Ok, so I know for SHHHUUURE you have not missed the

VERIZON WIRELESS CUDDLEBEAR COMMERCIAL (thanks a whole lot McCann-Erickson)



You know the one:

HER: SQQUEEEEEEAAAAL -- whoooozzz my cuddlebear? he he he he...

HIM: umm, yup, ok I'm your cuddlebear.

HER: SQQQUUUEEEEEAALL - WHOOOOZZZZ MY CUDDLEBEAR?? HEEEE HEEEE HEEEE

HIM: *whispers softly from work* umm..I'm your cuddlebear...

HER: SQUEEEEE (ok you get the picture).



Duuuuudes -- does ANY SANE WOMAN ON THIS EARTH DO ANYTHING CLOSE TO THAT?

because if they do, I'm checking out. That's just wrong wrong and wrong. I bet if anyone does, its the type of woman who still have stuffed animals on her bed, and has to have sex with the lights out.

I'll fully admit (fully, thanks tesco) that I have a pet name. I've had a few pet names. I've given a few pet names. But the FRIGGIN SING SONG VOICE HAS NEVER EVER EVER come out of my mouth.

All my ex-boyfriends are invited to comment here (yup, all three of you Steve, Bill and Dave).

But I have to say, I think my pet names (given and gotten) were COOL.

Cuddlebear?

Does that seem cool to you???

Who am I to knock true (disgustingly sticky gross) love? I dunno - but it makes me sick to even think its done in private. Much less over the video, phone or whatever during the workday.

Share up brave people, What's Your Pet Name?????

later cupcake.....pookie......love bucket......honey bun......(ok, I'm now getting hungry....)

Our friends from Land's End emailed us -and offered to give one of our readers/listeners a FREE Backpack!



Soooo - one LUCKY folk will win a Land's End Multitask Backpack! (see it here) It's not the low end model -- no way. It's the deeeeelux people.

Just send us an email to thechicks"at"chickchatradio.com with your name and mailing address. (our contact page on website if that's easier)
(and not worries - believe you me - we got no time to be licking stamps or traveling to Kansas to stalk you...unless I find an overnight babysitter.)

Drawing in one short week!! (one entry per person, please).

And? Say you never win anything? Well, something for EVERYONE:
FREE SHIPPING CODE from Land's End for you early bird Back-to-School shoppers:

Effective July 31st - August 6th. Enter code when you check out.

Enter Coupon Code: BACKTOSCHOOL

Enter Pin: 2382

Vwaaa Laa!

Are we paid for this? Naaaa - we just wanna pass along the goodwill to our sistas so you don't make the same mistake I made just. last. week. and pay shipping charges when you get the new backpack : (


psssst - PASS IT ON!!!!!

If you LURVE Giveaways -- I suggest you spend your workday visiting this site: Bloggy Giveaways.

This weeks show --- we ask two questions:

1) Are YOU a Helicopter Parent? ...hovering about too much -- the 4th of July Fireworks danger was too much for me, how about you???


2.) Things Men are Right About. hmmm, that should be a very very short discussion huh? but wait,,,,,not till you hear this!!!



Click Here to get to our "Listen" Page -where you can choose just to click on the "This Weeks Show" and listen on your computer... or

Click Here to get to our podcast page.....and do the podcast or itunes if that is your thang.

It sort of feels like Christmas in July, because I just bought winter boots.

Uggs.

That's right, I just bought my first pair of Uggs, because last winter I didn't have decent boots to wear and HELLO I live in New England, and I know they're heinous but they seem to be very functional.

I feel like a sheep, but am also a little happy to know that I've done something in advance of the climate change for the first time.

Do you have Uggs? Love em or hate em??

or flies to 'you know what'....

The "warnings" only encourage us...and our deep genetic gathering longings....








We can't help ourselves when we see 120 miles of "Don't Miss the Ultimate Shopping Zone" billboards!!!

