Wildcard Wednesday

Wednesdays have always been a little bit of a wildcard, a little whacky so why not carry on the tradition? Wednesdays will be filled with weird posts, maybe a bit of wisdom but it will always be a wildcard. Gotta keep ya guessing!

So, I had this whole post about depression, dealing with it, how it lies to you, but writing it made me even more depressed. I decided instead to look at my surroundings and see what makes me happy. I'm glad I did, my spirit was instantly lifted and I was reminded how lucky I am and how happy I truly can be. 

Happiness is finding little love notes on the door...
Petey getting caught catching some rays puts a smile on my face...
Enjoying the "ocean" at Playa de Pedersen...
Beautiful pink flowers with a peeking tiki...
And of course, worn out puppers.... Any sad mood I have, any ounce of depression disappears when I come home. It is my sanctuary. My family allows me to breathe and be myself. I can't imagine my life without them. They are my world.

Tie One On Tuesday

We have had 3 whole days of sunshine and my garden is loving it! My little herbs and veggies are soaking up the rays! My Rosemary, Thyme and Lemon Basil are going crazy. Besides cooking with these awesome herbs, I wanted to find a couple of cocktails to go to dinner. 

The first cocktail is made with a simple syrup made from lemons and Rosemary. It is so refreshing on a hot summer day! 

Vodka Rosemary Lemonade Fizz 

Via Epicurous

1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 (8-inch) rosemary sprigs
1/2 cup vodka
Chilled club soda or seltzer

 Bring lemon juice, sugar, and rosemary to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Discard rosemary sprigs.

Fill 8 (8-ounces) glasses halfway with ice.

Divide syrup (about 2 tablespoons each) among glasses and add vodka (1 tablespoon each).

Top off with club soda. 

Thyme also pairs well with lemon beverages. Here is an awesome take on the good old country time. 

Country Thyme 

1 sprig Thyme
10 to 1 blueberries
Half a lemon, roughly chopped
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/4 oz Organic agave nectar

 Place the thyme sprig in the palm of your hand and slap it to release its oils. Twist it and place in the bottom of a glass.

In a shaker, muddle the blueberries and lemon.

Add the vodka and agave nectar, and fill with ice. Shake vigorously for 10 to 20 seconds and strain into the prepared glass

Lemon Basil smells so good and it mixes so well with vodka (what doesn't go with vodka?). I love a good gimlet-it's fun to say and fun to drink! Again, you are going to make a simple syrup with the herb.

Lemon Basil Gimlet

2 cups lemon basil

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup basil lemon syrup
1  cups vodka
1/2 cups fresh lemon juice

ice cubes

For the simple syrup, boil the lemon basil water and sugar. Stir until dissolved and then simmer for 2 minutes. After that, let the syrup sit for an hour. 

In a shaker, mix simple syrup, vodka and lemon juice with ice. 

Pour cocktail over ice and garnish with a lemon

Summer time, garden cocktails, lounging in the pool...all of these things make me extra sunshiny happy! Enjoy!

PS-I think I have a hidden obsession with lemons.

 

 

New Media Monday

So...I'm doing a little restructuring on the old blog. Nothing major but just a little revamping. Today's revamping in Media Monday! Instead of just movies, I will be talking about all forms of media: books, music, TV and of course movies. I hope you enjoy the revamping and a BIG sloppy wet kiss thank you for all that read this silly blog. You guys rock!

Let's get down to business!

One thing that I absolutely love about summer and the one hit wonders. I just can't help myself, I just love a poppy little summer tune.

The biggest one hit wonder for me this summer is Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson. Don't judge me! You know when that song comes on, you get a little wiggle in your butt and put your hand to your mouth like you are telling someone to call you. This song is so much fun! It makes me wish I was twelve again so I can make up a dance routine. Actually, who needs to be twelve, I'll just grab some of my gal pals and we will get working on some dance moves.

Another song that I am obsessed with is Little Big Town's Pontoon. Anyone growing up in the south knows about Pontoons. They are the slow fake houseboats that you take out on the lake to have parties on. Also, a lot of old people love them. I bet I can name ten people whose grandparents own a pontoon. Anyhoo...this is a great song about lazing around the lake, having a party and listening to good music. Make sure you get your cozie out so your beer doesn't get warm.

Okay, so the song most in heavy rotation on my iPod is Everybody Talks by the Neon Trees. Love it! It's poppy but just slightly alternative to give it the winning edge, plus, they have a girl drummer-AWESOME! This song reminds me of if the Killers and Franz Ferdinand had a baby-cute, but not over the top nauseating.

What's on your summer playlist? Are you all country? A little indie? Pop diva queen? Let me know, I am always in need of some good tunes.

Kittykill's Summer Playlist Round 1
Call Me Maybe-Carly Rae Jepson
Pontton-Little Big Town
Everybody Talks-Neon Trees
Go Right Ahead-The Hives
California -Social Distortion
Toes in the Water-Zac Brown Band
In the Summertime-Mungo Jerry
Barefootin-Otis Redding
Sixty Minute Man-Billy Ward
Wipeout-The Ventures
(This is just the beginning...I could go on for days)

Tutorial Thursday

I have been busy playing with the Bernina 330 that I used in the Master Craftster series on Craftster. I recently made these super easy reusable produce bags. They are so easy to make and you can use scraps you have around the house.

You can use these bags for just about anything, you don't have to use them just for produce. I love the idea of a beach bag or maybe travel toy bag. Check out the how-to video!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Hope it's filled with BBQ, parades and lots of fun in the sun! 

Boogie Your Way to the 4th!

4th of July is coming up this week and whether you are sweltering the sun, or, as I am, freezing in the rain, you will need a movie or two to tie you over between the BBQ food coma and the fireworks. Some of my favorite movies are the from the 1940's patriotic movies. There was always singing, great movie stars and you felt good about supporting your country.

One of my favorites in this genre is Hollywood Canteen. This movie is even more special because the Hollywood Canteen was a real place, in Hollywood, California, that catered to GI's heading off to WWII. It was started by Betty Davis and John Garfield and each night had an amazing amount of movie stars and musicians entertaining the GI's. The canteen served over 3 million servicemen! The movie is a little glimpse into the canteen. There is great music, wonderful actors and a sweet love story. If this movie doesn't make you feel great about your country, I'm not sure what will. 

If the west coast had Hollywood Canteen, the east coast had Stage Door Canteen. Again, there was a real Stage Door Canteen that catered to the servicemen going overseas for WWII. The music is wonderful,the cameos are jaw dropping and true to form, there is a love story. They did not film a lot of the movie at the Stage Door Canteen because it was actually being used to entertain the service men and it was pretty chaotic, so, the cameos and some of the music was shot on a sound stage. This movie is a little more like a concert film, but with the beats they are throwing down, there is nothing wrong with that!

These two movies show us a time when we put aside our differences and came together for the good of our country and our people. Maybe this 4th of July we can remember what that is like. A girl can wish, right?

Scrappy Dog Sunday

I love lazy days around Casa de Pedersen.

Nothing to do but snuggle with your best friend.

Or help mom with craft projects.

Whew! Too much work...back to naps.

Today was brought to you by the letter ZZZZZZZZZZZZ......