This morning dawned cold and dreary. It was the sort of morning where all I really wanted to do was stay in bed. But I knew it was a workday. So I brewed some coffee and plopped myself in front of the computer to ingest the steamy brew.
There was nothing interesting in the news. So I just clicked my way around the Internet. People post some really whacky stuff.
I mean, I came across some stupid stuff. But then? Then I stumbled upon a treasure.
Said treasure being Matty B who has got to be the baddest 8-year-old ever.
“Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning GOOD.” (Do you know who said that?)
He raps. It’s awesome. He covers popular rap tunes using his own alternate lyrics.
It sort of takes you back to the day when rap lyrics were fun. When “dirty” lyrics included things like “…and Rip Van Winkle fell the Hell asleep.”
Painful, right?
Nowhere near as bad as that gangsta rap stuff.
Anyway…
Matty’s raps are cool. In case you can’t understand him, here’s the opening lines of this cool little video.
People rappin ’bout their cars. And they money.
Why would you rap about your stuff?
Now that’s just funny.
Course their treasures ain’t like mines.
My stuff’s sick.
So I had to drop a Matty B remix.
Now, some of you won’t enjoy this. But that’s okay. Cause I know some of you will.
I just LOVE the chauffeur.
Check it out, yo!
If you think he’s awesome and need to see more, he’s got his own YouTube channel. Some of the other ones I like include…
Unless you live under a rock, or at least away from a TV, you know the Northeast US was hit with a rare October snowstorm yesterday. As far as accumulation goes, we didn’t get much. But it was still a cold, wet, nasty day.
Cold, Wet, and Nasty
You know what it means when the weather is like that, right? It’s a great day for soup!
I actually did quite a bit of running around in that nastiness. I went to Chantilly to visit a furniture store I’d been wanting to check out: Bare Woods and Home Furnishings. It was awesome. And overwhelming. That had so much very cool stuff, I didn’t know what to buy. So I didn’t buy anything.
But I’ll go back.
Instead, I went to Target to stock up on some essentials, and then I went home to prepare dinner.
I forgot to mention that I’d stopped at my favorite shop before leaving town to make sure I’d have that one key dinner ingredient.
Fresh Spinach Feta Bread
I just LOVE the Spinach Feta Bread from Great Harvest. It is dense, flavorful, and delicious.
I couldn’t decide if I wanted Chili or French Onion Soup. So I made Hubby pick. He opted for French Onion.
I use the Joy of Cooking recipe, which is fabulous, but takes about two hours to cook. It’s worth it. Trust me.
Waiting for Dinner
The dogs waited patiently for me to prepare their dinner while the soup cooked.
And while I took pictures of the bottle of wine I had gotten at Target.
Artful Wine
You gotta love living in a state where you can buy wine at Target.
Isn’t that a cool wine label?
The soup was delicious. Sorry I don’t have a picture of the finished product. But by then, I was absolutely starving and salivating over all the delicious smells.
I do have one final picture to share.
The Younguns
Here Belle and K wait for something. A treat maybe? I forget. This was after dinner and I just happened to have the camera in my hand for this rare moment when they were standing still next to each other and actually looking at the camera.
I would have Photoshopped the redeye out, but Hubby is waiting patiently for me to go cook breakfast like I’d promised. Over-medium eggs with more of that yummy Spinach Feta bread. And bacon. Oh my.
I hope you enjoy your Sunday!
UPDATE…
Just in case you were wondering how breakfast turned out.
Eggs Over Medium with Spinach Feta Toast and Bacon
I no longer look like a tourist driving around my own town!
Fancy Schmancy New License Tag
Well, except for the fact that I am still taking pictures of stuff. And will probably continue to do so for quite some time. This place is just so darn photogenic!
Are you guys enjoying the town pictures? Or have you seen enough already?
Over the past several months, I’ve neglected my blog friends horribly. I’ve been trying to catch up on all my favorite folks when I have a few spare moments here and there.
I miss reading about Jess’s crazy farm life and seeing her beautiful pictures. I don’t know what it is about that first feet photo. What? You didn’t click on that link? Do it now!
I also miss her photography experiments. The woman is talented. Yes, she’s got adorable kids, but the way she captures them in photos is a pure delight to see. And don’t you just LOVE that coffee cup shot? Matted and framed, that would certainly make a nice piece of art in my home!
If you would like to see more of Jess, you’ll just have to visit The Old Nichols Farm yourself. Be sure to let her know who sent you!
