Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Great State Fair of Texas

The weather outside is ridiculous. And TV Joe has been working crazy hours on millions of dollars worth of budgets. He decided to take Monday off to celebrate the closing of the budgets. (Of course, he did run out the door this morning super early mumbling something about a budget meeting, but I decided not to ask.)

So we sent the kids off to school and went to the 10:25am showing of "Wall Street Part 2" (also known as "Wall Street Money Never Sleeps").



The 10:25am movie is a dying breed. Very few theaters offer this gem. It was super fun though. "Wall Street" was a classic and I thought part 2 was really good - very well acted. I'm strangely drawn to Gordon Gekko. And he was almost sympathetic in part 2. Highly recommend it.

After the movie, we grabbed the kids from school early and headed to the Great State Fair of Texas.


We had food - Fletcher's Corny Dog and Hot Buttered Corn with lots of salt


We rode rides


This is my *baby* riding a big ride. He looks so tiny in this picture. He loved it.
He's still talking about it.



After we threw down a mortgage payment on rides, we went on the great Fried Frito Pie hunt. The hunt led us to the Backyard Circus show for kids. Bergen was picked to be in the show. He was a tiger. It was pretty much the cutest thing I've seen in a long time. I was about to explode from the cuteness.


The tiger jumping through the hoop of fire


The pay for his stellar performance was a ticket for a free bottle of chocolate or strawberry milk.
He held it in his sticky little hand the rest of the day.


Until he was finally able to cash it in for his favorite drink.


Preston was able to visualize a dream

The hunt for the Fried Frito Pie ended in success. It was totally expensive, but totally good. Even food snob TV Joe liked it.


Super fun day - beautiful weather - great memories!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Fall Ball

Fall baseball is in full swing. 8:00am games as far as the calendar can plan them. I love it.

Preston is on the Rangers 9U. First year of kid pitch. They lost 6-7.



He plays a mean catcher

Bergen played up to 5U t-ball. He's on the Diamond Jaxx. They are adorable.




Sliding into home. Fantastic.

I think his primary defensive move is to talk the opponent into distraction.


And to butter up the umps. Always. Talking.

And talking...


Love the ump's face - laughing and thinking "whose kid is this?"



My baseball players



Thursday, September 30, 2010

What I did on my summer vacation

MIA - sorry. It was a long, long summer. And not the "gee I hope summer lasts forever", but rather a "serenity now seriously what else can happen and good gosh it's hot" kind of summer.

In the spirit of the beginning of fall, I'll pay tribute to the good ol' "What-I-Did-On-My-Summer-Vacation" essay.

We took swimming lessons






We went to Childress for a family reunion, only to learn that we were the only family to RSVP, and the only family attending. So we played BINGO.


And grilled burgers in the 850 degree West Texas heat.


We went to San Antonio


We had friends over - and jumped hazardously on the trampoline


Cousin Josh came to dinner - they LOVE cousin Josh. He's awesome. And single, if you know any God-loving, Christ-following, cute early to mid-20's girls.


We had birthdays - first Preston, who turned 9.

Check out this cake. I taped his picture to the batter.


Bergen had a birthday. He turned 4.


Love this toot. He wanted everyone to blow those horns after we sang Happy Birthday while he blew out his candles. Wish granted.

And we started school.

Bergen started preschool.

Preston started 3rd grade. He has the most amazing teacher ever. So thankful!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

My Big Fat Greek Obsession

I'm a mut. An American mut. I have German-English-Scottish-Irish-Indian-Texas White Trash blood. And not that I'm displeased with my heritage. Quite the contrary. I'm proud of my roots. My dad's family is traced back the the 1600s in Germany. I've been to the town in Germany from which we, well, sprung. There was a church with WWI and WWII POW and MIA and my maiden name was listed at least 8 times. His family also built most of Kendall County, Texas and were Texas Rangers, sheriffs - cool stuff. I just wish there was a little Greek in there.

*pause while my ancestors turn in their graves*

I'd make a great Greek girl.

I'm curvy, loud, outspoken, boisterous - everything I know Greeks to be. But I'm quite pale, and blond. There's no Greek there.

Greeks have great food. And huge families. They love to celebrate. And they eat lots of feta. I'm in!

TV Joe and I have become quite obsessed with Greek salads. We love a good Greek salad. Cucumber, onion, tomatoes, olives, Greek dressing topped with feta. We could eat this every night. We pretty much do! We like to eat it with chicken, some pita and hummus. So good.

