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Weekly Favorites: February 6, 2011

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Feb 062011

HAPPY SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! OMG! GO STEELERS! That said, I know that not everyone is a) a football fan, b) cares about either the Steelers or the Packers and c) might be looking for something to do/read today. I have chosen my favorites from this week as well and added a few other categories. Enjoy! GO STEELERS!

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water

Meatball Subs with Caramelized Onions by Deb at Smitten Kitchen. Looks stunning.

Tortilla de (sweet) Patatas by Joanne at Eats Well with Others. I’m not really sure I can make that, but it seems like something we’d love.

Sesame Soba Noodles by Annie at Annie’s Eats. Uh, yes please. That looks so good.

Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese by Sarah at One Starry Night. I’m not 100% certain BigBrother will eat it, but LittleBrother will. And so will I. It’s on the list!

Super Bowl Party Recipes by Amy at Living Locurto. If you’re looking for last minute things, this is a good, quick resource. You really might have quite a few of these things already in your house so you won’t have to go out!

Books I’ve Read/Book Posts I Liked

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard. I reviewed it at Chronicles, and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It was my 7th book for 2011, my 3rd adoption pick (2nd fiction) and my 3rd Young Adult pick.

A Glee-ful Memoir. OMG! Jane Lynch is releasing a memoir! GLEE! It’s called Happy Accidents and comes out in September. JOY!

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

Hydrantgirl has been nominated for a Bloggie. She’s nominated in the Top 5 Canadian Blogs category. Go give her a vote!

Fire Truck Runs Over Protester in Egypt by Rhett Fleitz at The Fire Critic. I can’t imagine the unrest myself, though I’ve been following it as closely as I can. As Rhett says, this is an inexcusable action, but I also can’t imagine trying to do fire work in those conditions.

T-Shirt Giveaway Time by Val at Fire Fighter Wife. Val is celebrating her birthday with a giveaway from FirefighterWives.net. Easy entries!

Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me:

Ice Storm by Heather at Kinder.Better.Braver. Heather posts more than just photos on her blog, but this post was so beautiful despite my hatred of ice.

My post about flickr’s accidental account deletion at BlogHer. No photos, but it should inspire you to backup your photos. Immediately. (I’m using QOOP.) Additionally, flickr did eventually restore his account and gave him a 25 year pro account ($625).

My Ultimate Favorites of the Week

A Frozen Moment by Burgh Baby. I was there, with her, in that moment — because her writing was amazing. The writing is phenomenal; it follows the directions of my old creative writing teacher, “Show, don’t tell.” It’s also just a beautiful note of childhood wonder and winter. (PS: She updated her layout. Looks lovely. Go see!)

Taking Time for Yourself by Sara at Family Organic. I was totally nodding along as I read. It’s so important to take care of yourself — as a person — so you can best take care of the people and stuff in your life.

On Being Round by Dawn at This Woman’s Work. I’d say something about this post, but she says it best herself:

I am often surprised when people argue with me about this like its controversial for all kinds of people to love and accept themselves. There are people who are so worried about their daughter’s bodies that they forget their daughter’s hearts and souls. They don’t seem to understand that shame and the demonstration of shame is harmful. Sure, it might keep your daughter skinny but at what cost? These are people who say, “But what about the obesity epidemic???” If you are one of those people I encourage you to read Real Kids Come in All Sizes.

Celebrate Winter by Renee at FIMBY (Fun In My Backyard). I love this post because her point, “enjoying winter is a choice,” is one I need to be reminding myself of as of late. I tweeted about Too Much Togetherness causing us to all to spontaneously combust earlier this week. I think I need to reevaluate a few things. (But Spring, please hurry.)

BlogHer CEO Lisa Stone teamed up with Cloris Leachman to make fun of GoDaddy commercials. I loved it. The truth is that the GoDaddy commercials are beyond ridiculous (and GoDaddy stinks). I love the fun they poke at the commercials. It makes me happy to be part of BlogHer. I’d embed it but Cloris uses language that will make my mother-in-law smack me. So just go view it at BlogHer, okay? (Except for you, Kathy.)

Two of My Favorite Photos this Week:

Frosty morning sunrise. Made it to my Project 365 Favorites set.

Look at the sky! Blown out, but I love the feel.

Also, I’ve fixed a javascript issue on the blog that should now make it much easier to view — with pictures and all — via Microsoft Internet Explorer. Of course, you’d do yourself some good switching to Firefox — or Rockmelt or anything for that matter — but everything should load relatively timely now.

Lastly: Please link me to your favorites this week as well. I’m always trying to expand what I read an am exposed to each week.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! GO STEELERS!

