Music Monday: Ellie Goulding

Music Monday: Sara Bareilles

Giving My Kitchen A New Look

It's officially spring and the weather's been beautiful here lately, which means that I've started on some spring cleaning, working on getting the yard ready for spring, and I've also been thinking about things around my house and garden that I can freshen up and redecorate.

One room that I'd really like to work on this spring is my kitchen. I'd love to update it a little bit and give it more of a modern feel. I've been looking through some home magazines and blogs for ideas and one thing that I'm really liking right now is the idea of using stainless steel tile for a backsplash. It looks really sleek and clean.

So I've been researching stainless steel tiles a little bit and it turns out that they're just as easy to install as ceramic or other types of tile. I found one great site that has tons of options to choose from, and you can even order samples of the different styles so that you can see what the tile will really look and feel like before you commit to ordering it. I'm really liking this stainless "brick" option:

Does anyone have any experience with using metal tiles in a kitchen backsplash, or in any other room in your house? Do you like the look? Any pros and cons that I should think about before I go for it?

Happy Endings

Thanks to Erasmo Cortez

My husband’s and my favorite new show is Happy Endings. It’s such a funny show, and the camaraderie between the characters is awesome. It’s basically like Friends but a lot more modern and risqué. I guess risqué is actually a synonym for modern, now that I think about it. But I digress. In any event, the show cracks us up every single week and we look forward to watching it. The best thing about having a favorite show that you share with your spouse is that you get to have a standing date every single week. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind of work that you kind of forget to spend time with your significant other. I’m obviously not saying that sitting on the couch watching television is necessarily quality time, but I think that any time spent together is better than nothing. As busy as we all are, even having that one hour carved out each week is a great way to recharge together. Check out the DIRECTV listings to find out when you can catch Happy Endings in your city.

Quick Tip: Tuna & Apple

Today for lunch I tried a great tip that I took from a recipe that I read in Women's Health magazine. If you want to make yourself tuna salad for a sandwich or whatever, try making it with chopped apple instead of celery. It's such a small change but it really makes a nice difference - you still get a nice crunch like you would get with celery, but the apple provides a little sweetness and a bit of a different texture. It's yummy and healthy. I like it with crackers or on a bed of greens. Give it a try!

Music Monday: Madonna

So what does everyone think of the new Madonna album? Does the Material Girl still have it or should she give it up? Here's one of her new songs, "Girl Gone Wild".

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope everyone has a happy St. Patrick's Day! I'll be making corned beef and cabbage and traditional Irish soda bread today. Have a great day and watch out for that green beer.

Addicted to Homeland

Posted by Hyman Weeks

I decided that I have a really addictive personality. I know that sounds ridiculous but ever since I got DirecTV at home I can't find a show that I like on TV without making sure I'm DVRing every single episode of it, and when I get home and have more than one episode to watch I will watch them all no matter how late I have to stay up. That's what happened to me the other day when I discovered Homeland which is a new show on Showtime this year. There have only been 12 episodes but it took me exactly 12 hours to get through all of them… I stayed up until four in the morning! It's not like I have a lot of vices and I'm not addicted when it comes to terrible things like alcohol or cigarettes so I guess this really isn't the worst thing in the world but it is kind of embarrassing to tell someone I can't control myself when I find a TV show that I really, really like.

Music Monday: Adele

Music Monday: Florence & The Machine

Treating my bedroom as my sanctuary

Guest post written by Chelsea Winston

I've worried about making sure that all of my kids' bedrooms are perfect and exactly how they'd like them. Now I need to worry about my own bedroom. I've been putting off redecorating it for years, so now I have a pretty good idea of how exactly I want it to look.

I looked at some great design blogs to find some ideas about how to achieve some great looks and while I was doing that I ran across some info Here about kitchen remodeling. I've thought about refacing our kitchen cabinets for a while and I think that I'm going to do that over the next few months.

I found this amazing canopy bed online that I just couldn't wait to order! I'm so excited about it and I already ordered the matching curtains to go with the bedding for the new bed. Now I just have to pick out a paint color to paint the walls and an accent color for the crown molding. That and actually painting might be the toughest part of this room makeover.

New workout

Contribution by Stevie Kirby

I have to force myself to workout. I used to have a gym membership, but when I got pregnant with our first child I had terrible morning sickness and decided to freeze my membership indefinitely. Then when I had my baby, I found that I had no time to go to the gym so I cancelled my membership all together. I would really like to get back in shape, but on most days I find that it is hard to even take a shower, much less take an hour to go to the gym. A friend of mine suggested that I try to find a workout that I like on Fit TV. I gave it a try since we have satellite TV from direct.TVdirect.TV and found a workout that I really like. I usually put it on the DVR and end up working out during my baby’s nap time. I have not lost any weight yet, but I am finding that I have so much energy. I hope to have my pre-baby body back by the end of the year.

Burn Notice - Farewell Miami?

Written by my friend Marquis Finley

I have been extremely impressed with the quality of shows on the USA Network recently. One of my favorite shows is Burn Notice and the Season Finale left you with a lot to think about over the break. For those that don't follow the show, Burn Notice is one of the most entertaining television shows on cannonsatellite.com. It follows the character of Michael Weston who is a former "burned", CIA spy, who finds himself "stuck" in Miami. When you burn someone, you freeze their assets and cut off their connections. Michael finds himself "stuck" in Miami with his ex-girlfriend, Fiona, and former Navy buddy, Sam. I can think of worse places to be stuck in, but Michael's spent the last four seasons trying to track down the people who burned him, and free himself from their clutches.