I found this recipe last week and I just had to try it. It's from one of Paula Deen's shows. Tracie's Couscous Salad Recipe. I don't know who Tracie is but I now love her. It's freak show good. I mean amazing! I love everything about it. Except the lime. Don't add too much lime. Just one lime to kinda brighten it a bit. My word this was a good salad. I added some shrimp and we chowed. I beg you to try it soon!

Tracie's Couscous Salad

Recipe courtesy Tracie Farmer, via Paula Deen

  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 5 min
  • Serves: 6 servings
  • Ingredients

    • 1 box flavored couscous (garlic or Parmesan), cooked (I used Parmesan)
    • 1 can chickpeas (drain and rinse those bad boys - you don't want 'em tasting like can!)
    • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
    • 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
    • 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (I think this could use 2 cukes - but I'm obsessed with cucumber right now)
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
    • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I add this to the top - feta breaks down after time if you have leftovers they taste better if you add the feta right before devouring)
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 2 to 3 limes, juiced (I did one lime, then tasted - did not want to make it too citrusy)

    Directions

    In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients with the olive oil and lime juice, to taste. Season to taste.


    Prepare to love this - it's that good!

    Thursday, June 10, 2010

    Let's start at the very begining

    Where oh where have I been?
    I know you have been lost without me. hahaha - my reader is wondering where I am.

    I've been knee deep in the month of May. Does anyone else find the month of May to be almost as busy as December? Seriously. With baseball, birthday parties, Joe traveling (and traveling, and traveling) and end of school stuff, I've just been swamped!

    So my dilemma is...catch you up, or start from here. I'm lazy, so I'm leaning on start from here. Here's a quick rundown of May.

    Costa Rica

    One of our best friends turned 40 and took a group to Costa Rica to celebrate. It was amazing. They rented a pimped out house and we did some really cool excursions - many of which were way out of my comfort zone. We did a little jungle cruise - made some new monkey and croc friends. *shudder*

    That croc is looking for chicken. It totally freaked me out. I had no escape plan. And I always have an escape plan. But I was also totally talking myself out of touching the thing. I know, weirdo. The monkey...well...they were cute. All 8 of them that got on our boat. But have you seen OUTBREAK??? I have. Bring me a copy of your shot records and I'll gladly feed you a banana. It was a once in a lifetime boat ride. Really fun.

    We also did a little zip line. Back in high school and college I was fearless. But then I think you have kids and fearlessness goes out the window. I was convinced I would die on the zip line. I researched and asked a 1000 questions. I was told "oh Amy, you don't have to do this" and there were people in our group that didn't go, but I knew I would hate myself if I didn't.

    So here it is...

    It was pretty fun. And scary. And I didn't die. I really didn't ever feel like I was going to die. I did take a benedryl to take the edge off. Poor man's tranquilizer? The rest of the trip we sat around and read. That's more like it! Shout out the the Netzer's for the great trip.

    I don't want to blow all my material at once, so I'll save Mother's Day, Preston's BAPTISM!!, his 2nd Grade awards and our trip to Childress for another post. That will give you some time to digest that awesome picture of me zip lining. I know you're gonna frame that one.

    Monday, April 19, 2010

    What Cleanse?

    I was doing so well with my cleanse. So well! I chose this week because we had no plans this weekend.

    Until Saturday.

    We found out some friends were free, so we invited them over to let the kids play. My girlfriend said she'd eat clean with me. Then we found out some more were free, so they were coming over. That got TV Joe into chef mode. For those following along at home, Mr. Jack-Of-All-Trades went to chef school forever ago. He likes to cook on the weekend. He was in rare form on Saturday.

    On the menu:

    Hummus, with pita bread and carrots (very healthy, cleanse friendly)
    Spinach Salad with feta, onion, heirloom tomatoes, candied pecans and balsamic vinaigrette (feta? well...there's not that much so it's all good)
    Ribeyes for the guys (whew, dodged a bullet with that one!)
    Halibut, poached in a champagne/white wine, with beurre blanc sauce (healthy for me??)
    Brussels Sprouts, boiled (I think) the tossed with butter and bacon (um, yeah...)
    Roasted Potatoes (with lots of olive oil...I mean LOTS of olive oil)
    Pearl Onions, sauteed with butter, olive oil, bacon and topped with blue cheese (what?????? just kill me now)

    And then, my friend walked in with not one, but TWO Nothing But Bundt cakes, which, as you have heard, will be served in heaven.

    Cleanse over.

    Delicious dinner.

    Cleanse later.

    The end.

    Friday, April 16, 2010

    Cleansing Salmon

    Wow what a week here at our Casa.

