Makes Me Wanna Holler.com - Real Stories of Fatherhood, Marriage and Life

Monday's With Michelle: Creative Loafing's Atlanta 2013 Culinary Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Chef Michelle) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

Happy Monday foodie friends!

On Thursday, April 25th, Creative Loafing introduced it's Atlanta's 2013 culinary bucket list (see the pic below just to get an idea). Definitely worth checking out... lots of yummy eats waiting to be had! Make sure you check it out! And even if you don't reside in Atlanta, please check out the list and see what's comparatively cooking in your stomping grounds.

Which dish are going to mark off your bucket list first? Post your comments below!

Don't forget to visit my Foodie blog for more recipes, food tips and other foodie fun.

Thanks for reading!

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Food Network's Atlanta Food Destinations

noreply@blogger.com (Chef Michelle) — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:24:00 +0000

Hello dear foodie friends, welcome back to Mondays with Michelle!

I don’t know about you, but I am major Food TV junkie. In my down time you will usually find me on the couch watching some of my favorite celebrity chefs do their thing. I particularly enjoy watching the hosts walk through some of my local neighborhoods and sampling yummy treats in restaurants I've either been too or seen passing by. My partner and I always have a hard time deciding what new places to try, so keeping a list of local Food TV favorites is a great place to start. Check out the list below for some of our local “famous” eatery’s and start your Food TV tour asap!

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, ATL

Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles

Best thing I ever ate

Cupcake Wars

Miss Mamie’s Cupcakes

Have you eaten at any of these Food Network visited restaurants? What was your favorite dish? Post your comments below!

Don't forget to visit my Foodie blog for more recipes, food tips and other foodie fun.

Thanks for reading!

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A Grill-Off Against The Wife #SteakOver

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:19:00 +0000

When it comes to cooking in the kitchen of my home it is an undisputed fact that my wife reigns supreme. And this isn't because she spends all her time in the kitchen. In fact as a Senior Marketing Manager at her company she has been spending the majority of her time checking emails on her phone. Cooking is just something she likes to do. It soothes her and she is a foodie. She spends a good amount of time on Pinterest making the food she likes to pin.

When it comes to the grill it is presumed that I am king in my castle, but that's primarily because I'm the only one who uses it. At family gatherings, parties we throw and just dinner when we want barbecue, she seasons and I fire it up on the grill.

The Challenge

Heading into the weekend, I wondered if we went head to head who would come out on top. I posed the challenge and of course, she was game. With the rainy weekend ahead of us, getting company over would be impossible so I selected the best of all possible impartial judges: my self-indulged, eating food by the package seventeen year-old son. If it's food, he eats it. If the food is good, he eats all of it before any of us get a chance.

Since we haven't had red meat in a while I opted for our barbecue challenge meat to be Walmart's new USDA Choice Premium Steaks, specifically, a lean looking pair of New York Strip steaks. Our recipes are as following:

Steak A - The Wife's Lime-Chile Rub:

a pinch of salt and pepper
a pinch of cayenne powder
a pinch of chili powder
lime juice
butter

The steak was massaged with lime juice, followed by the seasonings and the butter and thrown on the grill for twelve minutes, six minutes each side.

Steak B - E.Payne's Basic Dry Rub:

When it comes to tentpole items, like coffee, hot dogs and steak I don't believe in fanciful I believe in keeping it simple and memorable.

1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of steak seasoning (generic anywhere and everywhere)
1 teaspoon of Mediterranean sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 lemon
olive oil cooking spray

The steak was rubbed down with the lemon, then the seasonings and the steak were dumped into a gallon-size storage bag and then it was shaken (think Shake and Bake - if you're from that generation) until the seasonings are evenly coated on the steak. After removing the steak from the bag, lightly spray it with olive oil cooking spray on both sides and put on the grill for fifteen minutes (7-8 minutes each side).

