young(er) mom and wife's perspective on parenting, marriage, the pursuit of higher education and the occasional celebrity gossip. raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-43242057323074838322012-01-01T21:54:00.000-06:002012-01-01T21:54:19.365-06:00new year's resolution 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm not a big fan of new years resolutions because, most of the time, i think i'm setting myself up for failure. however, i feel like 'start blogging again' is fairly attainable and thus, i'm blogging again. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">for those who don't know why i stopped blogging, it was essentially that my husband adam and i decided to start trying to have another baby. which, while certainly a big deal, doesn't seem to impair blogging abilities but for me, it started to consume every unpublished post and i didn't want to write about it or really make it public. so writer's block ensued and never really left. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and fertile as we have proven to be, we were successful!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/395830_2347559137559_1507470036_31850693_371930865_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/395830_2347559137559_1507470036_31850693_371930865_a.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">23 weeks and 2 days with Baby Girl Hinson!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">i'm actually over 24 weeks now, due April 19th.<br /><br />in the spirit of updating on current events, a few other things have happened in the past few months:<br /><br /><b>we bought our first home</b><br />adam & i became homeowners back in October and after a few months of painting and fixing up, we are now residing in said house. i'll be holding off on pictures since as we moved from an apartment to a house, we have a few rooms with zero furniture.<br /><br /><b>adam is moving...to a new Starbucks</b><br />after over 5 years at our poplar highland location where we first met, adam is being transferred to the Saddle Creek location later this month. so Starbucks patrons of Germantown, go see my silly husband.<br /><br />and other things have stayed the same. i'm still on-air at the radio station, reed is still awesome and my favorite little boy:<br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://p.twimg.com/AdaumwrCEAA_aYg.jpg:large" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://p.twimg.com/AdaumwrCEAA_aYg.jpg:large" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">September 2011 on Thomas the Train in Nashville. It's his heart breaker picture.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">i'm going to keep up the blog this year, albeit i think i'm going to be focusing more on pregnancy, babies, kids and mama stuff....maybe.<br /><br />happy 2012 everyone!</span><br /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-50808410528682930992011-07-04T12:12:00.000-05:002011-07-04T12:12:32.097-05:00growing pains<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">last friday, i was reminded via text from my friend molly that my sweet little reed would be turning three years old in a month.<br />
i'm not sure if there will ever be a birthday of reed's where i say "yes, i can believe that he is (insert age here) and emotionally, i'm quite okay about it"<br />
i'm fairly certain that never happens to mothers. <br />
<br />
<b>reed bryant hinson</b> can speak in full sentences, eat real food (though he often tries to convince me that popcorn & cupcakes are a real dinner), put his own shoes on, convey emotion (something that will likely go away after puberty) and <i>almost</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> pour himself a cup of milk. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">my little guy is growing up.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the heartbreaking part of all this is that while i've taught him to do nearly all of these things, the phrase "no mommy, i don't need your help" can devastate me faster than i ever expected.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">while i miss the total dependence on me, this next phase has been really amazing.<br />
por ejemplo:<br />
we were driving down poplar the other day and reed started saying <i>ouch ouch. </i>so of course i said, <i>whats wrong reed?</i> and very seriously, reed said<i> mommy the sun hurts me! it hurts my eyes!<br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52SkBO-D0WX8UKvSEjM8D2H8ZTTHNzZ_mliXIzGMwJjY1mTx1eWWGTlHn65mHYzzIvFsunxHmNiW2I6UvdklqIYlkBsKAC7HbKHLwoZHmm9eQNHHBP36xp-TMUgRZJYuMLKV46qiNv18C/s1600/photo+%252810%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52SkBO-D0WX8UKvSEjM8D2H8ZTTHNzZ_mliXIzGMwJjY1mTx1eWWGTlHn65mHYzzIvFsunxHmNiW2I6UvdklqIYlkBsKAC7HbKHLwoZHmm9eQNHHBP36xp-TMUgRZJYuMLKV46qiNv18C/s320/photo+%252810%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">what a sweet little guy.<br />
<br />
happy fourth of july, everyone :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-9912135190685713822011-06-23T21:42:00.001-05:002011-06-23T22:11:34.697-05:00when this is all over, i'm going to need a nap<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm going to have to try really hard while writing this to not sound like i'm bragging (or <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Humblebrag">humblebragging</a>, which is slightly different and much funnier) so bear with me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i've had a pretty amazing week this week, professionally speaking. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">after about seven months at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://theqmemphis.com/">the radio station</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">going from intern to producer and learning all kinds of things i never thought i'd know, i'm having my first all by myself on-air shift this saturday morning from 8am-10am.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to say this came out of nowhere wouldn't be entirely accurate but it was very much a zero t0 60 thing over the course of this week.</span></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sure, i talk during the morning show but morning radio and being a disc jockey are totally different animals. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm nervous and excited but mostly, i'm just surprised. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">when i got into journalism in college, i really fell in love with public relations especially since it meant i could still write. i never thought radio would be a career path, even after i first took the internship, and while most people wouldn't disagree that i could make a career out of talking, it's still scary to think about changing paths, even so slightly. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">at the same time, i'm very excited and so thankful to everyone who has helped teach me and so lucky for this opportunity. so please listen (in tennessee on 107.5, in mississippi on 96.1 and elsewhere on the website link above)!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">moving on.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i drink tons of coffee every week to the point where i think i might be comprised of at least 20% pure caffeine. hey, we all have flaws. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">but this week i had an exceptionally great cup of coffee because it was with Suzanne from the <a href="http://eastmemphismoms.blogspot.com/">East Memphis Moms</a> blog. I saw on twitter (follow me <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/raquelhinson">@raquelhinson</a>) that she was looking for guest bloggers and after a few emails, we met to talk and she was awesome! Her youngest and reed are the same age so there's also a possible play date in reed's future. it was really nice, she was beyond encouraging and seemed really excited to have me write for her blog. she also did a <a href="http://eastmemphismoms.blogspot.com/2011/06/emm-spotlight-raquel-miranda-hinson.html">mom spotligh</a>t on me which was very flattering, so thanks Suzanne. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all moms in the Memphis area: follow this blog, like it on facebook and then take advantage of all the cool stuff around town she finds for us to do with our kiddos!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and my last bit of cool news is that i'll be hosting this little party at Gould's in Collierville:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM22C3vUa7dVq7hNmNrRf0vqsSsk0_FQ_c7h2_A2XhQrH6_Jf501sksHs7Cc9VCSowvdGiPR3HwcSj3pCVJMWoz2JFxwYdxp1TLesDCt3txongZ0mMcuxbKwCgyhWo4vuAXmZH_55Gldr/s1600/wella_TN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM22C3vUa7dVq7hNmNrRf0vqsSsk0_FQ_c7h2_A2XhQrH6_Jf501sksHs7Cc9VCSowvdGiPR3HwcSj3pCVJMWoz2JFxwYdxp1TLesDCt3txongZ0mMcuxbKwCgyhWo4vuAXmZH_55Gldr/s320/wella_TN.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">alright, i'm done. i promise. happy thursday all. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-10852138803111443882011-06-20T20:45:00.002-05:002011-06-20T21:45:48.861-05:00is your glass half-full?<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Retreat? Like hell! We're just advancing in another direction"- Oliver Prince Smith</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm a firm believer that no matter what life throws at you, the way you handle it is simply a matter of having the right perspective. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #330000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">recently, adam and i have had to make quite a few decisions about our family, our lives & our future. when this stuff comes up, we try and help each other keep a decent outlook on the situation and we have a little story that helps us do that.<br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #330000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">(this may not be the word for word story so please, a little latitude)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">back when the chappelle show was in its prime, the star comedian dave chappelle went awol. everyone remember?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">he went on a retreat to africa and at one point, he spoke to a local man about his lack of creative control on his show, the sudden influx of fame & money and all of the issues in his life that caused him to pack up and head across the atlantic ocean. the man listened and after he was finished, the man said "dave, i just want you to know something. I ate a dog for breakfast"</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #330000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #330000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">so while making enormous decisions that impact our family and the rest of our lives are hardly a barrel of laughs, at least i have adam to look at me and say <i>"honey, at least you didn't eat a dog for breakfast"</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #330000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #330000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">like i said, it's all a matter of perspective. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-347871229356432542011-06-12T10:49:00.000-05:002011-06-12T10:49:32.305-05:00winner winner chicken dinner<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i am a money making machine. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">no, i'm not talking about working two jobs (humblebrag), i'm talking about a little place i'd like to call Tunica, Mississippi and how i owned it on Friday night. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">adam's 28th birthday (yes, he's very old) is coming up this monday so had a momma and daddy date night in Tunica at Harrah's to celebrate.<br />
i've only been to Tunica to gamble once before and I absolutely hated it. the frugal saver within me counted each dollar in terms of gallons of milk and toothpaste to the point of ridiculousness.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> however, in the spirit of adam's birthday and the fact that i was only gambling on the penny slots, i committed to having fun with it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And boy, did I. Not only did i dominate the Paula Deen Buffet, thereby assuring that I wouldn't be getting into my bathing suit this weekend, I owned my little penny slots all the way to turning $35 into $275. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">yeah, I did.<br />
and as a non-gambling type, I also had the good sense to put it in my pocket and sip a free pina colada while adam played poker.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all in all, it was a good little mini-vacation. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and if you're in memphis and you stop by adam's starbucks tomorrow before 1pm, make sure to say hi to the birthday boy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/58962_675669106920_38907855_36511578_5591032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/58962_675669106920_38907855_36511578_5591032_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">look at how cute he is :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy Sunday Funday, all. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-12734004840097985612011-06-03T22:14:00.000-05:002011-06-03T22:14:02.804-05:00Summer TV Time<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">every season i update the blogosphere about what is currently irritating adam on my dvr and it's time for the summer series. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">unfortunately, summer tends to be terrible for television. it's not always true but generally, reality tv and cable network shows are all that is out there. however sometimes that's wonderful- just look at <i>Mad Men</i>. However, there are no Mad Men's on this list so please, don't expect anything on this list to end up on the Emmy nominee list because sometimes terrible television is wonderful.<br />
<br />
<i>The Secret Life of the American Teenager</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgccFRiqsXfKae_fZJkGLvbSL6yE3GcTc6AyyrI0p-hS2fV-SwYItukJaA0d4E6bvOfuqkIUvPEC42IZ0Qadr6uNMCQslrbsLO_Jp1r8hxfg1CX2uC6Q-dmPH3B7ngwQs8dT0l608aSVe/s1600/Secret-life-of-the-american-teenager-cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgccFRiqsXfKae_fZJkGLvbSL6yE3GcTc6AyyrI0p-hS2fV-SwYItukJaA0d4E6bvOfuqkIUvPEC42IZ0Qadr6uNMCQslrbsLO_Jp1r8hxfg1CX2uC6Q-dmPH3B7ngwQs8dT0l608aSVe/s320/Secret-life-of-the-american-teenager-cast.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
Yes, I know. It's alright, you can judge me for this one. I'm an adult and this show is clearly week one of an acting/writing workshop in Ohio or something. This show is the brainchild of Brenda Hampton, the woman behind 7th Heaven about teenagers who say the word sex and have it entirely too much. The parents are terrible (one of whom is Molly Ringwald), with each of them pretty much having a "kids will be kids" approach to the bed hopping of this group and then getting surprised when 2 of the 4 main girls on the cast have gotten pregnant. It's trash. And I love it. I will admit, I fast forward through about a third of it because some of the characters grate my nerves.<br />
