Helm's Deep

gingeredjess replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

Ugh, I hate when that happens.

jennhoney replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

and just like the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake, 2013 can still be delicious. I suggest Dense Chocolate Loaf in bed!

I like this idea.  I’ll be in my bunk…but not in the way you think.

confusedfriendliness replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

<3<3<3

evangotlib replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

Duuude…sorry. But hey, that’s good for the diet that it failed!

Actually, I picked this cake because it’ actually pretty low in calories and sugar per serving. But…well…keep reading.

womaninterrupted replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

:(

bakewithavengeance replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

That’s what you get for calling it “Dense”. Rude, sir.

I know. I should be kinder to my baked goods.

refreshinglyconfident replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

I bet it’s still tasty!

accol replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

Chocolate is one of those things that is good regardless of the packaging. Great metaphor for good friends, y/y? :)

GREAT metaphor indeed, buddy.

ladyofthehouse replied to your photo: Wherein the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake I was baking…

oh. oh man, but you know that’s the kind of failure you eat with loving shame. it didn’t work, but destroying all the evidence will be wonderful.

This is true. I just got off a FaceTime call with Stacie, and we have decided to put spoonfuls of it in a bowl, warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds, top it with some vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel sauce, and call it “Oops Chocolate Cake Sundae”.

That will help take the sting off the fail.

Thanks everyone. =)

bakewithavengeance replied to your photo: It’s cold on this house. What is this 54 degrees…

Remember this summer, when you were all smug about your 67 degree weather? 73 and delightful on the east coast today, baby! Happy Thursday!

If you look carefully at the picture, you’ll notice that the temps are supposed to get up into the mid-70s today.  Just really cool in the evenings and mornings.  And yes, I will remain smug about our mild temps long after December when you’re trying to dig yourself out of a foot of snow.

This was a very difficult decision. Let me tell you how I went about it.  Basically, I’ve spent the last couple of days going back through my dash from the point I mentioned I was going to do this fun little thing.  I then used the awesome “bookmark” feature in Missing E to mark the posts that I enjoyed the most so I could easily get back to them.  At that point, I had right around 90 posts that not only met the criteria (it had to be original content), but that had a certain something that just did it for me.  I also only took one entry per person, even though some of you had multiples before the reckoning.  I honestly can’t tell you what exactly I was looking for, because the content of these posts are all over the place.  Some are funny, some are touching, some are photos, some are touchingly funny photos. Anyway, I had to essentially just start whittling away, and came up with these 10 posts that have now made the final cut.  Here they are in no particular order:

• “Two Women” (not what you think) - Lady of the House
• “Dickbat.com Cake” (also, not what you think) - Bake With a Vengeance
• “Receiver’s Attempt to Suck Up to Me” - Receiver
• “Commentary on The Ultimate Matrix Collection” - MMLTD
• “Avi Options (a.k.a. The Ultimate Face Spam Post)” - Woman Interrupted
• “Well, this is awkward…” - glitterbubbles
• “GPOY Continued Wedding Spam + Body Image” - Life in the Blue House
• “Also, this happened last night” (if you follow Will, this is also not what you think) - Section9
• “Chloe Eating Cake Pops” - Evan’s Blog
• “I eat babies so you don’t have to” - Baffled in Brooklyn

Quite a diverse group of posts.  But, as they say in The Highlander, there can be only one. I’ll be making a little video of picking the winner out of a hat here soon.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today has been a doozy.  In the grand scheme of things, considering the magnitude of the tragedy in Aurora, some of the things going on here at Helm’s Deep, and even some of the things going on with our extended family, seem small in comparison.  A lot of it just happened, for whatever reason, today.

But you guys, once again, have been wonderful.  I’ve laughed today, which truly didn’t seem possible at 1:00 this morning when the reports started to come in from Colorado.  Or when we realized that the budget here was…just a bit tighter than we thought.  Or when we got some news about the ongoing drama playing out with our extended family. I honesty never thought that a little competition for coffee and baked goods would become such a source of comfort today.  But it did.  If I could, I’d just send all of you a pound of my brother’s incredible coffee ([cough] shameless plug link [cough]) and some yummy baked goods from the Golden Hall, Meduseld (otherwise known as our small galley kitchen where all the magic happens).  You all deserve it.

