the end result

Potato and Broccoli Latkes, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

Okay I can't not mention Dance Moms...

As much as I don't care for Candy Apples and their gimmickry and drama-- that voodoo dance was quite good. I also won't miss Asia or her bug-eyed mother. Have I ever mentioned my thoughts on Asia? I hate to say something not nice about a little girl but... She has too much sass. She reminds me of a miniature drag queen-- and not in a good way. I always cringe at the shots where she and her mother have dance offs. I'm also not a member of team Leslie and Peyton. Peyton always has an opened mouth and a dumb look on her face-- like a certain young woman from a popular vampire franchise. Gaping open mouths are a pet peeve of mine.

Anyway.

A couple weeks ago I added broccoli to my homemade potato latkes and fell in love with the end result. I've made three batches since then. I finally got around to perfecting the recipe and taking pics for foodblogging. You can find the recipe and instructions here.

I've got some neat food and craft ideas coming up that will keep me incredibly busy-- per usual.

I've been on instagram quite a bit lately. If you wanna follow me, my username is hetherrd. It's a little play on my name but gets lost in translation and from a lack of spaces and periods. Should look like Hether Rd. Get it? Corny.

very different from me

She's Stacked, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

What a Sunday.

New episodes of RHONJ, Breaking Bad, AND Boardwalk Empire. I didn't even realize Boardwalk was back until we sat down for Breaking Bad. What a nice surprise. Not a bad episode. Needed more Margaret Schroeder and Van Alden. I guess having said that makes me realize they're probably my favorite characters. Aside from Harrow, who was in the episode. I'm also a bit of a fan of Al Capone. It sounds so weird saying it, but he's such a handsome, likable character in this show. He reminds me (and Jason too) of Joe Giudice from Real Housewives of New Jersey. So sometimes we call Al Capone "Juicy Joe." That's probably a weird comparison but oh well.

People usually give me a funny look, a hard time, or both when they find out I watch shows like Real Housewives or Jersey Shore. Is it typical? Maybe. There are life lessons to be learned in there. Somewhere. Trust me. I also just enjoy people. People like me. People very different from me. Etc. For the record-- I don't watch any of the Kardashian shows. I'm still very confused about who they are or why they have shows. I know of their parents but still don't get it.

It rained so much today. I opened up the house again. That's two days in a row. It's supposed to be back to triple digits by the end of the week-- but it's such a nice break for now. It's like living on a totally different planet for me.

a lazy Sunday coma

Dancing Curtains, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

It's only 86 degrees right now with a high of 90. Maybe it really is September. Triple digits until Halloween is standard. A tradition even, because that sounds more festive. But I'll take it.

I have the whole house open because not only is it cooler but actually breezy. I love the way that curtains dance in the breezes. I could watch it for hours and slip into a lazy Sunday coma.

We have a rather large southwestern brown widow that has built quite a penthouse between the strands of our patio lights. When we let Bowie out, we each take turns watching her through the sliding glass door. We make squinty Dad faces like we aren't wearing our glasses-- but we always are. Grossed out faces. Curious faces. As I was watching her last night while Bowie did her business, Jason called out from the kitchen--

"Is it moving? I hate when it moves!"

My husband hates and fears spiders. Not that I don't. I do. But I have to fear them a little less because I am the designated spider-killer. I've left her alone so far because our bug guy is coming anyway. There are a few widows living on the patio and I'd just rather not mess with it. It's not as bad as it was when we moved in last year. The entire backyard was infested with black widows. It was horrible.

I also can't bring myself to kill her because she's full of babies. Or her web is, rather. I don't want to be there when they come. It grosses me out. And I know my husband is going to absolutely lose his mind. But I still can't kill her. I'm also not brave enough to catch her and move her somewhere else. I figure if we don't bother her, she won't bother us. She's high enough up that the dog won't mess with her either.

I dunno if it's Charlotte's Web, semi-current-events or what exactly. I just can't kill her.

a new perspective

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

All the rain has brought some life to our unfinished, downright desolate backyard. I sat in the dirt and snapped this photo with my phone literally on the ground. I love getting a new perspective. It can change my whole day.

These guys are going to be weeds worthy of my cursing and dirty looks. But for now, they're cute little babies.

eating things that you're not supposed to eat

vintage jar and bottle, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

Okay. Epiphany time. It's about death.

Do I sound stupid when I say I'm afraid of dying? If you're familiar, you're rolling your eyes. Otherwise, you have some reading to do.

But I am. I had a thought that made me a little more comfortable with dying. One of my favorite songs is "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. If Ian Curtis hadn't died, New Order wouldn't have formed. I can't imagine living in a world without "True Faith," "Age of Consent," "Temptation," "Bizzarre Love Triangle," and duh, "Blue Monday." Is this selfish? Probably. I loved both bands since childhood but it wasn't until much later in life that I discovered their connection.

I think this idea will pop up when I'm talking to my children about death. When they ask, that is. And then we pull out the vinyl if they're not already familiar.

In other news. I spent an entire day at the Brass Armadillo. I think it was once a supermarket but is now a two-floor antique store. It takes FOREVER to look at everything. It's one of the few perks to living this far west in the valley. I was looking specifically for a vintage Sprite bottle from a collection made for and distributed in the National Parks in the 60s. That sounds pretentious. Oh well. I settled for this one. Not from the Park series. It was still sealed and my husband frowned a bit as I poured history down the drain. That soda was almost older than both of us combined. It looked like it. There was a nasty, slimy film on the inside of the bottle that required a little elbow grease. I won't lie-- I was tempted to taste the incredibly old soda. But I didn't. I have a very bad history of eating things that you're not supposed to eat. Glow stick glow (as a teenager). Tire sealant (as a teenager). So much raw cake batter I went to the ER (last year). I wouldn't call it pica. I'm just an idiot.

add it to the list

Sprite Biscuits Recipe, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

I love biscuits. Actually I just love anything bread/flour related. Period. But biscuits are amazing. I made biscuits using this recipe a few times already because they are so good. It's the closest thing to a KFC biscuit that I've ever tasted.

Confession time: I don't like biscuits and gravy. People usually lose their minds when I say that. Same goes for when I say I dislike The Walking Dead or Firefly. And Doctor Who. People. Lose. Their minds. So just add it to the list.

I saw a discussion on Reddit where people were saying, "You shouldn't marry me because..." and then fill in the blank. I never opened it up but you shouldn't marry me because I don't like Dr. Who. It's probably a big deal because I think everyone in the entire world loves that show. Good thing for me I'm already married.

my sweet treats

September, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

I asked for rain and she came. It's been so stormy. We've had to cancel our Joshua Tree adventures three times now.

So I've been baking a lot instead. Baking faster than I can blog about it. Baking faster than Jason and I can eat everything. We don't know our neighbors. If we did, I'd just unload all my foodbloggingfood on them. I know that somewhere, in our neighborhood, there is a pedophile, because we got something in the mail about it. I don't know him. Or where he lives. And he doesn't get my sweet treats.

Speaking of children... we are officially trying again. We had to wait two cycles post-miscarriage and surgery. I thought it would take a million years for my body to re-acclimate but nope. We good. So we'll see. Getting pregnant would be awesome, duh, but it would make me quit the soda again. I caved from stress last month. It could be a lot worse. I'm only drinking two cans a day and also drinking my ensure smoothies and water-- but I'd like to get back down to zero cans.