    We started the week by getting our new swing set installed on Sunday. If I ever figure out how to get my pictures to load on my new computer, I'll show it to you. I think I need a new cord....

    Anywho, TV Joe left Sunday to head to a convention in Vegas. Normally, a Sunday departure sends shivers up my spine because it makes for a loooooong day at home. But we had the guy here installing the swing set and he was a doll - let P-Diddy and Biggie B help out. They were outside all day long. And I got so much done! He finished at 8pm, and the boys jumped on the monkey bars and slide. Five minutes later...Bergen fell off the monkey bars and bit through his lip. Blood. Everywhere. Lots and lots of it. We got some ice and some cold water and got the thing to stop bleeding. He said (through tears) "did it stop bweeding?" and I said "yes" and he said "I go back". Nice. Tough boy.

    Monday, P-Diddy used a card table to attempt to access the trapeze bar. Fell and blood.

    Tuesday, Bergen fell off the swing and busted his lip.

    I'm currently searching for release forms in case any other kids come over to play on it.

    Tuesday I went with a girl friend to a seminar hosted by The Sunflower Shoppe. The speaker was Jordan Rubin, who told us the six keys to health and wellness. It was very interesting and informative. I decided to try his cleanse for a week. I started Thursday and will be done in 7 days. So far, not so bad. It's just following this pill-popping, drink-drinking plan and eliminating sugar, dairy, bread, starches, alcohol and packaged foods. And drink lots of water. So I'm eating lots of salad, vegetables and fruits, along with lean meats and fish. And you're suppose to give up coffee, but...yeah, right...

    I'll let you know if it works. Just trying to detox and get back off sugar.

    TV Joe came home Wednesday late, so I haven't been cooking for the boys. We've been eating sandwiches, mac and cheese, etc. And Wednesday (the day before the cleanse) we had Sonic and I had a chili cheese coney. I figured go out with a bang, right?

    Last night I made Roasted Salmon with a White Wine Sauce and steamed broccoli. I got the recipe from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. If you don't have this app on your iPhone, get it! If you don't have an iPhone, you can check out the blog here. They send me a text message with a easy, gourmet dinner idea every day. I save what I like and access when I need it. I love it!

    This salmon was really good. I prefer to eat only wild caught salmon, as farmed fish is loaded with antibiotics and other unmentionables. But in moderation, I think it's fine. The grocery store had wild Sockeye Salmon for $12.99 a pound. Perfect. Be careful with cooking - you don't want to over cook it. I came really close, but thankfully the sauce covered that. I'm becoming a decent cook, but fish is still tricky. This is good though, and Joe asked me to make it again, so there you go.

    Also, this is a prime example of easy, healthy cooking on restricted time. It took 10 minutes. Seriously, it takes that long to log on to the pizza website and place an order.

    Not that I don't loooove me some pizza. But it's all about the cleanse this week.


    Roasted Salmon with White-Wine Sauce

    Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food, by Martha Stewart


    Ingredients

    Serves 4
    • 1 large skinless salmon fillet (1 1/2 pounds)
    • Coarse salt and ground pepper
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup dry white wine
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Roast until opaque throughout, about 15 minutes.
    2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add wine, and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in chives; season with salt and pepper. With a fork, gently break salmon into large chunks, and serve topped with white-wine sauce.
    From Everyday Food, January/February 2008

    Tuesday, April 6, 2010

    Our Sunday Best

    I just poured over my latest copy of Southern Living magazine. I love this magazine. In April's issue I found some really beautiful recipes that I can't wait to try out on my friends. I found a new vacation spot in Florida to go on my ever-growing "Vacation Destination Wish List". I found decorating ideas that I may never use since my house is more French country than Southern country. But it did give me a little motivation to take better care of what I have. And I discovered that I want to plant a Chinese Snowball in my front landscaping. Clean, cook and plant. That's Southern Living!

    On the last page of the April 2010 issue was the most delightful article that I just had to share. I live in the south. I grew up here. I love it. It's steeped in tradition. Some still alive, but some are slowly dying. This makes me want to cling to them. It reminds my of my grandmother who lived in southeast Texas (almost Louisiana). She could bake you under the table. She wore pearls. And she taught my mom to put a pinch of salt in your coffee grounds before brewing. Mom then taught me. You should try it! She would be appalled at me for wearing pants to church. I can remember when my mom and dad came out to Abilene to visit while I was in college. I met them at church, and as soon as I walked in to greet them, my mom said "you're wearing a pant suit to church?". That was in 1994 - at the dawn of the wide leg pant suit. I loved that pant suit. I got it with my Dillards card. Abilene had the best Dillards! I got a lot with my Dillards card. But that's another post.