Just do it, my girl <a href="http://katiesinclair.com/">Katie</a> also indulges and she's brilliant. <br />
<i>Secret Life</i> airs on ABC Family on Mondays at 7pm. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The Real Housewives of New York City</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://cdn.babble.com/famecrawler/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-season-4-cast.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">alright this one I'm blaming on my dear friend <a href="http://buckodore.blogspot.com/">Heather</a> who through feeding me lunch on breaks from school got me hooked on this and it's counterpart over in Beverly Hills. I refuse to get into the New Jersey, Miami or Orange County versions though. I do have standards, okay? This mess of a program is how my girl Bethenny Frankel got the bulk of her fame before leaving for her own show, featured in the <a href="http://memphismama-raquel.blogspot.com/2011/03/tv-time.html">spring tv blog</a> by yours truly. It's basically the cattiest high school group of girls gone bad, in their forties and fifties, running around New York City with millions of dollars. It's a trainwreck, I've never seen women behave so badly and I went to an all-girls high school. However, if like me, you're amused by other peoples bad behavior then tune in. Just try not to think about how much money they have without actually working or you'll get upset. <br />
It airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9pm.<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Teen Mom</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www-hollybaby-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/022411_teen_mom_cast110224124413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://www-hollybaby-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/022411_teen_mom_cast110224124413.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> So technically the season hasn't started yet but I think everyone knows I'll be watching as the orignal four moms from the first season of <i>16 & Pregnant</i> finally come back for the third season of the first spin-off. A lot has happened to these girls since we last saw them and most of them aren't even teenagers anymore.<br />
Maci, the sweet redheaded girl from Chattanooga, went blond, got extensions and some pretty sizable fake boobs. Personally, as a mother, I don't think I'd risk plastic surgery when I had a young child at home and an unstable relationship with his father but hey, do what ya can.<br />
Farrah...ehh i just can't with this one. I usually fast forward through her segments unless it looks like her mom is going to go apeshit.<br />
Catelynn, through twitter (follow me @raquelhinson :) and the like, it appears that she's seen her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption, a few more times and has graduated high school after her pregnancy and maternity leave set her back a full year.<br />
Amber. this girl is a hot mess. She lost (or gave up, depending on the source) custody of her daugher, currently has a restraining order preventing her from seeing her baby daddy, Gary, in the presence of their daughter and has felony assault charges pending. Clearly, she's MTV's bread and butter on this show.<br />
Season 3 of <i>Teen Mom</i> begins July 5th on MTV.<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and again, if anyone is interested Adam is currently getting into a new summer show:<br />
<br />
<i>Franklin & Bash</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.descargatv.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/franklin-and-Bash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://www.descargatv.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/franklin-and-Bash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Travis Birkenstock and Zach Morris have grown up into wise cracking lawyers who handle their cases in atypical fashion. It looks pretty funny and I'll likely check it out when I stop watching trash television during reed's naps. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-45356878196871754552011-05-29T10:12:00.001-05:002011-06-20T19:28:36.951-05:00adventures of raquel & reed: part 4<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I haven't posted in over two weeks and I'm literally forcing myself to do it now. it seems like all I've done lately is work (my job at the radio station and then my new marketing internship) and I'm not sure that anyone wants to read about that right now.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have had a few times in the last few weeks where reed and I have had some time to do fun things together and I thought I'd focus on those. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reed and I caught up with <a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/">robyn </a>and ellie a few weeks ago for some <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2011/03/yolo-midtown.html">yolo midtown</a> and reed opted for something from the bakery rather than the self-serve frozen yogurt.<br />
<a href="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255163_1739882186015_1507470036_31423864_1478775_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255163_1739882186015_1507470036_31423864_1478775_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">clearly, he thought it best to just dive right in. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9qtwFEwuB5ay2eRwIo-8zgN_ArZosePblcJ9AJZSdQcW_ZHJhzJCkwlA5JOqa3afhoTYXH6tsTDrqDfAGLccHZTOC5eCpgnjMt6cXaXPOvjKgIgjuEjFERwsbOtB-oATPcfTVimyJgJh/s1600/reed52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9qtwFEwuB5ay2eRwIo-8zgN_ArZosePblcJ9AJZSdQcW_ZHJhzJCkwlA5JOqa3afhoTYXH6tsTDrqDfAGLccHZTOC5eCpgnjMt6cXaXPOvjKgIgjuEjFERwsbOtB-oATPcfTVimyJgJh/s320/reed52.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that's pretty much the best face ever. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we've frequented a few <a href="http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t235">memphis redbirds</a> games so far this season, a summer favorite of reed's. he doesn't so much care that baseball is happening as much as he likes rockey redbird, the playground and the food.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV9NRkq_M9VI5XBPECsdxUevqKeZzGh1KsbFf-pUX6vVAqgAzo3pvR81p85OhV7ce0iR9oAWwDlNpbKi2viw2jGkawRqv7x5qQxlE8zxnRLYBPQcF8hGfq-G8lTmtgQKDSxOUIcLnacR2/s1600/reed7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV9NRkq_M9VI5XBPECsdxUevqKeZzGh1KsbFf-pUX6vVAqgAzo3pvR81p85OhV7ce0iR9oAWwDlNpbKi2viw2jGkawRqv7x5qQxlE8zxnRLYBPQcF8hGfq-G8lTmtgQKDSxOUIcLnacR2/s320/reed7.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
and here's a throwback picture of one of his first meetings with rockey. note the crazy faced woman in the crowd.<br />
<a href="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/24921_1263743802853_1507470036_30611952_482132_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/24921_1263743802853_1507470036_30611952_482132_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">back in the day, adam and his older brother andrew had a fort in their parents back yard.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqg1EJ5Q3fIDdLCo5Yuj1UeggWv6jhqrUELTkBDUH-YZrn6WR7OZzwhC-TyzGPbzMvYyfWgQxTTwVs1GuZd4s_-wf4g9Z9jwLfEWlhOQlGmjpFgZmp_Qbs_uPV3BrzQmyaeVslEyJKuMS/s1600/reed8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqg1EJ5Q3fIDdLCo5Yuj1UeggWv6jhqrUELTkBDUH-YZrn6WR7OZzwhC-TyzGPbzMvYyfWgQxTTwVs1GuZd4s_-wf4g9Z9jwLfEWlhOQlGmjpFgZmp_Qbs_uPV3BrzQmyaeVslEyJKuMS/s320/reed8.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reed has since claimed it in the name of thomas the tank engine.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TEI1gvNDlISWYD-Jbr3yLH-8S5Yq8WOdZUGq8w2_HMS3B1-wQSPM2Dt5aaMOR92b-GErLf7R-vhAuAvHsug8TqkfChHYGZU7RC9X6T3rqKXnVXrFjaEvoIDDheb9VXQkD4w9dZ6c1x5D/s1600/reed4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TEI1gvNDlISWYD-Jbr3yLH-8S5Yq8WOdZUGq8w2_HMS3B1-wQSPM2Dt5aaMOR92b-GErLf7R-vhAuAvHsug8TqkfChHYGZU7RC9X6T3rqKXnVXrFjaEvoIDDheb9VXQkD4w9dZ6c1x5D/s320/reed4.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">during yesterdays trip out to Collierville to register for this years St. Jude Dream House, reed fell in love with the boys room set up in the house.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xHFPv6QTkZAK2692lOD8Ut7feGqTDEXENokHq7sJA8gPwDCERRezL4z4vt45ujBvPZcekk6BqvaPtushcdgWYkhdoWrZnK3Gz4_akez5GycFXTwA04eJzytVl6cnexDsRl1eR3DxvrfK/s1600/reed1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xHFPv6QTkZAK2692lOD8Ut7feGqTDEXENokHq7sJA8gPwDCERRezL4z4vt45ujBvPZcekk6BqvaPtushcdgWYkhdoWrZnK3Gz4_akez5GycFXTwA04eJzytVl6cnexDsRl1eR3DxvrfK/s320/reed1.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">just in case anyone thinks i have adam locked in a basement, we did manage to sneak away a few weekends ago for a movie and lunch, our first date in a few weeks (and come to think of it, we haven't had one since) and of course, we saw <i>Thor</i>.<br />
(side note: 5 days until <i>X-Men First Class</i>, 19 days until <i>The Green Lantern</i>, 47 days until <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II</i> and 54 days until <i>Captain America</i>. it's going to be a summer of nerd movie heaven for me & adam).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW2jxrbA2Hnjl725JWFXZGqBcaaxLrcm8T9-FAe9jLAoKlKvwP2trljRtdwhGTU182uoFrtA4BUKJtDfXp20upllyzA-Q1t3jSklzu-I48fW5vE_6HvLolVQdNWiVBUQbB6rF6gR1OtqJ/s1600/reed9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW2jxrbA2Hnjl725JWFXZGqBcaaxLrcm8T9-FAe9jLAoKlKvwP2trljRtdwhGTU182uoFrtA4BUKJtDfXp20upllyzA-Q1t3jSklzu-I48fW5vE_6HvLolVQdNWiVBUQbB6rF6gR1OtqJ/s320/reed9.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
adam with m<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">jolnir (thor's hammer).<br />
<br />
and lastly, and in related movie news, i saw Bridesmaids with robyn last week and it was pretty funny and definitely not a chick flick. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">happy memorial day weekend everyone :)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1405125220"></span><span id="goog_1405125221"></span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-12428382422886272912011-05-10T23:34:00.000-05:002011-05-10T23:34:08.001-05:00healthy & yummy aren't mutually exclusive<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">when i'm feeling less that inspired to blog but somehow have the time and the inclination, i have a few fall back topics to whip out: celebrities, babies (and any combination of the two), memphis happenings and food.<br />
guess what? tonight i'm facing a writers block so we're talking about the latter: food!<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i posted some weeks ago <a href="http://memphismama-raquel.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-time-to-eat.html">here</a> about how i've never been very good at dieting so my best bet lately has been to make what i love healthier. and frankly, it's just ridiculous not to share if you've managed to do that so here are some recipes for dishes that i've modified.<br />
<br />
<b>guacamole</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bethenny.com/wp-content/uploads/guac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://www.bethenny.com/wp-content/uploads/guac.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">america should apologize to the avocado for ruining its signature dish with sour cream, particularly when it's really unnecessary to make the dish yummy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups. i recently made it for a girls night of eight girls and i tripled it (but i should have made more).<br />
<br />
two avocados<br />
a quarter cup of chopped fresh tomato<br />
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cloves chopped garlic<br />
1 tablespoon of chopped red onion</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons of lime juice</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">half a teaspoon of black pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">three quarters of a teaspoon of any hot sauce</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">three quarters of a teaspoon of salt<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">combine in a bowl. if your avocados are ripe enough, you shouldn't need to bother with a food processor, a fork and the strength of a four year old should be all you need. i also chopped up some extra cilantro to use as a garnish for the girls night but it's not totally necessary. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>french toast</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="http://www.delish.com/cm/delish/images/Xj/whole-grain-french-toast-recipe-mslo0211-xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.delish.com/cm/delish/images/Xj/whole-grain-french-toast-recipe-mslo0211-xl.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
one of the best things my mom ever taught me how to cook was french toast. i makes really awesome french toast. trust me. but back in the day, powdered sugar and syrup being a topping on breakfast wasn't a huge concern and now i figure, cut the corners where i'm not really sacrificing flavor. so here it is, healthier. oh and adam and reed love this and don't really know the difference.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">four egg whites<br />
a teaspoon of vanilla extract</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a teaspoon of maple syrup</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 slices of whole or multi grain bread (it helps if it's a tad stale, but it's fine if it isn't)<br />
<br />
combine the first three ingredients in a (shallow) bowl and whisk<br />
coat bread on both sides in the egg white mixture</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cook on a nonstick pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side.<br />
top with fresh fruit (anything in the berry variety is my favorite) and a little bit more (real) maple syrup.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>another pasta recipe<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.bethenny.com/wp-content/uploads/angelhairwithpeppers_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://www.bethenny.com/wp-content/uploads/angelhairwithpeppers_full.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it's no secret, i love pasta. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this love affair began when i used to actually need carbohydrates because i was so physically active. now i need carbs because i have an inner fat woman that gets pissed off when she isn't fed. however, not every pot of boiling water needs to end up being white fettuccine noodles with alfredo sauce made with heavy whipping cream. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">there are healthy alternatives. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i made this particular recipe (same portions) for ellie and i a few weeks ago and it passed muster for her and i always figure if I please a Haire, well then now i can breathe again. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8 ounces of whole wheat/grain pasta (i used angel hair)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">two cups of bell peppers in a combination of colors, sliced in thin strips</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">half a cup of chopped onion</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a cup of halved grape tomatoes </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">basil</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">two teaspoons of salt and pepper each</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">teaspoon of crushed red peppers<br />
