CASTING FRIDAY--PLEASE BE JUDGEY!!!!

HERE COMES THE JUDGE.!!! No not the legal eagle type. They type that
passes judgement and decides who has talent and who doesn't.  Awesome
Furniture designers are wanted as judges for a new television competition show.
Do you have a pal that can quality?

They're aren't mentioning nay names yet but the furniture designer judges will
be rubbing elbows with one of the biggest celebrities in the world. The mind boggles.

If you want in on this...or have a friend or colleague that fits the bill send the
information to : asmithcocasting@ gmail.com

.Be sure to include:1.  Your name (first and last)
2.  Contact phone number
3.  City/State where you live
4.  Professional bio or resume
5.  Recent photo of you (jpg format please)
6.  Photos of your design work (jpg format please)


Good luck!!!

POWER UP YOUR SNACKING!!!!!!

I remember taking the time to make my kids healthy snacks. I would do weirdo
things like smear peanut butter on celery stalks and top with raisins.(ants on a log)
or along the same line Apple slices smeared with peanut butter. Then of course
for my then  tiny daughter Mallory there was afternoon tea  with real British tea
with milk and sugar and a biscuit (cookie-usually gingersnaps). Just a few weeks
ago we had afternoon tea in the West Village in New York  surrounded by Asian
girls in Jane Austin costumes. We had  tiny cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches
Coronation chicken   and pots of Earl Grey and macaroons. Love it.

So why  when I love all that visual  delicious stuff don't I  take the time to make it
for myself? Seriously aren't we worthy of a great high powered snack in the afternoon.
I think so.  Thank you Buzzfeed for supplying these awesome eye candy numbers.

BANANA-RAMA




MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS-

Hummus and veggies in a Mason jar...brilliant!!!




TRUE BLUE MUNCHIES!!!!


SCANDINAVIAN AWESOME!!!!




BOOM CHICK PEAS !!!!!
by Oven Love

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or about 4 cups cooked chickpeas from dried beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• seasonings of your choice (see below for suggestions)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Prepare the beans for roasting by draining and rinsing them, then letting them dry on a towel until most of the excess moisture is absorbed. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roast the chickpeas in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the beans are crunchy throughout (just test one- if they are still mostly soft on the inside and there’s no crunch, keep baking).
3. Immediately (while beans are still hot), toss with olive oil and seasonings. Serve hot or at room temperature. They are best the first day, but can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Seasoning Suggestions (add more or less if you like, these are just guidelines)

1. Sesame Soy- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2. Honey Cinnamon- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 2 tablespoons honey (you can throw these back in the oven for 10-15 minutes to carmelize if you like)
3. Garlic Parmesan- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4. Smoky Spice Blend- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, pinch cayenne (optional)

CASTING FRIDAY... RE-DO YOUR KIDS DORM ROOM!!!!

As a  Mom's  you are often called on to re-arrange the living environment of your
children. After all they want to grow and explore  and sometimes that means a
fort bed and sometimes a rock studio. You've been there. And it's no easy task
or cheap project. Little mermaid underwater environments don't come cheap.
The holes in the walls tell quite a story.

From Ninja turtles to Ralph Lauren and Hawaiian surfer girl to actual grungy
lofts in China Town I've done some decorating doozies. I'm sure you have too.

So it's exciting for me to tell you that your college age kids can actually win money
and be on a tv show to boot. That means someone else is paying for the art and the
bedspreads. Hot damn.

SPACE MAKEOVER is a new show form the folks that brought up The Real
World and Project runway. It's a real world alright when you see the mess your
kids can actually live in without blinking an eye.
This show cares how you kids manipulate their space and have a great college
experience.
We're here to help you put together an amazing space to make your college living
experience the best it can be!

Only snag is you have to have a kid in the Los Angeles area.
Tell you story to  dormcasting@bunim-murray.com
Be sure to include:1.  Your name (first and last)
2.  Contact phone number
3.  Name of college you will be attending
4.  Will you be living on-campus (or let us know city/zip where you will be living - must be greater Los Angeles area)
5.  Do you have any issues you need to solve (not enough space, roommate has too many clothes, ugly furniture, etc.)
6.  Recent photo of you (jpg format please)

UPGRADING YOUR BUM INTO BUSINESS CLASS !!!!

Traveling used to be a giant  and exciting adventure for me. My parents lived in England, where my Dad was stationed, and at least twice a year I would cross the pond to go to school and to come home for Christmas. These were the days of no cell phones, and I can't even imagine what my parents must have gone though wondering where there daughter was. You see, I went space available on Air Force planes surrounded by handsome pilots and crews and frankly coeds got some pretty special treatment. You would head to the east coast on a commercial flight then you'd be at an air base. "Would you like to go to Beirut or Aviano?" Tough choices.

I spent a birthday in the Azores, surrounding by pilots singing me Happy Birthday .One year I traded a carton of cigarettes for a cab ride near Barcelona. .After all, it was Sunday and I didn't have any foreign currency. Another year a was stuck with a group of college age kids in Germany for a week before we could get out. A week full of gin and tonics at the Officers Club in Ramstein and a summer romance with a former classmate on his way to TU. Life was good.. Mostly. Then  there was the trip  I will never forget when I rode with the bodies of fifty soldiers that were killed in Vietnam. I cried all the way.