The Results

Pictured below from left to right, are Steak A and Steak B. Before sitting down to dinner our son was called from the man cave where he was playing video games and asked to test each. He liked Steak A, but he LOVED Steak B and declared it the winner, citing its crispiness and explosion of flavor with smoke as the reasons for his picking it the winner. Personally, I believe that by not massaging the meat doing the "shake and bake" my steak preserved its original shape and consistency allowing the fire to benefit from the fat that dripped onto it.

Steak A (l); The Champion (r)

I did a little happy dance in the kitchen. My wife smiled briefly in her best effort of sportsmanship and then told us all to get out of her kitchen. After belting out Accapella rendition of Queen's "We Are The Champions" I finished doing my share of cooking. The steaks as well as the rest of the food that had been prepared for the evening were divvied up appropriately and we enjoyed our meal around the table on a rainy Saturday night.

About Walmart USDA Choice Premium Steaks - Just in time for early grilling season and Memorial Day, Walmart is helping shoppers take their grilling up a notch with its top-quality selection of delicious, juicy and tender USDA Choice Premium Beef available in a variety of cuts. Only one in five steaks is good enough to call Walmart Choice Premium Beef, which has been approved by the USDA for quality. For more recipes, tips and to find a store near you, visit www.walmart.com/steak.

Attend A Steak-Over Challenge In Your Town

Local firefighters from eight different cities will compete in the Wal-Mart Steak-Over Challenge presented by Kingsford® Charcoal, Dr. Pepper® and A.1.® steak sauce to determine who has the best steak-grilling chops in town.

Shoppers who attend will have the chance to join in the festivities, taste test Wal-Mart USDA Choice Premium steaks, sample Dr. Pepper and A.1. steak sauce for free, and cast their vote for best steak.

The firefighter finalist from each city will compete on behalf of their station for a $20,000 grand prize in Los Angeles, the week of May 20.

What is your favorite way to grill a steak?

Are you ready to experience Walmart’s Steak-Over for yourself? Find out why you should choose your steaks at Walmart here. We shared our winning grilling tip - now tell us yours!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.

My Greatest Weakness

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:42:00 +0000

A few days ago my daughter asked me what her greatest weakness is. I told her she is very smart. Because of that she sometimes talks more than she listens. She then asked me what her mother's greatest weakness was and I answered, "No comment." She begged and pleaded but I refused to get on that train. She asked about her brother and then asked me what I thought mine is. I told her that until recently I've always had a hard time saying "no" for fear of upsetting and disappointing others. And in the process I've volunteered to do a lot of things I never wanted to do or been trapped in places I never wanted to be. She said, "Well, you tell me no." I laughed and said, "That's different. That's me trying to be a parent and take care of you." She got it.

What is your greatest weakness?

photo credit: Darwin Bell via photopin cc

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Parents: You Don't Have To Multitask (All The Time)

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:42:00 +0000

This week I personally learned a lesson I thought I already knew. Multitasking is cool (but not exactly natural for humans), but getting things done, one job at a time, is better.

My morning duties include getting the kids' food ready for the day, breakfast and lunch and somehow in the midst of that making my own breakfast and lunch and brewing coffee for my wife and myself. I always take care of the kids, and I'm pretty on point when it comes to the coffee for the wife. But it's been hit or miss whether or not I take care of myself. I often leave the house feeling disorganized and the rest of the time I'm leaving stuff at home, such as my phone, and at my worst, my work laptop.
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The Superhero Complex

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

What is it about the superhero that so many of us find so fascinating? Everyone isn't a comic book reader and everyone doesn't have a wild imagination, but with the technology of visual effects having caught up with the minds of the artists and writers who put ink to page and brought the characters of our modern day mythology to life, superhero flicks being runaway blockbusters is irrefutable proof that they mean something to most of us. (Side note, that was an incredibly long sentence).

People who know me well know how far and wild my imagination soars. They've seen me pour through the pages of the superhero comics. They've commented that my drive is inexhaustible. But life dictates that you take care of your responsibilities, FIRST. And so I do. And find myself at times terribly confined and unbearably normal.