That, together with travelling without kids a few weeks ago -- deadly combination.....

What did I buy? Pillowcases. Yup, pillowcases. Two. Whole. Sets. (oh yeah, and some cigarettes,,,,CHEAP in North Carolina : )

I had the opportunity to sample the best Brownies EVAH...and couldn't keep 'em a secret!



They are sooo chocolatey and yummy that I hid the container and ate every single one myself!! A few days later I had to go bathing suit shopping, and didn't even care about rockin' a serious muffin top - they're THAT good!

Check out Sweets for the Soul by clicking here to get some for yourself...or to send to someone else - what a perfect gift!!

YUM!!!

Why did this hot chick bake a Flag Cake?



How is this year's Flag Cake Smackdown winner connected to last year's winner??

Find out NOW! Catch this week's show.....

Click Here to get to our "Listen" Page -where you can choose just to click on the "This Weeks Show" and listen on your computer... or

Click Here to get to our podcast page.....and do the podcast or itunes if that is your thang.

We also chat with our esteemed Flag Cake Smackdown Judges!

RORI TROVATO:


LILLY LABONGE

OMG have you seen this? Wanted to give you a little inspiration to have a little self control in between food posts (good times):



"The Queen" indeed!!

Spousal Unit: "Where'd you get these?"

Me: "oh, the Bloom grocery store..."

Spousal Unit: "These are GOOD."

Me: "I know"

Spousal Unit: "How'd you find them?"

Me: "They were on sale, on an endcap in front of the grocery store..."

But REALLY?

I picked the Good Earth "impossibly good" chips because I'd been DYING to try them ever since I saw them here as a BlogHer ad!!! Rigtht? Haven't you seen the ad? With that cute little flying pig?

Didn't you try them? Don't they ROCK????

They aren't potato chips....they are "crisps" or "baked veggie chips" --- and that means I can actually let myself buy them : D

I think we got the Garlic Herb one...anyone else tried the others??????????

Our little Lara was on Fox News - again!



The Tony Snow tragedy didn't even bump her segment off. They were asking "Are We a Nation of Whiners?"

Well, duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I just love watching Lara on Fox News....see, Lara grew up in Boston......and of course, is a Liberal. Really, don't blame her, she had no choice!!! : )

I think Lara's coming around and actually starting to LIKE our fine friends at Fox News Channel!

After all, they have GREAT TASTE IN GUESTS, NO?????

Next thing ya know, she'll be going to cocktail parties with Mr. Bill O'Reilly.



he he he....

We hosted M's 11th Birthday party in our common room the other day. I'd never thrown a kid's party before, and was SOOOO excited! And SOOOO nervous! All she wanted to do is have a couple of friends over to go to the pool in our apartment complex. So we reserved the party room and I went to the party store for supplies, and when I was done decorating, it felt like Happy Birthday had thrown up everywhere:







The party went really well, everyone seemed to have fun, and I was super-relieved when it was over!

And the Winner of the 2008 ChickChat Radio Flag Cake Smackdown is....

ALa! from BlondeSagacity

Keepin' the trophy in the family! (her husband, tesco won last year)




ALa's NOTE: It's actually four cakes: a blue ring and base, then a white and topped off with a red (which came out more pink than red). The cake is then iced with butter cream and covered in fondant (You get the shiny look on the fondant by brushing it lightly with water) and the stars on the blue field consist of 50, homemade, white chocolate lollipops. It is topped with a fondant yellow ribbon in honor of the men that secured our initial independence and in honor of those still volunteering to preserve that independence today...


The contest was won by a hair. Our other two brave souls were:


MISS CARLY: (from And So She Blogs)



CARLY'S NOTE: man oh man... if this had been a contest where it mattered what the cake tasted like... I so would be winning.

Three layer white cake. Each layer was soaked with coconut syrup and spread with lemon curd. It was frosted with a homemade cream cheese frosting. It was decorated with blueberries and strawberries and white chocolate shavings.

