7.19.2011

I Saw The Sign

Hey everyone, For The Love of Blogs is doing a Best in Category Poll! I have been nominated for "Best in Travel". If you are interested in seeing who else is in the running and voting (just click the "like" button below your favorite blogs - I am number 35) you can go HERE and check it out!!

And, since today has been a crazy, tired, busy, worn out Tuesday for me and I need a laugh, I have a few more funny signs that I (of course) had to share with you!


Mayo -- it IS good for you after all!

My stereo is lost. Luckily I am in Missouri.

Sign someone put up on my cubicle wall after the Patriots lost to the Saints.

Now, a substitute for the Murse. (from the New Yorker)

A Christmas card from my Uncle.

Guess where I was when I took this?

So You are Open WHEN?
(In case you can't read this one, it says, "Store Hours. Open most days about 9 or 10. Occasionally as early as 7 but some days as late as 12 or 1. We close about 5:30 or 6. Occasionally about 4 or 5 but sometimes as late as 11 or 12. Some days or afternoons we aren't here at all and lately Ive been here just about all the time except when I am someplace else." )

This was a real sign in New Orleans. You can read the article about it HERE.
Happy sign hunting!! Do you take photos of any weird things?

7.18.2011

Hot Sauce

Please join me over at Kim's blog, Yep They Are All Mine, where I talk about a Hot Day in The Life.

She is a fellow Northern California girl and she is doing everything I wish I was doing this summer -- going to Lake Tahoe, hanging out with friends, and living it up! It makes me miss home to read some of her posts!

Speaking of Tahoe, I will leave you with this tidbit. Last time I was there, I ate at Jakes on the Lake, which was delicious and is right on the water. HERE is the menu.

Happy Monday everyone!

7.17.2011

Week In Review: The iPhone Edition

What a week! I am glad it is Sunday (my one day off!) but it sure does go too fast! Today I have great plans to visit with some friends, watch the Women's World Cup game and maybe even get some hiking and pool time to boot! (no pun intended with the bootheel, boot reference!)

I normally take my big camera out when I want to take nice photo and try to impress you all, but this week, the photos are from my phone, and are grainy, badly lit and "real". So, if you can look past the quality of the photos, you will see what I really did this week!

I was going to go running, but THIS was the temperature and there were heat advisories out (107 heat index!) 


 So I ate some of these instead. I know...burn 300 calories or eat 300 calories...hmmm..

My weakness
 I took a drive through the country...

Silo

Corn Rows
And found THIS. Good one!


Then I tried running again. This time the weather was cooler. 


The running trail.
I found cheap gas. And then realized the station was closed (note the "Happy Holidays" sign)


I bought a PECK of Peaches! I have never bought a peck of anything! 
Saturn Peaches



 I went grocery shopping at a store called SMUCKS. Oh, that's not what it says? 


I bought some healthy food. 


Last but not least, yesterday at 6 am I went to Walmart. There were NORMAL people there!!! Buying this: 

Yummy!
I wouldn't be caught dead drinking that. It's BLUE. What kind of flavor is that supposed to be? 

Anyway, that's my week. A lot of running, driving around and buying things to eat. 

This post was inspired by Kimberly at Yep They're All Mine and her Grab a Beer and Look What I Did Last Week series. And is also a part of: 




How was your week? Did you take lots of blurry phone pictures?

7.16.2011

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I am obsessed with podcasts. I am sure that you all know all about them already. However, just in case you don't, can I just say that if you have iTunes, you can get podcasts for free? And they are automatically downloaded as long as your iTunes is open, so you really don't have to do anything! And if you sync your iWhatever regularly, it will take off the ones you have heard and put on new ones you haven't heard.


What is a podcast, you ask? Well it's usually spoken shows like audiobooks, but in 10 minute to 1 hour increments. You can get information on running, music, fashion, technology...and more! Here are a few of my favorites.


Click to go to the show
This American Life: "First-person stories and short fiction pieces that are touching, funny, and surprising."says this source. Not only that, but I usually learn something while I am laughing out loud. So, it's killing two birds with one stone.

click to go to the show
The Moth: These are 5-15 minute live stories told by real people. This show started in NYC, and I actually went to a live one the last time I was there and it was hilarious. BUT when you can't make it to the show in the city, this podcast is a good substitute. Each week they have a different theme, so sometimes they are quite touching and sometimes they are just laugh your bum off funny!

click to go to the show
Savage Love Podcast: This one is rated PG-13 or maybe even R. It is a call in talk show regarding sex and relationships, hosted by a very vocal and opinionated, and funny gay guy named Dan Savage.


Planet Money - they break down financial issues into understandable stories, such as this one that explained some things about the 2008 recession. 

KEXP: A new song each Day!  

and many more! 
Here are the top 10 in the US according to iTunes: 


Gosh, even I didn't know there was a Harry Potter podcast!

Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones are YOUR favorites? 

7.15.2011

Un Dia - Bolivia Style

Today I am participating in
with Karen at A Peek at Karen's World 


 Almost exactly three years ago I was in Bolivia traveling and doing volunteerwork. Here is a normal "day in the life" at that time. You can read more about my travels in Bolivia HERE.

