What is wrong with people??????

One of my earliest memories is from when I was about 3 years old.  My parents took my sister and I trick or treating.  We only went to a few houses in our neighborhood then out to see my mom's parents and sisters.  We also went to see some very good friends of my parents, Trav and Del.  They were like another set of grandparents for my sister and I.  They met the role of extra parents for my dad too.  They had no children of their own so they took us in as though we were theirs.  Trav and my grandmother had been best friends from grade school on.

So that one year when I was three we went out to Trav and Del's place.  I was a clown; my older sister was a princess that year.  My parents decided to play a joke on Trav and Del.  They parked down the road and then hid around the corner of the house, in the bushes and sent my sister (she was 5) and me on up to the door by ourselves.

This was after dark.  It was a safe neighborhood but it was dark!

Oh Del was not happy when he opened the door and saw little kids all alone on his doorstep.  He had no idea who we were (behind our masks).  I can still hear him grumbling around to Trav "What is wrong with people?  Who sends little kids out, after dark, all alone??????  What is wrong with their parents."

The whole time my parents were trying not to laugh out loud over in the bushes.  They could see and hear the whole thing.

Del told Trav "Get over here and watch these kids while I get the candy.  Honestly. . . . ."

About that time my parents popped around the corner. 

Trav and Del laughed so hard over it. . .they couldn't believe my parents had "gotten them" so gooooood. 

Happy Halloween everyone!  Be safe and have fun!

Unstuffed Peppers

This is one of my favorite meals but sadly, the rest of my family is not as impressed with it.  I have the kids who don't like rice.  Or they like rice but not peppers.  You can see how this is a problem.  But I love mixing this one up for me and letting them have something else.

1 lb ground round, browned
1 jar of your favorite marina sauce

1 or 2 cups rice, your preference

1/2 onion, cut into big chunks
1 red, green, yellow or orange pepper (your choice) cut into big chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil

shredded cheese for garnish.

Begin by starting the rice.  I love my rice cooker.  I understand Pampered Chef makes an amazing rice cooker but I like the little one I inherited from my sister.

Brown the meat and add the sauce.  Let simmer while you quickly fry up the onion and peppers. 

The beauty of this dish, to me, is that you don't have to eat the parts you don't like as well.  Start with rice, add the meat sauce on top then peppers and onions.  Garnish with schredded cheese and dig in.  Yuuuuuum! 

Mmmmmmm clean laundry in a can. Genius!

I wonder how  Glade (aka Glah-Day) and Febreze come up with their scents.  Who decides that "yes, people want their houses to smell like __________" whether it's pumpkin pie or spiced apple cider or whatever.

Or like fresh laundry.  Oh Happiness!  Fresh laundry!

I think that out of all the scents I have come across for room fresheners, that one takes the cake.  (ooooh, then again, I am pretty partial to that birthday cake candle that yankee candles or somebody used to have. . .and sugar cookie too.)

But I digress.

Fresh laundry is amazing.  It's so clean.   And fresh.  And yummy.  Soothing.

Obviously.

But in all seriousness I love the scent.  Not enough to do extra laundry just to smell it.  No thank you.  I have plenty of actual laundry to do every day.  But I do take my laundry seriously and having a good clean smelling load of laundry in front of me, still warm and waiting to be folded, is pretty special.  When I pull out a fresh towel or washcloth and it still smells like my fabric softener, that is a little piece of heaven.

But to be able to smell fresh laundry without work waiting for me too?  That is divine!

So thank you very much Glade and Febreze for making my life a little better!

What have I, what have I, what have I done to deserve this?

Back to the eighties ladies and gentlemen!

This one is one of those songs that makes me think of my sister.  She loved The Pet Shop Boys! It's a catchy tune.  And Dusty Springfield was a fine addition to the song.

Happy Saturday!

Rear Window

Looking back to 1954 for this classic Alfred Hitchcock film. . .Jimmy Stewart plays the part of "Jeff" Jeffries, a photographer stuck in a wheelchair in his apartment.  Through a window and the lens of his camera, he sees his neighbors. . .and comes to suspect one of them is a murderer.

It is genius.  Who could imagine that a world seen from one apartment could be so intriguing?  Hitchcock of course.  And Jimmy Stewart is superb as the good guy who has too much time on his hands and not enough ability to get around.  He is good.  Honest.  Keen observer.

Great film.  Definitely worth checking out.  In fact, take a look at the trailer:

Thursday night with The Waltons

Ahhh, my age is showing again.

Thursday nights used to have some great TV.  When I was very young, Thursday nights were all about the story of the Waltons, a 1930s  famliy living on Walton's Mountain in the hills of Virginia.  They were all about family and doing the right thing.  They worked hard.  While they might not have much in the way of material things, they were happy to be together.