In the finale, it appears that Michael has finally gotten his wish and has been reinstated as an agent. However, the dynamic between the three main characters is what has kept this show interesting over the years and it makes me wonder how this new wrinkle will affect that. If Michael has been reinstated as a full agent, how can he socialize with an ex-NRA member? He finally achieved his goal of clearing his name...so what's next?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I have to admit, Zales totally got me this year with their Mother's Day ad. Most holiday-themed jewelry ads are painfully cheesy, sexist, obnoxious, or all of the above, but this one was cute. I'm going to say that maybe it was a good choice of music that saved it, so here's the song from the ad:

Music Monday: Born This Way

I know this video is totally bizarre and nuts and over the top but I kinda love it.

Cooking Channel

I went and visited my aunt over Easter weekend, and she has the Cooking Channel on her cable, so it was my first opportunity to check it out. (My cable company sucks and hasn't added it yet.) After watching it for a couple days, I've basically concluded that Food Network took all of their good shows and put them on Cooking Channel, leaving nothing behind on FN except old tired "personalities" like Paula Deen, who ran out of original recipe ideas about four years ago, and new "original" programming like a show about a team of ice sculptors.

Cooking Channel has so much more variety and a lot more new shows. While on Food Network we're stuck watching Ina Garten make the same French recipes over and over again, Cooking Channel has shows about Italian, Indian, Chinese, and French cooking. While Food Network is showing us reruns of 30 Minute Meals and Barefoot Contessa from five years ago, Cooking channel has reruns of classic shows that people might actually want to watch, like Two Fat Ladies. Cooking Channel has Nigella. (Enough said.) While Food Network is still trying to make Melissa D'Arabian happen with the boring $10 Dinners (never mind that none of the meals could actually be made for $10), Cooking Channel gave Next Food Network Star runner up and should-have-been-winner Jeffrey Saad his own show, United Tastes of America. Bitchin' Kitchen is totally over-the-top and ridiculous but also totally entertaining, and even the food truck show is more interesting that watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives for the millionth time.

To sum up, I'd straight up trade in my Food Network for Cooking Channel at this point. Does anyone else who has seen both channels want to weigh in? I'll be busy trying to think up bribes for my cable company to get them to add this channel.

Man vs. Food

Guest post from: Joe Castro

My favorite travel show is Man vs Food. It's basically about a guy who travels all over the United States - and sometimes beyond - trying all kinds of famous foods and the dishes that put places on the map. Adam, the host, is a big, jolly guy who loves to eat and makes the best faces when he's tasting something for the first time, whether it's a great Philadelphia hot dog or a strange Puerto Rican delicacy.

I watch the show all the time and I've pretty much seen every episode. I have direct tv, so I can watch it whenever I want - my husband gets annoyed sometimes, but I don't bug him when he's watching football, so he'll just have to deal with it!

I love the way the show gives you a great look at both foods and major cities. I mean, if you're going to travel, you'll eventually have to branch out and eat something there - you won't have a choice. I like to think that the next time I go on vacation, I'll go to one of Adam's spots and I'll already know exactly what I should eat, because he's already done it for me.

Plus - and this might just be me - but I think Adam's pretty cute, too.

Sappy Stacey Moment: Despicable Me

I know I'm super late to the party on this one, but I finally saw Despicable Me the other day, and I absolutely adored it.  So freaking cute.



You can check out their official YouTube channel for more videos, but you should really just see the movie if you haven't yet.  (That is, if I'm not the only one left who hadn't already seen it.)  I could totally use some minions of my own.

Music Monday: Raise Your Glass

Vacation in the Sun

It's about ten degrees here today and there's been a ton of snow on the ground for weeks. So, to stay sane, I've started thinking about vacation planning. I think that's perfectly reasonable. After all, seasonal affective disorder is serious business and should be avoided at all costs.

I was talking to a friend about vacations and she was telling me about a trip to Spain that she took with a group of friends last year. Instead of staying in a hotel, they rented some apartments in Costa del Sol. She said it really worked out great because it gave them plenty of space, the freedom to do their own thing, and was actually pretty affordable when compared with staying at a resort.  They spent their days lounging on the beach and nights eating yummy Spanish food.

Now, the idea of visiting a place that has the word sun right in the name sounds extra appealing here in freezing cold January.  But this story kinda sounded too good to be true. I figured she had to have some kind of connections that hooked her up, or just a really rich friend. I was wrong though - turns out they made their travel arrangements on this site that does holiday property rentals. I checked it out and there are so many beautiful properties to choose from, and a pretty wide price range.  It's really a great idea when you think about it, and doesn't the phrase holiday villas sound a lot nicer than Holiday Inn?

So, now that I know that it's actually within reach to take a trip like this (well, with a little bit of saving up and brushing up on my Spanish), I've been reading this guide to Costa del Sol and doing some research on Spain in general.  I'm a total foodie so I know that I'll be in heaven as far as eating goes, and I'm a history buff so I would be really interested to explore the history of Spain, which is something that I don't know too much about.  Fantasy travel planning is in full swing.

...oh yeah, and did I mention that it's really sunny there?