a quarter cup of parmesean cheese</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(i'm not going to explain how to make pasta but do know that the whole grain/whole wheat variety take a minute of two longer to become tender).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">saute onion and peppers in olive oil over medium heat and season with salt and pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">add tomatoes, crushed red pepper and more salt/pepper if necessary. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">add noodles, top with parmesean cheese and sprinkle basil on top. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i hope someone enjoyed that because my stomach is growling now and it's 11:30pm so it's officially too late to eat anything :)</span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-12567506836197915602011-05-07T20:34:00.000-05:002011-05-07T20:34:44.753-05:00And Baby Makes Five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yesterday my dearest friend, <a href="http://buckodore.blogspot.com/" style="color: #cc3300; text-decoration: none;">Heather</a> & her husband Ryan had a gender revealment cook out to unveil and announce the gender of the newest addition to their family.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">they're already parents to these two handsome fellas, who are Reed's BFF's for life:</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/227183_1991334303856_1258325227_32330462_401170_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/227183_1991334303856_1258325227_32330462_401170_n.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Buchanan (Buck) Bates & Theodore Earl </i><br />
Buck is 3 and will be 4 in September. Theodore is 2 and will be 3 in December. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heather & Ryan are mine and Adam's best friends as a couple. Honestly. Ryan was a groomsmen in our wedding and Heather would've been a bridesmaid if she weren't so ridiculous. with Buck ten months older than reed, they very graciously let us experiment with parenting by babysitting baby Buck, always doling out parental advice without being condescending like the women in the grocery store who like giving out <strike>assholish</strike> unsolicited advice on how to raise my child.<br />
we <b>love</b> them. very much. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anywhoo, for those of you that don't know the concept of a gender revealment party (i thought everyone did until I told my friend Megan while she was in town and she questioned the sanity of the practice) it's where you have a cake and when you cut the cake open, if there's blue cake, it's a boy and if there's pink cake, it's a girl.<br />
here is Ryan & Heather's cake:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/230767_2008446051639_1258325227_32352915_6372076_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/230767_2008446051639_1258325227_32352915_6372076_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">aside from looking amazing, it was also delicious. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">since I found out that she was pregnant, my money had been on baby number 3 being a girl. I predicted a boy with theodore and I'd been right so I felt pretty confident in my gender pick. Adam disagreed with me but where's the news there.<br />
<br />
here's heather with an inside slice of the cake:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229093_2009208390697_1258325227_32354171_2402736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229093_2009208390697_1258325227_32354171_2402736_n.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it's a tiny picture but it's definitely pink so <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">it's a girl!</span> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">proving, once again, that adam should stop betting against me.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-H_Jv5uuExVO4UBMydhnZAAKBB6HUjxU2Mzk85XXoBkJBIre5gkNe9dZua9NVpiIwzg2fkFJ5LDqpZRVecTRuetkqcUKxJERgrqqPQtLfixL4g1LdRzCVmds86CMh3e8R1II1nJEtxPal/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-H_Jv5uuExVO4UBMydhnZAAKBB6HUjxU2Mzk85XXoBkJBIre5gkNe9dZua9NVpiIwzg2fkFJ5LDqpZRVecTRuetkqcUKxJERgrqqPQtLfixL4g1LdRzCVmds86CMh3e8R1II1nJEtxPal/s320/photo.JPG" width="294" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ryan reacting to the happy news that he's finally getting a daddy's girl.<br />
heather told me afterwards that the only reason she was disappointed in finding out it was a girl was because that meant Ryan was right. Ah, maturity :)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with buck, reed & theodore constantly running around, playing in mud, sword fighting and the like, a little girl will be nice to have around. although knowing that pennel blood, she'll probably kick their asses in sword fighting at some point.<br />
<br />
but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">BIG</span> congratulations to heather, ryan, buck & theodore on the sweet baby girl!</span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">and this has nothing to do with the above post but </span>how bout them<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Memphis Grizzlies!! Grizznation!!</span></span></div></div></div></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-6263192943399462452011-05-02T21:08:00.001-05:002011-05-02T22:08:35.929-05:00this week in Memphis<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As part of my job on the morning show, I'm up to date on the things that are of interest to Memphians in general (particularly females 18-34).<br />
with <a href="http://www.memphisinmay.org/">Memphis in May</a>, this month is always pretty happening for the Bluff City but this year things are just plain ridiculous. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You'll see what I mean.<br />
<br />
<b>MemFlood</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amazingdata.com/mediadata12/Image/amazing_fun_weird_cool_memphis-flooding_200907250830161372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://amazingdata.com/mediadata12/Image/amazing_fun_weird_cool_memphis-flooding_200907250830161372.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">if you're on "the twitter" you have probably seen this hashtag, along with the MemStorm during all the tornado watches/warnings. Things are getting serious. with all the rain fall we've been having the missisippi, loosahatchie and wolf rivers have no where to go but up. As of noon today the mississippi was at 42.3 feet & rising ahead of the predicted schedule as are the wolf & loosahatchie rivers. Follow @memflood on twitter and go to <a href="http://staysafeshelby.us/">staysafeshelby.us</a> for the latest information. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ps thank you weather lords for holding off on the floods over Music Fest weekend. I still needed rain boots & the tornado sirens did go off on Sunday but otherwise, it was all good. I'd hate to see what it looks like today after 86 thousand people (maybe more?) stomped around for three days.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Memphis Grizzlies</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://memphisport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/growl-towel-300x152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://memphisport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/growl-towel-300x152.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Memphis is a basketball town, there's really no doubt about it. In years past, the Tigers have been the root of the basketball fandom but the Memphis Grizzlies have come from the bottom with a vengeance. Over the weekend, the Grizz defeated the Spurs in the first round of NBA playoffs and won game 1 of the second round against the oklahoma city thunder. grizz fever is literally contagious in the city of Memphis, with the home games 3 & 4 already sold out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">if you're ready to hop on the bandwagon, the radio station I intern for, the Q is having a game 2 watch party at Maria's Cantina in Southaven tomorrow night. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Memphis In May Celebrate International Week</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.gomemphis.com/media/img/events/lead/2011/BELGIUM_LOGO_2011_t180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.gomemphis.com/media/img/events/lead/2011/BELGIUM_LOGO_2011_t180.JPG" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.extendasuites.com/extend-a-suites-memphis-tn/images/evg_1299620180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></b>supposedly this is a huge point of Memphis In May, to pay tribute to an international county. this year Memphis is honoring Belgium. though fellow blogger <a href="http://amanda-yourstruly.blogspot.com/">amanda</a> referred to me in high school as "a rolling scroll of information" I don't know tons about Belgium so if you're interested in partaking, trot on over to the <a href="http://ilovememphisblog.com/2011/05/the-i-love-memphis-guide-to-belgium/">i love memphis blog</a> where Kerry Crawford has all kinds of ways you can celebrate all things Belgian. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <i>in other Memphis In May News...</i><br />
all of the flooding leads the powers that be to thing that Tom Lee Park, where most of the MIM festivities are hosted, will be underwater in the new few weeks. our pretty famous, and awesomely tasty, barbecue fest is going to be moved for this reason. word on the street is that it'll be moved to Tiger Lane, where University of Memphis students tailgate for football games (as seen below).<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTWcnC3PbdOOZiw34SJMHw-H7roMY1K71rQxC3XSbDnqD_fp-B58HwkQL2G6rG3EgIVnc3d7D2eN_Bxf_srMnhYPpRm3MdCiKcX7sK1gmiBi_L163bhNuKcoCwqzsDYzdG-QJau4ZIN0E/s1600/Tailgating+Tiger+Lane+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTWcnC3PbdOOZiw34SJMHw-H7roMY1K71rQxC3XSbDnqD_fp-B58HwkQL2G6rG3EgIVnc3d7D2eN_Bxf_srMnhYPpRm3MdCiKcX7sK1gmiBi_L163bhNuKcoCwqzsDYzdG-QJau4ZIN0E/s320/Tailgating+Tiger+Lane+002.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">anything else in Memphis going on that I left out?</span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-42550394530336148882011-04-24T17:42:00.001-05:002011-04-24T18:07:38.950-05:00Five Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>1. Save Davis-Kidd Booksellers.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4359787103_e7bcb32d56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4359787103_e7bcb32d56.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you're a Memphian, you may or may not have heard about how the building which currently houses Davis-Kidd is up for auction. It's my understanding that the auction has already taken place but there is apparently some chance of keeping the bookstore at its current location according to the stores <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DavisKiddMemphis">facebook</a> page if the<a href="http://www.laurelwoodmemphis.com/"> Laurelwood Shopping Center</a> can help the stores owners.<br />
Davis-Kidd is currently the only non-used bookstore left in Memphis proper after the closing of Bookstar in January. Write an email, help save a book store. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>2. It's Music Time in Memphis</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEjjloMJkg3yPcoebOB1N6zPxuZCUbOOvsUBvC0GrPdTE6azndNZcP28LbECXO2IA1mb32bYtQorCJMjW1WT3bHgH30E_te1MX-8QQdrn2uKeGYcNOFXxBmJAu_WkJ5CsApXNWOn0_iA/s400/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEjjloMJkg3yPcoebOB1N6zPxuZCUbOOvsUBvC0GrPdTE6azndNZcP28LbECXO2IA1mb32bYtQorCJMjW1WT3bHgH30E_te1MX-8QQdrn2uKeGYcNOFXxBmJAu_WkJ5CsApXNWOn0_iA/s320/untitled.bmp" width="320" /></a><br />
Abandon all hope for non-frizzy hair and put on your rain boots because it's almost time for the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival</span>. Or for the people who actually live here, it's almost Music Fest Weekend. I have a unique opportunity this year since I'm interning for one of the sponsoring radio stations, I shall essentially be living in Tom Lee Park next weekend. This is one of the most anticipated Music Fests since I've been old enough to go forth and hear music in the mud with thousands of Memphians. The full line-up is <a href="http://www.thebealestreetmusicfestival.com/bealestreetmusicfestivallineup.htm">here</a> and if you're going, stop by the Q tent!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>3. Speaking of Internships...</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have no picture for this but in case we aren't facebook friends, I thought i'd whore my blog out to solicit for summer interns. if you're interested in radio and can get school credit, email me your resume at rmiranda@memphis.edu. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>4. Harry Potter Mania</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/864751637_34ffb8917b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/864751637_34ffb8917b.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've been what some people refer to as a Potterhead since about the seventh grade. The first time I read each of the books, I finished them in one day. I even went to the midnight release of<i> Half-Blood Prince</i> with some girls that lived on my dorm floor. It seems fitting that leading up to the release of the final film chapter of the saga (<i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2) </i>I'd be knee deep in the books and films all over again. I'm writing a 15 page research paper on the books & films for my Children's Literature final. </span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If there's a single person reading this blog that hasn't read Harry Potter, do it. If you live in Memphis, I will lend you the books. Asap.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. The Chewbacca Dog<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://pixti.me/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/chewbacca-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://pixti.me/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/chewbacca-dog.