My Boyfriend's Back!

Heh heh heh!  Bob's back home!  Hooray!  He was out of town this week.  It'd been a while since the last trip and this week just seemed pretty rough in general.  I'm so glad he's home.  I know it was just a short trip and it could've been more - but still - I'm so happy to have him home again!

I Won!!! I Won!!!

Woohooo!!!!  I've been on a classical kick lately and was looking up something on the local classical station the other day.  My buddy was sitting next to me and noticed a drawing for some tickets and said I should enter it - so I did . . . and I won!!!  It's for Mozart's Requiem at Bass Hall on Saturday!  The odds of us going are slim - given that a million things seem to get scheduled on the same Saturday at least once a month - and this month - this Saturday is that Saturday.  (well that was wordy!)  :o)  But either way - I won!!!  And it's so exciting!!!  Woohooo!!!

Looking towards Turkey Day!!!

Image Source: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_images/turkey_Joe-Blake.jpg

I'm usually not a big fan of broccoli - but I love this casserole. We have it every Thanksgiving at our house.

Broccoli Casserole

1 pkg frozen broccoli heads, cooked and mashed
1/2 c chopped onions
1-2 eggs
1 pkg Ritz crackers crushed
1 1/2 cans cream of mushroom
grated sharp cheddar cheese (apx 2 c)
1/4 c mayo

Mix together - add cracker crumbs last to judge thickness. Salt and pepper to taste. Put in dish; cover with cheese and Ritz crumbs. Bake at 350 for 45 min - 1 hour. (until light brown on top). 

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Here's another must have for us at Thanksgiving. Sooo yummy - and it doesn't even have marshmallows! (I thought that was the only way they could taste good!)

Sweet Potato Casserole

6 med size sweet potatoes (or 2 large cans drained!)
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c milk
1/2 c butter (melted)
1/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c finely chopped pecans (or more) depending on size of casserole
2 TB all-purpose flour (or more)
2 TB butter

If using fresh SP - cook sweet potatoes in boiling water 45 min - 1 hour until tender. Let cool to touch' peel and mash. Combine sweet potato, sugar, egg, vanilla, milk, 1/2 c butter; beat at med speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into lightly greased 12x8x2 baking dish. Combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, 2 TB butter - and sprinkle mix over the casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 min. 

PS – I have ALWAYS just used the canned sweet potatoes and it's delicious that way! 

 

Earthquake

Image Source:  http://www.glynn.k12.ga.us/BHS/Juniorprojects/Hopkins01/miguelo23724/Epicenter.gif

There must have been a slight earthquake here today.  The epicenter was apparently located at UTA directly under my feet.  It was strong enough on the Richter scale to knock me off my feet.  I landed on my left hand and I think I've sprained my arm pretty good - wrist to shoulder.  Honestly - I don't know what happened.  There was a curb - but that's all I remember.  I just tripped for no apparant reason - of course it was right in front of a tour bus full of people too!

Actually I think it was probably karma.  Kbugs had just finished her violin lesson and we were walking through the campus.  It was such a beautiful fall day and she was chatting away.  I was sipping my water bottle when the deliciously devilish thought struck me to squirt her with my water bottle.  I think it stems from being the youngest - with no younger siblings to pick on.  At least my kids are good natured about it.  It was seconds later that I tripped.  Seriously - I couldn't get mad when Kbugs happily pointed out the irony!  She had a point.  :o)

Why our kids never come in our room . . .

Image Source: http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/07/30/mice_5638.jpg

The year was 2001.  My little Buddy was 3.  Poor kid . . . his life was about to be forever altered.

We were living in a rental house.  I was 22 months pregnant.  No joke.  Our neighbor had mentioned that an exterminator had been to their home for their mice problem.  Hearing that made my hair stand on end - which was actually quite a sight!  I remember mentioning the conversation to my Mom and she said - be careful - the mice will be looking for a place to go and head your way.  Tuck that thought into my never-resting brain - and it just combined into the perfect storm.

About 2 am my sweet baby boy came toddling into our room.  To this day I don't know why.  Perhaps a drink of water, maybe he couldn't sleep, or maybe a bad dream.  I hope not - because it was only about to get worse.  Much much worse!

I was asleep.  And so - to wake me up - he reached his sweet pudgy little hand up and tousled my hair.  Me in my ever foggy between-sleep-and-reality stupor combined with the recent memory of the mice conversation could only think that the worst had inevitably happened.  There was a mouse in my hair!!!!  