The superhero complex is an easy one. It isn't about the iron suit, the invulnerability, the ability to fly, the dark rage, the awesome gadgets, the healing factor or the ability to sense danger. These are the mere tools that distinguish one from the other. What marries them all together is their decision, or in some instances, compulsion, to become more than what they previously were or what they thought they were even capable of. When push came to shove these men and women tapped into their essence and used their powers, whether they were derived from birthright, through tragedy or by way of some freak accident, to rise above and make lives or life itself, a little better and a little safer.

And aren't we all capable of the same? But how many of us opt to be terribly ordinary for fear of rocking the boat or having to contend with what others think. How ironic is it that we go out in droves to watch movies about people with extraordinary abilities, when every single one of these characters were created as metaphors that exist in everyday life.

And not to leave the fairer sex out...

We make actors and singers into millionaires --- people who dared to be different and some who probably spent some part of their lives judged and misunderstood. Why can't you be super? Why can't I? What's so complex about being a superhero, other than the fear of embracing your true nature and making life better because of it?

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Jackie Robinson - Legend, Sports Icon, Father

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:07:00 +0000

This pic sums it up. But, to learn more about Number 42, click here.

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New Orleans, Beignets, and College Days

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:21:00 +0000

Right now, I'm sitting in a hotel lobby just outside the French Quarter siphoning off some free Wi-Fi like everyone around me who is sitting on these oversized, overused, butt-dimpled couches. The warmth of the sun bathes me and partially blinds me as I type these words. It is a motley crew that darts back and forth past my square of comfortable, but posture-damaging furniture. It is a hustle and bustle of the business people heading out or heading home, mixed with the people who are obviously here to have fun.

I'm wrapping up a 3-day hop here to the Big Easy where my son may or may not attend college. He was accepted to the school we attended and what's more, he fell in love with the town. But not the smut or the promise of rivers of alcohol, but rather, the food and the music --- the kids playing big band jazz in the streets, the art, and the food (that's right I wrote it twice). And he seems to be fully aware that college and all that is the French Quarter are two separate things. He's smiling from ear to ear. Constantly. The last time he smiled like this was the year before he became a teen. And he hasn't smiled much at all since we moved to Atlanta. The experience has left me looking at him a little differently and wondering if maybe he's found his space for the next four years.

Time will tell.

I haven't had much time to blog, or Facebook or do anything. This Year of Restoration has been filled with rewards but I have been burdened like never before. Heading up the social media for an entire company has left me scatterbrained by the end of most of my days. Able to retain little, interested in doing less. Bills are piling up around me at every turn although I'm spending nothing and paying them off at a furious pace. Ignorance is bliss I suppose because I didn't have these concerns when I was unemployed and unable to pay my bills.

I've also been repairing my relationship with my wife. Not having money, not having mutual understanding, not having peace, not being able to work together through the tough times did a real number on us. There are days when I've been tempted to ask myself why keep trying, why carry this mantle and then I just keep on carrying. Here in New Orleans I've been able to take my wife out on a couple of dates and we strolled the streets of the French Quarter together as we did many years ago in Brooklyn and Central Park.

To make a long story short I have been way too busy to blog. Instead I've been growing, changing, fighting and reflecting and my life is changing around me.

Please, bear with me.

photo credit: vxla via photopin cc

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How To Plan (And Enjoy) A Family Disney Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Yeah, that's me full tilt on the Disney sauce. It's been almost two weeks since I posed for my wife here (she rolled her eyes as soon as I posed). Although it's only been a short time I feel like I've been gone for centuries. Each day the "magic" fades just a bit more than it did the day before. Of course I am thankful I have the gift of life and I'm gainfully employed but I'm no longer waking up to the sound of the ferry that shipped patrons to Epcot. There are no more smiles that greet me in a ginormous lobby. The traffic I'm in now isn't headed to happy-land. No one is asking me if I'm enjoying myself or if I need anything. I'm not powering up at 9 pm in anticipation of a fireworks show that is better than the one that happened the night before. I'm back to my usual station --- the wonderfully exhilarating but thankless job of being Dad. Dad who isn't buying everything he's being asked for. Dad who is saying, "no" and "go to bed" and "throw out the trash."