Of course, here I was this morning with a standby tickets and fond memories of a weekend spent with my NYU student daughter. it looked dismal at best. The a smiley voice send " we're going to upgrade you to business class ....music to my ears. Now that was a pleasant surprise. So in my three hour wait I visited with the gate  girls on Air Tran  and asked how they pick people for an upgrade.

In short..here's the drill

Don't be a bitch...that will get you a seat on the back of the plane

Don't carry tons of cheesy bags and totes and paper bags. Tacky. I travel with one black Longchamp back for purse and carry one. Of course it's a freaking mess inside...but it looks like I have it together

Dress like you belong there. No tacky sweat pants, jogging suits or pajamas. Seriously...it's a plane ride not a slumber party. I mean how comfortable do you really have to be? Dress like classic Jackie O ...simple even with slacks.

Leave the boobs tucked away.that will get you a seat in the back too.

So I wait and wait and suprise...upgraded again. I am on a roll. Of course this will never probably ever happen to me again. But I stand by my Mothers rules of dressing on planes and I have to

admit I did fly first class from London to Chicago on my last trip. There has to be some method to

the madness.

What gets you an upgrade? Please share

 

HOW TO LOOK GREAT IN PICTURES!!!!

Let's Face it...selfies are everywhere. Mostly enjoyed and taken by newbies under thirty
who look fantastic  no matter what the angle is. But really who the hell over fifty wants
to waste their time trying to send pictures of themselves that actually look good out to the
universe . That's exhausting and way too much trouble.

So I thought I'd do something good for all of us and do an unplugged sort of interview
with the genius that I  let take my pictures. He's awesome and talented and you have to admit, a
freakin genius with photo shop.

So here is Leigh Thompson......the young beauty queen flock to him. But there's a reason for
that. And he's really nice  and pleasant to us older chicks. Which is  another reason to use him for
your next big pic.
Thanks Leigh

 

 

 

 

 



HAPPY GALENTINES DAY-----A NEW TRADITION!!!

I like new traditions. And I like new traditions that are derived from television
shows like Seinfeld's Festivus for the Rest-of-us. So what's not to like about a
day to celebrate your gal pals?

Lets face it at our age many of us have discovered that Valentines Day has lost
a little bit of it's lustre. I mean who can compete with the first time you got a real
Valentine from a boy that didn't have a box of conversation hearts taped to it. The
first time you both wanted to celebrate it preferably in a naughty way with lots of
alcohol . After that it can only go downhill. Then the hubby starts
the big sneak out on the night before and there are flowers and a card still in a
CVS or Wahlgrens bag. Really? Or the floral delivery guy slips up to say  that this
was a last minute frantic delivery and some dumb guy slipped him a twenty spot to
do it..

Some of us no longer have a significant other. At our age men are dying like flies.
And then again there are some of us that are still crazy about it . Bless you.
Remember to give him (or her) with as the Spice Girls say.....Give then what they
want....what they really , really want. That is not to be confused with the ads for some
mens clinic that says what they really really want is probably not what they really want
.....read between the lines.

 The best way to say I love you is to go out of your way, suprise them pull out all the stops.
Go for it. I confess I still send a Valentine packages to my kids and their pets. Nothing
says Valentines Day like a chew toy.

If you don;t have a sweetie ...no need to feel left out. Celebrate  Galentines Day with your
buds your sisters, your mom's , the guy in the office who gets your coffee perfect.
Go out for dinner, leave them a treat, go to a movie. Enjoy. because love is always
worth celebrating no matter how many times you've been hurt of disappointed.

So even now..at my age....love is all around. Hey that's a line from Love Actually.

Yep...still in love with love. The picture frame says...wouldn't you agree baby you
and me got a groovy kind of love. That about says it all.
What's your take?

TOO OBIT TO QUIT-LEAVING YOUR LAST IMPRESSION!!!!

Ok...it may sound a little ghoulish. But seriously , at our age we have to come
to terms with reality. And the reality is, one day we will be leaving this world.
A friend's  mother told her, flat out,  that it's never too early to think about
getting  your obituary picture ready--you're not getting any younger. WTF

Hmm. She's right. You can't just pawn off that picture from high school or the
beauty queen shot when you were in your twenties. No one is going to be
impressed with that. And they're not going to be fooled either. You don't look
like you did in your twenties or thirties. No you don't. Not even with all the
fillers and face lifts and lip enhancers. Sixty is not the new twenty. You need
a new picture.

Now if you don't want to be morbid (remember I like zombie shows) than think of
it this way. You need to have your award picture ready for when you are recognized
for all that hard work you do. That picture that says what a fantastic volunteer/
educator/physician/businesswoman you are.

This isn't something you can leave up to other people. Seriously. I bet your husband will
pick out a picture he loved, when you were young with convertible hair and a stomach you
could bounce a dime off . I know this is something I don't really want to think about.
I live in fear that if I get ill and go into a coma that I'll wake up with freaking gray hair...
or that my family will put me in a casket looking like a third world hooker. Yikes.

But ladies. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Lets face it even Victoria's Secret models
are victims of Photo Shop. Girls in their twenties are using it to slim down their
arms on selfies. Movie stars are "shopped," Maybe even Kate Upton. So what the hell ?
Find a good photographer and tell them you want todo a Full Monty....Like I did.
Rest in Peace...you bet I will with a killer picture that seriously was taken at age 63 and 1/2.

I give total credit to Leigh Thompson...www.leighthompsonphotography.com
and Larry Chowning for hair and makeup.