Weekly Favorites: January 30, 2011

blogging, Links, Photography 4 Responses »

Jan 302011

Starting a new weekly series in which I link you to some of my favorite stuff from the week. Not every favorite will be included, but I’ll try and hit some great stuff. I’ll also include a few of my favorite photos from the week for a Two-Birds-with-One-Stone kind of efficiency post.

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Spicy Bean Burritos at Annie’s Eats by Annie. I’m making these on an evening that FireDad is at work the coming week. My boys love beans, so they should be a hit. I’m toning down the spice a bit (for them, not me), but yes, my mouth watered.

Lemon Basil Marinara Sauce at In Good Taste by Maris. I’ve been making my own spaghetti/etc sauce for about a month now, noticing that LittleBrother was having a sensitivity to something in jarred sauces. This is on my To Make List now.

Weekend Menu Planning: Dip Into Something Hot for Super Bowl Sunday at BlogHer by Kalyn Denny. I haven’t yet made any decisions as to what I’m making for the Super Bowl party my friends are throwing. I bookmarked a few on this post.

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

It’s going to be a glorious day. at Trauma Queen by Kal. Please go read this post. Seriously. And then make a promise to yourself and the rest of humanity and vow to NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Female Firefighter Call Out at Fire Fighter Wife by Val. She’s looking for female firefighters who blog. Go leave your link!

The Best of Motivational …or Demotivational Firefighting Posters at The Fire Critic by Rhett Fleitz. Some of these are inappropriate (don’t say I didn’t warn you) and one isn’t work friendly (read: FireDad don’t click this at work) but I may have laughed. Even at the inappropriate ones. These will be most funny to those within the fire service family, but they’re pretty much universally funny. As a note, voting is live for the best Fire and EMS blogs. Even though I think the finalist lists are bunk (read: my favorite EMS blogger didn’t make it; sadface), you should vote. No registration required.

Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:

An Idea at Blue Lily Blog by Wendy and Tyler. Those photos of Nie‘s family are just absolutely stunning. Technically and artistically both. As an aside, the post announces that they have finalized their US Tour. They will be in Pittsburgh on October 30th (which is a Sunday, so if your neighborhood messes with trick-or-treating, beware) and Columbus on November 2nd. If you want some crazy amazing family pics, sign up soon. Limited space.

Something I’m Learning at Light Traces by Michelle Black. This was from last week (I was behind on reading) and there aren’t actually any photos in this post, but it is, most definitely, inspiring.

My Ultimate Favorites of the Week:

Project: Create a Special Meal at Lisa Leonard Online by Lisa Leonard. I know we don’t “do” Valentine’s Day in our house, but I really think I’m going to make a special meal for my three guys. Maybe I’ll even make it look fancy-pants.

Life Lessons from Sand Sculptors at In Pursuit of Happiness by Miss Britt. She posted this on the same day that I blogged about leaving the paper and opening my Etsy store. If people can make money building sand castles, anything is possible. Right?

Daily Work-At-Home Rhythms: Things I Have Learned by Ali Edwards. Again, it’s quite interesting that in a week I needed some encouragement, it was right there waiting. An interesting post about working at home and raising children and time management for those interested.

What They’re Really Thinking: AFC Championship Edition at That’s Church by Virginia Montanez. Complete with NKOTB references, booger talk and Angry Hulk, among other amusing tidbits. Basically, if you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and you need to laugh, hop on over there. If you’re not, get of my lawn blog. (Just kidding. Kind of. HA!)

“We Don’t Keep Secrets in Our Family“ at BlogHer by Nancy Campbell. I think this is an important read for parents about child abuse and the importance of words. As a note, it was originally posted on her blog earlier this month.

A note: This is not about favorites. If you aren’t on my weekly list, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t like what you wrote. I will try to keep diversity in this list as well. Sometimes certain things just move me more than others. Also, look for categories to change at will. Because I can.

And now for:

A Few of my Favorite Photos this Week:

I’ve been trying to capture an icicle in this manner for awhile. Finally! This made it into my 365 Favorites set.

This one also made it in my 365 Favorites set. Look for my review of Laurie Berkner’s show soon!

Flowers at Alexis’ birthday party at Burgh Baby‘s house. I went with black and white again because I was feeling it this week. Not in the favorites set, but I do like it.

Here’s hoping that this coming week sees an end to the Viral Ick that has been creeping our house, some more great reads and some great photos as well. As I have a new lens coming in, I’d bet on it!

Lastly: Please share a link to either a favorite post that you wrote or read this week and/or a link to the favorite photo you took this week. I want to read and see things outside of what I am currently experiencing via feed reader. Enlighten me and share with others!