By my pic you might think it was my first time there and not my daughter's. She went full tilt on the Princess sauce and didn't have a care in the world. Neither did I and that's a good thing at a place like Disney World where you can wind up spending the equivalent of half a year's worth of mortgage payments or more once the smoke clears. In the eyes of a storyteller (myself) Disney is a monster storytelling machine, selling narratives at every turn from the time you wake up until you return back to your hotel or resort wishing you could do more before morning and excited to get going the next day. Stories, whether written or visual, create the canvas for the mind to imagine and dream. I wasn't about to let something like money get in the way of my daughter's, and to some extent my own, desire to plunge as far down the rabbit hole as possible.

So how did I and how can you experience the Disney Vacation YOU want to have without being left in the poorhouse upon your return to reality?
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How To Deal With Your Spouse's Moods

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Sometimes a bad or off-kilter attitude from a loved one or a spouse deserves a moment or two of understanding and/or compassion rather than a dismissal because you can't be bothered. Didn't you sign up to be bothered? But in order to effectively do this you have to be strong enough in heart to soothe rather than react in kind to their dilemma. You also have to be selfless enough to recognize it's not about you --- not always. Next time it happens, because there will always be a next time, don't be so quick to dismiss. Sometimes loving a person means doing so when they aren't being very loving themselves.

Use your power to heal.

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photo credit: Nina Matthews Photography via photopin cc

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Good Friday?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:53:00 +0000

The roads were clear this morning. There's barely anyone in my office. There's talk of Easter in the air. And it took me half of the ride to my daughter's school for me to realize today is Good Friday.

When I mentioned this aloud to myself in the car my daughter asked, "What is Good Friday?"

I felt terrible as I answered, "The day Jesus died."

Last week we were away at Disney and the weekend before that I attended church alone. This evening my son will be working until closing time at his new job and I expect the highlight of my evening to be my picking him up. I'm not suggesting that my family and I should be piously perched somewhere, mournful. But at least as a child, I knew the significance of the day. My mother wouldn't stand for anything less and we colored eggs and did Easter egg hunts back then too (it wasn't only about church). Fast forward twenty some odd years later and my kids are both in school and oblivious other than pre-Easter sales and Cadbury Bunny commercials.

Then later this morning as I settled into work I read an article about Dr. Ben Carson standing his ground and speaking on his faith. Whether he is right or wrong, he spoke on and will not back down from what he believes. Nowadays when people do this, especially when their sentiments go against the status quo --- something that happened often in Biblical times --- they people are persecuted. Just as they were in Biblical times (albeit it mostly by social media).

Today is Good Friday and my family is barely aware. Based on my beliefs the onus for this error lays squarely at my feet. The trick of guilt or regret is to keep you locked on your mistakes, paralyzing you, so you'll never be correct, mostly because you'll never try again.

I don't intend to be that dude. In your homes I hope you don't either.

If you are able, have a blessed Good Friday.

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Should Victoria's Secret Make Products For Teen Girls?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:53:00 +0000

Yesterday I stumbled across an open letter from a father of a 3-year old girl to Victoria's Secret addressing their launch of a line of underwear for young teen girls. Technology is one thing. Soda, cigarettes and fast food is another. They all can and should be debated, but underwear (lingerie)? You can see the product line here. You decide if you want your daughter wearing these and/or you want some boy or your own boy knowing a girl is wearing these.

To be frank, can't our kids age and struggle and try to get into trouble on their own without the aid and augmentation of retail enterprise? Should a line be drawn? When is enough enough? When do we stop the enterprises that see our kids as nothing more than the next sales crop? Do we write letters, argue with each other on social media or do we simply stop endorsing what we don't support by sternly choosing not to purchase?
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How To Create A Household Budget | INFOGRAPHIC

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:12:00 +0000

Having a plan is key to living the kind of life you'd like to live. Upon facing married, parental life, many men complain of not wanting to lose their lifestyle. And most do, not because they have to but because the expense explode, coming from every direction and rather than manage it, spouses like to point fingers at each other.

