birthday wishes

i don't like bluegrass music.

but he does. plus, its his birthday.
here's my virtual birthday gift to him.

land of the free, home of the brave

if you had to take a citizenship test, could you pass? i have to admit, some of the questions made me pause and ponder. others i simply did not know the answer to. see how you would do below (there are 100 potential questions - each individual is asked 10.):

name one U.S. territory.
name one American Indian tribe.
who was president during World War I ?
who did the U.S. fight in World War II ?
name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers.
what are two rights only for U.S. citizens?
name two cabinet level positions.
the House of Representatives has how many voting members?
a U.S. Senator is elected for how many years?
how many amendments does the Constitution have?

how'd you do (without the help of Google)?

Recyclebank

I first learned of Recyclebank as I casually strolled through the winding paths of Central Park earlier this year and picked up my free coupon from an Aveeno giveaway girl...oh wait, that wasn't me was it?

I must be incompetent to stand trial, your honor.

Wait, that's not me either. Huh. (But I feel I must say on this subject that if she'd just used a Glad Odor Shield trash bag, her trunk might not be stanky.)

This Recyclebank thing is cool. You get rewarded for being environmentally minded. You can get coupons (totally my reason for being there), discounts at local restaurants and entertainment venues, and much more. The rewards change often, and the effort is really effortless (I don't think that is a proper statement, do you?).

Happy recycling!

Easy Summer Meal

It is a well known fact that we love the grill at our house. Meat, veggies, fruits, pizza -- it doesn't matter to us, we'll grill 'em all.

So when I ran across this recipe for a grilled chicken taco, I knew we'd give it a try. It couldn't have been easier to throw the ingredients together, rub 'em on the chicken and throw the chicken on the grill.

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbps. cumin

1 Tbsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

16 taco-size soft clour tortillas

Combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Slowly add olive oil until moist (mixture will be crumbly). Rub on chicken and let rest at room temp for 30 minutes. Grill chicken until done (about 4 minutes per side). Remove from grill, cover with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve with tortillas and your favorite condiments.
*Note: I used 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper.

And since I am in the mode of using what's in my pantry stockpile, here's what we had to go with the tacos:

Guacamole
(which you must try even if food that looks like baby doo doesn't appeal to you)

Black Bean Fiesta by Bush's

Skinnygirl Margaritas

football already, say what?

Yes, football already -- in a way. The Auburn Tigers are up for five ESPY awards and you can vote through July 9 at espn.com/espys or facebook.com/espn.

Auburn is nominated in the following categories:
Best Team
Best Coach/Manager (Gene Chizik)
Best Breakthrough Athlete (Cam Newton)
Best Game (Auburn defeats Alabama)
Best Male College Athlete (Cam Newton)

Go vote. Go Tigers!

thank you

High Fives for the Bass Clef

i played piano as a child, and a little classical guitar, but neither relied solely on the bass clef for its notes. so when His Royal Highness and Miss Priss both chose to play the trombone, they were pretty much on their own for scales and such.

and both have done all right, if I do say so myself.

today, Miss Priss was recognized as the

Best 6th Grade Band Student

at her middle school's award ceremony.

that's #1 out of 96 and covers the spectrum of orchestral instruments.
high five to you, Miss Priss, and your bass clef.