I want to send out a special thanks to a few amazing people whose posts were especially hilarious and brilliant:

• bakewithavengeance - Your political rise and fall was the stuff of legend, and would make a great Sorkin-esque West Wing script. Also, DICKBAT.
• baffledinbrooklyn - Amidst a vicious smear campaign, you rose above the fray, and refused to let your refined taste for babies to define you.  I salute your honesty and openness.
• middlemanagementlivingthedream (a.k.a. MEGA MAN Living the Dream) - You also faced a difficult attack from bakewithavengeance,but managed to turn it into a positive.  Also, you remembered the most important thing: it’s all about me!
• theotherkels - First, a Lord of the Rings A-B-C Book for kids: epic.  Then a custom onesie: well, well played.  You’ve got the stuff to go the distance.
• receiver - In the history of sucking up, no one has ever attempted to suck up as much as you.  However, I never “received” my baby-back ribs or my Frosty.  Minus twenty points for Slytherin.

Also, a very special thanks to ladyofthehouse, glitterbubbles, palmtreepalmtree, womaninterrupted, and accol, for your encouraging words and just overall awesomeness today.

If you guys aren’t following the above folks, you need to be.  They are the best kind of people.  They really are.

Thanks again, everyone.

Oh, and rest assured, I haven’t forgotten about the 20K Like Extravaganza.  I mean, how could have I forgotten?  You wouldn’t let me forget about it for even a second, which was truly the greatest thing ever today.  I have a very difficult decision to make this weekend.  Rest assured, this decision will not be taken lightly.

Much love from Helm’s Deep

theotherkels:

bakewithavengeance replied to your post:This is what I do while my kid naps….

I know your game. You’re trying to win Ralph’s coffee. Well, I’m afraid me and Dickbat.com have a lock on that, lady!

hahaha, entirely coincidental I promise….and seriously…Dickbat….who can win over that.  I’m going to be cracking up over that name for the rest of the day!

I have to admit that both of these posts are in the running.  I mean, come on! A Lord of the Rings A-B-C Book and a DICKBAT cake?  These are quality, quality posts.

womaninterrupted replied to your video: Raising my girls on great local music. @ Beth’s…

Good stuff there. They are too cute for words.

Thanks.  It was hilarious.  The very second Smells Like Teen Spirit came over the speakers, Arwen immediately jumped up and startred dance/marching.  I could not have been more proud of her at that moment.

saraplainandtall replied to your video: Raising my girls on great local music. @ Beth’s…

Whelp, thats the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Not going to disagree with this.

bakewithavengeance replied to your video: Raising my girls on great local music. @ Beth’s…

Stop having the most adorable children ever.

No, YOU stop having the most adorable child ever!

bakewithavengeance replied to your photo: Have you guys tried this stuff? It’s like a…

What…what is this witchcraft? Seriously, what spread-engineer sold his soul to come up with that?

I don’t know.  I don’t care.  All I know is this magician of magical magic deserves to win the Tri-Wizard Cup of Spreadable Goodness.

breadandbutternyc replied to your photo: Have you guys tried this stuff? It’s like a…

there’s a food stand here in nyc that sells this ice cream flavor. it’s amazing.

When I get out to NYC later this year, you will take me to this place.  You will take me there, and you will leave me with one of those mobility carts that large people in Wal Mart ride around.  Because once I eat all of the Cookie Butter Ice Cream they have…and I mean ALL of the Cookie Butter Ice Cream they have, that will be the only way I will be able to move my Jabba-fied carcass around.  And I will ride it without shame.

Yesterday, after we got back from our wonderful day date watching The Avengers, Stacie and I came home to yet another package from The Internet.  This time from bakewithavengeance and his wonderful family.

Enclosed was an adorable outfit for Storie, with cupcakes on it of course; some bracelets and sticker books for Arwen and Greer; a lovely card; and two (yes, TWO) kinds of blondies: Nutella and Butterscotch!!

Thank you so much, guys!

Seriously, if you’re not following bakewithavengeance, you should be.  He’s a great dad, great husband, loves to bake and cook, loves videogames…basically, he’s me, but he lives out east.

Happy Friday, everyone!

I got tagged by Bakewithavengance to answer some questions he posed to me.  If you are not following Baked, you should be.  He’s an awesome dad and loves to bake and cook, so obviously he and I will be bestest friends when we finally meet IRL.

Here’s the rules:

1. Post the rules. (got it)
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then make 11 new ones. (see below)
3. Tag 11 people and link them to your post. (Baked already linked to the most obvious people I would want to answer these questions, and if you feel like participating, feel free to.  I can never find posts I’m tagged in since Tumblr’s search function doesn’t let me follow tags with dashes in them.  Sigh.)
4. Let them know you tagged them. (see answer to above)

Anyway, here are the questions posed to me, and my answers:

1) Pick a superpower. Would you use it for good, for evil, for kind of good, for kind of evil, or for lazy. How so?

Either flying or teleporting.  Anything to give me the ability to travel quickly.  I have to admit the ability to breathe in space would be pretty cool too, considering I’ll most likely never be an astronaut.

