Happy Memorial Day Weekend & 21st Birthday of My Son

We had a fun four-day weekend! But the above darling little clothes actually have nothing to do with that. These are from a recent shopping trip extraordinaire! I am not particularly enamored with shopping. But I wanted to get something for the new little one heading our way. So when I got not one, but two $10 off coupons (one from J. C. Penney's and one from Kohl's), I decided to do a spot of shopping. As it turns out, both stores were having huge baby clothes sales! At Penney's I got the above "romper" for "Daddy's Little Princess," as well as a deep rose colored onesie and a soft bib. At Kohl's I found the darling red sweater/jacket over a polka dotted onesie, and it included a little pair of red pants with a pink flower on the back! The original prices would have made this about $45 - the sales made it more like $23 - with my two coupons, I paid roughly $3.00!!! Now that's the way to shop.

As for the weekend. Friday night hubby was able to get tickets to the dinner theater to see "Ring of Fire," the musical revue of Johnny Cash's music and life. We had seats right down front; the food was good (particularly the warm peach cobbler over vanilla ice cream), and the show was fantastic! My hands hurt the next day from clapping so much.

Saturday I spent the whole day cooking and baking for a special celebration that night. My youngest son, who spent the day playing video games with his father, turned 21 on Memorial Day. This year we celebrated on Saturday, so we avoided the unfortunate gaffe we made a different year. I don't remember which birthday it was, but we went all out and had a Pirate theme. His oldest brother took him to the movies and the middle son helped us make the front porch look like a pirate ship, put his gift in a little chest and buried it in the back yard, and wrote clues that sent him all over the yard to find it. In our enthusiasm, we even ran the Jolly Roger, procured at the flea market, up the flag pole. It wasn't until later that one of us realized it was actually Memorial Day! Oops! Anyway, this year we had a quieter dinner and party on Saturday. Sunday was nice, church and a quiet afternoon, while the son went to a party with his friends. And Monday, his real birthday, we all went to see Iron Man 2. Quite spectacular. I kind of liked Iron Man 1 better, but this one was definitely worth seeing on the big screen, and the guys liked it just as well as the first one.

I've also been exercising and losing weight (although this weekend was a bit off the reservation, what with the desserts at the dinner theater and the fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuits and apple pie and ice cream for the birthday party) - and oh, that reminds me, if any of you live far enough south to have a Publix, then you ought to know that for a limited time only they have brought back Tin Roof Sundae Premium Ice Cream, which is their best flavor EVER and which they inexplicably discontinued a few years back. I am also cleaning the outside of the house (and even, on occasion, the inside!), so that's what I've been up to, among a bunch of other stuff... how 'bout you guys?

The October Thing is Always in November

Last night we enjoyed the 20-something anniversary of the October thing. Only it is always in November now. It began in October and kept sliding forward year by year until  it settled in to the second weekend of November, or thereabouts. But everyone kept right on calling it The October Thing. It is always on a Saturday night. That hasn't changed. The whole family goes over to the lot my parents own on the banks of a small lake, where they've strung lights, set up a few tables and chairs, and my step dad has a lovely campfire burning. All the children can't resist playing in it. They start with sticks, then surreptitiously sneak other things in to it, like paper plates, until they get caught and get in trouble. Of course now it is the younger kids. The older kids play other pranks.

Everyone brings some food to share. We never coordinate, so we never know what it will be. Last night it was mostly cookies and chips. But there was also my sister's incomparable devilled eggs. And my brother brought "long tailed frog," also called "swamp lizard." Some people call it alligator meat. Because, of course, that is what it is. I had the tiniest piece I could find, just so I could honestly tell you I have eaten alligator meat. Nope, it doesn't taste like chicken. Maybe like pork... I guess it is "what eats the other white meat." A very mild, rather chewy meat.

The main course, though, is hot dogs that we all cook on forked metal cooking poles. I cook mine until it is bubbling, but it is usually still ice cold when I bite in to it. Last night I got it done really well. That was a first. It doesn't matter, really, because the main event is roasting marshmallows. Everyone has their own special way of doing it. One young niece likes to cook them, but not eat them, so she is always going around begging everyone else to let her cook theirs. Her special technique is to catch them on fire, blow them out when they are bubbly and blackened on the outside, then present them to the recipient. I like to get them toasted medium brown all the way around so they are a little crispy on the outside, and melty on the inside. Perfect! My once a year treat. My step dad always makes his hot spiced cider, too, and has leaves it on its own special table in a tiny crockpot.

We talk about all kinds of things. We talk politics and religion and sports, hunting and fishing, video games, tell funny stories and plan future get togethers. My brother brought his pet raccoon last night. It loves to drink soda out of his cup. A teenage niece recited "The Man From Snowy River," Australian accents and all. Sometimes we sing, and one year a son who'd had a dancing lesson taught the box step to a younger cousin.