I wish we had more shows like this today.  We need more goodness like this in the world.

Every episode ended with some version of "goodnights" between the family members.  Like this:



And a whole generation of us copied that one as we went to bed at night.  Peace and happiness.

Wednesday Recipe

The leaves are turning colors and falling to the ground.  My favorite tree in fact is pretty much just branches.  I have a back up tree as my new favorite though.  It's the source of much kidding in the car with the girls when someone tries to claim "your tree."  Funny how we claim trees that we don't have to rake up after.

Anyway, as the weather gets cooler, soup lands on the table more and more.  This is one of my favorites, a recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend.  And time it gets passed along, it gets modified to fit.  So here is my version of Crockpot Potato Soup

12-15 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can Cream of Onion soup
1 can of Chicken broth or Vegetable broth (if making this for a meatless meal)
1 block of 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese, cut into smaller chunks
Liberally sprinkle white pepper over the mixture.
1 tsp (or more) of garlic powder (as your family likes)

Assemble all in the crockpot, turn on low for 6 hours.  After 6 hours, stir together so the cheese is evenly distributed.

Serve with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Truly delicious.  Even my husband, who is not a fan of potato soup, has to admit this really hits the spot.

Tuesday TV back in the day

Ok we have to get things going here.  No slumps allowed! (My apologies for my late post this morning.  But this tune should get us back on track!)

Tuesday night TV used to start off with Happy Days--the Cunningham family and the Fonz.  And this was the theme song:

Yep. . .that's better.  Much happier start to the day, right?

(Good luck at the speech meet tonight!  What speech meet?  Well, if you don't know, it must not be meant for you. . .but for one of my most special readers!)

Manic Monday

Oh my how quickly the Mondays roll around.  Ours are very busy these days. So for that reason we have this recurring theme song to get through the day

It's My Party!

Oh how many Saturday nights did I sing this one in the dark living room with a flashlight as my microphone? 

(And how can it be that I haven't shared this one before today?)

Loved this one as a girl.  I just knew I sounded as good as Lesley Gore.

Grab your own "microphone" and sing along to another perfect Satuday song!

Good Stuff (aka, they don't make'em like they used to!)

As a young girl I fell in love with Cary Grant.  Not that I'm old.  But Mr. Grant had already retired from making movies by the time I came along.  So he was definitely from "the old days."

He is the ideal. . .or at least his movie characters were.  The unfailing gentleman.  Debonair.  Charming.  And funny.

I remember seeing the 1937 movie "Topper" which is describe this way on the IMDB website: 

"A fun-loving couple, finding that they died and are now ghosts, decide to shake up the stuffy lifestyle of a friend of theirs. "

Oh you should take a moment or two and watch some clips. . .

And this one is a good one too:

Or step a little closer to today. . .and check out the 1944 film "Arsenic and Old Lace" which is a Frank Capra film.  IMDB's short description of this film is :  

"A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family."

Oh why not.  Check out this highlight reel of his best moments in that one: 

(Absolute side note, I love his aunt's house)

Oh there are so many more magnificent Cary Grant moments.  Maybe I should make Fridays all about my favorite old moviestars? 

As Cary Grant would say--Good stuff.  Good stuff indeed.

One postscript to my good stuff--TIGERS WIN!!!  World Series Bound!  Yaaaaaay!!!!

Yup, a baseball fan

Living my life on hold.  Rain delayed my game last night (on the upside there was no conflict with the music department's concert).

We are living in a whole new world here.  My family has grown quite accustomed to Daddy watching sports.  But Mommy too?  It's a whole new reality around the house.  Mommy. . .a baseball fan.  I usually keep quiet about it and can usually just manage to read box scores and be happy.

Soooo you can imagine how surprised my husband was when I had to keep checking on the status of the ballgame while we were at the concert.

But with my beloved Tigers are in the playoffs  I find that I absolutely must watch them.  I live too far away from them to get to see them play very often (even on TV) so this is pure heaven.

It seems I spend a fair amount of time on The Official Site of the Detroit Tigers.  Maybe you want to check them out just to see what I'm doing these days?

So last night worked out OK

My daughter captured a 2nd place ribbon in speech!

We got home from the speech meet in time for me to watch both the debate and the Tigers.

Life is goooooood.

Now tonight we have a bigger problem. . .our oldest has her first high school choir concert.  Same time as game four of the ALCS game between my Tigers and the Yankees.

I know I know 

My daughter obviously comes first. And I should be home before the end of the game.  So it's all good, right?

What to do what to do what to do?

Sooooo tonight I have way too much to do.  Much like last night.  I now understand what it means to be the taxi driver for everyone!