All of these would be used for good, and definitely help with Project IRL.

2) With no repercussions, who would you give a smack in the mouth to? Do they deserve it?

Remember my post from a couple of days ago about complicated stuff and beautiful innocent people being hurt?  The people who hurt those innocent people and the people who did nothing to stand up for those people.  Yes…they most certainly do deserve it.

3) What’s the nicest thing you can say about yourself?

I have beautiful kids and an amazing wife.

4) Make up your own Animal Collective Noun. It has to be better than an Obstinancy of Buffalo.

A cornucopia of clydesdales.

5) If you had to have a limb removed, which limb and what would you replace it with?

My right index finger with a lightsaber.  I’d be a white Jedi Arsenio Hall.

6) What is your biggest pet peeve about your preferred mode of travel?

I love road trips.  I don’t think there is a better way to see and appreciate this great country than on the open road, either by car or motorcycle.  Biggest pet peeve: gas prices when going by car; bugs when going by motorcycle; other drivers who are asshats when going by either.

7) If you had a special effect go off whenever you entered a room, what would you pick?

Non-destructive Michael Bay-sized explosions that blow out every window pane in the house.

8) What profession would you choose for yourself if it paid all the bills, but would never make you rich?

Living it, albeit wish I were working more.  I’ve wanted to be working in moving pictures since I was a kid.  Just trying to get my foot in the door out here, working on some things of my own, etc.

9) If all the presidents got into a melee, who would come out on top and why?

Dubya, because he wouldn’t be afraid to go to war, detain you indefinitely, and torture you.  Oops, did I just get a little political into this otherwise fun questionnaire?

10) If you could have any animal as your mount, what would you choose?

Probably a dolphin.  With lasers attached to its head.

11) If you were to receive baked goods in the mail from me, what would you like?

Anything that involves combining chocolate with peanut butter is always a winning dessert in my book.  Nutella is always a great ingredient as well.  Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting…dear lord those are good.

Alright, now for my 11 questions.  Feel free to answer if you choose to.

1. What was the first film that ever made you cry and what was the last film that made you cry?
2. Prince or Michael Jackson?
3. Do you like your toast: lightly toasted, somewhere in the middle, or close to burnt?  And what’s your favorite thing to put on it?
4. If you had the chance to physically become someone for 24 hours, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
5. What television show that is currently off the air had the best series finale you have ever seen?
6. Besides Tumblr, what is one website that you go to daily?
7. You have gained a certain notoriety for something, and have been told you need your own theme song.  What musician or band would you enlist to write and perform it?
8. What is the best piece of pizza that you have ever eaten?  Where did it come from and what was on it?
9. You’ve just won a Golden Ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!  Which room would you be most excited to explore?
10. Say that you get a chance to come out to Seattle and visit us here at Helm’s Deep.  What meal and dessert would you want us to prepare for you?  What would you like to see while you’re out here?
11. You’ve been commissioned to create a new Olympic sport.  What would it be?

Have fun!

section9 replied to your post: Further Adventures in “My Wife Is Better Than Your Wife”

Costumes?

bakewithavengeance replied to your post: Further Adventures in “My Wife Is Better Than Your Wife”

I agree with Section9 about costumes.

Oh, I’m sure there will be costumes.  It would almost be irrelevant without them.

Not sure what I should go as, though.  I’m not exactly…er…lean enough…to go as any of the current Doctors.  Was there a chubby, balding, middle-age Doctor?  If not, I guess I could go as a Dalek.

Ooh!  I could go as Craig!  And our new baby could be Stormageddon!

Perfect.

bakewithavengeance replied to your photo: It’s never too late in the day to have a big old…

I want to go to there.

If by “there” you mean here at Helm’s Deep, then you are welcome anytime, buddy.

babs-the-red replied to your photo: It’s never too late in the day to have a big old…

This is heart-stoppingly amazing.

I have no idea what you’re talking about.  Bacon.  Scrambled eggs with Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese.  Breakfast potatoes (at least they were fried in EVOO).  Homemade buttermilk biscuits topped with some amazing local honey.

My arteries are fine.  I have this tingling in my left arm and some shortness of breath, but I’m sure it’s nothing.

bakewithavengeance replied to your post: bakewithavengeance replied to your photo: This was…

Thanks! Vengelet just turned 3 months, and we’re having a pregnancy scare this weekend, so I thought I’d get another dad’s perspective. Ahhhh!

Well, Arwen and Greer were definitely much closer together than we had originally planned (16.5 months).  But it’s all good.  Greer and Bug-a-Boo (the nickname for #3) will be almost exactly 2 years apart.