Making TV Magic

Now that the Press Dome Campaign is running, I can show you a little behind the scenes footage. One version of the commercial has a segment with & little wink & nod to Bewitched Magic. I'm frequently asked about how we make things appear & disappear on Bewitched. Here's a little video tutorial that gives a good example of the "freeze process". Kids love the results if you want to try a little movie making on your own.

Follow @Erin_Murphy

Beneath The Darkness Premiere

Last night my hubby & I went to the premiere of Dennis Quaids' new film Beneath the Darkness at the Egyptian Theater. For the first time in his career Dennis played a bad guy & once I got used to that idea I kind of liked it. Co-starring in the film & also co-producing is my old pal Brett Cullen. Brett & I worked together over 20 years ago in a western TV series called Young Riders. That show was also the launching pad for future Academy Award winners Melissa Leo & Josh Brolin. After exiting the theater I was met by a friendly crowd of autograph seekers. Just fyi, if you ever see me out & about I'm always happy to sign anything. The fact that people still ask is beyond flattering. Although, it does make me wonder how people seem to have an endless supply of Bewitched 8 X 10s on hand... Follow @Erin_Murphy

Press Dome Campaign

I've been wanting to talk about this since we shot a few months ago, but I had to wait until the Press Dome campaign rolled out. I'm really excited about this product from United Home Tech/ Chef Concepts. The project was a pleasure start to finish: especially working with the amazing team at Cesari Direct up in Seattle. They sent me samples before we shot, so I was able to use them in real life situations & they really do work great! They can keep dinner warm for up to an hour. They're perfect for bringing snacks to school, a game or

a party, they can stick directly to the kitchen countertop & in my favorite test for freshness, they kept Sprinkles red velvet cupcakes fresh for seven days! I think they would have kept them fresh even longer, but we ate them. www.pressdome.com http://unitedhometech.com/ Follow @Erin_Murphy

All About Eggs

I've received a lot of mail asking about chickens & eggs, so I'll try to answer some of your questions. There are many different varieties of chickens, we currently have 5. Some chickens are dual purpose, eggs & meat. But we ONLY eat the eggs. I'd have a hard time eating a pet that we've raised from a chick. The chicken pictured in this post, Marzipan, (photo credit: Christopher Ameruoso for OK! Magazine) is a silkie chicken. I like to refer to them as the "kittens" of the chicken world. Silkies are darling, fluffy & very mild-mannered. They are wonderful with children & will sit happily on your lap. Every time someone new sees one of our silkies they ask "What is that?". I have several friends who've gotten chickens after meeting mine. Silkies do lay eggs & the eggs are about 1/2 the size of a regular chicken egg (see photo for comparison to a Buff Orpington egg). They taste the same & they're perfect for recipes & as a "diet" egg. Farm raised eggs really do taste better & it's nice to know that our eggs come from happy chickens! Follow @Erin_Murphy

Healthy Cooking Segment- Avocado Chocolate Mousse?

HAPPY 2012!! Let's start the New Year with a healthy cooking segment: Avocado Chocolate Mousse. I know it sounds weird, but It's delicious! If you don't tell people that avocado is the main ingredient, they'll NEVER figure it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_yQIWmMagE

Follow @Erin_Murphy

Alpacas Mating

I thought you might enjoy this PG video of one of my alpacas, Brighton, visiting her boyfriend, Champion Canzelle's Mombasa. Alpacas are induced ovulators,like bunnies, which means they don't come into heat. The act of mating causes them to ovulate. The male alpaca makes a funny sound called "orgling' while mating. Alpacas are pregnant for about 11.5 months, so we're hoping for an 11/2012 baby. Baby alpacas are called cria & are one of the most adorable things on the planet! http://youtu.be/g8WGaqUWv5U Follow @Erin_Murphy

Have a Magical Holiday Season!

Follow @Erin_Murphy

Magical Alpacas!

We're featured in the 12/26/2011 issue of OK! Magazine. My two yearling alpacas, Latte & Cinnamon. Photo by the amazing Christopher Ameruoso. Follow @Erin_Murphy

My How They've Grown

Sally, Spot & Omelette explore outside on 7/18 while the kids swim! We can't let them out unsupervised: we've got hawks, owls & coyotes nearby... Follow @Erin_Murphy

Summer Chicks! June 4th!

Sally, Spot & Omelette

Farm Fresh Eggs!

