You ask them to do one thing and they do another.

But at least this time it was cute! I was trying to get the Punkinhead to show off her "find your nose" skills. Instead, she gave us a glimpse into her future as a cast member of The Lion King. That bit of cuteness is right up top in the show; the rest is fun to watch as well. Buzzkill on the sofa is about the height of his activity on weekends. Actually, he's a tremendous help with the Punkinhead on weekends. Also, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart make a rare appearance.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hey Buzzkill!

You claim I don't tell you about the things I want gift wise, right? Well here's a link to a description of something - The Couponizer! Yes, Common Sense With Money is giving one away, so maybe you should enter....

I apologize to my readers that I'm not married to, which is quite fairly, a lot. Just needed to put a little wifely directive out there.

5 SEC teams in the top 10!

That's all I have to write. Just proof that the SEC is the TOUGHEST conference in the country. We deserve to have a team play for the national championship every year. We're that good.

Contest, contest, contest

One of my favorite frugal blogs is running a contest in conjunction with the new season of Lipstick Jungle. The Punkinhead and HotMommy love Brooke Shields.

Go enter the contest and check out the blog: Penny Pinching Parent

Penny Pinching Parent lists the diaper and formula deals every Sunday all in one convenient blog post. They always have a link to it on their front page too.

Just a thought I had on 75 North

I passed Condoms to Go (a chain of stores in DFW carrying, I assume, condoms) and thought, "When they named it, were they worried people might use the condoms in store? As in, for here or to go?"

Buzzkill would like Trader Tuesday to go vegan.

If it does, should we call it Traitor Tuesday?

Anyway, in honor of Buzzkill, a requested recipe I can tolerate. But I may add bacon to it!

Vegan Black Bean Soup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 1-pound cans black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups water

Optional toppings: Green onions, thinly sliced, soy yogurt, reduced-fat sour cream, or low-fat yogurt.

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Saute the onions over moderate heat until translucent, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until the onion is lightly golden, another 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the toppings, along with the water, and bring to a simmer.

3. Mash some of the beans with a potato-masher, just enough to thicken the liquid base of the soup. Cover and simmer gently but steadily for 10 minutes.

4. Serve hot topped with one or two of the optional toppings.

Serves 6 to 8.

This also freezes pretty well. And makes the whole family farty. Be prepared.

Isn't that just like a Punkinhead?

She has a million toys to play with (look behind her) and all she wants to do is play with an empty can of Puffs......