It's more of a patriotic red white and blue cake.



And, STEEN! (from steenface )


STEENS NOTE: .... it was my first attempt using fondant. To be fair, the cake was a joint venture with Lindsey Lobsterclaw. It's two layer vanilla cake; we used a 6x2 pan and stacked two cakes on top of each other with a layer of vanilla frosting in between. A heavy dose of vanilla frosting on the outside helped the fondant stick. The red stars are made out of dyed fondant; the blue stars are painted with a pearlescent dye. The ribbon and bow aren't edible of course! The fondant was a pain in the butt to work with but everything is tasty and I'm pleased with our first attempt!


Many thanks to all three for putting themselves out there, in the name of FLAG CAKE!!! you all ROOOOOL.

And big thanks to Rori Trovato and Lily LaBonge our Smackdown Judges.

Judges (and hopefully winner) interviews can be heard in about a week on XM Radio Take Five, channel 155.

We'll let you know when we have the podcast up of our show where we interview the judges, and hopefully ALa also!!

My husband begged me to skip the jell-o for this year's Flag Cake Smackdown. So I went hardcore cake instead - I turned to my Martha Stewart cookbook and decided to make Lemon Poundcake. I figured I'd decorate it with fruit and it would actually get eaten at my in-laws' house and I wouldn't have leftovers. But then I made it, and does this look like it ever could have been a flag cake to you????



Me either. I got up early the next day and turned to Martha for guidance again, and went for the Strawberry Cake. But I didn't like how it turned out, either:



So I whipped some cream (and just in case you can't tell, I OVER WHIPPED THE CREAM!! THIS IS A HORROR SHOW!!!):



And I finally put berries on....you can see how NOT into it I was by this point, my stripes are all uneven! At least the strawberries are hulled!!



I overbaked the cake, too - it was so dry. Martha Martha Martha....I just don't have the skills (YET!) to follow your recipes. Maybe next year I'll go for the Betty Crocker instead...

If you were scared off by last year's entries -- you could be missing out on winning!!

Because the defending champ - tesco - has FOLDED. He says "I ran out of time."

We're sorry to see him out of the game (especially some of the women in management over at XM's Take Five, channel 155, who consider him ONE HOT flag cake winner : )



You gotta be IN IT TO WIN IT in this Smackdown- and you have until Midnight tonight to enter!!!

Here is my mean, lean, Flag Cake - and it is NOT in the running (Lara and I don't enter our own competition....anymore....)



Good luck friends!!

Introducing Your 4th of July Flag Cake Smackdown Judges:

(1) RORI TROVATO: We met 3rd year veteran Rori Trovato when she was working as the iVillage Food Expert.
Food stylist and cooking teacher Rori Trovato and her husband, acclaimed photographer Luca Trovato, make delicious food look beautiful. Their work can be seen in Rori's cookbook, Dishing with Style, as well as in O Magazine, Food & Wine and Bon Appetit. Currently, the couple resides in Santa Barbara, California.




(2) LILY LA BONGE: Founder, Sweet for the Soul. Sweet for the Soul has been a dream realized by Lilly La Bonge, a former successful television commercial producer, who decided to forego the demanding and stressful long hours in her industry to spend that energy to pursue her real lifelong passion for baking the perfect brownie. For years she was told by friends and family that her brownies were delicious enough to be the basis of a successful business. A bout with breast cancer gave her the wake up call that life is too short not to spend it doing what you love, so she finally made the leap to commercialize her chocolate creation. With the same attention to detail she demonstrated as a producer, Lilly has dedicated her days and nights to bring you the most amazing brownie you will ever taste.








Our HUGE thanks to these fine women for signing on to help us out.

They are fun, and they can't wait to see what you have in store for them!!

Might there be another suprise judge? You betcha there is a chance of that. The more the merrier : )

ENTER YOUR PHOTO TO WIN!! (by Midnight Monday July 7th).