Gradually, later then they'd intended to stay, different families begin gathering up chairs and children and heading for home, usually taking chips or cookies with them. Everyone is full of marshmallows and root beer, and smells like smoke after our once a year, micro-camping family adventure. 

Celebration Time

Our oldest son has announced his engagement to a wonderful girl that we all really like. She lives in another state, but she was down here this week, so we decided to celebrate with an engagement party! Our middle son had a beautiful cake made. A lot of family came, and everyone had a really good time, I think, especially the happy couple. The wedding is set for July.

One of the things we served was chocolate dipped strawberries. They are exorbitant to buy, but the strawberries are in season right now and particularly succulent, so we decided to try dipping them ourselves. First I tried a fudge icing that hardens in to a shell, and it seemed to work, but it got grainy, and then weepy, so that was out. All Recipes.com to the rescue! Sure enough, there is a super simple recipe that works spectacularly. (Was that alliterative enough?) All I did was melt 2 Tablespoons of shortening in the top of a double-boiler (over a thin layer of boiling water), and then add in 16 oz. of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips. (I'd previously rinsed the strawberries well and drained them in a colander. We poured them out on a clean towel and then hubby dried them with paper towels because apparently if they are too wet the chocolate can seize up). Anyhow, I gently stirred the chocolate until about half the chips were melted, then removed the double boiler from the heat, but leaving the bowl over the water, I stirred until the chocolate was melted and smooth. Then hubby and I began swirling strawberries about half-way up, and laying them on parchment paper lined trays. We put them in the fridge for a few hours and when we put them on a serving dish for the party, they were absolutely beautiful! The chocolate was smooth and thick.

There was a lot of chocolate left so we began dipping the ends of pretzel sticks and also laid them on parchment paper to harden, then put them upright in a dish. Really, you could coat anything you wanted to. Marshmallows, graham crackers, nuts, raisins, oreos... the possibilities are endless! The strawberries and pretzels were a huge hit and they really were very good.

We are really looking forward to the wedding. Congratulations, you two!

Happy New Year!

Like most of you, I am having fun playing with my new Christmas gifts. Hubby got me this lovely set of Jane Austen books, they are really beautifully done. I'm learning to use my new GPS which is an absolute life-saver since I could get lost in my bathtub! So far I have only used it to go places I already know how to get to, and it is so much fun to 'mess with it's head' and deliberately turn the wrong way, etc. to see what it will do. It always recovers and redirects admirably, so it is going to be great when I really need it. Especially to get back home again! I seem to be able to find my way places, only to be unable to find my way back home again, which can be most distressing. I got one of those really cool Kitchen Aid immersion blenders, too, and I can't wait to use it. Smoothies and soup, for sure, with recipes out of my brand new "Cook's Country" cookbook!

We have had an extremely good year in 2008, so this is a fond farewell to the year. We aren't going to have a New Year's Eve party, opting for a New Year's Day party instead. I don't always do New Year's resolutions, although I did when I was young, and my mom kept some of the more hilarious ones to blackmail me with! But this year I have several that I am extremely resolved about. I haven't really written them down, and don't intend to share them in any great detail, at least not in advance - that is such a jinx! But I have considered making a needlepoint that says "Write - Exercise - Garden" as a reminder. Of course, I don't do needlepoint and learning is not on my resolution list, so I will have to just do these things regularly until they become indispensable habits. I have enjoyed the modest publishing success I've achieved so far, and I'm hungry for more! So writing, and submitting, needs to become more of a priority. I want to be healthy, and exercise gets me there, so that's non-negotiable. And I would like to have my whole yard transformed, slowly and steadily, into a garden with paths and resting spots, and that will take a lot of hard work. So I am actually looking forward to this new year, full of promise and potential accomplishments. One last party, and then I will get back in to a routine, including a blogging routine. I have awards to accept, and loose ends to tie up, and I'm sure I'll have new experiences to share; not to mention reading all of your blogs! Happy 2009 to all of you friends I've made in this past year!

FrankenCake

(Everyone seemed to get such a kick out of my disaster cakes, that I thought I would put a post back on that I originally ran in January, back when no one was reading this anyway. Hey, it's summer - the traditional time for re-runs! Enjoy.)