This year in addition to fruits & vegetables, we're adding something new to our garden: chickens! Despite the fact that I love animals, I've always had a slight fear of birds. I think this can be traced back to some traumatic childhood experiences. Once while riding my bike, an enormous black crow swooped down & plucked hair from my head & knocked me to the ground. Also, as a young teen, I was chased daily by a pair of swans, who would follow & peck at me when I sailed past their nest. I've also had some negative experiences with angry geese & roosters. Surprisingly, when our local feed store mentioned that they had chicks for sale, with very little prodding from the kids, I quickly agreed. I learned a couple interesting facts: The reason you can get 1 day old chicks is because they don't nurse & are separated from the hens before they hatch. Also, they can determine the sex of a newborn chick with over 90% accuracy. This is important because many people want eggs only, not baby chicks & many neighborhoods don't allow roosters.
The chicks have been delightful, funny, friendly, EASY pets so far. We have seven: 2 Buff Orpingtons (Sally & Omelette), 1 Plymouth Barred Rock (Spot), 1 Black Sex-Link (Dot), 1 Americauna (Dot) & 2 Black Silkies- pictured above (Disco & Daiquiri). I'll fill you in on their personalities & more as we undertake our adventure in farm fresh eggs!!
Follow Me on Twitter: twitter.com/Erin_Murphy

Farm Fresh Eggs!

This year in addition to growing fruits & vegetables, we've decided to add chickens, so we can have fresh free range eggs. To be perfectly candid, as much as I love animals, I have a slight fear of birds. I think this comes from several childhood incidents. Once a large crow swooped down & actually plucked hair from my head while I road my bike. I was also chased daily by swans when I was a young teen when I sailed by their nest.
But, when our local feed store was offering chicks for sale, with very little prompting from the kids, I very quickly agree. Much to my surprise, the chicks have turned out to be delightful, funny, easy pets! We have seven so far: 2 Buff Orpingtons (Sally & Omelette), 1 Plymouth Barred Rock (Spot), 1 Black Sex-Link (Dot), 1 Amer
Follow @Erin_Murphy

Drag U Promo!

Watch

Rupaul's Drag U

See if you can spot me in the promo clip!

TMZ Caught Me With No Makeup!

Here's my paparazzi moment from this week. Of course they caught me after a workout with no makeup!

http://www.mefeedia.com/video/30561682

This Week

Yesterday, I chaperoned the fourth grade field trip, then we went to see a taping of The Doctors about autism. After the show, the Glee kids were waiting at the Paramount valet with us. They're all so cute (& all have brand new cars)!

Also, went out on a school night this week! I'm a girl who usually falls asleep watching TV with my hubby around 10:00 PM. Went to see Mark Ballas (Dancing With the Stars) sing at The Mint, then to see my friend Raven's show at Micky's & Candice Cayne at the Abbey. Grabbed a slice of pizza with friends before heading home. Since I spent the night nursing a club soda, I felt great at 6:00 AM the next day when I had to wake up to pack lunches and get the kids ready for school. I made the press: //www.wenn.com/archives/18009 Follow @Erin_Murphy

I'm on Twitter!

I don't quite understand twitter, but my friends have been teasing me for not being technologically advanced. If anyone is interested in my random musings, I am now on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/erin_murphy

Tweet..Tweet Follow @Erin_Murphy

My Commercial With Ronald Reagan!

Thanks to GaryB from Australia for finding my old commercial with Ronald Reagan. I'm topless, of course! This was one of Ronald Reagan's last commercials before he ran for Governor of California.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It's Spring, my favorite time of year. Full of promise. We've been spending every weekend in the garden planting and battling the bunnies. I love all the rabbits in our yard, as long as they don't eat my roses! For the first time ever, I've planted a vegetable garden: several varieties of tomatoes, sugar snap peas, pickles(okay, cucumbers really...but my kids love pickles!) and pretty in pink strawberries. Can't wait to post photos of our first harvest.

I HATE MOTHS!!

OK, I don't hate ALL moths. How can I hate something so closely related to a butterfly? I like watching moths flitter around the outside lights in the summer. I also like finding those weird mutant moths that are the size of a soccer ball. To be specific, what I hate are the individual moths who made a meal out of one of my favorite dresses. These moths were so stealth and crafty that I didn't even know what they'd done until I was out IN PUBLIC leaving a meeting. I felt a sudden draft and realized that the entire back of my dress was disintegrating leaving me completely exposed! It was like something out of an R rated episode of I Love Lucy as I attempted to use my purse to cover myself.