    Let's take a moment of silence in honor of the wide leg pant suit.

    *now I should state a disclaimer...I know Jesus doesn't care what we wear to church as long as we show up. And I'm proud that people feel comfortable at my church and can wear anything. I'd rather you hear the message than not show up because you didn't have a nice dress to wear.*

    Please enjoy this short article. I hope you do anyway. Let's cling to our southern traditions. I wonder if my mom would wear a corsage on Mother's Day?

    OUR SUNDAY BEST

    By Valerie Fraser Luesse

    A friend of mine visited a college campus recently and was aghast to see coeds walking to class in shorts and tank tops best suited to the gym. “My grandmother used to put on lipstick to go to the mailbox”, she said wistfully. Our transformation from church-hostess Southern to lost-my-kid-gloves modern sort of slipped up on us. First came panty hose {no need to wrestle those nylons} and hot rollers {so long, bonnet hair dryer}, then pantsuits – in church! With the wave of an unmanicured hand, we had abandoned our half-slips, misplaced our Revlon “Love That Red,” tossed out our teasing combs, and taken up with sensible shoes.

    Some icons of our feminine past won’t be missed at all. To that bonney hair dryer and clear-to-here girdle, we say good riddance. To the teasing comb, we offer a more reverent farewell. Together with Aqua Net hair spray, it gave generations of pageant hair the strength to bear a tiara, and that ought to mean something.

    But as we boldly march forward, let us remember that “Mama’n’em” knew a thing or two about style. And I can name three blasts from our past that deserve a comeback.

    1. The Easter Dress

    We used to start shopping for our Easter dresses before the Valentine’s candy was even stale. An Easter dress was your prettiest, dressiest Sunday-go-to-meetin’ ensemble of the year. It screamed spring: floaty fabrics in pastel colors; short sleeves, puff sleeves, or no sleeves; store-bought or handmade. Pearls required. Hat and glove optional after 1960. If you were under 12, you wore pastel dotted Swiss, patent leather Mary Janes, and maybe a color-coordinated hat with a little elastic band that hooked under your chin. No matter what your age, the biggest challenge was trying not to shiver, since even the Deep South tends to have a mysterious cold snap on Easter (perhaps as a divine reminder that this is a worship experience, not a fashion show).

    2. The Mother’s Day Corsage

    When I was a kid, if a mother came to church without a corsage from her children, the whole family went on everybody’s prayer list. Now almost nobody buys one, and that’s a shame. Here’s how it works. You choose the flowers for your mother’s corsage based on whether her mother is living or dead. If her mother’s living, she wears roses or carnations in pink or red. If her mother has crossed over, she wears white or yellow roses or an orchid. Everybody gets baby’s breath. Its just the right thing to do.

    3. The Hostess Apron

    “When you saw my grandmother’s mint-green organza apron, you knew some cucumber sandwiches were coming out,” my friend Rebecca says. Back in the day, Southern women wore kitchen aprons, which they actually wiped their hands on while they cooked, and hostess aprons, which adorned and protected their good dresses while they served guests. Hostess aprons are all over the Web, so this would be a fairly simple charge to lead if we all work together.

    Take the Pledge

    Preserving our heritage takes commitment. We have to band together. So ladies, wherever you are, stand up, raise your right hand, and repeat after me: I (your name here), pledge to do my part to bring back the Easter dress. I pledge to order corsages right this minute, before the florist runs out of the good stuff. As for the hostess apron… I pledge to tie one on.

    Tuesday, March 30, 2010

    Hello Spring

    It's been a freakish winter around here. Just when we though it was over, we got another snow. The fact that I said *another* snow is what is so freakish. I think we got 4 snows this winter. Crazy stuff!

    Don't get me wrong, I love winter, and snow. I love the smell of snow. But I'm ready for some color. To get my fingers dirty in the soil. To sit on the patio next to the fireplace and watch the kids play. Bergen loves his sandbox and it's all fresh and ready to go. We are getting a new swing set assembled on Thursday. Yahoo - I will no longer need to get an injury release when other kids come over to play. Ours is rotting. In hindsight, I'm thinking the fancy, expensive swing set might have been the better choice 5 years ago, instead of 2 cheap swing sets that only last 5 years. Oh well. Just felt like highway robbery when we visited the fancy swing set store back then and they wanted 4 figures for their cheapest set. Yikes!

    Last night was pretty much perfect. If only my yard had color (besides the weeds that are hopefully dying) and there had been some flowers...but it's still early right?