Having a budget isn't the same as getting on a diet even though dieting simply addresses what you are eating rather than a reduction of what you eat. The same goes for a budget. With a budget you can understand your expenses, understand your income and begin building a road map to financial health and maybe even freedom.

Don't think it's too late. You can always start versus not trying at all. Check out the Infographic below for some helpful tips.

Household budget infographic

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The Magic of Disney

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:34:00 +0000

Even driving up to the "gates of the city" last night was magical. Although it was late, the wife and I woke up our daughter (her first time here) so she could know where she was.

It took her a long time to calm down.

Do you remember your first trip to Disney? How old were you, who were you with and what was it like?

photo credit: Express Monorail via photopin cc

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A Public Service Announcement: Marriage Is Not Child's Play

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:59:00 +0000

I state the following only because at times I have been guilty of it myself: There is a game of love, but love is not a game. Marriage is not for the faint of heart nor for children. You are in this together for the sake of each other to make two better together than apart. To enjoy life and make it rich in ways money can't provide. It isn't a competition. It isn't about being right and your significant other being wrong. It isn't about you speaking or thinking so highly of yourself that you come to believe you have arrived at your current destination and are doing everything you are doing, by yourself, purely out of your own miraculous, solitary strength and tenacity. When you know good and well on the days you don't even want to get out of bed, he or she is there making things work as best they can while you get it together.

So, if you are somewhere outside of your home constantly complaining about your spouse to people who play no role in your life other than to sit a few desks over from you. And if you are doing nothing to fix your "problems" other than complain to these same people who agree with you because they have no other choice but to since they are only hearing your side of the story --- understand that as a married person you sound and look stupid, you are an embarrassment to your spouse and to what marriage should and ought to be and you are a walking, talking advertisement for single people to remain single.

This has been a public service announcement: Marriage is not child's play. Stop playing games.

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Marital (Sexual) Intimacy

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:39:00 +0000

File this under: AHA MOMENT OF THE DECADE

A couple of days ago a woman was complaining to me about her husband when she suddenly interrupted herself and said, "You know I should probably be more intimate with him...We'd probably get along better and it probably would help me from being stressed out. But it's hard."

"There's a reason intimacy is supposed to exist between married folks," I said. "It ain't about some dude, your husband, getting his jollies. It's about solidifying your union and creating a bond (a soul-tie) that only the two of you share. There's a beautiful thing that two people have when they are intimate, especially if they are married."

"But you may want to consider trying and seeing what happens," I advised her. "Who knows, you may actually like it?"

To which she responded, "You're probably right."

More and more I'm hearing from married women who have sworn off sex as if it were something bad, like too much cake and ice cream. I hear them blaming everything plus their husbands as to why they are the way they are. On the other side I'm hearing from an equal number of bewildered and exasperated married men who are running around like desperate men inside their own marriages, desperate for love from their wives. I repeat, desperate for love from their wives --- having no desire to go anywhere but home to their marriage beds. Part of the vows (depending on the ceremony or depending on whether you were listening) is that you give yourselves to one another in marriage. There are things that make marriages work, over the years and through the rough patches. Often getting through the rough patches together create the environment for the good stretches. Sexual intimacy is one of the first things to go when things get tough, even though after communication and genuine TLC it is probably one of the most important tools required for marriage maintenance. Sitting up in a house as roommates sharing kids is no different than roommates or housemates or business partners sitting under the same roof with shared investments. Shared investments do not foster, nurture or nourish love. In fact, shared investments alone usually are the source of most conflicts between people, married or not.

This marriage stuff isn't hard. It just takes work. And it isn't child's play. So if you're playing games, male or female, please stop. What you invest into, grows (for better or worse). What you ignore and neglect, withers and dies.