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm quite certain that this is the only dog Adam would let me have and we would call him Chewie (of course). Life as a nerdy couple would nearly be complete, save for when we have millions of dollars and get a boat and name it <i>The Millennium Falcon</i>. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-63937183171154161582011-04-13T15:00:00.001-05:002011-04-13T18:34:50.426-05:00Celebrity Baby Boom<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I love babies, I love celebrity gossip and I love my blog. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Seldom am I happier than when I can meld the three into one, particularly when I'm lacking inspiration to write as I have been the last week or so.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's been a fresh wave of pregnant celebrities as of late and since my friends (</span><a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Robyn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) literally count on me to update my blog about this stuff so they can be aware I'm more than happy to do this public service. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bones is Having a Baby</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9j74wVDdA1qzq14lo1_r1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9j74wVDdA1qzq14lo1_r1_500.jpg" width="232" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the stunning older sister of Zooey Deschanel, Emily, and her husband, writer-actor David Hornsby are expecting a baby later this year. I think all <i>Bones</i> fans are hoping this will force a Booth-Bones baby and subsequent relationship into the works. Or maybe it's just me. Emily Deschanel is one of the only first time mommies on my list so an extra mazel tov to them. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Put On Your Bossy Maternity Pants</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://smartassradio.com/wp-content/gallery/failsafe/loyal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://smartassradio.com/wp-content/gallery/failsafe/loyal.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>30 Rock</i> Actress-Writer-Producer Tina Fey announced last week on an Oprah taping that she was five months pregnant with her second child with husband, Jeff Richmond. I was pretty jazzed about this, their little girl Alice is so adorable and plus anything that makes Tina Fey (or Liz Lemon) happy makes me happy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I'm <i>Honor</i>ed to be a Big Sister!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blackcelebkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pregnant-jessica-and-cash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.blackcelebkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pregnant-jessica-and-cash.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jessica Alba and her hubby Cash Warren are having another baby later this year. The picture is of her first pregnancy, with her now 3 year old daughter Honor Marie but I loved it so I used it. Next pregnancy, I'm definitely finding an excuse to wear a few gowns. Also, I'll be doing Nicole Richie's maternity fashion program of wearing maxi dresses & super enormous sunglasses.<b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Other Celebrity Pregnancies: </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott are having their third child together and keeping the sex of the baby a suprise as they already have a boy & a girl (Liam is 4 & Stella is 2). </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm always a little weirded out by this coupling since Dean left his wife of 12 years (and their son) out of nowhere and took up with the also-married Tori. Ehh who am I to judge?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In other SNL-alum news, Maya Rudolph is expecting her third child with director Paul Thomas Anderson. They have two daughters, Pearl, 5, and Lucille, 1. Ever since I saw <i>Away We Go</i> with her & John Krasinksi, I love seeing her preggers in magazines so definitely excited about this one. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In women-everywhere-please-stop-screwing-this-man news, Britney Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline, is now expecting his fifth child. Five children. Three baby mommas. One marriage. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that's pretty much all i have to say on that one. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>And lastly, the WTF moment in the celebrity baby boom:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Actress"-Model Kimberly Stewart, daughter of rocker Rod Stewart is expecting Benicio del Toro's baby. they released a statement saying that although they aren't a couple, they are both excited about the baby. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ummm what?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Celebrities of the world (who are obviously reading this blog) go forth and procreate so that when I am lacking anything to discuss, there is always a filler blog waiting in the wings. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-18827106799584851932011-04-03T22:16:00.000-05:002011-04-03T22:16:26.784-05:00Bluff City Dining<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this week the Hinson family has done an inordinate amount of eating out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we've had some fairly good excuses: catching up with friends, using coupons and gift certificates before they expire and the fact that Adam & I have way too exhausted to cook/grocery shop. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We tried out a few new places and I thought I'd share them for the Memphian blog readers. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tao Too Asian Eatery</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had a craving for Thai food and since I didn't have plans to go to my sister-in-law's parents house any time soon, I had to go out to get it. Thanks to <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/c/50/Memphis-restaurants.html">urbanspoon</a>, I happened upon this little place located in Germantown at</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 2072</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> West Street in The Shops of Saddle Creek. I had the coconut chicken curry with rice and vegetables. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> delicious</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://saltandspice.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/thai-yellow-chicken-curry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://saltandspice.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/thai-yellow-chicken-curry.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adam enjoyed the chicken fried rice and the crab wontons. Reed picked off of both of our plates as there was no kids menu and loved everything we gave him. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A lack of a kids menu aside, it was actually very kid friendly. High chairs and booster seats were offered as were crayons to color on the paper table cloth. It was small & quiet with decor beautiful enough that manly man Adam felt the need to comment on it. Stop in if you're in the Germantown area (I'm trying the Lo Mein next time) for dine-in or take-out or if you live in the surrounding zip codes, they deliver. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Majestic Grill</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this morning reed & I had a downtown brunch with Ellie, <a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/">Robyn</a> & <a href="http://mattersofmerrymaking.blogspot.com/">Bekah</a>. I'd never been to this little Memphis treasure but I shall definitely be going back, particularly for the french toast. the Majestic is located in my favorite part of downtown Memphis, at </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">145</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> South Main Street.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">while we played a game of musical chairs at the beginning of our meal, all was soon forgotten with the help of a bottle of champagne, a bottle of orange juice and a nice sized bloody mary (for me, the other three ladies enjoyed mimosas). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://c1.urbns.pn/w/s/28/aJiZAaf5CTH0GT-640m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://c1.urbns.pn/w/s/28/aJiZAaf5CTH0GT-640m.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bekah got the pancakes. Don't they look yummy?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the Majestic has a nice patio that it was sadly too windy for us to enjoy today and often have events showcasing local artists & performers. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <b>Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://c2.urbns.pn/w/s/lT/z5NMHQDp6GtEgD-640m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://c2.urbns.pn/w/s/lT/z5NMHQDp6GtEgD-640m.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I actually ate here for the first time a few weeks ago with my dearest Alexis but I didn't blog about it then and I really should have. And the other places Adam, Reed &/or I ate out were the standard Memphis Pizza Cafe and Rain Sushi Bar & Bistro. And really, who hasn't eaten there?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyhungryhungryhippo, Gus's was amazing. The kind of amazing where you can only eat there every once in a while (mostly because it's fried food and who wants to get a heart attack?) because otherwise your taste buds will reject all other foods. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alexis & I each had fried chicken, obviously, with her opting for the white meat and me liking my meat dark (makes no sense if you've seen my husband) with fries & baked beans. I'll warn you, everything is on the spicy side. Adam's not a fan, he really can't handle more than two shakes of pepper though. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And in case you're already a fan of Gus's, they're opening one in East Memphis on Mendenhall near Poplar. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the other <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3</span></i> locations are downtown (where Alexis & I dined) at <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">310</span></i> South Front Street, in Bartlett at <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2965</span></i> North Germantown Road and in Collierville at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>215 </i></span>South Center Street.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of that deliciousness aside, the best meal I had was at Heather & Ryan Pennel's house on Saturday night. Thanks Ryan & Allen.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fellow Memphians & blog readers, what's your favorite local spot to dine? </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-9877657451824017032011-03-29T22:52:00.000-05:002011-03-29T22:52:04.937-05:00taming the chaos<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">about three times a year (fall, spring & summer semesters) i have to do what I call "taming the chaos" of my family. for my fellow students out there, it's always challenging to coordinate a work schedule, a school schedule, a social life, perhaps a greek organization....it's hard. or at least it was until I became</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> a <i>mom/wife/student/intern-turned-producer </i>whose husband has a full time management position.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm not whining. trust me. I know how fortunate a young family is to be employed, educated and still have some time together, particularly in this economy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">actually, i'm bragging. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">my dear friend Nathan has long since been a strange combination of impressed & petrified of my organizational & time management skills that have only been more finely tuned since becoming a mother. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And I wanted everyone else to share that mixture of awe and fear.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2bK0oIDlXG3YnH-4eJgP1M6XwvIXHfGdV86q2_rdR5nrkBjNdCbwSb5TSySrnBysP5oQtKOYpu6qLzFCcW3guVSUpmvXqkEjidLIKy11sXkENsVsWPdLJkLWc_-o4oi8JdfIcSjhN5jr/s1600/me+and+nay+nay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2bK0oIDlXG3YnH-4eJgP1M6XwvIXHfGdV86q2_rdR5nrkBjNdCbwSb5TSySrnBysP5oQtKOYpu6qLzFCcW3guVSUpmvXqkEjidLIKy11sXkENsVsWPdLJkLWc_-o4oi8JdfIcSjhN5jr/s320/me+and+nay+nay.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nathan & I looking a little bit like siblings. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">which is only fitting since his girlfriend (ellie, the best friend) & my husband look exactly like brother & sister. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/71649_1430086681321_1507470036_30957040_742058_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/71649_1430086681321_1507470036_30957040_742058_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">see what I mean?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">anyways, in the face of all of that madness, i've found that i thrive in the situation and my organization skills are pretty top notch as of late. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">just to be a little bit more specific, here are the many elements of scheduling that I have to organize:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Adam's Work Schedule. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i have to do my best to keep him as the opener most mornings (as that is where he is a rock star) while i work on a morning radio show. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i also have to do my best to arrange around adam's weekly game night which is ever changing due to two of the players being university professors and another being a PhD student. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Reed's Child Care Schedule.</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in case anyone doesn't know, reed is 2 and a half now. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he goes to a parent's day out twice a week for about five & a half hours a day.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we love it, he loves it. he really thrives in the social interaction. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">however, sometimes life starts before the 9am drop off time (life like a morning radio show maybe?) and that's when creative scheduling comes in handy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>My Class Schedule</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the longer i'm in school, which who's really keeping track (please nobody keep track), the harder this piece of the puzzle is to manage. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the higher division classes are harder to schedule because there are fewer of them, particularly in a program on the smaller side like journalism. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">my 1st semester back after having reed I took 15 hours. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I stacked my classes primarily on Mondays & Wednesdays and then had 2 classes Friday mornings. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this fall, i'm looking at 1 class monday/wednesday/friday, two classes mondays & wednesdays, two classes on tuesdays & thursdays.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Oi with the poodles already. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The Morning Show</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> this one is probably the most fun & the hardest to work into my life. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">adam opens every morning at Starbucks, save for his 2 days off a week (if that). </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he gets there at 4:30am. I have to be at the radio station at 5am. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we have a small child. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">see the problem?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">but i love it, so I tame the chaos. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and in case you're wondering why dear Nathan has ever been scared?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4zo6tuv89lqZcFHR_B3FwyUqNtq4ZGxjVHacOD9XhrGSqGASdlffu7npm6AW1-ZAlH5_DG4MxhR0fBEKSko8vrABpQFLuQWAms4N_4kWFyxgQyDz3bUhCH-gD5v9FPfzdaDuwiLgKaa0/s1600/calandar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4zo6tuv89lqZcFHR_B3FwyUqNtq4ZGxjVHacOD9XhrGSqGASdlffu7npm6AW1-ZAlH5_DG4MxhR0fBEKSko8vrABpQFLuQWAms4N_4kWFyxgQyDz3bUhCH-gD5v9FPfzdaDuwiLgKaa0/s320/calandar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it's my desk calendar. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(complete with a color coded highlighting system)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the above + my iPhone are my biggest lines of defense in the war against disorganization. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">what keeps you organized? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and would you like lessons in the art of arranging your life via color coded highlighters? cause i could teach that class. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-34064486319769637212011-03-23T19:42:00.001-05:002011-03-29T22:57:55.542-05:00TV Time<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I told all my faithful blog readers what was on my </span><a href="http://memphismama-raquel.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-learn-more-from-dr-seuss-than-dr.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fall line-up</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and now that spring has sprung, it's time for an update. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bones</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bones.jpg" width="227" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As is the case with nearly every popular show, I jump on the bandwagon 4-5 years late (except </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The OC</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, I was there from the get-go). Anyways, I've been in love with David Boreanaz since the third grade so I'm fairly surprised it took me this long to get into it but thank God for TNT reruns. It's far wittier than </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Law & Order</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and the sexual tension between Booth & Brennan is so thick you could cut it with that week's murder weapon. Tune in, friends. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's on Thursdays on FOX at 8pm. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bethenny Ever After</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.demeterclarc.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2011/01/BETHENNY-FRANKEL-AND-BRYN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.demeterclarc.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2011/01/BETHENNY-FRANKEL-AND-BRYN.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Formerly of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Real Housewives of New York City</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, Bethenny Frankel is a natural foods chef, author and overall bad ass entrepreneur. Can you tell that I like her? Her new show is about life after marriage & baby and how to juggle them both with running your own empire. (Side note: Adam got me a bottle of her Skinny Girl Margarita- it's delicious and only 100 calories a bottle. I may start drinking on the regular again). I find Bethenny hysterical and refreshingly honest and you get a Bravo reality show without the table flipping and bitch slapping you get with the Housewives shows. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also, check out Bethenny's </span><a href="http://www.bethenny.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">website</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for awesome recipes. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's on Mondays on Bravo at 9pm. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On a related note, due to my awesome internship, I got to talk to Bethenney on Tuesday!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Big Love</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_gtrmdOl1VfUxoBkdGmZzLTU8xLGD9dSbfgjU4tE5orfgDQzytQ9bZKO-H3CXVwWJWS_QFcbHQHLz_OrdRVNPo7sSmVy7_OZS8pSBRM61W2AMye5OYdk0TyXvmoNElAmrCSvHrupC7Y/s640/Big-Love-Promo-big-love-4968820-617-480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_gtrmdOl1VfUxoBkdGmZzLTU8xLGD9dSbfgjU4tE5orfgDQzytQ9bZKO-H3CXVwWJWS_QFcbHQHLz_OrdRVNPo7sSmVy7_OZS8pSBRM61W2AMye5OYdk0TyXvmoNElAmrCSvHrupC7Y/s320/Big-Love-Promo-big-love-4968820-617-480.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I watched the first season when it originally aired and then went to live in the University dorms where students having HBO just isn't a priority for the folks over at Resident Life. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With adulthood came the option to have Netflix and thus, I've been watching this wonderful series. Currently I'm in the midst of season 3 and it's just fantastic. Oddly, when TLC began to air the reality version, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sister Wives</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, I was just super creeped out. Plus, for all the Memphis folks, it's a good opportunity to support our local gal, Ginnifer Goodwin. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I believe the series finale just aired (if you value your life, you won't tell me how it ends) but pretty much everyone has Netflix so that's where you should watch it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And in case I have any male readers, Adam is currently obsessed with BBC America. Namely, these two shows:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://www.topgear.com/uk/tv-show"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Top Gear</span></i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/47e140ba-5f99-4c92-a6a7-1c776d7eaef8/Large%20Image.jpg?p=081113_07:33" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/47e140ba-5f99-4c92-a6a7-1c776d7eaef8/Large%20Image.jpg?p=081113_07:33" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/154/index.jsp"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/media/154/320x240_aboutgordon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bbcamerica.com/media/154/320x240_aboutgordon.jpg" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">what are all of you watching? is there a must-see television (as Elspeth would say) show that I'm missing?</span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-76608363230743094072011-03-20T19:14:00.001-05:002011-03-29T22:59:09.109-05:00Sunday Funday<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today, I had the immense pleasure of a day with reed, </span><a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">robyn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> & ellie,</span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 3</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of my favorite people. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reed & i started out the day with our weekend usual: two breakfasts. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Breakfast number one was peanut butter granola & yogurt (with coffee for mommy, milk for reed) while for breakfast number two, we split a waffle with nutella spread on it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reed then played trains while I straightened my hair thereby securing a good momma hair day. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Is there a Sunday that starts better than that?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">then we traipsed over to the Apple Store since my iPhone wouldn't hold a charge and a very large thank you to the guy at Apple who fixed my phone and didn't make me pay for it :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Right around this time reed started to ask where daddy was and since I felt like coffee could only help the day, we went to Adam's Starbucks for another round of coffee & milk and some kisses from daddy. And we ended up meeting robyn & ellie there after a while. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of Adam's co-workers, Kim, has a son (Aiden) who is about a year and some change older than reed but the interacting is still pretty good considering the gap in their ages. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbVfL8Fr-Ek6N3jlvnx3oBbYkCBtUlnHRQxUiJ49HhcdJWWxk1nLys4WLIw9c4buFusvU4JbhIkDhU5WacQvuUgjuB2BaLCg7Pyh-WAH6ORh8opuGsv3V_HmQYgjXBZeZCvdMDQpoATPl/s320/aiden+and+reed.jpg" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Aiden & Reed hanging out on the Starbucks patio. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbVfL8Fr-Ek6N3jlvnx3oBbYkCBtUlnHRQxUiJ49HhcdJWWxk1nLys4WLIw9c4buFusvU4JbhIkDhU5WacQvuUgjuB2BaLCg7Pyh-WAH6ORh8opuGsv3V_HmQYgjXBZeZCvdMDQpoATPl/s1600/aiden+and+reed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">once assembled, the sisters haire + reed + me went on a shopping expedition, largely to take advantage of a Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic coupon for </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">30</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">% off all purchases that robyn managed to acquire. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we hit up the poplar plaza Old Navy before venturing to Germantown for the Saddle Creek shopping center for visits to Indigo, Anthropologie, Gap & Banana Republic. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we each got something from somewhere without splurging beyond necessity, though it was close when I went into Banana and fell in love with a $98 dress (hey, it would've been $68 with the discount) but luckily robyn talked me out of it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">though ellie & I communicate on an hourly basis and I talk to robyn several times during the week, it's pretty rare for me to see them even weekly due to scheduling conflicts so this was quite the treat.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">how was your weekend, mr/mrs/ms blog reader? :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-8981858857485844612011-03-06T11:42:00.001-06:002011-03-29T22:59:23.858-05:00It's Time to Eat!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are those that may disagree but I do believe that we live in a world, particularly a country, where it is far easier and economical to eat poorly than it is to eat well and remain health conscious. I eat vegetables, I don't eat red meat, I can keep a safe distance from chocolate </span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">27</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> days out of the month and I've managed to avoid the trap that most mommies of toddlers fall into, the notorious waist-line killer that is "Momma's Two Dinners." What saved me from the latter was knowing that a </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">year old doesn't require the same portion as a </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">22</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> year old but I won't get started on portion sizes in the United States- there isn't a soap box big enough. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With all of that being said, I still have weaknesses in my diet that cause me to have a few extra pounds that I'd rather not have. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And my weakness lies in the five letter goodness known as CARBS. I love them. I love pasta, I love rice (preferably with tandoori chicken & vegetables) and I love them early and often. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of the healthy living guru's tell you not to deprive yourself and instead try and make what you like healthier and so I did just that. It was delicious and I'm about to share the fruits of my labor with you. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of my favorite pasta recipes is one with a creamy pesto sauce, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes with sauteed garlic and onions. The creamy part of the pesto sauce is achieved by combining pesto sauce (I used to use the pre-jarred Kroger brand) with sour cream. It tastes wonderful but it's not winning any awards for healthy cooking. </span><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's the recipe for my made-from-scratch pesto sauce:</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 cloves of garlic</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cups of fresh basil</span></div><div class="box"><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tablespoons of pine nuts</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a dash of salt & pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 a cup of olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">there's not much prep aside from peeling the garlic. I use the quicky method of a food processor to make the pesto sauce. Add the garlic to the food processor and mince. Then add the basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Next slowly drizzle the olive oil in everything is pureed. Lastly, add the parmesean cheese.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's the recipe for the whole dish:</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mince garlic & onions and saute them (I use lemon juice for this particular recipe).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Substitute the sour cream for </span><a href="http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/590715/2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">plain greek yogurt</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and add another splash of lemon juice. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the artichoke hearts & sun dried tomatoes. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Slowly add the pesto sauce and then let simmer over low heat. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour over al dente whole grain rotini or penne noodles. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add a bit of parmesean cheese and enjoy. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As you can tell, the second recipe is not an exact science- I'm a big fan of eyeball cooking for things like that. The simple substitution of greek yogurt for sour cream and whole grain for white pasta is definitely more nutritious and the change in taste is negligible, if noticeable at all. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">for anyone that has a weakness in their diet, I am now an advocate of making what you love and making it healthier, rather than not making it at all. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-61689332226244094232011-02-27T22:41:00.006-06:002011-03-29T22:59:40.585-05:00I'd Like to Thank the Academy<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check you calendars people, it's time for the </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">83</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rd Annual Academy Awards. I am live-blogging the event, or as live as being thirty minutes behind on the dvr gets.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjV02oTbwjbga3lYgtvA5x-CXM-7xBQ6BqbGEksg9lhHVhJeeLmrU0V7yLkgCnyEeLLJroszxFP0VSnp8U8rUp9_UJC3Wp1jyQbBL7R7t7e-Tm6lp0PpcwmHZOPL7q0EEVkSJNCEweKsBP/s1600/Anne+and+James.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjV02oTbwjbga3lYgtvA5x-CXM-7xBQ6BqbGEksg9lhHVhJeeLmrU0V7yLkgCnyEeLLJroszxFP0VSnp8U8rUp9_UJC3Wp1jyQbBL7R7t7e-Tm6lp0PpcwmHZOPL7q0EEVkSJNCEweKsBP/s320/Anne+and+James.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I achieved my goal of seeing all </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Best Picture nominees so I feel very well informed going into tonight's Oscar telecast. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The awards ceremony is being hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, two of my favorite actors, but not necessarily my first pick for Oscars hosts. Generally, awards show hosts are comedians or comic actors. But they are definitely trying and while I wasn't really into Anne's rendition of "On My Own" I did feel that James nailed it with the cross-dressing Charlie Sheen joke. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The moving full orchestra busting out the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Star Wars</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> theme and "Tonight, Tonight" from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">West Side Story</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was one of my favorite parts of the show, thanks Oscar directors for that one. And I loved how Jeff Bridges & Sandra Bullock personally addressed each of the Best Actress nominees like they were calling coffee orders at Starbucks. Do they do that every year and I'm only paying this much attention because of the blog? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I realize that most people who blog about the Oscars will talk about the red carpet fashion but let's be honest, that's just not my thing.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this post is undoubtedly going to be long because I am including the entire list of award winners in the order in which they were won, even the ones that people always forget about the minute the winner walks off stage. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the Oscar goes to...</span> </i></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Art Direction</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alice in Wonderland</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Cinematography </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wally Pfister- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inception</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Supporting Actress</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Melissa Leo- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fighter</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Animated Feature Film</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toy Story 3</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Animated Short Film</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Lost Thing</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Adapted Screenplay</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Aaron Sorkin-</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The Social Network</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Original Screenplay</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">David Seidler- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Foreign Film</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a Better World </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Denmark)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Supporting Actor</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Christian Bale- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fighter</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Original Score</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Social Network</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Sound Mixing</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lora Hirshberg, Gary A. Rizzo & Ed Novick-</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Inception</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Sound Editing</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Richard King- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inception</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Make-Up</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rick Baker & Dave Elsey- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Wolfman</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Costume Design</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Colleen Atwood- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alice in Wonderland</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Documentary Short Subject</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Strangers No More</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Live Action Short Film</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">God Of Love</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Documentary Feature Film</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inside Job</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Visual Effects</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley & Peter Bebb-</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Inception</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achievement in Film Editing</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Social Network</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Original Song</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"We Belong Together" from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toy Story 3</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Director</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tom Hooper- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actress</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Natalie Portman- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Black Swan</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actor</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Colin Firth- </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Picture</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In case I have a few readers who are mathematically challenged, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inception</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> & </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> tied with </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Oscars, followed by </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Social Network </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">awards and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fighter</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toy Story 3</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> & </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alice in Wonderland </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">which each picked up</span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 2</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Oscars. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And in case you're competitive like I am, check out how many of my Oscar predictions came true (it was </span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> out of </span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) on this blog </span><a href="http://memphismama-raquel.blogspot.com/2011/01/and-nominees-are.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">post</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those of you who watched the Academy Awards telecast, the Six Degrees (or less) of Kevin Bacon from James Franco to Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey are as follows:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">James Franco was in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Eat, Pray, Love</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with Julia Roberts who was in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Valentine's Day</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with Bradley Cooper who was in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He's Just Not That Into You</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with Scarlett Johansson. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">James Franco was in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Date Night</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with Mila Kunis who appears in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Family Guy </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with Matthew McConaughey.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And hey, it's my fiftieth (that's </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">50</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">th) blog post and I'm so happy to dedicate it to the Academy Awards. Thanks to all my friends and followers who read this thing and make me feel like a writer for a little while :)</span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-52165282066155163332011-02-23T16:17:00.001-06:002011-03-29T23:00:00.351-05:00Kids Say The Darndest Things<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you're reading this blog, it's clear that you already know how hilarious I am. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Did you know that my comic abilities were hereditary? I wasn't sure there was a gene for being funny but it's been proven over the last few weeks. Side note: Adam could </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">possibly</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> claim some credit for reed being a funny little guy but let's not jump the gun here. The kid already looks exactly like him.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEAYZBFDgetoJOWA3w7GXKetFOrVXrQGzSaOp3knp2DjVHfQNbpMfaftTkS1LWYyyr8RZmgDdIEiOL-3SkITK9DfFPLuKQyd9bBoXSyfOE32-0F1h4n0xxMWVEUl2lsweggHSE4_nYQf1/s1600/reed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEAYZBFDgetoJOWA3w7GXKetFOrVXrQGzSaOp3knp2DjVHfQNbpMfaftTkS1LWYyyr8RZmgDdIEiOL-3SkITK9DfFPLuKQyd9bBoXSyfOE32-0F1h4n0xxMWVEUl2lsweggHSE4_nYQf1/s320/reed2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHb0cpni3GJfqWkryONo39hyphenhypheniOZ-tuH5gWoZqWxN79oiGj36zF4uze4qSifpaVnxA6grUIkgtUu1qBzJ_g9SIU0biv8FErMWNVhyphenhyphenknLbri4qJcNZYhjc-bc49z3mv_vpQ5GytCsx71drQQ/s1600/IMG_1697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHb0cpni3GJfqWkryONo39hyphenhypheniOZ-tuH5gWoZqWxN79oiGj36zF4uze4qSifpaVnxA6grUIkgtUu1qBzJ_g9SIU0biv8FErMWNVhyphenhyphenknLbri4qJcNZYhjc-bc49z3mv_vpQ5GytCsx71drQQ/s320/IMG_1697.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Am I wrong?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here's some proof that my little man is pretty damn funny.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> After discussing how Ellie & </span><a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Robyn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> are sisters and Buck & Theodore are brothers: "Mommy, I don't want a baby brother, I want a baby sister. Now!"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About his newest friend, Ryan, my friend Alexis' daughter: "We need to go see Ryan. I need to tell her that I </span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">her."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While we're sitting at the bar at Starbucks waiting for Adam, an older lady came up to reed & introduced herself as Robyn: "Hmmmm. No, you're not Robyn. Mommy, </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">where is Robyn</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">?!?"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After apparently watching a little too much </span><a href="http://www.thomasandfriends.com/usa/Thomas.mvc/Home"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thomas the Tank Engine</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: "Take me back to Sodor at once!" </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sitting at his Thomas activity table: "This is my nice, quiet place. Mommy, hush." </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, I realize that other people aren't going to find reed as adorable and charming as Adam & I do but even those people that aren't quite into kids have to admit that he's pretty cute. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have some mom followers and I have a few followers with much much younger siblings- do the kiddos in your life say hilarious things? Tell 'em to me!</span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-7943245237721184742011-02-20T09:21:00.001-06:002011-03-29T22:58:21.970-05:00So What Do You Do There?<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've been at a loss as to what to blog about and my dearest Elspeth is convinced that people would find reading about my internship interesting. So if you get bored, blame Ellie. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a refresher, I'm an intern (currently the only intern) at </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">96.1</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">/</span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">107.5</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.q1075.com/joomla2010/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Q</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, more specifically on </span><a href="http://www.q1075.com/joomla2010/index.php/maney-a-riley-in-the-morning"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the morning show</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with Maney, Riley & Alexis Grace.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I get to do some technical stuff like the timing of the commercial breaks that isn't that easy to describe without a bunch of radio jargon that I barely understand myself. So if my day seems light, that's the stuff I'm leaving out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A big part of what I get to do is topic gathering for the show. Any ideas, blog readers?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I've also been learning to edit the audio clips that we use throughout the show, like the movie clips Maney plays early in the morning or the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">American Idol</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> clips we play on Thursdays and Fridays. Or I've edited the promos where Maney & Riley talk about the next days show, which is probably the most complex bit of editing I've had to do thus far. And a big thank you to my wonderful teacher, Riley, for showing me how to do that. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My favorite thing to do is to write the E! on the Q! </span><a href="http://www.q1075.com/joomla2010/index.php/e-on-the-q"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">blog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> since it's more my niche, clearly. Though it does come in handy that I tend to agree with Riley on the celebrity gossip since it is a first person blog written from her perspective. So if you're bored at work and want to read a raquel-blog and I haven't updated this one, mosey on over to there. And clearly, I am only talking to </span><a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Robyn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> when I say this. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Other than the above, I do a lot of typical internship tasks: getting coffee, making copies, running to the printer, answering the phones.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Btw, some shameless promoting right here: listen to the Q next week, Alexis Grace has a commercial out for her new apartment at Centennial Gardens and I helped her write it! And the T-I-G-E-R-S spell out at the end is me & Alexis.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also it should be noted that while I love what I get to do at the radio station and the opportunity is priceless, I'm pretty excited that I've found a friend and reed's future wife out of the deal. Official blog shout-out to Alexis & Baby Ryan :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And now I'm off to get ready for the </span><a href="http://www.memphis-bridalshow.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Memphis Premiere Bridal Show</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. A perk of my internship? Getting to go all of these events. </span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-47005083464352503992011-02-14T11:16:00.000-06:002011-02-14T11:16:30.128-06:00It's Playtime in Memphis<div style="text-align: center;">I said in my last blog that playtime options are limited due to the winter weather here in Memphis. If you have checked the forecast, it will be warmer this coming week but spring is hardly here, despite what groundhogs and their shadows have said. <br />
I believe the bulk of the blog readership is sans children but here's a little something for those that are parents. And to my kid-free friends, let me know if you'd like to join reed & I on any of these adventures :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are some things you and your kiddos can do:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b><a href="http://cmom.com/">Children's Museum of Memphis</a>.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">The whole museum is a blast for kids toddlers-preteens but there is a new exhibit this month that Reed & I will undoubtedly be trying out. It's called Out On A Limb and it's open from now until May 15th for kids ages 10 and under. The Children's Museum website describes it as a "whimsical place for unstructured play" but really it's a bunch of indoor tree houses for kids to play in. Basically, it's awesome.<br />
<br />
<b>The <a href="http://www.peabodymemphis.com/accommodations/">Peabody Hotel</a> Duck Procession</b><br />
Okay, it sounds weird and I wouldn't drive all the way downtown just for this but if you're out and about in the west end of town, it's worth a stop-in. Every week day at 11am the ducks are processed downstairs to the Grand Lobby and then at 5pm the reverse is done as they are marched back up to the roof. If you have a toddler-aged child, such as reed, they are likely to be fascinated. Bonus- it's free!<br />
<br />
<b>Story Time at the Public Library's</b><br />
depending on your neighborhood, they are on varying days but tend to be in the mid-late afternoon. Check the Memphis Library <a href="http://www.memphislibrary.org/mplic-home">website</a> for days and times in your neighborhood library. If you are a midtowner or an east memphis-er, definitely hit up the Main library on Poplar over the Highland or other branches; the kids area is much larger and they don't care if your child runs around in circles. <br />
<br />
And to all Memphians, don't forget that <a href="http://www.muddysbakeshop.com/">Muddy's Bake Shop</a> is open today for a special Valentine's Day treat. I always want Muddy's on Sundays & Mondays when they are traditionally closed so take advantage of the rare opportunity. <br />
<br />
Happy Valentine's Day to all but to my love & husband Adam in particular. Thank you for asking me to be your wife one year ago today. I love you :)<br />
</div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-85697111225743648602011-02-11T20:00:00.001-06:002011-03-29T23:00:33.506-05:00I don't know about Samtana, but here's what we've been up to<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf3jbAivEKwXxZbXycZ7M4biOcg7n5WwQJl_DTsjcTVDyLEuUMznxDjvneGydaTDVP8MgyolHEexvqbXK_p6eKqh_NXsJUpwJtTsVCtb0OYuWOdMoyzweADJTUnNcRAqtgmroJmrlE4oe/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yesterday </span><a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Robyn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> chastised me via text message about not updating my blog so here I go, despite a lack of inspiration. Hopefully, I won't bore you readers. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lately, my life has consisted off my school, reed, adam (barely, sadly) and my internship (which i love). Sleep, a social life and blogging have taken a backseat. The only way I've kept up with the television shows that I watch is my need for background noise while I do homework. Side note: fellow Glee fans, Finn & Quinn again? Sam & Santana (heretofore referred to as Samtana)? Really, Ryan Murphy?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyobsessed, here's a look at what the Hinson's have been up to recently:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reed & I went to Muddy's. I loved the look on his face in the picture. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf3jbAivEKwXxZbXycZ7M4biOcg7n5WwQJl_DTsjcTVDyLEuUMznxDjvneGydaTDVP8MgyolHEexvqbXK_p6eKqh_NXsJUpwJtTsVCtb0OYuWOdMoyzweADJTUnNcRAqtgmroJmrlE4oe/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf3jbAivEKwXxZbXycZ7M4biOcg7n5WwQJl_DTsjcTVDyLEuUMznxDjvneGydaTDVP8MgyolHEexvqbXK_p6eKqh_NXsJUpwJtTsVCtb0OYuWOdMoyzweADJTUnNcRAqtgmroJmrlE4oe/s320/IMG_1522.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONhOgvH0i7de48-gIamCKzS5gYE6uSEgzqHgwC2QFb34CFkmn5TKfOkHi-0Eian4HACNowLf8YrPjSUvIeTg5KKQNuv9UDsRLsEFg5eGNn9ZXbYwZEubZmlj7bqUIjb7pakVWNZmrZ9rX/s1600/IMG_1520.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONhOgvH0i7de48-gIamCKzS5gYE6uSEgzqHgwC2QFb34CFkmn5TKfOkHi-0Eian4HACNowLf8YrPjSUvIeTg5KKQNuv9UDsRLsEFg5eGNn9ZXbYwZEubZmlj7bqUIjb7pakVWNZmrZ9rX/s320/IMG_1520.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Our goods. The Frankly Scarlett on the left was Reed's, the Tomboy was mine. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjitMmAiE0RC0VUhoVR89rGtZd4mZHt9tpsIvGW_7fidY1wvOkaOWW8o9gQvloK-R0whWZKSfVhXsEN9qcRPkFXveTCVEnMaJIdBuIp7Whg-Hp-fIHtzyMMBVZ5a0dhd26NtQrXXGujBF/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjitMmAiE0RC0VUhoVR89rGtZd4mZHt9tpsIvGW_7fidY1wvOkaOWW8o9gQvloK-R0whWZKSfVhXsEN9qcRPkFXveTCVEnMaJIdBuIp7Whg-Hp-fIHtzyMMBVZ5a0dhd26NtQrXXGujBF/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pajama Day at Reed's school.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I posted this picture on Facebook and it's the background on my phone but on the off-chance that I hadn't thrown this picture in someones face, I figured they needed to see it. Those are Thomas the Tank Engine jammies, though the top is covered by his sweatshirt, tucked into cowboy boots and topped off with a cowboy hat. The kid has style. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjgjBsSU2OJMuQZVc-fQR154yctbPDccFx-qkwkgckwewQ6gizYQkewqxslL87FH0fcQ_GCbVdd1KhnYTU6oZ-GC27A1LWJJS_gxjigyK0Oh3zjc94ElaeV4K5OFiAbTLJ_ljQDZ9FaAD/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjgjBsSU2OJMuQZVc-fQR154yctbPDccFx-qkwkgckwewQ6gizYQkewqxslL87FH0fcQ_GCbVdd1KhnYTU6oZ-GC27A1LWJJS_gxjigyK0Oh3zjc94ElaeV4K5OFiAbTLJ_ljQDZ9FaAD/s320/IMG_1658.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Baby Ryan & Baby Reed.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My new friend Alexis and I have had a few playdates with the kids. As I expected, reed promptly fell in love with the older woman (Ryan just turned four) and followed her around asking to shower her with attention, hugs and kisses. Ryan, being the independent girl that she is, will hug reed when she feels like it but would rather he respect her personal space. If there was ever any doubt, male-female relationships are complex from birth.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HRyWsnW_MJ5E56NoR_LGXcC31Wz_Bl598CaWZq7YSKEeJ39RPvaHQ2wtCM1NlaCHTu-bZXHDrjJQYgq5nGL66OVruxKCkWN2M4SLYSB1uvtlze9YCn7beIbbDO7IrzW2OtJZuyFh4gVu/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HRyWsnW_MJ5E56NoR_LGXcC31Wz_Bl598CaWZq7YSKEeJ39RPvaHQ2wtCM1NlaCHTu-bZXHDrjJQYgq5nGL66OVruxKCkWN2M4SLYSB1uvtlze9YCn7beIbbDO7IrzW2OtJZuyFh4gVu/s320/IMG_1630.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_V07ZLRuBh1pDjOIRw62s1rpWGEsfHYRlMsCzj_YX7FceC9ooIIImxORTL9_pzKPaa88Teeb1PHmcWdPjzA_lieiMqGYdSCBEbQWjJMvZRau_qY1TNhyXTtmimkp9BP7lEjiD_Hnb9oK/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Reed got way too much stuff for Christmas so we tried to space out the opening of presents. However, it's snowed a lot this winter and when it's not snowing, it's bloody freezing so playtime options have been limited. This week, we cracked open the Lego's and Adam built reed the tower he kept asking for, though we have no idea where he even learned that word and it's relation to Lego's.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And lastly, </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ml-kiliCbQgv2BBJtzS9qj1AweRfiejgWzzJNyqYTcqVYW7YRcIQLyDNOQO4RUrVx88mJd3FszsV08ao8ZiaiaGuRVT873q4FIpf4VrdX3bdXHJstONLU1fdARt7o_9pwYZxnT5ZpruD/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ml-kiliCbQgv2BBJtzS9qj1AweRfiejgWzzJNyqYTcqVYW7YRcIQLyDNOQO4RUrVx88mJd3FszsV08ao8ZiaiaGuRVT873q4FIpf4VrdX3bdXHJstONLU1fdARt7o_9pwYZxnT5ZpruD/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The beginnings of this week's snowpocalypse. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was the worst snow so far. While the first one of the winter stuck around a little longer, the ice that followed was awful and nerve wracking to drive on. Next winter, I'll be needing a Valium prescription before I attempt to drive again.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy Weekend All :)</span></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-3731878422981978822011-01-26T21:29:00.003-06:002011-03-29T22:58:51.873-05:00And the Nominees are...<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alright well I'm a day late and a dollar short on this one, but </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">technically</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, I've already blogged about this. Check out my first piece for the </span><a href="http://www.q1075.com/joomla2010/index.php/e-on-the-q/3551-2011-academy-award-nominations"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">E! on the Q Blog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, if you please. I think I wrote all of 3 sentences but I did correct the grammar & punctuation of every news outlet that posted Oscar noms and put the titles of movies in quotation marks. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, that was an opinion-less post and this will assuredly not be one of those. There weren't very many surprises in who did get nominated but there were a few upsets and I'll get to those in a minute. First, here are my predictions for the majority of the categories.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actress</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wish I could say Annette Bening (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Kids Are Alright</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) but I'm going to have to give it to Natalie Portman (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Black Swan</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">).</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actor</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm going for Jesse Eisenberg (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Social Network</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) for an upset over Colin Firth (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">).</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Supporting Actress</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For both of the supporting roles, I'm being consistent with the Golden Globe winners from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fighter</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: Melissa Leo.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Supporting Actor</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Christian Bale.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Original Screenplay</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Christopher Nolan for</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Inception</span></i><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Adapted Screenplay</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">127 Hours</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> based on the book </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Between a Rock & a Hard Place</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by Aron Ralston.