But tonight's dilemma has many parts.  I have to get one to a speech meet at 3:30 and another to piano at 4:15.  They are just a few minutes apart from each other so I get a chance to waste precious time.  Joy!

After piano I have to take people home then drive back out across town to pick up my lil speech girl. 

And that is where the worst of my problems truly start. 

I mean, long days are the norm for moms, right?

But this long day means I won't be home for the start of my Tigers/Yankee game (Verlander is slated to pitch and it should be a very good game if you are a Tigers fan like I am).

And even more distressing, the second Presidential debate is on at the same time!!!!

This is too much.  I mean really people, my Tigers playing in the postseason isn't exactly a common occurence. 

And neither are Presidential debates.

Or 6th grade speech meets.

Perhaps the speech meet will end early enough that I can celebrate her victories by watching the candidates on TV and  my Tigers on my laptop?

That would be some good stuff if the timing all worked out just like that. 

Almost my home

When we bought our property and first thought about building, this is the plan we handed to our builder.  Charming isn't it?  Almost like a house from Mary Poppins or something.  I loved the porch.  I loved the "bumped out" windows.  I loved the space.  Go ahead and take a look at the floorplan here

I did not however love the builder's off-hand estimate of what it would cost us to build.  Huge sticker shock!

In the end we found a plan that had a similar look, a wrap around porch , a walkout basement and nowhere near so many costly corners.  But I still love looking at this house.  Just gorgeous.

You Can Call Me Al

On this day, 72 years ago, the world was given the gift of Paul Simon, musician, songwriter and performer.  He was half of Simon and Garfunkel, a very popular duo of the 1960s and 1970s.  His list of hits goes on and on and on.  Among my favorites, this one from 1980s.

And because I love Simon and Garfunkel together I have to share my favorite from their 1981 Concert in the Park.  I have my sister to thank for this one.  She's the one who used to play this one all the time in the car :-)

Both of them are great Saturday songs!!!

Some Nights and Crocodile Rock

Sometimes you just have to roll the windows down and blast the stereo because it just can't get better than this.

The youngest of my kids just loves when I turn up the bass on my minivan factory installed stereo and then crank up the volume so my rear view mirror bounces to the beat.

Perfect for listening to Some Nights by Fun.

Or Crocodile Rock.

And truly the looks you get at stoplights when you sing along. . .well let's just say absolutely priceless!

Sure do hope these are the good memories that my kids will be telling to their kids.  Because if they don't, well, I'll just have to do a repeat performance when the time comes.

Vintage clothing

I'm really funny about clothes.  I'm not too much for wearing clothes that used to belong to someone else.  But I am fascinated by vintage clothes.

To that end, I share with you my favorite site for vintage clothing:  Vintageous!   Go ahead and follow that link.  Take a look.  Love love love the stuff they have available.

How am I supposed to say goodbye?

We've been together for several years.  Daily for a good portion of that.

And yet we have nearly reached the end of the road.

I know the end is coming.  I've known for a while.  There have been tell-tale signs.

It's like we are hanging on by a thread.

Because we are.

I have this set of favorite jammies.  I think I got them for Christmas eight years ago.  That sounds too far back--really eight years???  But I am pretty certain I have my timeline right.  Maybe I should check the Christmas morning photos?  I know I've worn them for multiple Christmas mornings over the years.

Soft heathered purple yoga pants and a hooded jacket in a thicker material.

We've been through a lot together.  I was wearing them the day my one daughter's godmother stopped by with a present,  I hadn't managed to get myself pulled together yet.  She had no idea I was still in my jammies.

Or the better story. . .I was wearing these jammies the morning I had to chase after my dog.  She chased after a jogger one morning just a few weeks after we moved into our house.  I was barefoot at the time.  Dashed right across the street (cars lined up waiting for the dog, the jogger, and me to all make it safely across the street--oh what a sight!)

But now, after oh so many Christmas mornings together, I can see that my jammies are just about done.

I searched high and low for another set like this but never found them.  My husband has tried for years to find a similar weight and softness.  No such luck.

Every time I wear them now I am acutely aware that they cannot make it through many more wearings.

They have served well.  Perfect for lounging, greeting guests or chasing the dog back home.

What more can a girl ask for?

Easy Peasy Pasta Fagioli

So easy it doesn't seem possible.  But one day I had a hankering for soup so I grabbed some things and went to work.  Now I don't claim this to be an authentic family recipe or anything crazy like that.  And if you are a food purist who spends hours in the kitchen making dinner from scratch, go ahead and click to the next blog on your list.

2 Bags of frozen Italian Blend Veggies (with pasta)
1 can vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can tomato sauce
1 can cannellini  beans rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste (I prefer white pepper)

Place all ingredients in a medium size pan and cook over a medium flame until good and hot.