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Life Is (Not) Too Short

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:17:00 +0000

Over the weekend my oldest relative, my Great Aunt Ruth, passed away at the milestone age of 101. She outlived her husband, all of her siblings and a large number of those who came after her. She was my grandmother's sister, a proud, tall woman who wore her long silver hair in a thick braid down her back. In this instance, the adage, "Life is too short..." doesn't apply. So the question is, should you, or I or any of us be blessed to see 100+ years will it be a life well-lived, chock-full of contributions to this life that your family and maybe even the world can speak of, or will it be a drudgery that took too long to end?

The choice is yours...

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International Women's Day: There Is No Box

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:10:00 +0000

There is no box, just as there is no finish line. There are no limitations, short of those laid out by the laws of physics and even then there are workarounds.

My mantra since college has been "I cannot submit, I will not submit, I refuse!"

I have a little girl who enjoys being "girly", playing dress up and princess and plenty things having to do with the color pink. But she is also a dancer, a singer, an actress, an artist, a gardener, a budding scientist, a straight A student, a writer and a mathematician. She also wrestles and can land a pretty solid punch.

And this is the stuff she does for fun.

I don't play the man versus woman game though many around me feel compelled to do so with me. I liken it to being forced to play chess when you don't have any knowledge of where the pieces are supposed to go. My thinking hasn't even allowed me to create a hierarchy where I could consider debating women as being less than men. I look at both genders as people. My heart breaks when I see women disrespected just because, my ears burn when I hear songs that disrespect women just because. I send up prayers when I see women, thinking they are playing a "man's game" and only playing into a system of manipulation that has no business existing. I was born of a woman. I am married to a woman and I am raising someone who will one day be a woman.

As a father I am in the empowerment business. This means shutting down all thoughts that would trick someone into believing they are less than because of who they are. Arming my little one with the ability to speak boldly to anyone who tries to box her in and providing as much opportunity as humanly and financially possible to learn and grow and develop into a powerful Child of God so that should anyone should try to box her in she'll simply laugh and keep moving. I'm sure she will be hurt on her journey of life. It's a father's hope that the pain won't run too deep or too long to derail her in any way. For me International Women's Day isn't about feminism or the feminist movement, as I'm sure it is for many feminists and the finger-pointers who wish to debate everything just for the sake of being contrary. Rather, it's seeing everyone as I have been taught God does --- beautifully and divinely unique but ultimately equal. And treating them accordingly.

Learn more about International Women's Day.

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The Case For Never Being Too Old

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:52:00 +0000

Playing the piano was a pastime and talent of mine growing up. When speaking about me to my parents, the teachers I had stopped just short of saying I was gifted. Well, at 17 and filled to the eyeballs with rebellion I showed my parents. I abandoned the piano --- one of my most favorite things and my life has been worse off for it.

Until now.
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Who Will Take Care Of The World If You Won't?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:39:00 +0000

During a pivotal and particularly dismal time in my life when I was 19 years old I was talking to my father and I remarked flippantly, "I don't care..."

Instead of going off on me he paused, appearing almost bewildered and asked, "Son, if you don't care, then who will? Who will take care of the world if you won't?"

No words ever had a stronger impact on me than these and they have been my guide from that day forward.

I often hear, "I don't care." Mostly from adults. And the words make me cringe. Because with so many people choosing not to care about their communities, their front lawns, where they throw their trash, their fellow man and even their spouses...how can we accomplish anything good that will last? How do we raise our children with the expectation that they should take us seriously when they see us disrespecting everything including ourselves?

I am just one...but I do care.

Another School Shooting...

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:44:00 +0000

There was a shooting at my son's high school yesterday. The student who brought the gun to school accidentally shot themselves and it ended right there (a la Plaxico Burress). The rumor is the person had it on their person to protect themselves from some beef brewing in their life and not to attack someone else. It happened first thing in the morning and my son asked to come home. We obliged, and another parent who is a friend of the family signed him out and brought him home.

It was a stupid incident, as stupid and senseless as all of these school incidents are. Luckily, this time only the "shooter" was injured and thankfully, their injuries aren't life threatening. It touched me today. It was too close to home. Just as close if not closer than when Trayvon Martin was killed last year. If I could pull him out of there I would, but where would I send him?
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Entertain at Home With Pinterest: Mondays With Michelle

noreply@blogger.com (Chef Michelle) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:02:00 +0000

Happy Monday foodie friends!