Well, we are now in Cochabamba and have been here for about a week. We are settling into our routine...Here it is, for your reading enjoyment.

-8:00 get up


-Have breakfast, watch my favorite show on Discovery Kids (in Spanish, its about what I can understand), Charlie y Lola


-Walk to class (about 20 minutes, mostly downtown, with a few plazas thrown in)


-10:00 - 12:00 Tutor in Spanish. We mostly just talk girl talk, in Spanish...I mean, what else am I paying her for? I am getting the best gossip in Cochabamba!!


-Walk home


-1:00 - 2:00 Lunch with the family (we are staying with a family in the down town area. They have other family come over all the time for lunch, so we always have a full table for lunch)


-2:00 - 2:30 Bus ride to work (volunteering) goes from down town to the subburbs, where the orphanage is


2:30 - 6:30 Help the kids with their tarea (homework), help them with their work (they each have a daily chore) and if there is time, play with them. The kids are from 3 yrs - 17 years. 30 kids live in the orphanage full time and another...maybe 30-40 come for an after school program around 3. It is busy, busy, busy...and my arms are tired from all the spinning around and carrying we do! But it is a great time.


-Bus back home


-7:00 Dinner with the family


-At 8 Julietta´s novela (soap opera) comes on and if you want to watch it with her (and another at 9) you can...It is actually good becuase they speak really slowly, so it is easier to understand the Spanish this way...but they are SOOOO cheesy!!!


-After dinner activities (there is a festival/holiday right now for one of the virgins, so there is a mini carnaval with food and fireworks and music every night)

And that, my friends, is our normal day!!!



Original Post HERE.  


What is YOUR normal day like? Have you ever lived in a foreign city? What was THAT like? 

7.14.2011

Cake Pops

Have you seen these at Starbucks and wondered, "how do they make those?"


Well, wonder no longer. I am here to tell you.
My friend and I made these for her going away party (I know...she wanted to do it!) and it was super easy!
We made two different kinds - chocolate cake pops with milk chocolate coating and strawberry cake pops with (blue) white chocolate coating.

Ingredients: 
1 box regular cake mix, any kind you want
(and whatever ingredients necessary to make the cake)
1 tub of frosting (any kind - we used cream cheese)
1 package of Wilton's candy melts (we got them at Michaels*they have all kinds of colors!)
(here are some tips on how to use these, clean up etc)
Various Sprinkles
Lollipop Sticks (also from Michaels)
Cello Bags (I think they are 3" x 4" but am not positive)
Ribbon
Styrofoam board (to keep pops upright while drying)
source
{1}
Bake the cake. Once it's cool crumble it up into a bowl. 
Add half of the frosting. Mix well.


{2)
Roll the mixture into balls. Put on a cookie sheet. Leave in fridge for at least an hour or, even better, overnight. We were on the fast track cake pop making, so we put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. It worked but I would recommend just making them the night before. 


{3}
Melt the candy melts. To do this, bring a pot of water to a simmer and put a mixing bowl with the candies on top of the pot, kind of a double boiler method. 


{4}
Put the lollipop sticks into the bottom (flatter part) of the cold cake balls and then dip them into the melted chocolate. (HINT: if the chocolate is a little thick, you can add a little bit of vegetable oil to it to thin it out) I don't know if it's becuase we did the fast freezer method, but the balls kept wanting to fall off the stick, so do it as quickly as you can. Don't shake the stick either. We found that if there is too much chocolate, just give it a light twirl to even it out.

{5}
After dipped, add sprinkles and put them one by one into the Styrofoam board to cool/dry. 


{6}
Once dry, we transfered them to a plate to fit new ones in the "cooling rack". We also used a fan, you can kind of see it in the photo above. But don't set it too high or the melted chocolate will go everywhere! 


{7}
Put them in the cello bag. 


{8}
Tie a ribbon on the bag and VOILA. Cake pops!


Here they are, hanging out at the party!
Okay, so if you think the ones we made are cool, check out some of these: 

source
source
source
**Also if you don't want to mess with pops, you can make cake BALLS: 

source
Enjoy your Pop and Ball making!

Have you ever made cake pops? Do you have an "go to" thing you usually make for parties?

7.13.2011

A Method to My Madness

You’ve probably seen the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It’s been a long time since I have seen it, but I remember John Candy trying to get somewhere (for Christmas?) and he has to take all these different methods of transportation. I can relate to that! I thought I would go over a few different weird ways to get around that I have come across in my travels....

...Want to hear more? Head over to Women Rockin' The Road, where I talk about huge mountains, strange animals, hitchhiking, fearing for your life and more! You can also read stories from other women travelers and you can contribute your own!

 Also, if you haven't seen it before, check out my post about 10 Interesting Things that I've seen on the road!
____________________________________________________________________________

 In honor of different methods of transportation, here are a few examples! 

Egypt - the true MINI van
India - Waiting for the train. 


India - Rickshaw Taxi

India - Fancy Bike

India - "Sleeper" train

Africa - Things you can buy from the bus


Nepal - The porters carry EVERYTHING on thier back!

Nepal - Yak power

Italy - Gondolier
 What is the weirdest method of transportation you have ever experienced? Have you ever ridden on a bus with a chicken? What IS the weirdest animal or thing you have shared a bus ride with?