Now I ask you . . . if you thought there was a mouse in bed with you - in your hair no less - what would YOU do?!?!?!?!?!  I didn't know my sweet baby was standing there.  I didn't know it was him trying to wake his Mama.  So - I shot up in bed with blood curling screams that woke half of the city!!!!!!  There was some frantic flailing - you know - just to make sure I got the mouse far away in case it was still on me.  Only then did I wake up enough to notice my poor son - wide-eyed and trembling at the response he had elicited from this woman called Mom who was supposed to protect and soothe him - not recoil and scream.  

I'm sure we will pay for years of therapy down the road - which will all lead back to that one horrifying memory.  It has made a lasting impression on my children - which is why they never come into my room in the middle of the night - at least not without staying a safe far distance away from my side of the bed!  

PS - the picture is seriously creeping me out!!!!

Oil - Black Gold - Texas Tea!!!

The Pipeline.  This is right off the side of our house.  It's huge - it runs at least a 1/4 of a mile.  They are currently welding it together and it blocks every u-turn that I normally use!  ARGH!!!  At first I was feeling very Texan and patriotic that our state pipeline is running down our street.  A while back I read an article that told where it ran to.  Something like Tyler, Austin, Mexico . . . I can't remember.  (just kidding on the Mexico part).  Anyhow - I tried looking it up for this post - but when I googled it - all I came up with was our city's disaster plan.  Ummmm . . . bad sign!!!!

Here's what it said:  "The two most significant pipeline incidents were the 1984 petroleum leak in R.L. Park and the natural gas pipeline fire in 1993 that burned through TU Electric power lines causing 17 towers to collapse."

Okee dokee then!  So if you hear a big boom - and don't see anymore posts . . . just know I was a proud Texan!  heh heh heh!

YEE-HAW!!!!!

At least once in your life - you must try . . .

Pretzels crumbled over vanilla ice cream!  Mmmmmm!!!

Sounds strange I know - but be brave . . . You won't regret it!  :o)

Chicken Dressing Casserole

This is an all-time family fall-favorite! It's like having Thanksgiving dinner on a regular day! 

Chicken Dressing Casserole

box of chicken stovetop stuffing mix
4 chicken breasts (I've used canned chicken before & a rotisserie chicken from the store too in a rush!)
can of cream of mushroom soup
1 c sour cream

Cook chicken, cool and shred into pieces. Prepare stuffing according to the directions. Spoon into a 9x13 dish or pan in a layer. Spread evenly over chicken. Combine soup and sour cream. Spread over stuffing. Bake @ 350 for 20-30 min. Stir and serve.

The Regency

Ok - I can't help myself . . . one more van story.  The above picture isn't an actual picture of our old van - but it's very similar.  One difference is that across the top of the windshield the word Regency was scrawled out in a fancy script - why? - I don't know - it came that way.  Anyhow it ended up for the makings of a great story.

Bob had taken his sister to the airport to drop her off for a flight.  As he sat at the curb - waiting to make sure she got in ok - he noticed a man rushing towards the van.  Imagine Bob's surprise when the man walked briskly to the door of the van - hopped in and pulled his luggage in.  He turned quickly to Bob and said "Does this one go to the Hyatt Regency on International Parkway?"  Bob was so tempted to just take the guy to his hotel anyway - but he explained that he was NOT the hotel van - just a private citizen dropping off his sister.  The man was mortified and apologetic as he quickly got out of the van.  Little does he know - he's forever immortalized in our family dinner table repertoire of stories that leave us chuckling.  

Mask Gas

Recently we went to the store to get a respirator mask for going up in the attic . . . (it's a jungle up there).  Anyhoo . . . it reminded me of a HIL-arious experience a few years back.

We drove around town in a beast of a van at the time.  It was one of those enormous custom vans that have the huge windows down the side.  Well - I had to pick up a few things at the dollar store.  The boys were with me and as we poked our way around the aisles they asked if they could each get one toy.  I mean - come on - everything's a dollar right???  So I said yes - and let them hyperventilate over making the choice of just one thing out of the hundreds lining the walls.  

So - they're boys . . . what do they choose????  As Travis calls them . . . a toy "mask gas".  I was a little hesitant - given that I was raised in a family of girls and all that boy stuff seems to escape me - but then I defaulted to what I knew my husband would say - who grew up in a family with mostly boys.  So we got the gas masks and headed out for more errands.  

What I didn't realize for the rest of the ride around town - is that the boys had opened their gas masks and put them on.  I can only imagine what the people driving past us - and pulled up next to us at stoplights must have thought.  Me in the front driving around - while my two boys - strapped in their car seats next to those giant side windows - wore gas masks that looked all too real.  I laughed for hours the rest of the day as I thought of the curious looks we must have received and the confusion people must have had when they saw the boys.

Still makes me laugh!  :o)