Big, BIG things happening in my house the last few ~~weeks~~ months. My partner is publishing her first book and her Book Release Party is coming up this Saturday. You can imagine what our week looks like. Not to mention that I am also catering the event. Needless to say, the event will be amazing (and yummy of course), so please join us if you are local, we'd love to have you all there to help us celebrate!

In keeping with the idea of party food, check out my Party Food board on Pinterest. Here's a little peak at what you will find....

Individual Crudites

Chipotle Chicken Tostada Bites

BBQ Chicken in Cornbread Cups

What is your go to party food dish?

Don't forget to visit my Foodie blog for more recipes, food tips and other foodie fun.

See you back here on Monday, March 11th.... Thanks for reading!

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

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When Mom's Away - My Daughter's Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:41:00 +0000

Last night I did the unthinkable and definitely unimaginable...

I touched up my daughter's blowout with her brush and hair dryer doing my best to remember how Mom does it and then I did what mom doesn't always do...I wrapped it. Admittedly, this didn't go so well. Call it a lack of skill, preparation and bobby pins. Then hair was everywhere. However at one point while I was straightening up the mess I made, my daughter loudly said, "Daddy you're doing good!" I smiled. This isn't the first time I've been home alone, nor is it my first time doing her hair. Regardless my little girl is way kinder than any kindness I've ever deserved.

*Sigh.*

It's the little things that make the world go 'round.

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

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When The Mom Is Away...

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:14:00 +0000

I am home alone with the kids until Saturday and the Mister Payne household is already kicking into high gear. Yesterday the son took out and the trash and washed the dishes without having to be asked. My daughter has yet to throw a temper tantrum. The downstairs is spotless after a full meal (not takeout). Dinner has been planned for the week and lunch is made for tomorrow. We're talking but it's quiet and I may actually get to bed before midnight for the first time in months. Yesss (in Napoleon Dynamite voice)!

Nothing against my wife, but the kids are way more rowdy when it is the two of us. Maybe they are playing off the two of us? Maybe my wife's energy overpowers my typically mellow disposition? I'm not sure but it happens whenever she goes out of town --- the kids listen and the house runs like a smooth sailing ship.

How about in your house? Do the kids act differently when it is just one or both of you?

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

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Happy Valentine's Day - The Little Things Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Payne) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:45:00 +0000

I think I'm just getting too old...

This morning I woke up and set up Valentine's Day presents around the house for my wife and two kids. I did this this morning because I wanted them to wake up to this. To bring a smile to their faces. To carry whatever warmth my gifts might bring, with them through the day, as life does it's best to wear you down from sunup to sundown.

Out of the three of them only my daughter went through her gifts. Yes, it caused her to run a little behind for school but she knew what she got and thanked us for the gifts. She took the card I gave her and read it in the car again and again until she had sounded out all the big words and was saying them easily. And then when we walked into her school she happily went into her day and joined the ranks of screaming kids passing out candy. This morning, my son had the same amount of time on his hands as my daughter. When I pointed out his gifts, just gifts, that had nothing to do with Valentine's Day (he's a teen boy, after all) he grunted, took the peanut butter cups and left the rest sitting exactly where it was. I asked my wife if she opened her gifts and she said she had had no time and that she will open them this evening.

Such is life. I don't believe my good intentions were wasted. I gave in the spirit of giving. I'm only slightly saddened that neither of them took the time to receive what I hope is my good cheer. Many, including my wife, would argue that Valentine's Day is a silly day. But it's an opportunity (aside from all the retail gluttony) to show and share your love. But I've been guilty of doing the same myself from time to time. Not having enough time. Being focused on the requests of strangers. Making sure I get everything I need to get done outside home until I'm so drained I don't have the emotional capacity to acknowledge what going on in my home. But ultimately it's the little things that give you the strength to combat the big things. Today I will take a page from my daughter's book and try to focus on the little, happy, silly things that make the world go 'round.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

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