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Director</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Darren Aronofsky for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Black Swan</span></i><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Animated Feature Film</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of course I'm going to say </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toy Story 3</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. The only other film nominated in this category that I've seen was </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How to Train Your Dragon</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and it was not my thing. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Picture</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm going to say </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King's Speech</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> but it's highly likely that </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Social Network</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> will repeat their Golden Globes victory.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check back after The 83rd Annual Academy Awards air on Sunday, February 27th to see if I'm right.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And now for the upsets.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the Best Actor category, many people expected Ryan Gosling to get nominated for his role in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Blue Valentine</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> but his on-screen wife alone gets the nod. In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fighter</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Christian Bale got nominated for playing Micky's brother, Amy Adam's got nominated for playing Micky's girlfriend and Melissa Leo got nominated for portraying Micky's mother but Micky himself, Mark Walhberg, got no love from the Academy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Julianne Moore did not receive a nomination in the Best Actress category for her lesbian momma role in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Kids Are Alright</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mila Kunis proved that, unlike for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, it takes more than being dirty with Natalie Portman in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Black Swan</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> to be a Best Supporting Actress nominee, according to the Academy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Probably the biggest upset was in the Best Director category with Christopher Nolan for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inception</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Really? Did they watch the movie? This is actually the second rather large snub Nolan has gotten at the Oscars for Best Director; the first was for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Dark Knight</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And there you have it, in case you didn't already know most of what I just wrote. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm off to work on my Oscar goal: to watch each of the movies nominated for Best Picture. I'm halfway through </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Kids Are Alright</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> right now, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Social Network</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is up for tomorrow night and I've already seen </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Black Swan</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The Fighter</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Inception </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Toy Story 3</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Only 4 more to go!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Feel free to comment and contradict me, I'd love to hear it.</span> <i><br />
</i></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-79016318998734473802011-01-23T11:22:00.001-06:002011-01-26T20:45:29.890-06:00An Award and a New Name!<div style="color: black; text-align: center;">It just wouldn't be awards season without my blog getting an award. While I've never claimed to personally be stylish, apparently my friend Robyn at <a href="http://robynpierce.blogspot.com/">Espadrilles, Lamps and Lava Cakes</a> thinks my writing, at the very least, is stylish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfeifKH5dxtacH1DLZFCf57wyddk4YPqnh5ps17ubIQnSXB47XvTWn5v4Ec12SysPVNiZ0_qzfXDQzrPUN_tNy3YxI5GS8uBSjU7lyQQ0OAIRWPAC5NtZLnleJmLa4ugrF_NYgwDa9_yp/s1600/Stylish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfeifKH5dxtacH1DLZFCf57wyddk4YPqnh5ps17ubIQnSXB47XvTWn5v4Ec12SysPVNiZ0_qzfXDQzrPUN_tNy3YxI5GS8uBSjU7lyQQ0OAIRWPAC5NtZLnleJmLa4ugrF_NYgwDa9_yp/s1600/Stylish.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: black;">This is particularly exciting since I've felt a little less than inspired about blogging lately, though Robyn & I have talked about that together and we blame the cold weather. Anyexcuses, the requirements for this award are listing 7 random facts about yourself, and then pass the award on to a few favorite bloggers. And away we go:</div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">1.I've been working on being more natural (but just shy of hippie natural) by not coloring my hair and ditching makeup for moisturizer & chapstick. Personally, I think I've been looking pretty good. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">2. Currently, my favorite ethnic foods are Indian & Greek. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">3.If I'm at home, I'm in my jammies. Right now, it's sweat pants, a t-shirt and a cotton cardigan. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">4.) I have never eaten a steak (me neither, Robyn!)</div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">5. Today, Reed & I are having sushi with my dear old friends Hannah & Alison and I'm pretty thrilled to catch up with them. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">6. I feel very content with my life right now. Would it be better if I was done with school and had a real big girl job? Maybe. But I'm at a place where I have wonderful friends, Reed & Adam fulfill my life in a way I didn't think would be possible and I'm working hard towards my goals. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">7. I've very quickly fallen in love with my new internship. I think radio might be a possible career path. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><span style="color: black;">Fascinating for all of you, I have no doubt. I nominate the following others for the Stylish Blogging Award:</span><br />
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1. Bekah at <a href="http://mattersofmerrymaking.blogspot.com/">Matters of Merry Making</a><br />
<br />
2. Chandler at <a href="http://chandlerpritchett.blogspot.com/">Chandler Pritchett</a><br />
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3. Amanda at <a href="http://rauwolf.blogspot.com/">Because I Said So</a></div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1514159967395608448.post-78426584446900128232011-01-21T19:57:00.000-06:002011-01-21T19:57:50.690-06:00Boom! It's Celebrity Babies!<div style="text-align: center;">this post is a request from my fellow celebrity stalker and one of my lady loves, Ronni Jupson. don't worry, for the few followers who also aren't bff with Ms. Jupson, I will provide a visual. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3qBImfNIfq2hVehoH-iyaMwO6gd78pralUwW6Q8C2cVdFOWRfDs0c0haBLzCMBhuW5jZpb08k6eHrq2vblTxc1fnyQMxO3r9pn7jo633ZwxWGTsRuwj1gFW_d0EThaIVwJmB9fpNrEps/s1600/me+and+ronni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3qBImfNIfq2hVehoH-iyaMwO6gd78pralUwW6Q8C2cVdFOWRfDs0c0haBLzCMBhuW5jZpb08k6eHrq2vblTxc1fnyQMxO3r9pn7jo633ZwxWGTsRuwj1gFW_d0EThaIVwJmB9fpNrEps/s320/me+and+ronni.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> the mollie fontaine lounge for Ronni's 21st birthday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't 2004 again because the Celebrity Baby Boom is in full swing again and Kate Hudson managed to catch the wave both times around. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1JM6dbQ02EeoTeuTrmPoDEWyF-h6idtaDKVmABmvS6IHSSLmjrcF-f36p-XwmpJvOT7PHjMKwarp2T88KAfgE9aqaxuWuzhAJ5bcnYZBOlnV_oH3QEArCaaDHqGZp0iJ3kMedvOZ5CNv/s1600/kate+husdon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1JM6dbQ02EeoTeuTrmPoDEWyF-h6idtaDKVmABmvS6IHSSLmjrcF-f36p-XwmpJvOT7PHjMKwarp2T88KAfgE9aqaxuWuzhAJ5bcnYZBOlnV_oH3QEArCaaDHqGZp0iJ3kMedvOZ5CNv/s320/kate+husdon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We'll start with Goldie & Kurt's progeny since I've already mentioned her. Already mom to 7 year old boy (who looks kinda like a girl) Ryder with rocker ex-husband Chris Robinson, Kate has gotten herself knocked up again by another musician, Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy.This is slightly irritating because, if anyone besides me remembers this far back, Kate was seemingly pregnant for about two years last time around. She is atypical from the usual pattern of celebs pretty much waiting for the baby to crown before they even confirm they are pregnant. For Kate, I believe the sequence of events was she took an early response pregnancy test, her publicist called TMZ and then she let the baby daddy know. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">This one is one of my favorites. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbEgQCQzyCI3eJgFbI-gsn_khO2fsNaICORCG1gPGkNDzFPyyipwcrv1DKyp190XUH-7lxOInFfmIT-dss1yrU43iJSb_wIMqMp2IVr1zPkmxj_9idTIwHjyf-h5Ud9X6ysHY2WdiFbqh/s1600/victoria-beckham-david-beckham.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbEgQCQzyCI3eJgFbI-gsn_khO2fsNaICORCG1gPGkNDzFPyyipwcrv1DKyp190XUH-7lxOInFfmIT-dss1yrU43iJSb_wIMqMp2IVr1zPkmxj_9idTIwHjyf-h5Ud9X6ysHY2WdiFbqh/s320/victoria-beckham-david-beckham.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
Victoria & David Beckham, or Posh & Becks as our friends across the pond refer to them, recently confirmed they are adding another baby to their brood of three boys (Brooklyn, Romeo & Cruz). At this point, I think they're just trying to form their own soccer team. I love seeing Posh preggo, it's like seeing a stick figure swallow a watermelon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1JM6dbQ02EeoTeuTrmPoDEWyF-h6idtaDKVmABmvS6IHSSLmjrcF-f36p-XwmpJvOT7PHjMKwarp2T88KAfgE9aqaxuWuzhAJ5bcnYZBOlnV_oH3QEArCaaDHqGZp0iJ3kMedvOZ5CNv/s1600/kate+husdon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yes, I know that Selma Blair (who I love), Jodie Sweetin, Pink, Alicia Silverstone and Ivanka Trump (is she really a celebrity?) are pregnant but I'm more interested in the babies that have recently seemed to appear out of thin air. <br />
<br />
Owen Wilson confirmed last week that he and his nameless girlfriend were expecting a child and then <i><span style="font-size: large;">5</span></i> days later, out comes baby Robert Ford Wilson which was a way more normal name than I was expecting after all of his mental health problems. <br />
<br />
Also on the where-did-they-come-from baby list is Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, which if you're quick on the uptake, is the daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG-wIhVIq5rUC0iJxyeUZ-HGO0dyb2GVmkRg9dWloqX44dYu2yGpI2D6PCL-3duA1XhN9U82QdXxP1cv3XctuGV_wdcxoUliDrrIkNfdPicVgqr7ih_HzB3gNrEpNysXc6pc9D6XkUAxM/s1600/nicole-kidman-400-120208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG-wIhVIq5rUC0iJxyeUZ-HGO0dyb2GVmkRg9dWloqX44dYu2yGpI2D6PCL-3duA1XhN9U82QdXxP1cv3XctuGV_wdcxoUliDrrIkNfdPicVgqr7ih_HzB3gNrEpNysXc6pc9D6XkUAxM/s320/nicole-kidman-400-120208.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole Kidman & baby Faith</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Born December 28, 2010 via gestational carrier (is surrogate a dirty word now? I feel like this may be Camille Grammer's fault) her famous parents decided to keep mum until after the Golden Globes but just as the Oscar buzz really starts to kick up. Not that they don't love their daughter but you have to love the timing, it's pretty much a publicists dream.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOt361DnM4KSOoCLtiT850_4LBUz3Sev_FyMkFeBKuDMYleKhJ_dhv80wQviumok0QVHXRLwCyoGzxGu1SX4LtZP0vCw30c_f3ZvmZFccPM1UxC_9i32_J5WtY3G_eBv5G5Wv7-WLlNMV/s1600/kerr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOt361DnM4KSOoCLtiT850_4LBUz3Sev_FyMkFeBKuDMYleKhJ_dhv80wQviumok0QVHXRLwCyoGzxGu1SX4LtZP0vCw30c_f3ZvmZFccPM1UxC_9i32_J5WtY3G_eBv5G5Wv7-WLlNMV/s320/kerr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model Miranda Kerr & Baby Flynn with Husband Orlando Bloom.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">While this is neither a pregnancy or a surprise, I'm including it because I just love this picture. </div><div style="text-align: center;">A natural moment in motherhood, though I never looked like that when I nursed Reed but hey, I'm not a super model! And it's way better than the People magazine photo shoots done eight weeks after the baby is born. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Since I'm already on the topic, I'll comment on the elephant in the city of Memphis as of late. <br />
I recently posted that there was another blog titled Memphis Mama and according to every national news outlet, there's a lot more than just the two of us with a claim to the name. Frayser High School has reported <i><span style="font-size: large;">90</span></i> girls who are either pregnant or have given birth since this school year began. <br />
While that's terrible and very sad, I'd like to comment on something that's being left out of every news blurb being said about the topic: Several of these girls were transferred into Frayser once they found out they were pregnant because of the school's funding for student child care. They don't all reside in the same school district, Memphis City Schools are currently herding all the pregnant girls. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Still sad and terrible, but it's not exactly accurate reporting if you leave that detail out. You hear me, <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/">The Today Show</a>? <br />
<br />
Lastly, Kim Kardashian? Please keep your sex-tape-having-hugeass <a href="http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/2011/01/19/kim-kardashian-teen-mom-teenage-pregnancy-young-girls/">opinions</a> to yourself. You aren't famous because anyone cares about your opinons on the societal issues plauging America. Spritz some of your perfume on, wear a tight skirt and call it a day.</div>raquel mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607810401489733070noreply@blogger.com3