Well, Mom’s party was great. Everything worked out perfectly. Except for the cake, of course. I have finally accepted the fact that I make the worst cakes on the planet. Well, no, that's not really it - the cakes always taste amazing. It's the way they look that is the problem. I can do everything well up to the point where the cake comes out of the oven. I have a whole series of disaster cakes. There's the avalanche cake and the mudslide cake, depending on if it is white or chocolate. I have a volcano cake and an earthquake cake. The cakes stick, or they are uneven; one layer slides slowly off the other, or the cake splits in three parts and the icing runs into the middle. Oh, speaking of icing, it's my other problem. The first time I made buttercream frosting I was 13 years old, and I put in too much milk, causing the icing to run down the cake in rivulets. Now I err on the side of caution, and the icing is too thick to spread.

Aware of all my cake shortcomings, I decided to just go basic for the party, baking in a 9 x 13 pan, icing it with (thick) chocolate icing and tossing pink and white heart sprinkles all over the top. That actually worked out pretty well, but then, flush with success, I decided to make cupcakes. Not the big ones, the little, tiny ones. Usually I just spray the muffin tins with non-stick spray, but for some reason I thought it would be more "professional" to grease each little cup by hand. So I baked the cupcakes and only realized my mistake when I pulled them out of the oven. The over-filled cups mushroomed up, and because I hadn't gotten spray all over the top of the tin, the tops of the muffins stuck fast. I began scraping the edges of each with a spoon, to loosen them, and managed to get the tops off. Now they were in two parts and the tops looked dreadful. My husband rescued me by suggesting I cut the tops off neatly with a knife. Now what? I plopped a dollop of nice, thick icing on each muffin bottom and put it's top back on, creating "FrankenMuffin Surprise." They looked like they were aptly named, but tasted wonderful. The icing in the middle really was a nice surprise and they were the perfect size. They were a big hit at the party. Who knows, maybe I'll open a bakery some day with my horrible looking wonderful tasting treats.

Fireworks for You

A Fireworks Show For You

Independence Day Celebrations

Independence Day is, without question, one of my favorite holidays. First there is the major, solemn significance it holds in my heart - freedom from tyranny, freedom of religion, and pride in flying our flag high! (There is only one time we really blew it regarding flag flying. It wasn't July 4th, it was May 31st. It was our son's birthday, and we gave him a pirate themed party. We really get caught up in birthday celebrations, and we had the bright idea to fly the Jolly Roger from the flag pole. Unfortunately everyone forgot that it was also Memorial Day!).

Independence Day is also one of the most fun holidays to celebrate. The day is spent swimming, eating watermelon, playing games, and even pranks. (The kids actually always begin at least a week in advance, doing things like putting the snap-pops under their father's car tires so that when he left for work early in the morning, it would sound like a drive-by shooting!) As the day passes in to evening, everyone's thoughts turn to fireworks. Sometimes we all go downtown to see the big fireworks show. Unfortunately, it seems the years we choose to do that, God decides to put on a fireworks show of his own, in the form of a spectactular thunderstorm, that supersedes the city's show. Usually we throw a big family party, and grill out, and the kids keep checking to see if it's dark enough yet. Their Grandma always gives them sparklers to entertain them, and they love to write their names with the glowing sticks. I always have to bite my tongue to keep from forbidding them, due to a childhood accident involving a bad burn - ok, I grabbed one out of the wrong pile once, and it was blazing hot because someone had just put it down, supposedly spent, but still very hot. But my kids always love them, so I just try to look the other way.

Finally, at the twilight's last gleaming, everyone jockeys for position to watch whatever fireworks we were able to come up with that year. The men set up the show at the end of the driveway, and my boys were each so very excited when they got old enough to help! For some reason that never bothered me the way sparklers did! It is always very hot, and we are all fanning ourselves and smacking mosquitoes, but nobody wants to miss a thing. The year my hubby ran extension cords and set fans up outside was a big hit! The fireworks show is always the highlight. The guys usually start from smallest to biggest, and the "oohing" and "ahhing" get progressively louder as the fireworks do. All up and down the street other families are doing the same thing in their driveways, and sometimes we can see some of the larger ones from some of the bigger shows too, high in the sky. Finally we get to our grand finale, and everyone breaks out in spontaneous applause. By then it is late enough for the more, shall we say, patriotic neighbors to begin what amounts to a re-enactment of the Revolutionary War. (The kinds of fireworks they use are not really legal for the average person to have around these parts, but if you are willing to sign a paper that you are using them in some sort of railroad work, you can buy them). Everyone begins gathering up tired, dirty children and heading home through the rocket's red glare and bombs bursting in air, they proclaim this the best year ever,.

