Dear MTV

I'm breaking up with you.

We've had our good times. You introduced me to music videos. AHA's Take On Me was my first. Other ones quickly followed: Men At Work, Peter Gabriel, Wham!, the list goes on and on. You were always had the best music!
Not to mention the music themed shows! Yo MTV Raps!, Headbangers Ball. I got most of my news from MTV News with Kurt Loder.
But MTV, you've changed! Too much. And I don't know who you are anymore.
I don't like the new you. It all started with Real World and Road Rules. Then came Singled Out. All of these were okay, as long as you kept playing the videos. As long as the M still meant Music. But it wasn't enough for you. You decided that wasn't enough.
You got 16 and Pregnant, then Teen Mom 1 & 2. You stopped hanging with you friends named Music. And started hanging out with those kids from The Hills.
But that is not the real reason I am done with you. It's that new show Skins.

A show that your own advertisers are fleeing from in droves. Taco Bell, General Motors and HR Block are all ashamed to be on air with the show. Do you blame them? It's the parents, who buy your advertisers products.The cast of Skins are mainly underage kids. Kids that will be shown engaging in sex and illegal drug use. You, MTV, have even said you are concerned that it might be considered child porn.
Shouldn't you have done something about that BEFORE you put the show on air.

No, I don't have to watch it if I don't like it. I won't be watching it. MTV will be blocked from all TVs in my house and because my husband is an awesome computer guy, the website will also be blocked.

It was nice knowing you MTV. Back when the M stood for Music. When I knew I could put it on your channel and see a music video instead of Snookie hooking up with a random guy or Amber punching Gary.

Maybe someday you will come back to your roots. Until then consider yourself BLOCKED!

Rock On,

The Belle



***I know alot of people use the "if you don't like it, don't watch it" theme, or that it comes on late enough that most kids should be in bed. It comes on at 9 pm in my time zone.Both of my kids are usually still awake. And a show about kids their age is always a draw.
MTV has become the creepy guy in the dirty white van handing out candy that we warn our kids about. Personally I talk to my kids about sex, about drugs. It is hard enough without someone or MTV glamorizing it. I don't know what is sadder. The fact that a show like this is even on or that MTV insists that it meets society standards. What a sad society we must live in then.
Just because MTV throws a little PSA on before and after does nothing to negate the content.
You are welcome to watch it, to let your kids watch. But as far as me and my house, we will not be watching.

MyBlogSpark Review

I recently took part in a spark by http://www.myblogspark.com/  and Lawry's. I was sent 4 seasoning packets and a Pyrex marinating dish.

I'm Baffled

I'm constantly baffled by certain things.

1. How in the world did Snookie get a book deal? Her book is ranked #24 on the New York Times best sellers list.
   Seriously?! It took Stephen King numerous rejections before Carrie got published. Snookie gets drunk, sleeps with upteen number of guys and passes out in a trash can, and her book is a best seller.
   Somethings just should not be!
2. Charlie Sheen has not been fired from 2 and Half Men. Please someone check this guy into rehab STAT! I think he is a great actor. He has awesome comedic timing. A brilliant dramatic actor. I must have watched Platoon a million times and cried every time Elias is killed. But how many more times are we going to hear of him getting drunk and sleeping with hookers and trashing hotel rooms. 
3. Some schools are just now getting rid of french fries. Our kids are overweight and we are just now thinking that maybe making school lunches healthier might help? HELLO?
4. Teen Mom 2 & MTV- I don't think I need to elaborate on that one.
5. The whole Twilight phenom. Seriously it scares me. Badly.
   
   
   Is there anything that just baffles you? Things that make you go Really?  Share with me. :)

Where I Tell You I Burned The House Down

Just kidding. I didn't burn anything.


Yesterday I wrote about how I wanted to cook more. I'm not sure if I like to cook. I'm kind of bipolar when it comes to it. Some days I am gung ho about it. Other days I can't stand the thought of cooking.


Somehow I have gotten it in my head that if I just start cooking eventually I will learn to love it. We shall see.


My first dish I have attempted to cook. Or is it bake?

It is.... drum roll please.........................
Pioneer Woman's Cherry Cake Pudding





                                 I gathered all my ingredients.

And then I enlisted my daughters to act as photographers and cooking assistants. Oldest got to butter the  baking dish.

Then we combined the sugar, butter, flour, and other things to make the cake part.

Then we poured it in our buttered baking dish.

Then while it was baking to yummy perfection. We made the sauce from our cherry juice, sugar, vanilla and butter.

It took my cake a little longer than 40 minutes to not be "jiggly" like PW says. Mine cooked for 50 minutes, my oven is wonky like that. At last it was done and just waiting for me to pour that cherry juice goodness all over it.

I can tell you it smelled SOOOO good. Both daughters gathered around. Looking at the cake, at me pouring the syrup over it and licking their lips. Even my husband came over to ask what I had baked.
I had to take the first bite. YUM! I forgot to make my whipped cream for it. So I just used some cool whip I had in the fridge. Still really good. Oldest took the next bite, and then the youngest. Mary took her bite and then ran away with the plate.

It is so very very good. Really sweet though according to my husband. He's not a big fan of overly sweet things, but he still liked it. I'm not a big pecan fan, but they were chopped finely so I don't get big chunks of them. I can hear my oldest, Katie, telling one of her friends that I cooked this yummy cake thing. So I guess I did okay.

Oh, for those of you who don't have Kitchen Aid mixers or things like that. I just used my regular mixer. I also couldn't find my sifter so I just used one of those smaller ones you can use to shake powder sugar over things. It worked fine to sift my flour and stuff. The most expensive part of the recipe is the cherries. Mine were just over $3 a can. But you only need 1 so it's not that bad.

I think this will be one of our favorite recipes to make. I'll have to make it for a family get together.

Hey Good Lookin, Whatcha Got Cookin'

I think I like to cook. I say think because I like the idea of cooking, of combining ingredients together to create something delicious. Something my family and friends will taste and do the groan and have their eyes roll back. To hear that moan of food ecstasy. Proof that I have made something good.

I never learned to cook. My mom wouldn't let me. Don't ask. I have no clue why she never taught me. But while she was working. I would sneak into the kitchen pull down one of her many cookbooks and find a recipe.

The first recipe I ever tried and made entirely by myself was egg custard. I knew it was one of my dad's favorite desserts and we had all the ingredients for it.
I think it was a success. Everyone ate it. Or maybe they were just humoring me.

The next thing I made was lemon squares. Now these I KNOW were loved. My brother at half the pan. I still have the recipe too. Trust me they are sooooo good! Yummy lemony sugary goodness!

But all my cooking fun ended. My mom was afraid I would burn either myself or the house down, so she started having my grandmother call whenever I so much as looked at the oven/stove sideways. She was VERY protective. Over protective, but that is another story for another day.

Lately I have been thinking about cooking more. Not just opening up that can of soup or tossing something in the oven, but actually doing the whole cooking thing. Like my mom used to do.

My goal for this year is to cook some more. I checked out a Rachael Ray cookbook yesterday. And I got the ingredients to make one of Pioneer Women's desserts. It's the Cherry Cake Pudding one if anyone cares to know.

In my mind this is going to go splendidly. Or at least my fingers are crossed and I hope it will.

Stay tuned for tomorrow. Either I will be posting pictures of how great the dessert came out. Or telling you that I have burned my house down.