This makes a wonderful meal with a side of crunchy french bread and a salad.

Last thoughts on the street festival

Sometimes it really is the little things that make me happy. 

Sometimes those little things also make me cry.

Like when kids who claim to hate each other manage to work together and find happiness--for themselves and each other. 

Last week at the street festival we got down to the last few tickets for rides and the girls had to negotiate some about what they would ride.  They elected to ride one ride together. Watching the sheer joy on their faces as the ride went 'round and 'round and 'round, well, it pushed my buttons.  I was silently choking back the tears through my own smile.

Because really, it wasn't such a small thing.  It was huge.  When these kids find a way to solve a problem and both come out happy, that is huge.  Maybe they do like each other.  But shhhhh!  Don't tell them I can see that they really do like each other.  They prefer to think they are enemies. 

Silly kids.

25 Minutes to Go

I had a real thing for Johnny Cash several years ago, thanks to the movie "Walk the Line."  My poor girls had to listen to a lot of Johnny Cash (and Joaquin Phoenix too) for a good long spell.  This one was among my favorite.  It was recorded live at Folsom Prison.  I love that he messed up the lyrics. . .going from "5 more minutes to go" to "7 more minutes to go"

This one is a cartoon to go along with the story. . .amusing.

Another great night at the festival

It was a gorgeous night for walking at the festival last night.  We picked up a variety of foods:  (Pronto pups), loaded Texas fries, giant Texas tenderloin, Kraut balls, Phi-er burger with extra jalapenos, (stromboli), cinnamon funnel cake and pumpkin spice cake balls.

But probably the best part of the night was the realization that my girls aren't too big to hold my hand.  OK, so the oldest one didn't care to hold hands.  Geez, that would be an eye rolling/foot stomping/groaning moment.  But the other two were willingly and openly holding my hands as we made our way through the crowd.  

And that made my heart happy.  They won't be little forever.  So those moments where they are getting along and allowing me to be so close. . .have to embrace those moments and love them.

These are my people!

Last night my family attended a street festival.  It's a pretty big deal around these parts.  It lasts for a week and there are tons of food booths as well as games and rides for the kids. The first two nights were too cool and rainy for my liking so we didn't go.

But last night was perfect.  The temp was just right.  The sun was setting.  There was a good-size crowd.  And as soon as I hit the main stretch of the festival I was hit with the smell of hot grease and the sounds of a blue grass band performing on the secondary stage.

And I knew I was home.

Yes, there are all kinds of people.  This festival is about the food and much of it is deep fried.  And yes many of the people are larger than they really should be.  And there is a certain stereotype that many of them are rednecks.  But they are my people at "my" festival. People who work hard and spend a week enjoying a festival where all the money raised goes to help churches, schools and other worthwhile organizations.

To that end, we picked up some cash and headed out.  We had  deep fried dill pickle spears, (stromboli), (pronto pup), corn on the cob, giant Texas tenderloin, corn fritters, onion rings, sausage burger, (dippin' dots), a bottle of water and 2 diet cokes. 

Total cost for this dinner for five? Around $45 including parking.  

(Items in parentheses were consumed entirely buy other members of the family)

My parents don't "get it."  They have no desire to go to the festival.  They never were all that interested in it.  But my family and I love it.  Maybe that's just who we are.

 

Once upon a time (and a half)

I found this home plan.  I used to work in a clothing store and some nights were terribly slow.  We catered to older women in my department of the store.  So to help pass time, I always kept something around to read.  Magazines were the best and homeplan books were my favorites.  I remember finding this one and dreaming that one day I would get to live in this house:

Gorgeous isn't it?  It's from one of my favorite home designers. . .Larry Garnett.  You can take a look at the floorplan here

Field trip!

Today I get the honor of going on a special field trip with some really special kids.  It's a feel good day . . . a day when kids who are blessed with healthy bodies and minds spend the day with kids who have special challenges.  For one day they get to see the beautiful minds and spirits of kids who have to work harder at everything.

God bless the children, big and small.

***Updated. . .finally. . .absolute bummer.  The field trip had to be postponed because of rain.  This makes me sad.  It's such a great day for the kids but ruined by rain.  How we manage a drought all summer long and then have rain on so many special days. . . so unfortunate.

Apparently I am on a bit of a house kick

I have been revisiting some of my old "haunts" from back in the days of dreaming about getting to build a house.  This is one that I don't think I saw back in those days.

 I love so many things about this house.  I love the huge living room.  I love the solarium.  I love the sleeping porch.  Yes, a sleeping porch.  For those of you who have had cool lives and never survived a hot summer without air conditioning, sleeping porches were for those brutally hot nights when it just made more sense to sleep outside than inside the stuffy house.

I just go ga-ga over the sleeping porch in this house!