    I grilled some chicken, made some white rice and a can of green beans, and my family ate it like there was no tomorrow. I also made a lovely tomato, cucumber and feta salad that I'll share with you. It was a nice break from my go-to craisin, spiced pecan, blue cheese salad. TV Joe asked how I marinated this delicious chicken? Um, salt and pepper. It's called lazy mom dinner. Momma-didn't-feel-like-making-a-big-dinner-so-here-you-go.

    But when eaten outside, next to a fire, with very little wind and 2 stinky boys, it was divine. I would have taken a picture, but I didn't want to miss a moment of this time by running in to get the camera. We followed dinner with some s'mores. Nice. I look forward to more outside dinners. We squeeze them in before the fires of hell (also known as July) hit our land.

    Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad
    created by me

    1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
    1 cucumber - pealed, seeded and chopped (chopped to your preference - diced, sliced, whatever you like)
    2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
    3 or 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
    Salt, Pepper and Herbes de Provence, to taste (or fresh basil, which I didn't have)
    1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or more...just sayin')
    (also can add red onion or shallots, but I wasn't feeling it last night)
    (and kalamata olives, which I didn't have, but will make sure to have next time because that would have been really good)

    Mix the tomatoes, cucumbers, vinegar and olive oil. Add seasonings, to taste. Mix and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add feta. Enjoy nature.

    Thursday, March 25, 2010

    Cheese makes everything better

    It's been a long week here at our house.

    Won't bore you with the details.

    Bergen, though, has slept all night for 2 nights in a row. For those not keeping up, he's 3 and gets up every night around 3:00 am and tries to get in our bed. I thought we were done with the middle of the night calls. I've tried bribing him with stars - 10 stars means a trip to the dollar store. That worked for 10 star's worth, then we were back to getting up. For some reason though, he's slept 2 nights in a row. I should be rejoicing - and I am.

    But Tuesday night/Wednesday AM I woke up at 2am convinced the Smoke Monster from LOST was at my window. Turns out it was the trees scratching the window from the wind. Nonetheless, I laid there for the better part of an hour freaking out, checking my email, Facebook, etc until I fell asleep again. With my glasses on. And a phone beside me.

    "Hello, 9-1-1? Yeah the Smoke Monster from LOST is outside my window. Could you please send someone to check it out? Tell them to bring a sword and to pierce it in the heart. He must act quickly...don't give Smokey a chance to speak or it's all over and you'll lose the cop to the dark side."

    It's kinda scary, yes? Especially when you hear it - tikatikatikatkatikatka- *shudder*

    So I found myself a little stressed yesterday. I took my B12-under-the-tongue treatment, which seems to help in most cases. But I had a grumpy 8 year old, and potentially bad thunderstorm brewing and I didn't really eat a good lunch. Or any lunch, for the record. I told the boys I would make spaghetti. To which P-Diddy said, in his *most* whiniest voice

    "But I haaaate spagheeeeeeti. I want piiiiiizza! Pleeeeeeeeease!"

    So I said "how about mac and cheese?" and he begged for pizza, and I said no, and this went on for about 15 minutes. And I made the mac and cheese. I've been trying to find a recipe to make homemade, instead of from a powder. Even the "organic" powders, while taste good, aren't the real thing. I have tried 3 times and failed each time. I was a little nervous because it's all I had to offer, and it was 6:45pm and there was a storm brewing.

    I thought this turned out nicely. It's from the Pioneer Woman. I didn't bake it, no time for that. And I wanted it creamy. I'm still wanting to find one that's a bit creamier, without the use of processed cheese. This was still grainy. But it was good. Biggie B and I loved it. P-Did ate only enough to earn him a mini ice cream sandwich.

    And I'll also mention that when I put the mac and cheese in front of him, he said - and I'm not lying here - "I thought we were having spaghetti?" Heavens to betsies - this child!!!

    Next time I'll add some broccoli - I think that would be so good.
    It took the stress away. For a little bit, anyway. And Smokey didn't show up at the window last night. So I slept well. All is good! And mac and cheese for leftovers? Yay!!!


    Macaroni and Cheese
    Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman (it's her recipe, and her photo)
    Ingredients
    • 4 cups Dried Macaroni
    • ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
    • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
    • 2-½ cups Whole Milk
    • 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
    • 1 whole Egg Beaten
    • 1 pound Cheese, Grated
    • ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
    • ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
    • ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
    • Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme
    Preparation Instructions

    Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain. (since I wasn't baking it, I cooked it al dente)

    In a small bowl, beat egg.

    In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

    Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

    Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

    Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

    Add in cheese and stir to melt.

    Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

    Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
    Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.