L-R, Ralph, Robin, Me, Amy, and Shannon
I also miss my friend Shybiker’s fashion forays. Not because I am all that into fashion (have you seen my collection of t-shirts lately?), but because I love seeing happiness on that face. And reading the funny stories. Some folks are confused by Shybiker, who describes himself as “… a lawyer who enjoys motorcycles, fashion and film. Oh, and I’m transgendered.” He has an amazing story. Ralph is one of the kindest, most articulate, caring, most intelligent people I have befriended via the Internet.
Shannon, Amy, and I were lucky enough to meet Ralph and his lovely wife, Robin, on our trip to New York this past Spring.
For a peek into Ralph’s life and better understanding of the person, you’d have to read the blog. If you want a quick glimpse, have a look at one of the recent profiles (scroll down after you click the link) that appeared on another person’s blog. The level of honesty and openness is amazing.
I saw a quote on one of his posts recently that, due to recent events, really resonated with me…
I’ve learned you can’t predict the future; the best you can do is put one foot in front of the other and head in directions you hope will be fulfilling.
– Shybiker
I’m so glad to be back in the fold. Hopefully, I won’t get so behind in my reading ever again.
Be sure to visit Shybiker when you get a chance. Tell him his buddy, ToadMama, sent you his way.
We're Still Hot
There’s also my girlfriend, Tracey, who really seems to have found her calling in the blogosphere as the very creative talent behind Granny Trace Scraps and Squares.
I’ve known Tracey for over 30 years. She’s one of those people who does, and does, and does for everyone around her, yet seldom carves out time for herself. That’s finally changing though. Hallelujah!If anyone deserves her own slice of happiness and love, it’s Tracey.
She’s the friend who taught me how to sew. What? You didn’t know I could sew? Stay tuned. I finally have a space to call my own. A sewing room! I can have the machine readily accessible and all the materials at-hand for those few spare moments I get to do fun stuff instead of stuff that has to be done.
And we can’t forget Rachael (aka Fuzzy), who is the coolest biker chick ever. Except she’s about as much of a “biker” (bad-ass, leather-clad, tattoed, Harley-riding, etc.) as I am.
She’s a motorcyclist. And a photographer (oh yes you are!). And a Mom.
Photo courtesy of Rachael (of Fuzzygalore fame)
She and her main squeeze recently did a motorcycle tour of northern California. It’s so much fun living vicariously through her. If you’d like to see some of the very cool California pics mingled with very entertaining commentary, follow this California link. Or visit her main page at http://www.fuzzygalore.com. Oh yeah, did I mention that she just got a new Tiger? It’s gorgeous…
Now, if I’m being honest, I must admit that I haven’t caught up with everyone.
I told you I’ve been squeezing these sessions in, right?
Next on the list is Jade Keller of Tasting Grace. Her beautiful words, honesty, courage, serenity, and photography, among other things, inspire me. I’ll catch up, soon. I really have missed you.
And Mary at Musings of the 60s, the coolest Grandma ever, who I really feel horrible about losing touch with. Especially now that I’ve learned she’s gone through quite an emotional ordeal of late that still isn’t over.
Mary has 20 grandchildren. Yep, 20. That’s a lot! And quite an amazing family. And she does some of the best birthday posts ever. For all of them.
Lots of love and hugs are coming your way, Mary!
Don’t forget… if you go to visit with any of my friends, let them know ToadMama is alive, well, and finally back to following.
I’ve mentioned before how people have made comments about my camera being responsible for the quality of my images. You know, “I love your pictures. I need a camera like yours.”
So when I saw this quote recently, I knew I just HAD to share it here…
It was actually a couple of weeks ago that I saw this quote. Back when my blog wasn’t working properly and I couldn’t post pictures. So I don’t remember where exactly I saw it.
But speaking of pictures… I can’t believe not one person commented about the naked man in the video I posted yesterday.
Maybe everyone thought it was just some dumb weather video? Perhaps I should have said, “make sure you watch for the naked man!”
Or, perhaps everyone was so shocked at the inappropriateness of it all that they just could not comment.
I’m attributing it to the dumb weather video syndrome.
On another note… my posts may be a bit unusual over the next couple of weeks. Hubby and I will be traveling all over Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana with our dear Belgian friends. Shannon will be joining us for a few days in Colorado. I’m going to try posting from my smart phone. You know, the one that’s way smarter than me? Fingers crossed it works. If not, I’ll have my computer along, too. I just thought I’d warn you so you didn’t think the blog was broken again.