Mother-Daughter Banquet

I went to the coolest Mother-Daughter banquet I've ever been to recently! The small, rectangular church fellowship hall was transformed by rich tapestries, colorful cloths, candles, flowers, scarves and rugs into a Persian banquet hall for The Feast of Esther. Young girls in colorful, flowing costumes glided and twirled about the room, visiting booths where they could create crowns for themselves, paint their or their mother's nails, and don pipe-cleaner tiaras. There were games stressing poise and beauty, as well as a hilarious beauty contest where more than one normally mild-mannered woman showed off some amazing dance moves! Soon the women were seated at long tables surrounding the girls, who were shown to low tables with large pillows to sit on. Two hard working husbands, pressed into service as manservants, served trays of grapes, flat bread, feta cheese and olives. There was challah bread in baskets, and salad. The water goblets were kept filled from crystal pitchers, and bowls of a delicious apricot chicken and rice dish were thoroughly enjoyed. After the meal, as dessert was served, a young girl began telling the Bible story of Esther. As we enjoyed our sherbet and soft fig cookies, we also participated in the interactive story, cheering for Esther and Mordecai and booing so the name of Haman, the villain, could not be heard.

Everyone had a lovely time, and I was especially impressed since I knew who had done the work and what a small budget they had. They cooked the food themselves, and used sheets and rugs and scarves from home for the decorations. It was such a lovely, girly day. This was a true labor of love, and I was pleased to enjoy it with my mother.

FrankenCake

Well, the party was great. Everything worked out perfectly. Except for the cake, of course. I have finally accepted the fact that I make the worst cakes on the planet. Well, no, that's not really it - the cakes always taste amazing. It's the way they look that is the problem. I can do everything well up to the point where the cake comes out of the oven. I have a whole series of disaster cakes. There's the avalanche cake and the mudslide cake, depending on if it is white or chocolate. I have a volcano cake and an earthquake cake. The cakes stick, or they are uneven; one layer slides slowly off the other, or the cake splits in three parts and the icing runs into the middle. Oh, speaking of icing, it's my other problem. The first time I made buttercream frosting I was 13 years old, and I put in too much milk, causing the icing to run down the cake in rivulets. Now I err on the side of caution, and the icing is too thick to spread.

Aware of all my cake shortcomings, I decided to just go basic for the party, baking in a 9 x 13 pan, icing it with (thick) chocolate icing and tossing pink and white heart sprinkles all over the top. That actually worked out pretty well, but then, flush with success, I decided to make cupcakes. Not the big ones, the little, tiny ones. Usually I just spray the muffin tins with non-stick spray, but for some reason I thought it would be more "professional" to grease each little cup by hand. So I baked the cupcakes and only realized my mistake when I pulled them out of the oven. The over-filled cups mushroomed up, and because I hadn't gotten spray all over the top of the tin, the tops of the muffins stuck fast. I began scraping the edges of each with a spoon, to loosen them, and managed to get the tops off. Now they were in two parts and the tops looked dreadful. My husband rescued me by suggesting I cut the tops off neatly with a knife. Now what? I plopped a dollop of nice, thick icing on each muffin bottom and put it's top back on, creating "FrankenMuffin Surprise." They looked like they were aptly named, but tasted wonderful. The icing in the middle really was a nice surprise and they were the perfect size. They were a big hit at the party. Who knows, maybe I'll open a bakery some day with my horrible looking wonderful tasting treats.

Nifty Fifties

My husband and I are planning a birthday party for my mom. I don't remember her ever having a birthday party, even though she threw some great ones for me when I was a kid. I guess it's just too close to Christmas and everyone is partied out. She's turning 70 this year, though, and it's time she had a party.

We decided we needed a theme. A 70's party? Nah, that would just be too weird. That was when we were teenagers, so it can't possibly have been long enough ago to parody. Besides, Disco Duck, leisure suits and John Boy? Too far out, man. But mom was born between the Great Depression and World War II - not the most cheery party themes. Finally we hit upon a 50's party. Get hip, Daddy-O! The amateurs are gonna roll up their jeans and give it a whirl.

This has turned out to be a perfect theme, because there is plenty of material out there for it (and because it is all relatively cheap!). Of course some of it was pretty tacky. Five foot tall Elvis cling-sheets, inflatable juke-boxes and "You Ain't Nothing But a Hot Dog" vinyl record impersonations by Frank n' the Furters didn't make the cut. We stuck to simple things. Crepe paper and balloons, record albums and sock-hop music, really cute invitations with mom's picture from tenth grade on them, and a fantastic 5-ft. long Happy Birthday banner covered with little pictures of mom across the years. It never hurts to be married to a graphic artist at party time!

Well, the gingerale is chilling and I have the lime sherbet to complete the punch. The chocolate cake is out of the oven, but I need to make the icing. Since mom's never, to my knowledge, had a birthday party before, a lot is riding on this one, so I better go get busy. I'll let you know if her tears ('cause I know she's gonna cry) are from happiness or horror!